Thursday, September 18 2014 – Wednesday, September 24 2014
What does it mean to be a TGGS girl? When someone calls us ‘nerds’ or ‘boffins’ it isn’t usually meant in praise. It is the first thing that springs to mind when the word ‘Grammar’ is mentioned: apparently attending here equates to zero fun, glasses and a boring personality. Because our second chromosome isn’t a Y, there is also a
t e n d e n c y t o b e c o m e ove rl y This isn’t something grades hooked on the ‘all-girls’ nature of alone can shape. our school. The ‘strong’, ‘confident’ women who leave here are made through But there is so much more to us the opportunities the school than these things suggest. offers, and the brilliant, supportIt is always said in assemblies ive environment we learn in. that it is this school’s aim to Don’t believe me? Well, we’ve mould us into ‘strong, confident got some articles to prove you The TGGS editorial team putting the supplement together at the Herald Express with sub-editor Nigel Lines wrong! young women’.
OUR 100 YEAR JOURNEY TO SUCCESS
Are we still ‘daring’ to be wise?
NOW AND THEN: Torquay Girls’ Grammar School headteacher Dr Nicholas Smith with some of our students. INSET: A photograph from sports day, 1929 TORQUIL MACLEOD TQTM20140715B-003_C
INSIDE: 100 years at the grammar — P2 The Unusual Suspects — P3 Dare to Lead — P4 was one that had to be challenged and defied. Now, in the present day, there are truly no limits to what we can do. Not only can we achieve our own dreams and aspirations — whatever the career — but we also have power and the confidence to help others achieve theirs, too. In 2003, for instance, the link between our school and an impover-
ished school in Kenya — called Imprezza — was created, enabling us to help and provide for students who would otherwise not get an education in Africa. In this year alone, we raised £15,000 for Imprezza. Through changing world views and laws in this country, women have been empowered economically, politically and socially; radically changing my experience of an all-
girls’ grammar school to the experience I would have had if I had were here say, one hundred, maybe even seventy or fifty, years ago. With this in mind, ‘Dare to be Wise’ seems immaterial to the girls now at the school. We don’t need to ‘dare’ to do anything because the beauty of it, is that we already can. One of the greatest things about the Grammar: no one tells you you can’t. No one tells you you ‘can’t’ because you’re a girl. No one tells you you ‘can’t’ because ‘it’s a man’s job’, or you’re aiming too high, or countless other reasons intellectual women have been told they ‘can’t’ over the past hundred years.
Looking to the future, then, ‘Dare to be Wise’ has been modified slightly for a new course the school are now offering: ‘Dare to Lead’. It gives girls at this school the necessary skills and self-belief needed to be successful in a place of work in a world where women now ‘can’. ‘Dare to be wise’ may be over-used in assemblies. Arguably, it may even be outdated, and inapplicable to us now, but it reminds us — as a school specifically for girls — how far we have come, and how much further we have the potential to go. LIZZIE REVELL
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Next year will be the centenary year of the Girls’ Grammar School. In this insert, you will see how radically 100 years can change a school — especially when that school is single-sex and all-female. For example, three girls went to university from the Sixth Form in 1953; now 70 per cent of our girls go on to study at Russell Group universities. In the past, women came out of this school unable to attain a degree. They would have been expected to conform to society’s expectations of motherhood and stay-at-home wives. The school’s motto of ‘dare to be wise’ seems so applicable to this generation because the role of females in the world, intellectually,
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HEX-E01-S8 heraldexpress.co.uk
Thursday, September 18, 2014
HERALD EXPRESS
100 years at Torquay Girls’ Grammar As we approach our centenary celebrations next year, the school has already seen two world wars, the first female Prime Minister and more education reforms than we can count. Though some of the present buildings have been a part of the school since 1939, both the school and the world around it have definitely changed; after all, when the school began, women still didn’t have the right to vote. The TGGS of years past was an entirely different world — as is shown by the reminiscing of some members of Torquay Old Girls’ Association. For those girls at the school in the early 1940s, the outbreak of war left a huge impact. As Christine Inskip recalls, the war was never far from mind ‘…sometimes Miss Wilkinson [Headteacher] would announce that one of the girls would not be in for a few days… a father or other relative had been killed, was missing or a prisoner’. The school threw itself into the war effort; ‘Digging For Victory’ and Torquay was subject to ‘hit and run’ raids. Marion Brand remembers the high excitement that was created by an American Army Camp near the tennis courts, reminiscing about the ‘No Man’s Land’ created by the barbed wire, that became a black market of gum, sweets and fruit ‘of which we were seriously deprived’.
