Friday Night Lights!

Match report: Merchant Taylor’s First XV

V

Shiplake College First XV

On the 22^nd of November, Shiplake College’s first XV played a tough rugby game against Merchant Taylors’ first XV under flood-lights.

Shiplake sprinted onto the pitch from the changing rooms and got ready to kick off. Merchant Taylor’s didn’t look like they were ready for the Shiplake onslaught. Right from the kick off Shiplake piled on the pressure forcing the Merchant Taylors’ defense into an early penalty. Our captain, Alex Collis (Orchard Y13) decided to kick for goal. Toby Howe (Orchard Y12) was to take the kick. Unluckily for him he missed the kick which allowed Merchant Taylors’ an early advantage and the first try of the game. They took an early lead 0-7 to the opposition.

With some more consistent pressure from Shiplake, mistakes were made by Merchant Taylors’; the ball was loose, picked up by Bodie Dean (Skipwith Y13) and this gave Shiplake a lifeline. An excellent try by Bodie Dean followed by a conversion kick by Toby Howe leveled the score.

Jake Long (Burr 13) with a powerful hand-off broke through the opposition’s defense allowing him a comfortable try under the posts. Another conversion kick took the half time score to 14-7. Shiplake were now in a commanding position.

Second half was full of surprises. Alex Collis the skipper got himself a yellow card and was sent-off for ten minutes. This did not deter Shiplake, Jake Long and Fili Savou (Burr Y11) both scored again, the final score being 33 – 7. A convincing win for the mighty Shiplake!

Match Report by James Dinsdale

 (Orchard Y11)

It's somebody's birthday.....

Registration took on a different format on Wednesday 27^th November in Orchard House. All the boys lined the stairs and clapped their House Master into the Pavilion. Here he was greeted by a trumpet fanfare to the tune of Happy Birthday.  There was much speculation about the House Master’s age, but unlike the date of his birth this is still a closely guarded secret. Happy Birthday Mr Curtis from all the pupils and staff of Orchard House.

Orchard News!

Typhoon

On Monday Shiplake College had a mufti day to raise money for people affected by the typhoon in the Philippines last month.

We have raised over 800 pounds so far with all the staff and students taking part for a donation.

We hope that the money raised will be helpful for their community, and gave us a chance to contribute to the tragedy that so many people need help with.

The College Charity Steering Group‘s first plan was to have this mufti day and raise money to help this cause quickly whilst the need was great.

Ben & Alex

CCF Inspection

On Wednesday the bi annual inspection took place.

A high ranking officer from the territorial army  (Lt Col. Ladd) arrived in his smart attire to greet the Shiplake College CCF and he was met with the utmost respect from all of the students in the school. They put on a display specifically for him, where they would show off exactly what the CCF  does – this was important since the MOD have to check what the budget was spent on.

The army cadets went on a blank firing exercise in the new field, showing all they had learned of contact drills in the past year. The Officer was "Hugely impressed" by our display of firepower and talked to us about how he was in the combined cadet force.  The cadets told me that they were inspired by the army and all the selfless work that they carry out on a day to day basis. A marvellous day for all in the CCF I'm sure you will agree.

Oliver (CCF Army Section)

Anti Bullying Week

11 Shocking Facts About Cyber Bullying

Nearly 43% of kids have been bullied online. 1 in 4 has had it happen more than once.

70% of students report seeing frequent bullying online.

Over 80% of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most common medium for cyber bullying.

68% of teens agree that cyber bullying is a serious problem.

81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person.

90% of teens who have seen social-media bullying say they have ignored it. 84% have seen others tell cyber bullies to stop.

Only 1 in 10 victims will inform a parent or trusted adult of their abuse.

Girls are about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying.

About 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than 4 out 10 say it has happened more than once.

About 75% have visited a website bashing another student.

Bullying victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider committing suicide.

Reseach by Ed

Junior house rugby 2013

 Junior House Rugby 2013 started off with orchard playing their first match against Welsh who were not going to be an easy side but we came out with a 15-0 victory boosted confidence and hope of another win. 

Our second side were Everett who we knew were a tough side but we came out with a strong win of 10-0 after a very physical match but we didn’t let ourselves down and staying strong we got ready for the third match.

