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W I R R A L G R A M M A R S C H O O LA B u s i n e s s & E n t e r p r i s e S c h o o l f o r B o y s

C r o s s L a n e , B eb i n g t o n , Wi r r a l , C H 6 3 3 A Q | Te l : 0 1 5 1 6 4 4 0 9 0 8

Nuntius on-lineLarger articles can be found by accessing the Nuntius On-Line link via theschool website www.wirralgrammarboys.comArticles include the South Pacific Review

Our venture into the Icelandic depthswas intriguing, incredible andresplendent for all 43 of 2013sIcelandic warriors.

The trip gave us a huge insight into witnessing, feelingand experiencing, first hand, many things that we havebeen taught in lessons. Whether it be the magnificentglaciers, the awe inspiring volcanoes or the sight of 43

teenagers at 8 oclock every morning; we will neverforget our time on the Island of Fire & Ice

From the moment we stepped off the plane we couldfeel the bitter, cold wind against our faces so it didnttake much to get us onto a warm, comfortable and neatand tidy bus. Here we met our driver, Otto, who weall saw as a powerful force of nature and someone weall immediately warmed to. There was no rest for thewicked as we set off for the first of our experiences atthe Blue Lagoon.

We slid into our swim wear and headed out to thegeo-thermal, heated pools. It didnt take long for us towarm up in 37C waters or to find the Silica mud maskwhich Sean White managed to wear for the wholetime. After 2 hours we had to make the tricky

task of leaving the lovelywarmth of the pool to thefreezing cold changingrooms. After leavingthe Blue Lagoon wedeparted for our Hotelfor the next 3 days;we were pleasantlysurprised to be greetedwith a 4 star Hotel,each room with asmall kitchen, sittingarea and healthy-sizedbathroom. It was allgoing so well until MrTaws told us breakfastwas at 8 oclock-

Although the food at Hotel Hafnarfjordur was not greatwe didnt seem to mind because the rooms more thanmade up for it. We got on the coach for day 2 andheaded for an `enthralling` visit to the Geo-Thermalpower plant. After scampering around looking for ourcameras (because we realised we were stopping atthe plant) we headed to Kerid where we took a walkaround the enormous volcanic crater lake. The lakewas frozen, but that didnt seem to act as a deterrent tosome as they helplessly failed at cracking the ice with

rocks. It was back to the coach to Gullfoss (we hadnow learnt that foss in Icelandic meant waterfall),where two water falls 33m in height plunged into themile-long gorge. Also, we took a visit to Geyser towitness the geysers and hot springs that erupt every 5minutes to 100ft in the air! The evening presented athoroughly enjoyed meal in the Grill house and a gameof bowling.

Up until the Sunday it was rare to see a cloud in thesky. However on day three we were greeted withlots of snow. It was today that we would experiencethe true meaning of Icelandthrough what they calledVolcano Horse. Yes- we were going horse trekkinginthe hail. For the rest of the day we got a chance to takein the beauty of Iceland: the snow peaked mountainsand grand waterfalls and taking many photographs as

we did. There wasnt one minute during the trip wherethere wasnt something to see, something to do or moreunpleasantly something to smell (sulphur in the air).

For the next two days, we spent our evenings at ahotel in the countryside enabling us to see even moreof Iceland. On Monday we went to the glacier outletlagoon where there was a range of sky blue icebergsdeposited by a glacier.

There wasnt a minute to spare on the last day as oneof the big highlights of the trip was the Glacial walk;we put on our crampons and explored the crevassesand sinkholes amongst the ice. It was here whereyet again peer acclaimed Mr Organised, DruviEdirisinghe, gave us yet another demonstration of hownot to do something. He struggles to walk on dry land

so on ice it was even worse Furthermore, wegot to walk across the black volcanic sand beachesand get a group picture on the basalt rock stacks.

Ultimately, early (very early) on the Wednesdaymorning, we were disappointed to be leaving Icelandbut wed had such a wonderful and most incredibleexperience that will take quite a lot to beat.Ben Mark Turner 10MH

The Island of Fire and Ice

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S p r i n g 2 0 1 3W I R R A L G R A M M A R S C H O O LA F o u n d a t i o n B u s i n e s s & E n t e r p r i s e S c h o o l f o r B o y s

Welcome

Dear All

The spring term has been just about the shortest onrecord on account of Easter being so very earlythis year. Despite the shorter term, we still seem to

have packed in the usual wide range of activities,visits and events. Overseas visits to Iceland andAustria have been among the highlights and Ireceived excellent reports from both boys and staffabout how enjoyable these visits were.

After a very wet winter that took its toll on sportsfixtures, the Rugby 7s Season has got off to a veryimpressive start with some notable achievements.Once again we are enjoying successes at nationallevel, as well as local and regional.

As I write this letter, a rehearsal for South Pacific isunderway and I have no doubt that performanceswill be to the usual very high standard.

The exams season will be starting very soon so weare now entering the important preparation andrevision phase. I wish pupils all the very best fortheir GCSE, AS and A Level exams this summer.

My best wishes to everyone for a relaxing Easterbreak.

Yours sincerely,

D R HazeldineHeadteacher

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Charity Update

Last term has seen somegreat developments inour fundraising andcharity work.

Firstly, congratulations must go to Ms Razbully,narrowly clinching our Staff MastermindCompetition, raising money for our localcharity, the Wirral Autistic Society. Thanksmust also go to Mrs Davies, Mr Cooperand Mr White for taking part (remember torevise those specialist subjects a little bit morethoroughly for next time though!)

