Private School News

Mount St Mary’s pupil ‘on guard’ for national championship

A Derbyshire/Spinkhill pupil will compete alongside some of the finest young fencers in the country at a prestigious national championship this weekend.

Nina Zimmerman, a year 10 boarding student at Mount St Mary’s College, will represent her school at the British Youth Fencing Championships to be held at the English Institute of Sport – Sheffield.

The event, which takes place from May 1-3, will showcase the very best young swordsmen and women in Great Britain, with national and county fencers among those taking part.

Nina qualified for the competition after fighting her way to a bronze in the Girls Under 16 Foil at the Yorkshire Youth Championships in March.

Mount St Mary’s coach Adam Blight, who has experience of coaching nine British fencing champions, said: “To qualify for such a prominent competition is a fantastic achievement for Nina and I’m sure she will relish testing herself against some very strong fencers.

“Nina has a lot of talent and this experience will be another big step in her development. We all wish her the very best of luck in the championships.”
Fencers at the Mount are beginning to make their mark at regional and national level, and a strong performance at the Lancashire Schools Foil saw the school pick up four medals in its first ever regional competition.

Photo: Nina with her bronze medal after the Yorkshire Youth Championships

Oswestry School Pupils get the Point

Pupils at Oswestry School have the chance to learn a new sport, thanks to a partnership with the Oswestry Fencing Club.

Club coaches Bridie Lloyd and Tom Gulliver visit the school on Thursday afternoons to teach the skills of fencing to a group of 16 pupils, as part of their out of hours learning programme.

‘The club has proved very popular and we have a waiting list of pupils who want to join,’ said Oswestry School Director of Sport, Darren Hollingsworth. ‘We are very pleased that we have the opportunity to offer fencing as part of the alternative sports curriculum and we are glad that we can work with the Oswestry Fencing Club in this way.’

Worcester Warriors Charity Challenge – Tues. 11th May

Following its success last year, the Warriors Charity Challenge (Worcester Warriors Staff v Worcestershire Teachers) will take place on the main pitch at Sixways on Tuesday, 11 May 2010, KO 7pm.

All proceeds will be donated to The Matt Hampson Trust.

Come along and cheer on our teachers and hope they can even the series.

Messrs Hughes, Moffatt, Bee, Friend and Taylor will be representing RGS and will be joining senior and primary school teachers from around Worcestershire for the charity match

Tickets are only £3 and are on sale from Mrs Sturdy in Whiteladies on 01905 613391. Tickets are also available from the Warriors Box Office on 01905 454183.

Parking is available at Sixways for £2 per car, payable as you drive in.

Corporate boxes are available at a price of £20 per head which will include a 1 course meal, great viewing point and a current 1stXV player who will act as the host.

Last year’s game was hugely entertaining so we hope to see as many of you there as possible this year for a really fun evening.
Please book quickly to avoid disappointment and support two great charities.

Rugby Background / RGS Teachers –

Gareth Hughes (Fly Half) – ex Saracens
Jon Moffatt (Back) – ex Northampton
Jonathon Friend (Back Row) – ex Bath
Ben Taylor (Back Row) – ex Bedford
Simon Bee (Hooker) – ex Broad Plain Bristol

English Inter Schools skiing competition

An adventurous Saint Felix pupil has recently competed in the English Inter Schools skiing competition in Les Houches, France.

Lollipop Brooker, 8, competed in the ‘Mini’s 1’ section of the contest, in which she came 5th in the Giant Slalom competition in her age category – Lolli was one of the youngest skiers to take part in the competition. She will compete in the British Championships in Meribel, France, at Easter.

A delighted Lolli commented: “I’ve had a fantastic Winter in Austria again and have really loved the skiing. I was very nervous about competing at the Inter Schools but enjoyed the racing a lot. I’m really looking forward to the Meribel Championships.”

PRIOR PARK STUDENT GOES FOR GOLD

Sporty Prior Park College student, Joss Bennett, has won three medals including gold in the Somerset County Championships. Joss achieved gold in the 200m IM, silver in the 200m breaststroke and bronze in the 400m IM.

Next Joss will represent Prior Park College in the biathlon at Millfield on 9 May and following that he will compete in the regional championships in June. If he finishes in the top six, he will qualify for a national competition later this year.

Headmaster, James Murphy O’Connor, comments:

“Warmest congratulations to Joss for his achievements so far. If he wins at Millfield and the regional championships, this will be the fourth consecutive year that Joss has made the nationals which is extremely impressive. We would like to wish Joss all the best for his future endeavours and look forward to hearing about the results.”

