Extracts from "The Tower"

EDITORIAL

THIS is the second of our school magazines and we hope that it will become a regular and welcomed publication. Although we experienced certain "teething troubles" in the first edition, by all accounts it was extremely successful. The editorial staff sincerely hopes that this, our second attempt at producing a concise yet readable account of school life, will be equally well received.

The prime purpose of the magazine is to give an account of the School's achievements during the school year. The magazine, however, has been liberally sprinkled with humour, but the serious sections take precedence.

Although this magazine is not a first edition, a great deal of work has been necessary in its compilation. Special thanks are due to Mr. Crick who has supervised the publication and advised the editors. Mr. Bennett has also been untiring in his suggestions and has helped to obtain the advertisements which are the " life-blood" of " The Tower" and we would like to thank Mr. Adams once again for his cover design which will become a familiar sight identifying our magazine.

At this point, the subject of the magazine - the Northampton Technical High School - deserves more detailed mention. The last school magazine complained of a lack of interest in House activities.  During this year, however, a great deal more enthusiasm has been shown. This is largely due to Mr. Grimshaw and Mr. Gibson who have encouraged numerous sporting tournaments, and also to increased sportsmanship throughout the school. Miss Rudling has also helped to increase the interest of the girls in their various House competitions.

The School's academic achievements have surmounted those of every preceding year. Many more G.C.E. " 0 " level passes have been gained by sixth as well as fifth and fourth year pupils. The Sixth Form has grown considerably since the last edition and now includes over seventy pupils. The total number of school members has also risen to approximately 730. G.C.E. " A " level passes are also rising and many pupils are leaving the Sixth Form with three or more " A " level subjects to their credit.

Another Prefects' Dance was held in December due to the previous one's success. £25 from the takings was contributed to the World Refugee Year funds. The dance was an even greater success than its predecessor and the floor was literally packed with couples. Dancing classes were held during the Autumn and Spring Terms and a Grand Dance was organised at the end of the Spring Term. Following the previous year's play and concert, which were hailed as a great success, another concert and play were staged at Christmas. This production was equally successful and attracted a large audience.

We welcome the new members of the Staff who joined the School this year. We hope they will spend many happy years teaching at the School. These new members are: Mr. Burgess, Mr. Houghton, Mr. Roe, Mr. Hogg, Mr. Hammond, Mrs. Hogg, Mrs. Watson and Mrs. Powell-Smith. Those who left during the last school year-Miss Clothier, Miss Clews, Mrs. Wrigley Mr. Gilkes, Mr. Mathias, Dr. Chater, Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Matthews-receive the best wishes of the magazine editors, in their new posts. We are grateful for the assistance of the following during the past school year in apart-time capacity: Mrs. Delahunty, Mr. Meadows, Rev. Campbell, Rev. Holley and Canon Robinson.

THE SCHOOL CONCERT .

THE second concert by pupils of the School opened with the School Choir singing " Torch of Truth " and " Flowers in the Valley." These songs provided a very fitting beginning to the concert.

Gordon Bromage (2A) then demonstrated his abilities as a pianist. This was followed by some more singing; this time by a choir consisting of lst year pupils. I thought these young performers did surprisingly well and the audience obviously thought so, too.

The programme then turned to dancing: firstly, by the 1st and 2nd year girls and then by the 4th year girls. They performed a series of folk dances and the younger male section of the audience almost became hysterical in its enthusiasm. 1 suppose they must, be authorities on folk dancing!

Then Trevor Peploe (2A) sang "I love all gracious things".  This was another polished performance. The first half of the programme finished with two more songs by the choir, this time by the 2nd year section.

After the interval, there was more dancing to be seen, but of a different nature from the folk dances of the first half of the programme. The dance was entitled "The Sea Triumph " and was performed by some 2,nd and 3rd year girls to parts of the music of the "St. Antony Variations" by Brahms. It was a very good performance.

This dance was followed by a duet in which Trevor Peploe (2A)and Vaughan Meakins (2B) demonstrated their excellent singing abilities.  The school orchestra then played three items by Haydn and Mozart. These items were typical of all the others in being well rehearsed and consequently, as before, a very polished performance was the result.

After the play - which is dealt with elsewhere in this magazine - the school choir, augmented by some members of the Staff and 5^th and 6th year boys, sang two pieces for mixed chorus: "Lullaby" and "The Dance" from Elgar's "From the Bavarian Highlands".  Finally, choir, orchestra and audience joined in singing two carols: "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing", and "0 Come All Ye Faithful".  The accompanist was Mr. C. W. Wilson, the Deputy Headmaster o fJohn Clare Secondary Modern School.

All thanks are due to Miss Rudling and Mr. Chesters for training the performers, and also to the performers themselves who worked so hard to put on a very good show.

Hautboy

PRIZE LIST, 1960

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