LGBT+
We are thrilled to announce that our Head Teacher, Mr. Sargeant, and Head of House, Mrs. Stacey, have received the prestigious Rainbow Flag Award on behalf of our school. This recognition comes from the Senior LGBT+ Practitioner, Debbie Ley, representing the Intercom Trust, for our school's unwavering commitment to inclusion and visibility of the LGBTQ+ community.

We are honoured to be acknowledged for our positive approach to fostering a safe and supportive environment for everyone. This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire school community. Together, we continue to champion equality, respect, and acceptance.

We believe that every individual should be celebrated and embraced for who they are. By creating an inclusive space, we empower our students to express themselves freely and thrive academically, emotionally, and socially.

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Photo Competition
Congratulations to Martha, a talented Year 8 student, for winning the under 18 category at the prestigious Plymouth Urban Tree Festival! Her remarkable photograph of the lush, overgrown trees in Plymbridge Woods has been highly commended by the judges.

The judge's comments capture the essence of Martha's stunning work. They were captivated by the vibrant energy and the feeling of nature awakening after a long hibernation. The trees in the photo draw you in, tempting you to explore the enchanting path and marvel at the beauty above. The composition is powerful, guiding the viewer's eye effortlessly into the frame, while the striking contrast between the blue sky and the lush green leaves adds an extra touch of magic. It's truly like stepping into the Garden of Eden.

We're immensely proud of Martha's accomplishment, and her photograph serves as a reminder of the incredible talent within our school community.

On another note, we are excited to announce that today we're holding our own internal photo competition, where students have the chance to showcase their photography skills and win housepoints and merits. Stay tuned, as we will be sharing the winning entries with you soon!

Once again, congratulations to Martha for this well-deserved recognition at the Plymouth Urban Tree Festival! Keep shining bright, and may your creativity continue to inspire us all.

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EPAS
Exciting Update! Our EPAS team recently held an engaging presentation on the EU, European Parliament, Brexit, and EPAS. They covered everything from the EU's structure and governance to the impact of Brexit on the UK and Europe. The session even included a lively debate on the class's hypothetical vote on "Remain" or "Leave," followed by a fun quiz summarising all the knowledge gained.

Moreover, we had the opportunity to discuss the EPAS project itself and encouraged future students to participate in this amazing initiative. Exploring the diverse perspectives within our community!

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Green Team
Enthusiastic despite the damp, Green Team students had a Tree Facts session with Tess Wilmot and Green Minds. They learnt about tree identification and how we can look after the trees we have on site.

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Ten Tors
All 4 teams home by 3.45! Bit of a record for us! Huge respect to every one of you who made it around and massive thank you to everyone who came out to support us

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Year 10 - Natwest Climate Competition
We're thrilled to share with you that our Year 10 students recently took on an incredible challenge inspired by NatWest's climate ambitions. They were tasked with creating a product or service that would help NatWest's business customers to Go Green by saving energy or reducing their carbon footprint.

Working in teams, our students considered all the steps required to establish a new business as they developed an idea for their new product or service. They not only thought about how their company would operate and benefit NatWest's customers but also considered the cost of it to the bank. They then developed a marketing and promotion plan before presenting their business proposal to the judging panel.

Throughout the day, our Year 10 students showed excellent use of their enterprise skills and focused on Entrepreneurialism, Creativity, Resilience, Business & Finance, and Sustainability. We couldn't be prouder of their hard work and dedication. Well done, Year 10!

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Green Team
Year 9 Green Team students helped plant three new crab apple trees behind the Art Block this week to support @QueensCanopy and #PlymouthandSouthDevonCommunityForest to increase biodiversity and love for trees! #PSDCF

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EPAS
Plymouth- London- Lanarca- Limassol (Cyprus). Long day for our EPAS team but we arrived at the hotel on time for dinner. We're looking forward to an exciting day!

