Salvete

Miss Sara Burns

Miss Burns joined us in September 2013 as the Drama Technician and the school is very lucky to have somebody with as much experience as her! Miss Burns grew up in Yorkshire but has worked all over the world. After school she went straight into working as lighting designer for York Theatre Royal and then became Chief Electrician for the RSC, going on to become a professional member of the Association of Lighting Designers, a terrifi c achievement. Since then Miss Burns has worked with people such as Lee Evans and Michael McIntyre.

Miss Burns has a daughter, Mia, who often appears as another friendly face in the drama studio. You can often tell when Miss Burns is working in the studio, as you can hear her and Mia merrily singing along to the soundtrack to Disney’s Frozen.

So far Miss Burns has been very involved with the school productions. In the fi rst term she came with the Fourth and Fifth Form to the Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds to do the lighting and sound for the production of As You Like It as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival. It was obvious that she felt at home in a professional theatre! Then, closer to home, Miss Burns did a fantastic job in leading the technical side of this year’s whole-school production, Alice. This was the fi rst St Peter’s School production to feature a roaming spotlight, a spinning poker table and hand-sewn oyster puppets. The show was a tremendous success thanks to Mrs Burns!

Peter Gray (V)

Mrs Dorothy Gillies

Mrs Gillies joined St Peter’s Modern Languages Department last September, and has since become a valued member of the teaching community at the School.

Having grown up in Glasgow where she went to school and university, Mrs Gillies gained an Arts degree, also spending time studying in Germany and France. This allowed her to study History and Italian alongside German and French, which she describes as a ‘brilliant’ and ‘varied’ opportunity.

During university Mrs Gillies worked as a tour guide, a job which took her all over Europe and which she ‘thoroughly enjoyed’. Ever since then she has taught languages at nursery, primary and senior school levels. She was also Housemistress at Bradfi eld College, an experience ‘quite different’ to working at the Rise, being a boys’ school.

Outside teaching, Mrs Gillies enjoys singing and is a member of the St Peter’s Choral Society. She also loves skiing, swimming and walking. One of her favourite pastimes is cinema, and she names her favourite fi lm as Chariots of Fire.

Mrs Gillies was attracted to St Peter’s after moving to York with her husband, (Classics teacher Mr Gillies), and daughter. So far, her impression of St Peter’s is of an ‘absolutely wonderful school’ with friendly staff and pupils. We wish Mrs Gillies a warm welcome to St Peter’s.

Lucy Schofi eld (UVI)

Mrs Sharon Hogg

Mrs Hogg is the latest addition to the Careers Department and is no stranger to different careers herself. She started out as a secretary, training at The Yorkshire Ladies’ Secretarial College, and after working successfully for a number of years in this fi eld she moved to Archbishop

Holgate’s School, where she learned that she wanted to work with teenagers. She was raised in the Middle East, and has a strong penchant for travel. Indeed, she has travelled everywhere from Wales to South Africa and beyond, and along the way has picked up interesting phrases such as, ‘go donkey go!’.

Mrs Hogg has two children; George (aged fourteen and keen to swim in the Olympics) and Libby (aged eleven, who also has a passion for the pool). Not only does this mean she has subjects for her academic experiments, but it also ensures she is always on the go helping her children’s dreams come to fruition. It would seem that her dedication to the poolside has paid off, as she met pupils and parents from St Peter’s there. From these friends, she gained a taste of the friendly atmosphere at the school, which helped her decide to apply for the job. When she does have time to herself she loves to garden, and to read her favourite book, Little Women.

It is clear that Mrs Hogg has already become entwined into the fabric of the school, and I know that she is eager to help anyone, from any year. On behalf of all the pupils, I wish her every success.

Bethan Bradley (V)

Mrs Hopgood

Mrs Hopgood is the latest addition to the St Peter’s Design and Technology Department. Along with her Interior Design degree and her list of life experiences she is the perfect candidate for the job. A self-proclaimed creator with a passion for lots of making, sewing, knitting and cooking, Mrs Hopgood’s credentials even extend to restoring her previous Victorian home.

With a father in the Royal Air Force, Mrs Hopgood is certainly no stranger to change, as she has frequently moved around before settling in York. Born in Cambridgeshire, she lived on the Isle of Man until the age of three; subsequently, she lived in Northumberland for six months, then in Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex. After her stint in East Sussex, Mrs Hopgood moved to Belfast for five years, then Sunderland for eight years before finally staying put in York. Once settled in York, Mrs Hopgood attended our very own St Olave’s, which was then Queen Anne’s Sixth Form. After studying a foundation course at York College, she was then drawn to the bright lights of London, and gained an impressive Interior Design degree from Kingston University.

