26 FEBRUARY 2016 PDF File

BOURNE GRAMMAR SCHOOL BULLETIN
Week ending Friday 26 February 2016
From Jonathan Maddox, Headteacher
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YEAR 10 TRIP TO FIRST WORLD WAR BATTLEFIELDS - Report by Ethan Free (Year 10)
The first day was an early start for all of us, as we left the school at 06:00 with a long drive down to
Belgium. Once there, it was straight into the field visiting Bayernwald, the preserved German front
line from 1914. We learnt about the advantages of the landscape and the different types of
trenches used in the First World War; we got to explore them and the flooded bunkers, and had a
go with the old Lee-Enfield rifles and periscopes. Mr Topham unleashed his inner soldier whilst
commanding the fields with his rifle, which thankfully had no bullets in it! When we got to our hotel
in Leper that evening, we went out for chicken and chips for tea, followed by free time back at The
Poppies for chilling out and having a laugh with the rest of the group.
Day two brought us to Zonnebeke Museum, which was packed full of artillery, equipment and
clothing. Underneath the museum was a labyrinth of tunnels and dugouts which visitors could
explore, leading into preserved trenches, giving us an idea as to what life on the front line was
really like. One problem the soldiers faced was trench foot, due to how unbelievably high the water
table in Belgium is.
After lunch we followed in the footsteps of Ernest Shepherd and his regiment along the craterridden Hill 60, full of captured and converted German blockhouses.
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We also visited one of the few
German cemeteries in Belgium, in
Langemarck, which has 24,960 men
all buried in a single tomb. This was
a great shock to everyone, and a
truly chilling experience.
That evening we changed into
School uniform for the Menin Gate
ceremony
and
had
a
messy spaghetti bolognese dinner,
which was very difficult to keep off
the uniform! The Menin Gate was a
spectacular sight, with walls filled
with names as far as the eye could
see. The ceremony itself was
incredible and emotional; a special
well done to all the wreath-layers,
and to Stanley Godfrey for reading
the commemorative speech.
We spent the following day in France visiting the Somme and the front line there. Scattered across
the fields were small cemeteries, which we visited on our trek through. We also got to go shrapnelhunting in the mud, where almost everyone found some shrapnel balls, broken artillery shells or
empty rifle rounds; this left us cold and muddy for lunch.
After lunch we drove down to the Thiepval Memorial, which was unfortunately under
reconstruction, but was a magnificent sight nevertheless. The names of the missing filled every
wall, arch and pillar, and it was an eerily chilling experience. The final event for the day was
Lochnager Crater; this was the site of an enormous mine explosion when the Royal Engineers
tunnelled deep under enemy trenches and detonated tonnes of explosives, forming a crater almost
100 metres across and 20 metres deep.
On the final day, we visited Tyne-Cot cemetery
for the commemoration of Jessica Tooth's
ancestor who was killed during the War; his
name is listed among thousands of others. After
an hour of free time back in Leper (buying
Belgian chocolate of course!), we made our final
stop, braving the elements at a cemetery in
remembrance of Joshua Haynes-Barrett's greatgreat-uncle, who was killed by friendly fire from
British artillery all those years ago. Then,
inevitably, came the long journey back home.
Overall, it was a very educational and emotional
trip, and an incredible experience and one that
will be remembered for the rest of our lives.
I'd like to give a special thanks to all the teachers and staff who came on the trip, along with
Andrew Spooner and Jim the coach driver, without whom the trip would not have been as
exceptional as it was.
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SKI TRIP 2016 - PASSO TONALE, ITALY - Report by students in Years 8, 9 and 10
Our largest ski trip, consisting of 94 students and 12 staff on two coaches to Passo Tonale, Italy,
began on the afternoon of Friday 12 February. Here is the story of the trip through the eyes of
some of the students.
