DIARY DATES 2013 - 2014 Tuesday 12th November – 18.00-19.30 Scenic Productions: Woyzeck Auditorium - Tickets £10 Thursday 14th November – 19.30 St Catherine’s Presents: Charles Emmerson 1913 Auditorium - Tickets £5
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Tuesday 3rd December – 13.00-15.00 & Wednesday 4th December – 9.00-11.00 Pre-Prep Nativity Auditorium Thursday 5th December – 16.15-18.30 Recorder Consort Christmas Carols in Guildford High Street Saturday 1st February 2014 – 19.30 Association Choir 10th Anniversary Concert Handel’s Messiah - Guildford Cathedral Monday 12th - Friday 14th February – 19.30 Senior School Production: Hamlet Auditorium
ISSUE 20 | AUTUMN 2013
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ST CATHERINE’S ASSOCIATION
Speech Hall
Evolution!
Tuesday 11th March 2014 – 19.30 St Catherine’s Presents: Sir Max Hastings Auditorium - Tickets £10
SAVE THE DATE Saturday 20th June 2014 Round the Island Race, IOW Saturday 28th June 2014 St Catherine’s Association 10th Anniversary Ball St Catherine’s Grounds Saturday 28th June 2014 Noughties Reunion St Catherine’s School May & September 2014 Battlefield Trips to Ypres
2009
Prospective Parents’ events Senior School Wednesday 13th November 2013 Thursday 30th January 2014 Tuesday 18th March 2014 Wednesday 7th May 2014
2013
Boarding Information Evening Thursday 21st November 2013 Thursday 20th March 2014 Prep School Friday 8th November 2013 Monday 20th January 2014 Monday 3rd March 2014 Thursday 8th May 2014 For further information contact: Senior School Registrar Judy Corben 01483 899 609 judy.corben@stcatherines.info Prep School Registrar Sally Manhire 01483 899 665 prepadmissions@stcatherines.info
1940
Built in 1935 the Speech Hall was originally known as the Jubilee Hall and was designed by F J Hodgson LRIBA of Hodgson Lunn & Co. It was linked to the main school building by a covered archway and provided a hall and stage area of 83’ x 33’ capable of seating 450 people. Two green rooms were also provided behind the stage. The evolution of the Speech Hall into the Speech Hall Library took place throughout the summer of 2013.
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President of GSA
PTAs
Senior School The PTA has had great pleasure in organising several events this term. The New Parents’ Coffee Morning took place on September 25th in the Upper Atrium of the Anniversary Halls. It was a lovely occasion which gave parents new to the school a chance to meet each other. Mrs Phillips was there to welcome them and the PTA provided coffee and pastries. The Fourth Form Supper Party on Friday October 18th. The evening had an autumnal theme, from a warm welcome drink to the supper prepared by the chefs in the kitchen for all parents of girls in the Fourth Form. The Christmas Dinner Dance is scheduled for Saturday November 30th for Prep and Senior School parents. This year’s theme is Winter Wonderland and it promises to be a night to remember! In addition to a disco, Mr Young and the School Jazz Band will be delighting us with musical entertainment. Tickets are £45 available from the Senior School PTA.
SPECIALISTS IN GIRLS’ EDUCATION. We are delighted to announce that Mrs Alice Phillips, our headmistress, will be starting her new role as President of the Girls’ School Association (GSA) in January 2014. The presidency is for a year and it is a great honour for the school that she has been elected by her peers to this position. We thought it would be worth clarifying that, although she will have a number of commitments throughout the year, our headmistress will still be very much in charge of St Catherine’s and, if she cannot be there in person, will be at the end of her iPhone as always. In addition, Mrs Caroline Rose, Director of Staff, has been given some additional time in which to offer extra support for Mrs Phillips in school throughout the year.
Coming up……Next term, we look forward to welcoming you to the Parents’ Lectures and the Upper 3 Curry Supper. In the summer term comes the event definitely not to be missed.... the Quiz Night! All dates to be confirmed. At the end of this term, we will be saying farewell and thanks to our Chair, Suzanne Hayward. We would like to thank Suzanne for her commitment to the PTA, her immense contribution, energy and leadership. Lizzie Lucas-Clements will take the helm in January and she is looking forward, with great enthusiasm, to welcoming you to next term’s events.
Prep School
The beginning of the new academic year saw plenty of Prep School PTA activity as we welcomed the girls and parents back into school life. Term began with the Welcome Back Tea and our New Parents’ Coffee Morning. These were closely followed on Sunday 15th September by the Annual Prep School Autumn Picnic, a relaxed and fun event for the girls and their families. We look forward to seeing you in December at the Pre-Prep Nativity and the Carol Concert. The girls also have their Christmas Fair in December.
