rossall school - the horizon - issue 4 - lent term 2015

• Warm Welcomes • Outstanding University Offers • Creating Confidence •

• Rossall Remembers • STEM Success • All For A Good Cause •

T H E H O R I Z O NE X P A N D I N G H O R I Z O N S

Spectacular Symphony! A term full of inspirational talks, creative artwork, charitable

fun and a glimpse at the solar eclipse!

I S S U E 4 - L E N T 2 0 1 5

H O W T O K E E P I N T O U C H

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Although the Lent Term is inevitably the coldest and darkest of all, we have been

blessed with some wonderful events to warm and illuminate the winter months; from

the choral Evensong at York Minster, through some incredible charity fundraising

days and dazzling performances to some great games of Rosshockey on the beach,

our students and staff have surpassed themselves with their energy and drive this

term. We have also been incredibly busy with bumper applications to the school - it

is wonderful to see the message of Rossall’s growth and success spreading so widely.

During the term, we also had a number of ‘I was there’ moments, most notably the

solar eclipse and the moving service of thanksgiving for Dr Stephen Winkley. In years

to come, these were events which we will look back upon and remember most fondly.

Our fourth edition of The Horizon looks back on a very busy and memorable

term - thank you to everyone at school for their hard work, dedication and spirit.

Floreat Rossallia!

ELAINE PURVES Head, Rossall School

01253 774201

W E L C O M E

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THE HORIZON | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2015

Rossall has welcomed a number of

new staff to the Common Room at

the start of the Lent Term.

Mrs Isabelle Wallace takes up the role

of Head of Modern Languages, with

Mr Victor Sanchez Jimenez joining the

department as a Spanish teacher.

Mr Graham Wallace is a new addition as a

Business Studies and Economics Teacher,

whilst Mrs Sandra Wilks strengthens the

teaching team in the English department

and Ms Siobhan Edge takes on the post of

Head of Learning Support.

We are sure you will join us in wishing

our new staff and their families a happy

future at Rossall.

WARM WELCOMES

INTRODUCING OUR NEW DEPUTY HEAD, MR ROBERT ROBINSON

We are delighted to welcome Mr Robert Robinson as he takes up his role as Deputy Head.

He has held a number of senior positions, including Head of History and Boarding Housemaster at his previous schools - Ardingly, University College School, Hampstead and St Edmund’s, Canterbury.

Mr Robinson kept students amused in his first assembly with humorous stories about how his career had brought him to his current post at Rossall, concluding: “It’s all about inspiration; that’s what I wanted to do as a teacher, to inspire people. Of course I recognised that caring and looking after young people was also part of what it meant to be a teacher, but the chance to inspire others was a real motivation. Be inspiring – but more than that, take every opportunity to be inspired.”

We would like to extend our best wishes to Mr Robinson and his family and hope that Rossall will provide more inspirational stories for Mr Robinson’s future assemblies.


2

OUTSTANDING UNIVERSITY OFFERS

Rossall students have been the recipients of extremely strong

university offers this year. We are especially proud of Year

13 student Tom Morrison, who has been offered a place at

Oxford University to read Economics and Management.

Tom has been a student at

Rossall for 7 years and is

currently studying for A

Levels in Maths, Further

Maths, Economics and

Philosophy in order to achieve

the A* and A grades required

to take up his place at Lady

Margaret Hall, Oxford.

Competition for places at the top universities is always

fierce, and we are delighted that our students have

proved themselves to be well-rounded as academics

and individuals as they have travelled the country for

university interviews, impressing the tutors and staff they

have met.

We are also delighted that a substantial number of our

Rossall applicants have impressed at their informal

university interviews, receiving unconditional and

greatly reduced offers.

We are proud to announce that Dan Robson has

received an unconditional offer to study Geology at

Royal Holloway, James Smith and Harry Andrews have

been given unconditional offers from Keele in Computer

Science and English respectively, whilst Ellie McFadden

and Andrei Morgan-Short both have unconditional and

greatly reduced offers from Lancaster.

OR JOE WATSON IS CHOSEN AS ORGAN SCHOLAR

We are delighted to be able to announce

that Joe Watson, a former pupil who

studied at Rossall for 16 years has recently

been awarded the Organ Scholarship at

Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral.

Joe now studies Music and Geography at the University of Liverpool and as part of the course receives music tuition from Mr Ian Wells, Deputy Organist at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. Joe decided to approach the Metropolitan Cathedral to see what opportunities were available to him there and was invited to audition for the organ scholarship by Dr Christopher McElroy, Director of Music at the Cathedral. Following a successful performance, Joe was awarded the scholarship.

Joe plays organ in the Cathedral Crypt twice on Sundays and plays in the main Cathedral during services. On top of this, Joe also assists and tutors the Cathedral Choir rehearsals, frequently visiting the Cathedral Choir School.

University life is also keeping Joe busy: he has recently appeared in a production of Grease and has been chosen as Musical Director for the university’s next production, Rent.

3


STEM CHALLENGE SUCCESS

A team of four Year 9 pupils showed

off their engineering skills at a STEM

Challenge competition held at

Blackpool and the Fylde College.

Will Gair, Max Loboda, Casey Smith and Jack Williams took on the task of building a self-propelled vehicle to travel along a line with relish, and secured the fastest time in the qualifying round.

The pupils modified their vehicle in order to travel greater distances with each test, finishing with a distance of 15.60 metres, beating nearest rivals St Aidan’s by 5.75 metres.

The team, who nicknamed themselves ‘Proton’ because of their positive attitude returned to the college to compete in the final, where they were pipped to the top place, missing out to Millfield School by just over a metre.

