13778 Gryphon - Newsletter

Jane Norman - Blackmore Vale Magazine
Summer 2015
Positive Street Art Project
A mural depicting the history of Sherborne has gone
on display in the town. The 18 panel painting on the
wooden fence in the Old Market Car Park was
officially gifted to the people of Sherborne last
month. The mural, which was designed by our Head
of Art and Photography, Mike Fenton-Wilkinson, and
street artist, Peter Sheridan, has taken nearly two
years to produce. Local historian, Katherine Barker,
provided a wealth of factual information and the
mural was painted by the community (some as young
as two) through a series of workshops organised by
ArtsLink. Lizzie Kingsbury, from The Gryphon School
and ArtsLink’s Jennie Loader, have been instrumental
in bringing this exciting project to life. Do go along
and see it, it’s fabulous.
Sports Awards
The Gryphon School once again honoured its sporting stars at its annual Sports Awards Evening.
Students and staff were joined by Donna Creighton, a member of the British Skeleton Team. Miss
Creighton presented the prizes and gave an inspirational talk. Students from all Year Groups were
honoured for their achievements both on and off the field. There were awards for all sports from
football, rugby, netball and athletics to dance, equestrian, karate and skiing. Students were also
recognised for their leadership qualities and for being Sports Leaders.
Chef Scholarship
for Gryphon Student
A Year 11 pupil, Tom Goodall, has secured a
Specialised Chef Scholarship at
Bournemouth and Poole College. This is a
prestigious three year Advanced
Apprenticeship which offers the opportunity
to train in all aspects of professional cookery
to the highest level. The Scholarship is
arranged by the Royal Academy of Culinary
Arts and is managed by The Bournemouth
and Poole College. Students are sponsored
by individual hotels and restaurants where
they work during their training including
Claridges, The Ritz, The Dorchester and
Chewton Glen. Because of the high profile of
this course the competition for places is
fierce and with only a 30 student intake Tom
has done incredibly well to be offered a
place. Tom has been attending the Junior
Chefs Academy at the college and achieved
second place in their ‘Masterchef’ style final
with his Chocolate Fondant dessert. He
works at the Rose and Crown in Trent, where
ex-Gryphon pupil Marcus Wilcox is Head
Chef. Tom has been an enthusiastic and
dedicated Catering pupil at the Gryphon.
We are delighted that his commitment has
paid off.
Sally Baxter – Design and Technology
Lauryn Neal in Year 11 and John Ireland in Year
13 were named as the Senior Sports Personalities
of the Year and Chloe Perham and Oliver Hebbard
in Year 9, were the Junior Sports Personalities of
the Year. Chris South, our Director of Sport, said,
‘We are very proud of all our young sporting
talents. It was a wonderful evening and a
marvellous way to celebrate their achievements.’
Miss Creighton spoke about her career. She
encouraged the students to ‘never leave a sport
with regrets, ensure you have given that sport
everything.’ She went on to tell them, ‘It might
not happen straight away, or on the 2nd, 3rd or
even 4th attempt, but with hard work, focus and
determination success can happen, never give up
on your dreams’.
Gryphon Arts Festival
The Gryphon School held its first ever Arts Festival this
term. We showcased the creative talents of our students
over three evenings in early July. Parents and students
were able to visit the Art & Design Exhibition, see Drama
and Dance performances and attend Music events, including
ensemble and solo performances and a performance from
our Big Band.
The Drama Department’s GCSE and A level students
performed some of their exam pieces and KS3 drama
students’ put on a production of ‘Our Teacher’s a Troll’ by
Dennis Kelly. Visitors were also able to hear music
students’ exam compositions as well as seeing the many
live performances.
Yarn Bombed!
Students came into school one day this term
to find they had been yarn bombed. When
the school Knitting Club had an abundance of
donated wool and old knitting projects given
to them, the members knew just what to do
with it – create an up-cycled patchwork
blanket, packed with different colours,
textures and fibres. Where best to put it for
everyone to see? Of course, on a tree in one
of the busiest parts of the school! The yarn
bombing was inspired by some Year 8 fabric
construction homework and the Knitting Club
staff members took about a month to each
knit squares and rectangles which they
stitched together to fit the measurements of
the birch tree in the School’s first quad. The
surprise, which also included a decorated
rubbish bin, certainly brightened the place
up and put a smile on everyone’s face as well
as allowing students to explore textiles
outside of the classroom.
Jenny Salmon – Head of Textiles
www.gryphon.dorset.sch.uk
iGryphon Mobile
App Out Now!
iGryphon, the official mobile app of The
Gryphon School has been released and is
available for students now. Once
downloaded, students can log in using
their normal school details and access a
range of vital information. The app allows
students to read notices posted by their
Mindful Matters
A recent article in Time magazine looked at
why some people are able to ‘bounce back’
from traumatic events more easily than others.
It noted that some people have better
resilience to stressful events than others and
that Mindfulness meditation can help to build
that ability to cope. It has been used in the US
Marines where it was found that personnel
who had taken a Mindfulness meditation
course had less emotional reactivity to mock
ambush situations and were able to recover
more rapidly than those who did not. A group
of championship BMX riders were also taught
Mindfulness. They performed much better at
the next major competition, taking gold, silver
and bronze whereas in a previous equivalent
competition they had not been placed at all.
As well as behaving with better stress
resilience they also reported feeling less
anxious. At The Gryphon we have been doing
work with our students, helping them develop
coping strategies for stressful situations such
as exams (but hopefully never ambush
situations). As awareness of Mindfulness
grows it is good to know that what we are
working on here at The Gryphon has not gone
unnoticed. The Mindfulness in Schools Project
(MiSP) asked if the School could host a
Mindfulness Awareness morning.
Representatives of more than 20 schools in
the area came to see how we implement
Mindfulness here. Members of staff and
students described their experience of
Mindfulness and how it has helped them in
front of the assembled guests. MiSP is the
main organisation in this country for
promoting mindfulness in schools and its
founder, Richard Burnett, can often be found
on TV or the radio explaining his work.
