The fulmerstonian 2014 2015

Page 1

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 - 2015 THETFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL “LOYAUTE ME OBLIGE”

LOYA

UTE M E O BLIG E


CONTENTS

2

4 Headmaster’s Introduction 6 Prizegiving 10 EYFS and Year 1 12 Year 2 and 3 14 Year 4 and 5 16 Year 6 18 Junior Sports 2o Summer Production 22 Junior Prizegiving 26 Fine Art and Photography 28 Design and Technology 30 Drama 32 English 34 French 36 German 38 History 39 Geography 40 Science 41 Mathematics 42 Computing and ICT 44 Music 46 Physical Education 48 Sports Day 50 Iceland 54 Sixth Form 58 Leavers’ Day 59 Year 11 Prom 60 Vendre Plage 62 Ardèche 64 Burgundy 66 Duke of Edinburgh 68 U.S.A 70 The Election 72 Charities 73 House Competitions 74 Arts Award 75 Southwold Art Trip 76 Farewell Mr Price 78 Valetes 79 Credits

18

48

20


16 60 50

34

26 10

44

39

THE FULMERSTONIAN

2014 -2015

3


HEADMASTER’S INTRODUCTION Dear Pupils, Parents and Staff, I feel very privileged to be the new Headmaster of this fine school. My family and I are settled into our new Thetford home; we have all been sharply reminded of the cooler temperatures here in Norfolk compared to the heat and humidity of Bangkok, Thailand. Everyone has provided a very warm welcome for us all. After three years in the tropics, we are all very happy and excited to be starting this school year at Thetford Grammar School. I am delighted to welcome you to the annual Fulmerstonian Magazine, celebrating a year of success, enterprise and dedication at Thetford Grammar School. At A level we improved our results this summer as 69% of grades were A*/B and 90% were A*/C. More significantly, of course, is that almost 80% of Year 13 were accepted into their first choice university. Leading the way for the cohort were Harry Howell who goes to Manchester to read Physics; Anna Clement who goes to Oxford to read French and Persian and Christian Wood who goes to King’s College London to read Politics. The league table published in the Times puts us, once again, in the top 200 of schools nationally. The GCSE results saw impressive individual performances from Clemency Wood with 9 A*s and 2 As; Megan Curley with 6A*s and 3As; Emily Jones with 5A*s and 4As and Robert Bailey with 5A*s, 3As and 1B. During the year our students have travelled to a wide variety of places including very cold Iceland, New York and Germany as well as the Somme Battlefields. We also welcomed visitors from France and Germany as part of exchange programme. In addition, Sixth Form students represented the UK at two sessions of The Model European Parliament in Luxembourg and Naples; while four groups of Year 12 students gained work experience in Denmark. Our U13 Netball team won their Area Tournament undefeated and the U16 Rugby 7s team were the Norfolk County Plate winners. The U14 Rugby team also reached the Norfolk County Plate final. Kudzi Garikayi has been selected to play with the East of England

Netball Squad and Alana Wilson qualified to compete in the Anglian Schools’ Championship. Heraclitus, quite a while ago now, in the 5th century BC, is attributed with saying Πάντα ρει (everything changes/flows). Little perhaps has changed in two and half thousand years! It is how well we respond to the change that indicates our potential. I firmly believe that change will lead to progress simply because it involves self-reflection and review, which we all need to do on a regular basis. Every day should be new to us: the process of learning must never cease. Over the last 30 years of my teaching career, we have now come full circle in terms of the systems in which I learnt and taught. I was schooled under the older-style GCE O levels and A levels. My exams were taken at the end of a two-year course with no element of continuous and formative assessment; and essentially testing the rudimentary skill of factual recall or repeating salient snippets of information. This serves a minority of pupils very well. I am not entirely certain how this is reflected in the ‘real world’ of work and future careers where, I would assume, purely factual recall is not sufficient to ensure success. I strongly concur with Nicola Morgan, Secretary of State for Education’s recent comment that “we run the risk of creating a generation who excel at passing exams, writing essays, absorbing information, but children without the skills they need to tackle the challenges that lie ahead and participate in society as active citizens, to make the right decisions and build their own moral framework”. I am primarily concerned that Thetford Grammar School continues to be welcoming, positive, competitive, efficient and abreast of all innovations with regard to educational methodologies, paying the closest attention to the needs and aspirations of my staff and pupils, whilst monitoring our internally-set targets and objectives within the constantly evolving framework of increasingly stringent national and international requirements. I hope you enjoy reading this year’s magazine as it offers a flavour of life at our busy and successful school.

THE FULMERSTONIAN

2014 -2015


THE FULMERSTONIAN

2014 -2015


PRIZEGIVING PRIZES FOR ACHIEVEMENT AT GCSE

PRIZES FOR ACHIEVEMENT AT AS

Robert Bailey Megan Curley Emily Jones Kirishoban Sanjeevvijay Joanne Searle Clemency Wood

Thomas Dennis Omar El Oakley Robert Heighton Emma Ruddy Holly Simpson

SCHOOL PRIZES Form Charity Bowl 9M Gordon Carter Award for Effort in Physics Augustus Altuccini Richard Scase Award for Creativity Megan Gallacher PSA Prize for Service to the School Megan Gallacher Tilley Prize for Drama William Inman Hobley Award for Mathematical Achievement Harry Howell John Lovick Prize for French (Year 11) Megan Curley Blaydon Bequest for Civics Grace Colasante Rotary Award for Promise in Modern Languages Philippa Buckley Beales Prize for Chemistry Robert Heighton Rotary Award for Community Service Sam Sayer and Sean Siraj Richard Easten Essay Prize Emily Fitch Danny Baker Memorial Prize for Poetry Robert Ackerman Advantage Technologies ICT Award William Honeywood Lynsey Coker Memorial Award Year 11 Augustus Altuccini OTA Prize for Leadership Christian Wood and Freya Webb

6

THE FULMERSTONIAN

2014 -2015


SENIOR PREFECTS FOR THE YEAR AHEAD HEAD GIRL/HEAD BOY Emily Bell Louise Wigglesworth Emma Ruddy Omar El Oakley Robert Heighton Charles Lamport - Beale

DESTINATIONS Mariam AMJAD Archie BLAKEMORE Anna CLEMENT Grace COLASANTE Rebecca DAVIES Emily FITCH Anna GRAY Jack HAMMOND Beatrice HEIGHTON Leo HOOK Harry HOWELL Sophie OGILVIE David (DJ) RUNDLE Sam SAYER Madeleine SCARLETT Andrew SIMPSON Sean SIRAJ Bridget SMITH Olivia SMITH Blythe SOPER Daniel TATNELL Simon WADDELL Freya WEBB Christian WOOD Benedict WOODHOUSE

Nottingham University (Philosophy and Theology) Employment - Film and Photography Oxford University (French and Persian) Gap Year – applying 2016 Royal Veterinary College (Veterinary Nursing) York University (History) Gap Year – applying 2016 Chichester University (Sport and Exercise Sciences) University of East Anglia ( Biology) Nottingham Trent (International Relations) Manchester University (Physics) Gap Year – applying 2016 Gap Year – applying 2016 Manchester University (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) Gap Year – applying 2016 Leicester University (Geology and Paleobiology) University of Sussex (Law) UCS (Business Management) Nottingham University (Business Management) Royal Holloway - University of London (Biochemistry) Sheffield University (Chemical Engineering) Portsmouth (Pharmacology) Gap Year – applying 2016 Kings College London (Politics) Warwick University (Classical Civilisation)

THE FULMERSTONIAN

2014 -2015

7



UNIOR SCHOOL The Junior School’s goal is to provide an interesting and enjoyable learning experience from the earliest foundation years of education. Throughout the past year our pupils have been given wide-ranging opportunities to engage with their curriculum, guided by their form tutors and specialist staff; learning and improving the skills which will serve them throughout school life. Pupils were also encouraged to strive for excellence in areas beyond the classroom by representing the school in a variety of sports teams and groups including football, tag rugby, netball, rounders, cricket, athletics and swimming. From an artistic perspective the children were offered a chance to show their musical talent in several concerts and the House Music Competition, while the Summer Musical, ‘Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies’ was an outstanding production which characterised the hard work and effort from all the pupils. This section of The Fulmerstonian covers all of those activities and more to give you a glimpse of life in the Junior School.


EYFS AND YEAR 1 QUEEN OF THE TOOTH FAIRIES VISIT In the Autumn as part of the Personal, Social and Emotional Development lessons, Children in EYFS - Year 1, as well as Years 2-3, were visited by the Queen of the Tooth Fairies. The children enjoyed becoming involved in a story all about Jack who lost a tooth that was rejected by the tooth fairies and took part in scientific experiments to see what happens to their teeth when they eat certain types of foods. Jack mended his ways and the tooth fairy did finally come to visit him! The children were really engaged with the story and fascinated to find out more about their teeth and how to look after them. VISIT TO THE POST OFFICE As part of the Geography topic called Understanding the World, EYFS and Year 1 visited the Post Office to post their postcards that they had written. They met the post lady who sold the stamps to Mrs Peace and then showed her their postcards. After that all of the children tried really hard to post their cards - some found it easier to reach than others! The children are now hoping that the postman or lady will make a delivery to their house. VISIT TO THETFORD LIBRARY In English and Literacy lessons, children in the EYFS and Year 1 class enjoyed a visit to Thetford Library where they met library manager David Nichols. The children learnt all about the North Norfolk coast and learnt to use books and maps to find out more about Blakeney Point. The children also had a tour of the library and David read the children a story. Connie (Year 1) said ‘I really enjoyed the visit and I love my book that I was given!’