Note from the Editor
Welcome to this issue of Non Nobis. The newsletter is only as interesting as the information I receive, so please send me any news/views/stories/photos you have. We are always delighted to receive announcements for the school magazine. Email me at dawn.pilkington@stcatherines.info
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Non Nobis Domine! Not unto us, O Lord, The praise or glory be... The opening of the school hymn Rudyard Kipling
Governors, parents, alumnae and girls from U4 to U6 at the start of the Biennial Association Careers Forum held in the Sports Hall on 1st October 2013
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St Catherine’s Association Graduations 2013 Careers Forum Tuesday 1st October 2013 Over 250 girls, from U4-U6, attended the Careers Evening run by the St Catherine’s Association to hear invaluable advice from 65 current and former parents and alumnae. We are most grateful to our speakers for giving up their time to pass on their experiences and for all the thought that went into creating fun and interactive panel sessions, ranging from Earth Sciences and Engineering to Banking and Broadcasting. The girls benefited greatly from learning about the speakers’ career paths in the lively plenary sessions, and from listening to their advice about course selection and work experience. There was also time to visit the 14 different career ‘stations’ in the Sports Hall during the break and to talk to representatives from a wide range of professions and occupations. As you can tell from their comments, the girls found the evening both enjoyable and informative: “Thank you - it was a pleasure. The girls asked some great questions and we had a lot of fun in the Marketing/PR group! Very happy to help out again in future.” Helena Robinson (Speaker) “I would like to thank you so much for the careers forum. It was such a useful evening and I particularly enjoyed having the time in between the two sessions to speak to the people on the different career stands.” Martha Rockhill (U5) “Listening to the talks by old girls was really inspiring, particularly seeing how much they had achieved in just ten years.” Katie Ratcliffe (U6)
MUIR, OLivia (2009) Politics & Economics, Bath CHAN, Lucia (2010) Classical Civilisation, Birmingham WONG, Shu Fei (2009) Electronics & Communications Engineering, Bristol LO, Flora (2010) Natural Science, Corpus Christi, Cambridge KINDERSLEY, Pippa (2007) Medicine, Fitzwilliam, Cambridge HEALY, Sarah (2007) Veterinary Medicine, Girton, Cambridge COURAGE, Alex (2009) History, Homerton, Cambridge FLAMMIGER, Charlotte (2010) History, Pembroke, Cambridge FISCHEL, Julia (2009) History of Art, Queens’, Cambridge CHAPMAN, Emma (2008) English, Durham CRAWFORD, Lucie (2009) Geography, Durham DENHAM, Jessica (2008) Newspaper Journalism, City University, London ZABORSKI, Emily (2010) Classical Studies, Exeter COX, Annabel (2008) Law & European Studies (Spanish) Exeter PASCUAL, Becky (2010) Psychology, Exeter EVE, Sophie (2010) Psychology, Southampton HALL, Sophie (2007) Veterinary Medicine, Liverpool TINKER, Evelyn (2009) Philosophy, London School of Economics WHITEHOUSE, Mimi (2009) Psychology, UCL, London GIBBS, Amelia (2009) Textiles, Loughborough THOMAS, Katie (2009) Art History & Archaeology, Manchester ALVES, Anneke (2006) Medicine, Manchester ZEAL, Faith Alexandra (2009) Geography, Newcastle FLETCHER, Flo (2009) Politics, Newcastle FROUD, Amanda (2009) Industrial Econ with Insurance, Nottingham BRICKNELL, Jess (2009) Maths, Nottingham STANFORD, Romalie (2010) Psychology, Nottingham GREEN, Rebecca (2008) Veterinary Medicine, Nottingham WHATELEY, Helen (2006) Architectural Design, Oxford Brookes LOMAS, Fay (2009) English & French, Trinity, Oxford GUTTRIDGE, Jenny (2010) Consumer Behaviour & Marketing, Reading CARRUTHERS, Holly (2008) Cell Biology, St Andrews WAI, Joan (2008) Medicine, Trinity, Dublin SO, Veronica (2009) Postgraduate Certificate in Law, University of Hong Kong WARNER, Louise (2010) Psychology, Warwick TOWNSHEND, Rosie (2009) English & Related Literature, York STAFFORD-SMITH, Rhea (2009) History, York WEYMAN, Isabella (2009) History & Politics, York
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St Catherine's Dance School In September, St Catherine’s Dance School was launched, with Miss Francesca Denton as Principal. She has been overwhelmed by the welcome and enthusiasm of the girls. Students have the opportunity to continue their dance education under the R.A.D and I.S.T.D syllabuses, and there will also be many exciting projects, classes and performing opportunities in the new St Catherine's Dance School.
Gymnastics Lynx Gymnastics Club After school on Fridays, an exciting new gymnastics programme is offered to all girls from PPIII to Lower III. Girls have the fantastic opportunity to practise a range of disciplines which include trampolining, tumbling on our inflatable tumble track, floor work, trampette, vault and apparatus. It has been thrilling to see large numbers of girls of all abilities taking advantage of this innovative new venture. It is our hope that girls may discover a love and talent for gymnastics which will lead to a lifelong passion.
