Head’s IntroductionThis week began with Open Day, when Roedean welcomed a large number of visitors – it was a great pleasure for me to see the school looking so wonderful and to talk to so many people who were clearly impressed by the girls, the staff, and the facilities.

It was the second time in a few days that a large group of visitors came to Roedean, and left with very clear idea of the calibre of the school; two days before Open Day, the concert in the Chapel which opened the Brighton Fringe Festival last Saturday was marvelous, and it showcased the talents of our girls and the extended Roedean musical family excellently. I extend my congratulations to all involved.

The L4 have been on a curriculum residential trip in Derbyshire for a good part of this week, where they have been visiting and doing research into the plague village at Eyam, and taking part in Outdoor Pursuits workshops – it has been both thought-provoking and very successful. We have been battered by the winds this week, meaning that a number of sporting fixtures have had to be cancelled, but there has been a great deal going on inside the school, including GCSE Drama exam performances and a mock General Election. Today there is a “home clothes” day in aid of the Nepal crisis. It is also the day when many of the girls in 6.1 and U5 go on Study Leave, so I wish them all the best for their preparations, and very good luck to those for whom public examinations start next week.

Open Day – May 4th

We were delighted to welcome so many visitors to Roedean on Bank Holiday Monday. It was our third Open Day of the academic year, and was hugely successful.

Ninety-three prospective students and their families, approximately three hundred people, came to see the school, including a few who are joining us in September already, but wanted to have another look around.

The families were toured around the school by our girls, going around a number of departments where they undertook a series of challenges, designed to give the girls a clear impression of what it would be like to be a student at the school.

Everyone had a great time – a prospective parent e-mailed her thanks after the day:

“We just wanted to say thank you so much for such an action-packed Open Day. I couldn’t believe that by 10.45am, G had tried Russian Code Breaking, found out what colour a flame turns when certain chemicals burn, bounced and forward flipped on the trampoline, made a circuit for the Roedean circular mirror, oh and, of course, eaten a Rocky

Road! The school is, without doubt, amazing, and we came away buzzing with the positivity but also the warmth and friendliness of the girls and teachers we met.”

We clearly made an excellent impression.

After the tours, our visitors listened to the Headmaster outline his vision for Roedean over the coming years, heard from five girls from the youngest in U3 to Saoirse, our Head Girl, listened to our U3 choir, and watched a piece of junior dance.

The weather was kind, and the Open Day ended with a light lunch in the Quad in front of the school. There were lots of questions asked and answered, and everyone left with a very clear impression of Roedean life. The best way to find out what it’s really like is definitely to come to the school.

Thank very much indeed to all the girls involved – there were so many compliments about how well you did and you convinced lots of families that their daughters would flourish here!

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Roedean Golf DayPupils, parents and staff all gathered on the cliffs at East Brighton Golf Club for the third annual Roedean Golf Day – the conditions were challenging with the wind and low temperature, but this did not diminish the enjoyment of the day in any way. The course presented a true test with its length and newly installed bunkers, and this meant that low scoring was a challenge especially for those that had not seen the course before.

The overall winner, with an excellent score of 36 points, was Tony Clarke, who coaches both golf and tennis, playing off a handicap of nine. In second place was Peter Curtis, Estates Bursar, and in third was Lina Manners, who is part of the School Office team. Tony, Peter and Lina also picked up the team prize, so they enjoyed a very successful day – we’ll be looking at the make-up of the teams closely for the next event!

In the students’ competition, Kate Liang (6.1) was the winner, closely followed by Polly Kos’ele (U4) in second, and Sara Poon (U5) in third. The attitude and the quality of the golf played by the girls was impressive, and it showed the benefit of the lessons they have been receiving at the golf club. The girls have plenty of opportunities to enjoy golf at Roedean, either on the driving range and practice green in the grounds, or at East Brighton Golf Club on our doorstep, so we are sure that the game will go from strength to strength.

