Overseas Links

Downe to Business
The Newsletter of Downe House
Tatler’s Best Public
School Award goes
to Downe House
Mrs Emma McKendrick was delighted and honoured to receive the
Tatler Award on behalf of the School for the ‘Best Public School’
recently at the Schools’ Award Ceremony at The Dorchester.
Alice Rose, Editor of the TATLER Schools Guide explained:
“All the schools in our guide are exceptional in their own way, but
Downe House kept cropping up this year in conversations with
parents, pupils and prep school heads. There’s a real buzz about the
school - the seemingly effortless transition to Pre-U, the cracking
sports results, the tremendously good pastoral care - and about Mrs
McKendrick’s exceptional leadership. When we asked heads to give
us nominations for the best public school, Downe House topped the
board. We were delighted to give it our Best Public School of the
Year award for 2011.”
Issue 14 • December 2011
Overseas Links
The Boarding Houses have developed links with schools/organisations in Africa, Asia and Europe.
The Houses take the lead in collecting money or equipment on behalf of the schools, as well as
corresponding with them. Several visits have taken place by our girls and staff and some of the groups
with whom we are linked have also visited Downe House.
Food for Thought:
A Cookery Course with a
Difference!
Preparing soup for 300 hungry children and adults is not usually
part of the curriculum for Downe House but that was the task
facing 11 girls from Tedworth House during their recent visit
to South Africa. Opening the sacks of fresh bones donated
by a local slaughter house was the first and perhaps greatest
challenge. Separating the pieces and dropping them into cauldrons of boiling water was also a daunting task.
More mundane, but equally time consuming, was the preparation of potatoes, carrots, onions and beans. Perhaps
the most rewarding task was the mixing and kneading of flat bread using flour, water, sugar and salt. When a
satisfactory elasticity was achieved, the dough was rolled and cut, some pieces being deep fried whilst other,
larger, pieces were cooked with the meat.
The sense of urgency grew as a large crowd congregated and serving such a hungry and grateful crowd was a
rewarding experience. The soup kitchen was also taken in to a temporary settlement and to the people living on a
local rubbish dump: providing further insights in to the lives of others.
In addition to working in soup kitchens, the group also helped in a Disabled Centre, attended lessons in a local
school and painted a play area for a pre school. This was exposure to a world far removed from their own and the
girls returned exhausted but with new friendships formed, the richest of memories and a new perspective on life.
Photograph at the Award Ceremony by Hugo Burnand
CIE Awards
Alexia Kirk and Lucia St-Clair Erskine received awards for top
results in their subjects in 2011 Cambridge Pre-U Exam series
Alexia Kirk and Lucia St-Clair Erskine have
each received an award from University
of Cambridge International Examinations
to acknowledge their outstanding
performance, achieving the highest marks
for Cambridge Pre-U German and Spanish,
respectively, in the June 2011 examination
series.
Alexia Kirk
Alexia Kirk and Lucia St-Clair Erskine were
amongst 35 students who achieved the
highest marks in their Pre-U subjects. All
award winners were rewarded with an
official certificate from Cambridge and an
Amazon voucher for £50 to support them in
their further studies.
Ann Puntis, Chief Executive, University of
Cambridge International Examinations said:
‘It is extremely rewarding to congratulate
Alexia and Lucia who have worked so
Lucia St-Clair Erskine hard to achieve tremendous success in
Cambridge examinations. Topping the list of excellent candidates
in a Cambridge Pre-U subject is a performance of the very highest
calibre. They have shown us truly outstanding ability. I hope they
can not only draw great satisfaction and pride from this, but also
take inspiration from it in setting goals in the future.”
The Pre-U is recognised and accepted by all universities in the UK and
universities in the United States including all Ivy League universities.
Malaysia link School visit – 20-24 October
When Mrs Ford first established the link with Tunku Kursiah College in Malaysia back in 2009 she had
great aspirations of involving AGS and TKC in the school link project and these were finally realised
when AGS were given the opportunity to visit TKC in Malaysia in 2010. As an assistant Housemistress in
another house, Mrs Charlotte Jones was invited to join Mrs Ford and 14 AGS girls and experience firsthand the hospitality, generosity and care that TKC showed us. Little did she know that a year later she
would be hosting TKC at Downe House as Housemistress of AGS.
On 20 – 24 October AGS hosted their link School from Malaysia. 17 girls, 2 teachers and 2 senior officers of the
Ministry of Education, Malaysia , arrived at Downe and were met with a warm welcome.
The girls grabbed a quick breakfast and they were soon off for a tour of the school and an afternoon of lessons! In
the evening they had a House supper followed by some brilliant games such as ‘Splat’, ‘Zip Zap Boing’ and a quiz
masterfully put together by AGS’s Shadow Heads of House, Emily Lyle and Kendall Nield.
On the Friday they left early for a day trip to London. They visited Buckingham Palace, the Horse Guards, Downing
Street, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and went on the London Eye. They went on a river cruise and got off at
Tower Bridge for some free time to explore before returning back to school for an evening of celebrations.
The TKC girls spent Saturday with their host families and were treated to all kinds of activities before their
departure on Sunday, but not before a stop off at Windsor Castle.