Team ‘Proton’ received huge support at the Challenge from members of the Council, parents and the Head, who were delighted to watch their impressive performance.

MATHS TEAM CHALLENGE

Four Rossall students, Mike Zhou,

Jie Bao, Ron Xia and Kelon Huang

had a superb time competing in the

Maths Challenge Final.

Having achieved success as outright winners

of their North West Team Challenge, we

were very proud to see the team proceed to

the National Finals.

The team only dropped marks in a couple

of questions during Round 1 and scored full

marks in Round 2. The boys were pitched

against top mathematicians from around the

country and the calibre of the competition was

very high indeed. Although the boys did not

come home with the trophy, it was a superb

experience; Mike and Jie who are currently

in the lower sixth are already preparing

themselves for the 2016 competition!

4


The prestigious Lancashire Schools’ Symphony Orchestra

(LSSO) and the Lancashire Youth Symphony Orchestra

(LYSO) performed with pupils from the Rossall Choir

and Orchestra for the special concert which covered

traditional, classical and modern works.

Led by our Director of Music, Margaret Young, the concert

also featured performances by Helen Harrison, the Music

Director and Conductor for Blackpool Symphony Orchestra

and Lancashire Schools’ Symphony Orchestra and celebrated

musician and conductor, Howard Lorriman, who led the

Lancashire Youth Symphony Orchestra.

The Choir sang choral classics including For the beauty of

the earth and Be thou my vision before moving on to Burt

Bacharach’s much loved Carpenters’ hit Close To You.

Year 6 student Samuel Ayoma, who plays violin with the

Orchestra said it was a huge thrill to be part of the LSSO

for the evening: “I started playing as part of a club at infant

school. I’ve never played with a full orchestra before, so it

was a really great experience to play second violin and see

how all the different instruments work together.”

County Symphony ConcertWe were delighted to be joined in Big School by some of the

county’s most talented young musicians for an evening of music and song, taking in composers ranging from Beethoven to Bacharach.

5


A RIGHT ROYAL DAY WITH THE RAF MARCHING BAND

It was fabulous to host the RAF Marching Band for a full day of activities in February.

The band, who played at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, performed for the

students, held a workshop with the Rossall CCF Band on Marching Drill and Mace Drill and ended the

day with a fantastic concert in Chapel with the Choir.

Two of the biggest highlights of the day were a rousing rendition of Let It Go and seeing Mr Pryor take

charge of conducting the RAF Band.

The Holocaust Remembered

6


As part of their study of the Holocaust

for their cross-curricular History and

Religious Studies enquiry ‘Diversity

and Persecution’, our Year 9 pupils

went on a field trip to the Jewish

Museum in Manchester.

The pupils had the opportunity to talk to

Holocaust survivor Chaim Ferster, who was

incarcerated at Auschwitz and Buchenwald,

a moving experience which had a noticeable

impact on their understanding of this dark

chapter in European history and helped them

to connect and empathise with the victims of

Nazi persecution.

The pupils went on to learn more about

the impact of the conflict during learning

sessions and a tour of the Imperial War

Museum North.

Following on from the museum visits, Year 9

and 10 History students attended a Holocaust

Survivor Testimony Lecture at Rossall.

Arranged by the Holocaust Educational

Trust, these lectures educate schools, colleges

and communities across the UK about the

Holocaust and its contemporary relevance and

look at how we can combat anti-Semitism,

racism and prejudice in today’s society.

Guest speaker and Holocaust survivor Harry

Bibring told the pupils about his family’s

experiences in Austria during World War

Two. Following the Anschluss in 1938, Harry,

still barely in his teens, and his family were

arrested and forced to live in a house with

50 other Jewish women and children. In

1942 his mother was deported to the Sobibor

death camp in Poland, whilst Harry and his

sister managed to escape to England on the

Kindertransport.

Harry explained to the students what drove

him to share his story: “The reason I do this

is because I want a promise from you: that when

you come across people differentiating against others

because they are different, you actually do something

about it. You stop it, stop any kind of prejudice

against people and others.”

7


CREATING CONFIDENCE

We were delighted to welcome inspirational speaker Ross McWilliam to Rossall to talk to our ISC, Year 10 and Year 11 pupils about confidence.

The author of The Winning Mindset, Ross

firmly believes we have no limits and whether

our aim is to pass exams, be better at sport, win

the dream job or to be happy in life, it is a case

of turning potential into talent.

Year 11 student Rachel Rosenthal, who

attended the presentation said: “It really was

a talk with a difference – Mr McWilliam

interacted with us, engaged with us and

wanted to know our opinions and thoughts.

“We were attentive and interested because

although no one would admit it, we could all

relate to what he was talking about and were

eagerly hoping for some answers and advice

about being more confident. Mr McWilliam

understood how we felt and shared his own

experiences of seeking self-confidence.

STUDENTS LEARN HARSH LESSONS OF PRISON LIFE

Students from Years 11, 12 and 13 heard first-hand about the dangers of getting involved in drugs and crime when former stock-market millionaire and Ecstasy supplier, Shaun Attwood gave a talk.

Shaun, who served 6 years in the notorious Maricopa County Jail in Arizona after being convicted of drugs offences, told pupils how his involvement in the US rave scene led him to be targeted by the Mafia and imprisoned for running an Ecstasy ring.

After moving to the United States from North West England in the 1990s to work as a stockbroker, Shaun started to organise raves part-time and was arrested by a SWAT team for importing drugs.

As an inmate in a jail with the highest death rate in the US, Shaun began writing in order to alert the world to the conditions prisoners

faced: dead rats in the food, cockroach-infested

cells and regular murders by guards and gang

members.

He also turned his attention to studying

psychology and philosophy in order to

understand his past behaviour and credits

books for his rehabilitation.

