THE "FIRST THURSDAY" NEWSLETTER

JUNE 1994 NEWSLETTER No. 9

We are heading towards the end of term and the end of another school year. So this will be the last "First Thursday" newsletter until September.

Last month we told you of the resignation of John Barnes as a Governor of the school. We are now pleased to report that Chris Williams - a pupil at the school in the 1960s, and a parent of one of our present pupils - has been appointed in his place. We welcome him to the Board, thank him for volunteering to serve and wish him well.

You may have seen that David Bellamy visited Whinless Down, behind our school, the other day to officially open the Elms Vale Ecological Park. Among the things that have been provided for this area are new post markers which have been made at our school.

The banks on Whinless Down have been fenced by the White Cliffs Countryside Project, and Professor Bellamy released Dexter cattle onto the land to graze the area and help keep it clear.

Already 30 posts have been placed on the banks, highlighting and giving information about the trees and shrubs that grow naturally over Whinless Down. An orienteering course has also been mapped out using these posts as landmarks.

Each post is marked in a different way and it was intended to number the posts with plastic markers. Due to past experience in other areas, these plastic markers were often seen to be damaged or destroyed by vandals.

So Paul Skelton, our school's workshop technician and Voluntary Warden for Whinless Down, suggested to the countryside project that cast aluminium markers could be used instead of the weak plastic ones. They agreed, and using the latest machine that the workshops have purchased - a computerised numerical controlled milling machine - patterns were made and then used with our first-class casting facility.
Ours is the only school in the Dover area to cast aluminium on an almost daily basis.

The project organisers now have 30 almost indestructible personalised "White Cliffs Countryside Project" individually numbered aluminium disks for their orienteering course. Mr. Malcolm Grant now has the map for the course and is planning to incorporate it for school use in the not too distant future.

This is an excellent example of how conservation, education and our school's first class facilities and staff can work together for the benefit of everyone.

Sports... and music

There are two major events in the school's calendar next week. On Wednesday 13 July, in the afternoon, we have our School Sports Day. We hope that if you are free you will come along to support the boys in their athletic efforts. If the weather is wet, the event will take place the next day.

On Thursday, July 14, at 7.30p.m., we have the next musical event, a concert of Music for a Summer's Evening at the school all 14 July at 7.30 p.m. Please come along and support the school's musicians. It promises to be a very good evening's entertainment.

Don't miss the ball!

This Friday is the last day for ordering tickets for the Grand Ball - Revels for a Summer Night - being held at the school all Saturday n July.

The event includes seven hours of non-stop dancing to a live band and a disco, folk singing, jazz, Scottish country dancing, video extracts, bagpipes, a five-course meal, champagne breakfast, fireworks and two licensed bars. Music is being provided by the Ian Shawcross band and the Moon Cresta Disco, and there are two sittings of the waitress-served meal, one at 7.30 and the other at 9.30 p.m.

Tickets are £18.50 and are obtainable from the school. But bookings, with full payment, must be made by tomorrow (Friday 8 July). So hurry!

Boys (and girls)!

Have you ever wanted to take part in canoeing or dinghy sailing or go on a warship? Would you like to camp with the army in this country or in Germany? Or perhaps you have always wanted to go flying, become a qualified glider pilot or go adventure training in the mountains?

Then why not join the school's Combined Cadet Force?

The three sections, Navy, Army and R.A.F., provide a wide range of interesting activities, including week-long camps, courses, field training exercises, exchange visits, amateur radio and leadership training.

There are many qualifications you can gain - including first aid - and some of the skills count towards the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme.

If you are interested, contact the school office for more information.

Some of our C.C.F. cadets will be among those on duty at Capel this Sunday, 10 July, for the special service to mark the first anniversary of the unveiling of the Battle of Britain memorial.

Anthony Downing is currently on a leadership course at R.A.F. Halton, and James Glover will be attending an Air Acquaintance course with the Royal Navy in the near future.

Parents and Friends Association

200 Club

The winner of the special £ 100 prize in the June draw was Mr.
Jim Forsyth. Winners of the other prizes were:- £25 Mrs. N.
Shingleton, £15 Mrs. M. Wyllie, £10 Mr. D. Webb. The next draw takes place on Thursday 21 July.

Sports News Cricket

Stuart Palmer has been selected to play for the county Under 17 cricket side and has reached the last 15 in the Under 19 age group.

It's been a busy month for our cricket teams, with the weather being generally kind to us. These are the results of some of the main matches.

Our 1st XI lost to Sir Roger Manwood's on 9 June. Our team members - who were largely drawn from Year 12 because of the exams - scored 89 all out, and Manwood's scored 144 for 9.

On 14 June, our Year 8 and Year 10 teams both won against Astor School and the next day our Year 7 and Year 9 teams also beat Astor. In the Year 7 match, Astor scored 82 for 4 in

20 overs, and our team reached 83 for the loss of six wickets. In the Year 9 match, Astor were 34 for 9, and our boys scored 35 for 3.

A week later, Year 9 beat Sir Roger Manwood's at home by nine wickets, and Year 7 lost to Manwood's by 10 wickets. Year 9 went on to beat St Edmund's R.C. School by six wickets, and the 1st XI played well to win against an Immigration side at Elms Vale Recreation Ground. Last Thursday, Year 7 beat Dover College by 60 runs, and Year 9 lost to Dover College by seven wickets.

Yesterday, our 1st XI were due to play the Old Pharosians at The Danes. We will report on the result of that match next time.

Athletics

Stefan Hargrave came third in the Intermediate Boys 100 metre hurdles at the Kent County Athletics Championships. Alan Roberts, of Year 9, came fifth in his heat in the Junior Boys' 800 metre event, running a personal best of 2 minutes 16 seconds.

Year 7 boys will be taking part in the area athletics meeting. at Astor tomorrow, Friday 8 July at 2 p.m.

The Sport Studies group will be visiting Wembley Stadium and the TSB Grand Prix Athletics Meeting at Crystal Palace on Friday, IS July.

The inter-house swimming sports take place on Friday 22 July at 2 p.m.

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Last month we appealed to anyone who might be interested in joining a school team to take part in the Dover and District Senior Table Tennis Leagues.

Simon Greenwood, an old boy of the school and qualified table tennis coach, has agreed to coach after school hours to help with the standard of play in the school. Our thanks to those who have already responded, and if anyone else is interested in playing in a school team on a regular basis - boy, parent, staff or governor - please contact Paul Skelton, our workshop technician.

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We have been pleased to hear that one of our former head boys, David Cloke, has been selected for the British Students American Football squad, and will be playing three games in Germany in August.

We've started, so we'll finish. . .

Watch out for Stephen Wood, who was a pupil at our school in the 1970s and is now an English tutor of foreign students in London, who has won a place in the semi-final of the B.B.C television quiz programme "Mastermind".

We hope you all have a very enjoyable summer holiday.