St Marys Calne Oxygen 2013 by St Mary's Calne

MAGAZINE OF ST MARY ’S CALNE

OXYGEN the essence of life at St Mary’s

2012 - 2013

OXYGEN the essence of life at St Mary’s

Oxygen captures the energy and ethos of St Mary’s Calne and is inspired by scientist Joseph Priestley, who discovered oxygen in Calne in 1774.

News 01

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From the Headmistress In the Library Lecture Series Careers Conference Company News Chapel News Founders’ Day Charity Activities Young Enterprise Freeze - The Student Magazine The Calne Foundation Trust Enrichment Weeks Farewell to Dr Helen Wright Examination Results Leavers’ Destinations Lily Ball Consider The Lilies - A History of St Mary’s Calne

Sports Reports 08

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Sports Reports Lacrosse Inter-Company Sports Day Equestrian Events Hockey Sail Racing Rowing Fencing Cross Country Tennis Swimming Athletics Skiing Netball

Trips and Expeditions 02

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Reviews

Wiltshire SN11 0DF Telephone: 01249 857200 Fax: 01249 857207 Email: office@stmaryscalne.org www.stmaryscalne.org

Geography Trip to Iceland Classics Trip to Greece LIV Form Activity Week in Bude Challenge & Adventure History of Art Trip to Paris Lacrosse USA Tour History of Art Trip to Florence Duke of Edinburgh’s Award French Trip to St Malo

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Consider the Lilies Art Exhibition Centre Stage LAMDA Results The Music Scene Music Examination Results Hamlet Art Forum Artist in Residence

From the Headmistress I can hardly believe that it has been only two terms since I had the privilege to become the headmistress of this great school. Everything about it has fully borne out my first impression – it’s so difficult to capture what makes a school community special, but there is no doubt that this is what the girls, staff, parents and governors achieve here, day in, day out. One of the things that makes the school special is the breadth and depth of our activities, as this edition of Oxygen shows, from Enrichment Weeks and curriculum trips to achievements in the Arts and on the sports field. Along with the excellent

examination results, this puts our girls in the best possible position to meet the challenges of a fast-changing world. In this our 140th year, we can only imagine what lies ahead – but St Mary’s Calne girls will be fantastically equipped to make their full contribution.

May I congratulate everyone who features in the pages of Oxygen on their achievements during the year, and sincerely thank all those who made them possible. I hope you enjoy reading about – or reliving – them!

Dr Felicia Kirk BA (University of Maryland), MA (Brown University), PhD (Brown University)

Trips & Expeditions - Iceland

As 58 LV and LVI Form Geographers trudged through the gloom of a chilly Calne night, they were heartened by the knowledge that this would be the last dark night that they would see for four days. The intrepid band started their journey to the enigmatic land of the midnight sun as they started their Geography fieldtrip to Iceland. After a slightly bumpy flight, the highly organised and efficient ground crew in Reykjavik were able to serve up our baggage within minutes, but were unable to deliver weather any more pleasant than icy sideways rain. Unperturbed, the group continued their journey to Gunnuhver hot springs,

the first site on the island to give away the fiery secrets at its heart. 100 degree Celsius boiling mud pools and sulphur stained fumaroles betrayed the lava pools hidden just below the surface and the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest in this unique environment was awoken. The girls looked with moderate trepidation out of the coach window at the unnerving rocky moonscape. The Reykjanes peninsula is the vehicle testing ground of choice for

NASA and most other space agencies for this very reason. However, smiles spread like wildfire through the coach at the first glimpse of the spectacular geothermally heated pools of the Blue Lagoon. The piercing azure waters and swirling mists took away the stresses of the long journey, helped along by much hilarity at the silica mud facemasks sported by all.

...100 degree Celsius boiling mud pools a nd sulphur stained fuma roles betraye d the lava poo ls hidden just below the su rface...

Reinvigorated by the healing waters and breaking cloud, the group went on to the capital for an almost too competitive game or two of bowling. Our hopes of winning were quickly dashed by the banditry of Team Froggatt and their chief ringer Eleanor Harrison. From here, we went to the renowned Hamburgerfabrikkan in central Reykjavik where, after much repetition of meal orders, the group tucked into reassuringly thick burgers and satisfyingly thick slabs of chocolate cake. Now flagging, we made our way through the uplands of the southern interior of Iceland to the one horse town of Selfoss. Fortunately, the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s owner had built a splendid 4* hotel alongside the stunning Hvita river and we were all pleased to be introduced to our beds and news of Wimbledon on satellite BBC coverage. The morning took us, in awe, to the Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls; our enjoyment and understanding only furthered by talk of exotic but terrifying JĂśkulhlaups and the immense scale of isostatic uplift in the region.

Trips & Expeditions - Iceland

fieldwork on the e girls conducted th , on fore no er aft e In th ajokull glacier, be in of the Solheim pla h as ice tw d ou an g ns hin po astonis their cram to the ice to don on y on wa ke ta eir th to y making she was read commented that tt rio e ar ad M m y p Lil ou axes axeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The gr r â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;croutons and ice nes the world with he moraines, dirt co of understanding eir th in ep d de ar re rw fo plo leaps able to ex me girls were even so d l, an te s, ho lin e ou th m and change at e ice. After a quick th in Icelandic s er ve pp ca su ice ip inside arty fish and ch he a t gh ou br r ou fayre. a visit to the harb tead of the usual catch monkfish ins y da e m sa th wi style, e us stunning views the next day to giv gh ou , the en d ne te ss waterfall. Here The weather brigh en route to Gulfo r cie gla e ll rg ku go jo ng ng a 2.5 km lo of the gleaming La saltic overhangs in ba er ov ll m sti 70 t s ion, bu Hvita River tumble imary data collect continued their pr rm Fo wing mist cloud LV lo e bil Th e . th re of fissu otos in front ph p ou gr y an m made time to take cataract. generated in the ake for all such Geysir, the names to ive dr t or sh a release of boiling From here, it was power of the rapid e th d se es tn wi e particularly wellfeatures. The girls rth, showering on ea e th ur, in h pt de ous water. Strokk water from a 20m e needling sulphur th th wi s ls te gir inu m lne n d every seve timed arrival of Ca in the area, pulse er ys ge e d. tiv lan ac Ice in all of the only remaining biggest attraction reputation as the its to up ed liv d an

...we were glad of the tight seals when entering th e mysteriously icy 2 deg ree waters of the fissure sy stem of the Mid Atlantic ridge .

The group th en split and jo urneyed to ei for white wat ther Drumbo er rafting, or Si lfra for dry su The rafting cr it snorkelling. ews made thei r way down th river through e swollen grade 3 rapids , pausing only 9m cliffs into to jump the the torrent. T he greatest ch the snorkelers allenge for was probably putting on th though we w e dry suits, ere glad of th e tig ht seals when the mysteriou entering sly icy 2 degr ee waters of system of the the fissure Mid Atlantic ri dge. The grou through the fis p drift-dived sure looking do wn in astonish the milky blue ment at of the 100m deep rift in th before daring e earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crus their own, slig t, htly smaller, cl the crystal clea iff jump into r water. A fantastic m eal in the hote l restaurant, fo emotional pr llowed by an izegiving from th e staff, was fo a deep and re llowed by stful sleep; th ough still not judging by the qu ite enough tired faces on the morning The beautiful coach journe clear blue sky y. slowly woke we were able us up and to exploit fully the engaging Hellisheidi Geo lecture at thermal Power Station. The senior among more us were very jealous of the system of usin Ic el andic g geothermal ly heated wat pavements an er un derneath d driveways in the capital to and ice in the th aw snow winter, effort free. Back at the ca pital, we witn essed arguably view on the is the finest land. The uniq ue vista from Perlan gave a th e top of stunning pers pective of the Reykjavik, and id io syncratic then a quick st op at the impo cathedral prec si ng eded the oppo rtunity for th explore the ci e gi rl s to ty and take in some culture . A typically sm ooth transitio n through Kefl and the relativ avik airport e luxury of Ic elandair soften sadness of leav ed the ing such a won derful place, an comforted by d all were the prospect of the impend rest with frie ing period of nds and family . Mr Dan Curra n Head of Geo graphy

Reviews - Cork Street

During the last week of October, if you walked down to the bottom of Bond Street and along into Cork Street, you would find numerous fashionable galleries on either side of the street full of paintings and sculptures. If you paused at Number 27, you would have been greeted by a brightly coloured oil painting of woodland - beautiful yellows, oranges and blues - below this was displayed a selection of ceramics. It was only when you entered the gallery and looked at the catalogue did it begin to dawn that this was no ordinary gallery, but that it was showing the work of St Mary’s Calne students past and present. Consider the Lilies… was a celebration of years of artistic endeavour both in and out of the St Mary’s Art School. The youngest participant was Poppy Amberg from LIV Form, our Junior Art Scholar, and the oldest artist left school in 1950. Many visitors commented that it was by no means easy to tell what had been made by our young artists and what had been made professionally; this was one of the outstanding qualities of the show. The paintings and sculptures were grouped by theme. At the back of the upper gallery – bright, almost luminescent, paintings of flowers on a hugely ambitious scale dominated the space, totally holding their own against the work of acclaimed artist and former pupil Endellion Lycett Green. There were some really striking portrait paintings from Abah Sagoe and members of the UVI Form, such as Sophie Soar and Lucy Stratton (UVI Form Art Scholar), hung next to Sarah Cosby’s stunning picture of Boris Johnson. Opposite could be seen Arabella Dorman’s very engaging picture of ‘Ernesto’. Many of

our artists go on to the Charles Cecil Atelier in Florence with great success. Daisy SimsHilditch is studying there at present, but she had time to complete the fabulous portrait of Dr Helen Wright before she left. This was unveiled on the Monday to much acclaim and now hangs alongside the other portraits of our former Headmistresses. Many other highlights were to be found, including a beautiful selection of sculptures from former pupils, landscapes painted by members of the current LVI Form, ceramics created by Sophia Guinness in LVI Form and many others. Work by Lucy Humphries (Junior Scholar) and Jess Davies from UIV Form, as well as Patricia Montalvo Hernandez from MIV Form, were amongst the most sought after in the exhibition. The lower gallery was also bursting with exciting artwork. Beautiful botanical works by current and former pupils created a really stunning wall of drawings and small paintings. More portraiture, landscape paintings, interior paintings and textile work were also to be found. The UV Form sculptors were responsible for an interactive display of withy sculpture which was much enjoyed by our younger visitors. The four evening receptions were absolutely buzzing and drew visitors from the street, as well as parents, artists, friends, relations, art dealers and collectors, journalists, Old Girls and staff, and during the day we were

visited by many more. During the course of the week, we ran drawing workshops for several London Preparatory Schools, giving the pupils the opportunity to look at an exciting range of artwork first-hand and to respond by making a series of studies. The pupils were all, without exception, totally and utterly inspired – drawing away, recording in immense detail what they saw around them, visitors happily stepping over them as they lay sprawled on the floor! It was an inspirational week. All participants can now consider themselves thoroughly valid artists and they should be congratulated on the incredibly high standards that they achieved. Many pieces were sold and many offers made on current pupils’ work; all contributions received from the sale of works and from other donations were given to The Calne Foundation Trust. The show raised the profile of St Mary’s artists amongst all members of the school and its community, and we very much look forward to many more exciting exhibitions in the future... Watch this space! Mrs Rebecca Spicer Art Teacher

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Sports Reports

Sports Awards

Sports Reports The Olympic legacy continues to burn brightly at St Mary’s and, just as nationally participation in sport grows, perhaps it does more so here at Calne. Of the 340 girls in the school this academic year, 253 represented the school and, of those in the Fifth and Sixth Form who chose not to, many have taken advantage of the fitness suite and classes; sport for all must be as much about participation as it is about excellence at the top. Our leaving UVI Form have left a hard act to follow and Games Captain, Alice Edgedale, and her Vice Captain, Maddi Nadiotis, have together led the school in a truly dedicated, determined and good-humoured manner. As a British player wins Wimbledon, likewise there have been a number of new records and achievements made by St Mary’s girls, both collectively and individually. This year has been the first time in the competition’s new format that our 1st Lacrosse Team qualified for the Premiership Division for the top 14 schools, they then proceeded to beat St Swithun’s and Sherborne and draw with Guildford High and Wycombe Abbey. Our U14 Netball Team qualified for the Regionals in Bournemouth and Yasmin Watling was the first girl since Natasha Thompson in 2007 to compete in the ESAA National Athletics Finals in Birmingham, competing in the 1500m.

In April, we celebrated many individual successes, as well as progress in our major sports, at our Sports Presentation Dinner, with guest speaker Pamela Cookey, England Netball Captain, presenting the awards. However, it is also important to recognise the girls’ outstanding achievements outside school: Jessica Mendoza, a member of the British Eventing’s World Class Development Programme, recently put in a crucial ‘anchor rider’ performance to go double clear to secure a silver medal for the British Junior Show Jumping Team at their European Championships in Spain. Meanwhile in Italy, Franziska Goess-Saurau also represented Great Britain and finished 12th individually at the European Pony Eventing Championships. Lucy Rogers competed in the Under 25 National Dressage Championships in August at ‘young rider’ level (age group 16-25). She came in the top four in the Young Rider Derby Championships on both days of the qualifiers, narrowly missing out on qualifying for the finals. She also finished equal fourth in the national elementary class. She has been invited onto the British Young Rider Dressage Scheme (BYRDS) National High Performance Training squad for the second year.

Senior

Intermediate

Outstanding Maddi Nadiotis

Outstanding Olivia King

Sportsmanship Zoë Spicer

Sportsmanship Rebecca Randall

Endeavour Alice Edgedale

Endeavour Isabella Tottenham

Junior Outstanding Jemima Brown Sportsmanship Annabel O’Grady Endeavour Iona Westwood

Clementine Wood finished 2nd in the U18 Combined Skiing at the GB Independent Schoolgirls’ Skiing Championships in Flaine. Henrietta and Verity Page continue to move up the ranks in their field of Synchronised Swimming and we have our first open cold water specialist in Felicity Challinor, who competed in a cross-Channel swim relay team during the summer holiday. Sport at St Mary’s is in a very healthy state and only looking to improve; our legacy must be even bolder than Lord Coe’s! Mrs Heidi Marvin Director of Sport

ve the standard It is one thing to set targets to impro achieve it, is of lacrosse year on year, but actually to le successes. another. At all levels there were notab

Led by the whole-heartedly committed Cressida Cox and her ten loyal, enthusiastic and determined UVI Form team mates, we all had much to aspire to. At every level there were hard fought victories, significant performances and an obvious increase in achievement. In short, this has arguably been the most successful season in the history of St Mary’s lacrosse. Every junior team (U12-U15) finished in the top five at the South West Schools Tournament, the U15 XII won the Welsh Rally and 29 girls were selected to represent Dorset and Wiltshire at either U19 or U15. Six girls continued their training with Centex and two girls represented Wales, but our undeniable highlight was our performance from U14 to 1st Team at the Rathbone’s National Schools Tournament. There was a mixture of huge excitement and quiet anticipation amongst the lacrosse teams in the run up to the Rathbone’s National Schools Tournament. Match results had generally been going our way all season and we wanted to prove a point on a larger scale.

Day 1: The 1st XII were drawn in arguably the toughest section, alongside local big guns Downe House and Queen Anne’s, but first we needed to win our opening game. Bolton High was not going to be easy and, after the score was still 0-0 at half time, we did well not to panic. The defence remained strong, before Annabel Wright scored the vital opener and winner, getting us off to a promising start. We then went 4-1 up against St Albans, only for them to claw back in a nail-biting finish to 4-3. Thankfully, our matches against Queen Anne’s and Downe House brought out the very best in us. Organised and disciplined in defence, and dynamic and skilful in attack, we took both schools to thrilling draws. Wins against Dunotter and St Catherine’s 3rd Teams followed. To remain unbeaten on this first day was a considerable achievement and into the Championship Division we strode. Day 2: Saturday could so easily have been a disaster against the top schools in the country but, oh, what a day! We rose to every challenge, were outstanding in defence and patient in attack, and showed immense self-belief and mental toughness. Despite a loss against Godolphin (the eventual champions) we beat St Swithun’s and Sherborne, and drew with Guildford High

and Wycombe Abbey, finishing fourth in one of the two sections and, therefore, one of the top eight schools nationally. I could not have asked for more or been more proud of the efforts and performances of this team.

Meanwhile, over the road, the 2nd Team had played their way into the semi-final of the 1st division. After a tough first day and a blip against St George’s Harpenden, the team came back to play phenomenally well, producing three back-to-back shut out wins. The fourth match was the toughest of the day, up against the top team in the division, Berkhamsted, ending in a draw. This was enough to secure the runner-up place in the section and advance to the semis against Haberdashers’ Aske’s. Despite a runaway goal from Ella Hamblin, Haberdashers’ came back and scored the winner in the final few minutes. The whole 2nd Team can be very proud of their efforts.

Sports Reports - Lacrosse

Day 3 was the turn of the U14s; it was the first ever National Schools Championship for this age group and hopes were high for this promising St Mary’s team. The girls got off to a great start, beating Queen Anne’s 5-0 and proceeded to romp through the draw. The pressure was on as only one team would progress to the semi-finals and we first needed to beat Caterham. Often in sport there are matches we want to replay and do differently, and this was certainly the case here. Losing 1-3, we weren’t outplayed, we simply didn’t take our chances. After scoring 27 goals and conceding only two in the six matches, this team didn’t deserve to

we forced the attack and swung at tackles in defence, conceding four unnecessary goals. The girls learnt much from this defeat and turned it around to play more as a team in the following matches. Queen Margaret’s beat Queen Anne’s and we needed to beat them to qualify for the quarter finals. 2-1 up with minutes to go, it was looking good and the girls were playing brilliantly. A forced shot in our attacking end gave the ball away and down it came and succumbed under the pressure. Sadly, a draw was not enough; however, these girls have the skill, speed and determination to compete at the highest level and they learnt much from the experience. The culmination of the season for the U13 and U12 Teams was the South West Tournament, amidst Spring Concert rehearsals and adverse weather conditions. The U13s enjoyed a fantastic morning of play, unbeaten

go out of the tournament. It was some consolation that we hadn’t done that badly, but we all secretly knew what could have been on a different day.

The U15s boarded the bus full of hope and ambition. In the sunshine, and in good voice, the team got off to a great start, beating Dunotter 5-0. However, we needed to make the ball do the work and conserve energy if we were to get through the day on top. We knew Berkhamsted would be tough and we needed a win. The pressure got to us and

in the group stages and qualifying for the Premier Division. However, with an already depleted squad, and after sustaining a few injuries, we lost momentum in the final group. Nonetheless, the team only missed out by the odd goal against other top schools. Meanwhile, the U12 A Team played exceptionally well throughout the day and

were on course for a momentous victory. Unbeaten in the morning, dominant in both attack and defence, the team was gelling nicely and showed lots of flair and tenacity when transitioning the ball. The afternoon was a lot tougher, as it should be in the premier division and, but for an unfortunate error in the decider against Downe House, the top spot might have been theirs for the taking. The girls proved their resilience and skill against stiff competition and persevered until the very last whistle. This is yet another set of rising stars and we hope to nurture their talents into something even better next year. Success has been hugely enjoyable, but we have to be careful we do not rest on our laurels. Our opposition will expect more from us next year and we will have to work doubly hard. I have every confidence that with many on Summer Camps and a squad tour to the USA, we will be up for the challenge in September. Mrs Heidi Marvin Director of Sport

DORSET AND WILTSHIRE COUNTY SELECTION 2012-2013 U19A XII Florence Cain Emily Clarke Olivia Erwin Chloe Hayward Maddi Nadiotis Isabella Steel Annabel Wright Iona Westwood SOUTH WEST SQUAD 2013 Emily Clarke

U19B XII Cressida Cox Florence Dove Eleanor Dove Olivia King Eleanor Nye Lucy Rogers Taya Sellers

U15A XII Jemima Brown Hannah Drew Tabitha Ellis Hebe Field Kamilla Guileva Georgina Higgins (Co-C) Isabella Warner

SENIOR WALES B 2013 Zoë Spicer

U15B XII Isobel Smith (Co-Capt) Bonnie Bartlett Isabelle Cain Jessica Enthoven Beatrice Nash Juliet Purdy Laura Steel

U19A WALES Annabel Wright 11

Trips & Expeditions - Greece

Classics Trip to

Greece St Mary’s Fifth and Sixth Form Classicists travelled to Greece from 7th – 10th March 2013. 12

A 3am departure was no problem for these intrepid travellers and they were rewarded with a full English breakfast at Heathrow Airport. The flight was a good chance to catch up on sleep and we were ready for sight-seeing after the girls received some very impressive examination results that morning! Day one took us to the Corinthian Canal - a masterpiece of Victorian engineering - and all the way to Ancient Olympia, where we stayed in a lovely hotel which provided delicious food. Unfortunately, the Greeks decided to stage a 24 hour strike to all archaeological sites on day two, which resulted in a slight change to our plans and itinerary. We saw Olympia from outside the perimeter fence, but actually managed to get a good sense of it as we walked to the monument of Pierre Coubertin who restarted the games as we know them today. Tiryns had not been in our original plans, but it was good to see this palace of

Diomedes, the second best fighter on the Greek side in the Trojan War, before arriving at Nauplion where the girls climbed 999 steps to the Venetian fortress at the top of the hill. That night we stayed at Tolon, by the sea, and indulged in an evening of Greek folk dancing which was both energetic and fun! We were back on track by day three. The sun came out and was perfect for our visit to the Theatre of Dionysus, with its excellent acoustics, and the Asclepion at Epidaurus, and also to Mycenae to see where Agamemnon was murdered in his bath by his wife, Clytemnestra, on his return from the Trojan War. After arriving in Athens, we visited a Greek Orthodox Church and then indulged in Carnival festivities. The evening was spent at the Piraeus (the port) in Athens before sinking into our beds! The final day took us

to the Parthenon and the Acropolis and then to see the great artefacts at the National Archaeological Museum. A restful lunch in a restaurant and some shopping time in the Plaka area completed what for us was a fantastic and memorable trip. Mrs Elizabeth Rothwell Head of Classics

Reviews - Centre Stage

Centre Stage ‘To be or not to be...’ From the Elizabethan universe to the Georgian Drawing Room. From Four Star Fringe Reviews to a new RADA star. From the beauty of performance and the fun of preparation to a little ‘rough magic’... ‘Theatre at its best throws out moments of ‘rough magic’: a line, a stage effect, even a wordless gesture that can linger in the memory for years and still send a shiver through you.’ (David Smith in The Observer)

to UVI Form - with a rehearsal schedule of seven weeks? Hamlet, the greatest and most complex of all revenge tragedies and one of the greatest plays in world literature, challenges us to contemplate the nature of human existence. No actor in the magnificent double ensemble – and few members of the audience – could fail to be affected by the profundity of the drama, played out skilfully by the two casts, golden second by golden second, with moments of glorious insight – transporting us across the Elizabethan universe to the post-modern world we inhabit today. The whole process of education, the transformative experience inherent in performing the text of Hamlet is profound, as we discovered for ourselves, cast and crew, ‘climbing and descending the scales of (human) meaning.’ (Peter Brook)

Peter Brook, the great director and man of theatre, likened these moments to ‘golden fish’ – beautiful, fleeting, magical – when both actor and audience realise ‘deep insights into the fabric of reality’. When I reflect on this past year in The Delscey Burns Theatre and in other professional theatre venues where we have performed, I am struck by the number and intensity of such wonderful dramatic moments created by our actors in a whole range of productions. We have an extraordinary wealth of talent at St Mary’s Calne and the support of a great educational community which recognises the importance of theatre and creativity, and why they must claim their proper place – centre stage.

‘To be, or not to be...’, ‘What a piece of work is a man’, ‘...to thine own self be true’, and all those other immortal lines, will live with us forever, as will the brilliant performances led by the remarkable Hamlets, Olivia Gosling and Matilda Ellis, both Sixth Form Drama Scholars and Founders’ Day Drama prizewinners. The maturity of Matilda’s performance and her command of this towering central role was a wonder to behold. It will remain in my theatre memory as one of Calne’s greatest performances, ranking alongside Emma Pearce’s portrayal of John

Which other school would contemplate and support the ambitious staging of a double production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet with two casts – period and contemporary – involving over one hundred pupils from MIV

Proctor in the 2005 production of The Crucible. There were, of course, other sensational performances, such as Charlotte Bell and Ella May (Claudius), Holly Bishop and Hannah Raymond-Cox (Gertrude), Elle Curzon Green and Nyasha Mugavazi (Horatio), Juliet Baker and Hebe Field (Ophelia), Jessica Enthoven and Sophie Perry (Laertes) and the phenomenal Marina Jodrell and Victoria Price giving two very different but equally comic and poignant portrayals of Polonius. Helping the audience live through the horror of the final scenes, the four gravediggers (Matilda Jacobs, Chessie Lamb, Claudia Meissner and Matilda Scott-Bowden) provided wonderful Gothic comic relief. Of course, the success of Hamlet, as with any great production, is always underpinned by a superb production team. In Autumn 2012, our backstage/wardrobe team was led by the legendary Mrs Debs Price. Hamlet was to be her finale at Calne – a fitting exit for someone who had shown us all how to live, how to strive to do our best and how to make every precious golden moment count. In our hearts and minds she lives on – a brilliant inspiration. One might think that the massive endeavour of Hamlet 2012 would preclude other significant projects from taking place during the Autumn Term. Not so.

Led by Mrs Rhiannon Davies, the UIV Form also participated in the National Shakespeare Schools’ Festival, taking their terrific abridged version of Macbeth to The Egg Theatre in Bath. Against a background of other dramatic and theatrical endeavours in school, both Hamlet and Macbeth opened during the same week in October. We had Shakespeare ‘at home and abroad’ so to speak – in our own theatre and out on the public stage. As Director of Drama, I maintain that we cannot have too much Shakespeare or too great a dramatic challenge.

