Summer Newsletter Senior 2018

Guildford High School

FRONT COVER IMAGE:

Sports Day 2018

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Music

Welcome

Issue Spotlight

Drama

Trips

English

Art and Design

Classics

Science

Politics and Debating

Higher Education and Careers

Around School

Pastoral Events

Sport

In This Issue...Mrs Boulton reflects on a busy Trinity Term Dog beds, dresses and dramatic portraits at the GCSE

and A Level Art & Design exhibitions

Success in Biology and Physics Olympiads and outstanding performance at the CANSAT Nationals

Fun at the fair for our 2018 leavers

Opera, Jazz and a beautiful May Concert demonstrates GHS’s musical talent

A day out at the Zoo and a night on the red carpet at the GHS Drama Awards 2018

Advice from last year’s leavers on applying to university

Animazing, Talent Show and latest FoGHS newsTravel to Normandy, Swanage and Berlin and stop off at Buckingham Palace on the way

Adventures of Years 7-9 at this year’s Prose Fiction Festival

Upper Sixth classicist wins prestigious translation prize Sporting secrets of Britain’s most successful girls school

“Guildford High School had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!”

Inspirational talk by GHS alumnae followed by a trip to the Houses of Parliament and Supreme Court

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SUMMER 2018

Welcomefrom the Headmistress

With the end of exams, we have had trips, plays, Enrichment Week and Sports Day. There has been plenty of time for creativity, imagination, innovation and fun.

Highlights this term have included the Jazz Concert, the Sports Awards evening, where we heard from guest speaker Charlotte Edwards about her experiences as the England Cricket Captain alongside the Drama Awards evening where Priyanga Burford, our ex Head Girl, shared how she followed her dream to become an actress. She is currently performing Hermoine in The Winter’s Tale at the Globe.

To round off the year, we were delighted to welcome Priya Lakhani OBE as our guest speaker at Prizegiving. Priya talked us through her experiences building Masala Masala, a business acting as a social enterprise to provide millions of free meals and thousands of free vaccinations to those in need, becoming a member of the advisory board to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and how she is now building a new company Century Tech. She gave us her top tips for life, emphasising the importance of kindness, the idea that no,

no, no, no, no = yes and that resilience and perseverance are key.

The Trinity Term draws to a close and it is time for a break; a time to relax, rejuvenate and refresh. Over the summer, we have a Year 7 trip to Powys, Years 9-10 are also off to Wales, the GHS/RGS Music Tour is off to Barcelona, we have a Gold DofE expedition, a Lacrosse tour to the USA and our Lower Sixth are off to Laos. I hope everyone has a wonderful time.

Over the summer we want all of you to create a cultural log of your activities over the break. We want to know the books you have read, the castles, galleries and exhibitions you have visited, the countries and counties you have dipped into, your walks and the wildlife you have encountered, the music, the festivals and the sporting events - pop it all down on a sheet of A4 so that when we come back to school in September, we can chat to each of you individually about your experiences over the summer.

Mrs Fiona Boulton

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SUMMER 2018

Michaelmas Term Start Times

Tuesday 4 September

Year 7 to travel to Oxfordshire for the Bushcraft experience. Girls should arrive at school for 7.45am.

Wednesday 5 September

Year 8 ...................................8.30am

Year 9 ....................................10.30am

Year 10 ..................................9.00am

Year 11 ..................................10.30am

Year 12 (New Joiners) ...........8.30am

Year 12 (All other pupils) ......8.30am

Year 13 ..................................9.30pm

Key Dates for 2018-19

Carol Service Monday 10 December 2018

Prizegiving Monday 1 July 2019

Michaelmas Term

Wednesday 5 September to Friday 14 December

Half Term: Monday 22 October to Friday 2 November

Lent Term

Entrance Examination: Friday 4 January (Year 12 only in school)

Monday 7 January to Friday 29 March

Half Term: Monday 18 February to Friday 22 February

Trinity Term

Tuesday 23 April to Thursday 11 July

Half Term: Monday 27 May to Friday 31 May

INSET: Friday 24 May

Bank Holiday: Monday 6 May

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Leavers’ Ball 2018We were delighted to host the 2018 Leavers’ Ball on a beautiful July evening, where we said farewell to the Upper Sixth as they prepare to embark on the next exciting phase of their lives. It was a wonderful evening with parents, staff and students all enjoying the carnival stalls and the brilliant atmosphere, with the girls looking fantastic in their prom dresses.

Mr Will Saunders

Issue Spotlight

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SUMMER 2018

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Music at ghs

May Concert The highly anticipated May Concert provided a remarkable showcase of musical talent with over 200 pupils taking part from all seven year groups. The Wind Band opened the concert with an arrangement of Ellington and Tizol’s iconic jazz standard, ‘Caravan’ – which was played with verve, finesse and a wonderful drive. The younger players of the String Orchestra impressed with a mature performance of Karl Jenkins’ ‘Palladio’, followed by a performance of ‘Music from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’. An exhilarating and toe-tapping performance of ‘Cake by the Ocean’ (with enthusiastic vocalisations!) concluded their performance. The Chamber Orchestra opened the second half with a typically accomplished performance of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Serenade for Strings’. The Symphony Orchestra concluded the concert, firstly performing music from Brahms’ Fourth Symphony, and then Strauss’ Oboe Concerto, with soloist Annabel: this was a wonderful success. Annabel played with technical ease and musicality, accompanied by the mature and sympathetic orchestral accompaniment. The concert was brought to a close with a spectacular hair-raising performance of the well-known Farandole from ‘L’Arlésienne Suite’ by Bizet. What a great concert and thank you to all who were involved!

