18 March 2022 – Issue 10
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Gold Medal for Hettie
Head’s Introduction
The war in Ukraine and the subsequent humanitarian crisis continues, and I am proud that the Roedean community has been proactive in responding to it. This week, our students have made paper sunflowers to create a living and growing installation in Chapel – this symbol of our support for those suffering is also a tangible indication of the community’s desire to help. In addition to everyone’s personal charitable activities beyond School, students and staff have made donations to make sunflowers, the School wore blue and yellow on Tuesday, and our parents have also made very generous donations. So far, these donations have reached £1905, but this figure continues to grow – these funds will be directed through Plan UK to help those arriving in Moldova from Ukraine. Thank you for your generosity and support! I am delighted to hear that a second Netball team has successfully reached the National Plate Finals – the U15As’ victory this week means that they will join the U13As in the Finals next week. Both teams have shown great promise, but they have also worked incredibly hard to improve their play, resilience and focus on the court. Reaching the National Plate Finals is an outstanding achievement, both for the teams themselves and Netball at Roedean – congratulations, and good luck next week! Following last week’s Chapel service by Dr Staniford introducing British Science Week, there have been a whole range of scientific activities going on around the School. These have taken place in lessons, in the co-curricular activities, and in the Fireplace at other times of day – the aim nationally is to raise the profile of science and to make sure it is accessible to all, and that aim has certainly been realised at Roedean this week. Well done to everyone involved. Next week’s performances of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in our refurbished Theatre will be the perfect foil to the wonderful Romance and Tragedy performance last week. If the extracts from the play which were included last week are any indication of the final performance, I am sure that it will be fantastic. The play has been double-cast, giving many more the opportunity to take to the stage and share their talents. Break a leg! The end of next week will also see an Art Exhibition in the Old Ref, showcasing the remarkably diverse and creative work which is produced in the Art Department – the work will be on display for a number of days, so I hope that students and the wider Roedean community can enjoy it. The formal showing begins on Friday – if you are going to the play, I encourage you to visit the Exhibition beforehand. On Friday, we also commemorate Founders’ Day with a special service for our students and invited guests – we remember those former members of the School who have passed away in recent years, and a candle is lit for each. It is a beautiful and poignant service which underlines the strong connection linking the current community through previous generations of Roedeanians to our Founding Lawrence sisters. Well done to all those in Years 13 and 11 who have been sitting assessments this week – I hope that the experience has been a positive and productive one. The Prefect selection process for next year has begun, and I wish all of the applicants the best of luck for the hustings next week. I wish you all a relaxing and restful weekend.
Romeo & Juliet
U15 Netballers in the National Plate Finals
Sunflower Installation for Ukraine
£1905
18 March 2022 – Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Unsung heroes in the spotlight Each week, many wonderful things happen at Roedean, about which many in the school are perhaps unaware; this section of the weekly review is dedicated to ‘unsung heroes’, in order to draw our attention to these people and remind us that our community is special.
Jemima (Yr12) and Izzy (Yr11) – for proactively driving forward the fund-raising ideas to support those fleeing conflict in Ukraine [Dr Barrand]
Gold Medal for Hettie Congratulations to Hettie (Yr9), who attended the Springboard Festival for Piano last weekend, and won a Gold medal for the Sonatina and Sonata class and “The Seventh Art Sonata Cup”. Hettie's parents reported that she is thrilled and throughly enjoyed the whole process, and that she also met some other young musicians from the local area. They would like to thank Miss Ono, Hettie's Piano teacher, for her continued inspiration, encouragement, guidance, and support for their daughter.
Staff
Spring has Sprung at Roedean!
Mr Barber – for stepping in to cover the Deepdene German enrichment sessions at short notice [Dr Barrand]
This lovely photo taken by Mrs Sharp captures a snapshot of our wonderful grounds at springtime!
