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THE BRISTOL GRAMMAR SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Spring 2017 Issue 33
Curtain up ON 1532
Model delegates AT MUN
CHARTER DAY
• MADD EVENING
Around the world WITH BGS TRIPS
• YOUNG ENTERPRISE • OB NEWS
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Spring‘17 – Issue 33
From the Headmaster It has, as ever, been a busy couple of terms here at BGS with highlights in many areas, from sporting performances to Philosothon and Model United Nations triumphs. I hope you will forgive me however if, just this once, I focus on one specific area of school life, the performing arts.
T
he Autumn term saw the launch of our 1532 Performing Arts Centre and it has been a delight to see the impact it has already made. For me, what is exceptional about 1532 is the speed with which it has been wholeheartedly embraced by the entire School community as a source of inspiration and ambition. In just two terms, 1532 has hosted production after production, all of which have knocked our socks off. It has been a pleasure to be in the audience for the many drama, dance and music events that have taken place and I have been captivated by the quality of the performances, both by the overall ensembles and the many talented individuals taking part. The opening of 1532 has generated a contagious excitement across the whole School for the performing arts, evident in events from the joyous BGS Juniors MADD Evening to the fabulous festive Nutcracker. Seeing students of all ages working together to produce a performance – be it for a one-off event like a House Concert, or the months of work that went into the wonderful Guys and Dolls – has been an inspiring and uplifting reminder of why we worked so hard to create this wonderful facility.
From inception to completion, there is no doubt that making 1532 a reality was a mammoth task, realised over a long period of time. I’d like to take this opportunity to reiterate my thanks to everyone whose hard work helped make it possible. I’d also like to reaffirm to them just how worthwhile those many months of effort have already been. And to anyone yet to visit 1532, yet to see a production on the Theatre stage or to listen to a concert in The Mackay, I say “Get there soon.” You’ve already missed many great performances but I know there will be many more to come.
Roderick MacKinnon
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News
1532 PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
There have been devised performances, lunchtime recitals, a Battle of the Bands and even an interview with an Olympian taking place within the 1532. In its first two terms 1532 has already played host to a huge variety of events. Alongside Nutcracker, Guys and Dolls and Shakespeare Schools Festival performances from BGS students, there have also been Bristol Poetry Festival events, a sell-out evening with renowned author Michael Morpurgo and a visit from The Girl and the Giraffe. BGS Juniors have shown off their music, art, drama and dance at MADD Evening and our Spanish students have honed their flamenco skills in a dance workshop. There have been devised performances, lunchtime recitals, a Battle of the Bands and even an interview with an Olympian taking place within the 1532. Then there are all the Music, Drama and Dance lessons that take place on a daily basis, as well as the lunchtime clubs, the after-school clubs… the list goes on.
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Spring‘17 – Issue 33
News
GREENPOWER RACING
CHARTER DAY
Greenpower at BGS has continued to be very successful. The season’s racing started superbly with new record distances achieved with both Megazord, our kit car, and Terazord, our composite monocoque car; both won their respective categories and also gave us automatic qualification for the International Final. With qualification assured, we were able to experiment and make adaptations to our cars and had more success at every race we attended. The International Final saw Megazord win the kit car category and Terazord finish second out of over 450 entries in the F24 racing category. Bristol Grammar School was the most successful team by far bringing home Gold, Silver and Bronze from the weekend’s racing.
On Friday 17 March the BGS community filled Bristol Cathedral for the School’s annual Charter Day service. It was lovely to see students, staff and alumni gathered together to share in a celebration of our School’s long history; this year’s service marked the 485th anniversary of the award of Bristol Grammar School’s Charter by Henry VIII in 1532.
CHESS AT BGS Chess is thriving at BGS, with a daily lunchtime Chess Club, and inter-House and inter-school competitions. We are delighted that Bristol Grammar School has been approved as a Chess Leadership School by the English Chess Federation (ECF), in recognition of the School’s commitment to chess. BGS is the first school in the Bristol area, and among the first nationally, to be recognised by the ECF under this scheme. The status recognises the role BGS plays in the promotion of chess at the School and beyond, especially our role as a tournament venue.
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News ANOTHER BUSY YEAR FOR STEM
l l i h d n u o R n o t s Kel BGS is delighted to have been chosen as one of four partner schools for Kelston Roundhill, a 160-acre working farm and prominent landmark between Bath and Bristol. This partnership will encourage and promote learning outside the classroom across the whole of BGS. Students from subject areas including English, Art and Science will have opportunities to interact with the environment through projects that develop and enhance their subject knowledge, understanding and creativity. It will also encourage and develop interpersonal and team skills whilst working in this wild environment.
Once again a large number of students have enjoyed a STEM event (or two!) at BGS. So far seven STEM Cafés have covered subjects including psychology, nuclear power, civil engineering and water quality. We also saw how the future is ‘electric’ when the new – and spookily silent – BMW i3 and i8 electric cars visited BGS. Sixth-form students have attended debates at the House of Lords and discovered how Government and Industry are working together to reduce carbon emissions created by our energy supply, and to make improvements in medical imaging techniques. The Engineering Education Scheme team of six Lower-sixth students have now finished their project
A group of twelve Year 8 students have already stayed at the site for a ‘Night under the stars’. After walking from Lansdown to Kelston Barn, they cooked their dinner on a fire and slept under a sky of stars, enjoying spectacular views over Bristol and Bath and out to the Black Mountains. There will be many more weekend adventures of this sort for students to sign up to. The partnership goes both ways: staff from BGS recently did some groundwork and planting of new trees to help with the upkeep of the area during our latest INSET Day and showed real dedication in some less than lovely weather.
