21 minute read
Prep Life
Rotary Young Writers’ Competition
A moving short story, written by Gabriel, won first prize in the Truro heat of the annual Rotary Young Writer competition. As well as winning the junior section of the local heat, Gabriel’s story on the theme of “My Happiest Day” also won the junior section in the District Final, beating hundreds of young writers from across Cornwall and Devon.
Based on a book Gabriel had been reading in his English class, his entry told the story of a neglected and abused orphaned boy whose life was transformed by a kind woman who adopted him. “I was inspired by a story called Street Child, written by Berlie Docherty,” explained Gabriel. “I based my story on the theme of that story, with my own characters.”
Gabriel was not the only young writer to impress the judges at this year’s competition. Fellow pupil Jessica C received second prize for her story, while Florence A was awarded third prize. The three winners were presented with a certificate and a National Book Token by Cornwall’s Lord Lieutenant Edward Bolitho, who also presented Highly Commended certificates and book tokens to Olliver G, Iris K, Grace N, Evie N, Ayesha P and Rupert W. “It is so good to see children being encouraged to take part in creative writing at an early age,” said the Lord Lieutenant. Richard Lingham, organiser of the competition on behalf of the Rotary Club of Truro Boscawen, said, “I would like to congratulate the Truro School Prep pupils for winning first, second and third prize in the junior section, together with six Highly Commended awards. This is a significant achievement and everyone at the school should rightly be feeling very proud.” Mrs Cadwallader, Head of English at Truro School Prep, said, “In a time of dull, rainy days, away from school and friends, the given title of ‘My Happiest Day’ was a welcome ray of sunshine in a world of remote learning. Years 5 and 6 revelled in memories of happier days and delighted in dreams of a brighter future to come.”
Naomi was the youngest member in the 29-strong team and, two days before her 11th birthday, the young athlete ‘arrived’ in Cambridge, USA, on March 27. Her team covered a distance 6247km, of which Naomi contributed 403km (equivalent to 250 miles), putting her in joint 46th out of 1411 contestants.
The huge effort raised an impressive £2802
Fundraising
In March, Year 6 pupil Naomi took part in a physically demanding race, running or walking from Cambridge, UK, to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to raise money for Cancer Research UK. For the fundraiser, Naomi was invited to join the ‘Histon Hobblers’, a ladies’ adult running club based in Cambridge. On the dark and rainy nights, Naomi kept her spirits up, determined to get as many kilometres covered as she could. She didn’t take one day off in the whole month. Naomi said, “I found it an amazing experience especially as I love running. It was also nice to get out during lockdown and raise money for Cancer Research, due to the fact my grandad unfortunately passed away from it. We’ve also lost other family friends to cancer so I thought it was a great cause.”
Leo’s mile a day on his bike
Leo took on a fundraising challenge for Cornwall Hospice Care, by cycling a mile a day on his bike for the entirety of April.
Leo raised an incredible £425 for the local charity, in memory of his great granny. He received a certificate from Cornwall Hospice Care.
Mr Goddard’ s ‘Ultra Marathon’
Mr Goddard took part in The Endurancelife Classic Quarter, an ‘Ultra Marathon’ along the south Cornish coast from Lizard Point to Land’s End, a total of 44 miles. Many Prep children undertook their own fundraising endeavours throughout the year, and this is what inspired him to take up his own challenging fundraiser for Children’s Hospice South West. Mr Goddard said, “I’m always up for a challenge and enjoy running, so I thought why not. Since working at the Prep School a number of children have taken part in some amazing fundraising events for amazing charities, so I felt inspired to take on a challenge of my own. I’ve never run over 30 miles before so I’m a bit nervous about the last quarter of the race, but hopefully it will be fine. If anyone is keen to carry me over the finish line that would be fantastic!”
THE GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE REVIEW
Nothing could stop the pupils or their teachers as the power of music took hold, and they danced and sang their hearts out during an outdoor singing assembly, which allowed them to sing all together for the first time in months.
