HIGH FLYER SPECIAL ANNUAL MAGAZINE EDITION MARCH 2016
High Flyer is Wycombe High School’s half-termly magazine celebrating past and present life at school. If you would like to advertise in this magazine, please contact Mrs Dana Morgan on 01494 523961 or e-mail dmorgan@whs.bucks.sch.uk. Our Finance Office will invoice you upon distribution of the magazine. ADVERTISING Small companies ad (< 10 employees)
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We are enormously grateful for the continued support of our advertisers. We hope you find their products and services useful. Please note: We do not accept educational, tutoring and nutritional advertising for High Flyer. Inclusion of an advert in this publication does not mean the school or the Parents And Friends Association (PAFA) endorse it. Buying a product or service from this publication is entirely at your own risk. PUBLICATION FORMAT High Flyer is predominantly an online publication, distributed by email and published online, the size of the adverts are based on the A5/A4 format of the finished product. However we are happy to accept A4 (or other) sized PDF or JPG files and will resize these accordingly to fit. The publication incorporates margins and therefore does not require provision for a bleed edge. Our annual magazine is printed in A4 Colour – circa 1500 printed as well as electronic PDF. DISTRIBUTION Our magazine goes out to over 1400 local households and thousands of alumnae and is also online at https://issuu.com/wycombehighsch Next Edition
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May
4 May
23 May
Diary dates - Summer Term 2016 19 April
Lower School Concert, 7.00 - 9.00 pm, Hall
21 April
Old Girls v Current Students & Staff Hockey Match, 7.00 pm Bisham Abbey NSC
26 April
PAFA Meeting, 7.30 - 9.30 pm, The Forum
27 April
Guild Committee Meeting, 7.00 pm, CR
6 May
Sports Gala Evening, Wycombe Old Town Hall, 7.00 pm
13 May
Movie Night, Hall, 6.00 - 8.00 pm, Hall
7 June
PAFA Meeting, 7.30 - 9.30 pm, The Forum
27 June
Volunteers Thank You Evening, 6.00 - 7.30 pm, CR Art Exhibition, 4.30 - 7.30 pm, WLC
30 June
Year 13 Ball
1 July
Year 11 Prom 2
Table of Contents
News Crew Heads of News Crew Emily Morgan Year 13 A3 Saoirse O’Connor Year 13 P3 Year 9 Ana Meechan C10 Year 11 Zainab Alam P5 Ambar Yousuf A2 Year 12 Erin Parry-Bennee P3 Ellie Tarr P9
Cover Art by Muniba Jahangir Year 11, Austen 2 Advertising in High Flyer
Page 2
Diary Dates Spring Term
Page 2
Message From Headteacher
Page 4
Art
Pages 5-6
Careers
Page 7
Charity
Page 10
Development Ambassadors
Pages 11-15
Development Office Update
Pages 16-18
Drama
Pages 20-23
Economics
Pages 25-27
English
Pages 28-31
Environment
Pages 32-33
Geography
Page 33
History and Politics
Page 34
House Challenge
Pages 35-36
International Fair
Page 37
Languages
Pages 38-39
Library
Page 40
Maths
Lead Staff Member Mrs D Morgan Proofreaders Mrs C Edwards Mrs L O’Connor Advertisers Flying Colours
Page 8
Zenopa
Page 9
Brocklehurst Architects
Page 19
Page 41
LIFE Build Solutions
Page 24
Music
Pages 42-45
May High Flyer
Page 70
News Crew
Pages 46-47
Sport Gala Dinner
Page 82
Original Contributions
Pages 48-68
WHS Events
Page 83
Oxbridge
Page 69
Hawkins Sport
Page 84
PAFA
Pages 71-74
Places For People
Page 85
PE and Sport
Pages 75-81
Innovate
Page 91
Science
Page 86
Guild
Page 91
Sociology
Page 87
Perton Signs
Page 92
Technology
Pages 88-90
ST Autos
Page 92
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 this half-termly publication.
Wycombe Squash and
Wycombe High School Marlow Road High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP11 1TB Tel: 01494 523961 Fax: 01494 510354 office@whs.bucks.sch.uk 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.
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Racquet Club
Page 92
Ingenuity IT
Page 93
Letting of School Premises
Page 93
Pyramid Health & Fitness
Page 94-95
Stagecoach
Page 96
Cineworld
Page 97
Imaginations Wild
Page 98
PYP Sport Gift Form
Pages 99-100
Message from the Headteacher This edition of High Flyer marks a very special point in our school’s development. It show cases the very strong links our current students and staff have with alumnae, by combining for the first time our half-termly edition of High Flyer with our annual magazine for alumnae. This represents the increasingly strong alignment past and current students have with Wycombe High School. It also demonstrates the significant involvement our alumnae have in current school life.
Do remind your daughter to eat healthily and sleep well. And please make she strikes a balance: she does need recreation time. And I stress again, as we often do in school, that your daughter can only do her best, whatever that might be. She and you know her targets: support her to aim high, work hard and achieve them. But never forget, if she is doing her best, no more can be expected or asked for. We are very, very proud of the girls’ achievements to date in all aspects of their lives, not just academic attainment.
We are proud and honoured to have so many former students in so many parts of the world, in diverse roles. They lead on many aspects of our society’s development, nationally and internationally. It is very clear that Wycombe High School is proving to be a very positive force for good and a pipeline of extraordinarily talented women. Many of these supported our annual Careers Fair. This is always a superb event bringing together some of the UK’s best universities and leading employers, to inspire our students. Oxbridge, Imperial, UCL, Exeter, Warwick, Glasgow and LSE to name but a few. In addition, Accenture, Deloittes, BBC, IBM and Waitrose joined local employers such as Instron and Cobham, as well as the police and army.
This week in school, we have shown the girls’ Global Rock entry in assemblies. Global Rock is a national dance competition. Through the mediums of dance and drama the girls have shared the message that terrorism is never the answer, that as a school and society we are tolerant, respectful and committed to democratic principles. The girls choreographed and designed everything. The dance is called ‘Siochain’ - the Irish word for peace. It carries a strong message of a commitment to tolerance, mutual respect and peace. Over 70 girls were involved in the dancing, choreography, and technical aspects of the production. (Please do read more about it on page 20).
Life at Wycombe High school never stands still. We are not a complacent school. We constantly strive to be the best that we can be. And our students very much have that mindset too. This year we are doing a lot of work on ‘mindsets’ to ensure our girls know that above all else, it is their effort and attitude that is important and valued, not grades. This is true in every aspect of life.
Please also enjoy the vast array of original contributions related to every subject area and aspect of school life. They are a very striking testament to the extraordinary talents of your daughter and her peers. As we move into the Easter holiday period I wish all of our community a peaceful and relaxing break.
It seems timely to highlight this as we approach the examination period (GCSE, AS and A2 Levels). School staff and I understand that revision is demanding, but it is necessary and takes time. So please encourage your daughter’s effort (and encourage her not to put it off or underestimate the time it takes)! Clocks cannot be turned back and self-discipline and hard work are greater indicators of success than innate ability.
Kindest regards Mrs S N Cromie Headteacher
We recommend that those facing important examinations, such as GCSEs and A levels, get up early during the holiday period and work at least the hours equivalent to a normal school day (and without constantly checking social media, texts and messages). An early start provides the flexibility to balance work and recreation. 4
Art Year 10 Art Year 10 are just starting their final pieces for Unit 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Cakes and Sweets. Their work is truly stunning, the only problem is that we all feel hungry every Art lesson!
Josie Wellington, Nightingale 8
Shaan Riley, Bronte 3
Freya Humphries, Nightingale 7
Annelise Hill, Parks 7
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Art Serena Cincin-Sain, Curie 1
Hannah Wilkie, Bronte 3
Meg Riley, Pankhurst 3
Ella Davies, Pankhurst 8
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Careers Higher Education & Careers Fair - 9 March 2016 Over 500 students and parents attended Wycombe High School`s annual Higher Education and Careers Fair 2016. The event provided the ideal setting to showcase local employment, apprenticeship and higher education opportunities.
Students found the event extremely helpful in respect of University choices and pathways planning and advice. A parent of a student at JHGS commented; â&#x20AC;&#x153;We thought the event was very informative and has helped Sam to explore a career in engineering. He spoke to the engineering companies about apprenticeships, work experience and post graduate schemes as well as taking home lots of university brochuresâ&#x20AC;?. Mrs S Miles, Higher Education & Careers Advisor
The popular event had a great range of 35 top universities and a host of 30 local and national employers. Among those taking part were Accenture UK, BBC, Deloitte, IBM and Waitrose. Employers were on hand to give advice and guidance on a range of topics from advice on careers in popular sectors to apprenticeship and post graduate training opportunities. Visitors to the event were also able to attend a range of Higher Education and Careers talks, such as; `How to select Universities and Degree courses` to `How to get into the Police`.
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Charity Charity Update
In addition to the admirable efforts from everyone involved in the Speed Dating Night and International Fair, each of the six Houses have been working tirelessly to raise money for their individual House charities. Activities such as form cake sales and Change for Change have allowed students to raise a collective £6269.47 for the House charities so far.
A month into the winter term and students of Wycombe High School were once again carrying out amazing events all in the name of Charity fundraising. All the proceeds went the British Heart Foundation and the Children of Syria Appeal. Further fundraising came via House events and form cake sales
Millie Sepede, Year 13, Nightingale 7 A record amount of money was raised for the British Heart Foundation through the incredible efforts of the Student Leadership Team through the Speed Dating Night. The event was planned and carried out by SLT, teaming together live music and impressive décor to produce an atmosphere of fun all in the name of raising money. Over 150 people were present, with a successful 500 matches from the two minute speed dating conversations the students had. Students from both Royal Grammar School and John Hampden Grammar School attended, helping to raise a school record of £830 for the British Heart Foundation.
Following this extremely successful event, each form was then assigned a country and were given the opportunity to demonstrate their culinary skills to sell tasty treats reflecting their assigned countries at the International Fair. They represented countries such as America, France, England, Mexico and Italy. Stalls showcased an array of food such as the delicious displays of pizza, doughnuts, crepes, pancakes and nachos. The fantastic effort from each form managed to raise a wonderful £573.80 with all proceedings being raised for the Children of Syria appeal. A massive thank you to everyone involved! 10
Development Ambassador Update This year we are raising money for the ‘Play Your Part’ Sport Campaign for a dual all-weather pitch facility. So far we have raised an amazing total of £2,430 towards our £3000 annual target. Thank you to everyone who has participated in our previous events.
‘Would I Lie to You?’ Quiz on Wednesday 27 April from 1:45 – 2:20 in the Hall for students and staff. The quiz will be hosted by Mr Bell and consist of one team of female teachers: Miss Mckeever, Miss Forbes and Mrs Honnor competing against a team of male teachers: Mr Snodden, Mr Fazal and Mr Mackerras. The quiz is based on the popular television quiz show, in which two teams compete to decide whether the opposing teams unusual and embarrassing facts are true or false. Don’t miss it! Tickets are £1.00 per person. Bring extra change to buy tasty treats on the day.
On Friday 4 March the Development Ambassadors held a movie night showcasing ‘Insurgent’, the second film from the Divergent Series. Once again the Movie Night Raffle brought smiles and treats to the lucky winners. First prize of four free tickets to Cineworld went to Nikhita Banerjee Year 8 Pankhurst 3 ; second and third prizes went to Cerys Lloyd Year 8 Nightingale 8 and Niamh Duncan Year 8 Pankhurst 4 respectively. Our thanks go to our Movie Night Sponsors: High Wycombe Cineworld for the popcorn and raffle prizes; Tesco Loudwater for drinks and The Guild for tasty treats. With your help we raised £60.
Our last Movie Night of the year is on Friday 13 May showcasing ‘Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2’. Be sure your daughters save the dates for these two events. It’s not too late to purchase our 2016 Art Calendar and Art Notelets. If you are looking for unique and beautiful gifts consider buying yourself, friends and family a copy of the calendar and / or sets of cards. Order forms are available on the school website, in Development Course in Moodle as well as in this edition of High Flyer. As always, we have wonderful branded merchandise to purchase. Every order helps us raise much needed funds. We have begun recruitment for 2016 –2017 Development Ambassadors from current Year 7s, Year 8s and Year 11s. We are also looking for a new Head of Development from Year 12. Please encourage your daughters to apply. Students interested in business, graphic design, marketing, public relations, event management, etc. should apply. Letters to parents have been published on the school website along with job descriptions which include the application process. Applicants are required to write a letter to Mrs Morgan explaining why they are interested in the role of Development Ambassador and / or Head of Development by Friday 29 April. Best of luck to all applicants!
On 10 March 2016, we held a Zumba Fundraising Night. It was a brilliant evening led by ‘This Girl Can’ ambassador, former student and hockey player Anisha Gangotra (class of 2002). Thank you to everyone who participated in the event. With your support we raised £84.
Munroop Phagura, Year 13, Pankhurst 8, Head of Development
We hope you will continue to support Development Ambassador events including a 11
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Development Office Update Play Your Part Sport Campaign Update
news/marlow-5-2016 The PE Department recently sent out a letter introducing the sale of sport related merchandise including:
Letters to the community have been distributed to neighbours and our application has been submitted to the Wycombe District Council. We are hoping to break ground for our new dual allweather pitch facility in the summer term, but we need your help.
We have many initiatives in place to help us raise the £373,000 necessary to complete the first of two pitches. To kick off the campaign students, staff and parents ran in the Marlow Rotary Santa Fun Run in December raising over £1K. In January we launched the WHS Sport-a-thon encouraging the entire WHS community to complete the distance of a marathon in a new sport over a three month period and raise money through sponsorship. (We look forward to reporting funds raised in the next edition of High Flyer). Just before we broke up for Half Term we held a Staff v Student Badminton Match which raised £100. Over the Valentine’s and Mothers’ Day weekends a team of students raised £795 by wrapping flowers at Tesco Loudwater. Since the beginning of our school year we have raised nearly £7,000 through these initiatives, Development Ambassador Events and advertising sales from High Flyer.
Play Your Part branded t-shirt in House colours £10 Team WHS Headband £7 WHS branded water bottle £3.50 WHS Sports Leader Lanyard £2.50
The t-shirts can be worn during Inter-House events and on Sports Day (Friday 8 July). You can purchase these items via ParentPay or by cheque using the ‘Play Your Part’ Sport Campaign - Merchandise Fundraising letter on the school website. In addition to these initiatives we are applying for grants from Sport England, Bucks Masonic and Garfield Weston to name a few. We thank you for your support and ask that if you have not already participated in one of our fundraising events, you consider doing so. By far the best way you can support this campaign, and the school in general, is for you to consider making a regular monthly gift to the Future Fund. We have a strong tradition of parental giving which has directly supported the building of the new Music Centre and our Library; ongoing refurbishments of our Science Labs and Science Support Facilities; upgrades to The Forum; new Dance and Drama Studios, sound and lighting equipment; replacement of windows and doors; new toilets and ongoing decoration improvements.
Upcoming events include… Alumnae v Staff and Students Hockey Match at Bisham Abbey NSC on Thursday 21 April from 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm. We hope this becomes an annual event with next years match on the new pitch. All welcome to come watch and support. Charity Gala Dinner & Sports Awards Evening hosted by Gabby Logan for parents and students at Wycombe Old Town Hall on Friday 6 May from 7.00 pm to 12.00 am. Tickets available on www.thelittleboxoffice.com/whs. Marlow 5 Sunday 10 May, 9.30 am Higgins Park, Marlow. Students (15 years +), parents and staff are encouraged to join ‘Team WHS’ and raise money through sponsorship through our Play Your Part Sport JustGiving Campaign http:// campaign.justgiving.com/charity/wycombehighschool/playyourpartsport £18 to enter in advance or £25 on the day. Closing date 4 May. Entry forms can be found here: http://www.grantandstone.co.uk/about/
Over the past ten years £527,000 has been pledged by parents such as yourselves. Your daughters benefit from past and current giving. Any future pledges and donations you make will raise academic and extra-curricular standards even further. Please do consider completing the Future Fund Gift form in this edition of High Flyer and return it to the Development Office. If you have any questions or require further information please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs Dana Morgan on 01494 897309 or dmorgan@whs.bucks.sch.uk..
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If you have any suggestions or would like to support the Play Your Part Sport Campaign by participating in a sponsored sporting event, joining ‘Friends of Sport’, helping out with an upcoming event and / or volunteering in the Development Office, do get in touch. We would love your support.
Development Leadership Roles Recruitment 2016 - 2017 It isn’t often that students have an opportunity to write a formal business letter, participate in a proper interview and gain invaluable real world business experience and life skills in a High School environment. So, please encourage your daughters interested in publishing, writing, graphic design, marketing, public relations, advertising, fundraising, sales and/or alumnae relations to apply for the following positions:
Sport-a-thon Update
Mrs Cromie is continuing with her hill running, having completed 27 km to date. She finds it very rewarding but extremely challenging. Support Mrs Cromie by signing her sponsorship form. Mr Mackerras has completed 141 of his 500 mile walking goal. Make sure you encourage your daughters to sign his sponsorship form! Mr Houston has logged 361 miles and counting in preparation for his four marathons in four months. Please support Mr Houston by contributing to his Just Giving page and wish him luck for his first marathon in April. 3 April - Paris Marathon 2 May - Milton Keynes Marathon 19 June - Hampshire Hoppit (Trail) Marathon 16 July - Chiltern Challenge Ultra (50km) https://www.justgiving.com/runhoustonrun/ Miss Snook is three marathons down with two still in progress, one of which isn’t far off. The rowing is her greatest challenge! Support Miss Snook by signing her sponsorship form. Mrs Morgan has achieved 70% of her overall goal of 104.8 miles in walking, swimming, jogging and rowing. Please support Mrs Morgan by visiting her JustGiving page here: https:// www.justgiving.com/Dana-Morgan Mrs Penzer-Williams is taking part in several runs: IAAF Cardiff World Half Marathon 2016 Saturday 26 March; the Beaconsfield 5 Mile Trail Run Monday 28 March and the Grant & Stone Wycombe Half Marathon, Sunday 10 July 2016. Please support Mrs Penzer-Williams by contributing to her JustGiving campaign here: https://www.justgiving.com/Clare-Penzer1.
Development Ambassadors from current Years 7, 8 and 11 News Crew Members from current Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 Heads of Development, News Crew and Guild from current Year 12
What will your daughter(s) get out of it? CASE hours for Year 12 students; UCAS personal statement/reference; new skills and experience for their CVs. She will learn to work in challenging environments, working to deadlines and on budget. She will also work with students across year groups that she might not otherwise encounter. In addition, all successful applicants will be awarded a badge for day-to-day wear and recognition.
The Development Ambassadors lead on projects like the Custom Card & Tag Project and the Textile Recycling Scheme; create events like the Open Mic Night, Movie and Zumba Nights and Quizzes; research, sell and produce WHS branded products and participate in fundraising events like the Frost Fayre and Sports Day. The News Crew is responsible for producing five half-termly editions of High Flyer and the annual WHS Magazine. This involves laying out the publications, as well as covering events, writing articles and generating advertising revenue. Last but not least we have our Heads of Guild. The Guild is Wycombe High School’s student and staff association. The Guild’s primary goal is to provide advice to current students with regards to courses, university, career, life and work experience. The Heads of Guild are responsible for raising awareness of the Guild to current students, assisting the Guild with sponsorship of school events, creating stronger links with former students and school through social media, producing the Inspiring Women Evening and ’Inspire’ Lunchtime Talks among other events. /Cont’d... 17
You daughters can refer to the job descriptions which have been emailed to them and can also be found on our school website in â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Letters to Parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and on Moodle in the respective Development, News Crew and The Guild Courses. Students can apply by sending a letter of application to Mrs Morgan in the Development Office (Room C306) or via email to dmorgan@whs.bucks.sch.uk. The deadline for letters of application is Friday 29 April. Letters will be reviewed and references will be requested from tutors. Prior commitments and effort will be taken into consideration. Top applicants will be interviewed. Successful candidates will be awarded the role and receive a badge for day to day recognition. Thank you for encouraging your daughters to apply for a Development Leadership Role. We wish them the best of luck! Mrs D Morgan, Director of Development and Alumnae Relations
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Drama Global Rock Challenge 2016
their support, everything was run by students from Wycombe High School. Our piece this year focused on the Northern Ireland conflict, or the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Troubles' as they are commonly known. This concept was initially inspired by our interest in the plight of refugees from the ongoing conflict in Syria. We felt that doing a piece on something so current, and something that felt quite hopeless at times would not be as effective as looking at a country who had experienced conflict, but had also found hope. This is how we decided to focus on the Northern Ireland conflict.
Monday 29 February was an exciting day for the 80 students that gathered in the Forum to finally participate in the 2016 Global Rock Challenge at Milton Keynes Theatre. The lead up to this day has been both exhilarating and exhausting. We have only had two hours of rehearsals per week to prepare a dance / drama piece that lasts eight minutes.
We named our piece 'Siochain: looking for stars in the darknessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (Siochain means peace in Gaelic) to convey our message of hope. The piece followed a group of girls who were torn apart by the conflict. We showed protesting, the events of Bloody Sunday, the Birmingham pub bombings, and finally, the Good Friday Agreement, where the group of girls were finally reunited.
Global Rock Challenge is a national dance and drama competition that focuses on healthy living and getting a legal high from dance, music and drama. It's an incredibly enjoyable day, where students from all years can celebrate a multitude of talents. The teachers that led us this year, Mrs J-C and Miss McKeever, have always been keen for this to be a completely studentled project, and with 20
Our aim was to depict the conflict as accurately as possible, whilst still carrying our message of hope through to the audience. The dance styles we used ranged from contemporary, street, lyrical and of course Irish dancing. The Irish dances were choreographed by Miss McKeever, who is an amazing teacher and very patient, but everything else was done by our amazing Year 13 Dance Captains, Dominique Hamilton and Isabelle Lam. The day itself was really fun. The theatre was a lovely space to perform in, and there was lots of music and dancing. Even the teachers got involved and tried to compete in the annual 'airguitar' competition against the other schools. Sadly, the teachers didn't bring home the prize this time, but we came home with eight awards of excellence including performers choice, which was one voted for by other schools as the best performance of the day! We came in second place overall, up against some really tough competition from the other schools. It was a great day, and will definitely be one of the things that I will miss about Wycombe High School when I leave here in the summer. Lucy Price, Year 13, Austen 8 WHS Global Rock Awards Performers choice Best concept Best choreography Excellence for Entertainment Best costuming of character Best lighting Best video Best performance skill 2nd place overall
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Drama ‘Into the Woods’
I want to say an amazing amount of thanks to everyone involved, cast and crew alike, and most importantly the production team; our amazing producer Katie Ell, our wonderful director and assistant director, Matthew Dye and Lucy Baker, our musical directors Carole King and AJ, our choreographers Felicity Kerwin and Jamie Sansom, our fabulous costume team and of course all of the technical team who kept the show running and kept all of us safe.
Much like the Youth Projects of the summer, the Wycombe Swan has run its Spring Youth Project for many years, although this has been my first time participating. After seeing the film adaptation in 2014, I was thoroughly excited to have a chance to participate in this youth version of ‘Into the Woods’. However, the film definitely did not prepare me for what an incredible musical it really is, with many songs and key elements having not been present on screen.
I felt we performed this musical wonderfully, despite the incredible difficulties it sometimes posed. As our music director constantly reminded us, ‘Of course it’s hard, it’s Sondheim’. It was really an amazing show to be in and I absolutely cannot wait for Summer Youth Project auditions in April. Emily Morgan, Year 13, Austen 3, Head of News Crew
Our Fabulous Cast An almost satirical look at the nature of fairy tales, ‘Into the Woods’ tells the story of a baker and his wife who embark on a journey through the wood to lift a curse that a witch has placed on them. Along the way, their story intertwines with that of other familiar fairy tale characters such as Little Red Ridinghood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Cinderella. This was probably the most inclusive of any Youth Project I have ever done. For a cast of about eighty, it is truly incredible that absolutely everyone was so involved as our director allowed us to be. Each person had their own individual character, all stemming from the classic stories we all know and love. As for me, I was a courtier (more easily explained as a groupie to Prince Charming) and boy did I have fun Myself and the other ‘groupies’ with playing my role. our beloved Prince Charming 22
The cast celebrate making it through to the final day!
Wonder.land: A New Musical
virtual reality headset as well as experiencing some set pieces and designs ahead of time.
On Tuesday 9 February, the Year 12 and 13 Drama students went down the proverbial rabbit hole to see the newly update ‘Wonder.land’ at the National Theatre.
Overall, I thought this was a tremendously interesting performance and while it may not have been aimed at my age group, it was entertaining nonetheless.
With music written by Damon Albarn, famously part of the bands Blur and Gorillaz, ‘Wonder.land’ takes the classic story from Lewis Carrol and flips it on its head. Alice now becomes Ally, a young girl struggling with the pressures of being a teenager. Until she discovers wonder.land, a mysterious online community where she has the opportunity to create a whole new her. The internet becomes her looking glass, but will Ally see who she truly is?
Emily Morgan, Year 13, Austen 3, Head of News Crew
We’re All Mad Here Join us for tea? This updated version of the old classic is clearly targeted at young teens, and tells of the dangers of the online world (highlights being the potential for identity theft and cyberbullying). The songs are upbeat with catchy lyrics that are easily memorable, though the melodies were quite repetitive after a while. Visually this production was astounding. The designers went above and beyond to capture the true madness of wonderland, with psychedelic colours and vibrant characters that leapt off the stage. There was interactive fun for the audience as well. In the foyers, audience members were permitted to enter ‘wonder.land’ through a
Two Year 13 students sampling the virtual reality headsets 23
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Economics Year 12 Economics on Film
We had a Day in the Life of Big Boss Bethany Keegan, who along with her team; Emily Atkinson Curie 1, Harriet Cross Austen 2, Georgia Dean Pankhurst 8 and Natalie Engers Curie 6, took us on an adventure through Big Boss Beth’s Business to teach us about Economic Objectives.
Year 12 Economics recently completed a project where they were set the challenge of presenting an economic concept via video. There were four teams who took on the challenge of teaching us about Objectives of a Firm and Market Structures, and they certainly rose to the challenge. The four projects yielded highly creative and innovative videos to teach us about economics in an entertaining way.
We were invited into the boardroom by Kyah Ashcroft Parks 3, Pragya Garg Nightingale 2, Sabihah Mahmud Pankhurst 9, Nazifa Miah Pankhurst 9, Vatsala Mittal Austen 9 and Fiona Otter Pankhurst 3 to gain an insider perspective of different Market Structures and even joined an ‘international’ conference call!
The winning team created their own song to teach us about the Objectives of a Firm which was not only informative but has certainly stayed in our minds ever since! ‘Profit maximisation!’ Congratulations to the winning team; Alice Lasseter Curie 7, Yaqing Luo Nightingale 4, Alisha Sutheer Curie 8 and Amelia Weiss Austen 10.
A fantastic project completed to the highest standard by all four teams within Year 12 Economics – well done to all involved! We were taken on a journey into High Wycombe town centre by Sky Carberry-Rogers Nightingale 5, Naomi Fibert Curie 7, Rashida Rahim Austen 3 and Kaiyomi Stewart Nightingale 3 to learn about Market Structures and the different types of goods available to the consumer.
Miss Jones, Subject Leader Business & Economics
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Economics EU Referendum In conclusion, the UK should be part of the European Union due to the economic advantages, both nationally and in terms of the SMEs as it offers a level of stability to British trade.
23 June 2016 marks a date of significant importance for UK history; the EU Referendum. Voters in the UK have to decide whether or not to stay in the EU. Year 13 Business students have been looking into this decision and have created the following statements.
Rachel Albin, Year 13, Curie 8 and Amelia Kemp, Year 13, Nightingale 8 An advantage of staying in the EU is the use of free trade. The UK has access to a very large market of over 500 million people, across all the European countries. This is beneficial when looking for highly skilled workers which can increase productivity and lower training costs resulting in UK businesses and the economy being more successful.
The European Union is an economic and political partnership between 28 European countries that covers much of the European continent, including the UK. Britain should stay in the EU as it has many positive implications for business like free trade. Britain avoids import tariffs and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;red-tapeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, making it cheaper and easier to export. The UK already benefits from less regulation, particularly when compared to the other countries like Germany and the Netherlands.
However, a disadvantage of staying in the EU is that it costs billions in membership fees which could be directed into the UK economy, for example, funding services such as education and healthcare.
This is particularly important as 61% of small businesses in the UK transport goods/services to the EU, with trade between Britain and the EU totalling $400 billion. However, Britain is a NET contributor, and as a result they pay more in then they are getting out of the EU. In 2014, an estimated â&#x201A;Ź12.3 billion more was paid into the EU treasury than was received, which has resulted in higher national expenditure and taxes for businesses in Britain. By having to compensate through taxation for membership costs, profits of those operating domestically and internationally will suffer - preventing future reinvestment and growth.
To conclude, the UK should stay in the EU. Although costs of paying taxes and other financial obligations are high to stay in, the EU provides a multitude of benefits. The movement of free people means highly skilled workers can be accessed from all over Europe and also the free trade of goods and services benefits many UK businesses as it means they can sell their goods on a continental level without having to worry about tariffs or quotas on their goods. Bella Ryall, Year 13, Curie 10 and Jasmine Hunt, Year 13, Parks 7
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The UK would benefit immensely from being in the EU as it opens doors to free trade, a greater market to sell to and access to a skilled workforce. This has the overall effect of cheaper imports, and more skilled labour within the UK allowing job roles to be filled, thus reducing unemployment. This will benefit the economy by having more people in jobs that allows the government to collect tax thus improving public services which provides the basis for a healthy workforce.
UK economy, especially as many American and Asian EU firms build factories in Britain because it is in the single market, therefore, in addition to the EU markets it would lose, it will also lose its attractiveness to businesses from outside the EU. However, large membership fee savings can be made by leaving the EU. It can be argued that these costs could be used to fund and improve important sectors such as education and health rather than this membership. It has been claimed that the cost is around £55m per day. Last year, Britain paid in £13bn, but it also received £4.5bn worth of spending, says Full Fact "so the UK's net contribution was £8.5bn".
The benefit of having more people in jobs is that individuals have more disposable income to spend with businesses, additionally helping the state of Britain’s finances. Furthermore, the greater the size of market, the greater the opportunity to sell UK made goods which acts as a cash injection to the UK economy. A main complaint about the EU is the fact that it costs the UK money to be a part of the alliance. However, this amount is only 0.56% of the total GDP of the UK, so is minimal. (United Kingdom GDP | 1960-2016 | News, 2016). Having said that, it could be argued that the EU inflicts too many rules on UK businesses, restricting their ability to compete, which costs the small business economy nearly £5bn a year.
In conclusion, we firmly believe that the benefits outweigh the weakness so the UK should remain in the EU. t is clear that leaving the EU is too risky and will damage the relations with the other European countries. Additionally, the EU has much more influence in the world than the UK alone would ever have. Madihah Ahmed, Year 13, Nightingale 4; Roxanna Ciocan, Year 13, Curie 3 and Nadine Acquaah, Year 13, Curie 10
Overall, the benefits of staying in the EU outweigh the risks, therefore, we recommend the UK stays in the EU, and if a negotiation or agreement can be made so that the EU does not determine the way the UK is run there can be harmony between the two players. The upcoming referendum will take the deciding vote as to whether the UK remains in the EU or not. Amie Carter, Year 13, Curie 1 and Rebecca Meyrick, Year 13, Austen 3 We believe that the UK should be a member of the EU because the EU is our biggest trading partner and the largest single consumer market in the world, and thus to leave it would certainly involve risk. According to official figures, Britain exported about £147bn worth of goods and services to EU countries last year, as well as the fact that the EU buys over 50 per cent of UK exports (54 per cent of goods, 40 per cent of services) and over 300,000 British companies and 74 per cent of British exporters operate in other EU markets. The impacts of leaving would be detrimental to the 27
English barrel and us dancers were working hard. One of the gang had purchased a camera on the black market and so he was joking around taking photographs. I was on my break when Momma rushed up urgently and said we needed to talk. We went over to the bar and got a drink each. Momma turned to look at the club and I followed her gaze. “I need your help Issy. I can’t do this any more!” I took a sip of my drink and she practically downed hers. It tasted bitter. Then her face froze and she screamed like I had never heard. She collapsed to the floor and apparently I joined her a second later.
The Ace of Spades I remember so clearly waking up in the hospital. All those men in white coats fussing and flapping. Then a guy in a tux walked in looking like a proper big shot. His voice was low and gruff. “You Isadora?” I nodded, nervous. “I got some bad news. Your momma’s dead.” The next few hours were a whirlwind. They said it was poison. They said it was almost instant. They said I’d been dosed too. This one shocked me most but then my foggy memory cleared. I suddenly remembered everything: the fight, the drink and the scream. Daddy was one of the biggest bootleggers in town. He had a whole host of mobsters doing his bidding and he was rolling in dough. He owned the best underground club in town: the Ace of Spades. Momma had been Daddy’s girl ever since she became a dancer at the club but she stopped dancing when she had me. I grew up tall like Momma and became a dancer at the club too.
As soon as I had come round in hospital they hurried me out as fast as they could. The gruff guy got me into an armoured car and for a second I thought I was on a one way trip, but he soon explained himself. He was the police chief and he had heard of my Momma’s death. Somebody had called the cops after Momma snuffed it and the whole place was shut down. I would’ve died too but I didn’t drink the whole glass.
Once we got to the police station he hustled me out, saying he had a few questions. I told him everything I could remember but then he asked if anyone would have reason to kill me so I had to tell him about the argument. Tommy was a clean guy; he was in the band at the club but he never touched drink himself. He was my boyfriend and we loved each other but that day we had a fierce argument. I had caught him with one of the other dancers, a real floozy. We called each other every name there was but the last thing he said was “I’m gonna kill you…..”
The night of Valentine’s Day 1926 was the busiest night I had seen. Daddy’s gang were serving beer by the 28
The gruff cop said he would do some research. He would find Tommy but also get the pictures from that night developed. For my own safety, he said I would have to stay in jail until the crime was solved. I was shocked. Why should I spend a night in the slammer? It turned out to be a lot more than a night. The next three weeks were hell; it felt like I was always being watched by a million eyes. I even had a bodyguard come when I went to the bathroom. Finally, the gruff inspector came back, photographs in hand. “Isadora, your boyfriend did not kill your mother.” I sighed with relief. “Your father did.” He showed me Daddy standing behind us in the photograph, slipping something into our drinks. The picture was blurry but there was no doubt it was him. I cried then: none of it made any sense. Why? The inspector answered my thoughts as if he had read my mind. Momma had been feeling the heat for a while before that night. She was going to rat Daddy out to the police and she told everything to her best pal (another ex-dancer). Momma thought she could trust her but she spilled everything to Daddy. He knew he would be on the rap sheet if the cops found out about the club so he had to get rid of Momma. Daddy always was a cautious guy so he thought he should bump me off too, for safety. He was sentenced for life but the weird thing was, I never felt sorry for him. After all, you never quite forgive your parents after they try to kill you.
