Headlines

Founders’ Day service

This year, the Founders’ Day service will be live streamed on the Crypt School YouTube channel on

Tuesday 22 June at 7.00pm

Headmaster, Nick Dyer would like to invite Old Cryptians and friends to watch the Founders’ Day service in the comfort of your own home this year.

Sponsorship opportunities

Sponsorship opportunities.
1) The club are looking for a business to sponsor the £500 cost for the 2021 Leavers’ Ties.
2) The school are looking for local companies to sponsor new sitescreens for the main cricket pitch. Cost is around £2.5k but some money has already been raised.
If you feel you can help or would like more information please email president@oldcryptians.org

 

Professor John Morehen (1953-56)

We are saddened to learn of the death in January of John Morehen.  John spoke at the school Prizegiving in 2008.

Professor John Morehen was born in Gloucester, and attended the Crypt School from 1953-56 before completing his schooling in Bristol. After three years as Organ Scholar at New College, Oxford, he moved to King’s College, Cambridge, where he took a Doctorate of Philosophy. He then worked in Washington DC on the staff of Washington National Cathedral and of The American University. He returned to England in 1968 to become Sub-Organist at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, where he played the organ for many Royal and state occasions. In 1972 he joined the music staff of Nottingham University, where he is now Emeritus Professor of Music.

As a lecturer/recitalist/adjudicator John Morehen has toured the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia, and he was a regular BBC Radio 3 recitalist for over thirty years. He has given more than 100 radio and television broadcasts in the UK and abroad, and, as a musical scholar, has written extensively about Renaissance music. In 2003 he received the Degree of Doctor of Letters from Nottingham University for his published work.

Much more information on John’s fascinating and successful life is available from his website.  Our condolences go to his family and friends.

Peter Hendy (1954-62)

We are saddened to learn of the death last month of Peter Hendy.

Pete was a fine sportsman, captaining the Henley and school 1st XV and represented the county at U19 level.

He taught Chemistry at Marling School and is fondly remembered as a teacher and leader of expeditions as well as for his sports coaching.

Ian Bucknell has written an obituary in the Bisley News which gives a lot of information about this “big man with a big heart”.  Our condolences to his family and friends.

 

 

Crypt School Virtual Concert … tonight (15/03)

Julian Whittaker, Director of Music writes:

Please join us at 7.00pm tonight on the school’s youtube channel for our virtual Senior Concert.

Here is the link: https://youtu.be/cdrvLJga8k8

It features some amazing performances from students from Y10-13, mostly recorded under lockdown!

You will be impressed by their enthusiasm, musical skill and determination.

I gave the students the challenge to learn a new piece for this concert and some of them have certainly taken themselves out of their comfort zones!

If you are unable to join us, the concert will remain on our youtube channel for you to enjoy when you are able.

Dick Sheppard (1942-49)

We are saddened to learn that former Cryptian and stunt driver Dick Sheppard, who once held the record for having the most entries in the Guinness Book of Records, has died aged 90.  The following is extracted from his obituary published in Punchline Gloucester.

After attending Calton Road Junior and Crypt Grammar School, he earned a place at Cambridge University but opted for a job in a motorcycle shop instead.

He said: “At school I was caned quite frequently and threatened with expulsion more than once for being a rebel. I accepted that because it was usually quite true.

“The few masters who owned cars used to hand me the keys during the morning so that I spent the lunch hour cleaning the plugs and points and generally tuning their cars at the out of bounds area in front of the school, while my pals played football in the playground.

“This I did more for the love of engines than any fondness I felt for the teachers. The happiness this gave me continued throughout my life whenever I got the maximum performance out of an engine, whether it was to win a stock car race or achieve a new world record.”

 

 

Derek Pearce (1934 – 1939)

We are saddened to learn of the death of Old Cryptian Derek Pearce who we heard from last year when he wrote to tell us of his meeting a fellow Cryptian in his care home in Norwich.

Despite leaving school aged 14, without any qualifications, he won a scholarship to the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester – and won the best student of the year award. In 1961, he went to the United States and became the first farmer in Britain to graduate from the advanced management course at Harvard University’s Business School.

The Eastern Daily Press has a full obituary of Derek who lived an interesting life and was well respected in the farming community.

 

 

The Crypt School: A day in the life of two students in lockdown

From the ins and outs of remote teaching to some fun extracurricular activities, this SoGlos finds out more about the realities of online learning from two students at The Crypt School Click To Tweet in Gloucester.

About the experts – Theo and Marianne, Year 7 students at The Crypt School

As Year 7s, Theo and Marianne (pictured left) are in their first year at The Crypt School, a leading co-educational secondary school in Gloucester. Like many students across the county, they have been logging into online school and learning remotely during lockdown.

https://www.soglos.com/children-family/49429/The-Crypt-School-A-day-in-the-life-of-two-students-in-lockdown

 

 

Barrie Gordon SIMS (1953-60)

We are saddened to hear news from America of the passing of Barrie Sims, a longstanding member of the OCC.

Barrie Gordon Sims, 78, a resident of Columbia, Maryland, died of Covid 19 on Friday, November 27, 2020 at Gilchrist Hospice in Towson, Maryland.

Barrie was born in Gloucester, on May 16, 1942, to Gordon and Lillian Sims. He grew up with his sisters Julie and Heather and attended the Crypt Grammar School.

After graduating, he began a long career with GCHQ as a computer scientist. While working, he achieved a Bachelor of Science degree in Maths.

Barrie’s family was his source of pride and joy. He married Patricia Murrin of Gloucester in 1963 and their marriage was blessed with three children, Colin, Philip, and Jennifer. The marriage ended in divorce. In 1986, he married Tracey Taaffe Manning of Columbia.

In 1983, Barrie moved to Columbia, Maryland, to coordinate intelligence work with his U.S. counterparts. Later he worked as a program director for Computer Sciences Corporation and subsequently, Eagle Alliance, both in service to the National Security Agency. He always took satisfaction in his contribution towards making the world safer for his two beloved countries.

Barrie’s faith was important to him and he was very committed to his Baptist churches, both in Gloucester and in Columbia. As its treasurer, he helped to shepherd Brunswick Baptist Church in Gloucester through growth and the building of a new facility. He later served as treasurer for over 20 years to the Columbia Baptist Fellowship (CBF) in Maryland. For many years, he represented CBF on the Oakland Mills Interfaith Center (OMI) board of directors where, during his term as president of the board, he oversaw a major building expansion and renovation.

He is survived by his wife Tracey Manning Sims, his three children, Colin Sims (Annette Beattie) of Hampshire, Philip Sims (Michelle Sullivan) and Jennifer Sims (Graham Wollington) of Essex, his two stepchildren, Laura Manning Attridge (Andrew Attridge) and Elizabeth Manning, and his grandchildren, Matthew Sims, George Sims, Margaret Attridge, and Sean Attridge. He is also survived by his sisters Julie Briffett (Gerald Briffett) of Hereford, Heather Harvey (Robert Harvey) of Gloucester, and numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Gordon and Lillian Sims.

Donations may be made in his memory to Parkinson’s UK (www.parkinsons.org.uk/donate).

 

 

The Wheatridge Primary School

The School are delighted to announce the Department for Education’s approval of a new and innovative free school for the children in Gloucester.

The Wheatridge Primary School aims to work closely with the community providing local children access to a world class, academically focused education to prepare them for the demands of a secondary school curriculum and help them aspire to achieve highly in all that they do.

There is more detail on the School’s website about this important and exciting announcement.