Head's Weekly Review - Autumn Issue 6

Head’s Introduction

It was fantastic for the whole school to hear Baroness Floella Benjamin speak at Roedean on Wednesday. Hearing about her experiences of arriving in England as part of the Windrush generation, and about her ethos for life was both inspiring and humbling. Students and staff have commented about how much they enjoyed her talk – her honesty and candour were disarming, and she has a wonderful presence on stage. It was our pleasure that 50 students from local schools who are part of the Roedean Academy were able to share this afternoon with us. This week, the school community has also enjoyed a Chapel service about Black women in creative and design fields, a visit from the National Archives, and discussion focusing on British Black History in tutor periods. I am grateful to all those involved in these activities.

Last Saturday, we welcomed well over 100 families to Roedean for our Open Day, and I am pleased to report how so many families commented on our students’ warm and open manner as they were being toured around the School. They loved the performances from Six and Les Misérables as part of the presentations, and the speakers, including 9 from Year 7, shared their experiences with great confidence and composure. Thank you to the Admissions Department for all of the work which went into setting up this event. If you have not already seen it, I also encourage you to have a look at our brand new website, which was launched at the end of last week – it captures the School spirit really well.

In addition to the pupils from St Mark’s who come each week for enrichment activities, this week saw the launch of the Junior Roedean Academy as part of our Community Action Programme. 80 pupils from Year 5 in two local primary schools came to Roedean for the first of seven weekly visits. Over this time, some of our Year 12 students will be learning how to deliver activities and share their interests and passions. The pupils from St Margaret’s and City Academy Whitehawk were excited to visit Roedean and they had a lovely time. Thank you to our Year 12s and to everyone involved in setting this up.

This week has seen a number of different activities in the Art Department, including a painting masterclass and a photography fashion shoot, as well as the exciting news that Meghan in Year 8 has won a national competition which focuses on the drawing of biological specimens – her piece is absolutely stunning, and this is a wonderful accolade!

It was our pleasure yesterday to welcome Year 11 parents and students to an evening about the Sixth Form. A number of current Year 12 and 13 students shared their experiences of the ways in which the Sixth Form is different to Year 11, including the exciting focus on fewer subjects, the opportunities available to grow and develop a range of skills, such as CAP, and all of the support and guidance provided about careers and university admissions.

Congratulations to all those who represented the School in sports teams this week. Our Hockey teams have enjoyed excellent wins against Ardingly, Mayfield, and Christ’s Hospital, and, following last week’s Netball successes, the U15 Hockey team has also progressed to the next round of the Sussex Cup. Well done to all those involved in performing in yesterday’s teatime recital in the Old Ref, and to the 120 girls who ran in the House Cross-Country. I hope you all have a restful weekend, and good luck for next week.

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.

Angelica (Yr10) – for exhibiting huge positivity and kindness to others around school – well done, Angelica! [Pastoral Managers]

Staff

Mr Pashley – for always being willing to help the girls with lighting their photoshoots in the Theatre, and, in particular, staying until 10pm on Monday night to help with the fashion photography workshop. [Mrs Alexander]

Mr Marchant – for a fantastic lecture about the political landscape of the USA – thank you! [Ms Ibanez-Barcelo]

Year 7 Re-Enact the Battle of Hastings

Ms Benton-Stace and the History Department – for providing stimulus discussion points for the Roedean Academy students following Baroness Benjamin's talk [Dr Barrand]

Year 7 took advantage of the wonderful weather last week to re-enact the Battle of Hastings, bringing history to life as Mrs Mitchell directed the two armies through each stage of the battle. The girls were armed with armour they had made in Prep, and they used their acting skills with spirit!