PHOTO ALBUM: The 1952 school production production of the Merchant Merchant of versus girls netball match in 2013
Venice, the 1973 Class 2H (inset), sports day 2011 and a boys
Memories Current teachers, Miss Neal and Mrs Helmore, both have very fond memories of former head Mrs Cross, who struck fear into the hearts of staff and pupils alike with the sound of her stilettos, yet ‘knew every girl in the school’, and was always willing to make time for them. Another significant milestone in the school’s history is notably the first trip to the house the school owns in France in 1989. From water fights — the entire form versus three members of staff — to practising our very best French, all the girls lucky enough to have had the opportunity over the years have come away with many fond memories. The upcoming closure of the school’s house in Brittany has been met with great nostalgia; however it has opened the door for a range of exciting new trips that the next generation of grammar girls can look forward to, including the recently instated Year 8 trip to the Rhineland. “During the five day residential the girls enjoyed jam-packed days, visiting the medieval castle of the Marksburg and relaxing on a Rhine river cruise to take in the beautiful views of the many castles and vineyards on both banks. Following the huge success of this
trip the Department is now looking to run this trip as an annual event,” commented Ger man teacher Mr Cross. Some school traditions have only recently begun to take hold. Miss Neal comments that over the ‘last ten or fifteen years the houses’ —
Beal, Jackson, Robertson and Wilkinson — have really begun to thrive and thus the school has been brought much closer together’. So what now? The school is continuing to excel under the current head, Dr Nick Smith, and we hold a firm place in the
top 20 state girls’ schools in the country. With thoughts turning to the celebrations to mark the centenary next year, we can only wonder what the future, and perhaps the next hundred years, might hold. — ELOISE ROWLES
Generations of families keep coming to the school Nikita Barnes is the third generation of her family to attend Torquay Girls’ Grammar School. Both her aunt, Mandy Martin, and her grandmother, Barbara Barnes, attended the school. Between them all, they have fond memories and had many experiences at the school. With the school turning 100 next year, I thought it would be a great opportunity to sit down and have a cup of tea with my Grandma (Barbara Barnes) to ask her all about her time as a former pupil here at TGGS 68 years ago (1946-1951). Miss Wilkinson was the Head at the time and always considered “a really lovely lady”. Much the same can be said for our present Headteacher Dr Nick Smith (although notably less of a “lady”).
When my Grandmother attended the Grammar, the population of the school was about a quarter of the size it is now but “it seemed a lot at the time”. The old buildings were chilly in winter, with their stone floors and ancient walls and my Grandma reminisces that “sometimes when there was not enough fuel to light the boiler, the teachers would take us outside and tell us to march around the field several times until we had fully defrosted”.
Sometimes the teachers joined in, too. By lunch time our chocolate chip cookies were nowhere to be seen and the weekly sprint to the canteen on ‘chip Fridays’ was more of a sensible walk to the hall under the watchful eye of the sixth form ‘table monitors’; a system that I am not too sure would be effective now g ive n t h e e n t h u s i a s m f o r canteen food. Something she claims has not changed, however, is the girls’
loyalty to the school, and the school spirit. My Nan fondly remembers it as “such a brilliant school — and I was so proud to have gone there.” I cannot agree with her more — at the moment we are currently holding end-of-term festivities such as the ‘House Shout’ and Sports Day, traditions that I am really going to miss when I leave this school. — NIKITA BARNES
Nikita with her grandmother Barbara Barnes
HERALD EXPRESS
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Thursday, September 18, 2014
RHIANNON “I’ve really enjoyed the sport opportunities we have at this school. The making of the gym in the new sports hall means I have a gym at my doorstep, so I have easy access to something I love doing.”
ANNETTE “Having joined in the Sixth Form, having the chance to do the 45-mile course in Ten Tors allowed me to make friends with lots of different types of people.”
We’re often labelled as ‘nerds’ because we’re encouraged to put a lot of time and effort into our academic studies, but don’t let that fool you into believing that our girls don’t have fun. Six years of grammar education have come and gone, and not once have I wished to be at another school. Admittedly our work ethic must be positive and we are pushed to our limits in order to succeed, but through all this it is
clear that the teachers really do have our best interests at heart. We are always being offered new opportunities by every department, from running lunchtime help sessions to participating in the Duke of Edinburgh award, it seems that whatever your personal interests, there will always be a chance to pursue them. Every person is unique, and so is the educational experience they require. In our school, it is not simply grades that define us,
JESS ”People think everyone who goes here is extremely academic, but it took me nearly an hour to think of a quote for this!”
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ALICE “I love singing, and the music department has opened lots of opportunities for me to develop my passion.”
The unusual suspects...
