THE
LION
Bablake Diary
Thursday 2 September Start of New Academic Year (Autumn Term) Friday 17 September Speech Night/Prize-Giving Ceremony (Methodist Central Hall) Monday 18 – Friday 29 October Half term (two weeks) Saturday 6 November Interview for U6 students organised by the Careers Department
NEWS & VIEWS FROM BABLAKE SCHOOL ISSUE 34 SUMMER 2004
Fresh falls of snow and Central Park
Friday 12 – Saturday 13 November Open Sessions
Easter Ski Trip 2004, Killington USA
Saturday 4 December Parents’ Association Christmas Fayre
Bablake Ski Club returned to Killington in Vermont for their 2004 ski trip.
Friday 17 December End of Term Wednesday 5 January 2005 Entrance Exam for 2005 entry Thursday 6 January 2005 Spring Term begins
In this issue House Drama Festival Charity News Battle of the Bands Bablake Chamber Choir DoE Bronze Award Sport
2 3 4 5 6 7
THIS IS THE third time the school have skied this resort in the northeast of the United States and each time the snow has been excellent, even in April. The party consisted of 81 students and 10 staff, setting out on a winter sports holiday of a lifetime for many of our pupils, especially those who had not been away with us before. Unfortunately, the outward journey was rather protracted. We had a 7-hour delay at Heathrow, as our Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet required some emergency safety work before we could take off. It is to the credit of our pupils that they conducted themselves in an exemplary manner throughout this traumatic journey, even
though we didn’t arrive at the hotel until 3.30am, with the time difference being 9.30am in the UK. Breakfast on the first morning at 6.30 am, and just a few hours sleep, the party were taken up the mountain for their ski fittings and their first lesson. There were four hours of ski lessons per day with five days of skiing, or snow boarding. Thankfully there were very few accidents or injuries this year, with Deniz Kog being the only broken bone victim, with a fractured thumb. After five days of skiing, with fresh falls of snow making it an idyllic winter sports holiday, the party headed off to New York for a day of sight seeing before flying home. New York saw guided tours of Central Park, Ground Zero, 5th Avenue, China Town and Little Italy. The day ended with a visit to Macey’s for some last minute shopping. No sooner had we returned to the UK than the next ski trip to the United States was being eagerly anticipated. The venue this time? Powder Mountain, Utah in the Easter break 2005.
Bablake School
Careers news
2
MOCK INTERVIEW MORNING Next term, our U6th embark upon their UCAS applications and we hold a Mock Interview morning to assist them in their quest. If parents would like to be involved in this event on Saturday 6th November, or any others we arrange, the Careers Department would be delighted to receive your assistance. Please contact me by email mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk - or complete a registration form which is online at www.2morrow-2day.com - in fact almost all of the preliminary admin is now dealt with online thanks to the coding skills of James Gunn (L6W). CAREERS NEWS Since Half Term, the Careers Department has been heavily involved in the PSHE programme. Our Shells received a brief introduction to our facilities, while the 2nd Years were given information on major decisions for the future. They also constructed their own family job trees then assessed the trends and possibilities. A final week was spent familiarising themselves with careers related websites. The 4ths have been reminded how Post 16 choices are nearing. They sat an In Tray exercise to sharpen time management skills before taking part in an initiative where they completed a parttime job application which will be marked by ASDA’s People Department over the summer. Professional practice was the theme of a 1 day conference organised by Business Dynamics. The L6th returned to preliminary A2 lessons and guidance on how both to tackle the UCAS procedure and stand out from the crowd of applicants. Jean Baxter from the University of Leicester offered financial wisdom, Kate Lee helped put across key Interview technique points and the last week of term was devoted to Work Experience placements. CVs submitted earlier in the year were returned after being scanned and marked by 4 different professions – particular thanks go to the law firm, Dibb Lupton, the Prince’s Trust and Mrs J Reynolds. Gurjit Lidder (L6R) is to be congratulated for making excellent use of information and opportunities presented to him. Those who succeed are often those who seek and create opportunities. www.bablake.com Let me know by email, mgaw@bablake.coventry. sch.uk, what you think of the school website - you can find letters online at www.bablake.com as well as regular news reports, a calendar of events and information on all aspects of Bablake life. FORMER STUDENTS NEWS Olivia Broadfield, who left in 1999, played to a packed Rootz Tent at the recent Godiva Festival. Already establishing herself as a key performer on the local acoustic, singer-songwriter circuit, Olivia (www.oliviamusic.co.uk) played 4 of her own tracks: Another Moment, Baby Just Sighs, Promises and Take It Slow. She was very well received and her future looks very bright. Baby Just Sighs is on a compilation album of local musical talent produced by www.attenshun.co.uk. Emily Jackson, currently studying at Paul McCartney’s LIPA, has been touring with the great Willy Russell this Summer. She was selected, amid stiff competition, to be part of his tour band. Emily certainly has music in her blood since her father, Bob, was part of Badfinger who were signed to the Beatles’ Apple label. Lucy Williams is coming to the end of a Gap Year spent working in a local solicitor’s office. She is to be congratulated on being offered a training contract by her employers, Ward and Rider, after her university course. Her case study offers very clear proof of how a well planned Gap Year can bring immense advantages to students.
