Borlasian 2014 by Kate Farquhar

The Borlasian 2014

Head Master's Foreword

And yet, much never changes. We celebrate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WWI this year, and already we have begun to look back on the school experiences of Borlasians of a bygone generation. The recent visit by Monty Seymour, the oldest living Borlasian, to commemorate his own 100thbirthday gave us, just about, a living link to those days. So much has changed, but Monty also noted that much that he valued about school life – friendships, hard work, opportunities to participate in sports and other activities –

was still recognisable to him as he visited today, apart, as he delighted in noting, from the fact that half of the children he saw around the site were girls. Much more civilised was his verdict! Some comments by the distinguished historian, Professor David Starkey, who was our guest of honour at Speech Day, confirmed this same message. Professor Starkey, the product of a grammar school education himself, remarked upon the immense importance of the continuity of values that comes from being part of a school such as Sir William Borlase’s. He alluded to Isaac Newton’s famous dictum about the advancements of science coming because each generation is able to “stand on the shoulders of giants” and to Geoffrey Chaucer’s more pithy variation on the same theme, from the Parliament of Fowls: For out of old fields, as men say, Comes all this new corn from year to year; And out of old books, in good faith, Comes all this new science that men hear. Professor Starkey suggested that the grammar school system in general, and schools such as Borlase in particular, provide their pupils with unique opportunities to maintain a continuous link to old knowledge and old values. This is something easily lost and he called upon our prize winning students, and the school, to recognise its value and to cherish it. Amid all this change, we do, and we will. So, as we continue to develop our Borlase 400 plans in the long run up to 2014, and the 400thanniversary of our founding, our continuity with the past will ring as important as our commitment to change. Dr Holding

Borlasian 2014

In some years, writing this introduction has been straightforward, and easy. This year it has not. The problem, increasingly, is how to decide what I should mention. I look back over some years and think of them as “the year of” – the year we built our Design and Arts centre, or the year we achieved outstanding at Ofsted, or the year of our National championship in a particular sport. Now the developments seem to rush forward with ever increasing speed. We now have three separate major building programmes that we hope to develop over the next few years; this year we have seen multiple sports teams achieve national and international successes; we seem to launch new curriculum innovations on a regular basis, and the government keeps throwing change our way at an alarming rate. Over the summer we will embark on yet another significant improvement to our on-site facilities. We launched our first MOOC groups last month and our “bring your own computer device” strategy will be in place by September. Our collaborations with schools across Buckinghamshire, and, increasingly, beyond our immediate neighbourhood, grow steadily. It seems to be a whirlwind of change everywhere we look.

2 Editors' Foreword The Borlasian, long standing as it is, has built up its own traditions over the years. Leafing through previous editions will clearly show two key skills which are required to be part of the Borlasian editorial team: the ability to eat biscuits and be pushed up to the minute with deadlines. I can safely confirm that this year’s team have fulfilled their role admirably, with emails being sent and received during the magazine’s editing, and I also dread to think how many packets of Mrs Forrest’s biscuits we have consumed this academic year. You would be surprised how quickly a group of a dozen or so girls can eat two packets of Hobnobs! Looking through our collation of articles and pictures in this year’s Borlasian caused me to reflect on the sheer volume and diversity of life within our school. In recent years, it has become a challenge in itself to squeeze the trips, prizes, sporting achievements, interviews, concerts, writing and so much more into the limited number of pages. This clearly shows how much Borlase has to offer its students, with an enormous range of opportunities across the academic, artistic and sporting spectrum, which are increasing year on year. Also, as you may have seen on the school’s new Google system, The Borlasian has ventured into the world of technology with our fortnightly news update videos, which some members of our team have thoroughly enjoyed making.

Although fitting all of the Borlase talent into one magazine was a challenge, getting it all pulled together in the final days was an even greater one! The Borlasian simply would not be the same without the flurry of last-minute deadlines, emails and articles, and luckily we appear to have assembled everything together just in time. However this would not have been possible without the editorial team, my fabulous sub-editor and all of the contributors (both staff and students): thank you! Of course the biggest thanks must go to Mrs Forrest, the driving force behind the whole magazine. It could not have been achieved without her tirelessly working to make The Borlasian the best it can be year on year, and for this we are all extremely grateful! We all hope you enjoy reading The Borlasian 2014 as much as we have enjoyed making it, and best of luck to next year’s editorial team! Editor: Ella Capel-Smith (left) Sub-Editor: Georgia Mulraine (right) Editorial Team: (left to right) Emily Coll, Charlie Logan, Kallie Townsend, Honor Wicks, Abby Evans, Rosie Stree, Rebecca Penn, Beth Duncan, Madeline Rose, Sofia Helin, Sarah Bowler, Lauren Morris (not pictured) Thanks to: Jenny Lewington-Chislett, Serafima Mehhovits, Hayley Hunt, Mr Brett Bagley (photographers) Cover Design: Kate Yuille

3 Head Girl and Boy’s Foreword Reading back over the forewords of Head Boys and Girls of years gone past, we noticed a recurring theme. While each year group has their own highlights and memorable moments particular to their time at Borlase, the overriding message from across the years is a simple one: Borlase’s continual pursuit of excellence gives its students opportunities which no other school can offer. The achievements documented in the following pages are not only a testament to dedicated and hardworking pupils, but also to the teachers’ constant efforts in supporting and encouraging their students, often going beyond the call of duty in doing so. The Class of 2014 have enjoyed their own defining moments as Borlase pupils; from Year 7 and 8 discos (those were the days), to Space Camp in Year 11; from the horrendous ‘boot camp’ course on Year 12 Induction Day, to the whole-year water fight in our last week as Year 13 Leavers. Those who weren’t deterred by the military-training-style introduction and made it to the water fight have proved themselves to be true Borlasians over the last two years. Personally, our fondest memories of Borlase have been formed in the Arts Department, and the many productions which we have been a part of. Fiddler on the Roof in 2011 was the first large-scale ‘Mountfield Musical’ we experienced, while 2013’s Les Mis was of epic proportions. The theme of prostitution was continued in this year’s Cabaret, leading many to question the school’s apparent preoccupation with the sex trade. Joking aside, the sensitivity with which the Arts Department deal with such gritty subjects is remarkable, and certainly a tribute to Borlase’s artistic excellence. It is, of course, with great sadness that we say goodbye to the school that has given us so much over the last seven years - another recurring theme in the archive of Head Boy and Girl forewords. In the immortal words of Charles Dickens: ‘Life is made of ever so many partings welded together’, but ‘the pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again’. So, with Results Day, university, and beyond, we wish the Leavers all the best of luck. To the younger students: enjoy your time here while it lasts - it’ll be over before you know it.

Borlasian 2014

Beth Potter and Olly Seber

4 Deputy Head Boy and Girl’s Report As Deputy Head Boy and Girl, we have been there to support the Head Boy and Girl with all of their roles and responsibilities but have also carried out many duties ourselves, such as organising the regular school tours as well as taking care of the preparations for the end of Year 13 Leavers’ Ball. It is fair to say that both Olly and Beth, as Head Boy and Girl, have been incredibly busy - from meetings and speeches to sorting out the Leavers’ hoodies and celebrations - and it has been our job to try and make their life a little easier, something we both hope we have managed to achieve! One thing we both found a challenge was public speaking; we would often sit next to each other before occasions such as the Christmas Service and Chapel Services, reassuring each other and then congratulating ourselves after our moment had passed - something we can safely say didn’t change significantly as the year went on! Overall, it has been a real privilege to work alongside Olly and Beth as their Deputies this year and we will both take so much from the role - both in terms of academia but also in everyday life situations. A tip for the incoming Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl? Good luck! James Veitch and Zoe Burlison

Incoming Heads and Deputies

5 Sir William Borlase Staff List 2013-14 Nabeel Ali Rachael Allen Brett Bagley Helen Bambridge Erica Barclay Jo Barnes Alison Barraclough Amanda Barrett Alan Bigsby Suzanne Birkett Celia Blakeway-Phillips Jane Blane Rita Bond Kate Bownass Mary Brooke Lucy Budge Mark Budge Jane Bungey Christine Carter Kevin Chappell Anu Chawla John Clegg Nigel Couch Lynn Cupitt-Jones SIMS Suzanne Davie Diana Davis Nicola Day Jos Dean Robin Dowell Paul Dwyer Sarah Essa Kate Farquhar Wendy Farmer Louise Forrest Linda Fortnam Heather Funnell Christine Garrow Michael Glen Glenda Godfrey Caroline Goodall Marshall Hall Yinghua Han

Assistant Head, Science (Chemistry) IT & Web Technician Science Technician (Biology) Assistant Caretaker Geography STEM Administrator Data Manager/ Headâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PA Geology, Geography (part-time) Learning Mentor (Year 9) Design & Technology Technician English (2nd Development Director Geography Head of Psychology Sixth Form Support Officer Head of English, Head of Danes Alumni Relations Officer (part-time) Maths English, Head of Key Stage 5, Head of Saxons MFL, 2nd P.E., Hockey, Head of Normans Network Manager Business Manager Physics Administrator (part-time) Head of Drama (part-time) Learning Mentor (Year 7) Matron Lunchtime Supervisor, Staff Refreshments (part-time) Director of Rowing History, Head of Vikings Netball Development Officer Psychology (part time) English, Head of Britons, Borlasian Editor MFL Administrator (part-time) Science (part time) Reception (mornings), Music Administration Drama, Head of Romans Art Technician PA to Assistant Heads Head of Art, Photography Mandarin

Mark Hartley

Music Technology, Technical Theatre, Jam Theatre Emma Hewitt School Games Organiser Gilly Hewlett Biology Peter Heywood Head of Design &Tech, WRL, Head of Britons Stuart Hill Head of Key Stage 4, Phsce Claire Hindley Head of Dance, Associate Assistant Head Wendy Hodges A rt & Design (part-time) Peter Holding Headteacher, R.E Jenny Hopper Head of MFL, Head of Normans, Staff Governor Nick Horne Science Technician (Physics) Mubashar Hussain Apprentice IT Technician Michael Irving Director of Hockey Rebecca Irving Learning Mentor (Year 10) David Isanski Maths Harneet Johal 2ic Maths Sam Jones Receptionist (part time) Sarah Kettlewell Sixth Form Administrator Georgina Kilbourn Biology Paul King Head of Geography & Geology, Economics, Head of Romans Ray Kipping Site Manager Richard Langridge English Katrina Lasocki Dance Elliot Lee Assistant Head, Director of Science and Maths, Head of Danes Laura Lee Schools Sports Co-ordinator, Physical Education (part-time) Jenny Lewington-Chislett Performing Arts Technician Natalie Long Music (part-time) Karen Maffey Learning Mentor (Year 11) Aleksandra Markovic Sixth Form Support Officer Hilary Martin Examinations Officer & Communications Manager Joseph McNally Head of Business Studies & Economics, Head of Saxons Amy Merry Psychology Helen Milne Head of Biology Lucy Mogford Netball Isobel Momber Finance Assistant (part-time) George Morris IT & Web Technician Kay Mountfield Deputy Head Richard Neill Assistant Caretaker Tak Ng Learning Mentor (Year 8) Christine Nicholls Chemistry (part-tme)

Borlasian 2014

Mike Adamson

6 Sir William Borlase Staff List 2013-14 Margaret Nixon Helena Nunan Amanda O’Hara Ben Parsons Kayleigh Pearce Fiona Pryor Craig Robertson Sonya Robinson Tammy Robinson Hugh Robson Blanca Roman Karen Rooke Sandra Schönfeld James Simpson Elizabeth Singh Philipa Sloots Jennifer Stephenson Kathryn Stirling Rachel Tabone Roderick Tait Paige Tilley Danuta Tinn Maxine Tolson Alice Topley

Finance Assistant (part-time) Science (Biology) SSP Admin. Assistant (part-time) Director of Music, Critical Thinking French Business Studies, Economics, History & Politics Head of Physical Education Science Technician (Chemistry) Cover Supervisor, Admin.Asst (part-time) English, Organist Spanish Biology (part-time) German/French Head of History and Govt. & Politics, Associate Asst. Head Head of Chemistry French (part-time) Literacy Administrator History (2nd P.E. (2nd Physics German Maths (part-time) Head of Key Stage 3, Design & Technology, PSHCE Maths

Louise Walder Helen Waneis Rachel Ward Elena Watson Hanna Webber Toby Weeden Brian Wilds

Robert Wood

Acting Head of Maths Science Technician (KS3) Dance Maths Head of Physics P.E. (part-time) Assistant Caretaker (part-time/ weekends) Maths Assistant Head, SENCo, Head of Vikings, CP Designated Person, History, Politics Design & Technology

‘Henry’

Headmaster’s dog

Carolyn Williams Rhian Williams

Language Assistants French: Adeline Renoux, German: Gina Hartstone, Spanish: Beatriz Tirado Prada Peripatetic Music Teachers Hugh Robson (Harpsicord/Organ); Jason Reeve Percussion); Jean Garrett (Piano); John Challans (flute); Catherine Wells (classical guitar); Simon Bishop (electric guitar); Jon Woodhouse (saxophone); Sue Cossins (clarinet/Cello); Marilyn Vanryne (violin/viola); Helen Turnbull (Oboe); Gilly Ross/Robina Redgard-Siler (singing); Chris Seddon (Brass)

7 List of Staff who joined the school this academic year: Mrs H BAMBRIDGE Geography Mrs L BUDGE Development Mr M BUDGE Maths Mr A CARTWRIGHT IT Dr N COUCH Physics Mrs H FUNNELL Science Mr J GLEESON Sports Mr D ISANSKI Maths Miss H JOHAL Maths Mrs S JONES Reception Miss S Karim Reception Miss G KILBOURN Biology Mr R LANGRIDGE English Mrs K PEARCE MFL Ms B ROMAN MFL Dr S SCHONFELD MFL Miss M SMITH Literacy Mr R Tait Physics Miss R WARD Dance

List of staff that have left this academic year: Mrs C CARTER Mr P DWYER Mr M GLEN Mrs J HAYNES Miss E HEWITT Mrs W HODGES Mr D ISANSKI Mr R LANGRIDGE Mrs F PRYOR Mrs K STIRLING Mrs M TOLSON Miss R WARD Mrs C WILLIAMS Mr N Ali Mrs G Mitchell Mr T Weeden Mrs J Dean Mrs N Shackell Mrs H Funnell

Births Mrs Topley Matilda (Tilly) Elizabeth Topley Born 26th December 2013

Mrs Merry Isla Cameron Merry Born 18th February 2014 Weighing 8lb 2oz

Mrs Hindley Beatrice Ann Hindley Born 13 November 2013 Weighing 7lb 13oz

Borlasian 2014

Staff: Arrivals and Leavers

8 Staff Leavers 2014 We caught up with most of the staff who have left or will be leaving Borlase this year and asked them some probing questions. (interviews by Ella Capel-Smith) Mrs Pryor Economics and Business (plus Maths, Geography and History): 8 years. What are your best moments from Borlase? For me, the best moments are always where you end up having informed and sometimes quite animated debate about events around the globe with students who may have confessed to never having read a credible newspaper when they started their sixth form study. And your worst moments? It’s been most difficult to teach those new subjects, since these are peripheral to my specialisms; one can sometimes feel unusually transparent-but I have certainly expanded my mind and that has to be a good thing! What will you miss most about life in the school? Definitely the students, as they really lift your spirits in their shared interests. I will miss teaching boys, as I am going to a girls’ school. I’ll also miss my head of department, Mr McNally. He is great to work with, has good sense of humour and is a complete rock. In a way, he is my role model. What won’t you miss? Students having to wait until sixth form to study Business and Economics What extracurricular activities have you most enjoyed being a part of? The biggest thing I did was the Bank of England competition, which was terrific. We take year 13 students to challenge professional economists, which pushes them beyond their comfort zone and into risk taking scenarios. Also fronting the Uganda expedition, a project I have embraced which is now starting to generate its own momentum. Life isn’t always linear-sometimes the short and long term opportunities conflict and I may be unable to be a part of this wonderful experience. What three words or phrases would you use to describe the school and students? Inspirational, sense of community, bringing out the best in people. Do you have any final messages for those you will be leaving at Borlase? For my successor: embracing going off-piste when using the curriculum makes it a little bit different and much more fascinating. Teaching is a privileged vocation and everyone should make the most of their time here-it’s a special place!

