Head News

The final week of the Spring Term and what a term it has been for Felsted!

The news and events in this eNewsletter are a great tribute to the range of exciting and high quality activities routinely put on at Felsted.  From the Business Enterprise Competition, Upjohn Declamation, the Garnetts charity Fashion Show to the superb run of results with hockey against Stamford, netball against Woodbridge, the Leys and other schools.  A wonderful International Dinner was also held last night - our international students are such an important part of our community here at Felsted and it is their moment in the school year where we celebrate their contribution to Felsted School life.

The final hurdle of Felsted's Round Square application was passed with flying colours last week and I am delighted to announce that Felsted have received full Global Membership! This was confirmed at the Round Square Board Meeting on the 13th of March at Wellington College. We look forward to all the opportunities that this membership will bring and are busy working through the school calendar to see how we can take advantage of it. Salina Gilbert, U6 from Germany, has achieved employment as a GAP teaching assistant at Westminster School in Adelaide, Australia from September - our first student to gain such an opportunity through the Round Square network of schools!

Revision over Easter is crucial for Year 10, 11,12 and 13 and I encourage all families to discuss a revision schedule with their children in balance with some much needed rest.

I wish you all a happy Easter break.

Dr Mike Walker 

Business Enterprise Competition

The Young Enterprise Competition final took place last weekend with the Elwyn boys securing both first and second place with their innovative ideas of selling breast cancer charity badges and marketing their own brand of apple juice.  A donation from the money raised will be made to the Adams Rogers Trust.  Adam, who was at school with some of the boys in Elwyns, tragically died of a brain tumour.   The aim of the trust is to raise funds to help care for children with cancer and to help adults with learning difficulties live and work in the community.  Click here for a full report.

Congratulations to the winners and well done to all those who took part.

The winning team from Elwyns

Upjohn Declamation Winner

The Upjohn Declamation is the most prestigious public speaking and debating event in the School calendar and took place on Saturday 13th March in the Grignon Hall.

The adjudicator, once again, was former Chairman of Governors and High Court Judge, Peter Beaumont. Seven Sixth Formers (Andrea Smith Valls, Filip Bigos, Ben Gibbon, Lucy Stuchfield, Rebecca Mansfield, Jamie Gough and Madeleine Seacombe) gave a range of thought provoking, eloquent and insightful talks and Peter Beaumont mentioned in his summing up that the standard of the competition was as high as it has ever been.

Andrea Smith Valls was declared to be the winner for her fascinating and forthright analysis of the future of the acting profession, while Filip Bigos was awarded second place for a passionate and heartfelt speech on the plight of those with AIDs in Africa.

Written by Mr Rakesh Pathak

Andrea pictured with Peter Beaumont

Debating News

International Competition for Young Debaters

On Saturday 5th March, Crichelle Brice, Sara-Jane Horne, Jacob Elsey and Hugo Chaplin took part in the International Competition for Young Debaters (ICYD) at the Cambridge Union Society. This is an excellent competition for our up and coming debaters as they seek to build on experience already gained through events such as Felsted MUN.

The motions discussed included the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the provision of special faith schools - challenging real life issues - and with the nature of debating meaning that students do not always get to argue for what they themselves believe, this was a valuable excercise in learning that there are always two sides to any argument. Despite being up against some stiff competition, all four speakers acquitted themselves well, with each team coming second in one of the debates.

Annual MUN at Haileybury

Between 19th and 21st March, nine members of the Lower Sixth Form travelled to Haileybury School for their annual MUN. This was a group with a very strong internationalist profile, with all nine students being either overseas students or IB Diploma students or both.

It was especially pleasing to see students building on the skills they had learnt in Felsted MUN, with several leading members of our IB Admin Team deciding to come round again as speakers and gaining much from the experience. Alex Marshall and Michael Sammer were particularly successful in lobbying other delegates for support on their draft resolutions, and all delegates were very well prepared.

Whilst the size of the event made it at times difficult to gain speaking rights against some extremely pushy and experienced MUN veterans, all delegates nevertheless participated actively and learned much about a wide range of topical global issues.

As MUN goes from strength to strength at Felsted, watch this space for further developments in the run up to next year's Felsted MUN.

Written by Mr Tom Vignoles

Julius Werk addressing the Disarmament Committee

Maths Challenge update

Following the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge last month the following pupils have received their certificates for gold, silver and bronze. 

