MaiOZJntTeom 2011-12

E.dttor • Mrs jennte Meifon WGHS tn touch and odmtn support - judith Loydon Admm support - )esstca Mtlls Chief Reporter - Rebecca Oates

Artwork on front cover by Beth Jenkinson (Y II )

Many thanks go to all that have contributed in any way to this year's magazine. Particular thanks go to the girls In 7JLG and BD)W who hove reiulorly attended the Creative Writing and School Magazine Club and also to Amlfo Boussahia, Lauro Potts, E./eon or Lister and Liberty Wore.

Every year IS special at WGHS. but this academ1c year has been truly exceptional, both for us as a school and for the country as a whole.

It began last autumn with the long-awa1ted lSI InspectiOn, the fmdings of which, at every level, reflected the wonderful community and learning environment that we all recognise and cherish . We are a reflective school, always eager to listen, respond and evolve. An mspection affords a un1que opportunity to take stock. celebrate strengths and pmpoint opportunities. As I listened to the feedback from the mspect1on team, I felt mcredibly proud of the assessment, by educational peers, of our entire school commun1ty Quite nghtly, they saw our girls as unfailingly polite, canng, mature, happy and well-motivated young women and our staff as the dedicated and talented professionals they undoubtedly are, who provide an outstanding level of pasto1al care alongside excellence in the classroom. Not only that, bul the inspection team was hugely impressed With both the parental and student responses to lhe1r pre­InspectiOn questionnaires, which demonstrated an exceptiOnal level of support for the school 1n all 1ts aspects The mspectors were at pains to po1nt out that 1t was rare to come across such a feeling of well-being amongst parents and pup1ls alike.

As the year has flown by, t here have been the usual, but never to be taken for granted, superlative concerts, productions, exh1b1tions. trips and sport1ng ach1evements that also make us who we are. It 1s always a pnvilege to witness and celebrate the range of talents H1gh School gtrls demonstrate and I was particularly proud this year to be able to do just that at our inaugural Sportswomen's Dinner. At th1s prestigious event, the girls and I also pa1d tnbute to the lifetime's commitment and pass1on to school sport. whiCh has underpinned all that M1ss Applewhite has done for us. She, and fellow retirees Mrs Woods and Mrs Wraight between them, have notched up and mcredible 126 years' service to the Foundation and the students over the1r time with us. Another exceptional stattst1c tn th1s exceptiOnal year! They, along with all our staff leavers th1s summer, will be sorely m1ssed. Speaking of which, I cannot wnLe th1s foreword w1thout paying tribute to a fallen comrade, LRC Manager M1ss Alison Dover, whose brave fight aga1nsl cancer took her f rom our midst at the tender age of 38. I shall never forget t he sight of her pupil libra1 ians at her 1uneral, saying their last farewells. The summer term takes some of our girls away for good, as they move on to the next step of their educational careers.

They too w ill be much missed but for them, the adventure really begins as they move tow ards tndependence and pursue their career goals. However, as has been demonstrated 1n this year's 'WGHS in touch' events, former pup1ls and staff are eager to return and reafftrm thetr lifelong relat1onship with the school, and we in turn are delighted to throw open the doors or tour the country, to help them reconnect with each other and tell us the stones of the1r adventures as 'old g1rls'l Finally, the nat1on and the school celebrated two h1stonc and momentous events, namely the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the OlympiC Torch Relay. which passed our school gates tn June. Desp1te unseasonal weather that meant our cobbled yard street party had to be held tndoors, the Jubilee celebrations went ahead as planned. After a special assembly, which closed w1th a spine-tingling rendition of the national anthem. we enjoyed a party lunch, games on the quad and an unforgettable staff and student version of the telev1s1on game show. 'Pomtless'. Who will ever forget Mr Paget's Beefeater costume? Then, not only did the entire Foundat1on line Wentworth Street to watch the Olympic Torch pass the school gates, but our own Sophie Carrigill carried the torch through Dewsbury; a conti nuing inspiration to us all. 2011-12 will be a year for us all to remembe1 as one m wh1ch the school's on-going success received warranted validation but also for the fact that our nat1onal pride stood shoulder to shoulder with our pnde 1n Wakefield Gtrls' H1gh School, past present and future.

Gill Wallwork

j anet Lonsaa[e ('Matfis)

M y rt.lat10nsh1p w1th the Foundation commenced six

years ago, and I am m the pnv1leged pos1t1on to be both parent and teacher I have been part of WGHS for the past three years and see hfe from many d1fferent angles through teachmg both IG and Mathematics.

After dropping orr my children as mum each mornmg, I am greeted as teacher, friend and confidante every morntng by g1rls and teachers - it is really like a second home to me and I thoroughly enjoy bemg part of such a posit1ve workmg environment facilitated by both staff and girls alike.

Prior to my career at WGHS I spent time m Industry. worked abroad as a volunteer and spent several years teachmg tn

secondary educat1on.

OUver Sfiaw ('lfistory/§eograyfiy)

B egmn1ng a new post m September is always slightly daunting The

mind can wander on the last day of the holidays as you start thmkmg, 'Will I fmd a parkmg space?', 'Where are the teabags kept in the staff room?' and, most Importantly, What are the students gomg to be like?' Wh1lst I am happy to report that I speedtly found both somewhere to park my car, and broke mto WGHS's generous tea supply, the thtrd of those quest1ons was answered withtn minutes of arnving for the f1rst lime. I have never before walked into a school and come across such welcoming, well-mannered and impresstve pup1ls (and staff!) My ftrst impression has only solidified throughout the academic year, w1th the girls tremendous quahty of work bemg matched by their enthus1asm and cunos1ty. The Year 9 History tnp to london has also been a real h1ghl1ght of my year - havmg a photo taken outside of 10 Downmg Street 1s somethmg I will remember for a long timet

I hope everyone has a restful summer, and would like to thank all staff and students here at WGHS for making my JOb so enjoyable.

j ames Shaw (~ngfisfi ana 'Acting tJ-fead of Year 8)

As the summer holidays approach, I can reflect on a very enJoyable

ftrst year at WGHS I am onginally from Bradford. so 1t has been great to return to Yorkshtre after hvmg and work1ng 1n the North East for a number of years, and I felt very settled at the school even after a short time.

It has been a pleasure to teach so many interested and hard-working young people dunng the past year, and whatever challenges I have set WGHS gtrls. they have risen to them admirably S1nce March, in the role of acttng Head of Year 8, I've had the opportun1ty to expenence a new set of challenges and a dtffere'lt type of work.

Outstde work, I enjoy: spendtng time WJth my family, cooking, going out for meals, btking and (as a recent confirmation that I am fast becoming middle-aged!) garden1ng.

This ftrst year really has flown by: 1t's been busy, but very reward1ng and I look forward to next year.

'1nterview with Mr S fiaw ... rTfie ~ ng (is fi one Jenny: Knocks on door

Mr Shaw : Opens door

Jenny: Where's Mr Shaw?

Mr Shaw : Do you want me to go get htm?

All of us: Laugh

Jenny: Why dtd you dectde to become a teacher?

Mr Shaw: I wanted to do something more challenging and reward1ng Worktng in a solicitor's office was not provtdtng that. I drdn't have a burnmg passion to become a teacher when I was younger but I love this profess1on now.

Hannah: Where d1d you study?

Mr Shaw: At Newcastle upon Tyne. I studred English Language and English Literature. Then a couple of years later I returned there to train to be a teacher and dtdn't leave for nearly n1ne years!

Hannah Do you have any hobbies?

Mr Shaw: Well I have a little boy. about four years old.

Jenny: That's not a hobby.

Mr Shaw : It takes up all my time

Hannah : No, seriously, do you have any hobbies?

Mr Shaw : Well, I've got a four year old son, so ... playing w tth Thomas the Tank Engine. diggers. going to the park. and I've JUSt moved house, so sorting out my house and garden takes up a lot of my ttme.

Jenny If you could be any an1mal, what would you be?

Mr Shaw· A cow. Calm and relaxed.

Hannah. Do you thtnk ch1ckens are cool?

Mr Shaw: I think they're best served hot. Eggs are best t.d cold, with mayonnaise.

fact File:

Had no 1maginary friend, because hts brother was enough.

Not scared of clowns.

Says 'be nice to people'. Short and sweet and stmple.

Has two cats, lily and Herbert. lily p1cks ftghts w1th other cats.

M r Shaw was interviewed by Hannah Thompson (Y1 0) and Jenny Hinchliffe (Y8)

C[aire jodre[[ (Li6rary 1tssistant) ..--------.

I was born tn Morley, Leeds but at the age of 18 months emigrated to

Western Australia where I hved unttl the age of 10. We hved in the outback for the maJority of the time as my Dad worked for the Iron Ore mtnes It was an mteresttng and wonderful place to grow up 1n and I return there as often as I am tlble

Ort leavtng school at 18 I worked for eighteen years as a (tvil Servant for the Department of Work and Pensions. After e1ghteen years t decided I needed a career change and thP 1dea of work1ng in a library appealed to me. For SIX years I thoroughly enjoyed working 1n a local S1xth Form College Library. I then returned back to the Ctvtl Servtce and worked for the Mtnistry of Justice for a short whtle; but I m1ssed workmg in an educational library and was really pleased when I was successful1n obtatning the pos1tion of Ltbrary Asststant for WGHS.

Outs1de of work I enJOY travelling and the company of fam1ly and fnends. I have a daughter who w1ll be twenty-one thts year; I enJOY her company and she keeps me young! I love 'all thtngs v1ntage' and for the past th1rty years I have been an avtd collector of Art Deco ornaments and furn1ture. I also enjoy readtng and still get excited when turnmg the pages of a beauttfully photographed or illustrated book.

I am delighted to be working for WGHS and would ltke to ~ ty thank you to all the girls, student l1branans and staff for l hf' warm welcome I have received.

§eoraina jacfson

(Office 'Manager)

I started at WGHS as the Office Manager 1n June 2011, havtng previously

worked for the FoundatiOn 1n

QEGS Semor, Junior and Green House. Prior to this I worked m Child Protection and Wakefield High Security Prison following a long association with the NHS

I am a Yorkshire girl born and bred but moved to the 'Merrie City' 13 years ago to build a house. I am happily marned with two young daughters and am now completely renovattng the house! When I have a spare moment (!) I enJOY travelling, 'keep1ng fit', reading and watch1ng ftlms ­espectally thnllers and Sa-ft movies.

Now that I feel more acclimatised to ltfe at WGHS, I look forward to the future With reltsh'

j essica Mi[fs (Secretary)

0 ngtnally from london, I rnoved to Wakef1eld tn the summer of

2011 to start a new chapter tn my hfe. Having completed a degree in Crimtnology and Sociology at Sheffield Hallam University I knew that I would like hvtng 'up North'. Having origmally not wanted to go to Uni, I can say that 1t was a bnlltant experience and one that I wtll never forget

I had previously worked 1n a Primary School, so I knew that the school enVIronment was somewhere where I could showcase my ab11ity wh1lst prov1ding support to teachers, parents and puptls.

When I am not at work. I enjoy watch1ng a variety of sports (espectally football and gymnasttes) cooking and craft making. I guess you can say I w1ll grow to hke travel after the four hundred and thtrty mtle round tnps back home to see my family.

1 have enJoyed my first year at WGHS and look forward to the future.

Tliis year we sazd lieffo to ..... Tliis year we said lieffo to .....

Victoria Lawson (:Exams and 'Data 'Mana3er)

I grew up in a small town in Mid Wales and went on to study Biology at the

University of Leeds. I chose Biology after being inspired by my own Biology teacher during high school and sixth form. It went on to be the best three years of my life, learning about everything from plants to disease, genetics and evolution and also awakening an interest in the analysis of scientific data and statistics. During the summer of 2010, I travelled to Australia to work as a conservation volunteer at a nature sanctuary, as well as travelling around Australia, New Zea land and the Fiji Islands. This was a life changing experience that furthered my interests in Biology, conservation and travelling.

My time in Leeds not only intensified my interest in the subject but also ignited the 'Yorkshire lass' inside of me. I took every opportunity to experience far f lung corners of Yorkshire and I still enjoy wa lking around the Dales in my spare time. When I graduated in 2011, it was this love for Yorkshire that convinced me to stay.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to begin my career at WGHS and I am looking forward to working in such a welcoming and friendly environment.

Luke §oddard (S~tT/~V tFec fin icia n)

I started at WGHS in September after graduating from

Huddersfield Uni in the summer, so it was my first step into the "real world". I didn't know what to expect really and I had a lot of growing up to do being fresh from my University days. The transition didn't take long at all as it 's been an absolute pleasure working with everyone here at WGHS. I jetted off on tour after only being here for a week and a half, which set me back a little bit with getting to know everyone but people made me feel so welcome and I settled in w ithin a few weeks. I can safely say I love working here and it is an honour being able to work w ith so many great colleagues

'Ray Smith (1fetwork ~dministrator)

I was born in London in 1963 and moved around a bit as my father was in the

RAF. In 1971 my parents settled in Lincoln after retiring f rom the Air Force. After completing my education I left and became an apprentice butcher working for a family fi rm in Li ncoln. I have always had an aptitude for electronics and decided to leave the butcher trade and join the Army. In 1 980 after completing my basic training in Catterick I trained as a Radio Technician with the Royal Signals and was posted to Germany. I have also spent time in Northern Ireland, Falklands, UK, Bosnia and finally Holland working at the NATO Headquarters. After completing twenty three years service I retired from the military in 2003 and moved back to Lincolnshire with my w ife, Nadia, and my two children. After a short spell as a service engineer for the amusement arcades at the Li ncolnshire coast I started work as the network administrator for the school I attended prior to joining the Army. I started working at the Girls' High School in November 2011 taking over from Mick Gleghorn due to his retirement and I am thoroughly enjoying my time here.

~n 1nterview with the S_panisfi and 'French Modern 'Forei3n Lan8ua8es ~ssistants

This academic year the Modern Foreign Languages Department welcomed three assistants, each one a native speaker of the three modern languages taught at

the school. They have ventured into the wonderfu l realms of Wakefield not only to help improve the learning experience for the students but also broaden their own horizons in terms of linguistic knowledge and encounters of a foreign culture. I briefly interviewed two of the assistants, Alma from southern Spa in and Louison from Normandy in France, about themselves and how they found their stay in England so far.

'So how did you find out about Wakefield, what made you choose to come here of all the cities to visit?! '

Alma: ' In fact we did not choose Wakefield in particu lar, the university programme we are with asked us to choose different regions in Britain which we would be interested in and I chose Scotland, Yorkshire and Wales; they then emailed me from here about the placement.'

Louison: 'It was the same for me except that I did not choose anywhere in particular; I just wanted to go anywhere!'

'Do you learn or are you fluent in any other language?'

Alma: 'Well, I can speak French and Italian too.'

Louison: 'I stud ied Spanish for six years and I also know a little German.

With English being the most widely used language around the world today, it is no wonder as to why it was their preference when it came to studying one particu lar language further.

'From this array of languages, what compelled you into studying English more than any of the others?'

Alma: 'I enjoyed it more than the others and it is an international language.'

Louison: 'Yeah and I also wanted to discover the different culture and I think that the best way to learn a language is to go to the country and speak it!'

When asked what their most enjoyable experience of staying here has been so far, simply accumulating more words for their vocabula ry store and expanding their range of phrases has been most valuable. Discovering the diversity of accents has been an amusing learning curve for them too; not only have they come across a variety of synonyms otherwise known as 'slang', they have had the pleasure of hearing them being spoken in different accents, which contrast t he standard British accent they were accustomed to in class back home.

Feedback from students t hey work w it h throughout the year illustrates that the hard work, time and dedication the assistants put into the school, is just as equal, if not greater than the benefits they reap from their time spent here w ith us. One on one sessions with A level students are what really help to refine pronunciation and fluency skills. By practising their individual needs, t he quality of language spoken is vastly improved and the girls find this a massive help especially when it comes to coursework preparation. In addition Alma and Lou ison's own knowledge of the culture and traditions of where they are from are tru ly appreciated when it comes to learning about the people who speak the languages which the girls are studying. At GCSE, small group sessions and individual opportunities to practise oral exams are an enjoyable part of the syllabus where students come together and help each other to learn the language, with an assistant to guide. They are fantastic chances for building the confidence to speak in a foreign tongue to others as sometimes your own insecurity as to whether what you want to say even makes sense or if you sound si lly can prevent you from polishing your skills further.

Tanya EI-Khatib (Y12)

~ustrian Lan3ua8e ~sistant

Sarah Falschlunger, our Austrian Assistant, has spent a most successful

year at WGHS and QEGS. Her dynamic, vivacious personality brought the German language alive for our fortunate GCSE, AS and A2 German classes. Her lessons were lively, engaging and highly motivating. Sarah travelled extensively throughout the UK during the school holidays and made the most of her year abroad. Her love of singing led her to join the St Austin's Choir and the Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir. We all wish Sarah every success for the future when she takes up a permanent post as a fully qualified teacher in lnnsbruck in September.

Here are some words from Sarah herself: "Hallo! Mein Name ist Sarah und ich bin 26 Jahre alt. lch bin Sport und Eng lischlehrerin und bin zum ersten Mal fur eine lange Zeit in England.

lch bin bsterreicherin und komme aus Fulpmes im Stubaital. Es ist ein schbnes Tal in der Nahe von lnnsbruck, der Hauptstadt von Tirol.

Meine Hobbies: Fur 3 Jahre war ich Skifreestyle Aerialist im osterreichischen Team und bin im Europacup angetreten. Ein Teil des Trainings findet auf dem Trampolin statt, was immer noch eine Leidenschaft von mir ist. Wenn ich am Berg bin, betreibe ich immer noch Freestyle Snowboarding, aber nicht mehr so intensiv w ie fruher.

Gesang ist etwas wundervolles fur mich. lch singe in einigen Choren, unter anderem im Universitatschor lnnsbruck."

JEP

?t[ma ani Lotlison 'M'F L assistants

•

'Rosa 'Re(afto (Syanisfi)

The Span1sh Department -----------. 1s sorry to be los ng Senora Relario, our very

own p1ece of Spain, who 1s leavmg us for pastures new as she hopes to re-tram as a counsellor

Mrs Relano JOined the department 1n 1996 as a Span1sh Assistant and soon became a regular teacher of French and Spanish to all year groups. She has supported a generation of girls through daunting speakmg tests She is well . loved by her pupils for her kindness, pat1ence and understandmg, as well as her excellent subject knowledge She has always added value to Spanish A level courses through her enthus1asm for Culture and Literature Indeed. she has orgamsed theatre tnps to London and Leeds to see Spanish plays and msp1re sixth formers. For several years she accompanied a tnp to Cantabria in northern Spam, and, more recently, she participated m the language study tnp to Salamanca

She w1ll be remembered by her colleagues for her calmness whilst work1ng hard, her caring nature. her lovely Spamsh accent and the mean tort1lla she has often treated us to. We w1sh her every success 1n her new venture.

KLD

Linda Wraiafit (§eoarayfiy and Senior 'Teacher)

Linda started working at WGHS in 1987 as a part t1me member of the

Geography Department and became Head of Geography m 1998 where she remained unt1l 201 0. Dunng her final two years at WGHS she has applied her considerable knowledge and experience to prov1de invaluable support m a huge range of areas as Sen1or Teacher.

At the heart of everythmg linda has done for the school is the welfare of the students both m relat1on to their geographiCal studies and w1der welfare Her level of commitment to her students has been much apprec1ated throughout her time here and they have all benefited from her keen intellect and experience. Th1s 1s pa rticu larly true of her examination classes who have gained much from her breadth of knowledge and thorough unde1standing of examination technique which armed the students w1lh the knowhow to perform in public exam1nations and follow the1r ambitions. She has made a huge contributiOn to the Geography Department through

both her love of her subject and her breadth of geographical knowledge I would also like t~ take th1s opportunity to thank her for her support dunng my fust year as Head of Geography. It was wonderful to hav~ Unda remam w1th1n the department during her ttme as Semor Teacher as she both supported changes and proVIded valuable advice. I have learnt much about the role whtch w1ll be of benef1t for years to come. linda w1ll be remembered for her calm approach tn pressured s1tuat10ns and bemg able to separate the Important from all the . 'background norse' allowing her to get any JOb done w1th the mimmum of fuss.

Lmda IS a consummate professional who will be m1ssed by staff and puptls alike and I would like to thank her for all her support and hard work. I would also like to wish her well in her retirement something she thoroughly deserves. Linda will now be able to spend more time w ith her family and her growing list of grandchildren.

HJH

ju{ia Ward (rHea! of 'Food Tecfino(oay)

M rs Julia Ward has taught at WGHS smce 2003, leadmg

the Food Technology branch of the Desrgn and Technology Department. She has emphatiCally endorsed the importance of Desrgn and Technology education and has been a true believer m the enrrchmenl of the grrls' stud1es through extra­curricular activities and events. She spent much of her teaching career educating chrldren 1n the state sector, developing her trademark no-nonsense approach that makes her h1ghly respected by colleagues and the students alike.

She has always been an excellent ambassador for WGHS as I recall during my first introduction to Julia, when I attended for mterview e1ght years ago, she told me that wh1chever cand1date was appointed to post would be an extremely lucky individual to have the pnVllege of teaching at the H1gh School; th1s is somethmg that she truly believes. I also believe. as I am sure the rest of Julia's colleagues and students would agree that Wakefield G~rls' High School have been lucky to have such an excellent teacher w1th1n tts service. I, and the rest of the Destgn and Technology Department, will certainly miss her h1ghly enterta1n1ng stra1ght talkrng manner as well as her ded1cated approach to the teachmg of her s'ubject and general welfare of her students. We wish her all the best in her ret1rement and I know that she w ill now enjoy more time tending to the vegetables 1~ her . allotment, as well as visiting and spending more t1me ~rlh her two grown-Lrp daughters and taking the oppor1unlty to travel

BAC

~n interview with 'Mrs Ward Tl: When d1d you start at WGHS?

JW: 1 started worktng here in January 2003. Tl: Was th1s your first teachmg job?

JW: Th1s was the second teaching job I had ever taken; I'd worked at a schoolm Rotherham for t\venty e1ght years before I'd started here.

Tl: D1d you fmd this school was drfferent to your last school? JW It was a massive change commg to WGHS. I'm JUSt mcred1bly grateful that I w as given su.ch a .fantastic opportunity. I've had the most amaz1ng t1me worktng here. It was definitely very different to my last school. rr- What will you miss most about WGHS?

JW; My favourite thing about this school is the fact that the tlldents are so d1verse and wonderful to teach. My fellow

staff are absolutely wonderful. and not just the teachrng staff. the support staff are absolutely amazing. I have worked m the most amazing department and I get on really well w1th everyone- I'm a team player. It wrll be diffiCult to move on. I'm definitely going to miss telling the g~rls to smarten up therr uniform. It was somethmg I loved domg and 1t was certainly something I gamed a reputat1on for as well ! I'm gorng to m1ss teachrng the students how to cook. It's a sk1ll everyone needs to have and I'm just grateful! was 01ven the chance to do so.

Tl: How d1d you find your time as Head of the Food Technology Department, and your t1me as a Head of Year?

JW: I absolutely loved every mmute of it. I rntroduced new courses when I started here, and I managed to do everything I set out to do when I first started and I'm very pleased with my time as Head of Department I absolutely loved my t1me as a Head of Year. It was wonderful Wltchrng the grrls grow up and change. We had a few bumps 1n the road but I loved it .

Tl. What Is your favourite memory of your time at WGHS?

JW: Playrng Cilia Black in the 2007 Christmas revue. I love domg anything for a laugh. It was a great experience.

Tl : What are you planning to do w1th your retirement?

JW: Have a rest. I love being at school but I'm lookmg forward to havmg a rest from the pressure of work. I'm go1ng to spend a lot of tJme in my garden and on my allotments. and I can't wait to travel. I'm th1nkmg Chma and Peru.

I would like to wish Mrs Ward a very happy retirement, and every success in her future endeavours. She is a well known and well loved member of staff who w1ll most def1nttely be m1ssecl by both staff and students alike. I hope she enJoys the freedom of her retirement and her travels after more than th1rty f1ve years 1n teachmg. Good luck Mrs Ward. Tabbasum Iqbal (Y12)

'Retirees' (uncfi - a note from 'Mrs Ward

I have spent almost ten years here and can not believe how fast the ttme has passed. I would JUSt like to thank all of you for making these the best (by m1les) years of my

career. The support from parents has been fantast1c and I hope I may have made a small difference to your daughter's cookmg experience. The girls have been a delight to teach. even the naughty ones!

At the retJrees' lunch, the Governors presented each retrnng lady with the most beautiful engraved vase and I shall treasure it for the rest of my life. It was lovely to see Pat Langham and 1 can not thank her enough for giving me the opportunity of working in such a fabulous environment. The photograph shows myself and Pat Langham and she is at odds to say she is not 'posrng' w1th the sun specs but has had to wear them as she has had cataracts removed from both eyes.

Best w1shes to you all and do grve me a shout rf you see me out and about espeoally in far flung places around the world- hearing someone shouting 'Mrs Ward!' m Macey's in New York and the Spanrsh Steps in Rome certainly made those holidays spec1al.

JMW

Patricia ~yy[ewhite (Physica( :Education and :Examinations officer)

TISh Applewhite JOined the schoolm 1975, fresh from Eastbourne

teachtng college and ready to embark on her teachtng career at WGHS She quiCkly established herself as an excellent teacher and four years later she was appointed as Head of the PE Department. She led the department for the next twenty two years shaping the hves and careers of numerous new. young PE staff who gained from her knowledge and blossomed under her care. In 2001 she became Exammattons Officer and has smce successfully led and managed external exammations as well as being a member of a very busy PE Department. Her ttme management IS amazmg and her care in ensuring that exammattons are earned out m the best mterests of our students whtle firmly meetmg board reqwements has been exceptional.

She has led numerous school trips and co-ordtnated sports tours all across the world. Over the span of her thirty six year teaching career she has Witnessed and mstigated many changes within PE Department and seen the school evolve over time. Anyone who has worked alongs1de her can see that she IS a truly dedicated professional who has an overwhelmtng pass1on for her subject and her local football team lincoln City. She has kept the PE Department in check wtth her strong sense of effioency and leadership but we w1ll deftnttely remember her for her kmdness, affection and her great sense of humour.

You could say that Tish 1s a fundamental part of WGHS and she has played a huge role in the development of so many pup1ls both past and present. It is a testimony to her that even she does not realise what an impact she has made on her pupils. They have been very lucky to have been taught by such a h1gh quality teacher but as a department we have been truly privileged to have had such a wonderful and 1nsp1rational fnend to work alongside each day. We will definitely mtss her!

It seems fitting that she wtll be retiring m the Olymptc year where she wtll then go on to work as a volunteer at the Olympics themselves and the Paralyrnptcs. On behalf of myself and the PE Department we would hke to w1sh her every success for the future and happmess 1n her well deserved retirement.

KFR

~11 interview with Miss 'Ayy(ewhite

M tss Applewhite has been a fa1thful member of the PE Department for over thirty years. Dunng this time she has been to eight national hockey finals and

been the winntng manager once. She has been my hockey coach smce 2011 and during th1s t1me we have been U12 Hymers' Tournament runners-up, U13 North Mini fmahsts and l 14 Nattonal runners up. How long have you been at WGHS? I havt. been at WGHS for thirty seven years whiCh spans the whole of my teaching career. I began at WGHS 1n the 1975/76 season and will end my career 1n the 2011/12

Winter or summer sports? Although I enjoy teaching both I prefer winter sports bj'cause they were the sports I did most at school. I think th.:t1 the transition from winter to summer sport IS very exCiting because there are different act1vit1es to teach 1n hopefully better weather. How many ttmes have you been at the National Hockey Finals? How many times have you won? I have been the winning manager once m 2008/09 w1th the U14 Nat1onal Schools team who won three games and drew one to wm the champ1onship. However I have been to each nat1onal fmal s1nce 2004 with some fantastiC results being attamed there also.

Netball or hockey? I played county netball as a wing-attack or centre but I preferred hockey as I became a regtonal player and have found the game more exciting to play and to coach. Dance or gym? I defin1tely prefer gym. I enjoyed gym at school and love teachmg 1t as there are so many exciting themes to cover. However I hated dance and I always tned to get my p1ano lesson over the dance lessons. What is your favourite piece of the Games or PE Kit? The team hockey shirt and I like the team socks whiCh are lovely and thick. I think the new PE kit bemg Introduced in the new school year will be more practical w1th use for every pupil in Games lessons and team members. Have you taught any England players? Over the years there have been many successfu l hockey players including Mollte Rawnsley and Datsy Morgan who helped the U 16 team win National F1nals in 2011 I have taught quite a few cross country runners. squash players and even a fell runner who represented England. Are you looking forvvard to the Olympics? If so why? I am really excited about the Olymp1cs I th1nk 1t tS super that it 1s being held in the UK and I thmk 1t IS really niCe that the events are bemg held all over London However I am especially looking forward to workmg at both the hockey and wheelchatr rugby because 1t is a once tn a lifetime opportunity and it will be fantastic to be so close to the act1on

What are you looking forvvard to domg in your retirement? 1 am going to get myself a puppy and go walkmg f!Very day whiCh I haven't been able to do wh1lst teachmg. I am also gomg to do more b1rd watch1ng. Ftnally I am lookt.ng forward to travelling whenever I want and also seemg more of my mother. Wh1ch has been your favourite team to manage? Although I don't have a favounte team because there have been many lovely teams to manage I do remember feeling very proud of the U 18 team of 1984 because 1t was the first time that an U 18 team had made 1t out of the county round and in to the North Finals beating Bradford Gtrls' Grammar to go- something that no other team had managed to do before. 1 have also been to National Finals every y0ar stnce 2004 so 1 think that all those teams who have got there have been very good as well. I wish Miss Applewhtte a happy retirement. Vivi Way (Y8)

§fenys Woods (:En8fisfi)

G lenys JOined the teaching staff of WGHS m 1977. at

times workmg part t1me and at others, full ume. She has g1ven thirty five years' serviCe to the School, 1ts g1rls and 1ts staff, under f1ve Head M1stresses (1ncludmg M1ss Gray as Acting Head M1stress for the 1njured M1ss Hand) both as an inspirational Teacher of English. 111 all its forms, Classics and General Studies, and as a highly esteemed colleague. Havmg only been a colleague to Glenys dunng the past five years, I have had the pleasure of drawing upon the anecdotes and accolades of several of her more long standing colleagues and past students, and I thank them for their part 1n th1s farewell expression of apprec1at1on and best wishes Glenys' determination to serve everyone's best 1nterests has been keenly noted and appreoated in respect of her role as the ATL Representative and as a WGHS founder member of the JNCC (in 2002) working alongs1de the Cha1r of the WGHS common room, the Heads and the Clerk to the Governors. to tenaciously support all colleagues (and the Foundat1on as a whole) espeoally dunng the momentous t1me when the teachers' Threshold process was agreed and in relat1on to numerous other work matters. pay reviews and restructures. Her value 1n this respect cannot be underestimated and I know that she will be greatly m1ssed m this role. Glenys' involvement in the school's relationship with and support of lssenye school can be seen in her three visits there, her laying of the Foundation Stone in the WGHS Hostel, her role as host to both the Head and the Deputy Head of lssenye, and, her support of the lssenye g1rls' developmg belief tn the fact that they have a range of opportunities in hfe. that through education, the1r world can be better. Two of Glenys' favourite memones, recounted tn an lssenye assembly and again m a recent conversation. are of a student debate in which the Head G1rl of lssenye (marned and a mother) made a case which supported the value of a g1rl's educat1on and the actual classroom teachmg of the Jssenye A Level Enghsh L1terature class. Glenys' fatth f1lled ltfe, her commitment and her compassionate Chrisuan approach to ltfe has always ensured that the girls from WGHS who have travelled to lssenye have been encouraged to broaden their horizons whilst develop1ng their empathy and the1r sense of bemg able to have a pos1t1ve impact on the lives of others In the classroom. Glenys has taught Latin for varying penods and across differing year groups since 1978; she worked with the former Head of Classics, Rosemary Lt ltlewood, to sel up and introduce the JMB Classical Studies A Level course. which she then taught for six years. She has taught several components on the previous General Studies syllabus promotmg mtellectual exploration of the Arts, Culture and

Soc1ety and has been a supportive and much loved Form Tutor, especially in Years 1 0 and 11 These relationships Wlth students, whether pastoral or subJect-based, have often extended beyond the students' departure from school, across their umvers1ty careers and even beyond, such bonds have seen Glenys attend two former students' wedd1ngs and become godmother to one little boy. W1thm the English Department. Glenys has taught the whole gamut, school benefitting extensively from her flexibility, whether m teach1ng to cover matermty leaves. havmg a foot tn vanous subject camps, standing in for the HoD as Second tn Charge of the department or during the arrangement of the two joint HoDs As an outstanding and g1fted teacher, she has always taught her beloved A Level English Literature. including the Special papers and preparing students who were seekmg to pursue an English course at university. particularly those Oxbridge applicants who were supported 1n directed lessons. After the introduction of the joint English Language A Level course tn 1980, Glenys taught the course, tn phases, for th1rteen years, until the introduction of the latest 'new' specifiCations. As old g1rl and teachmg pillar of the school, Glenys' love of IJterature is legendary. Miss Gray commented of Glenys the student, that despite not pursuing A level Engl1sh Literature as a stxth former. Glenys actually acquired all the set texts and 'stud1ed the course for herself'. knowmg exactly where her peers were m their studies. This charactenstiC dediCation and breadth of study marked Glenys as not only a clever (she was awarded the then newly established stxth form FoundatiOn Scholarship from the governors, for the calibre of A Level work in lower 6th (Year 12) but as an 'unusual' student - who even 111 Lower 4th was noted to be 'perceptive, prec1se and somewhat pnvate'. Her continuing scholarship has made Glenys an ICOniC role model to Innumerable gtrls and 1t has enthralled me to learn of her s1ttmg her English Literature A Level after her Oxford ClassiCs degree and pnor to her PGCE, as wife and a mother. before beginning work at the school under t he same Head of English who had taught her as a girL In recent years Glenys has been more focussed on the older g1rls and the A Level Literature course, aligned to her role as the department's KSS English Literature Co-ordmator. It was mteresttng to hear of the ume when there were three English L1terature A Level groups (before English Language was offered on the curnculum) and Glenys' first group of Year 12 students was twenty two strong Her unceasmg engagement w1th the breadth and depth of English Literature has made for an astound1ngly rich and vaned teach1ng repertoire Her passion for 'Hamlet'. Hopktns and Heaney 1s renowned amongst the students and the staff; indeed, Helen G1ll commented on havmg taught A level English Literature for twenty years alongs1de Glenys and never having taught 'Hamlet' herself, such was Glenys· pass1on for the text and her ability to msp1re the students and bnng out 1ts complexities for thetr benefit. Glenys possesses a powerful quality of language and the g1ft of shanng 1t, she IS able to bring to life what ts interestmg tn characters and plots, helping girls to realise thetr potential and overcome their d1fficult1es. Angela Sing leton commented that Glenys has 'never lost her freshness ­introducing generations of girls to 'Lord of the Flies' and Golding's view of humanity, she [Gienys] made each class feel as 1f they were d1scovenng its meaning for the f1rst ttme •

She 1S famed amongst her past students for the st1mulus of her 'nature table'. her use of a st.:ulltn the 'Hamlet' lessons, a conch to explore Golding's novel. and her creation of curiOSity- for an old shoe found m the fam1ly home, whose it could have been and why it was there .. 7 Stnct but fa1r, w1th strong classroom discipline, Glenys contmues to have h1gh expectations of her pupils; colleagues and pupils have recounted her 'dot system' for forgotten course books . they knew 'three dots and you're dead. ·no one forgot the1r books three t1mes. desiring to avo1d the 1nev1table resul tmg encounter; it certainly worked. Alongs1de her academic prowess Glenys' love of theatre has ennched her teachmg delivery, during her career here, she has organtsed and taken many school theatre vtsits and sttll, today, uses her own theatre leisure experiences both in her teaching and to anspire a love of the Arts. As a colleague she has always been supportive and compassionate. We have appreciated her good humour and ~romc wtt, her organisation, vigour and dedication Her love of ltaltan and Span1sh shoes w1ll be remembered with affect1on, as w1ll her enjoyment of quirky and unusualttems (her personal octopus mug - a Valentme's Day g1ft from her husband, Mike) and her love of all facets of the natural world (she 1s a member of the RSPB and the WWF ... an av1d VICWer of all thmgs David Attenborough) are tratts of her character wh1ch we have both enJoyed and appreciated. Glenys has always embraced travel, and now she and M1ke are all set to v1sit Iceland, Madagascar and Tasmama, where I'm sure that Glenys' inner Naturalist I B1oph1le-self wtll have free re1gn. One comment rang through from Glenys' colleagues- the1r admiration for the ded~eauon she has shown to fam1ly and career; leavmg WGIIS now means that she w1ll be freer to spend more time wtth her fam1ly and esp~ially her growmg grandchildren. Th1s w1ll be alongside a w1de range of personal and cultural activ1t1es, from learnmg modern Greek and Italian, to reconnecting w1th the Wakcfteld Philharmonic. The latter destre and mtent1on 1s connected to Glenys' past involvement wi th school choirs, both as a student and a teacher, 1ncludmg the Madngal group, and th1s was given a fresh boost v1a th1s year's 'B1g Stng' So 1t JUSt remains for me to say on behalf of all of those whose ltves you have enriched. thank you You will be greatly m1ssed SLH

-

1ln interview with 'Mrs Woods

G lenys Woods, the backbone, heart and soul of the English Literature Department, ftrst came to Wakefield G1rls' H1gh School tn 1964 as a pup1l - study1ng Latin,

Greek and Ancient History at A Level. She went on to study Classics at Oxford and, wh1lst her amb1t1on was to be a full Class1ost, the allures of literature proved too great, and she went on to do her PGCE at Leeds - which offered both ClassiCs and English. Smce then she has 1nsptred. encouraged and enlightened students at WGHS for thirty­five years. When we first encountered Mrs Woods, we were AS-level English l.Jterature pupils JUSt past our GCSEs. Her eccentnc and enthusiastic methods of teachmg quickly won our respect and admirat ion, whilst her ab1ltty to coax us mto unravelling for ourselves the complex and brilliant wo1 ks of literature that we studied meant that our confidence was ever growmg - to the extent that we are now fearless 1n the face of even Chaucer h1mself As Mrs Woods' pupils, we wanted to fmd out more about her time at the school - the place in which she has dedicated so much of her life, and first d1scovered her pass10n for literature - and how she feels to be leav1ng it. So, what brought you back to WGHS? Gosh, bllmey! Cripes. Well, I'm gomg to say - in all genuineness- Divine Prov1dence D1vme, God-given grace! My husband got his first teachmg post 1n Leeds and I got a phone call from M1ss Hand askmg 1f I could come and help out the English Department. At the same ttme, my parents IP.ft the fam1ly home, le>aving 1t vacant.. .so we moved in! Everything moved us to this area. So, I've sort of come back to my beg1nmngs. Would you have preferred to teach Classics? I have actually done qUite a b1t of Class1cs teachtng here ... but no, because there's so much 1n English Literature that is constant discovery, and I love helping other people discover and go on making their own discoveries. A girl once said to me a few years ago, "I'm glad you taught Engltsh because you can reach more g1rls. You've reached more of us than by teachmg Class1cs." What's your favourite memory of WGHS? Oh, gosh You see when I've got so many of them that is very, very d1fficult. 1sn't 1t? I've got so many memones of laughter m A Level Lit. classes. and also Immense fun with GCSE groups. My colleagues m the Engltsh Department particularly have been JUSt wonderful, but one memory st1cks out from not so long ago I was teachtng an A Level group John Clare, and they all came to my house once they were on Study Leave and we all d1d a wall, looltng for John Clare's creatures. We all had bmoculars, I gave them a ltttle quiz that they had to f1ll m as they went round and we, erm, ended up at the pub. I think that IS one of my fondest memories. What will you miss the most about this school? I would m1ss 1nteractmg wtth the gtrls It 1s - 1t's that dynamtc interaction with students that I find so energising and life giving. Yes, that's what I'll mtss: students and that interaction with them. What do you hope students w ill take away with t hem and have taken away from your lessons?

rTiiis year we saidjareweff to ..... ~ rTiiis year we saidjareweff to ..... Weil l hope they wil l take away a lifelong love of Eng lish Literature and a thirst to actually read more and find out more. I hope they will also have learnt to value their own, independent judgements about the things they read and be prepared to think both in a disciplined way and a way that perhaps other people don't.

What are your plans after you leave?

Well, I've sort of got a term of marking time waiting for my husband to retire. I haven't discussed plans with him and so things are still f luid. In that term I'd quite li ke to do private tuition to A Level Lit students. I want to sing. I would like to join a choir again. Yeah. Definitely. I can do that because he can't sing.

Are you sad to be leaving?

I'm terribly sad to leave. But I' ll be glad to get rid of the bureaucracy, the restrictive processes. As you know, I don't like being told I've got to do things by formula. I'm not a formulaic person at all. It's anathema to a free, independent thinker. I w ish I could make up my own syllabus and choose what I have found to be life changing, inspiring and enriching. I've often thought that.

One thing I've learnt a lot, not just about literature, is that teaching has enabled me to go on learning and meeting new authors or new texts, and I've always chosen to do the thing t hat I've never met before because I like new things -as well as having the things I carry in my heart like Keats, Hopkins, 'Hamlet', Heaney. These, along with Shakespeare and Golding, I do feel are my companions. I feel like I've got a present relationship with them. I don't feel that they're dead and gone by any manner of means- well, I know they're not.

I think sometimes we wish we could come to the University of Mrs Woods so we could just sit and listen.

[laughter]

Seriously.

You can't leave. It was such a shock. It's not a job, you can't just leave. It's a way of life!

But you're absolutely right there; it is a way of life. And I can't imagine what a life without teaching is going to be like. Without this interaction and talking to you as I'm talking now. You just need the teacher to get it out there, there's a great power in literature that the teacher just needs to unlock. To be an enabler ... and it's been a privilege to enable.

As you can probably tell from the increasingly hysterical manner of our questions, we were deeply saddened by Mrs Woods' decision to resign from her post. Although we, too, are leaving at the end of this academic year, we feel that she has been such an integral part of school life that WGHS will not be the same without her. We are truly blessed to have been the last class that M rs Woods helped to develop from fumbling beginners- scared of Shakespeare and cautious of Keats - to young women who have delved into the metaphysical, faced shameless effrontery and found faith and beauty in poetry that, without Mrs Woods' careful instruction, we would never have thought to seek.

Mrs Woods, you have been an inspiration, a mentor and a friend. We only hope that, in return for the curiosity, confidence and love of literature you have stirred in us, you accept our gratitude, our love and the best possible wishes for the future.

Honey Watson and Sophie Morgan (Y13)

Sherre '}{arrison (rHea£ of :En8Usfi)

Mrs Sherre Harrison came to join as Head of the English

Department in September 2009 but she came with a distinct advantage: she already knew many of the proverbia l ropes as she had had a year with us in the English Department from 2007-2008. Sherre has seemingly limitless energy and internal personal resources as she took on a big, busy department with huge examination responsibility. She appeared to put administrative tasks in their place and matters were effected almost as soon as mentioned. Orders and systems were Sherre's speciality and all knew if Sherre was asked to do something, it would be done. Colleagues know her as responsible and reliable and as one who looks below the surface and thinks through issues. She was a valued member of several working parties for this reason. She brought the same drive to ensuring that the individual pupils' needs were met and held countless sessions w ith pupils studying for GCSE, AS and A Level. It is a wonder and a tribute to her that as Head of English she continued her past huge involvement with Senate in school and with Senior Public Debating Competitions across the region. Many, many senior girls have benefited from her giving up evenings and Saturdays to enable them to garner success and experience in this field. Sixth Formers grew visibly in their expertise and confidence in debate thanks to her advice and encouragement. • Sherre is resigning in order to move closer to and be of more assistance to her family, particularly her small nephew. We wish her the very best in all the changes and challenges the next few months will bring. We know she wil l be equal to them! GEW

:EUzabetfi Cross (mstory)

It is with great regret that we bid farewell to Elizabeth Cross who joined the Histor Department at WGHS in September 2002. Lizzy has been an exceptionally valuable

member of the department and her presence wil l be strongly missed by all her colleagues and by the students to whom she has devoted such valuable care. We hope she does not mind too much about her return to the South as she has enjoyed so much being an 'honorary northerner' and is exceptionally proud of the fact that, although she has never qu ite been able to master the Wakefield accent. her daughters have become skilled practitioners of it!

From the beginning it was always clear that we had acquired someone special in Lizzy as very few other colleagues have ever needed to reschedule their interview because they were having tea w ith Prince Charles! Lizzy then arrived to teach with an exemplary set of carefully researched notes but displayed considerable sang froid when her Head of Department proceeded to drench them w ith coffee! Clearly nothing was going to deter her and she proceeded to teach an astonishingly wide range of topics over the ten years during which she ha? been with us. The department's reading programme 1n the lower school owes much to her initiatives, GCSE students were taken on very successful tours of Poland and Germany, and at A level nothing was ever beyond her capabilities. During successive years she turned her hand to Medieval Europe, the Angevins, the Wars of the Roses, t he Tudors, the Stuarts, Modern Russia, Nazi Germany, Fascist Spain, and Civil Rights in the USA. Few History teachers can boast such a wealth of expertise and, as jf this were not enough, she was always ready to throw in impromptu Italian lessons and to agree to her timetable being altered at the very last minute in order to help out the Classics Department! The above makes it very clear just how exceptional a History teacher Lizzy is, but the current Year 12 also owe her a great debt of gratitude for the very fine pastoral care she gave them during their fi rst five years in the school. Never afraid to be a fearsome disciplinarian when necessary, Lizzy was nevertheless a fundamenta lly sympathetic Head of Year who did a great deal to instil into her year group the very high standards which she has always followed in her own life. From my own experience of teaching this year group, I am well aware of just what great potential it has and this owes much t o the excellent job Lizzy did with her students. We will all miss Lizzy a great deal, but wish her and her family all the very best for t he very successful future which they undoubtedly deserve. ADS

Mick §fe8fiorn

M ick joined the High School in 1995 having previously worked in the IT Industry. Things were very different back then with the entire number of computers

totalling somewhere around f ifty machines. We had a grand total of sixteen PCs and a small network of twenty four BBC Archimedes computers in what is now IT3. The total number of staff machines was two. And so began an era of rapid expansion, with Mick provid ing the technical expertise and problem solving ability which allowed us to set up our first real PC network. Throughout the period of the 1990s, computers became an essential part of education and administration. The demands of the school grew, the demands of the pupils grew and, as Mick was fully aware, the demands of staff grew. New technologies and developments kept Mick in his t oes and the dedication he showed researching and m?stering these technologies should not be under stated. MKk has been at the forefront of our network expansion and has been the 'go to' man whenever a technical problem needed solving.

He now leaves us to enjoy what we all hope is an extremely long and very happy retirement w ith his wife Pauline - who we perhaps should simply refer to as 'management'. His hard work and dedication to his job w ill be sincerely missed by staff and his fel low colleagues in IT support who have nothing but the utmost respect for him and the skills he has shared with us.

Very best wishes for your future. ML

Yvette Shaw (1viatron) ette joined the school as a job-sharing Matron in

November 2011 , bringing w ith her a vast amount of hands-on nursing experience, most recently acquired

from working in 'A & E'. She immediately slotted into the w ider pastoral team, bringing new ideas and a fresh approach. Yvette has reviewed policy and practice and provided staff training as well as delivering PSHE sessions. She has a huge passion for improving the lives and health of both students and staff on both an immediate and strategic level and we have all learnt from her experience. Yvette has fantastic listening skills and is incredibly empathetic and perceptive. She has made a huge difference to the lives of the g irls she has supported, treated and taught and I know how much they appreciate her. As a colleague she has educated, supported and helped in so many different ways. Yvette is incredibly thoughtful, always prepared to listen and has a great sense of humour. She will be missed by both staff and students but we wish her every success in the next stage of her career.

JAT

Lesfey :lv1e((or (1viatron)

Lesley Mellor joined the WGHS staff in February 2010 to cover Matron's maternity leave and immediately proved to be a huge asset to the school. She immersed herself

in life at WGHS, supporting students and staff, attending events and always being prepared to offer sound advice and a helping hand. When Matron returned from her maternity leave, Lesley agreed to job share w ith her, later taking over the role full time, when Matron moved to Scotland. Lesley has always been prepared to put the needs of WGHS and the students first and agreeing to go ful l time at short notice was a typical example of that. For the past year Lesley has been a job-sharing Matron again and her excellent people skills have enabled her to work successfully as part of a team, which is an integral and essential element of the pastoral support provided by school for all girls. Any girl being supported by Lesley, either for the simplest or most complex of needs, is assured of outstanding care, compassion and consistently sound advice. Lesley has had a huge impact on numerous girls' lives and I know they appreciate the difference she has made. As a colleague she has that great ability to get things right, offering comfort where necessary or a pep talk where required, combined with a great sense of humour and endless amounts of support. Staff and girls alike will miss her but we wish her every happiness for a future w ith a bit more time available for both her family and herself!

JAT

I

~(ison 'Dover (Li6rarian)

It was w1th great sadness that the school expenenced the death of Ahson Dover, the Learning Resource Centre Manager, m Apnl 2012, followmg a long and courageous

battle with cancer Although Alison init1ally tramed as a des1gner, even spending several years working for Skopos in nearby Batley, where she met her fiance Phil, a change of career direct1on saw her enter the 'library serv1ce', becoming the WGHS Learnmg Resource Centre Manager in January 2009. From that moment on she contributed greatly to the life of the school in a whole range of act1vit1es and events ranging from, lnformat1on Morning and Study Skills to the Futures Th1nkmg Programme and the Extended Project Qualif1cat1on (EPQ). But above all of this she thrived most amidst the surroundmgs of the Library and 'working' with the girls, espec1ally her trusted librarians. Consequently it was of little surpnse that th1s group of girls experienced the greatest loss m a school community bereft. A loss made all the more po1gnant by the fact that Alison and Phil were due to marry m June 2012. If Ahson and her family, espec1ally Ph1l, can take any comfort from recent events 1t is from the warmth and shared emotion expressed by the whole school commun1ty, not only during a moving funeral serv1ce m Leeds, but espec1ally m the book of condolence opened in the Library. Therefore 1s seems most appropnate to close th1s eulogy by sharing some of the thoughts and comments expressed by the g1rls. This would have undoubtedly meant the most to Alison. (These are Illustrated m anonym1ty) "We will never forget your purple clothes and your awesome purple heels" (this recalls Alison's love for the colour purple) "Miss Dover, you'll be missed so much. Your smile and happy personality will be remembered forever. Thank you for brightening up every morning and for being an amazing librarian".

"We will always think of you because, for us, you were the Ubrary (LRC) ". "Thank you for making the Library the perfect 'home' at school". "You were so brave and always kept smiling, never giving up and always being an inspiration for us all. I could always count on your advice because you were always unavoidably honest. Even if you did say things I didn 't want to hear". As a mark of continued respect. the school's sponsored walk: m September 2012 w1ll become 'The Ahson Dover Memondl Walk', w1th all the proceeds going to Cancer Research If you are readmg th1s eulogy and hoping to partiCipate 1t will be an opportunity to remember Alis,on and to follow the 'purple markers'. DJE

'Rosie § i((ott (Yu)

'Francis Potts

Lucy '}(arereaves

'}(anna fi Critcf1

(joverning 'Bodj; 2011-12 : ~eecli Vay 2011

Co-Opted Governors

Jason L Brook BSc (Hons) Susan Brown BSc (Hons)

Jan Garner FCA, CTA Malcolm Golightly MIMS, FCIPD

Marie Green BA (Hons) M ichael Hird BA

Claire Lawton FCA Douglas R Metcalfe LLB (Hons) John Mcl eod MA, DMS, FRSA

Dr Mahendra G Patel Ph.D, BPharm (Hons), MRPharmS Dennis Wheatley B TECH (Hons), C.ENG, MICE, FCIHT

David A Young BSc (Hons)

Nominated Governors

Nominated by the Council of the University of Leeds Angela Byram FCCA

Nominated by the Council of the University of York Nigel Dandy BA (Hons)

Nominated by the Chapter of Wakefield Cathedral Canon Andrea Hofbauer

Nominated by the Council of the University of Sheffield Dr Penny Simons BA (Hons), MA, PhD

Nominated by the Counci l of the University of Huddersfield Dr Martyn A Walker BA (Hons) MA, PhD, PGCE

·straddled' between the respective school inspection visits Speech Day 2011 came at a peculiar time, especially from a staff

perspective. On the one hand it is always nice to listen and reflect on the achievements of the 'last' cohort of Year 13 students in light of their academic and personal successes, but on the other hand the pending return of the inspectors meant that present day reality was just around the corner. Nonetheless Speech Day 201 1 was once again a day rich in celebration, just as much as the end of the inspection was very much a cathartic experience. As Speech Day fell on Armistice Day it was perhaps appropriate that the Chair of the Governing Body's opening remarks concentrated on past and present conflicts and, in stark contrast, for our own young people congregated in the hall, to have the opportunity to fulfil their potential and aspirations without such disruption and catastrophe.

