1. education
2. school

Spring 2014
What’s going on ...
Sherborne Abbey Music Festival
6 May 2014, Church Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne, 2.30pm
Come and see the Big Band play 45 minutes of Film, Show and Big Band Music
Art - Photography - Design Technology
KS5 Exhibition 2014
8-10 July, Gryphon Conference Centre 9 – 3.30
St Aldhelm’s class of 1980 reunion
17 May 2014, contact: [email protected]
Dancing to Success
See inside...
www.gryphon.dorset.sch.uk
Ollie said: ‘Winning LV=Breakthrough Player Award is a great feeling. To have the
opportunity to give something back to Sherborne Rugby Club, a club that has really helped
me get to this stage, is a massive honour. Thank you to everyone connected with The
Gryphon School who voted for me.’
Ollie’s former coach at The Gryphon, Jim Gower, added: ‘Everyone in the local rugby
community, both at The Gryphon School and at Sherborne RFC, is bursting with pride at this
news. This is a truly outstanding achievement by an exceptional young man.’
iPads for All
A new ‘iPads in School’ trial has this term
proved a huge success. Students in a Year 7
Tutor Group were each given their own iPad to
use throughout the school day. They were
encouraged to use the tablets as much as
possible to enhance their lessons and to help
with their work outside the classroom.
Inevitably, at first, there was much
disappointment at not being able to download
games! However, when the students saw the
number of apps available they threw
themselves into the experiment. We are
excited by the possibilities this has opened
up. Students have, for example, used video in
History and Drama and used software called
Reflector to project the iPad screen onto the
whiteboard in Science. Over the course of the term we have learnt an
enormous amount about the benefits of students having individual iPads.
Following the success of this trial we are hoping to make iPads available
to all students in two Year Groups in September. We are confident this
technology will be available to the whole school in the future and are
determined that The Gryphon will continue to be at the cutting edge of
technology.
Stuart Lawson - Assistant Head
Pupil
Premium
The School receives extra funding for our ‘Pupil
Premium’ (PP) students. Your child can become a PP
student if they have Free School Meals (or have ever
had Free School Meals in the last 6 years), if they are
a Looked After Child or have a parent in the Armed
Forces. The money comes into school and is used to
support the learning of PP students in a variety of
ways, from funding school trips to paying for catchup lessons or counselling. We are sending a leaflet
home to all families giving more details about PP.
In the meantime, if you would like more
information, please contact: Mr James Gower,
Assistant Head Tel: (01935) 813122,
Email: [email protected]
or Miss Anna Kalisz, Pupil Support Manager,
Mobile: 07824398257
Email: [email protected]
Pinnacle Photo Agency
The Gryphon School
had a very special visit
earlier this term from
the woman who, when
she was a child, was
the model for the girl
in the sculpture which
stands in the quad
outside the Science
Department. The
statue was originally
placed at St Aldhelm’s
School in 1957 and has
been in its present
position since The
Gryphon School
opened just over 20
years ago. Sandra Hills,
who is now 61, had not
seen the statue for
more than 50 years and
was thrilled to see her
likeness again. Her
mother worked as a
cleaner for Ruth Gervis,
the artist who created
the sculpture. Mrs Hills
was about six when,
along with Philip, the
cook’s son, she posed for the drawings which became the
sculpture. She said ‘We stood side by side holding a book.
At the time we probably had no idea why.’ She went on ‘It
was a bit surreal seeing it after all this time. My husband
said he could tell it was me the moment he saw the sun
glinting off the statue.’
Former Gryphon student Ollie Devoto has been named the 2014 LV=Breakthrough Player.
This award is designed to recognise the next generation of young players competing in the
LV=Cup; a competition renowned for developing future international stars. Ollie was
nominated following his outstanding performances throughout all four pool stages of this
season's LV=Cup and follows in the footsteps of inaugural winner Jonny May and the 2013
title holder Jack Nowell, both of whom featured in England’s recent Six Nations campaign. As
part of the prize for winning the Award, Ollie has been able to choose a grassroots club of his
choice to receive a £1,000 donation from LV=.
Terry Fisher Photography
Statue
Girl
Breakthrough Player Award for former Gryphon student
Young Designer for
Old Company
TRADITIONAL STORYTELLER VISITS THE
GRYPHON SCHOOL
A Year 10 Gryphon School student has
inspired the design for a new box in which to
keep special fishing hooks. It followed a
chance meeting between Clive Edwards,
owner of the 150 year old company Richard
Wheatley, and Jack Taylor. When they met in
a local tropical fish shop, Jack was talking
about zig fishing for carp and showed
Mr Edwards his selection of zigs. These are
small imitation water creatures, beetles,
water boatmen etc., built of foam that float in
the water table. Clive noticed that these were
just stored loose in a small box and
mentioned the high chance for the point on
them to get ‘dinked’ or chipped, greatly
reducing hook up potential.
