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St Edward’s:
150 Years
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Chapter 3 / Houses
Last year we held the first Oakthorpe 24-hour Danceathon,
to be a biennial event in future, and raised over £5,000 for
charity. This year saw the introduction of a hard-fought conker
competition. Who knows what next year will bring with it? The
answer is certainly something new.
A House, like any tightly knit community, is more than
the sum of its parts but the parts themselves are important
too. Older pupils lead the way and are good role models for
younger pupils. In recent years we have been very proud of
those with excellent A Level and IB results, including Katie
Battcock, with 45 IB points (full marks, putting her in the top
0.5 per cent worldwide), Augusta Charlton, Isabella Ogston,
Holly Jackson, Ellie Johnson, Millie Edwards, Alice Railton,
Nicole Rapeport and Emily Fletcher. We have benefited from
the performance of our top sports players – Belle Burt, Ana
Robinson, Mads Edwards and, lower down the House, Ellie
Lloyd, Francesca Sargent and Natasha Tisminieszky. Our top
musicians continue to contribute all round with Liz Isles,
Claudia Posada, Imogen English and Imogen Allen leading the
way with Emma Cheng, Susie Flory and Nicola Roberts already
in the wings to take their places.
The piano in the Downstairs Common Room is in constant
use and it says a lot about the House that no one feels self-
conscious about playing it, whatever standard they are at. Its
use encapsulates the message we all aim for: ‘Go on, try it out,
don’t worry and we will support you’ – and we do. Our House
motto is not ‘Amongst Friends’ for nothing.
Judy Young
Housemistress, Oakthorpe (J)
Oakthorpe (J)
Oakthorpe House might be tucked out of sight behind the labs,
but Oakthorpe girls are certainly not tucked away when it comes
to participating and succeeding in School life. As I write, the row
of cups we were awarded last term says it all – the Warden’s
Cup for good work, the House Singing Competition Unison cup,
the Senior and Junior Netball cups and the Junior Debating cup
are testament to Oakthorpe’s ability to work hard, play hard and
take part across the board. Although not all terms have seen
quite such success, the pervading ‘get up and go’ ethos of the
House has always been there and last term was by no means
exceptional. I look back at other memorable events of the year
and of these, ‘Oakthorpe Presents’ has to come out on top.
Year on year, I continue to be both amazed and impressed by
so much talent in the House, most notably in what I discovered
later came to be known as the ‘Pippa Bennett-Warner spot’
named after one of the best singers we have ever had. Ele
Lighter, Lucy Bowen and Olivia Page have all risen to the
challenge of performing the final solo in the past and this year
it was filled by Liz Isles, with a virtuoso performance of ‘Pirates
of the Caribbean’ on the piano. It’s not just the actual show,
however, that reveals so much about the House – it’s the way
everyone pulls together and the way Oakthorpe members are
so supportive of each other. The feel in Oakthorpe every year is
always different after Oakthorpe Presents.
Other House traditions have grown up over time as well
– the end-of-term House parties, the Shells’ Easter Egg Hunt,
Pancake Day and the annual House dinners each have their
rituals which are built on year on year. Any previous member
of the House would feel quite at home coming back to join
us on any of these occasions – please feel free to do so! New
traditions spring up too; Cake Night on Thursday is now a
highlight of the week and Cathy Day, our Matron, bakes for 60.
Below: Danceathon,
October 2013.
Left: Shells, September 2012.
Below: 150th anniversary Shells.
Judy Young,
Housemistress,
Oakthorpe.
Lower Sixth, 2012, ready for a climb!
Junior netball team, March 2013.
Oakthorpe Presents 2013
EmmaChengandImogenAllen.