On Sunday 17th March, myself, Max Hunt,Luke Wilding-Steele, Marcus Miller, JamesSexty, Tom Deakin, James Dennis and TommyRidges ran the Liverpool Half Marathon. Welldone for the great effort put in by all boys tocomplete the run. Thank you to all those whosponsored us to take part in the event; it madeeach painful stride that little bit more bearable!

Next term we hope to see the Beethovensperform in school. The Beethovens are a bandfrom the Wirral Autistic Society, born out oftheir aim to provide individuals on the autisticspectrum with the opportunity to communicatethrough music. The money we have beenworking hard to fundraise throughout the yearwill be going towards new equipment for thisband. The performances are aimed to provide

boys with the chance to see exactly what thathard work has fundraised towards, and to feelpride in this achievement.

Our international charity, Iwele, creating linksto schools in South Africa, has taken more ofan educational route. The last month has seenthe plasma television screens, dotted aroundthe school, showing educational fact filesregarding inspirational individuals from SouthAfrica, including Nelson Mandela, DesmondTutu, Charlize Theron and Jacob Zuma.

Coming into the final term Im sure that ourgreat charity work as a school will continueand we can complete the school year feelingreally proud of what weve achieved as acohort.

George Wilkinson - Head Boy

Throughout the year as a Barber House Captain, I have been lucky enough to havetaken part in the organisation and undertaking of numerous events within the school.

Such events have helped both the school and our chosen charities, whilst also providing each of uswith a plethora of exciting activities to partake in each term. The emphasis however has to be on

the raising of money for worthy causes, rather than prioritising ourselves, hence this year, much ofour efforts have been focused on maximising the financial help we give to the charities elected atthe start of the year. We must not forget however, the way in which House and charity events benefitthe school and its pupils directly. In my opinion the most important factor of these events has beenproviding students with the ability to gain house points.

As Barber House Captain, I am delighted to announce that Barber are currently head andshoulders above the other houses in terms of house commendations, and this has been par tly dueto the participation of many Barber House members in this years events and activities. Worryinglyhowever, it is of note that many pupils belonging to other houses have begun to increase theirattainment of house commendations with Leverhulme House gaining on Barber rapidly, with a closebattle for third place between Dodds and Hodgson. Furthermore, in consideration of the rivalriesformed between houses, it has been apparent that the school events have also helped pupils todevelop a healthy competitive nature and a desire to achieve and succeed.

In terms of the events themselves, we have had great success this year and we are set to raiseenough money to rival, if not supersede, the totals achieved in previous years. Initially, the HeadBoy Team as a whole was brimming with ideas, however we decided to start the year off with arelatively light hearted penalty shootout in which each of the four House Captains were put in goal.The event was very popular amongst students who relished the chance to take on each of the HouseCaptains, as we faced an onslaught of penalty kicks. Acknowledging a strong desire to includesport in our house events, we then decided to focus our efforts on our next charity venture, whichwas to be a dodge ball competition for lower years students. Once again, the event was relativelypopular and many people turned up to watch the chaos which ensued in the Sports Hall on ahumble Thursday afternoon. The eventwas overall, enjoyed by everybodyinvolved and was very helpful in termsof generating revenue to put towardsour charity total. The House CaptainTeam are now looking forward tonext terms endeavours and we hope

to boast a record total of charityearnings by the end of the year.

Stephen CaraherU62 Barber House Captain

House News and Fundraising Update

GCSE Revision SupportExam time is nearly here! For anyone requiringany extra support with revision plans/technique,coursework, or just wanting quiet time to study, GCSERevision Support has already started and takes placein the LRC after school Monday- Thursday. For furtherinformation please see Mr Davies (Head of Year 11)or Mrs Bradshaw (Learning Mentor).

Coming soon...GCSE PodGCSE Pod is a revision tool for pupils in Years 10and 11 and is especially useful for preparing forexams and tests. GCSE Pod contains a wide rangeof revision materials: short questions, long questions,media clips, test activities etc. These resources areavailable across a wide variety of platforms: androidphones, iphones, tablets, pcs. To find out more aboutthis helpful resource, please check the website: www.gcsepod.co.uk Further details about this will becirculated to both pupils and parents.

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RSC Chemistry Olympiad 2013Each year the Royal Society of Chemistry organises theselection of the UK team for this exciting competition. Thesuccessful students go on to take part in an internationalfinal. The International Chemistry Olympiad offers a fantasticopportunity to travel and meet fellow chemistry enthusiastsfrom all over the world.

The chemistry Olympiad starts with Round 1 - a challengingwritten test of chemical knowledge, and quite an event in itself!Six intrepid A-level chemists decided to take part this year andthis is what they thought

Impossible - but in a good way!

A real challenge.

A cracking experience. I cant wait for nextyear.

A stimulating and challenging experience whichwidened my knowledge of chemistry and itsapplications in the ever-advancing world around

us.It was a valuable experience, but it showed methat chemistry is much more expansive than I firstrealised.

Their marks have been submitted and we wait to hear whetheranyone has been successful enough to be awarded one of theOlympiads prestigious certificates. Can I persuade anyone tohave a go next year?