10

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL


BIRD WATCHING Children throughout Junior School really enjoyed participating in the Big Schools’ Bird Watch in January. They took it in turns to put out some food for the birds ad then kept a tally of the birds that they saw for a whole hour. They saw lots and lots of birds.

COOKERY AND FOOD

The children enjoyed a varied programme within their Cookery lessons in the Spring term. They learnt how to make traditional Greek dishes, such as Tzatiki and Houmous as well as making mini pizzas using savoury muffins with lots of vegetable toppings. Everyone enjoyed learning how to chop (using special safety knives), and mix and beat ingredients together, but the best bit was taking the food home to try and to share with the family. Here the children enjoyed getting a little bit messy making chocolate truffles. Yummy! In the Summer term EYFS and Year 1 went on a trip to ‘Tesco’ supermarket to learn how their food get from the ‘Farm to Fork.’ This is a nationwide initiative where children go behind-thescenes of their local store, learn about farmers and farming, how bread is produced from wheat and what vegetables look like when they are fresh out of the ground. The children had lots of fun and made plaited loaves and iced their own buns. ‘Thankyou’ to Tesco’s for providing this wonderful opportunity. LILY THE ELF

Christmas was an exciting time as the children were paid a visit from Lily the Elf and Cecil the Snowman. Lily and Cecil talked to the children about their Christmas wishes and read them some lovely Christmassy stories. Their visit culminated in the children receiving presents from the visitors.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL

11


YEAR 2 AND 3 We also learnt how to record the direction of forces, understanding that magnets create pushes and pulls and that the earth acts as a huge magnet while discussing the importance of the Sun and comparing the Sun with the Moon and Stars. In Characteristics of Materials, we compared materials on the basis of their material properties, discussing why the properties of a material make it suitable for a job. ART/DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY We made pop-up books, moving monsters and sandwiches as part of our food and technology curriculum. In Art we linked with History when we studied clay relief by exploring rolling, cutting and marking techniques with clay; we created clay tile reliefs inspired by Aztec art. ENGLISH, HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY AND FRENCH We studied: the Romans, famous people such as Mary Seacole, as well as the Aztecs. In English we read poetry, non-fiction and traditional tales, while we studied rainforests in Geography. In French we learned how to describe people, festivals in France and how to tell the time.

The children had lots of fun using different techniques to make their own fridge magnets. The children discussed why fridge magnets were used, they drew draft designs, thought about how they could add layers (dĂŠcoupage) and colour and then they choose their favourite design to turn into a magnet. They worked really hard on their drawing and cutting skills, especially as they were using foam to make their magnets. All the magnets worked really well and stuck successfully to the fridge.

MATHEMATICS We looked at how we measure space, weight and shape along with calculations and comparing numbers. SCIENCE During our Science lessons in the spring, we focussed on recording Science experiments effectively, recognising that there are many different types of light.

12

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL


MATHEMATICS In our Year 3 Maths lessons we learnt how to read and then write numbers above 100. Another achievement was counting backwards which proved quite difficult to master! We also had our first experience of money and learnt how to give change, as well as challenging word problems. During the year, Year 3 also learnt how to find different portions of shapes as well as fractions of small numbers. Another useful skill was the use of mass and experiments recording time, and finally encountering pictograms and block graphs.

RELIGIOUS STUDIES In RS we studied the Festival of Epiphany and Jesus’ flight to Egypt. We also examined Lent and Shrove Tuesday, the tradition of Mothering Sunday as well as the Story of Easter. Later on we read Bible stories including Noah’s Ark, the Creation Story, the Feeding of the 5,000 and The Good Samaritan. We also studied Judaism and Islam, learning about important celebrations linked to these religions. The class enjoyed a trip to Norwich to visit a church and the synagogue, where we handled Jewish artifacts and took part in a Sukkot meal.

CALLIGRAMS

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL

13


YEAR 4 AND 5 MAKING SANDWICHES IN FRENCH In the Autumn Term, the children in Year 4 and 5 learnt how to give instructions in French. They then put what they had learnt into practice by making sandwiches. Pupils instructed each other to make their chosen sandwich and everyone enjoyed the end of the lesson – mangez un sandwich!

FRENCH In French, we studied various places in a town and began to use simple directions. We also learnt to give directions and relate this to times of the day. In the unit called ‘My House’ we learnt the names of the rooms of a house and we à droite described them in terms of size and à gauche colour. Finally, we found out about Easter traditions in France.

14

MAKING SWEETS IN ART During this project, the children made observational drawings of sweets before choosing a particular sweet to enlarge and draw in more detail. After that, the pupils made the rough shape of their sweet using newspaper and masking tape and then used kitchen roll to papier mâché over the shape. Finally, they used coloured tissue paper to decorate their giant sweets. The finished products looked good enough to eat.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL


DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY During the summer they completed their purses or wallets and carried out their evaluation. They were really pleased with all of their hard work and effort. The children learned different sewing techniques to complete their purses or wallets. HISTORY AND THE VICTORIAN SCHOOL DAY VISIT The main topic of the year was History, which began when we studied The Tudors: especially the Kings and Queens of this period starting with Henry VII up to and including Elizabeth I. When we covered the Victorian Era later in the term, we began by examining Queen Victoria’s family, the Industrial Revolution, life in a cotton mill, mining and the role of children in those institutions. Below is a report of our visit to the British Schools Museum by Year 4. Years 4 and 5 visited the British Schools Museum in Hitchin where they travelled back in time to the Victorian Era. The pupils experienced a typical Victorian School day. They learnt that children from that time were very disciplined and that the teachers were very strict. Counting in pounds, shillings and pence was a little tricky at first. The children also had a tour of the Headmaster’s house which they found to be very small. They did not like the idea of having to visit the ‘privy’ which was outside! All in all the pupils thoroughly enjoyed the day. However, they have decided that they prefer school life in the present day.

We also spent time studying Victorian housing by looking closely at how homes for the wealthy and homes for the poor differed so greatly. Finally, we spent some time drawing or handling Victorian artifacts and investigating all the diseases of the Victorian era caused by overcrowding. A great deal was learnt and this was reflected in the many questions and answers the children gave.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL

15


YEAR 6

ANCIENT GREEK DAY The Ancient Greek Day was a hit with the whole class as they spent the day tasting Greek food, making clay pots and taking part in some Greek drama. The highlight had to be the Olympics, where much fun was had by all.

DESIGN TECHNOLOGY During the Autumn Term, Year 6 put their design skills to the test by creating some unusual shelters. They worked very successfully and the pupils were very pleased with their outcomes.

16

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL


MATHEMATICS

POETRY

In Mathematics we studied Number and Decimals. We had to read Roman numerals to 1000 (M) and recognise years written in Roman numerals; we also had to revise 2-place and 3-place decimals. In the unit on Percentages we covered percentages as parts of 100 to find simple % of 3-digit numbers.

Year 6 have been studying different poetic forms. These being Personification, Haiku, Metaphor and Kenning. This is a selection of these forms of poetry. Can you guess which ones they are?

GEOGRAPHY In the topic ‘Investigating Water’ we considered the questions: How much water do we use? Where does water come from? Where does water go to? How can too little water be a problem? How is water used? Our aim was to investigate the source of water and the water cycle, while looking at how water is brought in and out of towns as well as how people make use of our local river. Finally we explored pollution of water and how it can be prevented. In the unit called ‘Investigating Forests’, we spent time learning about and sharing ideas and experiences of forests, locating forests on maps and exploring the New Forest. We also learnt how seeds are harvested from conifers, as well as understanding the growth cycle of a tree. COMPUTING AND ICT In Computing and ICT we learnt about creating games using computer coding. We were taught how to design and make computer games using Scratch, as well as designing characters, manipulating them and instructing our character, or sprite, to move according to our instructions.

SCIENCE During the Summer Term we studied Interdependence, Adaptation and Life Processes, looking at the parts of a plant and their function; photosynthesis. We also spent time exploring what soil is made of and the best conditions for plant growth. We finished the unit by learning about food chains, habitats and animal adaptations. When considering the topic ‘Separating’, we began by looking at why it is useful to separate substances, methods of separating solids and what happens when you put different substances into water. We continued by carrying out investigations into evaporating and condensing water in order to investigate dissolved substances; experimenting with chromatography. Finally, we considered the topic of ‘Light’. In this unit we were learning about sources of light and how we see things. We also studied the properties of light, mirrors, reflection as well as periscopes and which surfaces reflect best.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL

17


SPORTS GYMNASTICS WITH DANNY LAWRENCE In April, pupils from EYFS to Year 8 were treated to a visit from the Commonwealth Games Silver medal winning gymnast Danny Lawrence. Danny worked on circuit training with every child, who all worked extremely hard both during the event and collecting sponsorship money for taking part.

SPORTS DAY Sports Day is one of our school’s most popular events and this year was no different. In June a cool day produced perfect conditions for our young athletes. Amongst the usual sprint and middle distance events, we also had relay races and popular classics such as the parents’ race. Mr Hill organises the event every year and he was delighted with the performances of all the teams, saying ‘well done to all competitors involved in Sports Day. The weather was kind and all the children

After developing their own skills the children were then able to watch Danny give a demonstration and take part in a question and answer session. One Year 5 pupil commented ‘Now somebody has done gymnastics in front of me it has given me more confidence to start gymnastics myself.’ Head of Junior School, Mrs Peace, said that Danny proved to be a real inspiration to the children. The whole event was super and Danny commented on how impressed he was with our children for encouraging each other in their training.

represented their Houses extremely well. There were some excellent races and it was great to see so many KS2 pupils have a go at the 800m.’ Well done to Millingtons, the overall winners, and also the individual winners of the Lower Junior Victor Ludorum; Arlo Greenwood, Lower Junior Victrix Ludorum; Connie Foreman, Upper Junior Victor Ludorum; Tom Hayden and Upper Junior Vitrix Ludorum; Bethan-Eve Morgan.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL


THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL

19


SUMMER PRODUCTION ROBIN AND THE SHERWOOD HOODIES In June the pupils thoroughly enjoyed performing in the hilarious ‘Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies’, which was this year’s musical extravaganza! There were some super performances from all of the children, particularly Jenni Kingsnorth, Michael Heslop and Franziska Elders, who took the leads and they were ably supported by Maia Foreman as well as the Bercovici brothers, Sam and Tom. Mrs Peace said she was delighted with the way the children performed a very complex script to create howls of laughter from the audience.