Ms Boobis – for stepping in to look after our visitors from St Mark's and Deepdene this week in my absence – thank you [Dr Barrand]
Mrs Miller and Ms Stephens – for running excellent academic enrichment sessions for St Mark's pupils at Roedean [Dr Barrand] Mrs Andrew – for being an absolute superstar in terms of organising Biology Olympiad competitions, manning the British Science Week activity, and helping out with numerous other things this week, including finding beetroot so that Year 10 could experience an exciting A Level practical this week! [Mrs Borsberry]
Head of Year Awards This week saw our first Head of Year Awards given out in Years 7, 8, and 9. The prize is a Golden Ticket, which entitles the winner and a friend to jump the lunch queue for one week! Pupils are nominated by their teachers and peers for all sorts of lovely reasons – congratulations to our first winners: Miss Hart
Ishbel
Lily
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Lydia
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Sunflower Installation for Ukraine
18 March 2022 – Issue 10
Roedean's Support for the Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine
Thank you to all of you for your contributions to our appeal raising money for Plan UK's support of Ukrainians. We have raised a fantastic £1905 so far!
Thank you for the money you have generously donated to support the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine – donations from the Roedean community are now totalling over £1900, which will make a huge difference.
Thank you, too, to Jemima, Keira, Gabby, Sabina, and Phoebe in Year 12, and Amy, Elsa, Polly, and Beatrice in Year 8, for creating our art installation of a wall of sunflowers – the flower of Ukraine – in Chapel.
The donations are still coming in, and it is still possible to donate if you would like to do so – Roedean parents can follow this link: https://roedean. wufoo.com/forms/ukraine-humanitarian-crisis-donations/. The funds raised will go, via Plan UK, to support the work at the Moldovan border with Ukraine, in recognition of the fact that we have a student in the Sixth Form from Moldova.
This will be a living, growing, installation for the remainder of term, so if you'd like to make a sunflower and write a message to add to the display, let your Head of Year, Ms Boobis, or Dr Barrand know.
Senior Singers in The Planets The Roedean Senior Singers joined the Sussex Symphony Orchestra on Saturday 12 March for a performance of Holst’s The Planets. The piece features seven movements, with the choir featured in the final movement: Neptune, the Mystic. The Senior Singers gave a stunning performance of this difficult music with its complex harmony and many layered texture, and they represented the School brilliantly – well done! Mr Rous
The ‘sunflower installation’, a symbolic representation of our suuport for the humanitarian crisis, is now on display in the Chapel – it has been wonderful to see members of the student body driving this charitable work forward. We are grateful to everyone who has been involved, and the installation will continue to grow as more sunflowers are added. Well done!
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Dr Barrand
18 March 2022 – Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Romance and Tragedy – a Triumph! The School was magically transformed into a unique performance space for Romance and Tragedy. The Library became a theatre, the Cloisters a stage, and the Chapel a scene from a fairytale. The audience was taken on a journey through the School to the story of Romeo and Juliet. Masks were given to the audience, and as they entered the Library, they were serenaded by a String Quartet, played beautifully by Rachel, Alissandra, Eva, and Sarah. Whilst sipping drinks and eating delicious canapés, the trumpet fanfare interrupted their chatter and the band struck up with 'It had better be tonight', performers amongst the audience then began the prologue and jumped onto the stages to perform. After a rousing number of 'Mambo' from West Side Story by the Band, the audience's gaze was directed to the winding staircase where Juliet (Yanka) and Romeo (Isla) performed an incredibly moving extract from Shakespeare's famous balcony scene. The String Ensemble then floated in with the music from this scene in the 1996 Baz Luhrmann film. The audience then collected more drinks and sweet canapés from the Blyth, where there was a Love art installation by the very talented Indigo. They proceeded out into the lit Cloisters for the next section of the story. It began with a moving rendition of the Apology song, sung under the Cloisters by Niamh, Hebe, and Alissandra (who also accompanied on the violin). Quickly after, the action took off with the fight scene between Romeo (Isla) and Tybalt (Maya), the audience rushed to be closer,
and the performers used the space well and committed to the scene. The Choir then entered and sang Tragedy (Bee Gees), after which they led everyone into the Chapel where the audience collected a candle and walked past a painting especially commissioned for the event by Anthea. The Chapel was lit with fairy lights, and the solemn mood of the Organ, played by Mr Wilson, led us to the death scene between Romeo (Isla) and Juliet (Eloise). After the final scene, a ballerina (Claire) appeared to perform the scene from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, accompanied by the Orchestra. This was a unique experience for the orchestra and was so beautiful to see in the setting of the Chapel. From above, Ella, with the voice of an angel, sang the Pie Jesu from Fauré's Requiem – it was extremely moving and beautifully performed. The final piece was In Paradisum, sung by the Choir and accompanied by the Orchestra. It was a fitting end to an extraordinary event that saw girls from the Performing and Creative Arts departments join together and share their equally extraordinary talents. It was a memorable night for everyone. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed, and to the huge team who made it happen: the Housemen, for the enormous amount of room rearranging, Catering, for the delicious canapes, IT and the Theatre technicians for their exceptional lighting and tech skills, and to Mr Wailes for executing the vision. And finally thank you to the creative team who worked so hard to bring it all together, Mr Rous, Ms Bartlette, Mrs Woodbridge, Ms Strachan, and Miss Abaza.
