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THE MILLTHORPIAN is a Millthorpe School publication. Editing and design: Jon Deamer © Millthorpe School 2015
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Dear Reader
We are at the end of another full
term of learning at Millthorpe. As I
read through the Millthorpian, I keep
asking myself, “Did we really do all
that in this one term?”. We have
explored our history and culture
through the two Battlefields trips, the
Holocaust Memorial Day and the
Centenary Commemorations of
World War I. These are all topics
studied in lessons, but also pursued
through trips and special events, and
we have much to learn from such
study. We also showed our mettle in
Maths and Science competitions with
a win and a third place – well done to
those representing us! The Big Read
now seems settled as an annual event
for us, and I really enjoyed our
students and staff costumes for it.
We celebrated our Historical
Association Quality Mark with a visit
to the House of Lords (and we snuck
out of the reception to eavesdrop on
the Commons debate on lowering the
age of voting to 16 – very exciting!).
Finally, for those of you who may
have been a student at Nunthorpe
Grammar School (or know someone
who was) please see the call for old
Nunthorpians towards the back who
may wish to attend the grand
reunion on 24 July. There will be
many more events during the next
year as we celebrate the 30th
anniversary of the formation of
Millthorpe from the merger of Mill
Mount Girls Grammar and
Nunthorpe Grammar Schools.
I wish you all a good break over the
two weeks of Easter, and I hope Year
11 manage some worthwhile revision
in preparation for their forthcoming
examinations.
Trevor Burton
Headteacher
Visiting the battlefields of the First World War on page 5
Millthorpe School Nunthorpe Avenue York YO23 1WF 01904 686400 admin@millthorpeschool.co.uk www.millthorpeschool.co.uk
Miss Avey and Miss Morley dressed as Harry Potter characters for World Book Day on page 11
Students armed themselves with a range of instruments to
observe the solar eclipse on Friday 20 March. A group of
staff and students gathered on the school field from 9.30am
to watch the eclipse, noting the gradually dimming light and
the surprising drop in temperature. The last total solar
eclipse in Britain occurred in August 1999 and the next one
will not be until 2090!
Phases of the solar eclipse photographed by Mr Hardy
The Main House at Millthorpe has
recently undergone an extensive
refurbishment to help preserve the
wonderful period features for
many years to come.
The project, funded by City of
York Council and managed by
Houlton, restored the roof,
windows, chimney stacks and the
stone balustrade to their original
glory, using traditional materials
and craftsmanship in keeping with
the building’s origins as a grand
Victorian mansion.
The exterior of the building,
which dates from 1856, has
changed remarkably little while
the school has grown and changed
around it, but many of the original
features had become increasingly
worn and damaged.
The timber sash windows have
been repaired to full working
order using techniques that are
now increasingly rare; and
specialist stonemasons William
Anelay have undertaken the
restoration of the intricately
designed balustrade with a
combination of repair work to
surviving stone sections and the
addition of new carved elements
mined to order to match the
original stone.
We hope this wonderful asset will
remain at the heart of the school
long into the future.
One of the chimney stacks before and after restoration, above, and some of the construction drawings used for the new balustrade stonework below
On Friday 13 February, forty two
Year 10 and 11 students set off for
Zeebrugge in Belgium for a
weekend visit to the battlefields,
cemeteries and memorials of the
First World War. After a smooth
overnight crossing, and two good
feeds aboard the ferry, we arrived
bright and early for a busy day of
learning and remembrance. Our
guide, Steve, explained the causes
of World War One en route to the
first site, Hooge Crater and this
served as excellent revision for all
students as this is on their GCSE
exam. The staff were thrilled (and a
little smug) when some of the
students corrected a slight error
from Steve which showed that our
students definitely know their
history! We explored the preserved
trenches and squeezed inside a
German bunker before making our
way to Essex Farm Cemetery,
where we visited the grave of V.J.
Strudwick, who was just 15 years
old when he lost his life. We also
visited the memorial to the poet
John McCrae, and explored the
casualty clearing station that he
worked in.
