Amabile crowned national choir champions

We are proud and thrilled to announce that our supremely talented Amabile choir has been named the GSA Choir of the Year.

The choir was victorious in an impressive field of senior choirs from across the country, who took part in the Grand Final in Warwick on Sunday 12 March, after making it through fiercely competitive earlier rounds.

After stunning performances, which moved the audience to tears before delighting and wowing them with fast-paced technical agility, they were crowned champions and celebrated with joyous friends and family. The following video was captured by one of our parents.

The panel of judges voted unanimously, calling Amabile “simply sensational” and praising their music as “the most extraordinary performance.” The choir were congratulated for their sense of ensemble, their breathing, the communication between the girls, the way they watched each other and their togetherness. Head judge Simon Lole concluded by saying simply, “It was quite astonishing.”

Amabile features 13 girls from Year 9 to 13. Congratulations to Lydia, Sophie, Bea (Year 13), Eeva, Rhea, Sophia (Year 12), Amelia, Katie, Mary, Lara (Year 11), Ruby (Year 10), Mya and Sofia (Year 9).

The choir’s director, Marie-Claire Gervasoni said: “The girls were amazing today (as always) – superb poise, musicality and command of the stage. I have the best job in the world! It’s a pleasure to work with such committed musicians. Thank you to the GSA for organising such a wonderful event, and to all the choirs who competed for giving everyone a truly superb day of choral singing.”

Next up for Amabile is this term’s Spring Concert and the end of year Opera performance, before they set their sights on international goals.

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Amabile in national choir final

Our wonderful Amabile choir has reached the final of GSA Choir of the Year competition.

They are one of six senior finalists who will travel to the Grand Final at Warwick Hall in Warwick on Sunday 12 March.

In front of an audience of friends and family, they will deliver both unconducted and unaccompanied live performances, showcasing their musicality and technical ability.

We wish them the very best of luck.

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U16s Rugby Sevens tournament

Merchant Taylors’ was pleased to host its annual U16s Rugby Sevens tournament on Saturday.

Teams from seven other schools took part in the event; Stonyhurst College, Manchester Grammar School, AKS Lytham, St Anselm’s College, Wirral Grammar School, St Mary’s College and Birkenhead School.

After a highly competitive series of fixtures, our team was defeated in the Plate Final by Stonyhurst College after a semi final victory over St Mary’s College that went into an additional seven-minute golden point period.  The Cup was eventually won by Manchester Grammar School.

The tournament was played in a great spirit and we congratulate each boy who took part and thank all those parents who supported from the touchline.

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Cambridge calls for Sixth Form quartet

Four pupils at Merchant Taylors’ Sixth Form are celebrating after receiving offers from Cambridge University.

Sophie and Lydia are looking forward to reading English and Music respectively, while Hemanth and Will intend to continue their respective studies in Natural Sciences and Classics.

We congratulate all four and wish them the very best of luck for the remainder of their Merchant Taylors’ experience.

Study at Cambridge | University of Cambridge

 

 

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Under 13s in Rugby Sevens heaven

Congratulations to our Under 13s, who won the Bowl at the AKS Lytham Sevens Rugby competition.

The Year 8 boys won three matches on their way to being crown champions at the tournament, which took place in Lytham St Annes on Monday.

It was a strong team performance, with some exceptional individual skill on display, and the boys can feel very proud to lift the trophy.

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Frank Cottrell-Boyce Visit

On Monday 21 February, we were delighted to be joined by Frank Cottrell-Boyce as he visited Merchant Taylors’, giving pupils and teachers an insight into his life as an author and sharing inspiring stories of his own school-days.

Frank is an acclaimed author and screenwriter whose works have been recognized with numerous awards and nominations. His debut children’s novel, Millions, won the CILIP Carnegie Medal and he is also the author of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, Cosmic, Framed, The Astounding Broccoli Boy, and Runaway Robot.

In addition to his literary achievements, Frank is a judge for the 500 Words competition and the BBC’s One Show As You Write It competition. He also co-devised the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics with Danny Boyle and wrote for the hit TV show Dr Who. Frank’s screenwriting credits include the hit film Goodbye Christopher Robin.

During the visit, Frank held a Q&A session, presented an engaging assembly, and signed copies of his books for pupils. The school community was delighted to have the opportunity to learn from such a successful writer.

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Rugby First XV win the Lancashire Plate

Congratulations to our 1st XV rugby team, who have won this year’s Lancashire Plate.

The team were crowned champions after a hard-fought final versus Hutton Grammar School in Preston.

A try and penalty by Cameron, tries from Rory, Euan and Lewis (making his 1st XV debut), along with a conversion from Sean, secured an impressive 25-5 victory.

For the Upper Sixth players, it was a fitting way to end their 1st XV careers at school, while the team also featured three boys from Year 11 (Kiran, Cameron and Lewis), reflecting the depth of exciting rugby talent that is emerging through the school.

Well done, boys, we are very proud of you.

The victory was a fitting end to our Upper Sixth Students’ rugby careers at Merchant Taylors’

 

 

 

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MND Charity Walk

During half term a group of Sixth Form Geography students and staff took part in a 27km walk in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. The aim was to raise awareness and funds for MDNA who provide vital services and assistance to both people afflicted by the disease as well as the families caring for people living with MND.

The group set off from Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School at 9.30am and completed the walk along the Sefton coast to Southport in a marvellous 5 hours and 24 minutes. If you’d like to donate you can do so by clicking HERE.

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Diversity and Inclusion Week

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive atmosphere and as such, last week we celebrated Diversity and Inclusion week at Merchant Taylors’ with a host of different themed activities taking place.

Throughout the week pupils enjoyed taking part in World Recipe Day in which they researched and produced a recipe from a chosen country and also ‘Film Lunch’ which gave them the opportunity to watch films from different cultures. Pupils also got involved with the pop-up cafe, celebrating food from around the world each lunch time. Pupils enjoyed Caribbean, African and Malaysian dishes at lunch time, allowing them a taste of different dishes from around the world.

Friday was rainbow day which saw pupils come to school wearing an accessory in a colour from the rainbow, and during PHSE lessons they engaged in a number of tasks including making a flipping bird, learning a foreign dance and producing a ‘paper scarf’ with the theme from an assigned country.

Thank you to our catering partner Chartwells who also produced some delicious rainbow cupcakes for us to enjoy!

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Model United Nations Conference

Eight Lower Sixth students from Merchant Taylors’ took part in the Manchester High School Model United Nations conference this weekend.

The delegation represented South Africa; they debated issues such as the regulation of social media, drone warfare, lessons learnt from the Cuban Missile Crisis, access to abortion services in the developing world and LGBTQ rights.

All delegates performed admirably in this, their first, MUN conference. Delegates Eeva and Ahmed were recognised as best first-time delegates in their committees, and delegate Amaya was commended for her work in the Youth Committee. Merchants’ MUN Society look forward to competing in further conferences later this year.

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