Highlights from the Head...Welcome to the latest edition of ‘Voice’, which lets you know all that has been happening in the Junior and Senior Schools this Spring. Although we have had a very short term, it has been as packed as ever. The girls have excelled academically and have been fully engaged in their activities outside the classroom, developing the skills and talents which will help them in later life. It is wonderful to see the confidence with which they take part in sporting events, musical concerts, and outdoor activities. A highlight for me this term has been the Chamber Choir’s performance at the Royal Festival Hall: having been selected from fifty senior school choirs to appear in the Final of the Barnardo’s National Choral Competition,

the girls and boys sang beautifully from the magnificent stage and were a credit to the two Divisions and to their families. I hope that this newsletter gives you a flavour of what keeps us busy during the day and, sometimes, in the evenings as well. If there is anything which sparks a new interest in your daughter’s mind as you read through the pages, do encourage her to pursue her curiosity! And if you are intrigued by any of the lectures which feature here, do make a resolution to come along yourself one night. A Bolton School education never ends and we would like families to benefit as much as the girls whenever possible!

Miss S Hincks, Headmistress

Let’s Share a Story: for World Book Day the Junior Girls dressed up as their favourite characters. Pupils in Year 4 shared the spooky tale of ‘The Story Stealer’ in assembly and the whole school sang the World Book Day song before hurrying to lessons, where there were more themed activities to enjoy.

boltonschool.org • Spring 2018

Girls remembered those less fortunate over the festive period. Year 7 completed a Sponsored Silence to raise money for Key 103’s Cash4Kids ‘Mission Christmas’ appeal: they bought £2,820 of toy donations and gave an additional £1,000 in cash. Sixth Form students masterminded the collection of 1,300 packets of stuffing and 1,000 jars of cranberry sauce for Urban Outreach’s Christmas Hampers. 7C made donations of warm clothing and useful items to local homeless people. Further fundraising activities allowed the School to donate more than £2,500 to charity: the Ceremony of Carols raised £552.73 for Bolton Hospice, the Prefects’ Panto raised £524.15 for Rainbow House, Christmas Jumper Day raised £498.77 for The Christie and the Year 10 Christmas Post raised £976.13 for Beat.

Sharing Christmas Cheer Actor on the CobblesCharleigh Adams from Year 11 appeared in Coronation Street in February. She has previously been in three series of CBBC’s Class Dismissed, which won the 2017 BAFTA Children’s Comedy Award, and Peter Kay’s Car Share.

“ It was weird to be on those cobbles that are so famous!”

Knead for Speed!

Twenty-five pupils in Year 10 took on the ‘Knead for Speed’ Aero Challenge: an engineering session focusing on aerodynamics. They sculpted Plasticine onto model cars to improve air flow, and received feedback on their designs. The best model was 3D scanned and put into a virtual wind tunnel.

Chemistry WeekThe Girls’ Division celebrated National Chemistry Week by completing quizzes that tested their ability to recognise compounds, designing Chemistry Week posters, baking cakes with a chemistry theme, writing poems using chemical ideas and creating entries for the ChemQuiz Mug Competition.

Bake OffThe annual Bake Off competition has now begun and will see girls in Year 7 and Years 8 to 9 competing in two parallel competitions across five rounds, culminating in the Summer term with the Showstopper Final!

French ConversationsSixth Form students gained fluency and confidence during the annual Joint French Day. They discussed a range of challenging topics relating to the A Level curriculum, including the dangers of cyber-society, issues affecting teenagers and the ‘seventh art’: cinema in the French-speaking world.

Science and the ArtsThe calendar of free, public Arts and Sciences Enrichment Lectures continued with more well-attended evening events.

Ethical QuestionsPhilosopher Dr Peter Vardy encouraged everyone to consider the big questions in his thought-provoking talk on Sexual Ethics. He covered the legacy about sex from the past, new reproductive technology and sexual ethics today, and discussed topics such as religion, gene therapy, gene editing and transhumanism.