Friday 12 and Saturday 13 February - The Road Trip - Report by Sarah Dickens, Polly
Luscombe, Chloe Ladley & Rose Murray (Year 10)
We left school at 14:00 and, after an interesting choice of route through the middle of London,
passing the Olympic Park and the O2, we arrived at Dover. After a 'brief' wait for our new drivers,
we were loaded onto the ferry; it was a swift walk to find the nearest phone-charging docks for
most! Back on the bus, an 'interesting' film was put on which managed to knock the whole bus out
(excluding the back row)! The whole bus had an uncomfortable 6 hours sleep due to an eventful
night.
We woke up to a warm happy birthday to Bradley Smith who was presented with a cake, then after
another few hours of travelling, we crossed the border into Switzerland, where we were welcomed
with mounds of snow and a beautiful mountain landscape. Whilst looking at the mountains, Sarah
and Polly spent their time recognising they were seeing the upper course of a river, driving around
interlocking spurs, V-shaped valleys and differentiating between lateral or vertical erosion - Miss
Hurst, we hope you are proud! A million-and-a-half tunnels later and after crossing into Italy, we
arrived in Passo Tonale, buzzing for the week ahead.
Sunday 14 February - First Day of Skiing - Report by Lewis Woodfine, James Moxley, Aaron
Wallace & Tom Middleton (Year 8)
We all woke up to the sound of a phone alarm at 06:30, followed by a thundering knock on the
door by a teacher! We then got up, changed into our ski-gear and went down to enjoy a good
Italian breakfast. Once full, we went to collect our helmets, boots and skis or snowboards,
depending on our activity, and waited outside our hotel so we could arrange our groups. We were
all about to start skiing and snowboarding, some of us for the first time, but within 5 minutes of
snow sports, Ola dislocated his knee! Fortunately it popped back in easily but he was out of action
for the rest of the day.
We had all made great progress so we took a stroll back to the hotel where we had our lunch. We
then headed back out to the slopes to have more fun with our instructors. During the snow sports,
we learnt the basics and then ventured on to more complicated skills, before gliding up the chairlift
to the top of the slopes. We then strapped ourselves in and started our more advanced training,
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which included snow plough turns, uphill skiing and learning how to get up gracefully once we had
fallen over. We then all went back to the locker rooms and stored our gear for the night.
After this, we decided to get changed and go into town for a look around. A few hours later, we
arrived back at the hotel for tea at 18:00. What we didn't realise was that dinner started at 19:15 so
we had to wait for another hour-and-a-quarter! We were finally able to eat dinner and then we had
the evening entertainment - a quiz and treasure-hunt with tasty prizes!
Monday 15 February - Skiing…and karaoke! - Report by Bradley Smith, Henry Broadhurst,
Lawrence Bradbury & Dylan Edwards (Year 10)
After a miraculous recovery from Ola, he started the day off strongly after his nasty injury the
previous day. The sunny and powdery snow conditions were perfect for skiing and snowboarding,
and everyone was in high spirits. The ski
lessons today were great! We went on lots of
different ski-runs and even got to ride in a
cable car and enjoy an amazing view. The
slopes were really fun and the ski instructor
was nice and pushed us to our limits in a good
way.
After a few spectacular falls from various
snowboarders, it was already 15:00, and after
a hard day’s fun, we needed some relax-time.
We sat down at the bottom of the slopes for a
drink and ice creams, then returned to the
hotel for a refreshing shower.
After skiing and snowboarding, we had 3 hours
‘chill-time’ to socialise or go into town and go exploring. After a short walk into town we arrived at
the karaoke venue - the fun was about to start! First, the teachers announced the Ski Whizzes and
the Ski Wallies, and made the Ski Whizzes sing the classic, ‘We are the Champions’. After a few,
well, ‘thrilling’ performances from the teachers and pupils, it was time for Mr Moxley to take to the
stage. Singing to his heart’s content, he blew away the crowd with his spectacular performance,
sealing the night. We then returned to the hotel to have a refreshing night’s sleep, ready for the
next day’s skiing and snowboarding.