SCHOLARS’ CONCERT
Here is a selection of some feedback we have received since the event:
“J ust wanted to say thank you so much for this perfor mance. It was so beautifully done, I’m so glad I got to see this incredible music.”
c evening it was “W hat a fantasti oughly enjo yed last night, we thor tstanding, ou it. The girls were rts of the pa and the different ni ng. S o many school looked stun created a little details w hich e. M any er wonderful atm osph l.” u thanks to yo al
“I heard so many people saying it was the best show they had ever seen at Roedean!”
"Wow. Hands down one of the most amazing performances I've ever witnessed at Roedean. ‘Romance and Trag edy' was a Fusion of Art, Music, Drama and Dance telling the class ic tale of Romeo & Juliet and performed in the totally transformed spaces of the Library, the Cloisters and the Chapel at Roedean, with the audience moving interactively amongst the performances; It was an innovative and fresh take on the visual and performing arts whic h took its audience on a literal journey and showcased the incredib ly high standards of all four disciplines at Roedean." Page 4
18 March 2022 – Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
The sheer number of students involved highlights that this was a genuinely collaborative project, and it also brought together girls from every year-group: Abbie (Yr9) Alice (Yr9) Alice (Yr10) Alisa (Yr11) Alissandra (Yr11) Alma (Yr12) Anamika (Yr13) Andrea (Yr11) Anna (Yr9) Annette (Yr11) Astri (Yr7) Athena (Yr9) Aubrey (Yr9) Audrey (Yr8) Ayla (Yr9) Becca (Yr9) Bernice (Yr9) Bonnie (Yr7) Bronwen (Yr13) Carly (Yr12) Carmen (Yr11) Cartoon (Yr8) Cherrie (Yr9) Cheryl (Yr10) Chloe (Yr8) Chloe (Yr8) Chloe (Yr13) Claire (Yr9) Claudia (Yr7) Daisy (Yr9) Daisy (Yr9) Diana (Yr10) Eileen (Yr10) Ella (Yr10) Ellen (Yr9) Ellen (Yr12) Eloise (Yr9) Elspeth (Yr9) Eva (Yr13) Evie (Yr9) Fan (Yr13) Fleur (Yr10) Gabby (Yr12) Gabriella (Yr7) Galina (Yr10) Gianna (Yr12) Hannah (Yr10) Harmony (Yr12) Hebe (Yr11) Heidi (Yr11) Hettie (Yr9) Holly (Yr7) Indigo (Yr9) Indigo (Yr9) Iras (Yr12) Isabella (Yr8) Isla (Yr7) Isla (Yr11) Izzy (Yr9) Jaime (Yr10) Jemima (Yr12) Joanna (Yr9) Joy (Yr7) Kaitlin (Yr10) Karen (Yr13) Karena (Yr12) Page 5
Kate (Yr10) Kelly (Yr9) Kristy (Yr11) Kyra (Yr8) Leggy (Yr7) Lydia (Yr9) Madeleine (Yr10) Malika (Yr13) Marina (Yr13) Matilda (Yr7) Maud (Yr7) Maya (Yr9) Megan (Yr13) Meghan (Yr8) Molly (Yr7) Naisha (Yr9) Navya (Yr10) Niamh (Yr11) Olivia (Yr11) Olivia (Yr10) Onose (Yr10) Phoebe (Yr11) Poppy (Yr9) Queena (Yr11) Rachel (Yr9) Rida (Yr9) Romey (Yr8) Romy (Yr7) Saffron (Yr9) Samantha (Yr11) Samira (Yr9) Sarah (Yr12) Sarah (Yr8) Sienna (Yr9) Sigrid (Yr11) Sihu (Yr9) Siyun (Yr9) Sohana (Yr7) Solari (Yr10) Sonia (Yr8) Sophia (Yr13) Sophie (Yr9) Tamanna (Yr10) Thea (Yr13) Tiffany (Yr11) Tiffany (Yr10) Valerie (Yr8) Vanessa (Yr9) Venice (Yr9) Vivian (Yr12) Yanka (Yr11) Yolanda (Yr10) Yujin (Yr9) Yuki (Yr10) Zoe (Yr11) Zoe (Yr7) Zyta (Yr8)
“It was brilliant!”