PREP SCHOOL St Catherine’s Primary in Nairobi
During the summer holidays two staff from St Catherine’s Bramley visited our link school in Mukuru, Nairobi in Kenya. St Catherine’s Primary School is one of four primary schools that are supported by the Mukuru Promotion Centre (MPC), which is directed by the Sisters of Mercy. The school provides education for around 1,000 children, aged between 4 and 13, who live in the nearby Mukuru slums where unemployment is at 50%. MPC works in conjunction with the World Food Programme to serve the children a hot meal for lunch during term time and for many this is likely to be their only meal of the day. Resources to provide food in holidays are limited and, sadly, during the summer holiday malnutrition resulted in the school losing 14 of its pupils. Hearing this tragic news, staff back in the UK were moved to think of a way that St Catherine’s Prep School in Bramley could help. They decided to hold a simple market stall, selling locally-grown produce and home-baked cakes, pies, jams, chutneys and marmalades at a special Food and Produce sale at the Prep PTA’s annual Autumn Picnic. The response to this charity event was overwhelming and the stall raised £804.71 to help the children in Nairobi. Jane Cowx, Director of Sport at St Catherine’s Prep School, said, “People brought beautiful things for us to sell and gave extremely generously.” “It felt really good being able to help the children in Nairobi.” Charlotte, aged 10 years These websites gives more information about the Mukuru promotion centre and how you can help. • •
www.mukurupromotioncentre.org www.nmtownshiptrust.com/Building-Blitz/Saint-Catherines-School
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Association Trip to Rouen & Giverny Miss Lisa Hayat - Head of History of Art
I signed up as soon as I knew about the planned Association trip to Rouen and Giverny, as I endeavour to visit all artistic centres that feature in my own History of Art A Level course. The trip included a mixture of alumnae, friends of the school, parents and staff. On the first morning of the trip we met in the St Catherine's Conference Room and I presented ‘An Introduction to Impressionism’, to get us all in the artistic mood before boarding our coach for Dover. A comfortable coach ride, a smooth crossing and fine weather accompanied us to Calais and Rouen and our modern 3* hotel. Some of us decided to dine at a restaurant in Place de la Cathedral, very close to where Monet would have famously stood with his easel in front of the Gothic Rouen Cathedral which featured so prominently in his later ‘Series Paintings’. In fact, a plaque now marks the spot. The cathedral looked just as breath-taking when artificially illuminated
the sweet smells, vivid colours and textures of the variety of plants and flowers was wonderful. The sheer size of the gardens and ponds, and the hard work and vision that went into the manicured landscaping of the space is something that can never be communicated through reproductions. We lunched in one of the many nearby village cafes. Of course, my subject specialism meant that I could not resist ordering the tasty 'Creative Arts Salad' which included edible flowers (similar to some of those found in Monet’s garden!). We returned to the hotel to rest before venturing out to Rouen town centre during our free time. I visited one of the oldest working clocks in Europe (the 16th century Le Gros Horloge) in all its vividly coloured and gilded glory - complete with sundial and globe indicating the different phases of the moon. The second ‘must see’ on my list was the beautifully stylised and quasi-
abstract 20th century Church of Saint Joan of Arc at the centre of the ancient market square (close to where she was burned alive) with its spectacular stained glass windows that date back to the 16th century. The final stops were inevitably to the many heavenly chocolatiers! Many of us also hopped on a typical wheel-driven tourist train that took us around the historic streets of Rouen and, when back on foot, we ventured through the main streets, Andy Thompson - the Eye Witness Tours co-ordinator - gave fascinating and detailed explanations of the town's history during the two World Wars. Our final day started with a visit to the Musée des Beaux Arts de Rouen which was running an Impressionist waterscape exhibition called Dazzling Reflections. I happily talked about various works displayed there (such as those by Signac, Seurat, Monet, Pissarro and Caillebotte) as well as the 19th century Franco-sociological circumstances that so influenced artistic output during this period. This trip was the perfect balance between a well-planned itinerary of organised events (that one expects with a group tour) and free time provided around them. I met people of different ages, interests and backgrounds, and I learnt so many fascinating facts from some of the Old Girls about what St Catherine’s and Bramley village were like some 60 years ago! Thank you to all in our group for making the trip so memorable. If anyone reading this has not been on an Association trip before, I highly recommend it. It is a fantastic experience so informative, well-organised and, above all, incredibly good fun! Thank you to the Association Office and Eye-Witness Tours for organising it. I cannot wait for the next one!
