Winston Student Wins Competition to Play with Guildford Symphony Orchestra

Chris Brewster, a Year 10 student at the school, has won a competition to play with Guildford Symphony Orchestra. As part of his prize he will be playing part of a concerto next month with the orchestra alongside other winners, some of whom are at University and from Yehudi Menuhin school (the competition was for age 23 and under).

Please click here for more inforamtion about this event  

http://www.g-s-o.org.uk/GSO_Website_2011/HOME.html

Chris is joint first study trombone and euphonium studying music at the Junior Guildhall School of Music where he learns with Rob Burgess and Spencer Down and currently holds their “Mr Tuba” scholarship. Chris plays in many groups and ensembles there and is principle Euphonium in the Brass Band. He is also currently preparing for his grade 8 piano exam.

Locally he is Principal Trombone of the Surrey County Youth Wind Orchestra, Surrey County Youth Jazz Orchestra, and is Principal Euphonium in Surrey County Youth Advanced Brass Ensemble.  

Chris enjoys all his musical activities. He played trombone and euphonium in the Mayor’s Jubilee Band on one of the music barges in the Jubilee River Pageant that celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. He was successful in reaching the second round of the 2011 BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition on trombone aged 14. In Surrey he was the Euphonium Soloist playing “Napoli” with the REME Army Band’s last performance before they were disbanded. He has played in concerts with many groups across Surrey.

Previously a member of the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, Chris has for the last 2 years been one of the younger members of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, playing trombone (and doubling on euphonium where required) with top class performers and conductors in major concert halls including Birmingham Symphony Hall, the Sage Gateshead, the Aldeburgh Prom Season and at the Royal Festival Hall. This also included a televised BBC Promenade Concert at the Royal Albert Hall and most recently, playing the Euphonium part in Holst’s Planets Suite (a long held ambition) in Leeds Town Hall and the Barbican Centre, where the concert was broadcast on Radio 3 and the NYO received five star press reviews. 

In 2012, at the age of 14, the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey nominated Chris to attend the Houses of Parliament as Surrey’s “16-21 Young Performer” for “The Commonwealth Carnival of Music”.  In September he received a Young Person’s Outstanding Achievement Award from the Mayor of Woking for music successes.

Chris is delighted and grateful for the opportunity to play with Guildford Symphony Orchestra and is looking forward to the performance.  Later this year he will taking part in a number of local concerts and in pit bands for several shows. He is looking forward to further big performances with the NYO, including a tour of Ireland and at the Royal Festival Hall, including playing Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony.

The school is understandably proud of Chris’s achievements and wish him well for the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank You

The School would like to say a big thank you to Societe Generale who have recently donated 20 desks and cupboards to the school. 

Mr D Smith

Headteacher

Christmas Cake Competition 2012!

 Year 10 Catering Students have once again been baking and decorating to take part in the annual Christmas cake competition.

The students chose the size of the cake they wanted to make using Mrs O'Brien's special recipe. After baking, the cakes were covered in marzipan and icing and then the students were encouraged to use their imagination and skills to produce their own individual designs.

Mrs O'Brien, Subject Leader for Catering, said "The students have worked so well and with great enthusiasm, diligence and focus to produce their cakes and have all shown a high level of creativity in designing and creating the decorations".

The finished cakes were then judged by Ben Piette, owner and Head Chef of The London House Restaurant and Mr Smith, Headteacher, with special attention being paid to the cakes where the students had made their own decorations.

The winners were:

1^st place - Sophie Gooch

2^nd place - Gavin Thomas

3^rd place - Josie Schifano

Highly commended - Erin Cullen

 

 

 

Proposed Changes to Admissions Criteria 2014 - 2015

Please follow the link to view the draft admissions criteria for 2014 - 2015. Please make any responses to Mrs Wendy Arthur (w.arthur@wcsc.org.uk) by 1st March 2013.

 

Admissions_Criteria_Ad_1214.pdf

Winston Music Captain Releases First Tracks!