Joss comments:

“Winning at the Somerset County Championships is a good achievement for me but my ultimate goal is to get to the nationals. To make it to the final would be an amazing experience and my success at the Somerset County Championships has allowed me to build on my performance. My teachers at Prior Park have been really supportive and are always looking for ways to help me go the distance.”

Contact us at Prior Park College on 01225 831000 or info@priorpark.co.uk. To find out more about the College, visit www.priorparkschools.co.uk.

Stonyhurst wins Red Rose County Badminton Championship

On Wednesday 10th March Stonyhurst College hosted the U19 Boys Red Rose County Badminton Championship and entered 3 teams. The Stonyhurst A Team beat Hutton Grammar School 3-2 in the Final. Stonyhurst have now won the trophy for the sixth time in eight years.

Stonyhurst girls have done well too. On Wednesday 3rd March, the U19 Girls Badminton Team competed in the Red Rose County Championships and finished in second place.

Photo: with their badges and certificates are (from left to right): Hannah Phoenix (16), Wendy Leung (17), Rebecca Powell (captain: 17) and Vanessa Vaghetti (18).

New sponsor for Saint Felix School’s equestrian team

A ‘working partnership’ has developed as two Suffolk businesses, Saint Felix School and Southwold Town Garage, join forces.

Southwold Town Garage has become the new sponsor of Saint Felix School’s equestrian team. The team, consisting of four girls from the school, will now enjoy invaluable support from their new sponsor.

Chris and Kerry Wilmot, who are the directors of the Southwold Town Garage, chose to sponsor Saint Felix Equestrian Team as their son Jack is a pupil at the school and the garage carries out the fleet maintenance of the school’s mini buses.

The partnership will be a ‘working’ sponsorship – representatives from the garage will attend shows that the team compete in, and will maintain vehicles required to transport the horses and team around the country. The company have also sponsored the ‘Arena Eventing – Jumping with Style’ class.

Co Director of Southwold Town Garage, Kerry Wilmot, commented: “The garage like to support teams based in the community, so we were delighted to offer our help to the equestrian team. Myself and Sarah Roberts, the assistant manager, both have an equine background and this also gives us both enjoyment and enthusiasm to be involved.”

Jane Ward, co-ordinator of the Equestrian team, added: “We are very grateful to Southwold Town Garage for their sponsorship. Members of their staff have an avid interest in horses, and it’s fantastic to have two local groups working together in the community.”

Success in the British School’s Modern Biathlon Championships for Saint Felix School

A team of three Saint Felix pupils have won bronze medals in the British School’s Modern Biathlon Championships.

Competing for Saint Felix, Alice Ward, Hannah Bacon and Casey Willis completed a 1000m run and a 100m swim in both individual events and as a team. This was a new experience for these pupils and mark exciting times ahead for the school as the girls came away with bronze medals in the Year 8 Girls team event.

Hundreds of young athletes competed in the Championships, which took place at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Sunday 21st March. Some 650 young people from around the country faced the challenge of a swim and a run having qualified in 12 regional events during the Autumn Term.

The British Schools Modern Biathlon Championships is supported by Sport England and run by Pentathlon GB, the national governing body for modern pentathlon. Biathlons are one of the traditional ways that young people try out multi-sports events in an enjoyable, safe and competitive environment. After mastering swimming and running, they can gradually add the other disciplines of the modern pentathlon – fencing, shooting and show jumping – before tackling a full modern pentathlon.

Their hard work in running-training paid off as Casey, Alice and Hannah all managed to shave a minimum of ten seconds off their qualifying run time which boosted their points as they entered their stronger event, swimming. In an imposing 50m pool they rose to the occasion and gained some impressive times. To gain bronze medals was an icing on the cake.

Director of Sport at Saint Felix, Georgina Kingstone, commented: “We are all very proud of the girls – their dedication in training has really paid off. Well done.”

“Great Britain has an outstanding track record on the international stage in modern pentathlon and who knows, some future British Olympic pentathletes may compete at Crystal Palace on Sunday.” said Peter Hart, Chief Executive of Pentathlon GB.

Ben helps Wales to a series win against Scotland

Ben in action for Wales
Over the Easter Holidays, 3rd Form pupil Ben Wigmore was selected to represent Wales U16s at Hockey. Ben, who is still only 14 years old, has a further two years to offer to the National team at this age group.

