Middle 5 Pupil, Adara Gurney, Shares Her Basketball Achievements
July 1, 2024
Norwich School celebrates the achievements of pupils from both in and outside of their school life. Middle 5 pupil, Adara Gurney is a very skilled basketball player and has also started coaching as well as officiating. She also received young official of the year at her Basketball Club Iceni for her coaching of their under 11s team. Recently, Adara was selected and represented Norfolk in regional under 15s England Basketball association tournament. Adara talks about her love of basketball below;
1) How long have you played Basketball?
I have played since I was six years old in the under 10 team.
2) Where did your love of Basketball begin?
My mum plays basketball with her friends which inspired me along with their daughters and we all play together. Also I watch the WNBA and NBA players play on tv.
3) What do you love about the sport?
I love being part of a team which is like my second family. More specifically the skills needed to play the game from offense to defence.
4) What are the challenges of coaching Basketball?
The challenges are finding skills for everyone, especially at a younger age, the players are different levels so you have to test everyone which can be difficult. I also find controlling young kids and keeping them engaged is really difficult.
5) How often do you play? Who do you play for?
I play four times a week usually. I play for 3 different teams; Norfolk Iceni basketball club in their under sixteen national league team, Wildcats ladies team in the local league and the Norfolk squad.
6) In what ways is playing different to coaching?
Playing focuses of the skills and set up of the games where as coaching you have to look at a whole team and aspects of the game from what play you want to use to which players are ok court and which need to go on.
7) What would you say to anyone who is considering coaching Basketball?
I would say definitely do it! It to inspires younger players to learn more about the game which could also better your understanding and playing of the game.
8) Do you have any future aspirations in Basketball?
I would like to coach a team in an older age group as they are more difficult and challenging. I would also love to get a scholarship for basketball in America.
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In a heartwarming event that beautifully showcased the spirit of community and compassion, the children of Lower 1 and Upper 1 were invited to perform in the Hostery for a group of refugees supported by English+ - a cause proudly championed by the school. The young performers sang with poise and joy, delivering a delightful repertoire that included Summertime, My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music, The Body Song , and Wizards of the Sun from the infant musical, Wiz Wham Alakazam. Their voices filled the space with warmth and energy, captivating a supportive and engaged audience. The performance was met with enthusiastic applause and heartfelt appreciation. It was a moving experience for all involved, highlighting the power of music to bring people together across cultures and experiences. Following the musical presentation, the children of Lower 1 shared pots of herbs they had lovingly grown as part of their Outdoor Learning programme. These thoughtful gifts were received with smiles and gratitude, adding a personal and meaningful touch to the occasion. This special event not only brought joy to the guests but also offered the children a valuable opportunity to connect with others through creativity, kindness, and shared humanity. It was a truly memorable performance for the school and a wonderful moment for the charity.
The final notes of an unforgettable year of solo performances rang out in spectacular style last week as the Lower School's Lower 2–Upper 2 Informal Concert delighted audiences with a vibrant showcase of musical talent. From start to finish, the concert was a joyful celebration of the passion, creativity, and skill our young performers have nurtured throughout the year. The programme offered a rich variety of music, featuring everything from classical masterworks to rock anthems—each piece performed with confidence and flair. Highlights included a powerful rendition of Green Day on the drums, stirring Tchaikovsky melodies on the cello, and a cinematic performance of The Great Escape on the French horn. Meanwhile, Godzilla roared to life on the guitar, thrilling listeners with its energy and intensity. Both instrumentalists and vocalists shone, each bringing their unique voice and style to the evening. Whether it was a delicate piano solo, a heartfelt vocal performance, or a lively brass fanfare, every moment captured the enthusiasm and hard work of our performers. The audience’s joy was palpable throughout the concert. With smiles, applause, and more than a few proud tears from family and friends, the hall was filled with warmth and appreciation—a fitting atmosphere to close out a fantastic year of musical exploration and achievement. As we wrap up this season of informal concerts, we extend a heartfelt thank you to our visiting music teachers for their guidance, to the performers for their courage and commitment, and to our families for their unwavering support. The future of music in the Lower School is undoubtedly bright, and we can’t wait to hear what comes next.
