ACS Magazine 2013-14 LOW RES

A Review of the
School Year 2013/2014
www.altonconvent.org.uk
2
Foreword
Looking through the events of last year, I am sure that you will agree with me that it has
been another exciting and fun packed year. The sheer variety of events and activities that the
children have undertaken has been very impressive. Combined with the formal curriculum
I remain convinced that the school continues to fulfil its mission by providing a quality
education that prepares pupils for the rigours of modern adult life whilst recognising that
childhood, at whatever stage, should be nurtured and cherished for its own sake.
New this year were the Challenges to celebrate our 75th Anniversary. It was impressive and
humbling to see how many and varied were the challenges undertaken from all sections
of our school community; from the ‘mad scientists’ of Lower Prep to families climbing
mountains. There were individual challenges as well as group challenges and I would like to
thank all those who took part in them. Their support for the school moving forward is very
much appreciated.
As a school we are always striving to improve, innovate and increase our contributions to the
education of those in our charge and I assure you that their academic progress, welfare and
happiness continues to be of utmost importance to us.
Graham Maher - Headmaster
Graham Maher & Family
Table of Contents
Christmas at the Convent
Outdoor Learning
Sixth Form Life
Successes
Time Capsule
History in Action
Fundraising
In Memoriam
Science
Presentation Evening
Inspirational Speakers
Founders’ Day
Festival of Arts
Lourdes
Music
Drama
Sport
Day of Disability
Engineers
National Athletics
District Rounders Final
Lower Prep Sports Day
Three Incredible Cities
Retreats
Retreats & Colombia Day Theme Week
Languages
Residentials
Challenges
Exam Results
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6
8
14
19
20
24
32
33
34
34
35
36
38
40
44
46
54
54
55
55
56
57
57
58
59
60
64
67
70
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Christmas at the Convent
Christmas at the Convent
Home for Christmas
There was standing room only when the children in the Upper Prep performed the heart-warming tale
of a homeless woman who finds a caring family to take her in at Christmas.
Sebastian Alejos and Elinor Jeynes excelled as two children who meet the homeless ‘Kate’ – played
with feeling by Lucy Packer. Their friends were beautifully played by Alexander Gontard and Juliet
Thompson. Rosie Lock was ‘Mum’ – nobody will forget her beautiful singing of ‘Too Much to Do’, a
song that all the Mums in the audience will relate to at Christmas time.
During the story, the children come across a gang
of cheerful homeless people, led by Benjamin
Botham, Anna Hughes and Hattie Palmer. These
three and the other grubby members of the gang,
Eleanor Bentley, Rhys Norton, Grace Tucker and
Emily Killing provided many of the laughs in the
play. These mischievous types were soon sorted
out by a trio of stern policemen; William Fleming,
Charlotte Schryver and Esme Slater.
The shopping centre scene was brought to life by
the street traders; Connor Fouhy, Daniel Gontard,
Annabelle Boyson and Rose Bell and there were
some great performances by the frenetic shoppers;
Chiara Lopez, Lydia Bonney, Alexa Helders, Ella
Beswick, Freddy Knight and Will Jones. Will’s
plea for paracetamol came right from the heart!
The Year 3 carol singers were serenely led by Mary
Hirst, Iggy Mansfield and Scarlett Hanssen.
Between scenes the various dancing groups
really shone – Year 6 and Year 3 as shoppers and
Year 4 as homeless children. Not to mention the
hilarious troupe of Year 6 policemen (complete
with truncheons and moustaches)! Year 3
children also created a lovely nativity tableau
led by a smiling Angel Gabriel!
Christmas at the Convent
5
Christmas at the Convent
A Very Hopeless Camel
Lower Prep children told the Christmas story
through the experiences of The Very Hopeless
Camel and friends. The camels and Wise Men met
a bright star to guide them on their journey, then
‘Horrid Herod’ caused quite a stir, letting everyone
know exactly how furious he actually was! They met
inn keepers and weary travellers who were quite
revived after some refreshments and dancing!
The children sang beautifully throughout as the camels danced and wiggled their humps and the stars
twinkled and twirled. Children in Year 1 said that their best bit was singing ‘Horrid Herod’ and pointing
at him - and they loved it when he shouted! Year 2 liked it when the three camels fell over and when
they played a trick on the Hopeless Camel. Unfortunately there was no room at the inn for Mary and
Joseph so they settled in the stable surrounded by a fluffy tailed donkey, oxen and sheep. The shepherds
had arrived from the hills and at last we saw a ‘Very Hopeful Camel’ celebrating this amazingly special
occasion.
Mary’s Knitting
Reception and Pre-Prep all thoroughly enjoyed themselves on the stage, as Mary frantically knitted
away, in the hope she would finish her blanket in time for baby Jesus. Gabriella Nunn played the part
of ‘Mary’ & Harry D’Arcy was ‘Joseph’. On the way to Bethlehem Mary & Joseph met some special
guests; there were of course Shepherds, Angels, Stars, Wise Men, stable animals & who could forget the
five happy sheep and Sidney the Shepherd. Sidney, who was played by Jack Bolton, had the audience
in fits of giggles with his loud call out to his sheep & his giant shears. The children sang beautifully,
remembered their lines and were utterly charming, which brought a tear to many an eye!
Carols by Candlelight
Amidst the hectic hustle and bustle of life at Alton
Convent, pupils and parents paused to reflect on the
meaning of Christmas at the annual candlelit Carol
service. In keeping with the spirit of Advent, the
opening procession was accompanied by the carol O
Come O Come Emmanuel. The enthusiastic voices
of the preparatory school sang about the baby Jesus,
the colours of Christmas and Christmas wishes.
The Senior School marked the centenary of one of
our greatest composers with four offerings from the
Ceremony of Carols, superbly accompanied on the
harp by Madeline Hurlstone. More familiar items
like the Carol of the Bells and a setting of In the
bleak midwinter provided suitable contrast. Mr
Maher’s Christmas appeal once again turned our
thoughts to the poor and homeless. Whilst the
collection was made, the congregation told the
story of Good King Wenceslas who also gave to
the poor.
The service concluded with a joyous new setting
of Adeste Fidelis and the traditional O Come All
Ye Faithful with the uplifting descant in the last
verse.
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Outdoor Learning
Outdoor Learning
Tree Hugging
Tree hugging is possibly something you would
not choose to do, but hugging and feeling a
tree blindfolded, then having to find your tree
amongst a forest of others, draws on so many
senses and delights children enormously.
Year 3’s experience at Queen Elizabeth Country
Park was filled with challenges and team
building games which made them aware of
their environment and the vast array of skills
they can draw on to explore it.
The children found and identified insects and,
having looked closely, they made their chosen
insect out of objects they found in the forest.
The highlight of the day was helping to build
a campfire and eating toasted marshmallows
whilst keeping an eye on the mouse houses
they had built in case a mouse crept by to live
in them.
Starry, Starry Night
After a wonderful evening in the Lower School
with the Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Walk,
children in the Upper Prep were also offered
the experience of looking through powerful
astronomical telescopes.
On Monday 9 December, Y5 and 6 pupils
marched up to the field accompanied by several
teachers, all keen to look at the stars.
As the light faded, the children viewed the night
sky through the telescopes which had been set
up by Mr and Mrs Parkinson and Mr Joslin, all
friends of the school. Venus was clearly visible from a distance it looked like a star but, through
the telescope, it was clear that it was actually a
planet, lit up a bright crescent by light reflected
from the sun, the rays of which were now out
of sight. Then the Moon, with all its craters,
appeared from behind the clouds – it was a
marvellous sight!
Outdoor Learning
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Outdoor Learning
Autumn Mists
Just before half term Years 1 and 2 arrived at Alice
Holt Forest to autumn mists and golden crunchy
leaves. The rain was hardly noticeable under the
canopy of huge trees and the mild weather brought
an array of flying and crawling insects out hunting
for food.
The children took part in games to help them
understand what all living things need in order to
survive.
Further activities explored the balance in nature
between animals and plants and food chains.
The children thoroughly enjoyed finding out that
forests provide habitats for such a great variety of
plants and animals.
Christmas Crafts
Lower Prep children gathered in the outdoor
classroom to listen to and take part in the story
of the ‘Little Christmas Tree’.
It was a damp afternoon but the woods
were beautifully lit by low autumn sunlight.
Following the story the children selected their
very own Christmas tree and planted it in a
flowerpot and parents joined the foraging in
the woods to find special leaves, cones and seed
cases to form part of their tree decorations.
Back in the classrooms all the children
enthusiastically laid out their treasures and
they were amazed by the selection of glitter,
tinsel, candy canes, dried orange slices, berries
and ribbon that had been carefully laid out for
them.
After looking at all the different decorations
they started to paint leaves, stick shapes and
select what they wanted for their own special
tree.
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Sixth Form Life
Sixth Form Life
In anticipation of the joint pilgrimage to Lourdes, the Lower Sixth of the Convent and Salesian College
joined together for an outward bounds weekend at Tregoyd House in Wales.
Challenges included raft building, hikes and team building exercises. It was a memorable weekend,
encouraging all participants to look forward to the pilgrimage.
To Pamper or not to Pamper
Sixth form students enjoyed a few hours of peace
and relaxation at a Pamper Event held at the school.
After refreshments of cake and pink lemonade, they
learnt how to create the perfect French manicure,
care for the skin and apply makeup and tested
their senses with aromatherapy oils and massage.
Therapists from La Femme Clarins Gold Salon and
The Beauty Shed were on hand to provide expert
advice and guidance and Mary Atkinson talked to
the girls about the benefits of aromatherapy, giving
advice on how to calm those pre-exam stresses.
Drama, Dance, Jokes and Song
The Sixth Form’s annual Revue with Salesian
College and More House School once again raised
both money and laughs. Family and staff enjoyed
an evening of song, dance and comedy, whilst
donating money to the HCPT charity.
Each school presented a number of acts which
included: More House entertaining the packed
Drama studio with the sketch “Dress to Impress”
and Salesian College lighting up the stage with a
moving rendition of “Your Song”.
The audience was also treated to a video of
life behind the scenes at Alton Convent School
which revealed some interesting dance moves
from members of staff!
The successful evening was rounded off with a
rousing rendition of ‘Hey Ho’ performed by the
Sixth Form Band.
At the end of the night an amazing £1550
was raised for the Handicapped Children’s
Pilgrimage Trust.
Sixth Form Life
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Sixth Form Life
Winchester College Symposium
This year our sixth form students were invited to
join a symposium at Winchester College on Sunday
17th November. Girls from Alton Convent School,
Cheltenham Ladies’ College, St Swithun’s School and
St Catherine’s School joined the Winchester College
sixth form students for a day of presentations and
workshops. Some had been asked to work together
by email to prepare presentations and others were
sent material to be considered in advance.
This term the focus was on English and the sciences
and our students joined the English and Chemistry
groups. It was a busy and intense day which
challenged all groups to think beyond their A level
work and stretched their thinking and debating
skills.
Our students left the day excited by the challenges
they had met and eager to join in next year. They
had enjoyed the symposium very much. Being
asked to think around their A level studies was
a good preparation for university type learning.
Although boys may have louder voices, the girls
soon learned how to make their points known and
challenged very readily.
In March, eleven Sixth Form students took part in
the second Winchester College Symposia, on this
occasion focusing on Geography and History.
Geography
students
completed
joint
presentations with the boys at Winchester on
the theme of ‘Women in Geography’ whilst
those studying History completed a group
presentation on the Post-War Consensus and
took part in a lively debate on Thatcherism.
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Sixth Form Life
Sixth Form Life
Maths Challenge
Winter Wonderland
Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth mathematicians
competed in the National Mathematics Challenge
on 7th November. Alton Convent girls joined over
200,000 pupils from all over the United Kingdom
and sat a challenging 90 minute Mathematics
Examination. The girls tackled questions designed
to encourage critical thought and to test problem
solving skills.
Pupils from our Sixth Form joined More House
School Sixth form for a fun filled evening visit
to the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland.
They were required to use logic effectively in their
solutions. Alton Convent mathematicians enjoyed
the Challenge and several pupils won awards.
Silver Certificate: Francesca Grassi, Amy Leather
Bronze Certificate: Elizabeth Rogers, Alice Jenner,
Aislinn Smith, Katherine Merryweather, Abigail
Rogers, Elizabeth Coleman, Caitlin Walker.
Career Girls
Girls from the Lower Sixth took full advantage of
the opportunity to find out about life behind the
front door of 10 Downing Street recently, when
they attended the Salesian College Careers fair.
Claire McAvinchey – the youngest member of David
Cameron’s policy advice team – gave an enthralling
talk on her career in the Civil Service, which she
joined as a ‘Fast Stream’ graduate after leaving
Durham University. Lizzie Frisby remarked, “She
was so inspiring telling us to go with what you want
to do, work hard and enjoy it!”
Girls also attended useful seminars from a wide
variety of career areas, including psychotherapy,
marketing and the petrochemical industry. In
addition, guest speakers gave advice on the
procedures involved in setting up a business, and
on how to improve one’s interview performance.
Caitlin Walker attended the seminar on interviews
and said, “It was really useful I learnt a few interview
techniques and also picked up some tips on writing
my CV.”
Pupils enjoyed the breath-taking magical ice
kingdom with its beautiful ice carved Santa
sleigh and glided around the ice rink with ease.
They were then thrilled and spilled by the many
rides including the Yeti, Power Tower and the
Star Flyer. Then off to the lively bands and
singers surrounding the Bavarian food markets
and Christmas stalls.
Sixth Form Life
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Sixth Form Life
A European Future
The main purpose of the trip was to participate in the
conference Your Future in Europe, where speakers
such as Shami Chakrabarti and Evan Davies gave
an insight into some serious issues that cannot be
quickly or easily solved. Also enjoyed was a lively
debate with the speakers who were joined by MPs
Kenneth Clarke, Simon Hughes and Angela Eagle,
and pupils were delighted when Rebecca Stratford
challenged Ms Chakrabarti on the human rights
of prisoners, getting a round of applause from
the audience for her address! The topics ranged
from Britain’s continued membership in the EU,
through to the Scottish vote for independence, to
MP participation in reality shows, with the audience
and the team members enjoying the discussions.
Pupils then went on to enjoy all that Paris can offer,
including the Eiffel Tower, the Pompidou Centre
and a river boat trip, returning home with fresh
macaroons and much to think about!
Drawing the Line
This year’s annual Sixth Form Conference provided
a range of expert views on the very current issue
of ‘Privacy’ and engaged students in lively and
informative debate on the question of ‘Where
should the line be drawn?’