PHILOSOTHON WINNERS Congratulations to the eleven students who represented BGS in the fourth annual Inter-school Philosothon in January, alongside seven other schools from across the South West. At a Philosothon, teams are encouraged to investigate ethical and other philosophical questions; the four rounds this year all reflected a general
theme, ‘Should I live for others or for myself?’ and generated much healthy debate and mature engagement from all the participants. Although the promotion of discussion and cooperative debate is one of the aims, there is also an element of competition, with the BGS team deemed to have narrowly beaten the hosts King’s College. Well done to the BGS team on a great evening of philosophy and debate.
brief. Working for a wheel manufacturer, Dymag, they have completed over 100 hours of work and earnt themselves Gold Crest Awards from the British Science Association. Most recently we were delighted to celebrate all the efforts of over sixty students who entered the Renishaw Competition. At the Prize Giving work from the Infant, Junior and Senior School was on display, including a new section for science videos. Blake Kendrick and Mark Buckingham from Renishaw joined us to award the prizes, which included Beats Pill wireless speakers by Dr Dre and GoPro action camcorders. STEM activities continue to attract the enthusiasm of many of our talented students. Well done to everyone who has taken part.
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News Well done to everyone who took part in World Book Day. There were some great literaryinspired costumes on display from the Infants right up to the Headmaster, but there is more to World Book Day than dressing up.
WORLD BOOK DAY The Senior School Library ran a book swap, to encourage readers to try something new and the Infant School Library had a fantastic makeover, thanks to Miss Penny and parent helper Ailsa Buckman, with the Hungry Caterpillar coming to visit. The Infants explored cultures and countries around the world through stories, with the Junior classes visiting to join in. The Infants also came back to School, ready for bed, at the end of the day to enjoy hot chocolate and some bedtime stories, read by special guests including Mr Huckle. And the book-based fun continued the next day with a visit from author, illustrator and paper engineer Iain Smyth, who helped the children to make their own pop-up book scenes.
CHARITY During the Autumn term the Senior School was raising money for Education For All Morocco, a charity BGS has supported for many years. A Non-uniform Day, cake sales, collections at House Singing, and the sale of Education for All badges all added to the amount raised. We also helped to clear rubbish from Canford Park following the Rotary Fireworks, in return for a £200 donation to the charity from the Rotary Club. In December we held our first Whole School Christmas Charity Day, with all the pupils and staff invited to wear Christmas jumpers in aid of Save the Children. That evening our Christmas Market took place in the Great Hall. This was a wonderful festive event, with proceeds going to Education for All Morocco, helping to raise a grand total of £4,267.27 for the charity. This term all our efforts have been focused on raising money for SANE, a leading mental health charity. This will be the second year running that we have supported SANE, inspired by OB Tuppence Middleton who is an ambassador for the charity. The main fundraising event for this term was the Battle of the Bands, which was held on 15 March in the Theatre. Bake sales, World Book Day dress-up, and a fantastic raffle also helped to raise a total, to date, of £1,140.42.
FUTURECHEF COMPETITION Congratulations to Issy Winfield, who was runner-up representing BGS and Bristol in the Regional Final of this year’s FutureChef Competition. Issy presented the judging panel with a bulgur wheat salad topped with cod fishcakes, and lemon meringue tartlets with a fruit coulis. The judges were very impressed with her well balanced and seasoned meal. Although she missed out on competing in the Final, she came away with a voucher for a cookery course at River Cottage.
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News
COMMUNITY LUNCH
BRISTOL CITY YOUTH COUNCIL Congratulations to Year 9 student Jemima Victory who has been elected to the Bristol City Youth Council in the recent city-wide Big Youth Vote. Twenty candidates stood in Bristol North, with Jemima successful in being elected to one of the twelve posts. Schools (including BGS), youth groups and community groups all acted as polling stations, with the vote open to young people aged 11–18. As a member of the Youth Council, Jemima will be able to represent the views of young people in Bristol to the City Council on the decisions that are important to them and ensure that their opinions are voiced and heard.
The afternoon of February’s staff INSET Day saw BGS welcome 150 guests from across Bristol to a community lunch in the JCR. The guests came from LinkAge Bristol, a charity that works to reduce isolation and loneliness, as well as local residential homes and sheltered housing. Guests enjoyed a delicious hot lunch, as well as an afternoon of entertainment, all provided by the BGS team. This event was just one of many community events BGS staff were involved with during the INSET Day, with Kelston Roundhill, Barton Community Camp and Horfield Community Orchard some of the other organisations to benefit from our willing volunteers.
A LASTING LEGACY
A generous legacy left to the School by much-loved English teacher David Selwyn (BGS 1975–2013) has enabled BGS to purchase a new Bösendorfer grand piano. This world-class instrument has been installed in The Mackay, now a music performance space following the 1532 development. David’s love of music was well known (he was originally a Music teacher at BGS, before joining the English Department) so the piano is a fitting tribute to a man who gave so much to the School and its students over the years.
BATH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS’ MODEL UNITED NATIONS BGS students enjoyed their best-ever results at Kingswood School’s annual Model United Nations event. They successfully defended our 2016 title as Best Delegation, with this year’s award going to the Russia delegation, led by SecretaryGeneral Sasha Fretwell. Close behind them were several countries jointly awarded Highly Commended status including the six BGS delegates representing Israel. There was also a Best Delegate prize in the Middle East Committee for Benedict Bunting, and for the two Human Rights
Committees (Jack Delaney and Jake Shopland). Our youngest-ever delegation, representing The Netherlands, gained Commended status and Lucas Wakling (Year 8) was awarded a Commended Delegate prize in his first ever external event. Tejas Ramanan (Year 8) and Dheeran Canagarajah (Year 9) were both declared as Best Junior Delegate in their respective committees. Overall, out of a total of eighteen BGS students, fourteen won awards.
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Infants & Juniors
Mr Huckle writes… One of the hallmarks of the School is our commitment to partnership with parents to achieve our common aim: helping children to grow and flourish socially, academically, culturally, morally and physically. In addition to supporting their own children throughout their learning journeys, many parents are tremendously supportive of the whole School community.
