17th Februry 2012

Internationally renowned classical guitarist Craig Ogden visited Bolton School this week to direct a 'Classical Guitar Ensemble Workshop' with young guitarists from Bolton School and local secondary schools. Around 90 music students took part in the day, which began with a mini concert given by Craig, who then led the pupils in rehearsing a classical guitar recital. The workshop culminated in a performance of the pieces to a live audience at an evening recital given by Craig in the Boys' Division Great Hall.
It has been a fantastic week for sport news with plenty success stories. Firstly, seven of our senior pupils are through to the National Final of the English Schools' Biathlon event following success in the Northern Semi Finals. The pupils completed a 1000m run and a 100m swim for the event and go through to the final which will be held at Crystal Palace on 25 March. The Bolton School U15 Volleyball squad have won the Bolton Town Volleyball Tournament, and as winners they will now progress to the Greater Manchester Championships, as part of the Schools' Games build up to the Olympics. This was the first time the school has entered the Volleyball tournament and so to win with very little experience in the squad was a great achievement. And the Girls' Division Senior and Intermediate Swimming teams are the Town Champions - both teams swam excellently to become Bolton champions and walk away with the winners trophies.
The Junior Girls have had a busy week too – their musical talents were on display in a Music Festival, where an audience of parents was treated to short individual performances from the girls on a variety of instruments including cello, guitar, trombone, saxophone, violin, flute and even drums. Judges were on hand to listen to each performance and offer feedback to the girls. And Thursday was Belgian day, where the girls got to experience all things Belgian exploring food and culture. The day was a farewell to one of the teaching staff who is Belgian, and one of Belgian’s finest, Papa Smurf, even made a visit to see the children and encourage them to enjoy a Belgian meal!

10th February 2012

This week at Bolton School was a very special one as the Girls' Division became Guinness World Record holders! A certificate will be sent to the School shortly to celebrate the achievement and the official record will read: 'The largest gathering of people dressed as storybook characters is 739 and was achieved by Bolton School Girls' Division (UK) in Bolton, UK, on 7 February 2012.' The record was set as part of the celebration of the bicentenary of Charles Dickens' birth. The majority of pupils from the Senior School and Sixth Form dressed up as Dickensian characters, as did members of staff and Year 6 of the Junior Girls' School. The girls gathered in their Great Hall for their morning assembly where official witnesses and stewards counted the participants and it soon became clear that a new record was going to be set.
The Girls' Division also named their second sponsored guide dog puppy Dickens, coinciding with the celebration, and the pupils received a visit from representatives from The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association to congratulate them on raising enough funds to sponsor their second puppy.
In what is always a closely fought battle between teams of Sixth Form boys and girls, this year's winner of the KPMG Enterprise Trophy was boys’ team UniLingo with their product which would allow wireless earpiece translation. The annual competition, which pits the best two girls' Sixth Form teams against the two best teams from the boys' school, was as close as ever, with each team presenting viable business propositions through professional presentations to a judging panel and an audience of students and teachers.
Saturday night was time to "graduate" for pupils from 7 Bolton primary schools and their proud parents as the SHINE: Serious Fun on Saturdays programme at Bolton School drew to a close. Forty one Year 5 girls and boys have attended Saturday morning sessions at the School since November of last year, enjoying a mix of traditional subjects such as English, Maths, History and the Sciences, as well as more unusual offerings such as Psychology, Russian, Art and Design Technology, Ceramics and Japanese.
And Bolton School boys are the badminton county champions! A team of boys have been crowned Greater Manchester champions in the Years 10 and 11 age group, completing a double success for the School as the Year 8 and 9 boys are also the champions of their age group.

3rd February 2012

Over 90 girls from 24 local primary schools visited Bolton School this week for the first Just4Girls Science and Maths Day. The experience provided Year 4 girls with an opportunity to enjoy a range of traditionally 'male' subjects in a new and fun way, and was aimed at linking science and maths together. Throughout the day there were sessions in Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, and also a quiz. The Just4Girls Science Day is the latest in a series of events for local primary school boys and girls to attend at Bolton School. And science was on the agenda again as fourteen Year 10 pupils from the Boys' and Girls' Divisions had the chance to learn from world-renowned scientists when they attended GCSE Live at the Bridgewater Hall. The pupils attended mini-lectures given by eminent scientists on a variety of Science topics relevant to the Biology, Chemistry and Physics GCSE courses, and were also given some vital tips on GCSE examination success from an experienced science examiner.
In sport our U15s footballers have reached the final of the ISFA Cup! The boys reached the final of this prodigious cup competition after a 3-1 semi-final win against Repton. They will meet Hampton School in the final, to be played on 8th March at Burton Albion FC, officiated by a Premier League referee. This is the third consecutive year that Bolton School has appeared in an ISFA final, following last year’s U15s defeat to Whitgift and victory in the U13s competiton two years ago, an achievement those same boys are hoping to emulate in the U15s final in March. And Girls' Division year 8 pupil Sannah Ali is the UK National under 5ft 4 champion of Karate! Sannah attends the Shorai Martial Arts and Karate School in Bolton and decided to take up the sport to learn self defence and discipline. To gain her title Sannah took part in the Shorai Open Tournament at Harper Green Leisure Centre where she had to perform several Katas and also points matches to take the trophy.
The stunning landscape artwork of 48 Year 6 boys is now on display in the Upper Hall of Bolton town centre's busy indoor Market Place. The paintings make a dramatic and colourful wall of art with scenes ranging from beaches, countryside, the sea, mountains and waterfalls.
Why not help out with the Parents Association Spring Fair to be held on Saturday March 24th from 11am to 2pm in Hesketh House. There will be lots of activities including egg decoration and rolling competition, kids’ bake off competition, easter bonnet parade, iPad raffle and bouncy castle! If you have any time to spare, no matter how small, over the next few months to help with the organizing of the fair please let us know. Or if you would like to run a stall either a school stall or your own then please contact us. Call Kathy on 07710 443055 or email heskethhousepa@gmail.com