Head’s Weekly Update

Year 8 Dinner

Friday evening saw one of the final events of the year for our departing Year 8 pupils, with their formal black-tie dinner in The Hudson Room (formerly the Old Library). After a drinks reception in Devitt Reception, we moved through to The Hudson Room which had been thoughtfully decorated by a small group of the pupils, and sat down for what was a beautifully cooked and presented three-course meal. All the children looked fantastic in their evening dresses and dinner jackets, and there was an army of proud parents gathered outside to see them in. The menu choice was Asian themed and began with sushi, spring rolls and gyozas, with a variety of delicious sauces. Speeches from the Michaelmas Term Head Boy and Head Girl (Jago F and Ruby H) followed, and then our main course of fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, crispy pork, noodles and bao buns. After the main course came the speeches by the Lent Term Head Boy and Head Girl (David D and Yasmin P), and then a glorious combination of ice-cream sundaes and brownies for dessert, finishing with the speeches from the Summer Term Head Boy and Head Girl (Lloyd O and Alexa A). After the formal part of the evening was over, we moved out onto the Devitt Terrace to meet the awaiting parents and to take some memorable photos. My sincere thanks go to our wonderful catering team who produced some of the best food I have seen for this event, in sweltering heat and with impeccable service.

Dr Ian Hart, Head of Dunbar (Junior House)

Alice in Wonderland Junior Production

Since February, Ms. Kerys Nathan has been working with the cast of Alice in Wonderland to produce our Summer production. All this hard work culminated in two performances, an open dress rehearsal to the Year 5 pupils from Bradfield Primary School, and an audience of over 60 parents, pupils and friends on Monday 29 June. The cast and crew were from Years 7-9, apart from one Year 10, Louisa Goss, who snuck in to help support the technical side of things, and one Lower Sixth, Clara Kingsland, who was helping Ms. Nathan direct the piece. 

The pupils had worked, in collaboration with Ms. Nathan, to weave their fantastical world of Wonderland and Looking Glass Land, and what a world it was. There were trees of red roses and white, a table set by the Mad Hatter himself, mice galore, a Mock Turtle, a Griffin. Humpty Dumpty himself, the caterpillar 'smoking' a bubble pipe and the Tweedle brothers, as well as Jam Tarts, Duchesses, Queens of every colour, an executioner and many courtiers! Despite illness, sunburn and a chessboard set piece which still hasn't arrived, the show went on as the clouds mercifully covered the warm sun, to give the audience and performers a comfortable and charming evening's entertainment.

Very well done and a massive thank you to all involved for their hard work, dedication, enthusiasm and energy. To produce something with that level of energy, in the last week of term, after a heatwave, is a gargantuan feat, but it was totally worth everything you put into it. Bring on next year when we go 'flying' to Neverland to meet with Peter Pan and his friends...and enemies! We hope to see you all there.

Ms Rebecca Atack, Head of Drama

Inter-Watch and Div Drama

Tuesday 30 June saw the whole College off timetable for Divisional Drama. 

In this time of rapid change and uncertainty in the workplace, there is one thing that stands head and shoulders above everything with regard to what employers are looking for in their employees - confidence. Everything we do in life involves interacting with others in some format or other, and having the confidence to address people correctly in an email, or set the right tone with a smile and an outreached hand to shake, goes a long way to settle and reassure people. Drama does this. Having to stand up in front of a lot of people is not only nerve wracking, but absolutely terrifying! Then add in the complications of having to remember words, use a prop appropriately and with purpose, having first remembered to bring it on stage or where it was placed for you, remembering which side of the stage to come on and go off and not bumping into people who are already on stage; all of this pushes people out of their comfort zone and by the end of the process, they have grown as a person. They have managed to stand up in front of people, even if they said one line with two other people stood next to them, they have still achieved something and this brings self-confidence. This is why Pangbourne College dedicates a whole day to Divisional Drama, to give our pupils the confidence to be a force for good in an imperfect world.

The day consists of performances based on a theme/ play/ film. The Lower Sixth flex their leadership muscles to direct and perform with these year groups. As this year is the National Year of Reading, the Year 7 pupils were asked to prepare performances on 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' by Lemony Snicket, the Year 9 pupils were given the seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis, and the Year 10 pupils were given the seven books which make up the Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling.

The pupils were fantastic and nerves aside, pushed their comfort zones and delivered performances which were creative, inventive and entertaining. We had unintentional false endings, Aslan and the Ice Queen pitting their wits against one another, Voldemort being unveiled and many dramatic battles, including a Dance Off! 

Year 7 Inter-Watch Drama was won by a very polished performance from Starboard Watch, with James L being awarded ‘Best Actor’ and Arthur L given ‘Best Supporting Actor’. There were also nods for outstanding contributions to Freddie W and Emmy W. The Year 8 pupils were performing in Drake Hall with the senior pupils in their new Divisions, and we await the results of that competition with baited breath.

