2014/15 - wycliffe college, gloucestershire · pdf filethe first time we met. ... is the most...

156
2014/15

Upload: nguyenhuong

Post on 29-Mar-2018

214 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

2014/15

Page 2: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

Welcome

Page 3: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

4/11

12/44

45/63

64/76

77/107

108/1113

114/119

120/126

127/134

135/152

153/154

Speech Day

Community

Houses

Trips & Expeditions

Sport

CCF

Music & Drama

Art & Design Technology

Awards

Old Wycliffians

Wycliffe College Foundation

Page 4: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN1Extracts from the Head’s speech

Thank you Robin for your most kind comments about my time as head of Wycliffe College. I will always smile when I remember the first time we met. I stupidly attempted to help out by making you and your lovely wife, Celia, a cup of coffee of my accustomed nuclear strength and ended up nearly killing you both.Thank you very much for being such a wise, caring and effective Chairman.

I would also like to take this opportunity

to thank our hardworking and totally

committed Trustees whose roles have

increased in complexity and responsibility

since I first took on the Headship. You

freely give of your own valuable time

and expertise to ensure Wycliffe has the

highest standards and a bright future. I

would also like to thank Paul Etheridge

who is President of the Council of

Trustees for giving me the opportunity

to take on this role. I was and frankly

still am surprised that you ever gave me

the job! I imagine that not only was the

thought of appointing the first female

Head of Wycliffe seen as a bit of a risk

at the time but given the fact that I am

sure I failed my numerical reasoning

recruitment test (but everyone was too

gentlemanly to tell me) makes it even

more of a wonder that I stand before you

today.

I remember so well the first time I

was called upon to make this speech all

these years ago. Staff seemed to be really

interested in my speech and in particular

how long it might be; at first I was rather

touched by this but soon I realised that

the length of my speech was the subject

of the staff sweepstake.

Ten years ago I nervously began my

speech and tried extremely hard to be the

model of a serious headmistress and to

say all the standard things that I thought

were expected. Looking back I have to

tell you that my speech was pretty dire -

worthy but dire. Not that I can promise

you a masterclass in oratory today.

However what I do hope to convey to you

is the most important lesson I believe I

have learnt during my time at Wycliffe,

and that is the importance of being true

to yourself and having the confidence to

hold dear to what matters most to you.

This is something that I would like all our

pupils to treasure as they continue their

education here or like me leave to enjoy

new challenges.

Taking on the leadership of this

school was not easy at what was a

difficult time and it wasn’t only me that

was lacking in confidence; the whole

school community was suffering from

a serious inferiority complex. We spent

a great deal of our time comparing

ourselves unfavourably with other schools

and we were extremely diffident about

what we stood for.

I am glad to say that this has

changed. We have all worked extremely

hard as a community to shape our niche

and be secure in what we offer, which

is to be forward-thinking whilst at the

same time staying true to the original

values of our founder GW Sibly and his

son,WA Sibly or WAS as he was known.

I would love to have matched him in his

renowned eccentricity. I gather that my

general untidiness may well equal his,

although I never resorted to putting my

files under assorted rugs on the floor!

I believe WAS expressed the true

spirit of Wycliffe better than I ever could

when he wrote:

‘No small part of the Mission of this

school is to cherish its individuality,

its liberty to experiment and even

its eccentricities. It is our faith that

sunshine and morality, energy and

serenity, friendship and reverence,

truth and liberty can best go hand in

hand, and that only when they do so

are each and all truly safe’.

comments about my time as head of Wycliffe College. I will always smile when I remember the first time we met. I stupidly attempted to help out by making you and your lovely wife, Celia, a cup of coffee of my accustomed nuclear strength and ended up nearly killing you both.Thank you very much for being such a wise, caring and effective Chairman.

Page 5: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

4

5

SPEE

CH

DAY

The world has of course changed

beyond all recognition since these sterling

words were written but surely this is still

central to Wycliffe’s mission today. This

is not a one-size-fits-all school. Each and

every pupil has their role to play in this

community whatever their individual

talents and indeed shortcomings. Pupils’

strengths are nurtured for themselves

and for the benefit of others. One of my

abiding memories will be the marvellous

house competitions which bring out the

very best in every single person whether

they are leading with talent or just being

part of the whole thing despite the fact

that they are tone deaf or can’t act for

toffee. The sheer exhilaration of those

shared performances is based on so much

hard work and a real commitment to

giving of a collective best.

By simply sharing a room or forming

a bond in a sports team or singing

together in Chapel, all of our pupils,

both UK and international, experience

and understand what it means to belong;

working together towards a common goal

such as a House competition, a Duke of

Edinburgh or CCF expedition or taking

part in Young Enterprise is essential for

the future success of our young people.

Teamworking, tolerance and breadth of

experience is essential for what lies ahead.

There is no such thing as a typical

Wycliffian but what they do share is

a loyalty to the values we and you as

parents have done our best to instil

in them; a quiet confidence, care for

others and a commitment to making a

difference.

Over the last few weeks I have

been privileged to attend so many

celebratory events – the sports dinners,

the Sixth Form musicians dinner, the

CCF dinner, the House film competition

to name but a few. It certainly has done

absolutely nothing for my waistline but

it has reaffirmed for me the importance

of providing such a wide range of

opportunity for pupils to shine, and shine

they do.

Being Head has given me the

opportunity to take part in so many of

these special and most memorable events.

A particular highlight has been taking

part in the school play ( I use the term

loosely). I have loved making a bit of an

idiot of myself on stage over the years; I

will always be grateful to those staff who

allowed me to join in, especially

Mr & Mrs Golightly who I am sure will

be greatly relieved that they will no longer

have me take part after about 10 minutes

of rehearsal. Who will play the old lady in

a shawl next year I wonder?

I would also like to thank all the

pupils over the years who valiantly helped

me to appear on stage roughly on cue

and who often had to take their cue from

my half-remembered lines. A particular

favourite for me was when the Year 9 girls

volunteered to do my make-up. I was

cheerfully surrounded by very giggly but

keen ‘artistes’ who made me look like a

panda!

Thank you pupils for letting me

share your enjoyment and fun.

Page 6: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Extracts from the Head’s speech cont’d

a very bright Year 9 lad which meant I

had to be in the top sets for his lessons.

As you have already no doubt gathered,

maths is not a particular strength of mine

so the thought of even sitting in on a

Year 9 maths class filled me with some

trepidation. To add to the fun of the

lesson, it was duly arranged that Mr Scott

(for it was he who had to welcome me to

his class) would ask me a few questions

for which the pre-arranged answer would

always be 1,000. Things went badly

wrong when we got out of sync and I

answered 1,000 when in fact the answer

was one! I was happily rumbled much to

the amusement of my fellow pupils.

Thanks too must go in particular

to my leadership team who have worked

so hard to move Wycliffe forward. Thank

you for your companionship, your

camaraderie and your commitment. Today

we mark the departure of teachers who

will be sadly missed. We say goodbye and

heartfelt thanks to Mrs Williams and

Mr Hardaker for the huge contribution

they have made to Wycliffe over the years.

We also bid a sad farewell to Mrs Wentzel

whose enthusiasm and brownies have

sustained us all. Our gratitude also goes

to Mr Callister who was an excellent

Head of Lower School, Mrs Imrie, Mrs

Sampson, Mr Ellis, and Mr Edgecumbe. I

would also like to thank Mrs Trainor for

her excellent stewardship of Haywardsend

House. You all take with you our thanks

for all you have done to shape the lives of

so many pupils.

I hope you will indulge me when I

make particular mention of three women

who helped me enormously throughout

my time here. In my marvellous portrait

I would like you to note three significant

references; the chair I am sitting in

was upholstered for me by Rebecca

Whitworth, my first PA who supported

me through the tough early days of my

Headship, the beautifully painted scarf

I am wearing was given to me by Liz

Buckley who has been an incredibly

supportive colleague through many a

crisis, and finally the pearl brooch on my

lapel was a gift from my ever patient and

deeply caring PA, Carol Philp, whose

dubious pleasure it has been to try and

keep track of my world. Thank you to

all three of you and again my heartfelt

thanks go to all of the Wycliffe staff.

Looking to next year, I know that

Mr Gregory is very fortunate in having

such a strong and united team to support

him in his first year. It has been a true

pleasure to get to know him, albeit

briefly. He is a most committed and

caring man. I am confident that under

his leadership Wycliffe will go on from

strength to strength.

My thoughts now turn to the pupils

who are leaving us today, some after

many years in our midst. Five years ago

a new group of little fresh-faced Year 9s

made their nervous appearance and I

have watched their progress through all

their ups and downs. Year 13, you have

all been a great group with many talents.

You have led the school and all its events

with real commitment. You have all had

individual success and have given back

a great deal this year in the example you

have set.

It is clear that your sense of

belonging has been central to your

Wycliffe experience.

My sincere thanks go first to Anna

Fishwick who has led the School so well

and who galvanised the senior leaders in

It is to our staff that I now turn.

The whole team, both teaching

and support staff, work extremely hard

to provide so much for our young

people. You work tirelessly to provide

opportunities for the learning and

development of those in your care; you

are always prepared to go that extra

mile for pupils in so many ways. You are

also totally committed to preparing our

pupils for the uncertain and changeable

world they will inhabit and to giving

our pupils every opportunity to explore

their individual talents whilst supporting

those undergoing increasing academic

pressures.

The genuine care and time given

to our pupils is of course shared by the

whole community of loyal and relatively

unsung support staff whose loyalty,

dedication and generosity of spirit I

have greatly appreciated. I will miss

filing Autumn Term invoices with the

Finance team accompanied by mince

pies and failing lamentably to fold letters

properly when lending an inept hand

to the secretarial team.You have been

marvellously supportive of me and my

eccentricities.

I would particularly like to thank

those members of staff who were imposed

upon by having me in their houses and

classes when I swapped with a pupil

for the day, another of my Wycliffe

highlights. The prospect of having me

around as a pupil must have been a little

daunting. The first time I swapped with

1

Page 7: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

6

7

the College to raise the impressive sum

of over £2,000 for the Elms Care Home

through an amazing range of activities.

To my great surprise and joy, you also

organised the most marvellous surprise

for me. When I walked into my study it

was festooned with hundreds of lovely

post-it messages from so many pupils.

Thank you so much to everyone for this

brilliant prank, which I will never forget.

Anna, you have led by example

in showing an overriding commitment

to achieving the best that you can be

whilst showing real dedication to others

and to Wycliffe. Equally, Lara Bathurst

and Toben Ronald you have been the

most able of Deputies. It has been a real

privilege to work with you. My special

thanks also go to the Senior Prefects who

have done sterling work all year.

You have led all our prefects who

have been an excellent and exemplary

team. Our Heads of Houses have also

worked very hard to make the House

events such fun.

I know Mr Gregory is very much

looking forward to working with his new

Head of School, Tom O’Driscoll and his

two excellent deputies Amelia Henley

and Jack Evans and the rest of the senior

leaders who I have no doubt will rise to

the challenges of continuing to embody

all of the values we hold dear.

To Year 13 and indeed every pupil

gathered here today, I would urge you to

be bold and loyal, to always be true to

yourselves and to have faith in your own

abilities. I will always want to have news

of you and all of us who have invested so

much care and commitment will want to

know that you are happy and successful.

I hope everyone will join me for the

Leavers’ Service - a very touching and

important celebration of our community

and an opportunity for the whole school

to say their goodbyes. I will do my best

not to cry! But if true to past form I

probably won’t last much longer than the

first hymn.

I would also like to bid a fond

farewell to our parents. I hope you feel

our work together has been a fruitful

partnership. I thank you for all your

support and the faith you placed in us to

do the very best for your children.

As for me next year, when I am not

scaring the socks off other independent

schools in my role of Reporting Inspector,

I will be walking in the High Peaks in

Derbyshire and travelling the world. I am

very excited about the next stage of my

life but I will take with me many superb

memories.

Before I finish I would like to

mention my bursary fund, my legacy

to Wycliffe, which I hope will enable

a worthy pupil to join this community

and to benefit from its atmosphere and

aspirations. It would mean a great deal to

me if we were to reach the target.

Finally, I would like to thank

you all for your support of the college

and of me personally. I feel immensely

privileged and hugely grateful to have

been given the opportunity to lead this

wonderful college over the last ten years.

It only remains for me to wish the whole

community every success in the future.

Wycliffe is a truly amazing school and

long may it flourish!

SPEE

CH

DAYTHE WYCLIFFIAN

Page 8: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

my things, my mum trying to conceal

that she was as nervous as I, and after a

prolonged goodbye hug, I waved them

off standing on the doorstep bawling

my eyes out. Mum had promised to call

me as soon as they had arrived back.

However, I never did answer that call as

by then, I was already too preoccupied

with my newfound friends, homesickness

already a distant memory. I never will

be able to thank the people I met that

first day enough, who, to this day, seven

years later, I am still lucky enough to call

my best friends and despite their moving

schools, I know we will be friends for life.

This is true for all of the friends I

have made here at Wycliffe. I would like

to take this opportunity to thank firstly

all of the class of 2015 who have made

our years together the unforgettable

experience it was. Our successors

definitely have a lot to live up to. More

specifically however, I want to thank my

closest friends - I won’t mention all of

your names, despite your asking for a

‘shoutout’, but you know who you are.

You have supported me throughout my

various shenanigans over the years and

have always been there for me, no matter

what. Excuse the cliché, but you have

become family to me and family can never

be broken. Thank you for everything.

School years are turbulent and

often difficult as we begin to define

ourselves as individuals. This, combined

with the stress of studies and of all the

extraordinary amount of extracurricular

activities that occur here at Wycliffe, can

make our school lives occasionally, very

difficult. We are often told that ‘School

years are the best years of our lives’, and

honestly, this can be very hard to believe

sometimes, especially when you have a

Saturday away match in Wales and six

preps due Monday, or when you’re late

back to House again, only to be greeted

with another gating card. Trust me, we’ve

all been there. But what I say to that, is

that they are just small flecks in the great

big picture of school life – growing up

would not be the same without these

little bumps in the road. I’ve had my fair

share. The admission process to study

medicine was both grueling and at times,

disappointing and it was often hard to see

the light at the end of it. It is easy during

times like this, to wish the time away and

look towards the end of your A levels

or GCSEs and ultimately, to the end of

school. However, I urge you not to view

your time at school this way. Instead,

embrace each moment, even when school

can seem monotonous or tedious. I am

sure all of my fellow leavers will agree as

we stand here today, looking back over

our careers as Wycliffians, that while it is

done with pride and contentment there

is an overwhelming sense of sadness

and nostalgia as we know we will never

again bear witness to these little aspects

of Wycliffe life, which at the time seemed

laborious, now seem so rich.

It is impossible not to look over

our time as Wycliffians fondly, as our

I arrived at Wycliffe aged 11 as a full-time

boarder, having previously gone to school

in Saudi Arabia my entire life. To mentally

prepare myself for this transition, I spent

the summer reading Enid Blyton’s ‘The

Twins of St. Clares’, due to some very

misinformed advice from my mum, in a

somewhat misguided attempt to try to

understand what I should expect from an

‘English Boarding School’. When I arrived

however, to my surprise, which now,

looking back in hindsight should have

been no shock, I found that Wycliffe was

nothing like the boarding experience I

had imagined. I suspect this was primarily

down to three reasons: the first one being

that Enid Blyton book, as I so cruelly

discovered, are not factual and it is no

longer in fashion to have midnight feasts

with the other 40 girls in your ‘dormie’.

In fact, there are no longer dormitories

of 40 and it is somewhat uncool to call it

a ‘dormie’ anyway. This leads me to my

second point: ‘The Twins at St. Clares’

is very outdated. However, the third and

final point is probably the most true of

them all and it is this: Wycliffe is not a

regular ‘English Boarding School’- and

I am sure that it is this that made what

can be such a frightening transition from

living at home to becoming a full-time

boarder in a different continent, so

smooth and enjoyable and ultimately

what has made my time at Wycliffe, so

genuinely filled with happiness.

I remember my arrival here vividly.

I had spent the car journey crying,

absolutely terrified about what lay ahead

of me. My parents helped me to unpack

Speech Day 2015 by Head of School, Anna Fishwick (Year 13)

1

my things, my mum trying to conceal

I would like to start this speech by expressing how incredibly grateful I am that I have had the opportunity to deliver it.

Page 9: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

8

9

SPEE

CH

DAY

education here stemmed so much farther

than what we read in our textbooks and

what we were taught in the classroom.

However, Wycliffe now has no more to

teach us. We have been prepped and

groomed as much as we could be and

now as leavers today, we prepare to

take our first steps from the sheltered

Wycliffe bubble into the real world.

While probably the majority of us leavers,

admittedly myself included, may leave

here today totally inept domestically, I am

sure that come university or wherever we

go from here, we will be living off baked

beans and toast for the next year or so,

we have been so thoroughly prepared

as individuals. The outstanding element

of a Wycliffe education, in my opinion,

is the support you are given to flourish

as an individual. We have been so lucky

here that being unique is celebrated and

ultimately this is what will provide the

foundations for the next chapter of our

lives and allow us to find happiness.

It is difficult to express in words

why Wycliffe is different – it just is. The

atmosphere is one of friendliness and

acceptance throughout both staff and

pupils alike. The key to this aura that

Wycliffe presents, I’m sure, lies within the

ethos of the place, summed up perfectly

by G.W. Sibly in his ‘Twelve Rules of

Life’. However, during my lifetime as a

Wycliffian, it has become clear that it

would be impossible to argue against the

idea that Mrs Burnet Ward has had an

immense influence on the school and its

charming character. I would like to extend

my thanks to a few more people that

have helped to shape my life at Wycliffe,

starting with all of the teachers and staff

of the College. Your dedication does not

go amiss and we, as the student body,

are incredibly grateful. I would like to

say a special thanks to all of the teachers

that have had to put up with me over the

years, in particular those who have taught

me at A level, who have encouraged and

supported me throughout a hectic period.

I would like to say a huge thank you to

Dr Rose and Mrs Williams for helping

me with my medical application and who

managed to prevent me from having a

heart attack despite my submission of the

final form to UCAS just hours before the

deadline and again to Dr Rose, who then

reversed my cardiac health by fuelling

my caffeine addiction during my A level

revision. To Mrs Russell, who has been a

guide and mentor from the moment we

arrived at Wycliffe together. To Mrs KC,

my housemistress of four years, who not

only has provided me with invaluable

advice, but who has also become a

great friend. To Lara and Toben, my two

deputies, thank you for your support

and advice thoughout the year, without

you both, my job would have been

impossible. Thank you to the prefect

team, for being such great friends as well

as for supporting me throughout the

vast expanse of charity work I somewhat

foolishly decided to take on, especially to

those who took part in the running and

rowing relay – without you we wouldn’t

have raised the amount we did for such

a worthy cause. Finally, thank you to my

wonderful parents, who have had to put

up with seven years of wobbly phone

calls and birthday cards which somehow

are still ‘lost in the post’.

Wycliffe will be a very different

place as of next year. The new Year 10s

will become insufferable as they move up

from the bottom of the school and try to

assert their authority over the new gaggle

of Year 9s that arrive in ill fitting uniform.

Year 11s will become Sixth Form and

as for the Year 12s: enjoy your much-

deserved time as top of the school – I

know we did. I would like to extend my

congratulations again to the new prefect

team and in particular Tom O’Driscoll,

Amelia Henley and Jack Evans, who are

our new Head and Deputies of school

respectively – your appointment is proof

of your great characters and I know that

you will do a tremendous job. Just please

don’t do so well that you make us look

bad! Of course, I would like to say a huge

good luck to Mr Gregory, Mrs Burnet

Ward’s successor. While you stand in

the shadow of an amazing woman and

headmistress, I have no doubt that you

too will be outstanding, just as we have

grown accustomed to.

As of tomorrow, us leavers are no

longer students, but instead, become Old

Wycliffians, which is a difficult concept

to take in. By now, if I have managed to

go through this entire speech without

crying, it is a huge achievement for me,

as those of you who know me well, will

know that I can occasionally be quite

emotional, to put it lightly. In fact, it will

be a relief to move on to a place where

I am no longer known as the girl who

cried at the Simpson’s Movie. However,

I think that we can all be very proud to

have survived the tumultuous year that

was A2s and the entirety of school to

have successfully made it out the other

side. While we mourn what is truly the

end of our childhood and look back with

nostalgia over our time here, let’s also

remember to celebrate the wonderful

memories we have shared together. It will

indeed be a bittersweet day. However,

I would like to finish my speech with a

quote from who I believe to be one of the

greatest minds of our time. It is of course,

Dr. Seuss, who wrote: ‘don’t cry because

it’s over, smile because it happened’.

Page 10: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Prizes for Speech Day 2015

SUBJECT PRIZES

ART Eva Yan

BIOLOGY Francesca Robinson

BTEC HOSPITALITY Risa Miyajima

BTEC SPORT James Garrett

BUSINESS STUDIES Linara Gaisina

CHEMISTRY Oliver Lovejoy

CREATIVE WRITING Christopher Clough

DESGIN & TECHNOLOGY James Garrett

ECONOMICS Julija Laksa

ENGLISH Francesca Robinson

FILM STUDIES Linara Gaisina

FRENCH Rohan Easby

FURTHER MATHEMATICS Jerry Huang

GEOGRAPHY Toben Ronald

GERMAN Clara Immink

HISTORY Elise Clements

ICT Subash Ale

JAPANESE Jane Liu

MATHEMATICS Julija Laksa

MEDIA STUDIES Linara Gaisina

MUSIC Abigail Covill

MUSIC TECHNOLOGY Cameron Brooks

PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS Emma Bastin

PHYSICS Andy Wu

PHYSICAL EDUCATION Anna Morgan

PSYCHOLOGY Cressida Wyer

SOCIOLOGY Julija Laksa

SPANISH Cameron Brooks

THEATRE STUDIES Joseph Oliver

FORM PRIZE

YEAR 9 Lowri Clarke, Ella Kitching, Iona

Lundie, Isabella Naish,

Rebecca Taphouse

YEAR 10 Alice Dean, Evgenia Gencheva,

Isabella Menendez, Thomas Parker

YEAR 11 Frances Friend, Max Glyn,

James Leach

DEVELOPMENT YEAR Vsevolod Bilous, Ivan Krakhotkin

ACADEMIC COMMENDATION

YEAR 9 Lowri Clarke, Iona Lundie,

Ella Kitching, Isabella Naish,

Katie Cruickshank, Lauren Turbott

YEAR 10 Holly Bankes, Chloe Bayliss,

Alexandra Bolton,

Janouk Brynjarsdottir, Alice Dean,

Evgenia Gencheva, Erin Lavender,

Annie Rees, Thomas Parker

YEAR 11 Zoe Davison, Lucy Parker,

Jessica Randall, Summer Turner,

James Leach, Frances Friend

DEVELOPMENT YEAR Kirill Filatov, Polina Jelanskaja, Maria

Pucci, Vsevolod Bilous,

Ivan Krakhotkin

YEAR 12 Kate Hampson, Markus-Christian

Lohmeyer, Thomas O'Driscoll,

Mi Wang, Amelia Henley

YEAR 13 Emma Bastin, Cameron Brooks,

Anna Fishwick, Julija Laksa, Risa

Miyajima, Francesca Robinson,

Zhenwei Xiao, Linara Gaisina

THE WYCLIFFE SPECIAL AWARDS

THE MORSE EVANS CUP FOR MUSIC Risa Miyajima

JONATHAN BAILEY MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR MUSIC Louise Elliott

MJ SQUANCE PRIZE FOR SCIENCE Anna Fishwick

STUART RENNIE MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR POLITICS Rachel Ibanga

PJS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PROGRESS IN SCIENCE Robert Allman-Carter

DJ AMIES AWARD FOR APPLIED SCIENCE James Whitaker

LEWIS PRIZE FOR CRAFTMANSHIP Thomas Yeung

HADLER PRIZE FOR IT PROGRAMMING Geroge Hartson

P D JONES MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR EFFORT Clara Immink

CARTER PRIZES FOR ENGLISH Cressida Wyer, Lara Bathurst

SIBLY ENGLISH AWARD – YEAR 9 Iona Lundie

SIBLY ENGLISH AWARD – YEAR 10 Evgenia Gencheva

SIBLY ENGLISH AWARD – YEAR 11 Isobel Garbett

BATHGATE PRIZE FOR LANGUAGES Arturs Rakovskis

MORSE EVANS AWARD FOR CONSIDERATION Ramazan Samat

CHRIS VAUX TROPHY FOR ALL-ROUND CONTRIBUTION Subash Ale

ARMY PRIZE FOR LEADERSHIP Alexander Gilchrist

ROBERT PURVIS CUP FOR CCF ACHIEVEMENT Emma Bastin

THE OLD WYCLIFFIAN LODGE PRIZE FOR SERVICE George Turner

THE QUEEN ELIZABETH AND QUEEN MOTHER AWARD FOR GREAT STRIDES IN PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Sophie Caesar

1

Page 11: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

10

11

SPEE

CH

DAY

PRIZES FOR EXCELLENCE AT GCSE 2014

Sebastian Abbott, Amy Bromley, Jeffrey Chan, Reagan Gettel, Kate Hampson, Matthew Lee, Illya Nuzbrokh, Thomas O’Driscoll

OTHER AWARDS

PASS CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION Angus Allen

PASS READING COMPETITION Noah Murray

DRAMA (BACKSTAGE) George Turner

DRAMA (FRONTSTAGE) Arturs Rakovskis, Sophie Caesar

MARGIE BURNET WARD ART PRIZE Jessica Randall

CHAPEL PRIZE Lucy Parker

MATHS DEPARTMENT PRIZE FOR INTELLECTUAL ENQUIRY Robert Allman-Carter

THE BUCKLEY AWARD FOR RESILIENCE Oliver Lovejoy

THE FAWCUS CUP FOR BEING AN OUTSTANDING WYCLIFFIAN Anna Fishwick

SPORTS AWARDS

CLAUDE REDDY CUP FOR ATHLETICS Zoe Davison

JOHN CAMM CUPS FOR SPORT IMPROVEMENT Oliver Lovejoy, Clara Immink

CUP FOR SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR Noah Cooper Llanes

SALVER FOR SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR Lara Bathurst

ELIZABETH WOODS UNSUNG HERO GIRLS HOCKEY AWARD Georgina Downton

JAMES DROVER BAILEY PRIZE FOR CRICKET Noah Cooper Llanes

BEN GANNON BOWLING AWARD Chad Trainor

STUDENT OFFICER AWARDS 2014 - 2015

HEAD OF COLLINGWOOD HOUSE Alexander Gilchrist & Ellie Roberts

HEAD OF HAYWARDSEND Elise Clements & Elisabeth Puig

HEAD OF HAYWARDSFIELD Nicholas Brown & Jasper Meehan

HEAD OF IVY GROVE Emma Bastin

HEAD OF LAMPETER HOUSE Eleanor Carr & Amanda Khatri

HEAD OF LOOSLEY HALLS Henry Ford & Anna Morgan

HEAD OF ROBINSON HOUSE Peter Carr & George Turner

HEAD OF WARD’S HOUSE Subash Ale & Alexander Schranz

DEPUTY HEADS OF SCHOOL Lara Bathurst & Toben Ronald

HEAD OF SCHOOL Anna Fishwick

Page 12: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Community

Page 13: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

12

13

CO

MM

UN

ITY

Toben’s Gold

Hundreds of young achievers from across

the UK had a date in the prestigious

setting of The Palace of Holyroodhouse on

July 2nd, including Toben Ronald.

Toben, Year 13 achieved his Gold

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. He travelled

to Holyroodhouse to receive his certificate

from the DofE’s Patron and Founder –

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

The Gold Award Presentation (GAP)

was a celebration and recognition of

Toben’s achievements in completing his

Gold DofE programme. The GAP is a

unique event and a fitting culmination to

mark the hard work, determination and

perseverance required.

Toben worked tirelessly through

the five sections of his DofE programme

for over 18 months to achieve his Gold

Award. His diverse activities ranged from

playing rugby for Glenwood High School

in Durban for four weeks, to brewing cider

in his garage. Throughout his DofE, Toben

was able to prove himself to be a great

team member and leader, both essential

attributes for working life.

Toben said of his achievement: “The

whole experience was enormous fun,

and has provided me with memories that

I’ll treasure. I know I will keep in touch

with the friends I made whilst in South

Africa. Being in the Combined Cadet

Force has been an invaluable experience.

All this made the programme even more

worthwhile.

“The skills I learnt from doing DofE

are invaluable. I would recommend it

to anyone who is interested, even if you

intend doing silver or bronze.”

These experiences show what an

impact doing your DofE can have, and

how it can develop the skills needed for

life. Toben’s Gold Award helped him gain

a place at Exeter University, studying

International Relations and the future

looks bright for him.

The whole experience was enormous fun, and has provided me

with memories that I’ll treasure. Toben Ronald

Page 14: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Wycliffe student leaders hit new heights!

After morning sessions based on campus,

a team of 29 students were then whisked

off to the Cotswold Water Park to spend

the afternoon swinging from ropes

courtesy of the ‘Heads4Heights’ company.

Amongst all the laughter and fun was a

practical way for the team to learn some

communications skills, bond together and

challenge themselves a little. The day was

rounded off with a barbecue by the lake in

glorious June sunshine.

Next year’s Prefect Team along with all the Heads of Houses recently spent the day undergoing some training for their new positions of responsibility.

2

By Peter Woolley, Deputy Head

Page 15: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

CO

MM

UN

ITY

14

15

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Page 16: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

2 THE WYCLIFFIAN

Lara goes to the U18 Futures Cup

The tournament was for the top five

percent of players in the country. Each

team had 18 members from different

centres, with 72 competitors in all.

I arrived at Cannock Hockey Club

on 29th October and received my Wessex

Leopard kit. To wake us up from a long

car journey, we had a training session to

familiarise ourselves with the pitch and

each other. After this session, we settled

into our hotel and prepared ourselves for

the forthcoming matches.

The next day we had our first

After the regional trials, I was selected to play in the U18 Futures Cup. Futures Cup is a selection process for the U18 National Hockey Team, organised by England Hockey. It included the teams: Wessex Leopards, Mercia Lynx, Pennine Pumas and Saxon Tigers.

70-minute match against the Pennine

Pumas. We came away with a 6-0 win

and in the evening, we analysed our

performance from the video footage.

On 31st October, we played our

second match against the Mercia Lynx.

Our performance was strong in the

first half going into half time 1-1 but

unfortunately we lost 5-1. After the match

to keep us motivated, we received one-to-

one advice from our coaches.

Tiredness was beginning to kick

in for the third match against the Saxon

Tigers. With a really close game, we just

missed out on the final with a 2-1 loss.

The last day, 2nd November, Wessex

Leopards were in the playoffs against the

Pennine Pumas. We were all absolutely

exhausted but we never gave up and came

out with 3-1 win, placing us 3rd overall.

To round off this National Tournament, we

had a medals ceremony. It was an amazing

sporting experience. With the standard

and stakes so high, it raised our game,

giving us all a taste of what it would be like

to play for our country.

By Lara Bathurst, Yr 13

Page 17: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

CO

MM

UN

ITY

16

17

However, in amongst some of the

uncertainties and unforeseeable events,

it is good to know that our life here is

punctuated by a series of services which

remind us of our values as a group which

seeks to organise itself according to

Christian values.

Following a joyous Harvest Service

of Thanksgiving with the Lower Prep

in October, we then contemplated

the horrors of mass warfare as we

commemorated the centenary of the

outbreak of the First World War. An

initiative suggested by Mr Arman to have

a separate Prep School Commemoration

on the Thursday afternoon before

Remembrance Sunday proved to be

inspired and it was especially poignant

to hear the Year 8 students read about

the lives of their forbears which they

had researched, whilst the complete

Roll of Honour was recited quietly in

the background. It was also wonderful

After three years as Chaplain, I have discovered that Wycliffe is a busy, diverse and constantly surprising community in which to minister.

to welcome back the various Scouting

communities associated with Wycliffe and

this is something which we will work to

build upon next year.

The Christmas Carol Services were

joyful and festive, and full marks must

go to our new organist, Mr Weaver, who

managed to keep calm when the new

organ decided to shut down during one of

the nine lessons. The old adage of ‘switch

it off, then switch it on again’ proved to

be inspired, even though the lighting

connected to the pulpit was less easy to

fix and decided to have a psychedelic fit

during the Head’s reading! Apologies to

all who may have been ‘waxed’, but don’t

worry – the Chaplain has a cunning plan

for future services.

Many assume that young people

nowadays are not interested in their

spiritual lives, but this opinion was

certainly confounded when 13 students

put themselves forward for Confirmation

in April. Seven of them had not yet been

baptised and so our distinguished visiting

Bishop, the Right Revd. David Jennings,

was particularly pleased to be able to

bring such an encouraging number of

young people into the joy of the Christian

faith. For so many students, the majority

of whom were teenagers, to make this

commitment entirely of their own volition

and without any previous experience of

the church was both courageous and

encouraging for the spiritual life of the

College.

We now look towards the Leavers’

Service at the end of term, where we say

farewell to not only students moving on,

but also to Mrs Burnet Ward, who has

done so much to support the centrality of

the Chapel in the life of this community

and has also supported me personally as

Chaplain on many occasions. We wish her

well and ‘God speed’.

Chapel ReportTHE WYCLIFFIAN

By Rev. John McHale

Page 18: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Comic Relief2

Wycliffe pupils and staff donned wigs,

wings and fancy dress to raise £1,200 for

Comic Relief.

Student Houses bid against each

other to win the chance to wear one

of the nine themes on offer for non-

uniform day.

Students showed off their baking

skills and staged a cake sale during break.

Teachers pitted themselves against

pupils in a football match. Pupils paid

£1 to play five minutes against the “has

beens”.

“We had everything from the

Michelin man to retro hippies,” said Mr

Sean Dunne, Deputy Head, who sported

a red punk wig. “As always the whole

Wycliffe community were involved, and it

proved to be a fantastic day.”

Page 19: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

18

19

CO

MM

UN

ITY

Page 20: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN2

As ever, the much anticipated Year 13

Leavers’ Ball was a sumptuous affair – the

sun shone, the champagne flowed and the

assembled guests were dressed to impress.

The evening was a fitting finale to the

students’ time at Wycliffe and the perfect

opportunity for their parents and the

teaching staff to join together to mark this

monumental occasion in style.

The evening’s revelries included a

delicious three course dinner, disco, fun

casino and a delicious chocolate fountain.

The night would not have been the

success it was without the hard work

and dedication of a talented group of

people, who between them organised,

decorated and transformed Wycliffe Hall

into a stunning party venue. A vote of

thanks to Jonathan Hardaker, Bernadette

Cook, Sarah Hardaker, Debbie Tetley and

Judith Johnson and the rest of the team at

Chartwells.

Leavers’ Ball

Leavers’ Ball

Page 21: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

CO

MM

UN

ITY

20

21

Page 22: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN2Year 11 & DY BallBy Lucy Parker, Year 11

On Saturday 21st March, the Year 11 and

DY pupils had their end of year ball. After

rushing off from match teas on Saturday

afternoon everyone returned to school

completely transformed. All the girls

looked incredibly elegant in their ball

gowns and the boys looked very smart in

their best suits.

Everyone was seated for the beautiful

food provided by the catering staff, who

should be thanked, for their help in

making the evening to be such a huge

success. Once everyone was suitably full, it

was time to party the night away with the

disco and for the real fun to begin.

The evening proved to be a great

success allowing all pupils to spend some

quality time together with the friends,

before the hectic exam period in the

SummerTerm.

Year 11 & DY Ball

Page 23: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

22

23

CO

MM

UN

ITYTHE WYCLIFFIANTHE WYCLIFFIAN

Miserden Day

The activities were good fun and varied,

especially launching water filled rockets. In

the CCF activity we nervously attempted

a blindfolded assault course where we

had to navigate safely across a log over a

river, putting all our trust into the person

who was guiding us. The art activity was

also interesting as we drew, painted and

sketched mixed media drawings of the

church. In photography we were taught

how to use high quality cameras. Then

in geography we measured microclimates

and were taught how to use the weather

instruments.

Overall, the day was enjoyable and

informative with the aim of getting us

working together as a team. This was

certainly achieved!

The first educational trip of Year 9 to the village of Miserden, North East of Stroud, was an enjoyable one. I was in a group with people who I didn’t know particularly well. Therefore all members of the group had to put every effort into working as a successful team.

By Izzy Naish, Yr 9

Page 24: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

2 THE WYCLIFFIAN

Ask the Expert

How did the idea for keeping bees come

about?

I wanted to promote it in the school so

that students could see how important the

care of wildlife is in our lives. Our Prep

School started their hive about five years

ago and uses it for their Grow and Cook

Club but the children aren’t involved in

the care of the bees. Here at the Senior

School the students look after the bees in

our beekeeping club.

How many hives do you have and how

long have you had them for?

We have one hive and have been keeping

bees for about four years. We lost our first

hive to what is called colony collapse. A

colony has one queen (who lays all the

eggs), and approximately 3,000 drones

(males) and 50-60,000 female worker bees

at the peak of summer. The workers kill

remaining drones in the autumn and the

colony has about 5-7,000 workers to keep

it ‘ticking over’ through the winter.

Do you need a particular size garden to

set up a hive? Where do you buy bees (are

there different types?)? Where do you

get the hive? What safety equipment is

required?

You don’t need a large garden but you

need a position where there is a bit of sun

to warm the bees and it isn’t too damp.

There are lots of different types of hives.

Ours is quite modern, made of plastic and

is insulated. There are different types of

When librarian Sharon Hodgkins isn’t sharing her love of books with students she is sharing her love of bees. The apiarist runs the Senior School’s beekeeping club. Sharon was recently interviewed about her interest in bees.

bees and you can order them online. They

are delivered through the post – honestly.

You will need quite a bit of equipment

such as safety suits, hive tools, feeders

and of course a smoker (or liquid smoke

which we like to use). The best place

to start is to join your local beekeepers’

association that can help with advice and

guidance. Julian Cleeton, from the Stroud

Beekeepers’ Association is our mentor and

a huge support. Our two colonies came

from swarms – so they were free. A swarm

happens when a queen leaves the colony

with a large group of worker bees to find

a new home with more space. Our last

swarm came from Bath.

How does it work once you’ve built the

hive and bought the bees – what makes

them stick around?

As long as they have a nearby food and

water supply and are warm and dry they

will stay put; they only swarm if they run

out of space. If you manipulate a hive

correctly, your bees will not feel the need

to swarm.

How much maintenance do bees need?

You need to inspect them weekly to look

for any telltale signs of disease, or the

deadly parasite Varroa mite, or possible

swarming. To keep Varroa in check we

weekly ‘ice’ the bees by using a sieve to

sprinkle icing sugar on them. By dusting

them in icing sugar you encourage the

bees to groom themselves and they get rid

of the Varroa mite in the process. Also the

icing sugar adheres to the footpad, causing

the mite to lose its grip on the bee. At the

times of year when we are feeding them we

may need to spend a bit more time with

them, but it is not a huge amount.

Do you need to feed them and clean the

hive?

We feed them in the autumn to help

them prepare for winter and usually we

give them a mid winter feed of fondant

(which looks much like solid fondant

icing that you would put on a cake).

Some beekeepers buy a special syrup

called Ambrosia but you can make your

own sugar solution to feed them very

easily. The only time we cleaned our

hive was after we had the sudden colony

collapse to prepare the hive for a new

swarm. Cleanliness in handling the hive

is essential but we don’t actually clean it

out. However, we do regularly sterilise our

equipment and wash our protective suits.

Bees are very clean and will remove any

waste products or dead bees themselves.

Does having a hive mean that you have

bees buzzing around the garden all the

time?

They are not like wasps. Bees are

interested in nectar – not humans. They

leave the hive, go up in the air about

10ft to orientate themselves and then

go in search of nectar. They will not be a

nuisance.

Page 25: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

CO

MM

UN

ITY

24

25

How much honey are you harvesting from

the hives?

We haven’t harvested much honey but it

was our fault – not the bees. Last year we

harvested 10 jars. The reason for the lack

of honey was because we gave too much

room for the brood frames, so the bees

kept all the honey for themselves! There

are two levels in the hive. There are the

brood frames – that’s the bees’ store – and

then the super frames, which is where the

worker bees make the honey without any

access for the Queen. The honey from the

super frames is not mixed with any eggs

or larvae. We won’t make the same error

this year.

And how does that work – do you literally

scrape and jar, or is there a more

complicated process?

The bees build honeycomb in the super

frame where they store the honey. You

lift the supers out of the frame and it

is extracted from the honeycomb with

a honey spinner. The spinner works by

centrifugal force. The comb is held in

place and spun around, causing the honey

to be flung out and in this way the comb

can be used again.