Mr Weeden PE Department: almost 10 years What are your best moments from Borlase? My U18 1st XV team getting to the top 32 in the country in the rugby Daily Mail Cup, and the last minute of any D of E weekend when all pupils are safe and sound! Additionally, any snow days – particularly if declared the night before…! And your worst moments? Accompanying as staff on a 48hr projectile vomiting coach trip to a German Christmas Market about 8 years ago… What will you miss most about life in the school? The quality of pupil at the school, the small cadre of dedicated reliable D of E staff, and the fact that coffee at Mimis is truly excellent. What won’t you miss about life in the school? What’s not to like? Fifth amendment please. What three words would you use to describe your time at Borlase and the people here? Idiosyncratic, convivial and dynamic What are you doing with your time now? Please see the photo below! And I’m running my own company, 321ski, 321dive and 321explore

Mr Langridge School direct trainee, English department: 1 year. What are your best moments from Borlase? I’ve been generally very impressed by the staff, and how friendly they were in going out of their way to help me. My best moments are some of the funniest ones. There’s been so many, but I have loved teaching year 7 and 12 groups, as they were both so different. One lesson with year 7, I got very enthusiastic acting out The Masque of Anarchy by Shelley, and the class really caught my enthusiasm.

Mrs Carter French and German: 18 years What are your best moments from Borlase? I have particularly enjoyed working with talented sixthformers, who are also very nice people. I have also enjoyed seeing the students perform in concerts, plays and musicals. What will you miss most about life in the school? The sense of pride and achievement which comes from working collaboratively with members of staff and with students to achieve successful outcomes.

What won’t you miss about life in the school? The marking, which has consumed so much time at evenings and weekends. If you have been involved in any extracurricular activities, what were they like? I have led trips to Aachen’s Christmas Market and exchanges to Saarburg. I am proud to have initiated the visit to the Christmas market, the Year 12 work experience exchange and the Languages Showcase, because the students derived great enjoyment and benefit from them. What three words would you use to describe the school and the students? It is hard to use three words to do this. I think that we are all privileged to work and study in such a historical, supportive and courteous place. We operate in a civilised and caring community. Miss Ward Dance teacher covering for Mrs Hindley: 1 year. What are your best moments from Borlase? All the shows that have been put on over the past yearmy favourites being dance of course- Momentum, Strictly Come Dancing and the Year 7 Cross Curricular Show. What were your worst moments? Not getting a space in the car park. What will you miss most about life in the school? The amazing productions and the energy and drive from all the students I have taught. Also, the friendly atmosphere and all the staff! What extracurricular activities have you been involved in? I’ve run some dance clubs- all the students who participated were fantastic! I also went to New York with Miss Mountfield and the Borlase dancers, which was an amazing experience, and one that will not be forgotten! What three words would you use to describe the school and students? Dedicated, Passionate and Creative! Do you have any final messages for those at Borlase? Get involved in all the clubs and performances! Work hard and enjoy your time at this wonderful school! Miss Hewitt Sports coordinator: 3 years What are your best moments from Borlase? One of them has to be Sports Day two years ago when the whole school sang Happy Birthday to me, which just topped it off (and nearly made me cry!). Coaching various hockey teams have been some of my favourite times...working with different girls and seeing how much they have improved and what fab players they have all developed into. What will you miss most about life in the school?

Borlasian 2014

And your worst moments? I’ve accidentally done some mad things, like giving out certificates with Borlase spelt wrong and getting locked in the English department one night. Mrs Bungey had to come and rescue me! What will you miss most about life in the school? Although it sounds a cliche, I will miss the staff and students. What won’t you miss about life in the school? Although I am continuing at another school, I won’t miss not having a permanent classroom as a trainee; it means I can often be late or lose my material. If you have been involved in any extracurricular activities, what were they like? I’ve enjoyed talking to creative writing groups and year 12s about my career in the media. I enjoyed supporting things like Mr Robson’s musical evening. What three words would you use to describe your time at Borlase and the people here? Clever, fun and endearing. Do you have any final messages for those at Borlase? More photocopiers. But seriously, I would like to thank Borlase for supporting this trainee scheme. All credit should go to them.

10 I will miss many things, from the great atmosphere, to the beautiful surroundings, to the awesome staff and pupils. I will miss coaching my hockey squads, teaching Games lessons, Sports Day and much more. But most of all I think I will miss my Year 9 girls hockey squad who I have coached for three years now and who have been awesome! What won’t you miss about life in the school? The early start and late lunch! and the donuts we get given at staff briefing each week! What has it been like being involved in the extracurricular activities? I have been very involved in extra sport and I am very proud to have been part of that department. The pupils’ talent and determination at Borlase is incredible and they rightfully achieve fantastic results. What three words would you use to describe the school and students? Determined, Unique, High-achieving Do you have any final messages for those at Borlase? I’m not going far away (just to Wycombe to train to be a Primary Teacher) so I will try and make it back to the school and I’m sure I will see lots of the pupils on a hockey pitch, which is great, and I look forward to catching up with everyone from time to time. Mr Dwyer History and Politics teacher, head of Vikings, comic books geek: 3 years What are your best moments from Borlase? Too many to count to be honest! Winning the House Drama competition and finishing so well in House Music were both highlights, while the surprise ballroom dancing piece at this year’s arts dinner is something that will stay with me for a very long time. What were your worst moments? I don’t want to get too cheesy (as we know that’s not my style), but I don’t think I’ve had any! I’ve really enjoyed being a part of Borlase and will look back on it fondly. What will you miss most about life in the school? Everything! The students are genuinely incredible, particularly for the way they are willing to put everything into their activities. I’ve also made some fantastic friends amongst the staff who have been really supportive over these past few years. What won’t you miss about life in the school? Probably how cold it gets in my classroom during the winter! What were all of your extra-curricular activities like? I was lucky enough to run ballroom dancing club, while I really enjoyed giving improvisational comedy a go in my first year. FemSoc has been a wonderful group to be a part of, and I’m certainly going to miss discussions with them

next year! What three words would you use to describe the school and students? Passionately talented bunch Do you have any final messages for those at Borlase? Just thank you to everyone for making my time at the school so amazing and memorable (and for occasionally laughing with me rather than just at me!). Borlasians are incredible students and I’m going to miss you all very much. Mrs Haynes Lunchtime supervisor, turned home economics teacher, turned art technician, turned reprographics officer: 20 years. What do think have been the most significant changes while you have been here? From my perspective, the growth of the admin team has been the biggest change here. We started off with three people, and now I suppose it’s about twenty, and we make about 3 millions photocopies a year. What are some of your best moments from Borlase? One of my overriding memories involved a past teacher, Mr. Tester. He always told a good story, and I can’t remember the exact circumstances, but one particular tale ended with him throwing himself at my feet in front of a small audience in the staff room. That was a very funny moment! What will you miss most about life in the school? While I will quite like to step back from being busy on a daily basis, I will still miss all the banter and the people. What three words would you use to describe the school, students and your time here? Frantic, enjoyable and challenging. How have people at the school been saying goodbye to you? Earlier this week, a girl came to the door and said she was desperate for photocopies, which I started immediately. She was standing by the door, and I asked her to shut it. She started beaming, and thirty or so girls rushed in and started singing Joyful Joyful in a semi-circle, which really creased me up. So that was Gospel Choir’s way of giving me a good send-off. Miss Stephenson Literacy Co-ordinator: 18 months What are you best and worst moments from Borlase? I think both World Book Days were great, but also moments of chaos, so in a way these were both. But there are other fantastic things, like the concerts. The students are so talented, when I went to see Les Mis, I was moved to tears in about the first two minutes and I must have cried throughout the whole time. What will you miss about the school? I’ll miss the surprises. Students surprise me with what

they’re reading or what they’ve written. Like when a year 8 says that they have read Tess of the D’Urbervilles, you can’t quite believe it. I’ll miss my form a lot, and I didn’t think I’d say that because they are full of such…interesting characters. What won’t you miss? Telling people to be quiet all the time and them not being quiet. And then I’ll not miss the laptops either. But that is pretty much it. What has it been like being involved with the rowing at school? Turbulent...when I see them racing, it is like watching my child, and I become this angry, crazed, screaming, Northerner. But then I am like that on a daily basis with them, when they make mistakes, are messing around, or twerking against a wall. Sometimes I am really proud of them, with their keenness to improve, and I love that. Sometimes I feel like banging my head against a wall, and they’re aware of that. But it has been really good fun, and really good for testing me.

Mrs Hodges Art and tech: 9 years (part time after having two children, Freddie and George) What’s it been like working part time in the school? You often find your teaching time being allocated in interesting ways; this year I have been teaching cooking, electronics and PHSE. A day can go from soldering an electrical circuit to baking scones to discussing EU membership to drawing a portrait! What are your best moments from Borlase? Seeing a student get inspiration from something you may have told or shown them and developing that into a fantastic art project. Students here are so talented; watching the productions has been great, I shall never forget the sight of Chris Murphy in fishnets in Cabaret, or leaping from the balcony in Les Miserables. What were your worst moments? Losing the egg and spoon race to Mr. Robertson’s form! Also, realising too late that the diagram of an LED that you have just drawn on the board looks slightly rude ... I’ll leave the details for you to work out! What will you miss most about life in the school? My exam classes have always been the lessons that I have most looked forward to. I will miss my tutor group. B3, you are a super bunch of people. What won’t you miss about life in the school? The litter! You lot are great kids but you are SO messy! And the cooking lessons - Food Tech teachers across the country, I salute you! What have the various art trips you have been on like? There were a couple of trips abroad, one to Paris and one to Florence and Rome. Both utterly brilliant, if a little stressful as lead teacher! Packed full of gallery trips, museum visits, boat trips, bowling and quiz nights. Loads of fun with the good company of fellow teachers and great sixth formers. What three words would you use to describe the school and students? Talented, enthusiastic, noisy. Do you have any final messages for those at Borlase? To the teachers - Keep calm and carry on. To the students Follow your dreams.

Borlasian 2014

What three words would you use to describe the students? Surprising, talented, generous. Do you have any final messages for those at Borlase? Keep reading, and caring about what you write, because you don’t realise how important that is until you are older. And you should buy as many copies of Wuthering Heights as possible.

12 Mr Isanski Maths teacher: 1 year What are your best moments from Borlase? Odd answer maybe, but the parents’ evenings. It has been good to hear how much your students secretly enjoy maths! What were your worst moments? None really spring to mind but just before exams, when you have 5 exam groups … that can be stressful. What will you miss most about life in the school? The kids. I have never worked at a place where the students have been so engaged with maths or success generally. What won’t you miss about life in the school? Reports. God they take ages! There are so many of them too. What three words would you use to describe the school and students? (Of the students) Intelligent, determined and considerate. Do you have any final messages for those at Borlase? (For the students) Keep pushing for success but don’t be too hard on yourself when things don’t quite go as hoped. It’s all part of life’s rich tapestry! Mrs Williams: interview by Sofia Helin Maths: 15 years What has been your favourite moment? Hearing people talk about maths in public outside of school and all the happy students on results day. What has been your most embarrassing moment? I was doing the final scores for sports day when everyone left to watch the relay. When the headmaster was going to announce the scores they weren’t ready! What has been your funniest moment? My son went to Borlase in 6th form form and didn’t want any of his friends knowing I was his mum. After he found out I was teaching him, he told his classmates and that year I was addressed as “Mum” by many of the students! If you had to pick one word to describe students, what would it be Brilliant. Which are your favourite years to teach? I like it when you are working for a goal so top set year ten, year eleven and obviously sixth form for A level. Mrs Dean Lunchtime supervisor: 12 years What are your best moments from Borlase? Probably the ones I enjoyed being involved with most were the Old Boys’ Remembrance Service and the Year 7 Tea Party. And your worst moments? I’ll be diplomatic and say there were none.

What will you miss most about life in the school? The friendly banter with other staff members. What won’t you miss about life in the school? Having to take holidays during school breaks. If you have been involved in any extracurricular activities, what were they like? I cannot really answer that one as there were so many “extracurricular” activities I was called upon to be involved with it was difficult to distinguish between my normal tasks and extracurricular tasks! What three words would you use to describe your time at Borlase and the people here? Busy, Varied, Happy Do you have any final messages for those at Borlase? I wish success and happiness to everyone at Borlase (including Year 9!). Mrs Tolson: Interview by Victoria Chong and JJ Jones Head of KS3: 7 years What are your best moments in Borlase? There are so many! My best moments are probably when I see people achieve success and seeing their faces light up with happiness. What are your worst moments in Borlase? One of the worst moments was when a girl fainted in the wood workshop while I was being observed! What will you miss about life in school? I will definitely miss the students, friendships with

13 production. Several months of working on a project just for it to end is always quite crushing, and the post production blues really kick in. What will you miss most? Aside from Mr Dwyer and Dr Parsons? It’ll be the summer days sitting on the Cloisters Lawn. What three words would you use to describe the pupils and school? Independent, talented and buzzing. Have you any final words for those left at Borlase? I guess my final message is just one of gratitude. Best of luck to everyone next year and thank you for three amazing, unforgettable years.

Mr Glen Drama Teacher and Head of Romans: 3 years What have been your best moments? These have to be the productions I have had the pleasure of working on. Watching a company come together in that way is always amazing to witness. Les Miserables is an excellent example of this, but so were Dr Faustus, Cabaret and Measure for Measure. Another one has to be winning House Music this year- that truly was a highlight of my career! Everyone’s hard work really paid off in the end. What were the worst moments? The worst moments have to be the aftermath of a

Mr Dwyer and Mr Glen

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colleagues and seeing young year sevens mature into sixth-formers, especially when they become prefects. What won’t you miss about life in school? Telling people to tuck their shirts in and do up their top buttons! If you’ve been involved in any extra-curricular activities, what were they like? I don’t run any clubs, but I’m always available to students and parents after school and at lunch times. In three words, sum up your time at Borlase and the people here. Frantic, exciting and interesting. Any final messages for Borlase? Keep your shirts tucked in! And keep striving for your dreams.

