Inside Heathfield Summer 2009

INSIDE
H E AT H F I E L D
DOING THE BEST FOR EVERY GIRL
SUMMER 2009
Inside Heathfield
School Summer 2009
The second half of this
academic year has
been extremely busy
but we have all
achieved a great deal.
The new St. Mary’s
Theatre is well on the
way to being finished:
indeed it has already
been used for lessons
and events, and the
Jo Heywood
renovation of rooms
freed up has begun in earnest. Hard hats and fluorescent jackets will remain a feature of Heathfield life for
months to come. We look forward to beginning the
new academic year with outstanding facilities, worthy
to support the many talents and interests of our girls.
LAMDA Certificates
Silver/Grade 7 Reading
for Performance
Harriet Symington
Silver/Grade 7 Acting
Arabella Holland
Silver/Grade 7 Verse and Prose
Emily Bray
Bronze/Grade 6 Acting
Isabel Symington
GREASE
Natasha Drax
Rose Gordon
Grade 5 Acting
Charlotte Fisher
Gold/Grade 8 Acting
Merit
Angelica Cayzer
Silver/Grade 7 Acting
Merit
Laura Lambert
Bronze/Grade 6 Acting
Pass
Sophie Broughton
Pass
Sahara Longe
Merit
Alice Telfer
Merit
Anastasia Pennick
Pass
Sophie Foden-Pattinson
Pass
Georgina Ferguson
Merit
Georgia Burks
Merit
Louisa Azis
Merit
Davina Motion
Merit
Rosie Pycraft
Merit
Emily Agace
RAD Grade 7
Distinction
Olivia Bence-Trower
RAD Grade 6
Merit
C Gonzalez Barba Bolza
Pass
Meghan Bethel
Merit
Jamila Al Adwani
Pass
Emily Shepherd
Grade 5 Acting
Grade 4 Acting
Grade 2 Acting
RAD Ballet Grades
RAD Grade 4
Sophie Pennick
Phoebe Shipton
Associated Board
Music Certificates
Grade 1 Singing
Pass
Tilly Barley
Grade 4 Singing
Merit
Esme Lonsdale
A Sense of the Dramatic...
June saw the completion of the new Performing Arts Centre, to be named the “St Mary’s Theatre”. The facilities
comprise of a main auditorium with retractable seating for 260 people, cutting edge sound system, high definition
projector and the ability to video record all performances, a glass-walled entrance / exhibition area, individual music
practice rooms, large music teaching room, drama and dance studio, meeting rooms with server and an array of storage,
relaxation and other utility areas. When you add to this balconies on the first floor with folding doors accessing stunning
views across the school’s lax pitches, the centre is sure to become one of the most popular facilities of the school.
Although the theatre will come into use straight away, the official opening will be held in December with an evening
performance on the11th and matinee and evening performances on the 12th.We hope that this will enable as many
as possible to celebrate this magnificent addition to Heathfield’s facilities.
On the last three nights before lent Half Term, girls from Form I to UVI took part in an ‘electrifying and truly wonderful
production’ of Grease. Miss Guise, Miss Stevens and Miss Swale worked tirelessly with the girls to create an amazing
display of singing, dancing and acting.The excellent costumes, made by Mrs Squires and her students, made it a
dynamic and colourful show.The success of this performance can be measured by the audience’s response: several
parents came to more than one performance and were willing to stand at the back of an already full Assembly Hall!
This was a tribute to Heathfield Drama and promises an encouraging future once we take advantage of the new facilities.
GCSE, AS and A2 examination pieces for Drama and Theatre Studies have all been performed this term. The girls
and Miss Guise have been incredibly busy and did well to balance rehearsals with the pressure of work for other
subjects at the most hectic time of year. There has still been time for some enjoyment however, with several evening
trips to the theatre being squeezed in.