We were very honoured to welcome five distinguished and hugely knowledgeable guest speakers:
Andrew Murray FRSA, Professor of Law and Chair of the RDSC from the London School of Economics
specialising in Cyber-regulation and Governance, New Media and Communications Regulation; Mr
Simon Bailey, a former Metropolitan Police Officer with experience in the Flying Squad, Regional
Crime Squad and the Covert Policing Unit at Scotland Yard; Dr Judith Rowbotham FRSA, FRHistS,
(founding) Director of SOLON Promoting Interdisciplinary Studies in Law, Crime and History, Associate
Research Fellow, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at the University of London; Commodore Angus
Menzies FCMI, MNI, MIoD, RN, Chief Executive of The Wellington Trust and Clerk to the Company,
the Honourable Company of Master Mariners and Mr Jim Mansell Consultant Sports Editor at The
Daily Mail.
Our speakers eloquently provided in-depth and thought provoking insights into all of the key areas
affecting the debate on privacy, Government security, police law enforcement, Press and the Internet.
Topics covered naturally considered the Leveson enquiry and regulation of the press, national and
international intelligence and surveillance and the sharing of personal data online.
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Sixth Form Life
Sixth Form Life
Life on the Ocean Waves
‘The best school trip ever!’ was just one of the comments from students following the new and exciting
Tall Ships trip over the weekend. Harriet Newell who made this comment, joined 22 of her fellow Sixth
Form students on a trip that aimed to teach the girls the fundamentals of sailing as well as to develop
their confidence and inner strength. It certainly demonstrated the importance and power of working
as a team.
The girls were split into three different crews, sailing with fully qualified instructors and Alton Convent
School staff on one of two types of vessel: the 72ft Challenger Yacht or the 62ft Tall Ships Catamaran.
The girls boarded the boats in Portsmouth and experienced a three day journey around the Solent and
English Channel. They slept and ate on the boat and moored at Cowes and Yarmouth overnight whilst
passing dramatic landmarks such as the Needles on the Isle of Wight and the Old Harry Rocks on the
Jurassic Coast in Dorset along the way.
Van Gogh, Trams and Diamonds
The sun shone as pupils soaked up the cultural
highlights of Amsterdam. A visit to the Van Gogh
Museum was key, and the newly refurbished
Rijksmuseum was impressive, new best friends
were made in the diamond museum, and Anne
Frank’s House made sixth formers value their
freedom afresh.
The visit was complete with a canal trip, where they
could only wonder that Amsterdam houses stayed
upright at all!
Life at No 10
“The cabinet was in session when the news came that Nelson
had been killed at Trafalgar, and Pitt collapsed in that chair
and was treated right there, on the floor.”
The sense of history was palpable as the Lower
Sixth went on a most exciting trip to No 10 Downing
Street. From the chatter of excitement on the way
to London, there was an entranced silence as our
custodian took us through the security, along the
famous corridors to the Cabinet Office. We listened
in amazement as the historical facts, figures and
events just flowed. From Cameron to Walpole, Pitt,
Churchill and Thatcher, there was history behind
every door. Even in the garden, the announcement
of the current coalition, and the visit from President
Obama.
At the front door we had to have a photo of
course, and as we walked down the famous
street back to the security gates, we felt so
privileged to have had this opportunity.
Sixth Form Life
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Sixth Form Life
Sixth Form Prom
On the 20th of June the Sixth Form gathered
with their friends from Salesian College at
Frensham Pond Hotel for the end of year
celebration Ball. As the setting sun reflected
off the water, girls in gorgeous dresses and the
boys in their suits posed for photographs while
sipping Pimms on the terrace.
An evening of dining and dancing followed, with
a delicious three course meal and professional
DJ. This gave everyone the chance to let their
hair down and have some fun after a year of
hard work. For many, the high point of the
evening was gathering with small groups of
friends to take souvenir snapshots in the photo
booth. The added props provided an element of
comedy, particularly in the staff shots!
Goodwood
The beautiful, warm weather on Friday 13th
June was the perfect occasion to dress up and
spend an evening at the races.
Sixth Form students had a fantastic time on their
annual trip to Goodwood. This stunning setting
was the perfect backdrop to watch horses and
fashion on parade, and then dance the night
away in the paddock, with DJ ‘Naughty Boy.’
Despite any possible superstition surrounding
the date, many of the party were very lucky and
chose a winning horse.
A very special thank you goes to Mrs Charles for
arranging a memorable evening.
14
Successes
Successes
Horse of the Year
Sienna Charles from Year 6 achieved wonderful
success at this year’s Horse of the Year Show by
finishing both first and second in the HorseRadar
128 Pony championships.
Riding her ponies, Murka’s Mathew’s Girl and
Murka’s Flinor Songbird, she was the only rider to
break the 32-second barrier in the jump-off beating
two other riders into third and fourth place.
Riding to Success
Scarlett Charles will be competing in the Fairfax
Saddles National JA Classic Championship
after qualifying her pony Razorlite for the
prestigious final.
The 13-year-old Alton Convent student secured
her place at the last qualifier of the year, which
was held at Bury Farm Equestrian Centre in
Buckinghamshire. She and “Moon” will contest
the final, against 29 other rival combinations,
which include her brother Harry, 14, and two
ponies he has qualified.
In addition to this latest achievement, Scarlett has recently enjoyed a run of successes, competing in
horse classes on the international circuit. In Valencia, Spain, she has been holding her own and gaining
high places against much more experienced and older competitors.
During Easter’s Pony of the Year Show (18-21 April 2014) at Bury Farm Equestrian Centre in
Buckinghamshire, Sienna Charles, 11, claimed another 128cm Grand Prix victory. Partnering her Horse
of the Year Show Champion Murka’s Mathew’s Girl, she took the victory with a margin of seven seconds
in the third and final round.
Only three combinations had made the final jump-off, Sienna was part of two of those having jumped
clear to the stage with Murka’s Flinor Songbird, too. Her rival was “Tegan Rowlands” and “Get Ready
Freddie”.
Going first with “Murka’s Flinor Songbird”, Sienna elected to retire and concentrate on her next ride
having faulted midway round the course. Sienna then followed with a smooth and fast clear round,
which Tegan couldn’t match.
“I had the same draw to go with these two ponies in this Grand Prix as I did at Horse of the Year Show,”
said Sienna, who in addition to prize money won a gigantic Teddy bear and a Kindle Fire HD for her
efforts. “It’s a great show, with great prizes and great competitions.”
Successes
15
Successes
Sienna’s older sister Scarlett, 13, has been making her mark on the international circuit in senior horse
classes. Having joined her father, Olympic Gold Medal winner Peter Charles, in Spain earlier in the
month, Scarlett showed her prowess against much older and more experienced riders. Partnering River
Cat, Scarlett secured her first international win in a speed class.
“I was near the end and used some turns on the course that nobody else had really tried,” said Scarlett.
“I really enjoy competing in the horse classes and competing out in Spain has helped me improve my
technique, but I am still just as keen to compete in the pony classes, too.”
Horseriding
Poppy Foster from Year 6 is a member of the Hampshire Hunt Pony Club, who qualified earlier in
the year for the Pony Club 2013 National Championships. In August, they and their ponies travelled
to Cholmondeley castle in Cheshire to compete in the Junior Endurance Riding event. Despite being
the youngest team in the competition, all four members of the team completed the 34km ride within a
specified time to win first place and become National Pony Club Junior Endurance Champions!
Trampolining
Congratulations to Beth Brooks and Kathryn
Tomlinson who came 2nd and 1st respectively the
other weekend at Alpha Trampoline Clubs Club
Championships.
This was Beth’s first trampoline competition and for
Kathryn only her second. Both girls performed their
routines very successfully in front of an audience of
about fifty parents and competitors.
Word Fest
Two pupils from Alton Convent School were worthy
winners at this year’s Alton Word Fest Creative
Writing Competition.
Olivia Rhodes, Year 8 and Eleanor Taylor, Year 9
both won first prize for their entries based on the
title “In The Forest”.
Olivia won the prose prize in the Key Stage 3
category and Eleanor the poetry prize in the same
age group.
Prizes were awarded at a ceremony hosted and
sponsored by the Alton Lions Club and the
NASUWT.
16
Successes
Successes
Art for All
As Headley Financial Services knew the art
in the prep school was superb and needed
some new pictures for their reception area,
they suggested a competition. The theme was
‘historical buildings’ as the company trades
from the only property in Alton to have a blue
plaque, William Curtis House. There were many
brilliant pictures to choose from but a panel of
judges decided on these from Francesca Sillitoe,
Emmanuel Kirchner, Rosie Lock and Ella Winn
in Years 3-6.
Each winner was awarded a book token and
Headley Financial Services made a donation to
the school towards the new science block.
Swimming to Success
Eleanor Trow in Year 9 took part in the Celebral Palsy (CP) Sport National Swimming Championships
on the 6th April. Eleanor, who was a late comer to the sport, joined the Winchester City Penguins
Swimming Club and has only been in training since July last year. Three times a week Eleanor heads
down to one of her local pools, where she trains up to an hour a session. Eleanor has been classified
as an S7 swimmer because she has a mild form of cerebral palsy known as hemiplegia which affects
one side of her body. She had a very successful day, winning a medal in every one of the five events she
entered. She won two silver medals and three bronze in total. Her mum was delighted saying, “We are
enormously proud!”
Eleanor modestly said, “I’m privileged to swim as a representative of my club and really glad of the
experience.” The World Games are happening in Nottingham in 2015 and Eleanor hopes to be able to
qualify for them – who knows we may have a future paralympian in our midst!
Budding Artists
For the second year running, Alton Convent Prep School pupils scooped prizes in the Warren PowellRichards Estate Agents drawing competition.
Dozens of local schools entered and eventually sixteen prize winners were selected. Eight of these were
Alton Convent School pupils and included: Isabelle Clarke, Ella Winn, Amelia Macri-Waller, Safiya
Husain, Ellamay Ward, Emily Killing, Ella Beswick and Mary Hirst.
The children were asked to draw pictures of their own houses and the winning entries were published
in the Herald series property section (22nd November edition) and displayed in the Estate Agents’
windows. In addition ‘bags of goodies’ were sent to the school for the children to enjoy.
Successes
17
Successes
Hats Off to Competitors
On Saturday 1st of February three pupils from Year
11 – Madeline Hurlstone, Ellen Meekin and Nikki
Smith – participated in the bi-annual Petersfield
Young Composers’ Competition. This event
provides an excellent platform to show our girls’
creative ability to a wider audience and highlights
the effort girls put into their GCSE compositions.
Judges look for creative flair, technical knowledge
of the candidates’ chosen medium and method of
notation.
For the third time since the event was first launched
in 2010, a pupil from the Convent was awarded
first prize in the 16 years and under category. Nikki
Smith impressed the judges with her composition
for piano solo Variations on Noel Nouvelet. We
also secured second place with Ellen Meekin’s
composition Secret for voice and guitar.
In the swim
Modelling
Emily Rawlings has had a fantastic few weeks in
the pool! Firstly, after winning her Regional heat
in the 50m backstroke she then qualified for the
National finals held at Coventry at the beginning of
February. Unfortunately she did not quite make the
medals this time but Emily had also been selected
to represent London West as part of the Medley
Relay team. This time she had success with the
team and gained a silver medal. The long journey
was worthwhile!!!
Crowds gathered in Southampton as Rose
Appleton from the Upper Sixth walked down
the catwalk in aid of the Countess Mountbatten
Hospice and the Saints Foundation on Friday
13th September.
On a more personal note the journey was worth it
because Emily has just learned that at the Nationals
she also achieved the county qualifying time so she
is now part of the Hampshire County Swim Team.
Christmas Card Winner
Year 2 pupil Violet Hopkinson was one of two
winners in her age group for a nationwide Waitrose
competition to design a Christmas card.
Her cards went on sale in stores around the country
with all proceeds going to Barnado’s.
Rose was selected to model the latest ‘petite’
trends from a variety of fashion retailers
including French Connection and Barbour in
a Fashion Show at West Quay, rounding off
the show elegantly by wearing the stunning
Acid Bodycon Dress from this season’s French
Connection range.
Rose had the opportunity to work alongside
organiser Pamela Bates, selecting the wardrobes
for each model in the show.
In addition to Rose’s significant contribution
to raising money for such worthy causes, the
Fashion Show was also an excellent work
experience opportunity for Rose as she is
applying to study Fashion Design at University
next year.
18
Successes
Successes
Maths challenges
Meet Pepper and Aurora
Year 5 pupils, Anna Hughes, Sophia Gore, Emily
Killing and William Fleming pitted their wits against
thirty- seven other prep schools at Wellington
College, finishing in a creditable fifteenth place.
They faced a range of problem solving challenges
including tangram puzzles, timetables and addition
mazes. The main aim of these challenges is for
the young mathematicians to enjoy working with
maths.
The Oates Collection, Selborne recently
celebrated the completion of their stuffed
Antarctic Penguin collection. The final additions,
an Emperor Penguin and chick were unveiled by
the Earl and Countess of Portsmouth. The day
was also cause for celebration for 8 pupils from
Alton Convent School. As part of the ongoing
partnership with the museum the children
participated in an art and naming competition
for the new arrivals. The winners were delighted
to receive their certificates and prizes from the
Countess of Portsmouth, and to meet the newly
named ‘Pepper’ and ‘Aurora’ penguins!
The final ‘fun’ puzzle ended with everyone
independently reaching the same answer. When
the answer was revealed, the organiser instructed
everyone who was correct to shout ‘we love maths’.
It was the turn of Year 6 pupils to show that they
could ‘pit their mathematical wits’ against other
mathematicians at St John’s Beaumont. And ‘pit
their wits’ they did!
This year we entered three pairs in the competition
– Otto Jakubowski and Millvina Ward, Susanna
Hinde and Olivia Clarke and Gabriella Barrett and
Sienna Charles.
All did very well especially Susanna and Olivia who
gained joint top place in their group. The other
pairs came in the top third of their groups. Bearing
in mind that sixty pairs of scholars from leading
independent schools in the South-East took part
in the competition, our pupils did extremely well
indeed.
General Knowledge
Four Upper Prep pupils, Susanna Hinde, William
Jones, Ruby Mann and Felix Palmer went to
Lanesborough School in Guildford to represent
Alton Convent School in the National Keystage
2 General Knowledge Championship 2013-2014.
The four children worked very well as a team and
employed various strategies to achieve a high score
in the Championship and gained second place
against ten leading prep schools; a remarkable
achievement.
The special partnership between the school and
the museum has continued to flourish since its
establishment four years ago. The relationship
reflects a shared commitment to inspire the next
generation of scientists, naturalists and artists,
through innovative and memorable educational
experiences. Simon Usborne, Features Writer,
The Independent also shared his good wishes to
the finalists ‘Congratulations again to the girls
from Alton Convent School and the part they
played.’
Headstart
Aislinn Smith in Yr 12 has been successful
in gaining a place on the Headstart 2014
programme. She beat around 1000 other
students to gain one of these prestigious places!