Our repertoire, however, is distinctly and deliberately varied, and every year brings a different theatre programme with many dramatic opportunities for our students, both on stage and off. The performance calendar now regularly ‘begins and ends’ with The International Edinburgh Fringe Festival and creative work by our senior students. In Summer 2012, we formed Venus Flytrap Productions and transferred the outrageous Macbeth Unsexed! - an adapted A2 Level show influenced by Artaud and the Theatre of Cruelty, and more akin to the madhouse than to Shakespeare! A top star-studded cast of Charlotte Bell, Matilda Ellis, Olivia Gosling, Nyasha Mugavazi,

Victoria Price and Nicola Randall ensured sensational performances at Venue 50, C eca (ably supported by Millie McLuskie and the intrepid parent team of Mrs Debs Price and Mrs Sian Gosling). As the director, I have a kaleidoscope of Edinburgh 2012 memories, from our own antics on stage and on the Royal Mile, to those of Fascinating Aida in their outrageous award-winning show. From the daily ‘dismembering’ of chickens on our stage to the ritualistic consumption of blood (tinned tomatoes – which Matilda vows she will never eat again!) the responses of our audiences and critics were unequivocal, including a four star review. The acting was so good, so terrifyingly good, that one critic said he personally would have ‘these brilliant young actors sectioned!’ Of course, we are renowned at St Mary’s Calne for the quality of our acting and our students’ passion for performance. It is impressive that, at the last count, approximately 120 girls from LIV to UVI Form were studying with their excellent LAMDA teachers (London Academy of Dramatic Art) to achieve outstanding performances from Grade Three to Grade Eight (Gold Medal) examinations. Termly LAMDA Performance Evenings are now a permanent and important feature of the annual theatre programme, and the recent summer LAMDA show was particularly tremendous in terms of the versatility and high quality of the numerous performers: Elle Curzon Green, Jemima Ellis, Hebe Field – a gifted Drama Scholar, Esme and Georgia Lane Fox, Annabel MastinLee and Charlotte Wailes-Fairbairn, to name but a few. The recent LAMDA summer examination results were simply outstanding. Dominated by distinctions and merits, they represent a fitting testimony to the talent and hard work of both teachers and students. It is no surprise that The Delscey Burns Theatre is rarely dark and the stage is permanently busy. In late autumn, some of our UIV Form actors were joined by LV Form girls to begin rehearsals with Mrs Emma Gregson-Burt for the National Theatre Connections Project (which would later take them to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre) to perform Don’t Feed the Animals! a challenging new innovative drama. In March, we were

treated to lively performances of this show in Top Hall, as well as in the theatre, with Hebe Field, Lucy Humphries and Anna Money-Kyrle leading a stellar cast. Meanwhile, the Express AS and A2 Level ensembles performed in studios in The Delscey Burns Theatre. The highly successful AS plays contrasted greatly, with the sophisticated humour of Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women starkly contrasting with the austerity of John Pielmeier’s Agnes of God and the A2 Level Devised Drama Sister, Sister. Each individual performance was exceptional, including that of Chessie Lamb’s 90 year old lady (Character A) and Marina Jodrell’s astonishing rendition of Agnes, the psychologically disturbed young novice. This was remarkable theatre. One of Marina’s most powerful performances to date, Agnes earned her full marks, while illustrating how gifted she is as a serious actor. The triumph of Don’t Feed the Animals! in the public performance at Bristol early in the Easter holiday, was a tribute to the hard work and professionalism of its cast and director, after a very tight schedule of rehearsals. After Easter, we looked forward to another theatrical highlight: Junior Jane Austen, which was performed in June. Involving every member of the LIV and MIV Forms, this

delightful and visually stunning adaptation of four of Jane Austen’s novels, directed by Mrs Davies and Mr Miller, was one of the very best Junior Productions to grace the Calne stage.

Amelia Jacobs, Georgia Lane Fox and Rachel McNeile definitely led the way, and, of course, Teresa Zamora stole our hearts as an enchanting and very busy maid-servant.

The costumes, hair and make-up were exquisite, while the set was stunning and the overall impact would, I am sure, do the great novelist proud. The refined and beautifully mannered cast members of Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility were equally impressive and so it is difficult to single out individual performances, but the work of Jemima Ellis, Isabella Iversen,

And so, from the Elizabethan Universe to the Georgian Drawing Room, the dramatic year has flown by, leaving a myriad of golden impressions. There have been magical events such as An Evening with Sir Tim Rice, A Second Swing Night with Johnny Wilkes (both of which were fundraisers for The Calne Foundation Trust), The Golden Lily Awards – our ‘Oscar Night’ for the Creative Arts – fantastic auditions for Evita and Finale, and a sensational night of Ibsen presented by our LV Form AS Level actors who, by the way, are now really coming into their own as

leading performers. Watch out for future work by Tabitha Ellis, Hebe Field, Elsbeth Giles, Esme Lane Fox, Annabelle Mastin-Lee, Anna Money-Kyrle, Beatrice Nash, Charlotte Wailes-Fairbairn and many more.

Reviews - Centre Stage

There are also other performances less theatrical, though equally professional, which take place throughout the academic year. Developed as part of our unique ‘RADA Speak out! Advanced Communications Course’, we hold a series of weekend masterclasses and weekly sessions for our UVI Form RADA students, culminating in student presentations to a professional panel at RADA in London (The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art). In February, Chella de Bay and Orafiri Ogan were awarded RADA prizes for making exceptional progress in developing communication and presentation skills throughout the academic year. The Drama Department’s links with RADA remain very strong and so it was extremely exciting (and emotional) to receive the news that Olivia Gosling (UVI Form) had won a prestigious place on the RADA Acting Foundation Course for September 2013. With over 4,000 applicants and just 22 places available in any one year, Olivia’s achievement is incredible. A Sixth Form Drama Scholar and a sensational actor, she has given so many great and memorable performances during her seven years at Calne. From her early days and supporting roles in Peter Pan and The Taming of the Shrew in 2007, to all her later triumphs, she has given us so much theatrical magic. We all wish her every success and will certainly look out for her name in bright lights in the future. While great talent leaves Calne each year, yet more new talent finds its way on to our stage. During the spring and summer, I was treated to an array of fantastic auditions for the autumn 2013 theatre programme. More than 100 terrific actors throughout the school (from LIV to UVI Form) have opted to perform in Finale (the December show which will also feature guest appearances

by great Calne Girl alumnae) and Evita 2013, playing in late October. Both casts are looking extremely strong and, firstly, I am looking forward to beginning the new term working with the wonderful Music Department and putting the great ‘Evita trinity’ in the spotlight: Isobel Smith, Hannah Drew and Isabella Grive. The Che Guevara group, led by the impressive soloist Eliza Leng, will also no doubt shine, along with the rest of this top senior cast. Evita is particularly resonant with me: my first autumn musical production at St Mary’s Calne was Jesus Christ Superstar in 1992 (when Eva Rice played Mary Magdalene). Now, over 20 years later, I will stage my last musical as Director of Drama with Eva’s father’s work, Evita (the inspiration for Eva’s name), while Eva returns to school in September to talk about her work as a successful novelist. The merging of memorable experiences in the theatre and in school – past and present – transcends time and I am left with a myriad of remarkable moments, memories which – like my dearest actors and students – I will treasure forever. As I write this review, however, we are just days away from the return of Venus Flytrap Productions to The Fringe; this time to a superb central venue at the Space,Venue 9 on Niddry Street, just off the Royal Mile. The show must go on... At the request of the Venus Flytrap team, I have written a drama – a black comedy entitled Out to Lunch! (Think Made in Chelsea meets Hammer Horror). Having just spent almost a week at RADA in London for Out to Lunch! rehearsals and a ‘trial-run’ of the play with its ensemble, I only hope that my writing will showcase in full the brilliance of the performers. I am sure the ensemble will acquit itself superbly well, but more about our Fringe 2013 adventures in next year’s Oxygen... Then it will be on to the magnificent Evita in October and Finale in December 2013, before I take my own last bow from the St Mary’s Calne stage as Director of Drama. How lucky I am to have had the golden opportunity of working with and directing the brightest and the best in one of the greatest girls’ schools in the world. Last March, I was invited by the Chess Cast of 2004 (led by Emma Pearce, Emilia van Lynden

and Francesca Wilson) to join them for a reunion to see a new London version of the show. How wonderful to revisit our times shared – with another Sir Tim Rice creation – to remember those glorious golden moments on stage, as well as the laughter and the tears and the enormous fun off-stage. We sang along with the London show uproariously but, we decided, in the end, that of the two productions, Calne’s Chess was the better. Of course. This is because, at St Mary’s Calne, in the immortal words of the Bard, and his greatest tragic hero – Hamlet, ‘The play’s the thing...’ Miss Lilian Leadbetter Director of Drama

‘Tis better to have loved and lost… Mrs Debs Price, mother of Victoria (UVI Form) Mrs Price died on Sunday 6th January 2013. She was the most inspirational, warm-hearted, vibrant person, whose five year battle with cancer never stopped her from being the most stalwart and amazing supporter of St Mary’s Calne, especially in The Delscey Burns Theatre. She was an active member and Chair of the Parents’ Guild, a very generous donor, a supporter of school events, and Wardrobe Mistress and Production Manager for major theatre productions from 2007 to 2012. She was greatly loved and respected by us all and to say she is deeply missed is an understatement. Her legacy, as a brilliant human being, however, lives on.

Mrs Patricia Read, LAMDA Teacher Mrs Read, LAMDA teacher at St Mary’s Calne since 2004, sadly passed away in late March 2013. She was a distinguished member of the Drama Department who was much loved and respected by her loyal LAMDA pupils and her Drama colleagues. Devoted to her family and to her work, she inspired all with her gentle strength and sense of duty. She will be greatly missed. Mrs Read’s family is kindly presenting the school with a Drama award and bursary in her name.

Reviews - LAMDA

Lamda Results Autumn Name Description Lottie Dalley Acting Combined Grade 3 Isabella Iversen Acting Solo Grade 3 Charlotte Payne Acting Duologue Grade 3 Maiya Roberts Acting Combined Grade 3 TT Ward Thomas Acting Solo Grade 3 Ariana Watling Acting Combined Grade 3 Jemima Webb Acting Solo Grade 3 Sophie West Acting Duologue Grade 3 Jessica Westwood Acting Combined Grade 3 Alicia Whitaker Acting Combined Grade 3 Elisabeth Wolf Acting Combined Grade 3 Felicity Challinor Acting Solo Grade 4 Hope Nicholson Acting Solo Grade 4 Evie Owens Acting Solo Grade 4 Emily Peel Acting Solo Grade 4 Isobel Slater Acting Solo Grade 4 Mattie Carr Acting Solo Grade 5 Georgina Falk Acting Solo Grade 5 Rosie Leng Acting Solo Grade 5 Anna Money-Kyrle Acting Solo Grade 5 Yasmin Watling Acting Solo Grade 5 Isabelle Cain Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal Jessica Daley Acting Duologue Grade 6 - Bronze Medal Sarah Gralla Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal Laura Steel Acting Duologue Grade 6 - Bronze Medal Holly Bishop Acting Solo Grade 7 - Silver Medal ZoĂŤ Spicer Acting Solo Grade 8 - Gold Medal

Summer

Mark Name Description Distinction Pandora Briselden Acting Solo Grade 3 Distinction Zara Collier Baggs Acting Duologue Grade 3 Merit Jemima Ellis Acting Solo Grade 3 Merit Katya Green Acting Duologue Grade 3 Merit Rosie Horwood Acting Duologue Grade 3 Merit Nimi Majekodumi Acting Duologue Grade 3 Distinction Emily Sandbach Acting Solo Grade 3 Merit Imogen Davis Acting Duologue Grade 4 Merit Rachel McNeile Acting Duologue Grade 4 Merit Charlotte Payne Acting Duologue Grade 4 Merit Sophie West Acting Duologue Grade 4 Merit Annabelle Bishop Acting Duologue Grade 5 Merit Lily Cayzer-Colvin Acting Duologue Grade 5 Merit Isabelle Cole Acting Duologue Grade 5 Merit Annabel Dring Speaking of Verse & Prose Grade 5 Distinction Gemma Enthoven Acting Combined Grade 5 Distinction Naomi Green Acting Duologue Grade 5 Pass Georgina Hope Acting Duologue Grade 5 Distinction Lucy Humphries Acting Duologue Grade 5 Distinction Phoebe Love Acting Combined Grade 5 Distinction Sophie Milne Acting Combined Grade 5 Merit Rosie Norman Acting Duologue Grade 5 Merit Evie Nicholson Acting Combined Grade 5 Merit Carina Stephens Acting Solo Grade 5 Merit Anna Tabakova Acting Duologue Grade 5 Merit Eve Webster Acting Solo Grade 5 Distinction Kamilla Gulieva Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal Esme Lane Fox Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal Clara Mallinckrodt Acting Solo Grade 6 - Bronze Medal Annabelle Mastin-Lee Acting Duologue Grade 6 - Bronze Medal Charlotte Wailes-Fairbairn Acting Duologue Grade 6 - Bronze Medal Suzanna Bradshaw Acting Duologue Grade 7 - Silver Medal Eleanor Dove Acting Duologue Grade 7 - Silver Medal Hebe Field Acting Solo Grade 7 - Silver Medal Gemma Briston Acting Duologue Grade 8 - Gold Medal Elle Curzon Green Acting Solo Grade 8 - Gold Medal Matilda Ellis Acting Duologue Grade 8 - Gold Medal Jessica Fechner Acting Duologue Grade 8 - Gold Medal Olivia Gosling Acting Duologue Grade 8 - Gold Medal Eleanor Harrison Acting Solo Grade 8 - Gold Medal Rebecca Randall Acting Duologue Grade 8 - Gold Medal Matilda Scott-Bowden Acting Duologue Grade 8 - Gold Medal

Mark Merit Merit Distinction Distinction Distinction Merit Merit Distinction Distinction Merit Merit Merit Pass Merit Merit Merit Merit Pass Merit Distinction Distinction Merit Merit Merit Merit Distinction Distinction Distinction Pass Distinction Distinction Distinction Distinction Distinction Distinction Merit Distinction Distinction Distinction Merit Merit Merit

News

In the Library This year has seen some complex behind scenes work in the libraries, as we changed our management system for a much more detailed and clever one. This has taken some setting up, but the benefits for the girls in terms of their search results and reading lists for example are manifest. Alongside all of this, we welcomed Dave Smith in October’s Enrichment Week to lead our author workshop. Dave started as a standup comedian, which led to a hugely varied

career in writing. He wrote for, and appeared regularly on, Radio 4’s Home Truths, as well as writing for newspapers and magazines, including The Sunday Times, GQ, The Boston Herald (USA), Junior and numerous others. The girls were organised into Company groups and given a classic text – for example, Wind in the Willows or Black Beauty – which meant that they were all familiar with the story and could therefore create a movie trailer for it, as well as a book jacket. The results were incredibly professional.

During the Spring Term Enrichment Week, we ran a workshop session on creating short stories, which some of the girls then submitted for the Radio 2 ‘500 Words’ competition, and the summer saw us visiting Bristol Grammar School to hear Charlie Higson speak about his Young Bond and The Enemy series - it was a very entertaining evening and completed a very busy year. Mrs Charlotte Taylor-Smith Librarian

Bude Diar y Arrival day: Sunday 9th June

y arrived at Adventure International in After a long, four hour journey, we finall ped by a lady called Claire and then we dum Bude. We were given an introduction and, r tuto our met then We t for dinner. our bags in our allocated rooms and wen re. cent the nd arou hills and h ored the beac in our groups, we went down and expl ols, scho all for disco a and ie was a mov We had a great time! In the evening, there and it was a rave! th Monday 10 June

se and, before breakfast, we had to choo In the morning, we had an early start the nd arou run a for go to or pool in a sea whether to go for a cold water swim e to swim, so we set off for the pool village and the beach. The majority chos in We had to jump in and swim a width with our towels. The pool was huge! to us all up and, after that, we went straight the freezing cold water! It freshened got up in our dorms for the showers and breakfast. After breakfast, we queued ntain boarding. We walked the mountain dressed for our morning activity of mou . had a demo, then we tried for ourselves boarding site and then kitted up. We we had a go at some ramps and tricks. Once we had mastered how to do it, it was time for another activity. We We returned to the centre and then our es out. We were split into threes in walked to the canal and got our cano boats. We all got very wet! rs again and then we set off for the In the evening, we met with our tuto ht a few and then chased one of our beach to catch some crabs. We caug d crabbing! tutors who hated them! We all love and a film. We all stayed up and did Later on, after supper, there was karaoke some awful singing!

1th June re getting or run, befo Tuesday 1 im sw er th o for an

ff e all went o imbing. First thing, w which was cl ty vi ti ac st fir ur a go at the ready for o ets, then had lm he d an s rnesse ve 100%. tted up in ha r fears and ga We all got ki ei th d re ue n ne conq esses on agai walls. Everyo put our harn e w s; pe an ro l chose as high to do. We al on activity w urse we had Our afterno co e fun and it th h n o uc o m n a dem ne had so yo er Ev . go and were give had a gin with and element to be r. fa so activity yone was the best disco, so ever a fancy dress as t Ray Bans! w an t gi en d an nm entertai igs, tutus w , es si ne o : The evening othes all kinds of cl dressed up in

y Wednesda

12th June

for the as too high e the tide w us ca ur be g in y! as chill O n in the morn d the run w an y, that da y Everybody ra es in th ra o d sed in cl was a grey an so we all dres , ked al ng w sea pool. It rfi l su al d e yaking an great! W ka as e w er g w in es ak e activiti ry wet. Kay grips with th ind getting ve s. We got to at ed a lot. bo sh we didn’t m la ur sp o ed getting d got into lv an l vo in na ca at e th to th games played some king forward paddles, then yone was loo er ev ds. ch hi w , with our boar as surfing ff to the sea on activity w o o t rn se te af en us th ur f , O suits any o perly. Not m ggled into wet w to surf pro to. We all stru ho tivities. ng ac ni st ar le be eat time ne of the o as w ng We had a gr rfi ht su as t we all thoug stood up, bu apout’. It w called ‘the m d ng hi un o et ar m ff so e set o g, we played und Bude. W o e ar w d, In the evenin do en lu e C In th ant game of suspect list. basically a gi cross off the to es m na e. gam town to find and won the e murderer th d fie a group ti en id entered and . St Mary’s w o here sh T t. nt ec le tch Perf was a ta song from Pi Later, there p e first! cu m e ca th s y’ ng and sa d, St Mar en e th in of us played t, ts bu f amazing ac were lots o e night. th d ye jo en We all really

Thursday 13th

June

It was another ho rrible grey day an d again we had too full from th to run, as sadly e tide. After a w the sea pool was et and rainy star to get ready for t, w e had breakfast caving. and then started Caving was aw esome! We ha d to put on ve then we squeez ry unflattering ed and wriggled boiler suits and our way throug people overcam h the maze of e their fears an tunnels. Many d we were all pr oud of ourselve The afternoon s by the end. activities were abseiling and m abseiling and th ou ntain biking. O e other two di ne group did d mountain biki ng. Abseiling was br illiant and, altho ugh the wall was completed it an extremely high, d loved it. Whi all the abseilers le some people team games that w er e abseiling the ot were really trick hers played y! The mountain everyone maste biking was also red some new really fun and tricks on ramps scrapes, but ev and planks; ther eryone had a go e were a few od time. In the evening, it was presentatio n night. Awards the person who were given out had made everyb to the Wally ody smile and be - which was won en happy throug by Camilla Lew hout the week in; the Bottle - th fear in the wee e person who ha k - which was aw d overcome a arded to Eleano the person who r Galloway and had been amazin to the Supersta g and had done to Ila Shetty. Th rtheir best - whi e people who w ch was awarded on the awards th top the week of oroughly deserv f, St Mary’s won ed them and, to Super Team of th pleased and prou e Week! We w d of ourselves. ere all extremel y

Friday 14th

June

We all woke up and we weren’t looking forwar two activities to d to going hom complete thou e! We still had gh: the team tr ail and body bo arding. First, we had to pack all our thin gs. We were a to get organise bit rushed, but d and we head we managed ed to an early br which was team eakfast before trail. We split in ou r first activity, to our tutor gr involving teamw oups and played ork and trying some games not to get wet! We set off on th e team trail, whe re we had to na tough obstacles vigate through, and, all the while over and under , we had been giv named Gary) th en a water ballo at we could thro on (which we w at our instru way. We all ende ctor if it didn’t d up soaking w pop along the et after the last had to slide dow part of the cour n a tube into a se, in which we pool of water, th sprinkler inside. en crawl throug h a tunnel with a Our last ever ac tivity in Bude w as body boarding battle into wet . After team trail suits (which we , we had to all decided was the and set off for th worst experienc e sea. We caught e of the week) some amazing w colder than whe aves and, althoug n we had been h the sea was surfing, we all ha into the sea pool d fun. At the en and the teachers d, we all jumped joined us, and w walked back to e had shoulder do the last minut wars! We then e packing, carry a packed lunch our bags to the in the dining ha co ach and grab ll. We then said ou coach. We wer r goodbyes and en’t looking forw hopped on the ard to the journe y back to school Throughout th ! e whole week, w e al l had an absolu and none of us tely amazing tim will ever forget e in Bude it. Thank you so made it possib much to all the le and we all w teachers who ish we could do it all over again. Lulu Chai and Sophie Mallinso n LIV Form

News

Highlights from this year’s

Lecture Series After two years of teaching Geography at a primary school in Oxfordshire, Rob set off on a 30,000 mile cycle ride, which was to take him three and a half years to complete. Rob began his journey in Siberia and, having travelled through Papua New Guinea, Australia, Tibet, Afghanistan and Iran to get home, he decided to write a book about his experiences and Cycling Home from Siberia was published in 2009. He also worked on a six-part programme for National Geographic.

For some, once would have been enough, but for Rob it was just the beginning and, after two shorter expeditions on foot, he set his sights on something more ambitious. Starting from a remote town in the middle of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, he planned to walk through the winter months to Hong Kong. On this occasion, he was accompanied by professional cameraman, Leon McCarron, who was to film the 5,000km journey, again for National Geographic. With plummeting temperatures of minus 20, as cold as living in a freezer, they survived on a basic diet of noodles and tinned beef which, according to Rob, was as appetising as dog food. Bottled water froze, so it was wrapped in tights and put inside cardboard to prevent it freezing. They would wake up in the morning and the inside of their tents would be iced over from their own breath. Although the desert was hardly inhabited, if they saw goats, they knew people would be close by. Living in large tents called gers or yurts, these friendly

nomads would invite them into their brightly decorated homes for some much welcome comfort, proving slightly more hospitable than Genghis Khan, who used the Gobi Desert as a highway to establish the Mongol Empire 800 years before. Crossing over the border, their route took them along the Great Wall of China, the violent waters of the Yellow River and through the ancient city of Xi’an, where they saw the famous Terracotta Army, before eventually crossing the snow covered mountains of Central China. Having started their epic trip in Mongolia on the 14th November 2011, after 195 days and approximately 10 million steps, resulting in some serious blisters, Rob and Leon arrived in Hong Kong on the 26th May 2012, accompanied for the last 10km by a large crowd of family and friends. Rob’s expedition concluded only five months prior to his visit, so we were extremely privileged to hear about his trip so soon after his return. However, for a man who firmly believes ‘if you put your heart into everything, you will be surprised by what you can achieve’, it is abundantly clear that this will not be the last of Rob’s great adventures.

In September, we welcomed back six former St Mary’s pupils for a panel discussion on University Life. Covering a range of different degrees and institutions, they were able to speak about their experiences of choosing the right course and university. There was also discussion about city or campus-based universities and the type of accommodation available, with Sophia Spicer and Georgia

Hatlapa giving their contrasting experiences of life at Warwick and Peterhouse College, Cambridge. Some girls spoke about the benefits of a gap year and work experience, and how important it was to choose something that was relevant to the degree they wished to study. Katie Ahmed spent a year working for a healthcare agency as a carer and community support worker before taking up a place at Liverpool to read Pharmacology. She felt this had been invaluable to her, especially as she was hoping to go on to further studies in Medicine.

Not all the girls had chosen to take gap years, but there were still work experience opportunities on offer whilst studying. Isabel Lam, at Somerville, Oxford, had been given the opportunity to work abroad for a year in France and Argentina as part of her four year French and Spanish course, and Emily Cecil, studying Medicine at Cardiff, was just about to start work placements in South Wales. Eleanor Purdon, studying Geography at Durham, had been appointed Publicity Officer for the university’s International Development Society. All agreed that it was important to make the most of the clubs and societies available, but also to make sure this was balanced sensibly with work.

There has been widespread publicity about England cricketer Andrew (Freddie) Flintoff exchanging the gentle thwack of willow on leather in favour of the more intrusive thud on flesh, courtesy of a pair of boxing gloves. Impressive though this seems, it is not nearly as remarkable as Alastair Hignell’s own sporting achievement: playing cricket at county level for Gloucestershire whilst also playing rugby for England, a rare accomplishment that would not be possible today at such a competitive level. Amazingly, Alastair also found time to teach, as this was of course an era when sportsmen were not so generously rewarded as the sporting heroes of today.

Have you ever considered building a boat using 12,500 plastic bottles and sailing across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Sydney? Probably not, but ecologist Jo Royle did just that in 2010, along with environmentalist and mastermind of the 18m catamaran, David de Rothschild, and their all male crew of four, sharing a cabin that measured just 6m x 4.5m. In a herculean effort to raise awareness of the damaging effects of plastic on the marine environment, they undertook an eventful 11,000 nautical mile journey, which took 128 days to complete, making only three stops along the way: Line Islands, Samoa and New Caledonia. Not only did Jo take part in the expedition, but she was also the Plastiki’s skipper, a role that was incredibly challenging as only two of the six people on board were experienced sailors. With safety foremost in their minds, they took it in turns to keep watch around the clock, to navigate, steer and warn the others of any deteriorating weather conditions. They encountered a hurricane-level storm towards the end of the voyage, with massive waves crashing down around them. Miraculously, the boat escaped with only limited damage and they were able to sail onward into Sydney on a tidal wave of media, where a flotilla of boats greeted the arrival of the Plastiki along with the buzz of nine helicopters above them. Jo has serious concerns about the world’s inappropriate use of plastic, especially the use once and throw-away variety, and she counselled everyone to stop using plastic wherever possible and, if you have to, to dispose of it wisely. However, you could always follow in Jo’s footsteps and take part in something really big and adventurous - that might just grab the world’s attention…

Following his retirement from competitive sport, not before winning 14 England rugby caps, Alastair continued teaching before moving into journalism, where he became a respected sports commentator, working extensively for BBC Radio from 1983 until 2008. This story itself could have been enough to fill a whole evening, but this was not in fact the real theme of Alastair’s visit to St Mary’s. In the late 1990s, during his successful stint as a broadcaster, Alastair’s life took a dramatic and irreversible turn when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Feelings of disbelief, denial and anger were eventually replaced by an incredible determination not to be beaten by his MS and, to help raise awareness of this debilitating and life-changing condition, Alastair became patron of the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre (MSRC) in 2002. After working tirelessly to raise funds for the charity, as well as being the inspiration for the Higgy’s Heroes fundraising campaign, Alastair was awarded a CBE in the 2009 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Although he retired from his broadcasting career in 2008, as well as continuing to write sports columns, Alastair wrote his autobiography Higgy … Matches, Microphones and MS, which was published in 2011, and went on to win the ‘Best Rugby Book’ category in the 2012 British Sports Book Awards. Alastair has also been giving lectures about his experiences of living with MS up and down the country. After a truly enlightening talk, in which we were touched by Alastair’s honesty, humour and love of life, we could not help but realise that this courageous man is yet again taking on a challenge of a different kind, and that the sportsman within him is very much alive – a true and absolute champion.

