Tug of War

The energy in the Valley was palpable to the point of deafening last weekend as students took part in the fiercely contested annual Inter-House Tug of War - many congratulations to St Bede's and St Dunstan's & St Oswald's who were deserving champions! Congratulations must also go to Melisa who is the first student in Ampleforth's history to receive a Gold Award in the Cambridge University Chemistry Challenge - a remarkable achievement. A deserved mention also goes to Melchoir, Maxime, Ronaldo and Finn who took home Copper Awards.  Last Saturday we had 1st and 2nd Rugby team wins against Bradford and the 1st girls hockey team were victorious against Queen Margaret’s and Ripon Grammar School on Saturday and Wednesday respectively – impressive work.

At Assembly this week Dr Vowles, Head of English, gave an inspiring talk about his exploration of different continents and cultures this summer, thanks to three books. As the Michaelmas term gets underway, we are doing lots to encourage our community to find time each day for private reading for pleasure with dedicated time set aside for all pupils in Years 7 to 10 to take time to read and reflect outside of the classroom. As Dr Vowles said, regular reading of texts we choose for ourselves has been found to improve our wellbeing, both now and in later life.  We have the first of our weekly Schola Masses of the year this evening at 7pm; an intimate, peaceful and reflective service at the end of a busy week. You are always warmly invited to join us. Marie and I are also looking forward to welcoming more than 100 people to the Valley tomorrow for Open Morning - our biggest one yet - let's hope the sun shines!                                                

All best wishes, Peter