Now a prisoners’ rights activist and public

speaker, Shaun believes it is vital that young

people learn about the pitfalls of getting

involved in drugs and crime: “It’s easy to be

impulsive when you’re young, but when faced

with drugs and crime it’s important to stop and

think about what the consequences of your

actions might be. Facing the harsh reality of

the prison environment was a real wake up call

for me and I’d advise anyone tempted by drugs

or crime to think twice.”

His thought-provoking and inspiring talk left a

lasting impact on the students and the staff.

“He encouraged a really lively debate and we looked at a number of newspaper articles and discussed media influences on body image and extreme plastic surgery. We all gained a great deal from the experience and on behalf of the Year 11 students I’d like to thank Mr McWilliam for sharing his time and his wisdom. I’M SPARTACUS!”

Amanda Murphy, teacher and tutor for Wren House said: “Although the pupils were initially reticent to speak, the discussions we had in tutor time afterwards showed how impressed they were with Ross’s talk and how much they gained from it.”

ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE


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KYLE’S A CHARITY CHAMPION

Year 7 student Kyle O’Keefe is continuing with his mission to raise awareness of the issue of diabetes in young people.

He took home two awards at the Diabetes UK conference in February – the David Mottershead Award for Best Volunteer of the Year and North West Region Young People’s Outstanding Contribution Award.

He also appeared on BBC Breakfast and BBC Radio with mum Annette to talk about paediatric diabetes care – a hot topic for Diabetes UK following the National Paediatric Audit Report.

To date Kyle has personally raised £500 for Diabetes UK and was the driving force behind Rossall’s own fundraising day for the charity, which raised an additional £500. On the last day of term Kyle was presented with a letter from the Prime Minister, David Cameron commending him on his ‘inspirational efforts’ raising awareness and money for Diabetes UK.

All for a Good Cause

JUNIORS’ FUNDRAISING HELPS OUT HOSPICEJunior School Captains, Michael Mellon and Pippa Rogerson presented a cheque for £1025 to Lisa Martin of Brian House Children’s Hospice.

Lisa said the money, which was raised by our

Infants and Juniors in a series of events during

Michaelmas Term, will “enable one child to

spend a whole weekend at Brian House, providing

much needed respite for them and their family.”

Well done to all the pupils who took part in

the fundraising.

SENIORS SUPPORT STREETLIFE

Senior School students held a charity day to raise money for Streetlife, a charity working with vulnerable young people aged 16 – 25 in Blackpool.

A non-uniform day and a cake sale raised a total

of £544.30 and the students also helped out by

donating clothing to the charity.

Streetlife offers emergency accommodation and

a wide range of support for young people at their

night shelter and day centre.

We turned Rossall red for Comic Relief and raised £1172 in the process.

The day was coordinated by Year 7 pupil,

Alex Fielden. Pupils sported red clothes (and

noses!), sent their sugar levels soaring with a

cake sale and took part in space hopper races,

face painting and nail painting to help raise

money. Mrs Lee even clowned around and

joined in with the face painting!

A big thank you to students, staff and parents

for their support.

Red Nose Day


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THE DEMON HEADMASTER

The Demon Headmaster, played by Chaz

Highton, is a strange being with the powers of

hypnosis and a strong desire to take over the

world. He hides his piercing light green eyes

behind dark tinted glasses, only removing these

in order to hypnotise his victims. It is up to the

children of his school to thwart his evil doings!

The cast were superb and had two very

successful and well attended shows. Well done

to the cast and crew for all their hard work!

SOLAR ECLIPSE

In March, there was a great deal of media activity surrounding the highly anticipated Solar Eclipse.

Rossall School’s Lawrence House resident

Astronomer, Dr Nick Lister was on hand

to educate our Junior pupils on the science

behind the rare phenomenon. Sky News, the

Blackpool Gazette, BBC Radio Lancashire

and Radio Wave flocked to Rossall to share

the moments with the pupils throughout the

week and on the day. Despite the overcast sky,

pupils and staff were able to catch a glimpse of

the eclipse thanks to some timely breaks in the

cloud. A very memorable day!

In March, our Infants and Juniors took to the stage for two performances of their own adaptation of the popular book series and television show, The Demon Headmaster.

SOLAR ECLIPSE


PICTURE THIS

We attracted a great deal of interest

in the media when these stunning

images, taken by year 11 student

Rafail Khazigaleev were released.

Rafail joined Rossall in September 2014 to study Maths, English, Sciences, French, Music, PE and IT. He aims to stay on at the school to study for A Levels in Maths, Physics, Economics and Music. A very talented pianist, Rafail’s loves are music

and photography, and the striking Fylde coastline just minutes away from the school gives him plenty of opportunities to capture spectacular scenes such as these. Rafail is also a keen footballer and plays in the school’s second team.

When asked whether he aimed to pursue a career in photography, modest Rafail said:

“IT’S JUST A HOBBY OF MINE.”

10


11

CCFSergeant Matthew Baldwin (RAF) could be on the way to the adventure of a lifetime in South Africa after being shortlisted for a prestigious national award for his involvement in the CCF.

The 17 year old is one of just 24 cadets

from across the country to be chosen as a

semi-finalist for the Duke of Westminster

Award for Cadet of the Year.

He will now compete to become one of

nine military cadets to attend a special

lunch in London where the overall winner

will be announced. The finalists will then

fly to South Africa in July to work together

on a community project.

An active member of Rossall School CCF

since Year 9, Matthew has taken part in

a number of leadership, management

and public service courses, as well as

representing the school at events including

the Northern Festival of Remembrance

and leading the Remembrance Sunday

Parade in Blackpool in November 2014,

which was attended by over 30,000 people.