2014 Battlefield Trips to Ypres at night. As we strolled back to our hotel through the medieval streets - past the chic bars with their al fresco tables; the typical aromas of garlic and wine wafting around and the Mediterranean twilight colouring the buildings - it finally hit me that we were indeed on French soil, and I was very excited! The following morning we set off to the tranquil and picturesque village of Giverny. The focus was, of course, to visit Monet's famous house and gardens which he bought towards the latter part of his career when his fortunes changed for the better. As it was approaching the end of May, the flowers were in full bloom. Until now, I had always studied Monet's gardens via books, videos and slides. Actually being there to experience
To commemmorate the centenary of the start of World War I, the St Catherine's Association is offering two trips to the Battlefields at Ypres. • Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th May 2014 (open to adults and accompanying children aged 15+) • Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th September 2014 (adults only) As this is a very special anniversary, the demand for visits to the region is extremely high (with hotels and museums setting their prices accordingly) and we anticipate the St Catherine’s trip will be very popular. For further information please see the enclosed flyer or email association@stcatherines.info; telephone 01484 899 760 or visit www.stcatherines.info/association-trip.
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Votes of thanks “Thank you for organising such a fun day.” Leaver 1995 “It was lovely to meet you all and get such a warm welcome. It was a wonderful day.” Former staff
Reunions Home & Away
1990s - Friday 21st June 2013
“It was a lovely day and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was so nice to see so many familiar faces. The organisation was superb and we were very well looked after – thank you so much.” Leaver 1993
On Friday 21st June we were delighted to welcome back over 120 former staff, pupils and their children for the 1990s Reunion. Lou Reed’s lyrics from the 70s hit Perfect Day, sum it up beautifully.
“An excellent day and lovely to see so many former staff.” Former staff
It was a beautiful sunny day and our guests were able to roam the grounds between the day’s planned activities. It was a very happy, noisy day and a first return visit to St Catherine’s for many of our guests. Coffee in the foyer of the Anniversary Halls was followed by a Chapel service led by Revd Dr Benji McNair Scott on the theme of ‘thanksgiving’. We subsequently returned to the Anniversary Halls where drinks were served in the upper Atrium, a presentation was given by the L6 in the Auditorium on this year’s Sixth Form Musical Oliver! and a buffet lunch was served in the Sports Hall. Our guests were given tours of the School by current pupils who were amused by many a tale of 1990s exploits – particularly in boarding! We came back together for a final time for afternoon tea and cakes in the Prep School before saying farewell.
“An amazing day which completely exceeded all my expectations. Thank you to all those involved.” Leaver 1998 “Thank you for making us so welcome. Very much appreciated.” Leaver 1995 “I had a great day – I really enjoyed looking around the school and seeing familiar faces. I will definitely come to future reunions! Thank you.” Leaver 1994 “It was wonderful to see so many faces I recognised and catch up with everyone’s news. The school looks magnificent, the grounds are beautiful and the new buildings are such a wonderful addition to what we had in our day.” Leaver 1999 “It was a lovely day and very well organised. It was a delight to see so many girls and hear about what they have all achieved. Thank you for the lovely bag and its contents and the St Catherine’s Association brooch; I will wear it with pride!” Former staff
We very much look forward to welcoming back Leavers and Staff of the Noughties next year on Saturday 28th June – after the reunion during the day you may wish to stay on for the Association Ball celebrating our Tenth Anniversary. Please put the date in your diary now and get your table organised for the Association’s 10th Anniversary Ball that evening.
(L-R) Chloe Norris (née van Beever), Sophie Morgan, Amanda Lewis (née King), Alex Duncan - 1990s Reunion
John Palmer - 1990s Reunion
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1990s - Friday 21st June 2013 Claire Coleman writes: Due to work commitments a few of us were unable to make the official reunion during the day so arranged to meet up for a drink in Guildford that night. It was a lovely warm evening and the terrace of The Boatman (one of our old haunts, which was called The Jolly Farmer in our day) was the perfect spot for hearing about some of the highlights of the day (mostly Mr Palmer-related!) from those who had made it, and generally catching up over a few drinks. We all agreed that everyone looks exactly the same and none of us has changed! There’s talk of a big reunion in two years time, when it will be 20 years since we finished our A-Levels, and it would be great to get as many of us together as possible.
West Country Lunch
Nicola Higgins (née Williams) - 1990s Reunion
On the 26th September Dawn Pilkington, Association Director, and Kirsty Meredith, Senior Housemistress, travelled to Exeter University to meet up with alumnae and former staff living in the West Country. Thirteen sat down to a delicious lunch in the boardroom at Reed Hall on the Streatham Campus. The alumnae and former staff ranged from leavers of 1947 to 2011. A couple of the ladies brought their whole-school photographs and a number of the group had fun looking for and finding each other. Liberty Sanders (2011) and Carrie Ashton (2011) were amazed to see boys in the school photo from 1947! Miss Gillian Soper, formerly Head of Geography at St Catherine’s, was delighted that both Liberty and Carrie were currently studying Geography at Exeter. There was lots of discussion about how the school and the house system had changed over the years and many hilarious stories about school dances with the local boys’ schools in the 1940s and 50s.