NATIONAL SENIOR QUIZ COMPETITION
On Sunday 9th May at 7.45 in the morning Chris Parker, Amy Corrigan, Mr Swales, Mrs Hill and myself set off from Bablake heading for Westminster School, London. HAVING WON THE regional finals of the National Senior Quiz Competition (though when Coventry became part of East Anglia I do not know!), we were heading for a day’s inter regional competition to find out who the national champions were. Having met up with our team mate, Richard Bland, in London, we were ready for anything. Our first match was against Nottingham High School. We fought hard but unfortunately lost 620 to 670. This meant we were out of the running for the Cup. However, we could still win the Plate competition.
The next match was against George Heriot’s and was incredibly close. A lucky guess on the last question won us the game 820 to 810. The Plate Final took place after lunch. We were against King’s Worcester. Unfortunately by then we were all tired and so a combination of bad questions and poor reaction times on the buzzer meant we lost 480 to 690. However, we had a very enjoyable day and we shall certainly be back next year! Hannah Sheard 3H
HOUSE DRAMA FESTIVAL THE HOUSE DRAMA Festival took place on Thursday 29th April. Mr. Hancock, the House Head of Wheatley welcomed the packed audience and introduced each play. Fairfax began proceedings with a slick performance of Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations. This was speedily followed by Wheatleys comic farce Unhand me Squire! After the interval we were entertained by Crow’s version of Our Day Out, and the evening finished with the enigmatic performance of All the World’s a Stage by Bayley. The evening was a great success and enjoyed by all. We were all especially pleased to be praised by the Drama Staff who had kindly come along, with other members of staff, to support the festival.
INTER HOUSE PUBLIC SPEAKING CONTEST WITH THE GENERAL schools’ debating and public speaking season over for the year, attention turned to the inter-house competition. Each house was represented by a team of three pupils drawn from a range of year groups. Crow triumphed as Claire Laverick (5D), Mark McKelvie (4R) and Hannah Sheard (3H) spoke very eloquently on the topic: Is Obesity the Greatest Threat to Society? Competition was very hot, however, as the other houses spoke on I.D. Cards (Bayley), Lowering the Voting Age (Fairfax) and Smoking (Wheatley). A special thanks goes to the judges, Dr Nuttall, Mr Appleby and Mr Proctor, who had the difficult tasks of separating the four teams whose standard was very high and incredibly even. In fact, very few points separated first place from fourth. Mr G L Park.
The Lion | Summer 2004
Rain, shelters and very quiet vehicles As members of Bablake CCF arrived at their rather late ‘Easter’ Camp during summer half term, the cadets were no doubt hoping that it would eventually stop raining as they prepared to spend the next three days in the field. THIS MEANT NO ‘luxurious’ army accommodation and ‘cook house’ food, but two nights sleeping rough in a wooded area, eating rations that they had prepared themselves! On reaching their harbour area at Bramcote Barracks, the first mission of the day was to set up camp under the close supervision and guidance of their section commanders, Hughes and HywelEdwards. Once their two-man bashas had been built, using ponchos, bungees, string, trees, soil and anything else the cadets could find, they began to put the finishing touches to their ‘homes’ making sure that they were well camouflaged. However, due to their exuberance and noise, the enemy had detected them and were rapidly advancing on their area. The cadets hastily packed and retreated to the far end of the wood as the enemy cleared their camp. When all had gone quiet, the cadets later returned and set up their bashas once again, ready to be inspected by the staff members. This was their first learning experience, as staff and cadets walked round inspecting the bashas and critically judging them in terms of their build and functionality. All had been ingeniously constructed, but unfortunately some in ways, which would allow rainwater to drain off the ‘roof’ and onto the occupants! Others had so much string attached to them that they looked more like enemy booby traps than undercover shelters! After some amusement and reconstruction, all were made sound and sentries were posted to keep a watchful eye on the camp in case of enemy contact. Then followed the first exercise; a series of section attacks across a very wet and slippery field. After winning the firefight, the now rather ‘soggy’ cadets returned to camp for a wellearned hot ration pack meal. Their learning curve was obviously going to be steep - as one observant cadet was heard to say to the rest of his section ‘Did you know that matches get warm when you strike them’. The highlight of the camp was the section competition. Cadets worked together to complete a series of tasks, including an upper body strength trim trail (in which Alex Jones and Henry Swanson did exceptionally well on the monkey bars); a ‘short’ run; various command tasks, and a section shoot on the 25m range. This was followed, after ‘dinner’, by an evening patrol and ambush. Once orders had been given to the section commanders, they organised their sections to patrol the designated woodland looking for regular soldiers who were acting as enemy