News

Dr Suzannah Lipscomb A Visitor’s Companion to Tudor England

Dr Suzannah Lipscomb, a well-known historian and expert on the Tudor period, spoke about her new book: A Visitor’s Companion to Tudor England. The book, which features around fifty Tudor buildings - houses, castles, palaces and theatres - still exist today and they, as well as their former inhabitants, have a fascinating story to tell. Suzannah vividly described some truly extraordinary and colourful characters whose lives were determined by the politics of the Tudor Court. We were engrossed by stories of romance, heartbreak, riches gained and lost and, of course, betrayal. The sudden whims of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I could often change the fortunes of those who had once been held in the highest regard: they could find themselves falling abruptly from

grace or, in the case of Edward Stafford, the 3rd Duke of Buckingham, parting company with their heads! Not all were so unfortunate: Bess of Hardwick or Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury as she would finally become, inherited huge wealth upon the death of several husbands, making her the richest woman in England after Queen Elizabeth. This enabled her to build magnificent Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, one of the most significant buildings of its period. With further equally intriguing tales of Buckland Abbey, Kirby Hall and Kenilworth Castle, the audience was transported to another age. However, as Suzannah herself suggested,

there is no better way to experience the lingering presence of a different era, than by visiting one of these extraordinary places; a chance to see with your own eyes the same sights as their Tudor inhabitants, to retrace their actual steps and perhaps, if you are lucky, to hear a whisper of the secrets that the walls have guarded throughout their fivehundred year history.

Alexander Norman

lai Lama The Secret Lives of the Da The Dalai Lama is head of the Gelug, the largest and most influential sect of Tibetan Buddhism, and was responsible for governing Tibet until the Chinese took control in 1959. Each Dalai Lama is believed to be the reincarnation of their predecessor and, on the death of the Dalai Lama, a regent is appointed to collect any evidence that might point to a legitimate heir.

In January, Alexander Norman gave our girls and guests a whirlwind insight into the lives of the fourteen Dalai Lama, some more successful than others, spanning over 600 years.

The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was asked as a very young child to choose a number of objects belonging to his

predecessor. As well as rosaries, fabrics and a hand drum, he picked a walking stick from a wide selection, studied it intently before putting it down, and then selected another. What makes the walking stick so remarkable was that the first one he picked out had indeed belonged to the Dalai Lama, but he had given it away and had kept the one the little boy eventually selected for himself. With the Dalai Lama having now lived in exile in India for the past five decades, one wonders what the future holds. Although continuing to publicise the plight of his people, Tenzin Gyatso has himself indicated that the institution of the Dalai Lama might be abolished or, there again, a successor might be found outside Tibet and… they might even be female.

TimothyienGProesenoced UFOs and the Al

Known for our crop circles, as well as a number of strange and unexplained encounters with flying objects, it seemed highly appropriate to host a talk on UFOs in North Wiltshire! Timothy, one of the world’s leading authorities and researchers on this

hotly contested subject, gave us a truly intriguing picture of a parallel universe involving encounters with extra-terrestrials (including President Eisenhower’s secret rendezvous in 1954 on board an alien craft at Edward’s Air Force base in the US), photographic records of spacecraft and their alien crew, and worldwide governments who, from released documents, appear to have decided to keep us in ignorance to avoid general alarm. Whilst acknowledging that nearly three quarters of UFO sightings by civilians or the military can be attributed to man-made objects, such as satellites and aircraft, or

astronomical occurrences, Timothy advised that 23% of incidents cannot be accounted for, even with today’s advanced technology. A number of highly credible witnesses of sightings, and indeed meetings, have come forward, including military and civilian pilots and government officials, who have knowingly jeopardised their own reputations. Some officials have even credited alien sources for key developments in modern technology such as lasers and fibre optics. Whatever our own personal views might be, the evidence that Timothy presented to us that night gave us much to contemplate and, having fuelled our imaginations, left many of us wanting to know more. Just what was that strange light following us home…?

James Borrell

A man on a mission to save our endangered species James Borrell’s zest for research into habitat fragmentation was fuelled, at the age of seventeen, by a British Exploring Society expedition to the rainforests of Madagascar.

With prevalent deforestation, their mission was to replace as many trees as possible. Over a three week period, this group of thirty enthusiastic volunteers successfully

planted around 460 trees. The local people were so impressed that news spread and spectators travelled from a fifty mile radius to witness the work of these novice but committed conservationists. Feeling pretty pleased with their efforts, they headed home. It was nearly four years later that James discovered that the locals had been so inspired by their hard work, that they continued to plant trees and that the number had grown to an astonishing 1,000,000. Expeditions to Norway and sailing across the Atlantic soon followed, before James joined an expedition to the Peruvian Amazon, which included an epic journey by plane, canoe and foot. Destruction of this rainforest is rife, although many of the local inhabitants are now working tirelessly to halt the devastation and, staying on the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, James spent the summer with local scientists researching and

learning about rainforest management. Last year, James was also the lead scientist on an expedition to the Empty Quarter and Dhafor Mountains of Southern Oman. Their mission was to understand and survey the biodiversity of this desolate region. With temperatures soaring to 40˚C during the day and falling to 0˚C at night, James spent two months sleeping in the open under a spectacular night sky, and he found evidence of the critically endangered Arabian Leopard and discovered a new species of dragonfly. With so many research projects being totally reliant on the help of young people, James’ obvious ambition now is to inspire and encourage a new generation of young scientists to help secure the future of our vulnerable and endangered species. Mrs Kate Mastin-Lee Lecture Programme Co-ordinator

The Music Scene The Autumn Term began with a large number of our outstanding singers gaining much experience of vocal technique from attending two most successful workshops with The King’s Singers at Marlborough College. Later in September, selected senior girls were privileged to perform the songs of Sir Tim Rice and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber during Sir Tim’s Gala Evening talk given in The Delscey Burns Theatre. Sir Tim expressed his pleasure at the choice of songs and especially on hearing Music Scholar Ella May sing Never Again from King David which turned out to be one of his favourite songs! The whole school was involved in preparations throughout September for the Company Music Festival held on 5th October. This event showcased the varied and high quality talent of many of our girls. A packed Chapel enjoyed all the ‘Company Shout’ performances, as well as fantastic solo performances from the section winners of the afternoon’s Music Competition.

Excellent, sensitive adjudication was provided by Mr Rupert Drury, Director of Music of King Edward’s School, Bath. In the end, the Cecilia James Cup was won by Weijia Li for her beautiful ‘off by heart’ rendition on the violin of John Williams’ Theme from Schindler’s List. Christopher Dowie, former Organist and Master of the Choristers of Wimborne Minster, judged the finals of the Fourth Form Music Competition. The standard was tremendously high and the deserving winner was Sassie Patel. Our fabulous Director of Vocal Studies, Mrs Bethan Dudley Fryar, ably supported by Mrs Debbie Matthews, produced an evening of outstanding vocal solos and ensembles as part of the Calne Music and Arts Festival at Marden House. The venue was packed to capacity with an extremely appreciative audience of parents, staff and members of the local community. It was particularly impressive to see how every girl confidently introduced her own solo with a few well chosen words before performing. Jazz Band and St Mary’s Concert Artists entertained large crowds at the Millennium

Centre in Cardiff prior to watching Dirty Dancing, and our lunchtime St Cecilia’s Jazz Café proved to be extremely popular - leaving standing room only for 40 minutes of toe-tapping performances. Other highlights in the Autumn Term were the Confirmation Service and also the Carol Service, both held with capacity congregations at St Mary’s Church. The Chamber Choir was particularly pleased to be asked to present a Carol Service at Chelsea Old Church in aid of the charity RaPT. Raising an amazing £15,000, the girls performed with musicians and actors of the stage and screen, including Brendan Coyle (Mr Bates from Downton Abbey) Emilia Fox, Richard Strange, Bob Kingdom, Lucy Parham and the Raven String Quartet. Later that week, the girls were also delighted to sing Christmas Carols for HRH The Duchess of Cornwall when she visited the Chapel at Bowood House.

parents, pupils and staff. Mrs Alison Tremewan, Headmistress, commented: ‘What a wonderful performance as a culmination to the afternoon. Your girls sang beautifully – it was a treat for us all’.

At the start of the Spring Term, the Chamber Choir sang Choral Evensong in Winchester Cathedral beautifully. The music included a setting of the Canticles by the well-known composer David Bednall, who was also our organist. In the same week, we enjoyed a high quality evening of French song and, a few days later, LVI Form musicians attended an invaluable singing day at Merton College, Oxford, under the expert tuition of Benjamin Nicholas. The second half of the Spring Term began with a musical triumph. The Chapel was transformed into the magical setting of Carthage, complete with trees, pillars and foliage, for a sumptuous, semi-staged performance of Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas. I coached the Chamber Choir chorus and Mrs Bethan Dudley Fryar, who was Artistic Director, coached the soloists. The international opera soprano Hilary Summers also worked with these soloists and we were most fortunate to secure the services of the renowned conductor Christian Curnyn, who took time away from performances at the English National Opera in London to direct the professional orchestra and share his valuable expertise with the girls. We were also very pleased that members of St Margaret’s Chamber Choir joined us on this occasion and very much hope that these talented young singers will join with us for more events in the future. A few days later, we were able to celebrate the immense contribution that a large percentage of our girls make to Music, Art and Drama with the Golden Lily Awards. Another highly successful ‘first’ this year at St Mary’s has been the introduction of

Musical Workshops for Prep Schools and maintained sector schools. Aimed at girls in Year 5, this event proved to be extremely successful and popular with the participants, as well as with their parents and teachers who attended a short performance at the end of the day where they also had the chance to find out more about life at St Mary’s and meet music staff during tea. I was joined by Phillip Bell from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and dance specialist Tori Jordan to provide a fun-filled day for all the girls involved. The Chamber Choir raised a further £800 at Bremhill Church when they gave an excellent performance of Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols with stunning harp accompaniment provided by Miss Jenny Broome. The Chamber Choir were also privileged to sing at the memorial service for Mrs Debs Price in St Botolph’s in the City, with a congregation of over 400, and afterwards at the Merchant Taylor’s Hall. The culmination of everyone’s efforts in the Music Department was the Spring Concert, which combined great variety and a high standard of professionalism with excellent performances from the Symphony Orchestra, String Sinfonia, Opera Group, Junior Choir, Folklorique, UVI Form Vocal Ensemble, Sinfonietta, Chamber Choir and Jazz Band, and finished with an exciting rendition of Skyfall by all the musicians involved. The Samba Band then led everyone to a sumptuous Gala Supper in the Dining Hall, provided by Mrs Linda Thomas and her wonderful Catering Team. Another of my new initiatives is to work more closely with prep schools in the area and, to this end, Mrs Dudley Fryar and I took a small group of senior girls to Knighton House Preparatory School to run a workshop for their pupils and present a joint concert at the end of the afternoon for

The St Mary’s Symphony Orchestra was formed in September 2012. The iniative to encourage pupils from surrounding schools has so far brought three ‘outside’ pupils to the orchestra and we hope to continue to build on this next year. The Symphony Orchestra and Instrumental Ensembles gave their first concert at St Andrew’s Church, Chippenham, to an enthusiastic audience and was a great opportunity to share the high standard of music-making that so many of our fine instrumentalists display. As ever, the dedication of our full time staff and visiting Music Teachers is key to the tremendous achievements of so many girls – over 80% of St Mary’s girls learn at least one instrument or receive singing lessons. The UVI Form members of the Chamber Choir gave their final performance at Yatesbury Church in April for their annual ‘Songs of Praise’ service. This raised money for the church and also delighted the audience with the encore rendition of Britney Spears’ Baby one more time which must have been a first for the church and also the organ! Consequently, we have now received a number of requests to sing at other local churches. This has been an excellent year of practical music-making. New additions to the Music Department have included Apple Mac computers and further outreach to feeder schools and members of the local community, whilst also maintaining and developing the first-rate standards of flagship groups such as our outstanding Chamber Choir. By September 2013, the Music Team will be further enhanced by a Music Graduate in Residence, who will work with our musicians. The Music Department – full time staff and its visiting teachers – all ably supported by our Music Secretary, Mrs Paula Doel, continue to flourish and produce a very high standard of academic work and performance from all our girls. Mr Hugh Sutton Director of Music 29

Music Results

Music Examination Results Associated Board Results Autumn Term 2012 Name Instrument Grade Result Sophie Mallinson Piano 1 Merit Rachel McNeile Piano 1 Merit Hope Nicholson Singing 1 Distinction Oluwatomi Salako Piano 1 Pass Ziwen Xu Piano 1 Distinction Charlotte Baker Piano 2 Pass Verity Page Bassoon 2 Distinction Megan Piper Singing 2 Pass Sarah Yeo Harp 2 Merit Isabella Depla Singing 3 Merit Charlotte Paterson Violin 3 Pass Juliet Purdy Singing 3 Merit Maiya Roberts Singing 3 Pass Annabel Sumner Bassoon 3 Merit Vassula Wong Violin 3 Merit Eleanor Chelton Singing 4 Merit Lauren Dickson Piano 4 Merit Thea Dillon Singing 4 Distinction Hannah Drew Piano 4 Merit Miranda Giddins Viola 4 Merit Sarah Gralla Singing 4 Merit Maia Jarvis Violin 4 Merit Chloe Waller Piano 4 Merit Alicia Whitaker Singing 4 Pass Bertina Chan Theory 5 Merit Emily Clarke Singing 5 Merit Eleanor Dove Theory 5 Merit Annabel Dring Singing 5 Pass Chloe Hutton Theory 5 Merit Marina Jodrell Theory 5 Merit Georgia Murdoch Singing 5 Merit Taya Sellers Flute 5 Merit Catherine Song Piano 5 Merit Catherine Song Theory 5 Distinction Imogen Giddins Singing 6 Merit Mariella de Soissons Singing 7 Distinction Imogen Giddins Piano 7 Pass Isabella Warner Piano 7 Pass Alvina Lau Piano 8 Pass Rosemary Tian Piano 8 Merit

Associated Board Results Spring Term 2013 Name Instrument Grade Result Jemima Ellis Singing 1 Pass Henriette Reckhenrich Violin 1 Distinction Ziwen Xu Viola 1 Pass Caroline Brenchley Singing 2 Merit Daisy Crone Flute 2 Pass Eleanor Galloway Flute 2 Merit Rosie Horwood Singing 2 Pass Harriet Jackson Piano 2 Merit Hope Nicholson Singing 2 Merit Emily Sandbach Singing 2 Merit Isobel Slater Viola 2 Merit Elisabeth Wolf Piano 2 Merit Ziwen Xu Piano 2 Distinction Bertina Chan Harp 3 Pass Clarissa Ho Piano 3 Pass Victoria Rassmuss Clarinet 3 Pass Isobel Slater Piano 3 Merit Katharine Stone Violin 3 Merit Elisabeth Wolf Violin 3 Pass Vassula Wong Piano 3 Distinction Frances Arnold Singing 4 Distinction Lucy Humphries Singing 4 Merit Amelia Jacobs Singing 4 Distinction Imogen Parr Singing 4 Merit Emily Peel Singing 4 Merit Annabel Sumner Singing 4 Distinction Bonnie Bartlett Singing 5 Merit Suzanna Bradshaw Singing 5 Merit Vera Cheong Singing 5 Merit Emily Clarke Violin 5 Merit Emily Clarke Theory 5 Merit Miranda Giddins Theory 5 Pass Elsbeth Giles Singing 5 Distinction Sarah Gralla Piano 5 Pass Marina Jodrell Violin 5 Pass Hope Pleydell-Bouverie Theory 5 Pass Taya Sellers Theory 5 Distinction Luana Sharp Theory 5 Merit Ila Shetty Violin 5 Merit Rosie Tabor Theory 5 Pass Aimee Tian Violin 5 Pass Jasmine Von der Esch Theory 5 Pass Sara Yeo Theory 5 Merit Eleanor Dove Treble Recorder 6 Merit Chloe Hutton Piano 6 Merit Rosie Leng Singing 6 Merit Isobel Smith Singing 6 Merit Catherine Song Piano 6 Merit Emilia Flack Singing 7 Distinction Victoria Price Trombone 7 Pass Catherine Song Clarinet 7 Merit Imogen Giddins Oboe 8 Merit Isabella Grive Cello 8 Merit Millie McLuskie Singing 8 Merit Vivian Mu Piano 8 Pass

Associated Board Results - Summer Term 2013 Name Instrument Grade Result Elisabeth Wolf Harp 1 Pass Teresa Zamora Violin 1 Merit Katya Green Saxophone 2 Merit Joyce Lam Singing 2 Merit Rachel McNeile Piano 2 Merit Charlotte Payne Flute 2 Merit Hannah Wu Singing 2 Pass Rosie Norman Flute 3 Pass Verity Page Piano 3 Pass Frances Arnold Piano 4 Merit Georgina Higgins Jazz Saxophone 4 Merit Sophie Mallinson Flute 4 Merit Sarah Yeo Violin 4 Merit Vera Cheong Theory 5 Pass Sarah Gralla Singing 5 Merit Kristen Know Flute 5 Merit Verity Page Theory 5 Distinction Jess Patel Singing 5 Pass Francesca Pullan Theory 5 Merit Emilia Scott-Hopkins Theory 5 Pass Luana Sharp Piano 5 Distinction Aimee Tian Theory 5 Pass Vassula Wong Theory 5 Pass Annabel Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Grady Singing 6 Pass Jess Patel Piano 6 Pass Marina Vestbirk Clarinet 6 Pass Sarah Yeo Piano 6 Pass Rosemary Tian Oboe 8 Merit

Trinity Guildhall Results - Autumn Term 2012 Name Instrument Grade Result Louise Charlesworth-Herbert Trumpet 2 Merit Eve Webster Singing 3 Merit Tabitha Ellis Singing 4 Merit Matilda Scott-Bowden Singing 4 Merit Charlotte Wailes-Fairbairn Singing 4 Merit Elle Curzon Green Piano 5 Pass Francesca Davis Singing 5 Merit Rachel Nethercott Singing 5 Pass Laura Steel Flute 5 Merit Holly Armstrong Piano 6 Distinction Rebecca Jump Singing 6 Pass Olivia Kold Singing 6 Merit Leonora Pearce Singing 6 Merit Francesca Pullan Singing 6 Merit Sophie Rushman Singing 6 Merit Florence Dove Recorder 7 Distinction Isabella Grive Singing 7 Distinction Grace Keeler Piano 7 Merit Julia Schaff Singing 7 Merit Rosie Tabor Singing 7 Distinction Phoebe Tatham Saxophone 7 Merit Ellys Airey Singing 8 Distinction Ella May Singing 8 Merit

Music Results Trinity Guildhall Results Summer Term 2013 Name Instrument Grade Result Omotara Akinkugbe Singing 2 Pass Kitty Bevan Piano 3 Pass Lottie Dalley Singing 3 Merit Gemma Enthoven Singing 3 Pass Gaby Mutch Singing 3 Pass Eliza Whitfield Singing 3 Pass Sophie Milne Singing 4 Pass Ariana Watling Singing 4 Merit Eve Webster Singing 4 Merit Tabitha Ellis Singing 5 Pass Eliza Perry Flute 5 Pass Taya Sellers Singing 5 Pass Charlotte Wailes-Fairbairn Singing 5 Pass Lizzie Prater Singing IC Pass Helena Boase Clarinet 6 Pass Hannah Drew Singing 6 Distinction Eloise Le Fevre Singing 6 Pass Eliza Leng Singing 6 Distinction Verity Page Clarinet 6 Merit Alice Pennington Singing 6 Pass Maria Perry Singing 6 Pass Amelia Saer Singing 6 Merit Millie Scott-Hopkins Singing 6 Pass Bonnie Bartlett Flute 7 Pass Rosie Dalley Singing 7 Distinction Victoria Price Singing 7 Merit Olivia Addington Singing 8 Merit Charlotte Coleman Singing 8 Pass Kate Le Fevre Singing 8 Distinction ZoĂŤ Spicer Singing 8 Merit Clementine Wood Singing 8 Distinction

We think that it is a great idea, because after a week of lessons, it’s nice to sail in a (freezing) lake, or start designing stalls for Charity Week, or just do anything that teaches you something that you can’t do in a classroom. It is also very helpful, as the skills we learn in CAA will stay with us for life and will definitely come in handy in the future.

For instance, nearly everyone in our year can now sail or canoe and not many could before, and don’t even get us started on map reading!

have done it without working together, and when we did high ropes, climbing skills did help, but we needed courage to do it.

However, we feel that the most important skills we have learnt are friendship, leadership and courage. In the camp and walk, reading a map was (very!) important, but we could not

Imogen Davis and Teresa Zamora – MIV Form

Careers Conference

LVI Form Careers Conference:

Inspiring Women On Friday 22nd February, we were delighted to welcome an impressive group of remarkable women to St Mary’s Calne to take part in our LVI Form Careers Conference: Inspiring Women, which was chaired superbly by Lynne Copp, an expert on women in leadership. Representatives from the Engineering Industry - Dr Linda Ashton, Media and Fashion - Susie Forbes, Government and Law - Tricia Howse CBE, Marketing and Charity - Clare Mullen, and Finance and Banking - Alison Robb, all shared their experiences of women in the workplace and their hopes of a fairer representation of women in senior roles. As well as a panel session on ‘The World of Work’, where our guests talked frankly about their own careers and the choices they had to make along the way, the girls were able to attend two breakout sessions in which they were able to ask further questions in more intimate groups. These included: ‘Careers in Science and Technology’, ‘Magazines: what lies beneath’, ‘Law: one discipline, many options’, ‘Leadership, Marketing & Charity’ and ‘Breadth of opportunities in banking’, allowing our guests to provide more specific advice on their own particular fields. Lynne’s session, ‘I haven’t a clue about my future career – what are the options?’ was also wellreceived, giving the girls a wider perspective

of the different careers available. Everyone enjoyed a delicious sit down lunch and a chance to chat informally, before our Young Enterprise Company, Got it Covered, gave a series of impressive presentations about their products and ambitions for the future. This was received most enthusiastically and was followed by some serious questioning from our panel of experts together with some useful feedback. The day ended with a discussion on ‘Getting into Work’, which also featured Gillian Black, who talked about her difficulties in finding work and making some big life changes in order to gain a coveted place on Nationwide’s Graduate Scheme. ‘As someone with no idea of what career path to follow, I approached the Careers Conference not knowing exactly what to expect. While each woman was incredibly successful in her job, I couldn’t see myself in some of their roles. However, within the first five minutes, it became clear that the advice they had to offer was relevant to anyone entering the workplace. They discussed everything from interview tactics and

CV writing tips, to their personal opinion on achieving a work-life balance. I found the whole day very enjoyable and everyone was grateful that these inspirational women took the time out of their busy lives to come and talk to us.’ Jessica ‘I particularly enjoyed the panel on ‘The World of Work’ with all six women. Each one had different experiences to share about their chosen career and progression to success.’ Teodora ‘I found the conference day very helpful for getting to know how to get a job and learn about the workplace environment – especially the need for us to be proactive!’ Hannah ‘The best piece of advice that I gained from the conference was to do what you love and love what you do; that way, you will never have to work a day in your life.’ Suzanna Mrs Kate Mastin-Lee Lecture Programme Co-ordinator

Trips & Expeditions - Paris

History of Art Trip to Paris Although Paris didn’t feel especially spring-like in April when we arrived for the UVI Form History of Art trip, the ‘city of light’ certainly felt a little warmer than London. The AQA examiner’s report continues to place emphasis on the value of viewing works of art that have been studied in class at firsthand and we never cease to be amazed at how the experience of viewing a painting in its reality differs from that of looking at a pale imitation in reproduction. On the first night, we orientated ourselves with the help of a cruise on the River Seine, which was helpful in highlighting the stages of urbanisation which had such a decisive impact on the production of the works of art that we went on to carefully examine in the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay. If Paris is a city of contrasts, then our experience was marked by equal variety as we contrasted the licked finish of David’s heroic history painting with the encrusted impasto of Courbet’s vast and contentious A Burial at Ornans which challenged the many assumptions on which the paradigm of the hierarchy of genres rested. By the same token, the Pompidou Centre’s collection of 20th century art demonstrated just how modern Impressionism really paved the way for the avant-garde with its shocking new respect for the flat surface of the canvas, rapid brushstrokes and informal compositions which rejected biblical and mythological subjects in favour of scenes from modern life. It was equally instructive to make comparisons between Watteau and Renoir, as both evoke a leisurely dream

of flirtatious dancing in dappled sunlight, albeit as a result of very different contextual circumstances and patronage. On our final morning, we visited the lesser known Musée Marmottan which houses a significant collection of work by the female Impressionist Berthe Morisot. As we wandered through the most elegant of arrondisements it was easy to appreciate why Morisot was able to work freely ‘en plein air’ in a safe environment that was conducive to her sensitive and insightful representations of the lives of women that are quite unlike the more brittle treatments of the female form presented by Manet and Degas. Unfortunately, Manet’s scandalous Olympia was not on display in the Musée d’Orsay, as it is being prepared for transportation to a major retrospective of the artist’s work which will shortly open in Venice. Perhaps we will be following Olympia on her journey very soon. Dr Penelope Wickson Head of History of Art

Lacrosse It has been over eight years since the last lacrosse tour and St Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lacrosse has come a long way since then. With ten UVI Form leaving the 1st Team, it was imperative that those going made the most of an amazing experience and their chance to play a part in the rebuilding of the team for the future.

Day 1 - Tuesday 9th July 2013 As a heat wave took hold in the UK, 21 girls and three members of staff arrived in Dulles, Washington DC, to unusually cool and wet conditions! Landing at 2.30pm US time , we needed to stay awake and make the most of the day, so we head ed straight for The Mall (not to be confused with the shopping mall ) to see the Lincoln Memorial, the reflecting pool where the famous scenes from Forrest Gump were filmed, and we admired the Jefferson Memorial and Monument from a distance, the latter with scaffolding for maintenance following last year’s earthquake. After photos in fron t of The White House, we checked into the Holiday Inn in the youn g and popular university area of DC that is Georgetown. With a few of us running on empty, we walked up the road for a great supp er at Surfside, where we discovered first-hand that the portions really are much bigger, before collapsing into bed for a much-needed long sleep.

Day 2 - Wednesday 10th July The next day, after an all-you-can-eat breakfast, the girls were allowed a few hours to explore Geo rgetown before heading to Baltimore. Passing the famous stad iums of the Super Bowl champions, Baltimore Ravens, and the Major League Baseball team, Baltimore Orioles, we arrived at the pretty inner harbour for a quick walk around and lunch before heading to Towson University. Two coaches greeted us and showed us the amazing facilities: our own private locker room complete with physio benches and the “trainers’ room” (which Annabel took advantage of). We then went up to one of the pitches so that we could start fine-tuning our skills, shake off the jet lag and prepare for our matches. With Emily and Juliet relishing the opportunity of wor king with their own GK coach for an hour, the rest learnt about pow er shooting and enjoyed some small sided games, concentrating on defence. After presents from Towson, we made a quick transfer to Cedar Lane Regional Park in Bel Air to meet up with our hosts, Elite Lacrosse Club – no need to guess how good they were! After joini ng them for some drills and coaching, we had a quick ‘scrimmage’ (game) against their U15 Team which proved very valuable in preparing us for what was to come in our first official match the next day against their U17s.

