Central High Alumnae Newsletter | 2019/20 A HALF BAKED IDEA How baking saved writer and Alumna Olivia Potts from the grip of grief 2 3 CONTENTS 26 Olivia Potts 06 News From GDST and NHSG CHNS Alumna and Head Girl (2006), Olivia 08 School News Achievements of NHSG girls Potts, has written a memoir, A Half Baked Idea. After a family tragedy, she tells of the 14 NHSG Results Success difficult decision to leave her career as a GCSE and A Level criminal barrister and retreat to the comfort of the kitchen. Features 20 24 Russell House 21 A new lease of life STEMinism 22 Anna Ritzema - women in STEM 27 The Children’s Tailor CNHS Time Paddington is Roya Manouchehri - sartorial success Capsule back! 28 Central High Reunion 2018 Over 100 ‘Old Girls’ reunited We were sad to see the A very familiar bear is demolition of the CNHS returning to our screens, Bursaries at the hands of a familiar 31 A gift of education site on Eskdale Terrace. The building, which holds face! Sarah Caisley, Class 33 Dame Catherine Cookson so many fond memories, of 2009, is leading the team Her lasting legacy contained one last of animators responsible for bringing the lovable 35 Events and Getting Involved surprise for us - but this Dates for the diary one held memories of a Paddington back to the very different era! small screen. Sarah tells us more on how she landed her dream job in digital animation. 4 Welcome to the latest edition of the Central High Alumnae magazine. I hope you enjoy reading this latest copy of the Central We hope you find this High Alumnae newsletter. It is one way of keeping in touch newsletter informative with you all and demonstrating that we value our links with and stimulating. We do you. appreciate readers’ contributions This newsletter also details opportunities for you to link and comments. with each other, your shared histories and with the School. I wonder, however, if there is anything in particular you I look forward to welcoming you to Newcastle High School would like to see included? for Girls for reunions and events which will happen during the coming year as well as, I hope, to our first out-of- Are there aspects of the life Newcastle gathering which we plan to hold in London later of the School or the activity of Alumnae which we are next year. missing? With best wishes Please do let Amy Rodway know, Marketing Officer, at [email protected] Michael Tippett Head, NHSG 5 A BRIEF NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Dear Friends, Once again we are delighted to publish this year’s annual Alumnae newsletter, sharing news of both School and our Alumnae. I do hope you like our ‘new look’ and new size newsletter; our aim is to create a more modern style while still sharing the news you love. Thank you to Amy Rodway who has worked to bring our vision for the newsletter into being. Thank you also to everyone who has contributed content for the newsletter. We begin with news of the School and some interesting updates on the former Central High site on Eskdale Terrace. We also feature some fabulous articles from our Alumnae including Anna Ritzema (Hayes), Olivia Potts and Sarah Caisley. I know you will relish reading these. Please do continue to send your news and messages and we hope you see you at one of our reunions in the near future - the next Central High Alumnae Reunion at school will be on Saturday 5th October 2019 and we are planning a London Reunion too! We will be sending news of this to Alumnae via email so if you are interested please make sure we have your latest email details! Warmest wishes, Janice Graves Director of Marketing, NHSG 6 NEWS The campaign is part of the GDST’s All Girl GDST Brand strategy to raise awareness of Campaign the organisation as a whole and We are very excited to announce generate interest for the individual that we have launched a new look schools across the country. Have you spotted the GDST’s for the Newcastle High Autumn 2019 marketing campaign, one advertising campaign? The adverts appeared on poster that champions a very traditional The GDST recently launched sites, in the press including maga- sentiment. Regional campaigns across the zines and on digital platforms. The UK to celebrate GDST girls, their results showed that the campaign reached and inspired new parents confidence and their spirit. But and girls to think about a future more importantly, this new phase with GDST. Current parents, pupils, of the campaign featured pupils teachers and Alumnae were ex- from Newcastle High School tremely proud to see the ads and for Girls. Kristiana Beasy, Year belong to a group that champions 8, and Rachel Tsang, Year 12, the education of girls. were selected to feature in the campaign and attended a high- Mentoring for every profile photoshoot in London. Sixth Former The eagle-eyed amongst you may have spotted one of our adverts To enable every GDST Sixth Form on the first page already! The new girl to connect with their ‘All Girl’ campaign celebrates the Alumnae family, we’ve teamed up values and benefits of an all-girl with rungway.com, the mentoring education, something we are app. Now, at the touch of a button, extremely proud of here at NHSG, our pupils have a way of asking and the essence of what makes our some of the burning questions school community so special. they have about study and life after school, anywhere and at any We feel it is more important than time. If you’d like to find out more, ever to shout about our status as or join the Rungway mentoring the leading school for girls in the community, visit the following North East, especially as the drive website www.gdst.net/ for gender equality has gained so Rungway-mentoring-app. much momentum. 7 INNOVATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE The digital and tech sector Sixth Form pupils who were seated who will have the drive was the focus of a recent at each table, providing the girls with an impressive opportunity to and capacity to shape this dinner held at NHSG. learn from some of our region’s sector. I don’t just want Hosted by the School’s best talent. Governors, the annual our pupils to go on to be dinner, now in its third year, “Our theme for the evening was the end users of tech; I Innovation in the Digital Age and has been firmly established we were delighted to welcome Jim want them to be at the as a key event in the North Mawdsley, CEO of Generator and forefront of shaping its East calendar. head of Digital Union as our guest speaker. development.” Guests at the NHSG Governors’ Dinner included many of the most “Jim is an outstanding ambassador He added that the role of the influential people in the region who for the digital and tech business in school was to “encourage more were welcomed by the chair of the the region, and at the forefront of girls to follow their interest in NHSG governing board, Patricia many ground-breaking projects.” technical and digital areas so that Alexander, Managing Director of they can have an equal voice and the North East-based social lender Before Jim took to the floor, guests place at the table”. Shared Interest (pictured below). at the dinner heard from Michael Tippett, who was appointed as Jim, in his address, talked of the head of NHSG in September enormous change in the digital 2018. Michael set out his vision and tech sector in recent years for the school explaining that “the and that of how he is blown School’s mission is to educate the away by the technical and digital future leaders and shapers of the innovation in the region. He world”. expressed that all businesses were now built on tech, citing END Turning to the digital and tech clothing as a phenomenal local industry, Michael expressed his example of how digital and tech frustration at the very low platforms have been the key to percentage of women currently “astronomical growth”. working in the tech industry and Patricia said: “The aim of the NHSG how schools and businesses must Talking about the next generation Governors’ Dinner is to enable the work together to bring about of innovators, Jim impressed upon school to showcase its fantastic change. the guests the need for creativity. work as well as to look at ways that He said: “Being creative and business and schools can work He reflected on the evening: employing free thinking is the key together to nurture young people because the reality is that if you in the region. Guests very much “I see the role of NHSG don’t disrupt yourself, someone valued being able to hear the views else will. of the next generation and NHSG as educating the women 8 NHSG SCHOOL NEWS A Way with Words Caitlin Pyper was one of fifteen talented winners invited to London to receive a prestigious 2018 Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award. With over 11,000 entries to the competition from over 80 countries, Caitlin’s creative flair for poetry writing is demonstrated by this fantastic achievement. Her moving poem, titled ‘Mrs Richard’s Year’, was inspired by her transition from Junior to Senior School and began as a piece of work in the classroom. Speaking about this year’s winning entries, Caroline Bird, Foyle Judge 2018, described the works as “politically brave and socially aware; NHSG are GDST Champions much braver than I remember feeling at that age.