20

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL


“The performances from all the students were utterly outstanding. A high standard as always. A brilliant end of year production. Well done everyone.

Mr Price

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL

21


JUNIOR PRIZEGIVING SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS 1st year at school Belle Clay Amelia Worsley

Eloise Perry Hamish Russell Samuel Sidery Arthur Summers

SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT Junior School Council Charlie Trowell– Lead Award Madeleine Trussell– Lead Award Maia Foreman Joe Lawson Ben Mason Hamish Russell Arthur Summers Henry Elmer Eleanor Culling Oscar Foreman Arlo Greenwood Oscar Harris Sara Khan Sarah Stoppard

Celia Cielty Memorial Award Jenni Kingsnorth

Junior School Librarians Jenni Kingsnorth Bethan-Eve Morgan Charlotte Ogilvie Eloise Perry Crossman Award for Environmental Awareness Sophie Peace Citizenship Awards Jenni Kingsnorth Bethan- Eve Morgan Sophie Peace

22

MUSIC AWARDS Brass Arlo Greenwood Drums Albert Ballard Oscar Foreman Guitar Samuel Sidery Piano Gabriel Galveias Sophie Peace Thomas Hayden Catherine Stoppard Singing Jenni Kingsnorth Strings Joshua Manning Catherine Stoppard SPORT COLOURS Boys Tom Bercovici Michael Heslop Benjamin Jacob-Haigh Charlie Trowell Sam Bercovici Ryan Bourne Ethan Harris Thomas Hayden Joe Lawson Ben Mason Hamish Russell Samuel Sidery Arthur Summers

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL


Girls Franziska Elders Bethan-Eve Morgan Madeleine Trussell Sophie Peace Victor Ludorum Arlo Greenwood Victrix Ludorum Connie Foreman Junior Victor Ludorum Thomas Hayden Junior Victrix Ludorum Bethan-Eve Morgan PROGRESS AWARDS Early Years Expressive Arts and Design Amelia Worsley Literacy Belle Clay Year 1 Gabriel Galveias Year 2/3 Oscar Harris Year 4/5 Sam Bercovici Joe Lawson Year 6 Bethan-Eve Morgan Form Awards Year 1 Connie Foreman Year 2/3 Oscar Foreman Year 4/5 Ethan Harris Hamish Russell Year 6 Franziska Elders Madeleine Trussell

YEAR 6 SUBJECT AWARDS Art Jenni Kingsnorth Design and Technology Eloise Perry Joseph Ramsbottom Drama Michael Heslop Jenni Kingsnorth English Charlotte Ogilvie French Charlie Trowell Geography Franziska Elders History Franziska Elders ICT Madeleine Trussell Mathematics Tom Bercovici Madeleine Trussell Music Jenni Kingsnorth Physical Education Tom Bercovici Franziska Elders PSHCE Charlie Trowell Madeleine Trussell Religious Studies Charlie Trowell Science Franziska Elders O’SULLIVAN PRIZE FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE House Captains 2014-2015 Tom Bercovici Franziska Elders Jenni Kingsnorth Eloise Perry House Championship Millingtons House Captains 2014-2015 Maia Foreman - Coles Sophie Peace - Cronsheys Ethan Harris - Millingtons Arthur Summers - Reeds

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

JUNIOR SCHOOL

23



ENIOR SCHOOL

The Senior School seeks to offer students a positive learning environment and engaging teaching methods, the overarching focus being on preparation for the GCSE examinations in Year 11. Students are encouraged through various experiences, in and out of the classroom, to develop not just their curriculum knowledge, but wider skills for school and beyond. Academic successes abound, with several students performing well in the UKMT Mathematics Challenge. Meanwhile schemes such as the Arts Award, LAMDA and ABRSM exams are taken up in high numbers every year, offering additional qualification as well as experiences for pupils well beyond the curriculum. The Drama Department’s production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was a particular highlight of the year, involving many of the students and combining modern and traditional elements, aptly representing the school itself.


FINE ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY LONDON TRIP 2014 On the first day we visited the British Museum and headed straight for the Egyptian gallery. The sarcophagi were fascinating and the fact that they had stood the test of time and still remained intact, colourful and detailed allowed for some great sketching opportunities to start us off. After lunch we continued to the Victoria and Albert Museum and were surrounded by objects from all over the world. The second day was made up of visits to the two Tates with a river boat taxi between the two. All pupils produced numerous exciting sketches and it will be interesting to see the impact that the trip has on the pupils’ future work.

PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

CLOTHES SHOW

Students also took part in the ‘Fine & Country Game Fair’ Photography Competition, with Grace Tod, Elliot Sanders and Megan Gallacher displaying wonderful photos. Megan Gallacher came first in the competition with an outstanding photograph. Elsewhere, other outstanding pieces of artwork included those by Tomás Morgan and Kudzi Garikayi.

In December the artists visited the NEC Birmingham to participate in Europe’s largest fashion event. The students saw a professional fashion show, the latest offerings in the world of fashion and got a chance to see degree show stands and get information about degree courses. Miss Sherring said that the trip was, as usual, perfect.

26

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


THE ANNUAL ART EXHIBITION JUNE 2015 The annual Art Exhibition which took place in the Williamson Hall from the 9th to the 11th of June proved to be a successful showcase exhibiting work from Year 5 through to Year 13. This year there was a variety of outstanding work including paintings, prints, clay sculptures and photography. The turnout was better than ever before and the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement and positivity. Many of the artworks were described as “fantastic quality”, “sale worthy” and “stunning”. Further comments have made reference to how the exhibits give an insight into different sides of the students that you wouldn’t normally see and how the work is very individual to each student. Having the sketchbooks on display allowed people to appreciate the vast amount of time and effort spent on their work in order to create their final pieces.

ARTIST OF THE MONTH This year, we have continued the ever popular Artist of the Month award, chosen by Miss Sherring. As always, a number of talented students were selected. In the autumn, John Jenkins, Sebastian Floyd and Minnie Molyneux from Year 7 were awarded the honour for their work on the artist David Hockney.

THE SAINSBURY CENTRE TRIP The GCSE and A Level Art groups visited the Sainsbury Centre to get inspiration for their final examinations. After being shown around by gallery guides, pupils sketched and photographed in the main exhibition hall and in the “Reality” exhibition.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL

27


DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

The DT department worked hard throughout the winter with A Level and GCSE students all aiming to complete their projects in time for the end of year exhibition. In Year 13, Leo Hook produced work of the highest order with his cabinet, while lower down the school, students such as James Young and Augustus Altuccini turned innovative ideas into excellent 3D pieces of furniture and machines. James set himself the task of creating a mobile unit to take to festivals. The design saw James incorporate a range of spaces into which you could store all manner of necessary items for a weekend in a wet and muddy field.

28

Augustus, on the other hand, undertook the task of designing a humane trap to capture and release rodents without causing harm. This task was also undertaken by Edward Taylor-Grant. Alongside the rodent traps was an example of a more classical piece of craftsmanship in the shape of Nathan Smith’s oak table, complete with table-legs that had been turned on the lathe by hand. Both the Year 11 Product Design and Systems groups produced excellent work throughout the year.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


The storage projects undertaken by Emily Jones, Joanne Searle and others, set the students intriguing challenges, not just in their craftsmanship, but in their planning and use of space as well. The natural wood storage box became increasingly difficult as the hexagonal shapes were pieced together, while the elongated curves of the multi-coloured rack and its blue and orange counterpart also caused some problems at the beginning. However, all the students produced exceptional work of which they can be proud.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL

29


DRAMA LAMDA

THEATRE ROYAL

This year we have celebrated the first year of LAMDA examinations in all three terms. As a result over 30 pupils have taken over 40 exams within the disciplines of Acting, Speaking Verse and Prose. With great success throughout the school, all students gained welldeserved results, with grades ranging from Grade 1 through to Grade 8.

In November the GCSE Drama pupils, accompanied by some A Level Literature students, travelled to Norwich Theatre Royal for the National Theatre performance of ‘One Man Two Guvnors’. The play, based on the eighteenth century Italian play by Carlo Goldoni, ‘Servant of Two Masters’, mixed the conventions of the comic ‘Variety Show’ with slapstick humour and fourth wall breaks. The performance was a valuable experience for the GCSE students, for whom Physical Theatre is a set genre, and for the Sixth Form students, who study various forms of Comedy for one of their examined units. The performance was greatly enjoyed by all students.

First to be congratulated are our Grade 8 successes with both Andrew Simpson and Simon Waddell obtaining Distinctions for their Monologues. At Grade 7, Phineas Humphris passed Monologue with a Merit and Charles Mead and Emily Scott were successful in their acting Duologue at the same level. All Grade 6 pupils passed with Merit apart from William Inman, Charles Mead and Emily Scott, who all achieved Distinction. Increasing numbers of pupils are going on to achieve Grades 6-8 (Bronze, Silver and Gold) which carry valuable UCAS points. The Summer Term was even more successful on this front as every student passed with either Merit or Distinction. As a result Year 10 students such as James Sibley, Cecily White and Sophia Colasante are now accruing UCAS points while Kudzi Garikayi achieved an astonishing 90/100 for her Grade 5 award. All pupils would like to say a great thank you to Ms Irving for all her help and teaching.