Downe to Business
House News
The AGN Wild Flower Meadow, only seeded last spring,
was in full flower when school re-opened in September
making our magnificent view down the valley even more
picturesque. The butterflies and bees were very active
amongst so many flowers and it was only with great
reluctance that the meadow had to be scythed in the
autumn. Some additional bulbs have now been planted
and some more weeding out of brambles, thistles and
moles will continue, but we are thoroughly looking forward to a grand spring show!
To make full use of the AGN lawn and meadow area, a late summer fete took place full
of all the traditional activities from a coconut shy to a giant sack race; from a cake stall
to fresh crepes being made. Throwing sponges at the staff in the stocks was particularly
popular! The raffles were a great success and the barbecue was delicious – everyone
managed to enjoy themselves in the first three hours, just before the rain began: a very
traditional English summer! It raised £800 for The Kipungani Trust.
AGS have had cause for many a celebration, from the
fantastic news of Alexia Kirk and Lucie Kiehl receiving a
language scholarship, and Coco Tahany receiving a Drama
Scholarship, to the UIV’s bringing home the Inter Year Football
Trophy! We have also had lots of birthday celebrations where
we also had a shared birthday party for Letitia O’Neill’s 15th
birthday and Mr Jones 30th! We had House Drama where the girls worked exceptionally
hard and pulled off a phenomenal performance where we reaped many of the awards, from
best hair and make-up to best comedy duo. A Halloween cake sale raised over £190 for the
House charities followed by a Halloween party with Jessie Robinson taking home the award
for best dressed! On 5 November we had sparklers and hot dogs in the garden and to top
it all off we had our House Chapel Service where we were overwhelmed by the fantastic
parental support!
It has been a very busy first half term for Aisholt,
with many activities and events so far to keep us
buzzing! We started the term with a whole-house
social with Druries House, Harrow, which was a lovely
opportunity to continue fostering the collective House
spirit for which we are renowned. We also received
an invitation for our Lower and Upper Fifths to have a social with Winchester, so we have
enjoyed a particularly sociable start to the year. We are very proud of our second place prize
for House Drama and are currently channelling our creative talents into preparations for our
House Chapel and Fundraising Dinner coming up soon. We are looking forward to formally
welcoming Miss von Weissenberg to Aisholt as Mrs Wilson embarks on her maternity leave
shortly. We wish them both the very best of luck!
Sophie Harley plays the lead
part of Kathy Seldon in ‘Singin’
in the Rain’ at the Theatre Royal,
Winchester
At the end of the Lent term,
Sophie auditioned for a
production of ‘Singin’ In The
Rain’ at The Theatre Royal
Winchester. The play was
to be performed, directed
and orchestrated by RicNic,
a Winchester based amateur
dramatic society consisting
purely of 16-20 year olds.
She was thrilled when she
was offered the lead part of
Kathy Seldon and worked
with other members the cast
and crew for a period of six months prior to official rehearsals to co-ordinate
set and props before the rest of the cast joined us. From 7 August, along with
the cast and orchestra, she rehearsed intensively every day from 9-5 in order to
have the production ready to perform on the opening night, the 31 August.
On 26 August, the company moved into The Theatre Royal. They performed for
four sell-out nights, each of which was very hard work and sometimes stressful but
incredibly enjoyable at the same time.
They found that within the 60 person company, their performance improved every
night which was very satisfying and left them all with a huge sense of pride and
achievement.
Next year she has been asked to consider directing the project which she says is a
slightly daunting but amazing opportunity. She only hopes that she could pull off
a show that would be as successful as this one.
House Drama
Holcombe - The start of term saw us all out on the
school fields working on our ‘esprit de coeur’ in many
varied, fun and brain-teasing team building activities
ranging from the rather tricky ‘Spider’s Webb’ to the test on
team hand-eye and lower body coordination ‘The Skis!’ The
day was a great success for all and really taxed essential
team-building characteristics and helped forge some strong bonds throughout the three
year groups. In House Drama this year all Holcombe girls really had every reason to feel very
pleased with themselves having given outstanding performances in what the adjudicators
judged to be ‘an extremely inventive and creative performance.’ Commendation certificates
were awarded for Best Adaptation, Best Overall Set and Design, Best Costume, Best Comedy
Moment and for Best Lower School Entertainment. In the first week of October our cake
sale raised valuable funds to support our National Charity ‘Kids Company’ and on that
weekend our fifth formers joined Aisholt in a lively social with the boys from Winchester.
Tedworth - The beaming smile on this photograph
shows just how well all 24 girls who were new to Tedworth in
September have enjoyed this term. We can pretty much say
that ‘we have done it again’ with our trip to South Africa and
because we won the House Drama Competition. The term began
with a bob sleigh and doughnutting day at a dry ski slope, which
left us all rosy cheeked and tired but having experienced some
good inter year bonding. This theme was carried through into
the House Drama where all years pulled together to create a
superb performance under the LVI leadership. It is no wonder
we clinched the winning cup and had a ‘Victors’ Supper’ and celebrations. Three year groups
joined Mr & Mrs Nurser and Mrs Hathaway at Tiger Kloof, our link school. We all joined
together in community service tasks: separating bones for soup, painting a play area for
children and taking food into a township or to people living on the municipal rubbish dump.
We even took photos of our adopted cows, Teddy and Olive with their calves. Secret Santa
is underway with everyone in the house involved and responsible for someone in a different
year group.
