St Catherine's School Magazine 2018 by St Catherine's, Bramley

St Catherineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s B ra m l e y

MAGAZINE 2018

A few words from the Editor I can scarcely believe a year has passed since last year’s Magazine and I am once again delighted to present St Catherine’s Magazine 2018 a testament to the volume of activities and events both inside and outside the classroom. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all contributors to the Magazine and I hope that the Magazine once again captures many unforgettable moments of what has been an exciting school year. I would also like to thank Mrs Anderley Wade (co-Editor and Graphic Designer) for her magnificent creative input; Rhiannon Eaves and Katie Groves (Magazine Prefects); Mrs Jacqui Sadler (Prep School); Mrs Dawn Pilkington (Association); Ms Pippa Carte and Mrs Fiona Haywood (Development). We are fortunate to have in Miss Jasmine Andrews a terrific photographer; the ability to capture that special moment in such a stylish manner cannot be under-estimated and I thank her for her photography and for allowing the publication of her photographs. Let Us Go On……. Mr Philip Friend - Editor FRONT COVER: Imogen Walker, U6 Midleton, Grade 8 member of Flautissimo (senior flute ensemble), School Games Captain and now reading Medicine at Edinburgh INSIDE FRONT COVER: Dana Francis (LII) plays her Tenor Horn at the Prep School Soloists’ Concert INSIDE BACK COVER: Catherine Burne & Helena Michels (U6) perform a piano duet at the Leavers’ Recitals BACK COVER: Iris Skilbeck (UII) leading the trumpet section at Prep School Carol Service

CONTENTS PREP & SENIOR SCHOOL 2

PREP SCHOOL

SPEECH DAY

74 WELCOME

68 FAREWELL

106 COMMUNITY

80 FORMS

108 DEVELOPMENT

TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

94 MUSIC 96 DRAMA 98

ART & DT

100 SPORT

SENIOR SCHOOL

114

10 TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES 10 Green Cats 11 Teen Tech 13 Debating 14 Food and Celebration 15 Charities Board 16 Philanthropy Board

SIXTH FORM

22 DUKE OF EDINBURGH

126

SCHOOL HOUSES

ASSOCIATION

FROM THE ARCHIVE

110 ASSOCIATION REPORT

32 DRAMA

114 ASSOCIATION NEWS

35 MUSIC

117 ST CATHERINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PRESENTS

118 TRAVEL AWARDS

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

46 TEXTILES

120 ASSOCIATION CHOIR

121 THE LONDON NETWORK

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

54 BOARDING 56 SPORT

122 ASSOCIATION REUNIONS 124 END-OF-TERM LECTURES

SPEECHES

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SPEECHDAY

1 AMP – Madam Mayor of Waverley, Ms LooiSomoye - and family - Governors, Honoured Guests, members of the St Catherine’s Association worldwide on the live stream, colleagues, parents, girls - both here and in the Auditorium - welcome to St Catherine’s Speech Day 2018. A girls’ school has every cause to celebrate in 2018: the centenary of the granting of the Vote to women over 28 and to all men: important. The First World War - another centenary this year – caused an upheaval in traditional notions of gender and ‘class’. Never again would the political landscape of Britain be controlled only by the privileged, property owning few. Universal Franchise at 18 followed in 1928.

anniversary and re-living of that tragic event; the inevitable pointing of fingers of blame at human inadequacies of many kinds emerging from the Enquiry. The dangerous creep of Isolationist politics globally. GB is becoming a bit miserable and making itself angry, anxious and unhappy. We needed a boost, and we got it in the form of an ever smiling, glamorous TV star and UN ambassador for women, turned gracious princess, in love with her prince. A happy-ever-after story if ever there was one. And we all felt good. We were happy for, and with, the 5th in line to the throne and his life partner for the hours of duty and good works that lie ahead. And then it was back to normal.

NJB - Gathering today, we are a powerful demonstration of what well educated women can do in the world, confident of gender equality and opportunity. We have every reason to think that Millicent Fawcett, suffragist and lifelong campaigner for that vote, the first woman to look down from a plinth in Parliament Square, would approve of us today. However, today’s theme picks up another side to the national life which we believe is perhaps slightly less assured. * * * * * * AMP - I think I first realised that something was up with the national psyche in the run-up to the Royal Wedding in May. There was such a wave of enthusiasm that it felt almost excessive: as if the whole nation was desperate for some good news at last. A nation fed up with Brexit and all its uncertainties – where once there was certainty and stability. The Grenfell Tower

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NJB - Bad news seems to be everywhere these days and so much of it. There’s always been bad news, at home and abroad, but today we know so much more about it and in an instant? Technology thrusts it into our faces 24/7. Ping, another BBC news alert, and our instant reaction is, ‘what’s happened now?’ Newspapers, struggling to survive, throw out provocative copy that applies a negative spin to almost everything in order to sell papers: both newsprint or on line. Adrian Addison, biographer of Lord Northcliffe, owner of the Daily Mail, quotes him as having said: "The British people relish a good hero and a good hate." How shocking. How sad. We have much to do in schools to counter this negativity.

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Online, echo chambers give us back our own perspective, and reaffirm our opinions. If these views are already anxious or angry, they foment further and are without that important interruption and interaction of intelligent challenge. We need such challenges to develop a balanced view. Ralph Waldo Emerson reminds us: For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness. We are all in danger of disappearing into our own hands - where the device is held – and not looking up and out and engaging enough with debates and discussions which test our reactions to real people, not text. AMP - A second moment of realisation came during the Leavers’ Communion. In his sermon, Rev’d Dr McNair Scott observed that he didn’t envy the U6 their growing up in a 24/7 culture. We had Sunday.

Shops were shut, the pace slowed down and you had to pause and just be. Healthier, he felt, for mind and therefore for body. But we voted that away as too restrictive. We wanted greater freedom. We sought happiness in being busy. And in spending. Excessively so in both cases. And are we any happier? In this over anxious climate, where we seem no longer to be able to control our influencers, we need to take a much more purposeful grip on our own wellbeing. We must train ourselves to be far more discerning and see the balanced view from a very early age. Enter professional educators, armed with skills to help the girls identify true and reliable sources of information and those that at best can’t be trusted, and are at worst damaging.

SPEECHES

Managing your own wellbeing also involves being able to stand back and laugh at the ridiculous and not be wound up by others around us who are bearers of gloom or negatives. As Aristotle put it: Happiness depends upon ourselves. And more recently, Abraham Lincoln: Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be. NJB - Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the American Declaration of Independence, 4th July, 1776, famously wrote: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’ He knew that ...

... happiness isn’t necessarily a God given right but something to pursue – to chase down. To make happen. You can’t just sit and wait for it. You have to help orchestrate it. In March of this year, the legendary Ken Dodd died, aged 90, after a period of illness and only days after marrying his partner of 40 years, Anne. (You haven’t a clue who he is, have you girls? Some in the room might know who we are talking about. Good old Ken. ‘Death and taxes find us all in the end’) So, for those of you who do know, there may be some who are even be able to sing along to this. [Extract played at this point from Happiness, as famously sung by Ken Dodd as almost a theme tune.] Happiness, happiness, the greatest gift that I possess I thank the Lord I've been blessed With more than my share of happiness To me this world is a wonderful place And I'm the luckiest human in the whole human race I've got no silver and I've got no gold But I've got happiness in my soul

3 This song resonates with us. ‘I thank the Lord that I’ve been blessed with more than my share of happiness.’ Happiness as a blessing suggests that it is a divine gift. Maybe? Or is the gift the potential to be happy? Is happiness, actually, the result of being the person you are, like a Ken Dodd: upbeat, energetically positive, actively seeking the laughter in situations and with other people? Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions. The Dalai Lama AMP - Alongside this rising tide of national unhappiness, uncertainty, anxiety and even fear, we also see a rising tide of mental illness afflicting so many. Is this an increase or the result of a greater readiness to acknowledge and talk about such things? Interestingly, talking therapies are invariably prescribed, further focusing on human interaction, not isolation, and interaction with experienced, qualified adults.

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The Governors, Headmistresses, SMT & Guest Speaker, Abike Looi-Somoye (2014) Leavers 2018 Sasha Narraway & Helena Foord share the Oulton Cup for Making a Difference Picnicking on the lawn

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exaggerating it to make us laugh. I couldn’t help but laugh; When we were at PGL and Mrs Bennett decided to do the giant swing and she dropped and screamed so loud I was so terrified to go on it; When we tricked Mrs Kelly into thinking there was a rat in a bag and she believed it. It was hilarious; When I snorted so loud that everyone was silent and then burst out with laughter. I went bright red; When we were at the school disco Mrs Gunther was chosen and did a funny looking dance.

1 So, we must all strive to take control of our own happiness and, crucially, that of others. St Catherine’s sets great store by kindness and teamwork. These things have to be worked at but they yield the best possible personal fruit: camaraderie, communal effort, fun and laughter. Look at the Sixth Form Musical and the Lower 3 production every year for evidence of this, to name but two. It’s not necessarily easy, mind you. All happiness depends on courage and work. Balzac When concerns or anxiety set in, girls, you need help with this: from peers, girls senior to you, friends, initially, sure, but also dependable adults: parents, teachers. Sometimes, girls, I fear that you do leave it too long to engage the help and support of the grown-ups. But we, adults, too, need help. Even professional footballers need help! We had to mention them sooner or later! [The World Cup 2018 was imminent.]

We see from this example, that that help comes best, through personal interaction. Face to face is best. Schools are - and should be - good at that. The girls’ happiness is of paramount importance to us and seeing is believing. So, we decided to ask them what had made them laugh out loud this year and recorded a selection of their comments: I laugh out loud when Eva tickles me; When people are smiling; When Emilia fell asleep in Headspace; When Emilia whacked a sword at a tree and it broke; When I saw the PPI teachers dancing and singing with the PPIs to ‘I’ve got this feeling inside my bones’; When I got Blu tack on my nose and then it got stuck in my hair so I had to cut myself half a fringe and then my mum cut me a whole fringe; when Ischia said, ‘Something smells of cinnamon, its Mrs Edwards’ hair’; When the PPIs were singing in assembly it made me laugh; when Mrs Edwards wore her top backwards and she had to change it; When we tried on bras in our puberty lesson; When we first learned about puberty, but we soon learnt it was no laughing matter; When we were having a spelling test, the word was potato and Mrs Lance Jones told us to write potato and when we all started laughing she was trying to say ssshhh but then she standed up and shouted ‘potato’; When Mrs Lance Jones got lost on the orienteering trip; When Mrs Lance Jones drew her stick men; When Mr Blunt was singing and doing all the actions with PPs. He was so excited and over-

NJB - Gareth Southgates has given credit for the success of the England team, their attitude and approach, to a Dr Pippa Grange, a psychologist hired by the FA as Head of People and Team Development. She was tasked with improving the team’s ‘psychological resilience’, to ‘banish England’s penalty demons’ and make them a well-oiled winning machine! A fiery Yorkshire-born woman with a penchant for speaking her mind, (Hmm…... remind us of anyone?) …… When the boys win this afternoon, we will know that it is all down to a woman! And if not, she just needs longer to work on the project!

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

You will, I am sure appreciate that we left the words exactly as the girls expressed them. We didn’t doctor or correct them. Out of the mouths of babes! What was evident, I felt as we listened was the timeless nature of the girls’ experiences. I found myself thinking back fondly to my own memories of school and I saw that many of you were nodding in recognition. Perhaps it was it you once upon a time with Blu tack stuck in your fringe or surprised to see a totally different side of a teacher at a school disco! AMP - And next the Senior School: Watching Mr Friend on Britain’s Best Home Cook with the whole boarding family (including Miss Ward’s dog!) and lots of snacks!!; The wit of my fellow tutees every morning; When the entire L5 football group played a match against Miss Gray on her own and she still won; Watching St Cat’s Got Talent; When my Dad came to school for the Parents’ Day; We were so tired on DofE we all started laughing for no reason; When my friend got her hand stuck in a Prep. locker because she had forgotten to put her name on the piece of prep; When me and Sofya didn’t know how to print something so we spent the whole break trying to tap a button and then the IT guy came along and it worked the first time he clicked it; When I fell down the stairs and Miss Evans just looked at me and said ‘Smooth’; On World Book day when Milou and Maddie went in pig onesies; When me and my friends did a human pyramid and I was at the bottom and everyone fell down onto me; When Georgia D and Olivia O gave up chocolate for Lent so spent the whole break picking out the chocolate in their muffins; Every one of my Stoner house meetings with Mrs Berry; When Lizzy split her jeans in the middle of the L6 musical assembly preview but managed to carry on flawlessly; Getting chased by a fox whilst sitting in the school garden; When my friend and I came to school wearing the same jumper - Social suicide!; When Mrs Warren told us really silly things that she had done when she was younger; At the Surrey Netball we did a race with Miss Cox to see who could eat a strawberry lace the fastest – she won; Every tutor time with Dr Bramwell- full of surprises; Dancing with Mrs Arrick at the Yule Ball; Having amazing fun with all my friends at Teen Tech and driving Mrs Byrne mad with our

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SPEECHES

terrible singing on the bus; Singing very loudly and really badly on DofE not realising that all the teachers were camped less than 100m away; When Yusra started singing a hymn in the middle of German by herself; Watching Love Island with my boarding family; When Mrs Alexander was singing on the coach in Boston on the Lacrosse and Netball tour; When Mrs McLean told us to say ‘I love you’ to ourselves in the mirror every day and DaNiai did it in the bathroom and someone walked in; Scoring an own goal as a goalie at the county tournament. It wasn’t great for the score but we all had a laugh about it! Some lovely moments, I think you will agree, which in many cases speak for more than just the laughter. Did you notice that not one comment involved any activity -on-line? And that was true of over 300 comments we collected. Not one of the girls said, ‘I laughed out loud when I was on Instagram.’ I dare say they wrote LOL often enough on a daily basis, with a gazillion posts, but that’s the point, isn’t it?

The LOL tag itself is a compensatory acronym for a moment of spontaneous laughter and eye contact shared with a friend, face to face. In the unforgettable moment. In the words of a wise and wonderful role model, Eleanor Roosevelt, Happiness is not a goal...it's a by-product of a life well lived. And we all need to work hard at that, for ourselves and everyone.

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Gala Concert Mrs Izzy McLean & Miss Cecilia Scott, trueblue Russell Baker on St Catherine’s Day St Cat’s Fest July 2018 PPI friendships

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3 NJB - 2017-18 has been another actionpacked year at St Catherine’s. In the Senior School, the new specifications for A Level and GCSE, and the new GCSE grading system, have kept girls and staff very busy indeed. We live in uncertain times as regards where these grade boundaries will be placed and as changes go, they have probably been the most rushed and professionally challenging in the last 50 years. The staff have been simply magnificent. They have kept the ship on the right course and the girls have, typically, done themselves proud and just got on with it all. AMP - University offers are many and competitive from top universities as always. And the graduation results of the classes of 2014 and 2013 which are now rolling in are exceptional. Today’s speaker is a case in point! Later today you will be able to view the new Honours Boards, kindly funded by

the PTA, which at last – a work in progress of 15 years! – celebrate the outcomes of our alumnae since the mid 1980’s. This term I ran with a little theme for the whole school in the face of the concern about the ongoing and ever present public and school exams: ‘this too shall pass’ - and that’s my way of managing my own anxiety as a leader when the educational landscape is what it is. You may have noticed that on a daily basis I wear my Head’s talisman bangle with the wise words of Julian of Norwich summing up that ‘all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well’. However, on a daily basis, it is the camaraderie of my close colleague in Headship who stands beside me today that lends my best perspective. Have you noticed how Miss B has her face set in a permanent smile or chuckle and her capacity to see the cup full to overflowing is a perfect antidote to my tendency to head in the direction of its being half empty or worse! Finding and maintaining the right people to connect with sustains our happiness. NJB: As for the extra-curriculum and other major events, parents have read about them in the Wheel and Cat’s Eyes and girls have lived through them. We will all read about them again in the School Magazine next term. Rather than canter through them here this morning, we asked the girls what they, as individuals, were most proud of this year:

I came third in the Young Rotary chef competition; I had a golf match and I came 1st out of 2 year 8s; I was in ‘Grease’ rehearsals and I could see the show that we had all worked so hard finally start to come together; I got my pointe shoes; I played my cello in house music; I gave my work experience presentation at the IGCSE Certificates Evening; I had the opportunity to go to Auschwitz and learn more about the events of, and the people ST CATHERINE’S 2018

SPEECHES

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involved with, the Holocaust; Playing lacrosse with the C team and we beat GHS in our last match; I got through the first day of Spy Ring; I got accepted into Surrey Rugby; I received 98% in a Maths test; I got the U3 Ashcombe House reward in the Autumn Term; I finally got 50% in Chemistry after scoring under 30% the rest of the year; I successfully dropped the noose in ‘The Crucible’ at the exact correct moment; When I was given the role of Anniversary Halls prefect; Catching Lottie’s ball in House Rounders when I was deep in the field because she is one of Ashcombe’s biggest hitters; I got moved up to the Ds in netball at the beginning of the year; We came second in ISNC netball. This is an achievement as the matches were very hard; I completed my trenches project in history which I had worked really hard on it and I was pleased with how it turned out and I received really nice comments; I received the Cole Owen prize for comedy after I performed as Albert in ‘Wind in the Willows’; I got the Australian Exchange and went to Australia because I really wanted to go and tried really hard to get in; I played drums in our Drama performance having only started in November; I got my first Head’s Commendation for the Chess Simul; I picked up and rescued a pigeon from the Dining Hall; Finally understood what was going on in Maths!; I played the Last Post for school when I was really pleased with how I played and I that I was given the opportunity; I broke the swimming records for breaststroke that had been held since the 1990s; I got into Middle Cantores at the beginning of the year and got to sing which is one of my favourite things to do in all sorts of concerts; I completed the caving course in Somerset even though I was really nervous beforehand; I made the

NJB - We were struck by the girls’ sense of pride and the obvious pleasure taken in these moments and by the many, varied achievements. Again, perhaps telling, not one of you girls mentioned being most proud of having the most ‘hits’ or ‘likes’ or ‘friends.’

Your real friends are here and around you, in person. That is the essence of St Catherine’s - the strength of our community. * * * * * * AMP - This time last year we launched Create the Future, the strategic plan for the School for the next decade. A real buzz of interest has followed and we now know we have identified projects that the girls and staff need and which chime with many families. Great facilities, nurture ambitious girls and attract talented staff. The 6 - the sixth form boarding house and social space for all the Sixth Form - has been granted planning permission, fully

supported by the village community which was really uplifting. Sadly, it came too late for us to start building this summer. A disappointment. NJB - But this is St Catherine’s so, far from allowing gloom to descend, we’ve looked again at the 10-year plan and we would now like to build both The 6 and the CATalyst – the Science, Maths and Technology space - in one hit from July 2019 to Autumn 2020. One building phase, one set of temporary classrooms, one temporary boarding house and voila! Facilities fit for the 21st and 22nd centuries. We have also had parents excited to make donations to the Art & Makerspace, too, so we will also press on to design that extension to the John Palmer Centre as well, to create these equally important spaces which will further ignite the girls’ imaginations and creativity. AMP - The implications of this will not have escaped you. It will possibly cost a wee bit less overall with economies of scale factored in, and any disruption on site will be a oneoff for one academic year, we will manage but the funding will be needed all at once. We have a good sum of reserves in the bank which we’ve been saving for several years in readiness; we will take out a good value loan with interest rates low; but to rise to this challenge and build both at once we will need our fundraising to hit the £3m target much faster than originally planned. In twothree years. So, we really need your help. There is already good news. Thanks to support from the community to date, we have already raised £500,000 towards the £3m target. Thank you for your wonderful generosity and sharing our belief, eloquently put by Benjamin Franklin, that ‘an investment in knowledge pays the best interest’. The remaining £2.5m represents £3,250 per family across the Prep and Senior community. Approximately half a term’s fees. And Job done. Break it down further and that’s £1,083 per year. Job done over 3 years. NJB - When we built this building, the speed of delivery of the whole project within three years was thanks to the ambition and determination of the broad community, and the speed of response from parents and alumnae. (I look to former colleagues here with us this morning, Kathy Jefferies and Chris Silver who were integral to that two-phase project in one and I can see that they are nodding!) So, ready to drive things forward, we’ve got the passion. Will you get behind this with us? We need everyone on board to create the momentum - to create the future - at whatever level of support you feel comfortable with.

Athletics team and threw a 60m personal best in shot put; I was given Games Captain responsibility and we were really good at organising matches; I passed my Grade 6 ballet; Seeing the dress that I made being modelled in the Fashion Show; I helped an U3 who was struggling with her Maths; I qualified for Hickstead Main Ring and National Schools Championships Individually for 110 cm; When we were just about to go on stage for ‘The Crucible’ and I felt so proud of what we had achieved together as a group/company.

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SPEECHES

2 Here’s another little thought to conjure with today.

This year has seen much comment on the Gender Pay gap. But if you have sons in other places, you may well be aware of the gender fee gap. In classrooms not so far away from here you will be paying significantly more for your 7-year-old son. Is his education really worth more than your daughter’s? A donation of the difference between the two to bridge that gender fee gap might be a way of considering a gift to the Campaign. NJB – Of course, making a gift brings benefits to the donor. As one parent recently put it, you become invested in the education of girls and feel a sense of pride in your school. You get to know the Foundation Office team, and feel part of the campaign. It’s a warm feeling. In giving, you help not only your daughter, but all the girls of the School to come, by making this a place where the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths subjects are studied with confidence. Where young minds light up with aspirations and ideas for the future in a technological world. We will inspire the scientists and coders of the future. AMP - In supporting The 6 you acknowledge that being a St Cat’s girl at the top of the School is a full-on experience which is enhanced by a pre-university opportunity to be independent and live with fellow students, enjoying discussion and debate long into the evening: that interaction face to face we spoke of earlier. With commuting time removed, girls can retain their extracurricular involvement - sporting, musical, dramatic or artistic - and grow these, rather than cut back to focus on A Levels. In Pippa Carte we are blessed with an exceptional Development Director with drive and passion for these projects and for girls’ education. If anyone can lead us all

3 to achieve these things, we are confident that she can. The Development team and governors will be in the Lower Atrium of the Anniversary Halls today with some new materials to show you, including a fly through of the boarding house, and the chance to put on the virtual reality goggles and walk through it yourself. Please go along, look to the future and find out more.

the teacher training scheme here for a long time and having just inducted her 39th and 40th candidates who join us next year. We marked this achievement with an uplifting whole staff assembly led by Mrs Folley entitled What makes an outstanding lesson? It was engaging, focused, challenging, pacey and great fun. An outstanding lesson for sure.

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AMP - We say farewell and thank you to some staff after short but nonetheless very influential tenure: Hannah Maude, Beth Goodwin, Morta Grigaliunaite, Jenny Sabin; Carol Ann Van Deventer; Joshua Carr and Caroline Jackson.

AMP - At the end of another busy year, culminating in last week’s intense Activities Week Programme in sweltering heat, we turn to our farewells and thank-you’s and we begin with the staff. Girls and parents, be under no illusion; this is the most wonderful, professional, caring and supportive group of professionals who go miles beyond call or duty or contract to ensure that a St Cat’s education is second to none. For some, that was several hundred miles for a full week last week and in the Summer Mrs van Deventer – class of 2006 and Head of Spanish - and her team, will go thousands of miles to Costa Rica with the Sixth Form expedition. Their day-to-day engagement with the girls and their skill as teachers was witnessed by over 120 of you who enjoyed Take Your Parents to School days in June which were a highlight of our year. Crucially, you all seemed to have a lot of fun, too! Thank you. * * * * * * NJB - Other staff notices are to add our own congratulations to Mr Phillip Friend on making the Final of Best British Home Cook. He will be our guest speaker on Foundation Day in September, so do book your places for that. The whole family is welcome. We also applaud one last time, Mrs Rachel Folley, who actually retired officially as a teacher in December 2012 but today says her last farewell after 24 years, having led

After 3 years, Alice Kirrage moves on to be a Head of Department; after 6 years, Anna Hetherington moves to a school far closer to her home; and Sally Gallis, Director of Drama, is taking some time out to support her children through the key senior school years. Mrs Gallis’s swansong was the remarkable production of The Crucible. I am confident to say that those who saw it will never forget it. NJB - Longer serving colleagues leaving us are Visiting Singing teacher, Rachel Bowen-Perkins (10 years); Jane Faull, Prep. School Receptionist (9 years); Giada Liddy, Prep School Teaching Assistant (14 years); and Clare Berry, formerly class teacher and latterly the cavalry in so many areas, including photographer and even mistress in charge of of maypole dancing! (16 years). Each has given a great deal to her respective area of school life. AMP - Finally, each after 20 years’ service: Mrs Lorna Crispin, distinguished seamstress and Head of Textiles and Mrs Kay Chaventré, Prep Director of e-learning and ICT. The

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Prep Sports Day St Catherine’s Day Snow fun on Chinhurst Hill ST CATHERINE’S 2018

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further song. [cue Mr Greenfield at the piano leading into the famous mult-coloured chorus …] Girls then sang: Such a dazzling coat of many colours. How I love my coat of many colours. It was red and yellow and green and brown, And scarlet and black and ochre and peach. And ruby and olive and violet and fawn. And lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve. And cream and crimson and silver and rose. And azure and lemon and russet and gray. And purple and white and pink and orange, And BLUE. Ladies and Gentlemen, we give you the funloving Class of 2018. 1

* * * * * * summer textiles displays and Fashion Show creations are another highlight of the year. For sight of Mrs Crispin’s own art in textiles, explore the windows to the Chapel, dedicated in 2002 to mark the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Mrs Chaventré was instrumental in the introduction of proper IT training for all staff back in the early 00s – Mrs Jefferies and I remember it well – and our whole school approach to Digital learning has its roots in those first courses, accredited by Cambridge University. The largest group of leavers, though, is the Class of 2018. The first year group to be born in the 21st Century! A group of young women who have been known throughout their school days as both very happy and very ‘sorted’: great friends to each other and a wonderfully united team. We will miss them. Among them are our ‘lifers’ - girls who joined us in PPI in 2004-05: Lucy Bacon, Catrina Gell, Hermione Menges, Lulu Pettit, Lexi Reina and Sophie Vallis.

As is my tradition, I offer all the U6 some quotations to inspire and steady them on their way. Picking up today’s theme, let’s start with Dale Carnegie: Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. Then I couldn’t resist this one which helps lend perspective in a crisis. From 19th century American writer and publisher, Elbert Hubbard: Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never get out of it alive. Next, of course, we have to turn to your musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Lyrics from the fabulous Mr Tim Rice, suggested by your Directors, and again, very much in keeping with today’s messages: We all dream a lot. Some are lucky, some are not. But if you think it, want it, dream it, then it's real. You are what you feel. And finally, because it just makes me happy to sing it, in all it’s nonsense, what about a

NJB - Speech Day is a day of celebration, of community and for setting aside other things for a brief few hours to reflect as well as to celebrate. We believe today’s theme is very important in that context. We have so much to be happy about - each and every one of us. In the words of Apollinaire - ‘Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.’ We hope you have a lovely day and will stay to support the PTA at lunchtime, enjoy the Jazz and the displays before retreating to watch the football! May the best team win! Let’s leave the last laughs to PPIs [a recording of 4 year olds simply giggling closed the presentation.] Let us go on ...

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Leavers 2018 Alice Phillips and Naomi Bartholomew with Abike Looi-Somoye Abike Looi-Somoye

TWO FURTHER SPECIAL PRIZES ARE AWARDED TODAY

he Staff special award for raising morale on a regular basis with well timed culinary offerings to the Senior School Staff room – always immaculately timed for moments of greatest need. We will miss Mrs Petersen for her glorious cakes over the years. And now to a very special award. The St Catherine’s Wheel Award for Distinguished Service is presented to day to Mrs Nan Brown, Teacher & Boarding Housemistress 1977 – 1992. Mrs Brown joined St Catherine’s in 1977, after a telephone call from the then Head, Miss Platt, asking if she might come and ‘save the day’ as a Housemistress for just one month. Without an interview or visit, Mrs Brown agreed and came to St Catherine’s which became her community and a home for her and her young daughter for over 15 years of

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distinguished service. Alongside her housemistress role, she taught writing and composition and shared her skills in needlework. Nan is a fount of knowledge about life at St Catherine’s through the 1970’s to the 1990’s. One in particular chimes with me today. The story of the purchase of the very first computer at St Catherine’s. So expensive was it in the 70’s, that it was paid for by an auction organised by parents. The precious computer was housed in one room and the girls were taught one at a time! She also recalls the planning of the Centenary building under the then Head Mr John Palmer and she generously contributed to the building of the Anniversary Halls and to the restoration of The Chapel. Her dedication for over 15 years as a Housemistress, evidenced by

the heartfelt cries of ‘Mrs Brown!’ from so many of ‘her girls’ at School reunions, leave me in no doubt that she is a worthy recipient of the St Catherine’s Wheel Award for Distinguished Service. Thank you, Nan, for your contribution to St Catherine’s School. I have asked my PA to present it to her as she was one of those boarders!

SENIOR & PREP SCHOOL

SPEECHES

SPEECH GIVEN BY ABIKE LOOI-SOMOYE (2014)

ello students, parents, teachers, governors, thank you very much for having me here for this year’s Speech Day, and many congratulations to you, girls, on yet another year of fantastic achievements. Having only left four years ago, it is truly warming to see so many familiar faces in the audience. My time at St Catherine’s is my most memorable years, so when I heard about the new developments of the sixth form boarding house, it reminded me how boarding enabled me to use my travel time to take part in more activities and clubs, helping me to be who I am today. I cannot wait to see what it will look like when the building is finished. To give you a bit of background to Industrial Cadets, it is similar to achieving your DofE, however instead of ticking off a physical section, residential etc, you tick off soft and hard skills that you gain while working in an industrial environment. And so, if you are doing work experience or an internship, it may be appropriate for you to take part as well. When I sat here as an U6 girl, I couldn’t have dreamed of standing here telling you about what I have achieved in four years. In the August of 2014, I did not make it into any of my chosen universities. I remember so vividly the day I opened up my results, to find that my grades were far from what I was expected to achieve. I was sick to my stomach with disappointment. I felt as if I had failed my teachers and parents who saw promise in me. I felt that I had failed myself. So, I sat in my old maths classroom, dried up my tears, and started the UCAS Clearing process, calling universities to find someone who would give me a chance to study something I was passionate about. I found my opportunity at the University of Leicester where I lived out my best successes even after my initial disappointments. We are often told that the only route to success is to achieve the best grades as that was the key to getting a well-paid city job after receiving your degree at a prestigious Russell Group university. How daunting. Something that these past four years have proved to me is that, although that may be a route for some, we all have our own individual and very different routes to success, and, equally, success is measured in many different ways. For me it is not just about how many goals we meet first time, it is about how well we can recover when the situation does not go as planned. Failing successfully is learning from the experience. This means that we have recognised how

2 to be even better next time and have accepted the things we cannot change. A set-back only builds skills of self-discipline, resilience, perseverance, when taken with the right mindset. So, girls, please do not be disheartened by a few bumps in the road. Engineering is often misunderstood. It is not about wearing overalls covered in muck, sliding under a car and tinkering with your tools. Engineering is about solving real life problems we all face every day. From your food, to medical treatments, your cars, your iPhones, buildings, shoes, everything around you involves the work of engineering. According to the .gov website, 91% of the UK engineering workforce is male, and 94% of the UK engineering workforce is white. In my experience, in my class at university, just under 200 students, I was one of ten women studying engineering. There is a significant lack of diversity. Our society needs to break down stereotypes around so-called male and female job roles, so that the younger generation, you girls, do not grow up with perceived barriers due to your gender. What is starting to happen is that more women get to experience technology in a more authentic way, and more companies are reaching out to help the younger generation find their passion for engineering and technology. I am proud to say St Catherine’s is a prime example of this change, making a step to more opportunities for women to understand and be inspired by STEM with the new STEM building. I hope you girls will gain some inspiration from the gutsy women who are pioneering modern technology. Being outnumbered in my class, I saw how the gender imbalance in engineering can be demoralising and disadvantageous for us women. I was often not trusted with a

hands-on job, and many did not trust in my engineering knowledge. Instead of feeling discouraged, I developed that resilience, I learned the importance of being humble and kind, and helping others even when the situation was out of my favour, using every opportunity to learn and develop. At the end of the day, we are all running the same race, and sometimes we let competition get in the way of what truly matters. Use every day as an opportunity to learn, do not feel ashamed to ask for help, and lend a hand to those who need it. Remember to support other women (those around you) and together, we can create an environment in which all of us women can thrive and one that advances society. With will, one can do anything. So, girls, in all of our endeavours, let’s go change the world.

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TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

SENIOR SCHOOL

SENIORSCHOOL GREEN CATS Isabella Done, Green Cats Eco-Committee

AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS

ver the course of the last academic year, girls across the school, from Prep all the way to Sixth Form, have come together to help regain the Green Flag. The Green Cats and Green Kittens EcoCommittee have worked hard to complete the seven different steps required by EcoSchools to show that we are deserving of recapturing the flag, as displayed on the flagpole in late September. First we gathered a group of passionate students together in the autumn of 2017 to meet once every half term to discuss what actions we were going to take and which topics we would like to focus on. The second step was to complete an environmental review of the school, which involved the kitchen, grounds and finance staff who gave each of us an interesting insight into what goes on behind the scenes. Fortunately, the results were surprisingly good. Nevertheless, researching and assessing issues, such as our waste policy, water and energy usage,

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biodiversity, transport, litter and our outreach to global sustainability projects, helped to open all of our eyes and to begin forming our action plan. The first topic we selected was Waste, as there is an obvious issue globally and internally about the amount of food and rubbish we throw away. To improve this, we started by creating battery and pen collection points out of cardboard boxes, and placing them at accessible points around the school. During the Spring Term we collected 768 batteries and 465 pens, which we have ensured went to specialist recycling businesses. Our recycling bins also continue to collect 200-400 plastic cups from the dining hall per day, considerably reducing our waste per year. In addition, we selected Biodiversity and Global Citizenship as our main topics. A piece of land was quickly identified amongst the beautiful grounds at St Catherine’s for a wildlife garden, and it was prepared and then sown in May 2018. Although this was slightly delayed due to the cold weather, this area is already providing a place for our biodiversity to develop, which we will track

Having proudly gained the Green Flag, Green Cats and Kittens are looking forward to another year of making a difference around school ... and sample as part of other subjects. As well as reducing our environmental footprint as part of the process, we also considered our input in global communities, such as Chisyabulungu School in Zambia. The Sixth Form Philanthropy Board held a fundraising event which raised £3700 to help improve the lives and education of many by providing a solar pump, pipes and storage tanks and therefore implementing running water for the students and to provide water for their organic vegetable garden. After deciding on an Eco-Code and displaying it around the school for the wider community to gain an understanding of what we were trying to achieve, we were ready for our assessment. On the tenth of July, we were then successfully reviewed by a member of Eco-Schools, and representatives from each year group spoke enthusiastically about their contributions over the previous twelve months. Having proudly gained the Green Flag, Green Cats and Kittens are looking forward to another year of making a difference around school, and taking on the challenges set by our assessor, such as working towards removing plastic from our community entirely. Being a member of our ecocommittee offers a valuable experience for life beyond school, and gives many students of all ages a voice for change where they see fit.

TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

SENIOR SCHOOL

TEEN TECH Millie Blackburn, Jayda Brown, Hannah Bugeja, Leah Greeno, Emily Maxwell. Kristin Milward, Obomate Osima-Dokubo. Honor Pink, Christina Spanellis &Abigail Tym

n Wednesday 15th of November, a group of 10 L4s went to Guildford and the Surrey Sports Park for the annual Teen Tech event, hosted by Maggie Philbin. Before the event began, we were told to draw a scientist and name it. Maggie Philbin then looked at all of the ideas and talked about what we thought a scientist would look like. She also explained that during the day we would meet a number of different scientists and engineers. We were then given multiple-choice selection gadgets and asked to answer a variety of questions about our interests in Science, Engineering and Technology. We were also introduced to Philip, a volunteer from a local company, who was our ambassador for the day and who joined us in all the activities. We were also told about a competition running throughout the day - that everyone had to put their ideas on to Post-it notes and place them on the Ideas Wall.