30

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM In February the drama department presented the annual production, which this year was a musical version of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. Once again the audiences were treated to a series of amazing performances from the students. Robert Bailey and Sophie Clare played Oberon and Titania respectively. They were superbly supported by Emily Scott and Eleanor Webb as the warring friends Hermia and Helena. Their performances of the argument scene were outrageously funny and brought a large round of applause from the audience.

The humour continued as Ben Doyle and James Young equalled the girls in their rivalry, but the funniest performance of the night came from the ‘Rude Mechanicals’ in the shape of Year 10 and 11 TGS pupils putting on a play: Charles Mead, Gabrielle Hunter-Short, Cecily White, Alfred Bloomfield and James Sibley whose performances of the ‘tragedy’ at the end of the play brought the house down. Once again Ms Irving and Mr Young would like to thank the pre-play crew, particularly Luke Foster and James Betts; the cast and the technicians, Ross Gallacher, Augustus Altuccini, Roberto Castillo-Olivares and Oscar Lane, and Megan Gallacher who captured the moments in all the photographs as well as Assistant Directors Emily Bell and Phineas Humphris.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL

31


ENGLISH ENGLISH LIT QUIZ Well done to the students who took part in the Norfolk heat of the Kids’ Lit Quiz organised by the Norfolk School Library Service. This is an international competition dubbed ‘The Sport of Reading’ which tests the literary knowledge of 10 – 13 year olds. 32 teams from 18 schools (including entries from Suffolk and Lincolnshire) took part. The Year 8s Andrew Forbes, Benedict O’Keefe, Amelia Perry & Alana Wilson and Year 7s Tom Buckley, Christian Eade, John Jenkins & Elizabeth Wright were commended by Mr Young and Mrs Settle for their enthusiasm and for being excellent ambassadors for the school. The Year 8 team scored 75 points, which was an improvement of 1.5 points on our winning score of last year, but were beaten into second place by a very knowledgeable team from Litcham School. Our Year 7s were placed 6th, only 3 points behind the Year 8s and Mrs Settle was impressed with their 10/10 scores for both the ‘Middle Earth’ and ‘Shakespeare’ rounds. Both teams came away with book prizes for being the leaders in a round. Congratulations also go to Mr Young for winning an audience prize! The charismatic quiz master Wayne Mills, a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland, was on good form and we were made welcome by the City Academy in Norwich. Mrs Bull and Mrs Settle are looking forward to preparing for next year’s contest.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


PUBLISHED WRITERS The English department regularly produces a number of students whose work is published outside of school, and this year was no different. Leading the way as our most published author was Luke Foster in Year 12, whose poetry was selected to be included in the East Anglian Young Writers Anthology, for the third year running. Luke was also invited to read his poetry at a literary festival in Cambridge during the summer. Alongside Luke, James Betts is working on his first play, while his younger brother Ethan was also considered for inclusion in the aforementioned anthology. Alongside Ethan, other Year 7 writers such as George Nicklin and Oliver Peace were published too. Mr Young said that he was ‘delighted with the success of these young authors’. WHY WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT BOOKS… In response to the World Book Day Competition phrase “why we can’t live without books” Year 7 pupils created a joint entry by all drawing the covers of their favourite books – these included both fiction and non-fiction titles. These individual books were then photographed and layered inside an anatomical diagram of a heart labelled “fig.1 They’re in our blood.” Our entry did not win the competition, but the pupils were sent a box of books to add to the library for their excellent efforts. The super image they created is now taking pride of place in the School Library and also features in the displays in the English Factory.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL

33


FRENCH In June the return leg of the French Exchange got underway with pupils from TGS travelling across the channel to the lovely town of Compiègne. The pupils had a wonderful time and were able to visit the stunning Chateau de Pierrefonds after a long and tiring bike ride. This was the setting of the famous ‘Merlin’ series.

THE ANNUAL FRENCH EXCHANGE When the Compiègne pupils arrived for their leg of the Exchange, we asked them to sit their own entrance exam, for the complete TGS experience. This was a tall order as they are Year 10 students who were all writing in a foreign language. The prize was publication of their creative in this august journal.

34

On the way home the group cycled to the Armistice museum where there was a visit to the train carriage used for the signing of the 1918 armistice. This historical theme was continued in an interactive history lesson the following day, led by Monsieur Thuillier. TGS pupils worked in groups exploring the impact of the events of June 1940 leading up to the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk, as well as listening to the famous speeches of Churchill and De Gaulle. Angus and Louis enjoyed wearing WWII soldiers’ helmets to add authenticity. A varied programme of lessons gave TGS a true flavour of the French schoolday. Our social skills were nurtured at an enjoyable barbecue supper held at a nearby woodland.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


Our host families prepared a delicious range of French specialities to make the evening unforgettable. Whilst the staff and French parents exchanged fond tales of the exchange programme so far, the French and English pupils made the most of this opportunity to compete in a range of games and sport. Friday’s visit to the cathedral city of Amiens started with a unique visit to the home of Jules Vernes where a journey around his house gave us all a fascinating insight into the creative genius of this great writer. To maintain the exemplary physical condition of the group, this activity was followed by a ‘brief’ vertical climb to the top of the towers of Amiens cathedral (just over 300 steps) to achieve an outstanding view of the city. After the visit to Amiens, we received a warm welcome from the Deputy Mayor, who praised the staff of TGS and Collège Monod for organising such a successful exchange. Jack then had the honour of presenting her with a personalised TGS gift. The last two days of the programme afforded all concerned the opportunity to relax with their French hosts and a chance to discover other local attractions. Many were fortunate enough to travel slightly further from home, spending a day in Reims and Paris to name but two. To end the year Monsieur Maringue organised the annual summer trip to Burgundy for Years 7 and 8. Everyone had an excellent time participating in activities and practising their French language skills.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL

35


GERMAN The TGS-Brede German Exchange was a great success. In March, 9 pupils arrived from our German exchange school Gymnasium Brede in Brakel, accompanied by their teachers, Frau von Boeselager and Herr Hentschel. During the week they experienced a range of activities organised by Mr Durling to give a real taste of British school and family life.

As well as attending lessons, competing in a rifle competition with Mr Spencer, experiencing Roman life at the Ancient House Museum, meeting the Mayor of Thetford and visiting Cambridge and London, they also had time to spend with their TGS partners and their families.

36

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


The climax of the week was the delicious supper at High Lodge in Thetford Forest where prizes were awarded for the best diaries produced by the pupils. It also gave Herr Hentschel and Mr Durling a chance to thank all those colleagues and pupils who have supported their AngloGerman pupil exchanges over many years. This year represents their twentieth year of working together to give young people in England and Germany a chance to exchange ideas and culture whilst having fun at the same time. Twenty years on and still going strong!

Mr Durling would like to thank Harriet Long, Benedict O’Keefe, Will Pollard, Stefan Richer, Elliott Sanders, Megan Sidery, Maximilian Elders, Lewis Haynes and Roland Richer for their participation.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL

37


HISTORY SOMME TRIP Every Autumn, Year 9 students visit the battlefields of Northern France as part of their study of the Great War of 1914-18. This year one student reviewed the trip on behalf of the year group. ‘In the Autumn Term, Year 9 students visited the Somme to see the battlefields and to find the TGS Old Boys who fought and died there. On the journey to Albert, our host town, the group went to visit a certain memorial, where the name of the great uncle of Year 9 pupil Brynmor Jenkins was listed. Brynmor said the experience was “humbling”. On the first day the group visited the Lochnagar crater and placed a remembrance wreath. After that the group went to visit the German cemetery Fricourt near Albert. On the second day the group visited the Newfoundland Park to see the old trenches which had been preserved and the Newfoundland memorial to find out about the history of the Canadians in the First World War. After visiting a couple of other memorials to see the graves and names of the Old Boys, the group finally visited the famous Thiepval memorial and found more of the Old Boys’ graves and memorials there. Pupils from Year 9 said it was an invaluable experience and that the outings were interesting. The group leader, Miss Bailey told us that ‘trips such as these are so important for the development of the students’ personalities as well as their historical knowledge.’ By Louis Dunn

38

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


GEOGRAPHY There have been lots of field trips for our GCSE and A Level Geography pupils during the year. Trips such as these always help students to turn theory into practice and as a result they make lots of progress. In October, we organised trips to Cambridge and Iceland for pupils in Years 10 and 11. Both trips were extremely successful and everyone had brilliant things to say about them. CAMBRIDGE As in other years, Mr Glassbrook took the GCSE students on their field trip to Cambridge. The students have the task of studying the traffic conditions of the city as well as developing an understanding of the way in which Cambridge has developed over the centuries.

NORTH NORFOLK COASTAL STUDY Later in the year the A level Geography pupils visited the North Norfolk coast on their annual field trip. On a cold day reminiscent of Iceland in February, the students collected data for their coursework projects, which were to be submitted at the end of the year. Mr Law said the trip was “very enjoyable and extremely wet.�

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL

39


SCIENCE MICROSCOPES The Year 11s explored the use of microscopes and were fascinated by the results they created. A big thank you to Harry Mayall and Megan Curley who produced some excellent photos through their microscopes.

FLAME TESTS

YEAR 10 SCIENCE CAMP

On Open Morning pupils enjoyed showing off what they learnt with fun filled practical experiments, such as flame tests, finding out what colour flames different metals produce.