  

We stood confident on the pitch awaiting Skipwith B to arrive. We played a very fast and non stop game to come out with a 25-0 score. Full of confidence we we’re ready for Skipwith A, which we knew would not be an easy match.

Skipwith A; After a very tough, harsh and brutal 7 minutes with both side making some very hard hits and some great runs but it was Orchard to come out with a final score and win of 5-0.

The final match we played was a strong Burr house but ready full of confidence and energy we were were keen for kick off. With some great, strong running for orchard we penetrated the Burr defense multiple times but unfortunately with some spills we could only manage a 10-0 win in the space of 7 minuets.

Well done to everyone who played for another Junior House Rugby win with a great side who didn't even concede and thank you to all of the teachers and referees who put a great afternoon and well organized afternoon together and was enjoyed by everyone who took part.

Written by Conor Crowe

Duke of Edinburgh Expedition

During half term most of year 10 went on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition.

Here is Oli Walker’s Diary of the trip.

Our first night

We were excited for the coming days but also preparing for blisters and tiredness. We camped at a scout camp which was around eleven miles from a second camping point in the middle of a field. There were two routes to take my group which contained six of us all doing the clock wise route for the first day of walking. Many of us, on the first night got little rest and sleep. 

On the first day of walking it was both windy and wet with the occasional thunder storm! At one point my team got lost. However throughout the day, the clockwise route got easier and simpler to follow. At the second camp campsite my group were the fourth team to get back, which was surprising considering the clockwise route is around 2 miles longer than the anti-clockwise route. As we unpacked the two tents we were disappointed to find that because of heavy rain the tents were soaked on the outside and partially on the inside, along with strands of mud and hay. Meaning we were in for a wet evening too!

As the night drew in a double rainbow appeared before more grey clouds once again blinded the sunlight. Many of us on the second night slept easier but also wrapped ourselves in all our dry clothes for the next day of walking.

On the final day of walking, my group was mentally prepared to walk the final 9 miles back to the original scout camp; the first down side was that our shoes were sodden with mud and rain water. The walk was simple but only because we mainly followed the River which seemed to stretch for years, at the end of the walk, my group was the first to reach the end, finally!

We all had a great time on the trip and it was definitely a worthwhile experience! We look forward to our next expedition!  

Armistice Day

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, Shiplake College students stood in two minutes silence reflecting upon the sacrifices of others. A near faultless display by trumpeter Gregory Holt added a certain poignancy to the morning’s proceedings; the clarity of his notes reverberating around the College grounds and hanging in the damp, grey skies. A moving tribute to say the very least . . .

Ben Tait in 'Cats'

Ben Tait recently took part in Starmaker's production of 'Cats', where he played the part of Coricopat, one of the mystic twins. The production Cats is based on the Old Possum Book of Practical Cats by T S Elliot and tells the story of a variety of Cats who are at the Jellicle Ball celebrating. The musical goes through the various characters and tells us about the secret life of the cats and Ben's character is a twin and they can foresee the future. They can foresee what happens to Old Deuteronomy, the leader of the Jellicle Cats and help in his rescue from the mystery cat Macvity. 

Starmaker provides children with the opportunity to perform in a variety of productions ranging from musicals to Shakespeare and Ben has been lucky enough to have had number of main parts including young Tommy in Tommy and the Artful Dodger in Oliver, all of which he has had enjoyed. The next production is Miss Saigon in March 2014.

Open Morning

The day started off with an outstanding drum performance at the front of the school to welcome families. They entered the sports hall for the Headmaster’s speech. The tour guides then took their guests to the day houses or boarding houses. Once they had looked around the very clean houses (Orchard especially), they got to view the different subject areas. They were greeted by the teachers who told them all about their respective subjects that they teach and, on occasion, they were then greeted by the boys too. In the English department with Mr. Miller, we were writing Greek poems. The visitors who came to the department seemed to be impressed with the pupils. In Maths it was a fun experience, not only for the guests but also for the boys because of the games we challenged them to. As always, Orchard made a strong impression on the visitors.

Written by Ollie Simpson, Will Parton, Marcus Hillman and Andy Hildred.

A busy week....

