Staff and students at Roedean School, Brighton, wrapped up 2023 with exciting events and achievements. Below are some of the events that took place at the school.
An Evening of Disney Music
Families, friends, and Disney fans gathered at Roedean School to enjoy an evening of Disney classics. Staff and students set the stage with a fairytale castle, twinkling lights, and silhouettes of favourite Disney characters, which they projected onto clouds.
The junior orchestra, orchestra, Year 7 singers, senior singers, and choir gave exceptional performances. These performances included complex repertoire from the Pirates of the Caribbean and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Other performances included lyrical pieces like “Ave Maria,” “Little April Shower,” and “Remember Me.”
Design Museum Trip for Year 10
Year 10 students visited the Design Museum in London to see the “REBEL: 30 Years of London Fashion” exhibition. They enjoyed diving into contemporary fashion culture and discussing career opportunities in the fashion industry.
They also took part in a Smart and Sustainable Materials workshop. This workshop explored how forward-thinking, environmentally conscious materials may influence the design world.
Jane Eyre Performance
14 Roedean School students gave a compelling performance of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre on 29-30 November. The students didn’t leave the stage for the entire 90-minute duration of the show.
On 29 November, Roedean’s Drama Scholars enjoyed a workshop and Q&A session with Madeleine Worrall, who played the lead role in Jane Eyre at The National Theatre. Worrall’s performance inspired Roedean’s retelling of the classic novel.
House 1 Music Recital and Pizza Party
House 1’s Boarding Captains Bernice and Charlene organised a music recital and pizza party. This event is one of House 1’s most-loved traditions. The girls created posters to advertise the event, attracting older house members and the house’s newest students.
The music recital allowed students to showcase their talents while making friends and spending valuable time together. Like last year, the students ordered Domino’s pizza to follow the event, which they have described as an “unforgettable” part of the night.
Open Mic Event
Roedean hosted the school year’s first open mic event, which featured impressive solo and group performances. Students performed songs by notable artists like Dolly Parton and Jeff Buckley. Mr Carter even gave a rendition of Blur’s “Parklife” with students Emma, Candis, Chaya, Hebe, and Sigrid.
The range of music performed offered something for all tastes. Some students, like Lola and Imi, performed for the first time, while others returned to the stage after previous performances. The next open mic event will take place in March.
Art Scholars’ Calligraphy Workshop
Key Stage 3 Art Scholars took part in a workshop with calligrapher Ian Barnard. First, Barnard gave a presentation about his journey into the calligraphy world. He then showed the girls how to write their names in calligraphy styles using Crayola markers. The girls learnt how to create up and down strokes using different pressures, and how to join letters together.
They then progressed to using chalk pens on blackboards, creating a slogan using different fonts.
Senior Maths Kangaroo
Roedean School students have achieved fantastic results in the Senior Maths Kangaroo. All students performed brilliantly, with three achieving merit. Year 12 student Julia scored 80, which was the best-in-school result. Meanwhile, Year 11 student Emma and Year 13 student Yilin both scored 50, achieving their respective best-in-year results.
Sporting Success and Fun
Over 100 students competed in Roedean School’s annual house cross-country event, which House 1 won. Roedean girls also enjoyed their first football fixture of the school year, which they played against Brighton College.
On top of this, four students participated in the Sussex U17 Bronze Badminton Tournament. They played in both the single and doubles rounds against some of the county’s best players. Jolie won Silver in the girls’ singles, and Athena and Jolie won Bronze in the doubles.
Gabriella Speaks at the Houses of Parliament
Year 9 student Gabriella spoke at the Houses of Parliament as a member of the Lynk Up Crew (LUC). This group meets each month to discuss issues that affect young people. As the Chair of the Environmental Panel, Gabriella introduced the event and gave two speeches about the environment and climate change.
The Big Sleep Out 2023
Four staff members raised £1,000 by taking part in the Big Sleep Out 2023. These funds are for the Year 10 Charity Off The Fence, which tackles homelessness. The staff members took only sleeping bags and a cardboard box to sleep overnight in the centre of Brighton. They were grateful to two Year 10 students, Amelie and Caroline, who brought them warm, homemade brownies.
Year 10 students will undertake a similar challenge in the summer term. They will sleep under the stars on Roedean School’s fields.
Boarding House Christmas Festivities
Roedean School’s boarding houses have begun Christmas festivities. House 1 baked cookies, watched Strictly Come Dancing, and made Christmas cards and decorations. They also enjoyed a games night with toasties and trivia.
House 2 started an “elf on the shelf” Christmas countdown, played a game of Giant Hungry Hippos, and decorated tin cans for the Boarding Social.
House 3 celebrated their second-place cross-country efforts with chocolate brownies. They also enjoyed an NYC quiz and truffle oil toasties on Gossip Girl Day, made Biscoff pastries, and prepared their activity for the Boarding Social.
House 4 made festive hot chocolates with marshmallow snowmen, and Lawrence House enjoyed a Domino’s pizza party.
Learn more about Roedean School’s latest events.
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