ITV West Country Hall of Fame
CURRENT NEWS
ITV West Country Hall of Fame
Recently, the School was the venue for an ITV West Country programme. Four 6th form students, Becky Gwynne - Jones (BV), Alex Cotton (GD), Charlie Walker (FW) and Hannah Plant (BS) formed the panel to discuss 5 famous sports celebrities (past and present) in a programme due to be shown in December.
Feedback suggests that the programme promises to be a real success and ITV’s Dermot O’Donovan spoke very highly of the four pupils involved, describing them as ‘of outstanding presence – superbly articulate, confident and wise.’
At the end of the programme, viewers will be invited to choose online their top sportsman or woman from the nominees that include current England rugby captain Phil Vickery and past England cricket hero Sir Ian Botham. Our panel have already made their choice ... but are sworn to secrecy until the programme is broadcast!
School Netball Success
Congratulations to the girls U14 and U16 Girls Netball sides who have both been selected to represent the county in the regional schools netball tournament in January. Following on from their success in the local tournament, the girls qualified through strong performances in the county round last Saturday. Both teams faced strong opposition from Millfield in the final and whilst the U16’s narrowly lost to finish as runners up the U14’s won and were deservedly crowned county champions.
Representative Hockey Success
Congratulations to the following who have gained further selection for the Somerset Girls U15 Hockey Squad:
Ornella Dormer (BV)
Lauren McGurk (BV)
Emily Armstrong (BV)
Nicola Telford (BV)
In addition, further congratulations to Kat Hart (WD) and Izzy Jeffs (BV) who have been selected for the West of England U17 and U15 hockey squads respectively. The girls will both compete in the regional tournaments at Millfield during half term. Good luck!
SPORT RESULTS
Rugby:
6th October. TS v Prior Park
1st XV Won 30-5
2nd XV Won 58-7
3rd XV Won 50-0
Senior Colts A Won 41-10
Junior Colts A Lost 41-14
J.C.B Lost 53-0
Foals A Won 40-12
Foals B Won 38-5
Hockey:
6th October TS v. Kings Taunton
1st XI Won 4 - 2
2nd XI Lost 2 - 1
3rd XI Lost 1 - 0
U15A Drew 2 - 2
U15B Won 2 - 0
U14A Drew 2 - 2
OTHER EVENTS:
Jeans for Genes Day
This was a highly successful charity day that enabled most students to ‘get away with’ wearing jeans around school without staff criticising them for being scruffy.
There were a few hiccups, though :
Mr Piper failed to appreciate the fact that although he had paid one pound, it did not really entitle him to wear that ridiculous tie and shirt combination – just because he had a pair of jeans on.
Mr. Dolphin should appreciate that jeans and a cravat is not a great ‘look’.
Mrs Mason should have understood that it was not a good idea to reprimand a student (Ashley Helliar) in the lunch queue for wearing jeans when a) it was ‘Jeans for Genes’ Day and b) she was wearing jeans herself!!!
(Mr. Mason Could not find a pair of jeans that suited (fitted?) him – so he had a haircut.)
Other than that, the £500+ that was raised had few consequences.
Sherborne Castle Trip
The annual Autumn Sixth Form Castle Picnic was this time hosted by Sherborne Old Castle, upon which fourteen pupils and Mr Moule, their chauffeur, descended in hazy sunshine on Sunday October 7th, 2007. The 12th century castle ruins, warm, yellow, broad and generally pretty shattered, look gorgeous above an 18th century landscaped garden and its lake, and a florid early 17th century mansion (the New Castle). The pupils, who included many of the school’s academic Elite, and even numbered some of the illustrious New IB Candidates, immediately launched themselves into Spy Game Training, walking rapidly or creeping stealthily round the remains of the Bishop of Salisbury’s keep, cloister and chapel. All the Speckitts, once caught, had to wear one of the many hats we’d brought from Istanbul. There were some illustrious players new to the game, not least Adam Aldouri and Constanze Schumann (but they ran), Tom Tennant, and Rosie Jackson, who was the first Samuel Harsnett of the academic year. Rosie was also responsible for a terrific ‘castle cake’, with corner towers and arrow slits. She unveiled this, with a speech, at the beginning of Lunch.
The Spy Game Training turned out to be terribly important, for we were soon menaced by an INTERLOPER, a shady character wearing a fez, who flitted between the jagged remains of distant halls. The pupils, curious, gradually tracked him down, and he passed them odd messages in Latin: for instance ‘Talpae s.p.d’ (‘Health and greetings to thee oh Mole’), ‘Canvino noli credere, perfidissimus est; occidendus est’ (‘Don’t believe Canvin [probably a reference to James of that name], he’s extremely treacherous; he must be killed’), and ‘Genista emovenda est’ (‘the (broom) Plant [probably a reference, though oblique, to Hannah of that name] must be removed’). At long last the interloper was cornered, and it turned out to be none other than the notorious Mr Duggan, once Deputy Headmaster, now under close supervision as Head of Classics at Sherborne School. He was intent upon disrupting proceedings, and even did an impression of a statue whilst standing on top of a bench. Mr Moule, meanwhile, was determined to introduce some order, and took a sub-group of keen architectural history students round the ruins, pointing out Romanesque interlace and cushion capitals of course. While this was going on some of the IB students, no doubt developing their ‘holistic approach’, slept. After this there was one more round of the Spy Game and then the Interloper left.
Next we popped into Sherborne Abbey for a very brief visit: we were lucky to hear the organ thundering forth. Pupils were moved by the carving of a mermaid holding a mirror, but Mr Moule forgot to point out the lovely carved misericords of the monks’ choir.
Our last stop was Sandford Orcas Manor, where the owner, Sir Mervyn Medlycott, very kindly opened his doors to us and gave us a splendid guided tour full of informal and interesting asides. A particular magic clings to this house, whose gabled, rambling structure has hardly been altered since the mid-16th century. It is also full of fine old wooden furniture. We started in the great hall, ascended a winding stair to the buttery, the solar, and various chambers, before descending another winding staircase and ending in the parlour. After the tour pupils enjoyed relaxing on the springy grass of the garden. We presented Sir Mervyn one of the three surviving chocolate towers from Rosie’s cake, and then we were off, to return to Taunton School a tiny bit older and slightly wiser.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
October
Saturday 13th October:
9.40am-10.55am U6 L6 Girls Horizons Lecture: ‘Make-Up for Special Occasions’ Cancelled
Rugby v King’s Bruton (H) 1 2 3 4 (A) SCA SCB JCA JCB FA FB
Girls’ Hockey v Sherborne (H) 3 4 U15A U14B (A) 1 2
6.30 1997 OT 10 Year Reunion
Monday 15th October:
6.00pm-8.00pm Boys’ Indoor Hockey League v Wellington (A)
Tuesday 16th October:
9.30am Visit by Army Liaison Officer
6.30pm-9.00pm House Singing
Wednesday 17th October:
12.30pm Half term begins
12.40pm F3 and New Parents’ Meeting
2.00pm DofE Gold Practice Expedition departs
Thursday 18th October:
Half term
8.30am U6th Geography Field Trip departs
Sunday 28th October:
Boarders return 5.00 – 9.00pm