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NEWSLETTER – 22 November 2024
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The more you learn about the International Baccalaureate (IB), the more its distinctive strengths become apparent, and the recent Year 12 Residential experience is a perfect example. In a few immersive days, students united their Round Square IDEALS with their IB Learner Profile qualities. They took on challenge and adventure at the Honister Slate Mine, gave their time to serve others at a local primary school and at a centre for those with disabilities, they took part in a series of challenging interdisciplinary tasks, and explored exciting elements of their IB curriculum. The Year 12 Residential is designed to both stretch and inspire students, opening their minds to the depth of possibilities provided by their chosen Sixth Form pathway. No matter what age your child is, I would encourage you to read the article as it will give you an insight into the fantastic opportunities available at the top of the school.
Sixth Form students also had the lead during our Remembrance service, which took place on Monday 11 November. I would like to thank our Forces representatives, Charlie, Isaac and Oscar who performed their duties beautifully, alongside readers Bi and Emma, and drummer Ollie. The Last Post was played movingly by Year 10 pupil Jake as the school stood in silent respect and is a memory I long keep with me.
A further event both conceived and run by our Sixth Form was the recent Parent Sailing Experience Day, with funds from the day going to support the renovation of the Sixth Form Study Centre. The highlight of the event was watching our incredible students confidently teaching their parents and guardians how to sail. This unique role reversal showcased their skills, leadership and the strong foundation provided by their time at school.
Head of Outdoor Education, Mr. Platt, captured the spirit of the day perfectly:
“It feels rather odd standing on the jetty watching and not getting involved in the teaching. But it’s absolutely brilliant seeing talented, confident students getting the sailing boats ready, fuelling and preparing the safety boats, and then structuring the teaching themselves. We have three RYA Dinghy Instructors in our Sixth Form and a number of qualified powerboat drivers, all taught during their time at school.”
I look forward to seeing many of you at the Friends of Windermere School Drinks Party at Town Head Estate next Friday.
Wishing you a restful weekend,
Frank Thompson
Head of Windermere School
LATEST NEWS
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Friday 22 November – Year 7, Kendal Mountain Festival trip
Thursday 28 November – Parent Forum
Friday 29 November – Sixth Form Christmas Dinner, 6pm
Friday 29 November – The Friends of Windermere School Drinks Party, at Town Head, 6:30pm
Thursday 5 December – Fiddler on the Roof Production, Crampton Hall, 7pm
Friday 6 December – Fiddler on the Roof Production, Crampton Hall, 7pm
Saturday 7 December – Fiddler on the Roof Production, Crampton Hall, 7pm
STANNITE NEWS
Stannite Spotlight: Jonathan Hunter, From 0-Hour Job to World Stage, My OCR Journey
CLING goes the sound of the bell at the end of the obstacle. Jonathan swipes the bell hard as he descends down from the swinging rings. He just successfully bounced along from the 3rd ring to the 6th, known as 3-6-Bell. Hvar town centre, Croatia, was holding lots of nervous anticipation, bustling with crowds of tourists, spectators and athletes from all over the world: The Spartan 2024 100m World Championship was under way.
As we go towards the end of my first racing season as an obstacle course racing athlete, it’s nice to look back at how far I’ve come and measure my goals for next year’s racing season. It was around this time last year where I did my first obstacle race (OCR) at the 3k British Championships in the Midlands. My friends pulled me along to give it a go, so I didn’t really have any expectations out of this race, just to feel and have fun. I didn’t realise I had signed up for a competitive race, I thought it was an open race. Wet, cold and muddy the course was, the majority of athletes slipping and falling on obstacles, I managed to keep a clean run and checked out coming 1st place in my age category. At the time, I didn’t know the gravity of the situation and how that race affected my following year, but later I was told that my first-place win, qualified me for the British OCR National Team (as it was a team qualifier event). With this news, I learnt that I would be racing and representing Britain in Italy at the European OCR Championships and in Costa Rica for the World OCR Championships in 2024 the following year. Wait what, my brain was thinking. Well, now I had to take this seriously if I were to represent my country and compete on a world class stage.
For the rest of that winter, I prepped and set up a crowdfunder to financially support me in undertaking the task of getting ready for these upcoming comps. The level of support was immense: friends, family and colleagues, without it I would have never been able to afford getting into the sport. I had to undertake national races to build my confidence and grow my knowledge of the sport itself, gain more experience on obstacles, and learn new techniques, tactics and methods preparing, racing and recovering. I entered in to Tartan Warrior, my first OCR race event for 2024 and my first since the 3k Champs last year – God, was it awful. The cold of Scotland in early March got to me and I struggled to grip the obstacles, and wading through rivers and ditch-dunks got me even colder. I did not perform well, and I questioned my place amongst these hardened athletes. I left Scotland down and uninspired.