Niamh Duncan, Year 8, Pankhurst 4
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English World Book Day
exempted from this claim! Tamzin won first prise for her entry in the cake bake competition, followed in second place by Caitlin and third place by Ebony.
World Book Day this year fell on Thursday 3 March. It saw the whole of Year 7 giving up their school uniform for the day, in favour of the garb of their favourite fictional book characters. The English teachers even took part!
The writers of the best short stories were Megan Harris (Nightingale 10), Naima Ashraf (Pankhurst 1) and Martha Wright (Bronte 6), with first prize going to Megan. The dress-up competition was the final competition for the day, and Alice Freischmidt (Curie 2) managed to come out top, winning herself a very well deserved first place. Likewise, Aamnah Salim (Bronte 8) scored second place, with Marianne Morgan (Curie 1) in third place.
There were many events to take part in, by way of celebrating World Book Day, such as a short story competition, an art competition and cake baking. To add to the competitive fire, there was a competition held to reward the best dressed Year 7s. Meanwhile, Anne Kate Fischer (Curie 7 First Prize), Holly Sheperd (Bronte 5 Second Prize) and Hannah Shave (Pankhurst 6 Third Prize) showed their arty side by coming out top in the art competition.
All in all, the day was brilliant, and everyone had lots of fun. All thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s left to say is a big congratulations to both those who entered and those who won!
First Prize Anna Kate Fischer Curie 7
Our school indeed has some talented chefs, and Tamzin Allison (Bronte 8), Caitlin Tinnelly (Bronte 5) and Ebony Nichols (Bronte 1) ought not be
Lily Cassap, Year 7, Nightingale 7 and Ellie Tarr, Year 12, Parks 9, News Crew
First Prize Tamzin Allison Bronte 8
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English BBC News School Report 2016
or collected results from a survey, they were legitimate. She explained the demands of working to a deadline and reasured us that it was okay to be running around like headless chickens two minutes before the end of the day!
Thursday 10 March was rather a different day for some students in Years 7—10. For it’s tenth year, the BBC ran a News Day for school pupils across the UK, in which they brought the News to their schools. Over 2500 schools took part, each with a link to their school news page on the BBC website. If you want to see the finished product for WHS, go to http://www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/455/ school-life/clubs-activities/bbc-school-report-2016
The day consisted of individual and year group work reporting, recording and testing as necessary, so lots of articles made it to the website by lunchtime. In period 5, Miss Knott and Abigail brought us all together to create a news bulletin that summarised what we had created in a snappy, concise manner.
Students brainstormed a little before the day to get some ideas of what to report on. Some of the ideas we used were: teenagers’ view of politics, music and the brain, how YouTube has influenced our lives and other subjects we, as students, felt the need to discuss.
As this was the last thing we did, we had to quickly put everything together: writing scripts, finding camerawomen, rounding up enough presenters, actually filming, and in the last few minutes we squeezed in some frantic editing before merging them all together! Overall, the experience was a great one: it taught me how to deal with the pressure of working to a deadline, how to generate legitimate results and statistics and many other things that I don’t have time to list! I really hope to be involved next year. Ana Meechan, Year 9, Curie 10, News Crew
The BBC sent us a mentor from their own team, a former student of Wycombe High, Abigail Seager (Class of 2010). Abigail’s job at the BBC is in the broadcasting branch of the company, so her role is very much a technical one. She talked to us about how C307, our News Room for the day, resembled the BBC News Centre. She explained how we had to ensure our facts were correct, there were no grammatical errors, we used authorised photos and that if we ran experiments 31
Environment Saving the Planet Bit by Bit
started a vegetable patch in school so that we can grow and eat organic vegetables that have no air miles, they help biodiversity and they help us with healthy living. We have planted wild flowers (which are bee friendly) and carrots so far and we plan to plant broad beans and strawberry plants too.
This year as head of Environment, I have been working with Mr Nevard and a group of fantastic environment reps and other enthusiastic students to fulfill our mission to make the school an even more environmentally friendly and globally
conscious place. Part of our aim is to work towards getting a Green Flag award. There are lots of different criteria for this award including looking at issues in these nine areas: Energy, water, biodiversity, school grounds, healthy living, transport, litter, waste, and global citizenship. So in this article I will talk about some of the issues facing our planet today and how we are trying to help in our own little way.
Only 2.5 percent of the water on the planet is drinkable freshwater, and of this two percent, 79 percent is trapped in ice, and 21 percent is groundwater or surface supplies. Water is becoming scarcer and scarcer globally. Our school encourages everyone to turn off the taps – ‘don’t be a drip, turn off the taps!’ We have been working to encourage people to use refillable water bottles to reduce waste; it also means that refilling from taps is using a municipal, local water resource rather than imported water. We have promoted and reduced the price of the WHS branded eco-friendly water bottles.
Climate change, food insecurity and waste are all interlinking problems faced by the earth. We are transporting food around the world using many food miles and emitting vast amounts of CO2, and then we buy the food in masses of plastic packaging, creating more waste.
Last summer the school purchased lots of new bins for the outside areas of the school to reduce the amount of litter. Litter is bad because it can harm animals and is often not biodegradable so can release harmful chemicals into the environment over time. Also, it looks messy!
As consumers we waste food, we throw away seven million tonnes of food and drink, from our homes every year in the UK, and more than half of this is food and drink we could have consumed. Even before the food gets shipped to its country of destination, produce that does not meet standards is thrown away.
Wycombe High School does a lot more than some of you may realise to minimise its environmental impact. For example, all the school computers automatically turn off after a certain time in the evening. We recycle our waste. In addition, each building has a different heating /Cont’d...
In a small effort to combat this culture, we have 32
Geography system which can be controlled so that heat is only used when it is needed – reducing energy usage hugely. To reduce the amount of paper we use we have printer credits and we encourage everyone to print double sided – lots of teachers are also starting to use electronic systems more so are printing less, and the school email system is also reducing paper waste. We still have a long way to go though and should always strive to recycle more paper and use less paper because 11 trees in the amazon are cut down every second of every day. This is important because the Amazon rainforest provides over 20 percent of our oxygen. Myself, and the rest of environment club have a lot more ideas for this year and for future years and all that we ask is that everyone get involved in any way possible at home or in school to make the world a better, more sustainable place! Lotty Clare, Year 13, Curie 5, Head of Environment (SLT) The River Valley Not often is a teacher presented with work from a student that has not been assigned as compulsory homework. Mr Nowak-Scase, Teacher of Geography, has had the pleasure of receiving models and posters (see ‘The River Valley’ from one of his enthusiastic students Sheryl Cliff, Year 8, Parks 7. Sheryl is to be commended for her love of Geography and creativity.
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History & Politics AS Politics Visit to the Houses of Parliament, Treasury and Supreme Court
being an MP. Our first stop was the Supreme Court, where we had the opportunity to watch a court case discussing an EU Arrest Warrant. It was fascinating to see law in action, as well as getting to sit in the judge's seat!
The AS Politics students were very excited to visit Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Treasury. As always Parliament was very busy and one can never fully anticipate what we shall see and do. At the Supreme Court we sat in on a case on the implications of the European Arrest Warrant and were challenged to consider recent cases and their complexity with regard to privacy, freedom of speech and expression. We were very lucky to secure a Q and A session with senior level civil servants at the Treasury. They demonstrated the process behind the creation of the Budget which was most appropriate as we visited two days before its announcement. Professor Robert Winston was nonchalantly listening to the debate in the Lords on the Housing and Planning Bill while Iain Duncan Smith answered Ministerial Questions on the changes to the pension age for women in the Commons. The girls were also delighted to see Wycombe MP, Steve Baker, who popped over to the Parliament's new Education Centre to answer questions. It was a great day, jam-packed with learning experiences. It's no wonder that we had many sleepy-heads on the way home the corridors of the Palace of Westminster.
We then proceeded to the Treasury, where we got to create our own budgets, filling George Osborne's shoes for the day.
Miss S Chamberlain, Teacher of History and Politics The Year 12 AS Politics trip to the Houses of Parliament, the Treasury and the Supreme Court gave us an insight into politics in the real world. Speaking to a former Wycombe High School student, who now is employed at the Treasury, was inspirational. It opened our eyes to the possibility of working in Politics. It also taught us that working in Politics doesn't necessarily mean
But visiting Parliament was perhaps the most thrilling part of our trip, as we got to sit in the viewing galleries of both the Houses of Lords and Commons. We also enjoyed a highly anticipated catch-up with Steve Baker, the Wycombe MP. Overall, it was a fantastic day, and on behalf of all the year 12s on the trip we'd like to thank Miss Chamberlain for organising it, and Miss Green and Miss Neville for accompanying us. Jasmine Allen, Year 12, Parks 4 and Emily Sumner, Year 12, Bronte 10
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House Challenge - Spring House Competition – International Recycled Fashion We have produced a mid-year House Competition with a creative element for the last few years including Dragons, Headdresses and Flags. This year, our theme was International Recyled Fashion! During House assemblies each tutor group presented their design in an Olympic-style parade complete with music and fanfare. Each year the competition is judged by senior members of staff. This year our judges were Mrs Mansir, Mrs Lloyd and Mrs Jarrett.
Each House was given a continent and each tutor group had to select a country from within that continent to create an outfit from recylced materials and an accompanying poster. Austen & Bronte – Asia & South America Curie & Pankhurst – Australasia & North America Nightingale & Parks – Africa & Europe During the House assemblies, each Tutor Group entered with their representative model wearing their custom creation along with the poster bearer. Together they walked down the side of the Hall cheered by their fellow housemates and up onto the stage where they remained for the judges to observe and ask questions. The outfits were judged on: Creative use of recycled materials Reflection of the selected country There was an overall winner for each House and an overall winner across all Houses. There was also a ‘bonus’ category for interpretation of tolerance, which was the value we were focusing on this half-term. We will be having an overall winner in this bonus category across all Houses. And the winners were…. 1st Prize and 150 House Points - NIGHTINGALE 9 2nd Prize and 100 House Points - BRONTE 1
3rd Prize and 50 House Points - PARKS 6 Prize for reflection of Tolerance and 50 House Points - BRONTE 3 Poster Prize and 50 House Points - CURIE 1 Please see overleaf for photos.
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House Challenge - Spring
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International Fair 2016 On Friday 4 March we held the ever popular International Fair where the girls had the opportunity to celebrate the cultural diversity within the school. Many Tutor Groups as well as individuals from Year 7 ran stalls representing a country of their choice. Each stall provided a variety of treats from all over the world including India, Mexico, Canada, Belgium, France, Italy, Somalia and America. The International Schools Committee also represented Sri Lanka with cashew ‘Love’ cake as well as small gifts. Austen 1 won best stall with their selection of Canadian Treats. The hall was packed with students trying new flavours whilst listening to internationally selected music too. A total of £573.80 was raised and all proceeds have been sent to the Save the Children Fund – Syrian Refugee Crisis Appeal Mrs Lindsey-Clark, Food Technology Teacher, International Schools Coordinator
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Languages He taught everyone how unfair most of the fights were and the way that it was all set up as entertainment for rich people and the brutal treatment of animals in the arena. This was followed with some very comical and entertaining fights of our own! The activity was a great way to spend a lunch time and everybody had lots of fun.
International Week Activities: As part of International week, subject teachers offered a broad range of activities that were culturally linked to various parts of the world. These included International Dress -up Photo Booth, Making Models of Pompeii, Gladiator Fighting, Making Zen Gardens, Learning the Haka Dance, a French Teddy Bear's Picnic, and more!
Session led by Miss Nelson and Mr Walpole, Teachers of Latin HAKA
The Haka is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance, or challenge from the MÄ ori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment.
Gladiator Fighting
The Haka was originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition, but Haka are also performed for various reasons: for welcoming distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements, occasions or funerals, and Kapa Haka performance groups are very common in schools. The New Zealand sports teams' practice of performing a Haka before their international matches has made the Haka more widely known around the world. On Tuesday 1 March students from Wycombe High school learnt about the cultural history of the Haka and learnt their own Haka to dance to.
As part of international Week, Mr Walpole and Miss Nelson set up a lunchtime activity, gladiator fighting! There were lots of students interested across Years 7 - 9 and it made for a great way to spend lunchtime. There was much excitement when Mr Walpole handed out togas and weapons to the participants. He and Miss Nelson spoke of the traditions and customs in the amphitheatre where gladiator fighting regularly took place.
Session led by Mr Robert Woodward, Leader of KS3 Science, Teacher of Chemistry
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Year 8 Museum of London Trip
On the 3 February, 2016 (Mrs Penzer-Williamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; birthday!), Year 8 Latin classes joined the staff at the Museum of London to develop their knowledge of Roman Britain. We all took part in three activities: object handling, Boudicca storytelling and exploring the Roman gallery. When taking part in object handling, we split into groups and were given objects left from the Roman times. We then had to guess what the object was, examining the marks, material it was made from, the texture and the size. We were then able to imagine what life was like 2,000 years ago in Roman Britain. Afterwards, the welcoming staff chose three students from each class to try on some togas, which the Greeks and Romans would have worn. Those of societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lower class would have worn the middle outfit, middle class would have worn the outfit on the right, and upper class would have worn the costume on the left. When we explored the gallery, we were free to roam in the museum, whilst filling in some worksheets. These worksheets encouraged us to create a Latin character; I created a 32 year-old women called Saskia who wore very expensive jewellery and a toga which showed off her status. Others created characters such as gladiators, merchants, slaves and slave dealers. We then explored the many and varied displays to develop our characters. We discovered ancient jewellery to add to our characters appearance, and read stories to settle on a Roman name. It was great fun! Lastly, we all watched an amazing storytelling about Boudicca and her fight. The session included creating speeches, depending on which side you were on, that would have been said before war to accuse the opposition. All in all, every class had an amazing day, discovery of thousand year old objects, created Latin characters and learned about the great Boudicca. We would like to thank all of the Latin department and staff who came for a great day!! Lydia Legerton, Year 8, Bronte 3
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Library Blind Date With a Book – The Best Blind Dates
her third book, “First Class Murder” which is similarly set on a train.
Our “Blind Date with a Book” promotion in February proved to be extremely popular. We wrapped and distributed over 200 books!
Year 7 were encouraged to hone their detective writing skills by identifying suspects from clues. Robin told us her fourth book “Jolly Foul Play” is due to be released towards the end of March and she is busy writing book five to be released in the Autumn. She really is a very busy lady!
As in love, not all dates were a success but some really were love at first sight! We now have a display of some of the best dates in the Library. Titles are supported by reviews of their happy readers to recommend them and help give a flavour of what to expect from each book.
Spring in to the Library to see our latest delivery of fiction!
Author Visit for World Book Day On 1 March we were extremely lucky to share the day with the popular author, Robin Stevens. Robin has written the “Murder Most Unladylike” series which are constantly in demand by our readers. She gave talks to all Year 7 students and over lunch her books were available to purchase and for personal signing by the author. Robin told us all about the background to her writing and the inspiration for her books. She has always loved crime fiction and her favourite book is Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express”. She even travelled on the Orient Express as preparation for
Mrs Jean Warner and Mrs Pascoe, Learning Centre 40
Maths UKMT Team Maths Challenge On Thursday 3 March, Wycombe High School hosted and participated in the UKMT Team Maths Challenge. We faced four rounds throughout the course of the day in teams of four. First we had to answer 10 questions in 45 minutes. After this we were given a â&#x20AC;&#x153;cross numberâ&#x20AC;? (a maths crossword) to complete where half the team were given the across clues and the other half, the down clues. By this time, we were one of the schools in the top five positions. After lunch came the shuttle round, where one answer fed into another (in which we did not do as well as we would have liked to) and then came the relay in which we had to run and collect questions.
Overall, we really enjoyed the day and we would encourage other students to participate in similar events as they are challenging and great fun. We came in 4th place and were very proud of our result. Kate Iley, Year 9, Parks 9; Rachel Ervine ,Year 9, Pankhurst 6; Kira Dhariwal, Year 8, Bronte 8 and Sonal Jacob, Year 8, Parks 1
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Music Official Opening of the New Music Block
that helped to make the visit such a success! We would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody that helped us to fundraise so that we could have these amazing facilities that can be used for many years to come.
On 2 March the Music department was officially opened. His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, along with a few other dignitaries and special guests, came to Wycombe High School. Some of
Chloe Langham, Year 13, Bronte 3, Music Captain Tea Concert
On Thursday 3 March, the Music department hosted another tea concert to display the vast array of talent throughout the school by allowing students to perform repertoire that is currently in progress, in an informal setting.
the special guests included former teachers, members of The Guild, peripatetic teachers, parents, grand parents and friends of WHS. Our guests waited in the Forum for the arrival of the Duke before he was accompanied by Mrs Jarrett to the New Music Centre. The Duke was then led on a tour of the new facilities. During his tour there were many students performing in both the practice rooms and the large performance space. Groups such as the Flute Choir, World Drumming Ensemble and the Year 9/10 GCSE classes performed as the Duke was shown around the building. At the end of the tour, all the guests watched a short concert performed by the Senior Competition Choir before the Duke formally opened the New Music Centre through the unveiling of the plaque.
The event allowed Baillie Murphy competitors to receive constructive feedback on their audition pieces and showed how increasingly popular and varied the concerts are becoming. There was involvement from students from all years with performances of all different genres and styles from pianists, vocalists and a beautiful rare duet written for two cellos. Not only this, but this event really proved how brilliant it is for first-time performers to have the chance to perform in front of an audience without the pressure of competition. The concert was overall a great success and would not have been so successful without Mr Snodden, Mr Bell and everyone that came to support. If you are interested in performing in the next tea concert on Monday 25 April, 4.30 pm 5.30 pm, please get in touch with the Mr Snodden via email!
All in all, it was a very successful visit and I think it is fair to say that everybody enjoyed the experience of the visit. Thank you to everybody
Hannah Boddy, Year 13, Pankhurst 7, Music Captain 42
Baillie Murphy: The Musicians’ Sports Day
Wycombe High, said ‘…English and Music are both to do with rhythm and poetry…’ which shows how music develops cross-curricular skills and is respected across the school.
What is the Baillie Murphy? The Baillie Murphy is Wycombe High School’s annual music festival; a showcase for all of the musical talent that is harboured here. There are various classes for different instruments and age, from Junior Vocals to Senior Woodwind, there is an opportunity for anyone to perform.
What inspires people to play music? Many people enjoy the social and communal aspects of playing music, Hannah Rogers said that ‘it gives opportunities to join bands or orchestras, which are great social opportunities.’ Music is less of a subject and more a community, which allows people’s personalities to grow and flourish. On top of that, music provides new talents and a variety of activities. Peter Jasper said ‘I spend so much of my day doing boring teacher-things that it is quite nice to do something completely different and show that I can do things other than do some maths to explain what happens to a spring when you pull it!’. The Baillie Murphy is a prime example of the community and integrated atmosphere of the music department, with English and Drama teachers in choirs to science teachers conducting orchestras, everyone is smiling, clapping and enjoying the day.
It spans over two days, ending with the always hilarious House choir competition, in which the Houses go head to head performing various fun songs. Think of it as the school’s musical ‘Sports Day’; a day dedicated to the performing and adjudicating of high standard music. But what drives these young individuals to take part in such an event?
What benefit does music have on musician’s life? Apart from the skills that musicians gain, it opens up a range of opportunities for the students. Hannah Rogers said ‘It’s enjoyable and looks good on a university application’. Music is giving students social and communication skills. Bethany France (Year 9 Pankhurst 9), piano finalist, said ‘I was more worried about introducing myself and messing up my words than the actual playing.’ Sophie Wadsworth (Year 9 Bronte 1), violin winner, said ‘The Baillie Murphy is a great chance to practice performing in a relaxed environment, and build confidence’. This well-spoken quote sums up today’s festival. The music department should be proud of their wonderful young musicians.
Integration of music in school life Music is often seen as a sub-academic subject, but why? Music at Wycombe High, though, is a big part of school life, what with the opening of the new state-of-the-art Music Centre. Physics teacher Peter Jasper said ‘Music is a key subject that everybody should learn’. Music in fact has lots of links to other subjects, and helps develop lots of skills.
Bethany France, Year 9, Pankhurst 9 and Sophie Wadsworth, Year 9, Bronte 1
The number of participants in the Baillie Murphy speaks for itself, in that many people at our school are dedicated to the subject and it is well integrated into the foundations of Wycombe High School. Hannah Rogers, English teacher at 43
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News Crew The News Crew is delighted to bring you the 2016 Special Annual Magazine Edition of High Flyer which is combined with the Annual Wycombe High School Guild Magazine. The Guild is Wycombe High School’s student and staff association. The theme of this issue is Parent Daughter. We’ve had some lovely contributions from students which we hope you will enjoy. In addition to this we have winners from our ‘Fantasy’ and ‘Supernatural’ Magazine competitions. All contributors to High Flyer and the annual magazine competitions have received a prize. The competition winners willl each receive a £10 Waterstones Voucher. The News Crew themselves have been hard a work writing articles for this special edition that they felt would add value and resonate with its readership. We are very grateful to each and every member for their hard work and dedication to the team. Purchase a Hard Copy of the 2016 Special Annual Magazine Edition of High Flyer All current students who are Guild Members will receive a free hard copy of the magazine at our Launch Party (time and place to be announced when we return from Easter holidays). Parents of students currently at the school can make payment using ParentPay (www.parentpay.com) our online payment system, choosing the relevant services(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 in this edition of High Flyer. We will also be selling copies at upcoming school events. May Edition of High Flyer Call for Content and Advertisers The next edition of High Flyer has a theme of ‘New Beginnings’. Once again we encourage students and staff to contribute original content in the form of poetry, short stories, photography, artwork etc. If you own your own business and would like to reach out to the over 1,300 local students and their families, 140 members of staff and thousands of former students and staff, we encourage you to advertise with us. (Details on rates, layout, format etc. can be found on page 2). The deadline for content and artwork for ads is Wednesday 4 May. Emily Morgan, Year 13, Austen 3 and Saoirse O’Connor, Year 13, Parks 3 Heads of News Crew Featured Cover Artist I compiled this piece in the build up to my Art GCSE, the topic I chose to explore was "Journeys". My interpretation of this topic was the journey of one's life through an exploration of shoes. I began by looking at baby shoes and then moved onto toddlers shoes and then I moved onto a journey of school shoes. This composition, in particular focuses on the transition a toddler makes and it invokes feelings of reminiscence and remembrance. The colours used are soft and calm yet vivid; the focal colour (blue) connotes peace, tranquillity, harmony, unity and trust. And, the colour white represents the innocence of childhood. Muniba Jahangir, Year 11, Austen 2
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Original Contributions March Theme – Parent Daughter Love is the everlasting trust, Like the roots of the flower, A mother and child Love is the eternal bonding, Like the moon in the sky, Or when the mother looks at her child for the first time
Love is the support, Like the foundation of an building, The shoulder of my dad, that helps me reach new heights Love is the guiding, Like the navigators for a car, The teachings of my mum Love is the bright side of darkness, A little lamp in the hollow dark room My parents together Love is the combination of trust, support, and guide and lastly hope. Kimaya Joshi, Year 7, Austen 9
Sonnet for My Mother My mother is a mighty woman who Is just like all mothers; uniquely her With their own way to comfort when you’re blue No matter how much trouble you will stir I am a daughter, I will depend on My mother’s love for me, through highs and lows Now, when I’m at home, and after I’m gone I know her door on me will never close A daughter and her mother share a bond Of mutual trust and love, to last all time The child cries; her mother will respond She’ll teach her child to run, to laugh, to climb My mother cared for me when I was small I will depend on her so I don’t fall Gillian Hargreaves, Year 11, Parks 1
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Regrets and Love She stood there so elegantly, her hair glided in the wind like a kite on a windy day. She brought her hair, which was as yellow as corn, up and tied in it into a ponytail which hung at her side. The wind blew in her face and the sand flew past her eyes, she turned, grinned and said, “Mum, how do I look?” I knew exactly what to say, beautiful and amazing, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. It hurts me deeply every time she calls me mum, how I wish I was a better mum but that’ll never be the case. “Beautiful darling, as always” I replied, keeping my secrets. I reached into my pocket of lies and picked out a photo which had been smudged by tears and regrets. I held it tight and remembered the past when Justin was here, before he died. I remembered how romantic he was, buying me flowers, chocolates, meals, all out of the goodness of his heart. Then there is how he treated Elle. He treated that girl wonderfully. He’d always keep her entertained; if they weren’t making daisy chains they’d be rolling down the hills. The only photo left of him is this one, when he and Elle were baking cookies and they had a cookie dough fight, which was before he left to join the army.
I’d always tell him to not join the army and to stay with me and Elle, but he insisted on helping those in need and fighting for human rights. He’d always remind me he’d be back for Christmas with stories of his trip and even though Elle was really scared of him passing away, she was very proud of him. That’s why I won’t tell her. That’s why I won’t tell her that her dad died. That’s why I’m a terrible mum. Kimberley Andrews, Year 7, Bronte 3
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Original Contributions The Man from U.N.C.L.E
The Martian
In this new take on the classic 1960’s TV series, Guy Ritchie really brings out the comedic side of espionage. The film is full of fun and colour, with a talented cast of actors that bring these old favourites to life.
Another cracking film, ‘The Martian’ is a sciencefiction film based on the novel of the same name, written by Andy Weir. The film follows astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon), a member of the Ares III crew, who was abandoned on Mars due to unforeseen complications during the crew’s manned mission. Though NASA believes him to be dead, Watney survives and strives to continue on in the hopes of a rescue mission, should he be able to make contact.
In 1963, professional thief turned CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) is sent to extract Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander), daughter of a missing alleged Nazi scientist. During their escape, they are tailed by KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) who is later to become their partner in a secret mission to stop the potential destruction of the world via nuclear bomb.
For a film directed by Ridley Scott, well known for his work on the ‘Alien’ series, ‘The Martian’ is surprisingly comedic. A favourite moment has to be Watney’s intense, and rightful, criticism of the NASA team who are determined in covering up such a colossal mistake from the public, and Watney’s team. Damon delivers his lines with a smile and a sarcastic wit that makes this film fun and entertaining throughout, despite some of the more tension filled sequences.
What with the cast all sharing such great chemistry, and the constant witty one liners, this quickly became a film I would gladly re-watch several times over. The plot never gets boring and, cinematically, the film is vibrant. The Italian setting, the costume and the upbeat score really set the tone for the film and left its audience, or at least myself, with a smile on their face. What an enjoyable way to spend an evening! I thoroughly recommend this movie.
Of course, as an avid reader, I will recommend that you read the novel first, but overall this film is far too good to pass up. Definitely one for your watch list.
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Film Reviews Star Wars: The Force Awakens There was absolutely no way this film wasn’t going to make the cut. I’ve been a fan of the Star Wars franchise since I was younger, it having been one of the several phenomena that my dad introduced me to (alongside Jurassic Park and the odd bit of Star Trek), and so the news of this new addition to the saga was thoroughly exciting for me. I was lucky enough to see the film twice during the Christmas break. Once filled with overwhelming joy, sadness and love for the return of a classic I had grown up watching, the second time allowing to be more analytical (as I wasn’t trying to see through my tears…much).
J. J. Abrams now has a foot in both of the most well-known science fiction universes to date: Star Trek and Star Wars. Although he has a very clear directing style (*cough* lens flare *cough*) that links his films, I was overjoyed at his clear efforts to stay true to the classic George Lucas directing choices. The film, to me, was perfect, down to the editing and questionable scene transitions. The script was witty and moving, and the lines were delivered wonderfully by an incredible cast. I really must stress the word incredible here, because I am in awe of how well the new arrivals (namely John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver) assimilated themselves alongside iconic original cast members such as Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. Watching the film on the big screen, amongst so many others who had clearly been waiting for its release (I saw many a cosplay), was, to put it one way, magical. With so many inside jokes, and the return of iconic set pieces and cast members, it was truly a joy to hear a cheer go up whenever an opportunity presented itself. That’s not to say that newcomers to the franchise would not enjoy this movie. For all its beauty, the film is still, essentially, a re-telling of the events of ‘A New Hope’, so feel free to give it a shot even if you’ve never heard of the Force. Emily Morgan, Year 13, Austen 3, Head of News Crew
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Original Contributions Here is the next exciting instalment of ‘Runaway Island’, enjoy!
gently tossing your hair about, that’s why I climb. It feels like a short escape from reality, sometimes you can get so high that your whole life feels like it was just a dream (or a nightmare in my case). I don’t know when or why, but one day, life got too much for me and climbing provided no comfort, my only escape now is actually escaping. Some of the rocks crumble away as I touch my hands to them, but that doesn’t matter, I’m about to pull myself over the final ledge.
Chapter 3: Unforgiving Ocean As I stand here, looking into the distance, I wish I’d paid more attention on the school rowing trip I went on a few years ago.
Although I hate the life here, I can’t help, but love the beauty of the village: the colours of the houses, the sound of my shoes clinking in the cobbled streets and the ever-present, cool breeze that makes you feel safe. Here I am, the pier, what can I find then? Let’s see, there is: a child’s purse, sticky with lemonade; a small spade, meant for making sandcastles; a soggy teddy bear, I feel like he’s been here a while, and a striped windbreak, too ripped to repair. Maybe if I find a long stick and attach the spade to the end, it would work, or maybe I’m being too optimistic.
The waves remind me of my father. They thrash the rocks I stand on and lap at my toes. Before I can even begin to conquer this mighty beast, I will have to find something to use as my second oar, otherwise I’m doomed. Maybe a large spade or tree branch will do. Even just looking around me makes me doubtful, but I cannot begin to doubt myself on this adventure, I will have to go all or nothing for this! I don’t think finding a lost spade here will be too hard, I’ve seen many holidaymakers leaving their stuff all over the beach before. These things are usually taken off the beach by the locals and left on the pier instead, so that they don’t wash out to sea.
I remove the sticks from inside the windbreak and rip the remaining fabric into a long strip. I pull off the head of the spade (it is quite easy as the spade is broken anyway) and I push it into one end of the stick, finally I tie the fabric tightly around the join. The make-shift oar does not seem particularly strong, but it will have to do for now. I don’t think I will climb back down the rocks, not with a huge stick in my hand, I’ll have to take the long route. I think I’ll leave the dingy on top of these rocks for now as I’d like to get some climbing practice on these low cliffs. There’s no better feeling for me than being high up, in the dark, with the breeze
This is it now. If anything goes wrong, I am likely to die. I’ve never been afraid of the ocean, even when I almost drowned, I wasn’t scared, but I wasn’t alone back then, I knew that someone 52
Original Contributions would save me, now I must save myself. I sit in the dingy, breathe in the fresh sea air, close my eyes and push!
it. It must’ve gone further up the rocks, it is quite light, after all. There’s no point even thinking about going back now, unless I want to get my hair wet. My boat is gone and probably not much use anyway. Marching along these rocks, without the weight of the world on my shoulders (or my backpack for that matter) makes me feel free. I feel fresh and new, like I can conquer the word, or at least, my own world. I feel like I want to sing, shout and make a loud noise. I want to run, jump and express all my feelings, but I can’t, even on this island, someone could still hear me and take me back home. I have a mission to complete and to do that, I need some rest and to get that, I need my bag.
Spray hits my face, stinging my tongue. With all my strength I battle the waves and cut my oars through the water. I can see the holy island from here, so I should be able to make it, I’ve already pushed on several metres, towards the heart of the beast. Out here, it’s much colder and my hands begin to go numb. The island isn’t far, but it feels like miles when your hands are throbbing with pain. I shall have to go around the island slightly to find an easy docking point. I start to lose control of my left paddle as my repair starts to break. I feel tension rise in my arm as I try to hold it together, but it’s too late.
If I keep walking, I’m bound to find my rucksack and then, an easy way up this cliff, with the least climbing possible. I would like to climb, but my knee hurts and climbing is not essential. I think I can see a faint flash a few metres away, it’s probably the reflection from the zip of my bag, I can also see that the cliff is a lot less steep up there.
Suddenly, I am pushed back and the paddle snaps. I can’t let myself be phased, not in a situation like this. Even though my oar is broken, it’s better than no oar at all, if I stop pushing for even a second, I’m gone. I just keep thinking about dad, about how proud he’d be, of course he wouldn’t be proud of the running away, but I think he’d be proud of my determination and independence. Like I said, he was always too determined.
I forgot how heavy my bag is. It reminds me of being back at school. School was something I actually liked about my life, but it was hard to keep up with all my work when mum kept making me look after my brothers. This meant that the teachers were always angry at me and I hated it. That’s the past though, I have to leave it behind me. I have to move on.
As I get closer to the island’s shore, the waves help more and more to push me on, they still throw me about, but at least now, it’s in the right direction. I don’t think I’ll get close enough to the rocks to get out because I have limited power, I’ll have to jump. This is it, life or death in one simple action, 3…2…1…JUMP!
I made it. I’m still alive and, as far as I can tell, I’m not seriously harmed. I only have a couple of scratches on my arms and a grazed left knee. It hurts of course, but not enough to stop me.
The cliffs here are steeper than they looked from a distance, I shall have to ignore my pain and climb. The only particularly steep part is at the top and I’m sure I can do it. I begin to scamper up the rocks at a steady pace using a trick my P.E teacher taught me, count to ten. You can bear anything for ten seconds so keep counting to ten until you are finished. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but it’s working now, so I’m not going to stop.
First things first, I need to find my bag, I threw it onto the rocks before I jumped, so now I can’t find
/Cont’d...
Chapter 4: Rest
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Original Contributions My pace begins to quicken and the climbing seems effortless, I stop counting and absorb my surroundings: the secure rocks under my fingertips, the soft waves beating in my ears and the sharp, salty taste on my tongue. I slow down as I approach the top of the cliff, it becomes steep and the rocks feel less and less stable. I crouch on a small ledge and look down towards the jagged teeth below, the teeth that stop me from letting go.
In the height of summer, I don’t need much extra warmth and it is not very likely to rain, so I curl up on the soft soil, using my bag as a pillow and my toy rabbit for warmth. I have had my rabbit my whole life, but he still doesn’t have a name. I don’t like the concept of a name, a name can define something or someone very easily and I don’t like that. Didn’t Shakespeare himself once say ‘a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’ I like to use nicknames instead, which I can change often when the people change. I don’t know what I want my name to be right now, nobody will use it anyway though, so it doesn’t matter.
