Category: Senior School News
9th December 2020
By Year 12’s Sophie, Marketing Director and Deputy Managing Director of Suffolk Schooners:
Woodbridge School’s Young Enterprise (YE) entrepreneurs have created a new company, ‘Suffolk Schooners’, which launched on the first of December, selling novelty sized three-quarter-pint schooner glasses, to bring an element of fun and sophistication to drinking in your living room. By fitting in a full can or bottle of beer perfectly. Suffolk Schooners has already sold out of its first consignment of stock and has reordered, in anticipation for opening up sales to the wider public, as Christmas approaches.
Suffolk Schooners – made up of 15 Year 12 students at the School – is getting ready for a festive influx of sales, after finding a product to market in the face of closed pubs and bars, ensuring that everyone’s favourite tipple can still be enjoyed in style at home, in a schooner glass. Moreover, Suffolk Schooners is committed to a 100% plastic-free product and packaging, with a rustic design of brown paper packages tied by the group with string.
Having carried out their own market research, Suffolk Schooners identified this type of glass as popular with local microbreweries and craft beer manufacturers, which understand the benefits of the three-quarter measure for keeping the drink colder and aerating the beverage.
Suffolk Schooners’ Managing Director, Year 12’s George, said:
“The Woodbridge School Young Enterprise team has had its challenges in 2020, as the normal routes to market have not been available to us.
“However, our team has been resilient and we have identified the schooner glass as the ideal product for our market, as it is very attractive and saleable to a wide audience. It also holds a whole can of drink perfectly, giving that ‘full-glass feeling’ that we all need at the moment.
“The Suffolk Schooners team is excited for our main sales period to begin, so that we can grow our product further and spread the ‘full-glass feeling’ with our community.”
Unfortunately, due to the global pandemic, Suffolk Schooners’ sales have been pushed online, instead of the usual avenues of Christmas markets and local fairs, and the team has had to work together to overcome this lack of face-to-face selling. They have done this with some ingenuity, by creating an email delivery system via Suffolk.Schooners@gmail.com, through social media, and by using connections to local businesses, through which to promote and sell their products.
Suffolk Schooners has also negotiated vouchers from small businesses for craft beer, and free Adnams crisps, to give away with their glasses, so that everyone has something to look forward to diving into and get that ‘full-glass feeling’.
The glasses are manufactured by a wholesaler, which the YE team ensured met its ethical principles, such as not using plastic in either its product or its packaging – only cardboard – and negotiated prices and quantities with them.
Suffolk Schooners has produced all the packaging itself, hand-making the labels and tags that accompany the glasses, and sourcing the packaging from small local businesses, who may be struggling in these trying economic times.
For further information on Suffolk Schooners, email Suffolk.Schooners@gmail.com or visit them on Facebook or Instagram.
Photo caption: The Woodbridge School 2020 Young Enterprise group – ‘Suffolk Schooners’ – celebrating the launch of their new schooner glass product. [CREDIT: WOODBRIDGE SCHOOL]
ENDS
Note to Editors:
‘Suffolk Schooners’ is a company set up by a team of Year 12 students at Woodbridge School, who are taking part in its long-established Young Enterprise programme.
Young Enterprise is a national business competition, which is open to every school in the country. The programme involves setting up and running a business from September to June in Year 12. Students make all their own decisions, manage their own budgets, arrange their own meetings, appoint Directors to roles and sell their goods; this valuable experience provides students with the skills that will help them to stand out from their peers in the competitive environment beyond School. The competition allows students to develop their leadership skills, and provides an insight into how real companies work. Companies get to enter the Young Enterprise competition nationally and compete with over 35,000 students from across the UK.
Woodbridge School Young Enterprise companies have achieved high levels of success over the years, and have reached the national and regional finals of the competition on numerous occasions. https://www.woodbridgeschool.org.uk/extra-curricular/young-enterprise/
Woodbridge School is celebrating success in the 2020 London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA) examinations, with its talented cohort of 29 pupils – from Years 8-13 (ages 13-18) – achieving a total of 23 Distinctions and 6 High Merits. The various disciplines include ‘Public Speaking’, ‘Acting’ and ‘The Speaking of Verse and Prose’.
The LAMDA examinations were originally intended to be taken in June 2020 but, because of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, were postponed to October this year.
Susan Lockwood, LAMDA teacher at Woodbridge School, said:
“Congratulations to our LAMDA students, who have achieved amazing results! Despite the lockdown, and the disruption that it has caused, we have still managed to achieve exceptional results, in exceptional circumstances.