Gold Award Winners:  Sun Chang, Ted Rowntree and James Wilkinson.

Silver Award Winners: James Butterworth, Danielle Standish, James Fretten, Lizzie Holmes, Deanne Evans, Phoebe Hunter, Rory Hartley, Spencer Murphy, Pernilla Craig, Eliz Peck, Jacob Elsey, Matthew Poulton & Dirk Holmes.

Bronze Award Wiinners: Calin Basno, Blake Harland, Dan Withers, Chris King, Priya McNamara, Louis de Gaste, Sam McArdle, Calum Glover, Crichelle Brice, Hannah Coward-Whittaker, Hayley Prowse, Max Limburg, Elliot Begley, William Edwards, Sara-Jane Horne, Dan Benson, Harry Hazlem, Max Paulin, Sam Payne, Elizabeth Went, James Duncan, Harriet Holmes, Savannah Mukeshi & Enrique Piera Serra. 

Congratulations to everyone for their efforts.

Written by Mrs Susanne Unsworth

Felsted golfers reach the National Finals

Felsted have secured a place in the National Finals after winning in the Area Final v Haberdashers' Askes.  The Felsted team, made up of Will Gwyther, Tom Copnell and Philip Konig, were up against golfers with far lower handicaps than themselves but still manged to win 2-1.  The UK Final will take place in April with five counties all competing for this prestigious award.  The format of this will be 36 holes stroke play scratch and this will certainly be a challenge.  Well done and good luck to the team in the National round!

Written by Mr Richard Feldman

Tom, Will and Philip in front of the new golf nets (funded by proceeds from the Annual Fund)

Conor and Alexandra hit the slopes on Round Square Challenge

Conor Turner and Alexandra Marshall bravely represented the school  in Switzerland recently. They participated in a round square  challenge to raise funds for overseas service projects. Completing  
25 runs each over a period of four hours in freezing temperatures, they joined pupils from Beau Soleil on a testing slalom course.

Flying in to Geneva and being chauffured to College Alpin Beau  
Soleil little did they know what lay in store for them, but like true  
Felstedians they rose to the task in hand. The first day's skiing saw  
them conquer, ably assisted by Miss Hookway and under the watchful eye of Mr Lucius-Clarke, four two thousand meter peaks, followed by a memorable raclette evening where they met up with pupils from Aiglon College. After dinner with torches strapped to their heads and accompanied by professional guides there followed a tricky torchlit descent into the valley.

The following day was race day and conditions were far from perfect, heavy snow, limited visibility and icy temperatures of minus 18. These conditions took their toll and unfortunately Miss Hookway injured herself leaving a cable car, taking a very heavy fall onto a concrete slope, as she was warning us all about the dangerous conditions! She bore this with great fortitude. The slalom was complete and we returned home. My personal thanks go  
out to Conor and Ali for again being fantastic ambassadors for the  
school and of course to Miss Hookway, who not only is a brilliant skier but an incredibly brave person.

Written by David Lucius-Clarke

History Book Club Evening

On Monday 15th March, a band of intellectually curious Sixth Form historians gathered to munch pizza and discuss John Darwin's history of global empires - 'After Tamerlane.' There was a wide ranging and well informed discussion, which ranged from Attila the Hun and Columbus to the rise of China in the 21st Century...

This evening was enjoyed by everyone involved.

Written by Mr Rakesh Pathak

A Unique Opportunity for 1st XV Rugby

Twenty 1st XV players have just returned from a brilliant day at Wasps Rugby Football Club, thanks to an amazing donation from Mrs Kendrick who bid for an auction lot at a Wooden Spoon Charity Event. Mrs Kendrick (Mum to Max) has supported the Wooden Spoon Charity for many years, as it was a charity supported by her late husband.

At Wooden Spoon, they believe that all children and young people deserve the chance to live happy fulfilled lives regardless of the challenges they may face. Spoon harnesses the spirit and values of rugby to give disadvantaged children and young people in the UK and Ireland a chance to achieve their full potential in life.

Here follows a report by Mr Charlie Knightley on this fantastic opportunity:

The day started with an early leave from Deacons House with Mr Andrew Le Chevalier and myself driving the team to Wasps training ground for a 2 hour training session with the Wasps 1st team squad. Jack Wallace, Mark Robinson and a Wasps community coach put the boys through their paces in a session to maintain space.

