Download the 2011-2012 Stopfordian (pdf) - Stockport Grammar ...

The Stopfordian 2011–2012
the London Organising Committee and former NBA
basketball player, who was a sporting ambassador for Amnesty
International reporting on human rights issues in China during
the Beijing Games.
Even the prophetic powers of Edmond Shaa would struggle to
encompass the global vision demonstrated by current
Stopfordians. In March over 200 pupils from schools around
the country congregated for our Model United Nations
Conference, which was a fine example of the capacity of
young people to think both for themselves and of others. Our
Duke of Edinburgh Award programme goes from strength to
strength. A major expedition to Namibia last summer was an
enriching experience for those fortunate enough to take part.
Nearer to home the Music department’s performances at
Salzburg attracted appreciative but very damp audiences,
geographers and cricketers enjoyed sun in Iceland and Malta
respectively and linguists gained work experience in France.
Outdoor enthusiasts took advantage of the opportunities at
Grasmere and in the Peak District whilst the annual Alpine ski
trip to Austria and the German Exchange programme remain
very popular and successful. Historians and artists visited the
East Coast of the United States. Our clubs and societies
programme has been expanded to include opportunities for
pupils to acquire language skills in Mandarin, Japanese,
Russian, Swedish, Italian and Spanish. Whilst Sir Edmond
Shaa may have been a little disconcerted by this litany he
would, however, have felt on much more familiar territory
with the visit of a First Year party to Alnwick Castle, the
medieval stronghold of the Earls of Northumberland during
the Wars of the Roses.
The first record of the buildings of Stockport Grammar School
appears in 1607 when the school occupied the upper storey
of a single house in Chestergate in the centre of the town.
How times have changed! Farsighted investment by
successive Boards of Governors has provided us with facilities
that are amongst the very best in the country. Our major new
Woodsmoor development opened this summer and gives us
outstanding facilities for the teaching of arts subjects. It is a
fitting way of marking the 525 th Anniversary.
But we do not build in bricks and mortar alone. Schools like
ours flourish as educational communities, where every
individual is supported and encouraged to fulfil his or her
personal ambitions both inside and outside the classroom.
Success is the product both of individual talent and endeavour
together with an environment in which every one of us has
the opportunity to exceed what we had thought possible.
Whatever age we are – in schools we often learn the most
important lessons from each other. So it is a matter of deep
regret that Stockport Grammar School is now closed to many
families in the local community, in that access is primarily
through the ability of families to pay fees. Social exclusivity
was far from Edmond Shaa’s intention – his school was about
providing the opportunity to present and future generations of
children in the town of his birth. A key focus of our 525 th
Anniversary programme has been to enhance awareness of
our Bursary campaign that seeks to ensure that local boys and
girls can contribute to and benefit from the education we offer
irrespective of family circumstances. There is no better way to
mark this anniversary year than by celebrating and promoting
the influence of Edmond Shaa’s legacy to future generations.
In the medieval period of history much scientific knowledge
was developed by alchemists, men who tried to find a formula
that would transform ordinary materials into gold. As a
goldsmith Shaa had, of course, punctured the myth of alchemy
– but we want his school to preserve it in human form.
Examinations, buildings and technology may or may not serve
to develop the potential of the young; but people matter more.
Talented and inspirational teaching is the engine of education.
As the slogan said: ‘nobody forgets a good teacher.’
The opportunities Stockport Grammar School offers to its girls
and boys are the consequence of the commitment of
members of staff to giving generously of their expertise and
talents in all areas of school life. I thank each one for their
hard work, professionalism and support throughout the year.
This article also provides me with an opportunity to thank
parents, Old Stopfordians and Governors for the faith they
place in the school and the support they give to activities on
a day-to-day basis. The SPA has continued to flourish this year
under the energetic and inspirational leadership of Mrs Lisa
Provan whilst the Old Stopfordians’ Association has supported
and sponsored a major initiative to ensure that we remain in
active contact with recent generations of leavers, building on
the success of this year’s reunions of the 1980s cohort and
events in Wasdale and Oxford.
Finally, of course, this summer marked the retirement of the
Chairman of Governors, Richard Rimmington. It is fifty years
since Richard left the School, he has been a Governor for two
decades and Chairman for ten years. Let me assure you that
to serve as Chairman is far from a sinecure. Richard has been
tireless in the effort he has devoted to preparing for meetings
and there is no governor who probes the finest detail of
accounts with such an eagle eye or has such an appetite for
the cut and thrust of debate in the Governors’ Room. Over
the years he has travelled many thousands of miles from his
home in North Wales to attend meetings and, supported by
Angela his wife, countless school events and concerts.
Richard’s pride in his school is evident in the delight he takes
in representing SGS at functions in St. James’ Palace or in
Goldsmiths’ Hall as well as in the care he takes to keep in
close contact with his contemporaries or to develop new links
with the wider Stopfordian community. Although his
professional training and commitment to the preservation of
tradition have made him, at times, rightly sceptical of the
wider shores of prophetic vision, he has nevertheless been
determined to ensure that the School continues to move
forward in both facilities and management whilst preserving a
genuine concern for each individual member. I have greatly
valued his advice and strong support and have yet to meet
anybody with a stronger attachment or a fiercer loyalty to the
past, present and future of our school. He has been at the
forefront of the successful development of Stockport
Grammar School for the last two decades and there has been
no more faithful steward of Edmond Shaa’s legacy.
A. H. Chicken
10 The Year’s News