Issue 7 May 2014

While students and staff enjoyed the traditional end of term House Quiz at Central Hall on 17 December last year, our Bursar, Vince Davies, and Headteacher Sheri Sellers were engaging in an equally nail-biting experience in the City Council Chamber, as they waited to hear whether our planning application for a new building had been approved. We are delighted to report that the Council voted to approve our application, and we are now moving forward with preparations for construction to begin on the facility which will house five Science laboratories, a Prep. Room, Home Economics room and four classrooms. The design will also provide us with a large wedge-shaped Atrium area which will be used mainly for drama, with the option to utilise the space for indoor games such as Table Tennis and perhaps even Trampolining.

For those who are familiar with our site at Townhill Park House, the building will be located in the Arboretum, on the footprint of the existing basketball court, and will finally enable us to demolish the `temporary` Science and Home Economics buildings, which have served us well for 20 years! We’re hoping that work can start on preparing the site very shortly - after ensuring that our resident badger population have moved on to pastures new. We’re cautiously optimistic that their burrowing through the surface of the basketball court is an indication that they’re keen to find an alternative habitat!

New building gets the green light!

After the success of the Iceland field trip in 2002, it was clear that there were many of us craving more in the way of discovering the natural world. From then on every Geography lesson someone would ask Miss Dawson the simple question “Can we go to the Grand Canyon Miss?” The responses started off slightly hesitantly (so we knew she really wanted to go too) but before too long a firm “No!” was being uttered before we’d even finished the question. We pushed our luck and continued to ask, until a trip was announced to take place after the summer exams in 2004. Over 30 of us were lucky enough to be going along with Mrs Sellers, Miss Short, Mr Harrowven, Miss Wright, Mrs Bartlett and Mrs Guilmant. We were also accompanied by Mrs Seller’s Mum (who we affectionately called ‘Mummy Dawson’). During the pre-trip meeting it was announced that there were 2 optional parts of the trip: a line-dancing lesson, and a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon. As you may expect from a group of teenagers, the helicopter ride sounded fantastic. The line dancing, not so. Most of our parents were very quick to conspire against us and decided that if we wanted the helicopter, we also did the dancing! For many of us it was our first time in the USA, and our very first experience was having to face US customs when changing flights at Washington DC. But after the stress of that we were onto the next flight to Las Vegas. We arrived rather jet-lagged but almost immediately we were taken on a tour of The Strip by our guide. We were marched from one casino to the next (as teenagers we were only allowed to walk through the casinos without stopping) trying to take in the artificial glitz. After less than 24 hours, it was time to move on to our main destination. Leaving Las Vegas, I really began to appreciate just how alien this city was to the desert. From now on, each night would be spent at a different hotel, usually with 4 students to a room. There were plenty of long hours sat on the coach. As with most coach trips, some people managed to happily fall asleep whilst my eyes were glued to the window not wanting to miss anything. Bryce Canyon in Utah was our first National Park and our first view was from a lookout perched on the edge of the valley surrounded by lightening-hit trees.

The famous ‘Hoodoos’ of the park (tall columns of bright orange and white rock) were truly stunning. Walking down into the labyrinth of stone, the true scale could really be appreciated; what appeared to be small shrubs from the lookout turned out to be tall pine trees surrounded by rock columns tens of metres high. Bryce Canyon has to be one of the most stunning places on earth.

In contrast to Bryce Canyon, our next adventure was to be at Zion National Park - a huge tranquil valley of green flanked by towering peaks. After visiting the main viewpoints we were off on a short hike that made us all feel like true adventurers. We were walk-ing along a trail known as “The Narrows” where can-yon walls reach over 100m either side of a small river around 10m wide. The only way in is to wade (up to knee deep) through the river itself. The coolness of the trickling water certainly helped battle the intense summer heat of a Utah canyon.

