Spring Term Part 1
14 February 2025 - Shelburne
An (almost complete) alphabet account of the term so far…
A for Alice
Annabelle, Ava and Isolda took part in the Fifth Form Production of Laura Wade’s Alice, a retelling of the classic story of Alice in Wonderland set in the modern day. Annabelle played the Chesire Cat, Ava played Tweedledum and Isolda was the dormouse.
B for Bouquet-making
After 21:00, when all devices have been put away, the girls have been busy crafting on Top Landing. Our latest project has been making flowers out of pipe cleaners, which we have arranged together to make rather impressive looking bouquets to brighten up the halls!
C for Caledonian Society
Sophie, Hen and Frida travelled over to Eton to participate in the most recent Caledonian Society ball.
D for Dumplings!
To mark the start of the Lunar New Year, Sophie ran an evening activity making Chinese Dumplings.
E for Elektra
On Monday evening, Zara, Dara, Nell and Eloise went on a Classics trip to see Elektra in London starring Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) as Elektra, with Stockard Channing (Rizzo in Grease) as her mother, Clytemnestra.
“This was an incredible opportunity to watch a moving performance of a famous Greek tragedy in an interesting combination of modern theatre (when it came to set and staging) with elements of ancient Greek plays (as there was a traditional Chorus). The performance is a sort of monologue of Elektra working through her emotions as events come to pass around her as she deals (or rather doesn’t deal) with her father’s death by her mother’s hand alongside her brother’s supposed abandonment of her. It was short but impactful play with an experience to be remembered.” Zara
F for Fencing
Jennifer and Nell attended the Southern Region Youth Championships for Fencing this half term. Both girls have qualified for the National rounds, with Jennifer placing 3rd in the U16 Foil, and Nell achieving 6th place in U18 Epee. We wish them the best of luck for the next round in May!
“This competition offered a valuable and enjoyable experience. The matches were tough, and I learned a lot from each one. It was a great opportunity to challenge myself and learn from strong opponents. I’m looking forward to continuing to practice and improve for competitions in the future!” – Jennifer
G for Gold Cadets
“The Gold Industrial Cadets team attended a University Workshop Day at Kings Canterbury University. We made use of the University’s expansive labs and workshops to develop our piezoelectric tile that aims to be a creative solution to our brief “improve the energy efficiency of the Davies Sports Centre”. We were able to complete a full model that we can iteratively improve on and write about in our report as we continue our project back at School. We were also very lucky to attend a talk about University life at Canterbury and engineering as a field. We look forward to continuing with our project and hope to see some of the other teams we worked beside at the presentation day in May.”– Eve
H for Hyrox
Miss Tay is taking on another Hyrox next month, but this time (to increase the challenge) she is competing in her first solo race and then completing a half-marathon, all within 24hours to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. If you would like to read more about this challenge, or are able to support her fundraising, please follow this link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/lettietayhyrox?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
I for IMC
This year, 18 Shelburne girls took part in the UKMT’s Intermediate Maths Challenge. The 1-hour multiple choice paper contains a series of progressively difficult maths problems to solve, with successful participants receiving awards and the opportunity to qualify for further competitions. Huge congratulations to Kate, Jennifer, Veeva, Isabella, Penney, Audrey, Leila, Belle, Claire and Eloise, who all received Gold awards and qualified for follow-on rounds!
J for Jazz Band
Hen, Kate H, Kate L, Nell and Audrey have been practising hard with Mr Ledingham’s Jazz Band! Their concert is at the start of the Summer Term.
K for Kate’s music success
Participating in the Oxford Music Festival is not new for Kate, who has been performing at the event since she was seven years old. However, this year she competed in six different categories across three instruments, placing first in two categories, second in two and third in a further two! She played a selection of challenging repertoire by Bach, Chopin, de Falla, and Wieniawski.
L for Lunchtime Concerts
Chrissie and Kate performed in the first lunchtime concert of the term. This was a particularly special concert, as ten little children attended from a nursery in High Wycombe. Though they were given colouring to do during the show, they sat mesmerised by the talent of our girls!
