SOUTH HOUSE NEWSLETTER LENT TERM 2012 A NOTE FROM MRS FRETT: As usual, we in South live life to the full. My maxim, which is ‘work hard, play hard’, has certainly come to fruition this term. It’s been crazy here and that’s not even talking about the Southies! The work scene has been dominated by mocks and modules which affected 80% of the house. I am so proud of the calm way the girls got down to revision and coped with the pressure. Sport and competitions have added to the intensity of the term. The South girls have certainly made the rest of the school sit up and take notice in music, drama, debating, public speaking and, not least, chess! We aim to win but recognize that it is good to be gracious and allow others to have a brief moment of glory. Looking back on this term, there are always highlights that stick out in my mind and these are just a few of them: listening to the accomplished performance on the clarinet by Chloe Allison; watching my incredible 4th Form led by Christi Radkiewicz come streaming over the finishing line in the House Cross Country, followed closely by my Seniors led by Alice Eamey; watching Rosie Singleton’s coquettish performance as the enchanting Ulla in The Producers and earlier in the term being surprised and frightened by Georgia Lord’s screaming shoemaker’s wife in the Cubitt House play; playing dubious games with my U6th on a Chinese night; attending the many lunchtime concerts and Helen Wareham competitions and seeing South girls dominate the program and scoop up the awards; tiptoeing into the chess tournament and feeling the tension mount between the two houses; listening to the prodigious talent in ‘South Unplugged’; judging woeful attempts by the L5th of South and Cubitt to make famous landmarks out of newspaper (the pyramids looked like a profiterole fountain and the Eiffel Tower looked like a wigwam!); and enjoying weekly cups of tea with Emily and Rosie, my amazing and long-suffering Head and Deputy who help me sort out the world’s and South’s problems. There is so much more I could say, but Georgie, Emily and Ellie are probably desperate to edit! Finally, one of the most interesting and rewarding part of my job is that no day is the same. In this house of 110 lively, at times bolshy, teenagers I never know exactly what I’m in for! I am also never failed to be surprised by what the South girls can and do achieve. Have a great Easter. God bless. Mrs Frett x
SOUTH HOUSE CHARITY TENNIS TOURNAMENT – BEYOND OURSELVES AND TILDY’S TRUST: Sunday 22nd April 1pm-6pm Email SLG@cranleigh.org if you want to enter this with your daughter, or support our charity by donating £20.
A NOTE FROM FRODO: Greetings all my lovely Southies to yet another short but deep epistle from the only male in South (as I have stated on frequent occasions, Dan doesn’t count, although my snout is well and truly put out by the intrusion of two men in my house!). Now, I do want to clarify something that has been on my mind. Firstly, I might look stupid (I am actually highly intelligent and know exactly which bin to raid and when!) and half asleep most of the time, but I CAN hear you begging Mrs F for another puppy! It’s outrageous and very hurtful, which is why my tail has been down lately. Mrs F has signed me up for canine therapy as a result. I’ll have you know I am 67 years old humanly speaking and according to the newspapers, which I read before eating, Tesco is making people work until about then. Okay, my job of guarding you all is not exactly strenuous, but I did have to bare my teeth when a rowdy group of boys descended on South. Nasty, loud creatures. Enough of the grump and growling. Have a great Easter and bring back lots of food for me.
MATRON’S CORNER: As we turn week 11 pages of the Lent Term calendar it will be a sudden end of term for a few Southies who are accompanying Miss Greenwood, Miss Nichols and myself on the journey to Holland for the L5th Hockey Tour 2012 on Thursday morning. We entrust those we leave behind to make sure the last 2 days are as memorable as the rest of the term, when South challenges West in the remaining House netball matches and the great ‘Exodus’ occurs on Friday! Take care and have fun in the holidays, enjoy reflecting on all the fun we’ve had this term! Huge thanks are due to our amazing team of South cleaners – Mel, Molly, Svetlanna and Val – who keep the House in tip top style. We hope you have a good rest while we’re all away. The beginning of next term will seem strange without Matey – we wish her a speedy return – and we welcome ‘Mrs G’ for a few weeks as she takes up ‘temporary residence’ in South Matron’s room. With love, CLAIRE Unfortunately for us, Matey will be going into hospital on April 16th for a long postponed operation on her knee, so will not be with us for the first half of next term. She sends her best wishes for a great term for all, and hopes to be back as soon as she can manage the stairs! She will be missing us! MATEY
MUSICAL TALENTS IN SOUTH: MERRIMAN CONCERT ORCHESTRA: On Friday 20th February South’s very own Chloe Allison joined forces with the Merriman Concert Orchestra for a performance of Mozart’s much-loved clarinet concerto. She gave a stunning performance and we were all really proud of her and look forward to hearing a lot about her musical achievements in the future.
