Wycombe High School
Magazine 2019
Fortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter
Celebrating past and present life at Wycombe High School
Advertising Advertising Opportunities with Wycombe High School Wycombe High School’s E High Flyer (an electronic newsletter) and annual magazine celebrate past and present life at school. Our publications go out to over 1400 local households and thousands of alumnae. If you would like to advertise in either or both of these, or know of someone who does, please contact Mrs D Morgan at dmorgan@whs.bucks.sch.uk. Our Finance Office will invoice you upon distribution of the publications. E High Flyer The electronic newsletter is distributed fortnightly. This publication offers a higher frequency of distribution, as well as dynamic links from your advertisements to your website. In each issue, there is one banner and four box ads available to purchase. Advertising rates, layout, artwork and format are as shown below. Layout (Landscape) Banner Box
Dimensions 150 px H x 560 px W 150 px H x 270 px W
12/6/19 26/6/19 10/7/19
Artwork Format JPEG JPEG
Rates per edition £40 £20
14/6/19 28/6/19 12/7/19
Annual Magazine Our annual magazine is predominantly PDF, but there are some printed copies for those that wish to purchase a printed version. The PDF copy also offers you links from your advertisements to your website. You can see examples of previous editions here: https://issuu.com/ wycombehighsch The size of the advertisements are based on an A4 format of the finished product. The magazine incorporates margins and therefore does not require provision for a bleed edge. The annual magazine is distributed in the Summer term. Advertisements are due the last Friday of February. All advertisements are required in electronic format (e.g. PDF and / or JPEG). Please note: We do not accept educational, tutoring or weight reduction advertising for any of our publications. Should you wish to contact the Headteacher or any other member of staff by email, please do so through the school office at: office@whs.bucks.sch.uk. High Flyer is an entirely student-led initiative. A team of students of all ages, led by Sixth Formers, known as the ‘News Crew’ take responsibility for the fortnightly E-Newsletter, news articles on the website (http:// www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/media/news) and the annual magazine.
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Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
Dimensions £35 ¼ page £50 ½ page £100 full page Format PDF and / or JPEG Layout Full and ¼ page Half page
Portrait Landscape
Table of Contents
News Crew Heads of News Crew Year 13 Lottie Clare P1 Alessandra Grifi C1 Chloe Walker A6
Advertising Opportunities
Page 1
Diary Dates Summer Term
Page 2
Message from the Head Teacher
Page 3
Message from the News Crew
Pages 4-6
Development Ambassadors
Pages 7-9
Development Office Update
Page 9-13
Cineworld Advertisement
Page 13
Student Leadership Team
Page 14
My Time at Wycombe High School
Pages 15-18
100 Years of Feminism
Pages 19-21
Innovate Advertisement
Page 22
Top 5 Must-Read Books
Pages 23-24
Hidden Truths Competition
Pages 25-29
Truth Seekers: Philosophy Corner
Pages 30-31
2018: A Year in Resignations
Pages 32-34
2018: A Year in Sport
Pages 35-37
Bell-Ringing at Wycombe High School
Page 38
Inspire and Career Talks
Pages 39-40
2018 Leavers’ Destinations
Page 41-45
Year 11 Lily Birch B8 Isobel Potter N10 Vianne Alhayderi C2 Year 10 Cordelia Thompson C6 Kimberly Andrews B3 Year 9 Roisin O’Toole N4 Year 8 Alex Pitt B9 Varya Mishra P6 Lead Staff Member Miss C O’Donnell Support Staff Member Mrs D Morgan Wycombe High School Marlow Road High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP11 1TB Tel: 01494 523961 Fax: 01494 510354 office@whs.bucks.sch.uk http:// www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/ @WycombeHighSch @WycHighAlumnae
Diary Dates - Summer Term 2019 15 May
Guild Committee Meeting, 7.00pm, Conference Room
16 May
Y10 and Y11 Crest Award Presentations Evening, 4.30-6.30pm, Lab C
17 May
Movie Night, 5.30-7.30pm, Hall
11 June
PAFA Meeting, 7.30 - 9.30 pm, The Forum
21 June
Sports Award Evening, 7.00-9.00pm
25 June
Arts Award Evening, 7.00 - 8.30 pm, Music Rooms 1 & 2
9 July
Sports Day
19 July
Last Day of Term (finishing at 1.45 pm)
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Message from Headteacher On Friday 15 March, a terrorist led a gun attack on mosques in New Zealand in which at least 50 men, women and children lost their lives. On the same day as this terror, Comic Relief raised all-important funds supporting the world’s most vulnerable, using humour and joy as part of the arsenal of tools against hatred and pain. This massacre and other incidents some few weeks later where hundreds of people were killed or injured in bombings in Sri Lanka as they worshiped in church underline our young people’s desire for change. They understand the need to stand up to the evil forces in our world that target young people and radicalise them, distort their view of right and wrong, that set out to create hatred and distrust, that feast on intolerance and lack of respect.
They say ‘enough is enough’, because at Wycombe High we teach our young people to choose the right path, the path of tolerance and respect, the path of democracy. We choose to know the difference between right and wrong; we challenge inappropriate behaviours. We choose to be upstanders, not bystanders. We condemn hatred and violence. We respect one another and are committed to tolerance and respect in all aspects of our lives. Never has it been more important for us to show unity, and appreciation for diversity.
Responsibility Lead at Hitachi Ana-Maria Broscatan Class of 2013 – Law graduate in Investment Management Hannah Harman Class of 2004 – UK Acquisition Marketing Manager for Amazon Prime and Alumnus of Curtis Brown Creating Writing Course Alicia Rice Class of 2014 – Boutique Property Law Firm Abigail Seagar Class of 2010 – DevOps Engineer at BBC Flo Wilson Class of 2014 – Apprenticeship as Chef RA of Culinary Arts working at Savoy London Sally Badham Class of 1986 - Lawyer Partner at Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang (CMS)LLP, Law Degree from Birmingham Megan Clarke Class of 2015 - Designer at Optima Partitioning Systems, Interior Architecture and Design BA (Hons) from Lincoln University Elle Girling Class of 2013 - Production Assistant at Fizz TV, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) focused in Film/Cinema/Video Studies from University of Kent. Dr Kathryn Boast Class of 2008 - Quantum Materials Outreach Officer for @OxfordPhysics with a PhD on dark matter in my spare moments. Dr Aliya Yousuf Class of 2011 – Medical Doctor, Accident & Emergency SHO West Middlesex University Hospital
Our comprehensive Personal Social Health Enterprise Education programme helps our students navigate the difficulties of modern living. And because of this, Wycombe High School students make me confident and optimistic for the future. Their generation is kind, empathetic, they understand what is important, they demonstrate respect and tolerance, they can negotiate and In such a way, the Wycombe High family, past and problem solve, they can lead and build harmonious present, is helping to shape the next generation, to communities. They will secure a better world. contribute to a re-calibration of the tone and narrative. Women supporting women and investing They are supported in so doing by our wonderful in the future. Wycombe High Alumnae, who increasingly are attending school in large numbers to share their Our thoughts and prayers are with those all over the journeys and experiences post Wycombe High world and within our communities, who for whatever School. For example in the last few months we have reason have lost loved ones. In tribute, to those lost, welcomed: this verse from Maya Angelou about the importance Emma Courtney (née Hancock Class of 1983) of peace seems very fitting: – Lawyer and Director of Commercial Legal Services, EMEA & APJ for Progress Software, History, despite its wrenching pain, a US based Company Cannot be unlived, and if faced with courage, Need not be lived again. Grace Hogg-Robinson (Class of 2014) – Lift up your eyes upon Actress appearing in television series, The day breaking for you. commercials, films and stage plays Samara Majid, Class of 1996 - General Yours as ever Practitioner, Chiltern CCG Kayley Oseman (Class of 2012) – Process Sharon Cromie Safety Engineer at PM Group Headteacher Claire Thomas (Class of 2002) – Business Development Director and Social
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Message from News Crew The News Crew is proud to bring you the 2019 Annual Magazine, which is combined with the Wycombe High School Guild Magazine, the Guild being Wycombe High School’s student and staff association. The theme of this year’s magazine is ‘Secret Truths’, aiming to seek out and draw attention to things we didn’t know before and lending our ears to people who are not usually heard. We have aimed to explore this theme by talking to a range of people, including friends, teachers, and the Student Leadership Team. This year, the News Crew has worked tirelessly to produce high-quality reading material centred around our theme. We are incredibly grateful to the students and members of staff who have contributed to this year’s magazine, and for the time they have devoted to helping make this magazine the best it can be. We hope it conveys the dedication and commitment of our team, and that it proves to be an interesting and revelatory read. Purchasing the Magazine All current students who are Guild members are entitled to receive a free hard copy of the magazine by emailing Mrs D Morgan. Parents of students currently at the school who are not Guild members can make payment using ParentPay (www.parentpay.com) our online payment system, choosing the relevant service(s) for example ‘Wycombe High School Annual Magazine’. We would be extremely grateful if you could use ParentPay to make payment. However, if you are unable to do so, please send a cheque made payable to ‘Wycombe High School’ in an envelope, to the Development Office (Room C306) along with the completed form which can be found in the Letters to Parents section of our website. We will also be selling copies at upcoming school events. Advertising Now that Wycombe High School news in published primarily electronically, there are more opportunities to advertise with us. If you own your own business and would like to reach out to the over 1,400 local students and their families, 140 members of staff and thousands of former students and staff, we encourage you to advertise in our fortnightly E High Flyer newsletter. The frequency of advertising has increased from half termly to fortnightly. In addition, your ads can link directly to your websites. For advertising layout, dimensions, format, rate and distribution information, please refer to Page 1 of this magazine. Cover Artwork The cover art features famous and inspirational women of both the past and the present, embodying a range of backgrounds and talents. We hope the images provide inspiration to our readers because perhaps the most important secret truth is that all women can be inspiring and inspire others. As the theme for the High Flyer this year is ‘Secret Truths’, The News Crew really wanted the magazine this year to create a stronger sense of inclusion and equality throughout the school’s student body, reassuring everyone that their voices are being heard. Hopefully the cover art communicates this. Miss O’Donnell What do you do for News Crew? I organise the team and assign articles to each person so that we are able to cover all of the events that go on at the school. I also publish a new edition of the E-High Flyer every fortnight. Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
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What news story did you find the most shocking this year? The case in America about the Turpin family, where the two parents were keeping their 13 children (ages ranging from 2-29) hostage in their own homes. What is your favourite quote? “I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.” - Jane Austen Lottie Clare, Year 13, Parks 1 What do you do for News Crew? Editor and photographer. What news story did you find the most shocking this year? A short documentary in which an undercover investigator explores the shocking cruelty within the meat and dairy industry, that occurs even in places classed as 'free range'. If you were to win a Nobel prize what would it be for? For finding a cure for animal bone cancer. Alessandra Grifi, Year 13, Curie 1 What do you do for News Crew? Editor and photographer. What news story did you find the most shocking this year? Brett Cavanaugh being appointment as a Supreme Court justice despite sexual assault accusations. If you have any super powers what would it be? Definitely the ability to stop time so that I can finally sleep in! I’ve been tired since 2012. Chloe Walker, Year 13, Austen 6 What do you do for News Crew? Editor and photographer. What news story did you find the most shocking this year? The Parkinson’s drug trial: A miracle cure? A two part documentary series on the BBC where some brave volunteers with varying stages of Parkinson’s trial a new drug inserted directly into the brain. If you could be any fictional character who would you be? Tinkerbell. Lily Birch, Year 11, Bronte 8 What do you do for News Crew? Political correspondent What news story did you find the most shocking this year? The murder of Jamal Khashoggi. If any who’s your favourite politician? Robert Kennedy – need someone like that now. Vianne Alhayderi, Year 11, Curie 2 What do you do for News Crew? Pop culture correspondent. What news story did you find the most shocking this year? Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand for the national anthem. What’s your favourite Disney film and why? The Road to El Dorado
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Isobel Potter, Year 11, Nightingale 10 What do you do for News Crew? Sports Correspondent and General Contributor If you could invite anyone to dinner (alive or dead) who would it be? Dead – Millicent Forcet, Alive – Ruth Bader Ginsburg Cordelia Thompson, Year 10, Curie 6 What do you do for News Crew? I am a general writer, photographer, editor, and contributor. What’s your favourite quotation? “There may be faults in our stars but our stars still shine.” The Fault in Our Stars, John Green Kimberley Andrews, Year 10, Bronte 3 What do you do for News Crew? I am in charge of the equality articles and I also write about philosophy. What news story did you find the most shocking this year? Last year, I remember reading an article about deep fakes, and I was surprised, not about how advanced technology is these days, but how influential it can be. Anyone can be edited to be saying or doing anything, their voice can even be manipulated, and that thought, is scary. If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, which song would you choose? ‘I write Sins Not Tragedies’ by Panic! At The Disco because it gives me life Roisin O’Toole, Year 9, Nightingale 4 What do you do for News Crew? I write about historical events and new discoveries in archaeology. What news story did you find the most shocking this year? As part of one of their adverts for Easter egg hunts, Cadbury’s encouraged children to explore protected historical sites. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Hopefully working as an archaeologist somewhere in Britain. Alex Pitt, Year 8, Bronte 9 What do you do for News Crew? Competitions Coordinator What news story did you find the most shocking this year? The news that I find most shocking is the incredible yet bizarre win of South-african tennis player Kevin Anderson against Roger Fedrerer, who is currently ranked fourth in the world after the loss in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. Do you have a favourite style of music? Pop music Varya Mishra, Year 8, Parks 6 What do you do for News Crew? Arts Correspondent. What news story did you find the most shocking this year? A team of 50 people aged around 16 yeas old took part in building a plane which they successfully tested during a ten minute flight, Who’s your favourite author? Karen McManus
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Development Ambassador Update The Development Ambassador programme was created in 2009 to address the lack of leadership opportunities available to younger students in school at the time. Since then, thanks to the kind support of students, staff and parents, we have raised over £34,000 which has helped support various projects within school including the Music Centre and all-weather pitch. This year, the Development Ambassadors are raising money for new recycling bins and bicycle shelters. Open Mic Night The fundraising year kicked off with a bang once more with the fifth annual Open Mic Night on 12 October which featured over 20 students in 25 acts including dance, music and singing. With the support of PAFA, we raised £471.57, which was donated to the cast and crew of Global Rock for sets, props and costumes. Movie Nights On 30 November, the Development Ambassadors held the first Movie Night of the year showcasing ‘Black Panther’ where £74.75 was raised. Our second Movie Night was on 25 January where we screened ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and raised £147.75. Our third Movie Night was on 8 March and showcased ‘Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!’ helping to raise £145.85. Our final Movie Night of the Year is 17 May when we will showcase ‘The Incredibles 2’. Many thanks to our Movie Night sponsors: High Wycombe Cineworld for popcorn and Movie Night raffle prizes of tickets to Cineworld, and to the Guild for sponsoring refreshments we sell at each event to help raise money for the school. Quizzes On 5 December, the ‘Big Fat Quiz’ took place at lunchtime open to staff and students for a £1 entry fee towards the Play Your Part for Sport campaign. The quiz, based on the popular television show, featured three teams of staff members battling it out in the assorted rounds including Showbiz and even Wycombe High School. Teams consisting of the winners, Mr Kennedy & Miss O’Donnell; the runners-up, Mr Mackerras & Miss Dhillon; and Miss Kelly & Mr Kidd coming third. Throughout the event, we raised a total of £278.01. Our second quiz of the year was the Harry Potter themed quiz during which we raised a fantastic £316.09. Students gathered in the main hall to put their knowledge of Harry and his team to the ultimate test. “That’s So Ravenclaw” won the quiz overall, with “The Wizengamot” winning for best costume and second place, and “You’re a Quizzard Harry” winning the award for the best team name.
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Our third and final quiz is to be ‘Would I Lie to You?’ is on 8 May, featuring two teams of four teachers consisting of Mr Binks, Mr Rushton, Mr Pike and Mr Crocker competing against Miss Snook, Miss Bowles, Mrs Green and Mrs Jewell. We are very grateful to Mr Bellars for being our Quiz Master. We look forward to welcoming staff and students to watch the teams battle it out for the ultimate prize (of glory). Branded Merchandise In addition to events, Development Ambassadors produce and sell Wycombe High School Branded Products. They have introduced eco-friendly water bottles, house lanyards and Squid card holders, key chains, memory sticks, pens, blank cards and annual calendars featuring the beautiful artwork of current and former students. This academic year, we have raised nearly £700 through the sale of merchandise. Please follow this links to help us raise much needed money for the school through the sale of our branded merchandise: http://www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/about-whs/development. Textile Recycling Since 2010 the Development Ambassadors have been recycling textiles to help raise money for the school. Working with UK Textile Recycling we have managed to recycle 6,203kg helping us to raise over £,3,000 for the school .The recycling bank is located in the small car park behind Downs near the entrance to Lost Property. So far, the 2018-2019 team of Development Ambassadors have worked very hard to help raise over £3,400 surpassing our target of £3,00 for the end of the year - and the school year isn’t over yet! We want to thank everyone who has participated and attended our events and purchased our products. We would be nowhere near as successful without the strong and continued support of students, staff and parents. Meet the Team Sable Browne (Head of Development) Year 13, Parks 7: Studying Politics, Classics, Maths and going on to study Politics and Philosophy at the University of Bristol. She enjoys attending quizzes as they are always entertaining and a great way for students and teachers to interact. Beth Hill Year 12, Parks 4: Studying Politics, History and Economics. Aside from being a Development Ambassador, she also participates in Senior Orchestra and Politics Society within school. Her favourite fundraising event has been the lunchtime Harry Potter Quiz. Holly Musk Year 12, Austen 5: Studying History, Politics and Psychology and plans to study Politics at university. Her favourite fundraising events are quizzes as they have a great atmosphere and get both students and teachers involved. Outside of school she enjoys playing the guitar and socialising with friends.
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Edie Vernol Year 9, Bronte 5: Studying Latin, Geography, Graphics and Art. She plays hockey for the school U14 team, and also does Air Cadets outside of school. Lotte Cook Year 9, Curie 4: Studying French, Music, History and Textiles for GCSE. Her favourite development event this year was the 'Black Panther' Movie Night as it is such a brilliant film and a beautiful celebration of diversity. Diya Sohi Year 9, Parks 9: Studying Music, Textiles, Latin and history. She is very involved in the school life at WHS and participates in a wide range of extra curricular activities such as Cricket, Guitar band, Brass Ensemble, Lower School Choir and WHS Voices. Ashleigh Randall Year 8, Austen 1: Has chosen her GCSEs including Spanish, History and Graphics to name some and enjoys the Movie Nights and helping at the Tuck Shop. Aleena Kalim Year 8, Bronte 8: Has also chosen her GCSEs including History, Geography, Business, Spanish and Art. Outside of school she bakes, and enjoys attending Movie Nights.
Development Office Update
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2017 - 2018 Annual Report Thanks to the generous donations of current and former students, staff, parents, friends, grants and local business, we raised £108,857 in the 2017 - 2018 academic year for the Wycombe High School Fund. Donations to our Future Fund and Play Your Part for Sport Campaigns, from our Parents And Friends Association and a generous pledge from the Garfield Weston Foundation make up the majority of gifts. With the help of 214 donors, we were able to: Construct and open the All-Weather Pitch complete with floodlights, dugouts, goals and new equipment. Install Recording Studio Equipment enabling the recording of GCSE and A level performance work, recitals and productions in the Music Centre. Refresh The Forum - The carpet and furniture in the soft seating area was replaced and the parquet floor was repaired, sanded and stained. Increase the area available to students for eating and informal meeting space by 27% with additional seating in The Forum. We are very grateful to our Parents’ And Friends’ Association who contributed funds towards the purchase of new furniture. Install Air Conditioning in the Sixth Form with a contribution from our Parents’ And Friends’ Association. Resurface the car parks at the rear of Downs, Music Centre and Learning Centre providing increased capacity for guest and staff parking. The ‘Play Your Part’ for Sport Campaign was launched in September 2015 to raise funds for an all-weather pitch with floodlights. The £725,000 cost for the pitch has come from donations to the Future Fund, fundraising events, corporate sponsorship and a pledge from the Garfield Weston Foundation.
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The Recording Studio Equipment was installed last academic year facilitating the recording of GCSE and A level performance work, recitals and productions in the Music Centre. The Forum was re-decorated throughout. We replaced the furniture in the soft seating area with new tables and benches and we re-carpeted it and we repaired, sanded and stained the parquet floor. We are very grateful to Wycombe High Schoo’s Parents’ And Friends’ Association who contributed funds towards the purchase of additional new furniture in The Forum increasing the area available to students for eating and informal meeting space by 27%. In addition, our Parents’ and Friends’ Association contributed money to install air Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
conditioning in the Sixth Form which also blows out hot air for cold winter days. The car parks at the rear of Downs, Music Centre and Learning Centre have been resurfaced providing increased capacity for guest and staff parking. This and many more improvements have been made thanks to your generous donations to the Wycombe High School Fund.
We are deeply grateful to all those who have supported the school in terms of time, skills and funds. Your involvement is invaluable and strengthens our community. The following list reflects all gifts (one-off, regular and gift-in-kind) made during the 2017 - 2018 academic year. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the following list. If your name has been omitted or misrepresented, please contact dmorgan@whs.bucks.sch.uk and accept our apologies and gratitude for your support. Mr and Mrs Ahmad Dr Akinsola Mr and Mrs Alam Mr and Mrs Alton Mr and Mrs Aravindan ASDA High Wycombe Superstore Mr and Mrs Ashcroft Mr and Mrs Ashford Mr Ashraf Mr and Mrs Aspinall Mrs Athwal Mr and Mrs Averill Prof and Mrs Banerjee Mr Beckham Mr and Mrs Bedford Mr and Mrs Bello Mrs Bhardwaj Mr and Mrs Bhogal Mr and Mrs Birkett Booker Wholesale Ms Bowen Mr Braddick Mr and Mrs Bray Mr Breckenridge Mr and Mrs Briggs Mr and Mrs Brockett Mr and Mrs Brooks Mr Brown Mr and Mrs Browning Mr and Mrs Burniston Mr and Mrs Burt Mr and Mrs Cafferkey Mr and Mrs Campanini Mrs Campanini Ms Campbell Mrs Caroe Mr Carter Mr Blair and Mrs Carter-Blair Mr and Mrs Caskey Mr Chalmers Mr and Mrs Chan Mr Chirumamilla Mr and Mrs Cicirello Cineworld Cinemas - High Wycombe Mrs Clark Mr Pratt and Mrs Clark-Pratt Mr Clube Mr and Mrs Cole Mr Seed and Mrs Coleman-Seed Mr and Mrs Cook Mrs Cook Mr and Dr Copeman
Costa Coffee Mr and Mrs Cotter Mr and Mrs Coward Mr and Mrs Cowley Mr and Mrs Cox Mr and Mrs Crawshaw Mrs Cromie Mr and Mrs Crook Cutting Point Mr and Mrs Dahlbom Dapper Cuts Mr and Mrs Davies Mr Daw Mr Tariq and Dr De Mr and Mrs Desmond Mr Dollin Mr and Mrs Duhan Mr and Mrs Dumpala Mrs Duncan Mr Erstad Mr Farrell Dr and Mrs Fernandes Mr and Mrs Finn Fire System Solutions Ltd Garfield Weston Foundation Mr and Mrs Garrett Mr and Mrs Gibbon Mr Gillespie Mr and Mrs Goddard Mr Gothard Dr and Dr Haldane Mr Hand Mr Harris and Mrs Tiainen-Harris Mr and Dr Harrison Miss Harrison Mr Hart Mr Harvey Mr Haskell Mr and Mrs Hawkins Mr Shariff and Dr Haynes Mr and Mrs Heywood Mr and Mrs Hill Mr and Mrs Holloway Mr and Mrs Holmes Mr Hooker Miss Horn House Sport Captains 2016-2017 Imaginations Wild Face Painting Innovate Services Ltd Mrs Howard Mr and Mrs Howitt
/Cont’d...
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Mr and Mrs Hulme Ms Iley Mr and Mrs Iyere Jaydees Newsagents Mr and Mrs Jefferies Mrs Johnson Mr Angelides and Mrs Jones Mr and Mrs Jones Mrs Jones Josephine's Health & Beauty Mr Lala and Mrs Judge-Lala Mr and Mrs Kalim Mr Kauffmann and Miss Dusting Mr and Mrs Khaki Dr Khan and Dr Raoof Mr and Mrs Khanna Mr and Mrs Khatter Mr and Mrs Kirkham Dr Krishnan Mrs Langford Mr and Mrs Lansdown Mr and Mrs Latham Mr and Mrs Law Mr and Mrs Layden Dr and Dr Layng Mr and Mrs Levin Mr Lipman and Mrs Kisielowska-Lipman Mrs Lis Dr Lloyd Gabby Logan Mr Mahmood Mr and Mrs Mance Mr and Mrs Martin Mr and Mrs Martin Mr and Mrs Maxted Mr McPhillips McVitie's Mr and Mrs Meechan Mrs Middleton-Hill Mr Mitson Mr Mondal Mr and Mrs Moore Mr Moss and Ms Foster Dr and Mrs Neal Mr Noad Mr and Mrs Ormond Miss O'Shaughnessy Mr Blackbourn and Mrs Palich Mr A Bell and Pankhurst 6 Tutees Mrs Parveen Mr Patton Mr Phimister Mrs Prince Mr Ras and Mrs Ciezkowska-Ras Mr Rashid Mr and Mrs Rashid Mr and Mrs Redington Dr Reed and Dr Shears Mr Reinecke Mr Richards Mr and Mrs Robinson Mr and Mrs Sanderson Saucy Horse Ltd Ms Scrivener Dr Semenov and Mrs He
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Mr Sethuraman and Mrs Prakash Mr Shave and Mrs Yang Dr Siddons Mr and Mrs Smith Mr and Mrs Sohal Mr Staggs Mrs Stephen Mrs Stowers Mr and Mrs Sutton Ms Swindells Mr and Mrs Sydykova Mr and Mrs Symonds Mr and Mrs Tapping Mr and Mrs Tardif Mr and Mrs Templing Tesco Express High Wycombe Mr and Mrs Thomas Mr and Mrs Thum Mr and Mrs Tilt Mr and Mrs Tinnelly Mr and Mrs Tucker Mr and Mrs Turrell Mrs Tutt VINCI Construction Virgin Experience Days Mr and Mrs Wadswsorth Mr J Wagge Waitrose Mr and Mrs Walastyan Mr Walker and Ms Sung Mr and Mrs Webb Mr and Mrs Webster Mr Wharton Mr and Mrs Wheeler Mr and Mrs Widdowson Mr and Mrs Windsor Mr and Mrs Winterbourne The Works Ms Wrake Mr and Mrs Wright Wycombe High School PE Department Wycombe Leisure Centre Mr and Mrs Yarwood Mr and Mrs Yeatman Mr and Mrs Young
Development Plans Moving Forward Looking forward our Development fundraising goals are to raise funds for: Enhanced Safeguarding - £108,000 Continuing Science Lab Refurbishment - £50,000 per lab Resurfacing Netball and Tennis Courts - £100,000 Extending The Forum (£100,000) and Sixth Form Café (£50,000) Upgrades to the Hall - £50,000 Upgrades to Drama Studio - £15,000 Audio and Video Feed for the Dressing Room / The Forum - £10,000 Permanent location for the School Shop - £6,000 We would like install additional security measures to control access to the rear of Downs, Music and the Learning Centre; controlled access to Reception; secure access leading to the amphitheatre from the front of school and additional perimeter fencing. Over the past several years we have invested over £345,000 to upgrade our Science Labs and will continue to do so. We would like to resurface our Netball and Tennis Courts and extend The Forum and Sixth Form Café. We would like to enhance the sound system, lights, curtains and seating in the Hall , as well as provide new curtains and storage for the Drama Studio.. We would like to install an Audio and Video Feed for the Dressing Rooms (to assist the cast crew in productions) and The Forum for over flow audiences. The School Shop has a temporary location under the Hall, in an area frequently used as a dressing room during school productions - it needs a permanent home. Additional Income Generation We raise money from as many sources as possible. The table and graph below gives you an indication of the breadth and resourcefulness of our staff and friends of WHS. In total we have raised £4,004,284 averaging £308,022 per year of which £100,000 has come from our Parents And Friends Association. Total Funds Raised 2006-2018 Condition Improvement Fund Lettings Future Fund Maths and Computing Specialism Learning Centre Wolfson Foundation PAFA PYP for Music Local Authority Garfield Weston Foundations PYP for Sport School Shop Miller Total Average
Amount 1,740,968 685,314 415,858 401,860 263,649 142,000 115,100 97,596 70,000 40,000 30,516 7,891 7,532 4,018,284 309,099
We have a 36% track record for successful grant applications. We applied to 21 grants for the Music campaign resulting in five successes totalling £18,757. We applied to 11 grants for the Play Your Part for Sport campaign resulting in three successful grants totalling £31,400. Grants take a great deal of time to research, write and produce. We would not have been as successful without the support received from our Head of Music and Sport and dedicated Development Office Volunteers. Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
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Our Future 2019 - 2020 Each academic year we produce an ‘Our Futue’ brochure with information on the Wycombe High School Fund, achievements we have been able to accomplish so far with the support of donors and future projects we are considering. Please follow this link to download the brochure: https:// www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/userfiles/whsmvc/Documents/Development/Our%20Future% 20Development%202019-2020%20Final.pdf How Can You Help? We have a strong tradition of parental giving which has enabled Wycombe High School to plan and deliver new state of the art facilities. Regular giving to the Wycombe High School Fund plays a vital role in upgrading our school and facilities which enhances the education of every one of our students. If you are a UK tax payer please give through the Gift Aid Scheme which increases your gift to us by 25p for every £1 you donate. Higher rate tax payers can claim additional tax relief. You may work for a firm that offers a matched funding scheme. Some parents have also made company donations, which result in corporation tax savings for the company as well as benefiting the school. Please help us to realise our plans by completing the ‘Future Fund’ Gift Form and returning it to the Development Office c/o Wycombe High School. We have been extremely lucky to have amazing support from our parents to make this school and its facilities as excellent as they are whether the support is financial – if you feel you can make a donation, it would be very warmly received – equally we would be grateful for your time and expertise. We would love to hear form if you if…
You know of a company that may be willing to sponsor equipment or capital expenses You know of trustees who work on the boards of trusts or foundations that can assist us with grant applications If you can spare time to work with the Development Office to achieve our challenging goals.
Parent power is a wonderful thing. If you’d like to help please get in touch via email dmorgan@whs.bucks.sch.uk or telephone 01494 897309. Mrs Dana Morgan, Director of Development and Alumnae Relations
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SL-Tea We spoke to our current Student Leadership team and asked them each to tell us something which you might not know about, in keeping with the theme of Secret Truths. This is what they had to share: Tinotenda Rwodz – Head Girl ‘I have 78 cousins in my family!’ Mia Stoop – Deputy Head Girl ‘I was born in Amsterdam and have family in Thailand and Indonesia, but I also lived in Spain for two years. #mrworldwide’ Abigail Hutchby – Deputy Head Girl ‘My mum decided to get me swimming lessons after I got pushed into a pool and almost drowned’ Kate Bullen - Head of Austen ‘I hate words that begin with the letter ‘M’. I think ‘meal’ is the most disgusting word in the English language.’ Shaan Riley – Head of Bronte ‘Something you don’t know about me is that I have double vision!!’ Georgia Ruddock– Head of Curie ‘I’m a fully trained lifeguard with a fear of cotton wool!’ Ahmynah Mahmood – Head of Pankhurst ‘I love writing poems that rhyme. I have a log of poems about my friends and the relationships I never want to forget. It's the most entertaining thing ever. Like a journey of how we met to what the current situation is’ Sophie Farmer – Head of Parks ‘Once I bumped into George Clooney and Paul McCartney at a film premiere. I got a photograph with George and had a quick chat with Paul, nice blokes. Izzie Keeley – Head of Nightingale ‘On sports tour in Year 10 I left my phone in Singapore airport, lost the papers for Australian immigration, left my jumper in Brisbane and lost my hoodie in Sydney. But they thought I was quite good at hockey so it balanced out’ Anna Yeatman – Head of Charities ‘I have a phobia of jelly! I had it once when I was little and threw up and I've never touched it since. Even being around it makes me uncomfortable and feel sick.’ Catriona McTavish – Head of Environment ‘I have only been roller skating twice and have broken my arm both times.’ Nadine El-Kordieh – Head of Transition ‘When I was 10 I had to get stitches on my eyebrow because of a water bottle lid.’ Charley Mitchell – Head of Student Ambassadors ‘I can solve 8 different types of Rubik's cubes.’