Day 3 – Thursday 11th July We regrouped at 9am and shared stor ies from our night with our American host families: from pink poo ls and huge games rooms with their own pinball and fruit machines, to drive-through restaurants with waitresses on roller skates! As we didn’t need to be back at the ground until 6pm, we headed back to DC for some culture. We visited the American Natural Hist ory Museum for dinosaurs and evolution, lunch was spent at Unio n Station in the huge food court, then we went back to The Mall and another Smithsonian after a walk around the Capitol. In the Air and Space Museum, we saw a variety of impressive aeronaut ical engineering ranging from the Wright brothers’ plane to Neil Arm strong’s re-entry pod from the Apollo moon landing. We succumb ed to the DC traffic on the way back, but with a team talk over the microphone, the mood was upbeat and positive. All girls quickly changed into their Nando’s playing shirts for the first time and we prepared for our first match.

Match 1 v Elite La crosse Clu b U17 1 st and 2 nd q ua rt ers: Lost 3 rd and 4 th 4-11 quarter v Elite U16: Goal score Lost 0-4 rs: Olivia K ing, Tabith a Ellis, Annabel W right, Isob el Smith MVD - J essica En thoven MVA - O livia King St Mary’s

Maryland was unseasonably cool and the coaching team was thankful for the lower temperatures and cloud cover. We warmed up and got used to the American grass which was hard work: it’s long and bristly and difficult to pick up the ball, so it was important that we kept it in the air. We got off to a good start with lots of possession, but it was proving hard to get past their defenders. We drove hard to goal and did have some chances, but their goalkeeper was exceptional and saved at least six of our shots in the opening quarter. Elite stepped up their game and won possession with effective double teaming. In defence, we were beginning to look more organised and, although we covered the first slide to double, we weren’t there to cover the next free player and Elite quickly capitalised with their skilful stick work and accurate shooting. Olivia King, frustrated at our lack of conversion, took them on and scored our first goal of the tour with a great individual drive and a powerful and accurate shot. Juliet and Emily made some great saves and kept us in the second half. We fought hard to win the ball and continued to run at them. We learnt much from our first game and at the end of two quarters we were 4-11 behind. We weren’t completely outplayed: the potential was there and we had chances; we came off feeling positive and eager for more.

th Day 4 – Friday 12 July

We said goodbye to our hosts and new friends from Elite in torrential rain and, as we headed to the National Club Championship Tournament, we learned that there was a three hour delay on the start as we couldn’t play on wet pitches.

Day 5 – Saturday 13th July

Match 4 St Marys v Tri-State Lost 4-12

Goal scorers: Olivia Kin g (2), Bonnie Bartlett, Isobel Smith MVD - Laura Steel MVA - Bonnie Bartlett

Match 2

St Mary’s v Battlelax Maroon Lost 6-7 Goal scorers: Annabel Wright (3),

We arrived at the Maryland Soccerplex Eleanor Dove (2), Isobel Smith to see 24 beautifully MVD - Annabel Wright manicured and marked MVA - Eleanor Dove lacrosse pitches set around lakes. Teenage girls were milling about waiting, so we took our hotel. After into check advantage of a few free hours to for our match against ed prepar we some much needed downtime, after their graduation named is team Battlelax Maroon 2015 - each team. year; therefore, they were an U17 we were Our first match of the tournament finally got underway and us feel make to rain of spot a even and again blessed with cloud cover and, sion posses g winnin start, the at home. We competed well from ahead goal one were we r, Eleano and with goals from Isobel, Annabel lead as at half time. The second half saw Battlelax taking a two goal we got caught in shooting space on several occasions Match 3 and gave away penalties. A St Mary’s v BBL Elite couple of forced and soft Lost 4-11 shots failed to convert any Goa l scorers: Isabella Tottenham possession, but we scraped , Eleanor Dove, Bonnie Bartle it back to a one goal deficit. tt We were awarded a penalty and Isobel Smith in the final minute to MVPs – Olivia Erwin equalise, but another good and Hebe Field save gave them the win.

Our second game of the day was played on AstroTurf and under lights. Improving all the time, the team looked more organised in defence and stopped BBL’s first attempts on goal. We had a couple of great chances that we squandered and they inevitably took advantage and took the lead. With another fluffed one-onone chance with their ahead, our GK, BBL counterattacked and scored. As they went two Another play. our affect to began legs heads dropped and our tired loss, but much was learnt.

Blue 2015

The team needed a win today and we were really up for it. TriState Blue were unbeaten, so it was always going to be tough. However, our rapidly developing tour team started brilliantly with two excellent transitions from the draw, finished off with two great goals from Olivia King. This panicked the opposition and they forced the play, made errors and we capitalised. In defence, we continued to do well to contain them, with great slides and calm and organised unit play. Laura Steel made some great interceptions and confidence was high. Inevitably, Tri-State Blue, stepped up their game and we went into half time 4-7 down. The heat began to take its toll and we started to force the attack and lose our discipline and control, chasing the game. We still had opportunities to score, but we rushed and they tightened up in defence. The majority of their goals came from free position shots, as we gave away the penalty for shooting space.

Day 6 – Sunday 14th July Day three, the final day of the tournament, started with an 8am scheduled play-off match against a team called Envy - a 6.15am wake-up call was a rude awakening… for those who heard it! Grabbing breakfast on our way out, we promptly arrived back at the ground for a decent warm-up in clear skies and beautiful conditions. With everything to play for, it was unfortunate that it took us a while to play to our new high standard. Tabitha did well to win the draw; Jessica caused the majority of turnovers as we worked to create goals; Isobel Smith had lots of chances and Juliet was on great form in goal, but at half time we Match 5 were trailing 3-7. St Mary’s v Envy Although we picked Lost 6-10 up the pace and Goal scorers: drew the second Bonnie Bartlett (3), Georgie half, we had left it too late, losing 6-10. Higgins, Isobel Smith,

Olivia Erwin

The rest of the day we supported our new hosts, Capital Lacrosse Club, who won their respective tournaments. Capital were incredibly hospitable and one parent even organised a private tour of the US Capitol with Congressman Sessions and we were shown around the impressive Rotunda and Statuary Hall with its statues of prominent citizens.

Day 7 – Monday 15th July We were taken to Old Town, Alexandria by our hosts, where most of the squad spent the afternoon at their country club, cooling down in the pool and preparing for the final match of the tour.

Match 6

St Marys v Capital Gold Lost 5-12

Goal scorers: Annabel Wright (2), Bonnie Bartlett, Tabitha Ellis, Isobel Smith

The club’s very promising U15 Team looked very skilful, organised and disciplined in warm-up and then proceeded to carry that into the game. We held our own, enjoying significant possession, but couldn’t contain their strong attackers.

Playing against our new Match 7 friends and hosts was St Mary s v Capit al Orange hard. Desperately keen L os t 3 -5 to show them our finest Goal scor ers: Olivia play, we enjoyed a very Erwin, Eleanor D close game and had ove and a chance to equalise. Annabel Wright We then merged with Capital Blue for a final scrimmage, followed by team teas at one of the player’s houses; across the entrance was suspended a huge Union Jack, along the driveway there were mini flags guiding the way and a banquet lay waiting!

Day 8 – Tuesday 16th July At St Stephens’ and St Agnes’ School, we said our farewells and thanks to our hosts for a truly memorable experience. Then, after a visit to Lax World for new kit, we made our way to Miss Egan’s summer house high up in the forest overlooking the Annapolis bay. A delicious lunch awaited us, thanks to the generosity of Miss Egan’s parents, and we tucked in gratefully to the sandwiches, home-made cake and famous cupcakes from DC (care of Mr Wright). Eager to hit the water, we changed and rode down to the private jetty, where the Egan family had organised the use of kayaks, paddle boards and the speedboat and donut. After a few hours of fun, we all went up to the swimming pool to relax in the water and sunbathe. We travelled back to DC for our final meal together at Nando’s, where, given the volume of noise, we were given our own ‘wine room’. Following another delicious meal, small prizes and awards were given out and then we all returned to the hotel for our final sleep in America.

th Day 9 – Wednesday 17 July

After an emotional farewell to Miss Egan, the morning was spent packing up and checking out, and most took advantage of a few final hours in Georgetown before our flight home. As we looked back over the tour, we could all safely say it had been a fantastic experience. Although we didn’t win any of our matches, a huge amount was gained by player and coach: tactical, technical and emotional understanding of each other both on and off the field. My sincere thanks go to Nando’s for their sponsorship of the tour kit, as well as two excellent complimentary dinners; to Mrs Sellers and the PGSM for the St Mary’s merchandise we gave as gifts to our hosts; to Mr Wright, now an honorary member of the tour squad, for providing ice and water at every game and smoothies and cupcakes in between, for being photographer and motivational counsellor to the management, as well as for providing gifts of baseball caps and pins to exchange with our opponents; to all the players for their good behaviour, good company and enthusiasm and, finally, to Miss Abendanon and Miss Egan for their good humour and fun-loving efficiency. Bring on the next tour! USA 2015? Mrs Heidi Marvin Director of Sport

Reviews - Hamlet

To be, or not to beâ&#x20AC;Ś There is no better theatrical universe in which to be immersed than that of Shakespeare - and Hamlet, arguably the greatest of all revenge tragedies, stands at the axis of his work, a towering presence. There are no subjects or thoughts about the human condition in Hamlet which are not referenced, illuminated or imbued with the most profound insights by Shakespeare, the greatest of all dramatists. The powerful ambiguity and uncertainty which dominate the dramatic text make the journey into the world of Elsinore and, more particularly, into the hearts and minds of its characters, ever more fascinating for actors and audience alike. The dark, labyrinthian corridors and passageways, doorways and hiding places of the castle are like physical manifestations of psychological states. It is all â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;smoke and mirrorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Is Gertrude complicit? Is Ophelia innocent? Is the Ghost honest? Is Polonius just a fool? Does Hamlet love Ophelia? Does he become mad? Can wicked men be good leaders? What is real? What is politic and false? What is life? What is death?

From the tormented soul of Hamlet, ‘sweet prince’ and reluctant avenger, we are given an overwhelming sense of fragmentation and alienation; yet he presents us with the most poignant and beautiful portrayal of human existence. It has been an honour to enter and explore the world of Prince Hamlet. Only with the very best of ‘new Elizabethans’, the great actors and students of St Mary’s Calne, might we take on the challenge – travelling ‘light years’ across the Renaissance universe – with a ‘double ensemble’ – in just seven weeks. Miss Lilian Leadbetter Director of Drama Autumn 2012

mber of one of the five Companies me a is ff sta of er mb me d an l gir ch Ea Companies are named after Bishops, e Th d. ide div is l oo sch the ich wh o int of Salisbury. The Company each with an association to the Diocese er gir ls in different year groups. Each oth th wi x mi to ls gir ws allo e tur uc str oughout the school year. Company runs charitable activities thr

Under the leadership of Clementine Wood, we came back to the Autumn Term still celebrating the winning of the Inter-Company Cup! We had a good team talk and our missions were set. The first hurdle was the Company Shout. Many practices were had and, on the night, we were outstanding (even if I do say so myself!). A fabulous rendition of the Sound of Music won us the vocal ensemble, we stole the show with our Surfinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; USA and we won the Company Shout. The U14 Lacrosse Team, under the captaincy of Jemima Brown, beat all the other Companies and did not let one goal in, thanks to Eliza Perry. The Inter-Company netball did not bring us the results we wanted in all age ranges, but we managed to add some points. The Spring Term brought us a change of leadership: Alice Rowse as Head of Company and her loyal companion Rosie Dalley as second-in-command. We continued to surge forward and we were still in first place at the end of the term.

The Summer Term started with the Moberly Company Supper, with a Mr Men and Little Miss theme. Lots of colour and characters were displayed, and Mr Bump and Mr Greedy were seen at numerous tables. Best costumes went to Sophie Perry and Venetia Baring. The sun still shining, we surged through the Inter-Company Tennis. The MIV Form were the overall champions: Louise CharlesworthHerbert, Flora Eliot-Cohen, Helena Gray and Isobel Slater pulled together and beat every other Company couple. The LIV Form were not as productive, but they did not give up and still gained us many points! The UIV Form put up a good fight and the combination of Annabelle Bishop and Jemima Brown, and Jess and Sassie Patel, with a little Kitty Bevan thrown in, caused chaos: overall they came 3rd. The LV Form put up a slightly better fight: Isabelle Cain and Georgia Murdoch as the 1st couple, and Taya Sellers and Amelia Walker as the 2nd couple, fought hard and brought in an overall 2nd position, which was very good considering the competition. Sports Day brought us a flurry of 1st positions: Jemima Brown for long jump, triple jump and hurdles and overall Senior Individual Trophy; Kitty Bevan for shot putt;

Millie Scott Hopkins for high jump and Flora Eliot-Cohen for shot putt. With all our scores added up, Moberly came 2nd an outstanding performance by all. Inter-Company Rounders brought out our most competitive side. An A and B Team were decided and sent out to war under our new Moberly flag. Balls were hit everywhere and rounders were numerous â&#x20AC;&#x201C; too many names to be mentioned, but everyone put in 100% effort. The A Team ended up in 4th position and the B Team were tremendous and did not lose a match and finished in 1st position. True to form, Moberly were the Inter-Company Rounders Champions! We then all had Company tea, eating our body weight in doughnuts, strawberries, cookies and flapjacks, and then swilled it down with lashings of lemon barley water! Moberly are totally fabulous and we now retain the Langridge Cup!

Mrs Natalie Baldwin Head of Moberly Company

Company News

This will be the last Company report which I shall write. I am very happy that Poore is being taken over by Miss Helen Carruthers, who will surely provide Celtic fire and sporting excellence and inspire the Company to great things. This last year has been very good. Our outgoing Student Head of Company, Ellys Airey, did a great job organising and rehearsing the Company Shout last October, in which we did extremely well, coming highly placed in all sections. The musical and overall artistic abilities of Poore have always shone through and our junior girls continued this tradition with many excellent performances in the Junior Music Competition. The example of performance excellence set by Ellys and others in the UVI Form, for example Ella May, certainly demonstrated to all the younger girls in the Company the value of passion and commitment, and it is very pleasing that we

prompted the girls this year to support the charity Kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Company and, next year, they will support one of the main school charities: Great Ormond Street Hospital Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Charity.

have another fine performer as our present Head of Company: Isabella Grive. My own interest in Music and the other Performing Arts is well known and I shall particularly enjoy supporting this aspect of the Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities in the future. As Head of Company, I have benefited hugely from the enthusiasm and expertise of the staff Company members, amongst whom I must single out Mrs Elizabeth Thompson and Mrs Rebecca Spicer for all their work organising games practices and events and artistic competitions respectively. Their willingness to assist has certainly helped to create over the years a fantastic feeling of friendship within Poore Company. This spirit

On the sports field, doing your best and turning out in all weathers is the hallmark of a Poore Company member. Particular successes this year have lain with the juniors - at Sports Day, in tennis and lacrosse. Their talent and enthusiasm bode well for future years also. As a result of all these successes and the gaining of many Company Credits, we were in a tantalising position at the end of term and I had fingers crossed for a last victory in the Langridge Cup. Alas, this was not quite our moment, but a fantastic thanks and congratulations to all the Company for their great second position. I have really enjoyed getting to know the girls in this context and I wish the whole Company well for the future. Mrs Hilary Malcolm Outgoing Head of Poore Company

While I reflect on another year as Head of Ed Rich, I have many fond memories and much of which to be proud. Our Sixth Form pupils were wonderful: they contributed enthusiastically and worked brilliantly with the younger girls. Isabella Steel and Zoë Spicer, our Student Company Heads, were a joy: they were enthusiastic, pro-active and well-organised. The first Inter-Company activity was the Music Competition and Kate Le Fevre, our Music Rep, and Matilda Ellis, who was in charge of the choreography, led the rehearsals for the Company Shout, giving strong direction from

the beginning. Sadly, our final position did not reflect the effort that the girls had put into the competition. We did not fare much better in the games competitions that term either but, during the Spring Term, our senior lacrosse players won their competition and our UIV Form Netball Team, under the leadership of Iona Westwood, came second in theirs.

Ed Rich had a very enjoyable year, taking part in all the Company activities with great enthusiasm and team work. The Music Competition, also known as Company Shout, as singing is quickly replaced by shouting in order to grab the judge’s attention, took place in the Autumn Term. We came up with great dance moves and harmonies, and put on an amazing show for everyone watching. Company Shout is everyone’s favourite activity, as it quickly gets very competitive between the Companies and we get to see the amazing individual musical talent of our fellow pupils. However, it was during the Summer Term that Ed Rich girls performed at their best in the athletics and tennis competitions. In the junior competition, we had some great individual performances from Jemima Ellis, Rosie Horwood and Sophie Mallinson in LIV Form, Maddy Self and Jessica Westwood in MIV Form and, in the senior competition, where we came second, Georgia Williams, Leonora Monson and Lily Innes in UIV Form and Tabitha Ellis, Kamilla Gulieva, Eloise Le Fevre, Isobel Smith and Laura Steel in LV Form, all performed well. Sophia Guinness, Lily Marriott and Chloe Waller played some great tennis to win the LVI Form tennis competition. Tabitha Ellis, Beatrice Nash, Isobel Smith and Laura Steel won the LV Form tennis, and Daisy Crone, Lily Innes, Iona Westwood and Georgia Williams won the UIV Form tennis competition. We were finally climbing up the point’s ladder and finished third in the InterCompany Competition. Mrs Sue Foreman Head of Edmund Rich Company

We had Company Supper on 23rd January, where the theme was ‘Circus’. There were numerous fantastic and extraordinary costumes, such as tigers, clowns and even mice, which we had made from scratch. These costumes were judged at the end and the winner received a box of chocolates everyone was very eager to win! Our guests for the evening were Peter Foskett and Lisa Whitehouse-Foskett, the Founders of CFENC, the Charitable Foundation for the Education of Nepalese Children. Lisa gave us a very interesting and insightful presentation and update on the Buddha Primary school in Eastern Nepal, so we were able to see how the money we had raised had been spent. The refurbished school building, once cold and leaking, is now fully waterproof with new walls and windows, a new roof and benches and tables for the pupils to work at. Ed Rich had an exciting year and all year groups worked very well together in order to come out with great results. Lily Marriott Student Head of Edmund Rich Company

Osmund began the year with their Company Supper in mid-September. We were very fortunate to have Euan Clarke as our speaker. Not only was he highly entertaining and thought-provoking, but he also gave us a valuable insight into his charity, Children on the Edge, which we pledged to raise money for throughout the year. This charity supports children who literally have nothing, by providing them with a basic education and one meal a day. Our fundraising centred around our ‘Bob-a-Job’ campaign, a muftiday and our evening with Peter Wilson, the gold medallist in last year’s Olympics in double trap shooting. This was a very

well-supported event and it was wonderful to learn about a sport of which many of us had little experience, as well as to hear his anecdotal stories of life in the Olympic village. That evening raised over £400 and our final total was just short of £700. Osmund would like to thank everyone who supported our events so generously this year. Within school, Osmund had many wonderful successes in the music, sporting and wider competitions. Our best triumphs came in the sporting competitions but, despite making good ground during the year, we were unlucky to be pipped into fourth place in the final tally, losing out to our nearest competitor by only two marks - such is life! Nevertheless, the spirit in the Company was wonderful to see and we shall do our

best to contribute just as fully next year to all the challenges that the Company system provides. In particular, I should like to thank the Dove girls (Florence and Eleanor) for all that they have and are doing for the Company as successive Student Heads of Company, but I know that they could not do what they do without the support of many other girls.

Mrs Elizabeth Rothwell Head of Osmund Company

Company News

Once again, Grosstete started the academic year with a stellar performance at the Company Shout. Individually, special mention goes to Maia Jarvis, who won the piano section and the piano prize with her beautiful performance. Unfortunately, we did not experience such great success in the instrumental and vocal ensemble performances, narrowly missing out on first place despite our 90’s themed Friends Theme Song rendition and fivepart harmonies in an a capella version of Some Nights by Fun. Finally, for our Beach Boys themed Shout, the whole Company bellowed out the lyrics to Surfin’ Safari in animal onesies (with an attempt at harmonies from the Vocal Ensemble). All of these accumulated efforts on the night and weeks of learning dance moves, transposing instrumental parts, trying to hold harmonies and getting the LIV Form actually to sing, meant that Grosstete were finally named the victors of the 2013 Company Shout. We will emulate the same success next year. The next great highlight of the year for Grosstete was our out-of-this-world Space

themed Company Supper run by our Student Company Heads, Holly Armstrong and Laura Doel, in February. This inspired some truly imaginative outfits, including an Orion’s Belt, some black holes, several lost astronauts, an abundance of multi-coloured aliens and a hoover (because space is a vacuum, get it?). The supper was a brilliant opportunity for the Company to come together in a much more relaxed and less competitive way than the Company Shout. After an evening of food and excessive amounts of elderflower, there was a Company Quiz, which tested the Company’s general knowledge and found that it was seriously lacking. The supper was also an opportunity to thank Holly and Laura for their amazing work. Grosstete also held the Fourth Form Company Quiz this year, where we sold lollies in aid of PROPS, our Company charity. We also held cake sales and mufti-days over the year to raise money. PROPS provides opportunities and support to children and young people with physical and learning difficulties. It is a great cause to support, and what makes this charity even more special is the fact that it is very local to us – they are based in Bristol. We hope to raise a lot more over the next year.

This year has not been Grosstete’s best year for sport; however, we were certainly the Company with the best spirit and everyone made an effort. Our true skills were definitely on show in the Inter-Company Rounders and Inter-Company Dodge Ball tournaments, but we won’t go into great detail about our success (or lack thereof) in the major sports. Needless to say, we need to do a little more training for next year’s events! Next year looks to be a great one with the Company Shout song already announced: A Whole New World from Aladdin. We are already working on the vocal and instrumental ensembles, and are in the process of finding a magic carpet to ride during the song. We would like to end this year by saying a huge thanks to our old Student Company Heads, Holly and Laura, and to Miss Collings our Head of Company. We look forward to making Grosstete the champions next academic year. Imogen Giddins and Gemma Briston Student Heads of Grosstete Company

On Tuesday 18th June, we were blessed with a warm, dry day for our much anticipated Inter-Company Spor ts Day.

Inter-Company events are always going to be fiercely contested, but none more so than our 2013 Sports Day. All junior and senior teams were keen to gain as many points as possible for their Company, and the abundance of talent across the school was shown in all of its glory. Three records were broken: triple jump by Jemima Brown of Moberly, who set a new UIV Form record; Caroline Brenchley of Poore, who smashed a 20 year record in the rounders ball with a throw of 45.34m (previous record 44.10m) and Annabel Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Grady of Grosstete, who broke the UIV Form javelin record. All five Companies had some excellent performances in 50

both track and field events, but it was Poore who dominated in the track events with impressive performances from Caroline Brenchley,Yasmin and Ariana Watling and Alicia Whitaker, so much so that all the junior girls were contenders for the Junior Victrix Ludorum, eventually won by Alicia Whitaker. Senior Victrix Ludorum was won by Jemima Brown, who won all of her individual events - triple jump, long jump and 80m hurdles. Well done to all girls - a fantastic effort by all! Miss Helen Carruthers Head of PE

Sports Reports

Equestrian Events Stonar ISODE – Autumn Term 19 girls took part in the Stonar Equestrian ISODE. Diversity was the name of the game and a key element of their success was the ability to cope with the elements when glorious sunshine turned to heavy rain and wind. Nerves of steel are required to attempt a cross country course in good conditions and that was great to see on the Saturday, but on Sunday… wow! Results: Pandora Briselden: 1st in Class 1 Hope Pleydell-Bouverie: 1st in Class 6 Bonnie Bartlett, Gemma Enthoven, Isolde Crichton Watt and Rosie Leng’s Team: 3rd Mille Smart: 7th in her section Georgia Williams: 9th in her section Amelia Walker: 8th in her Class section Katie Meehan: 10th in her Class section Stonar Mini ISODE – Summer Term The 18th and 19th May proved to be a very busy weekend for the equestrian riders and their teams. They all remembered their dressage tests, then went on to the show jumping, which was much more fun, before finally competing in cross country in their new colours, silks and stocks. The girls achieved some fantastic results: Saturday - Class 1 (80/85cm) – Flora Guy, Isolde Crichton Watt and Ella Pitman Ella placed 6th in her section Sunday - Class 2 (70/75cm) - Sylvia Rutherford, Isabelle Cole, Katie Hughes, Pandora Briselden - Team came 2nd. As individuals in their class and sections, Isabelle came 1st, Pandora came 6th, Sylvia 8th Sunday - Class 3 (90/95cm) Team 1 - Bonnie Bartlett, Tatiana Crichton Watt, Lauren Booth - sadly not placed, Bonnie came 2nd as individual in her section

Class 4 -Team Placed 1st and qualified Lauren Booth Francesca Swallow Kirsten McFaull Marina Jodrell

Sunday Class 3 (90/95cm) - Team 2 – Georgia Williams, Millie Smart, Rosie Leng, Gemma Enthoven - 2nd as a team and as individuals in their section, Georgia came 2nd, Millie 4th, Gemma 7th and Rosie 8th NSEA Qualifier Show Jumping Event – April 2013 It was a beautiful day for St Mary’s to hold their NSEA Qualifier Show Jumping Event. We had almost 500 entries and with the exceptional help of parents, staff and St Mary’s girls, it all ran like clockwork. Class 2 - Team placed 3rd Isobel Smith Ella Pitman Pandora Briselden Lauren Booth Class 3 - Team placed 4th Isobel Smith Gemma Enthoven Katie Meehan Class 3 - Team Placed 7th Rosie Leng Bonnie Bartlett Lauren Booth Francesca Swallow

Lauren also finished 4th as an Individual and Tatiana Crichton Watt was 5th in Class 4 Class 4 - Placed 4th Jessica Enthoven Bonnie Bartlett Rosie Leng Class 5 - Placed 2nd and qualified Jessica Enthoven Kirsten McFaul Georgia Sykes Alice Edgedale Summer Term Success On Saturday 11th May, four girls competed for St Mary’s in the inter-schools show jumping at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, complete with new school rugs and stocks and looking very professional. It was a huge occasion and only one school had three clear rounds. The team of Bonnie Bartlett, Lauren Booth, Rosie Leng and Millie Smart finished with a total of 8 faults; with Rosie jumping our only clear round. This was a very good score and we finished in 18th place out of 39 schools. At the Aston Le Walls horse trials, Millie Smart and Georgia Williams both rode polished double clears in the 100cm and 90cm respectively. That same day, Hope Pleydell-Bouverie scored a great mark in her dressage and then jumped double clear for fourth place in the 100 class at the West Buckland horse trials LIV Form girls, Sylvia Rutherford and Pandora Briselden, competed successfully at the Kemble VWH Pony Club Show Jumping event in May for the North Cotswold Hunt Pony Club. Sylvia came first in both the 70cm and 75cm classes on her pony Toddy, and Pandora came first in the ‘Working Hunter’ Show and Jumping section on her pony Simba. Pandora also came sixth on the 65-70cm jumping with her pony Pip. Sylvia also competed at Home Farm Equestrian Centre, Gloucestershire, on 2nd June, being awarded first place for the 90cm show jumping on Toddy and second place for the 85cm class.

