The Flagpole

For over 150 Year 11 pupils, Friday 22 June was certainly an important day. With their public examinations finally out of the way, Year 11 pupils and their families were invited back to the College to celebrate the end of their GSCE year in a final Year 11 Thanksgiving Service.

Over four hundred guests attended the service held in the College Chapel.  Father Alan Whelan welcomed them all and opened the service with a hymn.  A number of staff, including Heads of House and members of the Senior Leadership Team, gave emotional readings that reflected the aspirations the College holds for their future.  The mood was one of celebration and optimism for the journey ahead. A plea for continuing kindness and generosity of spirit underpinned all the messages in the speeches.

Mrs Beth Sharpe, Pastoral Deputy Head, thanked all the parents for their support of the College and read a moving extract from a Denis Waitley poem called Roots and Wings.  Ed Hester, Headmaster, continued the thanks to the parents before inviting them to join with staff for refreshments after the service.

As friends, families and pupils trickled out of the Chapel to the Sixth Form Lawn to catch up, dish out hugs and enjoy a fine spread for lunch, there was a buzz of excitement ahead of next Monday evening’s all-important prom!

It was wonderful day of celebration and we wish all Year 11s a relaxing summer break before they move on to the next step of their life journey.

The College's performance of Loserville opened last night to rapturous applause. The musical, think Grease meets The Big Bang Theory, had the audience laughing one moment, then cringing the next, in a non-stop, bouncy and energetic production.

It tells the story of Michael Dork and his closest friends, a group of socially awkward teenage boys struggling through 'High School' in 1970s America. Michael is trying to invent email, Lucas is writing his first Sci-Fi novel (Galaxy Battles; Episode 4) and Marvin and Francis spend all their time building a space ship from a shopping trolley. They are constantly being thwarted by popular and privileged school quarterback, Eddie Arch and his cronies.

Then one day, a new girl arrives at the school. Holly is intelligent, funny and harbours a desire to become NASA’s first woman in space. Her sudden arrival throws everyone’s world into turmoil.

Loserville is filled with brilliant and energetic rock songs by James Bourne of Busted. It is farcical but lots of fun so come along for the ride to find out if our heroes ever get their “Ticket Outta Loserville”.

Tickets are still available for the remaining productions on Friday 22 June at 7.00pm and Saturday 23 June at 2.00pm and 7pm.  They are priced at £5.00 each with a concession of £2.50 for children and can be booked here. Please note there are limited seats and tickets will be allocated on a first come first served basis. 

The College’s annual Sports Day took place last Friday 15 June.  It was a fantastic afternoon of friendly, but fiercely competitive sport.  Field and track events took place simultaneously so the playing fields were action-packed from the moment the starting gun fired.  College staff were kept busy measuring, timing and recording all the running, jumping and throwing taking place.

House colours and flags were spread across the field and the Heads of House: Lisa Challinor, Kenny Owen, Chris McCullough and Simon Robertson cheered on every participant all hoping that this year their House would be victorious.  In the end it was Benet that just snatched victory, followed very closely by More, then Austin and Fisher, but it was a close run competition where every performance, sprint, middle distance or field event counted and the result was only decided after the very final event – the nail-biting relay.

It was a lovely sunny day and after a week of internal examinations pupils were more than ready for an afternoon of competition and the chance to let off a bit of athletic steam. Yes, there were the winners, who are to be commended for their exhilarating performances, but there were also the moments of camaraderie where pupils pulled together and willed along those who were finding the going tough.  And in the heat of the afternoon our Sixth Form Prefects helped to keep pupils cool selling over 700 popsicles that has helped fund a £250 donation to the Grangers Club.

Foundation Director of Sport, Neil McCollin, said, “This was another super Sports Day with plenty of excellent performances.  The atmosphere was incredible, pupils were very supportive of each other, appreciating every individual effort and there was very little in it at the end.”

Huge thanks to all involved in organising the event especially the House Activities Co-ordinators.

Some notable performances worthy of mention include:

Year 7
Julia Loftus 1500m
Freya O’Mahony Hurdles

Year 8
Jess Mackenzie Discus
Lara Tripp-Smith Hurdles
Ben Hardy 100m

Year 9
Nell Johnston Discus
George Dunkley 1500m
Ben Shipton Javelin
Connor Cooke Discus

Year 10
Abbie O’Carroll-Bailey Javelin
Boldi Kordas 100m
Ellis Chaplow 800m
Lucas Van Spelde and Charlie Marshall High Jump

The scores have been checked and verified and the final results were: 1st Benet (1202 points), 2nd More (1131.5 points), 3rd Austin (1092 points) and 4th Fisher (947.5 points).

OP Mark Hartley, owner of the Warwick bike shop Velo Esprit, and his technician Jason Mountford returned to Princethorpe last Friday 15 June to give the College’s cycling club a practical demonstration on how to maintain their brakes, tyres, chains and gears.  It was a timely lesson for Princethorpe’s cycling enthusiasts on the essentials of bike maintenance before their upcoming summer cycling tour.