Tuesday 16 February - Skiing, ice creams, hot chocolate and bum-boarding - Report by Elin
James, Tom Middleton & Joe Taylor (Year 8)
Most of the group got up for breakfast this morning, apart from Joe Taylor, Leo Clack, Ed Chandler
and Oscar Hilliard who decided to not wake up and missed breakfast for an extra half-an-hour liein! We all felt pretty confident before heading down to the slopes, however that confidence did not
last long for Tom Middleton and Aaron Wallace who went backwards down the mountain into a net!
We were all exhausted by the time we came back for lunch but we powered on and went back to
the slopes for another session. Unfortunately, the conditions were not as great as the day before,
and within ten minutes no one could see 5 metres in front of them due to a white-out. All the
groups tried even more challenging slopes and all had their fair share of crashes! Once we were
finally finished for the day, we walked down to town to enjoy delicious hot chocolate and ice-cream.
The group then took a walk around town and for the second time this week Joe Taylor bought a
shopping trolley worth of food! At 20:00, we strolled down to town again for some more hot
chocolate and bum-boarding! After a tiring day the group returned back to the hotel for a refreshing
night’s sleep ready for more skiing and falls the next day!
Wednesday 17 February - The Pizza Evening! - Report by Eleanor Waldock, Lily Hamblin,
Aisling O'Keeffe and Lauren Human (Year 9)
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Today was by far the most interesting day for us, however the weather wasn't the best. It was so
misty that you could barely see 5 metres ahead. But, for those who went higher up into the valley
you could see a lot clearer, and the views were picturesque. The boarders were missing a few
members due to injury and illness; you'll be glad to know that they were better within the day!
We are all proud of our improvements; for example, at the beginning of the week Lily Hamblin fell
behind the rest of the group, but today she did backwards skiing without falling over! Lauren was
pleased to get back on the slopes after having a rather nasty fall on her snowboard, although she
laughed the whole ambulance-snowmobile trip down to the medical room where she was treated
rather well by Doctor Greg. After being hesitant to get off on the chair lift on her snowboard once
more, Lauren proceeded to join the rest of her group in attempting the Cady-Slope, which they
then left half way down to go on the Husky-Run, where they spent twenty minutes wondering
whether Mr Ray would know if they stole a dog and took it home on the bus.
After all the drama of the day, everyone trudged back to the hotel for a rest before going into town
for pizza, a real treat. After checking out the menu, which included a mysteriously named pizza
called 'The Devil' (which turned out to just be salami) everyone made their orders and gobbled it all
down. Mouthfuls were interjected with the answering of various quiz questions. With full bellies, we
all headed back to the hotel, ready for our penultimate day of skiing.
Thursday 18 February - Skiing and Presentation Evening - Report by Joe Philby & Matthew
Wright (Year 8)
As the 28-hour journey home just started to be seen over the sunrise, we knew we must take our
penultimate day of skiing more seriously. We woke up with desperation to get onto the slopes right
away, mixed in with a lot of tiredness evidently shown on our faces.
Our morning session began with some of the more developed groups going up to the glacier,
whilst the other groups waited for their chance to see the wonderful sights. For lunch, we had to
choose from a very wide selection of lovely food. Our afternoon session involved the other groups
going to the glacier and the advanced group spending lots of time on the ski cross and in the jump
park.
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The evening started with a whole trip photo including the teachers lying across the front! After that,
the moment that we had all been waiting for, the Presentation Evening. To finish, just before the
final day of skiing, we had some luxurious free time followed by dinner.
Friday 19 February - Day 8, The Final Day of Skiing! - Report by Leo Clack, Joe Taylor, Ed
Chandler, Oscar Hilliard, Sarah Dickens and Polly Luscombe
We started off the day by being up at the usual time of 07:00 and rushing to pack our suitcases.
This was followed by a delicious breakfast which was our choice of croissants, toast and every
kind of way an egg can be cooked. Afterwards, we brought our suitcases and hand luggage into
the disco which was full to the brim.
The first ski session started with most
groups skiing on the runs heading
towards Ponte de Legno, a nearby
village. Lunch was a selection of
calamari, pasta and chicken which
were all amazing. A couple of the
intermediate groups spent their
afternoon on the ski-cross run, which
was extremely exciting.