After lunch, we visited the “In
Flanders Fields” museum before
heading to Langemark German
Cemetery. The contrast between
the British and German cemeteries
is stark and many students said
that they considered it to be more
upsetting. Jack laid a wreath on
behalf of the group at the side of a
mass grave which is the final
resting place for 24,000 German
soldiers. We then made the short
journey to Tyne Cot, the largest
Commonwealth War Graves
Cemetery in the world where nearly
12,000 men are laid to rest or
commemorated on the memorial.
Here, Tyler Wilson was able to
locate his relative and pay his
respects.
We had an early start on the
Sunday and the first visit was to the
battlefield of The Battle of the
Somme. The students were able to
stand in the trenches and look out
over No Man’s Land as the
Sheffield and Accrington Pals did
on 1st July 1916. This was followed
by a visit to the preserved trenches
at Newfoundland Park and finally
to the Lochnagar Crater, the site
where a colossal mine was
detonated that has left a permanent
scar on the landscape.
There was just time for one final
stop and this one would have
personal resonance for one of the
members of staff. We were able to
visit the grave of Jesse Heyes, who
was awarded the King George V
Military Medal for “Bravery in the
Field” under enemy fire and who
sadly later lost his life aged just 26.
Jesse is the great uncle of Mr
Baybutt’s Step-Dad and this was
the first time that a member of the
family had been able to pay their
respects at his grave.
By Mr Baybutt
Saxon Director of Achievement
On 2 March, four students from
Year 10 took part in the Maths
Feast at Bootham School
organised by the Further
Maths Support Programme.
This was a fun afternoon which
saw the students working as a
team to complete a series of
maths activities against the
clock. Lucas Hindle, Bethan
Law, Rebecca Foster and Luke
McDonnell-McKeown were
undaunted by the task and
took everything from origami
to set theory in their stride.
Competing against sixteen
other teams, we were
delighted to come third. The
competition was very close for
the top four places all after-
noon and we were narrowly
beaten by Bootham A team
and St Peters. Congratulations
to all four of you, you were a
credit to the school.
Mrs Ainsworth
Maths Department Menin Gate Memorial
Laying a wreath at the site of a mass grave, the final resting place for over 24,000 German soldiers
Normal lessons were put on hold
on Tuesday 27 January as students
in Year 9 undertook a whole day
devoted to remembering the
Holocaust. The rest of the school
attended dedicated assemblies, as
the school joined thousands of
people across the country in
marking Holocaust Memorial Day.
The students were given
special lessons run by the
History, RE and Modern
Languages departments to help
understand the Holocaust and its
impact and to consider what they
can do in their own lives to tackle
racism and intolerance. At the end
of the day, students wrote their
reflections on luggage tags, which
were hung on a memory tree in the
school reception, part of the theme
for this year, chosen by the event’s
organisers, the Holocaust
Memorial Trust, of ‘keeping the
memory alive’.
The Languages department has
run a scheme of work based
around the non-violent German
resistance movement within Nazi
Germany to help students
appreciate the complexity of such
an event and underlining the
importance of avoiding prejudice.
“As subsequent genocides have
shown, persecution did not end
with the overthrow of the Nazi
regime” commented Mrs Lingard,
Head of History, “so although it is
70 years since the end of World
War II, it has never been more
important for students to learn
about and reflect upon these dark
episodes in history.”
Holocaust Memorial Day is
marked on 27 January, the
anniversary of the Soviet liberation
of Auschwitz concentration camp
in 1945. It is a national
commemoration day in the United
Kingdom dedicated to the
remembrance of those who
suffered in the Holocaust, under
Nazi Persecution, and in more
recent genocides in Cambodia,
Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
This is the fifth year Millthorpe
has delivered a day of special
activities on the 27 January to help
students learn more about the
significance of these atrocities. The
RE department also arranges an
annual visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau
and the History department has
been running a series of activities
linked to remembrance. “This is
another great example of our
students learning something that
will help them gain a better
understanding of the world and
their place in it; school is not just
about passing exams, important as
that is,” noted Mr Burton.