The cycling club is preparing for its 2018 challenge, a 202 mile coast-to-coast ride across Wales, known as the Lon Las Cymru.  On the seven-day trip twelve pupils and four staff will pedal from Chepstow in the south up through the Gospel Pass and Hay-on-Wye into the Black and the Cambrian Mountains, up into Snowdonia, passing through Machynlleth, Dolgellau and then past Harlech and Criccieth castles to finally finish at one of the loveliest towns in North Wales, Caernarfon.   Along the way they will undertake one of the steepest ascents in the National Cycle Network and take in some of Wales’ most picturesque views.

Friday evening’s cycling club is a regular in the College’s extra-curricular programme that welcomes over twenty keen cyclists each week, pupils work towards Bikeability awards, that teach cycle road craft, route planning and develop confidence on a range of roads.

Cycling Club Co-ordinator and tour leader Will Bower commented, “Mark’s visit has given us all an insight into the technicalities of the bike as a machine. We know what emergency repair kits to carry with us and feel better equipped to deal with a puncture, a chain breaking or a brake losing friction.’

There is just under a month’s worth of preparation and training to go before the touring team start their challenge so there is plenty of time left to put into practice Mark’s maintenance tips to ensure their bikes are all in tip top condition.

We wish Mr Bower and his cycling team good luck on their 202 mile adventure and look forward to hearing about it on their return and thanks to Mark and Jason for all their help.

This year’s Summer Art, Photography and Design Show opened on Thursday 21 June with a special evening reception for the artists and their families, friends and guests. The displays will remain on show until Sunday 24 June allowing visitors to the College’s Summer Fête to also enjoy the superb standard of work this year’s GCSE and A-level pupils have produced.

Those who know the College will be familiar with its formidable reputation for quality Art and Design. The walls of the College are adorned with exceptional examples and the work at this year’s show was no exception with striking portraiture and photography sitting alongside technically complex product design.

The Sixth Form Centre and Lecture Theatre were transformed into an eclectic exhibition space, the light and airy atrium helping to showcase the work at its best.  The exhibition is one of 138 venues across Coventry and Warwickshire taking part in Warwickshire Open Studios 2018. 

On display was work from A-level and GCSE pupils exploring a diverse range of mediums and themes.  In the main hall fascinating portraiture sat alongside superb studies, imaginative illustrations and phenomenal photography.  In the Design and Technology studio, intricately stitched dresses and tutus showcased this year’s Textiles pieces, whilst Resistant Materials’ final products included fine oak chests, swooping seating and even games tables, and from our Electronics pupils there was a range of different sized and shaped amplifiers.

Visitors were audibly impressed with what they saw, stopping to stare in wonder, exclaiming over the ingenuity and talent and enjoying the fine collection of work.

Our congratulations go to all our GCSE and A-level pupils for producing such a worthy display. Thanks go to the Art and Photography Department and the Design and Technology Department for all their support and inspiration to pupils this and every year and for putting together such an outstanding display.

Lower Sixth Former, Meg Jones has become the first bridge player in the country to achieve the Diamond level of the English Bridge Education and Development’s Junior Award Scheme.

This is the scheme’s highest award, and sixteen-year-old Meg has worked her way through the previous five levels of the awards, before achieving this final level.

Assessment for the award is all practical and Meg’s mentor from her club, Brian Lawless, had to be satisfied that Meg had demonstrated bidding, card play and playing skills to exacting standards.

Meg undertook the award scheme as part of her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award which she is undertaking through the College.

Meg is already an under-20 England international bridge player, and is the third generation in her family to have represented her country in international competition.

The Diamond Award was presented at Stratford Bridge Club in front of an audience of family members and representatives of English Bridge and Warwickshire Contract Bridge Association.

Congratulations Meg we were delighted to hear of your marvellous achievement.   

On Thursday 21 June 40 pupils from across the College were invited to the Roundhouse by Assistant Head (Co-Curricular), Mr Greg Hunter, for a special celebratory lunch.

Nominated by members of staff, these pupils had all risen to the challenge of the College’s ethos. They had tried their best in many different ways.  Some had excelled in sport or academically, some had volunteered or acted as ambassadors and some had gone over and above for their House or Tutor group.

The Celebration of Achievement Lunch recognises pupils that go the extra mile, those who commit in extraordinary ways whether by actions or achievements, both inside or outside of College life. 

In a short speech Mr Hunter congratulated each and every one of them, he praised the care, friendship and support they provide to the school community and thanked them for their efforts that help enrich school life.

Congratulations go to:

From Year 7: Emily Andrews, Ophelia Dibden, Marcus Garcia-Stokes, Daniel Heath, Amy Hogg and Chloe O’Carroll-Bailey

From Year 8: Corin Alford, Roualeyn Alford, Alicja Green, Amelia Greig, Will Hawkins, Adam Ledbrook, Freya Mills, Lottie Paybody and Evie Phillips 

From Year 9:  Carys Burchell, Max Critchley, Freddie Draper, Rory Draper, Mary Lomas, Caitlin Mason, Mia Sen-Gupta, Harry West and Riley Worrall

From Year 10: Sophie Cheshire, Georgie Clarke, Charlotte Fitzpatrick, Charlie Gordon, Prajeet Prabakaran, Jack Prance, Sebastien Shaw, Josh Tidd and Sam Wincott-Thomas

From Lower Sixth: Abbie Baker, Freya Barnett, Elizabeth Carr, Amy Field, Alex Hutcheson, Daisy Vucevic and Tom Warne

The College was delighted to hear that Year 8 pupil Daniel McCullough is to become a police cadet.