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Romeo and Juliet Directing Romeo and Juliet has been a real joy – as soon as I walked on to the refurbished stage in September, the red seats and the wooden balcony reminded me of the production we had auditioned for before the pandemic: Romeo and Juliet. I have been lucky to see productions of Romeo and Juliet at all three of our National stages, The RSC in 2018, The National Theatre starring the wonderful Oscar-winning actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, and The Globe. All engaged and enthralled the audience in their different ways, all were contemporary, but each had a unique world that created very different moods. The most recent RSC production used a minimalistic giant cube as a balcony and memorial, actors wore dark clothes, and the atmosphere was urban and dark. Our production is a little different, as Romeo and Juliet are the offspring of successful Hollywood producers of The Golden Age of the movies, who try to manipulate their children for their own gains. Our students have been working on several fight scenes, as there are several that occur during the play. Mr Asquith has been teaching the cast every week, and has choreographed very realistic movement sequences. In contrast, Ms Wells has choreographed a swing-styled dance sequence for the masquerade ball, accompanied with a swing version of a popular contemporary song, performed live with Ella on vocals. Our play will be set on an art deco-inspired stage, and it has been amazing to have student designers, Niamh, Hebe, and Urara create the costumes to accompany this. This has been a real 'from page to stage rehearsal' process, and seeing the acting, set, and costumes come together is very exciting, and we still have one week to go. Please come and see the work that the pupils have created between March 24th – 26th, especially if you have previously only read or seen the film version of Romeo and Juliet, as the play's the thing and it's on our Roedean Stage! We also have two casts who will perform on alternate nights – please check the poster for the cast names and specific dates. I hope you can join us! Mrs Woodbridge
Poesiae 2022 Well done to everyone who took part in the Poesiae MFL Poetry Recitation Competition. We have received many videos and recordings, so it has been an extremely difficult task to shortlist the candidates who are going to qualify for the global final! These are the Roedean finalists for Poesiae 2022: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Year 7 EAL Year 7 Chinese Year 8 Chinese Year 8 Spanish Year 8 French Year 9 Spanish Year 9 French Year 10 Spanish Year 10 French Year 10 German Year 11 Spanish Year 12 Spanish
Almen and Romy Joy Cartoon Freya, Alice, and Farwa Valerie and Alice Issy, Rida, and Maisie Martha Navya, Ingrid, and Kincso Melanie, Kate, Onose Ella, Dorothy, and Heidi Gracie Lea and Gabby
Thank you to everyone who took part, and we look forward to running the competition again next year! Ms Ibañez Barcelo
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18 March 2022 – Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
18 March 2022 – Issue 10
British Science Week at Roedean This week we have been celebrating British Science Week at Roedean, centred around the theme of Growth. Students have been gathering for some Fireplace Science each breaktime, where they have been challenged by a different department within the Faculty each day, ranging from personality tests to growing your brain to growing a polymer model. During activity slots through the week, the students have had an opportunity to grow their skillset in looking at scientific research journals at the Top University Programme, to grow crystal gardens in the Chemistry Department, to learn how to drive our F24 electric car on the Netball courts, and to look up at the stars and see our growing universe. With a Merit race going on all week, and stickers being given out, it has been great to see so many of our students getting involved in lots of different Science activities. Our poster competition for Years 7-9 is still open for another week, along with our Roedean Science Essay competition for Years 10-13, which closes after the Easter Break. Please refer to the posters in the bulletin or around the Science Faculty. Thank you to all our Year 12 STEM Ambassadors who have helped with activities this week – you have all been amazing! Dr Staniford