Subsequent ly, following an inspirational marimba solo by Sophie Smith, the Chair introduced guest speaker Deirdre Bounds. Although Deirdre describes herself as an 'ethical entrepreneur' her CV is rich and varied. In addition to establishing the travel company ito i. com, Deirdre has turned her hand to many things from being a successful author and TV presenter to being an English teacher and mother of two. Nonetheless the emphasis of her address, aimed particu larly at the girls, concentrated on the importance of risk taking, meeting challenges and communicating effectively in what is an extremely competitive global jobs market. In her own idiosyncratic, humorous and self deprecating way Deirdre delighted the audience with her anecdotes about travel, enterprise and people- all linked together around a common theme of 'effective communication'. Ultimately Deirdre encouraged the girls to "take out their earphones, avoid the temptation to text and fine tune their communication skills". She went on to suggest that being an effective listener and conversationalist will distinguish you from the rest, breed confidence and prepare you for the challenges ahead. In light of Deirdre's own commercial success this is clearly sound advice.

All in all Speech Day was a delightful occasion where, albeit momentarily, the pressures of the moment disappeared, not to mention the distractions of mobile phones and texting.

DJE

Head Girl - Lucie Baker Deputy Head Girl -Charlotte Morris

Se1tior Prefects

Pnya Aggarwal

Phoebe Attia Elizabeth Brown

Hollie Firth Amy Hibbins

Maisie Martland

Georg1a Dudleston Em1ly Kaye Megan Richmond Deepa Ah1r N1amh Duffy Roseanna Keighley Emily R1dge Aleena Altaf Anton1a Eves Neelam Khan Faith Ridler Belh Atkinson Alice Fletcher Becky Lancaster E:vie Robinson Holly Barden Harnet Flooks Emma Lewis Isabelle Robinson Abbyga1l Bell lucy Fox Bethan Liddy Amanda Scutfham Hannah Bennett Has1tha Gmjupalli Soph1a Lindley Zoe Shackleton Charlotte Bevan Gayatri Gogoi Olivia Lister Melanie Sharp

Prefects

Anastasia Blair Emma Goy Alic1a Livmgston Em1ly Sharpe Alta Bracewell Charlotte Gulliver Elizabeth Long Henna Sh1wani Alexandra Brown Louisa Guy Louisa Long Sophie Smith Natalie Brown Emily Hall Louisa Lumley Monica Soliman

Kate Nichols Mohini Patel

Rebecca Smith Gayathri Vakkalanka

Jessica Chen Emily Hall Katie Mumby Audra Taylor Alice Ch'ng Ciara Hornshaw Beverley Murray Catherine Uttley Susie Collett Molly Howe Chloe Murray Aditi Verma • Lara Colwood Alice Jackson Ellie Newton Cheryl Wan

Georgia Burghardt-Scriven Rachel Connell Gayatri Gogoi Rachel Jones Kat1e Lyons Jessica Parker Harnette Spe1ght-Hulme Natasha Watson Bryony Butler Katherine Cooper Emma Goy Simmerjeet Kaur Balreen Mehat Teena Patel Laura Stead Lott1e Woodall Lucy Carveth-Johnson Emma Cresswell Charlotte Gull1ver Emily Kaye Hannah Mitchell Jasmine Puckering Lauren Stephenson Ruby Zoccolan Eleanor Cawthorne Bethany Duckitt Louisa Guy Roseanna Keighley Sophie Morgan Lydia Reynolds Hanne Talbot

Year 13 has been one of the toughest, most challeng•ng years of our school career, and yet has also been the most reward1ng and exating. We can scarcely believe

that a year ago, we were considering our options for our futures ahead of G1rls' High. And here we are now; about to take our final exams. ready to make last year's plannmg a present reality.

A t11ghllght of the year for many of us was the Chnstmas Revue. Months of preparation, planning and pract1ce went

1nto creat1ng an 'around the world' themed revue. The whole year group clubbed together to produce a truly enJoyable and memorable performance that we will never forget.

The h1ghs of the revue seemed to transfer through to ac<1demic success. both in modular exams and for many g1rls the rece1vmg of university offers. The prospect of gomg to univ=>rs1ty suddenly became very real. We then began to real ,p that out time at WGHS was drawmg to a close much sooner than we had anticipated.

Th1s meant that planning for our final week had to begin. F1rst was the handover to the new Head Girl Team. It was an emotional assembly whiCh really h1ghllghted how fast this last year had gone. We wish the new team the best of luck and we know they will do a really fantastiC JOb representing the school as leaders among their peers

Agam weeks of preparation went into the annual Leavers' Fancy Dress Day. There were a vanety of costumes ranging

from sheep to monkeys, Teletubbies to Tweenies, Winn1e the Pooh to Angry Birds, Crayola crayons to cutlery. A bizarre parade through assembly marked the beginning of the end for us.

Saying goodbye 1n our final assembly had to be one of the hardest thmgs we have ever had to do. Songs befitting of our emot1ons that day were performed by talented members of the year group and had many, staff and pup1ls alike 1n

tears. Pictures and videos representmg our t1me at the school and the friendships we have made seemed an appropnate and fittmg way for us to leave and be remembered by. However this was not qu1te the end JUSt yet, we still had to celebrate our time together w1th a Leavers' Lunch and of course, May Balli It was a great night. thoroughly enjoyed by all. After a small awards ceremony dancing followed, w1th some of the staff even managing to treat the dancefloor to some truly slick moves. It really was the perfect way to end our time together.

Before we head off in our vanous d1rect1ons. be that un1vers1ty, gap years or travel. we would like to take th1s opportunity on behatf of the whole of Year 13 to thank the staff and school for everythmg they have g1ven us during our t1me here. We will always look upon this school as a second home, and for this we can never fully express our grat1tude. Once a High School Girl, always a H1gh School Girl!

Lucie Baker and Charlotte Morris (Y13)

Leaver,s' 'Baff 2012 "" Leavers' 'Baff 2012 •• T

he buzz in the common room finally was abated when the day of the Leavers' Ball arrived at last. Following preparations, which for some began at midday, hair

was done, nails were painted, lips were glossed, photos were taken ... and it was time to go to the ball. Despite the threats of rain we were welcomed into The Space. which had been elegantly decorated to suit the event, with a red carpet reception. Every girl looked beautiful in their own way, with dresses to challenge even the most glamorous of celebrity red carpet events. The girls glowed w ith happiness. excitement and gentle amounts of false tan. The latter however could not be said for some of the boys who ventured a spray tan for the occasion. As well as ensuring that the venue looked perfect. the dedicated Leavers' Ball

Committee also laid on an awards presentation which acknowledged and celebrated some of the unforgettable characters of our year and the acceptance speeches from both staff and students alike did not disappoint. Following the meal, we needed no encouragement to quite literally kick off our shoes and dance; sharing the dance floor with teachers and principals of the school was a privilege and will, I'm sure be a fond memory. The whole evening was a glittering success, and many thanks are owed to the staff and all members of the Leavers' Ball Committee for their hard work. Leaving school has conjured up a wealth of fond memories and I am sure that for many, the Leavers' Ball w ill be a precious addition to this valuable collection.

Chloe Murray (Y13)

• .. YeaJ" 13 Leavers' 'Fa1zcy 'D1"ess

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Head Girl - India Heaversedge Deputy Head Girl - Abigail Burrows

Senior Prefects

Pippa Bayford Charlie Cheetham Joanne Coughlan

Hannah Field Rosie Gillott

Vicky Allan Carne Easter Tabassum Iqbal Modupe Sanni Elrzabeth Arnold Tanya EI-Khatrb Krnna Joannou Olivra Schorah Emma Atkrnson Katie Finnerty Bethany Keenan Vicki Smith Rebecca Atkinson Ella Forrest Katie Lawton Elizabeth Sommerville Charlotte Auty Georgrna Freeman Rachel Lee Emma Stoner Jo-Anna Billington Holly Freeman Alrcra Lee-Clarke Elite Theaker

Prefects

Annie Blackburn Bethany Garrard Helen Magyar Laura Thornton Mana Boldison Alice Graye Amy Marsden Amy Toon Rebecca Bruce Anya Guy Amber Mclauchlan Rosie Tovey Bethany Burns Alex Hainan Sophie Metcalfe Ellie Townsend Sophie Carrigill Lizzi Heaney Kathryn Mountain Holly Tracey Charlotte Cole Amy Henshaw Rebecca Oates Cinthu Vrvehananthan

Aayushi Gupta Abigail Kirkbright Emma Knowles

Sarah Train Holli Yu

Alexis Cooling Rebecca Heseltine Rebecca Peace Imogen Wade Lucy Cooper Linden Hird Beckie Pearson Erin Weatherstone Ruth Cooper Sarah Holling Rosie Pickersgill Olivia vyhite Laura Cox Katie Holmes Hannah Pollock Emma Woodhouse Katherine Dalby Kathryn Houghton Emily Quinn Alice Wright Elizabeth Dobson Ellie Howley Bronte Rerlly Rebecca Youngs

I t was the day, the 4th of May, and everyone had been talkmg about the outcome of the assembly since Year 7. Who would be the next Head G1rl? Tensions were runmng

h1gh m the common room with apprehension, excitement and uncertainty. People were already beginn1ng to cry as we made our way 10 to the assembly hall, and we too~ our seats knowmg that the new leader of the school sat amongst us Adding to the electnc atmosphere, a f1lm crew

from Barbara Hepworth Gallery was taking footage of the elect1ons for their one year anniversary. Our Head of Year Mrs Loftus first read out the prefects for the followmg year who all stood up leaVIng only the Sen1or Prefects, Deputy Head Girl and Head G1rl. Everyone was sm1ling, knowing who the1r new officials were

When our names were not announced once again as the Semor Prefects were called, we were overcome w1th happiness that our year group had chosen us to represent them as Head Girl and Deputy Head G1rl Mrs Loftus called out Abby's name as the new Deputy and the official gown and silver medal was passed over. Only one girl had not been called . As my name was read out, all heads turned to see their new Head Girl. I walked to the stage to collect my gown and gold medal as all Year 1 2 stood and cheered, elated with their new team.

The morning quickly turned into a wh1rlwind as we made our way to Mrs Wallwork's office to phone and share the news w1th our parents, whilst t1ssues were passed around to dab away tears. Following th1s, Abby and I travelled across the Foundat1on meeting all Headteachers, and then had our offiCial photos taken.

Together, we look forward to leadmg our peers as other g~rls have done for many years before

India Heaversedge and Abiga1l Burrows (Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl 2012-13)

At 4am, on July 7th 2011, a party of WGHS staff and students took over the departure lounge of Leeds Bradford Airport ready to embark on the experience of

a lifetime. After months of endless preparation, fundraising and hard work. it was finally time to make the long journey to Africa. We arrived in Nairobi, Kenya very late and after an exhausting day of travelling, everybody was ready for a good night's sleep. The following morning, before continuing with the journey to Tanzania, we went to visit Sheldrick Elephant Sanctuary, where unlike a typical zoo in England, we were able to get extremely close to the elephants and were enlightened about the charming relationship between the animals and keepers, who actually sleep in the enclosure with the elephants every night. This visit also gave many of us our first taste of the massive cultural differences between African and English education. A large group of primary school children arrived, all with evident tears and snags in their uniform, imperfections which at WGHS would be deemed as unfit to wear.

After the elephant sanctuary it was onwards with the journey to Tanzania, stopping at Kembu Lodge overnight before continuing with the tiring bus ride. Although sixteen hours of travelling in cramped conditions may seem unbearable, the scenery had so much to offer, what with the local wild life and the impoverished living conditions we were exposed to throughout the duration of the drive. I can definitely speak for everyone in saying that being exposed to such surroundings really did put so much into perspective. Once into Tanzania and I would never have thought that the roads would have become worse, but they certainly did, becommg much more rocky and uneven. We pay so much money at home to go off-roading yet Africans

get to do it every day for free! We finally arrived at lssenye Secondary School early evening on the Saturday and were greeted by all the students as if we were royalty, it was completely overwhelming. After settling in to our new basic home for the next two weeks, it was time to get some rest. ready for what was sure to be an incredible experience. At home, I'm used to waking up to the sound of my alarm clock. but Sunday morning in lssenye I woke up to the sounds of students singing, which I must say, is one of my favourite memories from the whole trip. There was a lot of organising to be done regarding our teaching groups and we spent much of the day making sure we were fully prepared.

Monday morning came, at the early time of 6:30am, and we were soon gathering all our teaching equipment and walking down to assembly. After hearing such beautiful singing from the students it was our turn to sing our national anthem to the whole school. and admittedly our voices aren't quite as impressive as theirs. We then had to introduce ourselves individually to the school in Swahili; something which was rather intimidating as hundreds of unfamiliar faces were transfixed, listening attentively to our somewhat incorrect pronunciation. After assembly, it was straight into our first day of teaching, which we were all very much looking forward to, but also a little bit anxious. We were teaching Form 1, which is the equivalent of our Year 7. Stepping into the classroom for the first time was a massive culture shock; everything was completely different to the average WGHS classroom. Not only was the classroom overcrowded, there wasn't even any glass in the windows. We had been in there a minute and things were already being put into perspective, and I realised that even with basic necessities, we take them for granted .

After being allocated our teaching group, we had to learn names for the register, which was a task in itself and some took several attempts to pronounce properly. However, with the students laughing once again at our poor African pronunciation, it helped to break the ice and was not only beneficial for us as teachers, but for the students to feel more comfortable around us. Over the next two weeks we taught three different groups, and it was a pleasure to have students greeting us on a morning with 'good morning madam', or telling us how much they enjoyed their lesson.

H.eanng such positive comments from the students really did make everything so worthwhile, and knowing that you were teaching them something new and they understood it Was so encouraging. Other than teaching, we had to play sports with the students, and to say they have very little

access to good sporting facilities; many of them had incredible athletic ability which completely amazed me. Furthermore, if you even mentioned the word 'football' to the boys, all of them could tell you in detail about all the Premiership clubs and who they supported, along with their favourite players. It was unbelievable how much they knew to say that their access to media and technology is so limited compared to ours.

During the two weeks, between the whole group we had contact with every single student in school, and during our photo sessions with each year group, it became increasing ly difficult not to get attached to lssenye. We also interacted with the community outside of the school, visiting the local primary school, the church and the village, which furthered my longing to stay in lssenye, as everywhere we went, wP

were made to feel most welcome. I must admit that previous to the trip, I had my reservations about going, but once I was there it felt like a home away from home, and I was enjoying every single moment. As a group I felt like we were becoming a family, as we would teach together, relax together, wash our clothes together, watch the sunset together, and of course eat all our meals together. In all honesty I wasn't even missing my parents back home as I had sixteen new family members to look after me. One part of the trip I feel it necessary to mention is water. During our visit. the students sacrificed their best water for us; something which I know we all felt incredibly guilty about as they have increasingly had problems with water availability this year. Having to watch the students carry their good water and pour it into our tanks was very uncomfortable. especially as each student had to carry a

•

number of buckets, which were very heavy. In true WGHS style, we all decided to help out and carry some water in true African style; on our heads. At home we just have to turn on a tap to get water or open a bottle, but at lssenye, the amount of effort it requires really does make it so much more va luable.

Our stay at lssenye flew by, and I couldn't believe it when it came to the final assembly, which was planned to perfection. We presented T-shirts to the winning sports sides after the popular WGHS tournament, listened to the beautiful singing of the various choirs, and bid farewell to all the faces we had once deemed as strangers. We also confirmed what the money we had raised was going towards; feeding all the students of lssenye for six months and hence keeping the school open. I could not have been happier with the decision, especially when seeing the look of gratitude on the students' faces. After watching the last

sunset together on the rocks and having our last supper w ith the staff at the school, we were presented with gifts as thanks for our work at the school; Africa-style dresses w ith necklaces, and we could not wait to put them on ! After giving the staff a fashion show of our new attire, it was time to go to bed before heading back to the Kenyan border before the next part of our adventure began.

After a very long journey back into Kenya, we were in the Maasai Mara, infamous for being home to The Big Five, and many other animals. We definitely had luck on our side, as before we even started our Safari, we managed to see all of The Big Five on our way to the hotel. We couldn't believe it. Over the next few days we were fortunate enough to see more than we cou ld have anticipated, seeing the start of a hunt, and the wildebeest migration across the Mara River. There were even hippos and elephants surrounding our hotel. After being so fortunate during our t ime on Safari, we had a short journey to make for the last instalment of our trip; Elsamere. It was here that Joy Adamson established her relationship with Elsa the lion amongst other animals and it was the location where Out of Africa was filmed. I was also lucky enougl\1 to be celebrating my 18th birthday at Elsamere, and I could not have had a better day. We took a boat trip across Lake Navasha to Crescent Island (where Tomb Raider was filmed) where we could walk literally two metres away from giraffe and zebra, as there are no predators on the island. Lake Navasha is home to hundreds of hippos, and on the ride back we were lucky enough to see two large families. Afterwards, we enjoyed a brief visit to Crater Lake before returning to Elsamere. I was having an unforgettable 18th. We had been warned by the staff at Elsamere about hippos on the lawns at night, and after our evening meal, we saw a

mother and her calf hiding in the corner of the lawns, which was incredible, but quite scary as we'd been told how dangerous they were. After a truly wonderfu l 18th birthday at Elsamere, it was time to make our final stop at the Fairview Hotel before heading home. After two weeks of washing ourselves with a bucket and water, we were amazed to have a real power shower with hot water. We had our last group dinner together that evening and it was the perfect way to end the trip.

I have to say, after a long day of flying, I was thankful to land at Leeds Bradford Airport the following evening. I returned to England as an adult, and after only a short space of time, I felt like I had really grown up and had learnt what to really appreciate in life. It's been two months since I left lssenye, and I still miss it terribly. The people there have left a massive imprint in my life, and I did not anticipate that I would feel so attached to the school

and the students in particular. I admit that I didn't think I would enjoy the trip at all, but it honestly was the best thing I have ever done, and teaching out there was so rewarding. I think I went to lssenye as a young girl who lacked confidence, and I feel that since returning I have become an independent and open-minded young woman.

I would really encourage anyone to do something like I have this summer. It was worth every penny and I just hope that the school continues to develop the strong link that we have with lssenye Secondary School. As I was leaving, I was told by staff and students alike to send their best wishes to you all and thank you for your kindness; they really do appreciate it.

Lucy Chaplin

Dr Korosi has given me liberty to write a detailed account of our trip and I have been told that mild insults are allowed (and deserved in some cases) ... so

a little banter and some giggles are allowed. (Can you tell that 1 may not be at school anymore but still fea r a good telling off?)

The route: Morecambe to Humanby Gap. The time limit: two and a half days. The charities: The Laura Crane Trust and The MS Trust. The girls (normally used to whizzing around in fancy cars as their form of transport): Charlotte Ferris, Becca West, Sarah Proud, Harriet Jones, Jenna Guy and Ellie Richmond. The Parents: The Jones's, Tracy Proud ('Trace the Pace') and determined Diane Guy. The man with the mad plan: Dr Korosi. The support team: Mr and Mrs Hartley. The comforter: Kirsty 'Machine' Vogan. The mileage: one hundred and forty amazing miles.

We all met bright eyed and cheery, at Morecambe Lifeboat Centre, showing off our new very attractive padded cycling shorts (that resembled something akin to a giant nappy) and our pimped out bikes (can't forget the heavenly gel seats that did wonders for the bottom!). We'd all had interesting journeys to the meeting point.. ..... Jenna Guy and Sarah Proud had tasted the delights of Morecambe nightlife the previous night (namely exhilarating Frankie & Benny's and Witherspoons); I had spent the entire train journey being entertained by a plumber and a teacher who were also doing the coast to coast cycle route and briefly escaping for a trip to the toilet , I came back to find them both playing ukuleles and loudly performing a rendition of their own little song that went something along the lines of, 'Met a girl on the train, her name was Ellie, her belly ain't ha lf as big as ours for sure, that'll be the beer of course' ... . I won't go on ! Becca West had been driven by her chauffeur boyfriend who constantly reminded her of the not-so­sexiness of the cycling shorts she was wearing, probably a hint to never wear them again. (I can hardly see the cycling shorts making an appearance out around town anytime soon!)

The f irst day was actually the hardest for most of us due to the hills near Hawes and the weather was not particularly on our side as it was sticky and humid. We unfortunately also lost Becca West for a part of the journey as an old golfing injury resurfaced, although she later triumphantly

managed to re-join the ride. Despite all this, we made it to Hawes' Youth Hostel. In spite of a slightly scary chef who came out in his whites that were splattered from head to toe in red droplets that turned out not to be the D of E participants we'd seen arriving earlier but to be our tomato soup starter, we all wolfed down our dinner (in Jenna's case two dinners and a sandwich back in the room and some crisps thrown in there too and perhaps a chocolate bar. Quite rightly deserved!) and then headed out to Hawes with our donation tins and proudly wearing our charity t-shirts. We managed to gain around £100 merely from going from pub to pub asking for donations. On this particular evening, I believe I "took one for the team" when a slightly older man, when I asked him to donate, replied by asking my name, kissing my hand and gradually working his way up my arm. Needless to say he'd probably had a little too much as he then offered me his Land Rover keys to which the rest of the team (who stood and watched this event choosing to stay well back) subsequently complained that I should have taken up the offer and sold it for charity .... at least he donated generously!

The second day and sixty miles loomed before us as we ravaged our cooked breakfasts. Today would take us from Hawes to Helmsley. It took us up the White Horse t rail which was a very long and very, with an emphasis on very, steep hill . Harriet, Kirsty, Dr Korosi, Mr and Mrs Jones and Charlotte all managed to bike up the majority of this climb and should indeed be congratulated! The second day was the most enjoyable for most of us as we learned everyone's pace and 'Trace the Pace' (Tracy Proud) kept the pace at the rear whilst Charlotte and Kirsty were literally 'keeping up with the Jones' who set the pace up front. Little pleasures along the way (such as an early stop for cake and tea) and the joy that is f irst gear, kept us going. The last evening consisted of lots of sticky toffee pudding, a very tense game of giant jenga that tested Sarah and Jenna's skills acquired whilst at WGHS (A levels seemed nothing in comparison to the challenge of giant jenga) and a race back to the hostel as we'd spent a little too long at the pub and suddenly realised that the hostel was locked at 10.30 (rowdy bunch of cyclists, honestly ... ) Everyone was ready for bed. However, no one expected a monster to terrorise the girls that evening. There we were, peacefully drifting off to sleep

when screams of absolute terror could be heard down the corridor. The next thing we knew Tracy Proud was sprinting down the hall mumbling catatonically about the beast that had invaded their room. Sarah Proud's bed was violated by the biggest spider known to man. However, Mrs Jones saved the day and all slept safely.

On the third and f inal morning, the smell of deep heat was in the air as the girls shook off the aches and pains. The last day required serious endeavour through Thirsk and Malton - Dr Korosi in particular as he had valiantly swapped his road bike for Jenna's mountain bike to make the journey slightly more bearable for Jenna! rhis did not however seem to stop him as he put us all to shame cycling up the hills past us. A particular memory for me would be when Jenna, Sarah and myself no longer cared, stopping by the roadside (a quiet country lane I'll point out!) to go to the totlet all in a row laughing at how little we now cared about our lack of modesty and dignity (H igh School girls fear nothing after all !) The signs sped past as the mileage to Humanby began to decrease. I can't quite remember who it was who first shouted, ' I CAN SEE THE SEA!' but sheer relief and delight was felt all around as the six students all rode proudly into Humanby Gap together. A fantastic memory will be t he very last hill going up to Humanby; absolutely everyone made it up the hill without stopping or walking, the determination of all was clearly evident. After flopping momentarily we made our way down to the beach and the whole team (parents and staff included) joined hands in a line and wea ri ly attempted to run into the sea. Kirsty Vogan is a triathlete (swimmer, runner and cyclist) so we jokingly pointed out how in two days we had also done the same thing and she had nothing on us. Myself, Jenna and Sarah may have gone a step too far, actually swimming in the sea forgetting that we were in cycling gear. My parents had drinks waiting for us all on the beach (I'd asked for cider but they brought champagne, oh well, life's tough!) It was hilarious how we all hadn't moaned for the majority of the trip and had conquered hills that at most had an incline of around 25% until, as we were walking back from the beach, We looked up towards the slope to get back up the cliff to the cars and there was a general sound of, 'eurgh'. One

last climb, then hot showers, copious amounts of chocolate and bed seemed the general consensus.

Thanks must go to Mr and Mrs Hartley, for driving around all of our belongings and always being there at the stops, waiting and ready for us. Also, thanks go to Hattie for arranging the charity T-shirts. Thanks must also go to Kirsty, who has just fin ished university but took the time to come along with us and offer her support and help. Finally, thanks must go to the parents who kept us all safe on t he road; to Diane Guy for showing us great determination even when she was red in the face; to Tracy Proud in pa rticular for being a second mother, making sure we were always okay and keeping us together on the road; to Mrs Jones who provided endless fruit out of her Mary Poppins bag and Mr Jones who was the man to see if the tyres were sagging.

Despite the bruises and the aches and the sores and the constant swallowing of corn f lies as we sped along and perhaps never being able to properly walk again, at least we can proud ly say we've cycled across the country ! How many 18 year aids can say that? I have been inspired to carry on cycl ing (I'm even taking my bike to un iversity, pause for gasp ... ) and I'm sure many of the girls w ill no longer look at a bike w ith utter distain! Well done girls!

Dr Korosi intends this to be his last Coast to Coast w ith the School. He deserves enormous credit and thanks for running this incredible event. In his own words, he is "Humbled by what young people can accomplish which I guess is why I enjoy the teaching profession so much ... " and that appears to be the on ly reward he seeks! What a top man! On behalf of all concerned, a great deal of thanks must go to him. His love of cycling has allowed many girls to benefit from this experience for many years. The amount we raised this year was over £2000 and the amount raised from the Coast to Coast trip over the years is £15,000 all in aid of smaller charities. If you do get the chance to do the Coast to Coast absolutely go for it: it's difficult without a doubt but as we all proved, you don't have to be a professiona l cyclist to do it. It's all about the mentality, the perseverance and determination. With only a few weeks left before A level and University results and the rest of our lives, it really was a memorable way to end our time w ith WGHS.

Eleanor Richmond

Ust summer a group of over ninety intrepid pupils from

WGHS and QEGS embarked on a once in a lifetime xpedition to, in the words of Paddington Bear,

Deepest, Darkest Peru. They had the chance to experience the real Peruvian lifestyle, they stayed for a month and seemed to enjoy it immensely. Since this was not just a holiday but a school trip, unfortunately for the pupils, there was absolutely no, or at least very little, slacking off. Not o~ly did they live and breathe the fascinating Peruvian ex1stence but also focused on charity work in order to develop a better life for the deprived people living in rural areas. Peru is situated in the upper west coast of South America with ~he majority of the population speaking Spanish. Despite P~ru bei~g an impoverished country it boasts many famous s1ght seemg v1ews such as Macchu Picchu, the a.ncient ruins of the Incas. Organized by the international f1rm Outlook Expeditions, groups of roughly sixteen pupils from both WGHS and QEGS took on the challenge of leavmg beh1nd the comfort of their own homes in pursuit of volunteer work, creepy crawlies and the occasional roast guinea-pig. Objectives of such a journey were multi-faceted and the groups experienced a rich array of encounters from charity work in Patacancha to riding a horse up a ' mountainside at altitude. Accompanying the students were seyeral fearless teachers including Miss Dollive (Biology), M1ss Kendall (Psychology), Mr Jeavons (Art) and Mr Wilson (Ph~si cs) ~nd to find out about all aspects of the exped ition we mterv1ewed the staff as well as pupils. We began this interview with Mr. Wilson, a Physics mastern;ind, who imp~rted to us his wisdom concerning lhe exuliC South Amencan country. He concluded that one of the most interesting experiences was tasting Alpaca meat. The verdict, in his own words: 'chewy, beefy ... delicious!· By his slightly over-zealous facial expressions we. could o~ly assume that he would definitely try th~ local cUisme agam. One of the main questions on our mmds was how he coped with staying with the same pe?ple for an enti~e month? He replied, 'Things could get qu1te tense from t1me to time, but I guess that's to be expected. At the end of the month I'd seen a side to the pupils ~hich I hadn't seen before which was really mterest1.ng. The people in Peru ~ere also generally helpfu l and pol1te; however I must adm1t that l did occasionally miss England.'

Not only did the teachers enjoy this unique expedition but the students mustn't be forgotten! Lydia Brown, who set out t? Peru t his summer w ith the infamous Green group, c.ertamly agrees that the things she experienced and the s1ghts she saw have constituted a life changing event for her.. ~s we sit in an empty classroom, pen at the ready Ly.d1a 1s overly eager at the opportunity to share her tales of wild adventures. 'The group first set off from Heathrow on July 12th,' Lydia begins, then add ing.,'the group was so excited despite not knowing what to expect'. At this point Lyd1a becomes a little misty-eyed as she reminisces about the 'unforgettable bonds' she formed with her group and we take a short break for her to collect herself and carry on.

Wit~ tear barriers successfully in place, Lydia explains what awa1ted her group at the airport in Lima, the capital city of Peru. 'When we were landing at the airport, which was in the centre of the city, we came so close to the houses that 1

thought the plane's wheels were going to scrape the roofs!' she remembers with a fond giggle. 'In Lima,' she continues, 'we had the fabulous experience of trying the cultural delicacy of guinea pig in a peanut satay sauce. I'm allergic to peanuts so I couldn't have any, which actually, according to the rest of my group, turned out to be a blessing. On a guinea pig the main thing I noticed was that there was hard ly any meat on it whatsoever and what meat there was was covered with a l ay~r of fat. This fat apparently tasted ' of f1sh. The pungent f1shy tang was the overwhelming flavour of Peruvian guinea pig.' This revelation is quickly followed by a shuddering 'ewwww' from Lydia which we can't help but echo ourselves! After the extreme confusion of collecting their rucksacks which contained all their clothes for the next month Lydia tells us that Patacancha was next on the list and this was where the Green group did their charity work. Here they also met all the local Peruvian children, who 1 am informed are far cuter than European children if a little dirtier. '

However, ?n a more ~e~ious note, the Green group's charity work consisted of bu ildmg a greenhouse for the residents of Pataca~cha. Lydia can't refrain from sharing that, despite the senousness of the task at hand, 'we couldn't help but get distracted by the children who constantly gathered round us and demanded piggy backs! But whatever we ~acked in greenh~use bu ild!ng skill we definitely made up for Ill uplift1ng expenences wh1ch Integrated us in the community.' Mr. Wilson, however, dived head first into a different kind of charity.wo.rk with an alternate group and he was only too enthus1a~t1c to share the story. 'A bridge, which was about a foot w 1de, had been knocked down in the Amazon Rainforest. This bridge had been vital to the locals as they ~eeded t~ cross 1t ever~day and so we set about rebuilding 1t. There IS a lot of agncultural poverty in this area so the work we did was really appreciated.' He then went on to share the charity work of another group: 'They built stone walls as part of a deforestation project and planted trees to combat the tree-fel ling problems of the area, plus it added scemc decoration to an otherwise unattractive vicinity.'

~yd i ~, on ~h7 other hand. had a very different story to tell. Wh1le bu1ldmg these greenhouses, lots of the local children

came t~ get to know the foreigners and we made pretty good fnends. There was one little girl called Suzanna who

was extremely confident and constantly demanded piggy­backs from us!' After a short pause as if a rea lisation occurs sudden ly to her she adds 'I know that sounds cute but seriously, it QOt ann.oying after a while!· We can't help but laugh as Lyd1a contmues to tell the tales of the Peruvian kids, especially a little boy called Juan Carlos who was awarded the title by some travell ing Americans as 'Little ~uan Carlos with his pants around his ankles' since his long­JOhns were constantly falling down! I also had the chance to interview another member of the Green group: Alice Wright. She too describes the trip to Peru as 'life-changing: and can't imagine not having all these che~1shed e~penences. Alice carries on Lydia's story and explams that on the fol lowing day we had the craziest trek to undertake. I don't quite know how many miles we w~lked but I kn?w that it. was to? many for a rationally­mmded person. We all g1ggle a IJttle at this, but Al ice's face shows no hmt of a smile.. . However, carrying on, Alice co~tmues, t;bout thr~e weeks in we were continuing our penlous trek up the.s1de of the Colca Canon and our guide had brought w1th h1m a horse called Lluvia which means 'Rain' in ~nglish .. She was accompanying us in case any of us got altitude s1ckness since we were climbing so high up. Persona lly, ! didn't hav~ any issues with the hike but Lydia got really siCk really quiCkly and had to hitch a lift on Lluvia.' Thinking back, Alice recalls, 'Lydia's face had taken on a kin.d of grey-green hue, for a moment I thought she was gomg to collapse! But Lluvia lifted her spirits and final ly we reached the summit, thankfully with all the members we had set off with! At th.e top we were greeted by geysers wh1ch are those holes Ill the ground from which hot water explodes out of. It really was breathtaking. That is, assummg we had any breath left after our climb .. .'

Mr. Wilson also confirms that both pupils and teachers were constantly on the move and visiting many different places. These strange and unfamiliar sites ranged from the Amazon Rainforest where they slept on the jungle floor to Huacachina which was a famous desert oasis. Amongst these stunning landscapes the groups also found time to try out what some would describe as 'extreme sports'. Mr. Wilson tried his hand at both dune-boarding and white water rafting which he assures us he thoroughly enjoyed. He verifies that he turned his unquestionable skills to dune­boarding in the desert located in Huacachina. 'Dune­boarding is when you stand on something pretty similar to a snowboard, but instead of riding on snow you ride over and across sand dunes in the sweltering desert.' He later adds with a smile, 'We also attempted white water rafting, both of which I would love to try again.·

Alice has the pleasure of bringing the story to a close and explains that 'before going home we stopped at the village where our trek ended, where we were invited by the hostel owner Carlo (who the group are still long distance friends with) to a Fiesta! Alice's eyes positively light up at this memory and confirms that ' this was the best send off we could possibly have had. I don't think we could have had a better insight into actual Peruvian culture than through partying with the locals!' So it seems obvious from our own girls that Peru was a tremendous success. From peanut guinea pig to sliding down sand dunes it seems that our girls returned with no reg rets after t ravelling so many miles away from home. Certainly no regrets concerning FIESTAS! From writing this report only one question springs to our minds and we are sure it is on yours too: 'When's the next flight?'

Reported by Rebecca Oates (Y12)

Additional reporting and research by Zahra Ahmed and lsmah Aslam (Y8)

Raising ~.oney f?~ :harities through various events and fundratsmg acttv1t1es has always been something at which Wakefield Girls' High Pupils excel and

2011/2012 has been no exception.

The year started with a team of Year 11 pupils collecting shoe boxes filled with gifts, so that less fortunate children in other countries would have a present to open on Christmas morning. The amount of effort and enthusiasm that they put into the campaign along with the generosity of pupils, parents and staff was awarded with the incredible achievement of collecting over 200 filled shoeboxes.

The Christmas season started with a 'bang' when an uncountable number of pupils, staff, friends and families from across the Foundation attended the Christmas Charity Fayre. The Hartley Pavilion was filled with people buying gifts from the many stall holders, visiting Santa and his helpers in the Grotto and jumping around on the bouncy castle amongst many other things. The money raised from the fayre was divided between Wakefield Hospice and The British Red Cross.

In March, Wakefield Girls' High School experienced a new and different event, organised by Aayushi Gupta, Rachel Lee and Sarah Train. They had organised a 'Teachers' Silly Sports' Day' to raise money for Sport Relief. Members of staff formed teams to compete against each other in hoola hooping, egg and spoon race, space hopper race, three· legged race, wheelbarrow race and a final skipping relay. Pupils paid £1 for a ticket to watch and laugh at their favourite teachers taking part in the 'challenging and gruelling' races. As well as the Teachers' Silly Sports' Day, a fun run was organised by Mrs North-Clarke which pupils could donate to take part in, which was also raising money for Sport Relief.

A team of Sixth Form pupils and staff were sponsored to take part in a 24 hour gym marathon which meant that a team member had to be running, walking or doing some form of physical activity on a machine in the gym for 24 hours. The team battled through the sleepless night to ensure they completed the marathon. The money which they raised was donated to the charity Back-up.

A selection of Sixth Form pupils from WGHS and QEGS have worked hard throughout the year organising the annual 'Do it for Dawson' event. Leading up to the main event, they have taken part in small sponsored events, such as sitting in ice baths for hours in the winter months amongst other activities. These events were carried out to generate money to pay for the set up of the main event and to contribute to the final amount raised. The money raised from this event is divided between Cancer Research UK and The Teenage Cancer Trust.

Throughout the year Form groups and individual groups of friends organise charity events to raise money for the charities of their choice. We have had lots of bun sales raffles, sponsored dance events and a charity fashion show to name but a few.

The generosity of Wakefield Girls' High pupils is extraordinary and truly humbling. The dedication and determination they apply to raising money through the many events is a great example of th'eir desire to achieve their full potential and demonstrates that they are forward thinking and active citizens

With the final total for 2011-12 to be confirmed it is amazing to think that in 2010-11 , Wakefield Girls' High School raised just over £30,000,00 for various charities.

NJI

~Y juniraisinB exyerience for L:EP'RfA

LEPRA is a charity supporting sufferers of the disease leprosy and it aims to help cure those in need.

I felt that I could really help to raise lots of money for those w1th the disease, so I de:cided to do a sponsored run. My talents include dancing, acting and sprinting. Long distance runnmg is not one of my stronger qualities however.

Even though running wasn't one of my strongest points, 1

deoded to challenge myself just as the disease has

laps

challenged thousands of people across the world. I was going to run ... for an hour... non stop. I began to raise money a week before the actual event, starting with SOp per lap and eventually ending up with £2 per lap and £34 fix on my sponsor form.

I managed to run seventy eight lengths of my local park/field and that worked out to be twenty six laps which meant that I raised a total of £86!!!

Georgia Stanley (Y7)

•

Wafejie(a §irC5' §ymathon 2012: ~ 'FittinB rTribute

I am regu larly humbled by the many varied achievements of our "H igh School Girls" but none can surpass the sheer courage and determination shown by Sophie Carrig ill.

This stunn ing young sportswoman cruelly had her life turned upside down following a horrific car crash in 2010. It was August of that year when the news broke. My wife, a nurse on Pinderfield's Spinal Injuries Unit told me they were expecting an admission of a 16 year old f rom WGHS, and later that week the news was confirmed that it was Sophie. The word 'devastated' does not scratch the surface of how I, and many of my colleagues felt, as realisation dawned. I was privileged to be able to tutor Sophie on the Spinal Injuries Unit. I remember our first meeting vividly and harbour no embarrassment in admitting that I cried on my way home fearing the worst. Sophie's determination soon became apparent however as she began to organise her work schedule in between multiple operations and it was evident that with the tremendous support of her family and close friends, and in spite of immense adversity, she would make a success of her new life. And has she ever!

She returned to school, obtaining her AS Level Biology in August last year, and has gone from st rength to strength, rekindling her academic career in the Lower Sixth this year.

Inspired by this phenomenal young woman and with the support of Mrs Wallwork, Mrs Denison and Mrs Tingle (I won't mention "Macbeth"!) I asked Sophie whether she minded if I organised a charity event in the form of a 24 hour Gymathon. The rest, ils they sily, is history. Sophie sprang into action, quickly putting together a committee,

coordinating one of the most pleasurable (albeit slightly t iring) charity events I have ever participated in. Over seventy girls f rom the Sixth Form and twenty staff took part in gruelling abuse of their bodies, striving to take our gym equipment where no (wo)man has gone before, collectively cycling, cross training, running and rowing from a virtual John 0' Groats to Paris.

Sophie, the response of your peers expresses far better than I can in words, our admiration for you. Not surprisingly you touched the hearts of the Junior School too who, not to be outshone, completed a "Skipathon" on behalf of your designated charity "Back up." Your efforts have seen an incredible total of over £7,500 raised for this worthy cause. Utter respect Sophie. Thank you!

JCK

Year 8 Charity 'Fun ~fternoon

The Year 8 Charity Fun Afternoon took place on Friday 15th June in aid of Barnardo's children's charity and Guide Dogs for the Blind. Due to the wet weather, the

event was held in the Hartley Pavilion as opposed to on the Games field, but the weather failed to dampen our spirits! Each form had been given £10 in order to prepare a stall for the afternoon, which had to include an activity for the others to take part in, such as an obstacle course. Many forms also sold sweets and drinks in order to raise more money for the two charities.

Preparing our stalls, each form distributed various roles from project manager to mascot designers in order to involve the whole class and help the afternoon run as smoothly as possible. Preparation for the afternoon helped us work as a group and organise ourselves with little gu idance from teachers. We worked as a class to decide on the activity for our stall and some members of the form attended a

"Dragon's Den" style pitch meeting to put forward ideas and hopefully have them approved.

There was an inter-form mascot competition, where each form designed and made a mascot for their stall, which was judged by Mr Shaw. This prize was eventually won by 8CMS and 8DJW, for their cartoon ru ler and kn itted monkey mascots. The afternoon brought the whole year group together as well as many teachers, to take part in a wide variety of activities, one of which (8WMZ's space hopper long jump) saw Mrs Wallwork on a space hopper! As well as the stalls, there was a bouncy castle and the ice cream van which added excitement to the event.

At the time of writing, the total amount of money raised is still being counted, but the figure is thought to be in excess of £300.

Maria Balac (Y8)

Put Your ?-(ands 'Up

may 1

Everyone woke up excited and maybe, for some people, ever !.>O ~liglllly nervou!.>. The pro!.>pecl ur !.>€Lling oul on a four day trip, with people you didn't know and no

parents to guide you, sounded daunting at first. But in the end, people made best friends and found their feet w ithin the first day.

The bus journey was long and perhaps a bit tedious, but our excitement at going away masked the annoyance lingering in the air at the growing traffic until we stopped at the service station, where we all smiled and bounced around spending too much money on chips and bacon sandwiches (believe me, they were gorgeous!) It is abnormal to have chips in the morning, though bacon sandwiches are, we think are daily breakfast for some lucky individuals!

So we arrived at Caythorpe, the bus buzzing with excitement. Teachers tried to keep pupils calm and under control, but it proved to be near impossible. Students ran around collecting bags, shouting to t heir friends from different buses to see if they cou ld help f ind a missing piece of luggage.

Our rooms contained three bunk beds to sleep six. The bathrooms were mostly separate, with a sink and shower in one, and another sink and a loo in the other, plus a soon­to-be-fu ll bin! However, it might have looked spacious when we went in, but by the t ime we had all unpacked it was hard to know where to put your feet. We all got used to it, though, and soon bagged beds with the philosophy, f irst come, first served.

We began activities after a rather yum-lacking lunch. We chewed through our school sandwiches, galloped down

fruit and gulped down water, then scrambled up from the picnic benches to say hi to our f riends if they were in separate rooms to us. The f irst activities were amazing, totally up to expectations, abseiling, archery, problem solving or Jacob's ladder, but we soon became tired after an early start and were ready for bed (well some of us were!) Mentioning no names, some dorms are convinced they saw certain pupils running up and down the cabins, playing knock and run!

may 2 Mrs Rees, wearing Pineapple joggers and a gilet, had the job of waking us all up. She received groans and murmurs of 'ok', and as soon as she closed the door and moved onto the next dorm, we all fell asleep again . Soon, though, we decided we had to get up, scrambled out of rustling sleeping bags and wearily pulled on our clothes.

After breakfast, we were assigned activities. We set off with reignited enthusiasm, chatting about the knock and run of last night and how we'd eaten all our service station sweets. Everyone was split up into ten groups, and we followed our incredible instructors to our activity grounds.

'Bu(C5eye Archery. Yes, the budding Robin Hoods lined up behind Maid Marion. She twanged her bow and the arrow shot through the air, spinning, and of course, the professional Instructor Tess was, it thwacked on the yellow bullseye. Impressed, the pupils smiled and nodded at each other, then clapped in appreciation.

The lesson began.

§ravity Curtains In our room, Room 13, Spalding, we were settling down when a small voice called out:

"Close the curtains!"

A groan sounded from a bottom bunkbed, and the girl scrabbled for her sleeping bag, staggering tiredly over to the curtains. She zipped them shut, walked back, f lopped onto her bed, her head resting on her soft pillow. The whole room was half asleep when suddenly we heard a creak and an amazingly loud bang. Our eyes flicked open and a peal of uncontrollable laughter rose in our throats as we saw the curtain upon the floor.

"Too much gravity."

may 3 Competition Kids!

We were lined up in our activity groups, chatting and exchanging night happenings (of course the curtain falling was shared with many) when a clarion call sounded from a school opposite. We replied with loud, spontaneous singing:

Aaaaaaaaaaa Chicken!

A chicken has a wing!

A chicken has two wings!

A chicken has a leg!

A chicken has two legs!

A chicken has a head! A chicken has a tail!

Aaaaaaaaaaa chicken!

The other school shouted back more songs, and we decided to up our game.

Let me see you clap your hands!

Derderderderderderder! WAKEFIELD!

Now that you've got the beat let me see you stamp your feet!

Derderderderderderder! WAKEFIELD!

Now that you've got the pace let me see you slap your face!

Derderderderderderder! WAKEFIELD!

Now that you're having fun let me see shake your bum!

Derderderderderderder! WAKEFIELD!

Now that you've got the groove let me see your body move!

Awooga a a awooga a a awooga a a awooooooga!!

In the end we think that WGHS was victorious!!

t]{ajt :Bui[ding In our waterproof clothes, we lined up in front of the shimmering lake, watching the swans swim by.

"Do they bite?" I asked nervously, eyeing their orange beaks.

"Not unless you annoy them," the instructor joked, laughing when she saw my expression. Shaking her head, she began to demonstrate how to build a raft.

We all followed her instructions and soon we all had a raft at our feet. Everyone was getting very excited at this point, and cheered when the instructor said: "Get them in the water!"

just Pract'isin8··· We lowered our floating creations into the water slowly, but they still managed to create a huge splash.

We all carefully clambered onto the raft, which wobbled dangerously as each person flung themselves onboard. Soon, the leaders of each raft were barking instructions like dogs, paddle this way, padd le that way, lean this way, SPLASH! The first people were taken as victims by the lake. Shaking their heads, the droplets from their water-dark ha ir flung onto the lucky still-dry, laughing teammates. However, in the end, we all slipped off, swimming to the bank shaking with cold.

"Phew! I love solid ground!" someone exclaimed.

"Get back in. Find your inner duck!"

"No!"

The instructor, with a laugh, pushed the troublemaker into the water. Her mouth opened and she let out a piercing scream. "Ha ha!" someone shouted. The scowling girl folded her soaked arms and glared from beneath her helmet.

So we all got wet. Now you're glad you didn't go.

PreyarinB the Vesse{

Ta[ent S fiow-'11n6e[ieva6[e The talent show was absolutely amazing - everyone did something unique whether it was singing a song, dancing or even getting dressed whilst in a sleeping bag! Some of the acts received laughs, sing alongs and thunderous clapping. It was great fun and most people thought that it was the best night ever!

rffie 'Fina[ 'l'figfit The final night at Caythorpe Court was definitely the most exciting and nobody would go to sleep. Many rooms were planning to have a hu~e midnight feast with other dorms 50 it was very nsky busmess. The teachers were on constant patrol though the night, trying to catch any escapees. Some of the students got caught and told off, whilst others leapt from dorm-to-dorm without a care! The night air was buzzing with excitement and I think that it's safe to say that hardly anyone had a decent nights sleep.

'Day 4 It was 6:50 at Caythorpe Court. Now the giggling and shouting had been replaced by an unusual silence. All was quiet t hen suddenly we heard Mrs Rees' bedroom door scrape open. She was awake. Slowly, she let out a groan and started walking very slowly around the dorms knocking loudly on the doors then shouting "Come on girls. Time to get up! You have forty minutes to get dressed ready to go to the dining hall for breakfast!" There was a groan and a mumble in response. The girls slowly dragged themselves out of bed, trudged into the bathroom to brush their hair then ca me back into the main room to pull on some clothes for breakfast. Our last day at Caythorpe Court had begun.

We all assembled in our activity lines ready to go to our final two activities. By this time we had woken up a bit more and were raring to go! (Well, sort of!)

'Day 4 ( rr'fie Way rHome) As the three coaches arrived the girls f locked out in their hundreds to load their bags onto the coaches. After a f ruitful lunch everyone started to board the coaches. The engine spluttered into action. We were away. All of the teachers were shattered (the girls still some how managed to find their voices whilst singing One Direction songs at the loudest shriek possible,) and within the first ten minutes of the journey, Mrs Rees fell asleep! This repertoire of singing girls and a qu iet chatting of the still-awake teachers slowly died down when we were about ha lf way though the journey but unfortunately as we approached Wakefield the

noise level rose until we spotted Mrs Wallwork waiting to greet us on the pavement!

The next twenty minutes were a blur of excited girls running all over the pavement, trying to retrieve their luggage. With parents arriving to collect their children, the volume of people started to trickle away. Eventually after an hour of pure madness. the teachers finally retreated back to their cars, ready to begin the long journey back to bed!

We had an amazing time at Caythorpe Court and I think it is safe to say that the teachers had a great time too.

Evie Hallitt and Holly Burrell (Y7)

Jacob's Ladder- §uess Wlto Styfe.

'Fanri{y 'Bench

Year 7 trfr to Caytfiotye Court 2011 ! Year 7 and 8 Cfirz:Stmas '1Jz5co

Come ana dO da Conga!

Mr Shaw's 'A.nny

'Reach. 'For IJ"'fi.e Stars! (§rafiam Sty[e)

The Christmas disco started with the long queues outside the Jubilee Hall, with us all bubbling with excitement with the thrill of the night. Some people were ta lking about the fact that the boys said that they were going to break dance. What a thought! As we walked in we watched all the flashtng lights and we could all see the boys at the other door of

the Jubilee Hall. Some girls at this point were excited and couldn't wait for them to come in, but me and other girls were wondering why they were even there as it was our Christmas disco.

As the boys started to walk in, they headed straight for the back of the hall and wandered around. They looked like lost cats, looking up and around searching for something to do. The tale of them going to break dance seemed untrue. But of course they started to walk to the front and dance ... in the strangest ways. To some girls it must have looked quite arnLISing. A bit later on, everyone enjoyed dancing to the 'Cha Cha Slide' and singing to 'All I want for Christmas is you' and 'Living on a Prayer', whilst some people were just eating chocolate from the tuck-shop at the back. It was definitely a fun night to remember as it was the first disco of the year as well as it being mine and all the other Year 7s first ever Christmas disco at WGHS.

Aoife Budge (Y7)

Illustrated by Katie Idle (Y11}

•

0 n the 17th of January 2012 the current Year 7 girls went on a pastoral day trip to The Deep aquarium in Hull. The Deep is an Education and Conservation

charity, which focuses on educating people about the world's oceans including their inhabitants, environment and history. The charity also carries out its own international research projects in order to gain a better understanding of the oceans. The Deep is a great destination for school t rips as it offers a variety of learning programmes and workshops linked to Science, Geography and Art across all age-groups.