We were then sent off into the three different zones:

Insight Zone

n the Insight Zone we were split into two groups. The first group started at the HEON stand where they gave a presentation on criminology. They explained that everyone has a unique pattern on their fingers which can be used to identify them; when we touch an object we leave a trace behind from the oils in our fingers and, at the scene of a crime, detectives dust for fingerprints using a special powder which sticks to the oil, making them visible. For example, criminals often forget to clean the inside of a gun when they have loaded it with bullets, and this can be a good place to find fingerprints. Finally, we had our own fingerprints taken and they were made into keyrings which we were able to take home. We then went to visit the BAE systems stand. BAE is one of Britain’s leading technology companies focusing on aerospace and naval vessels. At their stand we had to make a Lego model of a ship. They explained to us how their ships are built and assembled and where all the key

elements of the ship are located. We were then given free rulers in the shape of a ship to take home. We visited the Frimley Park Foundation Trust stand where we got to hold a fake baby that is used to train paramedics. The baby had mechanics in it which means you could control its heart rate and model life-threatening scenarios. The baby was exactly the same weight as a small child and was extremely life-like. We also looked at various fake wounds that can be placed on an actor’s skin to help train paramedics. These wounds looked very real and made some people feel queasy. A few other girls looked at the child mannequin, Rodney. The child robot could be controlled on a panel and various scenarios could be modelled; for example, high blood pressure or breathing issues. The instructor then showed them inside the mannequin to see the engineering behind it and how they make the mannequin sound like he is breathing, even though he does not have any real lungs. After that one group went to Technics, a firm of Geospatial Surveyors. They use electronics such as lasers to map and create complex layers of geographic information to create a three-dimensional digital map of an area. They also demonstrated a card that could be placed on your hand but read by an i-Pad placed over it so that a full 3-D design could be visible. The other group’s first task in the Insight Zone was the University of Surrey Veterinary Medicine stand, where you identified the skulls of different animals including a cat, a dog, a horse and a pig. It was interesting to see the differences between them. You also had to guess what each one ate, by

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Eco Committee The Wind in the Willows U5 Trip to Thorpe Park House lacrosse Teen Tech GCSE Presentation Evening A Night at the Theatre Evensong in Winchester Cathedral

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TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

SENIOR SCHOOL

1 looking closely at their teeth, which we all enjoyed. We learned that horses have very long molars to enable them to eat long grass, whereas the cat had sharp canines to tear meat. We then had the challenge of labelling the bones and organs of the horse. The next two stands the second group visited were the Sanofi Pasteur stand and the Pirbright Institute stand. At the Sanofi stand we learnt about the many opportunities and different jobs in pharmaceuticals, including safety roles, manufacturing roles and pasteurisation vaccinations. We then made our own viruses out of satsumas, sweets and cocktail sticks. The sweets represented the proteins that fed the virus. Our team won a Terry’s Chocolate Orange as our viruses were very accurate. At the Pirbright Institute stand we learnt more about viruses and found out that wild birds are most prone to viruses. We then swabbed a pretend chicken in various places to determine if it had a virus. Next we learnt about different insects which carry viruses like ticks and mosquitoes. We found out that the little black blobs you see in stagnant paddling pool water are actually mosquitoes larvae. We then had to assemble a magnetic representation of a virus just by shaking a jar. Inside the jar there were many hexagonal magnets which, when assembled, formed a 3-D virus.

2 look like, as well as where to put all the components to make it work: for example a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi router, so it could be controlled from any distance. We also had determined how the wheelchair would work. We agreed to give it a re-chargeable battery, and a CPU which linked to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and iCloud, on your phone using GPS. When we were done designing our product, we were given one minute to present it to the rest of the Teen Tech participants.

Challenge Zone

n the Challenge Zone we met up with the people from Xtrac, a transmission company using engineering and manufacturing techniques. They started off by showing us two quick videos on people driving different vehicles, focusing on how the different gears worked on a sports car compared to an off-road car. The expert then passed around different gear components and we had to guess what material it was made from. Most of us chose between aluminium and, the correct answer, steel. Soon after he showed us how different aluminium and steel really felt and how each material suited different cars. Steel is mainly used because it is strong, it doesn’t melt when it gets hot and it is not

Innovation Zone

n this new Zone our challenge was to design and plan a new piece of technology and present it to all of the other schools. Our idea was to design a wheelchair that can climb stairs and be controlled by a smartphone, anywhere, so people can bring the wheelchair to themselves. We decided to call the project “Quad Wheels”. We were split up to complete various tasks - Design, Marketing, Engineering Process and the User Experience. Two of us worked on the design and we decided what the wheelchair would

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malleable. After that, we used magnifying glasses to make out the microscopic print on each gear component. The words included: magnetic, fretted and cracked, and were words used to describe the issues that can affect the gear working. We were finally shown how each gear fitted together and how each part interlocked. At the Air Products stand, one of the activities involved blowing up a balloon and then putting it into a pot of liquid nitrogen. As we watched it shrivel, it got taken away from the liquid only to reexpanded. We were also shown a traffic light without a green light, so by putting it into the liquid nitrogen we saw the colours change to green, due to the freezing of the fluorescent liquids. To demonstrate how dangerous liquid nitrogen is, our demonstrator placed a rubber tube in pot of it for around 10 seconds. He then showed how much the item had changed as it was smashed with a hammer. We all enjoyed this demonstration, especially when the scientist froze a banana in liquid nitrogen and used it to hammer a nail, made of frozen plasticine, into a piece of wood. We also watched him make huge bubbles out of liquid nitrogen, warm water and washing up liquid.

TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

SENIOR SCHOOL

Finishing the day

International Cambridge Youth Debates

fter we had completed the three different zones, we went back to the main room. Maggie Philbin then awarded the various prizes for the competitions that took place during the day. Our group was extremely happy to receive the Best Health & Safety Design award for our “Quad Wheels” project. Finally, we were then asked to collect our multiple-choice gadgets and answer the same questions as we had earlier in the day to see how much our minds had been changed. We enjoyed this trip and learnt so much about the various career options available. We all would definitely recommend this trip for girls in U3 next year.

Thalia Edwards, Lucy Langtry, Jessica Brocklebank and Jemma Hinds participated in their first competitive debate at Whitgift School in Croydon. The motions were challenging but the girls fought hard and Jessica and Jemma broke to the semi-finals and secured a place at the Grand Final, held at Oxford University in April. This is an amazing achievement for a team of novice debaters. Jessica was unable to attend the Finals Day, but Thalia kindly stepped in for her showing true St Catherine’s spirit and the two – Jemma and Thalia - were delighted to have the opportunity to debate at Oxford University and actually in the famous Oxford Union Debate Chamber, a chamber that has hosted talks given by Winston Churchill, the Dalai Lama, Albert Einstein, and the late Stephen Hawking. It was clear that as the day progressed they managed to hone their debating style, acting on the feedback they were given by the university judges. They completed four debates on topics ranging from: the role of religion in schools, the value of celebrity endorsement, paying developing countries not to exploit their natural resources and whether or not people under thirty should have two votes. This is an international competition, so the girls debated against people from countries such as Hungary, India, Greece and New Zealand, and this gave a breadth of opinion. The girls managed to finish mid-table overall and were delighted with their placement given that it was their first competitive outing. A great performance!

DEBATING REPORT Ms Louise Robson

irst, many thanks to our outgoing Debating Prefects, Phoebe Jowett and Natasha Nixon, and welcome to our new Prefects, Trudie Byatt and Katherine Howard, who are already working hard with the U3/L4 debaters in preparation for external competitions.

Rotary Youth Speaks Competition The annual Rotary competition was held in January 2018, and the St Catherine’s Intermediate team progressed to Regional final which was held at the Georgian Hotel in Haslemere on the 22nd of February. Genevieve Fernando-Barnes, Alice Turner and Aishwari Perera made-up the St Catherine’s Intermediate team and competed in the 11–14 age category. The girls were up against stiff competition from older students but gave a very spirited performance, after which they were given excellent feedback from the adjudicators, who all felt that Genevieve’s speech on the benefits of owning a pet was the one that most stuck in their minds, indeed they all left determined to invest in a pet for health reasons. The evening was hugely enjoyable with a dinner of bangers and mash and a rousing round of ‘Happy Birthday’ for the evening’s Master of Ceremonies – Tony Ward. Although the girls did not progress to the final stage of the competition, Aishwari was awarded Best in Category for her excellent Vote of Thanks speech. Well done to all girls. The Senior Team also broke to the regional final, giving a speech on languages. This team included: Phoebe Jowett, Annabel Barker-Lomax and Lexi Reina. Annabel was awarded the Best in Category Award, so once again, well done to all.

ESU Mace We entered the ESU Mace competition, which is a debating competition for Year 12 and below and it was held this year at the historic Christ’s Hospital School. Our task was to propose the idea that young people should partake in a compulsory year of non-military National Service after completing their formal education. It was a challenging motion to debate and we went up against Lancing College who pipped us to the post and progressed to the next round. Well done, girls, for all your prep work on this difficult motion.

ESU Winston Churchill Competition: On Thursday the 9th of February, Annabel Barker-Lomax, Eva Smith and Lucy Bergin competed in the ESU Winston Churchill first round, won through and progressed to the semi-finals held in the Guildhall in Guildford. Unfortunately,

5 despite a sterling performance, they did not break to the national finals, but Annabel picked up the Best Personality Award on the night. Another award for you, Annabel, well done!

Oxford & Cambridge Schools’ Debating St Catherine’s enters both of these prestigious competitions each year and as usual we hosted the Oxford Round on site. For the Cambridge Round we travelled down to Sevenoaks School and narrowly missed out on a place in the final; however, we did reach the Finals Day of the Oxford Round and travelled once more to that great city for a day of competitive debating. Annabel Barker-Lomax and Anisha Page made up the St Catherine’s delegation and battled through a challenging day with some decisions simply not going our way. Nonetheless, the girls performed well and their placing on the ‘Speaker’s Points’ tab was very good indeed. Many of the judges expressed their admiration for the clear and honest style in which the girls debated. A performance to be proud of once more.

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Frimley Park Foundation Trust mannequin demonstration AirProducts demonstration Debating Senior & Intermediate Teams at this year’s Rotary Youth Speaks Anisha & Annabel at Oxford Finals Day The ICYD Debating in their first competitive debate ST CATHERINE’S 2018

TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

SENIOR SCHOOL

FOOD AND CELEBRATION; WHAT DO THEY MEAN TO YOU? After seeing the Write It! Competition in Delicious Magazine, a competition run by the Guild of Food Writers and Pink Lady Apples, I decided to submit my essay. I wrote about Food and Celebration in my own life. I was runner-up in the 15-18-year old category.

Sophie Blauth (U6)

SPRING HIGHLIGHTS

emories of family celebrations are about food. The tradition that each celebration has its own meal creates an ideal recipe for special family events. The link between food and celebration is absolutely embedded in most meaningful family occasions and they would not feel right if the menu changed. For many people the prime food and family event is Christmas. For me this starts on Christmas Eve, with the Polish part of my family, when we celebrate ‘Vigilia’ (Christmas Eve Supper). This is a time for fabulous food (smoked salmon, rye bread,

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borscht, baked monk fish, chocolate rum truffle torte and fruit compote) and, when the meal is complete and we are all replete, for presents. At this time I look back on my Polish heritage. It is important to me to know the culture from which I come and celebrating round a table piled high with food, with my family, is the best way to do so. We share personal greetings, one on one, with everyone else present by partaking of Oplatek or Christmas Wafer before the Vigilia. It is the most important of Polish Christmas traditions and this simple act is one of my favorite parts of the night, as I chat with each member of my family and we wish each other luck and love for the year ahead. Christmas day with the English side is equally traditional. We eat roast turkey with stuffing, roast potatoes, parsnips, pigs in blankets, Brussel sprouts, many vegetables and lashings of gravy. And Christmas pudding of course! The day is full of feasting and games. We always start by raising a glass to each other and a toast of thanks to everyone. Because we all come together for this meal, it reminds us that family and food are very special. No matter our origins or culture, Christmas and its equivalents are a time for feasting, for remembering your heritage, giving thanks for being alive, remembering those who are less fortunate, and celebrating deliciously. Once Christmas Dinner is done, the presents have been opened, and the games are underway, in our family one question is asked that always gets a resounding ‘Yes!’, ‘Who wants a turkey sandwich?’ Boxing Day at my grandparents is simpler. Jacket potatoes, a platter of ham, smoked salmon, Nanny’s ‘Greek salad’, coleslaw, beetroot and a selection of pickles. The meal is not as luxurious as that on Christmas Day though is one we all look forward to because it is familiar and relaxing. Boxing Day is for playing many games including the family’s favourite card game ‘May I?’.

My Mum’s Christmas cake and a cup of tea towards the end of the afternoon finally sees us all slowing down as sleep beckons. Another celebration is Easter. We like to come together to eat a roast lunch, followed by an Easter Egg hunt. My Mum and Aunt lay out a challenging egg hunt for me and my cousin and we then do the same for them. Despite the fact that we are all adults there is something very exciting about racing around the house and garden looking for chocolate, praying Grandad hasn’t found the eggs and eaten them! While it is an event that brings the family together, it is the food that binds the day in happy memories to continue the tradition. Food is a bond, a time of reflection about those who are no longer there and the future ahead. My Polish Grandfather was always at his happiest at family events centered around food. He had known hunger, loneliness and terror during the Second World War. Being in a safe family group, with food on the table meant more to him than anything else in the world. Before he died he wrote an article called ‘Letter to My Sons’ in which he said: “Twice a year we had our traditional festivities: Christmas and Easter, each tinged with a moment of sadness, whose origin we could not put into words. We quickly swallowed those words with the traditional dishes and their taste brought back recollections of our own childhood and youth. For you their taste was new and different, sweets and delicacies. For us they were also tears of sorrow from the pain of something lost. You were our only joy.” Food is so much more than mere nutrition, it is the one thing that binds all families, whoever and wherever we are.

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Mrs Nicola Genzel with Sophie Blauth Leavers’ Recital House Singing - Ashcombe Snow time! Australia girls at St Catherien’s, Bramley Australia girls at St Catherien’s, Melbourne Fashion Show Passiontide Service & High Table Lunar New Year young chefs!

TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

SENIOR SCHOOL

THREE ACCOUNTS OF THE AUSTRALIAN EXCHANGE Grace Brown

he Australian Exchange for me was a great experience as I got to meet some exciting new people and travel to a beautiful country which I have never been to before. One of my highlights of the exchange is travelling all around Australia with my exchange family: I got to see the Sydney Harbour Bridge and walk around the huge Kakadu National Park. The experience has opened my eyes about this wonderful country that I was privileged enough to live in for three months. I enjoyed having my exchange, Allegra, come and stay with me and my family and getting to show her the UK and other countries in Europe.

Amy Earl

he Australian Exchange was marvellous. My host family was so welcoming and kind and they made me feel like part of their family. I stayed with the Robertson family, probably the funniest family I have ever met, with my exchange, Molly. During my stay I had the opportunity to travel to Tasmania, Sydney and Point Lonsdale. Learning to row with crew and racing in regattas every weekend was a definite highlight. School

life in Australia was really enjoyable as I got to try completely new classes that I had never done, such as Global Health, The weather, people, food and animals were incredible, making it a 3-month period I will never forget. During my exchange’s time in England I got to take Molly around London and show her many of the iconic places. I really enjoyed this experience and recommend it to anyone.

Maya Vere Nicoll

y experience on the Australian Exchange has been incredible, I had a fabulous exchange sister and her family was so welcoming and really made me feel at home. Over the three months in Melbourne my exchange family took me to some exciting places. Sydney was definitely a highlight for all of us. We had the opportunity to climb the Harbour Bridge, go jet boating around the harbour, surf at Bondi Beach and eat the delicious ice cream. I also attended St Catherine’s school in Melbourne which was really different to St Cat’s here in Bramley. I had the chance to try out new classes and make some new friends. After leaving Australia I had the opportunity to show my exchange, Sara, some of the cultural and historic sights of England, including Bath, Cumbria and London. I very much enjoyed the exchange and I will never forget it.

CHARITIES BOARD Rhiannon Eaves (L6)

he Charities Board is a group that consists of girls from Lower and Upper Six who work together on a variety of different events throughout the year in order to raise money for our chosen charities. Some of the charities we raised money for this year were Afghan Connection and War Child, due to the amazing work that they do. This year was highly productive as we ended up raising thousands of pounds to bring aid to these charities. We began 2017/18 with the annual jumble sale in late September where a variety of items were sold, including clothes, homeware, shoes, accessories, books and even more books! All of these items were kindly donated by members of the St Catherine’s community and attracted many local residents through our posters and advertising all around Bramley. We also provided tea and cakes (baked by the members of Charities Board), which were warmly received by everyone. The event raised £1,200 for Afghan Connection, a charity very close to our hearts as it was set up by an alumna of the school; Sarah Fane. In November, Charities Board held the Sixth Form Charity Ball (also known as Yule Ball), which included a lovely two-course

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TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

SENIOR SCHOOL

meal, enjoyed by all, and of course a lot of dancing! Every year the event is extremely popular with around 200 girls and their dapper dates filling up the dining room. Everyone had a very enjoyable evening and we managed to raise over £1000 for the Costa Rica project. The main event for Charities Board was The Fashion Show with our prestigious St Cat’s Got Talent. The Sixth Form girls modelled a range of clothes from shops for the whole school to enjoy. Some of those shops included Baby Gap, Boux Avenue, Sports Locker and Little Mistress. There was a range of clothing from sportswear, to pyjamas, as well as a selection of our own student’s textiles designs from GCSE and A Level. The event raised £6,000 for Afghan Connection and War Child. St Cat’s Got Talent is also performed on the night, involving girls from all year groups. We would like to congratulate every act for performing, and Daisy Holder and Nadia Raza for being crowned winners. Thank you everyone for contributing to the event. Our final event of the year was the Sports Day held the day after the end of Summer Term. The event gave the opportunity to 60 children in Years 3 and 4 from St Peter’s Primary School to enjoy our sports pitches and a delicious school lunch. Everyone always loves their day with us and the members of Charities Board also enjoy tanning in the sunshine and running around the pitches with the children. This event brought the Charities Board year to a close. On behalf of Charities Board and the rest of St Catherine’s I would like to thank Mrs Arrick for all her dedication and organisation of planning the events. Without her the events would never be as loved as they are by all the school and the members of Charities Board would definitely not have had as much fun! We are all very grateful.

We would also like to say a massive “thank you” to the Estates Team for enabling us to run these events so smoothly, and the St Catherine’s community for their continuous support and donations this year. Each year, the Charities are very appreciative of the on-going support, so thank you very much. Charities Board looks forward to another year with hopefully even more success.

PHILANTHROPY BOARD Rhiannon Eaves (L6)

hilanthropy Board started the year by organising the annual ‘Father Daughter Dinner’ in aid of School Club Zambia. The night included an appetising dinner provided by the school’s catering team, a competitive quiz and music round which created much uproar, and the obligatory “dad dancing”, which was enjoyed by all. The event was a great success and raised £3370, which has helped to build a solar pump at the Chisyabulungu School. We would like to thank all the girls and local companies who also donated generous gifts for the raffle and charity auction with a range of prizes from the much sought after ‘Jojo Maman Bebe’

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2 voucher to a ‘MINI Driving Experience’. We hope that the evening was enjoyed by all and we look forward to seeing you again in the coming term. In the Summer Term we also launched a brand new event: the hugely successful ‘St Cat’s Fest’, sponsored by Downes. Open to the Prep and Senior School, and their families, all enjoyed the live music, summer barbeque and stalls. The evening had a huge turnout to support Action Against Hunger, with acts including Roy and Greg from ‘Scouting for Girls’, alumna Cassie Jackson, Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Reuben Gray and many St Cat’s performers. We are proud to say we raised over £4,500 for Action Against Hunger and would like to thank all those that came and showed their support for such a worthwhile cause.

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CHESS

Serena Barker-Lomax

n this past year, the Chess Team at St Catherine’s has hosted the world’s biggest gathering of girl chess players, played hundreds of hours of chess and reached the national chess finals. St Catherine’s is becoming one of the leading girls schools in chess in the country. The fantastic work of Mr Martin, International Grand Master, and Mr Nguyen has meant that there has been a phalanx of younger girls joining the chess team and, even though our average age is thirteen, we still managed to beak into the national U18 finals. What I love about chess is meeting new people from around the world. I also love how fascinating the patterns that make a win are. We look forward to training up new players for next season and the following term of chess.

BRITAIN’S BEST HOME COOK Rhiannon Eaves & Katie Grove (L6)

uring the Summer Term, St Catherine’s School quickly became a frenzy of excitement and anticipation as it was revealed that our own maths teacher, Philip Friend was going to compete in the BBC’s “Britain’s Best Home Cook”. The weeks leading up to the show consisted of camera crews filming in the Maths department which quickly made the corridors unusually popular as girls filed in hoping to get their moment of fame! After months of auditions Mr Friend secured a place in the show where he competed against nine other cooks, to be judged by a panel including his idol, Mary Berry. The show quickly became the talk of the school and we were delighted that he made the Final. We were lucky enough to score an interview with Mr Friend:

7 Most memorable moment of ‘Britain’s Best Home Cook’: apart from stepping into the kitchen for the first time and meeting the judges, it was the whole of Week 4, with the judges praising my roast lamb roast and my crab pastry. This was the first time I really felt I had earned my place on the programme! What was the atmosphere like back in the house – was there ever any tension following a competition or was it very much like a family? There was never any tension as we all got on so well with each other. It was marvellous to be able to chat with the others and unwind, especially as they had been through it as well and could understand the emotions that we were all experiencing. Watching yourself back was there anything that you noticed you do without realising / did you see a different side to you on TV or did you feel that your personality came through? I felt that it was definitely the “real me” on the screen, with my mannerisms, quips and the like. However, I didn’t

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Ski wear at the Fashion Show, 2018 Nightwear at the Fashion Show Evening wear at the Fashion Show Fathers’ & Daughters’ Dinner St Cat’s Fest Roy Stride, lead singer for Scouting for Girls St Cat’s Fest Girls’ Chess Championship 2018 ST CATHERINE’S 2018

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realise beforehand how much my facial expressions show such a range of bizarre emotions: from my eye-rolling to my inane grinning…but it was funny to see all of that. Who was the rightful winner to you? I am so pleased for Pippa as she really was consistently strong throughout. I would certainly have loved to have won, and would have been delighted had Dipa won, but I was proud to have made it to the Final to be honest. Do you feel like you have improved as a cook since? Absolutely: not least being able to cook more speedily now and keep a sharp focus: whereas previously I would happily potter about in my kitchen at home. But there are several techniques I have picked up along the way. Would you do a similar competition again? A part of me would love to (as I had such a wonderful time being pushed and challenged), but there is a part of me that feels now I have done that, I should look for different challenges. What was your favourite interpretation of a challenge and why? Following the theme of the level of challenge, taste or success? To be honest, all of the “Ultimate” challenges were my favourites, as they were a great opportunity to show me more in my comfort zone with my take on my favourite pie dish, or my ideal canape selection, for example: an exciting way to put my personality on a plate!

SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS

Do we need to worry that your love for cooking is threatening your love for teaching? Not at all! My cooking is just one aspect of what I do. Besides, I adore teaching – although I do teach many Food and Nutrition lessons now at school, which has been an exciting way to combine two of my great loves. I would love to write a cookery book and I have so many cookery book ideas I would love to be able to develop. I would also love to host supper clubs events, cooking meals for guests with a menu of my choosing, showcasing food

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1 that I love and hope others want to taste. I would love to teach people to cook in their own homes, along the lines of giving cookery masterclasses for areas of cooking they would like to develop. What was your most frightening moment on ‘Britain’s Best Home Cook’ – were you ever certain that you were destined to come in the bottom but you surprised yourself? Oh, every time the judges came to taste my food was somewhat terrifying. Food is very personal, so it is hard not to be upset by a negative comment for a dish you feel turned out well or a dish that you believed in. But waiting to see if I was in the elimination rounds was quite frightening – although I saw this as an opportunity to cook again and try to redeem myself if a dish earlier in that week had not worked out. In terms of the food, by severely messing up a ginger cake in the semi-final, a cake I make so often at home without issue, I knew I was up for elimination. And serving not-quite-cooked chicken to Mary, I thought “they are not even going to put me in the elimination round, they are going to send me straight home before that”!

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Philip Friend on BBHC Philip Friend L5 Business Day David Shepard Elephant U3 at Lasham Valley of the Temples, Sicily Posing at the Valley of Temples, Sicily U6 Leavers’ Picnic U4 CPR Training St Cat’s Fest

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6 Tell us about Mary Berry and the other judges. It was a privilege to have cooked my food for someone such as Mary who I have admired for many decades. She was very warm, encouraging and gracious – but she was not afraid to tell it like it was, which I very much appreciated. It was a thrill just talking with her during the challenges, and when I was cooking it was very much like trying to please your favourite teacher, while hoping you would not disappoint her! Chris and Dan were initially less familiar to me, but they had much humour and would also be very supportive in their opinions. But all of the judges were encouraging, without any of the nonsense you often get with TV judges such as inflated egos or the determination to pull you to shreds! Did you learn from any of the contestants – did anyone inspire you in a dish that you now make at home? I learned so much, especially from Dipa who was so skilled at mixing and working with spices. I now cook a lot more with spices and can balance the flavours of spices at home more effectively. I also learned a few butchery skills from Trevor and some top tips when it comes to making noodle dishes from Pippa. All of which have been invaluable in my day-today cooking.

CLASSIC’S TRIP TO SICILY Miss Grace Whittingham

his Easter, a cohort of students from Lower 5 to Upper 6 enjoyed a week of sun,Doric temples, Greek theatres, Roman amphitheatres, exquisite mosaics and granita during the Classics Department’s inaugural tour of Sicily. Elinor Campbell (L6) writes, “As someone who had never been to Sicily or knew much about it, I found it fascinating how important the island was to several

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classical civilisations and to various cultures throughout History. As a result the island has a rich and diverse heritage, making it a wonderful choice for a Classics trip. Personally, I found the day at Syracuse on Ortigia Island the most interesting. Here a fifth century BC Doric temple, probably dedicated to the goddess Athena, was transformed into a Christian church with the arrival of the Normans, and now acts as the baroque cathedral (or Duomo) for the city. We could still see the columns and capitals of the temple incorporated into the design of the cathedral. This gives us a physical example of how cultures have merged or been built upon throughout the island’s history. I would like to thank the staff who planned the trip and accompanied us. I would encourage anyone interested in Classics to consider going in the future.” Besides learning much about Sicily’s ancient past, there was a lot of fun to be had. The girls’ self-penned original theatrical performances on the final night will live long in the memories of all who were fortunate enough to witness them! The weather was sunny and warm, and we were able to spend the final morning on the beach playing volleyball. The girls were a credit to the school, garnering plaudits for their punctuality, politeness, attentiveness and excellent questions from all our local guides.

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SIXTH FORM SIXTH FORM BONDING TRIP Rhiannon Eaves & Katie Grove

he weeks before starting Lower 6 were very nerve-wracking for all the current students, so we cannot imagine how nervous the new girls would have been. For this reason, the Lower 6 bonding trip was the perfect event to calm everyone’s anxiety and make us all extremely excited for the two years ahead.

The bonding trip took place three days before the beginning of term: with a lack of Wi-Fi and ‘phone signal and no washing facilities, much to our horror! We were put into groups of 10 which helped everyone to bond with girls they may not have spoken much to lower down the school. It was also the perfect

opportunity to meet the girls who were new to St Catherine’s and make them feel as welcome as possible. Our first task was to buy our food supply for the whole weekend with only £1 per day in a group. This was surprisingly challenging considering that everyone just wanted to spend that on chocolate! The activities throughout the trip helped everyone grow closer as a team, from crawling through mud to carrying each-other through obstacle courses. We were reliant on each other to complete the activities meaning that we grew to really trust one another. Although the weather was not great, we managed to keep our spirits high, especially when we were all sitting around the bonfire every night roasting marshmallows and chatting. The trip was a very enjoyable experience and we all went into Lower 6 feeling more relaxed and excited for the years ahead.

‘GREASE’ - SIXTH FORM MUSICAL Directors: Jenny Doran, Cat MacLachlan & Alicia Pearson

hen we found out that we would be directing Grease we were both elated and terrified. The L6 musical has characterised so many people’s experience of Sixth Form at St Cat’s. So the pressure was on! As we only had two weeks to put on the show, we expected the rehearsal process to be fast and furious this certainly proved to be the case. It was somewhat manic having to cram in song after song, scene after scene, fitting after fitting, and much more. But my goodness was it worth it: it was so rewarding to watch the final performances after all of the hard work that everyone had put in, in their own way. We definitely think the Sixth Form musical brought us so much closer together as a year. We were incredibly proud of the progress everyone had made in such a short space of time and received some lovely comments from both students and teachers who admired our dedication. We were thankful for this experience: not only was it so much fun but it was also extremely valuable for us as it gave us insight and a hands-on experiences in the world of directing. It also taught us that with hard work and dedication, anything you do can be Automatic. Systematic. Hyyydromatic. Why, it could be Grease Lightning!!!!

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L6 Bonding Trip - Eva and Bel L6 Bonding Trip - Denise, Harriet & Anson Preparing to abseil on the Bonding Trip ‘Grease’ - Sixth Form musical ‘Grease’ - Sixth Form musical Cast of ‘Grease’

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Claudia Shehadeh & Phoebe Owen

eing cast as Danny and Sandy in Grease was both character-building and rewarding. Having never done anything like this before and only having little dramatic experience, we were quite apprehensive. However, being surrounded by our peers we received endless amounts of support which meant that we were able to step out of our comfort zone completely. As we were both relatively inexperienced actors it improved so many skills, such as our teamwork skills. Being able to come together and work as a year group was such a unique experience and allowed everyone to build on their confidence and performance skills throughout the whole process, with the support of each other, especially the directors. On the performance nights, we definitely felt the pressure and anxiety. Getting up in front of a large crowd was not something we were used to - especially in full costume, makeup and with an American accent! However, this was the best possible way to end to L6 and was a great reward after finishing exams!

Rhiannon Eaves & Katie Grove

e were cast as Jan and Rizzo from the Pink Ladies and had the best time bringing those characters to life together. We were both extremely out of our comfort zone as neither of us had had any singing experience previously and this was our first time singing to anyone publicly, but everyone did their best to encourage and support our sometimes questionable harmonising! Being part of the Pink Ladies was one of the best experiences we have had at our time at St Catâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as we built a strong relationship with everyone in involved. Our equivalent partners in the T-Birds also got to know us very well through the dance routines and romantic moments. The whole experience for us was unforgettable and it will be very difficult to top in Upper 6. Our year group feels so much closer now than it ever has before. We would like to thank our amazing Directors, Tech crew, costume designers, choreographers and girls backstage, because you all made the experience so enjoyable - without you the musical would not have been anywhere near as good!

It was somewhat manic having to cram in song after song, scene after scene, fitting after fitting, and much more. But my goodness was it worth it: ...

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DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD Mrs Jean Arrick

BRONZE 81 girls from the Upper 4 completed their training and practice expedition for Bronze D of E during Activities week at the end of the Summer Term at Bentley Copse scout site in the Surrey Hills. They went on to complete their assessed expedition in September at the beginning of Lower 5. They walked in 13 groups around the Heron’s Wey girl guide camp site in Tilford. Many of these girls work in charity shops for their volunteering section, but they also help with local Brownies and guides, in Sunday schools and with sports activities through the sports leadership scheme.

SILVER 68 girls in the Lower 5 completed training and a practice expedition on the South Downs in the summer. They went on to their assessed expedition in Activities week in their Upper 5 year and travelled to the Forest of Dean to stay in St Briavel’s Castle before setting off on their 3-day expedition. This hilly area gave the girls a taste of the kind of conditions they will experience if they go on to the Gold level of D of E. Many of the girls start their volunteering for Silver in Lower 5 and some help at the Bramley Fête with face painting and games, which contributes to their six months as a member of the community action group.

GOLD 21 girls completed their Gold expedition section this summer in the Black Mountains in South Wales. They learnt from a range of experiences on their training weekend in the Peak District in November and their practice expedition on Dartmoor in April so were well prepared for the challenges of the remote conditions in South Wales. At this level girls are able to help with running the award for their volunteering section as award leaders and D of E ambassadors. Thanks go to Mrs Arrick, Mrs Wiskin and staff, past and present, who have helped to support D of E.

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GOLD D OF E EXPEDITION Imogen Bridges

uring the summer holidays, we set off on our Gold DofE expedition for four tough days of walking through the hills of the Brecon Beacons in Wales. Aside from being lost within the first twenty minutes on the first day, we managed to make our way enthusiastically through all the challenges thrown at us, including the freezing cold nights and wading through rivers. A definite highlight was the second day, where we spent most of the walk on top of a huge ridge and had amazing views all around us for several hours, accompanied by some very friendly wild horses. It was so much fun to go through learning curves as a team, such as rationing our food after eating way too much on the first day and supporting each other through the tough third day, when we walked 30 kilometres. We finished as a stronger group, with the type of bond you can only make by doing DofE together. The sense of achievement when we found the final checkpoint on the last day was overwhelming, and I found myself wishing this was not the end of my time doing DofE. The experiences I have had over the years from Bronze in U4 to now will always stay with me, and we are all really thankful to Mrs Arrick for leading DofE at St Cats, giving us the opportunity to take part.

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Gold practice: Dartmoor Gold: Brecon Beacons Near the end of the Gold Bronze expedition: Surrey Hills

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These teams demonstrated true teamwork and cooperation; yet, kudos should also go to the brilliant support from all non-players ...

HOUSES Competition. The leadership of Chloe (U6), Beth (U6) and Lulu (U6) contributed hugely to the high standard of acting, as well as an outstanding technical theatre display and seamless prop and costume changes that were coordinated by the entire Sixth Form. The end of term saw Ashcombe being placed 5th in the Merit Cup and 3rd in the Work Cup. The Spring Term saw Emilie (U6) leading Ashcombe to a remarkable 1st place in House Music Competition. Her outstanding mash-up of songs from the 60s to the present led to a standing ovation!

ASHCOMBE Ashcombe House Captains - Lucy Floydd & Megan Skirrow (L6)

rom the outset, Ashcombe performed well in House competitions. In the Autumn Term’s Public Speaking Competition, Kayla (L5) was Best Chairperson in the Senior School, and in the Middle School, Gupi (U4) was Best Chairperson and Emma (U3) was Best Questioner. Additionally, Ashcombe showcased their creative flare when our Art Prefect Julia (U6) put together a wonderful display in the House Art Competition. St Catherine’s Day saw the Middle School team coming joint 3rd in House Lacrosse and the Senior School team placed 2nd which was an excellent result for our talented players. These teams demonstrated true teamwork and cooperation; yet, kudos should also go to the brilliant support from all non-players who braved the cold to cheer on the teams that day. Ashcombe’s undying house spirit was mirrored onstage in the House Drama

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The whole house gave their all inhouse gym, putting together wonderful routines and having a great time, with special mention to Phoebe (U6), winning the Roberts cup for Courage after her superb solo performance. Moving into a very successful Summer Term, Ashcombe won 1st prize in the Middle School rounders with great support from the rest of the house. Our house spirit shone on Sports Day, with enthusiastic supporters and great athletic skill: we came 1st in the relay cup, 3rd in the golden mile and 1st overall! The house was ecstatic with our performance and it launched us into House Swimming with high morale. We ended with a 2nd place in swimming and 1st in the relay trophy. It was wonderful to see the whole house come together and it was a super end to the term.

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House Drama House Athletics House Athletics House Athletics House Singing

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Merriman were very proud to receive the overall consistency cup which shows the hard work and broad range of talent within the house; we are very proud of you all. 1

MERRIMAN Merriman House Captains - Emily Turner & Phoebe Beggs (L6)

nce again Merriman has had a successful year, and we would like to congratulate everyone on both their individual and group achievements. Congratulation go to the Merriman Middle School Netball Team for starting off the year with a win: we continued are sporting success with the senior lacrosse team coming 3rd overall. In addition to this Emilie (U5) was selected to represent Scotland in the Lacrosse Home Internationals, while Jess (L5) was selected for Elite Satellite Training at Surrey Netball. In the Spring Term, many girls enjoyed participating in the inter-house Gym Competition, with particular congratulations to Ellie (U4) for winning Gymnast of the Year for her performance in the trio. Gymnastic success continued with Daniella (U3) coming first overall in South East Gymnastics Championships. In the Summer Term, Merriman achieved second place in Senior House Tennis with the help of Lottie (L4) who went on to win three U14s and an U18 tournament. Merriman enjoyed performing our house play based on a folk song, with every member of the house was involved through either acting, tech, scenery or music. Cat and Sasha received an award for best script, whilst the tech and scenery crew won Most Creative Design. Everyone got involved again for our renditions of Hallelujah and River Deep - Mountain High which was enjoyed by all thanks to Helena and Tash’s hard work composing and conducting. Emily (U5) put together a beautiful art display showcasing the artistic talent of

Merriman. Congratulations to all whose art was chosen in particular to Amelia (L5) for winning the Middle School House Art prize. Well done to those who took part in Public Speaking, especially to Icy (U4) who won Best Speaker in Middle School; the team was helped out by Jess (L5) who broke to Finals Day for the International Youth Debates held at Oxford University. The annual Merriman fair was greatly enjoyed by all, with money being raised for Look Good Feel Good, Save the Children and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. We were also able to support Shooting Star Chase through the generous donations received at House Communion. Overall this year we raised £2005.15. We feel very proud that this year saw another Merriman girl fill the position of Head Girl, so congratulations go to Izumi. In addition to this, we saw former Merriman girl Abike Looi-Somoye present prizes at Speech Day 2018 having been named as Industrial Cadet of the Year, an incredible achievement having only left St Cat’s 4 years ago. Also at Speech Day, Sasha (U5) was awarded the Oulton Cup for Making a Difference. Merriman were very proud to receive the overall Consistency Cup which shows the hard work and board range of talent within the house; we are very proud of you all. Finally, we would like to say a massive “thank you” to the last year’s House Captains, Cat and Sasha, for their ongoing and enthusiastic commitment to the house and their never-ending support for the younger year groups.