Matthew, who is studying A Levels in

History, Music and Theatre Studies and

hopes to go on to read Military History at

the University of Birmingham said: “I’m

delighted to be shortlisted and to represent

Rossall School CCF. I’m looking forward

to the next round of challenges.”

We wish Matthew the very best of luck in

the semi-finals!

WARCOP WARRIORSSeven of our CCF cadets visited Warcop training camp, accompanied by SSI McCleary and Captain Gartside.

Despite the wind and rain, a warm welcome ensured the cadets

were ready for a weekend packed with activities. They learned

about close quarter battle and navigation, were introduced to the

target rifle and took part in a session on the climbing wall.

Staff and cadets had a spring in their step and a smile on their faces

despite the cold March weather.

CONGRATULATIONS, CADET BEN!A huge well done to Ben Bradley who recently completed the Senior Cadet Instructors Course.

Sixteen year old Ben is the first member of Rossall CCF to take

part in this course for senior cadets. Speaking about the experience,

Ben said: “I really enjoyed my time on the SCIC course. I met lots

of new people and learned many new skills which will be useful in

cadet and school life. I learned how to instruct cadets – a large part

of the course focused on improving confidence when instructing.

The SCIC is great for anyone who wants to learn new skills and

meet new people – I would recommend it to anyone.”

MATTHEW COMPETES TO BE TOP CADET

CCF


2012

Spor t

SPORT

FIVESIn February, Rossall’s Fives team hosted Sedbergh for a Fives tournament, playing a total of 32 games.

The Rossall senior side

overcame Sedbergh

comprehensively in both

doubles and singles, whilst

the juniors were narrowly

defeated in a tight encounter.

Nevertheless, Rossall

were victorious, winning the fixture overall by a margin of 15

points. Well done to all those involved and in particular to Sam

Alderson, Philip Wilkinson and Vladislav Sosnovskiy who were

all playing their first competitive Fives matches for the School.

GIRLS’ NETBALLThis season, our girls’ netball teams had a challenging term of fixtures.

Despite losing to strong Giggleswick and Sedbergh teams, our Under 12s scored great victories over St Aidan’s (8-0) and Austen Friars (5-2), and managed to

win 3 out of 5 matches in the Wyre and Fylde Netball Tournament placing them 3rd overall.

Our Under 13s demonstrated excellent team work throughout the season , scoring high against the likes of Millfield School, winning 18-4, St Aidan’s, winning 18-3 and Austen Friars, winning 14-3. Like our Under 12s, our Under 13 side struggled against very strong Sedbergh and Giggleswick teams, eventually losing both fixtures.

Elsewhere, our Under 14s continued to improve as a team, winning their match against Austen Friars, in a spectacular 20 – 10 victory.

The Rossall 1st Team had a very mixed season with great wins over Ripley St Thomas (15-13) and Giggleswick (19-18) and losses to very experienced Stonyhurst and Sedbergh sides. The girls worked

immensely well together as a team throughout the season.

BOYS’ BASKETBALLThe boys’ basketball team saw two great victories in the Lent Term.

The boys dominated proceedings at

Giggleswick, scoring an impressive

57 goals to Giggleswick’s 34. They

also played St Wilfrid’s School in

the Lancashire Cup, which saw both

teams refusing to give up throughout

their neck and neck bout. Eventually the Rossall side sealed the

win when the game went into overtime, winning 42-41.

ENGLAND HOCKEY BOYS UNDER 18 SCHOOLS’ CUPThroughout the Lent Term, our 1st hockey team competed against 126 other schools in the England Hockey Boys Under 18 Schools’ Cup.

The first round began in early January; Rossall had drawn Neston High School in their first match which they won with ease, 6-3.

Rossall then drew local rivals, Windermere

School for their second round match. Windermere withdrew and Rossall were handed the walkover victory.

In early February, Rossall faced Sandbach School for their third round match. Rossall dominated proceedings, failing to concede any goals against them with a clean 4-0 victory.

The fourth round saw a nail-biting fixture against Adams’ Grammar School. Both teams worked tirelessly throughout the match, however, it was Rossall who were declared the winners by 7 goals to 6, as the full time whistle blew.

This meant that the boys had made it to the Quarter Finals - an astounding accomplishment, considering the number of schools competing for the cup. Unfortunately, Rossall faced a very strong Exeter School side, who dominated the match, eventually winning 4-0.

We are immensely proud of the team for making it to the Quarter Finals of such a prestigious tournament. Well done to all players and

their coaches for a fantastic performance.

Senior Round-Up


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19TH BIENNIAL INDOOR AND OUTDOOR HOCKEY TOURNAMENTIn March, the 1st team travelled to Taunton for the 19th Biennial Tournament which consisted of an indoor and outdoor tournament.

GIRLS’ SPORTS TOURIn March, twenty five Year 7, 8 and 10 girls travelled to Wrexham for a Sports Tour weekend of fun-filled activities and some fantastic sporting opportunities.On Friday evening the students and teachers teamed up to play two competitive games of bowling, with Mrs Williams snatching the win! Saturday was an early start, with the girls travelling down to King’s Chester School for a triangular fixture of netball against King’s and Abbey Gate School. Rossall were victorious, winning 4 out of the 5 matches. The girls then travelled to Bowdon Hockey club to watch the professionals in action; an enthralling game, with some outstanding talent on show! The girls also got the chance to have a question and answer session with some future England stars and Olympic medallist and England Captain, Tina Cullen. On Sunday, the girls travelled to Alderley Edge Hockey Club for an extensive coaching session, which included a goal keeping master class. It was a great weekend for all involved and all students were great ambassadors for Rossall School. A special thank you must go to: Miss Evans, Mrs Williams, Miss Shillaw and Miss Hall for driving, organising activities, umpiring and supporting the girls throughout the whole weekend. The girls are looking forward to the next sports tour!

