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THE NEWS

SENIOR SCHOOL NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2021

As I began to write this introduction I was dressed as Elf from the film of the same name and I had just watched a troop of Santas march down the corridor. Yes, it was indeed the last Friday of term and we were having a Christmas-themed mufti day to raise money for our school charities. The following day, Izzy and Lucy, our school music officers, hosted an ambitious and innovative 24-hour music marathon also in support of our school charities. It was an enormous pleasure to see their hard work pay off, quite literally, when they managed to raise over £4000. Just as enjoyable was the community participation in the event and the opportunity to see some of our hidden talent in action. Mr Freakley’s hypnotic techno, Mr Gates’ jazz piano and Rev Wallington’s singing were all highlights. Although we started term in near-normal conditions with mixed age activities and the whole school singing in assembly, recent weeks have seen a return to a more cautious school environment. We were relieved that we were able to have our usual carol service in Winchester Cathedral albeit with a limited number of guests as much seating has been removed. It felt particularly festive for us all to walk to and from the service in bright December sunlight instead of squeezing into coaches as we usually do. Similarly, we ended term outdoors with a few St Swithun’s Christmas favourites and their associated actions such as the Twelve Days of Christmas. While we have been continuing to adapt to Covid in school, former student, Zara Rutherford, continues her attempt to become the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. She has had to show flexible thinking and resilience. Having originally expected to be home in early November, she is currently around halfway and now hoping to be back in mid-January. Why so much longer than expected? Zara has experienced long (several weeks) delays due to poor weather and to bureaucracy. She was stranded in Alaska for a month as she waited for good weather to fly across the Bering Strait and more recently, she similarly made slow progress through Russia as strong winds and freezing conditions make flying hazardous. She is now safely in warmer temperatures in Taiwan. We now look forward to an action-packed spring term after a well-earned Christmas break.

Jane Gandee MA (Cantab) Headmistress

1 Head girl Desire catches a hot air balloon 2 Harvest collection 3 L5 leadership day 4 Greenpower at Castle Combe 5 Cooking for the night shelter 6 L4 leadership day 7 Whole school photo

SCHOOL LIFE

We have been keenly following the progress of former student Zara Rutherford’s world record attempt to become the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. Inspired by Zara’s exploits, upbeat attitude and determination to realise her ambition, 51 of our students between 11 and 18 years of age have experienced flying lessons as part of the school’s co-curricular programme.

CULTURE DAY The end of Culture Week in December was marked by a special culture day organised by the head girl team to celebrate the diversity of our school community. Students were offered the chance to participate in cultural activities from over 20 of the countries our pupils call home. Students toured stalls trying anything from making their own Indian spice blend to traditional French-Canadian folk dancing.

Throughout November, our girls took to the controls of a two-seater microlight aircraft at the local airfield in Popham and enjoyed seeing Hampshire from a new perspective. Having overcome their nerves and embraced the challenge, the first group of fledgling flyers came back from their lesson exhilarated with what they had just accomplished. Headmistress Jane Gandee said “We are delighted that so many of our students have been inspired to take up the flying lessons through our co-curricular programme. Zara is a courageous young woman who is following her dream and encouraging other girls to pursue theirs. She embodies everything that St Swithun’s stands for and we are so proud of what she has already achieved”.

SPEAKER SERIES - LORD MCDONALD St Swithun’s was delighted to welcome Lord Simon McDonald to deliver a talk on ‘British Diplomacy Post-Brexit’ in December. Lord McDonald’s career started at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, where he spent 38 years. After serving the FCO in numerous countries (including Israel, Germany and the US), he went on to be appointed Permanent Under-Secretary in 2015 and later was appointed to the House of Lords in 2020. Most recently, he has been elected Master of Christ’s College, Cambridge.

U4 FORENSIC SCIENCE DAY Students in U4 spent a fun day learning about forensic science and Crime Scene Investigation (CSI). They learnt how to analyse fingerprints, footprints, hair and fibres using magnifying glasses, microscopes and UV light. In the afternoon teams of students investigated a ‘crime scene’ to find and examine evidence, allowing them to narrow down the list of suspect profiles and find the culprit!