Mr Jack Lapthorn

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SUMMER 2018

Jazz Night With a record number of people in attendance and top quality playing from the musicians, this year’s Jazz Night was especially memorable. Stocks was superbly transformed into a jazz club setting (thanks to Mr Curran’s imaginative lighting, backdrops and smoke machine) and as people ate supper, the Baby Big Band and Sax Quartet entertained the audience with superb playing. The Big Band has clearly gone from strength to strength this year; they took to the floor to provide hit after hit in a stylish two-hour set that included music by Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, The Blues Brothers, Prince, Pharrell Williams, Van Morrison as well as other soul, funk and salsa classics. Inevitably, the dance floor was heaving! Congratulations and thanks to all players and to Mr West, this was a fantastic evening.

Mr Grayson Jones

A night at Grange Park Opera What a fabulous evening we had! Five girls had the opportunity to watch Pushkin performed at Grange Park Opera in July and we were amazed. The setting was perfect on a beautiful evening, the singing sublime and music powerful as we were sung the story of Pushkin which combined love, tragedy and the power of autocracy. We picnicked in the grounds and all agreed it was a wonderful experience in every way!

Mrs Karen Laurie

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Lights, camera, action – 2018 Drama AwardsOur biennial Drama Awards evening, held on 26 April, was an opportunity for everyone involved in all things theatrical at GHS to get together and celebrate another wonderful two years of creativity, talent and incredible teamwork.

For such an occasion, two former pupils attended as guests and delivered inspiring speeches. Our first speaker was Rachel Kraftman who left GHS in 2007 and who is now a successful theatre producer, working on numerous projects concurrently. Our second guest speaker was Priyanga Burford a successful actress and former Head Girl at GHS in 1990-1991. She spoke with passion about her personal epiphany whilst in the Sixth Form that resulted in her deciding to follow her love for drama and theatre which led to her present day success of being cast in the latest Star Wars film as well as appearing at the National and Globe theatres in London. The evening ended with our guest speakers presenting the numerous awards to this year’s recipients; the plentiful number of these reinforced the sheer extent of talent, commitment and hard-work that epitomises the dramatic community at Guildford High.

Ms Ashley Fenton

Drama at ghs

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SUMMER 2018

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SUMMER 2018

Lower School play: Our Day Out The Lower School students took part in the play ‘Our Day Out’ by Willy Russell; an exciting production about a comprehensive school’s misdemeanours on a school trip! With such a big cast from Years 7-9, unique stage and incredible set by the stage crew, it was set to be an amusing and heartwarming event. The atmosphere was vibrant and playful as children run wild on their outing, which the girls portray brilliantly in their acting. Well done, to all the girls that participated and a mention must also go to the Sound and Lighting Technicians, all of whom have come together to create this wonderful production.

Jemima, 9GD

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Trips at ghs

Year 7 Geography trip to the River TillingbourneThe Year 7s had a fantastic day along the River Tillingbourne, putting into practice geographical theory and skills. Students worked in small groups and using a complex array of equipment, waded into shallow water across four sites to test their aims and hypotheses. As each group grew more experienced in each practical task, it was impressive to see them working with confidence and maturity as they went about exploring river width, depth, velocity and its bed load (size and shape of sediment). There was also the opportunity for an ice cream at Shere Delights!

Mr Philip Truman

Year 7 Classics visit to St AlbansDuring Enrichment Week, Year 7 visited the archaeological remains of the Roman town of Verulamium, near St. Albans. Verulamium became one of the largest settlements in Roman Britain despite being burnt to the ground by Boudicca, queen of a native tribe, in 61 AD as she tried to resist Roman domination. We explored the theatre, which could accommodate approximately 7,000 spectators, and the hypocaust and mosaic, which formed part of the reception and meeting rooms of a large town house. Inside the museum, the girls completed an artefact handling workshop and had time to explore some of the treasures that archaeologists have unearthed during excavations in the area. In glorious sunshine, we enjoyed our lunch in the beautiful park with views over St. Albans.

Mr Andrew James

Theatre visit for Year 7On 27 June, Year 7 took a trip to the grand city of London, firstly to the National Theatre where we were all lucky enough to get an exclusive behind the scenes tour and saw a number of different sets, as well as seeing some incredible props from famous shows like War Horse! Afterwards, we headed off to the world famous theatre that is William Shakespeare’s Globe. Our tour guides showed us and explained the Globe and how Shakespeare managed to show different parts of his story, with absolutely no tech, as well as helping us understand aspects of our play. Along with absolute amazement at both theatres, there were lots of laughs and smiles throughout! We all loved it!

Willow, 7HO

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SUMMER 2018

Notre voyage en NormandieLe dimanche 27 mai, trente-neuf Year 8 et Year 9 sont allées au Château de la Baudonnière en France. Il faisait très chaud. En Normandie, nous avons fait du char à voile, de l’escalade et du canoë et le parcours de santé. Nous avons visité Le Mont Saint-Michel et le marché de Villedieu. De plus, nous avons mangé beaucoup de cuisine française (et même des escargots!). Merci beaucoup aux professeurs - c’était super!

Milly, 8HP et Ailsa, 8GB

Codebreaking trip to Bletchley ParkYear 8-10 enrichment mathematicians had a fascinating and busy trip to Bletchley Park on 11 June. The highlight of the day was a superb session on codes and ciphers, including a detailed demonstration of an Enigma machine and a chance for everyone to have a go on it, as well as cracking various other codes. We also had a guided tour of the site and time to explore some of the wartime huts, with their many interactive exhibits, on our own. The perfect maths trip!