The 2004 South-West USA adventure

Mark Grosvenor (class of 2004) recounts the field trip

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Now with a taste for getting our feet wet, we were to experience the mighty Colorado River. Near Lake Powell, our coach descended down a steep tunnel to emerge at the base of a colossal dam. This was the Glen Canyon Dam, nearly as large as the more famous Hoover Dam further downriver. Awaiting us at the base of the dam were several ‘pontoon boats’ –a bit like 4 banana boats rafted together and fitted with an outboard motor, each taking around 15 people. Being just below an almighty dam, the Colorado was extremely tame – this was probably as close to white water rafting as a school trip is allowed. Besides the hum of the engine, it was amazingly peaceful floating along in the bottom of a huge canyon. The red walls were reflecting vividly in the surprisingly frigid water whilst the Arizona sun beat down on us. As we floated around the famous Horseshoe Bend, it was hard to get a sense of just how much we had been meandering when immersed in such a vast landscape. We stopped to look at some Native American rock art and were also told this spot was perfect for a quick swim. I’m still not entirely sure whether Miss Short did jump of her own accord, or whether there was some persuasion from studentsC In amongst visiting all the big National Parks there were plenty of other sights to see. Buffalo farms, sand dunes and cacti were all ticked off the list. Even after warning us not to go within ‘6 feet’ of a cacti (the spines can easily blow off and become airborne missiles), photo evidence does exist of Miss Short slightly too close for comfort. One evening was spent creating our own Western film at a restaurant that happened to have a mock film set attached. We were all given roles to play by the owners and before dinner we had created a now rather cringe-worthy film (which is still lurking somewhere out there on the internetC) We now seemed to be ticking off National Parks one by one leading up to the big one – The Grand Canyon. As we walked from the coach towards the viewpoint on the South rim, I inadvertently won the quote of the trip with the simple but effective comment “That’s big!” In fact it is bigger than big. It is vast. The more you look, the more intricate it appears. It is a whole series of interlocking canyons; each one big enough to be spectacular in its own right. Condors would swoop overhead and out above the canyon until they were just a pinprick. What we thought would be the highlight of the trip, the helicopter flight, was to follow.

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After what felt like an awful long time waiting at the heliport we boarded helicopters in small groups. Unfortunately by this point the weather had come in and it was starting to rain.

The ground rushed past us underneath and suddenly fell away as we reached the rim of the canyon. Our perception of scale changed once again now we were really ‘in’ the labyrinth. It was hard to balance the excitement of a helicopter trip, and being at the Grand Canyon. Long before we had even settled down to really take in the views our pilot turned the helicopter around and we headed back to the heliport with plenty of photos and a great buzz from the experience. The trip drew to a close in Phoenix. Everyone had found the whole trip enlightening and it was some-what of an anti-climax now being surrounded by so many buildings, cars and noise again. Even with all the pupils to keep an eye on, I think the staff thoroughly enjoyed the trip too. Years of persistence had paid off – we got our trip to the Grand Canyon along with so much more. It certainly inspired me to pursue my interest in the natural world. As for the line-dancing lesson we were all so dreading? Turned out to be quite a good laugh, but don’t tell our parents.

Do you have fond memories of a school trip? We’d love to hear from you. If you would like to write an article for a future edition of the Gregorian, please let us know. Our email address is: alumni@gregg.southampton.sch.uk

Having been told several times “Your school years will be the best of your life”, and 2013 being the 50

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anniversary of me leaving school, many memories have come to mind, resulting in putting pen to paper. On passing the Gregg School Entrance Examination, I started at Winn Road the following September. (The termly fees were 15 guineas). The building housed the Junior section of The Gregg School, the Senior School’s Science laboratory and the Deputy Headteacher, Mr Woolley’s office. Our other lessons took place in the purpose-built classrooms at the rear of the grounds of the Victorian building, with the play-ground in-between. I remember the teachers of most subjects quite well, especially Mr Woolley as he and I used to travel home quite regularly on the same bus. I always thought of him as quite a character, with a fairness of discipline and a good sense of humour. He, like me, was always in a rush to catch the bus at the end of the School day, where he would always try and sit in the front seat on the upper deck, smoking his very large pipe, sometimes opening his very large brief-case to mark some of the great amount of homework we were given. French was never one of my best subjects, with Mrs Ostler (who came from Italy) being the teacher. Homework usually consisted of translating sentences in English into French in our exercise books. Marking the next day consisted of Mrs Ostler writing the answers on the blackboard, and the students exchanging our exercise books with other students in the class for marking. On one occasion, I had not done my homework, so kept my exercise book in the hope of writing the answers as Mrs Ostler was writing them on the blackboard. Unfortunately I was caught out and was sent to Mr Woolley, who was teaching a Science lesson at the time. He did not ask why I had been sent to see him, but took me to his study where I gave him the reason, to which he responded by saying “Clemoes, I am going to give you six of the best – not for the reason you have been sent to see me, but for grinning like a Cheshire cat when you looked round the classroom door.” Caning on the hands was the punishment given to us boys for what was regarded as serious misbehaviour. Mr Woolley then attempted to give me six hard strokes on the hand, but missed twice, admitted that it was his error, so I only received four.

