The Pipes and Drums taking part in the Last Post Association service at the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Belgium on Saturday evening. Earlier on the students visited St George's Memorial Chapel (below) for a service conducted by the school Chaplain, the Reverend Graham Wright to remember the 156 Gordonians who died during World War One.
The school's character values represented in cakes and biscuits! That was the task facing some students in Years 8 and 9 today in the Arete baking competition. The group produced some imaginative and delicious results, winning both their categories, with Year 9 girls also seizing victory with their biscuits!
Privileged to welcome Baron Robert Winston for a fascinating talk and question and answer session with Sixth Form students. The professor, medical doctor, scientist, television presenter and Labour peer answered wide ranging questions from a mixture of psychology, sociology and biology students on ethics, epigenetics, genetics and gene editing. Head of Psychology Gurdeep Bilkhu, pictured (left) with Baron Winston said: “What makes today even more special is that Lord Winston is generously sharing his time and expertise with us out of his own good will. We are deeply humbled by his unwavering commitment to advancing science and education”. Also pictured is sociology teacher Bethan Sage and students.
A sweet treat for January with the school's production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory playing to capacity audiences over three nights at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre in Woking. Audiences have been blown away by the professionalism of the cast of student actors. Thanks to West End Garage Kia a further treat for theatre-goers in the form of WonKIA bars. Who has won the golden ticket?
From St Paul’s Cathedral to the Front Field at Gordon’s. Today piper Amber Wright performed the lament and the School Chaplain, the Reverend Graham Wright conducted a short service on what would have been General Gordon’s 192nd birthday. A wreath was laid at the foot of the Gordon Statue, by Gordonian Officer Harriet Turk. The quiet, intimate service follows similar ones held in the past two weeks at the Gordon Statue on the Thames Embankment; the memorial at Westminster Abbey and monument at St Paul’s Cathedral for the Pipes and Drums Tour marking 140 years of the school as the National Memorial to the war hero and philanthropist.
Not just high octane adventure for students on the The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, but giving back. Some 250 students now enrolled for the scheme either working towards their Bronze, Silver or Gold - but all volunteering as part of their awards! The DofE Award Scheme has calculated that 3055 hours were spent volunteering, the value of which is £16,128!
National finalists for the second year running in England Netball’s National Schools competition – the 1st VII Netball team after winning six out of seven games yesterday afternoon in the Regional Finals. The team, captained by Summer Chapman, included two playing up two years. They beat Benenden (15-4); St Paul’s Girls’ School (12-3); Latymer Upper School (6-3); Sydenham High School (9-2); Coopers’ Company and Coborn School (14-2) and Epsom College (3-1). A delighted Head of Netball, former Superleague player Nicole Humphrys said “I am very proud of them. They stuck together, dug deep, and executed when it mattered to get the job done”. The team will take on the top 18 schools in the country in the national championships on March 15th at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield.
The start of the Pipes and Drums' 140th Anniversary Tour, which will take in places associated with General Gordon. First stop after the Whitehall Parade was Westminster Abbey, which houses the Gordon Monument. The School Chaplain the Reverend Graham Wright gave a short service at the monument and Tom Gordon a direct descendant of General Gordon, laid a wreath. Afterwards the Pipes and Drums performed outside for visitors of the Abbey. At St Paul's Cathedral, members of the Band visited the General Gordon monument before playing on the steps of the cathedral.
Gordon's 140th anniversary year was launched on Saturday at the annual Whitehall Parade to the Gordon statue at Victoria Embankment Gardens. There, three wreaths were laid on behalf of the Gordon family, students and staff and Gordonians. Students stayed true to the school's character values, showing much resilience due to the protest taking place at the same time in Whitehall. The Whitehall Parade was followed by the Gordon Memorial Service on Sunday in Guildford Cathedral with the Bishop of Dorking the Right Reverend Paul Davies delivering the Gordon Sermon.
Please see below for video of the Gordon Memorial Service:
Her tantalising tortellini of sea bass with rocket pesto proved an absolute winner with the judges of the Springboard Future Chef competition today. Matilda Spink will now go through to the Regional Final in Brighton in March, in what is the biggest school culinary competition in the UK. Congratulations Matilda!
Final rehearsal before the big day tomorrow when students in Years 9 and 11, together with the Pipes and Drums, leave the General Gordon statue in West End to Parade along Whitehall to the General Gordon Statue in Victoria Embankment Gardens for the start of Memorial Weekend. The bass drum now sports a new skin to commemorate the school’s 140th anniversary this year. Best of luck to all those taking part tomorrow and Sunday.
A chance for our female mathematicians in Year 12 to attend inspirational lectures and workshops at Oxford University’s Mathematical Institute at the It All Adds Up conference. The conference, designed to increase female participation in maths and related subjects at Oxbridge, also gave them the opportunity to try out some entrance exam problems and attend a Q&A with current students.