Dr Bromley, Head of Chemistry

Junior ChefCooking has been a great hobby of minesince quite an early age, so when I foundout about the Junior Chef Cooking Club onThursday lunch times, I joined as soon asI could. Each week we made some foodwithin the hour of lunch (including washingup), including things like BLTs, marshmallowrice crispy squares, pizza batches, andaround Christmas we made mince pies.

Each week there was a competition deciding who made the best of what we weremaking, so those winners would have a place in the big cook off, where we wouldmake our own dish from our own ingredients! Being entered into the cook off, my entry tothe competition was stuffed mushrooms. Our entries were tasted by the judges (Mrs Turner,

Mr Taws, Mrs Bradshaw and Miss Steen), who would decide what the results of the cookoff would be. The results were read out in the next assembly, where I was delighted tohear that I had won. Junior chef is a fantastic and fun cooking club I and many of myfriends and I love to go to every week!

By Harry McKenzie 7JM.

Wirral Grammar School for Boysis Top of the Bench!The team was made up of Rhys Greening, Jake Clement-Jones,Matthew Corcoran and Jack Font and they had the following to sayabout their experiences:

Rhys - On Friday 7th December I was a part of a team of chemistry students whoparticipated in a chemistry competition at Wirral Metropolitan College called Top ofthe Bench. The competition is run by the Royal Society of Chemistry and our school tookpart in the Liverpool heat alongside multiple schools in our area. My fellow studentsand I created a poster about a chosen topic. Our chosen topic was Fireworks. Agreat team effort was put in to create the poster and I feel everyone in the team put theirfull effort in and it resulted in a fantastic result. Secondly, we took a test in a generalchemistry knowledge test and our school won that section of the competition! Overall,the day was a success for our school and I believe our team were a credit to thedepartment and the subject.

Matthew and Jack- On the 7th of December 2012 two year 9 boys, a year 10and year 11 took part in what can only be described as one of the most extraordinarychemistry competitions that this school has to offer. When we arrived at Wirral METCollege, the lab coats and glasses came on and we got down to business. The firstpart of this exciting adventure was the practical test, in which we were expecting

some incredible explosions; however this was limited due to health and safety. Thetest though, was still fun and we enjoyed every minute of the two hours it lasted. Weeven had time for some lunch before the next part of our adventure started. This was amultiple-choice test in which our year 11, Rhys Greening, grabbed first place with topmarks. Then we had an awards ceremony. Overall, it was an amazing experience andI would recommend it to anyone.

Salters Chemistry UpdateThere are still two places left on this years Salters ChemistryCamps. The trip is open to any enthusiastic year 10 chemist.See Dr Bromley as soon as possible for an application form.

We are seeking a team of four intrepid year 8 chemists willingto take part in a competition at John Moores University in May.

Anyone who is interested should see Mr Mountford as soon aswe are back in school after the Easter break.

Olympic AmbitionEvery day starts early for me. Whilst most of my peers are tucked up inbed, I am up at 4.45am, fall into my tracksuit, climb into the car withmy dad, as we make our early morning journey to Mold. Followingtwo hours of training (5km), I have a shower and protein shake andtravel home for my breakfast, quick change, and then off to school.

Every day after school, the same process is followed, but in reverse!Get changed, tea, homework then off to training for another 5km. Thisrepeated every day, apart from my day off which is Saturday.

All this hard work will be worth it in the end I hope, as I want to go tothe 2020 Olympics, that is my goal. Since the start of the school year,I have been to 3 competitions. Thefirst in Sheffield where I competedin 5 events, won 5 Golds andwas awarded Top Swimmer.The next was the Welsh CountyChampionships where I won 6Golds, 5 Silvers and a Bronze. Myfinal competition was the British GasWelsh Regionals where from 11events, I won 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1Bronze and again was awardedTop Swimmer. Last August I wasawarded as the North West OpenWater Regional Champion.

Jack Boniface 8JB

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Hillsborough RememberedOn the 1st of February 2013, local MP Alison McGovern

visited boys of the Year 9 English Group, after they hadsubmitted a copy of their Hillsborough Report which wasa topic the boys had worked on. Two of the Year 9 EnglishGroups sat down to talk to Miss McGovern. During the

talk we were able to ask questions on her involvement inthe enquiry. Mr McKinney and Mrs Schofield who were atHillsborough that day told us of their experiences. I thankMrs. Kahn and Mrs. Davies on behalf of our class fororganizing the visit and Alison McGovern for coming into talk to us. Special thanks goes to Mrs Schofield and MrMcKinney for sharing with us their memories of that tragicday in 1989.

Tom McCormick, 9SMC

Year 11 Language LeadersHaving completed their GCSE a yearearly, Year 11 French Set 1 was setthe task of another qualification the Language Leaders Award.Consisting of multiple sections, theaim was to take on the role of an

ambassador for Modern ForeignLanguages within the school.

With the set split into groups of 4-5, we each had tocome up with an idea to achieve this aim, whether it be in the form of a club atlunchtimes, or a competition based around languages.

The group I was in decided to run a French club at on Friday lunchtimes,exclusively for Year 7, helping them get a head-start for Year 8 and also givingthem a chance to experience an exciting new language. Consisting of fivesessions, we each had to make our own lesson plans, produce resources, andgive the students support whenever they needed it. We got an amazing response,with 30 pupils initially signing up to the club, and are already being asked if therewill be another club running in the coming school terms.

However this was not the end of it. The whole class was also involved in theannual Year 7 Spelling Bee, in which students in Year 7 compete to see whocan spell the most French words correctly. Year 11 students were involved ineverything, from entertaining the audience and cheerleading to giving the Year 7swords to translate and spell.