“The students had to re-connect and re-focus after a long time away from School, but this didn’t faze them. They worked very hard – some trying to juggle tests and some trying to overcome personal challenges – but they did it!
“I am so proud of all of them, and this success will further enhance the Woodbridge School tradition of fantastic public performance, in all its guises!”
LAMDA has become firmly embedded into life at Woodbridge School. LAMDA teaching encompasses a wide range of subjects, including acting, verse and prose, public speaking, spoken English, and musical theatre. LAMDA is about process and learning through fun, and acquiring new skills that will benefit every pupil.
At Woodbridge School, LAMDA pupils also get the experience of performing at the award-winning Seckford Theatre, showcasing their talents, with a different theme for every Show.
Woodbridge School’s Head of Chess and International Master, Adam Hunt, has been asked to lead the mentoring process jointly for the English Chess Trust’s ‘Accelerator Programme’, which is designed to develop the top English junior players for future successes. There are currently eight students on the programme from around the country, who are also hoping to represent England at World and European Junior Championships when over-the-board chess resumes.
This week, Adam was interviewed on BBC Radio Suffolk about the recent surge in interest in the game of chess – brought about by popular Netflix drama, ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, which tells the story of a young girl in a 1950s orphanage, who reveals an astonishing talent for chess. Adam and 14-year-old chess pupil Marina, in Year 9, spoke to the BBC’s Mark Murphy about the School’s chess success and why it is such a fascinating and stimulating activity.
Adam Hunt, Head of Chess at Woodbridge School, said:
“Woodbridge is the leading school in the East of England for chess, being recognised officially as an English Chess Federation ‘centre of excellence’, and our breadth of chess activities is unrivalled at any other school in the country.
“Whether you are looking to learn the game for the first time, or are an experienced national or international junior, Woodbridge School can cater for your level of experience.”
Woodbridge School is one of very few schools in the world to have a full-time chess teacher, with Adam having joined in 2003. Adam – whose sister, Harriet, is also an International Master – has coached the English junior teams on many occasions at World and European Junior Championships.
Moreover, Woodbridge School has been recognised with the English Chess Federation’s prestigious ‘British Chess Education Trust Award’ for a second time, having received it initially in 2004 – one of only a handful of schools to have done so twice.
Photo caption: Woodbridge School’s Head of Chess and International Master, Adam Hunt, has been asked to lead the mentoring process jointly for the English Chess Trust’s ‘Accelerator Programme’. [Credit: WOODBRIDGE SCHOOL]
9th November 2020
In the run-up to Christmas, pupils and staff at Woodbridge School – from both the town’s Senior and Prep Schools – have set themselves a new #Woodbridge4Woodbridge Challenge. The aim is to cover as many miles as possible over a two-week period, from today [9th November 2020] to 20th November 2020, to raise much-needed funds through sponsorship for local community charity, Home-Start in Suffolk, and to promote mental wellbeing at this very difficult time.
Every member of the Woodbridge School community, including pupils, teachers and staff across both sites, is being encouraged to set their own challenging distance goal, and will be asking their friends and family to sponsor them.
The #Woodbridge4Woodbridge Challenge is the brainchild of Melissa Shanahan, History teacher and Deputy Head of Lower School at Woodbridge School, who explains her motivation behind the campaign:
“This year, more than ever, we have seen the importance of pulling together as a community, and helping those around us. I wanted to do something to bring our School community together as a team, working towards a shared goal, as we always do, and the #Woodbridge4Woodbridge Challenge seemed a great way to be able to get fit – which we all know is important for mental wellbeing – and to raise much-needed funds.
“Home-Start will be working tirelessly over the next few weeks to ensure that no local family goes without food or presents this Christmas, and we are proud to be able to support them in their vital community efforts.”
Shona Norman, Head of Woodbridge School, said:
“Here, at Woodbridge School, we are proud to be continuing the legacy of our founder, Thomas Seckford, in supporting the local community. We have a long history of working with our neighbours to help to make a difference, and we look forward to really getting behind this #Woodbridge4Woodbridge Christmas Challenge to raise as much as we can for one of our most important local good causes, Home-Start in Suffolk, in a safe and COVID-secure way.
“As we enter a second lockdown period, it is especially important that we do all that we can to keep our minds and bodies healthy and active, so whether it is a sponsored run, walk or cycle, every little counts!”