Each year at Downe House we look
forward to the girls’ achievements
at House Drama weekend. These
productions are entirely managed by
the Lower 6th girls, from the editing of
the script and casting decisions through
to choreography, artwork, technical
design and stage management. And they
accomplish all of that in the space of
four weeks – quite a remarkable feat for
girls who have only just finished their
GCSE year.
This year the theme for House Drama was
‘Action-Adventure’ inspired by five wellknown feature films and the Directors were
for AGN, Tara Ogilvy, for AGS, Flora Tiley, for
Aisholt, Alice Palmer, for Holcombe, Serena
Hughes-Onslow and for Tedworth, Eliza
Lorimer.
The weekend of drama they produced with
their teams was one of the strongest we
have seen and our adjudicators, Olivia ScottWebb and Laura Palmer, both Downe House
Old Seniors themselves, had a very tough job
deciding the winners in each category.
The overall winner was Tedworth (The
Mummy), with Aisholt (A Knight’s Tale)
receiving the prize for Best Direction.
The prize for Best Actor was awarded to
Charlotte Scobie for her performance as
Marion in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of
the Lost Ark. Best Supporting Actor went to
Rose Slater as Evelyn in The Mummy.
As our Head of Drama this year, Hermione
Corfield, had the unenviable task of
awarding the Head of Drama’s Acting
Prize. Her choice for the winner was Rose
Slater, and as runner-up Sophie Shipton
who provided one of the most comic
performances of the day with her role as
Chaucer in A Knight’s Tale.
www.downehouse.net
Music
Matters
On Wednesday, 5 October
thirteen girls from the LIV
to UVI joined Dr Taylor and
me for a trip to London’s
Royal Albert Hall where the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
presented an evening of
music by Tchaikovsky. The programme included
the Overture to “Romeo and Juliet”, the First Piano
Concerto in B flat minor with Peter Donohoe as
soloist and the 5th Symphony in E minor Opus 64.
We had wonderful seats just a few rows from the
stage and the girls were fascinated to see and hear
this world-renowned orchestra and soloist in action.
It was a fantastic evening enjoyed by all.
Corinne Marsh, Head of Keyboard
On Saturday, 15 October we (Caia Fallowfield,
Hettie Blampied and Timi Afolami) went on the
“Music Matters” trip to see ‘La Traviata’ at the Royal
Opera House, Covent Garden. We were all amazed
about how good it was. It was fantastic! Going to
the Opera House was really exciting and beforehand
we went shopping in Covent Garden which was
great fun.
Walking into the Opera House was thrilling.
The gold ceiling was beautiful and the set was
unbelievable. Each new scene was different: they
all look really realistic. The music was incredible
and so were all the singers. The acoustics from the
amphitheatre were marvellous. We all really enjoyed
the evening and hope to do it again sometime.
Caia Fallowfield
On Wednesday, 9 November, Music Matters
returned to the Royal Albert Hall for the annual
Schools’ Prom. This year there were over 700
children from schools in Oxfordshire, performing
and singing together in a new work commissioned
and conducted by John Traill. Once again there
was a huge variety of bands, choirs and orchestras
from all around the UK and the standard was
exceptionally high as is usual in these events which
are organised by Music for Youth. The girls really
enjoyed their first experience of “promming” in the
Albert Hall arena, as well as the performances given
by talented young musicians.
Corinne Marsh, Head of Keyboard
Evensong at St George’s
Music Award
Holders’ Concert
The first Music Award Holders’ Concert of the academic year
took place on Sunday, 6 November in the Concert Room. An
appreciative audience enjoyed a varied programme of music given
by a selection of Music Award Holders,
notably those from the Upper Fifth.
This term we welcome five new Award
Holders to Downe House. Livia Russell
and Linh Moran, who performed in
this concert, and Suemin Bae are
internal appointments and are
members of the Upper 4, Upper 5
and Lower 6, respectively. We are
also delighted to welcome Sophia
Elger and Kelly Min to the Lower
4 and look forward to the
contribution all of these
girls will make to the
Music Department and
to the school.
Founder’s Weekend
The musical component of Founder’s Weekend was vast and varied, ranging from the
grandeur of the School Concert in the Farr Centre, to the relative intimacy of events such as
the Song and Composition Workshops taking place in the Chapel and the Chamber Music
Concert held in the Concert Room.
Despite not being able to draw on the services of the Upper Fifth or Upper Sixth, the standard
at many of the events was remarkable, both in terms of individual performances and in the
collective achievements of the choirs and orchestras.
On Wednesday, 9 November Repertory
Choir augmented by a few girls and
two of our singing teachers (Davina
Hastings and Patricia Corry) had the
privilege of singing Choral Evensong
at St. George’s Chapel Windsor. It
was magical to be singing in a place
so steeped in history. Upon arrival
we were shown to the dungeon
which was to be our base before a
short rehearsal in the Chapel itself
once it had closed to visitors. The
repertoire was aptly British consisting
of Stanford’s Song of Wisdom and the
Berkshire Evening Service by Malcolm
Archer – a Downe House commission
and I am told, a firm favourite with
the boys in St. George’s Chapel Choir.
Holiday Wallis played the organ
voluntary at the end by the French
organist Louis Vierne and brought
the Evensong to a triumphant finish!
Thanks must go to Anthony Cain
and to all the parents and staff who
supported the girls.