The 1st team faced

Warwick on Friday

afternoon in an

outdoor match.

Rossall showed their

skill immediately

with a 7-1 win. The

indoor tournament

began on the

Friday evening with games against all the schools. The first match

was against hosts Taunton and Rossall made their intentions clear

by winning 4-0. Next up were fixtures against Royal Belfast

(RBAI) and Calday Grange, which saw Rossall winning 6-1 and 5-1 respectively. Rossall then faced a very strong Warwick team but managed to remain undefeated with a 3-1 win. With the title already retained, the boys went on to face King’s Macclesfield, which they won with ease, 6-1.

The next day saw Rossall dominate proceedings against King’s Macclesfield, winning 3-1, RBAI, winning 3-0, Taunton, winning 4-3 and Calday Grange, winning 2-0. An excellent undefeated tournament for the boys, which saw them scoring an impressive 44 goals, whilst only conceding 11. A special mention must go to Liam Ganose who was voted player of the tournament by the umpires. Well done, boys!

BOYS’ HOCKEYThe boys’ hockey season saw some excellent runs for a number of teams.

Our Under 15s had a phenomenal season in which they went

undefeated! The boys claimed victories over every team they

played, including: Giggleswick (1-0), Sedbergh (3-1), King’s

Macclesfield (1-0), Calday Grange (7-1), Bolton School (9-0)

and Merchant Taylor’s (1-0). A special mention must go to James

Amor who was relentless as the Rossall keeper!

Elsewhere our Under 12s recorded excellent wins against

Giggleswick (5-1) and Merchant Taylors’ (6-1), whilst our Under

13s also enjoyed successful bouts, winning Giggleswick 5-4,

Merchant Taylors’ 7-1 and Calday Grange 4-3.

2014

ROSSALL INVITATIONAL UNDER 11 HOCKEY TOURNAMENTIn February, Rossall hosted twelve schools for the Invitational Under 11 Hockey Tournament.

In the knockout stages, Rossall had a very mixed affair, winning their match against St Mary’s Crosby 3-0, drawing against Queen’s School Chester 1-1 and losing against King’s Macclesfield 1-0. This meant that the girls had

secured a semi-final place for the plate. Rossall faced Liverpool College for a spot in the finals and had an excellent match, winning 3-0. They then faced local rivals, AKS in the final. This was a very close match from start to finish with both teams working tirelessly. In the last few minutes of the match, Rossall managed to score after some very well worked team play, to claim the victory and win the plate.

Well done, girls!

UNDER 11 ST MARY’S HALL HOCKEY TOURNAMENTRossall had another successful tournament at the Under 11 St Mary’s Hall Hockey Tournament.

The knockout stages saw another set of mixed results for Rossall, as they won against Liverpool College 2-1, drew against AKS 1-1 and lost against Sedbergh 2-0. This placed the girls in the plate semi-finals where they faced Belmont Grove. The nail-biting fixture remained goaless throughout the match, which meant that the girls had to play extra time. The golden goal rule applied and it was Rossall who scored first, sealing the victory and proceeding to the finals, where they faced King’s Chester. After a solid performance, Rossall won the match 2-0 and were declared the winners of the plate.

ROSSALL JUNIOR INVITATIONAL RUGBY SEVENSThe 38th Rossall Invitational Rugby Sevens was a huge success with sixteen teams travelling from all over the North West and as far afield as the Isle of Man to compete for the prestigious trophy.

The Rossall Rhinos started their campaign impressively with a convincing victory against St Ambrose, scoring four tries to one. Their second match was against

Birkenhead which saw the opposition clinching the match in the final few seconds, two tries to Rossall’s one.

Rossall’s final game of the group stages was against The Grange ‘B’ team, which they impressively won. This set them up for a quarter final against AKS.

This was always going to be a tough encounter against a strong AKS team, who progressed through to the semi-finals.

ROSSALL SWIMMERS SPLASH TO SUCCESS AT THE ROSSALL INVITATIONAL GALAThe Rossall Swim team were delighted to host children from AKS and St. Mary’s Hall in a triangular swimming gala.

The atmosphere was electric, as the children swam in individual races and then in team relay races. The standard of swimming from all the children was very impressive. The final standings were: 1st St Mary’s Hall, 2nd Rossall, 3rd AKS

AJIS FOOTBALL CUP QUARTER FINALThe U11s Football Team beat Abbey Gate 5-2 in a thrilling match, which saw them going 2-0 down at half time.

The boys came back in the second half and displayed a fantastic team performance, with goals from Michael Mellon and Ollie Leggett, and great defence by keeper Harry, this means that the boys now face Stockport School in the semi-finals.


Spor t

Junior Round-Up

15


Rossall entered the Young Seasiders competition again this year, as the theme and category lent itself to a collaborative piece of work and tied in well with work covered in the various Units Of Inquiry.

The theme was My Planet from the group work section. Miss Marta headed the project and each child in the Junior School contributed to the final product. The resulting piece was visually stunning!

THE GAZETTE YOUNG SEASIDERS ART AND CRAFTS COMPETITION Sponsored by The Gallery, Blackpool and the Fylde University Campus, Bennett Avenue in Blackpool

OUR WALL OF CLOWNS

The final piece consisted of 12 clown faces, some jolly and others rather

sinister, which were exhibited at the Showzam Showroom Schools Show

at the Grundy Art Gallery in Blackpool in February, for their ‘Circus,

Theatre and Magic’ theme. Rossall was one of only 25 schools across

the Fylde Coast to be selected to exhibit their work and we were further

delighted to see the Rossall artwork used to promote the exhibition.

