Opening night of Sweet Charity tonight for the first of three performances to capacity audiences, who are in for a treat! The months of rehearsals culminated in a final dress rehearsal this afternoon for what promises to be another unforgettable Gordon’s production. Break a leg!
On what would have been General Gordon’s 139th birthday, students, staff and parents attended the Gordon Memorial Service at Guildford Cathedral on Sunday, bringing Memorial Weekend to a close. The Gordon Sermon was delivered by The Bishop of Guildford, The Right Reverend Andrew Watson. Pipe Major Harry Gordon played The Lament and the School Chaplain, the Reverend Graham Wright led the congregation in the School Prayer:
O God our Heavenly Father, we thank you for General Gordon, for his courage and devotion to the sick, the needy and to children. We thank you for this School, dedicated to his memory. Bless the Gordon Foundation, the Governors, the Staff, the past and present students and grant that all of us, like your servant General Gordon, may always be loyal soldiers of the King of kings, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Whitehall is brought to a standstill as the Pipes and Drums lead over 200 students to the statue of General Charles Gordon in the Victoria Embankment Gardens. The Annual Parade along this iconic London street to commemorate General Gordon’s life has been an integral part of the school’s history and marks the start of Memorial Weekend. At the statue, students wearing their ceremonial Blues uniform, were joined by staff and parents for a short service by the school Chaplain the Reverend Graham Wright. Among the wreaths laid was one by Tom Gordon, General Gordon’s great-great-great nephew and a Trustee of the Gordon Foundation.
The Pipes and Drums with the statue of General Gordon in the background as they get ready to lead some 200 students on to the Parade Square in a last practise before the Whitehall Parade tomorrow morning to the statue of General Gordon in Victoria Embankment Gardens. The annual Parade marks the start of Memorial Weekend in which the school honours General Gordon, in whose memory the school was founded. On Sunday the Gordon Memorial Service takes place in Guildford Cathedral.
Fast, furious and fun – Year 9 students taking part in team building as part of their preparations for their Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award. The whole year group will be working towards this first award, which will see them take to the Surrey Hills in April for their expedition.
Just 17 years old and netball scholar Charlotte Lill has been picked for both the Scotland U19 netball squad and Surrey Storm's U21 squad! Along with studying for three A Levels and performing her commitments for Gordon's, her life is nothing less than a juggling act!
“It’s a lot to find balance between A Levels and sport but I’m slowly getting there” she admits.
Charlotte's journey began playing club netball and it was whilst playing at Wellington based B’s, that she caught the eye of a Scotland Pathway coach. Although a bout of COVID prevented her from attending an initial trial, an invitation to a subsequent training camp followed, culminating in her selection for the squad in October.
Her schedule now includes monthly camps in Scotland, supplementing her already busy routine of twice-weekly sessions with Surrey Storm, in addition to school-based practice, skill sessions, and strength and conditioning both in and out of school.
"Balancing A Levels with sport requires a lot of time management," Charlotte acknowledges. "But I'm gradually finding my rhythm."
Since September, Charlotte has been a Gordon’s weekly boarder, adjusting to the school's routines and the reality of living among fellow Sixth Form students in their annex. Despite missing her family, she values the independence and preparation for future university life that boarding offers, and enthuses:
“I could not imagine not boarding now. I just love it. I miss my family but I’m quite an independent person. This gets you prepared for university and living on your own. It’s been great”.
A seasoned goalkeeper, Charlotte's has been playing netball for eight years and yet is amazed at her recent remarkable success surprising even herself. Initially uncertain about her U19 trials for Surrey Storm, she was astounded when asked to trial for the U21s and even more so when told she had been selected!
Reflecting on her selection for Scotland, she confesses,
"I'm still wrapping my head around being selected to represent a country."
She credits Gordon’s netball program and training for playing a pivotal role in her progress.
"The training program is fantastic, and our team is made up of the most amazing girls."
Charlotte remains amazed by her current trajectory. While she aspires to pursue studies beyond sport at university, she is also keen to explore the limits of her netball career.
"I'm still trying to process everything that’s happening right now and keep focused."
The largest contingent of female mathematicians at Gordon’s ever to take part in Oxford University’s It All Adds Up conference. Fourteen Year 12 students, all studying A Level Maths, enjoyed a day of workshops and problem sessions at the Mathematical Institute. The annual event aims to inspire young women to continue with Maths education.
Ending their 2023 in Obertauern, Austria, students on the school ski trip. Both novices and experienced skiers enjoyed a packed programme on the slopes and in the evenings. Students in Years 7 to 10 will be heading off to Bardonecchia, Italy for their ski trip at the end of this term.
Here's a taste of what the students in Austria got up to:
Happy new year! We look forward to welcoming Residential Boarders back to school tonight and all our students tomorrow morning for the start of the Spring Term. The latest edition of the school magazine Semper Fidelis, featuring the Pipes and Drums at the Lord Mayor's Show on the front cover, is now available online and can be viewed here.
Wishing all our students and their parents a very happy Christmas! The Spring Term begins on Tuesday 9th January 2024.
Their cake, depicting Santa and Rudolph sleeping, wowed the judges at the Sixth Form annual cake decorating competition, giving Windsor House first place. Kensington came in second with China third. Incredible ideas and creative shown all round, as well as liberal sprinklings of ingenuity.
Stunning designs in the Winter Arts competition, won this year by Emily Hunter with her snowy forest season. Genevieve Giraud’s owl made second place and Florence Jones’ Santa on his sleigh was third. Congratulations all!