With performance events
fitted around occasions
such as the Sung
Eucharist – with music
provided by Choral and
members of Repertory
Choir – and the Hog Roast
Supper, accompanied by
Malcolm Gunningham and
the Big Band, it truly was
a weekend to remember.
Prep Schools Orchestral Fun Day 2012
Tuesday, 4 October
Once again the PAC reverberated to the sound of 170 +
young musicians participating in the annual Prep Schools
Orchestral Fun Day – now in its eighth year!
Commencing at 10.30am, the day was packed with
rehearsals, sectionals and copious quantities of
refreshments.
A short concert at the end of the day was warmly received
by parents and staff. Veterans of this event all agreed that
the standard of music making was the best ever!
Schools attending included Bute House, Cheam, Farleigh,
Garden House, The Oratory, Broomwood Hall and
Brockhurst and Marlston.
Downe to Business
Explorer George Bullard
gives Sixth Form Lecture
Local Dordogne
artist, Magis, is
adopted by Veyrines
Each term, in Veyrines, we have decided to adopt a local artist.
We have frequent invitations to galleries and exhibitions and
Madame Nicolas gives the girls a grounding in the History of
French Painting and an Introduction to Modern Art.
The girls have responded well to this venture and have been able
to discuss with the chosen artist, those artists, who have been the
most influential in inspiring their work.
On Tuesday, 20 September, the explorer George
Bullard came to Downe to give an exciting
lecture on his expeditions around the world.
In particular, he discussed one of his greatest
achievements of having broken the world record
for the longest fully unsupported polar journey.
It was a fascinating talk about the difficulties he
faced during this long expedition but also about
his interest in this field and what motivated him
to go on these expeditions. Overall, everyone at
the lecture thoroughly enjoyed hearing about his
many great adventures.
Bringing hope
and healing to the
forgotten poor
This term, pictured here is one of the most famous contemporary
artists working in the Dordogne at the moment - Magis. He sells
his work all over the world, has a thriving internet business and
has exhibited on every continent. The girls are pictured with him
at his studio. He has generously provided materials with which
the girls might experiment this term. Needless to say the girls
adored the experience of being in a real paint splattered studio!
Vulcania
Journey to the Centre of
the Earth for the girls
atVeyrines
The long awaited expedition
to Vulcania, in the heart of
the Massif Central more than
lived up to our expectations.
Originally the brainchild
of former French President
Giscard d’Estaing, this park,
with its majestic backdrop of
the Chaine des Puys, features
all aspects of volcanology. We
were very fortunate to have
Mr Richard Barnes, Head of
Geography at Downe, with
us. The study of volcanoes
forms part of the geography
programme for the LIV year
and the meticulous preparation
before the day, and the
exceptional teaching at the site,
offered by Mr Barnes, made
this special visit come alive
for the girls and the staff who
accompanied them. The whole
experience is a magical blend
of informative film, exhibitions,
virtual reality and superbly
crafted interactive learning.
From riding the magma flow
On Friday, 16 September, Consultant Anaesthetist,
Dr Keith Thomas came to give a lecture about his
work for the charity, Mercy Ships, which supplies
medical aid to countries in Africa.
Mercy Ships, a global charity, has operated a fleet of
hospital ships in developing nations since 1978. On
board, over 400 medical volunteers from around the
world provide specialist surgery and treatment. Their
motto is “Bringing hope and healing to the forgotten
poor”.
The lecture was organsied by Sixth Former, Popsie
Barry, and was attended by over 120 girls as well as
visitors from Radley and The Oratory.
Holcombe’s ‘House Family’
Supper is Incredible
to flying above an erupting
volcano, to feeling the after
effects of such an explosion in
clouds of choking dust, burning
heat and tidal wave, we were
left marvelling at the wonder
and awesome power created
by the volcanic eruptions that
continue to shape our planet.
A visit to this remarkable park
is a ‘must’ for any age group
passionate about the world in
which we live.
On the evening of Monday, 7 November all girls affiliated
to Holcombe from the Removes right through to the
Upper 6 joined together for a themed House Family
Supper. The theme of the evening was ‘Famous Families’
and the girls dressed up in costumes to represent various
members of those families, including the likes of ‘The
Simpsons’, ‘The Flintstones’, ‘The Kardashians’ and many
more. The prize for the best fancy-dressed table and
most convincing costumes went to ‘The Incredibles’.
The House Committee
are planning another
‘House Family’ event so
that the girls can really
get to know their House
through mixing with the
different ages spread
across the School.
Big Bang
history in 60
minutes by
Simon Singh
On Thursday, 22 September more than
200 visitors joined the Downe House
community for our Michaelmas Term
Medley Lecture to hear Dr Simon Singh
discuss ‘The Big Bang: a history of the
universe in 60 minutes.’ The event was
expertly chaired by Sixth Form pupil
Josephine Benthall, with an enthusiastic
vote of thanks by Brenda Njiru (UV
Aisholt). Before the lecture, students
from Trinity School and Kennet School
in Thatcham joined a small group of our
pupils for a workshop that looked at how
scientists can deal with difficult data and
controversial issues, using homeopathy
and climate change as case studies.
