The Ruthinian 1 - Ruthin School

The Ruthinian 1

The Ruthinian 2 

Students 

Qualifications 

Report for the Year 2009-10 Volume XXV No 2 

The public examinations results were eagerly awaited 

and at A level the performance of Year 13 set new 

standards and saw the School rise rapidly up the league 

tables published by the Daily Telegraph. This year the 

School has had great success, achieving its best ever 

results. It rose in the league tables from 382 nd in 2007 to 

107 th in 2010. This is the School’s position when 

compared to over 500 Independent Schools - including 

Co-educational, Boys only and Girls only - but excluding 

schools with fewer than 25 candidates. The Times 

published Ruthin School’s ranking as 49 th within the Coeducational 

Schools section. 

The School posted a hugely impressive percentage of A*- 

A grades – 58.06%; (the A* grade was introduced for the 

first time this year to reward students who had gained over 

90% in their Y13 A2 modules, thus enabling universities to differentiate between those who had an A – in 

excess of 80% – and those who were exceptional). 

Both The Daily Telegraph and The Times calculate ranking by looking at the % A*-A achieved from 

all possible grades. Previous league tables looked at %A-B, so this year the rankings are much more 

competitive. The overall points score per candidate stands at 380 (A*- 140 points; A -120; B -100; 

C - 80; D - 60; E - 40) in excess of 3 grade As – clearly the School’s best ever results – being 80 

points higher than the previous best achieved in 2008. 

Ruthin School did particularly well this year in the percentage of 

A* achieved from all possible grades, and for this, it was ranked 15th 

by the Independent Schools Council. 

The students delivered 34% of their 

grades at A* compared to a national 

figure of 7%. The outstanding 

performance was achieved by Saakar 

Byahut with gained five A*s - in 

Maths, Further Maths, Further Maths 

Additional, Physics, and Chemistry; 

Bill Zhang scored 4 A*s and both he 

and Saakar gained places at 

Bill Zhang 

Saakar Byahut


Cambridge to read Natural Sciences and Mathematics respectively. Britta Tarvis and Chau Vo gained 

places at Cambridge to read English Literature and Natural Sciences respectively. Nearly all the students 

gained access to the university of their choice - including many of the Russell Group ( which represents 20 

leading UK universities committed to maintaining the very best research, an outstanding teaching and 

learning experience and unrivalled links with business and the public sector – such as Bristol, Imperial, 

London School of Economics, Warwick, King’s College, Nottingham, and University College London). 

These achievements have to be set against a background of a very difficult year given the large number of 

students nationally applying in addition to the large number who did not gain a place last year and have reapplied. 

University courses students gained access 

to include: Bangor University 

(Accounting & Finance, Geography); 

Bowdoin College Maine USA 

(Economics); University of Bristol 

(Mechanical Engineering); University of 

Cambridge (Mathematics, English, 

Natural Sciences); University College 

London (Economics); The Hong Kong 

University of Science & Technology 

( Biochemistry); Imperial College London 

(Electrical & Electronic Engineering); Jordan 

University of Science & Technology 

(Pharmacy); Keele University (Creative 

Computing); King’s College London (Law); 

Leeds Metropolitan University (History); 

London School of Economics (Philosophy & Economics); Manchester Metropolitan University (Events 

Management); Manchester School of Art (Art & Design); University of Warwick (Economics, Mathematics 

& Statistics)); Williams College Maine USA (Science); University of York (Chemistry); York St John 

University (Primary Education). 

In Year 12 there were some outstanding performances which bode well for the future; Antoine Zhang set 

the standard, scoring 599/600 in Mathematics. 

In comparison with schools in the locality of Ruthin, the performance of Ruthin 

School is very strong especially in the ranking by percentage A*, where the 

School lies second only to Concord College by 3 percentage points and at least 

10 percentage points ahead of our closest rival. The situation is similar in overall 

ranking of A*/As, with the School acquitting itself extremely well in comparison 

with the more selective schools. 

GCSE results, published this year on a Tuesday, were keenly anticipated for a 

host of reasons. Not least was the wide ability range of the students – there 

were excellent pupils, some who struggled to overcome a range of learning 

difficulties and others who took a long time to realise that they had any 

responsibility for their destinies. In the end the outcomes were in many cases 

Ru Kerrigan better than anticipated, with some were impressive performances. Ruairidh 

Kerrigan delivered 8 A*s, 1 A and 2 Bs, and Lorna Drake produced 4 A*s, 

4 As and 1 B. Several students exceeded their and our expectations given the difficulties they had to


contend with during the course. Several gained excellent 

value added scores achieving grades in excess of those 

predicted by a test sat in Year Ten and administered by the 

CEM Centre at Durham University. Overall, the pass 

grades A*-C stand at 75% with 64% of the cohort gaining 

5 or more grades A*-C and impressively the same 

percentage gaining 5 A*-C (including one English and one 

Maths qualification). Most students can add to their suite 

of passes the BTEC in Public Services administered and 

studied through the CCF. With most students taking these 

subjects achieving top grades the results stand comparison 

with previous years more so when the spread of ability, is 

taken into consideration; for with nearly 60% of the cohort 

being defined as in bands C and D (of 4 bands A-D) it 

was the widest spread since theSchool started using the 

YELLIS test in 2000. Chemistry, DT, Geography and 

Mathematics results were particularly impressive this year. 

The Year 10 students also received their module results 

for the first part of their 

GCSEs. These results 

were excellent 

and forecast another 

good set of GCSEs next 

year. 

Students also undertake 

the important English 

Speaking Board 

examinations – which at 

Sixth-form level can be used to 

gain points for university 

entrance and in some cases can 

make the difference between 

being accepted or rejected for 

a place. The examination is 

approached from the initial 

stages of the Prep School and it 

is very gratifying to see the 

progress students make. 

Particularly pleasing is to see the 

youngster who has struggled to 

come to terms with the 

examination which is conducted 

in front of the candidates peers, a visiting examiner and the candidate’s teacher. Additionally, in Year 11 the 

performance makes a contribution to the overall coursework component. Results this year were impressive


in so many areas of the school with each year group averaging in the region of 30% of the performances 

at the Distinction level. 

Mathematicians performed exceptionally well in the UK Maths Challenge, which leads on to the Maths 

Olympiad. This very demanding test attracts some 10,000 entries nationally, at senior level. The School 

had 28 entries with 15 gaining gold 

medals, the best performances 

being by Martin Wu who gained 

full marks. The best performing 

students then move on to the British 

Maths Olympiad, which has around 

UK Mathematicians - Seniors 

1300 entries. Of these the top 25% receive distinctions and the top 

100 receive medals. The School saw six of its students gain 

distinctions and two of these received medals - Matin Wu a Bronze 

and Bill Zhang, who goes on to read Maths at Cambridge, a 

Prep School Mathematicians 

silver. Younger members of the School are also involved in this 

competition. This year Tomas Hill was the best performer in the 

senior part of the Prep School, gaining a silver medal; Ruairidh Kerrigan delivered a similar performance 

in Year 11, as did Dae Yeob Keum in Year 10. 

Achievements 

There are times when the successes of our pupils do not fall neatly into one of the category headings. 

The following provide a flavour or the range of interests and achievements of students. One of the most 

interesting is Should the BNP be banned? Ahead of the controversial appearance of the BNP on BBC’s 

Question Time, the Sixth-form debating group travelled to Elfed School to participate in the NE Wales 

Debating Championship featuring schools from Elfed, Prestatyn, Deeside, Dinas Bran and Hawarden. The 

two speakers from Ruthin – Viet Nguyen and 

Saakar Byahut from Vietnam and Nepal – had been 

given the challenging task of opposing the motion 

that ‘the BNP should be banned from any public 

platform’. This was one of the four debates in the 

afternoon and the two students who had been 

preparing their arguments for a number of weeks 

performed admirably, winning the floor debate. The 

decision made by CEWC on the best team was 

judged on its style, strategy and rebuttal. Although 

the two speakers did not win they agreed that it had 

been a very nerve-wracking but valuable experience. 

Head of Sixth Form Kath Goodey, who accompanied 

the students, said that there had been lots of good,


heated debate from the floor and the students gave a creditable account of themselves against some strong 

opposition. 

Former student Jonnie Jones has undergone training prior to entering Sandhurst following a super 

performance in the BAR tests. He has joined the REME (TA) 119 Recovery Battalion based at Prestayn 

and undertook his phase 1 training at Donnington learning to be a soldier before Sandhurst. He passed the 

demanding tests with distinction and has moved on to the next phase; many of his contemporaries on the 

course did not complete this phase. 

Year 12 chemists Martin Wu, Jessie Cheng, Fanfan Meng , Ingrid Romero de Jager , Bethany 

Hunt and Antoine Zhang were among 100 pupils from North Wales and the North West of England 

who accepted the invitation to synthesise aspirin at the School of Chemistry in Bangor University. 

They took part in ChemPharma. The multi-step synthesis was particularly challenging since they 

only had a couple of hours to get the job done and also check the purity of their product against 

commercially available samples. The experiment set was similar to one of the experiments conducted by 

first year undergraduates. Although it was not a competitive event the Ruthin School team shone through 

with their competent approach and were the only school to finish all of the tasks. The day was concluded 

with a lecture about the career opportunities available to chemistry graduates and students were surprised 

to see that most vocations were outside the chemical industry! 

The same group attended a workshop in the lab and a presentation from Dr Gareth Jenkins, director of 

projects at AMRI, the American pharmaceuticals giant, about the role chemists play in getting drugs to 

market. On the second day Dr Robert Nash of Phytoquest gave a presentation on the discovery of new 

medicines from plants and micro-organisms. The aim of the event was to give students an understanding of 

how the pharmaceuticals are made and also an insight into the amount of analysis and testing work that 

goes on before a drug can be made available to the public.


Christiana Halliday and brother Will (a former student) embarked on the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge. 

For Christiana this was a new experience and she thoroughly enjoyed the demanding on board experience 

involving an Atlantic crossing from Nova Scotia to Belfast. Both were on Europa and with the other 11 

vessels raced across the Atlantic. 50% of each vessel’s crew must be between ages 15 and 25 and the 

event involves being at sea for three to four weeks, living in close 

proximity with each other and finding strengths they were not aware 

of. They disembarked knowing more about themselves and having 

grown in confidence. Christiana is wanting to repeat the experience 

next year following completion of her A levels. 

Staff 

This was a very unusual year given the changes in staffing and roles 

covered. At the start of the academic year we welcomed Mr Davies, 

back from his travels to Australia; he returned to the PE department 

and became a boarding tutor in Gladstone under Dr Hannant. Wynne 

was looked after by Mrs Bland and Ms Brodzinska and the new House, Ellis, located at the eastern end 

of the main building, with an outpost in Orchard House, was under the direction of Ms Morley with Ms 

Zhao as her assistant. 

On the academic front we welcomed Mrs Ellison who returned to Ruthin to teach maths especially in Key 

Stages three/four, and to assist the Head with the increasingly demanding role of examinations officer. New 

colleagues featured in a number of departments to cope with the increased student numbers – especially in 

the Sixth Form. In maths Mr Jones took over the management of the department and the teaching was 

covered by Mr Godfrey and Ms Zhao, who also taught Mandarin. In the Geography department Mrs 

Kenworthy joined the team, and Biology welcomed Ms Elliott. 

As part of the restructuring, Mr Belfield assumed the role of Vice-Principal with day to day responsibility 

for the management of the School with Mr Welsby as 

Head of the Senior School and the Head assumed the 

title of Principal. In November he and Mrs Rowlands 

announced that they would be retiring at the end of the 

academic year after 17 years association with the School. 

The Council of Management appointed Toby Belfield 

to succeed him with effect from September 2010. At 

the end of the Autumn term Mr McGibbon left to take 

up a post in Saudi Arabia; his role as Head of the Prep 

School was taken up by Mrs Ellison. Also announcing 

his intention to retire was Mr Triggs who had given over 

16 years excellent service to the DT department as the 

technician; he had also undertaken a range of 

commissions for the School where his joinery skills 

remain much in evidence. Mr Triggs was also 

instrumental in supporting, with his many skills, the 

School musicals, and has introduced numerous students 

to the thrills of sailing, initially through the CCF and later 

Toby Belfield 

supporting the younger members of the School who were getting their first experiences of sailing on Llyn 

Aled.


Mr Hamer, Mrs Duffy, Mr McGibbon 

Mrs Ellison 

Mr Triggs


The academic year ended with a number of departures. Mr Jones left 

to take up a post in the education department at Bangor University – 

inspiring the next generation of Maths teachers. He is replaced by Mr 

French who returns to the School as Head of Maths. Mr Godfrey 

moves to Queen’s School to be replaced by Dr Green and Mrs Owen 

replaces Ms Elliott who moves to 

Llandrillo College. 

