News

Awesome Austin Celebrates Victory In The Hotly Contested House Cup

Austin House is celebrating after winning the most hotly contested competition in school, the House Cup. Their victory was announced at the end of last week in the Prefect Inauguration ceremony by House Activities Leader, Jess Newborough. The House Cup was presented to the outgoing Austin House Captains, Luke Brotherton and Charlotte Fitzpatrick, as jubilant Austin pupils watched and cheered from their classrooms across the school.

Before announcing the result, Mrs Newborough spoke of the challenges of the last year, her delight at how Princethorpe pupils had responded and the camaraderie and sense of community that the House activities had provided across the year but especially during all the lockdowns - from the very first Tuesday challenge, the Blinding Lights TikTok style dance videos, through all the virtual competitions, activities as diverse as the Toilet Roll challenge, the VE Day Flag competition, the Land’s End to John O’Groats race, the week of Olympic challenges, the Bookshelf challenge to the hugely popular Masked Reader quiz. Over the year all the regular weekly fun of the Friday quizzes had continued and some House events went virtual such as the House Talent Show. In between lockdowns there were even a few events that managed to take place in person including the European Day Of Languages quiz and the Easter Egg challenge.

Across the year it was a steady and consistent performance that helped Austin pupils amass their huge total of points and finish first across the line but well done to all pupils across the school who participated in all the events so enthusiastically. The final results this year were: 1st Austin, 2nd More, 3rd Fisher and 4th Benet.

Huge thanks also to all the House team, including the House Activities Co-ordinators and House Captains for all they do to organise and run House events.

Princethorpe Place Sixth And Eighth In Regional Round Of National Reading Quiz

On Tuesday 4 May enthusiastic and well-read pupils from Year 7 and Year 8 represented Princethorpe College in the West Midlands heat of the National Reading Champions Quiz organised by the National Literacy Trust. The quiz was for pupils aged between 10 and 14-years-old and included 10 challenging rounds testing pupils’ general knowledge of books written for children and young adults.

The quiz was hosted online on Teams and the quiz master for the event was educational writer and performer Mr Dilly. Over 400 schools from across the country had entered the competition and in the regional round Princethorpe’s teams faced up against 30 from the West Midlands.

The competition was certainly challenging including rounds titled, Odd One Out, Opening and Closing Lines, Villains, Books on Screen, Myths and Legends, Comic and Graphic Novels, Partnership, Blast from the Past, Word Play and Watch Me Now.

Competing from Year 8 were Sean Birtley, Andrew Gordon, Anna Johnson, Pip Evans, Dylan Williams and Jess Lane while in the Year 7 team were Ariana Gray, Soren Wasley, Alexa Holland, Sophie Henry, Bella Ward and Megan Thandi.

The rounds came thick and fast and the pupils worked under pressure to answer the questions before the clock timed out. It was an exciting event for all who took part.

It was a fantastic opportunity for pupils to enjoy an online quiz with their peers and to prove just how much they know about children and young people’s fiction. Both Princethorpe teams performed brilliantly with Year 8 coming sixth and Year 7 eighth overall, an absolutely fantastic result.

Celia Scott, School Librarian, said, "Our pupils performed very well, as there were 32 schools who took place in the West Midlands heat altogether.  It was a super afternoon much enjoyed by our avid readers who have already begged to take part again next year."

A huge well done to them all.

 

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Steve Kowal To Take On Princethorpe Foundation Development Director Role

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Steve Kowal to the role of Foundation Development Director. He will take up the position later in the summer.

Steve has a proven track record in fundraising and a wealth of development experience. He has spent most of his working life within Higher Education Development, including City University London, the University of Surrey, Coventry University Group and most recently the University of Buckingham as Director of Advancement.

Well versed in leadership and strategic direction over his 15-year career, he has a history of accomplishments including successful capital campaigns, corporate and major donations, grants, annual giving and data management.

Comments Ed Hester, “We had an outstanding field of candidates and Steve stood out both in terms of experience and most importantly his fit with Princethorpe. His arrival at this key juncture will be instrumental to the success of both the Science+ Campaign and the wider development strategy for the Foundation and I am very excited at the prospect of working with him.”

