Latest News

Netball success continues

The U13s Netball team competed in the Royal Masonic School Netball Tournament on Saturday 21 January. In the semi-finals, they faced a strong team from St Helen's School and played very well to win the game 6-3. The final was an incredible game against Brentwood School and the High School girls demonstrated some fantastic netball against the superb opposition. Everyone gave 100% effort and forced many interceptions throughout the whole court. In attack, the shooters held their nerve to shoot calmly and at the end of the game the High School finished on top, winning 7-4, to take the tournament title. Congratulations to the whole squad, who made fantastic improvements throughout the day.

Published: Wed, 1 February 2012

Oxbridge Success

Congratulations to all eight of our current Year 13 who have secured themselves the offer of a place at Cambridge or Oxford for 2012!

The group intend to study subjects as diverse as Engineering, French and German, Geography, History and French, Human Sciences, Mathematics, Medicine and Music. As ever the competition was tough and even more hard work lies ahead as the girls focus on gaining the grades they need. But for now there is time for celebration; we are very proud of all of you!

Published: Fri, 27 January 2012

January Concert

This was the opportunity for the Middle School musical groups to display their talents. A wide range of musical styles were presented by the Townsend Band (music from The Godfather and The Bare Necessities), and Guitar Ensemble ('Pink Panther' theme, 'Love is all around' and as well as a newly created piece around a poem about 'Legs' that involved speakers and party poppers!) The very large Middle School Choir sang four items including an atmospheric performance of 'Sailing', a chorus for Guys and Dolls, a piece about two rather flak gendarmes by Offenbach and an African piece, complete with Djembe and other percussion. Lola provided some lovely instrumental contrasts with a couple of pieces for solo concert harp, while the String Quartet, comprising Natasha, Isobel, Isabelle and Lydia, gave a very pleasing and stylish performance of a Rondo from Mozart Quartet in Bb. The evening was rounded off with some very polished and projected singing by the Junior Chamber Choir, including a beautiful new piece by Bob Chilcott called 'The Lily and the Rose'.

Published: Thu, 26 January 2012

Trip to watch Olympic gymnastics trials

St Albans High School Gymnastics Squad were lucky enough to get tickets to watch the London Prepares series test gymnastics event which were trials for the 2012 London Olympic Games. On Wednesday 11 January we travelled by coach to the O2 North Greenwich Arena. We got fantastic seats and settled down to watch some of the world's best women's gymnasts compete on beam, floor, asymmetric bars and vault. One of the highlights was watching the reigning world champion Chinese Lu Sui on beam, her routine included somersaults both forwards and backwards as well as a double back salto dismount.

On the floor, the women showed poise and grace and amazing tumbling including the rare double Arabian (which is a half twist into a double front somersault). The teams we saw included France and Canada who have both qualified for the Olympics.

We had a great time and would like to thank Miss Bacon for organising the trip. We will be inspired to work hard on our own gym skills as we prepare for the St Albans and District Gym Display in March.

Written by Lucy (Year 9), Gymnastics Squad Member

Published: Mon, 23 January 2012

Under 15 Netball Success continues

Following on from their victory last term in the 3rd round of the Independent Schools Netball Cup, the U15 Netball team played in the 4th round on 16 January.

With only eight teams left in the competition in the whole country, we knew it would be a very tough game against Reigate Grammar. Both teams started strongly and after the first quarter the High School were up by one goal, 12-11. With a few injuries to contend with, the High School team were broken on three of their centre passes in the second quarter and found themselves 19-15 down. They knew that it would be crucial to narrow the gap in the next quarter, if they wanted to proceed to the semi-finals. It took a lot of determination and steady play but slowly the High School managed to pull the goals back and found themselves up 25-24 going into the final fifteen minutes. The High School were broken on their first centre pass and Reigate took the lead, scoring from their centre pass as well. The High School began to settle the play and gave 100% effort right up until the final whistle. The scores were so close until the final whistle and a few stunning interceptions and cool, calm shooting from the High School put us in front by one goal, winning the highly exciting game, 33-32. This secured the team a place in the semi-final of the national competition. Congratulations to the whole squad and we look forward to hearing who we are playing in the next round!