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FERN “We have so many clubs at TGGS. In the Sixth-Form we can even create our own in the style of Freshers’ societies. This means we can develop our personal interests and share.”
but the character and personality that we develop, making us wellrounded individuals. Of course, results will always be important, no matter what school you attend, yet here at TGGS they’re not all that matter! So, next time you might hear about the generalised stereotype of TGGS girls, look beyond it because we are so, much more than that. —Larissa Dempsey, Charlie Bradford-Gibbs, Anna Young, Fern Harris
Operation Imprezza Fantastic opportunities to see the world Grammar-girl Sarah Hulme met Catherine Omanyo in 2003. Catherine was a headteacher struggling with running a school that aimed to give children an education and help them survive. Sarah was so impressed that she returned to TGGS and immediately started fundraising and set up the charity ‘Operation Imprezza’. Both Sarah and Catherine’s stories of determination and kindness have become legends in school assemblies. We now hold fundraising events every year for the students at Imprezza... Imprezza was set up in 2001 to give an education to children in Kenya who could not afford to go to school. The school was originally founded in a Nairobi slum by Catherine Omanyo. However, in the post-election violence in 2007, Catherine was forced to flee with some staff and 37 children to Western Province, where they have stayed and expanded since. Imprezza offers an education to as many children as it can, regardless of their gender, religion or tribe. The charity ‘Operation Imprezza’ was founded in 2003 by Sarah Anthony, nee Hulme, who met Catherine in Nairobi on a trip to Kenya when she was 17 and was inspired by Catherine’s determination to give these children an education despite suffering financial difficulties herself. When she returned to the UK, she was determined to help Catherine and so the charity was born. Since then, many organisations have joined and the charity has gone from strength to strength, being able to support the school in their greatest needs. Since 2003, that year when Sarah Hulme stood up in assembly and told a room full of girls about a far-off school in Kenya, we have continued to raise money for Imprezza. Sometimes this money is raised in bizarre and creative ways. In Charity Week, we dress in themed fancy-dress and the hall turns into a maze of stalls filled with chocolate, cakes and games. In the Sponsored Walk this year we raised £8,000 (again, there was plenty of dressing-up involved). Knowing where the money we raise goes and having an emotional connection to the school itself is so rewarding. We know that we are helping to pay for lab equipment for the students or new text books and when I went over to the school with World Challenge last summer, it was incredibly moving to see how grateful the students were for our help. We are so lucky to have the connection with Imprezza that we do. — BETHANY HARRIS
IT IS often said that through travel, one broadens one’s horizons, gaining a greater understanding of the ever-changing world around them and here at TGGS, such opportunities are countless. As a student, I have been fortunate enough to embark on an array of adven-
tures, something which would not have been possible 100 years ago. Instead of being limited to local attractions, today we think nothing of catching a flight with our fellow class mates and teachers and jetting off to explore different lands — it can be said that TGGS is international!
Below is just a small selection of the trips on offer. From the historical trips to the more sporting and leisurely holidays, as clichéd as it sounds, there truly is something for everyone. — MEGAN POPE
ENGINEERING TRIP TO OXFORD: Sixth Form students were given an exclusive tour of Rolls Royce, Bristol, and shown parts of the manufacturing process. From there, they visited modern engineering labs in Oxford and then toured Williams Formula 1
ART, HISTORY AND DRAMA TRIP TO NEW YORK (2014): This was a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience for Sixth Form students that packed in a lot of activities. These ranged from visits to the Empire State Building, the Rockefeller and a tour of the UN, to seeing the Blue Man Group on Broadway
CRITICAL THINKING/DRAMA TRIP TO LONDON (2013): For Sixth Form, it was an action-packed trip, including a visit to the Old Bailey or the Globe Theatre (which allowed students to develop skills specific to their subject), a West End show, a Jack the Ripper tour and, of course, shopping.
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HEX-E01-S8 heraldexpress.co.uk
Thursday, September 18, 2014
HERALD EXPRESS
Breaking through the glass ceiling: Dare to lead ‘Dare to Lead’ is a new phrase coined by the school to help us to achieve great things. The school is constantly coming up with new ways to allow our leadership side to be developed and the Leadership Course which started just this year is one of these. We can honestly say that the course has given us a true appreciation of the attributes necessary to become a female leader of the future. The course so far has included lectures from Headteacher Dr Smith and the inspirational female leader Carleen Kelemen OBE, as well as an incredible opportunity to visit the Royal Marine training base to prove our capabilities. Having the opportunity to listen to female leaders such as Carleen Kelemen and Mary Bousted, the General Secretary of the ATL, has really opened our eyes to the achievements that women can make when they have the right positive attitude to work hard and believe in their ability. Carleen Kelemen was a truly captivating speaker, with anecdotes about the lessons she had learnt through her career.