The talk covered a range of topical issues, such as the rise of China, our increasing use of technology and the ongoing issue of climate change. We were fascinated by the vast array of knowledge that Lord McDonald shared with us and thoroughly enjoyed his use of historical anecdotes and light humour throughout. In addition to the main event itself, a small group of students were able to join Lord McDonald and Ms Gandee for dinner, where we had the opportunity to discuss higher education and future careers within the civil service and politics. We were extremely grateful to Lord McDonald for answering all of our questions – whether political or general – and inspiring us to look at the current political climate through an alternative lens. By Emily P U6

SCHOOL LIFE

WORLD RECORD CHALLENGER ZARA RUTHERFORD INSPIRES ST SWITHUN’S GIRLS TO TAKE TO THE SKIES

We are thrilled that Jamie S L6 has been selected as one of eight UK Youth Ambassadors for UNICEF following a rigorous application and selection process. Jamie, who recently won the Hampshire Young Poets competition, submitted a video expressing her passion for children’s rights along with her winning poem There Must Be a Reason For Why We Are Here before being interviewed by the youth lead for UNICEF.

HISTORY CARICATURES We have the results of the first round of our historical caricatures competition. The winners were Libby W L4 for her superbly artistic rendering of Albert Einstein and Kariso S-H L4 for her hilarious and skilful depiction of Guy Fawkes.

To showcase some of our students’ excellent photography skills, M5 held an inter-form competition. The winners were:

Previous youth ambassadors have been able to speak at events like the COP26 summit and conducted interviews for Sky News. Jamie’s UNICEF role will give her the opportunity to talk to leaders and decision makers worldwide and she is aiming to use her two-year term to speak about the issues she is most interested in: gender equality; women’s rights; protecting free speech; and access to education for all.

BIOLOGY BAKE-OFF Our annual biology bake-off produced possibly the finest field of entries we have ever seen. Here are some of the delicious and creative bakes.

Most thought provoking: Daria S

Most fun: Amy X

Most talented: Isla F

Most uplifting: Noelle L

SCHOOL LIFE

SIXTH FORMER SELECTED AS YOUTH AMBASSADOR FOR UNICEF

M5 PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

BOARDING LIFE

BOARDING LIFE Le Roy bingo

Hyde Abbey Lego challenge

Le Roy jewellery making

High House making crispy Christmas puddings

High House making flower pom-poms

Earlsdown enjoying the outdoor cinema Le Roy trip to Marwell Zoo

Finlay ready for a party

Hyde Abbey chocolate craft Christmas mufti day

Hillcroft house after a light dusting of snow

THE ARTS

MUSIC SCHOLARS AND EXHIBITIONERS’ CONCERT We hosted two scholars and exhibitioners’ concerts this term as we have so many talented musicians. During both nights we were treated to a wonderful set of high-quality performances. Highlights were Louisa P U5 reprising her rendition of Elgar’s Violin Sonata op.82 in an impressive display, and new music award holders Hannah T L4, Ileanna P L5 and Maite DCM L6 all making their debut performances with confidence and maturity.

24-HOUR MUSIC MARATHON St Swithun’s successfully hosted its very first 24-hour music marathon. There were over 50 participants including pupils, staff, friends and family members playing genres from classical to minimalism, pop to musical theatre and plenty of karaoke. Highlights included carols around the piano, boarders’ karaoke, Mr Freakley’s live hypnotic techno set and the Finlay finale and encore. The music kept going for the whole 24 hour period and the event raised a fantastic £4,230 for the school charities: Bloody Good Period, Stop Domestic Abuse and Clouds of Hope. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help make this event such a success. By Izzy B and Lucy B U6

ROCK CONCERT We had an amazing collection of bands play at Swithun’s Live this term, including two Winchester College bands: Arcane and The Notions. With performers ranging from ages 12 to 18, the songs on show were a mix of modern pop and rock. Indigo gave us an incredible vocal set, with Tobi A L6 and Femi FC U5 singing Time Machine by Willow a particular highlight. Jukebox brought back a classic, performing I Love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts that had the audience clapping along, as well as the Maneskin cover of Beggin’ which had the crowd jumping. Electric Influence performed a whole mix of genres, including some modern pop from Billie Eilish, in which Zoe E U5 brought some of the best stage presence the school has seen this year. Arcane from Winchester College also brought their A game, performing some classic favourites including What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club. Closing off the night were The Morrows and The Notions. The Morrows played an outstanding set which featured the hit Teenagers by My Chemical Romance, a song they had been waiting to play for two U6 The Notions, a joint band from years which included some impressive solos by lead guitarist Ira K U6. Winchester College and St Swithun’s, performed a stomping version of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain with spectacular bass playing by Clemmie L U6. U6 The night was a great success and we look forward to the return of these bands in March 2022. By Alanna S U6