Mrs Liz Mulgrew

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SUMMER 2018

Year 8-10 German visit to Munich On 28 May, 40 girls from Years 8-10 travelled to the beautiful German city of Munich. We explored the stadtmitte and saw the famous glockenspiel. We also visited the fairy-tale castle Neuschwanstein, and took a tour of the picturesque lake Starnberg. The annual picnic competition was particularly good fun. We played mini-golf on the site of the 1972 Olympics, and the trip to the Freizeitpark for the final day exceeded all our expectations. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Bavaria and are already looking forward to next year’s German trip.

Alice and Emily, 8SL

Year 8 Club La Santa tripOn 5 April, 37 girls and staff all set off for Lanzarote. After a four-hour flight, some waiting at Arrecife Airport, and a 30-minute bus journey, we arrived at Club La Santa Sports Complex. The weather was glorious and the pool was much appreciated after stretching and a run before breakfast every morning. We had so many activities on and all threw ourselves into Boxing, Swimming, Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP), Paddle Tennis, Body Combat, Ultimate Abs, Mountain Biking and Hula-Hooping. It was a fantastic trip but quite exhausting, as shown by Mrs Oxley who fell asleep during stretch and relax!

Charlotte, 8SL, Ayla, 8HP and Rosalie, 8SL

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SUMMER 2018

Year 9 History visit to the Somme BattlefieldYear 9 travelled to Northern France to visit the battlefields of the Somme, as part of their study of the First World War. We visited a number of important sites, including Serre and the Lochnagar mine crater, and heard some poignant stories about the soldiers who fought and were buried there. We were also able to walk through a preserved trench system and hear about the experiences of soldiers on the opening day of the battle. It was particularly moving to visit Newfoundland Memorial Park, where 780 Newfoundlanders went ‘over the top’ on the morning of 1 July 1916, but only 68 returned for roll call the following morning.

We finished the day at the imposing Memorial to the Missing at Thiepval, where we paid our respects to the fallen soldiers of the war, and laid a wreath on behalf of the staff and pupils of the school.

Mrs Katie Perrin

Cultural trip to Bath for Year 1040 girls from Year 10 enjoyed a two-day cultural trip to the beautiful city of Bath and surrounding countryside, to immerse ourselves in both the ancient and more recent history that Bath has to offer. We visited the famous Roman Baths, including an audio tour and plenty of fascinating artefacts throughout, such as the temple pediment and gorgon’s head, and some particularly nasty-sounding curse tablets. For many of the us, visiting the baths was a favourite moment of the trip, despite any swimming being prohibited! We also visited the Jane Austen Museum and the Royal Crescent’s imitation of an 18th century Georgian townhouse before heading to our accommodation at Bath University. The next day saw a visit to the American museum, with fascinating displays of colonial art and culture, as well as an informative World War I exhibit. Everyone had an excellent time, and many of us are sure to return to Bath in the future.

Emily, 10LH

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SUMMER 2018

Breaking the ice with Year 10We arrived at Reykjavik to meet our guide Pietre and headed straight to the Viking Museum. Here we learnt about the legendary Icelandic sagas and tried on some traditional Icelandic clothing. On the next day, we headed to Thingvellir National Park to explore the boundary separating two tectonic plates and walked in the beautiful Icelandic outdoors.

Later on in our trip, we visited the Geothermal Power Station, an extraordinary example of innovation, which manages to harness steam to produce all of the capitals electricity. Highly charged from this excursion, we travelled onto everyone’s bucket list location – the Blue Lagoon. We were treated to an Icelandic facemask, which (we were assured) would keep our skin looking young!

On our penultimate day, we ventured onto a glacier and wearing our snow shoes, trekked across the landscape. Standing within a volcano crater, we were all struck by the wilderness that surrounded us. This beautiful country is one that we will not forget anytime soon.

Mr Philip Truman

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SUMMER 2018

Year 10 Geography trip to SwanageSeventy Year 10 geographers travelled to the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset at the end of June to complete the fieldwork component of their IGCSE course. The girls conducted two investigations over the course of three days: they looked into patterns of environmental quality and land use in Bournemouth town centre, and measured how beach shape and pebble size change along Durdle Door beach. Under cloudless skies, the girls loved their time on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast. The opportunity to apply the theories learnt in the classroom to real world settings was enjoyable, and the abundance of ice cream shops helped to take the edge off the sweltering temperatures!

Mr James Partridge

Year 10-11 Berlin tripDuring the Easter holidays, a party of Years 10 and 11 students participated in the History visit to Berlin. We visited sites that gave an uplifting insight into German history over the past 100 years, especially the Museum of East German Life as well as those that were more sombre, such as the tour of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and the forbidding Stasi Prison. The entire visit was incredibly interesting and our guides brought iconic sites, such as the Berlin Wall and the Reichstag, to life.

Mrs Ann Minear

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SUMMER 2018

Duke of Edinburgh celebrations at Buckingham Palace On a beautiful May morning, a number of alumnae gathered in the idyllic gardens of Buckingham Palace to be presented with their Gold Duke of Edinburgh awards by Prince Andrew. This award requires a great deal of commitment and dedication and it was lovely to see the girls, who had left over the last 5 years, being rewarded for all their hard work. For those joining the Lower Sixth in September, look out for a letter from Dr Lockett with details on how you too can achieve this prestigious award.