Giles Abbott, a storyteller
from London, held Year 7
pupils enthralled when he
visited The Gryphon School
earlier this term and
entertained them with his
tales.
Sunrise
A spectacular March sunrise over The Gryphon
School. It was captured by Rory Manton, one
of our caretakers, as he started work.
Year 7 go bowling
I THOUGHT I WAS COMPETITIVE, UNTIL I
MET MISS PAKIJAVAN AND MISS PETERS,
AS I FOUND OUT WHEN I WENT ON THE
REWARD TRIP TO THE BOWLING CENTRE
IN YEOVIL.
Jack receiving the first of the Jack Taylor zig box
out of Richard Wheatley’s Somerset workshop
from Clive Edwards
Together, Clive and Jack, devised a new box to
store zigs safely without the chance of hook
damage. Clive Edwards said: ‘As anglers, we
all know that you never lose a small fish, the
ones that get away are always the big ones.
A dinked hook could mean the loss of your
biggest fish’.
While we were on the mini-bus, Miss Peters
and Miss Pakijavan laid down the challenge
that if we won they would buy us sweets and
if they won, then all of us would have to buy
them a chocolate bar! So, let the challenge
commence! We had three lanes and there
were five or six people per alley. During the
bowling, there were lots of funny moments
such as Dylan throwing the bowling ball a
little bit too hard and denting the alley, LOTS
of people throwing the ball and breaking the
edges of the alley and LOADS of people
getting the bowling ball stuck in the gutter
and the poor helpers having to go and retrieve
them (without slipping!).
Richard Wheatley, known worldwide for its fly
boxes, has now completed production of the
Jack Taylor Zig Box. Clive Edwards
commented: ‘These are our first steps into the
carp/coarse fishing market for almost a
hundred years and we felt that the box should
bear the name of the fisherman who created
the idea for the product.’
Holocaust Memorial
Day 2014
The Year 7s were totally immersed in the worlds and characters he created and were spellbound
by the stories, one a love story with a twist and the other a story about friendship and trust. The
students said they thoroughly enjoyed listening to his tales, which, they said, were hilarious,
imaginative and dramatic.
Julie Hoskins - LRC Manager
Little Gryphons praised by local MP
Going bowling certainly brought out the
competitive streak in all of us and we were
determined to get at least one strike or, in
Miss Pakijavan’s case, simply to win! It was
not only a fierce competition, but also an
enjoyable and friendly environment to meet
new friends and to get to know Miss Peters
and Miss Pakijavan better. A big thank you to
both of them for a great afternoon!
Jasmine Moore – Year 7
Oliver Letwin, the MP for West Dorset, visited the Little Gryphons Nursery School this term. He
praised the Nursery as a place ‘where significant and highly focused effort is being invested in
ensuring that the children have the best possible start in life’. In an article published in the
Blackmore Vale Magazine and on Mr Letwin’s website he wrote of the increasing focus on the
lifelong effects of good nursery schooling. He said studies show children provided with a solid
foundation in their earliest years tend to prosper and went on to say that Little Gryphons is a
striking example of a new generation of nursery schools very serious about the development of
their little charges.
Mr Letwin wrote ‘As soon as you enter the place, you are immediately struck by two things: the
kindliness of the staff, and the intensely serious professionalism with which they approach their
task’. To read the full article see www.oliverletwinmp.com/news/nursery-schools
They Win Again!
As part of their current studies, Year 9
marked The Gryphon’s annual Holocaust
Memorial Day by welcoming Belsen camp
survivor Rudi Oppenheimer to share his
testimony. His presentation was central
to a day of workshops and reflection and
our students made full use of this
opportunity, not only to hear from an
eye-witness to these tragic events but to
interact with him, asking prescient
questions and learning from his
experience. The level of engagement
shown by Year 9 was truly exemplary and
reflects the impact made by Mr
Oppenheimer’s testimony. It was a terrific
event, made all the more special by the
reaction of the students.
David Gordon - Head of RE
2
Giles, who is registered blind,
started storytelling after
losing most of his sight to
multiple sclerosis. He was
working in a bookshop at the
time but the loss of sight
meant he was unable to
continue. He discovered
storytelling was for him after
being inspired by an evening listening to stories in his local pub. With this new career he has
worked in a children’s hospital in London, given talks at conferences, told stories for both adults
and children at festivals throughout the UK and is also a voice coach.
The winners of this year’s PTA Quiz were, for the fifth year
running, the ‘Quizologists’. It was a close run competition with
the result in the balance right up until the last few rounds.