The Bramston Bursary Foundation was delighted to welcome over 300 participants in this year’s St Swithun’s Way Challenge in November. Students, parents, Old Girls and staff all chose to run or walk 5, 10, 20 or 30km along the St Swithun’s way, a countryside track between Farnham and Winchester. After completing the challenge in glorious weather everyone was welcomed back to school for a festival-like party. Hot food, home-made cakes and live music supplied by three St Swithun’s girls’ bands: Indigo, Electric Influence and The Morrows. We were delighted to award our three raffle winners with a VIP tour of Wembley, Camp Bestival tickets and a Go Ape voucher. All participants also took part in the event House competition with Mowbray and Kingfishers the winning houses for the senior and prep school respectively. We are delighted to have raised so much for the BBF with the grand total coming in at almost £18,000. These funds give a terrific boost to the Foundation, which has a mission to provide fully-funded boarding places at St Swithun’s for girls in or on the edge of care. Thank you to everyone who took part, to all of our volunteers who worked so hard behind the scenes to make it such a success and to our event corporate champion Knight Frank and event corporate supporter Rathbones.

ALICE Our school production this term was Alice by Laura Wade. Initially delighted to be selected for the title role, I soon realised just how many lines I needed to learn. Our scheduled opening was delayed by coronavirus, so when we finally took to the stage it felt incredible and magical to perform in front of an audience again. I also really enjoyed being involved in such an amazing show, making new friends from across the school and focussing wholeheartedly on some wacky fun after so long stuck in various lockdowns. Thank you to everyone who was involved. The experience has been fantastic and I can’t wait to see what the next production is. By Maia M U5 The drama department write: It was hard work with a lot of hours spent creating a show we are all very proud of, but it truly paid off thanks to the dedication of our wonderful cast that fully embraced this modern version. We would like to thank the audiences who attended our first large scale production since the pandemic. It was really moving to see them enjoying a live theatre experience in the Harvey Hall again. They were blown away by the vivid set, costumes, props, music and the wonderful acting of our talented students. We look forward to producing our next show in the summer term.

COMMUNITY

THE ARTS

ST SWITHUN’S WAY CHALLENGE

SPORT

EQUESTRIAN After qualifying at the Regional Grassroots Show Jumping event at Parwood, Olivia P L4 and Orlaigh W U4 went on to represent the school at the South East Grassroots Show Jumping Championships at Felbridge, West Sussex. They both jumped confidently in the face of stiff competition and came home with ribbons. Olivia was 7th in a large 70cm class on Guinness, and Orlaigh flew around the 75cm class on Dennis VIII to come 2nd, with Olivia hot on her heels in 3rd place.

LACROSSE In wintery December conditions we hosted this year’s U19 South West Lacrosse Rally, fielding three senior teams. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd X showed their true St Swithun’s resilience throughout the day, working to achieve great success. The 1st and 2nd X both won their morning pools and went into the Championship pools of their tournaments as top seeds. The afternoon play was fantastic with all three teams battling through to the Championship finals. The 1st X narrowly lost 3-4 to Downe House and the seconds tournament final was an allorange affair with our 2nd X edging the 3rd X 4-2.

NETBALL Early in October our U14, U16 and U19 netball teams travelled to Southampton for the first round of the National Schools Competition. The U16 and U19 teams were undefeated and were crowned County Champions and the U14 team were runners up in their section. All teams have qualified for the regional round of the competition which will be held in January. This is the first time St Swithun’s has qualified at U19 level, had all three age groups qualify for the next round and been U16 county champions.

St Swithun’s School, Alresford Road, Winchester, SO21 1HA 01962 835700 office@stswithuns.com www.stswithuns.com Registered Charity Number 307335