Published: Wed, 18 January 2012

Swimming Success

Five High School pupils will represent the St Albans and District Swimming Team in the Hertfordshire Schools' Swimming Gala on 3 February. We wish Juliet, Emma, Victoria, Fiona and Giselle every success.

We also wish Mia all the best as she has been selected for the Middlesex County Swimming Team to compete in an International swimming competition in Portugal in February.

Published: Thu, 12 January 2012

U15 Netball Success

On 12 December, the U15 Netball team played in the 3rd round of the Independent Schools Netball Cup.

With only sixteen teams left in the knock-out competition from the whole of England, it was a tough match against Burgess Hill School for Girls. In the 60 minute game, the High School started strongly and displayed excellent skills throughout the whole court. Every girl gave 100% effort for every second of the game and this proved to be the key to securing the win at 46 goals to 37. The team are now in the top eight in the country and are looking forward to seeing who we will play in the next round, in January. Congratulations to the whole squad!

Published: Thu, 15 December 2011

Simply Indulge

On 9 December our Young Enterprise company held a beauty themed evening titled 'Simply Indulge'. During the evening, guests had the chance to browse a range of stalls from local beauty and fitness businesses with well-known names such as Benefit, offering discounts on their products. Mini free treatments such as facials and massages were also offered. Whilst browsing, guests enjoyed a glass of wine and a mince pie. The main event of the evening was a demonstration by international make up artist Christine Cartwright, which was not only informative but extremely entertaining. Finally the evening ended with the raffle draw where a range of prizes were given out including teeth whitening and massages. The evening was a great success and we are looking forward to giving some of our profits to our chosen charity DebRa which helps people with a severe skin condition. We also had a great time organising and hosting the event and learnt a lot about business!

Written by 'Simply', Young Enterprise

Published: Wed, 14 December 2011

Advent to Christmas

On Sunday 11 December, the Junior Choir of St Albans High School for Girls joined St Albans Choral Society to sing at its annual family concert of music, readings and carols to start the Christmas season in Marlborough Road Methodist Church.

The girls of the Junior Choir helped to put the audience in festive mood with songs including 'All Over the World' by Mary Donnelly and 'Gran.com' by Alan Simmons. There was a wide range of music old and new and the public was invited to join in some of the best-known carols, with festive fare being sold in aid of charity.

Published: Wed, 14 December 2011

Ding dong merrily on high!

Santa arrived early at Wheathampstead House this week to deliver gifts to excited girls during their pre-Christmas celebrations. Method of transport unknown, we are sure his usual team of four-legged friends will be ready and waiting for him next week.

Published: Tue, 13 December 2011

Fröhliche Weihnachten

Waffles, chocolates, pancakes, gingerbread cookies and very long sausages! Christmas baubles, novelty mugs, animal hats, fountains and Apfelstrudel!

What a lovely time Year 8 had at the Christmas market in Aachen in November. Each stall was a small wooden hut with small red, yellow, green or blue roofs and they all smelled delicious. The girls were truly spoilt for choice and all agreed it was a great experience not to be forgotten.

Published: Tue, 13 December 2011

Year 8 pupil reaches British Swimming Championship

On 4 December, Year 8 High School pupil, Mia, swam at the London Region Winter Championships at Crystal Palace and qualified to swim at the British Championships in March at the Olympic Pool, swimming an outstanding time of 28.46 in the 50m Freestyle.

This event is also doubling up as the British Swimming Olympic Selection Trials, which allows younger swimmers to compete, qualifying at slightly slower times than the elite athletes. The youngest ages that can qualify are those girls born in the years 1998 and 1999 (Mia is a 1999 birthday) so this is the first year Mia could have qualified. The qualifying time set was 28.73 which Mia comfortably exceeded. She has done exceptionally well as it is rare for the younger swimmers in the age band to qualify and looking back on previous results only one or two across Great Britain get to compete from the younger half of the age band and it is likely to be the same this year. Mia's time has now ranked her as the fastest 12 year old over 50m Freestyle this year. It has also placed Mia 5th on the all time fastest swims over this distance by a 12 year old. This is a truly fantastic achievement. We wish Mia every success at the British Championships and look forward to following her swimming achievements in the future.