Headstart has been established for more than
sixteen years as a charitable trust providing
hands-on STEM activities and engineering
taster courses to encourage young people into
technology-based careers.
Taking place at some of the top universities, the
courses are perfect for Year 12 students to find
out about the exciting career opportunities a
degree course might lead to. Their broad-based
engineering courses give a flavour of many
engineering disciplines and their focus courses
provide an insight into highly specialised fields.
19
Time Capsule
Time Capsule
The re-opening of the well in front of the Manor House gave us a wonderful idea – to bury a time
capsule which will remain underground, providing a record of life at school in 2014.
A digital prospectus was included in the capsule and children in the Prep school were invited to submit
their own ideas. The following items were chosen to be included;
•
A £50 note – Reuben Harrop in 1A
•
A letter all about life in 2014 – Safiya
Husain in 2A
•
Poppy seeds and drawings to remember
the 100th anniversary of WW1 – Henry and Luke Blackmore
•
An Alton Convent School tea towel –
Amelia Rich in 4A
•
Pictures of our school uniform – Anna
Hughes 5A
•
Photos of our Founder – Juliet
Thompson
•
The school magazine – Elinor Jeynes
•
A lunch menu – Lydia Bonney in 5B and
Otto Jakubowski 6B
•
Our school hymn book – Hannah Nunn
6A
20
History in Action
History in Action
Chimneys, Cobbles and Ghosts
Year 4 were suitably impressed with the
grand architecture of Hampton Court during
their visit. Having explored the chimneys and
cobbled floors they enjoyed searching for Tudor
symbols in the house and gardens.
Anne Boleyn gave them sage advice about
learning languages while her brother George
explained the etiquette of having a dagger at
court. To top off their day, they also visited the
Haunted Gallery, where the ghost of Catherine
Howard is said to run down the hall in pursuit
of her husband.
The Mummy Returns
Year 5 study Ancient Egypt in History and Highclere
Castle is the perfect place to visit and experience
its wonderful Egyptian museum. The house is the
home of the Carnarvon Family and in 1922 the 5th
Earl of Carnarvon and his friend Howard Carter
discovered the famous Tomb of Tutankhamun.
During the day the children were treated to a
fascinating tour of the museum which includes
a perfect replica of the tomb and some of the
artefacts found there. There was even a life sized
sarcophagus and mummy! They also took part in
a workshop with Egyptian themed activities and
stunning Egyptian costumes to try on.
There was also a chance to walk through the
grounds and look at the castle and its stunning
grounds which look even better in real life than
on the television screen as well-known Downton
Abbey.
History in Action
21
History in Action
An Eye for the Future
Time for School
Budding lawyers and Prime Ministers had a very
busy day in London with Miss Caffyn-Parsons and
Mr Hawkins.
It seemed as if the children in Year 5 had stepped
back in time when they arrived at school dressed
in Victorian clothes ready for their day in the
Victorian Schoolroom at Guildford Museum. As
soon as they arrived they were treated exactly
as children in Victorian times would have been.
They had to line up in silence while hands were
checked and girls were separated from boys.
First stop – the Houses of Parliament for a tour of
both the House of Lords and the House of Commons
with a very knowledgeable tour guide. He dared the
girls to try the red benches in the House of Lords –
luckily the security guards turned a blind eye. Emily
Kerr and Rebecca Stratford stood at the dispatch
box in the House of Commons to see what being
Prime Minister would be like. The girls also saw
where Nelson Mandela stood in Westminster Hall
and paid tribute to him where flowers had been left
by his statue.
Next stop was the Supreme Court where they
had the privilege of watching a case on Human
Rights presided over by five Supreme Court judges
including Baroness Hale. After lunch and a walk
around Whitehall and past Downing Street where
the reindeer were arriving at Number 10, they
returned to the Supreme Court for the official tour.
The girls sat in court and they all enjoyed debating
cases that had been decided by the Supreme Court
and finding out if they agreed with the judges.
Finally they walked along the River Thames to
Waterloo and admired the Christmas lights. Year 11
lawyers have also visited Basingstoke Magistrates’
Court, Winchester Crown Court and the Court of
Appeal.
In the schoolroom everyone had to sit with their
hands behind their backs until each lesson was
explained. During the morning the children
said prayers, practised drills and wrote on
slates while they tackled arithmetic problems
involving farthings, pennies and ha’pennies.
During break there were some lovely Victorian
toys to play with including a huge doll’s house,
hoops, skittles and skipping ropes. After break
the girls were taught needlework while the boys
tried their hands at technical drawing. Then
it was back to the schoolroom for copybook
writing using pen, ink and blotting paper.
Luckily, at lunchtime there was a chance to play
with the toys outside before a look around the
museum at some of the Victorian artefacts.
There were lively debates on the way back to
school about which is better – school today or
in the Victorian times. The children in Year 5
have had experience of both!
Horrible Histories
Pupils in the lower senior school enjoyed an entire day off-timetable to immerse themselves in Tudor
mayhem involving, fruit, tin-foil and pencils. They had to become Renaissance scientists and conduct
experiments in the Baconian method and inspired by the teachings of Descartes.
Pupils got more than their 5 portions of fruit and vegetables when they learnt about the radical portraiture
of Guiseppe Arcimboldo and had the opportunity to copy the Master. Women in Shakespeare was the
theme tackled by the English Department as pupils learnt about how women had been represented in
Tudor literature; the good, the bad and the simpering!
Finally, pupils were transported back in time to the courts of the Tudor monarchs, recreating executions
and canine murder in tableau form.
22
History in Action
History in Action
Milestones
Lower Prep pupils were taken back in time at
Milestones Museum with an exciting mix of
experiences from a bygone age. They explored what
life was like for Hampshire people in the past by
wandering through old cobbled streets. Using the
Victorians as their topic they discovered what shops
used to be like before chain stores took over. While
recognising some of the things they sold, others left
them wondering what they were actually for!
Year 2 took part in activities to find out how a
Victorian street compares to streets today by
investigating street furniture, sights, sounds and
the types of shops encountered during the period.
They found out about different types of homes, they
focused on objects related to aspects of home life
such as cleaning, cooking and Victorian rooms.
Year 1 had opportunities to compare and contrast
the forms of transport in Victorian times and looked
at the Railway Station, The Tram, some rather
unusual looking bicycles, Liming’s Garage and the
1903 Thornycroft Car. They really enjoyed walking
the cobbled streets, looking at Victorian homes and
shops and also selecting their costumes to dress up
as a Victorian!
History in Action
23
History in Action
The Grange
Year 4 arrived at The Grange where the children
were impressed with the grand scale of the building.
They enthusiastically set to work on completing
worksheets that helped them explore the history
of the house. They discovered that in 1795 George,
Prince of Wales had leased The Grange as a hunting
lodge with over 400 deer in the park. That Robert
Adam had designed the bridge down by the lake
and that in 1817 the banker Alexander Baring had
bought the house.
The children were thrilled to see the inside of the
theatre that is currently being prepared for the
opera that starts in a few weeks. They sat in the
boxes in the Grand Tier and decided where to
obtain the best view. The train track running under
the floor proved fascinating for them, as was the
model of a head that had somehow landed in the
orchestra pit! Next they were allowed access to the
ground floor of the main house. The children were
somewhat surprised by the dilapidated walls and
décor mixed with beautiful glittering chandeliers.
The Grange really gives a fantastic insight into
a different era and also a fine example of Neoclassical architecture.
24
Fundraising
Fundraising
Fashion Show
The 2014 Alton Convent School Fashion Show
surpassed all previous shows and was certainly the
most extravagant and successful show of fashion,
creativity and student dance talent the school has
hosted to date. The event is organised as a fundraiser
to support the needs of disadvantaged children in
India. Every two years Alton Convent sixth form
students visit our sister school in Varanasi where
they undertake a variety of projects as well as
having the opportunity to visit the sights.
It was once again, overseen by Sheila Mansell,
a former parent and school governor. Previous
retailers of this event were still very much in
evidence in the form of Joules, Beverley Edmondson
Millinery, LK Bennett, Optical Studio Opticians
and No.10 whose speciality is wedding dresses
and prom wear. We were also treated to a spring/
summer collection from Jigsaw, a selection of capes
and hats from Furnatic, a variety of outfits from
Danielli Boutique and elegant work wear dresses
from British Brazilian an online company.
On arrival guests were handed goody bags
which included samples from Clarins, high end
hair dressing products from Unite, chocolates
and bespoke cupcakes courtesy of Shirley
Hendry, a sixth form parent. Glasses of bubbly
were handed round by the PTFA along with
homemade canapés courtesy of Anne Moore.
Behind the scenes was a frenzy of activity as
celebrity hairstylist, Matthew David of Mayfair,
London helped prepare the stunning hair styles.
We were also fortunate to have Lucie Harrington
of Farnborough on board with her team, to help
with the many models. Owner Lucie Wagner
worked tirelessly and “thoroughly enjoyed the
whole experience.”
Meanwhile make-up had been kindly donated
by beauty house Clarins with beauticians from
both La Femme and Elphicks of Farnham, on
hand to ensure the professional touch.
Fundraising
25
Fundraising
Furnatic from London, who take great pride in
their faux fur coats and accessories were one of the
new retail houses to take part this year. Beverly
Edmondson Millinery showcased amazing designs
from her highly anticipated Collection.
LK Bennett Guildford showed collections of readyto-wear clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories
that appeal to women who want a wardrobe perfect
for any occasion.
Along with children’s and women’s wear, Jigsaw
showcased their ready to wear men’s collection.
Male teachers Andrew Walker, Chris Spooner,
Gavin Hawkins and sporting coach Chris Sturt
took to the runway with great aplomb and much
applause. A spokesperson from Jigsaw commented,
‘Jigsaw was delighted to have been involved in the
Alton Convent Fashion Show to work alongside a
fabulous group of staff and pupils. Well done to all
who worked extremely hard choreographing the
event.’
Sarah Hannafee, owner of Danielli, a stylish
independent boutique in the beautiful Devon
town of Dartmouth and has an online store for
those living further afield. With goddaughters
at the school she was very keen to become
involved and thoroughly enjoyed working with
the staff and pupils.
As tradition would dictate, the show closed
with No.10 showcasing their gorgeous prom
and wedding dresses. Many parents were
taken aback by the transformation of school
girl to bride with some not even recognising
their own daughter! Mark Rawlings said, “I
had to do a double take!” To complement the
gorgeous gowns bespoke bouquets were crafted
by Rebecca Tiller, who runs a very successful
company from home in Woking.
As with all successful events the backstage was
led by Lauren Mackrell and Isabelle Middleton
with precision and supported by teachers
Kathryn Vincent-Brown and Liz Mace. Parent,
Emma Mitchinson did a sterling job as the...
26
Fundraising
Fundraising
go – between the school and fashion houses and
spent much time co-ordinating the whole event
with Sheila Mansell. In the weeks preceding the
event choreographer and dance teacher Lisa Bailey
worked with the dancers, ensuring that on the night
the event ran like clockwork and if there were any
hiccups no one was any the wiser!
It would not have been possible to host such a
marvellous event without the generous support of
all the fashion houses and sponsor Trueman and
Grundy Estate Agents and the generous support
of the school community. A big thank you also
goes to parent, Drew Tommons, our professional
photographer who captured the whole event.
Ticket sales were boosted by a raffle which included
a £100 voucher from Jigsaw, £50 voucher from
Joules, a toiletry hamper from Unite, Pink Leather
handbag, and many more helped raise £2902.00
towards the India project.
Fundraising
27
Fundraising
28
Fundraising
Fundraising
Cauliflowers Fluffy
There was an abundance of fresh fruit and
vegetables at the Prep School Harvest Festival.
Held in the Creative and Performing Arts Centre the
parents were greeted by not only the produce but
an exciting, varied and colourful array of artwork
produced by pupils.
Chanteurs delighted with their rendition of ‘The
simplest Things’ and Years 1 and 2 were lovely
singing their song ‘We are the Church’. Year 4
introduced a lighter note with their Nursery Rhyme
poem and everyone enjoyed singing the perennial
‘Cauliflowers Fluffy’.
The Harvest Sale late in the day proved an
exhilarating blend of salesmanship and deal
hunting with everyone enjoying themselves hugely.
It always seems to be the smallest pupil who buys
the biggest pumpkin!
The proceeds of the sale were sent to CAFOD to
help in their projects.
Fundraising
29
Fundraising
It’s a Ball!
Champagne glasses clinked and conversation
flowed as enchanting harp melodies filled the room.
Over 130 parents, staff and friends came together
to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Alton Convent
School. The school’s Welsford Hall was ingeniously
transformed from a sports hall into a dramatically
lit ballroom, with the dazzling ‘75’ as the centre
piece. This wondrous event was sponsored by Burns
and Webber Estate Agents.
Food of the highest standard was provided by
Holroyd Howe and included smoked salmon
served with beetroot and asparagus salad, corn-fed
chicken with Dijon mustard crème fraîche served
with “Secrets Farm” broad beans, peas and crushed
new potatoes; and sumptuous white chocolate and
mascarpone tart served with fresh raspberries.
Rebecca Tiller, bespoke florist individually crafted
exquisite floral arrangements for each table. The
guests were also treated to a goody bag from Clarins.
An exhilarating auction took place throughout
the evening with a number of enticing prizes
on offer such as a family break at El Amparo,
Granada, Spain; a track day at Brands Hatch;
a mountain bike coaching session; a one-hour
ride in a Ferrari or Porsche around the Surrey
and Hampshire countryside and a cut and blow
dry by celebrity hairdresser Matthew David,
Mayfair.
The dance floor filled as electrifying cover band
Answer Back, played tune after tune to a delighted
audience. The ball was masterminded from concept
to execution by school governor and former
parent Sheila Mansell, along with the incredibly
industrious PTFA, led by Maggie Rawlings. Thanks
also to the volunteer bar staff for the evening Trisha
Page, Richard and Gaby Noble.
As well as providing a fun and memorable
celebratory evening over £8,000 was raised for the
school’s anniversary appeal to upgrade the science
laboratories.
30
Fundraising
Fundraising
£822.07! Raised for CAFOD during Lent
This was a joint effort from the Lower and Upper Preparatory Department. The individual and
group enterprise of the children really impressed everyone this year. Year 6 pupils started off the
proceedings by organising a book swap raising over £70. Connor Fouhy made over £70 during the
Easter holiday by climbing Selborne’s Zig-Zag path ten times! Sienna Charles and Alice Lanyon
made a 40 layer pancake cake and sold slices to friends and family to raise over £100, whilst
Esme Slater sold cakes at her mum’s place of work and made £15. Anna Hughes, Hattie Palmer,
Grace Tucker, Rose Bell, Sophia Gore and Scarlett Hanssen held a Mothers’ Day sale at school
during breaktimes and sold a variety of gifts, including home-grown plants, lavender bags, framed
pictures, sweets and fabric flowers. Altogether, they raised £160! Anna commented, ‘We were so
pleased that everyone had remembered about the stall and brought money. We thought no one
would remember. It was really fun making the gifts for the sale and I’m so glad we raised so much’.