Mr Will Saunders

Quatro Dias em LisboaPortuguese is a growing subject at GHS, with girls able to study for a GCSE in the Sixth Form alongside their A Level studies. In the Easter holidays, the Upper Sixth girls studying this subject spent four days in Lisbon. We saw the way the city had been shaped by Portugal’s global empire and the earthquake of 1755, walked the hills of Sintra and visited the seaside at Cascais. As well as having the chance to practise the language, we enjoyed glorious sunshine, high quality food and traditional music, and took every opportunity to eat a world-famous Portuguese pastry!

Mr Thomas M’Clelland

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English at ghs

Prose Fiction Festival 2018 On 13 June, a crowd gathered in the 2016 Hall to be transported on a series of adventures as told by pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9. The theme for this year’s Prose Fiction Festival was ‘Adventure’: the theme was inspired by an adventure story recently published by our Author in Residence, Natasha Farrant. The girls showed wonderful imagination, courage and skill as they read their stories to the audience. The judging was incredibly difficult and Natasha commented on how impressed she was with the girls’ work and her comments on the power and necessity of imagination will be long remembered. Congratulations to all the girls involved; may they always tell stories and imagine their way to their futures.

Miss Jemima Kettle

Year 8 Winner: Tamar

Year 8 Runner Up: Lana

Year 8 Best Speaker: Kelsie

Year 9 Winner: Ella

Year 9 Runner Up: Pippa

Year 9 Best Speaker: Jemima

Winners

Year 7 Winner: Karina

Year 7 Runner Up: Amelie

Year 7 Best Speaker: Andrea

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Upper Sixth classicist Sophia recently won the Omnibus Sam Hood Translation Prize for her elegant and stylish rendition of an extract from the Greek tragedy Antigone. The judges indicated that competition was especially tough this year and that they appreciated Sophia’s accuracy and creativity. Having received a cash prize and a book of classical poetry, Sophia’s translation was published in the latest edition of the Omnibus magazine, a biannual publication for students of Classics. Sophia has applied to study Classics at undergraduate level and recently attended Professor Mary Beard’s talk in London, ‘A life in Classics’, meeting her after the talk.

Mr Andrew James

Ἀντιγόνη

οὐ γάρ τί μοι Ζεὺς ἦν ὁ κηρύξας τάδε,οὐδ᾽ ἡ ξύνοικος τῶν κάτω θεῶν Δίκητοιούσδ᾽ ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ὥρισεν νόμους·οὐδὲ σθένειν τοσοῦτον ᾠόμην τὰ σὰκηρύγμαθ᾽ ὥστ᾽ ἄγραπτα κἀσφαλῆ θεῶννόμιμα δύνασθαι θνητά γ’ ὄνθ᾽ ὑπερδραμεῖν.οὐ γάρ τι νῦν γε κἀχθές, ἀλλ᾽ ἀεί ποτεζῇ ταῦτα, κοὐδεὶς οἶδεν ἐξ ὅτου ‘φάνη.τούτων ἐγὼ οὐκ ἔμελλον, ἀνδρὸς οὐδενὸςφρόνημα δείσασ᾽, ἐν θεοῖσι τὴν δίκηνδώσειν· θανουμένη γὰρ ἐξῄδη, τί δ᾽ οὔ;κεἰ μὴ σὺ προὐκήρυξας. εἰ δὲ τοῦ χρόνουπρόσθεν θανοῦμαι, κέρδος αὔτ᾽ ἐγὼ λέγω.ὅστις γὰρ ἐν πολλοῖσιν ὡς ἐγὼ κακοῖςζῇ, πῶς ὅδ᾽ οὐχὶ κατθανὼν κέρδος φέρει;οὕτως ἔμοιγε τοῦδε τοῦ μόρου τυχεῖνπαρ᾽ οὐδὲν ἄλγος· ἀλλ᾽ ἄν, εἰ τὸν ἐξ ἐμῆςμητρὸς θανόντ᾽ ἄθαπτον <ὀντ’> ἠνεσχόμην,κείνοις ἂν ἤλγουν· τοῖσδε δ᾽ οὐκ ἀλγύνομαι.

Antigone

But was it Zeus that commanded me thus?Or, dwelling in the depths, was it JusticeThat shackled the minds of men with these laws?Believe me, your voice is not so mightyAs to eclipse divine constitution(Those unwritten and unshakeable laws)With the arrogance of mortality.They stretch onwards into eternity,Beyond this day and that which came before,And no man can recall their inception.I did not intend to face divine wrathBreaking these sacred laws of existence,Purely out of fear of one man’s foolish pride.Death has constantly lingered on my mind –It is an inevitabilityThat prevails regardless of your decree.And yet, if I must die before my time,I declare this to be an advantage.Who does not welcome the embrace of death,If they too have suffered as I suffer?So I walk forth to greet this wretched fate,And there are no tears running down my cheeks.But if I had left my brother to rot,Unburied in death – a forgotten corpse,Then I would weep indeed. This is nothing.

GHS wins prestigious translation competition

Classics at ghs

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at ghs

Art Exhibition 2018As ever, the annual A Level and GCSE Art Exhibition was an opportunity for the Art students at GHS to celebrate their fantastic achievements and hard work. The Private View was the perfect way to close the exhibition and was bursting with friends, family and staff as the girls showed off their work with pride.

GCSE themes such as ‘Fragments’ were explored and supported by trips to museums and galleries across the country. Contextual studies of other artists’ work allowed them to appreciate the influences and inspirations that artists use to create a wide range of responses from political propaganda to personal stories.

A Level students have enriched their artistic studies with a residential trip to the St. Ives School of Drawing and weekly life drawing classes at The Royal Grammar School. Pursuing their own course of study is central to their creative journey as they have embarked on their first steps as young Artists.