O
ur parents’ association (JISPA) does great work for the School. This term JISPA has run an Infant Film Night (Zootropolis) and a Junior Film Night featuring the classic Bugsy Malone. In addition, JISPA has organised the ever popular Infant Bedtime Story event on World Book Day at which I read Pirates Love Underpants dressed as Paddington Bear. We also filled the Great Hall at our Quiz and Curry Night, at which I act as quizmaster, run a children’s quiz and oversee the healthy (but very keen) competition between teams of parents and staff. As with all aspects of school life, it is important to keep innovating and I am delighted that when we return after Easter, JISPA will be running a
Family Circus for the School community at Failand. Many parents also volunteer to come in and help the children, by reading with them, by talking about their work, by accompanying trips and so on. There is always fantastic support when our sports teams play and it is wonderful that the emphasis is always on positive encouragement and the appreciation of good play by all. Parents are also invited to attend many events in School – some during the school day such as the Infant Topic Days and others after school such as our fantastic MADD Evening this term. They also played a part in supporting our wonderful choir who performed in the Young Voices Concert at the Genting Arena in Birmingham.
I hope that the reports on a cross section of our school events and activities in this edition of View give you an idea of why our parents are so proud of all that their children achieve at the School.
Peter Huckle Headmaster, BGS Infants & Juniors
Reception had a special treat when they visited Bristol Zoo this term. As well as a fascinating Polar workshop and the chance to visit all the animals who live in the Zoo, the children also got to meet Kuki, the Zoo’s new superhero mascot and have their photos taken with him.
Down on the Farm Year 1’s Farm topic was brought to life with a trip to Rove’s Farm near Swindon this spring. The children enjoyed a fantastic day out, learning about life on a farm and they even got to see some lambs being born! Back at School, the children shared the experience in a wonderful assembly, including some lovely farminspired poems and songs.
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Infants & Juniors Year 3 conquer the Roman Baths
WHERE IT’S AT
Year 3 took a trip back in time to Bath to learn about life in the city in Roman times. As well as exploring the Baths and the museum, the children had the chance to taste the water ("yuck!"), try on togas and practise writing on wax tablets. It was a wonderful way to bring their Roman history topic to life.
Year 5 enjoyed an out‑of‑this‑world trip to At-Bristol this term, complete with a visit to the Planetarium. The children were captivated by the space experience and learnt lots about our solar system and its planets. There was more space exploration when the children got hands-on in exciting workshop sessions, arranging the planets in order, using a balloon to estimate the size of the moon and sending a marshmallow astronaut into space.
Rising to the Challenge
Cook
COOL KIDS
In February the Food and Nutrition Department organised a fantastic workshop for Year 5 with local food author and chef Jenny Chandler. Jenny introduced the children to her new book, Cool Kids Cook aimed at children aged 8–12. After an introduction to Jenny’s background — training as a chef, travelling the world working for several organisations and encouraging children to get into the kitchen — everyone’s attention turned to the real reason Jenny was visiting, cooking. The recipe Jenny had chosen was American-style pancakes — quick, easy, extremely tasty and can be adapted to suit everyone’s tastes. Jenny called on a few keen individuals from the audience to give a helping hand, using their impressive culinary skills learnt during their Food and Nutrition lessons.
The pancake batter was split into four and a different ingredient was added to each: blueberries, pear, banana, and sweetcorn. The savoury pancakes were topped with smoked salmon and cream cheese. At the end of the session, everyone was given the opportunity to taste the pancakes, which were very popular, with the majority of pupils choosing savoury over sweet. Year 5 had a fantastic morning and really grasped the concept of being able to adapt and change a recipe once you know the basic ingredients. We would all like to thank Jenny for her time and look forward to hosting her again in the near future.
In January BGS hosted an Inter-school Maths Challenge for over thirty local schools. As the host BGS could enter eight young mathematicians, so Charlie Groombridge, Jasveer Singh, Hana Mirmehdi, Gracie Macro, Adi Elan, Bertie Abedin-Zadeh, Amber Pang and Anna Goodgame all represented the School. The pupils all worked hard in this competitive environment and the end results were our best ever! Adi and Bertie came joint first in the nonagon group and Hana and Gracie won the hexagon group without dropping a point – an amazing result! Congratulations to all those who took part and thanks to the Senior School pupils who assisted all afternoon.
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Infants & Juniors
s r o o d t u O t a e r G e Th ces perien x e r o r tdo tic ou ill, Yea fantas archants H iously e m o s r M njoyed yed at PGL pent two glo es and 6 all e p ta s s o d 6 r 4 n r h a r a a 4, 5 nd Ye noeing, hig ges all a rm. Ye e e t d Years n u n g in B ing, ca Autum f time challe in the eam buildin endips. Cav teamwork ed bonus o t d d t M n 5 wen the ad in the ding a y days es, raft buil at trips, with s mudd ur gre s. cle co three friend obsta o give g fun with t p u added tside, havin ou spent
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Infants & Juniors Family and friends ski trip
MADD
ABOUT PERFORMANCE
This year’s MADD Evening took place in the Theatre at the 1532 Performing Arts Centre, a fitting venue for a wonderful evening of entertainment. The foyer was filled with the fantastic entries for this year’s Canvas Competition (over 200 entries were received!) and the performances in the Theatre were just as inspiring. Ensembles, duos and
soloists entertained the packed house with music, song, dance and drama, all introduced by the excellent hosts, Tilly Boss and Naomi Parsons. The audience clearly enjoyed their evening and were very impressed by the standard of the performances. Congratulations to everyone who took part in such an impressive show.
There was another exciting but exhausting trip to the Genting Arena in January for BGS Juniors, who were joining children from schools across the country to take part in Young Voices. This is always an inspiring and uplifting event, as children come together to learn then perform a selection of songs as a massed choir. A long day, but very definitely worth it.
