Autumn 2019 House Shout 2018/19 Old Orwellian Newsletter Orwell Park School, Nacton, Ipswich, IP10 0ER 0173 592229 www.orwellpark.co.uk HEADMASTER life of the School and we will thank him formally during the course of next year. I reported on Speech Day that the School had raised approximately £10,000 for our three charities during 2018/19. The coming year’s charities, voted for by the children, are as follows: ICENI (local), Dementia UK (national) and Rainforest Trust UK (international). The year ended on Saturday 6th July with a moving Leavers’ Service in Nacton Church, prize giving in the Year 8 pupils receive their Common Entrance results sports hall followed by Leavers’ cricket and picnics on the school field and The Greatest Showman Leavers’ The School has also been awarded the Bronze Award Ball in the evening. I wish all our leavers every success for work already done towards becoming a more eco- at their senior schools and hope that they will keep in friendly school, and we are celebrating a 100% pass at touch as Old Orwellians. Common Entrance, with all children making it to their chosen school. This is a superb achievement by all Year Speech Day was a time to reflect on the achievements 8 pupils and credit also to the staff who have supported and successes of all our pupils in the last year. Head and guided them. A year group of 45 are going to 17 Boy William Everall and Head Girl Araminta Scott different senior schools, including some of the country’s spoke fondly and eloquently about their time at the top national boarding and leading local day schools. As a School; congratulations to Hugo Eggar and Aimée Reed, year group, they have achieved 27 scholarships including who were appointed Head Boy and Head Girl for next Harrow (1), Ipswich School (6), King’s Canterbury (3), year, and also to Senior Prefects Caspar Lloyd and Dare Oakham (1), Oundle (4), Royal Hospital School (4), Lowther. Rugby (2), Uppingham (1) and Woodbridge School (5). On Speech Day we said a formal farewell to Geoff It remains for me to congratulate all our pupils on their Calow in the English department, lead Hockey Coach achievements this last year. Nicole and I look forward Ian Haley, Gap Student Georgie Heath, Joanna McNiff in to seeing many of you at the events throughout the Nursery, DT Technician Darrin Tomkins and Kim next term. Whittaker in Finance and Reception. We also acknowledged the superb contribution over 17 years of Yours sincerely Head of Learning Support Frances Golding, who retired this year. After 24 years’ service to the School, Nick Matthews Adrian Brown, Headmaster will be leaving us at the end of Spring term 2020 to take up a post as Head of DT at Gresham’s Prep School. Nick has made a superb all-round contribution to the 22 NEWS FROM OLD ORWELLIANS 2018 leaver Kelly Smit wrote in to tell us of her athletic achievements since leaving Orwell Park After leaving Orwell Park, Kelly went on to study at Uppingham and joined the Uppingham girls school athletics team. The team achieved success, winning the ESAA track and field cup regional final and as a result qualified for the Nationals in Chelmsford, which took place in July. Kelly has also seen individual success, breaking six school records. One of her most exciting achievements was to qualify in the 100m which led to her being invited to join the Leicestershire and Rutland team to compete in the English Schools Athletics Championships in Birmingham on the 12th – 13th July at the Alexander Stadium. A Bunting Family History 2019 marks the departure of the final Bunting child following a span of 21 years at Orwell Park. The Buntings have kindly commemorated their time here with a cup for overall contribution to School life, which this year was awarded to Mary Tian. Apr1998 Miranda and Ollie arrived Jul 2004 Miranda left Sep 2005 Ella born Jul 2006 Ollie left Sep 2017 Ella joined Jul 2019 Ella left (Image right: Miranda, Ella and Ollie Bunting) An update from the Green Family Emily Green left Orwell Park in 2013. After a successful time at Rugby School, where she achieved Grade 8 in singing with distinction and was head of the very successful school choir, she has gone on to Edinburgh University to study nursing. Her brothers Oliver and Samuel are both at Rugby School themselves, with Oliver becoming Head of House Sheriff, and Sam getting stuck into all aspects of school life in his first year, particularly playing lots of tennis and rugby! AND FROM THE NEXT GENERATION Our Year 8 leavers have buried a time capsule in the school grounds which contains a written record of what their life is like in 2019 as well as a message to their future selves. They will all be invited back in 2029 to open the capsule, which is buried by the pond. A plaque will soon mark the spot. Mentoring Would you consider mentoring an Old Orwellian who is also a recent university graduate? Are you a graduate who would like access to career advice from those in the know? Get in touch to register your interest and learn more! 33 A TRANSLATED LIFE by Cordelia Sears (2000-08) When at school, I was told by Dr Q, my French apply for, so I made the decision to apply after I had teacher, that things were not really going to improve in left school, after getting my results. terms of my French unless I lived in France, got a I found that unless you really know what profession French boyfriend, and got a French-speaking job. And you want to have or you are particularly good at one that is exactly what happened: not as a result of her subject, choosing what to study at university is not an advice, or because I particularly wanted to be good at easy decision to make. It was only after talking to a French, but just because things bizarrely turned out family friend who suggested that university was really that way. the only time in your life where you can just study ‘for So, here I am writing this from my apartment in the sake of studying’ that I took the approach of trying Annecy, trying to remember what I have been up to to figure out what I was interested in instead of since I was standing in the Orwell Park sports hall on focusing on the end job, which was History and leavers’ day, reminiscing about tamagotchis, man hunt people, and so I ended up studying Social on the ha-ha and melting custard creams under the Anthropology at The University of Manchester. changing room hand dryers at break time. Before heading ‘up north’ though, I decided to take a After Orwell, and having several hissy fits after seeing gap year, which I started off by doing a ski season in the film St Trinian’s where it’s not exactly painted in the tiny French village of Champagny-en-Vanoise. the best light (unjustly), I headed off to Cheltenham Without knowing it then, it ended up playing a huge Ladies’ College. I say unjustly because, despite the role in where I have ended up now. I fell into the hideous green uniform (we were actually referred to as chalet girl cliché and started going out with the the ‘green flies’ by other schools), I had an incredible 5 Frenchie who worked in the ski rental shop, and by years there where I formed some very strong the time the end of season came around, I started friendships, and I have found that knowing I have got questioning whether going to university was really some extremely strong friendships has enabled me to what I wanted. make some seemingly unconventional decisions and to follow exactly what I want to do. “The course definitely played a large role in During my time at CLC I really had no idea what I the way I try to think now, and has meant wanted to do after school, in particular whether I that I have a much wider and more wanted to go to university, and if so what I wanted to study there. I did, however, find that I was more rounded perspective on worldwide social attracted to the languages/humanities side of things and and political issues.” so ended up doing Latin, French and History for A level. By the time applying for university came around, I Spending some time later that year in Ethiopia, still did not really know where or what I wanted to however, made things clearer and confirmed my original decision to go and study Social Anthropology at Manchester. Having the opportunity to spend time in such a fascinating country made me realise that choosing a subject where I could learn about people in other parts of the world for 3 years was not so bad after all. My time at Manchester was different to how I imagined. The first year was fun and exciting, but also daunting and confusing, and after a few lectures, I was not at all sure I had made the right choice. It was not until my 2nd and 3rd year, when I was able to choose my modules that I really began to enjoy the subject. The great thing about Social Anthropology is how broad it is. One lecture you could be discussing the relationship between vision and truth, and the next how drones affect the notion of sovereignty in the border lands.