Following the redesign of our Upper 3 Service Award into the new Virtues Award( to reflect our school’s refreshed focus on core virtues) we held a vibrant exhibition at the Lower School on Thursday 5 June. The pupils embraced the opportunity with real enthusiasm. The hall was transformed into a hub of creativity and intellect, as pupils set up posters, experiments, collections of curiosities, and engaging presentations. Each class took a turn standing proudly by their exhibits, while their peers moved around the room asking questions, exploring ideas, and discovering new and fascinating facts. Topics ranged from crystal growth and atomic structure to the mechanics behind video game design and coding. Other highlights included models of WWII Anderson shelters and thought-provoking investigations into graffiti as art and social commentary. It was a fantastic afternoon filled with learning, inspiration, and the spirit of curiosity; an excellent reflection of the virtue of curiosity we continually champion.
Ellie Thwaites represented Norwich School in the Youth Nationals in Wales. To celebrate her success in this competition and in sailing as a whole, we asked her a few questions. How long have you been sailing? I have been sailing for my whole life, I learnt to sail in my optimist on Wroxham Broad. I sailed that for about 3 years, then I moved into the topper 4.2, and began traveling regionally and nationally to compete. I was in the 4.2 for about 3 years, then I moved into the topper 5.3 (which is a bigger rig) I sailed in this rig for 2-3 years, of which I became eastern region champion in my final year. I then moved into the ilca4 which I have only recently moved out of, I am now in the ILCA 6, I have competed in two competitions so far in the 6, one of which was the British Youth Nationals. What do you enjoy about sailing? I love how competitive it can be, and also how much freedom you have. Out on the water you have to be very self sufficient since you are out there for 4-5 hours per day. You get to connect with nature, being out in the waves, you see so many animals, like jelly fish, dolphins, seals. Do you take part in any other sports in school? I mainly take part in rowing at school, as it builds my fitness for sailing. I really enjoy it and the training really helps me improve my fitness. I love the competitive factor in rowing, and I love how you are pushing yourself to the max, I am quite a competitive person, so this drives me! How has Norwich School supported you in your sailing? All of my sailing and rowing coaches have been extremely supportive in my sailing journey. Norwich school has helped me by allowing me to leave school to go to events such as these and training, they have helped me with managing my work loads, and giving me extensions. What was preparation like for the nationals? I have been training a lot over the winter, most of my weekends are spent down to the south coast, Weymouth, for training weekends in the ILCAs. How did nationals go? Nationals went very well, I came into the event with the goal of coming in the top 8. But I was going to take it as a learning event, as I have only competed in the boat twice. The first day was very windy and big waves, these were good conditions for me, and lead to me coming off the water with some good results on day one. This consistency continued throughout the event, with mainly 4ths, 3rds, 2nds, 1sts. This meant that by the medal race I was in 2nd place. However my medal race didn’t go as I wanted it to, leading me to come 3rd overall. I was super happy with this result, I learnt lots about the boat and about the venue. All in all it was a very successful week. What are your future hopes in sailing? Eventually I want to make it to the Olympics, that is my end goal. What would you say to anyone who wants to get involved with sailing? Go try it!! You will learn so much and it is such an enjoyable sport, and life skill! Norwich sailing is so welcoming, and is for all skill levels.