The whole qualification is an amazing chance to develop leadership, organisationand communication skills, as well as growing our own senses of confidence andresponsibility. It was also a great chance to see how you can help other students,and give them a chance to enhance their learning fur ther.

Andrew McLannahan, 11AJ

Wirral Grammar School for Boys has always taken NationalHolocaust Memorial Week very seriously. As part of this yearsevents, a group of Year 10 and 11 Religious Studies students

went to the Floral Pavilion to listen to a speech by holocaustsurvivor Joanna Millan.

At the time of the holocaust Joanna Millan was only a young child. In the Pogroms ofBerlin her father was taken from the streets and like so many other innocent peoplekilled in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Shortly afterwards Joanna and her mother were forcedto go to Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia. This is where, because of the horrendous

conditions in the camp, her mother died of tuberculosis, leaving Joanna an orphanaged just 2.

At the recent memorial event Joanna spoke movingly about the harsh and barbaricconditions of the concentration camp. She told us of how she and 5 other orphansformed what was in effect a family. It showed strikingly how important it is to havepeople to rely on in times of hardship. Joanna described the appalling conditionsof the camp. This was very evocative but I think we all realized that no descriptioncould make us truly understand the real horrors of every- day life, as we sat in thesafety of the Pavilion. She also spoke about the attempts of the Nazis tode-humanise the camp residents but countered that throughout her talk with themessage of the importance of the family she formed with other orphans. We weretold the horrific facts and figures of death and the stories of how some survived and

how many died. We learnt that the tragedy of being an orphan in the end may havesaved her life she and the other orphans had no-one to look after them in the queueto the infamous showers and so they were somehow overlooked.

Joanna told of her liberation and life after the war. The orphans were flown to Britain

and were moved between care homes until she was finally adopted aged 8 by aJewish couple from London. There her name was changed to Joanna Millan from BelaRosenthal. Her new family told her to forget the past and live her new life, but to quoteGeorge Santayana Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeatit so Joanna now goes to schools and events telling her tragic and moving story.

We students all left the event truly moved. Her story encourages the ideals of peaceand freedom and made us reflect on just how lucky we are. The coach journeyback to school had a distinctly different tone than that on the way there. We wereall truly moved and affected by Joannas story. It forced us to look at one of the mostunpleasant parts of human history and reinforced to us the importance of each one ofus doing our part to stop it happening ever again.

George Cotcher-Riley, 11HS

Religious Studies GCSE StudentsVisit - Holocaust Memorial Event

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Music Department UpdateThe Annual School Music Competition attracted almost 75 boys, each attempting to reachthe final on Wednesday 13 March whilst gaining house points as well. Now in its sixteenthyear, the audience was treated to some command performances in the final adjudicatedby Mr Graham Ellis, retired Director of Music at Birkenhead School and internationallyacclaimed choral conductor. The names of the three winners as well as the rest of thefinalists missed the deadline for Nuntius, but can be found on the school website. Well done

to all performers for entering this year - Im sure that all enjoyed their chocolate bar, courtesyof sponsorship from Sainsburys! I hope everyone will try again next time - remember you willbe competing against different people as you will be a year older.

Congratulations as well to the following successful Music Exam candidates who took theexam in February. There are a particularly high number of merits and distinctions this time sowell done to all the following:

Name Form Instrument Grade Result

Bradley Millar-Warke 7LEM Violin 1 MeritMalik Saad 7LEM Piano 2 DistinctionSalehuddin Allen 7JM Trumpet 1 MeritSamuel Tempest 7AD Clarinet 4 PassBalaram Sridhar 8MY Piano 1 Merit

Matthew Hooker 8MY Drums 1 DistinctionSamuel Gregory 8GWG Trombone 3 PassConnor Johnston 8GWG Saxophone 3 PassDavid Noble 8GE Piano 5 Pass

James Tarver 8NM Saxophone 6 DistinctionZach Jones 9IPT Piano 2 DistinctionFreddie Tedstone 9AJM Saxophone 4 PassTom Broad 9OA Cornet 4 PassBen Turner 10MH Trumpet 3 MeritBen Noble 10HD French Horn 5 Merit

Jonathon Fitch L62 Clarinet 5 PassBen Savage L63 Piano 8 MeritBen Savage L63 Drums 8 MeritKeiron Evans L66 Clarinet 5 Pass

Thomas Deakin U66 Trombone 7 Pass

The College band of the RAF came to Wirral on Thursday 7 February to entertain thewhole of year 8, as well as the schools senior brass, woodwind and percussion players, inrenditions of varied music such as John Williams Dartmoor (from the film War Horse), JurassicPark, Captain America, the Simpsons and the Flight of the Bumble Bee. Conducted byWarrant Officer Garry Stevens, the band do many publicity events on behalf of the armedforces, having performed at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and at the Olympics. Theyeven managed to do a repeat performance in the afternoon to a different audience from theGirls School.

The usual Spring Concert is on Wednesday 20 March with a matinee performance in theafternoon. This matinee concert is given to an audience made up of children from localprimary schools, this year attended by Stanton Road, Brackenwood and Higher BebingtonPrimary School.

Plans for the music tour to Malta are gathering pace, with 58 boys and 7 staff flying fromLondon on Thursday 18 July which will mean leaving school somewhere in the small hours.Fundraising and sponsorship, including a bag pack at Morrisons in West Kirkby on Sunday14 April and a performance by the Concert Band at Sainsburys, Upton are already in thepipeline, and Im sure that this tour, will be just as successful as the previous eight have been.

