Oswestry School Bellan House

Oswestry School
Bellan House
The Bellan House choir during Speech Day
DRUM CRAZY
BELLAN HOUSE was rocked to the beat when the pupils
took part in a series of percussion workshops, led by John
Walker of the Totnes-based organization Drum Crazy.
Responding with enthusiasm to John’s energetic
direction, the children participated in a multicultural
percussive experience as they played different varieties of
drums and other instruments, often accompanied by
rhythmic chanting and lively dance.
“It’s been really interesting”, said Henry, a year 4 pupil.
“I enjoyed playing all the different kinds of drums.”
“I’ve had a great day”, said John Walker at the end of
the concert. Bellan House has a strong music department
and the children got the hang of things really quickly. It’s
all about teamwork and clearly the pupils were supporting
each other”.
The Oswestrian
49
OSWESTRY SCHOOL BELLAN HOUSE
THE TUDOR EXPERIENCE
YEAR 4 PUPILS enjoyed a taste of Tudor life at Chirk Castle.
Dressed in authentic costume, members of the National Trust
Education team gave the children a fascinating experience
of life in Tudor times, based on the history of the Myddelton
family, who bought the castle in 1595.
“It was an excellent day”, said Mrs Greatorex, the
headmistress of Bellan House. “The pupils all enjoyed their
visit and were helped to understand what it was like to live
in the sixteenth century, as well as learning more about our
local history”.
Having a taste of life in a Tudor kitchen—Freya Morris, Hannah
Spalding, Hannah Jones, Flossie Bebb, Lottie Hulme, Robert Duncan,
Henry Bowen
Tudor toys—back: Iwan Williams, Andrew Warner, Cameron Hughes,
Armani Roberts, Donald Gray, Dominic Fisher, Oliver Woodward;
front: Fiona Newman, Arianna Herbert, Caro Hulme, Alex Dewing
FIVE-YEAR-OLD Kinvara Garner qualified for a place in
the Royal International Horse Show in July, after coming
fourth in the Lead Rein Show pony class at Royal Windsor.
Kinvara, who is in year 1 has been riding since she was
two and has collected a string of trophies, including nine for
best rider, in county and national competitions. She says: “I
like riding. It is fun and my pony is nice and cuddly”.
FIFTEEN PUPILS from year 4 took part in a sponsored swim
in February. Along with pupils from the Senior School they
raised over £2,000 for the three good causes: LEAP School,
Childline and Shelterbox. Mr Don Howard and Mrs Jayne
Middleton of Oswestry Rotary Club presented them with
certificates and Mr Howard thanked the pupils for working
so hard to improve the lives of other people.
TALENTED YOUNG RIDER
50
The Oswestrian
SPONSORED SWIMMING
OSWESTRY SCHOOL BELLAN HOUSE
T
The Watery Babies
HE PUPILS of Bellan House brought the house down
with their summer show this year: a terrific
performance of The Watery Babies.
Most of the staff at Bellan were involved but particular
mention should be made of Mrs Woollam and Miss
Thompson, who were in charge of the music and
choreography respectively.
Thanks were also due to the many parents who helped,
including Mrs Spalding, her mother Mrs Munford, and Mrs
Brennan for their assistance in making the wonderful
costumes. Thanks also Mrs Hulme for all her help with the
administration.
Donations this year were divided between Hope House,
Debra and Bellan House.
The Oswestrian
51
Out & About
I
Year 7 at Blencathra
T IS WITH a fair amount of sadness that I write this
report. The year 7 field trip to Blencathra Centre has
become somewhat of an institution, as this year was its
seventeenth anniversary. Although I did not start it off—it
actually started the year before I came—it has become an
important part of the Trinity term for me. As a measure of
its popularity several year 8 pupils have asked if they could
sneak along again and even pupils in year 5 have been
known to say they were looking forward to going.
Since the beginning various changes have taken place.
Initially there used to be a bivouac out one night in a field
at the end of Thirlmere, having paddled there by open canoe.
Then one year, owing to foot-and-mouth restrictions, a lot
of the activities had to be altered and instead of a mountain
hike we walked along the eastern shore of Derwent Water
and caught the launch back. We also looked at the flood
defences in Keswick, as we could not go up the
52
The Oswestrian
Glenderaterra Valley to study the river.
However, gradually the course as it is now came into
being, and there have been very few changes since about
2002. It now suits us very well.
Over the years pupils have gone canoeing on
Bassenthwaite Lake, Thirlmere and three different venues
on Derwent Water, but every time they have enjoyed getting
as wet as possible! Catbells has been climbed many times
and some pupils have been rewarded with a lovely sunny
view of the surrounding fells and lake, unlike this year when
the wind and rain made it difficult to stand up on the
summit.
I’m sure the trip will continue to be popular and
enjoyable under the leadership of Mrs Lentink, and pupils
will continue to be amazed at the grizzly goings on in the
pond where food chains can be witnessed in action!
M Hart
BLENCATHRA
At Derwent Water the pupils went canoeing
and they all jumped in. Christian Blount-Powell
and I were eager to get in the water and
Christian capsized the boat. Richard Herbert
was not so eager and only went half in and
screamed. Sebastian Potter helped him.
Natalie Makin
While I was in
Blencathra and we
were having the
games night, one of
the games had people
feeling the pressure
so I said to Mrs
Lentink that it was
very “pressurating!”
Mrs Lentink let me
have this amazing
word.
Holly Payne
The Oswestrian
53
ON MOUNT SNOWDON
T
Outdoor Education
HE OUTDOOR EDUCATION department has gone
from strength to strength this year with the activities
it is offering having increased both for recreational
users as well as Duke of Edinburgh award options for
different modes of travel.
MOUNT SNOWDON
The year opened with a trip to Snowdon for all years over
a wet and windy weekend in October. The group of mainly
year 10 boys successfully ascended Tryfan in the Ogwen
Valley after setting up camp at its base in less than pleasant
conditions. The boys scrambled up the east face by a stony
gully using hands and feet at times, before gaining a windy,
wet and icy summit. We spent only a short time on top as
there wasn’t a view! We quickly made our way off before
returning to the campsite below where it was hoped to find
the tents up and intact; this was the case to everyone’s relief!
The group then set about cooking and during this time
the wind picked up and started knocking down tents! The
group made a quick exit to the buses and escaped the
conditions to School House, where the day students were
made comfortable in the TV room and everyone had a warm
shower as well as a hot drink in the new supper room. The
place also resembled a street market as all items were draped
over whatever was available to dry.
The following day saw the group ascend Cadair Berwyn
from Pistyl Llanrhaeadr and the weather hadn’t changed!
Instead the group had to descend in blizzard conditions
which they thoroughly enjoyed before getting a well-earned
hot chocolate in the cafe below. The group also managed to
work toward the practical navigation element of the CCF
proficiency certificate.
THE GOLD AWARD
The winter was quiet this year and no more activity was
undertaken until the beginning of Easter. This saw two
groups heading for Capel Curig in Snowdonia to participate
in two different training packages for two very different
54
The Oswestrian
On the pathway to Ben Alder
modes of transport for the gold Duke of Edinburgh’s award.
A group of six lower-sixth students embarked on training
for crossing wild country by foot on a self-contained journey;
the other group chose to learn how to control and journey
by sea kayak.
Both groups met a mixture of weather with a
combination of strong winds, sunshine, rain and at times
snow, which was the first time that Shenna and Desiree
Wong (two students from Brunei) had seen it! After three
days of intense training each group undertook a threeday/two-night journey, with the walkers encountering snow
and cloud over the Rhinogs from Penmachno to Harlech,
whilst the sea kayakers enjoyed a sun-drenched journey
from Criccieth to Abersoch along the South Lleyn, which
involved pulling the boats above the high tide line and
camping on the beach.
Both groups have since had further individual practices,
with the walkers crossing the Berywn mountains whilst the
sea kayakers have kept on practising the skills of paddling
on the occasional summer’s evening and also on a windy
Saturday during the first weekend of the Trinity half term
resulting in an example of how a minor incident can quickly
develop into a situation that requires outside assistance to
resolve it.
The group that has chosen to undertake a journey by
canoe also combined forces for the second year running with
Pates Grammar School in Cheltenham, a relationship that
is working well for both schools. The group had a five-day
package which was delivered on lakes and rivers around
Cheltenham before a journey along the Wye Valley, again
over three days and two nights.
