BIOLOGISTS IN THE FIELD

On Sunday the 9^th of September all of the Upper Sixth Biologists embarked on an adventurous 3-day-journey to Dale Fort; Wales.

Day 1 was spent at Jetty Beach, the local seashore, where we observed and marvelled at the existing animals and plants. Later on, the rubber boots, waterproofs and several layers of clothes proved to be beneficial when rain started to pour down during our seashell-investigation.

However, we soon headed back to the centre to get some delicious marble cake. Steve and John, our teachers at Dale Fort, taught us all about ecology, succession and shores.  We put our brains to work, learning about statistics and creating  bar graphs.

The hike to the Genn Saltmarsh was the highlight of the trip. Besides having a picnic in the sun (which was later rifled by Maggie – the Dale Fort dog), all of the students had to go across the sludge - some more successful than others.

Even though our Dale Fort journey was full of hard work, all of us greatly enjoyed the field work and the interesting lessons.

African Experiences

It has been a delight to welcome the new group of girls into the House for their final year at Ardingly, and they all appear to be settling down well. I enjoy hearing the corridors filled with their laughter and chatter, and have welcomed the opportunity to hear about some of their exploits over the summer – particularly the trips to Kenya and Gambia.

I thought that I would share some of their personal reflections on their experiences and have included a few (of the many hundreds) of photographs to give you a flavour of the adventures.

 

KENYA –  Building Playground Equipment at Ndogo Primary School and more!



Girls hard at work



 The first time these Kenyan children had ever seen a swing!!

Kenya has changed the way I think about life and now I am planning to go on a gap year to teach young children in New Zealand, and want to become a primary school teacher.  Grace Gutteridge

One moment which I will remember for a long time, was when I let a class of children go out to play for break time, and then about 5 minutes later a little boy came back into the classroom and said to me 'Can I learn more?'. (Lauren Hines)

Memories from Kenya will forever stay dear to my heart. Friendships were formed and others enhanced and I hope and believe they will remain in place for years to come. (Freya Barratt)

"Despite the short time we spent in Kenya, we went home with the certainty that we left something lasting behind.  Much of the trip was about giving – giving time to listen, to learn, to teach, to help, to build and to be passionate about what we were doing."  (Tina Neizert)

GAMBIA -  teaching science lessons and learning about life in rural Gambia.

"The science lessons we taught in the Gambia we felt were crucial in the children's understanding of the world around us, I thoroughly enjoyed every unique moment. The lessons that the children taught us: the importance of patience, the importance of supporting one another, importance of enthusiasm for every activity and their appreciation for every detail of our world helped me to see the person I wish to be, and how to make the most of everything we have been given."  Eloise Segal.

"My experience in Gambia was truly unforgettable! The two weeks was amazing, all the people we met welcomed us warmly into their lives. The children we taught were so eager to learn and made our trip to Gambia so rewarding. To visit and volunteer in Gambia is a gratifying experience that changes your perspective on life ... and I will never forget it."  Ellie Entwistle

GEOGRAPHY TRIP TO ICELAND

Over the October Half Term Amelia Riis, Anna Rimpf and Emily Baker went on the Geography Trip to Iceland! As Amelia reported:-

We enjoyed five extremely busy days which included visiting the famous Geysers, double waterfalls, a glacier, a beach of black sand, the cliff where Take That filmed a video, some awkward trips to the swimming pool and drinking slushies in the Blue Lagoon. Overall, everyone agreed it was a truly amazing trip and as Emily said about some of the glacial features “they are no longer pencil drawings in my mind”!

During the trip there was a photographic competition – “Your Favourite Photograph of Iceland”  I am delighted to say that Amelia won with the photo  below and was awarded a coffee table photographic book of Iceland - congratulations!!

HOUSE MUSIC COMPETITION

Although we were not placed in the inter-house music competition, I was very proud of the performances produced by the girls. Amelia Riis, Clara Higham-Stoinaova and Karrie Hung performed wonderful solos before Clara joined Emilie Wade to reminisce and revamp a duet they first performed in the Prep School - Ain't No Mountain High Enough.

However the high light of the evening involved the whole house singing "All You Need Is Love" and the adjudicator commented that it - "grabbed his attention with it's imaginative start, was well choreographed and he felt transported onto the set of Love Actually" A great achievement for the House to produce this polished piece in so short a time - well done them!!

ACES OF CAKES

 Great hilarity and much dancing to German music (along with some culinary skills!) saw the creation of some wonderful cup cakes by Maggie, Caro and Moritz. The smell of baking wafted through from the forum making the mouths of all start to salivate - but no tasting was allowed until they had been decorated by Maggie, Odile and Ollie! (Rachel and Himmy managed to lick the bowl out however while Zoe, Karrie and Tiffany look on longingly!)
Once the icing had set they walked through the corridors acting like the Pied Piper bringing students from all corners of the building to sample their delights.

A BUSY WEEK

This week has been a busy one for all. Many helped out with the VIth Form Assessment day proving to be great amabassadors for the College, while others helped the Vth form to decide on their options for the Sixth Form.

The IB girls as they have worked hard to meet their deadlines for ToK essays, World Lit essays and Maths coursework, and we have all spent some time preparing for the Inter-House Music Competition next week.

Nevertheless Rachel Howard among others, took some time out to go to the Schumann Letters Concert held in the Chapel on Thursday evening. She wrote after the event :-  

The Shuumann Letters is the most unique evening of musical entertainment that I think Ardingly Music has offered yet. The unique blend of culture, history and music made it a entirely new and exciting experience. The accomplished performers were flawless in every respect, which was proved by the lasting applause at the end of the evening. I would definitely recommend all future Ardingly Music events to anyone after attending this one myself. I can honestly say that although I myself am not musically talented I enjoyed every moment of the evening.

11/11/11

On Friday we joined the rest of the College community who met on South Quad for a two minute silence to remember all those who have fallen in conflicts around the world since the First World War. It was a poignant moment in the week as the mist surrounded us and the Last Post was played from the Chapel Tower. It is important that we stop sometimes in our busy lives and take time to think and reflect.

FUND RAISER KATE

The charitable spirit of the House did not stop with the steepo.

Kate Burgess, moved by her experiences in Kenya last summer took it upon herself to do something to help the school and children she met while on the annual expedition. So far she has raised over £200 which is a fantastic initiative and achievement!
Gesa Paulfeierborn  Assistant HoMM and leader of  trip states that

Kate Burgess who was part of the Kenya 2011 team has continued to fundraise for Ndogo Primary School since her return from Kenya. During the first half of the term she has already raised an amazing £135 by becoming vegetarian for 2 weeks. Being a real meat lover this was a difficult task for her. Kate really loved the whole Kenya experience and would go back in a flash and I believe she and a few others who went out this summer are already hatching a plan to do so!

 

Kate Burgess and Jennie Sloane at the Woodard Langalanga Secondary School site