Marking opening success
The achievements of pupils at the Minster School, Southwell, during a memorable first year in their new building were celebrated at the school’s annual prize-giving ceremony.
More than 100 pupils received awards for achievements in the 2007-8 academic year, which saw two important visits to the new £34m school.
The Archbishop of York, the Most Rev Dr John Sentamu, visited in April to bless the school’s chapel, and His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex visited in July to officially open the school.
At the ceremony the head, Mr Phil Blinston, said the visits were opportunities to reflect upon and celebrate all that they had achieved.
“They have also been a wonderful springboard to the future,” he said.
Mr Blinston quoted from a letter received after the Earl of Wessex’s visit, which said: “His Royal Highness was most impressed with the excellent facilities that were only surpassed by the students.”
Mr Blinston highlighted some of the opportunities enjoyed by pupils during the year.
These included launching rockets and detecting earthquakes, breaking a world record along with more than five million other students as part of World Maths Day, and a visit to Uganda to help build a classroom.
Pupils have also helped the school achieve Green Flag status and the International School Award.
Mr Blinston paid tribute to staff who left the school in July and welcomed the 14 new staff and 340 new pupils who joined the school this month.
He said: “All who are new this year are joining an energetic community, built upon a simple premise that we all work hard to be the best we can be, to develop our talents and abilities to their fullest extent and to work selflessly to create an environment within which all can flourish and grow.”
Awards: Starkey scholarship for best A-level results: Laura Armstrong; Starkey prize for second best A-level results: Thomas Lonsdale; head girl: Rachel Morley; head boy: Joe Leather; personal endeavour: Nicole Mant and Stacey Murden; Dudley Doy prize for best maths A-level: Holly Weaver; Canon Glaister prizes, best A-level English language: Amy Collins; best A-level English literature: Hannah Blakey; best A-level history: Adam Stone; Wright classical Shakespeare prize for outstanding study of Shakespeare: Michael Holmes; Archdeacon Conybeare prize for best A-level RE: Natalie Allsop; Neville Metcalfe prize for best A-level music: Sam Freeman; Broadberry prize for physics A-level: Thomas Lonsdale; Lady Robinson prizes, A-level biology and chemistry: Holly Weaver; German: Hannah Robertson; French: Joe Leather; geography: Madeleine Gardner; A-level business studies prize: Edward Fowler; business studies endeavour: Mike Brown; graphic communication A-level: Laura Sleigh; A-level technology: Jenny Warrior; best A-level or GCSE computing: Robert Mellink; A-level economics: Charles Denby.
Summers Bequest for best A-level result by ex-chorister: Sam Freeman; Clay Dove prize for A-level art: Robert Briggs; Charlotte Brock prize for drawing in lower school: Josie Perry; Hugh and Marion Heywood prize for verse: James Warren; Hugh Graham Walker prize for best original poem in year seven or eight: Georgina Taylor; Bristow Prize for PE: Tom Tyler; Andy Clarke prize for sport effort: Matt Cureton; Margaret Galloway prize for lower school sport: Jennifer Ritson.
Basil Rushby Smith Prize Bequests, senior school: George Nesbitt; lower school: Eva McGrath; GCSE drama or A-level performing arts: Phoebe Wells; performing arts grant: Isobel Rennison; John Sides prize for GCSE music: Genevieve Fay; A-level food science: Iona Harding; A-level British Government and politics: Laurie Williams.
Dakin prize for information technology: Chi Kit Lee; A-level psychology: Katherine Watts; David Leaning prize for contribution to the spiritual life of the school: Ben Brown; Dean’s head chorister prize: Robin Blackwell and William Inman; Carby prize for best work experience: Ayesha Bell; Michael Paris prize for enterprise activities: Jak Newton; Eric Roberts prizes for outstanding GCSE work: Adam Keyworth.
Year 11 prizes for effort and application: Dominic Williams, Rebeka Whittle, Jodie Nadal, Kate Baguley, Genevieve Fay, Michael Bell, Natalie Butterworth, Iona Harding, Alex Rainbow, Alexander Smith.
Alec Cobbin prizes for merit, year seven: Conor Hind and Braden Strong; year eight: Alice Lane and Hannah Jordan; year nine: Honor Whitfield and William Bennett; year ten: Alexander Blackwell and James Warren.
Philip Wood trophy for year 11 art: Elsa Trueman; Hilary Quinn trophy for senior drama: Isabel Rennison; Henry Howard trophy for contribution to school life: Kate Baguley; Citizenship award for service to others: Isabel Rennison; Peter Legge prize for most contribution by a chorister to life of the choir: Alexander Turner.
Elizabeth Nall music trophies, main school: Francesca Perry; junior department: Eleanor Hudswell; Susannah Swindell flute prize: Katherine Reams; Terence Gill woodwind prize: Jodie Nadal; Vidhani chess prize: Stefan Blanchard; Wilson cup for promising string player: Alison Rogers; George Whitaker prizes, most improved piano player, main school: Edward Turner; junior department: Katie Attenborough; Harrison cup for Rugby: Nathan Burton.
Form prizes, C1: Jack Atkinson; C2: Adele Robson; C3: Kirsty Saunby; C4: Cissy Radford; C5: Lily Rooney; C6: Clemmie Radford; C7: Catherine Adamson; C8: Sam Hucklebridge; C9: Helen Burke; C10: Tara Finnegan; C11: Lydia Kellett; C12: Dominic Rech; C13: Fay Dent; C14: Bethany Peterson; C15: James Mackintosh.
R1: Rachel Jones; R2: Hannah Rush; R3: Elliott Avery; R4: Laura Westbury; R5: Hannah Wright; R6: Zach Richmond-Dixon; R7: Samantha Fowler; R8: Sophie Barker; R9: Matthew Harmer; R10: Kieran Hind; R11: Aimee Coghill; R12: Jack Stevenson; R13: Joseph Ness; R14: Scott Hill; R15: David Williams.
T1: Emily Neil; T2: Olivia Harding; T3: Jack Buckley; T4: Harriet Codd; T5: Jack Hedley; T6: Chloe Loach; T7: Dominic Gardner; T8: Zak Dibben; T9: Daniel Gleeson; T10: Kate Sidebottom; T11: Charlotte Wadsworth; T12: Paul Smith; T13: Sophie Loach; T14: Emily Jessop; T15: Elanor Duquemin-Sheil.
W1: Alex Olliffe; W2: Holly Bird; W3: Louise Whitham; W4: Nina Luiggi; W5: Luke Mackenzie; W6: Catie Bird; W7: Megan Stafford; W8: Alec Stephens; W9: Faye Stephens; W10: Eleanor Lewis; W11: Alexandra Taylor; W12: Anna Jackson; W13: Gwendoline Venn; W14: Jessica Shepherd; W15: Ellie Edwards.
Junior department, year six: Lydia Ward; year five: Wing-Yee Law; year four: Charlotte Draper; year three: Katy Beddoe.
Governors awards for year seven pupils’ effort and progress: Josie Perry, James Mackintosh, Elliott Avery and George Bell.
Old Southwellian trophies, The Rose Bowl for head girl: Rachel Morley; Old Southwellian Cup for head boy: Joe Leather; Stephen Pulford trophy for girls’ sport: Aimee Wood; Dudley Doy trophy for boys’ sport: Daniel Benson; Old Southwellian Award for music: Alison Rogers.