Luggage tags with students thoughts about remembering the Holocaust
On Wednesday 25 February, a
select group of fifteen students in
Year 10 were chosen to take part in
a trip to Oxford University. We
were accompanied by Miss Watts,
who kindly drove the minibus
down to Oxford, and Mr Burton.
Everybody who went on the Oxford
trip said that they found it to be
very beneficial and informative,
especially since it allowed us to
peek into the workings of a real life
university system. Additionally, it
was very nice that we were shown
around the college of Mansfield by
actual students, and that we were
able to sit in on a real lecture, just
to see what it would feel like.
Once we arrived at the university,
we were greeted by a group of
students who led us to a room
where we were greeted with tea and
biscuits. After helping ourselves to
a share of the snacks, the pupils
introduced themselves as
undergraduates who were studying
sciences or the humanities.
We then proceeded to sit through
a PowerPoint presentation talking
about the university and what
qualifications were needed at GCSE
and A Level to study certain
subjects at an undergrad level. This
was also when we had the college
system explained to us, and we
learnt about the different methods
of teaching at Oxford. I think we all
found this very interesting and
helpful since being secondary
school students we had had no
experience with the functioning of
a university.
Then, after lunch, we had the
opportunity to sit in on a lecture. It
was an English lecture where we
learnt about how certain
civilisations in the past used to
carve shapes known as runes into
rock as a way of communicating.
Personally I did not find the lecture
particularly interesting as I am
more interested in science, but it
was still good to see what a
university lecture feels like. The
lecturer we had seemed to be very
nice and engaged with the class a
lot. It made our group feel more
confident on what lectures will be
like in the future should any of us
attend Oxford (or any other
university). Overall the Oxford
trip was very interesting and
informative, and everybody
enjoyed it since we all learnt
something new. The students we
met there were really nice and
explained very clearly what it’s like
to be studying at Oxford. It proved
to be an extremely enjoyable day
that benefited everyone involved.
By Tom Percival and
Luke McDonnell McKeown
Year 10 students Holly, Emma and Ella at Oxford University
Finally, we handled some items
such as bayonets, a Lee Enfield
rifle, grenades and medals.
On Saturday, our first stop was
Lijssenthoek Cemetery, where we
visited the grave of Nellie Spindler
from Harrogate, a nurse who was
killed in an artillery attack in 1917.
We also visited the grave of Sikh
soldiers and members of the
Chinese Labour Corps who
survived the war but were killed by
the devastating influenza outbreak
in 1919. This was followed by a visit
to the Death Cells at Popperinge,
where a number of British soldiers
were executed during the War.
Many were undoubtedly suffering
from “Shell Shock” but the lack of
understanding about mental health
at the time resulted in their deaths.
A visit to “In Flanders Fields”
Museum followed by the Last Post
Ceremony at the Menin Gate
completed the day.
Sunday’s first visit was of
particular significance as Angus
was able to lay a wreath at the
memorial where his Great Uncle
Arthur is commemorated. After
laying the wreath, Angus said “I
felt emotional with a mix of
sadness and sorrow and the
question, why?”
As part of the many events planned
to mark the centenary of the First
World War, the government have
organised to take two students and
one teacher from every school in
the country on a trip to the
Battlefields. Millthorpe School was
quick to register and we were
allocated a place on a trip in
March. As we have well established
links with History Departments at
other York schools, we asked the
Institute of Education if we could
run a York Trip, whereby all of the
schools of York would be able to go
on the same trip. Fortunately, the
IOE agreed and the York Schools
Battlefields Trip was arranged.
On the second day back in
September last year, Mr Baybutt
launched this exciting opportunity
to Year 9 students in assembly and
asked interested students to
complete an application in order to
qualify for this unique (and free)
trip. The History Department were
inundated with excellent
applications and the decision of
selecting just two students was
incredibly difficult. The eventual
winners were Kirstin in 9BJP and
Angus in 9MWS. Their answers
included; “Boys as young as fifteen,
who today would just be doing
their GCSEs, died fighting for their
country. They had their whole lives
ahead of them. Without their
sacrifice, the world would be a very
different place for us.” “We should
remember the great loss of life on
both sides, from young boys to
men. Those who returned realised
that peace is a fragile thing”.