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House Singing -the band The legendary Merriman Christmas Fair House Gym House Gym ST CATHERINE’S 2018

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The Midleton cheer was as loud as ever, and this really helped to lead our teams to success.

MIDLETON Midleton House Captains - Phoebe Hatrick & Harriet Godfrey (L6)

idleton spirit was on top form last year and this reflected in many of the house activities we took part in. Despite placing in a range of different positions, the Midleton girls always showed the utmost enthusiasm, and, if they were not directly involved, supported from the side-lines with our infamous Midleton chant. Our first house event was Netball, and the girls hit the ground running with their energy and positivity. Our Senior School team came 2nd, which is testament to their hard work and determination; we are so proud of them all. Despite not placing highly, support for our Middle School team did not waver, and all players fought until the final whistle. We pride ourselves on ensuring everyone who wanted to play managed to do so. Well done to everyone! November brought with it the annual excitement of St. Catherine’s Day, an event highly anticipated by Midleton due to House Lacrosse and our popular mince pie and brownie sale for charity. This is always a great opportunity for the girls who aren’t as interested in sport to get involved in the house spirit without having to put their lax boots on. The next house event was Drama, with this year’s theme being folk songs. Our drama prefects, Daisy Holder and Tilly Peterson, managed to create a wonderfully dark yet humorous script based on the folk song, Dowie Dens o Yarrow. Due to amazing acting from Molly McLean and Olivia Blythe, under the guidance of our fantastic directors, Midleton came 2nd.

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Olivia Blythe was awarded Best Senior Actor for her particularly moving performance, and Natalie Hinds was awarded Best Junior Actor for being both comedic and adorable. It was an amazing team effort, from the lead roles and crowd, to the tech team working tirelessly behind the scenes. In the Spring Term, we started working on House Singing. The theme for this year was The Supremes, and Midleton were allocated ‘ou Keep Me Hangin’ On, and we chose Africa by Toto for our second song. The girls were extremely dedicated to rehearsals, spending time learning the words and harmonies. We are so proud of them all, and the audience thoroughly enjoyed our enthusiastic tributes. The L6 also ran House Gym this term, where the house performed a range of routines to songs from the soundtrack of Mamma Mia. This event always brings energy and liveliness, and this year was no different. Well done to all who performed, in particular the cheerleading team, who won their category! When it comes to summer sports, Midleton always seems to flourish. This year we achieved some great results, including 1st place in House Swimming and Senior Rounders, and 2nd place in Athletics. The Midleton cheer was as loud as ever, and this really helped to lead our teams to success. It has been another exciting year for Midleton, and it is all down to the girls’ unwavering spirit and enthusiasm. We look forward to seeing all they can achieve next year!

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House Gym House Drama House Athletics House Lacrosse

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... we all enjoyed the House Athletics in the morning, with many girls stepping up and taking part in events outside their comfort zones.

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MUSGRAVE Musgrave House Captains - Phoebe Owen & Tamsin Dodsworth (L6)

t has been a very busy year with all the Musgrave girls having lots of fun and taking part in a range of activities. We had a great start to the school year in 2017 by coming first in the Senior School House Netball and second in the Middle School House Lacrosse. To add to this Musgrave were awarded Best Technical team in House Drama. Last October one of our future House Captains, Tamsin, won the Senior School Art prize and Jacky curated a stunning Art display. In the Spring Term we prepared our House Gym routines to the musical Singing in the Rain and the music of Queen. Everyone had a great time rehearsing and also performing on the day so we could not be more happy to say... we won! Well done for all the hard work and focus combined with the Sixth Form’s amazing choreography. A special mention to Saskia for her final time performing in the House trio and for being such a great role model to the younger girls in the gym. We rounded the term off with the House Singing, which included a song from The Greatest Showman: a trip to Camberley to see the sing-along version of the film was great fun. Summer Term sport is always so much fun, with the whole house out to support the teams in the sunny weather. One of our highlights of this term was placing first in Senior House Tennis. On Sports Day we all enjoyed the House Athletics in the morning, with many girls stepping up and taking part in events outside their comfort zones. The house spirit in the House Athletics relays was also very impressive. After enjoying spending time with our year group in the house picnic many girls went to swim for the house in House Swimming, where once again the house spirit was outstanding. To reward the girls for their motivation we came 3rd, with Isabella and the Upper 3 Medley Relay Team achieving a school record! The Musgrave girls have been very busy raising money for charity this year; over £1000 from a combination of badge sales, cake sales and the annual Easter egg hunt. When it came to the end of the school year in July we were all delighted that we came joint first in the Folley cup for the most successful house in the school. We thank Jess and Saskia for leading us all so well over the last year and we are looking forward to this year’s challenges and excitement.

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House Gym House Athletics House Singing House Singing House Gym ST CATHERINE’S 2018

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Our House Drama was praised for its innovative staging and a soundscape involving the whole house.

RUSSELL BAKER Russell Baker House Captains Alex de Villiers & Trinity Kershaw (L6)

ussell Baker’s year started with our fantastic win at House Art. Our beautiful display was curated by our Art Captains, Holly and Serim. Auditions and rehearsals for House Drama were then well underway and were enthusiastically attended by all. Our House Drama was praised for its innovative staging and a soundscape involving the whole house. In spring, House Gym saw the L6 girls faced with the challenge of choreographing routines in different categories of gym and dance to music from our given musical, Thriller. They should all be praised for their leadership, especially Amelia whose rhythmic-gymnastic group won first place. We would also like to thank Chelsea, U5, who came second with her solo routine and was also awarded Performer of the Day. Later the same afternoon, we were in the wings of the auditorium, raring to begin House Singing. Lexi and Chloe’s

arrangements of Stop! In the Name of Love and Sing charmed the audience and although we didn’t place, we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. At the end of the Spring Term, before their A Levels, our out-going Upper Six handed over the reins of house leadership to the Lower Six. We would like to thank all of the prefects, especially our former house captains, Tash and Josie, for all the work they put into the house competitions last year and we hope that we can live up to the excellent example they set. In the summer, the house participated in and supported house rounders, tennis, athletics and swimming. We all had a lot of fun and were delighted that we won Middle School tennis. We would especially like to commend Cariad, for her achievements in athletics and swimming. For us, the highlights of this year have been seeing so many members of the house getting involved in house competitions and welcoming our new girls; we cannot wait to see what the rest of this year has in store for us!

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House Athletics House Athletics House Art House Gym House Drama

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STONER Stoner House Captains - Catriona MacLachlan & Elizabeth Llewelyn (L6)

his has been perhaps one of Stoner’s most successful and exciting years to date. We started the year with rehearsals for the the House Drama competition and our play was based on the traditional folk song The Gentlemen. We were delighted to gain first place in the overall competition, with special mentions going to Cat, Charlotte and Izzy for their excellent performances. A big thank you also goes to Connie, Libby (House Captains) and Millie (Drama Prefect) for writing such an impactful play. In addition to the busy drama rehearsal schedule, many girls also enjoyed participating in the House netball competition - we came fifth in the seniors and fourth in the middles. This was followed by victory in the House Lacrosse competition on St Catherine’s day. There was much excitement during the finals and we were delighted to achieve first place in both the Senior and the Middle competitions. During the St Cat’s day celebrations the U5 also ran our annual charity hot chocolate sale, raising £660. This was divided between the Arundel & Brighton Lourdes Sick Fund and Guildford Samaritans. Then began the Spring Term, which started off with House Gym and Singing rehearsals. The theme for the gymnastics was musicals, with our musicals being My Fair Lady and The Commitments. We all had very upbeat routines choreographed by the L6, and everyone was very pleased to gain 2nd place in this event. Special mention goes to Izzy Lamb for coming 1st in the solo section for the 2nd year in a row! Those who weren't involved in the gym were busy rehearsing for the annual House singing competition with our Mika medley and The Happening by Diana Ross and the Supremes.

It has been a very exciting year and girls in the House have enjoyed participating and supporting each other during the various House and Charity events.

HOUSES

The songs were expertly arranged and taught to the house by the Music Prefects, with special commendation to Catherine for winning best composition! All in all, the Spring Term was a big success for Stoner! We also had a notably busy Summer Term with ongoing House rounders and tennis competitions - well done to everyone who played in these events! We ended the year with a fantastic sports day where we came 3rd in the House Athletics Relay Trophy, 1st in the Golden Mile and 3rd overall in House Athletics. We were also delighted to come 2nd in the Swimming Relay Trophy and 4th overall in House Swimming. It has been a very exciting year and girls in the House have enjoyed participating and supporting each other during the various House and Charity events. Following various successful cake sales the middle school were able to send £300 to the Rob George Foundation. At the end of the year we had to say goodbye to our wonderful tutor team

consisting of Mrs EP, Mrs Hermitage and Mrs Divine and we welcomed in to the house Miss Cox, Mr Reed and Miss Kerleau. Thank you very much to the U6 team who led us through such an amazing year, with special mentions to our House Captains Connie and Libby. You set us such good examples for our U6 year and we wish you all the best of luck in the future!

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House Gym House Drama House Athletics House Lacrosse ST CATHERINE’S 2018

ARCHIVE

SUSAN MATHER BURNETT OUR FIRST HEADMISTRESS

n 25th September 1885 St Catherine’s opened for business with 17 students and fees of £39 per annum. The Founders of the School appointed a Miss Susan Burnett as Headmistress. Until recently we have known very little about the first headmistress of St Catherine’s, except that she resigned two years later to become a missionary in Japan. No photographs, documents or reports of her seem to exist in the school records. However, recently the archivists have found some more information on her, most interestingly that she was a member of the Church League for Women’s Suffrage (CLWS), in the same group as Emily Davison. The CLWS was founded in 1909 with the intention to: ‘band together, on a non-party basis, Suffragists of every shade of opinion who are Church people in order to secure for women the vote in Church and State, as it is or may be granted to men.’ Her 1926 obituary sheds more light on this interesting lady. Miss Burnett’s life, in spite of serious heart trouble from early years, was one of ceaseless activity in the service of Christ. When ill health prevented her from completing her training as a hospital nurse, she became a teacher (at St Catherine’s), and after working for a time in England, she went to Japan and spent many years teaching there. On her return, she became headmistress of the elementary school at Madingley (Cambridgeshire),” but moved back to London on the death of her father, where she set up her own floristry business in Eccleston Street, Belgravia. In 1920 she “became a student at King’s College, in the hope that she would persuade the authorities to extend the degree to women. She passed the same exams as the men theological students but the diploma was refused her. The enthusiasm, humility and perseverance of this woman undergraduate will surely not easily be forgotten by her fellow students….. She lived respected by all and loved by many.

In the Centenary year of Women’s Suffrage, Miss Susan Burnett links us with Millicent Fawcett, depicted top right, as the first woman to have a statue in Parliament Square.

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

DRAMA

SENIOR SCHOOL

Mrs Sally Gallis - Director of Drama

his year, the Drama department produced two very different but equally superb shows: The Middle School brought us the warm and nostalgic tale, The Wind in the Willows by Alan Bennet and the Seniors, Arthur Miller’s epic, The Crucible. The Wind in the Willows Directors, Miss Parkinson and Miss Batt report: At the beginning of the school year, the cast of The Wind in the Willows were thrust into intensive rehearsals. The commitment of the cast was truly inspiring as they worked hard with their learning of lines, blocking and singing. Their dedication and perseverance definitely paid off and the quality of their acting was astonishing! They delivered a performance far beyond their years and the audience was left amazed at the way the girls created a magical world in which we were pulled into for an unforgettable evening of fun! I am incredibly proud of our production of The Crucible. It was a beautifully crafted piece from its conception to its final show, and I cannot pay homage enough to the girls who were instrumental in making this, my final show, such a wonderful experience. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Miss Parkinson, our Director and Producer in Residence, who helped to guide and support the girls through such a demanding text and Mr Logan-Fowler and the technical crew, under the expert Stage Manager’s guidance of Rose Buchanan, Josie Ireland, Madi Silver and Anya Urban, once again outdid themselves with the technical demands of the production. Big thank yous also go to Sasha, Maddy, Beth,

1 After a hugely diverse range of devising in the Autumn Term from the U5, with styles ranging from Expressionism to Physical Theatre and Docu-drama, during the Spring Term the AS groups performed an extract from Metamorphosis by Steven Berkoff as well as studying and performing monologues and duologues of their own choices. The U5 then produced Pool No Water (Mark Ravenhill) Kneehigh’s Hansel and Gretel, Monsters by Niklas Radstrom and People Places and Things by Duncan Macmillan. In the summer term. In the Summer Term the U6 created a devised a piece of Physical Theatre called The Candyman. This piece was created around their interest in psychology and used the structure of fairy tales as a springboard. The final piece, primarily using the styles and

DRAMASCENE Nadia, Daisy, Connie, Nicole, and Rose (U6) for their major contribution to the extracurricular life at St Cat’s. I would personally like to also say a huge ‘thank you’ to our Marvellous Mums this year who have once again been a wonderful help in assisting with costumes and make-up. Continuing the habit of bringing top class nuntertainment to the Surrey Hills, next year’s Whole School Musical will have you dancing in the aisles and singing our praises! Sister Act, based on the hugely popular film will feature nuns with guns, gangsters and a love of antiques. So Mums, whack on your cassocks and Dads, pull on those knee high boots and don’t be surplice to requirements.

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

forms of Physical Theatre and storytelling, was superb and showcased their individual talents perfectly. The level of expertise necessary to achieve these creative results was extraordinary. We were very proud of all the girls for their superb level of work. This year, the girls were able to see a vastly different array of work encapsulating a mixture of styles and genres, starting with Man to Man by Manfred Karge, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, Kneehigh’s The Tin Drum, and Frozen by Bryony Lavery. The A Level girls were lucky enough to get the chance to work with two leading practitioners: Annie Sutton who has performed with the legendary Steven Berkoff and were then joined

by the GCSE pupils for a workshop with critically acclaimed theatre company Frantic Assembly. Both workshops have been instrumental in preparing and inspiring our girls for their studies this year and resulted in excellent practical pieces. In the summer term, Grease was superbly directed and staged entirely by the L6 girls, after completion of their AS exams. The entire year worked incredibly hard and created a show which was colourful and comedic. Well done to them for such an excellent production! LAMDA has again seen superb results this year and demonstrates the performance talent that we have at St Cat’s and the great skill of our staff. Mrs Solly, assisted by Harriet Crawford our new Teacher of LAMDA, have enabled the girls to broaden their creative skills and provide an excellent alternative to curriculum drama.

SENIOR SCHOOL

The commitment of the cast was truly inspiring as they worked hard with their learning of lines, blocking and singing. Their dedication and perseverance definitely paid off as the show opened and the quality of their acting was astonishing!

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DRAMA

An U3 lesson on masks in comedy and Commedia Dellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Arte. Lucy Grove as Toad in The Wind in the Willows Hannah Wood as Toad in The Wind in the Willows. Ella McLean and Bonnie Russell as Mole and Ratty in The Wind in the Willows Ruby Skillbeck preparing for her role as Squirrel in The Wind in the Willows

5 ST CATHERINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2018

DRAMA

SENIOR SCHOOL

As part of our Live Theatre Component at GCSE and A Level, the girls were able to see a vastly different array of work encapsulating a mixture of styles and genres, starting with Manfred Karge’s Man to Man, Tennessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Sienna Miller in the lead role, Frozen by Bryony Lavery and culminating with the extraordinary The Encounter by Complicité. The girls were also treated to two practical workshops on the techniques of Frantic Assembly and Berkoff which aided the practical elements of the courses. The House Drama Competition was another incredible success. This year as well as the task of devising an entirely original play from scratch, the girls were given the challenging theme of Folk Songs. They were provided with both historical and contemporary tunes, which generally gave them a strong narrative to springboard their ideas. Stoner were crowned overall cup winners. Merriman received Best Script and Best Creative Design which was beautifully simple and helped their ability to break the 4th wall. Best Senior Actor went to Olivia

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

Blythe, while Best Junior Actor went to Natalie Hinds. Finally, Musgrave received the accolade for the Best Technical Team. Congratulations to all those who won in the various categories and to everyone for their creative approach. Our LARP (Live Action Role Play) day in Activities Week was based outside in our beautiful grounds. The four “factions” of Trolls, Goblins, Wizards and Fairies worked through a series of activities and challenges over the course of the day culminating in a performance from each faction adjudicated by The Baron and The Goddess of Creativity. This year we had joint winners in the form of Trolls and Fairies. This was a wonderful day for all and again, gives the girls the opportunity to see their teachers in a completely different vein and for the staff to let their hair down after another full-on year of super teaching. Rehearsals for the Whole School Musical of Menken and Slater’s Sister Act are now underway and we look forward to you all coming to see how the dream team (Mrs Grizzelle-Lang, Miss Parkinson, Mrs Harkness,

Mr Appleby and Mr Greenfield) have brought the popular film and stage show to life here in our own San Francisco: Bramley. Well done to all who participated in this year’s many Drama activities! We welcome Mrs Grizzelle-Lang back from maternity leave, who has taken over the reins as Acting Director of Drama. This will be the second time that she has led the department since joining St Cat’s 10 years ago, and I have every confidence that she will continue the excellent work we produce with our wonderful girls. Finally, I would like to thank you all for the support you have shown to the fabulous Drama department over the past 5 years and I personally bid you a very heart-felt and fond farewell as I spend more time with my family.

1. Beth Titford and Connie Burnett as John and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible. 2. Catriona MacLachlan and ensemble as Abi and the girls in The Crucible. 3. Beth Titford as John Proctor in The Crucible

SENIOR SCHOOL

MUSIC

Girls throughout the school of all ages and abilities took part in various events, either playing or supporting, which brought a warming community feel to the Music Department, something that is vital to music making! 1

MUSICSCENE Isabella Casciani Govan, Genevieve Chiu, Emily Nott, Ginny Small & Hannah Watson

he academic year of 2017-18 kicked off in September with the Scholars and Award Holders Concert, with pupils from all years performing to their peers in an engaging musical evening. The reception that followed the concert brought the whole Music Department together to celebrate its achievements before the busy year that followed! In October, IGCSE and A Level music students were fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in a workshop led by Trifarious, a chamber group involved with St Catherine’s. The combination of instruments – piano, clarinet, saxophone, violin and viola – allowed students to learn about experimental playing techniques that could be incorporated into their own compositions to produce unusual and varying sounds and effects. The workshop was a highly valuable experience for all students, and the information was definitely appreciated and used during the composing process throughout the year. Trifarious returned again in February to play through and develop compositions written by the U5 and L5.

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Jazz & Rock Concert Chamber Music Concert

The Middle School Lunchtime Concert at Blunden Court gave a group of girls the opportunity to perform to the local community, providing some afternoon entertainment, which was hugely appreciated by the local residents. Later in October, the U3 Informal Concert in October allowed girls to perform to their peers in a more relaxed environment in the Lower Atrium, encouraging as many students as possible to participate. The Middle School production of Wind in the Willows was a collaboration between the Drama and Music Departments, with a twelvepiece Pit Orchestra of girls in the Fifth and Sixth Forms accompanying the show during its two-night run.

PianoFest – a week of piano-related activities – commenced after the October half-term, with concerts and workshops interspersed throughout the week, finishing with a Keyboard Sectional Concert on the Friday night. Girls throughout the school of all ages and abilities took part in various events, either playing or supporting, which brought a warming community feel to the Music Department, something that is vital to music making! This was soon followed by VocalFest in mid-November, with similar activities being organised but this time for vocal students instead. The week started with the Jazz Cafe where a relaxed jazz aura filled the Lower Atrium for the evening, and culminated in A Night at the Theatre with a variety of vocal styles and songs being performed by girls of all ages. Cantores sang Choral Evensong at Winchester Cathedral in November,

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MUSIC

SENIOR SCHOOL

1 allowing the choir to develop its repertoire of church music whilst showcasing the School further afield from our local community. The end of November brought around the annual St Catherine’s Day Gala Concert which involved around 250 girls performing. U3 choir debuted their performance of Bob Chilcott’s City Songs, initiating their musical careers at St Catherine’s, and fourteen other ensembles showcased their hard work during the concert. The Autumn Term concluded with the Carol Service in early December with the whole school congregating in Guildford Cathedral to celebrate together. All choirs performed stunningly, with Bel Casciani Govan’s (L6) and Kristie Je’s (U5) own compositions being performed, both of which were winners of this year’s Carol Competition. Recorder Consort welcomed guests to the service, all our organists had the opportunity to play the Cathedral organ and Brass Ensemble accompanied the hymns and descants throughout the service. It was a lovely way to end the Autumn Term and got us in the mood for the festivities in the holidays! Our Spring Term musical programme started off with the Middle School Music Scholars and Award Holders performing a short concert at Guildford Institute. We enjoy performing in different locations as well as our own facilities, and our string players also had this opportunity for the String Sectional Concert in Holy Trinity Church, Bramley, at the end of January. We have an extensive chamber music programme, allowing as many girls as possible to be involved in music-making

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

within small ensembles. The Chamber Music Weekend in March gave these ensembles the opportunity to rehearse with some expert coaching from Rafael Todes, a member of the Allegri String Quartet, Director of the Senior Course at Pro Corda and a tutor at the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music. Their hard work was then showcased in the Chamber Music Concert, which also provided an excellent opportunity to perform before Godalming Music Festival, in which many chamber ensembles from St Catherine’s participated. The Spring Term also saw various other performances taking place, including the Woodwind and Brass Sectional Concert and a number of Informal Concerts.

On a Saturday towards the end of the Spring Term, the annual Association Concert was held in Holy Trinity Church, Guildford, featuring Bach’s Magnificat and Charpentier’s Te Deum, as well as some items from Camerata alone. The concert brings together many of our ensembles including the Association Choir – which comprises alumnae, parents, staff and friends of the School – Senior Choir, Middle Chamber Choir, all accompanied by Camerata. The music was played to a very high standard and the audience were treated to a stunning programme. The Leavers’ Recital gave the opportunity for final solo performances from a number of the Upper Sixth. The relaxed atmosphere also allowed people to pick up their instruments and perform solos for the first time, which made it an extremely heart-warming occasion. A special mention goes to Helena Michels and Catherine Burne for their wonderful comedic piano duet, as the audience collapsed in laughter and tears over their highly animated slapstick. The end of the Spring Term saw the House Music Competition where all girls from all Houses are involved in performing two pieces of music arranged and directed by their House Music Prefects. This year’s theme for the given song was ‘Diana Ross and the Supremes’. The competition was a wonderful occasion and everyone enjoyed cheering for their House. In the end, Ashcombe were the overall winners with their epic medley of popular songs from the past century. Over the Easter holidays, St Catherine’s once again hosted the Jennifer Bate Organ Academy, which attracts many young women organists from across the country to join us for a five day specialist course filled

SENIOR SCHOOL

MUSIC

3 with masterclasses. The course is overseen by Jennifer Bate herself, and provides attendees with the perfect opportunity to gain experience from other girls, the many tutors on the course and indeed from Jennifer. The Summer Term began with the Senior Summer Concert, the culmination of a year spent rehearsing with our ensembles. A particular highlight of this year’s concert was Helena Michels’ (U6) performance of the first movement of Chopin’s Piano Concerto in E minor, accompanied by Symphony Orchestra. This was a tour de force of keyboard excellence, and thoroughly enjoyed by all. The Jazz Band once again provided musical entertainment for the Prep School May Fair, and this created a lovely atmosphere, especially for the youngest girls, many of whom could be spotted dancing or watching the instrumentalists rapturously. The first half of term ended with the ever-popular Jazz and Rock Concert, which featured the Jazz Band, the Association Choir that Rocks, performers from the Dance School, and many soloists. The concert was very well attended and more people than ever enjoyed the chance to get up and dance in the second half! In this year’s Middle School Concert, we were pleased once again to be able to invite musicians from local primary schools to join our Intermediate Orchestra and other sectional ensembles for the evening. The

concert was a lovely way for the younger girls to have the chance to show off their talent. The two soloists among the many larger groups in this concert were Lucy Nott and Annie Horan, both U4, playing oboe and ‘cello respectively. They each performed with great professionalism and we look forward to hearing them further in the future. Grease, the L6 musical, was performed in the last week of June after only three weeks of rehearsals, ably supported by a band of L6 girls directed by Bel Casciani Govan and Ginny Small, who, as well as conducting the band in the performances and taking charge of rehearsals, also helped to ensure that all the singers were confident in their parts. Towards the end of the Summer Term, Middle Cantores, along with other selected soloists and ensembles, took part in a charitable concert in St John’s Church, Farncombe, which was attended by parents and members of the wider community. Annie McChrystal (L5) and Agnes Wu (U5) were both selected for the Rotary Young Musician competition Final in July as a result of their outstanding achievements in the Godalming Music Festival. They performed excellently, and specific congratulations go to Annie, who was placed first in the competition. The term ended with the Speech Day musical showcase, a lovely way for the outgoing U6 musicians to have one last chance to perform in their final St Catherine’s concert. We wish them all luck for the future, and hope that music remains a part of whatever they go on to do.

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String Sectional Concert Association Choir Chamber Music Concert Evensong at Winchester Cathedral String Sectional Concert Scholars and Award Holders Concert A cellist in Symphony Orchestra Senior Summer Concert

58 1 ST CATHERINE’S 2018

ART

SENIOR SCHOOL

ANOTHER YEAR IN THE ART DEPARTMENT Mr Alex Perry-Adlam - Head of Art

very year it gets harder to find new ways in which to express how amazingly creative, inventive and hard working the St. Catherine’s students are. This year there has been such a diverse range of projects and outcomes, with students finding many different ways to express themselves. The energy in the department has been electric and positive all year, with a sense of collaboration throughout all year groups. This has led to the girls being incredibly ambitious in their ideas and concepts as they support each other to the top. Ceramics has been a big focus this year and there have been outcomes from every year group. The younger years have been looking at nature as an inspiration and the results are looking stunning. They have produced very delicate and considered structures that are beautifully proportioned and are finished with very considered and balanced colour choices in the glazing. The L4 were inspired by the work of Grayson Perry and produced vases that were embellished with their passions, thoughts and ideas. These are very hard pieces to create as they are very labour intensive, but the girls threw themselves into the task and produced stunning final pieces. The GCSE students took ceramics to another level with their ambition, scale, and delicacy of touch. Their final pieces are exquisite and show a maturity and sensitivity that you don’t often see in professional ceramics. Painting, printmaking and drawing are the bedrock of the department and I have been so pleased to see the development of the student’s skills this year. There are stunning examples from every year group and I am always amazed by how inventive they are in terms of techniques and ideas. In the 6th form the girls embraced more conceptual ideas and in their final Summer exhibition, they produced work that would not be out of place in a London gallery. Holly Rayner’s instillation, based on the condition of synaesthesia, is stunning and shows the collaboration between science, music, design and art. Many times, myself and the other members of the department lost time just being fully immersed in the piece. As a department we want to thank the girls for all their hard work, ambition, dedication and willingness to take risks. They put themselves out there every year, creating work they know is going to be displayed and seen by many people and it is hard to let yourself be exposed like that when you are making art that is sometimes very personal. We are very lucky to have students that embrace the creative journey to the full. We are continuing to develop projects and advance the skills of the girls and next year your will see more films made, now that we have a dedicated editing suite and the darkroom will be back in full operation with the girls being inspired by traditional techniques. The future is looking very creative.

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

ARTSCENE The energy in the department has been electric and positive all year, with a sense of collaboration throughout all year groups. This has led to the girls being incredibly ambitious in their ideas and concepts as they support each other to the top.

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Holly Rayner U6 Jessica Dodsworth U5 Jemima Wright U5 Elle Borrisow U5 Darcy Pellowe L4 Isobel Milne U5 Lucy Whatley U3 Sarah-Jane Wilkinson U3 Allegra Buckley U3

SENIOR SCHOOL

ART

9 ST CATHERINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2018

ART

SENIOR SCHOOL

ST CATHERINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2018

SENIOR SCHOOL

ART

PHOTOGRAPHY Jacky Yu (U6)

ith the launch of House Photography this year, students were encouraged to submit photographs around the theme of nature. This involved Senior and Middle School girls and gave the chance for Middle School girls to be actively involved in Photography which is a subject only available in the Sixth Form. This was very successful as many girls (and staff!) had submitted their photographs of animals, therefore showing a great interest in the competition. The Summer exhibition was also very successful with the L6 showing their exam project: “Secrets, Codes and Conventions” and the U6 showing their interpretation of “Freedom or Limitations” as well as their coursework from the two years. Overall, as a Photography student, I have thoroughly enjoyed taking it as a subject and hope to develop it more into the future, I think it has really expanded my creative knowledge and I was able to link it to different subject areas such as Marketing and History of Art, therefore I would highly recommend Photography as an A Level subject.

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Carmen Walshe U6 Jacqueline Yu U6 Isabelle Achou U5 Georgina Muir U5 Lucy Earl U5 Katie Waller U5

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Isabella Frewer U5 Holly Rayner U6 Maddie Wakefield U5 Amelia Waters U5 Helena Liu U5

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ART

SENIOR SCHOOL

THE DAVID SHEPHERD ELEPHANT COMPETITION Louise Chivers - Art Teacher

his year an Art competition was held to re-design the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s Elephant shaped collection box. St Catherine’s students from U3 to U4 submitted an exciting range of conservation and wildlife inspired entries, and the Foundation had the hard task of judging all of the submissions. The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation are based in Shalford High Street and use the elephant, named ‘Bramley’, as a donation box outside their shop front and for fundraising events, so the brief required Bramely’s new paint job to be eye-catching and draw in the public. The winning design was the creation of Leah in L4 Musgrave and was based on a mosaic of animal markings, including tiger and zebra stripes, giraffe pattern and Cheetah spots. Art Club students then set to work to reproduce Leah’s vision, not an easy task on a structure the size of a baby elephant! Bramley’s new look was very well received by the David Shepard Wildlife Foundation, who awarded Leah the prize of a real baby African elephant (to adopt) in an elephant orphanage in Zambia.

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

SENIOR SCHOOL

ART

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Chloe Baker U6 Serim Hur U6 Jemima Wright U5 Catrina Gell U6 Chloe Baker U6 Zoe Gow U3 Jessica Dodsworth U5 Georgina Muir U5 Catrinia Gell U6 Jacky Yu U6 Isabella Frewer U5 Rebecca Collins U5 Georgia Robinson U5

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ART

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5 ST CATHERINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2018

SENIOR SCHOOL

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Holly Rayner U6 Isobel Milne U5 Katrina Ruhland U5 Kristin Milward Rachel Cocks U4 Katherine Waller U5 Isobel Milne U5 Anika Blignaut U4 Natasha Drover U5 Jessica Dodsworth U5 Jemima Wright U5 Josie Wakefield U6 Lucy Grove U4 Penelope Paasch u3 Georgina Muir U5

ART

15 ST CATHERINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2018

TEXTILES

SENIOR SCHOOL

TEXTILES The Sixth form designed and created striking dresses which were modelled in the Fashion Show by themselves. Joan Eric-Udorie’s beautifully inspired dress of reflections and distortion was a triumph of detailed research and technique. As was Lizzy Llewelyn’s stunning textural dress which highlights her love of fabric manipulation.

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

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Lizzy Llewelyn AS dress Lizzy Llewelyn AS dress detail Annie Horan U4 Cushion Maddy Temple U4 cushion Rachel Cocks U4 cushion Eleanor Hitichins GCSE dyed top Izzy Obichere AS textured bodice Holly Niemy GCSE embroidered top

SENIOR SCHOOL

Mrs Lorna Crispin - Head of Textiles

write this as my last report for the Textiles department as I embark on a new phase of my life. I have enjoyed immensely my time as Head of Department and our students have never disappointed us with their creativity and talent. This year was no exception. The work exhibited was testament to that from the early beginnings in U3 to the wonderful bodices and dresses in Senior School. I am delighted with the ingenuity and the imaginative interpretations of the exam questions at GCSE. Maddie Wakefield

bravely took on the theme ‘In the News’ and produced a poignant body of work highlighting plastic pollution in a beautiful, but thought provoking way. Florence and Holly Niemy and Hannah Andrade-Brown answered the question ‘Connections’ in exemplary form, each investigating a very individual approach with outstanding embroidered pieces. Eleanor Hitchins created some interesting and exciting samples from the question ‘Materials’ and Ore Gibson-White produced a lovely sensitive panel from the title ‘Human Forms’. The Moderator was extremely impressed and commented on ‘the stunning work’.

TEXTILES

The Sixth Form designed and created striking dresses which they modelled in the Fashion Show. Joan Eric-Udorie’s beautifully inspired dress of reflections and distortion was a triumph of detailed research and technique. As was Lizzy Llewelyn’s stunning textural dress which highlights her love of fabric manipulation. Izzy Obichere’s bodice captured the intricacies of the human skeleton and was a fabulous achievement for a first year in Textiles. I wish them every success next year as they select their courses for university. It’s a fond farewell from me and a new era ahead for Textiles.

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TEXTILES

SENIOR SCHOOL

6 ST CATHERINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2018

SENIOR SCHOOL

TEXTILES

1. Madeleine Cook L4 embroidered panel 2. Madison Dorkins L4 embroidered panel 3. Anna Roberts L4 embroidered panel 4. Leah Greeno L4 embroidered panel 5. Joan Eric-Udorie AS embroidered head scarf 6. Joan Eric-Udorie detail 7. L4 Silk paintings inspired by Hunterdwasser 8. Grace Titford L4 Silk painting 9. Robyn Stannard L4 Silk painting 10. Elodie Hynd L4 Silk painting 11. Eleanor Hitchins GCSE exam panel 12. Ore Gibson-White GCSE exam panel detail 7

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TEXTILES

SENIOR SCHOOL

ST CATHERINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2018

SENIOR SCHOOL

TEXTILES

1. Holly Niemy embroidered detail GCSE dress 2. Maddie Wakefield exam panel 3. Kristin Milward L4 embroidered panel 4. Ella Ng L4 embroidered panel 5. Emma Urrutia L4 embroidered panel 6. Art & Textiles Show May 2018 7. L4 silk painting vases - Hundertwasser 8. Emma Griffiths U4 Cushion detail 9. Grace Davidson U4 Cushion detail 10. Yushra Mosobbir U4 Cushion detail 11. Lizzy Llewelyn AS exam mask ST CATHERINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2018

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

SENIOR SCHOOL

Mr Alastair White – Head of D&T

MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORT

I am always so proud to see the wonderful array of projects that have been designed and created by the girls.

UPPER 3

he ‘Funky Frames’ are a great introduction to the practical work we do in the Design and Technology department. The girls have produced some amazing work and have thoroughly enjoyed their first Design and Technology project at St Catherine’s. The ‘Steady Hand Game’ introduces the girls to CAD (Computer Aided Design), electronics and plastics. They completed some brilliant design ideas and had great fun playing the games in the last lesson whilst evaluating the work. It was great fun!

DESIGN&TECHNOLOGY LOWER 4

he Jewellery Boxes were exceptional this year. The project demands high levels of practical skills to make sure that the pieces fit together accurately and are aesthetically pleasing. The girls stepped up to the mark and produced some excellent work and the range of ‘Toppings’ this year was splendid! The designs for the clocks were a lovely mix of creative design and good quality CAD work to match. The standard of the work was incredible.

UPPER 4

he light picture project is a great mix of technical electronics, woodwork and creative designs using clear acrylic. It is always lovely to see the projects light up for the first time and see how proud the girls are of the work they have completed. This year the range of designs was very impressive and once again has cemented the project into next year’s curriculum. The CNC (Computer Numeric Control) project is very ‘open ended’ to allow the girls to design an item using a restricted number of materials. The project is relatively simple in terms of concepts, but rather complex in terms of the CAD (Computer Aided Design) work and the conversion of the digital drawings into useable files for the CNC machines. The girls worked extremely well and the projects were excellent.

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

LOWER 5

he new GCSE course started in September and a revamped curriculum included a host of changes and exciting opportunities. The girls continue to study the materials and processes which were covered in previous years, but they also study industrial practices and processes, and how products are developed, produced and prepared for mass market, a genuine introduction to product design. It is a fantastic course and the girls have all worked extremely well throughout the year. Just before the summer holiday, the exam board provided the design briefs for the major assessment and project ideas and planning started with much enthusiasm.

GCSE REPORT

he GCSE projects this year were amazing. The whole class worked together as a team during the production stages to keep them all going as efficiently as possible. It was fantastic to see the girls’ ideas turning in to reality and the quality of work was on display for all to see during Speech Day in July. I am always so proud to see the wonderful array of projects that have been designed and created by the girls.