The variety and quality of the work on show is outstanding and a real testament to the dedication and hard work of each and every girl. It has been a fun year with laughter and a great sense of community in the Art department. The girls have brought intellectual challenge and curiosity into every lesson and Mr Laughton and I are very proud to be their teachers.

Mrs Sue Kew

Art and Design

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SUMMER 2018

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SUMMER 2018

Design Technology and Textiles Exhibition 2018 The annual Design Technology and Textiles Exhibition was an opportunity to showcase the outstanding creative talent at Guildford High. This year the quality of work was exemplary with every product and garment being unique, innovative and inspiring.

The Private View which took place in the 2016 Hall Atrium, was an unquestionable success and a wonderful way to finish the year. It was a pleasure to see the girls’ joy and pride in explaining their outcomes to family, friends and staff. The work this year included a family games compendium which utilised the 3D printer in helping create bespoke solid brass and bronze chess pieces (Victoria), a coffee table made out of a recycled solid oak door (Camille) and an outdoor two storey bearded dragon cage, complete with sweeping curve (Scarlett).

It was the first year that work outside GCSE and A Level was exhibited due to the new Architectural Model club’s achievements this year. Extremely talented Year 8 students learnt how to use Google Sketchup in creating computer generated designs before manufacturing fantastic scale versions of a variety of buildings.

We have been impressed by the passion, enthusiasm and desire to succeed throughout the year and hope the girls are all proud of themselves.

Mr Chris McGhee

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SUMMER 2018

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Science at ghs

Success at Biology OlympiadEarlier this term, some of our girls received great news about the results of their paper entries at The British Biology Olympiad. Overall they achieved four gold certificates, two silver, six bronze and one highly commended. Not only that but two of the girls came in the top 2% of the country, with one succeeding in a further paper to enter into the International Biology Olympiad. We are extremely proud of what the girls have achieved!.

Miss Amy Dixon

Silver and Gold in Physics OlympiadsLast term a total of 45 students across Year 10 – Upper Sixth entered a variety of Physics Olympiads and Challenges and we are delighted that they all obtained certificates. Particular congratulations go to Helena for a Silver Certificate in the British Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad, Charlotte for a Silver certificate in the AS Challenge, Natasha, Harriett and Nicola who achieved Silver certificates in the Physics Challenge, and Katharine, Constance, Divya and Nicola all achieved a Gold Certificate in the Year 10 Physics Challenge. These are all phenomenal achievements; well done, girls.

Miss Kimberley Walrond

Royal Society of Chemistry Schools’ Analyst CompetitionOn 21 June, three Lower Sixth students took part in the national finals of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s School’s Analyst Competition, having won our regional heats in April. We had to complete a series of four experiments and one question booklet in a span of three hours, making sure to analyse all of our results. The theme was marine conservation and we were challenged to do a range of tasks, from measuring the concentration of iron in beach sand to calculating the specific gravity of brackish water. It was a fascinating experience to use a variety of university lab equipment, from mass spectrometers to micropipettes, and it got us thinking about what studying chemistry beyond A level would look like.

Hannah, LVIS

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Second Place in Newnham College, Cambridge, Engineering Essay CompetitionWe are delighted that Victoria was awarded second place in the Newnham College, Cambridge, Engineering Essay Competition with her fascinating essay about ‘Darktrace’ and how this innovative architecture makes use of machine learning to detect and defend against cyber security threats. Congratulations, Victoria!

Miss Kimberley Walrond

Bronze, Silver and Gold in U6 Chemistry OlympiadEarlier this year, GHS held the U6 Chemistry Olympiad first round paper, and we were delighted that a record number of our pupils entered this challenging competition. The paper required candidates to solve stimulating problems and apply their chemical understanding across a wide variety of contexts, including lithium ion batteries, enriched uranium, and cough sweets! In spite of the demanding nature of the questions, the results were outstanding with Olivia, Helen, Sophie achieving bronze certificates, Helena, Alex, Tash, Sophie, Sarah silver certificates and Julia who achieved gold. This is a really superb achievement – well done, to all involved!

Mr Will Hack

Runners-up at national CANSAT competition

On 12 April, 10 girls from the Lower Sixth and Year 11 participated in the national CANSAT competition at the University of York. They designed, built and programmed a miniature satellite that fits into a small drinks can. Thankfully months of meticulous preparation paid-off and the CANSAT operated perfectly, working as a search and rescue satellite for stranded DofE participants. After careful analysis of their data they amazed the judges with a superb presentation in typical GHS style. A split decision by the judges led to GHS being awarded runners up, only narrowly missing out on the top spot. Well done, girls; this is an outstanding achievement!

Mr Nicholas Harries

SUMMER 2018

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Politics and Debating at ghs

UN worker inspires GHS Politics studentsSahyda Darr, currently working for the Society of Friends, has previously worked for the UN and has spent time working in Afghanistan, Israel and the Palestinian regions. She gave an inspiring talk, describing her determination to start a career relating to international affairs, with a specific focus on human rights. She answered a number of questions from the floor on humanitarian intervention, including giving her own opinion on Theresa May’s controversial decision to launch air strikes on Syria in April, which was particularly challenging for someone working for the Quakers who are dedicated to pacifism.

Sophie, LVIH

Lower Sixth visit Houses of Parliament and UK Supreme CourtLower Sixth Politics students visited the Houses of Parliament and the UK Supreme Court on 18 June. This included a tour of Parliament and a Q & A session with Anne Milton, the Guildford MP, who was asked challenging questions on issues ranging from abortion to the role of the Whips in Parliament. After the tour, we had a photo taken in one of the court rooms in the Supreme Court buildings.