During the Michaelmas Term, some of our Year 4, 5, 6 and 7 students worked hard to produce a Pictorial Wall of Clowns.

THE VIKINGS ARE COMING!

Dressed in full Viking attire, our courageous explorers from Year 4 set sail for Lancaster in search of knowledge and wealth.

They returned battle scarred but jubilant and far wiser, bearing the craft items they had made and the souvenirs they had pillaged (well, bought in the gift shop!).

The pupils were fascinated to learn about the Viking invaders, their weapons, battle techniques and beliefs. They experienced life in a Viking home, carrying out the daily chores of rope making, weaving and grinding grain to make bread.

Taking this step back in time really roused the children’s enthusiasm and they were full of questions for the experts at Lancaster City Museum.

The voyage home to Rossallia was entertaining: the people of Lancaster have probably never seen so many Viking invaders waiting patiently at a pedestrian crossing!

After an action-packed day of marauding, looting and pillaging, everyone agreed that being a Viking is exhausting - but great fun!

TRIPS & VOYAGES


16

Trips & Voyages

GERMAN EXCHANGE In March we welcomed a group of German students to Rossall for a week, to experience life at a boarding school for the very first time.

The students were paired with a Rossall buddy and thoroughly enjoyed exploring their new surroundings, including visiting Cleveleys, Liverpool and Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach! A good time was had by all; a constant flow of electronic communication is now connecting the Gymnasium Dionysianum and Rossallians, who are looking forward to their return visit to Germany, details of which will be announced shortly after the Easter break.


17

Trips & Voyages

BACK IN TIME AT BLETCHLEY PARK

A group of 13 Computing students and three members of Common Room had the chance to experience how technology has evolved over the last 60 years during a trip to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park.

The site is renowned for being at the heart of the Government’s efforts to crack enemy codes during World War Two. The students got to see the small huts used by celebrated mathematicians, Alan Turing and Bill Tutte to crack the Enigma Code and the more sophisticated Lorenz Code, used by German high command during the war.

After taking a look at a Tunny Machine (designed to simulate the actions of a Lorenz Machine), the students got to see a recreation of the world’s first digital computer, Colossus. They then traced the history of computing, from a WITCH machine used by physicists to develop early nuclear power stations (and later donated to a school in Wolverhampton), to the giant mainframe computers which required whole offices just to be able to create a display on one screen.

The students’ trip through time also took them back to the 1980s where they tried out coding on BBC micros, which were commonplace in schools at the time. OR Matthew Oakes who now works at Bletchley writing computer programs also stopped by to say hello.

Alex Bryce, one of the students who took part in the visit, said: “It was an amazing trip and absolutely incredible to see how much technology has changed in just 60 years.”

ALL ABOUT ART

In February, our Sixth Formers enjoyed a busy weekend on their Art, Photography and Graphics trip to London and Oxford.

They gained inspiration from visits to the Saatchi, Tate and National Portrait Galleries before moving on to look at artefacts in Oxford’s Natural History, Pitt Rivers and Ashmolean Museums.

GEOLOGY FIELD TRIPThe Geology Department’s trip to the Natural History Museum in London got off to a surprising start when students, Lauren Stephens and Dan Robson bumped into World Superbike Champion and I’m A Celebrity’s King of the Jungle, Carl Fogarty at Preston Railway Station.

The museum visit offered the students a deeper insight and understanding into their geological studies and proved useful preparation for their upcoming A Level examinations.

Lauren said: “It was amazing to see all the displays – especially the dinosaur in the main hall for the last time before he is dismantled ready for his world tour.”

EVENSONG AT YORK MINSTER The Rossall School Choir have had the privilege of singing Evensong at York Minster.

It is not the first time the Choir have been invited to perform at the prestigious Minster, but it was a wonderful experience and real honour for the Choristers to perform in such a beautiful venue.

York Minster tweeted after the event: “@RossallSchool Wonderful service. Thank you for coming down :)”


2018

AMAZING ALUMNI

Amazing Alumni

Marta Middlebro’ attended Rossall’s Sixth Form from 2000 to 2002 and was a member of Rose House. After her studies, Marta was awarded a place at Oxford University, where she read Philosophy, Politics and Economics, before completing her postgraduate degree in European Politics. Marta currently works for the European Commission in the

International Trade Department and is responsible for EU trade relations with China.

MARTA MIDDLEBRO

When were you at Rossall?

I was in the Rossall Sixth Form from 2000 to 2002. I originally came for one year under the HMC Central and European Scholarship Scheme and was then able to stay on for another year and take my A Levels with the very generous help of Rossall and of the Trapnell Scholarship.

What are some of your favourite memories of your time at the school?

I had a fantastic time boarding and really enjoyed the close community and friendship at Rose House. Here I would like to give

a big shout out to Mrs Lee who was my Housemistress back then and who still teaches and is now Head of Junior School at Rossall - she was always very encouraging and took me under her wing throughout my time at Rossall. I did a lot of music - I was in the Chapel Choir and in the Orchestra - and some of the performances or just simply playing music with my friends are some of the best memories.

What was it like to be a Czech student studying in the UK at that time?

There is no tradition of boarding schools in the Czech Republic, so I had no idea what to expect. It was a steep learning curve for me, as I went through the adjustment of going from studying English as a foreign language to studying other subjects in English. Cultural exchange is one of the objectives of the HMC Scheme, so I was keen to tell them about the Czech Republic and in my second year I helped organise a choir tour in Prague.

What did you study at university?