The group has had two further practices, with the sea
kayakers going out first for a three-day expedition. The
walkers then followed the kayakers out to Wales and
completed a traverse of the Carneddau range from Capel
Curig to Conway. During this trek they practised further
navigational techniques as well as going through incident
management and continual weather and ground assessment
THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD
to ensure that they can read the environment they will be
working in. The canoeists had the opportunity to undertake
a second practice but were unable to.
The school took three gold groups and one silver group
to the Lochaber area of Scotland for their assessment
expeditions. It was an ambitious expedition as it involved
groups walking, canoeing and sea kayaking.
The group drove in convoy to Fort William and settled
into the Snowgoose Mountain Centre where they were able
to prepare for the following four-day, three-night expedition
through buying food, checking and packing equipment and
then most nerve-rackingly meeting their assessors. The
assessors where all fantastic, being practitioners in the
various disciplines and thus intent on the groups not only
meeting the requirements of the award but also having an
enjoyable expedition in one of the most scenic and vast
mountain areas in Europe, let alone the UK.
The walkers embarked on a journey which had them
leave a road on the first morning then not see one again until
the end of the last day, which gives an idea of how remote
and big the landscape is. They travelled through Ardverikie,
which is the setting for Monarch of the Glen, and then
through Ben Alder Forest (which curiously had no trees)
before a very scenic and remote leg through to Glen Nevis
under the shadow of Ben Nevis and numerous other vast
mountains that dominate the scenery.
They had an eventful first day which involved the
crossing of a fairly full ford before moving into Culra Lodge
Bothy, which is an open building that walkers use free of
charge in this area; it provides simple accommodation and
shelter from the elements and more importantly the midges!
The walkers were blessed with reasonable weather that
allowed them to enjoy the setting they found themselves in
which they all were awe struck by.
The sea kayakers had to lower their sights regarding their
journey which initially was going to be down the Sound of
Mull before turning left up Loch Linnhe to finish in Fort
William. The large seas and strong winds forced the team
inland to start at Kinlochleven after a visit to the Ice Factor—
the UK’s largest indoor ice climbing facility. The group
undertook a wet first day (although they were lucky enough
to see an otter) before setting camp at the foot of Glencoe.
The second day had them investigating the massacre of
Glencoe, which is one of the major historic events in Scottish
history.
After taking notes at the visitor centre the group paddled
to the isle of the dead where all the members of the
McDonald clan who were killed in the event were laid to
rest. The team then moved to their campsite around an area
exposed to the onshore wind that generated some lumpy
waves which the team enjoyed. Fortunately, the group had
the wind at their backs on the third day and enjoyed a swift
passage up Loch Linnhe and Fort William which included
spending some time seal watching at a rocky island part
way up. The fourth and final day’s paddle was spent in the
initial stages on a glass flat Loch Eil and finished in more
magnificent mountain scenery at Garvan, situated at the
loch’s head.
The canoeists had a fast passage up the great glen along
the Caledonian Canal from Fort William to Inverness. This
element was a joint venture with Pates Grammar School.
The team was involved in a historic buildings project during
their journey and had specific points to stop, such as the
impressive abbey at Fort Augustus at the head of Loch Ness.
The groups had the wind at their back for the entire journey
and were able to raft their boats together so they could erect
a sail and use this power to travel along the lochs. The group
was also the first group in our experience to travel the length
of Loch Ness in a single day owing to the wind’s help. The
canoeists were slightly spoilt through using official campsites
and having access to showers and loos, unlike the other
groups who all wild camped which is a joy of working in
the Highlands.
All the groups passed and impressed their assessors
hugely who all commented independently of each other that
the groups were both competent as well as good people to
work with. The owner of Snowgoose Mountain Centre, John
Cuthbertson who has worked in the mountains, rivers and
lochs of the area for over 30 years, said that you can tell in
ten minutes if a group is able or not. He was highly
impressed with all of the Oswestry students and commented
on the fact that many were working at a level above the
Sam Bainbridge, Victoria Bateman, Oliver Szikszay and Katy Yates
Navigating the Caledonian canal in Scotland
The Oswestrian
55
OUTDOOR EDUCATION
standard for D of E and were obviously competent canoeists,
walkers and sea kayakers. High praise indeed!
delights of Marrakech and its bustling square, famed for its
street traders and entertainers.
The new cohort of “bronzes” has had a revamped training
package that has concentrated on developing skills and
attitudes for all three sections of the award rather than as a
stand-alone process for bronze. This has involved not only
the successful progressive weekend training but also
lunchtime sessions to ensure that participants are fully aware
of nutritional requirements and route-planning principles.
This has resulted in the cohort enjoying and easily achieving
their assessment routes over and around the Long Mynd
area above Church Stretton to Stiperstones.
It was very pleasing to see members of the group
navigate with confidence and assuredness whilst others
contributed in other ways either on the move through
physical ability or morale boosting, or even just as
importantly when in camp through cooking or organizing
tents. This was a very positive experience for both the
participants and the staff delivering the training or assessing
the candidates, and is a blueprint of good practice in
preparing young people for the expedition section of the
award that will stick.
All the participants felt the assessment was not as
physically challenging as the second practice over the
Berwyn near Llangollen but was far more testing
navigationally. It was also really pleasing to hear the
participants openly show appreciation for the countryside
around them. They now have a thorough grounding for
moving on to the silver award in September. This will
include a canoeing option which will be reported on in the
next issue.
Next year will be just as busy with walking and canoeing
groups at silver level for the Duke of Edinburgh’s award in
early September, as well as the possibility of a few weekends
which are not award related, allowing further sessions of
white-water kayaking, mountain biking or climbing in
Snowdonia. There is the redelivering of the successful bronze
training for the next cohort to embark on the worthwhile
Duke of Edinburgh’s award. The next cohort of golds will
also start their award. There are also the preparations for
eight students to embark on the training and final expedition
involving two sea-kayak expeditions in the Knoydart and
Outer Hebrides area of Scotland.
I would encourage all readers and both current and
former members of the school to look at the outdoor
education section of the activities area of the school website
to keep abreast of the ever-increasing number of
opportunities open to our school community.
All that is left is to thank the hard work and efforts of all
the staff who have added to the experiences that the young
people of the school have had, both through their individual
knowledge and enthusiasm for the environments they work
in, but also for their humour and interest in making the
experiences they deliver inspiring and educational. These
include our own staff of Mrs Lentink, Jason Till and Mr
Stockdale, but also our regular freelancers who are Di Lee,
Paul Kelsall, Sarah Tansell, Jo Billington, Dave Brown and
Louise Kennedy. A final big thank you must also go to Mr
Neville, Mr Arnott and Mr Morris for their support in
driving the groups to their drop off and pick up points, and
without whose logistical help none of this could have
happened.
AD Othen
THE BRONZE AWARD
KAYAKING
In addition to this award-directed work we have also been
able to offer kayaking on Wednesday afternoons to students
in year 10 and above. This has been helped greatly by the
school being able to purchase ten new, general-purpose
kayaks at the beginning of the year as a boat share with
Shrewsbury School, Shropshire Army Cadet Force and
Oswestry Canoe Club.
These sessions have been very popular and have seen
the participants graduate from flat-water sessions, where
they learned the basics of controlling their kayaks, to using
the white-water course at Llangollen where they learnt how
to shoot rapids as well as cross them and, in some cases, surf
the waves. This involved plenty of swimming at times but
every session finished with the participants grinning from
ear to ear.
FUTURE PLANS
MOROCCO
The last event to happen this year will be the group of twelve
students and two staff who are going to Morocco with the
intention of climbing Toubkal, which at 4200 metres is the
highest point in northern Africa. As well as the extended
trek in the Atlas Mountains the group will also enjoy the
56
The Oswestrian
Liam Chambers and Tom Llewellyn
A SCIENTIFIC TRIP
The Catalyst Museum
On 30 April, year 6 went to the Catalyst Museum in Widnes.
Here are some of their observations.
When we got all
the rules out of the way
we went into a glass
elevator. I thought to
myself: “It’s Charlie and the
Great Glass Elevator”, from
a book written by Roald
Dahl. After we got out of
the elevator we were in
the observatory. It was
very hot because of all the
glass windows but there
was a wonderful view of
Runcorn Bridge, power
stations, churches and the
Mersey.
Cameron BilesLiddell
or we
On the top flo
saw puzzle,
built a giant jig
d tested our
built a bridge an
brains.
rt of the
My favourite pa
we made a
day was when
holder. We
floating soap
and that
heated the foam
it could
so
e
made it flexibl
. I made
ld
ou
bend round the m
a butterfly.
This was a science museum
about the early development of industries
and chemistry. We learnt about how solids,
liquids and gases can be changed to make useful
compounds, which early materials were used to
make dyes and which chemicals were used
to make acids.
