The annual Gresham’s Guys and Girls singles are out!

Pupils have recorded two new singles to raise money for the School’s charity of the year, Holt Youth Project. The two groups, Gresham’s Girls and Gresham’s Guys, are going head-to-head to see who can produce the best charity single.

Gresham’s Guys have produced their own funky version of Britney Spears ‘Baby One More Time’. The original video was produced by Old Greshamian Nigel Dick, award-winning film and video director, who also directed and produced the Band Aid single, ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas’. Johnny D, Eduvie O, Freddie B, Ben P, Will B, Rory R, Jake O, Raphael C and Jimmy T have once again released a catchy rendition of a well-known song with an equally impressive video, produced by Year 13 Jake O.

The Gresham’s Girls have gone with a melodic, dreamy arrangement of The Beatles ‘Across the Universe’. Voices float over a melancholy piano accompaniment, whilst their video is shot on a very atmospheric Cley beach, in Norfolk. The voices and tone of Tavi P, Ruby S, Tamsin S, Summer H, Jemima P and Michelle W have created another memorable single. Both singles can be viewed and downloaded on major platforms such as Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Bandcamp and from these links on the Gresham’s Media Channel.
Click here to watch the Gresham’s Guys single and click here to watch the Gresham’s Girls single.

A JustGiving page for Holt Youth Project has been set up, click here to visit the JustGiving page.

English Department activities this half term

Auden Society

The English department have had two meetings of the Auden Society this term, and it has been wonderful to see the breadth and depth of literary interest from our students. At the end of November, the Society was led by Phoebe W, our President, who spoke on Mary Wollstonecraft, her life and her works as well as the importance in considering Mary Shelley alongside – this was particularly useful for our Lower Sixth pupils who are currently studying Frankenstein. Felix D M and Toby P-R followed with an engaging snapshot of John Donne and a great performance of two The Flea and Death Be Not Proud (Sonnet X). Lastly, Ben H spoke passionately and personally about his love of theatre, and gave the group an insight into his familial inspiration that has been so important to him. In December, the English Department held our Christmas-themed event and, alongside Maddie W’s excellent quiz, the group heard from a number of speakers, all with a festive focus. Miranda H-S and Kitty R spoke on The Muppets Christmas Carol and argued it should be seen as a postmodern masterpiece, not just as a film with puppets loosely connected to the Dickens novel. Larkin A presented confidently on Tolkein’s Letters from Father Christmas and the group were able to discuss the longevity of tradition and the place of letter writing in modern society. Ruby concluded with a focus on Carol Ann Duffy’s The Mistletoe Bride and The Christmas Truce, as well as a link to her role as Poet Laureate and the controversial 2009 poem The Twelve Days of Christmas. From here, the meeting ended by considering the role of a Poet Laureate and the role poetry has as in politics or as a form of protest. Thank you to Phoebe W who has continued to lead the Auden Society with unbridled enthusiasm this year. The English Department’s next gatherings include the Burns Night Supper in January, and a gathering in February to celebrate the life of Auden during his birthday month.

Year 9 and 10 Poetry Recital Competition:

The Year 9 and 10 pupils have worked hard to learn their poems, some of them self-written, for the various rounds of the recital competition this term. To learn a poem off-by-heart is not an easy thing to do, so the English Department would like to commend everyone who has taken part. The following pupils have got through to the final round which will take place in Fishmongers’ Hall when we return to school in January:

Amelia M-L, Do Not Go Gentle by Dylan Thomas

Scarlett H, Last Breath by Carly Dugmore

James C, O Captain! My Captain by Walt Whitman

Zac I, The Brightest Field by R.S. Thomas

Ilana B, Dear Mum by Brian Patten

Sam H, Climate Change (own poem)

Cerys D, He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by W.B.Yeats

Klara B, Save Our Earth by Jessica Roberts

Year 9 and 10 pupils delivered an exceptional performance of their latest production ‘The Government Inspector’

This term, pupils from Years 9 and 10 rehearsed and performed an adaptation of the play ‘The Government Inspector’. The Drama Department chose to set our production of this comic play in a modern-day rural town, filled corrupt and lazy townsfolk. There were two fantastic casts, pupil lighting and sound technicians, and a dedicated pupil backstage crew. Everyone had so much fun working on the show and loved to hear the audience laughing along during the performances. Thank you to all of the cast and crew for all their hard work and commitment during rehearsals and the performances, and we look forward to seeing future productions.  