Mr David Cleaver

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Around SchoolGHS’ got talent!Whilst we always knew this to be true, it was amazing to see the range of gifts that the girls displayed at the GHS Talent Show. Acts included some wonderful singers, dancers, comediennes and even a rap duet featuring a camel (no, we didn’t know why either!). The show finished with the Sixth Form Rock Band performing a classic by The Who, and the whole event was great fun. It raised over £200 for charity, so a huge thank you to everyone who performed and came to support the acts.

Mr Will Saunders

Visit from last year’s leavers On 21 June the Lower Sixth were pleased to welcome a few of last year’s leavers to talk to them about their first year at different universities. Our visiting students each spoke for a few minutes to introduce themselves and their course and then there was plenty of time for informal discussion and for our current Lower Sixth to ask lots of questions and make very useful contacts. Emma Turner, who left in 2016 to study Mechanical Engineering at Aston University, also spoke to the girls about starting a placement year with Jaguar Landrover. It was great to catch up with some of our alumnae!

Dr Jane Boyd

Higher Education and Careers

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Year 7 Animazing WorkshopFrom cockroaches to owls, snakes to giant rabbits, Animazing took place again this year, with all of Year 7 getting involved throughout the day. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the experience and here are some of their comments:

“The cockroaches were so tickly and hard to hold.” Sophie, 7GH

“When I held the snake I was surprised at how smooth it felt. I thought that it would be slimy! I learnt something new!” Izzy, 7LD

“I really enjoyed getting close to animals which wouldn’t be allowed at a zoo or pet shop. The owner knew all about his animals and their facts. It was a great break from revision!” Leena, 7HO

“I loved holding the owl, it was adorable!” Sanya, 7HO

Miss Amy Dixon

SUMMER 2018

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SUMMER 2018

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TeenTech – National Final selection Five girls in Year 8 recently entered technology based innovations into the annual TeenTech Competition. The TeenTech Competition is an annual initiative run by TeenTech that challenges young people aged 11-19 to tackle key societal and environmental issues using the power of science, technology and engineering. Each year, finalists present their ideas live to a panel of judges made up of celebrities, journalists and eminent academics. We are delighted that Sofia, Ailsa and Katie were awarded Bronze certificates for their project and Milly and Madeleine were awarded Gold certificates for their projects. Milly and Madeleine have been selected for the National Finals later this year and we wish them the best of luck in presenting their ideas!

Miss Kimberley Walrond

Winners and runners up in £50 National Schools ChallengeThis year two teams from Year 9 entered the £50 National Schools Challenge run by the charity Moth in a China Shop. As part of this challenge, teams were given a £50 investment, which they had to use to develop a unique and profitable business idea, and then had to pitch to the competition organiser through a final presentation. I am pleased to announce that both teams entered were extremely successful making the final two out of a competitive ninety-one entries. Team ‘Cake Creations’ madean outstanding £497.70 in profit through their cake sales and recipe book and team ‘Pangea’ made £177.44 in profit through their eye-catching and highly original idea of home-made baths bombs.

This year’s winners were selected based on business acumen, team dynamic, commitment, enjoyment of the opportunity as well as how the team grouped together to overcome the problems they faced. Congratulations to the 2018 winners, team ‘Pangea’, and well done, to all the girls who participated in this year’s competition!

Mrs Shahenda Darwich

SUMMER 2018

Mandela’s bodyguard pays a visit to GHSLast term, we had the privilege of welcoming Chris Lubbe to GHS to speak about his harrowing experiences growing up during apartheid and then working as a bodyguard for Nelson Mandela. As part of his speech he included personal experiences, with the main message focusing on resilience and forgiveness. A particularly moving example was when Chris demonstrated unimaginable levels of forgiveness having to work alongside one of the male guards responsible for his maltreatment when incarcerated for political activism. This same guard later asked Chris to be Godfather to his son – a request Chris accepted. This was just one of many emotive and inspirational examples Chris provided in what was a truly humbling experience for all those attending. We are incredibly grateful for Chris coming to GHS to educate us about this horrifying time in South Africa’s history and Mandela’s era of reconciliation.

Millie, LVIS and Anna, LVIM

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SUMMER 2018

FoGHS newsThere is no such thing as a quiet term at GHS and this is true for FoGHS too!

We have met some lovely new girls and parents at the Junior and Senior New Girls’ Day and were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of our new parents volunteering to become class reps! The annual Year 7 bowling social with RGS and Lanesborough was a roaring success.

One of the highlights of the yearly FoGHS calendar is the Summer Fair, this year with a circus theme. All the stalls looked amazing, festive smells and sounds were everywhere, there was a fantastic community feeling, and the atmosphere was fun and relaxed. Above all the girls had a fantastic time, which is our primary aim. We even had some of our incoming Year 7 and Reception girls and parents join us for the day. Thank you to all our fantastic parents for making this a hugely successful fair!

We wish you all a relaxing, sunny summer.

Inge, Jane and the FoGHS team

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Pastoral Events“Guildford High School had a farm, E-I-E-I-O”We had our annual visit from the ‘Little Farm’ during exam week – this is fast becoming a highlight of wellbeing for both staff and pupils! The Headmistresses lawn was overtaken by cute pigs, sheep, ducklings and more – all visited and cuddled by staff and pupils alike! It is just wonderful to see so many smiles and joy.