Salters’ Festival
of Chemistry
Four of our Year 8 students spent a day at the
University of Bath Chemistry Department
taking part in the annual Salters’ Chemistry
Festival. The students, Rachel Munn, Will
Oswald, Frederick Stone and Angelina Raja
Vijayasenan were set a number of practical
challenges in the laboratories. The team, who
were competing against ten other schools
from across the South-West, came away with
third prize, winning a valuable set of Molymod
for the School.
The morning was spent on a forensic science
task where they performed a number of
chemical tests to identify the suspect of a
crime. After lunch and a tour of the University
grounds, the team took part in the ‘Tardis
challenge’. They were racing against time to
develop a highly precise cooling agent, again
using all their practical scientific skills and
knowledge. Alongside their scientific ability
the students were also judged on safe working
practice and team-work.
All four students thoroughly enjoyed the day
and gained valuable experience working in a
university laboratory. The visit was finished
off with a fun ‘pops and bangs’ lecture
delivered by two of the University’s Chemistry
professors which was an explosion of colour
and light.
Teresa Bramley - Science
Dementia Action Alliance
launched in Sherborne
Jackie Brighouse – Head of Health and Social Care
Jem Shackleford – Mindfulness Facilitator
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In addition to these exciting benefits, the
iGryphon app comes with Office 365
included. Office 365 entitles each and
every one of our students to the Microsoft
Office suite, including Word, PowerPoint
and Excel, as well as access to Microsoft’s
cloud storage solution, OneDrive. This can
be downloaded via the iGryphon app and
installed onto a range of mobile devices,
as well as Windows and Apple based
laptops and desktop computers, or used
installation free via the cloud.
To download the free iGryphon app simply
visit the Google Play Store or Apple’s
iTunes. A Windows phone version of the
application is on its way, as is a version for
parents. A desktop version of the app is
also available to students without a
mobile device at:
http://intranet.gryphon.dorset.sch.uk.
If you require any help or support in
downloading the app simply visit the
iHub, recently set up outside the Careers
Office in the LRC. Run by Miss RoslundGustavsson in conjunction with our
Student Digital Leaders, the iHub is the
home of Bring Your Own Device Support
and can assist you with any issues that you
experience in using your own device at
school.
Homework
Moving Online
from September
Jem Shackleford - Mindfulness Facilitator
Dear Parents,
We know mental health problems are more
common than a lot of people think – one in
ten young people will experience mental
health problems by the age of 16. That’s why
we think that it’s important to talk about
mental health. By being more open about
mental health we can help people know
they’re not alone, and start to take the taboo
out of something that affects us all. That’s
why we’ve decided to support the Time to
Change campaign in our school. Time to
Change is England’s biggest programme to
end the stigma and discrimination faced by
people with mental health problems. The
programme is run by the charities Mind and
Rethink Mental Illness and funded by the
Department of Health, Comic Relief, and the
Big Lottery Fund. To help us, Time to Change
has provided resources to support parents /
guardians, including 10 top tips for talking
about the topic of mental health. We will be
holding a Parents’ Evening on Wednesday
23 September where this important area in
maintaining the health of young people will
be discussed. Information regarding the work
on Mindfulness that is carried out in the
School will also form part of the evening and
you will have the chance to ask questions.
Please put this date in your diary now!
teachers, access their lesson resources and
homework tasks via iLesson, check their
timetable through ePortal, contact their
teachers and classmates through our email
system, and all whilst on the go!
A group which aims to raise awareness of dementia has been launched in Sherborne. The
Sherborne and District Dementia Alliance was inspired after Gryphon students took part in the
Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge for Schools. The students, working with Mrs Lizzie
Kingsbury, who is the driving force behind the venture, helped sign up local businesses and
organisations as a first step in establishing a ‘dementia friendly’ community in Sherborne. More
than 100 people attended the launch event in Sherborne Abbey last month. The aim of the
group is to raise awareness of the condition and empower people with dementia to prevent
feelings of isolation. It will also promote opportunities for people with dementia and for their
families and carers in a bid to help them live more inclusive lives in the community.
Holocaust Memorial Day 2015
At the end of last term Year 9 marked The Gryphon School’s annual Holocaust Memorial Day by
welcoming Holocaust survivor Henry Schachter to share his testimony. Mr Schachter survived the
Holocaust by being fostered, aged 5, by a Catholic family in Belgium. His parents both died; his
father on a death march and his mother in Bergen-Belsen. Mr Schachter’s presentation was
followed by a question and answer session to enable students to understand better the nature of
the Holocaust and to explore its lessons in more depth. He was joined by Mr William Bergman,
who gave his testimony for the first time to Gryphon students. Mr Bergman showed students his
own death warrant which somehow the Nazis had forgotten to destroy. The visit was part of the
Holocaust Educational Trust’s extensive all year round Outreach Programme, which is available to
schools across the UK.
Anna Louise Griffiths – Second in RE
Over the last year the school has been
trialling the use of iLesson, our Virtual
Learning Environment, to set homework
activities online. This allows students to
access the task description and any
support materials instantly, to message
and receive additional support from their
teacher, and to receive reminders when a
due date is approaching. All of the
homework activities are then collated into
students’ personalised digital diaries,
without the need for them to accurately
record homework tasks in their planners.
The reaction to this trial from both
students and teachers has been incredibly
positive and from September all
homework tasks will be set online using
iLesson. In addition, in September parents
and guardians will be provided with their
own iLesson login details. This will allow
you to login and check the homework
tasks currently assigned to your son or
daughter, to see whether they have been
completed or not, and in some cases see
the mark received. To help students who
do not own a personal device capable of
accessing iLesson, every Year Group will
be running a homework club in an IT room
on at least three lunchtimes a week from
September. In addition to this, TRAX, our
after school homework club, takes place in
IT3 after school. Your son/daughter will
receive a letter outlining all of their IT
access opportunities during the first week
back in September.
Matt Doble - Computing
Business and
Enterprise Day
Business and Enterprise Day happens in
June every year with staff and students
all off timetable for the day. The day
focuses on students developing a range
of enterprise skills such as working as
part of a team, thinking outside of the
box and communication and
negotiation skills which are crucial
during their school life and for their
future. Each Year Group focuses on a
different activity for the day, as shown
below:
YEAR 7
Year 7 students were inspired and captivated by
the Movie Maker Day that was delivered by
CragRats. Teams of students developed their own
movie idea which included making a trailer, acting
out a scene from their movie and character
profiling. The eventual winner was a team called
#so awkward - well done to the team from 7HBY!
