Summer - Queen Katherine School

Queen Katherine School Newsletter
Summer Term 1999
Guys & Dolls
At the end of a long year, QKS pupils
and staff showed not only their
stamina, but also the huge variety of
talent there is in the school. Under the
careful guidance of Caroline Barber
and Anne Pater, a cast of 130 took on
the challenge of this intricately
interwoven, toe-tapping classic with
spectacular success.
One of the beauties of the show is that
there is something from everyone – from
the comic duo of Nicely Nicely and
Benny Southstreet (played by Messrs Bell
and Conway) to the saintly sister (Ellie
Pater) there are characters for every
member of the audience to warm to. And
the spectators certainly did warm,
whatever their age.
Sarah Meadows, Dave Soane and Tom
Fleming expanded their repertoire
commendably in the main roles. Tasha
Jenkins added to her reputation. And the
enthusiastic cast members who made up
the Mission Band, Hot Box Girls and the
unforgettable Crapshooters deserve
special mention.
Those in the limelight
on stage were
backed by equally hardworking
pupil light/
sound crews, and they in
turn could not have been
so successful without
the support of you the
parents. It is nice to
finish the School Year
on such a high – and a
high which reflects the
strong sense of community
support that is so
evident at QKS.
The Head writes:
Inevitably at the end of the school year
we say goodbye to a number of
colleagues:
Mr Bainbridge, Geography, is
returning to the south east to be Head of
Department. Mr Conway, Technology, is
moving to be Head of Department at a
school in Lancashire. Mrs Hill, English,
will be teaching elsewhere, while Mr
Hodgins of the same Department is
retiring (for the second time)! Miss
Tillotson is leaving the Technology
Department, as is Mr Johnson from the
Geography department. Finally, Ms
Thomas, Science, will be teaching
elsewhere.
We thank them all for their hard work
and wish them well.
Mr Kerry (Head of Science), Mr
Morris (Head of Year 7) and Mrs Pittard
(PE) continue to be off school because of
ill-health. Next term Mrs McCreadie,
Science, and Ms Eaves, Art, will be on
maternity leave. Miss Fouweather,
Science, will be on leave for most of the
school year, returning on July 1, 2000.
I will write with details of new staff
early in the autumn term.
The following Parent-Governors were
elected at the May parental ballot: Mrs
Carole Arrowsmith and Mr Stephen
Pooley, both of Kendal. They will stand
from 1 September 1999. We thank all
candidates for standing.
As we come to the end of this
academic year, we would like to thank all
parents and friends of the School for their
outstanding support: without it, the
Queen Katherine School would not
achieve the success it does. We look
forward to seeing everyone again in
September.
W. J. Duxbury

FIELD TRIPS: WHERE AND WHY?
Visiting is a feature of many departments’ curriculum.
There are theatre, sporting, religious, technological,
linguistic trips/exchanges to a variety of places both near
and far. In this Newsletter we focus on three departments
– History, Geography and Biology – look at where they go,
and what the benefits are.
GCSE History trips have for years taken pupils abroad to
help students see key places connected with their exam course
and begin to feel something about them. WW1 casualty
figures begin to mean something when you see the expanse of
graves and names; and contrast the peacefulness of the
landscape with the violent deaths those men suffered. There’s
an issue also in the space given to cemeteries for the British/
German dead.
The horrors of the Nazi regime and the links to the
atrocities going on in, for example, the Balkans today, come
over far more strongly when you sit in the miserable
accommodation prisoners had, or see where thousands were
executed. Seeing these places leaves its marks and shows the
value of peace in a way little else does.
This year for the first time pupils went to Berlin, via
Bruges (chocolate and beer making strictly observed), Ypres,
and a 12 hour bus journey across Germany enlivened(?) only
by Mr Yarker’s special brand of humour – pupils and staff
certainly get to see each other in ways not possible in the
confines of the classroom! 12 hours in often cramped
conditions also necessitates the rapid development of many
social skills. In Berlin the group were based in a Youth Hostel;
from here they visited the remains of Sachsenhausen
concentration camp and a surviving synagogue (where
Bruges by water
Year 12 geographers in Snowdonia
everyone was searched going
in, a stark reminder of the fear
of ongoing anti-semitism).