The team then moved onto Wasps ground to watch Wasps v Gloucester in the Guinness Premiership clash. The team were the guard of honour for the two teams on the pitch and then took their seats for the match. Wasps sneaked out on top after an excellent game that saw three magnificent tries.

After the game the boys had a Q and A session with Phil Vickery who played for Gloucester, England and The British and Irish Lions and currently plays for Wasps.

The team returned exhausted, but having had a fantastic day. Thanks again to Mrs Kendrick and her fantastic work with the Wooden Spoon. 

Phil Vickery with some of our Felsted rugby team

Arts Director reviews Felsted Arts Festival

For ten days at the end of February and early March, the Felsted Arts Festival again rose to new and ever more adventurous heights!  Click here to read a full review by Andrew Widdowson, Felsted Arts Festival Director. 

Dame Evelyn Glennie, Percussionist

Mont's and Manor Feast

Saturday 13th of March saw the return of the Manor and Mont's annual House Feast. As ever, the day houses were original in their style with Mrs Phillips and Mr Feldman taking the night off and leaving the speech making up to Olivia Clayden, Head of Manor, and Rory Whyte, Head of Mont's. An enjoyable night was had by all especially with the disco that followed the dinner although a few cases of interesting dancing may have been spotted….

Written by Stephanie Byrne, Lower Sixth, Manor

Garnetts Fashion Show

More on this in the next eNewsletter ...

The next eNewsletter will be sent on Monday 22nd March. For any errors, omissions or additions, please email marketing@felsted.org.

Save The Date!

Autumn Ball

Saturday 25th September - please keep this date in your diary!  Further details to follow.

Netball House Matches

1st Follies, 2nd Stocks's, 3rd Manor

In the junior section Stocks's won both of their matches to win overall with Follies in 2nd place and Manor in third position.

Written by Charlotte Gray

Boys House Swimming

The boys took part in the interhouse swimming competition recently.  After a long day the boys swam extremely well and the competition was tough.  Special thanks should go to the two Elwyn's boys who swam for Mont's to make up the numbers.

Deacon's were the overall winners with 109 points, followed by Elwyn's with 95, Gepp's with 70 and Mont's with 25. Well done to all those who took part.

Written by Ms Kay Milford

3rd in Cambridge Rugby Sevens

Rugby Sevens

A squad of 13 boys ranging from 15 to 18 years old  competed in the Cambridge School Sevens U18's Tournament on the 17th March. We were in a pool group with Hinchingbrooke and Trent College, where we finished 2nd in our group having beaten Hinchingbrooke comfortably but then losing to Trent College.

Our next game was against Wisbech Grammar who were the winners of their pool group. We then decided to play some of our best rugby of the day and beat Wisbech Grammar 22-35.

Winning against Wisbech Grammar put us through to the quarter finals against Royal Hospital School who we beat very comfortably scoring 43-12.

We finally faced Bedford School in the semi finals who won the tournament last year; we took the lead within the first couple of minutes but were beaten 26-7. Bedford School ended up winning the tournament beating Trent College who we lost to in the pool stages 26-10. 

With a third place finish, the boys will go to the   National School 7's on the 23rd of March with much confidence.

Written by Mr Andrew Le Chevalier

Please click on the link to view all recent sports results on the main school website.

Dance Show

Another electric dance show took place in the Hunt Theatre on Wednesday 10th March. This year the troops danced for two shows ensuring that everyone could squeeze in and enjoy the eclectic mix of dance on display.

Highlights of the evening included Emma Gates and Tiffany Griggs performing a contemporary dance to Lady Gaga's 'Telephone', Isabella Speight floating across the stage to 'Fiennes Quixote', Lena Krohner 's hooded and hazy 'Just Dance' and the finale dance, involving the whole team proving their talents to Moulin Rouge's 'Sparkling Diamonds'!

The dance team praised the hard work and effort of their esteemed choreographer, Erin Simpson who teaches in the Preparatory and Senior School three times a week!

Well done to all those who took part. Arlene Philips would definitely have put you through to the next round of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’!

