29 March 2012
There I was, thinking that CSU couldn’t be any more different from CCF or Private Study…but then along came the idea of the bunny suit. We thought that the residents of Seven Arches Residential Care Home could use a bit of a laugh and a treat -and since it’s nearly Easter, what better way to do that than to send chocolates, flowers and someone in a giant bunny outfit?
So on Friday 23rd March, that’s just what we did. Joining us on our adventure was Dr Storey and Dr Rowlands, both of them more excited than us to see the residents’ faces! After school ended, I went and got changed into some casual clothes and we began our walk down – the costume confined to a bag. Once we were there, I donned my outfit and became immersed in the character. The effects of the costume and flowers were instant, with smiles appearing on everyone’s faces.
Then we entered Seven Arches. The smiles only became bigger and more numerous! Everywhere I looked through the eyes of a bunny there were grins on the residents’ faces. With cameras snapping my every move, I went through the place greeting each and every person there: I was even guided through the home to areas I didn’t know existed to meet those few residents who are bed-ridden. Looking into their eyes, I could see their enjoyment of my visit - that made it all the more worthwhile.
Once we were finished, with all the residents left with smiles and laughs, we had to start the slow walk back. But this walk would be different – I would be walking back to school in a bunny outfit. Well why not? It gave Dr Storey the perfect chance to give me one of his signature nicknames – 'Bugs'! The reactions I got while walking back up were brilliant, with honking horns and smiling faces in every direction. I re-entered the school with a spring in my step – and if you see me around school, you’ll notice that it is something which I still have today!
Jack ‘Bugs’ Adams
Official CSU Easter Bunny
26 March 2012
On 19th March, the Junior Sir Antony Browne Society (JSABS) was treated to a visit from eminent speaker, Mr Tobin May, as part of ‘The Bionic Ear Show’ as part of the School’s extensive Able and Talented programme. The JSABS is an extracurricular society for academically talented Middle School students. The programme aims to challenge pupils through opportunity and members are invited to hear expert speakers from across the country lecture on a wide range of subjects.
Students were captivated by an engaging and informative lecture on one of the most important sense organs of the body: the ear. The show provided an insight into the biological process of hearing and discussed hearing damage, loss and protection. Students were made conscious of the damage everyday devices such as iPods and MP3 players can cause to hearing; they were also given examples of how difficult it is to listen with reduced hearing and were advised to wear ear plugs in excessively noisy environments to prevent damage.
The highlight of the lecture - amongst various interactive demonstrations - was the creation of the world’s largest ear on stage, measuring over 22 feet long and 116 times larger than a normal human ear!
Mrs English, who organised the successful event and runs the JSABS programme commented:
“We were engaged in a fun and interactive show that promotes safe listening. Mr May spoke at length on how sound travels through the ear to the brain, along with fascinating facts, such as how you can tell where sound is coming from to within an angle of 1 degree; that the bones in the middle ear can vibrate up to 2,000 times a second and that a stroke can leave you able to hear but unable to understand language.”
As 'The Bionic Ear Show' is a free event, Mrs English and Mr Bowley, Head of Able and Talented students were also delighted to be able to present £200 on behalf of Brentwood School to this worthwhile charity.
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21 March 2012
A group of Third Form boys have impressed their Chemistry teacher by unleashing creative flair and creating fantastic models of atoms out of pipe cleaners, boxes, foam balls and wire.
Having been initially instructed to make simple models, the students decided to rise to the challenge by being imaginative and resourceful, constructing artistic representations of the structure of atoms. The brightly-coloured and boldly engineered models can be seen adorning the classroom of Mrs Khush.
Commenting on the task given to the class, she said:
“I asked students to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the parts of the atom through neat and creative visual presentation; to take on a familiar topic in an unfamiliar way.
“What I didn’t expect was the amount of time and energy the students put into this project. They have produced the most wonderful 3D models of the atom and I want to give them recognition for what they have constructed.”
The students were rewarded with a bag and pen for their designs and they were also visited by the Headmaster, who personally congratulated them on their inventiveness.
As a result of their successful assignment, the boys have once again demonstrated how Brentwood School places huge value on combining both science and creativity.
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12 March 2012
Old Brentwood Sir Edwin Hardy Amies KCVO attended the school from 1919 to 1927. The couture designer was fond of his time at Brentwood and came back in his later years to design the girls’ school uniform, which is still worn today.
For the Royal visit to the school in 1957, Amies was among those who greeted The Queen. Two years later, he gave a dress show of his Spring/Summer collections at the school, raising nearly £400 for the 40th anniversary commemoration fund.
Hardy Amies, who was knighted in 1993 and died in 2003, opened his first couture house at 14 Savile Row in 1946, after a stint in the British intelligence service during the Second World War. Just one year later, his designs appeared on the cover of Vogue, and in 1955 he was appointed official dressmaker to Her Majesty The Queen, an appointment that lasted for almost 40 years.
Although Sir Hardy Amies received recognition, fame and a knighthood, he never forgot his early life and education at Brentwood. Today, the Hardy Amies Design Centre is testimony to his enduring connection with the School.
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12 March 2012
The Classics Department marshalled a battalion of 3rd years on Friday 9th March for an extended Field Day campaign to Bath and Caerleon. Forty-four pupils marched down the M4 to Bath, formed a testudo of lunch-eaters outside the Roman Baths Museum and then entered to perform their stealth attack on the citadel. Using penetrating questions and a high level of curiosity, the cohort scoured the museum for information about the baths, with the main prong of the attack focussing on the evidence provided by inscriptions found at the site. With this preliminary skirmish successful, the troop retired to barracks at Bath Youth Hostel for rations and rest. On Saturday morning, the company made a further foray to Caerleon, site of the fortress (or castra) of the Legion II Augusta. Museum, baths, amphitheatre and barracks were surveyed in due order, with brief pauses for missile launching (or bows and arrows as some may call it). Back on the troop transport truck and a prompt return to Brentwood. Mission accomplished!
To view a photo gallery taken at Bath and Caerleon please click here.
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02 March 2012
As part of the Community Service Unit, a group of Brentwood School students have taken up knitting on Friday afternoons in aid of charity, producing teddies, blankets and bags to be sent to children around the world. They have spent weeks honing their teddy-knitting skills to produce a host of brightly-coloured bears ready to bring joy to less fortunate children in war-torn countries.
Even less experienced knitters have been busy producing small blankets and bags to hold the bears; some of the students have only just learned how to knit and are making a valuable contribution to the charitable effort.
Mrs Bailey commented:
"The squares are knitted individually by a range of students, some of whom have only just learned how to knit. They are joined together to make small blankets, which can be used for swaddling babies or for the elderly.
“The more experienced knitters, such as Mrs Bowes, Minami and Andrea follow a pattern to make teddies; these are sent away to an organisation called ‘Teddies for Tragedies’ which take the bears to different parts of the world."
Last year, bears such as the ones knitted by Brentwood students were sent to Montenegro, Kosovo, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Morocco, Romania, Bulgaria and Zambia. The teddies are given to children who have tragically lost close family, as a result of warfare or severe natural disasters. They form an attachment to the teddies, which in turn helps them to cope with their difficulties.
With such a fantastic array of colour and quality, the group hopes that the children will enjoy and find comfort in the teddies as much as they did making them.
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