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Events from 2008-2009
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Russell Baker House Report
Winter
As always, RB returned from the summer holidays, excited and eager for the year ahead. The first challenge of the term was the Communion service in which everyone contributed to give a thought-provoking service on the theme, “Actions speak louder than words”. Thank you to everyone who served and provided entertainment after the service, and to everyone who contributed; we raised a fantastic £382.66 for Macmillan Cancer support; this added to the £108 raised by the coffee morning. In September we also welcomed back our first ever House Captain, Sue Wakefield, who spoke to the House about life at the school in the seventies!
The House drama topic this year was dynasties, and RB was given the Redgrave family. Naturally the house rose to the occasion, with Jenny Frostick and Rachel Burdon giving convincing performances as Michael and his daughter, and Emma Bennett-Morris and Lottie MacCallum as very realistic robots. Alongside the drama rehearsals, Russell Baker was competing in the netball competition, in which we worked as a team to gain first place in the seniors. One of RB’s greatest achievements this year was our victory in the House lacrosse. The whole team worked extremely hard and proved how our team spirit and HEALTHY competitiveness pays off! The middle Lacrosse also went very well and we only just missed out on the top place. Well done to all those who played, as you all worked together and for each other to achieve a superb outcome. A big thanks to the games captains: Olivia Muir, Hannah Hillcox and Hannah Cary who inspired and motivated the team. Those who supported should also be congratulated on deafening every other House.
The winter term also saw the annual art competition in which Jess Richards fashioned a stunning display of artwork contributed by members of all years. Unfortunately RB was not placed in the competition; however, Flo Elliot received an award for her ‘face’! In Public Speaking RB performed brilliantly with Harriet Ellison receiving a prize for her performance. In addition to other charity events, RB raised £225 by selling Christmas cuddly toys for St Catherine’s Hospice.
Spring:
Spring 2009 was somewhat disrupted by the heavy snowfall; however, that did not stop Russell Baker diligently continuing with the activities. Despite the weather, RB still managed to put together a professional informal concert, with pieces ranging from the harp by Laura McGugan, to Hattie Fieldman performing “Take a bow” by Rihanna, on the piano and voice, emphasising RB’s musical diversity. The hard work from the house resulted in RB winning the senior squash, and doing well in the middles. This year RB threw themselves into the challenge of the gym competition, with our theme being songs by Aretha Franklin. A concerted effort meant that we came third in almost everything, meaning we came second overall! Huge congratulations must be made to Clemmie Shires, as yet again she took on the daunting task of doing the solo. The trio was Sarah Taylor, Helena Muir, and Daisy Demaine, and a big thanks must be made to the L6 who organised and choreographed the aerobics (a tiring job).Throughout the very short term, the House also found time to learn two songs for the music competition. The theme this year was “Songs of Inspiration”, and RB was given “Somewhere” from West Side Story. The captains chose “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler as an accompaniment song. Everyone came together on the night to give a spectacular performance, with many audience members admitting that they found it hard to keep still during “Holding out for a Hero”. Thank you to all the musicians who worked extremely hard to give Russell Baker the best sounding orchestra, and of course to Phil Vega, and Lara Ulrich who proficiently put together the music. We narrowly missed out on first place which is an amazing achievement.
Our main charity event is, of course, Spy Ring. Having modified the rules and increased the health and safety aspect of the game, RB launched yet another intense and exciting competition, which was finally won by Rowenna Trevellyn in L6. Overall the game raised £800, which was split equally between the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice and Link leisure in Woking. Finally, the spring term ended with a fantastic outing to see “Hairspray” in London. Needless to say, everyone had an amazing time, and we would like to thank all the teachers who made the trip possible.
Summer term:
The summer term witnessed the beginning of exams, and the worldwide panic of Swine Flu. However, RB stoically persisted and braved the infectious conditions, even managing to gain 1st place in the senior rounders competition. The middle school also fought hard ending in 5th place. Similarly tennis was being played, where RB came second overall in the seniors.
RB also contributed greatly to the fundraising of the new building, and came joint first in contributing prizes to the association raffle. Thank you to everyone who generously donated. Other fundraising this term has resulted in £100 being given to the charity Miracles, and £300 to St Catherine’s School, Nairobi. Russell Baker also held a raffle on Speech day, raising a tremendous £174 for Rethink. Other events this term were the Swimming and Athletics competitions, where RB did extremely well winning the Swimming and performing brilliantly in the Athletics. Similarly the team of L5 debaters, Flo Elliott and Eva Wichtowski, put up a brave fight and argued extremely well against tough competition. RB’s final triumph of the year was our victory in the house quiz, in which everyone contributed to show the school Russell Baker’s academic brilliance, as well as our sporting achievements!
Finally, we would all like to thank the U6 for a fantastic year as prefects. From winning the lacrosse, to supporting various charities, everyone has contributed and given 100% to supporting RB. In particular, Amy Howell, and Shu-Fei Wong have led the house with enthusiasm and encouragement, and RB certainly won’t be the same without them. We will miss you all and good luck with your gap years and university. We also said goodbye to Dr Lee who stepped down as 4th Form Tutor.
Overall, the past year has been a rollercoaster of sporting achievements, and other victories for RB. From coming first in the senior netball, squash, lacrosse, and rounders, to raising over £1,900 for charity; RB has yet again proved its excellent house spirit. Well done to everyone; we are looking forward to more brilliant achievements next year and we thank Mrs Hall, Dr Lee and Miss Hindley for all their support.
By Emily Zaborski and Joanna Matthews
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