CHAPEL CHOIR TRIP TO WINCHESTER: On the 28th February the 75 members of the chapel choir went to Winchester to perform in a Choral Evensong, which was a great experience. It was a lovely opportunity to sing in such a beautiful cathedral.
PIANO COMPETITION: Junior: On the 14th March, there was the Junior Piano Competition. Everyone who participated played to a very high standard, with Fayruz Megdiche coming 2nd and Olivia Chesser coming 3rd.
Senior: This year in the Dashwood Piano Competition there were 12 pianists who played to a phenomenally high standard: Liv Moxey Chloe Allison, Ellie Morgan and Ruby Joy competing for south, with Ruby Joy playing Fantasie-Impromptu by Chopin incredibly well
SINGING COMPETITION: Junior: On February 24th, we took part in the Junior Singing Competition. We all sang really well, with our very own Phoebe Bagge coming third!! It was a lovely evening with a great atmosphere, and I really enjoyed the experience of performing in front of the crowd.
Olivia Chesser
Senior: The standard of singing in the vocal competition was outstanding. Two of our own lovely south girls sang: Terri Yoon and Katie Batchelor. Terri sang a Mozart aria powerfully and confidently and Katie sang ‘Wishing you were somehow here again’ from Phantom of the Opera, with great emotion. Well done to both!
and going through to the next round of the Helen Wareham Competition, which will be held on the 18th May.
SOUTH UNPLUGGED: South Unplugged was once again a success as the whole house snuggled in pyjamas in the common room and listened to the talented performers. Charlie Phillips, Tabi Stew, Louisa Golden, Phoebe Bagge, Anna Forrester, Ellie Morgan, Olivia Moxey, Rosie Peters, Verity de Yong and Harriet Henderson all braved the performances. All sang, and in some cases, played or danced amazingly and with such confidence. Sadly Mrs Frett didn’t make an appearance with her singing/rapping, however, she has said she will most definitely next time. Well done to all those who performed; you once again made it a popular event!
SPORTING TALENTS IN SOUTH: HOCKEY NATIONALS: The U14A team qualified for Nationals through a tough match vs Trent, winning 6-3. On Tuesday night we headed up to Birmingham. After the long three hour drive we rested and went to sleep in the dorms of the Premier Inn. That next morning we woke up at 7:30 which was a nice lie in compared to the 7:00 wake up call at school. After a nice breakfast we headed off to the pitches. We arrived with a lot of nerves and butterflies, so Mr Organ sent us on a long run to make us relax. After that we had our sticks checked, all of them being fine except the last stick belonging to Olivia Chesser, but luckily for us she fixed it before the matches. Our first match was vs Clifton. It being our first match it took us a while to settle in and they took advantage of that. In the last two minutes a close shot by Charlotte Calnan hit the cross bar, meaning we just lost 2-1, but determined to win the rest we fought hard against Trent and Hymers, winning both matches. But unfortunately for us, because of our loss against Trent, we didn’t make it through to the finals. Playing the runners up match we came up against our old rivals, St George’s. Playing an extremely close match, it came to 2-2 at the end, which meant it went to penalty flicks. Myself, Clemmie, Calnan, Megan and Camsey prepared ourselves for one of the most nail biting situations of our lives, but compared to the nerves of our goalie, Charlie Johnson, we felt nothing. It was still a draw at the end of the penalty flicks so it went to sudden death. Charlie saved the goals from their 2 best players, meaning we won the medals and came 3rd in the country, All I can say now is well done to all who played. Special mention goes to the captain Clemmie Ryder-Smith and to all the South players: Olivia Chesser, Phoebe Osborne, Lottie Godber, Eva Solt, Charlotte Lucy, Annabel Rigby, Millie Adorian, Gaby Gerrard and Charlie Johnson. Gaby Gerrard
LACROSSE: The lacrosse team this year has been dominated by South, including the two captains Katie Draper and Katie Richards and 3 south forth form (Gaby Gerrard, Clemmie RyderSmith and Christi Radkiewicz) also playing for the first team on several occasions, other players including Emily Robinson, Ellie Stonell, Emma Collier, Bea Stephenson and Ellie Morgan. With Miss Morland’s help the team had an impressive season, losing only a couple of matches and placing well at Nationals, especially considering it is not our main sport. House lacrosse was also a fun event with West narrowly defeating us with a goal in the last few seconds!
BATH CUP: Bath Cup Nationals was a great success. The day started well with the U18 girls (Imara Gluning and Katie Batchelor from South) making it through to the finals in the 200m by 4 freestyle relay and then coming 6th, which was a great result. In the IM relay, the girls were very happy to find they came 9th, which made us 1st reserve for the final. The boys competing were equally happy to come out with a 6th and 11th place in small schools so it was a great day for all! Well done everybody!