Is it a seasonal thing? How often can you

do it?

Yes, you extract it in the summer when

there is lots of food for the bees. In the

spring, autumn and winter, when there

is little food for them, you need to feed

them a glucose solution or they will starve

to death.

What does the honey taste like? Is the

flavour influenced by the surroundings,

for example?

Our honey was amazing. Everyone who

tried it commented on how light it was

and how it tasted a bit like elderflower.

The plants the bees gather nectar

from influence honey. There were no

elderflowers in bloom when our honey was

made but we think it was a plant called

the Himalayan Balsam that gave the honey

its unique taste. The plant, which belongs

to the Impatiens family, grows along the

Stroud canal just near the school.

Do you use the wax to make candles

and how does that work?

Not yet but we are saving our wax

and hope to have a go soon. It smells

wonderful.

How are the children involved with the

beekeeping?

We have around eight children involved in

the beekeeping club. You don’t want too

many crowding around the hive when you

are working with the bees. As we have just

the one hive this is a perfect number and

the children always take the lead in the

inspection.

Is it a safe activity to get the whole family

involved in?

It would be a marvellous activity for a

family, just perfect. I know a teacher

who has a hive at home and the whole

family are involved in its care. I have seen

quite young children looking after bees

with their little bee suits on. Wycliffe

Preparatory School also has a hive but the

children are not involved in the care of the

bees. They spin the honey and cook with

it at their Grow and Cook Club. They also

sell their honey at their school fete and it’s

always a sell-out in minutes.

What would be your top tip to someone

who is looking to set up his or her own

hive?

My advice is to contact your local

beekeeping association and sign up to a

course, or simply go along and see what

it is like to be close to the hives. Not

everyone can cope with the bees buzzing

around you but I love it. The bees come

out to inspect you and I always talk to

them. They get to know people. One

of the teachers at the school says being

around the bees helps her stress levels. She

loves the serenity the bees can give you.

“Our honey was amazing.

Everyone who tried it

commented on how light it

was and how it tasted a bit

like elderflower.”

Page 26: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN2Activities

Wycliffe Cryptology Club is an enrichment

activity for pupils interested in code

breaking, and it entered a team in the

2014 National Cipher Challenge. The

National Cipher Challenge is organised by

the University of Southampton’s School of

Mathematics. This year competitors will

be challenged to tackle an international

gang of cyber terrorists, and the story

will unfold in a series of short encrypted

messages for the competitors to crack,

using all their skill and cunning.

The competition commenced

Thursday 2nd October 2014 and our

Wycliffe team, called ‘Team Tiger’, quickly

broke both texts.

The Cryptology Club welcomed new

members this year. Year 10 pupils, Katie

Briggs, who is also the team captain for

the competition, Janouk Brynjarsdottir,

Amelia Crystal, and Year 9 pupils Joshua

Petersen and Owen Marsh joined the club.

The competition runs until January

2015, but the club does hold activities

throughout the school year. The

Cryptology Club is open to all years and

abilities and is looking for additional

members. In addition to the fun of solving

a puzzle and uncovering a mystery,

Cryptology relates to many areas of

interesting and advanced Mathematics and

Computer Science, and requires a lot of

team work. Good luck Team Tiger.

Team Tiger enter National Contest

On Sunday 26th April, a group of Wycliffe

prefects set off at 9am from Stonehouse to

run 21 miles, to King’s Walk in Gloucester

town centre, in a team relay, where they

then met up with the other half of the

Wycliffe prefect body. This totalled to,

on average, eight miles each. It was then

the task of the second group to row the

same distance, on dry land with the use

of a rowing machine. The second group

completed the 21 miles distance in good

time and with the support of members of

the public as well as family and friends.

Head of School, Anna Fishwick has

been working at The Elms as a volunteer

for the last seven months and really

wanted to do something to help raise

awareness as well as money in support of

the residents and staff at the Elms. Anna

has set up a Go Fund account and would

be grateful for any donations, however big

or small. http://de.gofund.me/qarhk8

Charity Run & Row

By Mark Dennis, Maths Teacher

By Mrs Knighton-Callister, Head of Applied Science

Page 27: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

26

27

CO

MM

UN

ITY

A group of Wycliffe pupils have won a

National Pony Club Competition.

Eight Wycliffe pupils were part of the

Beaufort Hunt Pony Club team who were

crowned Junior Tetrathlon Champions

2014.

They beat 400 competitors in

the Pony Club National Tetrathlon

Championships at Bishop Burton College,

East Yorkshire. Children from England,

Ireland, Scotland and Wales took part in

the four-day event.

The competition involved a three-

minute swim, a 1,500 metre run, 10 shots

at a 7m turning target and 18 jumps over

a tough, mixed terrain cross-country riding

course.

Zoe Davison, 15, Sasha Green,

15, Jess Telford, 14, and Olivia Sealy,

15, competed against 91 individual girls

and 18 teams in the junior girls category.

Zoe, Sasha and Jess were also individually

placed in the top 10.

Isla Green, 13, Thomas Kendell, 15,

Henry Stratton, 13, and Rachel Hatherell,

13 competed in the mixed junior category

and their team was placed second.

Thomas Kendell was also placed

eighth individual boy. All awards were

made by champion jockey Frankie Dettori.

Wycliffe pupils crowned Junior Tetrathlon Champions

Zoe wins again!

For Year 11 pupil, Zoe Davison and her

horse Accolino II, it has been an action-

packed few days, with the pair winning

both the Cheltenham Ladies’ NSEA on

Friday 12th September and the Dodson

and Horrell Eventers Challenge on

Saturday 13th September.

Zoe and Accolino II took part in the

Cheltenham Ladies’ NSEA show jumping

at Rectory Farm and won the qualifier,

beating over 80 other competitors. The

Dodson and Horrell Eventers Challenge

at Blenheim followed this the next day,

where Zoe and three other members of

the Beaufort Pony Club competed against

46 teams from all over the UK to win the

title. Zoe jumped one of only a few clear

rounds from over 180 competitors and

had the best winning team. Zoe was also

judged sixth on style. This was an amazing

achievement and well done to all those

involved.

Zoe and Accolino II will now be

going on to represent Wycliffe at the

National Schools finals in Addington this

October.

Page 28: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN2Activities

For World Book Day, the Senior School

invited author and storyteller, Jamila Gavin,

to run storytelling sessions with Year 9 and

Year 10 pupils.

The author of ‘Coram Boy’ spoke

about her love of tales and legends and how

World Book Day

they originated and how she has been able

to weave the geography and history of a

place/story into her own tales.

Pupils took part in a book swap and

were encouraged to dress up to raise money

for Book Aid International which supports

libraries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Librarian, Sharon Hodgkins, dressed

as Scout Finch from ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’

– her favourite book. Other staff dressed

as Little Bo Peep, Anne Boleyn and Miss

Haversham from ‘Great Expectations’.

Art Teacher Exhibits Talent

Wycliffe’s Art teacher, Steve Hubbard,

was very pleased to hear that he has

had two prints accepted for the 247th

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition,

selected from an open entry of 12,000.

Coordinator of the show is leading British

artist and influential teacher, Michael

Craig-Martin RA. The hanging committee

for the Summer Exhibition includes Royal

Academicians Norman Ackroyd, Olwyn

Bowey, Gus Cummins, Jock McFadyen,

David Remfry, Mick Rooney, Alison

Wilding and Bill Woodrow. The exhibition

runs from 8th June until 16th August at

Burlington House Piccadilly.

The prints Steve has entered are The

Coronet, a four block Lino print in an

edition of 60 based on a 1930s bellows

camera, and Fireworks, a six block Lino

print in an edition of 60 of fireworks from

the 50s and 60s. He constructed the

fireworks that he based the print on, using

labels available on the Internet. In the

background of the image is a portion of a

Standard Fireworks poster.

Careers Outside the Box

Students are often influenced by pre-

conceived ideas when considering career

choice. The aim of this event was to

encourage students to think beyond

stereotypes when considering future

careers and also find out about sectors

they may not have considered. Each

student attended three sessions out of a

possible eight; allocations to these were

based on their responses to questions.

We had very varied careers represented

by local employers (photographer,

arboriculturalist, product designer,

engineer, equine physiotherapist etc.)

and all sessions were attended by boys

and girls.

Year 10

Page 29: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

28

29

CO

MM

UN

ITY

Business Studies

short period of time to set up and have

everything ready by 7pm and also the

technical aspect of moving speakers and

lights in there but, with the help of other

students, this was achieved.

Guests had the opportunity to see

the gallery of the makings of the short

films, having their photograph taken with

famous actors in the form of masks and

the chance to talk to the producers and

actors whilst they waited for the event

to start.

The short films consisted of six two

minute films from the AS class followed

up by two, five minute films from A2

students. These were greeted with

enthusiastic applause from the audience

many of whom had actually starred in

the films.

The awards ceremony culminated in

an Oscar fashion with each student being

The hospitality students organised and

hosted an amazing Film Awards Ceremony

event for AS and A2 Film Studies students

on the 4th March. This was part of our

unit 22 final in our course.

This event was to showcase the work

done by students from Mr. Beamish’s

Film Studies class this year. The event saw

110 guests in the school Chapel on the

Wednesday night which was transformed

from the everyday Christian place of

worship into a loud, busy, energetic

cinema experience with large speakers,

projection, complete with endless amount

of popcorn, nachos, sweets and drinks for

all to enjoy.

We were very excited to use the

Chapel to host the event as we saw this

as an opportunity to try new venues

rather than the traditional Sibly Hall. We

recognised the challenges of having a

The Films Studies Awards Ceremony – Alex Gilchrist Year 13

given awards from categories seen at the

academy awards. Each student, nominated

by Mr Beamish, had the chance to come

up to collect their awards and express their

thanks to parents, stars and teachers.

Feedback from the event was

exceptionally good and the film evening

will now be high on the agenda when

organising further events at Wycliffe. One

teacher said he normally goes to events but

he is not always there in thought, always

thinking about something else. However,

on this occasion he was able to become

fully involved in this film evening and

enjoyed it immensely.

As this is the last year we will be

studying the BTEC course, we felt this

event went extremely well and was a fitting

tribute to mark this very popular, and for

many, career defining course at Wycliffe

College.

Page 30: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN2English

docked and passengers streamed off the

ship, clearly desperate to hit land again.

Clenching her book tighter against her

chest, Isabelle joined the scattering crowd.

Drops of rain sent shivers down her

as they touched her unprotected head

and neck like icy pins and needles. She

looked around eagerly, in search for James,

moving swiftly aside to let passengers by

as they hurried for the railway station to

avoid the rain. But her mind was only

on James, who was nowhere to be seen!

Maybe he had forgotten about her arriving

today. Isabelle started forward as a hand

gripped her shoulder.

“Miss Tanner?” A croaky, heavily

accented voice spoke down to her. She

turned to see that a man was standing

behind her. He was tall, and was wearing

a long black coat and top hat, which

shimmered from the rainwater. From what

she could see, his face wore no expression

at all, as if he hadn’t spoken to her.

Isabelle had to fight the urge to

shiver away from him, but she stood her

ground, regardless. She was intrigued by

this man; how was it he knew her name?

“Yes?” Her words had come out unsteadily

and anxious and she immediately cursed

herself for it.

“Your brother sent me to get you.

He was caught up at work and couldn’t

make the journey. Miss Tanner?”

Instead of a reply, she nodded.

“Come along then, Miss!”

Isabelle wanted to ask where her

brother was but she found the man had

already turned and walked away. She fell

silent and quickly dashed through the

crowd after him; his steps were long and

uneven and she had to nearly run to keep

up. Suddenly, he came to a halt in front

of a large, black carriage. It was very dull,

nothing indicating to whom it belonged

and it wasn’t at all pretty to look at apart

She held her book now, clutched between

her fingers, as the Main glided in between

other massive steamships like itself to

find a spot at the docks. Isabelle leaned

over the edge and glanced down, curiosity

brushing over her and then a feeling of

disbelief. It wasn’t at all what she had

expected. Her brother spoke of London as

beautiful, the sun shining every day but

this was drearily grey. You could hear the

sound of the rain as it drummed down

onto the rooftops nearby, whilst heaps

of black smoke rose out of the chimneys

of rooftops and stained the already dull

coloured sky. A crowd of people in dark

clothing stood waiting on the docks.

Isabelle longed to see if her brother was

amongst them but she couldn’t see well

through the thickening fog.

It was chilly out and a shiver

passed through her. Well, Isabelle thought,

hopefully the weather in London shall be

better, because she had no warm clothing

with her – only the shawl that Gran Ruth

had given to her before her passing.

When Isabelle’s brother, James, left the

little apartment in New York for London,

the family had been broke, struggling to

keep the bills paid. So, James left to find

work in London. Since then, he had been

sending over money in the post to keep

them going, so that he could come home

one day. But that was five months ago, and

here she stood now, in the same place as

he had, waiting. Of course, this wasn’t the

original plan, but after Grandmother took

a bad turn and passed away, Isabelle had

to sell the flat and some of her things to

pay for her funeral and so she had sent a

letter to her brother explaining what had

happened and saying she was alone. Then,

one day, a letter came back with a first

class ticket on the Main to Southampton,

signed by her brother.

A shout went up. The Main had

Creative Writing – Gee Gilchrist Year 9

from the velvet red curtain it had drawn

across the windows.

The door of the carriage opened

and a woman leaned out. She must have

been in her late 40s for she didn’t look

particularly youthful. “You must be Miss

Isabelle Tanner?”

Isabelle nodded. The tall, dark

man pushed her aside to help the woman

from the carriage. She immediately opened

an umbrella and raised it to cover herself

from the rain. Then she fixed her dark

brown eyes on Isabelle. She was very tall

and thin; you could see the shape of her

collarbone and her cheekbones were bold

and sharp. White hair was scraped back

into a tight bun at the back of her head.

She wore a dress of red silk and matching

red gloves. “Well, what a delight to meet

you finally; your brother has spoken much

about you. Allow me to introduce myself

– my name is Mrs Wait.” Her voice was

sharp and had no welcoming tone to it.

Isabelle, soaked and freezing,

struggled to find her words. At last she

spoke: “I don’t understand. Where is

James? He said he was coming.”

“He was held back by business

in London. He just simply could not be

spared. So he sent us along instead. Here

we have a note.” She handed over a rolled-

up piece of paper.

Isabelle turned away to read it. It

was short but straight to the point. He

apologized for not being at the docks but

let her know that she could trust Mrs

Wait – I know she seems a little odd, Izzy,

but she’s really quiet caring – to bring her

safely to London.

With a last glance over the

scrawled words on the paper, she rolled

it back up and slipped it into her sleeve

before turning back to face the woman.

“Very well,” she said, fighting down her

anxiety. “I shall come with you.”

Southampton, 1876

Page 31: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

30

31

CO

MM

UN

ITY

“You didn’t tell us that. I’m not

trying to get shot,” I whispered angrily.

“Nobody’s getting shot. Now let’s

go,” he said, continuing to walk.

I don’t know what made me follow,

because the feeling in my gut was telling

me to do the opposite. Maybe it was some

delusion that the pretty girl we’d left at

the house would be impressed or maybe

all that peer pressure stuff I’d heard

about was real. Either way it didn’t really

matter, I was doing something stupid

and that’s all there really was to it. We

reached the house a few minutes later;

the only sound at that point was the

gravel on the road crunching beneath

our Nikes. My breathing sounded more

like a marathon runner than a teenager

and I was sweating more than I should

on a chilly, November night.

The darkness that had swallowed the street

made me feel claustrophobic. It was close

to midnight and the only company I had

was the sparse lighting of street lamps and

the two friends who had dragged me into

this. Dressed in dark colours and hoodies,

we were probably doing more to stand

out than to blend in. Luckily the street

was completely empty, partially due to the

curfew that had begun an hour earlier. The

result was an eerily silent neighbourhood,

like a disapproving observer judging us

for what we were about to do. We were all

too nervous to say much, other than small

talk or going over the ‘right’ way to do it.

I didn’t really listen; I wasn’t carrying the

knife anyway. That was until one of my

friends, Dom, said something that caught

my attention.

“They’ve got a gun in the house,”

he muttered.

Creative Writing – Chris Clough Year 13

“It’s not even there.” Dom had

stopped in the middle of the street. “The

car’s gone.”

I felt like I could breathe again for the

first time since we’d left the house.

“Looks like we wasted our time

then. You can’t slash tires if there’s no

car,” I mumbled while trying to sound

disappointed.

The others agreed and we decided to

give up and call it a night. On the surface I

looked defeated. In reality it was a different

story; I might as well have just won the

lottery. As we walked back I thought about

what could’ve happened if the car had

been there, because I knew I’d have gone

through with it. Looking back on that

night, it was probably that thought that

had scared me more than the gun.

Eaglewood Nights

Journeys – Ffion Healy Year 12

A soundtrack in your head.

It’s the little things that bring a meaning,

To everything.

It’s also the little things,

That ruin it all.

The flashing of ominous,

Blue lights

A knock on the door

Late at night.

The way your mother says, oh

No. when on the phone

In that way, she always does

Dark bus journeys home,

The romantic feel of those small moments.

Perfection, like spotting a firework,

On the way to your friend’s house.

Or quietly reading a good book,

Looking up and realising,

In this moment, you are truly happy.

The nostalgic song,

Always puts a smile upon lips.

Lights fly past as you cruise,

Along the motorway in a bubble.

Scenery disappearing behind you,

When someone dies.

Words are the worst,

Just one can destroy your world.

Bad news, the lyrics

Of a song that used to make you so happy

Now you can’t stop the tear

That comes with.

Or even just the blase ones

That come from,

The mouth of the only person,

That ever mattered.

“Excellent!” Mrs Wait said,

clapping her hands together, but the grin

that spread across her face sent a shiver

down Isabelle’s spine. “Let’s get you out of

the rain then, child.” Mrs Wait helped her

up into the carriage, and then clambered

in behind her, reaching to shut the door

before settling into the seat in front. She

grinned again, baring her teeth this time

and they gleamed in the dimness as if

they were made of metal. Isabelle laid a

hand upon her book, taking comfort in its

presence, as the carriage lurched forward

into the rain.

Page 32: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN2English

All the students and the teachers

had taken part in a secret writing exercise

which proved very illuminating. Ten

anonymous pieces of writing were

produced and everyone read each other’s

and then tried to match the author to

the piece. It was interesting after a year

On Wednesday 1st July, the Creative

Writing A level class spent their morning

at Stonehouse Court having a Writers’

Breakfast. It was a beautiful morning

– hottest day in a decade apparently,

but as it was 9am it hadn’t reached full

boiling point.

Writers’ Breakfast

of writing together how quickly we all

identified each other’s narrative voices.

It was a very enjoyable morning and

highlighted what a strong writers’ group

they have all become over the course of

the year. We are all looking forward to the

second year of this inspiring A level.

In addition to writing books,

Rachel has also written over 20 original

afternoon plays for BBC Radio 4, and

major adaptations for the Classic Series,

Woman’s Hour and also a TV drama

adaptation for BBC2. In 2007 she won

the Tinniswood Award for best radio play.

Rachel moved to writing after a 20 year

On Wednesday 17th September, Rachel

Joyce, the prizewinning author of ‘The

Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’, which

was shortlisted for the Commonwealth

Book Prize and longlisted for the Man

Booker Prize, ‘Perfect’, and ‘The Lovesong

of Miss Queenie Hennessy’ came to speak

to our Sixth Formers.

Visiting Author – Rachel Joyce

career in theatre and television, performing

leading roles for the RSC, the Royal

National Theatre, The Royal Court, and

Cheek by Jowl, winning a Time Out Best

Actress award and the Sony Silver.

Rachel shared with us how she was

inspired into writing by her early love

of words, and how, despite describing

herself as an introvert, she has found

the written word to be an outlet for her

inner voice. The students asked such

detailed questions about characterisation,

structure, inspirations, motivations and

were engaged throughout.

By Elaine Lambert, English Teacher

By Elaine Lambert, English Teacher

Page 33: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

32

33

CO

MM

UN

ITY

Writers’ Workshops

Rona believes workshops and courses

should be fun as well as educational and

our students were encouraged by her

workshop on writing film scripts.

JAMILA GAVIN

On Thursday 5th March, Indian born

writer, Jamila Gavin, visited Wycliffe to

speak to Year 9 and 10 and also to inspire

our A level Creative Writing and English

Literature students. Born at the foothills

of the Himalayas, to an Indian father and

an English mother, she explained how: ‘I

inherited two rich cultures which have run

side by side throughout my life.’ The A

level students were able to question Jamila

This year the Creative Writing A level

students had the benefit of a number of

expert writers who came in to share ideas,

inspire and teach the class in writers’

workshops.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S WRITERS’ NETWORK

On the 22nd January 2015, Dr Rona

Laycock from the Gloucesterhsire Writers’

Network visited Wycliffe to work with

both the A level Creative Writing Class and

the A level Drama class. Rona is a poet and

short story writer who has been teaching

creative writing since 2001. She has an MA

in Creative and Media Writing and a PhD

in English, both from Swansea University.

on the processes of writing and gained a

valuable insight into her work ethic and

how her ideas develop into stories. It was a

really inspiring session and we hope to see

her in college again.

MARIAN MCCRAITH

Following the seventh annual Creative

Writing Competition, playwright Marian

McCraith, ran a scriptwriting workshop for

our A level Creative Writing Students. She

is always an encouraging and enthusiastic

mentor for our writers in college and

students were taught to think of new ways

into creating dramatic scripts for the stage.

We look forward to her visit next year.

of the evening there was to be a winner

of the reading prize, a winner from each

year group and an overall school winner,

selected by the two judges.

Year 13 member, Chris Clough,

kicked off the evening’s proceedings

as he was the first student to read his

piece. The rest of the 20 pieces duly

followed as each piece was read aloud

by, understandably, somewhat nervous

students.

After the pieces were read, Jenny

Wicks awarded the reading prize. A few

honourable mentions were named before

the prize ultimately went to Noah Murray.

It was then time for Marian McCraith to

Thursday the 7th of March, played host

to the seventh annual Wycliffe College

Creative Writing Competition. Out of

over 200 entries, just 20 were selected to

be placed in the ninth annual anthology

and thus were finalists in the competition.

Parents, grandparents, friends and

others flocked to the Atrium to witness

the event, in which 20 students from

across the year groups read their pieces

aloud. Each student received praise and

comments on the creative merits of their

pieces by playwright, Marian McCraith,

and feedback on their reading that

evening from theatre director and former

Wycliffe student, Jenny Wicks. By the end

Wycliffe College Creative Writing Competition 2015

announce the winners for each year group,

as well as the overall winner. For Year

9, the winner was Gee Gilchrist. Chad

Trainor won the Year 10 prize. Following

him was Natalie Newport, who won

the Year 11 prize. The Year 12 winner

was Stephanie Bagnall and, last but not

least, Chris Clough was awarded the Year

13 prize. The overall prize went to Year

13’s Angus Allen.

Congratulations to all of the 20

finalists and special congratulations

to all the winners from the evening.

We look forward to what next year’s

competition brings.

By Year 12 student, Ben Asquith

Page 34: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

History2

He further imparted the value of

curiosity to the audience. Speaking on

his experience in the National Archives,

he analogised that historians were almost

cryogenic scientists; and the ‘holy

curiosity’ is what warms the pages. He

finished his speech by suggesting that

history was something like vapour trails,

and that historians gather these trails,

ending poignantly by saying, “May the

vapour trail always be with you.”

Questions from the audience

followed, and these sparked interesting

debates on the public appetite for

inquiry. Hennessy remarked that a fear

of inquiry by investigative journalists or

even the government led to little being

documented, removing the paper trail

that shows the thought process behind

He focussed on the importance of

documenting history, saying that

documents are how we record our

memory, and instilling a sense in

the audience that documenting the

experiences one might experience is more

important than we might be led to believe.

His previous career as a journalist for ‘The

Times’ provided a unique perspective on

the prevalence of history in journalism,

calling newspapers the “first rough draft

of history”. He continued to illuminate

the value of being a ‘relentless listener’ in

an era of highly interrogative journalism;

as opposed to continually questioning the

interviewee. Lord Hennessy believed that

simply listening and waiting encouraged

the interviewee to explain themselves and

their thought process.

decisions. Further questions revealed his

opinion on the internet’s prolific history

of ‘whistle-blowers.’ Dismissive of the

actions of Edward Snowden, he claimed

information should indeed be released

unless said information could cause danger

to people. Equally he assessed that though

the internet’s journalism is prolific, it often

required a specialist to simply reassess the

information, and impart an informed view.

He then went on to surmise his thoughts

on the current expansion of Russia into

Ukraine by quoting Clement Attlee; “It

needs watching”.

His speech was a highly informative

and thought-provoking event, enjoyed by

all who attended.

Hennessey Lecture By OW Alex Rogers (2006-2013)

On Friday 27th of February at 7:30pm, Lord Peter Hennessey spoke at Wycliffe on the subject of ‘writing the history of one’s own times’.

Page 35: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

34

35

CO

MM

UN

ITY

Professor Doyle comes to Wycliffe By Kevin Patrick, History Teacher

friend of the College over the last five

years and was the inaugural speaker at the

On Tuesday evening of the 21st

September, Professor William Doyle,

Emeritus Professor of Bristol University

and a leading world authority on the

French Revolution came to Wycliffe

College to give a lecture and to help guide

students through an exam paper based on

their studies. This event helped AS History

students to improve their understanding

of the origins of the Revolution and how

it came about. Students also had an

opportunity to ask Professor Doyle any

questions about any aspect of his studies.

Professor Doyle has become a good

Convent Club By Nicola Scott, Head of History

were the men who signed the death

warrant of King Charles 1st in 1649 and

it focussed on how his son King Charles

2nd pursued them in revenge. Many were

executed or faced other horrific deaths.

The students, accompanied by Mrs Scott

On Thursday 30th May Wycliffe Senior

School History students were invited to

attend The Convent Club to listen to a

fascinating History lecture by Charles

Spenser based around his book ‘Killers

of the King’ i.e. The Regicides. They

and Mr Patrick, thoroughly enjoyed the

lecture and chatted with him afterwards.

Charles Spenser read History at Oxford

and is the brother of Princess Diana. He

is also a blood relative of both a regicide

and royalty.

Annual History Lecture which the Parents’

Association funds so generously each year.

Page 36: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

ICT

Wycliffe Robofest 2015 saw 60 pupils from

the Prep School and local primary schools

learning to design and build robots. The

children, ranging from Years 5 to 8 built

monorail robots in two-hour workshops

as part of the ICT and Computer Science

Department’s outreach programme.

Mr Ittyavirah, Wycliffe’s Director

of IT, co-ordinated the workshops, and

explained how this event stimulated the

pupil’s interest in robotics and helped

them think like engineers.

“The robotics workshops teach

pupils problem-solving skills, how to

make predictions and how to think like

an engineer,” he said. “Pupils learn to

design and build robots and then make

adjustments to them to correct the design

flaws. It is total team work with some

logical reasoning involved to be successful

in the tasks.”

Children from Wycliffe Preparatory,

King’s Stanley Primary, The Croft Primary

and Amberley Parochial Primary School in

Gloucestershire were invited to the event.

They learned the basics of

embedded systems and electronics with

an open-source electronics prototyping

platform called Arduino. Mr Ittyavirah said

this combined ICT, Science, Technology,

Engineering and Maths skills. The staff

A creative event designed to fuel the enthusiasm of future engineers has resulted in Wycliffe students dreaming of making a robot that plays football.

2

were amazed at how the younger pupils

embraced the steep learning curve to pick

up demanding technical concepts.

Mr Ittyavirah is now planning future

events to encourage young computer

scientists with ambitions, hoping pupils

will go on to design and programme a

football-playing robot.

One Wycliffe Prep School pupil

said: “I have never had so much fun being

creative and learning something technical

at the same time. I now know the basics

and want to learn more about Arduino and

embedded systems. I am looking forward

already to the next Robofest”

“I have never had so much

fun being creative and

learning something technical

at the same time.”

Wycliffe Prep School pupil

Page 37: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

36

37

CO

MM

UN

ITY

travelled to Germany where it was our

turn to experience the typical German

life. On two of the days we were taken

to our partner’s lessons, where we found

it interesting to compare their school

life with ours. Trier is the oldest city in

Germany; therefore we were lucky enough

to be able to visit various UNESCO

heritage sites, including the Roman baths

and the ancient city gate “Porta Nigra”.

We first made contact with our partners

via email, before their week-long visit in

June. While they were here, they either

stayed with our families or in our boarding

houses, where they took part in our daily

routines. We taught them traditional

English games like rounders, and showed

them some of our tourist attractions in

both Bath and Bristol.

On the 24th of November we

On other days we travelled to Luxembourg

and Bonn, where we saw a special

exhibition on the divide of Germany.

We also really enjoyed shopping at the

Christmas markets in the evenings.

We would recommend everyone

doing German to take part in the next

exchange, as it not only helps your

language skills but it also gives you a true

insight into the German lifestyles.

German Exchange

Over the last year we have taken part in the German Exchange, with our partner school the Freidrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium, Trier.

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Languages

By Lucy Haynes, Year 11

Page 38: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

LanguagesTHE WYCLIFFIAN

National Speech Contest By Satoko Suzui, Teacher of Japanese

Japan Webpage Contest for schools,

which led to the school being asked to

introduce its blog at the event. Year 10

Eve Gencheva and Year 12 Brian Kan

presented the blog excellently,

and Wycliffe’s nine consecutive years of

reaching the final of the contest, coupled

with its five winners and two top three

contestants’ leads to the school being

highly recognised amongst the Japanese

teaching community and the

Embassy staff.

On the 20th of June 2015, Jane Liu of

Haywardsend, Year 13, took part in the

National Speech Contest, a competition

of Japanese speech on several levels

such as the topic of her speech, her

level of fluency and to answer a series

of spontaneous questions about their

speeches. She excelled and impressed

the entire audience with the level of her

fluency and accuracy, and she received

praise on her speech and her ability with

the language from the head judge.

Furthermore, the department’s

Japanese Trip Blog was shortlisted at the

Languages Uncorked! By Manuella Bray, Teacher of Spanish

The evening expands students’

knowledge and appreciation of wines from

across European countries such as Spain,

France and Germany, and the students

were also allowed to taste Japanese Sake!

The event was hosted by the MFL

teachers, with a theme of ‘white wines’

The annual ‘Languages Uncorked’ event

took place on Thursday 20th November

and was as ever, a great evening! The two

hour wine tasting journey is hosted in

Modern Foreign Languages for the Sixth

Form linguistic students, this year allowing

the students to invite a guest.

this term, and the necessary provision

of continental nibbles to accompany the

wine tasting. All those attending had an

enjoyable and educational evening, and

have requested another wine tasting event

for the New Year.

2

Page 39: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

39

CO

MM

UN

ITY

38

Maths

The Team Maths Challenge

summed up the day by saying: “Overall

it was a fun day of maths. It was nice

to be faced with challenging questions,

and working as a team to solve them.”

Barnaby also added: “I enjoyed feeling

part of something and learnt some great

teamwork skills.”

Cheltenham Ladies’ College came

in first place, followed by The King’s

School, Worcester, in second place and

Pate’s Grammar School in third place. Well

done to all the teams that participated in

this very challenging day. Mr Thomas,

a Wycliffe College Mathematics teacher,

who assisted with the event, stated

“It was great to see so many young

people demonstrating enthusiasm for

mathematics.”

Wycliffe College hosted the regional finals

of the UK Mathematics Trust, Team Maths

Challenge (TMC) on Friday 6th of March

2015 in the Sports Hall.

The TMC is run by the UK

Mathematics Trust and involves teams

of four pupils; two Year 8, and two Year

9. The TMC is a competition with four

events that test mathematical problem

solving, communication and teamwork

skills. Students compete against teams

from other schools and colleges from their

region. Talented mathematicians from

25 schools from the surrounding area

participated on the day.

The Wycliffe College team consisted

of Year 8 pupils James Colvin and Sam

Shipperbottom, and Year 9 pupils Ella

Kitching and Barnaby Hudson. Ella

Mathematical Circle

new friends from other schools around

the area, as well as discovering some new

areas of mathematics. Will Robertson from

St Peter’s High School stated he “found

the maths over the two days interesting

but difficult”, and Amy Edwards from

Barnwood Park Arts College said, “It

was enjoyable working with like-minded

people.”

Volunteers with the UKMT including

Dr. Peter Neumann OBE, Dr. Vicky Neale,

both from the University of Oxford, Dr.

Geoff Smith MBE, University of Bath,

Mr. Philip Coggins, formerly of Bedford

School, and several teachers from Wycliffe

College delivered Master Classes on

various subjects. Topics included Modular

Young and capable mathematicians

gathered at Wycliffe College on Monday

15th and Tuesday 16th of June 2015,

for a UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT)

Mathematical Circle. Mathematical Circles

are UKMT enrichment events for able Year

10 students.

Pupils from Farmor’s School,

Gloucester Academy, Barnwood Park Arts

College, Churchdown School Academy,

St Peter’s High School, The Crypt School,

Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School,

and Cleeve School joined some pupils

from Wycliffe College for two days of a

mathematically demanding programme.

It was a great opportunity for these

pupils to discuss mathematics and make

Arithmetic, Complexity Theory, Algebra,

Geometry and a Physics activity.

Evgenia Gencheva of Wycliffe

College summed up the two days saying:

“It was great to meet people interested in

Maths. The lecturers made difficult Maths

seem interesting and easy to grasp.”

Wycliffe College hosts several UKMT

events throughout the year. The UKMT is a

registered charity whose aim is to advance

the education of children and young

people in mathematics. Many of the pupils

indeed felt that this UKMT event made

them think about pursuing the study of

mathematics further.

By Mark Dennis, Teacher of Mathematics

By Mark Dennis, Teacher of Mathematics

Page 40: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Politics2

Wycliffe on the Campaign Trail By Peter Woolley, Deputy Head

Despite the chilly weather, the political

temperature reached boiling point at a

recent Westminster Conference attended

by the Year 12 Politics students. As the

parties get ready to launch their campaigns

in readiness for the general election next

May, Wycliffe students got a taste of things

to come from a variety of leading party

politicians. The Speaker, John Bercow,

set the scene before the likes of William

Hague and Nadine Dorries (for the

Conservatives), Tristram Hunt and Rachel

Reeves (for Labour) and Simon Hughes

from the Liberal Democrats all promoted

– and defended – their stances on key

issues ranging from the state of health

care, to education reform, to public sector

cuts. However, and maybe not for entirely

positive reasons, the star of the day was

Nigel Farage. Whilst few appeared to agree

with UKIP’s views on the EU (especially

immigration controls), he certainly

managed to engage and stimulate a heated

debate amongst the student body.

A long day but it was great to witness

party political democracy in action and

it was healthy for Wycliffe students to

mix and mingle with a large number of

students from across the country that

had one thing in common; a deep seated

political curiosity and engagement with

the political process – something all the

speakers endorsed and encouraged.

Wycliffe goes to Wales By Peter Woolley, Deputy Head

In late November, the Year 12 Politics

group set sail for a wet and windy Wales

to visit the Welsh Assembly Building in

Cardiff. After an entertaining tour of the

architecturally impressive building, we

watched a lively session of FMQs (First

Ministers’ Questions) where the leader

of the Labour majority – Carwyn Jones –

faced a barrage of questions in English and

Welsh from members of the Opposition.

Leading this verbal assault was our very

own Andrew RT Davies (OW 1981-

85) – leader of the Welsh Conservatives.

Andrew was then kind enough to take

time out from his very busy schedule to

meet us afterwards for a cup of tea over a

Q&A session with the students. Andrew

provided us with a fascinating insight into

his own farming background, shared some

of his memories of School House and

didn’t hold back when asked his views on

a variety of political issues ranging from

the impact of UKIP, the prospects for

Welsh independence, his assessment of

Cameron’s leadership and the chances of a

Tory victory at the next general election.

A splendid day enjoyed by all which

will provide an interesting contrast to the

visit planned to the House of Commons

next February.

Page 41: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

40

41

CO

MM

UN

ITY

Religious Studies

Questions of Faith

On Saturday the 9th of May, Wycliffe’s Year

8 students participated in the third annual

inter-faith dialogue event ‘Questions of

Faith’; whereby students posed questions

they had prepared to representatives of a

range of different beliefs and worldviews.

The panel, composed of a number of

Senior School staff, consisted of a range of

traditions including a variety of different

Christian denominations, a syncretic blend

of Catholicism with Buddhism, and finally

myself as someone without a religious or

spiritual faith.

This event afforded students an

invaluable opportunity to directly question

any aspect of beliefs and practices that

they were curious about, from the

perspective of a real person of that faith

or background, as well as seeing another

dimension to the staff they will get to

know at the Senior School through their

transitions into Year 9 and beyond. The

issues raised by the clearly engaged and

inquisitive students were addressed with

open and sincere consideration from the

members of staff involved, while the whole

event was expertly hosted by Mr Arman.

Both staff and students commented that

they had all felt they learnt and gained

something from this experience.

The questions ranged from the

metaphysical and moral – such as the

existence and nature of life after death,

and the impact of one’s beliefs and sense

of meaning upon actions – to the more

practical and personal, including whether

a lack of belief constituted an absence of

any higher meaning or purpose in life.

The quality of the questions, along with

the genuine interest and sensitivity with

which they were posed, were testament

not only to the preparation Mr Arman put

in with the students prior to the event,

but also to their own intellectual curiosity.

Furthermore, the students’ patience was

exemplary, with the event once again

lasting just over an hour and a half with a

number of hands still raised by the end!

By Chris Hancock, Head of Religious Studies

Six students going to America

Six Wycliffe students have been offered

places at prestigious American universities.

This builds on last year’s success, when

four Wycliffe students took up their places

to study Stateside.

Wycliffe offers a unique support

service to help students gain entry to US

universities. Those wishing to study in an

American University must sit a Scholastic

Aptitude Exam, which tests critical

reading, maths, and critical writing.

“American Universities want to

accept the person, not just their academic

record. They want to ensure you fit in with

the university ethos,” said Betsy Wentzel,

US Applications Coordinator.

Nigerian teenager Oluyomi Awosope,

17, will study Economics at Oklahoma

State University.

“I would never have managed the

personal statement without the help I

received at Wycliffe,” he said.

Twins Eleanor and Peter Carr are

bound for the States in September. Eleanor

will study at the University of Missouri

while her brother will study at North

Carolina University.

Nicholas Brown was offered a

$60,000 scholarship to Seattle University

but has decided to go to the University of

Washington.

Christopher Clough will study at

Pennsylvania State University and Hannah

Kent will be studying at North Carolina

State University.

Mrs Wentzel said that being accepted

and attending an American university

helps a student stand out when they enter

the job market.

“It’s a highly competitive market

and the more things you have that set

you apart the better,” she said. “Being

accepted at an American university shows

independence and initiative.

I’m so proud of all of these students

for their hard work and determination.

Their futures look bright as there will, I

am sure, be lots of opportunities ahead of

them.”

American Universities

Page 42: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Science2

Birds of Prey By Justin Mace, Head of Biology

On Tuesday 23rd June, Year 12 biologists

visited The International Centre for Birds

of Prey at Newent. Jimmy, who has been

working there for a number of years,

gave them a guided tour of the centre.

He talked through the adaptations of the

different birds and showed some of them

up close. The students were all especially

taken with the Jungle Owlet (above left).

As soon as the tour had finished, the

students were then treated to the first of

two flying displays; a Lanner falcon was

put through its paces as well as a Grey

Buzzard eagle and a beautiful Ashy-faced

owl.

After the display the students had a

picnic lunch and toured the grounds and

aviaries. The second display of the day

showcased the flying talents of a Saker

falcon and a Merlin, as well as the less

impressive but more comical antics of a

Burrowing owl. The finale involved a flight

of four Yellow-billed kites flying at once

and catching food morsels in flight. The

trip has already added a valuable context

to the ecology unit which the students are

currently studying, and was also a lovely

day out after all of their hard work in their

examinations.

Chemistry Department goes to Bristol University

On the 5th November, Wycliffe Chemistry

Department took the Year 12 Chemistry

students to Bristol University for what

proved an invaluable day.

Wycliffe has very strong links with

the Chemistry Department at Bristol

University. They have visited Wycliffe in

the past and given demonstration lectures

and even allowed Wycliffe chemists to

use the “Spectroscopy in a Suitcase”

equipment in the school. However, there

are still some aspects of A level Chemistry

that are beyond the scope of even the

most well-resourced school and therefore,

these regular visits to Bristol University

are highly beneficial to the students. The

Wycliffe chemists were able to use the

equipment in the Bristol teaching labs to

extract, purify and analyse caffeine using

solvent extraction, rotary evaporation and

infrared spectroscopy.