On 29th May 2025 we were delighted to welcome back on site the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) for the next in their impressive series of lectures in the Blake Studio, their principal hub site for the eastern region. It was a particularly inspiring return. Veteran campaigner Sir Jonathon Porritt CBE was our speaker for an evening of thought-provoking, intelligent commentary on the state of our fragile planet. Jonathon is a name familiar to many, having been a powerful advocate of Friends of the Earth and the Green Party in a long career of political and ecological activism. To a large audience of RGS members, environmentalists, local politicians, pupils, parents, staff and alumni, our speaker did not pull his punches when reflecting on over 50 years of environmental campaigning. In a data-driven and passionate address he exposed what he perceived to be abject multi-generational global failures to address the desperate plight of our planet. He touched on such diverse issues as: population explosion and rainforest destruction; access to birth control and fertility; plastic pollution and economic drivers of the oil industry; climate change and the dangers of rampant capitalism. His journey took us to some cheerless places, but Jonathon reminded us that, as Dr Martin Luther King said in his final speech in 1968 before his assassination: “I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” He concluded with positive, personal reflections garnered from years’ worth of public engagement which confirmed that people (especially young people) were desperate for change and often had broadly similar views of what they wanted to see done differently. In a stark message to global democracies, he stated that voters had the valuable privilege of holding the power to change the status quo, one that, in his opinion, needed a radical reset. Consequently, he had been buoyed by the upending of traditional party politics evidenced by the 2025 local elections. He was also at pains to point out the huge potential of green energy to be a driver for global economic growth. Jonathon was very generous with his time answering questions from a knowledgeable and engaged audience for an hour afterwards, leaving us all much to ponder on. The local RGS is now off for their summer break but has generated a compelling programme of on-site talks for the autumn. Details will be published on their website - Upcoming events - RGS - once dates are confirmed. We are extremely grateful to the dynamic James Firebrace and his RGS team for bringing to site this year an eclectic programme of lectures on varied topics such as: African species under threat from climate change; the future of rewilding; fragile coral reefs; treasured urban commons; and the sultry delights of the French Riviera ('A sunny place,' said Somerset Maugham, 'for shady people') delivered by engaging subject specialists from around the country, as well as hosting their annual pupil micro-lecture evening last autumn. Thanks also go to our loyal and supportive audiences who enjoyed being with us throughout the year.
The children in Lower 1 and Upper 1 took to the stage at The Blake Studio to perform their rendition of the magical and enchanting musical production, Wiz Wham Alakazam to parents, grandparents and residents of The Great Hospital. In this enchanting production, the young wizards of Sun Castle faced a day like no other. One moment the sun was shining brightly over the castle, and the next it mysteriously became dimmer. The resident wizards were thrown into chaos as the Chief Wizard led the spell-casters on an adventure to bring back the light. With plenty of magic spells, and just a sprinkle of disorder, the story unfolded with excitement, charm, and laughter. From the very first scene, the children lit up the stage with confident line delivery and infectious enthusiasm. Each child played their part, whether it was casting spells, performing gymnastic and dance routines, or helping find the important but oldest Spell Book. The Ice Creatures made a dramatic entrance – eerie and impressive – with expressive performances that added just the right touch of tension. Musical numbers such as "Teamwork", "Ice Creatures", and the "Wizards of the Sun" showcased the children’s growing talent in both singing and acting. All the songs were performed with energy, clarity, and joy. The production was a celebration of creativity and teamwork, with every young performer contributing to the magic. Wiz Wham Alakazam was a joyful, spellbinding success — packed with music, movement, mystery and the unforgettable charm of Sun Castle’s youngest stars. Mrs Barclay commented "The children have worked so hard to learn their lines and songs and I am very proud of their performances. It has been a delight working with this group of passionate and talented children."
This year's Children's Yoga Community Service group had great fun creating a yoga class for nursery and reception-aged children based on Julia Donaldson's book 'Superworm'. L6 pupils Uliana Bielova, Thomas Chester and Lizzie Taylor were later joined by Chloe Holmes and visited White House Farm Primary School, Magdalen Gates Primary School, our own Lower School reception class as well as four Once Upon a Time nurseries. They were greeted with lots of enthusiasm from the children and teachers/carers alike. The yoga lessons were fun, interactive and had everyone smiling! The pupils themselves learned a variety of skills from lesson planning and working with children to public speaking and how to do yoga! They worked well as a team and got a lot out of the experience, as Lizzie Taylor explains: '‘I absolutely loved teaching kids yoga! Children are like natural bursts of serotonin, I always came back to school feeling happy.’