for the night. The cadets were alert and prepared to gain as much information on the enemy and their equipment as possible. Some amusement followed the comment from one cadet that the enemy must have ‘very quiet vehicles’ because he couldn’t hear them! Once the opposing force had been contacted and routed the cadets set up an ambush and waited patiently in the woods as an enemy patrol approached. On successfully dealing with the twoman patrol (who looked suspiciously like Capt. Hall and Lt. Masters), the cadets quickly and quietly returned to camp for a good night’s sleep. On the final day, the camp was cleared and cadets returned to school for the presentation. All cadets worked exceptionally hard over the three days and individual trophies were awarded to Bharat Joshi for best shot and Stephanie Gardner for the best new recruit. The section competition proved to be close, with 2 section, under the command of Lance Corporal Hughes, all receiving medals having narrowly beaten 1 section, commanded by Lance Corporal HywelEdwards. In addition to a most successful camp, a relatively inexperienced team of ten cadets from Bablake CCF deserve special congratulations on being placed third in a two-day competition against other CCFs and ACFs at Leek army camp. Tasks included tyre changing, mine clearance, applying first aid to wounded soldiers and bridge building. Finally, some dates for your diary; Summer Camp - 3 - 10 July, Penhale Camp Autumn Camp - 18 - 22 October - Leek Camp Capt C Hall
3
Charity news BABLAKE MINCE PIES FLY FIRST CLASS THIS YEAR THE whole of Bablake Community has raised over £12,000 for a wide range of good causes. We tried to help local, national and international charities. Of course we get many many requests for help and we cannot give to everyone. We have tried to support charities and projects which are of interest to members of Bablake. In the Autumn Term our special charity was Seeds for Africa. This is a charity set up by Kent University to help the very poorest communities in many parts of Africa to grow food by providing seeds, tools and expertise, especially ‘Water Harvesting’. Many groups arranged individual fund raising events. L6P raised an amazing £315 from their Fame Academy event. The whole Bablake community responded well to this charity raising £3161. At Christmas we had our party for local senior citizens and were even able to send homemade mince pies to British Staff and Troops in Baghdad. The mince pies flew 1st Class on a BA flight. In the Spring Term Bablake’s main charitable event was the PHAB Ball, which raised £1910. This money will go towards enabling the physically handicapped aided by able-bodied young people to holiday together. The Coventry Air Ambulance and the Teenage Cancer rooms at the Walsgrave Hospital were also supported. As the Summer Term is one of the shortest and with many pupils on study leave we have decided to give smaller amounts to several different charities. Some of these include The Myton Hospice, Kenyan Orphans, Help for Bosnia, 3P’s Hwange Project and the Cancer Charity Race for Life. We could not have done all this without the generosity and enthusiasm of Bablake Pupils, Staff, Parents and friends. So a big thank you to you all. Have a very happy holiday and think of how you can raise more money next year. Pam Goodwin and Alyson Heath
STAYAWAKE 5B DECIDED TO raise money for charity by taking part in a sponsored 24-hour Stayawake in the Sports Hall in March. Pupils kept themselves going with a mixture of sports activities, other games, videos and rest periods. Adam Hughes’ mother was kind enough to bring in breakfast for us. Many members of staff generously assisted with supervision. Spirits were high and behaviour impeccable. 5B wish to thank all who sponsored them. Especially Dr Nuttall for giving permission for the event to take place and to the PE department for their tolerance. As a result of all our efforts a cheque for an extraordinary £850 was presented to the Coventry Evening Telegraph Snowball Appeal. PFB
4
Bablake School
Easter Charity Concert 2004
Battle of the Bands A marathon evening of music and performance climaxed with 60 students skanking to the beat of Special Brew, Coventry’s foremost 2 Tone tribute band EARLIER, DOODESH MARZIN - the band with the drummer who reminded the elder audience of a young Ginger Baker - belied their youth, rocking their way into the hearts and ears of the audience and judges. They were crowned winners of Battle of the Bands 2004, despite stiff competition from particularly impressive sets by the immensely versatile Love in the Asylum (inspired by the tragic and seminal Nick Drake), the banjoplaying and ever so engaging rhymesters, the Estate Agents, the always inventive and creative Viva Zapata (formerly the much loved Del Sato and Big Mr Swiss) and the crowd rousing, partyurging No Logo. After the interval, The Way, already making inroads into the music industry, soon won over a partisan crowd who particularly enjoyed the guitar-playing of Bablake’s own Carlos Santana, Chris Thrippleton. Thoroughly warmed up, the audience were then treated to the sound of 1979 as Special Brew, with Gemma ‘Sally’ Brown on sax, urged some footstomping. With the band’s urging and the encouragement of a few die-hard skankers, Baggy Trousers brought the audience to the front and soon all thoughts of impending examinations were forgotten in a romp through Coventry’s musical heritage! Plans are already afoot for Battle of the Bands 2005 and if it matches the fervour of this year, the audience is in for an aural treat.