Having completed the practical side

of the visit, the students then had the

opportunity to meet and question two

former Wycliffians, Rosie Grindrod, who is

in the second year of her Chemistry degree

and Ceska Waggett, who is in the fourth

and final year of her Chemical Physics

degree. Both girls are currently studying

at Bristol.

The day concluded with two

fascinating lectures and the students are

now looking forward to putting their new-

found knowledge into practice!

Page 43: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

STEM Day

Hundreds of primary school children

discovered that the proof of the experiment

is in the eating.

The youngsters made ice cream in

Wycliffe’s new food experiment labs, part of

the £850,000 refurbishment of the school’s

Science block. More than 400 children took

part in the STEM (Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics) day. It

also involved 88 Wycliffe Sixth Formers,

who taught or acted as guides during the

science day.

Throughout the day they enjoyed

lessons and talks on everything from biology

to steam cars.

The primary schools taking part were:

Stroud schools Minchinhampton; Amberley,

Rosary and St Dominic’s; Wotton schools

The British School, Charfield and Bluecoat

and Stonehouse schools Park Juniors and

Hopelands.

Children made slime, engines and

structures with spaghetti and marshmallows,

wrote code and watched birds of prey

in action. They also learned about the

technology behind Bloodhound, a project to

construct the first 1,000mph car.

Companies and organisations

supporting the day included Messier Dowty,

Renishaw, IDS, Advantis, Mantra Learning,

Stroud Beekeepers, and the James Dyson

Foundation.

The STEM is the brainchild of

Matthew Archer, Head of Science

at Wycliffe. “If you can get children

enthusiastic about science at an earlier age

then they are likely to pursue it longer in

school and hopefully as a career. That is

what today is all about; to make children say

‘Wow’ when they think about the sciences.”

42

43

CO

MM

UN

ITYTHE WYCLIFFIAN

PASS is pleased to report on another

rewarding year, utilising our funds to help

pupils throughout the school to experience

or achieve that bit more, and adding those

special extra touches to life in the Houses.

We have enjoyed meeting pupils from

many interest areas and Year Groups, and

are invariably impressed by the presentation

of their bids. These have been conducted

in an impressive, charismatic and well-

planned way; the questions from the PASS

committee being answered with authority,

intelligence and often humour.

Below is a list of a few of the

individual projects PASS has supported

throughout the last academic year – some

large, some small – all in addition to its

support of academic prizes and cultural

travel awards. The list bears testimony

to a diverse and wide-ranging scope of

interests and activities, and is a credit both

to the students who have presented their

proposals, and to staff members who have

given of their time and support.

Masks for Theatre Studies; blankets

for Haywardsend; cooking equipment for

Haywardsfield and Ivy Grove; building

materials for Robinson; a table-tennis

table for Loosley; commissioning a play

from Stroud-based dramatist, Jamila

Gavin; a camera for the squash club; a

barbeque for Wards; dance mats; computer

programming; Christmas decorations for

Lampeter; fireworks for Science Day; the

CCF’s Alpine Challenge and shooting team

and newt pots(!) for Duke of Edinburgh

awards.

In the coming year, PASS would

encourage members of the school

community to ‘think big’: there is a

sizeable fund available for deserving and

inspired schemes – whether for house

improvements or personal challenges – and

the committee will welcome ambitious,

perhaps longer-term projects. We can’t

promise to back every idea, but we will give

positive consideration to all that we receive.

Wycliffe Parents’ Association Senior School (PASS)

Page 44: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

2

Marriages

Alexandra Selfe, College librarian and

husband, James, welcomed the safe

arrival of baby Astrid Emilia (named after

Alex’s favourite author Astrid Lindgren)

on Saturday 25th April 2015. Astrid

weighed 9lb 3oz.

Ross Beamish, Head of Media Studies and

fiancée, Liyarna Lyes, were delighted to

announce the safe arrival of Jack William

Beamish on 21st September 2014. Jack

weighed 8lbs 7oz.

Benoy Ittyavirah, Head of ICT and wife,

Anna, were pleased to announce the arrival

of Eoin George on 5th July 2015. Eoin

weighed 6lbs 8oz. He was born in

Gloucester Royal Hospital.

Births

Births

Nikki Green, Head of Art and partner,

Adam Hinks, celebrated the safe arrival of

their daughter, Peggy, on 16th November

2014. Peggy weighed 8lbs 5oz and is a

much cherished sister to Albie and Wilf,

who are completely besotted and she has

already got the boys completely twisted

around her little finger!

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Engagements, Marriages & Births

German teacher, Nadja Mikesch married

David James Stephens on the 15th August

2015. The ceremony was held at the

Stroud registry office followed by a family

meal and a handfasting ceremony at

Tickmorend in Horsley. They are now

Mr & Mrs Stephens-Mikesch.

Charlotte Conway, History teacher, and

her husband, Alan were delighted to

welcome Matilda Elizabeth Lois, born

on Tuesday 11th August in Southmead

Hospital weighing in at 9lb7oz.

Page 45: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

SPEA

CH

DAY

Houses

Page 46: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN3A year in the life of Ivy Grove

Head of House : Emma Bastin

House Motto : If you can dream it, you can do it

These included our fantastic House

cooking evenings run on the weekend by

Mr and Mrs Lunch where we get to opt

into helping to cook the evening meal or if

the weather’s good a BBQ cooked by Mr

Lunch on the weekend and the occasional

fun treat in the evening such as the ice

cream sundaes.

The year kicked off at rapid pace

with House song rehearsals beginning

almost immediately with our song this year

being ‘Girlfriend’ by Avril Lavigne, and

whilst we did not place, we all had a really

great time! Our next House event was the

Christmas Dinner with Haywardsfield who

really swept us off our feet by giving us

surprises in the form of chocolate, roses

and music in order to win us over. We

returned the favour by offering them a

party night with an epic dance off on the

Wii. The actual night was again great fun

with a photo booth that caught a lot of

interesting poses and a few funny awards.

This year also saw a lot of our girls

doing well in lots of sport with Sophie

Caesar and Omina Jones representing the

1st XI .Natasha Wait, Yulia Ukrayinska,

Katie Briggs and Janouk Brynjarsdottir

Kok represented the U15s and Izzy

Naish, Tillie Graham and Saorise Purkess

represented the U14s. We have also had

a number of strong rowers; Rhiannon

Tasker, Georgie Barr, Cindy Liu, Evgenia

Gencheva, Nadia Hirsi, Angela Chen,

Gee Gilchrist and Fenella Purkess taking

part in competitions throughout the

year. In the Netball season Natasha Wait

played for the U15a, and Izzy Naish

won a bronze medal in the South West

regional finals as a part of the U14s and

has earned herself a place in the county

development Netball squad. The Summer

Term has seen Sophie Caesar captaining

the Senior Rounders team that included

Becky Bidwell, Emma Bastin, and Caitlen

Cooper. For the U15s Tasha Wait played

and recently competed for the district, for

the U14s Izzy Naish was Vice Captain

and Emma Livingstone and Omina Jones

played team Tennis. These players and

others within House really helped in

the inter-house sport competitions with

everyone having great fun and lots of

enthusiasm that even though we didn’t

win any we always performed well and

came very close on several occasions! (2nd

in Rounders)

There have also been many girls

getting involved in the school play the

‘Fiddler on the roof’ with Sophie Caesar,

Louise Elliott and Caitlen Cooper having

lead roles and Rhiannon, Alexandra

and Nadia Hirsi forming the supporting

cast. Frances and Fenella played their

instruments as part of the school orchestra

which was amazing on each performance.

We also have a number of budding

actresses that have taken part in LAMDA

exams; Sophie Caesar, Alexandra Daws,

Erin Holley and Nadia Hirsi have all done

extremely well.

There have also been a number of

music events which the girls have been

involved in such as House Music where

we were teamed with Haywardsfield.

First of all, we all got involved in the

prelims where we had to sing and play an

instrument (we won this round!!) and

then we performed four pieces in front of

the whole School which told the story of

a rocky romance between the two Houses.

We have also had a large number of our

House getting involved in choir, VOX and

the various concerts around school with all

of the musicians giving the most incredible

performances and making the rest of the

House really proud not to mention a bit

envious of their talent! In addition, we had

inter-house debating where the Juniors

Saoirse, Alex and Eve came second with

some truly fantastic arguments that left the

opposition stumped! The Seniors Emma

Bastin and Francesca Robinson came first

again, as per usual!

Lots of Ivy girls have also been

involved in the Chapel and have even won

the chapel prize this term for our theme

of being holy. Alex Daws and Nadia Hirsi

must get a special mention for their very

brave and informative talk alongside Mr

Lunch on dyslexia, as well as our amazing

House assistant Miss Madden for her

solitary talk on hope. This year has been

incredible with so much going on and it

would not have been the same without our

super girls and House staff!

This year at Ivy has been busy as always with many fun activities being run throughout the year, such as the usual inter-house competitions as well as a few within House.

Housemistress : Mrs Emma Lunch

Page 47: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

46

47

HO

USE

S

Page 48: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

333

Page 49: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

48

49

HO

USE

S

A year in the life of Loosley House

Head of House : Harry Ford & Anna Morgan

House Motto : International bonds

Housemaster : Mr G Buckley

Starting the year with the House Song

was a great way in which to integrate new

members of the House and create a strong

alliance which continued throughout

the year. Singing ‘Wavin flag’ became a

team effort, hugely led by Hannah Kent

and Ieva Povilonyte. Loosley put on a

performance of which each and every

participant can be proud.

This year sport has become a

substantial part of the House, with teams

competing in House Rugby and Hockey

in the penultimate week of the Christmas

term, both boys and girls fielding strong

teams in both competitions. Special

mentions go to Anna Poliakova and Pilar

RubioPeña who stepped in having never

played hockey before and Ben Clarke

leading the boys in some tough rugby

fixtures with the support of players such

as Henry Moss.

The Autumn Term came to an end

with the annual Christmas dinner, which

was an opportunity for the whole House

to come together after a stressful term

for both the Lower Sixth who were just

finding their feet at a new school, and

Upper Sixth who needed to hit the ground

running in their final year. The evening was

filled with a fantastic dinner accompanied

by speeches and awards to lead us into

an evening of dancing which saw many

hobbling to the bus at the end!

Sport showed dominance again

with yet more appearances from people

new to sports with Rachel Ibanga taking

part in House Netball. The girls put up

a fierce fight with the other Houses. The

boys fought strongly in the Football,

with Captain Arturs Ribakovs having an

outstanding tournament and they were

very unfortunate to miss out on winning

this year’s inter-house Football but fought

for an excellent second place. Squash has

also become a huge part of the House,

with Amelia Henley, Ellie Jones and

Duncan McKillop all joining the House

this year alongside Arhant Simah. Their

participation in the Wycliffe squash squad

boosted the school to both the mens’ and

womens’ nationals squash titles.

House Music made stars shine

within the House; the hugely talented

Julija Laksa played the piano beautifully

with what can only be described as the

best performance of the night. Ramazan

Samat and Alberto Guerro Martinuzzi

took on the huge task of learning the

song ‘Wonderwall’ on the guitar in only

three hours, however they surpassed

expectations with a stunning performance,

alongside the Loosley choir, which brought

great entertainment and all had great fun

participating.

The year came to an end with

the House Film. Hours of preparation,

editing and filming were put into such an

incredible film by Linara Gaisini. Lead

actor Tommy Xiao is hoping to direct us

to win the competition for the fourth year

running!

Overall it has been an extremely

fun-filled and active year in Loosely Halls

and we are sad to say goodbye. Everyone

in this House has become family but we

know that next year in Loosley will be just

as much fun, for the remaining year and

the new Year 12 who will join them. We

would also like to take this opportunity to

wish Ben Clarke and Victoria Daws all the

best in leading the House to more trophies

in the coming year, with help from

deputies Artur Ribavovs and Zoe Mitchell.

By Harry Ford and Anna Morgan

This year has been an entertaining and eventful year for Loosley, with half the House being replaced by a host of different characters who brought a new atmosphere to the House.

Page 50: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

A year in the life of Robinson House

Head of House : George Turner

House Motto : Contribution, connection and conduct

Housemaster : Mr J Mace

As always, Robinson has defended its title

as a notoriously fierce competitor in the

inter-house sporting competitions; we saw

our Juniors win House Rugby in the first

term and come the final term, we stole the

gold in Sports Day for Senior and Junior

Fencing, as well as Junior Rowing. Well

done to all who took part.

However, Robinson witnessed a

change of tune, as 2015 saw our first

House Music win in several years. Head

of House George Turner, along with

his musical maestro Boris Lourenco,

choreographed and delivered an

outstanding performance to take away

the trophy at the end of the night.

This will always be remembered as

part of Robinson’s history… as will the

celebrations that followed!

Inter-house competitions are just one

aspect of the vast spectrum that has been

life in Robinson for the last year. Despite

the hectic schedule for many of the boys,

we still managed to fit in a lot outside of

our sports and studies. Winter term saw

the infamous Christmas Dinner, which was

thoroughly enjoyed by all. In the second

term, Mr Mace, having reared a pig, taught

us how to make ‘real’ sausages from it! A

deer was then brought in, with which we

made jerky out of, and was an experience

for most of us who had never eaten one

before! Many of the boys have certainly

learnt a thing or two about preparing meat,

as well as making desserts, with a bucket

of tiramisu being made, and devoured in

the same evening, leaving no remnants of

leftovers.

The new patio being installed in

Robinson’s back garden has seen many of

the boys pulling their socks up to make

their mark on the House, with notable

mentions going to Angus Wightman and

George Turner, and of course Mr Mace.

The patio will allow for more convenient

barbeques in the future, and for a more

open space.

This year in Robinson, we have seen the arrival of many new boys who have all, in their own way, helped to create a new look to the House. This included winning our first House Music in many years, as well as competing in all other House activities.

3

Overall it has been a very successful

year for Robinson House, and one that I’m

sure will be followed up by an even better

one next year under the leadership of Illya

Nuzbrokh and Angus Wightman; I wish

the lads all the best.

“[The House Music victory]

will always be remembered as

part of Robinson’s history...

as will the celebrations that

followed!”

Page 51: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

50

51

HO

USE

S

Page 52: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

3

Page 53: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

52

53

HO

USE

S

A Year in the life of Ward’s House

Our matrons Corrine and Fran are the

true sources of this environment. Their

office is always open to anyone who

wishes to have a talk, and they really are

like our second mums.

Ward’s has had a slight losing streak

for many years now as we never quite

managed to come out on top; however,

we kick-started the year by winning the

House Song competition. Our rendition

of ‘Year 3000’ by Busted placed us first in

the House Song competition, outdoing all

other competitors. This is the first time

Ward’s has won the House Song in over

10 years, and so as you can imagine the

boys couldn’t hold back their excitement.

After a small celebration, that night we

went to bed with pride that Ward’s House

had reached an all new high!

We have also managed to win

House Football this year, beating the

favourites, Loosely. This was a well fought

competition, with a well-deserved win.

We also just missed out in House Rugby,

with a couple of our key players out due

to injury.

This year, we also got our hands on

some brand new House kit. Each of the

boys in Ward’s now has a personalised

House shirt belonging to them. This kit is

meant to be used in all the House Sports

competitions, and while we always had the

performance we now have the look

to go with it.

Head of House : Subash Ale & Alex Schranz

Ward’s had a few improvements last

summer, decorated with a new kitchen

being installed and common room

refurbished. This really cheered the place

up and provided a much needed face lift

to the building. The common room is now

an area in which people feel much more

comfortable and provides an environment

in which people are able to relax and enjoy

themselves.

Midway through the year, we went to

PASS (Parents’ Association Senior School)

committee meeting and secured ourselves

the funding for a brand new BBQ and

the equipment that comes with it. This

has been a great source of entertainment

for the boys with a BBQ on a Saturday

evening being the regular event. This

provided us with vital time in which we

are able to relax and have fun with our

friends away from our exams during the

Summer Term.

The last week of school saw every

House compete in Sports Day. The day is

split into two halves, with the first being

the Legacy Sports and the second the

standard Sports Day. During the Legacy

Sports event we managed to secure wins

in the table tennis and then the basketball.

This makes it the second year in a row that

we have won basketball. In the afternoon,

we had boys pushing themselves to the

limit, however here we fell short with only

a few wins in events.

In House Tennis, Felix and

Christian, a doubles partnership had a

hard fought and well deserved win. They

battled it out to come back from 4-1

down, and after a tough match, defeated

their opponents to finish first and bring

back the trophy.

The last Thursday of the term was

the House Film competition. Here every

House puts together a short film around

six minutes long and it is then displayed

in front of the whole school in Sibly Hall.

Joe Oliver dedicated his last few weeks

of school to create Ward’s piece. In this

competition we finished second to Loosely

with our film ‘Hogwards’. The films were

judged on technical aspects, meaning we

lost out to Loosely even though everyone

enjoyed our piece much more.

Finally to finish off the year, we had

the much anticipated Ward’s summer

party with our partnered girls’ House

Lampeter, held in the garden of Ward’s.

We had caterers who provided us with

excellent food. We also had a bouncy

castle set up and many of the House staff

from both Houses decided to join us that

evening. The Ward’s party was an excellent

way to finish the year and everyone

thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Massive thanks must go to the

Golightly family who do a fantastic job of

looking after each and every one of us, and

without them Ward’s would truly not be

the same.

By Alex Schranz

House Motto : Probably the best House in the world

Ward’s House prides itself on its friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Everyone is cheerful and we aim to support each other throughout the year.

Housemaster : Mr Andrew Golightly

Page 54: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

A year in the life of Collingwood House

Head of House : Alexander Gilchrist & Ellie Roberts

House Motto : Faster, higher, stronger!

Housemaster : Mr Kevin Patrick

All students have been exceptional in

studies and activities this year and have led

Collingwood to another successful year.

Almost immediately at the start

of the school year, preparation began

for the House Song; the song we chose

was “Stacy’s Mom”, which was decided

through House vote. Rehearsals are

definitely a challenge as a Day House, but

we feel we coped well and in the end, the

evening was a lot of fun. On reflection this

was probably not the best song choice for

the House, but we still had a really good

night, and as Heads of House, we garnered

many comments about how well the

House performed and improved on years

gone by.

As December approached, Christmas

dinner arrived. This was held at the ‘Old

Lodge’ in Minchinhampton; it was a lovely

evening for all with comical awards which

had been voted within the House! There

have been many other House socials as

well as a Sixth Form curry evening which

have really helped to bring the House

together, creating a sense of community

with interaction across the years.

House Music came around in the

Spring Term; and with hard work from

many talented musicians, including Jack

Evans’ solo cover of Ed Sheeran, and

Rohan Easby uncovering his hidden

talent of piano in a beautiful rendition of

I Giorni. Overall we came second, and we

could not have been any prouder of the

House, as this was the first time in four

years that we had even been placed in the

top three; especially as the competition

was very fierce!

Sport has also been successful this

year as always, with wins in Senior Boys’

House Rugby and Junior Girls’ House

Tennis to name a few. The annual Sports

Day was also a day of great fun, although

we did not win anything overall. However,

we did have our individual shining stars in

the form of Senior Boys’ Squash (Charlie

Richards & Jack Price) and Junior

Girls’ Squash (Ellie Bathurst & Mary

Evans), Senior Boys’ Rowing (competed

multi-gender by Kate Hampson & Jack

Evans), Junior Boys’ Shooting (Joshua

Currie & Alex Seymour) and Junior Girls’

Badminton (Emily Riley & Alex Bolton) in

the legacy morning.

As the year comes to a close, we still

have one more House event we are yet to

see the results of with House Film on the

last Thursday of term.

Alex and I have immensely enjoyed

our time as Heads of House, and have

been proud to share our knowledge and

experience with new pupils to the school

directing Year 9s into where they are going

and watching them progress from the

start to now. Our time in Collingwood

has been varied, yet the experience of

Head of House has been wonderful. To

be a leadership figure, helping to run

the House from the student perspective

has been an experience which will never

compare to any other. We would like to

wish Charlie and Georgie the best of luck

in their leadership, and hope for another

successful year.

By Ellie Roberts

Collingwood has had another busy year, with lots going on within the Year Groups! September saw the arrival of many new students in both Year 9 and Year 12, who we believe settled down and fitted in to Collingwood very quickly.

3

Page 55: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

54

55

HO

USE

S

Page 56: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

33

Page 57: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

56

57

HO

USE

S

A year in the life of Haywardsend

Many girls in the House have huge

personal achievements this year; Abigail

Covill achieved a merit in her grade

eight singing, Jane Liu participated in

the Mehong Cup, a Japanese speaking

competition, Holly Bankes achieved the

tenth fastest time in the country for the

800m as well as qualifying for nationals,

and Zoe Davison represented Great

Britain this year and became the national

champion in Triathlon.

The Autumn Term brought with

it the House Song, The girls all pulled

together working as a unit with the House

prefect team leading the way and making

the House song a resounding success

coming a close second to Ward’s, with

only one point in it. This was the best

result the House has achieved many years.

The Spring Term brought many fun

and exciting events including; House

Music, House Debating, the Year 13

House trip to TGIF and the school play

which was chosen as ‘The Fiddler on

the Roof’ this year. The Haywardsend

girls revealed an incredible range of

talents by participating in many of the

events this term. The combined efforts

Head of House : Elise Clements & Elizabeth Puig

of Haywardsend and Robinson led the

Houses to a combined victory in the

House Music event which was greatly

celebrated by both Houses that evening;

this could not have been achieved if

it were not for the efforts of all the

members of both Houses during the

preliminary rounds, once again showing

Haywardsend’s team spirit. Several of

the girls showed immense ability in the

form of their House Debates this year

with Beth Puig and Jane Liu representing

the Seniors, with Lauren Parker, Megan

Nash and Georgie Febery representing

the Juniors. The Year 13 trip to TGIF was

a great night which truly highlighted the

closeness of the Sixth Form. Many of the

Haywardsend girl’s contributions lead to

the outstanding play ‘The Fiddler on the

Roof’; girls who took part included Teri

Butcher, Lucy Parker, Annabelle Pearce,

Alice Dean, Shasha Pysarieva and Risa

Miyajima.

Sports Day is always a fun occasion

at Wycliffe and this year was no different

with the legacy events allowing the entire

House to participate in various events

ranging from Football to Fencing. But

House Motto : Get involved, have fun and try your best

Housemistress : Mrs Sharyn Trainor

Haywardsend’s true strength always lies in

the athletics, with the Juniors winning the

Junior Sports Day for the second year in a

row. The Seniors were very unfortunate to

lose to Ivy with it coming down to the wire

in the relay and eventually the result of the

medley relay was the decider with Ivy just

gaining victory in the end.

This year Haywardsend continued

two long standing traditions, involving the

entire House – the Easter egg raffle and the

Race for Life. This year we had a vote as

to which charity we would support. Bath

Intensive Care Unit was a clear winner, it

being very close to the hearts of several of

the girls in House. The Easter egg raffle

this year was hugely successful with all

the girls’ efforts enabling us to raise over

£250. For the previous three years the

Haywardsend girls have taken part in the

Race for Life in Gloucestershire and this

year was no different with the girls raising

an impressive £280 for Cancer Research.

This led to Haywardsend winning the

Charity Cup in the Summer Term.

This year has been another enjoyable and successful year for all the Haywardsend girls, with both individual and collective successes.

Page 58: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

A year in the life of Haywardsfield House

Head of House : Jasper Meehan

House Motto : Collectively celebrating individual achievements

Housemaster : Mr Ian Russell

Friendships throughout the year have

turned to lifelong companionships, no

matter the distance after School ends.

From Russia to Thailand or Spain to

China, living so closely to one another

would inevitably result in being close to

those around you but Haywardsfield offers

something completely unique, a genuine

constant interest in the philosophy and

comforts of those you are surrounded by.

This was highlighted through this year’s

House Music. Despite not coming first,

Haywardsfield was said to be ‘entertaining

and unexpected’ by the judge, Tom

Hartley. Within the competition, nearly

every member of the House was involved;

something no other House could offer.

The new addition of not only the

Year 9s, DY students and some Year 12s

but also our House Master, Ian Russell has

created a new flavour to the House. In the

past, Haywardsfield has not been regarded

as a particularly sporty House, yet this

year we defied all odds by winning both

Junior and Senior divisions of the Sports

Day competitions as well as two of our

members gaining the Junior and Senior

individual awards for best athletes (Jack

Newey – Junior award, Yomi Awosope –

Senior award). This was a very successful

and enjoyable day, with every member of

the House competing.

As a Head of House, it has been

wonderful seeing the House and the

people within it grow and learn exactly

what Haywardsfield offers. I believe

that next year’s Head of House, Luke

Whitmarsh, and Deputy, Tom Parcell,

will emulate this well. Their leadership

skills and respect that they have gained

throughout the year will result in the

House being run in an organised and

enthusiastic manner. The future for

Haywardsfield is extremely bright, and can

only get brighter.

By Jasper Meehan

The Haywardsfield family, like any other family in the world, is welcoming and comforting yet in its own special way is culturally diverse.

3

“Friendships throughout

the year have turned to

lifelong companionships,

no matter the distance after

school ends.”

Page 59: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

58

59

HO

USE

S

Page 60: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

33

Page 61: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

61

HO

USE

S

A year in the life of Lampeter

Head of House : Amanda Khatri and Ellie Carr

House Motto : Never, never, never give up!

Housemistress : Mrs Louise Knighton-Callister

We welcomed many new students at the

beginning of the year, including a new

matron, Jean, and they have been an

excellent addition to the House. It has

been an exciting year for Lampeter, in

which in one of the biggest competitions,

the House Song, we came third singing

Cee Lo Green’s ‘Forget You’. As we

approached Christmas we were very

thankful to the PASS committee who

gave us funds for Christmas decorations,

making Lampeter feel even more homely.

We also had our annual Christmas dinner,

and we were paired with Ward’s this year.

All of the girls looked beautiful and the

dinner gave them a chance to let their

hair down after what had been a very

busy and stressful term. We were also

fortunate enough to host the South African

exchange student, Wendy Van Wyk, for

the second year running (clearly we have

a good reputation over there) who was

an absolute delight and became a true

Lampeter lady.

Moving on the Spring Term, many

Lampeter girls including, Chessie Turner,

Kirsty Turbott, Liza Mavrodi, and Rufina

Valiullina, participated in the school

play, ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and helped

to make it a great success! Moreover,

Lampeter joined with Ward’s House to

put their best musicians forward in the

House Song, providing an entertaining

evening which exhibited their many

talents. Additionally, the Senior Netballers

won inter-house Netball for the second

year in a row! On the academic side, we

participated in House Debating when the

Seniors, Mariana Botelho Bonamigo and

Carina La Garde, argued excellent points

but unfortunately lost to Collingwood.

Similarly for the Juniors, Laura Robinson

and Holly Tyler put on an excellent

debate, revelling in much support from the

Lampeter girls.

In the final term, despite always

being stressful due to exams, the Lampeter

girls proved their resilience by participating

in inter-house Rounders, where both the

Seniors and the Juniors won. This was

topped off by the Senior Tennis players

of Lampeter, where Holly Tyler smashed

her opponents and won the inter-house

Tennis.

On a more personal note, we would

like to congratulate the new Heads of

Houses Aanis Reymond and Mariana

Bonamigo who we are certain will do

an excellent job and bring Lampeter

many more successes. It has been an

absolute pleasure knowing each and every

Lampeter girl and member of staff in

Lampeter who have contributed towards

making our experiences at Wycliffe

memorable. Our word of advice would

be that the time here goes by so quickly,

and so you should cherish each and every

moment. We have started a tradition

of doing House breakfast regularly, and

getting all the girls together every two

weeks for House movie night. This has

made the House even closer, strengthening

the relationships throughout each Year

Group. Lampeter is a lively, homely House

that we are both truly honoured to have

been a part of for the last few years and

we know it will only continue to flourish

under Mrs. KC’s wing.

By Amanda Khatri and Ellie Carr

To be a Lampetarian is to be a lot of things: kind, loyal and enthusiastic. 2015 has been no different, as Lampeter has seen pass through its doors, a wide array of what we can only call true Lampetarians.

6060

Page 62: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

333

Page 63: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

63

HO

USE

S

6362

Page 64: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Trips &Expeditions

Page 65: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

64

65

TRIP

S &

EXP

EDIT

ION

S

Trips & Expeditions

Field Studies in Arran

It took several hours to reach our

destination and the weather was a

typical British mixture. We left a damp

Stonehouse very early on the Friday

morning and just north of Manchester we

experienced the first flurries of snow. By

the time we reached the Lake District, the

snow had capped the mountains in both

Cumbria to the west and the Pennines to

the east. The scene was very impressive for

lunch, especially for a motorway services.

Things then improved as we drove into

Scotland and, by the time we reached the

Ferry Port at Ardrossen, it was a balmy,

sunny, 15 degrees.

The ferry crossing was calm but

spectacular, as the sunset behind the Isle

of Arran threw up red and orange hews

silhouetting the mountains of the island

in black. We arrived in Loch Ranza and

settled into our accommodation, ready for

the next day’s fieldwork.

On Saturday we set about recording

changes that take place along the River

Chalmerdale. The fine weather of the

previous day had disappeared, and it

had a more seasonal chill to the wind.

We started high up near the source and

gradually made our way down the valley

to the mouth, recording the velocity, area

and discharge of the river together with

the bed load. In the evening we wrote up

our methods and findings and statistically

tested our hypothesis.

The Sunday was a much more

pleasant day as the clouds had blown away

and temperatures had risen.

The morning was spent looking at

new fieldwork, sampling techniques on

a salt marsh. In the afternoon we had a

tour of the island, taking in some of the

key geological features that attract many to

the island.

Despite the journey, it was a

successful trip. It was amazing to see so

many stars in the unpolluted night sky

and even more spectacular to get a brief

glimpse at a meteorite as it brightly burnt

up in the sky above Scotland.

By Richard Pender, Head of Geography

In March, the Upper and Lower Sixth went to the Isle of Arran, in Scotland as part of the field studies experience.

Page 66: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Trips & Expeditions4

Page 67: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

66

67

TRIP

S &

EXP

EDIT

ION

S

eco-system with a large population of

leopards. Its summit is 2,776m.

Our second mountain was KipiPiri

which was much harder both navigation

-wise and physically, as it was a very steep

slog through unpaved dense forest until

we reached the summit of about 4,000m.

We then camped further down where

we had to do a night watch with armed

guards to protect the camp from some

very aggressive bulls!

After this we had a rest day to sort

out our kit and visit the school we would

be working in before starting the ascent of

Mt Kenya.

This was a five day journey as we

started 26 miles outside of the National

Park, and had an extra day to explore and

get used to the altitude. We went through

deep rainforest along a very muddy dirt

track. These trees soon turned into grassy

plains, as we got higher up the mountain.

We then went up some steeper hills and

everywhere was covered in lilandi, which

are gorgeous big plants that come in many

different shapes and sizes. Finally, as we

reached the summit the surroundings

changed again and we were surrounded by

the most beautiful mountain ranges and

pools and even a little bit of snow. Even

though we were on the equator, our camp

at Mintos was 4,800m and the night time

temperature fell to -15°C. We all reached

the summit at 4,995m but we couldn’t

stay there long as it was very cold and the

weather was starting to take a turn for the

We had to attend three training sessions in

the Lake District. The first was a selection

weekend where our fitness and team skills

were tested. If you passed the weekend

then we did a summer mountain course

for a week in October, which was possibly

in the worst weather conditions possible.

In contrast, our training expedition for

a week in April, whilst more physically

demanding, was in absolutely stunning

weather.

Finally, after numerous kit checks on

the 27th of July we were ready. After a long

flight and rickety bus journey we arrived at

our first campsite and had our first night

listening to the Kenyan wildlife. It was the

morning when we first witnessed the true

beauty of Kenya. However, driving through

the towns to get to Hells Gate National

Park we saw just how poverty stricken

Kenya is with many people out on the

street begging. Our first acclimatisation

phase was a walk along a large steep gorge

that was above geothermal vent so all the

water there was hotter than all three of

the showers we got whilst out there! The

next day we took a longer walk around the

park and saw some obsidian caves as well

as getting up close to lots of wildlife. We

also did some technical rock climbing up a

volcanic plug called Fishers Tower.

We then moved on to the more

intense part of the acclimatisation with the

ascent of Mt Longonot that is a dormant

volcano with a 7km rim. Inside the caldera

is dense forest in which there is a separate

By Emma Bastin, Yr 13

Kenya – Once in a lifetime

worse. The descent took two days. On the

second day we ran the whole day as we

were so acclimatised that it made it easy at

the lower altitude.

After we completed the mountain

trip we had a couple of days rest in the

park, going on safari before we started the

community project. For this project we

built a new building for the Reception and

Year 1 class to replace the tiny mud hut

classroom, which also doubled up as an

eating area.

There were three groups that worked

on this classroom – an adult group that

laid the foundations and built the main

structure, Group 1 who built desks and

toys, did some painting outside and

finished off the roof. And our group did

the concrete steps and path, plastering and

painting, to give the building the finishing

touches.

And finally, as an end of expedition

treat, we went extreme white water

rafting. I have to say this was the scariest

experience of the entire trip as being

sucked under waterfalls in Kenyan water

was not quite in my comfort zone but it

was a great adrenaline rush all the same.

It is safe to say it was a once in a

lifetime experience and I would just like to

thank Wycliffe and the CCF for enabling

me to go on this fantastic expedition.

I was asked two years ago whether I would like to apply for a space on an expedition to Kenya, and saying yes was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made as I had the best experience of my life so far.

Page 68: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Trips & Expeditions4

The expedition started the next day near

Pencelli, and the group followed an east to

west route across the Beacons, finishing in

the Black mountain area by Usk reservoir

after four days of hiking and three nights’

camping. Congratulations to Ramazan

Samat, Angus Allen, Emma Bastin and

Toben Ronald on successful completion

of the expedition. The positive spirit

and great team work of the group was

commended by the assessor and Toben

Ronald has now finished his award and

received his Gold certificate in the gardens

of Holyrood palace in Edinburgh this

July, with others soon to follow. A great

achievement!

There was a large intake of 21

students at Bronze level this year and their

first expedition challenge was a day walk

in the local area at the start of February.

Students navigated on circular walks

in teams, taking in features such as the

Iron Age fort at Uley and Coaley Peak. In

May the groups undertook a full practice

expedition in the Cotswold area, camping

overnight at Cranham Scout camp, with

two days of walking. The final expedition

at the end of June took place for the first

time in the Gower peninsula. We had a

wonderful welcome at St Madoc’s Youth

Camp, Llanmadoc, remotely situated on

the headland north of Rhossili beach,

where students acclimatised with some

home cooking and a bed for a night before

The academic year began with a final Gold level expedition taking place in the Brecon Beacons during Half Term in October. We met the assessor at YHA Brecon, a converted farm house by the river Tarell with views towards Pen y Fan.

the hike began. The weather improved

on the second day of walking and the

groups then had the reward of stunning

cliff top views from the Wales coastal path

and from King Arthur’s seat (mountain

in the interior). All groups successfully

completed the challenge and particular

commendation to two groups for

fantastic follow up presentations on their

experience.

Most students are well on the way

to completing their whole award, so

keep up the good effort!

Two smaller groups of Silver

participants have undertaken expeditions

this year. The first took place at the end

of March, again in the Brecon Beacons.

This was a Silver final expedition and the

four participants were very fit and worked

purposefully as a team. The acclimatisation

night was spent at Danywenallt YHA

next to Tal-y-Bont reservoir. During the

following hike, poor conditions on the

mountain tops meant the group wisely

taking evasive action on one occasion and

following their bad weather route, but they

completed in glorious sunshine coming

down by Hay Bluff to finish at Hay on Wye

on day three. Well done to James Leach,

Oliver Denning, Andy Wu and Karl Fong

for their achievement.

The last expedition of the Summer

Term was a Silver practice in the Wye

valley and the Forest of Dean area, with

the final expedition scheduled for Exeat of

Autumn Term 2015. The group, consisting

of Mi Wang, Chloe Yung, Irvin Lau,

Andrew Smith and Robert Allman-Carter,

experienced some navigation difficulties

through the fiendishly complex network of

paths in the forest but enjoyed spectacular

scenery at Symond’s Yat, taking the ferry

across to find King Arthur’s Cave, famous

for its prehistoric remains. They also saw

Tintern Abbey and camped one night at

Biblins’s youth camp in the heart of the

forest.

In other areas of the award, students

have been completing their volunteering,

sport and skills sections. The new

‘Newt’ group, run by Mrs Chadwick and

students, was awarded a considerable sum

for development after an excellent PASS

committee bid. Other activities students

are involved in range from Parkour running

to reading to younger pupils at the Prep

School.

Many thanks to all the staff who have

helped, particularly to Mrs Larkin, who

has covered for Mrs Jeffries while she has

been away on maternity leave.

Duke of Edinburgh – Review of the YearBy Kate Elliott, Teacher of ESOL

Page 69: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

68

69

TRIP

S &

EXP

EDIT

ION

S

Page 70: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Science Live

There were talks from various scientists

including Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock and

Professor Lord Robert Winston.

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock was raised

and studied in London and obtained a

degree in Physics and a PhD in Mechanical

Engineering from Imperial College

London. Maggie develops TV programmes

showing children fun experiments to

do at home. She is currently a presenter

of BBC 4’s ‘The Sky at Night’ and she

also featured in a BBC 2 series called

‘The Cosmos’. She has set up her own

company Science Innovation Ltd, which

she runs in her spare time. Maggie has

won a number of awards including an

MBE.

Dr Maggie gave a presentation on the

kind of work she does and how she would

love to take people on tours to space

which was an interesting concept. She

talked about wanting to emigrate to Mars

for her retirement. Her work is mainly

to manage a range of projects that make

satellite sub-systems. These are designed

to monitor wind speeds and the Earth’s

atmosphere. They are designed to improve

our current knowledge of climate change

and predict the weather more accurately.

To begin his presentation, Professor

Lord Robert Winston made the audience

clap their hands three times and then

take a deep breath in. Shortly after he told

us we had just inhaled our neighbor’s

skin cells; which we all found disgusting!

Most of his talk was based upon IVF

and the subjects related to it. He is a

pioneer of IVF treatment and a renowned

communicator of science. He engaged

the audience by asking questions such as:

How many eggs do you think there are in

average human 14 year old female? (14 or

15 being our ages) The answer is 300,000.

His talk was mainly related to the Biology

GCSE course we are taking. A key part

that we will be tested on is this topic of

fertilization and all the surrounding topics.

These include hormones and the body

parts involved in the reproductive system.

Professor Lord Robert Winston may

have been a famous actor if he hadn’t

chosen to be a scientist and thought about

going into theatre in the early part of his

career. Thankfully he took up science, and

became a pioneer in his field. One of his

main contributions was his development

of precision surgery on fallopian tubes.

He is also the author of best-selling books

aimed to help people who are thinking

about having children. He has also written

and presented TV series such as ‘The

Human Body’. Due to all of this great

work he earned a life peerage in 1995.

Another scientist who did a

presentation was Dr Simon Singh. Simon

realised early on that a life in the sciences

was ahead of him and gained a degree in

physics at the Imperial College London.

He joined the BBC Science Department

and soon started publishing books. Simon

enlightened us on the uses of science and

went on to include how the Simpsons

actually includes ‘enough mathematics

to form an entire university course’. As

well as this, Simon shared his experience

with the singer Katie Melua after he wrote

an article on how scientifically wrong her

song ‘Nine Million Bicycles’ was. We were

then treated to hearing a version of the

song with the correct scientific facts!

As well as all of the scientists, we

were given a presentation on how to

succeed in our examination. This was very

helpful as it taught us how to answer

each type of question, in order for us

to get more marks in our exams in the

future. Also, we were advised on how to

revise and the best revision techniques.

All of the students on the trip found this

section very useful and felt more secure

on their understanding of how to answer

exam questions.

Overall, the trip was very

successful and was enjoyed by every

student. Not only had we been advised

on exam techniques, but our minds had

been opened to the possibilities that

science creates.

By Alex Bolton and Kelly Fletcher

Trips & Expeditions4

On the 2nd March, a group of Year 10 Science students went to a day of lectures from famous scientists and a talk on science exams.

Page 71: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

70

71

TRIP

S &

EXP

EDIT

ION

S

A2 Psychology Trip

On Friday 7th November, Year 13

Psychology students headed to the

Institute of Education in London for an A

level conference. About 750 young people

heard lectures and participated in seminars

about the psychology of time, sporting

success, laughter, memory, and the effects

of dance on the brain.

BBC Radio 4’s ‘All in the Mind’

presenter, Dr Claudia Hammond delivered

a ‘Time Warped’ lecture, which looked at

the effects that factors such as boredom,

new memories and rejection by others

have on our perception of time duration.

Then, Dr Jon Simons’ talk on

‘Memory research’ focused on how this

research can help students to revise more

effectively, and how this relates to findings

in neuro science.

