Denmark Road News
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Denmark Road News Issue 5: May 2019 Dear Parents/Carers On 1st May the whole school joined together to celebrate living here at Denmark Road for 110 years and to welcome the beginning of a new year in the life of our school. Our beginnings The first Girls School in Gloucester, our school, was founded in Mynd House, Barton Street in 1883. On 14th January 1909 the school was opened on this site. A gold key was presented to Lord Stanley who used it to unlock the front door. The gold key was inscribed: “Forever open for the diffusion of sound learning and useful progress”, similar to our wildly important goal today of ‘Nothing less than positive progress and wellbeing for all’. If you are interested in reading more of our history and seeing some pictures from years gone by please follow this link to the Birthday Celebration presentation shared with our students. Many thanks to Rachel Hayward for collating this for us. A constant through generations Many generations of women and now men have passed through these doors and benefitted from the community and learning here. During the Easter holidays I had the great pleasure of welcoming four generations of Denmark Road students back through our doors. Audrey, to celebrate her 90th Birthday, asked to come back with her daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughter (who starts here in September). Her mother also attended our school. For me this says so much about who we are. We are a family, much loved by those who come here and every one of us will always be welcome here. We will always be Denny. Article on page 8. The May Tree – our school emblem In 1933 to celebrate the school’s 50th Jubilee, our May Tree was planted. Miss Penson wanted a wild hawthorn with white blossom to symbolise the high and pure character of the pupils at the School. Today it stands amongst us as a link to the past and our emblem of the future. Our May Tree is a powerful symbol of our school and what we stand for. It stands proud within our garden as we stand proud as individuals, yet it does not overshadow the other trees and shrubs, just as we act in honour preferring one another. Page 1 of 19 - Denmark Road High School Newsletter – We Discover, Realise, Honour and Shape - Issue 5 – May 2019 It has great beauty in every season, just as we strive to discover and realise our personal best each and every day, and the large symmetrical canopy offers shelter, just as our community binds us all together and will look out for us, wherever we may be. I share this, especially with Year 13 students who will soon be leaving this building for the last time as students. Wherever they may choose to go in their futures, they will always be Denny. Give us a (financial!) HUG As you will be aware from my previous email we also chose to launch our Help Us Grow fundraising campaign on our Birthday. Our future could do with a little financial help to ensure that your sons and daughters have the opportunities they deserve in order to discover and realise their personal best. The campaign aims to raise £125,000 by the summer of 2020. This money will help us to shape the future of the school and enable those within it to flourish. Thank you so much to those who have already completed donation forms and to those who have taken time to state their support for the fundraising initiative. If the email has passed you by or you have not yet donated but would like to, please click on the link below which will take you to our fundraising page. So, here is to the future of Denmark Road High School, our school, which we will work together to shape for the good of our current community and for the generations to come. HELP US GROW ... Page 2 of 19 - Denmark Road High School Newsletter – We Discover, Realise, Honour and Shape - Issue 5 – May 2019 ESAA Track and Field Cup – May 2019 On Monday 13th May, the school athletics team competed in the English Schools Athletics Cup at The Prince of Wales in Cheltenham. The sun was shining and there were some great performances from many individuals. The year 9 team were competing in an age group up while the year 10's were taking their RS GCSE! They represented themselves and the school fantastically. Notable performances came from Zoe Saunders, Izzy Worgan, Emily Brown and Flo Hampton. Page 3 of 19 - Denmark Road High School Newsletter – We Discover, Realise, Honour and Shape - Issue 5 – May 2019 My Cycling Experience Advertising Opportunity!! On the 13th and 14th May, I went on a cycling course around Would anyone like to sponsor our Gloucester. upcoming tour to Barbados? If you It was fun and our instructor was nice to us. I enjoyed going would be keen to have your company to Gloucester Docks and The Quays because we had to ride logo on our tour kit please contact Mrs on the paths along the canal. We then went onto the main King at [email protected] road and I was chosen to lead! We rode up to the street and went around a big roundabout. It was a bit scary at first as Jemima Kelly in Year 12 interviewed there were so many moving cars and there was no one in Billy Twelvetrees from GLoudester front of me to follow, but once we got on the roads it just Rugby as a part of her EPQ project came naturally to keep riding. 