Mrs Karen Laurie

at ghs

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SUMMER 2018

Enrichment WeekThis year’s Enrichment Week for Years 7 to 10 saw a whole range of activities taking place, both within and outside school. Team building exercises; self-defence classes; circus skills; a visit from Eagle Radio; movie making; visits to Bath, classical sites and the First World War battlefields. There was so much happening and the girls were amazing, throwing themselves into every activity with huge enthusiasm.

Mr Will Saunders

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Sport at ghs

Sports Awards 2018The annual Sports Awards, which celebrates the achievements of all our senior sports teams and individuals, was another great success with over 200 girls attending. Ex-England Cricket Captain Charlotte Edwards was our guest speaker and inspired the girls at a time when women’s sport is certainly on the rise. On the evening, 70 awards were presented with the prestigious ‘Team of the Year’ going to the U16 National Netball Team who won the Regional Title and finished 5th at the National Finals earlier in the year.

Mrs Rachel Byrne

Football

3rd Lacrose

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SUMMER 2018

1st Netball

Cricket

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U14s third at National Schools Biathlon Finals On 17 March, Guildford High travelled to Crystal Palace for the National Finals of the Schools Biathlon Championships. The U13 team of Darcy, Hebe and Madeline swam and ran well to place 6th. The talented U14s performed brilliantly with a team of Daisy, Harriet and Nicole placing 3rd. Julia and Thea were individuals in U16 and U17 respectively and both performed superbly to both place 5th. Well done, girls!

Year 7 compete in new sport – Team TriathlonGuildford High embarked on a new sport this term - Team Triathlon. Four girls made up the U13 team and competed in all three disciplines as a relay, raising money for Restless Development, an international development charity. They came 6th overall out of 27 teams and raised an incredible £1,680. What a superb effort by all and hopefully the start of more multi events!

Mrs Tara Oxley

National Sportshall CompetitionScarlett and Jola represented the Surrey U13 National Sportshall Championships. They got the team silver, Scarlett got silver in the 4x100m relay and Jola got the gold in Long Jump. Daisy Little competed in the U15 team and the team won gold with Daisy winning the long jump and relay.

Mrs Tara Oxley

SUMMER 2018

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SUMMER 2018

Superstar athletes! What a glorious summer term for weather and athletics success! GHS have won three out of the four district athletics trophies in Years 7, 9 and 10/11 teams and a record 21 girls were selected for the Inter-Counties Championships in June, many of whom have broken records. We also embarked on a mixed GHS and RGS multi team event, which was very popular and might have to be an annual fixture!

We had two National Champions at the NPSA Prep School Finals in Birmingham. Darcy won the High Jump with a new personal best of 1.50m and Katie not only won the 800m but broke the championship record in 2.20min. Also on the podium were Jola 2nd in Triple Jump, Lucy 3rd in Javelin and Zoe 3rd in Hurdles, all setting new PBs.

The athletics season was finished off in style with both the junior and inter ESAA Track and Field teams travelling to Newcastle to compete in National Finals. All athletes performed steadily throughout the day with the inter team finishing in 5th place and the junior team finished in 4th place. To achieve such standings nationally in Athletics is truly outstanding; well done, to all girls involved!

Mrs Tara Oxley

Katie competed in the National Finals, managing to break the 800m junior record which had previously stood for 15 years! Well done, Katie!

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Dance team commended at Make Your Move CompetitionOn 21 April, 17 girls took part in the Red Cross: Dance Make Your Move competition at Alleyn’s School. They performed a really moving piece of dance about the Royhingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh, choreographed expertly by Sophie Leake in Upper Sixth. The girls were awarded with a special commendation for Best Dance Technique and were also commended for raising over £500 for the Red Cross Charity. Well done, girls!

Miss Kimberley Walrond

Girls placed in top 10 nationally at Equestrian Championships The National Schools’ Equestrian Association (NSEA) County Championships were held at Bury Farm in Hertfordshire on 20-22 April. The best dressage rider and fastest show jumper from each county in the UK qualified to take part. Olivia from Year 7 represented Surrey in dressage and Livi from Year 10 represented Surrey in the 90cm and 100cm show jumping.

In dressage Olivia placed 4th overall. In the show jumping, Livi’s pony George did very well to complete all four rounds including the final round featuring many challenging fences at 110cm. Livi came 5th (90cm) and 10th (100cm).

The competition was very fierce and both girls did very well placing in the top 10 nationally!

Mrs Tara Oxley

SUMMER 2018

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SUMMER 2018

Two Golds, a Silver and Bronze at the British Schools Team Fencing National ChampionshipsThe British Schools Team Fencing National Championships requires groups to compete against each other in a series of individual matches to reach an aggregate total. It can’t be won by a single individual, but requires the team to use tactics and to play off each others’ strengths. Each team member fights all opposition team members in a gruelling round robin. It makes for a marathon day with far more fights than a normal individual competition. This year GHS entered two teams. Year 10s Emma, Imogen and Imogen, and Year 9s Georgia, Eva and Lara, both competing in the U15 age group. Both teams also competed with two different weapons, Foil and Epee.

The result was a great one for GHS with the Year 10s pulling in the gold and the Year 9s earning the bronze in the Foil event. Year 10s just pipped the Year 9s to the gold in the Epee matches. An end result of two golds, a silver and a bronze at the national championships is a fantastic result for GHS and bodes well for continuing our proud fencing tradition.

Mrs Catherine Gilmore

Cranleigh Golf TournamentOn 11 May, Claudia and Josephine represented GHS at the annual Cranleigh Golf Tournament. Claudia played a very consistent round, winning the individual first place prize in the U15 age group category, whilst Josephine finished in a very creditable fifth place in the U13 competition. Congratulations to both girls!

