12603 KHS Jan Newsletter:newsletter - King's High

School Trips and Successes
Hockey tour to Spain.
Trip to Spain
Visiting Parc Astérix during the trip to France.
Trip to France
Half term trip to Germany.
German Exchange
The U16 and U18 hockey teams enjoyed
a hockey tour to Spain during half term.
Spain is one of the leading hockey playing
nations, so our girls faced a really tough
challenge. After a successful round of
matches, our two teams spent some time
out, visiting Barcelona and a theme park
and enjoying a well earned rest on the
beach at Sitges, where they were staying.
The dramatic Barcelona skyline.
Yr 8 girls and French A2 sixth form
students enjoyed Paris in the Autumn
time, staying at the Château de Grande
Romaine, near Paris, on a PGL organised
trip. The girls participated in local
excursions as well as outdoor activities at
the base. Days out included a visit to Parc
Astérix for some fun rollercoaster rides, a
trip to the Château de Fontainbleau and a
morning at a local market, where the girls
practised their French. The girls also spent
a day in Paris, where they climbed the
Eiffel Tower and took a Seine river cruise
on a Bateau Mouche.
Our first exchange with our new German
partner school began in July last year,
when 28 German students came to stay
in Warwick, experiencing school and
family life in England. The exchange
concluded in the Autumn, when 25 girls
and 3 members of staff went to
Luneburg. The King’s High visitors
received a warm welcome from their host
families and enjoyed a successful week
engaging in numerous activities at school
and within the area. They enjoyed a
variety show organised by the host
school, sightseeing tours in Luneburg and
Hamburg, a boat trip, a visit to Bremen’s
science museum and a trip to the modern
art exhibition in Hamburg.
Clay Pigeon Shooting –
Heart of England
Championships
Despite truly awful weather conditions
the King’s High clay pigeon shooting team
reigned supreme last term, winning the
Team event at the Heart of England
Championships on 18th November.
Remarkably, all three girls came joint
second, with identical scores, in the
Individual event!
.
The winning team: Annabel
Kishor, Vicky Bleasdale and
Pippa Wassall.
ISSP Yr 7 Quantum Theatre
Year 7 girls enjoyed a dynamic Quantum
Theatre production on Electricity, held at
Myton School in November, as part of the
Independent State School Partnership
(ISSP) programme of collaboration
between state and independent schools in
Warwick. Facts about electricity were
presented in a lively and dramatic way,
making science fun, and resulting in an
enjoyable and informative event for all
who took part.
Bringing electricity to life: the
ISSP Quantum Theatre.
Well done to our U16
hockey champions!
Our U16 hockey team were crowned
Warwickshire County Champions last
term after winning both the Indoor and
Outdoor Hockey titles. Not content with
this outstanding achievement, they went
on to win the Rugby Super Sixes
competition as well!
The County Indoor Hockey Tournament in
November saw the King’s High team beat
Princethorpe College and Bablake School
to secure a place in the semi-final, where
they then beat King Henry VIII School
before emerging victorious against
Bablake School in the final. The team
went on to represent Warwickshire at the
Midlands Hockey finals later on in
November, where against stiff
competition they missed out narrowly on
going through to the National Finals.
Congratulations to our County Champions
on a real team effort!

king’s high
news
Spring 2008
Les Misérables:
a week to remember.
This stunning production was unique: not only did it match the verve and
professionalism of the West End stage, it did so with a panache, vitality and
freshness that was unmatchable. The capacity audiences were moved to
experience all the emotions stirred by the performances on the London stage
but with the added dimension of seeing our own young people taking the
well-known parts and singing the familiar songs.
The company had been in rehearsal for many long and full weeks, and the directors from
King’s High and Warwick School had worked with incredible imagination, dedication and
stamina to mount this ambitious production. The barricades were raised again in the Bridge
House Theatre and the stirring revolutionary spirit (and very convincing ’lovely ladies’ and
visionary young men) invaded the theatre with excellent performances from every principal
and every member of the cast. For musicians, actors, the technical crew, directors and all
involved this huge undertaking was a triumph long to be remembered.
www.kingshighwarwick.co.uk