The 2012 trip was just as enjoyable and enriching for the pupils as on previous WGHS t rips. The girls were dressed in non-uniform and we reached The Deep by 1 0.30a.m. We wanted a relatively early start as there is so much to see and do in the aquarium and adjoining purpose built learning centre. The day was structured so they could take part in the education session taken by one of The Deep's staff and enjoy a combination of free time examining the exhibits and aquariums. The girls learnt about the world's oceans through time, discovered t he life and colours of a coral reef, and explored the vast array of over 3,500 fish (including sharks. jellyfish and rays). There were numerous members of The Deep's staff on hand to answer any questions the girls had about the oceans- and t he girls took fu ll advantage of the opportunity to learn more about sea-life in general. They partici pated in a variety of interactive activities, aud iovisual presentations and a CSI workshop on sharks ! Lunch was provided by the school and to finish the day off the girls had some time in the 'Deepartment Store', The Deep's on site shop, where they purchased souvenirs such as key rings, pens and soft toys. We returned back at WGHS in time for the buses at 4p.m.

Here are just some of the comments the girls made after the trip:

I liked the blue lobster as I had never seen one before

My favourite fish was a jellyfish which was glowing in the water and was really beautiful

It was an awesome trip!

I enjoyed the ice room and looking at the scary sharks, super stingrays and cute turtles

It was a really good and fun experience and I'd advise you to go if you haven 't been already

Many thanks to the form tutors and any other staff who helped make this a wonderful start to 2012 for the Year 7 girls.

JRB (Assistant Head of Year 7)

§eo1'8ina '}[u6ert (Y1o)

Peer Mentoring scheme using Sixth Form students to upport younger girls was introduced in September 011. Entering any new school as a Year 7 girl can

be a daunting experience. However, Year 12 and 13 students. who were successful in applying for these roles, took on a great deal of responsibility for ensuring that the transition to the Senior School was as smooth as possible.

WGHS receives girls f rom a large number of different Primary Schools and as a Peer Mentor t he Year 12 and 13 students are there to listen, encourage, reassure and faCil itate inclusion. The Peer Mentoring programme operates alongside our normal support system of Form Tutor and Head of Year but we are aware that there are tirnes when a girl feels she could do w ith someone who understands her; who has 'been there. done that'. Peer rnentoring is just another form of support but one that rnay be seen as more accessible to a Year 7 girl.

The project had a comprehensive initial training programme, run by the Samaritans, which all Peer Mentors and Team Leaders had to successfully complete before undertaking any mentoring. The training aimed to allow the Peer Mentors to develop the skills of: communication, questioning, listening, negot iating, self-awareness. decision makmg and action planning.

After a successful first year we are planning to expand the scheme to facilitate 'drop in sessions' available to students from Year 7 to 11 and already have lots of applications to fill the posts next year.

JAT

'A(ex WyCie (Y11)

§eoraina '}[u6ert (Y10)

During the Easter holidays a group of eleven WGSF students set out on an intrepid adventure to visit our exchange school in the U.S.A- Pingree School in

Massachusetts. Set in one hundred acres of picturesque New England countryside, the school is very different to WGSF's urban environment. There are considerably fewer students at Pingree, with 335 students on roll to our 1 ,440. A strong liberal arts focus and complete freedom from government control means that disciplines offered at the school can range widely from calculus to African dance and school sports include 'Ultimate Frisbee'. Whilst WGSF is rightly proud of its 400 year history, Pingree is a mere baby, having begun its life in 1961. Despite being different in so many ways, Pingree has a similar educational ethos to our own school - it is dedicated to academic excellence and encourages independent and imaginative thinking. This was WGSF's fourth visit to Pingree, with the exchange beginning way back in 2009.

We set off from Manchester Airport very ea rly on a Wednesday morning and travelled to Boston via London Heathrow. There we were met by Linda May and Dave Medvitz from Pingree School. We travelled to Pingree in their school bus which, to our disappointment was not one of the big yellow ones we are all used to seeing in films. As we entered the extensive grounds of the school we were very impressed. Parts of the school used to be a family home and it even had its own lake.

We arrived during afternoon classes but at the end of the school day we were whisked away by our hosts. Every morning, we met the students and either spent the day experiencing an American High School education or visiting local attractions. On the first day our students were really thrown into the deep end, with an African Dance class . They threw themselves into it with an enthusiasm that made me feel very proud and rather emotional; our students did not let us down. From our efforts it was easy to conclude that rhythm did not build the British Empire! Our second day saw us enjoy a tour around a picturesque colonial town called Newburyport. We made the best of the very cold weather and warmed our bones in a traditional American diner.

Later educational visits took us to the beautiful city of Boston. By then the weather had improved dramatically and whilst still cold, clear blue skies contrasted against the pink blossom on the trees lining the very expensive streets of Beacon Hill. We visited the ivory towers of Harvard University and between us spent a considerable amount of money in the souvenir shop there (nicknamed The Coop). A visit to Salem and the Witch museum was fun, if a litt le dated, and a visit to a local brewery saw us try some very interesting flavours of soda. Mr Higgins and I also had a taste of the 'stronger stuff', called Ipswich Ale.

Towards the end of the week we were allowed to attend a 'techno-dance' at school which, accord ing to the students was fun and eye-opening, particularly with regard to the dancing styles favoured by their American exchange partners. The students also wrote and performed an assembly which was delivered on Pingree School's equivalent of Open Day. The audience laughed ifl all of the right places as we gave them a whistle-stop tour of the UK and Yorkshire, with one of our number comparing himself to Prince Harry simply by virtue of his hair colour.

Our hosts made us feel very welcome; indeed, we were treated with warmth and kindness by our hosts. I would be more than happy to experience the exchange again and thoroughly recommend it to any Sixth Form students who may w ish to experience a taste of real American life.

CK

Ellie and I were offered the opp.ortunity to act as student ambassadors for the Holocaust Educational Trust 'Lessons from Auschwitz' scheme, a project aiming to

provide awareness about the Holocaust, inspiring individuals to speak out against intolerance and work with their local communities educating students across the UK about the implications of prejudice. The Holocaust began in 1933 as part of the Nazi regime of Germany and was the systematic removal of the Jewish population from European society as part of Hitler's Lebensraum programme. Of course, it was not only Jews who were ostracised from society, but also homosexuals, gypsies, the mentally ill, the disabled and so on. It involved the use of concentration camps as part of the genocide. The event is critical to our understanding of cultural history and is important in terms of educating the young people of today about the implications of evil. As part of the 'Lessons from Auschwitz' project, Ellie and I undertook two seminars, one before our trip to Auschwitz, and a follow up seminar a week after our return. The first seminar involved a testimony from Leslie Freidman, a Jewish man born in Romania who was forced into Auschwitz Birkenau (the second Auschwitz camp) and he spoke to us about the injustices of his time there. The talk was extremely moving and gave a face to the statistic of six million that is so often thrown around without any real consideration. Leslie lost all of his family to the Holocaust, his fou r sisters, three brothers and his mother and father, who was previously a Rabbi. Although still a man of faith, Leslie said that he no longer practices his religion follow ing his experiences in the Holocaust- this was the case for many survivors and shows how such events can lead to a complete loss of someone's personality and their faith in life and human existence. Leslie also spoke about some personal experiences in Auschwitz and the brutal nature of the camp itself - only 1 0% of all those admitted to Auschwit z Birkenau survived to the work camps, and most of those under the age of fourteen faced their death on arrival. After the speech we reflected upon what Leslie had spoken about in small groups and the consensus was that after seeing a man so distraught about his experiences, it made one feel privileged to live in a relatively safe and free environment.

At the fi rst seminar we were also asked what we thought Auschwitz wou ld be like. The general consensus was that it would be dark, eerie and ultimately very emotional. The idea of going to a concentration camp of any sort is disturbing but going to Auschwitz, the largest of all the German concentration camps and responsible for the deaths of about a million Jews, another seventy five thousand non­Jewish Poles, eighteen thousand Roma (Gypsies) and fifteen thousand Soviet prisoners of war seems all the more distressing. After arriving in Poland we took a coach from Krakow airport to Auschwitz I; everyone sat almost anticipating the pain of hearing about those who suffered there. We arrived only to find a bustling car park (similar to that at Alton Towers), fast food vans and hoards of tourists With cameras hanging eagerly around their necks. We entered under the infamous sign 'arbeit macht frei' (work makes one free) where crowds of people were gathering to have a signature photo taken of them underneath the sign.

We were lead around both camps by a highly experienced tour guide, whose voice was somewhat lost amongst the bustle of the mass of people who were visiting. The atrocities of the camp were hidden behind glass walls­shoes. two tonnes of human hair, pots, pans, broken glasses, all in abundance as a reminder of the enormous amount of people that had their lives taken from them at Auschwitz. In some of the buildings there were walls lined with photographs of those who had been forced to work at Auschwitz and underneath these photos was the date that they arrived in the camp and the date that they died. A

recurrent theme seemed that due to the heavy and intensive labour work (twelve hours a day w ith only a litre of watery soup to keep them alive) many lasted little longer than a week. Observing the skeletal faces of those who had previously walked through Auschwitz when it had been the death camp was perhaps the most profound part of the trip. The reminder of the atrocities that occurred at Auschwitz that lay expectantly behind the glass walls seemed lost in the sheer number of people that crowded in front of them. Our tour guide perhaps provided the most insightful explanation of events as his knowledge transcended what had been left behind in what we felt was merely a museum that did little to give much meaning to the genocide.

We left Auschwitz I to visit the Birkenau camp which had been preserved largely in the same way as it had existed in the 1940s. As the camp had been bombed at the end of the war, there was not a large amount left beyond forests and open land. We were shown around the barracks and the areas where prisoners would have slept - four people would sleep on one wooden 'bed' - about the equivalent of what we wou ld regard as a single bed. Our tour guide explained to us the kind of jobs that people undertook at Birkenau and Auschwitz I - apparently working and cleaning in the latrines was considered a favorable job with working on the fields being the worst job as workers were not allowed to straighten their backs throughout their twelve hour working day. At the end of our experience of walking around Auschwitz, a Rabbi that had accompanied us on our journey conducted a ceremony in a large room that had previously been used for showering. The room had been turned into a kind of museum with photographs of all the Jews that had died in the camp before they had entered. The photos were found when the camp was liberated at the end of the war in all the left over suitcases (the Nazi's instructed those who were being transported to the camp to take belong ings so as not to alarm people that they were on the way to their death).

By the time the Rabbi had finished speaking and commemorating all those who had died we left the shower room and walked back towards the car park (this was a long walk - the camp at Birkenau is extensive). This was perhaps the only time throughout the day where we were able to see some insight of the hardship that had occurred at Auschwitz; it was seven o' clock in the evening and most of the other tourists had left. This provided a means by which we were able to observe the camp unobstructed. Visiting the two Auschwitz camps and our trip to Poland provided not only an insight into the Holocaust, but perhaps more so an insight into how consumerism has taken the meaning out of events that need to be remembered. Our tour guide informed us that a lot of the Polish people living near the camp feel that it should be left to naturally disintegrate and this is something that after visiting the camp I certainly agree w ith. The museum-like set up of Auschwitz takes the meaning out of the events that occurred there and does little to give an insight in to what it would have been like to be a prisoner there. This is something we can never and will never be able comprehend

and visiting Auschwitz does nothing to aid this. From my own experiences I have felt that watching films such as The Pianist and Schindler's List have given me a deeper and more emotional insight into the Holocaust.

More than anything, visiting Auschwitz left me disappointed in human nature; it highlighted the way in which our use of museums in our capitalistic consumer driven society can lead to a loss of understanding of the events of the past and the present. Perhaps therefore, the real 'Lesson from Auschwitz' is that we should live together in harmony. For me, we should commemorate loss in our own individual way instead of parad ing around historical sites that should be really left as memorials to those whose lives were taken in the past.

l auren Stephenson (Y1 3)

Ofivia Scfiorafi (Y12)

Rohan Silver, a special advisor to David Cameron, came into QEGS to offer us the opportunity to go inside the famous door of Number 10. He gave us a selection of

books to read which we then had to write a short essay on and the best fifteen were chosen to go on the trip. We both chose to read Straw Dogs by John Gray which is about how human beings are no more important than the average animal. The book itself gave us the political impetus for our desire to learn more about politics as we are both prospective undergraduate university students in the discipline. Number 1 0 itself has always been a bit of an enigma ever since it was cut off to the public and so we leaped at the opportunity. After obtaining a place on the trip we all travelled to London on a cold February morning. As we were walking past Whitehall we saw a buzz of people gathered outside the Cabinet office clearly waiting to hear a statement regarding Chris Huhne's resignation that day. We even saw a male news reporter who was wearing a surprising amount of bronzer for this time of year. Even getting outside Number 10 was an ordeal: extensive security checks, x rays and being frisked by men with guns (Sophie even took photos of the street layout which resulted in a severe telling off by the policeman with a machine gun - she subsequently had to delete the photographic evidence).

Once outside the famously shiny door, the excitement was palpable but to our surprise the most exciting element of Downing Street was the resident cat pattering around the hallway. Rohan arrived and took us around the elaborate yet very British grounds. Along the way we saw Winston Churchill's favourite chair which he apparently even took With him when he went abroad (it did look very comfy), we Walked up the famous staircase and seeing so many

influential political figures adorning the walls was a privilege in itself. Our final destination was the cabinet room where one of the boys ran to the only chair with arms on it, the Prime Minister's chair. He was allowed to sit on it but his request to take the pencil in front of the chair as a souvenir, was quickly dismissed. Rohan took a keen interest in hearing about our future plans for university and gave us some interesting information to which the public may not be privy. Then, sadly, as Rohan told us that our tour had ended, we dragged our feet back to the bottom hallway and said our goodbyes. But, we were not going to leave without any photographic evidence - cue: mass photo shoot outside the famous door. Looking around Number 10 itself was a once in a lifetime opportunity which we will never forget but we both hope it is not the last time we enter Downing Street!

Sophie Morgan and Lauren Stephenson (Y13)

I t was an enticing prospect when Mrs Wallwork floated the idea of a re-union for past WGHS students who went on to Oxford and Cambridge. What a delight when

prospect became reality and Mrs Wallwork, David Egglestone, Sarah Duerden - Brown, Nick Meredith (Cambridge) and I (Oxford) gathered on the great fan­vaulted staircase of Christ Church, so well known to Harry Potter aficionados. However, the characters we were about to meet in real li fe were far more interesting and engaging than those on screen! What a range of highly, intelligent, accomplished and stimulating women all of them past students of WGHS across a range of decades, from Margaret McCollum, 1963 to Ashleigh Parry, 2011. Particularly delightful to me was the fact that I had personally taught seven of them and knew many more. All of them, then as now were marked out for their intellectual excitement, curiosity, independent and possibly even dangerous thinking ! Now here they were, engaged as guardians of the Health of the Nation- both economic and physical; artists and restorers, linguists and lawyers right through to Ashleigh, busy with T.S. Eliot in her second term of Eng lish. All of them, be they 71 or 21 were vibrant and glowing. Cambridge graduates and undergraduates were delighted to be re-united with their Oxford counterpa rts if slightly bemused to find themselves in the 'Dark Side', but knowing that the next re-union will be held in Cambridge.

The McKenna Room had echoed w ith the buzz of real conversation from 7.30- 11 pm and now reluctantly, all began to disperse. But the night was yet young and a considerable bevy of WGHS Oxbridge graduates simultaneously stepped out of their towering heels and donned flats, the better to negotiate their way to the clubs and bars where they were determined to carry on their re­union. A very genuine invitation to accompany them was made to all of us High School staff, but one which was declined with varying degrees of regret.

I know very well that all concerned are already looking forward to the next re-union in Cambridge and have already determined to spread the word and muster all their fellow Oxbridge High School friends for that occasion.

Glenys Woods (WGHS 1964-1971 and St. Hilda's College, Oxford, 1971 -197 5)

0 n 1st March a group of Year 11 s were given the chance to visit Worcester College, part of Oxford University, for the day. We set off early in the

morning and caught our first glance of the famous dreaming spires through a haze of mist before arriving at the College. Worcester College is considered one of the most beautiful of all the colleges in the university, a reputation we quickly realised it deserved as we looked out from the imposing entrance on to the quaint. typically English buildings that framed it. On our arrival we were greeted by Alison Attwell, the School Liaison Officer. She led us through Oxford to the University's Museum of Natural History. This grade 1 listed building houses the university's entomology, mineralogy, geology and zoology collections. We were treated to a 'finds handling' session which included elephant teeth, rocks and minerals and the huge Madagascan cockroaches - which some members of the group were brave enough to hold!

After a lunch in the College, served by staff wearing suits and ties (slightly more posh than we are used to in Peppers!) we were given a tour by two current students of the College, including old girl of the School Ashleigh Parry. This gave us a chance to see what life at the university is really like. The twenty six acres that the College is situated in boasts buildings which range from the 15th century cottages on the quad to 21st century dorms. It is one of the few colleges to have onsite sports facilities, and a variety of teams meet for practices and play in the fiercely competitive 'cuppers' tournaments against other Oxford colleges. The traditional library was a highlight for me - being something of an English and book enthusiast; the floor to ceiling bookcases, intricate columns, and desks with views across the grounds seemed to me to be everything a university library should be. The common room and duck pond appeared to be popular meeting places for students, and our guide treated us to information about the social side of the university and some of t he college's more quirky traditions, which are little known about by outsiders, such as the family trees that are pinned up in the common room. These assign each first year student 'parents' from the year above, who can offer advice and be a friendly face in the first few daunting weeks. Contrary to the stereotype which would have us believe students at a university such as Oxford are all work and no play, it sounded like students here certainly know how to have fun !

Once we had completed our tour we were allowed to wander round Oxford itself and see what the city was li ke. A surprising ly compact city centre means that everything is only a short walk - or bike ride- away, making it perfect for students. The city itself is beautiful. with an English charm similar to that of York, with modern shops interspersed by grand, historic buildings of the different colleges. After exploring the city, we returned to the bus and headed back to school, having had a thoroughly enjoyable day. I'm sure most, if not all of us are now fuelled with the intention to study hard for the next few years in the hope that one day we might be given a chance to study in such a prestig ious and stunning university.

Annabel Mitchell-Gears (Y11) 'Dee_pa 'Afiir (Y13)

At about half seven in the morning, twenty girls gathered outside school. Our destination: Cambridge. We were about to have a look around one of the

most famous and prestigious universities in the entire world, but first we had a three hour coach journey to get there! Fortunately, us girls know how to keep entertained on a long coach journey, which always involves long conversations and group sing-alongs.

We arrived in Cambridge at around half ten, knowing from a single glance that this was certainly one of the most beautiful places we'd been to on a school trip. leafy foliage, cool shade, chirping birds - and we were still on the road next to the bus! The college we had arrived outside, Selwyn College, looked absolutely stunning, and I felt that some people would surely want to go to Cambridge for the beautiful surroundings alone.

Walking through the gates of the college, we were met by a recent graduate of the university. She spoke to us for about an hour, all about universities in general, but Oxbridge in particular. Of course she encouraged us to choose Cambridge though. We learnt the differences between different types of university, and the advantages and disadvantages of each plus all about how to choose the right course for you and what life at university is really like. Every bit of information was useful, and we had a former member of WGHS in the talk for a little while as well. Afterwards we had a little quiz about Cambridge University (and universities in general) and the prize for winning was a box of Maltesers.

The next place we stopped at was the college chapel. It was only a small building, but very majestic, and we all stayed very quiet in there. It felt weird to talk out loud. The building was used for church services, but also for choir practices. and generally hanging out, if you wanted somewhere quiet and out of the ram.

Rain. The only flaw of the trip. Several times we got caught in it, and when we finally arrived at the students' lunch hall we were soaked; most people had umbrellas but it began to rain too quickly for us to protect ourselves.

The food. One of the highlights of the trip (of course!) It was superb. The lunch hall was yet another old build ing, with three long tables for students to eat at, and a long table at the end for the professors of the university. It felt a little like Hogwarts.

Once we had eaten, we moved onto another part of the university, looking around various sections. Arts and Humanities was a very modern looking section. containing

English, History, and other similar subjects. This was also where we discovered that a lot of the students rode bikes to get around the college, and that dodging them came naturally to the pedestrians.

We eventually found ourselves at the University Museum of Zoology, a fascinating place full of over one million specimens, a large number of which were discovered and classified within the university itself. From bugs to birds, worms to early humans, we had a look at some of the weirdest creatures we had seen in the natural world. And one of the most remarkable things was the skeleton of a massive whale hanging over the entrance, visible to all passers-by.

Finally, after having our fill of universities, and eager to look around the beautiful town, we set off for the shops, walking past the little part of Cambridge where DNA was first discovered. In the middle of the town, there was a 3-D map which had collected water from the rain. This was our meeting point, and we were free to wander around.

Various people went to various places, and I would have to say my absolute favourite moment pf the entire trip was when I found myself in a little market stall full of little trinkets. The man who owned the stall decided to show me the objects underneath the ones I could see. Keyrings, lockets, fob watches, all of which I wouldn't have seen or thought to look for had the man not chosen to show me. It was a slightly surreal experience.

We had been given about an hour for shopping, and when that hour was over, we gathered together and prepared to say goodbye to this beautifu l town. We were back on the coach, ready for another three hour journey. This time most of us were tired from the exciting day we'd just had, but chatted about what we had seen and learnt. There were more sing-alongs, of course!

Finally, we arrived back outside school in one piece, and made our way home. It had been a fantastic day, and I doubt any of us would choose not to go again, if we were ever given the chance.

Many thanks to Mrs Preston and Mrs North-Clarke, for arranging the trip and looking after a group of excitable girls. It was not only fun, but incredibly useful for thinking about our futures. We hope you enjoyed the trip as much as we did!

And I w ill say that if you ever get the chance to go to Cambridge, take it. It's just a beautiful place.

Am ira Boussahia (Y1 0)

•

Many thanks to all this year's debaters, whose enthusiasm and energy drive forward the vanous debating activities in School. To the Senate

commrttee members especially I express thanks. on behalf of all the girls and the staff involved, as it is your organisation, time and effort that has ensured that this competition has been so successfu l this year. Well Done!

SLH

W§S'.F Senior 1Je6atina Comyet ition

The Senate Debating Society saw an extremely high level of interest in 2012, with sixteen pairs of Year 12s and 13s from both QEGS and WGHS competing for the

revered title. Across the competition there were a number of st1mulating motions, resulting in large audiences of students from across the Foundation that often provided questrons as thought-provoking as the debates - ranging from the nature of God to Government legislation on various social issues, even whether to allow last year's rioters to attend the London Olympics. Motions, too, ranged from fundamental questions on society to more abstract ideas such as "This House wouldn't spend its money on a few splodges of paint" which had numerous challenging interpretations to be argued. The battle was fierce this year. with a number of Year 12 teams taking victories over the Year 13 competitors and progressing to the latter stages of the competition.

Debatt>rs in the Senate Competition are marked on three key areas: content, structure and style. A pre-debate House vote is taken to gauge the preconceived ideas of the audience, with a post-debate vote showing the 'swing' afterwards in order to judge the successes and indeed failures of the tt 1ms speeches. The judges, Mrs. Harrison and Ms. Allen, having heard some of the floor debate, then consult and deliberate over the victor, drawing on their notes of each teams' case, the areas of clash and points of information, and, the aptness of their delivery styles -whilst the House is left to 'grill' the debaters - and finally return to deliver criticism, praise and the nail-biting result. The girls' teams were under particular pressure this year, as for the past two years the latter stages of the competition have been dominated by the boys.

However, this year has also seen debaters partake in a new external competition held at Jordans' Solicitors in Wakefield. Two teams of Year 12 girls were entered into this

competition, Rebecca Heseltine with Olivia White, and, Unden Hird with Rebecca Oates. They faced skilled debaters from QEGS alongside many others from various Wakefield schools and, though they did not win the competition, they debated excellently and will be without a doubt a force to be reckoned with in next year's Senate Competition.

The semi-finals of this year's Senate consisted of two girls' teams and two boys' teams - with only one Year 13 pair left in the competition, the Year 12s having put up such a fantastic fight. After a well fought semi-final on both sides, the Year 13 girls' team - Honey Watson and Sophie Morgan - were victorious and saw themselves pitted against the equally triumphant Year 12 boys' team - Ju lian Ostrowski and Josh Skipworth - in the f inal. After a long half term of preparations and nerves, the final took place, the motion being: "This House believes that the current desire for fame and celebrity, without skill or talent, is undermining the aspirations of today's youth".

Both teams managed confidently to entertain the floor whilst also spinning an intricate web of argument, rebuttal and evidence. The audience was well humoured and engaged with the debaters, asking challenging questions about the nature of aspirations and indeed their own goals in life, taking into consideration the humorous scenarios used to illustrate points whilst also appreciating the relevance of these ideas to their generation. Indeed, with the end in sight, the battle became so fierce that each team was absolutely firing Points of Information at each other, winning each other's time and disrupting the opposing side's confidence in the process.

After a long and careful deliberation, the adjudicators, the two Head Teachers, Mr. Craig, Mrs. Wallwork, and, our Governor adjudicator, Mr. Golightly, awarded this year's Senate victory to the girls' team of Sophie Morgan and Honey Watson, believing that they had successfully defeated the motion in representing today's youth as "very motivated and aspirational", which was fitting as it was reflected in the high standard of this year's debaters. Though the girls won "by a nose", it was a huge achievement for the girls to defeat QEGS after years of narrowly missing out on a place in the final. Both teams alike were commended on their grasp of the argument, their eloquence, confidence and their delicate raising of thought-provoking issues.

Mrs. Harrison and Ms. Allen wish to congratulate all the debating finalists, and warmly celebrate the girls' success.

Honey Watson and Sophie Morgan (Y13)

rTiie tJfeads' rr'ea 'Party : wg'JIS Qyiz rr'eam 2012

I n March Mrs Makin, the Head Teacher at our former Junior School Westerton Primary School, came to school for the Heads' Tea Party. The Heads' Tea Party is

organised to give our Junior School Head Teachers the opportunity to see how we have settled in to WGHS. The afternoon started with a tour of the High School before we went over to QEGS for afternoon tea. The occasion was a great experience and a time to catch up w ith our old Head Teachers. Our Head Teachers seemed extremely impressed with all the amazing art work and our wonderful school in general. Over at QEGS finger foods and drinks were available, as well as delicious cupcakes, all created and served by Year 10 students. During this time we had the chance to update Mrs Makin on our new lives at WGHS, as well as finding out what had happened at Westerton Primary School since we had left. We all really enjoyed the occasion and hope that our previous Head Teachers did too.

Tahlla Longhurst and Nicola Pearson (Y7)

WGHS entered a quiz team into the regional heats of the National Schools Challenge Quiz, where we would play against local schools for a chance to

w1n a trophy and move through to compete against schools fror1 around the country. The team consisted of three Year 7s (Chloe Hayselden, Libby Morrell and Becky Brown) and three Year 8s (Megan Pollick, Gordana Balac and Abi Arnold) who would each take turns to be on the four player team. The quiz was based on the television show. University Challenge. Each quiz lasted thirty minutes or until all of the starter questions had been used. You had to buzz in for the starter questions and you were not allowed to confer with team mates. We all enjoyed having our own buzzers (skilfully made by Mr Carlin) to press. It made the expenence seem more realistic! Then, after the starter questions, the team who got the question correct received three bonus questions, all on a certain topic. Every question was worth ten points but if you answered all four questions conectly rn one round, you receive an extra ten point bonus. This score, however, proved hard to get.

On the day of the first round, all of us felt apprehensive about the difficulty of the questions and the ability of the other teams competing. One of the Year 8s on the team had to be team captain . None of us wanted this responsibility especially seeing as it was the f irst time we would do the quiz. In the end Mr Shaw made the decision for us to solve any disputes!

We would have to beat teams from Ackworth and Crossley Heath schools in the first round in order to qualify for the final This knowledge added to our, already palpable, anx1ety. We hadn't actually practised as a team before so

we weren't sure how we would function together. Despite all of this, once the quiz had started everyone just relaxed and had fun. Everyone answered a good share of questions, racking up a fantastic score. Consequently we won the first match by around 150 points.

We substituted two of our team members and prepared for our next match which followed shortly after. Again, we all performed excellently resulting in another comfortable win securing our place in the regional f inal.

The regional final took place on 27th April against teams f rom Giggleswick and Hymers. Once more, we were all nervous on the day, but at least we had experience. The first match between the other two teams had already been played so we knew who we had to beat. Both matches were closely contested. WGHS had one win and one loss. This meant that everyone else had done the same and so scores from both matches had to be added together to see who won. It was a very close final in which we came second. We felt very happy with our performances and that our resu lt was pleasing.

Overall we had all enjoyed our experience and hope that we will be able to participate in something similar again. Thanks go to Mrs Rees, Miss Brennan and Mr Shaw who co­ordinated the school's involvement in the quiz.

Megan Pollick (Y8)

'Derren ~rown rTfieatre rTr~

I n March, a large group of WGHS and QEGS students accompanied by Miss Kendall (Psychology) and Mr Paget (IG) travelled to Manchester to see Derren Brown's

'Svengali' show on its national tour. Mr Brown uses a combination of magic, misdirection and psychology to entertain his audience and perhaps convince them that he is psychic or even that he is able to control their minds.

At the beginning of the show, Mr Brown makes a pact with the audience that we shou ld keep much of the show to ourselves. The power to make an audience's collective jaw drop is predicated on surprise and we readily agree. As such, you will just have to take our word for it; the show is spectacular !

We don't, however, feel as if we would be spoiling anything for you if we explained that if you go to see Derren's show, you shou ld try to think of an embarrassing secret that you wouldn't mind sharing with thousands of other theatre goers. One of the tricks involves Derren trying to guess what these secrets might be using his knowledge of body language. If you have seen any of Derren Brown's shows on television, you will know that he is well known for using

hypnosis. During 'Svengali' he uses this skill to great effect at the same time as making the audience's eyes water! The show also features a strange doll which seems to take on a life of its own.

Mr Paget, who kindly accompanied the trip, definitely spotted more of the trickery than the rest of WGSF gang but, in a way, many of us didn't want to know the method behind the madness. After Stephen Fry had seen one of Derren Brown's shows he was fu ll of the oddest kind of praise; "I just want to burn him at the stake and watch his witch's heart babble". After experiencing the show ourselves, I have to say that we feel the same!.

CK ~ward Winners JENNY BARKER RACHEL CUST

CHARLOTIE FERRIS HARRIET JONES SARAH PROUD

PHOEBE ATIIA HARRIET FLOOKS ELIZABETH LONG SOPHIE PARKER AMY SPRUCE

REBECCA BURGIN RUTH COOPER

LAURA COX NICOLA FREWER LUCY GODSON HOLLY HARDY

MEHVISH JAMAL EMMA KNOWLES

SOPHIE LODGE PHOEBE MADIGAN SOPHIE METCALFE GEMMA POLLOCK REBECCA STRAPPS

ROSIE TOVEY ERIN WEATHERSTONE

§ODD ~W~:RV ALICE CASTLE BETH EVANS

SOPHIE JENKINSON GEMMA PATIERSON

ALEX STOTHARD

REBECCA EVANS SOPHIA LINDLEY

HANNAH MITCHELL HANNAH POLLOCK

LAUREN WILLS

BRYONY BUTLER PHILI PPA CORBETI

ELLA FORREST ROSIE GILLOn

AAYUSHI GUPTA ALICE JACKSON SAMANTHA KAY KATIE LAWTON

ELLA LUO ROSE McCARTHY

SHRUTI PATEL ABI SAWYER

ELLI E THEAKER HOLLY TRACEY

ALEX WYLIE

D unng the weekend of the May Bank Holiday, around ftve groups of Year 11 students, plus a team of staff (Mr Carlin, Mr Hargreaves, Mrs Rees, Dr Uttley and

Mrs Undley} went to the Peak Distnct Wfth the atm of completing the Silver Duke of Edtnburgh practiCe We arrived at our starting destmatJOn wrth dear minds and having sung on the coach the whole way there, we were all very mot1vated We had all done our Bronze expedition and were unaware of what to expect as Bronze reqUires two days of walkmg and one n1ght of camping, whereas Silver tnvolved three days of walking and two nights of camp1ng.

The first day demanded a lot of energy as our group reached the last few miles convinced we were nearly there only to see that the long stretch of path before us was a lot longer than we had originally thought; it wasn't encouraging to see it was up hill e1ther. My group were the last group back therefore wtth haste we put the tent up and started cookmg before 1t got dark. After a terrible night's sleep due to an extremely notsy peacock keepmg us awake and low temperatures, we set off on our second day and found 1t was a lot eas1er than the first. The weather wasn't bad e1ther wtlh only a few bnef showers of ram. The final day was particularly challengmg as we were all feeling appalling and we all had a lack of sleep because of the arctiC condittons dunng the mght As we reached the final stretch of the valley, the weather bnghtened up and uncovered the breathtaking stght before us. The last few kilometres gave us time to reflect on the t1me we had spent doing our Duke of Edmburgh. It was rellevmg to see the end was m s1ght.

A sigh of relief echoed around the coach as the final group arnved bclck, th~ majonty of us slept on the coach <>s the past three days of roughly th1rty five miles worth of walk1ng covered had proved to be challengmg and had taken all of our energy. Overall it was h1ghly enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it as it is so rewarding.

Nicki Frewer (Y11)

1fo(fy 1Barcfen (Y13)

This academic year saw the revival of Wakefield Gtrls' High School's very own equestnan team led by B1ology teacher, and av1d horsewoman, Mtss. Dolllve. Despite

the equestrian team betng in existence 1n past years and haVIng great success 1n all disciplines. Mtss Dollive mastermtnded the membership of WGHS' team to the NSEA (Nat onal Schools Equestnan Association} meaning that the nders could now compete agamst other equally determtned schools across the country for the first t1me. The team was now JffiCially competmg in the big leagues. But wtth these new opportuntttes came new opposition, and unfortunately, this meant tougher adversaries. However, as should be expLcted, the raised competition did not deter the girls from undNtaking the task of facing these competing schools, and the tedm approached the challenge with the unparalleled energy and drive characteristic of WGHS girls.

Although academic commitments combined with Ill-timed equ1ne maladies meant that the team was somewhat deple1ed, WGHS managed to pull together and the flfst equestnan event of the year took place at B1shop Burton College in February. The day saw many an experienced and promment school take part along w1th Roste Gillot (Year 12) and Becky Mornson (Year 11} representmg the fledgling team of WGHS. Against sturdy oppos1t10n the gtrls dtd unexpectedly well in the show jumping, w1th Becky Morrison even fm1shing etghth out of a hefty fifty six competitors in the 80cm class on her pony Poppy' W1th a rosette in hand, this seemed to s1gnify a promising start for the team and htnted at great th1ngs to come. The followmg month, the team vis1ted their second. and regrettably last, NSEA competition of the year at the pres •ous Arena UK in Grantham. Thts ttme the team compnsed of Rebecca Oates (Year 12) and agatn Becky r ~0rr1 •.>n (Year 11) competing in both dressage and show JUmptnCJ On f1rst arrival it was clear that the showground was p<1cked and with the girls' first class startmg at 11am and tl last one starting at 7pm, 1t was obvtously going to be a long day. However, in the face of severe waitmg t1mes. the gtrl powered through and by lunchtime both dressage tests h J J been completed with Rebecca Oates even fimshtng 9th out of 45 competitors in her sect1on on her horse Bella VII . Next came the show jumping and unfortunately 1t seemed that luck was not on the team's stde as Becky had a couple of fences down in the 80cm class ndmg Poppy whtle Rebecca and Bella just had the final fence down in the 1m class So close!

So wh1le this academic year did not mean startlmg results for the equestrian team it did serve as a dear IndiCator that the team holds the potential to achteve great success tn the future. Fmally, the equestrian team would hke to extend a huge thank you to Miss. Dollive for orgamzmg and oversee ng the events of this year whiCh would definttely have not taken place without her. So be on the look out for fUtUte L'questrian results because come September, the team Vv1ll be on the hunt for more rosettes to add to theit collecttonl

Rebecca Oates (Y12)

r.Bio(oBY. in r.B(encat fira

As the ltd closed on a successfu l inspection week, the Biology Department geared itself up for a far greater challenge ahead: four days (most of which to be

spent outside studying various Cumbrian habitats) in the Lake District in mid November. So much for the Maldives then! For many of our Sixth Formers this was to be a nostalgic trip; a blast from their past, reminiscing about their previous visit to Blencathra during the halcyon days of Year 6.

Following an interesti ng ascent from the main road, hardly w ide enough for a car, let alone a 57 seater coach, it soon became apparent that things had not changed especially the ageing decor and mystifying aroma from the "wet" room. Still, unperturbed, the "High School Girls" excited ly made their sleeping arrangements, pausing only briefly to question why there were no mirrors or dressing tables in their palat ial accommodation.

We quickly settled into a daily routine of out in the field activities, most involving the most feared of beasties, the dreaded Quadraticus excessamplus, followed by copious study of important ecological principles back in the classrooms. Before long, madness had set in, manifesti ng in the most bizarre behavioural patterns in some of our girls. Hitherto angelic creatures became monopoly demons, raiding the ever helpful bank of Korosi, stealing money and properties without so much as a false eyelash or hair extension batted. Perhaps even more frightening were the attempts of a number of ind ividuals to mount their ranging poles, cast magic spells, and attempt to play "beach qu idditch" on the rocky shores of St . Bees.

Those who engaged themselves fully were able to enjoy the four days, and gain much from the experience. Even the weather was in our favour and although it was cool at times we were extremely lucky to bask in Lakeland sun on more than one occasion. Of more importance, a great deal of the ecology specification was well covered in detail by very competent Field Centre staff, and as good fortune would have it two questions on the January paper were directly related to what had been taught and practised at Blencathra not to mention a significant part of the students' coursework paper.

I would like to extend my thanks to M rs Lindley for her enthusiasm and pleasant company throughout. The timing, straight after inspection, proved to be incredibly tiring for staff and students alike but Pringles and chocolate served as excellent stimulants. I can highly recommend this combination and look forward to returning next yea r.

JCK

o(ymyiad 'lfews

J anuary is a dark and difficult month, and Year 13 had the added pressure of A2 exams. In Chemistry we always find it amazing that w ith all the pressures

undertaken by the students that there are always some volunteers w illing to undertake another two hour Chemistry paper that makes up the f irst round of the British Chemistry Olympiad. Two brave souls undertoqk the challenging paper, along with another three thousand six hundred students nationwide.

Congratu lations to Phoebe Attia in achieving a Bronze certificate and well done to Elizabeth Brown who achieved a Commendation certificate.

OLD

Crest ~wards

This year there was a slight change to the running of the Crest Awards in Year 7 . Students were introduced to the Crest Awards in a Year Group Assembly and were

given a small amount of lesson t ime to consu lt with their Science teacher about developing their projects. Girls were given the broad topic of plants in which to develop their projects.

The following students achieved their Bronze awards:

Annabelle Brook for her project - How long does food colouring take to change the colour of a flower?

Anuja Desai for her project - In what food do plants grow best?

Olivia Demetriou for her project - Does a bigger seed produce a bigger plant? Megan Pollick for her project - Do the conditions in which a plant is grown affect the stem contents?

Melissa Knapton for her project - Are plants better being watered Y amount in one day or O.SY twice per day? zara Ahmed and Vivi Way - Wil l cress seeds germinate and grow in different pH solutions? Megan Hodkinson for her project- Does a big seed grow a bigger plant? sarah Robinson for her project - Do plants grow faster if the seeds are pre-soaked? Bronte Parkinson and Naomi Wigglesworth for their project- Which liquids can preserve strawberries .the b:st? Stephanie Cadman and Isabelle Walters for the1r project­Effect of water on plant growth Evie Beswick and Emma Cox for their project - Does the position of a plant affect its growth? Maria Brook for her project - Does the pH of a substance being watered onto seeds affect their growth? Rebecca Scott for her project - Does red dye kill or enhance plant growth? Annabel Allum and Madeline Hanson and Annabella Jones for their project- Which liquid is the best to help plants grow7 Sienna Butterfield and Alexandra Carsley and Megan Cowling for their project - What do plants like to drink? Georgina Jones and Jessica Wood for their project - How do Sulphates affect plant growth? Nishita Patel for her project- Does a seed grow better in water or soil? Isabelle Roberts and Francesca Salvini for t heir project ­Are there the same amount of peas in every pod? Abigail Arnold and Lucy Metcalfe for their project - Why do some plants leaves keep water droplets on whilst others don't? Rachel Jubb and Katie Hodgson for their project - Does light affect seed germination? lsmah Aslam and Rachel Silvester Williams for their project - Do sweet peas germinate quicker if pre-soaked? Oltvia Russell and Helena Watford for their project ­Which pH is best for which type of plant? Emerald Cartwright for her project- What material does a broad bean grow best on? Maria Balac and Claire Berry for their project - Do the conditions in which a plant is grown affect stem contents? Eleanor Lupton and Alisha Rigby for their project - Can beans be flavoured by watering them food flavourings? Georgia Colston for her project- Do plants grow better in artificial light or sunlight? Emily Aldred and Lucy Browne for their project - What plant medium germinates the plants the best? Lois Stevenson and Molly Cochrane for their project - Are there any plants which herbivores won't ki ll? Philippa Reilly for her project- Effect of water on Plant growth. There are many thanks to be made for all the people who made the Crest Awards possible, the biggest one going to Mrs Little the Year 7 Science technician who coped with the disorder and chaos that sixty f ive or so Science projects in one room caused and was never daunted by the task nor the complexity of the students' requests for materials . . Secondly the Year 7 Science teaching team for supporting the Crest Awards and giving of their time, enthusiasm and Patience to the vast number of questions this project generated. DLD

~n :EEJB 'Race?

H ave you ever wondered why the Independent State School Partnership (ISSP) call certain events an Egg Race? From 1979 to 1986, a science-based show

'The Great Egg Race' introduced BBC Two viewers to teams of inventors who took on the challenge of build ing gadgets using limited resources and their own ingenuity. Initially focused on creating rubber-band powered devices to carry eggs the furthest possible distance, the series also made a household name of scientist Professor Heinz Wolff. Since then everything that has been similar has been referred to as an Egg Race.

DSC

Year 8 'lSSP :EEJEJ 'Race Comyetition

Georg ina Jones, Sienna Butterfield, Megan Poll.ick and Maria Balac won the ISSP Egg Race compet1t1on held at Kings School, Pontefract on 15th June 2012. The

girls competed against Year 8 teams from QEGS, Carleton School and Kings School and had to carry out a Forensic Science acitivity using chromatography, to determine who had stolen the pearl necklace from Sa lty Towers.

SDB

:£88 'Race Winners - tJSSP Sctence :Event

0 n Thursday 3rd May four girls left school on a joint ISSP Egg Race to be held at Carlton High School. They were given the opportunity to build vehicles powered

by balloons, using the force thrust. After two hours of frantic building and modifying, the cars were ready for the competition. The distance travelled by both cars were added together to give the following resu lts.

Fourth place with a total distance of 54cm Kings School.

Third place with a distance of 60 em Carlton High.

Second place with a distance of 144 em QEGS. First place with a distance of 504 em WGHS.

The Year 7 team members were: laura Thornton, Chloe Hayselden, Charlotte Barker and Sarah Baker.

DLD

Chester Zoo rTr~

May 29th 2012 was a glorious day for a visit to Chester Zoo and the Year 9 girls had a most enjoyable and informative day. The day included an

hour long session with one of the Zoo's Educational Officers where the Key Stage 4 topic of animal adaptations was discussed. The focus was animals that live in the African Savannah and skulls from lions, zebras, giraffes, baboons and cheetahs were studied. In addition, live an1mals including Madagascan hissing cockroaches and corn snakes were passed around for those that were brave enough to get up close and have a stroket

The rest of the time at the Zoo was devoted to looking at the huge range of animals (seven thousand animals in total) and their unique adaptations. It was also interesting to find out about the conservation and animal enrichment strategies that have been set in place by the Zoo.

We were also delighted to bring back a few "animals" of our own as face painting was a popu lar highlight of the day.

Kll

Chester Zoo

0 n a very bright and sunny Tuesday morning, all of Year 9 swarmed into school, excited for the day that was to come, hopefully to be filled with animals of

all kinds and maybe even face painting! After the coach journey, we arrived at Chester Zoo promptly at around 1 0.30am, and everyone quickly sprinted to the elephants. Cameras were ripped out of pockets, shrieks of awe fi lled the air, and everyone recalled how much they loved to visit the zoo. From then, we all split off into smaller groups, strolling, or more like running from each kind of animal to another while filling in our question sheets and learning many new and mterestmg facts about the adaptations of these incredibly exdting creatures. We visited the monkeys, and as well as giggling and exclaiming that we wanted to take them home with us, we observed the way they swung from branch to branch and suddenly understood why they had features such as a tail. Many people enjoyed visiting the flamingos. and seeing their beautiful fluorescent coats shimmering under the beaming Chester sun; it was fascinating to see such exotic animals so close up, it was as though we were in Florida ! After spending the morning fascinated by so many animals, we felt inspired to get our faces painted like them, transforming us from a group of young girls, to a herd of tigers, lions, butterflies, f lamingos and even the odd dinosaur!

After a delicious lunch, we tucked into ice creams, while excitedly hurrying towards the meerkats, many people's favourite attraction. Many of us felt compelled to perform some rather interesting impressions of these small yet amusing animals, and hundreds of pictures were taken here. At around 1.30pm, we were given the opportunity to go in the bat room, and those brave enough crept in timidly, afra1d of what was lurking in t he dark room. After the first few pairs of menacing wings flapped passed, centimetres from our faces, we began to relax, although some of us ran outside! Following this interesting, yet slightly chilling experience, we made our way to the educat1on centre for a ta l~ by a zoo keeper on our current topic in Biology, adaptations. We learnt many new things, including how the structure of skulls can even be extremely different from different animals; we also stroked a corn snake and saw two hissing cockroaches. This talk really expanded our knowledge on adaptations, and it was exciting to learn in a different way. This trip was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone in the year, with a great mixture of learning and free time; in fact we are all desperate to return to Chester Zoo!

lydia Burrows (Y9)

r.Jndi8o f})ye :Exy eriment - r.JSSP Science :Event

The experiment took. about half a day to do With the talk as well. F1rstly ten Year 1 0 WGHS girls were pa1red up with one of ten QEGS boys from our year and we had

our own eqUipment, 1ngredients and safety eqUipment at our stat1ons. Our speaker. Ann1e showed us a Powerpomt presentat1on w1th the history of indigo dye. The ongmal dye was made out of the indigo plant and later on the wode plant, wh1ch surprtsingly is yellow. We then synthesised some 1ndigo wh1ch means adding the chemicals 0-nitrobenzaldehyde to acetone and distilled water, then adding NaOH slowly and swirling it making sure it doesn't get too hot. Then using a Hirsch vacuum filter, you separate the blue sol1ds onto a damp filter paper and keep the suction on till the dark blue matter IS qUJte dry but ours cracked 1t was so

dry.

In the second part we we1ghed the dry sample of md1go (to calculate the y1eld), before redudng it to its soluble form. whiCh we used to tie-dye a p1ece of fabric and then watched it oxidise back to the dark blue form. This reqwed weanng gloves so we didn't stam ourselves, however, I managed to get it on my shift and hands! The nice thing about this practical was that we got to keep the fabnc that we t1e-dyed . Marbles and elastic bands were used to make some really cool des1gns. As an extens1on act1v1ty, we could calculate the atom economy of the reaction. My partner and I d1d th1s Clnd weren't too far off the amount we were meant to get. Th1s was definitely a fun experiment and I enjoyed doing 1t.

Costand1a Demetriou (Y1 0)

rffie Science Show

0 n the 27th Apnl 2012 Year 7 went over to QEGS to watch a SCience show with the Year 7 boys. Dr Mark who had the amazing JOb of being a scientist now

travels around schools and talks to students about how to thtnk log1cally

The show was great fun. It was full of wonderful expenments; some even 'drenched' the students m the front row! He also showed us some opticaltllusions wh1ch sent our eyes funny For me it showed how the same thing can look d1fferent to d1fferent people.

I think the best expenment was when he blew up d1fferent coloured balloons and held them above a hght. Some of the balloons popped and some d1dn't. This was because the colour of the balloon affects how the light is absorbed.

I am sure that I can confidently say that the whole of Year 7 had a very entertam1ng and informative morning.

Emily Rowland (Y7)

Chemistry of ?Lrt C[u6

The Chems1try of Art dub is for g1rls m Year 10. The g1rls make the dyes by doing preoprtation reactions and then n:'ix.the dye~ egg yolk, formmg egg tempera,

pr to pamtmg With 1t

SOu

§o[den 'Bunsen Comyetition

A Key Stage 3 team consisting of Anna Bellringer, Caitlin

McGrath, Ab1gail Arnold, Melissa Knapton and Vivi Way and a Key Stage 4 team consisting of Madison

Butterfield, Melanie Callan, Olivia Jackson, Aamna Warsi and Taylor Wilkes travelled to Temple Moor High School to compete in the Golden Bunsen Science competition against four other schools in the leeds and Wakefield area. The challenge set was to ra1se the Union Jack Aag 80cm during the duration of the National Anthem. The teams had an hour and a half to create their mechanisms, starting with a brief d1scussion of their ideas on how to achieve this with either Mrs Dabbs or Mrs Baldwin.

The Key Stage 3 team at first decided to try using bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice to lift the flag up to 80cm, but soon rea lised that this would be extremely difficult to do. Next they looked at using a winch mechanism with a bobbin, string, sand and a paper cup, but this didn't work because the string was not taut enough to pull up the flag of its own accord. Eventually with

Abigail leading the team, Caitlin came up with an idea based on moments. By having a heavier weight on one side with the sand pouring into a paper cup from another paper cup. the other side would lift up to 80cm.

The Key Stage 4 team decided very quickly that they were going to use a mechanism which added more weight steadily over the 60 seconds in order to raise the flag. They created a clever counter weight system which released sand steadily from one container into another.

After a delicious tea of many different sandwiches, pork pie, sausage rolls and blueberry muffins, it was time to test the designs. The Key Stage 3 teams were tested first, Melissa t1pped in the sand and the flag began to move slowly upwards as asked for in the brief. Unfortunately the sand got stuck after about twenty seconds and because there was no interference with the apparatus once set in motion, the team had to wait as the rest of the National Anthem went by without the flag moving again which was a bit disappointing. However the team were given many compliments by other teachers who thought that the mechanism had one of the best concepts. The Key Stage 4 team then tested their mechanism, which started off well but unfortunately they too had problems with their sand as

it failed to be released quickly enough into the second cup to lift the flag high enough in the set time. It was thoroughly enjoyable for all of us and the teams worked well together and hopefully next year we will be even better.

JMB and Vivi Way (Y8)

• Lucy 'Booth (Y10)

SPLtJtrTS (Students Presentine Learnine tJtnc{ rfeac hinB Science).

me girls from WGHS and nine boys from QEGS were chosen from Year 1 0 to take part in SPLATS. The aim of this was to educate the Year Ss in sciences and to

give us some valuable skills for our future.

on the first day we were taught the activities that we would be teaching to the school children by Martin, our coach. Our first activity was solar circuits where the children would have to set up a working circuit, using solar panels, to try to get the motor on the end to turn the propeller. It was harder than it sounds, especially with the lack of sun in the English climate. The next activity was kite ma~ ing which involved the children constructing their own kites from an A3 sheet of paper, colouring pencils, tissue pap12r and string. We discussed with them what features made a kite fly the best and what forces were acting on the kite to make 1t fly. The rollers activity consisted of the children using two pieces of circular card to act as wheels, four small pieces of wood, some safety pins, an elastic band and other bits and bobs to construct a working roller that, as the name suggests, would roll along the floor when the ela~t1c band was wound up. This activity got the children to h1nk about the different types of energy used in this process and where it ultimately came from. There was also a competitive activity where the Year Ss had to construct the1r own marble runs using a giant piece of plastic, three pieces of card, a pair of scissors and sellotape The marble that got to the end the slowest won meaning the children had to make lots of obstacles to put in its way. The longest time we got was over ten seconds! The earth and space activity involved the Year Ss creating a small drama about what it said on the piece of card they were given. For example some groups had to act out how astronauts walked on the moon or how the moon affects the tides. The final activity was the one that we enjoyed teaching the most because it involved fire which captured the children's interest from the start. They had to obseNe how a candle burnt and then, using melted wax, they had to dip in their own white candle to turn it to a different colour and they were also able to create patterns using masking tape. This got the children to consider how the primary and secondary colours are connected and what the words transparent. translucent and opaque meant.

