Cathryn Impresses Judges at TeenStar

Lower Sixth pupil Cathryn Barton has impressed the judges at the TeenStar auditions and has secured herself a place at the Regional Finals of the UK’s only singing and dancing competition. TeenStar is exclusively for teens and pre-teens, and Cathryn will now be performing in a live showcase in the competition taking place on 9th April in Liverpool.

TeenStar is an exciting national singing and dancing competition searching for the UK’s best teen and pre-teen singers, singer/songwriters, rappers, dancers and dance groups of all genres and styles. Cathryn, a talented and dedicated singer, entered the competition after receiving a tweet advertising the Liverpool auditions which caught her eye.

Cathryn first began singing when she was five years old and has enjoyed performing in various shows and competitions. From a young age she began taking the London College of Music Exams for Musical Theatre and this year has completed Grade 8, passing with distinction. She has now received distinctions in all of her LCM exams from Grade 1-8 which is a fantastic achievement. At school she is a proud member of both the Senior Chamber Choir and MTGS Choir, having been a part of each choir since Year 7.  Cathryn has had many enriching experiences through her time spent with the MTGS Music Department, namely the annual Music Tours which she was a part of between July 2012 and July 2015.

Having sung at various events such as Christmas Parties, New Year Parties and also as a form of entertainment for the residents at nursing homes, Cathryn is no stranger to the stage and takes great pleasure from each performance as she enjoys engaging with the audiences. Now Cathryn has taken the next step and is in the running to follow in the footsteps of previous winners Luke Friend and Emily Middlemas, and compete for a place in the Grand Final.

Thousands of hopefuls entered TeenStar nationwide and hundreds of auditionees queued patiently on the day for their turn to impress the judges. Cathryn said “Once I had arrived at the Liner Hotel in Liverpool where the auditions were held, I noticed other sixteen, seventeen and eighteen-year-olds who were gearing up for their auditions. It honestly felt like I was in some sort reality TV show!” All entrants are aiming to make it to that prestigious Grand Final where the spotlight will be shone on them and they’ll have the chance to win some huge prizes such as; recording an album, shooting a music video, scholarships to the Flawless Dance School, sponsorship from Squad Dancewear and more.

Chris Grayston, Events Coordinator for TeenStar comments “We are looking to find an act that has something unique to offer, another Birdy or Luke Friend that can go all the way, with both the ability to deliver a strong live performance but also potential to become a professional recording artist or dance act. Now with the addition of dance acts, these shows are going to be so exciting to watch and judge! There is so much talent out there I’m sure we can find that star again!”

Those who made it through the audition stage will now take part in a live Regional head-to-head battle alongside the best talent in their area. They’ll be performing in front of hundreds of audience members and a professional judging panel to win a place at the National Grand Final. Cathryn commented I can’t wait to perform at the Regional Live Final in Liverpool on Sunday 9th April, in front of all my friends and family; it’s going to serve as such a captivating experience, and also as a refreshing break from my AS Levels!

For more information go to the website www.teenstarcompetition.co.uk, or better still come down and support your local talent performing! You can purchase tickets from the website www.teenstarcompetition.co.uk, as well as on the door subject to availability or from Cathryn herself.

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Sefton Super Reads Award Afternoon

Thursday 30th March, at Crosby Library

Pupils from several schools met at Crosby Library to hear which author had won the annual Sefton Super Reads award.  Two of the authors were able to attend, and gave fascinating accounts of their writing processes.

Ally Sherrick told us how she had always loved writing, but it was only after she left her job in public relations that she was able to turn her hobby into being a full time writer. Black Powder was her first published novel. Because she writes historical fiction, she spends a lot of time reading and researching the period she is writing about.

Laurel Remington works as an environmental lawyer and fits her writing round her job and family of three girls.  She confessed that she was not a good cook, but that she had checked the culinary accuracy of the baking for The Secret Cooking Club.  She was inspired by the idea of the effect of a mother’s blog on her children, and by her children’s love of baking.  Her novel found a publisher when it won The Times Chicken House prize.

Several of our boys entered the book review competition, and Oliver Bigley was awarded one of the book token prizes, for his review of Cogheart by Peter Bunzl.  This book was announced as the 2017 winner at the end of the afternoon.

