M.G.S. Magazine - July 1956

Once again we are in the throes of a 'glorious' English summer, tradition­ally spent in idle pleasures by all and sundry. Everyday we see rows of bright shining faces, indulging in their variety of idle pleasure, eagerly awaiting the pending test of their intellectual power. And others who seem to have heard that "the paths of glory lead but to the grave," and being too fond of their present existence, are determined that nothing so trivial shall change it. However, we hope to see a drastic change by the time this edition of the Magazine is open to public criticism.

In the last edition there was a reference to the lack of out of school act­ivity. As yet we see no drastic change in the outlook of the inmates of this establishment but at last there is a faint glimmer of hope. Under the able guidance of our Music Master, a Senior Choir has been formed. This is in two sections, one for the boys, the other for the girls, the former being by far the more popular and successful. We have known for a long time that our male associates like the sound of their own voices but it now appears that others are also appreciative of their vocal talent. Up to the present time they have given two performances and have been very well received. Their female counterparts have not yet achieved the same measure of success, either in performance or attendance at rehearsals.

We are very sorry that the Rev. G. R. Hall, M.A., has left us. He came as Vicar to Mirfield in 1933 and the same year was elected to the Board of Governors. He has been Chairman for the last seven years and he has also been on the Appointments Committee and was a Foundation Governor. We used to look forward to his Speech Day stories and will certainly miss his good offices on Speech Day and other special occasions. We hope, as he settles down at Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, that he will remember Mirfield Grammar School with as much pleasure as we remember him.

R.A.H., W.P.R.

We were very sorry to see Mr. Young leave at the end of last year and hope he is enjoying his new life at the busy port of Aden. In his stead we welcome Mr. Salton and sincerely hope he will enjoy his stay at this school.

The S.C.M. Conference, which this year was held at Ossett Grammar School, was attended in full force by the Sixth Form on October 12th. An enjoyable session was had by all, the discussion subject being the Colour Bar and its effects on African and British policy.

During the Autumn Term the West Riding String Quartet paid yet another visit to the school and gave a short recital.

On the evening of Wednesday, 22nd December, the Annual Carol Concert was held in the School Hall. Parents and friends were entertained by singing conducted by Mr. F. J. Walker. A special feature was the unaccompanied Male Voice Choir.

Term ended with a Concert produced by the Hockey Teams. Mr. Evans compered the varied programme drawn from the school.

The Founder's Day Service was held in the Parish Church on Ascension Day. The address was given by the Right Rev. S. W. Clarkson, M.A., Lord Bishop of Pontefract, and prayers were said by the Rev. J. Robertson.

Various visits have been made during the year by the Senior Forms: notably to the Riley Smith Theatre, Leeds University, to see the production of "Hamlet"; to Huddersfield infirmary, Steel, Peech & Tozar Steelworks, Rotherham, Leeds Assizes and also to see the films : "Richard III", "The Living Desert", "The Vanishing Prairie."

Mention must be made, too, of the visits by the Art, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Geography and Geology classes to the Exhibitions at Huddersfield Technical College on their Open Day. Several became so interested they almost forgot to return to school.

Earlier in the year the biologists had spent a week at Malham Tarn Field Centre.

Several of the Senior Boys are looking ahead to a training camp for fell-walking and associated pleasures at Sedbergh.

On April 19th, 1956, the school was visited in the evening by the Huddersfield Youth Orchestra, which numbered about eighty players.

The programme included three items by Handel: Allegro and March from the Occasional Overture, Minuet and Allegro from the Firework Suite and The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, (for two flutes and strings only). Two Slavonic Dances, one by Chabrier and one by Dvorak and a Concerto for Strings by Mudge completed the orchestral items but some of the orchestra members who also belong to the Madrigal Group sang three madrigals: "Sleep Wayward Thoughts" and "Farewell, Unkind Farewell," both by John Dowland. "All creatures now are merry minded", by J. Benet was their last item and this was sung in Welsh being the test piece which they sang when they entered the Welsh National Eisteddfod (and won).