Boys become full choristers
After a strange year of rehearsals over Microsoft Teams and socially distanced singing, the Cathedral Choir’s probationary boy choristers were made up as full choristers in May. Their patience, resilience and motivation to learn has been exceptional in the most trying of circumstances, and they all thoroughly deserve receiving their white surplices, which marks their promotion to becoming full members of the Choir. One of their first duties was singing in the Choir’s summer concert.
Year 4 transport to Tudor times
Kresen Kernow paid Year 4 a virtual visit as part of their history topic, The Tudors.
They learnt about Tudor life in Cornwall and beyond, and were spot on answering questions about Tudor kings and queens. Later, they had a go at writing an inventory list, similar to a will, with a quill and pot of ink.
Egyptian jewellery
Year 3 learned about the Ancient Egyptians, including their statement jewellery, and made their own versions of it.
Prep Life
Year 4 trip to Truro Cathedral
Year 4 visited Truro Cathedral as part of their Religious Studies. The group had a tour around the Cathedral, learning about the different areas and what different Christian artefacts are used in the Christian faith. The children had plenty of questions and were very intrigued by their surroundings.
Triathlons
After months of remote learning and dreary weather, all the year groups had the chance to participate in a fun triathlon made up of cycling, running and swimming, with the chance to win house points. There was plenty of determination and good sportsmanship, cheering one another on as they approached the finish lines.
Swimming galas
Years 5 and 6 headed to the Senior pool to take part in their annual swimming gala. All pupils were representing their competition houses (Vinter, School, Smith and Wickett) and when not racing in their heats they supported each other with friendly cheers from the sides. Special congratulations to Millie and James, who were crowned Victrix and Victor Ludorum.
And a special mention to our trio of helpers, Nathan, Retallack and Jack, who were very efficient in their duties and helped the gala run swimmingly.
Summer Term DT projects
Prep pupils worked hard to finish their various DT projects. Year 3 designed and made their own robots, Year 4 created bright acrylic desk tidies and Year 5 made bird feeders complete with a clay roof and wooden frame to hold apples or nut balls.
Year 6 made their own jewellery with a pewter cast pendant. First, they designed and sawed their wooden mould. They melted pewter with a blow torch and poured the pewter into the mould, which Mrs Sparkes did for them. Then they worked with ‘wet and dry’ papers to get the pewter to shine.
The children had a brilliant time playing beach games, bodyboarding and surfing, organised by Global Boarders.
Surf’s up
Year 5 and Year 6 had fun in the sun on their surf days at Gwithian Beach. Surf conditions were quite different on both days: Year 5 had a cloudy day, with a strong cross-shore wind and 2-3 ft surf, whereas Year 6 had a cleaner wave, with bright, sunny conditions.
What did the children think?
‘It was fun doing the different things. I liked it in the dumpy surf.’
Sanna, Year 5
‘I enjoyed it a lot, especially since it was my first time surfing. I think you would really like it too. They even let us do a bit of coasteering.’
Finley, Year 5
‘It was really cool standing up – it’s more fun because you get to control the board.’
Archie, Year 5
‘It was great because we hadn’t been on a school trip for ages. It was nice when we got to jump from the rocks into the wild pool.’
Evelyn, Year 5
‘It was fun because I hadn’t been surfing in a while.’
Lowen, Year 5
Year 5’s ride from coast to coast
Year 5 completed their coast-to-coast bike rides, starting at Portreath on the wild north coast and following the heritage trail to Devoran on the south coast.
The bike ride forms part of the explore and discover sections of their John Muir Award. The award encourages children to experience the wild beauty of nature for themselves, and share this through the English curriculum.
What did the children think about their bike ride?
‘It was nice getting out into the wild and riding through the beautiful scenery.’
Archie
‘One of the longest bike rides I’ve ever done, but it was also really fun. I was really soggy at the end. I half submerged my bike in the giant puddle on the Bissoe trail.’
Thomas
‘It was good to cycle with a large group.’