Ms Elliott 

Mr Jones 

Ms Warburton 

Mr Godfrey 

In the Prep School Ms Warburton decided to take a break from teaching 

and Mrs Litman replaces Mrs Rowlands as Head of the Pre-Prep section. 

With the changing dynamic in boarding a number of changes have been set in 

train for next year. Ms Morley assumes the post of Head of Boarding – 

developing responses to the Care Standards in Wales who inspected boarding 

in January – and she moves to take over the running of Wynne. Mr and Mrs Bland move from Wynne to 

assume the helm in Gladstone where Ms Rimmer takes over as resident tutor from Mr Davies, who has 

stepped down from boarding in order to spend more time on the sports and PE. Dr Hannant and family 

move into main school to take charge of Ellis. 

Judy Salt 

On the non-academic 

side two new secretaries 

joined the staff at the start 

of the academic year – 

Sarah Edwards as school 

secretary and Judy Salt 

as receptionist. During 

the Spring term Mrs 

Kenworthy went on 

maternity leave and we 

were delighted to hear of 

the safe arrival of Harry. 

In the summer break Mr 

and Mrs Sammons 

reported the birth of their 

first child – a son – James. 

Sarah Edwards


Stuart Morris (left) - 

25 years of service 

A number of milestones were celebrated during the year: estates 

manager Stuart Morris completed his 25 th year of service at the 

School, where he has been hugely important in many of the 

changes that have taken place. His ability to see the impact of a 

proposed change has been very helpful in reducing the disruption 

and needless expenditure. He has been at the forefront of the 

major developments the School has undertaken : the Science 

block, Indoor Games Room, Gladstone, the Sports Hall, and 

Conference Room, in addition to the many internal changes in 

boarding and classrooms . Stuart has also been a highly effective 

Health and Safety officer working closely with the Head on the 

multiplicity of issues faced by schools. Tony Dallalio celebrated 

his 60 th birthday, Ian Welsby his 50 th and Emma Eccles her 

40 th . We were saddened to hear that Dave Jones of the 

maintenance team suffered a heart attack, but thankfully he made 

a full recovery and was back at work before the end of the 

academic year. 

Birthday Milestones 

Rafa presents Tony with 

a gift from Gladstone


The catering and cleaning side of the School, undertaken by Sodexo, had an excellent year and were 

nominated for the Star Team Award due to the progress they had made in a short period of time. The team 

were represented in Swindon where a presentation was given and they were delighted to be adjudged 

winners of the Independent Schools’ category. At an individual level, Jill Lewis entered the National Salon 

Culinaire held at Ascot Racecourse, a competition which encourages competitors to showcase their talent. 

Jill came away with a silver medal – a magnificent achievement given the level of competition. 

Following the deaths of former member of staff Sally Hartley and parent Elizabeth Doran the School 

decided to mark their 

passing with a fitting 

memorial; following a 

great deal of discussion 

it was decided to plant 

two trees – initially either 

side of Fifth Porch. The 

choice of tree was left to 

our resident experts, 

Hewer and Morris and 

independently they 

arrived at the same 

conclusion – Hawthorn 

Paul’s Double Scarlet (or 

Red May) which produce a spectacular display of crimson scarlet flowers, in May followed in autumn by 

a crop of crimson berries. The service included a reading by Eleanor Dolan, who had known Sally in the 

Junior School; the Junior School Choir sang Peace Perfect Peace before Mr Hartley, Mr Doran, Ellis 

and Annabel unveiled the plaque. The Head finished the service with a fitting poem – Do not stand at my 

grave and weep.


After announcing his retirement in November the Head and Sue were touched by the kindness and good 

wishes shown by so many in their final two terms at Ruthin. They 

received hundreds of letters, cards, e-mails and many gifts; moving 

away from the focus of all their energies for the past seventeen 

years was going to be a great wrench. There were also a number 

of more formal occasions – the Council of Management meal, the 

CCF Mess event and the level of cunning and secrecy shown ahead 

of the Hill-fort Run was exemplary and culminated in an excellent 

evening led by the Sixth Form who presented John with a book of 

memories. The Old Ruthinans held a reunion in June and John was 

delighted to be presented with an Old Ruthinian tie. 

There were several leaving assemblies, one led by Orlando Yang 

and Daniel Law, which left the Head lost for words (how rare) 

and students were invited to stand on stage (no mean feat itself) 

and speak about him. Unusually he was not very communicative at 

the end! Numerous other presentations occurred, with the nonteaching 

staff, Sixth Form and individuals making an effort to say 

good bye. It was a very humbling time for both Sue and John.


Mr JP Williams - Chairman of the 

Council of Management 

At the annual Prize 

Giving, the Head 

decided to leave in 

the same manner 

as he came to the 

School – 

delivering a 

speech (which 

reflected on his 

time at Ruthin) and 

presenting the 

prizes. The Head 

said that being 

involved with Ruthin School has been demanding, at times 

exasperating, at times exhilarating, but the strength of the 

School has been its relationships – pupil and pupil, staff and pupil. He added that it had been a privilege to 

be involved with the School. Retirement would not be easy! 

Chamber Choir


Heads of School - Eleanor Dolan, Sampada KC & the Head 

Sir William Gladstone, Patron of the 

School, thanked the Head and Sue for their 

work and presented them with a cheque 

from the parents, staff and pupils and a 

bouquet. Unusually, given the level of detail 

the Head puts into organizing Prize Giving, 

he was taken aback when Mr Hamer came 

up to deliver the leaving poem (printed 

below). 

Sir William Gladstone


John & Sue Rowlands’ Leaving Poem 

So what to say, now you’re going, 

John and Sue, tears are flowing, 

Let’s look back upon your time 

At Ruthin School in flowing rhyme. 

You love your sport, John, that’s so true, 

But in tennis, Dan kept beating you. 

Like Ben, you cycle round the vale 

With Sue behind, she’s looking pale! 

She finds running that much easier, 

There’s less chance of having a seizure! 

Treating herself to the hill-fort track, 

Twenty minutes there and back! 

(That’s her target!) 

The only trouble in Christmas snow- 

She dropped a platform on her toe! 

Within a day, by light of candles, 

She was haring up the road in 

matching open-toed sandals! 

At the wonderful wedding of Anna, her daughter, 

There’s one thing that she shouldn’ta oughta, 

On her head as she balanced a fascinater, 

Her six-inch stiletto got stuck in a grater! 

She loves her trips to castles of gold, 

Surrounded by pupils just three years old. 

It wouldn’t surprise me, suitably dressed, 

She’d drag them up Mount Everest! 

Visits here, visits there, 

Risk assessments everywhere, 

Sue’s living proof that she’s no slacker, 

When she’s on the Wacker Quacker! 

John, you feared your loss of beard… 

Who’d last seen your rowing machine? 

Stolen when your back was turned, 

Trust no-one was what you learned. 

Working late into the night - 

The ghost of Gabi had a fright! 

Blasting prog rock from your room 

Revealed the dark side of your moon! 

Your long-surviving sec called Eccles 

Puts up with all your constant heckles, 

Christened ‘pie girl’s made her madder 

Than Basil Fawlty and Blackadder! 

Passion for the Hill-fort Run 

Booming from your megaphone, 

Taking photos – hey, now…steady! 

Dodgy camera at the ready. 

On stage, you are a man of danger 

Fetish as a Russian major, 

Garlic, chillies, red wine traces 

Spilling down your coloured braces. 

For acting skills, you’re well renowned, 

Your Hugh Pugh’s the talk of the town! 

With broom in hand and jangling your keys, 

You play the caretaker with ease. 

So now they’re starting a new stage of life, 

That’s John as proud husband and Sue as his wife, 

They’re grandparents now and they’ve suddenly 

found 

A new lease of life, now they’re Scarborough-bound. 

Jonathan Hamer 

Summer Term 2010


John Rowlands 

John Rowlands assumed the headship in September of 1993 and filled the post with distinction for 17 

years. He was quick to appreciate the ethos of the School, and by stressing the importance of the pastoral 

responsibilities shared by young and old alike he preserved and enhanced that ethos. His keen understanding 

of human nature well equipped him to listen sympathetically and to react effectively to all who came to him 

with their problems, as all were free to do. 

In addition to the cares of high office he found time not only to teach Geography and Psychology to A level, 

consistently producing impressive results, but also to participate actively in a wide range of pursuits. 

He led by example, taking more than his share of mundane duties such as supervision in order to lighten the 

load for his colleagues; he was in effect permanently on duty throughout term-time, and his dedication and 

attention to detail were an inspiration to students and staff alike. 

In a small school life is inevitably tough; small means that margins are stretched and planning for the future 

is inevitably constrained; a rich school has inevitably funds to fall back on, but most schools have to make 

do with a limited income and possibly a few windfalls. Over the years the standard of facilities expected 

has increased significantly. Against this background the development of facilities was a major priority and, 

over the years, thanks to excellent work by Bursars John Wilkinson and Paul Smith together with a committed 

view from the Governors, the School built new science labs, set up an indoor games room ( further 

developed into a conference room), significantly improved boarding accommodation (acquiring Gladstone 

to replace the very sub-standard Kenyon) and built a sports hall Hewer Hall, opened by the Princess 

Royal. There is still much being undertaken but to have achieved this progress has been impressive given 

the size of the School and the starting point. 

In sport John was tireless in encouraging the efforts of all, whether stars or modest but honest triers, and he 

also took part energetically whenever possible. For example he regularly played a major part in the 

organisation of the Hill-fort Run, in which he ran on many occasions – until his knees gave up the ghost – 

and raised the profile of this unique annual race to the status of a memorable event in which all sections of 

the school community – students, staff, parents, Old Ruthinians and friends – involve themselves with 

enthusiasm. He regularly accompanied school parties to watch the action at home fixtures at Goodison 

Park. Resplendent in a bright orange jacket, he could be instantly located from all quarters of the ground. 

Keith Tamlin, O.R, a director of Everton FC, always ensures that Ruthinians receive a warm welcome 

there and we greatly enjoy the cordial relationship that they have built up between Club and School. 

John is keenly aware of the value to students of fieldwork, and his Geography excursions, whether 

locally or as far afield as Iceland, were always planned to be at once as instructive and as enjoyable 

as possible. Those who shared his company on these occasions, as on the Goodison Park trips, will 

long remember his ready wit and good-natured banter with particular warmth. 

Drama was another field in which he took a particular interest. He made a number of cameo 

appearances (usually in the staff pantomime) on stage to the delight of all, and most particularly of 

those more accustomed to seeing him in more formal circumstances. Far from overshadowing the 

efforts of less experienced players, his presence served to instil confidence and enhance their 

performances. However his most significant contributions were back-stage, first building and 

instructing a team of stage hands and later stepping aside to watch the students, managed by one of 

their own number, taking a pride in carrying out these demanding and essential operations themselves.



All the world’s a stage, and in the drama of real life, too, many very important and exacting tasks are 

carried out constantly behind the scenes, often without recognition of the dedication they require. In 

schools the limelight inevitably falls mainly on academic matters, but John was always mindful that 

without the support of those who feed the troops, clean and maintain their quarters, look after their 

clothing, receive and transmit messages, determine policies, in short attend to innumerable and often 

unnoticed matters with good humour and efficiency, no community can operate effectively. By 

example and precept he encouraged all members of the School to respect one another as fellowworkers 

to a common end. 

John also worked tirelessly to establish and strengthen ties between the School and the local 

community. For example, the Rhewl Cricket Club are welcomed to treat Big Side and the Pavilion 

as the venue for their home fixtures featuring teams from U11 to adult; the Sports Hall and parking 

facilities are available as a base for clubs and other organisations to stage competitions from; members 

of the School and John himself have served as marshals on several occasions for the David Lloyd 

Mega Challenge a national cycling event, and we have similarly hosted the National Veterans Cross 

Country Championships. John was also vice-chair of Ruthin Lawn Tennis Club and entered into a 

facility share with the club allowing the School to play competitive tennis; he was also closely 

involved in the development of the tennis complex at Cae Ddol which provided excellent court 

facilities for the club and the town. John consistently encouraged the Combined Cadet Force and 

made facilities available for the use of ACF. Local schools have used the school’s facilities and the 

site and neighbouring farmland are used for the Denbighshire Schools Cross Country. Students from 

the School participate in local teams and this has increased the community’s understanding of the 

School and it pupils, who now come from 16 countries. 

His active encouragement of fund raising initiatives found fertile ground in the School; many are the 

charities, both at home and overseas, that have good reason to be grateful to our students and their 

parents and friends for donations financed by home clothes days and similar events, often organised 

by the youngsters themselves. Particularly close to his heart was the School’s sponsorship, through 

the Action Aid programme, of the education of a young child - Eluit Chebet - in a village in Uganda. 