SINGER SONGWRITER Former Pupil Olivia performed at the Godiva Festival 2004 from the 11th to the 13th of June 2004. The event was held at the Coventry War Memorial Park. This is the seventh Godiva Festival, which last year attracted crowds of 50,000 people and won best regional event at Leicester’s The Week Awards. The festival is supported financially and in kind by Coventry City Council, Working Broadband GB, the European Social Fund and the European Union. Olivias site is www.oliviamusic.co.uk
THE EASTER CONCERT this year doubled as a Charity Concert for Save the Children in commemoration of former pupil Krystina Beech who died last year. The Theatre was full to overflowing to hear pieces that were dear to Krystina, as she was a loyal member of the Choir. The concert opened with the orchestra playing 3 pieces all of which looked back to a past age. Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss looked back to the golden days of Vienna, and the sequence of extracts were played with a suitably Viennese lilt. Stravinsky’s Petroushka looks back to the Russia of the Tsars and the traditional St Petersburg Fair where Petroushka was puppet at one of the booths. The pounding rhythms made the performance very exciting and the orchestra coped very well with the demands of the score. Finally Penny Lane, which looked back to the Liverpool of Paul McCartney’s youth. The orchestra showed their versatility with a very polished performance. The Jazz band played a couple of pieces by Duke Ellington and the Saxophones played with great authority and style. The rest of the first half was filled with soloists. Matthew Weeden showed a good feeling for the rag style with Scott Joplin’s Weeping Willow and Hannah Godfrey, also playing the piano was convincing in Einaudi’s I Giorni. But perhaps the best performances of the half were given by firstly Emily Biggins playing the slow movement of a Brahms Clarinet Sonata and finally Chloe Whittle who demonstrated great tone-quality and musicianship in the first movement of Poulenc’s Flute Sonata. The second half soloists were Sarah Potter (recorder), who played Kid from Venezuala, a Latin American piece, Gemma Brown, who played Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven on the saxophone, and Jessica Ramus who played the haunting violin solo from Schindler’s List. The Chorale sang We shall not be moved with soloist Cécé Sutton, Roads by Alan Bullard with soloist Rachel Fitzgerald, and On the Other Side by Tom Springfield. Michelle Jie ably accompanied all the pieces. The Chamber Choir sang Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio, a piece describing Paul’s childhood in Liverpool. The piece was very effectively sung with solos by Adam Jackson, Michael Tourville, Sarah Potter, Stephanie Webb, Hannah Godfrey, Sean Clothier and Sarah Corrigan. The concert ended with three popular numbers sung by the Bablake Choir, Money, Money, Money, California Dreaming with soloist Sean Clothier and Top of the World with Sarah Potter singing the solo. The Leavers’ Concert was again a huge success, ably compèred by Richard Williams with assistance from Yash Tyagi. The following performers took part: Jess Ramus, Michael Tourville, Chris Parker, Oliver Rowe, Anthony Withers, David Cooper, Guy Maycock, Carys Owen, Becky Thomason, Emily Bates, Sean Clothier, Sarah Potter, Naomi Brown and Jeremy Bufton. The Junior Concert took place on June 22nd.
The Lion | Summer 2004
GCSE and A-level Art Exhibition “Some of this should be in a degree show exhibition” JUST ONE OF the many positive comments made by parents and friends during our recent exhibitions. During the week 4th-7th May, the GCSE artists had their examination and coursework on view in the main hall here at Bablake. What an excellent exhibition it was too. We filled the hall with work by 34 students, who all had their own space. The work ranged from drawing to textiles, from painting to sculpture. On Thursday 6th May between 6-9pm, parents, friends and governors were invited to a private viewing. This proved a well attended evening which was enjoyed by all. Stepping into the limelight next were the Lower and Upper 6th Artists. During the week of the 10th14th May, we filled the hall with the work by the AS and A2 students. This was a superb exhibition showing work of the highest standard at this level. For me it was very pleasing to see how their ability to grasp techniques and processes had developed since GCSE. Like the previous exhibition, much of the work was initiated through visits to either a gallery or museum. Here at Bablake we are fortunate in that the pupils are always given this opportunity.
I am moving on to pastures new at the end of this term and would like to take this opportunity in wishing all the artists every success for the future. A number of our upper 6th are going on to study Art at a higher level. I hope they enjoy the courses and reap the rewards offered through this exciting visual subject. M D Warner
Audi Young Designer of the Year Competition 2004 ON TUESDAY 8 June 2004, Jonathan Thompson was selected to display his design technology project in the Regional Final at Worcester. Previous to this Jonathan, along with other members of the school, had submitted their designs to the Audi judges and they in turn picked the best twenty pieces of work from all over the Midlands to go to the regional final. The hallway table which Jonathan had designed and made was described in the programme by Jonathan as being ‘This resultant bespoke, quality crafted, sophisticated and sensuous piece of furniture is the result of many months of carefully and logically planned research. The project had vital design specification... but the finished design was something innovative, yet would fit seamlessly into the situation.’ Jonathan received much praise for this excellent presentation of this most impressive display. Unfortunately, he did not win the regional final but was presented with a framed certificate for all his hard work.