Ali Watson, Fundraising & Marketing Manager at Home-Start in Suffolk, said:
“We have been really busy throughout the pandemic. The Coronavirus has had a huge impact on Suffolk families; and we have seen many families, who have never experienced difficulties in the past, struggle in a number of ways, particularly with financial hardship and isolation. We appreciate everything that Woodbridge School is doing on our behalf and we wish you all the very best with the #Woodbridge4Woodbridge Challenge.”
Woodbridge School has been working with Home-Start in Suffolk for some years. It is the county’s largest family support charity, with the vision that every child in Suffolk is given the best start in life because of the love, support and guidance they receive from their parents, guardians or the people performing the role of their parents. https://www.homestartinsuffolk.org/families
To find out more about Woodbridge School’s #Woodbridge4Woodbridge Challenge and to donate, go to https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-portal/fundraiserPage?pageId=1211384&newPage=true#
For further information on Woodbridge School, visit www.woodbridgeschool.org.uk
To learn more about Home-Start in Suffolk, go to https://www.homestartinsuffolk.org/
Photo caption: Pupils and staff at Woodbridge School are pulling together to raise much-needed funds for local community charity, Home-Start in Suffolk. The newly-launched #Woodbridge4Woodbridge Challenge aims to cover as many sponsored miles as possible over a two-week period, from 9th to 20th November 2020. [Credit: WOODBRIDGE SCHOOL]
13th October 2020
Woodbridge School is pleased to announce that its COVID-19 Emergency Bursary Fund – set up in early April this year, in response to the economic impacts of the global pandemic – has so far raised nearly £80,000.
The School launched the dedicated COVID-19 Emergency Bursary Fund at the outset of the pandemic, with the aim of raising a total of £100,000, in order to offer support to those families and pupils within its School community who, through no fault of their own, are facing severe financial difficulties.
The Emergency Fund allocates grants to families to ensure that their children receive, and benefit from, all that Woodbridge School has to offer. A group of independent Trustees evaluates all applications in order to determine who is able to receive a grant, which is separate to the usual academic Bursary process, and is based primarily on short-term financial assistance for those who need help most.
Our Head, Miss Shona Norman, said:
“This is wonderful news and I would like to thank personally all those who have made a valuable contribution to our COVID-19 Emergency Bursary Fund over the past six months. So far, thanks to the generous donations of the School’s community of families and former pupils, our ‘Old Woodbridgians’ – as well as personal contributions from Governors and senior members of staff – we have been able to raise nearly £80,000.
“I would like to continue to encourage those who are able to help to make a difference to our School community to give what they can, and this will be put to good use assisting those families and pupils who need it most.
“Should we succeed in raising funds in excess of our target of £100,000, we will be able to do even more good and will transfer this into an ongoing Bursary Appeal to support our longer-term aim of widening access to our School.”
In the event that we reach the fundraising target, the School intends to plant a symbolic Magnolia tree in a prominent location within the grounds – to complement the burgeoning Magnolia in front of historic Marryott House, at the heart of the School – to act as an enduring and poignant reminder of those generous individuals who stepped forward and worked together with the School to overcome this COVID challenge.
If you are interested in contributing to the Woodbridge School COVID-19 Emergency Bursary Fund, you can find details of how to donate on the website at www.woodbridgeschool.org.uk/covid-19-emergency-bursary-fund-2/
Photo caption: Woodbridge School intends to plant another Magnolia tree within the grounds upon reaching the COVID-19 Emergency Bursary Fund target of £100,000. [CREDIT: WOODBRIDGE SCHOOL]
We are delighted that the School has achieved significant success in the national ‘Artefact to Art Competition’, for the third year running. Although there were far fewer prizes available this year than normal, owing to the COVID situation, we captured two out of the six on offer.
Year 10’s James is the winner of the 11-14s short story competition, and Eve in Year 8 is the runner-up in the 11-14s visual art competition. Eve created a simply stunning head of Medusa – whose scary gaze will follow you around the room in L3!
The annual ‘Artefact to Art Competition’ is a national Classics competition, run by the University of Leicester. This year, pupils had to select an artefact related to ‘Gods and Monsters’, then produce a piece of art, or write a poem or short story, inspired by the artefact.
Miss Anne Wright, Head of Classics / Oxbridge Co-ordinator, said:
“This is a superb success and I am very pleased for James and Eve. They both worked extremely hard in their different media, and it is incredibly prestigious for the School to capture a third of the prizes overall in this national competition!”
