Our Reception classes held yet another successful Stay and Play session towards the end of last term. The EYFS Unit was filled with parents and relatives collaborating with the children as everyone got stuck into lots of fun-filled ‘Dinosaur-themed’ activities.
Bryan Christopher Corrigan – In Memoriam
Died peacefully, aged 84 – 8th February 2017
Born in Great Crosby on August 19th 1932, Bryan was the son of James Christopher Corrigan and his wife Daphne Hilda Corrigan. He attended MTS from 1942 – 50, along with older brother Sydney (1938 – 47) and unfortunately lost his father during the Second World War who served as captain on a Merchant Navy ship. Despite this, he was academically successful during his time at MTS, being appointed a pro-monitor in 1949 and serving on the committee of the debating society with Brian Goodman.
Upon completing his studies, he became articled to T Raymond Robinson in 1951 to train as a chartered surveyor. He served in the Royal Air Force from 1955 – 57 as part of his National Service, and later moved to London as a surveyor. He made his home in Chelsea and was a generous supporter of the Chelsea Society. He eventually became a partner of the firm he worked for, Matthews and Goodman, where he served with distinction for many years.
Bryan was a generous donor to the schools, and was a regular attendee of many functions over the years, from Old Boys’ Dinners to the John Harrison Society Luncheon in London. His funeral was held at Christ Church, Chelsea, and was conducted by the Rev Dr Brian Leathard. He is remembered fondly, and will be sadly missed.
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Nora Margaret Orritt (nee Freeman) in Memoriam
Died peacefully, aged 91 – 14th March 2017
Born in December 1925 in Myers Road, Crosby – Nora was the youngest of seven siblings, five of whom attended Merchant Taylors’ Schools. Her father, Commander CP Freeman attended Merchant Taylors’ Schools as a boy, often telling mother of the time his class marched from the Old Merchant Taylors’ School to the ‘newly-opened’ Merchant Taylors’ Boys School in 1874. With strong ties to the School and Nora’s mother being acquainted with Miss Fordham, headmistress of the Girls school at the time, it was hardly surprising she started at Merchant Taylors Girls School in 1933-4. Unfortunately, this was a difficult period, with her mother dying aged 45 in 1933 and World War 2 looming, but Nora had a big family for support and enjoyed school, winning form prizes and developing a liking for literature. She wasn’t just academically successful but also enjoyed sport, playing netball, hockey, and cricket, and developing an interest in rugby, all of which she passed on to her children and grandchildren in later years.
Nora left Merchant Taylors’ School in 1943, commencing orthopaedic nursing at Oswestry Orthopaedic Hospital, helping nurse the returning wounded soldiers and qualifying as a physiotherapist. After working locally Nora moved to St Thomas’ Hospital in London as a lecturer in Physiotherapy. In 1952, following her work at St Thomas’, she was invited over to Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Canada, where she helped set up and develop a physiotherapy department in the newly built University Hospital. Following the death of her father in 1957, Nora returned to physiotherapy in Oswestry. It was there where she met my father, 10 years her younger, a toy-boy, but they were smitten and their marriage lasted 52 very happy years!
On reflection, Nora was an inspiration, passing on much she had learnt at Merchant Taylors’ School and in her own life to our family. A stable loving family life, a deep Christian faith, the love of sport, academic success and never being afraid of trying new things or travelling. Last year, three of her grandchildren played for regional representative teams in rugby, cricket and hockey in New Zealand!
Gordon Orritt
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Callum takes Bronze at the British Schools Judo Championships
Congratualtions to Callum Davidson who was amongst the medals at the British Schools Judo Championship held in Sheffield earlier in April. Over 650 competitors took part with around 400 schools represented. Amongst a strong field Callum, who is in Year 8, started strongly advancing to the semi final. Unfortunately he was beaten in the semi final but showed great determination to rally and put in a professional display in the Bronze medal final to take the bronze.
Callum said ‘I’m really happy to have won this medal and have to have represented MTBS at a national event.’
This achievement follows on from his recent success at the North West Closed Judo Championship held in Blackburn in October where Callum took home the Gold medal.
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Viking Day with Year 3
On Monday 27th March it was Viking day. It took place in the hall. We had Viking day to learn about Vikings.
First of all, we got a brown cloth. We pretended to cut down a big brown tree and then we sat on the ship (brown cloth) and pretended to row the boat.
Next we learnt about a shield wall. We had to stand shoulder to shoulder and our shields overlapped other people’s shields. The Viking (Njal) taught us how to protect us from enemies when they’re going to aim at our legs. We put the shield down to the legs, but, they are going to aim at our heads we put the shield to our heads and so on.
After a while, Miss Jack and Mrs Silverman dressed up as monks. Njal gave them silver and gold so we could invade them, later on we had to CHASE Miss Jack for her gold!