In late June, with the exams over, I packed my bag and headed up to Norwich for the Year 10 Science Camp at the John Innes Centre. For an aspiring scientist, this is a fantastic opportunity to experience new areas of science and its interactions with other aspects of society, such as the use of data computation and analysis in Bioinformatics or the role of the Horticultural department in preparation and disposal of transgenic plants.

40

I spent the week, effectively, as a research scientist in the training laboratory, extracting DNA using liquid nitrogen or learning about Synthetic Biology (the next step on from Genetic Engineering) or creating Theremins on Arduino. I transferred chroma-proteins into E.coli and Skyped a colleague in Kenya who explained about her work over there. In the Bioinformatics department I investigated the use of inleukin-2, a protein which kills cancerous blood cells. A very diverse and interesting week that inspired an even greater passion for science! By Jack Bercovici

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


MATHEMATICS YEAR 9 MATHS LECTURES SUMMER TERM For a number of years our students have enjoyed numerous maths lectures across England, building a variety of cross-curricular skills that pupils would only encounter deep into A Level in other schools. Throughout the summer months in 2015, Brynmor Jenkins, Henry Bittleston and Toby Culling participated in a variety of maths lectures, covering topics from linear programming to group theory, and asymptotic equations to algebraic functions. In June, they attended a lecture at the Royal Institution itself. This was a highly prestigious event, and they were amongst many of the brightest young mathematicians in the country. The boys have excelled in maths over the past year, and this event has certainly improved their knowledge and understanding of such an academic subject. UKMT MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE An impressive number of our Year 9, 10 and 11 students deserve our congratulations this year for their success in a series of national Mathematics competitions. Sat by over 200 000 pupils, the UKMT Mathematics Challenge is aimed at stretching the brightest minds across the country. Pupils must apply their mathematical skills to overcome increasingly difficult questions posed in novel ways. As the examiners themselves state, “each question challenges you to think, not to guess�! During the spring term competition our pupils yet again excelled with Daniel Tatnell, Robert Heighton, Emma Ruddy and Thomas Dennis all picked up the main Gold Award which is only presented to the top 10% of mathematicians in the country. This is a staggering achievement that enabled them to progress to the next round of the competition where they will compete to be the best school in East Anglia. By Daniel Connolly

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL

41


COMPUTING AND ICT The Computing and ICT department has had a busy and successful year. Students have been working hard in a wide range of activities, which have been developed extensively from the previous curriculum to incorporate the new Computing focus. In Years 7 to 9 students have undertaken a wide range of activities, programming projects using the Python language to write quizzes. They have helped to disassemble computers and find out how they work and have programmed robots to control movement, sound and music using a range of sensors using flowcharts and BASIC programming. Our Year 9 students deserve particular praise for their work on the OCR Functional Skills examination, where they achieved a very high pass rate on the Level 2 qualification.

42

At GCSE, Matthew Buckingham and Myles Morley became our first students to take GCSE ICT as a Twilight subject. This requires considerable independent work and selfdiscipline and these students achieved excellent results, especially considering the limited time they had to undertake the qualification. They both designed sophisticated websites incorporating video, sound and animation with high quality graphic communication skills shown throughout. Their achievement was mirrored by the curriculum group who produced a range of websites and games. Harry Davey and Nathan Smith completed exceptional ‘Retro’ games, incorporating carefully designed ‘sprites’ that were skilfully designed in Photoshop and then animated in GameMaker.

THE FULMERSTONIAN

2014 -2015


In Year 10, Jacob Wright, Max Albury and Daniel Connolly started Computing as a Twilight subject. They have made excellent progress designing ‘apps’ for Smartphones and we very much look forward to enjoying their further achievement in Year 11. At A Level, Mariam Ahmed and Sean Siraz produced high quality booking systems, using advanced and technically challenging features of Access and Excel. Across the school, use of ICT is changing rapidly. During the February Half-Term, we installed new servers and site-wide WiFi which allows our students and staff to connect securely to the internet from anywhere in the school. This has enabled our

students to be even more independent in the way they research and investigate their subjects. It is a credit to our students that we consistently see them using this technology responsibly, visiting educational websites and forums to support their studies and further their understanding of a range of topics. In the coming year, we hope to build on this infrastructure through further investment in classroom technology that will give our students and staff specialist resources that will specifically support individual subject needs from our Pre-Preparatory department right through to A Level.

THE FULMERSTONIAN

2014 -2015

43


MUSIC ABRSM Throughout the year Dr Stoppard and her team of music teachers have prepared over forty students for the Associated Board Royal School of Music exams, and once again the results have been startling. In October, fourteen students were assessed in their ability to perform such instruments as the guitar, violin and piano. The latter instrument was the main choice of over half the students, while Henry Bittleston undertook the demands of the rarely performed double bass. Highlights among the results were a Distinction on the violin for Omar El Oakley, who was also studying for his Grade 8 in piano later in the year. Harvey Jordan and Robert Heighton achieved a Pass and Merit respectively in the guitar, while all the pianists passed comfortably. The highlight amongst those results was Emma Ruddy’s Merit at Grade 7. The Spring Term saw another round of examinations mainly in the piano again, but the vocalists were given a chance to shine as the winter began to wane. Anna Clement and Henry Bittleston both achieved Grade 7 with Henry claiming a Distinction, whilst Phineas Humphris added to his array of musical achievements with a Grade 4 Distinction too. Seven pianists passed with Laurie Hyde-Parker’s Grade 5 Merit the pick of the bunch. At Grades 2 and 3 the students achieved two Distinction and four Merits.

44

Finally, the Summer Term ended with a flourish as Omar El Oakley achieved the astonishing result of a Distinction at Grade 8 in the piano. This is the highest award available to a student and it came as a deserved reward for a student who has practised assiduously for many years. Alongside Omar, Henry Bittleston improved on his autumn success with passes in the double bass, again, and the piano; while George Rupp joined the ranks of the multi instrumentalists with Merits at Grade 6 for the piano and Grade 4 in the ‘cello. CONCERTS The Winter and Summer Concerts were well supported as usual and this year we were entertained by the usual healthy mix of traditional and not so traditional items. Both at Christmas and in July we heard music ranging from Scarlatti to Pink Floyd and Ed Sheeran; the latter pieces being performed by Kendell Norris, Maia Chalfen and Oluwatemisola AdeCoker respectively.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


THE CHOIR AND VOCALEASE Both vocal groups continued to perform at a high standard both in and out of school. In December they could be found performing at a range of events including the Mayor of Thetford’s Christmas Service and other Mayoral functions around the town. Dr Stoppard would like to thank all the students as well as the peripatetic music staff who contribute so much to life at TGS

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL

45


PHYSICAL EDUCATION

GAMES The main sport for the girls in the Spring Term was netball, with a couple of hockey matches also being played. The U12 team were a work in progress. Although they lost both of their games, they came second in their area tournament, losing in the final to Attleborough by just one goal. This was a fabulous performance. Sophie Jacklin, Isabel Bourne, Elizabeth Wright and Franziska Elders, played up at least one year. The U13 team won one and lost one, but played superbly well to win their area tournament. Alana Wilson, Eleanor Pringle and Sophie Gornall all played especially well. The U14s won their only game with Clarissa Katsikides playing really well and Georgie Stephens and Georgia Reardon really improving.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


The U15s won both of their games and came second in their area tournament, losing to Wymondham College in the final. Megan Brown, Cecily White, Eireann Alderson and Kudzi Garikayi all played well. At U14 level Emily Tomkins, Eleanor Dickens, Clarissa Katsikides, Chloë Sorrell, Georgia Reardon, Kudzi Garikayi and Georgie Stephens were all awarded sports colours for their efforts during the year. At U16 level colours were awarded to Rachel Brown, Megan Curley, Emily Jones, Joanne Searle, Anya Culling, Evie Hindle, Nissi Ladell, Sophie Wheeler, Georgia Dargan and Simona Rabij. HOCKEY During the spring the U12s played their first ever hockey match, which they drew 2-2. Players of the match were Sophie Jacklin and Elizabeth Shelton. The U15s also played a hockey match against Old Buckenham High School, which they drew 2-2. Alexandra Ackerman and Eireann Alderson scored and Sharon Satish was player of the match.

U16 CRICKET The U16s played their last ever game against Finborough School. Batting first Finborough managed to build a good total, not helped by some extravagant bowling and fielding as TGS attempted to ensure all the team had a chance. They finished on 138 for the loss of 6 wickets in their 20 overs. Top bowlers were George Hammond, 3 wickets for 11 runs and Jake Aisthorpe, 1 wicket for 9 runs from their 3 overs. In reply, Thetford got off to a very slow start, lost an early wicket and were only able to score 39 from the first 12 overs. The pace quickened when Matthew Buckingham and Jake Aisthorpe came to the crease but it was too little too late. Jake scored a rapid 18 and Matthew finished 19 not out to bring the final total to 97 for 5, leaving Finborough as victors by 41 runs. Squad: William Honeywood, Robert Bailey, William Inman, Edward O’Keefe, Matthew Buckingham, Jake Aisthorpe, Ben Doyle, Alfred Bloomfield, Harry Davey, Harry Mayall.