From a field of 90 applicants Daniel was one of only 14 successful candidates to make it into the cadet scheme this year.  He will attend his first training weekend in early September and then be sworn in at a ceremony on Sunday 9 September.

Warwickshire Police Cadets participate in lots of training and different activities, from first aid and fitness through to leadership and conflict resolution.  They work towards a Level 2 Award in Leadership and Team Skills. The cadets help and assist in their communities supporting local policing teams delivering advice and stewarding at local community events.

Daniel is Princethorpe’s first police cadet and is pictured here with PC Darren Lund.

Young designers enjoyed a real race for space at Princethorpe’s Year 5 Design Technology Challenge.  Over 50 Year 5 children from schools around the region attended the morning taster session on Saturday 16 June, exploring the College’s well-equipped DT studios as they tried their hand at three different space-themed challenges. 

Soldering, sawing, stitching and skewering were just some of the many skills our junior inventors mastered as they worked with materials such as wood, plastic, textiles and food.  Much of the skills and equipment used were new to the children, but they all readily embraced them as they moved around the different DT departments taking on the challenges prepared by Head of Design Technology, Mr Paul Scopes and his team of staff.

Between them the young designers managed to create oodles of space-themed products to take away, including wooden rocket photo frames, mini aliens with light up antennae, alien bean bags and edible cake-pop planets.

Mr Scopes commented, "The children all had a lot of fun.  They really rose to the challenges we set them and should be incredibly proud of what they achieved in such a short amount of time.”

Many thanks to all the staff who helped organise and run the event and to the DT pupils who came along and so ably supported all the visiting children.

Princethorpe College was absolutely delighted to welcome back the award winning Nuneaton-based Sudden Impulse Theatre Company for two performances on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 June.  The College was the first venue for the company’s 2018 summer tour that takes Shakespeare plays to a range of historic and interesting outdoor locations.

The Sixth Form lawn made for a grand backdrop for ‘A Comedy Of Errors’, the trees and shrubs either side working perfectly as wings.  The audience was entertained by one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, a hilarious farce involving two sets of twins, escalating mistaken identities, plenty of slapstick comedy with no one exempt from being the butt of the joke.

The production, blessed by the weather, proved a summer treat and an absolute delight from the start to finish.  It had a great sense of pace and robust good humour.  Regular Sudden Impulse player and Princethorpe English Teacher, Jess Newborough, was in the audience this year.  She was thrilled by the performance commenting, “Princethorpe looked at its most picturesque on Friday, as the sun set behind the trees and the cows mooed in the next field we were treated to a fast paced, frisky and effervescent performance of Shakespeare's shortest play. Sudden Impulse put smiles on the faces of the whole audience and their annual visit to Princethorpe is fast becoming a popular fixture in the College calendar.”

Thank you to all those involved in the production, both in front of and behind the scenes.

Princethorpe College’s annual Primary School Challenge took place on Wednesday 13 June. Over 120 pupils from Rugby-based The Revel Church of England Primary School, English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School and for the first time St Lawrence Church of England Primary School from Napton, near Southam, came to the College to participate in a day of team building challenges and a track and field athletics competition.

The day started with a series of team building exercises that required the children to temper their excitement and work effectively together, communicating and problem solving. Each team took part in ten activities that included co-ordination challenges such as plank walking, communication and trust tasks like the blind-folded obstacle course, puzzle problems including the bucket lift and the rope tangle and many more. It was fantastic to see so much enthusiasm and enjoyment as the groups faced and overcame each task.

Following a pit-stop for a Princethorpe cookie, the children took to the College’s playing fields for the track and athletics competition. They participated in a range of events, including both the long and the high jump and sprint and endurance races on the track.

Summing up, Cyp Vella, Primary Schools Liaison Teacher, commented, “All the children deserve huge congratulations for their energy and enthusiasm. It was lovely to see the teams working together throughout the day; it was really great to see them playing to each other’s strengths and working really effectively as teams.”

The event also gave the College the opportunity to welcome back some recent Old Princethorpians who kindly gave up their time now they are back home from university to help organise and facilitate the day. Our thanks go to Nick Bond, Evie Bonsall, Bethan Ellis, Lauren Hall, Peter Hitchman, Mollie Hughes, Zoe Hyland, Harry Jones, Meg Lewis, Hannah Malam, Charlotte Plant, Olivia Pope, Gemma Rees, Annie Salter and Jo Stanley who together with Teaching Assistants Nick Bonsall, Sophie Rejali and Taylor Vaughan and PE staff Hannah Carminati and Emma Nobes helped facilitate the event. They very much enjoyed catching up with each other, as well as with their former teachers, and that all added to the carnival atmosphere of the event, which is now a firm favourite on the Princethorpe calendar.