Mr P Thomas, Music Department

Sixth Form Parliament VisitOn the 14th of January, the L6 PoliticsClass visited London to see the Housesof Parliament and have a question andanswer session with Labour MP for WirralSouth, Alison McGovern. The weather was

disgustingly damp.We arrived in Euston at around 10:30am and had toboard the London Underground to get to Charing Cross,but that didnt go smoothly, as half the class didnt getoff at the right stop and went on to the next station.Fortunately, we managed to meet up later in TrafalgarSquare, and from there, walk to Downing Street, whichunfortunately was just a black iron gate guarded bypolice, so not many photos to take there. It was so coldthat it began to snow.

At Westminster we met Joe Kibble, Alison McGovernsassistant, in the Portcullis House: the giant foyer area ofthe Houses of Parliament, with a glass roof and a cafwhere politicians and visitors can drink tea together. He

took us on a tour of the Houses, from the church-likeCentral Lobby to the House of Commons Chamber, withits luxurious leather seats. However, we were not permittedinto the House of Lords Chamber, as we were not dressedin formal attire (suits) so we probably looked like peasants!

Once the tour was complete, we joined Alison in hermeeting room, and discussed both national and localpolitical issues, such as the state of New Ferry, andwhere she would consider the current Labour party to bepositioned on the political spectrum. She also gave usan insight into her background, and how she eventuallybecame an MP. (Coincidentally, the day after our visit,Alison McGovern was promoted to the Party Whip.)

Alison had to leave after the meeting, so we watched adebate in the House of Commons from the public gallery

about the Burmese crisis, though unfortunately, neitherDavid Cameron, Nick Clegg nor Alison McGovern tookpart. It was still interesting to see how MPs spoke inmeetings, and argued different cases, both seriously andhumorously.

After leaving the Houses of Parliament, we decided togo to Covent Garden and browse some of the moreupmarket shops.

Overall, the trip was a worthwhile experience, especiallyfor those considering taking a career in politics. AlisonMcGovern is also a regular visitor to the school, andalways welcomes questions.

Niall Johnson, L67LW

Year 9 OptionsA reminder to parents of boys in Year 9that Option Forms need to be completed

and returned by Thursday 21st March.Copies of both the options form and theoptions booklet can be found on ourschool website under both the Parent andStudent tabs.

Annual Review2011/2012

Our Annual Review has been circulatedto all parents via Parent Mail. Anyparent who would like a paper copy ofthis should contact the school office.

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U6 ComparativePsychology Zoo TripOn Friday the 15th of February, Wirral Grammars upper sixthpsychology students were privileged enough to go on a trip toChester zoo to study primate behaviour and use the knowledgefor our exams in the summer. We arrived at half-past ten forour first lecture which focused on the separation and evolutionof the different types of primates, from chimps and orang-utans to capuchin monkeys. It was interesting to witness howthese animals behave and apply the information learned inlessons about the origins of social behaviour to further ourunderstanding.

After the lecture, we had timeto walk around and observe

many other animals. It wasan enjoyable experience,in which we saw some ofthe new baby animals inthe zoo, such as the babyrhino, and elephants (lessthan 2 weeks old)! Wehad another lecture inthe afternoon looking intothe applications of classical and operantconditioning in captive animals. We also learnt about Darwiniantheories of how intellect and language have evolved.

Overall the lectures were very interesting, and were useful to our

understanding. It was a fantastic trip which was very useful. We,the students, would also like to thank Miss Heymans and Mr Brickfor taking us.

Jay Panchal, U63BC

Annual Ski TripThe annual ski trip has just arrived back from a sunny and snowyAustria where all the pupils involved thoroughly enjoyed themselves yetagain. The Boys and the Girls Schools join together to make a combinedparty. This year 39 boys and 22 girls took part in a very successful trip.I am already being asked if we can go next year again.

As usual the group travelled by coach and I am glad to say that the behaviour on the longjourney was superb by all.

The weather was mixed, with sun and snow, but nothing to stop the skiing. Snow conditions were very good which made life a littleeasier for the pupils. The party was a mix of some very good skiers and complete novices to the sport and they all got on very well indeed. Inevitably there wereone or two (hundred) crashes during the week but nearly all escaped unscathed and all made excellent progress coming back better skiers than when they went.

I was very pleased to see the beginners making excellent progress and skiing most of the mountain bythe end of the week while the advanced group were very good indeed with some superb young skiers.I hope they keep it up as they are really very good. The times in the slalom race were better than everwith a couple of the pupils beating all the staff!I would like to thank the pupils for their behaviour during the trip which was exemplary, especiallythe long trip on the coach and also the way that they conducted themselves on the slopes with their

instructors who were very complimentary towards them all. Not a single complaint about any of themand in fact lots of positive things to say which is lovely to hear.

Finally a big thank you to the other staff who worked really hard this year as I was not really very welland had to take some time out of activities and skiing but they covered for me superbly. Thank you

I F Davies

May OpenEvenings 2013

Each year we hold Open Eveningsin the Summer Term for parents ofboys who are currently in Year 5of their primary school and whoare considering Wirral GrammarSchool as their preferred choicefor the following year (September2014). The Open Evenings areprimarily intended for parents whoare less familiar with the school.Please note that this does notreplace the Open Evenings which

take place in September/Octoberand on these occasions, manystaff and pupils will be in schooland there will be lots of hands-onactivities.At the May Open Evenings,parents will be able to have alook around parts of the schooland hear a talk given by ourHeadteacher, Mr Hazeldine aboutthe life at Wirral Grammar Schooland our admission procedure.This year, our May Open Evenings

are being held on Wednesday 8May and Thursday 9 May 2013at 6.30pm.

