Speech Day
Speech Day 2014 was a glorious occasion. It is a fitting end of the year to celebrate and share with staff, parents and grandparents the myriad diverse achievements of so many children from throughout the school. Well done to all pupils who came up to receive an award, prize or trophy. We were very spoilt with the quality of speakers this year. Our Upper School Head Boy and Girl, Will Shaw and Pip Edgar, and Main School colleagues Ed Hookway and Imani Botham, all spoke with clarity, confidence and great humour, reminding us all of what makes Cundall such a special. After Sir Thomas Ingilby’s address, and a refreshingly brief speech by Mr Notman, we were very fortunate to be able to welcome onto the stage Mr Gary Verity who regaled us with his many and always hilarious tales of his mission to bring the Grand Depart of the Tour de France to Yorkshire. Central to Mr Verity’s speech was the need to believe in oneself and one’s idea, no matter how mad that idea may seem – a maxim that will ring true with every Cundallite.
Form 6 Review
Good Morning Cundall! Britain’s first ever school breakfast television show was hosted by the incredibly cool, calm and collected Imani Botham and Oliver Hartman last Thursday night. In a clever twist to the Form 6 review presentation, pupils used the morning TV show format as a vehicle to connect a series of hilarious sketches that both parodied the rather over-enthusiastic genre and certain members of long suffering staff! As is tradition, many of the sketches featured a collection of much loved teachers placed in a rather compromising situation such as ‘The Island’, a reality TV programme that introduced a rather excitable character called Bear Bains (sound familiar?), and featured Romey Dawson as Miss Baggaley, Hamish Mainey as Mr Vale and Teagan McIntosh as Senorita to name but a few, all battling it out to survive the hostile environment. We were treated to a lecture about the importance of the water molecule from Josh Johnson playing Mr Smith and a rather hungry and therefore dangerous Mr Sample, played by Fraser McPhearson in a stunning wig. In a comical take-off of a Party Political Broadcast, staff vied for dominance, with Miss Kuit (Jemima Telfer) proposing that Latin should become the only language spoken at school and any dissenters were to be thrown to the lions! And who could forget Monty Powell who spoke for The Headmaster’s Party and Hugh Whitworth for the History Party; both had the audience in stitches. To add to the mayhem, there was a random dance performance of YMCA and to cap it all off Form 6 sang a moving and completely adulterated version of Mama Mia! Overall, a good time was had by all and many pupils expressed how much they had enjoyed being so creative in such a short time. Many thanks to the all the good sports who were gently ribbed; Form 6 wouldn’t be able to do it without you!
Bongiorno Italia!
Mr Coates, Mrs Conway and the boarders have extended a very big welcome to our newest intake Italian visitors. Marcelo and Pietro arrived on Saturday afternoon, and were swiftly whisked off the bowling alley to get to know everyone. On Sunday they enjoyed a visit to York and a trip to The Chocolate Story followed by a chilled afternoon playing tennis and finding their way around school with Michael and Tim. They are very much looking forward to everything that Cundall has to offer and the new friends that they are sure to make!
Music and Drama evening
Last Thursday evening we presented a Music and Drama Evening in the school gym. We had planned simply to have an evening of light-hearted fun and that is exactly what it was! However, for the children from forms 4 and 5 who formed the cast of the play ‘The Happiest Days Of Your Life’ it was rather tense and stressful just before they went on stage. These children had opted for Drama as their Tuesday enrichment for the summer term and had therefore only had a very short time to put the play together. It was a farce about two schools in the 1940s who suddenly were forced to share their facilities – a boys’ school and a girls’ school! It is a very funny play and the pupils presented it superbly. They delivered their lines with skill and conviction and threw themselves into their characters. Their comic timing was good and the audience became completely involved. Well done to all of the cast and a special mention to James Hepden who was drafted in at the very last minute due to illness. He played the part of the vicar and was hilarious.
Arrivederci Amici!
Despite their excellent grasp of the English, our Italian visitors were perhaps far too polite to tell us what three cosmopolitan teenagers from Milan really made spending a night under canvas in the Yorkshire Dales, but we are fairly sure the rest of their two week stay at Cundall surpassed all their expectations. In particular they would like to extend a very hearty ‘grazie’ to Mrs Keren Watkins for giving them a tour of RAF Linton-on-Ouse, Mr Richard Ingilby for showing them around Ripley Castle, to Mrs Calvert for teaching them to make authentic Yorkshire Fat Rascals, Mrs Hartley for helping them rustle up Yorkshire Rhubarb crumble and Yorkshire Puddings, to the staff who gave them a glimpse of our glorious countryside (and a spot of retail therapy) and to the Telfer, Briggs, Burnett and Edgar families who welcomed them into their homes over the exeat weekend. The exercise has proved a huge success, with many pupils benefiting greatly from the cultural experience.
Pre-Prep Speech Day
PP2 cooked a delicious three course lunch which they served to their parents in the library. They enjoyed preparing the food, making menus and most of all acting as waiters and waitresses. After Pre-Prep gathered in the gym to celebrate PP2’s time in Pre-Prep and to give out prizes. PP2 shared their favourite memories of their time in Pre-Prep and this busy day finished with a concert. Joshua Reece from Nursery was the youngest solo performer, but all of the children did brilliantly to play their pieces as well as entertaining us with a range of songs including flat as a pancake! PP2 have been a lively, enthusiastic and fantastic class and we wish them lots of happiness and success in Form 1.
Boarding House celebrates glowing inspection report
Following our recent intermediate inspection of the Boarding House by the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate, we are delighted to announce the publication of their report. The ISI is the body approved by the Secretary of State for the purpose of inspecting schools belonging to the Independent Schools Council (ISC) Associations; part of their remit is to conduct inspections of boarding welfare from an educational perspective. The inspectors conducted formal interviews with boarders, observed extra-curricular activities within the Boarding House, and studied questionnaires completed by boarding pupils and their parents. The full report is available here: ISI Boarding Inspection Report
Jake’s Ski Success
Following our recent update of Jake Doyle’s wonderful alpine season, we’re delighted to confirm that Jake has now been selected for the the Snowsport England U14 Alpine Development squad for the 2014/15 season!! Jake had to undergo rigorous fitness testing at Reading University this term; the coaches have just confirmed that his performance there has qualified him for a place on the squad. Jake can now look forward to representing Team GB and competing in some international races next year. Well done Jake!
Form 1 Countryside Day
Form 1 spent a wonderful sunny day at the Great Yorkshire Showground taking part in many countryside related activities. They tried their hand at willow weaving, rag-rugging, dry stone walling, bread making and pond dipping. They also got to see a variety of farm animals and a superb sheep show! It was just what they needed after all the hard work of exams!
English Essay Excellence
Congratulations to Hugh Whitworth who was awarded a Highly Commended in the Finals of the ISA national Essay Writing Competition 2014. The ISA inform us that the competition received record entries this year so Hugh’s place in the finals is a significant achievement. Well done Hugh!