Richard Christie
I learnt on the top floor that some coats
are made from plastic bottles and that Mr
Birchwood has one! My favourite part on this
floor was making a bridge out of foam blocks
with a space underneath and putting three
chubby people on it. It didn’t collapse! On the
ground floor we did lots of fun experiments in
“scientrific”, including making bubbles by
pushing a lever, talking to each other through
a long tube and building a giant cube out of
foam blocks.
Elwy Clarke
Emily Roberts
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The Oswestrian
57
MOROCCO
The Road to Morocco
A MOROCCO-BOUND DIARY
DAYS 1 & 2 – SUNDAY/MONDAY 6/7 JULY
Mint tea is OK; sometimes I’d have preferred a coke…
We all arrived at school bright and early, especially
considering it was the summer ball the night before, but no
one was looking too bad. After a quick kit check and saying
goodbye to the parents, we set off for Heathrow Airport
where we had a while to wait before take-off.
A few hours later the plane landed at Casablanca Airport
where unfortunately the connecting flight to Marrakech was
delayed. By this time it was early Monday morning and I
could’ve fallen asleep on the floor, given the chance. Another
long wait before we boarded the plane for a short flight, an
The hard work begins: no more tarmac for the next ten days
where we had our first try of mint tea, which was OK and,
as it’s what the Berbers drink, it became the main drink of
the trek, although sometimes I’d have preferred a coke.
After the tour we had a quick bite to eat and then set off
to Oukaimeden in the Atlas Mountains which, on looking
at them, are quite big. Tonight we were staying at a refuge,
which is also a ski resort when there’s snow. Was fine,
nothing special, but at least it had toilets and showers. Then
for the rest of the day we just sat outside on these weird
seats.
DAY 3 – TUESDAY 8 JULY
All ready to set off on another day’s walking
interesting landing, and arrival at Marrakech Airport.
A short drive into old Marrakech, near the Djemma El
Fna, brought us to our hotel, the Hotel de Foucauld, where
we shown to our rooms, which were all right. The lights
went out whilst we were getting ready for bed, so we three
girls were left wandering around in the dark. Interestingly,
there was a guy sleeping out on the patio—not sure why as
there are plenty of beds in the hotel.
After a few hours’ sleep, I was woken up by the call to
prayer from the Koutoubia Mosque, but then the others
woke up too so we got ready and admired the view from
the balcony. It was quite fun to watch the roads in the Place
de Foucauld as there didn’t appear to be any order, and to
cross you just walked out and hoped for the best.
Breakfast was good and then we were given a tour of
the city, riding in horse-drawn carts, before going into the
city on foot. The city was different to anywhere I’d been
before—very alive—and it smelt a lot, but our guide had
given us some mint to hide the stench. Our guide led us to
a bakery, the Bab ed Dabbagh, a vast network of dyeing vats
and the old Koranic school, to show us the Moroccan way
of life. Next stop, a herbalist shop where a man gave us a
talk on the different uses of the herbs, and I also had a
massage, as did a few others, which was good. This was
58
The Oswestrian
Chairs are always higher then the tables over here, making
eating harder then it should be…
First day of walking, led by our guide Mohammed, we
ascended the pass of Tizi n’ou Addi. Not too bad at first but
then it got steeper and hotter. Thankfully, the mules carried
Martha Twigg and Victoria Bateman enjoying the special atmosphere
our baggage. The downhill bit was slippery as the stones
were loose and Ben Draper almost fell off at one point.
After a few hours of walking we arrived at our beds in
Tacchedirt. We were supposed to be camping but one of the
Berbers owned a very nice hostel and he said we could stay
there. On arrival we had lunch, and I don’t know why but
the chairs are always higher then the tables over here, so
MOROCCO
Escaping the afternoon sun and relaxing in a stone shelter at Lac D’ifni
you can’t get your legs underneath, making eating harder
than it should be.
Then our muleteers turned up despite us leaving well
before them, but they do this every day. It was quite amazing
to watch one of the Berbers run down the mountain in about
half the time it took us; he didn’t bother with the paths. For
the rest of the day we did nothing apart from lounging
around and washing some clothes in the sinks. Also there
was some drama with Tristan as we weren’t sure if he was
staying on or not, but he did in the end, which was good.
When it came to night time we had to do everything in
torchlight because, even though this place has light switches
and plugs, they don’t work, so I decided they’re for show.
It also made having a shower interesting and even more so
because of the windows in them.
DAY 4 – WEDNESDAY 9 JULY
After that, Mr S gave us a tune on his harmonica…
Got up at 4.40 in the morning, when it was still dark and
starry, so we’d do most of the forthcoming climb in the cool.
Got dressed and packed before breakfast which was
porridge, one of the most filling things in the world. Then
we left and started to climb to a col at Tizi Likempt, which
took about four hours and was quite tough in places, but
my dextrose tablets seemed to help. Also some of the guys
had thought to bring some music along, which took your
mind off the climb.
Eventually we reached the top and there was this slightly
odd man selling cola and Mars bars, but I think it was quite
a good place to have a shop—it makes the climb even more
worth it if there’s a coke waiting for you. Then we headed
down, undoing all the hard work of the previous few hours.
We’d climbed over 1,000m: one of the hardest climbs of the
trek.
Tonight we were camping and we arrived by a river at
Azib Likempt, in the Tifni Valley. Lunch was good again—
pasta salad and fish. Thoughtfully our Berber had provided
us with a toilet, albeit a tent with a hole in the ground, but
it was either that or behind a rock. With the help of the
Berbers we put up our tents, after which we went to the river
to cool off. A few boys went for a swim as did Martha,
unintentionally, because Ollie picked her up and dropped
Following the mule tracks above the Tifni Valley
her in. Unfortunately, Norrie has a fever and it’s raining but
that’s it so far. For the rest of the afternoon we just hung
around in the group tent till it was time to eat. After that,
Mr S gave us a tune on his harmonica then it was bed.
DAY 5 – THURSDAY 10 JULY
Lunch was beautifully arranged; it seemed a shame to eat
it…
Got up at seven today, and took the tent down before
heading down the Tinzer valley. This was quite easy as it
was flat but still hot, and at a break we cooled off in the river
and this time Martha fell in. We carried on, had a few more
breaks and got to our next camp, Azib Ouraine, at about 12.
Lunch was beautifully arranged; it seemed a shame to eat
it.
Having free time all afternoon every afternoon, meant
we had to find ways to amuse ourselves, so we played the
letter game. It was fun. Some very competitive people
(Martha) took losing very badly. Something else to mention:
George came across a skeleton on the hillside when he went
to the toilet and when it started to rain the mules went a bit
crazy and you could just hear animals galloping past your
tent.
Dinner was soup, rice and salad, and melon after which
the Berbers provided us with the night’s entertainment by
performing a few tricks on people. For example, they
brought two plates of water in. Mo, our guide, told Charlie
to dip his finger in the water and write a 1 and a 2 on his
cheeks and showed him what to do with water from his own
plate, telling Charlie to do the same. However there was
soot at the bottom of Charlie’s plate, which left a black mark
on his cheek. He saw the funny side, I think, but then it
wouldn’t come off. After that we went to sleep.
DAY 6 – FRIDAY 11 JULY
Ollie, George and Charlie ran out of their tent screaming…
Today we were heading to Amsouzerte, a village where
we’d stay a couple of nights and have a break. It was a bit
of a climb at first up to Tizi Ouraine but then it was downhill
for most of the way, and as the ground wasn’t as rocky today
but more sandy, it reminded me of a desert. It was just a
The Oswestrian
59
MOROCCO
slight change to show we were on the Saharan side of the
mountains.
We soon got to the village, and I was glad to be there as
the heat had picked up. We were welcomed with the drink
of the trek—mint tea—and lunch. There was also a shop
there so I treated myself to a Fanta.
After putting up our tents, we went for a swim in the
river to cool off and give our clothes a wash in the process.
Everything gets really dusty here; my legs were brown from
the dirt. We were also given the opportunity to have a
shower, though not many people took it.
Again we were left to our own devices and some of the
guys bought a football and had a game with some of the
locals—that is until Charlie burst it. Martha and Katy made
some interesting dance videos while everyone else either
read or just sat there in the sun. An amusing game with some
sweets just showed what some people will do for food.
Tonight we had a treat of chicken and chips, and
everyone welcomed it if it meant no rice or couscous.