I block all pain from my mind and push on, until I arrive at the last step. My fingers can only just reach the top, but that is all I need to get me up. I dig my nails into the soft mud and pull the body upwards, with white knuckles and scrambling legs I am over.
All this thinking makes me tired, my whole body is tired, so I curl into a ball, close my eyes and slowly drift away… Libby Hart, Year 7, Bronte 4
So much of my body aches and stings, but it was worth it, I’ve passed the first challenge and reached the first island. It’s hard to believe it has been less than a day since I even decided to leave, and now I’m here. Even though I’m not tired, I know I must sleep. I have no time to set up a shelter and there is no reason too. I will go and sleep in the small wood I can see not too far away. It won’t be the most comfortable sleep I’ve ever had, but it will probably be the best.
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Lauren Campbell’s third instalment of ‘Stereotypes’, ready and waiting for you. Chapter 3: Trees and Teams
Why does everyone always want to be the first person to leave the coach, is it some sort of human instinct? Survival of the fittest, maybe? But I know that if it is an instinct, it’s a strong one. People push and shove to be the first out of the ratty vehicle, while I just sit back in my seat and wait for the arguing to come to an end. Even Jack has decided that getting off of the bus first is a matter of life and death. You wouldn’t expect this from someone who is not only the school’s genius, but the most likely to fall and get injured in the kafuffle. Once the bus is empty, I get up too, amused that everyone else has been shoved into seats and elbowed in their stomachs on the way out, while I get to leisurely stroll down the aisle, not worrying about stray sharp objects sticking out of overly stuffed bags. I hop down the final two steps onto the soil covered ground. I always used to love the out doors, but not now, never again. “Alright every one, gather round, no dilly dallying!” Mr Sanders shouts from his place at the tree line, a broad smile on his face as if he has just won the lottery, not that we are about to spend the next few hours wondering around through shrubs and over grown agriculture. “Now, I’m going to put all of you into groups of five, and don’t think I’ve put you with your friends because I know you would do no work if I did.” His words are greeted with a chorus of groans and moaning from my class mates, school trips are really just an excuse to mess around and not go lessons, if you’re with people you dislike or just plain have no clue how they tick, your day is pretty much ruined. “Michael, Sherry, Tom, Kaitlyn and Charlotte Grace in one group. Aisha, Larry, John, Benny C and Benny J in another.” Mr Sanders continues to read out everybody’s names, putting them into groups they really would not like to be put into but
I only really pay attention when I hear my name being called, causing my head to snap up and a painful cramp in my neck. I know it must have been me he’s talking about because unlike Benny C and Benny J, there is no-one in my class or even school with my first name. In fact, I’ve never even heard of anyone else being called Posy, I guess it’s just a bit of an unpopular name. The name Posy means a small flower and it’s Scottish. I found that out once when I was really bored in a DLC lesson and was just Googling random stuff. Maybe one day it’ll become really, really popular and I’ll be just one of dozens of ‘Posys’ in my small town, but until then I’ll just be the girl with the odd name. “Posy, with Carl.” I’m dead, its official, I’m dead. I’ve never actually had a conversation with Carl, and even though he might be the best looking guy in the whole town, but he definitely isn’t the brightest. For as long as I can remember Carl’s been getting people to do his homework for him, usually Charlotte Grace since she has a memory better than an elephants, literally. Actually, it would have been cool if she was in my group, she would remember ever single tree we saw so we wouldn’t get lost and also all of the answers from the text book so we would also do well in the follow-up activities. But unfortunately she’s in Michael, Sherry, Tom and Kaitlyn’s group, those lucky cows, they’ll ace it. And let’s just say, if everyone in my group has the same IQ level for science as Carl, we’d be lucky if we get three metres before Mother Nature kills us all. “Jordan.” Oh, that’s good. He’s not that good at science, which is a real shame, but at least he’s better than Carl and myself. And at least I’ll have someone to talk to out there instead of contemplating in silence how in the world I’ll ever make a good future for myself if I’m barely scraping a D in Science. “Jack.” Thank God, that’s all I have to say. Thank God, the Lord, Buddha, Allah and all other Gods out there that might have granted me my wish to have someone /Cont’d... 55
Original Contributions intelligent on my team, someone who actually knows what part of a plant the nucleus is, or for that matter, what a nucleus is. “And Brady.” Okay, I’m happy with this team. It might have been nice to have another girl on my team, or maybe someone else clever in the science area other than Jack, but I’m confident we’ll do great today and nothing will go wrong. Yeah, right!
Anybody who gets on the wrong side of him, I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes, most likely a public embarrassment, or a plain old punch to the face (which, as he is the strongest boy in the school, would hurt. A lot.). Yet he manages to get away with it all, because he’s the school’s greatest jock. It’s kind of weird actually, yeah you can see he has, muscles obviously, but he doesn’t look like a freaking hulk man, like Ryan, even though he’s stronger than Ryan. Maybe it’s something to do with his genes, his mum is really short, shorter than me. Wait…did I just say something scientific…being in the same class as Jack must really be making his intelligence rub off on me. I hope it continues!
As everyone parts with their friends in overly dramatic ways, I make my way over to where Carl and Brady are awkwardly standing. When I walk past Brady (probably a little closer than I should have been) to go and stand with Jordan, I get a whiff of his after shave. It’s strong, but not necessarily bad, it probably smells better from a distance and not when you are right up close. Brady Daniels is the school jock, and second biggest heart throb, after Carl of course. But unlike Carl, Brady is not taken. As far I know, he’s never been in a relationship, there’d be a riot if he was and the girl would be dead before he could even ask for a second date.
Brady specialises in basketball, though he’s good at everything really. Without him, our school teams wouldn’t win nearly as many games, so the teachers try to keep on his good side so he’ll carry on making our school look as ‘impressive’. Brady’s known throughout Bremen as being the most promising youngster, in the sport category that is, Jack is known as most likely to have an amazing future in any area except sports; Jack says sports make no sense, that if there’s no equation there’s no point. But anyway, Brady is cocky, insulting and arrogant, but because he’s a sports star this town seems to believe he’s God, adding to his growing ego. Ugh, why do all the good looking boys have to be totally rubbish in all the other important areas, Carl, Brady, it’s not fair!
There is no denying he is good looking, with his tousled, slightly curly, dirty blonde hair that shines in the sunlight and just makes you want to run your fingers through it. And…that makes me sound like a right stalker, but I sit behind him in science and it’s not like I pay attention in the lesson so I have to come up with something else to occupy my time. I’m pretty sure he has brown eyes, but I can’t be positive because I’ve only had a few face to face conversations with him.
Brady and I make eye contact as my shoulder lightly brushes against his, I was right, his eyes are brown, a deep chestnut colour that gets lighter the closer in it gets to the pupil. And then the look finishes as Brady’s name is called by Ryan, probably to laugh about something stupid.
As you can imagine, him being the school jock, he has the muscles. Bulging biceps and triceps, and I would guess a six pack as well. He really is incredibly good looking, his face so chiselled and perfect. His jaw so strong and sculpted, plump pink lips, you can really see why such a large number of the female student body are obsessed with him, I must admit even I am a little in love with him. But unfortunately his personality isn’t as stunning. He hangs around with the school bullies, Ryan Greggson and Jimmy Connors. He’s not as bad as them of course, but he still laughs at their cruel jokes and he has a right temper on him.
I walk next to Jordan to see he’s silently starring into the trees, deep-in-thought. In case you thought Jordan and I are twins, we’re not, though we are in the same year in school. This is only because I’m eleven months younger than him, so he’s pretty much the oldest in the year and I think I’m the youngest, so we both just about scraped 56
getting into the same year, and boy am I happy we did. This way we both have pretty much the same homework so we can help each other out, though we do some different subjects. Where I’m better at Music, Geography and Languages, Jordan’s better at English, History and Computing. So we help each other out with the homework, or sometimes do it for the other, well, that’s what I do when I’m bored on a Sunday, Jordan’s French homework. It’s the subjects that we’re both bad at that’s the real problem, Math, Science, Art, Food Tech; there’s no way of getting out of them. Except when Oscar offers to draw us something for art, it’s annoying how good at it he is.
ages mixed/sixties, like ‘Let’s blow this popsicle stand’ (that one’s from the sixties, not the middle ages). We also grew up learning that ‘slang is wrong’, if we so much as let the word ‘Lol’ slip out our mouths at the dinner table, it’d be a two hour lecture from dad about how young people these days have no appreciation of the English language. Where Jordan takes to the historical language, I prefer the vintage stuff from the twentieth century. Sometimes, I like to say phrases from decades ago to people just to see their weirded out looks, it’s quite funny and amusing actually. So where dad’s the smart and intellectual one of the family, mum’s the complete opposite. S he’s into all that hippie stuff like horoscopes, crystal balls and protection crystals, superstitious stuff. It’s a wonder our parents get along at all, they definitely don’t at the dinner table. Their argument usually starts when mum tells us not to go out tomorrow because our stars aren’t aligned or something crazy like that, then dad will go into a full blown lecture about how none of that is real and we should go by the rules of science, not the ones written in the local newspaper for Gemini’s. Then, that will get mum saying how ‘the stars of the universe will show us the way of life’, and their debate will begin. It’s not something we worry about, Jordan, Oscar and I, in fact, it’s actually something we rather look forward to. It’s very amusing watching them, and as long as the’re not shouting at us, there’s nothing we have to worry about. Besides, they’ve forgotten all about it by dessert.
“Hey, Goth, you see something you like?” Brady’s voice interrupts Jordan’s staring at the woods and my starring at Jordan staring at the woods. “It’s a quercus.” Jack announces, like what he said wasn’t just a whole lot of mumble jumble. We all (Carl, Brady, Jordan and I) continue to stare at Jack in confusion, barely even blinking, not sure if what he just said was something genius, a compliment, an insult or just a made up word. “A quercus is an oak tree,” Jack says, talking down to us like we’re three year olds, which I suppose in this department, we are. Jack, you had better be prepared to be doing all the work today because the other three and I sure as hell aren’t. “You’re a quercus,” Brady mumbles under his breath while kicking a pine cone into a tree a few metres away. Poor pine cone.
Jack and Carl return with our supplies and as Mr Sander’s yells ‘Let the learning…Begin!” We all venture off into the woods. What worries me is, all the teams are going in different directions…yet we’re all supposed to be heading for the same place…
“It’s not scientifically possible for a human to be an oak tree,” Jack states matter-of-factly. Though his usually not fazed exterior fades and he seems to be getting uncomfortable under Brady’s death glare, that boy really doesn’t like to be called wrong, it’s just so unfortunate that’s what he is most of the time. “I’ll go get the compass,” Jack awkwardly steps backwards, loudly crushing leaves and twigs under his feet, still under the harsh gaze of the strongest teenager in town. “Yeah man, I’ll grab the map,” says Carl, jogging happily over to the box where the maps are, oblivious to the obvious tension in the air between Jack and Brady.
Lauren Campbell, Year 8, Pankhurst 2
I can practically see Jordan’s eye brows rise in distaste at Carl’s modern, informal lingo. You see, our dad loves to read all of that historical fiction and he grew up in the sixties. So we grew up with hearing all these weird phrases from the middle 57
Original Contributions KS3 Survival Guide: All You Need to Know
yourself now, and you’ll appreciate it later. Year 8s – Finally, you’re not the youngest at the school anymore! I remember that feeling very clearly when I got off the bus on my first morning back after an almost eternal summer. Everything is that bit more challenging, there are higher expectations and you will extend those foundations that Year 7 laid out for you. I also thought that Year 8 was a fab year: picking my GCSEs, lots of school trips and the ability to say that you’re no longer those Year 7s, who look so small compared to you now. Similar to my advice to Year 7s, I will say, again, make the most of it! As you will have learned now after your Options assembly, the next year of your journey at WHS will be radically different and a huge change to the seemingly laid back years of having little influence over your timetable, Maths only three times a week and relishing the subjects you love.
My name is Ana and I’m in Year 9. Here in the News Crew, we thought it would be a good idea to write a guide to surviving KS3, or rather, making the most of it! Below I have written what to expect of each year as a blue jumper and how to maximize the time to your benefit: Year 7s – I know that it is a bit late for general introductory notes, but here are a few things to look forward to for the rest of the year: we have more mufti days than lots of other schools, and a mufti day at the end of each term. Christmas at WHS is awesome; we have a hilarious Christmas Panto starring some familiar faces and students, plus a Christmas Fair! If you missed out on auditioning for the Panto, you can always try next year or in one of the other productions we put on throughout the year!
I also remember in Year 8 that homework got heavier: try to manage it as best you can – it’s good practice for next year! Think of this year as the time to relax, enjoy yourself, and lay good groundwork down for the subjects you will be taking forward.
In the Easter term, we have the Easter Fair and the field actually dries up and we can go outside without getting frostbite– can you believe it? Summer, in my opinion, was the happiest time in my first year at the school. It is a time to savour – enjoying the sunshine outside and picnics on the grass were only a small part of my Year 7 Summer!
I will give my Year 8 self some advice, as I did for the Year 7s: just enjoy yourself this year! Join clubs that you would like to and try to be helpful to the year below you…just think how good they will feel to get some help, even if it’s just directions. Also try a variety of revision techniques over Easter, so you can excel in your exams and get your skills honed for next year.
If I were to have the power to go back to my 12year-old self and tell her to do something differently in Year 7, I would say make the most of it! Although it may sound patronizing, you will be glad that you joined all those clubs, wrote an application letter to be a Development Ambassador or News Crew Member, or maybe just that you attended one of the many school events when you look back in two years! Enjoy 58
Year 9s – Top of the blue jumpers, it’s time to start a whole new chapter in your school life! Carrying around all those folders and having two years under your belt, Year 9 is great, if you manage it well. This is when we have to start knuckling down and raising the standards. The thing I’m loving most about Year 9 is going into most of my classes knowing that I chose to do them, that I actually want to be here. Sure, there are challenging moments – when I forget my lines or get my fabric stuck in a sewing machine, again (I’m doing Drama and Textiles GCSEs…), but the fact that we have had so much influence over our lessons really motivates me to do well and push myself. This is our year to make mistakes and get as much help as possible so that Year 10 will be less stressful! This year we confirm our ‘Late’ GCSEs, so I’m currently deciding what to do for those. I can’t look back on my year yet, but my plan for Year 9 is to work hard and have fun after I’ve got everything done! Hopefully all of that experimenting I did before exams with my revision will pay off this summer! I hope that this article has been of some help and I wish you all a wonderful year ahead! Rock that blue jumper…
Ana Meechan, Year 9, Curie 10, News Crew
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Original Contributions Survival Guide to GCSEs
episode of ‘Pretty Little Liars’ or whatever floats your boat to break up intense sessions, go for a walk and meet up with your friends to relax, and why not try doing some exercise to release some ever-sought endorphins? This is an important yet often underestimated part of preparing for exams. Try not to stress out too much, as this could impact on your revision and general mood. Instead, talk to your family and friends around you, or even a teacher you feel comfortable with such as your Tutor, Head of Year, or Head of House.
Exams happen to everyone at some point, but this does not necessarily make them any easier. Here are a few of my top tips for surviving your GCSEs, and giving yourself the best possible chance of achieving your full potential: 1. DON’T PUT IT OFF Tomorrow turns into the weekend, the weekend turns into next week, next week turns into next month, and before you know it the mocks have arrived. Make sure you make a start with your revision as soon as possible, so you can identify any areas in which you are struggling, and seek appropriate help.
5. UTILISE DROP INS AND YOUR TEACHERS Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. It shows maturity that you are taking the initiative to resolve any issues that arise when you are revising. Remember that this is what they are there for. Academic Classroom Assistant (ACAs) can also be incredibly useful if you are struggling with a subject and would like some regular one-on -one assistance.
2. WRITING NOTES IS NOT REVISION - Make sure you actively revise; write up any notes well in advance so you aren’t wasting time in the lead up to your mocks and exams. Different methods work for different people, so you could watch YouTube videos about topics (beware of procrastination), make colourful mind maps and posters, or use flashcards to test your information recall. Something that will definitely help with revision is practicing with past paper questions, regardless of what sort of learner you are.
I hope that this has been of some use to you, and wish you all the very best of luck with exams. As long as you try your best, you can’t ever feel like you haven’t done enough on results day, and should feel satisfied that you have achieved whatever you possibly could have in all of your subjects. Ambar Yousuf, Austen 2, Year 11, News Crew
3. PRIORITISE YOUR SUBJECTS French past papers may be your favourite thing in the world because you are a pro at them, but don’t compromise revising the dreaded Maths equations just because you love French. Ensure you strike a balance between which subjects you revise, and if you need to spend hours longer on Music than Business Studies, because you are finding it more difficult to grasp or remember content, so be it. 4. DON’T STRESS, TAKE BREAKS - Make sure you don’t burn out by overdoing it; watch an 60
My Experience of EPQ
memory of my EPQ experience. You’ve studied something in such depth for months, not only is it easy to talk about it but you really want to tell everyone. It greatly improved my confidence in presenting. At the end of your presentation you’re asked questions, I found this great interview practice as well as really fun!
The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a project where most people write a dissertation, however you can compose a music piece or create a piece of artwork. You can choose whatever question you want to do, be it Politics, Literature, History, Languages or Science. You begin after AS exams, when you’ll have ‘seminars’ where you’ll be told how to do the EPQ. You then write your dissertation over the summer and finish it in the autumn term. At the end, in December, you present your findings to judges. You’re also given a mentor to help you, usually of your choice, who you arrange to meet on a 1 -1 basis.
I did find some aspects hard. It’s a big time commitment that you shouldn’t underestimate, I found time balancing difficult which meant there was a stress filled rush at the end. Some people do it over the summer holidays, but I prioritised revising for a medicine entry test, and doing my work experience and volunteering. Also, I had all these ideas in my head but transferring these to paper was challenging.
My EPQ question was ‘Can polio be eradicated?’ Overall, I really enjoyed the EPQ. I think this can be accredited to the fact I actually loved and found what I was researching incredibly fascinating. The key with the EPQ is to choose a subject you love! Initially reading the hard science and understanding it seemed impossible, however I developed techniques to overcome this and because I want to read Medicine at university this will be extremely helpful not only because I now have techniques but I’ve learnt how to adapt my learning style.
Yes, it is demanding but it is so worth it – if you choose something you love it will make it much easier! Rebecca Parfett, Year 13, Curie 1
Also, I never knew how to write a dissertation, bibliography and research constructively – now I have a much better understanding which has hopefully made me more prepared for university. One of my favourite parts was emailing people for research. I had a lovely conversation with Jeremy Bowen, the BBC Middle East Editor, whom I had watched on TV for years. Also, Donald Henderson, the man who essentially eradicated smallpox sent me a huge PowerPoint and essay about my question! I had many replies from university professors from world leading universities, documentary makers, journalists and correspondents. It was exciting, inspiring and intriguing. At first I found the prospect of doing a presentation scary, and the EPQ evening terrified me but it’s become my most fond 61
Original Contributions Competition Winner: Fantasy ‘Them’
I stumble along the motorway. I go through everything I know - which isn't a lot. I am Alexia. I am tenyears-old. I am alone. I am hungry. No, I am starving. I am thirsty. I am tired. There are creatures in this world. Nobody knows where They came from. We are not the higher species anymore. I might be taken soon. By Them. I might be next. My life may end soon. Soon. It will probably end soon. That is all I know. The motorway is crammed with cars, empty of people. The result of evacuation. I am seemingly alone. But you never know these days. You never know. Images flash through my mind, each one searing my mind agonizingly. These are things that I shouldn't know of, but I do, things that I wish I didn't know of, but I do. And each features Them. They have no name. Or if they do, I don't know it. But they took my brother. They took my baby sister. My family, my friends, my soul. But they haven't taken my life. Yet. As sorrow washes over me at the thought of my life, my everything, I lean against a smoking car. It’s heat scalds my back. But I don't move. My face is wet. When did it start raining? I look up, but there isn't a cloud in the sky. trange. And then I feel Their presence. I don't see Them as such, but I sense Them. I've already seen Them too many times... Their backs are hunched and skinny and spiny. Their faces... Their faces can't be described. All I can say is that They have and will always burn into my mind. Haunt my nightmares. Rule my life. T heir spindly fingers crawl like spiders. Nails long and razor-sharp. Skin that looks as if it's been melted in oil. Patchy black and brown, folded and wrinkled. Eyes like black-holes- they swallow you up. And They are advancing towards me. The sight of 62
them brings thin, acidic bile rushing into my mouth, washing over my tongue. I open my mouth and it pours onto the dusty, cracked ground. They are coming. I force my feet to move, but they won't obey me. They are coming. My mouth opens in horror, silent, silent. hey are coming. I began to gasp, desperately for breath. They are coming. My end is coming. And so are They. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. The sun is sinking, basking me and everything else in a blood-red light. Apt for my coming end. Dawn or dusk? Dusk. The sun was out before. But not anymore. Even the sun is scared to see Them. To see Them take me. I can't breathe. Maybe my body is trying to save me from being taken the other way. My legs crumple beneath me. The ground is cool against my scraped cheek now the sun is leaving. Something runs down my face. My hand brushes against my face weakly and I register something red and wet. What is it? The world is spinning. I'm glad I'm lying down or I would have fallen. Wait. Didn't I already... What's happening to me? My mind is fuzzy, my eyes are rollingâ&#x20AC;Ś And then a long finger slides down my back. They have reached me. I shudder and lay still. Still. Still. The thing is, after the initial terror, there's feeling of calm; I know it will be better now. But first I have to feel this. More and more fingers crawl over me and my eyes open and more and more of Them are sloping towards me. The fingers are digging deeper and harder and blood starts dripping and then pouring and thenâ&#x20AC;Ś It's as if I've become another person. I'm not me, I'm standing by, I'm watching. Watching me. Watching myself die. I see Them clawing at me, then licking me, chewing me. I don't know how long They are there, by my side, maybe a minute, an hour, a day. For all I know, it could become a decade. And then they are going. I can't feel a thing, physically, emotionally. They are done. I am done. Why are They here? Where have They come from? I don't know. They took my family, my friends. sAnd now They've taken me. Ebony Nichols, Year 7, Bronte 1
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Original Contributions Competition Winner: Supernatural
understand what they were saying so I called out.
‘Old Friends’
“Who are you?” There was no reply. I wasn’t really surprised as part of me still believed that I was just going mad. I walked in to the kitchen and over to the stove. I sighed and looked up at the wall. Something deep red started to seep through the white plaster. I staggered back and rubbed my eyes. I must have been dreaming. I looked back at the wall and saw that words were forming.
“Are we ready to begin?” Mr Matthews asked. We all nodded. My palms were clammy and I was shaking. None of us had ever been to a séance before. It had been Natalie’s idea to come. She had said it would be a fun day out to reconnect with old friends. Little did we know at the time what she really meant. A pparently ‘reconnecting with old friends’ meant contacting the dead in an abandoned old house with a strange man we’d never met. I didn’t believe in the supernatural. Or at least I hadn’t done until that morning.
It read: “OLD FRIEND”. I went over to the wall and reached out to touch it. My hand returned covered in blood. I looked back up but the writing had vanished. Then a new sentence appeared.
A few weeks ago an old friend from school reached out to me. She said that she was getting a group of us from primary school together to meet up. We all arranged to meet at a coffee shop. We started chatting and realised that we all still had a lot in common. Then Natalie had the idea of going to a séance. I don’t think any of us really liked the idea of going but nobody ever argued with Natalie. We agreed a date and place then parted ways.
“DO YOU REMEMBER ME, CAROLINA?” How did this thing know my name? I asked it a question. “Who are you?” I called out. After a few minutes some more writing appeared.
“I AM THE LITTLE GIRL THAT NO ONE REMEMBERS. I AM THE ONE YOU KILLED.” That’s when I remembered what had happened in Year 3. My friends and I were at a birthday party and we were arranging to go home. I was going to go in the car with Natalie but at the last minute I wanted to swap with Erica, another one of my friends. On the way back the brakes on Natalie’s car failed and the car swerved in to a tree. Natalie and the driver got away unscathed but Erica wasn’t so lucky. The tree had collapsed and killed her. For years I blamed myself. After all I should have been the one in that car. But over the years I had forgotten about it. N ow it had come back to haunt me in a very real way.
Later that day when I was at home, strange things started to happen. Being a sceptical person I didn’t think much of it at first. I started to dream things about school. I started to hear noises that didn’t exactly sound human. When a week had passed and I could still hear noises I started to worry. There was no one else in the house yet I could hear what sounded like strangled whispering. It came from all over the house. Under the doors, through the windows and up from under the floorboards. I knew that my house was old but I refused to believe it was haunted. The noises were getting louder and I realised that they were forming words. Or at least trying to. I couldn’t
“What do you want from me?” I cried at Erica. “STAY AWAY FROM THE SÉANCE” the writing said. 64
I didn’t want to let my friends down but I didn’t want to argue with an angry spirit. It was stupid. All that was scaring me was some writing on the wall. I decided to go to the séance anyway. And that is where I went a week later. Mr Matthews told us to hold hands and close our eyes. “If there are any spirits present please make yourself known” He said. There was a clunk from the other side of the room and we opened our eyes to see a book fly across the room. “Is there anyone here you would like to give a message to,” he asked the spirit. A strangled voice flooded in to the room. “Carolina,” the voice whispered. “I told you not to come.” I drew my hands away from the circle quickly. “I-I didn’t want to let my friends down.” Mr Matthews turned to me and gave me a questioning look. “Did the spirit contact you before today,” he said sternly. I nodded. He took a deep breath and spoke out. “Spirit, what has caused you such unrest that you must haunt this world? Why are you unable to move on?” The table shook and the voice erupted again. “Because of her.” Everyone turned to look at me. I knew that the spirit had singled me out before but I couldn’t work out why everyone assumed it meant me. That’s when I saw the knife suspended in mid-air. The blade pointing towards me. I looked from the knife to my friends. They had all shied away from me. The spirit called out again “Now she will pay for what she has done.” The knife point lifted slightly and moved towards me at alarming speed. Dawn Harper, Year 10, Bronte 10
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Mrs Cromie’s Message for Year 13 Cast your mind back to 1 September 2009. Your first day in Year 7. You were 11 years old. Your parents / carers dropped you off and waved you goodbye. There was an atmosphere of excitement tinged with nervousness. You made your way into the School Hall for the first of many assemblies. You wore your new uniform with such pride. No rolled up skirts, jewellery, hair dye, nail varnish or cartilage ear piercings on that day!
Year 9, vertical tutoring was introduced. Some loved the idea, some hated it. There were working parties, debates, FAQs, petitions against, letters for! The VT launch day came and in the summer of 2011 we had our fist vertical tutor day followed by a BBQ and a band! And that tradition has stayed with us ever since. A day of celebration to mark the end of every academic year. A big part of that day is the now traditional assembly that recaps on our academic year, celebrates your many achievements and declares the winner of the House Cup! You have embraced the new House System and through it charity fund raising has gone from strength to strength. Your Year 9 was the year of London Olympics and Sports Day was marked by an Opening Ceremony. And so another tradition was born and each sports day since has been marked by a great opening ceremony designed and led by Year 10 (as part of PEGG ‘Post Early GCSE Gap’). In your Year 10 the theme was Bugsy Malone (see picture below) and you led on ensuring the School Hall became a Speakeasy! In Year 10 you embraced the job of Big Sister to Year 7s with humility, respect and care. In your Year 11 you approached your GCSEs with your customary focus and set new academic records for Wycombe High, firmly establishing our school as the local school of choice. You have been part of our school as it introduced BYOD, Sixth Form Café and Hub, launched ‘Play Your Part’ for Music and built a new Music Centre and Dance specialist rooms. You have seen 1950s Science labs replaced by newer modern facilities. And you have enjoyed other firsts for Wycombe High: Y10 University visits, international sports tour to South Africa, Outlook Expedition to Zambot - Zambia and Botswana, a student exchange with Southlands College, Galle, Sri Lanka. And now you are supporting us with Play Your Part for Sport!
As a new student to the school you were unaware that you were the first Year 7s to join Wycombe High School and experience The Forum from the start. The Forum was completed in the summer of 2009 and was new for your Year 7. No other Year 7 has had lattes, cappuccinos, paninis, or hot chocolate right from the off! You never had the experience of the old canteen, a time warped room from the 1950s. Instead you rushed at break and lunch to use the soft seating area or café bar. There was even an Internet Café in the Learning Centre. You were part of another ‘first’. You are the very first Year 7 I welcomed to Wycombe High School as Headteacher. I arrived in January 2009 and you joined the following September – and I must say you will always hold a very special place in my heart. I wonder if you remember what I said to you back in Year 7. Well after sorting out how to pronounce my surname and how to tune into the Irish accent we talked about the school motto – fortiter, fideliter, feliciter – courageously, faithfully and joyfully. Now indulge me whilst I recap on my address to you then: To ensure you are courageous You will be encouraged to speak out against all injustice, supported to take risks, and not be afraid of failure. You will learn new subjects and skills. You will push yourself to your personal limits and beyond; and achieve your very best. You will be encouraged to listen to the opinions of others, as well as to give them. You will accept responsibility for yourself and other students. You will become increasingly independent and innovative in thought and action. To ensure you are faithful You will be required to follow our school rules and traditions. You will act with integrity: this means you will be truthful and honest in all you do. You will keep promises and be reliable. You will work hard to achieve your full potential. Above all you will be a good friend, a good neighbour and a good citizen. You will contribute positively to school life and society. You will treat our facilities and one another with respect. You will show commitment to a fair and peaceful community. You will embrace diversity and differences.
Indeed as your skirts got shorter, the list of your talents grew longer! And now in the blink of an eye you are Sixth Formers preparing to leave us! You have continued to embrace the changes and opportunities on offer. In addition to the Student Leadership team, you have thrown yourselves into roles such as ACAs, PSHE Leads, Subject Captains, Heads of Guild, Development Ambassadors, and News Crew. Indeed your very own Emily Morgan and Saoirse O’Connor have led on this magnificent magazine. Another first for our school: a combined High Flyer & Annual Magazine. And what a bumper edition of dynamic Wycombe High talent (present and past) it is!
To ensure you are joyful You will be kept safe and secure; you will have options and breadth in the curriculum; you will have a wide range of clubs and societies to choose from; you will have many educational visits and opportunities to learn and grow as a person. You will be proud of your own achievements and those of others; you will celebrate one another’s successes. And you will make life-long friends along the way, and be forever proud to be a Wycombe High School girl.
You are ready to embrace the next stage of your life. We are so proud of you and I hope that you keep in touch, that you come back to visit and that you continue to be a role model, as many alumnae do, for future generations of Wycombe High School girls. Without any shadow of a doubt we know that whatever you choose to do, you will be brilliant! Every best wish for the summer and beyond. And remember, once a Wycombe High School girl, always a Wycombe High School girl!
We have watched you over the last seven years achieve all of this and more. You have seen many new initiatives at Wycombe High and helped to shape them. You joined us in Year 7 and were the first year group to sit Early Entry GCSEs. And how brilliant were you! And so the tradition of early and lates was born and XPG was created! In your
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Original Contributions Class of 2016 - Retrospective of Wycombe High School
laugh as hard as seeing their science teacher in a red wig and apron. The panto every year is a joy to behold simply for this reason, never mind the typically hilarious topical meme jokes that are littered throughout.
Seven short years ago, I was half way through Year 7 looking down the barrel of my summer exams pretty sure I wasn’t going to make it to the age of 13. Now, I’m staring down the barrel of impending adulthood, with the prospect of leaving the school that has been my home for the majority of my adolescence. Needless to say, I’m pretty scared.
I would feel that I had done a disservice if I did not now mention those teachers who have inspired me in these, my formative years. So in no particular order, here are the teachers that I need to thank as I’m sure many of my peers do. Mr Rushton, thank you for Film Club, thank you for treating me like an adult at the tender age of fifteen (even if I was terrified and slightly resentful of it at the time). Miss Green, thank you for always being there to help me (and so many others) with whatever we needed help with. Thank you to the Classics department for instilling just how much fun a lesson can be into me, and for being such a wonderfully enthusiastic group of people. Mrs Jewell, thank you for making it literally impossible for me not to love English, and a ridiculous thank you for all your help with my EPQ.
If I could go back in time and see my 11-year-old self that first day of secondary school, sat down in the gym so scared I could barely tell you my own name let alone anyone else’s, what would I tell her? Well, first of all I’d say to stop worrying. Everyone felt the same way that first day, mostly scared and nervous and a little bit excited. I’d tell her to talk to more people, and find those friends which I have now a little bit faster. Most of all, I’d explain to her how room numbers told you what floor and building you were meant to be in. Wycombe High School has given me some amazing memories, and some truly amazing friends. I have memories that make me laugh until I cry, and there are some truly inspirational teachers here to whom I will always be grateful. So, the funny parts. Number One must of course be, The Cat. Oh Cat, where did you go? You supplied a valid excuse as to why a test score wasn’t exactly stellar. “It’s hardly my fault, I was so distracted by the Cat meowing I couldn’t concentrate.” You put a smile on our faces when you nearly fell in the pond every summer, and you were so easily bribed. Even in the midst of summer exam stress, for the price of one tuna baguette you, convinced us that we were the most important people in the universe. You shall be missed.
I’ll miss Wycombe High School. I’ll miss knowing where everything is and what time I need to get to the café in order to get a chicken burger. I’ll miss knowing when lunchtime officially ends and when I really have to leave. But, leaving will be an all new adventure. There’ll be new things to learn, new friends to make, and honestly? It’s time to move on. Saoirse O’Connor, Year 13, Parks 3, Head of News Crew
Number two - the annual panto. Or rather annually seeing the male staff in drag. I don’t care what anyone says, little else will make a year 7
/Cont’d... 67
Original Contributions Class of 2016 - Retrospective of Wycombe High School Continued
it has ended with our pantomime, but what a ride it has been. I have acted, directed, built set and operated both lighting and sound (albeit badly). I will miss all these wonderful experiences and I hope to further them in the future.
It’s amazing to think that seven years ago I entered these premises for the first time as a student, and even more amazing (and terrifying) to think that I will shortly be leaving them for the last time. Whilst turbulent, these have been some of the best years of my life and I will leave Wycombe High School with many fond memories to cherish. First of all, school has become sort of a family affair since my mother, the wonderful Mrs Dana Morgan, became the Head of Development the same year that I began my studies here. A short two years later, my sister joined us and the Morgan girls have been circulating the same campus ever since. Secondly, and I think this comes as a given, I really don’t know where I’d be without my friends. This counts for both the friends I have now, as well as those I began my time with even if we may have drifted or gone to different Sixth Forms. I love you all, you’ve been amazing. I think it’s particularly special that I’ll be finishing my school experience with some of the girls that I first met at the age of five on my arrival in the UK. To all of you that have managed to stick by me this long, I thank you and I look forward to many more years of friendship. You all know who you are.