Finally the U16s said farewell to their sporting year when they won their only hockey match, with excellent performances coming from Megan Curley, Joanne Searle and Emily Jones. The main sport of the Summer Term was rounders for the girls and cricket for the boys. We played a number of schools in rounders fixtures, and the statistics for the term read played 12, won 9 and lost 3. The U16s won one and lost one with Sophie Wheeler and Elleanor Webb playing well. However the U15s were the team of the term winning all their three matches. Top performers were Evie Pettingale, Sharon Satish and Eleanor Vinton. The U14s were also undefeated, winning both their games with good performances from Georgia Reardon, Ruby Raven, Chloë Sorrell and Hannah Clark. The U13s won two and lost one. Amelia Perry, Eleanor Pringle, Jessica Miller and Isabel Curley all played well.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL

47


SPORTS DAY

Once again the Senior School assembled on the field for our annual sports day, on a hot day in June. Mr Hill as leader of Millingtons House was hoping for another successful year, however as events unfolded the reigning champions did not have things their own way as Coles chased them all the way. Indeed the final score saw Reeds and Cronsheys taking the bottom two places; but only one point separated Coles from Millingtons in the final reckoning as the reigning champions regained their crown.

48

Outstanding performances came from a variety of students, but most notably the prizes for Victor and Victrix Ludorum went to the following pupils: Liam Vinton and Freya Webb took the senior prize while Ben Hayden and Eleanor Vinton received the intermediate awards. Runners such as Edward Briars and Joanne Searle achieved excellent results, while the field events saw new standards being set in the long jump and throwing competitions. We would all like to thank Mr Simpson, Mrs Alecock and Mr Hill for their efforts, which produced another excellent Sports Day.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


ICELAND During the Autumn Term half-term break a group of 22 Year 10-13 students, accompanied by Mrs Granger and Mr Law, joined a similar party from Culford School for a memorable trip to Iceland.

DAY 1 OUTWARD BOUND The party flew from Gatwick to Keflavik with WOW, the country’s national airline. The cabin crew lightened the mood immediately with a safety briefing which referred to this ‘very fancy aluminium tube’ and the use of the lifejackets’ flashing lights for ‘attracting sailors and mermaids’ should the airliner complete its journey in the Atlantic Ocean. Within an hour of leaving the terminal building the group was relaxing in the steaming geothermally heated mineral-rich waters of the Blue Lagoon, set within a barren landscape of volcanic lava fields. Suitably refreshed we then completed our journey to Hotel Cabin, in Reykjavik.

DAY 2 WATERFALLS, GLACIERS AND BASALT COLUMNS We headed south-eastwards along the coast road. Ascending the lava fields, overnight snow had transformed a landscape of dark, jagged rocks into a glistening white panorama, with visibility extending more than 30 miles to the newly created island of Surtsey. Stopping first at Seljalandsfoss, a spectacular 60m high waterfall, despite icy conditions underfoot, we were able to walk behind the cascading water accompanied by the thunderous sound of it dropping into the deep plunge pool below.

In the afternoon we travelled to the top of Solheimajokull, a rapidly retreating valley glacier. The group then ventured onto the glacier’s surface, pitted with ridges and deep crevasses and, under expert guidance, saw how ice and meltwater interacted to create a unique landscape.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL


This was followed by a short journey to Strokur. Here a geyser which spouted hot water more than 30 metres skywards every few minutes created real ‘wow’ moments.

The final stop was at the coastal cliffs at Dyrholaey where hexagonal basalt columns formed the walls and ceiling of a deep cave fronted by a volcanic black sand beach. A spectacular sunset followed by a clear moonlit evening provided hope that the Northern Lights would illuminate the night sky but it was not to be.

The location of Iceland at the boundary of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates at the northern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is largely responsible for its unique landscape. In Thingvillir National Park the effects of diverging plates was clearly evident and here the group could readily identify fault lines and rift valleys. We took the opportunity of visiting the local outdoor swimming pool. Here, geothermal heating maintained pool temperatures in the high twenties with surrounding hot tubs up to 38˚C.

DAY 3 ICELAND PAST AND PRESENT After an overnight stay at Dyrholaey, the early morning was spent at the small coastal town of Vik where a walk down onto the deserted beach gave impressive views of the remarkable basalt sea stacks at Reymsarangar. Heading back towards Reykjavik, the next stop was at the Skogar Folk Museum where, through an excellent presentation by the curator, the group was given an insight into the harsh sea-dependent lifestyle of Icelanders in former times. The small ‘greenhouse’ town of Hevragerdi, one of Iceland’s geothermal hot spots, provided the venue for an unusual lunch which included eggs boiled in the nearby hot springs with bread baked in a geothermal steam oven – genuine ‘green’ cuisine! This was followed by a walk up Reykjadur valley to view the latest hot springs which appeared after the 2008 Olfus earthquake. DAY 4 HOT WATER FOR A COLD NATION

DAY 5 HOMEWARD BOUND After a morning of sightseeing and shopping in Reykjavik, an afternoon flight returned us all safely to the U.K. Lasting impressions of Iceland were of a country which is successful in so many ways with a fit, healthy and content population, minimal unemployment, poverty and crime and an abundance of natural wonders and resources which are utilised to maximum advantage. Finally enormous thanks must go to Mr Glassbrook for organising the trip and to Ole Magnusson, our guide for the week. John Law

The day began with a visit to the Hellisheidi geothermal power station which provides much of the country’s electricity and hot water. Venturing inland, the next stop was at the double-drop Gullfoss Waterfalls where icy glacial meltwater plunges more than 30 metres into a deep mile-long gorge.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SENIOR SCHOOL



SIXTH FORM Sixth Form is the last step on the journey out in to the world beyond school. For most, this means preparing for university: application, choices, exams and the individual personal statements. The TGS Sixth Form focusses on guiding pupils through the process and on to greater success. Beyond this, being at the ‘top of the school’ brings with it greater responsibility, independence and opportunities. As usual this year, Sixth Form students have travelled far and wide for unique and valuable experiences, including work experience in Denmark and MEP sessions in both Luxembourg and Naples. Closer to home, pupils coordinated groups such as the new Peer Listening Service run ‘for students, by students’ and continue to aid the school in various Prefect positions, proving their dedication and maturity and developing valuable skills for later life.


SIXTH FORM WORK EXPERIENCE IN DENMARK In March of 2015 four groups of three Lower Sixth students travelled independently to Hirtshals in Jutland, northernmost Denmark, for one week work experience placements, as part of the ‘Brit Week’ project. Transport costs are heavily subsidised by the local organiser and accommodation is kindly provided by local families. The cost in 2015 was £50 per participant. Each week consisted of several hours of lessons and games with a designated class, off their standard timetable, with the goal of teaching and improving English. Local coordinator Cheryl Strike values the role of the British students highly, as they help engage the Danish pupils with the language and boost their confidence. In 2016 there may be more placements. All applicants will be interviewed by the Head of Sixth Form. UCAS 2016 ON TOUR! Following the information evening for students and parents, the Lower Sixth visited Nottingham University for a busy day on campus. Activities included a guided tour of facilities and accommodation, advice on selecting courses and institutions and a practical workshop on managing money. Student ambassadors answered questions at the plenary session held in the engineering block. There are currently two TGS alumni at this leading Russell Group institution, studying Politics and Criminology.

54

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SIXTH FORM


MODERN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TGS was again able to send delegates to the Model European Parliament in both the Autumn and Spring sessions, in Luxembourg and Naples respectively. After an application and interview by the Deputy Head, Mrs Elders and Head of History, Miss Bailey, successful candidates Omar El Oakley and Jacob Dunn were selected for the Luxembourg session. Omar was recommended by his Committee President after the session for his outstanding work and accompanied the UK delegation, which included TGS pupil Phineas Humphris, for the Spring session as a CP. The sessions themselves saw some of the brightest young minds of the EU debate and propose solutions to some of the most pressing issues for Europe. Committees presented resolutions on matters as far ranging as the environmental impact of plastic bag use, to the EU’s position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

CENOTAPH TRIP On the 11th of November, TGS was represented by three Year 12 students to commemorate Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. At the invitation of the Western Front Association, a wreath was laid by Lauren Haylock, supported by Megan and Ross Gallacher. Prime Minister David Cameron then invited all school representatives to attend a photo opportunity on the steps of 10 Downing Street.

Outside of the stressful work of resolution drafting and the heated debates of the General Assembly, delegates were able to see something of both of these vibrant cities and form some lasting friendships with young people from across the EU. All delegates returned with an awareness of the singularly valuable experience they had gained and their good fortune in having such an opportunity offered to them. TGS is one of three UK schools from which delegates are selected, the largest pool of applicants being around fifty students. For comparison, both the Italian and German delegations are selected from highly competitive national sessions of over ten thousand hopefuls.

“It was an absolute honour to be a part of such a prestigious event commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. After the ceremony we were invited to 10 Downing Street, which brought an exciting end to the trip. A big thank you to Mr Law.” Megan Gallacher SIXTH FORM PEER LISTENERS 2014 saw the establishing of the new Peer Listening Service. Volunteers from the Sixth Form received extensive training and advice from the School Counselor and organising teachers on listening technique and safeguarding protocol. The Service was launched with an assembly by the Peer Listeners as a ‘confidential, non-judgmental listening service, run for students by students’. It is hoped the service will continue to grow and be a valuable help to students. Training for new Listeners will begin in the next school year, taking volunteers from the incoming Year 12s.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

SIXTH FORM

55



XTRA CURRICULAR TGS always prides itself on the academic progress of our students, however the extra curricular life of the school has been equally important in developing the personalities of our students. Throughout the year we offer a wide range of activities and this section of The Fulmerstonian celebrates many examples of the outstanding successes that take place outside the classrooms.