'Are elite sports performers born or What I learnt made?' I learnt how to cycle safely at a roundabout and how to move into the middle of your lane when turning right. We were told that when you cycle uphill, you should have a lower gear and when you are riding on a flat road, you should have a higher gear as it means you don't have to peddle as much. I really enjoyed the two lessons and would do them again in a heartbeat. I would also like to thank our instructor for making it such fun and so easy. By Zara Afonsom 7K On May 13th and 14th, I had a great time, completing a cycling course around Gloucester. It was fun and, thankfully, Well done! two very sunny days. The instructors were nice to us and were helpful as well. We cycled to Gloucester Docks and Year 9 students Ruby Earle, Bella Gloucester Quays and we also cycled past the canal. Hollingworth and Freya Simpson- It was a four-hour course over two days. I had my course Hooper got through to the English from 9-11am. We started as a group of 6 but then we got Speaking Union’s Performing separated into pairs. My partner was Zrar. Shakespeare Regional Final. Bella was At first, I was quite nervous about going on to main roads but one of only two winners on the day I soon got used to it. and will now perform at the National We learnt when to move into the middle of the road and final on a West-End stage in London in how to cycle on a roundabout. For the last 30 -40 minutes June. Zara and I were allowed to choose where we wanted to go. Overall, I think it was an enjoyable experience and I would recommend it to anyone. By Sarah George, 7K Page 4 of 19 - Denmark Road High School Newsletter – We Discover, Realise, Honour and Shape - Issue 5 – May 2019 Denmark Road Cricketers off to The National Finals Wednesday 22nd May will see the culmination of the indoor cricket season for Denmark Road’s under 15 girls, when they will compete in the National Indoor Cricket Finals at Lord’s cricket ground! The journey to Lord’s began with wins against Newent and King’s School in the District qualifying round, before taking on the best schools in Gloucestershire at UWE in Bristol in March. After winning their three group games comfortably, they faced Rednock in the final, and after a shaky start posted a good score Standing (L to R): Becky Greenough, Maddie Davis, with the bat, before they blew away the Betsy Mangan (captain), Jenny Shrimpton, Fliss Harrison Rednock top order in taking five wickets Kneeling (L to R): Emily Wiles, Katie Jones (wicketkeeper), in the first two overs, eventually running Liv Brock, Grace Matthews, Sophie Paulus out emphatic winners. This meant they represented Gloucestershire at the Midlands Regional Finals at Edgbaston at the start of May. With superb tactical awareness, allied to their excellent skills, they again won their group games convincingly against the best schools from Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. They faced the impressive Blythe Bridge High School from Staffordshire in the final, and chose an opportune time to post their highest score to date, racking up 106 in their eight overs. An excellent bowling performance saw them reduce Blythe to 70-6 with two overs to go, but this brought Blythe’s leading all-rounder back in, and she played really intelligently to give her team a chance of winning with one over to go. However, needing boundaries to win, she was caught off the first ball of the final over, leaving Denmark Road as the Midlands’ champions! Regional Finals results: Game 1 vs Oxford High School – win by 69 runs DRHS 97-5 (Katie Jones 18 retired, Sophie Paulus 15 retired, Maddie Davis 10 not out) OHS 28-8 (Becky Greenough 1-1-0-2) Game 2 vs University of Birmingham School – win by 18 runs DRHS 93-3 (Katie Jones 16 retired, Betsy Mangan 18 retired, Grace Matthews 13 not out) UoBS 76-7 (Liv Brock 2-0-20-2, Betsy Mangan 2-0-17-2, Sophie Paulus 1-0-10-2) CWS 73-6 (Sophie Paulus 1-0-3-2, Maddie Davis 1-0-12-2) Final vs Blythe Bridge High School – win by 19 runs DRHS 106-5 (Katie Jones 23 not out, Liv Brock 17 retired) BBHS 87-8 (Betsy Mangan 2-0-26-2, Becky Greenough 1.1-0-12-2) Though their names may not appear in the match summaries above, every player in the squad has made important contributions throughout the competition, particularly with the bat where their selfless attitude and tigerish running between the wickets has helped the team post match winning totals.