Our congratulations to James and Eve – we are very proud of their tremendous accomplishments.
Photo caption: Our Head, Miss Shona Norman, congratulates Year 10’s James and Year 8’s Eve on their success in this year’s ‘Artefact to Art Competition’.
Woodbridge School was proud to launch its new state-of-the-art, all-weather Astro Pitch on 29 September 2020.
The School celebrated with a ceremony attended by Miss Norman, Head of Woodbridge School, Clive Schlee, Chair of Governors, and the School’s Head of Hockey, Miss Mariette Rix, South African field hockey player and double Olympian in 2008 and 2012. Senior pupils took to the new Astro for the very first time and were joined by Miss Norman, who opened the pitch officially by passing the first ball!
Miss Norman said:
“I am so pleased that our students will be able to benefit from such a high-quality facility earlier than had been scheduled. Our School is central to Woodbridge and to the surrounding area. We consider it essential to provide first-class sporting facilities and opportunities for our pupils and the local community, too.”
The School appointed McArdle Sport Tec – leading specialists in synthetic turf technology – to refurbish its existing facility. They have replaced the previous sand-filled surface with a more advanced sand-dressed TigerTurf system, for enhanced performance and durability, and have covered all aspects of refurbishment, including drainage, Macadam base, shock pad, artificial turf installation, fencing, as well as improved LED floodlighting.
Barry Jacobs, Contracts Manager at McArdle Sport Tec, said:
“We were delighted to be selected by Woodbridge School and The Seckford Foundation to undertake the refurbishment works to the existing sand-dressed hockey pitch. Thankfully, the weather was on our side, right until handover. It was a pleasure to work with such a keen and enthusiastic client, and great to see the pupils enjoying the resurfaced pitch.”
This superb all-weather outdoor facility will be used by the Senior School’s highly-skilled hockey teams – which include 15 County players and two England Hockey Performance Centre players – as well as by Woodbridge School Prep for some of its hockey games lessons. It will also provide a valuable facility for other sports and activities, such as PE, cricket and football.
Miss Rix added:
“Anticipation built over the last few days, as pupils could see the work quickly reaching an end; excitement grew to get to use the new surface for the first time… and it lived up to what we hoped it would be!
“It was a special moment for senior pupils to be the first out on the pitch and to enjoy playing so much. Smiles, speed, skills and lots of tricks were to be seen everywhere. We are lucky with the young people we get to work with every day and yesterday they showed me again why we are so proud of them all.”
The pitch will also be available for private hire, and Woodbridge School will be looking for new ways in which it can be used to support the local community.
Woodbridge School is delighted to announce that it will be providing students with a new state-of-the-art all-weather Astro Pitch, to be completed in October 2020.
The School’s Head of Hockey, Mariette Rix, South African field hockey player and double Olympian in 2008 and 2012, is eager to launch the new facility:
“Excitement is building every day we see the new surface and upgraded facilities progress, and this new, improved artificial pitch will be a big boost to the Sports Department at both the Senior and Prep School.
Staff and pupils have spoken about ‘When we get a new pitch’ for some time and to see it become a reality is the biggest pleasure and privilege. I can’t wait to see our players try new skills and continue to play exciting hockey on the new state-of-the-art TigerTurf!”
The School has appointed McArdle Sport Tec – leading specialists in synthetic turf technology – to refurbish its existing facility. They are replacing the previous sand-filled surface with a more advanced sand-dressed TigerTurf system, for enhanced performance and durability, and covering all aspects of refurbishment, including drainage, Macadam base, shock pad, artificial turf installation, fencing, as well as improved LED floodlighting.
This superb all-weather outdoor facility will be used by the Senior School’s highly-skilled Hockey teams – which include 15 County players and two England Hockey Performance Centre players – as well as by Woodbridge School Prep for some of its hockey games lessons. It will also provide a valuable facility for other sports and activities, such as PE, cricket and football.
The pitch will be available for private hire, and Woodbridge School will be looking for new ways in which it can be used to support the local community.
Shona Norman, Head of Woodbridge School, said:
“At Woodbridge School, we develop fully-rounded individuals for the world today, and sport plays a key part in this holistic education. We have been committed to refurbishing our existing Astro Pitch for some time and, now, we have been able to bring this important upgrade forward into the Summer holidays, to the tremendous benefit of all our students.
We look forward to unveiling our new-look Astro Pitch in October.”