BABLAKE CHAMBER CHOIR On Saturday 22nd May members of the Chamber Choir were privileged to sing at the wedding of a former pupil, Rachel Copper. The Coppers were a stalwart Bablake family and although Rachel was more into sport and drama her sister Liz, who presented the prizes at prize giving a couple of years ago and is a reporter on Midlands Today for the BBC, was a loyal member of the Chamber Choir. The Choir performed two anthems, Lead me Lord and the Howard Goodall arrangement of Psalm 23, in addition to leading the congregational hymns. The excellent singing from the choir, together with the beautiful weather and surroundings of Meriden church, created a memorable atmosphere, entirely in keeping with such a joyous occasion.
5
6
Bablake School
Second year visit to Chedworth Roman Villa AFTER A HARD week of exams, all second years visited Chedworth Roman Villa in the Gloucestershire countryside. The villa contains some of the best preserved mosaics in Roman Britain as well as being a fine example of the luxuries the Romans brought to the Celts, such as central heating, bath suites and dining rooms. The pupils were given a guided tour of the site and during the classroom session were able to handle ancient artefacts, such as bone, oyster shells, roof tiles, iron nails and tesserae. Many found this the most intriguing part of the day and enjoyed identifying sources and discussing what these tell us about the people who lived there. Pupils also visited the small, but full, museum and took a look around the site by themselves to help fill in their work booklets. Since the weather was kind to us, after a full day, we walked along the disused railway track above the site and let off steam before the long journey home.
Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award Assessed expedition 29th-30th May 2004 BRIGHT AND EARLY on Saturday morning we set off to Cannock Chase to do the assessed Bronze expedition. The weather looked a little doubtful, but waterproofs were ready for action if needed. The starting point was at the Punch Bowl car park and Mr Hyde briefed each group before they departed. He told them all about the adders they may find along the way, and explained how easy it was to get lost in the woods! Bags were checked for weight and content, and then each group set off on the route they had planned over the previous weeks. During the morning the groups passed a checkpoint where Mr Hyde waited, and waited, and waited, and waited... and finally, after a little ‘advice’ from Miss Morris and Miss Hall the last group of girls arrived - they had taken the scenic route! At the campsite at Beaudesert we were met by the sight of 500 scouts and guides having a ‘Hogwarts’ style jamboree! At least this meant that the Bablake group of 35 made little impact. Tents were put up successfully and everyone tucked into their dinner of pasta and noodles. The evening flew by with a few games of football and Frisbee with a pan lid! A few (boys) still didn’t realise quite how loud their voices are at 11 o’clock, but eventually the Hogwarts disco ended and the campsite was quiet. 6.30 am is probably not the usual time for Bablake pupils to get up on a Sunday, but they were up, cooking breakfast, packing away and litter sweeping so efficiently that all groups had left the site by 9am. Navigation was much more successful on the second day, and groups started to arrive at Cannock Chase Visitors Centre by 11 am, ready for well-deserved bacon sandwiches and chips. Mr Hyde was very impressed by the groups’ pace and team spirit, and everyone was successful in passing the expedition section of their Bronze Award. I hope many of the groups will look forward to a greater challenge next year when they can tackle hills in Shropshire and Wales at Silver level. Miss K Morris
Boys’ sport U13 CRICKET The second years have experienced fluctuating fortunes so far this term, with four victories in eight games. To some extent this had been due to who has been available to play. With the side at full strength there have been impressive victories against Princethorpe with Paul Best five wickets for six runs and Tom Jackson three for ten. An opening stand of 123 between Paul Best and Tejinder Kalsi laid the foundations for a fine victory over Bishop Veseys GS. Paul Best went on to score 132. Fine innings by Tom Jackson (76 NO), Charles Taylor (30) and Robert Thomason (32 NO) against King Edwards, Aston resulted in a nine-wicket victory with just four balls to spare. The main disappointment was in the re-arranged U12 final from last year, against Coundon Court. Chasing 150 in 30 overs the side lost Paul Best to the very first ball and despite a valiant 65 from captain Tom Jackson the team lost by 29 runs. UNDER 14 CRICKET It has been a ‘season of two halves’ for the under fourteen boys’ cricket team. The team did not lose a match until the week before half term, but at the time of writing this story have not won since. The first five matches included victories against Lawrence Sheriff, Bishop Ullathorne, Princethorpe and