On a mild winter’s day, eight pupils from Gresham’s cross-country team travelled to Mousehold Heath in Norwich to take part in a running event in a beautiful nature reserve among trees, sharp inclines, gorse bushes and a delightful pond. Dressed in black and in good spirits, the eight pupils lined up at the start and soon set off in style and with noticeable verve. Seb took the lead very quickly and remained at the front for the entire race, pushing his personal best without doubt (sadly no timings were provided). Sophia followed with a fine and consistent pace throughout. Darcey, Rose and Charlotte were next to complete the race, followed by Hattie and Honor who excited the spectators with a wonderful and very fast sprint finish. Paloma’s smile at the end showed just how much she loved taking part and the whole team congratulated each other before piling back into the minibus to return home. A fabulous event that was enjoyed by all. Well done, Team!
The cricket season is just around the corner. In January the U14s joined an indoor league within North Norfolk. Plenty of pupils have been involved and we currently sit 2nd in the table. Mr Hornbuckle has been running plenty of sessions and pupils seem to have the cricket bug; with sessions early morning and in the evenings getting ready for the season ahead. The attendance by the Year 9 and 10 pupils has been outstanding and bodes well. There is something for everyone when it comes to cricket here at the School and we look forward to next term where we have over 12 teams ready to represent the School in over 100 fixtures during April, May and June.
On Wednesday the 31st January the open mic night retuned to Dave’s for a double header. Over 20 pupils played and sung their way through 16 tracks with an all-live band twice, once for the juniors then again for the Sixth Form. 14 pupils, ranging from Year 10 to Year 13, made their Dave’s debut alongside some old stagers for what was, as always, a memorable and fun evening. Special mention to our very own Elvis, ‘Sergio’ who let it all hang out in true Vegas style!
Our beautiful school Chapel is once again home to the popular ‘Soul Space’ this week. Stunning immersive light and sound has been combined with thirteen creative, tactile ‘stations’ to give the pupils an opportunity to develop skills of personal reflection and spirituality in a fun, open, safe and inclusive way.
Congratulations to Chloe-Leila G, Emily M and Georgina B on qualifying for the VEX Robotics Nationals for the second year running! Such resilience and amazing teamwork from a great crew!
To mark LGBT+ History Month, Mr Chart-Boyles delivered a brilliant talk to all Sixth Form pupils, sharing lots of invaluable information and insights. The talk covered key moments in the history of LGBT+ people, inspiring role models, and the importance of being an ally. It was an energised, inspiring and inclusive talk that pupils engaged with really well.
Furthermore, Georgie and Chloe-Leila gave a thoughtful presentation in chapel and we celebrated with cakes and pride flags in the library, which has a wide display of LGBT+ themed books to peruse.
The annual small-bore target rifle match, between Gresham’s Rifle Club and Cambridge University Rifle Club, took place recently. This is normally a very tight contest, often coming down to a matter of just a few points, but this year it was not quite as close as it has been in the past. There was some fantastic scoring by the Gresham’s team, despite the absence of several of the teams’ top shots, with all members of the team doing their upmost to secure the victory. It was two sisters that secured the win for Gresham’s, with Ilana B top scoring out of all 30 competitors in the match, with an impressive 196 out of 200 and Marcella B just behind with a 195 out of 200. The final result in the ‘A’ Team match was Gresham’s Rifle Club 1539 points, Cambridge University Rifle Club 1510 points. The victory to Gresham’s Rifle Club by 29 points!
Since records began, Gresham’s have won the match 12 times and Cambridge 4 times. The ‘B’ Team match was almost just as close but unfortunately with a win to Cambridge University. Gresham’s Rifle Club ‘B’ team, consisting almost entirely of Year 9 and 10 pupils, 1429 points, Cambridge University Rifle Club 1467 points. We thank Cambridge University Small-Bore Rifle Club for a very enjoyable fixture, and we wish them every success in the Varsity Match in a couple of weeks’ time. Huge congratulations to everyone involved in the match.
Year 12 pupils Evie, Eva, Alma and Maddie, who have a strong interest in Law, enjoyed a super visit to King’s Lynn Crown Court. The day’s visit gave them insight of the law court protocol and roles together with the opportunity to observe cross examination of prosecution witnesses. It was a superb day linking subject study learning and future opportunities.
The Prep School Green Team set a challenge to all Prep School pupils last week to decorate their recycling bins and raise awareness in our school community of ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’. The hotly contested competition was judged on Friday and ‘5TH’ are the winners of a fully recycled and recyclable prize – well done to all!
Scarlett spoke to parents on raising daughters and she also did a workshop with all of our Year 7 and 8 girls which the HSMs from Oakeley, Queens and Edi attended with representatives from their Houses.
Scarlett is the author of The Smart Girls Handbook and is the CEO of Smart Girls Tribe. She is a fantastic ambassador and has some incredible achievements for a woman in her twenties, including being the host of top rated podcast Smart Girl Tribe, a TV commentator on women’s issues, and an ambassador for the NSPCC and Childline.