Finally, no school experience would be complete without our wonderful teachers. A few special mentions: Mrs JC, thank you for guiding me through the twists and turns of Drama GCSE and A Level. It’s been a heck of a ride and I’m sorry it will be ending soon. Mrs Gold, the best English teacher I could have ever asked for, as well as a fabulous playwriting coach. I am so grateful for everything you have taught me. And Mr Rushton, I may be repeating myself here, but although you have never really taught me I will be forever thankful that I was able to have you as an inspiration for what I hope will be my future career in Film Studies. Listening to you in XPG lessons and Film Club alike has been an honour and a privilege and I thank you for everything, especially for lending me your passion for films.
Thirdly, I think Drama deserves a section to itself in that it’s been a huge part of my life for so long. Not only have I been doing it from Year 7 until now, it has also given me the confidence to go after various roles outside of school, for example my participation in Youth Projects. I love Drama and everyone involved in it. You are my friends, my little drama family and I’m so glad we could spend this time together. Even if Midsummer was horribly stressful a lot of the time.
I will miss Wycombe High School. I will. Although I can’t truly say I’m not excited to move on. To be honest, who wouldn’t be? There’s a whole world out there and I’ve yet to see it. I think it’s about time. Don’t you?
That being said, I am incredibly grateful to have been between two worlds in that I have been both a performer and a technician over my time at school. It started with a Year 8 drama festival and
Emily Morgan, Year 13, Austen 3, Head of News Crew 68
Oxbridge Oxford Study Day The study day at Oxford Somerville College was amazing in all respects. The range of experiences including the subject specific lectures, tour of the college, meeting with peers from other schools was priceless; and to top it all, the excellent food made the day worth every minute spent (no money, because it was free!) The study day is meant to give one a better insight in the course a person is interested in through a lecture on a topic related to the course. There were a range of lectures on offer from literature to engineering. For example, I sat in a lecture on gene therapy since I am interested in medicine. The lecture was the best I have ever attended and I understood a topic which I have only touched peripherally in my A Levels. The lecture was remarkable not only for the passion of the lecturer but also for the presentation of the topic which made one want to learn more. The college also provided us with an insight into the course and informed us of the application process and minimum requirements to be considered an Oxbridge candidate. The Q & A session with the admissions officers was quite eye opening especially with diverse questions coming from students from different schools. The range of questions asked helps the thought process by providing alternative perspectives. We were taken on a tour of the college and met existing students who shared their experience at the college and how they are coping with their university life. The tour guide was a student who is actually doing the course one is interested in and therefore you get a perspective of the what life would be like for you when you join the course or what to do to prepare for entry into medicine. For example, they told me about when they started revising for their BMAT and what topics were asked at their interviews. The day is also a social event where you get to meet students from other schools and who are interested in your subject. It was quite interesting exchanging notes with how people were preparing for entry into the respective courses, in my case Medicine. I would recommend the Study Day to everybody who is extremely passionate about their subject because this study day will really give you a feel of what it will be like for the next three to six years of your life and also provide a perspective on your preparation for the career ahead. Vatsala Mittal, Year 12, Austen 9
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PE and Sport Staff v Student Badminton Tournament Friday 12 February saw an epic battle take place. That’s right, it was time for the Staff v Student Badminton Tournament. The battlefield had been chosen and the combatants had sided, and all that was left was for the action to occur! In the right corner, we had the eleven brave teachers, whilst in the left corner, we had some of the school’s most promising young badminton players. The event was supervised and organised by Vatsala Mittal, a Year 12 student who plays the sport herself and who helps run the badminton club on Friday lunchtimes. There were many both impressive and embarrassing happenings to take note of. No one’s going to name and shame the teachers who managed to collide with one another! To fuel the competitive fire, each team, comprising a few players, was elected the role of a particular country. For example, one match involved a standoff between Miss Snook and Mr Jasper (or China, if you will) and our own country’s team comprising Year 10s Shristi Ghosh Parks 5 and Merlyn John Nightingale 8 and Year 9 Emily Lloyd Bronte 8. Simultaneously, Year 11 Sarah Nawaz Pankurst 4 and the two Year 10s, Alysha Martin Nightingale 1 and Sophie Prior Nightingale 9 (Pakistan) were engaged in their competitive confrontation with Mr Hamill, Miss Pace and Mr Snodden’s team of France. Many students from all years turned up to watch the spectacle, and the result was a suitably critiquing, yet supportive, audience. Particularly, Mr Jasper and Miss Snook garnered much favourable cheer from the crowd, but all of the teams seemed to perform to their best ability. All in all, though there were many trials and tribulations for those who were newcomers to badminton (*ahem* it’s a racquet not a bat), it seemed that everyone truly enjoyed themselves and even learned something new. Badminton is a real competitive sport, not just tennis’ kid brother, and though sport is often tiring, it can pay off and provide you with an enjoyable experience! What a great way to end a busy half term! Ellie Tarr, Parks 9, Year 12, News Crew
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PE and Sport Qualifiers for GB Ultimate Frisbee Teams After two selection weekends five of our players have qualified for the GB under 20 Ultimate Frisbee Team and one for the U17 Team! Congratulations to Emilia Gaca (Year 13, Bronte 9), Ciara Bignel (Year 13, Austen 1), Freya Elliot (Year 12, Parks 6), Tabi Caroe (Year 13, Bronte 5), Katie Parry (Year 12, Curie 10) and Dana Issa (Year 10, Austen 9). That's six players out of a squad of 24 from WHS heading to Poland in August for an international tournament! â&#x20AC;&#x153;These photos were taken at the Junior Women's Indoor Nationals (where our school teams play every year) in November 2014. The GB trials consisted of throwing and running drills, speed, agility and how high we could jump tests as well as playing actual games. I now have some training weekends up until the tournament which will focus on what we did at the trials in order to improve for the summer. â&#x20AC;&#x153; - Dana Issa, Year 10, Austen 9
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National Netball Tournament - Regional Round Saturday 30 January 2016
each other and feel that we have progressed so far as a team and can’t wait for next year to hopefully get another chance.
Wycombe High School U14 A Team took on various schools in the South of England in the hope of qualifying for the National Finals. Not for some time, if ever, have WHS taken an U14 team to this round and we were delighted at the tremendous efforts made by our team and volunteer coaches, Sarah Grey and Jane Lister.
“It was a fun day and we all played very well and we were very proud of ourselves” - Jayden Thelwell “It was a tough and fun day that helped us grow stronger as a team” - Lucy Sutton
Our enormous praise goes to the following team members: Chloe Bantock, Year 9 Nightingale 6 Steph Marsden, Year 8 Austen 8 Emily Grossi, Year 9 Nightingale 7 Lucy Price, Year 9 Pankhurst 9 Lucy Sutton, Year 9 Pankhurst 2 Phoebe Grey, Year 9 Austen 8 Megan Lister, Year 9 Bronte 7 Kate Iley, Year 9 Parks 9 Jayden Thelwell, Year 9 Curie 10 Rachel Ervine, Year 9 Pankhurst 6
“It was an amazing day and we all played really well, it was a great experience that I’ll never forget” - Emily Grossi
We are immensely proud of you all and look forward to the next opportunity in two years time! Please see the following match report written by the team:
“It was one of the best days ever and everyone did so well! Even all 11 of us managed to squeeze into a 7 seater for lunch!! It was a great overall day and we all learnt so much from it!” Phoebe Grey
Miss Snook, Teacher of PE
Megan Lister, Year 9, Bronte 7
“Everyone played the best they could and tried their hardest, everyone played really well, it was a great day” - Lucy Price “We all played our best netball and it was a great day to help us improve our netball, play against more challenging teams, get closer as a team and meet celebrities!” - Kate Iley
Match Report On Saturday 30 January, for the first time in WHS history, our U14 A team made it to the regional round of the National schools netball competition! It was an early start and we travelled to Farnborough in the known “Netball Mums’ cars”! When we arrived we had a rusty start against Aylesbury High but fought hard to win. We followed up with a loss against Hurst but pulled ourselves together and played our best netball against St Helen & St Kats (the eventual finalists) only narrowly losing. We continued the day with good wins against the Kes and Ryde teams. Our final match of the day was against Queen Anne’s to decide who would go through to the semifinals. We had a great start and won the first half but they came back strongly in the second half and won the match. Overall we enjoyed a tough day of netball, resulting in coming 4th in our group with only the top two teams going through. Although some were disappointed the overall verdict was a great day of being pushed to the limits and playing some fantastic netball! We fought so hard for 77
PE and Sports The Sport-a-thon continuesâ&#x20AC;Ś
After this, we had a short break where we socialised and met people from other schools. We played friendly matches. Finally, the last match of the day... Aylesbury High. Even though the girls were tired from a long day of aerobic and anaerobic activity, we still managed to win a game. Communication and tactical placement was great in doubles and perseverance in singles was admirable.
With students and staff contributing wholeheartedly to Play Your Part Sport Campaign, we continue to host a maraFUN on Wednesday lunchtimes on the school field!
As we neared the end of the day, we played fun games and friendlies and overall had an enjoyable time whilst playing badminton. We left the day with great memories, tired legs and free t-shirts! Written by the WHS KS4 Badminton Team
Come and take part in the challenge - two laps of the wiggly half mile course gives you one more mile towards our total. Take a look at these girls here taking part in the 3-legged maraFUN!
Badminton club will be running until Easter on Thursdays (KS3) and Fridays (KS4) Miss Snook, Teacher of PE
Miss Snook, Teacher of PE National Badminton Tournament - Regional Round Wed 24 February - Stoke Mandeville Stadium Players: Ahmynah Mahmood (Year 10 Pankhurst 4), Freya Humphries (Year 10 Nightingale 7), Charlotte Humphries (Year 10 Nightingale 6), Alysha Martin (Year 10 Nightingale 1 , Hannah Krasner (Year 9 Austen 9) and Emily Lloyd (Year 9 Bronte 8) and Tharuka Arachchige (Year 9 Nightingale 8). The day began with an exciting start as our first opposition withdrew from the tournament; an easy win! Shortly after, we played Dr Challoner's High School. Everyone played exceptionally well but unfortunately we lost 3-2 in games to a whopping 30 points. Our next match against Stantonbury School was very tough as they had many good players - no doubt MK badminton centre regulars! We showed determination and a positive growth mindset to battle through all the matches! 78
U15 National Schools Squash Finals
On Monday 7 March 2016, Alysha Martin (Year 10 Nightingale 1), Gina Mullis (Year 8 Nightingale 9), Hannah Krasner (Year 9 Austen 9), Lucy Herritty (Year 10 Pankhurst 1), Abbie Sumner (Year 9 Bronte 5), and Kassia Goosen (Year 7 Austen 2) travelled up in the minibus driven by Ms Williams to Nottingham to compete in the U15 National Schools Squash Finals. We arrived at the Premier Inn by 6.00 pm, taking us about three hours to get there and had dinner at the Beefeater.
We were now in the semi-finals playing against Gosforth A. Unfortunately, the whole team lost their matches. This meant we did not reach the finals but we fought hard. Our final game was for 3rd place against Gosforth B. Abbie was up first, unfortunately losing 3-0 (as the last matches were best of five games), along with Hannah, who played extremely well but also unfortunately lost. Lucy played next, it was a tight game, but she lost 3-0. Alysha was next on court, winning 3-0, and finally Gina, who lost 3-0. It was a long, tiring, but successful day as our team managed to achieve becoming the 4th best girls U15 school squash team in the country. By coming 4th, we received medals, which everyone in the team should be very proud of. During the trip, we gained medals, t-shirts, a free lunch, and some Nutella sachets, and I truly believe the team should be extremely proud of the title they have achieved, saying you're 4th in the country is hard to come by! We could not have reached this achievement without the help and support of Heidi Leseur (our coach), Alison Vadas (our manager), Tim Morgan (our organiser), the parents (our supporters), and the school.
The food was delicious, and the company was great - this was our night to relax before the big day! On Tuesday, everyone had an early, very tasty breakfast (some may say it was the best part!) at around 7.15 am, with the whole team (and their parents) squishing around one eating booth - that's team spirit! Then, by 8.30 am, everyone was up, out, and ready to go. We started off the day by going across Nottingham to the wrong road (with the same name as the road we were supposed to be going to) but soon realised a mistake had been made, so we quickly travelled back across the city to the correct location!
I am very proud to be a part of this team, and I couldn't have asked for a better team to finish my U15 days on. Thank you to the team for making my job as captain so much easier and my experience so much more enjoyable!
The Nottingham Squash Club was breath-taking, with 10 courts in total, six of which were glassback, and one of which could be viewed by over 100 spectators! Our first game was at 9.30 am against Downehouse B. First on was Abbie, playing string 5, and Hannah, playing string 3, who set the day off on a good start by both winning 2-0 (as it was best of three games). Then, Lucy, playing string 4, and Alysha, playing string 1, were next on court, and they also won their games 2-0. Gina was last, playing string 2, and she led up to a 5-0 victory. Kassia, who was our reserve, also played very well and won her game.
Alysha Martin. Year 10, Nightingale 1
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PE and Sports U19 National Finals I’m so glad that we managed to get to the national finals in my last year at this school. Even if we didn’t manage to win, it was such an honour to play and be a part of something with girls that I have such love for and am glad to call my friends. And while the exercise itself may have been gruelling at times, I think it’s safe to say I will miss being a part of the Under 19 Squash Team.
On Wednesday 9 March, the Under 19 Girls Squash Team travelled to Nottingham to play in the National Finals. Although there were some initial issues with transport which caused delays for the running of the day, we were all able to play some good squash. Unfortunately, we were not good enough. This time.
Emily Morgan, Year 13, Austen 3, Head of News Crew
Our first match was against Wycliffe, who had the advantage of having two ranked players in their team. I, myself, had to play against the number two female player in the county, while my teammate Cassie Green, our number one, had play the number two female player in the country. It was a tough match overall, though we all endeavoured to play the best we could. Second, we were up against Comberton. An unknown team to us, we were intrigued and excited to play against them. Unfortunately, this match was not much better than our first, and though we all fought valiantly to earn as many points as possible their girls were just too good. Again, I stress, this time. Our final match of the day was against Beneden and, although we did not manage to win overall, this was a much closer match. We all played from our hearts. I was thrilled to have gained some well-earned points in my games and to see one of my teammates manage to snag a game from our opponents grasp, even if it was just the once.
The Under 19 Girls Squash Team on Court at Nottingham 80
U13 A & B End of Season Hockey Tournament Report
On Monday 7 March, the U13 A and B team made up of Year 8 students went to the end of season tournament at Marlow Sports Club. Captained by Isobel Potter (Nightingale 10), the U13 B team consisted of: Bethan Metcalfe ( Nightingale 8 vice captain), Sheryl Cliff (Parks 7), Ellie Ervine (Pankhurst 7), Clara Gonsalves (Austen 6), Mikaela Burt (Pankhurst 9), Stepanie Moraes (Parks 2), Manushri Karwa (Nightingale 6 goal-keeper) and Anna Yarwood (Austen 3). The B team played extremely well only losing one match - to Beaconsfield High School - in an even and tense match that was unfortunately 1-0. Dr Challoners, Borlase and Aylesbury were also tough competition but we managed to beat them enabling us to come 2nd. Overall, we came away very happy and looking forward to our competitions and matches next season. Isobel Potter, Year 8, Nightingale 10
Allie Holtrom Awarded Golf Scholarship Allie Holtrom (Year 7, Bronte 7) attended an assessment session at Henley Golf Club recently and as a result, has been awarded a two year scholarship there. This prestigious scholarship consists of two years membership fees, five lessons and three performance reviews a year. Allie will be required to represent Henley in Junior matches and competitions going forward. We are immensely proud of Allie's achievements and commitment to golf! Allie can be seen here practising at The Buckinghamshire Golf Club. If you want to know more about getting involved in golf, speak to the PE Department or to Allie herself. 81
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Science Are there any guidelines you follow to help you determine when embryo selection is ethical?
On 29 February 2016, 50 students in Year 11 went to Birmingham to watch a series of ‘Science Live’ talks from experts in their fields. From the ‘Big Bang’, to the possibilities of time travel, to evolution and IVF, there were interesting talks that ranged all the sciences.
* I appreciate that not all the examples may have a genetic causality, but I felt they helped to illustrate my question!
The first talk was from Dr Simon Singh, who spoke about the development of the Big Bang theory.
His Reply: Thank you for your questions
He got us to listen to a Led Zeppelin song backwards, and at first we just heard random words, but then he told us to listen for specific sentences and we could all hear them! He was trying to show how sometimes we manipulate evidence so it fits the hypothesis we intend.
1. I think it might be just permissible if the cleft lip was really severe as some of those defects are so serious as to be potentially fatal. However I think you might agree with me that it might be better to deal with the attitudes that cause the bullying.
The second talk was from Prof Alice Roberts, who was explaining how we have evidence of evolution, but without looking at fossils. For example, did you know that a human foetus at first has gills just like fish as we are descended from a common ancestor? In humans, these then develop into part of our jawbone and voice box.
2. I would be reluctant to use embryo screening to prevent those conditions which are not life-threatening 3. As above. Basically I think embryo selection should be limited to life threatening disease or those conditions which might cause it such as avoiding genes which might cause cancer in later life. Though these procedures seem safe enough, there may just be a very slight risk to the embryo with any screening process so I think they need to be limited.
We then heard from Prof Jim Al-Khalili, who discussed whether we may be able to possibly time travel in the future? He believed that potentially we could, but only if there were wormholes to parallel universes, and at the moment this is only theoretical physics.
Best wishes, Robert Winston Then was my particular favourite talk from Professor Robert Winston about IVF, and how his team at Imperial were able to scan embryos to ensure they were free from severe genetic conditions. After his talk he was not able to stay to answer questions as he had to run across to the other venue in Birmingham to repeat his talk! Instead he gave us his email address, and so I decided to ask him a question, to which he replied in 10 minutes!
The day finished with a talk from Prof Andrea Sella, who showed us lots of interesting experiments, and even a stripy beetroot! His talk was very engaging and really interesting, even when the chemicals didn't want to react! He was explaining oscillating reactions, where the products then are used as reactants, and how these relate to a zebra (or beetroot!) getting stripes.
My Question: In your opinion do you feel it would be appropriate to use selective embryo IVF in any or all of the following ethical dilemmas? - For cosmetic purposes where the condition may affect a child's mental well-being e.g. to prevent a cleft lip* or an extra digit which may result in the child being bullied?
It was a brilliant trip, and so would like to thank Mrs Catalagac, and the rest of the science department for organising the visit!
- To prevent medical conditions which are not usually life limiting but can be miserable or disabling e.g eczema, autism or deafness?
Becky Howitt, Year 11, Parks 10
- For personal choice e.g hair colour, gender or eye colour?
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Sociology Independent Advisory Group (IAG) Trip to Wycombe Police Station
locked in one! They were just as we had imagined, small, plain and desolate. The process of being arrested begins as the criminals are booked in at the front desk, searched using x Ray cameras, breathalysed if necessary and then taken to the cells for a maximum of 24 hours. We were also shown the exercise area, interview rooms and eyewitness identification rooms, it was all very surreal.
On Wednesday 2 March, the Independent Advisory Group from Wycombe High, consisting of five members and Miss Neville were invited to Wycombe Police Station. The aim of the trip was to discuss recent IAG topics and we also took a tour around the Station. As part of the IAG our role is to research certain topics that the police ask us to. In the past we have investigated in our local a rea through focus groups: radicalization, exploitation, and modern day slavery to name a few. We are then required to pass forward our opinions, findings, feedback and suggestions onto Thames Valley Police with the aim of improving our local area. Some of the key findings we found about our most recent topic, modern day slavery, were that many people of our age don't actually know much about the issue, yet Wycombe is potentially littered with nail bars and mobile phone shops that pay minimum wages to immigrant workers.
Overall the whole team really enjoyed the opportunity to experience the police station first hand. Olivia Irvin, Year 12, Bronte 4
Firstly on the tour we visited the offices on the top floor, they were home to the constables, PCs and admin workers. These people are responsible for key investigations and the running of the forces and systems. Despite this, the most exciting part of the tour was visiting the cells, we even got
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Technology London Fashion Week
we had a while to relax before we had a practice walk and then the nerve racking actual event. I do not know how but I was positioned first, so I went out first to parade down the catwalk and to take my pictures before we all went on for the finale and to go to explore London!
Taking part in London Fashion Week is definitely a once in a lifetime pportunity! For me, the best bit was watching my design drawing being transformed into a wearable garment. Despite finishing my garment during the evening before the catwalk, I loved the feeling of completing, and being able to put my garment on for the first time. The day of the event is something I will remember for a long time - from having my hair and make-up done, to actually walking down the catwalk with my dress on! I also really enjoyed seeing what everyone else had made, and the different ideas they had. The whole experience was so exciting, and I will remember it for a long time to come.
Emily Lloyd, Year 9, Bronte 8 I really enjoyed going along to the actual event and seeing everyone's garments as you could see how much hard work they had put in. I definitely did not think it would take as long as it would to make the dress however it was very enjoyable and rewarding. The main skill I learnt was how to actually make a garment as I hadn't made one before and it was interesting to see what techniques were used. The hardest part of the project was trying to find solutions to problems and overcoming them in the best way possible. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed creating my garment and I will never forget this amazing experience!
Amy Sheldon, Year 11, Bronte 1 Emily Bater, Year 9, Bronte 5 On Friday 19 February my family and I ventured into London to go to the exciting London fashion week to discover the confidence and fashionista in ourselves. Once we got there we looked around the venue and then we were called down to hair and makeup, one of the most exciting parts of the day. We were all very excited at the thought of our amazing hairstyles and makeup. I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't decide what hairstyle I wanted so I let the stylist experiment. Once she was finished I waited for one of the make up artists to be free. Once I got my make up done to match my dress
I enjoyed my time working on my dress for London Fashion Week I thought it was a new way to look at designing and creating outfits as opposed to the controlled environment we usually are put in with controlled assessments. This enabled me to have more fun with my ideas and really embrace the experience. The best thing about the process was to wear the final product and be proud of the item I had created. I learnt a lot of new skills which I cannot wait to use in the future 88
as I am now a confident stretch fabric sewer which is an achievement for me. London Fashion Week was an amazing experience and I was so lucky to get the opportunity to design and model something in such a world renowned environment. Sana Hussain, Year 11 , Bronte 1 I really enjoyed the whole experience from the designing to making and then being able to actually model my work as well. However personally my favourite part of the experience would have to be the making. Because I chose to work with satin, silk and sheer polyester I learnt many new skills in the process of creating my garment. I also had the opportunity to practice and improve techniques which I have already learnt such as putting in zips and waistbands. I did struggle to finish the dress in time for the show but during the course of the project I got better at managing my time. Overall, I have gained lots of new skills from the experience many of which I am finding very useful as I can now apply them to my controlled assessment work. As well as learning I also had a lot of fun in the process and I am so glad that I took part in it.
Catriona Roberts, Year 11, Austen 8 I found the experience very enjoyable and was so honoured to be given this great opportunity. The highlight for me was the freedom we were given in our designs and choosing the fabrics and colours to use in making the garment. I decided to order more fabric colours than required so I could make a choice once it arrived. It was nice to experiment with colour combinations that I could imagine on a catwalk. To make my dress I worked with a material new to me called Scuba and I learnt skills about working with a stretch fabric and how to make a fabric flower as a decorative technique. I thought I would have to rush as the deadline was rapidly approaching however, this encouraged me to increase my productivity and find alternatives ways of constructing to save time. This experience has been inspiring to see that our garments were on the London Fashion Week catwalk and that I can make a garment suitable for this occasion. Kirsty Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Leary, Year 11, Austen 3
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Technology Rotary Young Chef Competition Regional Final 2016 On Saturday 5 March six competitors from different regions of the South, including myself, came together in Maidstone, Kent to compete against each other for the Regional Final of the Rotary Young Chef Competition. When we arrived, we had thirty minutes to complete our table setting and then a further two hours to cook a three course meal for ÂŁ15. I cooked my signature meal of Seared Scallops on Pea Puree with Crispy Pancetta to start, followed by Pan-fried Seabass, wilted leeks, potato rosti, green beans with vermouth sauce and then Vanilla Terrine with a shortbread biscuit and homemade raspberry coulis for dessert. Unfortunately I did not get through to the National Final, but I really enjoyed the experience and would fully encourage eager young chefs to participate as it is a great experience to meet new people and learn new skills! Chloe Dove, Year 9, Bronte 2
Record Practical Progress in Year 9 Food Enrichment In Food Technology we cook once a fortnight which I enjoy very much. We make a variety of dishes and learn how to adapt them to our taste. We are always encouraged to be creative when designing and making our dishes. We can do this through different cooking techniques and adapting the ingredients. I like being creative in Food Technology as I get a good understanding of different ingredients and how combinations work together, I experiment with these to make dishes more flavoursome. I also enjoy amending recipes to make them even healthier and more delicious e.g. high fibre muffins with dates and cocoa instead of chocolate. Researching on the internet is a great way of increasing my knowledge of unusual ingredients. We have an individual recipe diary where we place pictures of our dishes and write www and an ebi for each, which allows us the opportunity to show the extension work we have done including nutritional analysis. It is interesting to keep a record of what we have prepared during our lessons including photos. This can become helpful as it can also show our creativity if a recipe is successful so we can recreate it again at home. Emma Stilwell, Year 9, Nightingale 10
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The Guild Needs More Volunteers! The Guild is Wycombe High School’s student and staff association. We continue to receive records for the Archive, and these need to be sorted, catalogued and safely housed. The process would be much quicker and easier if all records included the fullest possible details, including dates and names – particularly important for photographs. Also we should very much welcome more help with:
sorting, cataloguing & housing records
answering enquiries
digitisation of records
dealing with enquiries
If you would like to know more about the Archive, just to visit it or to help, do contact Reception 01494 523961.
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Letting of School Premises One way in which we can raise funds is to hire out various areas and facilities of Wycombe High School, for example, Sports Hall, Lecture Theatre, Conference Room, The Forum, classrooms etc. For details of availability, charges and a booking form, please contact Reception on 01494 523961 or email Reception@whs.bucks.sch.uk.
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WHS Guild Magazine 2016
Fortiter Fideliter Feliciter
Subject
Front Cover: Reading by Jill Meager 1974 group Inside Cover: Sports Teams from 1916 to 2004 2
Guild Magazine Contents President: Mrs S N Cromie Vice President: Mrs R A Sutcliffe Committe: Rosy Amin-Mannion, Lynda Amold, Jill Boyd, Marian Brocklesdy, Muriel Pilkington, Liz Taylor, AnneMarie Pringle, Dana Morgan - Director of Development and Alumnae Relations. Treasurer: Mrs K.L. Piercey Heads of Guild: Kelsey Farrell, Year 12, Parks 2 and Sophie Richards, Year 12, Parks 3 Magazine Editor: Mrs J. Boyd Minutes of the 2015 Annual General Meeting
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Annual General Meeting 2016
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Group Leaders
6
Where Are They Now
6
Original Contributions Classics Endowment
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Former Student Profile - Lucy Forbes
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‘Having a Go at Something New
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The Guild Lecture Series
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Twins
13
My friend Ros
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My Gap Year (well almost) in Zambia
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Spirit of Canada
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“How would it have been if you weren’t there?”
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Alumnae in the News
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From the Archive—The Guild and Sport
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In Memoriam
24
Members’ News 1940s
25
Members’ News 1950s
27
Members’ News 1960s
33
Members’ News 1970s
44
Members’ News 1980s
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Members’ News 1990s
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Members’ News 2000s
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Member’s News 2010s
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Editorial Welcome to the 2016 magazine. As you can see the format is different this year. The school already produces the excellent High Flyer magazine each half term which includes school news, original contributions and articles about old girls. We thought that this year, we should try combining the Guild magazine with the March edition of High Flyer to create a single school magazine which includes similar content. We have included the usual members’ news, original contributions and the annual newsletter. Thank you to everyone who has contributed news, some very interesting articles and a variety of photographs. Also Dana Morgan for all her hard work at school. Jill Boyd (Patman)
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Wycombe High School Guild Subject
Abridged Minutes of the Annual General Meeting 29 June 2015 Full Minutes to be agreed at 2016 AGM
Welcome and introductions: 22 members of the Guild were present including the President, Sharon Cromie; the Vice president, Rachel Sutcliffe; committee members: Lynda Arnold, Jill Boyd, Branwen Kelly, Marian Brocklesby, Dana Morgan. Apologies: Tony Merrick, Kathy Piercey, Muriel Pilkington, Liz Taylor, Pam Lindsey, Louise Andrews, Judith Davis.
Minutes of the last AGM (7 July 2014): The Minutes were adopted as an accurate account. There were no matters arising that were not on the Agenda. Election of the Committee: There was a strong plea for more committee members, though no one volunteered. The members of the present committee were all willing to stand again. Treasurer’s Report and Audited Accounts - Year ending 31 December 2014: Proposed as accepted by Branwen Kelly, seconded by Lynda Arnold and signed by Sharon Cromie. Guild Update - presented by Dana Morgan: Membership: 2184 Inspire Lunchtime Talks, formerly Guild Lectures: These have been very successful this year. Social Media: Members are growing with over 300 members on Facebook; 59 on Linkedin; 49 followers on Twitter; and also entries such as WHS Business Directory and the WHS Official Website. Dates: 2017 Grand Reunion 24th July 2017 to commemorate the centenary of the death of Mary Christie, the first Headteacher of WHS and the first President of the Guild. Fund-raising - presented by Dana Morgan: Total funds raised for improvement to school facilities including equipping new music centre; setting up the Dance and Drama Studio and student support facilities in the former music room were £101,658. The next project was to raise funds for the all-weather sports pitch. Rachel thanked Dana for all her hard work. Archive Update Rachel reported that volunteers continued to sort, catalogue and house donated items for the Archive. Digitisation of student records was continuing during holiday periods. She thanked all the volunteers, especially Jill Boyd, Liz Taylor, Janet Paterson and Penny Waterfield, for their work for the Archive. The proposed exhibition of records from the Archive in the Wycombe Museum had been postponed. Volunteers continued to answer enquiries from former students and members of the public. News from the School: The President reported: There is a continued growth in Guild awareness at school. The new music centre has nine practice rooms, two classrooms, Music technology and studios. WHS is now a teaching school rated outstanding by Ofsted. WHS is now a Mathematics Hub, one of only 34 in England. Links with Southlands College in Sri Lanka continue.
Charity fundraising by students raises £15 - £20 thousand pounds each year. 150 Year 9 students are preparing for Duke of Edinburgh Bronze and 12 for Gold awards. Exam results were as excellent as ever making WHS one of top 50 schools in UK.
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Wycombe High School Guild Annual General Meeting 27 June 2016 Programme 12 Noon
Light refreshments served
1.35pm
Annual General Meeting
After the AGM you may choose to have a tour of the school including the new Music Centre 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 22 June 2015 please. Provisional Agenda 1.
Apologies
2.
Minutes of the last AGM (29 June 2015) and Matters Arising not on the Agenda
3.
Election of Committee
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Treasurerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Report and Audited Accounts 2015
5.
Mary Christie Centenary Reunion 2017
6.
Guild Administration Update
7.
Play Your Part
8.
Archive Update
Keep in Touch! If you are a Facebook fan, make sure you join the Official Wycombe High School Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/151196355718/ You can also join our group on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4143123 If you own your own business consider joining the WHS Business Directory on Facebook: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4143123 You can also follow Wycombe High School on Twitter: @wycombehighsch and @WycHighAlumnae
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.
Save Paper and Postage! Receive an e-mail alert to download the Guild Annual Newsletter and Magazine Please e-mail your request to the Guild Administrator at guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk. If you choose this method, please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to cancel your standing order. 5
Subject Group Leaders In addition to original contributions, an important part of the content is news from members. This is collected by Group Leaders who have an important part to play in fostering communication with Guild members. They contact their contemporaries and edit their responses for publication, while we write individually to senior Members for their news. 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. We supply contact details and printed labels. Year Groups Needing Leaders to Collect and Edit News: 1958, 1964,1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983,1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010. If you wish to volunteer to do so, please contact The Guild Administrator at WHS.