Nothing much happened except Mohammed the cook
showed off his strength by picking everyone up and Semen
got very amused over Ollie’s sunglasses. After a while it was
bedtime but something very amusing happened after we
were all in our tents. Ollie, George and Charlie ran out of
their tent screaming because something had stung Ollie—
something huge and terrible apparently. However, I think
it turned out to be a wasp, though they managed to cover
their embarrassment up rather well.
DAY 7 – SATURDAY 12 JULY
At least the tea was good and we were offered some bread
and honey…
The rest day, apparently.
We had a bit of a lie in today and got up at 7.30. We had
the added bonus of not having to pack as we were staying
here for another night. Couldn’t manage my porridge again
and there was a hot chocolate incident, whether adding
water before the hot chocolate and powdered milk caused
60
Charles Pierce enjoying fun and games with the Berber guides
The Oswestrian
lumps, lumps were caused.
Breakfast over, we got ready to go for some mint tea in
a real Berber house. At the time I thought it would be a quick
stroll down the track. However, I was greatly mistaken; it
turned out to the hardest, hottest walk so far. It was not a
rest day.
We reached the house hot and tired, but at least the tea
A spontaneous kick about with the local children at Amsousette
was good and we were offered some bread and honey.
After the hot walk back we had lunch and went for a
swim, which was refreshing.
Later on we presented our gifts we’d brought from home,
such as pencils and balloons to the chief of the village. Draper
also chucked Katy’s sandal over the side of the ledge. Poor
Ben got quite a lot of abuse for that.
DAY 8 – SUNDAY 13 JULY
Martha felt the need to stay awake to make sure the tent
didn’t blow away…
Got up quite early today—5.30, in order to miss the
extreme heat—and got ready to set off. The first bit of
walking I found quite hard because I was still tired but the
boys put the music back on, which took everyone’s mind
off the walking.
Heading up the Islani valley, we eventually saw Lac
D’Ifni, quite an amazing sight: a huge, bright blue pool
surrounded by the mountains. After a short walk down to
it, we had lunch and waited till the afternoon, when it was
cooler, to head to our campsite. During that time, quite a
few of us took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep.
Feeling a bit restless, we set off again only to find a steep
walk a head of us, but by walking now the journey the next
day would be cut down.
Tonight our campsite was situated halfway up a
mountain, but it made a change. The only problem was it
was very windy up there and our group tent started to blow
away. Martha and I put rocks in our tent to stop it blowing
away as Mr Stockdale and Martin’s had.
Tonight the food was not so good: spaghetti, or elastic
bands according to Ollie. After this disaster, we did a quiz
which Martin, our guide, had written for us. Thankfully, it
was time for bed and Katy and Martha then sang a rendition
MOROCCO
Another early start. We packed away quickly before
tucking into some more porridge: yum! Then we continued
up the mountain and, once I realized the walk ahead, I really
be staying in that night and somewhere on the horizon was
the Sahara desert. However the whole experience of being
really high was cool, especially with all the other mountains
below us.
We spent some time up there and had some food before
starting our descent, which I was glad of as it was cold up
there. It didn’t take as long to get back but you had to be
careful or you’d slip off the edge as the ground was really
loose in some places. Charlie also hurt his leg and, as he put
it, he “manned his way down the mountain”, so that turned
out all right.
Got back to the hostel around 11 and had lunch. After
this daily event we did a little presentation to our Berbers
Lunch time—always a feast of flavours and colours
Our early morning porridge sets us up for the day ahead
of all of the Grease songs.
During the night the wind picked up. It was very noisy
and Martha felt the need to stay awake to make sure the tent
didn’t blow away—despite all the stuff in it—but it was a
nice thought.
DAY 9 – MONDAY 14 JULY
Charlie amusingly sang I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing to
a group of French people…
appreciated that we had done the extra walking yesterday
to cut down today’s journey. For a change we saw some
snow although it was not cold.
After a couple of hours, we reached Tizi Ouanoums from
where we could see back to the lake and I didn’t think it
looked that far, but I guess most of the time we were gaining
height more than distance. We had a fairly quick descent to
the hostel where, on arrival, we had tea and lunch. This
hostel is very busy because it is situated right by Mount
Toubkal. After lunch it was back to hanging around for the
rest of the day. Charlie amusingly sang I Don’t Want to Miss
a Thing to group of French people, but this was after drinking
loads of coffee with George. They both began to shake and
didn’t feel too great afterwards.
DAY 10 – TUESDAY 15 JULY
Somewhere on the horizon was the Sahara desert…
The last day of walking.
Today we were woken up at 4.30 and had breakfast
before sorting ourselves out for the climb of the trek. This
morning we were going to ascend Mount Toubkal (4,167m),
the highest point in the Atlas Mountains and north Africa.
We set off at 5.50 when it was still dark, which made
climbing the steep, rocky path even more fun. The walk
didn’t turn out to be that bad though. I thought we’d had
harder climbs but the views were definitely the best. After
a few hours we reached the top and took loads of photos.
Because we were so high we could see the village we would
to say thank you for looking after us and feeding us. Liam
made a quick speech and then a few of us gave them their
tips.
After a bit of sunbathing we set off to Aremd, the village
where our guide Mo lives; it was a gently descending walk
but took a few hours. On the way we stopped off at a sacred
rock in a village, but as none of us were Muslim, we weren’t
allowed to go to the other side of the bridge and have a look
at it. There were also lots of flies there. I didn’t like it.
We soon turned up to where we were staying tonight,
our last night in the mountains, and it was better than I
expected. We were shown to our rooms. None of us had had
a proper shower or wash since our last hostel—six days
ago—so we looked good! After showering and washing
some clothes, we had supper—chicken—which wasn’t that
bad. Back to our balcony and someone found some balloons
and came up with the bright idea with filling them with
water. Eventually we went to bed and Katy and I slept in
our sleeping bags instead of the bed because Ollie and Norrie
said they’d got bitten whilst in theirs.
DAY 11 – WEDNESDAY 16 JULY
Time for shopping; we went to the souk…
Got up and packed our mess away. Our last Berber meal
was muesli instead of porridge, after which we said our final
goodbyes to the cook Mohammed and started the short
walk, about half an hour, to the next village where we were
getting the minibuses back to Marrakech. We had a short
The Oswestrian
61
MOROCCO
No camping tonight: a welcome supper inside the kazbar at Tacchedirt
Victoria Bateman, Martha Twigg and Katy Yates at the top of Toubkal
break and a drink instead of leaving straight away as this
was our last time in the mountains.
After a hairy drive back to Marrakech we checked in at
the same hotel as before and then had the best lunch. We
had spaghetti and coke; it was just good.
Time for shopping; we went to the souk and wandered
around for a while before going back to the hotel and
returning on our own. Martha, Katy and I wandered off
together and tried our haggling skills, which were all right,
but some of the stallholders not so all right. It was really hot
in the souk (market-place) and the three of us had to go back
and cool off. I don’t think I even got that hot when we were
walking.
Before, I mentioned that lunch was good, but at supper
there was pizza, so I think this meal wins. Then it was back
to the souk to experience the Djemma El Fna at night. This
time we girls had to go with the boys for safety, so we found
a boy. It was a fun experience, especially when you walked
into all the restaurant stalls as everyone came up and tried
to get you to eat at theirs, grabbing you and saying crazy
stuff like the food was from Sainsbury’s or M&S. However,
we picked one place to try the local delicacy. I had some
chips. I know, very Moroccan!
Then we split into groups and were set a task by Mr
Stockdale and Mrs Lentink. We were given a certain amount
of money and told what we had to buy. Our group had to
buy a cotham (a Moroccan shirt) for 50 dirham. Our first
offer was at 700 dirham, so we left that stall when they
wouldn’t budge. Then at the next stall, thanks to the brilliant
haggling skills of Ollie and Norrie, they got the price from
400 dirham to the target of 50 dirham. Poor guy, he won’t
eat tonight. With the challenge completed, we returned to
the cafe, unsure if the teachers expected success or not. Liam
still was feeling the effects of foreign food and after a bit
more shopping we went back to the hotel and met the other
group.
When we eventually went to bed, it was too hot to sleep
because I don’t think we figured out how to use the air
conditioning right.
Tristan, Norrie, George, Charles and Ollie on the summit
On top of Mount Toubkal (4,167m) in three and a half hours
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The Oswestrian
DAY 12 – THURSDAY 17 JULY
I wouldn’t mind if I was still there…
Had our final Moroccan meal—croissants and bread—
before packing up and heading to the airport. We were again
stopping at Casablanca and the flight was OK, although the
landing sort of shook us around a bit, like a ride at a theme
park.