Art History Lecture
The Sixth Form enjoyed a fascinating Art
History Lecture entitled ‘Gender, Beds, and the
Representation of Women in Art’ by Mr Justin
Nolan from Eton College as part of the Sixth
Form Enrichment programme in September.
www.downehouse.net
Linguists take
to France for
Half Term
During the course of Half Term two groups of French
linguists from LV-LVI took the opportunity to enjoy
a home-stay experience in France. The LV-UV went
to Bordeaux and the LVI went to Nice. Both groups
enjoyed some fabulous food and accommodation
and all the girls attended classes to brush up on their
French grammar. Read about their experiences below.
about teaching us, which is always vital when you
are to learn from someone.
Many of us returned back to our hosts after Friday’s
lessons much more confident that we could strike
up a slightly more advanced conversation than the
night before!
In all this was an excellent trip with opportunities
to study, enjoy French cuisine and experience life in
a French home and we have returned back to our
French lessons at school feeling a lot more confident.
Ultimately a fantastic school trip and certainly one
to make the memory bank!
By Lucy Barker-Hahlo and Amber Williams
Nice Trip 2011
On Thursday, 20 October 2011 seven LVI girls,
accompanied by Mme Westacott and the French
Assistant, Elodie, left for a six day study trip to Nice.
The girls were housed with French families (in twos
or threes), they participated in French classes every
morning (organised by Azurlingua) and excursions in
the afternoons and at the weekend. They were given
a tour of the old part of Nice and they also visited
Monaco, Cannes, the Island of Ste Marguerite and
Antibes.
Bordeaux 2011
On Thursday, 27 October 32 LV and UV girls set
off for Bordeaux. Our host families were all
utterly charming and welcomed us all like royalty.
We enjoyed five days of excellent food and
accommodation and on the Sunday some of us were
taken on excursions by our host families to Saint
Emilion and other sites of interest around Bordeaux.
Others simply got to share in the rugby fever that
had gripped France as the national team played New
Zealand in the World Cup Final.
A lot was packed into a few days and they all
returned tired but pleased with their progress. The
girls are pictured in front of the statue of Francis
Grimaldi, Monaco.
Charity News
The girls, staff and parents of Downe House lived up to the ethos
of the School and our Founder’s aspirations during the academic
year 2010-11 in the way that they took part in community service
and raised money for charity.
Our community has raised a tremendous amount for many charities
both near and far. The astounding figure for the year was nearly £94,000.
Notable efforts were approximately £20,000 for AGN link organisations
in Kenya, £14,000 for the AGS link organisations in Malaysia, over £5,500
for the Great Ormond Street Hospital, nearly £2,000 for the Watermill
Theatre, £1,500 for Riding for the Disabled and around £4,500 for cancer
charities. This outstanding accomplishment is something of which every
member of our large family should be very proud.
AGN CYCLE RIDE
RAISES £16,000
FOR KIPUNGANI
TRUST
Eight girls of Ancren
Gate North set off for
their 233 mile, five
day tour of the Heart
of England in July, the
day after the end of term. Taking several teachers along for the ride, they
had all trained hard at the end of many a school day during the summer
term.
Everyone arrived back safe and sound – looking very fit and well. The sun
was shining, the final photos were taken as their charity, The Kipungani
Trust had gained more than £16,000 from their efforts.
Hounds for
Heroes Mufti Day
Downe House had a mufti
day on Friday, 7 October.
Each girl (and many staff)
paid to wear casual clothes
instead of uniform.
For many of us we were able to get to know the city
really well as we travelled by tram to school and
around town and some of us enjoyed a ride around
town on the ‘borrowers’ bikes’.
Wayne Palmer, Chief
Executive Officer of
Hounds for Heroes,
pictured here with Berkeley, is presented with a cheque for £582 by
Lower Sixth Formers, Isabella Boscawen, Alexandra Campbell-Harris,
Tarah Farrer and Isabella Redford.
Lessons were intensive and worthwhile. There
were lessons from 9am until 5pm on the Friday
and again on Monday afternoon. So much French
in such a short space of time sounded daunting
but the lessons did, in fact, fly by. Our teacher was
enchanting and was most certainly enthusiastic
Wayne spoke to the whole school to explain that Hounds for Heroes
is working to provide specially trained assistance dogs to injured and
disabled men and women of both the UK armed forces and civilian
emergency services.
Dining in Style
Macmillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning
On Friday, 30 September, Downe House took part in the Macmillan
World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. Downe House has held Macmillan
Coffee mornings for many years as an event for the staff but this year
we decided to go bigger and better and invite the girls to take part.
The call went out to all staff and girls (900 people) asking them to
support an event where they could eat cake for charity; but there was a
sting in the tail - the Coffee Morning would only work if people donated
cakes.
On Monday, 19 September we opened our new
dining room extension ready for breakfast.
With the arrival of new tables, chairs and
contemporary beverage counter, we have been
able to transform the dining experience at
Downe.
The feedback has been wonderful from both girls
and staff with regards to the new layout. The
most comments we received were in relation to
the extra space within the dining room. We have
gained an extra 30% floor space now that the
Salad and Deli Bar counters have been relocated
into the extension. Along with the space, the
light has improved and we are all now able to
sit at round tables which provides a much more
convivial and relaxed environment. Also, as soon
as the good weather returns we will be able
to enjoy the newly landscaped terrace which
overlooks the upper Cloisters.
As always the Downe community rose to the challenge and there were
lots of offers of help and donations of wonderful cakes from staff, girls
and the Catering Department. The cakes, many homemade, provided a
mouth-watering
appetite tempting
choice in the Main
Dining Room for
all who attended.