However, once again, the ‘Quizologists’, with their impressive
range of knowledge, proved the team to beat. Congratulations
to them and many thanks to the
PTA members who worked so
PRIMARY MATHS CHALLENGE DAY
In mid-March, the best Year 6 mathematicians from around Sherborne came
together to compete in The Gryphon’s Primary Maths Challenge Day. Each
school sent a team of four students to compete throughout the day on a
number of different rounds that would test students’ mathematical ability,
speed, logic and strategy. The students were helped throughout the day by a
team of Year 9 students from The Gryphon, who kept score and ensured the
day ran smoothly. It was great fun and the final results showed what a closely
fought competition the day proved to be. The winners were Yetminster with
193 points. Congratulations to all the students who took part in the event.
Patrick Unwin - Maths
hard to make the evening such a
success. It was sold out with
over a hundred people forming
14 teams competing for the
prized trophy. The event was, as
always, great fun and we look
forward to next year’s quiz. Book
early and maybe yours will be
the team to pip the Quizologists
at the post!
Loads of Literature
Gryphon Hosts Regional Final
The DT Food Department welcomed visitors from Beaminster School
and The Park School in Yeovil to the Regional Final of the Big School
Cake Challenge this term.
Year 9 students have been competing in the school rounds of the
Competition which saw some wonderful creations including cups
and saucers, a Cookie Monster and Jaffa Cake cakes. The winner of
the School Finals, who went on to represent The Gryphon at the
Regional Final, was Callum Henry with his original and very tasty,
Blackcurrant and Courgette Cake.
Callum was up against stiff and very well organised competition
from Lucy with her giant profiteroles and Jade with her Carrot and
Banana Cake. The final was tense with Callum finishing with 6
seconds to go causing Mrs Elsworth and Mrs Baxter a few nail-biting
moments.
Judges, Sue Fudge of Fudges Bakery and Richard Peacocke of The
Green Restaurant, then had the tricky job of selecting the winner.
Organisation, originality, taste, texture and finish were all marked
and the honours went to Jade from Beaminster whose original
packaging and deliciously moist cake won ‘Best in Show’. Thank you
to our judges who gave excellent feedback to all the candidates.
The pupils and staff were amazingly
enthusiastic about our recent celebration
of World Book Day. Everyone was invited
to come to school as their favourite
character from literature and did they ever
rise to the challenge! We had all manner
of fancy dress amazement and our Little
Gryphons were heart-meltingly cute with
lots of fantastic princesses and a teensy
gruffalo.
Meanwhile, Callum gets free tickets to the Big Cake Show in Exeter
to watch Jade compete against the other regional winners in front of
British Bake Off’s Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. Good luck Jade –
represent us all well!
Look out for future competitive events and why not try Cooking Club
on Wednesdays after school.
THAT’S FISHY!
Sally Baxter - Design & Technology
DT Food were delighted
to welcome Mr Jonny
Hodges, Commercial
Director of Lyons Seafoods
to talk to their Gifted and
Talented Catering and
Hospitality students in
Year 11 and Sixth Form.
Mr Hodges gave an overview of the fish business and explained
how new products are researched and developed – really useful
for the A Level students who have to produce their own ‘concept
product’ for their assessment. The whole salmon produced a
range of responses from the students as did the many and varied
samples Mr Hodges provided.
Amazing efforts were made by superstars
like Jason Trevor, who came as
Shakespeare's Juliet, and Tom Straughan
who bravely bared his shoulders in honour
of Game of Thrones.
It was a wonderful, whimsical day in which
we all smiled a bit more than usual, and
talked about books a lot.
Penny Fearn - English
A great learning and tasting opportunity! Thank you to Lyons
Seafoods and to Jonny.
Caroline Elsworth - Head of DT Food
CODING AT THE GRYPHON
The Hour of Code was launched in October 2013 to encourage
students around the world to take up the challenge and experience
what computer science and programming is like. During December
over 20 million students in 170 countries, including those at The
Gryphon School took part. In the five days over which it took place it
reached 15 million users (Facebook took three years to reach that
many!) and students wrote over 500,000,000 lines of code
(Windows has only 50 million lines!).
KS3 students at The Gryphon were introduced to a number of
different approaches to coding including Python programming,
Lightbot, Java Script and App inventor. Those students that
successfully completed their Hour of Code were given a certificate
of completion. Nigel White, Head of ICT said ‘I am exceptionally
proud of our students, they really responded to the challenge that
coding and programming has presented them and every student that
took part was able to gain some insight into the world of computer
science. As our curriculum starts to move forward it is fantastic to
see our students relishing the new opportunities for learning that
are presented to them’.
