Bedales celebrates International Day

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By Tristan Wilson, Head of Languages

Photos by Abby Hilton and Henry Kingsley-Pallant, 6.1

International Day was celebrated across the three schools this year, and over more than one day. Celebrations kicked off last Monday when international 6.2 students led the assembly at Bedales Pre-prep, Dunannie, where they taught the children some words in their native languages, and learnt about the children’s own cultures heritage. At Bedales’ assembly later that evening, we watched a video put together by 6.2 Dons, which included various students and teachers reading poetry and reciting proverbs in different languages.

On Thursday, which was officially International Day, the action started before lunch in the Quad, where Bedales students entertained Dunannie children by writing their names in foreign scripts and other activities, such as making Japanese ‘Kabuto’ Samurai helmets out of newspaper. Afterwards, students shared language and cuisine from around the world, which included everything from Arabic to Chinese, and Tibetan steamed dumplings to ancient Roman food. Mary Wang won the National Dress Competition with her beautiful Chinese dress and we had a Beastie Boys song performed in Arabic by our very own band, the Upstanding Gentlemen.

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Match report: First XI Girls’ Hockey v King Edward VI School, 09.10.2019

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By Mariela Walton, Teacher of Girls’ PE & Games

This week the first XI travelled to Southampton to face King Edward VI School. The first goal came from King Edward’s when they were awarded an early short corner, but this was quickly followed by a goal from Eliza Goodfellow.

King Edward’s then followed this up with a second goal of their own, which was quickly followed by a goal from Mathilda Douglas. Shanklin Mackillop-Hall dominated the centre of the pitch, picking out any pass made by King Edward’s and feeding it to the forwards, which eventually led to a third goal from Nell Freeborough, who slammed the ball into the goal from the centre of the D. The fourth Bedales goal came just a few minutes later from Amber Pearson, sending us into half time with a 4-2 lead.

The second half of the match proved to be much tougher, as King Edward’s came back strong, and it wasn’t long before they had taken the score to 4-3. Tyler Staring made some excellent saves in goal, but it wasn’t enough to keep out a fourth goal from King Edward’s. Frustratingly for the Bedales team, having had a 4-2 lead at half time, the final score ended up 5-4 to King Edward’s.

It was great to see three Block 5 students making their first team debut and I doubt it will be their last game in the first XI this season. Sammy Smith was awarded Most Valuable Player for her composure and strength on the right. Next week the first XI travel to Southampton again to participate in the Hampshire Trophy Tournament.

Bedales represented at Round Square International Conference

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By Julia Bevan, Teacher of English 

Bedales was delighted this year to be one of the schools represented at the 51st Round Square International Conference in India. Al McConville and I were joined by two 6.2 students, Freya Leonard and Anton Ellis, on the trip. It was Bedales first delegation to the five-day conference, which this year was attended by 1000 people – 700 students and 300 staff – from all five continents.

For three days, the conference was hosted at the Emerald Heights International School, a boarding school on the outskirts of Indore that has 4000 students in total. Student delegates from around the world slept in the school dormitories. Over the course of three days, we saw all the keynote speakers, including a Nobel Peace Prize winner who works to end child slavery, a Government Minister (in opposition to Modi) and Madam Ghandi, a feminist musician.

Other highlights included a presentation with an AI robot. In between speakers, the students broke into Barazza groups to discuss issues relating to this year’s conference theme, ‘the world we wish to see’. We also spent time meeting other delegates, learning about the Round Square organisation, and meeting representatives from other schools that might wish to arrange international exchanges with us in the future.

We spent a day sightseeing at the city of Mandu, where we visited a beautiful mosque which is now a historical site of interest, rather than a working mosque. We also saw some impressive forts and palaces overlooking lakes and hills. We spent nearly six hours travelling to and from Mandu, which gave us time to observe Indian life and culture from the windows of the bus. It was fascinating – families of four riding on mopeds, Tuk-Tuks behaving like pushy, rude teenagers, and cows sitting on the road. At one point, our coach had to reverse to allow a chicken and six chicks to cross safely!