Ms Rebecca Atack, Head of Drama

Devitt & Moore Showcase

On Wednesday afternoon the entire Year 9 cohort of pupils gathered in Drake Hall to showcase their Devitt & Moore projects. 

The Devitt & Moore project is an independent piece of work that students were challenged to undertake in March. They have had to research, plan and execute their projects originating in a series of titles that they were able to take in any direction they chose and culminating in a final presentation, essay, artefact or object to show the adjudicators. Each student then underwent  a viva voce to determine their level of engagement, triumphs and failures in their work and to see how well they could articulate both the process and the outcome of their work.

Our Ulink pupils helped them prepare by circulating with questions before the team of adjudicators made their way around everyone. The room was buzzing with students' responses and judges' questions; pupils chatted to pupils about their work and demonstrated their findings. Some students had made posters; some artefacts and complex objects; some films and presentations and other extended essays - for many, the most they had ever written on a single topic.  

There were some standout projects and presentations and it was truly a delight for the judges to see the passion and enthusiasm for such a wide array of academic topics from aerodynamics to evolution to exoplanets to ski jumps to psychology and Classics to name a few. Winners will be announced on Friday in the Head's Assembly.

Mrs Elly Hayward, Assistant Head Pupil Expertise

Inter-Watch Swimming & Tennis

The Four Dunbar Watches (Aft, Forward, Port and Starboard) competed on Wednesday afternoon in a short-format tennis competition. Shortened games made the results uncertain, but the weather was fantastic, and the pupils were keen to compete. In the end the clear winners were Port on 9 points, followed by Aft on 5, Starboard on 4 and Forward on 0. Well done Port Watch!

The Inter-Watch Swimming competition, took place after the Inter-Watch Tennis, in glorious sunshine. Every pupil able to swim took part, and there were individual races in each stroke, as well as individual medleys, and medley relays. The results were close, with some really accomplished swimmers on display. Starboard finished in 4th place with 23 points overall, Forward were 3rd with 28 points, Port finished 2nd with 30 points, but the overall winners were Aft who took an impressive 37 points out of a maximum of 48.

Dr Ian Hart, Head of Junior House (Dunbar)

Ulink Pupils’ Adventure Morning

On Wednesday, our Ulink pupils got to take part in an exciting morning of activities following our adventure curriculum. The pupils were split into groups and rotated round the activities. These included low ropes, air rifle shooting and the assault course. For many of these pupils it was their first time having a go at anything like this and they gave it their all and did a great job. They did each task with a smile on their face and worked incredibly well within their teams to learn and complete each task. We hope they will bring these adventure skills back with them to Shanghai.

Year 8 & 9 Speaking Competition Grand Finals

This week English lessons for Year 8 ended with the annual highlight of the final of the Pangbourne Speaking Competition. The winner was Jessica D with her persuasive speech about how we could utilise the College grounds in a more effective way. Noah M was the runner-up with his entertaining speech on the ever popular topic of sport. Mr Payne, the Head Judge, was impressed by the Grand Finalists for choosing a diverse range of topics and delivering their ideas with such passion.

The winners of the Pangbourne Speaking Competition for Year 9 were also announced this week. In 9X,  the winner was Ted M. He managed to make his philosophical speech about how we should appreciate that there are more wheels than doors both accessible and entertaining for the audience. Ben F was a close runner-up with his passionate speech about the environment. In 9Y, Monty M was judged to be a worthy winner for his speech about how we should look after the planet more closely followed by Nicolas D who eloquently argued that sportspeople should be paid less.

Mrs Rosemarie Seccombe-Wade, Assistant Head of English

End of Year Art Exhibition

The Private View of the End of Year Exhibition was the perfect way to celebrate the hard work of the Year 11 and Upper Sixth Artists, Photographers and Art and Design BTEC students. In the July sunshine teachers, pupils, family and friends gathered to immerse themselves in both the Art and the music of talented Pangbourne creatives. There were many highlights including people weaving around Emilia W’s hanging wire fish sculpture showcasing the dangers of ocean plastic and placing themselves behind Niamh M's paper cuts of students in No.1 uniform. It was also great for families to see how the Art trip to a bustling New York City inspired vibrant and unique outcomes. Overall, a very proud moment for the Art department to show how much time, effort and hard work has gone into creating this amazing body of work.

Mrs Emma Green, Head of Art

Div Sport

On Thursday, all Divisions came together for an exciting afternoon of competitive athletics. Students from Year 7 through to Upper Sixth enthusiastically took part in a wide variety of events. On the field, athletes competed in shot put, javelin, medicine ball throw, and long jump showcasing strength and skill. Over on the track, students raced in a range of distances - from the explosive 100m sprint to the endurance-testing 1500m - ensuring everyone had a chance to participate. The day concluded with a thrilling series of 100m relay races, where teamwork was key and the baton was (mostly) safely passed. The atmosphere was electric, and the spirit of healthy competition between Divisions was evident throughout. The final results were announced during the final assembly of Term.

Div Swimming