Category: Woodbridge News
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Suffolk Representative Honours
Many congratulations to the following who have been selected to run for Suffolk at the Anglian Cross Country Championships on Saturday 3 February.
Minor Girls : Ruby Vinton
Minor Boys : Ed Buckingham and Moses McBride
Junior Girls : April Hill, Amy Goddard, Bea Thomas and Jess Elmer
Junior Boys : Charlie Turner and Kit Evans Lombe
Inter Boys : Nathan Goddard, Alex Evans Lombe and Daniel Davies
Young pupils at Woodbridge School have been joined on stage by Lord Marlesford and the Rt Hon Sir John Waite, a former Lord Justice of Appeal, for the exciting debut of ‘The Trial of Paris’ play. Pupils in Years 7 and 8 performed the play to two audiences on Friday, 19 January, in the Science Lecture Theatre.
Written by Anne Wright, Woodbridge School’s Head of Classics, ‘The Trial of Paris’ is a crossover between Greek mythology and a courtroom drama. The play sees Paris of Troy on trial for starting the Trojan War, with pupils playing barristers and witnesses including Aphrodite and Zeus.
Lord Marlesford, President of the Suffolk Preservation Society and former Parliamentary lobby correspondent for The Economist, joined the young cast on stage in character as a judge for the first ‘Trial of Paris’ performance. Sir John Waite took to the stage as a judge for the second performance, bringing his lifetime experience as a former Lord Justice of Appeal. The play encouraged the audience to take an interactive role as jury, by deciding whether Paris was innocent or guilty.
Anne Wright said: “I am incredibly proud of the cast, who were utterly convincing, and I should like to thank our judges for their thought-provoking comments about the importance of the rule of Law.”
Latin is very popular at Woodbridge School for pupils of all ages, from Year 7 to A Level. Classical Greek is also available (both as an academic option and as an extra-curricular activity), while Classical Civilisation is offered at A Level. The school has a proud tradition of sending Classicists to Oxford and Cambridge Universities and, this year, a Woodbridge School pupil has been offered a place to read Classics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
As the final deadline arrives for applications into this year’s UCAS and with it any remaining decisions about what to study and where are committed to paper, we are delighted to report that our students have already started receiving some wonderfully tempting offers.
In particular, Oxford and Cambridge Universities have just simultaneously announced theirs, and our congratulations go to Wolff Lambert (Classics at Oxford), William Emery (Music at Oxford, an open offer underwritten by St Hugh’s College), Emily Barker (Mathematics at Churchill College, Cambridge), Abigail Crane (Natural sciences at Homerton College, Cambridge) and William Clarke (History and politics at Girton College, Cambridge).
While many of our students must continue to wait for now, some have already received offers from all the universities to which they have applied, including Pierre Blackburn, Stuart Evans, Alyssa Hedley, Abraham Hew, Jake Jay, Ben Kelly, Millie Leith, Tom Lomas, Caragh Paul, Georgie Saunders, Kieran Saxton, Will Wells and Oliver Whiting. Others have heard good news for some of the more unusual degrees, for example: Gabby Harvey has an offer for a degree at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, in singing, which is very unusual for someone so young; Harrison Perkins is choosing between music (saxophone) at Trinity or King’s London; Rachel Prowse has unconditional offers from St Andrews and Edinburgh for French; James Briggs, with his career in mind, has an unconditional offer for police studies at York St John; and Charlotte Sheehan and Nancy King have secured recalls on the long haul to drama school.
What diversity – what imagination!
Suffolk school pupils have been treated to an exciting Chemistry show.
More than 200 students from St Mary’s Primary School in Ipswich and The Abbey went to see the show at the Seckford Theatre in Woodbridge. The show was put on by Stephen Ashworth, a reader in the chemistry department at the University of East Anglia. Dr Ashworth has given lectures in science all over the world.
Ambra Calver, Chemistry Teacher and STEM co-ordinator at Woodbridge School, said: “A huge thank you to Dr Ashworth for his fantastic Kitchen Chemistry show. The explosive experiments and interesting demonstrations on household objects left pupils with a real excitement for science.”
Mr Goddard reports:
Last Saturday five Woodbridge School Athletes represented Suffolk County (as opposed to Suffolk Schools) at the South of England Inter County Cross Country in Oxford.
Amy Goddard finished mid field in the U13 girls race, and as fourth home of the eight Suffolk athletes, counted towards the Suffolk A Team result with the team finishing a highly creditable ninth.
