news, events and updates from
WINTER TERM 2016
WORTH KNOWING IN THIS ISSUE
GIRLS’ BOARDING STUDENT LEADERS SPORTING SUCCESS OUR OLYMPIC HERO
SPORTING SUCCESS
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GIRLS’ BOARDING
08 Student leader 15 Channel Swimmer 18 Photography 24 Music 34 Charitable work
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OUR OLYMPIC HERO
38 Young Medics 40 Man With A Vision 43 Wonderful Worth 48 Forerunners 50 Worth Revisiting
WHAT’S INSIDE
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53 Football 57 Drama 60 Spanish adventure 62 What’s cooking? 64 Mannequin Challenge
WINTER TERM 2016
THIS SECOND, notably larger edition of Worth Knowing may have some feature articles on girls at Worth but the underlying message of what you are about to read applies to anyone and everyone: At Worth you can achieve, you can succeed, you can have fun, you will be made to feel part of a community and almost certainly you will leave the School a better person than when you arrived. If you think that is just a sales pitch, then I am convinced the next 70 pages will change your mind. My words come from the heart; the beating heart of Worth School. HOWARD GRIGGS, EDITOR
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Winter Term 2016
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I hope you will enjoy reading this edition of our magazine, Worth Knowing, which gives a comprehensive view of all that has been going on at Worth over the last few months. I am very pleased that the new boarding arrangements that will come into effect from September will allow us to increase the number of girls in the school significantly over the next few years. Girls have been part of Worth for ten years now; it is wonderful to see the how the School has developed so strongly through all that co-education has to offer both pupils and teachers. Another exciting new venture has been the introduction of hockey for boys in the Spring Term, joining Rugby Sevens, Football and Netball as the term’s major sports. It is has been great to see the teams doing so well against schools where boys’ hockey is well-established. The Rugby Sevens programme has continued to feel upbeat under the direction of Tom Richardson and Jon Brake, and after inspirational visits from Old Worthian, Tom Mitchell, earlier in the year.
A sample of the myriad things pupils can get involved in at Worth is offered in these pages. One of the most notable areas of pupil achievement has been swimming the English Channel, which pupils from Worth have been doing year on year since 2009 and last year’s team raised a tremendous £10,500 for the Stroke Association. This year’s effort is now under way with a team of pupils beginning to get their bodies and minds ready for the challenge, which will take place in the summer term. The channel swim is just one of the many charitable ventures taking place at Worth this year – as a Catholic school we see this kind of work as central to who we are. Mary’s Meals has been the focus of our efforts this years, and we look forward to welcoming Magnus MacFarlane Barrow, the Charity’s founder, as our guest at Speech Day. The ethos - or moral character - of Worth is something we pay a lot of attention to, knowing that it needs to be more than a word: it needs to be a Christian way of seeing, understanding and behaving that pupils feel they want to be part of at school, and take with them into the world. Will Desmond (OW) and the team of Forerunners – including Anna McDougall, whose profile you can read in these pages – are contributing in fresh and exciting ways to the exploration and continual building-up of the School’s Catholic and Benedictine character through prayer, initiative and action. I feel very privileged to be part of all this richness. STUART MCPHERSON, MA HEAD MASTER
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DAYS OF GIRLS
Worth School Newsletter
ON THE COVER Rebecca Steinebach, Housemistress
“IT IS just like a houseful of sisters,” says mother, teacher and Housemistress Mrs Rebecca Steinebach. And she should know. She is responsible for the care and development of all girl boarders at Worth School, making sure they are achieving their potential but also that they are happy and feel at home. Something is clearly working well because girls’ boarding at the School is growing at a fast rate. The first cohort of girls arrived at Worth in 2008. Initially there were 18 girls boarding; now that number is 70 living in St Mary’s, which is the girls’ boarding House and operates alongside two girls’ day Houses in St Anne’s and St Catherine’s. For now, Worth takes girl boarders from Year 9 upwards but the School is looking to introduce Years 7 and 8 from next year. St Mary’s itself is moving on the campus to even larger premises to cope with an expected further increase in numbers.
entertained outside of study time. For boarders, it really is a seven-day a week experience. Giving the girls space and encouragement to achieve academically, to go on and claim the best university place they can is first and foremost. Creating the right environment to be able to flourish is key, which is why the other aspects of life in the House are so important, too. Mrs Steinebach, who took over as St Mary’s Housemistress in September, said: “We try to plan a programme of activities for the girls and there is a selection of weekend activities. “We do creative things, movie parties, formal lunches, beauty evenings, a girls’ gym night (when they have exclusive use of the gym), tapas evenings, Chaplaincy suppers, games evenings.
IT IS A WHOLE HOUSE TEAM The draw at Worth is that all angles are covered – academically, pastorally, spiritually, sporting wise and a huge range of things to keep the students
“The girls excel in drama productions, House music, Battle of the Bands, inter-House sport. For example, they came second in inter-House basketball last year, playing against the boys. As they are boarding, they get time to practise, to bond and grow together. “One of the things we do well in the House is the way the girls are quite comfortable with the spiritual side of things. We have silent reflection on Thursday and they all embrace that.
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“It is a whole House team with a Deputy, a Boarding Tutor, a boarding assistant and Matron who is quite often the first port of call. If Matron has any concerns, she will pass them on to me. We all care passionately about the girls’ well-being and seeing them reach their full potential. “The girls have grown to love each other in a community. They are like a houseful of sisters; they look out for each other; the older ones will talk with the younger ones. There are so many people they can talk to. It is a community – everybody has a place and is valued. It is about learning to live together and accepting each other’s differences.
IT IS LIKE A COMMUNITY – EVERYBODY HAS A PLACE AND IS VALUED. IT IS ABOUT LEARNING TO LIVE TOGETHER AND ACCEPTING EACH OTHER’S DIFFERENCES “I believe the whole experience makes the girls into stronger, more resilient people and prepares them for life.”
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Some of the St Mary’s girls with Matron
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Winter Term 2016
NATALIE RILEY has a message to deliver and it is one she is happy to shout loudly about. The Year 13 student knows the next few months will be hard as she strives for academic excellence and the university place she desires. But the other major part of her busy life at Worth is easy. On one hand, Natalie is a young woman working diligently towards the grades she needs to study civil engineering at Bristol or Bath; on the other, she is Head Girl with an important role in many areas of Worth’s day-to-day business. Along with Head Boy Philippe Wijs, Natalie’s role is to be a face of the school, a bridge between students and teachers, a student leader. Above all, she hopes to make a difference.