The most eloquent testimony to John’s legacy to the School is the friendly manner, the obvious 

happiness and the positive attitude of the pupils he leaves and the loyalty of those who had the good 

fortune to study, to teach or to serve in whatever way at Ruthin School under his leadership. John 

and Sue leave us with their energy and enthusiasm still undimmed. To their family we wish a happy 

and successful future, and to John and Sue a long and happy retirement. 

Michael Hewer and colleagues 

Sue Rowlands: a tribute 

Sue took up her post soon after her husband John’s appointment as Headmaster of Ruthin School in 

the early 1990s. Initially in charge of Form 2, she finally took over as the Head of the Early Years 

Unit. Passionately believing in the importance of children learning from their natural environment, 

she organised countless trips outside school grounds. Whilst inspections have categorically - and 

rather mystifyingly - given little credence to the significant advantages, it is clear that the pupils in 

her care have benefited enormously from these experiences, gaining extra life and relevance to the 

academic study within the classroom. She managed to meld a very organised and structured approach 

with a caring and compassionate nature which gave young children an excellent grounding that cannot be


Hill-fort Run 

whatever 

the weather 

underestimated. I feel 

privileged to have 

worked alongside 

her in the Junior and 

Prep Departments 

for a significant 

number of years. I 

was given the 

(dubious!) honour to 

read one of my own 

poems in public at both the Senior and Prep Prize Giving 

days at the end of the Summer term 2010 as a lighthearted 

tribute to both John and Sue as they announced 

their retirement. I am relieved to say that they were both 

appreciative and bear me no ill will! 

Jonathan Hamer 

Deputy Headteacher 

Prep Department 

Teaching Olivia, age 3, to read 

The Prep School celebrated their achievements at their annual 

Prize Giving with Mr Duncan Triggs, also retiring after 16 years, 

chosen by the pupils as Guest of Honour. The theme of the 

afternoon was Proud and the pupils were fully involved in a medley 

of musical events prior to their formal prize giving ceremony. Mr. 

and Mrs. Rowlands were asked by the pupils to hand out the 

prizes.



Developments 

Over the year the proposal to restructure the School, first outlined in the previous year, was developed 

with its division into three – a Pre-Prep (Foundation and Year 1), Prep School from Year 2 to the end of 

Year 8, and the Senior School. The management structure changed in line with this, a Head of each school 

(Mrs Rowlands, Mrs Ellison and Mr Welsby 

respectively) having responsibility for their section. The 

overall responsibility for the whole school lay with the 

Principal (Mr Rowlands) with the Vice-Principal (Mr 

Belfield) having responsibility for the day to day 

management of the combined schools. Over the 

summer break a great deal of work had been 

undertaken creating Ellis House in the area formerly 

occupied by the English department. The former indoor 

games room became a conference centre with facilities 

for showing presentations, holding meetings, 

examinations and for boarders to watch movies. The 

Sixth-form centre - used 7 

days a week 

Conference Room 

former Sixth-form study room, common room and RSA shop 

were transformed into a much improved Sixth-form centre 

with internet access and a new social area. There were also 

considerable room changes: the Music Department moved 

to the ground floor, its previous area being taken over by the 

increasing boarding numbers; the Art room became two more 

classrooms and moved into part of the Prep School. Further 

classroom space was provided by temporary buildings in the 

vicinity of Orchard House which became boarding 

accommodation for a small number of Year 13 students who 

would enjoy a little extra independence in a halfway house 

situation in preparation for university. This significant upheaval 

was undertaken with a positive attitude by all and despite 

significant teething problems and changes the new structure 

began to settle down. All the developments were explained before and during the year to parents via the 

Parents’ Forum chaired by the Chair of the RSA, Dr Tracey Kerrigan. 

Beyond the classroom 

Games 

Given the changes the School has undergone, the problems of getting fixtures with local schools and the 

time available, it has not been possible to organise the level of fixtures seen in the past. The situation was 

exacerbated in the Spring term by the seemingly never-ending covering of snow. There were opportunities 

in a number of sports and the School continued to perform well in Rugby against local rivals King’s 

Chester, albeit playing 10-a-side. The School moved to a first half lead of 32-0 with tries from Oliver 

Collinge (2), Joseph Kim, Joseph Howard, and Raphael Huissoud. The second half was much 

closer with King’s scoring two tries to one (Troy Taylor) mainly due to some significant team substitutions


namely 3 year 11s for their debuts. The final score was 39 - 14, with special mention to Marc Ward and 

Tom Lyon who played very well and a good debut by Ashley Burrows-Brown. In a further fixture the 

School proved much too strong against a highly spirited King’s team who played with a high level of 

enthusiasm and commitment. School won a very enjoyable game 54 points to 16 with tries from Oliver 

Collinge (3), Louis Collinge (2), Joe Howard, Gareth Henshall, and Jordan Oldbury. 

Moving on to the round ball game, the younger members of the School enjoyed some impressive 

performances the highlight being the talented Year 9 team’s 5-1 victory over Blessed Edward’s School. 

This was an excellent game played between two good sides, the difference being that Ruthin had someone 

who knew how to score. It was an open start with Sam Jones looking ever threatening especially after 

being given the ball from Ben Welsby. Ruthin took the lead through Sam Jones and he went on to get his 

hat-trick, ably helped by Robin Pritchard who scored from 20 yards and by a debut goal by our 

international student Columbian Nicolas Padilla. 

The annual Staff v Sixth Form football match, postponed at the end of the Autumn term due to appalling 

weather, finally took place on a day of bright sunshine albeit with a cold northerly wind. After a very even 

opening ten minutes which saw little penetration by either side Oli Collinge threaded a precise ball 

through a cluttered mid-field to Gareth Henshall who moved it on to Edison Zhang who took two 

attempts to find the net. A few minutes later a corner from Gareth Henshall eluded everyone and curled 

in near the back post. This seemed to spur the staff into action and a corner, following a strike by


Mr Davies, drifted in to be finished off by 

Mr Rimmer. The staff kept the pressure on 

and the half ended 2-2 following a goal by 

Mr Davies. The staff appeared to run out of 

steam and the Sixth Form became increasingly 

dominant slotting in two further goals by Oli 

Collinge and a penalty by Ryan Chau. 

A successful County cross country championship 

meeting was hosted by School with Mr Tudor Jones allowing access to adjacent 

farmland. 100% participation by Ruthin’s academic staff and pupils was required 

to host and enter this prestigious event. Sixth-form non–runners took 

responsibility for team managing and recording. Ruthin entered teams in all 

categories, taking part rather than winning being important. Subsequently 

experienced middle distance runners Christiana Halliday and Ingrid Romero 

de Jager represented Denbighshire at Llangollen on difficult terrain in the 

North East Wales Cross Country. 

In the summer term the School gave a good account of itself in the Denbighshire 

Athletics Championships. The defending champions Ruthin Senior Boys were


1 st in the field events with 1 st places being achieved by Oliver Collinge, 

Gareth Henshall and Patrick Chan. However the squad were beaten by 

Denbigh High School. Stalwart middle distance runners Christiana Halliday 

and Ingrid Romero De Jager took 1 st places in the 1500m and 800m and 

added to their tally with 1 st in field events. Sprinters Bethany Hunt, Poupee 

Lam and thrower Eleanor Dolan added to the success taking the Senior 

Girls trophy for the first time. The School struggled to field a Middle Boys 

team but experienced high jumper Romeo Lau achieved a 1 st place with 

thrower Marc Ward, James Cameron, Anton Ni and all-rounder Louis 

Collinge adding to the overall score. 

All athletes in the enthusiastic Junior Boys team gained experience and achieved 

personal bests in their events. 

On the tennis court, in the North East Wales League, time was not on our 

side when it came to completing our league fixtures, and a lack of facilities and 

match practice added to the frustration. The only completed fixture saw the 

Year 9 boys lose to rivals Ysgol Brynhyfryd. 

CCF 

The CCF again supported the town’s annual Remembrance Service 

following the School’s service held on the preceding Friday. The cadets 

were superb ambassadors for the School and the wreath was laid by the senor cadets - Christiana 

Halliday for the Navy and Raphael Huissoud for the Army.


Field Days were enjoyed by cadets, especially the RN section, who enjoyed a field day and overnight 

camp at Llyn Gwynant - Snowdonia. They sailed and were given the task of constructing rafts which they 

then took onto the water. Clearly some were more 

successful than others! For Nidal Benhachem it was a 

case of swapping the warm seas of the Moroccan coast 

for a dip in the lake, which he found exhilarating amongst 

other adjectives. RN cadets 

also had the opportunity to 

spend time on a mine countermeasures 

vessel, and visit the 

submarine base at Faslane. 

In May the CCF held its 

inaugural Mess Ball. This was 

a splendid occasion, organised 

by Mrs Bland, and saw staff and cadets enjoy 

a very formal occasion at which Mr & Mrs 

Rowlands were guests to thank them for their 

support for the CCF. The Corps presented the 

Head with the goat herder model in recognition of his association with the 

CCF. The cadets were a credit to themselves and the Corps; it is hoped 

that this event becomes an instant Ruthin School tradition.


Mess Ball


The annual camps for both 

sections involved travelling 

to Cornwall: the RN 

Section visited RNAS 

Culdrose, and the Army were based at RAF St Mawgan near Newquay. 

The Army enjoyed a range of opportunities including a 24-hour exercise, 

surfing, water sports, section attacks, paint-balling and fieldcraft. 

For the more intrepid there was an opportunity for youngsters 

to test themselves 

and their bikes on 

some excellent 

mountain biking 

terrain at Mabie 

Forest. The 

original mountain 

biking venue in the 

South West of 

Scotland lies just a 

few miles south of 

Dumfries and 

caters for 

beginners right through to the most expert of riders. They 

also had the opportunity to ride the way-marked trails in 

Glentress, Forest a mountain biking Mecca deep in the heart 

of the stunning Tweed Valley, where the more experienced 

could ride the black route (the most difficult) 

The staff at Culdrose provided opportunities of a lifetime for the RN 

Section, 

including fire 

fighting, 

blindfolded rat 

run, the Fire Tender, control tower and flight 

control room in addition to the Met Office control 

tower. The cadets were very impressed with the 

dummy deck which involved familiarisation with 

the Harrier Jump Jet. They tried their hands at 

helicopter parking before visiting 771 Squadron 

to receive a briefing and Sea King familiarisation. 

Sea survival techniques were experienced and 

undoubtedly the highlight of the week was a flight for 30 minutes in a Navy Jetstream, which is used to train 

the all-important Observers of the Fleet Air Arm who eventually become the tacticians of the Sea King 

Mk7 ASaC (Airborne Surveillance and Control), Merlin (anti-submarine) and Lynx (anti-surface) helicopters. 

During the flight they experienced weightlessness and both high and low altitude flying. The next day they 

returned to the water and sailed across the bay to St Mawes, enjoyed a Cornish pasty before sailing 

back.In addition to the more formal experiences cadets swam and enjoyed beach BBQs, off-road cycling 

and a visit to the cinema. All the cadets enjoyed what was an exceptional week of opportunities which will 

remain with them for many years.


RN Camp - Culdrose



Performing & Creativity 

The Carol 

Service held 

at St Peter’s was a well attended occasion and commenced with 

the Processional Carol Once in Royal David’s City - with the 

solo being sung by Year 8 Tomas Hill.In addition to the 

congregational 

hymns there 

were choir 

items from 

the Prep 

School – Angels from the Realms of Glory and 

contributions from the Chamber Choir including O 

Come, O Come Emmanuel, Torches and The 

Shepherd’s Farewell.The traditional readings were 

delivered in English, Welsh, Castilian, and Cantonese. 

Following the service there was a collection on behalf of St Peter’s Church and CRUK – Cancer Research 

UK. As usual the congregation were invited back to School for refreshments. 

The youngest members of the School – the Pre-Prep Department and Key Stage 1– performed their 

version of Little Donkey for the parents and relatives. Despite the young ages of the pupils they were well 

organised and delivered a very enjoyable Nativity.


Spring Concert 

The Prep and Pre-Prep School held their concert, 

combining the themes of Wales and Spring. It was 

run on an inter-house basis and featured items 

including piano, guitar, and dance, with songs from 

the youngest members, who presented an Easter 

poem, and Welsh songs, Jac y Do and Heno Heno.


The Dwight Shield entries were judged by Mr Blandford, who presented the prizes. 

Year 1 Rhys Owen-Booth 

Year 3 Luke Mullholland 

Year 4 Murray Hughes 

Year 5 Lowri Williams 

Year 6 Edward Moore 

Heidi & Mr Blandford 

Dwight Shield: Heidi Keefe 

Awards were also made for the best daffodil, egg decorating, 

art awards, Easter bonnet and student of the term. The first half 

of the afternoon was brought to an end by a display of Welsh 

folk dancing.


Following the interval all enjoyed a splendid performance of Cinderella performed by pupils in Years 3,4 

and 5 with Lowri Williams in the role of Cinderella. Technical aspects were undertaken by the Stage 

Management Crew from the Senior School – Alex Dowell, Dan Blight, Morgan Keown, Will Pritchard 

and Helen Stafford – with support from members of the Prep School. 