Nigel White - Head of ICT
Easter Message
‘The winter is over; the rains have stopped; in the countryside the flowers are in bloom.
This is the time for singing.’
How wonderful it is to experience the sunshine and warmth after the storms and devastation we have endured over these
past long months. The quote above could have been written by one of the talented students at The Gryphon. In fact, they
were written hundreds of years ago and recorded in the Old Testament book of the Song of Solomon (Chapter 2:11-12). In
the Northern hemisphere, the most important of all the Christian festivals stands aptly and squarely in the midst of
springtime which brims over with hope, new life and new beginnings as buds form and begin to uncurl, colour explodes and
lambs frolic with sheer joy at being alive.
For Christians, the new life and new hope of our surroundings pale into insignificance as we meditate our way through Good
Friday remembering the death of Christ and then celebrate his rising again in glory on Easter Day. As a result all people
everywhere can experience restored relationship with God, forgiveness for all of our wrongdoings, the certainty of God’s
presence with us and the promise of heaven as death has once and for all been defeated.
HAPPY EASTER!
Rev’d Diane Tregale – School Chaplain
3
Music and Drama
Rock Challenge UK
Over 60 Gryphon School students took part in Rock Challenge UK this term. They finished second and with five awards to their name. Rock Challenge is a series of performing arts events which
promotes healthy life choices. Thousands of young people take part every year in their local events. The Gryphon performers joined those from six other schools and colleges in the region
for a day of rehearsals before performing to a sell-out audience in the evening. The Gryphon School’s entry was a dance-drama choreographed, co-ordinated and run by five students Nina
Trist, Lucy Bennett, Chloe Burton, Georgie O’Neil and Megan O’Neil. These students worked together as a team to decide theme, costume, set and choreography and then taught all sections
to the other students involved. The Rock Challenge team performed ‘Epidemic’ at Southampton Guildhall in the heat stages of the competition. They gave a superb and impressive
performance and were rewarded with second place. The team also received five awards: the Award of Excellence for Lighting, Award of Excellence for Performance Skill, Award of
Excellence for Visual Enhancement, Award for Performers Choice (chosen by all the other teams taking part) and Award of Excellence for Choreography. The performance was just
outstanding and really showcased the amazing talents of our students. The judges commended them on their excellent choreography with a delicate and sensitive start that
progressed to a very dark and powerful ending. We are enormously proud of them.
The top 9 highest scoring schools (after first place) qualify to take part in the Southern Final of Rock Challenge UK later this year. Gryphon School students are keeping their
fingers crossed that their high score will give them the chance to compete again.
Jessica Brooks - Head of Drama
South Pacific
Last December’s joint Drama and Music Departments’ production of the wonderful Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical ‘South Pacific’ was a huge success and
full credit should go to all students who performed, either as a cast member or in the 30-strong orchestra who all showed great professionalism, dedication
and enthusiasm for the duration of the project. Set during the Second World War, ‘South Pacific’ contains such famous numbers as ‘Bali Hai’, ‘I’m Gonna’
Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair’, ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ ‘Bloody Mary’ and ‘Honey Bun’. The orchestral parts were the original professional
parts and the orchestra did exceptionally well to pull off the score the way they did. All cast, leads, and orchestra without exception performed with
great aplomb each night. Our very grateful thanks also go to Paul and Eli of ESP for the superb lighting and sound quality, to Harry Ford of AVP for
the superb video of the Thursday evening performance and to Kevin Goodwin for all of the orchestral transpositions for saxophone and euphonium.
Show Orchestra
The Show Orchestra took part for the first time this term in the Weymouth Music Festival. Soloists Emily Price and Matt Ward and the Brass
Ensemble , performed to two adjudicators and students from local Dorset Secondary Schools. It was really great to hear performances
by other School Ensembles. The adjudicators’ comments were extremely complimentary of everything we did, with special mention
of Thomas Edwards for his sensitive Drum Kit playing. Students of The Gryphon Show Orchestra also represented the School at
this year’s Sherborne Rotary Club’s Youth Makes Music Concert, an annual concert in aid of local charities with students from
all the local schools performing. Gryphon students once again represented both the School and the Music Department
admirably with four numbers from our recent production of South Pacific (with solos by Emily Price and Matt Ward) and
Skyfall (soloist Megan Smith) as our finale. Our thanks and congratulations to all the students involved and to the parents
and staff who turned out to support them.
Carol Service
Last term’s end of year School Carol Service was a wonderful event. The Brass Ensemble, ably supported by
Mr Fox and Mr Miles, excelled themselves both in the descants and in their solo item. The Whole School and
Senior Chamber Choirs sang a wide variety of musical styles beautifully, and in some items were
accompanied for the first time by our instrumentalists. Thank you to Mr Gostick (Choral Director) and
Miss Wisener for their programming and direction skills. Thanks also to the members of staff who
gave up their lunchtimes to join the choirs.