Where are they now? Many thanks to members who supplied details of some of those listed “missing” last year. However, the annual Newsletter and mailing sent to those below were returned marked “Gone away, address uknown.” Please send details to the Guild Administrator at WHS, if you can help with addresses or information about any of them. 2009 Mailing 1983 Hilary Wilson (Allan) 1987 Janice Stockbridge
Play Your Part 2012 Mailing
2012 Sarah Crockford
1975 Lynn Power (Sibley)
1986 Pippa Hodge
1989 Claire Hamp (Sloper)
1987 Rachel Stoneham
2010 Mailing
1998 Nicola Welham
1955 Joan Cyster (Pusey) 1988 Charlotte Thompson
1987 Nicky Jackson (Wallington) 1955 Margaret Marshall (Phillips)
1987
J Rutherford
2013 Mailing
1939
Patricia Stillwell (Passingham)
1977 Nicola Allen
1987
Sarah Skingley
1996 Mrs E. Holmes
1994
1974 Noreen Valentine
1998 Ailsa Grierson
1975 Elizabeth Byers née Hills
2011 Mailing
1940` Winifred Cash (Kingham)
1948 Elizabeth Bird née Lilley
1932` Rhoda Clarke
1978
1968 Jeni Colbourne (Thursby)
1999 Hayley Carr
1995 Mr P. Devenish
1968 Jacqueline Mary Chatterjee (Nobbs)
Suzanne Budd (Wheal)
1995 Mary Clements 1981 Emma Courtney née Hancock
Nicola Austin (Boyle)
Mailing
1980 Julia Bryan 1966 Maureen Calver (Simpson)
Mrs Helen Elting
1985 Louise Goodchild
1967 Caroline Crowhurst (Thynne)
1975 Gail Griffith
1970 Patricia Graves
1997 Ann Heyes
1985 Louise Haisman (Weedon)
1997 Mrs Janice Holmes
1988 Michelle Hawkins
1985 Jo Honigman
1971 Barbara Miles
1994 Elizabeth Kelly
2018
1951 Margaret Mahony (Bowler)
Daisy Mossop
2015
1987 Nicola Hickman 1988 Kirsty Higham 1959 Pauline Holton (White) 2007 Flo Hopwood 1944 Margaret Le Quesne (Hinton) 1983 Shivaun Mason (Crittenden)
1963 Jennifer Thomas (Crangle)
1994 Mary Phillips (Griffiths)
1989 J. Rachel Webb
1944 Elsie Rees (Bristow)
1972 Gillian Otto (Stephenson)
2012 Guild Survey
1974 Barbara Sheldon
1984 Doreen Perry
2003 Zoë Barber
1974 Alison Sindon (White)
1999 Nicola Pickering
1988 Nicola Conron
1988 Deborah Smith
1989 Helen Pook
1969 Jennifer Curd (Lloyd)
1977 Jane Steynor (Cooper)
1988 Helen Powell
1943
1988 Hilary Thompson (Bowker)
1966 Deborah Powton
1977 Sharon Walters
1992 Elizabeth Richards (Woodmore)
Isabel Farnden (Jarvis)
1984 Dorn Nixon (Matthews) 1938 Zoë Rayner (Boddy) 1988 Georgina Vickers
1965 Frances Middleton (Vickery)
1999 Jane Stoakley
2014 Mailing
1940 Kathleen Unwin (Stephens)
2012 Hayley Adonis
1962 Jenny Whittle (Morford)
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Original Contributions Classics Endowment from former WHS Teacher Maureen Allan Wycombe High School has recently become the fortunate beneficiary of a generous donation from the daughters of Maureen Allan, a former teacher of Wycombe High School who taught between 1976 and 1995. Maureen was the Head of Classics, spending her last 25 years of the 40 years she had been teaching at Wycombe High School. Several students have commented on Wycombe High School’s Official Alumnae Group on Facebook saying that she was their favourite teacher. Sadly, Maureen now suffers from dementia. Hilary Wilson (class of 1985) and her sister Lindsay Plowman (class of 1988) wanted to create a lasting legacy of their mother at Wycombe High. They have provided the Classics Department with funds to purchase much needed resources such as books, periodicals, DVDs, masks, costumes and props. “Having these extra resources will not only increase the uptake in Classics at GCSE and A Level, but will also provide early access to extra reading resources for Oxbridge candidates. The costumes and props requested will be a wonderful resource for the annual Latin Reading Competition whereby students go head to head performing plays in Latin whilst dressed up in togas, robes and masks; and for day to day role play in class”, said Mrs Penzer-Williams Head of Classics. We are very grateful to Hilary and Lindsay for their generous donation on behalf of their mother which will be of great benefit to the school for years to come. Sophie Richards, Head of Guild, Year 12 Parks 3
Hilary
Maureen and Lindsay
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Original Contributions be a part of. I think it’s great being a sixth form teacher because, I know this sounds a bit corny but, it is a privilege to be part of the sixth form journey of the student because it’s a time where they’re all making decisions about what they want to do in the future and there is so much going on. So it’s a real pleasure to be a part of the students’ journey at such a vital time.
Former Student Profile - Miss Lucy Forbes Attended WHS 1995-2001 What did you get up to at school (studies and extra-curricular)? I had a good laugh with my friends really. I was a singer so I was part of chamber choir and I also sang regularly at school concerts. I didn’t go on any music tours because they didn’t exist when I was at school! This was mainly it in terms of extracurricular activities because I was absolutely awful at sports. I attempted to join the orchestra but I couldn’t really play any instruments. However I did get the part of playing the triangle for the Christmas concert to the tune of Rudolf the red nosed reindeer and sometimes got to play the tambourine.
What has changed? Well there used to be a swimming pool here which was nice, and we also used to have a matron which I thought was pretty cool because we’d always have somewhere to rest if we were sick and she would take care of us. The canteen has also changed a lot but other than that I would say that there have been more changes within the school in the time that I’ve been a teacher here rather than the time elapsed since I had left.
Do you have any fond memories you’d like to share? There are lots of memories mainly of me and my friends having a good time. I also have some of my teachers, in particular of my music teacher Mrs Cornall who was one of my favourites, and my music lessons.
What brought you back to WHS and what is your role? Well for part of my masters I needed students so I rang Wycombe High and talked to the Head of Psychology about it and it turned out that there was a vacancy available so everything worked out.
What do you know now that you didn’t in Year 13 that you’d like to share with current students? I would say don’t be frightened, because it can be scary in your last year at school, and also to try your best and go for it. Also enjoy what’s around you because it is easy to keep worrying about the future and what’s going to happen, but you should just try and enjoy the present. As well as that, I would say that friends are really important and you should enjoy being with them because they really do make the whole school experience great. Finally, make full use of all the amazing resources provided here for you. Your teachers work very hard to guide you; listen to their advice and attend the extra support sessions if you need support or challenge. Also, try as many clubs as you can; your time at secondary school can define the types of experiences you allow yourself to have when you are older. Be brave and try to exist outside of your comfort zone - that's where you really learn who you are.
What is it like being a teacher in your former high school? It’s brilliant, Wycombe High is a lovely environment to work in and a nice community to
Kelsey Farrell, Head of Guild, Year 12, Parks 2
What did you do after WHS? I went straight to university and studied for a degree in psychology at Bath University. It was a four year course in which I did a year abroad at Harvard University which was really enjoyable. After that I did a masters degree in health psychology at UCL (University College London).
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Wycombe Sub Aqua club. To say I was nervous was an understatement but the instructor I had for the evening was both reassuring and patient and took everything at my pace so although there were a few times when things were weird and new I always felt well looked after. At the end of the evening I was amazed at how much I’d enjoyed it, the whole having a cylinder of air to breathe underwater had solved my swimming underwater concerns.
Having a go at something new… With the opening of the new Handy Cross leisure centre I thought it would be a good time to introduce people to one of the more obscure activities which takes place there. On a Thursday night from 9pm you will find a group of people hanging round the deep end of the pool, these are the members of the High Wycombe Sub-Aqua club. A scuba diving club is perhaps not what you would ordinarily expect to find at a pool miles from the sea but all the members are enthusiastic about their sport and enjoy diving both in the UK and abroad. Amazingly half of the clubs female members are Wycombe High School students past and present and it has been a great way for me to catch up with old friends.
Then and there I decided it was something I wanted to take further and signed up on the first available course to complete my basic training. As with all these things they are never as easy as they first seem and it wasn’t long (lesson two) before I hit a wall. I don’t like water on my face and one of the skills you have to do is to remove your mask, simulating someone knocking it off on a dive, replace and clear it. As soon as I removed my mask my brain seemed to forget I was underwater and rather than breathing through the air source in my mouth I breathed in through my nose causing me to choke and shoot for the surface as fast as I could manage. The next six weeks saw me taught by a progression of instructors as the club tried to find a technique that would work for me and finally, through
Top: Elizabeth Waterfall (1996-1997), Sue Bussey (Anness 19631970) Sophie Prior (2014-present), Louise Kelly (1992-1998), Helen Bone (Miller 1988-1995) Bottom: Claire Fennell (Shackleford 1991-1997), Millie Howard (Amanda Lewington 1977-1981), Angela Gregory (1988-1995)
So how did I get into scuba diving? Well at the time I started diving I was probably the world’s most unlikely diver. I didn’t learn to swim properly until I was about 10 and the first time I had a swimming lesson at Wycombe High School was terrifying as they expected me to dive in at the deep end where I couldn’t stand up, no-one had ever taught me to dive in! Swimming in the sea was also something alien to me as I’d never been on beach holidays as a child and definitely didn’t like the seaweed wrapping round my legs under the water. How did I ever decide it was something I wanted to try? I will give pretty much anything a go once (the exception so far only being bungee jumping) so decided to do a try dive with High 10
perseverance on both mine and the instructor’s parts I found my technique.
Maldives Having sailed through the remainder of the pool lessons it was then into open water. At this point I should say that I love diving in the UK and seeing what our coast has to offer but it’s definitely not the Red Sea in terms of heat or clearness of water. My first open water lesson was therefore approached with some trepidation as I got to the end of the jetty over a converted quarry at the end of Heathrow’s flight path, the plus point, there wasn’t going to be any seaweed wrapping itself round my legs! Once underwater the visibility wasn’t great but it didn’t take long before I was enjoying looking at the wrecks of cars and taxi’s which had been deliberately sunk in the quarry for divers to explore as well as the marine life.
to get off the boat into the water and then at the end of the dive back into the boat. A common way to get into the water from a boat is to roll out backwards. You’re all buoyant from the kit you’re wearing so you just fall back into the water and pop straight back up to the surface, no problems. It wasn’t a problem in the end but took a bit of courage and faith given the drop from where I was sitting to the water surface. The dive was brilliant as we were in a conservation area so there was plenty of sea life to look at including starfish which fascinate me. The return to the boat was up a ladder which was perhaps not accomplished with the greatest of finesse but accomplished none the less. I’ve now been diving for 10 years and have enjoyed numerous dive trips both in the UK and abroad. For me the most memorable moments are diving in the Red Sea and the Maldives where I have dived with reef sharks, manta rays and even a whale shark. Also diving the Scottish borders where I dived with seals; off the Orkney Islands where I was able to dive the German ships that were scuttled there after the First World War – rated as one of the top dive sites in the world. Last year I took my training one step further in starting on the route to becoming an instructor myself and have discovered the pleasure of taking people in for try-dives to help them discover the joys of scuba. If there is anyone who has read this and would like to try something new or isn’t sure scuba diving is for them but would like to give it a go, the High Wycombe Sub-Aqua Club is always happy to take prospective divers for a try dive; you may even get me as an instructor. Equally perhaps you’re already a diver and would like a local club to dive with on a more regular basis. Once a month we have a social meeting which is usually centred round a talk from someone related to diving and the club also owns a boat (RHIB) for diving principally out of Portland. Additional information can be found on our website at http://www.wycombesubaqua.com.
Maldives
The final challenge of my training was a sea dive carried out off a boat. I’d done a few dives by this point so was used to the kit but diving off a boat provides one distinct challenge in the fact you have
Helen Bone (Miller) 1995 group 11
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Dentist and Medical Lawyer who graduated with a masters degree in Medical Law in 2015. Laura’s advice for a career in medicine would be to always be enthusiastic and confident about what you are doing.
The Guild Lecture Series
Take opportunities, employers are looking for people with experience and so create your own opportunities to show your worth. Lastly, never give up! You might fail but maybe that just wasn't for you and it will help you learn to be better in the future. In Laura’s words “In my experience being successful is often not about being the best person in one area but about the combination of all your talents.”
The Guild Lecture Series was launched in 2011. Its goal is to invite former staff, students and friends of Wycombe High School to come and speak about their passions and careers, sharing their lives and experiences to inspire audiences with their passion. In 2014 it was re-branded to the ‘Inspire Series’ of Lunchtime Talks. The Guild organizes and funds the annual series of talks together with our Careers and Pathways Advisor Mrs Miles.
In February, we were lucky enough to have children’s author Lorene Farrugia present a lunchtime talk. Lorene joined Wycombe High in 1993 and has always had a love of writing, with fantastic English teachers who fueled her passion. Instead of university, Lorene decided to travel for four years and this encouraged her to try travel writing, however it is hard to enter this field without a degree in journalism and so she then pursued her love of both writing and films by doing a script writing course as a mature student. Making up stories for her three year old son was what inspired Lorene to put pen to paper and create her first self - published book: ‘The Tickle Monster’. The book has had real success on many levels such as Amazon (moving from tenth place to second in the list when searching for ‘tickle monster’) and more books in the series are
The Lecture Series began with a talk from Sally McIlhone in October 2015. Sally’s talk was entitled ‘Enjoy the Journey’. After completing a law degree, Sally realized that this was not her dream and instead followed her passion for journalism and scriptwriting, putting on a play called ‘Brain Drain’ which received a 4 star review from the local paper. She explained the importance of following a career that interests you and the most effective ways to enter the extremely competitive industry of journalism. Sally highlighted that experience/ internships are essential if you want to do this type of work. This was followed by a talk from Laura Hunter in December 2015. Her talk was entitled ‘Choosing the right path for you’ and she explained how working hard and finding your niche brings success and happiness. Laura is a successful 12
coming out soon! Lorene said she would strongly recommend a creative degree as it has made her the writer she is today and really taught her how to receive critique.
Twins
Nicola Brown visited us in February 2016 to talk about her successful career as a pilot with British Airways.
Born together Grew up together Dressed alike Played sport together Loved to go camping
Nicola is a captain for BA and she told us what is it like to work as a pilot whilst bringing up children at the same time in her talk entitled ‘Are you the Captain?’. Nicola says, “It is not as glamorous as the media makes it out to be”. As she is a shorthaul pilot she typically takes two to four flights a day and there are some days where her alarm goes off at around 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning! “It is definitely not a 9:00-5:00 day and this is perfect for me as I am not well suited to office work. And even though I encounter many problems at work, I always end the day with a smile on my face.” The talk ended with a question and answer session in which Nicola explained the perks of being a pilot and the daily battles she faces, such as being away from her children during times like Christmas.
And enjoyed distance walking Never got tired of each other’s company WHY? Because we were each other’s best friend AND ALSO IDENTICAL TWINS My twin sister Daphne died on boxing Day 2012 Aged 74 years – I miss her very much Joan Fairall (Brett) 1955 Group
My Friend Ros When browsing round a Charity Shop I saw a plastic doll who was wearing walking boots – she was 10” tall and only cost 50p. I love sewing and making things with wood, etc. I made a style with a lift-up gate for a dog to go through! I also found a china dog of the right size. I had great fun making clothes for the doll using fabrics the same as my walking friend wore. I also made a blue rucksack and put a cheese sandwich inside for her picnic! A map was necessary and some wool to make her hair grey. A knitting needle proved to be ideal for her walking stick.
Sophie Richards Head of Guild Year 12, Parks 3
I called the doll Ros and the dog Bridie. I had great fun arranging everything on a 10” plate where I had grown some grass. I entered the 13
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songs and did Zambian dancing for us, laughing when we tried to repeat words in their language – Nyanji. English is their second or even third language – Zambia has 72 different languages with the official one being English and so word games, especially with such a wide age and ability range, proved rather unsuccessful.
plate with Ros, etc. into the handicraft section of my local Gardening Club Show and won 1st prize! I keep the plate in my conservatory but have to remember to water the grass often and to keep it trimmed!
We also spent two sessions a week in a local compound housing 100,000 people that I cannot even begin to describe - total poverty and illness, but yet they welcomed us and seemed to find a smile! It was very humbling and we learned a whole new meaning to the words “living with nothing”.. As one man we spoke to said, they are "suffering cheerfully", all help each other out with the tiny bit they have, and are so prayerful and grateful to God at all times.
Joan Fairall (Brett) 1955 Group
My Gap Year (well, almost!) in Zambia When I left Wycombe High School in the exciting days of 1967, I headed off to University without giving a thought to the then almost unheard-of Gap Year. So, finally, at the grand age of 65, a friend and I decided to put things right. When we first discussed taking our long-awaited Gap Year and doing some volunteering work abroad, I wasn’t sure it was more than a pipe dream, but gradually the idea began to take shape, and finally it was all agreed – we would go to Zambia, where Cathy’s brother was working as a Christian Brother (a bit like a Monk but working out in the community), and we would volunteer in an orphanage. It may not have been for the full year (well, six weeks in the end) but it was certainly an experience which neither of us will ever forget. We spent four weeks living in a Retreat Centre in Roma, some seven miles from Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. We spent half of each day at an orphanage, 40 minutes’ hot and dusty walk away, with 12 girls ranging in age from eight to 17 years, but all seeming much younger. We taught them some cooking and sewing and played simple number games, like Beetle Drive and Bingo. We taught them the rudiments of recorder playing, the likes of which they had never seen before, and also some English songs – the Lighthouse Song (from Great Missenden annual Lighthouse Christian holiday camp) was a huge hit, complete with all the actions! They also sang Zambian
On Saturdays we helped at an orphanage/ hospice looking after 18 orphan babies, aged between four weeks and about 18 months. They loved the bubbles we had brought over from England, but we wonder what life these little ones will have to look forward to - although maybe they are the lucky ones as they are surviving, and are well looked after and fed. All of Africa is having problems with power, and Zambia was no exception. Every day there were power cuts (load shedding) with randomly no electricity for anything up to 12 hours. This is 14
quite difficult for people at home to cope with, but much worse for businesses which were closing down as production was just so uncertain.
Island. We booked all our accommodation, ferries and car hire before leaving the UK and everything ran smoothly during the journey. Our running costs were relatively low, as the Canadian dollar is roughly two to the UK pound, but the prices were numerically similar, so fuel for us and the hire car was half the prices at home. The Canadians we met on our way were all friendly and helpful and they do know how to make a cup of tea. Towns of any size offered restaurants with familiar ethnicity: Chinese, Thai, Greek and Italian and we also sampled Nepali, German and a French creperie as well as good Canadian redmeat grills and reasonable approximations of pubs. Some of our smaller stops only had a local “family diner”, where food was straightforward and cheap, even if not the greatest gastronomic experience.
Life was not all hard work, however. The Barefeet Company, started by an Irish man, Adam McQuigan, to give street children something to do, ran a series of events while we were there. We went to a musical where some 200 children performed “Miss Mathematics” along with Michael Jackson music and we experienced a grand carnival, celebrating the end of the week of dance and musical theatre - some 2,000 children taking part in a parade, led by young acrobats tumbling along the main dual carriageway road, causing traffic chaos for miles around! We ended our “Gap Year” with a holiday when our husbands joined us. We proudly showed them what we had done, and then set off for a safari in Kafue National Park, which was another, very different, experience, followed by a trip to Livingstone and Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park in Botswana. Throughout the trip we were watched over by the Christian Brothers who made everything run far more smoothly than might otherwise have been. We were blessed with good health (with one small exception!) and returned home safe and sound after an amazing and possibly life-changing trip.
Lake Peyto, Banff National Park
Mary Cadman (nee Herman) 1965 Group
It is impossible to summarise the world’s second largest country, so I will, in large, leave books and travel pages to extol the virtues of the tourist magnets west of Calgary, which includes the Rockies and their mountain resorts of Banff, Jasper and Lake Louise, plus Vancouver and the islands. I will also exclude the undeniably wonderful experience of travelling by Cunard liner and spending time in New York. Instead, here are a few facts and observations that we weren’t prepared for:
Spirit of Canada My husband was born on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and in August and September 2015, we fulfilled a long-held ambition to follow the cross-Canadian route his parents had travelled in the 1940s. As they returned to the UK before he was a year old, he had no memory of the country. We crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary II in considerably more comfort than his parents and older siblings had done, spent a few days in New York and then took the Maple Leaf train to Toronto. From Toronto we took a month to drive some 5000 miles, past the Great Lakes, the central prairies and the Rockies to Vancouver from where we crossed to Vancouver
Grey squirrels in Toronto and Vancouver are black. A one dollar coin is known as a loonie, after the loon duck shown on the face. According to our guide at the Winnipeg Mint, when the coin replaced the dollar note in 1987, the intended 15
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design was to be a canoe with a first nation Canadian and a Frenchman – a previously used emblem known as The Voyageur. The master die was stolen en-route from the mint in Ottawa to the coin mint in Winnipeg, so a new design had to be hastily commissioned so that the stolen die could not be used.
Highway, H1, is mainly dual carriageway and runs for thousands of miles. It was not completed until the 1960s, so, with the help of a book we found in a tourist shop, we made some diversions onto the old Highway 1, which was a route that mainly linked existing local roads. Many of these are still in the stony, unmade state that they would have been in the 1940s when my husband’s family drove it. On our first trial near Maple Creek (Saskatchewan), after some 15 miles of gritty road and just two farms, we started to appreciate what it must have been like to travel 70 years ago.
There are National and Provincial Parks across the country: huge tracts of unspoilt country, mostly accessible only on foot. Many have camping grounds and all have mapped walks, some of which would take days to trek. We were able to walk miles, just from car parks, without seeing other people. In most of the central areas, there is no risk of encountering bears and there is always plenty of information about things to look out for. White River (Ontario) claims to be the home of Winnie the Pooh. An entry in the journal of Lieutenant Harry Colebourn reads, “August 24, 1914 Left Port Arthur 7AM. In train all day. Bought bear $20”. He was on his way to England with Canadian troops and took the female bear cub with him. She became very tame and a great favourite with Colebourn’s comrades. He found a home for Winnie (named after his home of Winnipeg) at London Zoo when he was deployed to France.
Pika
Marmots
Freight trains can be three miles long and take five minutes or more to roll past. Good entertainment if you are stopped at a level crossing. The central provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta have “continental” weather, with very hot summers and cold winters. When we got to Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, the temperature was over 30c. Two weeks later it was snowing in the Rockies.
A high proportion of Canadians seem to have boats and/or RVs, Recreational Vehicles or motorhomes to you and me, some of which lock into the back of huge pick-up trucks, creating vehicles of Winnebago proportions.
Saskatchewan has a catchy tag-line: “Easier to draw than to spell”. It is the only province with a regular shape, a neat trapezoid. In the central provinces, Highway 1 is near the US / Canadian border for most of its length. Chicago gangsters took advantage of this during US Prohibition and you can still visit the tunnels in Moose Jaw (Saskatchewan) that were used as illicit warehouses. Wild life abounds, although seeing large animals is down to luck. We had fleeting glimpses of one black bear, one grizzly and a couple of elk. However we saw many chipmunks, ground squirrels, goats, deer and, in a Vancouver park, racoons. One of the most appealing small mammals was a pika we saw on Edith Cavell Mountain near Jasper – like a guinea pig with
Roadside flowers in Ontario Away from the main towns and tourist areas, the roads are blissfully empty. The Trans-Canadian 16
large ears and super turbo speed. On the same walk we met badger-sized hoary marmots, who lazily watched us go by.
Three Valley Gap (British Columbia), where Gordon and Ethel Bell brought together over 50 redundant buildings from old mining and logging communities, with contents, in order to preserve the history in a re-created village.
A cheer or three for Chilliwack. This town, east of Vancouver, doesn’t seem to warrant much of a mention in the guide books, but typified small town Canada, with wide, clean streets, plenty of municipal buildings and facilities, the most stupendous second-hand bookshop and an excellent Thai restaurant. We stayed at the Royal Hotel which could have come straight from a 1930’s cowboy film, although the rooms have, thankfully, been updated. Chilliwack’s town website is wonderfully bland. Perhaps it should sell itself a little more.
The Spiral Tunnels on the west side of the Rockies; a masterpiece of railway engineering that added some six miles of track by tunnelling through the mountains in order to reduce the gradient. This allowed trains to be pulled more safely by fewer locomotives and, pictorially at least, tie themselves in knots. Dear Reader, we did find my husband’s birthplace and his family’s farm and we have already planned our return visit.
If you have a spare hour, here are a few other places you can find online to give an idea of Canada’s unsung diversity:
Julia Forbes-Leith (Slow) 1965 Group
"How would it have been if you weren't there?”
Dinosaur Provincial Park where over 300 complete skeletons have been found in the soft alluvial soil.
Guild members will remember very well the contribution in recent years of Birgit Hauffe, especially for her article in the Guild Magazine in 2010, when she had just completed her time with MSF (Medecins sans Frontiere) in Haiti and Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic. Her work with MSF has continued: she has made such a massive contribution to its work in Syria, in refugee camps in Juba, in South Sudan, and Rwanda. In all of these places, she has experienced "lots of hours and basic living conditions". She has asked herself "How would it have been if you weren't there?” In answer to that, she has made such an enormous difference wherever she has been with MSF and other places.
The whirlpool near Niagara where Captain Webb of cross-channel fame met his death in front of a huge audience. Eagle Canyon Suspension Bridges (Ontario). Not for the faint-hearted.
In recent years, of course, she has also made a wonderful presentation to the Guild Annual Reunion, and came to present the prizes at the later WHS Prize Giving. She is such a positive role model for all of the present students at WHS. She moved from Edinburgh to Australia in 2014. Most recently, Birgit and David (Butcher) were married on a beach on the shores of the Abel Tasmin Marine Park in New Zealand just over 12 months ago and, on their latest visit back to the UK, they both came to see us here in Burton-onTrent before embarking on their planned world
Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron; the world’s biggest fresh water island – over 100 miles long with about 100 of its own lakes. Amazing Laughter; a sculpture created in 2009 for the Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale. Look at this if you ever need cheering up. Steinbach (Manitoba), a recreated Mennonite village, celebrating the Mennonite communities that still follow their traditional ways in Canada. 17
Alumnae SubjectIn The News visits. The following e-mail is a summary of their most recent experiences, as Birgit and David travel so happily around different places in the world that they have always wanted to visit.
Trishna Bharadia Former student Trishna Bharadia, Class of 1998, was appointed an official Ambassador for the Multiple Sclerosis Society in October 2015 due to her years of support and work for the organisation, continually sharing her experience of MS in blogs, media interviews and their campaigns.
"Thank you so much for your seasonal greetings. We received them in Myanmar, where we are now about 9 months into our honeymoon round the world, having travelled overland from Germany, through the Baltic States, Russia, Mongolia, and China, into Vietnam and SouthEast Asia. From there, we have hopped a little through Indonesia, and we are currently in Myanmar/Burma, before heading to the Philippines at the end of the month, and then back to Australia by the end of March.
Also in October 2015, Trishna was awarded Woman of the Year by the Woman of the Year Foundation. She has been recognised for her relentless campaigning and work to end the stereotypes about Multiple Sclerosis. She has successfully shown that people can live positively with this neurological disease, as well as continually supporting others with the condition and raising awareness of how MS impacts day-to-day living.
What a nine months these have been! We are so lucky to have the freedom and opportunity to see so many places, and with that recognise how incredibly lucky we are in the Western world. I have to admit to really struggling during our two months in China. Having been to, and worked in some very difficult and culturally challenging places, I didn't really expect to find China so hard. But it was a seething mass of humanity, and the cultural norms are so very different. It's incredibly refreshing to now be in Myanmur/Burma, where folks smile and engage with you more readily. The sceptic in me wonders whether all that will change in the coming years, as tourism increases here.
Carolyn Fairbairn Former student Carolyn Fairbairn, Class of 1979, is the chief of CBI (Confederation for British Industry). She was featured in an article, in the Daily Mail, offering her view that working mothers have a severe disadvantage in the professional world. She claims that often mothers miss out on promotions as they miss networking opportunities in the evenings to be at home with their families
For Christmas, we were on a small boat travelling west from the Island of Flores to Lombok in Indonesia. However, the weather was rough, and Christmas was spent mostly horizontally, trying not to feel sick! Then sunrise on Hogmanay, when we went to see the huge temple complexes in Bagan." From all of these words by Birgit, the ones I most think of are "How would it have been if you weren't there?" Nobody could have made or tried harder to make a difference. All of us at WHS can feel very proud of her. Tony Merrick (staff 2000 Group)
and that many women feel isolated by male bonding out of the working hours. 18
Lorene Farrugia
Hilary Wilson
Former student Lorene Farrugia (Baldwin), Class of 1998, self-published her first children’s book ‘The Tickle Monster’ in December. This is the first book in her Monsters Book series and it is going really well, selling out in the first four weeks! Lorene is now working on some special edition versions of the book, as well as the following books in the series. She said she would love to bring this series to the TV in the future. Lorene is also in the final stages of a script-writing competition, which started with 10,000 people and is now down to just 125.
Hilary Wilson, class of 1985, is currently project manager for the Sentinel-3 Spacecraft. She is responsible for managing the development phase of the organisation’s Sentinel-3 ground segment. Sentinel-3 is part of a series of Sentinel satellites which will take a continuous ‘health check’ of the Earth under the Copernicus Programme. Hilary said that “My role is basically overseeing the activities that are performed in-house and coordinating with our partners”. The first part of this satellite will be launched mid-February, with the final part not being launched until 2020.
Kerry Andrew Kerry Andrew, Class of 1996, is heading to China for five weeks with the British Council/PRS for Music Foundation’s Musicians in Residence scheme. This will bring together her work as a composer and under her solo alt-folk career. COMA’s National Festival of Contemporary Music also asked her to write a vocal piece, which will be performer at King’s Place on 5 March. Also, on 10 April, the National Youth Choir of Great Britain will open their grand concert at the Royal Albert Hall with Kerry’s new piece ‘Who we are’. Finally, on 30 April the Derby Choral Union will celebrate their 150th anniversary performing a piece by Kerry called ‘Thy Flight Be Fleet! Trainsongs’ at the Roundhouse.
Emma Mitchell After nine months at sea, Emma Mitchell, Class of 2003, and five other women completed one of the toughest expeditions by rowing across the pacific. They travelled more than 9,200 miles starting from San Francisco in April and arriving at Cairns on the 25 January, 275 days later. They also managed to set two new world records; first all female team to row the Pacific Ocean and first
ever team of four to row the Pacific Ocean. They also managed to raise significant awareness and funds for Walking With The Wounded and Breast Cancer Care. Kelsey Farrell Head of Guild Year 12, Parks 2 19
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play local teams and become affiliated to the British Women’s Cricket Association.
From the Archive The Guild and Sport The latest WHS fundraising campaign is to build a dual all-weather pitch facility for the school and wider community. As part of this campaign the Sports department are planning a hockey match between present pupils and old girls. When I heard this I remembered reading about similar matches in the past and thought it would be interesting to research Guild sports activities.
In the early days of the Guild several sports clubs were started and matches against the school were a regular occurrence. I found reference to Guild hockey, tennis, netball, gymnastics and badminton clubs. Except for the war years, there were matches in tennis, hockey and netball until the 1960s and cricket matches until the 1930s.
1916 Cricket Team I found no references to cricket after the war either from old girls or the school. However cricket is now once again played in school and in 2010 the school launched the Wycombe High School Cricket Academy which allows them to work with local cricket clubs, arrange fixtures and create their own league.
Most of the clubs appear to have made several new starts when numbers dwindled for a time. After the war the matches were mostly played at Guild reunions and they appear to have stopped in the middle sixties when there was a change in the reunion format and dates.
Badminton In the 1930s the Guild had a badminton club, the report for the year 1933 - 4 states that they had a successful and enjoyable season. Their membership numbered 16 and was another bond between the old girls. I found no more references to a Badminton Club.
Cricket In June 1914 the Old Girl’s Guild played the Present Girls at cricket. The school magazine reported as follows: “The Present Girls batted first, and were all out for 40, things being extremely slow until C. Hole and M. Anderton, the eighth and ninth in, made a stand and in a few minutes trebled the previous score.
Gymnastics The 1911 magazine reported, “a Gymnastic Circle was again started in October, and Miss Upcher kindly consented once more to direct our energies was so small that it was decided we should play net-ball instead of having gymnastics. We had a match against the School Team and won the game. Every Friday afternoon we are allowed to play with the School just as we used to do in the olden days; but if we could get together a larger number of "net-ballers", then we should be able to have separate practices, which we cannot do so long as we are seven."
The Past Girls made 98 runs for 7 wickets, Miss Austin making 48 in a very short time with remarkably good style. They then retired and the Present Girls had a second innings, making 20 runs for 4 wickets. The Present Girls were very smart in the field, and played gamely throughout.” There are references to matches in 1932 and 33, in the summer of 1935 the old girls won 81-58 and in 1934 the school won 66-40. In the 1937 magazine there is a report of the Guild again starting a cricket club. They started late in the season but were able, by the end of the season, to contribute £1 to the pavilion fund and 10/- for the use of the school bats etc. They had plans to
The 1934 magazine reports on a Gymnastic Club. They were having difficulty keeping members and were hoping they wouldn’t have to close down. Several members had been to see a demonstration of recreational gymnastics at the 21
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Albert Hall. Apparently the appeal for more members the previous year meant that in 1935 they felt justified in engaging a pianist which was an asset to recreational gymnastics. However there are no more Gymnastic reports so I presume they again had difficulty keeping members.
4-0 and another against Aylesbury Ladies 7-4. These early attempts to run a club appear to have failed as in 1914 the Guild once again “succeeded in starting an Old Girls' Hockey Club. At present, members number only twenty-five, but we hope that there are other Guild members who will join us. The first game was played on October 10th. Those present were most enthusiastic and unanimous in their desire to form a Club. A temporary Committee and Officers were elected on the spot, and some matches were subsequently arranged.”
Tennis The 1915 magazine reported “At the last committee meeting it was decided to form a Guild Tennis Club, if a sufficient number of members would be willing to join. The Club will use the hard court in the School grounds on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 5 till 8, and on Saturdays, from 2 till 8. The season will be from July 2 to September 30, but may be extended later. The subscription, to cover the use and upkeep of the court, cost of balls, etc., will be 5s. per member, payable in advance.”
However by 1915 a report by Edith Loosley says “we had looked forward to a successful hockey season, but, unfortunately, our most cherished hopes in this direction were not realised. We had only just enough members to have good practice games when everyone played, so that when, in the middle of the winter, the widespread 'epidemic of influenza and similar illnesses was felt among us, our numbers decreased to such an extent that it was impossible to play unless some of the present girls could play with us, and we were not always fortunate enough to find such willing helpers. For some weeks, too, when the troops were in the town, we were not allowed to use the ground on Saturday afternoons, and we found that most Old Girls are busy people, so that Saturday morning hockey was an impossibility for us. For these reasons there were several Saturdays on which we had no game at all. In spite of the drawbacks, however, we have played four matches, and enjoyed several other good games.
There were no other reports about a tennis club, only reports by the school in the 30s and 40s of matches played against the old girls. The only other reference to the Guild and tennis was at a 1957 summer meeting which included a tennis tournament where husbands would be allowed to join in. The Bloxam Sisters 1911 Hockey
Our first match was played at Marlow, on November 21st, It was a fast, even game, but our forwards were lamentably weak in the circle, and the game ended in a victory for our opponents by 2 goals to 1.
Probably the most successful and consistent activity was the Hockey Club. Even when there was no official club the annual match with the school took place. By the end of the 60s the annual reunion matches against the school had stopped.
We played the School XI on January 16th. This was a very interesting game, which we won by 4 goals to 1.
The Hockey Club started in 1911 with the first practices being well attended and they looked forward to an enthusiastic season. Unfortunately however their hopes were not fulfilled as the attendance grew smaller at each practice until by the end of the season they only had fifteen members. When the report was written they had played 3 matches, beating the school 3-1, losing a match against Wilton House School in Reading
On March 13 we again played the School. This game was fast and evenly contested. The School forwards, however, were very quick, and obviously the stronger. We lost the game by 1 goal to 4. The return match, v. Marlow L.H.C., was played in the Park on April 17th. It was not a 22
very good game; our team attacked most of the time but were beaten by one goal.
asseveral had left and they had a full fixture list with only 14 members.