24 families set off from School on 16 December for a fantastic family ski trip to Prato Nevoso in Italy. Although the snow was lacking at the beginning of the week, the ambience and camaraderie were evident from the start. The ski instructors were amazing and everyone’s skiing improved tremendously, thanks to the four hours a day of tuition and assisted by the wonderful snowfall that gave a magical feel to the final two days. The après-ski events were a highlight, from an authentic pizza restaurant to snow tubing, everyone joined in and the bonding was complete after our world famous Bristol’s Got Talent night! An extra highlight was a trip to the Christmas Market in Monaco on the journey home which topped off a brilliant week. Dagmarr Cullen
Year 6 evacuated to
SWINDON
r e th e g o t Sing
As part of their Second World War history studies Year 6 spent the day at Steam, the museum of the Great Western Railway in Swindon. It was a fascinating day which gave them a great insight into wartime life — and they definitely all looked the part!
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Sixth Form BASE REGIONAL WINNERS
FROM WAGS TO RICHES This year’s BGS Young Enterprise team are Wags to Riches, a social enterprise supporting the charity Dogsfriends. The group have come up with a range of products designed to appeal to our four-legged friends, including Christmas hampers packed with dog treats, and dog leads and food bowl mats made from upcycled climbing rope. The team were awarded ‘Best trade stand’ by the judges at St Nick’s Market in December and received more positive feedback from the judges at The Mall in February. As an extra bonus, the team have also been successful in generating money to support Dogsfriends. At the end of March the group will be competing in the area heats at Bristol Cathedral. They will have to present their idea to three local business people, along the lines of Dragons’ Den. We wish them the best of luck.
On 1 March two Lower Sixth teams competed against 24 other schools in the regional heats of the annual BASE National Business and Accounting Competition. The students had to analyse a 100-page document, complete a range of activities, and make strategic recommendations, finishing with a fourminute presentation. Both BGS teams successfully made it to the Final of the heat, with the team consisting of Pippa Morgan, Vonni Bentley, Tom Wheeler, William Langford, Harry Holder and Kiran Naidoo being placed first by the judges. As the winning team, they are now looking forward to the National Final, to be held in Birmingham on 30 June. We wish them the best of luck in the Final where they will compete against 49 other schools for the title of National BASE Champions 2017.
SCHOOLS’ MACE DEBATING COMPETITION Well done to Sixth-formers Sam Macdonald and Isabella Welch who represented BGS in the English-Speaking Union’s Schools’ Mace Debating Competition. The duo, opposing the motion ‘This House would ban doctors from striking’, defeated St Mary’s Calne to reach the South West Regional Final at Stonar School. Unfortunately, they couldn’t repeat their success at Stonar, but this still represents BGS’s best showing in this competition for several years and is a significant achievement.
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Sixth Form
Geographers in Snowdonia Spring may have sprung here in Bristol, but there was a decidedly wintery feel when our Sixth-form geographers headed to Snowdonia for a weekend of mountain walking and studying glacial landforms at the start of March.
NEXT STEPS
As they enter their final year at BGS, our Upper-sixth students are making plans for their next steps in life. ART COLLEGE
UK UNIVERSITIES
141 542 17 1O 7 Students applied
Offers between them so far
Oxbridge offers
Oxford offers
8 PROSPECTIVE MEDICS 14 OFFERS
STUDY ABROAD OR GAP YEAR
Cambridge offers
WORLD OF WORK
For many of them this will involve university – in total 141 students have applied to UK universities, and have received 542 offers between them so far. This includes seventeen students who have received Oxbridge offers. Ten have offers of places at Oxford, with courses ranging from Persian to Physics, while the remaining seven have been offered places at Cambridge to study Engineering, Natural Sciences and Music.
There are eight prospective medics who between them have received fourteen offers of places to study Medicine. We also have students continuing on to specialist Higher Education courses, such as Art Foundation, once they complete their studies at BGS. Several Sixth-formers are planning to spread their wings and travel a little further afield – be it through applying to study abroad, or on a Gap Year – while others are considering heading straight into
the world of work. With so many courses and pathways post-BGS available, it is important to help each individual find the right route for them and our Careers Department, under new Head of Higher Education and Careers, David Ruck, has been busy doing just that. We look forward to following them all on their journeys.
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Visitors Professor
JONATHAN PHILLIPS
d n o m a i D y l i m E
Old Bristolian Emily Diamond returned to BGS in the Autumn term to give a talk to the Sixth Form about her journey from BGS to the Rio Olympics. Emily was part of the Bronze medal-winning 4x400m relay team in Rio and had brought her medal with her to show to the students. Before the talk – held in the School’s new Theatre – Emily met with Year 11 pupil Noah to answer questions for The Seed, Bristol Grammar School’s student newspaper, and talked to several ‘A’ Level Physical Education students about her training programme and life as an athlete.
She also shared her post-Olympic highlights, which included attending the premiere of Bridget Jones’s Baby, meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace and the parades in Manchester and London which provided a great chance to reunite with fellow Olympians.
Our thanks go to Emily for giving up her time to visit us, and for such an engaging and inspirational talk; we hope she enjoyed being back at BGS as much as we enjoyed having her here.
At the start of February BGS History Department invited one of our most esteemed Old Bristolians, Professor Jonathan Phillips, back to the School to discuss his latest work, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople. Professor Phillips is one of the leading authorities on the fascinating history of religious conflict in the Middle East, a topic as relevant now as it has ever been. This was reflected in his enthralling and thought-provoking talk, mainly based around the Fourth Crusade and its perceived failure in not reaching Jerusalem, contrasted against the perceived success of the Sack of Constantinople. We are very grateful to Professor Phillips for returning to BGS to deliver this engaging and interesting talk.
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Visitors On 30 October Year 7 students were treated to an enthralling talk by Matt Dickinson, an adventurer, documentary filmmaker and author.