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Netball
We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to the Year 7 Netball Squad who participated in the PSSP End of Season Tournament at Hele’s School yesterday. We're thrilled to announce that we were able to enter two teams, with the Dolphins coming third in their pool winning four games and narrowly losing the other two by one goal. The Diamond were unbeaten in their pool, winning all six matches and beating a strong Stoke team in the final. Every single student played brilliantly throughout the tournament, and as a school, we are immensely proud of them. A massive thank you to Mrs Cole and Miss Revell for all their time and effort this year in developing Netball here at DHSG

Year 8 Netball team came second at the PSSP End of Season Tournament at Hele’s School. They narrowly lost in the final to an excellent Plymstock team by one goal. The girls played incredibly well and improved throughout the tournament.

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Music
Some images from last week's Plymouth Music Accord Concert at the Sherwell Centre, University of Plymouth. Students performed exceptionally well, in front of parents, teachers, Plymouth-born Composer Clive Jenkins, PMA Chairman and Conductor of the Plymouth Symphony Orchestra, Anne Kimber and Concert Pianist and Music Director of The Arts Institute University of Plymouth, Dr. Robert Taube. Quite an audience.

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Art
Congratulations to Ruby in 7E who has won a national calendar art competition from the Naval Children's Charity. Ruby's fantastic drawing, for her chosen month of March, won out of thousands of children who entered and will now be published as part of an official calendar. Well done, Ruby.

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Spanish
As part of their EPAS programme, Year 12s Grace and Lara presented a lesson on Eurovision to a Year 7 Spanish class. This involved them going through the history of Eurovision and its international importance, especially within Europe. Besides this, they did a quiz, and the class listened to some previous Eurovision winners and vote for their favourites in Spanish!

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Top of the Bench
Congratulations to our 'Top of the Bench' Team, Polly, Daisy, Abi and Bethany who came 2nd in the Royal Society of Chemistry's Regional final. Many thanks to Plymouth University Chemistry Department for organising and resourcing this challenging extracurricular event again.

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Ten Tors Update
Massive well done to all those who put themselves out there again for this weekend's walk- nearly the full event distance completed - the event will be easy after this! Only one more walk to go

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Our longest walk yet and with full packs. Good visibility most of the time meant that teams walked much more independently and every single one of them completed the day! Icy underfoot and, snow to play in and fantastic views, they walked from sunrise to sunset. Some tired people tonight! Kudos to every single one of you- and to the volunteers and parents for making it possible.

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Chinese
As part of the exchange program with our sister school in Hangzhou, China, Mrs Li's Y9s have received lovely presents from their pen pals today- an exciting start to the new term.

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Ten Tors Update
A very wet training day out on Dartmoor today, lots of rerouting as rivers were impassable- but we finished in a little bit of sun with the showers. Massive effort from all those out on the moor, well done everyone! And a huge well done to parents too for driving up in the dark in such dreadful rain and visibility to be ready for the early start this morning.

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DHSG Carol Concert
Massive congratulations to all the students who performed in this year's Carol Concert at the Minster Church of St Andrew Plymouth. A brilliant concert with many standout performances from students. Wonderful to spend time with an appreciative audience of families, staff, and friends.

A special thanks to all the adults involved in supporting students, especially our talented Head of Music, Mrs. Mitchell.

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Euroscola
Some Y12 and Y13 students attended a Euroscola online event considering: ‘Is Europe ready for winter? - The EU’s response to the energy crisis.'

They saw how the European Parliament operates, engaged with other European students, and took part in a Q and A session with Katarina Barley, Vice-President of the EP, as well as Aleyda Hernandez Laviades (The Committee on Industry Research and Energy).

DHSG asked questions in both English and Spanish, and one of our student's ideas was voted as the second most popular
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GCHQ National Language Competition
Year 9 students from DHSG recently took part in the GCHQ National Language Competition. Along with students from across the UK, they will be set a variety of exciting, language-themed challenges on an online platform with the aim to score the most points. The winning team will be invited to GCHQ headquarters in Cheltenham and will be presented with a trophy by Director, Sir Jeremy Fleming. Good luck DHSG!

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The Eden Project
Year 8 geographers are busy exploring the tropical rainforest biome at The Eden Project. They are investigating plant adaptations, the carbon and water cycles, as well as the positive and negative impacts of people on the ecosystem.