Our Music Captain, Sarah-Jayne Riedel, is an amazing singer songwriter (recently winning the inaugural 'Best Singer Songwriter' category at the Performing Arts Awards Evening).  She is managed by Rick Buckler (famous as being the drummer from The Jam).  Sarah-Jayne has just released three of her own songs, which are all available on iTunes for just 79p each!

Please support her amazing talent - follow this link to go straight to her iTunes page:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/sarah-jayne-single/id584916720
We all wish her the best of luck on her first steps to stardom!

Annual Awards Ceremony

On Thursday 15th November, The Winston Churchill School held its annual Awards Ceremony and was delighted to welcome back past Year 11 students for the presentation of their examination certificates for the school’s best ever set of results. 

 

Rebecca Jenkins and Charlotte Walker were the outstanding students of the year with 14 A* grades, 11 students achieved A and B grades in AS philosophy and ethics, usually taken in Year 12.  Other outstanding achievements included success in subjects taken after school, Latin, astronomy and fast tract PE

The certificates were presented by the Mayor of Woking - Councillor Michael Smith and the special guest for the evening was Mr Paul Harrison, who retired from the PE Department last summer.   Paul presented the Special Subject Awards and those nominated by the Year Leader, he also delivered an inspiring and motivational speech.

The vote of thanks was provided by our current Head Girl and Head Boy, Gabby Home and Phil Razey, who thanked all those who had organised the very successful evening.

Award_Winners_2012.doc

Theo Fennell makes Technology sparkle for the day at Winston Churchill School

On the 16^th October Winston Churchill School Technology Department hosted our first master class in design inviting the world class jewellery designer Theo Fennell in to speak to students.  Theo’s style of jewellery is very different to the average jewellery piece sourcing precious gem stones from around the world combining with beautifully engraved and enamelled metals to design masterworks inspired by history, nature, buildings and symbolism.  Theo’s designs are highly sort after appealing to stars such as Elton John, Lewis Hamilton, the Beckham’s and many more.

Our aim of the day was to inspire the students to see where their GCSE’s in creative subjects in technology and art could take them in the future.  Theo first gave a talk to 125 of our year 9, 10 and 11 technology, art and media students, he gave insight to the students about how his career has grown from the age of the students to now, how he got into jewellery and the challenges of starting his own business and how it had grown to be worldwide.  At the end the students got to see some of his pieces for real to see the detail that goes into each part of the work. 

Then 22 competition winners who gained their place by designing a piece of jewellery inspired by Theo’s work came to the technology block for a drawing workshop.  Where first Theo showed the class his sketchbooks and portfolio of work seeing where his designs start off as a spark of inspiration to a completed masterpiece.  Then it was the students turn to get to work developing their designs that got them the place in the workshop with Theo offering each of them guidance and advice on how to improve the work and their drawing skills.

This day has now inspired students work across the year groups, some considering talking up jewellery and design courses once they leave Winston Churchill School.

Miss Blackman, Technology Department: Resistant Materials

 Let’s see what they have to say…  

‘I enjoyed the brainstorming of ideas with Theo cutting between us giving advice on how to get as many ideas from the inspiration around us. Seeing his inspiration books that he carries around really showed me how anything can become inspiration for a piece of artwork/jewellery.’

Adam Gardiner Year 10 Resistant Materials Student

 ‘The day was brilliant; it showed me what I can do if I put my mind to it. Theo Fennel is a genius; he is unique, and definitely very talented! He has inspired me to think up my own jewellery designs, so I am very grateful as I know are the rest of the people who took part.’

Robyn Hartwell Year 9 Technology Student

 I enjoyed getting helped by Theo during the drawing part. I was inspired by a lot of his work with the attention to detail. I learnt about how he gets ideas for his work. Over all a very inspiring day.

Joe Cross Year 10 Resistant Materials Student

Here is an account of the day by one of our year 9 students:

My Day with Theo Fennell by Naomi Ehigie

My_Day_with_Theo_Fennell_by_Naomi_Ehigie.pdf