LEAVERS’ DAY In May we said goodbye to some of our Year 11 students. The group contained many popular pupils who had entertained us throughout the past five years and as a result it was no surprise to see them thoroughly enjoy their final day in the right spirit. As is the tradition on a day such as this, the students arrive in fancy dress and as usual there was a bewildering array of cartoon characters, super heroes and stereotypes from stage and screen. Consequently, we saw Batman and the Hulk arrive alongside a pair of honey bees, a cowboy and Captain Jack Sparrow. All four leaders of the main political parties turned up with Augustus Altuccini making a passable resemblance to Boris Johnson. Once the shock of the arrivals was over, the students sat through their final formal assembly before embarking on their own version, whereby staff and students reminisced over their development of the past five years. Once that was done, dinner was served, with the students sitting down for their last meal together. Tradition has it that the staff serve the students and this year Miss Sherring was ably supported by Mr Glassbrook, Mrs Granger, Mrs Pringle and Mr Young. The day ended with a series of games and events on the school field, before a sumptuous barbeque was served.

58

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR


YEAR 11 PROM In June, the Year 11 prom took place at Elveden. Pupils enjoyed helping plan and organise the event with Miss Sherring. A sparkling array of glamorous costumes and outrageous cars arrived at the front of the lodge. After photographs were taken outside, the students enjoyed their meal with their selection of ambient music to match the event. They arranged a photobooth for couples and groups of friends. Ben Doyle said ‘he loved the evening and was amazed how quickly it went!’

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR

59


VENDRE PLAGE MIMOSA The ‘Ardèche Trip’ arrived early in the morning on the Mediterranean coast in the South of France for the first part of this two centre adventure. The group consisted of Year 9 and 10 students, who had all had very little sleep on the journey down. After a small tour and some breakfast, everyone headed down to the beach right on the edge of camp. Everyone jumped straight into the sea in the blazing sun and played sea games all morning. One afternoon also included going to the nearby town, Cap d’Agde, for some shopping within the harbour full of expensive boats. The Mediterranean part of the trip ended with a visit to the fun-filled day at Aqualand Waterpark while en route to the Ardèche. By Angus Russell

Afternoons consisted of sailing different types of boats of various shapes and sizes. Activities included windsurfing, raft building, kayaking and the most popular and extremely good fun banana boat. The fun carried on into the evening with team games such as beach games, protecting a water balloon from exploding when dropped from a tower and the enjoyable robot wars in which most people got soaking wet. After dinner and some free time, table tennis and volleyball were played while a disco took place inside.

60

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR


“It was an unforgettable experience; one that holds some of the most beautiful memories. I wish I could go again!” Charlotte Long “It was definitely the best trip I’ve ever been on! Windsurfing wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.” Eireann Alderson “It was a great trip. We got to mix with the younger year and made great memories we’ll never forget. A huge thank you to all the teachers for making this experience possible.” Alexandra Ackerman “Staying in cabins was a great privilege and a fantastic surprise.” Jude Blakemore

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR


ARDÈCHE

After we had spent a few days at Mimosa, we travelled to the Ardèche Gorge, where we were welcomed by our friendly ‘groupie’ Vicky. After we settled into our wooden cabins, we were whisked off to dinner, which we very much enjoyed. Later we played a game called ‘Superhero’; this involved the production of mini plays which included heroes and villains and was followed by a disco. The next morning we woke up early ready for a day on the river. After breakfast, we went for a ‘river tour and talk’, where all of us left completely soaked. We got ready and went for a ‘Shake-Down’ session to warm us up ready for the day.

rowed for a while and saw some of the most amazingly beautiful canyons and scenery I have ever seen. We stopped and played games along the way and learnt how to handle rapids in our canoes. For lunch we had a lovely selection of food to choose from and then we headed back down the river. We did the smallest of our rock jumps that day, which we thought was really good fun.

When we arrived at the gorge we got into pairs for our kayaking experience and learnt some techniques on how to handle our boats then, on to the river we went. We

Next morning we woke a little later and we were ready for another day of kayaking down the Ardèche.

That night back at the campsite we played the cube, very much like the game show on TV. Later, we all got to go in the pool and played many games in the water. This was followed by a disco.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR


Once again we did the ‘Shake-Down’, so that we were all warmed up for the river. At lunch we enjoyed a lovely feast and at the end of the day we had to walk up the canyon back to the coach; this was a gruelling 1km climb, but we all completed it with a real sense of satisfaction. That night at the campsite we all went to the disco to burn off our remaining energy. The next day we all had to walk back down the canyon and handle some of the trickiest rapids yet, which were a lot of fun; many people fell out of their boats. Later that evening we went into the Ardèche town of Sete and bought souvenirs for our families back home. The final day felt like it was the longest, as we kayaked the furthest distance. This was a sad day as it was our last on the river, but we all made sure we had a great time. We did another rock jump, this one being the highest of them all. Later that evening we packed up our stuff and travelled home. I really enjoyed myself on this trip and I know everyone else did too. By Chloe Garrett

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR


BURGUNDY

While the older students were in the South of France, Mr Maringue was taking our Year 7 and 8 pupils to Burgundy for the annual trip for our young linguists. As in other years, the students had language lessons in the morning and a different range of activities in the afternoon. Mr Maringue was delighted with the pupils and Liam Dargan said that the trip was an ‘amazing experience’.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR


THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR

65


DUKE OF EDINBURGH The Duke of Edinburgh award scheme continued to be a central part of school life in 2014-15. As in previous years, Mr Simpson organised Gold, Silver and Bronze trips throughout the year, so that every student had the opportunity to take advantage of the scheme. During the Autumn and Spring terms it was the turn of our Year 10 cohort to undertake their Bronze Award and, as usual, the number of students wanting to take up the D of E challenge was enormous. Nonetheless, both expeditions were successful with just one blister needing running repairs over the weekend. However, this did not prevent the usual number of stories from students who had got lost somewhere along the line. Oscar Lane said that he ‘loved every minute’ while Ruby Robertson overcame her initial reticence to say that she had ‘really enjoyed both weekends’. Later in the year saw students undertaking their Silver and Gold expeditions with great success. Beatrice and Robert Heighton completed their awards while Emma Ruddy and Holly Simpson also achieved their Silver and Gold respectively.

66

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR


Finally, it was Mr Simpson’s turn to achieve a Duke of Edinburgh award, as he was invited to attend this year’s Gold Award ceremony as a thank you for all his efforts. Not only was he able to meet the Duke who thanked him personally, Mr Simpson was also able to enjoy the honour surrounded by his family. This was because two of his children were receiving their Gold Awards and so they were allowed to invite one guest. Mr Simpson was allowed to do the same and so the whole family saw former pupils Laura and Matthew receive their Gold Award, while Mr Simpson was thanked personally by Prince Phillip for all his efforts over the 25 years he has spent organising the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme at TGS.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR

67


U.S.A. TRIP In February, the Art department took a group of students to Washington DC and New York in the USA. The trip was of particular interest to GCSE and A Level students especially those taking History, Art and Design and Technology. For all it was a chance to visit some of the most iconic art galleries, as well as spending time in two of the most vibrant and inspirational cities in the world. In Washington they visited the Pentagon, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, as well as the Smithsonian Museums and Art Galleries. Since 9/11 it is almost impossible to get into the White House but Miss Sherring and Miss Bailey made sure that all the students had a look at it from the outside. In New York, the whole group went up the Empire State Building and across on the Statue of Liberty Ferry to Ellis Island. They also visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim, whilst of special interest to the Historians was the visit to the United Nations Building and a guided city tour. Not surprisingly the opportunity to shop and walk through Central Park were also highlights of an extraordinary week. Overall, Miss Sherring and Miss Bailey were delighted with the whole week which was as packed as usual. A big thank you to Clemency Wood in Year 11 for taking some brilliant photos.

68

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR


THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR

69


THE ELECTION THE SCHOOL ELECTION This year was the year of the general election where a new party and Prime Minister were elected into government. To help give the students an understanding of what was going on, Mrs Pringle came up with the idea of holdng our own school election where we could vote and elect a mock party formed by students. Each Year Group chose a few representatives to form a party. Lower down the Senior School, the students created new names for their parties such as ‘Vision’, while the older Year Groups stuck with the traditional parties such as Liberal Democrats and Conservatives.

Each gave a speech to their year groups in an attempt to convince them to vote for their party, by stating what they would do if they got elected and what their aims and objectives were. The candidates had two minutes each to present their speeches. At the end they had to decide which party was the most promising based on what they heard. An anonymous ballot was held for people to cast their votes on ballot papers. The votes were counted and the results were announced at a whole school assembly by Mr. Price.

70

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR


The winners of this election were the ‘Tomorrow Party’ representatives Sebastian Floyd and Sophie Jacklin in Year 7 and the ‘Transform Party’ representative Jessica Miller in Year 8. In Years 9 and 10, the ‘Tomorrow Party’ representative Joseph Hobbs and Conservative representatives Gabrielle Hunter-Short and Max Albury were duly elected. Everyone who participated in the election worked hard and did very well in writing and presenting their speeches. Hopefully this gave the students a bit more understanding about elections and voting for the near future. Some of the other participants included were James Sibley, Angus Pringle, Emily Stainsby, Cecily White, Thomas Cash, Jack Bercovici, Joseph Hobbs, Elliott Sanders, Sophie Jacklin and Minnie Molyneux. By Oluwatemisola Ade-Coker

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR

71


CHARITIES This year we have held many events in order to raise money for different charities. Here are just a few examples: We held a Macmillan Coffee morning at the start of the year where we raised £536.84 for Macmillan Cancer Support. At Christmas, we became one of over seventy-five schools helping to support Sugar for Shelters. This is part of the Buckingham Emergency Food Appeal and is Norfolk’s own Christmas Food Charity. This was measured in bags of sugar, not money. In March, we had a non-uniform day to raise money for Red Nose Day and we raised £460.36. In early May, we raised money for the Nepal disaster funds for shelter boxes and we raised £563.00. We have also held several staff coffee mornings which have supported Liam Vinton’s charity, as he competed in a triathlon to raise money to help stop deforestation, The Children’s Society and The Railway Children charity. Overall, we have raised nearly £2000 pounds for worthwhile causes in one year.