King Edward’s Stafford. However, June has seen defeats to Old Swinford Hospital School, Warwick and Coundon Court in the final of the 2004 Coventry Cup. A fixture that could not be played last year. However the team remains in this year’s competition, so there is still hope of acquiring some silverware before the seasons end. OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES Peter Sidwell, Christopher Walters and Paul Best, who have all made fifties on at least one occasion, have recorded outstanding individual performances. Matthew Hall who took wickets in three overs in the first round of the Cup Competition. TENNIS Both the U15 and U13 teams have taken part in the district rounds of the National Cup Competition. The semi-finals are decided by which schools finish first or second in their respective pools. The results so far are as follows: U15’s
Squad
Malcolm Thomas Ben Horn David Buckeridge Alex Parvis Joe Simmonds
With comfortable victories against Cardinal Newman, Lawrence Sheriff and Bishop Ullathorne the team looks well on the way to the semi-finals. The U13’s of Daniel Martin, Philip Chatherall, Luke Jackson-Miller, Chris Reynolds and Conner Jones have fared quite well with just the one victory against Lawrence Sheriff, but with three of the team eligible for next season future prospects are very good. ATHLETICS The boys entered the first round of the English Schools’ cup competition for the first time. Both the intermediate and junior teams competed in the regional round, which was held at Canley on 2nd June 2004. Both teams performed creditably but by virtue of being placed second the junior team have progressed to the next stage to be held at Abingdon in Oxfordshire. In the city championships there were fine individual performances by Ben Weaver (B 400m), Stuart McNaney (IB Hurdles), Brett Chatwin (IB TJ) and Rhys Horton (JB Hurdles). All of these boys were selected to represent the Coventry Schools in the West Midland Championships. The qualifying rounds of the first and second year athletes took place with many boys qualifying for the final stages. Individual successes in the heats were produced by Sam Clarke (Shot), Dominic Ainsworth (Sprints), Toby Donaldson (Javelin), Daniel Lightfoot (Hurdles) and Joe McKenna (High Jump), all of whom headed the qualifiers into the finals.
The Lion | Summer 2004
7
Girls’ sport HOCKEY
ATHLETICS
At the end of last term both the U13 & U15 hockey teams won their Warwickshire tournament. The U13s beat Kings High 2-0 in the semi-final and then went on to beat Stratford Grammar in the final and won 2-0, both goals from Lijana Kaziow. The U15s beat King Henry VIII in the semi-final and a goal from Jade Payne secured a 1-0 win in the final over Stratford Grammar. The U13s had also won the 7 a side U13 Warwickshire schools and clubs tournament and went on to the Midlands finals on 25th April. It was a hot day for our many supporters to sit back, relax (at times!) and watch some excellent hockey. The girls put in a superb effort and were a credit to the school and Warwickshire. In their section they beat Wolverhampton Grammar School 5-1, beat Dame Alice Harpur School 4-0, then lost to Belper Club 0-6 and beat Moor Park 3-1. In the semi-final a tactical job was given to Charlotte Weaver which she did superbly well while the rest of the team put away 2 goals to secure a place in the final. It was against Belper. Bablake put up a better performance but could not hold them back and lost 1-4 to finish runners up. Congratulations go to Sarah Mills and Jade Payne on reaching final trials for the U17 Midlands Squad, to Holly Payne and Lucy Horn on gaining a place in the U15 Performance squad (both girls being 2 years younger than many in the team), and to Lauren Boon and Lijana Kaziow on reaching trials for the U14 Midlands squad.
The inter girls team came joint first with Tile Hill Wood in the Track and Field Competition and gained a place in the Regional ‘B’ final. The junior girls went one better and won their area round out right to go through to the Regional ‘A’ final. The inter girls came 2nd by one point and the Junior girls won their Coventry School Championships. Individual winners of their events were: Jessica Thompson in the 300m and high jump, Rebeka Healy in the 800m, Jenny Gardner in the 100m & 200m, Eleanor Donaldson in high jump, Lijana Kaziow in long jump and hurdles and finally Jenny Gardner, Lijana Kaziow, Siobhan Robinson & Laura Dean in the 4 x 100m relay. Girls selected to represent Coventry in the West Midlands Championships were: Jenna Thompson (300m), Sarah Mills (javelin), Jessica Thompson (high jump, hurdles & 800m), Rebekah Healy (800m), Abigail Taberer (shot), Jenny Gardner (100m, 200m & relay), Lijana Kaziow (hurdles, long jump & relay), Eleanor Donaldson (800m & high jump), Lisa Bird (javelin), Siobhan Robinson (high jump, 100m & relay), Charlotte Weaver (hurdles & relay), Natalie Clisham (200m) and Lauren Boon (javelin). Many girls qualified in the first and second year for the Coventry Schools Championships on 23rd June.