14 Leavers’ 2013 Destinations Roxanne Allen Michael Anderson Thomas Armstrong Ross Nicholas Arthur Emily Ashbrook Sohil Ayub Lia Bannon Jack Stephen Baxter Genevieve Begley Constance Bennett Rachael Bennett Katherine Billinghurst Alice Louise Blackler Nadia Mary Bovy Pablo Bowman Miles Boyle Amy Brandis Natalie Bravo Stephen Brzezicki Alexandra Buffery Frances Buttigieg Matthew Thomas Carr Sebastian Cerrillo Hernandez Pedr Charlesworth William Cook Thomas Jack Corkett Eliza Coward Marcus John Cracknell Rebecca Helen Cranshaw Matthew Croall Phoebe Elizabeth Crooks Alasdair Thomas Cross Richard Cubitt Joe Curran Joshua Frank D’Arcy Robert Daly Scott Levin Davies Henry James DiMascio Thomas Dickson Sophie Florence Dilger Rebecca Eleanor Dixon Olivia Dolan Sian Douglass Sarah Elworthy Christopher Evans Jessica Evans Isla Featherstone-Clark William Field Alexander Filipov Rebecca Fisher

Nursing Biological Sciences History and Politics Natural Sciences French and Japanese Pharmacy Human Physiology Geology English and History Education with English and Drama Dance Psychology Biomedical Sciences French Music Sociology English Literature and Creative Writing History Sports Science Economics and Philosophy Music Medicine Aeronautical Engineering Chemistry Accounting and Finance Electronics and Communication Engineering World Performance Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine History and the Modern World Mathematics Geography (Human) Chemistry (Sandwich) Geology Political Science English Biomedical Engineering Sports Coaching and Physical Education Law Physics with Astronomy Politics History Sociology Zoology International Hospitality Management Film and English Sociology Marketing Architecture Physics with Astrophysics Psychology

Southampton Leeds Sussex Bath Leeds Reading Leeds Royal Holloway Lincoln Cambridge Falmouth Kent Brighton Oxford London College of Music Liverpool John Moores Warwick King’s College, London Oxford Brookes St Andrews Bristol Bristol Brighton Bristol Newcastle Bristol Essex Nottingham Winchester Warwick Cardiff Bath Birmingham Birmingham York City University London Anglia Ruskin Nottingham Southampton Sussex Durham Exeter Newcastle Surrey Southampton Manchester Aston Oxford Brookes Exeter Sussex

Alexandra Flynn Eleanor Ford Ellis Francis Alexander Fyfe Matthew Galvin Alexander Garrett Joseph Gatcombe Laura Gatcombe Amy Gorsuch Nicole Gray Alexander Green Millie Greengrass Jonathan Greenslade Jessica Gregory Fraser Griffin Thomas Harrison Olivia Jane Hartrick Alexander Harvey Irum Hashmi David Hillier Tanis Leslie Holt Jessica Hughes Freya Johnson Megan Clare Jones Kathryn Jowett Michelle Karaivanov Oliver Keenan Anastasia Kolesnik Guy Lambert Joseph Lawrie Alexander Lesniak Krista Levtcheva Claudia Livesey-Hubble Benjamin Lock Erin Lockhart Henrietta Longstaff Jacob Lowe Lauren Maddock Harry Mansfield Tom Marriott John Matchette-Downes Joel Matthews Sadie Maunder Alexander McKee Beth McNeilage Komal Mehta Charlotte Mitchell Catherine Moberly Gregory Moor Deborah Moore Isabel Mostran Gabrielle Mundy

Psychology Geography Biotechnology English Business and Management Music History Biochemistry Psychology with Professional Placement Modern European Studies Popular Music with Music Technology History Biological Sciences Architecture Chemistry Natural Sciences Medicine and Surgery Law Biochemistry History and Politics Pure Mathematics/Statistics Business Management Biological Sciences Mathematics and Music English Language and Literature Digital Film Production Cricket Coaching and Management Mathematics International Relations with Political Science Integrated Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Medicine Sociology with Social Psychology Nursing (Children) Physics Politics English Business and Management Psychology History Psychology Physics Mathematics Psychology Law Geography (Science) Modern Language and Business and Management (Chinese) Music Combined Honours in Arts Music Economics Physics French and History

Exeter Lancaster Cardiff Queen Mary Portsmouth Bristol Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College London York Cardiff Nottingham Derby Bristol Exeter Cardiff York Durham Plymouth Nottingham Nottingham Portsmouth Aberystwyth Cardiff Nottingham Trent Birmingham Oxford Ravensbourne Worcester Durham Birmingham Bath Queen Mary York Nottingham Bristol Portsmouth Royal Holloway Oxford Brookes Sussex Westminster Loughborough Bristol Warwick Newcastle Birmingham Liverpool Manchester Royal Holloway Durham Leeds Nottingham Manchester Kings College London

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16 Caitlin Murrah Simika Nayyar Jennifer Norman Marianne O’Connor Hugh O’Neill Helen O’Riordan Stephen Oliver Thomas Packer Nicola Page AmyPantridge Laura Even Parsons Nicholas Paskins Christopher Phillips Joseph Phillips Adam Pizey Emma Popham Xavier Pouget George Prentice Jack Gerald Prior Joshua Raffles Katherine Reynolds Ashleigh Richards Tessa Roberts James Robins Christine Rogers Hannah Rooney Liam Rooney Emily Rowney Freya Russell Madeleine Russell Montse Santa-Olalla Ruth Semmens Noah Sharples Rebecca Shaw Samuel Shaw Anna Smart Laura Jane Smeeton Bronte Smith Georgia Smith Jerry Smith Talia Solel Alice Sones Karan Soni Harry Stafford Bethany Staley Kelly Stalker Jonathan Stokes Arif Suleiman Annabel Swatman Matthew Tabor Catherine-Chloe Taylor Jessical Taylor

Psychology Graphic and Communication Design Psychology Chemistry Pharmacy Physical Geography History Economics Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Thought Psychology with Criminology International Relations Automotive Engineering Accounting and Finance Computer Science History Biology (with professional Placement) Mathematics and Statistics Business Management Automotive Engineering English Literature and Creative Writing Medicine Modern Languages Modern Languages Biomedical Science History Geography Biomedical Science Human Biosciences History Chemistry History Accounting and Finance (with Professional Placement) Mathematics with Economics Psychology Politics and International Relations Exercise and Sport Sciences History History English Natural Sciences Chemistry Nursing (Degree) Adult Branch Mathematics and Computer Science Geology Geography (Human) History History/Politics Medicine Biology and Psychology Physics and Astrophysics International Equine and Agricultural Management Medicine

Southampton Leeds Loughborough Oxford Keele Newcastle Sussex Manchester Leeds Nottingham Trent Birmingham Loughborough Oxford Brookes Warwick Newcastle Bath Coventry Birmingham Loughborough Warwick Bristol Chester Durham Sheffield Chichester Nottingham Sheffield Plymouth Durham Durham Birmingham Canterbury Christ Church Exeter Glasgow Bristol Exeter Oxford Brookes Royal Holloway Leicester Durham Bristol Southampton Bristol Bristol Cardiff Bristol Oxford Brookes Exeter Newcastle Exeter Royal Agricultural University Bristol

17 Pharmaceutical Chemistry Nutrition and Psychology Business Management Applied Sport Coaching Mathematics Forensic Biologic Sport Business Management English Literature Physics Geology Criminology and Psychology Psychology Modern Languages and European Studies (French and Spanish) Psychology Aerospace Engineering

Leicester Newcastle Birmingham South Nottingham College Swansea Nottingham Trent Leeds Metropolitan University Sheffield Oxford Plymouth Roehampton Bristol Bath Oxford Brookes Surrey

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Adam Thomas Michael Trevena Zoe Tricker Michael Twelftree Owen Wakeman Hannah Walker Megan Walklin Jessica Walton Emily Warne James Watson Jessica Welch Max Wilkes Grace Wishart Charlotte Witherington Alexandre Young

18 House Reports Britons

We ended last year in a blaze of glory, winning Sports Day. We’ll just forget about our less than fabulous placing in the overall inter-house competition! House Music was the big competition for 2013-14 and we were pleased to come third overall, after some brilliant performances in the individual and group competition. We were shocked and disappointed by being placed last in the House Song after our rousing rendition of a Queen medley. House assemblies continue to be enjoyed by all - so much more fun than hiding in the toilets! Our interhouse league was won by Mr Robertson’s form with Mr Heywood’s form coming a close second though some suspect this of being a fix. Special mention must go to Miss Roman’s form, B2, who threw themselves into every competition, house or school, with energy and enthusiasm. We look forward to repeating our success in Sports Day this year with our superb contingent of athletes - and can hardly wait for next year’s House Dance.

Danes

When we found out at the end of last year that we were going to be the two new heads of Danes we decided to set ourselves one goal. Of course we wanted to beat the other houses and see victorious yellow ribbon on the house cup at the end of the year but, more importantly, we wanted to make everyone proud to be a Dane. The first test of our leadership came on the year 7 induction day where we met all of the new Danes-to-be. Here they faced a ruthless initiation process which, of course, they all passed with flying colours. However, the highlight of the day came when our new Danes burst into spontaneous chant, proclaiming their commitment to the mighty Danes house. This really set the precedent for our time as the Danes prefects. Sports Day was a continuation of this pride and enthusiasm and, although we narrowly missed out on the top spot, the skill and have-a-go attitude demonstrated by the members of the Danes house was quite overwhelming. Arguably, the biggest challenge faced by Danes this year was the Queen themed house song. Danes, however, rose to this challenge and we were so proud to see everyone getting involved and having a laugh in the final performance. For us this epitomised what it meant to be a Dane. Now that we have come to the end of our year as the heads of Danes the only thing left to do is congratulate everyone on what we have achieved together, wish you luck for the future and say one final thank you for making this year so special. We hope that you are all proud to be Danes. Oliver Holmes and Alex Parsons

Saxons

We’ve had a great year as House Captains for Saxons. It was a challenge but we’re proud of the effort put in by all in House Music. We’ve really enjoyed working with members of the house in various ways, from the band in House Music to using year 13 students as contestants in a Saxon version of ‘Would I lie to you?’. Special thanks go to Karran, who played a massive role in motivating everyone this year and who never fails to be enthusiastic. It was great to see the whole house come together to perform We are the Champions. Well done, Saxons, thank you Mrs Birkett and Mr McNally and good luck for next year! Josh Rollett and Riya Suleiman

Vikings

“Damn those pesky Vikings, how do we even compete with those kids, they are the coolest in the school, they are the most hip and with it kids that I know” “Ok I’ve got a tough one for you, would you rather have a million pounds… or get to be a Viking for a week?” “I bought myself a Viking’s tie from the school uniform shop, I know its not my house, but I go home, I put on the tie, and I look in the mirror. It’s like, for a split second, for this perfect moment, it’s like I am one of them, I just feel like I… belong.” Vikings. How does one even begin to fathom the words to describe them? Do the words even exist? The above quotes ,overheard around school, barely manage to scratch the surface of what they are, or dare I say, what we are. To help me explain why my job of writing up the last year for Vikings is so very hard, I will use ideas from the great mind of Aristotle. Imagine that you are prisoners in a cave, chained up and facing the wall, all you have seen all your life are the dancing shadows of a fire behind you, on the wall of the cave. That is your reality. Now, imagine what you would feel like if you stepped out of that cave, to realise that all you once knew, the entirety of what you thought was reality, was less than a drop in the ocean of possibility. That is what I felt when I joined Vikings; that is what we all felt. To become a Viking is to transcend to a higher level of reality, to see things how they really are, to finally understand truth and beauty. We call this “the iris of the Viking”. Naturally, Vikings have excelled at everything throughout the school year, without exception. I personally spoke to Dr Parsons and Dr Holding and between us we agreed to rig the house music competition so that Vikings would come a close second, rather than be awarded the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prize that we deserved for musical prowess, as we all

Normans

This has been a fantastic year for the Normans House. We have had excellent levels of participation across all areas of school life, from students participating in the House Public Speaking tournament to the Rotary Young Chef competition. Our House also did well in House Maths this year, ultimately placing second in the highly competitive

challenge. Furthermore, our Heads of House have worked all year to ensure that the Normans house is stronger than ever! Normans assemblies this year in the chapel have also been brilliantly original, as each form took it in turns to lead the rest of the House. This year, assemblies included House Pass-The-Parcel, Blindfolded Bowling and some have even been held outside - such as the cereal eating competition (all of which, of course, had clear moral messages)! This has been a great year for Normans and a final thank you is due to Noa Meshoulam and Robert Tinn for being our Heads of House, without whom this year would not have been the same. Isabel Scavetta

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felt it would be needlessly discouraging to other houses, as well as entirely illogical if Vikings were to hold all three of the podium positions. Rest assured that anything other than flawless victories on behalf of Vikings is in fact a high level conspiracy. Harry Radcliffe

20 Prefects 2014 -2015 Head Boy and Head Girl Akil Hashmi Georgina Whitaker Deputy Head Boy/Girl Tommy Gale Kallie Townsend KS3 Prefects Keegan Curlewis Emily Martin Thea Black Arts Captains Stephanie Foster Ross Macrae Community Prefects Bijou Dunn Jessica Nunn Madeline Rose

KS4 Prefects Isabel Heaven Kelsey Stoddart

KS5 Prefects Will Baldwin Pask Meghan Curran

Sports Captains Grace Bolton Colm Kennedy

Charities Captains Jessica Duguid Emma Parker

STeM Megan Barry Emma Sandercock James Winter

enrichment & extension Lauren Morris Omotara Nadi

MFL Ellie Claessens Lily Russell-Jones

Literacy Ella Capel Smith Rebecca Penn

Front of House Emily Coll Bethany Duncan

HOUSe CAPTAINS Britons Lucy Duguid George Ginger

Danes Rosie Street Isaac Uden

Normans Rufus Biggs Isabel Scavetta

romans Jameson Harper Isla Hely

Saxons Phoebe Mansfield Myles Woodman

Vikings Samuel North Olivia Radcliffe

Year 10 Prefects 2014 Britons Danes Tye Bayliss Emma Brune Freya Bull Harry Elliott Stephanie Inch Ronan Halpin Claire Murphy Ollie Hucks Caleb Selman Emily Uden Hattie Slater

Normans Chloe D’Arcy Connie Dean Loic Deraed Stefan Gemmel Ella Reike

romans Lois Barber Ellie Bisland Rhianna Cross Imre Gerrits George Jefferson Becky Kershaw Sarah Williams

Saxons Izzy Gale Matt Hill Ben Logan Ben Roberts Annie Thomlinson Jed Thorpe Kibibi Glover-Watts

Vikings Ethan Bond Calum Brown Molly Brown Seb Garry Ella Kennedy Milly Minter

21 Borlase Prize Winners 2014

Year 7 Sporting Prowess Prize Ellie Yeomans Year 7 Sporting Endeavour Prize Ben Ferguson

Year 9 Art Biology Chemistry Physics Creative Media DT : Resistant Materials DT : Graphics Dance Drama English French Geography German History Mathematics Music Performing Arts: Extra-curricular Physical Education Religious Studies Spanish

Year 8 8A Academic Achievement Academic Progress

Alexandra Rowlands Cece Briscoe

Youthbridge prizes for the most promising pupils in German in Year 9 1st Isabella O’Hara 2nd Harry Butler 3rd Tom Dean

8B Academic Achievement Academic Progress

Natassja Krajewski Elliot Slater

8C Academic Achievement Academic Progress

Julian Whitaker Polly Spratley

8D Academic Achievement Academic Progress

Ben Allanson Yasmine Moussavi-Azad

Year 7 7A Academic Achievement Academic Progress

Michael Hall Elizabeth Broadbent

7B Academic Achievement Academic Progress

George Parkinson Jodie Brown

7C Academic Achievement Academic Progress

Callum Kunchur Jessica Fores

7D Academic Achievement Academic Progress

Millie Stevens Max Brazier

Year 8 Sporting Prowess Prize Amelia Barclay Year 8 Sporting Endeavour Prize Mila Welch Academic Excellence in KS3 – Victoria Chong The D J Colthup Prize for the most promising artist in Year 8 - Erica Dudeney The Dr Isles STEM Prize (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) - Amy Martin