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My Time at WHS Where to begin on the story of Wycombe High and me… To be honest, it has been a rollercoaster of huge ups and downs but how can you ever appreciate the good without the bad? It sounds cliché but it’s true, you never truly realise how much you value things until it’s taken away and that’s how I feel about Wycombe High School. Although you will often find me dreading the next day of school in having to wake up at 6:45 am or procrastinating writing an essay, even though I take all essay subjects, I can truly say that I have learnt so much here that I would not have been able to anywhere else: about work, friends but most importantly about myself, especially after Sixth Form. I really feel I have begun to understand the muddle that is my brain and in doing so, became more comfortable in my own skin. Something I have learnt about myself recently is that I have a huge passion for people and what motivates them to act the way they do. I have a theory that humans are social beings and we need each other to talk to and trust or we’ll become a Hamlet and just go insane. It sounds silly but I genuinely believe it, I love Hamlet so much (as many of my friends know all too well) because I think it’s incredibly human. Reason being, Hamlet was betrayed by his Uncle, Mother, love of his life, his friends and in my opinion this lack of trust in the people he is supposed to trust the most, led him to feel extremely lost in his time of need. I promise I’m not just unleashing my inner saddo, the reason I explain this is because I think it’s so important to talk about what’s on your mind, doesn’t matter to who, teacher, friend, parent, anyone but bottling it all up is not always healthy because life becomes overwhelming sometimes, but, quoting the Beatles, ‘I get by with a little help from my friends’. First and foremost, I am really going to miss the staff, they’ve seen me grow from a disorganised muppet, to a disorganised passionate muppet and tolerated me through the whole journey. I want to say now to all students who are reading this, please make the most of school and being a kid. You’ll be thinking, ‘really? Come up with something more original’, but before you all attack me, I still remember coming in as a Year 6 for the induction day and feeling old in finally going to ‘big school’. It feels like each time I blink another year goes by, being in Year 8 and becoming a teenager, I felt so old and now I’m a legal adult going to university in a few months. So please respect and appreciate your teachers, they take a lot of time and effort in creating lessons and activities and they really do care. Most of all though I’m going to miss my friends. Wycombe High really helps you appreciate your friends and how much they make you smile. Sixth Form can be daunting but you get to know people you thought you’d never speak to. In Maths GCSE I sat next to someone who I thought hated me, so I never spoke to her and 2 years later she’s my best friend. My friends have been the best and I can’t thank them enough for all their support and toleration of my nonsense. So far I have been talking about my experiences which I know is the point of the article but I want you to feel involved so I’m adding to my weird nuggets of advice that I’ve sprinkled throughout this article. Whatever age you are, 8 or in your eighties, talk to people, make them smile because it can make someone’s day because it’s unexpected. I’m not saying you have to stop someone in the street and perform a stand up comedy act but a smile or compliment to a passing stranger goes a long way. That may have been slightly cheesy and I am truly sorry if I am responsible for some serious
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cringing but Wycombe High has made me who I am today. Looking forward to the future, it’s going to be strange being around different people and in somewhere that isn’t Wycombe, but change is inevitable and I am looking forward to a day out that’s not solely based in the Eden Centre. I want to take what I have learnt over the last 7 years and embrace the new experiences in my life. Chloe Walker, Year 13, Head of News Crew Looking back on my time at Wycombe High has been extremely difficult for me; the years all seem to blur into one, and although I am in my final year, it’s hard to comprehend that I have spent 7 years of my life here; I still find myself feeling like a Year 7! The time has flown by, so I knew that this article was going to be a real challenge for me. That’s why I turned to the trusty technique which has seen me through my years at Wycombe High: procrastination. When I arrived on my first day, Wycombe High felt overwhelming and daunting, and I never dreamed that I would ever feel as comfortable here as I do now. Whilst the thought of returning here after holidays usually fills me with dread and nightmares of incomplete formal homework, the first day back always feels like a family reunion as I catch up with my friends and teachers, and I walk out of the school gates feeling elated and joyful. Speaking of the teachers, I have to say that my experience would have been entirely different if it weren’t for them. They are the source of the warmth and friendliness that Wycombe High exudes, and I cannot thank them enough for not only their teaching skills but, most importantly, the care they have for their students. There are some teachers in particular I would like to single out as having helped me enormously: Ms Edmunds – you always made our French lessons entertaining, and you made a point to include everyone, even Bob the crow! Thank you for taking an insecure perfectionist and instilling me with confidence, and teaching me to accept that sometimes (usually), my French will not be perfect. Miss Rogers – You made English my favourite subject, and you were the first teacher here to treat me as a friend as well as a student. Your advice – both on English and life – helped me through my GCSE exam period. Thank you. Mrs Green – you made me believe in myself and helped me through GCSE Chemistry, which we both know I often struggled with. You helped me see that my lack of confidence was the root of most of my issues, and you were always available whenever I needed to go over anything. Thank you for always going above and beyond for your students. Miss Stokes – although she is no longer at the school, she was the first form tutor I had for more than one year! Above all, she was kind and always believed in me; I wish her all the best in her exciting endeavours in Australia. Mr Wade – you are truly one of the most caring teachers I know. Your investment in your students is evident to everyone who meets you, and it motivates all of us as we don’t want to let you down! Thank you for always believing in us, even when we don’t believe in ourselves. Ms Gold – your enthusiasm is infectious! I cannot help but smile in your lessons, your passion has made even I – one of Hamlet’s harshest critics – love the play (although I do still find Hamlet himself rather insufferable). You are the true embodiment of Shakespeare’s timeless quote ‘all the world’s a stage’, and I have no doubt you will continue to inspire your students until you stop teaching. And of course, Miss O’Donnell – I always looked forward to your lessons, and now you are no longer my teacher I look forward to News Crew and Literacy meetings, because you are one of the warmest people I have met. You radiate kindness. You are so unapologetically you and that /Cont’d... Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
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inspires my nerdy self everyday! Our laminating catch-up sessions have helped me get through the stress of Year 13, and they are always a highlight of my week. Thank you for always being around to deal with my meltdowns, existential crises and questions about the future. However, I am not the only one whose time at Wycombe High you have enhanced. On behalf of everyone, I would like to thank you for all of your hard work behind the scenes, and your quiet devotion to helping your students. I am extremely grateful to have met you. When I set out on writing this article, I had not planned to write so much about my teachers, but it has helped me realise what I am sure others already know: that the teachers are the backbone of the school, and I am forever grateful to them. However, the students at Wycombe High are equally as wonderful as the teachers. One of my favourite things about Wycombe High is the comradery within the student body – if you ever feel like your life is falling apart and you are drowning in work, all you have to do is look around and you will find someone who feels the exact same way, and who is willing to reassure you that actually, you’re probably not going to fail all of your exams and end up living under a bridge somewhere. I have always found the feeling of knowing that I am not alone extremely comforting, and it is an aspect of Wycombe High that I will miss the most. Similarly, I absolutely adore the unique Wycombe High-isms that have become so normal to me. It is still a jarring thought for me that the rest of the world will never understand what I mean when I say ‘soul-destroying’, or why I smile every time I see someone wearing a pair of Vans. It is the inside jokes that are shared among students and teachers of Wycombe High that have made my experience hilarious as well as stressful, and contributes to the feeling of belonging to the community that is Wycombe High. After all, where else would you see your teachers performing the Mean Girls dance to ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ whilst dressed as a scarecrow? After writing this article it has become clear to me that I did not put it off for so long because I had nothing to write (clearly I have plenty), but rather, I suppose it is because I don’t really want to have to accept that my time here is ending. It has been filled with laughter, tears and friendship, but most of all; it has been filled with joy. I still struggle to wrap my head around the fact that I have been at this school for 7 years (and still manage to get lost), but it is even harder to comprehend that soon it will be over, and I will move onto the next chapter of my life. I honestly believe that it was a wonderful decision to choose this school. The teachers, my friends and the atmosphere have helped to shape me from an irritating Year 7 to the (probably still just as irritating) young woman I am today. Thank you to everyone who has been part of my experience; I am indebted to you all. Lottie Clare, Year 13, Head of News Crew My journey at Wycombe High School first started in 2017 when I went to the Sixth Form Open Evening. I automatically assumed that I wouldn’t be offered a place to study there. How could I? So many girls attended the evening. Of all of these smart, talented girls, why should the school choose me? These thoughts quickly disappeared when I received a letter from the school a few weeks later, saying that I had been offered a place. I was so incredibly surprised and ecstatic, and in early September I strolled through the gates of Wycombe High School as a student for the very first time, unknowingly walking into a place that would change me in the best way possible in just 2 years. From how I rejected even the thought that I may be ‘good enough’ to become a part of the Wycombe High School community at the Sixth Form Open Evening, it is clear to everyone that the level of confidence I had was slim to none. Moving schools in September quickly brought out the insecurities I had buried deep and convinced myself did not exist anymore. I felt very out of
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place at the beginning of Year 12, probably since I did not know anyone in my classes. As I had previously done a few months before, I convinced myself that I did not belong in this school, that I did not match the grammar school standards and was not worthy of a place here. This led to me spiralling in the first couple weeks of Year 12 through my self-doubt taking over, I did not know how I’d be able to stay here for two whole years. However, I quickly gained support from so many, teachers and peers alike. A range of members of staff reached out to help me ground myself in the first couple months of Year 12; I managed to completely shift my outlook on Sixth Form and life at Wycombe High School; I became so much happier where I was. It was evident that I was much more comfortable in my current situation; I started to put myself out there, both during lessons by not being afraid to speak up as well as socially, though forming such strong, supportive friendships in just a few days. I took part in things that I never thought I would have been able to do. From writing a 12000-word EPQ, to leading multiple presentations, to applying for a Student Leadership Team role, to becoming a Student News Crew Captain (alongside Chloe and Lottie), to co-leading a society, to completing an extra A level; I continuously challenged myself. Now, as one may expect, these events were not all sunshine and rainbows. I struggled along the way as all humans do at times, but I was still able to push myself out of my comfort zone to explore the extent of my capabilities thanks to the constant support that was offered to me by friends and teachers. It’s very surreal to reflect on everything that I have done and, dare I say, enjoyed doing, in my time at this school, especially when considering how even just at the beginning of Year 12 I was too scared to even ask a question in any of my lessons. My main piece of advice for anyone going into Sixth Form, whether they are changing schools during this period or not, would be to never doubt your capabilities. Do not automatically assume what you can or can’t do based on your previous experiences. Everything will change during Sixth Form, from the subjects you study, to your friendships and even your relationships with teachers. These changes can be daunting, but it is easy to get used to them if you don’t remain stuck in the past. Also, enjoy these two years as much as you can! These are your last 2 years in secondary school, they may be difficult to deal with at times but it’s important to use them as much as you can. Challenge yourself, do things that previously you had always been too scared to do. Be daring, to quote Christopher Robin ‘You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think’. Overall, my time at Wycombe High School was not always perfect. Nothing is perfect it is unrealistic to expect to go through Sixth Form without struggles, defeats and doubts. However, I evolved so much throughout my time here. I came to this school as an insecure, self-doubting mess and, although I still am an insecure, self-doubting mess at times, I have gained so much confidence. I have done things that I never thought I would have had the guts to do. I have taken risks; sometimes they turned out amazingly and other times they did not, but I was still able to move on when they didn’t go as planned. I can safely say that Wycombe High School helped me develop into a better version of myself and, although I still have ways to go, I feel ready to move on from here and see where the world will take me. Alessandra Grifi, Year 13, Head of News Crew
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Feminism in 2018: 100 Years on feminism /ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/ noun the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. 21 November 1918 was a pivotal day in the history of the United Kingdom as it was the day that women, finally, got the vote with the Representation of the People Act. It gave 8.4 million women over the age of 30 the a voice in the country’s politics for the first time, approximately 39% of the female population at the time. Indubitably, a century on, and there is still progress to be made, last year the World Economic Forum estimated that it would take 217 years to close the gender gap. 2018 however, has been full of so many milestones in women’s rights, with so much being discovered, and condemned, and achieved that there is now hope that that stretch of time will be significantly shorter. January 2017 saw the rise of the #metoo movement and 2018 was confident in carrying this strength forward into the new year, hence on 1 January, the Time’s Up movement was launched and a letter was published announcing their $13 million legal defense fund to support women seeking justice for sexual harassment and assault. The success of the initiative was proved at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards only 6 days later, when men and women wore black with pins of white roses to declare their support for Time’s Up. Mere weeks later it was revealed that Larry Nassar, the USA Gymnastics national team doctor had sexually assaulted a huge number of women during his time in the role, the most prominent of which was Aly Raisman, six time Olympic medallist - it is thought that he assaulted more than 265 women and 150 of those told their stories in court. The second annual Women’s March was also in January, millions of people took to the streets all over the world. Rachel Morrison then became the first female to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography on 23 January after she was director of photography on Mudbound, 2017, inspiring women in the film industry everywhere. Mark Wahlberg and his agency, William Morris Endeavour, also notably donated $2 million to Time’s Up due to his own experience with the gender pay gap when, during the re-filming of parts of ‘All the Money in the World,’ he earned $1.5 million in addition to his original salary whereas Michelle Williams his costar only earnt an additional $1,000. January’s powerful start to the year ensured that the feminism epidemic continued for the rest of 2018. February On 15 February, Teodora del Carmen Vásquez was released after nearly 11 years in prison under El Salvador's ban on abortion; she was convicted of homicide in 2007 after she lost her pregnancy and had a stillbirth. The law was changed in 1998 in El Salvador to make abortion, under any circumstance, illegal, to join the other 62 countries where abortion is currently illegal. After the Parkland school shooting in Florida, 18 year old Emma Gonzalez became a leading voice protesting gun control and her moving speech on 17 February where she displayed great confidence and passion made her an icon for young people; and a true role model. February also hinted at the female success that would emerge in the American midterm elections when already 400 women had reported that they would be adding their names to the congressional ballots. March On 20 March, Sarah Zorn became the regimental commander at the Military College of South Carolina and as the highest ranking cadet officer she lead 2,350 student corps, the first woman to ever hold this prestigious position. April Coachella is the largest music festival in the USA so it came as a shock to many that Beyoncé was the first black woman to headline the event on 14 April 2018; 41 million people watched the performance, making it the most viewed live stream performance in history. The 19 April was also
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a busy day for pioneering women in American music and politics: Cardi B broke the Guinness World Record for the most simultaneous Billboard US Hot 100 entries by a woman, having 13 tracks on the list at once from her album, Invasion of Privacy. The Senate also changed its rules barring members from bringing guests onto the Senate floor in order to allow Tammy Duckworth, Illinois senator, to vote alongside her newborn baby. In London a few days later, a statue of Millicent Fawcett was unveiled, she was a prominent suffragist and the first female statue in Parliament Square. May Benedict Cumberbatch announced that he would not take a role if his female counterparts were not being paid the same as him and encouraged other actors to join in saying: ‘Equal pay and a place at the table are the central tenets of feminism. Look at your quotas. Ask what women are being paid, and say: ‘If she’s not paid the same as the men, I’m not doing it.’’ LaToya Cantrell became mayor of New Orleans, the first female mayor in the city’s history and Stacey Cunningham became president of the New York Stock Exchange meaning that both of the world’s largest stock exchanges are being led by women for the first time as Adena Friedman is head of Nasdaq. The Welsh government also commissioned to be done so that they could be a more feminist government, amongst the first governments internationally to make such a valiant effort. On 25 May, 66.4% of people in Ireland voted to legalise abortion in a referendum to change the near-total ban that was previously in place. At the end of the month, pop group, Maroon 5, also released an empowering video for their song ‘Girls like you’ featuring incredible women including Ellen Degeneres, Aly Raisman, Lilly Singh and Ashley Graham. June Wreck it Ralph 2 became the first film to show Disney princesses all together, fantastically uniting over feminism when Rapunzel is heard asking ‘do people assume all your problems got solved because a big, strong man showed up?’ and Vanellope responds ‘Yes! What is up with that?’ to highlight the sexism in many films with the well-known Disney princesses.Spain’s King Felipe VI swore in a new Socialist government with a record number of 11 women in 17 cabinet posts. The government is 61.1% female which is the highest proportion in the country’s history, a statistic only a handful of other countries can boast, they do not include the United Kingdom. On the tenth day of the month a huge march to celebrate the centenary of suffrage in Cardiff, London, Belfast and Edinburgh reminded the United Kingdom of how far we have come since 1918, as well as the progress that can still be made. Police in South Korea finally arrested one of the owners of a notorious revenge porn site that was banned in 2016, sora.net had over a million users and hosted thousands of videos taken and shared without the knowledge/consent of the women featured. Disgustingly this allowed the owners to make money from adverts for gambling and illegal brothels. July An image of blatant ‘mansplaining’ next to the Adelaide University logo was shared all over social media, criticising their advertising images. Although it emerged that the picture was in no way affiliated with them, it still served to show how prevalent such issues are. The CEO of Feminist Apparel was accused of sexual assault, a huge shock internationally that subsequently caused negativity towards the entire feminist movement especially as he then proceeded to fire nine out of his ten staff when they confronted him about it. August Serena Williams wore an iconic black catsuit at the French Open designed to prevent blood clots that caused debate online. The outfit was banned, the French Tennis Federation president saying that it had gone too far despite its medical properties, Serena argued it was simply another way for the patriarchy to oppress her. September A school in Rwanda was also shown to be educating boys on abuse and assault and teaching girls about financial independence and reproductive health, a huge step for equality internationally. /Cont’d... Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
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October Donna Strickland became the fourth woman to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize for physics for her work in the field of pulsed lasers. Meghan Markle drew light to New Zealand for being the first country in the world to give women the vote 125 years ago thus inspiring millions of other women around the world and encouraging the international suffrage movement. A Ugandan radio present, Lulu Jemimah married herself to raise money so that she could study at Oxford University after she faced societal pressure to marry instead of pursuing her studies. To encourage this similar ability to make your own choices, Keira Knightley revealed on The Ellen Show that she doesn’t allow her daughter to watch certain films like Cinderella or The Little Mermaid due to their portrayal of women. November A rape case hit headlines of newspapers and sparked debate all over social media when a prosecutor in Ireland held up the seventeen year old victim’s underwear in court. The tag #thisisnotconsent was trending on social media with people posting images of their underwear to prevent victim blaming and was supported in parliament by Irish MP, Ruth Coppinger who held up a lacy thong to prove this same point. December In Argentina, the year ended by challenging Angel Etchecopar, a radio host accused of being egregiously misogynistic after calling feminists ‘feminazis’ and ‘disgusting people,’ to host a feminist guest every week for 5 months. The rules say that he cannot interrupt them for ten minutes and is not allowed to criticise them afterwards. The Time’s Up movement raised another $22 million and the help of nearly 800 volunteer lawyers in the space of 12 months to prolong and strengthen the fight against sexual assault and harassment onwards into 2019. In 2018, 67% of people in Britain believe that feminism has either gone too far or far enough but simultaneously, more women aged 7-21 are calling themselves feminists than ever before with 47% identifying as a feminist compared to only 35% 5 years ago. These numbers indicate that an equilibrium point has been reached, an ironic equality between feminists and non-feminists in 2018. These numbers would imply that 67% of British people do not support equality but I don’t believe that. I simply think that the word feminist has become a dirty word, an insult, that for some obscene reason, a feminist now equals a misandrist or a man-hater. Consider the true meaning of feminism: not a movement exclusive to women but one that embraces all genders, a movement encouraging upstanders not bystanders and a movement that empowers and doesn’t discourage. Ask yourself, do I believe in equality? Should men and women be treated equally? Should we all be treated with this same equality regardless of our sexuality, race or appearance? If the answer is yes, I would dare to say that you are a feminist, and that is a wonderful thing. Isobel Potter Year 11, Nightingale 10
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Top 5 Must-Read Books ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ by John Green ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ is undoubtedly my favourite book and favourite film. I read the book last year and, despite being told the ending by my very irritating friends, absolutely loved it. It tells the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a seventeen-year old college student diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She is forced by her parents to attend a cancer support group where she meets Isaac, a boy soon to be blinded, and his best friend Augustus Waters. The story follows Hazel and Augustus’s growth in friendship as they share the love of An Imperial Affliction – a book about the reality of cancer. Of course, like every romance book, Hazel and Gus fall in love, but have to overcome an extra obstacle of the reality of Hazel’s diagnosis. I am not a massive romance fan, but this book doesn’t centre itself at their relationship. Instead, it looks at the reality of teenage cancer, and Hazel, the narrator, is determined never to sugar-coat things. I think that is what makes it so realistic, because it isn’t pitying or hopeful, but the truth. The film is also amazing, as it sticks to the original storyline. It, too, doesn’t try to sugar-coat anything, and is guaranteed to leave you in tears. Shailene and Ansel make the characters come to life, and raise awareness to so many about what life can be like with cancer. ‘Am I Normal Yet?’ By Holly Bourne ‘Am I Normal Yet?’ is narrated by Evelyn ‘Evie’ as she starts Sixth Form after spending much of Secondary School in a psychiatric hospital suffering from OCD. I read this book over half-term and thought it was a very honest point-of-view about both mental health issues and feminism. Evie and her new friends Amber and Lottie set up their own ‘Spinster Club’ combatting gender inequality, and it highlights key issues in our community. It also looks at how people react to mental health and how desperate teenagers can be to be what is classed as ‘normal’. I found it very relatable and thought it accurately tackled problems like peer-pressure, gender inequality and first love, as well as getting a perspective into mental health problems. I thought this book was honest, relatable and easy to read and would recommend to people of all ages. ‘Everything, Everything’ By Nicola Yoon Everything, Everything is narrated from the eyes of the protagonist Madeleine Whittier, who is being treated for severe combined immunodeficiency, also known as "bubble baby disease". Due to this, she is kept inside her house in Los Angeles, where she lives with her mother and nurse. When Olly and his family move next door, Maddy’s yearning to go outside grows when she becomes desperate to be a normal 18-year-old girl. I read Everything, Everything in the holidays, after putting off reading it due to its rather stereotypical storyline. I am not really a romantic novel fan and wasn’t sure that it was going to be very original, but I ended up loving the book, and reading the whole novel in one day! The storyline is much more complex than the usual ‘forbidden love’ theme. It creates realistic teenage emotions and looks at Maddy and Olly’s relationship with their parents. The ending although sad and slightly predictable is a cute conclusion to a very well-written novel.
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‘Geek Girl’ By Holly Smale The geek-girl series follows Harriet Manners, a socially-awkward 15 year old girl when she unexpectedly gets scouted to become an international fashion model. I know the story sounds very extreme and unrealistic, but I can very much relate to Harriet. She’s clumsy, she’s loud, and she’s totally geeky- just like me. She is no fashionista and knows a fact about every single topic, and although having few, she has very loyal friends. The first book is probably my favourite, but all of them look at normal school problems, friendship issues and family dramas too. I would totally recommend the series to everyone who feels like they can relate to Harriet Manners! ‘Wonder ‘by R.J. Palacio I read the book ‘Wonder’ a few years ago, and totally loved it. It is primarily written from the eyes of 10-year-old Auggie Pullman who was born with a facial deformity and is starting 5th Grade (Year 6) after being home-schooled by his Mum. There are also chapters written by prominent people in his life, and how Auggie affects their lives. It explores the view of Via, Auggie’s 14year-old sister as she begins High School and approaches the subject of telling people about her brother’s condition. It also shares the thoughts of Auggie’s best friend Jack and his old friend Miranda. I think that this makes the book more relatable and, makes you see Auggie in multiple ways. I was very excited when I heard that the story by R. J. Palacio was being adapted for screen. It was released to cinemas in November and was also shown in the school library recently. I think that the scriptwriters very accurately followed the plot of the book, including showing the variety of points of view. It has a universal appeal as it includes normal school problems from peer pressure to corridor fights as well as exploring Via’s dating life and the relationship between Auggie’s parents. One thing that I found effective in the book was that Auggie says to the reader: “I won’t describe to you what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.” I loved that because it left the reader open to image Auggie however they wanted. For me, it made Auggie seem closer and more personal, rather than a creation made by Palacio herself. Cordelia Thompson, Year 10, Reviews
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Hidden Truths Competition First Prize: We All Have Secrets On the night of the full moon, a girl creeped out of her house, for fear of the monster that lived there. Her silver hair matched a steel glare as she walked down the lonely road, along the twists and turns, until she found what she was looking for. It was a building. Abandoned and derelict. The floors seemed to go up into the dark sky. As she opened the damaged door, it creaked and groaned, as she set foot into the building. She breathed in the damp scent of the old set of offices. It was unwanted and unused by the council and no one came here for fear of the rumours they’d heard. However she knew that these rumours were untrue. She thought that her efforts so far to keep the building unused would work. She expected no soul to be there. Little did she know her hidden hideout, was hidden no more. Her feet took her up the long and winding stairs. As she slowly reached the top floor, she heard a whisper in the dark. Her head shot up and she looked around startled. ‘Surely it must be the wind’, she thought, ‘No one comes here, especially not at night, I made sure of it.’ She walked towards the windows, and watched as the town below slept. Her body felt as light as air and her bare skin seemed to tingle as a cold breeze swept over her. She loved it. Her mind was never at peace even when she was in her home. She always felt on edge because of her dad’s explosive anger. He was like a volcano. She was always the one that seemed to get destroyed when he’d explode. She could still hear his voice scream her name, “Hannah!” despite the fact that she was far from the place she used to call home. As soon as the sun would go down, she’d grab a jumper, put on her trainers, and climb out of her tiny bedroom window. While she was busy in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the lean figure creeping towards her. The person seemed to be shaking and they stood over Hannah, ominously. All of a sudden, she felt a tap on her shoulder which caused her to shriek, for fear that her dad had found her hiding space. However, instead of seeing a tall man with fire in his eyes, she saw a girl, whose eyes were like pools of honey. ‘Why is she here? I had made sure to scare off everyone, so why is she in my space?’ she thought to herself. The girl’s pale and soft skin seemed almost white, against her bright blue hair, which looked like she’d been running her hands through it. “Could I sit down here with you?”, she said with a sigh. Hannah nodded reluctantly. The girl kneeled down next to her, mesmerised by the beautiful view of the streetlights casting a soft, golden glow on the row of houses. “My name’s Lucy, by the way, “ she whispered. Hannah felt a slow fire build in her veins, ‘How could this girl think she could come into my space and try to speak to me?’. She hated that someone else knew about her secret sanctuary. It made her feel like she felt around her dad, paranoid, terrified and angry. She felt sick with fear as her mind had started to fill with dark thoughts. As Lucy leaned against the window, Hannah slowly stood up. She reached for the item in her pocket and took it out. The lights seemed to dance around her. The object gleamed in the moonlight, the silver of the knife matching the silver of her
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hair. ‘Do it.’ Her actions in the next few seconds were horrific and indescribable, as Hannah lost control of the demons inside. The deed was done. The girl with silver hair, now looked out at the sleeping town below. Her hands were a deep crimson, yet a smile grew on her face. ‘My secret is safe, once more’. Liba Malik, Austen 2, Year 11 Second Prize: The Figure (Abridged Version) The festival was up and running; children were seen frolicking around in excitement. Their uplifting energy seemed contagious as everyone was infected by a gaping smile. Many adults had come with children, but there were certain individuals who had come alone for no feasible explanation. It could've been one of the many days where she felt alone, but that is a debate for another time and an issue that isn't easily resolved. Bouncing of castles and clanking of metal rides could be heard as you trudged through the broad crowd of engrossed visitors. However, what was most intriguing was a souvenir stand that came away from the run-of-the-mill children's attractions. What could’ve been the most pronounced thing about the stall was its yearning for someone to come. Its inclination for a customer showed and had drawn an amiable, authentic and astute woman to come and buy something for its sake. Her blunder had led to her suffering many consequences and compromising her beliefs and standards. Diary Entry 1 Yesterday, I went to a carnival as I had some spare time on my hands; the smells and the crowd had taken me back to my younger days and I went to a new place that was pining, longing for a customer. Why would I not? Mum said that it was a total Cheryl move, however I simply did not agree, since I’ve been spending more time inside keeping to myself. It’s not necessarily the best thing for me, but maybe adults do become introverts and more reserved. Her home was a humble beige with a chocolate brown roof.. The doors were inviting and the window entrapped the gleaming light of the blazing sun. It was a warm summer night as she walked back in her white Next sandals. She had an interest in cultural accessories and had acquired a vast collection of such. A delicate, porcelain figure she had purchased at the stall was placed at the heart of her dining table: new decorations made her happy and fulfilled her. Although that was mostly true, this one felt meaningless so she placed it on one of her most used furniture to encourage a positive opinion of the figure. Cheryl was a mannerly, compliant woman. She had known how to work around people since a young age. Over the years, she would meet her expectations and become a valuable member of society. Her style was sophisticated yet comfy; and her green eyes and blonde hair captivated many. Despite all her positive attributes, Cheryl managed to end up living alone, away from her family. She was easy to break however her resistance was strong at times when she was determined. A couple days after the carnival Cheryl woke to devastating news: her mother had passed away from a heart attack. Diary Entry 2 I can barely write a word in this state. I have just received the worst news I could ever hear. I’ve lost my mother, my guardian angel. My everything. Everything had become a struggle for Cheryl: eating, sleeping and even living. She had wanted to /Cont’d... Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
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not exist for a while and disappear. Her self worth decayed and it was clear she was broken. She was in pieces that couldn’t be put back together; not ever... Diary Entry 3 It’s the figure. Ever since it had come into my possession I have had bad luck and have become very secluded from others. I can’t remember the last time I had called or visited someone. Diary Entry 4 What do people look like? How does one hide their dishevelled self from the outside? I do not speak their language anymore, I am an outsider, I am nothing. Last entry I have had enough of living for the sake of being alive. I have no purpose, no reason to be. I am going to join my mother in the land of eternal happiness. This figure has taken all I have as well as me… The door swung open one last time and Cheryl had walked out with her messy hair and plunging eyes. Her steps were long and dreary as if her shoes were heavy with regret and loss. She had dragged herself to a steep point on a faraway beach. No one likes an audience at a time like this. The figure would end up lying on the ocean floor. Unscathed. What Cheryl would want to know was that the figure was a normal porcelain creation. Depression was the ghost haunting her; the figure doing nothing but fulfilling her delusion. However, she could not bring herself to admit to it. Michelle Gawron, Austen 5, Year 8 Third Prize: Iris ‘Can you tell me a story about the Empress, Mama?’ It was typical for Iris to tell Lily a bed time story. ‘Please.’ Iris smiled and sat down on the comfy red chair in front of the fire. Lily sat in her lap, closed her eyes and imagined. ‘There was once a little girl much like you, she had long brown hair and grey eyes. Her name was Lillian. She was my best friend in the whole world. We would run around in the warm green rainforests of Cambaja. We would fish for big orange fish and swim in the sea in the summer. I loved her more than anyone I ever knew. I still love her. Another friend we had was Ace. He would go hunting with me. We only did it because my father had a meat shop and we were his special suppliers. Not only was Ace my hunting partner, but he became my best friend. ‘Lillian was always too scared to go hunting. She was scared of using the bows and arrows. ‘You haven’t heard the best part though. ‘Our favourite place to go was the mango grove. There were hundreds of tall trees weighted down by the round golden fruit. We would go there after school and see who could pick the most. Then we would eat them. When we bit into them, the juice flooded our mouths and there was an explosion of taste. They were wonderful. We would bring them home to Mama and sometimes if we were lucky, she would make mango juice. It was the best on the whole island. People even came from the ports in the north to try a drop of your Nana’s juice.’ ‘What happened next?’ ‘The Empress arrived. No one knew who she was or why she came. There are many theories about her… but that’s a different story. Anyway, the day she came, all the fruits started to rot; it
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got much colder; and she banned anyone from going into the forest or into the sea. All the ports were closed down. No one was allowed to leave.’ ‘The Empress soon had power over everyone and everything on the island. She made people labor for her and all the rich people who arrived with her. They all had straight blonde hair and white porcelain skin.’ ‘But we have curly brown hair and tanned skin, Mama.’ ‘So we do. They were from a cold country far away so they looked different and wore different clothes. Anyway, going back to the Empress, she made us farm crops for them and mine for them and fish for them. We never got to keep anything for ourselves. We had to do extra work to make sure we did not starve. If anybody did something against her rules, they were executed. Most deaths were actually of starvation, not executions. We, Ace and I, used to go into the woods to hunt for birds, plants and whatever fruits we could salvage.’ ‘How come you didn’t get caught, Mama?’ ‘We hunted at night. It actually became quite fun. Nobody was around to see us leave as everyone was so tired from a hard day’s laboring. My father’s meat shop also shut down because we did not have enough spare food to give to him. Life carried on like that for a long time. People labored, there were executions, children were born, we hunted, nobody showed the smallest sign of rebellion. All the hope that we used to have had sunk below the horizon with the sun and everything else good in life long ago. Then one night, in the woods with Ace, I had a thought. The Empress did not have an army. She only had two hunky bodyguards and some arrogant followers. Though all of our spirits were withering away, maybe I could still share some hope with them. A new sun would rise. I told Ace this while we where picking some wild mushrooms. He agreed entirely to my suggestion. So the war of Cambaja began.’ ‘We gathered everyone together and told them about it. We had no battle plan, no weapons (not that the people knew of) or even some form of a good army. But we still had hope. Surely if there was an uprising, the Empress could do nothing without an army. Already with our new found hope, it seemed like the air became a little warmer, the birds started to sing, and the plants began to grow. The island had hope. As word spread about the idea, we became more and more scared of the Empress finding out or becoming suspicious. But at last, I had a plan. I gathered all the people I could in secret. We stood in the jungle in a clearing. Light was flooding through the branches of the tall jungle trees. I stood on a log and began, “For many years we have suffered for the benefit of the Empress. I think I speak on everybody’s behalf when I say: it must stop. Since she does not have an army of her own, she will have no defense. On the morning of the red sun, we will all abandon our jobs and march forth to her palace. We will then attack with the handcrafted arrows that I have. They are the best on the island and I have about six hundred. (My grandfather used to make and sell them.) We will then attack. The only problem is that they will probably have traps and defenses for this kind of thing. We must be extremely careful and not go too close to the palace. Does anyone have any objections?” A tall dark haired boy stepped out of the crowd. He had a sideways kind of smile and a sparkle in his eye. He asked “Will you be our leader?” I hadn’t thought about that before but I looked at him shyly and shrugged. On the morning of the battle everything went as planned, everybody left their jobs and started /Cont’d... Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
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marching towards the palace with my handmade arrows at the ready. There was so much tension and the fear was palpable. We still had hope though. I marched alongside Ace, Lillian and James (the dark haired boy with the sideways smile.) I felt so elated. It was finally going to happen! As we approached the tall stone palace, I suddenly felt a wave of unease. This was too easy. Nobody seemed to be at home. I suddenly realized, moments too late, that there were swarms of swarming planes above us. They started dropping bombs onto all of the struggling people. There was smoke everywhere and I kept trying to shoot the source of the never ending bombs. I turned around to see my little sister, Lillian, being blown to bits by a bomb. I screamed and ran away from the remains of my best friend in the whole world. I could not do this anymore. I could hear Ace shouting my name, but I did not dare look back. I ran into the jungle as I would be hopeless trying to aim as my vision was blurred by a flood of /Cont’d... tears. I fell down onto the ground and dug my nails into the jungle floor. I could not take it. Then I saw a figure in the distance, fleeing. I wondered who it was and why they were there. Then another figure appeared and started speaking to the first one. I could not make out what they were saying so I moved closer. The second figure vanished but I was so close now to the first one. The person who I had now noticed was a girl, turned around. The Empress! The bombing was just a distraction. I pulled back my arrow and without a hesitation, let it fly through her heart. I turned around to see James looking at me with a worried expression. I jumped as he appeared so suddenly. “What happened to you?” he asked. I shrugged as I did not want to tell him about the horrible events that had just happened. He then told me that he had to tell me something privately. I followed him, not knowing what to expect. We reached a clearing and he stood in front of me. Without warning he lunged at me with his knife pointed at my heart. I instinctively punched him and pinned him to the ground. “Traitor” I whispered in his ear, “the Empress told you to do that, didn’t she? You told her that we were going to attack, didn’t you?” Then with tears in my eyes I grabbed his dagger and plunged it into his heart. “I’m sorry” I whispered and then collapsed beside him as a broken mess of a girl. *** In time, everything went back to how it was, I grew up and had fewer and fewer nightmares. The island was free, the fruits ripened, the weather changed, I got to feel the cool salty water on my skin again. I married Ace. I never did forget Lillian though, and I never will. You remind me of her. When Ace died, I felt so lonely and I found it so hard being a mother. But every day, you remind me of her. Your long brown hair and gray eyes. But you will never have to go through the pain that she and I did. Whatever happens I will always protect you. I will always be there for you till the day I die.’ ‘Forever?’ ‘Forever’ Elsa Harris, Parks 8, Year 8
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Truth Seekers: Philosophy Corner As part of this year’s magazine theme of Hidden Truths, we are diving right into the depths of the deepest questions about our universe and reality, to unpick the multiple answers to these tedious questions. We have chosen to cover five of the deepest philosophical questions, giving a range of our viewpoints on these questions. If the universe is finite, what would be beyond the edge of the universe be like? Kimberley: I’ve seen theories about this everywhere, even on ‘The Simpsons’, where the edge of the universe is just white nothingness. But, to get whiteness, there needs to be light, and in space, there is no light that doesn’t come from planets. Therefore, at the edge of the universe, there will just be darkness. Varya: The edge of a world in Minecraft seems very convincing, however, if there is an edge of the universe, then it will not be very visible. It would blend right in to the rest of the universe (which would be black) and there would be no sound or light, just as Kimberley has described it. Cordelia: I think that is wrong, and I don’t think there is an end of the universe at all. It is possible there may be a large area with nothing but blackness, but that area would presumably continue infinitely. How will humans as a species go extinct? Kimberley: It is highly possible that humans will die from war, considering the number of nuclear weapons out there, it is estimated that only around 10 of the strongest need to be spread out to wipe out humans. Varya: I think in the future humans will become prey to some superior predator, although that would be a slow process, and with the continuing growth of the population, we may find a way to adapt to the species before it wipes us out. Cordelia: With the rate that the climate is changing, it is possible that our world will be so littered and polluted that the toxic chemicals surrounding us, may kill us. Global warming, and the destruction of the ozone layer could destroy the globe and all that inhabit it, simply through overheating. What is the biggest waste of human potential? Kimberley: We have the potential to complete re-evaluate and change the negative impacts we make on the environment, but instead, we ignore that opportunity. We as humans are wasting our chance to save the very world we came from. Varya: We are so corrupt in politics and wars, and not getting on, that we are wasting our chance to create new technology and help countries who lack so much. We should not aim to be the best country, we should aim to help others instead of fighting together. Cordelia: The lack of exploring out of space is aa completely waste of potential, if we focussed on the possibility of life outside of Earth, we just might find it. Would you be able to tell if time was altered in some way? Kimberley: Time is a social construct anyway, so it would not surprise me if it was previously altered many times. I think you would be able to tell considering we are constantly checking our phones, and I am sure we would notice if time was altered.