Photo caption: Shona Norman, Head of Woodbridge School, commemorates the start of the dismantling of the existing Astro Pitch. [Credit: WOODBRIDGE SCHOOL]
Woodbridge School is celebrating Year 12 pupil Josh being shortlisted in the prestigious ‘John Locke Essay Competition 2020’, in the Economics section, with his chosen topic “What is the socially efficient level of crime in a society“
A special prize-giving ceremony will be held in Oxford in the Autumn to announce the winners and runners-up, where they will get to meet the judges and other faculty members of the John Locke Institute.
The annual Essay Competition tests students’ ability to explore a wide range of challenging questions beyond the confines of the school curriculum, assessing their level of knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the quality of argumentation, the structure, writing style and persuasive force.
Josh will be joining fellow Woodbridge School Year 12 student Julia in the finals for the Competition, with her Philosophy entry, ‘Can good art make one a better person?’.
Josh says of his entry into the Competition:
“I chose ‘What is the socially efficient level of crime in a society’ for my Economics essay because I think there is a really wide range of different ways to go about answering such an open question. I focussed on making sure I didn’t begin to stray away from the question in hand and really queried what crime, as an idea, actually is.
“In addition, what we can do to detect forms of ‘hidden’ or ‘victimless’ crime, such as piracy, forgery or bribery. I also used graphs as a means of displaying my point in a visual way, which I think allowed the reader a wider view of the data I was using and analysing.
“For university, I would like to study Economics. I am currently aiming for Exeter or Warwick University as my first choice.”
This year, it took the panel of thirty-five examiners, from Oxford, Cambridge, Princeton, Harvard and Chicago, two weeks to assess almost three thousand entries overall, from eighty different countries.
Senior academics from the University of Oxford then go on to judge all of the Institute’s essay prizes, and choose their favourite essay from each subject category, and an overall ‘Best Essay’, across seven subjects: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law.
Josh submitted his essay during lockdown, which was clearly a very difficult time.
“Working under lockdown was an interesting challenge that I actually struggled with”, reflects Josh. “Motivation was difficult to find during the period. However, I persevered and made sure I just completed a little bit of research every day.”
Anne Wright, Head of Classics and Oxbridge Co-Ordinator at Woodbridge School, said:
“This is a huge achievement, because the John Locke Essay is a very prestigious competition, attracting entries from across the globe and, in particular, the US, Singapore and Hong Kong. Josh has demonstrated real intellectual drive and curiosity – qualities that make him ideally-suited for university study.” Well done to Josh on his impressive accomplishment and we wish him the very best of luck in the judging.
Year 12 pupil Julia has been shortlisted in the prestigious ‘John Locke Philosophy Essay Competition 2020’.
Julia, described as ‘a leading light’ in the School’s FitzGerald Society (Woodbridge’s Junior Oxbridge Programme), submitted her essay on 15th July 2020: a considerable achievement, given the added complications that lockdown presented during this time.
The annual Essay Competition invites students to explore a wide range of challenging questions beyond the confines of the school curriculum. Each student is assessed on their independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style.
All of the Institute’s essay prizes are judged by senior academics from the University of Oxford, and the judges choose their favourite essay from each subject category, and an overall ‘Best Essay’ across seven subjects: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law.
This year, the judges received almost three thousand entries overall, from eighty different countries. It took the panel of thirty-five examiners, from Oxford, Cambridge, Princeton, Harvard and Chicago, two weeks to assess all the entries.
The Competition winners and runners-up will be announced at a special prize-giving ceremony in Oxford in the Autumn, where they will get to meet the judges and other faculty members of the John Locke Institute.
Speaking about her success, Julia said:
“I really enjoyed exploring the question of whether good art can make one a better person, not only because it allowed me to explore one facet of philosophy, but also because I felt that the question was extremely relevant when considering how individuals within society develop.
“I particularly enjoyed finding the links between different philosophical schools of thought, the context within which these were developed and the enduring impact that artwork has on wider society.”
Anne Wright, Head of Classics and Oxbridge Co-Ordinator at Woodbridge School, said:
“I am absolutely thrilled for Julia. She worked very hard on her essay – writing, refining her thinking, honing and rehoning it – and it was a thorough and thoughtful piece of work, backed up by an excellent selection of evidence.
“Her success is all the more impressive given that she was competing against Sixth Formers from across the globe, while still being only in Year 11.”
Our congratulations to Julia, whose hard work has created something of which she can be justly proud, and we wish her every success in the judging process.