Sir Roger Manwood's School prides itself on creating well rounded students. It is this philosophy that helps to explain why so many students of the school get into their first-choice university. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of teachers there are always lots of exciting and interesting activities, trips and events taking place. Below are details of a selection of the most recent events:
MANWOOD’S WINS LOCAL HEAT IN THE UK’S FIRST SCHOOLS’ SPELLING BEE CHAMPIONSHIP, May 2009
Our year 7 team recently won the local heat of The Times National Spelling Competition at the Odeon Cinema in Canterbury.
The team competed against seven teams from schools in Kent.
The Manwood’s Musketeers team consisted of three players:
Dominic Wheeler, Daniel Nicolson and Brian Caferro and reserve, Jenna Klaric.
In the first elimination round the team had an attack of nerves and were placed fourth, but during the break we discussed out tactics and went into the second round with determination. In this round we won by 12 clear points, with the team spelling 22 words correctly in two minutes. Words included: repetitively, professionally, conceited and typography, to name but a few.
In second place was ChathamHouseGrammar School, with Barton Court coming third.
The Musketeers will go forward to the Semi-Final in Southampton on May 22nd. The ten winning teams from the Semi-Finals will then compete in the Grand Final, to be held at the Odeon West End, Leicester Square on June 23.
Follow our team’s progress on the website www.timesspellingbee.co.uk, and create your own profile if you want to compete against each other at the spelling games on line. Congratulations and Good Luck!
Manwood’s in the Gambia, April 2009
On 1st April 2009, 10 students and 2 teachers set out from Sir Roger Manwood’s School in a mini bus to begin their journey from Sandwich to a small village in the west of The Gambia named Farato, West Africa, nearly 3000 miles away. On their laps was the allowance of one bag of hand luggage each, a sleeping bag, and a combined 420 kilos of donated clothing, school equipment and toys they had collected through charity work, money-raising events and visits to local schools in and around Sandwich over the previous 2 months.
The 10 day visit was the product of the school’s link with GamBLE, a small charity based in Yalding, Kent, that aims to work with Gambians to provide, support and improve the schooling and education for children from 3-13 years old in the Gambia. The charity works closely with villagers in Farato (25km from the capital Banjul) to assist in the building of schools and the country’s infrastructure: wells, walls and gardens, as well as encouraging cultural exchanges to create links between the school they have already built and oversee in the village and schools and volunteers in the UK. Cue the arrival of the 12 volunteers from Sir Roger Manwood’s School, Sandwich, for a visit that would change their lives forever.
After a tiring 10 hour journey, the welcome in Farato was one that no-one could ever forget. The entire school; pupils, parents, teachers and members of the local community came out to greet the group of 12 on arrival in a welcoming ceremony involving songs and dances learned both in the school and from their own culture. This was followed by a short walk to the school, hand in hand with as many pupils as could reach, and a second round of songs exchanged between the school children and the Manwood’s students. It was clear that this arrival was exciting for all, and that The Gambia was going to be one of the friendliest countries any of the group had ever visited.
Camping in tents within the Yalding Primary School compound (named after the charity’s base in Kent) the Manwood’s students worked for 10 days to assist in the teaching of those children lucky enough to attend the school (around 1 in 4 get a place through a locally run lottery-style application process), run their own workshops with the pupils in a range of subjects, and support the Gambian teachers, showing them how to use donated and local materials to support their teaching and engage the pupils in the world around them. When the pupils went home the group would then turn their attention to the school environment, painting murals to support learning both inside and outside of the classrooms, helping maintain the school buildings, and constructing a compost area within the school’s garden to encourage the idea of recycling – building from the school’s aim to be completely litter free and to make use of everything.
In the evenings, the group had the opportunity to experience new skills and customs, taking part in an African drumming workshop, creating batik and tie-dyed clothing, visiting a local nature reserve, and learning some of the local languages and delicacies, eating only African food made by locals in the village and even visiting the compounds of some of the school’s teachers to meet their families and experience the Gambian culture for real.
For 10 days and nights, the small group of 12 from Sandwich left behind a way of life to which they had grown accustomed, and experienced a culture that revolved less around technology and money, but built around friendship and community. Where education was valued by all, and where strangers were greeted with handshakes and genuine welcome. Upon leaving, it was clear that both cultures had made its lasting mark on each other.
If you are interested in getting involved in supporting the work of GamBLE, or for any more information on the charity, please telephone 01622 814267 or email: gambleproject@aol.com
Berlin Trip 2008
On the 16th March the German department took 16 students to Berlin. The days were packed full of sightseeing, including a tour of the Olympic stadium, Hitler’s bunker, the Reichstag, the Holocaust memorial, Brandenburg gate and even a boat trip on the river Spree. Huge thanks to Miss Scott and Mr Holden for organizing the trip and Mr Wallace for driving everybody to the airport.
(Megan Collins, Year 13)
Intermediate Maths Challenge
The Intermediate Maths Challenge is organised by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust. It is a national maths competition aimed at Year 10 students. The top 400 performers nationally are invited to compete in the next round of the competition – the Intermediate Maths Olympiad – and five Manwood’s students have reached this stage: Tom Cooper in Year 10, Damon Sutton in Year 9, Connor Gower in Year 9, Briony Adams in Year 9 and Andrew Carlotti in Year 8. Andrew was top scorer in the school gaining full marks in the test, a first for the school in this competition.’
Click on the following links to read about other recent events:
Victory in the National Team Maths Challenge
GCSE Art exhibition, July 2008