Senior Life

from Terraces Magazine 2021-22

A Message from the Governors

Dance Showcase at Hall for Cornwall

Truro School dancers took to the Hall for Cornwall stage to perform at a dance showcase: Looking Back, Stepping Forward.

Dance at Truro School has been growing in popularity over the last few years and it was fantastic to see our dancers taking part in this reflective showcase, inspired by the Hall for Cornwall’s rich heritage and modern transformation.

A huge thank-you to our dance teacher, Lisa Ann McNally, for inspiring and coaching our dancers.

1st Year Creativity with Clay

Creativity was flowing in the art block this term as 1st Years continued to mould the glug jugs they’ve been working on over the past few lessons. The fish-shaped jugs get their name from the sound they make when pouring water!

The group carefully crafted their jugs after taking the time to research and design them. The jugs will now be painted and fired, and we look forward to sharing the finished results!

Creativity in ‘Knit It’ Club

Our new ‘Knit It’ club, run by sixth-former Emily, is proving to be a success with pupils across all years, joining the club to practice their knitting while enjoying a hot chocolate and chatting with their friends.

Jazz Concert 2022

A huge thank-you to everyone involved in this term’s Jazz Concert. The evening featured an assortment of energetic and uplifting performances by the Junior Band, Flute Choir, 5th Year Jazz Group, Jazz Band and Truro School Jazz Orchestra, along with special guests from the Humphry Davy School.

Songs included ‘Blue Moon’, ‘Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall In Love’, ‘Cantaloupe Island’, ‘Samba Rocks’ and many more.

The finale showcased a magnificent rendition of ‘Birdland’, performed in partnership between Truro School & Humphry Davy School Jazz Orchestras. A collection for the Fishermen’s Mission concluded what was a truly superb evening.

3rd Year Cookery Club

Our 3rd Year Cookery Club has been cooking up a storm this term. The pupils are focusing on cooking healthy ‘fast food’, including a fresh couscous salad. The recipe enabled the group to experiment with new flavours and try out cooking a new food.

Striking a Balance with Football Star Freddie Issaka

Sitting your GCSE mocks and playing football for England might seem like an impossible combination, but one student, Freddie Issaka, is showing us all that it is doable with a lot of hard work and determination.

Freddie joined Truro School in the 1st Year from Archbishop Benson School in Truro. It quickly became apparent that he had a genuine talent for football. With support from his family and Mr Hooper, Freddie has gone on to achieve some amazing success by the age of 15.

A regular on the Plymouth Argyle Under 18 team, Freddie has recently debuted as the youngest-ever First Team player for Argyle. He has also been called up to play for both Wales and England, most recently in an international tournament representing Wales.

We managed to catch up with Freddie to chat with him about how he balances his studies (he is currently sitting his mock GCSEs at Truro School) and his football career.

First of all, congratulations on your recent wins with England against Turkey and with Plymouth Argyle against Birmingham City. What would you say your biggest achievement has been to date?

Probably making my professional debut with Plymouth Argyle as their youngest player ever.

How did it feel when you got the call from the England camp?

It was very good, it wasn’t too much of a surprise as I was in the standby before, but it did feel very good to get the call. I’ll have to decide between Wales and England when I’m an adult.

Looking forward, what would be your dream club to play with and why?

Probably Manchester United as I’ve supported them most of my life.

Thinking about your time at Truro School, how has it helped to prepare you for such opportunities?

I think that it’s given me a lot of confidence, in secondary school especially so you’re not as nervous going on the pitch. Mr Hooper and the whole PE department have really helped.

You seem incredibly grounded despite your success. Obviously, your family play a huge part in this, but how has the School helped you with this as well?

I think in things like football in school, I get to help out in other ways or try out other skills in new roles like leadership as it’s different playing for the school team than at club level.

Has there been anyone or anything at Truro School that has shaped your or supported you in your journey?

I think, again, it would be Mr Hooper who has supported me the most.

Apart from sport, what aspect of School life do you most enjoy?

The social aspect, lunch and break times with friends, and I like Biology most, which goes well with sport.

How challenging has it been to balance your mock exams and study with your football?

It is a bit challenging but both sides are very supportive, so they understand if I need to take time off on both sides or catch up.

What are your hopes for the future?

To play more for the first team at Plymouth. I’m not sure about what I have coming up at the moment for the first team, but I have lots of opportunities in the Under 18s moving forwards. Playing against Chelsea next in the FA Cup will be good for the club and the supporters.

And finally, what advice would you give to anyone who aspires to follow in your footsteps, either here at Truro School or through the Saints South West pathway?

I would really say, stay grounded and be dedicated to it, be dedicated to working hard.

Director of Sport, Dan Sanderson, says of Freddie, “Freddie has had a whirlwind few months: making his professional debut and becoming the youngest-ever player in Plymouth Argyle’s history and being selected to attend Wales’ and England’s national u16 week-long training camps are the standout highlights. Freddie has still been representing the school team and continues with his studies alongside the many miles of travelling.

“We are really pleased for Freddie and we are all looking forward to watching his matches and seeing his development continue. It is no easy feat to balance as much as he is doing and it is a testament to his increased maturity that Freddie is able to perform on the pitch and at school.”

