Spring 2006

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA TO BE INTRODUCED AT ELLESMERE The decision has been taken to offer the International challenging, but also more stimulating, course of study than AS Baccalaureate Diploma at the College from September 2006. and A2 levels. With the ever increasing difficulties of achieving The programme will run alongside A levels and offer an alternative places at top universities, however, it is clear that studying the IB to the traditional A level programme. will give our candidates hoping for entry to those universities a The IB represents a broader educational approach than traditional better chance, as it is widely recognised at universities as being a A levels, and is examined very differently from the modern better preparation for study”. “modular” A levels. A level students can take modular exams in the January and will always take them in the summer of the first year before again taking exams in the January and the summer of their second year. The IB assessment is based on an end of course examination and a long essay. Six subjects, rather than four, are studied at IB and pupils also follow a theory of knowledge course and produce a dissertation. The Headmaster, Mr Brendan Wignall, comments: “we have no plans to replace A levels with the IB, but are delighted to be able 100% for Ellesmere to offer this examination as an additional part of our academic range. The IB Diploma programme represents a more Students A Level examination results have again demonstrated that academic performance at Ellesmere is on the increase. With an A level pass rate of 93.5% it is clear that Sixth Ball Formers at Ellesmere are high flyers. Jennifer Sampson and Hugh Adams, Head Girl and Head Boy completed their A levels with top grades. Jennifer secured 'A' grades in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and General Studies and has gone on to read Engineering in Edinburgh. Hugh achieved 'B' grades in Geography, P. E. and Business and is reading Sports Studies at Durham. Kate Eisenstein secured 'A' grades in English Literature and History and a 'B' in French. She is now reading History in Manchester. At AS level, there were outstanding individual performances from Matthew White who achieved 100% in his AS Electronic Engineering modules (and an award for the best performance in the country) while Kim Fawcett and Jonathan Bevan achieved 100% in AS English Literature modules. This pays credit to the excellent A Night to Remember standard of teaching at Ellesmere: fifteen out of nineteen departments achieved a 100% pass rate. The 2005 Ball was bigger than ever with almost 300 people GCSE also saw a sound performance. All pupils were able attending. The sixth form committee raised over £3000 to celebrate success but most notable performances were towards costs, through a variety of fund raising events, evident by the row of straight A* and A grades for Roberts ranging from the School Calendar and sponsored leg- Simms and Sarah Haynes. waxing, to flowers for Valentine’s Day and a Leavers’ Book. Overall at GCSE level 87.6% achieved 5 or more A*- C On the night, revelers enjoyed dinner and dancing in the grades. Double award science results were again marquee followed by fireworks and dodgems on the particularly impressive with a 100% pass rate for the terraces. The evening concluded following school tradition second year running. Particularly pleasing is the fact that with “Jerusalem” and “Auld Lang Syne” sung with the usual 100% of girls gained 5 or more A*-C grades. Sixth Form enthusiasm in Big School. Scholarships were awarded to our top GCSE performers.

1 GCSE Media Gets the Thumbs Up This new course, introduced in September 2005, provides students with the opportunity to study the mass media within a structured yet creative classroom environment. Places quickly filled for this popular course which has so far allowed students to learn how to manipulate digital photography, create radio advertisements and create short sequences for television programmes. Pupils have been taken on educational visits to the cinema and a local BBC radio station, where they enjoyed a tour around the studios. Early in the Lent term, the students will be taken on a three day study experience to Disneyland Paris. “This is the most exciting course I’ve ever studied,” said one enthusiastic media student. “It has opened my eyes to the media and how you can’t believe everything you see on the TV and read in magazines and newspapers.” After such a successful start, it is anticipated that the course will flourish and give students a step on the ladder to a career in the very competitive world of Media.