Mr Walker and Mr Spooner ran the Fifa Club competition and raised £50. Year 1 worked together
and grew and sold tasty vegetables, making a total of over £20. Imogen Sillitoe, Juliette Lawrence,
Poppy and Honey Marshall worked together and made over £70 by running a mammoth cup-cake
sale at home. Imogen had another great idea -she raffled a giant Easter egg and raised another £70!
Year 4 joined together with Year 3 pupils and sold biscuits and drinks each morning at morning
break. Together, they raised over £30. Isabelle Clarke and Amelia Smythe created beautiful loom
bracelets and sold them to delighted friends to make a grand total of £107. Competitions ran through
the week and included the ‘cutest pet photo’ (Honor Lidington and Poppy Foster), ‘draw your
favourite animal’ (Sian Cornelius and Lauren Gadd), ‘draw your dream house’ (Hamish Critchley,
Samuel Foster and Thomas Fleming), ‘draw a chick’ (Rhiannon Blanc and Duncan Jeynes),’ draw
an Easter egg’ (William Fleming and Freddy
Knight, Aiobhe Moritz and Amelia Rich), ‘draw a
new school logo’ (Annabelle Boyson, Lucy Packer
and Juliet Thomson), ‘guess how many sweets in
a jar’ (Sienna Charles, Amber Loth, Alice Lanyon
and Isabel Mitchinson), ‘draw favourite sweet
or chocolate’ (Anna Jakubowski and Alessia
Pearson), ‘design a wacky hair-do’ (Ruby Mann
and Ella Winn), ‘draw the best fashion design’
(Scarlett Hanssen and Rose Bell). Lydia Bonney,
Isabella Gaynor and Charlotte Schryver gave
soothing hand and shoulder massages to smooth
away the stresses of the day. All these ventures
added to make a grand total of £800.
There was something for everyone to enjoy! The
money will be used by CAFOD to equip three
communities with tools, training and seeds
to grow enough food for their people. These
communities now do not just have to dream about
a better future – Alton Convent Prep School has
given them one.
Fundraising
31
Fundraising
Summer Fete
The day dawned brightly with just a hint of grey
cloud in the sky and a little cooler than recent days.
This might be better for standing outside in the
midday sun, so we thought. Whilst setting up we
noticed darker clouds passing overhead, so just in
case gazebos were put up where previously we had
thought them unnecessary.
The sun shone, the Pimms flowed, strawberries
and cream sold out, the Pantry looked a picture
surrounded by the Sisters’ beautiful rose beds.
Children soaked Mr Walker who was in the Stocks
with wet sponges; played Splat the Rat and had
a ride on a pony whilst Mr Walker went in goal.
There was a bouncy castle and a coconut shy and
lots more. Live music was performed by pupil and
staff ensembles; Wrong Direction must surely be
invited back next year!
The ladies in the Pantry and the dads on
the barbecue were doing a roaring trade as
people came for lunch. This year we even had
Champagne and Bucks Fizz which may well
become a regularity.
At 2.00pm Year 5 were to give a maypole display
on the upper lawn and the parents and friends
gathered. The maypole is an Alton Convent
Prep School tradition and the children always
make it look effortless.
Everyone was enjoying the show and taking
lots of pictures of the dancing. Then, at 2.10pm
precisely, it started to rain. Not just drizzle, or
even normal rain, but torrents! Everyone fled to
the shelter of the trees or the nearest gazebo but
even so it was hard to escape getting drenched.
This brought proceedings to a halt rather more
quickly than expected as, understandably, most
people hurried home to dry off.
By the time we drew the raffle at 2.45 the sun
was shining again. A typically English summer
fete!
32
In Memoriam
In Memoriam
On Thursday 26 September, Mrs Wilson
accompanied Ruby Mann (class representative
for Y4) and Zoe Hubbard (class representative for
Y3) to plant a tree in memory of Joan Rust. Family
members included Ken, Joan’s husband, and Delia,
their daughter, who gathered with Sister Helen to
plant a salix alba caerulia (better known as Cricket
Bat Willow) in the woodland next to the Outside
Classroom.
Mrs Rust was married to Ken Rust for many
years. In the 1960s and 1970s, they made a great
contribution to school life. Ken was the school’s
heating engineer and kept the boilers roaring and
hot water flowing in the school. Their children,
Lesley and Delia, attended the school between 1964
and 1981. Mrs Rust was an active member of the
PTFA. Sadly, in April 2013, she died. In memory of
their mother who was associated with the school for
so many years, the family decided that they would
like a tree planted in the school grounds.
Science
33
Science
Space, the Final Frontier
Wisley Gardens
Space Week at Intech is definitely a favourite with
year 5, giving them a chance to chat to scientists and
designers from Astrium, investigate moon rock and
see satellites before taking part in the ever popular
‘egg drop’.
Year 3 enjoyed themselves immensely, taking
pleasure in the beauty of the magnificent
outdoor space. They marvelled at the vast array
of plants, trees and shrubs of almost every
colour imaginable and then escaped into the
warmth of the Glasshouse to look at species
adapted to different climates.
For most children the highlight of the day was the
visit to the planetarium. Here they experienced a
fascinating journey around the universe, which
really showed the enormous distances involved
in space and the relationship between stars, solar
systems and galaxies.
After a delicious picnic lunch, the children used
data loggers and anemometers to investigate
local weather and considered the factors that
affected the differences in their readings.
An unexpected highlight was watching carp
appearing out of the murky depths of the lake.
To the children’s delight, the more they waved
their arms, the more fish appeared.
A short visit to the Adventure Playground was
the perfect end to a perfect day.
34
Presentation Evening &
Inspirational Speakers
Presentation Evening
Rachel Morris, Farnham’s Paralympian Gold Medallist, enthralled her audience at Presentation Evening
with the story of her life and her determination to overcome all obstacles. As sixth former Amy Leather
said in her role as the School’s President, “You are such an amazing woman and an outstanding role
model. This has inspired us to achieve our goals and let nothing stand in our way.”
Rachel told her audience how, as a keen sportswoman, her ambitions might have been finished with
the amputation of first one then both legs. “Sometimes things happen,” she explained. She became a
handcyclist achieving gold in 2008 and a series of medals subsequently. “Then we redefine our goals.
It is all in our control. Find your own pathways. Know who you are. Whatever accidents happen, it is
still essentially you inside. Belief in yourself is paramount – if I don’t believe I can do it when I get on
the start line I won’t win. It’s about up here,” she said pointing to her head.
But you cannot get a gold medal on your own, she told her audience, just as you cannot get your maths
GCSE without a teacher. Success is all about working together as a team and that, she acknowledged,
was very much the spirit of Alton Convent School. Having heard of the pupils’ successes, she felt
privileged to be asked to speak in the face of such achievements.
Inspirational Speakers
Alton Convent School launched their inspirational speaker programme with an insightful and engaging
session from Caroline Richardson from the BBC. Caroline produces, presents and reports for BBC
South Today. The pupils were entranced as Caroline revealed the contents of her reporters’ bag of
tricks which included a hard hat, high visibility clothing, wellington boots and a waterproof raincoat to
cover any reporting eventualities! Caroline clearly established that although a career in journalism may
appear to be glamorous; it also involves long hours and interviews in locations such as pig sties!
Founders’ Day
35
Founders’ Day
The weather forecast was not good but the day dawned bright and sunny. Founder’s Day! The most
important day in the Prep School calendar. The day that pupils from Year 3-6 are recognized for their
achievements during the year.
Once the speeches were over, the children received their certificates, prizes and cups one by one.
Professor Rosemary Kennedy, this year’s guest speaker, then addressed the audience. She was full of
admiration for the children and spoke about what she had achieved since leaving Alton Convent School
in 1965 (as Rosemary Spencer, she was Head Girl 1964-5). She trained as a nurse, becoming matron
when she was only 20 years of age. The same year, she was awarded to CBE in recognition of her work
in the medical world. She commanded a Field Hospital in Iraq and was later appointed as Queen’s
Honorary Nurse. Her achievements are truly remarkable.
The formal part of the day over, it was time to check on the weather. With a picnic planned, it was a
relief to find out that it wasn’t raining. The sun was shining as everyone made their way to the sisters’
lawn. Picnic food was laid out for pupils, guests and parents. There were strawberries and cream for the
adults to enjoy and ice-lollies for the children.
Then it was time for games on the field. Parents joined the children in rounders and cricket games
and other fun activities. It was delightful to see children, teachers and parents playing together in the
sunshine. It was a wonderful end to the day.
36
Festival of Arts
Festival of Arts
Festival of Arts
The weather may have been uninspiring, but the
performances at the recent Festival of Arts was
truly inspirational. The repertoire was mainly
drawn from the popular genres and the evening was
opened by our senior orchestra playing a medley
from Les Miserables and a Vivaldi type piece with
a modern twist – a drum kit with Baroque music
works really well!
The 6th Form was well represented by a band, a
vocal ensemble and solos on voice and guitar, piano,
flute and clarinet. Other solos from our top year
10 and 11 students included harp, voice, flute and
drum kit. The finesse and level of professionalism
– three of these soloists are of a post grade 8 level
was evident throughout the evening.
The newly formed year 2 and 3 choir made
their debut and charmed the audience with
three songs. The performance by the prep choir
was equally convincing and the Prep School
chamber choir, Chanteurs, gave its usual high
standard of performance.
Prep School music also featured in the drama
studio with the prep orchestra and five
performances from music pupils in Year 6.
From the Senior School we heard the Junior
chamber choir sing the famous Cup song –
performed with drumsticks not cups! – and the
chamber choir with Electricity and Viva la vida. As
usual the excitement increased as the evening drew
to a close with the senior choir’s interpretation of
Safe and Sound and Shine. They were joined in the
final item of the evening by the staff and parents
to form the Festival choir. This ensemble gave a
rousing rendition of Just Give Me a Reason and
Sit Down, bringing the balloons down on the final
chord to great delight of the audience.
Parents had the opportunity to look at the amazing
artwork produced by the Prep School and the
Senior School alike and watch dance and drama
performances whilst sipping Pimms.
In the Community
37
In the Community
Sharing the Harvest
Year 6 prefects – Dominic Peterson, Otto
Jakubowski, Olivia Clarke, Isobel Mitchinson,
Magdalene Windsor, Poppy Foster and Susanna
Hinde – took Harvest Festival gifts to Brendoncare,
our local nursing and care home.
Several residents were enjoying their weekly art
class and the prefects were very impressed with the
art work produced. One resident, Peter Stansfield,
was proud to show them his portfolio of wildlife
drawings. They were beautiful and several are so
good that they are displayed in the entrance hall.
The children finished the visit with a rendition of
‘Cauliflowers fluffy and cabbages green’.
This was very much appreciated as were the gifts
of flowers, chocolates, biscuits, jelly-babies and a
miniature pumpkin!
Stopgap Dancing
Six Year 9 pupils enjoyed a day of dance with members from Treloars School. Having watched Nadan,
from Stopgap, dance in a specially adapted wheelchair in which he could spin, tilt and move with
amazing speed, it was time for them to perfect their duets, which were mainly about expressing through
the movement of the arms, after which they started to put them together with the part of Nadan’s dance
that they had learnt, to make a final performance.
Everything went according to plan and the performance was a big success.
Dads’ Match of the Day
When the starter whistle sounded the atmosphere was electric! Dads from throughout the school, from
nursery to Sixth Form came along, either with a full team or in many cases just to be put in a team for
a ‘game of footie’ with like minded folks! The referees weren’t too busy as everyone played fair, and the
Dads were highly organised and professional moving from pitch to pitch with speed and good grace,
keeping the tournament running smoothly.
Fresh bacon butties kept the supporters happy, and it seemed that all too soon we were handing out
the winners medals. We have passed on the details of the AC Retros to Roy Hodgson who was unable to
join us, but I suspect that if my own Dad was anything to go by, the physios will be very busy this week!
Thanks go to my fellow Alton Vixen and qualified referee Becky Bell who gave up her Saturday to
referee with me, to the PE and ground staff who helped me get organised, and special thanks to The
Misfits I and II, Alton Academics, The Odds and Ends, and of course the winners – AC Retros!!
Emily Ken
38
Lourdes
Lourdes
“Best trip ever!” was one comment overheard from
students returning from a week long pilgrimage
with the Handicapped Children’s Pilgrimage Trust
over Easter.
Alton Convent School was Group 711 along with
Salesian College Group 713 and it was one of their
tasks to help assist the family groups who had
also arrived for this week and this year they had
the privilege of leading the Trust Mass which was
taking place on the Thursday. All the pupils and
staff had been busy rehearsing and this week would
see the final touches being put together.
Before that we had plenty to do … musicians helped
support the Armed Forces Mass; a group visited
the City of the Poor; others sang down at the Baths
this was called Animation; students spent time
with family groups playing games and face painting
being the main activity that the children enjoyed;
others headed up to a village called Bartres to a place
called Hosanna House and joined in the fun and
games with the family groups. On Tuesday evening
the staff and students helped with the Torchlight
Procession with over a thousand pilgrims taking
part holding candles in the dark and singing it was
very memorable.
Trust Mass day arrived and they were in the
choir seats early ready for the last minute
rehearsals. The atmosphere inside the
underground Basilica was incredible, there
must have been over four thousand people from
all over the world singing along to the hymns
and as for the Sign of Peace everyone was out of
their seats hugging and shaking hands it truly
was a spectacle.
Lourdes
39
Lourdes
Our students worked tirelessly – up early every
morning, having sometimes not gone to sleep that
early, being on their feet for most of the day whilst
they ably assisted in the tasks they were set. Some
of us were lucky enough to hear Steven MacDonald
an NYPD policeman who was shot three times by
a 15 year old boy and left him a quadriplegic talk
about forgiveness. It certainly left its mark on all
who were present – he has never been able to hold
his son Connor, in his arms as he was born after
this tragic accident – something many of us take
for granted.
The week ended by heading up into the Pyrenees to
the last town of Gavarnie before the Spanish border.
Fortunately the sun stayed out enabling them to
picnic in the valley though some took advantage of
the many cafes for a spot of lunch or hot chocolate.
40
Music
Music
Chamber Concert
Pupils in the Senior School once again presented a
chamber concert of excellent quality in this annual
event that includes our music scholars, GCSE and
A level students.
As always, a diverse range of musical styles were
included in the programme reflecting the many
talents of our pupils in this performing art. Items
included many vocal solos – including a Taylor
Swift number – the Convent can do pop! – these
were balanced with solos on flute, oboe, clarinet,
violin and harp.