M for MUN
Zara, Ameera, Sophie and Kate participated in the annual WASAMUN Conference, representing Lebanon, Venezuela, Barbados and Sri Lanka respectively. The girls debated on topics such as cybersecurity, armed conflict, the drugs trade and free speech, and relished the opportunity to make friends with like-minded people from visiting schools. The highlight of the event – the evening dinner and ceilidh dance – was enjoyed by all. Particular congratulations goes to Sophie, who was awarded Outstanding Delegate in her committee.
N for Netball
Houses gathered on a freezing cold February afternoon to battle it out for the title of Netball champions. Spirits were high, despite the weather, and our two teams demonstrated excellent teamwork and skill in their matches.
O for Orchestra
11 of our girls performed at St Marys Church Marylebone last night in our Orchestral Concert, featuring all three of the school’s orchestras. Sinfonia played part of Beethoven’s First Symphony, Chamber Orchestra played some arias by Mozart, and Symphony Orchestra had a varied program of romantic music. A particular highlight was when all the orchestras came together to play Prokofiev’s ‘Dance of the Knights’, which is better known as the theme music to The Apprentice. Well done to Anjola, Belle, Penney, Izzy, Emilie, Chrissie, Kate L, Audrey, Daisy, Hen and Kate H.
P for Plays
The Sixth Form Play took place at the very beginning of term, with Nell acting as Brighella in The Servant to Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni. Set in Venice, this Italian comedy tells the story of Truffaldino’s desperate attempts to juggle the demands of two masters while keeping his double life under wraps.
Mij and Isabella are currently in rehearsals for the Fourth Form Play, The Revengers. Written by Head of Drama James Harrington, this comic production brings together characters from several of Shakespeare’s plays. Isabella will be acting as one of Macbeth’s witches, while Mij is a ‘mechanical’ from Midsummer Nights Dream.
R for Running
House Cross-Country Funals took place in January and was another demonstration of amazing House spirit, as well as an opportunity for some of our top runners to show us what they are capable of. In the Junior category, Isabella placed 4th and Penney 5th, with Isabella’s performance leading to her being selected to represent the School in an upcoming Biathlon competition. In the Intermediate age group, Monique placed 1st and Zoe 2nd, and in the Seniors, Frida came in 10th and Nell 13th. A large number of girls also took part in the ‘fun run’ to gain us extra house points!
S for Skiing
Isabella travelled to Flaine at the end of January to race as part of Wycombe Abbey’s ski team. She came back with three medals: 1st place in the combined category, 2nd place in the giant slalom, and 2nd in a team event.
T for Tru Fru
As requested by the girls, make your own ‘Tru Fru’ activity has been a huge hit and is now a regular feature of our Tuesday nights. Here are some photos of the girls enjoying their frozen fruit, chocolate-covered creations!
U for Uptown Girl
Hen and Frida, our House Conductor Team, have been busy arranging music and scheduling rehearsals for the upcoming House Singing Competition. The House vote named ‘Uptown Girl’ as the song for this year, and we’ve decided to be ambitious with three-part harmony to woo the judges. Further updates to come next half term!
V for Volunteering
Daisy was among the youngest of a group of musicians that travelled to a local care home, Ryeview Manor, to perform to its residents. She played Paganini’s Cantabile for Violin, and enjoyed seeing the incredibly grateful reactions of the audience.
W for Weekend Activities
The first closed weekend of the term saw the return of the popular Silent Disco. The girls were given headphones and able to choose from three different music channels to listen to. As ever, the visiting Chocolate Fountain and Ice Cream Parlour companies were very popular!
X for TEDx Talk
Laeticia, an U6 Shelburne pupil, took the stage to give a TEDx talk entitled ‘Where is Home?’ Through heartfelt stories and insights, she explored what truly defines home, and invited the audience to reflect on how it is far less about geography and more the people, the memories, and the connections that ground us. We are incredibly proud of Laeticia for putting herself up for this fantastic opportunity.
Y for Year-group Socials
This term, the Shelburne girls have had many opportunities to widen their friendship circles to include pupils from other schools. Socials have taken place with Cothill, Sunningdale and Eton, and for almost all year groups. The girls have enjoyed roller discos, dinners and quizzes!
Z for Zurich Marathon
It’s marathon season again, and my training for the Zurich Maratchon on the 13 April is well under way. I’m really looking forward to trying a new marathon this year, particularly as Zurich is supposed to be super flat and with beautiful scenery!
Wishing everyone a wonderful Long Leave!