It was a real challenge teaching six practicals for two consecutive days, and even the teachers applauded our energy! We gathered so many new skills, like dealing with Situations that we wouldn't normally have to deal with, for example accommodating children with special needs into the lesson. Also, sometimes things didn't go exactly the way we wanted them to or we ran out of time so we had to think quickly on our feet. The confidence that we earned from this activity was phenomenal because a lot of us were quite shy at first and we didn't really know how to keep a class of ten year olds under controL Having to Present our activities in a way that the children wou ld understand and in a way that would capture their ibmagmation was a tricky task, but due to the positive feed ack t hat we received from all the teachers we can

confidently say that we managed this and that the children got as much out of the day as we did.

This whole experience was mcredible because we were thrown completely out of our comfort zone but our team formed a solid bond as we were all in the same position due to the fact that we had never done anything like this before.

We enJoyed this activity more than we should have and mtssing three days of a school was an added bonus. It is safe to say that we would do this again without questton.

Lydia Jenkinson and Rebecca Burden (Y1 0)

1Wya( ~ir Porce ('R1tP) Uatfis :Event

0 n Thursday 19th April, some girls from Year 9 went to the RAF Maths Event at King's School, Pontefract. Out of the school gates we all walked, expecting to

hop onto the school minibus, when all of a sudden a luxury coach pulled up. This was going to be a good afternoon. When we arrived at King's School. we all felt rather intimidated but soon settled in. We were separated into two groups and integrated with pupils from Kings. We sat down in groups of 4-6, usually comprising of at least two people from each school, and soon enough the fun began! The event started with a simple exercise in which we were required to simply complete a sheet to see if we could follow instructions. Question 1 required us to write our names at the top of the sheet. Question 2 told us to read the rest of the instructions BEFORE we carried on. However the majority of the boys skipped this instruction and strugg led their way through the laborious exercises, whereas most of us girls DID read the sheet, only to find the final quest ion explained to us that we needn't complete the remaining inst ructions!

We then had to complete a few tasks which showed us how Maths was used in the RAF such as budgeting the finances to buy supplies and using measurements to f it cargo into containers. It was all very practical and we enjoyed this thoroughly. It also gave us a chance to get to know our teammates. Next we were given a 'mission' to work out which aeroplanes we would use to rescue a Ruc;c;irtn fic;hing vessel. This included working out average fuel consumptions, time taken to travel and then deciding which airplanes would be fit for the job. After many different answers, ranging from 'just let them drown, it's too much work', to 'attach them to the back of a plane and fly/drag them back,' eventually one of the teams came up with a suitable rescue plan. After what seemed like not long enough at the Maths event we had to return to school. This was an exciting event which showed us one of the many ways Maths can be used in real-life situations and informed us about all the different mathematical jobs available in t he RAF. On behalf of all the girls who went, we wou ld like to thank the Maths D~partment and especially Miss Zhang for organising this tnp for us. Aamna Warsi and Olivia Jackson (Y9)

'Matfis 'Te~m cfi~((e!"Be

0 n the 25th Apnl, Taylor W1lkes, Tilly Crabtree, Melissa Knapton and Georgina Jones set off to the Mount School in York, accompanied by Miss Zhang, to

compete against twenty seven other schools, including our main rivals - QEGS !

After the warm-up exercise, we completed all the questions successfully, which placed us in the top six schools, giving us a taste of our rivals' capabilities. In the f irst round, we worked together as a team solving various puzzles and challenges. We scored one of the highest scores, gaining 54 out of a possible 60 points, keeping us within the top six ~c.hoob.

In the second round, we had a much harder task of filling 1n a crossword type puzzle, working in two different pairs, which worked successfully and scored us 56 out of 60, once again one of the highest marks and maintaining our place in the top six schools. However, in the third round our tactics and pairings did not work as well and with the more difficult questions resulted in us scoring 37 out of 60. Even though our score disheartened us, we still managed to stay in the top six schools due to the big lead we had made in the two previous rounds. We knew we had to get an exc~llent score in the last round to secure a positioning. We dev1sed new tactics and had different pairings to ensure the maximum score.

After a tough round of both running and solving the Maths puzzle in the Final Relay Race, we finished third overall out of twenty eight schools. QEGS finished fifth, which was also a creditable result. We were extremely thrilled with h?w we did and wish to thank Miss Zhang for assisting us w1th all her help at the competition.

Taylor Wilkes, Tilly Crabtree, Melissa Knapton and Georgina Jones (Y9)

'lvtatfis 'Day at Leeds rtlniversity

0 n Thursday the 31st of May, ten Year 8 girls from WGHS, along with pupils from QEGS, King's School and Carleton were given the opportunity to

part1c1pate in a variety of Maths activities. The events were held at leeds University as part of the Independent State School Partnerships. It was a great experience, in which we learned and saw lots of new things.

For many of us, it was our first t ime visiting a university. We enJoyed exploring the different parts of the campus and getting a taste of life at university. We also got the opportunity to solve a selection of problems testing our mathematical skills and learnt some clever Maths tricks with playing cards and numbers.

Here is a trick to try for yourself:

Wnte down the year you were born in

Wdte down a special year of your life e.g. the year a baby brother or sister was born

Write down your age in 2012

Write down the difference between the special year and the present year

Add all of these together and divide by 2 We bet that you will come out with the current year! We th<?ught this was a good trick as it is simple but if you look at 1t you are being asked two simple additions that must add together to make the current year.

Following this we were given a tour of the l eeds University Campus. We saw the Roger Stevens Building. This houses a twenty five tier lecture theatre and is attached to the second longest corridor in Europe! Our guide told us it had won architectural awards.

After lunch, we had a Maths Road Show experience, in pairs, solving challenging Maths puzzles. It was a really fun day out. We are all looking forward to the future and enjoying university life for ourselves.

Olivia Russell and Sarah Robinson (Y8)

'Maths rr'riy to Winmarreiefi t]-{a[[

0 n the 1st June 2012, thirty two girls from Year 7 boarded a coach to Winmarleigh Hall. Lancashire. After a long journey to the PGL centre we finally

arrived. We were assigned our rooms and we were given some time to unpack and to look forward to the evening activity.

A little while later we were shown around the centre, which was in the most beautiful grounds with stunning features. Then we had our dinner: we could choose between fish and chips or chilli con carne and rice, both of which were

delicious! After dinner the evening activities began. We f1rst played 'hole in the bucket'. the aim of which was to keep as much water in your team's container as possible. However. the container had several holes in it! After the game we had a water fight, which was great fun! We all ended up soaked!

The next day started out with breakfast, followed by a one and a halt hour act1v1ty. The f1rst activity that we did was quad biking. We each went round the track five times. However for this activity we also had to do some Maths. We used a trundle wheel to measure t he length of the track; it was forty eight metres. There were .cones which divided the track into quarters and we were t imed in each of t he sections. We then used this information for a later activity which involved finding the average speed for each quarter.

Another activity our group particularly enjoyed was the zip wire, which involved climbing a tall thin tree with only handles to help you climb. When we reach the top we were attached to some more ropes and then stepped off the small platform and zip wired down.

However our favourite activity th roughout this exciting trip has to be the g1ant swing ! On this activity you had to get into pairs and choose which one wore the pulse monitor on your finger and then one pair at a time was heaved up by th~ rest of your group. When at the height of your choice, orv• of your pair had to pull the white cord which sent you flytng through the air. However this was not just for fun. as the activity included some Maths. as we used the pulse mc111tor to find out which part of the giant swing made our hearts beat faster: the top. being raised or being swung. We 'ound out that when we pulled the cord and the first few seconds of being swung made our heart rate increase.

To conclude. the whole party of the Year 7s on the trip enjoyed the entire experience very much. We did many more interesting activities such as wobbly bars. orienteering, dimbing wall, team challenge, problem solving and multi vines. We also took part in some evening activities including a disco, water f ight and a talent show with the teachers as Judges!

In conclusion we all enjoyed the 2012 Maths Trip and we would like to thank Miss Zhang, Miss Djokovic, Mr Shaw and Dr Durell for making this trip so successful. We wou ld most definitely strongly advise and recommend future Year 7s to go on this fun adventure!

Chloe Hayselden and Sofia Zammuto {Y7)

'1iannali Watson (Y1o)

:E((a §rayson (Yw)

~mira 'Boussafi.ia (Yw)

; Modern Toreign Languages

Year 8 Paris rr'ri_p

It was one French lesson in Year 8 when we were all tired of revision for exam week however still eager to learn; books out, planners out and we were ready for our

amazing French teacher to enter. In came Mrs. Hotham, we all stood up, did the usual routine and then Mrs. Hotham told us that she had some exciting news. Suddenly, we were all sat on the edges of our chairs eager to find out what Mrs. Hotham had to say, the room became extremely silent, which is a huge rarity in our form! !

So there stood Mrs. Hotham glancing around the room looking rather confused by our silence and then she said, "Girls, the French Department have had several meetings and we have come to a decision ... "

There sat the form of 8RG, looking around and wondering who had done it this time ... and then Mrs. Hot ham went on, "We are taking a group of forty girls on a school trip to Paris at the beginning of the Summer holidays. But like most trips, this is a f irst come first served basis. So if you would like a place on the trip, you will need to bring in your permission slip and deposit as soon as possible." Suddenly, a huge wave of excitement passed around the classroom and of course, we got louder and louder until Mrs. Hotham had to give us "the look" and as our form very well know, when you get "the look" from Mrs. Hotham you are obliged to be quiet and listen, or else ...

With that, we carried on with the lesson as usual but of course we were all finding it slightly hard to concentrate, due to the news that we had just received. Aamna and I instantly knew that we would both love to go on this possibly once in a lifetime trip ... we seem to have some kind of telepathic connection, and this was one of the many telepathic moments we shared. As soon as we were dismissed from the lesson, we exploded into the upper Newstead corridor and for the rest of that school day it was all anybody was talking about. The next few school days dragged unt il we finally received the letter.

As we were so delighted, we decided that we absolutely ha.d to ca." our parents at lunchtime and demand that they bnng the1r cheque books when they arrived so therefore we would be guaranteed the very first places on the trip. It turned out to be a non-productive journey for the cheque books however .. .

At 4 o'clock when the bell rang we bolted out the school door, across the road and to our cars. The two of us suddenly realizing how low our fitness levels were, breathlessly asked our parents for the deposits of £200 and to fill in the permission slips. Then we had to complete the next leg of our journey; from this next experience we learnt that trying to run from cobbles, through school and up the Newstead stairs, at 4 o'clock when the whole school seems to be coming at you from the all directions is not an easy task. We arrived at the Languages staff room door, cheques in hand, hearts bursting out of our chests and red in the face; we knocked on the door, our heart rates increasing, the door opened. There stood Miss Pick, who said to us, "Sorry girls, Mrs. Hotham has just left. Try again tomorrow," and with a smile she turned away. There stood Aamna next to me. We were both devastated. Then came another telepathic moment ... tomorrow morning. We realized if we got to school bright and early we would still be guaranteed a place on the trip. However, with my bad timing I decided that I would give my cheque to Aamna, and therefore my cheque wou ld go into Mrs. Hotham at the same time, as we wanted to make sure that we could go on the trip together and that one of us didn't get left behind.

The next morning, I (Aamna) got into school at 7:40am and put all my bags in the form room, making sure that I got out mine and Kyrie's deposits for the trip. I then went up to the Modern Languages staff room and knocked on the door. I waited. I waited some more. Nobody came to answer the door. I could not believe it. For the second time, I walked away and then went back to the stuffy form room. I sat in there alone, as it was so early; I had to wait until at least 8 o'clock for somebody else to arrive. Seemingly, hours later at 8 o'clock the form room was still empty, so once again I decided that I would walk over to the Languages staff room and have another try. I knocked on the door hoping that this time around, a member of staff would come and answer the door and sure enough,

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I

r Modern 'Foreign Languages ! Modern 'Foreign Languages

third time lucky! Mrs. Hotham came to the door and gave me a big grin. She knew the reason that I was there and she gave me a lovely smile, which was a great start to what was going to seem like such a long school day. I handed her both cheques and I cannot explain the happiness that filled me when she wrote the numbers one and two on each top corner of our permission slips. It meant that we had got the very first two places! I I was so relieved and our journey had just begun ... One by one, each payment went into school and day by day, we grew closer to the visit.

Then came the day .. . Friday 8th July, waking up at 2am to get to school for 3aml I (Aamna) left my house at 2:45am and was texting Kyrie all the way to school. She arrived there before me and I got out of the car to see a rather comical sight of Kyrie running across the road with a pillow in one hand, a bag in the other and wrapped up in her hoodie, gilet, sheepskin boots and a teddy bear hat (with eyes and everything!) I said a quick goodbye to my parents and sister before crossing the road and getting onto the coach; only to find Alishah laughing at 3am whilst the rest of the coach were trying to get back to sleep after having such an early start! I It was about 3:30am and we were finally en route to the trip we had been waiting to go on for months!! In all honesty, it wasn't as exciting a start as I had been hoping for ... At 4am. I found myself sat very tired and cold with Kyrie's head on my lap. At this moment, I clearly remember saying to Alishah. who was sat across the aisle from me. "She is going to get up anrl he sick any minute!" Sure enough the next minute, Kyrie was throwing up into a plastic bag and we were shouting for Mrs. Hotham at the top of our voices. Mrs. Hotham calmly came over and smiled, as she was already aware how often Kyrie is sick ... as were all our other friends. Before we knew it. we had arrived at the Channel Crossing ready to be transported over to France. We got off the coach one final time in England and soon enough we were driving into a metal container which would carry us underground to France. This made many of the girls feel sick due to the movements of the carriage and the tight spaces. However it was a good chance for us to ming le with the rest of the group as we were allowed to move around from our seats. The journey ended pretty quickly and we were then finally in France! I

Unfortunately, it was another long drive to Paris, but luckily we had our iPods to help us get through it! The thirteen and a half hour journey f inally ended when we arrived at the PGL Chateau in le Paris! Our PGL tour guide came to meet us on the coach, assigned us to our rooms and gave us our room keys on the way off of the coach. Here comes another telepathic moment! Aamna and I knew what to do ... we both made sure that we got out of the coach before our roommates, ran as fast as we could up to the room, carrying our luggage up about five flights of marble stairs just so that we could get the top bunk beds (children at heart!)

We got settled, reapplied our makeup and headed across for a tour and then later dinner. We were all extremely thrilled to find that there was a tuck shop a games room and tennis courts open to us in all our free time. That evening we had dinner and then went to sleep after a long day of travelling. The next morning we were to meet at 8am, so we set my alarm for 6:30am, The alarm went oft at 6:30 and we decided the night before to set the loudest tone ... the siren noise! Turns out that it wasn't such a great idea ... l (Aamna) was the only one that heard it and it scared the living daylights out of me; I almost fell off the top bunk bed I So everybody else was asleep whilst I was trying to save myself; let's say it was a refreshing start to the day. After getting ready we all descended upon the meeting point; Dr. K arrived in his shorts and "Mr. Strong" t-shirt! Not a sight we would have chosen to see first thing in the morning! Next it was into breakfast. Warm cups of tea with our French pain au chocolats awaited us. We all loved the chocolate croissants. Before we had breakfast though, each of us had to make our own packed lunch for the day, including a real French baguette! We were all very excited on the first day, as we were going sightseeing and then going up the Eiffel Tower. It was a wonderful experience and the views were just incredible. However. the warm sun was blazing in our faces. Mrs. Hotham could no longer handle the sun's rays, so she asked us if anybody had a pair of sunglasses that she could borrow .. . I (Kyrie) gave Mrs. Hotham my sunglasses ... oh t he sight! She looked incredibly hip and modern, so we just had to take a photograph! Then Dr. K and Mrs. Murray came over and as Aamna, Alishah and I have the same sunglasses, they all put them on and they looked fab! One of the most memorable parts of the trip for me!

After a pleasant lunch, we made our way down to the River

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Seine; we had a lovely tour of France whilst floating down the river and listening to traditional French music. But the tour ended after an hour. We next walked all the way up to the Sacre Coeur. We walked around the large Church soaking in the beauty and before we knew it, we were out of the other side. We then explored a market that we found where there were lots of artists and beautiful artwork. There was also a small ice cream shop at one side or the rTld r kel l>u L we had cleverly clocked some people walking around with French crepes in their hands. Using our best French, and our accents on top form we asked some French tourists where we could purchase the treats. Soon enough we found the shop, and we were pleasantly swprised and somewhat fascinated by the absolute giant jar of Nutella on display. That was one of the best crepes we had ever had.

There was not a lot that we did on the second night together. just a few outdoor races and other such activities; but all the "fun" started when we went back to our dorms to get ready for bed and supposedly go to sleep ...

Being teenagers, we almost never go to bed on time. So when a teacher comes in to your room and tells you to turn out your lights and go to bed, we all do it. But then after about ten minutes of sitting with the lights off, we all know that somebody from the room will get out of bed and turn them back on .. . that's when the fun begins ...

Staytng up until 2am was not a clever idea, we DO NOT recommend it! The second day was in my opinion by far the best as we went to Disneyland. It was another early start and then we had the usual breakfast, the same procedure of making our lunches before then setting off into Paris.

!he atmosphere in the coach for the duration of this jOurney was indescribable. The children inside of us were coming alive as we drew closer and closer to the long a:-va1ted visit to Disneyland. When we pulled up in the Disneyland car park it unfortunately began to rain however nothmg was going to rain on our parade or bring us down. We marched across the car park and soon enough arrived at the Disneyland gates. a quick headcount and then we Were in .

As it was Kyrie's first time at a theme park we decided to start by taking it easy. We went on the teacups first, followed by the ' it's a small world' ride, which was a small train type ride. Then we decided to take it up a few notches by going on the Pi rates of the Caribbean ride; this rollercoaster seemed so unbelievably haunted and did very well in shaking us all up. After this one, we checked the time and decided it would be best for us to start heading back to the meeting point. Luckily enough for us, we bumped into Mrs. Hotham and Mrs. Murray who had also jUst been the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and were absolutely thrilled by it, so we didn't have to go all the way back to the meeting point; this meant we could carry on with the rest of the rides!! Whilst we were with the teachers we were made aware of the fast-track tickets system. Within seconds we were off on a sprint across the theme park to get fast track tickets to 'The Big One' . It was going to be a magnificent day. However all good things come to an end ... after a thrilling ride on, 'The Big One' and being thrown in every direction possible on 'Space Mission 2' it was time to start head ing back. On the contrary we did manage to spare a few minutes to buy giant lollipops and explore one of the many toy emporiums on our way to the meeting point. After a long, fun day it was time to get back onto the coach and head to the Chateaux for some more entertainment. We got back and some of us were so tired we decided to 'chill out' by the heated pool and others decided to go in for a dip. This was extremely good downtime and we were also free to leave early as long as we stayed on the PGL grounds. Kyrie and I decided to go up and get showered and ready for dinner before our roommates came up. Then whilst they were getting ready we went and bought some ice-cream. After that we relaxed in the games room, playing silly party games until dinner time.

The last night we were there, we walked into dinner when suddenly Kyrie put her hand over her mouth and nudged me. I thought she was going to be sick; however as I looked to where she was pointing I realised maybe we all were this time. In the tray, there sat about twenty cooked snails. For

dinner it was snails and chips (there was of course an alternative option). However some of our brave classmates did go for it and to our amazement, very much enjoyed this meal, but we stuck to the safer option of ratatouil le. This

. mealtime was f illed with laughter and afterwards the whole group went outside to play games, talk and listen to music together. As we sat outside watching the skies become darker, the air was filled with laughter and happiness however we all realised that very soon, this wonderful visit would come to an end. We decided to get an early night rather than staying up late again ! !

On Monday the 11th of July forty girls from WGHS woke up to a beautifu l morning in Paris. We had the usual routine of getting up, getting ready, and going down to the meeting point however we then had to take our bags to the coach. After this we went in for breakfast and enjoyed our usual continental style breakfast before returning to our rooms for a quick check. All the rooms were checked for tidiness and then each group was •dismissed' to go and get onto the coach after their room had been approved.

iPods. phones. pillows and blankets at the ready we set out for our return journey. It seemed to take us a long time to get to Calais however when we eventually got there it was worth the while as we got t ime to spend in the shopping centre. After a quick toilet break we had twenty minutes to go off in small groups to get some lunch and have a wander. Kyrie, and I decided we were going to attack the sweetie aisle in the supermarket. After this we went to look at DVDs and were entertained by the fact that it was all in French (as if we didn•t expect this to be the case). Next we went on to be highly entertained by the fact that we were actually able to read and understand a scandalous rRCNCII headline about Justin Bieber on a magazine! The icing on the cake was watching as a large group of girls who realised they had two minutes (maximum) left before we had to be back on the coach but also wanted a McDonalds which had just been discovered at the other end of the shopping mall; they looked highly comical running through a shopping centre to go to a McDonalds in such a large group. Although I am also guilty; I did too get a McDonalds for my lunch from there.

We all got settled again on the coach and drove into the train. After a short stop near London on the way back we all settled down on the coach to watch Harry Potter, and before we knew it we had arrived back in Wakefield and were pulling up on Wentworth Terrace.

The Paris trip 2011 was an amazing experience and we agreed it was one of the best trips we had ever been taken on, in and out of school. We all had a truly enjoyable time and on behalf of the forty girls that went, Kyrie and I

(Aamna) would like to say a big t hank you to Mrs. Hotham. Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Stothard. Mrs. Lind ley and Dr. K for taking time out of their holidays to take us on this trip and making it such a lovely four days for all of us.

Aamna Warsi and Kyrie McConnell (Y9)

Prench y(ay L'ES §~~c;o']{s

Last half term, Year 9 pupils from both WGHS and QEGS all gathered in the Elizabeth Theatre to watch the French production of Les Gar<;ons, which was

performed by a French-speaking duo. The production was clearly enjoyed by all; it was an outstanding performance by the actor and actress who managed to flick between characters effortlessly and consistently. Their ability to connect with the audience was particularly spectacular and they engaged everyone in the performance, managing to muster many laughs and smiles. They called upon a student from QEGS whom they invited on to the stage to take part in a small section of the storyline and he and the audience clearly enjoyed the interaction.

The story was about a teenager called Natalie babysitting a young todd ler. All hell breaks loose as her ex-partner, Tristan, turns up to the house unexpectedly. After a hilarious scene. consisting of Natalie reading though Tristan's texts, audience interaction and an argument to follow, the tipsy couple return home. On arriving they f ind Natalie and Tristan arguing and the final scene involved Natalie trying to get Tristan out of the house whilst the couple were still too tipsy to realise she had not been alone. I am sure you can imagine what fun this was performed by just two actors!

Everyone understood the French. The clear hand gestures and facial expressions performed by the duo kept everyone up to speed with the events on stage. The actors made sure that everyone was as connected with the storyline as they could possibly be.

We all found the production hugely beneficial to our French learning and thought it was a great way to expand our vocabulary and listening skills as it was an all-French play. Everyone thoroughly appreciated the visit from the French actors and we hope we can see something just as funny again in the near future.

Mi llie Mitchell-Gears and lzzy Swarbrick (Y9)

rfriy to 'l'fice

During the first week of October half term this year, forty three pupils from WGHS and QEGS went to Nice in the South of France. We stayed in pairs with

French families and went to school each morning for three hours in order to improve our French and experience what life is really like in France. We had a lot of fun and each day visited various places from the beautiful luxury of Cannes to the ancient mountains of Eze. However. the rain on Tuesday meant bowling for everyone, resulting in a competition w ith the boys and Mrs Walker. Mrs Walker did the girls proud and beat the boys easily. but that wasn't the only time we proved girls are better; from snooker to the register, the girls showed the boys just how it was done (although the teachers were probably more competitive than us).

When visiting Eze, we went to a perfume factory in which we learnt not only how perfume is made, but how quickly purses can be emptied when beautiful perfume is offered with a discount! Eze was particularly beautiful and some lovely photos were taken of the group (all of wh ich are on the Modern Languages corridor alongside some very embarrassing photos of the rest of the trip too). Living with French families was daunting for all and whilst it was strange at first, we are all very thankful for their hospitality and enjoyed experiencing a taste of their lives. Sophie Williams and I wil l stay in contact with our hosts and feel we have made real friends to be cherished as we shared long chats over tea and showed them the works of Katy Perry on Youtube. Our French accents improved vastly from speaking to them and my listening skills were tested as I tried to understand their fast conversations. Towards the

end of the week however, it became much easier and I am now finding listening exercises in class a lot less difficult. On the last day we visited Antibes, where we were given a lot of free time, and this was spent rushing round for last minute presents to take home and scoffing all the ice cream and last day crepes that we cou ld manage. Here we also visited the deeper parts of the city where we were told about the architecture and the history of the area (all in French of course). The gu ides that took us to these beautiful vi llages and towns each day were particularly kind and very patient, speaking slowly for us and making sure we understood. We discovered a lot from their talks includ ing an interesting story about the Saint of Nice. This trip rea lly was fantastic and we all bonded as a group, making new friends, devouring what seemed like all the crepes France had to offer and learning about not only the history of the wonderful cities but also more French vocabulary too. Being in such a wonderful, sunny environment with great friends made the experience even more special and one to be remembered for a long time. We wou ld like to thank Mrs Hotham and Mrs Walker as well as Mr Gibb and Mrs Van der Shans for taking us on this trip. It is fair to say that everybody's French has improved as a result of this trip and we hope that younger years can also experience what we did including more as a week really wasn't long enough! Phoebe Crossland (Y11)

Sa(amanca

I n the October half term of 2011. seventeen of us who took Spanish for our GCSEs went to the city of Salamanca for six days. Salamanca is a place that is enriched in

history, due to its old university, cathedral and library. Alongside being modern due to its shops, the city suited us perfectly. We had a very early start to the day since we set off from school at four o'clock in the morning. Our f irst stop on the way to Salamanca was Madrid in which we had to take extra care of our possessions because of the high theft rates! In Madrid, we did a lot of sightseeing including a tour of the Reina Sofia. Spain's national museum of art. Even though we were tired, we could not resist looking at the mind-blowing paintings and scu lptures.

Later on we went to a Spanish restaurant and tried many of the native foods like. the famous, 'tortilla espanola' . Once our stomachs were more than satisfied, we began our walk through Madrid, which included shopping, takmg photos and being bombarded by Spongebob characters. Walking through the main square was a great feel ing, because of the grand architecture. This was fol lowed by the tour of the extravagant palace. We all fell in love with the Royal Palace of Madrid as soon as we saw it but we weren't the on ly ones who were attracted to it as there were many tourists and furthermore, it was chosen as the site of a wedding. Later on, we began the three-hour bus journey to Salamanca. Our host families greeted us with much hospitality and after an appetising meal, we collapsed onto our beds after an exhausting yet incredibly satisfying day.

Throughout the next five days, we attended lessons every morning. We had two fun teachers who would switch between the two year groups. They were both very lovely and as the week progressed we all felt our Spanish improving. Moreover, some of the work we did has been usefu l for our controlled assessments and so we're happy to have learnt everything that was taught there. We're all glad to say that we attended lessons every day, because it was something that was fun whilst being useful. But of course, the lessons weren't the only part of our trip since there was so much more to come, includ ing a salsa and flamenco lesson, a visit to the bullfighting museum, Cathedral,

university, a tapas tour and as always, it was packed with retail therapy. In our spare time we would always meet at the 'Plaza Mayor' or town square as we call it, because there was free Wi-Fi and given that all the shops were situated around it, we definitely went there.

Salsa was something we all tru ly enjoyed, because of the high energy dance routine that we learnt to 'Run the World' by Beyonce. Some of us found it hard to keep up with the fast rhythmic steps while others. who are dancing experts, picked it up straight away. It wasn't on ly us who took part in it with so much enthusiasm since Mrs Dale and Miss Brennan joined in and appreciated the dance as much as we did. Adding to salsa, we were also treated to flamenco dancing two days later in which we swayed our hips like the Spanish senoritas. This was truly an opportunity that we couldn't have got in Wakefield. In the week, we went on a tapas tour and visited three Spanish restaurants that served us scrumptious delicacies. Not only was this scrumptious. but it also gave us a chance to view Salamanca at night.

The bullfighting museum, Cathedral and university were extremely interesting. In both places we were given a guided tour. which was exceedingly informative. The bullfighting museum contained many great pictures and memories of past and present bullfighters. We found out a huge number of facts that we had not even heard of before. From this tour. we also learnt how important bullfighting is and has been to the Spanish people. Bullfighters are treated with great respect, because what they do is not just a sport that is played, it is a task which requires a person to be extremely courageous and smart.

The Cathedral and its views was something we were all mesmerised by. Once stood at the top, you can see the whole of Salamanca and all the surrounding areas of the city. which is a scene I truly want to see again . From here, you can see, the beautiful buildings, the grand town square and by walking through those streets everyday. we could rnake out where our host homes were. The university, berng one of the oldest universities in the world was outstanding. As we walked through the corridors, we could feel that it was enriched in history and that many people centuries ago would have walked those very same halls. The> library was a sight to behold. There were thousands of books and ladders. which made us remember that of the one in Beauty and the Beast, although this was real. Each and every book. These books being so antique. we weren't let anywhere near them and so all that we saw was behind a small viewing glass wall. but that was enough.

Salamanca, was absolutely beautiful with it being historical yet modern. We fell in love with every aspect of the city even to an extent that we would want to live there! Living there may be a step too far. but to have gone for a week wac; tremendous. We are extremely grateful to our wonderful host families and teachers, Mrs Dale and Miss Brennan as this wondrous journey would not have taken place without them. Kirthi Shamanur (Y1 0)

:Emma Stoner (Y12)'

Spanish y{ay -La Primera Cita

0 n Wednesday 23rd November 2011 Onnatti Productions brought their "Primera Cita" show to QEGS QE Hall for the enjoyment of students of

Spanish from Year 9 to Year 11. "Primera Cita" means First Date and the audience were treated to a hilarious observation of two love-struck teenagers, Maria and Carlos. suffering the hysteria, panic, fear and apprehension of those all important preparations. While Marfa agonised over her hair, make-up and ward robe choices Carlos muddled through his first ever shave.

The production was performed entirely in Spanish and our girls were exposed to a number of Key Stage 3 and GCSE topics, such as: clothes, dates, trmes, directions, numbers, parts of the body, personal descriptions and phrases for arranging a date. The esteemed audience were happy to interact with the actors in the target language and offered helpful hints on fashion. However, their understanding nature did not extend to not laughing out loud at their expense. I hope that the girls enjoyed the show as much as the teaching staff did and that it encouraged them to keep learning vocabu lary and irregular verbs!

"We really enjoyed the Spanish play because it highlighted all of the problems that both girls and boys face in a funny and entertaining manner." (Hayley Marsden and Jzzy Jenkins)

"We were amazed by the Spanish languAgP WP already knew." (Aiakh Konjengbam, Tayo Adekun/e and Lydia Burrows)

"We recognised lots of language we already knew and learnt some new vocabulary."

"Nos encant6 Ia obra de teatro. II (Ellena Smith and Kate Offord)

"Aprendimos mucho y nos gusto mucho. II (Priti Bangad and Lizzy Holling)

"Ver Ia ansiedad de estos j6venes era gracioso y nos refmos." (Olivia Jackson and Taylor Wilkes)

KLD

%coCa 'Frewer (Y11)

Modern 'Foreign .Languages : Modern 'Foreign .Languages

'BerCin rTrp

The journey started outside the Hepworth building of WGHS. A single coach, there to take twenty girls, boys and teachers to an airport in Liverpool was waiting for

people to arrive, one by one. It took about twenty minutes for a crowd of students and parents to form, after which we climbed into the coach and set off.

Our coach journey was filled with singing and laughter. We weren't even in Germany, but we were already having fun, and mixing with boys that many of us had never spoken to before. Anticipation was in the air. By the t ime we got to the airport, we absolutely couldn't wait to get on the plane, although we did get half an hour for shopping in the many shops around.

Finally it was time to board the plane. The f light was pretty much uneventful until we were inches from the ground, and the plane f lew back up again, the pilot only telling us that we couldn't land because the wind was too strong and that he had to make a decision. Eventually we learnt that his decision was for us to land at Dresden to pick up fuel, which added a couple of hours to our travel time but felt so exciting. Going to another part of Germany entirely, a completely unscheduled event, was like an adventure for all of us (although probably very stressful for the teachers!) and something I doubt we'd have said no to.

One of the most exciting things about Dresden was that when we arrived there, it began to snow. Yes, snow. That delightful white stuff which falls from the skies and causes excitement in the middle of winter. At least until it starts to melt. Snow. The coach arrived eventually, while we were catching snowflakes in our hands and hair, to take us to

Berlin airport where we would get our coach to the youth hostel we would be staying at.

Eventually, about two hours after we should have, we arrived at the Aletta Jugendhotel, where a man w ith an interesting necklace told us the rules. We were given an hour to settle in, unpack, change and explore, before-setting out to the Potsdamer Platz, a place completely reduced to rubble in World War II, now full of shops and restaurants. After eating in the Lindenbrau Bierkeller (which translates as 'Beer cellar', although none of the students had any beer!), we went back 'home', looking at the streets of Berlin lit up around us as we walked.

Breakfast was at half eight, although everybody seemed to be ready a lot earlier than this! The food at the hotel, a mix of different cereals and fruit and yoghurt, and meats and cheeses and breads, was superb. The variety and the ability

to pick however much of whatever you wanted ensured that we had plenty of energy for the coming day. And we needed it! After meeting in the lobby, we got ready to walk through Berlin, seeing it in daylight properly, on our way to Checkpoint Charlie (where the most famous crossing point between East and West Berlin lay during the time when the Berlin Wall was up). A long visit to the Checkpoint Charlie museum ensued, where we learnt all about Germany's recent and sad history. Children and parents, partners, friends, all split up because of one wall erected in 1961 . There was a book of the dead, with forms next to each instalment where people might search for a possible relative of theirs.

Even though it was sad, the museum itself was interesting, and it was widely appreciated, especially by the historians amongst the group. Afterwards, we found a Starbucks to have a drink and a sit down. As we watched the world go by outside, we learnt that a race was being held through the streets of Berlin ... on rollerskates. A very entertaining little thing to watch.

The Berlin Wall Documentation Centre, where we went afterwards, contained even more information about the Berlin Wall, along w ith a long and sad list of people who had died attempting to cross the Wall. There was a silent film playing in the middle of the room, a large projection on the wall, and people from all over sitting on benches gathered together watching it. I was almost as hypnotised by the multitude of strangers sat together in solemn silence as the film itself.

Our next stop in Berlin was the Berlin Wall East Side Gallery. 1.3 kilometres of wall, with approximately one hundred and six paintings on it by artists worldwide, and the biggest open air gallery in the world. We walked along one entire side of it, and saw some amazing artwork there. People, cars, trees, water, abstract shapes and bright colours; there was something in there for everybody to enjoy, and it was one of my personal favourite parts of the trip.

Afterwards we went to eat in an interesting place where we struggled to f ind seats. It was bustling with people and energy, which came from us being able to see our food being made right in front of our eyes. Pizza and pasta. Delicious.

But that wasn't the end of the day for us! We still had something else to do: bowling. All of us split into two groups, one per alley, and had a relaxed game while we bought drinks and chatted with each other. After that, it Was once again time to go back to our hotel for more sleep.

Yet another breakfast at half eight, and once again people woke up a lot earlier, like we would miss eating breakfast entirely if we didn't. More bread and ham and jam in weird little edible pots. More mess.

Our first stop for today was the Berlin Story Museum, which retold the history of Berlin from around the 11th Century to present day. Yet more of the Berlin Wall, plus the Black Death and both World Wars, plus anything else of interest in Berlin's long and fascinating history. It followed a pathway, in chronological order of approximately the last 1 000 years of German history. After this was a trip to the nuclear bunker underneath the museum. There we learnt what would have happened had there been a nuclear strike against Germany, and what the short stay there would have been like for those who were considered lucky enough to have got into the bunker. To be honest, it didn't seem like it would be very much of a blessing, even against nuclear warfare. Although the bunker was made into more of a museum, with many beds taken out to make room to walk, it was still an incredibly spooky experience; the dim lighting and scary unidentified sounds made it almost surreal being down there and I'm sure I'm not the only one glad when we reached fresh air outside again . It was very interesting though. We had lunch in the KaDeWe, a very large and famous department store in Berlin. As well as lunch, we had time for shopping a little, which was probably very appreciated by all. A leisurely stroll around an entire f loor full of food is not something we'd have turned down in any situation!

Next was yet another museum, my favourite of all the museums we visited, the Jewish Museum. This documented the history of the Jewish people mostly from when they first arrived en masse in Europe. Our tour guide was a very passionate and excitable woman who spoke four languages, a very intelligent woman. She started off the tour b~ explaining the architecture of the museum to us, wh1ch was made more amusing by the headphones we had on. She had a microphone attached to her clothes, so that when she talked at a normal volume, we could hear her and she didn't have to shout. This did encourage her to make a few comments about the other visitors to the museum, who didn't know that they were being lead to everywhere they went. Architecture really is a powerful device. Then we were left to our own devices, exploring the museum and seeing Anti-Semitism throughout history. We mainly !earnt that Jews were picked on as scapegoats for a lot of history, and they still are today. Once we had left, it was yet again time to eat, and we went to another Italian restaurant, this one with a more relaxed atmosphere. We all sat together and the waiter enjoyed the efforts of some people to order their food in German.

It was no longer relaxed as we hurried to our next location, a place where we needed our passports; German parliament. Security checked us all in, and then we had yet another tour guide to show us around. At one point we actually sat in the place where parliament is held, and eventually went up to the top of the dome to see the whole of Berlin around us, lit up beautifully in so many colours. We even attempted to identify some of the places we had visited earlier, including the Potsdamer Platz. Then, after coming out knowing a little more about German politics, we went to buy ice cream. It took us a little bit of time to find a place that sold ice cream at ten o'clock at night, but we managed it eventually! Then it was time, for the final time, to go back to the hotel for a little bit of sleep.

In the morning, knowing that it was our last breakfast in Berlin, we made the most of every minute of it, because afterwards came packing. The worst part of any holiday, any foreign school trip, any visit abroad, always seems to be packing the clothes and other items that have somehow managed to appear under everybody else's bed, in other rooms, everywhere except where you put them. Fortunately, our stuff hadn't made it very far, and packing took less time than we had feared.

It wasn't quite time to leave Germany yet though. We stored our bags in the hotel's storeroom, and caught a tram to

another shopping area in Berlin, for a bit of last minute . buying. We walked around an outdoor market before gomg into the department store nearby, which had a lot of chocolate on sale in time for Easter.

After this shopping trip, we went to a different part of Berlin, and did some more shopping, with loads of small shops and little twists and turns in the streets. Along with that were some people who were trying to collect money for a c~arity from people, dressed in bright yellow. One man, holdmg a giant flower, came up to us and started offering to swap his large fake f lower for a soft toy duck that somebody ~ad bought. A highly confusing and amusing conversation, as you might be able to imagine.

Then we went back to our youth hostel to collect our luggage, and wait in a room with a pool table f<?r our c?ach to arrive. When it did, we reluctantly left and sa1d our fmal goodbyes to the man behind the reception desk. Once again, we had a coach journey filled with conversation and music, this t ime recounting memories of Berlin.

At the airport, we managed to have a philosophical debate about the nature of existence, and bought lunch. The plane was delayed by about an hour; time for even more shopping, which mainly consisted of looking at things and buying food and entertainment for the plane. When it finally arrived, we walked on slowly as our feet stepped on German ground for the final time that trip, and found seats w ith some difficulty; it was almost as busy as the first Italian restaurant we went to!

Whether something interesting or noteworthy happened on that plane journey, I can't actually say, as I was asleep for most of it. But we landed in England without any problems, and after collecting our luggage we waited for our coach.

When it arrived, and we set off on the final leg of our journey home, we were much more tired and subdued. Most people were talking quietly, listening to music, or simply watching raindrops gliding down the w indow. Eventually we arrived back outside of school safely, meeting our parents after three nights away from home, and probably all sharing our favourite little stories of a wonderful city that we were lucky enough to visit.

I'd like to say thank you to Miss Pick, Mrs Firth and Mr Jeavons for looking after us, and helping to make the experience as wonderful and magical as possible. Seeing the sights of Berlin, walking through the streets and feeling just like another part of such an amazing city isn't something you do every day!

And given the chance, I doubt that anyone on that trip would turn down another opportunity to go there. If you are lucky enough to get the chance to go to Berlin, do so. You won't regret it. Am ira Boussahia (Y1 0)

§erman y(ay - 'A.(fes wird anders

0 n January 31st, g irls from Years 9 to 11 travelled across to QEGS to watch a play called 'Alles wird anders' (meaning 'Everything changes') with the

boys. Everything we knew about it was contained in a little booklet. The little booklet contained just a few juicy titbits and scraps from the play itself and two extracts (which were paraphrased and performed in our Year 10 German lesson, much to our delight)

As we sat in the cold theatre, muttering amongst ourselves, wondering what would happen, or if we would actually understand the play, a voice emerged from just offstage, and the play began. Our fears that the play would be a jumbled mess of syllables and noise were completely unfounded. The actors spoke slowly, emphasising what they were saying with hand actions. One of the high lights of the play was seeing one of the male actors dress up as a woman to try and fool another cha racter. A man in a glittery gold dress, blonde wig and high heels was really something to remember. Especially when we learnt that he could walk in his heels better than a lot of us could!

There were only three actors in the play, but their stage presence was more than enough to make up for it; they were all genuinely talented at acting. A few students from both schools were invited onto the stage, to help advance the play as well as to help with their German. The stu~ents provided laughs for us, as well as some thought provokmg questions for the actors.

The plot of the play was a boy called Mark who liked to sing, but his family would mock him if they learnt this. He would go into the empty flat next door to his own and practise singing songs from musicals. This was until a girl and her father moved in without him realising it, and the girl, Melissa, found him in her room one night. Eventually she discovered his passion for singing, as well as the fact that he had an audition for a musical theatre school the next day, and encouraged him to go for it despite his fears.

The play concluded with the news that both Mark and Melissa had been given places in the school followed by a large round of applause from us. Three students were chosen as judges for the audition, and we heard some fabulous singing from the person who played Mark. So we not only watched an interesting play, and gained confidence in our German skills, but learnt a very important lesson too; don't be afraid to follow your dreams.

Hopefully we w ill get the opportunity to see more foreign language plays throughout school. This particu lar one was not only useful, but entertaining, and had a very good message contained in it; that we shouldn't be afraid to follow our dreams, even if we think people might laugl:l. This was, I think, the bit that completed the play. Not only was it enjoyable, and educational, but it also had a message for each and every single person in the audience, and I am quite certain that everybody enjoyed it.

Amira Boussahia (Y1 0)

m ~

1Jesign Show

0 n Thursday 17th May 2012. the Design and Technology Department showcased work and products that had been des1gned and made by a

selection of pup1ls from Years 7 - 13 as well as Years 3, 4 and 5 from the Junior School. The Destgn Show IS an annual event wh1ch has grown s1gmficantly tn scale each year w1th pupils, parents, fnends and staff attending to adm1re (and taste) the h1ghly successful products that have been made. Whilst wait10g for the Fashion Show to start, guests had the opportunity to walk around the Forrest Building, where displays showed examples of GCSE, NS and A2 portfolio work from all three Design and Technology disciplines. The displays gave an insight into the research that had been carried out which inspired the innovative designs, as well as the development of the product before manufacture and evaluat10g the f10al product once complete. Products that had been made in Product Design lessons were also on d1splay; jitterbugs made by Year 7 pupils, docking stat1ons made by Year 8 pup1ls and clocks that had been made by pup1ls 10 Year 9. Year 10 pup1ls acquire and develop accurate and complex manufacture skills throughout the year by making either a lamp or a docking stat1on. all of wh1ch were d1splayed 1n the Design Studio. Pup1ls in Years 11 . 12 and 13 independently select and manufacture the1r projects using a variety of matenals and making skills. Examples of the excellent products on d1splay 1ndude coffee tables, book shelves, a toy car and a computer desk to name but a few.

By 7 .30pm, everyone had taken their seats around the catwalk, 10 the Jubilee Hall ready to watch the Fash1on Show. Mrs Wallwork formally opened The Des1gn Show and the music began The first half of the show was all about Text1les work carried out in Years 7, 8 and 9. The confident models performed a routine, which energetically displayed cushions made by Year 7 pupils, bags made by Year 8 pupils, pyjamas made by Year 9 pupils, along with the winners of the Key Stage 3 Charity Fashion Show. During the interval, delicious savoury and sweet canapes, wh1ch had been made by the Food Technologists, were available for everyone to sample in the Forrest Building There was also the opportunity for guests to spend more t1me adm1ring the products and work. Guests were asked to vote for the1r favounte product and place the1r vote into a ballot box The w1nner of th1s competition was Megan R1chmond in Year 13 with her contemporary shelv10g untt.

The second half of the Fashion Show displayed garments made by Years 1 0, 11, 12 and 13 Text1les pupils. The models looked fantastic in the outfits due to the careful attentiOn to detatl to complete the whole look w1th styled ha1r, matchmg accessories and 'killer heels' I Year 1 0 pup1ls had deconstructed a garment from a chanty shop, and then usetl the fabnc to create a whole new garment As part of thcu controlled assessment, Year 11 pupils work Independently from a selected brief. Some of the garments in thP collection include: a leatherette JUmp suit, a faux fur coat, velvet hot pants with shirt and a full length prom style dress. The Year 12 collection displayed garments such as: a tartan dress. a backless, red, full length dress and a classic sh1rt with a feminine twist. Pupils from Year 13 individually show a capsule collection of the work that they created m Year., 10. 11, 12 and 13. The )how was a huge success and all pup1ls featured should be J roud of their achievements. We look forward to see10g you at The Des1gn Show in 2013. NJI

Year 8 'DockinB Station Project

Thts year has seen the mtroductton of the exc1ttng new Docking Statton proJect tn Year 8 Product Destgn. The prOJect has altered stgntficantly from tts predecessor,

whteh was the Pewter Artefact. The a1m of this new project was to blend trad1t1onal makmg skills. such as the manufactunng of f1nger JOints m t1mber, with more modern des1gn and making skills. such as the use of CAD, CAM and CNC laser cutting. The students ultimately work towards producing a working product that they can take home and make use of. I look forward to seeing the designs develop and mcorporate even more innovative features and making skills in the next academic year. These are just some of the excellent examples that have been design and manufactured by Year 8 students this year.

BAC

~(eatror Lt91ton

Youn8 :Entreyreneurs' CJmyetition

0 n Tu~sday 28th February WGHS had the pleasure of hosting the maugural Wakefield G1rls' High School Young Entrepreneurs' CompetitiOn. The competit1on

wa a1med at students in Years 7 to 9 and from schools across the Wakefield district. Representmg WGHS tn the fmal. w1th thelf solar powered iPhone case. were Kate Offord and Ellena Smith. The other participating schools me uded QEGS. Ossett Academy, Outwood Grange Ac demy, Castleford Academy and Crofton Academy. Students were given a very broad brief for the competition to come up with an innovative product or service that has real market potential. They worked in teams of up to four ind•viduals, firstly taking part in interschool heats 10 the au tJmn term that enabled each school to narrow the f1eld do n to one finalist team, followed by the grand final at WC..HS

Followmg a Dragons' Den style structure. each fmalist team p1tched the1r product to a panel of four JUdges mcluding Mr. ian l1ylor, Managing Director of Med1a D1splays. and a former part1c1pant m the BBC Dragons' Den, Mrs. Kathryn Wood, Managmg Director of Mint (Na1l and Beauty) Ltd, M1s Dimple Patel and Mr. Vikesh Patel. both Managmg Otrectors of Love Coffee. Each school was vying to win the WGHS Young Entrepreneurs' trophy along with a business start-up assistance package valued at £25,000.

Duung the evenmg presentation ceremony the aud1ence was QIVt.:l an tns1ght mto the background of each JUdge. meL ~mg how they evolved into successful entrepreneurs 10 the1r respect1ve fields. This was followed by the screen10g of s111 outstandmg finalist pitches that had taken place during thE' d,1y.

Aftl·r much deliberation the judges had selected James ParkPr and Bethany Jarvis of Castleford Academy, creators of a~ 1111ovat1ve travel toothbrush w1th built-m toothpaste d1sp nser. as the overall winners. The quality of each product was h1gh and all had far exceeded our expectatiOns. All participants and finalists should feel proud of thetr contnbution and achievements gamed throughout duration of the competition.

The WGHS Young Entrepreneurs' Compet1t1on has certamly broadened the honzons of many students from across the Wal.ef,eld area. and given them an 1nsight into the entrepreneurial srde of design and business. a vocat1on that can hold exceptional rewards for those that are w1lhng to 1nvest their time, effort and energy.

I look forward to piloting the KS4 WGHS Young Entrepreneurs' Competition in the next academic year and, 11 th1) year's entrants are anything to go by, I am sure that we Will see some exceptional ideas from our older students.

BAC

'Katie 'life (Yu)

•

!Art :Exlilbltlo11 2LJ12 : Car,eers

Lam Co(wool (Y13)

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Work experience at Pi nderjie[ds §enera[ rHosyita[

I wns fortunate enough to get a work placement through school at Pinderfields Hospital where I was assigned to Ward 31 {elective Orthopaedics); this was for patients

chOilSJng to have surgery on joints, bones. etc which meant tha there wouldn't be any trauma cases on the ward. On Monday, I was with the nurses and got shown how to make beds and helped with lunch and drinks. Though this isn't the .areer I have in mind, it was interesting to speak to the pattents and also to see the nurses' role in a hospital. I also accompanied a nurse to theatre whilst takmg a pattent and wa. -1llowed to watch the patient bemg put to sleep before they went in for an operation.

On ruesday morning, I went to Dewsbury Hospital and spe some time wtth their Pathology & Histology Department where I got to observe and handle some tissue sam~1les. For example, a patient had had a hysterectomy post menopause and I got to hold her uterus which had shrunk considerably. In the afternoon. I watched an angtogram with the Radiology Department at Pinderfields. It w\1s really exctting watching the live x-rays and I was reqwred to get mto scrubs.

Wednesday morntng was similar to Monday. In the afternoon, I observed an endoscopy then spent some time in th<> Hand Clinic. I finished the day with a Suturing Worhhop where we were taken to the Education Centre and were taught how to do mattress and continuous sutures (stitches). On Thursday morntng I returned to the Hand Clinic and spent the afternoon in Hand Therapy. I then got to observe a k-wire removal in which the doctor used ohers to remove metal w1res from a patient's now healed bone.

Fnoay morning started wtth a Trauma meeting where I got to stl JVith a group of six dodors revtewing the trauma patients (the night staff briefing the day staff) and then went un rounds in the Burns Unit and Plastics. Friday afternoon was another pradical where we got to use a skm grafttng tool.

Before applying for my work experience I had two careers in mind, I either wanted to be a Doctor or a Dentist. I have done work experience with both these careers and have dec1df'd on medicine. For medicine, most unrversittes ask for a mmrmum of two sciences at A level (th1s includes

Maths) and they often say you must do Chemistry. This has mfluenced my A level choices (Biology, Chemistry, Maths & Design Technology) but the most important thing rs that I enjoy these subjects and they are also my strongest as the grade requirements for this course as usually AAA and will go up with the new A* . Medicine IS a competitive course and any relevant work experience will help me stand out from other applicants so I am trying to do as much as I can because it shows an mterest tn the field and therefore writ help with my UCAS application and personal statement.

I am currently looking for more work experience and recentiy wrote to Methley Park Hospital so I could get a look at the private side of health care after having spent a week with an NHS hospital.

Aayushi Gupta (Y12)

The Careers Convent-ion

As Lower School puptls, we found the Careers Convention to be a rewarding, fun and helpful event which has helped us determine our own futures and

consider vanous career paths. The variety of careers presented appealing, fulfillrng, successful individuals whtch made us keener to think about what we would like to be in the near future. The array of stalls ranged from Pathology to Dentistry to Photography to Engineering and this interesting assortment was very useful and valuable for us ­an experience which wtll be forever remembered as an event which has proved to be important in addition to being enjoyable.

