Leaders of the Chalet School Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gisela Marani

Gisela was the oldest of the four, at sixteen; Bernhilda was fifteen, and the other two were only fourteen. Madge Bettany, the School's founder and first Head Mistress, would have preferred an English girl but her sister, Joey (aged twelve), was far too young, and Grizel Cochrane was too irresponsible. Gisela served four terms as Head Girl, and set the standard for others to follow.

Gisela is Head Girl in both "The School at the Chalet" and "Jo of the Chalet School".

Answer: Peggy, Bride and Maeve

Peggy was appointed as Head Girl during the School's second term on St. Briavel's off the coast of Wales. Bride was Head Girl for two terms during the following academic year - she took over when her predecessor, Loveday Perowne, left to claim an inheritance in Argentina. Maeve was Head Girl about six years later, when the School was at the Gornetz Platz in Switzerland. Daphne was only about seven years old when the last book was written, so far too young to be a Head Girl.

Peggy is Head Girl in "Peggy of the Chalet School", "Carola Storms the Chalet School" and "The Wrong Chalet School". Bride is Head Girl in "Bride Leads the Chalet School" and "Changes for the Chalet School". Maeve is Head Girl in "The Feud in the Chalet School", "The Chalet School Triplets" and "Jane and the Chalet School".

Answer: Joey Bettany

Although all four girls were Head Girls, it was Joey who merited that description. In "New House at the Chalet School", Miss Wilson describes Joey as being firm, yet friendly with the younger girls, as well as being capable and courteous. In "Peggy of the Chalet School", Peggy Bettany refers to this description when she is diffident about becoming Head Girl, and is surprised to find that her Aunt Joey was even more reluctant.

Joey was Head Girl in "The Chalet School and Jo", "The Chalet Girls in Camp", "The Exploits of the Chalet Girls", "The Chalet School and the Lintons" and "The New House at the Chalet School".

Answer: Marilyn Evans

Marilyn Evans was working very hard to pass her exams, and didn't have enough time for her duties as Head Girl. After that, the School authorities decided that it wasn't fair to ask the girls who were in Special Sixth to take on that role again. Elinor Brent-Dyer never wrote about Marilyn's time as Head Girl - it is only referred to, retrospectively, in "Peggy of the Chalet School".

Eilunedd Vaughan was expecting to be Head Girl, when Peggy Bettany was appointed to the role, but she had been placed in Special Sixth, and thus became ineligible, so she decided to make life very difficult for Peggy, hoping that an exception would be made, and she would be asked to take over as Head Girl.

Elizabeth Arnett had been best friends with Bettyy Wynne-Davies when she was younger. While both were very mischievous, Elizabeth gained a sense of responsibility as she grew up, unlike Betty, who was ultimately one of only two girls to be expelled from the School, in "Highland Twins at the Chalet School".

Jack Lambert was only about fifteen when the last book was written, so too young to become Head Girl, although many people think it likely that Elinor Brent-Dyer was lining her up for that role.

Answer: Simone Lecoutier

In "The Chalet School in Exile", Simone Lecoutier returned to the School as a maths mistress when it re-opened on Guernsey in 1939, after the escape from Austria. She was a prefect when Joey Bettany was Head Girl.

Mary Burnett was Head Girl after Grizel Cochrane left, in "The Rivals of the Chalet School" and "Eustacia Goes to the Chalet School". She returned as a history teacher in "The Chalet School Goes To It" at Plas Howell, and left to marry a doctor after the first term at St. Briavel's, in "The Chalet School and the Island".

Gillian Linton was due to become Head Girl in the term after "The New Chalet School". She was a teacher at the same time as Mary Burnett, but she mainly taught the Juniors. She also left to get married, although her husband to be was an artist, not a doctor.

Hilary Burn was Head Girl for the last year in Austria, in "The Chalet School in Exile", and was one of the party forced to flee from the Nazis after a riot in Spartz. She returned to teach PE at Plas Howell during the term after "The Chalet School Goes To It", and stayed until the School left the island of St. Briavel's, at the end of "Changes for the Chalet School", when she married Dr. Graves, who joined the Sanatorium in Switzerland.

Answer: Josette Russell

Sybil, Josette and Ailie are all Madge's daughters. Sybil was made a prefect when Betsy Lucy was Head Girl, in "Mary-Lou of the Chalet School". Josette was Head Girl just before her cousin, Maeve Bettany, in "Ruey Richardson - Chaletian", "A Leader in the Chalet School" and "The Chalet School Wins the Trick". Ailie was too young when the series ended, being only a Senior Middle. Daphne Russell was a prefect when Peggy Bettany was Head Girl, in "Peggy of the Chalet School"; she is described as a friend, but no relation.