We are very grateful to the members of the School who so kindly made up our numbers for practices on several occasions, also to the Old Girls, student-teachers, and present girls who filled gaps in our team-usually at short notice. We have not been very successful in winning matches. This is due, no doubt, to the fact that our good practice games were few and far between, and the team, in consequence, lacked combination. A successful hockey club needs to boast of more than twenty-three members.” Apparently as usual keeping the club going and members interested continued to be difficult as in 1929 once again the magazine reported “a meeting was held at the High School on Oct. 5th, at which about eight members were present. It was decided to carry on the Club for another season. Gwen. Butler was re-elected as Captain. It was afterwards decided that the Wycombe Hockey Club should share the ground for practices and have the full use for matches. No matches have yet been played by the W.H.S.G.H.C., as owing to the above arrangement and wet week-ends, the team has not had sufficient practice.” After that 1936 report there are no more mention of the Hockey club, only reports of results of annual matches against the school. These were included throughout the 30’s and 40s with a break during the war. There were mixed results with both Guild and school winning a share of the matches. There are some reports of matches being abandoned because of the weather and occasionally because of a lack of support. During the 50s and 60s Netball matches were sometimes played at reunions as well.
1938 Hockey Team
Obviously in all the sports started by the Guild there was initial enthusiasm but difficulty sustaining that enthusiasm and keeping players. The last reported match was during the Annual Reunion on 13 November 1965 and was won by the school 8-0. Hopefully when the School versus the Old Girls match is played in April this year the score will be a little more even.
The Club has suffered considerably owing to several members leaving the neighbourhood. When members leave, it always handicaps a club in the following season, but it is especially felt when those members are also in the XI. The 1936 magazine reports that the Old Girls’ Hockey Club has enjoyed a successful season, winning all their matches so far. They were however badly in need of new members
Jill Boyd (Patman) 1956 Group 23
In Memoriam Subject Georgia Betteridge
Rachel joined Wycombe High School in 1949 in the old buildings in Benjamin Road. She represented the school at hockey, netball and tennis. She was made a Prefect and became the first Head Girl in the New Buildings at the top of Marlow Hill with Rachel Sutcliffe (Avis) as her deputy.
2011 Group Died 2015
Claire Boothroyd
1974 Group Died 2015
Molly Butler (Judge)
1947 Group Died Feb 2016
Maureen Calver (Simpson)
After gaining an MA in Arts at Edinburgh University Rachel unfortunately suffered an arachnoid haemorrhage, which laid her low for months. Later she added a Secretarial Diploma to her qualifications and took a series of short posts that developed her administrative and P.A. skills both in London (inc the Royal Anthropological Institute) and in Birmingham (Edgbaston High School). Thereafter through her thirties into her fifties Rachel flourished in the positions she held at Birmingham University as PA to The Registrar and in Hobart University as PA to The Vice Chancellor and then as Admin Officer in the Faculties of Science and Agricultural Science.
1966 Group Died Nov 2015
Linda Brown (Delderfield)
1956 Group Died 2015
Poppy Flint
1945 Group Died Dec 2014
Pat Hastings
1979 Group Died April 2015
Sarah Lander (Pickard)
1988 Group Died April 2015
Mary Lloyd (Grace)
1945 Group Died July 2015
Rachel Lyon Dean (Lloyd)
1953 group Died Oct 2015
Karen Pusey
1957 Group Died Feb 2015
June Sagon.
1953 Group Died Feb 2015
Back in Oxford, Rachel took a position as Publishers' Liaison with Blackwell, the OU Booksellers, before working for five years with The Ashmolean, where her role was Departmental Administrator and Keeper's Secretary in The Department of Antiquities. At the same time in the Ecumenical Parish of Summertown and Wolvercote Rachel gave her skills to encourage the development of that notable liaison.
JosĂŠ Winifred Stone (Plested) 1948 Group Died 25 Dec 2015 Jaqueline (Jo) Trott (Burgess) 1975 Group Died Dec 2015
Rachel Marian Lloyd 1938 to 2015
Finally at the age of 41 she met and married Dr Bill Lyon Dean who was a senior widower in Edinburgh society. Together they had 12 years, much fun, and several notable administrative interests before Bill's death in 1990. Friends from all these periods of her life met on 20 October 2015 at her celebratory Memorial Service in Summertown, Oxford - even though Rachel, who had returned from Scotland in 1990, had been in full care for 19 years, following a head injury sustained in July 1996.
Rachel with Rachel Avis and Ann Knowles at the New School in 1956 24
Group News 1940
1945
Ruth Rowley (Tomlinson) we are still living in our supported retirement flat just north of Birmingham, near three of our five growing families. We have seen eleven Christmasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s here. We now have eleven great-grandchildren with two more expected this year. In 2015 there were two weddings. And so it goes on; I just sit back and watch. Arthritis is my major problem but I am well supported by my husband who does most of the day-to-day work.
Hazel Lee (Bristow) baizely77@gmail.com ...70 years on...and still full of life! Gladys Richmond (Gardner) wrote from Northampton that life is perhaps more sedate but is enlivened by the progress of two great-granddaughters studying at LSE and UCL. She also participates in her weekly exercise class. Gladys passed on news of Joyce Hazelby (Wickens) and Betty Saywell (Luttman) who are both well. Sadly Marion Youens has been taken poorly.
1944 Audree Abbott (Millidge) I don't know how many people will be alive to remember me, (I shall be 88 this year!) but I'm still leading a pretty active life, and enjoy communicating with friends on the internet - it's so easy and you almost feel you're talking to them. However quite a lot of them don't have computers so it has to be telephone calls or letters. Quite by chance I got an email this morning from an old friend from Beaconsfield, who happened to say that she and her husband (an old Head Boy from the RGS) have lived in Canada now for 45 years! The expression "it's a small world" certainly has meaning these days. I've only just recently lost a Japanese friend, whom I met at Charles De Gaulle airport when we were stranded in 1974 by a French Air Traffic Control lightning strike, having been checked in and left waiting in the departure lounge. Mr Kuboto spoke very good English but not a word of French, and he obviously observed that I understood what was going on and so he asked if he might sit next to me. We ended up travelling by coach to Calais and on by ferry to Dover - thence by train to London where my son met us, and we went our separate ways. (Not before exchanging addresses etc. - and I continued to hear from his family for many years after his death.) After I lost my husband (also an RGS boy) of nearly 60 years in 2012, I started to attend the local Church for 8am Communion and also I joined the local branch of NADFAS because I needed company and stimulation, living alone for the first time in my life. I am happy to say that both have proved very helpful and I have made some lovely new friends. I sincerely wish anyone who remembers me a very Happy New Year - do get in touch if you feel like it.
Sonia Taylor (Herbert) was hot off the mark to say that, since losing her husband, the jaunts abroad are now less frequent but she enjoyed France and Lake Como last Summer. She also went back to her roots in Derbyshire which she explored from Buxton with her daughter. Greta came for her annual visit. They've discovered new relatives in Perth W.A. Offering more scope for studying their genealogy. Ursula Gossman has settled into her new flat at Abbeyfield House in Plymouth, near to her brother and his family â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ''just a pleasant 15 minute walk away''. Joan Drew is now a Patron of Marlow Choral Society rather than an active member. She has also withdrawn from her 'twinning visits' to France, although still in touch with her friends here. Luckily she has found much to enjoy in concerts, theatre, cinema and reading. Sport on TV (especially snooker) is also a must! Several of the Group joined Joan in remembering Poppy Flint who sadly passed away in December 2014. Pam Eacott (Janes) was forced to slow down following a nasty fall last May when she fractured her pelvis. Thankfully, now recovered, she is able once again to drive, shop and potter in the garden. Christmas was spent in a large former Rectory sited on a river bank where 12 of her family had a joyful time. June Nunn writes that, with June Raeburn (Whitney), she enjoyed their annual two visits to Glyndebourne Opera. June continues to serve on the committee of her local Surrey Heath Museum and also the Arts Council. She still takes part in all the local musical activities.
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We welcome a new member to our Group – Alma Bird (Stone). She joined the School at 13+ in 1944. Alma lives in Somerset and keeps in touch with Molly Alexander (Rendell) from Seaford. [Please write again next year, Alma] Phyllis Wickens (Potter) continues to enjoy exploring the Welsh Borders and Shropshire from her home in Cirencester. They held a special '90th' Celebration for her husband which included their elder daughter. Phyllis still walks with her son and has explored a disused railway track on the edge of Swindon which passed over the disused Wilts and Berks canal, bringing back earlier memories. Joy Watson (Wallace) excitingly flew out to Arizona in January (2015) for the wedding of her grandson, held outside in bright sunshine. Later in the year a new great-grand-daughter arrived – 'my twelfth 'Great''. Joy writes that she is still happy in her sheltered accommodation at The Hawthornes. She is blest with good health, with time for gardening and playing the piano at various venues. Hazel Lee (Bristow) My own news ranges from the excellent (two lovely new lens replacements) to the annoying (a fall outside – of all places - our Church in August which left me with a whiplash and slight concussion). Luckily I am improving steadily, driving the car again and enjoying my Art and Reading Groups and, of course, the grandchildren with all their exploits. Sadly I cannot garden so much but – at the moment – I enjoy looking around our paddock full of snowdrops. They've suffered a little this year from the excessive wet weather which the bulbs don't enjoy. My accident prevented us from travelling far but we did manage a Spring holiday with friends in the Border Country, based on Berwickupon-Tweed. We also had weeks away in Spring and Autumn at a favourite hotel in Aberdovey, enjoying the sea and those vast unspoilt and empty sands. A small group of us met up at the R.A.F Club for our London Re-union in August to have lunch and exchange news. It was a very happy occasion. We hope to meet again this year in the Spring. June Raeburn (Whitney) I have very little news this year. I met up with June Nunn and visited Glyndebourne. I have attended my societies for ceramics and DFAS. I remain well, just slowed down, but I still enjoy my garden with some help and managed to open it to the public one day last year.
aerodrome. Unfortunately either the weather or Doris’s health stopped the flight taking place before the winter set in but she is very much looking forward to trying again in the spring. Hopefully we shall have a photograph for next year’s magazine. Diana Stewart (Guest) The day I left in January 1947 the school was almost deserted as all had been sent home following an extremely heavy snowstorm. I later went to several reunions including I assume 1953 when I became a life member of the Guild. I can only think that I did not give you any of my many changes of address, both whilst in the W.R.A.F. and the sixty odd years of a colourful career after that. Naturally I have heard the School mentioned with its achievements from time to time, including meeting another ‘old girl’ on an Alaska cruise. I am now ‘down sized ‘ and do not think I shall be moving again, at 85 I am properly retired - a very busy occupation! Hilary Stephenson (Salter) for the first time ever, I am able to reply by email, having been given a smartphone for my 84th birthday last year. My husband and I keep pretty fit for which we are hugely thankful. We are still able to enjoy holidays, coach outings and family parties. We are in the process of down-sizing from a big fourbedroom house to a small two-bedroom flat. Again, we are glad of our large family (26 now, when we're all together) who are willing to become custodians of family treasures. I am still in touch with some of my friends from W.H.S. days, Kathleen Benson (Avery), Rosemary Deller (Cross) and Valerie Story (Kirby). It's good to be able to share memories of seventy years ago. My sister Nancy Grace (Salter) is three years ahead of me having started at W.H.S. in 1938. Our mother, Edith Salter (Loosely) was one of the very first pupils, starting in the old building in Frogmore, and moving to the then new school in 1906. Remarkably, I have in my possession two photos from her school days.
1947 Doris Horne (Maslen) is now settled in her care home in Denham. At the home's Summer Fair Doris bid for and won a flight from Denham
The first is dated 1906 or 1907. It is taken in one of the new classrooms. My mother is in the front 26
row, on the extreme left of the picture. The other photo was taken in 1911 and shows the cricket team posing on the front steps. Edith is 2nd from the right in the back row.
We have created a new pond and native trees have been planted in the North West corner of the meadow. Together with the grassland maintained by our natural lawnmowers, a flock of Swaledale sheep, we continue to provide valuable habitats for a wide variety of wildlife including hares, deer, herons & skylarks. Smaller mini beasts are accommodated in our bughouse pictured below.
1948 1949 1950
Best wishes to anyone who remembers me.
Mary Ludlow (Haines)
Dorothy Brock (Wooster) my family have farmed near Princes Risborough for five generations. After my husband died in 2011 and was buried locally, I decided at 80 years old that when my time came, I wished to be buried on my
maryludlow@tiscali.co.uk
1951 Pauline Brooking 36 Tolverne Rd. London SW20 8RA Pauline Brooking I’ve not received any news from our Group this year. I’m still in touch with Muriel Agnew, Grace Sherriff (King) and Margaret Lawrence (Dodwell). I have enclosed a photo of Form 3B taken in 1946, nearly 70 years ago! I’m 3rd from the right in the back row. Our Form Mistress was Miss Petch. Best wishes to everyone.
own land. Having visited various natural burial sites nearby, I decided with the assistance of my daughter and in partnership with Leedam Natural Heritage based in Monmouth, to open my own natural burial meadow in 2014 at Owlswick, near Princes Risborough. The wildflower meadow
1952 Ruth Whitehouse (Why) ruthmwhitehouse37@btinternet.com
which has spectacular views of the Chiltern Hills, where the burials, ashes scatterings and internments take place, will continue to remain as it always has done. A place for all those keen to end their days surrounded by peace and nature.
Freda Mulvany (Joynson). For those of us turning the eighty corner I send greetings and whilst counting our blessings hope we keep healthy and active for many more years. Here at 27
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became extremely hot and a lightning strike caused a very serious bush fire. Although we were 50 miles south of it, we still experienced smoke and could actually see and smell it. Absolutely awful for the people who lost everything. I shall never moan about a cold grey day again. My visit also enabled me to spend some time with my great nieces, which was a delight. Hopefully the rest of this year will be more normal for me. I wish everyone in the Group all the very best.
Weymouth I continue to enjoy a life of people, music
and walking in lovely Dorset. I play piano and keyboard with Dorchestra, a large community orchestra, and run two U3A groups, Singing and also 'Music Making', which is open to anyone of any age/stage or instrument, seeking the fun of making music together. That challenge is rewarding. I continue being part of VSO Dorset and working for peace, especially with Quaker friends. The five grandchildren are now nineteen to twenty five, three with horrendous debts from Unis. Max, the eldest, is just off to do a second degree, this time Architecture at Cambridge after Fine Arts at Oxford. The others are at various stages, with Alice, at twenty one, third Deck Officer with the Holland and America Cruise Line Co. My sister Angela Joynson and long term friend Frances now live at Wareham so easier for us to meet. Memorable holidays have been a cruise which found me sailing down the Panama Canal on Boxing Day 2014, enabled by discounts from Alice (!), walking and talking the Malverns with Ruth and a railway trip along the Rhine. Mentoring Asylum Seekers is full of joys and sorrows. With the Verne on Portland virtually on my doorstep and for a while now a detention centre I am somewhat involved in that as well as supporting our Rough Sleepers and Homeless in Weymouth. I wish everyone could be as fortunate as I am, as life seems for me to be not about having but about being. Good wishes to all our Group.
Gillian Bradshaw (Nash) writes that she is much the same, just older and a little bit slower, but no health problems. Nearly two years after losing her husband, probate has been settled and David, her younger son, has been very helpful sorting everything out. Gillian still does her garden and accompanies her choral society. They are doing Vivaldi’s Gloria, Pergolesi’s Magnificat and a Bach cantata in March. She played for two Christmas concerts in December. Gillian will be 80 in February but has told her family not to ‘make a fuss’. Ruth Whitehouse As I write I am straight from celebrating Freda’s 80th birthday at her son’s house in Wiltshire. It was a ‘surprise’ party, with her college friends there as well, and it will take Freda a while to recover! We met up for a few days in the summer and later at my son’s house in Dorchester when she helped me look after my two grandchildren. Earlier in the year I had a coach holiday involving the ‘Little Trains of Austria’ and having enjoyed that, I had another coach holiday taking in some of the ancient ruins of Turkey. I even succumbed into buying a hand woven Turkish carpet. Much of my time is taken up with our local Quaker Meeting, editing their newsletter, buying and cataloguing new books for the library, discussion groups and more. Thank you to those who have sent news. I hope to hear from more of you next year.
Leila Tyrrill (Bickle) a happy birthday to all in our WHS Guild year group. I know three of the four of us who did Music ‘A’ level in 1954 are celebrating our 80th birthdays this year, and I am sure we are all grateful for these extra years, and that we are still able to use our musical gifts so many years on. John and I continue to live happily and healthily in Normandy, and have discovered the delights of river cruising with a French company. Last year we had a second trip on the Rhone and Saone, and this year are looking forward to seeing the Loire from a different angle. Short visits to England every few months keep us up to date with the family, who also visit us here, and we have a "good deal" with our phone company - it is free to call UK!
1953 Wendy Porter (Batts) weporter@talk21.com
Margaret Mallott. Last year was a slightly different year for me as during the first months it was very difficult to get around due to arthritis in my hip worsening. However, I was lucky in that I had it replaced at the end of June, so the last part of the year was spent doing my rehab. It is now so good that I went to Singapore at the start of December and then on to WA to spend some time with my family. It is so much easier to keep walking and doing exercises when it is warm. January has been full of experiences as it
Hilary Chaston (Geeves) wrote “ I’m sorry I don’t have a great deal of news. Just, in the words of the school song: ‘Forty years on growing older and older, Shorter in wind as in memory long’!! Anyway, please give my best wishes to all Guild members, especially the 1955 leavers”. Sadly, the news from Angela Crew (Richmond) is not good. In January she fell and badly injured her wrist and her youngest grandson Edward, a 28
wonderful food. Andrea visits her mother most days bringing news of Laura and Sophie, now at UCL and Oxford, and Matthew who is approaching GCSEs this year. Son Nick visits mainly in the holidays and Ann is pleased to see Isaac and Silas, now in senior school in Ipswich, and as group leader, I’m sure I speak for all of us in sending love and deepest sympathy to those who have been bereaved during the past year. Frank and I were able to attend John’s funeral and, although a very sad occasion, it was good to meet up again with Ann and her family as well as old friends from school and university days, including Ann’s German friend Karin from the WHS exchange visits in 1954! I am cutting back on my commitments at church although am still involved with the toddlers group, pastoral team, coffee mornings and study groups and do a fair bit of paperwork. Am looking forward to meeting up with our little ‘gang’ again. It’s good to keep in touch.
cricket coach, also fell and fractured his left elbow while coaching in St Lucia. Angela tells us that In February, June Sagon passed away. They had spent many happy holidays together. Then, on their Golden Wedding Day in April, Angela’s husband, Ivor, was admitted to hospital and died in July. A happier day was spent with daughter Jane, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Angela’s nursing set 128 at University College Hospital in London. Cynthia Dean (Smith) writes: “ It was good to meet up with Angela Haigh (Green), Jo Harrington (Menday), Zita Miller (Menday) and Wendy Porter (Batts) at St Martins in the Fields for a mini reunion and later on I enjoyed Wendy’s visit when we had a picnic on West Wycombe hill and then joined my Church Home group for a BBQ meal. The next day we did a really long walk in the Tylers Green area. In September I had an enjoyable holiday in Vienna. We had an interesting day out in Bratislava and on another day went to a Passion Play at Kirschlag.”
1954
Joan Fowler (Archer) writes that her husband Lionel is now in a care home; he is 93 years old and suffering from dementia. Joan keeps busy with Avon dancing, church and local clubs. She still keeps in contact with Muriel Paris, Valerie Simmons and Phyllis Mathews.
Ann Sharp (Knowles) 50 Rock Gardens, Bognor Regis PO21 2LF Ann Sharp (Knowles) hasn’t received any news from her group and says she has no news herself. She would be delighted to see anyone if they come south.
Angela Haigh (Green) writes: “ I was pleased to meet Wendy, Jo, Zita and Cynthia in London in April where we had a long chat, sitting outside in glorious sunshine. I’m still in touch with Sheila Wilcockson (Kirwan), and hope to meet up again with Judy Clarke (Wright), Ann Olding (Swadling) and Pat Tissot (Barnard) later this year. Brian and I continue to enjoy holidays based on archaeology, our most recent trip being to Istanbul.”
1955 Rachel Sutcliffe (Avis) rachelanne39_1@fsmail.net
Jo Harrington (Menday) writes “ I’m fortunate in seeing the grandchildren from time to time. There are mixed feelings of pleasure in their exuberance, noise and relative innocence (still all aged seven and under) then total relief when they and the dog have all gone again, leaving bits of Lego in odd places. In the summer I hope to go back to Italy for the pleasure of a bring it and sing it week of Palestrina – my idea of heaven.”
Pam Moores “My news nowadays seems to consist of no news. I quite fancy a cruise but I know it would be spoiled by the condition and treatment of animals I encounter and my ability to cause a diplomatic incident! I have discovered the programme for the local theatres and so I am trying a little culture at last! March brings a performance of the Estonian University and april sees Lesley Garett and a collection of Welsh stars. I wait to be transformed!”
2015 was a difficult year for Ann Weaver (Saunders) with John passing away suddenly in March, following a stroke. They had moved into their assisted living apartment in Epsom in December 2014 and had just a few months to enjoy their new way of life together. Ann is still living in the same apartment and is taking advantage of all that is on offer – musical entertainment, trips in the local area and some
Joan Fairall (Brett) I am leading my usual active life. I go for long walks, do keep fit, play tennis three times a week, keep the garden tidy and ride my bicycle. I also play in tennis matches. At our caravan park I do odd jobs plus gardening, when needed I do painting and cleaning. A group of us meet regularly at Little 29
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Marlow where we have a good meal and catch up on all our news, I really enjoy our regular meetings. I am at present sewing school bags for children who live in an orphanage in Tanzania. I also send good second hand clothing to them.
members who are interested - we are normally there on Wednesday mornings during term time. The lunch group - Jill Boyd (Patman), Marian Brocklesby, Margaret Lynch (Stevens) Joan Fairall (Brett), Barbara Close (Evans) still meets about once a month at a local pub. Branwen Kelly, Barbara Kershaw (Tabner) and Pam Moores also join us when they can. All best wishes to everyone – I hope to hear from more of the 1955 and 1956 Groups in future!
Margaret Lynch (Stevens) I am so thrilled to hear that at long last we are having an Old Girls reunion in 2017. It’s been a long wait. My worst news is that my husband Charlie passed away last year after 54 years married. I miss him so much. I still keep in touch with a few old girls and we meet once a month for a meal at Little Marlow. Last October and November I spent time in Australia with my daughter and family for a month and a month with my son and his family. It was lovely to meet up with them all. I went on a sky dive in Sydney. What a performance, I loved it!!! I have another son and his family who live not too far from where I am. I’ve got a lot of friends and see them often, going to the U3A and evenings out. I hope to meet up with some old friends at the reunion, it should be lovely. See you then.
1956 Rachel Sutcliffe (Avis) rachelanne39_1@fsmail.net Kay Graham (Eliel) I don’t think I sent any news last year. In 2014 my husband died and, as he was an obsessive collector of various things, this meant many months of sorting things out. I think I am nearly at the end but it has been hard work. Apart from that I am trying to grow old relatively gracefully! I still have grandchild duties twice a week, one lot are here in London but my son now lives in Gerrards Cross which is slightly disconcerting. Sadly I have discovered that my granddaughter is unlikely to go to WHS as it is now not in the catchment area. I have just bought a glass-fusing kiln and spend quite a lot of time making bowls/dishes/pictures which I then sell in aid of our local Hospice. I am full of my usual good intentions to get together with the few people I am still in touch with. I just heard that Linda Brown (Delderfield) has died. I saw her a few years ago and we meant to meet up again but, sadly, didn’t.
Rachel Sutcliffe (Avis) I was most disappointed that only three members of the 1955 and one member of the 1956 Group sent their news (thank you very much). However, this was no improvement on last year. What can we do to encourage more to do so or is it the result of more use of social media? As far as my own news is concerned, after a traumatic start to 2015 with my husband in hospital for nearly seven weeks through January and February, I am pleased to say that he has made a full recovery. However, he had to surrender his driving licence to the DVLA and, despite having completed the necessary forms and had good medical reports from the cardiologist and GP, he is still waiting to have it reinstated. Most frustrating for both of us! I’d like to thank my WHS friends especially for all their support during a very difficult time. My daughter, son and daughter-in-law were a tremendous support, too, and I am so pleased that they live locally. It was good also that I had the dogs to look after and I really appreciated their companionship. They even used to check on me by coming into the bedroom at night, even though they are not normally allowed upstairs!
Jill Boyd (Patman) I usually forget about my own contribution, I enjoy reading everyone else’s news and every year am amazed at the activities and achievements of WHS old girls. I still enjoy working in the WHS Archive, yoga keeps me fit and painting helps me to relax. We really enjoyed a cruise to see the Northern Lights last March. Visiting the Artic Circle was worth the cold and the rough seas that we experienced. I particularly enjoyed a visit to the ice hotel although we were not brave enough to sleep there.
Other than this, I continue to enjoy my role as a governor of WHS and also working in the Archive with volunteers from the Guild. I’d especially like to thank Jill Boyd for all the work she does as an Archive volunteer, and the wonderful displays of Archive material she produces for the Learning Centre and various school events. The work of Liz Taylor, Janet Paterson and Penny Waterfield is also very much appreciated. We would be happy to show the Archive to Guild
1957 Sue Neville (Clark) sue.neville@ntlworld.com Margaret Baker (Pilgrim) with increasingly poor eyesight, still manages her hobbies of 30
photography and cooking. Her grandsons, like her son, are musical. The 11-year old has just passed Grade 8 on the cello with distinction, and is in the National Children's Orchestra.
trip. Penny is suffering with knee and hip problems. Naomi Whelan (Davidson) has had various holiday trips in the past year, some in the UK and one in France visiting the Chateaux of the Loire. Naomi has many local cultural interests. No longer working with day centres for the elderly, she has taken responsibility for an elderly neighbour who can no longer cope with her paperwork.
Margaret Burns (Bowman) currently has life dictated by her elderly collie. However, she is still doing murder mystery plays in hotels as part of a group of five. Margaret had a brief trip to see her daughter at a skiing area near Geneva last April, and plans to go on a jazz and wine river cruise in August.
Sue Neville (Clark) John and I are keeping busy. We managed to get to Mallorca twice last year, the Easter visit enabling the family to get together without the attendant hard work required when hosting them at home. The six grandchildren are very able mathematicians and range in age from 8 to 18. Our only granddaughter is a keen footballer, and the youngest grandson a gymnast.
Joyce Dimbleby (Wortley) will miss the AGM as she will be in Germany celebrating the 75th birthday of her school pen friend. In December she visited World War I cemeteries and museums in France and Belgium. Janet Freud (Tuckey) has just returned from her regular holiday in South Africa. Last year her husband had major surgery and took a few months to recover. Her son has two teenage sons and her daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three young children to keep her busy.
1958 2001 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
Vanda Green (Hughes) does not seem to be winding down. She works on a national initiative 'The Economic Blueprint for Women-led Businesses'. In addition Vanda is working towards getting more women taking up public appointments. She and Bill organise activities for the Sunday Assembly, a non-religious community organisation. She is now using a crutch as she has nerve damage from a recent hip operation.
Val Madeiros (Stephens) Things worked out better than expected following the hurricane damage in 2014 and we were able to take our vacation to the UK last August. This time we stayed in Kenilworth, Warwick and had a marvellous time driving to various places including Warwick Castle, Coventry Cathedral and from there to Leicester to see Richard 111â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tomb. Kenilworth Castle was awe inspiring. We always visit our daughter, Suzanne and family, in Williamsburg, Virginia twice a year and while there in November took the train for a weekend in Washington. Still keeping busy with work and going to the gym where I have become addicted to Les Mills Body Pump!! Makes me feel as young as when Margot, Fizz, Mong and I used to prance around the amphitheatre!! The twins are avid dancers and before Christmas performed in The Nutcracker.
Carol Larkin remarried last April. Unfortunately her husband started suffering illhealth shortly afterwards, and they have been unable to do too much together since then. Coralie Payne (Bickle) and her husband are shortly to move to Aylesbury and will then be much nearer to three of their children. She writes that they will certainly miss their friends and the countryside of Wales. It is a good exercise, downsizing, and a little daunting at their age! Celia Soden (Blaney) writes of her recent visit to see Margaret Baker (Pilgrim). Having not seen each other for many years they talked nineteen to the dozen whilst their respective husbands looked on. Celia and Ralph have travelled to the States twice and around the UK over the last year, and are now looking forward to their golden wedding anniversary.
Harriet Faulkner (Lloyd) this year I have been in touch with Angela Joynson, Bridget Dixon (Jackson). I heard from Jill Houchin, and Celia Swan (Phillips) with ref to current house moves or retirement or surgery, and recalling our re-union a few years ago. My sister, Rachel Lloyd was Headgirl in the year the School moved to Marlow Hill. In '96 she sustained severe head injury. Rachel died in October in Oxford. I salute Pamela Moores who came from near Kidwelly to the funeral where 60+ gathered from virtually
Robin Spey (Byers) and Iain are keeping well and carrying on with their usual activities. Penny Waterfield (Butcher) and Richard enjoyed their first cruise, 'A Nordic Eclipse', visiting Norway, the Faroes, Shetland and Orkney, and taking in the solar eclipse during the 31
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Shirley Dorman (Smith) Shirley and Mel visited Mexico in March and April and found the whole experience quite fascinating. They explored relics of the Mayan civilisation and were ‘exposed to unfamiliar culture and history and learned amazing details of mathematical and astronomical concepts which predated Egyptian civilisation.’ While in Mexico they had hoped to meet up with their son, daughter-in-law and grandson Sebastian who live in Colorado. Sadly this was not to be. Shirley’s son Stuart works as a consultant for IBM and the company announced that none of their staff were to take leave over the school holidays. Shirley has therefore to keep in touch with Sebastian and Mum and Dad by Face Time every other weekend. Later on in the year Shirley and Mel visited the Haute-Savoie region of France to catch up with old friends and neighbours and in early Autumn they drove down to the Moselle region of Germany. Finally a relaxing break in Madeira in October completed the year’s holidays. When not travelling around the world Shirley and Mel enjoy village life, keep busy in their garden during the summer months, exercise their dog and keep fit by swimming two or three times a week.
all sections of her life-story. How grateful I am. Thank you to Rachel Sutcliffe and Jill Boyd. Gillian Stunell (Chorley) read the February High Flyer which prompted her to write about two particular points of interest: “The article on Barbara Gubbins . . . In my time at Wycombe High School the Barbara Gubbins prizes were known as Barbara Gubbins Memorial Science prizes. There was a junior and a senior prize awarded annually, one to a 5th year (Y11) pupil and one in the Upper 6th (Y13). My sister Jennifer won both in her time, and I won the junior prize in 1958. I didn't pursue science in the 6th form. My A level subjects were Pure Maths, History and Music. I was in the first cohort ever to be allowed to do mixed arts and science A levels. My father had to fight quite hard to persuade the school to allow this! I went on to take a degree in music, so the other interesting thing was to see a photo of the new music block. I remember how excited we musicians were when we moved to the 'new school' on Marlow Hill from the Benjamin Road site. I think I was then in the 4th form. At last we had purposebuilt music rooms in a place where the music didn't disturb other girls at work. The rooms were under the stage of the large hall. We loved them, though by today's standards they were pokey and stuffy! Times certainly change! Now, in my seventies, I am still engaged in music, but now I work with children with profound and multiple learning difficulties, and with adults with cerebral palsy. A bit of a far cry from the levels of music at WHS!”
Sandra Ingle (Butters) wrote to me from the Lake District where she was staying in Coniston. She was enjoying a very wet view of Cumbria but had managed some good walking accompanied by her two dogs. At home, both dogs and their owner are involved in agility training which takes up a lot of Sandra’s time. Last September Sandra and Charles enjoyed a nice relaxing holiday, soaking up the sunshine, in La Gomera in the Canary Islands and by the time this news is printed they will have journeyed to Hong Kong to stay with family and to enjoy all the excitement and spectacle of Chinese New Year. Sandra closed her e-mail by remarking that all her grandchildren are growing up fast - where does the time go?
Priscilla Nunnerley This year I celebrate fortyone years in my home in Amersham. It has given me much joy to be forty seven years at the King’s Church. We moved from an old chapel in Amersham Old Town to Amersham on the Hill two years ago . The spacious and attractive new building enables us to be more involved in community and a coffee bar is a welcoming feature of the reception area. We are open Mon to Fri 9-2, do drop by. My sister Rosemary has three children and seven grandchildren. We had a happy holiday by the sea in Galloway in the summer of 2014. All the family live in Scotland now, so I enjoy the inter-city east coast train when visiting them in and around Stirling.
Rosalie Zobel This time last year Rosalie went into hospital to have a hip replacement. She writes that she is now as good as new and after a brief spell of recuperation she went on a Disney Cruise, with a friend, from Miami to San Diego through the Panama Canal. Apparently towards the end of the trip Sandra found ‘a surfeit of Disney was a little wearing’ but she found the trip through the canal very interesting, albeit a little hot and sticky! Rosalie still resides in Brussels but travels a huge amount, frequently visiting Putney to see her daughter and grandchildren. Last year she went to Devon, two separate trips to Scotland, two trips to Italy and two trips to New York to see her son. Her UK trips were wet but the sun obediently shone in Italy. Rosalie still keeps in touch with Juliet Hickey (Hughes). Juliet
1959 Judith Goodchild (Palmer) goodchildjudith@gmail.com Thank you to the few Guild Members of our group who sent me their news. As always it is good to hear from you. 32
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has lived in San Francisco for a number of years and has a son and daughter. Her son lives in California and her daughter in South Africa.
Sue Filby (Child) sue_filby@hotmail.com
As for me, I too have spent a lot of time travelling this past year. In February, Dave and I had a short break in Iceland. We stayed in the centre of Reykjavik and on our first evening excursion we were lucky enough to see Aurora in all its glory. It was breath taking. In April we went to Russia taking in both Moscow and St. Petersburg and found both cities very interesting. In July we journeyed to Europe - we are a little more at home here as we can at least attempt some of the languages and interpret the road signs. We went first to France to visit relations and then on to Spain to soak up the sun. When we arrived in Italy staying on the Italian Lakes we met up with Claire and Cameron who had flown into Milan from Hong Kong. We eventually ended up in Venice for a week, very enjoyable but incredibly hot and humid. We then headed north through Germany and France for home. It was quite a trip In the Autumn we spent a week in Northumberland, visiting Lindisfarne and scrambling over as many castles as we could find. The weather was not very good but we enjoyed our visit to one of England’s most beautiful counties. When I am not holidaying I spend a large part of my life enjoying time with friends and our family in Barnard Castle. I exercise twice a week in the Gym, I belong to a walking group, a book club and a gardening club and I am quite involved with the village Church and all its activities. In the summer months my garden keeps me busy - how did I ever find time to work! I heard from Valerie Cope (Hughes) at Christmas. She told me that last year she and Les spent three weeks in Benidorm at the same hotel they visited 50 years ago on their honeymoon. Apparently it has changed a lot! Before Christmas I had a long chat on the phone to Joy Palmer (Messenger).