Steve adds, “I am fully committed to the values that education embraces and look forward to bringing my skills and experience to bear within the independent school sector at Princethorpe. The Foundation is relatively young in its development journey and I relish the opportunity to lead and manage its fundraising efforts and engagement with the whole community.”

Horrors Of First World War Brought Home By Former Deputy Head

The Library has recently purchased a series of four captivating books outlining the horror and heroism of the First World War. The volumes entitled As We Were have been co-written by retired teachers David Hargreaves and Margaret-Louise O’Keeffe.

Margaret-Louise was a former Deputy Head at Princethorpe who joined the College in 1994 and retired in 2007. The collaboration for the four books started when she began an online project with David in the summer of 2014 to tell the story of the First World War, week by week. They have worked on it for the past four years, adding to it and never missing a week. The books were released in March 2021.  A review of the books in the Spectator is available to view here.

The four books span the period from August 1914 – November 1918 and they bring together vivid stories and first-hand accounts of thousands of soldiers and civilians, As We Were is a ground-breaking work that exposes the individual experience of the First World War in four remarkably readable volumes.

The books will be available for student loan from the Sixth Form Library and we hope to invite Margaret-Louise into College to talk about her books with staff and students in the new academic year.

During her time at the College, Margaret-Louise was actively involved in the preparations to make Princethorpe co-educational which happened in September 1995. In 2008, she returned to open the new Sixth Form Centre. Since retiring from Princethorpe Margaret-Louise has worked as a freelance lecturer on literature and history. Educated at Girton College Cambridge, she completed a two year MA in art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She also continues to be an active member of the Arts Society and gives regular talks at the College.

Year 10 Virtual Visit To Synagogue

On Tuesday 11 May, Year 10 pupils took part in a virtual tour of the Leicester Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. Pupils joined from their classrooms here in school via Zoom for a tour of the synagogue and an insight into the Jewish faith.

Head of Religious Studies Cyp Vella explains, “Judaism is one of the set religions that pupils study at GCSE and the virtual visit was a good opportunity to further their understanding of the faith.”

The Hebrew Congregation’s ambassadors were delighted to show pupils their beautiful Synagogue, taking the time to explain its different functions. They introduced pupils to some of their important artefacts including the Torah Scrolls and a Shofar, an ancient instrument made from a ram’s horn. The ambassadors also spoke about what it means to be Jewish, such as the rules they live by, including eating only kosher food, and the challenges that brings.

Cyp Vella, continues, “The virtual sessions worked really well and provided pupils with a valuable enrichment experience. Exploring the Jewish faith with the Hebrew Congregation brought their learning alive. Year 10 engaged well and asked a wide range of questions. Many thanks to the Leicester Hebrew Congregation for taking the time to meet with Year 10.”

Telethon Success Sees Princethorpe Reconnect With Hundreds Of OPs

During the Easter holidays Princethorpe College undertook its first-ever telethon, aimed at getting back in touch with Old Princethorpians and former parents of the College to catch-up, update them on our news and ensure we can stay in touch in the future.

A team of 13 recent leavers from 2015 to 2020 totalled nearly 700 hours of conversations with nearly 600 alumni and former parents being spoken to during the two weeks of the campaign.

The telethon was undertaken remotely with the call team doing their work either at home or university – from Glasgow to Bristol and supported by colleagues from Buffalo Fundraising Consultants.

Our callers were told many stories of years past from the 1960s onwards and also enjoyed catching up with more recent leavers and hearing how many of them are getting on at university or work.

The College would like to extend its thanks to all who participated in the campaign – especially our wonderful call team of recent leavers, as well as those from the Princethorpe community who took the time to give us their thoughts and feedback.

Michael Gucluer (OP 2018), who was part of the call team, said:

“The telephone campaign has been challenging but also really useful for developing interpersonal skills. It’s been great working from home and being able to engage with Old Princethorpians, many of which I was friendly with at school or had an indirect affiliation with. Miki from Buffalo was brilliant - keeping us entertained and always being available to answer any questions and for her inclusive attitude in virtual calls.