Natalie Riley and other prefects
She is asked to speak at Open Days, often pupil to prospective pupil, telling how it really is at Worth. Which is all honesty, is exactly the same as the positive accounts told by teachers, just explained in a way which the younger visitors can relate to. Natalie said: “I really love Worth and have always been very happy here. It is important to believe in the message you are putting out. “This year is the first year Mr McPherson had input in choosing the heads of school and a key thing for >
Worth School Newsletter
ON THE COVER
LEADER STUDENT 09
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him is servant leadership which I believe in strongly as well. It is about putting others first and trying to lead by example.
duties, matchday sport rotas. We do the assembly rotas as well, to make sure people have things to speak about.”
“Being Head Girl is about much more than the badge, especially here at Worth, where, not only are all prefects given the same badge anyway, but the whole school operates on the principles of service leadership.
On a personal level, Natalie says Worth has given her so much. She added: “Worth is an extremely special place. For me it has been an amazing whirlwind of opportunities. I have spent so many happy years here and now I have a very valuable chance to be able to give something back. Without the dedication and service of so many teachers and older pupils, I would have missed out on so many of these opportunities that have enabled me to grow so much in ability as well as confidence.
“As Head Girl, I am a bridge between students and teachers. I listen out for any general worries in the school and try to pass them on before they become big issues. I try to work with both the staff and the pupils to make sure everyone is heard. “On Open Days Philippe and I are faces of the school and that is an important role. Mr McPherson, Mrs Young and Mr Fisher give very good speeches, but the children there are able to relate to us. We have the opportunity to be more relaxed and are able to give a view of our experiences of the school; the academic side, the pastoral care, anything they want to talk about. “Aside from Open Days, we do a lot of behind the scenes admin work at Worth, like lunch rotas, prefect
Worth School Newsletter
“It is hard to imagine that I would ever have hiked the Inca trail to Macchu Picchu without the support of the whole group. I certainly would not have been able to sell self-dyed, summer T-shirts in the middle of winter in Burgess Hill without the encouragement from Mr Yardley, our Young Enterprise leader. I can also say that if left to my own devices I would not have ended up in the middle on Dartmoor doing a Gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition, in the pouring rain, eating ham and cheese combined out of a tube. However, I have been lucky enough to experience all of these things and more.”
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ON THE COVER
G O A L-D E N T I SIMON FAULKNER has tasted success for club and country but his biggest achievement is an ongoing hockey project at Worth School.
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a season in Germany with TC Blau Weiss and since 2013 he has been part of the success story at East Grinstead Hockey Club.
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From a young age Mr Faulkner was earmarked as an outstanding young talent. He won a European bronze with England under-16s before progressing to the under-18s and then the under-21s. He represented either England or Great Britain under-21s at European Cups, World Cups and Youth Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the latter and also captaining his country at times. At club level, Mr Faulkner gained great experience by playing for
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Last January, he captained East Grinstead’s indoor squad to a record eighth national title in a row and a month later the team went incredibly close to becoming the first English side to win a medal at the elite level of European Indoor Hockey, finishing fourth in Prague.
In the last three years: • The first team and under-15s have reached the last 16 of the National Cup • They have reached the regional rounds of the national indoor competition for three years in a row • Were Sussex indoor winners in 2014 • Reached the first round of the National Schools competition • Becky Williams played at the UK School Games and Claudie Cooper took part in regional training • Nine girls have won representative hockey honours and many have played regularly for leading club sides.
But ask Mr Faulkner what he is proud of and he will talk about the progress of hockey at Worth, how the school is achieving far more than it should be and how its reputation for hockey both in this country and internationally is rising fast.
Worth’s Head of Hockey Mr Faulkner said: “As a hockey school, especially a girls’ hockey school, we punch well above our weight.
Worth School Newsletter
“Over the last couple of years I have seen more and more parents who are considering Worth because they know
about the hockey. When I talk to parents at an Open Day, they will say they hadn’t necessarily considered Worth in the past but now they are because of the hockey, on top of the academics and the pastoral care. “We are picking up a lot of students from other
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schools who want to come here because they have heard only positive experiences about our hockey.” Mr Faulkner is delighted that the number of pupils playing hockey has risen over the last couple of years and will continue to do so now that boys’ hockey has been introduced as a games option. He said: “Hockey has a real buzz about it in the school which has built over the last few years. Children enjoy playing hockey, they want to be there, they want to learn more. We have children who have never really picked up a hockey stick
who have heard about the enjoyment others get while playing hockey and want to give it a go. “It has been such a positive thing for the girls to have something that they are proud of, are good at and making waves with. It gives them such a boost, such a confidence that they walk around the school a couple of inches taller, especially after a weekend when they do so well, or they make progress in competitions like they have been doing and winning through to regional rounds of national competitions, making it through to the latter stages of knockout competitions.”
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Assistant Director of Sport at Worth, Mrs Siobhan Isaacs, has also played hockey to a high level as has Miss Kate Reynolds, who joined the staff last summer. Mr Faulkner believes that is a good thing. He said: “We have students now in representative teams and we have been on that same journey, we can recall how we dealt with balancing hockey, school life and a social life. To have the experience of people who have been there and done it has helped the students progress in what they are doing.”
Winter Term 2016
BOYS’ HOCKEY WORTH SCHOOL’S growing reputation for hockey has been given another boost with the introduction of boys’ hockey as a games option.
“IT IS A BIG STEP FORWARD FOR HOCKEY AT THE SCHOOL. WE ARE A SCHOOL WITH A STRONG HOCKEY BASE AND IT IS ANOTHER COMPETITIVE STRING TO OUR BOW.”
Boys in Year 9 upwards can now take hockey as a games option with fixtures, in the same way they can with rugby, football and cricket. The move is in response to demand from parents and pupils and is another hugely positive step forward for the hockey department. Head of Hockey Mr Simon Faulkner said: “There has been a lot of demand recently from the boys’ side of the school to have hockey as an option. “It is a big step forward for hockey at the school. We are a school with a strong hockey base and it is another competitive string to our bow.