Later on Njal took us outside, he got a piece of rock and steel he used a cloth too. He rubbed the steel and rock together and tried to catch a spark on the cloth to make fire and it worked! I couldn’t believe it.
After a while Miss Jack sold us to the Vikings! Chloe and Sophia had to stand in wee! We had to beat them too. We made underwear Jessica made a bracelet too.
At Viking day I learnt so, so much stuff. It was such a good day I enjoyed it so much.
By Gabriella.
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London Dinner 2017
Our first social event of the 2017-18 Year was the reunion at the Travellers’ Club in Pall Mall.
The Travellers’ has become the established location of our London Dinner, and naturally is an elegant setting as one of the premier London social institutions in the heart of Westminster’s clubland.
We enjoyed on arrival a Champagne reception before proceeding upstairs to the old-world ambience of the Library. A group of more than forty individuals comprising Old Crosbeians and guests sat down to a sumptuous Dinner which were served with discreet efficiency by the Club’s staff.
It may be invidious to name one attender, but I must record that our Past President, Lt Col Harrison Cail, who left in 1939, travelled up to London to support the Dinner.
It was then for us to set to work. I had the honour of proposing the Toast to MTS, and I took the opportunity to update members on the Old Crosbeians’ support for MTS projects, our mentoring of those still at School and recent leavers, plus our ability to help Staff liaison with our MT kindred Schools. The response from Deputy Headmaster Bob Simpson was extremely witty and erudite, as well as informing members about the School’s current projects.
Darius Ferrigno, always supported by his wife Elizabeth in this work, organised an evening which ran like clockwork. Darius rounded off the formal part of the evening by in his customary way listing a host of “apology reasons” for the absent friends whom he then toasted.
We then adjourned downstairs to catch up with one another over drinks.
Jeremy Myers, OBA President
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Street Dancing at Holiday Club
Holiday club got into the dance groove this morning with a session of Street Dancing! There were some groovy moves from the boys and girls. A great time was had!
Posted in Junior Boys News, Primary School News
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Outstanding Mathematical Achievements for MTBS
It all adds up for Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School’s Maths Department with a succession of outstanding achievements at national competitions.
Most recently, after taking part in the Regional Finals, Year 9 pupils David Xu, Shaun Fernando, George Farrar and Aakash Dharmaraj are through to the National Final of the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Junior Maths Challenge which will be held in London in June. In what was a very close contest, against 30 other schools, the team came out on top after 4 rounds of combining teamwork and individual efforts to solve a myriad of maths problems. This achievement places the team into the top 60 schools in the country.
The UKMT Team Challenge aims to promote mathematical dexterity, teamwork and communication skills within a competitive environment. This marks the second such success within the last few months after a group of Sixth Form boys, Jack Zhou, Andy Park, Max Cadman and Dylan Wang, took part in the UKMT Senior Team Maths Challenge at Carnatic Halls, Liverpool University. After winning this regional competition they took part in the National Final last month and were placed within the top 40 schools in the UK.
Maths is at the core of the academic offering at Merchant Taylors’, last year 72% of boys achieved A*/A grades at GCSE with many boys taking their GCSEs a year early in Year 10. Individual successes in national competitions have been outstanding and just before Christmas 15 boys entered the UKMT Senior Individual Maths Challenge achieving 4 Golds, 2 Silvers and 6 Bronzes. David Xu who achieved a Gold has also qualified for the Senior British Math Olympiad. Jack Zhou, Jiaming Zhang and Tiantian Gao achieved Gold and qualified for the Senior Kangaroo Competition, which is sat by invitation only.
Headmaster David Cook said ‘to achieve so much at such a high level is testament to our boys’ abilities and their hard work. It also reflects the extremely high calibre of the maths being taught at Merchant Taylors’. ’
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Holiday Club is in Full Swing!
Holiday club is in full swing, yesterday the children were kept busy making chocolate & berry muffins, gymnastics, football & badminton as well as den building and Easter chick Pom poms, I’m sure you’ll agree the end results looked delicious, the children were the quietest they had been all day whilst sampling the cakes!
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Year 2 Have a Smashing Time at the Glass Museum
Year 2 visited The World of Glass as part of our Materials topic for Science. We learned about the properties of glass while exploring some of the museum’s artefacts. We also toured the original Cone Building where the glass used to be made and learned more about how men, women and even children used to work in the factories producing glass. We watched a very exciting demonstration of glass blowing and discovered that the furnaces used during the glass blowing process are kept at temperatures of up to 1300 degrees C; hotter than the inside of a volcano! A 3D film explained the benefits and necessity of glass and how glass might play an important part in developing technology and innovations in the future. Finally, we had fun painting our own glass too.
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