We were able to gain lots of information about the many careers available and the future grades that we need to achieve to be successful in the field. The individuals from the many unrversities. colleges and professions were Immensely knowledgeable and could answer all our questions. They were also helpful and promoted their career with enthusiasm. Furthermore, to our joy they had many promotional trinkets which were received with much enthusiasm on our part!

The next Careers Convention will be an even bigger aid into helping us embark upon our future careers - we cannot wait!

Hayley Marsden and Eleanor Braithwaite (Y9)

1C1l:EW ~usiness, ~ccountin8

and Ski(fs :Education (~~S:E) game comyetition at 'rfudder1ie(d 'University

At Huddersfield University we were briefed by an Accountant from ICAEW about our task for the day and what lay ahead of us. We found out that our

challenge involved playing the role of Chartered Accountants to advise a business of how best to expand.

It was a daunting prospect. Luckily we were assigned a mentor, Danielle, who would be on hand to help us. The f irst hour was designated to reading and analysing the background information in order to choose the best way forward for the company- a puzzle magazine. We came to the conclusion that we wou ld advise expanding internationally and exploiting impulse sales at airports.

We then set to work on the f igures and preparing a presentation. Being quite pushed for time there was only a short chocolate break (our mentor worked for Nestle -handy!) and we felt quite pressured, but time was up ! After listening to a few others, we were chosen to go up to present our findings to the judges and t he other seven teams of Sixth Form Students. We were nervous but we pulled through and the four minutes were soon over.

Whilst the judges were deliberating we were escorted to a separate room where we had the opportunity to ask any unanswered questions about the profession and w in more chocolate! Upon returning back to t he main room, we found out we had come second out of the eight teams ­the winners all being Year 13s and we returned happily with our trophy.

The WGHS Year 12 runners-up: Emma Knowles, Sarah Train, Jo Bill ington, Jo Coughlan, Sophie Metcalfe and Emma Stoner

Year 10 visit to the Synagogue in Leeds

0 n Tuesday 8th November, the whole of Year 1 0 went on t he annual Religious Studies visit to the Beth Hamadresh Hagadol Orthodox Synagogue in Leeds.

It is one of the leading and possibly the largest Orthodox Synagogues i~ the North of England. Built in 1969, with a seating capac1ty of one thousand two hundred (seven hundred men and five hundred women in the gallery) it is a popular venue for organized visits by children f rom schools throughout Yorkshire. furthering their inter-faith education. More information about the synagogue can be found at: www.bhhs.co.uk.

There we were met by Mr Sur who gave a fascinating insight in to Jewish customs and practices, both within and outside the synagogue. He pointed out the key features of their place of worship, the reasons and traditions behind them, and the Orthodox rituals which are carried out there. The girls then had an opportunity to ask him a range of questions, which they did so with great gusto. Many thanks to the members of staff who accompanied the t rip, and we look forward to going again next yea r.

Religious Studies Department

~v. Cooyer's visit

0 n the 1Oth of February, Reverend Cooper came to visit WGHS to tell all the Year 9 girls about his job. There was a buzz of excitement in the air as we took

our seats in the R.S. room, as we had just been learning ilbout the roles of a Church of England priest in our lessons. w~ thought it would be quite interesting to hear from a Pnest in their own words. What did he li ke about his job? Why did he enter the ministry in the first place? Rev. Cooper explained that he had always been interested in Christianity bu~ ?riginally had wanted to study Law. Then he felt a rehg1ous calling and decided to join the Church of Eng land.

When Rev. Cooper came in to the classroom we were a little surprised as we expected someone older and more serious. We liked how he had a sense of humour, and how he enjoys meeting new people every day. Some of us were int rigued by what he said about ghosts, funerals and some of t he more interesting weddings he had conducted! He was happy to answer any questions we had and we were glad he came to speak to us as it opened our eyes to what being a priest was really like. It was factual and enjoyable and we all hope to see Rev. Cooper again.

Evangeline Charalambous and Darcey Tempest (Y9)

fJ'un Phi(osoyhy

This year we have started going to Fun Philosophy with Miss Brennan in the Religious Stud ies Department. The cl ub is open to everyone but the Yea r 7s are especially

welcome. It is a great way to share thoughts and feel ings about different subjects, and a free and easy way to discuss opinions with our friends. We have fun learning and debating and talk about interesti ng things. There are always topics that we can all relate to, like friendships, animal rights, charity and morals in general. There is a new subject every week and it is a super way to spend lunchtimes.

By Neelam Majumder, Lorna Otter, and Xanthe Walker (Y7)

Our 'l'few Year 8 rToyic of Sikhism

I n June Mrs Chahal kindly came in to talk to the Year 8 forms about her religion. The visit was very insightful and we were all extremely thankful to Mrs Chahal for giving

up her time to talk to us. We discussed a va riety of topics including the dietary requirements of Sikhs, the 5 K's (ways in which to recognise a Sikh), the Punjabi alphabet and best

of all the beautiful outfits and glamorous jewellery boasttng plenty of d1amonds and bnght colours which were modelled by some of the pupils and looked fabulous!

Overall. 1 and all my fnends really enjoyed talking to Mrs Chahal and found life as a S1kh a wonderfully fasctnating subject. Thank you once again to Mrs Chahal for g1ving up her t1me to talk to us I really enjoyed it!

S1enna Butterfield (Y8)

'R.e [iBious Studies

All girls tn Yea1 8 make a detailed study of the lslam1c fa1th. As part of their studies we discuss the 'Hadith' which provide an important source for interpreting

the teachmgs of the Qur'an These are examples of covers for cop•es of the Hadith as designed by Year 8.

'11 .. 9' to 'lce(aru£ 2 011

0 n a dreary October morning, at an unearthly hour. a group of eager geographers gathered at WGHS to e>mbark upon an unforgettable field tnp, to a rather

1ure exot1c destination than the previous excursion to Snowdon1a Desttnation: Iceland, famous for its dramatic landscapes and the cause of air traffic chaos in 201 O, followtng the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull.

Almost il'> soon as the plane landed at Reykjavfk a1rport we were greeted w1th our first activity; a tnp to one of Iceland's most famous tourist attractions, the Blue Lagoon Nestled tn the crater-like landscape the Blue Lagoon IS a geothermal hot spnng, in whteh the beauty of the raw, natural surroundtngs can be experienced from the warm waters

h1ch boast to have therapeutic properties. Indeed the only property the water seemed to possess was the ab1hty to turn hatr to straw, smce many of us requ1red excesstve ~ndlltoner to counteract this property! Thts sa1d, the

ance to relax in one of the world's most un1que spas was Phobably one of the h1ghlights of the tnp. After a qu1ck '1/nge ':"e h~ad~ to our hotel in the heart of Reykjavik eland s capttal ctty) and from here ventured out into the

n1ghht 1n ·arch of the aurora borealis, nature's very own 9 t d1spl 1y. Unfortunately we were not treated to a ~;~ t vellous viston of g~een ill~minating the n1ght sky, but th ma~age ca tch a sl1ght gl1 mpse of the lights. We could

01~~;et1~e happy ~o.r the night, ~agerly anticipating the fo lmtque act1v1t1es that awa1ted us over the following

ur clays

We voyaged across the barren lands of the Golden Circle accompanied by the presence of constant dnzzle We v1sited the n~merous geograph1cal landmarks, tncfuding a waterfall whKh we were able to walk behind, geysers (which intermittently expelled blasts of water and steam) tectonic plate boundaries and black sandy shores. One of the most breathtaking sites was however the Keri6 Volcanic Crater Lake, wit.h its vibrant blue water; this exquisite landform occas1onally plays host to pop concerts, in which the artists perform on giant floats on the lake 1tself. We were also able to get up dose and personal w1th some of the landforms, climbing alongs1de waterfalls but perhaps ~ore memorably walking on a glacier Equ1pped w1th 1ce­p1cks and crampons we g1ngerly scaled the face of the glac1er, some of us clinging on to each other tn order to prevent any tumbles on the ice Our gutdes spoke of glaoal retreat due to increased global temperatures; we were able to Witness these affects ftrst hand due to vast amounts of melt water present on the glacier. Another noteworthy expenence occurred in the rather unusual locatton of a local post-office, wh1ch contatned an earthquake s1mulator of a magnttude of 7 on the Richter­scale. As well as being able to feel the tremors of an earthquake of this size, the post office contatned a glass floor that preserved the crack that had appeared followtng the last ~arthquake, allowing us to vrsua lise the potenllal destruction that natural forces can inflict.

Our trip however did not merely involve journeying from landform to landform whilst listening to our gu1de tell tales of the trolls and elves, whteh feature promtnently tn

Icelandic folklore. Indeed there were plentiful opportunities for more recreational activtties along the way, such as Icelandic pony trekking. Iceland ponies are selectively bred in Iceland and therefore are only indigenous to this country. For some this was perhaps the most daunting part of the trip, but once everyone had successfully mounted their pony our laughter helped any worries dissipate. In convoy we embarked against the volcanic landscape, trying to admire the view whilst controlling the ponies that were more preoccupied with eating grass than trotting forwards ! In addition, on our final night we headed to the ice rink before our farewell meal. This activity proved to be the most dangerous of the entire trip, with Mr Hargreaves being the greatest health and safety hazard due to his uncontrollable speed skating. It is safe to say he will not be appearing in the next season of Dancing on Ice!

Before embarkmg on our homeward journey we were able to spend a couple of hours in the capital city itself, exploring the high streets, relaxing in coffee shops or buytng last minute Nizza chocolate bars, which were culinary highlight of the trip. Reykjavfk, as a capital city, was rather unique as it was exceptionally quiet and picturesque. After a few more stop offs at a geothermal power station and some boiling mud pools we headed back to the airport for our final departure from the land of ice and fire. All in all, aside from the fun, it was a fantastic chance to experience glacial featu res beyond the pages of the AS textbook, allowing our study of physical geography to come to life. We would therefore like to thank Mr H. Hargreaves, Mrs Stothard and Mrs Wraight for organising our Icelandic adventure.

Rebecca Smith (Y13)

'lce[ana 2011

Ma{fiam 2 012

Year 7 took a f1eldtnp to learn about limestone scenery ustng Malham Cove as a case study. Th1s beautiful landscape was created by a number of natural and

physteal processes some of which occurred m111ions of years ago At times this area has been a tropiCal sea, and at other t1mes 1t has been covered by an ice sheet. Dunng the Carbomferous penod the land that now forms Great Britam was f1ve degrees south of the equator creating the cond1t10ns needed for the format1on of the limestone at Malham. We climbed over 400 steps to reach the top of the Cove to study the limestone pavement which was created by a process called carbonation where naturally acidic ramfall dissolves the limestone creating deep grykes divided by blocks known as dints. To stand on the top of this was an amazing experience and l would like to visit the area again this summer.

Jessica Stone (Y7)

Year 8 trip to 'F{am6orou.(l ri

Year 8 went on a day tnp to Flamborough an'a' Filey. Dunng the day we completed many actiVIties wh1ch Included producing a 3D diagram of how longshore

dnft operates us1ng beach materials, drawing a field sketch of Flamborough Head and final ly working on a hypothesis concermng how pebbles are distributed on the beach. We visited Flamborough Head first and took a look at the cliffs from afar and drew a field sketch. We then made our way down to the bottom of the cliff to the wave cut platform to view a spectacular arch, several caves and a stack. Our second destmat1on was Filey where we were taught about longshore drift and stud1ed the differences between chalk

and glacial till. The overall view for this tnp from the current Year 8 girls was that the trip was motivating and

exciting N1sh1ta Patel 8LTM {Pictures by Megan Hodkinson 8DJW)

Year 9 mstory Triy to London

we arnved at Westgate a sense of exotement spread n the atmosphere, gtrls were shrieking Wlth elatton nd delight; although almost all of us had already

visited London there was somethmg special about g01ng to see the City wtth our closest friends out of the grasps of our

parents

The journey was amustng with so many friends as girls went up and down the train unable to sit and restrain themselves from gossiptng. There were the occasional simultaneous cries when the train went under a tunnel as the pain from our popping ears was unbearable.

King's Cross station was utter chaos and as soon as we left the statton we travelled to the double-decker coach for our thnlhng tour of the ctty. All the girls were pushmg and shovtng trymg to get to the front of the coach whtch seemed very demeamng and undignified to the spectators Gettmg the best seats was the utmost priority

Once we all settled down the tour began. We saw many of the great stghts London had to offer mduding the tmpresstve London Eye. monumental Btg Ben; vtbrant Trafalgar Square; the inspmng National Gallery and the distinct Thames Rtver. Many of the over exctted gtrls screamed when passing Prince Harry's place of res1dence; one gtrl even satd she saw him in the window but we were extremely sceptical.

We had the unforgettable experience of gomg to see Downmg Street. It was strange seeing No.1 0 as almost every day we had seen 1t on TV but today we had seen the recogntsable black door with our own eyes.

For lunch we stopped at The Hard Rock Cafe which was quirky American diner meets eccentric punk grunge bar; the walls were adorned with music memorabilia from costumes to mstruments to autographs of the Rock and music legends: The Beatles, Queen, The Who, The Rolling Stones and countless more We indulged in the cafe's 'legendary' burgers and heavenly tce cream.

Afterwards we patd a visit to Buckingham Palace which was the htghhght of our trip. We collected our audto tours and began our tour of the maJestic palace. As we ascended the

magmf1cent Grand Statrcase we were given a sense of how glorious and staggering the rest of the palace would be; every imncate detail on the main structure added to the outstandmg 1mpress1on we had of tt\e palace. The architecture was a remarkable achievement itself.

In the throne room I first noticed the pure white angels of victory tnumphantly holding garlands above the dommat1ng red thrones. Close to the thrones were the weddmg pictures of Pnnce W1lliam and Kate Middleton.

The ptcture gallery featured incredibly elaborate and huge pamtmgs m astounding golden frames. In the ballroom we all flocked to see Kate Mtddleton's exquisite dress on dtsplay; Kate's shoes and dtamond earrings were splendtd and JUSt as beauttful. We saw the detailed lace patterns close up on the dress and reahsed just how much work 1t would have taken to create such a wonderful dress.

We spent an extra hour tn the gardens of Buckingham Palace then we spht up - some of us went shoppmg and some went to see Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter When we departed from London there was a stampede of Year 9 gtrls runmng to the train pushing and grabbmg each other in order to get a table for themselves. This time we were c1

exhausted in the train journey to Wakefield; by the time we reached Wakefield Westgate we were all yearning to go home so we said our goodbyes and left w ith many memones of the marvellous time we had in London.

Aishah Khan (Y9)

• . ,

1nterview witfi 'M.r S fiaw (t]-{eaa of 'lfistory) Q: I JW long have you been planning the tnp to London? Mr Shaw: About three months. Q· 1 hat do you hope the girls w1lllearn from the trip? Mr Shaw: To understand the difference between the Bnttsh and ~uss1an royal families and help you to understand why the£ ush famtly surv1ved and why the Russtans dtdn't. Q: Why have you chosen London? Mr Shaw: We only have one day to do the trip and we thou 1ht you would enjoy it. Q. Is this the first trip to London? Mr Shaw: No it is the fourth time. Q: What are you expecting from Buckingham Palace? Mr Shaw: To see a working royal palace. Q: Wt y did you choose for us to eat at The Hard Rock Cafe? Mr Shaw: I have been before and it is close to where we need to be and we thought you would like 1t there Heier Marrion (Y9)

Melivi.sli ja nw( (Y1J)

Tams(n §ateliouse (Y10)

']{[story 'Deyartment Visit to St Peters6ura

Thirty ntne weary school girls and four already blurry eyed teachers gathered on Wentworth Street for the departure to St Petersburg v1a Amsterdam ... After a

tmng flight, we were Introduced to our hvely gUide, Svetlana, who would accompany us on our adventure around Russ1a as well as helpmg us fit into Russ1an culture by teachmg us some 'useful' Russtan words. We went to a trad1ttonal Russian restaurant to experience their folk danc1ng and to eat (or tn our case ... not) some very 'mterest1ng' food. On arnval at the Hotel Ibis everyone got trapped in the electrical revolving doors which the hotel staff did not find as funny as we did, but after at last having a good night's sleep, our first full day in Russia saw us at Peterhof where we began our taste or the luxury life of Russia's Tsars Ornate gold both 1ntenor and exterior -was a constant feature or our tnp and made the many palaces look heavenly In the afternoon we commenced a twenty two

k1lometre walk through the mside of the W1nter Palace and we got to fully appreciate some of the world's finest art from the hkes of P1casso and Rembrandt as well as absolutely exquisite tapestnes and sculptures Finally we had the humbling experience of VISiting the ftnal resting place of all the Romanovs. indudtng Nicholas II. Alexandra and their ch1ldren. The mornmg of the second day mevitably found us . at a palace' Th1s time the Catherine Palace. However, our most hfe-chang1ng expenence was ordering chicken nuggets (or trymg to) tn a Russ1an McDonalds - at the price we pa1d, they must have been made not from chicken but rub1esl Our next stop was the Yusupov Palace with its own private theatre and the site or Rasputm's bloody end. Next stop was the 'Kissing Bridge', covered in padlocks after two lovers had thrown their key into the river in the hope the1r love would prove eternal. After that, the danger of ptckpockets meant we could only view the Cathedral on the Sp1lled Blood from a distance. The final day brought us Russian 'organisation' on a grand scale 1e chaos! The Tsars had so many palaces Svetlana took us to the wrong one and 1t took all Mr Shaw's negotiating skills - accompamed by a face as red as Svetlana's hair- to get us at least a peek at our ongtnal destination. Happily this enabled us to have a snowball f1ght in the grounds of N1cholas and Alexandra's pnncipal home - being careful to avoid Mr Shaw's trench coat, of course. Finally, we had one more go at McDonalds and then 1t was a very fond goodbye to Svetlana before heading to the a1rport where we had to go through security JUSt to get through the front door We were happy to be gomg home but very sad to be leaving St Petersburg. Our visit had been educatiOnal, tnterestmg and certamly a new cultural expenence. We would like to thank the History staff and Mrs Hotham who all made the trip so. memorable.

"71 mo6mo t.~enoeaTbCS1" By Jessica, Lydia, Rebecca, Kathryn, Cora and Charlotte

~mma. Wooaliouse (Y12)

My 'Musica(Year

Life as a musician at Wakefield Girls' is busy, busy, busy! Skills needed include; good organisation, willingness to try something different, physical fitness, a good sense of

humour and above all a passion for music.

This year has combined the traditional with the new. From the beginning of the Autumn term, the pace of music has gathered momentum. After what seemed like only a few short weeks, there was the Cabaret Evening, the Carol Service, ABRSM examinations and the Christmas Concerts, where many well-loved ensembles, such as Flautacious and the Swing Foundation could showcase their talents. Our school provides a great opportunity for musicians to set up new groups and ensembles, and this year has been no exception. Diversity thrives throughout the Foundation and examples include, The Sixth Form Choir, who perform a wide va•1ety of choral repertoire, Ceol, a folk group who have recently released their first CD, and the Barbershop Quartet, who made their first appearance at the Summer Concert.

There has been a wide variety of concerts throughout this academic year as well as an appearance from QEGS ex-pupil Matt Hodges. This year was the second time The Big Sing took place. Parents, teachers and pupils were united throughout the Foundation and were accompanied by Hepworth Brass Band. Pupils from both schools enjoyed the chance to perform solos and the evening was a great success. The Music Department are also involved in the lunchtime concerts with the Wakefield Cathedral Concerts Sooety.

Music as an academic subject starts in Year 7. With each progressive year, the pupils are challenged to learn more advanced skills. By the time of GCSE in Year 1 0 and A Level in Year 12, many girls will have chosen to study music in depth. Studying music at GCSE and GCE requires students to develop their musicianship at both a practical and academic level. Taking part in recitals requires practice and stamma and above all a good show for the audience. Year 12 AS students perform at Pen nine Camphill Community College each year. This is a specialist facility, which offers further education, support and training for young people with special needs. We are always made to feel very welcome. The A2 and GCSE recitals allow students to perform the exam pieces in front of a live audience, in preparation for their forthcoming formal exam. Composition plays a large part in the curriculum and some students perform and record their works as part of their exam.

The 201 2 Music Competition displayed a wide range of talent. Girls from Years 1 0-13 compete for the winner of each Instrumental category, and ultimately the winner of the Intermediate and Senior Category. All finalists played exceptionally well on the final night, with Kathryn Mason

(harp) claiming the title of Intermediate Musician of the Year and myself (marimba) the Senior Trophy.

Wakefield Girls' High School has always been successful in producing girls to represent school at both Regional and National Level. This year, there were many successes at local competitions, including the Mrs Sunderland Competition and the Penistone Musk Festival. Furthermore. well-known groups, including the Swing Foundation and Mantabile, represented the Foundation at the National Music for Youth Competition in Outwood. The results will be posted late Summer as to whether we have been successful to pJay in the finals at Birmingham Symphony Hall. This summer, Foundation Chorus will tour Barcelona with their musical director, Mrs Preston.

Many girls represent the music department outside of school t ime at either Regional or Natrona! level, including the National Youth Wind Orchestra, Yorkshire Youth Choir and Wakefield Youth Symphony Orchestra. This dedication to music is contagious and hard to avoid!

Thanks must be given to Mr Meredith, Mrs Preston, Mrs Bentham and the VIM teachers, who not only provide the academic and practical lessons, but also inspire and encourage the development of each pupil, with their own enthusiasm. Furthermore, it is important to thank Alice Jackson and her Sound and Ught Team and the Stage Crew for providing excellent service, even at the last minute! Special appreciation must be given to the parents, who take time out to support and transport us back and forth!

Music has always been exciting for all of us, even those who do not take part in the Music Concerts. Participation in the Carol Service at Christmas allows pupils to express themselves musically and connect as one with the entire Foundation. Throughout my time at Wakefield Girls' High School, the Music Department never ceases to amaze me, by the sheer enthusiasm from both the teachers and the pupils. It is their drive and passion, which has inspired me to study Music at University. I have been given many opportunities to develop my musical career and was fortunate to be given support to attend various tours including Italy and Ischia with the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain and last year to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau with the National Youth Wind Ensemble. These are experiences, which I shall never forget. I am very grateful to Mrs Wallwork and the Staff for their help, encouragement and support. I would personally like to thank all those involved in making my time as part of Wakefield Girls' Music Department truly special. Sophie Smith (Y13)

'1\. Year in 'Music Open Day thts year saw a select1on of mus1cians from Sen1or Stnngs perform m Jub1lee Hall wh1lst prospective parents and gtrls were served refreshments. In Willows, girls gutded parents around to see the everyday workings of the MusiC Department

The Carol Service, 1n preparat1on for Christmas, displayed the talents of many of the cholfs 1n the school and the Foundat1on as a whole. The MaJor Minors, Mtddle C's, The Foundat1on Chorus and Cantabile, amongst others, sang beaut1fully fest1ve pieces and the Gtrls' Brass Group accompanied in several p1eces.

The Christmas Concerts proved once again to be very festive indeed. In them the whole spectrum of musical ability across the Foundation was presented. From string, wmd and brass groups to huge ensembles such as the Orchestra and Swmg Foundation to chotrs 1nvolvmg students from Year 7 nght through to Year 13, the Chnstmas concerts proved to be the htghlight of the Autumn Term

The Music Competition offered the opportumty for solo1sts m Years 10 to 13 to perform and the final demonstrated the high level of musical ab1hty apparent in the school. Every fmahst played to a remarkable standard and the dectston of the adjud1cator was without doubt a difficult one. Every person that performed was htghly pratsed for the1r excellent performances and Intermediate and Semor MusiCian of the Year were won by Kathryn Mason and Sophie Sm1th respectively

The Summer Concerts ended the musical year 1n the Foundat1on w1th the1r usual excellence. Once aga1n, many musiCal groups, the btg and small, performed very well and certamly every smgle person enjoyed the result. The concerts served as an effect1ve reminder of the 1mportance of music to the school and the Foundation.

As well as the many internal events in the Music Department, the school has also participated in many external events Whether in an external concert or competitiOn, mus1cal groups continue to represent the school's high musical ab1hty.

Taking GCSE Music

Takmg GCSE MusiC has been a bit of a rollercoaster, but m the end I have realised that I have actually had a great time. After two years. I've got know every person m my group and the shared interest of everyone in music 1s refreshmg The Music course has offered a wide vanety of opportuntties because there are so many d1fferent elements to 1t. The pract1cal lessons have allowed us to work together as a group to create a performance of a ptece of musiC and they are genumely enjoyable to participate 1n Often lesson~ hdve 1nvolved hstenmg to great p1eces of musiC from a variety of different genres and have left me singmg songs under my breath for the rest of the day. The composttton lessons are done in such a way that there is the chance to listen to each other's work and offer adv1ce to each 'other and there is something very satisfy1ng 1n l1stening to one of your own compos1tions played by live musicians for the first time. Recently the Music staff dedtcated an entire weekend to making a live recording of every GCSE and A Level student's compositions. The members of the Mus1c staff are dediCated and look to offer help to any and every student who asks for 1t and the1r pass1on for the subject has permeated the atmosphere of every musiC lesson we've had for the past two years

Kathryn Mason (Y11)

C/ir{stmas Concerts

Cabaret 'EveninB

Each year the Cabaret Evening promises a glittering night of fabulous performances, beautiful music and a hearty serving of pie and pies. Needless to say this year

didn't disappoint. The Jubilee Hall was transformed into a candle lit concert hall in which parents and friends sat back and marvelled at the musical talent of the girls; despite the cold air outside, there was certainly a warmth of excitement radiating from the school that evening. The performances were grouped by categories including songs from the West End and popular artists such as Adele, although it would be fair to say that the girls' renditions certainly matched up to, if not rivalled the originals. Not only were the performances musically stunning, but evidently the girls had pulled out all the stops with regard to their appearance for the evening, with poise and glamour oozing from every performer. The passion for performance was evident in each girl and by the end of the night there could be no doubt that the audience was strictly impressed by such a wealth of Wakefield Girls with talent and x factor. As well as some familiar faces, it was exciting to see many confident lower school girls getting involved in what, judging by the tearful Year Thirteens, becomes a very fond tradition each school year. What was also clear was the high level of support and encouragement which the girls shared with one another as wishes of good luck and congratulations were exchanged throughout the night. Also deserved of mention is the wonderful Wakefield Girls' Music Department, as the evening was excellently compared by Mr Meredith and Mrs Preston, entertaining the audience with jokes, anecdotes and biographies of the girls, thus providing a relaxed and jovial atmosphere. Moreover the girls offered an extra treat this year in the shape of their self assembled rock band, complete with token QEGS boy for good measure. The band closed the show in style, ironically with their rendition of the Queen classic 'Don't Stop Me Now,' and the evening ended on a high with a sprinkling of audience participation. All in all Cabaret Evening 201 1 was, as always, a thoroughly enjoyable night for both spectators and performers alike who left with hearts full of song and stomachs full of pie.

Chloe Murray (Y13)

'M.usic Comyetition

This year's Music Competition was without doubt the best yet with beautiful performances from girls in all years on a variety of intriguing instruments. The level of

skill showed by all competitors was breathtaking and a credit to the school.

After a series of intense auditions twelve finalists were selected to perform and compete against each other in a bid to win the much coveted titles of Intermediate Musician and Advanced Musician of the Year. They clearly took this to heart: the high quality of playing obviously a result of rigorous preparation.

The standard of performance on the night was surpassed only by the glamorous outfits of the girls who dazzled in their sophisticated dresses and all girls ought to be proud of their spectacular performances. The judge, Mrs Helen Crompton, the Head of Music at Silcoates clearly agreed complimenting everyone hugely. Despite this there had to be two winners and Katherine Mason, the harpist, was awarded Intermediate Musician of the year. Sophie Smith, whose skill at the marimba was second to none, was victorious in the Advanced section.

Linden Hird (Y12)

W§ST 'Big Sing

H aving taken part in the previous Big Sing we knew how exciting the performance would be. However, we were not perhaps as keen at the prospect of three

Sunday mornings spent with Mr Meredith. What a surprise! We actually found that this was one of the highlights of the whole event! Given such a varied and large group of singers, Mr Meredith proved himself a witty and entertaining leader and we found ourselves really enjoying the practices and looking forward to the next amusing anecdote. It was great to meet up with friends and also to see many of our teachers, both past and present, in a different role. We were lucky to have many experienced singers within our midst who made learning the pieces much more pleasurable. Unfortunately one of the downsides of the experience was our mothers' great enthusiasm to learn the pieces. We were encouraged to learn our notes by CD at home so at some unearthly time in the morning on the school run, we were often subjected to Mrs Preston's dulcet tones. This wasn't particularly useful to us as we are sopranos and our mothers were trying to grapple w ith the alto part! Our mums particularly enjoyed singing Zadoc the Priest, our opening number, as it was such an energetic way to start the concert. We also enjoyed a variety of pieces including The Halleluah Chorus, Ave Verum, Speed your journey and the raising finale '0 Fortuna' . The music was really powerful and exciting to sing.

Of course for such a prestigious event we needed to decide on what to wear. As you might expect, this caused c;ome lively debate as Mr Meredith had a vision of us all wearing long jewel coloured dresses. This was met with sheer horror from the younger members of the choir but we managed Mr Meredith's expectations to black dresses with jewel coloured scarves! With the men in black tie and one hundred and one singers we think we must have looked suitably rmpressive!

The actual performance was brilliant. It was amazing to be part of such a large choir and we were accompanied by the brilliant Hepworth Band conducted by Mark Bentham who rivalled Mr Meredith with his amusing jokes. There were some amazing solo performances from Hannah Peace, Maisie Martland, Emily Peace and James Jenkinson and brilliant instrumental solos by Dominic Ingham and Sophie Smith. All in all we had an unforgettable experience.

Pippa Lister and Lucy Booth (Y1 0)

1tn 1nterview with 'Jvtrs rHemingway - Piano T eacher

In October 2012 WGHS will be bidding farewell to a certain music teacher who has taught in Willows longer than any other current member of staff; a staggering forty

five years! Mrs. Hemingway wrll turn eighty four years old in November and, just to give you an idea of the vast span of her vocation, she has witnessed the careers of four different headmistresses over her time at Wakefield. By profession, Mrs. Hemingway is a piano teacher who has taught numerous girls ranging from seven year old raw beginners through to all ages higher up in the school. However, when asked, she insists that she has never favoured a particular age group over another as, while she enjoys teaching the younger girls who are quintessentially 'keen and enthusiastic', it is also a pleasure to teach girls of a higher ability, many of which, I'm sure Mr. Meredith w ill proclaim, are to be found at WGHS.

But what are the origins of a music teacher who is still teachmg in her ninth decade? Mrs. Hemingway informs me that she herself started playing the piano around the young age of four or five years under the direction of a very musrcal father, an avid violinist. Despite being an obviously talented piano player from a young age, she is, however, the first to concede that she was never particularly successfu l in exams or normal academic circles. On top of this, she grew up wrth two very clever sisters meaning that she was always made aware of this fact. Nevertheless, when it came to music, the situation reversed itself as Mrs. Hemingway possessed a true gift which her sisters did not and she could play music by ear, meaning that she could play tunes as she heard them without the need of written down notes on a stave. This rare talent may seem baffling to those who are not particularly musical (myself included) but even so, none can deny that this is a truly remarkable ability.

When asked the question 'Did you always plan to be a m~sic teacher?' Mrs. Hemingway's response is a surprisingly am mated 'Not at all!' In fact, after school, the young Mrs. Hemingway used to work for her father who ran a grocery shop meaning that she always had access to a piano and therefore used to play the instrument habrtually, even for as long as four hours a day, a feat which would undeniably be exhausttng to some. In truth, she admits to having never r~ally consrdering teaching at all, until questioned by a frrend on the subject of what she was going to do with her lime once her two daughters left home. Initially she taught at home but was eventually convinced to apply for a job at Wakefreld Girls' High School as a piano teacher. This was a JOb whrch she admits she never expected to get given that the name of the school sounded so prestigious and, consequently, daunting. Despite initial uncertainties however, not only did Mrs. Hemingway secure the post but also managed to carry out negotiations with the headmistress at the time. Eventually Miss Knott, a woman she describes as 'strict but fair', was persuaded to alter the terms of the job from five mornings per week to only three; not a Poor achievement considering she never expected to 9et the JOb in the first place.

Needless to say, Mrs. Hemingway confirms that the music

d~partment she entered into forty five years ago was very d1fferent to the one we have today. Back in 1967 the entire musical staff body comprised exclusively of two other piano teachers, one violinist and a woodwind teacher. What's more, the staff were paid just once a term and renovations were, and perhaps still are, pretty non-existent but she assures me that back then 'no one dared complain' ... would the case be the same in 2012? However, WGHS must have done something right since Mrs. Hemingway, who acknowledges that she never intended to work here for so long and wasn 't even convinced that she'd enjoy it, stayed on for an unprecedented four and a half decades. When asked about her reasons for this, she attributes her loyalty to WGHS to a fundamental liking of the girls themselves as well as expressing a fondness for the uniform which has always been neat and immaculate. Unfortunately, this sentence is followed up by the phrase 'particularly in lhe past'; a sentiment with which I'm sure many a member of staff would empathize and many a girl has heard several times before.

However, we should not be under the impression that past generations of High School girls were perfect by any manner of means. Mrs. Hemingway reveals that over the years she has come across a variety of colourful excuses in her lessons, one of the most memorable being when a girl explained that she had not practised that week because her pet bird needed its 'fly around' ... To this day Mrs. Hemingway is not entirely sure what a 'fly around' actually entails. When asked whether any particular funny events stood out to her from her near half a century at WGHS, she informs me of one girl in particular who was infamous at school for setting off stink-bombs at the games field. Yet this girl was never ill-behaved in piano lessons, taught at Sunday school and cared for her disabled brother. This interesting paradox in fact links to Mrs. Hemingway's top tips for teaching: get to know your students and never judge a book by its cover. She says that teaching has opened her eyes and even made her realise the extent to which home life influences the behaviour of young people. She says that 'You'll never catch me criticising the youth of today' which shows an extraordinary degree of understanding which, at least teenagers perhaps feel, is rarely found in adults.

With Mrs. Hemingway now on the eve of retirement, the question now niggling at the back of my mind was, quite bluntly, 'What are you going to do with all your free time?' But please rest assured that Mrs. Hemingway is quite certain that she will have more than enough commitments to keep her busy. For starters, she is a huge fan of books and reading, loves a good mystery or historical novel and thoroughly enjoys the Stieg Larsson novels such as 'The Girl w ith the Dragon Tattoo' . Furthermore, Dickens also features in her favourite authors list with 'A Tale of Two Cities' being her preferred title. Cryptic crosswords, gardening, her two daughters and four grandchildren will also factor greatly into her retirement plans and it appears as though the fear of boredom does anything but weigh heavily on her mind. The entire school and especially all the staff at Willows would like to thank Mrs. Hemingway for her incredible forty five years of invaluable teaching at WGHS and wish her all the best in her well-earned retirement.

Rebecca Oates (Y1 2)

:B(ood Weddina r&view

For those of you who were unable to see the joint Senior School production of Lorca's Blood Wedding, you will be sorry to hear that you missed a fantastically directed

and superbly executed performance of what is widely regarded as one the most dramatically cha llenging Spanish melodramas ever written. With obscure appearances by ''The Moon" (Julian Ostrowski) and the visualisation of Death as an old beggar woman (Molly Standring), Blood Wedding presented challenges for both crew and cast alike. However, as I'm sure anyone who saw the performance will agree these potential tricky obstacles were overcome with a professionalism that fa r exceeded the expectations of a school play and every member of the audience was transported back to 1930s Spatn during what proved a most enjoyable evening.

As we entered the Elizabeth Theatre, the first thing that drew the eyes of all was what should be described as the stage, but was more literally a complete wall, painted completely white, with a window cut into the middle. Our curiosity was certainly aroused as the set was not what we were expecting. As the play began, the cleverly projected visual effects of a white horse running across a moonlit desert created an atmosphere of tension and suspense that remained throughout. The use of distinctive Spanish guitars and galloping hooves evoked an ambiance so tense that it was a rel ief when the dialogue on stage began.

For those of you unfamiliar with t he play, the plot centres on a young Bride (Zoe Grunewald) who is to marry the son of a woman whose husband and elder son have been murdered by the Felix family. Interestingly, we only know these main characters as the Bridegroom (Max Hird) and the Mother (Georgina Freeman). As the story develops. it transp1res that the Bride has been (and still is) in love with a certain member of the Felix family, Leonardo (Ebe Bamgboye) and following her wedding, slips off into the night with him. The Moon appears, and within his sinister and horribly disturbing speech, we learn of his desire to colour his cheeks w ith blood. In the following scenes, the Bride and Leonardo both pledge vows of love to each other b~t we learn later that their escape was prevented by the Bndegroom. The Moon seeming ly gets his w ish, for the two young men kill each other with the same knife, plunging the whole neighbourhood into mourning whilst red flowers carpet the f loor.

Whilst the melodrama cannot be described as cheerful or satisfy1ng in its outcome, the cast must be commended on their ability to not allow the plot to become farcical or comic Prolonged silences (of which most adult casts are ~fraid) ~roke up the speech and allowed for an effective ra~at1c Impact, which bred tension and foreboding . The

ttmtng of line deliverance was skilfully and carefully

(~anaged, especially in the dialogue between the Servant arah Palmer) and the young Bride, the relationship

between the two being ext remely tangible and realistic.

During the two intervals, 1 asked other members of the fud1.ence what they were most enjoying: "The tangible ~ns1on and portrayal of such strong emotions!" was Ms hoyle's favourite element whilst Mrs Wallwork spoke of how

s e had been moved to tears by it all . The emotions Portrayed on stage certainly affected the audience which,

when combined with the lighting and continued reappearance of the white horse projection, made us all increasingly susceptible to the tragedy on stage. The very close proximately of the aud ience and the actors too made a personal connection to the characters inevitable- the director's intention, I'm sure.

Although a production such as this is incredibly time consuming and tiring, what was evident on stage were t he bonds between the actors and the natural dialogues that ensued. The cast were clearly comfortable with each other and the responses were delivered with conf idence, a testament to the preparations put in by all to the play. "I've had the most amazing time and made some fantastic f riends" was stage crew member Megan Holch's conclusion to the weeks of hard work which went into making the set and scenery, "I just can't believe it's all gone so fast."

"The amount of effort that has been put in has certainly paid off ten-fold tonight" was a comment made by both head teachers after what was a thrilling and emotively inspiring performance. Although all t he cast including the stage crew and Mr Besford came forward to receive tokens of thanks for all their hard work and dedication, their time and effort cannot be understated. Huge thanks must go to Mrs Dabbs and Mrs Baldwin along with all of the S.A.L.T. team for their contribution to what was a staggering show and for the hours they gave up to make the one hundred flowers needed for each of the three nights! A massive round of applause to all who took part, and we can't wait for next year.

Ruth Cooper (Y12)

r:B{ood Weddina - r:Behind the Scenes

When we were first told the Senior School production would be Blood Wedding I think me, like most people, were a little confused. It didn't

sound like a fun, easy-going, Anything Goes style musical and when we found out the truth of the synopsis - a dark play set in 1930's rural Spain, the tragedy of two doomed lovers torn apart by fate, I think people were a little more sceptical but Mr Besford simply told us to trust him and we were right to do so. When the sign up sheet for auditions went up, I was nervous at putting my name down, but like most people, intrigued by this mysterious play. Our task was to learn a monologue from "moon" and perform it to Mr Besford. People who did well would receive a call-back and then there would be a further joint audition. Despite messing up the words of my audition speech, Mr Besford gave me a call-back. The call-backs were nerve wrecking. Mr Besford paired every girl up with a boy and then gave us each a small section of the most intense romantic scene from the play. "Right," he said, "Two minutes to look at that, then I want you to perform it. Go!" I was paired with Ebe, first time I'd ever met him and like the professional actor he was, he performed the scene off pat brilliantly, improvising seamlessly. I was bowled over by his ability and even less confident about my own. Mr Besford moved round and watched each group perform and then moved

the girl around like a carousel, so each had a chance to act with each other. I was fairly shy, and felt ridiculously uncomfortable that I'd underperformed due to nerves. I went away feeling less than pleased with myself. The next Monday the cast list went up and I saw my name at the top; I had been cast in the leading female role, Bride. I was shocked. The quality of the other girls acting had made me sure I would not get even a supporting role, let alone the lead. I looked down to see the name of leading male role, Leonardo and unsurprisingly, Ebe had received it.

Rehearsals started straight away and one of the first scenes to be rehearsed was Leonardo and Bride's most intense scene. This featured straight after they had run away from Bride's wedding and was full of tension, anger, resentment and most importantly passion. Mr Besford explained to us exactly how we were trying to portray these characters and told us that there could be no inhibitions here, we had to pretend to be deeply in love. At first I think me and Ebe both found this awkward, but after much rehearsal of this scene it f lowed more and more naturalry until it seemed just as normal and routine as day to day small talk. Mr Besford also wanted us to rehearse a physical theatre sequence, about a three minute long movement sequence to portray the more physical aspect of the Bride and Leonardo's relationship. The scene had to be tasteful and PG but still communicate the love between the two. This was shown through a series of difficult lifts, hand holding and a lot of eye contact. When Mr Besford first choreographed it, alii could think was, can he really take my weight? But after a lot of treading on toes, falling, aching muscles and awkward laughter, the sequence ran smoothly and actually looked rather beautiful. As rehearsals progressed the play was really beginning to come together. An intense scene between the wife (played by Lizzie Dobson) and Leonardo left most people shaking after their first performance, as the beauty and intensity of the acting almost made me cry. The play was beginning to show real promise.

About two weeks before opening night, Mr Besford dropped the biggest bombshell - he wanted us to perform a sneak preview of the play to the entirety of QEGS and WGHS. Even worse, he wanted the scene where Bride and Leonardo see each other for the first time in many years; C1

scene charged with passion and lust...and he wanted it performed in front of seven hundred QEGS boys and seven hundred WGHS girls. We managed to do it, with a few

nervous giggles from WGHS and a rather awkward silence from QEGS, but we'd really got over the worst and I think we all felt more ready for the opening night.

The three performances all went extremely well, tears were shed by more than just the cast members and t he three shows went without one technical or performance hitch so everyone was extremely pleased. I'm so glad I had the courage to audition, performing in front of so many people and having that kind of reaction gives you such an ego boost as well as really helping my confidence. The play has helped me decide that Drama really is the direction I'd like to go in, after my GCSEs have finished and beyond. If anyone has doubts about auditioning for future performances, I would definitely advise you to go for it. I've made so many friends with other cast members, become c:1

lot more confident in myself and you get whole day off school for the dress rehearsal (it's the little things that count)!

Zoe Grunewald (Y11)

rffie 39 Steys - Lower Schoo( Vrama Production

For the whole summer term, many Year 7, 8 and 9 students have been working hard, and having fun learning lines and rehearsing for our play The 39 Steps.

Our play is a hilarious comedy about a young man who is tired and bored of his normal, mild life, when one night a mysterious and beautiful foreign spy has to hide in his house. He wakes up to find her dead, stabbed in her back With a knife by the men who were chasing her last night. He then goes on a journey, following the only clues she left him. He gets thrown off trains, chained to an annoying woman and pursued by police who have suspected him for the murder.

We have all agreed that the auditions were very nerve­rackmg but in the end they were worth it as we have had a Wonderful time preparing our production. There were lots of fun t imes, but also times when we needed complete f?cus and drive. It was very hard but we all enjoyed the fmal production very much and our audience were very amused by our performance and they liked it very much.

We all had very different favourite parts of the experience of being in the play and these are just a few.

Kyra's favourite part was the atmosphere of being nervous yet excited and she enjoyed being with all the cast. Neelam's favourite part of being in the play was being able to watch it grow from forgetting words, no costumes and using scripts to the performance we put on, on the nights. Jess's favourite part of the play was actually doing her part as she got to ride on an inflatable plane! She also enjoyed being able to show her hard work.

Overall we really enjoyed doing this play and we loved the experience of it all.

Jess Rolinson and Neelam Majumder (Y7)

13ein8 yart of Waftjie(d Y outfi 'Mustc rTfieatre - Les 'Misera6fes

0 ver the summer l was fortunate enough to be accepted into the WYMT (Wakefield Youth Music Theatre) for the production of Les Miserables, a show

that has just recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. l decided I wanted to be involved from the moment I heard about the show being familiar with many of the hit songs. so .. . a few weeks later along with just over a hundred other hopefuls from around the Wakefield area, I auditioned.

The auditions involved a combination of singing and dancing; we had previously received the music score to rehearse and so on the day we just had to perform this, but the dancing was set on the day and involved learning a short sequence to then perform in small groups, a scary task, but everyone seemed to perform well. After numerous cuts the few remain ing people were told we could go home and we would hear if we had been successful in the next few days. Needless to say I spent a whole week on edge waiting to hear if I had been successful or not, during which time I had convinced myself I hadn't been ! However I received my letter through the post that stated I had been successful in my first audition, and asked me to attend rehearsals during the last three weeks of the summer holiday. I was thri lled!

On the first day, I was giddy with excitement, wondering what the next three weeks may hold. I think everyone was a uit nervou~ and anxious to start making friends. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of the rehearsals, which involved lots of singing and dancing, as we set the various numbers in the show. I think everyone would agree some acts were easier t han others to set, but we managed to get through the whole show in two weeks ready to move to the theatre for final practices.

The last week of rehearsals were the most enjoyable (as well as being the toughest!) as we were based at the theatre, getting used to the set and running the show through on stage. We also had technical and dress rehearsals to compete with due to the revolving aspects of the set were more tricky than usual. But. we coped - I think - main ly due to the fantastic work the backstage crew had put in, and when it came to the dress rehearsals in front of all the staff at the theatre, we were pros at it !

The show opened on the 1st of September to a full house and then ran for t he next week, to a continued theme of full houses every night. The audience seemed to love the show, w ith standing ovat ions night after night, giving huge mental support to the cast who mid-week were beg inning to get quite tired. But nevertheless all the performances Were hugely enjoyed by the whole cast. I think everyone was upset by the end of the week as we had all had such a great time working with each other, the whole cast definitely gelled well together and the whole Process had exceeded my expectation by miles. I loved every moment of it, and although I am sad that it is over I am hugely excited to aud ition for the next show, which I'm sure will be every bit as enjoyable.

The WYMT produces shows each summer and Easter, and Places in the company are specifically on an audition to

show basis. For anyone who is interested in performing arts be it singing, acting or dancing (or all three!) the auditions are usually held in around February t ime for the Easter performance, and May for the summer show. I thoroughly recommend what is a fantastic experience to anyone interested. Millie M itchell-Gears (Y9)

~'Review of Waftjie(d Youth Music rTfieatre yroduction 'Les Misera6(es'

Les Miserables instantly became my favourite musical after I saw it for the fi rst time, eight years ago, at the Theatre Royal, performed by Wakefield Youth Music

Theatre. So when the Youth Music Theatre chose to perform it again this year, and my sister successfully auditioned to be a part of it, I was thrilled, and eagerly awaited the f irst night.

The cast had only three weeks to rehearse in at the end of the summer holidays, but put on a show that many people said was on a par with the professional production currently on at the West End. All of the cast are incredibly talented, particularly those who played the principal parts, which are all demanding roles that needed strong singing voices. The Youth Music Theatre rose to the challenge and earned a glowing review from the Wakefield Express. Les Miserables is based on the book by Victor Hugo and has been performed continuously in the West End since its premiere there in 1985; making it the world's longest running musical. Set in 19th Century Fra nce, the story follows Jean Valjean, who is finally released from prison after serving nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread. He breaks his pa role, and spends the rest of his life trying to do good whilst running from Javert, the law enforcer, who will chase Valjean for the rest of their lives. Valjean adopts Cosette, the daughter of a dying Fanti ne, rescuing her from mistreatment by the Thernad iers, who themselves have a daughter named Eponine. Valjean and Cosette f ind themselves in Paris nine years later, where the city is in turmoil and revolution is in the air. A young group of students erect a barricade to fight for the poor of Pa ris, and it is on the backdrop of this that Eponine and Cosette will meet again, having both fallen in love w ith the student Marius, and Valjean and Javert will f ace each other for the last t ime. It is a story of hardship, and of struggle, which will pull strongly at t he audiences' heartstrings as the action and powerful music combine to tell the compelling story of Les Miserables.

Told entirely through song, this musical is by no means easy for performers and can become complicated for the audience. But the young performers played their parts perfectly, and drew the audience in completely. Laura Ferrin as Fantine brought most of the audience to tears with her performance of I Dreamed a Dream. We ached with pity for Eponine, played by Martha Frances Henry, who wou ld do anything for her beloved Marius but who did not love her in return, told through On My Own. Richard Upton as Javert demonstrated the policeman's unbending morals and unfailing sense of justice, whether he was in the right or in the wrong. And some much needed laughter was supplied

Student 'Interest and Tersonaf !E~erience : Student 'Interest and Tersonaf !E~erience by the Thernadiers, as they careered around the stage shamelessly trying to do everyone out of a bit of money, particularly during the hilarious Master of the House. But I think the special mention has to go to George Mulryan, who played Valjean fault lessly and who reduced me and many others to tears with his performance of God on High.

Not only were the cast spectacular, the production in terms of set and costumes was very professional. A revolving stage made the set look much more sophisticated, and all the costumes were very authentic for the period.

This musical may seem like a story of doom and despair. But whilst struggle, hardship and indeed death all feature, this is not the overriding message of Les Miserables. More importantly, it is what the main characters wil l do for the ones they love; from Fantine, who gives everything so that her beloved Cosette might live, to the students who fight on the barricade in the name of a better future for the wretched of Paris, to Eponine, who risks her life so that Marius' message will reach Cosette, to Valjean himself, whose life after breaking his parole is a continuous effort to do good. The Youth Music Theatre communicated this perfectly, and took the audience on an unforgettable journey through the life of Valjean. The message to take away from this musical is found in a line from the finale 'even the darkest nights will end and the sun will rise' and Les Miserables is a story of carrying on regardless. I recommend that you see this musical if you get the chance, but more importantly, I cannot recommend enough that you go see the next production the Wakefield Youth Music Theatre put on. It w ill doubtless be brilliant. Annabel Mitchell-Gears (Y11)

'1l woman must Uve her (ife, or Uve to repent not having Lived it' - 'D.'li. Lawrence, Laay Chatterfey•s Lover

I t was the winter of 1928 when David Herbert Lawrence rolled the ink out of his pen which ultimately was to construct pivotal pages in the history of published

literature. Already regarded as a revolutionary nonconformist in the minds of publishers across Eng land, Lawrence had remained unrelenting in his determination to validate freedom of the written word by publishing his final and possibly most renowned novel Lady Chatterley's Lover, since his previous works (The Rainbow, Women In Love and Sons and Lovers) had each stimulated national controversy due to their 'obscenely unmentionable' content. In fact, contention against the publication of Lady Chatterley was so great that the result was eventually a court case, the conclusion of which was that publication of the novel became illegal. And why? Was it simply because, as stated in court, Lawrence's central character was a woman?

Indeed, it seems that failing to regard the illustrious author as a pioneer of modern psychological fiction, British society labelled the novel as 'a bomb, not a book' and, as Lawrence himself wrote, the variance in public opinion brought him 'only increased abuse and hatred'. But who was to blame them? The story of the impulsive love affair between an aristocratic married woman and her husband's gamekeeper

was naturally going to be identified as 'scandalous'. And the fact that the author had a talent for composing decisively headstrong female characters seeking some form of feminine empowerment and ind ividual independence was equally going to be condemned as a 'shamefu l conception sprung from a deranged mind'. Jealousy? Was it jealousy which swept through the minds of those who protested against Lawrence's writing? Fear that women had begun to creep up the equa lity scale? A reaction of enmity to the author who frequently portrayed the male species as being insensitive? Or just ignorance to reject what undoubtedly was still revolutionary fiction? Whichever perspective, it was not and still is not justified to blame the exile of Lady Chatterley from bookshelves around the world on a single female fictitious character. Had the roles been reversed -with 'Lady' becoming 'Lord Chatterley' and the gamekeeper becoming a maid - would there have been the same controversy? It is most probable that the novel would have been accepted. But it is the detail of gender and class consciousness - that in context the aristocratic woman moved in the circles of the upper-class and her peasant gamekeeper did not - which sparked national outrage. Why, then, from an author who evidently embraces the independence of woman, did Lawrence write that 'a woman must live her life, or live to repent not having lived it'? Why should the same not be said for a man?