Matt Dickinson He has worked extensively for National Geographic Television, the Discovery Channel and the BBC and is one of the very few filmmakers to have filmed on the summit of Mount Everest. Matt’s visit was to talk about his latest book series The Everest Files, which focuses on a teenager called Ryan who becomes drawn towards Mount Everest during his gap year in Nepal. What follows leads him into a fatal storm and a web of intrigue. Having climbed Mount Everest several times, Matt was able to show the students the photographs and film footage he had taken on the mountain. He discussed the dangers that can arise whilst climbing mountains and how he turned his own experiences into a story. For the rest of his
visit he ran writing workshops, explaining how he writes his books and how students can improve their writing by focusing on the details. Over the course of the talk the students learnt many interesting facts, ranging from the scientific (your blood thickens to cope with the lack of oxygen as you climb up a mountain) to the sociological (you can encounter thieves and squatters even on the slopes of Mount Everest!). At the end of Matt’s visit many of the Year 7s had been inspired to plan their own grand adventures.
BGS FURTHER BIOLOGY The BGS Further Biology course was created in 2016 to enthuse and educate students about degree courses and careers related to biology. So far nearly twenty speakers have come into the School and spoken about their current work and the route that has taken them to where they are today. Students have been enthralled by talks on topics as diverse as molecular parasitology, antibiotic resistance, and wildlife journalism, and have learnt about studies involving lemurs in Madagascar and foxes in Stoke Bishop.
The 2016–17 series of talks culminated on Thursday 23 March with BGS Further Biology’s first evening symposium. The event was hosted in the Theatre at the 1532 Performing Arts Centre, and was open to the public as well as BGS students. The audience heard from two exceptional speakers: James Brickell (BBC), who talked about the making of the spectacular Planet Earth II series, taking the audience on an in-depth and personal journey through how these amazing programmes were produced; and Dr Martin Christlieb (University of Oxford) who shared how one of the world’s premier cancer research centres is changing how we think about cancer and where future treatments for this terrible disease may lie. We are very grateful to both speakers for sharing their time and expertise on these fascinating topics with us.
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Performing Arts
NUTCRACKER!
SHAKESPEARE SCHOOLS FESTIVAL
On 30 November the curtain went up on the first of four sold‑out performances of Nutcracker!. This was the largest Dance production the School had ever created and a wonderful first show for the new Theatre in the 1532 Performing Arts Centre. The BGS interpretation of this ballet was inspired by Matthew Bourne’s contemporary version of The Nutcracker. The cast of eighty students had been rehearsing for the show since April, including a workshop from Bourne’s New Adventures dance company, and the hard work definitely paid off. Led by BGS’s Nutcracker and Clara – Sam Shterenlikht and Holly Weale – the cast brought this magical performance to life. It was an enchanting production filled with wonderful dancing, comical characters and an elaborate set that was a joy for the audience and cast alike to be involved in.
Students from BGS Juniors and the Senior School took part in the Shakespeare Schools Festival at the Tobacco Factory in November. There was also a reprise of the performances in the Theatre at 1532, allowing all the cast’s family and friends the chance to see these impressive productions. Audiences at both venues were treated to two exceptional performances – A Comedy of Errors from BGS Juniors and Much Ado About Nothing from the Senior School – with the creative talent, dedication and enthusiasm of both casts clear to see. Well done to everyone who played a part in bringing these two great productions to life.
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AUTUMN AND SPRING CONCERTS
Guys and Dolls The BGS production of Guys and Dolls was the hottest ticket in town in February, with four sell-out nights in the Theatre. There were excellent performances from all the leads, but the cast truly shone as an ensemble, with Luck be a Lady and Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat both highlights. Combining comic acting, singing and dancing in a fast-moving production such as this is no easy task and the cast should be congratulated on their achievement. With first-rate musical accompaniment from the band of BGS musicians, this really was a production to remember.
The Autumn Concert from the Music Department took place at St George’s Bristol and saw BGS musicians perform Alexander L'Estrange's Ahoy! an orchestral and choral extravaganza. A real highlight was the massed choir that featured children from BGS Juniors alongside Senior School singers and provided a truly exhilarating and uplifting musical experience.
In the Spring term the concert was held in the Theatre at 1532 with a wide variety of ensembles performing a range of music, united by an American theme. Mantata and Cantata both shone, and the evening was brought to a rousing conclusion by the BGS Big Band, but every performer deserves to be congratulated on their part in an outstanding evening of music from the Land of the Free.
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Performing Arts HOUSE DRAMA
HOUSE SINGING
On Wednesday 22 March the annual House Drama competition was held in the Theatre. Each House had spent the day rehearsing pieces written for the occasion by our Lower Sixth Creative Writing students. All six Houses performed wonderfully, showing off a wide variety of genres in the ten-minute productions. Congratulations to Scott’s who deservingly won with their hardhitting war-themed play. The individual performance of the festival was awarded to Jake Davies for his comedic part in Short’s play set in a prison. Our thanks go to Nic Gibney (OB, Class of 1995) who returned to BGS to judge the competition. Now an actor (shortly to appear in the West End in Annie), Nic was impressed by the writing and acting talent on display. He was also delighted to see the 1532 Performing Arts Centre and how many opportunities are offered for drama and performance at BGS today.
The Colston Hall was packed once again this year as the Senior School Houses took part in the annual House Singing competition. A day of rehearsal (and militarily planned timetables for rehearsal spaces and mealtimes!) led up to an evening of performances that impressed the audience and judge, former BGS Music teacher Victoria Elcock (now Victoria Cooper and Head of Music at Backwell School), alike. The enthusiasm of all the participants was as impressive as the performances they had managed to create in a relatively short space of time, and all six Houses should be congratulated, with special congratulations to the winners, Hilliard’s House.