Heathfield School
We were all shocked and saddened by the death of our Headmistress, Mrs Margaret McSwiggan, in May. All our thoughts
and prayers have been with her family and in particular her daughter Caitlin. A memorial service will be held at the school
just before the end of the Summer Term. Mrs Jo Heywood has been Acting Head since the beginning of Mrs. McSwiggan’s
illness and will retain this position until the Governing Body confirms a new Headmistress next year.
A Sense of Style...
The Heathfield Creative Technology Department won the ‘2009 Good Schools Guide A Level Award for Girls
taking Art & Design (Photography) at A level at an English Independent School’. This award was made on the
basis of the data underlying our league-table results for the three years 2006, 2007 and 2008 combined, the
relative popularity of the subject here and the success in Photography that girls achieve relative to that in the
other examinations that they take.The aim of the award is to highlight excellent teaching in individual subjects
so congratulations must go to Miss White for her outstanding contribution to so many girls’ experience at
Heathfield.
The Art Department has updated facilities including a new kiln and we continue to develop ceramics and
silkscreen printing alongside painting and now video amongst other 2D and 3D media. The girls have enjoyed
various day trips from the 4th Form upwards and participated in 6th Form trips with Photography,Textiles and
History of Art including the residential trip to Florence. The 1st to 3rd Forms experienced great drawing workshops
given by Cliff Wright who is one of the illustrators for the Harry Potter novels.We are also pleased to help the
local community by enabling Portesbery School students (with severe learning difficulties) to use the Art facilities
with girls working for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and the Trinity Arts Awards.
On Wednesday 20th May we held our annual Private View to celebrate the achievements of all students
taking AS or A level Textiles, Art and Photography. Each year the standard of display exceeds expectation
and this year was no exception! Staff, parents and students were invited to have a glass of wine and canapés
whilst viewing the girls’ work, and the evening was an enormous success. The girls must be congratulated on
all the hard work they put in to achieve such a high standard of work as well as the effort and time required
to arrange the event.
Many of our Sixth Formers chose to take the Leith’s Certificate in Food and Wine again this year and were
extremely successful in the rigorous exams, held in the new Cookery Hut, which is now very much part of
Heathfield life. Four Upper Sixth girls (India Holmes, Casilda Hevia, Emily Bray and Lucy Boyton) achieved the
coveted Distinction.
A Sense of Achievement...
The U14 and U15 Lacrosse Teams toured the USA during the Easter Holidays. Here follows their report...
An early start put everyone in a great mood. After we loaded the bus with our tour kit, it was USA or bust! We were
met by our coach and our driver gave us a brief tour of DC, a good basis to start exploring the following day. On
Friday morning we saw everything that historical DC has to offer, the famous White House being first on our list. We
then headed to the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and Korean War Memorial
before meeting our first set of host families.
On Saturday we had our first set of games where we played Vienna Lacrosse Club, Fort Hunt and Centreville.We lost
The team warm up
both games but played extremely well.The following morning we were on our way to Baltimore, Maryland.We played
Radnor High School, state champions, and again lost both games.
However the U15s were 6-2 down at half time and brought it back to 6-6 to then narrowly lose by 1. Our next stop was
Upland Country Day School in Pennsylvania, where both teams won their games convincingly. Sightseeing included a tour
of Princeton College, exploring Philadelphia (where we saw how money was made in the U.S. Mint), experiencing the Liberty
bell and eating a famous Jim’s Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich! The next day we played Stuart Country Day School which
was our last match of tour in which the U14s narrowly lost and the U15s won.That evening we watched an Ivy League
lacrosse game, Princeton v Columbia.
The next day we travelled to our final stop... New York! This involved lots of shopping along 5th Avenue, a tour dinner in
Hard Rock Cafe followed by amazing ice creams in Coldstones.We then went back to the hotel for an awards evening.