On Friday 6 March, Angus,
Kirstin and Mr Baybutt met the
other staff and students at The
Mount School and set off for an
activity centre in Kent. Here,
students got the chance to play
on high ropes assault courses and
get to know each other whilst Mr
Baybutt was given a taste of his
own medicine and put in a class-
room with the other teachers for
a training course! Later, students
were given a chance to research
local soldiers of the War. Angus
focussed on his relative, Arthur
Gatus, who died during the conflict
and whose memorial we hoped to
visit whilst Kirstin research a
soldier who had lived about 200
yards from
her house
when the
War
broke
out.
Students explore excavated trenches, above, and visit the Ulster Tower below
Moderation magic A big well done to the Year 11
GCSE PE class who had their
final performances for their PE
practical recently. Despite the
cold conditions and having a
stranger watching them (the
moderator) the class worked
tirelessly to help gain the
highest grades they could in
football, rounders, badminton
and fitness.
The process of completing
these performances continues
with sports as wide ranging as
ju-jitsu to mountain biking to
horse riding to complete. If the
class continues to work hard the
PE department has high hopes
of some good GCSE grades.
Good luck everyone!
Boys football The end of the season has seen
the usual late flurry of fixtures as
the deadline fast approaches.
The Year 8 team got to the semi-
finals before being beaten by
Fulford 5 - 2. The Year 8s have
had a great season with a total
of up to forty boys attending
training and the help of star York
School boys players Joe Crosby
and Nick Hutton in their ranks.
Well done to the boys and good
luck in Year 9.
The Year 9 team have had an
excellent year having just been
crowned York and District Inter-
school Champions after a victory
over Archbishop Holgate’s.
Sporting practices The summer term will bring a
new range of practices and
competitions in sports such as
cricket, athletics, tennis and
rounders: details to follow.
Mr Randall
Head of PE
From the Arras Memorial, we
travelled to the site of the Battle of
the Somme and Mr Baybutt was
pleased to see that the poppy cross
he left a few weeks earlier at the
Accrington Pals memorial was still
there. We then visited the Thiepval
Memorial which commemorates
72,000 British and French soldiers
who died on the Somme but were
never found. Here, we laid a
wreath on behalf of the Deamer
Family, 2 of whom work at
Millthorpe, whose relative Arthur
Cammidge is commemorated on
this memorial. Monday was spent
at the Passchendale Museum, Tyne
Cot and the German cemetery
Langemark before the Eurotunnel
back to blighty and the long drive
home!
Whilst the trip was over, the work
was not yet complete as part of the
programme requires those who
visited to participate in Legacy 110.
If all 8,000 students that
participated in the programme
manage to share their experience
with 110 people, a total of 880,000
people will developed their
understanding of the First World
War and this is the number of
British troops who were killed
during the conflict.
On Tuesday 17 March, Angus,
Kirstin and the other students
organised an Act of Remembrance
service at York Minster. The
students talked about their
personal reflections, the impact of
the tour, what they had learned
and how their understanding had
been altered. Those in attendance
were left with no doubt of how
significant an impact the tour had
made on the young people
involved.
In order to further communicate
their experiences, Kirstin and
Angus will be involved in creating a
display focussing on 1916 for the
Castle Museum. Whilst this will be
created in the coming months
whilst the visit is still fresh, it will
go on display in the summer
months of 2016 to mark 100 years
since the events.
By Mr Baybutt
Saxon Director of Achievement
If you could offer any support
with this project or you have any
other ideas about how Kirstin
and Angus might share their
experiences, email Mr Baybutt on
a.baybutt@millthorpeschool.co.uk
Angus and Kirstin with a bugler from the Last Post Association at the Menin Gate
This summer, there will be
a grand reunion of Old
Nunthorpians at Millthorpe
School. It will take place on
Friday 24 July at 6.30pm so
please save this date in your
diaries. The event is being
organised by Darrel Buttery,
former Nunthorpe teacher
and Chair of the York Civic
Trust (a name that I’m sure
will be very familiar to some
of you!) Full details will be
announced in due course; in
the meantime, if you are
interested in attending or
want to find out more,
please contact Mr Buttery on
darrelbuttery@hotmail.com Nunthorpe Grammar School: Class of 1954
To celebrate the launch of the
Historical Association Quality Mark
for schools we were very pleased to
accept an invitation to the House of
Lords on Monday 2 February. As
you will remember, the History
department was assessed as part of
the pilot scheme in October and we
are proud to be the first secondary
state school in the country to
qualify for the award.
