The year 2013/14 was a
momentous year for
the House, as it marked
the passage of the first
generation of girls to go through
Taylor entirely under the charge of
Mrs Butler and Miss Forward. And
with such an incredible cohort of
girls in the house, what a year it
was!
Wins in Senior House Tennis
and Junior House Tug of War
(Mrs Butler's favourite House
competition) in the summer term
topped off a year which also involved
the usual shenanigans:
eating strings of doughnuts
and creating havoc
with (not quite) hard
boiled eggs at House
celebrations at Christmas;
the transformation of the
dining hall into Neverland
for the Taylor Valentine's
Ball; the Junior meal
with the Woodard boys;
various outings for Indian and Italian
meals; innumerable drama and music
productions; the consumption of 214
tubs of Haagen Daas and 193 Papa John's
pizzas (at a vague estimate); foot spas;
face masks; birthday cakes; hockey;
netball; swimming; tennis; athletics and
so on… Every year the girls amaze me
with their commitment and endeavour
to make the most of their time here, and
with such pleasure and gusto!
Taylor-made
The doe-eyed, expectant
Third Formers of
September matured
into seasoned King's
professionals; even
outgrowing the odd One
Direction obsession!
The girls quickly settled
and enjoyed a range
of weekend activities,
including the popular
spa nights as well as the
usual baking, cinema trips and outdoor
events. Sadly we said
goodbye to Lucia Rivero
at the end of the year,
but we wish her the very
best of luck for her future
studies back in Spain. Her
beautiful smile will long be
remembered around the
House.
We welcomed
Keziah Choi to
Taylor House in the Fourth
Form, and Kolly Wong soon
took her under her wing,
the two of them producing
the most wonderfulsmelling (and tasting!)
food from the kitchens at
weekends. Kate Northover,
Ellie Chilcott and Lydia
Nott created particularly
excellent
Christmas
costumes for the House
challenges in December.
Lauren Messenger and
Ellie Cooke dominated
in defence at House
Netball in the Lent term,
and Kitty Grace, Ellie
Chilcott, Lucy O'Donnell
and Petra Harding were
memorable for their
impressive dramatic
contributions to the
Amphitheatre opening
in the summer.
The Fifth Form felt the pressure
this year, but worked incredibly
hard throughout, and should
be very proud of their GCSE
achievements. The girls share such
a bond, and one of the highlights of
the year was hearing their speeches
at the end-of-year celebrations: a
true testament to their friendship
and camaraderie. We wish Kuumba
Agbami, India Bannister, Daisy
Daniell, and Mollie Merchant the
best of luck for the future.
The 6.1 stepped up to the
challenge of AS levels admirably, working
industriously and excelling in a range of
fields, from lead roles in Guys and Dolls,
through rock concert performances,
prefect training and CCF responsibilities,
to the prowess they display on the sports
fields. The highlight was of course their
achievement in recreating Neverland,
complete with cut-out shadows and fairy
dust for the Taylor ball.
Magical. It is no surprise
that so many of this year
group have been selected
for roles of responsibility
next year. Lilli Munz
and Sila Martinez Lopez
enjoyed their two terms
with us so much that they
returned for a spell at the
end of the summer term.
And so to our 6.2
leavers: Mimi Clark,
Gussy Hydleman, Tarn
McIntosh, Tita Ng,
Charlotte Ng, Jalma Fiolka and Wura
Salako all brought a unique quality of
their own which helped to transform
Taylor into the warm, supportive,
competitive, ambitious House it has
become. I am grateful to them all. Their
legacy continues to be perpetuated by
those who learned from them.
I'm not quite sure who was responsible
for the only-partially boiled eggs, but
the results made for some fabulous
memories… Here's to many more next
year.
Charlotte Ng, Tita Ng and Wura Salako
at the Valentine's Ball
Alicia Mileham as 'Sarah' in Guys
and Dolls
Lucia Rivero and Missie
Jenkins at House celebrations
House Reports
All dressed up ready for the Jamaican-themed disco
Taylor
By Anna Butler
12