Ben was part of the Wales U16 team that played Scotland in the first International of the season at Wrexham during the Easter weekend. The first match resulted in a win for Wales who totally dominated the game after a somewhat sluggish start with a score of 2 – 0. In the second match Scotland got off to a good start, leading at half time 2 – 0. Wales however took control in the second half of the match. Through excellent teamwork they scored three goals securing a 3 – 2 victory. The final match to end the series was frustrating for the Welsh boys as despite dominating the game in every respect and an extraordinary number of near misses, the final score was 2 – 1 to Scotland. Wales won the series however and it was well deserved.

As mentioned, Ben was selected to play as a member of the 18 man team despite being very young. At 14 he has the prospect of not only this year but two further years in the same age group. His inexperience at this level although initially daunting, did not reflect in his game. He played extremely well in all three matches demonstrating increasing confidence and excellent skill and control of the ball.

Hockey Coach at Christ College Dr Dominic Phelps said: “Having already played on numerous occasions for Christ College’s 1st XI – quite an achievement in itself given Ben’s age – this is a real testament not only to his outstanding ability in hockey but also to the immense amount of hardwork and dedication to the sport that he has put in over recent years. There is little doubt that a future national star is being developed right here at Christ College.”

BEDFORD MODERN SCHOOL PARENT, TRACEY SMITH, COMPETES IN LONDON MARATHON TO RAISE FUNDS FOR KEECH HOSPICE CARE

Bedford Modern School parent, Tracey Smith, will be participating in the London Marathon on Sunday 25th April in order to raise funds for Keech Hospice Care’s children’s service.
The hospice looks after children with a life-limiting illness in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes, which is a huge area to cover.

Tracey, who has two sons at Bedford Modern School, Aaron in Year 3 and Kieran in Year 7, began working for the charity two years ago by working in the Keech Hospice Care shop in Kempston. “I had an induction day at the hospice and was so impressed with the wonderful care and support they provide for patients and families all year round. I was informed that the Government provides 25% of the funding and the charity must raise the rest. This inspired me even more to try and “do my bit”, said Tracey.

Having completed two midnight walks for the charity, Tracey wanted to set herself a true challenge and raise vital funds and so the London Marathon became an ideal target. “I applied to enter the London Marathon and obtained one of the gold bond charity places for Keech Hospice Care. The charity has to buy these places, which I did not realise, and I have guaranteed to raise at least £1,500,” added Tracey.

Serious training for the London Marathon began in January for Tracey when she received the official marathon magazine together with a 13 week training guide. “Having not run since I was at school, training has been quite tough at times,” said Tracey. “Sometimes it is hard to be motivated to go out on a dark, cold evening after a day at work. I worked out a circuit of half a mile and repeated this on numerous occasions in order to build up my stamina. As the weeks progressed I found I could run 5, 10, 13, 15, 18 and finally 21 miles, before beginning my three week taper phase.”

The London Marathon is 26.2 miles long starting at Greenwich and finishing in The Mall. Bedford Modern School wishes Tracey Smith every success with the London Marathon and anyone wishing to sponsor Tracey and help raise funds for Keech Hospice Care can donate at www.justgiving.com/tracey4keech

Photo: Bedford Modern School parent Tracey Smith who will be competing in the London Marathon to raise funds for Keech Hospice Care

Fitness is fun for the boys and girls at The Manor Preparatory School!

Mrs. Angela O’Rourke, The Manor’s Director of Sport, has facilitated a programme of over 55 sporting opportunities and activities each week, allowing every boy and girl to enjoy physical activity both within the curriculum and out of personal choice.
4 full-time members of the PE Department and over 35 part-time and volunteer experts guide the children to develop their skills. From tag rugby and jumping onto surfboards to following Youth Sports Leader courses, the emphasis is on joining in and reaching potential.
Regular fixtures with schools in the area and the school’s hosting of master classes led by national and international athletes give the children a sense of the place of sport in our broad community. Sport works in tandem with fun in the classroom to challenge the children and to enhance each child’s self-esteem. Realistic targets are set for each child to allow them to believe their aims are achievable and, as they leave The Manor, they take with them high expectations of the role that sport, fitness and health will play in their own lives.