Sicily’s Diverse HistoryDr Michael Scott gave a tour of Sicily’s rich multicultural history, exploring the island’s Neolithic, Ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman and Spanish past and its Italian present. He talked about Sicily as a mirror for globalisation and considering the advantages and disadvantages of migration and conquest.

Talking about the WeatherTomasz Schafernaker talked about his career, from his earliest interest in meteorology to his first predictions to the present day: presenting weather for the BBC. He shared anecdotes such as his trip to Florida during Hurricane Irma, and discussed how the weather is forecast and the difficulties faced by weather presenters. A lively Q&A followed his talk.

Teenage StatisticsThe School hosted The Royal Statistical Society William Guy Lecture 2018. Jeff Ralph from the Office for National Statistics showed how statistics can reveal what life was like for teenagers through the last century. A basket of goods represented how people spend their money, and the contents portrayed changes in society, technology and the measurement of poverty.

Chill FactorePupils in both Divisions honed their skiing and snowboarding with sessions at Chill Factore in Manchester. Perfect preparation for family holidays and the Joint Ski Trip!

Enigma CodeYear 7 pupils cracked codes and discovered cryptography with Dr James Grime, Mathematician and lecturer. He even demonstrated a genuine WWII Enigma Machine! A lucky few girls were able to touch this valuable antique.

In addition, pupils enjoyed

lunchtime Café Scientifique

and Culturel talks: Hannah

Renshaw from the Institute of

Physics presented on ‘Physics

Acting Out’; Peter Barton

shared his successful Fairtrade

business Babipur and ‘Finding

Your Niche’; Manchester

University’s Dr Peter Morton

questioned if the Senate

were ‘Honouring or Mocking

Caesar’ and the part their

lavish distinctions played in

his downfall; the company

directors of Euroto talked

about ‘Controlling Static

Electricity’; and Boys’ Division

teacher Dr Holland discussed

Portuguese Literature.

Skiing in Clavière Winter Canoeing

84 pupils from both Divisions spent half term in the Italian and French Alps. They skied well at every level and enjoyed wonderful snow conditions: several days of sun but freezing temperatures and two days of fresh powder. Hotel staff could not believe how tidy the rooms were when they left!

Year 8 and Year 9 girls enjoyed a brief window of calm weather in January to go canoeing on Windermere: they appreciated a relaxing paddle in fantastic scenery, and even had time for a break to take in the view!

Community InitiativeBolton School has won the Whole-School Community Initiative of the Year Award at the TES Independent School Awards 2018, in recognition of the School’s work with The Bolton Sports Alliance. Judges said:

“ It is a really strong project that has had a very significant impact on its area. A shining city on the hill.”

Music in LondonSixth Form Music students enjoyed a weekend in London. They took a tour of the Royal Albert Hall and learned about the evolution of opera at the Victoria and Albert Museum. They also watched performances of ‘Mozart Requiem by Candlelight’ at St Martin-in-the-Fields and ‘Tosca’ at the Royal Opera House.

National Citizen Service Town ChampionsThe Junior and Intermediate Swimming Teams have been named Town Champions in their respective age groups following the Bolton town swimming gala. The Junior squad won outright while the Intermediate squad share the trophy after finishing on level points with St James’s School.

Pupils in Year 11 visited Bolton Lads and Girls Club to find out about National Citizen Service (NCS): a scheme designed to help young people develop themselves and their citizenship skills while helping the local community. NCS complements the School’s Sixth Form Community Action programme.

Lake District InspirationsThe Creative Writing Retreat was an unforgettable experience. Students developed their skills through workshops and tutorials, led by Christopher Wakling and Peter Sansom. They were inspired by a trip to Wordsworth’s home of Dove Cottage, crossing Lake Ullswater by boat, and a visit to Aira Force.

“ The week has gone SO fast. I wish that we got snowed in so the fun wouldn’t stop. If you are wondering about joining the Writing Retreat family, I would definitely recommend coming next year.”

Charlie Barber, Year 10

“ The Retreat is a positive and eye opening experience and I’d thoroughly recommend it. I found Chris and Peter extremely helpful as they’d tell us how to improve our pieces.”