(L-R) Juliet Ball, Anna Martin (née Griffiths), Sasha Trimbee (née Meader) - 1990s Reunion
“My sister Jancis and I would like to thank you very much for organising the reunion lunch last Thursday. It was really good to meet Old Girls and staff living in the West Country, especially my contemporary, Shirley Runnalls from Cornwall, who I had not seen for a few years. We enjoyed, not only the delicious meal, but the reminiscences around the dining table. It was lovely to meet the two third-year Geographers who had also been at St Catherine's.” Rosalind Smallwood (1953)
Back row: Katie Fawkner-Corbett, Juliet Ball, Sarah Odell, Katharine Stein, Suzy Nowlan Front row: Wendy Snell, Charlotte Porter, Claire Coleman Not pictured: Emma Glancy, Rebecca Coleman
1950s Wendy Faulkner (1958) hosted a reunion at her home in Hampshire in September. The group from the 1950s try to meet a couple of times a year and it is always a very happy event with lots of interesting and amusing tales of the good and bad old days at school.
(Back row: L-R) Mary Brown (née Horton), Ann Maughan (née Hart), Deirdre Kirwan-Taylor, Jane Crawford (née Stotter), Diane Murray (Front row L-R) Jane Griffiths, Wendy Faulkner (née Henshaw)
We always love to hear about and see photographs from any reunions you have. We can also help to put you in touch with other alumnae if you would like to host a reunion. Email: dawn.pilkington@stcatherines.info West Country Lunch
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Fit for a queen! ASSOCIATION DAY 2013 In August three old school friends Sharon Chan-Wei, Christine Liu and Vincy Wong came to visit St Catherine’s, with their families, for the first time since leaving in 1985. As Sharon now lives in Oregon, USA and Christine and Vincy in Hong Kong they decided to meet up for a holiday in the UK.
Sunday 8th September 2013
They had a wonderful morning looking around the school and visiting their old boarding rooms. Their families particularly enjoyed looking at school photos and magazines from the 1980s to see if they could spot one of them. There was lots of laughter from the daughters about their mothers’ clothes and hair-styles in the photos. “ I must take this opportunity to thank you once again for giving us such a good tour of the school, and it certainly brought back such good memories, it was definitely the highlight of our UK trip.” Vincy Wong(1985)
On a showery Sunday at the start of term, former staff and pupils enjoyed meeting up for the annual Association Day. For many, the Chapel is the most memorable building at school and the day started with a service there, taken by the Revd Dr Benji McNair Scott who talked on a theme of ‘Remembering’. Alice Reeves, Choir Prefect, led the Scratch Choir most ably. The retiring collection raised £176 to fund equipment for St Catherine’s School, Nairobi.
“Just wanted to say a quick thank you for such a wonderful visit today. We all had a fantastic time touring the school. It brought back so many fond memories. It’s good to see the school is doing so well and to see its amazing facilities.” Sharon Chan-Wei (1985)
There was more music during coffee from a talented group of current pupils, organised by the Music Prefects Annabelle Yip and Laura McGugan. The mini concert was warmly applauded and thanks must go to all involved.
©Mirrorpix/Pete Mariner
Whilst asking what the ladies have done since leaving St Catherine’s, it emerged that Vincy, a fashion designer, had designed the dress the Duchess of Cambridge wore for her first solo outing - to the National Gallery. The grey fine-lined herringbone twill, woolblend dress was designed for the UK label Jesire and the company had no idea she had purchased it until they saw the press photo below.
The lacrosse match between the School and the Alumnae Teams was well supported and resulted in victory for the alumnae. Emily Fitzsimons (2013 Leaver) had kindly put the Alumnae Team together. The highlight of the school tour was the new Speech Hall Library where enthusiasm for the transformation of the old Hall was voiced by many. Over a delicious roast lunch, we heard about the travel experiences of Laura Daboo, Flo Elliott and Sophie Hughes, all 2012 Leavers, who had benefited from generous Association travel awards. Jane Bolton (née Pilkington) (1982)
(L-R) Flo Elliott (2012), Laura Daboo (2012), Sophie Hughes (2012)
Anne Kelly (née Griggs) (1965)
Diane Burt (Former staff )(2001)
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Development Update Following the successful completion of the Anniversary Halls Sports and Arts Development in 2011, St Catherine’s commissioned IID Architects to undertake a comprehensive site-wide review of facilities for both the Senior School and Preparatory School sites. The first three projects to be undertaken were Little Wood Lodge in the Prep School (completed in May 2013), the Speech Hall Library (completed in September 2013) and the Centenary Building Lecture Theatre refurbishment with new foyer planned for 2015.