AS REPORT

he new AS course is a wonderful introduction to ‘real life’ product design and manufacture. The theory work still included much of the work from previous years, but was extended with detailed material science, and material processes at an industrial level. There was a lot of work to cover and the girls took it in their stride as they progressed through the year. The major project was set by the exam board and the girls took on the challenges with enthusiasm. The work that they produced was fantastic and a credit to their efforts.

A LEVEL REPORT

ontinuing on from the wonderful projects that the girls produced last year for the AS coursework, they excelled themselves with the A Level portfolio and practical work. The range and quality of the work was excellent and the result of lots of creative design and dedication to producing work of a very high quality. The projects were of a professional quality and worthy to be launched into the market place.

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DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

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Main Photo (Background) – Fish Aquarium Coffee Table Alex Epshtein – Musical Themed CD Storage Olivia Randell – Interactive Classroom Aid Darcey Palmer – Telephone Seat Katie Fitzsimons – Compact Desk and Chair Sophie Tack – Fish Aquarium Coffee Table Scarlet Lines – Adjustable Chair and Desk 7

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BOARDING REFLECTIONS ON BOARDING LIFE BY KELLER BOARDERS

Mani Li

eing a full boarder, I have learnt to be more independent. I think the best bit of boarding is to have the opportunity to try a lot of new things and visit places have never been to before such as Thorpe Park and Warner Bros Studio Tour. Another aspect of boarding I like is that we bond together like a whole big family. For Chinese boarders, we gathered together to celebrate the Chinese New Year Festival and had a lot of fun. I was delighted to perform a ballet performance during the Boarders’ Parents’ Evening. I was nervous since it was my first time doing a solo performance but it was very exciting to be able to do this.

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Boarders Party Lunar New Year Supper Trip to the Harry Potter Studio Fun in Symes Duck herding Relaxing in Keller Common Room Bronte Christmas tree decorating Skating trip to Winchester

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Gaby Ahl

originally started St Cat’s as a Day Girl but decided to weekly board in L4. The main appeal was living with other people. The small size of boarding houses here truly makes it a family atmosphere. As a weekly boarder I get all the benefits of seeing my parents at weekends but also the flexibility to stay in and go to a movie with my friends or go on exciting trips such as the Winchester Christmas Market! There there is never a boring moment. Boarding has helped me develop as a person, learning valuable skills and life. Therefore I can attribute my (sometimes faltering but usually pretty good) self-control to boarding and the independence it has given me. And of course, the boarding staff keep a watchful eye. Now that I am doing my GCSEs, it is great to have teachers as resident staff as this means we can ask them to help, guidance and support if we are struggling with anything. We have all been homesick once or twice, and I remember the first week in L4 feeling a little homesick, but when you have such a great caring atmosphere these feelings never last for long. This is something I’ve come to love, all of us caring and rallying for each other - I could not have done it without the great support of my friends and the boarding staff.

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BOARDERS’ BAKE OFF Introduction by Mr Philip Friend

he Boarding Schools Association held their annual competition in which boarders could showcase their baking skills and their ability to cook impressively under pressure. We held our own preliminary round at St Catherine’s early in the Summer Term to decide which girls would compete with boarders from other schools. Many excited boarders took part, demonstrating inventiveness and skill with their bakes, making it difficult for the judges to make our selection for the first live round at Westonbirt School However, the judges chose six girls to compete: Camilla Ash (U3), Eno Edem (U3), Hannah Bugeja , Amparo Rodriguez , Anbie Chan (U4) and Stefanie Liu (U4). An enticing array of biscuits and cakes were produced by the girls on the day, and Anbie Chan (U4) was selected by the judges to compete in the final to be held at Dorney Lake, Windsor. Anbie’s account of the competition follows:

Anbie Chan (U4)

have always watched my mom cook in the kitchen since I was a child, but never would I ever imagine myself joining a cooking competition. For one of the boarding activities last term, we were told to make cupcakes. The chosen cupcakes would then move onto the actual competition. Thankfully, my double chocolate cupcake got me through. In the first round of the competition, I made a three-tier Oreo vanilla and chocolate cake, since it has always been my favourite flavour. Throughout the competition, I was very nervous, as I have never attended such an event before. With a trembling heart, I waited for the results. Proudly, I got through to the to the final, though many things didn’t turn out quite as I expected it to. On the day of the final, Mr Friend and Mrs Genzel brought me to the competition. With lots of traffic on the way, almost everyone arrived late, so we immediately set up our working spaces, and prepared our ingredients. This time I was making a chocolate and coffee cake wrapped in a thin layer of dark chocolate. For the design, I made it more sophisticated. Everything went very smoothly. Looking at all the competitors’ cakes, they were all very different, with some having very intricate designs on them and others being simple and classic. That is when I doubted if I had gone the right way by making a very formal cake. For my chocolate collar, the anticipation was building; previously when I made the cake, the chocolate wrap didn’t set in time, but thankfully, there was a blast chiller at the competition to help! After four hours, almost everyone had finished their cake and it was time for the judges to make their decision.

I came second, which was I was a little disappointed about, though I was very proud at the same time. I think I lost my marks in the design section as the winner had very complicated fondant designs all over his cake. This has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I think people should give an opportunity such as this a go. I went from not knowing how to make a cake, to mastering and designing a 3-tier cake. I would like to thank Mr Friend for helping me throughout the competition and Mrs Genzel for also accompanying me to the final.

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SPORT SENIOR LACROSSE

CONTINUING THE PASSION FOR ALL Georgina Muir (U5)

his is the first year that our school has created a 5th Senior Lacrosse Team. Our players are passionate about lacrosse and come from the Upper 5, Lower 6th and Upper 6th. The fact that we have enough girls to field a 5th team is testament to the impressive commitment and support that lacrosse receives at St Catherine’s. Lacrosse remains a firm interest for the girls, from Upper 3 to the Upper 6, and we are so grateful to have the opportunity to play matches against other schools. We are also extremely fortunate to have so many talented and committed sports coaches that allow us to develop our skills and attend tournaments, where at many other schools there would be no 5th team. I personally have had a great experience playing lacrosse this year as it has been a good opportunity not only to bond with people in my year, but also to get to know those in the years above. As a member of Upper 5 I was nervous about entering a team with girls in the Sixth Form, however their welcoming nature enabled me to feel comfortable playing amongst them. Due to this opportunity for all players, we grew as a team and managed to beat most 4th teams and reach the quarterfinals of the 3rd team Nationals. This is an outstanding achievement and we are all very proud of ourselves. Allowing us to be able to take part in this sport has increased our confidence not just as a team but also as individuals, and this will help us in the future.

UNBEATEN SEASON! Larissa Gaunt (U5)

he third lacrosse team had a terrific season, managing to maintain their undefeated streak throughout the season. We began our season with our new coach Miss Evans, who fired us up from the start, always keeping us focused and in shape for the oncoming series of matches. Unfortunately, we ended with a loss to our own 2nd team in Counties - our first tournament, however, this motivated us even more to work hard in practices and to refine our skills for our next challenge. This came to fruition when we came 2nd in the Abbots Hill Tournament – an impressive achievement as we faced mainly 1st and 2nd teams! This boosted our spirits greatly in time for Nationals – a challenge we looked forward to tackling. We began the 3rds National Tournament with a strong and positive mindset; determined to make our way to the knockout rounds. Unfortunately, we experienced a few injuries on the day, due to the muddy conditions. However, we continued to look ahead with excitement and focus. We played through the pool

matches with a mixture of wins, losses and draws, identifying the tougher opponents we were likely to meet again. We then progressed to the quarter-finals, which we won convincingly as a result of our swift attack and coordinated defence. Next, was the quarter-finals against our own St Cat’s 4ths. We ended the day with a disappointing loss in double overtime, making us National semi-finalists. We are so proud of our achievements throughout the season and ending as the most successful 3rd team in St Cat’s! Thank you for all the support from our friendly faces on the sidelines, as well as our amazing coach, Miss Evans.

We are also extremely fortunate to have so many talented and committed sports coaches that allow us to develop our skills and attend tournaments ...

1. Lacrosse 2nd team Nationals at Rendcomb College, which the team went on to win 2. U15B team who went on to win U15B Nationals 1

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FINAL SEASON AS A TEAM! Camilla Francis & Sanne Frewer (L5)

n our final year as the U15 team we achieved some amazing results. At the start of the year we came 2nd in Counties, which is the best we have ever done, and we only lost in extra time after an amazing fight for the win. Throughout the years we have all bonded and played well as a team so it was really upsetting that this was the final time we would all play together before joining the Seniors. During the years we have improved our stickwork and our friendships through lots of lacrosse training which has allowed us to play to our best abilities together. Unfortunately, we were not able to show our skills at the end of the year due to Nationals being cancelled because of the snow. However, we did not let this get us down. As the captains, we just wanted to say a massive “thank you” to the whole team for all the commitment you have shown throughout the years.

LACROSSE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Emilia Eaves & Amelia Macateer (L5)

his year has been a very successful one for the under 15B Lacrosse Team. We have not only improved immensely throughout the year, but we have also grown extremely close, which is why we are all so sad to know that it is our last year playing together as a team as next year we will be playing in the Senior

2 teams. This being said, it has been the best way that we could have possibly ended our season because this year we won the under 15B Nationals! This was such an incredible achievement and one that we are all hugely proud of. On the day we faced some tough opposition and it was snowing heavily which made the day even more of a challenge but we were determined to come away with the win. We recognise how lucky we have been to have such incredible sports teachers and would like to give a huge thank you to all of them, as without them it may not have been possible.

Something that our team has prided ourselves on during this season is the camaraderie and closeness that we share and the support that we show each other on and off the pitch.

At the beginning of the year we welcomed new players into our team and we all adapted very quickly which enabled us to get the most out of our training (even when temperatures were so low that we couldn’t feel our fingers!) to achieve the Nationals cup. Overall this year of lacrosse has been a very memorable and exciting one, and one that will not be forgotten quickly by anyone on the team!

LACROSSE: A STEP UP! England - Alex Cant (U5)

he journey to the National Academy started in Nottingham with all the Regional Academies coming together for a tournament which would lead to further trials if successful. It was a long day and I was disappointed that I did not feel I had been given much pitch time to show what I could do, so I was surprised when the email came through inviting me

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to the National Academy trials in July. As I was young, I assumed I would not get in, so to hear I had been selected was unbelievable. Since September, we have had five training weekends at the National Sports centre at Lilleshall - they are intense with regular fitness testing and trials for home internationals and the USA tour, to name just two, but the standard of lacrosse is high. I was very happy to be selected for the Home Internationals in Scotland along with Bella Frewer and Molly McLean. It was an amazing experience singing the National Anthem and wearing an England shirt. I felt honoured, although very nervous, to play for my country. I am now looking forward to the USA tour this summer.

Wales - Alicia Pearson (L6)

ooking back on my return last season, after taking a year out due to injury, I remember being very nervous before the first training weekend of the season. It was the first time that I had properly played lacrosse since before my injury, and I was scared to find out whether I would still be good enough to compete at an international level. The competition for places in the National Squad was fierce and there were many moments where I questioned my capabilities as a player; Nevertheless, I was selected for the U19 Wales Lacrosse National Squad. Throughout the rest of the season, I started to grow into the player that I remembered being before I ruptured my ACL; however, there were still numerous times during the season where my confidence was knocked, and I started to question whether I would make a team for Home Internationals. Nevertheless, through hard work I successfully got selected for the A-team that would be competing at the U19 Home Internationals. Representing Wales in this year’s U19 Home Internationals, alongside Flora Burdett, it felt amazing to be back representing my country with my fellow teammates who have supported me throughout my whole journey and I forgot how much I enjoyed performing at an international level.

Scotland - Emilie Ballard (U5)

he trials for Scotland Lacrosse were held both in London and Edinburgh. Going into the trials I did not know what to expect but they ended up being a fantastic experience, including the opportunity to meet lots of new people. I was not expecting to be selected for the team as I was one of the youngest there and so I was delighted when I found out that I had got in. After the teams were selected, we started preparing for the home internationals that would be held in Edinburgh in April. We had several training weekends, each of them held up at Fettes College in Edinburgh and it was great to meet all the Scottish girls who had been selected. Competing at The Home Internationals was a great experience:

...it was an honour to play for my country for the first time and the team spirit among the girls in the squad was amazing. Although nervous, I was proud to be wearing a Scotland shirt and singing the National Anthem. Now we are back training regularly again, preparing for a tour in the USA next year, ahead of the World Cup next summer.

WE’VE COME A LONG WAY Sarah Waghorn (U4)

he lacrosse season this year has been a lot of fun with much hard work and dedication being put in by all the team members. Although it is fair to say not many of us were looking forward to some extra before-school training sessions this year, especially in the freezing cold, these extra practices have helped to improve our stick work, tactics and our overall play immensely. Unfortunately our Nationals were cancelled due to the freezing cold weather and hard pitches. This was disappointing for all of us as we have all worked so hard this

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season and believed we stood a very good chance at nationals. However, a smaller tournament was organised by some schools and we put all of our skills from the season into play, resulting in us achieving 3rd place. This was a great end to a great season. Netball this year has also consisted of hard work and dedication with lunch time, after school and more before-school training sessions. In our morning sessions we have worked on many different skills such as working the ball around the D in attack, communication between defence in the D especially and ball movement throughout the court. We have also trained at the same time as the U16’s in the mornings which has pushed our skills and it has been good to see how people in the older years play. Our season ended with the annual County Tournament held this year at GHS. We knew that this would be a great chance to use all of the new skills we have worked on throughout the year and show everyone how far we have come from last year’s County Tournament. We came 2nd in our pool on goal difference meaning that we faced Surbiton High in the semi-finals. This was a well contested game and although we did not win we all played some of the best netball this season. We are all very excited for another thrilling season of sport next year.

LACROSSE & NETBALL TOUR Madeline Bartholomew (L5)

n the Easter of 2018 about forty lacrosse and netball players from U4 and L5, travelled to Boston and Barbados for the Sports Tour. This is the first time in seventeen years that they have combined both sports on one trip. Our first destination was Boston, Massachusetts, where we were warmly welcomed by the lacrosse-loving Americans. We experienced many styles and levels of play. We played against some of Boston’s top club teams as well as some varsity teams, such as Windsor School. As well as playing challenging matches, we

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Surrey Finals, we successfully made it to the semi-finals, where we met our long-time rivals, GHS. Despite losing this match, we played some of our best netball and the game went to extra time, with both teams putting up an amazing fight. Therefore, we are amongst the top 4 in our county, which we see as a massive achievement, due to Surrey being such a competitive region. On behalf of our team we would like to thank Mrs K for coaching us this season; we thoroughly enjoyed it and are very excited to join the Senior teams next year.

U15 NETBALL

4 were also able to immerse in the American lifestyle by watching Boston University’s men and women lacrosse teams playing at a phenomenal standard. We were also lucky enough to visit Harvard University and meet up with alumna Olivia Okoli, who is an inspiration to the sporting society at St Catherine’s. We also visited the JFK Presidential Museum and Library, the MIT museum, went whale watching and took the USS Constitution cruise to visit a Naval Yard. We had lunch at Faneuil Hall, famous for the varied cultural foods on offer, and obviously managed to squeeze in a spot of essential retail therapy! Our next stop was Barbados, where we were faced with incredible netball talent. We were all a little fazed by their fast reactions and how high they could jump. We were fortunate enough to play against the island’s best teams as well as some national players. One of the highlights of the entire trip was going on a catamaran cruise, swimming with turtles and drinking the best pineapple juice we have ever tasted.

NETBALL: MAKING THE FINAL 16! Mia Thompson & Olivia Lacey (U5)

e began this netball season extremely excited and ready to enjoy our last year together as a year group team. Having played together for the past four years, we felt united and ready to make it our best year yet. All our Saturday friendly matches were very enjoyable and we are so proud to say that we won the majority. One of our highlights as a team was the match against Benenden, which, despite the rain, we pulled out with a great win! These matches, with the addition of Monday morning practices (plus the team breakfasts!) improved our game greatly, and we developed all our skills, both individually and as a team, to prepare us for Nationals and the Surrey competitions. Another highlight for our team, was at the Surrey Qualifiers, in which we were unbeaten all day, meaning we secured our place in the final tournament round. At the

HARD WORK, COMMITMENT & NETBALL LOVE! Aya Magee (L5)

his season we have trained hard through all of our sessions in which we were improving our team work and our ball skills. Shooters worked on their communication and new tricks while the defence worked on trusting their other team players so that you can get the interception. Our Team played in Surrey Finals and came first in our pool after winning most of our matches. In the semi-finals we played GHS but unfortunately we lost after a close game. However, this prepared us for ISNC and helped us develop our overall match play. We also competed in ISNC where new players where involved and everyone played well. We played our first round against Emmanuel 47-52 we then won the next few matches strongly, putting us through to the quarter-finals. In this match we were against Talbot Heath unfortunately losing 68-40.

Overall it was an unforgettable experience, we bonded as a team as we lived, explored and trained together. We adapted to different styles of play and environments and loved the opportunity to experience both American and Bajan culture. It may have taken 17 years to have got this trip – but the wait was definitely worth it! Thank you to Mrs Alexander for leading and managing and of course, all the other staff for their help, good humour and support throughout the trip.

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Lacrosse 2nd Team National Champions Lacrosse: a step up U14 Lacrosse U14 Netball Lacrosse and netball tour 5

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This year we also went to Barbados for netball where we played very strong oppositions which really challenged our skills. On tour we learnt many new tricks that can be used in a match as they played with a very unorthodox style which has really helped us develop and has helped to prepare us for next year. We have all loved playing netball this year and although it has been hard work it has also been fun and enjoyable playing at such a high level.

OUR ISNC JOURNEY Poppy Niel & Emi Magee (L4)

t the beginning of the year the U13 netball team started our journey on a pre-season netball trip to Condover Hall. This was a very successful trip as we came second overall, narrowly losing in the final. Throughout the seasons we played many matches on Saturdays and after school. This enabled us to develop as a team and win many matches only losing on a couple of occasions. The INSC is an indoor netball tournament and we started strongly winning all of our games up to the semis which was held in Manchester. Unfortunately we lost, but this is still a great achievement as it meant that we are third nationally. Finally, we had Counties in which we qualified for the finals. We were up against GHS in place for the winner. We had beaten GHS throughout the season and so we felt confident. Sadly, we were tired and cold which meant that we just lost by a few goals. This means we are runners-up in Surrey. We cannot wait for next year and we would like to say a huge “thank you” to Miss White for coaching us throughout this busy season.

The level of play throughout our ISNC journey increased as we became more and more prepared due to training throughout the season and the feedback that was given to each of us after and throughout our matches. This feedback helped us because we were able to act upon our mistakes and sometimes even watch what we did wrong and were then shown an alternative to what we should have done which would help us if we were put in a situation like it in a future match. The commitment from all the players on the team was exceptional in training and throughout the ISNC matches and everyone took on board the advice given from Miss Marsh and acted on it and this is what got us all the way up to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately we were knocked out by Talbot Heath with a score of 68-40, but despite this loss it was an important experience for us all and ISNC gave us the chance to play many different teams with different abilities including dissimilar heights and speed varieties.

U12 NETBALL

A STRONG START WITHIN OUR SENIOR SCHOOL JOURNEY Katie Bauer (U3)

ithin our first year the U12’s managed to get to the Surrey Netball Finals and finished 3rd in their section. This was an amazing achievement as we never thought we would get here at the start of year! To begin our journey we were all thrown together into a team, having never of played with each other before. I came to the school excited about the netball season as there were specialised teachers for each sport and there were many good netball players from different schools which meant that all the

REACHING A NEW LEVEL Annabel Ballard (L5)

acing the different teams in ISNC was a challenge for us all due to the different skills and abilities each team had. This meant that every match we all had to adapt as a team to what our players were like, and we all did this well and gradually as our matches progressed we became faster and faster at adapting. As a team it was vital that we worked together throughout the match especially towards the end of the long, exhausting, hour that we faced. As a result of this I felt we all worked well together and that our communication with one another and the help given from our team mates on the side lines always boosted each other to keep going.

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teams would be strong. After seeing all the players play in their preferred positions in a match my aim was to get into the strongest team possible and improve as a player by learning new skills and understanding the game better. The netball coaches gave us the opportunity to have a lot of of match play to help us bond as a team so that we could get used to playing together and become stronger. We also performed many drills using teamwork in training. The coaching from the teachers was excellent as they gave supportive criticism, making you determined to put your skills into match play and constantly improve them. We managed to get to where we are now with hard work, determination and a lot of practice. We are very thankful to the support from the netball staff and the time that they put into practices which has helped us improve as a team.

SWIMMING

BEING A BEGINNER AT ST CAT’S Ayo Eshilokun (U3)

hen I first came to this school, I did not know how to swim so I have been going to recreation swimming club every Thursday since the beginning of Upper 3. I remember at the start I would just walk up and down inside the water as far as I could go. Then I started kicking with a noodle and a float. I later started doing backstroke with two noodles on my back but I struggled to keep my back straight. Once I had mastered kicking with just a float, I tried to do front crawl, alternating arms with my float. Over the past few weeks, I have been trying to master it and feel I have made very good progress each week.

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TAKING MY SWIMMING TO THE NEXT LEVEL! Alex Thurston (L5)

his year I was determined to improve on my County and Regional performance and achieve my ultimate goal of a National time. The swimming season effectively begins in September and ends with Nationals in August. During the Autumn I attended a series of galas to achieve the qualifying County and Regional times. I train seven times a week and juggle playing both lacrosse and netball for school, so I was pleased to achieve six County times: in my favourite events I came 4th (200 Fly), 4th (100 Fly) and 3rd (50 Fly). I was particularly pleased with the 50 Fly as I was placed 5th, going into the final and managing to swim past two girls in the last 15 metres that I had not swam faster than before! Standing on the podium at the London Aquatic Centre makes training worthwhile. Onwards to the South East Regionals…..

Swimming is a sport that requires constant training to maintain fitness particularly if your favourite event is the 200m Fly! I was a little anxious as three weeks before the SE Regionals I was lucky enough to be participating in the St Cat’s Lacrosse and Netball Tour. Our teachers were fantastic and allowed me to train whilst away, even at the Barbadian National Pool, under the scrutiny of one of their national coaches! The training paid off.

All season I had been concentrating on technique but also pacing a race; taking off too quickly can jeopardise the final stages of a race. I managed to execute my best race to date and achieved 4th in the 200 Fly with a 3.5 second PB. For the first time ever this meant my ultimate goal of a national time was within reach. I needed to drop at least another second off my time. There was only a short window to achieve this and I was really pleased to receive an accepted entry at the National Qualifying event back at the London Aquatic Centre at the end of May. I knew the pool well, put in as much training as possible but unfortunately I just couldn’t achieve a faster time. Of course I was bitterly disappointed, but I tried and now that I know the goal is within reach, I will try again next year in true St Catherine’s spirit.

SWIMMING - KATE WINDLE Kate Windle (U6)

or me the 2017-2018 swimming season marked a watershed in my swimming career. Having spent 7 years training 16 + hours a week in the pool and 3 hours a week on land, over Christmas, I made the very difficult decision to drop my hours and focus on my A Levels. This also meant moving swim clubs and leaving the support network that I had for a new one. I left Guildford City and returned to Atlantis in Horsham where I achieved my first National Qualifying time aged 11. I started 2018 on 12 hours a week in the pool and went to the St Cat’s gym with friends to keep up my core strength and muscle mass. This new regime freed up lots more time to study!

Despite the drop in hours, I had made gains in the Autumn and in February competed in the County Championships. My medley relay team (I swam the fly leg) broke the County Record which had been held for over 20 years. Moving onto Regionals in May, our team swam faster still, and we made the British Championships qualifying time. For me this was a fitting and rewarding end to my swimming career during my school years! I have achieved more than I could have hoped for in swimming, having qualified for Nationals eight years in a row. Most of all, I have made fabulous, life-long friends along the way. The decision to cut down on my swimming was a very hard one but I achieved the grades I needed to get in to Bath University. I have started rowing this term and will also train for triathlon (I just cannot seem to hang up those goggles for good!).

SPEED & DEPTH Isabella Dash & Olivia Williams (U3)

wimming is an amazing sport - it is great for your fitness and for stamina. It is also a great sport for building endurance that you can then translate into other sports such as cross country and the triathlon. Swimming is usually considered to be more of an individual rather than a team sport. However, a competitive swimmer spends many hours training with other swimmers and they become like an extended family that supports each other greatly.

1. Swimming at St Catherine’s 2. Kate Windle ST CATHERINE’S 2018

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2 In September 2017, we came together into a new St Catherine’s U12 swim team. We quickly learned to work together and build confidence in each other so that we were all focused on swimming at our best to try and achieve the best results in school swimming competitions. This year, we narrowly missed qualifying for the ESSA finals but later in the school year we came first in the Guildford District Schools Gala. Given that a number of our team have been swimming a year above our age group, these were great results! Next year we will be much more aware of each others’ strengths and we will aim to do our best for the school as an U13 team.

In March, however, nothing prepared me for the late snow and harsh wind that the North provided for us! The bitter cold made it hard for anyone to warm up, and stripping down to our minimal layers was a struggle. Without doubt the hardest part of any big event is the start line pen, and I was at back. There were 342 people on the start line and I have never felt so nervous. It definitely was not my favourite race, but competing at a high level in cross country is an experience I will not forget.

CROSS COUNTRY

CHASING MY DREAM Amelie Attenborough (U4)

017 was a great year for cross country at St Cat’s. The Junior and Inter team made it to the ESAA National Final. It is the first time both teams qualified for this event. Our team came 5th out of 27 teams, which made us very proud. It has been my dream since starting at St Cat’s to run for the county. I had to compete in multiple qualifying rounds including the Waverley trials, followed by the Surrey trials. During my first two years at St Cat’s I narrowly missed being selected as only 8 girls were chosen. Third time lucky, I qualified to compete for Surrey in the English Schools National Final held in Leeds. This was a particularly proud moment for St Catherine’s as both myself and Amy Strode (U4) were chosen to run in this event. Parliament Hill was my next big race which is notorious for the vast amount of mud and the enormous hills. This was my first race with over 200 competitors, which meant it was good practice for Nationals. I have learnt that a fast start is essential, and with each race I have gained confidence to push my way forward, hoping that my training should be enough to get me through.

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

TENNIS SURREY LEAGUE FINALS Jess Brocklebank (U5)

his year, we have had a great season of tennis, with many fixtures and tournaments. We worked hard on our doubles tactics, putting shots away at the net. After some hard-fought matches through the term, we earned a place in the Surrey Finals. We arrived at St George’s School and played a tough semi-final with all three pairs playing some fantastic shots and we came away with a win. We went into the final feeling positive, but after putting everything into the game we unfortunately lost to Surbiton. However, this was a really valuable and enjoyable experience and we hope to try again next year. Overall, we have all loved tennis this summer and have lots to work towards for next season.

so committed to the team. On competition days we hope that our hard work has paid off. To get to any finals you have to qualify at another competition: these competitions are very competitive, so it makes it even more exciting when we qualify. The finals are always highly prestigious, and it is great to camp up at Nationals as a team. I think our best achievement this year was at the County Championships. To qualify we had to win the class by was competing against all the other riders in Surrey to then represent Surrey at the championships. On the day, Sophie came 3rd in the 70cm class and I won the 80cm and was crowned County Champion! We thank the school and especially the PE Department for all their amazing support throughout all the NSEA competitions.

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ESAA Schools Cup - Cross Country Final Equestrian Team members Triathlon Emily Vickerman & Molie Keane Evie Lamb British Championships! Gymnastics

SETTING THE BAR HIGH!

Emilia Andrade-Brown (U4)

think it is fair to say that the equestrian team has been very successful this year! Everyone is so supportive of one another and pushes each other as a team. We feel we have demonstrated great teamwork throughout which makes it even more enjoyable. Everyone makes such an effort to travel to wherever we are needed, and we could not do this without our parents. We practise hard to perform at our best and we are all 3

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I was delighted and nervous about competing. I worked really hard in the lead up to the British Championships. More frustration, though, when a few weeks before it, I suffered a back and groin injury. Again, I thought that would be it but with my coach, we managed to dilute my routines so that I could still compete. So…a difficult journey with lots of hard work, blood, sweat and tears along the way. Literally! To be asked for my autograph over the weekend by lots of gymnastics fans and seeing my name on the official t-shirt alongside people like Max Whitlock brought home what a big deal this competition is. It was an amazing experience and I was pleased with my performance, going clean on all pieces.

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THE BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS 2018 Evie Lamb (L5)

elcome Evie Lamb from Leatherhead & Dorking Gymnastics Club” – ...

... it’s not every day you get announced by Olympians as you prepare to enter a competition venue, are greeted by a light show focused on you, ... ... photographers snapping away, and try to take in that you are competing in an 11,000-seater stadium: the Echo Arena in Liverpool. This was a daunting but fantastic experience that I was privileged to have in March. I had started to think I would never get to compete at the British Championships, the top competition in Britain for elite gymnasts where you compete alongside Olympians and other world class gymnasts. The last few years have been difficult and incredibly frustrating as a result of almost permanent injury. I have had recurring knee injuries, common amongst elite gymnasts who pound their bodies over many training hours and often made worse by growing. A dislocated and broken elbow, followed a few weeks later by a broken toe, took me out of the last British Championships. Coming back from injury as a gymnast is hard – you often have a growth spurt during reduced training too which has a major impact on your ability to do old skills so you often have to re-learn them. I think all elite gymnasts would say that they are usually carrying some sort of injury and are rarely completely pain free. Part of elite gym is accepting that you have to deal with this and learning how to manage it. Training does not stop.

MAINTAINING THE LEVEL, WORKING WITH A TEAM! Chelsea Foote (U5)

he U13 and O13 gymnastics teams started the year off well at the ISGA 2-piece competition, achieving some good scores and places. This prepared us well for the Surrey Floor and Vault competition that was to be held later in the year – a competition we worked hard towards by focusing on improving our routines and vaults. Due to different age categories, some of the teams were split up for this, but we were not fazed and continued to display some great skills throughout the day. In the lead-up to our final competition, ISGA 5-piece, we were motivated to develop the group floor routines, choreographed by Lorien Stapleton (L5), and integrate new

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team members into them. As well as this, we maintained our individual routines and vaults. Everyone performed well on the day against some hard competition resulting in the O13 team achieving 2nd place overall! Well done to all girls in the teams; I cannot wait to see what next year brings.

TALENT PATHWAY Grace Heath (L5)

n Sunday 24th of June, Grace Heath and Emma Von Schoenberg (L5) travelled to Lee Valley Athletics Centre to trial for the Discover your Gold programme. This program is designed to find talented youth that fits the criteria to succeed in certain Olympic sports and will ultimately be the next generation of Olympians. The day consisted of many different fitness tests designed to measure out explosivity, endurance, speed and mental strength to see if we have what it takes to compete at a professional level.

These tests were very challenging and definitely pushed us to the limit, but we gained so much mental strength and confidence in ourselves. Overall, this was a great opportunity and we gained so much experience: we are so thankful to be provided with this chance. This experience has been invaluable to us and it enhanced our knowledge of sport and sports science. We would highly recommend participation in this programme.

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WORKING AS A TEAM TO GAIN MORE POINTS Izzy Sharper & Lily Powell (L4)

e started off the season by going to the first round of ESSA at Woking athletics track, with everyone competing extremely well, resulting in the team scoring a total of 382 points. This meant we won our qualifier and we were through to the Regional finals, where everyone also competed exceptionally well, meaning we were able to score 401 points. Even though everyone tried their hardest we were unable to make it through to National finals; we were disappointed at first, but we are now excited to train even harder so we can get through next year. We also went to the West Surrey athletics trials to try out for NPSA (National Prep School Athletics), and we brought as many people as possible to give everyone a chance to get in to the national event. To get in to the National finals we had to receive a national qualifying distance or time and place 1st or 2nd in our regional events. In regionals we did very well, with seven girls from U3 and L4 achieving places at Nationals: Poppy Martin - 1500m; Kate Arnold - 100m and 200m; Robyn Stannard - High Jump, 200m and Relay; Cariad Norris - Hurdles and 300m; Lily Powell - 100m and Relay; Amelie Crook - 100m and Relay; Izzy Sharper - Relay. We all arrived at NPSA very early so we were able to see the first few events. Cariad competed in hurdles and got into the final after placing well in her heat. She did well and placed 6th in hurdles after the final. We then watched Poppy Martin compete in 1500m and she placed well in her heat. After that we watched the 100m heats with Kate, Amelie and Lily competing very well, with Amelie and Kate getting to the finals. Amelie placed 4th in the final and Kate

1 placed 4th in her heat. Then we saw Kate and Robyn compete in the 200s. They both were outstanding and Robyn got to the final where she placed 2nd and got a new PB of 26.3s. Robyn also competed in high jump and also received a new PB of 1.49m and placed 2nd again! We then saw Cariad compete in the 300 heats where there were three heats and the final results were based on times. Cariad did amazingly and ended up coming first in her heat. We soon found out that she had placed 1st. When the relay heats took place, Robyn, Amelie, Izzy and Lily managed to come first in their race, with their time being 2nd overall so far, and got to the finals. We ran very hard and ended up placing 2nd. We were all so proud of ourselves as these are all outstanding achievements and the L4s are sad to not be able to compete next year as it is a Prep School event. I has been an outstanding season filled with fun that was enjoyed by all the team. We are looking forward to training throughout the year to improve our results and hopefully make it through to National finals.

HIGH-FLYING KICKS Yusra Mosobbir (U4)

y passion for karate all started when I was four years old. I trained every Sunday and would fit in grading, combinations, and sparring. I then started competing when I was six years old. Although I would be nervous for each competition, I managed to come back with medals or trophies. I recently became more dedicated to Kickboxing and started attending further lessons. Entering more competitions has put me in a high enough rank to compete internationally. I am currently training five times a week will prepare me for my first international competition in Belgium.

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CRICKET CLUB BRINGING BACK A BIT OF SCHOOL HISTORY Sophie Hayers & Zoe Gow (U3)

his year cricket was re-introduced at St Catherine’s by Mr Jack Matthews and has been a successful club amongst the U3s. Cricket was a new sport to most of us so it has been very exciting to learn a new skill. We have all really enjoyed spending our lunch times playing cricket and always look forward to Cricket Club. Cricket is a really beneficial sport as you learn key skills which help you with other sports such as rounders. These skills include catching throwing and understanding how to think tactically. Our catching and throwing has definitely improved and we may not be amazing yet but we certainly are learning lots! All of us are starting to understand the rules, despite it being a notoriously complicated game. Although the numbers are still relatively small, they are growing and soon we hope that we will have enough people to form a team. Thanks to Mr Matthews’ passion for cricket we are bringing back some of the school history whilst enjoying learning an exciting new sport. We hope that this time next year we might be writing about a cricket team!

DRIVING SUCCESS! GOLF. Saskia Jones and Daisy Walsh (L4)

askia Jones, a member of Hindhead Golf Club and Daisy Walsh, a member of Bramley Golf Club, have thoroughly enjoyed the golfing events in and outside of the school’s curriculum. Matches are a great opportunity to meet new people from different schools. The Cranleigh Tournament was an exciting match for everyone, and we felt we

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all played well. St Catherine’s achieved 1st and 2nd place for the U13’s and the U15’s put in a great effort. Golf is a great sport to get involved in, and we hope to see some new faces over the course of the year. We are looking to expand the school golf team so please get in contact with the PE Department if you are interested. There are lessons at Bramley every Friday and anyone is welcome.

THE WIND IN OUR SAILS Emily Turner (L6)

he sailing team has enjoyed some great events and training this summer. We started the term with School team racing at Bough Beech. We put forward a Feva team of Meg, Poppy, Annabel and Emily. Despite this being their first time team racing, they managed to win two races and really enjoyed the day. Many girls competed at the Surrey Schools Regatta gaining 2nd place for the team overall (narrowly missing out to our old rivals RGS, this time!). Well done in particular to Jess in her Topper and Emily and Emma in a Feva for winning in their classes. The highlight of the year was the National Schools Feva Championships at Itchenor. Despite tricky conditions and a fleet of over 100 boats, the girls all gained great results, so well done to Annabel, Emily, Meg and Amelia. The final event was another team racing event, the Thames Valley Challenge, where a team of Annabel, Alice, Tamara, Sophie, Erin and Emma came 6th overall against some experienced sailors. We all enjoyed after school training sessions in the summer term giving sailors a chance to try new boats and practise their racing skills. We were very excited to welcome many new members to the team with a range of abilities. A massive thank you to Dr Duckworth and Mrs Hermitage for organising some great sailing this year and Mr White for giving us racing top tips and helping at events. We would also like to thank our parents for making all of this possible.

7 YEARS OF DANCING ON ICE!

Anna Litvinenko (U6)

started figure skating nearly 10 years ago. I currently practice twice a day, six days a week and am a member of the GB Performance Squad. Some of my greatest achievements in the sport include representing Team GB at the European Youth Olympic Festival, competing at Junior Grand Prix competitions, being a four-time National Junior medallist and being voted Youth Sport Personality of the Year in the Godalming area.