After a short wait we took off, finally leaving Morocco
to return home. We eventually met up with our parents at
around 10 that night.
And that’s that! It was a really good experience, loads of
fun and I wouldn’t mind if I was still there.
Victoria Bateman
Music & Drama
B
Blast Off!
ATTLING in the teeth of circumstantial adversity, the
Lower and Middle School pulled out all the stops to
produce an entertainingly spectacular showing of
Blast Off! for their music and drama workshop.
Introducing the performance to the audience of parents
and friends, Mrs Leonard reminded them that rehearsals
had been disrupted for very good reasons: such as exams,
the year 7 field trip and the sponsored walk. However, the
cast rose to the occasion and played their parts with such
confidence and clear delivery that the occasional missed cue
passed almost unnoticed. Colourful costumes and a simple
but effective set served to enhance the visual effect of the
performance.
A special mention must be made of the band, whose tight
rhythms provided a strong platform for the singers and
dancers and enabled them to display their talents to the full.
The Oswestrian
63
OUR SEXCENTENARY CONCERT
The 600th Anniversary Concert
I
N THE YEARS building up to our 600th anniversary
celebrations, several of us from different areas of the
school attended a series of meetings to plan events that
would mark this important year. Many ideas were put
forward and when it came to my turn I said that I’d been to
a concert of past and present pupils and staff at another
school and it had been a huge success.
There are times when it is best to keep quiet at meetings
and as 2007 came closer I began to think that I should have
done just that. There it was in the brochure. It was going to
happen. We even had a date, 13 October, and a venue, St
Oswald’s Church.
The next stage was to contact people and let them know
it was happening. This proved to be quite an object exercise
in investigation, but slowly, over the months, more and more
people came forward. Letters, emails and newspaper adverts
were sent out. Music was hired, programmes written and
rehearsals organized. Wine was ordered (of course) and a
small army of people was “invited” to lend a hand.
My earlier fears that we might not have enough
performers soon disappeared as offers came in from many
different quarters. Some had to be gently persuaded, but
others offered their services in more than one area.
The afternoon before the concert was spent busily
rehearsing. Performers came from as far away as Devon,
Manchester, Leeds and Rugby and some were seeing the
music for the first time. It became very clear that Oswestry
School, including Bellan House, has a long history of
encouraging music at a variety of levels. Concerts and shows
were remembered and it was a time for old friends to
perform together again.
A packed church listened to a programme which ranged
from two young harpists to experienced opera singers: from
a string orchestra to a wind ensemble.
64
The Oswestrian
One of the wonderful things to come out of this event
(and there were many) was talking to people I’d never met
before who told me of their experiences at the school, either
as a teacher, or as a pupil. We made many new friends,
including an ex-pupil James Jones, the conductor of the
National Children’s Choir, who was the guest conductor for
one of the choral pieces and who also proved that he was a
fine baritone. We are hoping that James will visit the school
soon to take a choral workshop.
It was quite a sacrifice for some of our performers as that
was the evening when an important rugby match was taking
place—England v Australia in the quarter final of the Rugby
World Cup. Videos had been set to record the event.
However, part way through the evening, we became aware
of what sounded like a rowdy crowd in Church Street, which
we could hear quite clearly in the church. Much to the delight
of some in the audience—but to the horror of others who
didn’t want to know—the Rev Preb David Crowhurst
stepped up to announce that England had won.
So—a successful night all round!
I would personally like to thank Mrs Sue Morris who,
as always, worked so hard preparing groups and rehearsing
soloists to her usual high standard; without her the evening
couldn’t have happened. And Mr Christopher Symons, who
not only entertained us (as he often has in partnership with
Mr John Croft) but who also accompanied many of the
performers. Behind the scenes Mrs Hazel Yates was, as
always, a great support.
Thank you to all who took part. As you can see from the
programme on the opposite page and the “cast list”, we were
lucky to have so many musicians performing on this special
occasion. Let’s hope the concert for the 700th anniversary is
just as successful!
Juliet E Woollam
OUR SEXCENTENARY CONCERT
Choir
The Heavens are Telling (Haydn)
Soloists: Carolyn Chadwick, Robin Woollam and
Michael Birchwood
Saxophone Solo
Tom Niblock
Aria (Bozza)
Piano Solo
Robin Woollam
Rosemary (Frank Bridge)
Medley from Les Misérables
Soloists: Biba Gonzalez, Tanny Gliksman, Tom
Gonzalez, Michael Birchwood, Emily Middleton,
James Woollam
Duet
John Croft and Chris Symons
Banjolele and Piano
Melody in F (Rubinstein)
Harp Duet
Elizabeth Hulme and Quiana Booker
The Ash Grove (trad)
Vocal Solo
Hannah-May Elmasry
Time to Say Goodbye (Sartori and Quarantotto)
Brass Solo
Alister Talbot
Ave Maria (Bruckner)
Organ Solo
Eric Jones
Toccata and Fugue in D minor (Bach)
Concert Band
Music (John Miles arr Philip Sparks)
Birdland (J Zawinul arr Sweeney)
Vocal Solo
Biba Gonzalez
Voi Che Sapete
from The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
Flute Solo
Jenny Collinge
Flute Sonata opus 120 (York Bowen)
Vocal Solo
Libby Gliksman
Songbird (C McVie)
I N T E R V A L
The Spirit Carries On
Dream Theatre
Mikael Hopkins, Edward Roberts, John Harvey
String Ensemble
Upstairs, Downstairs (Paris arr Frazer)
Romance, Minuet and March (Mozart)
Vocal Solo
James Jones
Bravo, Signer Padrone, Se Vuol Ballare
from The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
Brass Solo
Rachael King
Ballade (John Gotland)
Vocal Solo
Carolyn Chadwick
Orchestra
Finale, Symphony no 5 (Beethoven)
Choir and Orchestra
Zadok the Priest (Handel)
Choir
Rebecca Adcock, Louise Aust, Paige Baker, Mr D Banks (F), Ms
Melanie Barth, Catherine Bateman, Mrs Val Baty, Emma Bell,
Chelsea Bentley, Christian Blount Powell, Mr Michael Birchwood,
Roy Cheung, Ms Jenny Collinge, Charlotte Dingwall-Fordyce, Mrs
Mary Croft (F), Mrs Catherine Eve, Ms Caroline Fisher (F), Ms Libby
Gliksman (OO), Nathaniel Gliksman, Ms Abigail Gomina, Mrs
Arabella Gonzalez, Biba Gonzalez, Tom Gonzalez, Lorna Hankey,
Tristan Hartey, Christopher Harvey, Mr John Marvey (OO),
Alexander Herbert, Ms Samantha Herbert (OO), Mrs Margaret
Hogg (PS), Mr Mikael Hopkins (OO), Katie Hughes, William Hung,
Evie Lacey, Douglas Laundy, Mrs Karen Lentink, Ms Sarah Lentink
(F), Ms Fiona Lloyd (PS), Emily Lunt Evans, Isabelle Makin, Natalie
Makin, Ms Katie McNeil, Mrs Kath Mellor (PS), Emily Middleton,
Ms Louisa Mitchell (OO), Polly Morgan, Mrs S Morris, Alexandra
Mowbray, Tom Niblock, Mrs Madge Paggett (F), Alice Parker, Mrs
Anne Payne, Ruth Reynolds, Mrs Geri Richards, Mr Edward
Roberts (OO), Brooke Simons-Akwah, Jade Taylor, Ms Liz Thomas
(OO), Isobel Tomley, Daisy Tickner, Kendal Welsby, Lara White,
Lucy Whitthread, Lucy Williams, Natasha Williams, Mr James
Woollam (OO), Mrs Juliet Woollam, Mr Robin Woollam (OO)
String Group
Dr Jim Ayres (PS), Victoria Bateman, Mr Abbas Bowen (OO),
Matthew Bunby, Laura Doyle, Emma Duncombe, Ms Hannah-May
Elmasry (OO), Tristan Hartey, Mandy Kwan, Evie Lacey, Natalie
Lee, Vivian Lee, Ms Sarah Lentink (F), Nichola Lawrence Millard,
Ms Louisa Mitchell (OO), Ruth Reynolds, Ms Elizabeth Thomas
(OO), Daisy Tickner, Jasmine Tickner, Victoria Whittingham, Mr
Robin Woollam (OO)
Concert Band
Stacey Baker, Catherine Bateman, Mrs Val Baty, Mrs Sarah Bromley,
Ms Jenny Collinge, Vincent Chu, Mr Colin Hooper, Charlotte Dade,
Matthew Dundon, Lorna Hankey, Seren Heyward-Jones, Katie
Hughes, Mr Roy Johnson, Annie Keogh, Ms Rachael King, Douglas
Laundy, Natalie Lee, Vivian Lee, Mr Mark Parry, Dr Martin Phillips,
Victoria Martoccia, Jonathan Molesworth, Callum Morris, Tom
Niblock, George Read, Thomas Rose, Sophie Serrell-Cooke, Alister
Talbot, Dougie Williams, Lucy Williams, Tom Wilson, Mr Robin
Woollam (OO), Katy Yates
Accompanists: Mr Christopher Symons, Mrs Sue Morris
Guest Conductor: Mr James Jones
F = friend of Oswestry School, PS = past staff, OO = past pupil
The Oswestrian
65
THE RECITAL SERIES
B
The Recital Series
programme included a horn quintet by Mozart (on a
Y COMMON CONSENT—and this means record
natural early horn which was demonstrated individually
audience numbers—the past season has continued
and brilliantly!) and the ever-popular Octet by Schubert.