Year 10 Art Biology Chemistry Physics DT : Graphics DT: Resistant Materials Dance Drama English French Geography German History Mathematics Music Performing Arts: Extra-curricular Physical Education Spanish

Natalie Hughes Charlotte Ward Murray Whittaker Gregory Tyler Jacob Minihane Amy Dring Amy Foote Jessica Minshull-Beech Adam Cox Millie Jackson Isobel Davis Murray Whitaker Isabella O’Hara Gregory Tyler Luke Johnston Mary-Anne Grego Jessica Rollett Tom Dean Isabelle Peplow Samuel Whitfield

Andrew Paterson Loic Deraed Connie Dean Loic Deraed Loic Deraed Andrew Paterson Imogen Balhatchet Kibibi Glover Watts Harry Scurlock Sarah Williams Loic Deraed Sofia Helin Claire Murphy Loic Deraed Claire Murphy Harry Allpass Connie Dean Amber Bray

The Hamer Prize for Draughtsmanship Ayush Isaac

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Two prizes are awarded in each class in Years 7 and 8

22 Year 11 Art Biology Chemistry Physics DT : Resistant Materials DT: Graphic Products Dance Drama English French Geography German History Mathematics Music Performing Arts: Extra-curricular Physical Education Spanish

Katrina Nash Sophie Meyer Elsebine Bolier Katherine Lausch Andrew Evans Katie Bruce Caitlin Rae Bethan Kelly George McCarthy Matilda Crowfoot Katherine Lausch Elsebine Bolier Ffion Hayward Marco Zecca Lydia Aldridge Oliver Davie Joe Beams Abigail Wishart

The Colin Prime Prize for Design: Conor Rooney

Year 12 Art Biology Business Studies Chemistry Physics Dance Drama Economics English French Geography Geology German Government & Politics History Maths Music Physical Education Psychology Spanish Technical Theatre

Conor Chapman Keegan Curlewis Abbey Griffiths Myles Woodman Haley Hutchins Stephanie Foster Bijou Dunn Ahmer Butt Meghan Curran Fleur Tidy Meghan Curran Harri Ravenscroft George Ginger Meghan Curran Georgina Riley Megan Barry Manami Baba Charlie Bull Emma Jones Isabel Scavetta Emily Zayed

The Governors’ Award for the best GCSE Results 2013: Georgina Whitaker SPECIAL PRIZES The J C Davies Prize for History The E W Hester Prize for Geography The Moores Prize for Music The Enos Moore Memorial Prize for Literature The G J White Prize for Economics The Marly-le-Roi Prize for French The Urenco Prize for German The Mor de Fuentes Prize for Spanish The D.C.W. Banner Prize for the Arts The Xerox Prize for Business Studies Audrey Moore Prize for Creative Writing The Alex Wylde Government & Politics Prize The Wendy Farmer Psychology Prize The Eatwell Prize for Mathematics The Tim Magee Prize for Drama The Sixth Form Geology Prize The Sixth Form Mandarin Prize The Sixth Form Prize Extra Curricular Performing Arts The Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson Prize for Improvised Music The John Schofield Prize for Science The Enterprise Award (for the most enterprising member of the sixth form) The Old Borlasian Prize (pupils who have proved him/herself by their conduct and bearing to be a credit to the school) The Borlase Lodge Prize ( “a Borlase scholar who has excelled in a manner other than purely academic throughout their schooling at Borlase”).

Anne Lennon Matthew Chapman Ross Kelly Beth Potter & Ellie Potter Isobel Phillips Robin Jacob Owens Beth Potter Alicia Povey Ross Kelly & Ellie Potter Luke Rhymer Seb Wride Kayla Shaw Sophie Wright Christopher Turner Noa Meshoulam Hugo Coussens Bora Vardal Aaron Bhalla Robin Jacob Owens Philippa Slay Robert Tinn Oliver Seber & Beth Potter Daniel Roblin

23 The Governorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Award for the best AS Results 2013: Matthew Coates The Edwards Prize for Courage Lauren Shute

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Wethered Prizes: Arts: Stephanie Foster (Yr 12), Claire Murphy (Yr 10), Mary- Ann Grego (Yr 9). IT: Loic Deraed (Yr 10), Akil Hashmi (Yr 12)

Life in school

Borlasian 2014

In School

26 Borlase News Videos This year we were lucky enough to be the first producers of the Borlase News, a series of videos published on the Borlase website once a fortnight. These videos consisted of short news bulletins, informing pupils, teachers and outsiders about the recent activities of the school and upcoming events. We were approached by Miss Mountfield at the start of the school year with the idea of turning the school newsletter into a digital, more interactive experience through video. As we already had experience in filming in the past and were already on the Borlasian team, we happily began writing for the Borlase News videos with guidance from Mrs Forrest. The process of making the Borlase News videos always started with us gathering news of events that had happened over the past two weeks or events that were to happen. This was done by collecting information from emails that teachers had sent to us and by appointing sports correspondents from each year group to feedback the scores and verdicts of school matches. We then had the task of finding presenters for each episode. These differed from week to week in order to give everyone who wanted to present the opportunity to do so. We would have two main presenters and then a Sports presenter, all being from different year groups. Once we had secured presenters, we turned to our fantastic tech team to set up the green screen technology, camera equipment and to later on edit the video together, lead by Jenny Lewington-Chislett. Half way through the year, the tech team were given an autocue and iPad to use during filming in order to make the videos look more professional. The autocue consisted of a see through mirror placed in front of the camera balanced on the iPad at a 90 degree angle. This allowed the presenters to read the script whilst looking down the barrel of the camera. Once filming had finished and the video had been edited, it was uploaded to the real smart Borlase home page and shared with the whole school through the use of Google Drive. In addition, the Borlase News videos were published on their own YouTube channel in order to allow old Borlasians to access the videos and to keep up to date with events. Although the end result of the Borlase News videos was always a triumph, there were many challenges that we faced while trying to the produce the videos. For example, we found it very hard to manage our time while trying to write a script every fortnight due to the vast amount of news to cover, as well as having AS revision and coursework

to balance. After the first couple of videos, we managed to get used to keeping on top of the workload and we knew that we always had Mrs Forrestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support to fall back on if we were running behind schedule. Video deadlines were also another challenge we had. This was because finding time in a lunch or break to film with the tech team and presenters was usually difficult due to rooms in the school being already booked out and miscommunication. In addition, sometimes the editing of videos would take longer than we expected due to the editing process being very time consuming. However, we usually managed to get filming scheduled on time and there were many editors who were highly dedicated to the production of the Borlase news and therefore, the videos were completed quickly. One of our star editors was Loic Deread, who on a number of occasions edited the Borlase News videos to perfection just one day after the actual filming. The whole news team thought this was very impressed by his commitment and were extremely grateful for his efficiency. Despite its many challenges, we did have a few successes with the Borlase News. These being the fact that the pupils, ex-pupils and teachers became more informed on school events taking place and had the opportunity to display their achievements or their classâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s achievements to the whole school. In addition to this, the Borlase news opened up leadership and collaborative opportunities for all years through the open invitation for any student to join the Borlase News editorial team, tech team or to even become a presenter. The creation of the Borlase News also helped students who wanted to experience what a career in Journalism would involve, as well as encouraging students to learn more about digital, online platforms, which are becoming increasingly more important in a technologically advanced world. Overall, the first year of the Borlase News has been an exciting one as Borlase is progressing on the technological front. There is still room for improvement in the future and we will be working our hardest to make the videos the best that they can be. We are looking for students in younger years to start to take over as the main writers and directors of the Borlase News shortly as we are approaching our final year at Borlase. Please feel free to drop either Kallie or Lauren an email or speak to us in person if you are particularly interested in taking over. Lauren Morris and Kallie Townsend morrl2008@swbgs.com and townk2008@swbgs.com

This year there has been great enthusiasm for societies at Borlase, with many years 12’s setting up new societies or joining existing ones. These have ranged from the humanities to the sciences. Here we look at some of the societies that have run this year… News Discussion It has been a great year for News Discussion Group; after taking over from Beth Potter this year, I have tried to offer controversial and interesting news stories for discussion among our group members. We have debated the trivial stories, such as when a woman dialled 999 after being given an ice cream without sprinkles, to global crises such as Russia’s involvement in Ukraine. Overall, we have had a year full of thought-provoking discussion and laughter, which I hope will continue next year! Lauren Morris MUN Society The Model United Nations (MUN) society has had a successful inaugural year; so far having solved the Syrian Crisis, the situation in Ukraine and Global Warming, amongst other international issues The club meets weekly, and members adopt the position of a relevant country on issues, as opposed to their own views. This makes for interesting and unconventional debate, allowing the participants to gain an insight into potent global issues from an international perspective instead of merely seeing them as an isolated event. It has also been fascinating to see how closely the recommendations of the society have mirrored those of the United Nations itself. The scale and degree of international

response to the Ukraine Crisis, for example, turned out to be almost exactly the same as our resolutions on the issue from the preceding week! The MUN society has also been extending its activities to outside the school’s realm. In April, George Ginger, Lily Russell-Jones, Georgie Whitaker and Tommy Gale attended a conference in London to gain the relevant knowledge to set up a conference for 40 year ten students that will take place on July 1st. This same sixth-form ‘team’ will also be competing at an inter-school conference next term. In all, it has been a successful first year for the MUN society that can be further built upon in coming years to support the desire among Borlase’s students for world peace! Tommy Gale His soc 2014 saw the launch of our History Society. Isabel and I were thrilled to have the opportunity to start it up, as we’re both highly passionate historians and wanted to create a forum for all who wanted to go beyond the curriculum and discuss a multitude of different topics. Our main project over the past few weeks has been discussing key historical figures, putting forward our ideas for who we feel has been the most significant person in history. This has been brilliant to tackle, and really allowed us to cover a broad range of time periods and individuals, some of whom we’d never even heard of! The group has become a huge success and has produced some fantastic debates. I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of it and hope wholeheartedly for HisSoc to continue to grow next year; thank you to everyone who has come, we hope to see you all in September! Emma Parker

Borlasian 2014

Borlase Societies

In School

28 Law Soc Borlase’s law society proved to be popular this year, and under the leadership of potential Oxford law student Charlie Fenner, many year 12s had the opportunity to learn about studying law at university, and the path to becoming a lawyer. The group met Friday break times to discuss areas of law, ranging from maritime law and the South Korean Ferry disaster, to the case of the captain being sued for negligence. Also, criminal law, discussing controversial issues such as sentencing and the death penalty. We also looked at civil rights law, such as Mental health and Euthanasia cases, and were lucky enough to have the legal expertise of qualified Barrister turned English teacher Mr Robson, whose wisdom allowed us to look at the subjective/ objective considerations the judiciary have to make in law cases and legal ideology such as ‘Mens rea’, latin for guilty mind, and the idea that the “act is not culpable unless the mind is guilty”. The society was a great introduction to law for many year 12s, such as myself, considering studying it in the future. On behalf of those who attended, thank you to Mr Robson and Charlie for this opportunity. We hope to learn even more next year, as it is taken over by Ross Macrae, and we hope to encourage any prospective law students to join! Georgia Mulraine

Fem?Soc Fem?Soc this year came out of a number of conversations with students early on about the various ways in which men and women are treated and perceived throughout the media and in wider society. The group does not have a set agenda, and is open to both genders in the school. Our aim is to simply provide an opportunity for students to talk about their experiences of sexism, or to debate issues that are important to them as they relate to gender and equality. We have had a range of interesting and in depth discussions and conversations, and I’ve been really impressed with the open-minded and respectful way with which members of Fem?Soc have participated in our sessions. One of the highlights of our year was in having a Skype Q and A session with Laura Bates, who is a prominent feminist and founder of the ‘Everyday Sexism’. Her talk was a really valuable insight into the nature of discourse in Britain and what can be done to help fight against inequality. Unfortunately, Hadley Freeman was called to Brazil before she had a chance to come in to talk to the group, but we are looking forward to welcoming her to the school next year. We know that the conversation regarding gender equality is an ever-changing one, and that it can ignite passions on all sides. Indeed, the question mark in our name was borne out of questions among the group about whether there

is a need for a feminist society in 2014; I’m proud that the group is able to discuss all angles in such a complex debate, and the way that the group has served to open eyes and engage with students across the school has been truly impressive. Next year is about making the society even bigger and better! Mr Dwyer

the design and then forget to actually build it. Robert Tinn and Dom Mahoney broke this trend and led a team push to build a functional car. A huge amount of progress was made this year. With the same momentum next year it will not be too long before Team Borlase gets some wheels to race track! Akil Hashmi

Eng Soc Engineering is one of those unusual subjects; many students are oblivious to its existence until they are researching university courses. So when myself and Isaac Uden set up the Engineering Society at the start of the year, we were unsure how our experiment would fare. The group quickly attracted many attendees who never fail to bring an amusing discussion to the table. From revolutionary quantum computers, to precision engineered chocolate bars: anything goes. Among weekly discussions the society has received various speakers and visited Surry Satellites. Within the society, the computer club was created. With the help of Dr Couch, the group were keen to mess around with the Raspberry Pi computer (fortunately some of the students knew how to program, or at least did a convincing job of pretending to). Soon the group had created a ‘magic wand’ stick that, when waved, uses LED lights to produce a message that appears to float mid air. Sounds complicated right? Regardless, it was worth it in the end and the result paid off. The ongoing Greenpower Electric Car project has been an integral part of the school’s engineering front for the past few years. Traditionally the team discusses the car’s design for a few months, changes it, discusses some more, alters

Physics Society The Borlase Physics Society (PhySoc) was formed early this year by James Winter and Chris Lawrie in Year 12, and has since gone from strength to strength. We have organised numerous external speakers to visit Borlase and to both expose enthusiastic pupils to areas of physics they had perhaps not even heard of before such as biological physics, and to show them where a university degree in physics can take you. We have had talks on everything from infra-red analysis of gases, to the challenges involved in landing a European on Mars. These events give students the amazing opportunity to hear from, and talk to, leading researches within their fields, an experience which is not normally possible before university.The other feature of PhySoc are the weekly discussions that we have during our meetings. Once a week, we either discuss and debate the latest news in the world of physics, or one of the members will talk about an area that they are particularly interested in, and so we all benefit from and share in the enthusiasm of everyone else. This year, we have gone from a collection of enthusiastic individuals to one of the first formal societies in Borlase, at the forefront of academic enrichment. We can only look forward to what next year will bring us. James Winter

In School

One of our earlier events this year was a Christmas tea we organised for Gweneth Court, a residential home in Marlow. As it was our first larger event, so we didn’t quite know what to expect, but thanks to everyone pulling together and the beautiful carols sung by the chapel choir, the evening went brilliantly. More recently, Interact organised a charity sixth form servant auction where members of the sixth form were auctioned off to people from the younger years to be their servant for the day. Over £200 was raised for Project Shalom, an orphanage in Uganda, so we could specifically fund a new orphan when he is brought into the orphanage and we’ll be kept updated over the next couple weeks as to when this will be. A massive thankyou to everyone who has helped this year- especially Georgie, the club secretary; it definitely wouldn’t run without you! Jessica Nunn, President

Borlasian 2014

Interact The Interact Club of Borlase has had a great year. Having been founded two years ago, the club now has nearly 30 members from year 12 who are committed to helping both local and international charities.