This year Speech Day was held later than usual owing to the long illness of Mr. Hepworth. However, we were fortunate in gaining Mr. Derek Boothroyd, Author of "Value for Money", and Editor of a local newspaper, as the speaker. He immediately endeared himself to us by asking that, as a due reward for the School's achievements another half-holiday be granted besides that granted by the Governors. Needless to say, this was granted.

In his address, whilst alluding to Diana Dors, saturnine English masters, tyrannical staff, demands for overtime pay for homework and Tiny Tots Order of Merit, Mr. Boothroyd burst the bubble that "schooldays are the happiest days." Happiness, he said, was not mere pleasure and self-indulgence, but came with achievement and the satisfaction of doing a good job of work.

"When you leave school, if you grasp the opportunities that lie in front of you and achieve something, then you will become happier still.

The real purpose of going to school is not to cram you with knowledge but to teach you to live a happy life by doing a job well."

The Chairman of the Governors (the Rev. G. R. Hall) presided. Mr. Hepworth, in his Annual Report, regretted that this would be the last occ­asion when Mr. Hall would preside, and hoped that he would often return to "grace us with his presence." Mr. Hepworth also mentioned that of the new improvements to the school during the past year only the domestic science units arrived for the New Domestic Science Room, the Biology Laboratory and the Girls' Showers.

Thanks to Mr. Boothroyd were expressed by Mr. F. Brearley, and singing was conducted by Mr. Walker.

R.A.H.

State Scholarship & West Riding County Major Scholarship—Kathleen M. Appleyard.
West Riding Exhibitions—J. Michael Dean, J. Keith Walker
Richard Sutcliffe Scholarship in Mining—Peter Jaggar.
Richard Thorpe Exhibition—Harry Smith.

G.C.E. Advanced Level.
J. M. Dean, P. Jaggar, W. F. Leeves, H. Smith, J. D. Taylor, J. K. Walker, J. N. Wood, Kathleen M. Appleyard, Eileen Heywood, Maureen Sheard, Gwyneth M. Williams.

G.C.E. Ordinary Level.
Form VI (supplementary) :—P. J. Brook, D. J. Shaw, G. Wilson, J. R. Woodhouse, Gwendoline R. Brown, Marie Sinclair, J. A. Taylor.
Form V Alpha:—A. Beaumont, P. Beaumont, B. Brook, J. C. Carter, R. M. Darley, B. Haywood, C. Ingle, T. Johnson, G. R. Martindale, W. H. Price, L. Sheard, G. L. Shepherd, M. Sinclair, T. Smith, K. J. Walker, A. L. Watts, M. Wilcock, D. W. Williams, J. T. Wilson, D. Wroe, Jean Dodgson, Hilary Haigh, Helen C. Jackson, Jean Lister, Doreen Moore, Glennys Nunns, Mary Parkinson, Beryl Scholes, Ann Senior, Connie Sheard, Mollie Sheard, Irene Whittaker.
Form VA:—B. Armitage, P. G. Butler, A. Clarkson, A. R. Crumpton, D. Johnson, S. A. Middleton, D. B. Milner, J. R. Senior, B. Shaw, T. A. Shaw, C. M. Woodhouse, Cynthia Cliffe, Marlene Coupland, Hilda Cox, Christine Hemingway, Frances A. Hepworth, Jennifer M. Oxley, Joyce Ramsden, Margaret D. Richardson, Claire Skellern, Ann Thwaite, Maureen Wooller.