Ms Rohowsky and Mr Rous – for performing a wonderful song in Chapel by the Black female composer, Undine Moore [Dr Barrand]

Sarah, Eni, Anike, and Fadillah (Sixth Form) – for sharing Black female role models in the field of the Arts and Design in Chapel [Mrs Walker] Alex, Joy, Georgie, Zaina, Tilly, Lili, Eva, Bella, and Lily (Yr7), Lydia, Rida, Charlie, and Agatha (Yr10), Queena and Niamh (Yr12), Ms Walker, and Sarah and Jemima (Yr13) – for sharing their experiences of school life at Roedean on Open Day, with great confidence and clarity [Mrs Wienekus]

Teatime Recital – Thursday 6 October

On Thursday, yet again, we were treated to a wonderful mélange of musical performances. Ella opened the recital with a beautiful Flute piece that brought to life the sea, and her musicality made the music soar and sing. Isabella was up next playing a Venetian gondola song on the Piano – the fast passages rippled along, and she created a lovely flow to the music.

Daisy then sang a simple English folk song, which she elevated with her lovely tone and lilting style which suited the piece well. Ellen came next with 'What a wonderful world' on the Trumpet. She produced a clear tone and perfect tuning.

Elspeth performed on the Viola for the first time, treating us to Shostakovich’s Jazz waltz. This was played confidently, with colourful dynamics. Next up was Zyta on the Piano. She performed a Chopin étude which exuded real control and musicality throughout. This was a convincing performance of an incredibly technically challenging piece.

The next piece was a beautifully played flute duet, performed by Year 7s, Janice and Hilary. They performed sensitively together with assured rhythm and control. Catherine then stood up to sing a very imaginative song she had composed herself – she sang with conviction and passion, and conveyed the sentiments of 'Cusp' very well.

Sihu took to the Piano for a Romantic piece performed with glow and grace by Béra-Tagrine. She played with assurance and connected with the style. We were then treated to a beautiful

rendition of 'Ladies in Lavender' from Siyun, who produced a warm and rich sound with a lovely variety of vibrato.

Hettie followed this with a very musical performance of Chopin's Nocturne. The pedal control was good and she conveyed the phrasing well. Carmen and Samantha then performed the Allegro from Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. This was sensitively accompanied by Samantha. Carmen produced a beautiful sound and ably phrased the complex passages. The semiquaver passages were dance-like and lyrical.

Natalie then took us to Spain for some Andalusian Romance by Sarasate. She had a rich tone and conveyed the Spanish style with rhythmic clarity. The chords and faster passages were well-learnt and created excitement. Samantha closed the recital with June by Tchaikovsky. The complex cross rhythms and chords were tackled well, and she created an exciting atmosphere. with varied dynamics.

Well done to all the performers for another feast of music. Thank you to Mr Rous for accompanying everyone, and to the Catering department for the wonderful cakes. Thank you also to the staff who came to support the performers.

The next Teatime recital will be on 24 November. Make sure that you sign up soon if you would like to perform. Email sob@roedean.co.uk

Sport Stars of the Week

Congratulations to this week's Sports Stars! [Miss Kirby-Jones]

Year 12 – Erin, Amelia, and Izzy, for so much help as Sports Leaders this week

Year 7 – Astrid, for listening carefully and effort to make great progress in swimming

Year 8 – Khadija, for stepping up and playing in goal for the U13C team

Year 9 – Nathania, for scoring the winning goal of an amazing game for the U14D team

Year 10 – Polly, for being the silent hero of the U15A team this week Year 11- Mollie, for captaining the swimming team so well and going the extra mile in preparation for the Medley Relays

Year 13 – Skylah, for leading the U18 Badminton team brilliantly

Ms Bartlette

This week's Golden Ticket winner from is Alma (Yr7)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Floella at Roedean for Black History Month

What a fantastic privilege it was to hear Baroness Floella Benjamin speak at Roedean this week!  Her talk is the centrepiece to a series of events and activities at School to mark Black History Month, and she was absolutely brilliant – she believes that Black History Month should be every month, and that it should be a catalyst for everyone to learn more and to think about what others have been through.  She radiated positivity throughout the talk, and her passion and enthusiasm were both powerful and infectious.