Their movie idea revolved around the idea that
hard work at school pays off.
After the event James Merry, the Lead Tutor of
CragRats, said ‘This was an amazing Moviemaker
Day at The Gryphon which is always a highlight of
the year and the students’ passion and enthusiasm
for the tasks was so energising to see.’
YEAR 8
An influx of visitors from a wide array of careers
joined Year 8 for what was an amazing day. From
Motorsport Engineering to Web Design, Farming
and Agriculture and Photography, Mrs Lizzie
Kingsbury arranged for an expansive range of local
business people to partake in our Career Shop.
Throughout the day students undertook three
workshops learning about the skills needed for
three careers of their choice from the 27 available.
Helen Lacey from RedBerry Recruitment spoke to
the whole Year Group about the skills employers
look for and how to create the best possible
impression for potential employers.
Students were hugely positive about the day,
saying ‘The speakers were inspirational’ and ‘The
workshops were very interesting and I got a lot out
of them.’ Who knows, maybe we have a budding
Author/Illustrator or Graphic Designer in our midst!
YEAR 9
All Year 9 students once again took part in
Community Volunteering for the day at primary
schools, nursing homes, nurseries and
environmental placements, amongst others. The
day was a roaring success with Year 9 students
making a difference in the community.
The Sherborne in Bloom team were busy
planting and digging, those in primary schools
and nurseries helping out in classrooms and upkeeping outside areas too and some students
volunteered at Stourhead and Yeovil Country
Park. I have heard nothing but positive comments
from our Year 9 students and they all seemed to
enjoy their day. Those they worked with have also
been full of praise, describing students as a credit
to the School and their families.
ART PROJECT
To commemorate the 10 year anniversary of The
Little Gryphons Nursery, a group of Year 9 students
were also involved in producing a piece of art work
to display at the Nursery. Each student painted an
image of an animal (representing the key groups at
the Nursery) onto a canvas all of which are going to
be mounted together and displayed within the
Nursery. I’m sure the staff and children at The Little
Gryphons will love it.
TEXTILES PROJECT
Another group of Year 9 students were involved in
up-cycling old clothes to make a window display
for the Sue Ryder Charity Shop in Sherborne. The
Charity Shop provided some bags of old jeans and
t-shirts and the nine students involved turned
them into something else! Staff and students are
very much looking forward to creating the window
display and if you are passing by, do stop to have a
look at their creations.
YEAR 10
The National Enterprise Challenge team delivered
an engaging day to the whole of Year 10. Teams of
students created a new ride for a theme park,
focusing on a target market of their choice. They
had to stick to a budget and come up with a unique
selling point as part of the challenge. The Sports
Hall was a hive of activity and there was a real buzz
as teams discussed their ideas and formulated a
presentation. In the afternoon session, a selection
of teams was asked to present to their peers and
the judging panel decided that the team who
designed ‘Feu du cirque’ (Madness of the Circus)
was the winning team. One judge commented that
their concept was unique, their presentation wellrehearsed and that they were confident presenters.
Well done!
Kelly Hodges – Business
Joint Primary
Schools Concert
Earlier this term we held our second highly
successful Joint Primary Schools Concert at
The Gryphon School. This was a culminating
event showcasing both vocal and
instrumental work rehearsed and learned
over two terms by a range of students in
seven of our local Primary schools (Abbey,
Sherborne County, Trent, Yetminster, Bradford
Abbas, Bishops Caundle and Buckland
Newton). Our thanks to Stacey Hobday for
her enthusiasm and vocal brilliance in
leading the combined schools choir for the
SingUp project this year, and to Dorset Music
Service for their financial support.
Val Mizen also led various combinations of
Primary Schools in singing and in
performances of Samba and Blues. A massive
thank you to all the Primary School staff for
their help and support in the arrangements
and success of this event.
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Students raise
over £8,000
for Charity
We are very proud to announce that we have
raised over £8000 in the past school year for
local, national and international charities. The
causes we have supported range from
Sherborne Voluntary Ambulance to Young
Epilepsy to Oxfam to name but a few! Our
students have shown a huge amount of
initiative in their fundraising efforts; they
have held a Summer Fayre and made an
attempt on the Human Dominoes world record
as well as the usual cake stalls, raffles and
sponsored events. As usual Year Teams have
chosen their own charities to support and the
School Council has decided which charities
benefit from our termly non-uniform days.
Supporting our community in this way is very
important to us and we always ensure that
students learn about the causes they are
working for and the vital work that they do.
Ten
Tors
Challenge
Computing & ICT
trip to Thorpe
Park
Nicki Edwards – Deputy Headteacher
The Gryphon School entered two teams into this year’s Ten Tors Challenge on Dartmoor run by
1st Artillery Brigade. The twelve Gryphon students who took part have been training hard since
September. The challenging weekend tests students’ navigation, endurance and teamwork over
three different distances. Only 80 per cent of teams who start finish the event.
Daisy Baxter in Year 11 has secured a
place at The Somerset Performing Arts
Centre for Education (the SPACE) for her
Sixth Form studies. The SPACE is a
purpose built state-of-the-art facility for
theatre training and students perform
regularly in the Tacchi Morris theatre on
site. Daisy danced and acted her way
through a two day workshop to gain a
coveted place on the Performing Arts
course. A member of Yeovil Youth Theatre,
Daisy has performed in Cats, The Addams
Family and Grease at The Octagon. She
has taken part in several school
productions and has represented The
Gryphon in the Rock Challenge dance
competition for the past three years. Well
done Daisy – we will look for your name in
lights soon!
The Year 10 and Year 13 students who
participated learnt navigational skills, first aid
and the importance of teamwork as well as
undertaking gruelling training walks around
Mere Down, Cheddar Gorge and Dartmoor.
The Gryphon Teams benefitted from the help
and experience of Sherborne School which
regularly enters teams. The help of its staff
was invaluable both during training and with
backup logistics.