Val Mizen - Head of Music
Year 8’s Got Talent
First things first, Year 8 most certainly does have talent! The calibre of the acts and the
confidence within the Year Group was absolutely mind blowing. From selfchoreographed dance acts, to impressively composed vocal harmonies and with
some truly impressive magic tricks thrown in to boot, it really was a fantastic
night to behold. All the acts had clearly dedicated time and effort to their
performances and it was a real privilege to witness the results. They all went
on stage aiming to delight the audience and win the competition.
However, there could only be one winner, well two actually (a public
text vote and a judges vote). The text vote proclaimed Israel MasonWilliams the winner with his amazing rendition of Adele’s
‘Someone Like You.’ Phoebe Stagg and Hollie Cullen were
second with a sweetly sung ‘Perfect Two’ by Auburn, and
Hannah Barnes took third place with her impressively
planned and executed dance to ‘Bang That’ by KP. The
judges then had the difficult job of choosing their
winners who were Georgia Holder, Hana Hemerat
and Tabitha Fox with their beautifully harmonised
performance of ‘Counting Stars’ by One
Republic. Ben Gear and Alex Elwick were
second with their audience captivating
music act and finally Emma Reynolds
and Annalise Sargent were third with
their fantastically harmonised
version of ‘Hallelujah’ by
Leonard Cohen. The event
was a resounding success
raising around £330 for
charity.
Jordan Lane Year 8 Lead Tutor
Maths Challenges
There have been a number of Maths
Challenges that Gryphon students have
taken part in so far this year.
Around 70 Sixth Form students took part
in the Senior Challenge last November,
with around half gaining medals of some
type; achieving 20 bronze awards, 12
silver awards and three gold awards. The
three gold awards were gained by Year 13
students, Emma Bussell, James Gard and
Jacob Butt.
Four Sixth Form students also spent an
afternoon at Poole Grammar School
competing in the Senior Team Maths
Challenge. Jacob Butt, James Gard (both
Year 13), Jamie Loxton and Harry Tennant
(both Year 12) competed in a number of
challenges against Sixth Form teams from
schools around the area, and finished a
very creditable 7th out of 20 schools.
In February this year, 120 students from
across Years 9, 10 and 11 took part in the
Intermediate Challenge. Between them
they gained a fantastic 33 bronze awards,
29 silver awards and nine gold awards.
The students achieving gold awards are
Sophia Rogerson, Will Edwards, Henry
Straughan, Paul Jennings and Wade Elgee
(Year 11), Matthew Suri, Pawel
Zaborowski, Thomas Blake (Year 10) and
Noah Peet (Year 9). By virtue of these
fantastic results, many of these students
have qualified for the subsequent rounds,
which will be taking place late this term.
Patrick Unwin - Maths
Inspired by the
Dreaming Spires
Late last term, 15 Gifted and Talented Year 11
students had a fantastic day at the University
of Oxford getting a feel for university life and
for the tutorial style education system. The
students spent the morning at Merton College,
touring the grounds with current
undergraduates, having lunch in the dining
room and experiencing the beautiful
architecture of the city. They spent some time
at the Bodleian Library exhibition and
identifying colleges and other significant
buildings in the city. The students participated
in a mock tutorial with a university Professor
of Mathematics, building upon the Pythagoras’
Theorem which they recently studied in Maths
at school. The students were encouraged to
really think about the applications for Maths.
In the afternoon the students were divided
into groups and set a series of challenges to
complete in the Pitt Rivers Museum which
culminated in the sharing of ideas about the
evolution of aspects of human society. They
left with a much better understanding of the
way the University works, its tutorial system
and a renewed sense of purpose and
motivation about their current studies.
Fiona Guest - Gifted and Talented Coordinator
Berlin Trip 2014
Barcelona Trip
a good time was had by all
During Half Term, a
group of students
studying Spanish,
from Years 9 and 10,
embarked on a trip
to Barcelona,
accompanied by four
members of staff.
Despite an incredibly
early start on Friday
morning (2am!), we all
arrived safely at noon and checked into our hotel. We then had a few hours to
explore the local area, including the beautiful sandy beach that was within
easy walking distance of where we were staying.
The next morning, tired after all the travelling, we headed off for our first Spanish lesson. We
then went to visit Camp Nou, Barcelona FC. Although several members of the group were not
excited by this prospect, it turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip!
On day three, we were taken to Barcelona Cathedral and were treated to traditional Spanish
dancing, and a protest about immigration rights! Then we walked down the road to the Picasso
Museum, which was exhibiting some of his most famous works.