Addressing the entire school and fifty of our Roedean Academy partners from four local state schools, Floella shared some of her own story about coming to England from Trinidad, as part of the Windrush, to join her parents after a fifteen-month separation, and how her mother showered her children with love.  Floella was amazingly proud to be part of the commonwealth, yet, when she arrived, her

experience was very different to what she had expected. She hated the poor treatment she endured because she is black, and the very injustice of it – she recounted how she was bullied and ignored, and that it made that part of her childhood very difficult.  Then, aged 14, she had an epiphany, hearing a voice which told her to stop fighting and to love the colour of her skin.  From then on, she determined to react positively, and she said ‘my smile is my armour’ – her smile and her positivity have become her trademarks, and they were very evident while she was speaking.

Floella told the students to focus on her 3 Cs, which form the core of a very strong ethos for life:  consideration for others, a desire to seek personal contentment, and the confidence to look in the mirror and to like the person looking back at you.  And the overarching C is the courage to stand up for equality and to make a difference in the world.  Floella concluded her

wonderful talk with a powerful unaccompanied rendition of the song ‘Smile’, written by Charlie Chaplin and recorded by Nat King Cole – the lines ‘if you smile through your fear and sorrow, smile, and maybe tomorrow you’ll see the sun come shining through for you’ seem to encapsulate her positive message perfectly.

It was wonderful to hear Baroness Floella Benjamin speak at Roedean, and there can be no doubt that her message will have chimed with many in our community! She had a special ability to connect with her audience – many students remained behind to speak to Floella individually, and she made time to talk to each one of them, sharing her experiences and advice. She made a strong impression on those listening, and it was our privilege to welcome her to Roedean.

Dr Barrand

Mrs Andrew ‘She was entertaining,amazing, and thought-provoking all at once – what a character!’

Holly (Yr10)

‘It was one of the bestlectures I have ever seen.She engaged so well withthe audience – she seemed just like one of us.’

Maria (Yr12)

Pipi King's(Yr10,Hove)

‘I really enjoyedhowshepassionately told her story.’

'I was absolutely blown away by Floella Benjamin’s talk.

Ms Strachan –

‘For me, she was my childhood coming through my TV screen, so to actually meet her was really special. I believed her when said that she cares for us all.’

I have been lucky enough to have heard many inspirational women speak to us at Roedean, each and every one so impressive. But today I witnessed a person whose practice of self-love is infectious, and who radiated positivity.

I approached her afterwards for a chat and was greeted with the warmest, most sincere hug, and words of wisdom that would help anyone suffering from occasional self-doubt or worries. If she can get through everything she endured, then we can achieve anything! She actually made me emotional, as she said many things that resonated with me.

I feel so incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity.' Marla(Yr10, King's Hove)

‘The speech was veryinspiring and I enjoyedhearing about her life andall the things she hadachieved.’

Jo (Yr10, King's Hove)

‘It was such an inspiring experience.’

Ida (Yr10)

‘Floella was themost speakerdynamic I haveever heard.’

Galya (Yr10)

Elspeth (Yr10)

‘With her tiara and her £14 Primark suit, her smile brightened up the entire Theatre.’

‘I couldn’t help but listen to her – she was captivating.’

Naisha (Yr10)

‘She’s an actuallygood person – shereally made medetermined tosmile more.’

Martha (Yr10)

'It’s amazing howshe went from her life experiences as a kidto being so successfuland in the House of Lords.’

Derin (Yr10)

‘She cares about everyone. When she spoke to me, it was as if there was no-one else there, then when she hugged me I felt special.’

Chapel – Celebrating Black and Brown People in the Fields of Art and Design Technology

Mrs Walker: My heritage is mainly Jamaican and Cuban, as well asIrish and Scottish – mounted underneath the Jamaican coat of armsare the words 'Out of Many One People', a representation of the timeJamaica become colonised and many enslaved people were broughtto the island where they mixed with the native Arawak or Taino Indianinhabitants of the island.