Gabriel
‘This is the sweatiest thing I’ve ever done!’
Louis
Prep children were excited to have their Sports Day this year as some normality returned. Parents and guardians were allowed to spectate from the sidelines, with Covid procedures in place.
The fields echoed with cheering and clapping as each group completed their races. There were classic races such as egg and spoon, obstacle course and sprints.
Year 6 present...
Alice in Wonderland
A gigantic thank-you to Mrs Gregory for masterminding the exceptional Year 6 performance of Lewis Carroll’s iconic tale of the little girl who falls down a rabbit hole, Alice in Wonderland.
Uncertainty was an overriding characteristic of the last year and a half, and it was with huge relief and the greatest thrill that we were able to welcome a real, live audience to the Burrell Theatre for the Year 6 production of Alice in Wonderland at the end of term.
It seemed fitting, as the world went through such unpredictable and bewildering times, that we presented a show about similar experiences. Alice goes on a journey of discovery and confusion, and it is not difficult to look back on the last year and a half and feel as if we, too, have fallen down a rabbit hole into a bizarre alternate reality. The most enormous thank-you goes to the following for helping to give the pupils a right proper end-of-year show!
Set and prop design and backdrop supervision:
Jane Ashdown Larger props: Mary-Lynne Sparkes
Backdrop projections designed and painted by Year 6 pupils:
Eva (kitchen), Ben (seaside), Christian (riverbank), Amaia (tea party), Ellie (pool of tears), Lara (rose garden), Tilly and Jessica (magical wood), Scarlett (rabbit hole and trial), Flo and Nova (doors)
Painting of other props and scenery by Year 6 pupils:
Clara, Harry, Toby, Retallack, Iris, Bradley, Evie, Esme, Amelia, Noah, Rupert and Isabelle. Additional painting by Year 5 pupils Lois, Alicia, Freddie and Thomas
Clocks and playing cards:
Joe Ellison Large clock: Olliver
Costumes and production
assistant: Sue Rowe, supported by Emma Curran, Melody Crowdy, Tomasine Hastings, Saumya Shankar and Tamsin Williams
Make-up: Melody Crowdy and Tamsin Williams
Additional props and costumes sourced and created by:
Anna Chellamuthu, Sarah Cooper, Sarah Cox, Suzanne Darling, Mila Grant, Claire Hawkins, Sarah Howie, Sophie Mason, Sil Price and Rachel Vaughan.
Set construction, lighting, sound and video production by Swen Kearey, Sam Kemp and the Truro School Tech Team. Photography by Carla Lamb (Cast 1) and James Darling (Cast 2).
Programme cover designed
by: Esme Pawsey
Musical tuition:
Angela Renshaw Musical direction: Maria Eva
Directed by Annabel Gregory
Prep Life
Speech Day
With great pleasure we welcomed our guest speaker, Mr Chris Lubbe, and our audience of Year 6 pupils and parents, to this morning’s Prep Prize Giving.
An internationally acclaimed, inspirational keynote speaker and storyteller, Chris shared his incredible story of resistance against apartheid, keeping his audience spell-bound as he took them on a journey of discovery.
In relaying the horrors of apartheid, Chris explained how he became a freedom fighter, and the personal impact of the regime on himself and his family. After Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990, and after a chance meeting, Chris was handpicked to be one of his bodyguards.
Chris entertained the audience with many anecdotes of the world leaders and celebrities who he met in his time with Mandela, and how, with the inspiration of Mandela, he eventually learned to reconcile himself with his former enemies and, most crucially, forgive those who had tortured him.
With eternal messages of courage, perseverance and the power of forgiveness, Chris captivated the hall, inspiring the audience to make positive choices and positively impact our world.
Chris was joined on the stage by Chair of Governors, Richard Thomas, Truro School Head, Andy Johnson, Head of Prep, Sarah Patterson, Deputy Head of Prep, James Frewer and, most importantly, all of our super Prep prize winners. Well done all of you!