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Varya: Time is altered twice a year, to suit the season and when the sun sets. Even then you do not particularly notice it in routine. I do not think we would even notice if time was changed, since we are so used to it changing every year anyway. Cordelia: When you go abroad, time is altered, and when you return, your body notices that difference and becomes jet-lagged. Understandably, if time was altered by an hour or two, you will not notice it, but any more than that, then the body could notice it. What is the best trait a human can possess? Kimberley: I think loyalty is the best trait, as it is essential to maintaining friendship and love. Without loyalty, anyone could do whatever they wanted in a relationship or friendship without caring that it makes them disloyal. Life without loyalty is life without trust, and that does not sound appealing at all. Varya: I think patience is the best trait, it keeps people calm and focussed, and builds up suspense when people and anxiously waiting on something. Without patience, there would not be any fun in life, and nothing to wait for. Cordelia: Kindness. It is vital, because, without the simple trait of being kind, nobody would get on an the world would be constantly at war! These are philosophical questions, there is no answer, nobody is correct, just as nobody is wrong. Many truths lie hidden in these questions, but it is impossible to know the answers, or at least pin point it to one theory, because there are just so many possibilities.
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2018: A Year in Resignations ‘I can imagine no more comfortable frame of mind for the conduct of life than a humorous resignation.’ - W Somerset Maugham Sixty seven former US Government officials and twenty four British MPs resigned in 2018. These staggering numbers are already on track to be beaten just three months into 2019, yet this should not detract from the significance of 2018’s departures. A toxic combination of Brexit and party brawls fuelled the resignations on this side of the Atlantic while America’s bitter partisan divides shone through the façade of cohesion and progress. Globally, the same story played out. Corruption and cruelty were two recurring themes causing resignations in government. From vote buying to blatant human rights abuses, 2018 was a dark year for moral integrity in administrations across the world.
January US ambassador to Panama, John Feeley, set the tone for 2018 by announcing his resignation from his diplomatic post, citing his inability to work any further with President Trump. In his resignation letter he made reference to the oath he took “to serve faithfully the president and his administration in an apolitical fashion, even when I might not agree with certain policies,” an oath that two years later, he no longer felt he could uphold February Hailemariam Desalegn’s resignation midway through February surprised his international partners, despite hundreds of people having died in three years of anti-government protests. The Ethiopian PM had attempted to appease the demonstrators by releasing thousands of coalition opponents, but accusations of corruption and weak leadership still plagued the academician-turned-politician. The deadly violence was sparked initially by an urban development plan for the capital, with unrest spreading in 2015 as hundreds marched against human rights abuses. March Nearing the end of March, another world leader faced up to allegations of corruption and vote buying. Peruvian president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski had been linked to a corrupt Brazilian construction company and repeatedly lied about such links throughout his premiership. A video clip, which Kuczynski called “selectively tendentious”, meant that accusation of vote buying arose once again. This recording led the Peruvian Congress to arrange for a second impeachment vote, yet a resignation from the PM halted this. April The Windrush scandal enraged the nation and cumulated with the dramatic resignation of the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, as the month drew to a close. The emergence of deportation targets, which had been leaked to The Guardian, were the final blow for Rudd who had been facing mounting pressure to resign, after reports of people being wrong detained, and in extreme cases, deported, despite being British citizens. A home affairs select committee took action and questioned the Home Secretary on the existence of targets, to which Rudd responded “that’s not how we Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
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operate.” However, the following day, she claimed to have been simply “unaware of them (targets)” and promised that they would be scrapped. Yet a leaked memo would be her downfall, as two days later, The Guardian revealed that her office had been made unaware of the pledge to achieve twelve thousand returns within the year. On 29 April, the paper published a private letter from Rudd to the PM, dated January 2017, in which Rudd described the "ambitious but deliverable" targets. Rudd resigned just hours later claiming she inadvertently misled the Committee. Sajid Javid was named as her successor. May The growing accusations of anti Semitism within the Labour Party and the lack of desire to take meaningful action continued to incense anger across the country. The internal Labour row over anti Semitism had accumulated over two years, and Ken Livingstone, the former mayor of London resigned after being suspended from the party. Livingstone, a key ally of Corbyn, was suspended in 2016 over comments he made when defending another Labour MP who had been suspended for anti Semitic posts. His comments linked Hitler and Zionism, and resulted in calls for him to be thrown out of his party. Livingstone remained defensive, claiming he had been misquoted, but he quit the party, saying his investigation had become a “distraction" for the party and its political hopes. June Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili resigned on 13 June amid a disagreement with the leader of his ruling party. It was these disagreements about the PM’s economic policy which Kvirikashvili mentioned in his resignation statement and said he believed that “this is the moment now when the leader of the party should be given an opportunity to form a new cabinet.” Georgia’s constitution means that the entire cabinet is required to resign along with the prime minister. A wave of anti-government protests started on 31 May as a rally opposing the guilty verdict of two young men who were suspected of killing two teenagers the previous year. Protest supporters have been demanding the PM’s resignation, claiming that the people who committed the murders escaped justice because their relatives worked in the Prosecutor-General's Office. Earlier in the month, thousands of protesters convened outside of the Tbilisi parliament, demanding resignations after a violent police raid of nightclubs. The club’s owners were reportedly beaten along with sixty club goers. July July brought more chaos to the Conservative party as prominent politicians Boris Johnson, Steve Baker and David Davis resigned over May’s Brexit deal. By this point, the controversial Chequers Plan had resulted in seven resignations, but the departure of three influential MPs called the PMs leadership into question as her cabinet remained in turmoil over her vision for leaving the EU. Johnson’s resignation statement said that “the Government now has a song to sing,” and that “the trouble is that I have practised the words over the weekend and find that they stick in the throat.” August Alex Salmond dramatically quit the SNP on 29 August following multiple sexual misconduct complaints were filed against him. The party’s leader Nicola Sturgeon had come under increasing pressure to suspend the Scottish MP but failed to take any significant action, despite one MSP stating that Salmond was ‘dragging Scotland into the gutter.’ Salmond pledged to fight the accusations and raised £27,000 towards legal fees after only two hours launching the appeal on Twitter.
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September and October Les Moonves’ resignation marked yet another watershed moment in the media industry. After six more women came forward with stories of workplace sexual misconduct, the CBS head resigned with immediate effect. CBS said they planned to donate £15.4 million in support of the Me Too movement. The media giant also said that he would not receive any severance benefits until an investigation had taken place. Moonves issued a statement saying: "Untrue allegations from decades ago are now being made against me that are not consistent with who I am.” The growing number of accusations hugely belie his façade of being an ardent promoter of the Me Too helping to set up the Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace the previous year. November November was by the far one of the most memorable months in British political history. A steady stream of resignations served to stir up utter chaos as May scrambled to cling on to her leadership. Threats of no confidence vote were floated, yet ultimately the 48 letters requirement wasn’t reached meaning May survived for the time being. Those who felt unable to help deliver May’s Brexit vision ranged from MPs to ministers to PPSs. Prominent notice givers included Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, who insisted that he could not continue ‘in good conscience.’ Many predicted that this could spell the end for Mays’s Brexit deal, but at a press conference she stood firm in her convictions. December The day after Trump announced a complete withdrawal of American troops from Syria, General James Mattis resigned from his US defence secretary position and referenced disagreements with the president in a number of policy areas. In his letter of resignation, addressed to the president directly, he pointedly talked of his views on "treating allies with respect" and using "all the tools of American power to provide for the common defence". The General’s resignation followed a string of departures and worried many American allies due to Mattis often being seen as the most experienced and reliable of Trump’s cabinet, despite his ‘mad dog’ nickname.
Lily Birch, Year 11, Political Correspondent
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2018: A Year in Sport 2018 has been an incredible year for sport with many memorable moments both internationally and within school. Fantastically, Wycombe High School was named the 11th best state school in the country for sport in 2018 which was the perfect end to a brilliant sporting year. January The year began with the Australian Open, the first of the tennis grand slam tournaments. Roger Federer beat Maron Čilìc to defend his title and beat a plethora of records: he equalled the most wins at the Australian Open also achieved by Novak Djokovic and Roy Emerson of six; he became the oldest man to win a singles title since 1972 and the first man to achieve six wins in two grand slams as well as it being his impressive 20th grand slam title. This was followed by the netball quad series between Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa. The score was close with England narrowly missing out on the win, conceding to Australia. February The 23rd Winter Olympics was held in PyeongChang, South Korea; it was attended by 2833 athletes from 92 countries who competed in 102 events. Johannes Høsflot Klaebo became the youngest Olympic winner, at 21 years old, of the classical ski sprint for Norway as well as being the youngest to win three titles at the games. Great Britain did better than expected, beating the four medal goal, despite only slightly, by winning five which was a record. Other records were broken too with Lizzy Yarnold becoming the first Britain to retain a Winter Olympic title by winning gold in the skeleton; two more bronze medals were won in skeleton which was unexpected but brilliant for promoting the sport; Izzy Atkin also won the first ever British medal for skiing. Despite these successes, one heart breaking moment was medal hopeful Elise Christie’s tearful disqualification from the 1000m short track heat. The American Super Bowl, on 4 February last year, is the last game in their American Football season and was won by the Philadelphia Eagles. Maddeningly, it was watched by 103.4 million people which was still the smallest audience since 2009. Vicky Holland won the Cape Town Triathlon World Cup which was the start of a very successful year for her. The Six Nations followed, swapping snow for mud where England failed to defend their title and become the first team to win it three times in a row. The Irish team became the undisputed champions in March. March The Miami Open saw a shocking early exit from the 2017 champion and record 20 times Grand Slam winner, Roger Federer lost in the second round to Thanasi Kokkinakis. The giant John Isner, who stands at a staggering 6ft 10, won his first ATP title, beating Alexander Zverev who has just recently shot to the top of the tennis world. April The commonwealth games were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia from 4th to 15 April. The host country topped the medals table, with nearly double the gold medals of England, who came second. The final day of the games was, arguably, the most memorable, with the nailbiting netball final between England and Australia. Helen Housby scored the goal for England to win 52-51 to secure England’s gold medal and position as second in the world for the first time since rankings began. This momentous win allowed them to go on to win team of the year in December at the Sports Personality of the Year awards. April was also the month of marathons with both the London and Boston marathon taking
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place. The somewhat controversial, 171st Grand National race also took place in April and saw Tiger Roll the victor, ridden by Davy Russell. May The king of the clay, Rafael Nadal won his 11th French Open title while Simona Halep won her 1st Grand Slam title. The women’s defending champion, Jeļena Ostapenko, was defeated in the first round. June The French Open continued until 10 June, the Football World Cup ensued on 14 June. 32 countries played in 64 matches that swept away the summer. The Three Lions record hit number 1 in the UK and the possibility of the football ‘coming home’ nearly became a reality when the England team reached the semi-final for the first time since 1990 and won a penalty shoot out for the first time since 1996. England placed fourth overall. The French Grand Prix was the eighth round of the Formula One Championship and was the first time that the French Grand Prix has been raced since 2008. Lewis Hamilton finished the race in first position. July The 105th Tour de France saw the yellow jersey being given to Welsh cyclist, Geraint Thomas OBE at the end of the gruelling 3,351 km continuing the recent British success in cycling. Wimbledon however was somewhat disappointing for British players with only Kyle Edmund making it to the second week. Novak Djokovic beat Kevin Anderson in straight sets to win his fourth Wimbledon title. The Women’s Hockey World Cup was also not the most successful for Britain but the Netherlands won the tournament for a record 8th time cementing their position as the best team in the world. August The Women’s British Open was played from 2 to 5 August and an English win for Georgia Hall, her first major title and first British winner since 2009. At the same time as the golf were the European Women’s Artistics Gymnastics Championships were Italy dominated winning double the gold medals of Russia who were second in the medal table - the GB team placed 8th. The US Open was a standout event of 2018 with the emotional Women’s singles final. Both Sloane Stephens and Rafael Nadal failed to defend their titles. Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles tournament after a series of explosive disputes between Serena Williams and umpire, Carlos Ramos that resulted in Osaka collecting her trophy in tears at the beginning of September. September
Lewis Hamilton’s stellar racing became evident yet again when he topped the podium again at the Italian Grand Prix on 2 September. The IFSC Climbing World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria was set to be the largest ever with four disciplines and paraclimbing being competed in for the ten day competition. The Austrian climbers overwhelmed the event, winning more than any of the other 58 nations represented. The World Rowing Championships were held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and saw Italy come out on top with eight medals, including three golds. The Ryder Cup is an annual golf competition between the United States and Europe and this year it was held in France so it was only the second Ryder Cup held in Continental Europe. The defending champions, the USA did not have a chance at retaining this, they lost 10 ½ to 17 ½ wins. The fifth Netball Quad Series of 2018 was between Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa - the Australian team won all three of their matches to take the series. /Cont’d... Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
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October It was the 3rd Summer Youth Olympics in 2018, hosted by Buenos Aires, Argentina to showcase the exceptional young sporting talent of the 3,997 athletes who were involved. Russia, China and Japan dominated the medals table but the GB team were still successful with 12 medals earned in total. November November began with the World Weightlifting Championships in Turkmenistan. It was the first World Championships since the IWF (International Weightlifting Federation) changed the weight classes and so erased all existing world records, thus leading to 72 new world records being set. There were two medals for British competitors at the Trampoline World Championships, two silvers: Elliott Browne and Shanice Davidson both came second in tumbling in the women’s and men’s competitions. Disappointingly, England also came second in the Women’s World Twenty20 after losing by eight wickets to Australia in the final. The Men’s Hockey World Cup began on 28 November and saw Belgium win for the first time ever. December The Wilder v Fury boxing match was an explosive end to the year that resulted in a controversial draw after twelve rounds. It is still unclear if they will have rematch.
Sports Personality of the Year was yet another close competition, nominees included: Dina Asher -Smith, Jimmy Anderson, Lewis Hamilton, Harry Kane and Lizzy Yarnold. Geraint Thomas, winner of the Tour de France, was victorious and wrapped up an inspiring year of sport.
Isobel Potter, Year 11, Nightingale 10
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Bell-Ringing at Wycombe High For the first time ever at our school, there are 18 WHS students, ex-students, teachers and exteachers who are able to ring church bells. This means that WHS has the largest band of bellringers in any State school internationally. We are all part of the Bucks and Berks Young Ringers who meet several days a week to practice and perfect church bell ringing. Last July we entered the Ringing World National Youth Contest in London and came 18th overall. Before this group was established, Wycombe High only had three ringing students, but now there are ten WHS ringing girls:
Campanology (the practice of Church bell-ringing) is a very old tradition which desperately needs more young people involved. Wycombe All-Saint’s church has the oldest bells in Buckinghamshire, and there are currently 6701 bells in England, more than anywhere else in the world! Bells are the largest and loudest instrument in the world, with the average tenor (the heaviest bell in one group) weighing 510kg - about the weight of a small car- although they can weigh up to 4,200kg. Because of this, learning to ring is the same as learning to play any instrument; it requires lots of practice. Bell-ringing was traditionally a way of calling people to worship. Before clocks, villagers would depend on the church-bells chiming every hour to know the time. In earlier times, most churches only had one bell which tolled singularly, whilst other churches used small hand-bells. Often they were used as a warning-call, telling people that danger was approaching and during the Middle Ages bells were thought to have supernatural powers and could ring themselves. During World War II all church bells were silenced, and were rung only to inform of an invasion by enemy troops. On days like Remembrance Day and at funerals, bells are often muffled or half-muffled out of respect and sadness. Nowadays, bells are often rung at weddings, religious ceremonies, festivals, and at important events/dates. Ringing can be very physically demanding. Unlike when ringing hand-bells, church-bell ringing requires strength, endurance and control. Full peals generally take 3 hours on eight bells of constant ringing. That requires you to concentrate – on the method you are ringing and keeping the bell under control. The Wycombe and Hughenden Society of Change Ringers rang at the WHS Christmas Carol Service in December 2018, and entered the RWNYC—a national youth ringing competition— and came 18th in the whole of the UK. This unique art form is often forgotten and not many realise the dedication it requires. However, it is a great way to meet new people, build stamina and creates beautiful music for people to hear on Sunday mornings. So why not get in touch and give it a go! Cordelia Thompson, Year 10, Curie 6
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Inspire and Career Talks Our Inspire and Career Talks have been part of school life here at Wycombe High since 2011, but this year it was decided to change the format to fit our growing school. In the 2018-19 academic year the talks were organised for whole year groups on given days, with a panel of guest speakers, predominantly past students, from an array of industries and career backgrounds. Our goal was for our guest speakers to inspire students with their own experiences and to talk about their career paths post Sixth-Form. We also added a networking session to give students the opportunity to have a more in depth chat with speakers and ask individual questions. Year 7 Inspire and Career Talk on 9 October 2018. This talk featured six speakers representing: National Cyber Security Centre Junior Doctor University Outreach Officer for STEM International Law Real Estate Design and Manufacturing Freelance in Film and TV Some key messages conveyed by the speakers were diverse and wide-ranging, including: “If you make a mistake, own it! You can then work together to resolve the issue.” “It is good to socialise at university, this way you can balance out your work and social life.” “Being a doctor can give you great opportunities to travel worldwide.” “There are not a lot of female physicists around, but you don’t have to be a wizard with technology to get into this field of work.” Year 8 and 9 - On 8 November 2018 we the Inspire and Careers talk for all Year 8 & 9 students. The guest speakers were all WHS alumnae now working in a variety careers, including: An actress who, amongst other roles, starred in Casualty and The Durrells in Corfu Co-owner of One to Three Marketing Solutions Surgeon and PhD student from Imperial College, London Manager of Red Kite Community Housing Business Manager from BP European Crude Trading Bench Forensic Examiner in Biology and Trace Department for the Metropolitan Police The key messages from some of the guest speakers were: “There are many challenges being an actress, but it is a fun job to pursue.” “Working in medicine can sometimes be challenging and stressful, but it is an extremely enjoyable and rewarding profession.” “Working in the public sector is fulfilling and often challenging, you have to be resourceful as budgets are tight.” Our next talk took place during the Year 12 and 13 PSHEEE day on 25th of March The talks featured a great variety of speakers from many different careers area including: A Lawyer and Director of Commercial Legal Services for a US software company Business Development Director with Hitachi A Process Safety Engineer at PM Group A GP for East Berks Primary Care and Specialist in Sexual Health at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust A working actor staring in TV, Film and Stage
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A Squadron Leader form the Royal Air Force both regular and reserves The key messages from some of the guest speakers were: “The subjects that you want to do can be applied to a variety of different careers and are not as constricting as you may initially think.” “Career paths can be random and non-linear and role models can be incredibly important.” “Be kind to people whenever you can. And be curious, an interest in learning is always a great asset.” “You can always reinvent yourself, change, and become pretty much what you want to be if you believe in yourself.” “Everything happens for a reason in life - do not have any regrets. Trials and Failures shape a person.” This was a fantastic opportunity for our Sixth Form students to take part in a networking session after the talks and ask any questions about their different career routes, university choices and work experience available within the range of industries. The final Inspire and Career talk took place on the 28 March 2019 for Year 10 and 11 students and featured: A Development Operations Engineer working for the BBC A Chef now working for a private club in Mayfair. Property Lawyer working towards her final qualifications A Law graduate in Investment Management and working towards the New York Bar UK Acquisition Marketing Manager for Amazon Prime A working actor staring in TV, Film and Stage Squadron Leader in the Royal Air Force The key messages from some of the guest speakers were: “The world is your oyster. Don’t fret if you don’t know what you want to do, because you don’t have to be set in a career so young! Never be afraid to try something new.” “If you decide to take a Gap Year, make sure it is productive.” “Lean into the things that you are good at, but more than that, ask yourself what skill, talent or perspective you bring that is uniquely yours.” We were delighted that so many WHS alumnae took time out of their very busy schedules to come back into school and impart their valuable experiences, knowledge and passion. Students seized this fantastic opportunity to network and learn first-hand about the diverse choice of careers, education and training opportunities available and as a result of today’s globalisation, the world really is your oyster! We very much look forward to welcoming both old and new faces to our Inspire and Career Talks next year. We are very grateful for the support of our Heads of Guild Claudia Hayes, Year 13, Austen 10 and Katy Noyes, Year 13, Parks 4. They have worked tirelessly with us to produce these talks and countless Former Student Profiles, ‘In The News’ and ‘What are they up to now’ article featuring former students. Please follow this link to read these any many more articles on our website: https://www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/media/news. Penny Chidgey, Higher Education and Careers Adivsor and Dana Morgan, Director of Development and Alumnae Relations
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2018 Leavers Destinations De Montford - Art Foundation Queen Mary's, London - Medicine University of Westminster - Biomedical Sciences Brunel Univesity - Law Brunel University - Psychology Birmingham University - Political Studies & Int'l Relations St Georges - Biomedicine Brunel University - Psychology Birmingham University - Biological Sciences Apprenticeship Nottingham University - English University of Westminster - Biomedicine Reading University - Law Livepool University - Psychology UEA - English Literature Gap Year Exeter University - Engineering Hertfordshire University - Optometry University of Surrey- Mechanical Engineering UEA - Biosciences and foundation year Loughborough - Mechanical Engineering Cardiff University - Diagnostic Radiography Aberystwyth University - International Politics Leeds University - Art & Design Brunel University - Physiotherapy Bucks New University - Foundation Studies Art, Design, Media Exeter University - Law Bath University - Biochemistry Warwick University - English Cardiff Med Prelim Year Nottingham University - Mechanical Engineering Exeter University - M Arabic and Islamic Studies Voluntary Work Abroad Cardiff University - Modern History & Politics Bristol University - History Exeter University - BA Geography Aberystwyth University- Wildlife Conservation Portsmouth University - Civil Engineering Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music - Music Newcastle University - Electronic Engineering Portsmouth University - Law and International Relations Exeter University - English
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Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
Newcastle University - Chemical Engineering Nottingham University - Biology Lincoln University - Bioveterinary sciences Norwich University of the Arts - Games Art & Design Exeter University - Law Swansea University - Marketing & Business Management Swansea University - Business Management Oxford Brookes University - Biomedical Science Royal Holloway University - Business Management & Marketing Pilot Training School Media Journalist Reading University - Law Nottingham University - Natural Sciences UEA - Mathematics Reading University - Business & Accounting Cardiff University - Environmental Geography Employment Swansea University - Law & Criminology Kent University - Psychology Birmingham University - Chemical Engineering Birmingham University - Politics & Int'l Relations Birmingham University - Drama Bath University - Maths Birmingham University - Law Guildhall School of Music & Drama - Jazz Studies Camberwell - Art Exeter University, Falmouth- Mathematical Sciences Royal Holloway - Psychology Durham University - Anthropology Bangor - Zoology (Masters) Fashion Retail Academy - Fashion Marketing & Communications Southampton University - Mechanical Engineering Oxford University, Queen's College - Medicine Apprenticeship - KPMG London Met - Criminology & Law with Policing Bath University -Modern Languages Warwick University - Politics and Int'l studies City of London - Optometry Southampton University - French & History Middlesex University - Psychology with Neuroscience King's College London - Psychology Birmingham University - History Oxford University - Law Reading University - Pharmacy Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
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Bedfordshire University - Law & Criminology Exeter University - Languages Liverpool University - Biochemistry Birmingham University - Maths Newcastle University - Molecular Biology Durham University - English Literature Guildhall School of Music & Drama - Classical Voice Sussex University - Psychology Apprenticeship - Law Hertfordshire - Business & Marketing Kensington & Chelsea College - Art & Design foundation Brighton University- History of Art Exeter University - Criminology Keele University - English Lit & Creative Writing Loughborough University - Psychology Apprenticeship - Marketing Aylesbury College - Foundation in Primary Health Care Manchester Met - Law St Andrews University- Biology Oxford Brookes University - Architecture University of Westminster - Journalism Exeter University - Int'l Relations & French with Chinese Manchester Uni - English & Drama UEA - Biochemistry Royal Welsh College - Stage Management Nottingham Trent - Fashion Marketing & Branding Leeds - Human Resources Cambridge - Natural Sciences Oxford Brookes University - Psychology University of Surrey - Accounting & Finance Royal Holloway - Drama & Theatre Bird College - Professional Dance & Musical Theatre University College London - psychology Jam Academy - Performing Arts Foundation Royal Holloway - Criminology & Sociology Nottingham University - Psychology Leeds University - Medicine Birmingham University - English Manchester University - Criminology with Int'l study Glasgow University- Classics & Eng Lit Exeter University - Geography Reading University - Chemistry Birmingham University - Mathematics Bristol University - Art History
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Le Cordon Bleu Sheffield University- Bioengineering Birmingham University - Music Leeds Arts University - Art & Design foundation Birmingham University - Psychology Nottingham Trent - Politics and International Relations Leeds University- Nursing Portsmouth Uni - Psychology & Criminology Nottingham University - Chemical Engineering Nursery Practitioner Queen Mary's - Drama University of Surrey - Psychology SOAS - History University of Sussex - psychology Exeter University - PPE Kent University - Criminology Liverpool University - History with Politics Loughborough University - Physics University of Surrey - Veterinary Science Bath University - Politics & Int'l Relations Portsmouth University - Criminology with Forensic Studies University of York - PPE Exeter University - English / Drama Nottingham University- Animal Science Edinburgh University- Computer Science London School of Economics - Government University of Westminster - Biomedical Science University of Law - Law Queen Mary's - Global Health
Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
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Wycombe High School Magazine 2019
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Wycombe High School
FELICIT ER
TITER FOR FID
ELITER
Feliciter | Fortiter | Fideliter
Guild Magazine 2019
Reunions: 1951 in the Town Hall, Cheese and Wine 2018, AGM 2018, 1957 Group in 2008, 2011, 1977 Group reunion in 2017, 2013, 1956
Guild Magazine Contents President: Sharon N Cromie Vice President: Suzie Clarke Committee: Rachel Sutcliffe, Jill Boyd, Marian Brocklesby, Muriel Pilkington, Anne-Marie Pringle, Liz Taylor and Dana Morgen. Treasurer: Kathleen L Piercey Heads of Guild: Katy Noyes Year 13, Pankhurst 4 and Claudia Hayes Year 13, Austin 10 Magazine Editor: Anne-Marie Pringle Minutes of the Annual General Meeting 2018 Annual General Meeting 2019 Group Leaders Where Are They Now Original Contributions Midnight Square Miss Weston Super Mare 1947 A Step Back in Time World Cup Fever at WHS! The Toast Club “Who do you think you are?” “60’s Memories” Irene Winifred Hall Memories of Wycombe High School 1944—1949 Dramatic Personae From the Archive In Memoriam Members’ News 1930s Members’ News 1940s Members’ News 1950s Members’ News 1960s Members’ News 1970s Members’ News 1980s Members’ News 1990s Members’ News 2000s Member’s News 2010s
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Editorial Welcome to the 2019 magazine. First and foremost, I would like to thank Jill Boyd (Patman) for her contribution as Editor of the Guild Magazine for the past 16 years. We are truly grateful for her attention to detail, tireless dedication and wonderful contributions to the annual magazine these many years. It has been my honour to take up the mantel of Magazine Editor. Thank you to everyone who as contributed news, some very interesting articles, original artwork, poetry and thoughtful photographs. Thank you to the Group Leaders for collating their news and to Dana Morgan and her parent volunteers Teresa Young and Christine Adali for all their had work. Without them we would not have a magazine. Anne-Marie Pringle Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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Wycombe High School Guild Minutes of the Annual General Meeting 25 June 2018 Welcome and Introductions: Around 20 present, including the President, Sharon Cromie, Vice President Suzie Clarke, and committee members, Marion Brocklesby, Rachel Sutcliffe, Muriel Pilkington, Liz Taylor and Dana Morgan. Apologies: Jill Boyd, Branwen Kelly, Esme Harrison, Carol Merritt and Lynda Arnold. Minutes of the last AGM: Agreed Election of the committee: Committee members re-elected Treasurers report: A very healthy balance of £15,414.50. Year 13 are the first year to be members since Year 7. Thanks to Kathy Piercey for producing the report. Guild Administration Update: Dana Morgan introduced Claudia Hayes and Katy Noyes, new Heads of Guild, who help produce events, write articles and raise awareness of the Guild in the school. Membership numbers are up to 2,467 (2,297 students and 170 staff). The ‘Inspire & Career’ Lunchtime Talks continue to flourish featuring former students and averaging 50 attendees. In order to encourage better attendance, Dana proposed that these talks could be held in class time for each year. The Guild sponsors many fund raising and school events. This year they sponsored £2,439 worth of events helping to raise £14,178 for the school. Membership to our official Facebook and LinkedIn groups as well as our Twitter account continue to increase at a steady pace. Sharon acknowledged how Dana has raised the profile of the Guild. Play Your Part Update: The all-weather pitch was completed very quickly. The contractors were accommodating and offered good advice. The cost was £725,000 and Helen Richardson-Walsh OLY MBE opened it. Money raised for the school thus far was £83,516.71. The entire school community has participated to help raise these funds including current and former students, staff, parents and grandparent and the local community. Our Parents And Friends Association (PAFA) also continue to be very supportive. Archive Update: Jill Boyd reported that Hilary Brash is now helping with the archive and she has recruited two enthusiastic and willing year 12 students to help as well. Jill mounted a display of sport at WHS, particularly hockey, for the opening of the new pitch, which led to contact with the Hockey Museum in Woking, and a visit by two of their volunteers. In May, Jill also produced a display at the Arts4Every1, about how WHS played a part in WW1. She and Liz Taylor spent an interesting day there. It was a pity it was poorly attended. Enquiries continue to come in from past pupils looking for photos and lost friends. There was a request for information from Rosemary Mackinnon, one of the first Lady Verney pupils, who visited the archive and offered to return to sort some LVHS material. After researching for the Mary Christie Centenary Celebrations, Jill thought she had exhausted all avenues regarding Mary Christie's niece. However, later on, she discovered that Mary had 2 nieces, both of whom had attended WHS in the 1930s. Rachel Sutcliffe proposed thanks to volunteers, particularly Jill, who works tirelessly for the archive. Rachel also offered to show people the archive. The school is nearly 120 years old. How should we mark this? News From School: It has been another enjoyable, purposeful and successful year at Wycombe High School. Much has been achieved, individually and collectively, in and out of lessons, and in the all-important wider aspects of school life that have regularly featured in E-High Flyer throughout the year. WHS Continues to thrive. Any Other Business: Liz Taylor asked if an AGM was necessary. Sharon said it was, but maybe in a different format. Should present students be included? This would need to be discussed at committee meetings. Date of next committee meeting: 10 October 2018
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Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
Wycombe High School Guild Annual General Meeting 24 June 2019 Programme 12.00 pm Light refreshments served 13.35 pm Annual General Meeting After the AGM you may choose to have a tour of the school and to visit the Art Exhibition in the Learning Centre. Please let us know whether you wish to attend the AGM and have refreshments beforehand by completing and returning the enclosed form to the Guild Administrator at WHS by Friday 15 June 2019. Provisional Agenda 1. Apologies: 2. Minutes of the last AGM (25 June 2018) and Matters Arising not on the Agenda 3. Election of Committee 4. Treasurer’s Report and Audited Accounts 2018 5. Guild Administration Update 6. Archive Update 7. News from School
Keep in Touch!