Worth School Newsletter
“We already have a lot of boys who have played hockey in prep schools, a number who currently play club hockey at a fairly high level and overseas students from clubs with a strong junior hockey section, including the German sides Blau Weiss and Club an der Alster. It should be a good mix of experience within the teams.”
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FINDING INNER STRENGTH
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WHEN PATRYK Kulik embarks on what will no doubt be a high-flying career, he will look back at his time at Worth School as an important stepping stone on that journey. He will also recall one particular event, outside of the classroom, which has helped prepare him for the challenges that lie ahead in life.
Patryk is a Polish scholar, from Katowice, who intends to study aerospace engineering when he moves on to university. He has applied to Cambridge and Imperial College, as well as leading higher education institutions in America. Having joined in Year 12, Patryk loves life at Worth and the opportunities it provides to help him achieve his academic goals. An optional extra
in his Worth experience came last year when Patryk was part of the Worth School ‘Strokes for Strokes’ charity Channel Swim team. With it came tremendous highs and lows as the size of the challenge emerged – but, now being able to look job on a successful adventure, it is an experience that will stay with him for life.
“It gives you a chance to experience your strengths and weaknesses, how you get on with a team, how you do something that seems impossible.” Patryk had always been a keen swimmer, so the chance to join the Strokes for Strokes team seemed like a good idea at the time. He said: “I love swimming and have been swimming since the age of six. When I heard about the Channel Swim it just sounded interesting.” However, swimming in a pool is very different from swimming in the cold sea from England to France. After some initial sessions at the K2 Sports Centre, the training was ramped up when the group started going to
Worth School Newsletter
Dover each Sunday to prepare for their July challenge. For everyone taking part, it was a case of finding inner strength to cope with the first time in the sea, when some could only manage five minutes, and then building that up to a two-hour session, which was the qualification mark for doing the Channel Swim.
Patryk said: “When we first went to Dover it was 9 degrees and it was really hard to keep swimming. Most of us did just under 20 minutes but some gave up after five because it was so cold. It was a mental game, because you knew you could physically do it but you had a very strong temptation to get out of the water which you had to fight every time you went in. “The toughest part was the two-hour training because that was the qualification and if you
didn’t do that, you couldn’t do the actual swim. When we did the actual swim, the swimming was easier because it was warmer, we would swim in pairs for one hour and then have a five-hour break before our next turn but during those five hours the boat was rocking so badly that almost everyone was sea sick and we weren’t prepared for that.” The Channel Swim team completed the challenge and, while Patryk is in
no rush to do it again, he is proud of the achievement and what it has given him. He said: “It showed me what I can do. When I thought about doing it the first time I thought it would be easier than it actually was. Looking back now, it showed me how much I can push myself and how much I can achieve if I really want it. It also showed me the strength of our teamwork and how much you can do if you work as a team, because we really helped each other.
“I would recommend it as a wonderful experience. It gives you a chance to experience your strengths and weaknesses, how you get on with a team, how you do something that seems impossible. I wouldn’t say it is easy. It is a tremendous amount of hard work but if you do it you will feel amazing.” The Channel Swim adds to Patryk’s positive experience since coming to Worth. He said: “It is amazing here at Worth; much better
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than any school I have experienced in the past. The community is great, the teachers really care about your learning and the facilities of the school are also a great advantage. I am doing science for my IB; the laboratories I can use and the chemicals available are very good. Also, the diversity is really visable at Worth. This allows you to experience the culture in a way you wouldn’t be able to experience it anywhere else.”
Winter Term 2016
IN AN evolving world of technology, the visual image has perhaps never been more important. On our phones, tablets, through social media and websites, we are bombarded with pictures every hour of every day and getting a particular one to stand out is an art form that is becoming increasingly valuable.
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Here at Worth, we embrace the present and prepare our students for the future. Our A Level photography courses have been growing in popularity and a Photograph of the Week competition introduced during the current academic year has showcased the talents of our students in a fabulous way. The School has recognised the importance of photography in the modern world by providing facilities in the new art block, including a fullyequipped darkroom and studio, which Teacher of Photography John Everest describes as “phenomenal”. Mr Everest is delighted with the progress being made by the students and says the courses offer so much more than just being able to take a nice picture. He said: “It is one of the most democratic art forms that we have, that ability to take a photograph and share it. The difficulty for us is that we are delivering a subject that lots of people are already partaking in; socially they are taking photographs, they are also casting their own opinions on them on Facebook and Instagram. “For us, it is using that enthusiasm, giving the students an opportunity to refine, to develop their skills and understanding of how to take a better photograph and also to give them a bit of purpose as to why they are picking up a camera It is not just a photograph of this morning’s breakfast to share with their friends, there is a reason behind pressing the shutter on the camera. It is thematic as well as practical. We want people to develop good ideas as well as take good photographs. “The fundamental skills are taking well-exposed, well-composed photographs. The wider skills are their creative thinking, approaching problems and having a different way to come to a conclusion to overcome that problem.
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THE WIDER SKILLS ARE THEIR CREATIVE THINKING, APPROACHING PROBLEMS AND HAVING A DIFFERENT WAY TO COME TO A CONCLUSION TO OVERCOME THAT PROBLEM “We aim to develop an individual’s love for the visual image. Our photographers will be able to appreciate a skill, a technique, be able to read narratives well in visual images and see what the photographer has done to emphasize that narrative. That appreciation is an important thing.” There have been success stories in the four years the course has been running including Seb O’Reilly who has gone off to the London College of Fashion to study fashion photography, while others have gone on to take courses combining graphics and visual communication. Mr Everest says a course in photography can lead to so many career opportunities. He said: “Anyone that needs to use an image, whether that is webbased programmes, marketing, needs to be able to understand how an image communicates a brief. These are the type of students we will deliver. “I am so delighted with how the last four years have gone. What the students have brought to the course has helped me raise my standards of teaching. I am encouraged to push them when they push me. This growth has been excellent. The challenge now is to sustain it because we have really found some excellent quality work.”
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BE IT The Beatles, The Rolling Stones or Take That, it all began somewhere. In modern times, some would point to the likes of The X Factor as a musical launchpad. However, for almost everyone taking part in these shows the journey has started long before that. At Worth, there are plenty of opportunities for musicians of any genre to experience performing live among their peers in a fun, appreciative environment. Two notable musical events on the Worth calendar are Battle of the Bands and Worth Unplugged. The latter takes place in the Lent term and is an intimate, acoustic event in a smaller venue; the former is held in the PAC Theatre with more glitz and noise. Music teacher Mr Mike Matthews has organised both events for a number of years and knows the value they add to the School and to the individual.