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Enrichment Week Activities 
Year 9 students and staff had a wonderful week at Bude, during Enrichment Week '22. The activities were exciting, the students were enthusiastic, and the sun was shining! Particular highlights were the bravery of the cavers and climbers, the camaraderie on the team trail, and the wonderful singing at karaoke. The instructors described our students as always smiling, giving it their all in every activity and supportive of each other all the way. Well done everyone!

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Royal Institution Physics for Maths Masterclasses for Primary School Students
At the start of the year, our Sixth Form Physics students attended a training session to learn how to develop and then deliver a series of Royal Institution for Physics and Maths Masterclasses. Since then, they have been working hard to produce their own lessons to deliver to year 5 students from local primary schools. A guest speaker from the University of Plymouth delivered the first session. The session was hugely enjoyable and the Year 5’s all showed up, the sixth formers and teachers alike, with their incredible mental gymnastics as they learnt to add up and subtract in base 8.

Ela, Millie and Abi followed this up with Masterclass Number 2 - Wonderful Waves. The Year 5s learnt all about the different types of waves, the speed of waves and how to do basic Waves maths. The session ended with the ringing of a giant gong on the field to show whether Sound or Light travelled quickest!

Next up, Santiago and Victoria ran a session on Earthquakes - could the Year 5’s rise to the challenge of producing an Earthquake-proof spaghetti tower?

Santiago and Christine made motors in their session on magnets and motors and there’s still more to come. The final two sessions are Density and Rockets. An amazing achievement from the Year 12s given they have never delivered any lessons before!

We are looking forward to the final two sessions on Density and Rocket Science over the next two weeks! Good luck Year 12 Physicists!

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Production of Bugsy Malone
Please come along and see the students in a fantastic production of Bugsy Malone. Parents and carers can buy tickets via iPayimpact by logging into their child's account. If you require any further help, please contact the finance office.

Tickets will also be available on the night to purchase at the door, but please be advised tickets are selling fast.

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Art Exhibition, "Interpretations of Isolation & Loneliness"
Talented Sumedha from 9E recently took part and came second in the Art Exhibition, "Interpretations of Isolation & Loneliness" (11–25-year-olds) organised by Age UK Plymouth in association with Plymouth City Council.

She is also a member of an artist's group in Plymouth whose aim is to beautify the city with public displays of art. Sumedha's humble art contribution this time was a fish-shaped board which is proudly displayed in Union Street, Plymouth.

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EPAS programme
Just before half-term, a group of yr 12 students from DHSG visited Europe House in London as part of the EPAS programme. They met up with three other schools partaking in the programme to discuss projects that the schools could work together on in the future.

Charity Event
We are thrilled to share the incredible success of last Friday’s lunchtime event organised by a group of amazing Year 8 students. They came together to support the fantastic cause of Cancer Research UK and decided to have a “Sponge the Teacher” event!

It was an absolute blast as students eagerly took part, some by paying extra for the honour of throwing a whole bucket of water over some of our brave teachers’ heads! The laughter and excitement were contagious as water pistols and sponges were used to make sure everyone got a good soaking.

We are proud to announce that 10 teachers took part in this hilarious and wet adventure, all for a great cause. Together, we raised funds that will contribute to the important work being done by Cancer Research UK.

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PE
Congratulations to our U13 Softball Cricket Team on qualifying for the County Finals later this term! We are incredibly proud of their hard work and dedication. Best of luck in the finals!

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Cyprus Trip
What an incredible two days we had in Cyprus with students from Malta, Ireland, Cyprus, and two other schools from the UK! We were presented with countless activities and opportunities throughout our visit. On the first morning, we had the privilege of gathering at a fascinating Greco-Roman Amphitheatre to meet the program coordinators and mingle with students from various countries. The school we later visited warmly embraced us with mesmerising performances and captivating traditional dances. We were also fortunate to hear thought-provoking speeches from influential individuals, including a member of the European Parliament.

Our time was filled with engaging workshops and interactive activities, allowing us to gain valuable experience and knowledge. On the second day, we embarked on a guided tour of the vibrant city of Nicosia. We delved into the complexities of managing the Turkish occupation of Cyprus and explored international relations. Later, we had the privilege of attending additional speeches and presentations held at the esteemed Town Hall.