The simple answer is that men are men and women are women. The Chatterley tria l proved that at the time of Lawrence's writing the two were regarded as almost completely different species. In fact, contempt against the independence of woman was so great that Lawrence was accused of taking his inspiration from none other than the female author Elizabeth Gaskell (author of Cranford), who wrote of how she would not accept that women were in any way equal to men - she knew they were superior. This, in the eyes of the prosecution, was none other than 'blasphemous' and, in no relation at all to Lady Chatterley, it was thereafter stated in Oscar Wilde's words that 'the good end happily; the bad end unhappily'. When questioned on the relevance of the quotation, the response epitomised national opinion: D.H. Lawrence himself would end 'unhappily'.

To this day the matter is still ambiguous as to whether Lawrence was for gender equality or against it. He himself never actually stated or wrote whether his aim was to support women by creating these strong-willed, decisive characters, or whether it was to portray Lady Chatterley deliberately as an antagonist who purposely sought to oppose the conventions of being a domestic wife. Either way, D. H. Lawrence evidently knew that men and women, both mentally and physically, are not the same. Each of his female characters, despite existing only in f iction, believed that even in a patriarchal society women are not inferior to their male counterparts. Each was of the opinion that we have our strengths and weaknesses, just as men do, and that that doesn't make us any less capable of being independent and self-determining. We have the right to be heard, to be treated with the same respect, and to be given equal opportunities. And if the truth itself is, in the words of Mark Twain, 'stranger than fiction', why should women not be taught to lead, rather than to follow'

Laura Potts (Y11)

Ceo( Po(k 'Band

I have been the director of the folk band 'Ceol' for three years now but this year has been by far our most successful. As well as being the highlight of the school

concerts, getting the loudest cheer and the most hype leading up to our slot, we've also been doing well outside of school. It all really started in January when we received an email from a friend of a friend of Mike Harding who suggested we make a CD and send .it off to Radio 2 for Mike Harding's folk show. So we d1d. On a cold day 1n

February we went to Sound Studios in Wakefield and recorded three pieces for our CD. The day was an amazing experience and thoroughly enjoyed by all members of the band. Although we have yet to hear back from Radio 2 we have sold many CDs amongst our fans.

In addition to the CD we have also done a few gigs this year. We played a lunchtime concert at the Cathedral at which a crowd gathered larger than that for the Leeds College of Music lunchtime concert the previous week! More recently, we played two slots at Shepley Folk Festival dunng the last weekend of May. To be asked to play at such an esteemed event was truly an honour and both the band and audience enjoyed the performances.

So what's next for Ceo I? You'll have to wait and see ...

Rebecca Peace (Y12)

Soyhie 'Metcalfe (Y12)

rr'fte O{yrnyic §ames

Ever smce I found out that the Olymp1c Games were gomg to be held 1n London I have been ever so excited. As I am a sports lovtng person myself, I was over the

moon. As I watched on the news that the tickets were selling fast. I thought 1t htghly unlikely that I would be gomg. I doubted my chances more and more every day. I kept looking for competttions to wm ttckets to the Games, as I thought that was my only chance of going to them.

As I am only 12 I can't really remember the Olymp1cs before now. However I do know some facts about the London games. such as that the Olympics have been held twice before in London. first 1908 and then in 1948 - due to cancellation in 1944. The first modern Olympic Games took part in Athens in 1896, when only a few hundred athletes competed.

As the constructiOn of the Olymptc stadium was starting to take place. the exCitement grew for me and many other people. Once I found out that the Olympic torch was passmg by on the mam road near my house in my home town of Barnsley. I felt as though I had a chance of see1ng it. Perhaps by the t1me you read th1s the Olympic torch Will have passed by your house?

I dtdn't really thmk that the Olymptcs would come to London In fact. London won the bid for the Olymptc Games 2012 by just four votes more than Paris.

Nearly f1fteen thousand athletes Will take part •n thts year's GarT"es, which w1ll begin on the 27th July 2012. A little larger than the Games in 18961 The Games last for seventeen days. most events wtll be m London but some w1ll take place in different places tn the country.

The Olymptc symbol is ftve nngs. This represents the fiVe regtons of the world that come together for the games: Africa, Asia, the Americas. Europe and Oceania.

The two mascots are called Wenlock and Mandeville. Wenlock represents the Olympic Games, named after the English town Much Wenlock. Mandeville represents the Paralympic Games, named after the English town Stoke Mandevtlle. Mtchael Morpurgo has written a story about the mascots.

My favounte track athlete is Mo Farah as he has excellent determmatton and doesn't gtve up. My favourite f1eld athlete IS Jesstca Enn1s, she competes 1n the Heptathlon She •s a big msp1ration to me, as I met her at the English Institute of Sport 1n Sheffield. Another favourite of mine IS

Kelly Smtth, a football player. Uke myself, when younger she played 1n boys· teams, now she 1s one of the best female footballers in the world

As the clock struck m1dn1ght on New Year's Eve, I was out celebrattng w1th my fam1ly. When the cheers for New Year had qu1etened down a little, my mum and dad took myself and brother to one s1de. They said that they had a little surpnse. The "little surprise" was that they had got tickets for us to see the athlet1cs and basketball at the Olympics! 1

was absolutely ecstatic, I couldn't believe it. After all those competitions that I had been entering, we had tickets after all. Happy New Year! Happy Olympics! Alice Fox (Y7)

oOry~~:y !~~~.~h.~f~Xrch cam• through Wakefield to mark the begtnntng of the summer of the OlympiC Games 2012 The

atmosphere as students and pubhc alike hned Wentworth Street was one of tangible excrtement and the anticipation reached a peak half an hour before the torch was due to pass through We had heard that our very own Soph1e Carrig1ll had just earned the torch through Dewsbury and now we couldn't watt for it to arrive in Wakefield. As the time passed the excitement built; a man in fancy dress marked the begtnntng of the parade as floats, buses. bicycles and runners passed. Both the Junior and Senior girls increased the excttement with a series of MexiCan waves as the crowd continued to build. Finally, as the torch passed, flags waved merrily in the wind and the patnotic spint roused the crowd to a crescendo of jubilant cheers.

One man who was runmng alongside the torch bearer had this to say, 'Fantastic! Great for Wakefield!' Several gtrls and teachers from the H1gh School also conveyed great feelings of exc1tement due to 1t being a once in a lifettme chance to see the Olymptc Torch.

Overall. the mood of the morntng was one of patnottc excitement and team sp1nt; both schools were out wtth the public and not only showed us to be very enthusiastiC, fun lovtng and somewhat noisy, but also as a group of people that back the country we come from and local people such as the torch bearer Matthew Greaves - an act1ve member of the Calder Valley Search and Rescue team. Alex Hainan (Y1])

rffie Para{ymyic §ames

1 50, 149, 148 ... As our calendars shed the days toward the 2012 Olympic Games, we're all suspended in anticipation for one of the world's oldest traditions.

Athletes from every corner of the world are sharpening their javelins, hoisting their sails and stretching their hamstrings in preparation. But as the sporting event of the year grows steadily closer the majority of us are guilty of forgetting that there is another big event on the horizon. An event which not only requires natural sporting talent, but truly inspirational grit.

The Paralympic Games is the largest sporting event of its kind in the entire world, comprising of five hundred and three events in twenty one highly competitive disciplines. This year it is estimated to attract a staggering one hundred and sixty six different nations to compete for possession of one of those coveted medals. But the influence of the Paralympic Games goes much deeper than being merely a championship for the elite. For many disabled people around the world the Paralympics are a representation of what is possible in life regardless of all the odds being stacked against you. It is an event that aims to show that with a killer combination of both focus and determination, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, despite how dark the circumstances may seem.

Sophie Carrigill is one such person who has had to go through more trauma at eighteen than the vast majority of us ever wil l. After being paralysed from the waist down after a horrific car crash back in August 2010 it is fair to say that, at the time, she thought her life may as well be over. Being an avid netball player for most of her life, the accident not only stripped her of her mobility but also swept away something that she was truly devoted to.

I met up with Sophie recently to discover if sports for the disabled had made any kind of an impact on her life and rest assured, Sophie is a living, breathing example of the unparalleled good that sports for the disabled can do. Sophie reveals that, despite having been reluctant at first to get involved, she is now a member of the Leeds Spiders wheelchair basketball team. 'I'd seen the sport advertised by a charity called Spider-Y at my hospital and my social worker had mentioned the possibility of it to me but, to be honest, I really didn't want to get involved.' When I question her about this she explains, 'I was convinced that it would pale in comparison to netball and only make me miss it more.' Of course I can't really empathize with Sophie here but I understand what she means. It must have been unimaginably hard letting go of a sport you have devoted literally years to for a totally unfamiliar one which, let's face it, sounds tricky.

'But after a lot of persuading from my social worker I decided to at least try it', she explains and after a pause adds, · I'm so glad I did, because it got me into contact, for the first time, with people who could genuinely understand just how drastically my life had been turned upside down. It was such a relief.'

Not only has the Leeds Spiders wheelchair basketball team given Sophie the chance to meet people who can completely empathise with her situation but the sport has also been a significant stepping stone towards great things. Sophie has recently appeared on the BBC's One Show, where she was interviewed by Paralympic gold medalist Ade

Adepitan, to share how wheelchair basketball has helped her to face her fears and revived her old sporting enthusiasm. But Sophie's showbiz achievements don't end there by a long shot ... she has been officially chosen to participate in the 2012 Paralympic torch relay.

My curiosity set alight, I delve in for more details and Sophie is only too happy to share them with me, the aura of enthusiasm around her is palpable. ' I know my social worker nominated me to carry the torch but there were many others whose identities I still don't know. I'm actually quite touched that they haven't revealed themselves to me because it just proves that they really care and don't just want recognition. The last thing I want is for people to feel obliged to support me.' I am taken aback a little at Sophie's selflessness here as I have to admit, in her situation, I probably wou ldn't be so altruistic. But self-pity doesn't feature highly on Sophie's list and when asked the painfully obvious question 'Are you excited?' she answers very readily, 'Yes, of course! I just hope I don't drop it!'

For a girl who has faced so many challenges at only 18, there are really no words to adequately describe the resolve which can be found in the form of Sophie Carrigill. But one word does seem to stand out as the most appropriate: inspirational. Sophie herself maintains that she is infinitely grateful to Spider-Y and other similar charities who aim to give disabled people a fresh perspective on the sporting world. Sophie's story illumines perfectly the invaluable work that these charities do and the immeasurable impact which sports for the disabled can have on people's lives.

Interview by Rebecca Oates (Y12)

The 2nd of June 1953 saw the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Sixty years later we celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Queen Elizabeth II is the second

monarch of the United Kingdom to have reigned for 60 years, Queen Victoria being the other. The jubilee is being celebrated throughout the United Kingdom and Commonwealth with a variety of events, a few of which are a maritime parade of one thousand boats down the River Thames and an outdoor concert in Buckingham Palace gardens for ten thousand ticket holders. The final day of the Queen's official Diamond Jubilee celebrations includes a morning Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral.

These celebrations also expand to the general public and more importantly to our local community. Lots of our staff and students are celebrating the Diamond Jubilee both at school and at home. One member of the Design Technology staff said he was planning to go down to Harpenden to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee with his daughter and his wife as his daughter is on the committee that is organising the local street party. He said, "I love the pomp and ceremony. When this country puts on a show it's always the best and traditions are very important."

Other members of staff are choosing to spend their time differently with one member of staff stating that they will be "using the time productively to decorate the hall and staircase rather than visiting a street party."

Students are also celebrating with one Year 9 girl tell ing me of her plans for the Diamond Jubilee. "I'm celebrating at school and I'll be watching it on TV ... I love everything the monarchy stands for, plus ... any excuse for a party!" It would seem that the Diamond Jubilee celebrations still hold intrigue and excitement for people of all ages.

Clare Robinson in Year 11 said, "To celebrate I have purchased a new Sex Pistols t-shirt. I'm also having a garden party with cake." Clare feels that for her the Diamond Jubilee celebrations are a celebration of the person behind the throne and her achievement rather than a celebration of the hereditary monarchy.

Mrs Taylor, from Learning Support, tells us how her mother watched the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and how as child she had had to wait until the Queen's speech had finished on Christmas Day until they could open their presents. "The Monarchy is something I grew up with. I've been taught to care about it. I'm going to have a garden party in Buckinghamshire with my family," Mrs Taylor says, "to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. There's going to be lots of crafts and activities for the children. "

Within school itself we will be holding an activities afternoon to celebrate along with an old fashioned tea-party. The Junior School has also been given commemorative bookmarks. As we can expect, although People may have differing views about the coming celebration we are all very excited by the prospect of a four day weekend!

Charlotte Ward (Y11)

'Diamond jubi[ee Ce[ebrations at W§']-{S · 0 n Friday 1st June, our school celebrated the Diamond

Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth II. We were able to wear our own choice of clothing provid ing it included

something red, something blue and something white, in order to represent the colours of the British flag. It was great to see t he school come together to celebrate this once in a lifetime experience. Everyone had different views on how to dress for this occasion, with some girls dressing particularly accordingly and others simply decorating their nails. Normal lessons took place in the morning, and all the girls were excited for the bell to ring at lunchtime to signal the beginning of what promised to be a fun afternoon. In accordance to each year group's bell, girls rushed into Jubilee Hall for a delicious spread set out by the cooks. Each girl was provided with a sandwich of their choice, a biscuit, a packet of crisps and an ice-cream, and was able to help themselves to orange juice and sausage rolls. By the end of lunch, everyone was ful ly satisfied and they were looking forward to the afternoon's activities on the quad.

The afternoon session began with a va riety of fun games that took place outside, including the egg and spoon race. the skipping race, the sack race and tug of war. It was

amusing to watch our fnends' determined faces tackle the demands of each race, especially when they fell as a team during the tug of war and when they struggled to maintain balance as they tripped over each other during the sack and skipping races Each class competed against each other m respective year groups, with Years 9 and 10 getting the afternoon off to an entertaining start. After all the races had taken place, and each team had acquired a collect1on of stickers to show off, we then wandered back inside towards the hall, passing the excited faces of Year 7 and 8s. We casually took our seats and looked up to see the hosts, Mr Besford and Mr Paget, who appeared cheerful and eager to keep us entertained. The aim of the 'Pointless' qu iz was to test the chosen teachers' and students' knowledge by allowing them the chance to come up with the most obscure answer possible. When interviewed, Year 1 0 pupil Stephanie Cheetham told us she felt it was "a thoughtful way to celebrate the 60 year reign of the Queen" and that she felt "priviledged to be able to witness this magnificent occasion which has only ever happened once before".

Overall, the day was full of energy and every girl from Year 7 upwards had a smile on their face throughout the celebrations. It was a day that was enjoyed by all pupils and staff, which brought the school together and was a lovely way to end the half-term.

Hollie Joyce (Y1 0)

rffie Qyeen's 'Diamond jubi(ee rffianfsaivin8 Service

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service - the best three days of my life. It all started when I was informed about the Diamond Choir which was

orgamsed by Canon Michael Hampel, Precentor of St. Paul's Cathedral. I had to write in a fifty word piece saying why 1 wanted to sing for the Queen, my experience as a singer and why I enjoyed singing. Out of one thousand three 11undred applicants I didn't believe I had much of a chance but decided there was nothing to lose. I then got the email a few weeks later saying that I had passed the first stage of the selection and requesting that I sing two assigned pieces ("Londonderry A1r" and "Be thou my vision") in York Minster for the second and final stage of the audition process. The preparation for the audit1on required qu1te a bit of practising - however having already sung "Londonderry Air" for my grade 5 singing exam and "Be thou my vision" several times as a chorister at Wakefield Cathedral th1s gave me a bit of a head start. On the day of the audition I nervously made my way to York, where I was welcomed by the Head and Assistant Head of Music at the Minster and then the auditions began. The actual audition only took ten minutes - after singing your two pieces from memory and having a qu ick chat about your singing experience you said goodbye and could only base the verdict on how you thought it went. For the next few days it was the only thing on my mind. I was trying not to convince myself I had got in .. mce I was up against four hundred other applicants and it didn't seem the most likely thing to happen, but then a week later the letter confirming my place in the D1amond Cho1r arrived. I was ecstatic and couldn't believe what I was reading. The letter came along w1th the piece of music specially written for the Diamond Cho1r by composer Will Todd called "The Call of Wisdom" wh1ch we were told to learn for when we got to London wh1ch seemed a long time away but couldn't have come sooner. Before I knew it me, my mum and my auntie were on the train heading to London - hats and fancy frocks at the ready! Forty one of us were chosen for this choir aged 10-13 altogether, so I fell

honoured to be in such an elite group of singers but of course I was apprehensive about meeting them all. At the hotel within the first hour we had met the two other boys from Yorkshire - the three of us became firm friends and held up the Yorkshire side! There were two full days of rehearsing ahead of us, rehearsals consisting of vocal warm ups, introducing ourselves, meeting the boy choristers of St. Pauls and running through the music countless times. The second day we had a rehearsal of the whole service for the BBC so they knew exactly what to do when, meaning the service would run smoothly. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced, I had never realised how perfectly things had to be timed and how careful you had to be about eve1ything, even the small things like looking into the camera when you're not supposed to! Monday night was time to get an early night ready for the big day that was in store. The atmosphere in St. Pauls the morning of the service was incredible, everything looked so beautiful and pristine and everyone dressed to impress waiting for the all important arrival of the Queen. The half an hour sat wa1ting for the Royal family to arrive truly felt like a lifetime so finally when the glorious sound of the trumpet fanfare arose none of us could believe our eyes - it was the most incredible and memorable experience of my life and couldn't have been any better. God Save the Queen!

Molly Cochrane (Y8)

~Y {ami0J and the connection with Wakejie(d §rammar ·schoo( 'Foundation - ~n 'lnterview with ~ary Way Wakefield Grammar School Foundation has a long trad ition of families who, generation after generation, enrol their sons and daughters at either WGHS or QEGS. My grandmother, Mary Way (nee Curtis) is eighty seven years old and she attended WGHS between 1934 and 1942. More amazingly though is that her mother, Dorothy Mary Brown, who was born on 13th February 1894, also went to WGHS before leaving at eighteen to study Pharmacy at Leeds University. My grandmother has shown me this picture of her mother's form at WGHS in (she thinks) 1911:

Keeping the tradition My grandmother's aunt Mary Curtis went to WGHS as well as Dorothy Brown. My great grandmother's cousins Amy and Mary Walker, who were born on 6th December 1905, also attended WGHS and were in the same year as Barbara Hepworth (the famous artist and scu lptor)

My great-grandfather TV Way's sister, Edna Way attended WGHS c1913- 1921. My grandfather Peter Way's sisters Wendy and Veronica attended WGHS Junior School in the 1930/40's.

Links with QEGS My grandmother's father, John Curtis was born on 17th July 1899 and he went to QEGS with Reg Armitage. They became close friends and Reg later became known as Noel Gay, the songwriter famous for the musical, "Me and My Girl". On leaving QEGS, my great-grandfather, John Curtis, joined the Royal Engineers and was about to be posted to Russia when World War I ended. Perhaps more importantly though is the fact that later on he became a Governor at QEGS.

A few years later, my grandmother married my grandfather, Peter Way, who also attended QEGS. My grandfather later became a lawyer and was the secretary to QEGS Old Savilians' Association. My grandfather's father TV Way also attended QEGS and was in the same year as Jack Wolfenden who later became Baron Wolfenden, the British educationalist. My great-grandfather TV Way was a solicitor

in Wakefield and like my other great-grandfather (John Curtis) he was also a Governor of QEGS and WGHS. Against that background, I asked my grandmother the following questions:

When did you begin school at WGHS? I started at WGHS when I was ten in 1934 and left aged eighteen in 1942. However, in those days you could have started at five and left at eighteen. Here is a photograph of Speech Day 1937:

How many were in your class? From those who were your friends?

There were around twenty in my form and it was the same in my mother's form when she was at the school. In the year there were two forms of that number spl it into "I<' and "B". I started in "B" but moved up to "/J.'.'. Amongst my friends were Margaret Whittlestone, whom I used to accompany in concerts and Sheila Rhodes who was musical too. It was an all girls' school so I didn't meet any boys and we weren't allowed to go over to QEGS,until Sixth Form when there was a club where we cou ld meet each other.

What lessons did you do? Which were your favourite and least favourite? I did Maths; English; Science; Geography; History; Languages including Latin; RS; Games; Art and Needlework. I loved music especially playing the piano. However I disliked Games because I wasn't particularly good and it was always very cold!

Who were your favourite teachers? Were any bad? I had a soft spot for Miss Knott who was, at that time, Head of the Junior and Senior Schools. She was very kind to me and all the other students. The Head of Music, Miss Reeve was my favourite teacher. My f irst piano teacher was Miss Perdon; she sat kn itting throughout my lessons in time to the music!

What was the uniform like? I always thought the uniform was lovely. We all wore a blue school hat which was brilliant in winter. We also wore a white blouse with a navy pinafore over it, woolly tights and black shoes.

Which school building of today did you work in? The Preparatory, Junior and Senior Schools were in Wentworth Terrace and St John's House. There were fewer pupils than there are today so extra buildings like STC and The Forrest Building weren't needed.

What were school dinners like? 1 thought school dinners were alright. I had no particular favourite but considering at some points food was rationed our school food was of a good standard.

How long were your days? How long were hol idays? We arrived at school at 9am and left at 4pm. However if you wanted to go to a club you had to do it after school. Our half terms were always a week long, Easter and Christmas were a fortnightly break but my favourite holiday, summer, was six weeks long. During the summer holiday I often went to Hunmanby Gap, North Yorkshire to see my Aunt and cousins.

Was it strict? I thought school was very strict. I remember getting lots of homework and, for a minor skirmish, you could be asked to stay after school and help for an hour!

What clubs did you attend? I think I went to a few music clubs but my favourite club was Sixth Form Club started by our year. This allowed Sixth Form boys from QEGS to come and see us in our lunch hour once a week. It was here I met my first boyfriend -Reuben Mercer.

Did you go on any school trips? I went to Switzerland in 1939 just before the outbreak of World War II . We stayed in a nice hotel and visited several features including a gorgeous waterfall that we had to climb up the hill to see. School never took us on any other t rips because of the war and before the war they thought we were too young to go.

Your mum, Dorothy, also attended WGHS. Did she tell you anything about it? No, not really. However, she met her husband through a school friend. This friend was called Mary Curtis and she used to visit my mother regularly. Mary's older brother John often came to pick her up and that is how my mother and father got to know each other. Eventually, they got married!

What was your favourite school moment? I had two. I always enjoyed playing the piano to accompany Margaret Whittlestone on the violin during the

school concerts. I also played duets on the piano with Margaret as well as solos. Also, on Saturday afternoons the music teacher Miss Reeve used to take me to concerts at the Leeds Town Hall.

Did you ever want to return to school? Did you ever come back? I didn't want to return to school because I carried on to further education at the Yorkshire Ladies College of Education as my parents wouldn't allow me to go to the Royal College of Music in London due to the Blitz. I have been back to school though as a piano teacher. I also attended the centenary celebration in 1978 with my mother and several friends.

Did you enjoy school? I did enjoy school. The school was always full of activity and there was always a very friendly atmosphere.

And finally, a question for myself: What have I learnt through the writing of this piece for the school magazine?

Everything I have found out through writing this article about my family's association w ith WGSF is very interesting considering I knew nothing about the school's past and it has shown me so much about different parts of school li fe. I have found out that the school thrived as it does today and that the Music Department both past and present produces talented musicians. I also feel that my grandmother must have been fond of the school if she returned as a teacher in later life. I was surprised to learn that many lessons are the same and so is the length of the school day. Also, the classes today are generally similar except setting for a few subjects like Maths but, when my grandmother was at school, there was an ''~>:, and ,,B" class. However, the amount of opportunities to attend clubs appears more limited in the past and the uniform was more like the preparatory one. I think I have realised that school is still ful l of activity and the friendly atmosphere my grandmother remembers is always around school today. School may have changed in some ways but the principles and the types of great memories girls make whi lst here are still the same.

Vivi Way (Y8)

The Season Prides BOOK 1-WINTER CHARACTERS

Winter Pride Puffpaw (cub name Puffcub) - silvery white, blue eyed, swift running boy polar bear

Snowfur (cub name Snowcub) - ice, snow white, good hunter, sister taunting, boy polar bear

Frostheart (cub name Frostcub) - icy white, strong fighting, sharp toothed, sister taunting boy polar bear

Sparkletail (cub name Sparklepad) - soft furred, sparkly eyed, kindly, beautiful girl polar bear

Swiftail - bulky, thick furred, kindly female adult

Autumn Pride

Flufffur -fluffy furred, bright eyed, adventurous, brave girl polar bear

Twinklepaw - twinkly eyed, bobble tailed, smooth furred, sleek swimming girl polar bear

Bobbletail - fluffy ta iled, ferocious, fiercely loyal, female adult

Summer Pride

Velvetfur - sleek furred, amazingly kind, loyal, beautiful girl polar bear

Oceaneye - soft furred, cute, clumsy, strong swimming boy polar beur

Furpuff- slightly mad, constantly w ith a sore throat, unsure footed, boy polar bear

Wavetail - beautiful swimmer, with sleek fur, kind, sparkling eyes, female adult

Spring Pride

Skyeye- blue eyed, lazy, yet good hunter and swimmer, girl polar bear

Cloudfur- naughty, cheeky boy polar bear

Sleekpelt- dominant, growly throat, extremely kind and loyal, boy polar bear

Bluetail - blue eyed, short tempered, yet very nice to her cubs, female adu lt

Sharp Pride

Sharptooth -the blue eyed, most dominant, fierce, yet loving, male adult, who is father to all the cubs in the Season Prides.

Sharptail -the green eyed, forever mate to Sharptooth w ith long fur (she-bear)

Sharpclaw - son of Sharptooth and Sharptail, bulky, yet small pawed, stumpy tailed male

Sharpjaw - son of Sharptooth and Sharptail, small minded, blue eyed, thick furred, sharp jawed male bear

Sharppelt- silky pelted, beautiful she-bear (daughter of Sharptooth and Sharptail)

Sharpsleet- slightly underweight, snowy furred male bear with a sleet coloured pelt (son of Sharptooth and Sharptail)

Sharpsnow- snowy colou r furred male bear (son of Sharptooth and Sharpta il)

Sharpstorm - a cocky, pushy, slightly arrogant and irritating snowy coloured male bear (son of Sharptooth and Sharptail)

Sharplight- beautiful, frosty hearted blue eyed she-bear (daughter of Sharptooth and Sharptail)

Sharpfur- romantic, handsome, frost coloured male bear with sharp claws and brown eyes

Sharpthroat - beautiful young she-bear

Sharpnight - daughter of Sharpthroat and Sharpfur, littermate of Sharpmist and Sharpfog with long, creamy coloured fur, chocolate brown eyes and rounded ears

Sharpmist-son of Sharpthroat and Sharpfur, littermate of Sharpnight and Sharpfog, fierce tom with long jaws, sharp claws and blue eyes

Sharpfog -foggy coloured, dreamy she-bear, daughter of Sharpthroat and Sharpfur, littermate of Sharpmist and Sharpnight

Sharpmoon -small, dirt-white, nervous, shy male bear, believes in peace and tranquillity, not f ighting and violence

Sharpstar- one of the most beautifu l, yet icy she-bears in the whole of the ice-sheet

Sharpfrost - daughter of Sharpmoon and Sharpstar, looks up to Sharpstar, a shadowy mind and harsh judgements, she­bear, young sister of Sharpice

Sharpice- her fur is like a blanket of ice and her eyes pebbles of blackness; long claws, razor sharp jaws and huge paws, daughter of Sharpstar and Sharpmoon, older sister of Sharpfrost, not in the same litter

CHAPTER 1 'Long Ago'

Swiftail emerged from the den to see her three, boisterious male cubs, Puffcub, Snowcub, and Frostcub, snapping at each other and their younger sister Sparklepad, as she growled at them in an attempt to make them stop.

The growl that rose from Swiftail's throat made the four cubs look at their tall, thick furred, bulky mother with admiration, yet a sparkle of fear illuminated their eyes in a moon of light.

"Puffcub, Snowcub, Frostcub, go back to the den and leave your sister alone in future." Swiftail roared, her fur standing up in spikes on her back. Shrinking back, the three bears trooped inside, growling qu ietly, wishing their caterwauling hadn't woken their mother. Turning to Sparklepad, her eyes glimmering, Swiftail ran a soft, velvety, sheathed paw down Sparklepad's head.

"We are going hunting for seals soon," Swiftail murmured to her little cub-fathered by the ferocious, dominant loner male polar bear Sharptooth; she had the same distinct blue eyes of her father - the blue iris stared back at Swiftail, bringing back the memories of the bulky Sharptooth. His name made him sound fiercer than the golden hearted male polar bear was - he had showed love and affection to all his mates- Swiftail, Bobbletail, Wavetail and Bluetail. Sharptooth's bloodline was very pure, and shared with every polar bear in the ice land.

'Til come with you!"

A sharp, excited yap came from inside the den. Turning, Swiftai l saw Puffcub, followed by Snowcub and Frostcub, bounding out from the compact, sun bathed snow den underneath the ground level. Sighing, Swiftail gathered her four cubs up beneath her feet and began to trudge away from the den, following the sweet, fatty scent of seal into the horizon.

Slowly, a small blowhole came into view. The smell became overwhelming, and Swiftail's mouth watered - the female adu lt had not eaten seal for many moons while nursing her cubs over the cold winter. inside the den. Beneath the ice, inky black water rippled like a sheet of ebony velvet underneath their paws. Sparklepad's heart raced as they approached the melting edge of ice, where the sea crashed in the horizon. The salty smell of the sea f il led the air, and it made Swiftail struggle to maintain the scent of the seal.

"Where's Puffcub?" asked Snowcub cu riously, sat on his haunches with his head tipped back, nose sniffing the air. Swiftail looked around anxiously- the fluffy, snow w hite male cub was nowhere to be seen! A crash suddenly broke the agonising silence- whirling round, Swiftail saw Puffcub's head in the water as his mouth opened in a huge 'o' as he soon became submerged beneath the water.

"Puffcub! " Swiftail roared. Fear soon pierced her heart like a dagger of ice. She raced forward to save her drowning cub, and leapt through the air, splashing into the water below.

"Mummy!" Snowcub screamed, "There are orcas in there!" Swiftail only just heard his cry and her heart suddenly froze with fear- her brother, Runcub. had been killed by the terrible black and white monsters of the sea-with a pang, Swiftail remembered the blood staining the ice red when her mother had pulled the male cub out of the water. Desperate to save her own cub from a terrible death, Swiftail hit the water with a crash, and began to paw through the water with her strong pads. Blinking, Swiftail caught a sight of Puffcub's white fur feathering in the murky waters.

He's there. Swiftail's breath was sudden ly running out, he's there, but I can't breathe. She swam up powerfully to the surface and took a refreshing, long breath in. Yet again, she dived into the depths below and suddenly her relief turned into ala rm when a black, white stomached shape slowly began to swim towards her, looming over the female bear like an indestructible shadow. Orca!

Swiftail's fear began to mount as the orca came closer, circling her hungrily. They were making a shield of whales to keep her away from rescuing her helpless cub, who had never learnt to swim. The scent of blood tanged her nostrils as she smelt for a scent of her cub- but no scent came, just blood, scarlet blood. Swiftail's decision inside her mind paralysed her heart w ith fear, but as she plunged down into the darker waters, she ignored the voice telling her to leave Puffcub. I have to find him Swiftail muttered to herself. I can't just leave him. She knew she'd never forgive herself if she left Puffcub to the same fate as her brother; but her fear of the murderous orca was almost overpowering her motherly love for Puffcub. In a split second, she swallowed down her fea r and carried on trying to find Puffcub. She'd find him - but she didn't know how long it was going to ltake her. Her breath was fast running out as she plunged

into the water, ice crystals swirled into t he ocean like silver dust. Strangely, the orca didn't seem to be following the white she-bear as she plunged down. They stayed, wailing, up at the surface, their muscular bodies shadowing the water so that Swiftail could barely see.

Suddenly, a scent of blood caught her nose - stronger than before. Whirling around, Swiftail saw a bu lky, long fu rred male raking his claws down an orca's side. Sharptooth! A f lood of relief spread through Swiftail's heart, and gave her cou rage. Slowly, and cautiously, she swam towards her sinking cub. Puffcub saw his mother approaching him and his eyes sparkled with rel ief. Grabbing her cub by the scruff of his neck, Swiftail swam powerfully to the surface and drifted to the ice. She threw Puffcub onto the shining sheet, and then dived back down. Sharptooth, encircled by the orcas, saw his mate and roared in the water, bubbles drifting from his mouth as his fur waved in the water. He swam to the surface and clambered onto the ice, where he lay limply, with blood trickling from his side. Swiftail jumped onto the ice beside him and saw the dimness in his eyes - if she didn't lick the blood off her mate's side, he would die.

Evie Hallitt and Holly Burrell \'(7)

Starting W§f}{S I'd never felt so nervous in my life, I promised my Mum and Dad I'd try and strive. Try I did. And, in the end, I got the right stats, So, I passed the test. I'm sure I was nowhere near the best, BUT ... I passed the test!

I'd never felt so excited in my life, I walked to the bus stop with a spring in my stride, I leapt onto the coach with a smile, And suddenly felt li ke a small child, All the other girls and boys were staring at me, Looking me up and down, As if I was wearing a protective gown. I walked down the aisle, and sank into a seat, I turned and saw the first girl that I had hoped to meet. A Year 10, w ith fluffy hair and twinkling eyes, She had a kind air about her, like the clouds in the skies.

I've never fel t so proud in my life, From that day on, I tried very hard, And, soon, I realised that I wasn't playing a charade, And my dream had become true; I really was at my Mum's old school.

I still loved English, And still detested Maths, But I soon learned, I wou ld get homework at last. It was a shock from my old school; a shock indeed ! But I sat quietly behind, and tried not to lead. I've become a different person; quieter, hard working and careful; I know it's for the best, if I am to succeed at Wakefield Girls' High School.

Evie Hallitt (Y7)

It was a long time ago. So clear in my mind, that I w ill ne~er forget what happened. So ma.ny d.ecisions, ?ut I chose the wrong one many times. T1me IS somethmg so . precious, something I have v~ry little a!. It was my faul.t, tt was always my fault. Many mnocent ltves ~er~ lost; r:nme should have been one of them. But now t1me IS passmg. I have the courage to tell my story.

1 was the captain of the plane called "Dragon Blade" and we were fighting against the Japanese. We had been fighting for many months an? we ~ad norfl!ally :ome out on the better side. But on th1s partiCular mtsty n1ght they shot down my best friend, Commander. I was so annoyed with myself when it happened. How could I have ~at. realised there were at least eight Japanese planes c1rcltng above and below our plane? It would have been so obvious if 1 had looked on my left side instead of thinking they were in front of us. By the time I did, it was too late and Commander should not have died. It was my fault. My last memories are a loud explosion, blood, and a tall Japanese man with eyes filled with hatred and an evil face, a face I would never forget. I could never let this go and vowed to do my best to my crew.

From then on we managed to bomb down Nagasaki night after night and I hadn't lost any of my crew. Little did we know there wouldn't be much longer of the war. Days later we were welcomed back as heroes and I was presented with a shiny gold medal. Sadly my home, family and mo~ of my friends had been bomhed down. It took me a long t1me to recover from this especially after the death of Commander. But 1 had made up my mind about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life ...

As a young boy I always wanted to tr~vel around the world and with the little money I had left, stnce my house had been bombed down, I decided to buy a large boat. Another mistake. It needed a lot of work but I had managed to do it up to the best of my skills. It looked great, all painted in ruby red wit~ a huge s_at~n blue flag and a huge white mast. But somethmg was m1ssmg. It needed a name. After many hours of puzzling I decided on the name "Dragon Blade The Return". This I painted in big black bold letters.

1 started sailing little distances at first, Fr~mce was my first journey, Holland my next. Gradually I sa1led ~u~her and further from England each time. But the maJonty of places I went to all looked run down from the war. Houses were half standing, many people were homeless. there were . danger signs everywhere. But worst of all people were sttll dying all around me. I could have saved many people but something, I don't know what, pulled me back.

Along with my sailing dream I had always wished to ~o to Australia. From pictures in the newspaper I had seen tn England it looked my sort of place. In addition it hadn't been that badly struck by the war anyway. So on one bright, sunny morning I set off from Plymouth harbour, where I always docked my boat whe~ I had.retu.rned f~om my sailing trips. The wind was blowtng qUite bitterly 1n my face so I decided to look down for a second to have a break from the breeze. I could see the boat's reflection shimmering and rippling in the deep blue water; I co_uld smell that salty sea air. But I didn't see the ship com1ng .. .

Suddenly I heard a loud noise; I turned round swiftly, my hand still on the wheel, a ship called "Thunder" was heading straight at me. Frantically I tried to shou~ at them to turn back. But I knew it wasn't that sort of shtp. It was deliberately heading for me. Ther.e was nothing I could do, Australia was still thousands of mtles away! Then I saw a face one that I had not forgotten. It was that Japanese ma~·s face the one that had killed Commander, the one who was going to kill me! I had to think fast. What could I do7 ...

Zahra Ahmed (Y8)

Snow fJs 'F a(fin81 (a senses yoe1n) A white sheet covers the icy ground Waiting to be jumped on; Tiny jewels gracefully fall, twirling like ballerinas, And little, icy, pitter-patter sounds gently tap away at the window.

Swirls of hot steam reach high up to my face; 1 lift my mug of hot chocolate, Gulping it down -A hot rush runs though my body.

A cosy atmosphere sits around the room; 1 can't wait to walk on the snow. But I'm warm and happy inside.

Intakes of fresh air Fill me with joy, As I know that tomorrow The even layer of pearls

Will still be waiting To be crunched.

Amber Mason (Y7)

rThe 'Meadow I swooned in the sun ... There is more to be done Than sit around and ponder

My child's sweet head in the grass ... She dreams of her past With daddy and her together

The dog licks herface ... I dream of sweet grace Rather than be troubled by this beast

Glaila Carter \'(7}

Chi(dhood Twenty years from where we were, I stand by the green garden gate watching the younger me swinging free feet over the wall. Small, and hair tied with a red ribbon stolen from the skeletal arm of some cobwebbed tree, with you and your dungarees, sod-stained and torn, as you swallow the last

of the corner-shop sweets while the sun rolls back on his t hread. He licks the lawn into colour and we laugh, talking over how the shadows will fold into a sepia dawn and how a piece of old moon w1ll unwind on his spool, saying this is the way it IS meant to be. This is the way we were born.

Today we have been explorers and escaped to some place in the forest where the trees play the light through their leaves. Their arrows cling to your skin until you r hair is a chorus of gold, and you look at me with those eyes which say will we come back here when we are old, oh when we are old?

With cracked hands we churn up a wheelbarrow out of Dad's shed and freewheel down to the stream. I flip a pebble and watched it drown, while you say like this, and cartwheel another. It prances and dies, happy, while a blackbird trills above, call1ng one day you will laugh and one day find love.

Then the silver thread chimes f rom the back door -a woman's soft voice and the scent of knives and forks. We part through the fence, our secret hand-shake: tomorrow we will meet on our wall and be young again. Now, I watch from the gate as our voices spill into our kitchens, and wonder whether you, like me,

will ever stand in this deep whining of rain, your mouth gluey with the taste of childhood again.

Laura Potts (Y11)

rHorrib(e 1-foBwarts Harry had never imagined such a spooky and creepy place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of pale yellow bones, floating over four long tables. These mysterious tables had dragon teeth as their feet and on their ogre-skinned seats sat the rest of the worried students. On all of these tables were stone grey plates and goblets, made out of dragon scales. At the top of this hall sat the stern teachers. each one of them with a terrifying animal for a hat.

Professor Poisonblood, with her bat swooping around her head, pushed the frightened Fi rst Years up to the front, so they were facing their fellow students. The thousands of faces glaring at them looked like pale, wispy lanterns in the flickering eerie candlelight.

Amongst the solemn students, the terrible ghosts floated around, like poisonous bees that won't leave you alone. They were knocking over goblets, pulling hair and stealing food. Harry had heard lots of spine-chilling stories about these ghosts. so hoping not to catch their eyes, he looked up and saw a fierce dragon in the ceiling, fire pouring out of its nose, its eyes glaring at one terrified boy .. Harry!!

Jess Rolinson \'(7)

PhotoBrayhs And when somebody says lovely the walls cringe and there is sunblood through the window pane and it is that night again when you softened and slept in your chair,

and said lovely, your lovely skin, your lovely hair, around the mouth the words silvery, wise, wide.

I lick my lips now to taste the you you were. And when you are not there I hold you in my hand, the hand I hold you in the hand you held when I stumbled into lamp posts, tnto life,

into love, your heart a candle waving away the world . Now, here, twirled between my fingers are the tepid pearls

of light beneath your eyelids which are thirteen again, watching the buses swim past on a peeling city bench in the December of a black and white childhood. Me, thirteen, looking good

scribbled on the back, a stamp from London, then sun leaking over the carpet where you are e1ghteen

and your bones dance with their paper-thtn lungs, and your hair spills over his shoulder, your heart pours into his hands. You thought him lovely then. Like you r mind had dreamt him up. Like your mind

had dreamt up the child lost in your dressing gown, Lhe lukewdt nt liyhl on her lips at the edge of her sleep

when the walls dozed and you stood in the doorway saying oh, the lovely world. And now, here, like then, the room sleeps around you, and the hundreds of yous, the thousands of yous, your eyes waving on the floor,

saying it's me again, it's alright, with the same old moon, oh the lovely moon, sitting on his swing, smoking his pipe.

Laura Potts (Y11)

1-forriG(e 1-foBwarts Harry had never even imagined such a strange and horrifytng place. It was lit by thousands of petrol fuelled lamps which were floating in mid air over four long steel tables where the rest of the inmates were sitting. These tables were laid with scummy, rotting plates and cups. At the top of the hall was another long steel table where all the professors were sitting. Professor McMurder led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other inmates, with the professors behind them. The hundreds of faces were staring at them, like they were living in the deepest. darkest corner of the earth. Dotted here and there among the inmates the spirits gloomed dark and hooded. Mainly to avoid the staring eyes, Harry looked upwards and saw a soul ripping black ceiling streaked with bolts of lightning.

Georgina Apperley (Y7}

' mortuts i am closing the curtains 1n a watercolour afternoon and thinking of you. behind the whine of the wireless you are falling from a letter which sleeps under my pillow and drops into my dreams. when you are here i will sing it to you in five different languages, saying listen: your alphabet painted on my heart.

for some time i dance around the kitchen with the ginger cat and think about the chime of bullets. time has made war beautiful: it is silver like the first swelling of the sea in the blue darkness of morning and tastes like a molten moon a marble of chrome - and sweeter than honey. than honey from the comb.

and when you are here i will tear up the hills to the train station until1 am down, down, down into the elbow of the town where your cigar charms the shadows across the walls. the sky will be shot with vermillion, splitting its veins over our skin, and it will be you and you will be here. it will be you and you will be near.

but now, i swallow the trenches of my lungs. you are over the sea and over the sky. in that place

somewhere far from this ginger cat and i. a bullet to his chest, they will say, or a bullet to his head, alone, on some cracked battlefield where the skies are black-edged in mourning. bone

and my photograph inside hi-; fist, inside his blood, inside his head, his head. then with the heart in the mouth then with the heart in the mouth then with my heart in my mouth i will bury my dead.

Laura Potts (Y11 )

Creusa In Virgil's Aeneid, Creusa is the wife of Aeneas and mother of their son Ascanius. The family flee the fall of Troy but Creusa becomes separated from the others and when Aeneas returns for her, he encounters only her ghost.

Outside my skin: cold and stone skies. I weep and think of hands - stressed. clenched - h1s skull moulded in the crack of my elbow, and rock him,

crying, caressing the soft pearls of his eyelids. Thunder snarls in the dead of night. Say light and I swallow my stomach.

He sleeps in some other arms now - my son -wakes to the eyes of dawn in another land far from here, where a woman will not hold him

quite like I did. The moon will be old and th~ ~ouds wheeled away before I see him, my boy. stndmg with limbs long to his mother's open arms,

when the skies will flare with copper, copper, crimson and tan, when he will stop, cold, and ask me who I am.

Laura Potts (Y11)

Seaside (a senses yoem) Tickling my toes, The warm, white sand Caresses my feet.

The sea glistens and sparkles; All around the wind whispers gently; Salt wafts my way.

Coconut milk lingers in my mouth, Like a little taste of paradise.

Rhona Raychaudhuri (Y7)

so if you want me then slip a postcard under my door w ith your heart freshly-bled on the page. don't tell me

your name, just sign with lover to make me feel naked under my skin all night, all day.

and when it is morning i w ill itch from the inside, my flesh thirsty from the thought of your hands.

you know all about love. the way your words swim in pools of light tells me this. kiss. a kiss to bru ise

the tip of the tongue, sly, thin. and i will wear you as a love-bite if you touch me. if you taste me,

if you put your skin to my skin. don't tell me your name. but let me nurse you. stranger,

in warm towels and long hours to the soft burr of my lonely lips. let me sit and swallow your lungs.

thumb you pearly, sing you bright, peel away your heart in the dead of the night.

Laura Potts (Y11)

Everyt~ing was sil~nt. Eve.rything but the barely audible hummmg of the b1rd outs1de the unstable glass window. There was a small note, stuck to one of the two original walls- the others had fallen years ago probably, and were replaced by large wooden boards - and the text had been smudged from the pouring rain that had been cast across the oty just hours ago. By the looks of it, it was just a scnbble of a landlord, demanding rent from a woman named Carty. The paint was crumbling, the w indows smashe?, the door taken off. I didn't even know why t was there - 1n the cold and dark. I decided to leave the house ­not permanently, but to find food. The hunger inside me was burnin~ like a wildfire, untamed and flaring up at the shglltest th1ng - a food carton or packet littering the ground, even a picture in a shop window. Water, at this moment, was not a problem, as I had somehow managed to connect the pipes back together.

My mouth watered as I stared up 1n the shop window that 1 now found .myself crouched before. I'd scaled the city for hours, and rt was presumably the only bakery in town. Cakes. pies. bread and pastries were stacked on top of each other, and I hadn't eaten for days. I tried opening the stiff door, and caught a glimpse of the food. I had no tuck. Ea~h and every shop on the snaking row of run down bu1ldmgs had been shut hours before I arrived. There was no log1cal way I could get food now; everywhere had dosed, house doors locked as the owners had no need and no intention to answer rt to anybody. I decided to head back to the shabby house and scavenge for food that could ve been dropped before it was deserted. What? It 's not my fault the village couldn't compensate me.

I dropped to the un-carpeted, cold floor of the derelict little house, longing for the warmth of the bed I had once slept rn, far away from here, far away from anywhere. But 1 couldn't h~ve th.at anymore. My village, a small gathering of houses rn an Isolated part of West Sussex, that probably

didn't qualify as a village, just a grouping of houses, had been burnt down; the remainder of my family included. I'd fled to a nearby town (I didn't know the name), escapmg the hot flame.s that were chasing me, the tong curls of smoke fol low1ng my footsteps and choking me. I tried to sleep, but t.h~ loneliness was ~aking over, begging at me to go and sooal1se .. Then I saw 1t - there was a mobile phone on the floor; not m good condition, but it was there. 1 ran towards i~. almost falling to the ground with the hunger for a connect1o~ to the world . When I got close enough to it, t reached for 1t, desperately pushing down crates and boxes to get to it Finally, I picked it up. pushing down hard on the. 'on' button. Surprisingly, it turned on, beeping at me to 1nd1eate that the battery was low. Despite this, t searched the phone for contacts, finding few numbers that seemed even slightly familiar. I clicked on the first one waiting for the dialling tone to start. ·

"Hello?" the mysterious voice on the end of the phone called. I started breathing so rapidly; I could barely mhale the oxygen I needed - as every other human - to live. "Hello, who is this? I found this mobile, and I need help!" 1 spluttered •. choking as the. words ~merged from my mouth. I soon notiCed that the vo1ce was m fact a woman's with the slight whisper of children playing. "Oh my, why are you on xour own? I'm a worker in the local village cleaning facrhty and you must have found the mobile of my fellow worker, C?rly. she died in that vi llage fire just a few days ago, I .beheve. Where. are you?" she said, suddenly soundmg very scared tndeed. I explained to her how 1 got here, how I was in the fire she mentioned and I read the ad.dress off of the front of the house I was occupying. She sa1d she "'!as a babysitter in her spare time. earning monE>y her petty Job cou ldn't provide her with, and she'd help as soon as she cou ld return the children she was watching.

I gave up hope. Would they bother saving me? As the hours passed I found the answer to that question; no, they wouldn't even try. Who could save me now?

Becky Brow n (Y7)

O(ivia !Evans (Yll)

rThe Sky V emons Prologue Three girls are running through a forest of thick, dense. trees each of them carrying a weapon and a very heavy lookmg bag. One of them has long flowing white hair that scales the length of her back: like fall ing snow. She has mismatched eyes, one a deep mystic purple the other the silver-grey eye of a wolf. Both eyes are looking straight ahead - catchtng the smallest amount of movement and analysing it. There are many small, separate scars running horizontally along the length of one cheek yet if you were to look closely you could see that they take the form of strange symbols, possibly a word in some unknown language. She has a. strangely shaped, furry white tail - w~ich moves and wnthes seemingly of its own accord - and pomty wolf ears on the top of her head. Out of her back come tw? huge cr.eamy, feathery wings. She wears a faded purple JUmper w1th equally faded blue jeans and a belt that holds ~wo sharp swords with crescent moons to decorate the h1lts. Each sword is about the length of her arm and their names in her language are 'rika-ejada swansa'. Around her neck she has a black choker made with a material similar to suede but with the feel of velvet and much more waterproof than either; hanging from it is a small cresce~t moon. sh~p.ed pendant that glows w ith a soft yellow ltght. Th1s gtrl s name is Setsuna. The next girl also has white hair; hers is shorter, just coming past her shoulders. Her eyes are the colour .of onyx and shine intelligently as she c;cans her surrou~d 1 ng~. Her scars are less but still there She has a long whtte tatl, the end of which is tipped with black fur. Her black ears are also those of an animal, a fox to be exact. This girl wears faded clothes too, a dark long sleeved top and similar jeans; . attached to her belt there is a staff or 'magant', the mag1cal looking type you would expect a wizard to have. Pla.ced on top of it is a large semi-precious stone and engraved tnto this is a yellow five pointed star; the staff ends m a reverse blade known as a 'reso blasa swansa'. She wears a badge, the design of which matches the star engraved into her staff-sword's hilt. Her name is Kitsune.

The third and last girl has long t iger-orange hair that shines as the sun catches it. Her eyes are a scarlet-red but they don't look scary, that is, unless she want~ the~ to .. she is looking behind her and from her express1on 1t IS platn that she doesn't like what she sees. She has an orange and black striped tail and the matching black ears o~ a tiger. She wears a red top with her symbol of a sun covenng the front of it. She also wears faded blue jeans. She has a strap over one shoulder and along her back, although this is not like the normal, non-threatening kind you get for a shou lder bag because attached to it is a scythe. The wea~on has two blades on opposite sides of it; a sun is engraved mto each blade. The name of this weapon is 'riso sithosed magant'- a two scythed staff. She is called Tiger. The girls are exhausted and fast running out of energy, open wounds bleed dark blood. Their breath is slowly becoming more laboured. They are still being pursued as they have been for hours now; Setsuna looks behind her to see Tiger lagging slightly and shouts encouragements joine? by an exasperated Kitsune. They're all at the end of thetr tether but the encouragement works and she gains on them, running at their pace. Yell ing sounds from just behind them. Momentarily . distracted Setsuna trips and falls hard to the ground w1th a yelp. She scrambles up again quickly w ith the hel~ of her friends, but this is the last straw for her; they are t1red, hungry and all of them quite badly wounded from t~e . surprise attack by the ones who are now hot on the1r tra1l. Setsuna turns to her last resort and tells the others her plan. They nod, adding ideas and ext.ra det~ils tha~ she fai led to think of, teamwork and loyal fnendsh1p help1ng the small group as effectively as it always has. They stop and prepare to carry out their plan; behind them the1r pursuers sense that they have halted and dare to think that they h~ve final ly won: the outlaws that they have been pu rsu1~g for so long have finally given up the fight and for people l1ke t.hem to give up the fight- as far as the pursuers are aware- 1s to lose it forever without hope of help. L1ttle do they know that their bounty has disappeared indefinitely and without a trace, perhaps never to be seen or heard of again. Perhaps.