3 As well as skating, I was also in full time education, and have now finished school with 11A*s at GCSE and A*A*AA for my A Levels. I am very aware how intense those accomplishments sound, but it definitely did not come easy to achieve these results. When I came to the school in U3, I was 10 years old and had only been skating for about 3 years. As I grew up in St Catherine’s, both my academic and figure skating success started to blossom. My grades were improving each year, and just before starting U5 I was selected to be part of the National Squad, which was a huge surprise for me when I found out. I genuinely do owe a lot of my success to St Catherine’s and the support of the staff, students and my friends, because

I gained so many valuable qualities during my time at St Catherine’s that helped me achieve my goals and will continue to be very helpful in the future. I think the key areas that have enabled me to maintain my high level of skating and achieving academic success are resilience, discipline and efficiency. Resilience is very important, because everything is not always going to go your way, and when you feel like you have failed or let yourself down, you just have to learn from your mistakes for the next time instead of feeling sorry for yourself. Discipline is also crucial because motivation can only take you so far; sometimes you wake up exhausted, with no desire to train or study or do anything, but that discipline inside you forces you to get up and get on with it anyway. Figure skating is an unforgiving sport where a few days off can cause chaos to your progress. I often get asked about how I was able to balance studying and training so that

neither dropped in performance standards. I think that the key to this is knowing your priorities. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to participate in as many school clubs as I wanted to or go out with friends as often as I would have liked, but these are sacrifices I had to make to keep up with my schedule. However, I did play clarinet in Concert Band for several years and was part of the gymnastics team. From U3, I was on the ice every day before school, from 5.30 am and often had off-ice sessions after school, forcing me to adopt a very strange practice of going to bed at 7pm. Moreover, I was frequently asked by confused classmates when on earth I managed to get my homework done, which I did during the weekends and any spare moment I had during the school day, such as lunchtime. I think it is so important to work as effectively as you can, because you can accomplish your work so much faster if you have no distractions around you. Since I was also missing a lot of school days due to competitions, I had to learn to be efficient early on because there was no other option. Now that I have received my A Level results and secured a place at Imperial College London to study Medical Biosciences for 2019, I will be taking a gap year. I am planning on training and competing for another season, completing my coaching qualifications, doing some work experience in the biomedical field and hopefully earning enough money with a part time job to take me travelling once the competitive season is over. Despite being organised, I never like to plan my life in too much detail, I would rather see where it takes me because competitive

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Athletics Yusra Mosobbir National Schools Feva Championships ST CATHERINE’S 2018

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sport can be very unpredictable, and sudden opportunities may arise. My goals for this season are to skate my best at all competitions and hopefully be selected for the Junior World Championships. I am extremely thankful to St Catherine’s for an incredible 7 years; I have made so many wonderful memories and have grown up into an independent, confident person.

Now all that was left was the Summer Term; the sports changed to include rounders, athletics and cricket. In every sport, we used teamwork and friendship which helped us to be the best teams we could possibly be. We all are very grateful for the coaching we receive from the sports teachers who helped us to learn, and cope with both winning and losing as a team.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES

MY FIRST YEAR AT ST CATHERINE’S

Olivia Williams (U3)

rriving on Day 1 at St Cat’s, all of us were raring and ready to go, with some of us having done lots of sports, others having not. Either way, we all were willing to give everything a try. Many people were aiming high, hoping to get in the A and B teams but some were just trying to learn and improve in both new and old sports. In the first term we took part in Netball, Lacrosse, Swimming, Cross Country and Gymnastics. During the early stages of these activities we just learnt the basics and how to progress what we already knew. As the term went on we were taught cool, fun and inventive skills and tactics, to help us win our upcoming matches. Then the Spring Term came where we had the chance to continue all of these exciting sports, but having to face tougher and stronger opponents than before. We made it into some very high class competitions finishing with some incredible results in all the performances.

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Mollie Keane (U3)

y first year at St Catherine’s has been eye-opening in terms of sport. I came here from a small local primary school where we had to “borrow a field” from the secondary school to practice for District Sports. Our sports hall was the dining room and even the assembly hall. Our playground was tarmac and we used it for everything. Coming to St Cat’s, with lacrosse pitches, tennis courts, swimming pool and an amazing sports hall, blew me away: there were some sports, such as lacrosse, that I had not even heard of. Since joining the school, I have had the opportunity to try new things such as lacrosse and trampolining and even improve on some other sports that I was not very good at such as swimming. The PE staff are great too; it is quite cool to be taught by people who have played for their country and when something is challenging, they understand and are very encouraging.

GODALMING SPORTS AWARDS: FUNDING MY WAY! Isabella Frewer (L5)

t the beginning of this year, myself and Anna Litvinenko (U6), were fortunate enough to have been selected to be given the £500 Sports Bursary by Godalming Sports Awards. In addition, we were invited to attend the Godalming Bursary Awards evening, where we were both interviewed about the sports we play, and answered questions about how the funding would help us. I am extremely grateful to Godalming Sports Awards for this fantastic opportunity, which has allowed me to go on tour to America (with England Lacrosse), and which has also contributed towards the cost of World Cup and National Academy training weekends. The programme run by Godalming is very important, and has provided many talented individuals with the opportunity to achieve their sporting goals and ambitions, through the funding that they provide.

RICHMOND DANCE FESTIVAL Christina Spanellis (L4)

his year has been quiet without the All-England National Dance competitions, as they happen every two years. Despite that, it has still been jam-packed! For a start, my dance school put on a performance of Cinderella and other dances and styled routines, not to

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mention a Sunday night show consisting of the school’s alumni at the Rhoda McGraw Theatre in Woking. In addition to that, I also took part in the Regional Dance Competition in Richmond where I competed in three sections and came first in my Ballet Character solo, second in my Ballet Solo and Third in my Modern solo, which is a great confidence boost for the year ahead. In preparation for the All-England Dance festival I have been learning dances for the 14 numbers I am in consisting of solos, duets, trios and groups in the styles of ballet, modern, lyrical and character. The regional qualifying round starts in September; this will determine whether I will proceed to the semi-finals and compete nationally. I cannot wait! This year has also brought exams. I took my Inter-foundation exam, a vocational pointe grade, early in the year and thankfully passed it with distinction. I am now taking classes to work towards the next level, Advanced 1. In December I took my Grade 7 ballet exam and once again passed with distinction. During this summer holiday I will be taking my Grade 8 ballet exam. I continue to enjoy my discipline, dancing five to six times a week in the styles of ballet, pointe, modern and jazz. I am very excited to see what the next season brings…….

A JOURNEY TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD! Mrs Helen Harkness

uring the Easter Holidays 39 girls in Lower and Upper 4th set out on a journey to the French mountains. Serre Chevalier was our base camp/resort. For 12 member of the group this was to be their first experience of skiing. Prior to the trip the girls had learnt the basics on the local Guildford dry ski slope, so initial fears were overcome. They already knew how the boots would feel, how to attach the boots to skis and how to snowplough! However they soon discovered that dry ski skiing is

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2 considerably different to actual compact snow on the mountains which is incredibly slippery. Some of them loved the additional speed gained from this frictionless surface whilst others found it difficult to control. In the first couple of days there were tears of despair and tears of laughter as the girls learnt for themselves that failure is an accepted part of learning to ski. All of these young ladies dug deep, and although their bodies were aching from the exercise, they pushed on each day to master the skills. The first few days in the mountains offered perfect skiing conditions, fresh snow and the spring sunshine gave the whole group an amazing start to the holiday. The experienced skiers were able to blast around the mountain tops following their instructors, who challenged them with jumps and tricks. In the middle of the week the weather changed considerably with a snow storm hitting the resort and giving the group a taste of just how cold it can become when the cloud drops in. Thankfully by the end of the week the sun once again made an appearance and all the groups were able to get to the highest BBQ spot for a group lunchtime meal. As well as learning to ski the group enjoyed an array of evening activities including a movie night, a team challenge/quiz night, a late afternoon trip to the spar, a ten-pin bowling activity and a trip to the historic town of Briançon.

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The Ski Trip team photo First tentative steps! Mastering the button lift Dry Slope Skiing Day Time for instructions Getting ready to go!

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Kay knew and taught every child from PPI to LIII and was always the champion of those who had a talent in IT. She introduced ICT monitors and iPioneers and staff would always appreciate regular attention, including hoovering dust from keyboards from keen young helpers! Kay is charitable in her dealings with others and was always one to suggest a good deed or charitable endeavour, organising stamp collections for Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice or a fundraising initiative in support of a close friend. We wish Kay a very happy and fulsome retirement and many sunny days on the Isle of Wight. Naomi Bartholomew - Prep Headmistress

Rachel Bowen-Perkins

Clare Berry Clare Berry

lare spent 16 years in the Prep School and undertook a very wide range of roles and responsibilities. Clare began her career with us as Form I Teacher, working alongside Mandy MacVean. Clare then took on a part-time teaching role and taught throughout the school from PrePrep I to LIII. Clare was also involved in IT support and training for staff and, as a keen photographer, supplied many photos for the school website and publications. Clare ran numerous clubs including sewing, chess and maypole dancing, which became a real tradition at the close of our annual Open Days. Clare was a real Girl Friday and lent a hand in many situations, training as a lifeguard, driving the school minibus and attending school trips. Clare also encouraged girls to mark World Thinking Day each year. Clare was always particularly interested in teaching the Humanities and we wish her the very best of luck in her new post at St Edmund’s as a full-time Humanities teacher. Her daughter Sophie has joined St Edmund’s and we wish them both a very happy time there. Naomi Bartholomew - Prep Headmistress

Rachel Bowen-Perkins

achel joined the Vocal Section in April 2008 and taught well into the hundreds of students throughout her time with the Music Department. Her commitment to all her students was apparent, and she prepared them thoroughly for a variety of opportunities to perform, from Informal Concerts to leading

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roles in our School Musicals such as West Side Story. We wish Rachel every success in her new post as Director of Music at Milbourne Lodge School. Matthew Greenfield - Director of Music

Joshua Carr

oshua spent two year’s working as a Chemistry teacher at St Catherine’s. He contributed an excellent knowledge of recent research and developments to the department as well as sharing ideas on the use of ICT. His enthusiasm for science was particularly evident in the sessions he ran for Middle School Science Club. He made the most of opportunities to share his sense of humour and was a valued member of the boarding community. We wish him all the best for his new post as a Teacher of Chemistry at John Lyon school.

Kate Cheal

ate Cheal first crossed the St Catherine’s threshold when she ran a staff training session on iPad technology. At the end of the day, she happened to mention that she had been a Director of Music in a former life and had a desire to return to some teaching alongside her training role. Opportunity knocked, and we were delighted that Kate soon joined the Music Department teaching academic Music for one day a week, and led the way with the use of technology in the Department. It was a real pleasure to work with Kate and we already miss her boundless patience and wealth of knowledge. Kate leaves us to start an exciting new role at Eton College, and we wish her every success. Matthew Greenfield - Director of Music

Nicola Austin - Head of Chemistry

Kay Chaventre

ay had a very successful 20-year career with us in the Prep School. Her reach as Director of e-learning was considerable and had an impact on teaching and learning throughout the school. Kay came to us from industry and brought a dynamic and forward-looking approach. She oversaw staff training in all matters relating to ICT, was here for the introduction of interactive whiteboards and the iPad revolution. Kay was always great fun as a colleague and fully committed to a collegiate spirit in the staffroom. She would never forget a birthday or fail to notice when a colleague needed some support. Kay always spotted the small but important details that ensured that the busy Prep School ran smoothly. This attention to detail was greatly valued during preparations for various school inspections.

Kay Chaventre

Lorna Crispin

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McQueen or one of the curators at the Victoria and Albert Museum as well as teaching themselves. We thank her for her dedication to the School during the majority of her career as a teacher and her inspiration to many generations of girls as well as her continuous care for her students as individuals, both personally, and creatively. We will miss her greatly but wish her every happiness in what she tells me will not be retirement quite yet, but new creative opportunities in her new home in Chichester. Alice Phillips - Headmistress

Gill Denyer

Lorna Crispin

rs Lorna Crispin arrived at St Catherine’s as a temporary parttime teacher of Textiles in January 1998, became a permanent member of staff the following year, and was promoted to be Head of Textiles in January 2004. Gently spoken yet confident and clear in her teaching style, Mrs Crispin developed creativity as well as a confidence in their own skills and ideas in all her public examination students whilst ensuring that all middle school girls had the chance to acquire the basic techniques needed to be a competent needle woman, as a start, and to apply those skills to art textiles – a very different subject from the ‘Needlework’ studied by past generations. The Textiles rooms moved to their current accommodation in 2000 and while that was at first a reduction in space in which to work, with characteristic creativity, Mrs Crispin set about overseeing the raising of ceiling levels to expose the rafters and create height, and the redecoration of the rooms in white paint to create a light and airy space, routinely show-casing superb creative needlework pieces to inspire all comers. In 2002, a project inspired by the Chapel windows led to a conversation about their installation being paid for in part by the proceeds of Sales of Work created by the girls in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mrs Crispin suggested that this time some windows should be created by textiles students themselves, and the resulting panels adorn the glazing in the

door from the Chapel Lobby into the Narthex of Chapel, commemorating the Queen’s Golden Jubilee of 2002. One of the panels is Mrs Crispin’s own superb work. Never one to enforce her own style on her students, or to showcase her own work ahead of the girls’, this is a rare example of her skill as a textile artist in her own right and worth a closer look next time you are in Chapel. A Spin and Weave exhibition contribution in the Guildhall in Guildford in 2007 was very well received by all who attended, and during her long tenure, Mrs Crispin saw the move of the Summer GCSE and AS/A2 Textiles exhibitions to the Upper Atrium of the Anniversary Halls where they present a wonderful annual celebration of our students’ artistic and creative talents. Mrs Crispin was instrumental, with the then Head of Art, Jane Silk, in helping design the upper and lower atria in the new building with exhibition space in mind. Another annual highlight of her year was the Charities Board’s Annual Fashion and Talent Show which would find Mrs Crispin and her colleagues back stage putting the finishing touches to the many collections on show each year, but particularly proud, always, of the work of her GCSE and A Level students that takes centre stage for a section of the show. Lorna Crispin has every reason to be very proud of the legacy she leaves behind at St Catherine’s where Textiles is a widely appreciated department whose A Level graduates go on to prestigious colleges, courses and into employment as varied as the creative department of Alexander

Gill Denyer

ur endless thanks go to Gill Denyer for more than 11 years of service, particular to the Biology department. Gill worked as a part-time Biology lab technician, sharing the role with Hazel Church, before Hazel left in 2009. Gill then took over as a full-time lab technician and very much made the role her own. She had endless energy and enthusiasm for organising the practical work and keeping the labs, and us as staff, ship-shape! She was instrumental in putting together resources for the department and beautiful displays. Gill was also greatly valued as a confidante and the ‘mother’ of the department who looked after us all. Gill’s creative needlework work was greatly appreciated, and we are pleased that she now has much more time to devote to her talent. Claerwen Patterson - Head of Biology

Carol Ann Van Deventer

hen a dozen members of the Class of 2006 came back for a reunion at School in the early Autumn of 2016, Mrs Van Deventer could not have anticipated the telephone call she would get from me very soon afterwards! It is dangerous to tell your former Headmistress that you are now a successful teacher! A ST CATHERINE’S 2018

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Alison Earnshaw-Punnett

Carol Ann Van Deventer sudden vacancy had arisen in the Spanish Department and was she still without a permanent position? Having just married and returned to the UK from the USA, CarolAnn was typically enthusiastic to help out and we were delighted to have her back in the St Cat’s fold. An alumna of the school, staunch member of Merriman House, and a strong sportswoman in her time, Mrs Van Deventer studied at the University of Virginia, qualified as a teacher of Spanish and practised for several years in America as both teacher and latterly as Head of Department. On returning to St Cat’s, she stepped into the MFL department with ease and quickly found herself stepping up to the position of Acting Head of Spanish role when Mrs Dibsdall went on maternity leave. She also took over leadership of the Sixth Form Expedition to Costa Rica this summer, steering that deftly to a successful conclusion and left us in the Summer to be based nearer to her home in West London. We are very grateful for her ‘can do’ response to that emergency telephone call and for her affection for, and dedication to, her former school and its Spanish students in particular. She will be greatly missed. Alice Phillips - Headmistress

Amy Dickinson

fter a short period of cover within the Keyboard Section, Amy Dickinson joined us last academic year as a permanent piano teacher within the Department. We were sorry to see Amy leave earlier this year but thank her for all that she contributed to the musical life of St Catherine’s and wish her well as she reduces her workload to spend more time with her young family. Matthew Greenfield - Director of Music

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Alison Earnshaw-Punnett

lison joined the PE Department as an experienced and knowledgeable teacher, who was inspired by the challenge of St Cat’s lacrosse, being both high-level and with lots of depth. Alison brought a calm approach to the department and was fully inclusive with all the girls, making sure that each and every girl had a positive experience. She is such a kind and generous person, who would always put others before herself and allow all to achieve their best. It was exciting to see her introduction strength and conditioning coaching into the senior programme to help reduce the risk of injury in the girls. Alison developed many aspects within the department, but she also grew in confidence and was asked to help support the coaching of the Welsh lacrosse squads, which also enabled her to work closely with a few St Cat’s girls. She was always hard working and determined to make a difference. It has been a pleasure to work with Alison over the last two years. She is professional, enthusiastic and passionate about everything she does, and we wish her the very best of luck in her new role as Director of Sport. Nancy Moore - Head of Sport

Linda Eckart

inda Eckart joined us as a language assistant for the Autumn Term of 20172018. She was a great, enthusiastic presence in the German department and worked tirelessly to help our students improver their speaking skills. We wish her all the best with the rest of her teacher training in Berlin. Dr Elodie Nevin – Head of German

Jane Faull

ane spent 9 busy years manning the Prep reception each afternoon. She offered warm and friendly support to parents and girls as they became familiar with St Catherine’s. Jane was always able to remain calm and good-humoured in the midst of an often-hectic environment, where she could be called upon to assist girls, teachers, parents or visitors at the drop of a hat. Jane also oversaw the extracurricular programme during her time and always ensured that girls were reassured at the end of a busy day. Jane is a talented seamstress and would lend a hand to staff needing emergency repairs, nativity costumes to be sewn and any number of minor fixes needed around school! Jane always offered kindness to girls who were feeling unwell or may have fallen in the playground. We wish her the very best for her ongoing studies in counselling where she will no doubt continue to develop her considerable skills. Naomi Bartholomew - Prep Headmistress

Jane Faull

Sally Gallis

ally Gallis first joined St Catherine’s in September 2013 as full-time maternity cover drama teacher and it is a measure of her success in the role that we found various ways of maintaining her contract for 5 years, during which time she played many parts! Expert classroom/ studio practitioner as a Drama/Theatre Studies teacher, her examination classes were a focus of her work, and their assessed presentations a point of genuine pride to her. Often tackling gritty subjects, girls developed their skills as actresses who could devise pieces of great maturity. This culminated in a successful production of Two Chairs by PULSE at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2017.

SENIOR & PREP SCHOOL

Sally Gallis

FAREWELL

grey UK winter. These ladies did all this with style and a will to do whatever was asked of them. They left us at Christmas 2017 and are now all very busy with their various uni courses. We wish them all the best. Alice Phillips - Acting Head of Boarding

Beth Godwin

eth joined the Geography department for a year in 2017 to teach the lower school in a part-time role. She quickly became part of the team and we enjoyed working with her. She shared her ideas and we appreciated her contribution to the department’s resources. She was patient and supportive of the pupils and they benefitted hugely from her excellent knowledge and quality of teaching. She is considering a move to Primary teaching in the future. We will miss Beth very much and wish her well. Mrs Gallis became co-director of Drama with Ms Mady Lewis in September 2014 until the latter decided to take a career break with her small children, and Mrs Gallis was confirmed as Director of Drama. Her decision to step down this July was also driven by a family decision and the need to spend some more time with her teenaged children as they enter the public examination years. Time, as she put it, to pay back all the years of evening and weekend support given to her by them and by her ‘Drama Dept Widower’ husband, David, over many years! Ms Gallis proved fearless from the start as regards adventurous productions, first assisting Ms Lewis with a memorable senior production of Hamlet in February 2014 when HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, a keen Shakespeare fan, famously dropped into the Drama Studio to watch a scene in final rehearsal during her visit to St Catherine’s. Other memorable productions have been: Return to the Forbidden Planet (Feb. 2015), ‘The Best Christmas Present in the World’ (Feb. 2016), West Side Story (Feb 2017) and finally The Crucible (Feb. 2018), the diversity of these pieces fully demonstrating Mrs Gallis’s versatility as a director. We will miss her infectious enthusiasm for all things to do with the ‘Dram Fam’ and wish her every happiness in this next phase of her life. Alice Phillips - Headmistress

Gap Students Alex Gore, Bridget Whitnall, Eilish Parsons, Emma Furphy, Madeline Murrie & Ruby Lawler

he Gap team for 2017 were a great bunch who gelled as a team from the outset and brought their own sense of energy and fun to every area where they worked. The Gap role is highly varied and it is very important that these girls hit the ground running when they arrive in the middle of a

Sophie Mackness - Head of Geography

Maggie Green

aggie retired from her LAMDA teaching in the Prep School at the end of the Spring term. Maggie had a very long and happy association with St Catherine’s and had stepped down from her drama teaching role after 25 years of service in 2014. Her passion for speech and drama and endless enthusiasm and patience with the girls will be truly missed. Naomi Bartholomew - Prep Headmistress

Morta Grigaliūnaitė

orta joined the Music Department in September 2017 as our Graduate Musician in Residence. She threw herself into the life of the Department and had an excellent rapport with the girls she coached, accompanied and directed in her choirs. We wish her every success as she moves to Portugal to continue her piano teaching and performing career. Matthew Greenfield - Director of Music

Anna Hetherington

nna joined the Geography department in 2012 as a part-time member of staff, after a break from teaching while she was looking after her young children. She quickly became full-time and never looked back! Anna is a superb teacher of Geography and she inspired many girls to go on and study the subject at university. Anna is an extremely dedicated person and nothing was too much trouble; she willingly gave up her time to help any who needed any extra support. She worked exceptionally hard preparing extensive resources from scratch for the new A level

Anna Hetherington and IGCSE courses. Helped to run field trips to Devon and Dorset and organised two tours to Iceland. In amongst the work, she was always prepared to have fun with the pupils and this made her a popular teacher. Many will remember her singing on the coach and her competitiveness in various games played on fieldtrips. Anna thoroughly enjoyed being a tutor in Midleton House and she took her responsibility for the wellbeing of her form very seriously. She enjoyed taking part in and supporting many school events such as the charity lacrosse matches, spy ring (which she took particularly seriously) and the fashion show. We are keeping in touch with Anna and continue to share ideas and resources by e mail. Being a department of working mums, we had regular exchanges of advice on the latest crises at home, and the support we gave each other will be greatly missed. We all wish her well in her new role as a geography teacher at Reigate Grammar School. Sophie Mackness - Head of Geography

Caroline Jackson

e said farewell to Caroline Jackson after two years teaching in the Prep School. Caroline was a true St Catherine’s girl; having attended the Senior school as a young girl, she decided to return as a Form I teacher and Prep English Coordinator in September 2016. Often seen running from lesson to lesson, she showed creativity, excellent work ethic and a passion towards teaching. She played a significant part in transitioning the girls to KS2 and displayed warmth and professionalism at all times. In addition to her form role, ably lead Chess Club and was always on hand to help organise and support girls in any tournament. Caroline and her husband have now relocated to Cambridge and she now teaches at Sancton Wood School. Her sense ST CATHERINE’S 2018

FAREWELL

SENIOR & PREP SCHOOL

Alice Kirrage of humour and caring nature will be missed by staff, girls and parents and we wish Caroline all the best for the future. Katie Malins - Prep Form Teacher

Heather Judd

eather Judd covered a maternity leave with us as PA to Head of 6th Form and Office Assistant, leaving to re-train in reflexology. She had many years of experience working in schools and she threw herself into the role with enthusiasm, demonstrating great warmth and good humour. We wish her every success. Kate Hawtin - Head of Sixth Form

Alice Kirrage

highly capable and passionate Classicist, Alice taught across all three Classical subjects and the entire age range in her time at the school. She brought excellent subject knowledge and a sense of humour to her classroom teaching and was prepared to support her students’ learning beyond lesson time too. As well as being a Sixth Form Tutor, a stalwart of the Duke of Edinburgh team, and accompanying the 6th form trip to Zambia, Alice was an extremely popular member of the residential staff and boarding community. As assistant to the 6th form house she inspired the girls both academically and socially. Always calm in any situation and a real emotional support to anyone who was ‘having a moment’, she was firm but fair and was well-respected by the girls and her colleagues. The boarding community will miss her greatly but feel confident that, sometime in the future, Alice will find herself back in a boarding school, offering them her services, knowledge and enthusiasm. Thank you for the laughter, good memories and all your hard work, Alice! Jessica Ashby - Head of Classics

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

Giada Liddy Giada Liddy

iada has been a much-valued teaching assistant in the Prep School. She started at St Catherine’s in 2003 and worked alongside the teachers and girls in PPI, PPII and PPIII. Giada always worked showing much warmth and compassion and was loved by the girls, staff and parents. She was a calm and respected member of the school team. In addition to her classroom duties Giada helped teach Salsa dancing during the PPIII Mexican Day, judged dance at House Gymnastics and organised a very successful fashion show in aid of SANDS, a charity close to her heart. Giada went on maternity leave in 2017 and we were delighted to meet her baby son Luca. We look forward to hearing tales of his adventures as he grows and wish Giada every success for the future. Jane Cowx - Prep Head of Sport

Hannah Maude

o teach with a colleague that I taught several years ago when she was a student herself at St Catherine’s was a real pleasure and a privilege. Hannah was dynamic in the classroom, very enthusiastic and her love of Psychology inspired the girls. I wish her all the very best in her future endeavours. She will go far Jean Arrick - Head of Psychology

Lorinda Munro-Faure

orinda Munro-Faure came to St Catherine’s in 2003 as a part time newly qualified biology teacher, embarking on a second career, and rose to the position of senior manager and Head of Boarding during the 14 years that followed. Always an immensely capable biologist, proud of her Oxford degree routes, and ambitious for all her students, Mrs MunroFaure also led her girls by example, and

seized career opportunities that came her way. Within a short space of time she had become a full-time colleague, a member of the Sixth Form General Studies team, Fourth Form Tutor in RB by September 2005, moving to Upper 3 in 2006. She joined the exams timetabling team in 2004, and became Head of Biology and a Sixth Form Tutor in 2007. She found running her department exceptionally rewarding, raising the numbers of A Level students to new heights and filling her labs with quirky and interesting biological ‘samples’ and ‘artefacts’ which would often become the source of fascinating digressions from the specifications for exams. Ever the scholar in her approach to her subject, Mrs Munro-Faure took on the role of Oxbridge Coordinator for science subjects in 2008 with relish and had a reputation for offering as many mock interviews as the girls demanded of her. She had a particular interest in the Medical and Vet school applicants, determined to ensure that our record of success in these areas was exceptional and always delighting in the success of the many girls who secured their places, holding the hands of many an anxious candidate in that long wait from October interview to final offer of a place in late March. The world of Med School offers is brutal. As Head of Boarding from 2010, Mrs Munro-Faure joined the Bramley community by taking up residence in nearby Hall House, where she set about creating a garden and installed a hive of bees, a long-held ambition. These created many a diversion for young biologists as well as finding her ‘on call’ for any bee-related incidents in the school itself, famously ‘re-hiving’ an errant swarm in May of 2017 when summoned by Helpdesk in response to girls presenting with reports of ‘millions of bees in the orchard’ which initially met with sceptical glances from Sister Green. There were

SENIOR & PREP SCHOOL

certainly a few hundred. Setting Health and Safety aside, maintenance next sent for the School Photographer and the enterprising, beekeeper LMF was soon up the relevant apple tree charming the creatures back into captivity. As a member of the Melbourne Exchange staff interview team, Mrs MunroFaure asked the trickier questions that checked out the applicants’ resilience and readiness to be away from home for three months, gently and kindly drawing selfknowledge out of the girls. She escorted our U4 students to Australia in 2011 and 2012, interviewing and recruiting ‘in situ’ as she did so our GAP staff teams for 2012 and 2013. Coordinating the work of the GAPs was also part of her Head of Boarding remit which she greatly enjoyed, indeed her first love in all her work in School was focused on the girls, their development, their overall education and their wellbeing, the latter area of work being a strong focus when she became one of the team of Safeguarding leads. Mrs Munro-Faure left St Catherine’s in December 2017 to relocate with fiancé, Derek, to Honiton in Devon where she is beginning her third career while also running a smallholding, establishing her bees and enjoying rural life. We wish her every happiness in this next stage of her life and thank her for her dedicated service to St Catherine’s. Alice Phillips - Headmistress

Office Juniors

his year, we were delighted to welcome back three alumnae, Amy Feakes (class of 2017), Freya Fairless (class of 2017) and Lydia Milne (class of 2016) who, at various points in the year, worked as Office Junior in the Senior School and had what I am sure was an enlightening experience about what life is like on ‘the other side of the fence’! We were very grateful for the support of all three girls who

FAREWELL

Lorinda Munro-Faure were efficient, organised and proactive in the role. They proved themselves able to keep calm and good humoured in what can be a very busy environment in the School Office and we all enjoyed working with them very much. It is a great pleasure to work with our former students as colleagues and we wish them every success in their further studies and for the future. Claire Wyllie - Director of Staff

Muriel Phillips

e were very grateful to Muriel Phillips, an experienced piano teacher and ABRSM examiner, who joined the Keyboard Section in the Spring Term to provide maternity cover. Matthew Greenfield - Director of Music

Jenny Sabin

enny stepped down from her duties in Dance Waiting class this year. Jenny was always kind, calm and patient with the girls and we thank her for her outstanding pastoral care. We wish her well in her retirement. Naomi Bartholomew - Prep Headmistress

Cristina Sanchez Lucas

ristina started in January (2017) as a language assistant. The girls really appreciated the insight Cristina had when it came to Spanish current affairs and they said as a result, they felt very connected to the Spanish speaking world through her. When she left, we immediately felt the weight of not having her around. Carol Ann Van Deventer - Head of Spanish

FROM THE BUSINESS CENTRE Natalia Loveday

atalia joined the Business Centre Department as a quiet, young apprentice studying Business Administration, working in Events and Lettings. We wish her all the best in her new career.

Bernardo de Freitas

ne of the School’s longest serving members of staff, Bernardo retired after nearly 40 years’ employment. He was always willing to work in any area of the School and many staff have fond memories of him. His wife Maria, still works part time with us. We wish Bernardo a long and happy retirement, spending time with his family.

Bob Walters

ur thanks also go to Bob Walters for, once again, stepping in to cover some classes for us in the Autumn term 2017. His wisdom and genial nature was greatly appreciated by all. Claerwen Patterson - Head of Biology

Kate Wilde

e were blessed to have Kate work with us for four years. She arrived each day with a smile and a “can do” approach, supporting two of the busiest areas of the school. Her meticulous eye for detail, great forward planning and inherent pastoral sense made her such an asset to the team and a joy to work with. She is sorely missed by the many staff with whom she worked but we are pleased she is enjoying her time as Mum to the lovely Wren. Kirsty Meredith - Senior Housemistress ST CATHERINE’S 2018

WELCOME

PREP SCHOOL

... a true celebration of women’s achievement in Science with the opening of our refurbished science laboratory, renamed the Wonderlab.

PREPSCHOOL Ms Naomi Bartholomew - Prep Headmistress

he following pages are full of highlights of our last year and I hope that you enjoy all that is packed within this edition. Our year started with a true celebration of women’s achievement in Science with the opening of our refurbished science laboratory, renamed the WonderLab. The bright, fresh space encourages more collaborative learning and has allowed the girls to really experiment and discuss together. We were delighted to welcome Maggie Aderin-Pocock, British space scientist and co-presenter of The Sky at Night, to talk with girls about ‘reaching for the stars.’ Maggie was truly inspirational, and I cannot think of a better role model for us all. The grand opening was a superb event and it was wonderful to have Mrs Fiona Thomas, retired Deputy Head and former Head of Science back visiting from Australia also here to see the new space, along with parents and governors. Girls were also very excited by another new addition, our ‘Brain Box,’ which was an innovation led by Mrs Katie Malins, our Head of Maths. The Brain Box is an attractive outdoor shed filled with equipment for the girls to use in outdoor lessons and at breaktimes that require mathematical thinking. This has been very popular with girls of all ages who can often be spotted measuring and solving problems using the new resources. The autumn term continued with the usual highlights in the school year – our Harvest Festival at St Peter and St

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

Paul, Godalming, our Remembrance Day service at Holy Trinity Bramley alongside pupils from Bramley Infant School and our Christmas celebrations, Pre-Prep Nativity and Prep Carol Services. Many congratulations to the girls and to Mr Blunt and Mrs Bennett for their success with ‘Christmas Wish’ which was an outstanding arrangement sung by our Major and Training Choirs and aired on BBC Surrey and Sussex radio. It was a heartwarming moment, having broken up for the holiday and busy at home with Christmas preparations to hear the girls’ voices broadcast and spreading festive cheer. Our Food and Farming Week was a real success in the spring term and features later in this edition. During that week we took everyone off their fixed timetable for several days and girls were able to learn across year groups and subject areas.

This is a brilliant way for the girls to discover more about themselves as learners and for us all to come together as a school and step outside of the normal routine to create something special. It was wonderful to see the children’s reactions to our visiting farm animals and for those moments to be shared with pupils from Gosden House. This was followed by our Hort-eco-cultural Show, which

was another successful event shared with Gosden House. Pupils and staff entered various categories and were proud to display their baking, salad and herbs, flower arrangements, cress creatures, vegetable sculptures, seaside themed seed trays, craft, art and jams/chutneys. Another wonderful celebration came in May when we gathered to mark the royal wedding. Girls and staff were so excited to celebrate Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding and the sun shone on our garden party. Mr Andrew Price and our catering team provided us with delicious treats and a very special cake for the occasion. Thank you to the girls, staff, parents and all who have supported us through another successful and happy Prep School year.

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Prep Maths Shed Opening Prep Wonder Lab Royal Wedding garden party

TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

PREP SCHOOL

CHARITIES Mrs Wendy Gibbs - Deputy Head Staff

he girls and staff have raised over £11,000 throughout the year for numerous different local, national and international charities including Action for A-T, Cherry Trees, Trinity Bramley, Macmillan Cancer Support, Sport Relief, Salvation Army and The Cystic Fibrosis Trust. In March all girls completed a mile run or walk in aid of Sport Relief. Staff and girls from PPI right through to LIII took on the four-lap course of the Prep School Field to do their bit for the charity that raises money for more than 2,000 projects in the UK and around the world. Another highlight of the year was in June when we raised money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. The girls had a lot of fun dressing up in yellow and the Charity Monitors came up with the idea of a ‘clefie’ (a class selfie). In total an amazing £640.90 was collected. As always we are only able to support these charities due to the generosity of our parents and staff. Huge thanks go to the whole St Cat’s family.

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DANCE Miss Sally Salter - Dance School Principal

rep School - Dance at St Catherine’s is an important part of the week for many of our girls and the dance school is continually growing and evolving. In December Pre Prep danced and jigged their way through their ‘Wriggly’ Nativity which was an absolute joy to watch and a wonderful celebration at the end of their first term. Our PPI and PPIII curriculum ballet classes also performed for their parents at the end of the school year in our watching week classes which again brought much excitement and happiness to all. Our Prep School dancers have worked extremely hard throughout the year with a record number of dance exams taking place.

Cystic Fibrosis Charity Event Charity Run Cake sale Wriggly Nativity PPI Ballet Watching

Across the board excellent results were achieved, stemming from lots of hard work, practice and determination. Students also had the opportunity to perform their newly found and refined skills to their parents in their watching week classes at the end of each term. Our Junior Jazz Group also performed a jazz routine as part of the Prep School Spring Creative Arts Concert which they thoroughly enjoyed learning and rehearsing and being a part of. All in all, a very busy year!

enior - Dance at St Catherine’s has continued to grow and this year we celebrated the success of our first Vocational Ballet exams held at St Catherine’s. Alongside this we have had performances in the Fashion and Talent show, our Senior Jazz group and Pointe

5 class both danced beautifully in the Jazz and Rock Concert and we have had many girls entering for dance exams throughout the year- all achieving excellent results and progressing their dance training. ST CATHERINE’S 2018

TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

PREP SCHOOL

CHESS Charlotte Burns – Chess Captain

his year’s chess Master Class has been a brilliant success as so many girls have joined the club to learn the top skills, and we almost hit the maximum amount of girls. As the year has gone on, chess beginners have improved their skills, and thanks must go to the splendid tutor Mr Andrew Martin, with support from Mrs Caroline Jackson. As in previous years our school entered the Delancey UK Chess Challenge and all the girls were successful this year as many of us earned a place in the mega final to compete against girls from all over the UK. Fifteen prep school girls also took part in the ECF National Chess Semi finals in January and had a thoroughly enjoyable day battling it out against girls from the south of England. These were not the only extraordinary things that happened this year. Serena Barker-Lomax (senior school) challenged many of the prep girls to a match (15 boards vs just her!) and as she is pretty much the best player in the school she won them all, this was a huge challenge and lots of fun!