HOUSE DANCE In March the Theatre hosted a stunning House Dance competition with exceptional performances from members of all six Houses. Well done to everyone who took part and contributed to a magical evening, but particular congratulations to Felix Cotter and Ella Neary of Diamond’s, Junior and Senior solo winners respectively; Junior group winners, Kate Rumley, Katy Miller and Riana Poulsom of Hilliard’s; and Senior group winners, Edwards’s House.
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Performing Arts House Concerts
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bands
Reflections Dance showcase
House Concerts
House Concerts
With so much going on, it is hard to fit everything in, but here’s a glimpse of some of the other great events over the last two terms. House Concerts
1 2
ive
time L
Status Update House
1. Lunchtime Live 2. Reflections Dance showcase Status
e Updat
Concer
ts
Lunch
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Exploration
LAND OF FIRE AND ICE
Twenty-four students, accompanied by three teachers, travelled to Iceland during the October Half-term. The team had a well-planned and busy schedule to encompass all that the country has to offer. It included tours of volcanic sites, museum and gallery trips, and a visit to The Blue Lagoon Spa. They were even treated to a glimpse of the Northern Lights while staying in the foothills of Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that erupted in 2011 halting all European air traffic. All in all, a magical five days in the land of fire and ice.
BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS Year 7 spent a day and a night at Woodhouse Park near Almondsbury in September. There was a muddy assault course, team-building challenges, orienteering and an evening around the campfire for them to enjoy. What a lovely way for the Senior School’s newest members to get to know their classmates and Tutors.
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Exploration Nine BGS Sixth-formers and three members of staff spent their October Half-term trekking in Morocco. The two treks took in the incredibly varied landscape of Morocco – the first in the Sahara, the second in the High Atlas.
TWO WEEKS IN
BACKCOUNTRY SKI TRIP It was a small but perfectly-formed group that travelled to Zinal in Switzerland in February for a ski trip with a difference. Led by an expert guide, the group developed their off-piste skills and gained valuable backcountry skiing experience. Plentiful snow and stunning mountain scenery made this a trip to remember.
o c c o Mor
They also experienced extremes of weather, from an unseasonably hot desert to unexpected snow in the Atlas, preventing them from climbing Mount Toukbal.
The group also paid a visit to one of the Education for All boarding houses, a charity BGS has supported for many years. They were greeted as old friends and found the generosity displayed towards complete strangers humbling. The trip was not without its challenges – bad weather and illness both posed problems – but these were overcome and every member of the group left with some amazing memories from a remarkable country.
BERLIN BOUND BGS German students spent three days in Germany in December, exploring the many cultural and historic sites of Berlin and soaking up the festive atmosphere. They also took a trip to Wolfsburg, home of Volkswagen, and toured the VW museum where they were able to see the world’s first Beetle.
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Exploration
REUNITED IN RONDA
On top of the world Blue skies and breathtaking scenery greeted our Sixth-form geographers on their field trip to Chamonix in September. Who could fail to be inspired by views like these?
Our Spanish students were reunited with their Exchange partners in February, when they travelled to Ronda for the return leg of the Spanish Exchange. As well as renewing their friendships with the Spanish students who had visited BGS in the Autumn term, they were also able to sample Spanish life and culture, with trips to Córdoba and Seville among the highlights.
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Sport
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Full reports for all the sports teams will be published in the Chronicle at the end of the year, but here are some of the many sporting highlights so far.
HOCKEY TOURNAMENT SUCCESS
There have been some impressive performances from the BGS hockey teams, notably the U14 boys’ side and the U13 girls’ and boys’ teams who all won their County Championships to qualify for the Regional Finals. In the Regional Finals the U13 boys played very well, recording convincing wins in their group matches to reach the semi-final. Their semi-final opponent, Dean Close, was an exceptionally strong team and BGS quickly found themselves a goal down, thanks to a deflection. A looping shot from the top of the goal circle doubled Dean Close’s advantage and when a third shot went high into the roof of the net from an outrageously narrow angle, sadly it was game over. Dean Close went on to win the final and will be tough to beat in the National Finals but the BGS boys should be proud of their performance. The U13 girls finished second in their group, coming back from a 0–3 defeat to Millfield in their opening game to record
five wins out of five in the remaining group games. In the semi-final they lost 0–2, again to Dean Close who went on to win the tournament. There were some very good individual performances but the whole team played with great spirit, commitment and determination.
The U14 boys also reached the Regional Finals. After losing to a strong Dean Close team in the first round, they played well in the next two games against King’s College Taunton and Colyton but although they created many chances they could not find the back of the net. Two 0–0 draws were not a fair reflection of the boys’ performance and they can be very proud of the hockey they played, which drew very encouraging comments from many opposition coaches, spectators and parents. March also saw the U12 boys’ side compete against twelve teams from across the South West for the Booker Shield. Held at Failand, this seven-a-side tournament is played in memory of former BGS teacher and Housemaster Michael Booker. The BGS team was undefeated throughout the tournament, winning three and drawing two of their group games to win the group. They beat The Downs School comfortably in the semi-finals and when the final against Kingswood went to penalty shuffles, the boys won with the fifth shuffle to win the Booker Shield. A fantastic result.
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Sport
CLIMBING
BADMINTON MEDALLISTS Our U16 boys’ badminton team – Siddharth Halder, Aabhas Dhall, Shashwat Deep and Saty Mishra – competed at the Regional Finals in Bournemouth on 1 March. They easily won their group with two 5–0 victories over schools from Wiltshire and Cornwall to reach the Grand Final. The team put up a valiant effort against Devonport High School’s team, which included an England representative, but ultimately lost out 3–2; nonetheless, this means that BGS is the Silver medallist for the South West region and congratulations should go to the boys for their performance.