2012 – 2013 w as another seaso n where St Mar to go from stren y’s hockey conti gth to strength. nued A ll teams, from the experienced tou U14s to the 1st gh matches as w XI, ell as some excit ing victories! tirelessly and players were fully committed in their very important examination years. Led superbly by Captain Alice Edgedale and Vice-Captain Maddi Nadiotis, we sadly said goodbye to our UVI Form players - you will be missed!

To prepare our GKs at the start of the season, we had ex-England goalkeeper Amanda Ferebee lead a session with all of our GKs. They ran through an intensive hour of goalkeeping skills, saving balls on the ground and aerial shots on goal. All the girls improved, but special mention must go to Letitia Frome, who stepped in for the 1st Team this year and learnt all the skills from scratch - an impressive feat at 1st XI level. The 1st XI had a great start to the season with a convincing 4-0 win over Stonar, and they finished with an exciting 1-1 draw against Godolphin, having beaten them 2-1 the previous term. The 1st XI trained

Hot on their heels however, is the very talented U16 Squad: our largest senior squad with 22 players, each of whom has great talent and depth. The U16 Team had some excellent matches and, most notably, secured a convincing win against Royal High School at the beginning of the Autumn Term with a final score of 8–2. Great teamwork and a determination to win led to other wins against Marlborough College, Dauntsey’s and Godolphin. Although we didn’t play Marlborough or Dauntsey’s A Teams, we did play their Senior 3rd Team and are moving closer to playing their equivalent teams. The U15 Team, in contrast, was our smallest senior squad with only 14 players. They persevered with the challenge of moving up from junior level grass hockey matches

against local schools, to astro matches against our local independent schools and the Bath independent schools. Adjusting to the speed of the ball on a full-sized astro was a key focus and they played outstandingly against Godolphin in the Autumn Term with a welldeserved 2-0 win. The U14 Squad was incredibly impressive. Stepping up to the new challenge of playing weightier opponents than U14 Teams in previous years, they had a truly exciting and successful season. Combining their season with preparations for, and tournaments in, netball, hockey matches were late to kick off, but the players did very well to beat Downe House 7-2, Godolphin 3-1 and draw with Dauntsey’s A Team 2 -2, in an incredibly exciting end-to-end match. Congratulations to all the teams who trained consistently hard and continued to adapt their training to suit matches on a full-sized astro. We look forward to seeing what next year brings! Miss Helen Carruthers Hockey Coach

g n i c a R Sail

Sports Reports

in sa five girls took part , rm Te er m m Su e During th h Cerney Activity race training at Sout old Water Park. Centre at the Cotsw s and a sausage on triangle course The girls practised tack at the ats, learning how to course in Quba bo ey also sailed catch the wind. Th correct moment to little more speed to help them get a in Pico’s with jibs ready for racing.

g n i w o R Term, ten girls During the Summer va g training at Miner took part in rowin Rowing Club, Bath.

th Ladies’ Boat nally founded as Ba igi or s ng wa b clu e Th rliest women’s rowi was one of the ea eir th ed Club in 1914 and fin d re e girls improved an clubs in England. Th ing to the river in tak e for be rs te me techniques on Ergo did very well, uble sculls. They all do d an s ull sc gle sin Avon! sional swim in the with only the occa

Fencing On Saturday 8th December , the St Mary’s Calne Fencing Team went to Bath to compete in a fencing competition against 120 fen cers from 23 schools. The girls performe d brilliantly and retained the Bat h Schools’ Fencing Cup for the second year in a row.

The individual performance s were as follows: U12 – Perrine Corlin - bro nze U13 – Alice Wade - silver; Imogen Davis - gold U14 – Eliza Perry - silver U15 – Henriette Reckhenric h, Alexia Hermelin, Georgia Wheatley - bronze ; Charlotte Wailes-Fairbairn - silver U18 – Mariella de Soissons and Lauren Wheatley - bro nze ; Lucy Evans - silver; Penny Dowler - gold Overall it was a great day and all of the girls should be congratulated on all of their efforts. 53

Reviews

Art Forum Art Forum Over the past 12 months, girls in each year group have worked extremely hard to produce artwork of an exceptionally high standard that is now visible around the school in our annual summer exhibition. The juniors have worked on a wide range of projects, including vibrant paintings inspired by John Piper in the UIV Form, which was their first opportunity to work on canvas. The UIV Form also developed their lino printing skills by creating beautiful prints of native British birds in the Summer Term. The MIV Form made some extremely bold and colourful paintings inspired by the Austrian artist Hundertwasser, and the LIV Form studied the work of the French artist Pierre Bonnard to create some exquisite studies in paint. In the Summer Term, both the

LIV and MIV Forms also worked on a project based on David Hockney’s landscapes, making a series of observational drawings and sculptures that were on display during Founders’ Day. Higher up the school, girls in the LV Form worked on period portraits and clay figurines before starting their GCSE coursework in January, which is focused on the architecture of Bath. This year, the UV Form completed stunning paintings and withy sculptures before commencing their GCSE examinations on a broad range of themes, including ‘Creepy-Crawly’, ‘Bloom’ and ‘Rock Forms’. The LVI Form started off their AS year by working directly from the life model and developing a conceptual project titled

‘Time and Space’ before starting their exams, and the UVI Form spent the year working on self-directed projects, which included traditional portraiture, more contemporary representations of the figure and both textile and equestrian art.

Cork Street This year, we were extremely pleased to be able to showcase the girls’ work in our Cork Street Exhibition in London, ‘Consider the Lilies’, a celebration of the artistic endeavours of present and past St Mary’s girls. More can be read about this hugely successful exhibition on page 6.

School Trips In November, the Fifth Form Artists were fortunate enough to visit The Saatchi Gallery to see ‘Out of Focus’, its stunning contemporary photographic exhibition. They were also given a guided tour by Old Girl Francesca Wilson, who is now Head of Education at the prestigious gallery. In the same week, the Sixth Form visited The Royal Academy of Arts to see its very well-received Bronze exhibition and had the opportunity to see some of the world’s greatest bronze masterpieces from Ancient Greece and Rome, and also works by iconic figures such as Rodin, Picasso, Jasper Johns, Henry Moore and Louise Bourgeois. In the Spring Term, Miss Davis also took the LV Form to Bath to explore its historic architecture in preparation for their GCSE coursework focusing on the artists Walter Sickert and Peter Brown.

OCR - The Exam Board This year, Cicely Haslam was extremely pleased to have her GCSE coursework painting of local woodlands selected by the examination board OCR for their Art and Design subject brochure. It was a great honour for her to have her painting chosen by the board for this purpose and it is a testament to how hard Cicely worked over the course of the year.

Artist in Residence Miss Nina Davis, our Artist in Residence, worked extensively with the girls during lessons, in Enrichment Weeks and through extra-curricular activities on a range of exciting projects, including textile quilts, Olympic banners, willow sculptures and a manipulated book competition for Bath Library. Having previously studied at Bath School of Art and Design in Textile Design, she facilitated a broad range of creative textile projects with the girls. Her own recent work explores a fascination with botany through the changing seasons, the

transient nature of surface textures and the use of layering to create a variety of effects. This led to a collection of unique artworks created out of paper and on canvas which were beautifully exhibited at school during the Summer Term. More can be read about Miss Davis’ work on page 70.

Calne Exhibition This year, the girls in the UIV Form had the exciting opportunity to exhibit their work in Calne Library. On show were their paintings inspired by the artist John Piper created in the Autumn Term. The exhibition, entitled ‘Calne in Colour’, was on display until 3rd May and was much admired by all those who visited. The paintings showed the range of techniques the girls had explored with extremely lively outcomes.

The School Blog

enabled the Art Department to give weekly updates on the lively goings on in the department. This has included documenting school trips, Enrichment Week activities, evening clubs and showing the progress made by our GCSE and A Level students, and the projects worked on by our junior year groups.

And finally… Yet again this has been another fantastic year for the Art Department. The girls have proven that they are able to produce work that is of exceptional quality and, at its best, is on a level that is worthy of display in any commercial gallery. It has been my great pleasure and privilege to teach such talented girls and I very much look forward to the coming academic year and seeing all that they produce. Miss Candia Bradshaw Director of Art

Another fantastic development in the Art Department this year was the Art School Blog - ‘Through the Studio Window’ - which is available on the school website. It has

Trips & Expeditions - Florence

LVI History of Art Trip to

Florence After the short flight from Gatwick to Pisa airport, we drove to the much-anticipated city of Florence. The cold was a shock, given that whilst we packed we thought ‘it’s Italy, obviously it’s hot there’. Our first sighting of the Hotel California dismissed any previous questions about its name and standards, as it was in view of the magnificent Duomo. Entering the building via a small passageway, we struggled up the winding stairs that led us to a grand entrance hall with a barrel vaulted coffered ceiling. Finally our work on technical vocabulary was put to use: the walls were covered in the classical ornament that had been drilled into us over the course of the term. After being shown to our rooms, we gathered in the reception ready for our first venture into the city: a two minute walk to a rustic little restaurant. Later, we made our way back, stuffed full of Bolognese and ready for our first night in our former Renaissance palazzo. Saturday was our first day of real work and it was even harder than Gold DofE! We started off the day walking over the Ponte Vecchio to Santa Spirito, located in the Oltrarno quarter. The building’s interior is one of the preeminent examples of Brunelleschi’s Early Renaissance architecture.

The façade of the church is a simple monochromatic white, preparing the viewer for the calm splendour of the interior. The spring of arches lead the eye down to the apse and, after months of learning every detail of a church’s design, we strolled down looking at the niches, able to name every feature we could see. Our class has an obsession with knowing everything and this was most apparent when we were walking down a street and someone shouted ‘that’s some rusticated stone’ or ‘bingo, that’s a palazzo’.

Our second stop of the day was the Brancacci chapel, containing the exquisite frescos we had studied for so long: Masaccio’s The Tribute Money and Masolino’s The Healing of the Leaper and Raising of Tabitha. We sat on the steps looking up at the richly painted plaster and started our checklist; we described and interpreted every feature. To the other visitors we must have been a nightmare, but we felt like world famous Art Historians! The detailed composition and stylistic features jumped off the walls. After a pizza, fresh from the wood-burning oven at the Pizzeria Dante, we moved on to Santa Maria Novella. This is the church associated with the Dominican order and famous for its frescoes by masters of the Early Renaissance, such as Ghirlandaio, financed through the generosity of the most important Florentine families. Our next stop was the Museo Dell’Opera del Duomo to see Ghiberti’s legendary Baptistery Doors; finally seeing these works of art left us all stunned. The doors were commissioned for the Arte del Calimala, as a gesture of rivalry within the competitive atmosphere generated by the Guilds. These doors were a high sheen of gold, so detailed it was hard to believe they were created over 500 years ago. In the evening, we went to the oddly named ‘Yellow Restaurant’ which is popular with the Italians. The meal ended with free biscuits and even a rose for Dr Wickson! After our first exhausting day, we woke early to start the next mission. The Bargello

was our first destination; here we went to see two sculptures designed by Donatello. Firstly, a bronze sculpture of the biblical hero David or, as we called him, ‘Dave the babe’, down to his slightly feminine appearance and plump bottom. Secondly, St George, one of Donatello’s earlier pieces, which, to our amazement, was situated behind David. As the day progressed, our stomachs started to rumble and, after guzzling a delicious meal, we went to the Uffizi. Here an array of work was displayed that was so captivating, we could have stayed there for the entire day. The Botticellis were seen in their full splendour and it was hard not to be totally transfixed. We moved on to the Pazzi Chapel, which had doubled as a small private meeting space for Franciscan monks as well as the private place of worship of the Pazzi family. This chapel displays its function through its complex planning and use of sacred geometry. Seeing this chapel in its physical entirety helped to create a permanent image in our minds, which I have found to be highly beneficial when trying to remember it in an exam. Despite all the excitements of the day, our journey still wasn’t finished, as it was time to get the train to Pisa. We raced to the leaning tower and took the clichéd picture of us trying to push it back up.

final site was the Medici Palace, where we walked around the magnificent home of the famous Medici family. The palace is a typical Renaissance Palazzo in plan and is separated into three. The Florentines kept their homes, work and factories all in one place, but the building also had to function as a fortress in case of a revolt or riot. The large corridors and cascading stairs were the perfect place for us to practise being a Renaissance woman, gliding elegantly to greet the Lord of Rimini or even the Pope. We ended our visit in the impressive Medici Chapel, painted wall to wall with detailed depictions of the Adoration of the Magi which incorporates portraits of members of the family. The rich colours and elegant figures demonstrated the splendour of art that was common in Florence so long ago. To our despair, the trip was coming to an end and we returned to the hotel to pack our bags for the airport. The 2013 History of Art trip was an experience of a lifetime; its value was incalculable. Florence holds many fun memories but, above all, it was an experience that has contributed to our learning more than any Google image. Emily Verschoyle LVI Form History of Art Prefect

Monday was colder and a light sprinkle of snow was starting to fall, this was clearly a sad portent that it was time to leave. Our

Chapel News School Confirmation took place on 1st December 2012, conducted by Edward Condry, the new Bishop of Ramsbury, who confirmed 32 of our girls and two adults from adjoining parishes. The main school Confirmation is due to take place on Saturday 30th November 2013 at 10am in St Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Parish Church.

Bishop Edward followed the now established tradition of attending our Confirmation breakfast at 8.30am on Confirmation Day, in order to get to meet all the girls. Our three Roman Catholic candidates took part on 1st December, but more recently enjoyed their own Confirmation in the splendid setting of Downside Abbey on 26th April 2013. Our wonderful Catering Team prepared spectacular cakes for both sets of girls and put on a very special reception for all those confirmed and their guests in December. A new Confirmation group has just started, containing a record number of 49 girls. This includes Roman Catholics and one girl who is to be accepted into the Church of Scotland.

The Christian Union, run entirely by the girls, continues to meet on a regular basis and has been ably led by Kate Le Fevre and Orafiri Ogan. Kate has been an inspirational Head of Chapel, with Orafiri an ever-present support. Our group of prayer partners, who number over thirty staff and parents, are now in their second year. I send periodic prayer letters to each person, keeping them up-to-date with events in the school for which prayer is requested. I greatly value the interest and support of the prayer partners. I am aware that we have many new parents and if they, or any other existing parents, would like to be included on the circulation list, then please do e-mail jbeach@stmaryscalne.org. The Chapel remains the focus of much that is important in school life and is well-used for a great variety of school events. A huge number of staff and pupils participate in leading chapels and are becoming ever more inventive in their use of the technology now available.

Sadly, this is my last Chapel News, as I am retiring at the end of this term after an association with the school as a parent, local priest and School Chaplain over a period of 27 years. I am delighted that the Reverend Jonathan Beach is taking my place as full-time Chaplain in September, after sixteen years as an RAF Chaplain. He has worked with me for periods during the Summer Term and assisted me with our first Confirmation groups. I hope to return the compliment and assist him with the Confirmation groups in the Autumn Term and also to remain associated with the school in other ways. I am in no doubt that the spiritual oversight of the school will be in good hands in the immediate future. Reverend Peter Giles School Chaplain

Cross Country and Running Club ‘Running cross country is pure. It’s a race against yourself, other runners, and nature’. St Mary’s Cross Country and Running Clubs were a real success this season. The girls who chose to attend saw significant improvement in their endurance and speed, and this led to improved performances in competition. Amy Styles, a top class runner, led the Running Club, ensuring that each girl was catered for whatever their level or ability. Cross Country Club focused primarily on the lower school, with its considerable new talent. The focus was on strength and conditioning work, as well as endurance and speed sessions.

The first event of the season was Round One of the ESAA Cross Country Cup, which took place at Leweston School. Teams from Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire schools took part in two age groups: Junior (LIV & MIV Form) with the teams running a distance of 2,200m and Intermediate (UIV & LV Form) with the girls running 3,000m. Both St Mary’s teams produced outstanding performances on the day, showing the strength and depth that we now have in distance running. In the Junior Girls event, Perrine Corlin finished 4th, Caroline Brenchley 6th, Georgia Lane Fox 10th, Lucy Fitzpatrick 18th, Amelia Jacobs 23rd and Alicia Whitaker 28th out of 72 runners. The top four results scored, with the team finishing in 2nd place overall out of 12 schools. In the Intermediate Girls event,Yasmin Watling finished 1st with an exceptional run, Isobel Smith 9th, Jemima Brown 18th, Amelia Walker 26th, Georgina Hope 39th and Georgia Patterson 41st out of 50 runners. Again

the top four results scored, with the team finishing in 2nd place out of ten schools. Both teams qualified for the Regional Round at King’s College, Taunton in Somerset. The competition at this second round event was very strong, with some of the best runners from the South West taking part. The Junior Team ran extremely well to finish 6th out of 12 schools, with our top runners Perrine Corlin and Caroline Brenchley finishing in 26th and 27th place out of 67 runners. The Intermediate Girls Team had a particularly successful morning, with Yasmin Watling finishing 1st out of 57 runners and Jemima Brown 26th, with the team 4th out of 12 schools. This was the best finishing position for St Mary’s in this competition to date and of particular note as the whole team were a year young. They were very unlucky not to qualify for the National Final, as only the top three schools went through. In November, the Minor Girls (LIV Form) and Junior Girls (MIV & UIV Form) Teams competed in the ESAA North Wiltshire Area Cross Country Championships held at Grittleton House School. There were some outstanding individual performances, with five of the LIV Form finishing in the top ten in the Minor Girls event out of 50+ runners. Perrine Corlin finished 4th, Caroline Brenchley 5th, Flora Guy 6th, Lucy Fitzpatrick 7th and Ila Shetty 8th. In the Junior Girls competition,Yasmin Watling finished 2nd, Jemima Brown 5th, Ariana Watling 11th, Georgia Lane Fox 12th, Gracie Ward Thomas 13th and Imogen Ellis 14th out of 60+ competitors. Those finishing in the top 11 positions qualified for a place at the County Championships and St Mary’s Teams finished 1st in both the Minor and Junior age group to complete a very successful day of competition. In February, at the Wiltshire County Cross Country Championships held again at Grittleton House School, St Mary’s runners had an outstanding morning, putting in some

impressive performances against the best in the county. In the Minor Girls age group, Perrine Corlin finished 3rd, Caroline Brenchley 4th, Lucy Fitzpatrick 6th, Flora Guy 8th and Ila Shetty 17th; in the Junior group, Yasmin Watling finished 1st and Ariana Watling 6th. To have all St Mary’s girls finishing in the top 20 at county was a fantastic result. The Minor age group do not compete at the National Finals; however, as a result of their performances at county, both Yasmin and Ariana Watling were selected to compete for Wiltshire in the Junior Age Group at the National Schools Cross Country Finals in Burton on Trent in March. Both girls showed a real commitment to training this season, attending extra sessions at school and Bath Athletics Club. At the National Finals, Ariana (a year young) finished 281st and Yasmin a very impressive 14th out of 333 competitors. In addition,Yasmin finished 9th at the U15 Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships at Crofton Park, Birmingham and was selected from hundreds of talented athletes to represent the South West in the Mini Marathon over 5km prior to the main London Marathon in April. St Mary’s Cross Country runners can feel justifiably proud of their performances this season. Mrs Sally Hornby Cross Country Coach

Founders’ Day 2013

Founders’ Day St Mary’s Calne was founded in 1873 by Canon John Duncan, the Vicar of Calne. He was a man of vision and determination and for over thirty years worked unstintingly to establish St Mary’s as an outstanding girls’ school with an Anglican foundation. The inspirational Founders of St Mary’s Calne Canon John Duncan, Miss Ellinor Gabriel and Mrs Penelope Frances Murray - gave generously to the service of education and the church with their financial and practical support, establishing the ethos that still exists today. An annual Speech Day and prizegiving took place from the foundation of the school until just before World War II when the practice of awarding prizes ceased. The first Founders’ Day was held on 2nd July 1941 with a Church service and a performance of Sophocles’ Antigone. In recent years, the annual prizegiving has been reinstated as part of Founders’ Day, thus combining the best of both traditions.

2013

On the morning of Saturday 22nd June, the whole school community gathered in the parish church of St Mary’s Calne for the annual Founders’ Day Commemoration Service. This year, we celebrated 140 years since the school’s foundation and we were delighted to be joined by Professor Julia Buckingham to give the address. Professor Buckingham is Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Brunel University and has also been a St Mary’s Governor since 2007. She gave an inspiring address in the church and it was a very fitting way to start the day.

podium, speaking compellingly about wider educational concerns – such as current government reforms and the availability of education for girls globally – as well as things closer to home, such as the girls’ achievements and her time at St Mary’s so far. Phoebe Love and Henrietta Page read their winning Literalily creative writing entries with much expression and had the audience entranced. Mr Rothwell, Senior Master, had the important task of announcing the prizes and then we were treated to a speech by Mrs Anne Sebba, Chair of the Society of Authors.

Back at school, the Music Marquee was buzzing with performances by everyone from the Jazz Band and Opera Group to the Flute Trio and Junior Choir – many individual girls and ensembles got their chance to shine on the afternoon – which is more than could be said for the sun during the picnics! However, spirits were not dampened and the UVI Form girls braved the weather in their beautiful dresses and ‘practical’ footwear!

Mrs Sebba has written a great many biographies about strong women and spoke to the assembly about those women and how important it is to have self-belief – the internal rod of iron – to know that you can succeed. She also advised everyone to listen properly, to know what they want and to have their own opinions, but to listen to others and grab any opportunities on offer.

The Prizegiving Ceremony took place at 2.15pm, getting underway with a welcome address from our Chairman of Governors, Mr Simon Knight. Dr Kirk was next on the

The Prizegiving Ceremony was closed by Head Girl Georgina Terry, who gave a funny and moving speech about her time with her cohort at St Mary’s Calne, from the days of mini-Boden, braces and centre-partings,

through to their UVI Form year. She spoke of the friends they have made for life and the opportunities they have had during their time at Calne. Mrs Sebba very kindly stayed to sign books during the afternoon tea and many guests could be seen clutching a copy of her books on Jennie Churchill and Wallis Simpson as they listened to the afternoon’s musical performances. Whilst the music marquee was in full swing, the UVI Form gave their final musical farewell in the Chapel before their Leavers’ Service and then continued their celebrations with the evening’s Lily Ball. It was, as ever, a wonderful celebration for the whole school community and a fitting way to mark our 140th year.

Foundersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day

Prizes Junior Prizes Art (including Junior Art Cup) Patricia Montalvo Hernandez Drama Georgia Lane Fox Music Saskia Patel Sport Jemima Brown

Senior Prizes Art Millie Marriott Webb

LIV Form Frances Arnold & Sophie Mallinson MIV Form Maia Jarvis & Victoria Rassmuss UIV Form Joyce Lam, Sophie Milne & Yasmin Watling

Drama Hebe Field

LV Form Charlotte Paterson, Francesca Pullan, Isobel Smith & Laura Steel

Music Isabella Grive

UV Form Amelia Saer & Rosanna Tabor

Sport Annabel Wright

LVI Form Hannah Wu

Prizes for Outstanding Contribution LIV Form Yulu Chai & Isabella Iversen MIV Form Isobel Slater & Jessica Westwood UIV Form Hannah McLintock LV Form Helena Boase & Hope Pleydell-Bouverie UV Form Marina Jodrell LVI Form Mariella de Soissons

Prizes for Overall Academic Achievement

The Grayling Prize for LVI Form extended writing in the Humanities Suzanna Bradshaw Gold Duke of Edinburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Awards Holly Armstrong Alice Byrne Charlotte Coleman Laura Doel Florence Dove Chloe Hayward Kate Le Fevre Madelaine Nadiotis Rachel Nethercott Victoria Price Nicola Randall Sophie Soar Isabella Steel Lucy Stratton Phoebe Tatham Isabella Warner

UVI Form Prizes Katherine Benthall Senior Art Cup Alice Edgedale

Mayhew Music Prize for All-Round Contribution Victoria Price

Biology Prize Inewari Fabyan

The Finlandia Cup (voted for by members of the Chamber Choir) Ellys Airey

Classical Civilisation Prize Amy Cooper Chemistry Prize Kate Le Fevre

The Cecilia James Prize for the Company Music Festival Solo Performance Winner Weijia Li

Penrose Foss Classics Cup Isabella Warner

The Susannah Hunt Music Prize for Exemplary Contribution to Music Kate Le Fevre

Drama and Theatre Studies Olivia Gosling

Sir Tim Rice Musical Theatre Prize Ellys Airey & Ella May

Lilian Leadbetter Prize for Performance Matilda Ellis

Philosophy and Ethics Prize Holly Armstrong & Rachel Nethercott

Economics Prize Emily Dundas & Orafiri Ogan

Physics Prize Lucy Cross

The Mayhew A Level English Cup Georgina Terry

Charles Crawford Sixth Form Science Prize Alice Pennington

French Cup Holly Armstrong

Psychology Prize Amy Cooper

Geography Prize Florence Dove & Emily Dundas

Spanish Prize Phoebe Tatham

German Prize Vivian Mu

Outstanding Achievement in Sport Jessica Mendoza

Government and Politics Prize Millie McLuskie

Services to Sport Cressida Cox

History of Art Prize Charlotte Bell

Prize for Sustained Effort across three A Level Subjects Nicola Randall & Phoebe Tatham

The Mavis Hunter A Level History Prize Millie McLuskie & Isabella Steel Latin Prize Georgina Terry Greek Prize Letitia Frome Sue Lawton Prize for Mathematics Alice Pennington

Prize for Academic Progress in the Sixth Form Hannah Raymond-Cox & Venetia Tate Prize for Academic Achievement across the Sciences and Arts Chella de Bay The Henry Harwood Day Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Prize for All-Round Contribution to School Life Charlotte Coleman

Further Mathematics Prize Lucy Cross

Founders’ Day 2013

Major Awards The Katie Plunkett Memorial Prize is awarded to a girl in the LVI Form whose academic work demonstrates a keen and enquiring mind and who has also contributed a great deal to the school in at least one other area such as Music, Drama or Sport. Emilia Flack & Sophie Nye The Dereham Charities Cup is awarded for hard work and self-motivated contribution to charity. Lucy Cross The Fenton Cup is awarded to a girl who has shown genuine compassion and sustained support of others. Madelaine Nadiotis The Joll Endeavour Prize is awarded to a girl who has achieved a high standard in her work through effort and perseverance. Laura Doel The Lacey Trophy is awarded to a girl who, in the Sixth Form, has been determined and has persevered with work, Sport and Music to achieve a high standard in all three aspects of life. Florence Dove The Southwell Cup for Critical Thinking is given by our former Chair of Governors and current Patron, Richard Southwell QC. Holly Armstrong & Rachel Nethercott The Brunel Prize for Creative Thinking is awarded to a girl who has been innovative, capable of problem-solving, generating ideas and showing imagination. Sophie Soar Joyce Walters Prize for Scholarship is awarded to the most outstanding all-round scholar in the UVI Form. Millie McLuskie, Rachel Nethercott & Isabella Steel