Published: Thu, 8 December 2011

Hosanna Rock

This year Pre-Prep have performed an upbeat Nativity play entitled 'Hosanna Rock'. The girls thoroughly enjoyed learning all the songs, dances and actions. They performed it with real gusto and it was a delight to watch their faces light up when they received their applause. Well done girls you were fabulous!

Published: Thu, 8 December 2011

Senior School Production features Guys and Dolls

The festive season of advent began in style with the Senior School's production of 'Guys and Dolls.' A cast, crew and band of seventy students took part in the show which ran for three evenings. The audience was transported to the streets of Manhattan and a bar in Havana through staging which included a fully working revolving door.

The standard of performance was extremely high as students performed classic songs such as 'Luck be a Lady Tonight' and 'Rockin' the Boat' to packed audiences every night. The show was run by the Drama Department and supported by staff from Music, Textiles and Art and was a huge success. Congratulations to all who were involved.

Published: Thu, 8 December 2011

Highgate U13 Netball Tournament Winners

On Saturday 26 November, the U13 Netball team played in the Highgate Tournament. In the group stages, the High School dominated the matches, playing some superb netball to win all games very comfortably. As group winners, the High School team faced Haileybury in the semi-final and won 14-5. In the final, the team played Godolphin and Latymer, winning 8-4 to take the title.

The girls have worked very hard in training this term and it really paid off throughout the tournament. Congratulations to all who played!

Published: Thu, 1 December 2011

Reading Reaps Rewards

A staggering £1210.90 was raised for various children's charities by pupils in Years 7 and 8. The girls raised the money by reading hundreds of books over the October half term break. One of the girls who took part writes about her experience:

"This year during the half term I took six books with me to Tanzania. I read my books on the Veranda of our house, but I wasn't just reading because I like reading I was also reading for a charity called Readathon. I was sponsored to read the books and all the money was used to help sick children. I think Readathon is fabulous because we help children in need and at the same time we boost our own knowledge. The thought of helping people made me want to read more."

Written by Dhanika in Year 7

Published: Thu, 1 December 2011

Girls fill 248 shoeboxes for Rotary Club Appeal

Preparatory School pupils and their families took part in the Rotary Club's annual shoebox appeal recently. 248 shoeboxes were filled with small gifts to be sent to children in deprived areas of Eastern Europe.

Published: Tue, 22 November 2011

OWLs visit Year 6 girls

The Preparatory School, Wheathampstead House, hosted a lunch for Alumni OWLs (Older and Wiser Ladies) on 16 November. Pupils in Year 6 met former Headmistress Miss Tudor Jones and former pupil Mrs Moran, both of whom shared some of their memories from WWII. Mrs Moran recalled her experiences at the old 'Junior' school, Michael House on the site of the Senior School where girls were taught inside an Air Raid shelter. Miss Tudor Jones also spoke of her work on a farm as part of the Land Army and showed a medal and certificate, awarded to her in 2008 in recognition of her work.

Published: Tue, 22 November 2011

Global Child Dental Fund

Year 13 student Isabella gave freely of her time recently to help and raise funds for Smiles & Hopes, a collaborative national initiative to address the dental and medical needs of vulnerable and destitute children in orphanages and poor communities around Cambodia.

Isabella has aspirations to become a dentist and spent some time with the GCDF, a registered charity, set up by Professor Raman Bedi. Additionally Isabella raised in excess of £1200 by organising a fundraising event in her locality. The money raised was used to purchase dental chairs and toys for the dental hospital in Cambodia and Isabella was invited to the charity's offices to present the cheque to Professor Bedi.