to delight music lovers from the school, town,
A true celebrity concert followed next, when we were
Shropshire and the Welsh Marches. A very varied line-up
treated to a glorious evening’s music in Holy Trinity by
of artistes has provided something for everyone, and
the highly acclaimed violinist Tasmin Little, with the
ensured that the reputation of the series remains high
London Mozart Players. The church was literally
throughout the region.
overflowing at the start of the evening, and the buzz of
A return visit from the London Mozart Trio got the
excitement was truly tangible. We were treated to
season off to a brilliant start. A packed PHC was treated to
Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro Overture, then the Serenade
some scintillating chamber music playing, from a very
for Strings by Tchaikovsky in the first half. However, the
international trio—English pianist, Polish violinist and
Beethoven Violin Concerto which concluded the concert
Russian cellist! The central work of their very full
was a never-to-be-forgotten finale to a great night in
programme was one of the towering works for this
Oswestry’s musical history.
combination—the Archduke Trio by Beethoven.
To end the season on a note of fun and brilliance, the
The next concert, at our other main venue (Holy
eccentric early music
Trinity Church)
group Red Priest
featured the fun of two
proved highly
grand pianos in
entertaining and
concert, played by the
exciting. Dressed as
acclaimed pianist
pirates, the four
Martin Roscoe with
virtuoso players—
the director of the
harpsichord, violin,
series and local lad
cello and various
Christopher Symons as
recorders—gave a new
his partner. A large
twist to the term
audience thrilled to
‘pirating’ as they
music by Mozart,
performed their highly
Saint-Saëns and
popular evening of
Rachmaninov, but
baroque music from
perhaps saved their
the time of Vivaldi (the
loudest cheers for the
original Red Priest)
final work—a Fantasia
entitled Pirates of the
on Porgy and Bess
Red Priest with Christopher Symons
Baroque. Their
with music from the
happiness and sheer pleasure in making great music
opera by George Gershwin arranged by Percy Grainger.
summed up what the series is all about, and it is to be
Back to the PHC for the next concert—a song recital by
hoped that an increasing number of Oswestry School’s
one of the UK’s most admired baritones, Stephen Varcoe.
own music-loving pupils, parents and staff will find
Both he and his accompanist—again the local lad—are
something in the nineteenth season’s brochure which will
Cornishmen, and the first half (songs about the sea)
entice them to come and experience the thrill and pleasure
featured a couple of Cornish ditties—sung by both
of live music at its very best, played by internationally
performers. The main work of the evening was the
famous stars.
wonderful setting by Gerald Finzi of Thomas Hardy
Finally, it is with enormous pleasure (and relief) that
poems entitled Earth and Air and Rain in which a perfect
rapport between the performers, coupled to a telling and
the school now boasts ownership of a glorious new grand
inspired feeling for the words by the singer ensured a fine
piano in the PHC. Largely thanks to the generosity of an
performance. A lusty drinking song encore by Warlock
OO, Denis Inchbald, we now possess a seven-foot-six-inch
sent the crowd home with a warm glow.
brand new Yamaha grand piano, replacing the old (over
100 years, in fact) Bechstein, which has done remarkable
ENSEMBLE 360
service since its purchase in 1989. This means that we can
now invite any concert pianist to the school, which
The next concert was given by eight players from the
widens the scope of the series enormously. We are truly
chamber group Ensemble 360. These superb young
grateful to Denis, and hope that he will be present when
musicians are based in Sheffield, as part of the Music in
the inaugural recital is given on it in October by John Lill.
the Round scheme (hence their name) and they are fast
Christopher Symons, series director
becoming a big name throughout the UK. Their
66
The Oswestrian
THE HOUSE MUSIC COMPETITION
HOUSE MUSIC COMPETITION—Adjudicators: Mrs K Lentink and Mr M Birchwood
SPOONER
Captains Tanny Gliksman, Charles Pierce and Brooke
Simons-Akwah
Choir
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (George
Michael)
OSWALD
Captains Tristan Hartey, Kristina Kingolts and Oliver
Szikszay
Choir
When I’m Sixty-Four (Lennon and McCartney)
DONNE
Captains
Choir
Tom Gonzalez and Lara White
Something Stupid (Carson and Parks)
BURNABY
Captains Alice Parker, Emily Middleton and Luke
Broster
Choir
You’re The One That I Want from Grease (Jacobs
and Casey)
JUNIOR SOLOISTS
Spooner
Alice Gray, voice—A Whole New World from
Aladdin (Menken, Ashman and Rice)
Oswald
Richard Christie, piano—Für Elise (Beethoven)
Donne
Evie Lacey, piano—Petit Bateau Sur L’Eau
(Sandre)
Burnaby
Cameron Biles-Liddell, cornet—Somewhere
from West Side Story (Bernstein)
INTERMEDIATE SOLOISTS
Spooner
Lucy Whitthread, voice—Girl, Put Your
Records On (Rae)
Oswald
Thomas Rose, cornet—Adios (Madrigueva)
Donne
Tom Wilson, clarinet—Rondo (Mozart)
Burnaby
Alister Talbot, euphonium—Nessun Dorma
(Puccini arr Wyss)
SENIOR SOLOISTS
Spooner
Chelsea Bentley, voice—Memories from Cats
(Lloyd Webber)
Oswald
Chuck Roberts, piano—But In Dreams from
Lord of the Rings (Shore)
Donne
Vincent Chu, guitar—I Believe (Hyung and
Yang arr Chris Wong)
Burnaby
Vivian Lee, piano—Fantasia in D Minor
(Mozart)
ENSEMBLES
Spooner
Tanny Gliksman, voice; Brooke SimonsAkwah, guitar; Charlotte Dade, flute; Victoria
Bateman, cello; Oliver Dowen, bass; James
Dawson, drums—Valerie (Thomson)
Oswald
Josh Austin, guitar; Jonathan Molesworth,
drums; Oliver Clarke, vocals; Sam Bainbridge,
guitar; Kristina Kingolts, guitar—I Bet You
Look Good On The Dance Floor (Arctic
Monkeys)
Donne
George Read, sax; Charlie Underhill, sax;
Jessica Smith, sax; Paige Baker, brass—Groovy
Kind of Love (Wine and Sager)
Burnaby
Emily Middleton, vocals; Natalie Lee, piano;
Charles Manford, drums; Tom Niblock,
saxophone—Somebody To Love (Queen)
C
Captain Noah’s Zoo
APTAIN NOAH and his Floating Zoo, a cantata by
Michael Flanders and Joseph Horovitz, was
performed by pupils in years 3 to 6 in the Peter
Humphreys Centre.
Singers and musicians worked hard all morning to polish
their performance, under the skilful and encouraging
direction of Mrs Morris and Mrs Woollam and their team.
Their hard work paid off, for the performance proceeded
with near perfection to a near-capacity audience who
thoroughly enjoyed the excellent presentation.
The pupils concentrated well and followed the direction
sensitively. Narrators spoke their words with great clarity
and the solo and choral singing was delivered with strength
and feeling. The many talented musicians were confident
and extremely proficient in their playing.
The audience responded well and at one stage they were
co-opted willingly into the band with a display of human
percussion.
As one proud parent commented on his way out: “I
enjoyed it tremendously. The choir sang with enthusiasm
and the musicians played to a high standard”.