Eleanor Louise Lister (Y11)

'Darcy 'A((ison (Y10)

•

~n 11njorgetta6fe :Exyerience For my summer holidays and a late celebration of my elder sister's 1Oth birthday, my mother, father, grandparents, my sister of course and I journeyed down Eng land to the sunny seaside village of St lves, Cornwall. The very f irst day of the holiday started with a bang! The sky was a perfect azure blue; the golden sun's slanting rays were beaming down upon us .... it was paradise.

1 remember to this day the feel ing of sifting powder-fine sand beneath my fingers, the sudden smell of ozone and the feeling of static in the air.

The rain suddenly poured down and thunder boomed, lightning thrashed and sliced through the sheets of rain .

We hurried from the beach and finally arrived at the hotel room. I reca ll the rain running in unbroken rivulets down my arms going plink plink plink onto the tiles of the floor, my shoes squeaking with each step and my sopping clothes clinging to my damp skin.

Our lunch had been rudely interrupted so my mother called room service and ordered the 'speciality dish of the day'. Yes, it was very special.

My family and I gathered around the large oak table of our suite as a young waiter, with a red bow-tie slightly off centre and pristinely polished shoes that squeaked squeaked squeaked on the floorboards, set down steaming dishes of what I hoped was glorious food. My stomach growled ravenously as my plate was neatly set down in front of me. I thanked the waiter and turned my attention towards ... a bowl of lumpy brown slop.

Cutlery clinked and glasses chinked as I looked at the faces of my parents and grandparents. 'Delicious,' my father declared and noisily tucked into his slop.

I slowly swivelled my head around until my eyes met the ones of my sister and I saw my own disgust and contempt mirrored in her pretty features. I swallowed down the lump that was rising in the back of my throat, sucked in a deep breath, picked up my spoon and tried a sample.

Many times after I tried to f ind a word that describes just how vile tasting the thing was- I can't. My taste buds turned to sick, my throat burned and my head span. I gulped down a glass of water in one, then another, then another.

'Mum,' I tried but my throat was seizing up. I coughed and tried again, 'Mum.' My throat felt like it had been scraped With a steel brush. Every syllable sent a spasm of pain shocking through my mouth. Owl 'I don't like it,' I whispered rusti ly. Every face whipped around to look at me and all eyes were mirrored with horror and concern.

Then my grandmother suggested an idea I wou ld have endured one of her sloppy kisses for, 'Shall we just order dessert?' - What a memorable meal!

Sienna Butterfield (Y8)

'Dawn haiku Orange, red and blue, Dark skies turn into bright skies. Davvn opens the world.

Sanjana Ramaswamy (Y7)

Vawn haiku The sun is lifting, Reds, oranges and yellows, Dawn's awakening.

Laura Walker (Y7)

rThe 13 each Waves breaking on the shore, Children playing in the sand, Seagulls nesting on the cliffs, While playing dogs splash in the sea.

The taste of fish and chips lingers; The smell of seaweed drifts along. I feel the sun upon my face; The bitterness of salt is in the air.

The tide retreats ...... then races forth With its never ending rhythm. The sun disappears behind the cliffs As day draws to a dose.

Sara h Baker (Y7)

Lydia 'ReynoLds (Y13)

V ementea rHayyiness Cold! It is cold - the four stone concrete walls are cold. I am cold and I have been for a long time. Hairs on my forearms are pins, sharp and pointed -so very pointed -needle-like, because I am cold.

The healthmess of the silence is engrossing me, making me.... more alert. I can hear everything in the silence of asylum. I hear many things. The walls whisper I am mad. Listen! Listen and take into your mind how serenely I can tell my tale.

It's hard to say how I first thought of the idea, but once inside my head I couldn't stop. Yes, it became an obsession: the overpowering forces of jealousy that made me conjure these sickening thoughts. He had everything. I think it was his happiness that I coveted most. Whenever his smile slapped me in the face I would imagine extracting every -last - cell - of h1s pleasure. So whenever the thought pricked my m1nd, I wanted to eliminate - to exterminate -the smile from his face; the happiness from his heart. I wanted to own it- to take it for my own.

Now remember. mad men know nothing; but you shou ld have seen how stealthily I progressed. I was cautious, so very, very cautious.

The two weeks previous to this death I had never shown more care towards that man. I made sure the appointments fitted in best with his schedule; I cunningly and secretly pried into his personal business, in a sly, but somehow- courteous way. I found out where he resided. My sweet sickly thoughts f lourished, became reality. For fourteen days, every morning at precisely 2.33a.m, I walked, stealthily- calmly -to the sweet, welcoming street. His home. I wa1ted in the misty shadows of the night - slowly -slowly. I scurried up to that man's residence- oh so quickly - I was not seen. I was not heard. I was a shadow. A whisper on the air.

I sat; I sat and waited while he slept. Slowly - oh so slowly I imagined him breathing, producing a soft, beatific white condensation on the window pane next where he lay. I sat for two hours exactly. At the end of my vigil I would kiss the window next to me with my thin, pink, chapped lips to feel the moisture of his breathing. My lips pressed against the hard. cold, window pane.

Upon that bitter, icy morning of day fourteen, he had a new appointment ... with me. How unfortunate for him. that on the previous day he had been bitten by one of the many rabid dogs that infect our streets. He needed treatment and I was more than ready to acquiesce to this request.

I woke early - I saw the dark frost-bitten sky glower over the frozen lake in front of my quarters. I opened my window to let in the smell of the freezing outside, to let in that cold silence. In my chair, I felt the weight of my own supremacy, of my JUdiciousness, build up inside my head. Excitement gushed through me as I clenched the briefcase containing my instruments, tightly to my person. Now I felt alive; I had shrugged off the somnolent state in which I had been lingering for some time. Turning clockwise slowly- so very, very slowly, I stared at my cold pale face in the looking glass. I looked so elegant. neat. I glanced down to see that my hand was clutch1ng my briefcase so tightly that my fingers had turned a shade of pale blue. My hand began to

§eoraia '13uraflarcft-Scrive~ (Y13)

tingle. It tingled until finally the pain became so excruciating that my briefcase dropped to the floor, shuddering. Alas, what had happened? My hand was without sensation.

As I walked to my surgery the feeling gradually returned. A couple of hansom cabs passed, the horses' breath creating clouds in the frosty morning air. When I arrived I saw that there was no coal in the fire, no warmth. As I strode down the fine-looking, grey corridor. I perceived the sound of dreadfu l echoing footsteps signalling as would a tolling bell. My surgery was in a beautiful gloom.

At approximately 7 .15am he arrived. He knocked - but I waited for two -whole- m1nutes- patiently- then greeted him. He was just a little man, little arms, and little legs -but everything in proportion. Yes. I could have used my own great height to tower over him, but I wanted the fear to come in other ways. I invited him in, and offered the ubiquitous cup of tea, 1mmediately I recognised my m1stakel What was I doing? Never before had I suggested any refreshment. Did he suspect? Did he foresee his doom? He looked at me in confusion. I had to recover, so I gestured to him to sft down while I prepared the surgery. Prepared! What a lark. Everything was in place.

1 remember smiling, inward ly rejoicing, for three minutes before I summoned that man to my lair. My breathing became faster; I looked into his eyes and he knew. I didn't

know which one of us would break the silence. After all the years I had spent looking after and treating my patient and now I felt so nervous. I invited him to sit, so he sat, but only while I gathered my pets - my leeches - to phlebotomise his infected area. I then requested that he got himself up onto the examination bed for me to give him my most und1vided attention.

Oh! He was a pathetic specimen of manhood. He had to remove his clothes behind a screen. Softly - oh so softly, I plumped the cushion on the examination bed for him. He then lay back and closed his eyes tightly; he t ried to relax. Once he wa~ comfortable I opened the jar containing my leeches. I p1cked up the first one, took it from the jar with tweezers and placed it onto his warm, sweating, f lushed body. His body heat transferred through the metal tweezers warning my fingers at the other end. I dropped the leech carefully onto his inner, left thigh with great precision. I repeated this action nine more times until a set of ten leeches were feeding on the infected blood. Silence- a poisonous peace.

It seemed like hours but eventually that man was in such a state of deep relaxation, it was almost as if he were lifeless. It was at this very moment- once I knew for certain that he was 1n a stupor, that I walked. quiet as a pixie- I tell you, you could have heard a pin drop - over to my other stored jars. The clear glass felt cold to my hands, just like it belonged. I don't know if you've even had that feeling but, at that moment in time, everything felt right. I stepped back to the examination bed where my victim lay. He looked so innocent, so angelic and beatific. But not even the puppy-dog-eyes of his children. begging me not to do the deed, would have stopped me from performing my m racle.

I quietly unscrewed the lids of three more jars. I repeated the action of placing the leeches onto the man's body - the procedure of extraction had to be carried out with great caution. The leeches began to sucker themselves to what were now the uninfected areas of the man's body. They fed on his thick, juicy-red blood. Calmly, I watched it trickle and ooze down his body, even over his face, into the facial creases and the corners of his mouth. The smell of iron was like an addictive drug - particles spreading all around the room, filling it w ith the fetid aroma of one thousand decaying corpses. The leeches pulsated and squirmed, tripling in size. Feeding on the man to fil l their hunger. My hunger.

Suddenly, the leeches dropped. They were satiated, t heir grotesque size, a parody of the medicinal cure. I had reached my goal - the man was diseased. I sat and gazed at h1m. How I loved him, now. more than ever. He was so beautiful and so dead. So mine. I touched his cold face­h1s smile transferred to me. I had brought him this peace.

I washed my hands- replaced the leeches in their jars -replaced the jars in the storage room and sat down. Now I made tea. placed his cup on the mat next to where he lay. My achievement was in front of me. I leant over his inan1 mate body and pressed my lips against his. I was sat1sfied.

Satisfaction.

You may have mistaken my sentient senses for madness, but lh~ell you t~is ... have you ever know~ a lunatic so aw~re of

IS reasonmg and act1ons. I hated h1m and I loved h1m. I had given and I had taken.

Georgina Freeman (Y12)

Van West, her rHero. Emily never truly understood it, all those times at night when she woke. drenched in sweat, terrified to the very soul. It was a mystery. What was it that frightened her? She could never be sure. And why? Well, she didn't know ... until she met Dan West. Brilliant brave Dan West. Dan West, her hero.

It happened 14 years ago, according to Emily's mother. She didn't remember it distinctly, but she did remember the snapping teeth, the menacing yellow eyes, the enormous muscular frame, hacking at a frai l body. Or maybe that was just her wild imagination. Either way, it was horrible. Every time Mr James sauntered past with his beast. she shied away in terror, didn't know what to do, that feeling of suffocating panic crashed like a wave over her. And it's only a dog for heaven's sake. A big dog sure, but still ... just a dog. Afterwards she always felt totally ridiculous for being so frightened, but then when she went to sleep, the nightmares kicked in, like a roaring chainsaw, and she was unable to block out the noise. All her friends laughed, thought she was elaborating when she told the tales of the humungous thing with its humungous paws towering high above. She wasn't though.

In the end she had to tell her mother, even though with no doubt, she might have mocked her too. But she didn't. Instead she bundled Emily into the car. and drove to a dog kennel. telling of the story that changed her life all those years ago. The story of the 'Great Dane Attack'. The one that made the front page of the papers, about the girl of three who got viciously attacked by a dog, leaving her for dead. There was so much damage that. for a while it was believed that a human had done it. Luckily though she was found, and taken straight to the hospital. They called 1t a miracle that she was still alive. That miracle was Emily. But it left dangerous scars spreading all the way to her heart.

As they arrived at the kennel, Emily looked around, eyes widening and that sense of fear crawling up in her throat again. Yet there was nothing vicious about these dogs, they were playing together. enjoying the morning sunshine, and the seemingly endless stretch of land. But one sat alone, portraying a kind and loving face, full of wisdom like an old man. And he was terribly skinny, like a malnourished child. Perhaps that was why she loved him so much, even t hough still frightened . He was a Labrador with a coat as black as a raven's feathers. a grey beard entwined with the black around the muzzle. Emily's mother asked the young woman taking care of the dogs if she might take a closer look at him, so she fetched him over. Emily came closer. quite hesitantly. unsure of what to do. She'd never been this close to a dog before since the attack. Her mum leant 1n to stroke the dog but he shied away. He stared intently with the most beautiful hazel eyes she had ever seen. holding Emily's gaze. She almost felt she could see into his soul. could see the loneliness seeping from his heart, and he could see into hers. He was like her in every way. Abused when younger and left frightened and alone, with an everlasting fear.

'What's his name?' Emily asked, glancing up at the young woman.

'Dan West. named after the doctor who used to look after the dogs here,' The woman sighed. 'You know there wasn't

a sangle thing he would ever give up hope on when these poor animals needed at the most, helping them untal they became better. But he died a few months ago, on the same day we got th1s one, so we thought it a nice way to remembea ham by.·

'Dan West, that's nice. It fits.' Emily's mother looked up at her and could tett she loved him too. 'We'tt take him' she said, her face beaming.

On the way home Dan lay wtth his head in his paws, still gazing carefully anto Emily's eyes. The journey was totally silent all the way until they putted into the driveway.

'He's you rs now darting, to feed, to walk, to look after. I knew this would come back to haunt us all but I'm determined for you to get over it. It would be devastating if you went through your whole life not experiencing the true love and dependency of a dog, and when I saw your eyes meet I knew he was perfect for you. You go to the back garden and get to know him. Just call me if you've got a problem,· her mother said, smiling encouragingly as always.

Emily walked to the back garden gate and opened it, then turned to can ham over, but he wasn't there. For one second she panicked. Actuatty pamcked because a dog had disappeared. Usually it was completely the other way round. Then she heard thas strange breathing noise at her feet and looked down to find Dan looking up at her with those big puppy eyes leanang his whole body on her legs and she hadn't notaced. Even then they were the most natural paar in the world. He lolled his tongue to one stde and it was almost as if he was trying to make her laugh, and when she did he JUmped up and down with delight, eager to join in.

Emaly spent hours wath Dan that night, laughing and playang. They even stayed up even tilt nightfatt, both learning how to love again. It became clear to her that his previous owner had not cared for him, had not even given him a proper meal. He craved her attention and depended on her, and she was the same with him. When she lay in bed that night. she thought of only Dan, and remorse for his terrible former life full of hatred and despair. That was the first naght that Emily did not have nightmares of a beast with snapping teeth and enormous muscular body. This time she wasn't the human experiencing terror inflicted by a dog. but was Dan, seeing through his eyes.

After just days Dan became her best fnend, her companion. her soul mate. She took him everywhere, and, whilst stall jumpang away at the sight of other dogs. she knew Dan, and she knew he could never hurt her. Dan however was braver than Emaly, over time he began to approach other humans, especially when they held food in their hands. He filled out and became quite fierce when he wanted to be, but she knew he was just protecting her and she loved him for that. She was never be scared by him, how could she be?

Months later. when they were walking around the park, Mr James passed with his dog. Emily thought Dan must have felt the tension from her grip on the lead when she saw them, because he felt her fear, bolting through every vein in her body. She suddenly felt this strong force she had never seen be'fore pulling towards the man and his dog, even though she tried with all her might to stop him. He

suddenly stopped and looked at her, has eyes seeming to say 'go' You can do this. Trust me.' So she did. She trusted Dan and faced her ultimate fear. And Dan West protected her, kept her safe. He convinced her to face her fear and he showed her that there was nothing to be afraid of. A lifelong fear gone in an instant, like the flash of a camera. It was incredtble.

In time Emily came to realise JUSt what made Dan so speaal, upon remembering the tale about the doctor that the woman from the kennel told. 'There wasn't a single thing he would ever give up hope on when these poor animals needed it the most, helping them until they became better.· she had said. This was no coincidence she knew. Dan the doctor had lived on in her Dan, who never gave up on her until one day she got over her fear. Reincarnation they call it. From the day she saw that dog she knew he was unique, knew he was special. He sewed up those dangerous scars and mended her heart in ways no one else could ever understand. She never forgot Dan West. Brilliant brave Dan West. Dan West, her hero.

Lauren Palin (Y9)

rr'he Watcher He watches the btson lumbering across the Arctic plains And tastes the cold sting of the bleak winter. He sees the mountains wath their skull caps of snow. He hears the wolves' lonely battle-cnes, piercing the silence, And feels the deadly excitement pulsating through the aar. He savours the smell of his umu~pecting prey And the scent of fresh blood, far away. Swooping down, With talons outstretched He snatches has quarry.

He watches again.

Grace Chadwick (Y7)

'Down at the sta6(es I can smell the sweet scent of hay, as I enter the barn, The gorgeous smell of pony mix, as I go to fetch carrots, From the feed room ...

I can see all the different coloured horses; Bobby stands out. wath his strikang grey figure, Black spots on his quarters' I can hear whtps tapping. legs kicking, hooves thudding.

EVERYWHERE!

I can feel the soft fur of the horses, The hard hooves of the ponies;And almost taste the sweet, sugary hay!

Sophie Ingram (Y7)

Seasons It was madday an summer and the Sun was makang 1ts p ~>sence felt. It shone down on his young face wtth a pleasan_t. but somewhat insistent heat as if the questaon of at conttnuatron was uncertain and it wanted to make the n ost of this fleeting opportunity. There was no breeze but the_ still air was interspersed with clouds of restless mrdges wha~h hummed to .a sort of haphazard, chaotic melody. Amad these sporadac clouds, the more refined bees were dro~stly sunning themselves on numerous flower petals, fannang themselves occasionally with a soft tremble of thetr gossam~r wings. The grass was especially green, as green as sun-kassed sour apples, glistening with tears of dew. Lymg on his ~ide t~e wass resembled thousands of rippling, stne~y tendnls whtch tackled his nose when he rolled over. On has back the cobalt sky w as so dazzlingly bright that it W<~> almost impossible to look at and he was forced to squeeze his eyes shut in surprise. When he re-opened them thE' sky was no longer blue but speckled with splodges of dtfferent coloured light. Scattered with the stolen scales of a dragon. Lazily rolling over once more, he noticed the fas' pond with the willow tree leaning over and caressang it with its long leaves. He suddenly remembered how m wanter. the willow had lost its green veil and had fr~zen the pond solid with JUSt one icy touch from a srngle, extended bough. As he.mused over this, a solitary, transient leaf was ret, Jsed from ats ef!lerald fetters. As it gently wafted do Nnwards, the madges ceased their intermrttent wharring and the bees raased themselves from thear slumber an ant,ctpation. At length, the leaf which had commanded all lhl!) attention ca~e to rest on the surface of the pond, cau:.ang a famt npple on the surface as it dad so. In this ~nef moment the water caught the Sun's light and reflected 11 V> ath a flash of ice. The space remained silent for a second longer. Then he shivered and ran insade.

Rebecca Oates (Y1 2)

'}[arriet Crossfey (Yw)

Lionfieart Prologue

The grey stallion lifted his head; ears pricked intelligently and ey.es ghf!lme~ng wath mterest as he gazed at the moonlight fltckenng on the gleaming nver He trotted elegantly, head still held high and nickenng, across the nver, where four horses stood; all snowy white, wtth ebony black eyes and silvery dapples.

"Starlig~t, Moo.nli~ht, Skylight and Silverhght; greetings," The stallion whann1ed. He touched his muzzle to each of the. horses, and felt a squirm of pleasure inside his chest at seeang has brothers and sisters once agam.

".Gr~eting~," Moonlight, the snowiest coloured out of his sabh.ngs, n1ckered in reply, "It is pleasurable to see you once agarn, brother."

"An~ you, sister," the grey rumbled, "And you, Skylaght, Starlight and Silverlight. I mass you very much on my travels. My herd mate has heard much about you all as have my foals." '

"Yo_u ~ave foals?" Skylight, the grey's youngest sister, whtnnted, "And a mate?"

"Yes. I have three foals; Thornhoof, Tawnytail and ~lacksocks," t~e wey replied, dipping his head, "Thornhoof as very much .hke has mot~er; he is bright bay and has sparkling whate socks. Has mane and tail are like ribbons of ebony. Tawnytail is a dee~;>. rrch chestnut, as blazing as the sunset, and she has eyes hke sapphires. Her legs are white hke masty wisps, and she has a star beneath her forelock Blacksocks is dappled grey, with dark legs like shadowy t~ee tr~nks, and he has a silvery tail and a snowy whtle mane." Has heart swelled as he thought of has foals.

':And your mate?" Starlight, his elder brother, who had not yet spoken, asked.

"~ead." T~e grey felt his emotions crash; tears sparkling in hts eyes, taal clamped between his legs, "Killed by a human for fun," he rumbled.

" I'm sorry," Starlight replied softly, "Humans killed our mother."

"Thank you," the grey heard htmself say as he drowned in a dark sea of sadnes~. "1. ~ust be going. My foals need me, and I have left Whttetatl1n charge. She as beautiful, but as dumb as a human. Goodbye."

"And what d~ you call yourself now?" Skylight called as he ~alked away mto the blackness. his taal soon disappearing mto the anky mast. He turned, ears pnck.ed towards hts saster, and his eyes flashed with a new strength.

"Ltonheart."

Evie Hallitt fY?)

~ 1vtarve( in :En3ineerin8 'Here s1ands Billbrough Bridge- a marvel in engtneering'.

To Will iam J. Wilmots, the rusty sign was possibly the most welcome sight on earth. He was weary of his life. Old Lady Luck had not been on his side for the past few years. At one point in his eventful life, he had been riding high on the London stock markets. Then he had met alcohol. And racehorses. And women. In a single year, his huge business empire had been squandered down to the clothes on his back and the few pennies in his pocket. Then he had been hit with a flash of inspiration! He had predicted the end of the world in 1850. Suddenly hundreds of people transferred their life savings into his bank account in the hope of being saved. Nothing happened. Quite understandably, half the population of South Billbrough were furious that their hard earned cash had been spent on ale and bets in less than a month. William predicted the end of the world in 1851 too. And 1852. In fact he had predicted death to all life every year since until "the end is nigh" billboard strapped to his chest was less of a proclamation and more a part of his outfit.

Now 'Mad Billy Wilmots' was fed up of trying to attract attention. All he wanted was his mattress and sheet in his own shack in the woods. As he s1epped onto the bridge the whole structure shuddered. He smirked, some marvel. The recent rains had made the river swell to an almighty size. The bridge groaned as the flimsy legs that held it up began to splinter and crack. Billy stood stock still like a rabbit caught in the headlamps. "Take me Lord, I wish to die." The whole bridge seemed to be swallowed up by the river. It was a tragic sight. Billy was found a week later, he had got his wish .. . "What did I say Dad? Fill the car up with petrol, it's a long

drive! Did you listen? NO!" Ruby sighed and crossed her arms stroppily. "Oh. So now it's my fault. I have one hundred and one other things to remember yet I am always to blame for things like this!" barked Mr Redfern. "Look try to phone the AA on your mobile phone."

Ruby f licked her new Blackberry out of her pocket. "No signal!" she huffed. "What do we do now?"

"Why don't I go out and find someone with a landline. I can call for help and tell them we need a break down truck on ... err ... where are we exactly?" "Ask the flaming sat nav. It got us out here in the first place. Well we are on some sort of bridge. I think it's some sort of bridge." She glanced out of the window and felt her heart skip a beat. The car was parked on a bridge - and a strange one at that. The whole structure looked like it was made of chopsticks and threatened to sink into the river at any second. The river! Ruby glanced down. She could feel the colour draining out of her facet A wild and primal scene was taking pace beneath their feet. The water seemed to roar and howl as it raced round the flimsy structure with shocking force. Each surge seemed to beat the bridge with such power that the whole bridge shuddered. "Dad I'm going to find someone to get us out of this mess. And quick too."

around unknown territory w ithout a map in the dark. You never know what's out there," warned Mr. Redfern, running his fingers through his greying hair. "Well tough!" retorted Ruby. " I'm not six any more. I can look after myself! Plus I'm not spending the night in this rusted up tin can ... " "For your information this car cost ... Ruby where are you going. Ruby get back here. Ruby I'm warning you. Ruby! Ruby Redfern!" He trailed off and sighed. He had been working overtime for the past six months to buy his only daughter nice clothes and special gifts. What had he got in return? A spoilt brat who was will ing to test her boundaries to the maximum. In Ruby's opinion, he was as dull as a puddle. He sighed, money wasn't everything .. .

Ruby stopped to take a break. She sat on a tree stump and waited a while. He hadn't even made an attempt to follow her. She had been pondering this thought for a few minutes when she heard a terrible noise. It was a person, no mistaking that. But it was a cold blood-curd ling moan that sent a chill down her spine. Then it came again. Undeterred, she walked on. Then she saw him. It was a man lying in the bushes. He looked ancient but he was likely to be a whole lot younger than he looked. He was wearing what had once been a finely tai lored suit but was now little more than a few dirty grey rags hanging from his shoulders. He also had a battered billboard strapped to his chest, reading: "The end is nigh !" Under a stained top hat was a mass of matted hair that closely resembled rotting straw. He just lay there, wide-eyed and trembling. His lips were constantly moving yet no sound was audible. "Excuse me mister. Are you alright?"

No reaction. "Can you hear me? I can get help for you." She reached out her arm to help him up. Her father had given her the "Don't talk to strangers talk" ,etc but Ruby had no doubt that this man was too weak to harm her. Suddenly he made a move! He lunged forward and clutched her arm so tightly, Ruby felt it going numb. She screamed. He was cold. Ice cold. Yet he was hot and clammy at the same time. She snatched her arm away and stumbled backwards into a patch of brambles. She then picked herself up and glanced around sheepishly. There was no one there. She checked the undergrowth. Not a soul. He had gone. Just like that. Ruby tried to push the scared thoughts out of her head. There was probably a gang of boys hiding in the bushes laughing at her own stupidity.

"I don't think so young lady. I'm not having you wandering

As she walked on, she kept checking her phone signal. Still nothing. As she fought her way through some dense undergrowth that was spilling out onto the track, she noticed something flapping in the breeze out of the corner of her eye. It was a newspaper! Perfect! She could f ind out where about she was and find out where she could go. She f licked to the front page and glanced at the date. 1857. "Wow!" thought Ruby "this is going s1raight to a museum when we get away from here." She skimmed down to the headline: "Billbrough Bridge collapses. Inadequate funding forces route to close." She read on: "In the early hours of this morning, Billbrough Bridge on the Wakefield to Doncaster route has collapsed due to the huge size of the river. There was only one fatality: "Mad Billy" Wilmots. Billy is infamous throughout our town for spreading tales of woe and doom and then feeding off our fear through our

m •

charitable donations. Needless to say, we w ill never have to experience this mindless tyrant ever again. When asked for funding in order to rebuild the bridge, the local parish council claimed that 'money was lacking' and 'the bridge was becoming less of a marvel and more of a hazard.' Therefore, no such construction shall take place on the site. Travellers requiring another route w ill be diverted to a safer toll bridge several miles away."

Ruby felt a chill run down her brow. A cold sweat broke out. "It's an old paper. They've obviously changed their minds," Ruby thought. "Yeah, that's what they've done. Someone must have donated some money or ... or. .. they cou ld have a fund raiser. .. or ... or ... " But she knew deep down that she wasn't even convincing herself. She leapt up and raced back in the direction she had come. As she ran, a thousand thoughts were f lying through her head. Not a single one was positive. She was tripping and stumbling on tree roots and dead undergrowth. The branches overhead grabbed and snared her brand new hoodie and gilet She panted with the effort of running. Her chest was overpowered with an almighty stitch. The laces of her mud caked trainers came undone. She tripped and fell into a f ilthy puddle. She gasped at the icy water and strugg led to get up. She sobbed with relief as the gap in the trees loomed ahead.

She raced out of the forest and grabbed a lungful of cool, cnsp night air ... and stopped mid breath. When she had been running out of the forest, she had been sure she had been running the right way. She was right. The rough

sandy track snaked its way into the distance. Yet something was missing. As the track reached the river, it stopped abruptly and dropped down a sheer drop into the savage waters below. She felt faint. She reached out to a signpost for support. She gasped. How could she be so stupid? Suddenly she began ferociously stripping ivy off the sign. After a few moments the writing was visible. It read: "Here stands the Billbrough Bridge. A marvel in engineering'' ...

Libby Morrell (Y7)

Ofivia :Evans (Yu)

'M.e(anie Ca((an (Yw)

My name in My name is a mystery Nothing more. I know I HAD a name, And a good one too. But it just-vanished. Dropped right out of my head A pebble sinking to the dark recesses of my mind, A mere ripple in a pond I wish I knew.

I sit up Darkness has fallen around me. Alii can see Is the Pen My Pen. Red, silver nib, and red ink dripping Dripping down From the tip Down my arm Scarlet blood

I shiver. Again, my teeth chatter Thoughts like this Can't be right. Well, the Pen thinks so anyway I can tell. Why oh why oh why WHY did I do it? Why did I dip the Pen Into the scarlet, scarlet ink Why did I put my Already clumsy fingers Around the barrel And put the nib Onto the fresh And clean New page of the story? Why did I write My name in red?

They w ill be angry They might come up behind me And hurt me While I'm sitting here! Oh God, Save me now I get up properly My arms are covered in Little bumps It's cold out here. Hands still here? Check. Legs? Check.

I breathe out The Pen does too And it all comes back again The darkness The cold The danger Curse me!

WHY did I do it? Please help me, God.

My arms, Pale as a grain of salt In a pepper pot, My arms reach Far into the dark forest Reaching for help, Any help I have to go on Can't go back Back to that day-

1 was nine So young, so na'ive, Not a clue about anything Not a clue in the world. It wasn't my birthday Not Christmas, Easter Not a special day

Hop onto the bus Slide into seat School uniform Knobby knees Open my bag A big parcel, My name written on it In big, bold letters In red Just sitting Sitting there in my bag Well, what would you do? Open parcel Brown paper everywhere And there is a pen My Pen. I loved it Played with it-Never wrote with it-Could understand its thoughts, even But still it betrayed me And here I am now Thanks to that Pen. I had to do it ! Had no choice I Just Wrote.

When They came for me­men, women, children-! couldn't stop They wanted the Pen I knew, then Knew I had to let it go They had had it before me, see And look what happened to them Driven mad for wanting to destroy it. I looked it up online Fool I was. The Pen has been around For generations Anyone who has it Will die .

•

Soon. And their ghosts will Try to destroy it Forever.

So I went to the forest Was going to throw it away Be safe Live my life But no. I had to be so cool I had to place it gently in A hole Filled with fresh paper, New ink So of course Of course, The pen gave me a choice Life Or death Well, life without purpose Without my name Without my existence Versus Death. Well, I did what I knew I must Chose life Signed the contract Sealed my fate. Wrote my name My name in red.

And here I am now In god knows where The forest Or Hell, I wouldn't know But the Pen knows The Pen-The Pen is still out there If you see it If you see a scarlet pen Shiny silver nib Red ink-

Just stay away.

Trust me.

Unless you want to write Your name In red.

Jemima Sinclair (Y7)

Wb¥W8S the school

soup rich? It ad 24

It was said ,

"What would do if I hadn, done something?"

"Nothing, why?" "Oh goodl Because I haven't

done my homework!"

Teacher: Class, we will have

only half a day of school this

morning. Class: Hooray

Teacher: We will have the other

half this afternoonl

A teat!her asked l1e:r clas~

'"'"'\Vho~tell

me " ·hat claustrophobia

i s?" .,.An unuNual iea:r for Santa Clau"' ...

A teacher asked a student, "What is the

full definition of Maths?"

The student answered, "Mentally Affected

Teachers Harassing Students"

"Why did the burglar take a

shower?" He wanted to make a

clean getawa

Mr J Hargreaves and Mr H Hargreaves

were having a pleasant conversation

until their fight over the two subjects

they taught got out of hand.

First Mr H Hargreaves threw his globe at

tk J Hargreaves. Then m c11111m nt payback Mr J Hargreaves

... h wiving year 7 mte1 d the tme «Troy

backlitin.

"Name a conductor of electricity," said a *ICIItetr to "Why .. ..... ._ Ia correct. Name

rTwenty W~s to Visyose of Your Oft{ Winter Scfioo[ runy-orm Orie day the time will come when we have to abandon our previous, boring school winter uniform and it will have to be renewed for our summer uniform. This raises the question: how do we get rid of it?

Some of the students have come up with these crazy and quirky answers for this obvious question of winter into spring.

1. 'Accidentally' leave it in lost property and hope no-one f inds your name. 2. Burn it in the Chemistry lab and say 'it was a silly mistake.' 3. Cut it up and throw it in the bin. 4. Eat it. 5. Shred it and feed it to the dogs. 6. Use it to make a play den 7. Use it as my pet's bedding. 8. Say that my sister ran off w ith it and flushed it down the toilet. 9. Give it to the younger generation to use. 10. Make clothes for dogs to use 11. Rip I un-sew all your names off your uniform and sell for half its original price. 12. Keep your uniform in your closet until it doesn't f it you any more then tell your mum

to give it to charity. 13. Make a quilt out of the remaining uniform. 14. Play paint ball fighting and wear your winter uniform in the f ight. 15. Make a dress out of the uniform 16. Accidentally spill paint all over your uniform and say it was a mistake. 17. Create a mosaic of uniform. 18. Cut it into little pieces and at the next wedding you go to use it as confetti. 19. Rip it and dye it then give it to your little brother for a Halloween costume. 20. Bury it in your back garden and hope it will decompose before your dog/parents find it.

I know this may be really fun but read this before you do anything: before you try any of this you may want to think of the less fortunate people in need of clothes.

Aoife Budge and Glai la Carter (Y7)

rTfie Seven Secrets to ~ssem6(y With these secrets to assembly you will never again be the victim of assembly.

1. Always listen to class assemblies, you may find it interesting.

2. If you're not listening always remember to look awake.

3. Always listen to the notices.

4. If you're talking ......... stop it.

5. If it's an award assembly always remember to moderate your clapping, or you'll have some very sore hands.

6. Check if it's your day to pack up the chairs.

7. If it's your day to pack up the chairs always bring your bag.

Jennifer Hinchliffe (Y8)

Illustrated by Georgie Baxter (Y7)

Dear Diary,

Today was another normal day in the life of a Year 7 ... normal but CRAZY!! !

7:30 -Wake up half an hour late. Why does this always happen on a Monday?!

8:00 - Get the bus to school. Noisy, messy, ouch, there goes my planner -on my foot.

8:20 - Eat a nutritional breakfast of a pan au chocolat and two chocolate muffins from Peppers.

8:40 - Ru n to Registration just in time to hear my name called -that was close!

8:45 - Head off to Assembly- oh good, today's my older sister's form Assembly! Those are always really fun, because everything is different to normal assembly.

9:10 - Off to f irst lesson. Hopefully they won't catch me sleeping this time!

10:00 - Next lesson. Only 50 minutes until break!

10:50 - FREE! Twenty minutes of freedom- only kidding!

11:10 - Back in lessons. I really shouldn't have had cheese and onion crisps with that coke- bluurgh.

12:00- Moving around to my next lesson. How many different buildings ARE there in this place?

12:50 - Now the mad dash to Peppers. AND- AND-AND SHE MAKES IT!! Pushing my way through the line- tee hee.

1.10 - Off to Drama Club- mucho fun. I hope no one notices my tights are laddered!

2:10 - Going to Regist ration again. I wish lunchtime was longer ...

2:20 - Next lesson. Work, work, work.

3:1 0 -Only one more lesson t ill home! ! !!!!! !

4·00 - Run to the bus. I don't care if my feet hurt- I want to go home!

4:20 - FINALLY! Home again ... And time to do my homework. Sigh.

5:00 - More homework

Later on, it'll be bedtime, and then ... THE WHOLE THING STARTS AGAIN ! !!! !!! !!! !

Jemima Sinclair (Y7)

:::: ~![~d?.;,~:::!~ f;,t,.~;r~a~~~~~:u~;na i{ sketch I share a cheeky giggle with friends.