PREP SCHOOL LIBRARY Mrs Jacqui Sadler - Librarian

he Prep School library continues to thrive as does the enjoyment of books by the girls. We are living in a Golden Age of children’s literature with so many fantastic books available. The bibliocats reading scheme goes from strength to strength in each year group as we encourage the girls to read from a range of genres to develop their confidence and love of reading.

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

1 In September welcomed author Jo Cotterill. She enthused the girls with her quirky wit and energetic presentation, Jo was inspirational ; she described her dreams to live in the fictional world of fantasy characters, which led her to acting and then later her prolific career as a writer. When asked to describe herself in one word, she said, ‘motivated’, explaining that you don’t have to be the best at something but you just have to keep working at it.’ Lucy, UII, said of the lecture, ‘I thought it was brilliant. To hear from a real author that writes beautiful books and to have her share her tips with us was a real privilege that I very much hope will happen again’. WORLD BOOK DAY – is always the highlight of the year in the Prep School and this year was made even more thrilling because we all woke to what looked like a scene from Narnia. The snow added to the excitement as the girls, dressed as their favourite book characters, filled the Auditorium for our

assembly. The Prep Library was a hive of excitement all day as the girls came to partake in the activities on offer to celebrate all things books and reading. In June author of bestselling and prizewinning book ‘The Clockwork Sparrow’ Katherine Woodfine came to visit us for the next in our series of Librarian’s Literary Lectures. Katherine spoke to the girls about all of the books in her Sinclair’s Mysteries series that are set in Edwardian London. The lecture was fascinating as she spoke about the amount of research that goes in to every book and explained the process authors go through to get their books published. AWESOME BOOK AWARDS – for the second year running some girls from UII participated in the Awesome Book Awards run by Cranleigh Prep School. All the girls read the five shortlisted books and voted for their favourite. In May we attended the glitzy award ceremony where the winner was announced. Peter Bunzl, author of the winning book ‘Cogheart’, had this advice for readers as he collected his award; “Read as much as you can, and write as much as you can – anything and everything. Poetry, novels, short stories, non-fiction – whatever interests you. Read it all and write it all, and don’t fear failure – you learn by trial and error until you’ve found your voice and the story you want to tell.” We ended the year with a visit from Nigerian Author and Storyteller Ifeoma Onyefulu. Ifeoma, mesmerised the key stage two girls with traditional folk stories from her childhood in Nigeria and even had us all singing some Nigerian folk songs. Her warmth, sincerity and the sensitivity in which she told the stories about the people of Africa captivated us all.

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Chess Semi finals World Book Day

PREP SCHOOL

TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

COGHEART WRITTEN BY PETER BUNZEL Book Review by Ophelia Webb

he moment I read about mechanical animals I knew that I would love to meet one. Malkin is a mechanical fox who is just like a real fox, but he is made from metal and he can talk. Malkin starts the book looking for Lily to give her a message from her dad who has gone missing. All the time that he is looking for Lily he is being tracked by mirror eyed men who are trying to stop him. Nothing is what it seems, Lily can trust nobody and the adventure has begun. It becomes clear to Lily, age 12, that her mission is to find her dad and to do this she will need to work with her new friends Robert, Anna and Malkin her dad’s mechanimal. Everyone has a secret even if they do not know it yet. A world with mechanical animals and people would be really EXCITING and in this book, there are many twists and turns with more important information revealed in every chapter. The reader is caught up in the adventure, the mystery and a bit of mayhem that all builds to some heart stopping moments. My favourite character after Malkin, the loyal mechanimal fox, is Lily because she has to be very suspicious of everyone. In the end she turns out to be a natural detective. This is a phenomenal book written by Peter Bunzel and people who like mystery and adventure books will really enjoy it. After I read this book I had to go straight into Moonlocket the next book to find out about their next adventure.

SCIENCE WORKSHOP Mrs Maren Kelly - Head of Science

n Friday 13th of October, LIII went on an amazing journey through space. We made comets here on Earth using iron, dry ice and lots of other things real comets are made out of. Have you ever wondered what a comet smells, feels and looks like close up? Well, we were able to! I can tell you, comets don’t smell nice! We also went on an amazing expedition across the vast skies of space inside a planetarium. We learnt lots and lots of interesting facts about space and all of the planets and moons in our solar system. This way of learning is not only fun, but leaves you with an entirely different perspective of the world that we live in. We asked lots of questions and learnt lots and lots of amazing things about space and our solar system. Ella, Science Monitor

I really loved the planetarium, because the thought that there might be life on different planets is really exciting. Alice The planetarium and workshop opened a new door in my brain, it also made me wonder about what is really up there and made me feel excited. Emma Did you know: you will only ever see one comet in the sky in your lifetime - if you are lucky! That means not many people would have seen a comet, the most famous one probably being Halley’s Comet which was reputedly seen at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. This was one of the fascinating facts which we learnt when two space scientist came to visit the LIIIs with their mobile planetarium. Melanie and William also explained to us that comets have a nuclear ball inside them which is covered by a white

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Jo Cotterill - girls engaged in a moment to remember Space Workshop Making space comets

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TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

PREP SCHOOL

protective cloud of dust particles called a coma. If you were ever fortunate enough to see a comet, and you may not be able to for many decades now, they look as if they are travelling slowly, when, in fact, they are traveling at speeds up to 10 to 70kms per second! I find these facts so jaw-dropping!” Carina, Science Monitor The planetarium and science workshop have totally inspired me about space and I would love to explore what’s out there in space when I grow up. Arabella I learnt lots about comets and planets. I also learnt that 3.5 billion years ago mars and earth where the same! And it is very hard to find life on mars because we may accidentally contaminate mars, thinking our microbes are microbes from mars. Flora The LIII girls were able to travel without leaving the classroom to different planets, stars, moons and galaxies today. Melanie, a space science communicator, and William, a space scientist, helped the girls bring our solar system to life. The girls had a wonderful opportunity to smell, feel and explore comets at close hand by making one. I certainly would not want to be close to a comet; they smelled rather strange and made an incredible sound! The planetarium was hugely engaging; focusing on our planets and moons. We travelled in seconds to Venus, Jupiter and Mars. Did you know that one of the moons in our solar system is covered in layers of frozen oceans and snow falls upwards? The vast and up to date knowledge about everything to do with space of both Melanie and William made this day very special. The girls asked lots of incredible questions, showing both scientists how knowledgeable and interested they were. Well, science is certainly not boring when you are able to travel the universe! CreativeSpace fed our imagination. What will we discover next?

and want to eat your favourite meal, beans on toast, but all the labels of the cans in the cupboard have been taken off? How could you find out in which can are your beans? For most people finding old human poo is disgusting. Cutting it up and looking at it carefully is even worse! But this is exactly what we did. Just like real archaeologists, we tried to identify what people ate and where they might have lived from a poo sample, but first we had to make some! The girls also enjoyed the design a labcoat competition. Girls from FI upwards were also able to test their science knowledge in the quiz made by Ella and Carina, the LIII science monitors.

he Spring Term Humanities Week was a wonderful opportunity for girls (and staff) in the Prep School to work and learn together about all things ‘food and farming’. The highlight of the week for the whole St Cats community, and visitors from Gosden House school, was the Cottage Garden being transformed into a mini farmyard! We were thrilled to welcome Miller’s Ark Farm complete with goats, sheep, pigs, chickens and much more. All visitors to the farm delighted in seeing livestock at such close quarters, especially

SCIENCE WEEK AT ST CAT’S!

Mrs Maren Kelly - Head of Science

n true St Catherine’s style, girls of all ages enthusiastically participated in the events set up for them during lunch time. This year’s science week started with exploring what would happen to our body in out of space; well, I can tell you, nothing pretty! The senior school physics prefects came and showed us using marshmallows and a vacuum bell. We explored this ourselves using marshmallows and syringes. We all decided that we do not want to go in to space without a space suit full of air to protect us. We explored some very ‘confusing cans’. Imagine you are coming home from school

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

as they were very friendly! The activities during the week presented opportunities for cross-curricular learning, teamwork – developing leadership and communication skills, problem-solving and learning to be adaptable. Teachers created a fabulous range of thought-provoking activities and experiences which are described below. We are very grateful to the staff who led the activities during this memorable week:

History

ur historical focus was looking at different farming implements over time, spinning and weaving, butter making the traditional way and learning farming songs. Mrs Hughes showed some girls old farming implements. They looked at old methods of cutting down crops with scythes, bill-hooks, sickles and other tools borrowed from the Rural Life museum at Tilford. We even had a visit from the estates team on a tractor to compare these old tools with modern farming methods! Mrs Berry and Ms Mullins demonstrated how sheep’s fleece is turned into wool by carding and spinning. Some of the spun wool was then incorporated into weaving work. We also had a visit from a local shepherd who explained about his flock of sheep and donated an actual fleece for us to use. Mr Blunt taught traditional farming tunes and Mrs Churchley talked to the girls about the history of milking cows. There were shoulder yolks to try on, and different styles of milk bottles and milk churns to look at. The girls even got to milk a cow – well almost. Daisy, the school papier-maché cow, was fitted with a rubber glove, filled with milk, so the girls could experience what it might be like to milk a cow! Mrs Gunther presented an ambitious lesson on how butter was made in years gone by. There were different types of old butter churns to look at and butter paddles. Then everyone had a go at making their own butter. It took some time shaking the milk in pots, but some butter was eventually made. It was quite creamy and delicious!

TRIPS, VISITS & FEATURES

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Languages

or a celebration of Language through food and farming the girls of Form 1 and LII were treated to a carousel of tasty activities following the theme of food and expertly supported by two parents, who were able to increase our cultural awareness. Led by Mrs Lu, one group studied Chinese New Year and the tradition of giving Fortune Cookies including a motto. After first tasting one themselves, the girls wrote their own mottos and wrapped them up ready to open again next year. With delicious sweet puran poli and Mahtri biscuits supplied by Mrs Dahale, another group learnt about the Indian festival of Holi: the myth behind it, the custom of throwing brightly-coloured powders and the sharing of different foods. Finally, with a European flavour, the girls shared pancakes and wrote up their own recipes for crêpes in French to celebrate Mardi Gras or Pancake Day. What a feast!

Geography

s Geographers, we set our central theme as the importance of eating locally sourced food in season and the impact of globally produced food on the environment. The girls in PPI and PPII learnt which fruit and vegetables grow in each season and had fun making delicious smoothies from a variety of seasonal fruit. Further up the school, the girls worked in groups to establish how far their fruit salad or pizza ingredients had travelled before ending up on their plate. They girls in PPIII were amazed to discover their fruit salad had travelled over 9,000 miles before ending up on their plate! The girls in UII and LIII worked in groups and used their thinking skills to debate

thought provoking topics such as: Is it important to know where our food comes from? And does globally produced food have much of an environmental impact? Strong arguments, for and against, were put forward by all groups. Another highlight of Food and Farming week was the Parade of Scarecrows which took place in the Prep School field. Each year group designed and made a scarecrow using a wide range of recycled materials. After the event, the scarecrows were placed around the school and a number of them were used in the Cottage Garden to scare the birds away from the crops grown in the raised beds.

Religious Studies

t is not every day that you have the opportunity to talk to a real shepherd at St Catherine’s – and certainly not one dressed in the clothing worn at the time of Christ - but that is exactly what KS2 pupils had the chance to do during a Humanities’ Week Assembly presented by Stephen Darvill from the Wintershall Trust. The girls were fascinated to hear about the importance of the shepherd in Biblical times and to reflect on references to Jesus as a “Good Shepherd”. Other R.S. activities during the week included from Pre-Prep: designing vibrant mosaic fish in response to hearing the story of the “Feeding of the Five Thousand” and making delightfully well-fattened cotton-wool sheep models (some of the flock a little unsteady on their legs) to remember the parable of the Lost Sheep. UII and LIII learnt about the symbolism of food for people of the Jewish faith as they participated in a Passover meal – not all being quite courageous enough to sample the deliberately eye-watering horseradish; they were, however, all in fine

3 voice singing traditional songs – many with a foot-tapping Klezmer rhythm. Meanwhile, Form Is and Lower IIs were busy in the Cottage Garden constructing a Sukkot (a temporary tabernacle) which, in Judaism, celebrates God’s protective goodness and the gathering of the harvest. Perhaps, however, the most lasting legacy of the week was that every pupil from PPI to LIII wrote prayers which covered a range of themes. These have, with a Herculean effort on Miss Jefford’s part, been compiled into a beautifully printed “St Cat’s Prayer Book” for use in assemblies. The prayers, which we have been privileged to hear so far, show what deep-thinking pupils we have and how much they care about other people and the world.

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FI proudly presenting the etrog, lulav, hadassim and aravot as part of the festival of Sukkot Fun at the Farm Girls with Major Tib during Humanities Week

EXPLORING FLAGS THROUGH WORLD FARMING

here was great excitement and teamwork as girls worked collaboratively to design and make brightly coloured, symbolic paper ‘flags’ reflecting a range of international methods of world farming. Girls followed ageappropriate design briefs and worked in

small groups to devise and develop their responses. They explored their ideas through discussion and sketching and then honed their designing, cutting and sticking skills to produce double-sided flags. The finished products ranged from Pre-Prep bunting and small A4 flags, to larger A3

and A2 flags made by the older Prep School girls. The flags were truly wonderful; they were a colourful addition to the Prep Hall and illustrated different forms of farming such as: arable, dairy, animal, tea, coffee, chocolate, fish and reusable energy such as wind farms. ST CATHERINE’S 2018

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Emily showing her work to mummy at PPI@Home Thea discovering that yellow and blue make green Laurel, Coralie and Maddie designed and made puppets Scarlett searching for fairies in Nower Wood Building a bridge for the Three Billy Goats Gruff PPI at Nower Wood Helen’s self-portrait Alice exploring symmetry with Numicon Enjoying the Polar Lab The girls sack race at Pre-Prep Sports Day PPIJ Class PPI enjoy a Drama Workshop Isabella and Gabriella checking for bugs Meeting the donkey on the farm visit Amelia proudly wearing her crown Story time with Miss Bartholomew Elsbeth made a clay hedgehog Luna enjoying time with the ducklings PPIK Class

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A Fishy Find Enjoying French food Moving Bugs! French day Victorians Labelling Bodies Baa-rilliant friends! Easter Hats School farm Wet and wonderful finds Charity fun Tiny discoveries Freedom for Butterflies A brave Victorian Firm Friends IPad Selfies Hunting at Sayer’s Croft Mixing smoothies Happiness is a goat! Victorian Drill

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Is the Loch Ness Monster fact or fiction? Darcey and Cassie with their delightful Nessie’s Freya D and Olivia examine a garlic bulb Isabella, Sophie and Lilia with Mr Blunt on a seashore treasure hunt at Dell Quay. Amelia greets the pigs A fruit salad journey PPIII begin Sport Relief challenge World Book Day 2018 Lila and Olivia enjoying icing their gingerbread houses. Lottie and Lilia delving deeply into their net Layah with her food chain she made following our visit to Dell Quay. Zoe performing in the PPIII strings concert Amelia pond dipping Aurelia with her tropical bird inspired by the rainforest near Kampong Ayer. Visit to the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking. Cara says hi to a chicken in Humanities Week Manon creates an Easter bonnet Sophie examining her catch PPIIIR looking “mellow in yellow” in aid of charity Isabella and Alexandra putting the finishing touches on the PPIII Scarecrow during Food and Farming week. Minty explores the sea shore

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1. Is our den waterproof? 2. Division with matchsticks 3. Greek Goddesses 4. Designing our pot 5. Wildlife talk round the campfire 6. Symmetry Monsters - Ruby 7. Symmetry Monster - Chloe 8. Made it to the top of Holmbury Hill 9. Greek Day 10. FI Christening 11. Form I girls marching in battle formation, Ancient Greek Day 12. Grace’s Symmetry Monster 13. We’re on our way to the woods 14. Word Webs - Elizabeth 15. Ruby’s Greek Vase depicting Pegasus 16. Roasting marshmallows 17. Nicola’s Greek vase depicting olive pickers 18. Human chair

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A DAY IN THE LIFE A CELTIC BOY Sophia Bone

he sun was getting hot now. My father and I went back to the house and rested in the shade, while drawing some animal pictures on the wattle and daub walls. I love to draw symmetrical patterns, while listening to my mother and father telling me stories and poems. Before it got dark, we checked on the oxen, goats and chickens. When the sun went down, it was time for the whole family to go to sleep. My mum tucked my sheep skin rugs around me and handed me a cup of warm milk from Aine (meaning joy) our cow.

SPOOKY STORY

THE HOUSE OF GHOSTS (EXTRACT) Imogen Boyes 3

LOWERII

s everyone got into the car, Max noticed the pale colour Charlie’s face had gone. The pearly white shade did not match his chestnut brown hair. Max looked out of the window. The sky had turned an inky black and lights passing by looked like shooting stars. Finally, they arrived at the ‘Crooked Terror’, at least that was what Charlie called it. The wind whistled in the silhouetted trees…

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BOUDICCA’S BATTLE CRY Ellie Nichol “We have all suffered at the Romans’ hands. They have treated us like slaves and they’ve tortured us. We need revenge! We need to save our tribe! Who’s with me?”

1. LIIG show off their Celtic jewellery 2. Charlotte has an audience on the Celtic throne 3. Anya and Emily dig for artefacts at Butser Farm 4. Ischia spins her magic at Butser Farm 5. Cassandra spins success at Butser Farm 6. The Romans are coming at Maiden Castle 7. Celtic menu 8. French menu 9. Creative writing word hunt 10. Lower IIs loving Celtic life at Hooke Court 11. Digging for victory at Butser 12. LIIE strike a pose on World Book Day 13. Members of LII prepare animal shelters in Bushcraft 14. Showing off their Easter Garden - Isla, Tilly, Rosie, Alice & Izzy

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ODE TO A JOKE

Izzy Ebsworth Oh how you cause us to chuckle. However mildly amusing you might be, We still laugh quite hysterically. You are the love of my life, The key to my giggles. You are the relief to the most awkward of silences And the beginning to an awesome friendship. I adore the way in which you twist words Into amusing phrases. You are a time-filler, A class-saver. But to me you are the most important thing of all: A joke!

FRENCH THANK-YOU LETTER Nessie Barbour

UPPERII

Dear Mrs Edwards, Thank you so much for organising our residential trip to France last week. The week is a big memory and one which I shall never forget. Before we went you might know that I was really worried but when I arrived at the gite and went up to my dormitory, I felt as if I was at home. I loved watching Pippa try to catch the seagulls at Mt St Michel and I am so glad that we went kayaking through the beautiful French countryside. The meals were extremely yummy and I tried a lot of new things even though I can be a fussy eater! A particular favourite was making (and eating) the bread which tasted so warm and delicious with Normandy butter. I hope that you did not get deafened by all our excited screaming and shouting during the trip. It really was such a fun trip and one which I will never forget. Best wishes and thank you again, Nessie

TUDOR TIME TRAVEL WRITING Lola Bjornsgaard Excerpt from Tudor Time Travel writing

stepped inside the claustrophobic pod, turned the dial to 1599, and squeezed my eyes shut. A shudder, a crack, and my stomach felt like it was left back in 2018. Phlump. The bottom of the pod shuddered. Breathing heavily, I heard people screaming at each other, though they added ‘thou’ which, to me, spoiled the effect.

ST CATHERINE’S 2018

Cautiously, I opened the heavy door. Surprisingly, nobody noticed me, so I stepped out onto the cobbles. Burly men in ruffs and breaches laughed together with beer in their hands. Elegant ladies in corsets and long dresses smiled, showing gleaming teeth. Stalls were set up along the street, selling everything from beer and wine in oak barrels to lace handkerchiefs delicately embroidered with roses and beautiful pink and golden borders. Mesmerised, I strolled up the street, drinking in the sights and sounds. Disgusted, I retched as a putrid smell filled my nose. “Y’all righ’?” an odd-looking man asked me. His eyes were crossed and his teeth were yellow.

1. 16th century architecture meets 21st century technology at Hampton Court 2. Look where you’re flying Concorde, Charlotte 3. Tears of happiness at the UII Mock Wedding 4. Tara and Jess getting to know the local French goatherd 5. Orienteering fun at Holmbury St Mary 6. Today Bramley, tomorrow the Tour de France ... 7. Making memories - Mont St Michel 8. Where are we going? An orienteering experience to remember 9. Bon marché 10. Ava and Scarlett bread-making the French way 11. Normandie here we come!

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CREATIVE WRITING Lottie Harlow Excerpt from creative writing inspired by an image of children being evacuated

he life of happiness and smiles I was used to, suddenly seemed to fade away. Within seconds, all the hugs and reassurance washed into thin air as I was shepherded onto the bleak steam train. My mother, metres away yet separated by a steel train, always told me to look on the bright side. I tried my hardest but all the happy thoughts of my mother, my sister and me seemed a million miles away. My heart was empty and my face was soaked with tears. A muffled announcement shot out of the loud speaker saying that train 36 was leaving. By now, my mother was just a blur and from my pessimistic thoughts, a memory.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

into the churchyard. Walking determinedly towards one particular tombstone, crisp autumn leaves blew around his ankles. As Pip knelt at his parents’ grave, it was as if a finger of fear was trickling down his spine and he turned around feeling uneasy. Trees looked as if they were reaching out towards him, trying to snatch him away; the trunks became miserable faces – staring at him with a thousand eyes. Gently, Pip placed the small posy of wildflowers onto the gravestone and, when he had paid his respects, he stood up, turned around and started running home as fast as his legs would carry him. Suddenly, a man appeared from out of the gathering mist. He was a great hulk of a man with heavy chains encircling his ankles. Pip screamed. Who was this man? Where did he come from? What did he want with Pip? The boy’s heart beat like a drum. His hands were sweating. Pip was frightened – very frightened indeed.

Olivia Lamble After watching the beginning of David Lean’s Film of Great Expectations

t was dusk – the time of day when the sun is sinking down over the horizon. Fiercely, a chill wind was blowing whilst hungry seagulls were circling over the ocean looking for a mackerel or two. As Pip swiftly ran past the blood-stained gibbets, chains swung, filling the air with a menacing rattle. He climbed onto a mossy brick wall, gripping onto the nearby creaking tree trunks for safety, then jumped over a stile

ODE TO AN EAGLE Martha Robinson Amazing, majestic eagle, I praise your radiant feathers as you Soar through the blue yonder. How I gaze in awe when you catapult yourself Into the heavens. The determination in your body Strikes me when I look intently into your fiery eyes. I simply adore your vibrant yellow feet That dig into the ground when you land. Your wingspan is extraordinary And I dote on your plumage that subtly merges from White to brown then black to brown again. You are so fabulous: I shall never praise a blackbird Nor worship a waddling penguin again. You are my only emperor – Emperor of the skies. “I enjoyed the market visit the most because I liked speaking French, to French people, in order to buy things. It felt different from practice in lessons because you just had to get on and say what you wanted.” Ophelia Webb “I enjoyed going to France for four days. It has improved my vocabulary and I can now put words into a sentence to ask for an ice-cream!” Ottilie Bennett “Canoeing was the highlight of the trip for me. I had never been before and I loved the views from the boat.” Eva Ashby “On the French trip, my vocabulary of French words expanded. I learnt that chèvre means goat. I also managed to get used to the French accent so that the words became more easily understood.” Susie Jones

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AN AUTUMN WALK Izzy Dickinson

LOWERIII

s I stepped into the woods the tranquillity hit me, I took a slow step forward into the forest. I started to walk more quickly, just then I heard a bird’s song break the silence. I could hear animals scuffling through the leaves. The colours on the leaves were magical as they fell. They were delicate, fragile, and dainty but the colours were beside any I had ever seen. The point of the leaf was perfect – swoosh – and the leaf landed at my feet. I carried on walking with my leaf. A rabbit bounded past, a squirrel with nuts started to dig and hide the nuts. A lake was up ahead, fish swimming happily, trying not to get caught by the fox at the side. Finally, the fox looked up and stepped back; despite wanting to see the fish, I eventually stepped back onto the path. Soon after, a squirrel came, with cheeks stuffed with acorns. Suddenly, a gun fired. Bang! A deer came charging out of the wood, two men came out shortly afterwards. Luckily, the deer went charging on into the forest on the other side of the path. I told them that the deer had doubled back on itself. The men thanked me, and I carried on through the mist.

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SIZE PROBLEMS Olivia Maxwell

xcuse me but I would like to tell you that I do not approve of people hitting me,’ muttered a dignified voice. Alice stared up and every strand of hair stood on end. A crumpled up snarling face with curling hair eyed her with superiority; Alice tried to edge away from it but ended up hitting another face and hearing a grunt of pain. Shocking silence fell, as Alice looked at her stretched body, only disturbed by the mutterings of other faces. Suddenly, the room went dark and twisting and turning, ‘Here we go again, ‘murmured a marble face, while Alice fell to the floor and banged her head. Brightness returned and snarls of pain came from beneath her, the crumpled faces glared up at her and suddenly she realised she was in one of their mouths! Picking saliva off her dress Alice glanced up at the ceiling but it wasn’t the ceiling, it was the floor. Carefully, Alice peeked over the top of one of the faces and gasped as a huge rabbit bounced away and echoes of screams of outrage filled the air behind him. As if in slow motion, the rabbit’s fan dropped behind him. Alice scrambled away and heard a thud. She dared to

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SIZE PROBLEMS Helena Hayward

7 glance behind herself to see the fan lying where her foot had been. Annoyingly, the rabbit had gone and Alice now had no escape route. Tears trickled down her face splattering on the ceiling noisily. Was it the ceiling, or was it the floor? Alice would never know.

SIZE PROBLEMS Flora MacLachlan

uddenly, I spotted a strange jacket hanging on the wall, I could’ve sworn I hadn’t seen before, and I had the strangest urge to put it on. I cautiously walked over to it and unhooked it. As it slipped onto my shoulders, I got the most peculiar feeling. Telling whether the room was getting bigger or I was getting smaller was impossible, and the material of the jacket had the most absurd feeling to it, it was soft and light as well as rough and scratchy. Finally coming to the conclusion that I was getting smaller, I began to panic. What if I didn’t stop shrinking? What if I just disappeared? Without warning, I came to an abrupt stop. I calmed down, and began to look around. First I looked up at my desk, only to find it miles above me, and my English prep sitting unfinished on the top. Great! Seeing as I couldn’t do my homework, I began to explore my giant room. Deciding the most exciting place to go would be under my bed. I took a deep breath, built up all my courage, and went down. Dust was everywhere. In my mouth, my eyes, my nose, my ears. For a second I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, and suddenly, I was out. I then hurriedly walked back to my desk, eager to get away from my bed. There, under the desk, was a green scarf, my size (which was surprising), that certainly wasn’t there before. Hoping it would do something to fix my size, I eagerly put it on. Filled with relief, I began to grow back to my right size. In a second, I was sitting at my desk again,

the jacket was gone, and I was staring down at my English prep again. Well, I thought, this is going to be quite a story!

THE BLITZ Flora Creswell

own the stairs to the window, I knew the way off by heart now. Staring into the deep dark night I saw no light, none. Was this war ever going to end? I hope so. Bright beams of light were beginning to pierce the sky as a loud siren wailed its sound deep into the dark, black night. Hugging my pyjamas up all close to me I felt as if the world was going to end, and maybe it was. Bitter scents of the never-ending smoke trailed into the kitchen – that was a bad sign – somewhere, people would be burning and I could do nothing about it.

ROYAL WEDDING REVIEW

ne does not expect to suddenly shrink to being the size of a pea at 7 in the evening, but that is exactly what happened to me! Picking at my food, I frowned at the astronomically large amount of peas I had been given for dinner. My mother watched me eagle-eyed as I stabbed a pea and brought it up to my revolted mouth. How could such a small thing be so disgusting, I thought? That’s when it happened a pea sized me... Huffing and puffing, I dragged myself from one mountainous ledge to another. When I finally reached the top of Mount Stairs I glanced round. A large pink fluffy face stared at me through button eyes. Frozen, my eyes swivelled and my shoulders sagged in relief! A warm place to sleep, even though it’s a slipper! Slavering jaws interrupted my efforts to get into my abnormally large bed. Oh no! Not the puppy. Anything but the puppy!!

1. Building friendship and resilience at PGL 2. Experimenting with Drones 3. Language comes to life, as girls order food in the French cafe 4. Emily looks into the past by studying Primary Sources at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard 5. LIIIs captivated by their time in role as part of Evacuee Day 6. Girls’ boast impressive historical understanding during Decade Fashion Show 7. A gloriously hot Sports Day 8. Major Tib , scarecrow, Humanities Week

Isabelle Bouette

n a gloriously sunny day, an American actress became the first Duchess of Sussex and the wife of a Prince of England. I thought that the couple managed to infuse their own style in the ceremony making the atmosphere exciting and creative. Markle was a vision in an exquisitely cut and moderate gown by Givenchy’s creative director Clare Waight Keller with a very long train: what an incredible, creative design! The prince’s expression changed from worry to joy as she neared. Her mother, Doria Loyce Ragland, fought tears. Yes, her daughter was marrying into the royal family and in a fairytale setting. The choir blew everyone everyone away (what amazing pieces of music.) Each note was as perfect as the next: the groom and bride enjoyed every second and every part of it made their love stronger. 8

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MUSIC

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The girls loved the opportunity to perform in a big space, and they rose to the occasion with bold introductions and smart bowing after every piece!

PREPMUSIC Mr Matthew Blunt - Director of Prep Music

e have had a very dynamic and interesting year in the music department, with lots of personnel changes, professional development and also some creative projects that have really enthused the girls. Matthew Blunt completed his PGCE qualification, which meant that Helen Hobourn and Silja Loya took up the mantle and covered the singing lessons for the year. This has greatly improved the girls’ knowledge of different cultures, strengthened their Kodaly technique and honed the standard of singing across the school. Alongside these changes we started our Pre-Prep Choir, run by Naomi Wyatt and Catherine Luke, which has gone from strength-to-strength. They featured at a number of our external events, namely Bramley Fete and the Big Sing. This was a great privilege for the choir, and they rose to the occasion spectacularly, being the loudest and smiliest group on stage! At the start of the year we celebrated the Christian calendar with our Harvest Festival and Carol Service. The choirs and ensembles

worked their socks off at the Carol Service to perform beautiful renditions of The Polar Express (complete with child-made train noises!), O Come all ye Faithful and the highlight, Christmas Wish. The whole school sang this last song with so much passion and control that there weren’t many dry eyes in the pews. Our other Christmas spectacular was the Nativity, which was the first directed by Emily Jefford. PPI normally wriggle along

to the music, and this time our nativity suited this perfectly as we performed The Wriggly Nativity. The girls loved the interactive songs, bouncy accompaniments and the enthusiastic direction from Catherine Luke and Naomi Wyatt. Spring Term is always the busiest time of year for the music department, and it had multiple highlights. We had our House Singing Competition, which was a raucous affair with a fun theme, ‘Songs from The Muppets’. Pankhurst won with their dramatization of ‘If Just One Person’, with Theresa and Curie making it a close call; tap dancing and percussion were added to

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those performances to make them extra special! These songs were performed later in the term as part of our annual Spring Concert which brought together all of the curriculum from Music and Drama. This year we introduced ukuleles to the LIII syllabus, and so the classes took to the stage with their instruments to sing Kumbayah. Other additions were the use of boomwhackers to create musical ostinato, a LII junk band and an inspiring whole school setting of ‘This is Me’ from The Greatest Showman. The Spring Concert is always a colourful and exciting affair, the girls always really enjoy seeing the work they put into their lessons being presented to an audience, and this is a crucial part of our work here at St Catherine’s Music Department; creation, analysis, direction and performance are key to an engaging and holistic yearly programme of events. Our Chamber Music and Soloists’ Concerts also featured in the Spring Term, and this year they were made into a more formal affair by taking place in the Auditorium. The girls loved the opportunity to perform in a big space, and they rose

to the occasion with bold introductions and smart bowing after every piece! Our Chamber Music concert involved the String Orchestra for the first time, and it showcased the hard work going on in the smaller chamber groups at St Catherine’s. Summer Term had lots of external concerts, which begins with the girls performing at Shalford Village Hall, an annual event where the girls get to socialise with the audience over a slice of cake. We then met up with choirs from Tillingbourne School and Gosden House as part of our Big Sing, a platform for local schools to sing as a massed choir, perform to each other and to make friends in a friendly, informal setting. This is the second year of hosting the event, and the numbers and size are growing exponentially – a testament to the fun we are having! We ended the musical year at Open Day with a touching performance of ‘When I Grow Up’ from Matilda. Catherine Luke organised and arranged a performance using all of the school choirs, to show the progression of singing through the Prep School.

MUSIC

Parents and teachers alike were drawn to the hall to see this special performance, and it highlighted the wonderful singing provision at St Catherine’s, and our ethos shone through in the joy on each individual’s face. It has been a year of tumultuous creativity, and I am looking forward to another year that is full of new projects, advances in the curriculum and creating a student body that exudes an enthusiasm for music.

1. House Singing 2. A saxophone duet at our informal concerts 3. Theresa at House Singing 4. Prep Piano Concert 5. String Scheme Concert 6. Informal Concert 7. Baby Cats Brass 8. Curie Housing Singing 9. Prep Piano Concert 10. Tudor Masque 11. String Orchestra performing at our Chamber Music concert

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DRAMA

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Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin

PREPDRAMA Mrs Jessica Bennett - Head of Prep Drama

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his year’s Creative Arts Concert was a glorious celebration of the Prep School girls’ learning and creative explorations in the Spring Term. It highlighted the breadth of their studies, whilst the girls’ pride and joy at sharing their newly acquired skills, along with their own creations was tangible. The element that was inspiring, was observing the steady and exciting progression that our students make as they grow through their musical and dramatic lives in the Prep School. Physical theatre techniques, poetry, and scriptwriting were skills that the girls employed to develop and deliver their interpretations of the narratives and ideas taught through fables; engaging stories such as ‘Chanticleer and the Fox’, and ‘Fesito goes to Market’ a traditional African Folktale, featured as part of the Creative Arts concert the Drama and Music departments collaborated as. Curie, Pankhurst and Theresa, performed their annual House Singing competition entries with confidence; the lyric of Life’s a Happy Song could not have been captured with greater charm during these renditions. The Music Department’s new ukuleles featured as part of the LIII’s delivery of ‘Kumbayah’ and these were enjoyed by the audience, along with other highlights such as Training Choir’s ‘I feel the Spirit’ and the unforgettable performance by LII girls of their handmade ‘Junk’ instruments – who knew a carrot might be so tuneful! The event’s penultimate moment brought the whole Prep School together to sing the emotive This is Me, from The Greatest Showman; this communicated a powerful message about the importance of pride in one’s individuality.

When the Summer Term arrived and rehearsals for Simon Reade’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ began, we leapt into the Rabbit Hole, drank tea with the Hatter and enjoyed the madness on the flamingo, hedgehog and soldier laden croquet lawn! As a team, we felt lucky to have such inspiring and notable figures as part of our local history. In LIII, the girls complete a project that explores the history of Guildford, from its early settlers to, the development of the town as we know it, including important landmarks and significant local residents such as Lewis Caroll. He came to Guildford after writing ‘Alice in Wonderland’, as he was charged with finding a home for his six sisters once he was made head of his family. Near the Castle grounds stands, ‘The Chestnuts’, a handsome house where he later wrote, ’Alice’s Adventures Through the Looking Glass.’ It felt exciting to choose a script that would link with other aspects of our learning. By adopting a cross-curricular approach to education we find that the girls gain greater insight and stimulation from their explorations. A fun filled show, it was bursting with the girls’ creative input; from board games that they have created in Thinking Skills, to props and costumes they had fashioned, posters they designed and importantly their really captivating performances which they honed during rehearsals. It is, as always, the girls’ involvement in the planning and structure of these events, which make them so magical; the girls’ sense of autonomy is crucial to their learning – Let their imaginations and originality go on.

PREP SCHOOL

DRAMA

ur Autumn Term celebrations began with a buzz, as we congregated for Harvest Festival, to give thanks for the wonderful work performed by the humble bee. Fascinated by the role of bees within our food chain and their work in pollinating flora for us all to relish, the whole Prep School took great pleasure in singing joyful songs about the splendour of our harvest. The soulful and lively rendition of, ‘Oh Happy Day’, sung by all ages, as well as the LIIIs’ comic and engaging version of Arthur Askey’s, ‘The Bee’, were indeed heart-warming moments of the service. St Peter and St Paul’s of Godalming, was filled with sunshine and splendid decorations, kindly arranged by the PTA, including a beautiful old apiary and other objects which emphasised our bee theme. Attractive Harvest boxes adorned the church too, reinforcing the importance of helping others and supporting local people in need. We hope the congregation left feeling invigorated and with a great selection of ideas to help save and preserve our bees.

