The Flagpole

Tuesday 25 January 2022 - 7.30pm

For our first Arts Society Lecture of 2022 Dr Nick Baker, former Archivist of Princethorpe College will give a presentation on ‘Should You Judge A Book By Its Cover? A fascinating look at book bindings through the centuries.

The lecture will cover:

Does it matter what a book looks like? We often take book bindings for granted, but they can tell us so much about the past. Generally speaking, books have only been sold ready-bound since the nineteenth century. Before then, loose sheets of printed or written text were bound to serve the taste, needs and the means of the patron or purchaser. Various materials, including leather, were employed to protect precious volumes, and they were frequently decorated with metalwork, paint and ink. Hot metal tools were sometimes used to stamp the covers with elaborate designs.

What is a girdle book? What is russia leather? What is tree calf? We will consider these, and other weird and wonderful terms, in the course of the evening. Book bindings can tell us so much about past owners, printers and publishers, and provide insights into changing fashions and tastes. Above all, many book bindings are simply works of arts to be treasured and enjoyed.

The talk will take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday 25 January 2022 in the Sixth Form Lecture Theatre followed by wine and light refreshments in the Atrium.

Tickets cost just £5 each, Princethorpe, Crackley Hall and Crescent School pupils are free of charge. To book your ticket please go to Princethorpe Connect. Tickets will also be available on the door.

Our Spring Arts Society Lecture is the third in the series on Italian poet, writer and philosopher, Dante, by former Deputy Head, Pastoral and Art Historian, Margaret-Louise O’Keeffe on Tuesday 29 March 2022 – please save the date.

Friday 28 January 2022

The Princethorpe PTA is pleased to announce their second Burns Night quiz which will take place on Friday 28 January in the Sixth Form Centre from 7.30pm to 9.00pm.

The evening promises to be fun-filled with six short question rounds. Test your Scottish knowledge in Geography, Music, Sport, Celebrities, Landmarks and General Knowledge along with prizes for top scores. The PTA will be providing a cheese board for each table to enjoy and there will also be drinks available at the bar to purchase; cash only thank you. 

The event will be in aid of Mary's Meals, the Scottish-based charity, which is close to Princethorpe's heart. It is also the Sixth Form's SVP Charity so students will be our comperes for the quiz and we look forward to their rendition of 'Address to a Haggis'.

There is no charge to take part, but we are asking participants to kindly donate to the College’s ongoing project with Mary’s Meals supporting the feeding programme at Makalanga School in Malawi. All donations made before Sunday 30 January will be matched by private Mary’s Meals supporters, more information is available here: https://www.marysmeals.org.uk/doublethelove.

Use the link below to donate to our sponsored school in Malawi, you will also be helping Mary’s Meals support new school feeding programmes in Liberia.

Please make your donation here: http://giving.marysmeals.org/en_gb/projects/vt0p-princethorpe-5-makalanga 

We will also be holding a silent auction for a beautifully framed print of our very own Princethorpe College. 

The evening is sure to be excellent entertainment so why not join in the fun. If you would like to attend the evening we need to know in advance, so please register here by 9.00am Monday 24 January.

We look forward to seeing you.

The PTA Committee 

Monday 31 January - 6.30pm to 8.00pm

Princethorpe College is thrilled to welcome Dr Suzie Imber as guest speaker at our forthcoming da Vinci Lecture on Monday 31 January. If you would like to attend, please follow the link below for this online event:

My Life as a Space Scientist – Dr Suzie Imber

Dr Suzie Imber was the winner of the BBC 2 series entitled Astronauts: Do You Have What it Takes? during which twelve candidates were put through astronaut training with NASA astronaut Chris Hadfield. She endured challenges such as taking her own blood, speaking Russian while in a centrifuge at 5g and carrying out emergency procedures on the NASA undersea astronaut training facility, Aquarius. 

As an Associate Professor of Planetary Science at the University of Leicester, Dr Imber specialises in space weather; understanding how explosions from the Sun travel through the solar system and impact the planets, in particular the Earth and Mercury. Space weather has profound impacts for our modern-day society and has been added to the government’s national risk register, having the potential to disrupt power grids, telecommunication systems and GPS systems, as well as damaging spacecraft instrumentation and posing a hazard to astronaut health.

A true polymath and role model for Princethorpe’s da Vinci programme, Suzie was an England U21 lacrosse player, an elite rower, and is now a high-altitude mountaineer. She has written computer code to automatically identify mountains in South America and found hundreds of mountains that didn’t exist on previous lists. She sets off annually to scale these incredibly remote, un-climbed mountains, exploring new regions of our planet and even discovering sets of Incan ruins on the summits.

It will be such a privilege for us to hear Suzie speak about her life as a space scientist and we hope that as many of you as possible can join us on the night.

If you have any queries, please contact helenpascoe-williams@princethorpe.co.uk

Helen Pascoe-Williams
Da Vinci, Learning Skills, EPQ Co-ordinator and English Teacher

Thursday 3 Februrary - 6.30pm to 7.30pm   

The STEAM ambassadors invite you to an evening with Dr John Lloyd.

Dr John Lloyd will be joining us on Thursday 3 February from 6.30pm to 7.30 pm in the Clarkson Theatre to share his love of science, computing and technology. He will explain how his curiosity about how things work influenced his choice of A-level and degree courses and how his STEAM skills have enabled him to make some unexpected but rewarding career choices.

Dr Lloyd works with well known companies using a variety of data to make decisions on how to increase sales of their products - from crisps and chocolates to gin and skin moisturisers, from creating new products and brands, to how to display products on shelves to increase sales. He started his career as a research chemist (in thermodynamics) with British Gas and now works in IT and cloud-based data analysis with NielsenIQ.

Please click here to reserve your seat at what promises to be a fascinating session.

Thursday 10 February - Saturday 12 February 2022

Sometimes You Have to Be a Little Bit Naughty if
You Want to Change Your Story

The Clarkson Theatre will be filled by the smell of rebellion when Princethorpe presents Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. Based on the beloved book Matilda by Roald Dahl and adapted from the award-winning full-length musical, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. tells the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.

Musical Director Gil Cowlishaw says, “One of my favourite moments early on in the show is when Matilda sings, ‘Even if you are little you can do a lot’. It’s such a powerful reminder for each of us, tall and small, to take ownership in how we can create our reality. Through the process of putting on this musical, these pupils (many of whom are brand new to the College this year) are doing just that: they are joining together and working hard to create this extraordinary event for their community. We think they deserve a standing ovation for all their work.”

Princethorpe College presents Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. on 10-12 February 2022 at 7.00pm (with a 2.00pm Saturday Matinee as well) in the Clarkson Theatre. Tickets are free, and allocated on a first come, first served basis. 

Performances will take place on Thursday, 10 February, Friday 11 February, Saturday 12 February 2.00pm and Saturday 12 February 7.00pm.  Please click on the day you require in order to book tickets on My School Portal.  

Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized materials are supplied by Music Theatre International 423 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019, 212-541-4684, mtishows.com.

Wednesday 16 February 7.00pm

It was great to welcome some new faces to the Reading Group this month. The Catch by T M Logan which we discussed was certainly a quick and engaging read. We all felt involved in the narrative but it didn’t quite live up to the reviews and rapidly lost credibility towards the end. 

We will be meeting again on Wednesday 16 February, just before half-term, in the library at 7.00 pm. The book we will be discussing is One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin which is certainly endorsed by those who’ve read it. All welcome whether or not you’ve had time to finish the book.

Chris Kerrigan
Head of English