Changes at King’s
Personalised cakes at the Tea Party.
The famous banana assembly.
Mrs Russell with, from left to right, her mother, ex-King's
Headmistress Mrs Anderson (background) and Mrs Surber.
Flowers for Mrs Russell.
Farewell to our Deputy Headmistress,
Mrs Russell,1989 – 2007.
One last joke, one final gesture of support: Goodbye Mrs Russell.
The tributes to Caroline Russell resonated with reminiscences of
her indefatigable sense of humour and her infinite capacity to give
sympathy and strength where it was needed.
Old girls and former members of staff at tea on Saturday 15
December and the prefects in the assembly of 18 December told
of their affection, their escapades and their enduring memories of
dramatised lessons and role played scenarios.
The school knows by heart the story of the recalcitrant light
switch and the washerwoman’s change of costume, and rejoiced
at the antics of ‘Five e-mails’ in the staff’s final song.
Mrs Russell herself wanted the school to hear her favourite Bach
Double violin concerto played by two sixth formers, and ‘I
dreamed a dream’ and a Gilbert and Sullivan sung by three more
girls.
Because it is the girls she so cares about: a cameo ‘Russell
moment’ was when, after her final assembly and before the school
had left, a University applicant approached her to return a book
Mrs Russell had lent. ’Did you enjoy it? It’s good, isn’t it?’ said Mrs
Russell, a note of potential intellectual engagement in her voice.
Mrs Surber, Mrs Prance and Miss Court wished Mrs Russell ‘a
happy retirement‘ on the staff’s behalf at a final luncheon after
the Carol Service. The assembled Governors drank her health after
a toast proposed by chairmen past and present, John Francis and
Jane Marshall, at a cocktail party in Landor library on Wednesday
evening.
We know that Mrs Russell will treasure the Sue Lewis-Blake
landscape presented to her as a retirement gift from everyone,
and the engraved bowl given by the Governors. With one voice,
everyone who has known Caroline Russell during her 19 years
wished her a wonderful retirement.
Welcome to our new Deputy Heads
Mrs Renton takes on a new role
as our Deputy Headmistress
(Pastoral). Mrs Renton is already
well-known to the King’s
community, having been a
member of our Senior
Management Team for the last
three years. Educated at St Mrs Renton on her travels.
Mary’s, Worcester, Leicester
University, and University College, London, she was Head of
Geography at a GSA school and a teaching housemistress at
Wycombe Abbey before joining King’s as Senior Teacher (Pastoral)
and Head of Key Stage 4. Such is her apparently tireless energy that
parents and girls are likely to have met her in a number of capacities
in her short time at the School, including as organiser of the
enormously successful trip to L.A. and Arizona in 2006. In her spare
time Mrs Renton enjoys travelling, opera, riding, dining out, and
chocolate.
Mr Bethel joins King’s High
School as our Deputy
Headmaster, Academic, from
King Edward VI Camp Hill Girls’
School in Birmingham where he
was Head of Biology and Training
Manager. His expertise, in
addition to Biology, lies
Mr Bethel with one of his rescued greyhounds.
particularly in leading and developing classroom practice, use of
performance data to improve learning, assessment for learning,
creativity in the classroom, supporting underachievers and ICT. “My
personal vision for education is that it should not just equip young
people for the modern world but more importantly should equip
them with the skills, knowledge and understanding to change, and I
trust improve, the world that they will inherit. I am married with 3
children and assorted animals, including two rescued, ex-racing
greyhounds. I am looking forward very much to meeting you
personally and making my own contribution to the great history of
success at King’s High School.”
Great teamwork! Mrs Surber and Mrs Russell at
their end of term ballet performance.
Non-uniform day in 1990.

More News
Yr 10 girls Louise Keegan and Bhavandip Birdi
serving mince pies at the Iris Lees Day Club.
Christmas at King’s
Enjoying the school Christmas lunch.
The Christmas Concert.
King’s girls were busy in the run up to Christmas, with a variety of
charity and community activities.
As in previous years, the school was involved in Operation
Christmas Child, filling and sending 161 boxes to less fortunate
children in other parts of the world.
Pupils also collected gifts for children and mothers staying at
Warwickshire Women’s Refuge over the Christmas period.
Yr 10 girls provided “Mince pies and entertainment” for
pensioners at the Iris Lees Day Club, also taking along decorated
cakes prepared by the Yr 13 King’s High Thursday afternoon
cookery group.
Sixth formers served Christmas lunch at Yeomanry Close.
Pupils enjoyed their own Christmas Lunch at school, and also the
Christmas Concert and Carol Service at St Mary’s: a fitting finale
to a successful term of hard work and extra-curricular activities.
Children in Need 100 mile swim
King’s High Girls and Warwick School boys joined forces to swim a
24 hour, 100 mile relay to raise funds for Children in Need. Teams
of 10 boys and girls swam relays of 1 mile (65 lengths of
Warwick School’s 25 metre pool), in batches of 2, 3 or 4 miles,
snatching whatever sleep they could get in between their turn in
the water. The teams started at 5pm on Friday 16th November
and continued through the evening, night and next day to finish
on the Saturday at 5pm.
Mrs Surber says: “I am tremendously proud of everyone who took
part in what was a fantastic physical achievement. Our pupils
were prepared to give up a large part of their weekend to help
children less fortunate than themselves. I must also thank the
parents who got up in the middle of the night to arrange to get
their children to the poolside for their start times.”
A Question of Conscience: the flagship
Sixth Form Conference 2007
The issues raised at this half day conference challenged
everyone’s thinking: does my carbon footprint matter? Who
exactly are the homeless? Would I face personal danger for my
beliefs?
The conference was privileged to hear Jessica Cave, Head of Unit
for Climate Change at the Foreign and Commonwealth office talk
about her exacting work, her travels and her responsibilities in
informing government decisions regarding climate change.
Supporting her and raising further important issues were Alix
Simpson, Youth and community Officer in Buckinghamshire, and
Donna Mattfield, freelance campaign organiser whose work with
Greenpeace took her to Amsterdam and much further.
These three young women (all of whom graduated in the last ten
years, Jessica from Cambridge, Alix from UEA and Donna from
Cardiff) inspired excellent questions and stimulating break out
groups. The conference was organised and chaired by members of
the Lower Sixth.
Swimmers Jenny Brown, Jenny Chapman, Rebecca Sherren
and Rhianne Oscroft, raising money for Children in Need.