When all the
money promised
has been collected,
we will have raised
over £300.
Downe to Business
U12 Netball
Tournament
Sports Round-up
Well done to Eagle House for winning all six of their matches
and scoring an impressive 82 goals in total, earning them
the title of tournament champions. Twyford School were close
on their heels with an impressive 25 points placing them in the
runners up spot.
The ‘Best Team’ award, for the team who demonstrated the best
sportsmanship, effort and potential was awarded to The Oratory
who, despite it being their hockey term, showed that together they
have potential to become a great team.
The ‘Player of the Tournament Award’ was hotly contested this year
with several of the Eagle House girls standing out as promising
young players, but the award this year was presented to Hermione
Tribe, from Thomas’s Clapham, a player with buckets of potential.
Berkshire Schools Success!
On Wednesday, 28 September Downe House 1st and U15 Lacrosse teams
won the Berkshire Lacrosse Schools Tournament. The tournament was held
at Downe House as we enjoyed temperatures of twenty eight degrees. The
1st team won the majority of their matches comfortably and the big game
was against Queen Anne’s School. We won this match 7-3 and therefore
became the Berkshire Champions.
The U15s not only ended up drawing with Queen Anne’s but in goal average as
well and therefore shared the trophy overall.
Downe House A, B and C teams all took part in this event, showing great depth of sporting
ability in the Remove year group. Other members of the Remove were responsible for the
running of the tournament.
Berkshire Lacrosse
17 Downe House girls were selected for the
Berkshire Lacrosse U19 (A and B) Teams at the
trials which were held at St Bartolomew’s School,
Newbury, on 11 October.
As winners of the Berkshire Schools Lacrosse
Tournament last month, Downe House were
allocated up to 18 places for potential trialists
and put forward 17 girls – all of whom
were selected. Around 50 girls in total were
nominated for the trials.
U19A
Camilla Popplewell, Araminta Naylor, Charlotte
Enoch, Eliza Watson, Chloe Searle, Lucy Lukic,
Camilla Bampfylde, Lucinda Barry and Isabel
Brown
different schools all pay attention to their skills.
14 Downe House U15 girls were trialled and all
were selected. There were 36 girls present so
they did very well to achieve this.
U15A Squad
Georgina Revell, Cicely Colthurst, Marina
Hacking, Arabella Koessler, Anna Black, Honor
Weatherall, Roseanna Whitbread
U15B Squad
Jessica Lea, Natasha Seaton, Alice Pearson, Iona
Miller, Katharine Craig, Cosima Hollamby, Olivia
Webb-Bowen
Congratulations to them all!
(The County Tournament is to be held in January
at Westonbirt)
U19B
Alice Kirk, Catherine Brown, Eleanor Hillier,
Florence Dowler, Chloe Searle, Polly Goodman,
India Kary, Kendall Nield
Following on from the success at the Berkshire
U19 trials, it was the turn of the Under 15s at
the trials which were held at Downe House
on Wednesday, 12 October on the Astro under
floodlights, which gave an unexpected challenge
to the already nervous girls.
The ball bounced on the astro and flew across
the surface so it made everyone from the 5
U17 Hockey County Success
Sophie Shipton (pictured), Alex Alberts and Brenda Njiru
have been attending the Junior Development Centre (JDC)
squads every Friday night during the Michaelmas term.
These sessions have been very intensive and competitive
with nominations being sent from schools all over Berkshire.
The Junior Academy teams have just been announced
and all three girls were awarded a place. This is a huge
achievement and a credit to all their hard work and
dedication!
U14 Hockey team make
district final!
On 8 November, the U14A entered their first tournament of
the season. After some excellent goal scoring against The
Downs and a well fought battle against Kennet, they have
now set up a final against St. Gabriel’s!
Netball highlights for
Michaelmas Term so far:
Senior Netball, for the first time, has 4 teams this year.
In the first match of the season the U13A and B teams had convincingly high winning
scores against Cheltenham Ladies’ College (34-2 and 27-4) at an away game on Saturday,
17 September. The 2nd Team had a strong win against QAS (12-8) on 5 October.
On 28 September the U16A had a very good win against Kennet (27-10) and
Cheltenham Ladies’ College (30-9) on 8 October, of which they can be most proud.
U15A and U14A had victorious results against Luckley Oakfield (23-15 and 27-3) on
28 September, and on 15 October against Westonbirt (23-16 and 17-10).
The U15A team had a tremendous victory over St Helen & St Katherine’s 2nd team
(17-12) and again can be proud of the way they played.
The U14B and C teams won comfortably against Headington (15-5 and 17-8) on home
territory just before half term on Wednesday, 19 October.
On Thursday, 20 October during a PE lesson, our U12E and F teams played St Marks in
nail biting last quarters and the players of the E team made a strong comeback to finish
with a draw 6-6. Good shooting gave the F team a win of 7-5.
And the U12A team won comfortably against St Marys, Ascot (7-1) and Westonbirt (42-1).
The 1st Netball team (pictured below) had a very successful West Berkshire Tournament
on Wednesday, 9 November 2011 and returned with the Gold medals.