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Community DevelopmentMr P Ronayne Community Partnership Manager

[email protected]

British Airways Flag AwardThe British Airways Language Flag Award is a vocationaloral language test, which is available to any school in theUK. The test complements GSCE coursework, promotesconfidence in speaking and links languages at school withthe world of work.

Approximately 2,500 students take the Award each year. It is a greatopportunity to look at something outside of the general curriculum whilstprogressing using different and more versatile language. The minimum passmark for the test is 40 per cent and the marking is based on confidence

in speech, fluency, accuracy and pronunciation. The minimum pass markfor each module will also have to be gained in order to pass the test in itsentirety. Upon successfully passing the award, students will receive a BAFlag Award Certificate and a language badge. In school, the award hasbeen a great success with many students gaining the award and moreover,having enjoyed the course itself. Furthermore, it gives students who perhapsare not going to progress into GCSE French, the opportunity to at least havesome form of qualification to take forward in the future.

The BA award was a great opportunity to gain an extra qualification,and was also a great insight into how French can be applied in real worldsituations. Andy McLannahan (Year 11 Student)

I think its a great idea, it gets young people into languages and if theydont choose to take it further then theyve still got the qualification. Alex Kaye (Year 10 Student)

The BA Award has really opened my eyes and has progressed my learningof foreign languages far beyond the point that I had anticipated Sam Fisher (Year 10 Student)

This year we received Most outstanding British Airways Language FlagAward School 2012 Highly Commended Award as we have produced thesecond highest number of passes in the UK.

Ben Mark Turner 10MH


Lord Ashdown and The Cockleshell HeroesAt 7.17pm on December 7th 1942 His Majestys Submarine Tuna surfaced off the coast of occupied France near the mouth of the River

Gironde. Several men dragged 6 canvas canoes from the escape hatch and set out on one of the greatest commando raids of World War 2.

One of the canoes ripped as it came out leaving just 5 tosail over 100 miles to attack German shipping in the harbourat Bordeaux. Immortalised in the 1955 film The CockleshellHeroes one of the commandos was a 22 year old fromBirkenhead by the name of Albert Bert Laver. Bert was underno illusions about the danger of the mission; by daybreak 3 ofthe boats and their crews had been lost at sea leaving just twoto push on up the River Gironde and attack the ships in harbour.

Two days later both boats and their two man crews attacked andsank 3 ships. Bert and his crewman Bill Mills were captured andexecuted under Hitlers notorious Commando order.

The mission leader Blondie Hasler and his crewman Bill Sparksmanaged to make their escape on foot to Spain and Gibraltar.Lord Ashdown was on the Wirral to unveil a memorial to BertLaver at Woodside and the Upper 6th History group, Mrs Jonesand I caught up with him at Birkenhead Town Hall where hegave a talk about the mission for an audience that included someof Berts family. He later signed a copy of his book about the raidfor the History Department.

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The 1st and 2nd teamshave

maintained a hard working ethos on aWednesday afternoon since September andat times have played some excellent hockey.However, since Xmas there have only beentwo matches. At the North West Finals, wewere placed in a tough group, but startingwith a win against Rossall (2-1) gave ushope. But sucker punches and fine marginsagainst Altringham and Sedburgh saw thelatter go through to the North Final.

The success this season came through hard

work in the indoor game. We travelledto Stockton to play in the North finals.After coming runners up in the group webeat QEGS Wakefield in the semi final toplay Ermstead School in the final. A closerun affair saw us come out 4-3 winners!Therefore North champions and onto theNational Finals at Whitgift School. Theachievement in getting to the finals inLondon was superb.

We were honoured to be playing againstschools with vast indoor experience andmainly from the independent sector justshowing what we were up against. Westruggled but a goal from Josh Helsby liftedspirits! An amazing experience for the ladswho were not disgraced as the two finalistscame from our group!

There has been a massive amount ofprogress by many of the lads in the U6throughout their time at school playing

Hockey. They have

played against someexcellent teams. As weapproach the end of theseason, we look forwardto the summer leagueand then the Hockey andRugby tour to Australia inwhich both the 1st and2nd team will be able toapply their talent downunder!!

The 2nd teamhashad a lot more fixtures this year and this hasseen the extended squad of 32 sixth formplayers improve in a game context. Manyboys have featured in the 1st team and willmake that step up next season; their focusmust be on doing the simple techniques welland working hard to ensure they enjoy thegame.

The U16 teamhave had an excellentseason with wins against Birkenhead, StAnselms and a draw with Calday whichmeant that we missed out on the WirralCup final on goal difference. The Hockeyplayed and the improvements made by thissquad have been superb. The lads havebeen unfortunate with the weather that hasaffected matches for themselves and all ofthe junior sides.

The Year 11 house matchessawBarber, Dodds, Hodgson and Lever battle

it out at the Oval with Hodgson and Doddscoming out on top. They will play out thelast round of matches before Easter for thetitle. Excellent performances from Doyle andThomas and all 4 dependable goalkeepersensured we had a good competition.Well-done fellas!