Cinderella



The Dracula: Ruthinian a modern retelling of the classic story 36 by Bram Stoker 

Some of the setting and scenes, characters and tales herein will be familiar to fans and devotees 

of the original text of Dracula by the American, Bram Stoker. However, the premise has changed: 

all the events described in the original have already happened and the survivors are grappling 

with what is left of their lives. Obsession, fantasy and desire all make for a heady brew of 

characters bound for conflict...but vampires? the Living Dead, nosferatu? And surely not in 

Whitby, of all places? Yes, yes, yes – if the extravagant claims of the characters are to be credited. 

Perhaps Dracula the vampire may be construed as a indictment of Old World decadence, with its 

myths and atavism, its tradition, its culture of occasional casual and sustained cruelty. Indeed, 

the Count exults in his grotesque vision for final world domination. 

These themes are familiar to us, having a horrific resonance with events which have transpired 

in the twentieth century – events which continue to dominate news headlines. Ideologies, 

despots: all are totemic of our modern times. Yet Count Dracula, conceptually, is less an external 

and much more an internal manifestation of the darker side of our potential as humans. And 

there is hope: thankfully, the beast may be vanquished yet. 

Nevertheless, not all emerge unscathed. Fault lines are apparent: Lucy must suffer ultimately 

for her dalliance with the Lord of Darkness and Mina is almost lost to his clutches. People are 

seduced and dehumanised by their weaknesses and the seemingly easy temptations of the 

flesh. 

Conversely, Dracula is no seductive siren – his is no sedulous song; his breath is fetid, his 

aspect, blood-chilling; his promises, empty. He is the nemesis of life, of everything good, worthy 

and true. 

Such are demagogues. Hiding behind words, they seek only self-aggrandisement. They are 

lost in their lust for power. “One death is a tragedy, a million merely a statistic,” thus quoth 

Stalin in a pithy and horrifyingly frank personal aphorism. The Great Dictator’s actions spoke, 

as his words, annihilating whole communities and condemning millions to penury and 

premature death. 

The story has now been translated to North Wales, land of green hills and simpler, more 

wholesome values of traditions and community, far, far from the baneful Borgo Pass. Here 

refugees from a past horror congregate, and seek strange solace in recounting and reliving 

events. They seek to expurgate the incipient darkness. Can Morris, Godalming, Harker and 

Mina move forward, in a mutual healing process? Can there be some exorcism, some ‘closure’ 

on that which has been? Can the past be laid to rest? 

NJRB




Inter-house Competitions 

It had become apparent that placing siblings in the same House produced an imbalance between 

the Houses in terms of the distribution of various talents which contribute to the spirit of competition. 

To avoid this it was decided to look at every pupil’s strengths and apportion them to produce a 

wide range of talents across each of the Houses. Seniors and prefects were then evenly distributed. 

The allocation was done as fairly as possible and once the four groups had been established the 

names of each House were 

then drawn randomly. All 

staff, including the Senior 

Management Team, were 

allocated to a House using 

similar criteria, thus 

ensuring that each House 

had staff with strengths in 

sport, music, drama etc. All 

members of the Prep and 

Pre-prep sections were 

also part of the same 

House system. In order to 

engender an increased 

sense of togetherness, Houses met 

once a week for around half an hour. 

The purpose of this was to prepare 

for competitions in advance, 

encourage students – especially those 

who were new to the school – to get 

to know each other, and to give an 

opportunity for the older and younger 

students to mix and for staff to get to know 

those students whom they might otherwise 

have little or no contact with. Socially each 

House got together in the early part of the 

academic year for a BBQ, and these were a 

great success in helping to break down 

barriers and allowed students an opportunity 

to get to know each other. 

Much of the first half of term was taken up 

preparing for the Performing Arts 

competition. However such was the pressure 

on time – especially at lunch-time that the 

priority soon became preparation for the 

Carol Service, in particular for the Chamber 

Choir. This meant that the Performing Arts 

became an event for the end of the Spring 

Term.


Event/House 1 st 2nd 3rd 4th 

Cross Country Casson Trevor Goodman Kenyon 

Tug of war Goodman/Trevor Casson Kenyon 

Swimming Goodman Trevor Kenyon Casson 

Performing Arts – 

National Anthem Trevor Goodman Casson Kenyon 

Athletics Goodman Casson Kenyon Trevor 

Hill-fort Run Goodman Casson Kenyon Trevor 

Merits (most) Goodman Casson Kenyon Trevor 

Demerits (fewest) Goodman Casson Kenyon Trevor 

Best Attendance Goodman Casson Kenyon Trevor 

House scores: nine events – total; points = 90 max available per house = 36 

Goodman: 32.5/36 - House of the Year 

Casson: 23.5/36 

Trevor: 19/36 

Kenyon: 15/36 

In the Merits/Demerits challenge involving Years 6 to 13 the qualifying criteria were the number of students 

who appeared in the weekly tables – which required three entries to gain a place. Two students spent 

almost half the school year on the Merits table with over 15 weeks – Caira Williams (Casson, Year 8) 

and George Johnston (Goodman, Year 7). Attendance was based on the average number of absences 

per head in each house. 

Cross Country Championship 

Casson Goodman Kenyon Trevor 

7/8/9 girls 12 16 7 6 

7/8/9 boys 46 57 67 51 

Total 58 73 74 57 

Position 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 1 st 

10/11 girls 11 65 25 62 

10/11 boys 129 131 118 126 

Total 140 196 143 188 

Position 1 st 4 th 2 nd 3 rd 

12/13 girls 127 126 167 76 

12/13 boys 103 108 152 136 

Total 230 234 319 212 

Position 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 1 st 

Totals 428 503 536 537 

Position 1 st 3 rd 4 th 2 nd


This was a mammoth undertaking with a complicated 

scoring system in which, importantly, every participant 

counted. In essence the first runner back in each group 

scored 1 point, the second 2 points, and so on. Thus the 

House with the lowest score was adjudged the winner. 

Casson was the most consistent with one first and two 

second places, deservedly winning the competition. 

Trevor gained two first places but the middle years let 

them down, leading to an overall second place. 

The annual Bonfire Night took place on a dry evening 

which followed several hours of rain, leading to 

slippery conditions underfoot. The much anticipated Tug of War was a very closely fought competition. 96 

students took part in one of the three age groups. the youngsters of Goodman dominated their section and 

the highlight of the evening saw a solid performance from Trevor beating a heavyweight Goodman crew. 

The outcome of the evening was that Goodman and Trevor shared first place with six wins each. Following 

the Tug of War the pupils, staff, parents and visitors enjoyed a firework display and a BBQ organised by 

the RSA. There was also a pumpkin competition judged by Mr McGibbon who was most impressed by 

the contributions from students of all ages. The winning entry was judged to be by William Stone of the 

Pre-prep department.


Tug of War 


Junior (Years 6-9) 2 3 0 1 

Middle (Years 9-11) 2 1 1 2 

Senior (Years 12-13) 1 2 0 3 

Total 5 6 1 6 

Winning ends 

Gladstone end 15 

Sports Hall end 3 

The 3 wins at the Sports Hall all by Goodman 

Goodman Seniors 

The start of 2010 was disrupted by almost a month of snow and ice which affected all aspects of school 

life. The first major competition saw the students take to the water with the swimming gala. This was one 

of the most exciting events. Trevor established an early lead with first or second places in nine of the first 

ten events and sustained this lead for 20 events by which time they were in the lead by five points from 

Goodman. An analysis of the twenty individual events reveals Trevor’s strength - they came first in 7 of the


20 events, Goodman and 

Kenyon came first in five events, 

and Casson gained three victories. 

In the light of the performances, 

Trevor went into the four relays 

as favourites to win the 

competition. After the girls’ relay 

Trevor had a lead of 9 points; 

Goodman whittled back Trevor’s 

lead to one point with the final 

relay to come. This was a very 

tense event but Trevor were 

disqualified and Goodman came in second winning the 

competition from Trevor with Kenyon and Casson making 

up the places. Goodman showed the value of putting 

competitiors 

out in Foster Williams 

every 

event – ensuring at least a point. There were some 

exceptional performances with Foster Williams (Trevor) 

breaking the junior freestyle record by 0.5 seconds and 

Alex Dowell (Goodman) setting two new records – 

Alex Dowell 

middle freestyle by over two seconds and breaking the 18 

year old record set in 1992 in the middle butterfly by 

0.16 secs. 

For once the staff were able to provide a four – Hannant, Kenworthy, Godfrey and Heywood – to take on 

the pick of the relay swimmers – Joe Howard, Oliver Collinge, Jordan Oldbury and Gareth Henshall. 

The staff swam to second place. 

Casson 55 4 th 

Goodman 77 1 st 

Kenyon 61 3 rd 

Trevor 72 2 nd 

Staff Relay Team


As the Spring term moved towards its end the Performing Arts competition took place. All houses had to 

prepare two choir pieces one of which – Welsh National Anthem, was the opening item. Next came a 

section headed Groups followed by a Play, with the afternoon ending with the second choir number These 

whole house items were the best performed and everyone was impressed by all the efforts in this section. 

The House choirs delivered the anthems first, with Trevor ending this section. Comperes offered the 

following comments; (Casson) ‘the overseas students were significantly better than the British in their 

participation’; (Goodman) ‘great rousing rendition, featuring Vietnamese, Korean, Nepalese, and Swiss in 

addition to home students, more suited to the Rugby arena than to a choir’; (Kenyon) ‘musically strong’; 

(Trevor) ‘the best by far, looked like a choir, well rehearsed and delivered a superb rendition of Mae Hen 

Wlad Fy Nhadau; Mr Jones’s contribution as choir master was evident’. 

Trevor House Choir 

Kenyon 

The rest of the afternoon comprised a 

group item which ranged from a 

Vietnamese popular song from 

Goodman, rock guitar, a vocal group 

from Kenyon featuring Orlando Yang 

on guitar, Charlotte Tao on piano, 

Viet Nguyen on lead vocals ably 

supported by Sarah Clarke and 

Morgan Keown. 

Trevor 

Trevor featured Poupee 

Lam on violin and Tian Ji 

on piano; this was a great 

double act with quality and 

professionalism throughout 

their performance.


Casson offered something completely different; a rock song – More than 

a feeling – played by Daniel Blight together with strobes and smoke; 

despite a number of technical hitches this last performance was well 

received. 

The drama offerings were diverse not 

only in choice but also the in 

effectiveness of the performances. 

Kenyon set the ball rolling with a 

confused (at least in the minds of the 

audience) contribution – was it an 

American version of Shameless? The 

lack of projection made understanding 

this extract difficult; there was mention 

of Rangers – we were not sure whether 

this was a reference to Glasgow or 

Texas. David Lynch’s Twin Peaks is 

easier to follow and understand. A compere setting the scene would have 

been immensely valuable. 

Casson followed, again with no compere. We think it was Bouncers; the actors projected well but the 

content left most bored after a few minutes as it seemed to be a 

read through - lasting almost twenty minutes - rather than an acting 

performance. 

Trevor had a compere and the offering – Peter Pan – involved 

fifteen performers (the two preceding contributions featured six 

and four respectively). There was evidence that some had 

committed their lines to memory and there was good use made of 

the younger members of the House. 

Goodman offered a Monty Python 

sketch – The Argument. This was a 

very good contribution with Sampada 

KC as compere and Joseph Kim 

contributing an excellent cameo as The 

Angry Man delivering such lines as ‘ You 

vacuous, toffee-nosed malodorous 

pervert’ - so different from the pleasant, 

self-effacing, charming student seen 

every day. This sketch started really well but lost a little momentum; 

many cheered when Sampada was hit by a stuffed shark!


The final section was a return to the House 

Choir with each choir having a free choice. 

Trevor entertained with Barbie Girl; all the 

House were involved and great team work was 

much in evidence as was the inevitable crossdressing. 

Casson made good use of smoke 

and the choir were well integrated with some 

excellent accompaniment. Goodman 

continued the Monty Python theme with 

Always look on the bright side of life. They 

sang, whistled well, and they knew the words! 

All the choir were involved and seemed to 

enjoy themselves. Finally Kenyon brought the 

afternoon to an end and were the strongest 

choir in this section with their contribution – Reach for the stars – which was voted the winning entry by 

the audience. The whole afternoon 

was a splendid occasion on which 

to end the term. 

The Summer term disrupted, this 

year, by the Icelandic ash cloud is 

increasingly given over to 

examinations and this has curtailed 

opportunities beyond the classroom. 