Results:
v St Gabriel’s
v Kennet
v St Bart’s
v Park House
v Theale Green
12 - 2 Win
10 – 4 Win
8 – 7 Win
19 – 1 Win
14 – 2 Win
A wonderful achievement by the
1sts who played very well to win
each of their five round robin games. Special mention to Dannie Perry for her athleticism
and ability to slot into centre court positions. Also to Illisha Abdullah, Izzy Powell and
Lily Lower for consistently good play throughout the tournament. Well done all!
The U16s won silver medals at the District Tournament and the U15s will have theirs on
Thursday.
www.downehouse.net
News and views from the heart of
Downe House . . .
Overlooking the cloisters, the Chapel and the beautiful
Berkshire Downs beyond has to be one of the most
treasured and iconic views from Downe House. Each
day as we look out from the office window over the
heart of the School we can’t help but be reminded of
what a wonderful place this is. Whether it is success
on the sports pitches, achieving outstanding academic
results, experiencing an abundance of creativity and
talent in the arts, or receiving inspiring and uplifting
news from our fabulous alumnae – there is just so
much to be proud of. The Foundation Office strives to
keep our community connected, past and present, and
to forge strong, productive and enriching relationships
now and for the future.
Mrs Michelle Scott
Director of the Foundation
Welcome to
Past Parents
We warmly welcome past parents
to this edition of Downe to
Business.
Our past parents are an important
part of the School community and
we hope that you enjoy receiving
news from Downe House. We are
committed to building stronger links
with our former students and their
families.
The First Founder’s
Weekend
As our first Headmistress, Olive Willis created a community
where each individual was cherished and nurtured to bring
out the very best in them. Miss Willis longed for a School
where each individual would matter, where life would be
normal, and where relations between people would be easy.
Commemorating our Founder
OLIVE MARGARET WILLIS
(26 October 1877–11 March 1964)
Through her love of people and her vision
of what they might become
she founded Downe House in 1907,
served it as Headmistress until 1947,
and never ceased to cherish all who
belonged to it.
On Thursday, 20 October we
commemorated our Founder’s birthday with
an inspirational Chapel Service led by our
Head and Deputy Seniors, Iona Loveridge
and Josephine Benthall. We were reminded
of Miss Willis’s ideals and intentions for a
truly integrated community and reflected
on how Miss Willis’s vision is embraced at
Downe House today.
Following the service, flowers were laid in the Memorial Garden at the front of
the Chapel and delicious celebratory cupcakes were devoured at tea.
This vision for a harmonious and thriving community was
celebrated at our inaugural Founder’s Weekend on 1 and 2
July 2011.
Founder’s Weekend 2012 will be celebrated on 30 June and
1 July – we would be delighted to see you there.
Fundraising for
the Forces
Copter record breaker to compete
in Himalayan Ultra Marathon
Downe House Old Senior (1953-1957) Jennifer Murray, the first woman to pilot
a helicopter solo around the world in 2000, will now attempt an earthbound
challenge – to become the oldest woman to race an Ultra Marathon. On 20
November, she will be on the start line for Racing the Planet, Nepal.
Rated one of the toughest foot races in the world, it is a 250km, seven-day event in the Himalayas
where competitors have to carry all their own equipment. Jennifer will be raising funds for the
Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute.
Jennifer Murray is no stranger to adventure. After setting her solo helicopter record, she took to the
skies again in 2003, together with co-pilot Colin Bodill, attempting the first South-North helicopter
circumnavigation of the world, but crashed in Antarctica shortly after reaching the South Pole. They
survived, and in 2007 they made a second and this time successful attempt.
To see her BBC news interview go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/12577835
Jennifer is the author of three books: Now Solo, Broken Journey, and Polar First.
In November 2010 the Radley
Foundation, in collaboration with
Downe House and St. Mary’s, Calne,
launched a campaign to raise funds
to educate sons and daughters of
Service personnel killed or wounded
while serving their country.
Proceeds raised from the Downe House
Gift Fair on 22 October have been
donated to the Armed Forces Fund
and it is hoped that the Silver Ball at
Embankment Gardens on 18 November
will push us even closer to the £1
million target.
In the first ten months of the
campaign parents, alumni and friends
from the three schools have donated
an incredible £750,000. The aim is to
raise £1 million by the end of 2011,
with the ultimate goal of £5 million by
2015 to provide a number of bursaries
in perpetuity.
Our sincere thanks to those who have
generously given their support to the
Armed Forces Fund.
For further information or to make
a donation please contact the
Foundation Office.
Sharing theVision
Over the past few months we have met with a cross-section of our community –
alumnae, current and former parents, the staff and girls – to discuss the ten year
vision for the School. These discussions are forming the backbone of the development
plans for Downe House and are generating great enthusiasm and interest from all
sectors. We look forward to sharing our vision with you over the months ahead as
we begin an exciting new phase of development. The founding ethos of the School
stands strong, as this collaborative effort allows us to consider both the community
as a whole and the benefits for each individual. There is, of course, the added
incentive to maintain our position as the top girls’ boarding school in the UK!
Downe to Business
Lizzie Fane (DH 2004) has been identified as one
of Britain’s brightest young business brains
She launched ThirdYearAbroad.com offering advice on living, studying and
working abroad, after she experienced difficulties abroad during her third
year at university.
