The Campbell House Catch-up
10 February 2023 - Campbell
With Long leave fast approaching, Campbell pupils have thoroughly enjoyed the events and activities that they have taken part in so far this term. The House has celebrated events such as Lunar New Year, baking sessions in House and the introduction of toastie Wednesdays. We thought that we would use this half term’s newsletter to bring you some of the highlights from the last few weeks.
The Not So “Silent Disco”
During the Spring term, Campbell pupils have had the opportunity to take part in a plethora of activities as part of the weekend activities programme. From societies fair to scuba diving, Bicester village to Lifesize Monopoly, pupils can sign up for activities like this every weekend. One of the highlights of this term was the whole School ’silent disco’ which took place in Big School. Astrid (UV) has written the following account of her experience.
“Everyone got the opportunity to connect to one of three music channels which played a wide variety of songs. Not only was their delicious food such as ice cream and a chocolate fountain but there was also a DJ who lined up songs recommended by pupils. There were no pre-recorded playlists, which made the experience even more fun as each song came as a surprise. Classics like ‘Call me maybe’ and ‘Let it go’ were part of the repertoire, which meant that all pupils from different year groups could dance together. It was a great bonding experience for me and my friends.”
Success in the Senior School Play
The middle of the Spring Term saw the production of the Senior School play The Government Inspector and Campbell would like to congratulate Judea (UV) and Chiaka (LVI) on their excellent performances. Judea (U5) has shared some of her highlights.
“During Autumn Term, the cast of the School play The Government Inspector worked incredibly hard to ensure the performance would be funny, engaging and enjoyable. We attended Monday rehearsals, learnt our lines and snacked on the various treats provided by Mr Harrington. During rehearsals, the cast bonded by pondering which type of fruit each of us were and singing the Hamilton soundtrack acapella with some spontaneous harmonies. Finally, after months of hard work, the day had finally come. It was Friday 13 – the night of the first performance of The Government Inspector. The play went off without a hitch, the audience laughing at all the right moments and their attention was grasped for the full length of the show. Each laugh relieved some of the tension for us. After a huge round of applause from the audience, the night ended as the cast chose which props to take home and which item, they would get the rest of the cast to sign backstage, honouring the theatre tradition. On Saturday, we took a well-deserved rest, only for us to do it all over again on Sunday. It was an unforgettable experience for all of us involved.”
Campbell Celebrates Lunar New Year
To celebrate Lunar New year, Campbell pupils created lanterns as a symbol of wealth, fame and prosperity. To celebrate diversity and cultural integration in Campbell, the LVIs held a dumpling-making session for younger girls on the Lunar New Year weekend. Those who knew how to pleat dumplings taught others who did not, so everyone could join in the fun, including the staff. Everyone enjoyed pleating them, but most of all we were so excited to eat them afterwards. They turned out to be delicious and it was a great experience for the House and a fulfilling night for all, as we look forward to a new year of fortune and prosperity.
Clarence Concerto preview concert
On Friday 3 February, Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra accompanied our Clarence soloists for two preview concerts, in preparation for the concert at St Mary’s Marylebone in London on Thursday 9 February. There was a short rehearsal right after lessons finished, and there was a 15-minute interval between the first concert for Lower School and the second for Upper School. The audience was treated to a brilliant programme of a Gounod aria, Hadyn Trumpet Concerto, Khachaturian Violin Concerto, and New World Concerto, based on Dvorak’s New World Symphony and arranged by a piano teacher at our school, Mr Lenehan, as well as a string duo. The soloists all gave an excellent performance, and the orchestras also accompanied without a hitch. It was a gratifying and enjoyable night for both the audience and the musicians. The audience sent their best wishes for the full concert performance by giving enthusiastic applause at the end of the show.
Our Evening Activities
Every Monday evening, Campbell pupils come together as a House and enjoy some fun activities. It’s a great opportunity for them to interact and talk to girls not only in their own year but in others as well. Some examples of activities we have done include making lanterns for Lunar New Year, playing games like Articulate, and other games on Nintendo Switch, such as ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Mario Kart’. For mental health awareness week, we did a special activity – Courageous Conversations, where they were given a judgemental-free space to talk about anything, which was really nice.
Mental Health Awareness Week
Every Monday evening, the LVIs run activities in Campbell for younger girls. For Mental Health Awareness week, we ran an activity called ‘Courageous Conversations’. For this activity, we began by naming any emotions which came to mind and then remembering a time when we felt that emotion. We shared the different things that we do to make us feel better if we’re not feeling great. Then, we had a very insightful discussion about navigating friendships, which we all recognised can be difficult at times. We discussed the services the School offers in terms of where pupils can turn to for help and made sure that everyone was aware of these, especially the Peer Listener services. This is a service which gives younger girls the opportunity to speak to Peer Listeners in the LVI in one-to-one sessions. These girls have been trained by the charity ‘Mind’ and are keen to help younger girls if they have any problems.
WASAMUN
One of the biggest events this term was the annual Wycombe Abbey MUN conference. Campbell House pupils across UV and LVI had the opportunity to talk about a variety of issues ranging from the Iran nuclear agreement to the Arctic council. Grace Ren (UV) has written the following about her experience.
“WASAMUN was an unforgettable experience. We all relished the chance to voice our debate in front of a sea of delegates, and of course, socialising with peers was the best part by far. Everyone made new friends – the committees were always bubbling with opinions and humour. The highlight of my personal experience was the Highland Ball: spinning around the room in heels and taking dozens of pictures every minute will certainly be some memories that will be cherished forever. It was a vibrant two days, with blooming conversations taking place and new acquaintances being made all around. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that we’ll certainly be signing up again next year!”
And that is just a snapshot of the first half of the term! We will take a short break for Long Leave, and we will be back for more fun-filled activities and excellent extra-curricular events soon!