Over five days in February some of my fellow
Year 10 students and I packed in as much
history, culture and memorable experiences to
not only support our GCSE studies but also
give a whole new perspective on East and
West Europe.
Our first stop, after a day’s travel, was at
Treptower Park, where over 5,000 Soviet
soldiers are buried in a memorial built by the
Germans for the Soviets. This put into
perspective the scale of conflict since 1940
through the 1950s and onwards during what is
known as The Cold War. A visit to the Olympic
Stadium contrasted with the sights seen in the
UK when we hosted this event in 2012. The
political messages and grandeur were very
evident with statues of Nazi Aryan men
surrounding the park.
We enjoyed an evening visit to climb the
Reichstag glass dome, a parliament building
with fantastic architecture and presence.
We also went to the former Stasi prison which
put us in a respectful, sombre mood as we all
found time for reflection at the site of such
despair.
A sightseeing tour of the city one afternoon
allowed us to see the Reichstag in the
6
daylight, the Brandenburg Gate and the
remains of the Berlin Wall. We got a taste of
more modern Berlin with a trip to the
Hopfingerbrau im Palais for a traditional
Berliner culinary feast, followed by some
bowling, which was enjoyed by both teachers
and pupils, and was a brilliant time to
socialise.
Sunday was another crisp and bright day, no
snow so far! Our journey took us to consider
the harsh and brutal environment of the Nazi
concentration camp at Sachsenhausen. Then
we spent time at Cecilenhof, the house where
Churchill, Stalin and Truman met to discuss
events and sign the treaty that decided
Germany’s future after the Second World War.
This was followed by a typically 21st Century
meal at the Hard Rock Café and an incredible
view of the Berlin skyline at night from 200
metres up in the TV Tower.
The trip took in poignant historical events and
sites with a generous mix of modern and
traditional cultures found in Berlin.
Thank you from all of us, to Mr Phillips,
Mr Dagger, Mrs Beale, Mr Fishwick,
Miss Boatswain and the tour team.
Matt Vear – Year 10
Day four started with another Spanish lesson, then we took the Metro to visit Montjuïc. This is the
site of the Olympic stadium. We also went to El Poble – an exhibition showing the different
regions of Spain. It was here that some members of the group bought sombreros that they
insisted on wearing for the remainder of the trip.
On our final day we spent our remaining euros at various markets and travelled home. Muchas
gracias to the staff who accompanied us on this memorable trip!
Eliza Main – Year 10
Mindfulness
You may have heard the ‘Thought for the Day’ on Radio Four’s Today programme on Friday 28
February. The speaker was talking about the way in which mindfulness has begun to enter
the mainstream of everyday life. He noted that a previous Speaker of the House of Commons
spoke of how, whenever the cut and thrust of debate got overwhelming, he just called on his
meditation practice and focused on his breath.
Since the beginning of last year, members of both Houses of Parliament and leading civil
servants have been participating in a mindfulness meditation course (very similar to the
ones that are run here in the School for students and staff). Its participants have found that,
with regular practice, mindfulness can help to realign the relationship with events in your
life that often cause distress. It does not stop those ‘nasty’ events, but allows one to develop
a way in which one can respond more skilfully rather than just reacting without thinking.
This is what we have been doing here at The Gryphon. We are giving our students and staff
the tools to be able to manage their lives more skilfully and with greater awareness. This will
hopefully enable them to see events, big and small, pleasant and unpleasant, in a more
enriching way.
Jem Shackleford - Mindfulness Co-ordinator
SIxTH FORM
We are delighted that Ofsted recognised The Gryphon Sixth Form as outstanding. Our results last summer
were not only the best in Dorset but amongst the best in the country for non-selective state schools.
Having completed their pre-public exams (mocks) Year 12 and 13 students are heads down and working hard for their actual exams this May /June. Almost all Year 13
students, who applied for university this September, have now had offers including four Oxbridge conditional offers. We are also delighted that Elena Siretanu who is
in Year 12 has reached the final section stage for the Sutton Trust USA programme. If she is successful Elena will spend a week in America in August visiting a number
of prestigious universities to find out more about the US Higher Education system. All travel and accommodation is paid for by the Sutton Trust.
Every term we encourage our students to participate in extra-curricular activities both in school and in the wider community. The Rotary Club of Sherborne was
delighted to welcome Elena Vatamanuic, Mariela Balabanova, Elena Siretanu and Ginevra Villani to their World Understanding evening. Ginevra is spending Year
12 at The Gryphon, before returning to Italy to study Medicine.