Girls at Lympstone Marines base, about to take on the gruelling assault course. One of the main points we took away from the lecture was that despite the statistics against women in business (who make up only 17 per cent of FTSE 100 directors in the UK), we have a better chance than ever of succeeding
as leaders as long as we possess the ambition and drive to achieve. The most unique experience of the course was going to Lympstone to try out the Royal Marine Commandos’ infamous assault course — an experience we will never forget.
Where can TGGS take you? Anywhere you want! As a Sixth Former in Year 12 facing the daunting prospect of choosing universities to apply for in several months’ time, I cannot tell you how insanely stressed out I am. Of course, I am not the first person to be stressed over Uni applications. Nor am I the first person who has no idea what they want to study; or what university they want to go to; or who has no idea if they want to take a gap year or not. And don’t even get me started on the potential option of going straight into employment (or tuition fees, for that matter). The ‘after-school’ stage of my life seems like one great abyss that I am hurling myself into — and now that there are so many different career paths to choose from, that abyss seems all the greater for it. However, in recent years girls — who have sat in the same position as me — have gone on to study at Russell Group universities, highly competitive American universities and taken a break from education on gap years. Currently, prospects to apply for ‘super jobs’ (jobs in highprofile corporations such as the BBC) are available, giving us the chance to work for organisations such as the Bank of England and British Intelligence, as well as chances to study at Dutch universities, offering an exciting and alternative education experience. TGGS can’t make that abyss of adult-decisions any less terrifying to me, but they can help me land safely on my feet after the jump with established programmes assisting students to get on to courses such as medicine, veterinary, dentistry, law, education, American universities and Dutch universities. Over 180 girls from South Devon came to a conference held here on medicine and law, and we are planning next year on offering similar conferences in business and psychology related careers. Here are just an example of some of the things girls at our school go on to do... — LARISSA DEMPSEY
REBEKAH COCKRAM Studying in America
CHARLOTTE HOLYOAK Geography, Durham
SAMANTHA MAW Metropolitan Police
SOPHIE MARWOOD Medicine, Newcastle
SASKIA PAIN Human, social and political sciences, Cambridge
GEORGIA TOFFOLLO ‘Made in Chelsea’
Despite the course being physically challenging and resulting in a lot of bruises showing up the next day, it was the mental strength that was even more necessary. Although so far away from a school environment — it’s safe to say at school
we’re not often shouted at to drop on the floor and do ten press-ups — it was an experience that taught us a valuable lesson that our teachers are constantly reminding us of. Not only were we taught that we have to push ourselves to achieve great things, but also that we truly can achieve anything we set our mind to. We found the iconic course a real challenge and at times we felt we wouldn’t be able to complete it, but it was our mental strength as well as the team of girls around us who were all being pushed to their limit that kept us going. After all, if we had dropped out half way through we wouldn’t be one of only a small group of females who have been able to be given the chance to attempt the gruelling course that Marines face even halfway through their training. Although this is only one of many opportunities open to us for leadership, we think it’s clear to see that we really are pushed to challeng e ourselves to become the successful leaders of the future. — CAITLAN READ, GEORGINA TYSON AND EMILY MEDCALF
Rising to the challenge
Ten Tors is known for being intensively gruelling and challenging, but I can honestly say I love it. The feeling of accomplishment and the new friendships that are made far outweigh the pain of the blisters on your feet at the finish line and a heavy rucksack. Of course, a lot of girls at this school choose to focus on the heavy rucksack and the camping on the moors — hence, the slightly pitying, slightly flabbergasted question, ‘Why do you do Ten Tors?’ (as if I’ve deliberately subjected myself to some barely-legal form of torture). The answer is, I do it because Ten Tors looks beyond academia — something the school are very much promoting at the moment with schemes to encourage girls to complete courses such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Because of this scheme, walking through the corridors
‘When people asked me ‘why do you do Ten Tors?’ I used to ask myself the same thing’ I hear less and less people asking ‘why do you do Ten Tors’ (or D of E, or a lunch time sport club) and see more and more people shrugging and replying, ‘because it’s fun’. The facts speak for themselves on the sudden increase in interest in non-academic activities. In Year 9 this year 104/120 girls gained their Bronze D of E award. More students than ever in Sixth Form are going on to complete the Silver and Gold awards and we are now forced to run five Ten Tors teams due to demand. Okay, so perhaps now the headline question seems to have moved from ‘why do Ten
The finishing line of the Ten Tors Challenge
Tors’ to ‘why does everyone seem to be doing Ten Tors’? I think it and D of E’s popularity at our school is partly because people are beginning to believe those who just shrug and say, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, ‘because it’s fun’, but also because of the huge amount of effort staff have put in to encourage girls to take part in extracurricular activities. Activities like Ten Tors and D of E provide invaluable life lessons that a textbook does not give you. That, quite simply, is why I do Ten Tors. — ANYA HOMER