Suzanne Warren (Udell) Last year was a very eventful and exciting one for us. We celebrated my 70th birthday and our 40th Wedding Anniversary. My birthday was celebrated with all my family by going out for a meal and then returning home for Birthday Cake later. In May we went on a Cruise to the Baltic to celebrate our Ruby Wedding. We visited lots of places we had never been to before including Denmark, Sweden, Finland, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Estonia, Latvia, Northern Germany and Holland. It was our first cruise and we enjoyed it very much. We hope to go on another one in the future. In August we spent a long weekend with all the family at the Manor House sport and craft hotel in Devon. It worked very well with something for everyone to do. The rest of the year was spent enjoying some of our presents of afternoon teas and lunches. We look after our two grandchildren once a week which keeps us busy. They are now three and six years old. I still keep in touch with Hilary York (Castle) and Jenny Butterfield (Tooby) from our year and with Ann Quelch (Perfect) and Jennifer Smith (Drever) from other years. Renate Miller (Kohler) I am now where I thought I would never be - living in retirement in a flat in Brighton overlooking the sea. Well, not completely retired as I've been working as a reader for a literary agent for the last five years and this, I hope, will continue forever. My daughter, Charlotte, also a WHS alumna, lives in Vermont, in the US, has three children and is a huge supporter of Bernie Sanders' campaign for election as the Democratic candidate for the elections at the end of this year. Makes me wonder if WHS was fertile ground for a career in politics, albeit it American politics. My son, Barney (RGS alumnus) lives in Brighton with his five year old son, so I see at least one grandchild, otherwise we belong to the generation of Skype grandparents. Oh yes, and I joined a University of the Third Age Latin group a couple of years ago. I always regretted giving it up after O level and it has been such fun revisiting. So much of what the admirable Miss Strand taught came flooding back and the funny thing is, nearly everybody in the quite large class must have been taught from the same text book as we all seem to know the same jokes. At which point, valete puellae!
I am amazed how far we have all travelled and the number of different countries we have visited between us. In closing I send my very best wishes to all members of the 1959 group and I hope the coming year will be good for you in every way.
1960 Kathleen Gomm (Atkins) thomasgomm@btinternet.com
Diana Bishop (Phipps) writes:- ‘We are off to Australia in March for the birth of our daughter’s 33
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second child. I continue to proof read, manage the finances and distribution, and help edit our local community newspaper. Was invited to Sandra File (Neal)’s 70th birthday party last October but due to the move of our local Information Centre which I am involved with unfortunately I could not attend. I understand Mary Potter was there.’
playing bridge, being a member of the Dorchester Art Club and taking sewing classes. Bryony Coles (Orme) says that life continues on much the same – she and husband, John, have travelled around different parts of England and abroad. They have been involved in Food Bank collections and collecting clothes for refugees. Bryony reminisced about a time at WHS when the group of WHS and RGS students who travelled from the Seer Green area every day put on a play in Jordans to raise money for refugees in the ‘60s. Nearly 50 years ago our year persuaded WHS to allow us to mix Science and Arts! Bryony continues to realise how valuable this has been to her as she is helping study the beavers that were discovered on the River Otter in 2014 – it was thought that beavers no longer existed in the UK. Bryony is involved from the archaeology side but finds that her ALevel History and Biology studies are still useful.
Celia Adamson (Smallwood) sends the sad news that her husband died last March and she is slowly adjusting to her loss. She went to Scotland in the autumn and visited her sister-in-law in Brittany in December. She plans to go to Lisbon with Lucy in April. She is now able to visit her son in Bristol and her daughter in London more frequently and also go to art exhibitions. At home she is enjoying gardening and seeing more of her friends. Now for myself:- Ray and I continue to be busy and we have great fun with our five grandchildren whose ages range from four to eleven years. I continue to be part of the chaplaincy team at Warwick Hospital and we are both very involved in our local church and in the community and worship centre on the estate where we live. I hit the big 70 last year and celebrated with a wonderful family party and a memorable cruise holiday in the Mediterranean.
Pam Cuff (Seymour) sent a short message this year – her elderly father (over 100 years old!) is requiring more of her assistance as time goes by. She sends her best wishes to all with the promise of more news next year! Jill Dibling (Stromqvist) “carrys on with the mental health stuff, and has just become involved in the development of a community cafe which is looking at taking on an existing cafe (one already based on locally produced and fair-trade organic food) and making it into a sort of 'community hub'.” Jill says that the family is staying well. Their eldest daughter was married in August – “a mini festival with a couple of hundred people over a weekend, live music, lots of food and fun!” When she can find the time, Jill enjoys painting and “making things”. She is still in touch with Lorraine Grieve (Holgate) and Anne Brown/ Court (Cummings) although she hasn’t actually seen either of them since the mid-sixties. Jill sends her best wishes to all.
My thanks to those who have responded with news this year. I send my very best wishes to all in the 1961 year group.
1962 Jo Karl (Harvey) tkarl@charter.net Ann Brown (Cummings) sent exciting news – by the time the magazine goes to press she and Martin will be married! (Our congratulations to you both – Jo) There has been much clearing out of two homes as they prepare to move into their new home close to Dorchester town centre this spring. Both of them have enjoyed holidays to India, France and Turkey and Ann joined Martin on a sailing trip along part of the south coast of England, but the seas were rough and Martin continued the trip on his own. Ann visited her daughter, Emma, and family in New York in the Spring and in July Emma, Arsenio, grandson Egon and baby Elsie visited the UK. Both Ann and Martin enjoy acting in local plays and Ann continues with her art. Martin has settled into his job looking after the Hardy properties at Clouds Hill (a National Trust property) where Ann volunteers once a week. She continues to enjoy
Joanna Fink (Waldron) unfortunately sent sad news about the death of her husband, Al, in the spring of 2015. (Our condolences, Joanna – Jo). Al had been ill for quite some time; Joanna has been so grateful for all the help and support she received from medical and hospice staff. She plans to stay in Scotland as everyone is so “friendly, helpful and unpretentious, and most importantly have a good sense of humour”. Joanna has managed to travel quite a bit “visiting friends, relatives and renewing old bonds”. Over Christmas and New Year she visited her son, Daniel, his second wife, Michi, grandson Dennis and their two rescued pit bulls near Waterford. By now Joanna plans to have started reorganising her bungalow along with some painting and decorating. 34
Jenny Green (Bishop) wrote from her home in Western Australia to say that her family is (mostly) keeping well. “I have been suffering from stomach ulcers, but hopefully they will clear up quickly. Nick and I had a holiday in the UK this year, which was very enjoyable except for the travelling. In spite of allowing reasonable stops at the airports we had a delay from Perth to Hong Kong”. This meant a dash through the airport to another terminal to board the plane going to Heathrow; of course the luggage didn’t go as quickly and was delayed a day! While in the UK, Jenny and Nick enjoyed their time with friends and family on the south coast and in the Thames Valley.
and some with smaller groups. “In the summer, we visited our daughter, son-in-law and 10 year old grandson in New Zealand, and toured all around the country for six weeks.” Two highlights of the trip were “watching our grandson with his classmates at his school doing the Kapa Haka and attending a performance in Wellington by the NZ Symphony Orchestra of Bruckner Symphony No. 8 - we had seats in the choir stalls behind the orchestra and could see both music and conductor as if we were playing!” Christine’s son and family live close by so they see them often; their little grandson (two+) is a great joy, and likes to entertain by playing piano, glockenspiel, bells and drum, and dancing to whatever music he hears! Christine sends her best wishes to all her WHS friends.
Lorraine Grieve (Holgate) has done a lot of travelling this year. She and husband, David, took their motor home around the South and East of England, staying on small, quiet sites while they visited Oxford and Cambridge and the quaint village of Lavenham in Suffolk “where the ancient houses all seem to prop one another up”. They plan to tour Scotland this year. In early 2015 Lorraine and her travel friends visited “Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and Penang in Malaysian Borneo. The Petronus Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur are now the tallest in the world, spectacular at night when illuminated, and built each with eight sides in the Muslim tradition. We watched the opera “Carmen” there; the whole ground floor was beautifully decorated in huge red flowers for the Chinese New Year. Penang is a World Heritage City, famous for its street art huge paintings on interior and exterior walls all over the city, often incorporating, for example, a bike chained to the wall looking as if children were actually riding it. My friends and I also visited Iceland - full of spectacular waterfalls, geysers, mountains and glaciers, bubbling sulphurous mud pools, volcanoes and much more.” Lorraine’s family is all well; grandson, George (19) is on a Gap year and enjoying his independence, Samuel (15) enjoys playing the piano and Charlie (nine), enjoys all sports – rugby being his current favourite. Daughter, Katie broke her leg in March, which is now finally healed. Lorraine enjoys volunteering for Off The Record, being a school governor, learning French at U3A and spending time in her very productive allotment. Her one piece of sad news was to tell us of her mother-inlaw’s death just before Christmas. (Our condolences to you both – Jo)
Jenny Johnson (Steel) noted that 2015/16 seem to be the time of everyone’s special anniversary or 70th birthday! She sends her best wishes for a happy, healthy and fulfilling 2016. She and her husband still enjoy the benefits of Wiltshire village life and are both involved in local activities which have included catering for the Horse Show, enjoying skittles and Harvest Suppers, playing bridge and visiting National Trust homes and gardens. As well as visiting friends in Wales and Italy they spent a week on the beautiful Greek island of Santorini – “such a shame they are having a hard time financially, not that they gave any sign of that while we were there although it was during the Euro crisis.” 2015 was the WI centenary year and as President again Jenny went to the Albert Hall for the Annual Meeting which was attended by the Queen, Princess Anne and the Duchess of Wessex - a very uplifting day when over 6,000 women are singing ‘Jerusalem’”. She was even on TV news going into the Hall for the meeting although, of course, she didn’t see it, but received texts from friends all over the UK saying they had! “My children are all now in their 40’s and the grandchildren are growing fast. My youngest grandson (12) was chosen to be the Australian mascot for the final of the Rugby World Cup at Twickenham. He says that it was the best day of his life as he is passionate about rugby and is a County level player!” Sue Lokkerbol (Harding) e-mailed from Argentina where she and her husband, David, were on a month's holiday! They flew into Rio de Janeiro and went to view the truly awesome Iguazu Falls from both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides. After spending time in Buenos Aires they travelled to San Pedro de Atacama. “I never expected the driest place in the world to be so beautiful, really colourful and different terrains lagoons, geysers, salt flats and incredible sunsets. From there, and in total contrast, we went on to Puerto Varas in the Chilean Lake
Christine Griggs (Bailey) says retirement is becoming happier and busier as time goes on.This year she has begun a number of new ‘projects’; playing more often for local Church services and remastering some oboe music she recorded in the 80s. Christine performed in several concerts in 2015, mainly with orchestras 35
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Judi Wild (Poholka) e-mailed to say that she had no news this year, but hoped to send some in 2017.
District; a really lovely vibrant town on the shores of Lake Llanquihue overlooked by the snowcapped, dormant volcano Osormo”. They planned to journey further south and to do a lot of walking, and then head back to Santiago and Valparaiso before “returning to face the remainder of the English winter!” Sue said that the rest of the year is “much as usual - seeing children and grandchildren and generally enjoying a busy retirement.”
News from Jo Karl (Harvey) First of all – my thanks to everyone who took time to respond to the request from both me and the Guild for news! It has been a very busy year for Tom and me as we continue to divide our time between the beautiful Oregon coast during the summer and the desert of the Southwest in Phoenix during the winter. While in Phoenix our time is filled with much volunteering; Tom is very active with the Knights of Columbus (an international Catholic Men’s group), writing newsletters and helping with other events such as a spaghetti meal, Christmas party, a picnic and grounds clean-up – I often become involved with those too. We volunteer a couple of mornings a week at elementary schools and I will be helping with costumes for granddaughter, Hailey’s, school play. I sing in the church choir with a very inspirational director – I am so grateful for all the training I had from Millicent Brown. In Phoenix we make the occasional trip to a dinner theatre where we enjoy their Broadway musical productions and in Oregon to see the local theatre play performances. Our summer on the coast was spent relaxing along with more volunteering – at Pancake Breakfasts and serving hamburgers and hot dogs at a local kite festival. Life is never boring and we enjoy it that way. In March, I flew to Florence to spend a week with our oldest daughter, Cathy; she was directing a semester abroad for her university in Florence for four months. Cathy and I walked at least four-five miles daily through the streets of Florence visiting museums, palaces and the Duomo. It was the first time that I can remember when I didn’t have to worry about having to navigate my way around; I just relaxed and followed! On our return trip to Oregon in April we went to Las Vegas to meet up with Terri, Brian and Hailey while Hailey competed at the National Karate Tournament there. No trophies for Hailey, but she gained a lot of experience and has recently qualified to represent the Phoenix area again in 2016. From Las Vegas we drove to California to visit Tom’s brother and sister-in-law, spending time exploring the Queen Mary and Aquarium in Long Beach, Catalina Island and visited Tom’s niece who is a nun. Our return trip this autumn from the coast to Phoenix took us a couple of weeks as we drove through some northern states visiting several National Parks and Monuments and enjoying the wonderful scenery. The Devils Tower in Wyoming and Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota are really spectacular and an archaeological site, also in South Dakota was fascinating - we saw dozens
Wendy Morris (Ellwood) wonders “ how on earth did we get to be, or about to be, 70?!!!” Much to their relief they sold their business/flats in Princes Risborough last year after several years of trying to get it sorted. Wendy and her husband, Ted, are staying (mostly) healthy and enjoyed their time exploring more of their home area of Dorset in 2015. They hope to venture abroad in 2016. Wendy is still in contact with a pen pal she wrote to in New Zealand; they first met in 1972 when she was over here on a year's teaching exchange. She came to the UK again in 2002 and stayed with Wendy and Ted for a week in Dorset. They went to NZ in 2004 and met up again and hope to see her once more this spring. Wendy wonders “if there are any others in our year who had those pen friends and, if so, are still in touch?” (I’m still very much in touch with my Dutch pen pal from IVth form days – Jo) Gillian Sugden (Sleep) says there’s not much news this year “except that nothing special has happened but life still seems to get ever busier! I thought I'd have more time when I came off the diaconate at church - fewer meetings at least, but I still seem to be permanently trying to keep up with everything. Still, at least there's no chance of getting bored!! Barbara Woodhead (Furby) too, says that she “can't believe it is another big birthday year this year - how the years roll by!” She and husband, David, are both keeping well and try to get away every two months, usually to France and enjoyed a May break in Brittany with some “healthy walking along the coast”. They also visited “Carcassonne and Beziers in the south west, and also Vienne, Lyon and Tournus as part of our culinary adventures (and for a bit of culture!). We also returned to Venice in October visiting the Venice Biennale for the first time. This was quite an experience - I had no idea how vast the Biennale was and how very, very contemporary everything would be. I came away rather shellshocked.” Barbara said that 2015, for her, was not a “vintage year” with her personal concerns of the current UK government, the continuing catastrophe for Syria, the plight of the refugees and the violence and massacres world-wide.
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of mostly complete mammoth skeletons there. The Petrified Forest National Park in N. Arizona was another stop along the way where we admired petrified trees and the blues, greens and purples of the mineral stained hillsides. Our “girls” and their families stay busy too. Cathy spent several months in Florence and then returned for five weeks in Milan with another student group. Son-in-law John continues to fly for Southwest Airlines and Cathy lectures and is a college student advisor. Grandson Eric (24) moved to N Carolina with some college friends and granddaughter Katie (almost 22) has moved back home with her brindle boxer puppy – she has just started college classes once again. Terri and son-in-law, Brian’s construction management business is going very well. Terri is pursuing a degree in Construction Management and keeps up with other facets of the business. In July, Terri, and Hailey (12) visited us on the coast where they enjoyed July 4th celebrations. Hailey recently joined the Civil Air Patrol which she really enjoys. Sam(antha) and family live south of Chicago; Sam is now working as an RN in the Emergency Room but is hoping to change to more of an “on call” schedule where she has a little more control of her time. Since son-in-law Chris sometimes travels for his job that would certainly make family life easier as Ethan is only just 10 and in 4th grade now. If all goes well, Sam and Ethan will make a trip to Phoenix this Spring holiday. A very Happy (belated) 70th Birthday to those who have already celebrated and a very Happy Birthday to those of us who have not yet celebrated! Where in the world has the time gone? I wish you all a happy and healthy 2016! *Please be sure to notify me at any time of changes of (snail mail) addresses and/or e-mail addresses so I may keep our Guild information up to date. My e-mail remains tkarl@charter.net and I may be reached by snail mail at: 1025 SW 10th Street, Lincoln City, OR 97367, USA all year.
a nearby aerodrome. While at home in Lancashire, Helen helps with the Church primary school’s knitting club, continues her hobbies of knitting and patchwork and Geoff enjoys gliding. Helen says her only link to High Wycombe now is the Group news as her sister, Katherine Reed moved to Cornwall and their older son is in Chichester. Ruth Bowler (Davy) will be celebrating her 70th birthday and Golden Wedding Anniversary this year. She is recovering from a hip replacement and a second knee replacement is also planned. She hopes to enjoy dancing once again and regain some of her fitness by walking without pain for the first time in almost seven years! Despite her limited mobility in 2015 Ruth and husband, David, managed to get away a few times and have enjoyed time with their two grandchildren. Ethan was accepted for the National Youth Choir and Verity continues to delight them with her creativity! David continues to work three days a week and Ruth is researching WWI and WWII casualties for a War Memorial. She is very proud that five missing names will soon be engraved. Ruth’s main hobby is Family History – she enjoys helping others find their “roots”. Ruth met up with Janet Bell (Bowles) last year; Janet is well and still living in Leicestershire. Ruth also met up with Jane Tucker (Howe), Maggie Jackson (Giles) and Ethne Hawkins (Shepherd). Janet Brydon (North) is teaching German to two enthusiastic adult groups (still using Mrs. Herring's grammar notes) and plays tennis three times a week! Janet and husband, David, are both very involved with activities at their local church, and enjoy birdwatching and David is developing both interest and skills in cooking. They have five grandchildren who both delight and challenge them. Janet mentioned that several times she had cause to be reminded of something Mrs. Herring impressed on us at WHS - the value of learning by heart verses of Scripture or poetry. Mrs. Herring said that you never know when you will need it, and that you can draw on what you have committed to memory as an inner resource when you might not have access to books (or nowadays other materials). Good advice from someone who taught many of us during our formative years.
1963 Jo Karl (Harvey) tkarl@charter.net Helen Bailey (Oakley) sent exciting news of the birth of her first grandchild, Amelia Zoe in California. She and her husband, Geoff, visited the family twice in 2015. As well as trips to the US they have taken a trip on the Settle Carlisle railway line and a (cold Easter-time) cruise on the River Elbe. In the summer they stayed in an old monastery near Rochelle; Helen enjoyed a knitting course and Geoff spent a day gliding from
Penny Gerrard (Coysh) is amazed how quickly time goes by! Penny’s husband had an eye operation last year but they fulfilled a life-long ambition to drive almost 4,000 miles from Vancouver to Yellowstone National Park via the Rockies; it lived up to all their expectations, especially as they had the chance to spend two wonderful weeks with Diana Jacobs (Holloway), 37
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Penny’s oldest friend (also from WHS). Later in 2015 they spent a week travelling along the Napo River in Ecuador to the Peruvian border and trekked through the rainforest at night spotting frogs, bats, snakes and a very large tarantula! They celebrated her husband’s 70th birthday with a long weekend in Granada and a nostalgic return to Bavaria with the U3A. Penny has reached her final year as a magistrate, is Church Secretary for the Pastures Church and sings in the church band. They enjoy time with friends and family and count their blessings that life is, so far, being kind to them in so many ways.
married for 54 years. Joan is a member of the Grimsby Philharmonic Choir, 80-100 members strong, and notes that being part of that group was of great support to her while Chris was so ill. The choir is rehearsing Jonathan Willcock’s “A Great and Glorious Victory”, for the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar (a few months late!) Joan also spent a week in August at a Summer School in Sherborne, Dorset; “very intensive, rehearsing for three 1½ hours sessions per day for four days then giving the concert…but it’s keeping the little grey cells alive, I hope. Lots of other courses are going on at the same time and they give a concert at the end and the tutors give recitals, so there’s wall-to-wall music all day long. Sherborne is a lovely place; honey-coloured stone buildings, one main street with boutiquey shops and a beautiful C15th Abbey right in the middle of it. What was once the monastery became a school at the Dissolution and that, plus more modern boarding houses, is where it all happens. I meet up with University friends there and we have a great time.”
Anne Goodacre (Tiffany) is finding life rather exhausting as she is minding her two year old grandson, Brody and fetching her seven year old grandson, Lachlan, from school each day before her daughter returns home. Anne’s youngest son and family (two granddaughters, Rafi (nine) and Effie (4) live in London. Her son was recently offered Head of Dept. at a Lewisham secondary school and Anne says she is immensely proud of him. All the grandchildren get together once a month; Anne so much enjoys those times. Her oldest son, Peter, lives in Poole so Mum doesn’t see him very much. Unfortunately son, Kevin (Gaffney) has lost touch with Anne. (If anyone has any ideas on trying to trace him please let Anne know via WHS Guild – Jo)
Christine Johnson (Smith) 2015 was the year of a family reunion, which took place at their Burgundy home, when their Canadian granddaughters met their English cousins for the first time. Christine said it was wonderful to have both sons and their families together even for a short time; the weather was very hot so most of the time was spent at the local lake! Their younger son and family returned to England while the Canadian side of the family along with Christine and her husband, Chris, travelled to Paris to enjoy the many sights of the city including the Eiffel Tower and to experience the Metro. When back in N Yorkshire everyone enjoyed a train ride, visiting a castle and a trip to the Open Air Museum at Beamish before returning to Alberta. Another reunion - just before Christmas, Christine met up with her sisters Shirley and Penny (both Old Girls) in York. In early 2016, Christine and her husband have planned a trip to Sri Lanka (Look forward to hearing about your travels next year – Jo)
Joyce Goodman has had a very busy year. After being Dean of the Faculty of Education, Health and Social Care at the University of Winchester since 2008, Joyce decided to revert to being a research professor. Before the University would allow her to do that, they requested she spend three months covering the role of Assistant Vice-Chancellor. Joyce researches the history of women’s education and during 2015 has been a speaker at Bryn Mawr College near Philadelphia, and in Istanbul, Budapest and Liverpool. In December 2015 she spent two weeks as Visiting Fellow at Griffin University, Brisbane, giving presentations at Brisbane and at the University of Melbourne. In February 2016 Joyce will travel to Japan where she will deliver keynote lectures at several Universities; later in the year she has plans to visit Valencia, Chicago and Dublin! As well as writing, travelling and speaking, Joyce and a friend are busy with their building project renovating a house and four barns and plan to move there later this year. Joyce said this has been a challenge as the barn (to be turned into a house for her) was in the same state as when the cows left some 25 years ago, cow stalls and all!
Margaret Jordan recently retired after 46 years in the teaching profession, 26 of them as a head teacher in High Wycombe (even though she lives in Marlow). She says it has been a massive change in her lifestyle but is appreciating the freedom of it all after the stresses and strains that running a large primary school can bring. She is finding, however, that it is taking time to adjust. Margaret wrote from Barbados after receiving an invitation to spend six weeks there. In 2015 she visited Turkey for the first time and made a third trip to India, this time staying in Kashmir, and is planning a trip to Iran in late 2016.
Joan Harborne (Russell) sent some sad news her husband, Christopher died in October after battling with Alzheimer’s for 18 months. (Our condolences to you, Joan – Jo) They had been 38
Jennie Liebenberg (Jones) sends her best wishes to the 1963 Group. Like many others she has enjoyed a lot of travelling in the past year spending nearly three months in South Africa visiting with family and friends. Jennie became a great-grandmother in September– granddaughter Sydney (21) gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, Jackson. Sydney’s younger brother (18) is in his final year at school and the youngest grandchild (13) is just beginning at high school. Jennie says it is hard to be so far from them all, but practically and financially it makes more sense to stay in the land of bus passes and the NHS! Jennie also visited her friend Gillian Wallis (Tiffany) in Ireland, thoroughly enjoying everything she experienced – the people, the islands, stone circles, forests, mountain passes, loughs and the coastline. She found The Famine Museum at Skellig somewhat disturbing but a Lighthouse Museum had some very interesting information on Marconi’s first-ever Trans-Atlantic radio signal. Jennie had lots of visitors staying with her this year, from as far afield as South Africa, Libya, and Cambridgeshire and High Wycombe too. Other trips have included Lincoln for the 800th anniversary of the signing of The Magna Carta and a visit to the beautiful Japanese Garden, and Newark-on-Trent, as well as two short stays with WHS ‘Old Girls’ in Wiltshire and Herefordshire.
continue to volunteer with the local Chinnor and Princes Risborough heritage railway (steam train). Bob has now taken on the role of Booking Manager (to give him another interest in addition to his Freemasonry) and Jane has taken a position on the Board. Jane is now the Treasurer of Mothers’ Union committee; she continues to improve her bobbin lacemaking but had to drop out of the Art Group. Her consultancy work has grown quite a bit this year too. Jane and Bob enjoyed two holidays with family this past year and they also visited the Isle of Man in June with friends. Their “special” holiday was to celebrate Bob’s 70th birthday and so they chose a two week P&O cruise visiting Portugal, Morocco, all of the Canary Islands plus Madeira. Both Graham and Debbie and Neal and Lou will be moving homes in 2016; Debbie is enjoying her new job and Neal is almost fully recovered from his knee and shoulder problems. Lou continues with her business as “child-minder”. Grandson Matthew now has eight teeth and is walking more than he crawls, and Jack is in reception class. Angela Weeks (Sheppard) is now fit and feels moderately healthy following her surgery last year. She and husband, Tim, are leading a busy retired life with Child Contact Centre, Food bank and Night shelter volunteering in the Bishop Stortford area. Tim has just taken on three new parishes, as the rector moves on, as well as the hospital chaplaincy when Angela often accompanies him. Angela is enjoying her grandchildren; however her grandson is disappointed that she can no longer play football with him! She and her grand-daughter have fun on their girls’ days out at the ballet. Angela and Tim were delighted to catch up with Pam Fielding (Newall) and her husband, John, and family for their Ruby wedding celebrations in the summer.
Sally Neville (Thursby) husband’s son’s wedding was last summer; they now have a daughter-in-law who is originally from Dresden – both son and daughter-in-law are college librarians. Sally’s husband had a hip replacement last Spring and thankfully is now walking comfortably with two walking sticks although he still has to take care. Gillian Stellatos (Seymour) 2015 proved to be an extremely difficult year in Greece and 2016 promises to be even more problematic; they are trying to remain optimistic. Gillian, her husband, Dionysis, son Spyro and his family all feel lucky to live in Cephalonia rather than in Athens or in the Aegean. As a family they have celebrated happy events - in August they welcomed their third grandchild (first grandson), Melchor, son of Anna and Borja, and in September they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary by taking a trip to the Baltic. Gillian also enjoyed a visit to Lübeck after 49 years and assures everyone that the city is as lovely as ever. Many from WHS will remember the exchange visits with the Ernestinenschule (now co-educational) arranged by Mrs. Herring and Gillian has happy memories of her time there as a pupil between WHS and university. Gillian also makes visits to see her father in Wycombe (101 last May) and Anna and family in London.
Jo – as for my news…. Please see the 1962 Group News. Thank you all for responding to my (and the Guild’s) request for news, hopefully the 2017 Magazine will see even more news from the Group. Please remember to keep your postal address and e-mail address information up to date. I can be reached any time via “snail mail” at 1025 SW 10th Street, Lincoln City, OR 97367 USA or by e-mail tkarl@charter.net
1964 1964 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1965 Vanessa Douglas-Green (Coombes)
Jane Tucker (Howe) and her husband, Bob,
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Liz Taylor (Highley) giblets205@gmail.com The grandchildren are growing up fast. Jessica seven, Millie nearly three and Jack 16 months. Jessica finds Millie "so annoying"! She loves her really, but gets exasperated when Millie tries to follow everything she does. Alex is having an extension so they can all have their own bedrooms. Jack is totally different in every way to the girls. We call him "the blunderbuss". It's like a tornado has hit when they come! We took Jessica on holiday with us last year and she was as good as gold. Loves to be without the others for a while! Millie will be the joker of the pack. She is such a character. We try to get to the flat in Ilfracombe as often as we can. The allotment is "resting" at the moment, but I have planted some elephant garlic in my garden from a bulb I harvested last year, (which turned out to be the size of an ordinary garlic bulb!) Spuds were rubbish last year but the strawberries were brilliant. That's the pleasure of an allotment. You never know from one year to the next what's going to grow or not! I keep in touch with Christine Bristow (Webb), Margaret Morbey (Fowler), Jan Kirk (Savage), Pam Read (Robbins) and Judy Nichol (Terelinck). Ray still plays golf as often as he can, not very successfully at the moment, as his course has been waterlogged! Vicky has just changed jobs after 15 years with the council and has a tall dark and handsome man in her life! I try to power walk every morning to get my newspaper, and love to do crosswords etc.