After a tiring ski session, we got
changed, showered, and put our bags
onto the coach. This was followed by
free time which we mostly spent in the
arcade. Afterwards we had a delicious
dinner which proceeded into the
dreaded coach journey.
We'd like to make a special mention to Joe Ritchie who was very brave suffering from a nasty
injury during the final morning of skiing, who was then flown out by helicopter to the hospital with
Mr Elliott (who said "It was very awesome - that's it.")
Saturday 20 February - The Return Journey - Report by Sarah Dickens and Polly Luscombe
(Year 10)
We departed from the hotel at 19:00 on Friday evening after an emotional goodbye to the
instructors and to our PGL reps, Fran and Sasha. We’ve never been so wrong when we thought
that it would be a smooth 26-hour bus journey home! After a restless night, at 03:00 in a basic
service station, it was announced that our bus engine had overheated. Mr Elliott tried to keep
some positive energy alive with tired teenagers, but he failed miserably! With a sarcastic wave
from Mrs Addison and Mr Moxley, Coach 2 departed for Calais to the ferry ride home we had now
missed.
After a long time waiting, at 05:00 the French AA arrived and took us a few kilometres down the
road, to then tell us there was nothing they could do. Now, in the middle of a field on the opposite
side of France, we were officially stranded. Mr Ray came with good news as a coach from Basel
was coming to get us and take us to Calais. After being stuck in a lay-by in the middle of nowhere
just over the border of France for over 6 hours, our 7-hour journey to Calais began with loud
cheers and us making jokes to Mr Elliott about the engine smoking! Entering Luxembourg
definitely cheered everyone up as we saw a giant golden "M" on the service station we pulled into.
Safe to say Bourne and Spalding dominated that McDonalds in Luxembourg!
Finally arriving in Calais, we had to transfer all our bags into the new coach waiting for us and
drive to the ferry. We waited around half an hour before loading the ferry, and after a rough journey
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with most feeling ill, the last chunk of 4 hours’ travel commenced. Arriving home at 03:00 left us all
very tired after a long 33 hours travelling home from Passo Tonale.
However stressful this journey was for us and the teachers, we cannot imagine how stressful this
really was for Mr and Mrs Ray. We'd like to thank them for one of the best trips we've ever been on
and hope they haven't lost too much of their sanity!
YEAR 13 SYSTEMS & CONTROL TRIP TO WARNERS
Report by Mr Brown - Assistant Headteacher and Subject Leader: Systems & Control and
Computing
On Thursday 11 February, the A2
Systems & Control students were
lucky enough to visit Warners
Printers in Bourne to tour their
state-of-the-art facility. The visit
opened with a presentation from
Warners’ Technical Manager, who
gave an overview of their workflow
from PDF document to end product
– a fascinating insight into the
different technical challenges that
need to be overcome in order to
produce consistently high-quality
printed media. It was explained that
their machinery draws reels of
paper, weighing over a tonne,
through the printing machinery at
speeds of up to 60mph – quite different to the printers seen at home and in school!
Next, Marketing Manager Michael Warner provided a tour of the largely-automated factory.
Students saw giant reels of paper being loaded into the start of the line, then racing through the
different stages of the print process
as the four differently-coloured inks
were applied in carefully-controlled
proportions to produce the full
spectrum of colours, before being
folded into their final configurations.
The group also saw the plate-making
process, where the imprint of the
document to be produced is laseretched onto large aluminium sheets
ready for loading onto the printing
machinery, as well as the extensive
quality control processes that are
undertaken in order to ensure a
consistently high quality of output.
Our thanks go to Warners for their
time putting on this enlightening
experience; they have been kind
enough to extend this opportunity to the AS students who will be visiting on 25 February.
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ARTWORK
Featured this week are paintings by Year 11 students, who are developing their mock exam work
on the theme ‘Together and or Apart’.