The song played in this week’s Chapel services was an original arrangement by the 19th century composer, Florence Price. She wasborn on 9 April 1887, and was the first Black female composer to berecognised as a symphonic composer. Her life and music have goneon to inspire many artists, both male and female, who have beeninfluential in the creative arts music, fashion, film, and TV, and manyother areas of life that we enjoy and take for granted.

Black and brown people are credited for many inventions. This includes women like Valerie Thomas, a NASA Physicist, who inventedthe first-ever satellite to be used to send images to study earth’sresources by scientists. She is also credited for inventing 3D moviesand TVs. Many other black women are credited with early innovationsand designs, including the telephone, fibre optics, central heatingsystems, CCTV, the hairbrush, and that's just a few of the manywomen, and black and brown men are also responsible for many great innovations.

Saturday 1 October saw the rich cultural celebration across theglobe for Nigerian Independence Day, celebrating the country’s42nd year of independence. Nigeria is proud, amongst many otherthings, of great food, amazing fabrics and fashion styling, and greatmusic and writers. Personally, one of my favourite Nigerian writers isChimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Sarah (Yr13): My heritage is overwhelmingly Zimbabwean, although my paternal grandfather is from Malawi!

Black history is important because it acts as a gateway to repairing divided communities. Through the acknowledgment of Africa’s rich history, we can come to appreciate why there has been public outcry for a revised scholarship to prevent the whole of African history being reduced merely to Western colonialism. Therefore, I will be discussing one of my favourite communities in ancient Africa, the Kushite Kingdom, as they indulged in luxury lifestyles because of the wealth of resources available at the time.

The Kushite Kingdom was an ancient kingdom, dating as far back as 1070 BC, situated in Nubia, what is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt. The kingdom was known for its complex commerce and trade links, as it offered various North African luxury resources, such as gold, emeralds, ivory, and ebony throughout the Mediterranean. Their richness in resources was fortunately experienced by the inhabitants, as depictions of the Kushites portrayed them in luxury apparel such as animal cloaks, linen tunics, and gold jewellery.

These are just a few observations, but I would encourage you all to research further into them because it is apparent that the whole kingdom was affluent. It was not only the royals who would adorn themselves with extravagant clothing and accessories, locals were also able to indulge in such a lifestyle as this. They were so successful that the Kushite Kingdom has been recognised as one of the most prosperous early African civilisations, because of its advanced political and economic processes! They contributed to modern Egyptian culture as they built hundreds of pyramids, developed the Meroitic alphabet (which influenced Egyptian writing systems), and produced jewels for Egypt due to the gold and emerald mines located in the hills near the Nile.

Eni (Yr12): I would like to introduce you to Undine Moore Smith, an African-American composer and Professor of Music in the 20th century. She was born on 25 August 1908, as the granddaughter of slaves.

Her constant exposure to gospel and community singing was a massive influence on her black folk-music inspired pieces, and, despite her background, she went on to become the first student from Frisk (an all-black school) to attain a scholarship to the prestigious Julliard Arts School. However, in lieu of pursuing this opportunity, she chose to take jobs as a music supervisor in public schools located in California. As a result, her teaching efforts cultivated the likes of Camilla Williams, Leon Thompson, Billy Taylor, Phil Medley, and Robert Fryson.

Some of her songs may be recognisable when heard due to the influence they have had on composers and writers to date. They include the following: Before I’d be a Slave, Valse Caprice, To be Baptized, We Shall Walk Through the Valley, and Scenes from the Life of a Martyr. In fact, a lot of her earlier piano compositions have a striking resemblance to Leopold Godowsky — one of the best pianists of his time.

Undine is a shining example of not letting your past, or even future, define you.

Anike (Yr13): Throughout her professional life, black British ballerina, Julie Felix, overcame racism and discrimination to build a career that saw her perform at the top of the industry and across the globe, and to become the first black British professional ballet dancer.