Written by Miss Hannah Grace

Basketball Tour

In early March the Felsted Basketball Team visited a fellow Round Square School, Louisenlund School, near Schleswig in Germany. The team played in a mini tournament, beating their hosts but losing to the Schleswig Men’s Basketball team. The experience was memorable for the excellent hospitality laid on and the wonderful winterland environment. The school was covered by 20cm of new snow and overlooked the frozen Baltic Sea bathed in perfectly sunny conditions.

The weekend trip also took in a visit to the historic port of Lubeck with the highlight being lunch in the Schiffergesellschaft, which was where the Hanseatic Ship Captains used to meet to do business. It was a highly successful trip and will hopefully be the first of many basketball ventures with our Round Square schools partners.

Felsted and Schleswig Men’s Basketball teams

Written by Mr Iain Gwyther

A podium finish for Kieran!

We have been following the success of Yr 9 skier Kieran Norris this season and all his hard work and determination is certainly paying off!

He has been busy competing in a number of events over the past few weeks finishing 10th in the English Alpine Championships Giant Slalom and 9th overall at the Inter Schools Challenge in Les Houches.  In his most recent competition he was delighted to achieve a podium position in the Aiglon Cup where he finished 2nd in the Giant Slalom.

Over the Easter holidays Kieran will be competing in the Scottish Championships in Courchevel  and the British Championships in Meribel.

Well done Kieran and good luck in your forthcoming races!

Will to play for British Swifts

William Gwyther, L6 Elwyns, has been selected to play for the British Swifts in Belgium and Amsterdam over the Easter period.  This tour is made up of 16 independent school players and lasts for six days with 4 matches played overall.  William will also get the opportunity to train with the Bloemendall 1st XI which is a very well recognised team throughout Europe.

Well done Will!

 

Charlie picked for Northampton

Charlie Marsden, U6, has been trialing with Northampton Rugby Football Club over the past season. Charlie who has played for the Colts and the 2nd XV, is playing next against Leicester RFC 2nd XV at Franklin Gardens on Monday 22nd March.

Congratulations are in order as Charlie has been offered an academy contract for 2010/11 commencing in the summer. He has been an outstanding school  rugby player and a key player in the success of the past two seasons at Felsted.

We wish him luck with this.

Written by Mr Charlie Knightley 

Abi's tennis success

Abi Claydon, L6, is currently ranked 15th in the country for U18's, following a successful route to the last 16 of a British Tour in Sutton. This will be Abi's tenth year of representing Essex in division one of the Junior County Cup. Abi is currently ranked 1137 in the world in the U18's ITF (International Tennis Federation). We wish her continued success in the future.

Seb competes in Duathlon challenge

Sebastian Struth, L6, participated in his first Duathlon a couple of weeks ago in Hatfield Forest, Takeley. It was organised by Dunmow Triathlon Club and it was the first time he had taken part in any triathlon/duathlon event.

He had been training hard for this event which consisted of a 5km run through a forest, then a 28km bike ride around the local roads, followed by another 5km run.

Sebastian stressed "It was quite an experience with 120 competitors finishing on the day, 40% of whom were associated with a club. I was the youngest competitor by 4 years and after all the training I am delighted to have come 29th overall which is really good for a first attempt."

His next goal is an Olympic distance triathlon.

Easter Rugby Camps:

13th & 14th April for ages 12-16, 15th & 16th April for ages 8-11.

10.00am - 4.00pm

Cost £70.00.

The camps will provide boys and girls of all abilities with the chance to experience a broad range of rugby skills from ball handling, kicking to evasive running and tackling. The camps aim to be a fun, safe way to learn about and enjoy planing rugby. Felsted's Head of Rugby, ex-professional Andrew Le Chevalier, will run the camps along with other coaches who have all played rugby at a high standard.

Further details can be found here or from the Courses Officer on courses@felsted.org or 01371 822634. Please book early to avoid disappointment.

Raise money for Macmillan

Flitch Way Family Walk - Sunday 8th May 2010

Why not join other families with their children and dogs for a fun walk in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support Charity.  The walk will start and finish at the Discovery Centre, Great Notley Country Park in Braintree.  There will be the option to complete a 3 or 10 mile walk depending on your preference. Registration is £5 per person (free for children 16 and under).

For further information please visit our website at: www.macmillan.org/walking where you will be able to register or call the Essex Fundraising Office on 01245 345280.