The annual sports day saw some 

entertaining and close-fought 

competitions. In the Years 6-8 

section the initial events were very 

closely fought with only 4 points 

separating the four houses. In the closing stages of this section Goodman and Casson pulled ahead with 

Goodman Juniors 

contributing 75 points to 

the overall total and 

Casson Juniors 72. In the 

middle section Trevor 

were clear leaders from 

Goodman and in the 

Seniors Kenyon set the 

standard by winning by 

over 10 points from 

Goodman. It was 

Goodman’s consistency 

across all sections that 

saw them come out on 

top winning the 

competition by clear 16 

points from Casson.



Years 6-8 72 2 nd 75 1 st 60 4 th 61 3 rd 

Years 9-10 25 3 rd 36 2 nd 20 4 th 37 1 st 

Years 11-13 50 3 rd 52 2 nd 63 1 st 21 4 th 

Total 147 2 nd 163 1 st 143 3 rd 119 4 th 

Turning to individual performances, Troy Taylor (Kenyon) retained his 100m and 200m crowns and the 

Johnston brothers (George & Harry) won both the junior and middle 1500m. Several youngsters 

stepped in at the last minute and gave good accounts of themselves. Until the four relays, four points 

separated the first two houses – Goodman and Casson. Goodman were excellent in the relays showing the 

value of team work. They won three and came second in one, scoring 30 of the available 32 points for the 

relays. 

Goodman Senior Relay 

The Victor Ludorum (senior) was shared between Troy Taylor and Gareth Henshall, both of Kenyon, 

the middle version was won by Romeo Lau (Casson), Oliver Reeves (Kenyon) was the best Junior, 

and Charlotte Tao, also of Kenyon, was the most successful female competitor.


The Hill-fort Run 

The final competition of the year was the Hill-fort Run and since this was the last time the Head would be 

organizing the event, staff and pupils decided to combine the Run with a leaving gathering which saw a 

good number of ORs returning to participate or simply attend and renew friendships. 106 students, staff 

and ORs accepted the challenge to run to the top of Foel Fenlli and back supported by over 50 marshals 

comprising staff, students and parents. This year the Head decided to combine the new route on the way 

out with the old route on the way back. The new steps up to the top of the Hill-fort came as a welcome 

surprise and the route, some 0.5km shorter, was perceived as being one of the easier challenges that the 

Head has thrown out to the student body.






Former member of staff Colin 

Lewis presents the trophy to 

Richard 

Many of the runners were wearing commemorative tee-shirts featuring the 

Head; yet another example of the organisational skills of the Sixth Form 

and the students ability to keep this aspect totally secret until the start of the 

Run. The first runner 

back was member of 

staff Dr Hannant. For 

the students, for whom 

this event is organised, 

the first male back was 

Richard Perry for 

Goodman House; the 

first female student to 

return was Ingrid Dr Hannant 

Romero de Jager, also 

representing Goodman. In the competition for the Hillfort 

Challenge Shield, which counts the first six 

students back for each House, Goodman and Casson 

fought a very close competition, each returning five 

runners. The final result hinged on the outcome of a 

run in which Year 9 student Brian Tse sealed the 

trophy for Goodman. Checking past records we 

cannot find an occasion when one House has won all 

three trophies. 

Following 

the Run there 

was a BBQ, 

an opportunity 

to watch England’s 

dismal performance 

against Algeria in 

the World Cup, 

more food, good 

company and 

conversation. The 

formalities ended 

with thestudents 

Former Head of School 

James Selvey 

presents the trophy to Ingrid 

Joe Kim - 

making a 

Goodman Captain 

presentation to 

mark the retirement 

of the Head. It was a fitting way to bring to an end his long association with an excellent event which takes


everyone out of their comfort zone. The final award – the Rowlands Brothers Endeavour Shield – was a 

difficult one to choose but after a prolonged deliberation between the Head, Mr Davies and Mrs Higham 

it was decided that the worthy recipient would be Tim Asbridge also 

of Goodman. So the evening ended with Goodman – the House the 

Head was attached to – winning all of the trophies for an event which 

has always lain particularly close 

to his heart. He went home a 

happy man! 

Tim - worthy winner of 

the Rowlands Brothers 

Endeavour Shield 

Goodman runners - 

staff & students 

Prep School Sports Day 

The Prep School held their annual sports afternoon towards the end of the summer term which was very 

well attended by parents who soon got into the swing of things by cheering on the pupils in the sprint finals 

on the front field in front of school. The fun races from Foundation Class to Year 5, including a dressing up 

race for Year 4, saw many ingenious pupils who used their initiative to get over the finishing line in first 

place! The field events saw many close competitions, not least of which was the long jump, in which the 

winning leap for Year 5 was just one centimetre ahead of the second placed competitor, after the lead had 

changed hands several times. Parents races were keenly contested, so much so that one mother was


disqualified after her balloon was 

declared out of bounds! A special 

mention at the prize giving was for 

our guest Principal John Rowlands 

who presented the prizes. His wife 

Mrs Rowlands, head of the Infant 

department is a keen runner, and 

as a tribute to her contribution to 

Ruthin School, the final event of 

the Jubilee Race around the front 

field has been renamed the 

Rowlands Race. The annual Prep 

School sponsored run, which 

takes place on the same day as 

the Hill-fort Run, has now been 

called the Rowlands Run in honour of both Mr. and Mrs. 

Rowlands. 

Mothers’ Race winner: Mrs Woodward 

Fathers’ Race winner: Mr Pierce 

House Shuttle Relay Cup: Goodman House 

Adam Johnson House Points Cup: Goodman House


Hockey Shield: Daisy Geoghegan 

Netball Shield: Annabel Doran 

Gymnastics Shield: Lisa Jones 

Athletics Shield: Matthew Wordsworth 

Barker Tennis Shield: Lowri Williams 

Swimming Shield: Nia Owen-Booth 

Football Cup: Murray Hughes 

Rugby Cup: Dillon Edwards 

Rowlands Run Shield: Murray Hughes


Boarding - new experiences 

Archery 

Caramel shortbread - Penrhyn 

Halloween 

Saying goodbye to the Colombian students




Vietnamese Day 

Dunham Massey deer 

Leaving Ruthin - so many experiences


Trips & Visits 

Senior School 

Boarders have enjoyed a diverse range of trips and visits during the year. With the change of 

half-term arrangements – students can stay in School for the half-term and Easter breaks – the 

opportunities for travel and exploring the diversity of North Wales, the Marches and neighbouring 

cities was significantly increased. Exploring the history and culture of North Wales saw boarding 

students from 10 

nations travel to 

Penrhyn Castle, 

located near Bangor. 

It was built by the 

Pennants whose family fortune 

was based on slavery, slate and 

sugar. The 19th century neo- 

Norman creation with views of 

Snowdonia and the Menai Strait 

impressed the youngsters, who 

enjoyed their tour of the house. 

Their interest and knowledge of 

British history was commented 

on very positively by the guides. 

They then had the opportunity to wander the gardens, clamber in the adventure playground, visit the 

railway museum and the displays on slavery and the history of slate mining. The afternoon ended with a 

tray of Mrs Rowlands’s caramel shortbread. 

Later in the term they visited Chester. For a 

number it was their first chance to explore the 

city, its walls, aspects of the Roman heritage and 

the beauty of the river. They also enjoyed 

wandering the extensive shopping facilities. The 

weekends have been busy throughout, including 

the over-subscribed trip to the Trafford Centre 

and the more scenic visits to Llandudno and 

Llangollen. Half-term experiences have included 

a team treasure trail in Ruthin, shopping at 

Cheshire Oaks, a walk in Snowdonia, the Beatles 

Museum and Liverpool, a walk in support of the 

School charity – cancer research – the thrills and 

spills of Alton Towers, football and table tennis 

leagues, films, cake-making and the Halloween party where most of the boarders dressed for the occasion. 

2010 started with the most uncharacteristic snow storms which caused considerable disruption of life. 

Snow fell from early morning onto already frozen ground and many day pupils could not get to School. By 

early afternoon the situation had escalated and those pupils who had made it in left for home leaving those 

boarders who had managed to return to School to enjoy the deluge; for some it was the first time they had 

experienced snow. The main roads became very difficult and dependent on a snow plough, for even the 

gentle rise up to towards the School became too difficult for some vehicles. The situation continued to 

cause disruption for the first few weeks of the term.


Staff have continued to offer opportunities, despite increasing risk concerns, to enhance both the curriculum 

and the life experiences of the students. All leaders of these opportunities produce detailed risk assessments 

which are scrutinised and discussed prior to the event. Space prevents coverage of all the many opportunities 

which occur in school time and at weekends so the focus is on major opportunities and experiences 

beyond the classroom. 

Geographers make excellent use of 

the local environment and this year 

travelled further afield to Iceland. 

Year 9’s main fieldwork activity 

involved visiting the Centre of 

Alternative Technology in 

Machynlleth. The group investigated 

various forms of alternative 

technology and their uses in the 

future. They were very enthusiastic 

especially Rowan Johnson and Ben 

Welsby. They totally enjoyed their 

day, particularly the diversion around 

the beautiful coast. 

Year 12 carried out two major 

fieldwork activities throughout the 

year: visiting the River Alyn, and investigating the affects of human activity on the River. The highlight was 

watching Ian Ho navigating the River to take measurements and falling in twice. They also visited the 

North Wales Coast investigating coastal engineering at Towyn, coastal erosion and coastal features such 

as the spit off Talacre. This was the first time some overseas students had seen the coast. 

Year 11 visited Rhosgoed farm and interviewed Mr Hugh Griffiths to 

discover how he has diversifiication in farming is allowing him to expand 

and keep the farm profitable; his shop sells farm beef and lamb and 

also local produce such as fruit and vegetables. The students were 

keen to try out the home-made pies. This was a key case study seen 

in the flesh rather than from a text book. 

Year 10 carried out coursework on how migration has impacted on 

the local community. The students took part in questioning local people, 

interviewing business people, taking photographs of relevant buildings 

and identifying different shops and businesses within the centre of 

Wrexham. They were excellent and a credit to the School. 

Year 13 travelled to London to study the effects of climate change, 

volcanic action and environmental development at the Natural History 

Museum. An early start gave plenty of time to investigate the museum 

and appreciate its artefacts. The group then walked through London 

exploring the many sights of the city. It was a worthwhile visit and 

allowed plenty of study time on the return journey.


Iceland 

23 pupils and 3 members of staff visit the 

geographers’ dream location 

When Mr Rimmer first proposed the idea of a 

geography study trip (not a holiday) the Head was 

delighted to agree and to accompany the students 

to an area of the world so rich in examples of physical 

geography. Mr Rimmer’s organization was 

immaculate and overcame a major logistical problem 

– namely Mrs Kenworthy, the female cover, giving 

birth – by applying a little lateral thinking which 

led us to invite Liz Whiteside, former student and 

now trainee teacher, sometime geographer and one 

with a passion for plates (tectonic) and glaciers – 

to accompany us. Everything was moving in the right 

direction until, just before departure, a volcano 

underneath the Eyjafjallajökull glacier decided to 

rouse itself from a period of slumber and belch gas 

and cloud into the air perhaps in celebration of the 

Head’s forthcoming retirement. In the past some 

thought that when the gods defeated the rebellious giants and brought peace to the universe, they buried 

the giants beneath the mountains, and that it was their stirrings that caused the eruptions. 

This eruption, although relatively small for 

volcanic eruptions, caused enormous 

disruption of air travel across western and 

northern Europe over an initial period of six 

days in April 2010 and subsequently led to 

all sorts of issues and delays for a number 

of our students (and staff), who were unable 

to return to School for the start of the 

Summer term. This led to frantic phone calls 

to the examination boards as coursework 

deadlines were looming and practical 

examinations were to be faced. The 

response of the much criticized boards was 

exemplary. This was indeed real living 

evidence of the impact of natural hazards 

on life. For some students this was the 

second successive term that they struggled 

The staff 

to get back – having been snowed out in January. The trip was a great experience and parents were kept 

posted via daily updates on the School web site by the Head. His postings form the basis of the following 

account of the visit.


Day 1 - The long day 

We set off on time at 6:00am. Thankfully there were no indications that our flight would be affected by the 

volcanic ash and we were all looking forward to seeing some truly 

awesome sites. The 100-page risk assessment document had been 

compiled/ read and the staff were fully aware of the issues that 

might have to be contended with. After an uneventful journey we 

arrived at Heathrow Terminal 1 at 11:15 for a 1:00pm flight. However 

we had ample opportunity to sample the local environment –in fact 

until 10:15pm – waiting in the departure lounge for the mechanics 

strike in Iceland to be resolved. For Percy Lam it was a record – 

the longest time he had been delayed. The students bore the 

disruption with great stoicism and tolerance but became increasing 

annoyed with the lack of information being given; why do airlines 

treat their customers as if they do not exist? Mr Rimmer – patience 

personified – spent what appeared to be an eternity trying to gain 

some recompense for a meal, which amounted to vouchers to the 

value of £10 per head so we headed for Est Caffe where there followed a big debate on whether or not 

they could accept the vouchers since they had not been stamped. 