As always it has been an incredibly busy penultimate week of term! Last week saw the results of the house football. The seniors did really well, winning the competition, beating Skipwith in their final match. The junior A team came 2^nd, closely pipped to the post by Skipwith A – avenging the senior team! Next year they will be aiming for the double. The house enjoyed another successful open morning, with all of our boys involved in some way. Many of the boys gave tours to parents, were involved in departments or were helping to organise the day. Parents were notably impressed by the maturity of all of our boys – I am sure that this did not surprise anyone reading this! Further sporting news; the 15s enjoyed a clean sweep of results against local rivals Pangbourne in rugby. The 15As won 27-0, the 15Bs won 42-7 and the 15Cs won 80-0; well done to all boys involved. On Saturday the year 10s leave for Little Chalford for the Duke of Edinburgh trip, “to drag yourself through grass for two days” according to Adam Fletcher! In fact they are looking forward to walking, camping over and generally enjoying themselves outside for 2 days to celebrate the end of term. Finally, last Thursday the CCF field day years 10 -13 were involved in a multitude of activities such as cycling, shooting, sports activities, camp building, face camouflaging, cooking ration packs and a tug of war!

Compiled and written by Mr Morgan and his tutor group. 

Oli Walker's Canoe Exploits

This past weekend, Oliver Walker was competing on the Thames at the National Hasler final which he qualified for. He and his regular canoe partner Matthew Atkins (Pangbourne College) represented Reading Canoe Club in Division 5 K2  - an 8 mile marathon canoe race with 2  portages. They faced very stiff competition and they were the youngest crew in their class – over the season they have steadily progressed and been promoted twice into a higher division following some good results. The boys enjoyed their race and are even more determined to better their performances with some serious winter training!!

Strictly Ballroom . . . Orchard Style!

On Friday 20^th September, together with the other Houses, the Orchard Boys stepped out in style.  They were taken to Queen Anne’s Girls School in Reading to participate in Ballroom Dancing Classes.  This is an annual event which ends in a Black Tie Ball and Ballroom Dancing competition against the Oratory school in Woodcote.

Tom Banks kept up with the pace,  despite being surprised by the speed of the Jive.  

James Sloman is a born leader on the dance floor, if ever I saw one.

Ruaridh Sheppard’s snake hips was a sight for sore eyes.

Will Janes what a smooth operator. William Simpson silent but with a deadly swerve, a sight to behold.

And the new additions to the House, Henry Waller and Harry Wiggins glided through it all effortlessly.

Harry Chapples, just so cool, took it all in his stride.

George Lawley's beautifully postured look, almost a pro.
Charles Marsden and Jonnie Graham suave and sophisticated  

And finally, Harrison Balchin and Adib Wain kept bringing it all together.

Poor Matron was just exhausted but a great time was had by all. Well done!

Written by Julie Knight, Orchard House Matron

More Summer Achievements

Cosmo Hearnden, Seb Newman, Ollie Potter (Welsh) Henry Blois Brooke (Skipwith) and Felix Hearnden won a bronze medal at National Championships in Nottingham J14 (coxed quad).  Barry and Mr Fitton gave up massive amounts of their time to coach them and go up to Nottingham to watch them race – great achievement for all boys and coaches.

Stories from the Island...

When the normal school day was over, the year 9 Orchard pupils went down to the boat house with their belongings to stay the night on the island, based about 150 feet down the river. When we had all been ferried across the river, we started to unpack the boat and set up camp in our strategically located camp spot. We were each given 2 tarpaulin sheets to improvise as a tent, as many pegs and string as we needed. After we had set up our rather hopeless attempts at ‘tents’, we returned to the storage tent to wash our hands in the river – and then with hand wipes – and set up portable barbecues. After all the fire from the barbecues had gone we all got one piece of chicken, a sausage, plus, a burger. After the food had all been cooked and eaten, we put the barbecues away and started a fire. When we had the fire going, we roasted marshmallows - burned marshmallows more like – and sat around for a while relaxing and laughing at silly jokes that really weren’t that funny, before stumbling blindly through the dark to our camp sites. It took us all a while to settle down and even longer to get any sleep. Although if we remember correctly, there was a particularly loud and obnoxious swan during the night, so not all of us got our beauty sleep. After a night of restless sleeping – of which a handful of pupils slept perfectly, to the annoyance of the other students – we got up and packed away our tents, pegs and knot-ridden string. We then greeted the other students and shared stories of what happened in the night. We then packed our belongings away and put them on the boat, to which, ferried us back across the river to begin another day at school.