If you are a Facebook fan or member of LinkedIn, we encourage you to join the Official Wycombe High School Groups linked below and to follow us on Twitter. http://www.facebook.com/groups/151196355718/ http://www.linkedin.com/groups/4143123 @Wycombe High School @WycHighAlumnae Our website (http://www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/) is another great way of keeping in touch. Our News pages frequently feature alumnae and you can filter news by the subjects that interest you. We invite you to check out our YouTube, Flickr and SoundCloud accounts by clicking on their respective logos while you are visiting our website.
Change of Address
If you move and change your contact details (including e-mail address) PLEASE remember to inform the Guild Administrator. We would be very grateful if you could take the time to send us your correct e-mail address to guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk.
Annual Magazine
If you would like a printed copy of the Magazine please contact the Guild Administrator at guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk who will send you a magazine order form. If you prefer to read the magazine electronically please follow this link https://issuu.com/wycombehighsch/ stacks/2be394448be6421cb3bc4a4af35b4274.
Save Paper and Postage!
Receive an e-mail alert to download the Guild Annual Newsletter and Magazine. Please e-mail your request to the Guild Administrator at guild@whs.bucks.sch.uk. If you choose this method, please don’t forget to cancel your standing order.
Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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Group Leaders In addition to original contributions, an important part of the annual magazine is news and original content from members. This is collected by Group Leaders who have an important part to play in fostering communication with Guild members. The Guild Administrator contacts all Guild members who then send in their news and original content to their respective Group Leader. Group Leaders edit their group’s responses for publication and forward the content to the Guild Administrator. HOWEVER, WE STILL NEED MORE GROUP LEADERS, so if you are in one of the groups listed below and would like more news in the next edition of your magazine, please volunteer your services, so that we have a Group Leader for each year. Your contact details will be shared with your contemporaries for the transfer of news and original content. Year Groups Needing Leaders to Collect and Edit News: 1951, 1958, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971,1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978,1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018. If you wish to volunteer to do so, please contact The Guild Administrator at WHS.
Where are they now?
Many thanks to members who supplied details of some of those listed “missing” last year. However, the annual call for news and mailing sent to those below were returned marked “Gone away, address unknown.” Please send details to the Guild Administrator at WHS, if you can help with addresses or information about any of them. 1942 Esme Baker (Wheelband)
1977 Jane Steynor (Cooper)
1989 Helen Pook
1943 Isabel Farnden (Jarvis)
1977 Sharon Walters
1989 Dr Lindsey Reynolds
1944 Patricia Harris (Gilder)
1978 Suzanne Budd (Wheal)
1989 J Webb
1944 Margaret Le Quesne (Hinton)
1980 Julia Bryan
1990 Eleanor Tuck (Cheetham)
1944 Elsie Rees (Bristow)
1983 Sarah Gregor (King)
1992 Elizabeth Richards (Woodmore)
1948 Elizabeth Bird (Lilley)
1983 Violet Gregson
1994 Elizabeth Kelly
1949 Ann Dutton (Harris)
1983 Shivaun Mason (Crittenden)
1994 Mary Phillips (Griffiths)
1951 Margaret Mahony (Bowler)
1984 Dorn Nixon (Matthews)
1995 Maureen Allan
1954 Sheila Slade (Green)
1984 Doreen Perry
1995 Mary Clements
1955 Elfa Allnutt (Davies)
1985 Michelle Fieldhouse (Claesens)
1995 P Devenish
1955 Joan Cyster (Pusey)
1985 Louise Goodchild
1996 E Holmes
1959 Pauline Holton (White)
1985 Louise Haisman (Weedon)
1997 Estelle Buckridge
1962 Jenny Whittle (Morford)
1986 Pippa Hodge
1977 Katharine Hartless
1963 Jennifer Thomas Crangle
1987 Sophie Ackah (Currell)
1997 Janice Holmes
1965 Susan Coysh (Pearson)
1987 Nicola Hickman
1997 Helen Shaw (Jones)
1966 Deborah Powton
1987 Nicky Jackson (Wallington)
1998 B Blackett
1966 Katherine Reed (Oakley)
1987 J Rutherford
1999 Nicola Pickering
1968 Jacqueline Chatterjee (Nobbs)
1987 Janice Stockbridge
1999 Jane Stoakley
1968 Jeni Colbourne (Thursby)
1987 Rachel Stoneham
2001 Hayley Carr
1969 Jennifer Curd (Lloyd)
1988 Nicola Conron
2001 Rebecca Cooper
1970 Patricia Graves
1988 Michelle Hawkins
2003 Zoe Barber
1971 Margaret Barrett (Cockcroft)
1988 Kirsty Higham
2007 Flo Hopwood
1971 Barbara Miles
1988 Helen Powell
2012 Hayley Adonis
1972 Gillian Otto (Stephenson)
1988 Sarah Skingley
2013 Anne-Marie Jay
1973 Marion Astill Limmer (Jackson)
1988 Deborah Smith
2017 Henna Hussain
1974 Barbara Sheldon
1988 Charlotte Thompson
2017 Vatsala Mittal
1974 Alison Sinden (White)
1988 Hilary Thompson (Bowker)
2018 Jasmine Owen
1975 Elizabeth Byers (Hills)
1988 Georgina Vickers
2018 Zaynab Ashraf
1975 Gail Griffith
1989 Susannah Bruce
1975 Lynn Power (Sibley)
1989 Claire Hamp (Sloper)
1977 Nicola Allen
1989 Mary Mclaughlin
1977 Ann Heyes
1989 Fiona Middleton
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Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
Original Contributions Midnight
Square
Tonight it looks as if the stars are dancing; the wind’s so strong, it bends the boughs of trees and shakes the nuts and seed-pods to the ground. It’s in those movements of the branches ever changing their position that the stars seem never still forever framed by changing patterns in the copse’s oaks and beeches, hazel, birch and lime: the heavenly bodies tango in the sky.
We were born a squiggle But gradually the curls stretched their limbs They grew taller and straighter Until they were perfect
Now the moon arises, almost full, its surface silvered like a mirror’s sheen, and as it rises, all the trees catch silver streaks of moonlight in their swaying limbs and lean together like young lovers on a midnight jaunt. Apart from the keening wind and the creak of branches all is silent. The houses below in the valley have switched off their lights; the streets are empty.
Ausma Tanvir, Class of 2015
Perfectly boring I hate it, I’m scared, I want to run It is easier to be a square than a squiggle But squiggles are more fun
Then suddenly something passes me close overhead, soundless and swift; I merely feel the air that It’s displaced; it could have been a fragment of a dream…but no, a broad-winged shadow briefly stains the moon, and then a Miss Weston Super Mare 1947 mournful sound drifts back to me, eerie and alien. A moth has fluttered its last, caught on the They brought the beauty contest back that year. wing by a hunter with muted wings, and I’ve heard one hoot of fulfilment, drifting backwards I was down on the beach with our Peter towards me, borne on the wind: a midnight owl. and this lady says: “I’ll look after him, you go in for it.” So I said, ”all right.” © Jennie Liebenberg, January 2019
I won first prize. Me, Beryl Smith from Bristol. Well I was a looker, still had my figure then. Don’t remember who came second, but third was this youngster, big-bust, come-hither smile. Said her name was Diana Fluck, what a curse. She was wearing a bikini, first one I’d seen, latest French fashion only came out last year.. Being a married woman, I’d a full costume. Well, the young woman didn’t model herself on Marilyn for nothing now, did she? Though she was still a schoolgirl then till she went into films, got to Hollywood.
Artwork provided by https://pixabay.com/.
Never envied her. I’ve had a good life business woman, nice house. Even won a Grannies’ Beauty Contest in my sixties, which you never have, Diana Dors! Liz Cashdan (Elisabeth Trilling 1939 to 1947) Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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Original Contributions A Step Back In Time I’m not sure if I can pick one single defining memory of my time at secondary school – the six years I studied there passed by quite smoothly and happily without major incident, unless forgetting to report to the Head to do a reading in an assembly is classed as a major incident…other than that, it was a successful time in my life and one upon which I look back with a selection of fond memories. So, walking up the school drive with a fellow classmate from 1977 – 1983, we were both filled with a mixture of excitement, curiosity and a little apprehension. What if it had all changed? What if we didn’t recognise anything and our memories were instantly wiped away? Our fears were groundless – the entrance and steps up to reception were exactly as they had been when we first trod them, 42 years earlier and the welcome both from the Headteacher, and Dana Morgan, with whom we had made the appointment, was warm and sincere. It was an interesting combination of visitors and knowledge – me, a retired teacher and Jane (Lawrie), the mother of two teenagers currently going through the secondary school system. We were both as keen to see how things were being implemented today as much as recognise rooms, areas and hints of times past. The tour was fascinating for us both in similar and differing ways. The exact location of each classroom we were in through the years was discussed and debated, including the terrapins, long since gone, where we started our journey at Wycombe High School. Clear memories for me came from across the years, including one of our classmates scoring 99% in a Latin exam at the end of the second year (!), swimming lessons in the outdoor pool – brrrr!, being selected to be a prefect in Year 5 and hearing the awful news from a classmate in the December of the same year that John Lennon had been shot down. The mix of old and new was interesting, too. There was a comforting familiarity seeing the school hall, with the grand piano in exactly the same place as it always was, the ‘Dungeons’ where we used to change for Games, the Amphitheatre, tennis courts and hockey pitches, the original sports hall with the changing area upstairs and the old Science labs with the same benches, stools and 4 way gas supply for the Bunsen burners. This contrasted with the ultramodern technology in the new Science labs, the all-weather sports pitch and the fabulous Music
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block with its soundproofing and recording facilities – a far cry from the terrapin of yesteryear stacked high with violins and other musical paraphernalia! Like many, I am one who accepts change with some reluctance, but I came away from the school feeling that there was enough of the familiar to reinforce my memories of yonder year yet also being comfortable that changes, for the most part, had been undertaken thoughtfully and sensitively and in keeping with the ethos of the school that I remember with such fondness. Our sincere thanks go to Sharon Cromie, the Headteacher, for a very warm welcome, Dana Morgan, for giving up her time to show us around on what turned out to be a very busy day, and the girls and staff who shared their thoughts and memories with us both as we took our trip back in time. Penny (Penelope) Baatz Class of 1983
World Cup Fever at WHS!
In the summer term of 2002, I was Acting Head of WHS. Having spent my career in 5 boys’ grammar schools and retired from captaining John Hampden Grammar over the road, I was asked to take the helm in an interregnum from April to August. When the Football World Cup hove into view, I mistakenly thought that it would hardly disturb the smooth sailing of a girls’ school… … I was seriously wrong. In the weeks running up to the knockout stages, it became clear that the fever had struck. People became more and more excited. Then we learnt that England would play Brazil in the quarter finals on Friday 21st June…and the match would be live on TV in the morning. There were mutterings, hints
that a large number of girls might succumb to sudden illness that day and jump ship. Rumours flew around that other schools were going to have late starts. The senior officers received an anonymous ‘Black Spot’ letter from the middle gun room that HMS WHS would similarly have to abandon ship on 21st. How did one keep control of the crew? A pompous diktat that all girls who were absent would be keel hauled on the following week would ruin the morale and would probably be ineffective. Mutterings could turn into outright mutiny. Discussion with the senior officers revealed that some were preparing to circumnavigate the problem by installing TV sets for their lessons. But many areas had not got these facilities. I called in the engineers and technologists. Never before had TV been projected in the Hall, but they felt they could produce a screening. To their everlasting credit, they did, and on the great day and after registration, some went to screenings in various rooms while the majority packed excitedly in the Hall. It was a memorable experience and a memorable match. England lost 2 – 1. I watched the roars and wild cheering from the side, and became quite caught up myself. We all, upper and lower decks, shared the grief of Brazil’s second goal, and returned to our lessons, strangely more united and with a better ship’s morale than before. We sailed proudly onwards. I did not have a digital camera in 2002 - few people did – and my pictures taken in the gloom are hardly worthy of reproduction. But they bring back warm memories of a very happy five months. Andrew MacTavish (Headteacher in 2002)
The Toast Club The Toast Club is a mobile food van selling toast with toppings; a simple food that can cater to all. Toast is cost effective and versatile; it can be healthy or indulgent, vegan, vegetarian or gluten free. It’s craved as a morning, lunch, evening or postnight out snack and can be served quickly and efficiently. We will sell at music festivals, outside offices, on University campuses and at smaller events. Making my own unique bread and spreads (as well as selling popular brands) will provide customers with a unique product. I came up with this idea whilst I was at a
festival. There was so much choice for food and it was all so expensive, I didn’t know what to choose. I went to a breakfast van and ended up buying marmite on toast! I thought it would be perfect if there was a van selling just toast with spreads, as an affordable, simple food option. I have always wanted to be my own boss. As a female I have had to work extra hard to prove my capabilities, but have always found that I work best when I am left to carry out a project solely on my own. I want to be able to make my own decisions, go on holiday when I want and be an independent, female entrepreneur! What are the toughest challenges I face as a student/graduate entrepreneur? All my friends are in full-time jobs, earning money and going out at weekends. I work two jobs with unsociable hours, so I can work on my business during the day. The rewards are small right now but I know I have to be patient as the rewards will be worth it in a few years! Tips to students thinking about starting their own business: Start now, make sure it is your passion, and work hard! I started setting this up in April of my final year, which I regret. If I had started earlier I would have been able to learn a lot easier as I would have been practically carrying out the theory I was learning at University. Businesses are a lot of hard work, so if you are not hard working and organised, don’t do it! Likewise, working on something all the time, especially during the times you want to be relaxing, can mean that if you don’t love it, you could push it to the side. Make sure it is something you are excited and passionate about to ensure you can work efficiently on the project! What’s next for my business? We will officially be launching trade in summer 2019, so look out for us at festivals and events! Follow us on social media to see our upcoming events! Instagram, Twitter and Facebook = @thetoastclub Tigs Knowles, Class of 2013
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Original Contributions “Who do you think you are?” Last year I reported that my husband, Alan, was poorly with an undiagnosed condition. After over a year of visiting different departments and hospitals, he was finally diagnosed as suffering from a very rare condition, for which he is now being treated by a Rheumatology consultant. The condition is not able to be cured, but with a variety of drugs it is being controlled which is reassuring. I also mentioned in my 2018 submission that a trip to Canada was a possibility and thankfully in June/July we were both well enough to make the three week trip. My mother never knew her father, was only told his surname and that he went to Canada before she was born. The Internet made it possible for us to discover his full name, where he farmed in Canada and that he already had eleven children before getting my grandmother pregnant. We also found out that he died just two years later, leaving his wife the task of raising eleven children and running a ranch on the Prairies. It was quite daunting for me to get in touch with the descendants, but they had heard rumours from their parents about the reason the family had hurriedly left Suffolk for Alberta in 1924. Fortunately they welcomed me into the family and were willing to have DNA testing, which confirmed the close connection. Some flew straight over to the UK in 2010 and met my mother before she passed away in 2015. The youngest of the original eleven children only died in April of last year, so sadly we were unable to meet her – she had been so looking forward to meeting her new niece. I now know that I have over 50 Canadian half first cousins and, with their families, the total number of relatives in Canada is over 250! We had been invited by my newly-found family to come over to meet “as many cousins as possible”, so we flew to Calgary and stayed with relatives in Alberta and Saskatchewan. We toured the beautiful Rockies with a very knowledgeable cousin and then stayed on the Prairies in Saskatchewan with another cousin before travelling to a big family reunion on a ranch close to the American border owned by yet another cousin. Over 90 people attended the reunion with ages ranging from over 80 to under 6 months. Meeting so many of my extended family in such a short period of time was pretty amazing – everyone was so friendly and interested in the story behind the family
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connection. Many of my family are ranchers with a very different lifestyle to ours. Others have hot-tubs and sophisticated barbecues, which means they are put to good use even when snow is deep on the ground and the temperatures incredibly low! The third week saw us back in Alberta staying with yet another cousin, who took us to so many interesting places such as the Royal Tyrrell (Dinosaur) Museum in Drumheller, Nanton where a Lancaster bomber was doing engine runs, the Head Smashed-in Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site (celebrating the life of the First Nations peoples) and the Calgary Stampede. The weather was lovely, the food plentiful and the people so generous and full of energy. It was hard to say goodbye and head home, and I do miss sitting out on the “deck” in the back “yard” looking out towards the snow-capped Rockies in the distance. We came home with so many wonderful memories – it certainly was the holiday of a lifetime! Linda Stewart (née Sandford), 1966 Group
“60’s Memories” I was a pupil at Wycombe High School from 1960-1965, where I didn’t excel, leaving in 1965 with just 4 O-levels, although I re-sat one giving me 5. I progressed from there to Slough College of Further Education, as it then was, where I took an excellent 1-year secretarial course which enabled me to obtain a job at the grand sum of £8 per week (not at all bad for a 17-year old in those days) and provided me with the means to earn my living until I retired in 2011. Some of my abiding memories of WHS are
walking down the hill each day to catch my bus home to Downley from the town centre and having to hold my tri-corn hat on in case the Headmistress, Mrs Miller, drove past and I received an order mark for not wearing my hat. As this applied to all the girls we must have looked a strange sight walking down the hill with one hand upon our heads! I also remember the campaign to raise funds to build a swimming pool, but as it was outdoors it was seldom warm enough to enjoy swimming in! And the excitement of the privilege of being able to walk around the balcony in the lunch hour once one became a 4th former! I remember how big the older girls seemed when I started as an 11-year old, fresh from West Wycombe County Primary where I had been King Pin (or Queen Pin!).
London University. My mother had also attended WHS when it was located up the other side of the valley where Lady Verney School later stood. Having joined WHS Guild, I feel surprised to see that in many ways the school remains the same and it is a strange to realize how many girls have continued to walk through those same doors as I did all those years ago. Although I wasn’t a star pupil I think it helped my future just to be able to say that I attended such a well-regarded school and I am grateful for that. I think I would have done better if the teachers had had a more sympathetic way of treating shy pupils, but maybe that is more the case nowadays. Jill Hudson, (née Beauchamp), 1960-1965
Irene Winifred Hall I am sure that all of us, in our working and active lives, have come into contact with very special people whose friendship, care, support and encouragement have proved to be invaluable. This was most certainly true in my case. I married at 21 and lived in Woking, Surrey. When I was After 3 years we moved to Barmouth, North appointed to my Wales and ran a gift shop which we bought at post of Head of auction whilst on holiday! After 7 years we Spanish at changed that into an Estate Agency as my Wycombe High husband was a Chartered Surveyor and I School in 1971, I became the secretary/office manageress for our was a relatively business. My husband had been a pupil at young and very Wycombe Tech (now John Hampden School). inexperienced Head of Department and I needed much advice and active encouragement Twenty years later I divorced and moved to and the wisdom of experience. A number of Shrewsbury and became a Hotel Receptionist people, most notably Esme Harrison and Ruth whilst re-training on the new-style Windows Herring, provided that, but my other colleague, computers. (We had jumped in quickly and in particular, stands out; Irene Hall, then head of used an earlier system of computer). I then the English Department. Irene has been much moved to Birmingham as a secretary within in my mind lately, because of a poem I have Birmingham City Council, eventually becoming recently come across whilst sorting through Secretary to the Leader of the Council. Later I papers accumulated over the years which have, worked in Birmingham Elections Office as an once again, come to light. Electoral Administrator until I retired. Irene was Head of English for some I have recently moved close to my daughter in considerable time, from the early 1950’s until Edinburgh. I have 3 sons living in Wales, she took retirement in 1974. She was both a London and Wiltshire. I also have 7 teacher and administrator of the very highest grandchildren. My sister-in-law was also pupil order. All of her students and colleagues held of WHS and my brother (see photo) went to Sir her in very high esteem and the study of English William Borlase School in Marlow and later to flourished and prospered under her guidance Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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Original Contributions never gave up; an accomplished artist, when she lost the use of her right hand after her stroke, she taught herself to paint left-handed and she could still complete a difficult cryptic Irene was also an accomplished poet in her own crossword. Her funeral service was held at St right. It is for this talent, as well as for her many John the Evangelist Church in Frieth and I was privileged to represent the school there. She other special gifts, that I would like her to be remembered here. Dementia is increasingly a was quite a remarkable person. problem in our modern society. Irene’s father, Tony Merrick, Member of Staff, 1971 - 2000 so dear to her and a true academic, was to suffer the loss of his bright and enlightened mind as dementia set in towards the end of his Memories of life. This is Irene’s poem to try to put into words Wycombe High School what that must have felt like. I think that it is September 1944 - December 1949 one of the most moving poems and one that should be shared with all who have experienced I think that we started school in the hall of the the heartbreak of losing a loved one to old High School and from there were taken dementia. It really does deserve to reach a down to the Union Baptist Chapel, where we wider audience. were to have our lessons for the next year. We were sorted into 4 classes – 1A, 1B, 1C, and One evening for my father 1D. As my name was Simmons, and towards A poem written by Irene in October 1972 the end of the alphabet, I was put into 1D. We used the back entrance of Union Baptist (going This old man from the subway behind the station) and then Sitting alone, as Rembrandt’s Jeremiah, went along a covered in tunnel, which we Head bent in contemplation nicknamed “The Bakerloo”, to come to various Of a shattered city, rooms which were used as classrooms. Driven to accept Senility’s possible devastation, In year two we moved up to the old High School Broken to know in Hampden Road, and during the next 4 years that every hour gone by had various classrooms, some being much Cannot be caught again better than others. I seem to remember that But slips from his searching grasp most classrooms were freezing cold in the Faced the stark light of truth winter. And in the strife Won a few moments from his wrecking years, Enough to stumble down the uncertain sloping shore, Blinded with bitter tears, To let his mind loose from its tight moorings, And as a raft, A frail raft, Drifted out gently to oblivion. and leadership. I am sure that many of you reading this memoir will remember her with great respect, affection and admiration.
Irene herself suffered in her retirement in a different way. She retired in 1974 but, sadly, was to suffer a most debilitating stroke when she was only 69. After a long stay in Wycombe Hospital she returned home to her cottage for a while, with people, especially her niece, helping her, but then had to move for constant care to Thamesfield in Henley where she spent her 80th birthday, and then to a nursing home in Wokingham, where she died in 1996. She
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Sack Race 1946
During my time at WHS the system of ‘houses’, and wearing a badge for your house, seemed to work very well. I was in Milton House and our colour was white. (I secretly wished that I could have been in Penn House with my great friend Pauline Brooking). However, Milton had some very good leaders, so I accepted the situation. We played rounders and netball at the school
but in the third year we began hockey and tennis, which usually meant a long trek to the playing fields. These fields were up through the cemetery, and along the path towards the Royal Grammar School, then up some steps on the right where there were several hockey pitches and tennis courts. (There are now houses built on these fields.) Our very enthusiastic Sports Days were held on this site. I never stayed to school dinners, as I lived down in the town, and was able to rush home and back. In latter years, however, I took sandwiches to school, to enable me to join in with some of the lunch group activities. My time at WHS was an extremely good time and most scholars profited greatly under AD’s Headship. She was an outstanding headmistress and the respect that she gained from her pupils was tremendous. When I think of the discipline that was imposed, I have to smile, but I do not think that it did us any harm, and I still adhere to some of the rules, and have passed them on to my children.
Much Ado About Nothing 1947
Some of the Rules I Remember No eating or drinking in the street (In 1947,
Another thing that comes to mind is the coveted “red girdle”. This was awarded for good posture; i.e. for keeping our tummies in, head up, and shoulders back. I eventually gained one in year 4 and was very pleased. Most of the staff were very good teachers, but of course there were some that were more popular than others, and also some that were absolutely dedicated to their subject. During the time I was there, the PE teacher, Miss Horder, was greatly feared by the younger pupils, but put in so much extra time to sport and Sports Days were exceptional. Another dedicated teacher was Miss Rolfe, the music teacher, as also was Miss Brown who later taught both of my daughters. At the start of assembly, Miss Rolfe would play piano pieces to us, I still remember her playing “Brahms’s Lullaby”. “The Skaters Waltz”, “The Trout” (which I think was my favourite) and many others.
an extremely hot summer, I think that a few girls bought an ice cream.) Rubbish must always be put in bins. No talking to boys from the RGS. Hats must be worn at all times when in uniform going to and from school. No running in the corridors. No talking after the bell has gone for morning assembly. Stand and be quiet as soon as a teacher enters the room. Indoor shoes only to be worn in classrooms. Skirts must be 4 inches above the knee. As soon as hair is shoulder length it must be tied back. A note must be bought after any absence from school. Do not speak or interrupt when someone else is talking. Myrtle Church (née Simmons) 1949 Group
I think that possibly the staff who taught at this time had quite a difficult task. Things like text books, pencils and paper were very restricted and scarce. However, I also think that they must have had a very good grounding for the future.