On to the ‘Psychology of Sporting

Success’, a subject dear to the hearts of

many Wycliffe students. Dr Jonathan

Smith, who worked with the Olympic

rowing team in 2012, introduced us to the

‘chimp model’ of the mind which he and

colleagues use to focus sports men and

women to achieve their personal best and

break records.

After lunch, Dr Sophie Scott gave

an interesting talk on laughter – how it

functions to bring people closer together,

and how it is a universal emotion shared

not only by all humans, but even by other

mammals, such as rats!

A fantastic climax was produced

by Professor Peter Lovatt, a former West

End dancer, who as well as explaining

how dance can improve our cognitive

functioning, managed to get all 750

people on their feet dancing to rhythmic

Latin-American music.

We finished with some shopping

and Chinese food before returning to

Stonehouse on a rather crowded train!

By Amanda Khatri, Yr 13

On the 5th November, Wycliffe Chemistry

Department took the Year 12 Chemistry

students to Bristol University for what

proved an invaluable day.

Wycliffe has very strong links with

the Chemistry Department at Bristol

University, who have visited Wycliffe in

the past and have given demonstration

lectures and even allowed Wycliffe

chemists to use the “Spectroscopy in

a Suitcase” equipment in the school.

However, there are still some aspects of A

Chemistry Trip to Bristol UniversityBy Dr Keith Rose, Chemistry Teacher

level chemistry that are beyond the scope

of even the most well-resourced school

and therefore, these regular visits to Bristol

University prove to be highly beneficial to

the students. The Wycliffe chemists were

able to use the equipment in the Bristol

teaching labs to extract, purify and analyse

caffeine using solvent extraction, rotary

evaporation and infrared spectroscopy.

Having completed the practical side

of the visit, the students then had the

opportunity to meet and question two

former Wycliffians, Rosie Grindrod, who is

in the second year of her chemistry degree

and Ceska Waggett, who is in the fourth

and final year of her chemical physics

degree, both of whom are currently

studying at Bristol.

The day concluded with two

fascinating lectures and the students are

now looking forward to putting their new

found knowledge to practice!

Page 72: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Trips & Expeditions

Viva Espana!

It was excellent to see so many students

involved and wonderful to take this many

away. It was a weary start as we departed

from Wycliffe at 2am for Gatwick airport

but as soon as we landed in the beautiful

sunshine at Alicante airport we all soon

woke up. We arrived at the Arbolar Centre

and were greeted by the excellent team

who looked after us for the entire week.

With the beach right opposite our

accommodation, it did not take long for

it to be filled with our students, taking

in the sun and playing beach rounders.

We completed the first day with an early

night in preparation for the next day.

The second day began with Spanish

lessons, which were differentiated to

accommodate students’ levels of Spanish.

After lunch students gathered on the

beach for more games, all conducted in

Spanish.

The third day started with a Spanish

lesson which focused on the topic

shopping for the morning activity. After

the lesson we went to a big traditional

Spanish market and students were given

money to buy items on a shopping list.

Most words on the list the students had

not come across and so they had to ask

local people where they could find the

different items. The students did very

well on this task. In the afternoon we

were back on the beach taking part in

a sandcastle competition. Students in

groups had to build a sandcastle and

come up with a story in Spanish about

the castle. This was a fantastic task that

encouraged students to use creative

language in Spanish.

The following day we stayed at

the Arbolar Centre. It was a beautiful

sunny day and we took part in water

sport activities including sailing and

kayaking. Students first had to listen

and understand the instructions given in

Spanish and then took to the sea in their

boats. The sea was lovely and calm and

all enjoyed this activity immensely.

The fourth day we went to the

beautiful naval city of Cartagena. To help

the students get their bearings, they were

given a task that would allow them to

explore the city and come across different

famous landmarks. Once completed

students busied themselves in shops

buying souvenirs, presents and gifts for

themselves. We then took them to a

large catamaran boat, which we had to

ourselves sailing all around the coast.

This was a huge highlight of the trip as

we danced salsa on board and took in

the beautiful views and sunshine. After a

very busy day, students settled down to a

Spanish film.

The fifth day started with a cookery

lesson cooking Spanish tortilla and

Gazpacho. The tortilla went down well

but students found it hard to understand

why one would serve cold soup. In the

afternoon we took a trek up Carmoli and

were impressed by the wonderful views

from the top. Later when we reached

the bottom we were met with a lovely

surprise of a tapas eating experience

where we tried some delicious Spanish

delicacies including chorizo, squid,

octopus and more.

The sixth day started with a visit

to the incredibly beautiful and unspoilt

coastal nature reserve Calblanque. Here

students were greeted with wonderful

views of the sea and amazing coastal

scenery. Rounders proved very popular,

as everyone was involved in this game.

In the afternoon students had their

last opportunity to go shopping at the

Dos Mares shopping centre and this

was followed with a game of bowling.

As it was our final evening we had a

Karaoke night and Spanish themed party

outdoors.

The trip was a huge success and

was enjoyed so much by everyone.

All students came back with more

confidence speaking and understanding

Spanish and it was wonderful as a

teacher to see them use their knowledge

of the language in an authentic Spanish

environment.

By Lisa Wisbey, Head of Spanish

During the first week of the Easter holidays we took 62 students to the Mar Menor, Spain, for a cultural and immersion language trip.

4

Page 73: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

72

73

TRIP

S &

EXP

EDIT

ION

S

Page 74: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Trips & Expeditions4

World Tour Biathle Series, Portugal

The squad was made up of 64 competitors

competing in Youth E through to the

Masters races. I was one of six girls in

the Youth B Team. On Friday morning,

the whole squad was taken to the race

venue to have a short training session

in the sea because of the very strong sea

current. This was a hard session but very

worthwhile and gave us all a taste of what

to expect on Saturday.

The races started mid-morning

on Saturday 18th July, but my race was

not until later in the afternoon. The

temperature was around 32 degrees and

we had to stay in the shade and make

sure we were drinking lots of water.

Eventually, it was my turn! On the start

line, I was feeling quite nervous as most

of the other girls were much bigger and

older than me. My race started with a

1,000m run, continuing with a 200m

sea swim, against a very strong current

and finishing with another 1,000m run.

Overall, I came seventh out of a strong

field of 14 competing against athletes from

Portugal, Italy, Belarus and Great Britain.

In the evening we attended a Gala Evening

rounded off by everyone going into the

hotel pool.

I was really pleased with my

performance, especially my running and

hope to go back again next year. I will be

competing for the GB Youth B Team at the

next World Tour Series Race in Weymouth

on Sunday 6 September 2015. The Biathle

is good fun and I would encourage anyone

to give it a go!

By Emma Livingstone, Year 9

On Thursday 16th July, I travelled to Setubal, Portugal, to compete in one of the World Tour Biathle competitions with the GB Biathle Squad.

Page 75: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

74

75

TRIP

S &

EXP

EDIT

ION

S

Mission Impossible

On Friday the 24th of April, five Year 9

pupils headed out to GCHQ (Government

Communication Headquarters) for

a fun, educational and unforgettable

experience. Previous to going to GCHQ

we had won a competition at school

which encouraged all of Year 9 to ‘think

business’ and become inventors for the

day, independently creating and adapting

products within our groups. Our idea was

a Wi-Fi boosting coffee cup named ‘WiFi

2 Go’. In the few weeks we had before

departing for GCHQ we adapted our

Wi-Fi boosting coffee cup and hoped that

it was enough to boost the minds of the

judges and ‘wake them up’ to our idea.

After a long and arduous journey

to Cheltenham on the minibus, we

approached the doughnut shaped building

and began to head towards the entrance to

sign in. Following this we were invited to

see a wide display of stalls that promoted

GCHQ’s array of careers. We realised how

crucial the security was when we even

had to ask permission to use the toilets.

We were then taken into a large room

where half of the groups performed their

presentation to the judges. Immediately

we realised that the quality of the

presentations was a lot higher than we had

expected.

After a quick break, it was time for

our team to show our presentation to

everyone. We were very nervous but we

managed to get through our pitch and

answer some tough questions from the

judges. After all of the presentations, the

judges announced the results. Although

we received some positive comments,

unfortunately we were not placed, but we

were very happy that we performed our

presentation to the best of our ability.

We would like to say a massive thank

you to Mrs Rhymes for helping us prepare

and to Sally, a businesswoman who also

helped us. We had an amazing day at

GCHQ, and we are really glad that we

had the opportunity to see inside such a

fantastic building.

By Rebecca Taphouse and Maisie Spiers, Yr 9

Page 76: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Trips & Expeditions4

On Wednesday 24th September, the A level

English Literature and Creative Writing

students visited Thomas Hardy’s birthplace,

Max Gate and Stinsford Church.

The visit to Stinsford Church was

atmospheric, where we read poems: ‘Rain

on a Grave’ with a bit of drizzle in the air,

next to Hardy’s grave. We went inside

the church, to see where Hardy would

have listened to the choir and musicians,

Dorset Trip – Thomas HardyBy Elaine Lambert, English Teacher

no doubt inspiration for ‘Under the

Greenwood Tree’.

We then headed for Max Gate,

Hardy’s impressive home, which he

designed himself. The National Trust has

now opened up the attic, and we were able

to imagine Emma living up there in the

confined quarters. There was a dramatic

scream from one of the girls at one point,

so maybe ‘His Visitor’ was still afoot! There

was a bit of dressing up, and everyone

looked very fetching!

After lunch in the gardens, we moved

on to Hardy’s birthplace, where we listened

to a traditional Dorset storyteller and

musician. We were encouraged to have a

dance in the living room, just as the family

would have done. It was a magical day.

She sat here in her chair, Smiling into the fire; He who played stood there, Bowing it higher and higher.

Childlike, I danced in a dream;

Page 77: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

Sport

Page 78: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

After success in the District Athletics

trial, a team of ten Wycliffe athletes were

selected to compete in the County Athletics

Championships held at the Prince of Wales

Stadium in Cheltenham.

First to race on the track was Ross

Livingstone, who ran in the Senior Boys’

400m and dominated the race from start to

finish in a commanding victory and a time

of 51.7 seconds. This was a great start to the

day for the Wycliffe athletes and gave others

the confidence to perform to their best.

Tillie Graham and Matt Lambie

competed in the Junior Girls’ and

Intermediate Boys’ 100m. Both had worked

hard prior to the championships and were

rewarded with good times and places. Matt

finished 5th in his race in a time of 12.1

seconds, while Tillie was 7th in the final.

In the field events Sophia Rai and

Luke Barnett both competed in the Shot-

put. Sophia was 8th overall, while Luke

was Wycliffe’s second County Champion

of the day winning the Senior Boys with an

excellent throw.

Emma Livingstone ran in the Junior

Girls’ 1500m and was delighted to run

a personal best time of 5 minutes and 7

seconds. This was a very close race that

Emma won ahead of her rivals. Jess Telford

also ran a great race in the Intermediate

Girls’ 1500m to win the bronze medal.

In his second event of the day, Matt

Lambie jumped a massive 6.04m in the

Intermediate Boys’ Long Jump to finish a

close 2nd.

Holly Bankes, Ross Livingstone, Matt

Lambie and Emma Livingstone were all

selected to represent Gloucestershire at the

South West Championships in Exeter on

the 20th June. Emma ran another personal

best in the 1500m, and Ross was 3rd in the

400m. However, it was Holly that managed

to win her 800m and qualify for the English

Schools Championships later in the summer.

The Year 9 and 10 athletics

competition at Archway was again enjoyed

by all athletes. The Year 9 Girls’ Relay

Team comprising of Emma Livingstone

Tillie Graham, Izzy Naish and Isla Green

performed really well. This event also

gave athletes a chance to prepare for the

competition at the Prince of Wales Stadium

the following week.

At these District Championships for

athletes from Year 9 and 10 saw some great

performances. Holly Bankes and Jack Newey

both won the 800m. Emma Livingstone

and Jess Telford dominated their 1500m

races to win easily, while Matt Ansell and

Matt Lambie won the Long Jump. Harriet

Stevens was brilliant winning the discus and

Katie Cruickshank won the Javelin. Batraz

Albegov was also 1st in the Shot, despite

two no throws.

As well as Wycliffe’s District

Champions, there were also some really

determined performances that athletes can

be proud of, with all contributing to the

team performance. Overall, the Year Group

teams produced some good results. The Year

9 boys finished 9th, the Year 9 girls finished

3rd, the Year 10 girls finished 4th and the

Year 10 boys finished 3rd.

The highlight of the season was the

performance of Holly Bankes in the English

Schools Athletics Finals.

Athletics

5Sport

Page 79: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

78

79

SPO

RT

Wycliffe Year 11 pupil, Tom Seabrook, a

member of the Gloucester Rugby Academy

and the South West Division Rugby Squad,

has been selected for the England U16

team. He earned his first cap in a decisive

victory against Wales, in Caerphilly.

Although not getting on the score sheet,

despite coming close on a number of

occasions, Tom made vital contributions

throughout an excellent all-round display,

resulting in a 34-0 win for England. This

match rounded off an excellent season

for Tom, who has been at Wycliffe since

Reception and a key player in Wycliffe

rugby teams over the years.

“I am really excited about the

opportunity ahead and can’t wait to get out

there and start playing,” said Tom before

the game on Sunday 19th April. “I am

especially looking forward to wearing the

England shirt and playing against Wales,

who will be strong opposition.”

This is certainly an exciting time for

Tom and a wonderful achievement.

Seabrook earns first England cap

THE WYCLIFFIAN

The Cross-county season started at

Kingshill, with the district Year 9 & 10

relays. The performance of the season

was from a combined girls’ team of Izzy

Naish, Emma Livingstone, Jess Telford

and Holly Bankes that easily won the U15

age group.

A large team of athletes then

competed at the Sir William Romney

district trials, with some excellent

performances. In the Junior Boys, Jared

Carter finished 4th. Ryan Coombs

finished 6th in the Intermediate Boys

with Jacob Richardson (14th). Ross

Livingstone rounded off a good race

finishing 2nd in the Senior Boys. In the

Junior Girls, Emma Livingstone matched

her brother’s performance to finish 2nd,

while Isla Green managed a deserved

4th place. However, the performance of

the day came from Holly Bankes, who

dominated the Intermediate Girls’ race

to win overall. In this race, Zoe Davison

was 4th to round off an excellent day for

Wycliffe. All these athletes were selected

for the District team to race at the County

Championships.

At the County Championships, Holly

Bankes again managed 1st place in an

excellent race. Emma Livingstone was 4th

and Ross Livingstone 6th in their respective

age groups. There were good performances

from Isla Green (9th) and Ryan Coombs

(19th).

The South West Championships saw

Emma and Ross Livingstone continue with

their good form, to finish 24th and 44th

against a high quality field of runners. This

was an excellent achievement, resulting in

them both being selected for the National

Cross-county Championships held in

Blackburn.

Holly Bankes also represented the

County at these Championships finishing a

Cross-country

respectable position.

Congratulations go to all these

runners, especially Emma, Holly and Ross

for their outstanding achievements.

Page 80: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

with wins away at Rendcomb College

(3-1) and against Malvern College 2nds

(6-0). Other results were as follows:

2-2 against Colston’s, 0-5 loss against

Monkton Combe, 2-2 against Hereford

Cathedral. The 0-1 loss against King’s

Gloucester was a tense match which saw

one goal disallowed. A 4-0 win against

Rendcomb at home was followed up in

the final match of the season by a fantastic

win against Christ College Brecon (3-1)

at home.

I am incredibly proud of the whole

squad for their huge improvement and

commitment this year. They have been

a pleasure to coach, even at the most

frustrating times! Huge thanks go to all the

girls for their effort, not just in matches

but on the training ground too.

Squad: Lara Bathurst (Captain),

Anna Morgan (GK), Immy Gray,

Alessandra Fraser – Pye, Omina Jones,

Izzy Garbett, Megan Nash, Laura Hall,

Laura Robinson, Anna Fishwick, Sophie

Caesar, Becky Bidwell, Sasha Green, Lucy

Haynes, Holly Tyler, Mollie Young, Ellie

Mapletoft.

2nd XI:

Played 8 Won 1 Lost 5 Drew 2

The 2nd XI, captained by Erin

Holley, a great season with some mixed

results. After a slow start – a 0-0 draw

1st XI:

Played 12 Won 4 Lost 6 Drew 2

The 1st XI had one of the most

frustrating seasons this year, with many of

the results not quite reflecting the quality

hockey that has been played. It was a

turbulent term with many ups and downs

within the squad. This was noticeable

on the pitch, and it took time to build

self-confidence, team morale and strength.

Positive attitudes, coupled with some very

skilful hockey players created a successful

formula that inspired the squad to play

well in some fixtures, especially against

Cheltenham Ladies’ College. Captain,

Lara Bathurst, has continued to improve

within the England Hockey pathway by

being selected to represent the South West

in the Futures Cup. Reaching the Futures

Cup Tournament was an outstanding

achievement. Sasha Green did well to

reach the JRPC stage of selection.

Defensive plays have been the

strongest part of the team this year. They

have worked well together to defend

against some strong attacking schools.

Goal scoring was our nemesis, with plenty

of opportunities created throughout the

season but not as many as hoped being

converted. The majority of the squad

enjoyed the combined Hockey and Netball

Dubai Tour during October half-term.

To summarise, the season started

against Queen’s Taunton and the 1-5

Loss against Cheltenham Ladies’ College

really tested the team, – their team spirit,

enthusiasm, and continual excellent work

ethic showed progress in many different

areas. Even the games that were lost

were close and the spirit never faltered.

The defensive transfer was a target for

improvement throughout the season, and

it finally paid off in the final match against

Dean Close. Demonstrating composure to

release the ball into our attack, limited the

final score to just a 1-2 defeat.

It was a heavily defensive season,

with attacking chances few and far

between, but when an attacking chance

arose the forwards were sure to find a shot

on target. The midfield linked together to

show real team work and worked tirelessly

throughout every game. This proved

essential in a 1-1 draw with Monkton

Combe, in an end-to-end game of Hockey:

a brilliant display of Hockey by every girl

on the pitch.

The girls were finally rewarded in

their match against Hereford Cathedral,

with a nail biting 2-0 win proving hard

work and determination pays off. The

team played sensible Hockey, keeping

possession, closing down Hereford’s

defensive hit outs and transferring the ball

wide to expose their defence. This game

really was the highlight of the season.

Girls’ Hockey

5Sport

Page 81: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

80

81

SPO

RT

With a large squad, the substitutions

were frequent and the girls had the

versatility to play in new positions. The

team’s encouragement for each other,

during training and matches was a

pleasure to observe. Well done for all the

hard work this season.

Squad: Erin Holley (C), Kaylee

Brooker, Lilly Reeder-Katsipis, Clara

Immink, Lucy Grindrod, Rebecca Bidwell,

Amanda Khatri, Lucy Parker, Jess

Randall, Summer Turner, Amy Bromley,

Georgie Downton, Zoe Parrott, Ella Barry,

Natalie Newport, Francis Friend, Martha

Burgees, Elena Azcona, Elise Clements.

U15A XI:

Played 14 Won 10 Lost 4 Drew 0

The U15s started the season with

three high-scoring wins against Rendcomb

(4-1), CLC (6-0) and St Edward’s (5-0),

but were brought back to ground with

3 tight losses against KES Bath (0-2),

Colstons (0-1) and King’s Worcester (0-1).

They finished before half-term with a win

against Monkton Combe (2-0).

After half-term they hit the ground

running with only one loss, against St

Mary’s Calne (2-3). Wins against Christ

College Breacon (3-0), Hereford Cathedral

(1-0), Dean Close (3-1), King’s Gloucester

(3-1) and a very hard fought victory

against Rendcomb (2-1). They finished the

term with a 1-0 win against Pates.

Squad: Grace Aspinwall, Holly

Bankes, Ellie Bathurst, Chloe Bayliss,

Alice Dean, Kelly Fletcher, Charlotte

Greensmith, Josie Hampson, Izzy

Menendez, Emma Morgan, Anabelle

Pearce, Josephine Rogers, Harriet Stevens,

Jess Telford, Natasha Wait, Ellie Walker.

U15B XI:

Played 4 Won 3 Lost 1 Drew 0

The U15B won both home and away

in the double header against Cheltenham

College. Playing away, the team notched

up a convincing 4-0 win. Every Junior

Girl who trained throughout the term

had pitch time in the return fixture at

home and all contributed to the 3-1 win.

The performance against Dean Close was

encouraging, although the score line was a

0-1 defeat. In the mixed AB game against

The King’s School, Gloucester, the team

won 3-1: the B team players involved in

this performed well amongst the A team.

Squad: Janouk Brynjarsdottir, Erin

Lavender, Alex Bolton, Katie Briggs,

Maude Collingridge, Sacha Pysarieva,

Josephine Rogers, Emily Riley, Annie

Rees, Amelia Crystal, Ellie Jones, Lauren

Parker, Imogen Norman.

U14A XI

Played 11 Won 10 Lost 1 Drew 0

U14BXI

Played 3 Won 3 Lost 0 Drew 0

The A team’s sole defeat came in

the second match of the season against

Cheltenham Ladies’ College. This aside,

it was an outstanding season for the U14

girls. An early 6-0 win against Rendcomb

gave an indication of things to come,

the next game was gainst CLC and then

Colston’s. To a certain extent it was a win

that had a hint of luck about it – the game

could have gone either way, with Wycliffe

eventually coming away with a 3-2 win. An

easy 5-0 win against King Edward’s School

Bath, got the girls into their stride again,

but another tight game against Bromsgrove

resulted in a 1-0 win. It was shortly after

this that the Bs played their first game

against Cheltenham College: a 2-1 win.

The U14 hockey team played

and won the County Schools’ Plate

Competition, and went through to

play in the main draw, beating Newent,

Balcarras, High School, Bournside, King’s

Glos, St Peter’s in the semi-finals and

King’s Glos again in the final. It was a

fantastic result! Monday 13th October,

saw the main draw of the U14 National

Schools’ Hockey Competition in which

Wycliffe faced tough opposition. Wycliffe

performed outstandingly well and

produced some fantastic hockey. They

beat Dean Close and Pate’s, drew against

Cheltenham College and lost to CLC.

Wycliffe finished on 7 points, 3rd overall,

just behind Cheltenham College and CLC

who finished on 8 points: an outstanding

achievement!

The trend continued in the second

half of the term : some ‘tight’ games

followed by big wins – Christ’s College

Brecon and Pate’s Grammar 2-0 followed

by St Mary’s Calne 6-1; Dean Close

1-0, one of our best performances of the

season, then King’s Gloucester 3-0. The

last game of the season was called off by

Bristol Cathedral School. However, the

Bs with fewer fixtures in the second half

of the season continued in their winning

ways with a 5-1 win against Cheltenham

College and a 4-0 win against Rendcomb

College.

U14A and B Squad: Isla Green

(Captain), Sophia Rai (GK), Katie

Cruickshank, Lucy Parsons, Iona Lundi,

Lucy Burgess, Izzy Naish, Saoirse

Purkess, Katie Seymour, Becky Taphouse,

Ella Kitching, Lowri Clarke, Emma

Livingstone, Tillie Graham, Jess Taylor,

Eloise Davies, Nicky Jennings,

Mary Evans.

Senior Inter-house Winners:

Collingwood House

Junior Inter-house Winners:

Collingwood House

PASS Senior most improved:

Clara Immink

PASS Junior most improved:

Natasha Wait

Page 82: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN5Sport

Peter Ibanga and Tom Seabrook. The 200m

and relay were equally as exciting.

All athletes were committed to

performing for their Houses and the effort

and determination displayed by almost

everyone was hugely commendable.

The standard of field events also saw

an improvement with Batraz Alebgov

dominating the shot and Matt Lambie the

Long Jump. Jack Newey also showed his

versatility on track and field.

Overall, the House competitions could

Sports Day 2015 saw some of the highest

standards of Athletics on display in recent

years. There were some fantastic dominating

performances throughout the afternoon,

notably from Holly Bankes who had already

broken the school record earlier in the term,

Ross Livingstone and Emma Livingstone

who broke a 30 year old record in the

1500m during Sports Day.

The 100m saw three athletes all within

a pace of each other at the finish, but it was

Yomi Awosope who finished slightly ahead of

not have been closer. The Senior Girls was

tied and only the result of the Medley Relay,

won by Ivy Grove, confirmed them as the

winners ahead of Haywardsend. Rebecca

Bidwell, Emma Bastin and Sophie Caesar

all made huge contributions to the Ivy cause.

However, Haywardsend were dominant in

the Junior Girls and Haywardsfield won the

Senior and Junior Girls.

Well done everyone!

Sports Day

Award Pupil Name Award House Name

Best Junior Boy Jack Newey Junior Boys’ House Trophy Haywardsfield

Best Junior Girl Emma Livingstone Junior Girls’ House Trophy Haywardsend

Best Senior Boy Yomi Awosope Senior Boys’ House trophy Haywardsfield

Best Senior Girl Sophie Caesar Senior Girls’ House Trophy Ivy Grove

Sports Day Winners

Page 83: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

82

83

SPO

RT

Rowing

Highlights from the regatta season

saw brilliant wins by Kate Hampson

and Chessie Turner, getting through

tough rounds at Hereford, Worcester and

Monmouth regattas, with multiple wins

in both the J16, J18 single and the J18

double. With brilliant results coming

Rowing is a very difficult sport in regards

to winning events. To achieve an event win

you have to beat multiple opponents from

different schools and clubs throughout

the course of a day, sometimes in excess of

six rounds. Wycliffe rowers are now being

developed to compete at local, regional

and national level. This summer alone we

have won 19 rounds, made 13 semi-finals

and nine finals, coming home with five

wins.

At the start of the year we held a

very successful rowing dinner, an event to

celebrate the Boat Club and achievements

made throughout the previous year.

Multiple awards were presented by double

World championship medallist and

Olympic hopeful, Charles Waite Roberts.

Charles offered words of wisdom for the

forthcoming year.

The Head Race season saw

solid results and more importantly

improvements from race to race. Three

clear highlights would be Thomas Kendell

in the J16 1x coming 3rd out of 12 in

a very competitive Gloucester Head

Race. Secondly Georgina Barr and Kate

Hampson at City of Bristol Head Race

winning the J18 event. Finally, the J14

Girls’ Quad of Iona Wasdell, Fenella

Purkess, Katy Porter, Maisie Spiers and

Lauren Turbott coming 3rd in their event

at Wycliffe Small Boats Head Race.

Wycliffe’s Small and Big Boats Head

was yet again a huge success again this

year seeing entries fill up in a matter

of hours. Phil Clements ran the event

with his usual high level of efficiency.

Every event ran on time with the fastest

publishing of results of any race on the

circuit. A huge thanks to Phil’s continued

support of Wycliffe Boat Club.

from our J14 rowing squad throughout the

season, the future is looking bright. With

large amounts of rowing training taking

place throughout the holidays, next year

promises to be one of the best years in a

long time.

By Greg Flower, Head of Rowing

Page 84: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN5Sport

team work greatly improved, and results

reflect this, showing that every match was

hugely competitive. An initial defeat in

the first game of the season against CLC

14½-21½ was the biggest loss. They went

on to secure wins over KLB, 19 -16, and

King’s Worcester, 15-13, losing narrowly

to Bromsgrove, 14-18 along the way. Well

done to all of those who played.

Squad: Ella Kitching, Tillie Graham,

Eloise Davies , Mary Evans, Maisie Spiers,

Lowri Clarke, Nikki Jennings, Saorise

Purkess, Lucy Burgess, Jess Taylor.

U15A Rounders

Played 11 Won 6 Lost 5

The U15s team captained by

Charlotte Greensmith has had a mixed

season, with player’s availability being

wide-ranging. They started the season losing

9-26½ against a well-practiced Cotswold

School team, due to some nerves showing

in the fielding, and some inexperience in

the batting. However, they soon found

their form, winning two games in a row

beating King’s School, Gloucester (18-8½)

and CLC (17½-12½). The U15s faced a

difficult spell in the middle of the season,

The U14s played in a faultless district

tournament: with convincing victories over

Stroud High, Maidenhill, Archway and Sir

William Romney, they faced Farmor’s in

the semi-final winning 7 rounder’s to 2½

to take them through to the final against a

strong KLB side. The girls did everything

right, fielding perfectly and finding the

space to score plenty of rounders. The final

score of 8 rounders to 1½ saw the U14s

crowned as district champions. This was

an excellent way to finish a successful and

enjoyable term of rounders. Well done!

Squad: Lauren Turbott (C), Izzy

Naish, Katy Porter, Lucy Parsons, Katie

Cruickshank, Iona Lundie, Isla Green,

Emma Livingstone, Rebecca Taphouse,

Katie Seymour, Nikki Jennings, Jessica

Taylor, Maisie Spiers, Sophia Rai, Lucy

Burgess, Saoirse Purkess, Lowri Clarke.

U14B Rounders

Played 4 Won 2 Lost 2

The U14s only had five games this

summer because of cancellations by other

schools. But the five matches they did

play showed a brilliant display of batting

and fielding. Their communication and

U14A Rounders

Played 10 Won 7 Lost 3

The U14 Rounders team, captained

by Lauren Turbott, had a really promising

season after a slightly rocky start, losing the

first game of the season against a strong

Cotswold School side, where inexperience

and nerves came into play. The final score

was 12-21. A narrow win against King’s

Gloucester, 17½-16 was short lived and

quickly followed by a defeat to Cheltenham

Ladies’ College, 7½-13. The girls trained

hard, found their confidence and thereafter

started to really play as a team. Their

batting and placement went from strength

to strength, and their fielding became

increasingly difficult for the opposition to

break down. Good wins followed against

Colston’s 18-15½ Pate’s 15 ½-13 and KLB,

in a thrilling 12-11 victory. The toughest

match of the season by far was against

Bromsgrove School. The girls were really

tested against such strong opposition,

finally losing 13-20 ½ to the better team

on the day. One last winning streak took

the girls to the end of the season, securing

brilliant results against Maidenhill 15-11½

and King’s School Worcester 14½ -10.

Rounders

Page 85: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

84

85

SPO

RT

U15B Rounders

Played 5 Won 1 Lost 4

The U15B team had a tough season

with a different line up nearly every match.

Winning the first game against CLC 22½-

20 was a brilliant opening game with some

big hitting. The girls then fielded tightly to

secure a brilliant win. As the season went

on, the team improved but opposition got

tougher. Hereford Cathedral (6 -16 Loss)

Bromsgrove (13½-17 Loss) and KLB (9

½-24 Loss) were the toughest games of

the season but the girls always battled on

until the end, keeping the opposition on

their toes. They were unlucky not to grasp

a victory against Colston’s School, losing

narrowly in the last few balls of the game,

10-9. There is lots to work on for next

season, but the girls have put in brilliant

efforts both in games sessions and matches.

Well done to all who took part.

Squad: Katie Briggs, Janouk

Brynjarsdottir, Lauren Parker, Erin

Lavender, Imogen Norman, Annie Rees,

Emma Morgan, Josephine Rogers, Ellie

Jones Jobst, Nadia Hirsi, Sasha Pysarieva,

Amelia Crystal, Alex Bolton.

Congratulations to Lampeter,

outright winners of the Junior Inter-house

Competition.

Senior Rounders

Played 3 Won 2 Lost 1

The Senior’s Rounders season was

short but sweet, due to exam pressure and

availability; however the girls still managed

to put in a stellar performance this term.

The Seniors (captained by Sophie Caesar)

dominated from start to finish in their

fixture against Cotswold School. They had

a blistering victory, scoring 331/2 rounders

to 13, the all-out innings even had to be cut

short as our players could not be defeated.

The player of the match was Ellie Jones for

her excellent placement when batting. The

Seniors played valiantly against a very strong

King’s School Gloucester but unfortunately

with lack of availability and inexperienced

players, losing four games out of five.

The first was a loss to Hereford Cathedral

(8-18½) followed by losing to Colston’s

3½-20. They played a very talented Pate’s

team, playing an all-out first innings in what

turned out to be a high scoring game, with

Wycliffe coming out on top, 30-26½. An

away fixture against KLB recorded another

loss for the side 8-25, with KLB showing

some excellent fielding skills to restrict

our batting. Next up were fixtures against

Bromsgrove on a beautifully hot summers

day. Unfortunately, Wycliffe was defeated

8-21½. Towards the end of the season, the

A team found its form and finished on a

three-game winning streak. First up was

a convincing 29-16½ win against King’s

School Worcester, with some tight fielding

and solid batting from all. After that, a

fixture against Stroud High School with

another substantial win 26-15, closely

followed by the final game of the season, a

tight fought win against Maidenhill, 23½-

19. The girls played well throughout and

applied themselves to an ever-changing line-

up. The district tournament rounded off

the season, Wycliffe losing only one game

in their group against KLB but winning a

further three games against Farmor’s, Deer

Park and Maidenhill to secure a place in

the semi-final. The semi-final was a nail

biting 6-6 draw against Stroud High School,

requiring a five ball face off. Excellent

fielding set the target of half a rounder,

which Ellie Bathurst achieved in style from

the first ball, which included a fall! In the

final, Farmor’s chased down Wycliffe’s

target, to win four to 3.5 rounders. The girls

have adapted well to demands this season

and ended the year on a high.

Squad: Charlotte Greensmith (C),

Grace Aspinwall, Ellie Bathurst, Chloe

Bayliss, Lucy Cole, Alice Dean, Kelly

Fletcher, Josie Hampson, Natasha Wait,

Ellie Walker, Harriett Stevens, Emily Riley,

Alex Bolton, Maude Collingridge, Izzy

Menendez.

lost 24-16½. However, the team came

back with a ferocious fighting spirit against

CLC, their masterful fielding securing a win

of 22-18½. Though a brief season, it was

punctuated with powerful performances by

all. Well done!

Seniors Squad: Sophie Caesar (C)

Zoe Parrott, Clara Immink, Laura Hall ,

Amanda Katri, Ellie Carr, Ellie Jones, Elise

Clements. Alessandra Fraser-Pye, Rebecca

Bidwell, Emma Bastin, Anna Morgan, Amy

Bromley, Amelia Henley.

U16 Rounders

Played 3 Won 3 Lost 0

The U16 Rounders team (captained

by Izzy Garbett) was undefeated this

season. Although a short Summer Term

due to exams, the girls still wanted to prove

they are a force to be reckoned with. A

close 23½-20 win over Cotswold School

saw the team off to a great start with

some promising batting placement. The

momentum continued into their second

game cruising to an easy victory over King’s

School Gloucester, 18½-7 ½. The final

game of the year was their best performance

yet, fielding tightly and securing yet another

win 19½-9½; an excellent way to finish the

season. Well done to everyone that played.

U16 squad: Izzy Garbett (C) Summer

Turner, Ellie Mapletoft, Laura Robinson,

Lilly Reeder, Mollie Young, Elena Azcona,

Holly Tyler, Lucy Haynes, Georgie Febery,

Ruth Harris, Katie Harris, Ella Barry,

Natalie Newport, Sasha Green, Francis

Friend, Caitlin Cooper.

Congratulations to Lampeter for

Winning the Senior Girls Inter-house

Rounders Competition.

Page 86: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN5Sport

1st XI

Played 11 Won 4 Lost 6 Drew 1

The 1st XI can consider itself

unlucky with the number of defeats this

season. They were a well organised and

competitive side and, with the exception

of the match against Monmouth, were in

contention throughout all other games.

The win against St Edward’s, Oxford

(2-1) was one of the highlights with two

goals worthy of consideration for goal of

the season. To the same extent, the match

against Bristol Grammar was a lowlight

with far more possession and territory, but

little to show for this on the scoreboard.

Trailing against Sidcot at half time,

the second half was probably the best the

Page 87: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

86

87

SPO

RT

Oyewumi, Oliver Denning, Charlie

Ballans, Louis Grobkopf, Joshua

Kraushaar, Luke Barnett, Tom O’Driscoll,

Subash Ale, Henry Moss.

3rd XI

Played 4 Won 1 Lost 3

This team showed great character

from the start of the season when drawing

with St Edward’s, Oxford (2-2). There

were many positives from what was mainly

a young side and one that often lacked

physicality compared to opponents.

However, this proved the main success

of the season, with heavy defeats against

Monmouth and QEH, Bristol. However,

the team did compete well against King’s,

Taunton (0-2), in the last match of the

season.

Overall the team played well and

with spirit, despite managing a sole draw

in four games.

Squad: Karl Fong, David Roper, Dan

Aspinwall, Seva Bilous, Louis Grobkopf,

Felix Wente, Hiro Tokura, Joshua

Kraushaar, Tom O’Driscoll, Cameron

Brooks, Nick Brown, Vincent Schaaf.

4th XI

Played 3 Won 1 Lost 2

The 4th XI was amazing in their first

match, beating St Edward’s, Oxford (4-3):

a match that really was a thrilling end-to-

end encounter. Sadly this was the pinnacle

of the season, as two defeats followed.

However, these were against significantly

larger schools and should not detract from

the enormity of the success in Oxford that

ensured that every senior team that played

that day returned unbeaten.

Squad: Christian Besch, Denis

Federov, Henry Lister, Ivan Gagov, Seb

Abbott, Hosny Abdelnaim, Frank Ho,

Gabriel Jung, Jeffery Chan, Matt Stevens,

Anar Mamdov.

U15

Played 7 Won 4 Lost 2 Drew 1

team played, scoring four goals to overhaul

the deficit and secure a comfortable victory

(4-1). Another commendable performance

was against Downside (1-1) where, in a

volatile match, the team showed great

togetherness and managed to gain a great

draw.

The OW Football was an excellent

occasion. Having battled hard to draw with

the Over 25s, it was very disappointing to

lose the overall competition by conceding

two late goals against the Under 21s.

However, this sort of summed up the

season, being so near, but so far from

success.

Overall it was a pleasure to watch

this team play and compete.

Squad: Peter Carr, Ryan Coombs,

Tigran Melkonyan, Jasper Meehan, Oliver

Lovejoy, Tom Caesar, Luke Whitmarsh,

Joe Caple, Henry Moss, Isaac Fearnley,

Yomi Awosope, Arturs Ribakovs, Subash

Ale, Jack Price.

2nd XI

Played 11 Won 4 Lost 5 Drew 2

For the 2nd team training has

been a key area of development this

season, with the players responding well

to the instructions of our Cheltenham

Town coach, Matt Hall. He has helped

the squad develop fundamental skills,

increasing the team’s tactical awareness

and strategy. The 2nd team trained with

the 1st team as a squad which was hugely

beneficial, raising the standard of play all

round. A major factor that has enabled the

team to progress further was adapting their

defensive strategy to incorporate a sweeper

and thus create more attacking players.

The 2nd team was lucky in having strength

in numbers and it was highly competitive

for places. This was undoubtedly the best

season ever for the 2nd team and it is

exciting to think what next year will bring!

Squad: Ryan Coombs, Henri

Eustrup, Peter Ibanga, Simon Magill,

Jon Arapov, Sasha Ukrayinskyy, Seni

It was a relatively successful season

or the U14 team, winning more that they

lost and retaining the Stonehouse Cup,

in the annual battle with our town rivals.

The season started with a good win over

Bromsgrove. Followed up with probably

the best performance of the year against

Maidenhill, to retain the Cup. However,

injuries to one or two key players led to

weakened teams losing to both QEH and

Monmouth in succession. Neither of these

teams were better than the Wycliffe side,

who led in both matches, but squandered

chances to make them safe.

After these two defeats, and without

the services of its Captain, the team

displayed good spirit to bounce back with

three convincing wins and a draw to end

their season. The squad has good strength

in depth and the players have performed

well over a disjointed season punctuated

by cancellations and water-logged pitches.

U14

Played 7 Won 1 Lost 6

The U14 side really enjoyed their

football, working hard in training and

matches. Whilst the overall statistics

convey a disappointing season there

were some great matches. Against

King’s Taunton the team competed well

throughout the match and deserved more

for their pressure. The team also scored in

every match they played.

The only win was a convincing

performance that gave the players

confidence and showed their improvement

as a team from the start of the season.

Squad: Lukas James, Cullan Lloyd,

Barnaby Hudson, Noah Murray, Alex

Seymour, Munsi Shakantu, Zachary

Chan, Matt Ansell, Ollie Tomblin, Ben

Richards, Malik Hamad, Charlie Leach,

Poonpun Yoksap, Kieran Bradley.