Speech Hall Library Work on the Speech Hall Library took place throughout the summer term and many of our parents and pupils took the opportunity to have their first glimpse of the transformation on Speech Day in July. At that stage, the structure was complete but the electrics, partitioning, furnishings and fixtures were still to be installed. When the girls returned to school on 5th September 2013 the Speech Hall Library was ready to be handed over to the sixth formers. Day girls and boarders have very quickly settled into their new home at the heart of the school and are enjoying their new study space. “It’s been wonderful to see how quickly the girls have developed new skills to utilise this amazing space for independent and group study. I have been impressed by their professionalism and dedication to their studies.” Claire Wyllie, Head of Sixth Form “The Speech Hall Library has quickly become the focal point of the school for us in the sixth form; it is an excellent space for both individual and group study.” Lottie U6 “The new seminar rooms are perfect for house drama meetings and it’s lovely to know we're writing ours in a building where so many house plays have been performed in the past.” Laura U6 “The Speech Hall Library provides the perfect workspace for both individuals and groups. The coffee machine is a much-enjoyed privilege for the 6th form!” Emily U6
Centenary Building Lecture Theatre
Annual Fund and Calling Campaign Over the summer holidays 14 former pupils returned for our first ever calling campaign. They contacted alumnae and parents to update them on school news, find out what alumnae have been up to and get feedback from parents on their experience of the school. They also asked people to consider making a regular donation to the Annual Fund in support of current building projects at the school, bursaries for talented young women who would otherwise not be able to come to St Catherine’s, and exceptional pieces of equipment. The campaign was a great success on all levels. It raised over £94,000 for the school and we also received feedback and news from over 800 people. This was excellent work experience for the alumnae who took part in the campaign; their enthusiasm and passion for their Alma Mater certainly contributed to the success of the campaign. We thank them all.
Cat’s Call Room in action!
The objectives of this development are to improve access to the lecture theatre for all pupils aged 4 to 18, as well as for wheelchair users, at ground-floor level via a new open-plan glass foyer attached to the Centenary Building. This space is also perfectly positioned at the edge of the school grounds to use for parent briefings, village lectures and Prep School year group lectures. The proposals seek to blend traditional materials, such as a facing brick plinth to match the existing building, with a modern palette reflecting the recent building developments on the site. The dynamic roof, which ascends from the new entrance door up around the corner gable end of the existing building, seeks to reflect the form of the roof over the entrance to the Anniversary Halls. Inside, the seating will be brought up to the standard of the Auditorium with new audio-visual equipment, ceiling and decoration.
Supporting the School If you would like to know more about development at the school or would like to make a donation to St Catherine’s, please contact Jo Dowling, Foundation Director on 01483 899754, email jo.dowling@stcatherines.info or visit our website at www.stcatherines.info/ development
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the association Out & About
Young Rider Programme
Laura Normand (Leaver 2012) writes: From the very start of my gap year, I set my sights on being selected for the GB U21 Eventing Squad, with the hope of then being one of six chosen to represent GB at the Young Rider European Championships held in Jardy, France in September. The first trial was held at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, in May, where my lovely 11-year-old horse Vardigo and I pulled out a great dressage test and even better cross country round – at our first attempt at CCI** level – to secure a place on the squad. This meant I was invited to a week of intensive training in July, to include talks from team psychologists and the Senior Team trainer, which was an invaluable experience. The final trial at Somerford Park in August was another successful competition for Vardigo, although sadly knocking down one unlucky pole in the show jumping round meant we were not to be picked as part of the team. Even though this was disappointing, I have been so proud of Vardigo this year as he has given me his all at every event. We still have another two years left in the U21 programme, and so I am looking forward to an even more exciting season in 2014!
Coach co-ordinators At the beginning of October the school hosted a thank you lunch for the six mums Mrs Waterman, Mrs Skirrow, Mrs Martin, Mrs Taylor, Mrs Rankin and Mrs Romano - who give up their time to organise and run the school buses. This is an invaluable service for the many families whose girls travel to and from school by bus/coach. It was also a chance for the ladies to share their experiences with each other and to discuss with senior members of staff how the school might be able to support them further. Sarah Martin is standing down after 10 years of organising the Oxshott coach and was presented with some flowers and a small token of appreciation by Mrs Phillips for all her hard work. Trudy Rankin is retiring from her position as the Farnham coach co-ordinator at Christmas. If you are interested in taking over the organisation of either of these routes, please contact the School Office.
Trudi Jones On 25th September we were delighted to welcome back Trudi Jones (née Drake, Leaver 1993), who came to school on a humanities fact-finding mission. Trudi is Head of Humanities at Dubai College, where she works with her husband, and visited St Catherine’s to observe history lessons and meet members of staff to understand how we approach teaching history at the school. It had been a few years since Trudi last visited and it was a pleasure to introduce her to industry peers and show her round the school. Trudi commented that “it’s really lovely to see the parts of the school that have barely changed at all, like the Chapel, Dining Room and classrooms, alongside the wonderful new developments of the Anniversary Halls and the Speech Hall Library”.