holidays – walking the Pennine Way and then holidaying in the Lake District, including climbing Scafell Pike – the highest mountain in England – with two of our daughters and sons-in-law, and spending a month in Germany and France in our Camper Van. Then we had the amazing Zambian experience, but nevertheless we have also managed to unpack all the boxes from the moves! My Mother, now aged 92, having cared for herself in the family house with an acre of garden that I grew up in, finally moved into a Care Home in May. This was another major decision, as was deciding to clear the house and rent it out – so far very successfully. She is now only 10 minutes away from me so I can visit her regularly and, as she says, she is “content, if not riotously happy”! John and I still play competitive Bridge, and I play my clarinet, and occasionally piano, in various Bands and ensembles. I am also still busy with my volunteering with The Lullaby Trust following the death of our third grandson in 2009. I still look forward to my meetings and emails from Thelma Palmer (Brighton) and Jennifer Oakley (Hampton) and Nina Kingston (Solomon, 1966 Group). There are certainly no friends like the old friends! Vanessa Douglas-Green (Coombes) nessadg@yahoo.co.uk the year had a difficult start as Terry fell and broke his neck. Recovery was slow but after a couple of short breaks in Weymouth and Bournemouth, he had enough confidence for a three centre tour of Portugal. Julia Forbes-Leith (formerly Lambert) (Slow), Liz Taylor (Highley) and I had a mini reunion by meeting for lunch in Marlow. My sister, Cecilia (1967 Group) and I were able to go to the Goya Exhibition at the National Gallery in December. I meet my sons as often as possible, somewhere between London and Plymouth. Jonathan and Hannah have bought a flat in Penge, so this will be further for me to travel. I went to Newcastle to support Jonathan at the British Transplant Games last Summer. He won medals in swimming and archery. This year the Games take place in Liverpool and we plan to go again. I shall enter the ‘Donors Race’ and have started my ‘Sofa to 5k’ running training so that I am able to run, albeit slowly, most of the way
Mary Cadman (Herman) mary.cadman@thimble01.plus.com A lot has happened to me in the last year – we have moved house (twice!) and I have had an amazing 6 week “Gap Year” volunteering in Zambia which I have written about separately. (Mary’s account is in the Original Contributions section—Ed) First the house moves – we finally left our family home of 31 years in an attempt to downsize from our large 5-bedroomed house with an acre of garden. It was a difficult decision to make and had taken several years of pondering but luckily we have never regretted the move. We moved into a rented house in Amersham for 5 months before finally moving back to Prestwood into the house that we hope will see us to the end of our days. It is only 2 minutes 53 seconds (and counting!) from the shops, Post Office, Doctor, Dentist etc in Prestwood and about half a mile from our old house – but it is only seven years old and so is warm and cosy, everything works and it has a far smaller garden. Perfect! However, it is still big enough for our children and grandchildren to come and stay – not always a good thing!! Once this was all accomplished we set about various
1966 Shelagh Williams (Monaghan) shelaghwilliams@dsl.pipex.com 50 Years On from O Levels and still a very lively bunch!
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Linda Stewart (Sandford) Another year gone by and this one will be 50 years since I left WHS. What a lot of changes we have all seen in our lives since then. My main news is that my Mother died in her care home on Mothering Sunday. She was 90 and had been in particularly poor health since Christmas, so it was not unexpected and somehow appropriate that she died that day. As a long-time member of the Richard III Society, I could never have foreseen that my Mother’s funeral would be on the same day as King Richard’s reburial! We then placed Mum’s ashes in the family plot in the churchyard of the small village in Suffolk where she came from. Obviously, a lot of this year has been spent sorting out her affairs but, on a happier note, Alan and I had two wonderful holidays, one near the Black Mountains in Wales and the other in the Mendips in Somerset. We were blessed with amazing weather both times. We are still heavily involved with various church activities in the village. Wootton is expanding at a quite alarming rate with hundreds of new houses being built (and thankfully a new additional lower school) and this pattern is being repeated in all the villages around us. It won’t be long until Bedford joins up with Milton Keynes .I still keep in contact with Hilary Moore (Evans) and she and Adrian are keeping well. Judith Barton (Loten) I’m now well and truly settled down here in Southampton. I’ve downsized to a small bungalow and absolutely love it – definitely the right thing to do. I’ve nearly got the bungalow and garden how I want it and am looking forward to seeing how all my planting looks in the Summer. It’s also lovely to be near Helen, Sara and their families as well as being close enough to babysit when required. To keep me out of mischief, I volunteer at the local library and a local Brownie Pack. I’ve also found a Sequence Dance club nearby so am back dancing again. Being in Southampton is handy for cruises and I went on one to Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands last Summer which I really enjoyed. In October, I popped back to Bucks for a few days and met up with Jenny Smith (Russell) and Gill Ford (Tyzack). We spent the afternoon reminiscing on our time at WHS and Great Kingshill Junior School. Margaret Payne (Moore) Our daughter Bryony, who has been with her partner Dave for 12 years, decided to get married on 4th July in Malmaison Hotel, Aberdeen. A lovely humanist ceremony followed by an excellent meal was enjoyed by close family and friends. Only 16 adults and eight hildren were present at the happy couple’s request. Their daughter Zoe, who was not quite two at the time, was initially uncertain whether she recognised her Mummy all dressed up and
with her hair up! Bryony’s niece, her goddaughter Rowan aged 11, was the only bridesmaid. Our son Brendan has completed his medical training and is now a consultant in infectious diseases in Newcastle. He will be moving into almost fulltime research this Summer. Geoff, my husband, will be 65 in April and is at last going to retire. We bought old granite flat in Aberdeen a year ago and have been supervising its renovation. We hope to spend more time in Scotland in future as Bryony and Dave have a second child due in April. Jenny Smith (Russell) This year has had its ups and downs, highs and lows. It is two years since my husband Eric died and I have begun to create a new routine and rhythm to my life. Walking is a major part of this, ranging from the daily walk to the village to buy my newspaper, to a much more adventurous weekly group event taking in a pub lunch and coffee at one of our houses to finish. I meet Gill Tyzack on a regular basis and we spent some time with Judith Loten in the Summer – a mini reunion as we were at primary school and WHS together. I have been on a number of coach trips to revisit a few favourite haunts of Eric and mine – the Spring Festival at Malvern, Windsor and the Cotswold Wildlife Park. These visits have all been enjoyable, but rather poignant too. Other pastimes include gardening and helping out at the RDA. This Summer I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy in September. It was all rather a shock, but my friends rallied round so that I didn’t have to go through my treatment alone. Thankfully the prognosis is good and I now only have to take tablets for the next five years to prevent a similar thing happening again. Susan Jellis (Grafton) An interesting year - I published a book in April, became a grandmother for the first time in July, and realised in December that it was 50 years since I first had a date with the RGS third-year sixth former who is still my husband. The book is called “ Southbound to the Sunshine” (www.southboundtothesunshine.wordp ress.com), the grandson is called Charlie James and the sixth former who took me to see Iolanthe at RGS is of course Graham. I'm now busy on another book and my garden history work has led me to be very involved with the project to find additional or alternative ways of funding the historic but public garden squares in Bloomsbury, where I am based during the week. Any millionaires among my old school friends please get in touch! Janet Dowlman (Mead) I am still leading a very busy life and, even though I am past normal retirement age, I am still working full time and enjoying it. In addition I go to lots of 'gigs' with my husband to see all the bands from the 60's and 70's (what is left of them) ...Who would have 41
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thought they would still be performing after all those years?! If the original band has given up touring there are a lot of good tribute bands for us to see. I also keep an eye on my Dad who is in his 90th year and still has a very sharp mind, but is a bit frail now. I see my five grandchildren regularly - they range in age from 18 months to 16 years - and the two older ones want to do their own thing now, unless I am offering a trip to a theme park then they all want to come! I also went to Ireland for a week with a friend and visited Donegal and the Giants Causeway - very beautiful. I am still in touch with some of my WHS classmates Gill (Sears), Chris (Goodearl), Janet (Pearson), Janis (Mould), Linda (Spicer) and Julie (Bell) and see them from time to time. I can’t believe that this year it is fifty years since we took our GCE O levels! Katrina Huertas (Houghton) 2015 brought the usual mix of ups and downs. I spent six months undergoing chemotherapy which thankfully has done the job and I am back to good health, still working part-time and enjoying life. However, it curtailed my activities somewhat so the news is a little sparse. I continue to indulge my fondness for the theatre and the family keep me busy – they are all well and my younger daughter, Catherine, is getting married in September which will be a joy. My eight grandchildren continue to thrive and grow! I am starting the exciting process of downsizing and hope to move to Chichester in the coming year which, after 32 years in Woking, will be quite a change but one I’m really looking forward to. On a more sombre note Louise Giles (Knox) and I learnt in November that Maureen Calver (Simpson) was very ill in hospital. We were able to visit her, but that was sadly our last get-together after 54 years of friendship and she died on 28 November. She had asked Louise to speak at her funeral – it was a warm and affectionate tribute to a dear friend. RIP Maureen. Doreen Vine Chatterton (Russell) Well it is half a century since we did our ‘O’ levels, it is just amazing how the years have flashed by! The work ethic, education and discipline that WHS encouraged, gave me a sound foundation for a career and coping with life in general. So I look back fondly on those years at WHS. 2015 was a much better year for us all round. After the death of my father in 2014 it was with great sadness that we decided to sell his home in Cornwall. The sale process was a slow, tedious affair, but it was good that my eldest son James and his wife Janine were able to make use of most of the furniture and a container was shipped over to Ireland where they live with three dogs, two cats, a dozen chickens and ducks, etc! Laurence and I then managed several trips away both at home and abroad. We particularly enjoy short cottage
stays as we can fit these in well around Laurence’s work meetings and our other commitments. We enjoyed visits to Harrogate, Durham, Dorset and the Cotswolds. We always try to visit Germany each year, so in April we drove over and managed to see several old neighbours and friends in Baden Baden and Saarbrücken. It was good to know that my rather limited German still works, well sort of! Our main holiday was a villa stay with all the family in The Algarve in early September and we were able to sit back, relax and enjoy the warmth and sunshine. I even improved my swimming abilities by increasing the number of lengths I swam each day and consequently found some muscles I had completely forgotten about! December saw us celebrating our Ruby Anniversary – we cannot believe how quickly the years have flown by. We didn’t want to travel abroad so close to Christmas so we chose to stay in the UK at a very comfortable hotel overlooking Rutland Water. Christmas was a quiet family gathering and my mother-in-law came to stay, ate well and enjoyed herself, not bad for a 92 year old. Another aunt is 95 so hopefully we have longevity in the family! The year ended with the happy news from James and Janine that we are to become grandparents for the first time; the baby is due in the late summer of 2016! I didn’t manage to meet up with any WHS girls this year but hope to very soon. Kathryn Walker (Ware) I just wanted to say that it is difficult to believe it is 50 years since O levels. I can remember taking them in the gym looking out at the swimming pool for inspiration. I also remember having bad hay fever and having to have desensitisation injections before I took my A levels. Barrie and I are both well and have just returned from visiting friends in Edinburgh to watch a rugby match. At the end of January we spent a weekend in Madeira at a lovely hotel – an ideal place to visit for a gardening anorak like me! We will be grandparents for the fourth time in August when our son Simon’s family grows to three little ones. Our other grandson William, now six, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes two years ago and is doing well. We fund raise for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and to help to raise money and awareness the family walk every September in London – all volunteers and donors are most welcome. My Mum (92) and Dad (89) still live independently in Hazlemere with full time care from my sister. Once a month I travel south to provide some respite for her and take the opportunity to meet up with Marilyn Ryall, who is still working at Wycombe Hospital. I have to be back home by 10 pm in order to give meds though. Gill Wilkinson (Sears) Rex and I enjoyed several outings with the Wycombe Society this 42
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year. These included my first ever visit to the Houses of Parliament, a behind the scenes visit to Marylebone Station and a ceremony to dedicate new gates on the Rye in memory of Viscount Wendover, Lord Carrington’s son who was killed in the Great War. Afterwards we walked through the gates to have tea at Wycombe Abbey. We have also become members of a Lunch Club and visit a pub or restaurant once a month. My Mother is now 96 and in May her care home was closed so we moved her to Ryeview Manor where she has settled in very well. All the grandchildren continue to thrive and achieve at school, especially Kayley who was awarded the Year 10 prize for engineering and Nathan the Year 11 prize for science. Another favourite pastime is river trips back and then on the Waverley from Tower Pier (so Tower Bridge was raised) to Southend and back. The people on the riverbank waved and we waved back so we felt quite regal. Our 45th Wedding Anniversary (Sapphire) was a very special occasion, which Rex marked by buying me a lovely ring set with different coloured sapphires. I nearly spent Christmas Day in Stoke Mandeville Hospital having been diagnosed with cellulitis, but luckily I just escaped being admitted and was sent home with armfuls of medication to take before, during and after the family Christmas Lunch – but at least I was back at home! Shelagh Williams (Monaghan) The year began with the engagement of my son Stephen to Adriana and we are all looking forward to their wedding on 29th April in Taormina, Sicily (the bride’s home town). My other son, Philip, is now at INSEAD in Singapore studying for an MBA. It must be something to do with being 30 and the “now or never” syndrome. He may decide to do the second half of his course at INSEAD in Paris, but if not Nigel and I might take a trip to Singapore to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary in October. In addition to regular visits to our flat in Austria, we visited Holland and the South Tirol this year on mini breaks and are looking forward to spending a week in Sicily at the end of April with members of Clan Monaghan and Clan Williams. I anticipate that the amount of hot air produced will rival that of Mount Etna on any day! Thank you everyone for your contributions – I always enjoy reading what you have achieved during the year and please remember to raise your glasses to all of “The 1966 Group” in July.
Anne Greatorex (True): anniegreatorex@hotmail.com Susan Deaney (Sherwood) I am still working at the moment although Colin is retired – I can’t seem to make my mind up yet about retiring. Life has been quite busy in the past 12 months. Our daughter Jenny got married in April – it was only a small affair at her insistence but still involved a lot of preparation making invitations, decorations etc and it was all great fun. I belong to an Art Group which has been great for me as it forces me to sit down for a couple of hours each week and get creative! I also sing in 2 choirs. Our grandson is a great joy and keeps us young at heart. Liz Pickworth (Hopkins) I am active in the WI and belong to the branch in Smisby, which is under the Derbyshire Federation. I am on the Board of the Ashby de la Zouch and District Agricultural Society, so I am involved in the running of the annual Ashby Agricultural Show in July. Also I have just been asked to become Secretary to the Ashby de la Zouch NFU Ladies group. However I still have time for horse riding, which is an absolute must for me, cannot imagine life without a horse to ride. Jan Halson I was asked to do a couple of readings for my Scottish friend's wedding in April strictly non-religious and humorous, I was told. Thank Heaven for the internet, although that didn't help me prepare for the six days of celebrations that seem to be par for a wedding in Scotland. In addition to my visit to Scotland, I also went on a tour of Rome and the Amalfi Coast in June, where I was able to practise the Italian I have been learning for the past two years. In November I toured Peru, including several days in the Amazon jungle. Utterly brilliant. More trips organised for 2016 and beyond - got to get these long haul places seen while I am fit and able! Viv Owen Most of my time is devoted to looking after my disabled mother but on my days off I enjoy trips to the theatre and art exhibitions. Highlights this year have included meeting up with old schoolfriends, Liz Pickworth (Hopkins) and Suzanne Foster (Sworder) in London for lunch followed by the musical Bend It Like Beckham and Annie Greatorex (True) and Susan Deaney (Sherwood) to see Jesus Christ Superstar at Wycombe Swan. I also enjoyed seeing Ralph Fiennes in Man and Superman at The National and Michael Ball in Mack and Mabel at the Chichester Festival Theatre.
1967 1967 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
Debbie (Sing) and Gary Day have had another 43
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good year. Returning from the French Alps after managing to ski 70 days over last winter we spent April catching up with jobs - including painting the exterior of the house! Then, at the beginning of May, zoomed off to our little motor boat which we base near Dijon. We timed this perfectly as there was severe flooding in the Dijon area at the end of April with many rivers and canals closed but the weather in May, June and July was absolutely superb. However, by mid-July the canals and rivers were beginning to close due to lack of water! So, we laid the boat up and drove back down to the French Alps and spent a glorious fortnight walking and exploring where we normally ski. It was amazing to discover that one of our favourite pistes is actually part of a golf course in the summer! We returned to the UK in August and spent the autumn catching up with jobs again and seeing family and friends. At the end of October, we “succumbed” to a cheap package holiday to Turkey. The first week was a hectic whirlwind tour of Lycia. As you can imagine we had already been to most of the sites and sights but we had an excellent guide - so learnt a lot. The second week was based at a very smart seaside hotel between Kemer and Finike. Despite having 101 things to do in and around the hotel we “escaped” this artificial, international scene every day and managed to re-discover the wonderful country and its people that we fell in love with over 20 years ago. As you can imagine we had lots of “adventures” - in particular succeeding in visiting our old friends at Kale Koy (which is still only accessible by boat or on foot). This was an amazing re-union and the highlight of our whole holiday. We returned to a damp, dismal UK to prepare to return to the French Alps for another winter skiing season. We arrived a couple of weeks ago and found a foot of snow on the campsite. However, since then the weather has been sunny and mild and the snow here has vanished. However, the temps at altitude have remained low and our nearest high resort of Flaine has officially opened for the season. So, for the last few days we have been driving the 20 miles up the mountain and had some excellent, though limited skiing.
preparation was worth it, as we had a wonderful day. I'm hoping 2016 will bring more relaxation time and a few more holidays. Jeff and I still work as landlords, but that gives us plenty of spare time. I'm involved in the WI - we have a big, thriving group here, with lots of activities, and I have just taken over the running of a local swimming group. Travel this past year included a visit to Turkey, touring the classical sites such as Troy, Ephesus and Pergamon, with a bit of modern Izmir thrown in. We had an excellent guide, so I learnt a lot, and made plenty of new friends. After the wedding we had a brief visit to Prague – mainly to do the Christmas markets, but as I have never been there before, I found it an enchanting city – all the Art Nouveau! I welcome anyone who thinks they are in the 1968 group, but doesn’t remember me, to get in touch with news. It would be lovely to spread the net a little wider! Anne.
1969 1969 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1970 1970 Group is without a leader. . If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1971 1971 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1972 1972 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1973 Deb Kellie (O’Connell) deb@jacarandachambers.com.au
In the Christmas card I received from Suzanne (Sworder) and James Foster, they mentioned enjoying looking after their grandson, but needing a glass of wine at the end of it!!
Imelda Robinson (Butler, 5A) graduated with a Masters Degree, her MSc Management (Health & Social Care) - in June 2015. And just to fill in the gaps in the diary decided to also take up karate. She has already gained her first (blue) belt and is currently working towards her second (red) belt. I guess that’s in case the patients get a bit feisty???! She’s also contemplating the fact that we all turn 60 during the next academic year (2016-2017), and wonders if there are any plans for a reunion to coincide with this auspicious
As for myself, (Anne Greatorex (True)) our main event in 2015 was our daughter Lauren's wedding. We decided to make 6 bridesmaid's dresses ourselves - not so easy when you have to allow for growth spurts from the younger ones, and pregnancies with the older ones. We also did all the bouquets, bunting and decorations, so we were pretty busy! All the planning and 44
Louise Guidery (5E) – currently enjoying living in Wales, working for one of the Powys County Council.
occurrence … Thoughts on that one, Ladies?
Caroline Hall (5A) became a liveryman and freeman of the city of London for the Worshipful Company of Butchers in 2004, having gained the accolade for her work in vocational education, for services to education and training in the UK meat industry. And all that tennis finally caught up with her, proving that sport is in fact bad for you – she is now recovering nicely from a hip replacement and looking forward to testing the replacement on the courts in due time!
Janet Bevan (Purdie, 5E) has been in New Delhi India since 2011. Lady Bevan is with her husband, Sir James Bevan, whilst he completes his service as Britain’s High Commissioner to India. Anne Butler (Wise, 5D) is still enjoying living in London. Valerie Coward (Parker, 5C) is now living in Kent, and enjoying year 4 of married life. In 2014 she set up Grimm Productions with a couple of associates. Keep an eye out for their work: https:// grimm-productions.squarespace.com/. The inspiration was the Brothers Grimm and the broad appeal of fairy tales to adult and children alike across the world. Their ambition is to create immersive theatrical experiences for young and old using a range of well-known and loved fairytales through the ages and so far they’re doing incredibly well!
Beth Rogers (5D) – became a Principal Fellow in the Higher Education Academy this year, and tells me there are about 300 Principal Fellows in the UK. Her home university (University of Portsmouth) rewarded that achievement with something starting with “P”.. no it wasn’t a pay rise, or a promotion… it was… a Pen!. In the age of voice-assisted word processing that seems somewhat anachronistic!! Alison Tennant (Bird 5E) - took early retirement from teaching in July 2015, and is planning her great adventure for 2016 - she plans on hiking along the Appalachian trail (on the eastern side of the US) - a short distance of 2,100 miles!! This should take about five months in total so I'll have something to report next year all being well!
Penny Jones (Tyler 5E) recently started up her own rental business and also engages in the community with a lot of voluntary commitments, so she’s rather busy – but will take time out to help her eldest daughter plan for the May wedding. It would be awful to be bored...
Alison Howes (5E) also took early retirement from her role as Head of Finance at Chiltern District Council (based in Amersham) and is now thoroughly enjoying a more leisurely lifestyle, but is not walking the Appalachian trail!!.
Hazel Ford (Bathurst 5B) is living in the south west of England, happily married for 23 years. Now teaching piano, flute, recorders, classical guitar and singing, conducting a choir and orchestra and playing in a quintet, … Miss Brown would be so proud of her! In her spare time (!) she runs a course for people with eating disorders.
Jackie Kay (5F) is still very active in High Wycombe, maintaining her interest in all things historical. Gave a talk in December on the Wycombe Pioneers of Progress (those honoured in the Old High Wycombe Town Hall window in 1911 for their contribution to the town). A new project for 2016 will hopefully see a video version.
Dorcas Jourdainne (Cooper 5D) has been living and working in France for over 20 years, in the western suburbs of Paris, about 20 minutes on the train to the centre – she has made the offer if any ex Wycombe High pupils want a bed for the night, or a weekend in Paris they would be very welcome. After 25 years with Marks and Spencer in both UK and France she changed direction after the decision was made to close all the stores outside of the UK thus making herself and her husband redundant. So she is now (very happily) working as an English teacher to adults and doing a lot of translation as well.
Lesley Santry (Pass, 5E) has recently been enjoying an extended road trip in their Winnebago motor home with her husband Colin around Spain and putting Mr Merrick’s teaching of Spanish to great use… Sue Pritchard (Sharpe, 5F) – 40 years on from leaving WHS, proving that life-long learning and high achievement really was instilled in Wycombe High girls, Sue had her Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Physics conferred by the University of Nottingham, where she is now a research fellow.
Rita Clifton (5F) is now running her own international brand agency after several successful years at the helm of internationally acclaimed Interbrand and Saatchi & Saatchi. She was awarded a CBE in the 2014 Honour list! and is now doing exceptionally well on the international speaking circuit. Check out her web 45
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site at www.ritaclifton.com
And as to your humble correspondent, Deb Kellie (O’Connell 5E), I’m now into year six of remission, post the triple negative breast cancer, back at the private bar in criminal defence, and just been conferred with my Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) by the University of Queensland… whether I’ll continue onto admission in that field is another story. As you can tell from this contribution I’m keeping tabs on our cohort through email and social media… Fortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter.
1981 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1982 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
I974
Hilary Wilson works for EUMETSAT she is their Sentinel-3 Project Manager responsible for managing the development phase of the organisation’s Sentinel-3 ground segment. “My role is basically overseeing the activities that are performed in-house and coordinating with our partners. Hilary says that, on a personal note, two aspects of the team-work involved have impressed her most. One is the ongoing passion and dedication of her EUMETSAT colleagues and the other is the number of senior female colleagues involved in the project, more than on any on which she has worked before in what is usually a male-dominated environment. “It may just be a coincidence,” she said, “but it has been refreshing and encouraging in equal measures, as I am very keen to promote and encourage careers in science and engineering for women.”
1974 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk Jill Meager I have just been travelling around Sri Lanka looking at the wildlife. The drawings is from the elephant orphanage in Kandy. A cliche, but the babies are irresistible. I'm also into the second term of a Digital Illustration course at Central St Martins, which is taking my art in a completely different - and challenging - direction. Who knows where it will end up.
1975 1975 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1976 Sian Hodges (Morris)
1984
sian2.hodges@btinternet.com
1984 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1977 Linda Dubber (Hill)
1985
lindadubber@dmcager.com
Louise Grafton-Mitchell (Grafton) louisegm121@hotmail.com
1978
Caroline Syson (McKee) I am living in St Albans with 4 teenage kids, working in Property qualified as a Chartered Physio once upon a time
1978 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1979 Josephine Abbott (Monk) StephenMAbbott@aol.com
but had a career change. I keep busy with 1/2 marathon running, bootcamp, travelling, juicing, photography and generally trying to hold back the
1980 1980 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
46
1995
advancing years! I would love to hear from anyone who remembers me from my school-year - I left after 5th form but have sadly lost contact with nearly everyone! (I can be found on Facebook under married name)
1995 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1996
1986
Jo Anthony
1986 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
Joanna.anthony@hotmail.com Kerry Andrew is off to China for five weeks with the British Council/PRS for Music Foundation's Musicians in Residence scheme. She is also going to be working with local London schools and the Heath Quartet for a project with Wigmore Hall, and continuing my 4-year World War One project with CBSO Education. She has written a choral piece for a spanking new choir the Ora Singers, being recorded this weekend for release later this year.
1987 1987 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1988 1988 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1989 1989 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1990
1997
1990 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
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1991
Alex Mold is the Deputy Director of the Centre for History in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She currently teaches on MSc in Public Health and supervises a number of PhD students.
1991 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1992
1998
Catherine Aouchiche (Sharp) Catherinesarahsharp@gmail.com
1998 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1993 1999
1993 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
1999 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
Rachel Burden is a reporter and presenter of BBC radio 5 Live Weekday Breakfast Show. She studied broadcast journalism at Cardiff University and recently made her debut on the BBC Breakfast television programme as a relief presenter.
Hannah Fair (Smith) I was at the school from 1993-2001 and spent many hours walking to and from Handy Cross! The new astro facility will be fantastic and I hope that plans for it are all going well. I have extremely fond memories of my time at Wycombe High, and sport played a huge role in this. I was captain of the 1st XI from 20002001. As part of the U16 and 1st teams we
1994 1994 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk 47
Subject
competed in many National Finals, the most memorable being the Indoor Finals held at Crystal Palace. My enthusiasm for hockey and all sport was firmly cemented at school and I was lucky enough to go on and play England U18, U21 and some senior outdoor development and indoor as well. I went on to the University of Birmingham and joined Leicester Hockey Club in my second year. I have been playing there ever since (this is my 12th season) and have had some wonderful times with them as well, one of the highlights was winning European Gold in 2014. I had a baby in June last year and have given it one last year of playing national league before I retire at the end of this season. Hockey has played such a big part in my life- I have made lifelong friends, met my husband, seen many different countries and have some fantastic memories because of it. I have no doubt that all of this would not have happened had my experience at school not been so positive and the staff there been so supportive. I would love to play in the match on the 21st April at Bisham. I live in Birmingham but I am currently on maternity leave so would be able to come down for it. It will be great to see a few of the old girls and reminisce about 'the good old days'!
photo of myself and my colleague Emma Taylor (on the left - who is also a Wycombe High Girl and left in 2005!) I didn't know her at school but we both now work in the Events Team at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield. The photo is of us at our 2015 annual fundraising gala held at Old Billingsgate, which we helped to put on with our manager Gill Woods. This year the theme of the event is celebrating 'Great British Women' in the Film, TV and Games industries. For more information please visit https://nfts.co.uk/supportus/gala-2016.
2006 2006 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
2007 2007 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
2000
2008
2000 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
2001
2008 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
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2009
2002
2009 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
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2003
2011
2003 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
Heather Ashford
2004
hgashford@gmail.com
2004 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
2012 Neelam Tailor
2005
neelam_tailor@hotmail.co.uk
2005 Group is without a leader. If you can help please contact guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk
Paul F Rhodes Hola It is now four years ago that I hung up my chalk and joined the leisured classes. I have a few health issues, which preclude living a more active life, but that is par
Melinda Carter I thought I would send in this 48
for the course. I am a member of the U3A and next week resume yoga sessions after a lengthy break. Regular attendance at evening classes is helping to deepen my knowledge and use of Spanish. My wife continues to teach counselling and she has her own private practice, so my culinary skills are developing a pace and I am now a wizard with a vacuum cleaner. I am thankful that I do not have to follow the many curriculum changes instigated by Mr Cameron, but rather I can settle down to reading books from the latest short list for the Man Booker Prize or listen to albums from my music collection. Twitter keeps me abreast of what is happening at WHS as it continues to excite and challenge students, giving them every opportunity to sow seeds for happy and fulfilling lives.
style slanting roofs. I’ve also gone to the Bund at night to see the view of Pudong with all of it’s tall buildings and lights across the river. Last weekend I went up the Oriental Pearl Building and walked around a corridor with a transparent floor! I’m not even scared of heights but the first time I walked around it I was terrified! It’s quite a surreal feeling walking 259m above the ground and looking down and just seeing straight to the bottom. Next weekend I’m going to Beijing for a long weekend to walk along the Great Wall of China and visit the Forbidden City.
2013 Sara Ahmed sara-ahmed123@hotmail.com Anisah Amin anisah99@hotmail.co.uk
2014
Georgia Sanders Since picking up my A-Level results from Wycombe High School in August 2015, I have started the next phase of my life, University! I began studying English Literature and Philosophy at the University of East Anglia and embraced the new chapter. In order to get the most out of what UEA had to offer me, I decided to get a job working for the University to enhance my CV (and to make my strict weekly budgeting a little bit less extreme thanks to a new source of income!) So, now, I work for the Development Office at UEA (something I was especially drawn to after being a Development Ambassador and then Head of Guild at WHS). In my role, I speak to the University’s alumni to hear about their post-university adventures and to promote some really worthwhile causes that the university supports, including Prostate Cancer Research and Scholarships for disadvantaged applicants to the university. It is all going incredibly well, and I am currently the team’s top fundraiser, having raised over £16,000 in a six week period. Since I’ve been at University, I’ve also been to talks by both Richard Dawkins and John Bercow (Speaker of the House of Commons) and am looking forward to this term’s Public Philosophy Lectures on the Precautionary Principle. I am loving all aspects of university life and am looking forward to embracing all the opportunities which are coming my way!
Tahmeenah Jamadar tahmeenahj22@hotmail.co.uk
2015 Maddy Millar maddymillar@hotmail.com Georgia Sanders Georgia_sanders@hotmail.com Georgia Kilsby: I was a pupil at WHS from 2008-2015 and I’m currently taking a gap year before I go to university in September. At the moment I’m in Shanghai on a 6six week marketing placement (8 January-18 February) with an interior design company. I’m really enjoying being out here but I got such a culture shock when I arrived. From having to use chopsticks for lunch and dinner everyday (and having rice and noodles everyday), to not being able to understand anything around me, such as signs, because the letters aren’t even the same, to being the only white person I would see all day. It’s definitely very different to living in England! Every weekend so far I have gone out and explored the city. I’ve visited the beautiful Yuan Gardens which had Chinese buildings with old49
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Madeleine Exeter University
Livett
Jessica
Bowles
Emily
Vowles
Katherine Gap Year - applying to Drama Drama and Performance school
Forbes-Pyfrom Zoe
Psychology (with placement)
Psychology
Gap Year - applying for Accountancy Management Traineeship Traineeship Gap Year - applying to Drama Drama and Performance schools
Gap Year - applying to university 51
Philosophy and English Literature (deferred); Royal Holloway University of London
Surname Morris
Forename Reann
Subject
University Gap Year applying to university
Summers
Chloe
Gap Year applying to university
Smith
Emma
Abbi
Ellen
Gap Year applying to university Gap Year applying to university
Maths (deferred); Exeter University French
Aris
Morgan
Gap Year applying to university
Midwifery
Aslam
Anosha
Gap Year applying to university
Medicine
Baxter
Isabelle
Gap Year applying to university
Adult Nursing
Binning
Abigail
Gap Year applying to university
Medicine
Buffham
Grace
Gap Year applying to university
Set Design
Clarke
Alexandra
Gap Year applying to university
Politics & International Relations
Dibley
Charley
Gap Year applying to university
Farid
Saba
Gap Year applying to university
Opthamlmic Dispensing
Featherstone-Clark Ailsa
Gap Year applying to university
Sociology
Hammond
Olivia
Gap Year applying to university
Psychology
Hasan
Rosanne
Gap Year applying to university
Physics
Hill
Hepzibah
Gap Year applying to university
History
Kilsby
Georgia
Gap Year applying to university
Business
Patel
Sapna
Gap Year applying to university
Medicine
Patel
Shreya
Gap Year applying to university
Medicine
Quigley
Elena
Gap Year applying to university
Classical Studies
Rizwan
Mehr
Gap Year applying to university
Psychology
52
Course/Employment Psychology & Criminology (deferred); Bucks New University Classical Civilisation (deferred); Bristol University
Surname
Forename University
Course/Employment
Sangha
Sabrina
Dentistry
Siddiqi
Nusaybah Gap Year - applying to university Elizabeth Gap Year - applying to university
Webb
Gap Year - applying to university
Maths / Engineering English Literature
Wright
Jodie
Bowser
Ellen
Gap Year - applying to university Gap Year - employment
Pollard
Amy
Gap Year - employment
English & Film Studies (deferred); Oxford Brookes
Wong
Hannah
Gloucestershire University
Primary Education
Saji John
Jyothi
Greenwich University
Biomedical Science
Robertson
Amy
Hartpury College
Equine Business Management
Holmes
Erica
Harvard, USA
Economics and Politics
Ali
Naqeeba
Hertfordshire University
Geography
Farag
Soma
Imperial College London
Medicine
Hall
Zoe
Imperial College London
Mechanical Engineering
Picha
Kimiya
Keele University
Biomedical Science
Abbas
Attiya
King's College London
Biochemistry
Devanand
Devibaruni King's College London
Biomedical Engineering
Hamid
Nabihah
King's College London
Dentistry
Hussain
Ayesha
King's College London
History
Ahmed
Maariah
Leeds University
Law
Atwal
Kirandeep Leeds University
Drama and Performance
Austin
Natalie
Leeds University
English Literature
Brennan
Rebecca
Leeds University
Geography
Dollard
Caris
Leeds University
English Literature
Dollard
Eloise
Leeds University
History
Gregory
Sarah
Leeds University
New Media
Harvey
Kimberley
Leeds University
Philosophy-Physics
Kirby
Catherine
Leeds University
English Literature & History of Art
Langley
Molly
Leeds University
Graphics & Media Communications
Major
Lily
Leeds University
English & Film
53
TEFL course to teach English abroad
Surname
Forename
Subject
University
Course/Employment
May
Anna
Leeds University
English & Theatre Studies
Perry
Rebecca
Leeds University
Geology
Beljutina
Katarina
Leicester University
Medical Physiology
Goodman
Rebecca
Leicester University
Geography
Clark
Megan
Lincoln University
Interior Architecture & Design
Currie
Siobhan
Liverpool University
Criminology with Psychology
Greenwood
Amanda
Loughborough University
Sports Technology
Grossi
Natasha
Loughborough University
Jones
Elizabeth
Loughborough University
Graphic Communication & Illustration Maths with Maths Education
Kettle
Danielle
Loughborough University
Product Design & Technology
Shepherd
Imogen
Loughborough University
Sports Technology
Bashir
Sania
Manchester University
Pharmacy
De Ban
Caroline
Manchester University
Chemistry
Gill
Eleanor
Manchester University
Life Sciences
Willett
Emma
Manchester University
Economics
Smith
Alexandra
Newcastle University
Maths & Psychology
Lillie
Rebecca
Nottingham University
Politics
Noble
Alexandra
Nottingham Trent University Business Management and Marketing
Kazi
Hafsah
Nottingham University
Mechanical Engineering
Hoang
Sophia
Nottingham University
Engineering and Physical Sciences Foundation
Vaughan-Smith
Mia
Oxford Brookes Univeristy
Art Foundation
Manzin
Francesca
Oxford Brookes University
Art Foundation
Thomas
Haydee
Oxford University - Balliol
Classics
Pascoe
Emily
Oxford University Brasenose
Experimental Psychology
Chilton
Jasmine
Oxford University - Hertford Music
Rooke
Chloe
Oxford University St Catherine's
Music
John
Tineshia
Portsmouth University
Digital Media
Ahmed
Farrah
Queen Mary University of London
History
Callow
Celine
Queen Mary University of London
English Literature
Dad
Sumaiya
Queen Mary University of London
Science & Engineering Foundation Course
54
Surname Hussain
Forename Naml
University Queen Mary University of London
Course/Employment Psychology
Inniss-Rose
Vanieztia
Queen Mary University of London
Sultan
Zarah
Queen Mary University of London
Granger
Sarah
Reading University
Mayo
Sasha-Marie Reading University
Childhood Development and Aging
Wroe
Emma
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Theatre Practice: Stage Management
Hanif
Sana
Royal Holloway University of English Literature London
Hirst
Bethany
Royal Holloway University of Criminology and Sociology London
Johnson
Lucy
Royal Holloway University of History London
Leonard
Hannah
Royal Holloway University of History London
Science & Engineering Foundation Programme (Physics 4 Year) Politics Zoology
Cunningham Bernadette
Royal Holloway University of Modern Languages London
Cossins
Heather
Royal Northern College of Music
Music
Cox
Hannah
Sheffield University
Materials Science & Engineering
Ward
Hannah
Sheffield University
English
Low
Francesca
SOAS University of London Korean
Arthur
Imogen
Southampton University
English & Film
Crossley
Alice
Southampton University
English & Film
Greenwood
Elizabeth
Southampton University
Politics & International Relations
Lavis
Sophie
Southampton University
Psychology
Rees
Ellen
Southampton University
Maths
Javid
Sumera
St George's University of London
Biomedical Sciences
Ratnaraj
Maathu
St George's University of London
Medicine
Islam
Rebecca
Sussex University
Social Sciences (with a foundation year)
Laight
Joan
Sussex University
Geography & Anthropology
55
Surname Neale
Forename Georgia
University Sussex University
Course/Employment American Studies
Radforth
Sophie
Sussex University
Criminology with Sociology
Solly
Heather
Swansea University
Geography
Taylor
Nancy
Swansea University
Psychology
Farquhar
Hanifah
University College London
Pharmacy
Al-Khafaji
Iaya
Warwick University
General Engineering
Ashmore
Emily
Warwick University
History
Chick
Marianne
Warwick University
English Literature
Haynes
Gabriella
Warwick University
Biochemistry
Parker
Eleanor
Warwick University
Physics
Pervez
Haneefah
Warwick University
Psychology
Siriyatorn
Amy
Warwick University
Politics, Philosphy & Economics
Zahid
Aisha
Warwick University
Psychology
Scorer
Florence
Warwick University
History of Art with Italian
Ahmed
Layla
Westminster University
Biological Science
Dove
Abigail
Westminster University
Human & Medical Sciences
Iftikhar
Aneesah
Westminster University
Property Planning & Development
Iqbal
Zaynah
Westminster University
Law
Shafi
Rumaysah
Westminster University
French and Spanish
Baranirubarajah Thilaksha
Wolverhampton University
Biomedical Science
Lowe
York University
Chemistry
Bethany
56