Page 88: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

U14 XI

The ‘Fighting14s’ had a challenging

season coming up against some strong

opposition when some players were

still mentally taking guard and not

quite ready to face their first ball. As the

season gathered momentum, the boys

displayed some gutsy determination

and their enthusiasm for the game never

flagged. This cumulated in much stronger

performances and, indeed, victories at

the back end of the season. All the boys

became better players over the course

of the season and everyone contributed

something of note before stumps were

drawn. Josh Currie and Alex Seymour

shared the captaincy, Matt Ansell kept

wicket with great energy and scored

valuable runs, Noah Murray and Jaiden

Jay bowled a good line and length and

there were batting cameos from Charlie

Leach, Kieran Bradley, Olly Tomblin, Ben

Richards and Cullan Lloyd. If the team can

maintain the same spirt next year, they will

undoubtedly continue to win matches and

enjoy the game even more.

U14 Squad: Josh Currie, Alex

Seymour, Matt Ansell, Cullan Lloyd, Ben

Richards, Charlie Leach, Ollie Tomblin,

Kieran Bradley, Noah Murray, Jaiden Jay,

Lukas James, Barnaby Hudson.

1st XI

It was always going to be an

interesting term after a number of last

year’s squad had left. A young squad

struggled for consistency throughout the

term. Bowlers rarely put the ball in the

‘right areas’ and failed to bowl to the

correct field setting. Chad Trainor was the

leading wicket taker with 13. After a poor

start, the batting finally came good towards

the end of term. Useful contributions from

Chad Trainor, Ollie Carey and Captain

Noah Cooper-Llanes helped the team win

against Hereford Cathedral, QEH and Dean

Close. Other highlights included, 98 from

Noah Cooper-Llanes against the MCC

and a 1st XI debut for Year 7 pupil Will

Naish, aged 12 years and one day, who

scored 33 not out at Hereford. With six

Year 10 pupils playing at some stage during

the term, they will have gained valuable

experience for the future and hopefully be

prepared to work on their game during the

winter. Full Colours went to Noah Cooper-

Llanes, Most Improved: James Garrett

and the Ben Gannon award for the leading

wicket taker: Chad Trainor.

1st XI Squad: Noah Cooper-Llanes

(Captain), Jack Lister, Jasper Meehan,

Oliver Lovejoy, Angus Wightman, Tom

Caesar, Ben Clarke, James Garrett, James

Leach, Henry Lister, Chad Trainor, Oliver

Carey, Jamie Ealey, James Gristock, Innes

Pierce, Aaron Collins.

U15 XI

The U15s enjoyed a fine season. They

reached the semi-final of the County Cup,

losing narrowly to Bournside School, and

only lost one other game. Six of the squad

represented the 1st XI in various fixtures

throughout the term, gaining valuable

experience for the future. They were Chad

Trainor, Jamie Ealey, Oliver Carey, Aaron

Collins, James Gristock and Innes Pierce.

With the team often missing players to

the 1st XI, it was a credit to the rest of the

squad who trained hard and were able to

make the most of their opportunities when

called upon. This was truly reflected during

a great one wicket win against Hereford

Cathedral School. With three wickets and

hitting the winning runs, Man of the Match

went to Meroj Alisherkhujaev in only his

first ever game of cricket, highlighting

the strength and depth of the squad.

Hopefully, all will attend winter nets to

further improve their techniques for the

future.

U15 Squad: Chad Trainor, Jamie

Ealey, Oliver Carey, Aaron Collins,

James Gristock, Innes Pierce, Tom

Smith, Harvey Abbott, Tom Stanley, Jack

Newey, Josh Greenhalgh, Matt Lambie,

Lewis Rawlinson, Freddie Lister, Meroj

Alisherkhujaev.

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Cricket

5Sport

Page 89: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

88

89

SPO

RT

Wycliffe was represented by four

fencers this year. Returning for his 2nd

championships, Markus Lohmeyer was

competing in both Senior Boys’ foil and

epee events. Making their first appearance

were Andrey Molchanov, Charlie Leach

and Cullan Lloyd. Andrey was unable to

take part in his first event due to illness;

he decided to sit out the epee and save

his energy for the foil event the following

day. Charlie and Cullan however, both

started their championships in the epee

event. Neither boy had any experience

at this weapon, as all of previous fencing

experience is with the foil.

Competing in a field of 97 fencers,

Cullan won two from four and Charlie

won three from five, promote both boys

to round two. Cullan was to fall at this

stage without a victory in four fights.

Charlie went through to the round of 64,

with three wins from four in round two.

He was seeded 26th for the elimination

rounds. Despite no real experience with

the epee, Charlie fought will skill and

determination. Sadly he was unable to

go any further, losing narrowly to another

left hander in a thrilling fight. Charlie was

36th and Cullan 70th.

In the Senior Boys’ foil, a field of 78

fencers took to the pistes. Markus won

three from four in round one to progress to

round two. Once again, he won three from

four to be seeded 19th for the elimination.

With a bye into the last 32, his next

opponent put up a strong challenge, but

was unable to break down the solid defence

of the Wycliffe athlete. Markus took the

bout 15-11 to book his place in the round

of 16. This is where he met an on-form

fencer who ended his hopes of another final

eight position. Markus was placed a very

creditable 15th.

Day two saw Andrey take to the piste

in a field of 103 fencers in the Boys’ Junior

foil. Still suffering the effect of a virus,

Andrey was in a pool of five fencers, three

of whom were very strong experienced

athletes. Unable to secure a win, Andrey

did not progress any further and was

placed 89th. Despite feeling down after his

performance, it is a credit to Andrey to enter

an event of this level with less than two

terms’ fencing experience.

Charlie and Cullan were now

competing at their preferred weapon,

foil. The Mount-Haes Boys’ foil had 101

entrants. Cullan won one from four and

managed to make the cut into round two.

Charlie won two and also made it to round

two. Cullan with one win in the 2nd round

was this time unfortunate and did not make

the round of 64 for the elimination stage.

Charlie however won three from four and

was 24th seed for the round of 64. With a

comfortable 15-8 victory, under his belt, he

took his place in the round of 32. Here he

met an experienced and very capable fencer,

who used a variety of well timed attacks

and ripostes to end Charlie’s’ dream for this

year. Charlie was placed 22nd overall with

Cullan 68th.

Markus was also competing that day in

the Senior Boys’ epee. A little off form and

fencing his less preferred weapon, he won

just one fight and did not make the cut for

round two. He was placed 77th.

Overall I was pleased with the way

the team approached each days’ events.

Determination, hard work and a sense

of fair play combined to promote the

reputation of our squad. This is something

that a number of other fencers and indeed

coaches could aspire to. A number of

unsavory confrontations between coaches

and referees were witnessed by both myself

and members of the team. It was pleasing

to see that our boys conducted themselves

with dignity and sportsmanship even when

decisions went against them. We look

forward to next year as always!

Public Schools Fencing ChampionshipsNational Sport Centre, Crystal Palace, London – 17th & 18th March 2015

By Shaun Garley

Page 90: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN5Sport

Wycliffe College squash players achieved

a triple crown at the National Schools’

Championships in Manchester, winning

the U19 Boys’, U15 Boys’ and the U19

Girls’ titles.

Jonny Harford, Director of Squash,

believes Wycliffe is the first school to scoop

three titles in the championships.

For the Wycliffe squad it was a great

triumph, with nine of the 12 players having

been at Wycliffe for less than year!

The U19 Boys’ final saw the two most

prestigious schools in squash, Wycliffe

College and Millfield School, battle it out.

The match was stuck at 2-2 but Wycliffe

had more strength in the end and took the

title with a 3-2 score.

“They were all brilliant victories but

the U19 Boys was special because it was

so even and it all came down to the last

match,” said Jonny.

It is the first time since 1997 that

Wycliffe’s U19 Girls has secured a national

crown. They beat Dame Allan’s School 3-2.

The U15 Boys had a more decisive 4-1

victory against Gosforth Academy to secure

their national title.

“Squash is usually an individual sport

so it was nice to see the players come

together as a squad and celebrate as a

team,” said Jonny.

Triple Squash Champions

Members of the U19 Boys were:

Alex Schranz, Jared Carter, Jack Newey,

Arhant Simha and Duncan Mckillop.

Members of the U15 Boys were:

Jared Carter, Jack Newey, Nathan Mead,

Jack Bloomfield, Ben Richards and Alex

Van Blerk.

Members of the U19 Girls were:

Amelia Henley, Ellie Jones, Amber Peacey,

Holly Tyler and Ellie Bathurst.

Unlike the traditional Sports Day that is

aimed at awards and trophies, the Legacy

Sports morning is based on participation and

enjoyment. A number of House competitions

based on the legacy of the successful London

2012 Olympics, enable pupils to compete

and experience events that might only occur

during PE lessons or activities.

Legacy Sports Day

The morning was again a huge

success. Football was added for the girls

for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed

by the participants and spectators alike.

Thanks must go to Cheltenham Town

Football Club for providing the coaching

for this session. No event was more keenly

contested than Basketball, and this again

proved a hugely enjoyable event.

The winners of each event are not the

individuals competing, but the different

Houses they represent.

It is hoped that this event is one

that will long be continued and enjoyed at

Wycliffe.

Page 91: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

90

91

SPO

RT

This was the first Rugby 7s tour that

Wycliffe has arranged. The timing was

perfect preparation for the 7s season which

starts after half-term. A 14-strong tour

party boarded the plane to Venice, all with

high hopes and looking forward to the

challenges that lay ahead.

A training session was arranged for

the first afternoon, the perfect way to get

a day of travelling out of the system before

the two evening tournaments. The pitch at

Monselice RFC was a little worn, but the

squad were ready for the off.

The morning of the first tournament

was spent sightseeing in Monselice. The

seven churches and the old part of the

town were picturesque. A pasta lunch in a

local restaurant was enjoyed by all, before

boarding the coach to travel to the Carwyn

James 7s Tournament being held at Oderzo

RFC.

The hospitality of the Club was

exceptional from the start and certainly

more welcoming than the pitch! The

absence of grass was clear, but the players

were determined from the outset to set high

standards, despite the hard, bare ground

that greeted every fall or tackle.

The first match was against a local

club side Rugby Piave. The kick off from

Jack Lister was perfectly hung and enabled

Angus Wightman to turn the ball over and

set Alex Schranz to score within seconds of

the start of the match. This was the perfect

start! This lead was built on throughout

the match and, although the second half

became scrappy, it was a solid 24-5 win to

begin the tournament.

The second match was against a very

determined host club. From the outset,

Grifoni Rugby Club Oderzo were physical

in the contact and tackled very effectively.

Despite individual effort, the collective

performance of the Wycliffe team was

not enough and the team slipped to a

disappointing 0-17 defeat.

The first evening of the tournament

concluded with presentations and a meal

at the club.

On the Wednesday evening, the

team faced four more Italian sides,

including a regional select team. Putting

the disappointment of the previous evening

aside, the team started the second day with

some of their best rugby. Ross Livingstone

scored the first Wycliffe try of the evening

with an electric burst of pace to finish a

mazy run. Angus Wightman in contrast,

galloped home in the final seconds to score

a second try and secure a 10-0 win against

Rugby San Dona. This was a brilliant

start to the evening. In the second match

the team began to play some intelligent

rugby and, moving the ball away from the

Italy Rugby 7s Tour

opposition, won 36-0 against Rugby Riviera

MMX.

From this point on, the team

continued to play some outstanding rugby.

Against Selez Fruili Venezia Giulia, the

team defended with total commitment,

and despite conceding a wave of penalties

and refereeing decisions that went against

the team, they prevented a score until after

the final whistle of the half. At the start of

the second half, Angus Wightman scored

to bring the team back into the match, but

again the whistle was against the team and

a late try confirmed a 5-12 defeat.

This introduction to the local laws

of the game continued in the final match

against Ruggers Tarvisium. Despite playing

well and showing outstanding discipline,

the team lost 0-14 to finish the tournament

in a well-deserved third place.

During the presentations, Toben

Ronald was named as the Wycliffe player of

the tournament. The team also received a

shield for their achievements.

The final day of Tour was enjoyed in

the romantic and beautiful city of Venice.

The visit to St Mark’s Square involved

walking along narrow paths and over

bridges as well as passing through the fish

market, shops and stalls. A traditional lunch

was enjoyed by all, followed by a boat trip

along the Grand Canal and through the

narrow inlets. The trip was certainly one of

the highlights of the tour.

In the evening the final tour meal was

enjoyed at the Pizzeria in Monselice. It was

an opportunity for the players and staff to

celebrate the successes of the tour whilst

savouring some of the finest Italian cuisine.

Overall, this tour was a wonderful

experience for all concerned. It is hoped

that the players will build on the success

during the forthcoming season.

Page 92: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN5

three games from winger Ross Livingstone.

– the squad tried to play with positive intent

throughout the term when we were able to

win quick ball.

The team was well led by the

example of Toben Ronald, who represented

Gloucester Rugby U18. Jack Lister and Zeb

Waite gained selection for Gloucestershire

U18 and Tom Seabrook South West

Division U16 Divisional Squad. New

additions to the squad included Angus

Wightman, Noah Cooper-Llanes, Jack

Shepherd and Ben Clarke who provided

strength in depth and ensured competition

for places remained keen.

1st XV Squad: Toben Ronald

(Captain), Jack Lister (Vice Captain), James

Garrett, Ross Livingstone, Alex Schranz,

Zeb Waite, Tom Seabrook, Noah Cooper-

Llanes, Ben Clarke, Harry Ford, Charlie

Richards, Simon Magill, Matt Parsons, Oli

Lovejoy, Sasha Ukrayinskyy, Jack Shepherd,

1st XV Rugby:

Played 9 Won 4 Lost 5

Points Scored 174 Points Against 190

Three days of pre-season training

enabled us to look at new players and give

those returning the chance to stake a claim

for a starting place in the 1st XV.

A competitive trial game against KLB

ensured we were ready to start the term in

a positive mood. A resounding win against

Wells Cathedral School was followed by

tougher assignments against Dean Close

and Hereford. While the team remained

competitive, we struggled to stamp our

authority on these games and were let

down by basic errors. Some momentum

was gained by beating King’s Gloucester

(18-5), St Edward’s Cheltenham (65-5) and

a return fixture against KLB (20-18) under

floodlights at Stroud RFC. Without ever

putting in a complete team performance –

the individual highlight was seven tries in

George Turner, Arkeld Bozo, Angus

Wightman.

2nd XV Rugby:

Played 6 Won 2 Lots 4

Points Scored 85 Points Against 142

This was the first time in four years

that Wycliffe College had put out a regular

2nd XV, impressively everyone who played

stepped up and did the college proud. At

the start of the first match the team selected

Matt Lee as Captain; he should be really

proud of this, it is almost unheard of for

a Y12 to be Captain of a Senior team. The

squad was a mixture of players new to the

game and students who had represented

Wycliffe College for eight years in a row.

What was really good to see was the way the

team gelled and enjoyed the matches. It was

also good to see how well the U16 players

were incorporated when the teams played

as one.

Sport

Page 93: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

92

93

SPO

RT

staff and pupils for a great season and their

continued support. Special mentions go

to Tom Seabrook, James Leach, George

Hartson, Henry Radcliffe, Jack Price

and Nathan Adams who all represented

the District. Nathan and Tom were also

selected for the County squad and Tom has

progressed to a final South West Divisional

trial.

Squad: Mark Zheng, James Leach,

Denis Fedorov, Nye Hamer-Nickells, James

Whitaker, Hiro Tokura, Jamie Jones, Sergey

Zaprudin, George Hartson, Henry Radcliffe,

Henry Lister, Nathan Adams, Ryan

Coombs, Aiden Coffey, Ollie Denning, Tom

Seabrook, Liam Mclaren, Jack Price, Felix

Wente, Louis Grobkopf, Seva Bilous.

U15A Rugby:

Played 12 Won 2 Lost 10

The U15A team started the season

with some wonderful expansive rugby and

comprehensive wins against Rendcomb

(64-12) and Thomas Keeble (29-15).

Unfortunately these two matches also took

their toll on the squad and a number of

players missed all or the vast majority of the

remainder of the season through injury.

The players that continued to play

week in week out deserve huge recognition

for their commitment and determination.

Many of these players were playing in

the A team for the first time. There was a

lack of team structure, which would have

been provided by some of those that were

missing. However, every player has made

significant improvements to their own

game and while the team struggled to get

a positive result, there were some fine

moments.

In a number of matches the team

came from behind to win the second half.

This happened against Cokethorpe and the

Cotswold School. One of the best matches

was against St Edward’s, Cheltenham where

some fabulous team tries were scored in a

29-39 defeat. The final game of the season

confirmed the team’s ability by scoring five

tries in a 27-48 defeat to King’s, Bruton and

The speed came from Yomi Awosope

and Peter Ibanga, the direction from Tom

Caesar and Matt Lee and the rucking

from Harry Ford and Sascha Ukrayinskyy.

The whole team should be proud of their

achievements, hopefully all the year 12s will

play for the school again next year.

Squad: Henry Hudson, Yomi Awosope,

Isacc Fearnley, Luke Barnett, Peter Ibanga,

Matt Lee, Tom Caesar, Rob Allman-Carter,

Sasha Urkayinskyy, Chris Clough, Jack

Evans, Ramazan Samat, Jeffrey Chan,

Harry Ford, Alberto, Peter Carr, John

Arapov, Charlie Ballans, Jasper Meehan,

Ben Asquith, Hosney, Angus Allen.

U16 Rugby:

Played 8 Won 5 Lost 3

The Wycliffe U16 team started

their season off brilliantly with a superb

performance against Wells Cathedral (50-

5). The main objective for the season was

the District Cup, between KLB, Kingshill,

Archway, Marling and us. The boys had high

expectations in this competition and wanted

to do well. Some phenomenal well-fought

games were played. In particular, the match

against Archway, where the boys stepped up

physically and closed out an intimidating

Archway side and were rewarded with a 16-

10 win. The team went on to win all four of

their group matches and made into the final

where they faced KLB.

This final was played under lights

at Stroud RFC. Wycliffe opened the

scoring late in the first half where they

went seven points up. In the second

half the continuous ploy from KLB of

slow ball pick-and-goes, eventually led

to a try, to make it 7-5. In the last ten

minutes KLB continued to wear down the

Wycliffe defence and scored a late try to

make the score 10-7 at full time. Wycliffe

played some great attacking rugby with

everyone putting in a huge effort, but were

unfortunate on the day. This result does

not reflect the standard played throughout

the season.

A big thank you goes to the parents,

again win the second half!

The strength of the team was out wide

and when given space Alex Watson and

Matt Lambie troubled every opponents.

Charlie Pritchard proved a motivating

Captain, while Meroj Alisherkhujaev and

Archie Ronald were a driving force up front.

This age group still has much potential

and I am sure will continue to improve next

season. Well done!

Squad: Matt Lambie, Tom Brooker,

Charlie Pritchard, Aaron Collins, Alex

Watson, Chad Trainor, Lewis Rawlinson,

Jamie Ealey, Anuar Ulzhibayev, Jacob

Richardson, George Walker, Archie Ronald,

Meroj Alisherkhujaev, Laurie Buckingham,

Aiden Anderson, Harvey Abbott, Freddie

Lister, Aiden Tasker, Enno Hoyndorf, James

Gristock, Josh Greenhalgh, Batraz Albegov.

U15B Rugby:

Played 3 Won 2 Lost 1

The U15B team began where they

left off the previous year with victories over

Wells Cathedral (47-38) and a well-deserved

win against Dean Close (26-24). Regular

fixtures were again hard to find, but there

was still improvement through training.

The final weekend of the season saw

every boy in their Year Group represent the

school in either A or B teams against King’s

Bruton. This was a wonderful achievement,

matched only by their enthusiasm and

commitment. The B match was another

excellent contest with lots of tries. In the

end, a conversion split the teams and the

U15Bs slumped to their first ever defeat

27-25.

This was another enjoyable year and it

is hoped that more of these players start to

contest for A team places in the future.

Squad: Fraser Grandfield, Roy Kong,

Will Molyneux, Ollie Harris, Charlie

Haden, Tom Stanley, Wilf Hunt, Tom Smith,

Alex Lauchlan, Joe Simpson, River Jay, Ollie

Carey, Max Edgeson, Hammond Ozakpolor,

Mysha Chinchin, Innes Pierce.

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Page 94: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

tries in these games. The whole squad

worked tirelessly in defence. Group B was

dominated by Kingswood School who went

on to play Millfield in the Final. A hard-

fought game ended 19-19. In sudden-death

time any score would suffice. A clever

cross-field kick from Kingswood allowed

the winger to touch down for a memorable

victory 24-19. The Plate Final, for teams

finishing second in each group, was won

by Sir Thomas Rich’s who beat KES, Bath

24-19.

At the Gloucestershire Sevens, Wycliffe

was no match for a physical Pates team in

their first group game losing 5-31. Matt Lee

scored with the last play of the next game,

to help defeat Bristol Cathedral School

19-12. Probably the best performance of

the afternoon was a 28-17 win against KLB.

Tries came from Noah Cooper-Llanes, Jack

Lister, Ross Livingstone and Zeb Waite.

The team was unable to continue this form

as, losing its last group game 5-10 to St

Edward’s Cheltenham.

The Dean Close Tournament offered

a chance for teams to fine tune for the

National Sevens. How better to start a

tournament than by beating the host

school: Wycliffe 28, Dean Close 14. There

followed a much improved performance

against Pate’s from the previous week’s

tournament despite a 14-28 loss, meaning

After a successful ‘Team Bonding’ tour

to Italy during Half Term, the 1st Sevens

squad travelled to Hereford for the 32-

team Marches Sevens, for their first UK

tournament of the term. After two tough

group games against Cheltenham College

and Blundell’s School, our third group

game against Bridgend College resulted in

a walk-over victory as they failed to turn

up! This left Wycliffe third in the group,

and a Quarter Final against Solihull School

in the ‘Bowl’ competition. After enduring

a three hour wait, Wycliffe put in a fine

performance on a sodden pitch in wind

and hail, to lose narrowly 14-17. Try scorers

were George Turner and Angus Wightman

with two conversions from Jack Lister.

The Wycliffe Invitation U18 7s,

played on Thursday 5th March saw, ten

teams compete in two groups of five. In

Group A. Wycliffe started with a narrow

but confidence boosting win against QEH

15-12. Showing discipline in defence,

well worked tries came from Zeb Waite,

James Garrett and Ben Clarke. In the

three remaining group games Wycliffe

suffered defeats against Dean Close, 21-31,

eventual finalists Millfield, 22-43, and King

Edward’s Bath, 5-24, finishing third equal

in the group. The team showed glimpses

of its capability when allowed to dominate

possession and scored some excellent

a place in the semi-final against Prior Park.

Wycliffe was well-beaten, in a disappointing

performance, so played Tewkesbury School

in the Plate Final. This time we decided

to play our best sevens, and duly won the

Plate 24-14.

The National Schools Sevens always

provides a stern test, but is a fantastic

opportunity to compete in an exciting

environment against different schools from

our regular fixture list. After the draw was

made, you could be forgiven for thinking

Wycliffe was in the ‘group of death’. We

started with a close loss (15-17) against

Trinity School, Croydon, playing some

outstanding sevens in a game we should

and could have won. The squad failed

to achieve this standard again, however,

and further losses to Colfe’s School,

Berkhampsted School and King’s School

Worcester ended our participation in the

tournament. Six Lower Sixth players were

in the squad and they will have gained

valuable experience, which bodes well for

the future.

U18 Sevens Squad: Toben Ronald,

Jack Lister, Zeb Waite, Alex Schranz, Harry

Ford, Simon Magill, George Turner, James

Garrett, Jasper Meehan, Matt Lee, Angus

Wightman, Ben Clarke, Charlie Richards,

Noah Cooper-Llanes, Henry Hudson, Ross

Livingstone.

Wycliffe Rugby 7s

5Sport

Page 95: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

94

95

SPO

RT

composure with wise tactics on the points

that mattered, a gripping final, 6-4. Many

thanks to all who took part, we hope even

more OWs return next year, for what is a

great day.

Another highlight of the season

was our match against Monmouth. The

fixture consisted of singles versus opposite

seed and doubles rubbers to everyone’s

satisfaction. Although the fixture was lost,

all players raised their game and played

classic tennis. From a coach’s perspective,

it was a delight to see training skills

implemented in matches, with everyone

enjoying themselves.

Thank you to everyone in the squad

for their dedication and efforts. To all the

leavers, I hope you keep playing tennis

and the best of luck in all your future

endeavours.

Full Colours: Subash Ale.

Half Colours: Irvin Lau, Sasha

Ukrayinskyy, Joshua Kraushaar.

Squad: Subash Ale (C), Sasha

Ukrayinskyy, Ruslan Albegov, Markus

Lohmeyer, Irvin Lau, Joshua Kraushaar,

Seni Oyewumi, Evan Cheng, Felix Wente,

Christian Besch, Duncan McKillop, Henry

Moss, Ivan Gagov, Artus Ribakovs.

Junior Boys’ Team Tennis Season

Played 9 Won 4 Lost 5

A highlight of the season for the

Juniors was entering the LTA Year 10,

Gloucestershire, Division Two league.

The other schools in our draw were Dene

Magna, Cleeve, Severn Vale and Cotswold

School. The competition required every

The season started with indoor Tennis,

played in the double Sports Hall here at

Wycliffe. This was run by our external

coach Jason Boon (head coach, Frampton

Tennis Club) and was a mixture of cardio

tennis during a lunch-time session, then

technical skills in an evening session.

During the season Jason worked alongside

Mr Lunch to deliver coaching sessions on

Monday and Thursday afternoons, working

on doubles and singles tactics with both

the Senior and Junior squads.

Senior Boys’ Team Tennis Season

Played 5 Won 1 Lost 4

The Senior Squad has grown in size

this year and there was a great competitive

nature and battles for positions in the

1st and 2nd pairings. Pupils trained very

hard and improvements were abundant.

In particular, serve and volley has been

emphasised in the squad’s game play.

Subash Ale led the team as captain and his

cool calm approach will be sorely missed.

Special thanks must go to Subash for the

last five years and his commitment to the

team.

One highlight was the Old

Wycliffians Day. It was fantastic this year,

with a record number of OWs returning

for a knock-out style competition. The

pairings of Andrew Golding with Stephen

Savery & Tom Harris with James Lunch

reached the final. Special mention must

go to Stephen Savery who still runs

around court, playing lovely winning

shots at the grand age of 80 – absolutely

amazing! Andrew and Stephen’s cool

player to play their opposite seed in a

game of singles and then partner up to

play a set of doubles. Two of our four

matches went to a doubles championship

tie-break, to ten points. Unfortunately we

lost both, but this was a very close league

that Wycliffe will definitely enter again

next year.

The District Cup this year was a

nail-biting competition with three schools

in the running to enter the final. All the

teams in the league won the same number

of fixtures so the decision went down to

games won collectively. Unfortunately,

Wycliffe Junior Tennis narrowly lost out to

Marling who went through this time, but

there is always next year!

The squad is developing well and

we wish the Year 10s a smooth transition

into Senior Tennis. Thank you to all the

Juniors who have represented Wycliffe in

the fixtures and we hope they continue

playing next year.

Full Colours: Batraz Albegov, Oliver

Harris

Half Colours: Zachary Chan

Squad: Batraz Albegov (C), Oliver

Harris, Enno Hoyndorf, Jack Newey, Alex

Seymour, Jared Carter, Sergey Zaprudin,

Stoyan Petkov, Roy Kong, Hammond

Ozakpolor, Anuar Ulzhibayev, Freddie

Lister, River Jay, Jacob Richardson.

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Page 96: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Nash played at 2nd pair with Holly Tyler

and Sasha Green 3rd pair. Some excellent

displays of tennis were observed, with the

girls developing their tactical awareness

to build rallies and win points being the

focus. A frustrating first round tie against

Stroud High School seems to be the norm

in the National Schools’ Cup, but the girls

gave their very best to make the opposition

earn its victory. Wins against St Edward’s

School, Cheltenham and Rendcomb

College were applauded whilst losses

against the strong opposition of Monkton

Combe, Cheltenham College and St

Mary’s School, Calne were competitive

and worthy opposition to test ourselves

against.

Holly Tyler won the Senior House

Competition for Lampeter.. Megan Nash

was awarded tennis player at the Sports

Dinner.

Squad: Lara Bathurst, Anna

1sts:

Played 5 Won 2 Lost 3

Cardio Tennis ran as the preseason

programme in the Spring Term, with

LTA coach Jason Boon. Jason has had a

greater impact in the Summer Term than

in previous years, delivering a tennis

programme to the Juniors on a Monday

games session, as well as to both Junior

and Senior age groups on Thursday

afternoons.

The examination period is always

a difficult time for students to balance

their time and commit to a busy sporting

programme. The Senior Squads played the

majority of their fixtures before half term,

whilst the weather affected some fixtures

in the second half, including the mixed

match verses Malvern College.

Lara Bathurst captained the squad

at 1st pair with Head of School Anna

Fishwick. Anais Reymond and Megan

Fishwick, Anais Reymond, Megan Nash,

Holly Tyler, Sasha Green.

2nds:

Played 4 Won 0 Drew 0 Lost 4

Captained by Imogen Gray, the

2nds fielded a versatile squad this season,

with ten girls representing the squad

in competitive fixtures over the term.

The depth was needed during a busy

examination time for these players in

order to field pairings. Results didn’t go in

Wycliffe’s favour and often failing to reflect

the competitive nature of the individual

points played. All girls have played with

motivation and a keenness to give their

best on the courts.

Squad: Imogen Gray, Lucy Parker,

Lucy Haynes, Erin Holley, Omina Jones,

Anastasia Albegova, Ivana Dimitrova,

Polina Kozyakaeva, Carina La Garde,

Jess Randall.

5Sport

Page 97: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

96

97

SPO

RT

U15:

Played 7 Won 4 Drew 0 Lost 3

It was a successful season for the

U15s. Strong wins against Rendcomb

College (6-3), (12-11), Pate’s (7-2) and

Bromsgrove School (5-4) were deserved,

with the three pairs playing some excellent

rallies and winning shots. Two close 5-4

losses against Cheltenham College and

Monkton Combe provided some great

competitive Tennis for the spectators and a

battle for every point from the girls.

In the Aegon Division Two league,

wins against Farmor’s School, The

Cotswold School and a forfeited match

against Westonbirt placed them top of the

league.

Ellie Bathurst and Alice Dean won

all their matches and the first place medal

in the round-robin tournament in the

South Cotswold district tournament.

Collingwood House won the Junior Inter-

house competition with Ellie Bathurst and

Josie Hampson winning all three House

matches.

Izzy Menendez was awarded Tennis

player at the Sports Dinner.

Squad: Ellie Bathurst, Izzy

Menendez, Alice Dean, Josie Hampson,

Grace Aspinwall, Harriet Stevens, Emily

Riley, Sasha Pysarieva.

U14:

Played 7 Won 4 Drew 0 Lost 3

It was another excellent sporting

season for the U14s, who performed to

their potential to challenge the bigger

schools and achieve successful results.

A 1-2 loss against St Edward’s took place

after a delayed start, and time constraints

conditioned the play. An early season

match against Dean Close, although a 3-6

loss, was competitive and highlighted the

potential of the squad. Four wins followed,

with displays of improved technical and

tactical tennis. The girls deserved the wins

against Rendcomb College (9-0), Pate’s

(7-2), Cheltenham College (6-3) and

Monkton Combe (5-4), all considered to

be credible sports schools. A narrow 3-5

loss against Bromsgrove was unlucky but

competitive, with the result dependent

upon the last round of matches. Iona

Lundie and Katie Cruickshank won the

South Cotswold District tournament after

being undefeated in their five round-robin

matches.

Squad: Katie Cruickshank, Iona

Lundie, Emma Livingstone, Isla Green,

Lucy Parsons, Rebecca Taphouse, Katie

Seymour, Mary Evans.

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Page 98: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

the Quarter Finals, however only Jared

progressed to the semi and then the final,

where he lost a tight battle against the

number one in England. In the Girls’ U17

event, Amelia Henley was clearly the one

to beat. Unfortunately for the rest of the

field this wasn’t to be, and she became

the National champion without dropping

a game.

December saw the European

tournaments. We had already tasted success

at the Welsh Junior Open, with Amber

Peacey winning the Girls’ U17, Jared Carter

the Boys’ U15 and Jack Bloomfield the

Boys’ U13. Now the whole squad travelled

to Switzerland for a Super Series event. Jared

was the only one who went on to win, but

Amber and Jack Bloomfield were one spot

away from taking another European title,

both just losing out in close-fought finals

against highly ranked European opposition.

January is the turn of the British

Junior Open, in Sheffield, the strongest

Junior Tournament in the world. Wycliffe’s

outstanding performer was Amelia, who

wasn’t seeded but finished fifth, really

announcing her presence on the world junior

stage. Ellie, Amber, Jack Newey and Jared

also performed very well, finishing above

With so many influential characters

and players leaving the school in July

2014, September was always going to be

welcomed with a little apprehension and

worry. However, this was soon replaced

with excitement because of the quality of

the players and personalities that had been

recruited over the summer.

The year began with the County

Closed events and Wycliffe players

dominated the Gloucestershire event,

with Ellie Jones, Nathan Mead and Jack

Bloomfield all bringing home titles. Jack

Newey replaced Lyell Fuller as the number

one boy in Devon, by capturing their U19

and U17 titles. A strong start to the year

continued with the Regional Closed events

where the two Jacks won the South West

U13 and U15 titles. Ellie Jones and Amelia

Henley won their respective U17 Girls’

regional closed events, with Jared Carter

winning the U15 Boys’ title in the South.

From these set of results and with

high English rankings for many of the

players, Wycliffe was probably taking one

of its strongest contingent of players across

different age groups to the British Junior

Closed. The Boys’ U15 were particularly

strong with three of the eight players in

their seeding amongst the highest ranked

English players.

It is fairly non-stop for the elite squad

at the school, with tournaments and regional

training squads taking up a lot of weekends.

For those in their first year, it is a lot to

take in with so much more squash during

the week and it was admirable to see how

everyone managed this. During this time

as well, the National Schools’ competition

took place. The Boys’ U15 and U19, along

with the Girls’ U19 team all progressed

through to the finals with relative ease. The

Boys’ U15 were first to win and retain their

title, it was then the turn of the U19 Girls

who did so with the help of Holly Tyler and

Ellie Bathurst, winning 3-2 in the final. The

Boys’ U19 team followed this up with a 3-2

win over long-time rivals Millfield, giving

Wycliffe a hat-trick of titles, something never

achieved before. It was fantastic to see the

players come together for these two finals

days in Manchester, even more so because it

had been such a new squad of friends and

players only a few months earlier.

Particularly pleasing in the Boys’

U19 event were wins for Arhant Simha

and Duncan Mckillop who didn’t enjoy as

much success in the English tournaments.

5Sport

Page 99: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

98

99

SPO

RTTHE WYCLIFFIAN

through his hard work and dedication.

The final event of the year was the

English National Championships held in

Birmingham. Again, we had high hopes and

with six quarter finalists across all the age

groups we were contesting better than ever.

Progressing to the semi-finals were Ellie &

Jack Newey, while Amelia Henley went on

to reach the finals where she lost out in a

close-fought match to long-time rival and

the England U19 number one, Georgina

Kennedy. Jared Carter however, showed

his class and became the English champion

without dropping a game. A fantastic

achievement, considering he still has one

more year in the age group.

Other notable achievements this year:

Jack Newey and Jared Carter taking up two

of the three places in the Boys’ England

U15 team who became European team

They were really playing for something and

because of their improvement and effort over

the year, these victories were fully deserved.

It was also the last time Alex Schranz, the

squad Captain, would represent the school;

unfortunately he didn’t win but played a

crucial part in the team’s victory as he has

throughout his years at the school. To arrive

at the school having never played squash

and leaving as the number one in the squad

is testament to his hard work, hopefully

showing some of the Prep School players

that it can be achieved.

In amongst all this were some smaller

National events with Alex Van Blerk winning

his first title, Arhant Simha reaching his

first final of an English event and beating

someone ranked in the top 16 in England.

This really outlines how much Arhant has

improved in his two years at the school

champions. Amelia also came third in the

European Junior Championships, before

helping England retain the European U19

team title. She goes on to represent England

at the World Junior Championships in

Eindhoven this summer.

It is testament to the support the

school gives squash that even with so

many players leaving in one year, the

school went on to have one of its most

successful seasons. It will be hard to

replicate this in the coming year, but we

will retain a lot of the names repeatedly

mentioned above and their goals will be

very high. We will also enter more teams

in the National Schools to continually

develop squash within the school.

Commonwealth games and his experience

was invaluable for the girls.

These sessions are one of the biggest

changes to the way in which WASP helps

more pupils, a number of sport-specific

sessions are planned for next year.

On a more generic focus Matthew

Thompson (MBPsS, MSc, PGDip, BSc

(Hons)), a Sport Scientist specialising

in Psychology from the University of

Birmingham, was invited to school and

worked with Prep and Senior School WASP

members on how they approach their

sport. Confidence, mental preparation and

self-belief were all touched upon in a fun

practical and theoretical approach.

Chartwells provided a sports

nutritionist to meet with the pupils and

discuss their individual needs. It is hoped

that this will see an improvement and

appreciation of the dietary needs of the

school’s sportsmen and women. Packed

Wycliffe Academy Sports Programme has

continued to help develop and support the

elite sports men and women within Wycliffe.

Gloucestershire County Cricket Club

delivered a session on diet and nutrition, as

well as outlining training habits and advice

for students. This has been supported

brilliantly by Ben Gannon, who regularly

carries out individual fitness appraisals

for pupils to help focus and advance

their training.

Alex Gidman (Worcestershire County

Cricket Club), has headed up the WASP

programme and the cricketers in the Prep

and Senior School have benefitted from his

expert coaching and mentoring throughout

the winter and into the summer. Similarly,

Rosie Pretorious (Wales Netball), delivered

a masterclass for the netballers preparing for

the County and Regional finals. There was

also a session for hockey players from Mark

Moss, who was involved as a coach at the

lunches are one area that was discussed and

will hopefully be improved for next year.

WASP will continue to benefit pupils

throughout the school as they strive to

achieve their best in all sport.

Wycliffe Academy Sports Programme (WASP)

Page 100: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Alice and George Tomblin rode in the

Grass Roots competition; it was their first

ever show jumping competition on their

new ponies, and both rode brilliantly,

learning so much and gaining huge

confidence along the way. Alice rode in the

50 and 60cms classes’ producing beautiful

rounds to go clear in both. George rode

in the 60cms class, having just one minor

problem with his pony spooking at one

of the fences, leaving him on four faults

at the end. It was a great effort, with so

much talent, at such young ages. It will

be exciting to watch their progress. Zoe

Davison rode in the main arena later in

The Wycliffe College Equestrian Team

is now well established, with a great

core group of riders ranging from eight

through to 18 years old. Wycliffe is once

again a member of the, National Schools’

Equestrian Association (NSEA), and

took part in lots of schools competitions

throughout the year.

Sunday 14th September 2014,

saw the Inter-schools’ Show Jumping

competition, hosted by Cheltenham

Ladies’ College at Rectory Farm,

Cirencester. Wycliffe only had three

individuals there this year, due to a

calendar clash with the CCF weekend.

the day. With 50 competitors per class it

was a long day, but that did not affect Zoe

and her horse Nellie, as they produced a

faultless performance and won the 1.05m

class in pure style.

Sunday 21st September, saw the

Inter-schools’ Team One Day Event hosted

by and run at Stonar School, Wiltshire.

Wycliffe had three individual riders entered:

one in the British Eventing 90cms class,

which was a huge class, and two in the

British Eventing 100cms. Isla Green, 13,

riding Oliver rode in the 90cms with Jessica

Telford, 14, riding Tockas and Zoe Davison,

15, riding Nellie rode in the 100cms.

5Sport

Equestrian

Page 101: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

100

101

SPO

RT

This was a challenge, being the first time

both Jessica and Tockas, and Zoe’s horse

Nellie, had competed at this height. The

competition consisted of a dressage test, a

round of show jumps and then galloping

round a fast cross-county course. After

walking the course, the team realised that

there were a fair few questions for horse

and rider on the course, as well as a lot

of huge fences that needed to be jumped

accurately. BE 90 and 100 are recognised

events within the British eventing world

and this event had no age restriction, so

our riders were riding against students

who were up to 18 years old: it was a

huge ask for such a young squad. All three

riders finished the day just outside the top

ten, which was a fantastic result. Riding

this huge cross-county course, clear, inside

the time for these riders was outstanding

and really showed how talented they all

are. Not many riders completed the course

on the day, let alone inside the time!

Sunday 1st March, was the Inter-

school Dressage competition, at King’s

Equestrian Centre. Iona Farrow-Wilton

and Charlotte Byrnes, both Year 8 pupils,

entered this event turning their hand to

pure dressage. Charlotte rode well in both

classes, but with a slight misunderstanding

on tack regulations she was unable to

be placed. Iona rode in the novice class,

riding a complex routine and against riders

much older than herself on much bigger

horses. Iona and her pony, Spot the Spot

II, rode a faultless round leaving them just

outside a qualifying place in 3rd. It was a

fantastic first result for Wycliffe.