Congratulations to Lower Sixth pupils Nicholas and Kwame on their outstanding international sporting achievements this term, proudly representing Great Britain and England in Rowing and Rugby respectively. Nicholas has enjoyed a remarkable year, consistently delivering impressive performances at various GB U19 Rowing Trials. At the Spring Trial Regatta in April, he secured an excellent second place in the Pairs event, earning selection for the GB U19 Rowing Team. Competing at the Munich International Regatta, Nicholas helped the team win silver in the coxless four and double gold in the eight, triumphing over strong international competition. He will now progress to Crew Formation in July, where final selections will be made for the U19 World and European Championships. Kwame, a key member of the Boys’ 1st XV since Upper Fifth, was invited to the England U17 training camp held at Hartpury earlier this term. In a match against a university side, he made a strong impression by scoring in a victory for the national team. Kwame also continues to play a vital role in the Leicester Tigers U18 Academy side. We are incredibly proud of both Nicholas and Kwame for these exceptional accomplishments and look forward to following their continued success in the year ahead.
We heard on the grapeVINE (!) that our own Head of Music for the Lower School, Mr Vine, is starting his very own chamber orchestra, so we caught up with him to find out more... How did the idea of a Norfolk Chamber Orchestra come about? For me, the perfect ensemble is a small group creating Chamber music. I love its intimacy, feel, vibe and with the right musicians you can ignite something truly special. I decided a couple of years ago that Suffolk needed a really cool string ensemble, so I set up Suffolk Chamber Orchestra and we have just given our debut concert in Aldeburgh at the Jubilee Hall, where once the great Benjamin Britten stood and performed. And I thought, why just have one orchestra! So, I also created the Norfolk Chamber Orchestra. Both groups are string ensembles, and both feature incredible local players (some ex-London professionals who now live here and some outstanding local musicians that I've taken 4 years to find) How long have you been playing music/singing? What is your musical history? My musical background started at the age of 4, I asked for a violin and that has stayed with me for my whole life. I have been very fortunate to have been able to play with every major orchestra in London and across the UK including Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic, City of London Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Sinfonia of London, BBC National Orchestra of Wales to name but a few. I then got into recording and session work and have worked, toured and recorded with a lot of high-profile artists such as Madonna, Oasis, Paul Weller, David Gray, Kylie, Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, Take That, Robbie Williams and more. I've also enjoyed working closely with underground artists such as Pressure Drop, Fabio and Grooverider, Tipper and Goldie. What kind of music does the orchestra perform? Is there any way we can listen to it? At the moment the Norfolk Chamber Orchestra is just getting started and our debut concert will be on the 21st June at the Octagon Chapel in Norwich which is a really beautiful venue. Part of our plan is to champion beautiful Norfolk venues, and this is a great one to start with. It will a concert inspired by the coming of night called 'Nachtmusik' and will feature music by Mozart, Borodin, Dvorak and a UK Premiere by Eric Whitacre of 'Sleep' arranged for String ensemble. The concert will start at 7pm and will be for 1 hour and under 12's get in free! The link for tickets is here > Norfolk Chamber Orchestra - Norwich Octagon NACHT MUSIK at Octagon Chapel event tickets from TicketSource How often do you rehearse? How does this work with your work schedule at the school? Because of how brilliant the players are, we will rehearse on the day of the concert, unless we're doing something very contemporary or new. I am the leader and director which means I have to know everything that everyone is playing as there is no conductor - another great thing about having a chamber orchestra! Everyone is together, it's a collaborative feeling. A lot of our concerts will be at weekends, so it balances nicely with my work schedule at Norwich School. Who do you think has been your greatest musical influence? Why? I feel very lucky to have met some incredible musicians throughout my life. It's not necessarily the ones who are the best musically, but I love the ones who have the best stories! I spent some time with Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend from The Who and also Robert Plant and Jimmy Page from Led Zepplin. In terms in inspiring figures, they are up there - and you can imagine the stories! Also remember having a very long night with Tom and Ed ( Chemical Brothers ) at the Cobden Club in London. They wanted to talk about the intricacies of Baroque music and Bach's influence on everything! I then went back to their studio, and they played me the demo of Galvanise! Crazy!