Sir John Tavener
As a Winchester Cathedral Chorister, pupil
Anna van den Bos had the privilege of singing
at the funeral service for Sir John Tavener,
well-known composer of some stunning choral
music.
John Tavener was a follower of the Greek
Orthodox Church so much of the service was
sung in Greek by orthodox priests which made
it a particularly interesting experience.
Making Music
Youth Music Festival
Thirty-five girls in the senior orchestra spent
Sunday 16 March at school along with fellow
musicians from Salesian College and More House
School in an exciting new venture. The purpose of
the day, besides the social aspect, was to rehearse
and perform together a varied repertoire for large
and smaller ensembles.
Nine girls from our senior choir took part in
the Basingstoke and areas Youth Music Festival
held at the Anvil Theatre.
The morning was spent working on pieces for large
ensemble – from Mahler to Les Miserables. After
a well-deserved lunch break enjoyed in the warm
sunshine, pupils divided into wind, string and flute
ensembles before another joint rehearsal. Parents
were invited to join us for afternoon tea followed by
performances of the day’s work.
The girls formed part of a mass schools’ choir
singing a selection of songs by the Beatles. The
girls were accompanied by the Basingstoke wind
band (which also included two of our orchestra
girls Zoe and Anna Freemantle) in the first half
and the Basingstoke youth orchestra in the
second half. The girls worked very hard to learn
fourteen songs from memory with rehearsals
after school before the Easter holidays, but all
their efforts paid off as it sounded fantastic in
the Anvil with the orchestra!
Music
41
Music
75th Anniversary Concert
Seventy five years of music making at the school culminated in a wonderful evening of musical events
showing not only tremendous breadth in musical styles but showcasing talent from the youngest to the
more mature musicians.
The preparatory school was suitably represented by Chanteurs – a chamber choir consisting of selected
voices in Yrs 5 and 6 who sang Catch a Falling Star and Whistle Down the Wind with enthusiasm and
vocal expertise.
Current Year 11, 12 and 13 pupils also contributed with harp ( Maddy Hurlstone ), piano ( Imogen
Gabriel, Bethan Fraser ), clarinet ( Saskia Hanssen ), voice ( Hattie Rogers ) and drum kit ( Charlotte
Woods ) solos.
The lower senior school pupils featured as soloists on oboe ( Anna van den Bos ) and violins ( Anna
Barnett, Mia Coviello, Freya Mackenzie ) with our string ensemble in a programme of Baroque music
to open the evening’s events.
The Junior Chamber Choir charmed the audience with a traditional Swedish folk song and the first half
of the programme concluded with lighter items from the Chamber choir with their superb rendition of
Skyfall and Viva la Vida.
Tea-Time Concert
This was the chance for our younger pupils from
Year 7-9, most of whom are members of the school
choirs and orchestral ensembles, to perform solo
work in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.
As always, the concert featured a wide variety of
styles and instruments including more unusual
instruments such as harp, oboe and recorder. The
concert concluded with the junior chamber choir’s
rendition of Let It Go.
42
Music
Music
Interspersed with all these items from present
pupils were contributions by past pupils Erin
Douglas, Eleanor German, Lauren Mackrell,
Jasmine Morrish, Rosalind O Dowd and Amelia
Pay with music from the world of opera, the
intimate atmosphere of Romantic piano music and
the complicated textures of Baroque music.
Everybody waited with great anticipation for the
finale of the evening by the Anniversary Choir
consisting of staff, parents and pupils past and
present. This specially formed choir started their
contribution with the traditional Simple Gifts,
followed by Faure’s serene Sanctus. The rousing
climax has to be Haydn’s The Heavens Are Telling
accompanied by members of our senior orchestra
and sung with such enthusiasm and joie d’vivre
that it brought tears to many an eye.
Dress Rehearsal
Class Concerts
A few children from Y6 were lucky enough to be
invited to The Grange Opera at Northingham near
Alresford.
Year 3 presented the first ever Class Concert on
Thursday March 6th which is a new initiative in
the Prep school this year.
The children were very excited to be allowed a
behind the scenes glimpse of a dress rehearsal.
Everybody was involved from making
invitations, preparing programmes in IT
lessons, practising music on recorders and
memorising songs. We also heard several
children performing piano and cello solos. The
concert was held in the Music room and very
well supported by many parents.
The opera was The Queen of Spades by Pyotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky. This is a Russian opera set in St.
Petersburg in the late 18th century. It tells the love
story of a soldier, Herman, who falls in love with
the fiancée of Prince Yeletsky. The young girl is
Lisa, who is granddaughter of an elderly Countess.
The children saw the first act and were fascinated
to watch the orchestra in the pit and witness how
the conductor directed the actors and musicians.
Luckily the Russian was translated and allowed the
children to follow the story.
It was a wonderful opportunity for the children who
enjoyed every minute of the rehearsal.
Music
43
Music
Royal Festival Hall
For four girls in our Chamber Choir, Maisie Anderton, Annabel Brackstone, Rebecca Morrish and Issy
Pay, the first weekend of the Easter holiday was not spent relaxing, but rehearsing and performing
Bach’s monumental choral work, the St Matthew’s Passion, with the Bach choir at the Royal Festival
Hall.
Every year we are invited to send experienced
singers to join in a performance with the famous
Bach choir of what is arguably the pinnacle of
Western choral music.
The three hour long work takes us on a dramatic
journey through the last moments of Jesus’ life in
choral and solo numbers linked by recitatives from
the evangelist, Jesus and other characters of the
passion story.
For the girls it was a truly worthwhile and enriching
experience singing with a professional choir and
orchestra and a fitting spiritual preparation for
Easter.
Charlotte Woods
Charlotte Woods (Year 11) started to play the
drums seven years ago, deciding very early on
that she did not want to take any exams. She
did, however, have a change of heart, agreeing
that if she were to take one, it would be her
Grade 8 exam!
At the end of the summer term that day finally
dawned – Grade 8 exam day. Her drum teacher
entered her hoping that she might at least
achieve a pass, especially as it was her first ever
music exam.
Charlotte took the Grade 8 Trinity Guildhall
Drum Kit exam and is still recovering from the
shock of being awarded a Distinction with a
remarkable score of 92%.
It is additionally gratifying that she is her drum
teacher’s youngest Grade 8 musician, his first
girl Grade 8 pupil and has achieved his joint
highest Grade 8 score!
44
Drama
Drama
Drama
45
Drama
Annie
Another fun filled family show captured the hearts and spirits of all with a performance of Josef
Weinberger’s Annie. The cast and crew worked with dedication and commitment under the direction
of Lisa Bailey and Lauren Mackrell who were extremely proud of the girls’ efforts.
For the first time, year seven pupils were included in the cast and they brought energy and enthusiasm
to their roles as orphans. Particular mention is made of orphan Molly, played by Grace Moritz, who
delighted everyone with her performance.
No-one could have asked for a more committed and talented band with many of the musicians playing
multiple instruments. The band was led by musical director, Louise Douglas, who created a sense of
lively animation and pathos when needed. Fourteen year old Maisie Anderton took on the challenge
of playing Annie and gripped the audience with her confident singing and focused characterisation.
Abigail Rogers entertained with her dynamic interpretation of Miss Hannigan, and Bethany MagennisPrior with her mature approach to the role of Grace Farrell.
An air of professionalism was achieved by all, and this could not have happened without the crew. Those
worthy of particular mention are Aerin Scott and Tiana Francis who were organised and committed
leaders of the back stage teams.
What luck to have a pupil with a trained performing dog. Monty Zoom and proud owner Genevieve
Barrett worked hard preparing for the role, and Monty even had his hair and make-up done before each
performance, what a star!
Pirates of the Curry Bean
Year 6 finished the Summer Term with a
swashbuckling romp, which was thoroughly
enjoyed by pupils, staff and parents. The Pirates
of the Curry Bean is the story of pirates, sailors
and natives, treasure and treachery.
Year 6 showed their dramatic flair with a sailor's
dance verging on the farce, enthusiastic pirates
boarding a naval ship, pathos with a separated
family and a musical score which was lively and
catchy.
Parents appreciated the variety of jokes in the
script, which were delivered with excellent
timing and panache. This was a great way to
finish their time at the Prep School.
46
Sport
Sport
Cricket
Aerin Scott, Lucy and Milly Woolcott were part of the Alton U13 Cricket team that were presented with
the inaugural Christopher Martin-Jenkins Spirit of Cricket Youth Award.
This award was created by Marylebone Cricket Club and the BBC in memory of commentator MartinJenkins for exceptional sportsmanship. The joint MCC and BBC judging panel were impressed by
Alton’s CC story of lending players to field for an opposition side in a league fixture this summer.
Though the team were runners up in the 15-15 cup their biggest achievement over the season was
winning this award!
The girls spent the day as guests at Lords watching the Yorkshire Bank 40 Final, where Aerin did a
great job as team captain when interviewed live by the BBC TMS team.
Netball
At the end of September the U15s headed off to play
in the U16 County Netball Tournament. This was
always going to be a tough tournament as they were
really playing teams an academic year older than
them. After the morning rounds they found that
they had not qualified for the Cup rounds.
Instead they went forward to the County Shield
rounds in the afternoon. These were very different
to the morning rounds and Alton were by far the
strongest team winning all their games and some
by very big margins. As a result they came away
Shield winners which was very impressive bearing
in mind they were a year younger than all the rest.
Equestrian
Congratulations to the four Alton Convent teams that battled the elements at Sparsholt College in our
first Inter School Show Jumping competition. Despite the downpours and being soaking wet by now,
Alton went from strength to strength throughout the day. All the girls performed magnificently with a
few of them making their team debut.
Alton’s Green team gained only 8 faults in Class 3 which meant they just missed out on the places.
Alton’s red team also competed in Class 3 with Lucy Jermyn, Megan Moren Jeffs and Amy Leather
riding lovely clear rounds with Megan also putting in a very fast jump off time. Georgina Milne just got
an unlucky 4 faults with a pole down but this put the team in a very strong position. Overall they did
well and came 5th out of 15 schools. Megan ended up as the overall individual winner.
In Class 4 the team of Bea Pilgrim, Megan Moren Jeffs, Georgina Milne and Kerensa Newton ended up
with just 4 faults again! Due to the tricky course, this meant the team ended up an impressive 2nd with
Megan gaining another 1st place!
Sport
47
Sport
County Champion
The ever improving U14 Netball team have added the County title to their ISA National title gained last
year! Anticipation was high as the team knew what everyone expected of them and initially, nerves got
the better of the players and they lost to Portsmouth High. This was the first game they had lost for
nearly 18 months and so it required a lot of focus and self-drive to pick themselves back up. Over the
next few games the team settled down and start playing the netball which won them the National title
last year – hard, tactical and accurate.
Football Workshop
The sun shone on the young footballers as
Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes all enjoyed a
football workshop.
Senior teachers Mr Dunn and Mr Oliver helped
prep teachers Mr Walker, Mr Spooner and Mr
Hoffman by manning skill stations. Pupils moved
from station to station learning about goal keeping,
dribbling the ball with some degree of control,
kicking the ball without falling over and passing.
The session was rounded off by a very exciting
mini tournament which some children produced
memorable moments of skills, thrills and spills.
The children piled off the pitches exhausted and red
cheeked having thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.
Many thanks to the teachers, Y5 boys Seb and Rhys,
senior pupils Francesca and Eshana and Emily and
Aislin in the Lower 6th for their time and effort in
supervising their teams.
Silver Sticks
There was a very competitive hockey tournament
hosted by Dunhurst School. The U13 A & B
teams had challenging matches throughout the
afternoon and both teams fought hard in every
one of them.
The A team scored many goals throughout
the tournament and their results were very
successful and ultimately they were placed in
second position and won the silver medal. The B
team produced some wonderful performances
and considering all but one of their matches
was against A teams they played really well.
48
Sport
Sport
In the Swim
In late November the swimming squad headed off to
the fantastic Surrey Sports Park for the annual ISA
Regional Swimming Championships. Competition
was very tough from the other twenty one schools
who were taking part and this meant despite some
good results we just missed out on the medals.
Congratulations must go to Emily Rawlings
who won Gold in her 50m backstroke as well as
knocking 2 seconds off her PB. Freya Marsh swam
superbly and picked up a Bronze medal in her
50m Breaststroke, also beating her PB time. Emily
qualified for the National Championships.
Jolly Hockey Sticks
In November the Under 14s set off for the
Hampshire Hockey Tournament. There were some
great sweeps by the backs and some good attacking
play during the matches.
By this time they had reached 5 points they were
head to head with King’s fighting for 1st and 2nd
place but going up against Farnborough Hill next it
was all to play for. The match was extremely tough
and things looked bad after a couple of narrowly
missed goals and Lucy J receiving an injury to her
hand. Everyone became a little tougher and with
goalkeeper Flo making some truly amazing saves
they drew 0 – 0. Unfortunately King’s won their
match meaning they finished runners up without
losing any of their matches.
In the Medals
In March, nine excited members of the Year 5 netball team played in the Churcher’s College Junior
School Netball Tournament. A wobbly start but by match 4 they were into their stride and by the end
of the 9 matches the girls were playing brilliantly. The attacking side ( Chiara, Lucy, Emily, Esme ) fed
the ball accurately and smoothly to the excellent goal shooter, Sophia who secured the goals every
time. Defenders, Ella, Hattie, Rosie and Charlotte produced some superb marking and prevented the
opponents scoring goals.
Our last match against Churcher’s Juniors produced a draw, but they pipped us to the post and won the
tournament although pupils were still very pleased to go home with silver medals!
Sport
49
Sport
Jumping for Joy
Congratulations to our Trampoline squad who travelled to the Isle of Wight on Sunday for our first ever
Southern Region Schools Competition.
On arrival at Medina Leisure Centre, they were greeted by 6 trampolines, three sets of judges panels
and around 200 spectators with some of the elite trampolinists warming up. Throughout the day
pupils performed magnificently. They supported one another so well and as a result they all managed
to perform clean routines with some good scores.
In the U13 Girls Novice event there were 76
competitors with our girls gaining the following
places:
Alex Tivey – 48th
Imogen Peterson – 41st
Bronwyn Woods – 40th
Olivia Barker – 35th
Lottie Thompson – 33rd
Maddy Johnson – 31st
Caitlin Briggs – 26th
Emily Crosskey – 24th
Scarlett Tommons – 16th
Beth Brooks – 7th
In the U15 Girls Novice Kathryn Tomlinson also gained a respectable 22nd place.
In the team event Alton did very well out of fifteen teams. The C team consisting of Bronwyn, Maddy
and Lottie came 7th, the B team of Scarlett, Imogen and Caitlin came 6th and the A team of Alex,
Emily, Beth and Olivia just missed out on the trophy places by coming 4th.