Roedean’s Sea-Swimmers A huge congratulations to Roedean's sea swimming team who have started training to swim across the English Channel to France. They have completed two one-hour continuous swims and will be swimming in the sea from 25 April. The girls are hoping to swim across the Channel as part of a relay team from 12-19 June. Well done and good luck to the following girls: ■ ■
Gabby Harriet
■ ■
Clara Olivia
■ ■
Jemima Bella
■ ■
Ellen Emily
If you are interested in joining the Channel relay team, please email Miss Wakeling (kwa@roedean.co.uk). The Channel Crossing talk is on 29 March at 5:00pm in the Clubhouse, with a presentation from Dr Hobbs. Miss Wakeling Page 7
ents!
Year 11s celebrating the end of their assessm
18 March 2022 – Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
British Science Week – Suggested Reading British Science Week – Growth
Colliding Worlds: How Cosmic Encounters Shaped Plants and Life by Simone Marchi
This week, we are celebrating British Science Week, and the Library has put together a display of books that are related in some way to the week’s theme of Growth. Below are a selection of titles relating to population growth, and sustainability, as well as natural, physical and personal growth. Mrs Bailey
Simone Marchi presents the emerging story of how cosmic collisions shaped both the solar system and our own planet, from the creation of the Moon to influencing the evolution of life on Earth.
Vitamin Green Vitamin Green provides an up-to-the-minute look at the single most important topic in contemporary design: sustainability. This new attention to the life of the things we make is changing the way design is practised at every scale, and will be at the centre of discussions about architecture, landscape architecture, and product design in the twenty-first century.
I am the Seed that Grew the Tree: A Nature poem for Everyday of the Year by Fiona Waters
I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree, named after the first line of Judith Nicholls' poem 'Windsong', is filled with familiar favourites and new discoveries, written by a wide variety of poets.
Wilding by Isabella Tree
Women in Science – 50 Fearless Pioneers who changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky
In Wilding, Isabella Tree tells the story of the ‘Knepp experiment’, a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex, using free-roaming grazing animals to create new habitats for wildlife. Part gripping memoir, part fascinating account of the ecology of our countryside, Wilding is, above all, an inspiring story of hope.
Women in Science celebrates the achievements of the intrepid women who have paved the way for the next generation of female engineers, biologists, mathematicians, doctors, astronauts, physicists, and beyond...
Collins Botanical Bible by Sonya Patel Ellis
The Growth Delusion by David Pilling The Growth Delusion explores how we prioritise growth maximisation without stopping to think about the costs. The author argues that our steadfast loyalty to growth is informing misguided policies – and contributing to a rising mistrust of experts that is shaking the very foundations of our democracy.
This comprehensive guide to plants, flowers, and botanicals covers a host of practical uses, features vintage illustrations alongside the work of current artists, and is sure to be an inspiration to anyone interested in the natural world.
Sharing the World This work proposes a framework based on the concept of a fair distribution of environmental space to include the diverse needs of North and South. Drawing on research in 38 countries, it aims to give an equitable basis for global development in order to achieve sustainable consumption by the year 2050.
A Convincing Win for the U12Bs! Off the back of the previous game, Roedean U12B team set themselves the goal to calm the game down if under pressure, ensure drives were strong, and, a request from the coach, for ball placement to be accurate.
Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities by Vaclav Smil In this magisterial book, Vaclav Smil offers systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilisations.