The U15 sidehave worked hard ontheir basic skills on a Monday. They havemissed the opportunity of matches by theweather in January. Many have played for

the U16 and in the house matches.

The Year 9 teamhave made goodprogress. Early results were poor but as theteam improved we picked up an excellentresult as they went on to beat Neston 3-1.A very close defeat to Birkenhead 3-2 putpay to the chances of making the Cupfinal. The House matches saw two teamsdominate, Barber and Hodgson. The finalgame saw the two sides draw 0-0 butBarber won the game to win the competitionon penalty flicks!

This season has seen, across all teams,in excess of 80 matches played; thishas aided the hockey playing skills of allindividuals involved and enabled them toplay as part of a team. This would nothappen without the help and time given byMr. Cooper, Mr Money and Mr. Thomason,whose efforts are much appreciated by theboys and myself. I hope that our successcontinues into next season and that we canbuild on what we have already achieved

so far.

Mr A. Metcalf

Hockey Finals Success

The senior Hockey players have had huge success this season qualifying forthe National Indoor Finals and the qualification for the North West Finals.

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2nd XV RugbyWeve only had one game since the last report!Such has been the impact of the poor weatherthis year, the 2nd XV have been restricted to eightgames. This is a real shame as the commitmenthas, as always, been fantastic.

The latest game in the mud was a 30-0 defeat of St Anselms.This leaves us with a won 4, lost 4 record for the season. It is ashame as I am sure more that with more games the team wouldhave settled and been even more coherent and successful.

Can I take this opportunity to thank all the students who havetrained so diligently through the year despite the cancelledfixtures? I would also like to thank all parents of squad memberswho make such an effort to support the team on a Saturday, dropthem off and pick them up and make sure they have clean kitavailable.

Finally, I would like to pass on my congratulations to Jonathan

Greenall (U64) who has been an exemplary captain on andoff the field despite the more limited opportunities to show hisleadership.

Top try scorers: Andy Woodworth (4) Sam Wicks (4)

Top point scorer: Jonny Greenall (43)

Mr A White, 2nd XV Coach

JuniorBantamsA team Played 11 Won 9 Lost 2

B team Played 10 Won 8 Lost 2

SeasonFrom December the rugby calendar was disrupted heavily by the weather, and bothteams only played 2 games against Sandbach and St Anselms College. Prestigiousgames against Bradford, Adams and Altrincham all lost to poor conditions. Theseason has been a great success and my thanks go to all the players and captains.I would like to thank Mr Hughes for all his efforts with the B team and with hisexcellent training of both the sides. I would also like to thank the parents for theirmagnificent support both home and away and to those parents who help withrefreshments on Saturday mornings.

Cheshire CupThe semi-final against Calday Grammar School was played on a cold Saturdaymorning and we had not played for over 4 weeks. With a fantastic display ofrunning rugby the boys won 30-12 and progressed to the county final. We areplaying St Ambrose in the final of the cup, but as yet do not know where or when itis being played. Congratulations to the team for getting to the final.

SevensWe are playing in 4 tournaments and hope to be successful in them all.On Monday 4th March we travelled to the prestigious Arnold/KEQMS sevensfestival, and after some great play in the group stages advanced to the maincompetition semi -final. In a tough encounter the boys beat the hosts 34-17, withsome excellent sevens. The final would bring us against the mighty Kirkham GSwho had easily won their group and semi. The boys were involved in an enthrallingbattle, 2 Wenhao Li tries, a Ben Thomas try and conversion by Steven Higginsearned the trophy and a 17-15 win.

Well done to all the 10 players involved for bringing the trophy back to Wirral forthe first time since 1992.

Cowbridge Tour February 2013Nineteen boys, Mr McKibbin and I set off at 7.30am on Friday morning to ventureinto the dark and distant regions of our colonial friends in the South of Wales. Thishas become an annual tour and a great experience for the Junior Bantams rugbyteam, bringing them fantastic memories of their early days on WGS tours.

The day started with a bang, literally, when on a roundabout the minibus was hit bya car, fortunately we were able to continue after pulling over to check the damage.Callum and George in the front could not believe their eyes, the first of many bighits to come. We got to Barry Island without any trouble; only a chorus of booingwoke the lads when we crossed the border into Wales and a friendly wave to MrMckibbin, broke the boredom of the journey. At Barry the lads won a million ticketsin the arcades and to their joy won a cuddly toy and a welsh rugby ball, well worththe money!

Onto Stanwell school and our first match, a great Welsh team from Penarth beaten36-0 by a strong, well drilled and ferocious English side. The lads played somegreat rugby, and the viewing Welsh crowd commended the boys on their slickhandling. Even Mr McKibbin was impressed. England 1 Wales 0. It was then off toCowbridge to meet the hosts and opposition for the lads over the weekend. As onevery tour so far we were greeted by friendly faces and lovely people. All the boysthen went off to their new homes and families.

The next meeting was at The Cardiff Arms Park, home of the world famous CardiffBlues, to watch them play current European champions Leinster. We managed,thanks entirely to Mr McKibbins native tongue, to get reduced tickets for the standand all the boys enjoyed a great game of rugby; Leinster won the game. After plentyof spending in the Blues shop everybody made their way back home.