Talented Film- Makers Impress BBC The new Media Action group, which formed in September 2005, has demonstrated significant talent as students have been given the opportunity to create short films. The group has made a variety of short films, all of which have recently been shown to a representative of the BBC. One short film, “Gothic Girl” particularly impressed the visitor. The film makers - Hannah Edge, Natalie Hutchinson, Rachel Harrison and Emma Adams (all Year 11) were delighted that their production was selected for

possible broadcast on a new local television network. A recent expedition to Manchester’s Cornerhouse and Liverpool’s FACT centre gave students additional opportunities to extend their knowledge and skills. Professional producers and directors leant their expertise (see photo) and students also attended an “ask the film critic” masterclass. A film night in the Arts Centre is planned for the Lent term, giving Ellesmere’s students the chance to see the premieres of this new generation of film-makers.

2 A TRIP OF A LIFETIME WORLD CHALLENGE EXPEDITION 2005 On July 5th 2005 five students and a member of staff from Ellesmere set off on a thirty- Below from left: Niall Crispin, Iain Disspain two day trip of a lifetime to Tanzania, which culminated in the ascent of 4565m high Buffy Swinnerton, Chrissey Davey Mount Meru. The object of the trip was to meet the people of Tanzania and gain a cultural Mrs D. Joynson-Brooke experience of the country. The challengers had to organise food, accommodation (mainly Abigail Merril and Owen Edwards in the form of tents), transport and excursions. On arrival, the group took advantage of the local transport and found seven hours of standing in a cramped bus on very bumpy roads to be an enlightening but colourful and informative experience! A memorable excursion was to the Ngorongoro crater, where the group enjoyed a spectacular array of wildlife and scenery. However they agree that the most rewarding moment was to stand on the summit of the second highest mountain in Africa. The group was assisted in their ascent by thirty porters and assistants who provided meals and tea breaks which naturally were most welcome to the weary climbers. The tea break at the top of the mountain, having set off at 1am in the morning was, as Mrs Joynson-Brooke puts it, “the best thing I had had for days! I’m glad it was dark as we climbed across great crevices as we didn’t see the drop. The only way down was to close your eyes and hope...” The whole round trip took twelve hours. A most rewarding and challenging time was had by all.

GOLD DUKE OF EDINBURGH SUPPORTS Green Team is a small group of students keen to make the College more environmentally friendly. Their first project has ESTHER BENJAMIN’S TRUST been to organise paper recycling throughout the school. The College was able to send a donation of £750 to the Esther Benjamin’s They have plans to recycle metal, plastic and cardboard too. Trust, which works with children in Nepal who have suffered dreadful abuse; They have also found an organization who will re-use old some children having been sold into circuses in India, others having been born in prison or living on the street. Particular thanks go to Emma Thomas, text books and are David Goodwin and Jonathan Suckley, all of whom raised amounts of over raising money to help £100 by finding sponsors for their Duke of Edinburgh’s expedition, during the school purchase an which they canoed for over 100 miles. industrial shredder so that we can compost Green O.E Edwina Grosvenor works for the Trust and spends some of her time in Kathmandu working directly with the children. O.E. Lucie Noble has also given rather than burn our up time to help these young people who have had such terrible experiences. garden waste. Green We hope to continue to ask our Gold D of E candidates to find sponsors for Team recently their expedition so that the children who have so little can benefit from the achieved the Eco- Team experiences of our students who have, comparatively, so much. Schools bronze award.

GOLD AWARD PRESENTATION AT ST. JAMES’ On Wednesday the 2nd of November a small group of O.E’s gathered at St. James’ Palace to attend an Award ceremony. Harriet Chambers, Rachel Harrison and Matthew Watson-Jones received their Gold Awards and met the Duke of Edinburgh. Mrs. Watson Jones, Mrs. Chambers, Mrs. McCarthy and Richard Baxter were delighted to be invited too, and enjoyed the presentation and the super surroundings. Guy Stringer is due to collect his Award on December the 6th and several O.E’s are waiting for their “date with the Duke” in the near future. As 2006 is the Award’s 50th Anniversary, intends to hold a celebration and will be inviting all past (and present) leaders and awardees for a reunion sometime in the summer. Mrs Ros McCarthy can be contacted about this on [email protected]

NAVAL EXPEDITION Nautical London: The recent Naval Expedition saw the cadets enjoy the pleasures of London. A visit to HMS Belfast on the Thames and the Maritime Museum at Greenwich was supplemented by a tour of the sites of London, an evening ‘flight’ on the London Eye - illuminated by an impressive lightning storm - and a show at the Aldwych Theatre.