The ‘Good Egg Award’, in memory of Elinor Green, is awarded to an ‘unsung heroine’ who has demonstrated this quality throughout her time in the school. An UVI Form girl who has, in subtle ways, contributed the most to the school in terms of building bridges and generally fostering good relationships and a positive atmosphere. Emily Dundas The Martha Cole Cup for Personal Courage is awarded to a girl in any year group who has shown courage and endeavour beyond the norm. Victoria Price The Leavers’ Cup was donated by the 1990 leavers for the UVI Form to award to one of their number who they feel has been outstanding during the UVI Form year. Kate Le Fevre The Steward Cup is a special prize awarded to a member of the leaving UVI Form whose general all-round attitude reflects the ethos of the school. Zoë Spicer & Isabella Warner The Helen Wright Prize for Leadership is awarded to a girl who has demonstrated leadership through her strong integrity and values during her time at the school. Kate Le Fevre & Georgina Terry The Delscey Burns Cup is awarded to the pupil from any year who most embodies the spirit of the school. Matilda Ellis

Alice Edgedale UVI Form

Jessica Mather UV Form

Olivia Addington UVI Form

Mia Millman UV Form

Lucy Stratton UVI Form - Art Scholar 65

Foundersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day 2013

Subject Prizes Art

Drama

Geography

Mathematics

LIV Form Jemima Ellis

LIV Form Frances Arnold

LIV Form Zanya Fechner MIV Form Isabella Depla

MIV Form Rachel McNeile

MIV Form Maia Jarvis

MIV Form Victoria Rassmuss

UIV Form Josephine Fitzwilliam-Lay

UIV Form Lucy Humphries

UIV Form Daisy Crone

UIV Form Joyce Lam

LV Form Hope Pleydell-Bouverie

LV Form Eliza Leng

LV Form Isobel Smith

LV Form Charlotte Paterson

UV Form Eleanor Curzon Green

UV Form Francesca Lamb

UV Form Bertina Chan

UV Form Kristen Know

LVI Form Cicely Haslam

LVI Form Matilda Jacobs

LVI Form Mariella de Soissons

Classics

Economics

Government & Politics

LVI Form Rosemary Tian Further Mathematics LVI Form Hannah Wu

Latin LIV Form Frances Arnold MIV Form Victoria Rassmuss UIV Form Isolde Crichton Watt LV Form Helena Boase UV Form Rosanna Tabor LVI Form Lucy Rogers Greek UIV Form Emily Peel LV Form Charlotte Paterson UV Form Amelia Saer LVI Form Emilia Flack The Margaret Beater Classics Cup Delphyne Findley-Ramsbotham Classical Civilisation UIV Form Clara Mallinckrodt LVI Form Alice Rowse

LVI Form Hannah Wu

English

LIV Form Frances Arnold MIV Form Maia Jarvis UIV Form Lucy Humphries LV Form Laura Steel UV Form Millie Marriott Webb Junior English Cup Lucy Humphries

English Literature LV Form Hannah Drew

UV Form Chloe Hutton LVI Form Olivia Erwin Creative Writing Competition Winners

LVI Form Suzanna Bradshaw

History

LIV Form Sophie Mallinson MIV Form Alice Wade UIV Form Phoebe Love LV Form Helena Boase UV Form Charlotte Baker LVI Form Sophie Nye

History of Art LVI Form Teodora Moeran

ICT

LIV Form Katya Green

MIV Form Jessica Westwood Junior Phoebe Love UIV Form Sophie Milne Senior Henrietta Page LV Form Charlotte Paterson UV Form Eleanor Nye LVI Form Emily Clarke

LIV Form Yulu Chai

Modern Foreign Languages French LIV Form Sophie Mallinson MIV Form Flora Eliot-Cohen UIV Form Hannah McLintock LV Form Charlotte Paterson UV Form Franziska Goess-Saurau Sophie Perry (Express) LVI Form Matilda Jacobs (Express) German LIV Form Isabella Iversen MIV Form Gabrielle Mutch UIV Form Phoebe Aldridge LV Form Juliet Purdy UV Form Franziska Goess-Saurau LVI Form Teodora Moeran

Spanish LIV Form Katya Green MIV Form Thea Dillon UIV Form Eliza Perry LV Form Mia Langnier UV Form Kristen Know Imogen Dobie (Express) LVI Form Jessica Fechner Chinese LIV Form Isabella Iversen MIV Form Katharine Stone UIV Form Delphyne Findley-Ramsbotham

Music

LIV Form Sophie Mallinson MIV Form Maia Jarvis UIV Form Verity Page LV Form Taya Sellers UV Form Betty Mak LVI Form Imogen Giddins

The Barnett Prize for Music in the UIV Form Jessica Patel Outstanding contribution to practical music making Millie Marriott Webb The Heather Manners Award for Progress - awarded to a girl who has made outstanding progress in her first year’s tuition on a new instrument Jolie Zhou (Harp)

Biology UIV Form Alexis Purdy LV Form Mia Langnier UV Form Marina Jodrell

Fourth Form Music Competition Winner Saskia Patel

LVI Form Eleanor Harrison Chemistry UIV Form Iona Westwood

Religious Studies

LV Form Luana Sharp

LIV Form Hope Nicholson

UV Form Millie Marriott Webb

MIV Form Clara Wade

LVI Form Rosemary Tian

UIV Form Clara Mallinckrodt Philosophy & Ethics LV Form Laura Steel

Physics UIV Form Yasmin Watling

UV Form Rosanna Tabor

UV Form Imogen Dobie

LVI Form Annabel Wright

LVI Form Hannah Wu

Science

Sport

LV Form Francesca Pullan

General Science Prize

LIV Form Caroline Brenchley

LIV Form Isabella Iversen

MIV Form Jessica Westwood

MIV Form Isobel Slater

UIV Form Yasmin Watling

The Woodruff Science Prize for most improvement in LIV Form Lauren Booth

LV Form Laura Steel

Junior Science Cup Joyce Lam & Yasmin Watling

RADA

Charlotte Bell Chella de Bay Matilda Ellis Olivia Gosling Chloe Hayward Nyasha Mugavazi Orafiri Ogan Lucy Stratton Clementine Wood

Young Enterprise

‘Got It Covered’ Holly Bishop Emily Bradshaw Suzanna Bradshaw Emily Chaffer Vera Cheong Rosalind Dalley Penelope Dowler Olivia Erwin Lucy Evans Emilia Flack Harriet Gerard Leigh Sophia Guinness Eleanor Harrison Cicely Haslam Clarissa Ho Matilda Jacobs Yiyi Jiang Olivia Kold Alvina Lau Matilda McNeile Kate Melhuish Jessica Mendoza Olivia Monson Sophie Nye Jessica O’Grady Leonora Pearce Sophie Rushman Chloe Waller Lauren Wheatley Annabel Wright Hannah Wu

UV Form Olivia King LVI Form Emily Clarke

Sports Reports

Tennis There has been a really positive vibe on and around the tennis courts this season. The change in timetabling for the Fourth Form has meant that all girls get at least one weekly double tennis lesson and this, along with more girls opting for all-year-round private tennis coaching, has significantly improved our standard. There were A, B and C Team matches at every level and we are still trying hard to provide appropriate weekly tennis matches for all players who wish to compete; whilst at the top, we are working hard to bridge the gap between good school tennis and club tennis. The U14 Tennis Team had the opportunity to take part in a pre-season training camp at Vale de Lobo in Portugal. Each day the girls had five hours of tennis training, with a rest at midday so they could go to the beach or

rest at the villa. Lots of schools were there, so the courts were buzzing. The girls’ tennis really improved in both doubles and singles and it was a fantastic pre-season trip. On the school circuit, our match results have been very good, especially at the lower end of the school. A combination of dry weather and the arrival of a new young male tennis

coach has spurred the girls on to practise more in their own free time, with some even challenging each other across the year groups to improve their LTA ratings. This, along with their commitment and enthusiasm in lessons and team practice, is clearly illustrated in our match results. The junior teams enjoyed clean sweeps against Godolphin, Kingswood and Prior Park (apart from the U15A Team, as half of the year group was on a DofE expedition). All Junior A Teams beat Dauntsey’s and Downe House, and eight out of our ten teams beat Cheltenham Ladies’ College, including the unbeaten U14A Team, who also enjoyed an exciting victory over a decent Marlborough College A Team. The Aegon League is the

only real chance the girls get to play singles matches at school and we enjoyed some good battles. All teams won their respective section at County level – the knockout stages are played in the Autumn Term 2013. The early rain at this year’s Family Tennis Tournament did nothing to dampen the spirits and, with a great turnout, the pairings were divided into two tournaments based on year group. In the Calne Championship, runners up from last year, Georgia Williams and her father, finally got their hands on the trophy, overcoming Jemima Brown and her brother in a thrilling tie-break decider; whilst, for the LIV and MIV Form, Sophie Mallinson and her father won the Lily Salver. We look forward to seeing more of you join in next year. Mrs Heidi Marvin Director of Sport

Sports Reports - Swimming

Swimming The swimming season quickly got underway with the Regional Qualifying Round of the ESSA Secondary Schools Team Championships on 26th September. We had only returned to school three weeks before, but despite the pressure and the lack of training as a team, all teams swam extremely well. Thankfully, we had competed in a practice gala against Stonar the week before which proved worthwhile!

improvement on the previous year. The competition then moved on to the Medley Relay, which is swum as 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke, 50m butterfly and finishes with 50m frontcrawl. In this event, the juniors once again performed well, with the A Team finishing in 23rd place and the B Team in 43rd place. The Intermediate Team were sadly disqualified for a flying start in the Freestyle, but managed to put it behind them and finish the Medley race with a credible 31st place against strong competition.

Two junior teams and one intermediate team were entered, and all swimmers performed brilliantly, especially since we had some inexperienced team swimmers. For some of the younger girls, it was the first time they had experienced a national competition in a 50m pool (known as long course), although for the purposes of the competition it is split in half with a boom to allow each 50m section of each relay to be swum over two lengths rather than one. There were approximately 58 teams entered from a mixture of independent and state schools from across Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, with a number of swimming specialist schools, such as Kelly College and Millfield, swimming several teams in each event.

The Inter-Schools Swimming League was reinstated this year and local state schools John Bentley, Sheldon, St John’s and Devizes took part. All schools reported that they had had an enjoyable season and are looking forward to swimming again next year. The final results were:

The Junior Freestyle A Team came 27th and the B Team finished in 43rd place. The A Team placing in this event was a significant

Points

Position

St Mary’s

346

1st

Sheldon

255

2nd

St John’s

219

3rd

John Bentley

112

4th

Devizes

5th

Over the year, we have also competed in the Downe House Independent Schools’ Relay Competition and the Queen Anne’s Invitation Gala, as well as swimming friendly galas against Stonar.

Colours were awarded to: Senior – Emily Clarke Intermediate – Georgina Higgins, Henrietta Page, Charlotte Paterson Junior – Phoebe Aldridge, Felicity Challinor, Isabelle Cole, Olivia Guy,Verity Page, Yasmin Watling Highly Commended Awards were given to: Intermediate – Esme Amberg, Olivia King Junior – Caroline Brenchley, Thea Dillon, Charlotte Fenton, Amelia Hatlapa, Amy Hunter, Georgia Lane Fox, Sylvia Rutherford, Ila Shetty, Ariana Watling, Alicia Whitaker Felicity Challinor and Verity Page were awarded the Barley Cup for commitment to swimming both in and out of school throughout the year, and the Riley Cup was awarded to Isabelle Cole who was considered to be the most improved. Mrs Deb German and Mrs Liz Thompson Swimming Coaches

Synchronised Swimming Sisters Verity and Henrietta Page were awarded Gold in the Synchronised Swimming County Championships held at Calne Leisure Centre in the Summer Term, having finished first in the Duet section of the championships. The judges award points for both technical merit (how high/low the girls are in the water) as well as artistic impression (looking at the choreography and interpretation of the music). ‘We often score very highly on artistic impression’ commented Verity, ‘as we like to perform and I love the dance element.’ In May, the girls came second in the Duet category at the South West Walsall Trophy

Competition, held in Cheltenham. Their team entry of eight girls also performed extremely well, coming fourth out of the seven teams competing. The sport of synchronised swimming demands a lot of time and energy, with the girls training two or three times a week and five times a week leading up to a competition, and it’s not just the training that takes time: ‘It can take about 15 minutes to do your hair up in a bun for the competition. We use beef gelatin which has to be boiled up into a paste and applied to the hair with a pastry brush. It’s all topped off with a sparkly hair piece so we look the part!’

Verity’s aim is to get onto the GB Junior Synchronised Swim Squad and she has been fortunate enough to have been spotted by former GB swimmer and current GB team coach, Jenny Gray, who identified Verity’s talent and offered to start coaching her soon. 69

Artist in Residence

Textile and Visual Artist Nina Davis exhibited her collection of new work from 15th March to 10th June which included several collaborative projects with St Mary’s girls from her extended residency. All her artwork explores the theme of ‘Journeys’, through colour, nature, fabric, printing and paper, and, most importantly, the journey of teaching, learning and creating whilst at St Mary’s. Working alongside the girls on their artwork continues to inspire my practice; they receive such a high quality of Art education at St Mary’s at all levels of study. Through teaching part-time and facilitating several extra-curricular activities on a weekly basis, I have been able to extend the opportunities for girls to have their work published online, enter creative competitions (and win awards) and create large scale sculpture willow pieces, alongside developing their drawing, painting

and textiles skills. I believe it is important for students of all ages to exhibit their work on a public platform, as this can increase their confidence in their creative studies. During the Autumn Term, I assisted in the preparation for the ‘Consider the Lilies’ Exhibition of alumnae and current girls’ work at 27 Cork Street, London. During the exhibition, I accompanied the LV, UV and UVI Form artists to view their artwork

in the gallery space, and to visit both The Royal Academy and The Saatchi Galleries. I also helped to create an Art Department Blog which, updated weekly, shows a good selection of girls’ artwork, from classwork and Enrichment Week activities to snapshots of artists completing their GCSE, AS Level and A Level Art examinations. Some of our artists have recently sold their artwork, and GCSE and A Level work is increasingly being mentioned in conversation school-wide.

I worked extensively with both the junior and senior girls, creating some exciting collaborative pieces. The UIV Form explored the relationship between colour and fabric and the application of design in relation to my work, to create five long textile hangings displayed in school. During the Spring Term, the MIV and UIV Form girls completed four large batik banners on our Founders’ Day theme of ‘Trees’, using batik and lino printing, which were displayed in the prizegiving marquee. The GCSE UV Form artists used a variety of willow techniques to create large sculptures inspired by seedpods and the willow sculptures at Kew Gardens. These were displayed on the approach to the prizegiving marquee and are currently displayed in the school grounds. An ongoing project, which has forged links with Bath Central Library, is the ‘Recycle an Ex-Library Book Competition’. Last year’s competition was won by GCSE artist Octavia Thomson, followed by close runner-up in her age category, Millie Marriott Webb. Both girls worked incredibly hard on their book sculptures and were thoroughly pleased to have won awards. Towards the end of the Summer Term, the MIV Form took on the

challenge and we are keeping our fingers crossed for them, as the winners will be revealed in the summer holiday. As a Textile Artist, I have exhibited solo collections in London, Birmingham, Bath and Bristol. I am also a member of Bath Textile Artists and Avon Artists Collective, exhibiting regularly throughout the South West. At present, my work explores ‘Journeys in Nature’ by examining the layers of colours within the theme of botany. Gathering

images and observational drawings of flowers through the seasons, I use a variety of techniques to develop an understanding of specific surfaces. For my textile work, I hand dye fabrics, mainly silk and cotton, to depict certain unique colours which are inspired by my photographs of blooms and foliage. Sometimes, these dyed fabrics are simply wrapped around a canvas, but often I will cut through the fabrics, add stitch, layers of dyed paper and dye to depict elements from these observations. When dyeing papers, I use a

Japanese ‘Shibori’ folding technique which forms linear and geometric patterns. By interchanging fabrics and papers between the layers of these textile pieces, the viewer can gain a variety of different perspectives. Painting has been a recent development in my work as a Visual Artist. Several artworks in my most recent collection are large scale paintings which follow the same journey of colour and surface textures within botany. My source photographs sometimes have interesting out of focus colours, which often go unnoticed. In order to illuminate these hues, I use a variety of mixed media materials to create interesting working surfaces before proceeding to paint. Brush techniques are also an important part of my painting process, as they give me the freedom to develop layers of colour using a select colour palette. With a passion for lifelong learning, I have been able to focus on developing my subject knowledge through shared practice, CPD opportunities, networking with other Art educators and as an active member of the National Society of Education in Art and Design (NSEAD). Working at St Mary’s, working alongside the girls, in boarding houses and, most importantly, nurturing the creativity and talents of each and every girl, has been a truly inspiring and rewarding part of my life. Miss Nina Davies Artist in Residence 71

warm and y, looked rather inviting in the Our final expedition, surprisingl , arriving tow in cks in the minibuses, rucksa sunny weather. We headed off ction sele a with g min r pockets were brim near Weston-Super-Mare. Ou t day. firs our on e pac k bris and energetic of nibbles and we walked at an the to got , stayed with us and it even The sunshine, amazingly enough that usually ut the heat – not something abo point where we complained distresses DofE participants. It happened that of cows, we arrived at camp. After being chased by a herd trickier than was e camping in the campsit finding where we were actually ortunity opp the yed enjo aged however, and the walking itself… We man first, with ond day was very similar to the to rest our weary feet. The sec y fuelled sibl pos imistic approach to the walk, great weather and a very opt treat to ed tinu con r cy Pigs’. The weathe by a never-ending supply of ‘Per lamb lost a with g alon , last night at a farm us well as we camped for our and sheepdog. followed by y early start of around 5.30am, The final day began with a ver austion was exh ugh tho n ssal hill. Yet eve us dragging our feet up one colo renditions of eful tun y ver our g win d on, allo beginning to kick in, we marche running, half half . We descended the final hill, Olly Murs’ songs to fill the hills ed by a seat ard rew be point, where we would falling, towards our final check finish: we to mph triu a was it , team of four that was not grass. For our little DofE with ticks, and completed our Silver had fought off the cows and the appreciate us e our faces. The expedition mad all limbs intact and smiles on and s wer sho as little things in life, such each other’s company and the dy! win gets it n on the head whe shelter that does not biff you d to. yed it more than we expecte On reflection, I think we all enjo g the fillin , king wal we kept singing and It was challenging at times, but really ally son per I rall, of our music. Ove hilly Mendips with the sound ing mak ld, ark on Go enjoyed it and may even emb gy. trilo a ure ent adv fE my Do Elle Curzon Green UV Form

Our year group ha s been renowned for attracting awful weather conditions for DofE. After a positive weather forecast and buyin g enough food for an army, Team 2 we feeling very optim re istic about their fin al expedition. Howe two hours into th ver, e first day, we reali sed quite how hilly unbelievably hot ou an d r next four days wo uld be! Througho the trip, we overca ut me many difficulties , such as forgetting the tent poles, sunb urn, exploding boxe s of pasta, swarms mosquitoes, getting of lost in the middle of endless moors gates too narrow an d for our enormous rucksacks. These great team-buildin we re g exercises and we found very inventiv ways to pull ourse e lves through, such as fully harmonise choreographed re d an d nditions of songs fro m the film Pitch Pe which we like to th rfe ct, ink the sheep enjoy ed! Perhaps some of th e best moments of our expedition inc being given peache lude s and water by a ve ry generous family the middle of the in North York Moors (I don’t think we ha ever been so happ ve y to see water and fresh fruit in our liv relaxing by our sto es), ve in the evening, co oking and eating ou pasta, and walking r to the magnificent Gordale Scar wate at the end of our rfall last campsite. It is hard to believe that days of Duke of Ed our inburgh are over, we love them really an they will be sorely d missed. Eleanor Harrison LVI Form

Unfortunately, my year group had the most extreme weather on our Gold DofE expeditions. For our practice expedition, it didn’t stop raining and was chilly to say the least. For our final, it was boiling hot and during the year’s biggest heat wave, even up north in the Yorkshire Dales! Gold is so much more challenging than the other two levels in a variety of ways. For the volunteering section, you have to be even more committed and must carry it out consistently. The physical and skills sections remain similar, but there is the added element of the Gold residential section. This is where you have to do some kind of course for at least five nights, staying away from home with nobody you know. I combined my award with the AS study of Spanish and went on a language course near Madrid for a week at Easter. I found this very useful, learning new skills in communication and life skills whilst being in a foreign country on my own. Overall, however, the final expedition was the hardest part. It is the sheer endurance that makes it tough: four days of walking in an unfamiliar place (although very beautiful, as we were in the Yorkshire Dales) makes it difficult and 21 kilometres is a big distance for anyone to walk in a day, but a huge rucksack carrying everything you need makes it harder. My final expedition has definitely taught me the importance of sun cream and water. Also, I have come to absolutely love the shade, which there wasn’t much of along our routes. DofE taught my team that we don’t enjoy walking or camping, but somehow we all managed to complete it! I think we have definitely learnt the importance of working together - a vital component of the DofE expedition. We have also learnt to take leadership and make decisions, but, most of all, I think we impressed ourselves. Gold is not easy, that’s for sure, and it is a huge achievement to have succeeded in completing the expedition. Sophie Rushman LVI Form

I really enjoyed the expeditions for Bronze DofE. Even though trekking across the countryside was at times (especially in the rain) trying. When the weather was good and we had plenty of tuck in our pockets it was a great experience.

ard, spending er Duke of Edinburgh’s Aw When it comes to the Silv sical and skill chosen volunteering, phy hours working on your ty to try new things, arding and an opportuni activities is certainly rew , but by far the ple peo time with different gain life skills and spend the entire course of t par le rab ble and memo most challenging, enjoya is the Final Expedition. ing for such larly exciting about prepar There is something particu et onto a huge g our path across Somers a great adventure: plottin in permanent bright colours and again ordinance survey map in ing our tents, her inated route maps; gat marker onto smaller, lam h an unbelievable wit ng and piling them, alo stoves and sleeping bags trusty rucksacks; estive biscuits, into our amount of pasta and dig rdy walking boots ks, scruffy t-shirts and stu pulling on our thermal soc on the first morning.

for the near - a trend set to continue We set off full of optimism could be said for days. I’m sure the same entirety of the next three fect combination. per turned out to be the every team, but our group but our differing m, For LIV ce starting in the We’ve all been friends sin reasing amount ant that we’d spent a dec strengths and interests me l. What better gressed through the schoo of time together as we pro lish countryside? Eng the of time together in s lot nd spe to n tha n solutio , harsh winds and icy n through torrential rain I have no doubt that eve er just as well, but would have worked togeth temperatures, our team high spirits (and in us p nitely helped to kee defi er ath we ul utif bea the ount of sunshine ). That being said, no am each other’s good books! exhaustion which enous hunger and sheer could keep away the rav kpack. Rubbery ht hours with a heavy bac comes of walking for eig cooking, nor are et rm ld never pass as gou pasta in watery sauce cou t, warm bed, but sof a to e abl g mats compar sleeping bags and campin g day. perceived after such a lon that’s exactly how they’re a slight ffs with herds of cows and Even after several face-o were all still we ng, rni mo fog on the third navigational error in the successful expedition d our end point. Such a smiling when we reache planning to pursue ward to for those of us promises lots to look for ries for those of mo me th Form, and fond the Gold Award in the Six us who are not. Henrietta Page UV Form

Helena Boase LV Form

of DofE are My favourite memories nds - sharing spending time with my frie bia of farm pho a campfire stories and that my at gre lly rea s animals! It wa lking up to wa e iev ach ld cou I friends and naged to ma we 30 miles on our own and times. gh tou the h pull each other throug Mattie Carr LV Form

Doing Silver DofE involved a lot of preparation – firstly in devising as many ways as pos sible to stay clean for three days: face wipes were essent ial and many people plaited their hair to stop it from get ting caught in bushes and knotting itself. We also had to pack sparingly to make sure we carried as little we ight up the Mendip Hills as possible. However, the one exception to the packing rule was food – most teams had enough food to feed themselves for a week and it all got eaten pretty quickly . The expedition involved get ting lost repeatedly (many ‘footpaths’ appeared to be just fences along fields, ma king it easy to lose your way) and so we learned not to worry and to keep walking until we knew where we were. My team found that, if in doubt, it is best to ask people wh ere they think you are, althoug h a lot of the walkers we me t tended to disagree over this ! We also had to put aside our fear of cows, as the Me ndips seemed full them, som e politely ignoring us and som e chasing us over the stile . Doing our Silver Award also involved managing to sleep in any conditions – our pra ctice was cold and rainy, our final expedition boiling hot – and to wake up very ear ly on the last day, because the earlier you start, the earlier you finish! Imogen Dobie UV Form

Bronze DofE was a fantas tic experience for me. I never expected to enjoy the exp edition as much as I did. The Award requires lots of org anisation and commitme nt on the part of the participants and, in turn, enabled us to build on our friendships and team work. Our orienteering skills were put to the test and quite often failed us! However , sustained by nutritious foods (harib os, under-cooked pasta and porridge!) an unflagging sense of humour, some awful singing and seriously fast walkin g, we made it to the finish in good time. In fact, our team proudly hold the rec ord for completion of the Do fE walk in the fastest tim e. DofE proved to be fun, cha llenging and rewarding…. much like school life! Isobel Smith LV Form

Natasha Allhusen Holly Armstrong Alice Byrne Charlotte Coleman Laura Doel Florence Dove Chloe Hayward Kate Le Fevre Maddi Nadiotis Rachel Nethercott Victoria Price Nicola Randall Sophie Soar Isabella Steel Lucy Stratton Phoebe Tatham Isabella Warner

Holly Bishop Charlotte-Sophia Boardman Elannah Boyce Emily Bradshaw Suzanna Bradshaw Gemma Briston Molly Cayzer-Colvin Emily Chaffer Emily Clarke Rosie Dalley Mariella de Soissons Eleanor Dove Penelope Dowler Olivia Erwin Lucy Evans Jessica Fechner Emilia Flack Imogen Giddins Isabella Grive Hana Gudelis Sophia Guinness India Hallward Ella Hamblin Eleanor Harrison Cicely Haslam Clarissa Ho Matilda Jacobs Yiyi Jiang Alvina Lau Maisie Manners Lily Marriott Kate Melhuish Perlie Mong Olivia Monson Sophie Nye Orafiri Ogan Jessica Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Grady Leonora Pearce Alice Pennington Rosie Reynolds Lucy Rogers Alice Rowse Sophie Rushman Rosemary Tian Natasha Thompson Emily Verschoyle Chloe Waller Annabel Wright Hannah Wu

Omotara Akinkugbe Juliet Baker Bonnie Bartlett Helena Boase Isabelle Cain Mattie Carr Eleanor Chelton Tatiana Crichton Watt Jessica Daley Eleanor Davies Lauren Dickson Hannah Drew Tabitha Ellis Jessica Enthoven Georgina Falk Hebe Field Charlotte Fitzwilliam-Lay Elsbeth Giles Sarah Gralla Kamilla Gulieva Georgina Haynes Alexia Hermelin Georgina Higgins Esme Lane Fox Eloise Le Fevre Eliza Leng Annabelle Mastin-Lee Katie Meehan Anna Money-Kyrle Georgia Murdoch Beatrice Nash Evie Owens Charlotte Paterson Hope Pleydell-Bouverie May Pope Lizzie Prater Francesca Pullan Juliet Purdy Henriette Reckhenrich Milly Reynolds Catherine Roberts Oluwatomi Salako Luana Sharp Isobel Smith Laura Steel Romilly Stone Georgia Sykes Charlotte Wailes-Fairbairn Amelia Walker Georgia Wheatley Vassula Wong

Charity Activities

Ch ar ity Activities

This was the first year that the girls were involved in electing the school charity. It was also one of the most successful years for Charity Week: all girls and staff worked very hard and raised almost £3,000. Charity Week began with an announcement by Dr Kirk that all funds raised during the week would not be shared with the school charity, but would all go to the Houses’ chosen charities. This news was much appreciated by the girls, as many had a personal connection to their House charity. The announcement also created a healthy sense of competition between the Houses and the fun began. Every day during Charity Week, the Houses presented their chosen charity in Chapel. The girls prepared fantastic A4 posters to promote the work of their charity and to encourage support for their fundraising event. The upcoming Head Girl’s Team were exceptionally helpful with all the admin work that needed to be done to make Charity Week happen and

special mention must also go to Lucy Evans and Penny Dowler in LVI Form. After a full week of Chapel presentations to enhance the girls’ awareness of the chosen charities, Mews opened the events with an impressive Krispy Kreme Doughnut Sale. As you can imagine, it didn’t last for long. On Friday night, the Helen Wright House raised money for the newly established Debs Price Foundation by holding a Nearly New Clothes Sale and Joyce Walters House got the weekend underway with a movie night in Chapel with a popcorn and ice-cream sale (outside of Chapel, of course), in aid of Peru, Light of Hope. The girls had chosen this Peru-based charity as Jessica Fechner was actively involved with it during the summer.