As a young dancer at the Rambert school of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, Julie was considered an exceptional dancer. In her final year, despite being selected to dance in a production of Sleeping Beauty, with the London Festival Ballet, she was denied a professional contract and was told that having a black girl in the corps de ballet would look out of place. Determined not to give up, Julie seized an opportunity with the New York-based dance theatre of Harlem, a move which launched a stellar career, during which she performed with Michael Jackson, Prince, Ronald Reagan, Sydney Poitier, Luciano Pavarotti, and Lionel Ritchie at the closing ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.

Fadillah (Yr13): Debra Babalola, from Nigerian heritage, a London-based designer, and Shefali Bohra, from Indian heritage, are twograduate design engineer students from Imperial College who havewon the 2022 James Dyson Award, which is an annual design awardfor students who have graduated from college or university. They won this award for creating a device called the Dotplot, whichallows for women to check for lumps in their breast more efficientlyat home. It does this by using sound waves, similar to an ultrasound,but solely for checking lumps. This innovative device will aid in theearly diagnosis of breast cancer, helping millions of women across theworld. This design engineered by both girls could potentially reducethe rates of death from breast cancer, through early detection, and ithas set the bar for research and development into cancer diagnosisand within design and technology, bridging together the fields ofmedicine, modern technology, and innovation.

These young women are not much older than some Roedeanstudents, and they have created a device that is inspirational and willleave a lasting legacy for generations!

A Letter from Yoyo Ma for Tiffany

Last year, in Extra English, the Year 10 students wrote a letter to their heroes. Tiffany wrote a wonderful letter to Yoyo Ma, the worldrenowned cellist, explaining how he had inspired her love of music.

Time went by and all was forgotten. However, Tiffany arrived back to Roedean in September and was thrilled to find that Yoyo Ma had taken the time to send a hand-written card back to her! She was over the moon to receive such a thoughtful note and signed photo.

Now she has something to keep forever from one of her heroes!

Mr Wilson

Meghan Wins National Drawing Competition

Congratulations to Meghan (Yr9), who has won the Royal Society of Biology’s Nancy Rothwell Anatomy Drawing Competition, in the 12-14 age category. This Award celebrates artwork that captures the details of anatomy, and is sponsored by the Royal Veterinary College. This year, more than 550 pieces were submitted by young artists from across the globe, so winning it is an exceptional achievement.

Meghan saw a poster in the Biology department encouraging students to enter this competition, and decided to give it a go.  ‘I’m really interested in Art and Science, and this project combined these interests.’  Over the summer, and entirely independently, she created a stunning digital image of a black sea nettle jellyfish.  ‘I just did it on my iPad.’

'I was absolutely overjoyed when I saw the notification about winning the award. It is a great honour for me to receive it. This achievement is a significant milestone in my artistic endeavours.'

The piece Meghan produced is fantastic, with a remarkable level of detail.  As the winner, both she and the School receive cash prizes to to support similar activities.

Congratulations, Meghan – well done!

Mrs Borsberry

Maths Cipher Challenge

Last term, Mrs Hopper and I attended the ASMP Maths Conference for Sixth Form students. At this conference, we were presented with a cipher to answer. Here is the coded cipher:

you would like to get involved and try to decipher this code, please do

document

a useful tool

also

Lawrence

Key Stage 3 Art Scholars' Masterclass

This week, our Key Stage Three Scholars took part in a brillianr portrait masterclass with painter Reem Acason.

Using a Zorn palette, they learned how to mix and apply flesh tones from a limited palette, and how to apply and build form through their use of colour. They all worked extremely hard, but did not quite manage to complete their portraits – the patterned background in each links to each student's cultural heritage.

We look forward to seeing their finished paintings over the next couple of weeks.

Mrs Alexander

This Week in Boarding...