These were superb results for all of the team, especially as they had only been training and putting their
routine together for 8 weeks. The trip was then topped off by some hot chocolate while waiting for the
ferry back. A very successful but tired bunch of girls arrived back at school that evening. Special thanks
must go to Christine Bothwell of Alpha Trampoline club who coached the squad.
Bouncing High
Congratulations to Emily Crosskey and Beth Brooks who competed at the Regional championships
recently down in Southampton. For Beth it was a good result as she came 5th in her age group of U15
girls. For Emily it was her first Club competition and she did herself proud gaining 7th place in the same
age group.
Both girls were in the school squad who competed in December and so it is good to see trampolining
forming such a strong part of sport at Alton Convent.
50
Sport
Sport
Taekwon-Do
Alton based Taekwon-Do Instructors have been
coming in to school to provide exciting PE sessions
for Years 1, 2 and 3. These active half hour sessions
give the children the opportunity to have fun and
take part in a range of physical activities to help
improve their physical skills such as balance, coordination, strength and flexibility.
In addition to the usual benefits of exercise,
the children were introduced to basic defensive
techniques in a fun environment whilst encouraging
them to develop an understanding the key principles
of Taekwon-Do; Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance,
Self-control and Indomitable spirit.
Netball Workshop
What a lovely day to introduce a netball workshop
to our Prep School from Reception to Year 4! With
the help of our skilful PE staff, Mrs Bloem, Mrs
Cowle, Mr Sturt and Mr Court as well as our Sixth
Form helpers Rebecca Humphrey and Harriet
Edwards who ran the different stations the pupils
learned about goal shooting, passing and catching
the ball, marking and dodging their opponents and
some basic footwork.
The highlights were the smiles on the young faces
girls and boys alike, when they scored their first goal
and then their interceptions as they were playing
‘piggy in the middle’ with the Year 9 girls. The
children were exhausted and red cheeked having
thoroughly enjoyed this afternoon.
Sports Leaders
After successful completion of 6 units’ theory and one hour of demonstration of their leadership skills,
Charlotte Wright, Eleanor Noble, Charlotte Desmond, Hannah Welsh, Madeline Hurlstone, Tara O
Herlihy and Flora Marston have received certificates and their Level 1 sports leadership badges.
Congratulations to Sarah Murphy and Amy Leather who have completed their Level 2 course in Sports
Leadership. They have umpired netball and rounders matches and planned and organised the inter
house matches.
Sport
51
Sport
Regional Cross Country
The senior girls were represented in all the age groups. The first to run were the Year 7 & 8 girls. They
had six members in their team with the first three to score for the team event. Bea Pilgrim came 10th,
Martha Haley came 12th and Anna van den Bos came 13th. Their scores added together meant they
achieved 3rd place in the team event. Next off were the Year 9 & 10 girls in this age group Jo Tomlinson
came 9th, Olivia Haley came 11th and Lucy Jermyn came 13th. Their combined scores meant they
finished in second place, which is a fantastic achievement.
The final age group were the Year 11, due to illness on the day this age group only had two runners, both
of whom performed with tremendous courage and determination. Ellie Noble achieved 7th place and
Grace Jenner achieved 11th place, unfortunately without a third runner in their team they could not be
placed in the team event.
The Under 12 girls made a great show of themselves, Olivia Clarke coming out of the blocks like Usain
Bolt! Ella Beswick came home in a very impressive 14th place holding off some extremely tough
competition, so too did Imogen Sillitoe, coming home in 29th place. With the race 80 competitors
strong, every one of the girls came in the top half with Esme Slater, Rosie Lock and Anna Hughes all
finishing strongly.
League Netball Success
After a fantastic season of Netball, the U13, U14 & U15 teams were rewarded again with more success
in the Aldershot and District League.
This is one of the biggest leagues in the area and matches are played from September through to March.
After a very tough season the U15 team claimed the Runners Up spot. One missed game due to weather
meant they could not claim the Winners title this year but a last game win against Farnborough Hill
bought smiles to their faces.
The highly successful U14 team yet again triumphed in the league but had one very unfortunate slip
up against St Nicholas’ School to also gain them the Runners Up position. This team had such a tough
season with a lot of very competitive and pressured matches and on this occasion the tension caught up
with them. Saying that, 3 trophies and 2 Runners Up places in a season is not bad!
Top honours this season went to the up and coming U13 team who won every single one of their matches
beating schools like Farnborough Hill, St Nicholas’ and Robert Mays. Their Netball has flourished this
year and they are aiming to follow in the footsteps of the U14s. This is a fantastic start and thoroughly
deserved for a team who have also won the National Plate this year.
Hopefully their tremendous amount of hard work will pay off as they start next season with the County
Tournament in October.
52
Sport
Sport
First Ever Triathlon
We are the Champions!
Conditions were ideal for the first ever Triathlon
Competition under taken by pupils from Alton
Convent.
U13s excitedly set off to Rugby School,
Warwickshire to compete for the ISA National
Netball title. A title won last year by our U14′s
team so the pressure was on!
The Year 7 and 8 pupils travelled to Highfield
School in Liphook to take part in this multi-sports
event of swimming, running and cycling!
First in the pool and leading the way were the Year
8 team – Isabel Robinson, Imogen Peterson and
Aryana Khosravi, all three sprinted in the pool, set
off for the 4k bike ride, and completed the event
with a 3k run. A very exhausting but at the same
time exhilarating experience and one they will
never forget. All pupils received a medal as they
crossed the finish line and all can be very proud of
what they have achieved.
The three members of the Year 7 team were – Freya
Marsh, Emily Rawlings and Milly Woolcott. They
too took to the pool with vigour, once completed
they headed for the transition area to prepare
themselves for their 3k bike ride and a 2k run. They
too received their medals after crossing the finish
line having given everything they possible could
throughout the whole competition.
Congratulations to Freya Marsh for her silver medal
and indeed to all the girls not just for their amazing
performances but also in the manner that they took
to each and every event.
The tension had been building since the team
had qualified and now the day had arrived it
didn’t get any better due to the horrendous
weather conditions. Fortunately the weather
was going to affect everyone’s game so the
quicker we adapted the better.
Alton qualified through the morning rounds to
make it to the knockout midway stages. This
was very nerve racking as at this point, if you
lost, you went home! Their captain, Caitlin
Briggs did a good job in calming her team down
after a tense start which really made the team
work hard. By the second half they had relaxed,
their game was flowing once again and we went
on to win quite comfortably.
A loss to Lingfield and a draw against The
Grange in the earlier rounds had put us out of
the final but we were now in a position to play
for the National Plate, which was for 3rd and
4th place. We were up against St Josephs and
had an easy win of 9 – 4 which meant we had
won the National Plate.
Sport
53
Sport
U14 team set off for Rugby School in Warwickshire
to defend their National Trophy they won last year.
On arrival the adrenalin kicked in especially when
the girls realised fifteen other schools had qualified.
Team captain, Lauren Shea, gave the girls a good
warm up session ready for action. In our group
it soon became apparent that there were only
really 3 strong teams, us, Princethorpe and The
Grange. Only the top 2 would qualify for the final
so it was crucial that every game was error free.
Unfortunately we has a lost to Princethorpe of 12
– 8 but we were still in the running at this point.
All other games were won easily and then we came
up against The Grange. It was such a tense match
with both teams performing to a high standard of
Netball in both attack and defence. With a minute
to go there was nothing in it until the The Grange
got a costly turnover putting them a goal up. This
meant they had the last centre of the match which
they scored off, beating us by just 2 goals.
This put Alton out of the running to lift the overall
title but we had the opportunity to play off for third
place and the Plate. The team breezed through the
rest of the matches winning most by at least 8 goals!
The end result was still fantastic and well deserved
– yet another trophy for this outstanding team!
Netball Tour
At the start of the Easter break the U14A & B
netball teams headed off to Euro Disney for
the International Netball Festival. Fifty teams
were taking part, with twenty of them being in
the U14 age group and only 30% being school
teams. This meant the rest were club teams
which gave us a clear indication that very tough
netball lay ahead! After the first day of six hours
of netball the A team playing against mainly
club teams did very well and ended up second
in their pool. The B team had a slightly tougher
morning but ended up qualifying in 5th place in
their pool. The day finished on a high by having
some Disney magic which the girls loved.
The second day was more relaxing with six
hours in Euro Disney followed by four hours of
coaching by four of the England Netball team.
Rachel Dunn ( England GK) spent an hour with
our teams putting them through their paces
which was excellent.
Finals day loomed with most club teams
qualifying for the Showdown Tournament,
leaving the school teams and the smaller clubs
to play for the Challenger Tournament. After a
tough morning the A Team gained the Runners
Up title and the accolade of being the highest
placed school in the U14 tournament.
Meanwhile, the B team were having to play
their hearts out for the 6th-10th placings. They
had mixed success but ended up winning their
last game to earn them 7th place overall and
just making it into the trophies.
The day finished with another action packed
afternoon in the Parks, followed by a gala
award ceremony dinner and presentation by
the England players.
The journey home was much quieter than the
journey there with eighteen elated but very tired
girls, along with two trophies and one title!
54
Day of Disability & Engineers
Day of Disability
Six Year 10 students (Sports Leaders) were invited to join other senior schools in this area to spend the
day at Treloars College.
During the day they spent time with the students of the college and participated in wheel chair hockey,
basketball, swimming and curling.
Francesca Thornton said, “I learnt that the pupils are so talented and they try so hard where we always
give up too soon and they persevere”, Olivia Haley added, “I have even more respect for disabled
athletes after experiencing and trying out their sports for myself”. Meanwhile, Lottie Fellows exclaimed,
“Wheelchair basketball was amazing! I did not realise how much of a difference it makes to use your
legs and to get the ball through the net in a sitting position!” Issy Rogers said, “I enjoyed this experience
and it was a real ‘eye opener’ ” and Rose Wright “Swimming was great, it taught me how we take it for
granted to kick your feet and use our arms”.
They all went away with a raised understanding/
awareness of disability and huge respect for the
skills and talents of their disabled peers.
Well done to all of them and we hope to return soon
to Treloars soon.
Engineers
As the birds sang their merry morning tunes, something was afoot in the quiet and leafy market town
of Alton, Hampshire; as a sea of female engineers inconspicuously made their way to Alton Convent
School.
Alton Convent played host to the launch of the Women’s Engineering Society’s national outreach
programme for schools. Thirty three gifted and talented 14 and 15 year old female physicists, from
three local schools were surprised and delighted in equal measure as they immersed themselves in the
enticing world of engineering.
The day began with the construction of aircraft wings, replicating the roles played by female aviation
engineers during the First World War. The girls assigned project managers, designers, production staff
and planners to deliver their impressive constructions. They were then encouraged to dig deeper to
identify pioneering engineers and scientists, with lost heroines being reclaimed such as Maja Mataric,
Hedy Lamarr and Katherine J. Blodgett.
Local organisations QinetiQ and Farnborough
Air Sciences Trust supported the event with
sessions on aircrew safety, wind tunnels and flight
dynamics. Laleham Health and Beauty provided
their mechanical engineer, Bath undergraduate
Lucie Culliford who delivered an engaging session
on Astronautics.
Athletics & Rounders Final
55
National Athletics & District Rounders Final
After a very successful Regional event, it was
confirmed that 8 pupils from Alton Convent had
qualified for the Nationals which took place in the
Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on Monday 17th
June. This was the largest squad the school had
taken to the Nationals which shows the strength
of the athletes coming through our school. All have
to qualify through the regional event either having
won it or sometimes having come second.
Excitingly from the Prep school we had 3 athletes
competing- Honey Marshall from Year 6 and
James Warne and Sienna Cowle from Year 3 who
were both competing against Year 4 athletes so that
bodes very well for next year! Honey and James both
took part in the 600m which at National level is run
very quickly. They both performed magnificently
in strong fields to finish 8th and 9th respectively.
In James’ race, Sally Gunnell’s son finished 2nd!
Sienna also performed very well in the Rounders
Ball Throw and threw an astounding personal best
of 24.30m to finish 5th overall. The winner threw
32m so only 6 metres to make up ready for next
year!
In the seniors, Lucy Jermyn came a very respectable
4th in the Javelin as did Jo Tomlinson in the Triple
Jump. This was particularly inspiring as she had
only just learnt this event this year and had qualified
for the Nationals after winning the Regional event.
Freya Marsh ran a tough 800m race to finish 7th
whilst Mary Kitney had sailed through to National
level after demolishing the Regional field in the 70m
Hurdles. Expectation was high but unfortunately
she had a bad fall after hitting hurdle 2. Once
the initial shock had worn off she stood up to the
applause of the whole stadium and then went on to
win a Bronze medal in the Year 7 4 x 100m relay.
Olivia Haley finished off a spectacular day to take
the top honours in the 4 x 100m Year 10 relay with
a Gold medal.
All athletes form part of the London West team at
the Nationals and overall the Senior girls won, the
Junior girls were Runners Up and the junior boys
also won. Combining all results London West were
once again the best in the Country!
Alton Convent had great success this year with
three teams qualifying for finals day having
won or come runners up in their pool.
The U13A team finished runners up in their
pool and unfortunately had a tough semi-final
match against Farnborough Hill putting them
out of contention for the final.
The U14A team went through as winners of
their pool and had a reasonable draw against
Robert Mays for their semi-final. They were
devastated as they lost by half a rounder to
also put them out of the final.
The U12 A team fared better, winning a
tough game against Connaught in their
semi-final to put them through to the final
against Farnborough Hill. Alton Convent
played absolutely brilliantly in both the field
and in bat. They kept chipping away scoring
whenever they could against some good
fielders. Annabelle Powell put fear into the
deep fielders as they struggled to return her
superb hits. When fielding, the batters had to
hit it otherwise Bronwyn Woods as backstop
and Mia Coviello as first base got them out
with their great partnership.
Emily Rawlings made 3 or 4 cracking catches
where the ball was coming at her at the speed
of light! At half time Farnborough had just
pipped us 7.5 – 6.
Second innings enabled us to tighten our
fielding even further which indeed we did, only
letting them score 3. Our batting improved
giving us a score of 4. Unfortunately this meant
we had just missed out by half a rounder giving
us the Runners Up prize.
The U12 team cannot be congratulated enough
on a truly superb season resulting in fantastic
improvement.
Next year, the title will be theirs!
56
Lower Prep Sports Day
Lower Prep Sports Day
Lower Prep Sports Day took place on a beautiful
summers day, it was a fantastic afternoon enjoyed
by parents, grandparents, and teachers. It was
clear to see the pleasure on the children’s faces
throughout the afternoon. Flags waving in a light
breeze, the children were certainly ready for a great
afternoon of fun and sport.
