PART THREE
Year 11 Robin of the Chalet School Robin Humphries is appointed to the Headgirl position, despite Dr. Jem Russell’s fears about whether she is really strong enough. Lorenz Maïco and Jeanne de Marné are Second and Games Prefects respectively. Hilary Burn is welcomed onto the staff as Games mistress, and Pam Slater arrives as Maths mistress to replace Simone de Bersac. It is a particularly harsh winter, and Upper III’s Daisy Venables, Beth Chester & Gwensi Howell grasp the opportunity to go skiing behind Plas Howell using planks of wood as homemade skis. The young Russell, Bettany and Maynard children catch influenza; Sybil has to delay starting School by a term, and baby Margot is particularly ill – the first sign of her future poor health. The Sanatorium is finally established in the Welsh Mountains, and Jack Maynard leaves the Army to join Jem Russell and Gottfried Mensch on the San Staff. The girls repeat “The Bells of Christmas” as their Christmas Play, and persuade Jo Maynard to sing the solos.
The Chalet School and Sybil Sybil Russell, aged 7, joins the Kindergarten. She thinks she deserves special treatment, as Mrs Russell’s daughter, and gives everyone a very stormy time. She eventually becomes friends with Betsy Lucy, and starts to learn that she can’t always have her own way, and to take teasing without flying into a tantrum. Miss Susan Robinson joins the School to teach Junior English, and Mlle Julie Berné returns. Amy Stevens gets caught in a downpour whilst on a walk and catches a bad cold, which turns to pneumonia. After a week of anxiety for everyone, she starts to recover, but is left as frail and delicate as when she was a small child. Her sister Margia visits, bringing news of several other Old Girls. Karl Linders crashes his Luftwaffe plane in British territory, and is captured. Joey and Jack Maynard visit him in his POW camp, and he tells them how he and his sisters helped Bruno von Ahlen and Friedal von Glück escape. Wanda and Friedal call their new daughter Emmie Joanna after the Linders’ sisters. The School holds its first Sale of Work in Armishire: theme “Nursery Rhymes”.
Adventures of the Chalet Girls The School is firmly established at Plas Howell after one year’s residence. This term sees major rearrangements within the building, to make better use of the space and give the four Houses (Ste Therese, St Clare’s, St Agnes & St Scholastika’s) their own sections. Magazine editress Amy Stevens is still absent through last terms’ illness, and consequently, nothing is done about “The Chaletian” until very late. School essays are used, but even so, the Magazine is very thin. Robin decides to give up the Headgirl position at the end of the year, although she is staying at School, and despite being asked to keep it for another year. She wants to concentrate on her work, and she isn’t really strong enough to do both properly. Mary Shand is appointed Headgirl for the next year. Guides comes to the fore as an out of School activity. Due to the blackout, the girls can’t camp out, even in the grounds of Plas Howell, but make up for it with daytime activities, hikes and badge work. At the end of term, the girls give a garden party for the local evacuee children.
Year 12 The Chalet School and Elizabeth Elizabeth Arnett becomes a responsible prefect, much to Betty Wynne-Davies’ dismay. Betty does her best to get Elizabeth into trouble and make things difficult for her, before Mary Shand, as Headgirl, puts a stop to it. Joey Maynard helps Elizabeth cope with Betty’s behaviour. Kitty Burnett and Jocelyn Redford are Second Prefect and Games Prefect, respectively. The School grows significantly, welcoming a number of new girls, including three Welsh girls, Megan and Marilyn Evans (17 & 14) and Eilunedd Vaughn (12). Miss Dolly Edwards (Junior Maths) and Matron Gould (Junior Matron) return to the School. After an investigation, a temporary maid is caught stealing the girls’ possessions for her brother to sell, and is dismissed. The School holds a Christmas Festival for the end of term, incorporating Nativity Play, Carol Concert and traditional Austrian Christmas festivities (including a Feast for the girls and Staff). A Christmas Tree is erected in Hall, and the local evacuee children receive presents and a party from the girls.
A New Form for the Chalet School A lot of the older girls are staying at School longer than normal, as they lost a year of their education when the School left Austria (Robin, Lorenz, Amy, Kitty, etc. are all over 18). Consequently, Mrs Russell, Miss Annersley and Miss Wilson announce the formation of the Special Sixth. This new form is started to cater for older girls, such as these, who want to specialise in the arts or music, or work in more depth in preparation for University. Miss Ivy Stephens returns to the School to teach Junior Geography. Two-year old Margot Maynard gets bronchitis very badly and almost dies; her health is seriously affected for years to come. Joey Maynard finally completes her conversion to Catholicism, and draws on her new faith to help her cope with Margot’s illness. Naughty Juniors Peggy Bettany, Nita Eltringham, Daphne Russell et al decided to explore the Anderson (earth) air-raid shelters in the grounds of Plas Howell one boring Saturday afternoon, and get trapped inside. The Sale of Work is as successful as ever, with the stalls representing different “Historical Stories & Characters”.
Strangers at the Chalet School Mary Shand is to stay on as Headgirl as she can’t get back to America, due to the war. The junior prefects, Elizabeth Arnett, Biddy O’Ryan, Enid Sothern, etc. prepare to sit their School Certificate exams. Two teams of girls from St David’s boarding school, Cardiff, visit to play the School at Cricket and Tennis one Saturday. As their school is quite a distance away, they and Elsie Carr, their Games Mistress and Old Chalet Girl, stay overnight, and then find they can’t go back as some juniors at their school have gone down with Scarlet Fever. The 20 St David’s girls have to stay at the Chalet School for the six-week quarantine period, causing chaos. In fact, the whole Chalet School and guests are in quarantine, although no one contracts the disease. Robin Humphries decides that her final year at School will be part-time, and Jem Russell is knighted for services to medicine. Herr Anserl retires after 55 years teaching music. Jack Maynard is called up as a Naval Surgeon (due to a severe shortage of medical personnel, as the scope of the War increases) and immediately sent to the Far East, to Joey’s dismay.
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