Looking on the bright side it was an opportunity for Chrissie 

Halliday to do some more Biology, for Liz to read a few more 

lines of Harry Potter in French and for some even more retail 

therapy. Eventually we departed, arriving in Iceland at 1:15am. 

anywhere on route 

to the centre of 

Reykjavík. We 

reached the hotel 

Arctic Comfort 

Hotel Vik and 

checked in with 

ease. Everyone 

settled quickly, in 

bed by 3:15 up at 

7:30 to the view of 

the snow-covered 

hills from the hotel. 

After a quick baggage collection we were on 

our way to the hotel, arriving at 2:30am. 

Interestingly we did not see a McDonald’s


Day 2 – On the edge 

This exceptional day started with a 

journey to the south west to 

Pingvellir (parliament fields) a 

UNESCO World Heritage site, the 

location of the old parliament 

established in 930 and a geological 

phenomenon. Here we walked 

along a rift at the point of separation 

of the Eurasian and North American 

Plates – site of the youngest rocks 

in the world. This was a great 

experience and the power of the 

natural world was evident to all. 

From here we drove to the geyser geothermal area of Haukadalur and witnessed the power of the geyser 

rising 25 metres.


After lunch it was on to Gullfoss, the 

Golden Waterfall situated in the 

canyon of Hvitá river. This was an 

awesome experience: words cannot 

describe the sheer power of both the 

glacial waterfall and winds of 

hurricane force with a vicious wind 

chill factor propelling us along. The 

waterfall consists of a wide curved 

three-step ‘staircase’ and the rive 

plunges in two stages (11m and 21m) 

into a crevice 32m deep and 20m 

wide and 2.5km in length. 

Interestingly Gullfoss appears on the 

cover of the album – Porcupine by 

Echo and the Bunnymen. 

On the journey to the geothermal plant 

we stopped at a perfect old volcanic 

crater Kerid. This was created as the 

land moved over a localised hotspot 

and it is one that has the most visually 

recognisable caldera still intact. The 

crater was formed when Kerid – a cone 

volcano, collapsed following the 

depletion of magma, into an empty 

magma chamber. The crater is 

approximately 55m deep, 170m wide 

and 3000 years old (very young in 

geological terms).


Back on the bus, we climbed over the hills. The 

weather worsened with snow falling – a classic 

example of micro-climate studies; we 

descended to the Hellisheiði geothermal power 

plant where we were given a presentation on 

Iceland’s energy supply - 100% from 

renewable sources! This was a most impressive 

plant and we learnt a great deal about Iceland’s 

power production. 

On our return from a splendid meal we passed the location of the famous meeting between Reagan and 

Gorbachev. A truly stimulating day both visually and mentally. 

Day 3 – Fire, Ice and Water 

We awoke to an air of relative calmness: the biting wind of yesterday had subsided and after an early 

breakfast we headed east from Reykjavik along the beautiful South Shore, stopping first at the 65m 

waterfall Seljarlandsfoss, where we were able to walk behind the fall and look in awe at the power of the 

water as it entered the plunge pool.


Driving towards the Solheimajokull Glacier, Liz noticed a plume of volcanic 

gases. As the weather cleared it became obvious that this was the eruption 

that had started ahead of our 

visit. We stopped and watched 

the fissure eruption unfold before 

travelling the short distance to the 

ice tongue where we saw the 

work of a glacier close up and 

were allowed a very close 

inspection of the ice. This ice 

tongue, the south western outlet 

of the Myrdalsjokull icecap, is 

about 8km long and between 1 

and 2 km wide; it advanced 

considerably in the 1990s but 

has retreated some 400m in the 

past five years.


Lunch was in the village of Vik 

which had yesterday practised an 

evacuation lest a volcano (another) 

which lay beneath a glacier should 

erupt with an ensuing flood . The 

power and beauty of the coast was 

much admired at Reynisfjara 

beach. The columnar basalt and 

black sands created a very 

different environment for the 

students to study compared with 

back home. The basalt caves and 

stacks added atmosphere to a 

superb location.


On the return journey we stopped at the Skogar museum which showed great examples of Icelandic 

ingenuity and added support to the Boserup theory of ‘necessity being the mother of invention’. The well 

laid out site allowed us to stroll around looking at the 

farmhouse, turf farm, and church where we were 

treated to a talk about the museum and a rousing 

rendition of God Save the Queen.


Good luck was also on our side as we visited the 

Skogafoss waterfall , the cliffs of the former coastline 

– now 5km away. This is one of Iceland’s biggest 

and most beautiful waterfalls with a width of 25m 

and a drop of 60m. Due to 

the amount of spray the 

waterfall consistently 

produces a single or double 

rainbow. Our guide informed 

us that we were very fortunate 

to see the rainbow in front of 

the falls.


After a brief return to the hotel we prepared for an evening at the 

Bowling Hall where Mr Rimmer was in fine form and the Head 

had trouble staying on his feet because of his enthusiasm to deliver 

the ultimate strike! 

Day 4 - Looking for the Northern Lights 

After the challenges of the previous days, this was a far more 

leisurely experience. Following a late breakfast we made our way 

to the National Museum of Iceland to learn about the cultural history 

of Iceland, which traces the history of the country from about 800 

AD. 

The more daring then took to the ice and we were fortunate 

that the tumbles did not result in anything more than a few 

bruises. The afternoon was spent shopping in the same 

brand name shops they could have visited in Chester! But 

we did enjoy some excellent cakes.


Our evening meal at the Red Chilli was followed by an unexpected presentation to the three staff . 

We then made our way back to the hotel to 

prepare for a late night travelling to Whale Bay 

fjord. Here we had a superb view of the night 

sky, shooting stars and an appearance of the 

Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) an amazing 

natural phenomenon, called the Dance of the 

Spirits by the Cree Indians. Taking photographs was somewhat problematic, requiring manual settings 

and a shutter speed of 15 to 30 seconds lying prone on the damp floor for considerable periods of time 

waiting for the lights. The value of a DSLR was shown by the quality of pictures the Head and Aaron 

Chung achieved . We returned to the hotel at 0030 for sleep ahead of our journey home tomorrow.


Day 5 – The Blue Lagoon & Home 

An early rise, following a late bedtime, was needed to enable us 

to pack, tidy up and be on time for the departure to the Blue 

Lagoon. The inspection of the rooms left the staff impressed, 

especially the 

boys’ rooms: 

their attention 

to detail was 

unexpected. 

After a short 

journey, the 

relaxing waters 

of the Blue 

Lagoon 

geothermal 

spa refreshed all . The warm waters are rich in minerals 

such as sulphur and silica and the water temperature 

averages 40°C. All enjoyed the cafe which has spectacular 

views of the lagoon. 

A short trip to the airport followed and there was a very painless transition and, thankfully, a short waiting 

time before we boarded our flight. We arrived back in Ruthin at 0100 – tired but with great memories. 

All thoroughly enjoyed the experiences and a great deal of thanks is due to Jens Olafsson, the tour guide, 

who enabled us to visit the unforgettable sites of Iceland, and also the support received from the tour 

organisers, Leisure World. Students are already contemplating and discussing future ventures.


From a geographical perspective this has been an excellent experience where students have had an 

opportunity to see, in one country, most of the major physical features with the added bonus of the eruption. 

The youngsters were a credit to themselves and the School 

and the staff have thoroughly enjoyed their good company, 

and their willingness to take an interest in what they have 

seen. 

For the Head it was his last school trip abroad and he 

was most impressed with the students – their attitude, 

support and interest. For him, personally, it was a 

geographers’ paradise; he was heard to state that he would 

like to spend a week in a tent - armed with a hammer, set 

of sieves, weighing scales, compass and a bike – 

endeavouring to unravel the complex history of the glacial 

deposits. 

Going to Goodison 

Over the years there have been at least two visits a season to watch Premier League football at Goodison 

Park. This year the supporters visited in December and March. The first match saw Everton come back 

from a 2-goal deficit against Spurs to gain a point. All three could have been lost were it not for Tim 

Howard’s injury-time penalty save. In 

March two minibuses of enthusiastic 

football supporters travelled to see 

Everton take on Bolton. The group 

included a number of boarders who 

had never been to a football match 

before. This fixture marked the 

Head’s last visit with the School to 

Leighton Baines 

Goodison. He was 

instructed to wear a suit – 

to a football match! On 

arriving the group went to 

the entrance to meet up with 

Keith Tamlin, OR, who is a 

life president of Everton. 

The party were then given 

a tour of the changing rooms 

and the pitch, seeing Tim 

Howard and Russell Osman 

arrive. Following this great 

experience they hovered 

around the area where the 

players park and within minutes Leighton Baines arrived, got 

out of his car, mingled with supporters and signed autographs –


truly the People’s Club. Many of the party gathered a number of 

autographs. The group took their seats whilst the Head joined Keith 

Tamlin in the directors’ area to watch the match from the director’s box. 

Prior to the kick-off there were a number of announcements – including 

one telling the crowd that the Head was retiring and he had been bringing 

students to Goodison for the past 15 years. A round of applause followed. 

By the kick-off the Head had changed his tie for an Everton tie and 

added a scarf – both 

courtsey of Keith 

Tamlin 

The match was very 

uneventful: for much of 

the first half the closest 

anyone came to scoring was Bolton’s Kevin Davies, but 

Tim Howard bravely saved after a flowing move. Everton 

started the second half the brighter of the teams, they 

continued to press but little resulted and just as it began 

to feel as though both crowd and players were losing 

belief the hosts took the lead. The game turned with the 

70th-minute dismissal of Gretar Rafn 

Steinsson, who bundled over Yakubu, as 

the last man. Arteta looped the resulting 

free kick home and this was followed by 

Leon Osman hitting the post before 

Pienaar’s powerful, decisive second. 

Not exactly a vintage performance, but a 

win is a win. The Head thoroughly enjoyed 

his afternoon in the directors’ box and the 

food in the directors’ area was impressive. The School is, as ever, indebted to Keith Tamlin for his 

organization of the tour and to Mr Rimmer for organising the tickets and trip. From the Head’s perspective 

this was a super way to bring down the curtain on fifteen years of visits to Goodison.


Prep School 

French trip 

Mrs Duffy and Mr Blandford took a group of youngsters to the Homestay in Rouen. They had an excellent 

time and their French certainly improved during the visit 

Monday 

Tuesday 

After a long journey, with not a great deal of sleep, we arrived at our 

destination at teatime. We 

have practised our 

French in local cafes 

ordering food and drinks. 

The families were all very 

welcoming and we were 

all looking forward to 

some home comforts 

last night. Tomorrow 

we are off to the 

beach! 

All pupils staying with good families. Today we went to Etretat – It 

rained but we had the most amazing ice creams. We ate in a restaurant 

and then continued to the place where Benedictine is made. We 

managed to get to the beach later on as the weather is now great. 

We are now on our way back to our families. 

We wandered around 

the town of Honfleur 

this morning. Children 

have bought souvenirs 

and have ordered 

refreshments in their 

‘Best French’ 

We had a picnic in the 

park and rides on a 

carousel. Afterwards we went to a cider-making place where a guide 

explained the process in English. We were allowed to taste the apple 

juice. Mr Blandford & Mrs Duffy tasted some juice that had undergone 

a slightly different process! 

The children are all safely delivered to their families to have an evening 

meal and to prepare for another eventful day tomorrow.


Wednesday 

9.15am En route to Chateau Gaillard. The sun is out, not a cloud in the 

sky. All the children have spoken French to their families and are in high 

spirits. The children are 

very well behaved, to 

the extent that they 

received compliments 

from everyone 

wherever they go. 

Had a really beautiful 

afternoon in the Monet 

gardens and house. 

Most of the 

children bought 

souvenirs and 

managed to take 

lots of photos. 

Thursday 

We are on our way back and have just had a quick 

stop at a supermarket . The children were left to order 

their lunch by themselves without realising that the 

teachers were watching . They were brilliant ! 

In the afternoon we are sailing back looking out as 

France disappears from our sight . Almost home now 

we are all tired 

but filled with 

h a p p y 

memories.


PGL - Adventure Holidays 

As always, the annual PGL trip was a resounding success and reflects very well on Mr Hamer’s planning 

and attention to detail. 

This year’s annual outward bound trip to PGL’s flagship centre at Boreatton Park, Shrewsbury, was 

attended by pupils from Years 5 to 8 of the Prep School. The children thoroughly enjoyed the course of 

activities, including the new experience of Jacob’s Ladder as well as favourites Aeroball and Giant Swing. 

Evening entertainments included a 

disco, and the party was very 

fortunate to have a superb group 

leader in the form of Suzie who 

successfully entertained four 

different year groups in between 

the activities! Mr. Triggs presented 

his Best Kept Dorm Award to the 

older girls in Room 4, whilst he 

himself was presented with 

several gifts to celebrate his last 

year at PGL. He will be sorely 

missed, having been a resourceful 

and trustworthy member of staff 

for many Junior School trips over 

the years. 