After gathering in the clubhouse for refreshments and prizes, everyone left saying how much they are already looking forward to the next golf day.

For further details on golf opportunities at Roedean please contact Karen Andrew, Director of Sport – kan@roedean.co.uk.

Rounders vs WorthThe U14 team went to Worth last week to play rounders. In our first innings, we were dazzled by Worth’s great batting, and they scored 7 to our 3½ rounders. However, our fielding was much better in the second innings, and we caught out three players in three balls. Going in to bat, we knew we had a tough task on our hands with 10½ rounders needed if we were going to win. We kept scoring half rounders, risking the run to second post, and the scores were getting closer all the time. Unfortunately, the final score was Roedean 11 and Worth 13, but it did make for a really exciting conclusion to the match.

Isabella’s going to the Nationals

The Sussex U14 girls’ county team had a fantastic result at the regional qualifiers, winning a place in the County Cup National Finals in Nottingham. It was a great team effort, especially as Isabella and some of the others in the squad are still only 12 years old.

They won their box, beating Northamptonshire and Suffolk, then going on to beat Norfolk to gain the place in the Nationals. Sussex had two players who were injured, so it was a real victory for the girls who all pulled together and supported each other, winning against the odds. It is a great example of the commitment these girls make to their sport and their county.

Michelle Dyonisius at YaleWe are delighted to report that Michelle Dyonisius (6.1) has won a place on the Yale Young Global Scholars’ Summer School, whose continuing mission is to educate and to expose increasing numbers of international students, and students from the United States, to global issues, international affairs, American government in comparative perspective, and policy leadership. The course begins on June 23 and lasts two weeks, and it is led by staff from Yale, Oxford, and Harvard. After this course, Michelle will also attend a summer school at Oxford University for two weeks in July and August.

Michelle has high ambitions to work for the Indonesian government in some capacity, and maybe even be President. To this end, she has already undertaken intensive work experience at the presidential office in Jakarta, managing the press releases as well as its media relations.

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Roedean’s mock election 2015To coincide with the General Election, Roedean students and staff undertook a mock election on Thursday the 7th May. Turnout was an encouraging 65%, very close to the national average in 2010. Participation was particularly enthusiastic amongst girls from U3 to U5 and the staff. The results were as follows:

This result is a major shift from that in 2010, when the Liberal Democrats won by a narrow margin, at the height of ‘Cleggmania’. It returns Roedean to its traditional position as a safe Conservative seat.

A Day in London: The Eye, Aquarium, and Duck Tour!Our day in London at the weekend lived up to all expectations!

As we approached Waterloo, the London Eye looked great, set against the skyline - so tall, and glistening in the morning sunshine. This was our first stop, to board our pod and enjoy the sights of London as we reached high above the buildings. The girls were delighted as they recognised familiar sights and were very keen to take as many photographs as possible!

We then ventured onto the London Aquarium and were wowed by the shape and size of so many fish, and the penguins diving and circling in the arctic water conditions.

The highlight for many students was venturing aboard the ‘Duck’, a yellow amphibious vehicle in which we travelled by road and by river, exploring the sights of London. The sun was still out which made the experience a very good one as we listened to the light-hearted commentary and many interesting facts about our capital. The splashdown into the Thames was exciting and before we knew it, with wheels still turning and a propeller spinning, we were cruising in style.

It was a day to remember indeed, with the girls saying “each time we come to London please can you fit in a duck ride too!” and “I really enjoyed today and always wanted to take a ride on The Eye”. Jane Chandler

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Roedean TennisRoedean played Burgess Hill in the Team Tennis AEGON competition this week, and they won 10-2. The girls, all in U4, started with doubles, and both pairings dominated on court winning 6-0, and they then played singles against their opposite number. The standard of tennis was high from both schools and several games went to deuce.

Anna Kachmazova won her match 6-1 against their number 1. She was disappointed with her serve, but managed to keep her form when performing the ground strokes to outwit her opponent. The second singles game was won 6-0 by Maria Perez Tabarnero, and again her base line strokes proved too strong for Burgess Hill. Amber Pennington had a difficult singles match and lost her rhythm towards the end of the game losing 4-6.