Hopes were high for the team from Year 10,
attempting the 35 mile bronze route, and the
team from Year 13 tackling the 55 mile route.
The first day dawned wet and windy as both
teams prepared to pit themselves against
Dartmoor, the weather and the distances.
Thankfully the weather brightened up and the
Year 10 team completed the 35 mile route
easily coming home nearly five hours inside
the limit. Sadly, despite trying valiantly, the
Year 13 team failed to make the cut-off times
and were ‘crashed out’ by the organisers.
Steve Hillier, Headteacher, said, ‘This is a
famously arduous and challenging event and
we are immensely proud of all the students
who trained so hard and who took part. Our
thanks also go to The Gryphon staff who made
it possible by helping and supporting them.’
Volunteers
Needed
The school is looking for parent volunteers
to create a pool to help train students
undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh Awards
and the Ten Tors Challenge. No skills are
necessary although a desire to help young
people develop and a love of walking is
desirable.
Full training will be given. Contact
geoff.cooke@gryphon.dorset.sch.uk for
details.
June saw approximately 50 Year 9
students from the school take a trip to
Thorpe Park to examine how the
attraction makes use of Computing and
ICT. Students took part in a Thrills
Workshop where they were shown how
Programmable Logic Controllers are used
to control the rides, how modelling
systems are used to ascertain the amount
of G-force a rider feels when designing a
ride and what operating systems are used
on the rides (from Windows XP to
bespoke software). Students learnt how
every ride is run with two computers (one
providing the back-up) and the amount of
proximity sensors and lasers used
throughout the Park, runs into the
thousands. The sensors are used to gain
data that can be analysed on the
computers such as the amount of water to
spray at riders, the temperature of the
track, the weight and speed of the cars
and at what point in the ride to take your
picture! The computers also have data on
queue times and people movement
throughout the Park. Students were also
set the challenge to work out the ride
algorithm for the safe execution of a ride
as they went around the Park. The Park is
still working towards becoming the first
completely queue less theme parks in the
country through the use of Wi-Fi and
smartphone technologies. It was an
amazing day and the students had a
fantastic opportunity to see first-hand
how computing is applied to real world
situations rather than simply theory in
the classroom.
Nigel White – Head of Computing
German Exchange
Woodturning Club
It has been my great pleasure to teach
woodturning to Year 7 students this year. Mrs
Sally Baxter suggested the lunchtime club
after seeing a pen turned by my daughter Amy
and Mr Marcel Dal Din took on the mantle of
overseer and introduced me to the School’s
workshop. The children started by making
candle sticks to get used to the tools and
lathe. We progressed to turning pens out of
purple heart wood and have just finished
turning a set of skittles and balls. We are
ending an enjoyable year by the children
exploring their creativity to turn a curio or
object of their own design.
Chris Mason – Woodturning Club
4
I was on the German Exchange last year and so knew what to expect
but this time I looked after two German girls instead of one. The
German partners all spoke extremely good English so most of the
time it was like having a prolonged sleepover with two friends. Both
girls were very nice and even brought presents for me and my family.
While they were staying we went out and did lots of fun activities. In
order to make sure they got a good feel for English culture we ate
lots of English food, such as roasts and apple crumble and took them to historic towns like Bath and Lyme Regis. We spent the weekend shopping
and sightseeing and I discovered lots of interesting things about German culture that I didn’t know beforehand. I found the experience incredibly
enjoyable and I would strongly advise that if you have the opportunity to take part in the German Exchange, even if you are only having a German
partner to stay, that you do so.
Caroline Hawkins – Year 10
Achievement award for Gryphon student
Gryphon School student, Ben Norman, who is in Year 11, has been recognised as the ‘Most Improved Student’ for his hard work at the North
Dorset Technical College in Shaftesbury. Ben, who is a Performing Engineering Operations pupil, received his award at a ceremony in
Shaftesbury earlier this term.
Journey to
Central St Martins
I was on my knees in my school library, delving into the fashion section. I was pretty tuned in to the world of fashion designers, but something
struck me as I flicked through the pages dedicated to the likes of Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Jimmy Choo. An Art College called
Central Saint Martins kept popping up, making appearance after appearance across each fashion designer profile.
From the age of 8 I would draw mini designs
in paper books inspired by the fashion shows
on Blue Peter. I loved the idea of designing,
but I never imagined it being a career. I didn’t
realise this could be a job or that you could
take it further in education. My love for
garment construction and GCSE textiles
opened my eyes to the possibility of a job in
the fashion world, whether as a fashion
stylist, a journalist or a buyer.
I was determined to finish my portfolio before
my interview date in February 2015. I’m a
perfectionist, and I couldn’t settle for my
current work, I wanted to show them my
passion for Art and Design by including work I
completed for myself as well as my A2. I was
up early sitting on my bed in an EasyHotel
still finishing off one of my sketchbooks an
hour before we got on the tube! We were told
to put our portfolios in a studio at CSM and
return in 7 hours. That was it. No feedback, no
communication.
It was always the designer I wanted to be and
knowing that most successful fashion
designers studied at Central Saint Martins, I
set my sights on getting in. I realized that a
place at the world renowned Fashion
Department grants you a platform to success
and recognition. It’s the Oxbridge of the art
world. I fell into the state of wanting to go
there so much that I had severe anxiety and
self-doubt in my ability.
In Year 12, I applied to the Fashion
Foundation course, requiring an A2 portfolio
of the best pieces of my work. CSM look at
2500 portfolios and accept only 350 UK
students onto the course and to top this
pressure off, the university were so vague
about what they wanted in the portfolio - I
was living in the dark for about a year.
However, I was mentored throughout the
process by the fantastic Art Department we
have at The Gryphon and by ex-fashion
designer and family friend – Ella Oxford who
attended CSM in the 1980s (the year above
John Galliano). She knew exactly what they
wouldn’t want and gave me some cut-throat
but honest advice about certain pieces in my
portfolio. I discovered throughout the process
of putting it together that experimental
textiles were my strength. I grew my own
fabric out of bacteria for my last project, and
did strange things like molding stamps in
between plastic bags.