3 The Arena Arts Programme Ellesmere will host a new, exciting, educational arts programme. The programme goes under the title of Arena as it seeks to encompass an eclectic mix of arts and to provide a forum for participation, negotiation and presentation. The Arena Arts Programme aims to promote the arts both within the College and throughout the wider community. It covers the established arts of dance, drama and music and the traditional visual arts of drawing, painting and sculpture as well as modern media arts such as film making, sound recording and digital photography. The new programme will support the many arts based activities that the school already provides. It will also host a series of masterclasses led by top professionals such as Garth Bardsley who held an inspiring musical theatre masterclass for selected, talented pupils from Ellesmere and Lakelands School. Exhibitions and performances will also be held by invited professional companies, artists and practitioners. In the near future it is hoped to establish links with national and international arts organisations. Scholarships to Ellesmere will be offered to gifted and talented pupils in the performing, visual and media arts. Ellesmere was the birthplace of Eglantyne Jebb, the founder of Save the Children and the creator of the United Nations Declaration of The Rights of The Child. The Arena Arts Programme is proud to be working in partnership with the Save the Children Fund and will be making regular donations from the proceeds of performances and other events.

The 3rd Annual Ellesmere College House Play Festival The Michaelmas 2005 House Play Festival was another resounding success. The four competitive houses of Meynell, Talbot, Wakeman- Lambert and Woodard, led by a sixth form director performed in front of packed audiences. Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer, directed by Nick Kenny Garth Bardsley Nick Kenny directed this manic farce with great skill and brought out some wonderful performances particularly from Louisa Button’s squeaky upper class debutante and Mike Thornhill’s brilliant performance in the central role - a tour de force of timing and physical comedy. King of the Castle by Christina Reid, directed by Jonathan Bevan This dark and brooding drama was a brave choice by the director and was atmospherically lit and sensitively acted. Faust and Furious Anne Lee, directed by Bryony Sym A wonderful ensemble performance from the biggest cast in the Festival. Patrick Cudmore was hilarious as a camp television presenter. Cinderalfred C. R. Cook, directed by Charlotte Wigginton The evening finished with a wonderfully anarchic parody of pantomime madness. The lasting image of the festival will surely be the sight of rugby playing legend, Dafydd Roberts, in leotard and tutu, fairy wand in hand, in a sultry, smoky silhouette. The commentator this year was Garth Bardsley, star of the West End production of “The Phantom of The Opera”. Garth gave each play a full critique and gave the performers the benefit of his knowledge, expertise and experience.

4 Accolades for “17” Performed at Manchester’s Lowry The Talented Cast “17”, written by Michael Gow, was selected as Ellesmere’s entry into the National Theatre’s Connections Festival. A talented cast, led by Louise Button as “Ella”, performed the play to appreciative audiences after only five weeks of rehearsals. The play was such a success that a director from The National Theatre and a representative from The Lowry, Manchester invited the cast to perform it at Salford Quays up-and-coming theatre. All involved felt that this was a fantastic and memorable experience and look forward to their next entry into the festival circuit.

One Night of Shakespeare The BBC and Shakespeare Schools Festival joined forces this year to present One Night of Shakespeare, a national event celebrating the plays of William Shakespeare. The BBC sought schools from across the whole country interested in performing one of the thirteen plays that have been reduced into half hour plays by Leon Garfield. Ellesmere College was lucky enough to be chosen. All those schools entered would perform their plays at the same time, on the same day at theatres across the nation and be entered in the Guinness Book of Records for doing so. It was decided that we would perform The Winter’s Tale, one of the more mysterious of the plays. It’s a potent combination of tragedy and comedy and has sometimes been referred to as Shakespeare’s fairy tale play. The play was performed at the College’s Strawberries and Champagne event and also at the Shrewsbury Music Hall. The pupils also took a mini tour of the show to local primary schools: Ellesmere Primary and Baschurch Church of England Primary. The day was a huge success with our pupils passing on their knowledge to the younger generation through successful question and answer sessions and a “hands on” costume swap! The production at the Shrewsbury Music Hall was the grand finale to the production and went down a storm. The cast performed with three other local schools in front of a packed house and was a real triumph for all involved.