Swimming lessons were held in the two indoor pools at the Lido complex on Western Esplanade, next to the Pirelli Factory. However, swimming lessons ceased shortly after Mr Culliford’s only son drowned in the River Cherwell where he was studying at Oxford University. These are just some of my many memories of my first two years at Winn Road, before moving onto the fourth, lower fifth and upper fifth, as the classes were called then at Grosvenor Square. Also based there was the Commercial Department, which consisted of about 40 students who were there to learn typing and shorthand skills. The Gregg format of the latter being one of those available, the other being Pitman. There was a large room with lots of black typewriters with the keyboards blacked out. I think to myself now, how would we all manage with our computer key-boards like that today?

Does anyone else remember any of the following? Mrs Hallum – English Language and Literature Miss Sparks (who on marriage became Mrs Brindley) – Mathematics Mrs Ostler – French Mr Culliford – Principal (Headteacher), Geography Mr Hunt – History Mrs Etheridge – Biology Mr Woolley – General Science Miss Hoare – Music Mr Lawrence – Art Mr Heap – Religious Knowledge Mr Hunt – Physical Training and Games (Football, Cricket and Athletics)

John Clemoes

The Winn Road years

By John Clemoes

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For most of the students on the trip, this was our first experience of overseas travel. There was a great deal of excitement in Grosvenor Square on that August day of 1962 when some of us in the Lower fifth met up to be taken by coach to Victoria Train Station. For many of us, it was our first holiday without our parents, who had paid around £30 for our “all-inclusive” 2 week trip, staying at the Monte Rosa College in Territet, near Montreux, Switzerland.

Leaving Victoria, we travelled through the Kent countryside to Folkestone, caught the ferry to Calais, and picked up the Wagon-Lits couchette carriages to take us to our destination.

I remember arriving at Paris Nord station, seeing parts of Paris as the train was shunted to Paris Lyon station, before travelling on via Dijon to Switzerland. My first view of Switzerland was just as we came out of the tunnel at Vallorbe, where we stopped for customs and immigration. (In those days, students didn’t need to have their own passports, as we all travelled on a collective one). The train then travelled south, reaching Lausanne where it continued along the shores of Lake Geneva, before arriving at Montreux.

At that time, there were also other Gregg Schools in England (I think these were situated at Bromley, Solihull and Newcastle-upon-Tyne), and students from these schools were also on the holiday.

There were many interesting trips during the holiday, including Geneva by paddle steamer, where we saw the League of Nations buildings, Bern, the capital (the train journey here was spectacular), visits to a chocolate factory (lots of free samples!), a glacier and Lake Dam and a visit to Chamonix, which took us back into France, and then on the cable car up to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi, and seeing Mont Blanc.

Chateau de Chillon, Montreux We also enjoyed our free time, and I recall water bombs being dropped from balconies! There were also a few “romantic” encounters between us and the students from the other Gregg Schools. I made friends with two girls from The Gregg School in Bromley and two from Newcastle, who I kept in touch with for a few years afterwards. I don’t remember feeling homesick – it was certainly a holiday to remember for many reasons, not least for the most extreme thunderstorm I had seen as we left Montreux to return home. I took some photographs with my Kodak Brownie camera, and when finding them to send with this article noticed it cost 6 shillings (30p) for 18 black and white photographs to be developed!