Students visited places of the
Cold War era, the best being
Checkpoint Charlie museum
– the Cold War is that much
easier to grasp when you see
the suitcases escaping people
were hidden in; or the 1.4m 2
platform eight people stood
on under their air balloon to
float over the Iron Curtain.
The Geography department
doesn’t go quite so far,
but its combination of the
charismatic with hard work in
a variety of locations is both
illuminating and stimulating.
Year 12 groups regularly
make residential visits to the

FROM KIEV TO KENDAL
I really love my city. Kiev is a beautiful place, especially in
Spring. The symbol of our city is a chestnut flower, so we have
these trees everywhere. It’s great when they bloom in Spring.
People mostly live in apartments, because Kiev is quite a big
city. Houses there are very big – sometimes they have 16 or 18
floors! I live in a 14 storey house on the fifth floor. Apartments
are different shapes and sizes: usually people have a kitchen
plus 2 or 3 rooms, but we are lucky enough to have 4 rooms.
I like to go out with my friends. There’s a lot of nice places to
go. There is our special street ‘Hreschatik’ in the centre of Kiev:
on weekends the roads are closed on this street and people have
fun together. Pop stars perform, or there’s a disco or something.
My friends stay there till late, but it’s not difficult to get home
when we want to. Our transport in Kiev is developed really well:
we’ve got metros, trains, buses, minibuses, taxis etc. I like
everything in my city, except the lack of fresh air. So it’s good to
go out camping with friends in the forests.
Kendal is quite different from Kiev. It is very small compared
to Kiev, but I like it. Everyone knows each other (almost). And
everything is so close: I mean that you can go everywhere you
want without using buses, trolleybuses, streetcars, etc. I like
nature very much: the fresh, healthy air here is something
magnificent. And the beautiful views from everywhere: the
mountains are so wonderful. I really love it.
Well, that’s actually the difference, you see.
Daria Donskaya (visitor to Year 9)
Snowdonia National Park. Working from 9am to 9pm(!) every
day in the field and at their residential base does not seem to
dampen enthusiasm; and students learn valuable practical skills of
investigation: collating, recording and evaluating results which
they can later use as part of their A level course.
Year 10 geographers visit Ingleton and its hinterland to study
the impact of tourism, and to see at first hand limestone
escarpments. The combination this year of their fieldwork and
good weather left pupils with red faces and illuminated minds!
Two Year 8 groups were used this year as guinea pigs for a full
scale ‘assault’ on Bowness next year, looking at how Bowness
caters for tourists, and the impact tourists have on the area. Pupils
conducted questionnaires and completed surveys, both of which
were then analysed at base.
Year 7’s focus has been Kendal, pupils investigating whether
the town’s growth and development conforms to simple
geographical models. Pupils concentrated on housing and
shopping services (and answered many questions from curious
members of the public!), before returning to school to assess and
write up their individual/group results.
A Level Biology students travelled in June to Pendennis
Castle Youth Hostel, a magnificent building on the headland
above Falmouth whose grounds provided panoramic sea-views
and an excellent setting for a keenly contested rounders match
with a school from Bradford. The trip provides students with
the opportunity for intensive study of habitats different to
those found in Cumbria – and allows them to complete a piece
of A Level coursework.
Students also develop their presentational skills: each
student at the end of the stay has to present to the rest of the
group a five minute account of individual investigations they
have undertaken. In addition, the residential experience can
give individuals the chance to develop their culinary
expertise. A student competitor last year from Junior
Masterchef set the standard for the week, and the subsequent
competition between groups was fierce! Pie, mash and veg by
the last night was transformed into pie with gratin of potato,
and leek with glazed pommes de terre.
It is clear from students and staff that the hours of
preparation for these trips are worthwhile. Students learn new
skills, see places they might never have otherwise visited, and
remember highlights. In later years, students will say, ‘Do you
remember when we visited ...?’ In small and large ways, they
have expanded their experiences; and that must be beneficial.

Congratulations to …
◆ All those who entertained and looked after our exchange
visitors from Germany.
◆ Chris Toye, and the Design and Technology Department, for
winning the prestigious Arkwright Scholarship, a national
award worth £1000 shared between the student and the school.
This is the second time in three years that QKS has won this
award.
◆ Helen Bainbridge, whose anti-violence poster was published
in the Rinteln newspaper; and to all the other pupils who
forwarded posters to Germany.
