St. Trinian's Night Just before the half term break, the Parents and Friends organised an evening for girls in Lower Four.  “St. Trinian’s” was the theme and the girls dressed for the occasion.  Homemade popcorn by Mrs Raske had been laid on – salt or sweet, the choice was theirs!  The fifth form common room was then transformed into a makeshift cinema so that the girls could watch the newly released film.  The pizzas arrived just in time for the end – margarita, ham & pineapple, pepperoni slices were devoured by girls, parents and staff.  Pudding came in the form of ice-cream with all the trimmings – girls were spoilt with the option of Maltesers, Skittles, marshmallows, strawberry or chocolate sauce or whipped cream!  To finish the evening in style, a range of goodies was up for grabs in the raffle.  Beauty products were amongst the prizes but Charlotte Procter came out with the ‘top prize’: the DVD of St Trinian’s!  A very big thank you to Mrs Raske, Mrs Martin and Mrs Brown for hosting such a fantastic evening.  The girls certainly enjoyed it very much. Top >>

 

‘Commem’
When Harrogate Ladies’ College was founded in 1893 the proper education of women was in its infancy. Each year we commemorate our founder George Mearns Savery who had the foresight to open a school in Harrogate to give girls the same opportunities as boys. The celebrations consist of a church service for the school, for their families, and invited guests, followed by one of HLC’s legendary afternoon teas Mr Savery’s aim was to create a school that:- ‘Taught not only superficial refinements which were once held to be the only requisites in the education of girls in the middle and upper classes.’ How proud he would be to see this year’s Upper Sixth Form preparing to take their final exams, go to university, and pursue careers women could only dream of in 1893. We remember him with affection and respect. Top >>		A group of leavers Rev. Jan with Rev Canon Keith Punshon and Rev. Tim Burrell
		Mr. Andrews, Miss. Harrison, and Mr. Hazell

		Chez HLC Eating out in France is part of the joy of a visit- but it is also a subject covered in our French text books.  Mrs Davison and Madame Martin decided to give the girls a French experience by opening, for one day only, ‘Chez HLC’ a charming little café in the French room, where they served a typical French breakfast.  The rule was everything had to be ordered in French and only French conversation was permitted. The girls wolfed down plates of croissant and pain au chocolat washed down with juices and chatted away in French.  It was tremendous fun but everyone agreed they had added some new words and phrases to their French vocabulary. Top >>

Fountains Abbey Pupil’s Art Exhibition in Harrogate The Abbey, a ruin of an outstanding Benedictine monastery, set in the beautiful countryside of the Yorkshire Dales has inspired many artists and the pupils of HLC and Highfield now number amongst them.  Over the Easter holidays Harrogate Ladies’ College mounted an exhibition of art work prepared by the pupils on the theme of Fountains Abbey. The location for the exhibition was Fountains Hall, the Elizabethan Mansion in the grounds of the Abbey.  The work varied from simple pen and ink sketches, mono-printing and batik to bold Expressionist interpretations in acrylics.  The  dry point etchings produced by the A level group were particularly  outstanding and reflected much they had learned at the master class given by the etcher Moira McTague whom Miss Williams, Head of Art, had brought in to lend her expertise. If you were not amongst the visitors who managed to see the ‘A Pupil’s Perspective’ exhibition there is a second chance. The exhibition can be seen in the Harrogate showrooms of Tennants Auctioneers, 34 Montpellier Parade Harrogate from early July. Exact dates for the exhibition will be posted in early June. (Photo on the right: Mr Hazell and the Mayor of Harrogate at the Private View)
Moira McTague’s master class	Work in acrylic	Fountains Hall	Dry point etching
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Jumping for Joy? Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Top >>

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is committed to providing for young people an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding programme of personal development, which is of the highest quality and the widest reach. HLC sees involvement in the scheme as extremely worthwhile. An important element is an expedition, so on a rather wet and blustery weekend the girls who will be taking their Gold Award (the highest level) did one of the very important practice expeditions. The practice was in difficult terrain, the Derbyshire Peak District, as the demands the girls will face when they do their Gold Expedition, next year, will be exacting, calling for great navigation skills as well as stamina to complete the walk.  As the picture demonstrates it is great fun as well as demanding, however, we are unsure whether they were jumping for joy or relief that they had got to the top of the mountain.

 

The Bishop with the Reverend Jan Proud mothers Top >>

Confirmation On a beautiful May day The Rt Rev John Packer, Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, conducted the confirmation of twelve Harrogate Ladies’ College students.  The girls, supported by their friends and family, teachers and fellow students and, of course, the Reverend Jan our College Chaplain, made their promises in the College Chapel.  The ceremony was followed by an afternoon tea in the library, with guests and students spilling out into the gardens to make the most of the early summer sunshine. Mr. Hazell with some of the girls

 

‘Cash in the Attic’ - HLC on the BBC A long planned for event for HLC is about to take place.  The College will be seen on BBC Television next week taking part in a programme called ‘Cash in the Attic’. The programme is based on participants scouring their attics and cellars for any hidden treasures that could be sent to auction to raise funds for a ‘special project’.   They are helped in their quest to find items by the programme’s resident antiques expert, John Cameron; then they have the fun of attending the auction with the well known TV presenter Angela Rippon, who hosts the show, to discover what they have raised. HLC applied to be part of the show as, having been founded in 1893, we were confident we must have some real gems hidden away that could be used to raise money for one of the charities we support. Aided by a team of pupils and the Headmaster, some exciting finds were made and after a nail biting time at the auction, watching our lots go under the hammer, we raised over £1600. The proceeds were given to Springwater School, a special school for pupils with multiple disabilities. The funds were used for equipment including a magnificent adult tricycle for the use of teenagers.   As the Headmistress of Springwater observed - “Whilst we have had a long relationship with Harrogate Ladies’ College, I cannot tell you how delighted we were they chose us for this project.  To see the joy in the children’s eyes when the tricycle was wheeled in - well there were a few tears in adult eyes.  Gifts like these make such a difference for us.  A big, big, thank you to everyone who was involved in the project.” If you would like to see the programme watch: BBC 1 at 11.30 am on Wednesday 21st May Top >>

The BBC production team Angela Rippon, Lucy Smith, Mr. Hazell and John Cameron Lucy Smith with one of our finds The HLC search team with the BBC cameraman

Lunchtime Careers Presentation : CHEMISTRY Girls from U4 to U6 were treated to the most fascinating talk given by Professor John Plane on chemistry courses, careers, and in particular some amazing details of his particular research area. Using slides and video clips he really brought to life what it means to be a chemist and to be involved in cutting edge research. His own specialisation is in atmospheric chemistry, and girls and teachers were spellbound by his work investigating the chemistry of various phenomena; the picture shows translucent clouds (visible at night in the UK, June and July, at a height of 80km!) His message was that chemistry is not just for geeks. It is accessible, relevant and exciting, at school, university and thereafter, for experts and for dabbling amateurs. Top >>

 

Superhero When we worship together at College it is usually in the beautiful and very peaceful surroundings of the Chapel. However, on Thursday 10 April we all had the opportunity to experience a very different style of Christian worship when we were visited by a band called ‘Superhero’. We gathered in the College gym for an event called ‘Why the Hell?’ This had been organised by four of our U6 students who had made applications to various Christian Trusts to secure funding. The girls also produced a DVD, based on interviews with staff and students, which was both entertaining and thought provoking. A member of the band and a local Youth Worker (who had supported the girls in planning the event) both spoke about what the Christian faith meant to them. The music was powerful and the whole afternoon made a very positive impression on both girls and staff. Top >>