School trip to Montreux, Switzerland 1962

By John Clemoes

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The new academic year saw a number of staff changes. Mr Benning stepped down as Deputy Head to teach a full timetable of Science, Mrs Webber left the Languages Department after seventeen years teaching at The Gregg, Dr Spencer relocated to East Sussex, securing a position at Battle Abbey School whilst Mr Wallace moved to Fareham Academy to teach IT. Ms Tuck returned from the summer holidays as Mrs Harrowven, and Mrs Sommerville re-joined us as Head of PSD after her maternity leave following the birth of her new baby Thomas. We welcomed Mr Gillespie as our new Deputy Head, and new teachers Miss Holland, Mrs Woollett and Mr Squires in the Languages, Mathematics and Humanities Departments respectively.

We entered a team in the Global Enterprise Challenge Competition for the first time in June last year, our team of 8 students competing against teams from Europe, Africa and Malaysia. Their idea of producing a "Time Leap" app for use when visiting places of historic interest. together with their sound business model clearly impressed the judges, as they won the competition! Our Summer Fayre last July was a huge success, raising £6,000 for school funds, and it was great to see members of our Alumni taking part in the cricket match that afternoon.

We were also delighted to welcome Alumni into School to support our students’ learning in the Philosophy and PSD Departments. Their advice and guidance on careers and further education was much appreciated. Our swimmers upheld the Gregg tradition by winning 8 gold and 2 silver medals at the ISA National Swimming Gala in Coventry, and also recently won the “City Champions” title, whilst our Under 14 cricket team won the Southampton Schools’ League for the first time in the School’s history. We were deeply shocked and saddened by the death of Jan Heath in December. Jan had been involved with The Gregg School from 2008 and was always a fervent supporter of our PTFA. In September 2010, she shaped the FROGS committee and was a witty, enthusiastic and skilled Chair. In her first incredible year she steered the PTFA in raising a staggering £10,000 and was instrumental in our being able to build a Cricket Pavilion.

Our commitment to charity fundraising and community involvement has continued this year, with a range of events raising £000`s for a diverse array of local, national and international charities, including the Rose Road Association, Naomi House, Save The Children, Sport Relief, Action for Children, the Mayor’s Toy Appeal, and MacMillan Cancer Support.

Our next charity event is being held on Saturday 5 July, when we shall be hosting a Summer Ball in conjunction with the Countess Mountbatten Hospice Charity. Further details of the Ball may be found on page 8 of this Newsletter. If you are involved with a charity and would be interested in linking up with School to support them in any way, do please get in touch.

School news

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Dates for your diary

Friday 13 June “Summer Soiree” An informal chamber concert featuring soloists and ensembles 7.15pm until approx. 8.30pm Tickets available from the School office (email: office@gregg.southampton.sch.uk) £3 to include refreshments. Monday 16 June GCSE Art Exhibition 5.00-7.00pm No tickets required. Thursday 10 July Senior Drama Production Friday 11 July Our Senior Drama Club will be performing one-act plays from "Confusions" by Alan Ayckbourn. Please contact the School office for further details and to order tickets. Saturday 5 July “Celebration of Life” Charity Ball Full details may be found on page 8 of this Newsletter.

Sunday 13 July Gardens Open Day and Alumni Association AGM Our gardens will be open to the public on Sunday 13 July from 2.00pm until 5.00pm. Meridian Winds will be providing musical entertainment, and refreshments will be served throughout the afternoon. Free entry. Sunday 14 September Heritage Day Townhill Park House and Gardens will be open to the public on Sunday 14 September. Students will be giving guided tours and refreshments will be served throughout the afternoon. Free entry. Friday 26 September MacMillan Coffee Morning 8.00am-11.30am Saturday 29 November Craft and Gift Fair Our annual Craft and Gift Fair will take place in School from 11.00am until 3.00pm. For further details please contact Mrs T. Mitchell, Registrar. (Email: tm@gregg.southampton.sch.uk)

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Have your say A level results? Graduating? First job? Getting married? New baby? Retiring? If you have any news, do get in touch! To contribute to the next edition of the Gregorian, simply email your news, stories and photos to us: Alumni Office The Gregg School Townhill Park House Cutbush Lane Southampton SO18 2GF Email: alumni@gregg.southampton.sch.uk

Year group reunions Let us know if you are planning a reunion for a specific year group or groups. We will be pleased to email alumni on our database to let them have details about your event, and can also publicise it on our website. Find us online: Our website, www.gsaa.org.uk contains all past editions of the Gregorian, information about the constitution and committee and details of alumni events.

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