72

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR


HOUSE COMPETITIONS The House Competition was closely fought throughout the year as, once again, our students embarked on the annual series of events which make up the House year. House Speaking, Drama and Public Speaking were the main winter events, but these were also accompanied by smaller events such as the Lit Quizzes. All things came to a head in the summer on Sports Day which was won by Millingtons. Such was the competitiveness of the day that Coles lost out to their rivals by one point, which meant that the House Quiz would be the decisive event in producing this year's most successful House. After a close fought series of rounds, Coles were crowned as the House Champions for the year. The pictures on this page are taken from the House Drama competition held at Christmas.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR

73


ARTS AWARD

Arts Award students have been busy this year working on a variety of projects. 7 pupils in Year 9 gained their Bronze awards this term, developing work based around their work on Perry Green and Lord of the Flies, as well as delivering some super crafting sessions to their peers.

Silver Arts Award students have been working independently to develop their own schemes of work which have included dance, painting, textiles and photography. Four Silver students put on their own exhibition during the annual Art show and another pair has helped create props for the Junior School production. Megan Gallacher has continued to work on her Gold award, completing her writing up on designing the Fulmerstonian, as well as making a start on the personal arts development aspect of her award, which is going

74

to explore both photography and film. This will allow Megan to explore a new art form - film - and then use this to influence her own work in photography, which should be an exciting creative opportunity for her. Cecily White is currently developing her experience in community arts by initiating her own community art project in Thetford to also work towards her Gold award. Overall, the scheme has continued to help students develop their experiences, take control of their own learning, work together and challenged them with new skills and disciplines.

As we look forward to next year we have a number of Year 9 students already well underway with their Silver award and some Year 10s about to complete their Silver creative journeys. This year’s Year 8s have all begun Bronze awards and will have the option to complete them in the next academic year, so we look forward to more creative endeavours to celebrate.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR


SOUTHWOLD ART TRIP During activities week, the GCSE and A Level Art students had the opportunity to visit Southwold and document the British seaside in the summer. Pupils visited the pier, photographing and sketching the architecture, the amusements, the view and the holidaying public. Having captured the quintessential English seaside scenes, they had lunch at a local fish and chip shop and enjoyed an ice cream. An enjoyable and productive day out was had by all.

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2014 -2015

EXTRA CURRICULAR

75


he would often ruminate upon, but one thing was constant about Gareth: throughout that time his enthusiasm for education and his love of teaching shone through in every task he undertook. It was not unusual to see him at the bus stop, long before dawn, making sure he said ‘goodbye’ to a trip, and then working in a busy school throughout the day, before embarking on an evening’s additional duties, including Parent’s Evening or a Governors’ meeting. A 16-hour day was commonplace. The smile never faded and laughter was never muted. As his final year came to a close, the whole school began to appreciate what life without his presence would mean. As a result, his final assembly was an event which combined the joyous celebration of all things Gareth enjoyed about school life, such as music, celebration and smiling children; alongside the poignant reminiscences of the staff and students

We say farewell... The summer of 2015 will be remembered for many years as the year when one of its most popular Headmasters retired. Gareth Price had decided to hang up his gown and mortar board earlier in the year so that the school could organise a smooth handover from one Headmaster to the next. It was a gesture that was typical of Mr Price, whose conscientious nature would always see him putting the school before himself. Mr Price began teaching over 40 years ago during a time when teaching was supposedly easier. Whether such claims can ever be justified is something that

themselves. The last act of his final day saw our retiring Headmaster take centrestage (a place he often shunned in favour of others) receiving tributes and thanks from children throughout the school. This public outpouring of emotion was the least he deserved after a lifetime working to make the lives of children better, and the tears on many faces suggested that life without his presence would be poorer for many students. Gareth Price leaves with the heartfelt thanks of a school he led with distinction, humility and grace, and we all wish him, and his wife Gillian, a wonderful, long and well-deserved retirement.

THE FULMERSTONIAN

2014 -2015


“I haven’t been here long so I don’t have many memories, but I do know that you are a fantastic teacher, and a great leader/head of school. You are firm but fair and also understand people’s problems and you have all the qualities found in an ‘amazing teacher’. I hope that you have a lovely retirement and a well earned break.” Chloë Sorell

“There were four bodies: Anybody, Somebody, Nobody and Everybody. Anybody could have been our Headmaster; Somebody had to do it; But Nobody could have done it better; and Everybody will miss you.” Emma Ruddy

“Thank you for being such a fantastic Head over the years. Good luck in your retirement.” William Honeywood

“I am so grateful for everything you’ve done for me over the past 9 years. You’ve given me and my family so much support and without you my life would be very different. Thank you for everything. I am going to miss you so much. I hope you enjoy many happy years of retirement.” Megan Gallacher

“You really have made my time here amazing. Every day I got up genuinely excited to come into school. Thank you for making the last few years so great!” Liam Vinton

I liked the way you told stories in the assemblies! I hope you have a good retirement.” Robert Ackerman

Mr Price Headmaster of Thetford Grammar School 2005-2015

“Thank you so much for creating an environment in which everyone can not only grow academically, but also socially. I believe it would have been a lot different with another teacher and I would not have wanted it any other way.” Grace Colasante

“I was so sorry to hear that you were leaving, but I wish you all the best in your retirement. You have been a wonderful Headmaster and always respectful of people’s views and ideas, at the same time being an excellent teacher.” Beatrice Heighton

“Thank you for everything you have done and making the last six years so memorable.” Archie Blakemore

“Thank you for keeping me on the straight and narrow. The school will not be the same without you. Good luck.” Patrick Davis

“Without you the school choir and string ensemble will be much poorer.” Omar El Oakley

“Over the years we have been on lots of trips and we really appreciated seeing your friendly face, whether that was early in the morning or late at night, to see us off and welcome us back.” 10A girls

“‘It’s not where you have come from, it is where you are going that matters.’ This was one of the first things you ever said to me and I will always remember that. I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for me. I hope you have a wonderful and peaceful retirement. You will be sorely missed.” Lauren Haylock

THE FULMERSTONIAN

2014 -2015


VALETES GINA IRVING Gina joined the school in 2008 with the brief to revitalise Drama, which is exactly what she achieved in her seven years with us. She has been an inspirational teacher. We will fondly remember her exuberant musicals, such as ‘Grease’, ‘A Midsummer Night`s Dream’ and many others, but it is what she achieved in the classroom and Drama studio, that will last in people’s memories. Her tireless promotion of her passion has led to increased provision within the curriculum, culminating in the emergence of an A Level Theatre Studies group for the next academic year. Similarly, her development of LAMDA, as a further means to encourage drama in the school, has already led to significant success with exams and the subsequent value of this for UCAS applications. She has managed all this in often challenging circumstances, trying to find rehearsal time with young people who are extremely busy and being torn in different directions with other worthy commitments. We wish her well in a deserved and fullyearned retirement. ALEX SHILLINGS Alex joined the Science Department in 2010, as a young and very bright university scientist. He learnt his professional skills very quickly and in the classroom he has been a dynamic and popular teacher. He also took responsibility for the ‘Stretch and Challenge’ programme and proved to be a real champion of pushing the very able as well as ensuring that all students were exposed to challenging Science events. Alex has been a very caring and supportive form tutor, taking a genuine interest in his tutees. He moves onto further responsibilities at Wisbech Grammar School and we wish him every success in the future. JEMMA FIFIELD Jemma joined the Geography Department in 2007 and soon established a reputation for exciting and lively lessons. Following the birth of her children, she continued in a part-time capacity, playing a key role in the school, especially in promoting multi-cultural activities, using her subject specialisms. She has now decided it is time to move on, as her family enter a new phase. We wish her every happiness for the future.

THE FULMERSTONIAN

2014 -2015


CREDITS

We hope you have enjoyed reading this year’s magazine. As the Headmaster hinted in his introduction, the name ‘Fulmerston’ has been an important link between our school’s past and its present for many years. In recent times, Mr Price has added to that history by maintaining that we should celebrate the work of our pupils on every page of this magazine. This year we took him at his word again. The Fulmerstonian has been produced by the following students: Toby Culling, Eleanor Dickens, Louis Dunn, Maximilian Elders, Chloe Garrett, Kudzi Garikayi, James Gornall, Lewis Haynes, Clarissa Katsikides, Tomás Morgan, Ruby Raven, Angus Russell, and Chloë Sorrell, all from 9M and Oluwatemisola Ade-Coker 10A and Phineas Humphris 12LW Staff: Mr and Mrs Foreman, Mr Jenkinson and Mr Young, not forgetting the Office staff, Mrs Brooks and Mrs Reynolds. Once again, a special ‘thank you’ goes to the incredibly talented Megan Gallacher, who designed the entire magazine and has spent several months of hard work on this publication. Any errors are innocent ones and all ours. More importantly, we hope that they do not spoil your enjoyment of this year’s magazine. Finally, as we go to press, we look back on a job well done and look forward to future generations as they enjoy creating their own versions of ‘The Fulmerstonian’ in years to come.

THE FULMERSTONIAN

2014 -2015

79


Thetford Grammar School Bridge Street Thetford IP24 3AF Tel: 01842 752840 Website: www.thetgram.norfolk.sch.uk VLE: www.thetgram.co.uk Facebook: Thetford Grammar School


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.