MORE
SPORTING TALENTS IN SOUTH:
NETBALL U15: The U15 netball team got through to the Surrey Finals. From South the team consisted of Poppy Bathurst, Olivia Walliker, Phoebe Street, Kimi Zoet and Rosie Mundy. Everybody played really well and we got through to the semi-finals! We were playing against Putney High and beat them in extra time. In the final we were playing Guildford High and we lost 10-5. Everyone played amazingly and we managed to come 2nd in Surrey! We had a great season over all!
NETBALL (SENIOR): The 1st team came 3rd in the Surreys, having beaten the strong team of Coloma. The team included many members of South including the captain Mia Milne, as well as Mollie Gardner, Alice Eamey, Bea Stephenson and Millie Street. Well done to all involved.
HOUSE NETBALL: In the 6th form the A team drew 14-14 in a nail-biting match where the first and second team players fought hard against a strong West side, who they are used to having on the same side. The B team narrowly lost by only 2 goals, but shone as the better side and demonstrated huge amounts of house spirit. At the last minute a C team was also formed, from the non-netballers of the 6th form. This match was more light-hearted than competitive and was very enjoyable for all involved. All the fifth form teams battled hard against slightly taller girls in West! Unfortunately, despite their incredible determination and motivation all narrowly lost due to West’s last minute goals. The fourth form shone and dominated in all 3 teams, winning all with over 20 goals!
DRAMA TALENTS IN SOUTH: THE PRODUCERS: The Cranleigh musical was definitely one of the highlights of the Lent Term this year! Members of the Upper Fifth, Lower and Upper Sixth came together with the fantastic Mr Copp and Mr Pashley to put on the production of ‘The Producers’. The production team, cast and crew all shone as the show went down as ‘one of the best in Cranleigh School history’. Tommy Lyster and Jon Oldfield had particularly stunning performances playing the roles of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, along with Rosie Singleton, Rory Savage and Ben Castle Gibb each playing Ulla Inga Hansen Benson Tollen Hallen Svaden Svanson, Roger and Carmen. Other mentions should go to Verity de Yong, Sophie Marr, Phoebe Bagge, Hattie Allison, Charlie Phillips, Alexia Ardley, Chloe Allison, Beth Andrew, Anna Forrester, Millie Crane, Katie Draper, Harriet McKenna, Ellie Stonell and Bea Stephenson. Each were exceptional with such strong performances in singing, acting and dancing. None of this could have been possible either if it were not for the technical crew, the spectacular band and, last but not least, the almighty ‘Pash Cam’. Congratulations to everyone involved.
CUBBIT HOUSE PLAY: One of the highlights this term has been the brilliant play ‘The Shoemaker’s Wife’ performed by South girls and Cubitt boys. The plot: a young, loud, self-absorbed, flirtatious wife and her cool innocent and calm husband clash and he leaves her on her own, devastated with gossiping neighbours never far away. Hetty Cunningham took to the stage first with her “harsh and sombre exposition” of the tale, but even this was no preparation for the shrieks of the protagonist shoemaker’s wife, clad in scarlet crimson dress, played masterfully by Georgia Lord. Gabi Hill played the brilliant role of ‘the mother’ that frowned down upon her daughter-in-law, portraying brilliantly a character that “belied her years”. The play also had an Italian kick with a great dance scene with Katie Batchelor and many others moving to a somewhat odd but splendidly-Italian song. Overall it was a great performance, and the greatest praise has to go to Emma Collier, who with Barnaby Findlay from Cubitt, directed this magnificent play. Well done!!
OTHER TALENTS IN SOUTH: LENTEN ADDRESSES: The annual Lenten addresses took place a week after half-term, this year being led by Ken Moulder and his team, with the talks focusing on John’s Gospel. Staying in South we had Nouvella, an old southie from 2009, and Lou, whose husband James is an OC. The Lenten Addresses are an opportunity for all students to explore more about Christianity, and having two members of the team based in South gave everyone a chance to bombard them with questions and learn more about the way Christianity has influenced their lives.
HOUSE DEBATING:: South skipped the first round of the House Debating Competition after getting into the Final last year. The year’s Semi-final team was headed up by Emily Coleridge, Milly Windus (who is in the School debating team), Lara Hobson (who has represented our house twice before) and myself. The motion was that ‘All should automatically be part of an organ donation system.’ We had to speak against this, which we found a difficult task. Our floor debate was well supported by members of South, and Gabi Hill won the floor prize . It was a lively and interesting debate. Unfortunately our opponents Cubitt won the round. It was my first experience of debating and I hope to represent the house again in the future. Victoria Parker
SCHOOLS CHALLENGE: South did the first round of the Schools Challenge against Cubitt. Lots of South came to support and the team consisted of Hattie Allison, Annabel Thompson, Olivia Chesser and Olivia Hartley. It was a tough round as Cubitt had a strong team, but we still managed to get around 200 points to their 400. It was good fun and we definitely improved our general knowledge! Thank you to all who supported us.