Playing in Captain Noah
The Oswestrian
67
VARIETY NIGHT
Mrs Morris conducts the performers of Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo
Oswestry School Parents Association Variety Night – 9 May 2008
Compere: Jamie Graham
Mr John Croft
Ukulele Surprise
Mr Paul Stockdale
Guitar Medley
Concert Band
Watch What Happens
At The Hop
Natasha Holmes and Alice Gray
We’re Together At Last
Isabelle Makin
On My Own
Richard Christie
Für Elise
Becky Long and Chelsea Bentley
My Immortal
Emily Lunt-Evans, Evie Lacey
and Lewis Bebb
Fix You
Mrs Fiona Ashby
Middle-Eastern Belly Dance
Josh Austin
Ocean
Mr David Banks
You Raise Me Up
Christian Blount-Powell, Fran Dyke, Ellie Chambers,
Jake Hunt, Natalie Makin
Comedy Talent Show
68
The Oswestrian
INTERVAL
Mrs Margaret Hart
Albert And The Lion
Paige Baker
Chasing Pavements
Richard Christie and Eleanor Christie
Bouncing Boogie
Tom Niblock
La Bamba
Josh Austin and Josh Simmonds
Master Of Puppets
Josh Austin, Sam Bainbridge, Oliver Clarke
and Jonathan Molesworth
I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor
Lucy Whitthread
Footprints In The Sand
Josh Simmonds
She Was Yesterday
Lynsey Arnott and Simon Lacon
Time Of Your Life
Emily Middleton
To Zanarkand
Kyle Real, Richard Christie, Edward Ellis-Cooper,
Harry Williams, Lewis Bebb, Callum Lloyd-Jones
Wonderwall
A WHODUNNIT
T
The Real Inspector Hound
HIS ONE-ACT play by Tom
Stoppard is a whodunnit spoof
in the style of Agatha Christie’s
The Mousetrap and was performed in
the PHC on Wednesday 2 July in front
of an audience of about 100. The sixthform cast intentionally played it for
laughs and there were many!
Emily Middleton (Moon) and
Charles Manford (Birdboot) start off as
two theatre critics but, bit by bit, get
involved in the play they were meant
to be watching! These two acted with
confidence: Emily especially had a
long part to learn and was on stage
throughout, taking two different roles,
as did Charles.
Tristan Hartey (Simon Gascoyne)
made a fine leading man, showing
different registers in his acting as he
moved from besotted lover to
philanderer to murder suspect. His
protracted kiss with Lara White (Lady
Cynthia Muldoon) was most
memorable! Lara made a stunning
femme fatale, playing the role with just
the right amount of hauteur.
Nick Jensen (Major Magnus
Muldoon) was hugely entertaining as
he manoeuvred clumsily about the
stage in a wheelchair, bumping into
things and almost losing his stick-on
moustache several times. Rather than
detracting from the action this added
extra laughs and his role was most
accomplished.
Others who contributed their
talents to the production were Chuck
Roberts (Inspector Hound), Katherine
Stockdale (radio voice) and Lucy
Belcher (Felicity Cunningham). Last,
but by no means least, Abigail Jones
(Mrs Drudge) absolutely stole the
show as a housekeeper with a
Lucy Belcher, Lara White, Tristan Hartey and Nick Jensen
Abigail Jones as Mrs Drudge
pronounced Scottish accent who made
the audience roar with laughter every
time she appeared on stage. Her comic
timing was excellent and I look
forward to seeing more of her talents
in the future. A brilliant performance!
Thanks to the back-stage crew as
well: Dani Jones, Brooke SimonsAkwah, Andrew Parker, Katherine
Stockdale, Jamie Graham, and of
course to Chuck Roberts, who directed
the play and whose brainchild the
whole venture was. I know he sweated
blood over this production but, Chuck,
it was SO worth it!
JGM
So who dunnit? Was it Lucy Belcher, Lara White, Tristan Hartey, Nick Jensen, Emily Middleton or Charles Manford?
The Oswestrian
69
The End of the Year
Examination Results 2008
GCSE
Number of grades from A* to G, followed by (in brackets) the number of grades from A* to C.
Catherine Bateman
10 (10)
Geraint Jones
9 (9)
Chelsea Bentley
9 (5)
Sophie Jones
9 (7)
Benjamin Chan
9 (9)
Annie Keogh
10 (10)
Vladimer Chikvaidze
9 (2)
Kristian Kynaston-Evans 8 (4)
Samuel Clifford
9 (6)
Alex Lai
6 (3)
Sean Crompton
9 (9)
Steven Leung
7 (3)
Millicent Evans
9 (9)
Aaron Lin
7 (3)
Beatriz Gonzalez
9 (9)
Pavlo Medenets
9 (6)
Chelsea Harper
9 (8)
George Mitchell
9 (8)
Archie Hicklin
9 (9)
Hayley Mooney
9 (7)
Thomas Horne
8 (3)
Sarah Morgan
9 (5)
Laurence Huang
9 (7)
Alexandra Mowbray
9 (6)
A-level
The following subjects were passed.
Ajeeratul Abdullah mathematics, further mathematics,
physics, chemistry
Nornadhirah Amdani mathematics, chemistry, biology
Luke Broster mathematics, art, ICT
Norman Brown English, critical thinking
Iqbal Caesar geography, mathematics, physics, chemistry
Charlotte Canlett business studies, critical thinking,
physical education
Roy Cheung mathematics, further mathematics, Chinese,
psychology
Vincent Chu chemistry, art, business studies
JJ Crawford biology, French, business studies
Charlotte Dade chemistry, biology, German
Charlotte Dingwall-Fordyce English, history, critical
thinking
Oliver Dowen physics, chemistry, biology
Wen Gao mathematics, further mathematics, chemistry
Nathaniel Gliksman English, French, art
Tomas Gonzalez history, biology, French, critical thinking
James Graham French, business studies
Tristan Hartey English, history, psychology
Christopher Harvey English, French, German
Katie Hughes English, French, music
William Hung Chinese, art
Benson Ip mathematics, Chinese, art, physical education
70
The Oswestrian
Simeon Norris
Rebecca Pearce
Cian Roche
James Rogers
Gareth Satchell
Chantelle Serrell-Cooke
Joshua Simmonds
Isabel Tomley
Kinzi Welsby
Lucy Williams
Sam Wong
Edward Yeung
9 (6)
9 (8)
9 (9)
9 (9)
9 (9)
9 (8)
9 (9)
9 (9)
9 (8)
9 (9)
9 (7)
7 (7)
Carlos Ip mathematics, chemistry, biology, Chinese
Kristina Kingolts English, French, Russian, art
Natalie Lee Chinese, art, music
Vivian Lee mathematics, chemistry, art, music
Charles Manford English, history, geography
Emily Middleton English, history, French
Nelson Ngai mathematics, chemistry, biology, Chinese
Alice Parker English, business studies, ICT
Charles Pierce biology, critical thinking, physical
education
George Read mathematics, chemistry, biology
Sally Roberts English, history, biology
Sophia Serrell-Cooke English, geography, business
studies
Anna Shpilman mathematics, French, Russian, business
studies
Brooke Simons-Akwah English, history, Spanish
Oliver Szikszay mathematics, business studies, ICT
Lara White English, psychology, physical education
Kevin Yin mathematics, further mathematics, Chinese,
business studies
George Yu mathematics, further mathematics, physics,
Chinese
Jialong Yu mathematics, further mathematics, Chinese
PRIZES
Prizes Awarded at Speech Day—5 July 2008
PRIZES FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND EFFORT
LOWER SCHOOL
Achievement
Effort
Grace Harley
5ARP Quiana Booker
5MB Sasha Arridge
Megan Williams
6JE
Richard Christie
Bethan Walford
6KLe Elwy Clarke
Emily Roberts
7MH
7JNM
8JEC
8IJC
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Louis Fisher
Jessica Tomley
Emma Duncombe
Matteo O’Mahoney
Daisy Tickner
Emma Bell
Emily Bromage
Scott Vallely
UPPER SCHOOL
Achievement
Effort
Year 9 Louise Aust
Natalie Renwick
Victoria Whittingham Sophie Yates
Ruth Reynolds
Year 10 Rebecca Long
Alister Talbot
Jonathan Molesworth David Ward
Rebecca McMurray
Alice Redmond
Year 11 Catherine Bateman
Annie Keogh
Biba Gonzalez
Isabel Tomley
Rebecca Pearce
Sam Wong
SUBJECT, CULTURAL AND SOCIAL PRIZES
ART
Kristina Kingolts
MUSIC
Katie Hughes
TEXTILES
Millie Evans
HOME ECONOMICS
Alexandra Mowbray
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
Geraint Jones
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Oliver Szikszay
PE & SPORT STUDIES
Charles Pierce
GEOGRAPHY
Iqbal Caesar
HISTORY
Tristan Hartey
BUSINESS STUDIES
Vincent Chu
ENGLISH
Emily Middleton
MATHEMATICS
Ajeeratul Abdullah, Carlos Ip
FURTHER MATHEMATICS
Gao Wen
PHYSICS
Iqbal Caesar
CHEMISTRY
Nelson Ngai
BIOLOGY
George Read
EAL
Edward Yeung
FRENCH
Emily Middleton, JJ Crawford
SPANISH
Brooke Simons-Akwah
LOWER SCHOOL
MUSIC CUP
Richard Christie
TOMLEY CUP (DRAMA)
Edward Ellis-Cooper