Let the children tell you of their 

experiences 

‘My favourite part of PGL was when we went 

abseiling because I cleared the ab tower in 

10 seconds!’ Harrison 

‘I liked quad biking because it was really fun! 

I hadn’t ridden a quad bike before. The 

helmet was really heavy!’ Lisa


‘I enjoyed the Giant Swing and seeing people’s funny faces. At 

first, you’re really excited, yet you shake, then you have butterflies 

in your tummy! My partner was Nia. After we were strapped 

in, the rope was 

pulled and we were 

lifted really high. 

When we pulled the 

red cord, we went 

flying – I screamed!’ 

Heidi 

‘We were just in time 

to catch Mr. Hamer 

on the Giant Swing. When it dropped, his face was priceless. He 

looked so scared, we all burst out laughing. When Mr. Hamer 

jumped in the river as a salmon in open canoeing, I was shocked. I never thought he would do it. Even Mr. 

Triggs fell in!’ George 

‘Ermine was rocking the boat so I would fall in but she was holding onto another boat so she could rock 

ours! On the way back, our canoe toppled over four times and the water was freezing and it 

stank really bad.’ Tiana 

During the year the Prep School enjoyed a wide range of opportunities. 

Years 7 and 8 visited Ruthin Library to see Chris D’Lacey, author of a series of 

books about clay dragons which come to life! Having experienced his first 

novel, The Fire Within as preparation in lessons and visited the author’s website, 

the pupils were thoroughly entertained by a succession of stories from D’Lacey’s 

own life, which inspired his writing. As a pupil he was strongly influenced by 

J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit, and one recognised the core of his first major 

novel in his experience with a pigeon! His enthusiasm was infectious, evident in 

the torrent of perceptive questions from his eager audience. After reading an


extract from his latest novel, Dark Fire, the author concluded with a popular 

book-signing session, 

and pupils returned to 

School keen to start 

their new purchases! 

As part of the process 

of encouraging 

youngsters to read the 

School continues to 

hold School Book 

Week where a range 

of activities and 

competitions take 

place to support the sale 

of books. On this 

occasion a book 

character fancy dress 

day and a film night 

were included. As a 

result of the sales the 

School earned £623.00 

worth of books which 

will increase the Key 

Stage 3 library section. 

Pupils from Years 6, 7 and 8 visited 

Hawkstone Park in 

Shrewsbury as a 

stimulus to their English 

creative writing. They 

made their way along 

the woodland fantasy route to such sites as 

Grotto Hill and Gingerbread Hall, stopping at 

such vertiginous points as the Swiss Bridge and 

the Awful Precipice, and exploring the caves 

with information about King 

Arthur. They climbed the 

151 steps of the Monument 

to the statue of Sir Rowland 

Hill, designer of the Penny 

Black stamp in 1840. After 

being inspired to compose 

an imaginative story in the 

past, present and future, 

they trekked through the 

rhododendron jungle 

before making their way 

back to the visitor centre for 

a well-earned rest and an ice 

cream!


To tie in with Year 3’s History theme of the Romans in Britain, and specifically with emphasis on the local 

effect of occupation, pupils from Years 3, 4 and 5 visited Chester’s Grosvenor Museum on accompanied 

by Mr. Hamer, Mrs. Maher and Miss Warburton. Initially, they enjoyed an indoor activity workshop 

session, handling Roman artefacts such as roof tiles, a mortar, pestle and strigil and designing a mosaic 

under the supervision of artefacts officer Chris Brocken. Harrison Buckley became a very fierce centurion, 

donning all the appropriate armour! After lunch and a trip to the museum shop, pupils dressed in articulated 

upper body armour (lorica segmentata) and marched through the streets of Roman Deva, led by a centurion 

who bamboozled them with a smattering of Latin and an unforgettable experience with a Roman toilet 

sponge! 

In January Years 3, 4, and 5 visited the Eon owned 

Connah’s Quay Power Station where they were given 

a morning of 

intensive tuition on 

the production, uses 

and dangers of 

electricity. 

Continuing with the 

energy theme, Year 

6 and Mrs Ellison 

visited 2 local wind 

farms to examine 

first-hand how they 

have an immediate impact on an environment. This was also 

part of their work on sustainable resources and the 

environment which was developed further by a visit to Tudor 

Griffiths Ltd, Ellesmere, Shropshire to learn about how 

humans can use and change an environment as well as how 

we deal with waste. Mr Peter Mold of Tudor Griffiths Ltd 

was on hand to provide a concise insight into how the 

company takes a piece of land full circle from quarrying it for 

their building supplies business to landfilling and making ponds 

from the quarried areas and final reclamation within the 

Shropshire Wildlife Trust area where the Company has built 

a wildlife sanctuary for public recreational use.


Alwen Reservoir


Pre-Prep 

The Pre-Prep Department 

continues to make excellent 

use of the opportunities 

provided in the local 

environment to develop 

interests, increase 

understanding and to challenge 

the youngest members of the 

School. They started the year 

with a visit to Loggerheads 

Country Park where they 

enjoyed an autumn walk, 

learning about seed dispersal, hiding raisins for the squirrels, 

collecting and threading leaves on string for a leaf snake and 

helping the toy hedgehog to hibernate. All contributed to an 

enjoyable afternoon in the autumnal sunshine. Staying with a 

countryside theme the intrepid adventurers in the Pre-prep 

department once again astounded everyone with their stamina 

and determination when they effortlessly 

climbed from the lower Moel Famau car 

park to the summit and the Jubilee Tower. 

The Countryside Officers who 

accompanied the party on the trip were 

very impressed by the children’s level of 

fitness given their tender years! After previous trips to Foel Fenlli and Dinas Bran they are becoming 

accomplished hill climbers at only four or five years of age. Using the foods available in the countryside 

they have extended their baking experiences recently from blackberries in jelly to blackberry tarts and 

crumbles – using blackberries the children picked 

themselves from the fields around the School!


Moving to the topic of 

age and time, the 

youngsters had the 

opportunity to come to 

terms with the concept 

of age and timelines 

making use of siblings of 

a variety of ages. A 

group picture of a newborn 

baby, a one year 

old, two, three, four, five, and six year old photographic line up provided an appropriate finish to the 

youngsters in the ‘personal timelines’ topic! 

A trip to Bodelwyddan Castle provided children in the Pre-Prep with the opportunity to observe the 

differences between old and new toys, and explore the toys and entertainment of the Victorian era. The 

children also had a hands on session making a ‘thauroscope’ .


Ahead of the Christmas celebrations a group of 18 children went searching for Father Christmas at 

Loggerheads Country Park. Meeting Carolyn the ‘elf” and learning about how Christmas trees are felled 

and planted was followed by a search along the 

woodland walks to discover riddles in Christmas 

stockings. The trail eventually led to the 

discovery of Father Christmas in his woodland 

grotto. Christmas stories, making a candle in 

wood decoration, and receiving a present was 

the culmination of a magical afternoon as the 

School prepared for the last week of term. 

Travelling further afield there was an action 

packed day in Liverpool which was 

thoroughly 

enjoyed 

by the 

youngest 

children. 

They 

visited 

the 

World 

museum 

in Liverpool followed by a road and water trip through 

the docks on the 

Wacker Quacker 

amphibious 

vehicle. The 

wonderful 

resources at the 

Museum provided 

many learning 

experiences for the 

children and the 

highlight of the visit 

was the show in 

the planetarium, 

which reinforced 

the work the 

youngsters were 

undertaking in their 

classroom topic on 

space.


Not to be outdone by members of the Senior School, the very youngest members of the School 

enthusiastically tackled the climb up from the car park to Foel Fenlli – the Hill-fort – ahead of the annual 

Hill-fort Run. Despite their tender ages they showed a great deal of determination in completing the challenge. 

The youngest member of the group three year old Anna Crowther smiled all the way up and completed 

the course. On their return to the car park they enjoyed a picnic.


And not forgetting 

Boat building 

Chester 

Conwy


Bodafon Farm 

Fire Safety 

Techniquest 

Teddy Bears’ Picnic


Through the Year 

Halloween 

Mince Pies 

Christmas Lunch 

Sledging 

Pancakes 

Easter Bonnets 

Hot Cross Buns


Increasingly Independent Schools are being questioned with regard to what they do for the 

community. For the past sixteen years the School has endeavoured to support and offer its 

facilities to the local community and examples of this are detailed elsewhere in this review of the 

year. The fund-raising and volunteering section shows how the School has got out and about 

in the community. In addition we have welcomed community groups to School: Denbighshire 

Schools Cross Country competitions – both secondary and primary – have been held on the 

school site and the neighbouring farm with the support of the local farmer Mr Jones. The Hall 

has been used for school concerts, the sports hall is available for local clubs and Ruthin Rugby 

Club has made use of Big Side when their own pitches have been unplayable. Rhewl Cricket 

Club continues to make excellent use of the square for training and matches, running teams 

throughout the age range. 

School and the Community 

For the third year, the School hosted the Dave 

Lloyd Mega Challenge. This is a highly 

regarded and hugely demanding cycle 

sportive which attracts hundreds of road 

cyclists from all over Britain. This year’s route 

again took in some of the most challenging 

hills in North Wales on a route which took in 

18 miles with 4,100m of climbing including the Shelf, 

Horseshoe Pass, World’s End, Moel Arthur, Peniel, Lake 

Vrynwy and the Stingers. But there was also a sting in 

the tail in that the ride actually finished at the top of a 

ridiculous hill - Bwlch Penbarras. It climbs 260m in 

2.2km. Parts are 1:4 and there is a hairpin bend at 1:3. 

The cyclists had to pass the HQ at School to reach the 

foot of the 

hill. The following sums up the experiences of one competitor. “ 

As I crept up this final incline all I wanted to do was to get off 

and walk. Somehow I kept upright and managed to squeeze out 

the last ounce of energy to get around the daunting hairpin. After 

‘levelling off’ a little the final push is steep and straight. I cramped 

just in time for the photographer and then was in full view of the 

spectators at the top. How can you get off at this point? I crossed 

the line powered by one leg as the other was effectively paralysed 

by cramp.( In retrospect the hilltop finish was magnificent.” 

Throughout the weekend, students were on hand to help out at 

the start and also at the 

car park at the finish. 

This is indeed a great advert for the School with pictures and 

comments appearing in the national cycling press. One of the many 

positive reflections offered by a participant is reprinted here: ‘ I 

had absolutely no grumbles at all about the day. The facilities at 

HQ at Ruthin School were spot on - changing rooms, warm 

showers, ample parking space, refreshments, registration desk - 

all made the day much more enjoyable both at the start and end of 

the ride.’


The ice cream sellers 

Finishing the last climb 

The Conference Room has not only been beneficial to students, staff, parents but also has potential for 

hosting meetings of regional bodies. The Royal College of Nursing conference of School Nurses was held 

at School superbly organised by Cath Bland. This bodes well for future events. 

Another public body – the police – spent an evening each week 

over the summer term 

and break carrying out 

training in a school 

context. The Conflict 

Management Unit of the 

North Wales Police 

undertook firearms 

training using a scenario 

of a spree killer (a 

terrifying development 

seen in the USA and parts of Europe) in a school. Even with 

increased security a school is a vulnerable location given the 

number of people in the area and the profile of the spree killers. 

The officers were briefed, set a scenario and then had to check 

the building to locate the killer. Staff including the Head 

volunteered to take the role of victims and the whole exercise 

was extremely 

impressive in the 

attention to detail and 

the total 

professionalism of the officers. School received a very positive 

letter from the Chief Firearms Instructor stressing the value of 

the School as a venue: “without your assistance and that of your 

staff, the training would not have achieved the realism required 

to achieve their learning objectives. The School was a superb 

training venue.” The Head stated that he was reassured by the 

exercises and that the North Wales Police were taken the 

changing threats seriously and responding proactively.


As part of the Way of Life project, sports science students 

from Glyndwr University visited School with the School 

Fitness Festival – the ‘ F’ Factor. The youngsters were 

tested in a number of areas – sit & reach, speed bounce, 

standing long jump, plate tapping, grip strength and shuttle 

run – and had their weight and height recorded. They 

were then able to see how well they had performed against 

a list of levels. The youngsters were given advice regarding 

diet and exercise and informed that there would be a 

follow-up in the future. The aim is to encourage youngsters into a healthy and active 

lifestyle and to provide for university students opportunities to gain experience by 

using their skills beyond the university setting. 

Earlier in the summer, students from across Denbighshire were invited to take part in 

an exciting art competition which celebrated the 700th Foundation of the Collegiate 

Church of St. Peter’s, Ruthin, and its close association with Ruthin School, dating 

back to 1284. The theme was St Peter’s - 700 Years, and entries using any form 

of painting, drawing or photography were invited from students between the ages of 5 and 18 years. 