Paragraph by Brett Fullard and Andy Hildred

Pastoral Parents Meeting 21 September

Pastoral Parents Meeting 21 September

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I am writing to invite you to the Year 9 Pastoral Parents Meeting on Saturday 21 September.  Parents will be listening to a talk by Mr Karl Hopwood, a specialist in online safety, which he will be repeating for pupils at 11am.  The itinerary for the morning is as follows:

9am to 9.30am                  Coffee

9.30am to 10.30am          Karl Hopwood talk to parents in the Old Vikings Room (the room off the Great       Hall)

11am to 12                       Karl Hopwood talk to pupils in the Old Vikings Room

Pupils will be free to go home after their sporting commitments as usual.

I do hope that you will be able to come to this important pastoral occasion and would ask that you email Sue Bond, the school secretary, so that we can organise catering and seating; her email is sbond@shiplake.org.uk

With best wishes

Mrs Sarah Krause

The Island awaits....

This week, Orchard Year 9 boys will be heading to the island for their island adventure.  Let's hope the weather is not too inclement for them...

Hopefully there will be some pictures and stories from the evening to publish soon!

2013 Speech Day prizes

As the 2012-2013 academic year drew to a close, Shiplake College announced its traditional list of prize winners.  Orchard house students were recipients of a number of awards and the list can be seen below.

Year 9 Prize          Jack Leigh

Year 10 Prize        Edward Warren

GCSE Prizes         Harry Chapples (French) 

                             George Lawley (History) 

                             Adib Wain (ICT) 

                             George Le Roy (Spanish)

GCSE Results 2012           Max Hearnden

A Level Results 2012         Zahra Govani

Governors’ Prizes              Tom Waldron (Business Studies) 

                                          David Causer (Economics) 

                                          Piers Chen (Media)

Special Awards                  Tom Jones (Asclepian Prize – Visual Arts)

                                          Chloe Reeder (Service to the Community)

                                          Thomas Howe (Trotter Trophy – International Sportsman)

Orchard are Senior House Cricket champions 2013!

Orchard House overcame a very strong Welsh team to become Senior House cricket winners for this year.  Welsh batted first and put on a solid 67 runs in their 12 overs.  Orchard's Toby Stevens was the star bowler, taking four wickets for only seven runs.  He was well supported by the rest of the bowling attack; Johnny Graham (who also took a wicket), Harry Wallace, Ruaridh Scott and Reiss Simpson.  Orchard's team were missing a few key senior players so some of the Year 9 were drafted in to provide backup and all performed admirably in the field.

Orchard the took the field to bat with Stevens and Wallace opening.  A controversial caught behind decision saw Stevens leave the field early and Orchard were on the back foot but a near 40 run partnership between Simpson and Scott (including a six from both players and an unbeaten 31 from Simpson) meant that Orchard quickly reached the required total and when Scott was eventually caught, Charles Marsden came in to help pick up the last few runs and confirm Orchard as the champions.  A fantastic effort from the entire team.  Well done boys!

Here is a photo of the winning team moments after their victory was confirmed.

(l-r) Callum James, Johnny Graham, Ruaridh Scott, Reiss Simpson, Harry Wallace, Toby Stevens, Charles Marsden, Angus Munro, Harry Emmanuel, Oliver Walker 

More House rowing success!

More congratulations to members of the Boat Club who picked up awards on Thursday at the Annual Boat Club Dinner. Junior Half Colours were awarded to Seb Newman, Cosmo Hearnden and Jack Leigh; with Harry Rushent picking up Senior Half Colours. Tom Waldron picked up a 3^rd VIII Long Service Award whilst Senior Full Colours were awarded to all members of the 1^st VIII boat, amongst them, Orchard boys, Daniel Barrett, Ehren Elcock, Max Hearnden and James Girling: with Daniel Barrett and Max Hearnden picking up hard-earned Blazer Badges. Fantastic effort, guys!