The BGS climbing team has continued to enjoy great success. In the Bristol Schools’ competition, competing against nine other schools, there were impressive team and individual performances from the BGS climbers. In the Junior Boys’ contest our ‘A’ team finished first with the BGS ‘B’ team coming in third. There was a second place finish for the Senior Boys’ and for the Junior Girls’, who showed great promise, while the Senior Girls’ went one better to finish first. There were also individual wins for Finlay Browne (Junior Boys’), Matt Gooder (Senior Boys’) and Immy Hales (Senior Girls’). More success followed in the bouldering competition at The Bristol Climbing Academy. Each round involved twenty ‘blocs’ (short unroped climbing problems), with climbers allowed one attempt at each climb with points awarded for how far they got. BGS climbers won three individual and three team competitions, with Finlay Browne, Matt Gooder and Immy Hales again victorious. There were wins too for the Senior Girls’ and Senior and Junior Boys’ teams. There was also an impressive performance from the Year 7 girls, competing for the first time, and we look forward to seeing them in this competition next year.
INDOOR CRICKET The U13 girls’ cricket team finished second in the Gloucester Lady Taverners County Competition in March. The team played well to reach the final but unfortunately came up against a strong Dean Close team who dominated. The tournament was still a fantastic experience for them and they should be congratulated on playing some impressive cricket on the way to the Final.
CROSS-COUNTRY NEWS Several BGS runners took part in the County Cross-country Finals at Ashton Park School in January and achieved some impressive results. Kieran Gallagher came 21st out of 66, helping the Avon team to win the Minor Boys’ team championships. Bryn Davies and Amelia Honor won their age-group races and Rosie Hamilton-James came third in hers. They all qualified for the County team, along with Hugh Sadler, Rosie Whitehead, Ella Brimble and Owain Davies, to compete in the South West Championships in Truro. There was more success at this event: well done to Bryn Davies (8th in the Junior Boys’ group), Kieran Gallagher (21st in the Minor Boys’ group), Rosie HamiltonJames (15th in the Junior Girls’ group), Amelia Honor (4th in the Minor Girls’ group), Rosie Whitehead (26th in the Inter Girls’ group) and to Hugh Sadler, who won the Senior Boys’ group by a massive 21-second margin! Bryn, Rosie, Rosie and Hugh qualified for the National Finals on 18 March. Unfortunately, the Minor Girls and Boys don’t compete at national level so we will have to wait until next year to see Amelia and Kieran back in action.
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Sport ENGLAND ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
ENGLAND U18 APPEARANCES FOR BGS BOYS
It was a proud day for Bristol Grammar School on 5 March when not one but two BGS rugby players were selected for the England U18 team that faced France at Aylesbury Rugby Football Club. The boys – Will Capon (L6) and Tom Rowland (U6) – were both in the starting fifteen, playing side-by-side in the front row at hooker and loose head prop respectively. Will had previously represented England, captaining the U16 side against Wales last April, but it was Tom’s first game in an England shirt, although he had recently made his senior debut for Bristol Rugby. The pair put in impressive performances against France, particularly in the set piece. By the time they were substituted in the second half, England were well on their way to a deserved 43–14 victory. The pair had further opportunities to impress, with Will included in the squad for the game against Scotland U18, and Tom and Will in the squad to face Wales U18. Both are hoping to be selected for this summer’s England U18 Tour of South Africa. The whole of the BGS community congratulates Will and Tom on their impressive achievements so far and wish them the best of luck in the future.
Ada’ora Chigbo (U6) got her year off to a great start at the England Indoor Athletics Championships in Sheffield. Strong performances in both high jump and shot put helped her secure second place in the U20 women’s pentathalon to claim the silver medal. We look forward to following Ada’ora’s progress in years to come.
SWIMMING Congratulations to our swimmers on their great results at the Bristol Schools’ Swimming Championships on 24 November. They came away with five gold medals, one silver and one bronze in the ten races they qualified for. The Junior Boys’ team – Luca Gunawardena, Jasper Drew, Sam Goodwin Lyon and Lukas Wakling – kicked off with a bronze in the 4x50m freestyle relay. This was superbly followed up by the Senior Boys’ team – Oscar Waugh, Robbie McLeod, Oliver Thorpe and Sam Youngman – who claimed the first of their two golds of the evening. Luca Gunawardena and Alysia Maestri competed in two individual events respectively. Alysia was beaten to the touch in the 50m breaststroke and came away with a silver, but she came back to take gold and a new Bristol Schools’ record in the 50m backstroke. Luca narrowly missed out on record times in the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly, but still comfortably took home two gold medals.
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Sport
INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS
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WELL DONE TO: Perran Fletcher (L6) and Anay Patel (Y2) who both competed in the TaeKwonDo Association of Great Britain’s South West Regional Championship. Perran won Bronze in the Men’s Black Belt Middleweight Sparring Competition and Anay won Silver in both the Patterns Event and the Team Sparring Event. – Jamie Potter (Y11) who successfully trialled for GB rowing. He has been invited to row at a GB training camp in April and will hopefully be racing for his country against France in July this year. – Jaya Jain (L6) who won an individual bronze and team silver at the TaeKwon-Do International World Championships in July. – Jay Darvay (Y7) who won the Lawn Tennis Association’s Regional South West Tennis Tournament at Bath University. This win means that he will be ranked in the national U12 top-10 players for the summer season.
Tom Sproull (L6) who came 25th out of a large field in the West of England Boys’ U18 Golf Tournament. – Sophie McConnell (Y11) and Marcus Stevens (Y11), who were selected for the England Hockey Futures Cup competition as part of the Wessex Leopards U16 girls’ and boys’ squads. – Skier Issy Hoskins (U6), who has been selected for the U18 National Squad by Snowsport England and has also been longlisted for the European Youth Olympics. – Christian Pestell (Y10), who has been selected for the England U15 Independent Schools’ Football Association (ISFA) National Squad. – Aman Baryah (U6), who was selected to compete for England in the European Karate Championships and won a bronze medal in the 16–17 team fighting event and a gold medal in the 16–17 individual fighting event, making him the European Karate Champion for his age-category. – Charlie Bates (Y11), who finished second in the 200m in the U17 agecategory at the South West Indoor Athletics Championships.