IA.   George R. Stephenson, John R. Crawshaw.
I Alpha.   David B. Laycock, Ronald Dawson, Joan Gospel, Doreen Briggs.
II A.   Norma Ellis.
II Alpha.   David G. Halliwell, Graham M. Heeley.
III A.   Patricia Kingswell.
III Alpha.   Doreen Stringer, David Brook.
III Alpha.   David Wroe, Diana J. Monk.
G.C.E. Ordinary.
David Williams.   Geography, French, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry.
Donald Wroe.   History, Art, Manual Instruction.
John C. Carter.   English Language, French, Chemistry.
Malcolm Wilcock.   French, Chemistry.
Frances A. Hepworth.   English Literature.
Julie A. Taylor.   Domestic Science.
Irene Whittaker.   French.
Richard M. Darley.   Chemistry.
Alec Beaumont.   Latin.
VI Lower.  Alan E. Brown, Wendy P. Renshaw.
VI Upper.   J. Keith Walker, J. Michael Dean, Kathleen M. Appleyard.

Prizes presented by the Chairman of the Governors.
Head Boy—Peter Jaggar.     Head Girl—Kathleen M. Appleyard.
Samuel Walker Memorial Prizes—John N. Wood, Gwyneth M. Williams.
The William Todd Mathematics Prize—J. Keith Walker.
The E. M. Young Prize for the Spoken Word—Rachel A. Hirst.
The Geoffrey Stead Prize—J. Michael Dean.
Physical Training Prizes—Roger Sykes, Margaret E. Peace.
Games Prizes—Donald Wroe, Kathleen M. Appleyard.
Swire Trophy (Sports)—Priestley House.
Balme Trophy (Games)—Thorpe House.

This year's choice for the school play was undeniably an unusual and ambitious one for an amateur dramatic group. It was an Italian fairy tale by Carlo Gozzi, translated by Frederick May of Leeds University and presented in the School Hall on March 3rd, 5th and 6th.

The casting of the play was complicated, to say the least. The king and Prime Minister had to look alike in build and features, because when the king's spirit passed into the stag's body the Prime Minister's spirit was transferred into the king's body.
After a rather slow start the play livened up on the appearance of Truffledino (A. H. Alderson) and Smeraldina (Marie Sinclair), an effective comic pair who added personal touches to both actions and dialogue. Truffledino, on finding an outsize spider on his knee, disposed of it by throwing it into the audience.

Blackouts, used at the end of some of the scenes, added atmosphere and saved the actors the ordeal of the "curtain" though it was sometimes rather difficult stumbling about the stage in darkness, groping frantically for a certain stool or table and hoping nobody would whisper "lights" before you were ready. Certain changes of scenery also took place with the actors on stage and it is most disconcerting for those near the back to know that, unless they placed themselves carefully, the palace of Serandip or perhaps even the city of Serandip would descend mercilessly on to their heads.

Those taking part were Gwyneth M. Williams (Angela), Frances A. Hepworth (Clarice), D. Ambler (King Denamo), D. Brook (Tartaglia), D. Williams (Pantaloon), K. Armitage (Bugella), R. Martindale (Leandro), B. Shaw (Storyteller), and P. Brook, A. Fearnley and I. Walker (Guards). Some mention should be made of a silent yet very important member of the cast—the statue (G. Jokl). Master Jokl possesses that virtue usually lack­ing in youngsters of his age, the ability to keep still.

The moral of the play was based on a very old theme—the ultimate triumph of good over evil, with the help of superhuman influences. The evil Prime Minister was rewarded for his doings by being changed into a monster, thus giving the play a satisfactory finale.

The "flora and fauna" stole a great deal of the limelight. I wonder how many people guessed that the voice of the talking stag was that of the old man lying dead on the ground. The parrot-magician (D. Shaw), gave a life­like impression but it was the bear (M. Elliott) who succeeded in giving the most hilarious performance. The scenery painted by Mr. Eykin drew great praise from everyone who saw it, the Arabian Night-like setting of the city being both realistic and picturesque.

Miss Jeffery and Miss Sheard maintained their usual high standard with the wardrobe, even though they had to start from scratch. Effects and lighting were completely handled by J. N. Wood, and the prompter was Gwendoline R. Brown.

The difficulties of production would have driven any inexperienced producer to despair but our veteran producer, Mr. Evans, never lost heart and he shouted, pleaded, threatened and coaxed until he got exactly what he wanted, thus ensuring first class entertainment for all concerned.

F.A.H.