Elizabeth Gallimore and Meghna Dwyer gave talks on Roman Mosaics and The Qing Dynasty (respectively) at the Sherborne Historical Society’s AGM in
March. Elizabeth hopes to read Archaeology /History at University next September, whilst Meghna hopes to study Business Management. Potential medics
and Oxbridge students from The Gryphon and Sherborne Girls now meet regularly on a Tuesday after school to discuss topics of interest. Well done to
James Gard, Arthur Morris, George Brown and Emily Hall who have all given presentations at this event.
Our congratulations go to Jake Perrett who achieved a special mention at The Juvenes Translatores competition for students in the EU. Also to J ames
Gard, Arthur Morris and Jake Clough who won the first two rounds of the Rotary Club’s ‘Youth Speaks’ competitions held at The Gryphon School
and Beaminster Schools respectively. The boys, who gave a very entertaining speech on the delights of Coca Cola, were pipped at the post at the
District round, held in Cheddar. However, Jake was awarded best speaker at the event.
We are always delighted to hear from former students and are pleased when they return to The Gryphon to talk about their experiences to
current students. A highlight this term was a visit by Florence Edwards who is currently on a gap year before taking up her deferred place
to read Government and History at the London School of Economics. Florence, who has recently returned from a 10 week trip to Nicaragua
through a Government funded scheme, shared her experiences with students.
Jane Tutton - Head of Sixth Form
TRAVELS IN NICARAGUA
During the final months of 2013, while most of my friends were starting university, I was living in a remote village in the
beautiful Nicaraguan mountains. Together with 14 other volunteers from Central America and the UK, I had chosen to come
and work on an environmental project on behalf of Raleigh ICS. ICS stands for ‘International Citizen Service’; this is a
fantastic scheme funded by the UK government which gives young people the chance to work on a wide variety of
sustainable development projects. I could never sum up in a short article the huge amount I gained from my 10 weeks
in the village of Los Martinez. The work was varied and always interesting and living closely within a community
allowed me to develop extremely strong friendships. I would urge anyone from The Gryphon who is interested in
development and isn’t fazed by living in very basic conditions to look into ICS. You will have a truly unique
experience and the opportunity to make a genuine improvement to people’s lives.
Florence Edwards - former Gryphon student
GRYPHON AMNESTY CLUB
In the last year, The Gryphon Amnesty Group has been hard at work! Through our fundraising events,
including cake sales and sponsored runs, we’ve raised £200. The money has gone towards postage
costs for our letters to prisoners imprisoned without trial and we’ve also donated to Amnesty to aid
their campaigns.
Last year we sent two representatives to the Amnesty AGM, and we hope to do the same next
year in Edinburgh. The Gryphon Amnesty Club also went to London in July 2013, to hand in a
petition of 11000 signatures to the Tanzanian High Commission campaigning for peaceful
elections in Zimbabwe.
This year we plan on campaigning and fundraising in more innovative and proactive ways.
We are about to host an Amnesty Lunch in the Bistro @Gryphon. Following this, we aim
to compete in the Amnesty Youth Awards, stage an Art Exhibition and go to London to
work with Amnesty Headquarters on a new campaign. More Year 12 students have
joined The Gryphon Amnesty community, so the legacy and work that we do can
be continued.
Alastair Dolbear – Year 12
Gryphon Amnesty Media and Innovation Representative
Florence Edwards with Raleigh ICS
Sixth Form Youth Speaks team
7
Girls PE
Inclusion Festival
International Success
All of our netball teams continue to battle for their places in the Yeovil and District Finals. Special
mention must go to Years 7and 9 who are already through. Year 8 are yet to complete the games in
their pool while a narrow win from Ansford knocked the Year 10 Team out at their final hurdle.
Year 7A and B teams entered a round robin tournament at Ansford at the start of their Gryphon
season coming away with first and second place. A fantastic showcase of talent has made for some
very difficult team selections which all involved have taken as an incentive to work at their best to
prove their worth on the court.
The Gryphon School PE Department hosted its
first Sports Inclusion Festival this term as the
North Dorset Disability and Inclusion Hub.
Students from schools across Dorset and
Somerset and from as far away as Gloucester
took part. It was fantastic to see so many
young people involved in a day of
opportunity, excitement and learning. The
Festival was run and funded by Cerebral Palsy
Sport, with support from The Gryphon School
and the Rotary Club. The intention was to
provide the opportunity for young people
with Cerebral Palsy or other disabilities or
impairment to experience a day of inclusive
and enjoyable sport. With a number of
adapted activities Gryphon School Sports
Leaders conducted a day that was fully
inclusive for all and allowed the young people
to enjoy a positive experience of Sport. Our
thanks go to all the staff who brought the
students to make the day possible and to
Cerebral Palsy Sport and the Rotary Club for
their support and funding. It was a great day
for all the young people involved.