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Junior Boys Enjoy The Easter Story

The Junior Boys enjoyed a performance of The Easter Story acted and narrated by The Assembly Team, a few of the boys were lucky enough to be invited to take part also.

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Appointment of Acting Headmaster for Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School from September 2017

The Governors of Merchant Taylors’ Schools are delighted to announce the appointment of Deiniol Williams as Acting Head of the Senior Boys’ School from September 2017.

Deiniol Williams joined Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School in September 2014 as Deputy Headmaster (Pastoral) and a Teacher of Biology. He spent the first nineteen years of his career working in boys’ schools until he took on the role as Head of Sixth Form at Wisbech Grammar School, a co-ed environment. He has a BSc(Hons) in Marine Biology and he currently plays the cornet and trumpet as well as being a nationally qualified Sub Aqua Instructor.

Beverley Bell, Chair of Governors commented that “we are delighted to have someone with Deiniol’s warmth, energy and ability to lead the Boys’ Senior School from September. The Board of Governors would like to take this opportunity to thank David Cook for all he has done for the school during his 12 years as Headmaster and wish him the best of luck when he takes on his new role”.

Deiniol Williams commented “I am extremely honoured to have been given the opportunity to lead Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School from September 2017. I look forward to working with Governors, Staff and Boys to build on David Cook’s legacy in order to develop the School’s impressive reputation and standing on both a local and national level”.

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MTGS Supports Wear a Hat Day

Staff and pupils have been showing their support for Brain Tumour Research. Brain tumours kills more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer…yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. Last year, Tilly O’Brien, one of our Sixth Form students received treatment for a brain tumour. As part in support of #wearahatday, Staff and pupils wore a hat and MUFTI to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research

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Liverpool City Drinks 2017

This year’s annual Liverpool City Drinks took place at the historic Racquet Club Hotel in Chapel Street.  Over 60 former pupils (of all ages), former staff, parents as well as current school staff attended throughout the evening.  The event was organised by the Schools’ Alumni Relations department and sponsored by the Old Girls’ Association.  It was great opportunity for those working in the Liverpool area to network with people from the Merchants’ community and to catch up with old friends.

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Festival Gold For Bigley Brothers 

Oliver & Joseph Bigley, two brothers from the Junior and Senior Boys’ School, had a roaring success at the Wirral Speech and Drama Competition this weekend. The Wirral Festival is a key date in drama competition diaries as it has been running for over 50 years.

Both boys came home with a selection of trophies after beating stiff competition and winning their classes in verse, prose, a solo acting piece and a duologue acting section.

Both boys worked very hard on their pieces and are now starting work on their next LAMDA Exams before work commences on new pieces for the up and coming festivals at the end of the year. Well done boys!

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Author MG Leonard Visits Junior Boys

On Wednesday 29th March the author of ‘Beetle Boy’ and ‘Beetle Queen’ MG Leonard came to talk to boys from Y5 and Y6 about her work. Maya, who has been long listed for the Carnegie Medal,  was a very lively and entertaining speaker with a wide knowledge of beetles and their habits, including ones that squirted acid from their bottoms, which was of great interest to the lads. The talented writers from Y6 then took part in a writing workshop, which proved a great hit and inspiration for our budding authors. The boys were taken through the planning process of writing a beetle themed story, which they will continue in their writing lessons.

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Boys Enjoy Success at The British Physics Olympiad

The British Physics Olympiad has run national competitions in UK schools for 25 years to reward and challenge the best physicists. The exam papers stretch lateral thinking and encourage students to apply fundamental principles in novel situations. Of our pupils who took part in the GCSE Challenge paper, Mazin Karem achieved a silver award, placing him in the top 10% of students nationally. Bronze awards were achieved by Adam Weston, Raymond Win, Rahul Panikker, Abhinav Rajendron and Joe Saffer. Congratulations to all the boys who took part!

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Junior Boys Impress at British Schools’ Modern Biathlon Championships

On 26th March, Oliver Raw, Max Fitton, Harvey Baker, Adam Cousins and Monty Barr attended the British Schools’ Modern Biathlon Championships  at Crystal Palace Sports Centre in London.

All boys did extremely well and competed against other schools in a 50 metre swim and 800 metre run.

Monty Barr had an outstanding performance coming 5th out of 97 competitors. An amazing achievement! Well done Monty! Very impressive!

Well done to all the boys who took part – it takes a lot of training and hard work to get here!

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