Fashion Photography Photoshoot

On Monday night, nine students from Year 12 and 13 took part in a fashion photoshoot with photographer, creative director, and lecturer Marcus Agerman Ross.

Working in groups, the girls had to come up with a theme for their shoot, source suitable props, raid the costume cupboard, style hair, and apply make-up, before learning how to light their model.

They had a fantastic time and really appreciated Marcus' calm approach. He was impressed by their creative ideas, and the attention to detail they showed to ensure they got a shot that captured their intentions.

It was fascinating to see how the girls responded to their different roles within their groups, with some very clear directors in the making emerging! Sadly the time went all too quickly, but hopefully this has inspired them to try out the things they learned over the coming weeks.

Mrs Alexander

'Continuity and Change' in the Art Department

During the Open Morning on Saturday, the Art Department recreated and re-enacted one of the fabulous photographs from the archives.

One of our life models dressed up in a nautical-themed outfit from the costume cupboard to recreate a similar pose of a sailor during an art class at Roedean decades ago.

Our students produced a series of drawings throughout the morning; these lovely examples were drawn by Vicky, one of the Pre-A Level students in Year 11.

Mrs Alexander

Mollie and Alice in the Pool

Both Mollie and Alice had a busy summer swimming for their club Mid Sussex Marlins. They were both selected for the clubs A Team, who ended up winning the Sussex League for the third time in a row. Mollie then travelled to Sheffield where she swam at the British Swimming Nationals and the Swim England Nationals, making finals in two of her three events.

Following the summer break, both girls were back in the pool. Alice took part in her swimming club's annual championships and came away with a Gold, Silver and Bronze plus a number of PBs.

Mollie was selected to represent Sussex at the National County Team Championships in Sheffield and was part of a team of 30 swimmers representing Sussex. The weekend started with a training session on route at Loughborough University before competing on the Sunday in Sheffield. The team did fantastically well, with Mollie swimming one individual and one relay event, with Sussex finishing second overall in division two and being promoted to division one for next year’s competition. Mollie is now preparing for the Sussex Counties, which take place in a couple of weeks, as well as representing her club in the National Arena League.

SPORT

Katherine's Success at the London Mini Marathon

Congratulations to Katherine in Year 7, who took part and ran brilliantly in the London Mini Marathon – well done!

Miss Marek

U12A Netball vs Magic

The U12A team played a friendly this week against the very talented Magic Netball Club, to practise different rotations and positions in the group. The team had a tough time, with six 10-minute quarters to play.

Bea, Beth, and Andrea worked hard at hustling the talented shooters in the defensive end. Paloma, Georgia, Alex, and Yasmin worked the ball through the middle, attacking and defending through court. Chiara, Matilda, and Sophie took their chances in the shooting end.

Yasmin took home Coaches' Player of the Match, for her excellent pressure on the players and attacking support on defensive backlines. It was a huge learning experience for the girls, and there is lots to work on, but overall it was a really positive match for the team, ahead of their National Cup Round 2.

Miss Bamford

U12C Hockey Victory vs Mayfield

The U12Cs put on another outstanding performance this week. They listened and implemented what we had worked on in training, outletting the ball from a 16 down the right and driving it up the line to the D.

We dominated the first half, leading by 2 at half time. The girls communicated well and controlled the ball well throughout. Farah, Bea, Hazel, and Chiara made some excellent stops and strong clearances out of defence to keep Roedean ahead.

With some fantastic dribbling and movement from Yasmin, Ezzie, Lili, and Flo, we managed to score 3 more goals in the second half. Mayfield had some last-minute attacks, but Janice denied them goals with some impressive goal keeping skills.

The final score was 5-0 to Roedean. Special mention go to Ezzie, who received opposition's player. It was a very convincing win this week –keep up the hard work, and I am looking forward to seeing you in action next week!

Miss Hammond

U12A Hockey vs Mayfield

The U12A team lost 4-0 at home to an impressive Mayfield side.