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For some, it could be the start of something; for others, it is just a chance to express themselves; for all, they offer a funfilled evening. Mt Matthews said: “At Worth, we have a wonderfully rich tradition of catering for musicians of all abilities and styles. I have been hugely proud of the hundreds of Worth pupils who have contributed to events such as Battle of the Bands and Worth Unplugged over the years, with a number of students using these events as a springboard into the world of professional music. “These events have at their heart a philosophy of inclusion, participation and appreciation and it is the breadth of talent which is nurtured through such events that makes them such an essential part to what we offer at Worth.�
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SOUND BITES
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Mr Matthews is hoping the competition for honours will become even fiercer in 2017. He said: “These events present a wonderful opportunity for budding musicians of any genre to consider involvement in the Worth Music scene. “Worth Unplugged takes place towards the end of the Lent term; an intimate, electro-acoustic evening which is the perfect introduction into performing at Worth. “Whether you are a singer, DJ, rapper, jazz musician, guitarist, synth enthusiast, I would urge all students to think about how they might be able to contribute and embrace this wonderful opportunity to get involved in such a vibrant part of school life. “All these live events are recorded and top performances might even land a coveted spot on the Best of Worth CD at the end of the year!”
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BUSY, BUSY MUSICAL WORTH > WORTH IS a musical
school and the Autumn Term again saw a whole variety of large orchestral and choral performances, in addition to the many smaller ensemble and choral recitals. Across the year there are many chances to perform, whether in the regular instrumental and vocal concerts, through to larger orchestral and choral concerts in the wonderful acoustic of the Abbey Church. Groups include the 55-member Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band, Jazz Band, various woodwind, brass, percussion and string ensembles, Choral Society and Abbey Consort and Abbey Choir.
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What is your background? I grew up in Sussex and went to Burgess Hill School for Girls where my enjoyment of languages started. After numerous exchanges and work experience trips to France and Germany, as well as annual family holidays to France where I would be sent to buy the croissants for breakfast every morning, I realised languages were my future. I studied French and German at the University of Exeter and went on to do my PGCE at the University of Cambridge. Having taught for a few years in Cambridge, I realised I wanted to test and use what I had learnt at school and university by working in an international business environment. I changed career and worked in the City for eight years as a business relationship manager in an American company, working with French and German banking clients and managing a team in charge of European clients. My colleagues were all European and working in such an environment felt very natural to me.
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A NEW Head of French arrived at Worth School last September in the shape of SARAH FLINT. Here, Mrs Flint tells us a bit more about her background, why she chose to come to Worth and what learning French can do for a young person.
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My role also took me to New York on a regular basis, which was particularly useful if the trip coincided with Christmas shopping! Why did you choose Worth? I have always wanted to work in a school which reflects my faith and at the same time allows students the opportunity, space and time to reflect on what kind of person they want to be, whilst showing consideration and respect for everyone else. I had heard that students here benefit greatly from the traditions and rules of the monastic community and I was keen to be part of that. Since moving to Balcombe ten years ago, Worth has been our Parish church. I have always found the community very welcoming, particularly the Parish team and the children’s liturgy group who we have also got to know through Holy Communion lessons over the past few years with our two children, Maddy, aged 11, and Daniel, aged nine.
encourage them to make these cross-curricular links, which in turn broadens their outlook.
What can learning French do for a young person? Learning how to communicate is one of the most fundamental skills a young person needs to learn, for all aspects of their life. On one level, learning the language of our closest neighbour is a rewarding challenge as you are acquiring a new skill, but beyond that it develops awareness of a different world, so rich in culture, history and art. Although students enjoy the process of learning French, they do not necessarily understand the extent to which it may open doors for them as they get older, so we try to open their eyes to these possibilities in lessons. Languages appeal to lots of people because whilst learning the skills for French, they can at the same time tap into other skills and interests they may have such as Drama in a role play, Maths with a grammatical formula, History when we learn about the French revolution, Economics and Politics when we look at social issues in French speaking countries and Art and Music when we study French culture. Languages open young people’s minds as they
Does the Brexit vote make it any less or more important for a student to learn another language? The benefits of learning a language remain the same. If the framework of future business relationships experiences a shift, whether it be away from English being used in the European Union or businesses needing to work harder to co-operate with our European friends, the learning of French will be as vital as it has always been, if not more.
... from the city to the classroom ... Tell us something we didn’t know about you At university I was a member of the rowing team, but now choose running or yoga to relax. I also ran my first half-marathon a few years ago, an experience I am not looking to repeat any time soon!
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A Perspective on
LIFE
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ON THE COVER TOM MITCHELL has revealed the gift Worth School gave him which played such a big part in winning a silver medal at the Rio Olympics last summer. Tom captained the Great Britain team to the final of the rugby sevens tournament, making him the first Worthian to win a Summer Olympics medal.There were many factors which contributed to the success but Tom believes the key one was something taught to him at Worth: A perspective on life. Although one eye is already on the next Olympics in Tokyo in four years’ time, the 27-year-old has had the opportunity since returning from Rio to reflect on a remarkable journey from a Year 7 boy at Worth to becoming an Olympic medallist. Asked what Worth gave him, Tom said: “The community feel and sense of belonging are big things I took from being at Worth. The great thing I enjoyed at Worth and I didn’t realise at the time was that the school gave me the opportunity to get a perspective
on everything. There was always time in the week – and a lot of this was in the Abbey Church – with the opportunities to take a step away from everything, not to get too caught up in anything that was going on. “That is a very useful lesson to carry into life, particularly when the pressure is on, when you are staring down the barrel of the biggest tournament of your life, or an Olympic Games. It is useful to be able to find that space and just step away from it. “That was something I always felt we had at Worth. Even though with my schedule at school I tried to jam pack it with everything I could, having that opportunity to step back from it all and have a little bit of reflection meant I was then able to maximise everything else.