HOUSE CHESS: The team consisted of Jemima Young, Fayruz Megdiche, Victoria Parker , Emma Collier, Lucy Hartley and Charlie Johnson. Jemima drew, and although we had no wins, we were amazing at getting them panicked and worried! We played really well and Emma Collier was a great captain!
DW: This term Ellie Sutherland, Ella Gurdon and Kate McGovern began their training for the Devizes-Westminster Canoe Race which takes place this Easter. They have been training really hard and have been pushing with determination through these last few weeks of term. To prepare they have taken part in various Weyside races leading up to the big race. A special mention to Ellie Sutherland who was part of the pair who broke the girls’ record at Waterside B. In addition to this they have also had weekly circuit sessions and long runs. They would greatly appreciate supporters during this tough 125 mile, 4 day international race. Good luck to them all!
CHARITY EVENTS: MISS STURDEE: On the 12th May, Miss Sturdee will be taking to the streets of London for the
Moonwalk 2012. She’s doing it with her family and wants to raise money for breast cancer research, as her grandmother unfortunately passed away at 65 from breast cancer, making this cause particularly important to her. Her sponsorship page is http://www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/Laura_Sturdee. In addition to this feat, she is amazingly going to Iringa in Tanzania for 3 weeks in July and August this year. She will be one of 8 going with the charity Soapbox, and will support the building work for St Michael’s Church Secondary School.
KATIE BATCHELOR: My name is Katie Batchelor, I am seventeen years old. I have recently signed up to go with Raleigh International on a five-week expedition to Borneo in Malaysia this summer holiday, to build houses for orphans and create water wells for people less fortunate than myself, plus helping within the community. However, I have to raise about £4,000 overall in the next five months to make this possible. Just to make a difference to one person whilst out in Malaysia would make raising this money worthwhile - I am putting on various evenings, such as an evening with ‘the Olympic men’ (3 gold medallists). I'd really appreciate your support and if you would like to make a donation please visit my page: http:// www.justgiving.com/katie-batchelor-borneo2012 CLAUDIA BERRY: Last Sunday I walked alongside 4000 people, who also wanted to raise money for cancer. I would like to thank everyone who sponsored me in the Marsden March and hopefully next year you could do the same when I walk the 14 mile march. http://www.justgiving.com/Sarah-Haddon
By Ellie Morgan, Em Robinson and Georgie Mack (and of course with help from all of South!)
SOUTH HOUSE RAP By Mrs Frett x Early in January the Southies did return Full of Xmas pud, they’ve energy to burn. Exams are looming but their hearts they’re ready, Pens are poised with fingers that are sure and steady.
No-one this year needed lavender bags Though tissues were used and shredded into rags. The weather didn’t help, it was raining and cold. Snow was expected, so the weather men told.
So the mocks arrived and U5th did weep and wail “Oh me, oh my,” they cried, “I know we’re going to fail.” The 6th Form looked grim as the modules they faced. The revision and the learning; nothing goes to waste.
Now a South day starts early at 7 o’clock. We wake the 4th and 5th Form and each time it’s a shock. They’re never up and ready for the day ahead Instead sound asleep tucked up in their bed.
We’re night owls really, with socials galore We party and we take to the South dance floor. TGI Fridays have become the norm Though socials with boys have gone down like a storm.
Continued..
So back to work where Quiet Nights are hated If you step out of line you’ll surely be gated. Phones are withheld and black bags hung on doors. Girls run and hide when they hear there are some tours.
Sport is so key and South stormed to glory In the House Cross Country race, but that’s another story. We raced round the campus and powered on through Left West far behind feeling rather blue.
The South girls are dramatic it has to be said The quality of acting in the school by South is led. They don’t hold back when showing what they feel, They act with fire then shrug as if it’s no big deal.
Life in South is manic and as busy as can be. Blisters, walking 50 K are part of D of E. CCF and marching seem to be the norm for some. Music practice every hour ‘till all the fingers numb.
A special night is ‘South Unplugged’ when candles fill the room The Southies sing and dance and play to girls in softened gloom. Everyone is jealous of the fun we have in South, Our reputation is secure, it’s all by word of mouth.
My thanks to all the tutors, reliable and sound And Ann and Claire who never moan when dirty cups are found. Miss Sturdee who is positive and hopefully here to stay, And Greeny G who’s fab and fun - please never go away!
So now we’re counting down the hours as Lent Term’s nearly done. The holidays are close, girls it’s time to have some fun! Good luck to those canoeing and trying to revise. Take care, God bless and come back safe, I’ll say my sad goodbyes.