The life experiences didn’t stop after university, either. With a career in interior design not feeling overwhelmingly creative enough for Mrs Hopgood, she then pursued an unpaid internship at the National Film and Television School in Buckinghamshire for 18 months. Following her creative dreams, Mrs Hopgood then worked in children’s television set design for ten years. However, as Mrs Hopgood cites both the Design and Art departments here at St Peter’s as ‘very strong’ and with a ‘strong identity’, it is no wonder she chose to work here. A fan of the way the school teaches and the ethos of both the people who work here and the pupils, it is not surprising that Mrs Hopgood has found her experience here to be ‘very positive’. Her positivity with regard to the school as a whole remains clear throughout my interview with her: ‘everybody is lovely’, the ‘students are polite and hardworking’ with a ‘good work ethic’.

I am certain that Mrs Hopgood will be a valuable addition to the St Peter’s community, and we all wish her the very best.

Sara Pycock (UVI)

Miss Alice Lambert

Miss Lambert, a new member of the French department this year, was born in Hampshire but grew up in various different places including Gibraltar and Naples, later attending the Royal Hospital School in Ipswich. She went on to gain a BA in English and French at the University of Southampton, followed by a PGCE, also at Southampton.

St Peter’s marks Miss Lambert’s first job since finishing her PGCE, although she previously worked at two schools in Southampton whilst completing her training. Having been a boarder herself at school, she was drawn to St Peter’s by the familiar nature of the school and its ‘happy and welcoming atmosphere’.

In her spare time, Miss Lambert enjoys singing and reading, as well as various sports such as swimming and running – although she says team sports aren’t for her. She has also been a cadet in the past and has become involved in the CCF at St Peter’s.

After a year at the school Miss Lambert retains her impression of an ‘open environment’, and we hope she continues to enjoy her time at St Peter’s.

Lucy Schofield (UVI)

Mr David Robinson

Mr Robinson grew up all over the country including Yorkshire, Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Canterbury. He then went to Durham University to study English Literature, specializing in poetry and American fiction with his favourite book being The Last of the Mohicans. Following in the footsteps of his father, Mr Robinson was first a supply teacher before coming to St Peter’s, although at some point he also wanted to be a policeman. He fancies having 15 children in order to form a rugby squad out of them all but he’s not too sure about the practicalities of this plan. York being similar to Canterbury, Mr Robinson likes this city but not as much as he likes forests and the outdoors, declaring that he is a big fan of trees. Before he arrived, he thought that St Peter’s had a good reputation, and now that he’s here he absolutely loves it, especially how everyone is so involved with school life and how one can go from the rugby pitch straight to picking up a saxophone. His hobbies include rugby, skiing and he was even in the under-16 Great Britain karate squad (choosing not to comment about any injuries caused). Other than that, Mr Robinson claims to be a regular ten-fingered, ten-toed guy and we are very pleased to welcome him to the teaching staff and wish him all the best for his time here.

Peter Gray (V)

Dr Jemma Senczyszyn

Dr Senczyszyn is the new recruit to the Chemistry Department, and has come to the school with a wealth of knowledge she acquired from studying at no less than three universities! Her unusual surname originates from her grandfather, who is Ukrainian, however Dr Senczyszyn herself grew up in Ilkley, and acquired her doctorate at Manchester University, before moving on to do her teacher training at Nottingham University. Although busy gaining a degree and a doctorate, she still found time to work in Switzerland at Hoffman La Roche, where she helped to develop drugs to combat schizophrenia.

Dr Senczyszyn plays for a water polo team in Nottingham, and is clearly a talented swimmer: she was even able to swim home from work in Switzerland down a river! Her other hobbies include music (she plays the guitar), walking and cycling. She was first drawn to St Peter’s by the friendly and tightly-knit environment, and has already become an invaluable part of that, tutoring the Fourth Form in Temple.

Greatly dedicated to her pupils and buzzing with enthusiasm for her subject, Dr Senczyszyn has already proved herself an invaluable asset to the Chemistry Department, Temple, and indeed the school. I wish her the warmest of welcomes, and a long and fulfilling career at St Peter’s.

Bethan Bradley (V)

Mr Harry Vann

Mr Vann joined St Peter’s in the Classics Department in 2013, and since then has been a valued member of the school environment, both academically and in co-curricular pursuits. Despite his short time here, he has made a lasting impression on every Peterite, regardless of who they are. He grew up in Harrow on the Hill in London, and graduated from Clare College, Cambridge, with a degree in Classics. He worked as a barrister for ten years before deciding to become a teacher. Mr Vann was attracted to St Peter’s by its emphasis on life outside lessons, in particular the rugby, cricket and thriving Drama Department. In the time he has spent here, he has engaged with the pupils and what he considers the St Peter’s spirit of throwing oneself wholeheartedly into any activity. In his own time, he enjoys visiting the opera, and is a particular fan of Mozart. Ever modest, he undertook the huge adventure of crossing the Atlantic in a feat he described as ‘run-of-the-mill.’ Known about the school as the man with the huge voice and personality to match, he has already become part of the fabric of the school. We give him our sincere gratitude for his continual support and hope he will remain an integral member of the school for many years to come.

Bethan Bradley (V)