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“We knew that going into the Olympics, the bounce of a ball one way or another and you could have the best experience of your life or you could come out on the wrong side of it. That perspective was very important for us going into those knockout games and medal matches because it meant we hadn’t put too much pressure on ourselves.” Tom has always retained a close link with Worth School, partly because his father Alan still works here, but also because he appreciates the platform the school provided for him to go on and achieve what he has in life. That was why he was so happy to come into the school last September to show his silver medal to pupils, as well as talking to them in assembly and then getting involved with some rugby coaching sessions. He said: “The welcome I got was very special. After we won the silver medal, what made it so fulfilling for me was being able to share in the success with the people you represent. That was friends and family who are close to me but also the school. A lot of people told me they watched it on television and knowing we have that link makes the success so worthwhile for me.” Asked what message he had for the children at Worth now, Mr Mitchell said: “You will always encounter pressures and challenges in the world and that is the same at school. It probably becomes even greater when you leave. There is no way of sheltering yourself from that. But if you can find what you enjoy in life, find that perspective on it so that you are encountering the challenges and struggles with a positive mindset, knowing that you are pursuing something that you believe in and enjoy, then that is the secret to not only doing well in your chosen field but also living a happy life.”
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Worth School Newsletter
GOING FOR GOLD AMONG THE captivated youngsters trying to catch a word with Tom Mitchell on his return to Worth School last September was a boy who one day hopes to stand in his shoes. How long it takes for Year 9 student Kitan Ojo to return to Worth with a medal in his hands and stories of an Olympic Games is a question that cannot be answered for now, but the youngster is determined it will happen one day. There is substance to Kitan’s dream, too. Last summer he broke Tom Mitchell’s 14-year-old school long jump record while competing in the school’s annual Sports Day. His leap of 4.93m exceeded Tom’s record of 4.58m set in 2002. Kitan went on to improve that distance with a jump of 5.30m to win the Sussex Prep Schools Championships and he appears to have a bright future ahead of him. In school, Kitan is coached by Mr Alan Mitchell, Tom’s father. Outside of school, he is a member of Crawley Athletics Club and is coached by Larry Achike’s former coach. Larry is a former Worthian who represented Great Britain in the triple jump at two Olympic Games. Kitan said: “Meeting Tom Mitchell was really good. He set his record in 2002, which was the year I was born. I have always seen Tom as a role model since joining in Year 7. I watched all his games at the Olympics. I want to be the first Worthian to get a gold at the Olympics.”
the Olympics at ld go a t ge to n ia th or W st I want to be the fir
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A CHARITA
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TABLE LIFE CHARITABLE WORK is a huge part of life at Worth School. Whether it is raising lots of money or giving up time for others, there are many charitable ventures taking place throughout the year. Each of the ten Houses has its own chosen charity to support and those efforts take place alongside a large variety of school projects.
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In October the Head Master, Mr Stuart McPherson, slept out overnight at Lord’s Cricket Ground to raise almost £2,000 for the Cardinal Hume Centre, a charity supporting homelessness and poverty. Just before Christmas 89 shoeboxes full of essential items were sent to deprived families in Eastern Europe through the ‘Link to Hope’ charity. In the Autumn Term the Strokes for Strokes team of students presented a cheque for more than £10,500 to the Stroke Association following their Channel Swim last July, the same month as Butler Housemaster Mr Clement Donegan led a team of four teachers in cycling from Worth to Biarritz in the south of France to raise £6,000 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
“Love is not patronizing and charity isn’t about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same – with charity you give love, so don’t just give money but reach out your hand instead” Mother Teresa Giving up time is another way Worth School helps others. Last year’s ‘Worth in the Community Day’ was a huge success with students spending time helping out in local primary schools, animal welfare centres and charity shops, litter picking on Brighton beach, clearing Himalayan Balsam weed from green areas around Gatwick Airport and taking a drama production into local care and nursing homes. On their trip to Peru last summer, a group of 14 students spent time volunteering in a children’s home in Ayacucho, which is supported by Worth’s Outreach Peru charity. In 2017 Mr McPherson is challenging the School to raise £5,000 for Mary’s Meals, a charity dedicated to giving the poorest children in the world a meal every day they attend school. It costs just £12.50 to feed one child for a whole school year and a whole school of 139 children can be fed for less than £2,000. Mr Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow OBE, the founder of Mary’s Meals, will be the main guest at the 2017 Speech Day at Worth. The School has set up its own fundraising page for Mary’s Meals. To find out how you can help please go to: http://bit.ly/2dARsgT
Worth School Newsletter
Two boys from Chapman House did the Three Peaks Challenge in September for their own chosen charity, Barnado’s.
EACH YEAR the ten Houses compete for the Caritas Shield which is awarded to the House raising the most amount of money. In the last academic year, Butler won the trophy for their contribution of £4,557 towards an amazing total of more than £24,000 raised by the Houses. These are a few of the charities supported by the School.
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YOUNG MEDICS
THE YOUNG Medics Society was set up in 2012 and has been a huge success. Last year’s Year 13 students formed the original intake in Year 10 and all of them who went on to apply for Medicine were successful in gaining entry to medical school. The youngest pupils in the original cohort are now in the process of applying to university; one has just been interviewed for Medicine at Oxford, another has two interviews for Medicine and a third has offers for Medical Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology. The Society is open to students who are considering medicine as a career, either human or veterinarian, and also welcomes pupils who are interested in applying their interest in medicine to studying related fields such as pharmacology, nursing, microbiology or natural sciences. The aims are to give early information about the process of applying to medical school, including early work on UKCAT and BMAT admissions tests, and also to provide enjoyable academic enrichment. Ms Louise Chamberlain was Head of Biology when she set up the society and is now Assistant Head (Welfare). She loves working with the group, particularly the opportunity that it provides for senior pupils to work together with younger pupils on a variety of activities from mock GP consultations to rat dissections.