Students were asked to submit their interpretation of aspects of the buildings and surrounding area which 

encapsulate the historic significance of this anniversary and the continuity of life and Christian worship on 

this site throughout the centuries. The entries would be judged at the start of the Autumn term with the 

winning artwork being mounted, framed and hung in the nave of the Church. 

Members of the Prep School benefited from the experiences of Mr. John Starmore, who came to School 

to talk to pupils from Year 5 about his life as an evacuee in the Second World War. Newly armed with 

colour booklets and named labels hanging from their necks, the children learned about his experiences in 

schools and Anderson air raid shelters during the war years, and offered a wealth of enthusiastic questions 

which their guest did very well to answer at the tender age of 83! After a class photograph wearing replicas 

of war artefacts, Lowri Williams proudly showed him her copy of Anne Frank’s Diary. Mr. Starmore’s 

personal experiences certainly brought the 

Second World War to life for the pupils. 

The summer break continues to enable 

the School’s accommodation to be used 

by others. This year there was an English 

summer school and a group participating 

at the International Eisteddfod at 

Llangollen were accommodated and 

were very positive in their comments.


Fund-Raising & Millennium Volunteers 

This year Ms Brodzinska headed the fund-raising activity and what a contribution Ewa and her team of 

dedicated students made. Their efforts seemed to gain a momentum which increasingly involved more 

students and the fund-raising evolved 

into the Millennium Volunteers in the 

community. Their efforts were 

exceptional, 

raising 

considerable 

sums of 

money. 

The Team working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award by providing services 

to the community devised a number of events intended to raise funds for their 

chosen charity Cancer Research UK. This charity was chosen for two main 

reasons: cancer affects about a third of the population and pupils and staff at 

the School have been either directly or indirectly touched by the disease. The 

first event was Pink Day; the response was tremendous with not only pupils 

but also teachers, administrative, 

laundry, kitchen, and 

maintenance staff sporting their 

best for a fee of £1. At the end 

of the day, the joint effort raised 

£243.35. 

Other events included a 

sponsored Wings of Hope – 

Walk For Life at Moel Famau, 

where the 30 members wore tiny pink wings 

for the 

occasion and 

enjoyed their 

5km walk 

along the 

Clwydian 

Range; 

Ruthin 

School’s Got 

Talent; 

Pyjama Day; 

Christmas 

Dance and a 

spot of Christmas carol singing around Ruthin. Two members of the Ruthin 

School Fundraising Team, Santiago Savino from Colombia and Louis Shum from Hong Kong, set up 

the team’s own website where donations could be made on-line: www.ruschoolfundraising.webs.com . 

The Ruthin School Fundraising Group were a registered fundraiser and worked closely with Cancer


Research UK and their representatives. Mr. David Fielding, the CRUK Fundraising Manager for the 

north-west area, came to give a talk to the School’s Sixth Formers and to encourage and support them in 

their work. Three representatives of the fund-raising group went to the Polish Home in Penrhos, on the 

Llyn Peninsula, to obtain sponsorship. The residents at the Polish Home have always given generously to 

this cause and were delighted to have the three students from Year 10 visit them. Funds were also raised 

through donation stations around the School manned by students on a rota system as well as on-line 

donations. The total amount collected was £372.26. 

Towards the end of the 

Autumn term the group 

organized a splendid 

evening of entertainment – 

Ruthin School’s Got 

Talent – which featured a 

wide range of performances 

including solo singing, 

dance, unicyling/singing, and 

instrumental pieces. The 

judges – Ms Morley, Mr 

Sammons and Mr 

Rowlands, were extremely 

impressed by the quality of 

the performances describing 

them as ‘having a good 

stage presence’ (Rafa), 

‘good close harmonies 

(Tina & Viet), ‘energetic’ (Vivian & Tammy) ‘ the audience really 

liked it’ (Hung), ‘very powerful’ (Cynthia & Cathy) ‘a male multitasking’ 

(Luke – riding a unicycle and singing), ‘superb’ (Nidal & Timur), 

‘powerful, but please learn the words’ (Nancy), ‘sensational’ (Tian), ‘great 

effort’ (Orlando), ‘vibrant...but’ ((GOEJ). The judges decided to award three 

prizes – solo, instrumental and dance, won respectively by Nancy Weng, 

Tian Ji , Nidal Benhachem & Timur Mamedov. The evening edged the 

fund-raisers closer to their target of £1500 with the pyjama day, carol singing 

and bag-packing at Tescos to come before the Christmas break. Donations 

on line, proceeds of the Talent Show DVD, the Christmas Dance and Raffle, 

Boots donation, and the Carol Service 

collection all enhanced the amount raised. 

In the Spring term the Ruthin School 

Players, directed by Mr. Nicholas Blanford, 

put on a performance of Dracula and raised 

approximately £800. The proceeds were 

split between CRUK and Macmillan 

Nurses. The Race for Life in Rhyl realised 

over £250. 

Nancy 

Tian 

Timur & Nidal


Ruthin School’s Got Talent


GEOJ 

Tesco 

All the splendid efforts over the year raised a total of £2772.17. At a special assembly students presented 

representatives from the two organisations with cheques. Mrs. Ruth Griffith from the CRUK Vale of 

Clwyd Branch in Ruthin and Mrs. Eleri Brady, Local Fundarising Manager for Macmillan Nurses, accepted 

cheques on behalf of their organisations.


At the same assembly Mr. Gerry Frobisher, Volunteer Co-ordinator with Millennium Volunteering was 

also present to award students with certificates in recognition of their volunteering endeavours. Students 

were awarded certificates for 50, 100 and 200 hours, the latter being signed by the Welsh Assembly 

Government’s First Minister. Although certificates could only be awarded for a maximum of 200 hours, 

one student, Eddie Chan, had served a staggering 800 hours in the School and local communities and 

four others – Chi Nguyen, Linh Nguyen, Saakar Byahut and Trang 

Nguyen – exceeded 300 

hours. The group certainly raised 

the profile of the School in the 

community and altered people’s 

perception about Ruthin School 

and it students.


Old Ruthinian Association 

The annual November Reunion took 

place to coincide with Remembrance 

Weekend. Sports fixtures started the 

occasion; the Rugby pitted two very 

young sides against each other and the 

Ruthin team contained a number of ORs 

and the Carroll brothers played against 

each other. The OR side was initially at 

a significant disadvantage - too few 

players. The situation was retrieved in 

that a number of the 1st team were given 

permission to play and the 

ORs started well but in the end 

the superior fitness of the 

Ruthin Town side prevailed - 

the second half saw them exert 

their supremacy. The final 

score was 53-17 to Ruthin. 

Meanwhile the School netball 

team took on a very powerful 

OR team. Despite a significant 

size disadvantage they kept 

going but they could not compete with the power and shooting of the ORs 

and the game ended with the score 19-6. 

President, Sir Peter Badge, and Chairman John Sharples spoke and proposed 

the toasts. In a departure from the traditional format the Head delivered a 

speech reflecting on the significant changes that had taken place over the 

past year and some reflections on his seventeen years at Ruthin. He started 

by explaining his decision to depart from the tradition of the heads of School 

delivering a speech since the past year had been so immensely challenging in 

so many ways that he felt it was more appropriate for the Head to address 

the ORs. There were also some issues which – with all due respect to the 

students – were best dealt with by the Head. He spoke about being invited 

Some 60 ORs and guests 

enjoyed an evening of 

entertainment, memories and 

good food at Ruthin Castle. The


to the thanksgiving for the life of DJM Hooson (Old Ruthinian and 

former Professor of Geography at Berkeley University California) 

and of the impact that David’s book on the USSR had had on him as 

a student. He reminded everyone of the contribution that the late 

Barbara Tremayne had made to the ORA. The major restructuring 

put in place at the start of the academic year was outlined in addition 

to the changes in the utilisation of space within the School, and he 

informed the assembled ORs that the new boarding accommodation 

developed in the Tower area of main School was called Ellis, a 

reminder of the past when the Junior School was so named. 

He stressed that the changes would enhance the quality of both the 

education and level of care for the 100 boarders. He also explained 

the increasing 

legislation that schools have to comply with and reflected 

that everyone has to adjust to change. 

Heads of School - 

Eleanor Dolan & SampadaKC 

He gave a brief overview of the public examinations, 

university destinations, staff changes and the importance of 

the opportunities beyond the classroom, so crucial in 

developing the whole person. He concluded by reflecting 

on his time at the School, the commitment of the staff, how 

pleasant the pupils were and the values that the School 

promoted. He appreciated the support he had from both 

parents, ORs and the Council of 

Management and wished the ORA 

every success for the future. Following 

the meal ORs had the opportunity to 

catch up and reminisce about their time 

at School. 

On Sunday a number supported the 

cadets of the CCF by attending 

the Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph and Sir Peter Badge laid a 

wreath on behalf of the ORA. 

A number of ORs gathered at St Peter’s in May, for the Induction of the 

Revd. J Stuart Evans as Warden of Christ’s Hospital and Rector of Llanfwrog 

& Llanrhydd. 

In June the ORA organised a summer reunion at the Wynnstay Arms, Ruthin. 

Over thirty ORs forwent the opportunity to see England play USA at the 

start of the World Cup and enjoyed a very good evening in the company of 

their peers. At the end of the evening John Sharples thanked everyone for


their attendance and invited the Head 

to become an Honorary Old 

Ruthinian , ahead of his retirement 

at the end of the academic year. The 

following day at St Peter’s Collegiate 

Church a number of ORs attended 

the Eucharist for the 409 th 

Commemoration of Gabriel 

Goodman in the presence of The 

Very Reverend Dr. John Hall who 

held the role formerly held by Gabriel 

Goodman, that of Dean of Westminster. Following the service there 

was a buffet held in Big School at which the portrait of Barbara Tremayne 

was unveiled. 

Towards the end of the summer term Marc Jones 

and Alex Gillanders visited School to say farewell to 

the Head. Alex has just graduated with 1 st Class 

Honours in Geography from Manchester having 

completed a dissertation on reconstructing the recent 

glacial history of the higher Atlas Mountains in 

Morocco. He hopes to find a temporary job ahead 

of travelling before 

focussing on his 

future. Marc has spent a year at university in Sydney as part of the 

ERASMUS scheme, which 

allows students from the UK to 

spend time learning in a different 

environment. Marc returns to 

Loughborough for his final year 

Izri Kong 

reading Geography. The 

department is delighted to see the 

high quality degrees its former 

Alex & Marc 

students are gaining at top universities. Izri Kong completed his 

Masters in Mathematics at Cambridge and now works in the 

City .


Ben & Orlando 

Ben Rowlands returned home for Christmas having reached Xinjiang 

(where temperatures had fallen to minus 15°C) in China on his world 

cycle ride. After Christmas he returned to Hong Kong, cycled through 

Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, back into China, and on to 

Taiwan before travelling to Canada and cycling down the Pacific 

coast to San Francisco then travelled north following the Great Divide 

back into Canada. On the latter part of the journey he decided to 

relax by cycling the great Alpine and Pyrenean passes before returning 

to London via South Wales, North Wales, York, Scarborough and 

Hull – in total 35000km through some 25 countries. 

A small but highly committed committee continues to offer excellent support to the School and 

to raise money for the benefit of the pupils. The annual Tug of War and fireworks was followed 

by the post Carol Service refreshments; 

both these occasions are enhanced by the 

willingness of the committee to lend its 

support. 

Ruthin School Association 

The Duck Race, held at 

the Brookhouse Mill, 

was a very enjoyable 

evening, despite the 

weather and small 

turnout, with six races 

sponsored by members 

of the committee. The 

betting was lively and 

the food excellent and all 

who attended were very positive in their comments.


Some 24 hours after Prize Giving the RSA had transformed the marquee for the 120 parents, students, 

ORs, and friends of the School. This 

year the theme was Casino Royale and 

all were welcomed to a Las Vegas 

theme with the opportunity to dance, 

and visit the casino, playing blackjack 

and roulette with pretend money. The 

raffle, heads & tails were followed by 

an auction of a magnum of champagne, 

tickets and hospitality at the home of 

the Crusaders rugby league team 

(Wrexham) and the opportunity to 

cruise on a 34ft Sunseeker. The auction 

realized £680, 

shared between 

the RSA and 

Hope House. 

This was a very 

successful 

evening and 

thanks go to the 

small RSA 

committee for 

their wonderful 

organization.


The Ladies Chocolate and Champagne Charity 

Luncheon in support of Ty Gobaith was a great 

success and we raised £400 for the charity. 

The RSA continue to raise funds through ongoing 

activities, Bags2School collections, the RSA 

Shop and the 125 Club which holds its £1000 

draw at the buffet held after the Carol Service. 

They financed the water-coolers and second 

school minibus for another year, and supported a 

number of other projects for the School. 

School Prefects - 2009-10


The Lighter Side of Life - Year 13 Party

The Ruthinian 1 - Ruthin School

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