Published: Wed, 16 November 2011

St Albans High School for Girls welcomed to London 2012's Get Set network

Pupils and teachers at the School celebrated recently when they were officially welcomed into London 2012's Get Set network, in recognition of their commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) awarded St Albans High School a plaque and certificate to acknowledge their involvement in the London 2012 education programme. The Committee said the School was an excellent example of how London 2012 is helping to spark young people's imagination and inspiring them to get involved and make a difference. It said that they have clearly demonstrated that London 2012's education programme extends far beyond PE and Sport and they are now a part of an active London 2012 community of schools and colleges across the UK – the Get Set network - and will receive access to exclusive competitions and 2012 Games related opportunities over the coming years.

Published: Tue, 15 November 2011

11/11/11

The High School commemorated this special day at a remembrance service held at the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban.

Published: Fri, 11 November 2011

Viking Visit

On Friday 4 November the Vikings invaded the Preparatory School, Wheathampstead House!

The staff and girls in Year 2 came to school dressed as Vikings, ready to learn what life was really like back in Viking times. The day was led by Mr Marsh from 'History off the Page' and the girls participated in a whole wealth of activities, including soap carving, writing in runes, dying wool, creating candles and making pots. In the afternoon the girls had the opportunity to be archaeologists and excavate trenches before trying to identify the things they found; they were surprised that not all of them were Viking!

Published: Mon, 7 November 2011

Artist in Residence

Recently our Artist in Residence, sculptor Philip Melling, has been working with pupils in the Art Studio with some tremendous results. Philip is a practising artist and works predominantly in metals.

Our Year 11 students found the sessions very productive and increased their versatility, giving them a myriad of possibilities for coursework, other than painting and drawing, such as working in 3D. Sixth Former, Olivia, said "It was a great opportunity to work with Philip, a practising artist. He helped me with my personal art work and after one practice trusted me to weld and saw my own sculpture! I enjoyed the artist experience and venturing into 3D work". We look forward to seeing their finished sculpture.

Published: Mon, 7 November 2011

Fireworks Extravaganza

With spectacular pyrotechnics, choreographed to music, illuminating the sky, the High School Society's annual Firework extravaganza returned to the School Playing fields on Friday 4 November.

Parents and children enjoyed hot chocolate, mulled wine and hot dogs as they were entranced by the display which painted the sky in magical colours.

Published: Mon, 7 November 2011

St Albans High School Amnesty International Concert

On Friday 7 October, the Amnesty International Group at the Senior School hosted a charity concert.

The concert showcased musical talent from all year groups within the Senior School and was organised not only to raise money for a very important cause, but will also be an entry in Amnesty International's annual fundraising competition.

Congratulations to those Sixth Form girls who organised the event and for raising in excess of £2000.

Published: Tue, 11 October 2011

Reduce     Reuse     Recyle – Wheathampstead House celebrates Eco Week

As part of Eco Week, we have been busy thinking of further ways to help look after the environment. We were set the challenge of thinking of eco activities that the classes could take part in. The week finished with a 'Green Day', where lots of us put on items of green clothing to celebrate the successful end to our Eco Week. Wheathampstead House's Eco Council continue to try to inspire us with ways that we can be active and involved. By creating a pledge tree, each of us made a pledge of how we could help our environment, both at School and where we live.

First published: Fri, 30 September 2011

The sky's the limit

Girls new to Year 12 at the High School took to the treetops during their Induction Programme at the beginning of term.

Birds flew away in shock as their natural habitat was invaded by High School girls taking to the treetops during the induction programme for Year 12. Sixth Form girls are, of course, used to hitting the heights, but they moved through the trees via a combination of zip wires and ropes with grace and ease, demonstrating courage and determination. Lauren and Hannah were the undoubted queens of the skies. Others proved more adept at raft building or kayaking. Zoe and Phoebe will surely feature in the London 2012 kayaking squad, but the highlight of the day was Tabby’s graceful dismount from the raft.

Published: Thu, 15 September 2011