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Original Contributions Dramatic Personae Startled to see that there is no longer a “Group" pre 1945, I am recording here the, clearly Neolithic, circumstances of the education that was on offer during the years of the Second World War, and in particular a collection of brief word-portraits of the remarkable team of women who did not let standards slip, whatever the stress of the circumstances in which we, and they, had to work. Firstly, then, those circumstances: The buildings had been designed in, I think, 1902, for 200-250 girls. By the end of the War, we were over 400, and in addition, for several years we were doubled, as it were with Ealing Girls Grammar School, boxing and coxing accommodation and facilities as best could be arranged. I remember walking up through the Cemetery for a morning's lessons in the Games Pavillion, I remember a small Advanced Latin group squashed into the piano practice cubicle. l remember discussing the psychology of Hamlet at a large table fitted in at the top of the main stairs, as the rest of the school buzzed up and down them. At some point we acquired the use of the Baptist Hall, and everybody, I think, spent at least one day a week being taught there. It was far from ideal - the acoustics were designed to make sure that important thoughts could be heard wherever you might be, which is the opposite of what school classrooms try to achieve, but it was a very useful solution at the time. Although, as far as possible girls stayed in one place for at least half the working day, teaching staff were continuously commuting between the two establishments. We all had to carry all our possessions around with us as our desks were no longer our own. This led to a clearly essential decree that all girls must have a knicker pocket that fastened with TWO press studs, in which her cash and her travel pass must be securely kept. This was subject to instant inspection by that most formidable person, Miss Horder, as we exercised in Gym lessons in our knickers, and pockets had therefore to be publicly emptied before Gym could start. This was all very well, but once the Blitz was pounding away, the Education Committee, fearing that we might be caught and damaged in an Air Raid ordered
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that each of us must at all times carry a small First Aid kit of an iodine pencil and some Elastoplast as far as I can remember. This little kit was to be kept in her knicker pocket by each of us. It could be done - just. Then the Education Committee was overtaken by the possibility that we might be stranded by Air Raid damage and not be able to get home promptly. The instruction came that each of us was always to carry an "Iron Ration" of two biscuits, properly wrapped, in our knicker pockets. Such pronouncements were delivered by Miss Dessin at our daily Morning Assembly. She issued this latest with a perfectly straight face, but there can't have been one of us who did not realise that she was struggling with her well-developed sense of the absurd. She probably knew perfectly well that we carried contraband of all sorts in our repellent Gas Mask cases anyway. So I start with Miss Dessin; She was a massive personality in every sense of the word; very tall, very large, hair piled up and always dressed in a long plain dress, either dark green, or occasionally dark blue or very dark red. Her office could be approached from the school side via a double door and if you had been summoned (l don’t think anyone would have volunteered) you opened the green baize outer door and knocked on the inner one. There was a double response light, red for ‘go away’ and green, but she usually just called "come in!" On one unforgettable occasion I knocked and the green light instantly and ferociously flashed. Disconcerted, I cautiously opened the door a crack to receive a glare that banished me jn a shaking heap. I did not see who was already there, but sensed that whoever it was, was in tears. Miss Dessin was the ultimate authority to deal with all triumphs or misdemeanours, either academic or behavioural. No other reward or sanction was needed. We started each day with Assembly; the Head Girl told Miss Dessin when we were all arranged in the Gym/ Assembly Hall, and in she came. We all sang a hymn, Miss Dessin read from the Bible and then read out relevant announcements and commendations, if any. Then Miss Ivermee played us out. Did she always play Grainger's "Country Gardens"? Surely not, but this is as I remember it!
Miss Dessin firmly over-ruled the Education Secretary for Bucks County Council if she saw fit. When my sister, June from the preparatory form, minus 1 as it were, failed the 11 Plus, she should have been removed from the High School in the natural order of things, but Miss Dessin told the Education Committee that June was one of the cleverest little girls she had ever come across and the matter was closed. Incidentally, Miss Dessin's judgement was entirely proven by June’s eventual distinguished academic career. The other door of Miss Dessin's office led into the school office, where Miss Butler and her amazing white mound of hair, ran, it would seem, the whole school. I do not recall the shadow of any assistant and she was always available for problem solving as needed. As evacuees, arriving well into the September term, we passed Miss Butler's inspection and our small brother explored the office while we were interviewed, without, it would seem, bothering Miss Butler or her office! There may have been no deputy for Miss Butler, but the system for the headmistress allowed for help. A senior member of staff, in a two year stint of office was the Assistant Headmistress, and the honour/ job moved in order down the scale of seniority. Which brings me to Miss Kelsey, who taught English and was very "Senior.” She taught, firmly, Shakespeare, poetry and essays (both our own and other peoples). She also taught us the structure and use of language, spelling, grammar, syntax, figures of speech and the rhythms and bones of good sentences. Then, in the Lower VIth came the Epiphany, when she opened doors for us and listened to our opinions. I found a copy of Dover Wilson's "What Happens in Hamlet," shared it with the others and then with Miss Kelsey. She did not explain the principles and purpose of literary criticism, she took us all to London to see Robert Helpmann in "Hamlet" and left the rest to us. On my arrival in the second form, where I was placed, you "took" all subjects, but they were gradually peeled away as we were "streamed" academically according to aptitude, I suppose. Thus the agonies of domestic science (how on earth, with only one stove was poor Miss Campion supposed to teach any such skills to about twenty of us at any one session?) was abandoned in favour of Latin, which was compulsory at what is now O-level if you were aiming for University. A year later you also
dropped Needlework. Poor Miss Campion had real difficulties with us all in Needlework. I can't imagine why, but she tried to enforce silence in our needlework lessons; "Girls," she would reprove on a rising scale as the period progressed, "THERE IS NO TALKING!" This was palpably not true, and I can’t imagine why anyone would have thought it even possible, let alone desirable. Latin, on the other hand emerged as an entirely disciplined session taught by Miss Franklin. She was minute and clearly younger than any other member of staff. As the fourth form closed around us, our numbers reduced again as the scientists specialised, under the accurately named Dr Numbers. Latin could now be taught in a relatively small class and Miss Franklin made sure that work at it we did. I owe a great deal to Miss Franklin, for whom only the best would do, and who could make the work of Vergil come alive. Miss Kerry taught those huge wartime classes mathematics, scrupulously correcting our mountainous homework books, (the substitution of file paper for exercise books came quite late on in the War, 1943 perhaps,) insisting that all mistakes be written out correctly and before the next homework was presented. Crossings out were not permitted. She would always explain to the toiling troubled, but was ferocious to those she considered to be idle. Miss Gunston taught everybody Biology, by the simple formula of dictating notes each lesson, decreeing that they were to be learnt by heart for overnight prep and then testing that prep next lesson before starting on the next subject. It was a clearly established tradition that all pupils always passed School Certificate, (O-level) Biology with Distinction. Though I never heard of any inspired biologists emerging from her system. Mrs Davidson was an eccentric addition to the staffroom. Married staff were unheard of before the exigencies of war-time made married women an obvious source of teaching staff. Moreover, we believed, but I don’t know why, that she was really a Russian. Be that as it may, she set out to make sure that whatever else we learned in French, we would learn to pronounce that language properly. Over and over again the subtleties of the vowels were rehearsed, as she demonstrated by a series of oral gymnastics, the way that the mouth must be /Cont’d... Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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Original Contributions shaped to produce the correct sound. Her system worked for me, as my French accent passes muster still today, seventy-something years on. She believed that we would get the message better, if all of us could properly observe the movements of her lips. “Regardez ma bouche, mes enfants, regardez ma bouche” and then, sometimes, "voulez vous que je monte?" The enthusiastic "oui, Madame sil vous plait" had nothing to do with our pursuit of perfect French, but everything to do with the fascinating phenomenon, that when she stood on a chair, every movement revealed, delightfully, her ankle- length red petticoat. I have left Miss Downs to the end. She has already her own place in W.H.S. archives. She succeeded Miss Dessin and oversaw the transfer to modern buildings and modern times, but quite apart from her gift for teaching history, she, throughout the War, talked and got us talking of the world we would face after the War. The Council for World Citizenship had her backing and she tried to show us how world cooperation must replace the inadequacies of the League of Nations, she wanted us to look for better days and wiser times. However short the world today is from those ideals, it did no harm to dream and plan.
variety of cups and trophies that used to be given for inter-house competition. The House system , a traditional feature of schools in England, was introduced by Mary Christie to Wycombe High School in 1914. It was in place for 50 years, abandoned for 47 years and reintroduced 8 years ago. From the beginning there were inter-house competitions with cups and trophies, ranging from all sports and music activities to an annual bulb competition, as well as hobbies and handicrafts. These provide a focus for group loyalty. The first 3 houses at WHS were temporarily named Red, White and Blue. In 1917 the Sports Day results show that White House won The Sports Cup, Netball Cup and Games Shield.
Results from the Log Book for 1917 Sports Day
From the Archive
By 1919 the School Magazine reported “The School has now grown so large, that we have been obliged to form a fourth House. The Houses, while retaining their colour and motto have been named after celebrated Buckinghamshire men. Work Cup presented in 1914 Red House is now Gray, - ‘Pull Together’, White House is Milton, – ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’, Blue House is Hampden, - ‘Unity is Strength’ and the new House is Penn. - ‘Each for All and All for Each’.
Among the many objects in the Archive are a
Margaret Chase, writing in 1951 about her memories of school, remembered the founding of Penn House in 1919 and its first triumph, the Work Cup.
There they all are, that wartime team who got girls to Oxford or Cambridge on occasion, and there weren’t many places for girls, you must realise. They represent that invisible army of women who laid the foundations of the doors that open so universally nowadays. Don’t let them be forgotten. Merril Sylvester (née Brady) Class of 1945
The House System at Wycombe High School
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“In 1921, for the first time, an exhibition of handwork and hobbies was held in September. The work had to be done apart from School work, and almost any hobby could be offered, from needlework to gardening. though needlework predominated in the exhibits. The experiment was such a success that it has been decided to hold a similar exhibition each year in future.” Apart from the many competitions and cups to be won, the Houses gave individual parties and performances. These activities are reported in the School Diary for the 1920s. In 1922/23 Hampden won the Handicrafts Trophy and Gray House gave an Art and Craftwork Exhibition. In July the Rounders Match Final finished Milton 48 - Gray Rounders Cup presented 47. As the cup for by Gray House in 1923 rounders was given that year by Gray House, it was a shame they were beaten so narrowly in the final. In March Hampden House organised a Paper Chase. In 1923/24 Milton House won the Hobbies and Handicrafts Trophy, Penn House the bulb growing competition, and Milton House gave a party for the Mary Christie Scholarship fund.
were presented and “Stripes” were awarded. Apparently “Stripes” were presented for proficiency in gymnastics and for good deportment generally. I haven’t been able to discover what form they took or where they were worn, but I assume, they were like games colours, either metal or cloth badges. These later became a red girdle which was presented for deportment during the 40s, 50s and early 60s. During the 1930s the competition between houses continued and the various cups and trophies were competed for with friendly rivalry. Each girl wore a badge with the house colour and initial. The coming of WW2 changed things however. This can be seen by the House notes in the wartime school magazines. House Notes in 1942 reported “It appears that Hitler has done some good after all! The Houses in our school, once so fiercely independent, have been forced by the paper shortage to compromise and combine together in their notes. However, do not for a moment imagine that the rivalry between them is any the less keen. A fifth House was needed in the 1940s, when the pupils of Ealing County Girls’ School were evacuated to WHS. It was named Beck (yellow) to commemorate, the name of its headmistress, and given the Motto ‘Not a Step Backwards’.
After the war school life returned to normal with a new headmistress and House based activities In 1924/25 Milton again won the Hobbies and Handicrafts and in December they held a house became as competitive as ever. The House Notes in the magazines show the variety of party. Gray House held a party in April. In competition and activities which were part of 1924, Hampden House produced an operetta school life. Gray House Notes 1947; “This year “The Wishing Cap” by W S Cooper. Hampden Christmas House Parties were held for the first beat Milton 22-16 in the final of the House time. Ours was hilarious from beginning to end. Netball Match and in the Everyone co-operated once more and brought Hockey final Milton beat so much food that there was plenty for Penn 3-2. everybody.” There is no record of when By 1954 cups were being awarded for Tennis, the Bulb Competition was Rounders, Sports and Hockey. There was a introduced, but it was Murphy Cup for House choirs and a Baillie Cup competed for in the early for piano. The Bateman cup was for poetry and 1920s and continued there was a First form Reading Cup. The through until the 50s. It Baillie Murphy and Bateman Poetry was won in 1926 by Penn competitions continue today with individual and House. The attractive cup choir winners as well as House choirs. These was presented by now include the members of staff attached to Hampden House in 1927. the Houses. The Bulb Cup House Colours for sports Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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Original Contributions When the school moved to Marlow Hill in 1956, it was felt that the increased numbers would make the original houses too unwieldy. Each of the 5 existing houses was divided into 2, making 10 in all and Beck became Beaconsfield House, after Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield. The new Houses were given names of famous men who have lived in Buckinghamshire to conform with the names of the existing Houses. Each house had its own notice board with its name and shield, beautifully carved in wood, along the main corridor in the new school.
names were chosen even in a girls’ school. The top twelve nominated names were then put to the vote. All students and members of staff were invited to vote for their 'top six'. The three primary and three secondary colours were randomly drawn out of a hat to allocate one to each house. House crests were designed by a competition within each house.
Austen - Orange
Bronte - Red
Curie - Blue
Nightingale - G.
Pankhurst - Y.
Parks - Purple
Every student and member of staff are allocated to a House. House Captains are appointed from the Student Leadership Team and Deputy House Captains voted for within each House community. The vertically grouped houses are each divided into 10 smaller tutor groups with a staff member as group tutor. There was some opposition to vertical grouping to begin with but is now accepted as helping both younger and older girls alike. These groups meet each day. Each girl has their year, house and a group number after their names. Houses take it in turns to organise fortnightly assemblies. Younger students are helped by the Academic However, these Houses did not last long, the Editorial in the 1964 school magazine reported Classroom Assistant scheme and year seven that “This year has seen some changes that will parties are given to welcome new girls. Points are collected for many activities throughout the perhaps make School history. For the time year, including sports activities, charity fund being, Houses are discontinued, and though raising, an annual inter house challenge and some enthusiasts will feel regret, many of us contributing to the life of the school, like helping look forward to some later substitute for the at school events. At the end of the year the House system.” points are totalled and a cup presented. Cups It was not until September 2011 that the House and shields are also presented for fund raising System was reintroduced to WHS. All students and sports etc. were invited to suggest a theme with six One of the important activities within each possible names for their chosen theme. The House is to raise money each year for their winning theme was 'inspirational women' who chosen House charity. In 2017–2018 Austen have had a significant impact on society’s raised £2,311.94 for Plan International UK, development. This showed the change in Bronte £1567.80 for Forward, Curie £1642.77 thinking since the 1920s when only men’s Ramsay was linked with Penn, Milton with Ellwood, Hampden with Nash, Gray with Herschel and Chesterton with Beaconsfield. The colours of each House were also new. Penn and Ramsay were emerald and limegreen respectively. Ellwood, dove grey, while Milton remained white. Nash pale blue and Hampden a royal blue. Herschel and Gray were coral pink and dark red respectively, while Beaconsfield was pale yellow and Chesterton orange.
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for Wycombe Women’s Aid, Nightingale £2272.74 for Cinnamon Galle, Pankhurst £1619.39 for Wycombe Homeless and Parks £2102.15 for Pets as Therapy.
June Raeburn (Whitney) 1945 Group
On leaving school. June trained to be a doctor at Guys Hospital, specialising in gynaecology. She worked in Gibraltar for some time, and she House competition continues to flourish as can and her husband enjoyed sailing around the be seen by this 2018 report about Sports Day. Mediterranean before eventually settling back in “Earlier this week we enjoyed our eagerly this country in Cuckfield, Sussex where, being a awaited annual Sports Day, in near perfect keen gardener, June opened her beautiful weather conditions. Year 10 led a ‘Commongarden to the public every year to raise funds wealth Games’ opening ceremony. Year 12 for charity. June came regularly to the Guild House Captains proudly took their places on the Annual Reunions until they stopped. Sadly, her podium, amidst loud cheers, to receive the health deteriorated for her last two years and trophy for the winning House in each year she could no longer get out and about. group. Congratulations to all -Sonia Taylor, 1945 Group Leader participants and winners, and especially to Bronte House, the Pat Siderfin (Stapleton), Class of 1953 overall winner of Sports Day (November 1936 – October 2018) 2018, with a three point winning Pat Siderfin was my aunt. She was also a fellow margin!” ex Wycombe High School student and although Each year a House Challenge is held to encourage the use of technical, creative and literary skills. In 2017, to commemorate the death of Mary Christie the challenge was to design a banner depicting her life and work. Nightingale 6 won overall with a winning tutor group from each house. In 2016 the competition was International recycled fashion, each tutor group was given a continent and chose a country to make an outfit from recycled material. This year the competition was to create and perform a spoken word poem on the topic of ‘Self Respect’. The reintroduction of the House system to WHS is a great success and I am sure Mary Christie would be pleased. Jill Boyd, Class of 1956, Archive Volunteer
In Memoriam
Joyce Leeson (Woodbridge) 1926 Group Ethel May Luckett 1933 Group Eveline Hajduk (Crayfourd) 1945 Group Maureen Boyd (Walsh) 1952 Group Cynthia Dean (Smith) 1953 Group Peggy Humphrey (Emery) 1955 Group Ann Fraser (Griffiths) 1959 Group Jennifer R Green (Bishop) 1962 Group Maggie McKenna (Evans) 1962 Group Shirley Ault 1988 Group Millicent Brown 1989 Group Ann Proctor (Dormer) Group Unknown
our time there was 18 years apart, this was one of the things that gave us something in common and which we could share. I never joined the Guild, but my aunt was a member and showed an ongoing interest in the activities of the school
WHS Netball team, Pat back row, 2nd from right.
as she did in so many things, becoming treasurer of the Guild during the 1970’s. Pat started at the High School when she was still just 10 – a year early, in September 1947 when it was sited on what later became the Lady Verney High School in Benjamin Road, High Wycombe. Pat was, as her grandson recently described her, “intelligent and loving” and did well academically and in sport. She was gifted in hockey, netball, cricket, rounders and tennis. On finishing school in 1953, Pat was offered a place at St Hilda’s Oxford, but was unable to take it up because of the financial outlay required and instead she started work as a civil servant in the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance. In 1962, Pat married Steve and in1964 and 1966 respectively, had 2 children – Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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In Memoriam Peter and Janet. In the 1970’s she went to Newlands Park College and trained as a teacher, but also became a Guide Captain and Treasurer of the High School Guild.
The last few years of life for her were tough, especially physically, and it was a challenge, which she met, to remain cheerful and to continue to be involved in as much as possible. Now the time for rest has come.
Initially teaching at Holmer Green Secondary School, Angela Siderfin – Wycombe High School Pat moved to Student 1971-1978 Lowndes School in Chesham and Miss Millicent Brown became the Head of Music 1957 – 1989 Buckinghamshire President of the National Union of Teachers. While there she also achieved her degree through the Open Pat on a school trip to France, 1951. University. Her family describe her as someone who loved doing exams! In 1989, Pat’s teaching career came to an end as she was forced to retire through ill health. Not that she then sat back and relaxed. She joined the Women’s Institute as an active participant, and took the opportunity to travel abroad to the Mediterranean and New Zealand. In 1993, she was invited to be on the organising committee for the Women’s Cricket World Cup.
It was with great sadness that we reported the death of Millicent Brown Saturday 16 June.
Miss Brown was beloved by students and staff and will be greatly missed. Her funeral took place on Monday 16 July at 11.00 am at the Wesley Methodist Church and was attended by I also remember her as being the person who many of her Friends and family as well as staff, organised us as a family. Getting us together at parents and former students. any excuse for a party and including everyone who could or would be organised in her plans. As soon as we heard of Miss Brown’s passing Holidays were an opportunity to book a large we announced it in our official Facebook and house and get as many members of the family LinkedIn Groups. Below please find some of to join her in having fun together. She loved to the wonderful responses we received mourning sing and was involved in choral singing and her passing… church choirs wherever she settled. Her interest in cricket lead her to score for cricket matches, “I had the privilege of working with Miss Brown for and at which she was meticulous. Her interest the first two years when I was head. You could not in sport throughout her life must have influenced ask for a more loyal and hardworking colleague, one who inspired many many girls to go on to careers in her children and grandchildren as all are keen sports participants. Latterly, her specific interest music- some of them with international success. She was loved by all - girls, music staff in cricket was fulfilled as a meticulous scorer. In later years, Pat especially revelled in enjoyment of her 4 grandchildren and she and Steve moved to Somerset so that they could be closely involved in their lives as they grew up.
and other colleagues as well as many parents. After she retired she led a very active life in Wycombe, particularly at the Methodist church where she was superintendent of the Sunday School for many years. She was a loyal and regular attender at Guild events right up to about two years ago, when failing sight and poor health meant she did not get out much.”
Pat’s interest in other people and her determination to include them in her sphere of friendship and family, means she will be missed “So sad. I can never hear Bizet's farandole without by a great many. Hers was a life well lived in imagining Miss Brown conducting and of course the faith in God and in loving others. ever present David Stone arrangements. I wouldn't
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be a music teacher now if it wasn't for Miss Brown and the opportunities at WHS.”
over her lifetime. We were fortunate to have her in our lives”
“She was my neighbour for over 20 years. Lovely lady who I will miss greatly. RIP Minny.”
“Such a wonderful teacher. She brought music into so much of school life. Although I wasn't one of the music specialists, her tuition really changed my life “She was such a kind gentle soul, she taught us right for the better. RIP” up until she retired. Rest in peace Miss Brown xxx” “She was so kind and a brilliant teacher -will always “She was a memorable teacher, I can still sing some remember her fondly” of the the folk songs she taught in the 70's!” “She was my favourite, the kindest of all teachers “Very sad. I still cannot hear “Eine Kleine and so encouraging.” Nachtmusik” without going “Do so do so do so do mi “A truly wonderful woman, always with a twinkle in do. Fa re fa re fa re mi re do”! her eye and passing on her passion to all of us “Rest in peace Miss Brown, most memorable through her knowledge and wisdom. Bless you Miss teacher for all the very best reasons.” Brown, you were my favourite teacher.” “Rest. In peace Miss Brown... she was the kindest “It was a huge privilege to meet Millicent on a few teacher in the school.... she would take us up to the occasions and to try to follow in her footsteps a few Dashwood estate for summer picnics after the years after she retired. She was clearly much loved exams in the sixth form, happy times, and and an inspiration to so many. Thank you, Millicent, I’ve thought often this year of the composition our a for all you gave to the school and its students over level class composed and performed for her, with all so many years.” of us playing different instruments. I played the “An unforgettable teacher who opened our ears, bassoon.... the piece included ‘when I’m 64’... my eyes and minds. What a well lived life to have current age, it made the piece memorable! Thank affected so many so positively; that’s an amazing you Miss Brown, God bless you.” legacy. Thank you Miss Brown. Rest In Peace.” “Miss Brown will always be Miss “Music” Brown to my generation as we had three teachers called Miss “There were 2 Miss Browns on the staff when I was Brown at WHS at that time. They were Miss at WHS. Hence, Millicent was known as Miss “Classics” Brown, Miss “Music” Brown and Miss “PE” "Music" Brown. I was taught by her from the 1st year Brown I recall, as the Christian names of the staff onwards, culminating in A level. Wagner's Siegfried were largely unknown to the pupils. I was not a Idyll is etched into my brain! Millicent was a very music scholar, but Miss Brown’s enthusiasm for her private person with a wicked, dry, sense of humour. subject, her kind nature and wonderful sense of fun Many a laugh was had between our small group of A made her classes and choir practices a total joy. The levellers and Millicent!I visited her last year when 1966 Group were all delighted when she accepted she was in Ryeview Manor. I'm glad I did.She will be an invitation to attend our “Forty Years On” reunion remembered with great affection by many students.” in the Summer of 2006. I am sure that when the initial sadness has passed, we will all remember her To see more tributes to Miss Brown, or to add with a smile on our lips rather than a tear in our your own, please visit the official Wycombe eyes.” “She gave her life to the school . May she rest in peace.” Rest. In peace Miss Brown... she was the kindest teacher in the school and took the edge off the harshness of some of the others.... she would take us up to the Dashwood estate for summer picnics after the exams in the Sixth Form. Ah Miss Brown taught me piano with kindness and encouragement. A lovely lady. RIP She was a wonderful teacher and did so much for the Music Dept., in which I was very active when I saw a WHS from 1977 - 81. I remember her with enormous affection.” “A true legend” “Miss Brown was the nicest kindest teacher ever in that school.” “I was only thinking about her a few days ago. May she rest in peace” “I have so many fond memories of Miss Brown. It seems she influenced the lives of many WHS girls
High School Official Alumnae Group which can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/151196355718/ Niece of Beloved Music Teacher Millicent Brown Donates Piano
Karin Brown, the niece of former Head of Music Miss Millicent Brown, graciously donated her aunt’s beautiful piano and stool to the Music Department of Wycombe High School. We have with immense gratitude accepted this wonderful gift. You will find it in Practice Room 7. We have already had the pleasure of putting it to good use. Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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In Memoriam Maureen Allan (23 December 1935 – 22 March 2019) Head of Classics 1976 – 1995
WHS community of the death of her mother Maureen Allan, Classics teacher extraordinaire on Wycombe High School’s Official Alumnae Group on Facebook. What follows are comments made by former students and staff. Suzy Harvey - What an incredible woman. I am in part, where I am today, because of her. Verity Wood - An inspirational teacher. Many benefitted from her wisdom, skill and humanity. Rebecca Mathews - She was a lovely teacher. Anna Rowe - She made Latin so much fun. Emma Courtney - A truly inspirational teacher
Maureen was a much loved sister, mother (Hilary Wilson Class of 1983 and Lindsay Plowman Class of 1986), grandma and greatgrandma, and a talented educator who passed on her love of Classics to generations of students. She will be remembered fondly by family, friends, former colleagues and pupils. Teacher of Classics, Ancient History and the EPQ (formerly Head of History, Head of Sixth form and Assistant Head) - I remember Maureen with enormous affection. I arrived at WHS in 1991 – a brand new, rather nervous Head of History. To my delight I had the opportunity to teach A Level Classical Sculpture and Architecture (Maureen’s No 2 Dorothy had a sabbatical with her husband at Harvard). It was an absolute pleasure to work under Maureen. She was generous to a fault with her time and knowledge. She was scholar in the best possible way: to my eyes, she knew everything about the Ancient World. It wasn’t just Latin and Greek – she knew the history, the philosophy, the literature. And she had such a passion for it all - she communicated that enthusiasm to generations of Wycombe students. Even though she demanded 100% effort from her students, I liked her light touch with management – if not quite an irrelevancy, tidy paperwork was definitely a low priority. Her generosity did not end when she retired. I remember once - as I sat on her lawn, ate her summer pudding and played with her cats - she very kindly translated acres of early-sixteenth century Latin for me (on the rather obscure topic of church visitations in the 1520s). In her name, the WHS Classics department were delighted to receive a large cheque a few years ago: it was spent on books for the Library. I know Maureen would have approved. She took Socrates’ line: ‘Prefer knowledge to wealth, for the one is transitory, the other perpetual.’ It was with great regret that Hilary informed the
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Penny Thompson - I remember Mrs Allan with great fondness. Rachel Aston - I remember Mrs Allen with fondness. Bronwen Lacey - She was a WHS legend, known to all. Katie Kelly(Harland) - Absolute legend who taught me from my first day to my last at WHS. Wonderful lady. Anna Catherine - May she sleep peacefully . Sharon Maybury - I remember her well at WHS. Nicola Thompson - What an inspirational teacher. It was her enthusiasm and encouragement that led me to study Classics at Oxford and I am so thankful that she was my teacher, Vale Magister. Alissa Stephenson (Moore) - She made Latin fun and interesting but also was a great form teacher to us in 3G in 1981-1982. Clare Forsyth - What a character she was and will be remembered by many very fondly. Helen Forbes - So many lovely comments Jo Brodey - Many happy lessons xx Alex Clee - A wonderful and inspirational teacher. Julie Bungey - She was an inspiration to me. . Claire Pawley -She inspired me to read a lot of the classics - a really inspirational teacher. Sally Badham - Mrs Allan was a fantastic teacher and I loved my Latin a level. Liz Phebey - . She was a fantastic teacher, a great storyteller and had a fab sense of humour. My continued passion for Classics is due to her teaching. . Elizabeth Peers - It was a pleasure to be in the same staff room as her in WHS (Christie), and to have her as a neighbour in Marlow Bottom. Dawn Martin - I have memories of marching round the classroom saying the verb to walk ... ambulo, ambulas, ambulat ...
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In Memoriam
Group News
Tony Merrick - She was so very much admired and respected . I must also mention her laughter and her sense of humour. We had some wonderful moments of celebration in the old Staff Room and I do know that she felt it was a real privilege to teach at WHS, something that I have always felt.
We heard from Patricia Churchill’s (née Williams) class of 1936 daughter that she has no news to report. She is in moderately good health and retains an interest in all things.
In recognition of Maureen's long-term love of cats of all varieties the family would request that donations are made in her memory to the 'Blue Cross' Animal Charity and specifically her local branch in West End: https://maureenallan.muchloved.com/Fundraising/ RaisedForCharity/7261186
Liberty Anna Squire (Libby) (1 January 1988 - 20 March 2019) Alumna of Wycombe High School and Henley College . We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of one of our former students and a much loved and valued member of Nightingale 9. We offer our sincere condolences, thoughts and prayers to Libby’s family. “Libby was one of those people that you were really glad was in the tutor group, back when Nightingale had just been established and none of us knew each other very well. She mixed well with the young and old, and she always had something interesting and supportive to say, and I remember her and her friend Lauren teaching me about what people do when they want to tweet something longer than 140 characters! In C302 we still have her birthday balloon up on the wall.”