Ms Chamberlain said: “I am delighted at how the Society has developed. It provides a forum for the pupils to discuss how they might realise their ambitions, to enjoy sharing their interest in medicine and to be inspired by the success of older pupils.�
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A MAN WITH A
VISION Worth School Newsletter
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EDWARD SCHNEIDER has a track record of delivering on his goals. Now, he is ready to do so again after finding a school that shares his ideals. Last summer Mr Schneider arrived at Worth as the new Director of Development. He brought with him plenty of experience in the role, although his early career included working as a professional photographer both in his native America and later for the BBC as well as ten years as Head of History at a school in New York. His first step into Development was at St Albans High School for Girls, then Radley and on to Wellington College, where he was extremely successful. After leaving Wellington he vowed not to go back to the education sector but after hearing about Worth School’s vision for the future he realised it was an opportunity he could not turn down. Bursaries have always been close to the heart of Mr Schneider and it is an area he is keen to develop at Worth. Giving people an opportunity which would not otherwise exist and enriching the lives of young people, whatever their background, have provided a theme for his life’s work, going back to before he arrived in Britain in 1990. Mr Schneider said: “While I was teaching in independent schools in New York I helped set up, develop and taught in a programme called Prep for Prep. It was a programme for gifted minority students in the New York City state system. We worked with them for 18 months. We took very bright kids and bridged an inherent two-year gap in their abilities. Then we had a consortium of seven of the best boarding schools in the north-east and fed them into their programme. It was a transformational, life-changing experience for those kids.
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“Later I spent seven years at Wellington College. The reason I went there originally, it was an opportunity to make my mark in development but also they had a great sense of social mobility. They were supporting an academy at the time and I set up a bursaries programme, the Prince Albert Society, which still exists today.” On leaving, Mr Schneider worked as a trustee for a charity called Eastside Young Leaders Academy, but then came the call from Worth. He said: “I wasn’t especially interested in going back to another public school but when I met people here I was really impressed. The first thing they talked about in fundraising was bursaries and that resonated with me. I liked the fact that Worth had a sense of wanting to do good. It wasn’t about putting gold on the taps. “The other thing that attracted me was that I have a dual role. I am employed by and work for both the School and the monastery. My job is to find money for the School for bursaries and buildings and to help the monastic community to flourish and to support the outreach. That is very important in the world we live in right now.
Edward Schneider
“Always, from the very beginning and the entire time I am here, we are looking for money for bursaries. The project I am working on now is the Bermondsey Huts. That is very much a monastic and School project. It is a way to bring people into the community, to introduce people to Catholicism, to the Benedictine ethos which is important and it is also a way we can open the doors of this place wider to people. “The Head Master Stuart McPherson has a great vision of what this School should be doing, that we should be opening the doors wider. That is very exciting.”
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WONDERFUL WORTH ANY DAY, any place on the Worth estate, with a camera or phone in your hand, you have the opportunity to take a fabulous photograph. During the last few months there has been something of an unspoken competition among staff to come up with the best image. Be it a misty morning, a glorious day, an autumnal afternoon, a stunning sunset, the combinations of seasons, weather and backdrop ensure outstanding results. Enjoy some of these pictures taken by staff at various locations of the beautiful 500-acre estate that is Worth.
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“SET IN 500 ACRES OF BEAUTIFUL SUSSEX COUNTRYSIDE”
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UP FOR POLITICS THERE HAVE not been many times in recent history when political events across the world have been discussed by as many people as they have in the last few months. Notably, the Brexit referendum and Donald Trump becoming US president were debated by individuals who would normally have little interest in politics.
Here at Worth, students get the opportunity to learn, understand and debate current affairs through taking Politics as a Sixth Form option. So, just why is it such a good course to choose? Read on.
MR EDWARD HALL, TEACHER OF POLITICS: When I am asked why it is important to study Politics I often reach for the quotation attributed to Harold Macmillan when asked what he most feared as Prime Minister, “Events, dear boy, events”. Completely unexpected political events have surrounded us since early summer with the shock result of the Brexit referendum and the triumph of Donald Trump in November’s US general election making a study of Politics more important now than ever before. The first year of the A Level Government and Politics course focuses on the political system in the UK. It includes an analysis of the electoral systems used and the core ideas and policies of the different political parties. The reflections of the course so far from two of the pupils in this first cohort will give a better flavour of the experience of studying Politics at Worth School. ELI BARROTT, POLITICS PUPIL: Studying Politics at Worth is even for those who do not think they are naturally political animals. From vigorous debates in the Politics classroom, it is clear that everything is politics. Politics lessons hold a magnifying glass for us to understand how democracy works and how our lives are shaped by our democracy. Starting with the question ‘What is politics?’, and looking in depth at electoral systems, how parliament and pressure groups work, there is much to fascinate students in a time of international political uncertainty. Whether you are considering a career in law, teaching, medicine, engineering, or banking, it is politics that will influence the way you live and work. There is great satisfaction in understanding the interconnection of ideas and economics, aspirations and realities and these are explored in Politics lessons. As Pericles wrote, ‘Just
because you don’t take an interest in politics, doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.’ If you want to really understand the world around you, Politics at Worth provides you with the opportunity to analyse and explore. JAZMINE CLEMENS, POLITICS PUPIL: The majority of us leave education knowing little about actual real politics, being only exposed to the shocking, scandal and surprises with recent examples being Trump and Brexit. I was drawn to study Politics mainly out of sheer curiosity, but also with the hope of understanding what exactly it is that politicians do. The most interesting thing I have taken from the course so far is just how ‘unfair’ politics really is. Studying electoral systems has highlighted the injustice our current ‘First Past the Post’ system brings. UKIP for example, love them or hate them, arguably deserved more than the one seat they accumulated despite winning nearly four million votes. Furthermore we have learnt that by definition democracy is organised on the basis that it should serve the interests of the people, which then only makes sense that it should be representative of the people. However, only 6% of MPs are an ethnic minority, only 22% are women and only a handful have disabilities, all questionable statistics. I’ve greatly enjoyed Politics and would thoroughly recommend to anybody considering taking it as an A Level.
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FORERUNNERS
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FOCUS ON the individual, making each and every one better is core to the ethos at Worth. Playing a valuable part in that are the Forerunners, a small group of young evangelists who arrived at Worth in October 2015 after being invited by Br David to set up a community of young adults living on site and serving the School, The Open Cloister and the monastery. Anna McDougall was a belated arrival, joining Will Desmond, Rebecca Desmond and Fran O’Neill in the summer of 2016. The music graduate had spent the previous three years in Rome, working in a missionary school for young adults. Her work gave her an insight in what she wanted to do and the appeal of the role at Worth was one she could not turn down. She said: “The School is really interested in forming the entire person, not just the academic person, the spiritual person; it is about helping every student become a better person. That really appealed to me. Part of our role is to create space in the school for young people to encounter God. That is so important.” One Forerunner initiative Anna was involved with was the creation of interactive prayer space for students during Advent. It proved successful and will be repeated in the future.