A month later I hadn’t heard anything but
on 30 March, I was on a bus home from
Alexander McQueen’s Savage Beauty at the
V&A. The exhibition was incredible and the
museum is a stones’ throw from CSM, I was
feeling pretty discouraged, but there was a
seed of hope still there. With 3% battery left
on my phone, I got an email announcing that I
had got into the Fashion Foundation! I just sat
on the coach and cried, probably much to the
amusement of the other travellers on the
coach.
Amazing Art destinations
We recently received the brilliant news
that three of our Year 13 Art students had
secured places at world renowned Art
education establishments. Rhiannon
Davies and Boo Walters will undertake
the Fashion Foundation Course at the
prestigious Central St Martins, London
and Hannah Judge will study at the
Charles H. Cecil Studios in Florence, Italy.
Our best wishes go to all of our talented
Art & Photography students embarking
upon the next stages of their creative
development.
Mike Fenton-Wilkinson
Head of Art & Photography
It was a joy to be able to tell my parents, Ella
and my Art teachers. What made it even
better was that Boo Walters from the other A2
Art class at The Gryphon also got onto the
course. With 3000 applicants this year, more
than ever before, and the course being cut
down at the last minute to 150 places, it’s just
incredible that two students from this
fantastic Sixth Form have achieved this!
I’m just so thankful and excited for next year.
The future is unpredictable, but I know that
everything happens for a reason, and that
there are great blessings in store for me. I
can’t wait to embrace the challenges and
opportunities with open arms.
Rhiannon Davies – Year 13
A Year 13 student has won a prize in a
prestigious national poetry competition.
Matt Ward was commended in the
Christopher Tower Poetry Competition.
The theme was Cells and attracted entries
ranging from biological cells to prison
cells, monastery cells to computer cells.
Matt’s poem, Purblind, was one of only six
winners chosen from 727 entrants
representing 425 schools. Matt was
presented with his £250 prize at a
reception in Christ Church, Oxford. He
was delighted to be chosen as a winner
and said ‘Competitions like the
Christopher Tower Poetry Prize are a
really great way to motivate your creative
writing and a chance, if you win, to get
some insightful feedback from
professional writers. The topics set by
these competitions to base your ideas
around are also excellent as a source of
inspiration for your writing and a sense of
challenge, which makes having your work
recognised all the more rewarding.’
Matt’s tutor, Mrs Linda Mumford, added,
‘We are all very proud of Matt’s
achievement. He is a talented writer of
prose fiction as well as poetry – watch out
for his name in the future!’
All the winning entries can be seen on the
Tower Poetry website where the talented
young authors read their own poems.
www.towerpoetry.org.uk
Personal Training at
the Sports Centre
Year 11 Leaving Day
Once again the last day before the May Half
Term was a special one as it was the last day
of school for Year 11. They were going on
study leave and then, for some, moving on to
continue their education elsewhere. The day
started with an English Literature exam but
once this was over the celebrations really
began. Students said goodbye to their tutors
and continued The Gryphon tradition of
signing polo shirts before heading to the
Gryphon student
wins prize in
national poetry
competition
Sports Hall for fun on bouncy castles followed
by a BBQ. The bouncy castles were a great hit
with many of the students letting their hair
There was a fantastic atmosphere all day and
once again Year 11 were a credit to the
School. It was a poignant day for me as
down and rediscovering their inner child!
After lunch everybody tidied themselves up
for a final Assembly in Quarr Hall. It was a
lovely event where personal statements were
given out and students remember the last five
years of their school career with the help of a
few photos from the past!
another Year Group comes to an end and the
students move on to new things and fresh
challenges. They are a wonderful group of
young people and we all wish them every
success in the future.
Steve Fox – Head of Year 11
Exeter Maths School
Congratulations to Lewis Day, Rowan Preston, Oliver Tucker and Gabryel Mason- Williams who have been offered
places as weekly boarders at the prestigious Exeter Mathematics School. Exeter Mathematics School is a Sixth Form
school that is jointly sponsored by the University of Exeter and Exeter College. It has been created to meet the needs
of able Mathematics students throughout the South West.
Robin Prince – Maths
For those of you who use the Fitness Suite
after school, and are looking for a little
purpose or a change of direction ask us about
personal training. Our rates are £25 an hour so
you could group together and spread the cost
of our qualified instructors. Or take out our
special membership of only £32.50 for
unlimited use of the Fitness Suite and two 30
minute personal training sessions. Contact the
Centre for more details.
Over the summer holidays the Fitness Suite is
open all day from 8.30am, and it’s just £3 a
session or £17 for 30 days unlimited use.
There is also our very popular children’s
holiday activities throughout the summer
from 8.30-5.30pm for only £15.50
a day or £62 for the week, check out
www.dorsetforyou.com/gryphon-sports-centre
for more information.
5
ALUMNI
Where are they now?
Since its launch last term many past students have been signing up to our new Alumni Database and telling
us what they are doing now. We love to hear their stories so if you know of any former pupils who have yet
to make contact please tell them to go to http://www.thegryphonalumni.co.uk where you can also see the
stories of those who have already let us know about their lives after The Gryphon. Current pupils find it
enormously inspiring to hear about the successes of their predecessors and keeping in touch enables the
School to tell former pupils what is going on at the School now and to inform them about future events.
lA ex Redman
I graduated from the University of Surrey with
a 2:1 in Business Economics and an award for
Best Overall Student on my course. While at
university, I joined the Swimming and Water
Polo Club and was Water Polo President in my
final year. Since university, I have been a
Business Analyst for a debt collection company
but am now on a three year graduate scheme
with St James’s Place Wealth Management.
As part of this I am studying towards a Masters
in Wealth Management at Loughborough
University. Part of my current role is working
with the Finance Projects Team to implement
an Enterprise Resource Planning system across
the business. This is a software system that
automates and integrates the core internal
business functions of an organisation, provides
a single source for all company data and allows
for greater efficiencies in planning and
analysis, transaction processing and reporting.