NETBALL The commitment and enthusiasm of the senior netball squads throughout the year resulted in a number of successes at the end of the season. In the West Midlands Colleges Leagues both 1st & 2nd teams won their respective leagues winning all 5 of their matches. In the Colleges tournament the 1st VII won their section scoring 47 goals and only conceding 5 and the 2nd VII were runners up in their section, thus ensuring the two Bablake sides met in the semi-final! It was a nerve-wracking time as the 2nd VIIs were determined not to let the 1st VII get away and the teams were all square at half time. In the second half the 1st VII managed to edge ahead, eventually winning 8-5. The final against KEGS 1st VII was set to be well contested but the Bablake team saved some of their best netball until last and recorded a 12-6 victory. At the end of the term two senior teams were privileged to take part in the Dominique Matthews Tournament. This was held in memory of Dominique, a keen netball player and former pupil of Coundon Court who sadly died. Some of the girls knew and had played against Dominique and have regular contact with her father Ken (who is one of the area’s top umpires) through league, county and school netball. It was a wonderful tribute to Dominique to see so many senior teams from the city enjoying playing netball in the true spirit of the game. In teams which bore a mix of 1st, 2nd and U16 players Bablake A and B met in the semi-final, the A team narrowly winning. The final against Tile Hill Wood was an excellent and exciting match, with Bablake just emerging as winners. It was, however, netball and the occasion that won the day and we hope the Matthews’ family felt that too. Back in March the U13 netball teams played in the Coventry Schools Netball Tournament. The A team won their section convincingly. They won a place in the final by beating Coundon Court 9-4 in the semi-final and then went on to become overall winners by beating Finham Park 10-2 in the final. Meanwhile the B team also won their section and went on to beat Finham Park 9-2 in the semi-final. In the final they had a very close match against King Henry VIII, which they won 5-4 after extra time. Congratulations go to Jenna Thompson, Jessica Thompson, Hannah Davies and Joanne Mitchell for gaining places on the England Netball Talent Training Camps.
TENNIS The tennis season has been short but pleasantly successful. The lower school teams have not lost a match whilst the senior teams have had a series of enjoyable matches against King Henry VIII, Wrekin and Solihull. Three girls, Rebecca Sewell, Rebecca Devall and Joanne Simons, have been selected for the Greater Warwickshire Youth Games Tennis Squad and have been training weekly. 20 girls entered the Coventry Schools singles event this year. 10 in the U15 competition and 10 in the U13 competition. In the U15 tournament 7 of the 8 girls to qualify were from Bablake. For the second year running Joanne Mitchell became the U15 Coventry Schools Singles Champion. In the U13 tournament 7 of the 8 girls qualifying were again from Bablake. Lucy Thorne reached the Semi Final competition and Ira Kleine came runner up. ROUNDERS The rounders season got off to a slow start due to the weather and a number of matches were cancelled. However, once the sun did decide to come out for the summer, practices and matches went well. The U15, U14 and U13 teams have all secured places in the Coventry Schools Rounders Tournaments final after winning the North section of the city. SWIMMING Bromsgrove School holds an annual U15 & U18 swimming relays gala every year and this year Bablake was invited to take part. Bablake took an U15 girls team along. 19 independent schools participated and Alison Ball, Gillian Ball, Hannah Davies and Jade Payne finished 7th in the 4 x 50m medley relay, whilst Alison, Gillian, Laura Rouse and Jessica Thompson came 12th in the 4 x 50m freestyle relay. GOLF Congratulations to Stacey Edwards on being selected as Captain of the U17 Warwickshire County Team. TOUR Fund raising for the South Africa Tour in 2005. The girls raised £315 from their part in the Silent Auction and would like to thank all those who donated prizes and bid for them. In the sponsored swim £375 was raised for the tour and the same amount for PHAB. FOOTBALL SUCCESS Congratulation to Rebecca Sewell of Shell Y for her continued success in the Coventry City Girls Centre of Excellence in Football. She has had to compete in many trials and is one of only 14 girls in the Coventry area to be selected for this very exclusive centre. Rebecca also competed in the National Festival of Football held at Warwick University on the 12th of June against Aston Villa, Leicester City and Arsenal.