5 History is Thriving for Sixth Formers at Ellesmere! Berlin, renowned for its modern culture, cosmopolitan feel and history, became the focal point this year for the Sixth Form History trip. The students were given a four day insight into the reality found in their textbooks. Their daily tours took in the remnants of the two great dictatorships that had grasped Berlin for more than 50 years – Nazism and Communism. Memorable sights included the Reichstag building with its modern glass dome, the grandeur of the Brandenburg Gate and the chilling atmosphere of Wannsee, where Heydrich chaired the meeting to coordinate the Final Solution of European Jews. The group were amazed by the difference between the East and West of Berlin, the faults of Communism still showing after 15 years of unity. This was certainly a memorable and educational visit for all. Later on in the year the Sixth Form historians met up again, this time to celebrate Christmas. A dinner was organised and staff and pupils dressed up as “famous figures from the past”. Sarah-Jane Edwards’ “dolly-the- sheep” was an unexpected outfit while the more conventional figures of Lady Jane Grey (Mrs Paton), Dick Turpin (Peter Daborn) and Charlie Chaplin (Matthew White) ensured a pleasantly eclectic mix of characters. Mr Wood arrived as a typically obscure Middle-Eastern character leaving the party to guess his mysterious identity. First prize was awarded to Charles Chambers for his W.G Grace costume. In keeping with tradition, the Historians invited a guest of honour – this year Mrs Ros McCarthy, who came dressed as a very convincing Amy Earhart and gave an entertaining speech about life as an honorary member of the history department.

The motley crew with the winner seen with the grey beard third from right on back row.

The Woodall Processional Cross Restoration The recent restoration of one of Ellesmere’s treasures has seen the Woodall Processional Cross restored to its former glory. The cross dates from 1890 and is in the Arts and Crafts style and has, according to Andrew Lamputt’s specialist silversmiths, “a great deal of aesthetic character”. The restoration project was very challenging as the frame had been warped and snapped in half in one place. The cross had also been repaired in the past with inappropriate materials such as brass pins and soft lead solder. However, the recent restoration was a complete success, with strengthening pins and plates added to keep the cross stable in the future. It is important to note the inscription of the cross, “To the greater Glory of God and in Loving Memory of John Frederick Woodall, M C Lieut M.G.C killed in action Wadi Hesi, Palestine, November 8 1917. Pro Patria Dimicans.” Ellesmere extends its thanks to Andrew Lamputt for his generous restoration in recognition of his family’s association with the College.

6 EXCELLENT SEASON FOR LOWER SCHOOL TEAMS The Lower School Girls’ Hockey and Boys’ Rugby teams have enjoyed excellent seasons this year, led by their U13A sides who each enjoyed best ever seasons at this level. The U13 Girls’ Hockey side North Hockey Festival enjoyed their second season together as a team and Grove A 6 - 0 completed their second Lakelands 7 - 0 unbeaten season, having 3 - 0 established a record last year Sir John Talbot’s 3 - 0 as the U12 side. In their eight Final: Grove B 3 - 0 regular fixtures they scored 54 goals and conceded none. They concluded the season with victory in the North Shropshire 7-a-side Girls’ Hockey Festival. Winning the tournament against teams from The Marches, The Grove School, Moreton Hall, Lakelands School, and Sir John Talbot’s School, they won all four of their group games without conceding a point before beating U13A GIRLS’ HOCKEY a team from The Grove School in the final by 3 goals to 0. Abbots Bromley 5 - 0 The Boys’ Rugby Team Wrekin 8 - 0 fell one short of an Moreton Hall 7 - 0 unbeaten season, losing their penultimate Oswestry 5 - 0 game in an extremely King’s Chester 5 - 0 bruising encounter Rydal Penrhos 5 - 0 against Sandbach Howells’s 9 - 0 School. With an Stafford Grammar 10 - 0 aggregate of 300 points for and 56 points against, playing more games than any other team in the school other than the 1st XV, they set a standard of rugby skills rarely seen at this age level. The highlight of the season was a 20 - 0 victory over a strong Packwood side, although comfortable victories against traditional rivals Denstone and Rydal U13A Rugby Penrhos were also enjoyable. Although disappointed not to have had an 32 - 0 unbeaten season, and particularly disappointed to lose in the way that Stafford Grammar 67 - 5 they did against Sandbach, the team can be proud of all that they have Winterfold House 27 - 0 achieved. Rydal Penrhos 41 - 0 Newcastle-Under-Lyme 27 - 0 Bishop Heber 29 - 10 Moor Park 0 - 0 Packwood Haugh 20 - 0 St Anselm’s 20 - 10 Sandbach 17 - 26 Prestfelde 20 - 5