I gained a place at Oxford to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics and went up in the autumn of 2002. I then stayed on at Oxford to take a postgraduate degree in European Politics.

What is your career now?

I currently live in Brussels and work for the European Commission as a civil servant. I work in the International Trade Department and I am part of the team responsible for EU trade relations with China. My job involves international trade negotiations, economic analysis and policy development. Within the European Commission, I had previously focused on relations with Sub-Saharan Africa

and on making international trade work for

developing countries. I first came to Brussels

as a diplomat with the Czech Foreign Office.

What difference did coming to Rossall make to

your education and to your career?

This is a total cliché but the experience

has changed my life – there is no other

way of putting it. Oxford has opened a

lot of doors for me and I cannot imagine

getting in without the excellent teaching

I got at Rossall. It really made me flourish

intellectually and sparked my interest in

academic study and research.

What’s the best part of your job?

The variety of issues that I deal with, and in

particular working with so many different

people and constituencies - a job in trade

policy means that I get to be in daily contact

with diplomats, parliamentarians, business

representatives, civil society groups etc.

How do you feel your education at Rossall prepared

you for the role?

My teachers at Rossall encouraged

independent thought. This is what I

appreciated the most about my UK school

experience: being asked to analyse, to think

critically, to argue for one’s position. I think

these are skills that stand you in good stead

in any job.

What would you say to any student considering

coming to the UK (and to Rossall) to study?

Go for it!

How would you sum up your time at Rossall in

one word?

Empowering.

Rossall Remembers


19

THE PÖTTINGER DINNERThe annual Pöttinger Dinner, in honour of Florian Pöttinger, was held in the Dining Hall on Saturday 24th January.

Florian was House Captain of Spread Eagle, 2009 - 2010 and got involved

with all kinds of extra curricular activity, leading by example. He was sadly

diagnosed with cancer at the age of 22 and died, January 2013. Whilst

attending Florian’s funeral in Germany, Florian’s sister commented to SSI

Ian McCleary: “Florian was not afraid of dying but was afraid of being

forgotten”. That message struck a cord with SSI McCleary and after various

conversations with Florian’s parents and friends, Spread Eagle decided to

hold a dinner each year in remembrance of Florian and all he did for the

school and his fellow pupils.

The Pöttinger trophy is presented each year to the Spread Eagle House

member who has overwhelmingly thrown themselves in to school life. OR

Nik Wietlisbach, who received the Trophy in 2014, presented the Pöttinger

Trophy to 2015’s recipient, Robert Schultz.

Yet again it was lovely to welcome Florian’s parents and sister to the school

and the £400 raised on the evening will go to Cancer Research UK, the

charity chosen by Florian’s family. DR WINKLEY COMMEMORATEDHeartfelt thanks to all the staff, students and ORs who were able to join us for the Service of Thanksgiving held in the Chapel to commemorate the life of our former Head, Dr Stephen Winkley.

The service, which was attended by Dr Winkley’s

wife, Jenny, and Mungo, Imogen and Leo, three of

his five children, included tributes to his outstanding

contribution to the school and hymns including

Love Divine All Loves Excelling by Charles Wesley.

Commenting on the service, Leo Winkley said: “The

music was beautifully delivered, the tributes compelling

in conjuring up the man and his work on the Fylde,

the singing wholehearted and the shape of the service

thoughtful and inspiring.

“It was an occasion when all the fine aspects of Rossall

School were in full and hearty evidence.”

Floreat Rossal l ia

FLOREAT ROSSALLIA!


2020

OLD ROSSALLIAN WEEKENDWe were blessed with a day of glorious sunshine when over 200 Old Rossallians visited the School for our annual OR Weekend.

Guests enjoyed an action packed day which included tours of the

School, a clay pigeon shoot, seminars and sports fixtures including

Rossall’s unique game of Ross Hockey. The highlight of the event,

the OR Dinner in Dining Hall, was a huge success and we were

delighted that so many ORs were able to join us.

UNVEILING OF SPREAD EAGLE WW1 HONOURS BOARDAs part of the OR Weekend events, a replica of the WW1 SE Honours Board was unveiled in Spread Eagle House.

This board commemorates those 33 ORs from Spread Eagle who

lost their lives during the Great War; the original board disappeared

some time ago but a beautiful replica has been painstakingly

made by former DT Technician, Gary Passam. Old Rossallian

Commodore Jeremy Rigby, Commander, of HM Naval Base

Portsmouth, came along to perform the official unveiling and

gave a moving speech about the importance of remembrance.

We were delighted to welcome OR Jake Thompson back to Rossall to talk about his trek to the North Pole, which he successfully undertook last year.

Jake, who was dating fellow OR, Hannah Bennet, asked his future father-in-law for

Hannah’s hand in marriage. There was only one condition – that Jake joined him on a

trek to the North Pole to raise funds for the Colourful Life Foundation.

During assembly, Jake gave a very motivational speech to pupils about ‘stepping outside

of their comfort zone’ and pushing themselves, even when they think they have no

more to give. Jake then set up a display of equipment used on the trek, along with a

slide show, which he shared with pupils in the Sumner Library. Jake was inundated

with questions throughout the morning by our intrepid Rossall explorers and he showed them the Rossall School flag which he had taken

with him to fly when he reached the North Pole. Despite sub-zero temperatures, he even managed to sing The Carmen (our school song)

whilst there. Our congratulations to Jake on this remarkable achievement and many thanks for coming in to share your experience with us.

OR JAKE GOES TO THE END OF THE EARTH TO GET HIS GIRL!

Floreat Rossal l ia


21

STUNNING FRAME RETURNED TO ROSSALLA member of staff recently noticed this beautiful silver frame on an auction site which stated that it was originally from Rossall School.