The Term ended with many festive gatherings and celebrations, yet the Prep School Carol Service is always a magical experience, as the girls impress us all with their mature delivery of lines, poems and extraordinary music. This year, we rejoiced in the power of Christmas wishes and the many formats in which we can exchange greetings of goodwill. Ever a lesson in historical facts, we learnt about the history of the Christmas card and relished the power of the words recorded in Tolkien’s ‘Letters from Father Christmas’, those sent back from the Trenches depicting the Christmas Truce and primary sources from Polesden Lacey describing Christmases of days gone by. Holy Trinity, Bramley welcomed us back for the occasion and the candlelit services, with a traditional red-letter box as a focal point, was again a beautiful setting. Wind Band’s powerful opening with ‘Polar Express’, by Alan Silvestri and Mr Blunt’s incredible arrangement of ‘Christmas Wish’ for the entire Prep School will certainly stay in our hearts until our next musical and dramatic collaborations.

1. I growl when I’m pleased, and wag my tail when I’m angry - Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 2. We’re all mad here - Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland 3. Where did all these birds come from ... Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 4. That’s why they are called lessons, because they lessen from day to day - Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland 5. The Mock Turtle’s true story - Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland 6. Setting off to celebrate a Harvest ode to bees 7. And the light shineth in darkness Christmas Carol Service 8. Proudly carrying Harvest boxes into Church 9. Christmas Carol Service’

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ART & DT

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PREPART & DT

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ART & DT

1. Bramley inspired by the art work of Hundertwasser 2. LIII Art & DT Shell Cushion 3. LIII Colour Pencil Design 4. LIII Starfish Cushion 5. FI explore the work of Richard Long 6. LII Art Chalk Pastel Mask Elsa 7. UII Bag Project 8. Bramley inspired by the art of Hundertwasser 9. LIII Colour Pencil Design 10. UII Art 11. Lower II Worry Doll 12. LII Modroc Mask 13. Inspired by the work of Arcimboldo 14. LII Art Chalk Pastel Mask Violet 15. LIII Colour Pencil Design 16. Inspired by Paul Klee’s Cat and Bird 17. LIII Black and White Ink design 18. LIII Shell Cushion 19. Embroidery Kit Project

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SPORT

PREP SCHOOL

PREPSPORT 1

Prep School PE Department

port continues to go from strength to strength at St Catherine’s Prep school and it plays an important role in the life of all of our pupils. Every girl has the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of both curricular and extra curricular sports including Netball, Hockey, Gymnastics, Swimming, Lacrosse, Football, Dodge Ball, Athletics, Dance, Rounders, Cricket and Tennis. Sport for all remains at the heart of our philosophy and although some of the outstanding results highlighted below are very impressive, every girl is valued for their individual commitment, determination and achievements.

NETBALL

etball continues to be one of our most popular sports at the Prep School and this season was particularly busy. Every girl from Form I to Lower 3 was given the opportunity to join the lunchtime club and participate in school fixtures. Those who attended Netball Club enjoyed playing matches against other schools including St. Ives, City of London Freeman’s, Farlington, St Hilary’s, Notre Dame, Holy Trinity, Queen Eleanor’s, Danes Hill, Tormead, Guildford High and Hoe Bridge. Every year the Under 11 squad participates in both the IAPS Netball tournament and the Surrey County Netball Tournament and this year they were particularly successful. At the Surrey tournament, the girls played against some strong opposition from across Surrey and finished second in their pool matches. They went through to the knockout stages where they were beaten in golden goal after drawing with St. Hilary’s in the quarter final. The afternoon was excellent preparation for the IAPS Netball tournament which took place after half-term. At this tournament,

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they finished as runners up after competing in a very tough qualifying round, this earned them a place in the prestigious National finals. They did outstandingly well winning seven games, drawing two and losing only two and finishing as one of the top 16 IAPS schools in the country, a superb achievement. There were some remarkable individual talents on show but most importantly, there was tremendous team spirit and camaraderie. It was a day filled with huge excitement, competitiveness and passion which will be remembered by these girls for a very long time. During the Easter holidays, eighteen girls from Lower 3 took part in the St. Hilary’s Versatility Tournament which was a fabulous end to a very exciting and successful season. The B team finished third in the B tournament and the A team won the A Tournament, once again a wonderful display of sport at its very best.

1. IAPS Netball National finalists 2. Curie supporters on Sports Day 3. U11 B Netball team 4. Guildford High School Aquathlon - Eloise 5. Claremont Cross Country 6. U10 Netball 7. U10 Netball Rydes Hill tournament 8. Pre Prep Sports Day 9. Prep Sports Day 10. St Catherine’s Cross Country

PREP SCHOOL

SPORT

HOUSE SPORT COMPETITION RESULTS Swimming

Pankhurst

Gymnastics

Curie

Athletics

Teresa

SPORTS AWARDS LIII Sports Cup

Emily Moulton

The Carter Plate for achievement in Gymnastics

U10 Gymnastics team

The Niemy Trophy for Outstanding Sporting Achievement

U11 Netball team

Waller Plate for sportsmanship

Rebecca Williams

The Millie Cant Award for all round effort and achievement in sport

Annabel Francis

Gymnastics cup for most improved gymnast

Eloise Carte Farthing

Vaughan Trophy for Sporting potential in LII

Autumn - Eloise Watt Spring - Sharon Cheng Summer - Caroline Thurgood

Pasley Cup for progress in P.E. in PPIII

Autumn - Freya Hawley Spring - Freya Davison Summer - Olivia Fiddler

Pasley trophy for athletic potential

Martha Robinson

Swimming cup for most improved swimmer in PPIII

Darcey Haynes

Swimming cup for most improved swimmer in KSII

Dana Francis

Grainger Swimming trophy

Emily Moulton

ATHLETICS

s always, the Athletics season began with The District Sports Athletics competition held at the Spectrum. We were proud to finish third out of eleven schools with Isabella, Sienna and Lillie all breaking District records. Towards the end of June, girls from the U9, U10 and U11 teams took part in the West Surrey Athletics event which was again a very competitive and enjoyable day giving the girls valuable experience of competing at a large, well organised athletics event. Sports Day is always one of the highlights of the summer term with every girl competing in nail biting events for their house. All girls in Key Stage 2 participated in a run, jump, throw and a relay and their commitment and loyalty towards their house was particularly evident on this special day. It was Teresa who were victorious this year, Curie came second and Pankhurst were a very close third. Martha in Upper 2 broke the 800m record in a time of 2:43, Emily W broke the Lower 2 high Jump record with a jump of 1m 15cm and Isabelle B broke the Lower 3 discus record with a throw of 14m 98cm. Well done, some fabulous achievements! All Key Stage I and Early Years girls completed in a separate sports day full of fun, excitement and enthusiasm. While watching this event, it is clear that the love of sport begins at such an early age at St Catherine’s.

AQUATHLON AND TRIATHLON

n Wednesday 27th September over 80 St Catherine’s prep girls took part in the Guildford High School Aquathlon consisting of a swim and a run with a timed transition in between. It gave our girls an exciting introduction to a multi discipline event and a wonderful opportunity to try something new. In June, Grace C and Emily M competed in the IAPS triathlon at Dulwich Prep in Cranbrook. Grace competed in the Under 10 age group and swam 120m, cycled 2km and ran 1.2km. In the Under 11’s, Emily swam 200m, cycled 4km and ran 1.8km. There were nearly 60 competitors in each age group, Grace came 13th and Emily 16th, well done to you both.

CROSS COUNTRY

ross-country continues to be a popular activity at the prep school with girls running at the lunchtime club and also competing in many different events throughout the autumn and spring terms. In March the Under 10 and Under 11 Cross Country teams competed in the Surrey Primary Schools Cross Country Championships at Reigate Priory. The course was long, hilly and very muddy but this didn’t deter the girls who ran with huge determination from start to finish. Congratulations to Grace for winning her race and to Martha for finishing second, both girls have been selected to receive elite training from Surrey.

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HORSE RIDING

handful of girls continue to represent St. Catherine’s at various county equestrian events and special congratulations to Tara in Upper 2 who represented St Catherine’s at both regional and national levels in “Jumping with Style” and Show Jumping. She was part of a combined Prep and Senior School team.

OUTDOOR & ADVENTUROUS ACTIVITIES

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GYMNASTICS

irls have enjoyed some excellent results in Gymnastics this year and our tradition of producing great gymnasts continues. The Under 10 team were crowned National Champions at Kent College competing in the IAPS two-piece competition. Well done to Grace who came 6th, Charlotte joint 4th, Tara 2nd and Martha 1st overall. Erin and Martha also came joint 1st on the vault. The Under 11 team came 7th, Issy was the highest scorer from the St Catherine’s team coming 14th overall and the Under 9’s competed in both the floor and vault disciplines and came 4th, just missing out on a medal place. In November every girl in Key Stage 2 took part in our annual House Gymnastics competition which is yet another highlight of our sporting calendar and this year the theme was dance styles from around the world. Each year group was given a different skills based theme and the girls worked very hard to produce interesting and imaginative routines. On this occasion, Curie were the well-deserved winners, Teresa came second and Pankhurst were third.

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HOCKEY, FOOTBALL & LACROSSE

lthough Hockey, Football and Lacrosse are minor games at the prep school, many of the girls continue to enjoy these sports as lunchtime clubs. These clubs give girls the opportunity to sample a variety of sports, many of which can then be played outside school. The Under 10 Hockey team finished third in a tournament organised by Tormead at Surrey Sports Park. It was an excellent afternoon of fun and competitive Hockey, the girls learnt a great deal, especially how the game on astroturf is so much faster. They played five games and ended up in third position, a superb effort to all who took part. The Under 9’s and Under 10’s also played Hockey games against St Hillary’s and Farlington and it was fabulous to see such a huge improvement in their knowledge of the game over such short time. The girls also enjoyed playing a really enjoyable Football fixture against Wonersh and Shamley Green School.

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he Key Stage 2 girls had the opportunity to take part in and outdoor and adventurous activities. Lower 2’s experienced an afternoon of bushcraft and Upper 2’s visited Holmbury Hill for a fun packed day of orienteering. They used their map reading skills to navigate their group to various points and then they were tasked to make their way back to the meeting point, some were more successful than others! At the end of the summer term, the Lower 3’s celebrated the end of the Prep School with a fabulous day at South Water Country Park where they enjoyed a range of water sports including paddle boarding, sailing and kayaking.

PREP SCHOOL

SWIMMING

wimming continues to be a very popular activity at the prep school and the after school swimming clubs are amongst our most popular. All girls in Key Stage 2 are given the opportunity to take up an extra training session after school. These girls are invited to swim in galas against other schools which are often our loudest and most competitive events. We regularly swim against teams such as Tormead, St Ives, St Hilary’s, Downsend, Notre Dame and Guildford High and often do very well across all age ranges. Our more competitive swimmers have the opportunity to participate in the ESSA’s and IAPS Regional and National galas. This year the Under 10’s and Under 11’s entered the Guildford and District gala. The girls swam in an individual event and in both the medley and freestyle relays. The girls competed strongly against teams from Boxgrove, Cranleigh, Tormead, Guildford High, St. Hilary’s and Ripley Court and although the standard of swimming was extremely high, the Under 10 team did particularly well to finish second. In February some of the girls from the Under 10 and Under 11 swimming teams were invited to St. Teresa’s to compete in the regional round of the IAPS swimming championships. Emily H swam very well and qualified for the National finals where she had the opportunity to swim in the London

7 Aquatic Centre. It was a very exciting occasion and Emily should be very proud to have finished 14th out of 20 finalists in 25m freestyle. Every year, all Key Stage 2 girls are encouraged to attend our fabulous Swimtastic charity event in aid of Marie Curie. Once again, it was a great success and girls swam distances varying from 10 to 300 lengths and raised almost £1,200. There were some exhausted girls at the end but it was well worth it when they were rewarded with one of Mr Price’s fabulous cupcakes. House Swimming was very exciting this year and all girls competed in one individual event and a least one relay. Well done to Sharon who broke the Upper 2 Individual Medley record and Isabella L who broke the Form I Backstroke record. Well done also to Form I Curie who broke the long-standing Medley Relay record. Emily M was awarded the trophy for outstanding contribution to school swimming and Dana was awarded the most improved swimmer. All girls in PPII and PPIII competed for their house in the annual Pre Prep swimming gala which is always a wonderfully fun and happy occasion. The girls were able to demonstrate the great improvements they have made during this academic year while also competing for house points. Darcey H was awarded the cup for the most improved swimmer and Curie won the house trophy.

SPORT

1. FI House Gymnastics 2. UII House Gymnastics 3. St Hilary’s Netball Versatility Tournament 4. District Athletics 5. U10 Cross Country at Prior’s Field 6. Triathlon - Emily M 7. Curie win PP swimming gala 8. Swimtastic 9. U2 Orienteering 10. U10 Tormead Hockey tournament 11. LIII Watersports 12. U9 Rounders

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SPORTS COLOURS AWARDED 2017- 2018 Sport

Half colours

Full colours

Swimming

Martha Robinson Skye Stapleton Sharon Cheung Tara Moore Arabella Francis Grace Connor Emily Hayers

Emily Moulton

Netball

Carmella Sinclair Skye Stapleton

Annabel Francis Emily Moulton Arabella Walsh Lillie Abbot Isabella Sinclair Cara McKenzie Ella Hargreaves Rebecca Williams Sasha Friend

Gymnastics

Charlotte Stackhouse Tara Moore Erin Moore Eloise Carte Farthing Martha Robinson Grace Connor

Cross Country

Emily Moulton Annabel Francis Martha Robinson Grace Connor

Athletics

Martha Robinson

Rounders

Emily Moulton Cara McKenzie Lillie Abbot Annabel Francis Ella Hargreaves

ROUNDERS This summer, the Under 9’s, 10’s and 11’s enjoyed playing rounders matches against local schools. Rounders is still a very popular activity at the prep school and we are delighted that this traditional game continues to be part of our busy summer curriculum.

SUPER TEAMS

welve of our all-round sports women competed in our biennial Super Teams event which is always a very hotly contested, highly competitive and exciting occasion. The girls spent a day battling against three other schools in Gymnastics, Tennis, Boules, Rounders, Netball, Athletics and Swimming to see who really was the “Super Team”. Notre Dame were the eventual winners and we came a very close second, narrowly beaten by Notre Dame in the final Swimming event. At the end of a very hot and tiring day, all competitors and spectators came together to enjoy a lovely, friendly supper in our dining room and we all chatted about a wonderful day of sport. At the Prep School, we ensure there is quality sporting provision for all girls in a wide and varied range of physical activities. Learning through enjoyment continues to be at the heart of our curriculum, we strive for our girls to develop a love of sport and an understanding of the importance of physical activity. It is exciting to see the LIII girls leaving the Prep School as confident, capable sportswomen who possess the necessary skills and values to continue their sporting journey into the rest of their lives.

Riding

Tara Moore

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 42

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Annabel Francis

Super Teams LIII Watersports UII Orienteering Pre Prep Sports Day Prep Sports Day LII Bush craft Cross Country - Grace and Martha Lynx Gymnastics competition LII House Gymnastics Guildford High School Aquathlon U7, U8, U9, U10 and U11 Cross Country V St. Ives 12. Tara - horse riding

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COMMUNITY

SENIOR & PREP SCHOOL

COMMUNITY

ST CATHERINE’S ‘REACHES OUT’ WITH OUR OUTREACH PROGRAMME Mrs Vic Alexander - Outreach Coordinator

nce again, it has been another busy year for our Public Benefit and community links. Our partnership with Gosden House has been a particular focus this year. I am pleased to record the following events that we have shared or invited Gosden to be involved in and connect with us. Remembering that our partnership works both ways and we are pleased to acknowledge their help and support for us too, especially our U5 activities week programme and supporting training for some of our Initial Teacher Training (ITT) staff.

PROVISION AND DONATION:

REGULAR PROVISION:

STAFF TRAINING:

Providing equipment free of charge; 20 iPads and charging banks; Donation of 4 netball posts and net; Donation from the String Concert to Gosden House School.

Use of the school swimming pool for weekly lessons; Use of one of the school minibuses on a weekly basis.

An invitation for Gosden House staff to attend the Google training event.

ACCESSIBILITY: Gosden Year 1 pupils came to visit the mobile farm at our Prep School.

TEACHING AND LEARNING: The L5 sports leaders visited Gosden House weekly in the Summer Term to help with the Year 7 PE lessons.

NEW INITIATIVES: Primary classes entered the Prep School Hort-eco-ultural show; Senior School students assisted with the judging; All pupils came to visit and look at the entries of the Hort-eco-ultural show.

ENRICHMENT: An opportunity for some of our ITT staff to spend time observing staff and pupils at Gosden House in order for our staff to develop their understanding of supporting children with a variety of needs.

RECIPROCATION: U5 activities week – three St Catherine’s pupils spent the week at Gosden to support the pupils and gain an insight into the teaching and learning at the school.

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HELP AND SUPPORT: Regular contact and support from Dan Raymond (Director of Digital Technologies) to support IT.

IMAGINATION: Gosden House pupils came to do ceramics with the art department; Invitation to help plant the Biodiversity Garden and an additional offer to study, investigate and measure biodiversity.

PURE ENTERTAINMENT: Prep School choir sang and provided hot chocolate at the Gosden House Christmas Fair, Pupils came to watch the Prep School nativity, Pupils were collected and returned to their school when they came to watch a piano concert, Gosden House School attended the Baby Cats Classics concert, an invitation to watch the rehearsals and performance of the L6th musical.

SENIOR & PREP SCHOOL

COMMUNITY

PROVISION FOR OTHER LOCAL SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY EVENTS

nce again, we have been able to host and support numerous events for local schools and the community and here are some of the highlights: • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • •

•

• • •

Baby Cats Classics: 6 throughout the year Hosted Duke of Edinburgh Surrey Young Ambassadors Day Careers Convention day and Forum Geography Talks Hosted Godalming Rotary Club Young Chef competition Google EdTech Team Seminar Spring Sing Concert - local primaries Guildford Girl Choristers Annual residential weekend Guildford Schools Maths Quiz Godalming Music Festival Piano evening and Gala Concert Catering provided for the village church meeting, Bramley Lectures and Bramley Bonfire Printing for Bramley History Society booklet Music stands borrowed by Bramley and Blackheath Choral Society Sports fields for St Peter’s Primary School (including food and transport) Bramley Village Picnic Teaching provided for GCSE Latin at Glebelands School and Music at Loseley Fields Primary School Pupils from Busbridge Infants, St Hilary’s and Rydes Hill joined the orchestra rehearsals and performed in the Middle School Summer Concert Provided IT advice to The Abbey School, Reading with regards to Google Apps and Classroom Pupils provided regular support for a local teenager with autism Hosted the Jennifer Bate Organ Academy Provided free use of swimming pool to Gosden House school, Holy Trinity School, George Abbot School including providing teachers to Wonersh and Shamley Green C of E and Bramley Infant School

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Provided free sports coaching to Wonersh and Shamley Green School Middle Cantores choir gave a concert in St John’s Church, Farncombe raising funds for the church and the Strings Sectional Concert was held in Holy Trinity, Bramley, raising funds for the church’s chosen charity. Played for and lent some of the school’s instruments to West Byfleet Community Choir and Primary School charity fundraiser Opportunities for local schools to watch school productions to local schools such as Wind in the Willows, Grease and a French play Girls performed at Blunden Court Day Centre and Birtley House

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

• •

Donation of 3,000 text books to Books2Africa Hosted National Girls’ Chess Championships, in which many girls took part

It’s been a busy year and the long list above reminds us of our important role in Public Benefit and Community Links as part of our charitable aims. Thank you to all the girls, staff: academic, administration, catering, estates and any other individuals involved in the varied and numerous projects, events and fundraising. St Catherine’s demonstrates true community spirit and I am extremely proud to be reporting on behalf of the school.

Sports fields for St Peter’s Primary School (including food and transport) National Girls’ Chess Championships Hort Eco Cultural Show Middle Cantores Concert Ipads given to Gosden House School Google Education Day PPI & Bramley Infants Baby Cat’’s Creative 5

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DEVELOPMENT

SENIOR & PREP SCHOOL

DEVELOPMENT THE COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT THIS YEAR • Over 55 individuals and families have donated £337,500 • £644,000 has been contributed to the Create the Future Campaign • £5,000 donated to The Annual Fund • £43,397 donated to The Bursary Fund • £36,861 donated to The Hardship Fund • £25,000 received as Legacy gifts from alumnae and friends

ANNUAL FUND 2018/2019 We are raising funds this year for: • • • • •

Our ‘Artist in Residence’ New hymn books for Chapel First Aid training dummies Outdoor Music equipment Interactive T-shirts to explore the human body

ANNUAL FUND 2017/2018 Your support has improved the girls’ experience of School. Thank you. Here are just a few of the additions to School made possible by your support: • • • • •

Ms Pippa Carte - Development Director

THE FOUNDATION ST CATHERINE’S – A SCHOOL BUILT ON PHILANTHROPY

t Catherine’s is a charity. Our charitable purpose, in law, is education for girls. Our roots are our Christian founders who had a vision of creating a girls’ school in 1883 and in the same year had secured promises of £4,000 in funding to create St Catherine’s in 1885. Charitable Objects of St Catherine’s School - to promote and provide for the advancement of education by providing, conducting, governing, carrying on and maintaining in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere, a boarding or day school or schools for girls in which the teaching shall be in with the principles of the Church of England. We have been true to this since our foundation in 1885. Philanthropic giving has continued throughout the School’s life. Funds have been raised for School buildings and facilities, for Bursaries and Hardship Funds, the Chapel and the grounds, and for a multitude of charities selected by the girls. As we do not have a capital endowment, donations are extremely valuable.

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Outdoor Maths games for 4-11 year olds Digital learning language software GCSE Pod – an online revision guide Science Workshops on ‘Comets’ Wi-fi technology for the digital learning laboratory

SENIOR & PREP SCHOOL

DEVELOPMENT

Create the Future THE ST CATHERINE’S WHEEL TURNS; WE DO NOT STAND STILL. WE ARE AMBITIOUS AND WE INVITE YOU TO CREATE THE FUTURE. St Catherine’s does not stand still! The contents of this magazine are testament to worldclass teaching, ambitious students and high aspirations. St Catherine’s School Governors and leadership are committed to the continued success of the School, developing its strengths and attracting the very best girls and staff. The wheel keeps turning and we invite you to help us ‘Create the Future’. We are fundraising to create The 6 – new boarding accommodation and social space for all the Sixth Form. This will replace the Unit and Barbara Platt building and works commence in the Summer of 2019. We will then invest in creating inspirational facilities to help shape the scientists, coders and researchers of the future by building the CATalyst. This will provide a collaborative learning space for science, maths, economics, psychology, digital learning and independent research. Our final ambition is to extend and develop our creative facilities and ignite imagination in the Art & MakerSpace.

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. Pablo Picasso 1881-1973

A SPOTLIGHT ON THE ‘ARTIST IN RESIDENCE’

THANK YOU

hank you for your generous contributions to the Foundation through single gifts to specific campaigns, regular gifts to the Annual Fund and through gifts given in wills. Over the years you have been asked for your support and we have been overwhelmed by the response of the whole School community. Parents, alumnae, governors, staff, teachers and the girls themselves have made gifts to the Foundation. It is this generosity that has allowed us to take bold ambitions such as the Anniversary Halls and make them a reality. It has also allowed us, through gifts to our Annual Fund, to enrich the girls’ daily school experience. OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU We are truly grateful for each and every gift we receive, regardless of size. Individually and collectively, gifts to the Foundation strengthen the School community. We promise to acknowledge each gift and to respect the wishes of every donor. We would be delighted either to recognise generosity appropriately or to protect anonymity according to your preference.

YOUR SUPPORT IS VITAL It is your support that allows us to preserve and grow our philanthropic tradition. Our full vision can only be realised through the help of our friends and supporters. Whilst we do not have a large endowment to support the School’s development, we do have a financially sound business model. School fees pay for outstanding teachers, quality resources and a learning environment that inspires and stretches all. We have a School masterplan, an accompanying financial model, and strong financial governance. As a charity, we have no shareholders to whom we distribute profit and any surplus is reinvested in our ‘shareholders’ - our girls.

hanks to donations from the St Catherine’s family to the Annual Fund, we look forward to welcoming Sophie Allsop to the Art Department as an ‘Artist in Residence’. She will be with us for nine weeks, leading workshops with the girls age 11 and upwards. Donations to the Annual Fund helped enhance the School environment and enrich the education of the girls. Thank you to all those who generously contribute.

If you would like to find out more about supporting St Catherine’s with a gift, please contact Pippa Carte on 01483 899754 or pippa.carte@ stcatherines.info or you can donate on the St Catherine’s website under ‘Development’.

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ASSOCIATION

SENIOR & PREP SCHOOL

ASSOCIATION Mrs Dawn Pilkington - Association Director

ur academic year began on Sunday 11th September with a tradition that we started in 2014 for the new U3 girls. To mark the start of their time in the Senior School, the Year of 2024 were asked to sign the Association Record Book. The book will be stored in the archive and brought out each year for the new girls to sign. We hope that in years to come when the girls return for alumnae reunions, they will be able to find their names in the Record Book and remember the excitement they felt as they started Senior School. September also saw the sun come out and alumnae of all ages, current & former parents and staff, as well as friends in the local area, join us on Sunday 24th September 2017 for Foundation Day which celebrates the opening of the School in 1885 with the very first pupils: 11 boarders and six day scholars. Over 60 members of the Association gathered at 2pm for a lovely Chapel service, led by Rev’d Dr Benji McNair Scott, on the theme of ‘Awe and Wonder’. As part of the Intercessory prayers we particularly remembered Lottie Fullerton (2013), who died so tragically in a trekking accident in Nepal in August.

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It was a short stroll to the Lecture Theatre for a fascinating keynote talk on ‘The Value of Art: Size Matters and Beauty Sells!’ by Sian Folley (2005), who is a specialist in Impressionist and Modern Art at Sotheby’s. She gave riveting insights into the art market, the valuation and auction process and explained why some artists’ work commands such extraordinary prices. She had many behind-the-scenes stories to share and there was a lively Q&A session at the end. The afternoon ended with tours of the buildings for those who had not been back recently, and then on to a delicious cream tea in the dining room with much chat and laughter, catching up and networking. There was also the opportunity for a hands-on experience of our new digital archive. Several groups enjoyed a tour and were delighted to see how the School had changed. Thank you all for putting on such a wonderful day. I really enjoyed my visit 'back home' to St Cat’s, and what a pleasure to see Sian Folley again - an inspirational talk. So lovely to meet up with dear friends and colleagues again. Former Staff

2 Thank you very much for this afternoon, and all the thought and preparation it entailed. I thought Sian Folley was a wonderful speaker, totally inspirational. Current parent Our Carols by Candlelight Service for recent leavers was held on Monday 18th December. The evening started with mulled wine and mince pies served in The Aquarium from 6.30pm which enabled everyone to chat and catch up on news before we walked across to the chapel at 7.30pm, forming a candlelit procession as we entered. Chaplain, Rev’d Dr McNair Scott, led a beautiful 30-minute service which included eight carols voted for by the girls and three readings. This event is going from strength to strength as numbers are growing year on year. The service was created with recent leavers living locally in mind - either home from university or on their gap years. It gives them the opportunity to meet up with their friends from School and sing their favourite Christmas carols. However, all members of the Association are also very welcome indeed.

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Our St Catherine’s alumnae Facebook group is going from strength to strength and we currently have over a 1000 members in the group. Only alumnae can join this social group and the aim is to reconnect with friends, share information and invite you to events. If you have not already done so please join, spread the word and encourage your fellow classmates to join as well. As the group is private, initial approval will be requested for joining and posting. www.facebook.com/groups/ stcatsalumnae/ The end of the Spring Term sees one of the highlights of the School House Events calendar – the House Singing Competition. We invited recent leavers, who often return to watch this event, to an Alumnae Drinks Reception on the 28th March in the Aquarium. A number of current staff popped in to catch up with our recent leavers. At 7pm we all moved on to the Sports Hall and everyone cheered on their House. This year for the Association Trip we had planned a History of Art Tour of Amsterdam but sadly the Beast from the East arrived and our flight, and hence our trip, was cancelled. However, not to be outdone, we have rebooked the trip for March 2019. In April, we welcomed back 47 alumnae from 1980-2015 for a last chance to sleep in their Sixth Form rooms before we replace The Unit and the Barbara Platt (BP) to make way for a The 6. This is the first time we have offered a boarding reunion and it proved so popular we are considering another one in main school boarding. Masha Alieva (1999) writes: When I learned that the school was organising a boarding sleepover, I knew I had to go. Despite the dates not matching my son’s Easter holidays, and

6 disputes in Russia, I found myself booking a red eye flight to England for one night in the place I spent 8 years of my life. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Upon arrival we found St Cat’s goodie bags and sweets waiting for us on our beds, which made us feel so welcome, whilst a delicious cream tea with teachers gave us a chance to catch up with Miss Youens and Mrs Silver. As a keen squash player, the highlight of my trip was seeing the remarkable Mrs Blake, who appears not to have aged a day since we left in 1999! We all missed Miss Garcia (now Mrs McQuade), as sadly she was not able to attend the event, but she thoughtfully sent us a sweet video message. Then, we wandered around the school admiring the incredible new classroom and sports facilities, and even shed a tear outside Symes; how long ago was that?! Before the candlelit Compline service, we happily joined the choir and had a quick, but fun rehearsal. We sang as if we had never left. We remembered every word by heart. I even recorded the service on my phone to take the beautiful memories back home. After Chapel, we explored Keller and Bronte, bursting into every room full of nostalgic stories from the past. We still knew every little corner; I could walk around with my eyes closed. In the

evening, we all enjoyed pizza and wine back in the sixth form common room. It was lovely to catch up with the staff and to meet older girls and hear their stories. This event was incredible and totally surreal. Whether we considered St Catherine’s our home or not, this is where we grew up, where we met our friends for life and this is where we became who we are today. Thanks for organising a wonderful reunion. It was great to catch up with former pupils and friends in a relaxed environment. Becky Rathmeill (1992) Thank you so much for organising what turned out to be a fun evening. Which I was slightly dreading but turned out to enjoy. The school has definitely evolved since I left but the facilities are amazing and in this case, progress has been good. Sonia Chapman (2000)

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Foundation Day Foundation Day - Sian Folley (2005) U3 Book signing Foundation Day Carols by Candlelight Boarding Reunion Boarding Reunion Boarding Reunion Boarding Reunion

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Now in its fifth year the Association Rock Choir and Jazz Band, led by Beth Bathhurst and Morta Grigaliunaite, and Ian Young in charge of the rock band. After only 4 weeks of rehearsals this light-hearted choir and band, made up of 30 singers, performed Rag ‘n’ Bone Man’s Human to open the second half of the May Jazz and Rock concert. We were so good that we were asked to perform at the St Cat’s Fest and were the warm up act for Scouting for Girls! Throughout the year we were delighted to report in Non Nobis our involvement in many reunions either at school, in the UK or around the world. As you will read on the following pages if you are having a mini reunion, or need help with organising one, please get in touch. I would love to hear about it and receive a photo as well. This year the Association helps coordinate the various travel awards that are available to girls from U5 upwards. The Association, PTA and the Rosamond Raymond Travel Awards offered £1,800 to three applicants in the Sixth Form towards voluntary work or environmental projects. Finally thank you to my Association Prefects Catrina Gell, Hermione Menges and Lara Scadding who handed over the baton of office in April to Bel Casciani- Govan, Megan Gough and Eva Smith. They have worked hard all year and always with a smile, a hard act to follow. Throughout the year we are always happy to receive visitors and call upon our alumnae and former staff at home. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you would like to visit school at any time or for us to visit you if you are far away or unable to come to school yourself. We are planning a full programme of events for next year which will include the Association Choir performing in Holy Trinity Church, Guildford on 9th March and the Association Trip to Amsterdam also in March 2019. As always, please do keep in touch and let us know if your contact details change. We are always interested to hear what you are doing and to feature stories or careers in the Non Nobis newsletter. We hope to see you at St Catherine’s in the near future. dawn.pilkington@stcatherines.info 01483 899751

ARE YOU Join our ‘private’ group, open to all members of the Association. We have over 800 members and share articles and comment on professional working life, leadership and career development. Visit the School website and click on the LinkedIn logo at the top of the Home page.

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CAREERS FORUM 2017 Mrs Dawn Pilkington - Association Director

ver 300 girls in the 5th and 6th forms, as well as pupils from Rodborough and St Peter’s Schools, attended the Careers Forum on Tuesday 10th October. At St Catherine's we are extremely lucky to have access to a broad range of contacts through The Association, and over 70 alumnae, parents and staff attended the event to offer the girls the benefit of their experience. Working within organisations such as KPMG, the Bank of England, BBC, Sony, Phase Eight, RSPB, Dentons LLP, the Treasury and IBM, to name but a few, they were well-placed to advise students of potential careers. We know that the range of career opportunities available to ambitious young women has never been greater, but at the same time the job market is intensely competitive. Therefore, it has never been more important to ensure that our girls have the best possible careers information in order to make choices regarding higher education and long-term career options. In addition to traditional forms of careers information, we believe that contacts currently working in areas of potential interest can be a valuable source of impartial advice. The evening began with a keynote speech from Mrs Louise Aldwinckle (current parent), a specialist in ‘early years’ recruitment including apprenticeships, industrial placements and graduate programmes with clients including city law firms, Simon Cowell, the Bank of England and GSK. The girls then had the opportunity to talk to panellists in the sports hall before attending two panel sessions which they chose from a range of different career sectors, including Medicine, Engineering, Architecture & Property, Charity, Retail, PR, Law and Performing Arts.

2 Thank you to all of our speakers for giving up their evening and sharing their expertise with the girls. It was much appreciated. The experts themselves also enjoyed being part of the event and meeting the girls and our visitors: Thank you so much for asking me back as a speaker. It was a pleasure to meet the girls and hopefully inspire a few of them to work in our fantastic industry! Xanthe Jackson (2012) (Engineering & Manufacturing) Just to say how much I enjoyed last night's careers fair, as did the lively crew of girls I took home afterwards. They had attended a variety of sessions, which had certainly given them plenty to talk about and digest! It was particularly good to have Victoria Green on the panel. Being 3 years post qualification gave her a really good perspective on training and qualification and the early years of working. Mrs Charmain Horan, Current Parent (Law) The range of careers was excellent and the advice from the keynote speaker was particularly interesting! Current Pupil, U5 Thank you so much and well done on a really busy and buzzing evening! Louise Aldwinckle, Current Parent (HR & Recruitment) It was great to meet up with a girl who I helped to get work experience, and to learn that she has applied for Architecture at university. It felt really good to have been able to help her in her career choice. Tracy Meller, Current Parent (Architecture & Property)

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WHAT TO DO WITH A DEGREE IN … Mrs Fiona Haywood - Association

e continue to host more careers sessions in our series, ‘What to do with a degree in…..”. These sessions have proved very popular with pupils considering degree courses and career paths in the featured subjects. Alumnae are invited back to tell the girls their personal experiences of picking a university, a degree course, work experience and a career in a given field. All the events this year have been really well attended by 5th and 6th form girls as well as groups from local schools: Rodborough School, George Abbott and Guildford County School.

At What to do with a Degree in Geography, attendees were fascinated to hear about roles as a Housing Development Manager for the Greater London Authority, a Corporate Real Estate Solicitor at Nabarro, an Assistant Producer for factual TV programmes and a Graduate Surveyor at BNP Paribas Real Estate. Attendees reported that they were interested to realise the breadth of career opportunities open to graduates in Geography. At What to do with a Degree in the Arts, the returning alumnae had taken a range of Arts degrees from Foundation Art, Fine Art, Textile Design, History of Art and Architecture. The Art and Textiles Departments were particularly proud to see the girls now working as an Embroidery Designer at Alexander McQueen; Registrar at the Victoria Miro Gallery, London; Director of Zettler PR Agency and Project Architect at IID Architects (working on The 6 new build at St Catherine’s!)

3 At our most recent event, What to do with a Degree in Maths or Physics, alumnae spoke to the girls about their careers as a Finance Manager at Save the Children, a Valuation Analytics Specialist at a financial technology company and the co-founder of a technology company providing real-time data and insights in smart cities and integrated transport systems. The girls were also interested to hear the experiences of the alumnae on their way to qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and a Patent Attorney. We are indebted to our alumnae and parents for the time they give to our current pupils, offering advice and work experience. If you are able to help give careers advice or offer invaluable work experience, do please get in touch at association@stcatherines.info It was such a treat to speak to an engaged and supportive audience in a place so filled with memories! It felt really good imparting our advice and experiences. I hope we will inspire them in one way or another.