In School

30 Switch to Google This school year has been very significant in terms of technological advances at Borlase. The school has successfully shifted from the old, restricted software of “First Class”, to using Real Smart and Google as the official school operating systems. Although it took some time for students to get to grips with the system, the switch has opened up more opportunities than ever for students to progress in their education. “Although I was sceptical at first, switching from First Class to Google quickly proved to be an extremely useful tool in the classroom,” says Fleur Tidy, a sixth form student. “For example, in my Physics lessons, we often work on shared documents, which allows the whole class to work on one document at the same time.” I sat down with Mr. Simpson to find out more about the transition to Google and the reasoning behind it. L: Why did the school decide to stop using the First Class operating system? Mr. Simpson: Two things made us move away from First Class. Firstly, it ceased to become in fit for purpose: the email was clunky and so was the calendar. It was also an entirely static resource, effectively an electronic filing cabinet. Secondly, First Class as a company realised that they needed a refresh, as their market share was being eaten away by companies like Google. In effect we had to make a choice: whether to upgrade to an updated First Class system or to look elsewhere. After several meetings with different companies and discussions with the Senior team of staff, we decided to choose Google Apps for education.” L: What made the Senior team choose Google to replace First Class? Mr. Simpson: Primarily, the apps benefit teaching and learning a huge amount. For example, Google Drive allows students to cooperate with each other and work collaboratively on documents, something that many other systems we looked at did not allow us to do. In addition, one of the main attractions was the fact that Google is currently dominating the technological market. In terms of the amount of money, brains and investment they had behind it, it kicks companies like First Class, which is developed and maintained by a comparatively small team, into touch. In addition to this, the majority of the student population are instinctively using Google tools already, meaning that the school would not have to provide as much training as we did with First Class, which is a programme that students

have to be taught how to use. Google’s user interface is quite familiar and straightforward to students and we knew that they would be able to start using Google Drive and Gmail quite quickly. L: What made you incorporate Real Smart into the school system as well as Google? Mr Simpson: One of the dilemmas we had was whether to go directly with Google Apps for education, or whether to go with an intermediary which bridged the gap between us, the school, and Google. We decided to go with the latter and this is where Real Smart came into play. The reason why we chose to use Real Smart was two fold. Firstly, there is a lot of behind the scenes work, such as inputting student information and class lists from Sims into Google’s systems, that we would have had to do ourselves if we did not have Real Smart doing that for us. Secondly, Real Smart offered the ability to have teaching and learning tools that we felt would be very useful in the classroom, the main tool being Rafls. The Rafls give teachers the ability to engage with their students and lay out the components of each course, as well as hearing feedback. This is incredibly valuable as teachers as it allows us to better understand our students and so students will definitely be seeing more of Rafls in the future. Despite Google’s many advantages, there have been some teething problems with the transition from First Class to Google. I asked Mr. Simpson whether he thought the transition had been successful and how he had managed to bridge the gap between the Google enthusiasts within the school and the First Class activists who want to return to how the school system was before. Mr. S: I believe that so far the switch has been successful, bearing in mind that most technological changes within schools tend to have a two year embedding life cycle. It has been successful in that the school is no longer using First Class and all students are now using the Google tools. Is the journey finished? The answer would be no, but we are encouraging students to make use of the Google tools even more by introducing the ‘Bring Your Own Devices’ scheme. This is where Year 7s and Year 12s will have to bring their own devices with them from September onwards, however, other years are also welcome to bring their devices with them to school. For students who do not own a device that has access to Google, a hire-purchase scheme is being set up so that students can purchase a device through the school at a lower cost.

L: Where do you see Google going in the future? Mr. S: One of the benefits of being involved in Google Apps for education is that Google is a fast paced company which is constantly evolving. In the past few years, Google has branched out from just being a search engine to developing various apps, hardware such as Chromebooks,

Google Glass and self-driven cars. One of the main perks of incorporating Google into our school system is that Google update our system for free, so that any new advances in Google technology are installed immediately into Borlaseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s school software. For students in Year 7 and 8, the google apps you are using at the moment will not look at all like what you will be using in Sixth Form, as the Google software will have progressed an enormous amount by then. Although the change to Google has had its problems, the majority of pupils within the school seem to have become more comfortable with using it as Borlaseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s email system and students are learning more about the possibilities that Google presents to them as learners every day. With Rafls coming more into the use next year as well as the Bring Your Own Devices rule, Borlase appears to be up to date with all things cyber. I think it can be definitely said that the technological prospects for the future of Borlase are looking brighter than ever. Lauren Morris

Borlasian 2014

L: Have there been any major problems caused by the switch to Google? Mr. S: There have been a few minor problems, with one of these being joke emails being sent to the whole school. This was a problem we had when using First Class as well, as people would clog up Student Area with messages about lost blazers and other general irrelevant information. However, this can be tackled by teaching students how to use the system responsibly. In addition to this, the main message we are trying to get out to students is to check their emails so that important emails are not missed or lost in a sea of emails asking about the whereabouts of ones calculator.

In School

32 STEM Prefect Report - 2014

The STEM Fayre is an exciting event held annually at Borlase. This year’s was bigger than ever, as Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School was selected on behalf of the South East of England to host the Big Bang Event for schools. This is part of the nationwide Big Bang programme, the UK’s biggest single celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for young people. The occasion gave students in years 7-10 an opportunity to investigate an area of science, technology, engineering or maths that interests them. We had 245 students enter the STEM Fayre with their individual or team projects. The projects were all put forward for bronze or silver CREST Awards from the British Science Association. A competition was also run on the evening of the STEM Fayre and the Prize winners chosen by the STEM Prefects are listed below. Since the event is only a year old, it was a slightly unknown quantity - How many students would take on a project? Would we fit all of them into the school hall? Will the judges have time to see all of the projects? Of what calibre would the projects be? We were amazed and delighted. After the initial hassle and panic regarding the number of tables that would be required in the Gym, it became very clear that judging the projects was going to be no easy feat.

And the parents loved it too - “Many thanks for an incredible STEM fair. The enthusiasm from students and variation of topics was a joy to experience. We were enthralled by snowflakes, germs, heart implants, volcanoes, corn flour, wind turbines, snakes... even hockey sticks and solar systems! Huge congratulations to the STEM team and everyone who participated. WOW!” Thank you from a parent. Laura Tobin from day break TV tweeted @Lauratobin1 Had a great evening at SWBGS @STEMNET Science Fayre talking to the Einsteins of the future. The projects and pupils were brilliant and it made me remember how I fell in love with science.

Year Prize Crest Award Place Student 7 Science Game Bronze Winner Max Clark 7 Science Game Bronze Runner Up Kate Paterson and Alex Heminsley 8 Science Game Bronze Winner Toby Hill 8 Science Game Bronze Runner Up Olivia Mcdonald and Olivia Mccrorie 8 Electro plasma Silver Winner Zara Harris Lava lamp and Olivia Annable 8 Boom ball Silver Runner Up Julia Whitaker, Harry Marston and Andrew Barton 9 Robotic arm Silver Winner Murray Whitaker 9 Laser Presenter Silver Runner Up Alex Russell and Ed McEvoy 10 Quadcopter Silver Winner Luis Hindman 10 Simon Singh Silver Runner Up Emily Uden book

Project Title Planes (History and Physics) Mirrors The Golden Ratio The Golden Hour Germs and bacteria (The spread of disease) Water Filtration Arduino Microcontroller Practical applications How to make cars faster Hidden Numbers How can intermittent fasting help to prevent type 2 diabetes

Young Enterprise

In School

33 School teaches you a great deal, but there are many things you cannot learn from a textbook. This is where Young Enterprise comes in. Demand to participate in the scheme was so popular this year that three companies were formed, all which went in completely different directions, selling jumpers, sweets and bowls. The experiences of the groups may have varied considerably, but they had one thing in common: they learnt a great deal. Here we hear from three Managing Directors about the journeys of their groups.

The huge advantage to this idea was that the majority of our selling opportunities were during the Christmas period, for example the Marlow Late Night Shopping. We had great fun designing our jumpers and much thought went into deciding pricing. Eventually we settled on four different jumper designs for £15 each, when after being purchased for £10 each, meant a profit of £5. The selling events were perhaps the greatest part of Young Enterprise. We not only learnt valuable communication skills when conversing with the public but we also had a lot of fun despite the winter weather (luckily, we had our jumpers!). We had many successes as a company, one being winning a prize for our detailed and well thought-out business plan. However, whilst these achievements were great, the most important part of Young Enterprise is not the prizes but the mistakes you make (of which there were many) and the lesson you learn (also numerous). One important lesson learnt was the importance of keeping records of all transactions. When we reached the point of closing down the company, we did not have the sufficient information necessary to create a thoroughly detailed Final Accounts which made the work of our Financial Directors much more difficult. However, despite the hard work and stress that is part of the Young Enterprise package; it was an extremely worthwhile experience that taught us many transferable skills. Our group would highly recommend taking part to the year 12s offered the opportunity in September.

The Marlow Sweet Company Our Young Enterprise innovation was The Marlow Sweet Co., where we created a range of fun, colourful, hand-wrapped confectionary gifts tailored towards seasonal events. We had some fantastic successes as a team, such as winning Best Corporate Image at the Area Finals, expanding our brand to a range of four products, selling at numerous events and making a great profit! However, before all of this happened, we had to overcome many challenges as a team. To begin, when we began our Young Enterprise experience, all our team members were new members to Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School from a variety of different backgrounds and secondary schools. We settled into a business team in a remarkably short space of time and quickly began to find out more about each other as our business and teamwork progressed. By the time we wrapped up The Marlow Sweet Co, we had all made friendships with people whom we may have otherwise not spoken to! Another issue that we had to overcome was a change in Managing Director at around Christmas time, as our previous MD no longer had the time to commit to the project. Although this could have been a potential hindrance, it meant that we were able to have a good look at our company and decide what we wanted to change in time for the New Year. It also gave rise for various members to try out new roles in different departments of The Marlow Sweet Co, meaning that we all had more experience in working in different areas of a company (such as Marketing, Sales, Operations and Finance). Overall, we have all learnt a great deal from the Young Enterprise experience about the nature of running an independent company, how to work in a team and last of all, the importance of good communication. A final thanks to Mr McNally and our Business Advisors for all their help during the process, without whom we would not have had the success we did!

Borlasian 2014

Wrapped Up When our group came together, our first major decision was what exactly our “enterprise” was going to be i.e. the most important decision of the entire process! As an unusually large group of 17 creative and tenacious people, we had no shortage of ideas but the problem was whittling down these numerous and opposing concepts down to one (hopefully brilliant!) innovation. And this innovation was original, festive themed jumpers we designed ourselves in our meetings.

In School

34 Sparkzz Our team consisted of 15 members. We made bowls and cake stands made out of vinyl records. We did this because the costs were so low; we bought the records from charity shops for several pence and sold them for much more. We have had the opportunity to do a wide range of activities; from logo and website designing, to accounts, business plans and product making. One of the highlights of our experience was having the opportunity to sell to the public at local markets. This has definitely been the highlight of the experience, as we were able to sell over ÂŁ250.00 worth of stock on a single night. We then competed in the Area Final competition against 21 other teams in the Wycombe area. We set up a trade stand, gave a variety of interviews and had to deliver a speech in front of over 250 people. We were both shocked and

delighted when we won Best Trade stand, Best Interviews and came runner up overall for best company in the area. This meant that we went through to the county finals. The county finals were a big step up, the highlight being able to use Lavalier microphones and delivering a Dragons Den themed speech. Overall we came runner up in Best Speech. We have found the experience very enjoyable teaching us valuable business lessons as well as enabling us to earn some money and it has inspired many of us to consider a future in business. All three Young Enterprise Companies would like a to wish an enormous thank you to Mr McNally and their respective Business Advisors, without whom no success could have been achieved nor lessons learnt. Bethany Duncan

Sixth Form Masterclasses The sixth form were this year fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to participate in two Masterclass days, organised by the sixth form team. They were also joined by students from years nine and ten for selected activities. Each of the two days began with a talk from the key-note speakers, both of whom were Old Borlasians. These were Michael Acton Smith, the CEO and founder of Mind Candy and creator of Moshi Monsters, and Dr Paul Hawkins, the creator of the Hawk-Eye technology which is used during sporting events such as Wimbledon. Both talks were very

informative, and provided students with an insight into the world of the entrepreneur and the challenges they face. Over the course of the two days, students were given the opportunity to attend sessions led by professionals from all walks of life. There were talks led by scientists, journalists, a doctor and a lawyer, as well as sessions about marketing, psychology, human resources and fundraising for charities. Other speakers included a human rights activist, a music producer and an architect, among many more. There was an incredible range of careers and professions represented by the speakers, and all of them led engaging and informative sessions. All of the speakers gave up their time voluntarily to share their expertise with students, for which we are extremely grateful. Additionally, all students attended a session with Lucinda Bowen, entitled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Deliver yourself with confidenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. This session helped sixth formers to develop their presentational skills, allowing them to present to groups of people professionally and confidently. Finally, we would like to thank all of the speakers who led the various sessions. We would also like to thank the sixth form team for organising such a fantastically informative and valuable opportunity for students to gain an idea of what life in the corporate world can be like. Abby Evans Y12

Languages Showcase 2014 saw Sir William Borlase’s first ever Languages Showcase! The stellar evening displayed the diversity of linguistic talents of Borlase students across a huge range of languages, such as Mandarin Chinese, French, German and Spanish. The theatre was transformed, with a main stage and the audience sat at large circular tables - each named after capital cities from across the world. A team of A-Level language students hosted the evening and introduced the incredible variety of acts. For example, from Spain there was a Year 8 Spanish Rap inspired by House Music, a Spanish guitar performance and Spanish dancing. The French department excelled in drama, putting on several short scenes, a play and singing performance, whilst German viewers enjoyed the German play! Students also gave talks on Mandarin chinese and foreign economy. This is just to mention a small percentage of all the excellent student-run performances of the night, all of which were highly entertaining to watch, complemented by parents and students alike. A fantastic amount of effort was put into the evening, which evidently paid off! The Showcase was a real eye-opener to the audience of the enthusiasm of Borlase students for learning about foreign cultures and new languages, which is increasingly important in both society and the working world.

the world during the evening, such as German apfelstrudel, which went down a storm! Overall, the evening was a great success for both the Languages Department and all of the students who took part. This was a fantastic first Languages Showcase, which hopefully will become an integral part of the Borlase events calendar in the future! Isabel Scavetta Y12

The audience were also served delicious food from around

Murray Whitaker and Jacob Minihane Y9

In School

Mandarin For the languages showcase evening this year, ourselves - with the other year nine Mandarin class students performed a highly respected and traditional Mandarin poem by the Chinese poet Li Bai. In characters, it is written as: 靜夜思 Li Bai, otherwise known as Li Po, was a remarkable “genius and romantic figure” to study, creating poetry which may be compared to the great William Shakespeare’s. Often called the “Golden Period” of China, the Tang-Dynasty saw Li Bai compose some of the best traditional Chinese poetry, a classic example being listed above, and one which we had the privilege of presenting earlier this year. To make it more understandable for our audience- of which little spoke Mandarin- we displayed different images for each verse.

