On Monday 3rd June, six of our foremost instrumentalists were given the rare opportunity to work with a professional string quartet in an evening workshop, developing their skills performing classical concert repertoire and leading an ensemble. They then went on to perform their solos alongside the quartet in a recital on Wednesday 5th June to a large and appreciative audience. Milan H arranged 8 minutes of music from John Powell’s soundtrack of How To Train Your Dragon for piano and string quartet which he very impressively performed from memory. Emily M performed a movement from Boccherini’s last Piano Quintet, Meg O on clarinet performed the lyrical ‘Forlana’ from Finzi’s Five Bagatelles and Ferdinand von D performed the slow movement of the 1st Piano Quintet by Louise Farrenc. Sophie L gave performances on both clarinet and saxophone – of the famous 2nd movement of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto and Shostakovich’s popular Waltz No 2, and Isadora A played the principal solo part in the second movement of Bach’s Double Violin Concerto. 

On Friday 21^st June, “Theatre in the Woods” came alive with an eclectic mix of music and vibrant performances for the annual Pop Concert. The event featured an impressive lineup of talented musicians, ensuring a night to remember for all in attendance. Here’s a detailed look at the setlist that had everyone dancing, singing, and enjoying the unforgettable atmosphere. 

The night began with a heartfelt rendition of See You Again by Jemima T and Eduvie O, supported by Milan H, Benny S, Timothei F the brass section. Following this, Empire State of Mind saw the addition of Heidi W and OG Jethro Holmes to the stage, along with the brass, creating a powerful and harmonious soundscape. 

Albert W then took the lead on Hotline Bling, bringing a unique twist to the popular hit, followed by Michelle W’s energetic performance of Rock Your Body with full instrumental support, including guitar and brass. Naomi H-S’s Unwritten had the crowd singing along, with Benny S, Timothei, and Milan H providing solid backing. 

Emily M’s touching Time After Time slowed things down, allowing for a moment of reflection before Olga B to the stage with an electrifying rendition of Material Girl, which saw the full ensemble, including Jimmy T and Jethro, back on stage. Sergio S’s medley of Twist and Shout got everyone moving again, with enthusiastic backing vocals and instrumentals. 

Ilana B’s hauntingly beautiful My Future and Zinnia-Claire B’s When the Party’s Over continued to showcase the diverse range of talent. Limony A, with the indie band lineup, delivered an energetic Where Is My Mind and followed up with a punk-infused American Idiot. 

The first set concluded with Tamsin S’s smooth performance of What You Won’t Do for Love and Pullo W’s lively Mambo Number 5, both performances highlighting the versatility and breadth of the night’s musical acts. 

The second set kicked off with Jimmy T’s dynamic Let’s Dance, featuring Heidi W, Eduvie O, Charlie P and Timothei F on percussion, Jethro shredding on guitar, and the brass section. The energy remained high with the En Vogue classic Don’t Let Go, performed by Jemima T, Michelle W, and Tamsin S supported by a full ensemble. 

Rory R’s Careless Whisper brought a nostalgic touch, with exquisite contributions from Heidi W, Charlie P, Eduvie O, Jethro, and Henry J. Another highlight was the stirring rendition of Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, performed by Rory Ri, Milan H, Charlie P, Eduvie O, Jimmy T, and Heidi W. 

The seamless transitions continued with Heidi W’s solo on Stay, Milan H accompanying on piano, creating a beautifully intimate moment. Alma D R and Angelika J then took the stage for a spirited Rumour Has It, joined by Josh K, Charlie P and Jimmy T. 

Ruby S’s performances of Dog Days Are Over and Four Five Seconds, supported by Charlie P, Josh K, Jimmy T, and Inez C kept the momentum going. Reva S’s Suddenly I See, and Larkin As Tainted Love added further variety and flair. 

The night shifted gears as the Rock Band took over, with Jimmy T’s keys leading Alright, followed by energetic renditions of All the Small Things and Say It Ain’t So with Eduvie O. Parklife, featuring Jimmy T on keys, Spike C, and Freddie G rounded off the rock set. 