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Careers Forum October 2017 Careers Forum October 2017 What to do with a degree in Geography - Rosanna Ward (2006), Philippa SampsonBancroft (nee Bloomfield) (2001), Magalie Whitton (2012), Lucie Crawford (2009), Mrs Weighell (Business & Careers), Mrs Mackness, Mrs Hetherington and Mrs White (Geography Dep’t) What to do with a degree in the Arts - Alice Panton (2007), Jess Meyer (2006), Helen Whateley (2006), Amelia Gibbs (2009). What to do with a degree in Maths and Physics - Kazi Levick (2013), Anna Jordan (2011), Jess Bricknell (2009) Lizzie Elliott (2012) and Catherine Taylor (2013)

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MUSGRAVE, Sarah (now Standring) (1978) I am a psychotherapist working privately from home. I am married to Chris and we have children aged 24 and 26. I keep in contact with Candida Armstrong and Susan Merrifield and would love to meet up with others. ROGERS, Caroline (was Gray, now Bristow) (1974) Caroline has remarried and is now Mrs Bristow. WEST, Lyndsey (1976) 1

Left the Law profession in summer 2017 to go and study Social Anthropology at Cambridge. Not sure what comes next…

ASSOCIATIONNEWS 1970-79 Leavers BROMLEY, Tina (now Lot) (1972) Tina writes: My life (a very happy one I might add!), and certainly the course of which, was influenced by the French teacher I had in the senior classes of St Catherine's - a man and I can't remember his name (dreadful!) who instilled in me a love for French literature and the language. I was lucky to get a St Catherine’s Scholarship - £50 a year and quite a considerable sum in those days. So, after A Levels and a sabbatical year I went to Sussex University around 1972-3, I think, for a four-year degree in French Studies during which I attended Aix en Provence University for a year (1976). I moved to Paris in 1977 to work in Banking using my bilingual skills and obtained French banking diplomas, which helped get a bit of promotion! Then married in 1984, and my French husband and I have five children and now three grandchildren.... all our children (4 daughters and a son) were educated in Paris and our eldest daughter is in fact an English teacher! DIGBY-SMITH, Suzy (1977) I am very happy on my annual return to the UK to see my class mates, which is something we achieved again this year with thanks to the wonderful SVJ who keeps us all in touch. - pictured, Sue Vaughan Jones, Suzy DigbySmith, Jill Hodgson, Lyndsay Slater, Karen Tapp, Charlotte Webb, Emma Mason, Sheila Dobson, Janey Hayes, Camilla Peterken.

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DOWNER, Anne (now Mason) (1977) Married with 3 children and have been living in Hong Kong for 22 years. Prior to our move to Hong Kong I was Marketing Manager at Elizabeth Arden for 6 years. Since being in HK, I have been very active in the children’s Primary and Secondary schools and still actively involved with Hong Kong Rugby. We have two children in the UK; Julia, 24 is working in London (having been to Sheffield for her undergraduate and Imperial for her Masters). She took a two year gap year deciding what to do between her degrees and cycled from the UK to HK with one other friend from Sheffield taking 10 1/2 months and raising awareness for food waste. She is now working in the Environmental sector; Ross, 22 is half way through his Civil Engineering at Bath and trains hard for the Ironman races. Our youngest, Gordon, 19, has just finished his gap year and chosen to head to the US for Uni and continue his training as an open water swimmer. My husband, George and I are currently working on our retirement plans and trying to decide when and where ...!

1990-1999 Leavers ALIEVA, Masha (1999) We’ve had a great summer with the World Cup in Moscow, though being my son’s only caretaker, I didn’t manage to get out of my routine to enjoy it fully. But then when the school holidays began, we visited family in England, as my sister Anna has just had her second baby. I also got to see Kirstie Heneghan and Gemma Ward again, as well as Bien Chao and Vivian Tang, who also went to St Catherine’s. I even bumped into Hannah Lacey very briefly at a bar in Guildford, that was nice. SCHLAEPPI, Lucy (now Bagnall) (1997) Seb and I got married on 21st July in Studland Bay, it was lovely! I have a photo with Jane Boswell (Henshaw) and Bethan Garner (Teifi-Jones) and another old friend of ours, Paul Bridges, who went to Cranleigh. The four of us have known each other since we were babies even though Jane and Bethan only joined St Cat’s for senior school. Another school friend, Caroline Blanchard (Seaman) was also there - she and I sat next to each other on our first day in kindergarten and have remained friends ever since! She unfortunately had to leave early due to her mother in law being poorly so I don't have a picture with her.

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local team that run a mobile veterinary clinic throughout the year, using an operating theatre in the back of a converted lorryluckily it has air conditioning installed! When I got home, I started work at a mixed practice (mainly farm and small animals) in Shropshire and I began the next chapter of my life with all the new challenges and experiences it will bring. HANKING-EVANS, Gilly (now Wilson) (2000) 5

I also teach and perform piano on the side. I have four lovely students and play at weddings and other functions.

2000-2010 Leavers ALONZO, Milli (2006) As a Human Rights lawyer, she spoke at the United Nations in Yemen earlier this year (only female on the panel!) which was an amazing achievement. She also got married in September. FISHER, Hannah (now Atkinson) (2009) We were married on 25th May in East Meon, on my husband’s family farm. We had lots of St Catherine’s girls in attendance and my three bridesmaids were Pip Vega, Hannah Hillcox and Anneliese Ward who are my greatest friends from my time at St Cats. My husband is James Atkinson and works in the business side of farming as an Agricultural Trader, and I am a Doctor working at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth. Due to locations of work, we are now lucky enough to live in the beautiful Hampshire countryside and wouldn’t wish to be anywhere else!

I visited St Cat’s last year! It was my first time back since 2009. I saw Alice Phillips, and Toppy gave me a tour of the school. So much has changed! Incidentally, Alice’s niece, Rachel, was a 2009 ‘gappy’ too and I caught up with her in Northallerton later in my trip. I was sad not to see Christina Foord, but hopefully I’ll be back in the UK soon and will get in touch with her then. I have fond memories of my time at St Cat’s. It’s always nice to hear news about the school. GREEN, Rebecca (2008) Writing in June 2018, Rebecca explains: Since leaving St Catherine’s, I continued my studies at Edinburgh University followed by Vet school in Nottingham. I have pursued my dream and will be graduating as a vet this summer! It has been worth every minute of it and shows how determination really can be the key to achieving your ambition. Before starting real work I spent time on a project in Colombo, Sri Lanka with a charity called Blue Paw Trust. We neutered and gave anti-rabies vaccinations to as many stray dogs and cats as possible in the city. We worked with a

Last year, whilst visiting an elderly neighbour who’d moved into a carehome, I noticed the lovely way in which my children were interacting not only with our friend Margaret, but also with the other residents. Over time it was clear they received few visitors, and that it really made their day when the children came and chatted to them. I started a small playgroup, just for during the summer holidays (as I work as a teacher during the term-time). It was very popular, and there was a lot of interest from parents in the area via Facebook, so I contacted a few more carehomes locally who were keen. The concept grew and grew, and other volunteers came on board to help, and a year later we have 25 carehomes across Bristol, Swindon, Cardiff and Yorkshire. We are keen to help bring this lovely idea, which brings joy and happiness to many lonely elderly people, to as many homes as possible. HSU, Annabelle (now O’Neill) (2009) Congratulations to Annabelle who got married in mid-August 2018 and writes: My husband’s name is Jason O’Neill (so I’m now Mrs O’Neill!). After university, I took a gap year and did some teaching as well as travelling. I then worked for JP Morgan in Hong Kong for a few years before moving back to London in August 2017 to start a 2-year MSc programme in Physiotherapy at St George’s Hospital. I’m now in the 2nd year of the programme and really enjoying it!

GLEESON, Caitlin (Gap Student from Australia, 2009) I currently live in Kirribilli, Sydney. I work for the NSW Ombudsman’s office in their Child Protection team. We’re an oversight body that ensures our Child Protection systems are working, and that investigations of these matters are sound.

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Rebecca Green (2008) Masha Alieva in Russia Suzy Digby-Smith 1977 reunion Lucy Schlaeppi 1997 Hannah Fisher wedding Millie Alonzo at the UN Conference Annabelle Hsu (2009)

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2 JAMES, Caroline (now Warnock-Smith) (2005) Caroline has taken a job in the Cayman Islands, together with her husband, from September to December 2018. RICE, Maddie (2007) Maddie had a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year and performed again at the Soho Theatre after a successful run of Fleabag, which was a onewoman show. This time she starred in Pickle Jar, which she both wrote and performed to critical acclaim. SCOTT, Rosie (2006) One of Rosie Scott’s (engineer) projects was shortlisted for the top RIBA architecture prize - the Stirling Prize for Bushey Cemetery - she’s flying the flag high for female engineers!

2010- Leavers ADESANYA, Feyikemi (now Bello) (2010) Fey, who runs her own successful PR company, was married in June at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos. We are delighted that she has agreed to be our ambassador in Nigeria. HOLDERNESS, Henrietta (2012) A year ago, alumna Henrietta Holderness look the leap to start her own business after noticing a gap in the market for ski thermals that where both functional and stylish. Open for business since 2017, H. Holderness is a female-led ski brand that creates beautifully printed base and mid-layers for the mountains. Combining the functionality of traditional woolly thermals with the aesthetics of gym leggings to produce activewear that performs on the slopes and looks good enough to show off afterwards. Her apparel transitions from day to night, piste to party, enabling women to get the most of their time out in the mountains.

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LOOI-SOMOYE, Remi (2013)

ROBERTS, Tabitha (2013)

In autumn 2018, I will be starting a PhD at UCL in conjunction with Great Ormond Street Hospital studying cancer research in children.

I’m now working as a policy official at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

During my placement year at Bath I moved to Memphis, TN in America and worked on childhood cancer research at the leading paediatric cancer hospital in America, St Jude Children's Research Hospital. This experience was amazing, not only from what I was able to learn in the lab but also from the experiences living abroad provides you. It was my placement year that made me decide to continue on to a PhD. I even got to return to America this Easter to attend a conference (very happy that it was in California) where I presented this research and won a first place award.

I’m also the founder of a company called Chatter. When I moved to London I was frustrated by the lack of opportunities for young professionals to learn in an informal environment with like-minded people. To combat this, I set up Chatter. Chatter organises informal lectures in London; breakfast briefings, evening seminars and panel discussions on a range of topics, including: identity, inequality, unconscious bias, housing, wealth distribution, sustainability, religious conflicts, climate change, technology, modern science, gender equality and global citizenship, to name but a few.

If there are any students/alumnae considering research careers or even working/moving to America I'd be glad to give any advice or insight. MILLARD, Emily (now KINNON) (2010) Writing in June 2018: I’m about to head off to work (at Rouge National Urban Park, Parks Canada’s first and only urban park) to host our first Learn-to Camp event of 2018. We are welcoming 10 families who have never camped before, and will provide them with camping equipment and workshops (and an overnight stay at the campground) to empower them with the skills and confidence to try camping (and other outdoor pursuits) on their own! Needless to say, I love my job!

The aim of Chatter is to promote learning for learning’s sake, outside corporate training. Through the talks I hope that the speakers will bring new perspectives to some big issues in society today.

1. Feyi Adesanya (now Bello) wedding (2010) 2. Natalie Carter (former staff ) married Andrew Hailey - 21st July 2018 3. Tilly Peterson (2008) 4. Laura Merrifield (former staff ) married Kyle McHale - 28th July 2018

PETERSON, Tilly (2018) Today was a very exciting day as Emily Cornell and I played our first lacrosse match for Birmingham University. It was also great to see some of our friends, Selina Celebidachi (2018) and Izzy Cocke (2016) playing for Oxford Brookes. Oxford Brookes were the clear winners by 21 goals, although we were playing for Birmingham 3rds and it was their 1st team. Despite the loss, the sun was shining and it was an enjoyable start to our lacrosse career at Birmingham.

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GARY O’DONOGHUE – APRIL 2018

STCATHERINE’SPRESENTS Mrs Dawn Pilkington - Association Director

t Catherine’s has welcomed three notable guests in its prestigious series of evening events over the last year.

HELEN RAPPAPORT NOVEMBER 2017

elen Rappaport, leading historian on the Russian Revolution, was invited to mark the centenary of the Russian Revolution and spoke about Petrograd (formerly and currently St Petersburg) in 1917 through the prism of a number of foreign visitors ‘Caught in the Revolution’. She vividly recaptured the experiences of diplomats, journalists, businessmen, volunteer nurses and ex-patriate socialites recorded in diary entries and letters home. Incidents retold included the story of an English nurse who had already survived the sinking of the Titanic; the black valet of the US Ambassador, far from his native Deep South; the suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst, who had come to Petrograd to inspect the indomitable Women’s Death Battalion led by Maria Bochkareva; and Arthur Ransome, who went to Petrograd as a British spy and sent encrypted messages to his London controllers.

DAME HELEN GHOSH JANUARY 2018

etiring Director-General of the National Trust and Master Elect of Brasenose College, Oxford Dame Helen Ghosh set out to answer the question, ‘What are the challenges facing the National Trust in the 21st Century?’ Controversy and debate have followed her views over fracking and wind farms, the price paid for farmland in the Lake District, and hunting, but she explained that her focus had always been on conservation and heritage. Her time at the helm had seen membership and visitor numbers rise as she had overseen an ambitious programme of work. Before moving to the National Trust, she had spent her career in the Civil Service, rising to become the first female Head of the Home Office. She has now returned to her alma mater of Oxford University where she has taken up the post of Master of Balliol College. Thank you so much for such a wonderful evening on Wednesday night, Dame Helen was a fantastic speaker and it was lovely to hear so much about an organisation that I confess I rather take for granted! PJ Sampson-Bancroft (2000)

ore hellfire than fireside, the Summer Term got off to a crackling start with an evening of hot political debate and talking trump, when Rev’d Dr McNair-Scott, the school’s resident political enthusiast, interrogated Gary O’Donoghue, BBC News Washington Correspondent, about the machinations of the current US administration. Supported by an audience of keen presidential observers, the tables were turned on Gary for his views about the nature of President Trump’s rise to power and core voters, issues such as gun control, race, political polarisation and, of course, the presidential Tweet. Gary, childhood friend of Prep School teacher Sophie Edward’s brother, then shared fascinating reflections on his experience as a blind journalist, the practicalities of news acquisition in an everexpanding media landscape and his support of the charity, ClearVision which provides bi-media braille and sighted picture books, enabling visually-impaired and sighted children or adults to read together. If any consensus was to be reached among a St Catherine’s audience, it was that a rare and illuminating education was gained across many topics in one evening and, particularly, a new-found insight enjoyed into the workings of US political power. Thank you so much for inviting us to Gary O'Donoghue's talk. We so enjoyed it. He seemed relaxed, very informative and totally lacking in fake news. Current Parent Gary O'Donoghue's enthusiasm and love of his job was infectious and we thoroughly enjoyed listening to him. He was very refreshing. Former staff

1. Helen Rappaport 2. Gary O’Donoghue 3. Helen Ghosh

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TRAVELAWARDS

GREEN LION IN BALI Lara Scadding (2018)

ver the summer, I had the privilege of volunteering for 3 weeks in Bali, Indonesia, on a turtle conservation project. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and am hugely grateful for the support of the PTA via the Rosamund Raymond Travel Award; I definitely grew as a person over the course of the project. The organisation, Green Lion in Bali, had a variety of programs available, ranging from construction to teaching projects, although turtle conservation seemed be to its speciality. Volunteers on the turtle project carried out work stretching from cleaning the turtles’ tanks, helping to renovate the conservation centre and participating in street and beach clean-ups. To my surprise, it was probably the latter activity that was the most rewarding, with the level of environmental damage on even the relatively “untouched” island of Nusa Penida being quite shocking. Each day volunteers would collect up to 10 bags of rubbish along a single street, and only after a week could I begin to see the impact. I learnt that a major part of the problem was the small number of waste disposal provisions supplied by the government for the island, which was then being aggravated by a lack of local knowledge of where best to dispose of waste. Green Lion aimed to tackle both these problems through lobbying the local council to invest in a proper waste disposal system and through setting tasks for volunteers, like myself, to make and put up signs towards the organisation’s own designated waste disposal site. We worked in conjunction with volunteers

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on the teaching project, who brought environmental education straight into the classroom to ensure that the charity was not merely providing temporary fixes, but a general awareness of the importance of conservation that would have greater longevity. If I was to pin-point the ‘highlight’ of my trip, I would have to say the privilege of watching one of the adult turtles being released into the wild on my final day. The turtles at Green Lion are bred in captivity, the reason for which is that the declining number of turtles has been partly caused by their eggs being regarded as a delicacy, and so they tend to be sold for high prices and consumed before hatching. Moreover, due to the turtles’ sex being determined by the temperature of the eggs at birth, there tend to be too few male turtles, for which sand temperatures of below 25°C are required. Therefore, it was hugely gratifying to be able to see the release, the culmination of a process for which all the volunteers at Green Lion had worked hard. Even though my time at Green Lion felt relatively short, I could see that the three weeks I spent there was valued by the permanent members of staff who rely solely on volunteers to carry out the organisation’s work. The experience of working for a cause beyond my normal boundaries, travelling alone and meeting people from around the world has certainly helped me to bridge the gap between school and university and I would highly recommend other St Catherine’s students seize such opportunities. I feel extremely fortunate that I was able to have such an experience and greatly indebted to the PTA for a project award which helped transform months of planning into a reality.

SAILING FROM DENMARK TO NORWAY Imogen Haywood (L6)

his summer I spent the most incredible week sailing ‘in company’ with the Tall Ships Fleet from Denmark to Norway. My adventure started in the port of Esbjerg, Denmark, where all 65 yachts in the fleet were moored. We spent the day and night in port meeting our skipper and the rest of our crew, learning our way around our yacht and then going out to meet other crews from all around the world. The old Tall Ships themselves are enormous compared to the yachts in the support fleet and we all enjoyed going on board! Setting sail the next day was such an impressive site with all the yachts at full sail. It felt as if the whole town had turned out to wave us off with flags and horns blowing!

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4 We spent 2 full days at sea without seeing any land. It was great to really feel you were out in the ocean, all the time learning the skills of raising sails, helming, navigating etc. Night sailing was really hard because of the getting up in the middle of the night on 4 hour shifts, and having to stay awake when helming the boat. We were rewarded with amazing sunsets and sunrises on the unobstructed horizon. The highlight was seeing a pod of 4 dolphins that came up really close to the boat, and swam alongside us for an hour. We very quickly learned our way around the boat and got to grips with sail raising, knots and helming as well as the essential skills of sleeping in a confined space, making 10 cups of tea with the boat rocking from side to side, cooking meals for 12 people and playing cards at sea! Every port we arrived in made us hugely welcome, with parties, fireworks and even a slot on local television (with a translator for us!). The Norwegian coastline is really stunning, and we moored up in some fjords to paddle board or swing out on ropes from the mast and jump into the water- crystal clear but freezing! Our final port was Stavanger where all the crews paraded through the town before the big final presentations and long goodbyes. The week was so many ‘firsts’ for me – not only travelling on my own, visiting countries I’d never been to before, spending a week with completely new people, but also gaining my RYA Competent Crew Licence. The company I went with run multiple programmes for disadvantaged UK teenagers to try sailing and so I will be returning next year as a volunteer to inspire those less fortunate than myself to enjoy this amazing experience. I would like to thank the Association and PTA for their generous financial support that made my adventure possible.

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Lara Scadding - Green Lion, Bali Imo Haywood on look out duty Games on board for Imo Haywood Charlie Brooks volunteering in Italy Charlie Brooks with Omar

VOLUNTEER TRIP TO CAMINI Christie Brooks (2018)

uring the summer, I volunteered with refugees who had been relocated to Camini, a small town in Southern Italy. I had always loved Politics and since 2016 had increasingly been interested in Europe’s refugee crisis. Having volunteered with a company called Projects Abroad before, I jumped at the opportunity when I realised they did a Refugee Project in Italy. I was also lucky enough to receive a travel award from school, which allowed me to spend a month on the project in Italy. Many of the refugees I met had fled due to war, violence, corruption and economic reasons, from a range of countries - Palestine, Eritrea, Senegal, Syria, Pakistan, Libya, Ukraine, Iraq, Niger - just to name a few. With this in mind, I was very interested to see how everyone would live together in this tiny village, including the locals, and although many countries are represented in Camini, there is still a huge sense of a united community. This could be seen with many Italians work alongside refugees, the women cooking and dancing together at women’s night, the community events e.g. treasure hunt and volley ball tournament and most often in the daily football games! For the majority of my time in Camini I worked with a little boy called Omar and although at times it was challenging, I loved every minute, and continually miss his beautiful smile. Omar, was born in a Turkish refugee camp with an extreme form of Spina bifida, which left him completely paralysed from the waist down, and with a build-up of fluid in the brain that regularly needed to be drained. Omar had 5 other siblings and his parents needed support to manage his condition, particularly because at the time his mother was unwell. I would spend most mornings with Omar, taking him to the day care centre where he could interact with other children. Then twice a

week I would go with him to his doctors’ appointments, through which I realised the severity of his disability. Most afternoons, I would either work with a young girl called Hayat or go and teach English to the unaccompanied minors at Ellera (a house just outside Camini). Hayat was from Eritrea but had lived in a Sudanese refugee camp for the majority of her life. She had been living in Italy for 6 months and was going to start school in September. As she was very shy I went to her lessons with her and I also taught her maths for an hour. By the end of the month, she had certainly come out of her shell and we were constantly giggling in class, to her teacher’s annoyance! The other project I did in the afternoon, was working with unaccompanied minors all of whom were mostly from Western Africa, and many had been through extreme hardships to get to Italy, such as imprisonment and forced slavery. Some of the boys had left home at a young age to find money for their family from neighbouring countries, yet nearly all hadn’t seen their families in many years. We taught the boys how to speak and write English, with us communicating mostly in French (GSCE French certainly came in handy!). Yet despite all the troubles and extreme difficulties they have faced, I was touched by their never-ending ability to laugh and play pranks on each other. My time in Camini, was not only a once in a life time experience, but it was truly humbling. To see how all these wonderful people, that have experienced so much pain, could bring so much hope to one community was incredible. I was touched by their continual generosity in spite of having little, such as constantly inviting us volunteers round for dinner or lunch. Everyone I met including other volunteers were not only amazing but completely inspiring. I will never forget the experience and I couldn’t recommend the project enough! ST CATHERINE’S 2018

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Mrs Fran Flammiger - Events Manager

he annual Association Choir Concert in March is the culmination of rehearsals that take place over the autumn and spring terms. Members come together each week not only to share in singing classical music but also to enjoy each other’s company. The concert is one of the highlights of the Association year and an opportunity for the Choir to perform in Guildford with professional soloists. For some, it is also an opportunity to perform with their daughters who sing in either the Senior Choir or the Middle Chamber Choir. Matthew Greenfield, Director of Music, conducted the joint Choirs ably supported by Chorus Master, Mr Simon Phillips, and accompanist Morta Grigaliūnaitė, our Graduate Musician in Residence. This year our programme opened with Te Deum by Charpentier, an exceptionally prolific and versatile French composer of the Baroque era. This was followed by Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on Greensleeves, a traditional melody first enjoyed by the Tudors, and the first of two pieces played by Camerata and directed by Silja Loya. Their second piece was Sibelius’s Andante Festivo and to close, the joint choirs and orchestra performed one of Bach’s most popular vocal works, Magnificat in D major. Most importantly we raised £527.88 for the Music in Secondary Schools Trust, which helps give inner city school children the opportunity to play classical music.

1. Association Choir 2. The full Association Choir 3. Matthew Greenfield - Director of Music Thank you so much for the wonderful [concert] and indeed for all the fun of practicing for it. The Bach was by far the most difficult piece I have ever sung and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Marjorie Moray Just a quick note to let you all know how much we all enjoyed the concert yesterday. It went really well and it was a particular pleasure to perform with such talented musicians and alongside my daughter for the first time. Chris Skilbeck Current parent

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It was a great pleasure to be part of something that went very well in the end, particularly as the Bach Magnificat is possibly one of the best bits of choral music I have come across and I enjoyed learning it. Richard Fraser ST CATHERINE’S 2018

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THELONDONNETWORK

CREATING CAREER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ALUMNAE & PARENTS Mrs Dawn Pilkington - Association Director

ur London Network events are going from strength to strength and over the course of the year we held two events. OUR GENERAL NETWORKING EVENT: DIFFERENCE NOT EQUALITY

n October it was a pleasure to join alumnae, parents and a select group of current 6th Formers at the London Network’s panel discussion event ‘Difference not Equality’ The setting was spectacular as IBM’s auditorium provided panoramic views of the Thames and we were all very grateful for the hospitality we received at the company’s headquarters. Indeed, following an introduction by IBM’s Vicky Cooper, it became apparent that the location was especially appropriate given the technology firm’s longstanding commitment to diversity and egalitarian working practices. Vicky’s introduction paved the way for a dynamic panel discussion, chaired by devil’s advocate Charlie Geffen (former parent), with thoughtful contributions by Kara Cauter (current parent), Hattie Hounsell (current parent) and Nigel Walker (former parent) on the subject of ‘Difference, not Equality?’. The panel acknowledged the existing prejudices women face and debated how this might best be tackled in relation to financial services, legal practices and the hospitality industry, as well as in science and innovation. The complexity of the question ‘Difference, not Equality?’ was then definitively proven as the audience cast their vote, with a nearly even split of responses. Perhaps even more contentious was the follow-up question about female quotas, with some audience members insisting quotas would instigate more rapid

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Panel at IBM in October Networking at IBM Experimenting with IBM’s virtual headsets Networking at Dentons LPC Debate on the Future of the Legal Sector Q&A at the Dentons LPC

change, and others voicing concerns about becoming a ‘token woman’ rather than a respected member of a team. The event proved to be an excellent forum for debate. Thank you for a wonderful evening at the IBM premises. It is a lovely way to support the younger generation and to keep ourselves connected within the professional network. Annie Pang (1979)

Thank you for last night ...a great debate especially as we are having a similar debate in our UK company at the moment. Lynn Narraway (Former Parent) OUR SECTOR SPECIFIC EVENT ON LAW

ur second event in March 2018 saw over 60 alumnae, current U6, and parents who attend The London Network at Dentons LPC and discussed the future of the legal sector, exploring how women could impress in meetings, the impact of technology on flexible working and new career options, career breaks, the gender pay gap and the valuable contribution of sponsors and mentors. Whilst much of the debate focused on city firms, those working as company in-house lawyers were advocates for its family friendly benefits, and the barristers present spoke about life on the road and the autonomy they enjoyed. Young alumnae, completing their graduate law qualifications, were able to meet potential employers, and selected sixth formers could explore different facets of the law and hone their networking skills. Grateful thanks go to current parents, Dame Rosemary Squire, Chair of the London Network for introducing the evening, Martin Mankabady, for his generous hospitality of the event at Dentons LPC, and Claire Manches for introducing some of the discussion themes and Co-Chairing with Martin. Many thanks again for organising the event. Having a structured discussion was very helpful and provided a focus for the evening. The discussion topics were very relevant, given current news coverage of pay inequality and the imminent deadline for Gender Pay Gap reporting. Tom Govan (Current Parent)

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ASSOCIATIONREUNIONS 2002 15 YEAR REUNION Mrs Dawn Pilkington - Association Director

e welcomed back alumnae from 2002 on the 14th October. The event was coordinated by Jo Adams (Martin) and started with a glass of bubbly and the girls looking through photos from the Archive. There was much laughter at both their U3 and Sixth Form photos. Even in 15 years they could not believe their hair styles and clothes! After a tour of the school through their old classrooms, they lingered in front of the Millennium tiles, enjoying spotting their artwork. This was followed by a moment of peace in the chapel – ‘which now has cushions’ - and the tour ended looking at their house boards. It was then off to either the Home Economics room for a baking lesson with Mr Friend or a game of badminton with Mrs Folley. Finally finishing with afternoon tea in the Dining Room.

MEETING PARENTS IN CHINA Ms Pippa Carte - Development Director

1 Mr Lin and Ms Wu – parents of Rachel Lin (2019) We are so glad Rachel feels good about her boarding life and study at St Catherine’s; and we are grateful for the state of the art facilities and friendly environment St, Catherine’s offers to the students. We have set up a WeChat group for parents in Beijing. Ed: Pippa would like to express her grateful thanks to Mr Fan who gave her a tour of China Radio International and Mrs Fang Luo who took her to the Summer Palace and introduced her to a traditional ‘hot-pot’.

n October 2017, Pippa Carte, Development Director visited Beijing to meet parents of St Catherine’s boarders and to host a small gathering to connect the parent and alumnae community based in Beijing.

ST CAT’S IN TORONTO! Ms Pippa Carte - Development Director

n November 2017, Pippa Carte, Development Director, travelled to Toronto for a Conference and arranged a gathering of the St Catherine’s Canadian community in The Distillery District – a regeneration area of downtown Toronto. Now connections have been made, the alumnae have said they’ll meet annually at least! Emily Kinnon (2010) has agreed to be our ‘Ambassador’ in Canada. If you are based in Canada do get in touch with the Association who will connect you.

Emily Kinnon (Millard)(2010) – now with Parks Canada as a Camp Coordinator What a wonderful afternoon! It was so lovely to hear stories about St Cat’s from different perspectives - I particularly enjoyed Lesley’s story about escaping over the wall and returning in time to “be part of the search party”!

Mr Zhang and Ms Lei – parents of Grace Zhang (2018) Our daughter is so happy at St Catherine’s. She has so many varied interests and she has said she would like to give back to St Catherine’s when she is employed!

Deborah Bowen (Hewitt)(1996)– now Association Professor and Chair of English at Redeemer University College It was most amusing to recall Miss Platt and her coloured liturgical dress throughout the Christian calendar! 2

Lesley Wormald (Catling)(1967) – now retired after a career in nursing and medical sales The magazines were delightful; it was quite a sense of achievement to see one’s name in the magazine and to discover the career paths taken by all.

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2002 reunion Canada Reunion Hong Kong Reunion 2002 reunion - baking Sydney Reunion China Reunion Canada Reunion Manchester Reunion

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I don’t think I quite realised the level of education that I had enjoyed at St Cat’s or the how special the nurturing environment was until after I left. Daphne Kwan (1984) – now a dentist It was a pleasure to catch up with the latest news from St Catherine’s and share our stories. Sue Boyce (Hattersley) (1973) - now retired, worked in the travel industry It was just lovely to meet you at the Santa Claus parade! Thank you so much for the great St Cat’s bag & cards – how very kind. Sorry I couldn’t make the Distillery District too – I hope the St Catherine’s girls enjoyed it!

MANCHESTER Mrs Dawn Pilkington - Association Director

n Monday 19th November 2017 Mrs Alice Phillips hosted a reunion in Manchester as part of the GSA Conference. Four alumnae from the Manchester area met up at Chetham’s School of Music and a fun evening was had by all.

6,000 MILES APART BUT STRONG BONDS PERSIST Ms Pippa Carte - Development Director

ur first girl to join St Catherine’s from Hong Kong arrived in 1969 and since then we have welcomed over 300 girls. It is always an honour to visit Hong Kong and share news with the community of alumnae and parents. Following successful Receptions in 2013 and 2016 we decided to visit in October 2017. Over 70 of the community attended a Reception at the Regal Hotel, a truly joyous and noisy gathering! Past and current parents, alumnae and some current girls on Half Term holiday were hosted by Governor, Mr Albert Alonzo, Headmistress, Mrs Alice Phillips, and Development Director, Ms Pippa Carte. We had alumnae from 1972 to 2015 at the event and the year groups of 2006-2009 made it a reason to gather with over eight of their number present! The event was also a chance to share the School’s exciting plans to ‘Create the Future’ at St Catherine’s.

Karen Lau (2008) now FX Trader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch The HK reception was a huge success! It brought all the old girls, current students and parents together - it was just great to see all the familiar faces again. I also bumped into my ex-colleague, at Thomson Reuters, Ms. Cecily Luk, who is now the parent of 2 girls at St Catherine’s! Mr Albert Alonzo, Governor and Former Parent We are a global community connected by our love of St Catherine’s and pride in an education

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that challenges and inspires the young women of the future.” Sam Kitson (2003) now Director of Learning at West Island School. It was so lovely to join the Reception and to meet so many other fabulous young women here in HK making a difference!” Mrs Andrea Chan – parent to Charmaine Chan (2015) and Denise Chan (2019) I am sure current and past parents learnt more about the school and were reassured that they had made the right decision to send their daughters to St Catherine’s. Alison Chan (2012) now training in Ophthalmology during her Residency in Hong Kong, who came to the Reception despite having just worked at 36 hour shift at the Hospital! I cherish this opportunity of reconnecting with old friends as well as meeting new faces, all sharing the same background of this alma mater that even now, still gives me that familiar and unforgettable feeling of home. We were thrilled to hear about all the exciting new changes planned for the school, especially the Sixth form boarding house and the science building, both of which carry particular personal significance for me.

Our grateful thanks go to Mrs Andrea Chan for supporting the organisation of the venue, Ms Susanna Ho for the wonderful photographs of the event and to Miss Natalie Leung (2007) for sharing how St Catherine’s shaped her life path.

SYDNEY REUNION

Mrs Fiona Thomas - Australia Ambassador

atching up in Sydney on Saturday 27th January 2018, following Australia Day, were nine Association members, meeting under the gold and burgundy balloons at The Quay Bar, Circular Quay. Old girls included: Amida McGuinn (1963), Nicola Onslow (1978), Sophie Morgan (1994), Charlotte Hill (2004), Annabel Carroll (2008), Natalie Schaffer (2011); former staff members: Deanne Solomon and Fiona Thomas and present staff member Nancy Moore. Conversations were warm and interesting, as stories of ‘Why did you come to Australia?’ and ‘How long have you been here?’ shared equal time with lots of, ‘Do you remember so and so?’ It was good to hear that both official and unofficial networking amongst alumnae was thriving! It was a happy occasion and we were all most appreciative of the support for the event from the Association Office and agreed it would be good to meet up again, perhaps in two years’ time. While The Quay Bar is a perfect central location in Sydney, Sophie’s kayaking business on Sydney Harbour (as an alternative activity/venue) drew much interest!

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END-OF-TERMLECTURES Mrs Dawn Pilkington - Association Director

ach year we invite three speakers to give end of term lectures. We endeavour to make them interesting, varied and highlight a variety of different careers. We appreciate the speakers, the majority of whom are alumnae, giving up their valuable time to come and talk to the girls about a wide range of topics.

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SAMANTHA KNIGHTS (1989) BARRISTER

HARRY ELLISON (2010) LEAD STUDENT FUNDRAISING OFFICER

he December End of Term lecture was given by Samantha Knights (1989) who is a Barrister at Matrix, specialising in immigration and asylum law, public law and commercial law. She studied Modern Languages at University and began her working career as a journalist. It wasn’t until she was reporting on a case of refugees stuck in Estonia that she decided that she would make a bigger difference if she retrained as a lawyer. Samantha has worked on a number of civil liberty cases both in the UK and against the Russian and Georgian governments before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. She is also a trustee for the Farkhunda Trust whose mission is to provide scholarships to women from disadvantaged backgrounds to enable them to pursue higher education and, ultimately, to contribute to shaping a progressive Afghan society. We were very privileged to hear her speak as she was truly interesting and inspiring, especially for those who are looking into law for as career. We were delighted to hear that only a few days after speaking to us Samantha was made a QC.

e were moved and entertained in equal measure during Harry Ellison’s (2010) March end of term lecture about her role as Lead Student Fundraising Officer at Action Against Hunger. She spoke most engagingly about the charity’s operations internationally in over 45 countries and explained how they are committed to ending child hunger and saving lives. They work in prevention, helping families produce food and providing access to clean water. We all got to try on an arm band which is used to identify acute malnutrition and saw the special food packs that are necessary to help the children regain their health at the steady speed necessary to avoid further damage. Harry’s work involves supporting others at universities in the UK to raise money on behalf of the charity. She spoke of her struggle to get through the Tough Mudder Challenge and of running her one and only marathon in order to lead by example. This year, she encouraged a number of St Cat’s alumnae to take part in the London Marathon. Her commitment and enthusiasm for charity work had started at School with the Charities Board and led to her becoming President of RAG (Raise and Give) at Leeds University, where she gained a First in History. Many of the girls were inspired by her talk and proceeds from a new initiative this summer, St Cat’s Fest, raised over £4,500 for Action Against Hunger.

KATY WATSON (1999) BBC NEWS SOUTH AMERICA CORRESPONDENT

1. End of term lecture - Autumn 2. End of term lecture - Spring 3. End of term lecture - Summer

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n the Summer Term, we had the pleasure of welcoming Katy Watson (1999), BBC News South America Correspondent. Since starting her career with the BBC Katy has worked in the Middle East, Washington and has been based in South America since 2014. She has covered many interesting stories but currently many of her reports are highlighting the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela where four in five Venezuelans live in poverty. People queue for hours to buy food, are dying from a lack of medicines and inflation is at 82,766%. Her role as South American correspondent is very varied. One day she can be in an army helicopter flying around remote areas of Colombia to cover both sides of the war against the cocaine trade, and the next, she will be reporting from a restaurant in Mexico serving ticks and worms! Katy discussed her love of South America, her role as a female reporter and how she is one of the few female foreign correspondents with a family. She feels strongly that this should not be the case. It was fascinating to hear about the myriad opportunities that she has had as a foreign correspondent, especially from someone working over such a large geographical range.

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