Mayfield dominated the first half, combining strong defence and incisive passing to pose a threat in attack. Roedean was a little disorganised and went into the break 0-2 down. We improved in the second half – they conceded two more goals, but showed more intent and aggression, playing with a quicker tempo and posing much more of a threat in the opposition D.

There's lots to work on, and we will put it into practice in our next match.

Mr Smethurst

U15A Into the Next Round of Sussex Cup

The U15A team took on Eastbourne College in their Sussex Cup Match in Eastbourne on Tuesday evening.

The girls were confident after beating the hosts 5-0 previously this term, but they knew they would come out stronger this time. With the press set early, each player knowing their role on the pitch and a good warm-up, the team surged forward early on to score within the first 5 minutes. Roedean looked strong going forward, but Eastbourne were always a threat on the attack, especially down the right.

After 10 minutes of defending heavily, during a penalty corner, Eastbourne managed to shoot on target and hit a Roedean foot with the keeper beaten, meaning a pee-flick had to be taken. Step up Super Fen! With extreme confidence in her ability, she stuck out a right foot to stop the pee-flick and deny Eastbourne a foothold into the match.

At half-time, we were still 1-0 up and looking strong. After the break however, Eastbourne were relentless and, through good attacking play, finished off a good attacking movement.

U13E Hockey vs Mayfield

The U13E team played their first match of the season this week versus Mayfield's U13D.

Our team was nervous, excited, and raring to go! The first whistle went and they stepped up to the challenge. Sabrina and Kelsie dominated the defence, Almen, Lily, and Stella worked their socks off in the middle, Claudia drove strong from the top, and Kat held down the fort in goal at the back, after her Swimming Gala!

Claudia smashed a goal in past the Mayfield keeper, putting 1-0 on the boards at the halftime whistle. After a half-time relfection, the girls' new focus was to keep the ball on the right hand side of the pitch. The team struggled with this, allowing Mayfield to smack a goal past our defence. The score was 1-1. In the dying seconds of the match, Roedean had an attacking opportunity... they drove the ball strongly into the D, Claudia wound her stick up to hit the ball into the goal, and then it was the sound we didn't want to hear yet... the final whistle. With the last goal being disallowed, the final scoreline was a 1-1 draw.

Almen took home Girl of the Game, for her tricky stick skills and excellent determination all game.

Miss Bamford

The girls didn't panic, and continued to grow with confidence in their principles and the way we wanted to play. They were eventually rewarded with some beautiful hockey, cutting right through the Eastbourne defence and Erin putting in her second goal of the game to take the lead 2-1.

The last 5 minutes were critical and the girls managed it well, marked well, and still looked dangerous going forward. 2-1 was the final score and into the next round the girls go!

Mr Campleman

U12C

U13E

U15A Dominant in Christ's Hospital Clash

The U15A team took on Christ's Hospital in a friendly Saturday fixture.

With all the teams being shuffled around slightly, it was a great opportunity for some players to get their first game for the U15A team. Mia, Freya, Maya, and Eva were determined to show their skill and worth on the pitch, and played brilliantly in their first game.

Roedean started strong with the first two attacks of the game resulting in 2 goals. For the remainder of the game, we concentrated on implementing certain principles on how we want to play and had some success.

After half time, Christ's Hospital rallied and scored two goals in quick succession making it 4-2 with 15 minutes to go. Roedean managed to steady the ship and scored a further three goals to ensure the win for the U15A team.

Mr Campleman

U14D Hockey Victory vs Christ's Hospital

The U14B hockey team took to the road to play Christ's Hospital on Saturday.

The U14D played their first fixture of the year against Christ’s Hospital U14C. For some girls, this was their first match for Roedean.

The game was tight as both teams had multiple chances, but Peony in goal make a number of crucial clearances. Rhea, Darcey, and Kyra were solid in defence, clearing the ball out wide. The midfield of Darcy, Orla, Marta, and Lucia worked tirelessly up and down the pitch. They fed the ball up to the forward line, where Victoria was using all her skills to outwit the Christ's Hospital defenders.