The Christmas Market

The hall was transformed to a bustling marketplace and Borlase Cantorum and the Chapel Choir sang throughout the evening, creating a brilliant Christmassy atmosphere. Stalls themselves ranged from Year 8 forms undertaking their form project raising money for charity, to the school’s own Young Enterprise teams battling it out to sell their Christmas jumpers and kiln-moulded record bowls. And there was even a new take coming from the Above and Beyond Fund this year: a pasta throwing game! Sustaining all the market goers would seem to be a mean feat, but Borlase had it covered. The canteen was stocked with tables of homemade cakes and the staff served delicious smelling hotdogs and burgers, which went down a treat. Then outside, the increasingly famous crepe stall provided a mouth-watering range of sweet and savoury treats, proved by the substantial queue outside the van for most of the evening. Mulled wine to set the occasion was sold in the hall foyer, taking over £150 in profit for the school. Overall the market was a huge success, a great opportunity for everyone to start on their Christmas shopping and appreciate the Borlase community spirit. Rosie Street

Borlasian 2014

Thursday 28th November was when the festive season first hit Borlase this year. This annual event is now in its fifth year and is becoming a bigger and bigger part of Borlase calendar. It officially began at 4pm but many parent and student volunteers had been busily setting up the gym, hall and around the school with equipment and decoration for the night. It was particularly noted how festive the school became this year, with even a canopy of glow lights illuminating the archways upon arrival.

In School

36 Mein Deutsch Projekt Fürmein Deutsch-Projekt will ichüberÖsterreichsprechen, weilesein Land vollerStolz und Schönheitist. Österreich hat vieleschöne Berge, die herrlichfürsSkifahrensind. Wennman das nicht mag, kann manreichlichGeschichte undKulturentdecken. Österreichistein Land, daseinemvielGlückbringenkann und dasist, weshalbichdarübersprechenwill. Die Berge in Österreichsindsehrschön. AußerdemsindsieeinSinnbildfürStärkefür die Österreicher. Ich bin zweimalnachÖsterreichgereist, um Ski zufahren und ichhabees toll und unvergesslichgefunden. Die Gastfreundschaft wargemütlich und die Leutewarenfreundlich. Das Essen war gut und dieEinrichtungenwarenausgezeichnet. Der Wintersportort war sehrgroß und esgabvielzumachen und zusehen. Österreichersindstolzauf ihretechnischenErrungenschaften und mansieht,dassihreSeilbahnenMeisterleistungender Techniksind, weilsiesehrvielGewichttragenkönnen. In den Bergenkann manKajak und Rad fahren und wandern. Außerdem hat Österreich viele moderne Städte voller GebäudemithochmodernerArchitektur. ObwohlÖsterreichsehr modernist, hat esinteressanteKultur. KlassischeMusikisteinegroße Tradition mitvielenKonzertsälen in Wien und Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven und Strausshabenalle in Wiengewohnt.Außerdemkann manin dieFußstapfen der Von TrappFamilie in Salzburgtreten.Außerdemwurde der Waltz in Wien geschaffen und TanzenistsehrbeliebtbeiÖsterreichern, AmSilvesterabendtanzenalleÖsterreicherzur “SchönenBlauenDonau” im Radio. Das Essen in Österreichistsehr gut Der ApfelstrudelistweltbekanntaberesgibtwenigerbekannteSpeisenwieSachertorte, einesüßeSchokoladentorte. Oder fürdie Fleischfressergibtes Wiener Schnitzel, einpaniertesFleischstückmitKartoffelsalat. AuchgibtesvielefantastischeGetränkezugenießen. Esgibt Wiener Kaffee und HeißeSchokolade und österreichischenWein, derseitüber 3000 Jahregemachtwird. Auchkommtdas Getränk Red Bull ausÖsterreich,nichtausAmerika. InsgesamtistÖsterreicheineinzigartiges, faszinierendes und unvergessliches Land, das manfür die Berge, das Volk, dieKultur, das Essen, die Getränke, dieMusik und dasTanzensehen muss. Österreich war eineneueEntdeckungfürmich. Ich bin sehrglücklichdafür. Harry Butler Y9

Literacy Representatives 2014 has been a very busy year for the Borlase Literacy Representatives, a group of students who collaborate with the staff of the Learning Resource Centre in order to promote reading and literature recreationally in the school. One of the many events that kept the Lit Reps busy this year was the World Book Day celebrations in March, which were some of the biggest yet as over 50 students filled the library to participate in quizzes, treasure hunts and challenges. This year’s Lit Reps also assisted in organising the whole school spelling bee challenge that aimed to promote both spelling and grammar improvement across the school. If you have been to the fiction library recently you may have also noticed a number of wrapped up books, a scheme designed to encourage students to read a book they may not have chosen otherwise and so expand their reading further.

In School

37 Miss Stephenson has also been instrumental in every plan made by the Literacy Representatives this year, allowing them to be followed through. She designed the GRAB (Go Read A Book ) scheme that ran in the autumn term which was carried out by the Literacy Representatives across the houses. This, again, aimed to gather information about reading habits at Borlase and encourage students to read around and outside their comfort zone. We would like to thank Miss Stephenson for all of her help this year, and welcome Miss Smith to take over. There are no doubt plans already in the works for the Literacy Representatives next year; in the meantime there is a suggestions box outside the LRC if anyone has any requests for books they would like to see in the future. Sarah Bowler Y12

Borlase Books get a second Life in Schools in Sierra Leone Over the past few months the STEM cell at SWBGS has been undergoing a stocktake and an update of its STEM books. The unwanted/out of date textbooks have been passed to Mrs Spragg (who runs the charity Build on Books) and will soon be on their way to two Secondary Schools in Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone is one of the world’s poorest countries, with the one of the lowest life expectancies. But since the brutal civil war ended, there has also been a desperate shortage of doctors, nurses and pharmacists in Sierra Leone. So education in the sciences is extremely important to these students. If they are going to go on to fill these roles in the future, they need to have access to good quality teaching, a school science lab and a library. ‘Build on Books’ has already provided St Clements Secondary School with equipment for a science lab and a generator which both schools use during the day and late in the evening. They even have a qualified science teacher, which is a rarity for any school in Sierra Leone. So having access to the high quality textbooks and reference materials donated by SWBGS will make a huge difference. A message to everyone at Borlase from Mrs Spragg: “Thank you very much for allowing these valuable books to have a second life in Sierra Leone. Your contribution will make a huge real difference to educational outcomes for these students and will help them go on to achieve great things”.

Borlasian 2014

St Clements Catholic Secondary School in the village of Kwama, and Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School in the village of Newton are two poor village schools which are working together to improve the science education of many poor village children. Most of their parents are subsistence farmers who are themselves illiterate. It is often a struggle for them to feed their children, let alone find the money to buy them textbooks and learning materials. However, Sierra Leoneans’ value education above all else, as they see it as the only way out of crippling poverty. Mrs Spragg has met many children who dream of becoming doctors and nurses to help end the suffering they see around them every day.

In School

38 Charity Report This year at Borlase has played host to an array of charitable events, from cake sales, to concerts, to running the fancy dress mile. The year began with a mufti day in aid of Side View School in Uganda, which the school was linked with last summer when students went over there as a charitable organisation. At the end of November, a group of students went to London to volunteer at the Great Ormond Street Hyperinsulinism Party. It was a fantastic day and an amazing opportunity to meet children who have been helped by the organisation and see why donations are so important – this led to Borlase raising money for GOSH. At Christmas every form group took part in filling and wrapping 135 shoeboxes to send off across the world for

children less fortunate in Zambia, Azerbaijan and Eastern Europe. This year Borlase came together to support Teenage Cancer Trust and the Teen Cancer Ward at the John Radcliffe hospital with a mufti day and the Humour In My Tumour concert. The concert really showed the spirit of the school with over 220 people coming and raised an incredible £2000 in one evening! Other charities that have been supported this year include Sports Relief and Marlow Sports Club, Thames Valley Air Ambulance, Typhoon Haiyan and Make a Wish Foundation. Thank you to all students and teachers for their positivity and enthusiasm in making this year an excellent charitable year! Berenice Cunningham-Walker

Servant Auctions for Project Shalom On a Thursday and Friday in March, students were able to buy a sixth form student as a servant to help raise money for Project Shalom- an orphanage in Uganda. The charity makes sure that everyone gets 3 meals a day, regular school activities and much more. For the older ones, they provide university support, career advice and job placements. Project Shalom is an orphanage in Uganda, and in 2013 housed over 60 children. Of these, 43 children have found homes with relatives or foster parents, and all are loved, and the volunteers are very caring. In the past, Borlase has raised just under £3000 in a single evening. We tried to do the same (or more) this year!

The auctions took place in the hall, where they also sold sweets. The highest bid was for Harry Radcliffe,who is Head of Vikings, which went up to £25! The average bid was just over £10. Overall, the servant auctions were a huge success. Lots of students had their own servant on the 4th of April. They did scribing, carrying bags and collecting lunch from town. Everyone enjoyed the bidding and the whole auction was great. The servants were brilliant and overall it was immensely enjoyable for all. We hope the new sixth formers continue this next year! Max Brazier, Yr7

STEM Greenpower: great progress made in 2013/4

What is Greenpower all about? Greenpower is a STEM initiative designed to excite young people and get them interested in engineering. This nationwide project was launched to schools and the project was taken up by pupils at Borlase three years ago. The challenge is to design, build and race your very own electric powered car. This takes any pupil involved above and beyond the National Curriculum. It is a great opportunity to use practical skills and for students who have not included this element at GCSE level, gives them real life experiences and confidence to apply these skills and link and them to their academic qualifications. So what was special about 2013/2014? Although the exercise started three years ago, when the project was picked up by the team in September they were faced with a need for re-design. As they had no involvement last year, because all those previously working on the project had by then moved onto university, they were unable to get answers as to why specific design decisions had been made. In order to get the project going, they realised that as well as starting from scratch, they would also need a team that included Year 12 and 11 future engineers, as involvement in the early stages would give

the younger members confidence to take it through to the test and race stage. Feedback from one of the Greenpower team shows that not only have they gained from practical experiences, but this project has given them the maturity and confidence to lead and manage teams and to think long term by including collaboration and planning to ensure that there is project continuity. One of the team was inspired by Andrew Bailey, Chief Designer, McLaren F1, having attended a lecture given by McLaren on F1 design. A key point raised was that at McLaren they adopt a “culture of an obligation to act”. McLaren engineers are expected to go ahead with ideas, get them made and tested rather than delaying actions by discussions and waiting for the OK before taking action. With this piece of advice the Year 13 team, STEM prefect Dom Mahoney, Robert Tinn and Rory Williams stormed ahead with the redesign. They have put in many hours over the last few months and now have a car with chassis, steering, drive train, wheels all in working order. The electrics and battery packs are installed and virtually complete. The vehicle is now very close to being ready for scrutineering. Once this has passed the IET (The Institution of Engineering and Technology) approval, the car is ready to race. Succession planning has meant that the Year 13 leaders have encouraged Year 12 and Year 11 pupils to be actively involved and they will now carry the project forward. Dominic Mahoney Y13

Key members of this year’s team are Dominic Mahoney, Rory Williams (Year 13), Issac Uden(Year 12), Michelle Davis – visitor from Williams F1, Robert Tinn (Year 13), Andrew Evans, Joe Spencer (Year 11). Akil Hashmi (Year 12)

Borlasian 2014

Young engineers at Borlase have made great progress with the Greenpower project this year, and although many key players are about to embark on Engineering and other degree courses at some of the UK’s leading universities, their progress and continuation plan for next year and beyond paves the way for ongoing opportunities for others to follow through.

In School

40 SWBGS Parents Association 2013/14 – What a Year! At Borlase we pride ourselves on our strong sense of community, and the Parents’ Association is an embodiment of this. We have a strong team who dedicate their time to developing ideas for new events and providing the opportunities for parents to get together socially. Unlike our children’s primary school years, where parents meet daily at the school gate, there is a sense that children in secondary school are more independent, and so there is much less parental involvement required. That is why our Parents Association strives to provide the platform to help parents feel more connected with each other and the school. I would like to thank our amazing team on the PA and our willing helpers who give up their valuable spare time for the production of these events and for facilitating our other fund-raising activities. Our year kicked off with a coffee morning at Costa Coffee on the first day of school for the New Year 7 parents. The majority of the parents had already met last summer when we hosted our Hog Roast in The Cloisters on a balmy summer’s evening in July. Everyone had the opportunity to meet fellow parents from their child’s class and their Class Representatives. Where better to impress our new recruits than being surrounded by years of academic history echoing around the walls of the oldest part of our school which dates back to the 1600’s? Our first main event in October was the ever-popular Quiz Night hosted and produced by Tim and Sarah HaveronJones. This event is always sold out and is not for the fainthearted! Tim astonishes with his challenging selection of topics and manages to keep all the parents on their toes. The true competitive spirit comes out as teams pitch their wits to win the coveted title of Quiz Night Winners. Late November was the time for us to provide a seasonal Christmas Market for the community. We had a wonderful array of festive arts and crafts on sale from our stallholders with background music provided by some of our talented musicians and choristers. It really set the mood for the Christmas period and warmed everyone up for the annual Christmas Carol Service held in All Saints Church which is always a delight. We started off the year with our second eBay auction, which again was a huge success, raising over £1100 and then a month later we held our beer and band night, “Borlase Rocks”, where we enjoyed the renditions of rock hits from “The Stormflies”. This was again a very relaxed evening where parents could literally rock up, share a drink with friends and dance the night away. Our main social event for the school year though was the Murder Mystery Night, featuring a cast which consisted entirely of the staff. The teachers demonstrated that it is

not only the pupils who have a wealth of talent in the field of the performing arts. They played to a packed house with a real tongue-in-cheek performance. The play was directed by Kay Mountfield who ingeniously cast the staff in roles similar to their positions at school with lines carefully tweaked to appeal to the discerning Borlase audience. The results were hilarious and everyone remarked on what a tremendous evening they had

Scene from “Who Killed the Headmaster?” Murder Mystery Night Other fund-raising activities of the PA involve the sale of second-hand school uniform, and our Bags2School incentive where textiles are collected to be recycled. These are simple ways that we can help the environment by utilising unwanted items and converting them into donations for the school. Finally, our unsung heroes are the gardening team who regularly congregate to tidy up the school grounds and flower beds. They work tirelessly over weekends when the school is empty to maintain the gardens at school. They constantly are looking at ways to aesthetically improve the school environment and make the free space easier to maintain. We will celebrate our 400th anniversary of Sir William Borlase in 2024 and the school has a ten year plan with projects and ideas that will enhance the educational environment for its students. With Government funding being reduced for education, the school needs to look at ways in which it can raise extra funding. Even though this is not the main remit for the PA, we have proudly contributed £20,000 over the last two years towards the refurbishment of the sports changing rooms together with funding for music, performing arts and modern foreign languages departments.

and lend a hand at our events. Help us to continue to embrace the Borlase ethos of maintaining a strong and vibrant community by supporting our events. The Parents Association is here for everyone and we encourage parents to contact us for further information. Our Class Representative system connects parents with our team and with school and we hold termly meetings where parent’s views can be put forward to school. We look forward to the next school year and continuing to provide a wonderful social environment for our families. “SWBGS Parents Association – connecting our Borlase community”. Debbie Rogers.