Mrs Louise Stone

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Cricket on the rise at GHSThe thwack of leather on willow, the gentle ripple of applause and the smell of freshly cut grass is now a frequent experience on a summer’s evening, as Guildford High gradually locks itself into an ever-closer embrace with our nation’s favourite summer game. As well as attending weekly training sessions, nearly 50 girls in Year 7-10 have represented the school at cricket so far this term, the majority of those playing the sport for the first time. There are also some more experienced cricketers, especially in Year 7, so we look forward to them blazing a cricketing trail in years to come!

The Under 13 team, comprised almost entirely of girls in Year 7 and captained by Mia, played three matches before half-term, going down in close matches against a very strong George Abbot side and Salesian College and recording a historic first victory in the local derby against Tormead. Then after half-term, three teams of girls in Years 7 and 8 travelled to Prior’s Field. Those lucky few in attendance witnessed three nerve-shredding and nail-biting finishes. In the final analysis, Prior’s Field won two matches – by one run and three runs – and GHS won the other by three runs. It was a lovely occasion and fantastic to see so many girls so new to the game acquitting themselves so well by showing such determination and sportsmanship.

The Under 15 team, split fairly evenly between Years 9 and 10, have played three matches to date. We currently boast a certain kind of 100% record, but that will surely change when the girls play the staff. The progress made throughout the three matches, as well as the enjoyment

and togetherness of the girls, has been a pleasure to witness. Katie with the bat and Ella with the ball have been outstanding, despite neither having played any competitive cricket previously, and everyone has contributed at various times and shown real promise.

Thank you to all cricketers at the school for their commitment and for making the season so enjoyable. Thank you also to Mr Partridge and Miss Hoffman for helping with practice sessions.

Mr Duncan Peel

SUMMER 2018

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SUMMER 2018

Tennis titles galore during successful season 2018 has seen the busiest season on the tennis court to date as GHS entered over double the number of competitions as last year!

In most age groups over 24 girls have represented GHS in inter-schools matches. As well as a wealth of friendly matches, many more have enjoyed recreational hitting during lunchtimes and League teams have enjoyed many highly competitive doubles matches. With the injection of some superb junior players (Becky and Nora) into the school to combine with the experience and talent of Lucy and Jorja, GHS has taken further tournaments by storm, proving to be a dominant force within Surrey! With the help of Sathya and Georgia, GHS won the Year 7/8 Aegon League and proved impressive at the ISTA tournament.

Thank you to all girls who have played tennis this season and particularly to Isobel for her contribution to over the last seven years. I am looking forward to the 2019 season already which kick starts with GHS’ first Tennis Tour to Portugal.

Miss Catriona Coutts-Wood

Branston Shield: Runners Up

Aberdare Cup: Semi Finalisits

U12 League Team: County Champions

U14 League Team: 3rd place

U12 Surrey Festival: Winners

PGS Tournament: Winners

Cranleigh Festival: Semi-Finalists

Year 7/8 Aegon League: Winners

ISTA:U13 Quarter Finalists

Tournaments played

Nora is currently ranked No 2 in the UK at 12U and No 59 at 14U; she is also ranked No1 in Surrey and No1 in the South East at 12U. We will be watching your tennis progress with anticipation, Jorja also continues to make progress on the tennis scene having recently played in the Scottish Nationals and in the Nationals 14U tournament in Nottingham. Well done, Jorja!

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Senior Sports Day 2018

SUMMER 2018

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SUMMER 2018

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GHS sporting secrets School Sport Magazine has named Guildford High as “the most successful sporting girls’ school in the country”. Having been in the top four of School Sport Magazine’s exclusive top 100 sports schools for five consecutive years, this season’s issue (Issue 70) celebrates our success with a four-page spread dedicated to Sport at GHS.

The article covers GHS’s national titles and leading placements in a range of sports from Netball, Athletics, Swimming and Lacrosse and goes on to say “this only tells half the story of Guildford High.”

Mrs Louise Stone, our Executive Director of Sport, has been with GHS for 21 years and has recently been awarded an MBE for her service to Education. When interviewed by School Sport Magazine on what she feels most proud of, she said:

“We all know how important it is for pupils to feel recognised and valued in a school community and success in sport can have a tremendous impact on a young individual’s personal confidence and self-esteem. What we have learned is that success does not always come easily and often takes years of hard work; there is no doubt that the time and effort we have taken to develop the competitive structure of our minor sports, has enabled many more girls of different interests and talents to reach their full potential.”

We are proud that School Sport Magazine have published this feature on sport at Guildford High. To find out more about School Sport Magazine and to read the full article, visit the School Sport Magazine website.

Mrs Fiona Boulton

SUMMER 2018

Individual achievementsBouldering

Issy competed at the British Bouldering Championships held in Sheffield on the 7 & 8 July. She qualified in 5th place for the semi-finals in her first Senior British Bouldering Championships and finished 12th overall. A great achievement Issy!

Archery

Louisa debuted for the GBR Senior Archery Team, at the Shanghai and Antalya legs of the Archery World Cup in April and May this year; she was joined by ex-pupil and sister Nell who also debuted for the GBR Senior Team at the same events. Currently ranked No 2 Senior UK woman, Louisa places 194th in the world despite being one of the youngest archers on the international senior circuit. Both girls are members of the five strong GBR Olympic National Women’s Squad, which hope to secure Tokyo Olympic quota places for GBR at the World Championships next year.

© PA images

SUMMER 2018

47© School Sport Magazine

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