The Charity Committee have been hard at work over Michaelmas Term

Here at Gresham’s we know that we live in difficult economic times, and that this Christmas may be a hard time for many people. All three Gresham’s Schools have been working closely with local organisations again this half term to do what we can to help the most vulnerable. These projects have included:

• Raising over £6000 for the Holt Youth Project who work with so many families in need in our local area.
• Raising over £400 for The Buckingham Emergency Food Appeal which provides food to numerous local charities over the Christmas period.
• Continued financial support for the Holt Community Fund which will help those who need support with their energy bills this winter.
• Distributing a large number of ‘Secret Santa’ Christmas gifts to local young people via The Benjamin Foundation and Holt Youth Project.
• Donating 70 Christmas selection boxes to the Holt Community Fridge at the Treehouse.
• Distributing left over food from our school kitchens to the local community.
• Raising £300 from our Christmas Jumper Day to go towards Nelson’s Journey, which provides support for children and young people in Norfolk who’ve experienced the death of a significant person.

Our Music Department share the Christmas joy

Holkham Candelight Musical Tour & Concert

The Music Department was delighted to take part in a fundraising evening on Thursday 1st December, to launch the Christmas Candlelight Tours around Holkham Hall. Planning began several weeks ago, to provide music for some of the beautifully decorated state rooms as well as programming a special concert in the Marble Hall. Musicians from Alderman Peel High School in Wells joined our musicians, with singers and instrumentalists playing in the Saloon and the Marble Hall during the tours before they too took part in the main concert.

The concert in the Marble Hall was programmed as two distinctive halves. Given the standard of our singers, the department was able to stage an abridged version of Schubert’s ‘Winterreise’ (Winter journey). This song cycle is a challenge for a professional singer and it was a proud moment to watch Ruby S, Johnny D, Tamsin S and Julius R not just perform, but really master with such aplomb this piece. Schola joined them in the first half and Elgar’s ‘The Snow’, with violin accompaniment from Ilana B and Isadora A was a stand out moment.

After interval drinks in the Saloon, Brass Ensemble opened a lighter second half. ‘White Christmas’, ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘All I want for Christmas is You’ got everyone’s feet tapping, with some excellent jingle bell action from a certain trumpeter! Two Ukrainian pupils from APHS treated the audience to an emotional first verse of ‘Carol of the Bells’ sung in Ukranian, and Gresham’s Strings players joined in accompanying the APHS choir in Gjeilo’s ‘The Rose’. Further Christmas pieces from Schola concluded with Chilcott’s ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’, a version with many unexpected twists and turns and surprises, which is always a refreshing change from the well-known traditional version!

The audience showed their appreciation with extended applause and the proceeds of the evening will greatly help the two benefactors, St Withburga’s Church and Gresham’s charity, the Holt Youth Project.

Messiah

This event is always a favourite with our wider community and for those that know Handel’s work well, a chance to dust down a loved-score and come along on the day and sing an abridged version of this great work. For our pupils, it provides the experience of getting to grips with some beautiful arias and performing with an orchestra – a mix of peripatetic staff, invited professionals and our own instrumentalists. This year was no exception and although it was a very cold and frosty night, those who braved the wintery temperatures were treated to a rousing performance of Messiah, with notable solo performances. The School Chaplain, Rev Branford ran a wonderful bar in the interval, offering the chance to have a glass of something festive whilst raising money for the School Charity, The Holt Youth Project.

Our Choral Society next term is a chance to sing Mendelssohn’s ‘Elijah‘. Rehearsals commence on Thursday 12th January. Contact Fiona Ross [email protected] for further information and to be added to our mailing list to hear about future events.  

Choir to Fishmongers’ Hall

The end of the Michaelmas Term is a busy one for all choir members, and for Schola Cantorum it means two visits to Fishmongers’ Hall in London to sing at the Livery Dinner. Our Heads of School attend this formal dinner which takes place in the Banqueting Hall, and the choir sing on the very impressive double staircase whilst guests arrive and later entertain during courses. The Carol Service in St Magnus the Martyr Church a few days later, is a chance to see the Fishmongers in their finery and enjoy another trip to London.