On arrival at the House of Lords,
we had photos on the terrace and
then an opportunity to mingle with
a variety of influential guests. The
girls were asked their opinion on
the future of the new GCSE by the
Head of the AQA History exam
(who also apologised to them for
the Controlled Assessment tasks!)
They also chatted to Lord Guthrie
about York. Douglas Hurd, Antonia
Fraser, Al Murray and Baroness
Shirley Williams were also among
the guests. We were then lucky
enough to be invited for a whistle
stop tour of the parliament build-
ings, ending with a chance to watch
the final part of a Commons debate
on lowering the voting age to 16 -
very topical! At the end of the
debate, we were bustled out the
back entrance as the house was
just about to divide and we made it
back to Kings Cross, just in time to
catch the last train home.
By Mrs Lingard
Head of History
Special invite: Mrs Lingard with students Holly and Freya at the House of Lords
Millthorpe attends Historical Association Quality Mark for schools launch
Mr Collins dressed as Poldark for World Book Day
World Book Day was celebrated in
style this year at Millthorpe School.
As well as our Big Read, where
everyone dropped what they were
doing on the sound of a bell and
took up a book and read, many
staff members spent the day
dressed as book characters.
Our celebrations haven’t stopped,
however. As part of our ongoing
celebration of books and reading,
Key Stage 3 students are taking
part in a quiz, whereby they are
identifying staff members’
favourite books from posters
around school, and a group of Year
8 students have been invited to
attend a talk, next week, from teen
author, Anthony McGowan. Our
author visits are always enjoyable
and the experience is enriching for
students in many ways, often
inspiring them to read and write
more.
Classes will also be invited into
the library to help select books to
go on a list
entitled,
Books to
Read
Before You Leave Millthorpe,
which will form an ongoing
reading challenge throughout
students’ school careers.
Reading for enjoyment is not only
pleasurable in itself, it can also
have a significant positive
impact on a young person's
educational outcomes. Most
notably, reading develops a broad
vocabulary, it enhances
concentration, it enables students
to grasp abstract concepts and
apply logic, and it encourages
students to recognise cause and
effect. This not only leads to
improvements in reading tests and
English, but also it enhances
progress across the curriculum,
including maths and science.
Reading in the holidays also
allows students to retain skills that
can easily impair without practice.
With this in mind, Year 8 and
9 students have had the books they
took out of the library for World
Book Day renewed until after the
holidays. Students were also
provided with a Mini Book Review
book mark, which they can
complete and hand in
when they bring their
books back; their name
will then go in a prize
draw.
Year 7s are always
encouraged to read as
part of their library
lessons. Key Stage 4
students can also
complete their Mini
Book Review and
enter the prize draw.
By Miss Brooks
Library Manager
The Annual York Inter-schools
Science Quiz 2015 was held on
Thursday 12 March at St Peter’s
School. Twenty two school teams
competed for the trophies and
prizes including our team, the
Millthorpe Lions: Alex, Jack, Will
and Dom, all in Year 11.
I am not lion when I say the
competition was fierce but
Millthorpe’s mane men showed
that they were truly kings of the
jungle when they won the prize in
the category: top team for a school
without a 6th form.
As well as having a fun evening,
the team won prizes and a trophy
which will no doubt take pride of
place in the trophy cabinet once it
is engraved.
We send a huge well done to the
lions and thank you to Mr Morris
of St. Peter’s school and all others
who worked so hard to make it a
very enjoyable evening.
By Dr Powell
Science Department
Millthorpe Lions: Alex, Will, Dom and Jack feline great about winning!
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