Charlotte Byrnes was again, three

weeks on the trot, out competing under

the Wycliffe name at the Jumping with

Style event, at Millfield, on Sunday 8th

March and the Inter-schools’ Show

Jumping Grassroots Qualifier at King’s

Equestrian Centre, on Sunday 15th March.

In both events Charlotte rode mature

rounds to finish just outside the top ten.

In huge classes this was a very good result.

During the Easter holidays, the

Wycliffe Equestrian team got together for

a team training day. 13 out of the squad of

16 turned up to train under the instruction

of two qualified instructors/coaches. Mr

& Mrs Hatherell were incredibly generous

to allow us to use their fantastic facilities

which meant all riders got an hour of

dressage coaching followed by an hour of

show jump coaching and some fun out

on the cross-county course. The groups

were split according to the classes they

compete in, and there were no more than

four riders per group. It was a wonderful

day with the weather being incredibly kind

to the spectators, who enjoyed watching

and picnicking, while the riders enjoyed

themselves and worked hard. The day set

the squad up nicely for the May’s Stonar

One Day Event. There are plans to hold

equestrian team training days more often

after the success of the first.

Sunday 17th May, saw the Wycliffe

Equestrian Team travel to Stonar School,

for the Mini and Junior One Day Event.

Wycliffe had only one individual and

one team entered in the 90cms class, the

second team was balloted out because

entries were so high. All riders have to

learn and practice their dressage test in

their own time. Both the show jumping

and cross-country courses looked

impressive and had some technical

questions for both horse and rider. All

five riders rode good dressage tests,

leaving them all in the top ten in their

individual sections after dressage. In

the show jumping was next Isla Green,

Rachel Hatherell and Charlotte Byrnes

produced faultless clear rounds, leaving

them on their dressage scores heading

out to cross-country. Jess Telford had a

very unfortunate four faults and Emma

Morgan’s pony was spooked by the

presentation going on next to one of the

fences and lost concentration, popping

in two stops but Emma rode brilliantly

to get him round to the finish adding

12 faults to her dressage score. After a

quick drink and change into cross-county

colours it was straight down to cross-

county. Rachel and Isla rode first with

strength and confidence. Next it was

Jess and Emma, followed by Charlotte.

All rode superb rounds to finish on their

dressage and show jump scores. After the

cool down and ponies had been bathed,

it was time to head for the results table.

The team finished 7th out of 25 teams

and individually we had two placings, with

both Jess and Rachel coming 7th in their

sections against 30 other competitors. It

was another outstanding achievement and

performance. Sunday 24th May, was the

Inter-Schools’ Show Jumping Qualifier

at West Wilts Equestrian Centre. Jess

Telford and Charlotte Byrnes entered this

event as individuals. Charlotte rode strong

confident rounds in the 90cms and 1m,

not going fast enough to be placed this

time. Jess rode two good rounds, on her

new horse Joey, in the 1m and 1.10m

again not quite getting in to the placings

this time. Both should be very proud of

their performance.

Well done to our Equestrian Team

members, who have all trained hard and

produced some fantastic results. We look

forward to another great year next year.

Equestrian Squad 2014/2015:

Sasha Green, Georgina Barr, Thomas

Kendell, Jessica Telford, Isla Green, Mimi

Green, George Tomblin, Alice Tomblin,

Sebastian Barr, Charlotte Byrnes, Zoe

Davison, Anna Morgan, Emma Morgan,

Iona Lundie, Iona Farrow-Wilton, Rachel

Hatherell, Evie Green.

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Page 102: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Sport

has been a consistent squad throughout

the season, and we had the luxury of

two fantastic shooters in Ellie Carr and

Izzy Garbett. The squad trained hard

together throughout the season, building

in confidence, skill and maturity on

the court. During matches, the attack

produced some excellent well-worked

goals and lots of outstanding court play.

The defence worked well together, turning

over plenty of ball and always at critical

points of the game. Captained by Laura

Hall, the team worked well together,

following their leader in warm ups and

listening to her and each other out on the

court. There was versatility in the squad,

with players confidently switching and

adapting to any changes made. As a team

their attitude and passion for the sport was

outstanding: they never gave up and their

encouragement and support towards each

other was a joy to see.

Notable victories were recorded

against Monkton Combe 28-13, Colston’s

18-13, Malvern College 25-20 and Dean

Close 31-24.

Squad: Laura Hall (C), Ellie Carr,

Izzy Garbett, Omina Jones, Megan Nash,

Sophie Caesar, Laura Robinson, Natalie

Newport, Elise Clements, Zoe Parrott and

Rebecca Bidwell.

3rd VII

Played 11 Won 5 Lost 6

It has been a fantastic season for the

3rds’ with many successes and particularly

impressive wins against Bromsgrove,

Monkton Combe, Colston’s, Dean

1st VII

Played 10 Won 6 Lost 3 Drawn 1

The talented crop of Year 11s added

strength to the current four Sixth Formers

that remained from last year’s squad. Anna

Fishwick led her team superbly as captain,

playing in defence along with player of the

season, Kaylee Brooker, a formidable force

against even the best opposition.

The season started in fine form

with wins against Bromsgrove, St Mary’s

Calne and Queen’s Taunton. A frustrating

four-goal loss to Cheltenham College, after

winning throughout the game, reminded

the girls to play with intensity for all

four quarters. Wins against Monkton

Combe, Colston’s and a deserved victory

(21-14) against Dean Close showcased

the potential of the squad when on

form. Passages of play were often fluid,

controlled and stylish, with the girls

playing real quality netball. Two single

figure losses against Malvern and Hereford,

towards the end of the season were

unlucky and frustrating, on another day

could have gone in our favour. The season

finished with a high quality and evenly

contested 18-18 draw against CLC.

Squad: Anna Fishwick (C), Lara

Bathurst, Holly Tyler, Lucy Haynes, Sasha

Green, Elena Azcona, Immy Gray, Kaylee

Brooker.

2nd VII

Played 9, Won 4, Lost 5.

After coaching the Wycliffe 2nd

team for four years now, it has to be said

that we had our best season to date. It

Close and Malvern. With a good mix of

experienced Senior Girls, together with

some younger players, there were many

opportunities for players to learn new

skills and grow in confidence through the

season. Despite some tough opposition,

the team always stayed positive and

played the highest standard of netball. A

special mention must go to Josie Randall

for showing such versatility, swapping

between GS and GK in some matches.

Zoe Parrott also put in some impressive

performances and, as captain, was often

instrumental in ensuring the girls gave

100% while on court.

Squad: Zoe Parrott (C), Amanda

Khatri, Josie Randall, Becky Bidwell, Erin

Holly, Lucy Parker, Martha Burgess, Liza

Mavrodi, Georgie Febery, Lilly Reeder.

4th VII

Played 5 Won 1 Lost 4

This was the first time Wycliffe

had the depth in numbers to field a

consistent fourth team. It has been a

very exciting year, seeing new players

develop their Netball skills and play in

some very competitive matches. They

started the season on a high, beating

Queen’s Taunton 15-8, showing some real

potential: a great way to start the season.

Unfortunately some tougher games were

ahead, and while the team was improving

on a weekly basis so was the opposition.

Losses against CLC (7-18), Cheltenham

College (6-24), and Bristol Cathedral 2nd

VII (12-35) showed there was still plenty

THE WYCLIFFIAN5Sport

Page 103: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

102

103

SPO

RT

against Dean Close, but then resoundingly

beat St Bernard Lovell (30-2).This was

followed by another loss (21-27), to

Malvern College, before finishing the year

on a high, winning 28-17 against Hereford

Cathedral School.

Squad: J Hampson (C), H Bankes,

A Pearce, J Telford, A Dean, I Menendez,

N Wait, C Greensmith, K Fletcher, E

Bathurst.

U15B VII

Played 10 Won 6 Lost 4

Solid wins against St Mary’s Calne,

Monkton Combe, Bristol Cathedral,

Colston’s, Dean Close and Hereford

Cathedral School contributed to a

successful season for the B team. A close

loss against Malvern, by two goals, could

have boosted the statistics further. The

squad achieved these, results despite

injuries and availability, mostly in attack.

Harriet Stevens found herself in the

attacking circle to which she has given her

best efforts and taken on the challenge to

shoot.

Squad: Chloe Bayliss (C), Alice Dean

(C), Harriet Stevens, Erin Lavender, Lucy

Cole, Ellie Walker, Yuliya Ukrayinska,

Alix Bolton Grace Aspinwall, Ellie Jones-

Jobst.

U15C VII

Played 7 Won 2 Lost 5

The C team rewarded every Year 10

girl for their commitment to training, with

the opportunity to play in competitive

fixtures. Imogen Norman captained

the C team. Although there were more

defeats than losses, the girls’ performance

intensity and game knowledge improved

throughout the season. An excellent 15-13

win against Dean Close and a one goal loss

of 13-14 against CLC shows they can be

competitive when matched against bigger

schools.

Squad: Imogen Norman (C), Katie

Briggs, Janouk Brynjarsdottir, Josephine

of work to be done. A highlight of the

season was the thrilling match against

Dean Close (13-14), a real nail-biting

finish, with the winning goal securing a

Dean Close win in the dying seconds of

the game. Defensively, the team turned

over a number of balls to give the attack

plenty of opportunities, but choosing the

correct feed into the circle and the number

of shots on target was sometimes a little

hit and miss. However, marking opponents

and creating pressure was a real team

strength and something the squad worked

hard on improving throughout the season.

The team was interchangeable, with new

players stepping into the starting line up

nearly every game, but this never deterred

the girls and they always gave 100%.

The team sprit was superb both during

matches and training; coaching them was

a real pleasure.

Squad: Clara Immink (C), Ruth

Harris, Ella Barry, Francis Friend,

Summer Turner, Lucy Grindrod, Zoe

Mitchell, Jess Randall, Anna Morgan,

Mollie Young, Katie Harris, Polina

Kozyaeva, Victoria Daws, Ellie Roberts,

Emma Bastin.

U15A VII

Played 10 Won 5 Lost 4 Drew 1

It was a tough season with some

difficult fixtures and an ever-changing

squad, but the U15s managed to win

more than they lost.

The season started well, with solid

wins against Bromsgrove (26-14) and

St Mary’s (23-20). However, they were

brought back down to earth with a close

loss (23-24) against CLC and Cheltenham

College (20-31). They soon found their

feet again, with an impressive win against

Monkton Combe (36-22) and followed

this with a draw against Colston’s (16-16).

The following four matches showed how

variable their performance was throughout

the season, winning two and losing two.

They lost a close-fought match 22-24

Rogers, Maude Collingridge, Emily Riley,

Mary Evans, Annie Rees, Emma Morgan,

Sasha Pysarieva, Nadia Hirsi.

U14A VII

Played 8 Won 5 Lost 3

The U14As had a brilliant start to

the Netball season, as runner-up in the

county tournament to go through to

the regional playoffs in Bournemouth.

Matches played in preparation for the

regionals were slightly disheartening,

losing to Cheltenham College (36-30),

CLC (32-27) and Bromsgrove (18-29) but

this newly put together team was simply

finding its feet. At the regional play-offs,

everything came together and the team

really started to gel. They were a force

to be reckoned with and a strong group

performance of four wins, one draw and

one loss saw the squad through to the

semi-finals to play Millfield School. This

was a fantastic achievement and a first

for Wycliffe to progress in to the latter

stages of this competition! With a strong

second half performance, the squad were

beaten by eventual tournament winners

Millfield. The road to Nationals Finals

ended with a third-fourth play-off against

Colston School who had inflicted our

only loss in the group games. Regrouped

and focused on achieving the bronze

medal, they dominated the game with

a confident display, winning 12-4. This

was an excellent achievement for Wycliffe

and the squad confirming them as the

third best Netball School at U14 level

in the South West of England. On their

return from regionals the girls had new-

found confidence and continued their

winning streak, securing wins in the next

five games. They displayed dominating

performances against Colston’s, Dean

Close, St Bernard Lovell and Malvern

College, demonstrating the team’s

versatility and improvements made

throughout the season. Eager to finish the

season on a high, losing players to injury,

Page 104: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN5Sport

with great versatility. It was a consistent

squad performance with brilliant team

spirit throughout. A game that stood out

was against Dean Close, which resulted in

a fantastic win, 19-5. The attack moved

the ball down the court with great skill,

feeding it into the shooters who didn’t

miss a goal. With such a strong team,

the girls were able to play out of position

in the last four matches of the season.

This gave them great insight into all the

positions on the court to help them all

develop as players.

All of the girls gave 100% this season,

and I thank them all for this. They have

been a true pleasure to coach!

Squad: Fenella Purkess (C), Lucy

Burgess, Lowri Clarke, Becky Taphouse,

Iona Wasdell, Sophia Rai, Lauren Turbott,

Saoirse Purkess.

U14C VII

Played 6 Won 2 Lost 4

The U14C team had a good season,

playing some strong teams and producing

the final challenge for the team’s last game

of the season against Hereford Cathedral.

The girls’ ability to deal with pressure

and their determination to come from

behind was paramount and they achieved

a thoroughly well-deserved 12-11 win. It

was a fantastic season which I hope will

continue next year. Well done to all who

took part.

Squad: Iona Lundie (C), Katie

Cruickshank, Isla Green, Lucy Parsons,

Sophia Rai, Isabella Naish, Emma

Livingstone, Katie Seymour, Katy Porter,

Iona Wasdell.

U14B VII

Played 9 Won 7 Lost 2

This season was hugely successful

for the under 14Bs, playing nine games

in total, winning seven and losing only

two. It took the girls a few games to get

back into the netball season, but then they

became unstoppable. The whole squad

consisted of very talented netball players,

some strong performances. Although

finishing with more defeats than wins, the

team performed well and were genuinely

unlucky in some matches.

During every game they maintained

their energy and effort and always aimed

to improve individual performances and

teamwork. They all adapted to playing in

different positions and encouraged each

other throughout the fixtures. Notable

victories were against Bristol Cathedral,

18-11 and Malvern College, 21-15.

Squad: Maisie Spiers (C), Emily

Flitton, Ella Kitching, Nicole Jennings,

Eloise Davies, Mary Evans, Tillie

Graham, Angela Huang.

Sports Dinners

was a great start to the evening. In fact, the

Rounders, Girls’ Tennis and Boys’ Tennis

had all been victorious throughout the day

and everyone was in a brilliant mood

to celebrate.

The Senior Dinner was a formal

black tie event held the night before. The

Captains of the sports teams were asked

to prepare a collective speech to deliver,

based on their experiences of sport at

Wycliffe. A few had finished their exams

only that afternoon, possibly not the best

preparation for the speech. However,

the video that was compiled and the

different messages delivered made for an

entertaining and enjoyable presentation.

The annual sports dinners again celebrated

the successes and achievements of

the Wycliffe teams and individuals in

style. Team Bath and England Netballer,

Shaunagh Craig was the special guest

and made the presentations to the

award winners, as well as saying a few

inspirational words about her career

and the determination she required to

overcome setbacks and meet challenges to

get to the top of her sport.

The Junior Dinner started with a

Barbecue and drinks reception outside. As

always the cricketers were the last to arrive,

having played in Hereford during the

afternoon. However, returning victorious

The awards are always keenly

contested and deliberated over to attempt

to recognise all worthy recipients. The two

favourite awards are for the Junior and

Senior teams of the year. The Junior award

was deservedly won by the U14 Netball

team for their brilliant performances in

the Regional Netball Finals. Similarly, the

Senior award was won by the U19 Girls’

Squash team for winning their National

Schools title.

Overall, both evenings were

thoroughly enjoyed by staff and pupils,

and it was a fitting way to say a huge thank

you and farewell to Mrs Burnet Ward for

all her support over the years.

Page 105: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

104

105

SPO

RTTHE WYCLIFFIAN

SENIOR AWARD WINNERS

HOCKEY (GIRLS) Lucy Haynes

RUGBY Jack Lister

U16 RUGBY Tom Seabrook

RUGBY 7S Toben Ronald

NETBALL Kayleigh Brooker

FOOTBALL Yomi Awosope

SQUASH (BOYS) Arhant Simha

SQUASH (GIRLS) Amelia Henley

ROWING Kate Hampson

BASKETBALL Jack Shepherd

TENNIS (GIRLS) Megan Nash

TENNIS (BOYS) Subash Ale

CRICKET Noah Cooper-Llanes

ATHLETICS Ross Livingstone

SPORTING COMMITMENT Zoe Davison

JUNIOR AWARD WINNERS YEAR 9 YEAR 10

HOCKEY (GIRLS) Lucy Parsons Ellie Bathurst

RUGBY Ben Richards Charlie Pritchatrd

U16 NETBALL Katie Porter Josie Hampson

FOOTBALL Matt Ansell James Gristock

SQUASH (BOYS) Jarred Carter Jack Newey

ROWING (BOYS) Tiernan Purkess

ROWING (GIRLS) Fanella Purkess

TENNIS (GIRLS) Katie Cruickshank Izzy Menendez

TENNIS (BOYS) Zachary Chan

CRICKET Alex Seymour Chad Trainor

ROUNDERS Lauren Turbott Charlotte Greensmith

ATHLETICS/CROSS-COUNTY Emma Livingstone Matt Lambie

SPORTS COMMITMENT Jess Telford

JUNIOR AWARDS OF THE YEAR

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR Jack Newey

MOST IMPROVED SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR

Matt Lambie

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR Josie Hampson

MOST IMPROVED SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR

Alice Dean

SENIOR AWARDS OF THE YEAR

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR Noah Cooper-Llanes

MOST IMPROVED SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR

Oliver Lovejoy

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR Lara Bathurst

MOST IMPROVED SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR

Clara Immink

Page 106: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN5Sport

Dubai Hockey & Netball Tour

We were in Dubai for nine days, including

a day trip to Abu Dhabi on the last day. To

say we packed in a lot throughout those

days would be an understatement.

As soon as we arrived in Dubai,

we went to the Dubai Sevens ground to

see the dawn and enjoy breakfast before

training for the next day’s match. A trip to

the sunrise camel racing was squeezed in,

too. Of course, it wasn’t all work, so after

training we went to the hotel to check in,

claim our rooms and acclimatise by the

rooftop pool!

Next day we had our first netball

match which, was played at 2pm outside

and not undercover. Wow! We’d gone

from 15°C in England to 35°C in Dubai,

I think it is fair to say we weren’t exactly

used to playing sports in such heat.

Unfortunately, all three teams lost their

matches against a strong Dubai College.

However, by our second match we had

started to adapt to the heat and ended up

winning all three matches!

On our rest day we visited the

Atlantis Water Park at Atlantis. I think

we broke the record for how fast 24 girls

can get changed! My favourite part of the

trip was when we went on a desert safari,

which followed the cultural experience

of visiting the spice and gold souks. We

were picked up at the hotel in 4x4s and

headed straight for the desert, where

By Ellie Carr – Tour Captain

24 girls from Years 11 to 13 were involved in the tour to Dubai. The best thing I found about the tour is a lot of the girls went from knowing each other around school to becoming such good friends throughout the trip.

Page 107: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

106

107

SPO

RTTHE WYCLIFFIAN

we went over sand dunes and watched

the sunset. From there, we went to the

campsite where we rode camels, ate

traditional Arabic food, had henna tattoos

and watched belly dancers and other

cultural dancing.

Luckily, we had opportunities

to go shopping – which suited all the

girls quite nicely. We went to both the

Emirates Mall and Dubai Mall, where

we ate watching the fountains, and

experienced haggling at the souks. The

Burj Khalifa was impressive from the

moment we stepped in the elevator. It

is the third fastest elevator in the world,

going at 36 km/h. The view from the

world’s tallest building was breath-taking

and scary, all in one.

We also took part in a night time

hockey tournament that went on until

12am! This tournament consisted of five

teams. The 1st XI finished second after

losing 1-0 to Dubai ladies and the 2nd XI

came third. This tournament lasted for

four hours, leaving the girls happy but

exhausted. Sasha Green received the player

of the tournament award.

On the final day we had an early

start. Travelling to Abu Dhabi, we were

able to visit the Zayed Grand Mosque, all

dressed in abayas.

We had our final netball matches

against Abu Dhabi representative teams.

The 1st VII and 3rd VII won their

matches while the 2nd VII lost theirs

by three goals. The final tour meal took

place at Yas Marina, after the group had

experienced cycling around the Formula

1 racetrack.

It was a fantastic trip: we were

able to play our favourite sports, see

sites, have fun and most importantly

get a tan!

Thank you to Mrs Dudley, Miss

Howard and Miss Sherwood for their

efforts in organising the tour.

Page 108: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

CCF

Page 109: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

108

109

CC

F

The CCF at Wycliffe

Ten days before the Easter holidays, a team

of seven staff and cadets took part in an

arduous cross-country skiing expedition

to the Hardangervidda Mountain Range,

in southern Norway. The aim of the

trip was to introduce a group of novice

cadets to cross-county skiing. The first

four days were spent in hotel-like huts at

Finse Hyatta, and saw the cadets learn

the essence of cross-county skiing, as

well as Arctic and cold climate survival

skills, essential for the later expedition,

especially constructing snow holes. With

temperatures recorded at – 27 during

the expedition, it was essential the cadets

were well informed of the safety and

survival measures.

The route saw the cadets leave Finse

Hyatta to the similar Kreakkja, a gruelling

24km journey to begin the trip. After

spending the night in accommodation

similar to Finse, the cadets skied to

Kjeldbu, which saw slightly less luxurious

surroundings, with the cadets cooking

their own food once they arrived. Kjeldebu

seemed like a five-star hotel on the third

day, as a massive 20km trek was followed

by an accommodation of snow. The cadets

slept in a snow hole overnight, with an

internal temperature of -2°C, with the

outside being -9°C.

Lt Col Rothwell said, “During the

construction we did hit some rock at

the back of the cave, but with a little

improvisation, we managed to work

around this by elevating the floor and

scraping away about a foot of snow from

the ceiling. A few hours later all were

in our comfortable ice bound abode,

cooking a well-earned evening meal.

Soon afterwards sleep just seems to

come naturally.”

The final day of the journey saw

the cadets leave their luxurious snow

hole to return to Finse, the shortest part

of the journey at 10km. Lt Col Rothwell

stated: “The brilliant sunshine gave us

some wonderful views of the surrounding

snow covered peaks. The route was

straightforward enough, mostly over

fairly easy, undulating terrain. However,

the steep downhill sections did provide

a number of interesting falls, mainly

involving cadets being totally submerged

in powdery snow!”

Returning to Finse, the cadets had

the great privilege of seeing a herd of

reindeer galloping through the deep snow,

with the Hardangerjokulen glacier as a

backdrop – a sight they will never forget.

On the trip as a whole, Lt Col Rothwell

was proud of the cadets. “For a group

who had never cross-county skied before,

certainly with 30lb rucksack on their

backs, it was quite an achievement. Many

Norwegians that we met were equally

impressed. I have no doubt that most

will remember this unique experience for

some time to come. It really is a rare and

unique experience for UK based pupils.

Congratulations to all who took part: Lt

Col Paul Rothwell, Will Day-Lewis, James

Garrett, Aiden Coffey, Liam McLaren,

Thomas Kendell, Henry Radcliffe.

Nordic Challenge

Page 110: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN6The CCF at Wycliffe

Page 111: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

110

111

CC

F

Over the week 27 Jun – 3 July, 50 of our staff and cadets attended CCF Central Camp, run by 1ARTYX-SW Brigade, Cadet Training Teams, with some assistance from 4 Rifles.

Overall this was a brilliant event, held

just a few miles from the seaside resort of

Newquay at RAF St Mawgan.

Camps are vital to the team building,

leadership and development of our cadets.

The activities included fieldscraft, military

skills, and ranges. There was also a day of

surfing on a nearby beach. Survival skills

included fire lighting, problem solving,

and the use of knives for making wooden

tools, as well as axe throwing, archery, and

rope climbing. During the last two days,

the Cadets took part in a 24 hour infantry

skills style exercise; and they were rubbing

shoulders with regular soldiers. The

whole thing was professionally organised.

The instructor’s good humour and lively

repertoire with the cadets ensured that

the whole thing had a sense of fun and

direction about it; it was run at just

the right pace. After six days of training

together our sense of unity and purpose

had been greatly enhanced. Our boys and

girls were certainly very tired at the end of

the week, but their sense of achievement

was very evident, and much was achieved

in such a short space of time.

One of the highlights of the week

was the Year 9 pass out parade, where our

recruits became full-fledged trained cadets.

And an excellent group they were.

I am very pleased to say that

Lauren Turbott was selected as the best

Year 9 Cadet.

There were also very solid

performances from: Matthew Ansell, Lowri

Clark, Charlie Leach, Lucy Parsons and

Poonpun Yoksap.

CCF Annual Camp 2015By Lt Col Paul Rothwell

Page 112: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

The aim of Challenge Weekend was to give our new Year 9 pupils an informative, challenging and fun insight into the CCF. There was also a very strong emphasis on team building. The weekend was organised in three parts.

Situated in and around the school grounds

and local area, pupils took part in a

demanding programme of team-building

skills, log run, orienteering, .22 shooting,

infantry skills and a search and rescue

exercise.

For the next phase students had

the experience of camping out overnight

at Cranham Scout Campsite, using fairly

basic two man military bashers (tents)

The highlight of the weekend was

probably the final phase on Sunday. The

inter section CCF Physical Challenge,

involving a series of military style relay

races conducted at the campsite

Overall, the Year 9 pupils showed a

great deal of motivation and enthusiasm.

The winning team (mainly girls from

Haywardsend) led by Charlie Haden (by

the way he is being promoted to LCpl),

they were the outstanding team, by some

distance. All got medals:

Katie Cruickshank (E), Iona Lundie

(E), Lucy Parsons (E), Sophia Rai (E), Isla

Green (E), Jacob Smith (C), Ben Richards

(C), Rebeca Taphouse (C).

There were also some excellent

individuals performance and the following

were shortlisted for the best all round Year

9 pupil:

Lowri Clark, Emma Livingstone,

Izzy Naish (It appears a chip off the old

block!), Ben Richards, Katy Porter, Jack

Palmer.

The outstanding Year 9 Pupil was

Kieran Bradley: who has put his name

down to join the CCF

At the moment 25 pupils want to

join the CCF.

Year 9 Challenge WeekendBy Lt Col Paul Rothwell

THE WYCLIFFIAN6The CCF at Wycliffe

Page 113: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

112

113

CC

F

Over the middle weekend

in May, a team of Year 10 Cadets

took part in the arduous Ten Tors

Challenge, after four months of hard

and committed training. The two-day

expedition was held on the remote

and rugged terrain of Dartmoor

National Park. The challenge is all

about teamwork, physical and mental

stamina, and sound individual,

and group, organisation. Accurate

navigation skills are essential if

the demanding challenge is to be

completed successfully.

All teams have to be self-

contained, carrying all their own

individual and group equipment,

which weighs about 35 lbs, and they

have to wild camp overnight on the

Moors.

Our team, led by Mark Zheng

did exceptionally well, completing

their route well within the allocated

time. A special mention must go to

Annabelle Pearce, who was the only

girl in the group. Also at the sixth

Tor, the sole of one of Alex Watson’s

boots came off, leaving him sole-less

for about 14 miles, a remarkable

achievement!

There was little doubt that all

were very weary at the end, but team

spirits were high. All should be very

proud of what they achieved over the

weekend, as were the many parents

and family members who were there

to see them finish the event. At

the end, medals and certificates of

achievement were presented to our

35 mile team:Mark Zheng (Captain),

Fraser Grandfield, Wilf Hunt,

Annabelle Pearce, Thomas Stanley,

Alex Watson.

Ten Tors Expedition

Ten Tors Expedition

Page 114: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Music& Drama

Page 115: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

114

115

MU

SIC

& D

RA

MA

It has certainly been an exciting and busy year in the Music Department with over 20 musical events taking place between September and June.

The widely acclaimed Autumn

Concert featured some of the strongest

performances of the year. Solo items from

Cameron Brooks, Risa Miyajima and

Annabelle Pearce complemented a range of

ensemble items, culminating in a massed

group performance of ‘Happy’. One of the

highlights of the night was the jaw-dropping

performance of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s ‘Diablo

Rojo’ by Year 12 guitarist Jack Evans and

his duet partner Beth Poultney.

The series of Teatime Concerts has

also been hugely successful this year with

a waiting list for performers and standing

room only for each of the concerts in

the Music Room (not just because of the

cakes!). Thank you to all of the students

who have put themselves forward for these

concerts, finding new music to play and

developing their confidence in a supportive

environment. We look forward to many

more Teatime Concerts next year.

Wycliffe musicians have a wide range

of musical talents and interests: we run

both Music and Music Technology courses

and have a range of different ensembles. We

have been pleased to be able to showcase

the work of our able A level Music

Technology students at various points

through the year, and to put on our first Gig

Night in recent years, which featured some

superb performances from students such as

Ben Asquith, Boris Lourenco Lee and Jacob

Richardson, to name but a few. Thanks

must go to George Turner and Mr Murphy

for their technical support at such events.

The Choir has done itself proud

this year and we accomplished our aim

to maintain a high standard of singing

and build up our boys sections after

losing some key choristers last summer.

Gloucester Cathedral Evensong in October

was a highlight of the year, and the Choir

performed superbly despite not having long

to prepare all of the specialist repertoire,

with this year’s anthem being Bruckner’s

‘Locus Iste’. The Remembrance Service

featured a very moving performance of the

Choir Introit, ‘For the Fallen’ by Blatchly.

We were pleased to be able to include a

new anthem ‘For the Fallen’ for this special

service, marking 100 years since the start

of the First World War, with the Choir

being accompanied ably by Year 13 pianist

Cameron Brooks. The Carol Services were

as magical as always, with some excellent

performances and the inclusion of some

new Choir pieces: ‘Torches’ and ‘Angelus

Ad Virginum’. The Choir’s performance

of ‘A Truth From Above’ was particularly

stunning, featuring a solo from Abbi Covill.

Wycliffe musicians have enjoyed

performing in the local community once

again this year, including a brilliant concert

at the Stonehouse Baptist Church and

performances at the Stonehouse Goodwill

Fest. We have been pleased to maintain

our link with the Stonehouse Friendly

Circle, performing an annual Christmas

Concert for them, and we were very

grateful for the kind donation they gave to

‘CAMMPAIGN4ROB’ after the concert. We

have also been fortunate enough to develop

a new link with the Jeloy Choir, who visited

us from Norway in June. They gave a

wonderful concert in the Chapel, featuring

a range of music and some breath-taking

performances. Our Choir enjoyed working

with their conductor Trond Oftung during a

short workshop which culminated in a joint

finale concert performance of Rutter’s ‘The

Lord Bless You and Keep You’.

House competitions are always

rousing and entertaining events. Following

the cancellation of the House Cross-county

event, the House Song Evening in October

was the first House competition of the year

and brought the students in each House

together in a meaningful way, with a lot

of work going in to the rehearsals and

planning of entertaining dance moves.

Each year the Houses raise their game to

produce some fantastic performances, with

this year’s competition being no exception.

Mr Palmer and his team of adjudicators,

featuring Mrs Phelps and Mr O’Sullivan,

had a difficult decision to choose the

winner, but it was Ward’s House who came

out on top this year with their energetic

version of Busted’s ‘Year 3000’.

This year also saw the running of

the biannual House Music Competition,

which took place over several weeks. Mr

Weaver and I very much enjoyed listening

to each House complete their preliminary

rounds where each student had the

opportunity to give three performances:

solo vocal, solo instrumental and ensemble

Music & Drama Round-upBy Gemma Russell, Director of Music

Page 116: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Music & Drama7

(all captured on video!). At the end of

the preliminary rounds, the joint House

of ‘Haywardsfield/Ivy Grove’ were in the

lead, with Collingwood and Robinson/

Haywardsend close behind. The House

Music Evening featured a mini concert

from each of the Houses and the standard

was very strong. The evening was a huge

success and featured so much talent. We

were very grateful to OW, Tom Hartley and

his band Chinese Missy who travelled from

London and gave up their time to judge the

competition and perform a set of their own

pieces at the end of the evening. Chinese

Missy had a difficult decision to make, but

it was Robinson/Haywardsend who came

in first place for the evening to take the

lead and win the 2015 trophy. I now hand

over to Mr Golightly for next year’s House

Drama Competition before House Music

returns in 2017!

Another highlight of the year was

of course our superb production of the

musical ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ in January.

After putting on such an incredible

performance of ‘Les Miserables’ in 2012,

we had a lot to live up to, but the students

did not disappoint and worked tirelessly to

produce something very special. The four

shows were given to packed audiences and

were the result of months of hard work. The

chorus and leads all performed brilliantly,

with stunning singing from students such

as Sophie Caesar, Louise Elliott and Jasper

Meehan, to name but a few. The star of

the show was of course Arthur Rakovskis

with his superb characterisation of leading

man Tevye. The band was made up of

talented Wycliffe students and they played

with energy and musicality to complement

the stage work. Well done to all involved,

including the technical and backstage

teams, and thank you to Mrs Golightly for

her fantastic work as Director.

Behind the scenes, my wonderful

team of visiting music teachers have

been working hard to teach over 120

instrumental lessons each week. We are

very grateful for their inspiring teaching and

for the work they do helping us to run the

specialist ensembles: String Group, Brass

Group and Flute Group. The new Guitar

Group run by Mr Reynolds has also been a

great success this year and we look forward

to seeing this continue to develop over the

coming years. We say a sad goodbye to the

lovely Mrs Moran, who has spent many

years working as the Music Administrator

and organising all of the instrumental

tuition so ably. We wish her well in her new

post as a full time teacher and thank her for

all of her hard work to help the department

run smoothly. I would also like to thank Mr

Weaver for all of his support and work in

his first year as Assistant Director of Music

at Wycliffe.

At the end of such a successful year of

music-making, we bid farewell to our Year

13 and Year 11 leavers. We wish them all

the best for their futures and thank them

for their music-making throughout their

time here at Wycliffe. It can feel very strange

losing so many dedicated musicians and it

is easy to wonder what we will do next year.

We trust that, just as last year, these places

will be taken by the aspiring musicians of

the next generation and next year will be

another wonderful year of music at Wycliffe.

Page 117: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

116

117

MU

SIC

& D

RA

MA

Fiddler on the RoofBy Melanie Gray, Director of Marketing

“‘Fiddler on the Roof’ was the best

school production I have ever seen. The

quality of acting, music, lighting and sound

was a real credit to the hard work and

talent of the dedicated staff and students

at Wycliffe. It was an evening that I will

remember and enjoy for many years to

come,” said one parent.

‘Fiddler on the Roof ‘tells the story

of Tevye, a poor milkman in the village of

Anatevka in Russia who has five daughters

and a despairing wife.

Tevye, a Jewish man who sticks to

traditions, is faced with a problem. Young

women do not get to choose whom

they marry as it is the job of the village

matchmaker but his daughters want to

marry for love! Yente the matchmaker

(painstakingly played by Liza Mavrodi,

who bent double and aided by her walking

stick acted the perfect busy body) is the one

who makes the matches and so begins his

difficulties. He adores his girls, but Tevye

must convince his wife, Golde that the world

is changing and allowing them to marry who

they wish is the right decision.

Arturs Rakovskis, who played the

part of doting father perfectly, brought

Tevye’s character to life. Arturs was totally

convincing, switching his emotions from an

exasperated to a confused parent with perfect

comic timing. With a superb singing voice

and fantastic body language, Arturs had it

all. His renditions of ‘If I Were a Richman’,

‘Tradition’ and ‘Do You Love Me’ were as

good as anything one might see on a West

End stage.

An outstanding cast supported

Arturs with Sophie-Jane Caesar as his

long-suffering wife, Golde. Sophie’s pure

voice gave the performance real star quality

and her duet with Arturs, in ‘Do You

Love Me’, was sung beautifully with both

actors showing the vulnerability they felt at

admitting their feelings. Sophie should also

be congratulated for her brilliant accent,

which she maintained throughout the show.

Also too, the wonderful daughters, Tzeitel

(Teri Butcher), Hodel (Louise Elliott), Chava

(Caitlen Cooper) were superb in their roles

and delivered strong performances.

The girls were complemented

beautifully by their love interests, with the

earnest Motel (Oliver Hawes), the bookish

revolutionary Perchik (Jasper Meehan), and

the scholarly Lazar Wolf (Jack Evans). They

all played their parts with style and energy.

Also to be congratulated are the ghostly

apparitions of Grandma Tzeitel (Josephine

Rogers) and Fruma-Sarah (Annabelle Pearce)

who were both genuinely frightening. The

energy of all the performers was palpable and

maintained throughout.

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is a musical

filled with glorious songs, and I found it

hard to stop myself from singing along

too as they are so catchy! Fortunately, the

show didn’t need my help and, under the

superb leadership of the Director of Music,

Gemma Russell, the school band and chorus

delivered a dazzling musical performance,

complimented by the Fiddler (Emily Riley)

who opened and closed the show with her

beautiful solo fiddling.

A show of this standard does not

happen without a lot of hard work and many

hours of practice. The tireless energy and

dedication of Wycliffe’s dynamic duo, Mrs

Nicola Golightly, who directed the show

and Mr Andrew Golightly, the producer,

was totally awe-inspiring. Well done to

every member of the cast, production

team, backstage support, set designers and

costumes – you all deserve Oscars!

Page 118: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Drama7

In a haze of red carpets and evening wear,

the Oscars Dinner once again hit the mark,

as the Drama department celebrated the

achievements of its students in all parts

of the department, from those acting on

stage to those behind the scene working

with stages, lighting, music, makeup

or the creation of the costumes used in

the play. Pupils were awarded with their

own Oscars, which were awarded after

a delicious meal from the catering team.

Joe Oliver was awarded Best Comic for a

slew of enjoyable antics and performances.

Jasper Meehan was awarded the most

likely to succeed, and Alexandra Daws as

Most Improved. Oliver Hawes and Teri

Butcher were awarded Best Supporting

Actor and Actress respectively, and the

Oscars would hardly be complete without

the Best Actor and Best Actress awards,

which were given to Arturs Rakovskis and

Sophie Caesar.

Oscars DinnerBy Andrew Golightly, Head of Drama

Page 119: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

118

119

MU

SIC

& D

RA

MA

Greece Lightning!

stems from too many years under foreign

occupation: 300 years under the Ottoman

Empire from the mid-15th century to 1821

and then under the Italian, German fascists

and the Bulgarian forces of the second

World War.

On our second day we visited one

of the wonders of the world: the Acropolis

and the Parthenon. It is impossible to

overestimate the importance of this ancient

site which has to be seen and explained to

be believed. Unfortunately, it rained heavily

and we had to scramble for shelter but the

sense of 2,500 years of civilisation was all

around us. Like drowned cats Matt, Jasper

and Mr Golightly climbed up to an empty

alcove to shelter from the unrelenting rain

and it turned out to be the temple of Nike

and people stared in wonder that it had

come to life!!

We then visited a theatre and

experienced a classical tragedy performed

just for us. There was also training in

mask making where we all made our own

individual masks while our clothes dried

around gas heaters. The company were

so friendly and accommodating we really

relaxed and learned a great deal. We think

this might have been the day that Joe didn’t

get off the underground train fast enough

and we all watched helplessly as it pulled

away with his worried face disappearing into

the distance. We mouthed for him to get off

at the next station and come back by return.

Apparently he had some more adventures

before his return but we all cheered when he

came back. We kept an even closer eye on

him after that but it didn’t prevent the ceiling

from collapsing on his hotel room or from

locals growling at him for a variety of Joe

misdemeanours which you might like to talk

to him about at your own leisure.

Who would’ve thought traditional

Greek Folk instruments would have been

interesting but they were from the point

of view of getting beneath the surface of

their history and culture. We spent time

On Friday 27th March, the drama

department undertook its first, but long

anticipated visit to Athens in order to enrich

our understanding of Ancient Greek Theatre.

We departed at ridiculous o’clock following

the House Music Competition and post

show parties.

There may have been one or two fragile

travellers but we won’t name names!

We had a great travel company who

really looked after us and we were greeted

at the airport by a friendly guide and a

coach to the hotel, Best Western Candia

in Theodorou Dilgianni street close to the

centre of Athens.

We wasted no time following Mrs

Golightly and her map, jumping on the

underground and heading for Parliament

before dinner. We were amazed at the

unexpected sight of the changing of the

guard, who are quite unique. More of that

later. We found Athens to be edgy; it is an

unplanned metropolis of sprawling concrete

and graffiti that stretches in all directions and

is only hemmed in by the distant mountains

and the sea. The atmosphere was something

else, particularly when you think that out of

a population of 10 million over half live in

the City.