World Cup Lacrosse
Laura Merrifield
At the beginning of July the England Women's Lacrosse Team headed out to Canada for the World Cup Championships. Following a four-year preparation full of great opportunities, fun and tough times, the squad of 18 athletes began their exciting tournament journey. Sarah Taylor (a St Catherine’s Old Girl), stepped onto the field alongside Miss Merrifield (a current PE teacher at St Catherine's). The tournament is split into pools A and B. England were in the top 5 countries in the world which gave them a position in Pool A. They played seven tough matches in ten days against America, Australia, Canada and Wales. They fought in some hard games with the closest being the Bronze medal match. Unfortunately, England lost to Australia putting them in fourth place. This was a tough position to be in but England Lacrosse has learnt a lot from the experience. Miss Merrifield and Sarah Taylor were some of the top goal scorers on the England Team. Miss Merrifield was also selected for the 2013 FIL All-World Team and was awarded Player of the Match in the game against Wales.
A Charming Cat!
Trudi Jones (née Drake)
Designed by Sophie Prentice (2013 Leaver, who is now studying Marketing and Fashion at Leeds University), the third in our series of bespoke sterling silver charms is a most adorable cat. Sophie’s design for Musgrave won a special class in the 2012 House Art competition, judged by former pupil and jewellery designer, Lauren Westwood. The ‘cat’ charm will soon be available from the School Shop, priced £16, and is a delightful addition to the wheel and LUGO charms. Contact the Shop on +44 (0) 1483 899709 or by emailing school.shop@stcatherines.info
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All’s well that ends well Beth MacCulloch writes: St Catherine’s has had a very long association with the Peckham Settlement in London. Visits have been made to their building in Goldsmith Road and they have made annual trips to St Catherine’s. It was during one of these visits that I met Peggy Weller, the Leader of the Friday Club, a remarkable lady and now a good friend of ours. It came as a great shock, therefore, to hear in 2012 that the old Peckham Settlement Building had been condemned. The Association was delighted to hear later that year that the Vicar of St John’s Church in Peckham had very kindly offered the ladies a room for their Club meetings on a Friday afternoon.
her second-in-command, Lily, herself 84 years-old, but all we had to do was set out the lunch they had prepared earlier and have a good chat. Their ‘end of term’ treat was voted a great success, after all the trials and tribulations of the previous year, and I travelled home that day full of admiration for Peggy, Lily and all the members of the Friday Club. Peggy and Lily hard at work
Katherine Stocks, the Association’s former Director, and I were very pleased to accept the Friday Club’s kind invitation to their Christmas party last year. It ended with a Bingo Session – quite an experience! We were able to report back to the Association that the members of the Club were doing well and it was agreed that we would continue to help our old friends. I was understandably very pleased to accept, on behalf of the Association, their kind invitation to a lunch on 26th July this year at St John’s Church, Peckham. I was quite ready to lend a helping hand to the redoubtable 101-year-old Peggy and
Eleanor, Jasmine & Nadia Morad
Can you beat this… The summer term 2013 marked the end of the Rigby/Morad family’s 25-year connection with St Catherine’s, and specifically with Ashcombe House. Charlotte Rigby joined the school in U3 in 1988 leaving in U6 in 1995, and her sister Hannah Rigby started in 1991 and left in 1998. Their cousin Eleanor Morad then started in 1998 leaving in 2005 and she was closely followed by her sisters, Nadia 2000-2007, and Jasmine 2006-13.
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Since leaving St Catherine’s, Charlotte has qualified as a corporate and charity lawyer, but she is currently at home bringing up two children. Her sister, Hannah, is a commercial lawyer working for dmg media. Eleanor Morad is a doctor in Brighton, Nadia is a teacher in Southampton and Jasmine has just finished school and is studying Geography at Exeter. Can your family beat this record for time spent at school, or perhaps you have had three generations of the same family at St Catherine’s? We would love to hear your stories.
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Well done Emily…. We are delighted to announce that Emily Zaborski has been awarded Sports Personality of the Year at Exeter University. Emily has captained the 1st Lacrosse team for the three years she has been at Exeter and in 2011 she captained Scotland in the U19 World Championships. Having gained her degree in Classics she is staying at Exeter to study for a Masters in International Management. "I'm really chuffed to have been awarded Sports Personality of the Year. I have had so much fun over the last three years getting involved with sport at Exeter, and I'm so lucky to have been awarded this prize. The lacrosse here and my involvement with Scotland have been fantastic over the last three years, and is something I will certainly never forget when I leave university."
Award for Tia Kuchmy We are delighted to announce that Tia Kuchmy, Head of Woodwind, qualified as a Jungian analyst in April this year. She is now a full member of The Independent Group of Analytical Psychologists, London (IGAP), The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and The International Association of Analytical Psychologists (IAAP) “I celebrated by attending the IAAP Triennial Congress in Copenhagen in August – the experience of a lifetime! I am already saving up for the next one, to be held in Kyoto in 2016.”