“PART OF OUR ROLE IS TO CREATE SPACE IN THE SCHOOL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO ENCOUNTER GOD. THAT IS SO IMPORTANT.” 49
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WORTH REVISTING Worth School Newsletter
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AMONG THE more curious tales in the annals of Worth’s history is how the brother of the last Tsar of Russia made this beautiful place his home. Throw in the lost grave of his favourite horse plus the missing photograph of his fabulous collection of cars and the story of Michael Alexandrovich is worth finding out more about. Worth – or Paddockhurst as it was known – has a rich and colourful history. It is well known that Robert Whitehead, inventor of the torpedo, built the school’s clocktower and to this day has a room named after him at the School.
The Grand Duke initially leased Knebworth House in Hertfordshire and somewhere around 1912 he moved his home to Sussex, leasing Paddockhurst. Fr Bede, an expert in the history of Worth said: “I am not sure for how long Paddockhurst was his home but it was from about 1912 to 1914. He moved all his furniture down here and his wonderful collection of cars. There used to be an ageing photograph hanging up here of some wonderful cars, which I believe were his, but we are not sure where it is now.
Less is known about a prominent Russian and the time he spent in the Sussex countryside. Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, born in 1878, was the youngest son of Emperor Alexander III and the younger brother of Tsar Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia. It was his brother who expelled the heir to the throne after he became the lover of a married woman, Natalie Wulfert, who he later married.
“His horses moved here too and his favourite horse is actually buried across the road. When I came here there was still a stone marking the spot with the name of the horse. Later the playing field was levelled to enlarge it and the grave was buried. Maybe one day, we will rediscover it.” Fr Bede continued: “The Grand Duke went back to Russia with the permission of his brother, hoping to fight in the Army. His brother politically was really in very deep water as we all know with the development of the Bolsheviks. The Grand Duke tried very hard to persuade his brother to exercise his powers in a completely different way. He refused and, of course, we know what happened to him.”
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Amid heightening tension, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated following the February Revolution of 1917 and was imprisoned. In the spring of 1918, with the approval of Lenin, Nicholas and his family were executed. On his abdication, Nicholas handed over power to his brother but Michael never actually assumed the throne. Instead, he too was arrested and sent to a place 100 miles west of Moscow called Perm. On 12th June 1918 he was told he was being moved under what were fraudulent documents, was taken to a wood and shot in the back of the head along with his English Secretary Johnson. His grave was not found until 2009 when the present Russian authorities restored his reputation.
IT IS fair to say Michael Alexandrovich was unlucky in love. Long before his affair and subsequent marriage to Natalia Wulfert which led him to Worth, relationships were getting the youngest son of Emperor Alexander III into trouble. Oh dear! His first real love was Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The pair fell in love and it seemed they would marry. However, the Orthodox Church prohibited the marriage of first cousins (Michael’s father and Beatrice’s mother were siblings) and his brother Tsar Nicholas II refused to allow the marriage.
Not again! Michael’s attention turned to Alexandra Kossikovskaya, known affectionately as ‘Dina’, who was his sister Olga’s lady-in-waiting. The problem was that Dina was a ‘commoner’. Michael wrote to his brother asking to marry Dina but the Tsar felt royalty should only marry royalty and again refused permission, with Dina being dismissed as Olga’s ladyin-waiting in the process.
The grave of his beloved horse remains buried at Worth. Maybe one day that will be found again.
Worth School Newsletter
Yes but no! A marriage to Princess Patricia of Connaught would have won the Tsar’s approval – but not Michael’s. In 1906 three British newspapers announced they were to marry but Michael issued a denial. Two years later Michael and Patricia were ‘paired’ at social engagements in London but it seems that was the work of Michael’s mother and nothing more came of it.
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
WORTH HAS not necessarily been known for its prowess on the football field before – but that is changing.
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New Head of Football Mr Clement Donegan has a clear vision of what he wants to achieve, which is football being able to stand proud alongside other sports at Worth in terms of reputation and results. Mr Donegan has a clear plan of how to do that – through top quality coaching, development and enjoyment right the way through the football squads at the school. He wants his footballers to be having fun, but at the same time fitting in to the structure and discipline which all successful sporting operations need to succeed.
Worth School Newsletter
The 1st XI were unbeaten in friendlies throughout the Autumn Term and went on a pre-season tour to Manchester City’s youth academy just before Christmas to get ready for their competitive fixtures. At a younger level, Worth have had three boys chosen for the Prep School Pumas A squad (U12s and U13s) and four for the Development squad, all of whom will have the opportunity to compete at the prestigious Gothia World Cup in Sweden next July. Mr Donegan, who played football for Limerick in his native Ireland, said: “My idea of how football should be run as a school is through development, looking at those U13, 14, 15 players coming through. The
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emphasis should be on how we make those players in the future fit into the first team. “How do we develop them? There has to be a consistent approach to our training sessions, in terms of the drills we are using, the formation we are playing, in terms of the discipline we try to instil in the players. They should all be focused on improving themselves and getting into the top teams in their year group, but also looking to the future and saying to themselves they want to play first team football. By the time they get there, we need to give them the skills to do that.”
“The key for me is that we try to make it an enjoyable experience while they are out training.”
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FOOTBALL LINKS AN ASSOCIATION with some of the leading teams in football is helping Worth football make huge strides forward. A pre-season tour to the North-East in December included training sessions at Manchester City’s youth academy under the guidance of the club’s top young coaches and a visit to the Etihad Stadium to watch Manchester City’s first team take on Arsenal. Head of Football Mr Clement Donegan has also established a link-up with Chelsea Football Club, whose foundation coaches have been coming in to the School to provide some tailored coaching sessions, working on specific skills. Last summer Arsenal Football Club used Worth School facilities for an elite, residential, five-day summer soccer camp, when 80 boys and girls from around the world enjoyed daily coaching from the Arsenal Soccer Schools team of experienced coaches. In addition, Brighton and Hove Albion are now using facilities at Worth to coach some of the younger players in their youth system. For more information on lettings at Worth go to: http://worth.co.uk/lettings/sports-facilities
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a
MODERN
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tragedy
A CLASSIC story told in a very modern way – the senior school production of Romeo & Juliet was a fantastic reflection of life at Worth School. The Drama department and the cast excelled themselves by wowing theatre goers over three nights in December. Set in the future with a neon colour scheme to reflect that, the production was inspired by the amazing film adaptation by Baz Luhrmann. The costumes and the set reflected the futuristic time setting. The opening scene was set in the foyer, before cast members and audience moved into the theatre. That made a real impact and set the tone for a production which was full of fun and humour, without losing the traditional elements of Shakespeare that people love.