The following awards were given: MVP U15 – Emily Broughton; U14 – Ilaria Valaydon Pyke; top goalscorer – Alice Telfer;
best goalkeeper – Tallulah Le Bon; best defender – Patrinee Karnasuta; and players’ player (voted for by everyone on tour)
The whole team
– Tallulah Le Bon.This was an amazing tour which provided us with a lifetime of memories.
Doing the best for every girl
The Rounders teams have had a very successful term, winning the majority of their matches.The U15 team,
captained by Catherine Breadner, won the Ascot Schools’Tournament, conceding only one rounder throughout
the competition.The U14s, captained by Tallulah Le Bon, are also undefeated all term, clocking up over 75
rounders, including 38 in one game.
Athletics has grown in strength this summer.The squads have excelled and must be congratulated on many
wins. In particular, the U15 Team must be congratulated on making it through to the second round of the English
Schools Track and Field Cup in Exeter where they are set to face tough competition against seven schools
from the southwest.The following girls were selected to represent Bracknell at the Berkshire Schools Championships at Palmer Park in Reading on Saturday 13th June: Annabel Wright Long Jump; Georgia Burks Shot Put;
Kat Baldwin High Jump and Miranda Simpson High Jump.
This year saw the formation of the first ever Combined Cadet Force at Heathfield School; 35 girls have chosen
to join either the Army or Navy section.We make our way to Bearwood College every Friday afternoon, where
we launch ourselves into all sorts of activities from sailing and kayaking to shooting on the range, map reading
and field craft in the woods. This term has seen the girls go off on a field day looking resplendent in their army
uniforms and polished boots.The Navy went dingy sailing – and amazingly remained dry – whilst the Army girls
were swinging from the trees on the high wire assault course, orienteering and clay pigeon shooting in deepest
darkest Hampshire at a secret MOD training area. All girls have been learning to use the Armed Forces standard
rifle, the SA80, and some have already put their skills to use on a weekend exercise where the main task was to navigate and locate the enemy in the middle of the night,
then ambush the enemy at first light. All who attended had a wonderful time despite getting only a few hours’ sleep and surviving on British Army 24hr rations, which they
had to cook themselves. Next year they will have opportunities for military riding classes in Windsor Great Park and a weekend on a Royal Navy Mine sweeper in the
English Channel. And watch out for the CCF demonstration on Parents’ Day!
Following the extremely successful Polo tour of Argentina in December 2008, hopes were high for the summer
season.Training has taken place at the Royal Berkshire around a busy schedule of examinations for many players.
After half term girls played against a strong Wellington team and fought hard but lost 6-3.This proved to be
excellent preparation for the National Schools Girls’Tournament held at Millfield on June 8th. It seemed very
unfair to be drawn against the hosts and defending champions in the very first chukka of the day but the team
captained by Carinthia Pearson with Louisa Wentworth Stanley, Miranda Simpson and Arabella Montague rose
to the challenge.The spectators were treated to a great display of polo, end to end stuff – the eventual score
being 1-1. A polo ‘penalty shoot out’ followed (or a run down) and cruelly we lost. Millfield were the eventual
tournament winners but their coach acknowledged they were lucky to get past Heathfield in the first round.
Heathfield went on to beat Wellington convincingly 4-1 and later Rugby to win the subsidiary final without losing a
match in open play – a fantastic day for which the girls and school should be very proud. At the time of writing
the team is preparing for the National Finals at the beginning of July and Carinthia Pearson will be taking part in
the England Schools’ Polo trials at the end of June.
National Girls’Tournament, Millfield June 2008
A Sense of Appreciation...
At Heathfield we believe that learning happens all the time, both in and out of the classroom...
Fieldwork is integral to geographical learning. This term the Geography Department took Form II to Cheddar Gorge to examine limestone scenery. The caves provided a wonderful insight into underground river processes and how they have been used over time. A
trek up the 274 steps of Jacob’s Ladder enabled us to look at the wider picture; this was followed by a trip to the ‘Olde Sweet Shop’
which is always a highlight of the trip! Form IV visited Christchurch Bay to assess the erosional and depositional features and processes
as well as the management systems along this stretch of the coast.We were blessed with glorious weather and the 6 mile walk along the
beach to Hengistbury Head and Mudeford Spit and back proved just how impressive fieldwork can be. GCSE study at its most exciting!