I entered another race not long after (literally a week) in the Midlands for The Obstacle Gym’s “Duel” event – a 1 mile head-to-head obstacle race. Here I raced head-to-head with Daniel Titcomb, winner of the 2023 OCR Series, and later Dave Peters, a World Obstacle registered OCR Coach and the head of Rumble Racing (an OCR racing team). Tough competitors, I came away on a podium 3rd place position. This event lit my fire again to push further into my training.
The crowdfunder support was keeping me accountable and focused ahead of the summer season. I was training here and there where I could, in climbing predominantly and upping my running back in from 0% to 2-3 times a week. I used to run all the time when I lived in the Lake District and whilst going to Windermere School, however since moving to Manchester over 5 years ago, my running has not kept consistent. It was only when I returned to the Lakes where I got out and ran.
I was navigating my training on my own and I found at times it was hard to remain accountable as the training got tougher. I found myself questioning whether I was on the right track, whether I was leading to injury, or whether I was doing enough. I needed some help. I noticed some of the higher elite athletes all had coaches, if I was to take this seriously, why shouldn’t I have a coach? I began speaking to Dave Peters over the course of a few months as I raced in simulations around the country, preparing for my first international event: The European Championships.
International racing is a completely different scale to racing nationally, it just feels different, the style is different, the competition is different. The Euros was in the Italian Dolomites (so instantly I wish I had trained a bit more in the Lakeland fells), beautiful but tough. My experience in the Euros was my base marker for my training plan, but I officially only began my official training plan a few weeks before the World Champs in Costa Rica.
Now its not all about medals and podiums – it’s a big element to racing and competing of course – and I’ve experienced both defeat and gold with multiple podiums, but for this article, I mean, the opportunities that have derived from “playing athlete” – I have featured in “Cumbria Life” Magazine on my sporting endeavours, my races and selections have taken me across the globe, I was invited to train/test with Pentathlon GB as they prepare for the 2026 Olympics and I was approached to audition for a leading sporting brand’s commercial. I’ve made so many friends along the way, I’ve been invited to train with the Filipino team over in the Philippines, train at the Ninja Cave in Italy, and try the military obstacle race in Norway. Next year is looking exciting, I have clear goals I would like to achieve in my next racing season with the support from my coach. And now that I have attained a successful sponsor, these aims are far more manageable.
The funny thing is, had I not taken this small 0-hour “in-between” job at Total Ninja to balance my acting and performance work back in 2022, I would never have developed the skills to support these new sets of opportunities around OCR. It’s cool to look back and see how the little things can make the biggest impact on our lives and the paths we take. The important thing to remember is to make the most out of every situation, even if there seems to be no “benefit” or “purpose” behind it, we never know what might unfold. We can be surprised, just be open to embrace what may come.
Remain curious, and see where your next opportunity will take you. A 0-hour minimum wage job took me to many countries and representing Britain in a sport that I now love. My foundations from my experience at Windermere School have supported my outlook in taking on challenges and getting comfortable in the uncomfortable. Opportunity goes hand in hand with change, we need to accept change to fully embrace opportunity.
Our Second Stannite Open Day at Elleray Campus: A Heart-warming Reunion
On Saturday, 16 September, our Junior School, Elleray Campus, was abuzz with excitement and nostalgia as we hosted our second Stannite Open Day. Over 100 of our beloved Stannites joined us for this truly magical occasion, filling the campus with stories, laughter, and fond memories that spanned generations.
The day was a celebration of our vibrant community and the cherished experiences that bind us together. From tales of school pranks and cherished friendships to reflections on life lessons learned within these walls.
It was especially touching to see some of our Stannites bringing along cherished mementos. Old photographs, well-worn blazers, and ties served as tangible links to the past, sparking smiles and even a few tears as memories came flooding back.
Elleray Campus itself played its part beautifully, standing as a proud reminder of the place that shaped so many lives. The day was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on what makes our school community so special.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who joined us and made the event such a resounding success. Whether your time with us was recent or decades ago, your presence reminded us of the lasting connections and shared sense of belonging that define the Stannite spirit.
Thank you for being part of this unforgettable day. We look forward to seeing you again at future gatherings