PUBLIC SPEAKING CUP
Elizabeth Jones
MEDDINS CUP (CITIZENSHIP)
Elizabeth Jones
GIRLS’ SPORTS PRIZE
Emily Roberts
BOYS’ SPORTS PRIZE
Edward Ellis-Cooper
MIDDLE SCHOOL
ELLIS CUP (MUSIC)
Evie Lacey
DRAMA CUP
Lucy Whitthread
PUBLIC SPEAKING CUP
Isabelle Makin
WARD SHIELD (CITIZENSHIP)
Scott Vallely
GIRLS’ SPORTS PRIZE
Lucy Williams
BOYS’ SPORTS PRIZE
Scott Vallely
UPPER SCHOOL
AND SIXTH FORM
OSWESTRY TOWN COUNCIL AWARD
(WORK IN THE COMMUNITY)
Joshua Simmonds
CHOIR PRIZE
Biba Gonzalez
LOVELL CUP (DRAMA)
Emily Middleton
LIM TROPHY (MUSIC)
Emily Middleton
TOMLEY CUP (SOCIAL SERVICE)
Joshua Park
SPOONER CUP FOR ACHIEVEMENT
Tom Horne
GIRLS’ SPORTS PRIZE
Lara White,
Charlotte Dingwall-Fordyce
BOYS’ SPORTS PRIZE
Charles Pierce, George Read
CUP OF GOOD CHEER
Jamie Graham
ENTERPRISE CUP
Patrick Becker
HEADMASTER’S PRIZE
HEAD BOY
Tristan Hartey
HEAD GIRL
Alice Parker
600 PREFECT
Nathaniel Gliksman
POWELL CUP
(UPPER SCHOOL CITIZENSHIP)
Chelsea Bentley
GIBBS CUP
(SIXTH FORM CITIZENSHIP)
Sally Roberts
HOUSE CHALLENGE TROPHY
OSWALD HOUSE
The Oswestrian
71
THE HEADMASTER’S SPEECH
Worshipful mayors, honoured guests, chairman, governors, Old Oswestrians, ladies and
gentlemen, members of the school,
I
t gives me great pleasure to welcome
you to our Speech Day and prize giving. May I thank you all for joining
with us on this very special occasion
when we meet to celebrate the achievements of the pupils and staff this past
academic year.
I should like to give a very special
welcome to our guest speaker and presenter of prizes, Jo Gambi. The chairman
has already given you a brief biography
of Jo and you will have begun to appreciate her range of talents and
achievements.
When I first became interested in
mountaineering back in the early 70s the
scene was dominated by gristled, gnarly,
beard-toting men such as Chris
Bonington, Doug Scott and Don
Whillans—names with whom some of
you may be familiar. The contrast with
Jo, as you can see, is somewhat striking,
but she has accomplished some amazing feats, not least successfully climbing
(and more impressively descending safely) the highest peak on each of the seven
continents (including Everest). I’ve seen
pictures of Jo carrying a rucksack in
which I could have comfortably been
stowed away. Do not let looks deceive
you. We are in the company today of a
woman possessing a steely determination with a mental and physical
toughness which would put many a socalled “hard man” to shame.
Jo, I’m so pleased you accepted my
invitation to be our guest speaker and
prize giver. We trust you will enjoy the
day and we look forward to what you
have to say to us later.
OUR SEXCENTENARY
As you are all already aware 2007 was
our sexcentenary year and I hope you
will agree with me that we celebrated it
in fine fashion. In the first part of the year
we held an excellent art exhibition in the
Oswestry Exhibition and Visitor Centre;
then there was the St David’s Day concert when The Armed Man by Karl
Jenkins was performed; a lecture by Jo
Gambi (our guest speaker today)—
Holding on: a story of love and survival;
a magnificent medieval day when both
Michael Morpurgo and Robert Hardy
visited the school; our recital series concerts, including The Orchestra for the
Age of Enlightenment and Alfred
Brendel; the Old Oswestrians’ Reform
Club dinner and, of course, our royal
72
The Oswestrian
visit by HRH Duke of Gloucester. Then,
after Speech Day last year, we had the
last running of the Triangle and a splendid summer ball.
The Michaelmas term kept up the pace
of activity. In September the Ukulele
Orchestra of Great Britain performed in
the Wynnstay Hotel and they provided
a wonderful evening’s entertainment to
a packed house.
The children were entertained and
learned new skills when Fred’s Flying
Circus put up their big top here on the
Maes-y-llan.
A celebratory dinner was also organized at the Ivy in London where Sarah
and I had to represent the school—well
someone had to do it.
Later in the term we held a concert
in St Oswald’s parish church of music
performed by pupils past and present,
as well as other friends of the school. It
was an eclectic selection of music which
showcased the huge talent of the performers. My thanks to Mrs Morris and
Mrs Woollam for organizing that event.
Our Founder’s Day service was very
special containing as it did some wonderful music and two thought
-provoking addresses from the bishop of
Lichfield and the president of the Old
Oswestrians, Judge Bruce Morgan; it was
terrific to see so many Old Oswestrians
back to visit their alma mater, to enjoy
the service and spend time catching up
with old friends. The annual OO dinner
was held in the evening in a packed
Wynnstay Hotel and few who attended
could have failed to be moved by the
moving talk given by the Reverend
Eddie Isaac, recalling the untimely death
of a childhood sweetheart to polio, a disease nowadays so easily controlled.
During the course of the weekend
we also held a special service in the
chapel when the Reverend Eddie Isaac
was also involved, dedicating our magnificent wall hanging. This work of art
was produced as a labour of love by a
group of gifted, not to say industrious
and hard-working, ladies. (Do go and
have a look at it today if you have not already done so.) When I suggested the
idea of the wall hanging several years
ago little could I imagine that what
would be produced would be of such
stunning quality. Sincere thanks to all
those involved in its creation.
The recital series, under the able and
inspirational leadership of Christopher
Symons, continues to offer to the school
and our wider community, the opportunity to listen to some (quite literally)
world-renowned musicians—in the last
eighteen months we have enjoyed concerts given by John Lill, Alfred Brendel
and Tasmin Little to name but three
artists of international standing and, my
absolute favourite, a baroque group
called Red Priest. At this point I ought
also to add that, through the generosity
of Old Oswestrian Denis Inchbald, we
are now the proud owners of a brandnew Yamaha grand piano, which is in
the PHC. This instrument, which replaces our aged Bechstein, is of sufficient
quality that Chris feels able to use it for
all the recital series concerts, even those
including pianists such as John Lill, who
will give the inaugural concert in
October.
Following on from the successful
medieval day held in 2007 our librarian
Arabella Gonzalez organized a hugely
successful week-long book festival for
all age groups called Booked Up, which
was also open to many local schools.
SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS
We have also enjoyed some excellent
sporting achievements this year. Almost
immediately after Speech Day last year
some of our girls went on a netball tour
to South Africa and had a wonderful
time, not only playing sport but also experiencing the country.
Staying with girls’ sports we have,
once again, been most successful in netball. Of note the U13s were so keen that
we were able to field two teams. The A
team were runners-up in both the North
Shropshire tournament and the County
Plate tournament, which was an excellent achievement. The U14s were
undefeated and won the County Plate
tournament.
The U19s had a great season culminating in being runners-up in the County
Plate tournament and winning the North
Shropshire U19 tournament for the third
consecutive year. For a small school such
as ours to feature so strongly in north
Shropshire, and even more so at county
level, says a great deal about the enthusiasm and commitment of the girls (to
say nothing of the quality of coaching)
and they all deserve to be congratulated
on their efforts.
In rounders, teams were fielded for
all age groups and although the short
season was rain affected the U14 and
U13 teams reached the semifinals of the
North Shropshire tournaments.
I’m pleased to say that tennis is
building up again in the school with regular coaching available throughout the
year and a variety of fixtures taking
place.