Roedean won 1-0 and they celebrated like the England Women’s Football Euro Win. Well done to all girls involved!

Mr Borsoi

U14B Hockey Win vs Christ's Hospital

The U14B hockey team took to the road to play Christ's Hospital on Saturday.

They were pitted against the opposition's A team and were ready for the challenge. In the first ten minutes, the team were working hard to move possession up the pitch and the forwards had over five shots on goal, only just missing by inches on a few of them. However, a great drive down the right-hand side from Alicia allowed her to take on the goalie one-on-one, and she finally found the net for the first of our goals. The next two were a little scrappier, but they were classic team goals involving breakaways from the

defence, great carries from the mids, and they were finished by the forwards Romey and Chloe. Playing a high press like we did was effective in allowing us time in the opposition's half, but also risky and meant that Christ's Hospital were able to score off two quick breaks.

The final score was a 3-2 win to Roedean, and the MVP was Alicia – well done!

Miss Kirby-Jones

U16A Hockey vs Christ's Hospital 1st XI

The U16B team produced a fantastic attacking performance which probably merited a win, but ended in a 1-1 draw against Christ’s Hospital’s 1st XI.

The hosts scored first, with a goal that nobody watching could work out how it went in – it was a slow-motion trickle across the line through a crowded but statuesque D. Christ's Hospital could have scored more, were it not for the brilliance of Alice in goal, and, although Roedean responded well, creating chance after chance after chance, the score remained 1-0 at half-time.

The second half followed a similar pattern. Roedean attacked and Christ's Hospital counterattacked. Ellie levelled the scores with a thunderous strike, high into the goal, but Roedean couldn’t quite manage a winner. They had numerous shots but the opposition's goalkeeper was outstanding.

U14B

ESSA Regional Team Championship Swimmers

Roedean Swimming Team

U12Bs Storm to Victory in Stormy Conditions against Mayfield

The U12Bs took on Mayfield in harrowing conditions at Roedean. The wind was pumping in off the Channel and was making it difficult for both teams.

After a frantic first 8 minutes, where both teams lost control of what they were trying to implement, Roedean managed to start playing their brand of hockey that is lovely to watch. Moving the ball right and wide, and finding space to exploit and score goals with ease.

The team grew with confidence in the second half and scored another 3 to make the final score 6-0. They keep their unbeaten season going and look forward to their next clash.

Mr Campleman

U13As at the Worth Tournament

The U13As travelled away to the Worth tournament on a rainy and blustery day this week.

In total, the girls played eight games, losing two, drawing two, and winning four convincingly. In attack, Roedean were fantastic, with Sophie, Ines, and Poppy putting constant pressure on the other team’s defence – a special mention goes to Sorrel for scoring 6 goals.

Izzy, Athena, Evelyn, and YanYan worked tirelessly in defence, winning tackle after tackle. The team were great in attack, playing some lovely passing hockey out from the back, but we need to work on defending as a team and marking every player.

Overall, the girls finished in a well-deserved second place, working relentlessly throughout the tournament. Well done!

U13C Hockey Win vs Ardingly

The U13C team had a rip-roaring match against Ardingly last Wednesday, a game full of energy and excitement.

It was a debut game for Hettie, Maud, and Kat in the C team, and all had fabulous games. The game was 0-0 at half time, and, after a rousing team talk, the team were ready to score some goals, and that they did!

Hettie controlled the right of the pitch, running up and down and outwitting the opposition. She scored a wonderful goal and gained herself player of the match. Lula listened to the advice at half time, taking on the goalie and scoring a hat trick. Lucy then scored the final goal to see the team win 6-1.

Special mention must also go to the defence of Lois and Molly, who worked tirelessly to see off the onslaught of the Ardingly attack.

Miss Kirby-Jones

Mr Perry

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