Both Sixth Form events went really well, with all girls taking part in the evenings. They had lots of fun and were really pleased with the funds they raised. The fundraising activities on Sunday – the finale of Charity Week - began at St Prisca’s House, where the girls were supporting Guide Dogs. In addition to meeting both a guide dog puppy in training and a working guide dog, the girls had the opportunity to wear specially designed glasses that restricted their vision, to help them understand what sort of eye conditions people might have who are supported by the charity. Some girls were even blindfolded in an attempt to be successfully navigated by the dog! There was also an agility course for the girls and teachers (nicknamed the teachers’ assault course!).

Gibbins House held a ‘Willy Wonka Factory’ themed lunch café in aid of Shelter, which helps thousands of homeless families and children across England. The girls were dressed up as different characters in the story, the Common Room was decorated fantastically and it was clear that a lot of effort had been put in to produce such an incredibly creative display. On offer was an enormous range of cakes and a sweet bar, toasties, pizzas and nachos served by Oompa Loompa waitresses! The girls raised an impressive £640.90. St Cecilia’s ‘Around the World’ event opened at 2pm in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. The House was decorated brilliantly: newspapers covered the walls, multinational flags were draped on every surface and there was even a genuine piece of the Berlin wall on display. From the American sweet stall to the fresh Chinese dumplings; from the French nail bar to the Hawaiian smoothies, everyone did their bit to create a wonderfully exotic event for the rest of the school to enjoy. Some teachers showed true dedication by participating in the widely popular ‘Throw

a pie’ stall. Thanks go to Mr Rothwell, Dr Angelov, Mrs Butterfield, Mrs Taylor-Smith and Mrs Hopwood for showing great bravery when facing girls holding a plate full of whipped cream – in the girls’ own words – ‘a true demonstration of charitable generosity’. All this paid off with the biggest collection during Charity Week of £700.02. Last, but not least, was the School House Fête in aid of Make a Wish Foundation, which helps children with life-threatening illnesses to realise their dreams. There were many games and prizes to enjoy, and more sweets and treats. The following winners were announced: Esme Amberg (name the bear), Jessica Westwood (treasure hunt), Amelia Hunter (pin the tail on the dog), Florence Dove, Lulu Chai and Mrs Davis-Potter (how many sweets in the jar), Mr Rothwell (guess the mass of the cake) and Father Peter (best singer). In the evening, the girls were exhausted by all of the work done and sweets eaten, but they still found the energy to tidy everything away and count the money raised during the day.

As well as participating in Charity Week, the school and the girls were involved in numerous fundraising activities throughout the year, including ‘Readathon’ which deserves a special mention. This was an initiative aimed at providing books for children in hospitals. As well as helping to prevent children falling behind in their school work while they are in hospital, books act as a diversion, entertainment, reduce stress level, reassure and comfort. The girls really put their hearts into supporting this charity and raised an impressive £1,368.70. Special thanks go to Ms Jacqueline Phippard (Head of English) for organising and executing this wonderful initiative. 2012-2013 has been an incredible year with many girls discovering the satisfaction of volunteering for a worthy cause and having lots of fun with it. On to the challenges which the next year will bring. Mrs Theodora Angelov Charity Coordinator

Sports Reports

Athletics It has been St Mary’s busiest summer of athletics events to date, with meets virtually every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the term.

In addition, there have been fixtures on Thursdays and National School’s events have also been an important part of the programme. The weather this year has, on the whole, been kind, with the exception of the Track and Field Cup in Swindon, where strong winds and rain sadly affected everyone’s performances on the day.

In the first round of the ESAA Track and Field Cup, the intermediate girls finished 1st and the junior girls finished 5th out of nine teams. The intermediate girls qualified for the B final in Exeter, where they finished a very pleasing 4th out of eight teams, having led the way after the track session in the morning.

St Mary’s has an increasing number of very able athletes and much new talent coming through, which is exciting. Girls have trained hard both on the track and in the field events to develop their technique and improve performance in order to achieve in competition.

At the North Wiltshire Area Championships held at Bath University, St Mary’s year group teams performed well. The structure of this interschool event means that each athlete can only be entered in one track or one field event and the relay.

Interschool’s fixtures saw pleasing successes against old rivals, as well as an opportunity to take part in new events, such as the Bryanston Relays:

ATHLETIC MEET

RESULT

Bryanston Relays

3rd out of 9 schools

Malmesbury Meet

UIV Form won and MIV Form won

Marlborough College Meet 1

Junior Girls 1st and Intermediate Girls 4th

Marlborough College Meet 2

Junior Girls 1st and Intermediate Girls 3rd

Dauntsey’s Meet 1

Minor Girls 2nd and Junior Girls 1st

Dauntsey’s Meet 2

Junior Girls 1st

John Bentley Meet

LIV, MIV and UIV Form won

Downe House Meet

Junior Girls 2nd and Intermediate Girls 2nd

Kingswood Meet

Intermediate Girls 2nd

YEAR GROUP

FINAL POSITION/10 SCHOOLS

LIV Form

3rd

MIV Form

5th

UIV Form

2nd

LV Form

3rd

At the North Wiltshire Area Trials, nine girls from St Mary’s were selected to represent North Wiltshire at the ESAA County Track and Field Championships in Salisbury. Sadly, a busy school calendar meant that a number of our very best athletes were unable to trial, which would undoubtedly have boosted our county participation.

At the ESAA County Track and Field Championships, St Mary’s athletes put in some excellent performances against strong opposition: AGE GROUP

NAME

EVENT/PERFORMANCE

MINOR GIRLS

Flora Guy

800m – 2nd 2m 47.1 High jump – 2nd 1.28m

Jemima Webb

High jump – 3rd 1.28m

Ila Shetty

800m 8th 2m 53

Caroline Brenchley

1500m - injured

Ariana Watling

800m – 2nd 2m 32.6

JUNIOR GIRLS

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS

Yasmin Watling

1500m 1st 4m 50.9

Delphyne Findley-Ramsbotham

Shot 5th 7.9m.

Tabitha Ellis

200m 2nd in Heat 2 28.7 3rd in Final 28.00 & Relay

Sarah Gralla

200m 2nd in Heat 1 29.2 qualified for final & Relay

As a result of their performances, both Yasmin and Ariana Watling were selected to represent Wiltshire at the ESAA South West Track and Field Championships in Exeter: AGE GROUP

NAME

EVENT/PERFORMANCE

JUNIOR GIRLS

Ariana Watling

800m 3rd in Race 1 2.31.34

JUNIOR GIRLS

Yasmin Watling

1500m 2nd 4.48.03, The winning time was 4.47.85 – a very close finish.

Further athletic success this season saw Caroline Brenchley take part in the Somerset Schools Invitation Quadrathlon, where she finished 7th out of 44 athletes. Lily Innes also competed for the Wiltshire Junior Girls Team in the Pentathlon at the South West finishing 21st. We now have a number of talented multi-eventers, no doubt inspired by Jessica Ennis-Hill, and we hope to be able to enter more combined events next year. This really has been a great summer of athletics for St Mary’s Teams. ‘The five ‘S’s of sports training are: Stamina, Speed, Strength, Skill and Spirit, but the greatest of these is Spirit.’ (Ken Doherty - Decathlete) St Mary’s athletes have all certainly shown a great deal of spirit in their performances on the track and in the field this season. Congratulations to all those girls who have represented the school, for your dedication in training and your determination to perform to your very best in competition. Mrs Sally Hornby Athletics Coach

With qualifying times achieved and consistent performances over 1500m, Yasmin was selected as one of only 24 athletes to represent Wiltshire at the ESAA National Track and Field Championship Finals at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on 5th-6th July. Here Yasmin put in a tremendous performance against the best in the country to finish 7th in her 1500m heat in a time of 4:47.23, just outside her personal best of 4:46.00.

Young Enterprise

This year’s batch of budding entrepreneurs from the LVI Form had big shoes to fill, following in the footsteps of the highly successful ‘Made in Calne’ celebrity recipe book business that was set up in 2011. Yet fill those shoes we certainly did. The Young Enterprise Company Programme has proved to be more popular this year than ever before, drawing in a total of 29 girls to the first meeting at the beginning of the Autumn Term, all enthusiastically keen to learn the ropes of running a profitable business. It soon became apparent that such a large group of buzzing teenage girls needed a source of leadership under whom their innovative ideas could be channelled in an orderly and productive way. Therefore, we voted for a management team, filling roles such as Company Director, as well as key heads of finance, marketing and human resources. From here on, our creative juices began flowing as we set about naming our company and designing a marketable product to match it. After a good many discarded ideas, we eventually settled on the company name ‘Got It Covered’, indicating our desire to cover gaps in the market and fulfil customers’ needs. With such a large group, we decided early on that it would be best to divide the team in half, with each half focusing on a chosen product line. We decided that the first line should be handmade beeswax cosmetics - soap and lip balms - which were to be measured, stirred and set in the Joyce Walters kitchen. The other line was to be readily manufactured mugs (later tracksuit bottoms, iPhone and iPad cases) covered with an element of the unique Aztec pattern,

designed by our creative team, which would later denote our company brand. The designing and creating process was followed with the next and most challenging step: marketing. Market research, conducted both within and outside the school grounds, revealed a keen interest in the prototypes we had created; nevertheless, an integral part of the learning process was picking up on areas for improvement, as we wanted to stay tuned in to customer demand. Subsequently, and thanks to the Marketing Team’s diligence, we were able to take part in the thriving local Christmas markets, booking stalls at various events such as the ‘Chippenham Lights Turn On’ and St Margaret’s Christmas Fair. Each event threw up various pointers for improvement, so we found that our skills of presentation and sales ability improved as the company grew. Our hard work throughout the year culminated with the Young Enterprise County Final in May, in which ‘Got It Covered’ was represented by Rosie Dalley, Emilia Flack, Matilda Jacobs, Sophie Nye and Annabel Wright, who gave a superb presentation to a large audience of teams from other Wiltshire schools in addition to the judges. The hours spent putting together and rehearsing the presentation were all worth

it, as our team won an impressive trophy and qualified for the Regional Final. Here the standards were raised, as we were pitching against the best of the best and so, although we were not able to bag any more shiny trophies, we were thrilled to see our Young Enterprise director and Economics teacher, Mr Cleaver, win a well-deserved award for his dedicated guidance throughout the year. At a time when innovative enterprise is becoming more and more vital, all 29 of us are thoroughly grateful to have had this invaluable opportunity to learn and actively apply key skills that we can transfer to any type of occupation in the future. We highly recommend that our successive generation of LVI Form students take the Young Enterprise programme to even greater heights next year. As a final point, ‘Got It Covered’ has collectively decided to give our proceeds to the Debs Price Foundation, a very worthy charity that is close to our hearts. Suzanna Bradshaw LVI Form

E Z FREE The Sixth Form Run School Magazine

My role as editor did not start particularly conventionally; I – somewhat naïvely – agreed to take over the position following the abdication of the original editors. Fortunately, my determination to become an award-winning journalist meant that I took control of the situation and dedicated a couple of weeks of valuable time to produce the initial publication. The process started with the rebranding of the paper; originally named The Fortnight, we felt that we should make our mark on the paper as a year group. Our astrologer extraordinaire, Gemma Briston, came up with the name FREEZE, which she felt, as the name was inspired by Heat magazine, would capture the high calibre of our writing skills. As I expected, the initial interest was huge. People were more than eager to suggest what they could write. Our first issue went brilliantly and, with the help of my deputy editor Olivia Erwin, we managed to conquer Microsoft Publisher. I was keen to learn from what the year above had done and to change certain things, therefore, we kept the

current affairs section at the beginning and the legendary ‘teacher’s interview’; however, we added an agony aunt, a page dedicated to a different year group and a column by Sophie Nye ‘à-la-Caitlin Moran’. We even added, on our wonderfully innovative puzzle page, a section for one of my favourite artists, and friend, Cicely Haslam to create a small oneof-a kind illustration. Naturally, the enthusiasm faded somewhat after the initial publication! With added pressures from the classroom and extracurricular activities, and no real monetary incentive, I found myself harassing people several times a day for a week in order to get articles in. However, saying that, I did have a handful of dedicated writers who would always hand in their articles. This meant that I would often have a more diverse magazine as, on top of the regular writers, there were often those who wanted to write something

so they could bulk up their personal statement, or had some free time, or finally gave in to my persistent and frequent emails! FREEZE was a great deal of fun, but also a certain amount of work, as well as a way of promoting my blog (www.adoetiquette. wordpress.com for those interested!). I have learnt things about myself that I did not know, for example, I have found myself, at certain points this past year, feeling fairly like a dictator. I think I would like to finish by saying thank you to anyone in my year, and indeed in other years, who contributed to FREEZE, regularly or not. I hope that the next editor will endeavour to achieve even greater things with the magazine and capture the light-hearted spirit of the Calne writers. Imogen Giddins LVI Form Editor

News

The Calne Foundation Trust

It has been a year since The Calne Foundation Trust was established for the benefit of St Mary’s Calne and St Margaret’s Preparatory School. As a registered charity with an independent Board of Trustees, the Foundation exists to support present and future generations of pupils. It aims to ensure continuing investment in facilities and to provide vital funding for Scholarships, Bursaries and other educational programmes benefiting the pupils of these schools. St Mary’s Calne does not have the luxury of a large endowment and it relies on funds from the school’s surplus and from the generosity of our friends and supporters in order to offer bursaries and scholarships, and to invest in facilities. The Calne Foundation Trust works closely with the school to help raise funds, invest donations and dispense sums for the benefit of the schools. A number of funds have been established for different causes and

much progress has been made over the past year thanks to the generosity of our supporters.

The Bursary Fund The Foundation benefited enormously this year from the generous gifts from the Old Girls of their own charitable fund and The Matthews Bursary Fund. Together these boosted the Bursary Fund of the Foundation by approximately £175,000. In addition, many of the parents of the UVI Form Leavers generously contributed towards a Sixth Form Bursary, raising a magnificent £42,000. It is a wonderful testament of their kindness and appreciation for the unique experiences given to their daughters that they were enthusiastic in making available similar opportunities to talented girls who for financial reasons might never have entertained the possibility of having these chances. A stimulating school is made up of talented girls from a wide range of backgrounds and it is thanks to the generosity of parents, former pupils, staff and

friends of the school that we are building up the Bursary Fund in order to give a wonderful gift – the gift of education. Thank you to all our donors.

The Armed Forces Fund Working in conjunction with Radley College and Downe House School, we are fundraising to support the education of children of armed forces personnel (of any rank) who have been killed or maimed in current conflict. The children who benefit from The Armed Forces Fund will attend either Radley College, Downe House or St Mary’s Calne. The Armed Forces Fund is one of our main school charities this year and provides crucial support to lives that have been changed forever. So far we have raised over £25,000 and a number of events are planned for 2013-14 to support this very worthwhile cause and these will be featured in the next edition of Oxygen.

The Capital Projects Fund Funds are being raised for significant capital projects and this year saw the completion of the St Margaret’s School library. The Preparatory School has increased in size, particularly over the last four years, and the new library which opened in September 2013 provides pupils with a wonderful research centre and the opportunity for individual reading and studying to take place within a quiet environment. A wonderful fundraising event was held in February to boost the Capital Projects Fund. On the evening of Saturday 2nd February, The Delscey Burns Theatre at St Mary’s positively rocked as showman extraordinaire and St Margaret’s father, Jonny Wilkes, sang for two hours accompanied by his eight man Swing Band (and for three numbers by St Mary’s girls) to an ecstatic audience comprised of parents, staff and friends from both schools. The event was the second of what will hopefully become an annual

spectacular. Jonny donated his time for free and had well over 160 people on their feet dancing to a playlist that featured songs by Frank Sinatra through to Robbie Williams. A massive thanks to Jonny and all who helped and supported this event which raised £3500. Thanks to Jonny, we were thrilled to be able to raffle a pair of VIP tickets to the Robbie Williams Take the Crown Tour at Wembley Stadium. The raffle brought in a staggering £3500 and the lucky winner had a great night out in early July.

The Discretionary Fund This fund exists for those donors who wish to donate to the Foundation and leave the application of funds to the Trustees. A new fundraising initiative - The LilyPad - was introduced in the second half of the Summer Term to raise money for the Discretionary Fund. The LilyPad is essentially a weekly electronic newsletter in which parents and former parents of St Mary’s and St Margaret’s, as well as Calne Girls and supporters of the schools, are able to post announcements

which reach the whole school community whilst at the same time supporting The Calne Foundation Trust. In the six weeks since it started, The LilyPad generated £1280 in aid of The Calne Foundation Trust. In addition, the St Mary’s Calne Interschools Show Jumping competition took place in April. There were almost 500 entries for the event which was organised by a wonderful group of St Mary’s parents, efficiently led by Mrs Susannah Bartlett. The event raised £3000 which was donated to The Calne Foundation Trust. A huge thank you to Mrs Bartlett and the team of parents who organised and helped at the show! Looking to the future, we have other exciting projects and ongoing developments which will further enhance the life of the school. Thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout 2012-13 and we look forward to your continuing support. Mrs Cari Depla Director of Development

Sophie Soar UVI Form

Lina Kumasaka UV Form

Sophia Guinness LVI Form 84

Grace Keeler LVI Form

Jessica Mendoza LVI Form

Jessica Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Grady LVI Form - Art Scholar

Maria Perry UV Form - Art Scholar

Sports Reports - Skiing

This year, St Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s girls returned to the Independent British Schoolgirlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Skiing Championships in Flaine as the reigning GB champions, so the pressure was on!

156 competitors, 52 A teams, 13 B teams and schools from all over the country, including Aiglon and the Scottish International Team, were the tough competition the girls faced. After two days of fabulous training on great pistes, the arrival of snow on Sunday night put a whole new perspective on the GS slope. Within the first 15 girls down the run, there was a broken leg, a suspected broken arm and then a dislodged knee cap. Clementine Wood came down at number 18 and was told to ski gently on the tight banana gates that were causing the problems. She did exactly what she was told and brought in two fantastic results. Annabel Wright and Florence Cain did the same for the A Team.

as well. On the second run, we had wipe outs from Florence and Imogen, and Annabel missed a gate, but this is the life of ski racing. There were a few sad faces, but we were all still together and had no injuries. Day two brought the slalom and no snow perfect conditions. The girls all did well, but Florence caught a flag and was brought down.

The girls all worked amazingly as a team to produce fantastic results, especially considering the weather we had to deal with. Nicola Randall, who was reserve, was an absolute rock: she carried coats up and down the mountain, collected bibs, sorted out emotions and was my right-hand woman!

All the girls got great times; however, this year was not the year to retain the cup. Clementine came 3rd in the U21 Slalom, 3rd in the U21 GS, 3rd Overall Combined U21 and 2nd in the Combined U18 a fantastic achievement.

Mrs Natalie Baldwin Head of Extra-Curricular Activities

The B Team of Imogen Giddins, Lily Marriott and Iona Bromage had good, steady times

Calne St Mary’s ll Team a tb e N 9 192

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The game has moved on significantly from those early days and, at St Mary’s, we continue to raise the bar. We offer greater opportunities for participation, training, officiating and competition, ensuring our teams are challenged to be the best they can be, whilst developing important values such as teamwork, courage, decision-making and leadership. During the 2012-2013 season, we ran an incredible 21 netball teams, enabling even more girls to be a part of a team and have the opportunity to participate in matches. With an increased number of teams, there is increased competition for places within those teams. Although challenging, this is positive, as it means everyone has to raise their game - they cannot be complacent as the pool of talent strengthens and rises.

The dedication and commitment of the netball team players this season was excellent. As we strive to play a higher level of netball, there is a need continually to improve our level of skill, team tactics and fitness, and the players have constantly stepped up to meet the demands of their coaches. The Senior Teams were close and cohesive units. Players quickly settled into their squads in September, working hard to establish a rhythm and understanding in their play. On court, the teams played confidently and with considerable determination, supporting each other regardless of the outcome. In the first half of the season, we had some good confidence-boosting wins. After Christmas however, we had to contend with some stronger opposition. These were the challenges we needed, as it is only by testing ourselves against stronger teams that, ultimately, we improve. Losses occurred, but our play certainly improved. The U16 and U15 Netball Teams continued to show real potential for the future. The U16A Team were unbeaten in their friendly matches across the season; they are a really able group of girls with strength throughout the court and considerable natural talent.

The U16B and U15A Teams only lost two matches each, and the U15B Team continued the winning tradition with five wins out of five. This season, St Mary’s ran five U14 Teams, four U13 Teams and four U12 Teams. The determination and commitment of all these junior players is to be applauded. They listened, developed and applied new skills and tactics to the game, playing with increased authority and confidence on the court. Seven of the teams remained unbeaten and only eight matches were lost in total - an impressive outcome. The National Schools Netball Tournament and Area Netball Tournaments continue to play an important part in our netball calendar, as they give our teams an opportunity to test themselves over a series of matches on one day. This certainly requires a different approach and considerable focus, as each opposing team is unique and presents different demands, requiring quick analysis and appropriate counteracting team play. There were some pleasing results: notably the U16B, U15B, U14B and U12B Teams who all won their respective tournaments. The U16A Team finished runners up and the U14A Team won their Area Tournaments and qualified for the County Tournament. Here both teams played well against strong opposition with the U14A Team finishing in second place and securing a place at the South West Regional Tournament in Bournemouth. The U14 Team went on to have a fantastic day’s play, holding their own against the strongest teams in the region and finishing fourth in their section.

Further opportunities arose across the year, including a trip to watch International Netball at Bath University in January. Here, England took on the might of Australia in the first of a three test series. It was a fantastic and exciting opportunity to see top level netball and all those who attended certainly appreciated the

speed and skill of the netball played. The fact that England also beat Australia was a real bonus! In addition, the U15 and U14 Netball Teams spent a weekend away at Condover Hall, where they took part in a tournament competing against schools from all round the country. Great fun was had by all and the U14 Squad came away with the winner’s trophy - a great achievement. Another new venture this year was Talent Development Training. Talented netball players from LIV to LV Form were invited to attend a Sunday training session with Natalie Peperell, a Level 3 Coach, who coaches Bristol University and Avon’s County Development squads. This training will continue next academic year, with future sessions scheduled for the Autumn Term. Netball is clearly going from strength to strength at St Mary’s. An increased number of teams, new opposition and more challenging fixtures can only help to improve the standard of our play and continue to increase participation numbers. This in turn will support long-term involvement in the game, hopefully beyond school. In fact, England Netball has just received an increased investment from Sport England of £25.3 million for 2013-17, a direct result of increased participation rates of 35%. This increase has been particularly significant in the 16-25 age group, where an additional 25,000 netballers are now playing once a week, showing increased retention from those leaving school and college, a key aim for the sport and something to which St Mary’s is hopefully contributing. Mrs Sally Hornby Netball Coach

, the girls Enrichment Weeks for the Fourth Form take place every term. Off-timetable their learning take part in cross-curricular activities in school and have the chance to put activities have into context outside the classroom on a variety of trips. Lots of trips and taken place this year; here is a selection of what they have been doing.

In the Spring Term, the MIV Form were enchanted by a tour of the Warner Brothers’ Studio, where J K Rowling’s magical books were brought to life.

rm In the Spring Term, the LIV Fo took part in a Spelling Bee competition. The spellbinding world of Harry Potter was laid bare as the girls were treated to an insight into how the films were created. Costumes, sets, props and creature workshops were all on display to reveal how the impossible became possible. There was plenty to see and enjoy, from Hogwarts’ Great Hall to Hagrid’s hut; from Diagon Alley to Dumbledore’s office. The girls were astounded by the detail that went into every aspect of the film-making process and many were able to enjoy the ‘green screen’ treatment. Some took a ride in the Weasley’s flying Ford Anglia, whilst others preferred jumping atop a Nimbus 2000 broomstick and participating in a game of Quidditch. The tour was concluded with a look at the spectacular and intricately detailed model of the school for wizardry. After purchasing chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott’s every flavour beans, girls returned to St Mary’s having learned a few tricks from the film-making trade. The day proved to be an inspiring experience that reinforced the power of a single author’s imagination.

e ‘spell-offs’, all girls Before the individual languag ll activity in each participated in a run-and-spe called out a word language, in which the teacher had to select its in English for which each team ign language and component letters in the fore letter cards to run up to the front with their team. This involved spell it out before the other fusion in some much shouting, jostling and con all! by cases, but a lot of fun was had linson (Spanish), Jemima Webb and Sophie Mal hner (German) won and Ila Shetty and Zanya Fec t through to the the school competition and wen of the 5,000 t regional finals in Somerset. Ou competition, the pupils who originally entered r places in fou of 80 pupils competed for one well and y ver the nationals. All the girls did who finished ya, Zan special congratulations go to represent to ugh second in German, going thro derful won a ls the school in the national fina achievement.

In the Autumn Term, the MIV Form enjoyed a whole day of bushcraft at school. They learnt how to build a fire from scratch and how to make the spark without a match. They made rope traps to catch animals and students! They cooked trout, paella and crispy cakes over a fire, which were very tasty. The girls then learnt all about camouflaging themselves and how to hide in their surroundings. They were very proficient at this and were soon covered headto-toe in mud, grass and green paint!