‘My time at the Gryphon School was very
memorable, my teachers’ enthusiasm for the
subject had a huge impact on my learning and
I accredit them with my progress and success
at work.’
lE ly Roberts
I left The Gryphon after Sixth Form in 2010. I
then followed my passion for the arts and
studied Photography at Falmouth University in
Cornwall, graduating in 2013. In early 2014 I
was fortunate to be given the opportunity to
volunteer with the government scheme
International Citizen Service (ICS). I worked
specifically with the sustainable development
charity Raleigh International. My placement
with Raleigh was in India, a country which had
seven years previously vividly captured my
interest whilst on a school trip with The
Gryphon. During my time in India I lived and
worked alongside local volunteers in a small
and under-developed village. Our aims were to
provide much needed education to the
community as a whole, focusing primarily on
basic health and sanitation issues. Since my
time in India, sustainability and the
environment have become keen interests of
mine alongside further travelling.
`’I always found The Gryphon to be upbeat,
encouraging students to be ready to embrace
the new.’
t
t
o
c
S
a
ic
s
s
Je
I graduated as a Dentist from The University of
Bristol in June 2014. By far the best experience
of this five year course was my dental elective,
in which I spent three weeks volunteering at a
children’s hospital in Cambodia. This was an
opportunity to provide pain relieving dental
treatment to hundreds of Cambodian children,
many of whom live in poverty. I learned a great
deal during this time, both personally and
professionally. A reflective account of my
experience can be read on the young dentist
website:
http://www.theyoungdentist.com
/u k / vo l u n t e e r /a r t i c l e s / 7 2 9 - d e n t a l volunteering-abroad-a-reflection .
I am currently working as a Dentist in
Amesbury, Wiltshire whilst working towards
further postgraduate qualifications with a view
to specialise in the future. In November 2015 I
will be returning to Cambodia with the charity
‘Dentaid’, to volunteer my dental skills in
prisons, schools and orphanages. I ran the
London marathon to help raise funds for this
trip.
‘The Gryphon is an incredibly supportive
and encouraging network of people, who
helped shape the first steps of my career.’
Jo Counsins
Having started university in the October after I
left The Gryphon, my first year at Oxford was
spent studying topics I would be examined on
in the first-year exams. This involved a number
of aspects within music, such as music history
and technical writing. Now I am in my second
year, the work I am doing is all in preparation
for the final examinations for my degree and it
has stepped up a level both in amount and in
difficulty. During my time here so far I have
been involved in many different musical
ensembles, including playing viola in
orchestras, plays, operas, and my college string
quartet, and singing in my college chapel choir.
Outside music I currently play in my college’s
women’s badminton team, and participated in
a student consultancy programme last term.
With plenty of social events happening
throughout term there are many opportunities
to balance out the full-on workload.
Max Harding
d
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Ch
I left The Gryphon School four years ago. Since
then, I have been studying Dentistry at the
University of Birmingham. Dentistry as a course
has been really good, as it literally lets me have
a feel for what working as a dentist is all about.
Treating patients has taught me lots, not just
about teeth and diseases, but also about being
professional, caring and empathetic in
everything I do. I also had an amazing
opportunity to get involved with the HCPT
charity. This charity takes children with
disabilities to Lourdes for a week, giving the
children a fun filled holiday and allowing their
families to have respite. The helpers in each
team fund their own expenses and raise money
for each child. It was such an amazing
experience to see the children having a great
time and full of smiles and laughter.
'The Gryphon School is a harbour of highly
talented teachers, who not only deliver
premium quality teaching, but also go above
and beyond for each student.'
6
s
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J
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Fre
I left The Gryphon Sixth Form in 2011 and went
on to study Politics and Philosophy at the
University of Southampton. I became involved
in student journalism and was the founding
editor of the University’s first satirical
newspaper (the Southampton Spectacle). In
2014, I won my first short story writing prize,
became a regular contributor to Southampton’s
Wessex Scene student news site and was
shortlisted for Guardian Student Columnist of
the Year. In 2015, I was the writer who
launched the Hippo Collective’s blogging
pages. I am currently studying a part-time MA
in Creative Writing at Southampton and
working part-time in The Gryphon School
Library. It’s wonderful to be back at The
Gryphon and I’m enjoying myself immensely.
‘The Gryphon had (and still has) a strong
personality. It is a vibrant community that
brings out the very best in its students.’
ns
o
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m
e
S
a
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L
I attended The Gryphon School from Year 7 and
left in 2013 having studied Geography, Classics
(Ancient History) and Applied Business for A
Level. During my time at The Gryphon, I took
up many responsibilities, including being a
Year 11 and Year 13 prefect. After my A Levels
I went to Swansea University where I am
currently studying Geography, focusing on
Physical Geography. At university I am both a
member of the Geography Society and Dance
Society. When I graduate, I am hoping to take a
Post Graduate Certificate in Education in
Geography.
‘Some of my happiest memories are from
when I was at The Gryphon and the staff are so
supportive’
After leaving Sixth Form, I went to study
International and European Law at The Hague
University in The Netherlands. The course is in
English, but there are students from over 60
different nations, and they provide learning
experience about countries of which I was
previously ignorant, as well as being great
people. I am currently living with four
Bulgarians, two Chinese people, a Latvian, an
Italian-American, a Russian and another Briton.
I can safely say that my university life is never
dull, and it has completely fulfilled the
international experience I was looking for. I do
miss England, but it’s close enough for me to
visit fairly regularly and see the friends I’ve
made whilst at The Gryphon.
‘I have very fond memories of The Gryphon’
Copyright Nigel Andrews 2015: http://bit.ly/1J32tzs
Mission to Rwanda
This summer, eight students from The
Gryphon Sixth Form will be joining eight
students from Sherborne Girls to undertake a
joint mission to Rwanda, organised by The
Amakuru Trust. The students have raised over
£5000 to pay for the opportunity to
experience this diverse and engaging cultural
experience. They will be teaching in Rwandan
schools and working with a street project to
support young people affected by poverty and
deprivation. The students will also be visiting
memorial sites in order to pay their respects
and learn more about the victims and horror
of the Rwandan genocide. As part of this
experience, students will then spend time
after the trip raising awareness of the
Amakuru Trust, the charity who support this
amazing project and disseminating their
experience to a variety of audiences in the
local area.