Sanaa Hafeji, Year 10

WordsworthWordsworth is a high gabled roof

Magnificent to look at but far out of reach

Wordsworth is a broom cupboard

Hidden in the dust

Wordsworth is a dream made of clouds

Swept along in the breeze of my own memories

Wordsworth is a docked boat

That has ceased to sway

Wordsworth is a feathered quill

That has now been deemed obsolete

Wordsworth is a ball of yarn

Knotted

by Lauren Standen, Year 12

Holocaust Memorial

Choral Competitors

Creative BakesYear 10 pupils created a fabulous array of ‘Volcano Cakes’ which were sold at lunchtime to raise money for Operation Wallacea. The cakes were also judged on the volcano knowledge applied, presentation, volcano resemblance and ‘wow factor’. Last term, the annual Christmas Cake Club saw girls in Years 10 to 13 create an impressive array of beautifully decorated festive cakes.

Magic LessonThe Turret Library was transformed into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in honour of Harry Potter Book Night. Members of Book Club earned points for their Hogwarts Houses in a special Care of Magical Creatures lesson where they identified fantastic beasts through Charades and Pictionary.

The String Quintet opened Bolton’s Holocaust Memorial Day Service at the Town Hall with a moving rendition of ‘The Lark Ascending’ by Vaughan Williams, featuring a solo from Alice Edwards in Year 7. After the Candle of Hope lighting ceremony, the Accidentals sang ‘Lacrymosa’ by Howard Goodall.

Lacrosse SelectionTwenty-five pupils were selected for Lancashire Lacrosse’s Under 18, Under 15 and Under 13 A and B squads following trials. Bolton School pupils were nominated as Captains of the U15 B squad and U13 A and B squads. Millie Hurt in Year 11, who was among those chosen for the U18 A squad, has also been called up to the Wales Under 19 squad.

Lancs Lacrosse U15 & U18

Lancs Lacrosse U13

The Chamber Choir performed at the Barnardo’s Choral Competition national final, which took place on 12 March at the Royal Festival Hall in London. They performed The Cloths of Heaven (Victor Johnson/Yeats) and an arrangement of Somewhere Only We Know (Keane).

Night WalkA group of eight pupils navigated their way up Rivington Pike under cover of darkness, using torches to light the way and maps to ensure they stayed on the right path.

STEM FinalistsAmelia Cordwell and Uma Patel in Year 7 presented their project ‘Parched Plants’ at the final of the BP Ultimate STEM Challenge, which was held at the Science Museum in London. As finalists, they also received Bronze Crest Awards. Staff Giving

Girls’ Division staff have given back to the local community this term. Ten students from Lostock Primary School attended maths enrichment classes, organised by Miss Doran and Mr Wrigley. The aim was to improve problem solving skills in preparation for Year 6 examinations. They were a lovely group of very enthusiastic pupils and a credit to their school.

The School also hosted the SHINE: Serious Fun on Saturdays programme, which challenges Year 5 pupils and widens their learning beyond the normal curriculum.

“ In the SHINE Maths class, children investigated the twists and turns of the Mobius strip and discovered how to cut a ‘hole’ in a sheet of A4 paper which was big enough to climb through – all in aid of fun!” Mr Wrigley

“ The students had a fabulous time making a range of really creative pizzas in Food Technology including faces, love hearts and dogs! A great morning was had by all.” Mrs James

“ In Spanish we learnt how to say the different colours... Then we made a lollipop stick and pompom caterpillar and the children described their ‘gusano’ to each other.” Mrs Naughton

“ We spent the session learning about China through a variety of activities. We discovered China’s location within Asia, its topography and key places, and facts and figures. Finally, we learnt about the Chinese New Year, 2018 being the Year of the Dog, and made a Chinese dragon in celebration.” Ms Noot H

APP

ENIN

GS

ATWorld Book Day

The halls of the Girls’ Division were filled with literary figures as staff and pupils dressed as their favourite characters, from Hogwarts students to Hunger Games participants, Offred to The Tiger Who Came To Tea, and everything in between! Reading recommendations were shared throughout the school day as identities were revealed.