As the night drew to a close, the audience was treated to a mesmerizing outro with M83, leaving everyone with lasting memories of a truly special evening. 

The Pop Concert in the Theatre in the Woods concert was a remarkable showcase of musical talent and diversity. 

Gresham’s pupils and staff celebrated Pride Month in our own unique way by making 19th June a day to dress up in clothes representing an aspect of our identity of which we are proud. The day saw an array of wonderful outfits: sumptuous African clothing, Chinese farmers’ hats, Egyptian skirts, football scarves and t shirts, Mr Majid in his Invictus t shirt, Mrs Mousley in a tiara having traced her family tree back to Edward I, Mrs Corder in a Brazil top celebrating her Brazilian heritage, Ms Masters in a Haida Pride t shirt celebrating her great great great grandmother, a native Canadian of the Haida tribe, and Mr Robb in colourful tartan trews and Liverpool tie, showcasing dual aspects of his identity.

We were treated to a fascinating presentation in chapel by Albert W and Mojo A who wore, respectively, traditional Ghanaian fugu and kente and Nigerian iro and buba, and explained how these outfits feature in their culture. Inviting the congregation to stand and talk a little about their choice of dress, we heard from Pullo W dressed as a Polish priest, who said: “I come from a Polish background. Poland is a traditionally Roman Catholic nation, so the purpose of my outfit was to represent the deeply-rooted Catholic culture and traditions Poland has acquired over the years.” Austin L wore a vibrant orange turban which he explained represents his Sikh religion. An eye-catching Ms Fielding explained her outfit thus: “It is only as I have got older that I have begun to understand the relevance of birthplace and how it forms part of my identity. It felt therefore only right to wear the colours of the Zambian flag on diversity day: green, orange, black and red. I wore my bright and clashing outfit with immense pride and remembered how being born in Zambia is part of who I am.”

Later in the day, the catering team came up trumps yet again with a delicious lunch of jerk butternut squash, jerk chicken salad and caramelised bananas, following our new tradition of an annual Afro-Caribbean-themed meal. We hope to repeat the day again next year and look forward to an even larger exhibition of outfits to celebrate aspects of our identities we might not otherwise share.

The 2024 edition of The Gritty Grasshopper has reached its muddy, wet, stench-filled conclusion! Hundreds of pupils took part and represented their Houses in this fantastic whole school event. The costumes were extraordinary, the laughter was infectious and the team spirit on display was truly heart warming. 

Well done to everyone that took part in the Gritty Grasshopper 2024. It was the closest and fastest race we have had to date! Before we get to the results, let us just talk about fancy dress…there were some great fancy dress outfits this time around with an extra special mention to the Edinburgh Year 10 scuba rescue team, and all those that attempted it in a onesie, a tougher challenge than some may think. Maybe a new category for next year’s event? Also, we do have a couple of wigs that fell off while you were venturing about the course, so let us know if you are missing one otherwise Father Jack will add them to his dressing up box.

This fantastic whole school event saw over 180 pupils take part. The Houses came together to raise some much-needed funds for the Holt Youth Project, at the last count the total was about £3,500. If you still wish to donate, you can do so here https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/grittygrasshopper2024

As usual there are a few different categories; the team race, the House race, and the ultimate winners; which is a combination of the House race time and total funds raised by the House. To work this out, we subtracted the total pennies raised from the Houses’ total time. This year we also had the newcomers; Arkell, this added a little spice to the race calculations, as they are currently only able to enter one team, but for the first time in the main race’s history, it was a mixed team.

The top 11 teams finished the course within 5 minutes of each other, making it the fastest GG we have had so far. Joint third fastest with 36 minutes were Tallis Year 12, Farfield Year 10 and Woodlands Year 10. Finishing in 34 minutes were the joint second fastest teams; Arkell’s Year 12 co-ed team and Tallis Year 9 who must be a team to watch out for going forward. Another upcoming team to watch out for is the Oakeley Year 10 team who managed to take second place in the Year 10 overall race. The fastest team on the day was the Woodlands Year 12 team who finished in 32 minutes, which is a new course record.