Wirral versus Cowbridge, the Battle of Britain, always a tough encounter and thegame was played in a great spirit with some free flowing rugby played by both

sides. Cowbridge, currently the best side in the region, managed to sneak the game26-19, and the crowd from both sides enjoyed a great game of rugby. Well done tothe lads who nearly managed to get a draw at the end. England 1 Wales 1.

Off to Cardiff for a tour around the city and The Millennium Stadium. The

boys had a great time, especially at the Baa, and asking some greatquestions to the tour guide! Back to Cowbridge where the lads went offwith their parents, most went back to the rugby club for a game of footballagainst their hosts and to watch the Wales/France game. We won thefootball match. England 2 Wales 1.

10.00am at the school to meet Mr McKibbin and me. With all thegoodbyes and hugs completed we were back on our way to the land ofour forefathers, the sweet chariots, and the greatest rugby nation on earth.No problems on the journey home, and we arrived at WGS at 3pm,after what was the wettest journey ever.

I would like to thank the boys, who were a credit to the school and theirfamilies, the staff from Cowbridge School, the parents and boys whohosted our team and finally Mr McKibbin, without whose efforts the tourwould not go ahead.

Andy McKinney, Junior Bantams Coach

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Sevens SuccessAs we enter the Sevens season, we have already gainedsome early success!

The U16s won the Merchant Taylors Sevens. Group wins over Stonyhurst College,Giggleswick and Birkenhead School took us into the Semi Finals against Manchester

GS who we dispatched 29-12. The final brought us up against Arnold/KEQMSwho had beaten us in our group game. However, a superb performance sawus reverse the result to win 24-12 and retain the trophy our U16s won last year.Congratulations to all the squad for a fantastic effort but a special mention for JackKelly who scored 13 tries in 6 games!

The 1st team Sevens squad also had an encouraging start to this years campaignwith an excellent performance in the North of England Sevens at Birkenhead Park.After coming runners up to eventual Cup winners Sedbergh in our Group, webeat Merchant Taylors School 26-24 in the Quarter Final and Adams GS 28-24in the Semi Final before losing 24-7 to Trent College in the Plate Final. Again,congratulations to all the Senior Sevens squad for a fabulous effort on a long andbruising day! This is a top class competition which attracts some of the best teams inthe Country and for our first outing, with limited preparation, we did a great job!

We are entered in 22 Competitions across the age groups over the next four weeks,so watch this space for news of further successes!

Mr P CrowleyMaster i/c Rugby

First XV ReportThe First XV finished the season:Played: 20 Won: 16 Drew: 1 Lost: 3F: 623 A: 206

Clearly this winter has been exceptionally wet andcaused major disruption to our Rugby programme, butnevertheless the First XV have had another very successfulseason.

Since the last edition of Nuntius we progressed to the lastsixteen of the Daily Mail Cup, beating QEGS Wakefield17-5 with an excellent performance in which we playedthe difficult conditions extremely well. Sadly, we wereprevented from reaching the Quarter Finals by a strongKings Macclesfield side who proved just too good for uson the day!

Victories over Sandbach School (60-5), Merewether HS

from Newcastle, NSW, Australia (36-15) and the localrivals Calday Grange GS (41-3) and St Anselms (8-3)followed, with the Cheshire Cup Semi Final againstWilmslow scheduled for late February. Here, we wentdown 20-12 in a hard fought encounter that could havegone either way. Both teams scored two tries each butthey were a big, strong impressive outfit and probablyjust about deserved it. No discredit to our boys however,against another side who reached the Quarter Finalsof the Daily Mail Cup. We mix with very distinguishedcompany, playing a high level of rugby there are noeasy games and again this season, we have acquittedourselves very well!

Congratulations then to a First XV Squad that have beenkeen, enthusiastic and committed throughout the long,tough season and come out of it with considerablesuccess! It has been a great pleasure working with themand I look forward to preparing for what will, Im sure,be a successful and memorable tour to Australia in theSummer! Great Job Boys! Well Done!

Mr P CrowleyHead of PE

U16 Rugby UpdatePlayed 4 Won 2 Lost 2 Points for 95 Points against 60

This has been a very poor season with regards the number of matches played due topoor weather and poor pitches. I have never known a season like this for matchesbeing cancelled. The first match of the season was against a huge Merchant Taylorsside in really windy conditions. It was a very close match throughout but unfortunatelyWirral lost 15-19.

Next up was Stockport in the Floodlit Cup. This is Stockports dream team and wehave always been battered by them. However, the boys started really well and gaveeverything and we did take the lead through a penalty and then a well worked try.This seemed to galvanise the opposition and we were on the defensive for most of thematch. The boys did not give in and kept at it until the final whistle. Even though welost 45-8, I was very proud of the team and the way they kept trying against what isa very good side.

We then played Wilmslow at home and we were excellent. Playing boys olderthan ourselves and considerably bigger, we never took a backward step and wedestroyed them with great skill and determined defence. All the players were superb.Last up was St Ambrose andagain, we played very welland won away from homeconvincingly 43-12.

I would like to thank theplayers for a very enjoyableyear so far. They are a reallygood group of young menwho I hope will further developinto a very good first team.Thank you all for your effortsso far.

I F Davies

Wirral GS RugbyClub DinnerThis years School Rugby Club Dinner will takeplace on Friday 10 May in the School Hall (6.45for 7.00pm). All School Rugby players areencouraged to attend what is always a successfuland enjoyable evening.

A report on the Dinner, including news of Awardwinners will appear in the next edition of Nuntius.

Mr P CrowleyHead of Physical Education

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