Isabel Aldred
Bea Elliott
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SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN - Buy your tickets now
Singin’ in the Rain is only three weeks away, but tickets are still available for our all-singing, alldancing School production. Book your tickets early to avoid disappointment.
Tickets can be booked via the School website or at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/116303
Date
Wednesday 16 March
Performance
7pm
Adult ticket
£7.50
Concession* ticket
£5.50
Thursday 17 March
7pm
£7.50
£5.50
Friday 18 March
Saturday 19 March (matinee)
Saturday 19 March
7pm
2pm
7pm
£8.50
£5.00
£9.00
£6.50
£5.00
£7.00
* Concessions - Students, Staff and Governors of Bourne Grammar School, and OAPs
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STUDENTS OF THE WEEK
Name
Year
Staff
Subject
Maisie Brownlow
7
Mrs Somerville
Art
Oliver Lee
7
Mr Graves
PE
Scott Merriman
7
Mr Smith
EPR
James Shepherd
7
Mr Graves
PE
Nigel Thomas
7
Miss Smallshaw
Science
Sophie Bannister
8
Miss Coggin
Music
Lucy Cowell
8
Miss Coggin
Music
Parie Desai
8
Mrs Mohan
PE
Elin James
8
Mrs Woolf
Science
Toby Paterson
8
Mr Kelly
Mathematics
Tommy Skinner
8
Mrs Russell
Spanish
Effie Clarke
9
Mr Hartley
Geography
Ruby Darwin
9
Miss Hurst
Geography
Angus Manning
9
Mrs Durno
English
Aaron Waters
9
Mr Graves
PE
Cassidy Dodwell
10
Miss Hempstead
PE
Amelia Gardner
10
Mrs Pignatiello
Drama
Orna Hogan
10
Mr Baker
Biology
Ellie Larkman
10
Mr Sheppard
Mathematics
Sinead Mandy
10
Mrs Worrall
Spanish
Evie Venables
10
Mr Adams
Mathematics
Jasmyn Waddingham
10
Mrs Rawnsley
Mathematics
Matthew Wheatley
10
Ms Kemp
English
Isabel Aldred
11
Miss Forgeat
Spanish
Matthew Blevin
11
Mr Smith
German
Emily Fytche
11
Miss Walters
English
Connor Osborn
11
Miss Ellis
Art
Lauren Wisker
11
Mr Drinkell
Mathematics
Katie Biggs
12
Mrs Shales
Further Maths
Sarah Gilbert
13
Mrs Addison
English Language
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INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Rugby Adam Castle (Year 12) represented the Under 18 Midlands squad on Sunday 7 February
against The Lambs (the Independent Schools’ England representative team),
where they won the match 38-7.
He was then invited to play against The North this weekend which was a final
trial game for the England Counties’ U18 squad. The team went to Stockport
for an overnight stay and were presented with their Midlands match shirts and
tie on Sunday morning. The Midlands won a very close game, ending 21-17
and although Adam didn’t see very much of the ball he had a solid game.
Given Adam is still only an U17 Player, he does not expect to secure a final
U18 England squad place but he will have another opportunity next year.
Swimming Alex Wray (Year 12) has recently competed in the County Swimming Championships,
which were held on Sunday 20 February in Louth. Alex has rarely been out of the headlines at any
swimming event for the past two years, and with each passing gala, he has surpassed his previous
efforts with an absolutely remarkable 12 months of swimming.
Alex had three scintillating performances, establishing himself as County Champion in three
events. In the 100m Freestyle event, he took the Counties’ Champion title with a time of 50.15
seconds, gaining a new county
short-course record as an 18 yearold. He also holds the short-course
County record as a 16, 17 and 18
year old for the 50m Freestyle, and
in the 100m Breaststroke final,
Alex took control of the race from
the start, easing his way through
the first 50m and picking up the
tempo for the final 50m, bringing it
home in a time of 1.05.09, earning
him the Gold and the Title. This
therefore means that Alex will start
the year as Lincs County
Champion at 50m and 100m
Freestyle, and also 100m
Breaststroke, an incredible
achievement for Alex.
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