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So as we wrap up this year and meet the next year’s intake of new parents from Year 7 and Year 9, we hope to continue to improve our services to the school community. Our website www.swbgsparents.co.uk is constantly updated with our latest news and events and provides the link with which parents can book tickets for our events. Next school year we are hosting our Comedy Night in September, a Burns Night Ceilidh in January 2015, Quiz Night in March and our biennial May Ball which is always sold out. These are just a few dates to look forward to where we hope to host events to suit all tastes. We always welcome new members to the PA team, but if you do not want to commit to attending our committee meetings, then you can always become a Willing Helper

In School

Out of school

Borlasian 2014

Out of School

44 Trips Aachen Christmas Market In December 2013, Year 9 pupils in their second year of learning German spent a weekend in Aachen in order to experience a typical German Christmas market. Here is what some of the pupils had to say about the trip: “The atmosphere was great, with the smells of mulled wine and spices and the chatter of German all around you. My favourite moment was when I walked into the Gummibärladen and saw shelf upon shelf of gummybears!” (Nicholas Winter) “The people there were so friendly and made you feel at home. I got a free crêpe for my good German. The trip was great and I would be delighted to go again.” (Joseph Middlehurst) “The Gummibärladen was great. There was so much variety and we were given two free Advent calendars with Gummibärchen behind the windows, because we spent so much.” (Aanchal Raina) “The best thing about Aachen was the wide range of foods – crêpes, chestnuts, truffles, gingerbread, hot chocolate, Gummibärchen, sausages and much more.” (Tom Dean) “The town was really pretty and packed with decorations and Christmas lights. The cathedral was really beautiful

with intricate mosaics. The journey back was long, but well worth it for an excellent trip.” (Edward McEvoy) “I really enjoyed the trip to Aachen, because everybody was easy to talk to and most people answered our questions. I perfected “Entschuldigen Sie bitte! Wo ist Starbucks?”” (Sarah McKillop) “The journey was very long, but there was more than sufficient banter; Mariokart on the DS and laughing at everyone’s passport photos.” (Edward Tyler) “I enjoyed having the freedom to go around without adults.” (Miles Craigmile) “We were surprised by the quality of the rooms at the hostel, but, on discovering that there were only two showers for the whole corridor, my dorm decided that the best thing to do was not to wash at all.” (Fraser Brown) “The grand, imposing interior of the cathedral was special and moving. It was stunningly beautiful with the morning light shining through the huge glass windows, casting colourful shadows on the visitors.” (Bailey Hunt) “The youth hostel was surprisingly nice. At the market, I ate crêpes and sausages and bought so many nice gifts. I loved my experience in Aachen.” (Barnaby Holliday)

Year 9 French Exchange 2014

After a weekend spent with their host families, during which many pupils enjoyed a fantastic firework display at the annual ‘Fête de Marly’, and visit to Versailles, Disneyland and Le Mans, we started the school week with a joint trip to Compiègne. Whilst there we visited the railway carriage and ‘La clairière de L’Armistice’ where the First World War Armistice was signed. There followed two days in Paris, during which we visited Sacré Coeur and the surrounding streets of Montmartre, L’Ile de la Cité and Notre Dame, the Musée d’Orsay and les Invalides, where pupils visited a First World War exhibition as well as Napoleon’s tomb. The landmarks of Paris were put into perspective with a trip down the Seine on a ‘bateau

mouche’ - which also provided a welcome opportunity to rest our feet!! We were honoured to be received the mayor and councillors of Marly at a reception in the beautiful Salles des Mariages. This reception further cemented the long standing relationship between the towns, and an opportunity to acknowledge the continuing success of the exchange between Borlase and Collège Louis Lumière which has been running for around twenty years now. Our final day saw us in school for a typical French breakfast of ‘chocolat chaud et croissants’ , followed by a series of lessons and a fact-finding trail around the school. The afternoon provided an opportunity for some last minute shopping and sightseeing in Saint Germain-en-Laye. All in all, a great visit, some wonderful memories, some good friendships formed, more ‘I love Paris’ T-shirts in Marlow and 28 pupils now a lot more confident in speaking and understanding French.

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Following a successful visit from our French partners in May, 28 Borlasians made the return trip to Marly-le-Roi in June. We were blessed with incredibly good weather for the entire week which made our excursions even more enjoyable.

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46 Team Equator’s trip to Uganda, Summer 2013 To say Uganda was an incredible experience would be an understatement. We really began the trip the day we signed up, getting jabs, preparing kit and fundraising. But the main expedition began with a buildup day at school, where we checked our kit. This consisted of a small day back and larger kit rucksack; we at this point were past the shock of packing just four t-shirts to last two and a half weeks! We left on the afternoon of the 19th July for Heathrow Airport, where we flew to Dubai before catching a connecting flight to Entebbe, Uganda. This journey was full of style because Emirates is just a luxurious airline; we even had mouldable headrests (although we were more interested in the personalised movie screens than getting any sleep). Once in Uganda, things became real. The heat hit us first, then the mosquitos. Soon the daily, if not hourly, procedures of insect repellant, sunscreen, chlorinating the water and taking malaria tablets became part of the routine. Once home I found it odd to clean my teeth under running water from the tap without decontaminating it first! Recounting our entire itinerary would make an article much too long for The Borlasian; just the highlights will be mentioned here. Visiting the Namawangu slum in Kampala on the first day was an incredible eye opener; I still have prominent images of the utter desolation that tens of thousands of families survived in, contrasting to the smiles on the faces of the children and how they would run up to us and hold our hands as we walked through, shouting ‘mzungu’ (white person). It is impossible to describe the emotions this brought on, because you really can’t comprehend just how different their lives were until you see it for yourself. We later decided to give a proportion of the money we had fundraised before coming over to the slum project. The project phase was the next major activity, which took 6 days. Team Equator split into three groups, each taking on a small project in Kampala town. My team worked at the marketplace, digging

channels for the water from the rainy season to flow without flooding the stalls. We also fixed many of the tin roofs to prevent rain from destroying their produce. Although initially wary, the people warmed to us immensely and sang, asked us to take photos of them and thanked us greatly when we left. The other groups took on painting roles of a shop and murals for a school. This last week we had been staying at a lovely hostel called ‘Red Chilli’. For the next part we took a trip through the notorious roads of Uganda to the Rwenzouri Mountains, which were beautiful. We camped overlooking a spectacle of misted mountains, where we could actually go into the

Our last night in Uganda was certainly an emotional one. We conducted a small awards ceremony, with Rosie Street wining ‘most wanted,’ Luc Emmanuel winning the ‘secret agent award,’ and Will Asplin and Kirsty Lynch winning the ‘Romeo and Juliet award.’ After a lovely dinner at ‘Hotel Africa,’ we all reminisced on our best and worst moments of the trip, and looked back over the incredible few weeks we had just spent together. When I say the expedition was an incredible opportunity for all involved, this is not an exaggeration. The wonderful memories of the trip will undoubtedly stay with all of us for years to come. Rosie Street and Madeline Rose Uganda Fam’s Trip to Uganda, Summer 2013 Everything began in the September of 2012, when we went for a training weekend in the Peak District under Bull

Expeditions’ guidance. The primary aim of this was to start to come up with ideas and plans of what we wanted to get from the trip. Starting off with some weird and wonderful ideas, including treehouse camping and riding elephants, we managed to put together an itinerary. It was determined that our trip would work around a project, preferably at a school, and leave time for exploring the wildlife and safari. During ‘Build-up Day’, having packed our bags and said goodbye to our families, we took the day to discuss expectations of the trip and any remaining issues. It was a chance to have a check through our kit – including a few calls to parents for more bags and forgotten things! After two long flights, stopping in Dubai and an evening at ‘Red Chilli Campsite’ we began our first day with anticipation and joined the charity ‘Hope for Children Uganda’ for a walk through the Namuwongu, the people were so welcoming, shouting “MAZUNGU!” (‘white person’), the children grabbing our hands; this atmosphere meant it was difficult to feel sad about our surroundings as their cheerful and vibrant personalities shielded the reality of their situations. We also visited ‘St Bernard’s School’,

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needy children in the area. It was amazing to see how happy and positive the children seemed despite their situation.

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48 Out of School

a boarding school for primary and secondary students whose fees were supported through the charity. Although the facilities were basic, it was obvious that at ‘Sideview Education Centre’ in Mbuya, Kampala (our project school) the need for help was more dire. Throughout the week we painted the exterior of the school and were able to present the school with gifts of stationery, sports equipment and 70 Arsenal football kits. The most memorable moments were those we spent teaching, playing and communicating with the children. After the week at Sideview Education Centre, we spent the day at The Shalom Project, an orphanage in Jinja, which houses 40 orphans and supports many local vulnerable children. Borlase have continued with this link as the orphanage leader Lillian Bouté hosted a concert with Gospel Choir. Despite the rain in Jinja, we enjoyed a sunset bird

boat trip at the Source of the Nile, visited the local markets and the Bujagali Falls. The next week consisted of 9 hour car journeys and an array of interesting traditional Ugandan food buffets as we went on Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park. We were very lucky to see elephants, hippos, waterbuck, lions, warthogs and monkeys; we also went on a 4 hour chimp trek - disappointingly only seeing two blue monkeys and hearing lots of rustling in the trees! Our expedition to Uganda leaves us speechless with the opportunities and experiences that were presented to us. It is fantastic that the link between Sideview School and The Shalom Project in Uganda and Borlase has been made and I am beyond jealous of the 2015 groups who are guaranteed an amazing trip. Thank you so much to everybody that made our trip so incredible! Kallie Townsend and Honor Wicks

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Out of School

Journey to the USA: the groups graduated in true American style, including a rendition of the national anthem. All of us felt incredibly privileged at being given the opportunity to “graduate” through such an esteemed and rewarding programme that never lost its pinnacle aim: to be fun. After graduating, we returned to our hotel - the much-loved Fairfield Inn. The rest of the day was spent at Five Guys fast food restaurant and then on to a baseball game. This game happened to be the last ever one played by the Huntsville Stars in Huntsville, as the team was moving. Will House won the raffle for the coveted signed ball. On Saturday we shopped, to many people’s delight, in the memorial weekend sales. Sunday brought about our farewell to America, but after a nine hour flight we discovered on arrival in England a student had lost his passport! Overall the trip had many excitements and was, it is fair to say, one of the best experiences of our lives. “Faith is the belief in hope” - Krishan Goyle, Huntsville 2014 Ella Kennedy, Kibibi Glover-Watts and Emily Uden, Year 10

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On Friday 23rd May 2014, 37 students from year 9 and 10 embarked on the trip of a lifetime to the US Space and Rocket Centre in Huntsville, Alabama. On arrival, everyone was very happy to check into the hotel after a long day travelling and go to bed. Saturday was spent exploring Huntsville, visiting Cathedral Caverns, tasting some American cuisine and relaxing in the sun around the hotel. On Sunday the group arrived at Space Camp ahead of their week of training in Advanced Academy. Throughout the week, the “crews” took part in hour and a half training missions to prepare themselves for their Extended Duration Mission (EDM), a 3 hour mission in which anything and everything could go wrong. Missions Control members, Pilots, Mission Scientists and Mission Specialists all had to deal with “fatal” injuries, aborted missions and unexpected mistakes while the 3 different stations (Mission Control, inside the shuttle, and in the Orbiter) could only communicate through one person. When we weren’t training, or learning, there were countless other activities to do, including a centrifuge, an IMAX cinema, 2 rides, an outdoor and indoor climbing wall and the “leap of faith” pole. At the end of the week all of

Out of School

Y13 trip to Haworth In early March, a small group of Y13 students made the journey to Yorkshire for a weekend exploring the background to Wuthering Heights. We immersed ourselves in all things Bronte; visiting Haworth, and the Parsonage of the Bronte family. Perhaps the most shocking fact we learned was that there are thought to be 42000 bodies buried in the small churchyard next to the parsonage; Haworth was not a healthy place and all of the Bronte children died before their time. We, however, were much healthier and on Sunday we managed

the walk up to Top Withens, thought to be the inspiration for Wuthering Heights. On Saturday night were treated to some suitably Gothic entertainment when Serafima found her inner Cathy (never has an apple appeared in a more dramatic fashion) and Alex and Seb channelled Kate Bush. A game of Sardines and a terrible video sent us to our bedrooms in a troubled state. All in all we felt we had connected successfully with the powers behind the creation of Emily Bronteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s novel.

On the morning of the departure, we all gathered by the school gates with our suitcases and waited for the coach to arrive. The atmosphere was one of excitement, anticipation and worry, as parents flocked around us with random hugs and the occasional ‘be careful’, and we were all prepared for the journey in onesies and pyjamas. Not completely prepared, it seems, as the journey was not as expected. The first few hours of movie watching, eating rubbish and listening to music were great. However, when we reached the ferry port, we had to sit through a five hour delay before we could all go aboard! This was due to horrible weather and left us all feeling sleepy, but luckily never bored.

At last we were cruising towards Calais; the different types of people on the trip had never been so clear. Some of us ate, some slept and most bought nerf guns and started firing at anyone within close range. Mr Hill was also one of these people as he purchased the biggest nerf gun possible on the way back to England. After driving through France and parts of Italy, we arrived in Prato Nevoso. The hotel was cosy in the depths of the snow and sunshine, and we were all shown to our dorms in which we unpacked. We also had to be fitted for our ski boots, skis and helmets so that we were ready for the next day. Then, at around 7pm, we went down for our first Italian meal- ironically fish and chips. Our first night was pretty inactive as we were all so tired, but it was good to get some rest before our first day of skiing.

After breakfast on the first day (croissants, cereal and biscuits), we went back to our rooms to get our ski gear. It was incredibly entertaining to watch thirty people, cushioned in jackets like pillows, attempt to make the great trek down the stairs in ski boots. Some were not successful. We met our instructors, Paulo and Gianni, and were assigned groups by ability. It was so much fun skiing together, especially with those you only saw at school, and we got to know each other a lot more. Each day of skiing was different, as we would go down harder or easier trails, would catch various ski lifts and got a chance to explore the area. Not only were we shown lots of places and runs, but we were taught how to improve our technique too, and I feel that I have greatly improved as a result. Personally, my favourite ski lift was a one man chair, something quite rare and unusual. We were held in by a metal bar and were lifted up a hill. The ride lasted for over 20 minutes, but after working hard, it was nice to have a rest.