Above all, the acting was first class and way above a standard some might people might expect from a school production.
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...(IT) MADE A REAL I M PA C T A N D S E T THE TONE FOR A PRODUCTION WHICH WAS FULL OF FUN AND HUMOUR...
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SPANISH ADVENTURE TRIPS ARE a valuable way of supplementing the learning experience for pupils. Nine Sixth Form Spanish students certainly found that in October when they visited Salamanca, a World Heritage city since 1988, located in the north-west of Spain.
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Their time in Spain included Spanish language lessons at the Salmínter International Spanish School each morning, plus visits to notable historical sites including the Museo Nacional Reina Sofía, the prestigious University of Salamanca (the oldest university in Spain) and both the Romanesque and the Baroque style cathedrals, as well as enjoying some stunning scenery in the region. There was also time to sample Spanish food and general life. One student said: “It was a truly amazing experience as it allowed us, not only to develop, improve and practise our Spanish, but also to learn more about the culture and history of Spain.”
Every year students take part in a wide variety of trips, exchanges and visits in Britain and overseas. In 2017, there are trips to Aurillac in France, Lahnstein in Germany, Rome, Berlin and Paris, a cricket tour to Dubai, skiing in the Alps, further trips to Salamanca and a pilgrimage to Taizé, while in 2018 there will be a Chaplaincy-led visit to Irundu in Uganda and a science trip to CERN in Switzerland.
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GLORIOUS FOOD is a well-known part of life at Worth. The school catering team provides tasty dishes for the students, staff and monastic community every day, as well as delivering speciality catering for the numerous social events in the calendar. Great thought goes into offering the right menu; ensuring there is a varied choice of healthy, delicious food and that diners can eat well-balanced meals, including lots of vegetable and fruit options. The team will also cater for special requirements. Two big changes in the last year are that Years 7 and 8 now eat their lunches separately from the older children, offering them a smoother integration into the school as well as meals more suited to their age, while The Pitstop has been turned into a Sixth Form CafĂŠ with a barista coffee machine and appealing treats.
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CREATIVITY IS not always in the classroom and is not all teacher-led. Innovation and ideas come from within, be that individuals or groups. In October in America, something called the Mannequin Challenge was posted on the internet by students in Jacksonville, Florida, and soon went viral. The idea is people remain frozen in action like mannequins while a moving camera films them. So new it was, it had barely been heard of in the UK when Worth’s 1st XV rugby squad made their own Mannequin Challenge video, filmed by student Jordan Cai, and it was simply fantastic. At an England football friendly against Spain at Wembley in November, the England players performed the Mannequin Challenge after scoring a goal. Everyone thought it was fresh and new; at Worth, we simply referred people to Jordan Cai’s video posted on the school website days earlier.
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MANNEQUIN CHALLENGE
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worthians
carol service A CLOSE connection with Worth does not end when students finish School.
The strong links continue through the alumni association, the Worth Society, which runs regular business, social and sporting events as well as networking and support. The Worth Society keeps Worthians all over the world in touch with each other, bringing them together when they can. One of the big events of the Autumn Term was the inaugural Worthians Christmas Carol Service at St Patrick’s Church, Soho Square, in London. Almost 200 former pupils from across the years booked into the event, with some Worthians joining the choir, and there were readings from individuals representing every decade of school life at Worth, going back to the time Worth was a prep school in the 1950s.
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ONE COMMUNITY THERE ARE times Worth School comes together for something special and the Christmas Carol Service was one of those. When Worth does something, it does it well and the Carol Service was a wonderful evening with the Abbey Church so packed that the gallery had to be opened to get everyone in.
The choir sung superbly and the readings were poignant, with the lighting in the church adding to the sense of spectacular. Prior to the service there was a candlelit procession from the main driveway, through the school campus to the Abbey Church, led by the choir and followed by pupils and family members. Above all, it was a case of the Worth community doing something as one – and thoroughly enjoying it.
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CHRISTMAS MARKET SUPPORT IS at every corner at Worth School – helping to enrich the experience of each child who goes through the school. One such support pillar is the Friends of Worth, a parents group that helps create the community spirit by providing opportunities for pupils, parents, teachers and the monastic community to come together. In any school year, Friends of Worth organises more than 20 different social events at House level, as well as bigger functions such as their Summer Ball. In December, the Friends of Worth Christmas Market took place and again showed why it has become a highlight of the school calendar. With lots of fascinating stalls, plus food and drink, it was another afternoon full of fun and colour.
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AND ON THAT NOTE... THERE IS always something going on at Worth – and 2017 is going to be just like any other year. There are trips, activities, clubs and societies, as well as the numerous House and whole school functions arranged by Friends of Worth. On a musical front, the Worth Abbey Choral Society and The Kidbrooke Park Singers will perform Joseph Haydn’s ‘Missa Sancti Nocolai’ on 5th March and two weeks later (19th March) the Worth Abbey Choir, directed by Mr Michael Oakley, will sing for ‘Tenebrae: Sequence of Music for Lent’. Worth Unplugged is another big date on the School calendar on Wednesday 8th March. The drama department are already preparing for their next big production which is West Side Story, which starts on Thursday 16th March. Also in March are two big sporting events – the Worth Cross Country on Tuesday 7th March and the Worth Rugby Sevens Festival on Sunday 12th March. Looking further ahead there will be the Friends of Worth Summer Ball, Speech Day, Sports Day and the Leavers Mass. Worth is a vibrant community, full of energy and fun; a place where there is something for everyone.
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Editorial Team Editors Howard Griggs and Gordon Pearce Design Hannah Condry, Mercer Design Photography Simon Dack, Howard Griggs, Emma Duggan, Katherine Bray, Jonas Fossgard, Sam Stephenson, Ady Kerry, Press Association, Mary’s Meals
Worth School, Paddockhurst Road, Turners Hill, West Sussex RH10 4SD 01342 710200 admissions@worth.org.uk www.worthschool.org.uk Charity number: 1093914 Company registration number: 4476558 Worth School Newsletter
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