To culminate our unforgettable experience, we enjoyed a delightful meal at a restaurant in Limassol before bidding farewell and returning the following day.
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Art
Year 7 art work inspired by mixed media artist and ceramicist Shirley Vauelle

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Music
Last Wednesday evening, our school held a fantastic spring concert featuring over 80 talented student performers! From choir to orchestra, solos to musical groups, each act delivered a professional-level performance that left us all amazed. We are incredibly proud of our students and their hard work in putting on such an incredible show. Bravo to all involved! #SchoolConcert #StudentPerformers #TalentOnDisplay

A massive thank you to Mrs Mitchell and all the other adults who supported putting on such a great concert.

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We couldn't be more proud of Alice and Ingrid from 11F, who spent 8 days rehearsing with the National Youth Training Choir of Great Britain over Easter. Their hard work and talent paid off in an unforgettable concert at the Royal Albert Hall, where they joined 900 voices and 40 parts to celebrate NYCGB's 40th anniversary. Well done, Alice and Ingrid!

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Art
A talented year 7 artist from DHSG has been working hard this year to create a submission into the 'International Comic/Manga Schools Contest'.
Ellodie Turner's 'Hidden Lives' tells the story of an encounter between a school girl and a cat. This original story embraces the competition theme of 'Light and Dark'. Good luck Ellodie in this prestigious competition.
Click here to view the webtoon, we hope you enjoy the read!
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Geography
Year 12 Geographers at Start Bay consolidating their knowledge and understanding of coastal systems, processes, landforms and management. They also got to trial different primary data collection methods in preparation for designing their own fieldwork investigations later this term.

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Art
Bernie Hollywood has finally made it across the Atlantic in his boat of hope ‘The City of Liverpool’. After 109 days of gruelling rowing he docked in the early hours of last night-just in time to enjoy Easter! (There is a video attached below of his arrival)

Bernie and his boat visited our school last summer where he captivated students with his stories of adventure and spread his message to raise awareness of the struggle that many young people face every day with their mental health.

DHSG’s competition winner, Jess Xu’s artwork also travelled across the Atlantic with Bernie, printed onto the helm of his boat. Bernie said that the artwork would give him strength to persevere and inspiration to carry on through his epic journey. Congratulations Bernie!
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Drama
What an unforgettable trip for our A Level Drama students! On the last day, they had the incredible opportunity to take a backstage tour of the Globe Theatre before experiencing a mesmerising performance of Titus Andronicus in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, all lit by candles. The all-female cast delivered an outstanding performance.

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Science
Congratulations to our Yr13 Chemists who have now received their certificates for the Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiad. We are very proud of their achievements in this extremely challenging examination; 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze award

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Drama
Our A Level Drama students had an unforgettable experience recently when they went on a backstage tour of the National Theatre. They had the chance to explore all three theatres and the backstage area, gaining valuable insight into the inner workings of the theatre. To top it off, they also attended an evening performance of Phaedra. What a day!

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Euroscola
For their @EPAmbassadorSchools Leadership skill, Year 12 students Grace and Lara coordinated the promotion and the recruitment of students interested in this month’s Euroscola topic: the EU’s strategy towards a sustainable food system. They guided students, answering their questions on what this event was and other queries.

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English
35 of our students from years 7 to 9 had their work published recently in 'The Power of Poetry', a competition run by Young Writers within the English department. Our students are now competing against 24 others schools; one student overall has the chance to win the Young Writers' Award of Excellence and a £100 National Book Token. Best of luck to all our students.

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Drama
After many months of studying the nationally acclaimed ‘Mischief Theatre’, which is responsible for ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’, our sixth form created three productions. Using the fast-paced farcical slapstick comedy that is required to create a powerful comedic performance, our students wowed their audience, who were left howling in their seats. Our sixth form ‘Gone Wrong’ performances played to a near sold-out venue at Plymouth University’s theatre known as ‘The House’.

Not only was this a professional experience for our students, but it was also a showcase of their professionalism, further showing the creativity and skill we have here at Devonport High School for Girls. A huge thank you to the creative team at Plymouth University and lastly congratulations to our students for their dedication and hard work.