Elite SportRio 2016 Paralympian and GB Wheelchair Rugby athlete Ayaz Bhuta and Old Boy Dr Vasudevan Mani, who is now Team Doctor for Leeds Rhinos, talked to Senior School talented athletes and Junior School pupils about sport at the highest levels.

HA

PPEN

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S A

T HESK

ETH H

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SE Letters from PaddingtonPupils were asked to write a letter from Paddington Bear to his Aunt Lucy for the Library Writing Competition. There were over forty creative entries which made the judges’ decision very difficult! The five winners received copies of Michael Bond’s A Bear Called Paddington, illustrated by Peggy Fortnum.

Visitors from the PastA Roman soldier and a Viking warrior dropped in to the classrooms at Hesketh House this term. Pupils in Year 4 discovered amazing facts about Roman culture and life in Roman Britain, while girls in Year 5 were fascinated by the tales of epic battles between farmers and Viking invaders.

Music FestivalPianists, singers, instrumentalists and ensembles performed for an appreciative audience and received feedback from the adjudicators at the annual two day Music Festival. Instruments included the double bass, saxophone, electric guitar, drum kit, violin, clarinet, ukulele and more!

India DayThe annual Modern Foreign Languages day this year focused on India. As well as learning more about the different cultures of India, pupils had fun with an Indian dance workshop, tried on traditional clothes, made fabulous artwork and had a go at writing and singing in Kannada, Tamil and Hindi.

Stepping into HistoryYear 6 spent a day as WWII evacuees when they visited Stockport Air Raid Shelters. They learned how to ‘make do and mend’ to help the war effort, had a gas mask practice, explored genuine Air Raid Shelters and even experienced total darkness – thankfully just for 15 seconds!

The TempestThe Young Shakespeare Company’s production of The Tempest captivated the Junior Girls. The interactive performance got pupils involved and encouraged them to think about what was happening as the play progressed while also enjoying the excitement and drama of Shakespeare.

Alumni News

Bolton School Girls’ Division

Chorley New Road, Bolton BL1 4PB

01204 840 201 • boltonschool.org

In Our Next Newsletter:• ‘The Tempest’

Joint Production

• Evening Enrichment Lectures

• Year 7 visit Stratford

• Geography trip to the Azores

• German Exchange to Bonn

• RS trip to Poland

• French Exchange

• Duke of Edinburgh

• May Serenade

• ‘Daisy Pulls It Off!’ Year 7-9 Summer Production

Rugby CaptainRhiannon Fox-Rothwell (2005-2015) is currently a third year student at St Andrews University and last September she captained the rugby team during the varsity match against Edinburgh University at Murrayfield.

Cambridge DinnerThe Cambridge Dinner, held at the University of Cambridge’s Gonville and Caius College, had lots of recent leavers in attendance and was an excellent occasion. “A great chance to catch up with everyone from School,” said Francesca Adams (Class of 2017)

Drugs Education from PharmacistsOld Girl Thorrun Govind (Class of 2010) delivered a hard-hitting lecture on drugs alongside fellow pharmacist and Old Boy Alex Quayle (Class of 2009). Thorrun is a Community Pharmacist for Sykes Chemist Ltd in Bolton, and is also resident Pharmacist on BBC Radio Lancashire. Each month she has a one-hour programme which allows her to better inform the public of a pharmacist’s skills and to discuss patients’ minor ailments.

Hammer & TongueWell done to Anna McCrory (2003-2010) who was in the Hammer and Tongue national poetry slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. She qualified last year by winning the Hammer and Tongue Cambridge regional final.

Business Challenge

Karen Diggle (Class of 1976) was on the judging panel at this year’s Business Challenge, alongside Michael Griffiths (Old Boy 1958-1965 and Chairman of Governors) and Helen Critchlow (Parent Governor). The competition saw groups of Year 12 students present their ideas in a Dragon’s Den style pitching battle, which was won by Caterplastic and their eco-friendly idea to use wax worms to recycle plastic.