In the Summer Term, the UIV Form ventured into the deep depths of the Oxfordshire countr yside to try their hands at a little bushcraft. Adorned with wellies and waterproofs, we had a half mile hike to where the campfire was roaring and the tents were awaiting us. The first activity was to split up into two tribes and the girls had to produce a song, dance and a history of the group. Very interesting chants and pyramids were produced! We moved on to fire making and learning how to fillet a salmon; then the fish eyeballs appeared! Four girls volunteered to eat an eyeball each. A few funny faces, screams and convulsions later, Eliza and Naomi ate theirs, but Beth and Alexis struggled and gave up. Once the salmon was put to cook on the open fire, we moved on to play predator in the forest. The girls had to get their camouflage which, of course, included lots of mud on the face and ferns in the hair! After a couple more games it was feeding time - salmon, couscous, beans, aubergines (for the vegetarians) and naan bread. After eating seconds and thirds, we moved on to forestappropriate first aid. After a final game, we finished by sitting around the campfire telling riddles and jokes. A fantastic day was had by all.

, the In the Spring Term ar t in UIV Form took p an Italian and Art tivity. cross-curricular ac

brief history morning with a We started the ing at the its carnival, look of Venice and of il carnevale and costumes of wonderful masks groups ls then split into di Venezia. The gir producing , ks as m g searchin and spent time re e Italian engaging in som posters and also netian Inspired by real Ve language work. process-led ed a number of masks, the girls us ills to create cision-making sk techniques and de beautiful, the girls created their own. All of masks. lourful and unique personalised, co 89

In the Autumn Term, the LIV Form had a basic guide to First Aid. They learnt about how to spot the signs of shock, strokes and heart attacks, and how to use an Epi Pen and deal with choking. The girls got to use the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Resusci Annieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to practise their CPR skills and they learnt how to put their patient into the recovery position. You will feel very safe if you have a LIV Former in your presence!

The Summer Term Enrichment Week got off to a good star t for the 27 UIV Form girls who travelled to London to visit the British Museum. enon Frieze. The girls The day started with an examination of the Parth , and intrigued by the were stunned by the beauty and scale of this frieze the Elgin Marbles in retain political debate of whether we have a right to e. After a delicious Greec Britain or whether they should be returned to of the day: The event lunch at Pizza Express, we then took in the main were very sensibly cts artefa Pompeii Exhibition. This was a real treat. The moving as we undly profo arranged room by room and the content was diate death imme an ng meeti contemplated the fate of so many Pompeians BC. 79 in the aftermath of the eruption of Vesuvius in

Enrichment Weeks

In June, the History Department took the MIV and LVI Forms to Montacute House in Somerset. period Girls in both years had been looking at the Tudor ons in and Montacute is one of the finest Elizabethan mansi built and the country. It was designed by William Arnold Member and r lawye a s, Phelip rd Edwa Sir by 1598 around political life of Parliament. Phelips was at the hub of English skills and the girls were interested to learn that his legal of the trial were employed as opening prosecutor during the 1929 in sale Gunpowder Plotters. The House was offered for the by ed and given a scrap value of £5,882! It was acquir has displayed y Galler Long the 1975 since and Trust National ait Gallery; an important collection from the National Portr Tudor this gave the girls a chance to see some wonderful about talk a and Stuart portraits. The LVI Form girls enjoyed tour of a ns, external architecture, a walk in the beautiful garde the House and a chance to study the portraits.

In the summer, the MIV Form visited the Hindu Temple in Bristol.

some The MIV Form had a guided tour of the rooms, did Long activities linked to portraits and Tudor fabrics in the features nal Gallery and, after lunch, they worked on the exter g at lookin of the east front of the house. The girls enjoyed s statue l the attractive but useless Pudding Houses, the anima of shape d’ and the beautiful gardens with the famous ‘melte and Sensibility. the giant hedge which appeared in the film Sense the house They were surprised to learn that the ‘E’ shape of foot (52m) was in honour of Elizabeth I and also that the 172 gallery in long second-floor Long Gallery, the longest surviving ponies their England, was where the Phelips children would lead up the stairs to ride in bad weather.

hall, we After removing our shoes and entering the main all around hung gods Hindu of es were fascinated by the pictur main the to s shrine ated decor the walls and the colourfully to priest the found girls The e. gods worshipped at the templ and ions quest their red answe he be extremely engaging as ce. We then explained key aspects of Hindu belief and practi Synagogue on regati Cong w Hebre went to the specially built ts of Jewish aspec main the t taugh in the city centre and were ularly on partic ng focusi , Rabbi the beliefs and symbolism by able to be to ted deligh were girls the Torah Scriptures. The ated decor ly tuous sump the from see an actual scroll, taken bimah the on stand to and ogue, Ark at the front of the synag us his ed show and w Hebre in us to platform. The Rabbi read at wears he that scroll r praye tallit shortened version of the their had , ience exper e uniqu this all times. The girls enjoyed standing and curiosity awakened and now have a better under faiths. appreciation of different 91

Trips & Expeditions

In the Summer Term Enrichment Week, the UIV Form French students went to the picturesque town of St Malo in Brittany, North France. We got there late on Saturday night and were greeted by our host families, with whom we were to spend the whole of Sunday - a very daunting prospect! Most of us went on a really long walk or watched some highly entertaining French programmes, such as N’oubliez pas les mots or Don’t forget the Lyrics. We also discovered that French people don’t tend to use plates for breakfast – you dip your tartine into a large bowl of coffee or chocolate.

The following day, we went to a French Lycée, or secondary school. We had lessons in French, covering some fascinating topics, such as the tide and seafood, which definitely put our French to good use. That afternoon, we went on a tour round the Fort National: a fort built on a rocky outcrop in the bay to protect the city, mostly from the English. We learnt about how often St Malo has been attacked, including a hilarious story of when the British sent a huge explosive boat (a ‘machine infernale’) in order to blow

up the town. However, the tide turned just in time, sparing all but an unfortunate cat, whose head was promptly sent to the King of England. We then had some retail therapy, when we all bought a delicious ice cream and chocolate. The following day, we went to lessons again and, after another three hours of non-stop French, we boarded the coach to Cancale. After some free time in the town, we went to an oyster farm, which was surprisingly interesting.

Some brave souls in our year tried an oyster and their opinions on the mollusc were certainly varied, especially after finding out they were a) raw and b) ALIVE! On Wednesday, it was our final day of lessons. After an emotional goodbye to our local French teachers, we travelled to an awardwinning Cider Farm. After learning, in French, about how cider was made in the past and how it is made in the present, we got to try either a very small sample of cider or a slightly larger portion of apple juice. Afterwards, the sun made its debut appearance on our trip and we headed to a beach near Cancale, where sunbathing, ice cream purchasing and paddling were on the agenda.

The next day, we were up bright and breezy for our all-day excursions to the neighbouring towns of Dinan and Dinard. In Dinan, we went to a French market where large amounts of crĂŞpes were purchased. We then visited the local castle and enjoyed going to the very top of the medieval keep and making Mme Malcolm a little uneasy as we leant over the sides! After a hot chocolate, we boarded the coach and made our way up the river to the, originally very British, town of Dinard. After the craze of bathing in the English seas had taken off, the Brits of the time decided that perhaps it might be a little warmer in the exotic location of Northern France. However, they gradually moved back to England between the wars, leaving behind the mansions and villas they had

built. We had a guided tour of the town and then relaxed on the beach, where handstand competitions were had and an extreme leapfrogging video shot. We then took a small ferry back across the Rance estuary to St Malo and had yet another ice cream! On Friday, we started the long journey home, stopping off at a Stud Farm where we met some lovely horses and, after an entire day travelling, we finally made it home. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to thank all the staff that came on the trip and made it so much fun. Iona Westwood and Eve Webster UIV Form

Farewell to Dr Helen Wright

Dr Helen Wright was Headmistress of St Mary’s Calne from April 2003 to December 2012. Described as being ‘full of bustling industry like an academic Miss Tiggywinkle’, ‘a human fireball in miniature’ and a ‘pocket battleship’, she had a lasting impact on the St Mary’s Calne legacy and the boarding house that was built during her tenure is now named after her. Dr Wright instigated many changes during her time, from integrating the academic and pastoral sides of the school boarding houses are now run by academic members of staff - to increasing the sheer breadth of the education which is offered at St Mary’s Calne. All areas flourished under her leadership, from the academic, where she overhauled the individual tutor system and introduced a more personalised approach to education, to sport, art, music and drama. She was a staunch supporter of all areas of school life, sitting through more Autumn Productions than the rest of us put together and travelling with the Chamber Choir at home and abroad.

She was famous for being the headmistress who returned to school seven hours after giving birth to her third child; for featuring on page 3 of The Sun (she was the one with her clothes on) as she encouraged girls to aspire to be more than just a pretty face; for writing a book on teenage girls; for winning Tatler’s Best Head of a Public School in 2010 and for being President of the Girls’ Schools Association in 2011. She also travelled to foreign climes to support the work of the charity Plan UK, as she considered it a responsibility to use the privilege of an outstanding education to make a difference to those who are disadvantaged in the wider world.

She left the school in excellent health in terms of pupil numbers, finances and the ongoing development of the school, with a scholarship fund set up in her name and a prize for leadership at our annual Founders’ Day, to take up the position of Headmistress of Ascham School in Sydney.

Examination Results

Public Examination Results 2013 At A Level, the girls achieved some excellent results, with 31% of all grades being A*s. Seven girls achieved A* grades in three subjects and twelve girls achieved at least two A* grades. 100% A*-A grades were awarded in Further Mathematics and Drama. In Latin 75% of all grades were A*, in History 56% of all grades were A* and in English 47% of all grades were A*. 100% A* grades were also awarded in the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and there were some wonderful individual success stories. We are thrilled that 15% of the girls – all those who held offers for Oxbridge – secured their places. Former Head Girl, Georgina Terry, is one of these girls and she will be heading off to read English at Keble College, Oxford, after an enriching and rewarding experience teaching English in a Cambodian orphanage this summer. Holly Armstrong, Lucy Cross, Rhiannon GibbsHarris, Millie McLuskie, Rachel Nethercott, Isabella Steel and Isabella Warner also gained their places at Oxbridge. Girls won places at other prestigious universities

including LSE, UCL, Edinburgh, Bristol, Exeter, King’s College London, Manchester, Cardiff, York and St Andrews to study subjects including Veterinary Science, Medicine, English, International Relations and French, Economics and Geography. The overwhelming majority of our girls have got into their first choice of university and achieved, if not exceeded, their personal aims. At GCSE, 50% of all GCSE results were A* for the third consecutive year and nearly 80% of the examinations taken were awarded an A*-A grade; an impressive achievement by the girls, particularly in light of the fall in GCSE grades nationally. There were some outstanding results in specific subjects with 98% A*-As in RS, between 80% and 90% A*-A grades in Art, Latin, Geography and Music, and between 70% and 80% A*-A grades in English Literature and Language, French, History, Mathematics, Physics and Spanish. Ten girls gained A*s across the board (20% of the year group) and 29 girls (60%) were awarded at least eight A*s or As. Charlotte Baker, Emilie Dando-Crosasso, Chloe Hutton, Kristen Know, Millie Marriott Webb, Mia Millman and Catherine Song are

to be congratulated on each achieving a remarkable 12 A*s. Pupils taking GCSEs early also performed exceptionally, with 100% achieving A*-A grades in French, German and Mathematics, Elsbeth Giles gaining full marks in all the Mathematics modules, a notable achievement! The girls have performed exceptionally well across the board and there are some truly outstanding individual outcomes. I am extremely proud of each and every pupil. These results reflect just part of what makes up school life here; the girls all lead such full and productive lives, with numerous clubs, sports and extra-curricular activities where they also excel, so it is all the more impressive that they achieve such superb results. The results are testament to the hard work of both our pupils and of our dedicated staff. I would like to congratulate all of the girls on their outstanding achievements; they should feel very proud of themselves, and they are a real credit to St Mary’s Calne. Dr Felicia Kirk Headmistress

Examination Results

A Level Results Olivia Addington Ellys Airey Aramide Akinkugbe Holly Armstrong Charlotte Bell Alice Byrne Florence Cain Lucy Cargill Sai-Man Chan Charlotte Coleman Amy Cooper Cressida Cox Lucy Cross Chella de Bay Laura Doel Florence Dove Emily Dundas Alice Edgedale Matilda Ellis Inewari Fabyan Letitia Frome Rhiannon Gibbs-Harris Olivia Gosling Chloe Hayward Eri Ishikawa Michelle Lee Kate Le Fevre

ART, ENG*, GVP ECO*, GEO*, GVP* ECO*, GEO, RS* ENG**, FRE**, RS** ENG**, HIS**, HOA* BIO, CHE, FRE ENG*, HIS*, HOA* ECO, ENG*, GVP* CNS**, ECO, MAT BIO*, ECO**, GEO* CCI*, ENG**, HIS* BIO, GEO, MAT FMA**, FRE*, MAT**, PHY** BIO*, CHE, HIS** ECO**, ENG*, RS* BIO*, GEO**, LAT ECO**, GEO**, HIS** ART**, ECO*, GEO* DRA**, ENG**, HIS**, SPA* BIO**, CHE*, MAT ENG**, GRK*, LAT** FRE*, GMN*, RS DRA**, ENG*, FRE HOA, PE, RS ECO, JAP**, MAT CHE, CNS*, ECO, MAT BIO**, CHE*, GEO**

* denotes an A grade. ** denotes an A* grade. Results correct at time of printing.

Weijia Li Natalie Ma Ella May Millie McLuskie Vivian Mu Nyasha Mugavazi Maddi Nadiotis Rachel Nethercott Zoë Nolan Orafiri Ogan Antonia Peat Alice Pennington Victoria Price Nicola Randall Hannah Raymond-Cox Sophie Soar Zoë Spicer Isabella Steel Lucy Stratton Phoebe Tatham Venetia Tate Georgina Terry Halima Tinubu Isabella Warner Clementine Wood Lan Zhou

CNS, ECO, FMA*, MAT**, PHY CNS*, ECO*, GMN, MAT* ECO, GEO*, MUS GVP**, HIS**, RS** CNS*, ECO**, FMA**, GMN*, MAT** DRA*, ENG, HIS* ECO, GEO, PE HIS**, MAT*, RS** ENG, GEO, RS* ECO*, HIS*, MAT CCI, HOA, RS BIO**, CHE**, MAT* DRA*, ECO, GEO ECO, GEO**, HIS ENG*, FRE*, HIS* ART*, ENG**, FRE* BIO, CHE, GEO* ENG**, GVP**, HIS** ART**, HOA* FRE*, HIS*, SPA* CCI*, HOA**, RS ENG**, HIS**, LAT** BIO*, CHE, ECO* GRK*, HIS**, LAT** ENG, FRE*, SPA CNS*, ECO, GEO, MAT*

Examination Results

GCSE Results Osarhiere Akpata: ART, BIO, CHE*, ENLANG*, ENLIT**, GEO*, GMN, HIS*, MAT*, PHY*, RSs**, SPA** Esme Amberg: BIO*, CHE*, ENLANG, ENLIT*, GEO*, MAT*, PHY*, RS*, SPA Charlotte Baker: ART**, BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, FRE**, GRK**, HIS**, LAT**, MAT**, PHY**, RSs** Venetia Baring: BIO, CHE, CNS, ENLANG*, ENLIT*, GEO*, MAT*, PHY, RS*, SPA Zoe Bassett Bolam: ART**, BIO*, CHE**, ENLANG*, ENLIT, FRE*, GEO**, MAT**, PHY*, RS*, SPA* Iona Bromage: BIO, CHE, ENLANG, ENLIT, GEO, MAT, RS*, SPA Bertina Chan: ART**, BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG*, ENLIT*, GEO**, HIS*, MAT**, PHY**, RSs**, SPA** Elle Curzon Green: ART**, BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, FRE**, GEO**, HIS**, MAT**, PHY**, RSs** Emilie Dando-Crosasso: ART**, BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG*, ENLIT**, FRE**, GEO**, GRK**, LAT**, MAT**, PHY**, RSs**, SPA** Francesca Davis: ART*, BIO, CHE, ENLANG*, ENLIT*, GEO*, MAT, PHY, RSs**, SPA Imogen Dobie: BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, FRE**, HIS**, LAT**, MAT**, PHY**, RSs**, SPA** Lily Dowler: BIO, CHE, ENLANG*, ENLIT**, FRE*, GMN*, HIS**, MAT, PHY*, RS** Miranda Giddins: BIO*, CHE*, ENLANG, ENLIT*, GEO**, MAT*, MUS*, PHY, RSs**, SPA Franziska Goess-Saurau: BIO*, CHE*, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, FRE**, GMN**, HIS**, LAT*, MAT*, PHY**, RSs** Olivia Hope: BIO, CHE, ENLANG, ENLIT, GEO*, HIS, LAT, MAT, PHY, RSs**, SPA* Ava Howard: ART**, BIO, CHE*, ENLANG*, ENLIT**, HIS, LAT, MAT, PHY, RSs**, SPA* Chloe Hutton: BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, FRE**, GMN**, HIS**, LAT**, MAT**, PHY**, RSs**, SPA** Marina Jodrell: BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG*, ENLIT*, FRE**, GEO**, MAT**, MUS*, PHY**, RSs* Rebecca Jump: BIO, CHE, ENLANG, ENLIT, GEO*, HIS, MAT, PHY, RSs**, SPA Olivia King: ART**, BIO*, CHE*, ENLANG*, ENLIT**, GEO**, HIS*, MAT, PHY*, RSs**, SPA* Kristen Know: BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, GEO**, HIS**, LAT**, MAT**, MUS**, PHY**, RSs**, SPA** Lina Kumasaka: ART*, BIO, CHE*, ENLANG, ENLIT*, FRE, GMN*, HIS, MAT*, PHY*, RSs** Chessie Lamb: ART**, BIO, CHE, ENLANG, ENLIT*, FRE*, GEO, MAT, RSs* Christine Lau: BIO**, CHE**, CNS**, ENLANG*, ENLIT**, GEO**, HIS**, MAT**, PHY**, RSs**, SPA* Betty Mak: ART**, BIO**, CHE**, CNS**, ENLANG*, ENLIT*, MAT**, MUS**, PHY**, RSs** Millie Marriott Webb: ART**, BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, FRE**, HIS**, LAT**, MAT**, MUS**, PHY**, RSs** Jessica Mather: ART**, BIO*, CHE*, ENLANG, ENLIT, FRE, GEO**, LAT*, MAT**, PHY*, RSs* Kirsten McFaull: BIO, CHE, ENLANG*, ENLIT**, GEO*, HIS*, MAT, PHY, RSs**, SPA* Claudia Meissner: ART**, BIO, CHE, ENLANG, ENLIT*, FRE*, HIS*, MAT*, PHY, RSs**, SPA Mia Millman: ART**, BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, FRE**, HIS**, LAT**, MAT**, MUS**, PHY**, RSs** Eleanor Nye: ART**, BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG*, ENLIT**, FRE*, GEO**, HIS*, MAT**, PHY**, RSs** Henrietta Page: BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, GRK*, HIS*, LAT*, MAT**, PHY**, RSs**, SPA** Maria Perry: ART**, BIO*, CHE*, ENLANG*, ENLIT, HIS**, LAT*, MAT**, PHY*, RSs**, SPA** Sophie Perry: BIO*, CHE*, ENLANG**, ENLIT*, FRE**, HIS**, LAT*, MAT*, PHY*, RSs**, SPA** Emma Ralph: BIO*, CHE*, ENLANG*, ENLIT**, FRE, GEO*, HIS*, MAT*, PHY*, RSs** Rebecca Randall: ART**, BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG*, ENLIT**, FRE**, GEO**, HIS**, MAT**, PHY**, RSs** Polly Roberts: CHE, ENLANG, ENLIT, FRE, HIS, LAT, MAT, PHY, RSs** Amelia Saer: BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, FRE**, GMN**, GRK**, HIS**, LAT**, MAT**, PHY*, RSs** Isabella Sage: BIO**, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, FRE**, HIS**, LAT**, MAT**, PHY**, RSs**, SPA** Tiwa Sagoe: ART**, BIO*, CHE*, ENLANG*, ENLIT*, HIS*, LAT*, MAT*, PHY*, RSs**, SPA** Oluwatomi Salako: ART, BIO, CHE, ENLANG*, ENLIT, FRE, GEO, MAT, PHY, RS Matilda Scott-Bowden: BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG*, ENLIT, FRE, GEO**, HIS*, MAT*, PHY**, RSs* Charlotte Self: BIO, CHE, ENLANG*, ENLIT, GEO, GMN, HIS, MAT, PHY, RS* Catherine Song: BIO**, CHE**, CNS**, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, FRE**, GEO**, HIS**, LAT**, MAT**, PHY**, RSs** Rosie Tabor: BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG**, ENLIT**, FRE**, GEO**, HIS**, LAT**, MAT**, PHY**, RSs** Octavia Thomson: ART*, CHE, ENLANG*, ENLIT**, FRE, HIS*, LAT, MAT*, PHY*, RSs** Isabella Tottenham: BIO*, CHE, ENLANG, ENLIT**, GEO**, HIS, MAT, PHY, RSs**, SPA* Jasmine Von der Esch: ART, BIO, CHE, ENLANG, ENLIT, GMN, MAT, MUS, PHY, RSs** Ziwen Xu: BIO**, CHE**, ENLANG, PHY**

KEY ART Art BIO Biology CCI Classical Civilisation CHE Chemistry CNS Chinese DRA Drama and Theatre Studies ECO Economics ENLANG English Language ENLIT/ENG English Literature FMA Further Mathematics FRE French GEO Geography GMN German GRK Greek GVP Government and Politics HIS History HOA History of Art JAP Japanese LAT Latin MAT Maths MUS Music PHY Physics PE Physical Education RS Religious Studies RSs Religious Studies (short course) SPA Spanish * denotes an A grade ** denotes an A* grade Results correct at time of printing.

Leavers’ Destinations

2012 LEAVERS

Name College / University Subject Year of Entry Natasha Allhusen Royal Agricultural College Business Management 2013 (International Food & Agribusiness) Georgina Cuming Oxford Brookes Law 2013 Rosie Jackson Oxford Brookes English/Anthropology 2013 Alicia Lee Royal Agricultural College International Equine and 2013 Agricultural Management Ellie Morris-Jones London School of Economics Social Anthropology 2013 Marina Pease St Andrew’s Medicine 2013 Lily Petherick Exeter Geography 2013 Bettina Salomon Manchester Social Anthropology 2013 Hannah Wilson Exeter Anthropology 2013

2013 LEAVERS Name Ellys Airey Aramide Akinkugbe Holly Armstrong Charlotte Bell Florence Cain Lucy Cargill Sai-Man Chan Charlotte Coleman Amy Cooper Lucy Cross Laura Doel Florence Dove Emily Dundas Alice Edgedale Inewari Fabyan Letitia Frome Rhiannon Gibbs-Harris Eri Ishikawa Michelle Lee Kate Le Fevre Weijia Li Natalie Ma Millie McLuskie Vivien Mu Nyasha Mugavazi Rachel Nethercott Zoë Nolan Orafiri Ogan

College / University University College London Edinburgh Oxford University College London Bristol King’s College London Queen Mary, London Leeds Bath Spa Oxford London School of Economics Exeter Exeter Exeter King’s College London York Oxford Sussex Nottingham Bristol King’s College London Bristol Oxford University College London University College London Oxford Cardiff Southampton

Subject Geography Business Studies Philosophy and French (4 years) History of Art History of Art Film Studies Economics Geography Creative Writing Civil Engineering (4 years) Social Anthropology Geography (Science) Geography Geography Biomedical Science English French and German (4 years) Business and Management Studies Nutrition Veterinary Science Mathematics Accounting and Finance History Economics Politics and East European Studies Philosophy, Politics and Economics Law and Sociology (Integrated) Economics

Year of Entry 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013

Leavers’ Destinations

Name Antonia Peat Alice Pennington Nicola Randall Hannah Raymond-Cox Sophie Soar Isabella Steel Venetia Tate Phoebe Tatham Georgina Terry Halima Tinubu Isabella Warner Clementine Wood Lan Zhou

Correct at time of printing.

College / University Edinburgh Cardiff Exeter St Andrew’s Manchester Oxford Bristol Exeter Oxford King’s College London Oxford Newcastle Sussex

Subject History of Art Medicine Geography French and International Relations English Literature History History of Art Modern Languages (4 years) English Language and Literature Biochemistry Classics Modern Languages Economics

Year of Entry 2013 2013 2014 2013 2014 2013 2014 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013

Lily Ball On Saturday 22nd June, whilst everyone was enjoying the end of Founders’ Day with wonderful music, a cup of tea and one or two of Mrs Thomas’ delicious cakes, the Prizegiving marquee was miraculously transformed into a sophisticated ‘art deco’ themed black and white oasis, ready for the Lily Ball that evening. Oversized martini glasses adorned every table and the starlit ceiling twinkled over the black and white dance floor. Over 250 UVI Form girls, their parents, friends and staff arrived looking elegant; transformed from their floaty speech day dresses into beautiful evening gowns and black tie ready for the night ahead. Champagne flowed during the welcome reception, followed by a delicious dinner. All the guests were entertained at their tables by a wonderful magician and, later in the evening, with gaming tables offering black jack or roulette and, of course, lots of dancing to Stealth Disco. The photo booth caused both parents and girls much hilarity and, as the coach rolled away at 1am taking the leavers on to their after party, the girls were already nostalgic about what they were leaving behind. The champagne reception was kindly sponsored by The Calne Girls Association and all proceeds from the tables and raffle, which had been run throughout the day, raised approximately £950 for the Debs Price Foundation. Mrs Bel Pertwee and Mrs Debs Dalley Sixth Form Day Housemistresses

100

Hallmark Photography

OXYGEN the essence of life at St Mary ’s

Consider the lilies: a history of st mary’s calne Forty years after leaving St Mary’s, Calne Old Girl, Elizabeth Christie (née Harker 1968), the school’s first archivist, has created a new, beautifully illustrated school history book. The book explores St Mary’s from 1873-2013. How did a small school on The Green in Calne with only a handful of pupils in 1873 evolve over 140 years into the St Mary’s Calne we see today in 2013, a school that stands proudly on the international stage while still valuing its founding principles and its sense of community? The answer lies in the faith and vision of its founders, the farsightedness, determination and commitment of its leaders and the dedication and professionalism of its staff.

The journey that St Mary’s Calne has taken has been a remarkable one. From the start, its pupils were given a strong moral framework and a first class education within a deeply caring environment. St Mary’s pupils make lifelong friends and the great spirit of the school continues to be passed down the generations. This is captured in Consider the Lilies, a beautifully produced history book which provides a stunning visual archive, as well as a multi-faceted portrait of St Mary’s Calne in every era. This illustrated history draws on Kay Stedmond’s earlier work, material from the archives, many interviews and the stories of Calne Girls and members of our special community. Copies can be ordered from St Mary’s Calne. Wiltshire SN11 0DF Telephone: 01249 857200 Fax: 01249 857207 Email: office@stmaryscalne.org www.stmaryscalne.org