If you would like to donate to this worthy
cause or find out more, please see the
following link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.
com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/show
FundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=grypho
nandsherbornegirls&isTeam=true
Jen Jacklin – Head of Year 13
Sixth Form
Sixth Form student Laura Skerritt was commissioned by Sherborne Literary Festival to create a visual interpretation
of the Festival’s slogan, For Lovers of Good Books and Creative Expression. ‘Laura has done a great job, and the
photo shoot was huge fun’, says the Festival’s Schools/Youth Events Coordinator, Lucy Beney. ‘It is a very
imaginative interpretation, which we hope will encourage students to come to this year’s Festival and discover the
joys of reading and writing’. Laura’s photos are being used on social media and in other publicity to promote the
Festival, which this year will run from 14 -18 October. It will include a full programme of events for children and
young people, once again based at The Gryphon. Laura will begin a Foundation Degree in Fine Art at Yeovil College
this autumn.
A very tongue in cheek take off of East 17’s version of the
‘Stay another Day’ performed by Year 13 tutors was one of
the highlight of this year’s Year 13 Leavers’ Assembly. We
would like to say a massive thank you to Sophie Webster who
also produced a short video of each Year 13 Tutor Groups’
individual farewells and tutor comments. The event also
included a mixture of serious, and not so serious, awards and a
BBQ lunch. After exams our Year 13 students enjoyed a
spectacular Leavers’ Ball, which for a second year running was
held at the George Albert Hotel near Evershot. The Ball,
our largest to date, included pastel vintage style floral
arrangements, champagne reception, two course meal and
disco. A huge thank you to the Ball Committee for organising
this wonderful event and particularly to James Matthews and
Christian Jones who were our star DJs for the evening. Year 12
students had the opportunity to crystallise their future plans
in our Progression Day in June. Whilst students planning to
move on to university registered for the 2016 UCAS cycle and
were supported in a personal statement writing workshop, our
non-UCAS students attended a comprehensive programme of
workshops covering ‘what employers want’, CV writing and interview skills
run by a representative of Inside Knowledge. Representatives of Cardiff
University and Cardiff Metropolitan University as well as JP Morgan, BAE
Systems and Waitrose also provided students with information about a range
of opportunities in HE, training and employment. We were delighted that for
the second year running Dr Richard Harvey, Professor at the School of
Computing Sciences, University of East Anglia spoke to all Year 12 students
planning on going to University. Dr Harvey, who was educated at Foster’s
School in Sherborne, is Academic Director for Admissions at the University.
As I am stepping down as Assistant Head Teacher with responsibility for Sixth
Form at the end of this term this will be my final newsletter. It has been a
huge privilege and pleasure to work with so many fantastic colleagues,
supportive parents and, above all, wonderful students over the last 10 years.
Reading stories from past students who have signed up to our alumni fills me
with immense pride and I like to think that their time in the Sixth Form may
have played a small but important part in their successes. I shall be handing
over the reins to Mrs Philippa Huggins, our current Deputy Head of Sixth
Form, and shall be returning in September on a part-time basis supporting
Higher Education progression.
Jane Tutton – Head of Sixth Form
Gryphon School students
honoured by Sherborne
Rotary Club
Lessons from Auschwitz
Following a Holocaust Educational Trust seminar from Zigi Shipper, a survivor from Auschwitz, and discussion about
our expectations of what we would find, feel and think about our experience in Poland, we set out on a truly
enlightening experience. Our first stop was at the Jewish cemetery in Oswiecim which was desecrated during the
Nazi occupation and where the tombstones have been restored by those living in the town since. This helped our
understanding of the effect of the Holocaust on the town and showed the stark contrast between then and now.
The camp at Auschwitz seemed to breathe the efficient ruthlessness of the Nazis. This was reflected in the shocked
silence within the group and the heavy and cruel ethos that the histories of the buildings carry. We felt our
emotional energy drain when at Auschwitz-Birkenau the horrors of the age were explored and we discussed the
effects on all those involved. In the closing ceremony of the day we reflected on what we had learnt and what we
can teach. A follow up seminar and talk in Exeter brought together our thoughts about conveying messages and
sharing our unique experiences. The lessons led by the Holocaust Educational Trust and our visit to Auschwitz
were truly life-changing and will remain with us forever. We will, together with the other students who attended
the Lessons from Auschwitz Project, use this to spread a message of tolerance and acceptance in the hope that
persecution is eradicated from society.
David Roberts and Gabrielle Dryden – Year 12
Two Sixth Form students have been
awarded Aubrey Allen Leadership
Awards by the town’s Rotary Club.
Both students were recognised for
making an outstanding contribution
to their school and the local
community. Emily Hall and Arthur
Morris are both in Year 13. Their Head
of Year, Jen Jacklin, said there could
be no worthier winners.
Both students have taken on important responsibilities at The Gryphon
including being Peer Mentors and Paired Readers supporting younger
students. Emily has also volunteered at Abbey View Nursing Home and
been a member of the student panel for the Friends of Yeatman Hospital.
She hopes to study Medicine at Southampton starting in September.
Arthur has been a Lead Prefect and a diligent member of the School
Council and a Student Governor committed to helping improve the School
and articulately representing his fellow students. Arthur plans to take a
gap year and to apply to read Medicine in 2016.
Steve Hillier, Headteacher, said, ‘Emily and Arthur are both outstanding
members of the community and their commitment to helping others is an
inspiration to us all.’
7
Sport
Student Focus
Representing
Team GB
In her first year of competition Amy Northam,
who is in Year 7, has made the qualifying time to
represent the GBR Biathle squad in Portugal on
the 18 July in a world tour event. Biathle is a
continuous race that involves a run, then a swim
(this time in the Atlantic Ocean) and then,
trainers swiftly back on, another run to the
finish. She will be one of the youngest competitors in the age bracket by up to two years. On
returning from Portugal she will then head up to Salford to compete in the National Biathle
competition at Salford Quays in early August. This is another qualifying event as well as the
fourth race in the GB series which concludes with the sixth race in Weymouth at the beginning of
September.
