Latest goings on at the school
We are delighted to announce our Head Boy, Head Girl, in addition to their deputies and prefects, and they will begin their new roles next September.
Adam Sabri has been appointed as Head Boy, with Charlotte Owen replacing Hannah Cashell as Head girl for 2016/17.
Adam recently received plaudits as part of the RGC squad at the Conwy International Festival, and was also presented with the Morphy Cup at Rydal Penrhos’ annual Sports Awards.
Talented singer Charlotte recently caught the eye with her performance at the Summer Concert, and she will also be looking to continue her fantastic work as part of the Charity Committee when she takes up her position.
Serving under them will be Adele Parry and Grace Patrick as Deputy Head Girls, while Will Marston and Jack Sissons have been appointed Deputy Head Boys for the year.
A host of prefects have also been announced, with Jessie Cheng, Isabel Demel, Euan Humphreys, Ed Lunt, Katie Marston, Amelia Perring, Elishia Phillips, Josh Schulz, Alice Waltham and Louisa Weber all given the honour.
Robin Fletcher, chief executive and national director of the Boarding Schools’ Association, visited us on Wednesday, May 25, where he planted a Mulberry tree as part of their Boarding Orchard scheme.
The Boarding Orchard was launched by the BSA in 2014 with the aim of being the largest orchard, by distance, in the UK and involves boarding schools planting fruit trees in their grounds.
Since its launch, trees have been planted in schools across the UK, in addition to sites in the United States, Australia and Switzerland.
Mr Fletcher, said: “I am delighted to add Rydal Penrhos to our Boarding Orchard initiative. They are the 88th school that has joined so far.
“The school is situated in a fantastic setting and I would like to thank Acting Head, Roger McDuff and pupils for making me feel so welcome during my visit.”
Following the tree planting, Mr Fletcher was given a tour of the school and its boarding houses, before enjoying lunch with a number of staff members.
A group of our pupils got to find out more about the school’s exciting new eco-friendly waste food management partnership recently.
We have agreed to work with ReFood, where wasted food at both the Prep and Senior sites will be recycled to provide green energy in the form of pet feed and natural fertilizers.
The Widnes-based bioenergy company have been providing information on our energy conversion rate on a weekly basis, and information packs have been distributed to both schools which can be used for eco teaching.
Year 9 pupils were visited by ReFood’s Sales and Logistics Executive Stephen Old on Wednesday, May 25, where he spoke with the group about the benefits of the system and answered a number of questions following the talk.
Domestic Bursar, Julie Chmara, said: “For the school this is a very worthy and proactive project. We already have a very active Eco Committee, and this is showing once again our commitment to a greener world.
“We are reducing land fill space, lowering our energy consumption and stopping waste food going into the drainage systems around the school and its location.
“The first few weeks have been very beneficial for us and we hope that this partnership continues long into the future.”
Details of this year’s Open Morning have been revealed.
The school will welcome prospective pupils and their families on Saturday, October 8 and will run from 9am-1pm.
This will give visitors the chance to view the impressive facilities throughout the school, and a number of current pupils will be on hand to give guided tours of the grounds.
After the tours staff will be happy to answer any questions regarding the array of departments at the school.
The event comes after a series of successful Open Doors events, which gave prospective pupils the chance to see what happened at the school on a normal working day.
Mr McDuff, said: “The Open Morning is one of the biggest occasions of the year and it gives us the perfect opportunity to show just what Rydal Penrhos School has to offer prospective pupils.
“We want people to realise just what we have here and that this is an accessible place to come. We hope that they will like what the school has to offer and come back for an individual visit to see the school on a ‘normal’ day soon afterwards.”
The school will look to continue its sterling work in Uganda when we visit again in July 2017, with pupils and staff now in the early stages of planning ahead of the trip.
This will be the fifth time that we will undergo charity work in the country, with our most recent visit last year drawing widespread praise from a number of African-based charities.
There will be a maximum of 15 pupils as part of the team, with a number of staff also declaring their interest.
Ugandan princess Jacklet Atuhaire visited the school last month to talk with Rev’d Nick Sissons and others about our ongoing charity work, and extended an invitation to the group to visit her palatial home which belongs to one of the traditional royal families in Uganda.
Rev’d Sissons, said: “The meeting was significant for two reasons: it is the only time anyone from any of the charities and schools we are linked to in Uganda has actually been here in Colwyn Bay to see the school, so this was a fantastic first.
“Secondly, it gave us an excellent opportunity to discuss practical ways forward in developing the relationship between Shuuku and Rydal Penrhos.
“The next step will be for a partnership agreement to be drawn up that will set the relationship on a firmer footing and we have agreed to draft that document as soon as possible.”
We regret to announce that Philippa Humphreys, who attended the school from 1994-2001, became the third cross-country competitor to lose their life from a fall in as many months during a race in the United States.
The 33 year-old was thrown from her horse at a time trial at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event in Allentown, New Jersey, on Saturday.
“Everyone at the school was saddened to learn of Philippa’s passing, and we would like to offer our sincere condolences to her family.
“She was a much-loved pupil during her time here, and she has gone on to achieve a great deal throughout her career, something that our pupils have looked to as a sense of inspiration.
“Philippa was an immensely talented individual and so kind, caring and attentive, traits that ensure she will be greatly missed by all who knew her.”
A fundraising page for Millie in honour of her mother has also been set up and has raised more than $80,000 to date.
Those wishing to donate can do so by visiting https://www.youcaring.com/millie-elizabeth-humphreys-570323