The final singles match was extremely close, but at 4-4 Renesha Srichawla upped the level of her intensity and won 6-4. Overall, it was an outstanding fixture for our girls, and we look forward to the season ahead.

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Brighton Festival Fringe at RoedeanOn Saturday 2nd May, a completely sold-out Roedean Chapel was the venue for the annual Brighton Festival Fringe Concert. This wonderful community event saw a large number of girls from across the whole school come together with parents, staff, ORs, and local musicians to combine both choral and orchestral forces.

The first part of the concert was an opportunity to hear a selection of Roedean’s most talented musicians in their final year of school perform solos and concerto movements, accompanied by a full orchestra. As the buzz of expectation within the chapel settled into a quiet hush, the concert began with one of the most recognisable and dramatic openings, that of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, performed by Hindy Lai. The opening flourish set the hairs rising as Hindy gave a confident, controlled and stylish performance of this well-known movement, which ended with a thrilling cadenza.

There followed a complete change of musical mood as Aanya Hirdaramani brought the audience’s pulse to a relaxed state with Fauré’s beautiful Élégie for Cello. A lovely sense of line and beautiful vibrato made this melody sing, right through to its dark and brooding ending.

Francesca Amewudah-Rivers then brought a complete change of timbre to the event with her Bassoon, in the delicate set of variations by Weber, Andante Ungarese. This piece requires real control, both technically and musically, and Francesca’s confident and soulful musicality shone through, as did the beautiful tone of the Bassoon.

Hannah Falcone then stepped from her role as orchestral leader to soloist, in a performance of Czardas by Monti. It is unusual to have the opportunity as a soloist to perform this classic piece of Violin repertoire with full orchestral accompaniment, and, likewise, for the audience to hear the piece as it was intended by the composer. Hannah’s playing transported everyone in the Chapel straight into a rural Hungarian tavern, in a characterful and skilled performance.

We then heard the Roedean String Orchestra, conducted by Sophia Bartlette, play the opening of Mendelssohn’s Sinfonia in D. Although composed only in his early teens, this is a challenging piece, and the orchestra rose to it magnificently, with a wonderful range of dynamics, colour, and rapid tempi.

After a short break, Constance Lee then sang two folk songs arrangements by the French composer Canteloube. The first of these, Bailero, is a popular gentle folk setting, and the rich and sensitive orchestral accompaniment blended beautifully with the rich tone of Constance’s voice, transporting us to a distance pastoral scene.

Then came the Singer Singers from the school choir, who performed two extracts from Holst’s Choral Hymns from the Rig-Veda. It was fantastic to see young singers tackling these powerful pieces, and the strong and mature blend of voices within this group rang around the building, filling every corner with the tone and the rich English harmonies of Holst.

The concert ended with the full combined forces coming together in an abridged performance of the ever-popular Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, perhaps more commonly known to some as the theme music of X-Factor. From the powerful and expansive opening moments of full brass, percussion, orchestra and choir, to the final reprise, the audience was gripped and swept along by the sheer power and drama of the performance. Within the work as a whole, mention must go to the two superb soloists, Tillie Ng and Aimee de Havas, who both set the room alive with their particular movements.

With so much focus on individual performers at the front, and with the range and degree of skills involved, it was at times easy to forget that behind each performance was an orchestra, accompanying and playing highly demanding music, and yet composed primarily of Roedean pupils. It is always a huge ask to expect a school orchestra to accompany concerto movements, as often their parts are as difficult as the soloists’! To this end, every member of that team, including our staff singers, must be congratulated on what was a stupendous event. And of course, huge thanks and congratulations to Veronica Fewkes!

Many members of the audience who have been supporting this event in previous years were heard to describe it as “the best yet”… so, no pressure for 2016 then!

Hayley Waddell

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