Sports Day 2015
In another battle against the elements this year’s Gryphon Games took place on the last Friday
in June. The event is all about mass participation with a whole school approach to sport, which
involves all pupils and all staff at the school. On the day there were more than thirty different
activities going on at the same time. Pupils in Years 7-10 were competing against each other in
their Tutor Groups with the Sixth Form helping staff with the running of the events. These
ranged from traditional activities like the 100m and football, to the less common such as
cycling and classroom games.
Girls’ Sport
Girls’ Sport this year brought about some
fantastic results. Year 7 teams finished the
Triple Crown winners having won the Yeovil
and District finals for Hockey, Netball and
Rounders. There are a number of girls whose
performances were outstanding , in
particular Alice Proctor, Ashley Taylor, Abbie
Foote, Gemma Alford, Faye Nickisson, Jodie
Genes and Mya Jackson.
Olympic Double Trap Medallist
Editor: Liz Oatts
Sophie Faber – Skiing
Earlier this term one of our students, Harry
Maunder, who is in Year 11, won the Junior
Bronze Medal in the Olympic Double Trap
discipline at the United Kingdom
Championships at Kippen Lodge in
Scotland. The competition was part of a
series of selection shoots which Harry
hopes will lead to his selection for a place
on the Great Britain team. He will take part
in two more selection shoots this year, one
in Wales and one in Hertfordshire before
going to Italy in late August to shoot in the
Italian Green Cup. Harry has been shooting
since he was 9 and taking part in
competitions since he was 10. Harry, who
only took up Double Trap last year, has his
sights set on competing at the highest level
in the future. His aim is to take part in the
Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020. We all wish
him every success on his journey to get into
the British Team.
Sophie Faber who is in Year 9 is a successful
slalom skier. This season she has won silver
medals twice in inter club races and she has
been training with the Senior Performance
Squad at Snowtrax in Christchurch. She has
also been to the Alps to train with the British
Ski Academy and competed for The Gryphon
School in Les Houches, France in the Equity
Inter School Slalom Ski Racing
Championships. Here she was up against
competitors from all over Europe and
finished a very respectable 27th overall. She
is now taking part in the summer race series
which entails a series of regional races on
dry slopes across Southern England, London
and South Eastern England for ‘Team
Snowtrax’ in the Girls U16 age category.
She is preparing for more national and
international competitions later this year.
This fully inclusive Sports Day, brought an atmosphere of enthusiasm and enjoyment across
the school as students battled it out for the sought after Inter-Tutor Group trophies. The
weather held up for 4 out of the 5 activities on offer, but the newly created tug of war events
and the 4 x100m relays were held on a later date.
Even though the rain eventually stopped play the Sports Day proved to be hugely successful
for all involved. We look forward to next year!
Alan Cummings - Head of PE and Sport
Year 8 consolidated their performances from
last year and reached the finals in both
Netball and Rounders taking home the silver
medal on both occasions. There were
standout performances from a number of
girls including Charlotte Higgs, Katie Giles,
Maddie Conduit, Jasmine Moore, Hannah
Symms, Lauren West, Hannah Roberts and
Nelle Curtis.
Year 9 did not make finals this year for any
events unfortunately, but took part in many
well fought games. Stand out players of the
season include: Emma Reynolds, Ellie
Chandler, Georgia Holder, Libby Davies,
Rowan Legg, Chloe Perham, Nicole CorpuzBriones and Francis South.
Year 10 again proved a force to be reckoned
with on both the Hockey and Netball pitch,
moving on to and winning the finals, a
fantastic achievement! Players of the Year to
be recognised for their outstanding
commitment are Issy Johnson, Josie Mitchell,
Lucy Hunt, Lois Hill, Georgia Tailby, Chole
Hellyar, Kate Kendall and Niamh Dennett.
Year 11 finished their sporting careers at The
Gryphon with poise and finesse. The Hockey
Team showed improvement having won
some pool games and the Netball Team
again made it to the finals. After four years
of losing to Preston Academy in the finals
they pulled a two goal win out of the bag at
just the right time to finish on a high. The
players who must be commended include;
Georgie Long, Lauryn Neal, Sophie Ward,
Leah West, Natalie Yeo and Amy Dick-Read.
Athletics
The Gryphon School has had a very successful athletics season. Nine of our students who attended
a North Dorset trial were selected to represent the area at an event in early June where they all
performed extremely well with Amy Northam and Chris Reed setting personal bests. Michael Biss
and Natasha Jones did so well they qualified to represent Dorset at the West Schools’ Athletics
Competition at Kings Park later that month. In a strong field, they ran really well and finished 6th,
which is a fantastic achievement.
We also attended the Gillingham Athletics
competition. This is a team event, where
each event competed in, scores the team
points, based on performance. This meant
that many of the students were taking part
in events they would not usually do to gain
extra points. The students involved were a
credit to the School, willingly doing the
events for the good of the team. Fantastic
performances saw the Year 7 boys finish
2nd , Year 8 boys finish 3rd and Year 8 girls
finish 1st.
Laura Harry - PE
More Popular than Ever!
We have over 45 students from Years 7, 8 and 9
taking part every Thursday in a Fun Dodgeball
Club. This is great to see as the Club is aimed at
students who do not represent the School in
other sports and therefore do not always get the
chance to play sport after school. This club gives
them that chance and we have been really
popular all year with large numbers attending
Capture the Flag and Astro Football activities as
well. It is great to see so many students simply
having fun playing sport.
Chris Barker - PE
We also attended the Year 9 and 10 Athletics Competition at Bryanston. Stand out performers in
this were Isaac Atherly who won his 200m and Long Jump; Sam Yeo who broke the 1 minute
barrier in his first competitive race over 400m and won; and Lucy Kirk who won the High Jump
for Year 9 girls.
Chris South – Director of Sport
The Gryphon School, Bristol Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4EQ
School and Sixth Form – T: 01935 813122 • F: 01935 816992 • E: office@gryphon.dorset.sch.uk • Conference Centre – T: 01935 810103
The Gryphon School is a company limited by guarantee • Registered in England with Company Number 08130468
•
F: 01935 816992
•
E: conference@gryphon.dorset.sch.uk
Nursery – T: 01935 810112
•
F: 01935 816992
•
E: nursery@gryphon.dorset.sch.uk