22/10/2018
A message from The Old Cicestrians https://www.oldcicestrians.co.uk/
CHSB90 was a success on Saturday 20th October 2018.
Thank you to everyone who came.
CHSB90 by Clive Sayer
Well it all happened on Saturday 20th October - after a year of planning we got to celebrate the founding of Chichester High School for Boys 90 years ago.
Some 162 Old Cicestrians (former students and staff) and their partners had booked in coming from all over the world - New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Canada, America and across Europe.
In the morning after coffee and a chance to meet old friends and view the extensive display of memorabilia going back to the very start of the school Old Cicestrians and their partners enjoyed a video welcome from Tim Peake the astronaut and an old boy then a detailed presentation about the school's early years written by OC Chairman Bill Allen and presented by actor and author David Wood.
Then there was a lively presentation led by former Deputy Head John Child, History Teacher Dave Smith and colleagues of the period from the School becoming a comprehensive in 1971 up until its merger with the Girls School in 2016. They covered not only academic achievements but also the huge range of extra curricular activities including highly successful sporting teams, field trips, drama, youth activities and the award winning Combined Cadet Force - the latter sparking off interest in the Army for astronaut Tim Peake and in the RAF for Red Arrows pilot Mike Child.
Finally Yasmin Maskatiya, Executive Head of the present Chichester High School, spoke about the School as it is now and their vision for the future.
After a sociable lunch delegates enjoyed a visit to the Chichester Gymnastics Academy based in the Tim Peake Building, then a visit to the Combined Cadet Force headquarters where members showed off the equipment and weapons they use and train with before finally moving on to the West Sussex Planetarium where senior lecturer Dr John Mason (another old boy) gave a fascinating presentation about Tim Peake and the International Space Station.
It was then back to the sports hall for tea and cakes before saying farewell.