On Friday 20th March the History Department took twenty-six girls to Berlin for a weekend visit to the city which played such a pivotal
role in the Cold War.The itinerary included visits to preserved sections of the Wall, the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and a guided tour of
the headquarters of the Stasi. On Sunday morning we drove to Potsdam on the outskirts of the city, and visited the palace where Attlee,
Stalin and Truman had met to formulate their plans for post-war Europe. Our guide was a former Allied Liaison officer who had lived and
worked in Berlin during the Cold War so his wealth of background knowledge helped to make the visit both informative and memorable.
There were opportunities for younger Historians as well; the first Friday of the summer term saw Form III leaving Heathfield at 5.30am
for a visit to the Ypres Salient.The outing was designed to complement the work the girls had undertaken in class on World War
One and provided an opportunity for them to appreciate the reality of warfare on the battlefields of Northern France and Belgium.The
Museum of Flanders Field provided a wealth of information about the area, whilst a visit to a preserved section of the trenches and an
advanced dressing station conveyed the full horror of war; the many cemeteries, beautifully tended by the War Graves Commission, made us all realise the scale of
the sacrifice made by the young men of the British Empire.The poppy wreath we placed at the Menin Gate was in remembrance of all those who had lost their lives “In
Flanders Fields“.
Salters’ Chemistry festival 2009
On May 13th four girls from Form 1 attended the
Salters’ Chemistry festival at London South Bank
University. Anna Lasok, Jamila Al Adwani, Emily Agace
and Emily Shepherd all put their Chemistry brains on
to begin the daunting task of solving a ‘murder at Saltmarsh Farm’.The girls were using techniques they had
not seen before and did extremely well in their team.
The girls also made a vitamin C clock as well as watching
a fantastic chemistry demonstration of different experiments, which we have since tried to recreate in our
own Science lessons. Congratulations to all the girls
who took part.
Our Horizons programme has given our most able
girls the opportunity to extend their learning in a wide
variety of ways this year. Girls have been to a debate in
Parliament and had a talk on code-breaking at Bletchley
Park, have attended many lectures at Eton societies
and have welcomed visiting speakers including Teresa
May MP, Sir George Young MP and the Architectural
Historian,TV presenter and regular ‘Country Life’ contributor Jeremy Musson. Plans for next year include a
visit from Professor Tim Gowers, the Cambridge Mathematician. Many thanks to Mrs Butler for coordinating
these events and opening her precious address book!
Our first debate of the year was at LVS on the subject of nuclear weapons. It was a tough competition and although we did not make it through to the next round, the
judges were very impressed with the team. It was a good warm-up and helped us prepare for the major debate of the year at St. Hugh’s College, Oxford during Lent term.
The Oxford debate was part of the prestigious and widely recognised European Youth Parliament competition. 7 of us went; Laura Lambert and Mona Ebert-Maenz were
our team’s two speakers for the day.This was probably the most difficult debate that we entered, as it involved us contributing actively during other debates as well and we
faced some much older and more experienced teams. After a long and tiring day, the judges commended our performance as a team and Meghan Bethel, Charlotte Banner,
Amber Williamson, Alicia Knowles, Rebecca Welman, Lucy Edelstein, Mona Ebert-Maenz and Laura Lambert were all awarded certificates. It has been a very successful and
enjoyable year during which we’ve had the privilege of meeting lots of new people from other schools and debating over issues of global importance.
Old Girls
In May we welcomed back many members of the Heathfield Fellowship, both at a reunion afternoon on Thursday 14th and at Fellowship Day, Saturday 16th. It was
wonderful to hear their stories and find out how much – and how little – some things have changed.