Mind Shift: How Culture Transformed the Human Brain by John Parrington
John Parrington argues that social interaction and culture have deeply shaped the exceptional nature of human consciousness. The mental capacities of the human mind far outstrip those of other animals. Our imaginations and creativity have produced art, music, and literature; built bridges and cathedrals; enabled us to probe distant galaxies, and to ponder the meaning of our existence.
Hungry for the win, our players went out strong against Worth U13Bs, committing to drives that helped quickly move the ball forward through the court. Feeding the ball to our shooters is where our U12s found their biggest challenge – Iris and Ines were patient in feeding our shooters, but sometimes the space for the feed wasn't clear, which made this a main area for possession lost. Defensive pressure through the court was excellent, with all players marking their opponent tightly, forcing the opposition to opt for overhead passes, thus enabling our U12s to intercept and win possession 17 times throughout the game! When winning possession, the team calmed and reset their court well, to smoothly transition the ball through the court – a special mention must go to Iris for particularly excellent resetting and attacking drives. Not only did our team win the game 7-1, but they achieved their goal of calming play when required and offering for the pass with an attacking sprint. We will continue to develop our ball placement, specifically when in a congested area. The Opposition's Player was Ines, and the Coach's Player was Iris. Well done to the U12B team!
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Miss Kennerson
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
18 March 2022 – Issue 10
Baking in House 4 The House 4 girls celebrated National Oreo and White Chocolate Cheesecake Day by making delicious Oreo cheesecakes, and they also filled homemade white chocolate hearts with mouthwatering cheesecake filling! The treats were enjoyed by the whole house during our House meeting – the perfect way to end the weekend! Mrs Wilson
Claude's Crew Won the Adur Head Race Congratulations to Claude and her crew mates, who were successful in winning the Adur Head race in their category on Saturday 5 March. It was a cold day out on the river, with a easterly wind bringing the temperature down to 5 degrees.
Chapel – Easter: led by Mrs Walker (Lay Chaplain) Last week we recognised international women’s day and the great pioneering women, who have made great strides in the world of technology, science, sport and beyond. I hope they have empowered you the way they have for me. As we begin the countdown to Easter observed by many Christians. Our attention is directed towards a special man within the Christian faith who exemplifies empowerment. A man whose birth was foretold and was so important that he was visited by the wise men bearing gifts for this special child. This man known as Jesus Christ died, was buried, and was resurrected – rose again. Easter represents the period which leads us to the completion of the work of Jesus. That reminds me how much I am loved and that empowers me to want to be the best version of myself. Olivia(Yr10) – Easter to me is empowering as it gives me an opportunity to reflect about my relationship with God and how I do not have to worry about guilt and fear because he freed
us from it when he died on the cross. This is a time for Christians to think about how we are strengthened by our connection to God and celebrate how we can move forward in our lives with the knowledge that he does not judge us by our actions and will love us no matter what we do – that is what is empowering about the time of Easter for me. Gabriella (Yr10) – Easter is empowering for me, as it is a holiday celebration that draws friends, family, and communities together. A celebration of new beginnings, a chance to start something new and joyful or talk to someone new at school or work, or even carry on with a hobby that you take joy in. Easter to me, is a chance to grow closer and stronger with the things we love. A time to renew, restore and regroup. If nothing else to me Easter is a chance to live, let loose and laugh. Jesus' resurrection during Easter time is a symbol of hope of which empowers and strengthens me not only during Easter time but also drives me to work harder every day. This is how Easter empowers and strengthens me, thank you! Page 9
The current was against them as the rowed the 3.5K to the start line of the race at the Shoreham Old Toll Bridge. The tricky course took them under the railway bridge, the road bridge, and the ferry bridge in Shoreham’s centre, then onwards to the club house at the Adur mouth at Kingston Beach where the RNLI station is located. There is a bend in the river, sandbanks, moored boats, and other distractions and obstructions along the route. Their LJ16x4 (Ladies Under 16, 4 scullers with cox) boat came in at 14minutes 13seconds, making them winners in their category, and their time was in the top 5 of all categories on the day. There were crews from Folkestone, Deal, Herne Bay, Worthing, Bexhill, & Southsea at the 1st meet of 2022, so they did brilliantly.