National Lacrosse Excellence for Lottie and Sophie

Lottie Van-Praag, Year 10, and Sophie Coombes-Roberts, Year 11, represented Wales in the Women’s U19 Lacrosse Home International Championship at Cardiff University in March. The girls both played extremely well, resulting in their selection to play for the Wales Senior Women’s B Team at the Home Internationals in Edinburgh on the 17th and 18th April. Sophie scored twice against England and they both achieved hat-tricks against Ireland. Lottie won 80% of the centre draws in both matches. The girls were the youngest ever to represent Wales in a Senior International game.

Head of Sports, Mrs Karen Bevan, said, ‘Both Sophie and Lottie have exceeded all expectations in their first full season competing at this very high level. We are very proud of their achievements so far and look forward to following and supporting their progress in the future’.

The Marist Wins them all in a week!

The Marist Senior School, Sunninghill, had an impressive week of sporting successes starting with Swimming on Monday 3rd March, where their swimming teams attended the Ascot School’s Relay Competition at Heathfield School.

The Year 9 team came first over all in their age group, and the Year 7 teams also came in top positions after being placed 2nd and 3rd.

Cross country was their next event on Wednesday 3rd March at ‘The Look Out’ in Bracknell. The Swinley Forest Cross Country Relay was entered by Ffion MacKenzie and Chelsea Tinniswood in Year 7, Greta Spitzer and Emma Davis Year 8, and Kate Reynolds and Lucy Campbell in Year 9.

The Marist Relay Team came first and two minutes faster than the other competitors!

Also on Wednesday, fifteen teams entered The U13 Ascot Schools Netball Tournament held at St George’s School. The Marist Team were unbeaten in their pool games and then played Licensed Victuallers School and won 6-2 in the semi-final. They went on to beat The Abbey School 4-3 in the final.

The Marist Senior School has won Swimming Relays, Cross Country Relays and Netball Tournaments all in one week!

Mrs Bishopp, Head of PE at the Marist Senior School is extremely proud of the successes of the PE department in such a short space of time, and Mrs Karen Thompson a PE teacher at the Marist comments, “we have had a strong sporting year at the Marist so far and are so proud of girls and their team spirit and comradeship. We are looking forwards to our next matches over the coming weeks.”

Chess success for Homefield School

The under-9 chess team from Homefield School in Surrey have become the EPSCA U9 National Champions 2009 in the final round of the tournament, winning with a record score of 31.5 out of 35 points.

(EPSCA stands for English Primary Schools Chess Association).

The Homefield chess coach is Miss Bradley.

U13 1st XV National Prep Schools Rugby Winners

The Under-13 1st XV rugby team from Homefield School has won the National Prep Schools Rugby Tournament.

To win the tournament was a fantastic achievement, going one better than the U13 1st XV team of 2005 who reached the final.

Well done to all the boys involved and thank you for the parents for all their support.

BEDFORD MODERN SCHOOL YEAR 9 STUDENT, RYAN ISAACSON, SELECTED FOR MINI LONDON MARATHON

Bedford Modern School Year 9 student, Ryan Isaacson has been selected for his performance throughout the winter season, to represent The East of England Team in the Virgin Mini London Marathon taking place on 25th April. The Virgin Mini London Marathon is open to anyone aged between 11 and 17 years and will take place over a course three miles long, stretching from London’s Old Billingsgate to The Mall.

Ryan competed at the English Schools Cross Country Event held at Heaton Park, Greater Manchester on Saturday 20th March finishing 12th out of 329 finishers. The top ten runners have been selected to represent England and it was only four seconds and two places that separated Ryan from achieving this.

Patrick Jerram, Director of Sport at Bedford Modern School said: “I am delighted Ryan did so well at the English Schools Cross Country Event, just missing out on that elusive top ten spot and England selection by four seconds. I am sure that Ryan will continue to train hard and hopefully break into that top ten in the very near future.”

Photo: Bedford Modern School student Ryan Isaacson who has been selected for the Mini London Marathon

Medal success for Mount St Mary’s fencer

A pupil at Mount St Mary’s College has qualified for The British Youth Fencing Championships after claiming a bronze medal at a key regional tournament.

Nina Zimmerman, a year 10 boarding student at the Derbyshire school, fought her way to the third place in the Girls Under 16 Foil event at the Yorkshire Youth Fencing Championships.

The British Youth Championships 2010 will be held from 1 – 3 May at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield.

Nina will be the first Mount St Mary’s student to represent the college at this prestigious event.

Mr Adam Blight, Mount St Mary’s Coach, said: “It is a fantastic achievement for Nina to win a bronze medal and qualify for the British Youth Championships, particularly as there were many Team GB and county fencers amongst the competitors.