ICT access from September 2013

Letter from the Headmaster:

Dear Parents,

Over the past few years, our ICT network has undergone rapid change in almost every area as we move towards implementing our strategy of fully integrating ICT into the classroom. We have invested heavily in ensuring that our network, especially the wireless network, is as fast as it can be and capable of supporting the many hundreds of devices that are brought into the College every day.

Many of our pupils already bring laptops or tablets in to school and we now feel that the infrastructure is in place to recommend that every pupil at Shiplake has some form of mobile device to bring to lessons.

Having a laptop or tablet is not an absolute requirement in order to attend the College, but we feel that the benefits are very clear. More and more prep. is being set online, many of our teachers are using ICT interactively in the classroom or distributing resources electronically. Pupils are using their devices to work collaboratively, to produce work using video and audio or to access our online library. ICT no longer takes place once a week in a room full of desktop computers, but should be fully integrated into teaching and learning at Shiplake. We feel that goal can be achieved most effectively by recommending that all pupils have a mobile device from September 2013.

In order to give parents the widest possible choice, we have deliberately designed our network so that virtually any type of device can be used. Mobile phones, Windows laptops, Apple Macbooks, iPads and Android tablets are all currently being used on site.  Mr Balderson has put together a guide for parents considering buying a device. He can be contacted on sbalderson@shiplake.org.uk if you have any further questions.

Gregg Davies
Headmaster

With further guidance from the Head of ICT:

As far as the College is concerned, our only requirement is that it can connect to our wireless network (which all modern devices can) and that it has a web browser, in order to give parents and pupils the widest choice possible. A basic laptop would be entirely sufficient, but our current pupils have a wide variety of devices, including iPads, MacBooks, Windows laptops, Android tablets and many others. The only real constraints are personal preference and budget!

If you are considering buying an iPad, we would strongly recommend using an external keyboard as well, in order to be able to complete longer, written preps more easily.

Simon Balderson
Head of ICT

Shiplake College Scholar's Concert

The picture below is of the four Orchard boys who performed so magnificently at the Scholars’ Concert on Thursday evening!

(l-r)

Charles Marsden

William Simpson

Fred Ellis

Gregory Holt

Shiplake College Regatta

Click on the poster to expand to full size.

Matthew Hoggard visits Shiplake College

Matthew Hoggard MBE, a member of the Ashes winning England team in 2005, visited Shiplake on the 6th June to deliver some training sessions to a range of school cricketers, including a number of boys from Orchard.  The photo below is of the 15A team and pictured alongside Matthew are Orchard boys Ollie May, James Dinsdale, Ed Farrar, Alex Bradley, Ed Warren, Ben Arnold and Greg Holt, as well as Mr Kersey and Mr Seccombe.

Orchard House Concert - The Extended Cut!

Please see the extended highlights of the house concert in the video above which contains more performances and information on the performers involved.  Enjoy!

More rowing success...

At the beginning of half term a large contingent of rowers from the school and in particular from Orchard House went up to the National Schools Regatta. Despite a disappointing Friday when all competition was abandoned leaving our J14 crews without a race, the weekend produced several finalists for the College and two medal performances from Orchard’s Max Hearnden and James Girling in the 1^st VIII and Coxed Fours boats – a fantastic achievement.

Orchard appointments

Following the appointments of Charlie Hancock and Ruaridh Scott as school prefects for the next academic year, more of Orchard's senior members have been awarded positions of responsibility.  Congratulations go to Alex Collis who has been made a lower school prefect and Oscar Burgess, who will be taking on the role of chapel warden.  We wish each of these boys good luck in their respective roles and we are confident they will do the house proud!

Orchard House concert 2013

Sorry for the delay in getting this up.  Here is the first cut of the Orchard House concert highlights.  A fuller version  will be going up over the next week or so.

Shiplake Athletics Championships 2013

This past Friday (17th May) saw the annual Shiplake College Athletics Championships being held.  As you can see from the results board below, Orchard were remarkably successful, coming first in the senior competition (by quite some way) and the Juniors achieving a very respectable and battling second place.

Below is a picture of some members of the successful Orchard Seniors Team. (L-R) Piers Chen, Tom Howe, Rob Waldron.