8
Bablake School
Headmaster’s Individual Note successes HERE WE ARE at the end of yet another year packed with commitment, excitement and high achievement, so we look forward to the summer holidays with both pleasure and a bit of relief that we can take our feet off the accelerator for a while. All that happiness is tinged, as always, with sadness at losing people we are fond of. We have said goodbye to a splendid Upper Sixth who hosted the staff generously and with great warmth at both the Leavers’ Concert and the Leavers’ Ball at the end of May and June respectively. As usual we also bid farewell to a small number of students who, following GCSEs, are going elsewhere for their sixth form studies, and there are inevitably a few departures from other years. We also say farewell to three members of staff, Mrs F S Bunney, Mr N P Meynell and Mr M D Warner, who have served the school and its pupils extremely well in their time at Bablake. To all of our leavers, then, we wish every happiness and success in the future: they certainly deserve it. The great thing about schools, and one of the great joys for us teachers, is that when we lose one strong bunch of people, others step up to take their place, having learnt by the example they have observed. I know this will be the case next year when new teams, choirs, orchestras and the like are formed and work hard together to produce performances of high quality. The term has ended for most in a flurry of excitement, enjoyment and activity with success abounding. Yet for some pupils and staff, term has not finished. The CCF go off on their annual camp, the Gold D of E participants attempt their 50 mile hike, members of the School Orchestra and Choir go to the Rhine and the Senior Rugby squad go to South Africa - so the term will continue for some time after you receive this letter. Finally, my thanks to the great many parents who have supported the staff and me in so many ways during the course of this academic year. Thank you, too, for all the encouragement and help we have received. I hope all of you manage to have a very good holiday and a great deal of happiness over the summer. With warmest good wishes Stuart Nuttall, Headmaster
Congratulations go to the following: All members of Form 5B, their Tutor Mr P F Burden and several other members of staff, on their 24 hour challenge to stay awake and raise £500 for the Snowball Appeal. Miss C E Hall (Biology) on being invited to attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in recognition of her services to the CCF. The U15, U14 and U12 Rugby teams on all reaching the finals of the Coventry Schools Cup competition at the end of the Easter term. The Senior Girls Netball team on being the inaugural winners of the Dominique Matthews Memorial Trophy The U15 Netball team and the U13 Netball and Hockey teams on winning their respective Warwickshire competitions The team of 10 CCF cadets on coming third in the regional “Exercise Cadet Stretch” competition Jack Sant (4th year) on his current position of second in the Faldo Junior Golf Series Malcolm Thomas (4th year) on being offered a part in the next Harry Potter film “Goblet of Fire” Paul Lam (5th year) on winning a grading prize at the Coventry Chess International Tournament Paul Best (2nd year) on being selected to play Cricket for Warwickshire U14 & U13 squad this summer Robin White (Shell) on winning both the Shropshire Horse Riding Championship for Warwickshire and the Southern Classics Competition. Rebecca Sewell (Shell) for continued success in the Coventry City Girls Centre of Excellence in Football. Paul Best U13 Cricket Representative Honours Warwickshire Chris Walters U14 Cricket Representative Honours Warwickshire Paul Best U15 Cricket Representative Honours Midlands Development Squad Mark Walters U17 Cricket Representative Honours Warwickshire Congratulations go to Jenna Thompson, Jessica Thompson, Hannah Davies and Joanne Mitchell for gaining places on the England Netball Talent Training Camps. Joanne Mitchell became the U15 Coventry Schools Singles Champion.
Bablake School, Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU T +44 (0)24 7627 1200 F +44 (0)24 7627 1290 E info@bablake.coventry.sch.uk W www.bablake.com Designed & produced by Mustard 01608 662262
STAFF NEWS I AM PLEASED to announce that the following will be joining the teaching staff at the start of the new academic year in September: Mr P Cleaver as Head of Art and Mrs L Fletcher (Former Pupil, 1975-82) as a teacher of Business Studies and Economics. Currently Mr Cleaver is Head of Art at Barrs Hill School and Mrs Fletcher is a teacher of Business Studies and Economics and in charge of the Learning Support Department at Kingsley School. There are also some changes in the support staff. Mrs G Himmons (School Librarian) left at half term to take up a post with Coventry City Council and Mrs J Parker (Biology Technician) leaves at the end of term due to a family relocation to Taunton. We thank them both for all their hard work and commitment while they have been with us and wish Mrs Parker every happiness in Taunton. Appointments to replace both ladies have not yet been made and details of the new staff will be given in the Headmaster’s first letter to parents in September. There is also one other appointment to make during the early part of the summer and this is a Clerk of Works. This is a new appointment and the person appointed will assume responsibility for the management and refurbishment of the school buildings as well as the Health and Safety of staff and pupils.
PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION THREE AWARDS OF £200 each have been given to Sixth Formers in memory of our former Treasurer, Liz Riddoch. Liz was always particularly concerned that students should have the opportunity to travel before going off to university and we think that she would have been very pleased to support Sarah Potter going to teach in Morocco, Richard Carter travelling to work in Ecuador and Anil Joshi to Belize. We hope that they all have a very successful time and look forward to hearing about their experiences when they return. Our book sales have been going well. Thank you to all those who have made donations. £190 has been raised so far. If you have any books, paperback or hardback, or videos and CD’s that you have finished with please drop them along to the School Office. It really is a useful source of income for us. By the time you read this we will have held a disco! This is a new venture for the P.A. and is a way of trying to assist new pupils to feel comfortable about their move to Bablake next September. We have invited all the new pupils and those in the current Shell year to come along and meet one another. The next OBNO (Outgrown But Not Outworn) sale will be in the Dining Room at 7pm on Tuesday 29th June. All donations are welcome. We will be holding a Christmas Fair again this year. Please note Saturday 4th December in your diary. We will need lots of helpers, and lots of purchasers! If anyone has contacts with people who might be willing to donate raffle prizes we would be very pleased to hear from them. Finally, an exciting project to re-cycle old Junior School dresses. Those girls who attended Bablake Junior School may still have old summer dresses in their cupboards but the uniform has changed. We are collecting as many of these as possible to send to a school in Zimbabwe whom members of 3P write to regularly. If we can collect enough, the school hopes to make it their new uniform! Please take a few minutes to look them out and send them in to school.