Another day was spent doing service in the morning and sightseeing in the evening, and there was one very early start with a run for charity alongside Blade Runner, the first Indian to run with a prosthetic foot! Al, Freya and Anton got up early to join him, and a tree was planted to honour the occasion.

We had a very long journey there and a long journey home, so we are now looking into carbon off-setting for the trip, which seems particularly fitting as climate change and air travel was a hot topic amongst delegates.

Sight Reading Workshop with choral director Ralph Allwood

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By Miranda Robertson, Block 3

On 9 October, the renowned conductor and choirmaster Ralph Allwood came to Bedales for a very musical day. Ralph was for many years the Director of Music at Eton College and he now conducts the Choir of Queen’s College Cambridge and the Chapel Choir of Trinity Laban College.

Ralph has recently written a book all about how to sight-sing. All of the singers in the school were given a copy, and all morning we were coached by Ralph. It was a really good workshop and we all improved greatly.  A few of us also had lunch with Ralph and Doug, where we were very fortunate to be given lots of advice about singing and the music industry.

After lunch, the Chamber Choir came together and we sang lots of different pieces we had been working on in choir. Ralph coached us and by the end we sounded like a different choir! A thoroughly enjoyable day – thank you to Doug for organising and Ralph for giving up his time.

Hands-on experience in Ancient Civilisations

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By Chris Grocock, Teacher of Classics

Block 4’s Ancient Civilisations class had a hands-on experience during a rare sunny spell this week, when they tried to replicate the methods which were probably used by the Ancient Egyptians to lay out the base of the Great Pyramid.

It is less than 0.05 degrees off true north, apparently, and its sides do not vary by more than 5 centimetres in their total length of 230 metres! So, how was it done?

Well, with sticks (or in our case, pencils) and string, and a lot of patience. There was a great sense of teamwork and a bit of fun in the open air as well as a practical appreciation of just how impressive – and patient – the ancient monument builders were!

Science update – Dr Tim Mason lecture and ‘Meet the Scientist’

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smallpox-lecture

By Richard Sinclair, Head of Sciences

Last Wednesday there was a 3i/science lecture given by Dr Tim Mason on the subject of Edward Jenner and the development of vaccines.

As with all of Dr Mason’s lectures, this was a rich mix of social history and scientific information and it traced the early origins of the Variola viruses and the evidence for early smallpox outbreaks worldwide.

Benjamin Jesty and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu played important roles in the work that eventually led to Edward Jenner trying out his vaccine on James Phipps. Dr Mason took us right up to the present day, where the smallpox is eradicated worldwide, with only a few samples safely (we hope!) held in labs.

This was a really well attended event and we are once again grateful to Dr Mason for such an excellent evening.

The next evening, 6.1 Biologists visited St Swithun’s, where there was a ‘Meet the Scientist’ evening. Students heard an inspiring talk by a young physicist who described her scientific journey from Cyprus to Germany to England and the trials and tribulations of working on new projects in new countries.

Afterwards, there was the opportunity to meet and hold discussions with a range of scientists – including a surgeon, marine ecologists, neurologist and more – to find out about their own work and hear about their own journeys. It was a useful and stimulating event that introduced students to a range of new opportunities.

New student studies in use

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The first phase of the new student studies are complete and are currently being used by 80 6.1 students.

The high quality study spaces, which can be found in the old Bedales Gallery and Textiles building, were designed by Richard Griffiths Architects and the interior was completed in consultation with Old Bedalian and current Governor Anna Keay.

The second phase has now begun, with demolition work currently taking place that will enable a new roof to go on the old workshop, before the former Art buildings are removed ahead of reconstruction. The final building will be an energy efficient, high quality space for students, and the old academic village will vanish.