Tom Howe won the Senior 100m/200m/Long Jump and also anchored the Senior 4 x 100m relay team - an excellent day all round!

Squash success

The photos below are of Orchard's Harry Chapples recieving 2(!) winners cups from the sponsor of The Beaconsfield Junior Squash Club Championships.  Harry reached and won the final in both the U17 and U19 boys section. This really is some achievement and is the youngest player to ever win the U19 boys!  Many congratulations to Harry and we hope that your success in your chosen sport continues.

Athletics Standards

The Shiplake College Athletics Standards have been taking place over the past fortnight in preparation for the Athletics Championships which will take place this Friday.  Below are the results for the seniors, juniors and girls:

Seniors

1^st Orchard

2^nd Everett

3^rd Welsh

4^th Burr

5^th Skipwith

Juniors

1^st Everett

2^nd Burr

3^rd Welsh

4^th Skipwith

5^th Orchard

Girls

1^st Burr

2^nd Everett

3^rd Welsh

4^th Skipwith

5^th Orchard

Piers Chen (Orchard Yr13) is one of the favourites to take a few titles on Friday.

Pastoral Parents Meeting

Shiplake College will be holding a pastoral parents meeting on Saturday 11th May for parents of Year 9 pupils.  Please see below the timings for this event:

9.30am                      Lecture to boys in the Old Vikings Room.

11am                         Bob Tait Lecture to parents in the Old Vikings Room.

12.15pm               Meetings over lunch in Houses, to discuss adolescent issues such as parties, alcohol,     smoking, computer games etc. 

House Music Concert 2013

Orchard House held its annual music concert this past Friday 26th April.  A diverse range of acts were on show and the whole event was excellently compered by Head of House Henry Le Roy.  Orchard House alumnus Rob Jones also made the trip down from Nottingham to take part, having sat an exam at University that morning!  Pictures and video highlights will be posted on the blog soon, so watch this space!

House singing competition - Orchard Style!

House music

Watch this space for some videos covering this year's house singing competition with some exclusive behind the scenes interviews with Orchard staff and pupils.

House rowing - results and times

VIII

1^st Skipwith 7.38.5

2^nd Everett 7.52.6

3^rd Orchard 8.12.4

4^th Burr 8.22.9

5^th Welsh 8.56.4

4x

1^st Orchard 8.33.7

2^nd Skipwith 8.51.1

3^rd Welsh 9.04.0

4^th Everett 9.10.6

5^th Burr 11.34.1

2x

1^st Orchard 8.01.8

2^nd Burr 8.09.7

3^rd Skipwith 8.25.3

4^th Welsh 9.15.6

5^th Everett 9.26.5

1x

1^st Everett

2^nd Skipwith

3^rd Burr

4^th Orchard

5^th Welsh

Overall Points

1^st Skipwith 21

2^nd Orchard 18

3^rd Everett 16

4^th Burr 12

5^th Welsh 8

Orchard tutors help Shiplake staff win OVS hockey tournament.

Thanks to skill and expertise of Mr Mannix, Mr Gould and Dr Snellgrove, Shiplake staff were victors in the OVS hockey tournament held this past weekend.  Below are some photos of the intrepid trio in action.  Congratulations gentlemen!

Shiplake Masterchef

Masterchef kicks off at Shiplake College shortly and one of Orchard's previous competitors will, undoubtedly, be honing his skills in preparation for the forthcoming event!

Senior House Hockey

Orchard seniors made a sterling effort to retain their house hockey title but fell just shy this past weekend.  The report below from Mr Fitton gives an account of the afternoon's play:

Many thanks to all of those who made it down to watch at the astro this afternoon (02/03/13) on what I know was a very busy day for most people, and thank you to those who helped organise the house teams to put out a good turnout this afternoon.

It was very pleasing to see the competition played with a great deal of respect between the teams even with the fierce rivalries that can become evident and for other houses’ keepers to play in goal for Everett.  The feedback I have had from the boys so far has been positive on what was a much better afternoon than for the juniors with no snow!

The results from the day:

1^st Welsh

2^nd Orchard

3^rd Burr

4^th Skipwith

5^th Everett 

Mr Fitton

Shiplake quiz night!