Greece as a nation, is also unique as it

has chosen to vote for a Government who

oppose the current European cult of financial

austerity measures. There’s is a charismatic

leadership who are attempting to buck

the trend, perhaps with limited success,

but you’ve got to admire their nerve! We

learned that the Modern Greek truculence

in a museum of musical instruments on

our next day which brought us to a closer

understanding of the dramas we study. We

also stopped at the original Olympic Stadium

for some exercise. That night our guide

took us to a restaurant in the city centre

overlooking the Acropolis and we were

able to appreciate the live music and Greek

dancing. The skills were exceptional and

should not be underestimated. Mr Golightly

is really proud of a photograph that shows

a whirling dervish of limbs spinning at high

speed but the face of the dancer is still visible

in the middle.

Our last day was beautiful and hot.

We organised our own time and visited the

Theatre of Dionysus that was below the

Parthenon and we were able to understand

a little of what we had been learning in

Theatre Studies. We also went into the town

and bought gifts and food for a picnic. We

found a lovely spot on the hill overlooking

the sights we had seen and enjoyed the

sunshine with real wild tortoises frolicking

on the rocks.

Athens isn’t an obvious place to visit

since there is much more that is pretty and

worth visiting on the islands but we were

taken by the classical antiquity of the city and

the people who were very keen to show it off

to us. We really hope the trip can become

a feature of Drama and Theatre Studies and

that it can be extended to include some of

the island beauty as well.

By Stephanie Bagnall & Ffion Healy, Year 12

Page 120: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

Art & Design Technology

Page 121: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

120

121

AR

T &

DES

IGN

TEC

HN

OLO

GY

Year 10

Year 10 have been producing the first two

of the three units that will go to make

up their coursework presentation. The

photographs are of final pieces for their first

unit called ‘Towards Abstraction’. With this

unit the students started off drawing a still

life of domestic objects using a variety of

media and techniques. Following this, they

investigated artists whose work related to

the theme and then began to develop these

images using Photoshop and collaging,

before producing the final painting.

Year 11

These photographs are a selection from Year

11’s GCSE submission, both supporting

work and final pieces either for the exam

or for their coursework. Students have

used a variety of techniques and materials,

including large wood block prints,

acrylic paintings and oil; pastel drawings,

producing work that reflects their reaction

to the set themes they have been working

on for the past two years. During the year

students visited London to see exhibitions,

visiting Tate Modern and Tate Britain,

travelling between the two by river boat on

the Thames.

Year 12

Year 12 produce two distinct elements

for their AS submission, and the photos

represent final pieces for either the exam or

the coursework. The theme for this year’s

coursework was ‘Collections’, and students

made collections of their own choosing,

spent a day drawing in Oxford, and had

an eclectic still life in the art room to work

from containing musical instruments,

children’s push-along dog toys, shoes and

hats. They also visited London to see art

galleries and museums to expand their

understanding of the theme and provide

them with a variety of source material on

which to base their development work.

Year 13

Year 13 choose their own theme to

study, which is reflected in both the

contextual and practical elements in their

submission. In the course of the year they

visited London galleries to underpin their

knowledge of the theme, and worked in the

studio to develop a personal and in depth

response to their chosen area of study,

experimenting with media and materials to

expand their skills and understanding. The

photographs are of final pieces submitted

for either exam or coursework.

Art ReviewBy Nikki Green, Head of Art

Pilar Rubio Peña Yr 12Olly Pitts Yr 11Annabelle Pearce Yr 10

Page 122: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Sergey Yaprudin Yr 10 Yana Vorobeva Yr 12Liza Mavrodi Yr 10

Innes Pierce Yr 10

James Leach Yr 11

Eva Yan Yr 13

Mark Zheng Yr 10 Caitlen Cooper Yr 11Danny Lui Yr 11

Page 123: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

122

123

AR

T &

DES

IGN

TEC

HN

OLO

GY

Stephanie Bagnall Yr 12

Frances Friend Yr 11

Jess Randall Yr 11

Josie Randall Yr 13Sophie Lloyd Yr 10Amy Bromley Yr 12

Page 124: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

Jack Shepherd Yr 12

Macy Ying n Yr 13Daria Gavrilova Yr 13

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Design Technology8

George Turner Yr 13

Matthew Lear Yr 12 Pilar Rubio Peña Yr 12

Page 125: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

Henri Eustrup Yr 12

Tom Parcell Yr 12

THE WYCLIFFIAN

124

125

AR

T &

DES

IGN

TEC

HN

OLO

GY

Jessica Randall Yr 11

Isobel Garbett Yr 11

Page 126: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Design Technology8

James Garrett Yr 13

Tom Yeung Yr 13

Tom Kendall Yr 11

Page 127: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

Awards

Page 128: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Awards 2014-15

SENIOR PREFECTS 2014 – 2015

Emma Bastin, Christopher Clough, Abigail Covill, Jasper Meehan, Alexander Schranz

THE PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION PRIZES FOR ACADEMIC EFFORT

YEAR 9 YEAR 10 YEAR 11 & DY

ADDITIONAL SCIENCE Mollie Young

ADDITIONAL APPLIED SCIENCE Thomas Bastin

ART Ella Kitching Isabella Menendez Jessica Randall

BIOLOGY Isla Green Oliver Harris Lucy Parker

BUSINESS STUDIES & ECONOMICS Erin Lavender Oliver Pitts

CHEMISTRY Ella Kitching Katie Briggs Jessica Randall

COMPUTER SCIENCE Archie Ronald Joseph Lewis

CORE SCIENCE Batraz Albegov Christian Besch

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY Jacob Parsonage Thomas Brooker Jessica Randall (Graphics),

Thomas Coles (Resistant

Materials)

DRAMA Nicole Jennings Ellie Jones Jobst Kirsty Turbott

ESOL Angela Chen Mark Zheng Ivan Krakhotkin

ENGLISH Joshua Petersen Emily Riley James Whitaker

FRENCH Iona Lundie Thomas Parker Thomas Bastin

GEOGRAPHY Isabella Naish Chloe Bayliss Max Glynn

GERMAN Mary Evans Evgenia Gencheva Kirill Filatov

HISTORY Lowri Clarke Joshua Greenhalgh Laura Robinson

ICT Joshua Petersen Katie Briggs Joseph Lewis

JAPANESE Lauren Turbott Cindy Liu Ryan Coombs

MATHS Katie Cruickshank Aidan Tasker Joseph Lewis

MUSIC Fenella Purkess Charlotte Greensmith Kirsty Turbott

PE Chad Trainor Sasha Green

PHYSICS Charles Leach Annie Rees Edward Perry

RS Rebecca Taphouse Kelly Fletcher Georgina Febery

SPANISH Katy Porter Jacob Richardson Ellie Mapletoft

MOST NOMINATIONS Iona Lundie & Ella Kitching

OUTSTANDING GCSE MOCKS Max Glynn, James Leach &

Frances Friend

THE OLD WYCLIFFIAN SOCIETY PRIZES FOR Y12 ACADEMIC EFFORT (PRESENTED IN SEPTEMBER 2015)

ART Amy Bromley

BIOLOGY Alessandra Fraser-Pye

BTEC TRAVEL & TOURISM Zoe Mitchell

BTEC SPORT William Goodwin

BUSINESS STUDIES Elin Jones

CHEMISTRY Kate Hampson

COMPUTER SCIENCE Anna Poliakova

CREATIVE WRITING Ffion Healy

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY Thomas Parcell

ECONOMICS Arturs Ribakovs

ENGLISH LITERATURE Thomas O'Driscoll

9

SCHOOL PREFECTS 2014 – 2015

Robert Allman-Carter, Louise Elliott, Laura Hall, Clara Immink, Amanda Khatri, Julija Laksa, Jack Lister, Anna Morgan, Francesca Robinson,

Ramazan Samat

Page 129: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

128

129

AWA

RD

S

Awards 2014-15

ESOL Kasparas Juscius

FILM STUDIES Iana Vorobeva

FRENCH Kate Hampson

FURTHER MATHS Alberto Guerra Martinuzzi

GEOGRAPHY Amy Bromley

GERMAN Alexandra Dymova

HISTORY Amelia Henley

ICT Peter Ibanga

JAPANESE Joy Chu

MATHS Olaseni Oyewumi

MEDIA STUDIES Olaseni Oyewumi

MUSIC Boris Lourenco Lee

MUSIC TECH Benjamin Asquith

PE Amelia Henley

PHYSICS Alberto Guerra Martinuzzi

PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS Illya Nuzbrokh

POLITICS Thomas O'Driscoll

PSYCHOLOGY Chloe Yung

SOCIOLOGY Anna Poliakova

SPANISH Henry Hudson

THEATRE STUDIES Oliver Hawes

YEAR 9 SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED BY WYCLIFFE COLLEGE (TENURE FROM SEPTEMBER 2015)

ACADEMIC James Colvin, Sam Shipperbottom, Atolani Oyewumi

ART Nathan Mead, Amy Gardner

DRAMA Matthew Cole, Phoebe Gerard

SPORT (BOYS) Ethan Goring, James Clements

SPORT (GIRLS) Amy Cook, Olivia Garrard

DT Harry Bays, Sebastian Clarke

WYCLIFFE COLLEGE FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS (TENURE FROM SEPTEMBER 2015)

WCF SCHOLARSHIP FOR ROWING George Hartson, Thomas Kendell, Rhiannon Tasker

LOOSLEY ENDOWMENT SCHOLARSHIP Hiro Tokura

PENDRILL SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIP James Leach

WARD’S SCHOLARSHIP Toben Ronald

SIXTH FORM SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED BY WYCLIFFE COLLEGE (TENURE FROM SEPTEMBER 2015)

ACADEMIC Aiden Coffey, Oliver Denning, Elena Azcona, Max Glynn

ALL-ROUNDER Jess Lindsay, Aiden Coffey

ART James Leach, Natalie Newport, Phoebe Stewart-Carter, Katie Harris,

Katherine Pinnington

DT Thomas Coles, Thomas Kendell

DRAMA Natalie Newport, Kirsty Turbott, Oscar Pickard, Martha Burgess

MUSIC Lucy Parker, Vsevolod Bilous

RUGBY Eben Pirie, Adam Harrison, Luca Caldrone

SPORT (BOYS) Thomas Seabrook, James Leach, Ryan Coombs, George Hartson (Rowing),

Thomas Kendell (Rowing)

SPORT (GIRLS) Sasha Green, Holly Tyler, Zoe Davison, Rhiannon Tasker (Rowing)

Page 130: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Awards 2014-15

SCHOOL HONOURS AWARDS (NATIONAL RECOGNITION IN SPORT OR ACADEMIC FIELDS)

ENGLISH SCHOOLS ATHLETICS FINALS Holly Bankes

GB BIATHLETE Emma Livingstone

ENGLAND U16 RUGBY Thomas Seabrook

ISFA U15 NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM Luke Williams

ENGLAND U15S SQUASH Jack Newey, Jared Carter

ENGLAND U19S SQUASH Amelia Henley

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AWARD Risa Miyajima

SIBLY AWARDS (FOR YS 12 & 13 FOR OUSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE COLLEGE IN MORE THAN TWO AREAS)

Risa Miyajima, Ross Livingstone, George Turner, Oliver Lovejoy, Markus-Christian Lohmeyer, Jeffrey Chan, Daria Gavrilova, Teri Butcher,

Alessanda Fraser-Pye, Clara Immink, Ramazan Samat

LOOSLEY AWARDS (FOR YS 9 TO 11 FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE COLLEGE IN MORE THAN TWO AREAS)

Owen Marsh, Eloise Davies, Joshua Petersen, Lowri Clarke, Lauren Parker, Eleanor Bathurst, Mollie Young, Annabelle Pearce, Thomas Parker,

Mark Zheng, Josephine Hampson, Fraser Grandfield, Holly Tyler, Charles Pritchard, Laura Robinson, Batraz Albegov, Vsevolod Bilous, Iona Lundle,

Katie Briggs, Fenella Purkess, Katie Cruickshank, Saoirse Purkess, Evgenia Gencheva

INTER-HOUSE DEBATING

JUNIOR Robinson (Aiden Coffey and James Leach)

SENIOR Ivy Grove (Emma Bastin and Francesca Robinson)

ENTERPRISE DAY YOUNG DRAGONS (SCHOOL WINNERS) Jacob Smith, Rachel Smith, Maisie Spiers, Rebecca Taphouse, Jessica Taylor,

Oliver Tomblin

ASSOCIATED BOARDS MUSIC EXAMS 2014

GRADE 1 ALTO SAXOPHONE WITH DISTINCTION Barbara Imrie

GRADE 1 HORN IN F WITH DISTINCTION Liza Mavrodi

GRADE 2 FLUTE WITH MERIT Jessica Taylor, Ka Wai Yung

GRADE 2 ALTO SAXOPHONE Barbara Imrie

GRADE 4 HARP WITH DISTINCTION Thomas Parker

GRADE 4 PIANO Emma Livingstone

GRADE 4 SINGING Eloise Davies

GRADE 5 FLUTE WITH DISTINCTION Fenella Purkess

GRADE 5 ALTO SAXOPHONE WITH MERIT Noah Murray

GRADE 5 MUSIC THEORY WITH MERIT Rebecca Taphouse, Emily Riley

GRADE 5 MUSIC THEORY Jeremy Burne, Lucy Parker, Charlotte Greensmith, Louise Elliott,

Ross Livingstone

GRADE 5 SINGING Hannah Kent, Liza Mavrodi, Fenella Purkess

GRADE 6 VIOLIN Lucy Parker

GRADE 7 SINGING WITH MERIT Abigail Covill

GRADE 8 SINGING WITH MERIT Abigail Covill

9

Page 131: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

130

131

AWA

RD

S

Awards 2014-15

COLOURS FULL SENIOR HALF SENIOR FULL JUNIOR HALF JUNIOR

MUSIC Jack Evans, Kate Hampson, Ross

Livingstone, Boris Lourenco Lee

Aaron Collins, Noah Murray,

Fenella Purkess

CCF SMALL BORE SHOOTING:

MARKSMAN Aidan Anderson, Alexander Seymour, Malik Hamad, Matthew Ansell, Liam McLaren

1ST CLASS SHOT Evita Zablocka, Ronnakit Yoksap, Alexander Lauchlan, Matthew Lambie, James Garrett, Joshua Currie

2ND CLASS SHOT Charles Leach, James Gristock, Tom Parcell, Lucy Burgess, Lauren Turbott, Jacob Palmer

CHAPEL AWARD HOUSE EFFORT TOPHY

Autumn Term Haywardsfield Autumn Term Haywardsend

Spring Term Lampeter Spring Term Haywardsend

Summer Term Ivy Grove Summer Term Haywardsend

CHARITY CUP Haywardsend

MATHS CHALLENGE CERTIFICATES

GOLD Jerry Huang, Andy Xiao, Evan Ng, James Leach

SILVER Elise Clements, Risa Miyajima, Thomas Yeung, Charlotte Davison, Julija Laksa,

Arturs Ribakovs, Jeffrey Chan, Hiro Tokura, Annie Rees, Martin Lu,

Barnaby Hudson, Ella Kitching, Zachary Chan, Charles Leach, Mary Evans,

Noah Guerrini

BEST IN SCHOOL Jerry Huang, James Leach

BEST IN YEAR Jerry Huang Y13, Evan Ng Y12, Hiro Tokura & James Leach Y11, Annie Rees

Y10, Barnaby Hudson Y9

TEAM MATHS CHALLENGE CERTIFICATES Robert Allman-Carter, Julija Laksa, Amelia Henley, Illya Nuzbrokh

CRYPTOLOGY CLUB Katie Briggs (Captain), Janouk Brynjarsdottir, Amelia Crystal, Joshua Petersen,

Owen Marsh

COMPUTATIONAL CHALLENGE (80 students from Senior and

Prep school took part in an online challenge sponsored by Oxford

University which assessed their computational and problem solving

skills. Certificates of Distinction awarded to)

Fenella Purkess, Malik Hamad, Mary Evans, Katy Porter, Jared Carter,

Georgiana Gilchrist, Jacob Richardson, Yuliya Ukrayinska, Kelly Fletcher,

Katie Briggs, Josephine Hampson, Charles Haden, Laurie Buckingham,

Alice Dean, Oleksandra Psyarieva, Anna Poliakova

STUDENT WITH HIGHEST MARK Y12 Georgy Karakozov

STUDENT WITH HIGHEST MARK Y9 Iona Lundie

STUDENT WITH HIGHEST OVERALL MARK Freddie Lister

SPORTS

COLOURS FULL SENIOR HALF SENIOR FULL JUNIOR HALF JUNIOR

ATHLETICS Ross Livingstone Holly Bankes, Matthew

Lambie, Emma Livingstone

CRICKET Noah Cooper Llanes Oliver Carey, Aaron Collins,

Jamie Ealey, James Gristock,

Innes Pierce, Chad Trainor

Matthew Ansell,

Joshua Currie,

Alexander Seymour

CROSS-COUNTY Ross Livingstone Emma Livingstone, Holly

Bankes

EQUESTRIAN

FOOTBALL Peter Carr, Isaac Fearnley,

Oluyomi Awosope, Subash

Ale, Henry Moss, Jack Price,

Ryan Coombs

Tigran Melkonyan, Oliver

Lovejoy, Jasper Meehan,

Arturs Ribakovs, Luke Barnett

Oliver Denning

Matthew Ansell, Noah

Murray, Luke Williams,

Matthew Lambie, Enno

Hoyndorf, James Gristock

Mykhaylo Chynchyn, Harvey

Abbott, Charles Pritchard,

Joseph Simpson

Page 132: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Awards 2014-15

FULL SENIOR HALF SENIOR FULL JUNIOR HALF JUNIOR

HOCKEY Lara Bathurst, Sasha Green,

Lucy Haynes

Holly Tyler, Elena Azcona Josephine Hampson, Ellie

Bathurst, Jessica Telford, Lucy

Parsons, Isla Green

Ellie Walker, Sophia Rai,

Katie Cruickshank, Emma

Livingstone, Katherine

Seymour, Iona Lundie

NETBALL Anna Fishwick, Lara Bathurst,

Kaylee Brooker

Eleanor Carr, Laura Hall Josephine Hampson, Katie

Cruickshank, Isla Green,

Isabella Naish, Katy Porter,

Lucy Parsons, Iona Lundie,

Katherine Seymour, Emma

Livingstone

Sophia Rai, Iona Wasdell

RUGBY Jack Lister, Zebedee Waite,

Toben Ronald, Nathan

Adams, Thomas Seabrook,

James Leach, George Hartson

Benjamin Clarke, Angus

Wightman, George Turner,

Henry Radcliffe, Jack Price,

Sergey Zaprudin, Yinan

Zheng, Hirotaka Tokura

Alexander Watson, Matthew

Lambie, Charles Pritchard,

Matthew Ansell, Benjamin

Richards, Noah Murray

Lewis Rawlinson, Meroj

Alisherkhujaev, Archie

Ronald, Tiernan Purkess,

Lukas James, Cullan Lloyd

SHOOTING George Turner, Alexander

Gilchrist, Emma Bastin

Aiden Coffey Yinan Zheng, Sergey Zaprudin

SQUASH Arhant Simha, Amelia Henley,

Ellie Jones Jobst, Amber

Peacey

Duncan McKillop Jared Carter, Jack Newey

TENNIS (GIRLS) Lara Bathurst, Anna Fishwick Megan Nash Eleanor Bathurst, Alice Dean Katie Cruickshank, Iona

Lundie

TENNIS (BOYS) Subash Ale Joshua Kraushaar, Irvin Ives

Lau, Oleksander Ukrayinskyy

Batraz Albegov, Oliver Harris Zachary Chan

ROUNDERS Lucy Cole, Charlotte

Greensmith

Lauren Turbott

WYCLIFFE TEAM SPORTING HONOURS 2014 - 2015

CUPS AND SHIELDS

HOCKEY

JUNIOR PASS SALVER INTERHOUSE Collingwood

SENIOR PASS SALVER INTERHOUSE Collingwood

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED JUNIOR PLAYER Natasha Wait

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED SENIOR PLAYER Clara Immink

RUGBY

JUNIOR HOUSE TANKARD Robinson

SENIOR HOUSE CUP Collingwood

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED JUNIOR PLAYER George Walker

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED SENIOR PLAYER Ross Livingstone

FOOTBALL

BATCHELOR CUP FOR MERIT - JUNIOR Haywardsfield

GRAHAM CHALLENGE CUP - SENIOR Ward's

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED JUNIOR PLAYER Joseph Simpson

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED SENIOR PLAYER Subash Ale

9

Page 133: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

132

133

AWA

RD

S

NETBALL

JUNIOR HOUSE CUP Collingwood

SENIOR HOUSE SALVER Lampeter

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED JUNIOR PLAYER Katy Porter

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED SENIOR PLAYER Elise Clements

CRICKET

SENIOR HOUSE ROWELL CHALLENGE CUP Ward's

JUNIOR HOUSE CUP Collingwood

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED JUNIOR PLAYER Oliver Carey

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED SENIOR PLAYER James Garrett

TENNIS

JUNIOR GIRLS INTERHOUSE SHIELD Collingwood

THE CHAPLAIN TENNIS CUP FOR SENIOR GIRLS INTERHOUSE Lampeter

JUNIOR BOYS INTERHOUSE SHIELD Collingwood

THE TOM TUCKER CUP FOR SENIOR BOYS INTERHOUSE Ward's

WYCLIFFE COLLEGE TENNIS CUP FOR JUNIOR BOYS SINGLES Oliver Harris

PASS CUP FOR SENIOR BOYS SINGLES Irvin Ives Lau

JUNIOR GIRLS SINGLES CUP Eleanor Bathurst

TL HILLER CUP FOR SENIOR GIRLS SINGLES Holly Tyler

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED JUNIOR GIRL Isabella Menendez

PASS (SWIMMING JAMES) SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED SENIOR GIRL Megan Nash

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED JUNIOR BOY Stoyan Petkov

PASS SHIELD FOR MOST IMPROVED SENIOR BOY Joshua Kraushaar

ROUNDERS

THE BENTALL CUP FOR SENIOR INTERHOUSE Lampeter

CUP FOR JUNIOR INTERHOUSE Lampeter

SQUASH

CUP FOR MOST IMPROVED PLAYER Jack Newey

Awards 2014-15

TOURNAMENTS

DISTRICT HOCKEY TOURNAMENT WINNERS U14s

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT Emma Livingstone

DISTRICT ROUNDERS TOURNAMENT WINNERS U14s

SOUTH DISTRICT TENNIS TOURNAMENT WINNERS U14s and U15s

Page 134: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN9Awards 2014-15

AS PHYSICS CHALLENGE CERTIFICATES (a competition organised by Oxford University for students studying Physics in Y12)

COMMENDATION Sebastian Abbott, Jack Evans, Alberto Guerra Martinuzzi

BRONZE Evan Ng

SILVER Illya Nuzbrokh

PHYSICS OLYMPIAD ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS CHALLENGE (a competition organsied by Oxford University for students studying

Physics and/or Astronomy in Y13)

BRONZE Ze Cheng Wu

SILVER Robert Allman-Carter

Y9 RESEARCH PROJECT

GOLD COMMENDATION CERTIFICATE Jaiden Jay, James Hughes, Benjamin Richards, Rebecca Taphouse,

Owen Marsh, Isla Green, Iona Lundie, Tillie Graham,

Isabella Naish, Fenella Purkess, Saoirse Purkess, Rachel Smith,

Emily Flitton, Ella Kitching

COMMENDATION CERTIFICATE Jared Carter, Charles Leach, Tiernan Purkess, Noah Murray,

Katherine Seymour, Maisie Spiers, Lauren Turbott, Iona Wasdell,

Kamen Genchev, Lowri Clarke, Katie Cruiskshank,

Emma Livingstone, Lucy Parsons, Lucy Burgess, Katy Porter,

Mary Evans

DUKE OF EDINBURGH

GOLD Toben Ronald, Emma Bastin

SILVER Alessandra Fraser-Pye, Karl Fong

BRONZE Chloe Bayliss, Charlotte Greensmith, Erin Lavender,

Kelly Fletcher, Harriet Stevens, Lucy Cole, Josephine Hampson,

Charles Richards, Mary Evans, Joshua Petersen

Gold Final Expedition Emma Bastin, Toben Ronald, Angus Allen, Ramazan Samat

NATIONAL INDOOR CLIMBING AWARD SCHEME

FOUNDATION CLIMBER Batraz Albegov, Joshua Petersen

TOP ROPE CLIMBER Matvey Lyubin, Cindy Liu

Page 135: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

Old Wycliffians

Page 136: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Old Wycliffian Society10

Welcome to the Old Wycliffian section of the Wycliffian Magazine.

At the OW Annual Meeting in May, Ashley

Bodey, Fred Ford, Tom Lister, and Tom

Woods were elected to the Management

Group and they have been very involved

in writing a new strategy for the OWS.

One part of the new strategy will be for the

OWS to expand the support of Sixth Form

pupils with gap year projects. For example,

this year Kyran Young was given £500

towards recording equipment to enable

him to document his 2663 mile walk from

Mexico to Canada whilst raising money for

The Gorilla Organisation.

During my travels around the world,

I was able to spend an evening in Toyko

with four OWs. The evening flew past

and only finished when I had to get to

bed before a 6am flight! The London

gatherings have continued to be very

successful. The last one was at the RAC

club where over 50 OWs, (aged from 22

to 90!) met Nick Gregory, the new Head.

OWs are always welcome at these

gatherings and if you wish to visit the

school, please contact the office to make

the necessary arrangements.

Phillip Clements, Chairman of the OWS

As part of a new stratergy,

Kyran Young (pictured) was

given £500 towards recording

equipment to enable him to

document his 2663 mile walk,

raising awareness for the The

Gorilla Organisation.

Page 137: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

136

137

OLD

WYC

LIFF

IAN

S

leaving me to paddle. Suddenly there was

a tremendous shout and there was John

peddling for all his worth and being chased

by a bull. He made for the towpath gateway

and literally dived from his bicycle over the

gate. It was a near thing, the bull had no

interest in the bicycle and when he had

calmed down a bit it was carefully lifted

over the gate and out of harm’s way.

Weed continued to be a problem

and progress became far too slow. At this

point the River Frome was very close and

flowing fairly fast and in the right direction.

Accordingly we dragged the canoe down

the steep bank and continued on the river.

All went well until we became aware that

the river was flowing faster than before

and that ahead we could hear the roar

of a weir and mill race. Clearly all was

not well and the river had to be quickly

abandoned. We were just in time to avoid

some serious white water canoeing with

all its consequences. Back on the canal we

eventually made the Bristol road bridge

(A38) and after portaging underneath

continued to Whitminster lock. Weed

infestation became a serious problem again

however the final section to the junction

was in reasonable condition. It was here,

just above the old iron swing bridge, that

a kindly boat owner agreed to look after

the canoe where it would be safe until our

next visit.

By now it was getting really late and

a quick phone call to Wycliffe put minds

at rest. After a very late supper we were

My friend John Phillips was with

me at the time and together we decided

that it might be possible to canoe along

the Stroudwater to its junction with the

Gloucester and Sharpness Canal at Saul.

The present Wycliffe boathouse is located

at this spot.

Suitably dressed and carrying onboard

a bicycle we set off on the very next fine

Sunday afternoon. This in itself was rather

precarious as balance was critical. Initial

progress was good, past St Cyr’s Church

and to what was called The Ocean, a

turning point for boats. Great care was

called for here as this was the home of

several swan families who resented our

intrusion into their territory. Keeping our

distance we continued under the railway

bridge to Eastington lock where it was

necessary to portage the canoe over, not

under, the road bridge. Luckily the road

traffic was light. At this point disaster

struck, when the canoe was relaunched

water just poured in. Apparently the rough

road surface was too much for the already

thin and corroded bottom. It was decided

that John would return on his bicycle to

Wycliffe and bring back all the chewing

gum he could lay his hands on. After much

chewing we had sufficient gum with which

to plug the various holes and successfully

relaunch the canoe.

After a while progress, due to weed

infestation, became very slow and laborious.

It was decided to lighten the canoe and

that John would cycle along the tow path

As a new boy settling in I strongly felt

that come Sunday afternoons a degree

of freedom should have been permitted,

instead of which one was expected to go

on organised walks and cycle rides. After a

while this ‘restriction’ was lifted and subject

to obtaining an exit chit one could begin

exploring some of the more out of the

way places.

Ships and the sea have always been

a special interest of mine and when I

requested an exit chit to visit Sharpness

Docks, it was not granted on the basis that

there was nothing to see there! Clearly

a rethink was called for on my part and

it was whilst exploring the old school

boathouse down by the Stroud canal that I

came across a number of relics of a bygone

age. All the wooden sculling craft were

completely rotten but to one side there

were a number of metal Canadian type

canoes. All but one were completely rusted

through. It had been painted green at one

time and looked as though it might float

without sinking.

Life at Wycliffe over 65 years ago was by today’s standards a completely different world.

Voyaging From Wycliffe in a Canoe(This true story is dedicated to my school friend John Phillips)

Michael John Phillips

Page 138: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

thanked for keeping in touch but to our

surprise no questions were ever asked as to

what we had actually been up to!

The following Wednesday was fine

and being a half day we set off for Saul, on

two bicycles this time. It was great being on

open water where it was possible to practice

the some of the skills required in order to

be able to canoe safely. There was obviously

a lot to learn. After a while there was a

tremendous shout from John who was in

the canoe at the time and on his own. I

turned quickly only to see him swimming

away from the canoe which was sinking

rather fast. A hasty return to Wycliffe was

called for.

Clearly matters could not be allowed

to rest and on the next available occasion

a return visit was made to Saul and the

site of sinking. From a small rowing boat,

which we were able to borrow, grappling

irons were used to drag the canal bed. The

dragging was carried out systematically,

it was however fruitless. The failure of

subsequent recovery attempts led us

to conclude that as the canoe had sank

so quickly that it had become deeply

embedded in the soft bottom mud.

To lose our ‘pride and joy’ after all

this effort was almost too much. At least it

had been a good adventure, if somewhat

perilous, and together the satisfaction of

probably being the very last craft to make

this voyage. An Act of Parliament in 1954

sanctioned the abandonment of the whole

waterway.

Footnote: For me personally

Sharpness became the gateway for further

adventures and many years of happy sailing

with family and friends. Voyages were made

along the Exmoor coast to North Devon

and across to Tenby on the Welsh coast.

Visits to Lundy Island were also made,

quite difficult at the time due to lack of

proper landing facilities.

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Old Wycliffian Society10

Page 139: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

138

139

OLD

WYC

LIFF

IAN

S

Reflections

Following Jules Goddard’s mention in the

last Wycliffian that our paths had crossed

after 50 years, I felt I should sketch what

has happened to me during those 50+

years since I left Wycliffe. First, I must

say that Wycliffe prepared me well for an

interesting and eventful life. I have always

valued its spirit of tolerance, respect for our

differences, and its lack of snobbery and

stuffiness, a sound grooming in downright

good manners.

I am now 70 years old; I live in

Totnes, a small town in the glorious

Devonshire countryside. I moved here ten

years ago with my second wife, Angie, who

is Chinese and cooks wonderful food. I sold

our house in Phuket, Thailand, where we

had lived for six years after I left the South

China Morning Post, my employer for the

previous ten. That makes 16 years in the Far

East, travelling all over, writing and taking

photographs. What an experience!

Back to Wycliffe which I left in 1962,

not a moment too soon. We were on the

brink of huge cultural and social change,

though we didn’t know it. Like many

teenagers I didn’t hold much respect for my

elders, unless they were abstract painters

or modern jazz musicians, and while I

David ThurstonSH 1957 – 1962

enjoyed the academic side of school and

the friendships, I hated the rules. Straight

away I went to Paris in what would now be

called my gap year. I only really came out at

night, to hear some of the great musicians

in clubs that London lacked at that time.

Coltrane, Miles, Monk, MJQ, Getz,

Mulligan, fantastic. Then three years at the

London School of Economics emerging into

the joyful chaos of the mid-Sixties with a

BSc(Econ) in government and a passion for

the blues and Bob Dylan.

After three months’ coast-to-coast and

back again on buses in the US, I needed

a job, perhaps a career even. Journalism

seemed to be a suitable option, and in the

next three years I worked as a sub-editor for,

successively, regional morning newspapers

in Plymouth and Bristol and an evening

paper in Brighton, during which I decided

that although I had gained valuable

experience (which would be useful later), I

didn’t want to live the life of a news hack,

I wanted to be a photographer. London

beckoned, it was the swinging sixties. I

set about learning the tricks of fashion

and advertising photography working as a

freelance studio assistant.

But, as the song goes, the times they

were a-changing, and 1972 found me

doing something completely different. I

would be living just outside of the Forest of

Dean, I would have eight milking goats, 50

sheep, geese, ducks and hens, dogs, cats

and mice and a large patch of vegetables,

and I would be father of a baby which my

wife Rosalind (we had met in Brighton)

and I named Jack. In 1979, seeing an ad

in a Sunday paper I joined one of the very

first package tours to China not realising

that it would change the direction of the

rest of my life. I sold everything and went

to Cambridge University for a year to learn

mandarin, which led to a British Council

scholarship to the Central Academy of Fine

Art in Beijing, at a time when China was

like another planet. I returned to London

for a couple of years on the ‘Evening

Standard’, but frustrated by Fleet Street

and it incipient fawning over celebrities, the

journalism on envy, I moved to Hong Kong.

I was 41.

From then until now, I have continued

my love of photography into the digital

age and have been lucky to have received

several national and international awards

and accolades, and three pictures hung

in the prestigious summer exhibition of

the Royal Academy, as well as a successful

one-man exhibition in London and several

shows in the west country. In 1999 I was

diagnosed with Parkinson’s, which has

slowed me up, but I refuse to let it get on

top. In 2013 through the generosity of

friends and relatives I raised £6,000 by sky-

diving for the Parkinson’s UK charity, for

which I have also been an editorial adviser.

I remain a keen vegetable grower and I have

lent my press experience to the campaign

for more allotments in Totnes, to which

end I organised a scarecrow contest in the

castle grounds, enlisting as judge Billy Bragg

who I happened to meet at a friend’s New

Year party. Much of my life, I have relied

on chance meetings to inspire ideas and

fuel change. As they say of photography,

taking pictures is easy, the key is to be in

the right place at the right time, and be

close enough. This brings me back to Jules

Goddard and our strange meeting.

Of other OWs, Jason Wilson, whose

desk I sat next to in the fourth form at

the age of 13, I count as one of my best

friends and I also see his brother Norman

from time to time. Jeremy Williams is

a shareholder in our family business

Page 140: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Old Wycliffian Society10

Reflections

in Lydney, which was founded by my

grandfather Arthur Watts and great uncle

John Watts and is now chaired by my

brother John Thurston, uncles Cecil and

Melville Watts, the latter sadly deceased,

having been on the board of directors.

For all our many differences we all share

Wycliffe values, and value Wycliffe

memories.

“Tommy” Reid’s early morning maths

tests with “Question number one” echoing

down the corridor before he’d even arrived;

cycling on a Sunday afternoon, through the

gates and freedom for three hours; hearing

news of Sputnik in an art class; skiving

off to Gloucester for a curry at a chicken

curry and green tea Chinese restaurant;

climbing onto the roof to fix a coat hanger

aerial for my crystal set; coxing on the

canal; toast in the art room; the irregular

footstep on the lino of “Dai” Paine’s tin

leg, coming to wake us, always too early in

the morning; George (“Lugs”) Loosley’s

urgent stride up from headmaster’s house;

Peter Beynon’s vintage timber-trimmed

estate car; Mr Wilden-Hart lighting coupon

collecting Kensitas cigarettes during

Spanish lessons, held for the five of us in

his home at Wards; the notoriety of “Spiv”

Johnson’s outrageously vigorous dap on the

bum when caught talking after lights-out;

swapping Dave Brubeck for Little Richard;

cross dressing for Gilbert and Sullivan;

early morning prep before breakfast; blobs;

sweet, tiny Mrs Murdin fetching large glass

jars from the shelves in the tuck shop; not-

so-sweet Mr Murdin tearing a jelly baby in

half to make the exact weight on the scales;

walking back from the parish church under

the stars on a Sunday evening.

I could go on... but enough...

Thank you all for this opportunity to relive

some moments.

Douglas MacMillanW 1955 – 1960

In 1955, I arrived at Wycliffe as a somewhat

timorous 13 year old who had been

awarded a scholarship on account of

potential development as a scientist but five

years at Wycliffe transmogrified the budding

scientist into an18 year old musician,

theologian and philosopher – whose only

claim to any sort of scientific career (in

surgery and becoming a Fellow of the Royal

College of Surgeons) was determined by

the necessity of paying the mortgage and

earning enough to pay for art and music.

Above all, Wycliffe was a place of

character, a place which encouraged

individuality and which possessed its

own unique language. I recall the Second

Master (‘Tommy’ Reade) wearing his tin

hat in the rain, the Young Farmers’ Club

(YFC – colloquially the ‘whiff and stink’),

a bug rake (hair comb) and the trough,

well-described by a previous writer in

these pages (1950s cow pie left much to

be desired…). Few, perhaps, will now

remember the ‘beetle-squasher’, a small

steam railway which ran along the

canal bank.

And sport. The mania, the sine

qua non, of public school education.

I loved rowing, but rugger… on one

occasion I found myself struck by the ball.

The supervising master enquired (not

unreasonably) ‘MacMillan, what are you

doing?’ My answer ‘Sir, I was wondering

why the smoke from the brickworks

chimney was going in two separate

directions’. We lost the House 4th. XV

match (under my captaincy) 64-0.

Not surprised.

But to be more positive, I must turn

to music, religion and Scouting. It was at

Wycliffe that I discovered music, initially as

a clarinettist and eventually as the founder

of a wind ensemble and conductor of the

school orchestra. My subsequent musical

career has led to the Fellowship of two

colleges of music, two doctorates in music,

25 publications in academic journals and

a book. Regular chapel services introduced

me to spirituality and to my eventual

ordination as a deacon in the Church of

England (those who denigrate regular

religious worship do so at their peril: at one

time I was an avid atheist). In Scouting,

I was the last pupil to be a warranted

Assistant Scout Master.

Watching the gliders circling over

Frocester Hill fascinated me and in 2009

I was able to pilot one of those gliders,

looking down on the steep ascent to

Nympsfield, up which we were expected

to ride on Sunday afternoon exercise: flying

is much more appealing to my equanimity

than pushing a bike up a very steep hill…

Looking back after more than half

a century, I realise that many of the

formative influences on my life were

three schoolmasters (not teachers in the

modern sense: they were ‘masters’): Claude

(‘Beaker’) Allen, an immensely intellectual

organist, Eric (‘Prune’) Bevan, who taught

me classics, philosophy and exquisite

precision in the use of language, and Alan

Page 141: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

surprise of my tutor! Wycliffe also, in

a roundabout way, gave me the path

to my future. During my sixth form

there were lectures by an OW on Latin

America and another on VSO. Somehow

by the time I reached my second year

at university I only wanted to go out

as a British volunteer to Latin America.

To my surprise, I was selected to go to

Colombia (and a year later to Bolivia) as

a UNA volunteer working for UNDP. I

have no idea what I would have done if

I had not been accepted. Wycliffe and

Bristol University together gave me the

motivation and interest that would serve

me well for my working life to date.

After four years in Birmingham, in

1973, my wife and my 18 month old

daughter Emma accompanied me to the

Solomon Islands and for the next 14 years

I worked as a Government Statistician

there and in Kiribati in the Pacific. Our

son James (who also went to Wycliffe) was

born in Honiara.

Since then I have spent much time

in conflict and post-conflict zones –

working to put into place programmes

to strengthen the aid community,

improve living standards and the welfare

of civilian populations, and so on. In

the 1990s, we went to Peshawar in

the NWFP of Pakistan dealing with all

aspects of Afghanistan – working with

the aid community and the authorities in

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran (and the

Taliban).

Since Pakistan I worked in Timor,

Indonesia; back to Afghanistan as an

adviser to the Government following

9/11; Iraq after the war based in Basra

and Al Amara on governance. I ran a

Danish NGO in Sri Lanka for three years

– working on both sides of the border –

THE WYCLIFFIAN

140

141

OLD

WYC

LIFF

IAN

S

Reflections

(‘Sooty’) Savage, PhD, a brilliant biologist.

To these, and many others, I owe much.

It is fair to say that, while at Wycliffe,

I discovered myself, and was encouraged to

develop my individual talents even against

a backdrop of general conformity. The

great strength of Wycliffe was – and from

what I read and experience when I read

about and visit the College today – is its

ability to enable young men and women

to explore and encourage their strengths

and weaknesses in a safe and tolerant

environment. I have little doubt that,

without Wycliffe, I would have not been

able to enjoy the fulfilled life I have been

able to lead in surgery, music and theology.