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1944 Liz Cashdan (Elisabeth Trilling): In September 2017 I moved from Sheffield where I had lived for 40 years to Bristol where my daughter lives. As I teach Creative Writing online for the Open College of the Arts, my main teaching has not been affected. I do miss the poetry groups I belonged to in Sheffield but I’ve joined Bristol Stanza, run by the Poetry Society, so I have a group I can share my poems with. I also teach for the Folk House in Bristol, an independent community arts centre. I am really lucky to have reasonably good health, and a stillfunctioning brain although I have just celebrated my 90th birthday. The last WHS contemporary of mine, Betty Birkby (Betty Rowley) who I was still in touch with, died a couple of years ago. Apart from my teaching, I sing in a choir and belong to the Bristol Old Vic adult theatre group, two activities I can trace back to my days at WHS. My poetry is often based on historical subjects and that is ultimately traceable back to having been taught History by Miss Downs and English by Miss Redhead. I combined my interest in literature and history in the Bristol area by contributing an article on Sarah Coleridge (STC’s wife), who was born in Bristol, for a book called Women who Built Bristol (ed. Jane Duffus, Tangent Books, Bristol 2018). You can see more of what I’m up to on my website: www.lizcashdan.weebly.com
1945 Perhaps it was a magic but vital health ingredient in that rather grey-looking National Loaf that accounts for the energy still apparent in the stalwarts of this the senior group of WHS alumni who left school just as World War Two ended. One suspects it was not the issue of those ship's biscuits or the tins of snoek! Whatever may be the cause Joy Watson (née Wallace) is happily participating in all the activities of her sheltered flat complex in Woburn Green. She is a Bingo-caller, ('Very much alive for the Forty Five'?), provides piano accompaniment when required and simply enjoys the camaraderie of the friendly atmosphere around her. Daphne Hucklesbry (née Morris) visits from
Patrick Mackerras Maths and Subject Leader nearby Wycombe and they mull over long-distant school memories. Having ceased driving, Joy set off RS, Philosophy and Thinking Skills. by train to visit relatives near Yeovil. This involved changing to several local lines and demonstrated
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Group News that rail exploration is still possible and immensely enjoyable. Nancy Grace (née Salter) has also given up driving but enjoys a quiet life with her husband Bernard in Sussex. The days are enlivened by nearby family who provide transport when required and with visits from the grand-children. There was great excitement with two grand-children getting married, others graduating and the customary (but still delightful) round of birthday parties. Audrey Garnett (née McMorran) blessed the NHS and modern orthopaedic surgery for providing her with two blissfully pain-free hips. This has enabled her to continue enjoying swimming several times a week. Her trips abroad continue apace. Prospects of a warm sea tempted her to visit her daughter in Sicily; her two nieces escorted her to the Christmas markets in Bavaria; and a granddaughter in Berlin accompanied her around several excellent art galleries. The homeland was not neglected. Her son surprises her with tickets to see 'Anthony and Cleopatra' at 'The National' on New Years Eve and they visited the fascinating Mary Rose exhibition in Portsmouth. Still enjoying driving Audrey manages to see Joan Way (née Millbourn) occasionally. Joan sadly is housebound.
several weeks away this Summer. The garden is always a source of great pleasure. Already in late January our field is bursting into bloom: a large carpet of snowdrops has emerged and, around the margins, aconites, crocuses and miniature daffodils can be found. The first lucojum are standing tall although, like the early blue bells, as yet bud like. I have ventured onto the patio and cleared my tubs so, with fresh soil, I am perusing catalogues for the brightest and best of new season begonias. The year ahead offers such great promise! Joan Jordan (née Styles) lives in Gosport. Her husband died 15 years ago but she has soldiered along since then with the help of her wonderful family and good neighbours. She has family close by and also in Southsea, plus a daughter in Australia. Thanks to e-mail they all keep in touch regularly and get together whenever they can. Joan has celebrated her 90th birthday with a family party and is already making plans for her 100th. She is thankful for her good health (no drugs). It must be all that sea air.
Joan Drew: “I moved to my new apartment at the Churchill Retirement Living at the end of June and I have been here now for seven months. It is all I hoped it would be and the other flat owners make for Pat Coveney (née Townsend) is recovering from a very happy group. One resident’s son cooked us a a nasty back injury and lives with her family in pre-Christmas dinner and he also did us a Burn’s Kempston. She gets out and about in her wheelNight supper complete with haggis. chair and keeps in contact when friends visit and by I still belong to various groups and enjoy coach long phone chats. holidays. In May I am going to Scarborough for five days with the “Four Seasons” club. The shops are Hazel Lee (née Bristow) writes: “Following our trip nearby and I find my “scholley” invaluable. Inevitably to North Wales in the Spring I met up with Audrey there are visits to the medical centre but it is good and Joy at the RAF Club in London for an always exercise walking there with my stick. It’s a whole highly enjoyable lunch and gentle reminisce. Our new ball game and I’m enjoying it.” memories of yesteryear are so vivid - unlike those of Joan met up with Sonia Taylor (née Herbert) for last week! This Autumn a highly successful hip lunch over the summer and they plan to do so again operation was followed by some other medical once the weather improves. complications and so I have been out of action at home and in hospital for a while. We are therefore all Joan Skiller (née White): “When I left school, after indebted to Sonia Taylor (née Herbert) who kindly a short holiday I started work with an insurance responded to my cry for help by collecting news from company who had been evacuated to Great the younger members of our Group – accounts Missenden during the war and I was delighted to be which I shall very much enjoy reading. invited to stay with them when they returned to With travelling restricted, Mike and I have welcomed London in 1946. Several other local girls made the even more the visits of friends and family - especially move and we were accommodated in a lovely house over Christmas when, thanks to a kindly caterer, we near Hampstead Heath. London was a lovely place were able to entertain all the family at our home. The to be at that time and I spent four happy years there hip and knee are getting steadily stronger and I have until my parents moved to Devon and I decided to re-joined my Art Group and local church worship – make the move with them. While I worked there in albeit the pews now feel much harder even with a local government in Exeter I met my future husband. generously sized cushion. We felt adventurous and decided to take a working I was sad to give up driving which I have enjoyed holiday to Canada which turned into a four year stay! since the age of 17 – my driving lessons being a We returned to England and settled in Bournemouth, 'leaving school' present. Fortunately Mike is still an where our son was born in 1959. In 1996 we moved active chauffeur so we are looking forward to our from Bournemouth to a bungalow in Highcliffe where Spring trip to Aberdovey as the first of hopefully I still live, having lost my husband to cancer in 2008”.
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Audree Abbott (née Millidge) is well and is still able to get out and about. She lives in Thame near her daughter and son. She no longer drives and walks regularly into the town centre which is about a mile away. Mavis Brooks (née Smith) has given up driving but still does Indoor Bowling to keep active. Pam Eacott (née Janes) had two parties to celebrate her 90th birthday. It is something to celebrate! She still drives locally and does her own shopping which is quite a social occasion in itself and she can still enjoy doing the lighter bits of gardening. She puts it down to the exhortations of Miss Horder in the gym and sports field which strengthened bones and determination. She is fortunate in having some family members close by and also some very good neighbours.
well and also unfamiliar ones I had always wanted to explore near Edinburgh. Also, we went to several performances at the Edinburgh Fringe. We also went on two tours, to include the bridge over the Firth of Forth at Queensferry. This took us to Aviemore, Cromarty on the ‘Black Isle,’ down the Caledonian Canal to Fort William – Glen Coe – looking up the mountains we had climbed as a family lots of years ago. Also to the Trossachs, the Kelpies and The Falkirk Wheel. I visited my other daughter, Barbara, in Ipswich and we enjoyed walks in Suffolk and along the coast. I still keep in touch with Gladys Gardner (née Richmond) who is now living in Buckingham and also with Joy Hawkins (née Guichard) who is now living near St Albans. With best wishes to all in the 1945 Group, known as ‘The War Girls.’”
Sonia Tayler (née Herbert) writes: “I have really enjoyed the opportunity of getting in touch with the 1945 oldies and I am delighted that there are still plenty of us living active lives (within reason) and Ursula Gossman is well settled near Plymouth. looking forward to celebrating our 90th birthdays, if An MRI scan discovered that she had a crumble vertebra which has affected her ability to walk, but we haven’t already done so. Like Gladys, I don’t do she can still manage to do so with a cane. That is long-distance travel any more, but did have a cruise sad because walking was such a great pleasure for on a 30-passenger boat around some Croatian her. She is happy in her Abbeyfield accommodation. islands in May and a trip to San Marino, Italy, in September. I also took my son and daughter for a Joy Hawkins (née Guichard) says she hasn’t weekend to San Malo in October. It was one of my much news as her life is very ordinary. (Group husband’s favourite places and he once expressed a Leader’s Note – join the club Joy! I think that wish to have his ashes scattered there. He accepted nowadays, thankfully, that is what we can all say!) that this would not be possible but this year we Five years ago Joy and her husband, David, moved picked the last roses from the garden and scattered from Portsmouth to a bungalow in St Albans to be them in the sea on his birthday. A few tears, but near to her eldest daughter who lives in the same also satisfaction that somehow we had done road. She is a great help when needed as are her something he would have been pleased about. other two daughters. Her son lives in Brazil, but gets I try to keep ‘the little grey cells’ active by being a over to see them as often as he can. They all made member of U3A, History, Theatre and Book Groups. a great fuss of her on her 90th birthday last October. Nothing too active. My sister, Greta, (1949 group) Joy and her husband are still very involved in their paid her annual visit from Canada as do members of church, not just on Sundays. her own family (she has five children and eight grandchildren) so I haven’t been able to down-size June Nunn sent Sonia Taylor a long letter yet.” although her own news was very short. She is still 1947 busy with various musical activities, but no longer teaches. She serves on various committees Hilary Stephenson (née Salter) left Wycombe connected with local activities and has sent Sonia a High School in 1949. “Now I am getting used to list of queries about historical Bucks which will keep writing 2019. I have been fortunate so far in retaining her busy! June also provided some addresses of old memories of each stage of life, all happy I’m glad to girls whom Sonia has contacted. say.
Gladys Richmond (née Gardiner) says that she is happily settled in Buckingham and is near her daughter. She no longer drives since an ‘old lady’ of 85 wrote off her car, she can walk into Buckingham and her daughter will always drive her when necessary. She no longer takes part in longdistance travel, but did have two short cruises during the year. Phyllis Wickens (née Potter) writes: “I have adapted to life on my own and still live in Cirencester. I have had three trips to my daughter, Catherine, in Edinburgh. We visited places I knew
Having trained as a Primary School teacher, I taught, taking twelve years out to raise our family, until 1991. Husband Bill and I have been happily retired for almost twenty-eight years. We have recently given up on holidays, but still enjoy days out, and we are fortunate to see our family Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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family! Two of us took many a car load to their Garage / Studio near Bath and a special day when Terry Waite, now a QuAnglican (Quaker/Anglican), after his long solitary confinement experience and devoted to their work, came for a long day. Here in Weymouth we have so many rough sleepers in these difficult times so I continue working with Doris Horne (née Maslen): After her plane ride on them, the VSO and the Labour Party to keep my feet on the ground. her 86th birthday two years ago, Doris expressed a wish to fly in a helicopter. This year her dream came Good wishes to all who remember our WHS days! true and on 3 October she took a flight from Denham Gillian Bradshaw (née Nash): I’m still doing all the aerodrome. For many years Doris collected for the same things, just a bit more slowly. The Lifeboat Association and was grandchildren are thriving; the youngest, Michael, presented and his mother have perfect pitch! I might give up with their accompanying next year. I’d like to end my days Long Service singing while I still can (alto). Gold Medal and Bar for Josie Abbott: I haven’t really any fresh news but it her hard is nice to keep in touch. Angela came over from work. On her Canada again and my son Stephen and I frequent 88th birthday Cornwall throughout the year. It is lovely to see the in countryside change in the seasons. September, as a surprise Ruth Whitehouse writes “I had an enjoyable holiday for Doris, the last summer with a friend when we visited Romania staff in White again, this time to explore the Danube Delta. The Plains, where birds were amazing and included hundreds of she has lived since her stroke, arranged for a pelicans and six different species of heron. My best member of the Lifeboat team to give a talk to the wishes to all the ‘oldies’ who continue to keep in residents. touch with the Guild.” frequently, - children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. We are blessed indeed to be still together and reasonably fit. I’m in touch with my sister Nancy and friend Kathleen Benson née Avery. Best wishes to anyone else who might remember me.”
1952
Ruth Whitehouse (Why) Freda Mulvany (née Joynson): Feeling fortunate enough to be able to keep life going merrily I wish the same for you all. So, as well as walking, music is perhaps central, stemming from the four of us, Ruth, Gillian and Leila together in the sixth form now about sixty six years ago! and still good friends. I enjoyed another stay with Ruth and Derrick in their lovely Moreton in Marsh flat in September. Here in Weymouth and Portland our U3A is very active so I run an instrumental group and temporarily run the Singing for Fun as our ninety two year old conductor fell backwards down her stairs in June. Please no more falls! I play with the Ukelele Group and enjoy Watercolours to relax! But most of all I enjoy playing with Dorchestra, our S. of England Community Orchestra of about seventy. The family seem mostly to be thriving with Victor, now coming on two, keeping me on my toes as Great Granola! Granddaughter Alice, now twenty five as second Officer and Navigator for a cruise line has enabled her parents and me to be steered and moored by her this year round the Med, and most memorably to the Far East to better understand the history of Vietnam and Cambodia and see the reality of the rich and the poor. Also enjoyed Portugal and Scotland and two family stays in the I.O.W. Kevin and Susie’s two year project as Architectural Miniaturists climaxed in August with Savage Mansion, which started as Trerice, an Elizabethan house in N. Cornwall but the sponsor then asked for each room to represent a period of her Savage
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1953 Wendy Porter (Batts) Hilary Chaston (née Geeves) wrote to report that she has little news this year as “anno domini is takings its toll” and there have been worrying family illnesses to cope with. However, she reports that things “could be worse” and asks that her good wishes are passed on to other Guild members, especially those in her year. Angela Crew (née Richmond) has had a fairly quiet year. For her birthday in May she and her daughter spent a long weekend at Barnstaple and Lynmouth. She has also been on several day trips with her B.T. group and enjoys various speakers and outings with a local social group, the Senior Friends. Her youngest grandson, Edward, became engaged in March and hopes to get married in 2021. Joan Fowler (née Archer) writes: “I still keep active with various clubs. Holidays are often Old Time dancing weekends, whist, or a week in the Lake District or at Lymington. I am in contact with Phyllis Masters (née Mathews) who is in a care home in Godalming. She has Parkinsons and cannot write, so would love to receive a phone call [I have her number – Wendy]. I also hear from Valerie (née Simmons). Angela Haigh (née Green) writes: “Several of our year had arranged to meet up in London again in the spring, but we were shocked and saddened to learn
that one of our group, Cynthia Dean (Smith) had died very suddenly whilst on holiday in Germany. My friendship with Cynthia went back as far as Terriers Primary School and was a friendship that I valued greatly. Brian and I tried a new venture for a holiday: a railway (and coach) trip to the Highlands of Scotland and Skye, which we enjoyed greatly. In contrast, the ancient Roman palace in Split in Croatia delighted us when we spent a week there looking at archaeology. Norwich was also a delight when we spent a few nights there staying in a B & B in September. Our village History Society, keep fit classes and gardening keep me on my toes. I love doing my daily wildlife patrols in my garden and recording regularly for the British Trust for Ornithology. With drawing and painting I also try to keep an on-going sketchbook to link up with my enjoyment of design and stitch. There is much to enjoy and I am grateful for it.” Jo Harrington (née Menday) writes: “As usual, some of my time has been spent on choir based events, including listening to Bach at the Royal Academy of Music. In 2018 we hosted the return visit of the Polish choir from the Katowice area, with whom we had sung in 2016. They managed to take in trips to Windsor, London and the St Giles and Amersham areas, plus a shared rehearsal and concert in Gerrard’s Cross, all in four days. Zita and I also went on a church organised holiday based in Sudbury – Gainsborough and Constable country. Like the rest of the group, I was so sad to learn that Cynthia had died. I met Angela Haigh and Janice Revell (née Prior) at the funeral in Tylers Green and it was very moving to realise how well loved Cynthia had been in the church and how much she had contributed to the musical life of the district.” Zita Miller (née Menday) enjoyed a busy holiday in April based in the mountains of San Marino. Highlights included a visit to Pesaro, the birthplace of Rossini, and Ravenna where the spectacular mosaics are so high up the souvenir booklet proved to be invaluable. Jean Morley (née Foster) writes: “Ben and I keep busy making things for the market at our grandson’s Church of England Junior School at Great Missenden. At Christmas Ben carved a lovely Nativity Scene with a wooden box to store it, which was also much appreciated. We have been to stay with both our children during the year but haven’t bothered with other holidays as we are quite happy with our home and garden these days. Our son-in-law, Kevin, was asked to supply a huge corian water feature for the Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang last January, and took a team of six to install it. Stuart is still very busy with his photo opportunities all over the country and in Holland, also during the Christmas period at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park and the Ice Rink outside the Natural History Museum.
The news of Cynthia’s death was a shock and I miss her dreadfully, especially as I was preparing to visit her for a few days as I have done for several years. I am not very active these days and spent most of last summer attending hospital appointments. However, I am still involved with church and community groups. Three cheers for emails and phone calls! Frank also had a short stay as an in-patient but was soon back playing golf. Although I have not received news for the magazine, during the past year I have also been in contact with Rachel Giles (née Burnard), Joan Manley, Ann Weaver (née Saunders) and Sheila Wilcockson (née Kirwan). From Devon to East Anglia, from San Marino to Scotland; Old Time dancing, archaeology, gardening, music and creative art. I hope we octogenarians inspire the younger generation!
1954 Branwen Davies (née Kelly): “Of the group of us who meet monthly for lunch in the Marlow area, I was the first to reach the age of 80 in January. Others are rapidly following me and some have years to go before they catch up! We had a wonderful week of celebration, including a lunch with Marian Brocklesby, Rachel Sutcliffe Liz Taylor and Barbara Close. Jill Boyd was unable to come and we missed her. We meet at the Three Horseshoes on the first Monday of each month if you care to join us. The actual day was spent with our daughter and son -in-law. Our granddaughter phoned from Sheffield where she is studying Biochemistry and all my nieces and nephews sent cards and a huge bunch of glorious flowers. We had a couple of weeks in our house in Ceinewydd, Wales in the summer and enjoyed the regatta, meals out and good company. I swim three times a week and am currently, and very slowly, bringing our garden into order after 12 years of neglect. The magnolia tree was threatening to invade the house through the upstairs windows.” Ann Sharp: “I hope everyone has had a good year. My pattern hasn’t changed very much. The really exciting event was that I had cataracts removed in both eyes (separately, not together!) and after 35 years of wearing glasses to drive I don’t need them anymore, I find it amazing, at least some element of one’s younger days has been restored. Mind you, I’ve no idea how long it lasts! I’m still doing my journeys to and from Bognor to Kington Langley and still find the drive very enjoyable, it’s very good planning time! My garden has survived the dry summer in good shape, in fact some shrubs seems to thrive on it and have grown a great deal. I had two interesting trips abroad. In March I went by coach to Paris and we just got ahead of the snow to catch the ferry at Dover Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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and returned to no snow and all the usual horror stories of what we’d missed. I stayed in a ‘floating hotel’ moored on the Seine near the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed seeing the sights again after 30 years! In May I went on a cruise on the Danube from Belgrade to Bucharest. The river was much wider than I had imagined and well-wooded along the banks, apart from various ports of call, down to the Delta. Here we whizzed around in small boats at such speed and with so much noise that all the promised wildfowl sensibly disappeared or didn’t appear. The countries we sailed through had varying agreements with the EU so that crossing watery boundaries varied in its ease and pleasantness. Otherwise, I have had lots of short breaks in Cornwall, Poole and Wales. Sadly, I lost my brotherin-law aged 93, the youngest of Andrew’s siblings and number 8. I still have a sister-in-law, number 4 and 98, now living in France with her daughter.”
1954, 1955 & 1956 Groups As last year, I was most disappointed to receive no replies to the request for news sent to all Guild members, so I can only give some from those with whom I am in contact. The lunch group continues to meet locally once a month - Jill Boyd (Patman 1956), Marian Brocklesby (1954) and Branwen Kelly (Davies 1954). Liz Taylor (Highley 1965) also joins us when possible. Pam Moores (1956) and I continue to phone one another about once a week. She is still receiving various medical treatments and unable to drive, as movement is limited. However, she still hopes to make it to Bucks later this year to catch up with friends. Unfortunately, my health has not allowed me to visit her in Wales for some time. Rachel Sutcliffe (Avis 1955) After some twenty years, my term of office as a WHS governor has ended. I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to contribute to the life of the school which gave me so much, enabling me to go to university and to follow a career teaching in further education. I intend to continue supporting the Guild and working in the Archive. I should like to thank the volunteers from the Guild who help to sort, catalogue and house, as well as digitise the records, especially Jill Boyd, Liz Taylor, Janet Paterson (Pearson 1966), Penny Waterfield (Butcher 1957), Hilary Brash and also the student archivists recruited by Hilary. More volunteers would be most welcome. Jill Boyd (Patman 1956) writes: It seems strange to be writing this to send to my group leader instead of adding it myself. I have enjoyed my 16 years as editor of the Magazine but decided that the time had come to hand over to a younger member. I am very grateful to Anne-Marie for volunteering and wish her well. I continue to work in the school archive, which is a most interesting occupation, and I am continually
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surprised when I learn something new about the history of WHS.
1957 Sue Neville (Clark) Margaret Baker (née Pilgrim) does not get out and about very much due to back and eye problems. Having no musical talent herself, she is proud of her musical son Richard who teaches and performs in tribute bands. Her older grandson is now at a sixth form college and is an orchestral percussionist in his spare time, whilst the younger, Harry, is a talented cellist having a scholarship to Uppingham and now receiving Saturday lessons at the Royal Academy. Margaret Burns (née Bowman) had one holiday last year to see the André Rieu Orchestra perform live in Vienna. This year she has plans to see him perform again in Maastricht. On the family side she now has a second great-grandchild, this time a girl. She herself keeps fit with daily long walks with her dog, and still occasionally acts in Murder Mystery dinner plays. Vanda Green (née Hughes) lives in London and gets about despite her disability. She is still running courses, the latest being BoardAble to help women get senior appointments at board level in the public and private sectors. Her son, married to an Italian, now lives in Italy. The older two grandchildren are British, and the youngest granddaughter is Italian, so they wonder what Brexit will bring. Carol Larkin fared better in 2018 and managed a variety of trips. The most challenging was driving in France with her 93 year old Australian visitor in order to see the WW1 sites around Amiens. She also toured Norfolk managing to meet up with Angela Parkes (Bedwell). The family celebrated her daughter's 50th birthday in Spain and whilst there she also visited other old friends. Back home she is making the garden easier and the house tidier. Celia Soden (née Blaney) is delighted at being finally mobile again after a hip and knee replacement and is now even back to line dancing. Between operations, with wheelchair assistance, she did get to the USA as usual and also made a trip to Naples. This year she will be back in the garden and her next visit to the USA will be with her daughter and two grandsons, who are 20 and 18 years old. Helen Stevens (née Boardman) has had a busy year following her husband's death. She is looking forward to a cruise round Great Britain this year and is hoping to have a cataract operation soon. Penny Waterfield (née Butcher) is battling with health problems and is managing the house and garden on her own as her husband is unable to help much nowadays. They had a short summer break in Liverpool last year and enjoyed the city's amenities. Her twin granddaughters finish at university this year. Both recently collected their Duke of Edinburgh's
gold awards. The youngest granddaughter has just the cello ten years ago and is in two local orchestras. He loves to meet up to enjoy a varied week like this entered the Sixth Form Year. led by professional musicians. Naomi Whelan (née Davidson) enjoyed a locally We returned to Stirling with time for me to see some organised National Trust holiday exploring Suffolk of their family – and mine! There are three of their and Essex last year. She also had a few days in family, all in their forties and they have seven London whilst a relative from Israel was visiting for children between them. All these, as well as Rosas the Book Fair. Both granddaughters and friends visit and Tony, have been an immense joy to me and 2018 was a celebration of 50 years of marriage and her in Hereford. the week in Ullapool was where I joined in the Janet Freund (née Tuckey) has just returned from celebration! an enjoyable stay in Cape Town, where the weather Ruth Wood, who taught history for 29 years at was lovely. She has back problems but keeps active, Wycombe High School, retiring in July 1989 has last year having holidays in Greece & Cyprus as well been a very special friend since I met her in 1969. Here we are in her garden, Ruth on the right and as taking trips to London for the theatre & Proms. One grandson is now at university and another myself on the left.” hopes to start soon. She also has three much younger grandchildren. 1959 Sue Neville (née Clark): “I keep fully busy with the house, garden and the activities which I won't give up or those that won't give me up due to what I still do for them. John and I went to Mallorca twice last year, and once to Spain on a Saga trip. One of the Mallorca trips was an Easter gathering of all twelve of our extended family members, a good opportunity to see them all, but increasingly difficult to organise around their various activities. Two grandsons are at university, and the granddaughter is now in the Sixth Form. The other three grandsons are at a variety of secondary schools.”
Shirley Dorman (née Smith): Shirley sends her best wishes to all members of the 1959 Group.
Sandra Ingle (née Butters): “I suppose the main family news is that Estelle and family left Hong Kong in July. They’re living back in Brussels once again, not far from Rosalie (Zobel), with whom I hope to catch up with, next time we are over. In the meantime they also have a base in Shrewsbury where the two grandchildren are in 6th form boarding. Two of our other granddaughters have just bought a house together in York and are in the middle of ‘doing it up’. Makes us feel rather old but 1958 very proud of them. January saw us off to Anglesey for a week, followed by 2 weeks in La Gomera in April. This set us up for Priscilla Nunnerly: “Ullapool, a coastal town and numerous trips to Shrewsbury over Spring and early harbour, on the northwest side of Scotland was the place for a special holiday. My sister, Rosas (known Summer to help Estelle establish their base there. I think one week we went down 3 times! That then as Rosemary when at Wycombe High School) and brother-in-law, Tony, drove me there from their home required a week in Scotland in July to recover. In the meantime we spent many happy hours in the in Stirling, central Scotland, for a week July-August garden in the glorious sunshine. We rounded off last year. the year with a couple of trips to the North East We stayed in a cottage incorporating catching up with family. We still have along the loch-side, three our two spaniels who’s energy levels seem to miles out from Ullapool. increase with age, still they and the gym keep us fit.” From our cottage, which I heard at Christmas from Carole Bowler we had rented, we could (née Wiffen). She isn’t a member of the Guild but watch the ferry come in lots of the 1959 group will remember her. She like, twice a day from lots of us, keeps very busy and active and in her Stornoway up to the letter to me was reminiscing about our primary harbour. There were also school days. Memories! magnificent sunsets most evenings. I also heard from Joy Palmer (née Messenger) and We visited Leckmelm, a tranquil loch-side arboretum. You can imagine how Val Cope (née Hughes). Both of them report that they and their families are well and have had a busy huge the trees were – many were planted from overseas at the end of the 19th century. Then there year. was a ferry trip out to view the Summer Isles, when Judith Goodchild (née Palmer): “My last year we saw white tailed eagles and other birds. At the end of the week Rosas drove me along the 15 mile, seems to have been spent mostly travelling. We one track road to Achiltibuie near the sea where we took an early spring holiday to Spain where it was unseasonably cold, much to my disgust, and a found somewhere pleasant for lunch and then couple of trips to the south of France where we enjoyed a little craft exhibition. Most of the week Tony was with musicians meeting stayed in our elder daughter’s holiday home near Grasse. In August we journeyed to North Wales in the local secondary school. He started to learn Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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with our granddaughters and the rest of the spring and summer was spent touring UK. I still visit the gym twice a week, walk with my walking group and spend a lot of time in the garden in the spring and summer which, I kid myself, keeps me fit. I have lots of hobbies and when I am not doing any of these, I socialise. I work on the old adage ‘do it today - don’t wait until tomorrow.’ I will finish off this report by wishing all members of the 1959 group good health and sending you my very best wishes for the year ahead.”
1961 Sue Filby (Child) Suzanne Warren (née Udell) writes: “Last year was quite a busy one. I started the year still recovering from my heart operation the previous year and still having lots of tests. Since then I have slowly improved and been able to get back to doing some gardening and bell-ringing again. We spent quite a bit of the year at our mobile home in Dorset, but did go on a coach trip to North Wales in August. We enjoyed this very much and went on six different steam trains including up Snowdon. We were fortunate to have good weather and it was very clear at the summit. Unfortunately, I spent a week in hospital during the very hot weather with an infection in my leg. In September we spent a week at the Manor House Hotel at Okehampton with some friends and in November we went on a Cruise to the Canaries to catch some late autumn sun. We are still involved in the running of the Bank pensioners group, being on the Committee and arranging the programme. I still keep in touch with several WHS friends.” Sue Filby (née Child) writes: “Ray and I continue to be busy with lots of different church activities. We help with the old folk’s lunch club (even though we are old folk too!) and often lead the mid-week services for the so-called ‘Young at Heart.’ I continue to be a lay chaplain at Warwick Hospital, which I find a real privilege. However, one of our greatest joys is being grandparents to our five grandchildren. We have such fun with them all. Our special holiday this year was a cruise round the British Isles, calling in to visit Cobh and Blarney Castle, Liverpool, Greenock, Belfast and the Titanic Experience, Donegal, and St. Peter Port in Guernsey. It was all interesting but the high point for us both was the time we spent in the Orkneys, visiting Kirkwall with its magnificent St. Magnus’ Cathedral and seeing the remarkable stone village and impressive stone circles which predate Stonehenge and the Pyramids. Best wishes to all those in the 1961 group.”
1962 Gill(ian) Bullock (née Quickenden) enjoyed a wonderful summer in Denmark where she and husband, Ronnie, live. With water and beaches just around the corner there was no need to travel to warmer climates! In September they went on a walking tour of the Malvern Hills. Gill did her teacher training in Worcester, but never walked the Hills. Retired life is taken up with going to lectures, training, piano lessons, gospel choir, film club and they are both involved with the Red Cross. Gill sent sad news too that Maggie McKenna (née Evans) passed away just before Christmas. She had been suffering from dementia for about 5 years. They were best friends at school, but lost touch. Maggie found Gill again after 40 years and resumed their friendship with several trips across the Channel. (Happy to have helped reunite the two of you – Jo.) Bryony Coles (née Orme) wrote to say she now finally has “the bound copies of a book I’ve been working on for some years, ‘Avanke, Bever, Castor: The story of Beavers in Wales’. The boxes are taking up rather a lot of space at home, but it’s great to see the finished product. It was printed by a local company, who also did all the preparation of photos, page-making, etc, and I learned a lot by taking part in the whole process. Otherwise, we have been generally well, and quite busy locally, enjoying family visits etc, but with one very sad episode when my cousin’s son was killed by a hit and run driver, very hard on all his family.” Pam Cuff (née Seymour) writes: “We have had another busy year spending more time in our own home as well as enjoying holidays in the Canaries, France, & Portugal. Our daughter qualified as a paramedic in the summer (her ‘second’ career!) and I baptised our two youngest grandchildren in August. The pub in the Village (eldest son & family) seems to be thriving. We spent Christmas and New Year there and we are currently key holders while they are away, as well as keeping an eye on two teenagers while their parents are away! I remain active in the church despite being ‘retired’ and I have decided neither parents nor priests ever really retire!! Jill Dibling (née Stromqvist) managed to sell a few paintings and also decided it was a good time to get a dog. “Daisy arrived in July. She is a standard poodle/ cocker spaniel mix, very clever, challenging but a lot of fun! I am still a Trustee/Director with Mid Powys Mind where I run the art groups among other things. Plans for the coming year include a family holiday in August, a Mindfulness retreat, work in securing funding to develop our services at Mind and stocking up on paint and stuff to cover some of the blank canvasses in my studio.” Joanna Fink (née Waldron) was unable to travel this last year because of a painful back and hip but
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at the Chiltern Open Air Museum. Most weekends and school holidays between Easter and end of October finds either one or other of us or both making beeswax candles with both adults and children. In term time we work with school groups with me doing anything from Victorian butter making and school-room to playing the part of Mrs. Hartridge Lorraine Grieve (née Holgate) says: “2018 has been a good year and my family are fit and well, with in ‘Good night Mr Tom’ in costume. I am also still doing maths tutoring in the evenings. (I hope Miss my grandsons growing tall and enjoying life. David and I enjoyed our motor home this year, staying with Kerry would be pleased). longtime friends and their husbands in Dunster . We Last July we spent a pleasurable holiday in Europe going by coach down to Remagen and Passau also visited East Sussex and Kent staying on small sites on farms. We loved the castles (Leeds Castle), before joining our cruise ship down the Danube from gardens (Sissinghurst) and famous stately homes. I Linz to Budapest. Among the highlights of the belong to a group for those who ‘can’t sing’, but holiday was the privilege of attending an organ together we apparently sound very good - we sing recital in Passau (the largest organ in Europe).” lots of songs from shows, modern and old and our leader is a trained singer and performer. The group Sue Lokkerbol (née Harding) writes: “Last year is particularly welcoming of everyone, and many join our travels took us firstly to Namibia which we fell in who are carers or lonely/depressed. love with. The people were so friendly, the scenery In March a group of 5 friends went on a 10 day truly beautiful and the safari parks had a wide variety photography trip to Las Vegas and the National of animals. The weather was warm and sunny! We Parks. We started in Las Vegas, then visited the then went on to South Africa with more incredible Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, scenery, lots of animals and warmth while the UK Moab’s Arches, Bryce Canyon and Zion, and then was snowed in. returned to Las Vegas. Later on our U3A French In the summer we celebrated our Golden Wedding group was hosted by friends in Caen where we were Anniversary with a lunch for friends and treated to a day at Giverny, home of Monet . We relatives - so many people joined us. Even some of enjoyed the beautiful gardens there as well as an David’s relations travelled from The Netherlands to exhibition of Japanese art. be there. I also enjoy my role as a school governor at a school The rest of our time is mainly taken up with bowls, for Children with Additional Needs. With education the U3A, walking and family. This year we are being squeezed along with other public services, I planning to return to New Zealand to visit friends and marvel at the continued dedication and then continue on to Australia to drive from Adelaide determination of all the staff to give all their students to Brisbane, stopping en- route to visit more friends the best education and so much encouragement to near Sydney. become confident individuals. I enjoy going in to school and spending time there, or helping out with Wendy Morris (née Ellwood) writes: “We are both outings, or anything else that’s needed.” continuing our interests both together and Lorraine also spends as much time as she can separately. Ted enjoys making walking sticks, dog tending her allotment. whistles and so on for friends in the shooting world and does some advisory work on a couple of the Christine Griggs (née Bailey) writes: “2018 was local estates. I continue to keep my basic weather yet another very busy year, with orchestras in records which I have done now for 40 years; I have Banbury, Leicester, Ludlow and Warwick, and sent them to the Climatological Observers Link chamber music too. The Reed Warblers Oboe based at Reading University for the last 20 years. I Quartet performed in ‘A Consort of Carols’ and then have also been monitoring and counting birds in the on Christmas Eve with the Coventry Cathedral choir garden all year long for the BTO’s Garden Bird and orchestra in a programme called ‘Journey to Watch for over 25 years. Bethlehem.’ I attended Miss (Millicent) Brown’s We enjoy exploring parts of Dorset, Somerset and funeral in High Wycombe in July and I am forever east Devon both by car and sometimes on foot. grateful to her for teaching me and giving me the Fortunately, we are both still in pretty good health opportunity to learn to play the oboe. and cannot believe that we are both in our 70s! Our eldest grandchild graduated from university with a first class degree in English, and is now assistant Gillian Sugden (née Sleep) fell over in the snow editor in a small publishing house. Our younger last winter while walking her daughter’s dog and grandson enjoys school and his two sisters are in broke her right arm. Six weeks of one arm in a sling secondary school. In New Zealand, our elder was a challenging experience and she wasn't able to grandson is 13 and is much in demand as he is the drive for 10 weeks. Now things are pretty much back only bass player in his school! to normal and Gillian is trying to catch up on all the Alan and I enjoyed a wonderful cruise to Iceland in gardening she couldn't do earlier. the summer, and a grand tour around Corsica in “I'm still very involved with the Country Market (now I September.” can bake and make preserves again) and with my church. I'm also now needed quite often as a taxi Pam Linsey (née Nye) says: “David and I still work service for my teenage grandchildren.” things have improved and so she hopes to spread her wings again this year. Joanna stays in contact with Esme Harrison and Carole Merrett as well and says they have both had rather a challenging year health-wise.