Harriet Rowe (Y7)

~~~~h~;,e~"o :ur~ •. ~~um6nai{ sketch Silence in the air. and the presence of beaming smiles surround.

Antonia Liley (Y7)

Illustrated by Katie Idle (Y11)

rNationa( Scfioo(s f}[ocfey 'Rey ort

We travelled to Cannock on Wednesday 29th February and watched our U14 Squad take second place in

. their National Final competition. This filled us with enthusiasm for our competition and we headed off to bed nice and early.

yve woke around ~.30 and went for breakfast after a light JOg. When we arnved at the club, our minds were focussed on our first march against Canford. We stepped on to the pitch nervously knowing the outcome of this game determined our position in the competition. The game started slowly. We played exceptionally well having most of the possession. Canford defended very well but Ellie McGrath scored to give us a 1-0 victory. This gave us a mental edge.

After lunch and a few hours break we began to prepare for the match against St Georges, the team that stopped us from reaching the fina ls two years before. Waiting for the whistle to blow was nerve racking, but we put in 1 00% throughout the whole game. St Georges were a well disciplined side who played good hockey. Our determined focus gave us a 0-0 draw which put us in a great position at the top of our group. A great way to end the day.

Afte~ an early night, we woke on Friday morning pretty confident we could make the final. Our first march was again.st Kings, Warwick. We started fast and took them by surpnse. A great team effort and another goal from Ellie McGrath gave us a 1-0 win placing us in the National Final against Arnold School.

The nnal WaS a very lense game against Arnold School. Despite all being exhausted after 150 minutes of top quality ~ockey .. we battled to the very end still challenging to the frnal m1nute. Unfortunately we had a goal disallowed and lost 1-0. We were all disappointed as we were hoping for a win after beating the same team in the North Round 4-0.

Overall, we were extremely proud to represent our school. Finishing second in the country is a massive achievement. A big thank you to the whole squad, each member contributed at every stage of the competition securing our place at the National Finals. Many thanks also to Mrs MacGregor and WGHS for supporting us all the way to the final.

l auren Grundy and the U16 Squad

Senior f}[ocfey 'Reyort'llnder 18

Due to club commitments, weather and unavailability the Saturday fixtures resulted in the Senior Team losing all three of its fixtures against strong first team

opposition.

However the National Schools' team story is a very different one. The U18 National School Team involved some expert players who had previous success at U 16 level when they were National Champions in 2011, but also a large number of students who came out of early retirement to play for school again. Training was very well attended and although the.squad ranged in terms of ability they were united by a des1re to do well and to perform to the best of their ability. Bryony Butler volunteered to play in goa l and showed considerable ability and lightning fast reactions to keep us in many games. In the West Yorkshire round we went through as runners up to qualify for the North East round . At this stage training intensified and girls agreed to miss Speech day and their academic moment of glory, in order to represent school. Unfortunately this was a bridge too far and they finished in third place just not quite managing to score enough goa ls in tight matches. They have been a pl~asure .to wo~k with. and I hope those going to University wil l contrnue With the1r Hockey at their next stage.

Individual congratu lations go to Hannah Field who was selected for the JAC and Olivia White who was selected for the JRPC.

'Under 16 '1-{ocfey 'Rey ort

The U16 (Year 11) squad took part in the Wakefield Area Tournament and were successful. Well done to all our players.

The U 16 National Schools' squad (comprisihg of Year 10 a~d 11) are a very committed and determined group whose a1m for the season was to win the National Championships. Squad practices were very well attended and there was a real desire to w in. In the West Yorksh ire round the squad won all five matches scoring fourteen goals and conceding none. It was a similar story at the North East Finals and in the North Finals the squad showed real determination to overcome a poor first match display but go on to be crowned North Champions. The National Finals were always going to be tough w ith the best ten teams in the country represented. Three w ins and a draw was enough to win our section and qualify for the final. An injury hit squad took to the pitch and produced a great performance but were unlucky to concede a goal. A wonderful year and second in the country. A fantastic achievement.

It has been a tremendously successful season for all our National Schools' teams and there have also been many ind ividual successes. lucy James, Ellie McGrath, Hannah Foy, Katie Browne and Frankie Roberts were all selected for the JRPC and Lauren Grundy and Megan Roe went on to play in the National Age Group competition where Megan was selected as one of three England keepers.

Clndoor ']-(ocfey 'Reyort

The Indoor season is centred around the National Championships and this season we entered an U 16 team. The squad comprising of Year 11 sand Year 9s

were a very keen and enthusiastic group who attended practices regularly and were determined to do well. In the qualifying tournaments the squad were unbeaten scoring twenty three goals and conceding only seven. The National Finals were always going to be a real test. The squad played with real determination but it all came down to a last second goa l from the eventual winners to knock us out of the semi-final stages. A real gutsy performance which should fill the girls with confidence of going at least one round better next year.

rtl.nder 15 ']-(ocfey 'Reyort

The U15 team have shown real team spirit this year and have always competed to the best of their ability against some very tough opposition. At practices they

have worked to increase their individual skill level and have been successful in improving and developing new more complex techniques. They have played eleven matches, winning five, drawing four and losing two. ln the U15 tournament they won one match and drew another to become Wakefield District champions. In the District league they scored thirteen goals and conceded none to become the league winners. They also provided many players for the U 16 National Schools' Squad who were so successful. Individual success came for Rebecca Jessop and Elennor Westwood who were both selected for Junior Regional Performance Centre (JRPC) and Phoebe Bagnall and Jessica Holland were both selected for JAC.

rtl.nder 14 '1-{ocfey 'Reyort

The season has been a busy and successful one for the U 14 squad, having played some very good hockey and playing well as a squad. They have played six matches,

winning five, scoring thirteen goals and conceding three.

In the Area Tournament we entered two equal standard teams. Team Y won their group and team X were second in their group and so played each other in the semi-final. It was a close game with team Y the eventual winners. Team Y were then narrowly defeated in the f inal. The teams scored twenty eight goals and only conceded three. In the

U14 league we again entered two teams. Team X finished fourth and team Y were unbeaten scoring eighteen goals and only conceding one to be crowned Wakefield U 14 league Champions. Congratulations to all our U 14 players and to the top goal scorers Emma Berry with ten goals and Emily McGrath with eight.

Vnder 13 ']{ocfey 'Reyort

The Year 8 players have attended practices regularly and enthusiastically to make very good progress during the season. There have been a few matches cancelled due

to the weather but those played have been of a good standard achieving some pleasing results.

In the School matches on Saturdays the squad have had the following results: playing five, winning three, drawing one and losing one with the top goalscorer being Claire Berry.

The U13 Area Tournament ended with Team X undefeated and victorious, becoming Area Champions yet again.

In the Wakefield U 13 league two equally balanced teams were entered with Team X playing the more consistent hockey finishing as Champions.

In the National Mini Hockey Championships the 7 a side squad came first in the West Yorkshire round, came second in their section in the North East round to qualify to play in the North Finals. Here, they unfortunately did not manage to reach the semi-final stage.

The strength of the players though is shown in the fact that many of them have been to JAC (Junior Assessment Centre) assessments and been put through to JAC Development squads. We look forward as always, with anticipation to another year of strong development next season.

V nder 12 ']{ocfey 'Reyort

Over twenty Year 7 players have attended lunch time practices regularly and enthusiastically to make good progress during the season. A few matches were

missed due to the weather in January but those played have been very well contested producing some mixed results.

In the school matches the squad have had the following results: the A squad have played twelve matches: winning six, drawing two and losing four. The B squad have played four matches: winning two, drawing one and losing one with the top goalscorer being Georgia Gomersall.

last October the team played very well to win all their matches in the Hymers' Tournament until the final where they narrowly lost to Hymers.

The U 12 league had two equally st rong teams playing with theY group managing to play well more consistently and finishing in second place with the X group in joint third.

The U 12 Area Tournament was held at the end of the season with the A squad winning four and losing one of their matches to come second and the B squad winning two drawing two and losing one to come fourth.

Several squad players were selected from the JDC's to train at the JAC Development Centre which is very pleasing to see.

rNet6a(( 'Re_port 2011-12

1St VfJfJ

The 1st VII netball team this year has been a dedicated group of players who have shown excellent commitment to both training and matches. As the

standard of netball continues to rise across the county they have had to work extremely hard throughout all their matches and have produced a great deal of outstanding netball. Throughout the season they have had victories over Silcoates, Bradford Girls' and Woodhouse Grove have drawn with GSAL and have been close on the ta,ils of Greenhead and Bradford Grammar School who remain our most difficult opponents.

Within the Wakefield district the team continues to dominate, they won all their matches in the Area Tournament becoming Area Champions once again. This has meant that they have been Area Champions since they were Under 13s and played in their first area tournament. That's a fantastic achievement of five consecutive years.

This year we w ill be saying goodbye to two members of the team, Hollie Firth and Alex Brown. We wou ld like to thank them for their continued commitment to netball at WGHS.

'U16'1fet6a{{ 'Re_port

The ~16 team this year has comprised of a lively group of g1rls who love to play netball and keep fit. Although they have not always won all their matches, they have

not let this discourage them from playing. In the West Yorkshire tournament they f inished third in their section and had a fantastic 23-5 victory over Silcoates later in the season. Their closest fought contest was with Bradford Girls' where victory was snatched from them in the dying seconds finishing the game 14 - 15. The girls have had to become versatile players and have improved their skills greatly over the year, where they have lacked in depth they have made up for in abundance in spiri t. I do hope that the girls continue to enjoy their netball into the 6th Form and they are always very welcome.

'U15 'lfet6a{( 'Re_port

The U15s have had a fantastic season. They have won six out of their eight matches. Only losing to GSAL and Bradford Grammar. But these losses weren't too hard

to swallow as they then went on to beat them in the County Tournament before becoming County Champions.

In the Area Tournament, they dominated in all their games right up to the final where they narrowly missed out on victory losing to Outwood Grange.

The team has a formidable shooting line-up who on their day will win over even the toughest opponents. This season they have scored over one hundred and f ifty five goals between them. In defence they have worked hard to break down their opposition's tactics and have developed their skills throughout the year.

Special congratulations go to Hollie Joyce who was selected for the U17 Yorkshire Netball Regional Aca~emy and the U19 NTL Development Squad and Excel Academy. She was also invited to attend the U17 England Squad Trials.

'U14 'lfet6a{{ 'Re_port

This team comprise of a small but skilful number of players, each of whom contribute quality towards their team's dynamics. Their season started well where they

became winners of the West Yorkshire Invitational Tournament and they have had a number of victories in their school matches against tough opposition in their county and region. As a squad they have developed over the progression of the year and narrowly missed out against Silcoates in their Area Tournament where, after a closely contested f ina l, they eventually finished as runners-up. Disappointment also came at the National Schools' Tournament in the County round. Despite having a squad with strength and depth we did not play to the best of our ability and did not progress through to the semi-f inal stages. However many lessons were learnt from this experience and the girls can now go on to channel their enthusiasm and develop their strong defensive unit as U 15 players next year.

Individual congratu lation go to Hattie Wilson who was selected for the Satellite Netball Academy.

1113 'lfet6a{{ 'Re_port

The U13s have yet again had a successfu l season. With additional girls joining practices over the course of the year both squads have gone from strength to strength

and shown a high level of commitment and a desire to improve. The B team have had some good resu lts against Silcoates, Bradford Grammar and Hull Collegiate and finished a respectable fifth in their section at the U13 Area Netball Tournament where they played against other A teams in their district. The A team have had a number of closely contested games against schools in their district and reg ion. However despite winning against GSAL in their school matches they didn't quite have the power to beat them in the County or Regional Tournament. Nevertheless their grit and determination have seen them become Invitational County and Regional runners-up of their age group and resounding Champions of their Area. Individual congratulations go to the two girls who were selected for the U 13 District squad and to Megan Hodkinson, Vivi Way and Emerald Cartwright who were selected for the Satellite Netball Academy.

'1112 'lfet6a(( 'Re_port

All U12 netball players have made an impressive start to their school netball career at WGHS. Attendance at both clubs has been fantastic and all four teams have

shown remarkable strength, <iPpth and team spirit during t raining and at school matches. Although ability has been va ried across this age group everyone present has improved their level of skill and ability and developed their tactical and spatia l awareness on court This bodes well for next year where all players wil l hopefully continue to play in Year 8 and compete in more matches against different opposition from their area and region. Two teams entered the Area Tournament and the B team finished third in their section which meant they could not qualify for the semi-finals. However, the A team beat Horbury in the semi-finals and then met rivals Silcoates in the f inal. After a tough and exciting game they won 5-3 to become Area Champions.

Individual congratulations go to the two girls who were selected for the U13 District squad and to Alannah Carragher, Georgina Apperley and Sofia Zammuto who were selected for the Satellite Netball Academy.

Syortswomen's 'Dinner 2012

0 n Friday 25th May over a hundred people f illed the Jubilee Hall to celebrate sporting success at Wakefield Girls' High School at the inaugural Sportwomen's

Dinner.

Throughout this glittering affair girls from Year 10 to 13 collected prizes for numerous sporting achievements and celebrated many ind ividual and team successes. This culminated in the North Trophy which was awarded to the U 14 and U 16 Hockey Squads who f inished as runners-up in the Country at National Finals.

The night finished with an emotional farewell to Miss Applewhite wh~ re-iterated the importance of team sport and how much tt has grown over the years at both Junior and Senior level.

We look forward to this becoming an annual event in order to support the continued excellence of sport at WGHS.

KFR

S quas fi success

I have recently taken part in the English Closed Squash Competition. This took place in Surrey, at the University complex on 3rd- 5th March where I was seeded 9-16.

On the Friday, I played against the number 22 seed, a girl from Lincolnshire whom I had played many times before. I was 2-0 down but managed to pull back to win 3-2. This resu lt meant that I was going to finish in the top 16. In the next match I played against the number 6 in the country, a girl I had never beaten before. I was winning 2-0, however, I ended up losing 3-2 after a very long match.

The following morning I played the Warwickshire number 1, after a very disappointing match, I ended up losing 3-0. This result meant that I was then playing to finish for a position between 13 and 16. This was a good achievement as I was 14th in the country. I then played later in the afternoon, beating the 18th seed 3-1, she is currently the Cambridgeshire number 1. This meant in my next match I wou ld be playing to finish either 13th or 14th. In my match, the subsequent morning, I played someone who was ranked above me; the number 9 in Eng land. However I was not put off by this factor, and went on court full of confidence. This resulted in me winning a game, but eventually losing 3-1 . This was a great tournament for me, as I finished 14th, the same as my seeding, and had some very close games with people ranked much higher than myself.

In March, I played for Yorkshire in the Cuun ly Finals rot Under 15s, again, held in Surrey. This was a great honour for me to be representing Yorkshire, playing at number 1 in a f ive person team. Our first match was against the home team, Surrey. I knew that I would have a tough game, playing the number 3 in Eng land. However, instead of being beaten easi ly as I had expected, I nearly won a game. The 3rd, 4th and 5th players of our team all won and although our number 2 lost, this still meant that we had beaten Surrey 3-2, resulting in Yorkshire going through to the fi nal against Gloucestershire, who won last year. They had beaten Warwickshire in the semi-final. We were the underdogs, being expected to lose 5-0. However, we proved them wrong. Our 5th player won 3-2, I unfortunately lost 3-2 against the number 7 in the country. Our 2nd, 3rd and 4th players all lost 3-0 meaning that we came second out of all the counties. This was a huge accomplishment for myself and the team. The result was that we all came away with a small trophy and a 4 1/z hour drive home on the Sunday evening.

On the 4th of April, I took part in the plate final for the county championships in the under 17s. This was held once again in Leicestershire. Our team consisted of five players, with myself playing at number three. There were two other counties in the plate final, Leicestershire and Gloucestershire. With a reasonably strong team, we were hoping to w in. Our first round was against Gloucestershire, who were quite a strong team with a couple of players we had not seen before. All of the team managed to win 3-1, meaning that we would be in with a chance of winning the

competition. Later that day, we played Leicestershire in the final, a team that we had already beaten in a previous encounter this season.

The resulting match, later in the day, finished with Leicestershire winning 3-2 a very disappointing end to what would have been a good season for the under 17s, as this year we had a number of players who were well below the age limit, myself included, the consolation being that next season we should have a stronger team, w hich hopefully will mean that we can get to the finals of the main competition rather than the plate final.

Towards the beginning of June, I will be playing for Pontefract as we have qualified for the National Club Championship Finals in Nottingham. Again, the team will consist of five players, this t ime three boys and two girls. However, this competition will be under 19s which is an honour to be asked to play for my club, as I am only 14 this w ill be a massive step up in level. I know that the matches w ill be tough, but hopefully the team and I will come out victorious.

My national ranking has recently been updated, as it does every month. Before I was ranked 14th, but now it has improved and I am 1Oth.

Megan Kaye (Y9)

Ml -

'Piiysica( !Education ; 'Piiysica( !Education :Badminton at W§f}{S 2012

The beginning of the year saw many new participants join the ever growing numbers at Badminton Club which takes place every Wednesday lunch time. Girls

from Year 7 to 13 and of all abilities have regularly attended the session, developing their skills and understanding of the game. Towards the end of the badminton season, these pupils were able to test their abilities, as the opportunity to compete in the annual schools badminton tournament was provided. Organised by Wakefield Schools, girls from each year were able to play against others of similar standards from Outwood, Ossett and many other local schools.

The U 18's tournament took place at New College, Pontefract. Here, Reshma Shanmugam (Year 11) successfully defended her 2011 title winning the singles competition, on this occasion, against Hannah Coe (Year 1 0) . Reshma also won the doubles w ith Mehvish Jamal, beating all the opposition including Hannah Coe and Cheryl Wan, in the final.

The following week, Emily Mappin, Caitlin Halliday, Hannah Coe and Jenny Collins competed in the U15's tournament at Kettlethorpe School. As the winner of last year's competition, Hannah was under considerable pressure to perform in the singles tournament which despite her nerves she was able to do, beating Caitlin 21 -15 in what turned out to be the deciding singles game. In the doubles tournament all four girls played well. Caitlin and Emily played together and were only just beaten by Hannah and Jenny in the final.

More recently the U 14's competition was held at QEGS Rachel Silvester Williams, Vivi Way (Year 8) Alakh Konjengbam,and Megan Kaye (Year 9) all represented the school. The standard of singles play was esfiecially high. Megan and Vivi won places in the semi-final where they were drawn against each other. After a competitive game Vivi secured her place in the f inal which turned out to be a nai l biting event. Vivi played particularly thoughtfully to beat her opponent and become the U 14s girls singles champion for 2012. In the U14s girls doubles, Rachel and Alakh missed reaching the fi nal by a single point however Megan and Vivi powered through to become convincing winners.

Yet badminton at WGHS is not only about w inning. This may have been yet another year of local tournament success but it has also been fun. Our girls mix happily across the age groups and work hard to support each other. In recogn ition of this School Colours have been awarded for the first time at WGHS. Cheryl Wan and Reshma Shanmugam have been awarded Senior Colours and Intermediate Colours have been awarded to Emily Mappin, Caitlin Halliday, Hannah Coe and Jenny Collins. Reshma has been elected as the first ever Badminton captain at WGHS with Mehvish Jamal as her vice-captain. Reshma is also the f irst recipient of the new Badminton Cup.

Badminton Club continues to run regularly every Wednesday lunchtime even through the summer and all girls whatever their standard, are welcome. Additional coaching is also available for the more advanced players after school. Please contact Mrs Stothard for further details.

1Jance :Evenin3 2012

The Dance Evening was held once again this year in late April w ith a combination of girls from both the Junior and Senior School. It was a huge success, allowing girls

of all ages to show one of their true talents to a hall full of inspiring individuals, be it their parents, grandparents, dance teachers or friends. The range of dances selected was vast, from beautifu l ballet to lively Jazz. The dance clubs from Years 5 to 9 all performed a spectacular dance of their own, including dances from groups to solo performances. All that went are sure to have enjoyed that lively musica l evening.

We would like to give our thanks to Miss Fear, Mrs Robinson, M iss Gruber and Mrs Ting le, as there would not have been such a spectacular performance without them.

Lucy Browne and Emily Aldred (Y8)

IJnteiform 'Dance Comyetition 2012

I n January each class from Year 7 to 9 took part in the annual lnterform Dance Competition. As before, each year group had set criteria to follow based on a particular

theme.

This year Year 7 were dancing to 'What makes you beautiful' by One Direction. During their performances they had to include a selection of shapes and patterns and use a variety of levels. The overall form winners were 7NJI. Georgina Mouser, Katie Tolson, Kayleigh Birrell and Georg ia Stanley, who were also from 7NJ I, were the highest placed group performers.

Year 8 were dancing to 'Moves like Jagger' by Maroon 5. During this up-tempo piece of music girls had to highlight and utilise the theme of canon throughout their sequence. 8WMZ emerged as the overall form winners and Stephanie Cadman, Emily Aldred, Libby Ostrowska and Lucy Browne from 8CMS were the highest placed group overall.

Year 9 had to choreograph their sequences based around the theme of group and abstract shapes to 'The edge of glory' by Lady Gaga. Once again all of the sequences displayed an excellent level of style, f luency and co­ord ination. 9 DLD were crowned as overall form winners w ith Emma Berry, Hattie Wilson, Emily McGrath and Millie Mitchell-Gears from the same class achieving the highest overall mark. Once again thanks go to all of the staff who helped judge the final performances and to the girls themselves who once again excelled beyond their means. Each year their sequences become even more professional and well rehearsed and every girl involved should be highly commended for their imaginative and creative style and choreography.

KFR

•

§ymnastics Success

0 n Sunday 19th February 2012, there was an Aero Gymnastics competition held at Barnsley Metrodome for clubs all across Yorkshire.

My partner, Molly Western-Knight and I competed in the Grade Two Women's Patr category and came first out of twenty-seven other pairs. We had been training four times a week, three hours a sesston and begun preparing for the competition in early September. Even though we got an unlucky draw; performing as one of the beginning pairs, we ensured all our moves, dance and balances were neat, precise and exaggerated, so that the judges would remember our performance.

Fortunately, all this hard work pu lled through, as we returned home wtlh gold medals round our necks and the title of Best Grade Two Women's Pair in Yorkshire February 2012.

Evangel ina Fozard (Y1 0)

1\n interview with 'MeUssa Xnayton about Synchronised Swirnming

M elissa Knapton is a Year 8 pupil who is third best in her age group at Synchronised Swimming, being selected for numerous teams and coming fifth 1n

the 12 and Under English Nationals. Melissa IS a very dedicated swimmer and hopes one day to represent GB at U1 5 level.

How did you get into Synchronised Swimming?

I first got into Synchronised Swimming when I received a leaflet booklet for taster lessons at Calderdale. My mum took me to the lessons and I really enjoyed them so I signed up properly.

Have you met anyone famous?

I have met the whole of the GB Synchronised Swimming team whilst I watched them at the European championshtps tn Sheffield. They are all fantastic particularly Jenna Randall. Also Tom Daley was training for GB at Leeds whilst I was training there so the team and I got a photograph with him that I got to keep!

Are you looking forward to the Olympics?

Yes I am. I have got tickets to see the Synchronised Swimming technical duet, which is my favourite event to watch. Unfortunately, because of my age I cannot compete tn this event at competitions but I think it looks very exciting.

How often do you train and where do you train?

I tram for twenty two hours a week. In addition a session can last from between forty five minutes to th ree hours and I have twelve sessions a week. It is really exhausting particularly land training which involves lots of running and flexibility exercises. I train at Halifax and Leeds so sometimes I don't get home until half past ten .

Have you ever been on TV for Synchronised Swimming?

Yes, on the 27th of April I was filmed to be on the One Show and this was a very exciting opportunity to be on TV. I have also been on Radio Leeds for advertising Synchronised Swimming and in the paper for wtnning some competitions.

How old do you have t o be to start Synchronised Swimming?

You roughly start from the age of 6 and there is no end to what age you can start Synchronised Swimming after that. However I started when I was 7 111.

How many squads have you been in and how many medals have you won?

I have been selected for two lots of England's talent, which was the highest level I cou ld qualify for. Furthermore I have

won a lot of medals including coming second in the solo at Nationals this year. l am very proud of my achievements but would like to win an English Nationals event.

What's your most memorable moment?

My most memorable moment has to been when I came third in the solo at Nationals when I was 12 and also comtng second at Scottish Nationals tn the duet when I was 11 . Another of my most memorable moments has to be when I was picked for 12-14 year old synchronised swimming when I was 12 years old.

Do you do any other sports related to synchronized swimming?

I do swimming and dancing. I compete at swimming and my best achievement is coming fifth at the Yorkshire Championsh ips when I was 10 in the 400m freestlye. For dancing I do exams but unfortunately I don't have time to compete at this sport.

What 's your f ut ure like in synchronised swimming?

Well, I hope to get into England Talent which is for 13 to 15 year olds. Finally I also hope to get into Junior GB which IS

a level up from this. This could eventually lead to me being selected for GB at the Olympics as early as 2020.

In school, we are very proud of Melissa's success and we hope that it continues.

Interviewed by Zahra Ahmed and Vivi Way {Y8)

Pfiysicaf !Educat{on : Pfiysica( !Educat{on

Tennis 'Reyort Summer 2012

The weather has greatly disrupted this tennis season with practices, matches and tournaments being cancelled.

However in between the showers and torrential rain there has been some play. Squad practices have been well attended and girls have made real progress especially with their volley and attacking doubles play. Thanks must go to Mrs Meredith for her help with these sessions. Twenty girls have played in the Saturday matches and we have won all of these and we wished our team well as they took on the QEGS boys.

Other events in which our girls have competed are the National Cup, Jubilee League and the West Yorkshire Invitational Tournament.

In the Nationa l Cup our U15 squad lost 4 -8 and our U13 squad won 12 -0 and w ill complete their season in September. In the Jubilee League our f irst couple of Hannah Field and Hannah Foy finished third and our second couple of lzzy Ash and Hannah Fergusson finished second. Our U15 couple of Hannah Coe and Jenny Collins and our U13 couple of Sarah Baker and Megan Pollick won all their matches and won the Jubilee League trophies.

In the West Yorkshire Invitation Tournament we entered teams in the U15, U1 4 and U13. The girls representing school were Ti lly Morgan, Sarah Baker, Maria Brook, Bethany Cooke, Jenny Collins, Hannah Coe, Laura Fergusson and Megan Pollick. In the U14 competition we fished seventh and in the U13 competition we finished fourth. In the U 1 5 competition it was a different story with Jenny Collins, Hannah Coe, Laura Fergusson and Megan Pollick winning all their matches to become champions. This is the first t ime we have won this competition so congratu lations to these girls and to all our tennis players.

Cricket 'Reyort Summer 2012

The Cricket Club started the season with a new coach, Stuart Morley, who has shown the girls all his enthusiasm for the game and consequently the

sessions have been most enjoyable with the techniques of batting, bowling and fielding all attempted by the girls either in the nets or out on the pitch.

The weather has interrupted a few times and as last year, once the exams were over the numbers attending were never quite the same as at the beg inning of term.

Our first match for many years was unfortunately cancelled against Silcoates but there was still the Staff and School game.

Miss Applewhite hopes that all girls who are playing cricket outside of school come to the club next year and bring their experience to the practices and matches of which hopefully there will be more than just the one.

syorts 1)ay syorts 1)ay

SwimminE Success at Wefsfi rNationalS

0 Iivia White went with the City of Leeds Swimming club to the Welsh National Swimming championships, once again this year. Having moved

from the 14-15 age group into the 16-18 age group she would have to swim well to achieve what she achieved last year, one Gold and two silver medals. Day one began with 50m breast stroke, where she just qualified for the fint:~ l in 8th place. In the final she produced a lifetime best which secured the silver medal. Day two saw her compete in the 1OOm backstroke where she finished a disappointing 1Oth. This was closely followed by the 50m freestyle where she produced a lifetime best finishing 12th. After a short break came the 200m IM where she qualified for the final in 5th place. In the final she produced another lifetime best and just missed out on a medal in 4th place. Day three began With 1OOm breast stroke and Olivia qualified for the f inal in 4th place, however after another lifetime best in the final she had another silver medal. Day four saw her in the 200m freestyle. Despite another lifetime best she could only manage 12th place and did not make the final. Day five was the most important day at the championships as it was here that Olivia was going to defend the title she won last year. Before this she swam in the 400m freestyle and produced a new lifetime best by 7.75 seconds and came in 8th. Onto the 200m breast stroke. She qualified in 1st place 0.3 seconds in front of the second place swimmer so she would have it all to do in the final. In the f inal she swam another lifetime best beating the second place sw1mmer by five seconds, securing the gold and a new Welsh Summer National record by just over 3.5 seconds! On the final day she had one last swim, the 400 IM. She was seeded last in her age group for this event but produced, once again, a lifetime best, by 15 seconds and moved up to take the bronze medal, completing a full set of ~elsh National medals! Olivia has since qualified for the BntJsh Gas ASA Nationals Youth Championships (50m) 2012.

JAT

Swimmine 'Re_port Summer 2012

Thirteen girls represented the school in the Wakefield Area Championships. The junior team competed against nine other schools producing some very good

performances. They eventually finished with forty nine points and were crowned Wakefield Champions. The intermediate team competed against five other schools scoring twenty seven points and f inishing second.

A Wakefield team was selected from this event and Jenny Collins and Darcy Allison were included in this team and were presented with their district colours. Congratulations to these girls and all the members of our teams.

We look forward to entering the National Relay Championships in September.

tJttfi{etics 'Reyort Summer 2012

Throughout the summer term girls of all ages and abilities have been working hard in their lessons and during practices at lunchtime and after school. Many

girls have been rewarded with some excellent performances in a number of events and have achieved personal goals as the summer season has progressed.

This year both the Intermediate and Junior Athletics Squads were able to compete in the English Schools Athletics Track and Field Athletics Cup. Our track events scored highly but inexperience and lack of practice played a key factor in the low scores awarded in some of the field events. Nevertheless we progressed to the Regional 'B' Final where the Juniors finished third and the lntermedi~tes fourth overall.

This year four girls were selected to represent Wakefield in the West Yorkshire Championships. Sam Lancaster finished fourth in the shot putt and Rebecca Parkin f inished fourth in the 800m. Both Hollie Joyce and Rebecca Tolson competed in the High Jump and Hollie fin ished fourth and Rebecca was placed first overall -a fantastic achievement!

Overall there have been some good performances throughout a very short but busy athletics season. Girls have achieved personal bests and a lot of athletes have now set themselves new targets for the future.

The end of Year 12 is a very confusing time of year. Your exams are over but you've got to wait until August for your results. You've finished one syllabus but the start

of another is looming just around the corner. You f inish school early but have to go back in just two short weeks. Luckily, when faced w ith all these conflicting circumstances, WGHS recognises this annual confusion and turns to a familiar and proven stratagem, a reliable concoction of informative university tours, guest lectures and of course, the classic, quintessential, and oh so trusted team-building exercise. Oh yes, and they threw seventy boys into the mix as well ! And thus, the Sixth Form Conference was born.

Ever considered designing your own cereal box? No? Seriously? Well, rest assured that for many a Year 12, forming a multimillion pound breakfast cereal conglomerate is a very real, although often unattainable, aspiration. Imagine our excitement then when it transpired that the first day of the Sixth Form Conference was to be dedicated to bringing this dream alive! On Monday morning, as we traipsed into the QEGS theatre, adolescent hype was at its peak as everyone was handed a small square card, each with a beloved Simpson character printed on the front. After hurriedly trying to arrange ourselves in an order that ensured we and our friends would get the same character card (and fai ling miserably) we were soon all seated in the theatre and the secretive agenda for the day was revealed ...

Firstly, and much to the unease of some, we had all been assigned to a totally random group according to our Simpson character. It was in these groups that we would now commence the design, manufacturing and sa les strategy for our very own original brand of children's cereal. a brand which we would later pitch to the rest of the year group, Dragon's Den style. And yes, 'no pressure then', was the first phrase which crept into our minds as well. So, with our trusty teenage character traits of idleness and varying degrees of social awkwardness, we al l summoned the courage to enter into our groups and face that undocumented and unpredictable species, the QEGS boys. However, social ineptitude did not in fact turn out to be the prevailing tone of the day and after two hours of gruelling team-work and innovation each team had an impeccable sales-pitch prepared and a bespoke cardboard cereal box ready to show off to the rest of the wannabe entrepreneurs. With farm yard animals, jungles and rainbows being the undeniably dominant theme of the competition, the judges were presented with box after box of hypothetical breakfast cereal, ranging from a box with flapping Mr Men limbs to a cereal which was intended to be eaten with an extendable JCB-spoon. It's safe to say that the judges had a very difficu lt decision ahead of them. Finally, however, a decision had to be made, no matter how many dreams were crushed irrevocably in the process, and two cereal magnates were chosen to go head to head in the f inal. As the accomplished manufacturers of Island Crunch, .. and Jungle Gems ' .. engaged in a heated sales battle. tensions were continually mounting until finally the guest judges (Head Teachers, Mrs Wallwork and Mr Craig) reached a decision. To mixed emotions of envy, relief, happiness and anguish, the innovative minds behind Island Crunch '"' were eventually named the winners and their hard work was rewarded with a multitude of well-deserved sweets! But this nail-biting experience was just the start of the Sixth Form Conference and if you think that our skill set was going to stop at just team-building, think again.

Day two, and the anticipation only increased as, for many of us, Tuesday signified our first ever university Open Day. Nottingham was our destination. The first order of the day was to be ushered into a large room where UCAS representatives explained university applications and expunged our fear of them or, at least, attempted to. Feeling suitably dazed from all the Higher Edu<.alion lingo, we were then given a student-led tour of the university from the library to the theatre to the abundance of coffee shops where we stocked up on a second packed lunch because we had eaten our first one on the journey there. Or was that just me?

After being shown the Nottingham University grounds, which were undeniably beautiful, we sat down to have lunch and to ask any burning questions we may have to existing students. Questions which ranged from 'What wou ld your average day entail?' to the expected QEGS inquiry, 'What are the women like?' This was, aside from the obvious exceptions, a very informative exercise which offered a fresh perspective on university life, straight from the people who are living it.

Slxtfi :Form C01:ference 2012 : W(j'lfS ln toucli By the time day three came along, as I'm sure you can imagine, nerves had been stretched to breaking point. I mean, for how many days could we be expected to think up smart yet fashionable outfits? Luckily however, this concern was somewhat mitigated by the fact that most of our final day" was spent back in the familiar territory of WGHS.

Phew ...

Nevertheless, the day commenced at QEGS with a surprisingly engaging ta lk on studying for a degree abroad, in Europe or perhaps even further. As it transpires, English­taught degrees can be found not only in our neighbouring countries of France and Holland but also literally at the other end of the world, from South Africa to Tokyo. The possibilities are endless! With our heads bursting w ith plans to travel to unknown and faraway lands another talk was urgently needed to bring us all back down to earth, a talk which manifested itself in the form of UCAS application and personal statement instruction. And so it was that a lovely young student ambassador from Newcastle University was blessed with the task of telling us all about how to construct a personal statement (phrases such as 'I have a passion for' are strictly banned) as well as subtly tempting us w ith the merits (namely, the belly-dancing society) of Newcastle University. Filled with inspiration, it was off to the computers to try our own hand at personal statement writing, a task which it turns out, is trickier t han it looks. The eternal question persists: where does one draw the line between 'selling yourself' and just plain arrogance?

So while the Sixth Form Conference may have raised some real philosophical questions for us, it also answered many as well and was an indisputable success. Over the three days we acquired enhanced social skills. an insight into real university life and personal statement potential, not to mention a multitude of plans for studying in foreign countries which our parents highly disapprove of. But hey, t hat just makes it all the more appealing ! Rebecca Oates (Y12)

WGHS

Compiled by Judith Layden (nee Steele) 1977-1983

To Gillian Davey nee Cannon (1982-1989), a son, Oliver Samuel, born 30 January 2011, a brother to David, aged 8 and Millie, aged 5.

To Claire Eagling nee Keer (1993-2000), a son Zachary Joseph, born 16 June 201 1.

To Katherine Goldsbrough nee Hutchinson (1989-1996), a son Will iam, born 10 May 2011, a brother for Jack, aged 3 and Harry, aged 2.

To Jane Haigh nee Greenwood (1986-1993). a son, Finn Alexander, born 4 June 2011, a brother for Thomas Sebastian.

To Elizabeth Menezes (1983-1990), a son, George Eduardo, born 15 July 2011 .

'M~~'R/l~§:ES Caroline Bell (1989-1996) to Liam O'Hare on 16 September 2011 .

Alexandra Branston (1996-2001) to Gavin Slessor on 20 April 2012.

Helen Edmonds (1986-1993) to Ben Arkle on 14 February 2012 in New Zealand.

in touch .. ONCE A HIGH SCHOOL GIRL

ALWAYS A HIGH SCHOOL GIRL

Laura Hawksworth (1994-2001) to James Brown on 6 May 2012.

Sheridan Hirst (1995-1997) to Matthew King in May 2011.

Claire Keer (1993-2000) to Matthew Eagling on 8 June 2012.

Anna Mallalieu (1993-2000) to Stuart Clarke on 31 July 2011.

It is with regret we record the following:

Jane Moody (1978-1985), Governor from (2003-2005) and Professor at The University of York.

Helen Arkle nee Edmonds (1986-1993) and her sister Phillipa Edmonds have updated us with their news from 'Down Under!· Helen has two daughters, Stella Rose, born in October 2007 and Poppy Grace born in October 2009. She is currently taking time out from work to be with them but is still heavily involved in the New Zealand Fire Service and volunteers as the Deputy Fire Chief in Piha, where she lives. Phillipa has finally and successfully emigrated to Australia to live with her partner, Ben. She is working in a wonderful secondary school very near to her home teaching science to Years 7-12. Life is wonderful and she is slowly acclimatising! Their sister, Joanna (1985-1992) is living with her partner, Carlos, in the city of Va lladolid in the North of Spain, teaching English at a private academy.

Dr Rebecca Beaconsfield nee Rainsbury (1940-1944) was Head Girl in 1944, the same year her cousin, David Nathan, joined the Prep. Department as the youngest child in the school.

Carola Beckett nee Hubert (1953-1960) is very sorry not to be able to attend the reunion on 16th June and sends all good wishes to those who left in 1960.

Elizabeth Bennett (1991-1998) is now living in lucerne, Switzerland, where she is working as a medical writer.

Diana Brown nee Kenyon (1971-1974) writes to tell us that her oldest daughter, Elizabeth, is still at University in Bath, studying for a degree in Biochemistry and about to do a work placement in Grenoble, France. Her youngest daughter, Alexandra, is in her f inal year at WGHS, taking her A2 exams. She will be taking a gap year and is going to be a Chalet Host in a ski resort and hopes to go to Reading University in 2013.

W(j'JIS in toucli : W(j'JIS {n toucli Julie Cutts nee Newsome (1952-1959) taught for 40 years, the last 19 of which she was Head of Holly Hall Maths and Computing Specialist College (now Holly Hall Academy) in Dudley, West Mid lands.

She·married Tony Cutts in 1969 who also became a teacher after a career in the Royal Navy and before running his own business. They had two sons but sadly Tony died in 2010.

She still works 15 days a year running courses for retiring teachers between playing piano duets and being a very happy Grandma, amongst other things.

She recalls making Nescafe at break over a Bunsen burner in the Science Prep Room with the Lab Technician and a couple of friends- how very daring! They were never found out by Miss Armitage. She also recalls the whole school being gathered in Jubilee Hall to be informed by Miss Knott that there was a rude scribbling on the lavatory wall and there was only one word to describe it ............. (verrrry) long pause ............ vulgar.

Ann Craw nee Hunter (1954-1962) has retired after a career in mathematics teaching and HM Inspectorate of Schools. She is living in Glasgow but hopes to renew old acquaintances at the reunion lunch on 16 June 2012.

Sarah Davies-Lepie nee Sarah Lepie (1961-1968) tells us that in the economic climate, she feels fortunate that both her children have jobs. Her husband told them to study something they could eat with ! Her son is an electrical engineer and her daughter a merchandising analyst for Puma. She feels that education is the KEY.

Gillian Davey nee Cannon (1982-1989) has been selected to work as a Physiotherapist at the London 2012 Olympic Games. She will be working as National Lead Physiotherapist for British Gymnastics at the 02 Arena. She has two successful private Physiotherapy Clinics 'Physic Action' in Leeds and Harrogate.

Pamela Falanga nee Spurr (1932-1945) has been living in Naples for the last 58 years but says that the situation is frightening and will get worse so she feels it is time to return to the UK.

Louise Flowers-Coburn nee Flowers (1 985-1990) sends a picture herself when she was in the athletics team- she is top row, third from left. Others she remembers are Lorna Wilkinson, Ruth Hepinstall and Rebecca Barrass. She recalls

that in a competition she was entered into the Shot Putt but due to a shortage of competitors she was also entered into the 100m at the last minute and finished 3rd!

Helen Flynn nee Wilcock (1974-1981) was elected Harrogate Borough Councillor in the 2012 local elections, representing the Liberal Democrat Party.

Margaret Gadsby nee Stone (1939-1947) tells us how in 1947, Mrs Kingswell resumed the visits to Switzerland. She still remembers breakfast at Basle Station and the cream cakes in Wildersvil! Who else remembers it?

Constance Gilby (1940-1948) is now 83, still driving and still doing a little committee work for Charities, some church work w ith Flanshaw U.R.C and some visiting.

Katherine Goldsborough nee Hutchinson (1989-1996) is a Joint Venture Partner/Sole Veterinary Surgeon at Middlesborough Vets4Pets. She has had a very busy and successful 3 years. WGHS ethos remains with her and definitely motivates her to continue to succeed.

Pauline Hall nee Hopkins (1934-1942) is the author of The Oxford Piano Method (published by Oxford University Press) which now consists of 25 books and is proving very popular with piano teachers and their pupils.

Mary Herbert nee Chadwick (ex-staff 1952-1958) still keeps in contact with Mrs Mary Turner nee Pelton (former Junior School Staff) from time to time and she hears from Brenda Gill nee Blake, Marjory Lord, Susan Frank, Joan Guenault nee Fitton and Miss Knott. She was sorry not to be able to share any of the get-togethers but enjoys hearing news from WGHS.

Ruth Hirschfield nee Coleman (1962-1969) was elected as a Liverpool City Councillor (Childwall Ward) "tor the Labour Party on 3rd May 2012. Her daughter, Madeleine, is in her first year at Magdalene College, Cambridge, reading law.

Patricia Lowe nee Angus (1959-1966) writes that it seems amazing that when she started at WGHS, the lighting in the old pavilion at the games field was by gas mantles- in 1959! They were still there when she left!! However, fundraising for a new pavilion was well underway, thank goodness! She benefited from the new gym and the new block of class rooms but it was those who followed her who got the electric lighting and vastly improved facilities at the games field -they had no showers and the wooden buildings were very basic !

Elizabeth Menezes (1983-1990) graduated from StJohn's College, Oxford 1995. She graduated from Trinity College of Music in 1999 and worked as an Opera Singer from 1999-2008 (freelance and for the Carl Rosa Opera Company). She retrained as an actor at The Poor School in London from 2008-2010.

Anne Rowland nee Grainger (1970-1977) and her husband, Dick, are moving back to Eng land to retire after successfully selling the business they worked for, for 24 years in California. They look forward to spending a lot more time in Wakefield where her parents, brother and friends sti ll live.

Sue Sherratt nee Carol Haley (1963-1970) remembers that on her first day of school the Headmistress, Miss Knott, pulled her to one side: Another pupil had started in her year with the same name, Susan Haley. As the other Susan did not have a middle name, Miss Knott asked if she wou ld be known as Carol Haley whilst in school. She agreed, not knowing that to this day, she has to remember who she is! Everyone she met whilst at school knew her as Carol, including her first husband and all his family but when she left WGHS she reverted back to Susan/Sue. It has always been a talking point but can cause havoc when writing Christmas cards!

Alexandra Slessor nee Branston (1996-2001) has just enjoyed a fabulous wedding day at Hazlewood Castle, Tadcaster on 20th April 2012. Her husband, Gavin, is Financial Director of Marriott Hotels across the Pennines area whilst she is manager of the Leisure Club at Leeds Marriott Hotel.

Audrey Stubbs nee Morris (1940-1949) remembers the days when they all had to troop downstairs and sit on the lockers in the cloakrooms as air-raid practice but they never had a real one during her school period. There were no private cars in war-time so the Headmistress used to travel on the same bus as she did and she had to carry her bags up to school!

Paddy Trevelyan nee Moore (1941-1946) sends us this photograph of her and her friends after they had finished their School Certificate in Summer 1946. They were wearing their ordinary clothes as uniform was not enforced during the war due to clothes rationing. She was amongst the youngest in the class and is now 81!

Back Row: Jean Hudson, Brenda Bentley, Barbara Clegg, Mary Seeley, Kathleen Scholefield, Beryl Longbottom

2nd Row: Jacqueline Beaton, Pauline Inman, Sheila Hughes, Margaret Bowker, Peggy Ward, Beryl Magee

3rd Row: Jill Spencer, Paddy Moore, Margaret Pearce, Miss Labrum, Edna Best. Sheila Wilby, Beryl Gilbertson, Marion Dyke

Front Row: Anne Mueller, Pamela Marsden, Cynthia Artist, Doreen Gilbey, Rosaline Coney, Doreen Worth, Brenda England.

June Vickers nee Cunningham (1948-1955) is delighted that her Granddaughter, Laura has passed the entrance exam and begins life in the Sen ior School in September.

Margaret Warwick nee Harrison (1941-1943) retired from the Headship of Hitchin Girls' School in 1990 after 28 years in the post. Her daughter Claire has just been made Professor of Digital Humanities at University College, London. She is married to Dr M Sewell from Selwyn College, Cambridge.

Maureen Whitfield nee Colman (1939-1946) would love to hear from anyone at WGHS during the war - a very happy time. She often thinks of the teachers Mrs Waters, Miss Muir, Miss Labrum, Miss Bosward and Miss Benson, the latter a great P.E teacher, and many others.

Felicity Wimbush (2000-2007) graduated in July 2011 from Lancaster University with a 2:1 BSc (Hons) Degree in Physical Geography, which included a study abroad year at the University of Woolangong, New South Wales, Australia. She is currently studying for an MSc degree at the National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, in Marine Science, Policy and Law and accredited by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology. She will be taking up a Summer Internship with Environmental Resources Management.

Heather Wimbush (2000-2007) graduated from the University of Reading in July 2011 with a BSc (Hons) Degree 2:1 in Food Science with industrial training. She was awarded the Kerry Foods New Product Development prize in her final year. She is currently working as a Food Scientist in the New Product Development Department with the food company Hain Daniels in Leeds.

W(j'JIS z'n toucfi : W(j'JIS {n touch ~CtE'lfrT SruCCtESSP.S OP OLf[) §tJ'RLS

Lauren Addy BA - 1st Cambridge, Land Economy. Corfield Scholarship for Performance in Part 1 and 2 Land Economy I (awarded in 1st and 3rd years of degree. Also studied the Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice course. Now a trainee Solicitor at Hogan Lovells International LLP.

Claire Beckwith BA (Hans) Newcastle University, Music Class II (i) Now at Southampton University studying for a PGCE in maths.

Penny Butterworth BA Hans, King's College, London, Comparative Literature, Class II (i), AKC on the 'Directors List' for 'Academic Excellence & Endeavour' . MA, Shakespeare in History, from University College, London. Starting PGCE in Secondary English at the Institute of Education. University of London, September 2011

Felicity Dawson BSc (Hans) Class II (i), MCSP. Manchester Metropolitan, Physiotherapy. PE Prize 2006 (A Level). Endeavour Prize (2006) - Minchen Burville. Graduated June 2009. Assisted in QEGS 1st XV and 2nd XV Rugby Tour as Physiotherapist in July 2009. Began Junior Physio rotations at Medway Foundation Trust, Kent September 2009.

Frances Day B.Sc (Hans). University of Leeds, Audiology Class II (i) Employed as an Audiologist at Harrogate District Hospital since November 2010.

Shuchi Desai BNPPE, Class I, Oxford University (University College). Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Completed Graduate Disploma in Law and the Legal Practice Certificate from the College of Law, London obtaining a distinction in both. Awarded an LLB (Hens) with distinction from the College of Law. In February 2012 will commence a 2-year training contract with Clifford Chance LLP. In the interim, working as a researcher for the Ahmedabad Women's Action Group in Ahmedabad, India.

Emma Greaves B. (Hans) 1st Class, University of Hull, Management & Marketing with Professional Exp. Scholarship for university fees from the University of Hull . Currently working at Universa l World Events.

Hannah Hardwick BA (Hans), Newcastle University, Modern Languages (French, German, Mandarin, Chinese) -Class II (i) As part of undergraduate degree, spent a year abroad studying Chinese at Beijing Language & Culture University. Currently completing PGCE in Modem Languages at Sheffield University. Now has NOT post at Friesland School, Sandiacre, Nottingham.

Holly Hall BSc II (i) Architecture. Begins Masters Degree in the Autumn.

Jacqueline Jones BDS, Newcastle University in Dentistry.

Elizabeth McCloy BSc 1st Class, Bristol University, Biochemistry. , Started on the KPMG Accountancy Graduate Scheme in October 2010, currently studying towards ACA qualification.

Linda Partridge BA, University College, London in French & Spanish. Now studying for MSc Latin American Studies, University of Oxford.

Anvi Patel BSc, Aston University, International Business & French, Second Class Honours. In September 2011 will beg in MSc in Air Transport Management at Cranfield University. In June 20 11 w ill commence a 2 month internship in Shanghai at Air India.

Rosie Pollitt MA, St Andrews University, History Class II (i)

Natalie Potts BSc, Durham University, Psychology, Class II (i) Currently on 3 year Graduate Scheme with Centrica Energy in HR before specialising in Occupational Psychology.

Suzi Saperia Mus B(Hons), Manchester University, Music, Class II (i) September 2010 Postgraduate Studies on the Artists Masters Programme for Vocal Stud ies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London

Isabel Thomas BA, Newcastle University, Class II (i) Studying Graduate Diploma in Law. Going on to study the BPTC (Barrister finals) next year. Hopes to become a Barrister.

Georgina Watson Masters, Sheffield University, Print Journalism. MA. A lso 2.1 Hans, Loughborough University in English. Scuba Diving award from Loughborough University. Employed by Pontefract & Castleford Express as full time general news reporter. Lived in South Africa for 1 year and worked as a crew member and shark researcher on a cage diving boat in a fishing town off Cape Town.

Rebecca Zserdicky BSc 1st class, University of Manchester, Optometry. McOptom - Member of College of Optometrists.

PauCine Lester W§rHS 1940-1949 Pauline Lester (nee Inman) gives a fascinating insight into life at WGHS during the Second World War

W§'}{S 1940-194 9

I attended Wakefield Girls' High School from October 1940 to April 1949. My aunt Madge Green also attended the school and was recorded on t he Honours Board (which

used to be on the wall of the gym, black and gotd lettering) as having graduated from Cambridge in 1912. I myself was recorded on the same board as having qualified as a Speech Therapist in 1952. Is the honours board still there, I wonder? (Editor's note- Yes they are) My mother also went to WGHS and was often driven there by a coachman, in a brougham. She was a boarder for a time but did not distinguish herself academically, having to leave school early to look after an invalid mother.

In September 1940, just as the Battle of Britain was starting, I was sent to boarding school. I was 9 and half years old and a very insecure, anxious type of child and my mother had just had a baby and was still in the maternity home in Castleford. I'm sure my parents thought it would be best for me but I was dreadfully unhappy and never settled and, in the end, plotted an escape by climbing over a wall while we were unsupervised, almost like getting out of a prison camp, and somehow found my way home. All the signposts had been removed because of the war, but I walked as far as I could, in the right direction, and eventually begged a lift from a lorry driver and was dropped off at a place I recognised. I arrived home late in the evening and was put straight to bed. My father, a doctor, was summoned from his surgery and I still remember his look of consternation when he saw me. What was to be done? Social mores were very different then and it was not thought suitable for the doctor's daughters to mix with his patients at school.

My mother went to see Mrs Kingswell, the headmistress at Wakefield Girls' High School and it was agreed for me to start t here, halfway through the autumn term. Mrs Kingswell was a very imposing person and I understand she was the first woman to climb the Matterhorn. She was known at 'Blotto' ('because she blots everything out', I was told). Her office was just inside the front door into Wood Street, by which only important visitors were allowed to enter. Close by, in the corridor, was a large window-seat, known as 'the Cushions', where one was sent to await an interview with Mrs Kingswell after any wrongdoing. She was utterly terrifying, as were several of her staff. At t he time, I think she was the only one who was married; all the other teachers had presumably lost their prospective husbands in the Great War.

The other most frightening teacher was Miss Mulligan - so terrifying she didn't even have a nickname. She ruled the science lab, which was across the yard from the side entrance to the school, next t o the fives court. Other teachers I remember were: Miss Frampton, who had taught my mother and informed me that I was 'just as bad at maths as she had been'; Miss Bosward (known as 'Beaky Jay') taught French; Miss Labrum- geography; Miss Key ­history; and darling Miss Moore who taught English and

inspired me with a life-long love of poetry and literature. The first set book I remember studying, at the age of 11, was ' Ivanhoe', which I have re-read at intervals ever since. Miss Benson taught physical education, called 'gym' in those days. She was very strange in appearance and very masculine and we were convinced she was a man in disguise. She had two underlings: Miss Fort, who had played hockey for England and Miss Carr, who was much younger and had married an airman who was killed half­way through the war. Miss Ford taught music and she also marned and had a baby, the fashions of the time dictating that she had to wear a loose overcoat all through her pregnancy in case we girls should notice. Miss Daw, much o lder, also taught music and was known inevitably as 'Jack Daw' .. The music room was ~m the bottom corridor, just by the staircase, a long room w1th three individual tuition rooms opening off it, as well as the secretary's office The d?ors ~ere lined with green baize. Miss Temperton taught p1ano m one of these small rooms, wielding a thin stick to beat time and striking one's fingers after a wrong note was played. I didn't shine at the piano either.

We had to be in school at 8.45, with prayers, a hymn, collects and a short sermon by Mrs Kingswell at 9am. Then it was lessons until eleven, with a short 1 5-minute break. Lunch was at 12.45 and we reassembled for afternoon school at 1.45pm. School dinners were eaten by all except the girls who lived close by and could get home and back in the short time. Rationing was very severe then and became worse after the war and one was supposed to eat everything and leave a clean plate, but sometimes bits of gristle had to be put 1n a handkerchief and concealed about one's person and taken home later for the dog. We had competitions to ~ee wl1o could find the most caterpillars or slugs in the cabbage and sprouts we were served. The worst t hing was the liver - hard, grey and full of tubes. As we lived in the 'rhubarb triangle', we had plehty of that. also prunes. Pink blancmange was known as 'dead baby' and we also had 'cake pudding', baked in large roasting tins, unsweetened and served either with thick, lumpy custard with a hard wrinkled skin on top, or 'water sauce', which seemed to be the water from rinsing out jam pots. As the war progressed, jam was made from swede, coloured red and sweetened with saccharine. We craved anything sweet and when the horse-chestnut tree on the school lawn was in bloom, it was denuded as far as we could reach, so that we could suck the nectar out of the f lowers. One girl, whose father was in the Navy and had brought a banana home, brought it to school and ate it on the lawn at break time. The news spread like wildfire and a huge crowd assembled to watch while she slowly and ceremoniously ate the banana; then, she broke the skin into fragments and passed bits round for us to smell. Eventually, we were forbidden to bring oranges into school, as the smell upset t he other girls. If we were lucky enough to get an orange, we ate the skin as well .

Wakefield was not bombed much as far as I remember. When the air-raid siren went, we were all required to go down to the cellars in silence. The roll was called and then we had to sit the raid out, all scared stiff of course, and wondering what our families were doing at home. If there wasn't t ime to get down to the cellars, we were drilled in how to crouch under our desks, with our arms clasped over our heads. Eventually, evacuees - both teachers and pupils - began to arrive from London. One of the teachers, Miss Davies, gave us our first taste of a southern accent. When

wq'J£5 {n toucli . : wq'J£5 in toucli they pronounced the word 'lather' as 'larther', the whole class erupted and, when she asked why we were laughing, one girl said: 'Say it aga1n, Miss!', so that we could laugh again. We had two Belgian girls in school, Francine and Paula Haeck, whose father had rowed across the channel in a dinghy to gel away from t he Germans. The girls fitted in very quickly and soon learned English as everyone in their class helped them. There was also a Spanish girl who could not travel home, but she managed to get away before the end of t he war. Refugees f rom the Channel Islands slept in our school hall unt il they could be billeted elsewhere.

Senior girls were put on f ire-watching duty and spent the night on the roof waiting for the bombs to fall. I longed to be able to join in but never got to be old enough. Another wartime activity was getting in the harvest and volunteers were sent to a camp near Boston Spa to get potatoes up -terrible work. We were ingrained with earth after a fortnight as, at the camp, there were no proper washing facilities. Water was heated in huge vats and then decanted into washing-up bowls (enamel), which we used outside. I remember one girl saying 'You can't wash your face in the water my feet have been in!', and the reply came: 'I'm only doing my neck and ears!·

Some unfortunate teachers did the cooking and Miss French got into trouble by putting salt in the rice pudding instead of saccharine. Another teacher fell off the top bunk (we slept in Nissen huts) and broke her ribs. Several of us (me included) crept out at night and went for daring wa lks along the country lanes. We were sent to various farms to work a very long day, alongside German and Italian prisoners, with whom we were forbidden to fraternise. My mother hated the Germans so much, her favourite nephew having been killed in 1943, that she forbade me to learn German and I had to study Greek instead; this has never been very useful. At school. we were all taught to say 'Hande hock!' in case we ever met a parachutist, but we never did.

By the end of the war, when we went to our last camp in 1945, many of the prisoners were young boys of 1 5 and 16, having been taken from their desks as the army retreated.

One wartime treat was being taken out to lunch at the 'Stafford Arms' by an army officer whose daughter was in my group of friends. Mrs Kingswell graciously gave permission for us to be absent f rom school for a couple of hours. The only food available was 'Wootton pie', which consisted of hard pastry made with dripping and a mixture of potato and swede as a filling. l remember tt being delicious, but we were always so hungry.

There were almost no school outings in those days. The older gtrls - half the entire school- walked in a crocodile to the cinema on Westgate, to see Laurence Olivier tn 'Henry V'; we felt even more patnotic after that. At the end of the war. in the same week as VE Day, the whole school assembled on the lawn, the Union Jack was ceremoniously raised and we sang 'Land of Hope and Glory' and the quotation from Shakespeare where England is referred to as 'this precious stone set in a silver sea'. Then we all marched down to the cathedral to attend a thanksgiving service.

After this, life returned to normal, except that food shortages got even worse and there was almost no heat in the w inter. We were allowed to wear our outdoor clothes in school but ever so many suffered dreadfully from chilblains. I remember one girl, who later died of TB, sitting

shivering on the lukewarm radiator pipes and being warned that she might get a 'horrid complaint' - I suppose the teacher meant piles.

I hated organised games and, when the groundsman joined the army and we were required to pull up a bucketful of dandelions from around the tennts courts before being allowed to play, I used to offer to do the other girls' dandelions so that I needn't play at all. I once wrecked a tennis tournament by being unable to act as umpire and record the scores. I had told Miss Benson I didn't know how to score and she replied that I had better learn, but it became a matter of principle with me and I never learned to score (still have no idea what 'love-fifteen' or 'van in' mean). I feel ashamed now that I was so obstinate. Hockey was even worse and the only goal I ever scored was off-side. I still don't know what that means either. However, I was very good at the high jump. Miss Benson once said: 'Pauline Inman, have you no team sprrit?' and I had to confess I had not.

School Certificate loomed and I took this at the age of fifteen, as did several others in my form. I only did really well in French and English. As soon as France was liberated in 1944, we were allocated penfriends from the school which had 'twinned' with our school before the war: the College Fenelon in Cambrai. My correspondent was Jeanine Meresse, f rom a village called Quievy. We exchanged visits, starting in 1946, and still remained friends until she died last year - 2011. We met in 1949, then university, marriage, children and careers did not allow us to visit again until two years ago. We had both metamorphosed into old ladies, but could discern under the wrinkles the girls we once were and the years fell away. She had kept all my letters, from the age of 13.

In Form VI Lower, we were allowed a change of uniform, skirts- instead of the dreadful serge gymslips which made one look totally shapeless and were not washable, but had to be dry-cleaned in the school holidays; wh1te blouse with a school tie (navy blue and sky blue stripes) and a navy cardigan or pullover. There were no tights in those days and one's lisle stockings had to be darned over and over again. We knitted our own cardigans out of wool that had been unpicked f rom old garments. We adhered to the rules for uniform as far as we could, but were a motley sight. Shoes were the worst problem and, as our feet grew, we cut the uppers back w ith razor blades so that our toes could protrude. Because of the shortage of rubber, we had a 'pool' of plimsolls and eventually did gymnastics and even played tennis with bare feet.

In 1948 a school trip to Switzerland was organised. What excitement to have one's own passport! No-one in the school had ever been abroad. We travelled to London, where we spent the night. too excited to sleep; then on to Dover, where we saw black people dtsembarking from the ferry and were told by our teacher that 'there is no colour bar in France'. Calats was still in ruins, with only the clock tower rising above the rubble. Another excitement was the train - so much higher off the ground than English ones, as there were no raised platforms. In spite of our teacher shouting: 'C'est reserve, Monsieur!', it seemed as if half the French army boarded with us and sat in the gangways all night and even crammed into the luggage racks. We had great fun practising our French on recruits not much older than we were and a second night passed without sleep. By the time we finally arrived at Wilderswil. near Interlaken, we

had had enough of continental trains. What a culture shock we had! Cream cakes, ice cream and plenty of meat had been unknown to us for years and some items of food were not recognisable; we had veal for the first time ever. The cleanliness and brightness (it was April) contrasted with the general impression of permanent greyness at home ­Wakefield and its environs were not very attractive in those days - everything was black and there didn't seem much of t he 'brave new world' we'd expected after the war.

In VI Upper, we had much more responsibility and most of us were prefects and were allowed to use the prefects' common room, which was in a small house next to the tunnel which went through to t he nursery department and the domestic science room, where Miss Muir reigned (known of course, as 'Miss Manure'). She taught us to make metal polish out of whitewash powder and vinegar ­it should have been lemon juice but there were no lemons. We also learned how to make blancmange wtth flour and a little cocoa, which had a thick rubbery sktn on top and was unsweetened.

In the winter, if there was enough coal, we were allowed a fire in the common room and we all had scorch marks on our shins from huddling too close to it. Not to mention the chilblains.

Higher School Certificate loomed and I took English. French and History as my main subjects and Scripture (religious knowledge) as a subsidiary. I also retook Latin, having failed it at School Certificate and having to retake it twice to gain a cred it mark (75%). Several of us who were only 17 stayed on into the third year Sixth Form. One was supposed to stay on till the age of 18 but, with no further exams to take, and a university or college place already secured, there seemed very little point in staying on later than that, being used as an untrained teacher or helper and spending a lot of time reading. My parents thought it would be best for me to leave school and help out in the surgery at home until! started my training in September so, with Mrs Kingswell's permission, I left in April 1949.

All in all, my time at WGHS formed my character in an almost totally fema le environment. It seems like a different world, as our lives were so different from those of modern teenagers. We were so innocent and unsophisticated. We knew very little about sex and had had no sex education of any kind at school except for f lowers, bi rds and bees, which did very little to enlighten us. Teenage pregnancy, as far as I knew, did not exist and news of it would have spread through the school instantly. One girl stuffed a fellow pupil's gas mask down a lavatory and was almost expelled ­by the end of the day, this was public knowledge throughout the school, as was the time a senior pupil. sent to fetch the headmistress's books before a lesson, ran along the corridor shouting: 'The old girl isn't coming yet!" - she risked expulsion as well and the news travelled fast.

We had some experience of male nudtty: in the bottom corridor, by the library door, there was a statue of Laocoon and his sons betng attacked by pythons, but their 'naughty bits' were covered up by the coils of the snakes. In the art room, right at the top of the school, where Miss Milne shivered through the heatless winters swathed in a horse­blanket, was a larger than life statue of the Boy David, wearing a large fig-leaf, but it was impossible to peer behind it, as it was attached to his anatomy. We were told by the headmistress that we must not 'hang about on street

corners talking to boys' . Unless we had brothers, out chaste contact with the opposite sex was at 'Sixth Form Club' on a Friday night once a month, straight after school, where we were joined by our opposite numbers from the Boys' Grammar School.

There was an annual dance and I remember the dress I had to wear as breathtakingly embarrassing. It was a toothpaste pink colour and had been obtained second-hand by an aunt who had very conservative ideas about dress, as she had been born in the ea rly 1890s. The dress had a net skirt and a Peter Pan collar and I hated it , but there was nothing else to wear as clothes were rationed. One girl had a boyfriend in the American Army and was given a pair of nylon stockings, which we had never seen. The stockings we wore were lisle and had to be mended over and over again, until eventually they looked like a mass of darns held together by what remained of the fabric. Younger girls held up their stockings by suspenders attached by a button to their 'liberty bodice'- a kind of vest reinforced by strong tape strips and buttoned down the front. We had three suspenders to each stocking and, if the little rubber end broke off, we used a farthing, small stone or even a piece of school chalk to do an emergency repair. Older girls wore suspender belts- they were always shrimp pink.

We were all very good at mending, darning and sewing on buttons. Most girls darned the elbows of their cardigans before wearing them, to reinforce them. At the beginning of each term, we were given a large amount of wool -khaki, air force blue or navy blue - and had to hand in a garment for a man in the services at the end of the term. The first balaclava helmet I knitted would have fitted a vegetable marrow! The younger girls were able to do scarves and knee-warmers. We knitted socks on four needles and learned how to 'turn the heel'. Gloves were also difficult to knit. A friend of mine knitted some navy blue knickers, out of wool unravelled from another garment, but they were very uncomfortable.

One thing I have omitted to mention: the sanitary arrangement at WGHS. What was euphemistically referred to as 'the basins' was an L-shaped, tiled room with about eight washbasins, each equipped with a large metal container of liquid soap, which smelled faintly of vomit; there were ten or twelve lavatories w ith long chains. There was no provision at all for the disposal of 'female requirements', either t here or at the games pavilion, where there was only one washbasin with a cold tap and two loos. There were no showers in those days and one wore the same school uniform for organised games, minus t he cardigan, however cold it was. We each had our own hockey stick and tennrs racquet and, on games days, it was quite awkward to travel on the bus with a large, heavy satchel, a hockey stick and a gas mask in a tin container on a strap round one's neck. Gas masks had to be carried at all times and you were not allowed into school without one. The noise in the school hall, as everyone lowered their gas mask onto the bare wooden floor before kneeling down for prayers, was deafening. What a relief when we dispensed with them after the invasion in 1944.

The games f ield was about a mile from school and, during the war, deep ditches were dug at the side, with duckboards at the bottom; if the siren went, we had to get into the ditches and squat down.

another thing which I really enjoyed was being able to buy a rubber after the end of the war, as rubber had been unobtainable for several years. We had to cross mistakes out in our written work. I bought a large square rubber at the '.Eagle Press' in Wood Street- where we bought all out school equipment - and I still remember the feel and smell of that rubber!

There was also a shortage of paper and we were forbidden to waste even the slightest scrap. Every bit of the pages in our exercise books were written on, then the covers, and when the book was full, we turned them over and wrote in between the lines. Ink was also is short supply. The ink monitor fi lled up the little ceramic wells in our desks each day, mixing up the ink in a jug using some sort of blue powder and water. Gradually, the ink got paler and paler until it was scarcely visible. Pencils were used until they were merely stubs.

I have been back to Wakefield only once since my mother died and found it almost unrecognisable. The cathedral was clean and Queen Victoria had disappeared from the Bull Ring and reinstated in Thornes Park. What does my old school look like now, I wonder, and have the faci lities changed? I often return in my memory and think of all the friends I had - now dead.

I hope the pupils at WGHS get the same benefits from their education as I did. 'Katie 'Finnerty (Y12)

'Fifties, Sixties and Seventies ~union

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