Charlie Turner competed a year up in the U15 boys. Charlie was tumbled to the ground at the ferocious start, but despite blood from a few spike wounds, picked himself up and worked through the field to finish in the top third. As second Suffolk runner home he helped the team to a 15th place finish.
April Hill showed a glimpse of her old self, running a year up in the U15 girls as she continues to gain fitness after missing most of 2016 and early 2017 with injury. April was competitive throughout the race finishing second for Suffolk in 23rd place, and only about 20 seconds (over the 4km course0) off a top ten finish. The team again did well to finish ninth.
Nathan Goddard followed his recent Suffolk Schools victory at Culford this time finishing first Suffolk home in 26th place despite running a year up in the U17 men. Nathan was 57 seconds behind the winner over 5km and the first few are the same names that dominate the Nationals. The Suffolk team finished 12th.
And Ruby Vinton: wow! Ruby has entered her first senior school cross country season by competing a year up and blazing an unprecedented trail. Fresh from her win at the England Schools’ XC Cup Final two weeks ago, this race seemed likely to provide a sterner test. Or so we thought… Under orders to follow the lead pack, Ruby soon realised that two athletes were getting away and so with adults holding their breath, she set off in pursuit. Surely on catching the leaders Ruby would settle… Not a chance, she ran past the leaders and eased away to become Champion of the South by 7 seconds, all a year young. An outstanding effort and achievement! Congratulations to Ruby from all at Woodbridge School.
It’s also worth mention that the Suffolk U13 Boys’ team won the South of England team title (despite no Woodbridge School athletes this time!), to indicate just what a bright future there is for our Suffolk youngsters. All part of an impressive end to the first half of the cross country season, with a long awaited Christmas break to recharge ahead of some major races between January and March.
Many congratulations to William Emery, John Xu and Brendan Bennett on their certificates for some very good solutions in the Senior Kangaroo, the international extension paper those who do extremely well in the national mathematics competition are invited to sit.
This term has been very exciting one for the art department; three new members of staff have joined the department (Miss Ross, Mrs Parker and Mr Holden), the students have studied a new curriculum, new extra-curricular initiatives have been set up and the students have loved the new computer and photographic facilities. We have had the artist Ian Wolter in to run a workshop on how to make a life sized ceramic head, the GCSE and A-Level students prepared for and completed their mock exams in great style, and most recently we had the artist David Shillinglaw in to paint a 40 m2 mural. The only guidelines given to the artist were that the wall should celebrate the hand made as well as art made digitally; we want to remain a department that loves both these polarities and everything in between. The resultant mural is arresting in its bright colours and thought provoking in the words, quotes and thoughts that accompany the motifs. Please see images of the finished wall on our art department Instagram (@woodbridge_schl_art_department).
Photo Credit: Colette Smith
Such range; such scope; such skills on show. The concert began with a richly deserved encore of Holst’s St Paul’s Suite by the Chamber Orchestra, played recently and so beautifully at the Library Chamber Soirée. A joyful dance of a piece with Asian cadences to supplement the English folk. Glorious – and a great hint at what lies ahead for the Abbey’s musicians… many of them next to perform under the guise of the Abbey Chamber Choir. They did themselves proud, measuring up excellently to the exalted company they followed. Two pieces sung with a wonderful clarity of line. The Saxophone Ensemble brought more seasonal cheer and foot-tapping familiarity in their terrific two-hander; and Mr Turner’s first performance leading the Concert Band brought the first half to a close with joyful and expert renderings of three staples of the repertoire – the Sleigh Ride benefiting greatly from the delightful and hectic percussion part.
After the interval what better than the Swing Band to get things moving again – and playing without Mr Shepherd to boot. A self-guided triumph; and plenty more seasonality for the audience to enjoy as well! Mrs Seed’s Percussion Ensemble built on a fine tradition forged over the years with Mi Milagro, the marimba and drums enhanced by rhythmic clapping – a first by my recollection. Great fun. As was the Brass Ensemble in its trio of Christmas specials: they even wished us a Merry Christmas, and all that jazz.
And then something perhaps even more impressive than all that had gone before: the first movement of Beethoven’s First Symphony with the Symphony Orchestra. Good heavens. A big piece; and a big performance which grew in stature and confidence and ended with fittingly long and loud applause.
A marvellous evening to celebrate a term of fine music-making by our very talented pupils.