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Helen Wharton (née Goodchild) says: “We are very lucky, the family are all good as are we. As usual ‘no news is good news’. She sends her best wishes to everyone. Judi Wild (née Poholka) would consider 2018 the ‘Year of the Transition.’ “My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Vascular Dementia, something I have long suspected. With a formal diagnosis comes a strong dose of reality and so we made a sensible decision to move to town, leaving behind our ocean-front and mountains. We love our beautiful new home with a small garden in Comox, B.C. Canada very close to the ocean and with a park close by. I have been "making this home our own" changing all the wall colours and the entire theme of the house. I am more or less finished painting walls, and plan on getting back into my art again. Usually when an artist moves their art changes in some manner. I have taken a workshop and begun sculpting. I want to try combining this new passion with my paintings and see what happens. I am excited about stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new.” Barbara Woodhead (née Furby) says: “In May we had ten days in Alsace, an area of France quite new to me; I thoroughly enjoyed the holiday, particularly liking the city of Colmar. Quite a feat of logistics as far as travel was concerned in France in the spring and summer since the French SNCF was frequently on strike. It was quite a sporty summer - after the enthusiasm and high spirits of the World Cup win in the football, Millau was one of the stage towns in the Tour de France. Again, great fun in all the build up to this, and we knew not to blink as the cyclists whooshed by! October saw us in Portugal for ten days - Lisbon and Evora - The Gulbenkian museum was wonderful. We also attended a couple of lovely family weddings plenty of smiles and happy faces despite torrents of rain! Otherwise, life continues in the usual enjoyable way, French classes, walks, exhibitions etc. and just about doing enough to keep the house clean and tidy! Jenny Johnson (née Steel) had sad news unfortunately this year as her sister in law died recently after a long illness and they have been busy supporting her husband through this. (Our condolences to the family – Jo). On a brighter note, both Jenny and husband, Colin are staying healthy. “We are both well although Colin suffers from arthritis in his ankles which does limit his activities. Our children and grandchildren are all well and continue to thrive and we are still loving living in our village.” Jo Karl (née Harvey) writes: “We are still enjoying our “snow bird” life - that is spending the cooler summers on the Oregon coast and then escaping the dreary grey dark winters to find some sun in Phoenix, Arizona. Tom and I do a lot of volunteering, in a couple of schools in Phoenix 2 mornings a week and then with
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various Knights of Columbus (a men’s international Catholic group) activities both in Arizona and Oregon. I continue to sing in the wonderful church choir while we are in Phoenix. 2018 was an “up and down” year for us - at the beginning of the year our son-in-law Brian’s brother died unexpectedly and then in late August our granddaughter’s father was tragically killed in a small plane accident. We did make a trip to Arizona then to be there for Hailey (15) and her step-siblings for a few days. Thankfully, with counselling and a supportive mum and step-dad Hailey seems to be coping very well. Our grandson, Eric (now 27) visited us in Oregon for a few days and Tom’s brother and sister-in-law later spent a few days on the coast with us too so we “played tourist” and put many miles on the car enjoying our time with them. Our family is doing well - all our sons-in law began the New Year with promotions - John is now in training to become a chief pilot (he flies for Southwest Airlines), Brian who is in construction management, started a new job with a Native American tribe who are enlarging their casino gaming floor, building a huge hotel and parking garage and Chris was promoted to a director with his company. Cathy continues to advise students and lecture at George Mason University south of Washington DC, Terri is pursuing an associate degree in Construction Management and works with a bank inspecting and reporting on construction projects. Sam works from home for a health insurance company. The grandchildren are also doing well. Eric started a job as a dental office manager and his sister Katie (24) continues to ‘find herself,’ taking a few college classes and then finding a job and then repeats! Hailey (15) is in High School and has a couple more years till graduation - she continues her karate but like most teenagers is beginning to lose interest in it. She does however have some very good selfdefence skills! Ethan (13) is in Middle School and seems to be doing much better in school this year. He has ‘applied himself’ as they say. Many thanks to everyone who has responded with news - I truly appreciate it. My very best wishes to you all and may 2019 be all you wish it to be.
1963 Helen Bailey (née Oakley): “Looking back on the last year Geoff and I have been travelling, twice to San Diego to visit our son and family, wonderful weather for Christmas and Easter. My mother, 96, still lives independently in north London so we visit regularly as do other family members. We have also enjoyed trips to the Lake District and a cruise from Oban to Greenock. Geoff still enjoys his gliding and it is patchwork and knitting for me. Our town was involved in making 25,000 poppies for the local schools Armistice project. Our church celebrated its 150th birthday and I was asked to make the banner, so it’s been a busy year. I don’t get to see many of our WHS group as we live so far away. It’s good to catch up in the magazine”.
Penny Gerrard (née Coysh): “2018 was a busy and satisfying year despite a rather alarming diagnosis of Polymyalgia Rheumatica which steroids are keeping at bay apart from my right hand which is pretty painful and also needs an operation. Fortunately the more I use it the better it is so doesn’t stop me sewing or knitting, and most importantly playing the harp which has been my major project for the year along with joining Rock Choir. I’ve just upgraded to a wonderful new harp which is giving me so much pleasure. Francis is keeping well and we’ve been able to travel to France, Spain, Mallorca and Portugal as well as exploring more of England with visits to Herefordshire & Somerset for short breaks. Our family continues to thrive although our daughter went through a pretty awful time with a badly broken arm, which although I wouldn’t have wished it on her, has given us the chance to spend a lot more time together. I’m still doing my custody visitor, church secretary and U3A chairman jobs as well as helping with a Movers and Shakers group and doing Aquafit regularly in an effort to stave off the ravages of time. I have a great time running my Enjoying Shakespeare group and going to the theatre and cinema. The older I get, the more determined I am to make the most of everything life has to offer while I can. Life isn’t always easy but what a lot there is to be thankful for.”
former Bishop of Oxford and visited Capernaum, Magdala, the Sermon on the Mount area and received communion not far from where Jesus fed the 5,000. A special delight was a Sunday service we attended in Nazareth, held in an Anglican Church with a mainly Israeli-Arab congregation, where two languages were used, sometimes both at the same time! We saw the humble cave dwelling where Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel and the rock on which the risen Lord cooked some fish for the amazed disciples, (see John 21) just along the shore from our accommodation. My husband and I celebrate our Golden Wedding in August this year, when we will host a family reunion for the Canadian and English contingents, and are looking forward to a busy couple of weeks with our four granddaughters and their parents. Our younger son Ross, is now a Recorder, so is progressing his judicial career in the Crown Courts of Hertfordshire and beyond.” Ruth Bowler (née Davy): “I have had a busy year working on my War Memorial research and completed eight by the Centenary - over 500 men! I also attempted to research WW2 casualties too as it will be the 80th Anniversary of the start of WW2 this year and several national and local things are planned.
I have enjoyed being in the studio at Radio Berkshire three times, twice as part of a team on the Peach Joan Harborne (née Miss Russell): “I keep going Quest which is similar to the old Anneke Rice with travel, a river cruise on the Douro this year, and Treasure Hunt and the other one talking about how the music. My biggest event this year was the and when I met David back in 1963! performance of Britten’s War Requiem in Lincoln Cathedral in November to mark the centenary of the Holidays were spent in Devon and Somerset last Armistice. year. My new venture for 2019 is setting up a local group for ‘Versus Arthritis’ as I know only too well That took over our lives for months as it was a very how this disease impacts on someone's life and the big occasion involving seven Lincolnshire choirs, isolation it can cause. I am still in touch with some of three orchestras, three soloists, two main conductors the ‘old girls.’ and a third conductor hidden away with the small children’s choir. It was the experience of a lifetime Gillian Stellatos (née Seymour): “Greece is for most of us; the work is so iconic and set to supposedly emerging from the years of crisis, but the become one of the most important works of the 20th reality is that little has changed and, economically, century. Britten wrote it for the consecration of the the average Greek continues to suffer more rather new Coventry cathedral in 1962, the old Gothic one than less. In Cephalonia we are fortunate as we having been completely destroyed in the bombing in benefit from a thriving tourist industry and are not 1940. The Dresden Frauenkirche was equally badly impacted by the migrant problems of the Aegean. destroyed in 1945, and Britten, a lifelong pacifist, Dionysis and I have had a fair year, notwithstanding combined the words of the Requiem Mass with a couple of nasty health scares, but we have come Wilfred Owen’s poem ‘Strange Meeting’. The through them and all is well. I visit the UK less message is reconciliation: two dead soldiers talk to frequently since my father died, but I visited twice each about the futility of war. It ends with the very last year to look after our grandchildren while Anna emotive words ‘I am the enemy you killed, my and Borja were out of the country at the same time, friend……let us sleep now’. It was the most difficult an arrangement that proved to be very successful work I have ever sung, but well worth it.” and a good time was had by all. I celebrated my 70th birthday in July and Anna made Christine Johnson (née Smith): “My highlight of a surprise visit; the best possible birthday present. 2018 was a trip last May to Galilee. I went with a Anna’s family is thriving in London and her work in friend from a nearby church and spent a week on the natural catastrophe risk management has taken her lake shore in the Tabgha Pilgerhaus, from where we to Latin America and to India. Borja continues his explored many of the places where Jesus lived, teaching and research at UCL and the children taught and healed. We were led in worship and continue to grow. Melchor will be joining Zoe at given many insights by our leader, John Pritchard, ‘proper’ school in September. Spyros’ car-hire Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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business here in Cephalonia, ‘Just Rent It’, is proving very successful. He is working extremely hard but has already established an excellent reputation and so far is reaping just rewards for his efforts. Any WHS visitors should make themselves known to him if they would like to make a booking. Like Melchor, Spyros’ daughter, Dioni, will be starting school in September. And so we look to Brexit or not and at the political chaos throughout Europe and further afield… My best wishes to everyone in the Group.” Sally Neville (née Thursby): “I am continuing with attending a lacemaking class and entered a torchon lace bookmark in the craft section of my local horticultural show (it won me a prize and this has been pleasing to my lace teacher who is very patient with me). I was also overcome with delight to be awarded a trophy for the best rose entry in any class. This week the crocuses are blooming and I have already seen some early flowering daffodils. As John is no longer able to mow the grass I have taken over this task. We are both enjoying watching the various wild birds which come into the garden more now that we no longer have pet cats (have looked after a succession of rescue cats over the years). I’m participating in parish activities (includes singing in choir and leading intercessions). To celebrate the building of a parish room adjoining the church, our vicar has organised a short series of art classes on the theme of exploring icons. I have a beautiful picture of the Madonna holding her child to copy and paint. I’m hoping for a get-together with my sister, Jeni Colbourne (Thursby), when the weather improves. She is actively enjoying being a grandmother! I have also had recent news from Pam Collinge (Clark) in New Zealand - she has become a greatgrandmother!”
(food bank, night shelter, church business) I have tried to stimulate my failing brain by going to a U3A German conversation class and also a taught lesson once a week. I am not sure what Miss Teer would think of it, but it helps me keep in touch with Sabine, the penfriend whom I was given all those years ago in school. Her English continues to be far better than my German, but I am trying. Other than this, we continue “bonding with our grandchildren” weekly after school, and sometimes taking them on the narrow boat, and sometimes travelling the waterways peacefully without them. As so many of our age group, we celebrate our Golden Wedding this year.
Jane Tucker (née Howe): A Duodenal Abscess erupted just after Christmas 2017 and resulted in 999 calls and an ambulance ride to hospital. Ten extremely painful days later, involving large doses of morphine and buckets of IV antibiotics I was finally discharged home. I was left very, very weak and the whole of January and most of February were spent resting or sleeping. During that period of time, our dear friend Diane Hawkins lost her battle against cancer and died peacefully in a hospice holding her wooden cross. My first outing for 2 months was in a wheelchair going to Diane’s funeral back at St. Michael’s in Hughenden, accompanied by Bob, both the boys and their wives. We have joined Chinnor U3A, as well as the Church. Of course, there was already the railway, but now we are ‘local volunteers’ not ‘remote’ I have started to get involved with Church activities by way of a reorganisation of Sacristan duties from one elderly gentleman, to potentially a team. My ultimate example of what living in Chinnor is like was last August when I was walking (lots of walking by me now so I’m getting fitter!) to a meeting one evening at Chinnor Village Centre and as I walked up the road saw a gentleman walking towards me. As he approached me, he moved out so that he walked nearest the road as we passed, and then he Angela Weeks (née Sheppard): “I do not believe I raised his hat to me and said ‘Good Evening,’ such a managed to get around to sending news last year, Gentleman!! so here is my contribution for 2018/9: The family is smaller now, in that we had to decide Really, what has changed? Well, in the spring, I that Barney’s quality of life was no longer acceptable gave up as secretary and fundraiser for our local in mid-September, so that suddenly the house had a Child Contact Centre as I wanted to give more time ‘hole’ in it. Graham tripped down a step and fell on to the Patient Panel of the hospital for which I had his shoulder. After many trips to the Fracture Clinic it worked professionally for many years and where Tim was eventually decided that he had shattered the is a chaplain. Then, the Chair decided it was time to head of his right Humerus and he had 6 weeks in a retire, so I am back on the Management Team as sling in lots of pain every time he moved. Bob spent Chair. It has not been an easy few months as, sadly, many hours sitting in the car waiting for Graham to we are really in demand and now have a waiting list get out of clinic/X-Ray/MRI appointments – I think he of children wanting to see their non-resident parent. read 3 novels! It is so gratifying when dysfunctional relationships Jack has transferred his Beaver activities to High come together sufficiently for the children to keep in Wycombe with his Godmother, Kate. BUT Kate’s contact with parents – and grandparents. meeting starts at 17.30 on a Friday and at that time The work on the patient panel goes on; I have both Neal and Lou are working; so Bob and I have participated in a number of surveys, ‘annoying the committed to, one or other of us, travelling to patients’ as Tim calls it, but it does help promote Bicester on Fridays from January onwards, picking better outcomes for patients. In company with others up Jack and taking him to HW, then either taking him we celebrated 70 years of the NHS in Harlow town back to Bicester or have the occasional sleep-over in Centre – amazing to see how things have changed, Chinnor. Matty’s problems with speech are still a even from the days when I started. significant issue; he was referred for speech therapy, In addition to those, and other bits of voluntary stuff, but it seems he may be suffering from Dyspraxia.
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Currently Neal and Lou are trying to work through the process of getting a referral to an appropriate Consultant.”
teaching qualification in further education. Then followed 27 years teaching at Havering College of Further and Higher Education, an MA in Politics and Government, an MA in Education and then a move to Palmer's Sixth Form College in Grays, just around the corner from my house. Retirement, part-time teaching and now exam invigilation. I suspect I am institutionalised now after so many years in education! I was involved in the Politics Association from 1980 onwards, with arranging conferences and teaching materials for students and staff of Politics across the UK, networks in Europe and the USA. I still hold positions in the Teaching Union, NASUWT as a rep for the Local Association and attend the National Conference when I can. I turned 70 last July and celebrated by attending a week of Meditation on Holy Island, Arran, Scotland to prepare me for my "proper retirement" after I have weaned myself off the world of education! I have always travelled, speak several languages and am still excited at the prospect of starting on a journey (my father was in the RAF, hence our final settlement in High Wycombe). This new decade will see me firstly, off to Australia and the Far East, and hopefully India next year. I couldn't have children so now have no grandchildren either and am out of sync with our generation who all seem to be child-minding etc, but education has provided me with an extended family and I still hear from many ex-pupils which is so rewarding. Otherwise quite boring - cooking, gardening, etc.”
Jennifer Liebenberg (née Jones): “2018 has been a busy year. As in 2017, I’ve had various visitors to stay, including friends from South Africa in the week before Christmas. They were particularly keen to see a pantomime and we managed to get tickets for the matinée, which was bursting at the seams with primary school groups. All the old panto jokes came out. We laughed helplessly. I’m still a member of the U3A and its creative writing group, which celebrated its 21st birthday in the summer, and for that occasion we were the afternoon’s ‘entertainment’, each of us contributing a story, which we read aloud, thankfully to a very appreciative audience! I’m still involved at St Matthew’s, but I’ve resigned from PCC, a decision taken last month because in September I enrolled onto a BA (Hons) in Professional and Creative Writing. The course is academically demanding and the assignments are challenging. I managed to get very good results in semester 1, and hope I can do as well in semester 2. It’s exhilarating to have a switched-on brain again! Fellow students are great. My family in South Africa have gone through an extremely severe drought over the last few years and January has seen terrible wildfires sweeping through the Western Cape, very close to where one of my daughters lives and she was one of the volunteers serving food and drinks to the firefighters. Fortunately they’re all (family and firefighters) safe and sound. Have a good 2019!“ Susan (Sue) LePage (née Stephens) writes “my big news is that after 28 years living in Bath we relocated to rural Lincolnshire where our eldest 1964 daughter and family are now farming. She has four children ranging in ages from 11-1 and also has Lynda Arnold (née Parker) wrote to say that her several holiday let properties in the vicinity. This husband Malcolm was diagnosed with myeloma (a keeps us all very busy especially as Derek and I live blood cancer which can be treated but not cured) a opposite the school in Tetford. Sam, our eldest, is few years ago. He had chemo treatment then which still working as a 1st AD in the commercials kept him well until a few months ago - now he is on a business. In short he is the man who 'calls the different regime which seems to be working. “On a shots'. He works all over the world so has to make more positive note our sixth grandchild was born in the most of his time with family in Somerset. June so now we have three of each sex! It has been Children's ages from 15-9. Ruth still lives in Bath and a very topsy turvy year with one birth, one wedding Alice, our youngest, lives in Tadley near and three funerals! Hopefully 2019 will be better! Aldermaston. She has just had her second child, still works in education and the arts and sings with Christine Dewbury (née Elvery) keeps in touch Reading Phoenix. I still sing with Louth Choral with Diana O’Reilly (née Phillips), Pat Woods (née Society and we are both actively involved with the Cheese) and Vivian O’Carroll. They had a mini local drama and theatre groups in the area. reunion in Liverpool with the highlight of the trip The past three years have been taken up with being the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour! Christine renovating the cottage and fitting out the annexe as continues to enjoy a lot of travelling - she is planning a holiday let. I continue with my direct marketing a trip to California in March to see her daughter business while Derek records audio books; Marx, Kathy and husband Taka and 18 month old Freud, John Stuart Mill and so on. Something lighter grandson Hiro. would be refreshing! I am still in touch with Barbara Smith (née Colley), Liz Smith (née Leaver) and Colleen Dicks says: “I left school in 1967 after Lee Vickers (née Taylor). We would be very doing an extra year and then went to Birmingham happy to welcome visitors to our rural retreat and University to read Medieval and Modern History. may possibly get to a reunion before too long.” After working for a French hydraulics company for two years I went to Garnett College to complete a Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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Vivienne Moss (née Whyer) tells that her husband, Dave, retired 6 years ago and the days have shot past even quicker since then. “I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about the time we moved here (26 years ago) but I have learned to adapt to it. I no longer drive but manage with lifts and continue to ‘gad’ about looking for and buying antiques, gardening and sewing when wet. I create embroidered pictures with silks and buttons. A couple of falls last year resulted in my needing a ‘nose job’ but that worries my family more than me! I can still get to see my two beautiful grandchildren who live in Pittsburgh PA (my elder son works in a teaching hospital there) and courtesy of BA, who have now started direct flights from Heathrow to Pittsburgh, I can use a wheelchair to move around the airports easily. We made it to North Carolina for a lovely beach holiday with all the family last year where we watched the hurricanes rushing past us as we made sand castles. My younger son and my daughter-in-law visit often from SE London. During 2018 we went to a few concerts and the theatre in the West End and locally, I helped out with the Poppy Appeal (100 years since the end of WW1 and also the RAF's birthday) so you could say we lived a military life last autumn.”
readying itself for an Ofsted inspection. One grandson (3) has had chicken pox, the other grandson (19 months) has been hospitalised with flu. Both are recovering well. I do hope 2019 perks up a bit.” When Rosemary Wigmore (née Hewitt) sent her news she was getting ready to make the year’s supply of marmalade. (She made the mistake of making marmalade for fun one year and it was so well liked it’s become a job for life!) In March “we cruised round the coast of Norway for 12 days; above the Arctic circle, round the top of Norway and down the other side and pulled into a port just 6 miles from the Russian border. The Norwegian scenery in the snow and the various towns we stopped at were just so beautiful and interesting, and we were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights twice. It was so exciting – very magical!” In June, they spent a 2 week holiday in Norfolk, enjoying coastal walks with nesting seabirds and visiting interesting Stately Homes including Sandringham. “In October we had booked a cruise up the Danube, but due to the hot dry summer there was very little water in the Danube at Budapest where we were due to board the boat. So after a few days in Budapest we were driven to Vienna to pick up the boat, as that was as far as the boat could get. We cruised further up the Danube visiting interesting little Austrian towns and then returned to Vienna for a few days. We have been busy looking after our two grandchildren on alternate Wednesdays for the last few years, but as John started Nursery in September, we don’t go so often to help. We are both busy in our retirement. I enjoy gardening and my Book Club and then in between the various household jobs, we enjoy meeting our friends for the occasional coffee or lunch.”
Margaret Pike (née Rosier) celebrated her 70th birthday in August with family and friends. Alison and Max came over from Italy and her brother and sisterin-law visited too from Shropshire. She was also taken to Hartwell House, a National Trust property, for afternoon tea and enjoyed a week with Andrew in Tenerife in October visiting Mount Teide by cable car and going down in a yellow submarine to see the fish and shipwrecks. She has heard from Clare Walker (Sulston) who has had a tough year fighting NonHodgkins Lymphoma, but is now on the up, having finished some gruelling chemotherapy etc. Margaret also met up with Rita Bray (Ashford) who she had not seen for about 20 years and it was great to catch up on each other's news. Dawn Woodall (née Banks) retired in June last year from her job as assistant accountant at a wellLynne Russell (née Thelwell) wrote to say that known charity, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, based 2018 was a mixed year starting as a year of in Buckinghamshire. celebration. She writes “I am really enjoying retirement and last “My daughter, Janie, was 40 and I was 70. I hosted September started art classes locally. Apart from my birthday lunch for the extended family and My drawing and painting with my children and later on friends also took me out for celebratory lunches. My grandchildren, I had not done any art since school brother, sister and their spouses treated me to a back in 1964 so as you can imagine I was a bit rusty! weekend trip to Kings Lynn for a weekend. Since my My eldest son lives in Jindobyne, NSW, mother was born and raised there and I was named Australia, and my husband and I try to visit at least for Kings Lynn (different spelling) it was one place I once year. We set off again in March on our 2019 had always wanted to see. Janie, her family, my son, visit. Nic, and I shared a weekend in cabins in Sherwood Forest, which was great fun. We attended an Easter Pat(ricia) Woods (née Cheese) says: “When I Egg Hunt at the local National Trust Abbey with our wrote last year, we were about to set sail for Norway little grandsons.” and the Northern Lights. It turned out to be a super Over the last couple of years Lynne has had several holiday – fantastic weather, lovely scenery, eye surgeries and finally seems to have everything fascinating villages and towns and several glimpses healed up (except for an upcoming cataract surgery!) of the Northern Lights. “My voluntary work only suffered at the end of the We also enjoyed 2 weeks on Anglesey (where Chris year. For the first nine months I carried out my usual and I married in 1973 when he was stationed at RAF church duties and School Governor duties. I greet Valley) in July/August with all the family to celebrate 2019 with a rock solid retina and a cataract operation our 70th birthdays. pending on the same eye. The school is now Our three grandsons (7, nearly 4 and 17 months)
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had great fun on the beaches and we managed to explore most of the island during the time we were there. I also had an afternoon down Memory Lane with my eldest daughter, Kate, visiting Bangor where I was at Uni for 6 years – one of which I spent in Vienna as part of my course. It didn’t seem possible that it was 50 years ago!!” In October Pat’s youngest daughter had a second little boy so now there are 3 granddaughters and 4 grandsons! They all live close by in Oxfordshire so manage to see them most weeks. “We also enjoy trips to North Yorkshire to visit our eldest daughter and husband. We’re off to cruise round the islands of Melanesia in February and expect to spend a lot of time in the summer holidays with our middle daughter and her sons as her husband will be away at sea with the Royal Navy. We did the same last year and found we made good use of our National Trust and English Heritage cards – much more so than in the past!” Christine Dewbury (née Elvery) Diana O’Reilly (née Phillips), Vivian O’Carroll and Pat spent a few days in Liverpool last April and had a lot of laughs remembering their time at WHS. “We also met up again for a weekend at the end of November and are planning a get-together to celebrate Christine’s 70th in April. After many years, it was lovely to meet up with Mollie Robinson (née Clark) in March and we had lunch talking over old times and catching up with all our news. I am also in touch with Lynda Arnold (née Parker).” My sincere thanks to you all for responding to my request for news - it is wonderful to see some new contributors this year! - Jo Karl (née Harvey) 1964 Group Leader.
1965 Julia Forbes-Leith (Lambert) (née Slow) We had an interesting short break in Whitby, a place I hadn’t visited before, but which I can recommend, if only for the Abbey, the fish and chips and the surrounding countryside. We also had two weeks on Alonissos, one of the lesser known Greek islands (head east from Skiathos). My spare time at home has been spent learning and playing bridge, providing reading support at a local primary and producing assorted pieces for the U3A creative writing group. I live in hope of having something published... one day. Liz Taylor (née Highley) Life went on in its usual mundane way, until the beginning of the year. Alex's partner got a full time job and has been struggling to find childcare. So, guess who has had to fill the gap until they can get something sorted? That's right! Us! The problem is, with the two girls at different schools, and the boy at nursery, the logistics are quite tricky! Breakfast club and after school club comes into play some days, but not all, and nursery lunchtimes sometimes.....phew! I've had to write a rota to make
sure I know when and where I should be! It's very restricting. We never get a clear day to plan anything. Never mind. I'm sure it won't last forever...... Plans to go to the flat just before Christmas were stymied when our boiler at home broke down. Luckily, it wasn't to do with the actual boiler. The cold water feed was blocked, so that was easily remedied. My daughter Vicky had a scare last year when it was thought she might have MS. After 2 MRI scans, she was told it wasn't in fact MS, but she has a 50% chance of getting it! We're looking at it as a 50% chance of NOT getting it! The symptoms are still there in one degree or another, but she carries on as normal and it doesn't affect day to day living thank goodness. I still have my allotment. Not very successful this year, except for the runner beans of which there must have been over 50lbs of them! The spuds were pathetic but my leeks are looking good! I managed to spread some really good manure on a plot which has always seemed to be lacking, so fingers crossed for some good crops this year. I just love digging and weeding (strange I know!) I find it all very therapeutic. I didn't manage to meet up with Margaret Morbey (Fowler) last year, so we'll see if we can arrange something this year. Of course, we'll all be 70 sometime this year! Good grief! Do you feel that old? Nor do I until I look in the mirror! Mary Cadman (née Herman) This last year has continued with the usual ups and downs. Catherine, our oldest daughter, finally divorced her husband of 20 years and now struggles to bring up 4 young children, one of whom is autistic, on her own. I find I am spending a lot of time in Nottingham! However, we managed some excellent holidays in our camper van, including a really interesting tour of Poland. We drove to Berlin and then along the beautiful Baltic coast, spending time in Gdansk before visiting the very south of the country, staying in the Tatras mountains. We went to Wadowice, the home of Pope John Paul 11, followed by sobering Auschwitz before the long drive home. We celebrated Elisabeth’s 40th birthday altogether as a family (15 of us) in Center Parcs, followed by a week in the Lake District. John and I went on a Rhine River Cruise over Christmas - an experiment for us but we felt that we missed Christmas. In ApriI, 2 daughters and I are running the London Marathon, injuries and illness notwithstanding. Elisabeth’s first son, Edward, was a victim of Sudden Infant Death 10 years ago, she is 40 and I will be 70 so this is the year! I have never run before so it is a huge undertaking, but so far the training is going well and I am optimistic! So life goes on…. John and I play bridge regularly, I play my clarinet and piano. Whoever said retirement was restful?!
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Vanessa Douglas-Green (née Coombes) The highlight of my year was Jonathan and Hannah’s wedding in April. The sun shone all day and everyone had a lovely time. Hannah is expecting my first grandchild at the end of July – lots to look forward to! The six of us went to the Isle of Wight in July to celebrate my 70th birthday. Again, the sun shone so we enjoyed a trip to Osborne House and I even ventured into the sea. I enjoyed Ladies Final Day at Wimbledon and supporting Jonathan at the British Transplant Games in Birmingham. My sister, Cecilia (1967 Group), went to Bournemouth for a Jazz break and we continue to enjoy trips to the Theatre Royal in Bath. In May, Julia Forbes-Leith (formerly Lambert) (née Slow), Liz Taylor (née Highley), Mary Cadman (née Herman) and I had another mini reunion by meeting for lunch in Maidenhead. We chatted for three hours and plan to do the same in 2019, hoping that some more of our year will join us, just let me know if you are interested.
two items will appear in next year’s news. Meanwhile take good care of yourselves and keep enjoying life to the full. In March last year I was somewhat shocked and amazed when Susan (Grafton) mentioned over lunch that it was nearly 50 years since we left WHS after A levels. The “shocked” related to the passing of so many years and the “amazed” related to the speed with which those years had gone by! At Susan’s instigation we set about organising a small reunion to mark the event and Susan also christened us the Golden Girls. The reunion eventually took place in September at a lovely restaurant by the river near Maidenhead and here is the photo to prove it! I was equally delighted to learn from your submissions that there are several groups from our year, who meet for lunch on a regular basis.”