Reception children met dragons and managed to
have a picnic during their races. Year 1 zoomed
through the tunnels. Stepping through ladders
and the big feet race required elements of patience
and determination as well as speed. Year 2 showed
great ball skills in the football race. Concentration
and the ability to work as a team and were both
required for the relay race and train and tender.
The atmosphere this year was amazing; all the
children did their best. Sprints allowed the talented
runners to compete and the different obstacle races
gave opportunities to those children who shine
in other areas. Whatever position achieved in a
race the children cheered and praised each other.
Parents commented on how well organised the
event was and the wonderful atmosphere. Thanks
go to the PE department for their enthusiasm and
great training this year.
Three Incredible Cities & Retreats
57
Three Incredible Cities & Retreats
Three Incredible Cities
Food for Thought
In a packed trip, 68 Year 10 and Year 11 pupils visited
three incredible Italian cities full of fascinating and
amazing sights.
Dropping an egg without breaking it, learning
how to meditate, acting out a modern version
of the Good Samaritan, and reflecting on their
lives were just some of the activities undertaken
on year 8’s Retreat Day at St Lucy’s Convent.
They began in Rome and marvelled at the
architecture of the Colosseum, the Pantheon and
the Forum as well as visiting St Peters and the
Vatican Museum. There was time to imagine life in
this era while tasting the world famous ice cream.
Florence was in the midst of a religious festival
when they arrived and pupils were enthused and
delighted with its unique atmosphere and colourful
banners. The Uffizi and the Galleria dell’Accademia;
among the oldest and most famous art museums
in Europe containing exhibits by Michelangelo,
Botticelli and Titian were the next venues, however
there was still time to check out the ice cream here
too.
Lastly, pupils moved to Venice, the undisputed
highlight of the journey. A guided tour by Mr.
Hawkins took them to sights like the Basilica di
San Marco, the Piazza San Marco in front of it,
the Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. Best of
all, they took the water taxi along the Grand Canal
passing under the Rialto and travelling all the way
to the island Lido were pupils spent a couple of
glorious hours at the beach. An amazing trip.
One of the most enjoyable activities was being
put in groups as though they were families in
Peru making designer shoes for big western
companies. There were money lenders who lent
money at varying rates of interest. A great deal
was learned about the conditions of some of
the people who may be involved in making the
shoes westerners wear.
The day soon ended but after a full day of
activities no one went home without making at
least one new friend.
58
Retreats & Colombia Day
Retreats & Colombia Day
Me, Us and Them
Colombia Day
Year 6 took the opportunity at St Lucy’s to focus
on themselves and what they would like to become,
before investigating what makes a successful person
and comparing this to traits found in Jesus.
Reception and Pre-prep children spent a
wonderful day with our visiting Colombian
teachers, Yolanda and Jenny, and a Colombian
bear called Pedro.
There was also the chance to get to know more about
each other as they explored the convent grounds
and played team games.
The day started by looking at photos of our
partner school in Colombia. Though many
things were similar there were some differences
namely the three swimming pools that the
Colombian pupils can enjoy! The children were
inspired to take photos of our school and make
an All About Me book to share with Pedro, and
the Colombian students.
Playtime, involved helping Pedro find some nice
warm clothes to wear outside. But once back in
the topic of conversation turned to Colombian
food, dress and dance. Yolanda and Jenny had
brought some videos of Colombian dancing
which encouraged the girls to have a go! The
children had lots of fun making hats and flags
from England and Colombia.
Global Trade
Year 11 took the opportunity to relax after mock
exams when they went to their retreat at St Lucy’s.
Chocolate was a major focus of the day with groups
exploring Fairtrade and equality. The tasks helped
them to realise the impacts of fair trade on a global
scale, and reminded them how many people are
included in the mammoth task of making just a few
chocolate bars.
After time for silent meditation and an analysis
of traits that Jesus and a wealthy man might have
they made a timeline of significant events in their
lives, and mentioned the characteristics that would
help them cope with these events. This was a very
relaxed and enjoyable way to end the day.
Lunch included traditional Colombian food but
the favourite was Tutifruti that all the children
and staff loved! It was a delicious combination
of tropical fruit with some English flavours of
grapes and apples.
Theme Week
59
Theme Week
Pole to Pole
Alton Convent School is working closely with the
Oates Collection, Selborne during the build-up
to our Headmaster, Graham Maher’s, trip to the
Arctic. The most recent collaboration was during
the prep school’s Pole to Pole theme week. Pupils
revelled in the exploration of the science, geography
and history of Arctic and Antarctic exploration. The
week kicked-off with an intrepid explorers’ session
delivered by the education team from the museum.
The children had the opportunity to see, feel and
even wear authentic polar clothing and equipment
as they learnt about the challenges of life as an
explorer.
In the spirit of adventure all pupils from Year 1 to 6 undertook a range of experiments in the senior
school science laboratories. Experiments included the analysis of crystal formation on metals in liquids
such as Silver Nitrate and Copper Nitrate. The children discovered how crystals can form through heat
and pressure and how different solids can form their own crystals such as Copper Sulphate.
The chemistry behind hand warmers was then explained. The children loved using the hand warmers,
feeling it change and feeling the heat from it. They also made an ice tower by dripping the liquid onto
crystals and building it up.
Art and Science also came together in perfect harmony, as each child created an Arctic scene by lining
a tray with absorbent paper such as kitchen roll, which they then decorated with illustrations of polar
creatures. The paper was then saturated with Sodium Chloride (salt) solution. When it evaporated, it
left behind salt crystals which had formed on the paper and their design; creating a magical ‘snowy’
effect.
The laboratory visit was thoroughly enjoyed by all, with one eight year old exclaiming, ‘It was fantastic,
I felt like a real scientist!’ Other polar activities included the production of newspaper reports and
diary entries detailing both Scott’s and Shackleton’s expeditions. Den building and the sleeping bag
challenge were also firm favourites!
Pupils built their own igloos with an assortment of materials across the year groups including
marshmallows, icing sugar, sugar cubes and papier-mâché. The children then provided an analysis of
the strengths and weaknesses of their designs.
Years 5 and 6 were delighted to receive a visit from Marine Biologist, Dawn Powell. Dawn shared slides
of her time at the Antarctic base and in Falklands; providing engaging insights into life out there for
scienists, support teams and the environment.
The week concluded with a dress-up day and parent assembly. The pupils shared their knowledge,
whilst dressed as an eclectic mix of Antarctic and Arctic creatures, explorers, snow queens and even
Captain Scott himself with his ship!
60
Languages
Languages
German Visitors
At the beginning of our new academic year, we
welcomed our German exchange students to Alton
Convent School as we do every September. A group
of twenty girls flew in from our partner school, the
Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium in Hamelin, to spend
a long weekend with their Year 10 host families. Our
students were thus able to return the hospitality that
they had enjoyed when they had gone to Germany
earlier this year.
Our German friends attended school on the Friday
and following our Mass of Dedication they enjoyed
not only their English lesson but experienced some
RE, French, Law, Art and ICT lessons amongst
other subjects. They were made to feel very welcome
by all staff and shown around school by their pen
pals. Pia, Jana and Ricarda showed a class of Year
7 pupils how to make German Zuckertüten. This is
a very popular German custom where parents fill a
paper cone with sweets and presents to celebrate
the start of the school year.
Over the weekend our German guests immersed themselves in the English way of life with the host
families showing them the best of our capital city, London and nearer to home Winchester. Red phone
boxes and Routemaster buses proved very popular with our visitors who only knew these British icons
from their English text books.
French Theatre
On Monday 18th March pupils in Years 7, 8 and
9 enjoyed a performance of Mon père ne me
comprend pas in the Drama Studio, at school.
Two native French actors told the story of a
misunderstood teenage daughter who receives
a “baguette magique” for her fifteenth birthday.
She loses her patience and wants a new dad, a
different dad, a cool dad. Thanks to the power
of the magic wand, that is exactly what she gets
and more! The pupils giggled their way through
the comic production, performed entirely in
French and were surprised at how much they
understood. Bea Pilgrim and Alexandra Mearns
were guest performers who coped admirably
with their French roles.
Languages
61
Languages
European Day of Languages
An initiative of the Council of Europe, this day has
been celebrated across Europe every year since
2001 on 26th September. All Europeans whose
country is represented in the Council of Europe are
encouraged to learn more languages, at any age,
whether they are in or out of school.
Our school celebrated cultural diversity on this
day with special activities across all year groups
in the Senior School and Upper Prep. The focus
for the older girls (Yr 9-10) was to use their
linguistic skills to devise and act out sketches in
a drama competition concentrating on European
stereotypes. Pupils in younger years (Yr 5-8)
engaged in a variety of activities including dancing,
cooking, craft, art, general knowledge and language
learning to experience the cultural diversity of
different European countries.
Espana –here we come
Spanish students from Year 9 and 10 headed for Madrid for the annual exchange visit. Along with the
sightseeing, students spent time in in their exchanges’ school, Gabriela Mistral and tasted a variety of
lessons such as Physics, Chemistry, English, Music…… they even participated in a PE lesson making up
a routine pretending to kill a mosquito in four moves!
The highlight of the day was the presentation prepared by the Spanish students for our girls. This was
followed by an impromptu concert in which Maisie Anderton ended up singing along with some of the
Spanish students. The girls made the most of their exchange from a cultural and linguistic point of view
and created friendships. It was soon time to return the hospitality when Spanish students joined their
pen-pals here.
“We don’t want to go back to Madrid!”
“We are going to kidnap them!”
“Five days are not enough! ”
These were some of the sentiments of the Spanish and English students when they had to say goodbye.
Despite the hail storms over the weekend (bad weather is always expected when the Spanish students
come to England) they had a wonderful time, enjoying shopping in Guildford, going for walks in the
English countryside, visiting Wimbledon Centre Court and even trying “good stuff” as the Spanish
students described Sunday roast. They also enjoyed a day shopping in London and the M&Ms shop in
Piccadilly Circus became one of the highlights of the day.
The Spanish students also spent a day in school going to the different lessons with their exchanges. All
of them exchanged emails and phone numbers hoping they would stay in touch.
62
Languages
Languages
Hamelin Visit
How beautiful Hamelin looked in the sun! After
last year’s very rainy exchange and the river Weser
dangerously spilling over its banks, pupils were
spoiled with lovely summer weather for our recent
trip to our pen pals in Hamelin.
Greeted by a stylish picnic in the lush park
Bürgergarten the hot sun in the sky helped to break
the ice and overcome initial shyness. Pupils stayed
with their pen pals and having got to know their
German friends through letters and emails since
Year 8, they were all excited to meet each other now
in person and a bit nervous, too, to live in a host
family for a few days.
Pupils loved the bi-lingual lessons and were amazed at the high standard of English spoken by the
German pupils. Headmaster, Mr Weber and his staff made them feel very welcome and his assembly
got them thinking when he spoke of Europe’s future and the role we play in it. School finished at lunch
time which was great, but considering how early the day started, it felt only fair! No-one really liked
getting up at 6.30am!
Hamelin is a medieval town and is famous for its Pied Piper legend, so going back in time and learning
about traditional glass making seemed logical. Everyone was impressed by the glass maker’s skills and
many of the pupils had a go at blowing their own bauble. It wasn’t easy to spin the blow pipe and to give
it the right amount of puff. All baubles turned out beautifully and made perfect presents for parents.
The trip into the past also included a guided walk financed by the PFTA of our partner school. Hamelin’s
houses are lined up like precious pearls on a necklace. It is impossible to choose the prettiest one so
we all took loads of pictures. The legend of the Pied Piper is present everywhere and many felt a bit
mystified as to what had really happened in 1284 to all those children who had disappeared.
The weekend was spent with the host families.
Shopping in Hannover, trips to the countryside,
watching an equestrian event were among the
activities. By now initial homesickness had
been overcome and everyone felt happy.
All of a sudden it was Monday and time to say
good-bye at the Hamelin station.
The fare-wells were emotional with lots of hugs,
a few tears and happy prospects of seeing each
other again in September when our German
friends will visit us.
Languages & Gilbert White Games
63
Languages
Coucou de Calais!
Year 7 pupils set off excitedly for the popular
day trip to Calais. First stop was a visit of the
town hall where pupils marvelled at its stunning
architecture, before taking a peep at the beautiful
wedding ceremony room, stained glass windows
and function rooms.
Next, pupils explored the town, taking every
opportunity to try out their French. Not only did
they ask for leaflets at the tourist office, bought
bread, cakes and croissants at the baker’s but also
bought shoes and bags at bargain prices at one of
the local stores!
After a brief stop for lunch, the girls visited Le Musée des Beaux Arts where they sketched the beautiful
sculptures of Auguste Rodin as well as a variety of imaginative exhibits of modern art.
Finally the girls prepared themselves for the last challenge of the day: to shop for supper at the
hypermarket. Purchases were prepared and presented on the ferry, and were judged by staff, before
being devoured with pleasure by all. Camembert, roast chicken, parma ham and saucisson sec, along
with colourful salads and creamy desserts were among the tasty offerings, much admired by hungry
passengers and staff alike!
Pupils returned carrying gifts and goodies for their families, as well as tales of their adventures, but
above all, a sense of satisfaction that they had successfully managed to communicate to so many people
in French!
Gilbert White Games
Sixth Form students Bethan, Kitty, Annie and Megan from Alton Convent School took a leading part in
the Gilbert’s Games & Country Fair – a jam-packed weekend for all the family, on the 2nd and 3rd of
August.
This event is something created with families particularly in mind, so the students were delighted at the
opportunity to re-live childhood games and activities. They particularly enjoyed learning more about
those from the 18th Century period such as Aunt Sally and Stool Ball, as well as new games, for example
‘Melon Rolling’ – an innovative game inspired by the writings of the event’s namesake, Gilbert White.
The students had a wide variety of fun jobs and tasks throughout the fortnight. This included planning
and assisting in the organisation for the Games, leading the social media campaigns on Facebook and
Twitter and distributing discounted events leaflets in period costume.
64
Residentials
Residentials
Condover Hall
Thirty three excited Year 7s and six staff set off to
beautiful Shropshire for their annual residential to
Condover Hall. This imposing Elizabethan mansion
is over 500 years old and provides a stunning setting
for all the activities throughout the weekend.
Over the course of the weekend pupils had to
challenge themselves on the High Ropes, attempting
to scale the Jacobs Ladder and swing across the
Multi Vines. They attempted to beat the lasers in
the Lazer Maze and negotiate their way across the
Grid of Stones. They wriggled their way through
the caves in Tunnelling and were then tested in the
Vortex in their ability to catch flying tickets. They
then created set routines in Dance Mania before
competing against each other in Conquest, a muddy
battle using laser paint ball guns.
Evening activities included Egg Protector and a very dark Nocturnal Safari Hunt in the woods by
moonlight! By Sunday lunchtime, thirty three tired girls and six exhausted staff climbed aboard the
coach home to get some rest!
