School Carmen and other songs....

[Happy]

Miss Champion made us learn it as prep one night and we all had to recite it in front of her, encouraged by the prize of *gasp* a FORM STAR!

The pressure was terrible.

[Vonny]

Miss Champion made us learn it as prep one night and we all had to recite it in front of her, encouraged by the prize of *gasp* a FORM STAR!

The pressure was terrible.

Good old Champo

[Euterpe13]

Miss Champion made us learn it as prep one night and we all had to recite it in front of her, encouraged by the prize of *gasp* a FORM STAR!

The pressure was terrible.

Good old Champo

However long was Miss Champion at CH ? I had her in the 3rd Form... I remember the humiliation when she asked me, in her sometimes inintelligible brogue, to spell " St. Patrick" - only it sounded like " Pathrique", and of course .... I reduced the class to giggles and Miss Champion to disgust when I got it wrong!
I remember her handwriting - big,bold and black.

[jhope]

Miss Champion was third form form mistress in 1965 when I arrived - but I seem to remember that she left the School a few years later to "go and help the earthquakes in Latin America" as someone put it - translated I guess this means voluntary work!. But she was on a sabbatical I think and returned sometime post 1972.

BTW someone posted somewhere that Miss Farrow/Mrs Roxburgh has died - is this really true? She was a wonderful woman and an extraordinary teacher - and incredibly young compared to the rest of the staff. You could actually have a converstauion with her about fashion/the charts etc and she understood! I can remember being invited up to her flat when we were in the Upper Sixth (in Red House?)and being served wine!!! Incredible! (though Miss Morrison was pretty free with the gin once you had left!)

And yes Alex - Commander Perry, 1843, first US citizen allowed into Japan - also ingrained in my mind!

Juliane/Julie Bennett Sevens 65-72 (7.2)

[fivethreeone]

Miss Champion was third form form mistress in 1965 when I arrived - but I seem to remember that she left the School a few years later to "go and help the earthquakes in Latin America" as someone put it - translated I guess this means voluntary work!. But she was on a sabbatical I think and returned sometime post 1972.

BTW someone posted somewhere that Miss Farrow/Mrs Roxburgh has died - is this really true? )

Miss Champion returned in about 1975. Her predecessor was a Mrs Wood (Woody) who was incredibly lenient and the only CH teacher who let us run completely wild. I can remember once us going up one by one with our exam scripts to suggest we should have extra marks and getting them!

I think Mrs Roxburgh the history teacher died recently, however from earlier posts it appears there may have been another Mrs Roxburgh?

[englishangel]

Miss Champion was third form form mistress in 1965 when I arrived - but I seem to remember that she left the School a few years later to "go and help the earthquakes in Latin America" as someone put it - translated I guess this means voluntary work!. But she was on a sabbatical I think and returned sometime post 1972.

BTW someone posted somewhere that Miss Farrow/Mrs Roxburgh has died - is this really true? )

Miss Champion returned in about 1975. Her predecessor was a Mrs Wood (Woody) who was incredibly lenient and the only CH teacher who let us run completely wild. I can remember once us going up one by one with our exam scripts to suggest we should have extra marks and getting them!

I think Mrs Roxburgh the history teacher died recently, however from earlier posts it appears there may have been another Mrs Roxburgh?

I think there was only one. someone had got her confused with Miss Mercer. Mrs Roxburgh would have been in her mid-60s I suppose, Miss Mercer must be nearly 80.

[fivethreeone]

I think there was only one. someone had got her confused with Miss Mercer. Mrs Roxburgh would have been in her mid-60s I suppose, Miss Mercer must be nearly 80.

The Mrs Roxburgh I remember must have been around 50 in the 1970's so would have been 80ish now. She was originally Miss Martyr (not Mercer) and i think she got married in about 1975. Also I had the impression she had only joined the school in 1974 tho I'm not completely sure.

[cj]

Miss Champion was our form teacher for my first year at Hertford (1983-4). And I can't remember what happened in our second year, but she definitely taught us Scripture. Someone (no names, and I can remember who!) once asked what 'foreskin' was, to be given the reply, "the skin on your forehead". And she always pronounced us as 'the turd form' which did reduce us to fits of giggles. I remember her shoes, a bit Maggie T, court shoes, patent plum coloured with a tiny bow. It was like stepping into the land that time forgot. Go through the gates and become a schoolgirl of the fifties, come out for holidays and catch up on the eighties.