Next, House totals. When we added together the times of all year groups within each House, we see that Tallis came in third with a total time of 111 minutes, Farfield a close second with 110 minutes and Woodlands the fastest house on the day with a total of 105 minutes.

All the Houses made an amazing effort to raise funds this year, with more money raised before the event than ever before. Our top four fundraisers are in reverse order: fourth place Howson’s, third place Oakeley, second place Tallis and in front by a considerable amount, Queens’. 

The Ultimate race winners and those taking away the prized Gritty Grasshopper again this year are Woodlands.  

Around 100 pupils in the services programme volunteered in the local community. There were many groups scattered across North Norfolk such as at Eve’s Hill Veg company, the Felbeck trust and along the River Glaven. Students worked in allotments, in gardens and at commercial vegetable growing sites. Jobs included: weeding, clearing beds for new crops, potting on young plants and watering.

At the Treehouse community café in Holt there was outdoor furniture to paint for their new sensory garden. At St Andrew’s church a team were working in the churchyard garden and also at St Martin’s church, Hindringham.

Twelve students volunteered at Holt and Kelling Primary schools where they assisted with an Art workshop led by artist Mary Blue. Another group were at Holt Youth Project helping to sort clothes for their second-hand shop and there was lots of maintenance jobs too. Rose T and Sophia P created a piano and voice recital which they performed to residents at Lloyd court, Kelling and Heath Lodge Care in Holt.

There was a jaunt to Norwich with a visit to the shrine of Julian of Norwich and the Castle Museum with the Roger Ackling exhibition whilst another group hiked to the coast and picked litter along the shingle beach.

Meanwhile in school there was plenty to be done with the charity knitting group, making the labyrinth in chapel and maintenance work and gardening in Tallis.

It was a brilliant two days of volunteering and well done to everyone who got involved.

Gresham’s DofE participants have received a certificate recognising their contribution towards volunteering in the twelve months ending April 24. They have achieved 6,162 hours with a social value of £32,534.

Pupils have also been working hard to complete their Gold award.

Last week four Year 9 pupils bravely stood up in front of the whole school in Chapel to deliver an excellent talk on Diabetes. Harry, Isaac, Will and Alex included a fun quiz in their presentation which ensured everyone left feeling both entertained and better informed.

Year 12 pupils studying languages joined for a language symposium in TIG’s cafe where they showcased their chosen research topics for their A level oral exam. Pupils and staff asked questions and discussed the various subjects, enabling pupils to expand upon and refine their avenues of research. Well done to all on their efforts and good luck for their research over the summer. 

Maddi W – The Mental Health Crisis in Spain 

Josh K – The Spanish Aviation Industry 

Lucio C – Biodiversity/Conservation in Madagascar 

Bea C-L– Notre Dame and the role it plays in French heritage 

Faith R – The Haitian revolution and its legacy  

Tara G – Haute couture versus the rise of ‘Prêt-à-Porter’ (off the peg clothing) 

Isabelle H – Marie Curie’s key findings in developing cures for cancer 

Amelia H – Existentialism as a product of post-war France 

Sophie L – Debussy & peers, how their music put French music onto the international stage 

An afternoon was recently spent with The Norfolk Photographer, filming LAMDA drama pupils for showreel material and taking a few informal headshots in the Fishmongers’ Hall. Many pupils are keen to collate footage of their performances to use for possible casting agents and drama school auditions – quite apart from it being a lovely reminder of fun times spent living the lives of many and varied characters!

Pupils created a special Labyrinth on the floor in Chapel in the penultimate week of term. Labyrinths are ancient pathways found across the world, most famously in some of Europe’s major Cathedrals. They offer space for reflection and inner stillness in a busy world.

The beautiful pathway was constructed by a group of pupils using natural materials. Staff and pupils have the opportunity to walk around the Labyrinth, taking time to reflect and unwind at the end of a busy school year.