By the time the magazine arrives, I expect to move back to Devon. Some health problems have made me realise that it is time to live nearer my family. Jill Hudson (Beauchamp) : see “60s Memories” on page 8
1966 Linda Stewart (née Sandford) writes: “You may remember that this time last year my husband, Alan, was very ill with an undiagnosed illness and our planned trip to Canada was in jeopardy. I am happy to report that Alan now has a diagnosis and is responding to treatment. Therefore, we were able to go on our Canadian Adventure, which you will find in the ‘Original Contributions’ section of this magazine under the heading “Who do you think you are?”
Front row left to right: Susan Grafton, Maureen Stallwood, Doreen Russell, standing: Shelagh Monaghan and Jane Fielding.
Judith Barton (née Loten) writes: “Not much had changed over the past year, I still go dancing, help with Brownies and at the local library. I continue to knit blankets for the local neo-natal unit along with jumpers for my grandchildren. I now have a second grandson as my eldest daughter had a baby boy in Shelagh Williams (née Monaghan): “The highlight June. She’s still on maternity leave so we meet up for coffee every week. I see my other two of the year was the engagement of our youngest grandchildren most weekends and am on standby son, Philip, to his girlfriend Simone. A month later for babysitting when needed. It’s lovely being near they moved to Zurich to take up new jobs so the wedding will take place near Lucerne in September. them all and I think they appreciate the cakes I make for them, telling me which ones they like and which My other son, Stephen, and his wife Adriana are are not so successful! based in London and have acquired a lovely black I went on two holidays last year. The first was a cat called Cannolo, who is full of mischief. They cruise to the Canaries and then, in September, an treated me to a wonderful Birthday dinner at escorted tour to Australia and New Zealand which I Delauney’s in May, while the Swiss branch really enjoyed, although I found the flights very organised two tickets for Chelsea Flower Show. I hadn’t been for over 40 years and it was interesting tiring. I can’t believe it is 50 years since we left WHS to go our separate ways after ‘A’ levels and to see how it had changed. Our travels this year have taken us to Sicily, Verona, how much our lives have changed over years.” the Odenwald, Zurich, Lucerne and, of course, Janet Dowlman (née Mead) writes: “I haven't got Austria. Courtesy of the Golden Girls lunch, I much news for 2018. I didn't even have a have reconnected with Jane Fielding, Maureen holiday, but that was because I had a new Stallwood and Marion Smith. I will also soon be conservatory built... which is more brick than glass meeting up with two more friends from WHS days, so it is probably regarded as an orangery. This is my who I last saw at the Reunion in 2006. retreat for when I retire in June this year and it Another treat in store will be a visit to Covent means my husband can have our shared study to Garden, but I have yet to decide which himself and create his very own 'man cave'. He will performance I want to spend my vouchers retire in March 2020 so that gives me time to get the on! Decisions, decisions! A full account of the last
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whole house decorated, new kitchen and bathroom etc., then hopefully it will only need minimum maintenance during our retirement. I also have a lot to do in my neglected garden to make it less of a jungle and easier to maintain. I visited my grandchildren regularly last summer and we went out to various places which is always great fun, but they are growing up so fast and it is a very different world to when we were young. A friend and I have booked a holiday in early October this year to travel to Budapest, Vienna and Prague. Meanwhile, Alistair and I have a lot of 'rock and roll' short breaks. Last year we saw the Rolling Stones, Queen, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Santana, Steve Winwood, Paul Simon, James Taylor, plus War of the Worlds 40th Anniversary and a lot of other smaller gigs in various venues. In March we will be staying over in London for the Country to Country Music Festival at the O2. We go every year. We will also see Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart and Cher in 2019 and are planning to see other bands too. I really need to retire so that I can pace myself and try to relax a bit more. Hopefully I will find more time to pick up researching my family history again, a subject I find very absorbing, so I know I will never be bored. Last November I met up with some of my old friends from our class for lunch in West Wycombe. We try to meet twice a year. The group consists of Christine (Goodearl), Christine (Duggin), Gill (Sears), Janet (Pearson), Janis (Mould), Jacki (Stoker) and Linda (Spicer) and we had a great time talking about the good old days. We plan to meet again in May. At the beginning of my news I said I didn't have much to say, but actually I did have a busy year! Thanks for gathering the news Shelagh – it is always interesting to hear how everyone is getting on.” Louise Giles (née Knox) writes: “I am happily married to Ian (2nd very happy marriage in Life Part 2)! We live just outside Southampton as Ian is an Air Traffic Control Engineer at Southampton Airport and we moved up here last year, after spending 3 WET years in Cornwall! We’ve just finished converting an old bungalow into a modern open-plan space – it’s beautiful! I work part time on Reception in Southampton’s mental health hospital and absolutely love it. We have 3 golden retrievers who are walked every day in the fields behind the house. My children (Scott 43, Abby 41 and Gemma 38) are all happily married and all have children. The grandchildren range from Olivia, 19, who is at Gloucester University to Matilda, 2, who is busy being a proper little madam! I am still in touch with Katrina (Houghton) and we will be meeting up next Tuesday.”
walking in the beautiful countryside. He has become a Special Constable in the Met and works over weekends in London, which he thoroughly enjoys and she is a fire-fighter so we just need a paramedic now! My daughter Vanessa moved to a new house and I spent many days helping her to decorate it – I’m quite a painter these days although I refuse to do ceilings! Her two children are 10 and 9 and we had a lovely break together on the Gower Peninsula with their Labrador Max. Last Summer’s wonderful weather made all the difference and I’m so pleased to be retired and able to make the most of it. Catherine, my youngest, had her first baby in October, who of course is a delight and I’ve spent a lot of time in Brixton enjoying those lovely early baby days. She is fortunate to have a year off work, so doesn’t have to cope with child-care yet. Away from family I still go to the gym 3 or 4 times a week and continue with the rambling group. Theatre is one of my main interests and I go to the National in London fairly often with a couple of like-minded friends. We are also on a mission to visit Britain and so far have been to Glasgow, Liverpool, Lincoln, Stratford-Upon-Avon and are off to Newcastle in April, travelling by train with our Senior railcards. I always enjoy reading everyone’s contribution in the Guild Magazine – thanks Shelagh for organising us.” Susan Jellis (née Grafton) writes: “Graham and I have spent another busy year pursuing our wide variety of interests. We enjoyed a fascinating holiday in Sri Lanka retracing my parents’ steps in the early years of their marriage. In March I had an enjoyable lunch with Doreen and Shelagh in London and floated the idea of having a small reunion in September to mark the 50 years since we left WHS after ‘A’ levels. The chosen venue was the restaurant at Boulter’s Lock near Maidenhead and our lunch overlooking the River Thames was certainly not short on conversation. I am currently busy packing for a trip to Tasmania, which will certainly feature in my news next year.”
Janet Paterson (née Pearson) writes: “It was another busy year with several special holidays. We spent most of February touring Sri Lanka, a long weekend in Paris in April, and early in May we travelled up to Nethy Bridge in the Cairngorms, which is the base for the BBC Winter Watch this year, to watch the birds arriving for the summer. In November we then spent a week birdwatching in Norfolk watching the winter visitors. Christmas 2018 was spent in Spain based in San Sebastian. It was a busy week with visits to the Guggenheim in Bilboa, plus a day in Pamplona, visits to Vitoria, Bayonne, Biarritz, and St. Jean de Luz in addition to experiencing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day eating traditional local food. During the year I met up for lunch with Christine Goodearl, Janis Mould, Jacki Stoker, Janet Mead, Katrina Huertas (née Houghton) writes: “2018 was Christine Duggin and Gill Sears and I hope to a good year for me and I still very much enjoy life in meet them again in the Spring to catch up with all Chichester. My son James and his partner took me their family news. Christine Duggin has given us to Luchon in the French Pyrenees where they have a access to her excellent set of You Tube exercises to little studio flat and we had some happy days keep us flexible and improve our deportment so we Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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shall all be sitting comfortably and walking tall by then, which is most important as we enter our next decade. I hope she will be handing out deportment girdles after lunch - do you remember those? When I’m not doing my exercises I am busy volunteering at a care home in Chesham. The Birchwood Gardening Project is progressing well with the help of twelve boys from Stony Dean School. All the boys have special needs and are working for accreditation from the Prince’s Trust. They have expressed an interest in taking up a career in horticulture. They have made a real difference to the neglected areas around the grounds of the home and we will be growing some vegetables to eat and hopefully encourage a healthier lifestyle for the residents. I am still a volunteer at Wycombe High School, working during the school holidays to avoid disrupting the lives of the present pupils. Other voluntary work includes knitting blankets for the homeless around London and vests and beanies for the new born babies at a hospital in Uganda.” Doreen Vine-Chatterton (Russell) writes: “The big highlight of our year was the arrival of our first granddaughter on Boxing Day. She was a real whopper at 4.9 kgs /10 lbs 13 ozs - almost a record for a baby girl at the hospital in Co. Kilkenny, Ireland where she was born. My grandson is now 2 years old a total delight and, of course, always very busy. We had several enjoyable trips and visits during the year, starting with a journey in March to Bordeaux by train. What a delightful city, great to walk around and the Musée Du Vin is a must to visit. We also had stays in Cornwall, Stockholm (a favourite city of ours), southern Germany and the Lake District. Our main holiday was to Alberta, Canada in June. We lived there back in the 70’s and 80’s. We visited many old friends in Edmonton and we were surprised to see that the city has nearly three times the population of when we lived there 40 years ago. Apart from a chilly day in Banff with snow threatened, the weather was glorious. I continue with Pilates and I still run a ‘Culture Club’ for a local ladies’ group with an outing each month to see a ballet, play, an opera or a classical concert. Laurence’s mother now lives close by in a very smart ‘assisted living’ flat. In June we held her 95th birthday party there and it is now the turn of her sister at 98. The youngest sister is a sprightly 90. We think the family longevity must be in the genes! In September the ‘Golden Girls’ met to celebrate 50 years since we left WHS in 1968. Shelagh, Susan, Maureen, Jane and I met up in Maidenhead for lunch by the River Thames. We caught up with stories of our time at school, about the fun we had, the hard work, freezing afternoons on the hockey pitch, the teachers we liked and some we were terrified of, who earned a deportment girdle (not me!) and who was a prefect (not me!), but I can reveal that two of our number achieved both. Wonderful memories and I am very happy that I am still in touch with lovely friends from WHS days!” Kathy Walker (née Ware) writes: “All is well here in Seascale. Barrie and I continue to fair well, as do our
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children and our grandchildren .There have been no further additions to the family so still standing at 4! On the domestic front we have had a new kitchen and utility fitted, which proved to be quite an upheaval. We have already planned our holidays for this year; our annual 5 nights in Guernsey, a week in Northumbria with friends and a trip to Namibia in September. In between there will be trips to London to see family and to attend various concerts. Last September we went back to Tanzania and were lucky enough and very privileged to see the great Wildebeest migration crossing the Mara River in the Northern Serengeti. It was a truly amazing sight. We had a wonderful holiday there. In late September I also went to the 50th Reunion of those who started their nursing training with me at Great Ormond Street in 1968. Yes, 50 years since Alevels and leaving Wycombe High to make our various ways in the big wide world. I don’t come down South much now since Mum and Dad died. However, when I do, I meet up with Marilyn Collins (née Ryall), who is well and still works part time. We always enjoy visiting Cliveden together. I am now looking forward to the arrival of Spring so that I can go outdoors and tackle the garden after the ravages of winter.” Gillian Wilkinson (née Sears) writes: “There is a lot to celebrate this year! As I write this, at the beginning of February, a new great-grandaughter is due any day, a sister for Phoenix who is 16 months old. Their dad, our oldest grandson, was 21 on Christmas Day. It has been 50 years since my husband Rex, bought our bungalow and I moved in, next door to my childhood home, at the end of 1969. Next year will be our Golden wedding anniversary and, like many of our year group, I will be 70 this year too in November. Where has the time gone? I remember well our ’40 years on’ reunion in Marlow and I am lucky to meet Janet (Mead) and Janice (Mould) regularly, as well as lunching with a small group of ‘old girls’ a couple of times per year. It’s lovely to see how differently we have all turned out and the paths our lives have taken, as well as talking about the things we all have in common. For Rex and me, well, we take life easy these days, enjoying each other’s company and our family. We don’t travel much now (Weymouth last year!) but enjoy lots of days out and are active members of the High Wycombe Society, enjoying anything to do with the ‘old days’ in Wycombe and history in general. Best wishes to the Class of ’66 and Happy Birthday when it comes.”
1967
Caroline Crowhurst (née Thynne) Four years ago I 'retired' from my full-time job. Two children, 25 and 30, are now settled into their careers and lives. I am thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to put all my energy into those projects that were just
ideas. Having practiced yoga for 30+ years I am now Various members of our group try to meet up during the year, usually in London, and quite often take in a a fully qualified yoga teacher and have a website: Shakespeare play at the Globe theatre. I have met carolineyoga.com.au. up with Suzanne Foster (Sworder) and Susan Deaney (Sherwood), who both take an active part 1968 in their grand childrens’ lives, and both have had new granddaughters this last year. Susan was taken Deb Day (Sing) We had an amazing visit to India, very ill at the end of last year with a serious infection and whilst dodging the crazy traffic, we visited that left her hospitalised, but glad to say she is now palaces, Buddhist temples (blessed by the "head" of gradually recovering. And just heard from Jan Tibetan monks) washed elephants and saw lots of Halson, who has no new info, and had to dash wild elephants - but no tigers! We spent time in off to her Italian lesson! major towns - contrasting with tranquil coffee plantations and jungle retreats. I swam in lovely 1976 swimming pools and paddled in rivers. We stayed in places ranging from colonial hotels - dating back to Sian Hodges (née Morris) left her Exams Officer the days of the Raj - which haven't changed much role at Kings College Guildford in August, after 14 since - including antiquated heating, to modest accommodation in the jungle - but all clean. The food years there. Her husband, Mike, turned 60 in August and retired from BP in October, after 35 years! was superb - though I did draw the line of "curry" Following that, they headed off for a wonderful choices for breakfast! month-long holiday in New Zealand, with a two-day We have had another good skiing year. Last winter stopover in Sydney Australia. They had always we skied until mid April - the conditions still superb wanted to visit New Zealand, so this was a great with day time temps up to +25C - but good snow!! treat, which more than lived up to their expectations. We then headed to St. Jean de Losne, near Dijon, They are now working on their plan to re-locate to where we keep our boat and pottered about the South Devon and have put their house on the rivers and canals of central France until July. Then ended the summer back in the French Alps walking market, despite the Brexit-related slow-down in the in glorious scenery and weather where we normally housing market. ski. Like Sian, Angela Siderfin is trying to move house. She is continuing to enjoy working as a gardener, Liz Pickworth (Hopkins) is still just as busy as having retired from mid-wifery a few years ago. As last year, but spending more time horse riding and she will turn 60 this year, she has set herself the watching the RSC perform in Stratford, having developed a very strong interest in Shakespeare and challenge of doing 60 new things during 2019. Christopher Marlowe. Gets the mind away from the uncertainty of Brexit!!!
Jean Howard (née McDiarmid) is being kept busy by her work as a child minder and by looking after Vivienne Owen My most exciting news is that my her grandchildren. 91 year old father appeared on Michael McIntyre's Big Show on BBC1 in November as the Unexpected Amanda Eden is enjoying retirement from the Civil Service. Early in 2018, she helped her Star of the show. He sang My Way and got a daughter Katy and husband Alastair settle in to a standing ovation from an audience of 2,000 at the new home. Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. If any of you would like to see a clip of him, you can go on You Grace Carter (née Robinson) lives in the Tube and type in David Owen Unexpected Shetland Isles. She had a traumatic time in Star. Another highlight of my year was going on an December, when a storm damaged the roof of her escorted tour of the archaeological sites of Crete including the Minoan palace of Knossos, somewhere house. She was not impressed when the insurance clerk to whom she had reported the incident told her I'd always wanted to visit since learning about the to ‘have a nice day!’ Minoan civilisation at school. Anne Greatorex (True) I’m still involved with the WI, and am trying to bring our Institute into the 21st century by setting up a Facebook page and website. I have been looking after my granddaughter Maddie (now 20 months) one day a week. She has been doing her best to kill me off (it’s called death by grand children), by passing on a different bug or lurgi each week, plus testing all my muscles and joints to the limits! But she is an absolute joy and I love her to bits! We snatched a few holidays in Germany, Cyprus and Turkey and hope to do more travelling this year.
1977 Margaret Peach works as a church administrator. Her year has been dominated by her church’s move into new premises. Angela Purser (née Ailward) has a particularly full life. As well as working full-time she is very involved in the Girl Guides both locally (in Sussex) and nationally, plus she finds time for church and for all four generations of her family. Gill Derrett (née Howard) is another whose husband has retired but she herself continues to Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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teach history and mark exams. One of their sons is a triathlon competitor and they travel widely to support him at events.
1986
Sally Badham (neé Purtell): “After school I spent a year in Paris as an au pair looking after four chil-dren! I subsequently went to Birmingham University where I studied law. The reason for choosing Birmingham was down to the campus atmosphere and it was a good law school. I then went to Guildford Law College where I did my Law Society finals and then did what was then known as Articles (now a training contract). I 1977 Reunion picture did these in Birmingham at a firm called Wragge & Co but moved to London in 1996 to what is now 1979 known as CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olsang, one of the largest law firms in the country and the We meet up annually either in Malaga, where sixth largest law firm globally, as an Associate. CMS has 74 offices around the world and more than 4,000 Andrea has lived for about 30 years, or in Marlow. We do lots of reminiscing about Wycombe High and lawyers and 450 partners. I became a partner in 2003 and at the same time moved to the Bristol would love to hear from others who were in our office where I am now based.” year!” We are very grateful to Sally for participating in our Pictured in photograph: Class of 1979 Annabel Rothwell (was Johns), Paloma Daborn (was Morris), Year 7 ‘Inspire and Career’ talk.
1991
Liz Waddell (was Neighbour), Andrea Haley and Beverley Shervell.
1983 Emma Courtney (Hancock): Emma studied Law and French at Birmingham and Limoges Universities, and went on to qualify as a lawyer, working inhouse for various US Tech companies including Microsoft and Oracle before moving to her current role as Director of Commercial Legal Services, EMEA and APJ for Progress Software. We are very grateful to Emma for coming back to speak to Year 12 & 13 students as part of our Inspire and Career talks.
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Mary Deaves (née May): 2019 finds me and my family working in the same places as last year, however, I am currently on a part-time secondment, which was an unexpected opportunity! I continue to have odd, infrequent communications with other members of the ‘class of 1991’ who all seem to be busy with their respective jobs and families! Meanwhile, my mum, Vera May (née Flitney, class of 194?) continues to have various health issues, as does my dad. They still both live in Booker, so I sometimes have cause to pass WHS when I visit them. All other things being equal, they will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in March!
1994 Claire Fryer (née Chilton): After working in PR and marketing agencies for 10 years I am now running my own marketing consultancy with Lisa, who was my best friend from Wycombe High. I feel very lucky to be able to work flexibly around my family. Nine years down the line and I love every moment of what I do. If you can do what you love it'll never feel like work!! We are very grateful to Claire for participating in our Year 8 & 9 ‘Inspire and Career’ talk..
1996 Dr.Samara Majid: Samara is a GP for East Berkshire Primary Care Out of Hours Group / Specialist Dr in Sexual Health at Oxford Sexual Health Service, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust. We are very grateful to Samara for coming back to speak to Year 12 & 13 students as part of our Inspire and Career talks.
1999 Victoria Lyle, MARLA Victoria has over 16 years’ experience and works as the Homes Agency Manager for Red Kite Community Housing, heading-up their Empty Homes & Lettings Team and new subsidiary start-up company; Pennvale, that caters for private residential Landlords and Tenants. We are very grateful to Victoria for coming back to speak to Year 8 & 9 students as part of our Inspire and Career talks Sarah Pearson studied STEM subjects at school. Having worked in the financial sector in Canary Wharf for 15 years, undertaking a variety of roles in a bank before moving into the Energy sector, she now works within BP’s trading business as Manager of its European Crude Trading Bench. We are very grateful to Sarah for coming back to speak to Year 8 & 9 students as part of our Inspire and Career talks.
2002 Dr. Meera Joshi is a surgeon and PhD student at Imperial College London. We are very grateful to Meera for coming back to speak to Year 8 & 9 students as part of our Inspire and Career talks. Claire Thomas: Claire went to Nottingham University to study Management and Spanish. She currently works at Hitachi Consulting, a technology consultancy focused on using technology to drive change for organisations and societal improvements. We grateful to Claire for coming back to speak to Year 12 & 13 students as part of our Inspire and Career talks.
2004 Elspeth Luna (Body): Elspeth is Head of Strategy and Planning at the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). We are very grateful to Elspeth for coming back to speak to Year 12 & 13 students as part of our Inspire and Career talks.
Hannah Harman: Hannah is the Acquisition Marketing Manager for Amazon Prime and Alumnus of Curtis Brown Creative Writing Course. She is currently working on her first novel. We are very grateful to Hannah for coming back to speak to Year 10 & 11 students as part of our Inspire and Career talks.
2008 Dr Kathryn Boast: After school, I took a gap year and re-applied to universities. I spent some of that time back at WHS as a Science Technician! That year was really good for me. It helped me get my priorities straight, and I learned to focus and be (as much as I could) selfdetermining. I went to Oxford to study Physics and Philosophy. There aren’t many universities that offer the course, and few have much that covers the cross-over area of the Philosophy of Physics, which is something that Oxford specialises in. It was this in particular that drew me to the course. When I applied in Year 13, however, I didn’t get in. I was really disappointed, but looking back on it now, it isn’t really a surprise – I did almost nothing by way of preparation, and I didn’t actually try that hard. I was nevertheless pretty sure that it was the course I wanted to do – I just didn’t get excited about what any of the other universities were offering – so I decided to take a year out and re-apply. It was a tough decision – I was worried that the other universities might see that I’d rejected them the year before and not offer me a place the second time round. I’m so glad I did it though. The year gave me some perspective and a lot of new study skills – I taught myself some extra Maths and Physics modules and some philosophy too. And on the second attempt, I got into Oxford! I loved the course, and the Philosophy of Physics was my stand-out favourite part of it, so I’m so glad I held out and fought for what I wanted. We are very grateful to Kathryn for participating in our Year 7 ‘Inspire and Career’ talk.
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2009 Helen Ramsbottom is a Forensic Examiner in the Biology and Trace Department for Metropolitan Police. I work in the lab examining evidence for body fluids, hairs / fibres, contact DNA and occasionally get to go out to crime scenes to look for and document evidence there. It involves working with other departments such as fingerprints, firearms and photography. My team mainly works on serious violent crime but the department also examines evidence from sexual offences and firearms crimes (looking for DNA, we don't get to do any test firing!!) We are very grateful to Helen for coming back to speak to Year 8 & 9 students as part of our Inspire and Career talks
2010 Abigail Seagar: Abigail joined the BBC in 2014 and spent two years on a rotation programme whilst training and studying for a masters. She is now a Systems Engineer working in connectivity helping to get video and sound from live event locations back to the studio. We grateful to Abigail for coming back to speak to Year 10 & 11 students as part of our Inspire and Career talks.
2011 Madeline Harris: CrossFit Strength in Depth is an individual and team competition, which will was held in London over the 23-24 February 2019. With the winning male, female and team to be invited to the CrossFit World Championships, 'The Reebok CrossFit Games', in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Athletes completed Qualifying workouts throughout December, in an attempt to book their space at The CrossFit Strength in Depth Finals at The Excel Arena in London.
Maddy finished in 20th place amongst some of the biggest names in CrossFit, managing to improve massively on her qualifying position. Maddy said she was over the moon her placement and honoured to compete against some inspirational multiple regional and CrossFit games athletes including 4-time CrossFit Games veteran, Icelander Sara Sigmundsdottir, taking the top spot and booking her ticket to The CrossFit Games. Lydia Cordice: Lydia is currently working as a Process Engineer in the Bournville Factory for Cadbury’s (or Mondelez International as it’s now called). She works on the Wispa and Cadbury Dairy Milk production lines making sure they are as efficient and productive as possible! Kayley Oseman: Kayley Oseman is a Process Safety Engineer at PM Group in Birmingham. PM Group is an international project delivery company operating across Europe, the USA and Asia. We grateful to Kayley for coming back to speak to Year 12 & 13 students as part of our Inspire and Career events.
2013 Tigs Knowles is launching her new venture ‘The Toast Club’, this summer. For more on her story see the article on page 7. Elle Girling: I am working freelance in the Film and TV industry. This past year I spent three months in Aitutaki, Cook Islands filming a TV show that will be aired on E4 in the New Year. I am currently a Production Assistant at Fifty Fathoms Productions. We are very grateful to Elle for coming back to speak at our Year 7 ’ Inspire and Career ‘ talk.
Ana-Maria Broscatan: After studying Law with Legal Studies in Europe at University of Reading/Universiteit Maastricht, AnaMaria interned as a commercial law paralegal in Beijing. She now works in a boutique investment management company as an Equity Research Assistant, having moved from the Legal & Compliance department, and is working towards qualifying The top 30 athletes from The Qualifiers advanced to as a US attorney in 2019. The Finals, where Maddy qualified in 27th place, in We grateful to Ana-Maria for addition to this 10 further athletes who had compecoming back to speak to Year 10 ted at previous CrossFit Games Events were also & 11 students as part of our invited. After a tough weekend of competition, with 7 Inspire and Career talks. scored events taking place across the two days,
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2014 Dr Aliyah Yousuf: I am currently living and working in London as a junior doctor in a busy Accident & Emergency department. I am hoping to apply for speciality training later this year in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. We are very grateful to Aliyah for participating in our Year 7 ‘Inspire and Career’ talk. Grace Hogg-Robinson: These days I work as a jobbing actor! I’ve been in various bits and bobs on TV over the last few years, including ‘Silent Witness’, ‘The Durrells’ and two series of ‘The Coroner’ for BBC. I’ve also been involved in stuff on stage. I did a play called ‘Broken Biscuits’ in 2016 for a wonderful company called Paines Plough, about three misfit teenagers. I’m currently on tour with a production of ‘Jekyll & Hyde’. This year I’m also setting up a YouTube channel with some friends called ‘What am I getting into?’ which will (hopefully) encourage teenagers to pursue arts careers, whilst informing them of various routes into the industry. We are very grateful to Grace for coming back to speak to Year 8 -13 students as part of our Inspire and Career Talks. Alicia Rice: Alicia went to the University of Birmingham to study Law and graduated with a firstclass honours degree. Now, Alicia works for Lewis Townsend Solicitors in London as a paralegal. We are very grateful to Alicia for coming back to speak to Year 10 & 11 students as part of our Inspire and Career talks. Flo Wilson: Flo left at the end of Year 12 and went straight into an apprenticeship in partnership with University of West London and the Gordon Ramsay (GR) group. She is now working as a chef at a private members club in Mayfair and working her way up through promotions and developing my skills and knowledge. We are very grateful to Flo for coming back to speak to Year 10 & 11 students as part of our Inspire and Career talks.
caught by a staff member from the University of Lincoln, and I decided to apply to university instead.I went to the University of Lincoln and studied Interior Architecture and Design. It sounded more than interesting, so I visited the university and fell in love. We are very grateful to Megan for participating in our Year 7 ‘Inspire and Career’ talk.
2016 Emily Morgan So, third year’s been pretty wild. I’m coming up to the end of it now, but it’s been pretty non-stop all the way through (and sometimes that’s a lot). However, there’s definitely been some highlights. I’ve headed up my squash team for the second (and final) year, and this time we’ve finished second in our league! Our last match against Royal Holloway led to a mini reunion with a friendly face, it’s really great to see Becky Meyrick thriving as the president of her respective society. Speaking of Royal Holloway, I am very grateful to have been accepted (provisionally) onto their Screenwriting masters course and to be continuing my advancement in a subject that I really love! Finally, one of the most fun (and sometimes stressful) moments of my year has come from my time with Pole Fitness. I was lucky enough to be chosen to participate as an intermediate competitor for the Inter University Pole Dance South Eastern Regional Heat. I had an absolute blast and even came fourth for my efforts! The university as a whole came sixth (out of ten competing teams) and I am so lucky to have participated among so many friends! The year may not be done yet, but it’s been a good one and I am both excited (and saddened) to be nearing its end!
Emma-Beth Lacey During my second year at university I started to consider placement year schemes and found one from the Government 2015 Student Network (GSN). I got a job in the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) as a Megan Clark: I originally didn’t statistician. I was based in Westminster and had want to go to university and so started looking for apprenticeships or a job, but after numerous opportunities including the fact that I took attending the Careers Fair at WHS, my attention was a software coding course and am now fluent in SAS Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019
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(Statistical Analysis System). I have been to many other governmental departments, such as the Department of Education, Home Office and the Treasury. At Christmas I had the pleasure of meeting the new minister of DWP, Amber Rudd. I have given presentations to other government sectors and been given the responsibility of writing some publications due to be released later this year. I am also the representative of the student body at DWP and I have enjoyed getting to know the other students - improving our networking and making friends. A placement year gives you the life experience that university does not. I have learnt that university is not the ‘be all or end all’ and establishing a healthy work-life balance is going to be beneficial to me in later years. I am looking forward to returning to Oxford Brookes come the new academic year, and am excited to learning again. I am yet to decide if I would like to continue to work within DWP after graduating in 2020. My only advice would be, to anyone, trust your gut and never say no to any opportunity. Emma-Beth Lacey, Class of 2016 Please follow this link to read the full article here: https://www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/media/news/ article/647/What-are-you-up-to-now-Emma-BethLacey-Class-of-2016 Helen Lindsey-Clark, Staff Leaver My cherry pies have been published in the latest book about the Chilterns. Cherry plate handmade by Nicki Toay. Follow Helen’s blog at www.treacleandthetart.com for more information
employment opportunities with Louis Vuitton. With such prestigious fashion knowledge and resources, it has honestly been what I believe was my best option for obtaining my degree, so I can venture into whatever career I may choose to in the future. I continue to work at Topshop in the Eden Centre! My 20 hour a week contract allows me to stay on top of uni, whilst being able to connect with friends and pursue a higher job status in my workplace, making more and more fashion connections as I go. Lois Bown: The story of a gap-year girl trying to find herself... After school I decided to take a gap year. I spent the next few months reading lots of books including one on minimalism, and I’ve been applying it to my life. Having this time to myself brought me back to my childhood desire to become a doctor. I used the short amount of time I had to go through the UCAS process and working fulltime as a healthcare assistant. This opportunity has helped confirm that healthcare is the right profession for me, but it has also made me realise that there’s no need to rush into a university or plan out your entire life when you leave school. You have much more time than you realise and you will probably change your mind at least once in your career. I am so happy and grateful to be where I am today and excited to see where I can get to in the future. To read the full article ‘The story of a gap-year girl trying to find herself’. go to: https:// www.whs.bucks.sch.uk/media/news/article/605/What -are-you-up-to-now-Lois-Bown-Class-of-2018
about the history of Seer Green’s cherries #chilterns #cherries #seergreen #bradttravelguides
2018
Niamh Herron: I have begun a degree in Fashion Marketing and Communications at the Fashion Retail Academy in London which is accredited by Falmouth University. I have had access to the most amazing resources since studying in London, including talks from the director of QVC, to
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Wycombe High School Guild Magazine 2019