[englishangel]

Miss Champion was our form teacher for my first year at Hertford (1983-4). And I can't remember what happened in our second year, but she definitely taught us Scripture. Someone (no names, and I can remember who!) once asked what 'foreskin' was, to be given the reply, "the skin on your forehead". And she always pronounced us as 'the turd form' which did reduce us to fits of giggles. I remember her shoes, a bit Maggie T, court shoes, patent plum coloured with a tiny bow. It was like stepping into the land that time forgot. Go through the gates and become a schoolgirl of the fifties, come out for holidays and catch up on the eighties.

It doesn't sound as though she changd much in 18 years. Seem to remember she always used a coloured pen too, purple or green, never blue or black.

I am sure I would recognise her if I saw her now, even 40 years on. though she is probably grey by now rather than a redhead.

[Jude]

I'm sure I had her in 1y in 1975, and she continued to be the scourge of all first years at Hertford! Her writing was hard to read, and she was as Irish as they come -

Also had Mrs Roxburgh - both before and after her marriage - it was kept very quiet! Done in the summer hols!

[cj]

I'm sure I had her in 1y in 1975, and she continued to be the scourge of all first years at Hertford! Her writing was hard to read, and she was as Irish as they come -

Also had Mrs Roxburgh - both before and after her marriage - it was kept very quiet! Done in the summer hols!

I was in 1y, also (and then 2y the following year, strangely). The 'x' group used to call themselves 'x' for 'excellent', and we could never think of a suitable retort for 'y'. Found a school (Hertford) history book while unpacking the other day, with Mrs Roxburgh's writing in it. And before you accuse me of being a klep, we were allowed to keep some books the summer the school moved. Tudors, I think it was.

[Vonny]

Found a school (Hertford) history book while unpacking the other day, with Mrs Roxburgh's writing in it. And before you accuse me of being a klep, we were allowed to keep some books the summer the school moved. Tudors, I think it was.

I've got a history book with her writing in as well.

I think Champo taught English and Scripture but then we had Miss/Mrs Crutwell for scripture at some point. Didn't Champo also teach "geogo" to the first few years?

CJ - were you in the class that had their prep changed on the blackboard one evening by me & Mary Caunter? Champo had written the poem to be learnt on the board & we came in and changed the page number on the board & so everyone learnt the wrong poem Ended up having to go & personally apologise to her for that! Still remember to this day what she said ...... "I'm glad you've got the courage of your convictions...."

[cj]

CJ - were you in the class that had their prep changed on the blackboard one evening by me & Mary Caunter? Champo had written the poem to be learnt on the board & we came in and changed the page number on the board & so everyone learnt the wrong poem Ended up having to go & personally apologise to her for that! Still remember to this day what she said ...... "I'm glad you've got the courage of your convictions...."

Quite possibly! You must have been two years above me. I do remember one lesson when someone had rearranged all the desks and chairs to face the other end of the classroom. It seemed so daring at the time. And putting things on the teacher's chair. Probably so tedious for them.

[Vonny]

Quite possibly! You must have been two years above me. I do remember one lesson when someone had rearranged all the desks and chairs to face the other end of the classroom. It seemed so daring at the time. And putting things on the teacher's chair. Probably so tedious for them.

I can't take the credit for moving your chairs I know what you mean about it all seeming so daring at the time though - I was petrified when I knew I'd have to own up to Miss Champion about the prep

[jhope]

I think Champo taught English and Scripture but then we had Miss/Mrs Crutwell for scripture at some point. Didn't Champo also teach "geogo" to the first few years?

From what I can recall, Champo basically taught every subject to the Third Form - you only got the "specialist " teachers in the Lower Fourth. The only subject she didn't teach was History - we had Mrs Topliss for that for some reason. Mrs Topliss had a house on Sark and a daughter, Fiona, at the School. She taught us Roman history I'm pretty sure - starting off with Romulus and Remus.

Julie/Juliane (Bennett Sevens (7.2) 65-72)