Pocklington School Newsletter Lent Term 2019 | Page 5

Charity Week
VR car crash gives students
pause for thought
As this newsletter goes to print, the school's
annual Charity Week will be taking place, a
fun-filled event that continues to raise a
significant amount of money for our chosen
charities. Dr Andrews has joined the team and
worked with the Lower Sixth to generate a
"Record Breaking" fund-raiser which we hope
will allow staff and students to get involved in
breaking some (not too difficult) world records!
The Day Houses have all had visits from their
chosen charities, York Special Care Baby Unit,
Surfers against Sewage, World Cancer
Association and RNIB, and are aiming high in
their bid to raise the most money possible. We
know it will be an exciting week, let’s hope we
get a little bit of sunshine to boost us along!
Helen Alexander and Helen Andrews
Boarding at
Pocklington
Sixth Form students experienced a virtual
reality car crash during a visit by Humberside
Fire & Rescue Service’s Road Safety Team.
Students wore VR headsets which placed them
in the front passenger seat of a car driven by a
young person, which was involved in a collision
The Road Safety Team also spoke to students
about the major factors in fatal and serious road
traffic collisions.
OP Alexandra Dariescu returns
with captivating recital
Internationally-acclaimed pianist and OP
Alexandra Dariescu took time out from her busy
tour schedule to return to Pocklington School
and perform a special recital in the Music
School.
It's been another excellent term in boarding
with masses of activities (and plenty of hard
work!) going on. Football trips, ten-pin bowling,
The Deep, York Army Museum, 'Let Loose'
adventure park - and the list goes on. See
what's going on in Senior and Junior Boarding
by following the Twitter feed @pockboarding -
we are lucky to have such a wonderful
community of boarders and staff. Boarding is
such an important part of Pocklington life, so if
you've never had the chance to come and visit
our boarding houses, get in touch!
As always, she captivated the audience with her
seemingly effortless playing and engaging
personality, introducing each work with insights
into the music and stories behind it. She makes
Pocklington’s Steinway ‘sing’ like no one else
and it was a joy to see younger members of the
audience mesmerized by her technique and
musicality.
Alexandra Dariescu and
Martin Kettlewell (Director of Music)
4
Following the concert, which included works by
female composers Nadia Boulanger and
Germaine Tailleferre, Alexandra gave freely of
her time, signing autographs and posing for
selfies with well-wishers. She thanked the
school for kick-starting her journey to
international renown by awarding her a
scholarship from Romania in 2002, and
generously donated all the proceeds from the
concert to the School’s nominated charities for
2019, a staggering £800!