◆ Mr Austen Robinson and Mrs Robinson who, as Mayor and
Mayoress, will be the most photographed couple in the South
Lakes area for the next year.
◆ Our Saxophone group, who so impressed at the Mary
Wakefield Festival that they have been asked to perform at
Askham Hall Garden Open Day; the Brewery; and, together
with the Early Music Group, at Sizergh Castle’s Music Day.
◆ The Year 7 cricket team who came 2nd in the District 8-aside
competition.
◆ Craig Barrington, who continues to represent the County
cricket team.
◆ Stuart Oldham, who is a member of the County Under 12
Cricket team.
◆ Karl Robinson, who represented the County in the national
Fell Running Championships.
◆ All competitors in the Annual Festival of Dance who, after
months of practice, again performed to an impressively high
standard in front of (incredibly brave!) judge Josh Sebastian.
In the Year 7 competition, 2nd= were Lauren Clayton/Sinead
Blee/Becky O’Neill, and Claire Rowlinson/Stephanie
McLean/Rachel Powell/Anouska Coward/Jilly Smith/Sarah
Clarke; the winning team comprised Kassandra Shewan/Lucy
Pickles/Joe Baker/Craig Partington/Emma Dalzell.
Third placed team in Year 8’s competition consisted of Nicola
Robertson/Sophie Stewart/Sheenette Milns/Emily Neate/
Natalie Stephenson/Samantha Morris; while in 2nd place were
Florence Curwen/Shelley Buckley/Jane Grace/Jeanne Box/
Kathryn Mulville/Lauren Belk. The winning team was Rachel
Gibson/Bryony Cousins/Sam Dixon/Katie Lohr-Crawford/
Sarah Brett/Lorna Batty.
The combined Year 9/10 winners were Carly Aplin/Anna
Some dates for your diary
Examination results:
Thursday 19 August A Levels
Thursday 26 August GCSEs
Arrangements for the start of term:
Tuesday 31 August Staff Day
Wednesday 1 September Year 7; Years 11, 12 interviews
Thursday 2 September All Years except Year 12, who
will be arranging their courses
Monday 6 September Start of Year 12 courses
Lynott/Sian Ellwood/Rebecca Sargeant/Clare Bigland; 2nd
were Alison Westworth/Lisa Parson/David Fearnley/Leanne
Smith/Kate Davenport, and the 3rd placed team comprised
Katy Bell/Lisa McElroy/Mia O’Callaghan/Amy Spark and
Kelly Whitley.
◆ The Theatre sans Frontieres, who again entertained Year 8
classes, this year with versions of traditional Mauritian folk
stories.
◆ Mrs McIntosh, members of Year 10, and especially the firms
from Kirkby Stephen to Milnthorpe who accommodated 201
of our students for their Work Experience week, 21-26 June.
Reports have in the main been very positive from the students
themselves, from staff who visited them, and from employers.
We are as ever extremely grateful to all involved in this highly
beneficial week. Mrs McIntosh will be glad to hear of any
offers of extra new placements – especially for 2001, when
over 260 pupils will be seeking placements!
Spotlight on Alex Barton
Year 10’s Alex Barton has the distinction of being among
the top 10 anglers for his age in the country; and of being a
member of the Youth England International team.
But for the inevitable fish that got away, he would have
come first in the qualifying competition held in
Northamptonshire – all the more impressive since the fishing
conditions there are so different to those he experiences here.
Alex has perfected his fly-fishing technique on Esthwaite
Water, and has for some time been sponsored by two local
firms, who see him as ‘one of the most talented young fly
fishermen in the country’. He was introduced to fly-fishing by
his uncle almost ten years ago; his uncle still accompanies and
advises Alex on their travels all over the country.
‘My practice regime is pretty hectic’, says Alex. ‘Every
Saturday and Sunday I’m fishing from 5am to 7pm and on the
odd nights when I have no homework I’m out too.’ Alex says
the trick for catching trout, pike and so on is to be aware of such
factors as the weather, how fast/deep to have the flies, the
condition of the water, and so on.
We wish him luck in August, when he travels to Loch
Leven in Scotland to represent his country in international
Championships.
We are indebted for their continued support to John Wilding Ltd, Queen Katherine Avenue, Kendal. Tel. 01539 741001