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European Parliament Ambassadors Schools Programme
Clare Moody- Former UK MEP, Anna Huth- Lead Youth Correspondent, and Elspeth Wiltshire - Former Internationalism Lead for DHSG (who pioneered the first Euroscola group back in 2005) visited Devonport High School for Girls celebrating DHSG's participation in the European Parliament Ambassadors Schools Programme.

Following an opening speech and formal welcome from Mr Sargeant, Head Teacher, junior EPAS ambassadors from last year: Willow, Rifa, Alice, Issy, Nara, Jennifer, Amelia, Mia, Lara, and Viki, gave a presentation on the activities they completed in the last academic year, and the audience was introduced to this year’s junior ambassadors.

Clare gave a brilliant speech and then took questions from students. She then unveiled an honorary EPAS plaque in recognition of the commitment and contribution, DHSG has made to the programme.

The European Parliament Ambassador School Programme (EPAS) has been important in raising students’ awareness of European parliamentary democracy, the role of the European Parliament, and European values. It also has encouraged them to take part in EU democratic processes. It has been a fantastic scheme for our students and the new junior ambassadors will certainly gain much from it. We are very grateful to Miss Marcos for coordinating the event and all the EPAS activities at school.

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Poetry Competition
39 of our year 9 entries to the Young Writers competition 'The Power of Poetry' have been chosen to be published. We are really proud of our students, and the impressive and inspirational work they created. The book is set to be published on 27th January 2023. Young Writers will now choose their favourite 5 published poets who will each win £50 and a trophy.

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Science Transition Project
Congratulations to all the Year 7 students that participated in the Year 6 to 7 Science Transition Project this year, the standard of work blew us away! There is a lovely display of some of the work submitted in the crush hall.

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Plymouth's Legacy and Legs Acapella choir
A number of students from DHSG travelled to Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA to represent Plymouth's Legacy and Legs Acapella choir to sing alongside Plymouth International Acapella Choirs last week. These students have made Plymouth UK, The Legacy Choir, Plymouth Music Hub, and their families and school extremely proud.

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Geography
The sun shone as Year 12 Geographers conducted their local place study; an investigation of continuity and change within Devonport. A big thank you must go to local residents Phil and Joan for providing 'insider' perspectives and to Corrine at the Market Hall for a guided tour and talk on RIO's role in the regeneration.

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Art and Textiles
Some beautiful new displays have appeared near reception, showcasing the amazing work completed by key stage 4 students in both the Textiles and Art - Art and Design Courses.

Enrichment Week Activities
Year 7 & 8 students had great fun in enrichment week, taking part in stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking at Mount Batten Water sports Centre.

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Eurovision Event
EPAS Year 12 students organised a Eurovision–style event with year 9. The students watched past winning songs from different European countries and then voted for their favourite in Spanish.

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Pride Month
To celebrate the end of June's Pride Month, on Wednesday 29th June, our LGBT+ club organised a Pride fair which included a cake sale, raffle, face-painting, gender and flag badges and even a drag show, performed by staff and students. The students did an incredible job and raised an impressive £220 for LGBT+ charities Intercom Trust and Stonewall. We would also like to thank Debbie from Intercom Trust for coming to the fair and supporting us.

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Geography
After a morning mapping land use and flood defences along the River Exe, Year 10 Geographers successfully navigated their way to Cathedral Green. The afternoon marked a change in fieldwork focus, with students exploring the extent to which Princesshay has successfully regenerated Exeter City Centre.

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Luke Pollard
Thank you to Luke Pollard, local MP, for coming and speaking to some of our students about LGBT+ issues, as part of our Pride month celebrations. He was very engaging and inspiring and answered a wide range of questions from the students. Thank you to all who attended and for your thought-provoking questions and comments.

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2022 Chinese Bridge Mandarin-speaking Competition for UK Schools Finals
Congratulations to Sofia, Anna, Niamh, Mia and Jenna, who made it through to the 2022 Chinese Bridge Mandarin-speaking Competition for UK Schools Finals as Group Beginners Finalists, and recorded their competition piece. Also, special congratulations to Mia, one of only 12 students from across the UK who made it to the final of the Individual Beginners Mandarin-speaking Final. Thanks to Mrs Li & Xin for their nurturing and support of our students throughout the process.