A French Experience
The recent Year 8 trip to the Château du Broutel was bursting with fun-filled, interesting activities.
Pupils visited a number of sites such as the breathtaking cathedral in Amiens, the largest in France,
as well as trying their hand at making baguettes and sweets in the traditional way. No trip would be
complete without a touch of retail therapy at the colourful local market, a perfect opportunity for the
girls to practise their French.
Many of the girls agreed with Hebe Bamberg in 8C,
that the highlight of the trip was “the visit to the
aquarium because there were some creatures that
were amazing, especially the seals when they did
the show”.
The girls also thoroughly enjoyed making croissants
but were surprised when the baker squashed them
all, as they were “croissants anglais” and only fit for
“les cochons”!
Beatrice Pilgrim of 8C speaks for the entire group
when she says “the best bit was being together, the
weather, the catwalk…ALL OF IT!”.
Residentials
65
Residentials
Marchants Hill
The sun shone and added to the delight of the Y4
children as they fully immersed themselves in
the challenges of Marchants Hill. Spurred on by
dedicated PGL staff they approached each activity
with enthusiasm and determination.
The focus of the weekend was teamwork,
communication and confidence building. There
were many memorable moments; Amelia making
it to the top of the trapeze because she simply
could not shout ‘I love Justin Bieber’. Nellie who
also made it to the top of the trapeze and smiled
so much her jaw hurt! Both Lauren and Samuel
who clambered up every climbing activity like little
monkeys without a fuss, and Joshua who thought
many of the PGL staff were ‘cool’!
Every child came away with a sense of achievement
and found that they had learnt something about
themselves and others.
Paris in the Sun!
Year 6 spent an amazing week in France recently. The chateau and grounds were brilliant, giving us
space and light. The pupils would have been happy to stay at the chateau but they ventured forth to a
local market to try out our French. All the girls have learned to ask for nail polish! The smells of the
chocolate factory delighted everyone as did the chocolate tasting which followed the demonstration.
The day spent in Paris was accompanied by glorious sunshine and the boat trip along the Seine was
beautiful and peaceful. The Montparnasse tower was very impressive being taller than the Eiffel Tower
and giving a 360 degree view of Paris beneath our feet, but the Eiffel Tower wasn’t ignored, as lunch
was eaten beneath it before watching a wedding at the Millennium wall.
On Thursday Year 6 went to Montdidier and after
the tour of the town learning about Parmentier,
they sauntered through the market and spent
some time in a café with the owner taking orders
in French and saying that all the children were so
‘sweet’. On the last day they stopped at Amiens and
visited the amazing Cathedral, travelled on to the
Cite l’Europe to use up any remaining coins and
then on to the ferry and home. What an amazing
time!
66
Residentials
Residentials
Y3 Adventure
Isle of Wight
As sleeping proved to be in short supply, the name
change from ‘Year 3 Sleepover’ to ‘Year 3 Adventure’
proved to be a wise alteration! There certainly was
adventure aplenty!
Year 5 spent an amazing week in the Isle of
Wight. The first thing children wanted to know
was where the hotel was and who was in their
room. The hotel was located just a short walk
down the cliff path from the beach, where, on
the first evening everyone was happy to play
together on the beach.
On arrival it took the girls about 2 minutes to
transform their bedrooms into disaster areas. Their
beds were beautifully made but the floor could no
longer be seen! A knock on the door did not bring
any complaints that the children had been too
noisy in the playground, but an invitation from a
neighbour to a rehearsal in the adjoining church.
We all went along not knowing what to expect, and
were treated to the most wonderful singing in an
amazing church which, despite not understanding
what was being sung (it was in Latin!), the children
thoroughly enjoyed. The children discovered that
the name Nicholson, which was on many of the
gravestones in the churchyard, was the person who
had built the church over 200 years ago.
The next day dawned bright and early and Year 3
packed up without too much trouble and headed
for the Sustainability Centre. There the children
learned how to make dens which would keep them
warm and dry, using the same method as the
armed forces. They discovered a variety of uses for
elderflower, including making Forest Bling and
fritters.
The day ended happily with a look at making fire,
which sadly had to be cut short as ‘the chariots’ had
arrived to transport us back to reality.
The four days that followed were packed with
fun and visits to exciting locations all over the
island.
There was fossil hunting near Freshwater, a
boat trip to The Needles, and penguin feeding
at the Seaview Wildlife Encounter where luckily
everyone got a fish to throw to the penguins!
Highlights have to include visits to the stunning
Carisbrooke Castle and historic Osborne
House, where the children were schooled in
Victorian servant’s etiquette by the formidable
Mrs Pilkington. Watching them make beds,
polish silver and clean shoes would have made
all their parents proud!
Evenings were busy too. As well as time on the
beach there was a visit to see glass ornaments
being made at Glory Art Glass and a visit to
Waltzing Waters to watch amazing coloured
fountains dancing in time to music.
The sun shone all week and both children and
adults had a wonderful week.
Challenges
67
Challenges
No. 7
No 8
A tired but jubilant Connor Fouhy in Year 5
completed the challenge he set himself; an
exhausting triathlon. Inspired by the challenge
ideas he had heard about, Connor swam 100 lengths
on the first day, on the second he cycled 1 kilometre
and on day three rode 10 kilometres on a pony.
The Hart family, Eleanor (Year 8), Jessica
(Lower 6th) and parents Roger and Shirley took
to the roads around Southsea and Portsmouth
for the Great South Run. While not all of the
family look on running as good fun, they are all
hoping to raise a lot of money for the school.
No 9
Looking for a challenge that they could do together,
the Noble family hit on the idea of walking 16 miles
overnight from Beaulieu to Keyhaven through
the New Forest, racing to the coast to watch
the sun come up over the sea. The last part was
walking through the salt marshes as you approach
Keyhaven. This was the most beautiful part of the
walk, when their eyes had adjusted to the dark and
they were able to walk with no torches and listen
to the birds beginning to stir. Having arrived at the
coast at 4.45am, it was a beautiful clear night and
they watched the sun come up with sore feet, but a
great sense of satisfaction.
Cycling
8 year old Freddie cycled 14 miles to support his Nana’s MS therapy centre and the school appeal! He
cycled along Bournemouth beachfront with his father during the Easter holidays.
Afterwards Freddie said, ‘Thank you so much to all the kind people who sponsored me. I raised £1,000
for my Nana’s MS centre, and £750 for the appeal! I am happy that I can help my Nana and other
people with MS, as well as do something for my school.’
Great Scottish Run
Fiona Hopkinson, our Development Officer and mother to Allegra, Violet and Freddy, took part in the
Great Scottish Run all in aid of the Challenge 75. Coming 11th in her age group out of 1154 (women aged
40-44!) overall she was the 61st female out of 4443 and ran the 10k in an impressive time of 45.14!
Fiona said afterwards, “I really enjoyed returning to Glasgow, hearing the familiar accents and visiting
my family. I ran in memory of my granny whilst raising funds for school. Her values were very much
in line with those of Alton Convent, I have no doubt that she would have been delighted to support the
Anniversary Appeal.”
Congratulations and well done for raising nearly £800 for our appeal.
68
Challenges
Challenges
On the Catwalk
It was lights, camera and action at Alton Convent School’s Junior Fashion Show on Sunday. Fortysix models aged 3 and upwards showcased clothing from brands such as Joules, Mini- Boden and
Monsoon.
As the creatively crafted catwalk procession commenced spontaneous applause erupted, with the
audience and participants enjoying the show in equal measure!
School parent and show director Nicola Packer produced an imaginative selection of themes from
the quality seconds that were donated. As contemporary tunes filled the room, the audience were
transported through the seasons, across an eclectic mix of events incorporating ski-wear, festival
fashion, a night at the opera, and cool Britannia! In a nod to the top designers the performance closed
with bridal wear, with an appreciative gasp as the young groomsmen and bride made their way down
the catwalk.
The event raised over £1,400 and contributed towards the school’s 75th Anniversary Appeal.
What an Enterprise!
The whole Fleming family, Parents Paul and Gillian
Fleming, and their children William, Thomas and
Alicia are capitalising on their entrepreneurial and
musical talents, as they take on their challenge or
challenges.
The first part was a disco for the Upper Prep School.
Then there will be sales on e-bay and spring events.
Challenge 12
Nicola Bell and daughter Rose (Year 5) took up the baton when they did their individual challenges.
Mum, Nicola, ran the Great south Run as her personal challenge while Rose, who admits to being a
chatterbox decided on a 12 hour sponsored silence.
Challenge 2
Roy Marvin, Alton Convent School’s highly-skilled and multi-talented maintenance manager, generously
offered 5 days of his time as his contribution to Challenge 75.
Elizabeth Hoyes, Deputy Head and husband Richard, our Head of English were delighted to support
Roy in his challenge, donating £750 to the appeal and engaging his services to move a wall, create a step
and set a patio in their front garden. Roy completed the work in evenings and at the weekend.
Mr and Mrs Hoyes are thrilled their ‘new look’ garden with many of their neighbours visiting to
compliment them!
69
Challenges
Challenges
Pamper Evening
Mums and daughters spent an enjoyable couple of hours at our recent Pamper Evening in aid of our
Appeal. There was an opportunity to have your nails filed and polished, your feet subjected to a little
bit of reflexology and your face massaged with a relaxing mini facial.
At the same time the Drama Studio hosted a variety of shopping stalls from The Little Vintage Interiors,
to jewellery by stella & dot to clothes varying from Cinnamon and Sixteen and for the girls iShopstyle.
Make-overs were provided by The Body Shop and also Sue Devitt makeup and we were also treated to
a talk on style for your shape by Image Consultant Catherine Peel.
Reaching the Peaks
A Wheelie Good Time
Eleanor from Year 8 and her mum decided to set
themselves the challenge of completing 75 peaks by
the end of next summer.
Sister Helen is no stranger to challenges,
previously undertaking a 980 mile solo cycle
from Land’s End to John O’Groats to fundraise
for the school. This time she has the support
of her longstanding local cycle shop - 1st Gear
Cycles, Alton, and a team of nine members of
staff who joined her on a 100 mile trip…
Having been given a list of the Wainwrights, a
collection of 214 summits in the Lakes, it became
a challenge to ‘tick them off’. Adding to their love
of walking and Mr Maher’s 75 challenge this is now
well under way.
Swimming
Congratulations to Lucy and Emily Rawlings for the
successful completion of their challenge. Their target
was 75 lengths of Alton Sports Centre’s swimming
pool in under an hour – which they smashed! The
average length time being 30 seconds!
To date they have raised over £700 pounds for the
appeal.
It’s a dog’s life
Participation in Challenge 75 extends to all members
of our community – even our four-legged friends!
Parents Donne Scott and Lisa Marsh organised a
series of walks to include well behaved dogs in their
active, sociable (and cake-fuelled!) challenge.
About 20 people joined them on the first walk.
The weather was spectacular and the tea, coffee
and cakes provided by some Year 9 mums were
gratefully received at the end.
They set off from South Clatford, Andover
on Friday to embark on the school’s latest
Challenge 75 initiative. There was variable
riding experience among the group from
complete novices Judith Page and Ian Fitchew
to seasoned cyclists Lisa Bailey, Edward
Roberts, Pat O’Donnell, Kay and Paul Lowman
and of course Sister Helen. The group were
also accompanied by Headmaster Graham
Maher and Deputy Head Sally Webb along with
Administrative Assistant Kirsten Thomas.
A route had been planned using the Cycle
Network map though they did get lost navigating
through Southampton and probably saw more
of it than they intended. However once they hit
the New Forest they just had to keep a watchful
eye on the ponies, donkeys and cows that lined
our route.
Scientists Run Mad
Y 1 and parents spent an exciting and interesting
day spent as mad scientists, running relay races
around the field.
70
Exam Results
Exam Results
GCSEs
A Levels
Despite warnings in the media that GCSE results
would be “volatile” this year, Alton Convent School
is pleased to find that, with its A* – B rate of 87%,
the school’s achievement remains consistently and
reliably strong. A number of girls achieved straight
A*- A grades and congratulations are especially
due to Grace Jenner, Charlotte Wright, Natalia
Moore, Bethany Gabriel, Eleanor Noble and
Madeleine Hurlstone in view of their outstanding
achievements.
Alton Convent School is quite used to
celebrating outstanding examination results
and this year’s A level performance has been
no exception. Headmaster Graham Maher is
pleased with the school’s 100% pass rate, but
particularly delighted with the fact that 92% of
these were awarded grades A* to C.
Graham Maher, the Headmaster, praised not only
the hard work that the pupils had put into their
studies but also the hard work of all their teachers
who had given wholehearted and tireless support.
He added, “The girls have a sound foundation for
the next stage of their careers and the school is
looking forward to teaching many of them in the
sixth form when they return in September.”
All girls have obtained places at a wide range of
prestigious universities, including the school’s
President – Amy Leather – who with two A *
grades and two A grades is taking up a place
at Bristol to read Veterinary Science. Other
destinations include Warwick where Francesca
Grassi is going to read Economics, Durham
where Isabelle Cardu will study Theology,
whilst Alice Jenner will read Chemistry at
Surrey university and Olivia Mace will find
herself in Birmingham reading Classics.
Year 10 who have taken GCSE Religious Studies
a year early again achieved excellent results and
have gained useful experience and confidence for
completing their GCSE courses next summer.
The school’s AS results have been equally
encouraging and Graham Maher is confident
in predicting that these bode well for success
at A level next year.
Prep Pupils Prove They Can Talk!
Preparatory School pupils once again achieved outstanding results in the 2014 English Speaking
Board (ESB) examinations. Over 98% of the children from Years 4 to 6 gained Distinction or Merit
Plus, the two highest grades.
The school has been participating in the programme for twenty four years. Each child is tasked to
identify, research, present and answer questions on a topic of their choice. They are also marked on
how engaged they are as listeners to the presentations of others. The pupils then recite a poem by
heart, and read aloud from a book of their choice, with the excerpt selected by the examiner.
Poems ranging from classics by Walter de la Mare to amusing poems about hairdryers and dragons,
were chosen carefully and read with confidence and enthusiasm. Benjamin Zephaniah’s, ‘Let no one
steal your Dreams’ was thought provoking and particularly impressed the examiners.
Talks included topics ranging from hamsters to sailing to Alton United FC. The examiners were also
treated to presentations about 100 Years of Maserati, Waterford Crystal, Pigs, Dr Who and Bird
Watching, as well as golfing advice and cookery demonstrations.
Thank you to all members of our community who contributed so generously to our 75th
Anniversary Appeal. Over £100,000 was raised for the new laboratories.
ANSTEY LANE ALTON HAMPSHIRE GU34 2NG
T: 01420 82070 F: 01420 541711
enquiries@altonconvent.org.uk www.altonconvent.org.uk
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