“It was a great day of fencing and we wish Nina the best of luck for the British Youth Championships in May.”

Mount St Mary’s was also represented at the Yorkshire Youth Fencing Championships by Tom Cotterill, who fenced foil, epee and sabre, and Benedikt Gers in the foil.

Pupils Rosalind Formin and Eloise Brooks competed in the junior event.

Mr Adam Blight added: “Fencers at the Mount are really beginning to make their mark on a regional and national level and these strong performances follow the school’s success at the Lancashire Schools Foil where we won four medals in what was our first ever regional competition.”

Photo: Mount St Mary’s boarding pupil Nina Zimmerman.

Daley Thompson Launches Academy for Aspiring Athletes

Surrey children have met decathlon great Daley Thompson as the Olympic gold medallist opened a new athletics academy at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School.

The Academy, which starts in April, will give youngsters who have sporting potential the opportunity to follow in the footsteps in one of Great Britain’s greatest Olympians and develop skills in a number of athletics disciplines, many of which form part of the decathlon. The Academy is part of a programme devised by Daley Thompson to get children outside while developing them in all events of athletics.

Daley, who won Olympic gold in 1980 and 1984, visited the school and carried out a hurdles coaching session for junior pupils on the athletics track before taking questions from older pupils who were keen to learn how he achieved his Olympic success. He then presented the School with a trophy; the ‘Daley Thompson Athletics Cup’ to be awarded annually to a pupil who has demonstrated outstanding athletic achievement.

Daley has chosen the Royal Alexandra and Albert School for the Athletics Academy as it has an all-weather athletics track and other excellent sporting facilities suitable for training young athletes. “The Athletics Academy will provide youngsters of all abilities with the opportunity to develop their skills at a number of athletics disciplines many of which are part of the decathlon programme. Many children dream of participating in the Olympics and I am pleased to be able to provide this Academy to help them on their way, under the guidance of world class athlete, Nick Buckfield” says Daley.

Headmaster Paul Spencer Ellis comments “Our new sports facilities, including the all-weather athletics track have made a big impact on the amount of sport our pupils enjoy. We are pleased that we can make these excellent facilities available to local children through the Daley Thompson Athletics Academy. This provides another opportunity for children to keep fit, develop their athletics skills and possibly become the champions of the future”.

Daley Thompson Athletics Academy
•For children of all abilities aged 7-11
•The course is based on the decathlon events where they are suitable for junior children
•Open to pupils at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School as well as local children
•Starts Wednesday 28th April 4pm-5pm
•Every week during term time (i.e. April 28, May 5, 12, 19, 26, Jun 9, 16, 23, 30, Jul 7 )
•Course costs £10 per session and runs for the whole term
•Course leader is Nick Buckfield
•To sign up please call 01932 863240

U18’s Hockey squad win 2 tournaments in 4 days!

Stonyhurst College has recently won two consecutive U18’s 7’s Hockey tournaments in 4 days! The first was at Austin Friars School, Carlisle, where the team beat Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith in the final, winning 2-1. 15 goals were scored throughout the tournament with 1 conceded.

The second was at Mount St Mary’s, Sheffield, where they beat their hosts 2-1 in the final. Livvy Carefoot (18, from Knowle Green) played particularly well, often scoring goals within seconds of matches beginning. In this tournament, 20 goals were scored with 1 conceded.

Photo 1: Stonyhurst squad at Austin Friars – Melissa Gulcimen, Jessica Pye, Adaobi Anah, Casey Davis, Clare Lupton, Camilla,Copping, LivvyCarefoot, Hilary Harrison, Francie Page

BROMSGROVE PRE-PREP DO THEIR BIT FOR SPORT RELIEF

Bromsgrove Pre-Preparatory & Nursery School has been busy raising money for Sport Relief today.

Pupils and staff at the Hanbury Road School came dressed ready to play their favourite sport on Friday 19th March and raised money for the charity amounting to £225.
Mrs Kate Western, Year 2 teacher says “throughout the day, all year groups took part in a Sport Relief challenge. Year 2 children and their teachers were very proud to have completed a mile. Following in the spirit of celebrity relay challenges, Year 1 pupils took part in a continuous relay event and the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge was the inspiration for Reception children who enjoyed a circuit of obstacles. In addition, Nursery pupils motivated by the recent Sport Relief celebrity cycle ride, cycled ‘laps’ around the Nursery grounds