18 March 2022 – Issue 10
HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW
SPORT U15 Netballers in the National Plate Finals The U15A team travelled to Sevenoaks yesterday, to play in a nail-biting match versus Walthamstow Hall for the SNS National Plate Semi Finals. After a successful training session in the week, the girls were ready and raring to go. They took an early 5-0 lead, but Walthamstow Hall came fighting back, with Roedean clinging on to be ahead 9-6 in the first quarter. Roedean kept their lead at the half time whistle, with 17-15 on the score boards. Then Walthamstow Hall stepped on the gas, and we were chasing in the second half, with the scores switching to 25-27 down at the end of the third quarter.
With only 12 minutes to go, and Birmingham only a few turnovers away, the Year 10s came on strong. Through the whole court, the girls made turnovers and ended up taking the win 38-31. Lilah comfortably won both Players' Player and Coaches' Player of the Game for her cool and calm composure in the shooting D, and it was Elsie who took Opposition's Player. The U15s will now be travelling up to Birmingham to join the U13s in the SNS National Plate Finals before the end of term! Miss Bamford
The Bath Cup Swimming Relay Championships Mollie (Yr10), Rose (Yr11), Tallulah (Yr11), and Jemima (Yr12) went to the Bath Cup, where they competed in the freestyle and medley relay in the 50m Olympic pool In London. The girls started the day with freestyle, in which they swam in the 3rd heat and came 26th out of 64 schools. After lunch, they competed in the medley, where Jemima started on backstroke, Mollie took over on breaststroke, Rose swam butterfly, and Tallulah finished on freestyle, narrowly overtaking lane 5 – this meant they were 2nd place in their heat and 19th overall. It was a fantastic experience for the girls, who are very proud of their achievements and they enjoyed every moment of it. The girls have a full weekend of swimming ahead of them, and Mollie will be competing in breaststroke at Wycombe so we wish her good luck. Miss Wakeling Last Friday I was honoured and excited to be part of the swimming team chosen to compete in the National final of the prestigious Bath Cup at the London Aquatics Centre. Awestruck, I entered the iconic deconstructivist Olympic building with Ms Wakeling and fellow relay team
members Tallulah Hocking, Rose Owens and our youngest swimmer, breaststroke champion Mollie Topping. The pool’s futuristic design was so impressive, and as we warmed up my eyes were constantly drawn to the famous high-dive boards and row upon row of spectator seating. As I stood on block number 4 (reserved for the fastest seeds in the heat, naturally), I looked down at my feet with their chipped nail polish and marvelled that they were standing in the exact same place as those of Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps before them. (Then luckily I remembered I was swimming backstroke and hastily jumped into the water.) Our amazing team of Roedean swimmers just missed being in the final heat of the medley relay by one place, a fantastic feat against over 100 independent schools. We had a wonderful time and were hugely grateful to Ms Wakeling for taking us to the event (except when she decided that the minibus to the station was taking too long because of the heavy traffic and made us get out and sprint the last 5 kilometres. Well it felt like 5 kilometres…). Jemima (Yr12)
U15
THE WEEK AHEAD MARCH Mon 21 GCSE Dance Exam (solos) Tue 22
Conducting Masterclass – Natalia Luis-Bassa England Netball Day (Admissions) Netball National Plate Finals – U13A and U15A
Thu 24
KS3 Art Scholars' Masterclass School Production – Romeo & Juliet – 7:00pm Sussex Knock-Out Cup Finals' Day U12, U13, U14, U15, U16, U18 GCSE Dance Exam (choreographies)
Fri 25
Lamda Exams for Year 7 & 8 Founders' Day Service – 3:00pm Art Exhibition – 5:00pm Romeo & Juliet – 7:00pm
Sat 26
Romeo & Juliet – matinee at 2:00pm & evening performance at 7:00pm Year12 History Trip to Tower of London
We welcome contributions from all parts of the Roedean community. If you have something you would like featured in the Headmaster’s Weekly Review, please email: marketing@roedean.co.uk Page 10
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