“A particularly funny moment was an Old Princethorpians’ story of antics in Austria where a group of them were berated by the fathers for nearly missing the flight home!”

Esme Down (OP 2019), who was also on the call team, added:

“I’ve really enjoyed doing the telethon campaign. It has been wonderful to chat to so many different people and to hear that the caring ethos of Princethorpe has been prominent throughout its history.

“People I’ve spoken to have such fond memories of the school and still feel a great affinity with it. It’s been especially interesting for me to chat to Old Princethorpians who have gone on to work in the scientific and medical fields. It’s been a privilege to be able to give back to Princethorpe and show my appreciation for my time there.”

Trinnie Seaman Is Our Upper Sixth Princethorpe Connect Winner

Upper Sixth leaver, Trinnie Seaman, has been announced as the lucky winner of the College’s Princethorpe Connect prize draw, winning a £25 Amazon Voucher and a magnum of champagne for her table at the Leavers’ Ball on Tuesday 29 June at Warwick House.

All the Upper Sixth were encouraged to join Princethorpe Connect over the last few weeks giving them access to our online alumni network, careers and mentoring advice, the termly OP e-newsletter and OP Friendly Faces, our initiative to match new undergraduates with OPs at universities around the country. They will also be able to view their Leavers’ Ball photos on the platform after the event.

Any of the Upper Sixth who have yet to join can do so by going to connect.princethorpe.co.uk and creating a profile as an Upper Sixth leaver.

All the Upper Sixth leavers profiles will be go live on Friday 21 May after the Final Internal Assessments end.

Parents of Upper Sixth leavers, for whom this is their last year in the Foundation, are also very welcome to join as a Former Parent and can do so be going to connect.princethorpe.co.uk and creating a profile as a Former parent.

Parents might also like to take a look at the Princethorpe Connect Online Shop and purchase some of our souvenir items which include the OP Tie, Tower Pin, Scarf, Pen and the Soaring Redbrick Tower Fine Art Print.

connect.princethorpe.co.uk/shop

Wishing all our Upper Sixth leavers well as they come to the end of their Princethorpe journey. Do please keep in touch, we always love to hear how you are doing.

 

Old Princethorpian E-newsletter Out Now!

The latest edition of the Old Princethorpian, the Foundation's alumni newsletter was published last Friday 7 May.

The newsletter aims to keep our alumni in touch with each other and with news, developments and events across the Foundation. This latest edition was a bit of a bumper issue with plenty of OP updates and memories shared.

You can find the newsletter here: oldprincethorpian.co.uk

If you are an OP or know an OP and have any comments on the e-newsletter or news to contribute to the next issue, which is due out in October, please do email us at oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk.

 

Foundation News: Crescent School To Benefit From Enhanced Facilities From September

Planning permission has been granted for the Crescent School, the Foundation's Prep School in Bilton, Rugby, to transform a building at the heart of its campus.

Work on the 250m2 building, which was previously leased to Pathfinders Nursery, will begin shortly and will be completed before the start of the next academic year.

The building will be known as the Horton Centre, reflecting the school’s origins on Rugby’s Horton Crescent.

Comments Joe Thackway, Headmaster, "Our vision for the Crescent is for it to be a small but perfect preparatory school. Part of our development strategy over the last few years has been to upgrade and update our facilities. This has been constrained by our site and the desire to maintain the outdoor space we have for sport and recreation."

"We now find ourselves in the unique position of being able to significantly enhance our facilities for the benefit of the whole school community. The Horton Centre will house a classroom for our Year 2 children, a flexible space for the Performing Arts and our Before and After School wrap around care will benefit from a new home."

The Crescent is a thriving 4 to 11 co-educational independent day school, which forms part of the Princethorpe Foundation. The school has an Open Evening planned for Thursday 27 May, where, by appointment, visitors will be able to tour the school in a socially distanced way and speak to members of staff.

For more information please contact, Helen Morley, Registrar on 01788 523851 or email admissions@crescentschool.co.uk.

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