London to Paris via St Catherine’s Hannah Cary (Leaver 2009): On the 29th June this year, my father and I set off from Hampton Court to begin the first leg of our London to Paris cycle in aid of the charity International Childcare Trust. Our bespoke ride for a group of 25 combined beautiful scenery with exercise, cycling the rolling hills that took us from the south coast of England into northern France. The route was planned to take us straight through Bramley to join the old railway line. A quick water stop and a photo outside St Cat’s and we were back on our bikes! Cycling 330 miles over just 4 days made for a challenging ride in parts, but the sense of achievement when we cycled through Paris to reach Notre Dame was extremely rewarding and the glass of champagne that was waiting for us was very welcome! It was a fantastic adventure and we raised £25,000 for a wonderful charity that supports children across Africa and Asia, giving them opportunities in life they would not otherwise have had.
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Old Girls Online
The Association has its own section on the school website which includes Births, Marriages, Obituaries, Forthcoming Events, Reunions, Association Day, Association Choir, Travel Awards and more. Please do keep your contact, graduation, professional and personal details up to date on Old Girls Online which is accessed via the website.
Prayer Group The St Catherine’s Prayer Group started back in October 2002 following the vision of a lady belonging to one of the Guildford churches that every school should be supported in prayer. This vision is still shared in the whole of the UK by the organisation “Pray for Schools” (www.prayforschools.org). The prayer group started with just two parents whose daughters were pupils at the Senior School and now it has 28 members. More recently Prep School parents have been getting involved as well. We meet on two or three occasions each term with the aim of supporting the school in three ways. Primarily in prayer: specifically and confidentially for the needs of staff and pupils as well as for school projects. Secondly, we support the Christian Union ‘Explore’ group in a practical way by providing cakes for each weekly meeting. Finally, each Christmas we host a lunch with an inspirational speaker for parents who are interested in participating in a more social context. This year we are hoping to welcome Fiona Castle (widow of Roy Castle) as guest speaker. Our regular meetings, advertised in The Wheel and Cat’s Eyes, are held at a Bramley home on a Friday afternoon. We meet for tea, coffee and cake, study and prayer. Recently we have been using a helpful resource, Wisdom for Mothers, to help us understand what the Bible says about parenting and family life. We have also spent a day together considering various aspects of marriage. We would very much welcome anyone who would like to join us. Please contact Ruth Allan on ruth@familyallan.co.uk or Rachel du Plessis rach@pilgrimshalt.com.
Racing around the Island! St Catherine’s girls finish in the top half of 2013 Round the Island race The 2013 Round the Island Race on 1st June was another day to remember for 50 students, teachers, parents and friends from St Catherine’s. The famous event, dubbed ‘the race for all’, is one of the largest mass participation sporting events in the UK, attracting first-timers, families and amateurs, as well as Olympian and professional sailors such as Sir Ben Ainslie. This year, a fleet of 1,459 boats entered the race from Cowes, sailing around the Isle of Wight anticlockwise and finishing back in Cowes. The conditions were breezy and challenging, but the five boats entered by St Cat’s were undaunted. There was a distinctly competitive vibe between the home crews this year, which is the third time the school has entered. Our fleet comprised a boat of eight LV girls and teachers, two of Senior School dads, one of Prep School dads, and one of mums, affectionately known as the ‘quiche and cakes’ boat. A tense pre-dawn start saw the water bristling with masts and the air ripe with adrenalin, the crews contended with a northerly wind averaging 20 knots, and punchy gusts in the mid 20s on the south side of the island. Spinnakers were raised by the brave, a decision regretted by some. Our five boats jostled for position over what was an average 8 hour race, but all returned elated and triumphant, each for their own particular reasons. One father had good cause to be grateful for the RNLI, having been washed overboard wrestling with an unruly spinnaker. Happily for all, his spirit, if not his clothing, remained intact. At the Saturday evening celebration curry, prizes, spoof prizes and trophies were presented by the five professional skippers and by parents Lynn and Paul Narraway who organised the event for St Catherine’s. Lynn thanked all who sailed, those who helped organise the event and particularly parents Simon Wakefield and Fraser Skirrow for their generous funding and support. The St Catherine’s Corinthian Cup went to Starboard! crewed by Senior School dads, followed home by Port, Mums and Girls. Unfortunately, the Prep School boat was disqualified as they failed to finish with the same number of crew as they started with!
Saturday 28th June 2014 The Association’s 10th Anniversary Ball
Appeal for Volunteers 2014 is the 10th Anniversary of the launch of The Association and to celebrate this wonderful milestone we are organising a black tie ball in the school grounds. To make this a night to remember we are looking for volunteers for the Ball Committee and the various sub- committees needed to organise such an event: advertising, ticket sales, auction, flowers, music, catering – the list goes on. If you are interested and think you could help in any way, no matter how small, please get in touch by emailing: dawn.pilkington@stcatherines.info
St Catherine’s Association, Bramley, Guildford, Surrey, GU5 0DF Tel: +44 (0)1483 899751 Email: dawn.pilkington@stcatherines.info Web: www.stcatherines.info Headmistress Mrs A M Phillips MA (Cantab)