I arrived in Wycliffe in 1954. My time

was, on the whole, enjoyable – I was a

vegetarian and the food pretty good, a key

reason for being there. I enjoyed living

in the Cotswolds, a great area (especially

for Cross-county!), the head master and

staff very supportive. Whilst I survived

the school – it is sad to think that both

my houses Sherwell and Springfield have

since been knocked down!

I managed to be accepted at Bristol

University to read economics – to the

Charles MacFadden J S 1954 – 1963

When I arrived at Wycliffe for the sixth form

it was still ‘the early years of girls’. It was

the mid 70’s and I was 15. Five of us girls

in Wards lived above the Squance’s living

quarters. Very quickly I found out that

House masters were an entirely different

kettle of fish to House mistresses and need

to be treated with a good deal more respect.

Over and above expected normal

education Wycliffe taught me two things

that stood me in good stead for future

years. The first was how to follow a game of

rugby. I quickly grew to love the game. Now

Lucy Milne (nee Brooke)W 1976 – 1978

leaving after the end of the war in 2009,

then to Darfur and back again to Pakistan!

It has been a privileged working

life – working with some great people

in some fascinating countries. It has all

been interesting and I like to hope that

maybe we made a difference. What I do

know is that our western perceptions

of what a country and the people need

can differ wildly from the actual needs of

the people living with the conflict – and

that remembering this is critical for the

solution. We now live in Bristol, our two

children are doing well and we have five

grandchildren!

Page 142: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Old Wycliffian Society10

Reflections

that I have two rugby playing sons it seems

I spend half the year watching it.

The second thing was learning how

to draw over and above an adequate level.

Soon after I arrived at Wycliffe, the school

had been granted the ‘go ahead’ to convert

the Sub-room into an art department and

as a result Peter Beynon, head of art, was

totally immersed in the project. In fact we

hardly saw him in the old art room behind

the library (“Frateretto calls me and tells me

Nero is an angler in the lake darkness”(sic))

so there was little teaching apart from

his excellent history of art lessons. These

often featured hilarious conversations

between cheeky cockney types Leonardo

and Michaelangelo over progress in the

Sistine chapel or critical remarks about

their mate Raphael....very Pete and Dud!!

But in some state of desperation, as my A

level practical drew close, I insisted that

Mr Beynon at least gave me some tuition.

Old Wycliffians Football Report

In a change to the normal format, the

traditional Old Wycliffian match against the

school 1st XI was changed to acknowledge

that this event was to be Mrs Burnet

Ward’s last before her retirement. To mark

the occasion her sons were instrumental

in getting three OW teams back to play a

tournament with the school 1st XI. Mrs

Burnet Ward donated a trophy which will

now be played for annually.

There were three OW teams from

different eras of Wycliffe Football. The

Under 21s, the 21-25 year olds and then

the Over 25s.

The first match for the school 1st XI

was against the Over 25s and was a physical

encounter. However the school adapted

well and created some early chances.

Neither side could find the net and the

match finished 0-0.

The second match was against the 21-

25 year olds. This OW team was possibly

better suited to rugby. The school 1st XI

played some great football to record a 3-0

win with goals coming through a brace

from Yomi Awosope.

The final match was an exciting affair

with the Under 25s taking an early lead.

However, pressure from the school saw

them equalise. The start of the second

half was excellent with school dominating

to lead 3-1 going into the closing stages.

However, the under 21s scored two late

goals to draw the match 3-3. This match

was crucial to the final result of the

competition with the Over 25s winning

all their other matches and claiming the

trophy. Therefore, the Over 25s captain

Adam Burnet Ward received the new

trophy from his mother.

In a memorable afternoon the staff

match v the OWs saw the staff team record

an excellent 1-0 victory, with the winning

goal coming from Mr Hardaker. Who

would have thought that this lucky strike

would be Mr Hardaker’s last contribution

to Wycliffe Sport now he leaves the school

at the end of the year for challenges in the

north of the County!

Overall this was a great afternoon’s

football and a fitting way in which

Mrs Burnet Ward can remember her

families’ contribution to school and Old

Wycliffian Football.

Whatever it was that he said must have

been remarkable because in a short while

my draughtsmanship changed forever. After

that there was no looking back. Brilliant

teaching, thank you.

Happy memories. Oh! And there is

the tale of ‘the Misdemeanour that never

came to light’ which involved a bottle of

elderflower champagne exploding in my

bedroom just weeks before A levels but that

is another story ....

Page 143: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

142

143

OLD

WYC

LIFF

IAN

S

• Brilliant for cross curricular work

between history and English, especially

when pupils were going to create their

own historical narrative

• Great for independent learning and

a chance for them to produce their

scrapbooks

• Would provide a backdrop to a

Remembrance service to be held at our

Chapel, where pupils could share some

of their work

• Interpretive and investigative skills

would come to the forefront when

researching soldiers’ records.

Not only these benefits but it would

be a great opportunity to share this to the

broader community, such as newspapers

and radio companies.

THE PLAN

We decided that the English and

history lessons would be a combined effort

and that the term’s assessment would be a

joint effort too.

The pupils would work on their set

text ‘When the guns fell silent’, which

would help give them get a clearer picture

of the experiences of soldiers in WW1.

Alongside this I would plan to help the

children research their Old Wycliffian

whom I had studied in the summer.

Getting ancestry on board with this

idea of a project worked very well, they

bent over backwards to give us full access

excellent resource for the pupils to use as a

starting point.

I knew there had to be many unseen

records and documents relating to these

individuals, records which would help bring

to light a whole host of different possibilities

regarding the lives of these people. There

were untold stories just waiting to be told,

records that would reinforce and make clear

aspects of what actually happened to them.

I really hoped that the children might

be able to access some of these records,

either digitally or even through books! If

they could do this then we could be onto a

gold mine.

GETTING OTHERS ON BOARD

I realised that I needed to get others

to join with me and then this could really

take off and who better than the English

department. They already read texts to

support the World War I theme. The head

of department was keen and so together we

planned or should I say outlined a term’s

work. It meant dropping what we would

normally do; risky if you teach a strictly set

curriculum, but surely the benefits would

far outweigh any limitations. I decided to

list the potential benefits:-

• High level of pupil interest and family

interest

• A topic that related to a national

awareness of the centenary, which

would greatly endorse the topic

Being a keen genealogist myself I thought it

would be a great opportunity to help pupils

to search, locate and find records which

would help produce a narrative about real

people who fought in World War I.

History is, after all, about telling a

story. WWI is a story that needs to be told,

this was our chance to create a new angle, a

new perspective; creating a personal human

interest story, something that might make

great reading. With this in mind I started

looking for ways in which I could do this.

THE BREAKTHROUGH

I asked around our school, Wycliffe

College, to see whether any of the past

pupils had fought in the war. I knew some

had, but I was to be absolutely bowled over

by the fact that 78 past pupils had fought

and died in the war, and many more had

also fought and lived. By far the biggest

bonus was that in the 1920s the then

headmaster of Wycliffe produced a book,

entitled ‘Wycliffe and the War 1914–1918’.

It is, without doubt, this book that is the

main reason for the success of this project.

The headmaster, W B Sibly, had

written biographies on all those who died

serving their country and who had, at some

time, been a student at the college. Reading

these biographies took me on a special

journey of discovery. I got into some of

the lives and personal stories of these past

pupils in a big way. Some of the individual

biographies were very detailed and an

Bringing World War 1 into the ClassroomSteve Arman, Head of Humanities, Preparatory School

With the centenary of World War I fast approaching last summer I decided to look into the possibility of conducting a school project where I encouraged and supported pupils to find out about the past.

Old Wycliffian Society

Page 144: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Old Wycliffian Society10

to all their records for the term’s work,

free of charge via the school’s network of

computers.

Alongside this I had hoped that

whatever we found could be uploaded

digitally onto the Imperial War Museum’s

website www.livesofthefirstworldwar.org,

through a community page which I had

set up.

STARTING OFF AND INSPIRING THE

PUPILS

During the holidays I sent a letter

to encourage parents and pupils alike to

research their own families to find out

whether they had any World War I stories

that they could share on their return. We

also planned for the second week of term

to be a World War I themed week. I pushed

the boat out and booked up three events

involving a theatre company and two well-

known authors on World War I.

The theatre company really got the

show on the road so to speak. This worked

beautifully; we had children coming in

for weeks with World War I stories and

artefacts, pictures of their great, great

uncles/grandparents and so forth. Then the

work began with the Year 8 pupils on their

research.

It was hard to gauge just exactly how

well the children may or may not cope with

the research. So I made sure that I had

prepared enough research myself to support

those who would find it a real challenge

accessing records such as census returns,

medal roll index cards, probate records, and

any other military records as well as World

War I newspapers. I had to make sure we

had back up resources for them.

I gave the more able pupils an

individual each to research, whilst I gave

many of the other pupils one person to

research between two of them. They had

to find information and interpret it. There

were many lessons in the IT room where

the pupils researched and found out new

things. Lots of information was found by

googling these people too. If anything there

was information overload and some pupils

became swamped with too much data and

how to start to deal with it. But overall they

began to paint a picture. With good writing

frames and clear objectives, alongside time

management, a picture began to emerge for

many of the Old Wycliffians.

When we were ready we created an

autobiographical/biographical framework

in which they could begin to produce

their final pieces. We also planned our

first Preparatory School Remembrance

service. We needed a suitable inspirational

character/s to bring this alive for the pupils.

Enter Edward Lister.

THE LISTER CONNECTION

When I did my summer research I

noticed that there was a familiar surname

of one of the existing Year 8 boys to one

of the biographical stories I had studied,

namely Edward Lister. I knew that I would

be teaching this boy in the September term.

When we started our studies and the boy

came to my lesson I said to him “Charlie

I’ve been researching a chap called Edward

Lister do you know anything about him?”

“No sir, I don’t know anybody in my

family who fought in this war.”

“Well would you like to have a look

into this chap, his name is Edward Ashton

Lister.”

“Really, my middle name is Charles

Ashton Lister the same as this guy.”

“Wow, maybe he is related to you. You

need to go home and ask.”

Charlie did go home and did ask and

it was his great, great uncle. Charlie really

did enjoy studying World War I and he

loved beginning to tell the story of his great,

great uncle. It was this that spearheaded

quite a lot of media attention and interest

namely resulting in the local radio wanting

to interview both of us and Charlie said his

piece. It was a fitting way to remember what

his great, great uncle did in WW1.

If nothing else then the project been

has worthwhile for him and I have no

doubt that he will always remember what

he’s done and what his great, great uncle

did for his country. All those pupils from

Year 8 now they have a sense of what World

War I means and they can then pass on

what they found out hopefully one day to

their children.

Many of the biographies were so good

that I added them to the digital archive

on the www.livesofthefirstworldwar.org/

Imperial War Museum website, with the

permission of the pupils and their parents.

This narrative that some of the pupils have

produced gives a flavour of what may have

been and helps readers to appreciate the

lives of men who fought in WW1 and is a

fitting tribute to their studies.

ADDENDUM:

I am about to start another term’s

work with the Year 8s studying WW1

OWs. This time the area of focus has been

refined and become much more focussed.

There are two main characters whom

the pupils will study. Two students will

travel at half term, with two members of

staff, to Belgium/France to find out more

about them and share their stories at the

Remembrance service on their return.

I am grateful for the financial support

that the OWS has given to this project.

Page 145: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

144

145

OLD

WYC

LIFF

IAN

S

Obituaries

The Stroud community in general

and Wycliffe friends in particular, were

saddened to learn of the death, on January

23rd at the age of 91, of Eddie Price, one

of its most distinguished, yet self-effacing,

alumni. Born into a Wotton-under-Edge

farming family that moved into nearby

Frocester Court in 1935, Eddie became

a self-taught archaeologist after he

discovered that there were Bronze Age,

Iron Age, Roman and Saxon remains

beneath the surface of the fields he was

farming. Over the past half century he

carefully excavated and recorded his

findings, eventually publishing them,

gaining national recognition for

his labours.

Edward G. Price MBE JP FSA Hon

PhD is recorded in our lists as a Day Boy

in Haywardsfield from 1937 until 1940,

although it is known that he spent some

time as a boarder at Lampeter when the

school was evacuated. Having taken his

School Certificate in 1940, he returned

to Frocester to join the family farm and

play his role in ‘Digging for Victory’.

But for his remarkable discovery and

patient labours, he might have remained

a successful farmer on his 300 acre

farm, playing a leading role in the local

community, serving as a Magistrate and

enjoying his life-long hobby of fishing

for carp and perch. In 1959 he caught

the then second largest carp ever caught,

weighing over 40 lbs. During the 1950s he

kept a fishing diary which was published

as a limited edition in 2007 – and was

sold out even before the print run had

been completed!

Eddie began the systematic

excavation of his fields in 1960 after

his plough struck buried foundations.

He then worked with established local

archaeologist Captain Henry S. Gracie,

from whom he learned the digging and

recording techniques that formed the basis

of his later distinction. Following Captain

Gracie’s death in 1978, Eddie decided to

carry on the dig, which took place every

summer until 2007 – training hundreds

of amateur aspirant archaeologists and

students in the process (not least our own

archaeologist, Wycliffe chemistry master

David Evans, who was involved in his own

Medieval dig at nearby Kings Stanley.)

The Frocester dig was reputed to be the

longest-running archaeological project in

the country.

Over the decades over 1,100 Roman

coins were unearthed, as well as 60 sets

of human remains. One of his most

significant finds, a small bronze horse, is

on show in Gloucester Museum. All the

finds were meticulously recorded. In 2000

Eddie published a two volume work which

traced, in extraordinary detail, the story of

the human occupation of the area from the

Bronze Age to the modern day.

His archaeological interests were

not confined to digging up the past, but

included the restoration and preservation

of the no less than 13 listed buildings

on the farm: a 13th Century tithe barn –

reputedly the largest still standing in the

county – and a 15th Century farm house.

On both of which he did the work himself

– and it took him eight years!

In 1965 Eddie was made a

Justice of the Peace; in 1998 he was

elected President of the Bristol and

Gloucestershire Archaeological Society;

he was elected a Fellow of the Society

of Antiquaries and in 2008 he was

awarded the MBE by HM the Queen for

services to archaeology. In 2009 he was

awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the

Open University. His 90th birthday was

Edward Godwin Price 1935 - 2015

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Old Wycliffian Society

Full Obituaries can be found on the OW website www.oldwycliffians.co.uk

Photo credit – Stroud Life

Page 146: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIANTHE WYCLIFFIAN

Old Wycliffian Society10

Obituaries

NAME SCHOOL DATES DATE DIED

Clive E Shrimpton S 1939 - 1941 17 NOVEMBER 2014

Michael Stokes P H 1942 - 1948 24 NOVEMBER 2014

G John Skinner SH 1941 - 1944 DECEMBER 2014

Alan C Taylor W 1970 - 1974 28 DECEMBER 2014

Richard K Morris J S 1954 - 1962 7 JANUARY 2015

Michael H B Beard DB 1945 - 1950 9 JANUARY 2015

Paul C Biggs H 1950 - 1953 12 JANUARY 2015

Charles D Sandell W 1946 - 1951 18 JANUARY 2015

Edward G Price H 1937 - 1940 23 JANUARY 2015

Roger Bailey H 1950 - 1954 6 FEBRUARY 2015

Leslie G Pride S 1948 - 1952 6 FEBRUARY 2015

Mrs Joan Squance Staff and Wife of Mr Michael Squance 6 FEBRUARY 2015

William R Trumper J SH 1943 - 1948 10 FEBRUARY 2015

Hugh A Snell H 1941 - 1949 12 FEBRUARY 2015

Jeremy 'Jem' Marsh SH 1942 - 1946 2 MARCH 2015

Raymond T H Jeffes P DB 1932 - 1938 17 MARCH 2015

William Roger Powell J H 1950 - 1957 24 MARCH 2015

Thomas M Sims P 1939 - 1942 24 MARCH 2015

Paul C Pusey SH 1954 - 1958 1 MAY 2015

V Desmond Vowles J H 1932 - 1941 3 MAY 2015

Anthony H Chivers J SH 1931 - 1938 3 MAY 2015

Martin Harrison SH 1946 - 1949 20 JUNE 2015

Michael F Bailey SH 1940 - 1942 12 AUGUST 2015

The following OWs have died in the past year – we remember them with thanksgiving and affection.

marked by the presentation of a coat of

arms from the Royal College of Arms

– their device taken from the Roman

villa mosaic, and the motto Opus et

Stadium – work and study. The Curator

of Gloucester City Museum remarked that

Eddie’s “pioneering report on Frocester

Court Roman villa set a benchmark for

archaeological publications, not just in

Gloucestershire but across the country.”

In 1951 Eddie married Ruth

Chandler from Chestnut Farm in

Haresfield and together they had six

sons, three of whom now run Frocester

Court Farm in partnership. As part of his

archaeological studies Eddie had made

a Roman kiln and pottery. One of his

Roman-style urns was used to hold his

funeral ashes before they were buried

beneath his own fields.

A Thanksgiving Service to celebrate

Eddie Price’s life was held at St Michael

and All Angels’ Church at Eastington, St

Andrew’s Church at Frocester being too

small for the likely congregation (and the

Frocester’s original Church of St Peter now

forming the Wycliffe College Chapel.)

Page 147: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

146

147

OLD

WYC

LIFF

IAN

S

New Members for 2014

Old Wycliffian Society

YEAR 7 LEAVERS SCHOOL DATES

Elie Renucci 2014 - 2015

Rebecca Richards 2014 - 2015

Alexander Van Blerk 2014 - 2015

YEAR 8 LEAVERS

Isabelle Clough 2013 - 2015

Piotr Haretski 2014 - 2015

Vavara Kulibaba 2012 - 2015

David Wentzel 2012 - 2015

YEAR 9 LEAVERS

Anton Bodrashov 2011 - 2014

Toni Greenhalgh 2013 - 2014

Ignasi Mullerat 2013 - 2014

Alona Shulyak 2013 - 2014

YEAR 10 LEAVERS

Angela Chen 2014 - 2015

Kamen Genchev 2014 - 2015

Georgiana Gilchrist 2003 - 2015

Benjamin Richards 2012 - 2015

YEAR 11 LEAVERS

Nathan Adams 2012 - 2015

Daniel Aspinwall 2007 - 2015

Elena Azcona 2012 - 2015

Georgina Barr 2009 - 2015

Ella Barry 2005 - 2015

Christian Besch 2015

Daisy Bing 2012 - 2015

Oliver Denning 2009 - 2015

Denis Fedorov 2013 - 2015

Karl Fong 2004 - 2015

Isobel Garbett 2010 - 2015

Aneurin Hamer-Nickells 2012 - 2015

Ruth Harris 2011 - 2015

Lucy Haynes 2001 - 2015

Enno Hoyndorf 2013 - 2015

Jamie Jones 2007 - 2015

Supakorn Kijnitikorn 2014 - 2015

James King 2012 - 2015

Lukas Kinzel 2014 - 2015

Joshua Kraushaar 2015

James Leach 2012 - 2015

Joseph Lewis 2006 - 2015

Thomas Lewis 2006 - 2015

Steve Li 2014 - 2015

Henry Lister 2006 - 2015

Volodymyr Litvinov 2014 - 2015

Anar Mamedov 2011 - 2015

Ellie Mapletoft 2010 - 2015

Rhys Marsh 2010 - 2015

Liam McLaren 2012 - 2015

Lewis Overfield 2013 - 2015

Oliver Pitts 2011 - 2015

Jack Price 2012 - 2015

Maria Pucci 2014 - 2015

Henry Radcliffe 2006 - 2015

Lilliana Reeder-Katsipis 2012 - 2015

Benjamin Robinson 2010 - 2015

Laura Robinson 2012 - 2015

David Roper 2009 - 2015

Thomas Seabrook 2003 - 2015

Rhiannon Tasker 2010 - 2015

Francesca Turner 2012 - 2015

Summer Turner 2010 - 2015

Maksim Yiu 2014 - 2015

YEAR 12 LEAVERS

Luke Barnett 2014 - 2015

Henri Eustrup 2014 - 2015

Erin Holley 2007 - 2015

Robert Keefe 2015

Carina La Garde 2015

Liudas Vinkleris 2014 - 2015

DATE REVISION

Rory Gordon 1998 - 2014

Page 148: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN10Old Wycliffian SocietyNew Members for 2014

YEAR 13 LEAVERS

NAME SCHOOL DATES DESTINATION SUBJECT YEAR STARTING

Anastasiia Albegova 2013 - 2015 University of Southampton Politics and Economics 2015

Subash Ale 2009 - 2015 University of Bath Electronic and Communication

Engineering (Sandwich)

2015

Angus Allen 2006 - 2015 Bath Spa University Creative Computing (Gaming) 2015

Robert Allman-Carter 2009 - 2015 University of St Andrews Physics 2015

Valerie Antonova Anguelova

2012 - 2015 Bournemouth University Communication and Media 2015

Ellis Asante 2010 - 2015 Swansea University Business Management 2015

Oluyomi Awosope 2013 - 2015 Oklahoma State University Liberal Arts 2015

Charlie Ballans 2013 - 2015 Southampton Solent University Football Studies 2015

Sebastian Ballim 2013 - 2015 University of the West of

England

Filmmaking 2015

Emma Bastin 2008 - 2015 University of Nottingham Biochemistry and Genetics 2015

Lara Bathurst 2006 - 2015 Swansea University Law 2015

Rebecca Bidwell 2009 - 2015 University of South Wales Sports Leadership and Development 2015

Khalel Bizhanov 2013 - 2015 No information

Arkeld Bozo 2013 - 2015 No information

Cameron Brooks 2013 - 2015 Falmouth University Creative Music Technology 2015

Nicholas Brown 2009 - 2015 University of Washington Liberal Arts 2015

Teri Butcher 2011 - 2015 Cirencester College Business and Administration Apprenticeship 2015

Sophie-Jayne Caesar 2006 - 2015 Univeristy of Creative Arts Acting and Performance 2016

Eleanor Carr 2011 - 2015 University in USA 2015

Peter Carr 2011 - 2015 North Carolina State University Liberal Arts 2015

Elise Clements 2013 - 2015 University of Plymouth Accounting and Finance 2015

Christopher Clough 2013 - 2015 University in USA 2015

Abigail Covill 2008 - 2015 Cardiff Univeristy Politics 2015

Charlotte Davison 2013 - 2015 University of Brighton Mechanical Engineering (with Integrated

Foundation Year)

2015

Rohan Easby 2000 - 2015 Swansea University Mathematics and French TBC

Louise Elliott 2008 - 2015 Queen Mary, University of

London

Biochemistry with a year in Industry/

Research

2015

Iskander Fakhritdinov 2013 - 2015 University of Westminster Commercial Music 2015

Isaac Fearnley 2008 - 2015 No information

Anna Fishwick 2008 - 2015 University of Birmingham Medicine 2015

Henry Ford 2013 - 2015 Gap year

Linara Gaisina 2013 - 2015 University of Warwick Film Studies 2015

James Garrett 2005 - 2015 Harper Adams University Agriculture 2015

Daria Gavrilova 2012 - 2015 Aberystwyth University Agriculture with Business Studies 2015

Alexander Gilchrist 1997 - 2015 No information

Lucinda Grindrod 2008 - 2015 Royal Agricultural University Equine Management 2015

Alvin Gu 2013 - 2015 No information

Laura Hall 2009 - 2015 Cardiff Metropolitan University Psychology 2015

Jerry Huang 2013 - 2015 University of Warwick Mathematics, Operational Research,

Statistics, Economics

2015

Rachel Ibanga 2013 - 2015 Aston University Accounting for Management 2015

Clara Immink 2013 - 2015 No information

Janos Gabriel Maria Jung 2012 - 2015 University in Germany TBC

Page 149: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

148

149

OLD

WYC

LIFF

IAN

S

NAME SCHOOL DATES DESTINATION SUBJECT YEAR STARTING

Hannah Kent 2013 - 2015 North Carolina State University Liberal Arts 2015

Amanda Khatri 2008 - 2015 University of Southampton English 2015

Almira Khojalakova 2013 - 2015 University of Westminster Marketing Communications and Advertising 2015

Julija Laksa 2013 - 2015 Durham University Economics 2015

Jack Lister 2006 - 2015 Kingston University International Business 2015

Fay Liu 2012 - 2015 University of Birmingham International Relations 2015

Jane Liu 2012 - 2015 University of Surrey Business Management 2015

Oliver Lovejoy 2008 - 2015 Swansea University Mathematics 2015

Mayvey Lyubin 2012 - 2015 No information 2015

Jasper Meehan 2009 - 2015 Gap year

Tigran Melkonyan 2012 - 2015 University College Birmingham Hospitality Business Management 2015

Risa Miyajima 2012 - 2015 University of Surrey International Hospitality and Tourism

Management

2015

Anna Morgan 2013 - 2015 Bournemouth University Events Management 2015

Viva Ng 2012 - 2015 The Arts University Bournemouth Interior Architecture and Design 2015

Joseph Oliver 1999 - 2015 Gloucestershire College Creative Media Production: Film and

Moving Image

2015

Zoe Parrott 2010 - 2015 De Montfort University Forensic Science 2015

Mathew Parsons 2005 - 2015 University of the West of

England

Drama 2015

Nikita Polukeev 2013 - 2015 Univeristy of Westminster Business Management (Economics) 2015

Ieva Povilonyte 2013 - 2015 University of Surrey International Hospitality Management 2015

Elisabeth Puig 2012 - 2015 University of Essex Media, Culture and Society 2015

Arturs Rakovskis 2012 - 2015 School of Oriental and African

Studies

International Relations and Chinese 2015

Josephine Randall 2008 - 2015 Goldsmiths International Studies 2016

Francesca Robinson 2010 - 2015 Swansea University Law 2015

Toben Ronald 2006 - 2015 University of York International Relations 2015

Ramazan Samat 2013 - 2015 University of Warwick Economics 2015

Oliver Scarr 2013 - 2015 Roehampton University Business Management Entrepreneurship 2015

Alexander Schranz 2007 - 2015 Aston University Biomedical Science 2015

Arhant Simha 2013 - 2015 No information

Edvards Stankevics 2012 - 2015 Brunel University Business and Management 2015

George Turner 2011 - 2015 Joined the TA

Zebedee Waite 2013 - 2015 No information

Andy Wu 2013 - 2015 University College London Engineering (Mechanical) 2015

Cressida Wyer 2000 - 2015 Queen Mary, University of

London

English 2015

Andy Xiao 2012 - 2015 Queen Mary, University of

London

Economics 2015

Eva Yan 2012 - 2015 No information

Thomas Yeung 2011 - 2015 Coventry University Civil Engineering 2015

Macy Ying 2013 - 2015 De Montfort University Architecture 2015

Old Wycliffian SocietyNew Members for 2014

Page 150: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN10

We spotted Richard Derrington (H

1963-65) at Cheltenham’s Everyman

Theatre on the tour of Bernard Shaw’s

‘Mrs Warren’s Profession’. Richard and

his colleague Ryan Saunders were playing

the father and son, the Rev and Frank

Gardner. The reviewer opined that they

presented ‘a wonderfully comic pairing;

both are equally adept scene-stealers’. No

change there then! On a more sombre

note, Robert (aka David) Gwilym (J & W

1965-74) gave an impressive performance

in Richard Harris’s psychological thriller

‘The Business of Murder ‘at Malvern

in June.

Simon Holloway (W 1964-68) paid

a visit to the school in May to inform us

that his ministry has returned him to the

West Country. The last location that we

had recorded for him was Sparkbrook

in Birmingham in the 1980s. Since

then he has led the team ministry in

Horley, near Gatwick in Surrey and spent

three years in Ayia Napa, Cyprus. In

September 2014 he returned to the UK

to take up the challenge of running five

rural churches around Axminster and

Honiton in Devon. They call themselves

‘The Five Alive Mission Community East

Devon’ and Simon has the responsibility

of leading the team which attempts to

help these small parishes work together

to build a social and worshipping

community with a sense of unity. They

also hold regular services with other

local ‘partner churches’ working in the

Baptist, Methodist and Roman Catholic

traditions. The monthly ‘Parishes’ Paper’

is a colourful and lively production,

incorporating a wide range of news,

information and services, far beyond

the parochial concerns of the churches

themselves, and appears to be a major

organ in encouraging integration. We

wish Simon well in his new challenge and

look forward to seeing him again.

Gavin Sparkes (J & Sp 1958-

69) wrote us a most interesting letter,

initiated by those well-known middle-

aged activities of sorting, de-cluttering,

down-sizing and, inevitably, reminiscing.

In the process he discovered the on-line

presence of the Wycliffe archives, the

perusal of which will assuredly slow

down the achievement of any of the

afore-mentioned tasks. He was reminded

of behind-the-scenes stage management,

Scout lorry construction, lugging the

sleepers and telegraph poles from the

Stonehouse to Nailsworth ‘beetle-crusher’

line to build the assault course, several

exciting but inclement mountain and

climbing and canoeing expeditions –

even being commissioned to paint a new

Springfield House flag. Such were the

memories of the ‘60s that well justify

Gavin’s position on the Head of School

boards, which we hope that he will some

day return to see.

It’s always good to read theatrical reviews to see how OW actors are doing and this summer was interesting in that there were two OWs playing in the area:

Page 151: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

150

151

OLD

WYC

LIFF

IAN

S

We congratulate OW farmer A.John

Cullimore (Sp 1973-75) on his firm

Cullimores Organics which picked up

two awards for quality in recent years:

one at the Taste of Gloucestershire Food

and Farming Awards and the other the

award for the Best Livestock Farmer. In an

area famous for the quality of its farming

and food products, there was strong

competition and we share his delight.

For some years we have reported on

the successes of Simon Weaver (J & H

1968-76) whose Cotswold cheese-making

has developed a national reputation,

with products like his Single Gloucester

and Cotswold Brie appearing widely on

supermarket shelves. His firm, Simon

Weaver Organic, set in some of the

Cotswold’s most wildlife-rich pastures

near Bourton-in-the-Water, has recently

invested in a robotic milking parlour as

the first step in building a new centre that

will tell the 6,000 year history of wildlife,

farming and food in the Cotswolds. The

development has been supported by the

Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage

and the Gloucestershire Environmental

Trust. The long term aim is to emphasise

the relationship between the land, the

farm and the food we eat.

We had a long and interesting letter

from M. Jeremy H. Smith (1973-77)

who left Wycliffe to join the overseas

department of Lloyd Bank in the City of

London. As opposed to the stereotypical

ordinariness of bank working, Jeremy

describes some of the excitements of the

job, particularly when one is involved

in international trade operations. Even

the struggles with banking and linguistic

examinations to achieve promotion have

their moments of exhilaration (and relief).

After his full 37 years Jeremy retired

from the Bank in August 2015 and

became deeply involved as a volunteer

with the Birmingham and Solihull

Rugby Club. His involvement is varied

– from match announcer to cleaner and

maintenance man, but volunteering is a

relaxation after years of being pressurised

in business. In the club he has come

across Matthew Long (J & H 1980-91)

who has recently retired from playing to

concentrate on coaching.

We were delighted to note that, at

the end of 2014, Tim Watkins (J & Sp

1970-80) took over the managing partner

role for the Stroud accountancy firm of

Randall and Payne. The school has had

a long connection with the firm which

has provided a secure training ground

for OWs entering the profession, many

of whom have gone on to establish their

own independent practices. We wish

Tim well.

We were pleased to learn of a new

enterprise begun by Peter Meredith (J

& SH 1980-90) from whom we had

not heard from some time. When he

left school he trained as a shipwright

specialising in classic yacht restoration

and then spent many years as captain

of a variety of wooden ships. In 2014

he started up his own company making

fine wooden articles, often bespoke and

personalised, from recycled hardwoods.

This ‘up-cycling’ converts potential

waste woods into new products of better

quality or better environmental value. His

company, based locally at Saul, seems to

have found a ready market.

Contemporaries will remember

James Gorick (H 1991-96) for his wide

range of musical skills and his subsequent

experience with leading choirs and

schools. In April 2015 he moved with

his wife and two sons to Cambridge to

become Director of Music at St Faith’s

Preparatory School, which is not only the

largest Prep School in the city but has

a strong reputation for the quality of its

music. But then so does James – and we

wish him well in his new responsibilities.

Gloucestershire cricketers, not

least the OWs amongst them, will have

been sad to learn of the departure of

Alex Gidman (J, Sp & R 1991-99)

from the County side at the end of

the 2014 season. However, signing for

Worcestershire, he has moved up to a

Division 1 side and will therefore have the

opportunity to demonstrate his talents at

a higher level.

Alex made his debut for

Gloucestershire in 2001 and was the only

member of the team remaining to have

shared the award of national ‘silverware’

in competition during his thirteen years.

He captained the County from 2009

to 2012 and, whilst at Gloucestershire,

scored 23 first class centuries and 57 half-

centuries – with a total of over 11,000

runs, at a match average of 36. In his last

season he scored a career best with 264

against Leicestershire, to pass 1,000 runs

in a season for the sixth time.

Alex’s departure prompted

widespread regrets, as well as

considerable admiration, summed up

no less by his younger brother and team

mate, Will, who said that Alex “was one

of the most selfless cricketers you could

hope to meet... He plays cricket hard

News of Old Wycliffians

Page 152: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

THE WYCLIFFIAN

News of Old Wycliffians10

but fairly and has been a fantastic role

model.”

Yet another blow for Gloucestershire

cricket in 2014 was the news that Will

Gidman (J & H 1992-2001) brother of

the aforementioned Alex, was also to

leave at the end of the season. Widely

applauded as “a huge loss – and the best

domestic all-rounder the County has had

in the last four years”, Will announced

his move to join Nottinghamshire for the

2015 season. As with brother Alex, this

will mean a move up to the lst Division

and stronger competition.

The Gloucestershire Director of

Cricket, in explaining the move, argued

that “we were unable to keep him

financially – that’s the bottom line. Our

budget reduces this year and we are

unable to compete with the big boys. The

big-paying Test clubs just cherry-pick the

biggest apples at the top of the tree.”

Will had an outstanding four years

with Gloucestershire, coming to us

from Durham, where his talents were

underused. In his debut season here he

achieved the double of 1,000 runs and

50 wickets, whilst in the 2013 season

he passed another landmark when he

scored a century and took ten wickets

in a championship match against

Leicestershire at Bristol. We wish Will

continued success and will follow his

progress keenly.

Since his success in the C.S. Lewis

classics ‘The Lion, the Witch and the

Wardrobe’ and ‘Prince Caspian’, we have

heard little from William Moseley (J &

W 2000-2005), but have proof that he

has been honing his acting skills carefully

in the United States. At the beginning

of 2015 came the announcement of his

up-coming parts in two very contrasted

roles. The first is a contemporary TV

series, ‘The Royals’, about a fictional royal

family, in which William stars alongside

Elizabeth Hurley. William’s role is that

of the younger brother, pitched into the

responsibility of kingship through the

death of the heir in a military training

accident. The TV tale, a mélange of

‘Hamlet’, contemporary reality and family

tragedy, is in strong contrast to ‘The Veil’,

William’s next feature film project, a US

post-apocalyptic film, set in a war-torn

land where tribal factions live in fear of

annihilation. Success in both will test his

dramatic range and we all wish him well.

It’s often only when one reads the

small print that you find mention of

some OW achievements. One such was

the sight of Robbie Maycock (2004-08)

in the list of the Commonwealth Games

participants for Glasgow in August

2014. Representing his home country of

Bermuda, as he had done previously at

junior level, Robbie was one of the 119

players from 28 nations competing in

the Squash championships. He was very

generous when speaking to reporters

and is quoted as saying “ I can’t speak

highly enough of my time at Wycliffe. The

excellent coaching and the exposure I had

to national and international tournaments

provided the springboard for a lot of the

success I had.”

We learned in September 2014 of

the plans being made by Guy Davies (J

& C 1998-2009) to direct his second

short film. His debut film ‘Emily’ was

well received at several film festivals in

2014, encouraging him to work on ‘Day’,

which was scheduled to be filmed in New

York in the Spring/Summer of 2015. The

film is based on true events and follows

several characters over the course of a

single day in New York. The script follows

a boy in his late teenage years, growing

up in a rough neighbourhood and depicts

a series of realistic adolescent adventures.

Later, in June 2015 we learned that

another of Guy’s short films ‘Sick to my

Bones’ had been nominated for an award

at the SOHO International Film Festival

in New York and had also been accepted

by the Palm Springs Film Festival. If

successful at the latter, it could qualify for

shortlisting for Oscar nomination. Shot

on the Isle of Sky, the film explores the

relationship between good and evil. Like

Guy, we will cross our fingers.

Page 153: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

Having attended a boarding school

as a girl which she felt was a cruel

place, she was determined to follow in

Wycliffe’s founder’s footprint and create

a school that was caring, enabled pupils

to be themselves, to treat others with

respect and tolerance, and to be proud of

that character.

She spent the first 15 years travelling

as an English language teacher developing

her love of travel and different cultures. It

was the importance of family that caused

her to return to the UK and she still

regularly visits St Andrews to holiday with

her brothers and their families.

Over the years Wycliffe has had

to adapt to teach young people using

a balance of formal teaching whilst

embracing new technologies. The ability

to adapt is what Margie hopes is her legacy

to the young people she has supported

at Wycliffe.

Throughout her 40 year career the

one constant has been the continuing

change in education, changes which

unfortunately don’t come from those who

work directly in education. Now she has

retired to a property in Derbyshire and

divides her time between walking and

being an ISI Lead Inspector. We wish her a

long, happy and healthy retirement.

THE BURNET WARD BURSARY

As part of Margie’s retirement legacy

to the College she set up the Burnet Ward

Bursary and asked that any recognition of

her service to Wycliffe should be through a

contribution to this bursary fund.

The target is to raise £75,000 and

we have to date raised over £40,000. This

will enable the Foundation to help fund a

pupil who would otherwise not have been

able to benefit from a Wycliffe education.

The campaign is ongoing and

collectively we can make a real difference

to what can be achieved. We very

much value every single gift we receive,

regardless of size and any donation made

From her time as Deputy Head through to today, Margie has made it her mission to foster a welcoming family atmosphere at Wycliffe.

THE WYCLIFFIAN

152

153

WYC

LIFF

E C

OLL

EGE

FOU

ND

ATIO

N

Wycliffe bid farewell to Head, Margie Burnet Ward

Page 154: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

Many of you who attended the Prep

School will remember the small brick

structure which has been in use for many

years. Over the next eighteen months the

College aims to raise over £100,000 to

enable us to build an oak framed sports

pavilion which we know will be much

used and appreciated by all.

This pavilion will not only offer a

place for serving match teas and much

needed toilet facilities, but also provide

protection from both good and bad

weather from its viewing veranda.

All donations large or small will be

very much appreciated and will make

a valued contribution to the fund. All

gifts of over £100 will be permanently

recognised with the display of a plaque

within the pavilion.

If you can help with a major gift,

there are other naming opportunities and

the Foundation Office will be delighted to

discuss with you how your donation can

be recognised in perpetuity.

Please help us realise this wonderful

facility.

If you wish to donate please go the

Foundation Office page at http://www.

wycliffe.co.uk/wycliffian-society/ or

through http://uk.virginmoneygiving.

com/fund/prepsportspavilion

Prep School Sports Pavilion

by a UK tax payer can be increased by an

additional 25% with the addition of Gift

Aid. Please help us to raise the much

appreciated funds for bursaries.

If you wish to donate please go the

Foundation Office page at http://www.

wycliffe.co.uk/wycliffian-society/ or

through http://uk.virginmoneygiving.

com/fund/wycliffe/burnet-wardbursary

“Over the last ten years I have had the immense privilege and joy of

helping to shape the lives of so many young people who have not only

contributed to the life of our community but have gone on to make

a difference to others. I would love to see this positive impact being

continued, by allowing promising young people the chance to have a

Wycliffe education through offering a bursary in my name.

I very much hope that fond memories and a grateful appreciation of

the value of a Wycliffe education will prompt you to be generous”.

Margie Burnet Ward (Head 2005-2015)

THE WYCLIFFIAN

Wycliffe College Foundation11

Page 155: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

154

155

Page 156: 2014/15 - Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire · PDF filethe first time we met. ... is the most important lesson I believe I have learnt during my time at Wycliffe, ... idiot of myself

Wycliffe Senior School & Sixth Form, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire GL10 2JQ Telephone: 01453 820412 Wycliffe College Incorporated is a Registered Charity No 311714 and is a Company limited by guarantee and registered No 255632 in England and Wales. DE

SIG

NE

D &

PR

OD

UC

ED

BY

TH

E C

RE

ATI

VE

CO

NS

OR

TIU

M,

STR

OU

D

www.wycliffe.co.uk