Becoming a Prefect - What would you do?

Seven of Orchard’s Year 12 pupils have applied for the role of a prefect for the next academic year.

The process started when we had to first write a letter of application to the Headmaster saying why we would like to become a prefect and why we should become prefects. On Wednesday evening the seven of us (Max Hearnden, Charlie Hancock, Harry Fisher, Oscar Burgess, Alex Collis, Hux Loudoun, Ruaridh Scott) all had our first interviews with both Mr Curtis and Mr Mallins. Both asked us questions on why we should be prefects and why we would like to be prefects. We were all given a situation that as a prefect we could come across and we had to say how we would deal with that situation, the situations varied from catching friends smoking in school, seeing the Headmaster smoke himself on school grounds to Year 10’s not behaving in the lunch queue. The interviews were tough as we were really put on the spot with some questions and had no time to think of the answer. The process has given us a practical insight on how to apply and interview for future careers.

We are currently waiting to see if we are going to make it through to the next stage were we will be interviewed by The Headmaster and other Senior Members of Staff.  

Ruaridh Scott

Shiplake College Rowers Compete for GB Selection

Shiplake College’s Senior Rowing Squad was inspired to train hard during the pupils’ half-term holiday. Not only is the Schools’ Head approaching on their Competitions Calendar, with Thursday 7^th March heavily penciled in, but six boys also had the additional incentive of GB Rowing Trials.

Daniel Barrett (Orchard), Michael Glover, Max Hearnden (Orchard), Marek Lapham, Dominic Parnell and Harry Vardigans comprised an optimistic Shiplake contingent heading for the bitterly cold waters hosting the GB Rowing Trials in Boston, Lincolnshire.

On the Saturday the top pair from Shiplake was Vardigans and Lapham as they finished 8^th out of 44 boats over the 5km course. Glover and Lapham were not far behind finishing 14^th.

The Sunday of the trials always provides a test as the boys change partners and quickly have to form an alliance with a rower from another school. Results were not quite as successful as Saturday with Lapham producing the best result coming in 20^th.With most of the Shiplake oarsmen finishing in the twenties they will still hope for an invite to the next test in the GB selection process, the Spring Assessment.

Year 9 Readathon

You'll probably recognise a few familiar Orchard boy faces from these pics taken at the conclusion of the school's Year 9 Readathon challenge.  How many can you spot?  (I think I got 7!)

Ruaridh Sheppard in 'Joseph'

Have a look through this 'Prezi' to see some of the pictures of Orchard House members in Joseph.  You can zoom in on and select any of the pictures.  Come back soon to see some more 'Joseph' related content.

Orchard's Anti Bullying Competition Entry

Recently, Shiplake College held an anti-bullying advert competition with tutor groups from each house producing posters and videos to highlight the issue of bullying.  The video above is one of the Orchard entries and was produced by Year 12 pupils Harry Wallace, Tom Spratley, Oscar Burgess and Charlie Hancock with a little help from their tutor Mr Milburn.

New Look!

Welcome to the (slightly) revamped Orchard House Blog!  Here you will find a range of information letting you know what is happening in and around the house.

A New Young Hockey Umpire

Congratulations to Orchard's Sam Cooke (Year 11) who has completed and passed his hockey umpire qualifications. Hopefully he knows more of the rules than some of the staff, eh Mr. Mallins?

Every Cloud...

Although the snow has caused a few logistical headaches, we at the blog are very pleased that for the rest of the week we are allowed to wear our own warm clothes to school!

Inter-House Art Competition Results

Sadly, we were not able to hold on to this trophy this year with Orchard ending up in second place behind a worthy Welsh House. Nevertheless, there were some really outstanding individual performances from the Orchard cohort. JACK LEIGH came second in the Year 9 photography class with TOM WILLIAMS winning the Year 9 drawing competition. TOM DALE came second in the Year 10 painting event and TOM HOWE picked up another second place in the printing category of the Year 13 competition. And finally, in the Year 12 painting section, OSCAR BURGESS and HUX LOUDON came in first and second places respectively. Well done to all participants and congratulations to all the prize winners!

Photos from some of these artists will be posted soon!