Answer: Mary-Lou Trelawney

All four girls were form prefects during their time at the Chalet School, and all were school prefects in the their last year. However, only Mary-Lou went on to become Head Girl. Vi was a prefect when Mary-Lou was Head Girl. Claire and Jo were a little younger, and became prefects afterwards when Josette Russell and Maeve Bettany were Head Girls.

Mary-Lou was also Head Girl in "Trials for the Chalet School" and "Theodora and the Chalet School".

Answer: Julie and Betsy Lucy

Julie had an extra year at the School after being absent with peritonitis for part of the previous year, in "Bride Leads the Chalet School". She was the first Head Girl after the move to Switzerland. The books describing her time as Head Girl are "The Chalet School and Barbara", "The Chalet School Does It Again" and "A Chalet Girl from Kenya". Her sister, Betsy, became Head Girl the following year during "Mary-Lou of the Chalet School", and carried on through "A Genius at the Chalet School" and "A Problem for the Chalet School". They had two younger sisters. Vi was a prefect when Mary-Lou Trelawney was Head Girl. Kitten had only just started at the Junior branch when the series ended.

Beth was Head Girl while the School was at Plas Howell, in "Mystery at the Chalet School", "Tom Tackles the Chalet School" and "The Chalet School and Rosalie". Her sister, Nancy was a prefect when Bride Bettany was Head Girl. Their two younger sisters weren't Head Girls, either; Barbara was a prefect when Josette Russell was Head Girl, and Janice was too young when the series ended.

Elinor Brent-Dyer never wrote about Daisy's time as Head Girl, but it was referred to later in the series. Primula was a prefect when Bride Bettany was Head Girl.

Gillian is another whose time as Head Girl wasn't written about by Elinor Brent-Dyer, although it was stated that she would be Head Girl after Louise Redfield. Her sister, Joyce, was never Head Girl, but may have been a prefect during the time between "The New Chalet School" and "The Chalet School in Exile".

Answer: Mlle. Lepattre

Elise, or Therese, Lepattre was Madge's partner when the Chalet School started. She became Head Mistress when Madge left to Marry Dr. Jem Russell at the end of "The Princess of the Chalet School".

Hilda Annersley was Senior Mistress during Mademoiselle's time as Head Mistress. She stepped into the breech when Mademoiselle was taken ill, during "Jo Returns to the Chalet School", and took over the role about six months later, when it became clear that Mademoiselle would never be well enough to return to teaching, in "The New Chalet School".

In "Gay from China at the Chalet School", Hilda Annersley and her deputy, Nell Wilson, were injured in a bus accident with two of their colleagues, Dorothy Edwards and Jeanne de Lachenais, just before the beginning of a summer term during the second world war. Madge was expecting another baby, and Joey had recently given birth to Stephen, so neither could take on the task of running the school. Mabel Bubb replied to an advertisement, and was appointed to the post of temporary Head Mistress. She didn't like the way the School was run, and set about improving things, upsetting a lot of people in the process. Miss Wilson managed to return to school just before half-term, and Madge asked Miss Bubb to leave.

During the last year about which Elinor Brent-Dyer wrote, Hilda Annersley is asked to go on a fact finding tour in "Challenge for the Chalet School". Nell Wilson is in charge of the finishing branch, and can't take on running the main school, so Nancy Wilmot, maths mistress and a former pupil, is asked to take on the role for the term while Hilda is absent. She is very grateful to hand over the reigns to Hilda on her return.

Answer: Len Maynard

All are daughters of Joey Maynard, formerly Bettany. We are always told that Len is the responsible member of the family because of being the eldest, but since her next two sisters, Con and Margot, are her triplets, she is only the eldest by half an hour. Len is shown as hard working and conscientious. Con is described as being dreamy, having inherited her mother's gift for writing. She is a prefect and has responsibility for editing the "Chaletian" - the school magazine. Margot apparently has her mother's love of mischief. She is chosen to be Games Prefect during her last year at school.

Len was Head Girl in "Adrienne and the Chalet School", "Summer Term at the Chalet School", "Challenge for the Chalet School", "Two Sams at the Chalet School", "Althea Joins the Chalet School" and "Prefects of the Chalet School".

The other three girls are all too young by the end of the series. Felicity is a Junior Middle, Cecil is a pupil at St. Nicholas' House, and Phil, who is recovering from polio, is still having lessons at home.