Completion of the whole project is anticipated for the start of the Autumn term 2020, and we will update you as the project progresses.

Bedales musicians perform at Women in Business Awards

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By Minna Hall, 6.1

A different and inspiring night was had by four Bedales contemporary musicians as we performed at the Women in Business Awards in Windsor on 30 September.

The Women in Business Awards celebrates the tremendous work leading ladies have done to achieve their goals and to inspire other women to follow their own ambitions. The overriding message from the keynote speakers was that you can accomplish your goals if you work hard and put your mind to it.

We were invited to perform music to add to the ambience of the evening. Safi Kazim once again blew the audience away with her outstanding originals. Mabel Watson and Lila Levingston also impressed the crowd with their beautifully sung covers, and I accompanied them all!

We all thoroughly enjoyed our evening and it was interesting to meet such pioneering women who wanted to share their experiences with other successful – and aspiring – professionals. A big thank you to Tamsin Napier-Munn, Host and Manager of the Women in Business Awards, for inviting us to play at such a thought-provoking event, and we hope to be invited back next year!

Tamsin added: “The Women in Business Awards is one of the highlights of the year in the Thames Valley and the South, celebrating, encouraging and inspiring business women in the region who have had the courage to step up and be recognised for their achievements. This year, we were delighted to have four talented performers from Bedales sing and play for us, helping us create a wonderful atmosphere. A huge thank you to Mabel, Minna, Safi and Lila, for your professionalism and commitment to the evening. You are inspiring, hugely talented young women; thank you for sharing your talent with us.”

Match report: U14 Girls’ Hockey v Lord Wandsworth College, 2.10.2019

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By Chloe Nicklin, Head of Netball

The U14 side played with great determination against a strong Lord Wandworth College (LWC) team. The first 15 minutes of the first half were extremely close, with the score remaining at 0-0, which was mainly down to a strong defensive performance from newly appointed captain Rebekah and her teammates Greta, Matilda and Antonia.

Ottilie made her debut as Bedales’ goalie, making a fantastic save with a completely outstretched leg. Unfortunately, the relentless LWC attack were able to secure two goals before the half time whistle.

Bedales came back strong, with Sage turning the ball and making a break, scoring a fantastic goal. Bedales as a whole stepped up and applied pressure to the strong LWC side. However, with no subs, fatigue began to rear its head and LWC were able to secure another goal before the end of the game.

Although Bedales lost 3-1, they played with grit all the way to the end. Most valuable players selected by LWC were Ottilie and Rebekah.

Match report: U16 Girls’ Hockey v Churcher’s College, 2.10.2019

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By Mariela Walton, Teacher of Girls’ PE & Games

This week the U16s ventured down the road to play Churcher’s. The game got off to a strong start and Bedales dominated the play, with Churcher’s getting very little possession in their own half. Sasha Arney took on a new challenge in the role of right half and was excellent, proving that her speed and stick skills are great all over the pitch. It wasn’t long before Mathilda Douglas took a sideline pass which she lifted into the D and was expertly deflected by Nell Freeborough to give Bedales their first goal. Not long after, Mathilda gave Bedales the second goal which sent us into half-time with a 2-0 lead.

Churcher’s came alive in the second half and after only a few minutes had secured themselves a goal. Mabel Watson looked dangerous in the role of right wing, consistently driving the ball down the pitch and across the baseline, and it was this persistence that eventually gave Bedales their third goal from a power shot at the top of the D. Churcher’s retaliated with a second goal of their own, which prompted Bedales to launch an even stronger counter attack.

Esther Stewart was outstanding in the role of full back, driving the ball out of the circle and out, letting to Emily Smith who then confidently and expertly carried the ball down pitch. A shot in the circle from Sammy Smith gave Bedales their fourth and final goal leading to a full time score of 4-2 to Bedales. Shanklin Mackillop Hall was voted player of the match, however all of the team played exceptionally well and it was certainly their best game to date.