The BGS orienteers, who have recorded some excellent results with wins for Molly Pilling (Y7), Sam Morgan (Y9) and Jake Neary (Y10). – The BGS fencers who competed at the South West Age-Group Championships. Special congratulations to Ruben Anand (Y7), who fought off a tough group to come third in the U12 category and qualified to represent the South West at the British Youth Championships in Sheffield in May. – Anja Babic (Y10) and Eleanor Ward (Y10), who have represented BGS in two major Judo tournaments in January. In the Year 10–13 category of the British Schools’ Regional Championships, Eleanor won silver and Anja placed a very credible fifth place. At the Independent Schools’ National Championships both girls won all their fights. This meant that Eleanor successfully defended her national title for the third consecutive year while Anja was winning the championships for the first time.
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OBs
OLD BRISTOLIANS’ SOCIETY ANNUAL DINNER WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Saturday 18 March was the date of the 105th Annual Dinner. For many, the evening started at 4.45pm when over forty guests, keen rugby supporters, got together in the Owen Room to watch England vs. Ireland in the last match of the Six Nations tournament. Although the Society was able to provide good company, drinks and a large screen, sadly they were unable to rouse England to a winning performance. The main event was held once again in the Great Hall where guests were treated to organ music on arrival; a lively after-dinner speech from Guardian food critic and restauranteur, Tim Hayward OB; and table entertainment from one of the current Year 9 pupils. The formalities of the evening saw the handing over of the Presidency from David Perkins to Anne Bradley, the School Archivist, who promised a year of communication between the School and Society, and to deliver a historical perspective on School, the Society and the Great War.
1986 REUNION –
HEADMASTER’S BRUNCH In the autumn of 2016 we were pleased to welcome back members of the First XV of 1986 and their coaches to watch the annual derby between BGS and Clifton College. They enjoyed brunch in the Don Pople Pavilion followed by a closelyfought contest – won in the last minutes by Clifton College.
STIRRATT PITCH RENOVATION: A BGS & OBS' JOINT EFFORT
We all enjoy wonderful sport at Failand and our endeavours have been greatly enhanced by last summer's major upgrade of the Stirratt Pitch. Parents may well have heard from students how impressive the new playing surface is and we can all appreciate the quality of this enhanced sports facility. We are very appreciative of the substantial financial contribution made by the Old Bristolians’ Society towards this major renovation project.
NAOMI WILKINSON (Class of 2006) Artist
Naomi left BGS in 2006 to study a Foundation Art Course at Bower Ashton, before taking a degree course at UWE. During her time at university Naomi developed an interest in printing and has gone on to produce work inspired by folk art, vintage graphics and children’s books. Still based in Bristol, Naomi produces prints, cards and wrapping paper that feature bold colours, animals and famous landmarks. Her clients have included Facebook, Good Housekeeping, Sheffield University and The Daily Telegraph. We were delighted that Naomi was able to join us for the OBs Lower Sixth Careers morning last term where she talked to our students about how she started her own business.
NICK LEVENS (Class of 1990)
Managing Director, Life’s Kitchen Nick Levens left BGS in 1990 and went on to Brighton University to study Hospitality Management before carving out a career in hospitality throughout Europe. Directly responsible for the set-up or evolution of four branded concepts in London, he has also run businesses or consultancy projects in France, Germany, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, as well as the catering operation for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Theatre Group. In 2005 Nick set up his own company, Life’s Kitchen, which provides venue and event management, and catering services at venues in London and the Home Counties. Nick is also heavily involved in training and development of young talent in the hospitality sector, offering on-the-job training and mentoring.
BRISTOL GRAMMAR SCHOOL University Road Bristol BS8 1SR
Senior School 0117 973 6006 Junior School 0117 973 6109 www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk
Performing Arts at BGS – a selection of upcoming events for you to enjoy
WEDNESDAY 25 APRIL–FRIDAY 28 APRIL Bristol Opera Carmen, featuring Year 7 choir, Theatre 7.30pm
TUESDAY 2 MAY Raise the Bar, Outlook, public poetry event, 1532 7.00pm
WEDNESDAY 3 MAY Year 1 Tea Time Concert, The Mackay 4.00pm
MONDAY 8 MAY
CLOSING DATE MONDAY 15 MAY 2017
Year 10 Concert, The Mackay 6.00pm
TUESDAY 9 MAY Year 2 Tea Time Concert, The Mackay 4.00pm
WEDNESDAY 10 MAY Piano Festival Recital, The Mackay 6.00pm
THURSDAY 11 MAY Year 3 & 4 Tea Time Concert, The Mackay 4.00pm
MONDAY 15 MAY Year 5 & 6 Tea Time Concert, The Mackay 4.00pm
WEDNESDAY 14 JUNE Senior School MADD Evening, Great Hall 7.00pm
THURSDAY 22 JUNE–FRIDAY 23 JUNE Year 6 Play, Bugsy Malone, Theatre 6.30pm
FRIDAY 23 JUNE Big Summer Sizzle Jazz BBQ, PAB lawn 6.00pm
SUNDAY 25 JUNE
A4-SIZE PRINTS PREFERRED For more information email: jharford@bgs.bristol.sch.uk
Virtuoso, Dance Festival and competition, 1532 9.00am–5.00pm
MONDAY 26 JUNE Year 3, 4 & 5 Showcase Performance, Theatre 4.00pm
WEDNESDAY 28 JUNE Infant Summer Concert, Theatre 4.00pm
THURSDAY 29 JUNE Leavers’ Concert, Theatre 7.30pm Full details for all these events, including ticket information, will be published in the weekly email to parents.
Design: adartdesign.co.uk Printed on 100% recycled stock using vegetable inks
Bristol Grammar School is a Registered Charity No. 1104425