The Independent newspaper featured 10 successful young British entrepreneurs,
some of whom are Virgin Media Pioneers who were offered support, mentoring
and peer-to-peer guidance in setting up their businesses. In the article Lizzie
writes - ‘By offering free advice and support, inspiring case studies and a showcase of the huge
range of careers open to graduates who have studied abroad, we can help students see the value of
an overseas placement. Solving a problem you have personally experienced is a great foundation for
starting a business – you understand your target market and know you can help make lives better.
Entrepreneurs need to possess – or quickly learn – a huge number of skills. Coming up with an initial
idea is the easy bit.’
www.downehouse.net
DHSA News
Class of 1975 Reunion
Catherine Palmer (Jackson/CJ) organised a reunion in June for the ‘Class of ‘75’.
There were 25 of us for dinner at her house in Fulham. Most of us had not seen
each other since we left - some 36 years ago - so you can imagine the noise
levels! It was wonderful to see each other but the evening went far too quickly
for us to catch up properly with everyone.
We are also in touch with a further 6 who were, sadly, unable to come.
Catherine would love to hear from anyone else in this year - so we can add to
the list for our next reunion! ([email protected])
Read the full article online:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/the-people-who-want-to-makejobs-not-take-jobs-6261617.html
Save the Date
SATURDAY 3 DECEMBER 2011 – Upper Sixth Gala
a 1920s themed evening for parents and girls (6.30pm Performing Arts Centre)
WEDNESDAY 1 FEBRUARY 2012 - Bankside Gallery
a social event for parents of girls in the Lower and Upper Fifth
(6.30pm – 8.30pm, Bankside Gallery, London)
WEDNESDAY 22 FEBRUARY – Daughters of Downe
an annual lunch for families who have had more than one generation educated at Downe House
(1pm – 3pm Main Dining Room, Downe House)
Back row: Antonella Harvey, Daphne Baker, Sue Phillips, Jo Woodhouse,
Amanda Fuller, Ghislaine Galbraith, Gilly Guy, Jane Heywood-Lonsdale, Jo van
Straubenzee, Jo Cherry, Lucia Vivian-Neal, Amanda Clezy, Louise Pearson
TUESDAY 10 APRIL – FRIDAY 13 APRIL – Downe House in Hong Kong
a series of receptions and small events to connect with the Downe House community
(past and present) based in Hong Kong and China
Middle row: Kate Crookenden, Clare Alsop, Anabel Temple, Sarah Hustler, Clare
Harris, Mary Fraser
THURSDAY 10 MAY – Alumnae Connected
a networking event in the heart of London (6pm – 8pm The Lansdowne Club, London)
Front row: Katie Morgan, Mandy Cotton, Julia Jacomb-Hood, Catherine Palmer,
Annabel Hope, Sue Tylden-Wright
SATURDAY 26 MAY – Careers Platform
a careers event for current girls, alumnae and parents
SATURDAY 30 JUNE, SUNDAY 1 JULY– Founder’s Weekend
an ‘open-school’ event for all members of the Downe House community – past and present
The Foundation Office Team
The Foundation Office aims to encourage
life-long connections with our alumnae
and their families by providing memorable
experiences and opportunities that inspire
continued support of Downe House.
SUPPORTED BY:
Ms Anna Renton-Green
Research and Development
DIRECTOR OF THE FOUNDATION:
Mrs Michelle Scott
Mrs Jennifer Kingsland
School Archivist
FOUNDATION OFFICE MANAGER:
Mrs Lucy O’Meara
Mrs Laura Ogilvie-Jones
Careers Support
Keep in touch
[email protected]
Miss Freya Morrissey
Website Development and Communications
01635 200719
In the spring we will launch a new section of the Downe House website, which will provide excellent
avenues to share and receive news, keep in touch with the School, network and advertise, seek careers
advice and support, and much more. We look forward to sharing this with you soon.
The Foundation Office . . .
Building the future together
DHSA Drinks Party
was held on 5 October 2011 at the Turf
Club in London for those members who
left school between 1960 and 1978. More
than 70 Old Seniors gathered for a most
successful, enjoyable and noisy evening,
with all years, bar one, being represented.
We were delighted to welcome Mrs
McKendrick to the event and to hear
news of the present school from her.
Photographs taken by Jane Tomkinson
A thank you from the
Archivist
Thank you to all those who responded to the request for information regarding a
photograph in the recent Downe to Business.
The photograph showed Miss Dorothy
Read (Music), Mr Sharwood-Smith
(Classics) and Miss Baron (Dance).
Miss Read and Miss Baron were
members of staff and Mr SharwoodSmith, a former headmaster of St
Bartholomew’s school, Newbury, led
classics and philosophy discussions
with the older girls. It was taken on the
occasion of a Greek play, ‘Helena’ by Euripides, performed in 1945. Mr SharwoodSmith both translated and produced the play.
Address list
The next DHSA List of Names and Addresses will be published early in 2012.
Please let the DHSA administrator, Mrs Lucy O’Meara, know of any changes to
your contact details – name, address, telephone number(s) or email address – as
soon as possible. (Tel 01635 204719 or email [email protected])
DOWNE HOUSE, COLD ASH, THATCHAM, BERKSHIRE RG18 9JJ TELEPHONE: 01635 200286 FACSIMILE: 01635 202026 [email protected] WWW.DOWNEHOUSE.NET
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WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH – House of Lords
an invitational event for new parents (6.30pm – 8.30pm House of Lords, London)