The Rossall Foundation contacted its members to help retrieve this

important piece of the School’s history and we were inundated with

donations from Old Rossallians wanting to see this item returned to its

rightful home. The Rossall Foundation, the Development Team and

the School would like to thank all those who contributed and showed

interest in this item.

This magnificent frame has the Royal Coat of Arms for Queen

Victoria above the ribbon ‘Rossall School Cadets’. At the bottom

of the frame is the School crest. Inside is an original photograph of

Captain R E Pain when he retired from command of the Rossall

School Cadet Corps around 1901. Captain Pain was a member of

the School shooting team which won the ‘Ashburton’ competition at

Bisley in 1899.

The Victorian Silver Frame Portrait is a wonderful piece of Rossall’s

history and we are proud to have it back in school.

LEGATORS DINNEROn the eve of the Old Rossallian Weekend, the 1844 Society members were invited to dine in the Common Room with the Head and representatives from the School’s Governors.

Membership of the 1844 Society is for all those who have left a

legacy to the School and this annual event is held to thank them

for their support.

The evening was a huge success. After dinner, the Head updated

members on what has been happening at Rossall over the last 12

months, highlighting all the major achievements. Henry Shepherd,

Development Director, then explained how the Rossall Foundation

was looking forward with a 5 year development plan as to how it

could support the School’s vision for the future.

Should you wish to find out more about the 1844 Society,

please contact Henry Shepherd, Development Director, on

01253 774284 or email [email protected]

H O W T O K E E P I N T O U C H

Contact our Alumni Officer, Sharon Potts on 01253 774 288

or email [email protected]

F O R T H C O M I N G E V E N T S

Rossall School, Fleetwood, Lancashire, FY7 8JW

Telephone 01253 774201 Fax 01253 772052 Email [email protected]

www.rossall.org.uk

Monday 20th April Art Exhibition by Dragon Students All week - Walkway Gallery

Friday 24th April Junior School Square Race 2.45pm, The Square

Friday 24th April Rossall CCF Dinner 7.00pm - 11.00pm Tickets £30 adults, £25 under 18’s

Saturday 25th April Help for Heroes ‘An Evening of Music, Dance and Drama’ 7.00pm - 9.00pm, Big School

Sunday 3rd May Orchestra: Concerto Concert 7.00pm, Big School

Saturday 16th May Mondos Annual Barbeque and Disco 7.30pm, Mondos

Tuesday 19th May Year 6 Play, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ 2.00pm, Museum Theatre

Thursday 21st May Year 6 Play, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ 7.00pm – 8.00pm, Museum Theatre

Friday 22nd May 4.00pm, Half Term Commences

Friday 22nd May Summer Serenade 6.00pm - Marquee. Please do bring along your own picnic to enjoy during the performances.

Monday 1st June School resumes following Half Term. Boarders return, 8.00pm, Sunday 31st May.

Thursday 18th June Infant Play 2.00pm, Infant Hall

Tuesday 23rd June Junior ‘The Big Sing’ 10.30am – 3.00pm, Chapel

Friday 26th June Infants and Junior Sports Day 1.45pm, School Field

Saturday 27th June Year 6 Garden Party 2.00pm – 5.00pm, The Hall Garden

Sunday 28th June Golf Day 11.00am, Fleetwood Golf Club

Monday 29th June Infant and Junior Summer Concert, 5.00pm

Wednesday 1st July End of Term Awards Assembly 9.00am, Chapel

Friday 3rd July Junior Prize Day 11.00am, Big School

DATES FOR YOUR DIARYTHE HYPOCHONDRIAC Tuesday 21st April, 7.00pm, Wednesday 22nd April, 7.00pm - Museum Theatre Tickets: £3 for adults, £2 for students/children.

The Hypochondriac

is a scathingly

funny satire on both

hypochondria and

the ‘quack’ medical

profession. Argan is

a perfectly healthy,

wealthy gentleman,

convinced that he

is seriously ill. So

obsessed is he with medicinal tinkerings and

tonics that he is blind to the goings on in his

own household. However, his most efficacious

cure will not appear in a bottle or a bedpan,

but in his sharp-tongued servant, who has a

cunning plan to reveal the truth and open her

master’s eyes.

Please email [email protected]

to reserve your tickets.

SENIOR SCHOOL PRIZE DAY AND LEAVERS’ BALLBy invitation.

Saturday 23rd May from 10.00am - Marquee

The Senior School Prize Day will begin with a 10am Chapel Service, followed by refreshments in Big School, or The Square if weather permits. We will then make our way to the Marquee on the monitors’ Lawn for the Prize Day Ceremony at 11.20am.

This year’s guest speaker is OR, Stephen De-Wint (DC 80-90), who is the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary General for The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation. The ceremony will be followed by the Prize Day Luncheon in the Dining Hall and Big School. Finally the Sixth Form Leavers’ Ball will take place in the Marquee at 7.30pm. Please note that this is a ticketed event.

HARRY POTTER READATHON Wednesday 3rd June, 8.00am to Saturday 6th June, 4.00pm, Museum Theatre

We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting a spellbinding Harry Potter readathon at our very own Hogwarts-esque campus. The event will see guest readers working their way through all seven of JK Rowling’s world famous books, about the ‘Boy Who Lived’. The event will start on Wednesday 3rd June at 8am in the Museum Theatre and finish at 4pm on Saturday 6th June. During the event there will be plenty of witch and wizard-themed activities including a Harry Potter

Day on Friday 5th June, where we encourage you to bring along your cloaks, wands and brooms to School for a bewitching time!

rossall school - the horizon - issue 4 - lent term 2015

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