COLLEGE LINKS WITH WELSH PREMIER CHAMPIONS The College has developed a formal link with the Welsh Premier League Champions TNS Football Club. For the next few years the Parry's Field area of the College will be the morning training base for the TNS 1st Team as they wait for their new state of the art facilities to be built in Oswestry. In addition to using College facilities TNS are providing additional coaching and support for various activities including the recent Prep School 6-a-side Football Competition. Some members of the College 6-a-side team were lucky enough to have their photographs taken with the Welsh Premier League Trophy, the winning of which qualified TNS for the Champions League.

7 County Selections SUCCESSFUL Ellesmere is again to be represented at County level sport through the selection of talented hockey and rugby players. Georgina Adams was SEASON FOR selected as Goalkeeper for the U15 County team and Emma Johnson was selected for the U17 County team (see photo). Both girls did GIRLS’ extremely well as competition was high, even though the girls admitted to being very nervous on the day. They clearly made an excellent impression and the College is very proud of their achievements. HOCKEY Girls’ hockey continues to go from strength to Individually the U16 rugby team strength at the College, the Seniors leading produced four Shropshire County the way with a good season on both Astroturf players, with Sam Lewis going and grass surfaces. The 2nd XI started slowly through to the North Midlands and but concluded very well, beating Howell’s full Midlands squad. At U18 there School 11-0 in their last match of the season. were nine players selected at The U15’s and U14’s enjoyed unbeaten County level with four players going seasons on grass, with the U15’s losing only on to North Midlands and Danny once on Astroturf and the U14’s going down Matthews going through for twice on Astroturf. The U13’s had the most selection to the Midlands U18 successful season, unbeaten on grass and group. Four players represented Astroturf and scoring 51 goals to nil, with the North Wales with Ashley James U12’s matching the older teams in being playing for Llanelli U18 in the unbeaten on grass and losing only once on regional trials for the full Welsh Astroturf. squad.

Rugby : Unbeaten 1st XV College Rugby continues to go from strength to strength, led by the 1st XV who have recorded their first unbeaten season since 1976. The introduction of the Rugby Academy three years ago, with associated links to Worcester and Llanelli, has raised the standards significantly with all teams in the School enjoying great success. The 2nd XV also finished the season unbeaten and did not concede a point. The U13’s only lost one game in their run. The key to success has been improving players through quality coaching and excellent facilities, introducing individual programmes

tailored to develop fitness and skills. As well as highly qualified School coaches the 1st Team also has its own fitness co-ordinator and 6

physiotherapist.

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1st XV RUGBY RESULTS 2 Old Ellesmerians 59 – 0 Denstone College 48 – 3 3

King William’s College 27 – 7 2

King Edward’s School, Birmingham 20 – 13

Rydal Penrhos 34 – 3 9 Newcastle-Under-Lyme 19 – 13

Telford College 35 – 0 3 939 232796 Bishop Heber 50 – 0 9

Wrekin 59 – 7

1 Rossall 59 – 0

Sandbach 48 - 3 0

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