Cabinet member for Education, Councillor Don Rule MBE, met with John Kyrle staff on Friday, 10th March to discuss accommodation issues at the high school. Councillor Rule was accompanied by fellow Cabinet Member, Mr Mike Wilson.

Under discussion were the newly installed additional classrooms for PE, A-level Production Design and the School’s Training Centre for students involved in the Initial Teacher Training Programme. The recently-opened Sixth Form/Adult & Community Learning Centre were also visited.

The school also shared with Councillor Rule and Mr Wilson its ambitious plans for sports development at the school.

Deputy Head, Brent Vinall, who attended the meeting said, “The school is very grateful to Councillor Rule and Mike Wilson for taking time from their busy schedules to visit the school. They were able to see the recent developments made possible following the support of the Local Authority and our exciting proposals for further development of facilities at John Kyrle for its future students as well as the residents of Ross-on-Wye.

It is an almost impossible task to reconcile the demands from all parts of the County for additional facilities but we are confident that our elected representatives are fully aware of and support our ambitious plans.

Pictured below at JKHS are John Docherty, Burser, Mike Wilson, County Council Resources, Harriet Smith, JKHS Head Girl, Counsellor Don Rule, Chairman of Herefordshire Council and Brent Vinall, Deputy Head of JKHS.

We are a group of students from the John Kyrle High School. We joined a programme called Young Enterprise, this is where we get to run our own company called 'Evolution'. As part of our business we have joined forces with 'Flicks in the Sticks' to show the newly released film 'Wallace and Gromit - Curse of the Were Rabbit'. The film is classed as a 'U' so everyone is welcome.

We will show the film on 24th March up in the 6th Form common room at John Kyrle. Doors will open at 4:00 pm and the screening will be at 4:30 pm. Tickets are £2.00 and light refreshments are available. For further information and to book your ticket, call 077 839 33595. We look forward to seeing you there.

Vicky Watkins

The picture shows members of 'Evolution': Back row - Sarah Lancaster, Rachael Williams, Abigail McCauley and Philip Shaw. Front row - Joe Farminer, Vicky Watkins, Hannah Cornwall and Kevin Carter.

Time comes when the knees hardly hold you up, the back slumps and those supple joints creak. Gone are the days of leaping like a gazelle and streaking like a hare. You can't avoid yearly birthdays and ageing finally brings you to the pace of a slug.

I've enrolled into that elitist group of the OAP. I'm looking forward to retirement, being part of the 'Wrinkleys & Grey Power Set'. So as my bicycle goes to a younger fitter 'Postie' and my uniform goes to mothballs, this is to say I have met wonderful Rossians on my duty.

Some moments have been funny, enlightening and a diversity of human interests; and there have been sad the times when residents have passed away. I cannot forget to mention the dogs (and cats) on my round. Hand on heart, all of the dogs I have met, only once did I feel the clamp of canine teeth. It made my day to be greeted by your pets and I apologize for the future as they await their dog treats that will no longer be there.

Renewed thanks to all of you for the kindness you showed during rain, hail, snow and sunshine.

Winter McDonnell

There are plenty of frogs and lots of frog spawn in my natural pond this year and I can hear the frogs calling all night long. The photograph of frog spawn below was taken without leaving the comfort of my office chair.

This term, girls rugby has seen a surge in popularity with more girls fixtures than ever before. Training has been on both Tuesday and Wednesday nights, with over twenty girls regularly attending sessions, led by PE teachers Claire Godwin, herself an ex Welsh rugby international, and Chris Elias. With no rugby experience behind them the girls, aged between fourteen and sixteen, have had to learn quickly. Their first match came as something of a shock, only three months after starting training. The venue was Dene Magna and with several club and county players in their side it was always going to be a steep learning curve for the John Kyrle girls. However they bounced back and three weeks later they narrowly beat Haywood School in Hereford 7-5. In the closest of games, Bekki Carter scored and Siobhan Hartley converted.

Full of enthusiasm the girls prepared themselves for the annual match against Bishops School, Hereford, which although always a closely fought game John Kyrle have yet to win. In the girls' first home game they came out determined to show parents and supporters their new skills. After ten minutes of continuous pressure John Kyrle were unlucky not to score but lack of discipline led them to conceding a penalty deep in the Bishops half which was quickly taken, catching the home sides defence in disarray and leaving them five points adrift. More trouble was to follow with influential captain Number 8, Hannah Martell having to leave the field with an ankle injury shortly before half time. John Kyrle looked the stronger team in defence second half and with decisive running from Rachael Lea at inside centre and Tammy Seaborn at prop, Bishops were beginning to find themselves on the back foot. With Bekki Carter using the boot to gain territory for the home team panic began to set in and a great chase by flanker Jess Pearce pressurized the Bishops wing into a mistake leading to her first ever try. Going into the final few minutes with the scores level at 5-5, all the pressure was on the Bishops defence. The John Kyrle forwards used their last reserves of energy to drive the ball towards the try line, then fed the ball out to the backs where the youngest member of the team, full back Becky Austin, out-sprinted the defence to score the winning try in the corner giving John Kyrle victory for the first time against Bishops 10-5.