1st Year Beach Clean

A group of 1st Year pupils and their families headed to Gwithian Beach this term to celebrate St Piran’s day with a beach clean. They were blessed with gorgeous sunshine, and it was a lovely chance for some parents and pupils to get together for a great cause. Whilst Gwithian seems quite a clean beach at first, teams were surprised by how much waste was gathered.

Mrs Thurlow would like to thank all of the families that came along to support the event and the café owners at the National Trust car park, and there was a big thank-you from Surfers Against Sewage, who were very grateful to the School for taking some time out to give something back to the local community.

Stunning Scenes for D of E Training

Cornwall provided an epic backdrop for two weekends of training this March, in preparation for this Summer’s DofE Award. 112 students took part in the training over the two Saturdays, the weather proving suitably temperamental, with wet and windy weather one weekend and blue skies the next.

The final Award trips will take place in May and June this year and we will be showcasing more about how Truro School champions this Award. A huge thanks to all of the staff and volunteers who help to make this programme possible.

Astronomy Club

Astronomy is one of the many co-curricular clubs at Truro School and is especially popular with our keen physicists. The Astronomy club has a wide variety of telescopes for pupils to use, including several large telescopes on loan from the Roseland Observatory. These are all kept in the ‘school observatory’, which is in a dark skies location above the school. This is essential to get the best sightings and photographs and look at the various constellations and nebulae.

Senior Life

Cornwall Music Festival

Held over six days, this year’s Cornwall Music Festival saw approximately 150 pupils (including 16 verse speakers) take to the stage, as individual performers and as bands, choirs, orchestras and other smaller groups.

Celebrating its 110th year, and taking place at Truro Methodist Church, the Cornwall Music Festival returned this year to welcome thousands of musicians and spoken-word enthusiasts to both competitive and non-competitive classes.

Our pupils achieved great success in all classes, including solos, groups and verse, and were featured heavily in the final night’s Gala Concert. Our Lower Sixth musicians were particularly impressive, with Imogen D winning the Overall Singing Award, Oliver J the Overall Piano Prize and Louis F winning the Best Musician of the whole festival.

A huge well-done to everyone who took part, and thank you to Truro School Music Department and Mrs Vaughan for their excellent organisation of the event.

Chamber Choir Evensong

Truro School Chamber Choir sang a terrific Evensong at Truro Cathedral this term, with a special thanks to Andrew Wyatt for conducting and Alden Wright on organ. Following Evensong, the Choir enjoyed a special banquet to celebrate all of their hard work over the last few years.

Cross Country Championships 2022

It was a pleasure to host this year’s Cornwall Schools Cross Country Championships at Truro School. Pupils welcomed schools from across the county, including Bodmin College, Brannel, Camborne SI Academy, Launceston, Wadebridge and many more.

Pupils ran varied distances in their agerelevant groups: Year 7 Boys (2940m) and Year 7 Girls (2300m), Junior Girls (3490m) and Junior Boys (4045m), Inter and Senior Girls (4045m) and Inter and Senior Boys (5790m).

Congratulations to all the participants, you all ran exceptionally well, and thank you to all the organisers for putting on such a successful event.

Large Ensemble Easter Concert

Truro School’s Assembly Hall played host to the annual Large Ensemble Easter Concert this term.

The evening began with a moving piece from the Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gareth Churcher: ‘The Great Gate of Kyiv’ by Mussorgsky. The orchestra also performed Rogers and Hammerstein’s ‘The Sound of Music’.

Ritornello, conducted by Sarah Whomersley, performed a brilliant rendition of ‘Two in One Upon A Ground’ by Purcell, while B Natural entertained us with numbers from Lloyd Webber and Adkins and Astrom. The Samba Band truly rocked with their version of ‘Samba Rocks’ and the Junior Band (conducted by Peter Truin) wowed us with ‘Walking on the Moon’ by the Police.

The audience was treated to some stunning solos from Anna O, George S, Robbie H, Katie M and Ben A. After the interval, the Wind Band played two classics: ‘The Pink Panther’ and ‘Selections from the Greatest Showman’, whilst the Boys’ Barbershop showed great skill and timing during their performances.

This was followed by more solos from Issy T, Daniel R and Issy L and two rousing sections from the Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Orchestra, respectively.

It was a phenomenal showcase of true musical talent. We are immensely proud to be able to host these evenings, and of our students and pupils who work so hard to perform to such a high standard.

A huge thanks to all of the conductors, staff, parents, pupils and behind-thescenes staff, who worked tirelessly to make this evening such a success and a fantastic way to end our Spring Term music calendar.

3rd Year Cookery Club

Our 3rd year Cookery Club has been cooking up a storm this term. The pupils are focusing on cooking healthy ‘fast food’, including a fresh couscous salad. The recipe enabled the group to experiment with new flavours and try out cooking a new food.

Senior Life

Junior Charity Concert 2022

This year’s Junior Charity concert was a great success, with an array of acts performing to raise money for Penhaligon’s Friends. The virtual event meant that anyone could watch live and enjoy music from a variety of genres, and watch our brilliant presenters between acts.

Well done to all of our performers, and a big thank-you to our tech team, who made sure the event ran smoothly!

Ten Tors

Pupils experienced classic Dartmoor weather, with four seasons across the two days whilst completing their planned routes for Ten Tors, nearing ever closer to the actual event in May.