Gresham’s flagship ensembles share Christmas music

All of Gresham’s flagship ensembles have shared Christmas music with the school. On Monday, Concert Band performed a foot-tapping rendition of ‘Feliz Navidad’ alongside the Christmas hits ‘Sleigh Ride’ and ‘Fairytale of New York’ to an appreciative audience in the Chapel. 

During Chapel last week, pupils were treated to a preview of the latest Gresham’s Girls single. This was followed by String Ensemble playing ‘Let It Snow’ and ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ and Brass Ensemble performing ‘Carol Fantasy’. The Chapel concluded with Gresham’s Guys 2022. 

It’s not just pupils who have been sharing the Christmas cheer – the staff choir have also been rehearsing for a performance this term.

This has been a wonderful way for Gresham’s musicians to showcase all their hard work in ensemble rehearsals this term, and a great way to spread Christmas cheer through the School!

GCHQ Languages Competition 2022

The GCHQ Languages Competition kicked off on Monday, 14^th November and ran until Friday 18^th, with Year 9 Teams from all houses getting involved, to solve as many online decoding problems as possible to capture the flag before the end of the competition.

GCHQ is a world-leading intelligence, cyber and security agency, who along with MI5 and MI6 keep the UK safe from threat. So, as you can imagine, this competition was not for the faint-hearted.

The Languages Department would like to congratulate Team Farfield: Will B, James C, Connor M and Alex P, for their tenacity and the many hours spent cracking codes. Although they did not win the national competition, they did come in the top 10% of the country out of over 3000 Teams, which alongside following the Gresham’s timetable was no mean feat. Congratulations too to the Edinburgh and Woodlands Teams who came 2^nd and 3^rd respectively.

Languages play a huge role in intelligence in the UK, and we hope this competition has inspired our Year 9s.

Colloquium Michaelmas 2022

The Colloquium offers regular academic enrichment to all pupils, especially the most able (Juniors meet on Thursday afternoon, and Seniors after Saturday chapel, in the History Department). The group began in September looking at the rapidly changing events and people in and around 10 Downing Street and the Conservative Party, and the various Prime Ministers. This was followed by an excellent presentation on veganism and the ethical and practical challenges of food production and consumption faced by the modern world, courtesy of Year 12 pupil, Tillie C. Black History Month (and why Columbus didn’t discover America,) was the focus in October. After exploring the importance of the COP27 Climate Change conference, the second half of term hit it big with presentations to the Senior Colloquium drawing on the expertise of members of the Gresham’s teaching staff, including:  Mr Haniewicz, The Universe’s Illusion of Gravity; Mr Kinder, A Whistle-stop tour of British Politics since 1900; Mr Brettel, Greek- Cracking the Code. More next term, including a return visit to Mars… 

Pupils held an Afro-Caribbean evening in Farfield

On the 1st December, a group of Afro-Caribbean pupils put on an evening of entertainment for invited pupils in the Farfield common room. Pupils made jollof rice, rice and peas, asun, meat stew, dumplings, jerk chicken and mocktails for their guests, who thoroughly enjoyed their meal. It was a huge group effort, and Mojo, Michelle, Albert, Toby, and Eduvie are to thank for leading the cooking; Cerys and Teagan for their help in the kitchen; Daniel from the catering team for his help, and Ms Masters for her efforts.

Music and Munch December 2022

December’s Music and Munch was a joyful celebration of all things Christmas! Guests from the local area, including residents of Lloyd Court and family members packed into Tig’s to listen to our musicians whilst nibbling on mince pies. The concert featured 29 pupils, showcasing the variety of music on offer. Gresham’s Concert Band and Brass Ensemble performed the Christmas hits ‘Sleigh Ride’ and ‘Feliz Navidad’, complementing vocal and piano solos which covered the breadth of Christmas repertoire, from ‘Walking in the Air’ and ‘O Holy Night’ to ‘Glasgow Love Theme’ from Love Actually and, of course, ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’. Thank you to all of the performers and guests. The next Music and Munch is on Friday 20th January 2023.