Girls’ football has welcomed coaching from the Yeovil Town Ladies Assistant Coach after school each
Wednesday. It’s been a great opportunity.
Boys PE
Hockey
A mixture of Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 boys played Shaftesbury in a
hockey match beating them 1-0. The match proved to be very
well contested with possession of the ball swaying both ways.
Some great goal keeping skills from Max Barker protected the
boys’ first half goal. Special mention must go to Sam Reynolds
and Tom Bevan for their skill and stick work. It was a great
team effort that deserved the win at the final whistle.
Football
Football is becoming more and more popular
at The Gryphon School with high levels of
enthusiasm and motivation being displayed
by each and every player. With teams
playing from Year 7 – Year 13 we have made
a fantastic start to the season with victories
happening at all age groups. Within the Sixth
Form we have fielded a 1st, 2nd and 3rd xI
for the first time in the School’s history! With
boys involved in matches every week for
every age group the standard of play has
been truly exceptional.
Bradley Parks has continued to excel in basketball.
He is a member of the South West England
Basketball Team who compete on the
International circuit.
Bradley has already played in tournaments in
Belgium and Prague and has just been to an
International Tournament in Sweden. This is an
annual event where teams from all over Europe
compete. Bradley’s team reached the quarter
final knockout stage where they were beaten by a
team from Germany.
Andrew Simpson Olympic
Legacy Bursary
County Success for Year 9s
This bursary follows the success of the scheme set up last year by the School and the
Sherborne Rotary Clubs. It will provide pupils from The Gryphon School with the
necessary means to improve on their sporting performances. The scheme is open to
all pupils within the School who compete at a standard above county level. The large
number of applications received, highlights the level of sporting talent at the School.
This was not only in the more traditional sports like swimming and football, but also
included activities like dragon boat racing and kick boxing. With such a strong field it
was hard to whittle the numbers down to the interview stage. All the pupils involved
equipped themselves with confidence and a wealth of information to impress the
panel. As only one boy and one girl can receive funding from the scheme a long deliberation
process took place due to the quality of presentations given by the pupils. The two
winners were Juliette Barlow in Year 9 for her achievements in athletics and Drew
Sanson in Year 10 for his achievements in air pistol shooting. Both of these students
will receive financial assistance. All of the candidates involved should be
congratulated on their efforts.
Sports Leadership
Following their selection of a leadership option
within Core PE lessons over 50 students have
been visiting the local Primary Schools to deliver
PE sessions. Year 11 students have been focusing
on Netball with Years 5 and 6 pupils to help build
their basic skills and decision making in fun and
exciting games. Year 10s delivered varied
activities, including Multiskills and Yoga for pupils
in Years 1 to 4.
Meanwhile William Morris and Luke Furniss, have
been selected to play Rugby for their counties.
Luke was chosen to represent Somerset in the
Under 14s and William will play for Dorset and
Wiltshire. William’s talent has also caught the eye
of Bath Academy coaches who are watching his
development. We hope another successful season
at The Gryphon, Sherborne Rugby Club and Dorset
and Wiltshire will secure him a Bath Academy trial
next season.
Club Focus
In football Isaac Atherley was selected for the
Under 14 County Team at the beginning of the
season. He was then invited to attend the
Advanced Development Centre in Bournemouth
along with a number of other local players.
Following a six week trial for the Under 14
Excellence Academy at the Centre he has been
selected to attend the Academy.
Since 2012, Mr Barker has been running a very successful after school club that focuses on fun
and participation in Sport for boys in Years 7, 8 and 9. The primary aim has been to provide
sporting opportunities for the vast majority of students who do not get access to after school
fixtures. The take up and response from students in the last two years has been great, with
hundreds of boys having taken part. Up to 60 students a week have been involved in a broad
range of Sports including old favourites such as Football, Basketball, Table Tennis, Rounders as
well as some more alternative Sports such as Dodgeball and Capture the Flag. Students are
randomly allocated to teams each week, encouraged to enjoy themselves and then simply
allowed to play. They have fun with their friends and students that they have never met
before, making the club a great way to get to know people. Next term we are looking forward
to a Year 8 and 9 Boys Fun Football Competition on the artificial surface starting after Easter,
followed by the perennially most popular event, Capture the Flag, which will be for boys in
Years 7,8 and 9. Sign up letters are available in PE lessons from Mr Barker.
Editor: Liz Oatts
In Netball, Georgia Tailby and Chloe Hellyar were
successful in their trial for the Somerset Netball
Satellite Academy. Following nomination from
Yeovil Netball Club the girls attended a trial with
over 40 local players. Both were in the final 16
selected to represent the academy. This means
they are now on the way for county selection next
year.
The Gryphon School, Bristol Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4EQ
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Nursery – T: 01935 810112
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