Every evening was fun too, with different activities every night. For example, we did a quiz, went to a local pizza restaurant and went snow tubing. This last activity was vreat fun as it entailed sitting in a rubber ring, and being pushed down a slide of snow. At one point, we all held each other’s rings, and went down as a huge group of 17 or 18! It was brilliant! The trip was fantastic and, no surprise, we all slept for practically the whole journey home. The total hours of travelling both ways totalled up to over 35, a number that I am not keen to re-live. However, for what the trip had to offer, it was definitely worth it. Alex Rowlands Y8

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Year 8 Ski Trip to Italy

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54 Year 12 French Exchange to Montpellier In November 2013, 15 AS and A-level students hosted French partners for a week. Activities included going to Windsor, Oxford, London, and a visit to the Wycombe Swan to see ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. The French partners also spent a day at Borlase, seeing the school in action. Highlights of the day included making scones and having traditional English tea! In March 2014, full of stress and weary of revision, the group was ready to escape to the sunny south of France for a much needed break! After 3 hours at the airport where the girls hit the shops, we set off on our trip to Montpellier. As soon as we arrived, we got our skates on and broke the ice at the local skating rink. Lundi: luckily for me, my exchange partner lived only a minute’s walk from school, so I had a lie-in, but I soon realised this was definitely not the case for most of the group as I was greeted by my half-asleep English friends. We got the tram and were shown round Montpellier by our tour guide Carole. We saw several spectacular sights, like ‘Place de la Comédie’, as well as the Montpellier ‘Arc de Triomphe’. Other trips included visiting Arles and Egmont, where we were able to enjoy lots of little free samples of the region’s specialities, like ‘nougats’ and ‘sables’ as well as having lots of ‘temps libre’! Mercredi: We went to ‘l’Etang de Thau’ –firstly to an oyster farm where we all tried oysters and then we experienced a very relaxing boat trip. After 2 hours of well-earned sunbathing, we set off home ready for a busy day ahead in the Lycée. We all really enjoyed the day at school and were all very impressed with how advanced their English was

(I had to act out ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with my exchange partner and her class!) The evenings were equally amusing, including everyone piling into Ross’s exchange partner’s apartment to play cards and going out for dinner in the centre of Clermont L’Hérault. The time passed all too quickly and we were soon saying our goodbyes. On the return journey we stopped off at Pézenas, where we saw a Scénovision about Molière, a renowned French playwright. This is where many of us realised just how much our French had improved as we were able to understand the majority of all the 3D films and other interactive activities! Full of delicious French cuisine, relaxation and banter, and many of us having formed lifelong friendships with our exchanges, we set off back to the seemingly distant Marlow. We were soon greeted by our parents and pathetic fallacy, with the rain welcoming us back into Bucks. On behalf of the whole group, I would like to thank Mrs Hopper and Mrs Birkett for making the week an unforgettable experience, and I am sure many of us will be returning soon! Ellie Claessens

Year 12 German Work Experience Exchange with Gymnasium Saarburg “I spent two weeks in the small village of Greimerath near Saarburg, and couldn’t have had a better time. I was matched up perfectly to a partner who shared my love of football and FIFA and the family with whom I stayed, as well as the children and teachers in the primary school where I worked, were all very nice. With constant exposure to the language, my German improved in a way that is simply not possible in the classroom.” Matt Tillyer

“I worked in a primary school in Saarburg and the children were adorable. I wanted to run off with them and become a primary school teacher! They all wanted me to sit next to them in class, play with them during break and write in their “friend” books. I helped them with their Maths and German. Saarburg is such a beautiful town and I would love to return next year to do work experience in the primary school again.” Kerry Aziz

“Fourteen days working in a foreign country, surrounded by unfamiliar people, seemed a daunting prospect at first. However, the two weeks’ work experience really was enjoyable and beneficial. My host family was so friendly, always chatting to me, and I really felt like part of the family. I worked at a Kindergarten in Serrig, a small village just outside Saarburg. I was completely immersed in the language, as no-one spoke English. All the children there were so excited to have a new friend and, although they never did grasp the name Phoebe, constantly calling me “Beefy”, they greeted me with hugs and songs every day. Even though the work consisted mostly of playing games and being forced to draw animals, it was incredible how much I learned from the constant demand to understand and speak German. We were in Germany at the time of Karneval, which meant that, nearly every night, we dressed up and sang cheesy songs into the small hours of the morning. There was never a dull moment with all the sweetthrowing, parading and dancing. It was so much fun to be welcomed into such a close community. I would certainly recommend the exchange, as I made many new friends.” Phoebe Mansell

“I decided to apply to engineering firms for work experience, a field in which I had no experience at all. I found that the Germans epitomize the phrase “work hard, play hard.” Long days in the factory were followed by crazy carnival parties in the evenings. The most important benefit of the time abroad is the motivation which it instills in you. There is honestly no better way to enjoy learning a language than by living in their country.” George Ginger

“My work experience placement was in a children’s daycare centre in Saarburg. I spent eight days working from 8am until 4pm with children aged 3-6. Each day began with breakfast with the children, before the serious matter of playing began. Eating and playing with the children was a fantastic way to improve my German. The festival involved days of partying, dressing up, parading and drinking. Spending two weeks immersed in the language and culture of Germany was not only an educationally beneficial experience, but also a highly enjoyable one.” Ross Macrae

“At first, I was apprehensive about the exchange, as I had never been on one before, but it was a brilliant and incredibly worthwhile experience. I worked in a factory assembling fire extinguishers.; despite the tedious work, I truly did enjoy the experience. Not many people can say that they have worked in a German factory by my age. We were there during the carnival season, where it was interesting to see grown men and women dressed up as sailors, cowboys and American Indians for no reason other than the fun of it. It was both amusing and bemusing at the same time.” Kai Agnew

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“Living in Germany for two weeks with only brief moments of English-speaking may seem tough, and I was certainly longing to hear an English voice by the first Wednesday when we Borlasians all met up, but the change which it makes to your German is phenomenal. Not only do you understand and speak German with much more ease and speed, but you begin to think in German and you start to feel German in everything you do. The experience was worth it for many other reasons as well. We saw stunning rural scenery and exciting and lively local towns, in the company of very friendly and likeable young people.” Alex McKendrick

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56 “After spending two weeks with my lovely exchange partner in England, I couldn’t wait to see her again in Germany. My host family was so hospitable and kind and I settled in straightaway to life in the rural town of Serrig. I worked in the local primary school, and while, at first, I was anxious about communication and understanding, I soon realised that I had nothing to worry about. I was greeted by smiles, taken by the hand and pulled off to “circle time.”The children were so excited to have an English visitor and they gave me presents and contact details when I left. Alongside the work experience, there was Karneval to enjoy – late nights, dressing up and making a fool of myself! It was wonderful to be totally immersed in the community and I could see

my German improving every day. Besides working, I had a great time partying, shopping and sightseeing. The two weeks flew by and I was sad to leave.” Isabella Mansell “I loved the two weeks I spent in Saarburg. I worked in a Kindergarten with three and four-year-olds. They were very sweet. It was very strange hearing little people speak better German than me. Whilst I was there, everyone was celebrating Fastnacht. As far as I can tell, it’s an excuse to dress up and go to a lot of parties, but it’s great fun. I would definitely go back like a shot!” Abigail Evans

Year 10 Biology Lectures On the 15th of November, the top 20 biology students in year 10 had the opportunity to see 5 biology lectures in north London. The first talk was on forensic science by Dr Barbara Daniel. It included the development for a forensic blood test, the accidental discovery that superglue shows fingerprints, advanced DNA fingerprinting and current research. It is exciting to think that in a few years people may be able to age a blood stain, detect gun-shot residue from fingerprints and even spray you to detect blood and saliva! The second talk was more evolution related, as Simon W from the Ugly Animal Preservation Society came to talk to us about different species. Topics included biomimicry (looking for biochemistry in the world), convergent evolution (how similar habitats mean similar characteristics) and other facts such as how 50% of our genes are shared with a banana! The third talk was by a recent PHD student, Dr Lewis Dartnell who specialised in Astrobiology (essentially looking for alien life). A whistle stop tour of Mars and inside a white blood cell ensued, with photos from moons such as Titan and Europa. My favourite part was learning about the extremophiles here on earth; from the acid surviving bacteria in Yellow stone park to the sub zero bacteria in brine veins deep in glaciers. The fourth talk was on the periodic table and the successes vs failures of scientists. This involved audience volunteers

being elements with props such as guns and helmets for elements of war such chlorine (Cl) and tungsten (W). Famous figures such as August Piccard and Mendeleev were looked at, and how Nobel prizes seemed to run in Marie Curies’ family. Some more unusual questions were also explained, such as why vampires don’t like tellurium and how an unwitting man murdered 20 people with sweets. The final talk was by Jonathan Hare, inspired by his television series Hollywood Science. Film clips were used from Up, Moon and Speed. Moon is a film set in the future about how the world is powered by the helium3 (3He) gas and he worked out that one 50cm can in the film was worth about 50million dollars as the electricity produced would be worth so much. He also worked out that it would take 400 canisters to power the world for one day. Then, looking at Up, he calculated that you would need 5000 average sized balloons to lift a person and 1 million to lift a house, 10 times the amount shown in the film. The final film was Speed which was about a bomb on a bus which would explode if the bus went less than 50mph. The conclusion was that you would need a 15 degree ramp to successfully jump a gap of 20m in a bus. Many thanks to Mrs Hewlett and Mrs Rooke for coordinating such an interesting trip! Sofia Helin Y10

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Creative Writing

In School

Creative Writing

58 Bertie Von Tumm Tumm Bertie was a fine little chump, But no one could deny: He was, comically plump. He ate all day, Had midnight feasts, He just couldn’t stop his intake of treats! But one day, When his buttons had popped, His mother said: “This has got to stop!” “You’ve raided the cupboards, The fridge is now bare! Now come on, Bertie, It’s simply not fair.” He clutched his belly, His tears running free. ‘I need a diet right away,’ Thought he. And now, years on, Bertie is a fit little lad, And is now ashamed, Of the belly he had. Isabelle Jones Winner of the Y7 poetry competition

Changing History A creature arose from its sleep. The dragon erupted from the deep. The black of its claws blurred the line Of life and death, space and time. It zoomed towards the foe in beastial fury. Only one thing on its mind: to change history. It cut its path through the air. Not even a second and it was there. The sound had alerted its prey to late. The calamity had reached it, sealed its fate. The creature had claimed another soul And sent it to the darkness below. The bullet is not a simple tool But the gun can be wielded by a fool. The path of man is dictated by those that survive Leading to the death of many that strive For vengeance, power, war and peace The weapon to cause it all to cease. When we created it, we did not see We now handed over the power to change history. Ciaran Manwaring Y13

Real Friendship How had life become this way? My best friend had left me, I had no others. Life had looked so bright at the start of term. I remember meeting Becky on the first day of school. She was pretty, extremely pretty, and drew me in straight away. I adored her, and did everything possible to help her; from styling hair to homework. She said that she adored me too, though sometimes she treated me as a trivial thing, less important than new nail polish. Nevertheless, we were best friends and I was happy – until Anika came that is. Anika arrived a month late, apparently because of some illness, though rumour said that it was because she was caught shoplifting perfume. Becky and she bonded straight away, and I was willing to let her join us – one wouldn’t want her to end up like Mary-Anne. That girl is alone and friendless, just like I am now.

Creative Writing

A month or so passed and Becky and Anika grew closer and closer together, often forgetting about me. As time progressed, life got worse, they left me out of secrets and talked behind my back! They teased me whenever they saw me, about not liking certain boys or having this necklace, yet I still hung around with them. Then they left me altogether. I remember waiting for them, all alone, with a table for three in the canteen. Mary-Anne crept up to me and asked to sit with me in her shy little voice; by that time I was simply so angered at being abandoned that I shouted at her to leave me alone. She scurried away like a dormouse fleeing for its life. That’s where I am now. Alone and friendless. Becky runs up to me – to tease me I expect. She opens her mouth; strangely it has a welcoming smile on it, and she utters the words to change my life. “Anika’s been suspended, I’ll be your best friend again now!’ I feel over the moon, Pluto and the whole galaxy. “Of course,” she continues, “you haven’t been the best friend; hiding from me, never taking a joke; but I forgive you.” She forgives me! All that happiness disappears like a popped bubble. All Becky cares about is having someone to worship her. I am no longer enamoured by her. She’ll definitely ditch me as soon as Anika got back, and where will I be then? Out of the corner of my eye I spy Mary-Anne, solitary as usual, and make my choice. I whisper the fatal word. “No.” I say it louder, with a finite edge to it “No.” I see the look of bewilderment on her face and shout, “No! I’m not going to be your friend, you’ll just ditch me!” I walk over to the lonely girl. “So, how’s life?” I ask Mary-Anne. She stares at me in awe, and her small face lights up. I now know one thing for certain: this is going to be a real friendship!

Borlasian 2014

JJ Jones This story was shortlisted for the BBC R2 500 word short story competition

Creative Writing

60 Over the Top The shrill whistle pierced the silent air. The sound relieved the tension of the men waiting to go over the top but unleashed the horror that was to come. Tears soothed the Private’s pock marked skin. He seemed alone in his fear as the others, so eager to prove themselves in battle, seemed unaware of the fate that awaited them. But this soldier knew many things, including how the merciless rays of machine gun bullets stripped innocent families of their dearly loved brothers, uncles, and fathers. But what kind of life came after? Forever haunted by the memories clawing at your head. How could you kill another human being? Thousands were already falling as the fearless but oblivious men, youths and even boys, struggled through the wind of chaos. It was the nightmare to end all nightmares, staggering over dead friends; swimming in a sea of mud. The Private’s wise eyes blocked out mangled corpses while he crawled towards enemy lines, crawling towards his death. But what was he doing? Why? His superiors were nice and safe in concrete bunkers, miles away, drinking tea. They knew what the outcome would be; he was merely a pawn on a chessboard: a burning chessboard! Why should they all walk towards certain death – and so unquestioningly? Just to be trampled by the next line of pawns. They did not seem to matter, there were plenty more. He watched the exploding clouds of dirt and blood gleefully devouring dozens of men. But how could he participate in this? Surely he could not take another’s life? So he, this brave

soldier, dropped his instrument of death and ran - ran away from the hell he was in. Defying direct orders seemed the only option open to him. The consequences were known to him but he did not care. But he could not escape, for barbed wire was imprisoning him in the pointless battle, taunting him, teasing him. Breathing heavily, the private ran at the wire in an act of hope. Through the bars of the window he watched a bird cheerfully hop from branch to branch. He was no longer a soldier - stripped of his uniform, in disgrace. It was the ultimate shame. The words of the court martial rang in his ears: “In an act of cowardliness you fled in the heat of the battle where brave men were giving their lives for their country. Thereby, you are sentenced to death at dawn.” He had accepted his grim fate, but deep down believed that he had made the right decision. Unaided, the man purposefully strode towards his place of death. He stared in the eyes of the young faces of the firing squad, still almost children themselves. In a final act of bravery and defiance he refused the blindfold. It was a clear morning and he could feel the warmth of the sun on his face. The shots rang out, and as he fell the little bird flew high into the sky – startled. Callum Kunchur, Y 7 This story was short-listed for the BBC Radio 2 500 word short story prize

Forest Chill The half-moon frames an eerie scenery: On ribbon land, soft folds of soil loom; Above, dipped satin clouds are air-mushroomed. And forests, rimmed a silver greenery. When stirred, leaves fall; glint white in tranquil night; As watched by onyx ovals, they splinter. Another life succumbs to harsh winter. But silence prevails - the shadow of light.

Creative Writing

Away, a howl. Lone wolf cries low and long. It hangs, suspended, a heart-wrenching pain. A shot rings out. Bloody form hints at wrong So still he lies. Caressed by quiet rain. The ice valley echoes a mournful song; The chanting ballad of innocence slain. Georgie Whitaker Y12

The Guide A blind old man with his labrador sat By the trains, gradually filling his hat with nonchalant coins and empty regards. Upon trying to add my own copper discards, I was warned: “Do not pity the blind, For the loss of all other senses combined Would still leave a man with the great interference That is sight - the sense that distorts the appearance Of human beauty; do not make such presumptions. Envy the man whose eyes do not function, For he knows only of beauty within.” Not since have I heard a dog speak with such wit of the nature of humans therein. William Baldwin-Pask, Y12

Mon esprit est le champ de bataille Les stigmates sont encore intacts Au début on pense que je suis chanceux Mais c’est très inexact. Les autres ont reçu beaucoup de coups Certains ont perdu un membre Eux, ils peuvent vivre une vie normale Mais moi, je reste encore sombre. Les stigmates me hantent pendant la nuit Pour la guerre, je ne suis pas nostalgique Je souffrirai toujours car on dit que j’ai Le syndrome du stress post-traumatique. Becky Kershaw, Y10

Borlasian 2014

Les blessés du combat

Creative Writing

62 Hands Hands that brushed past mine, Back when we were at school That set off a spark Soon to be out of control.

Hands that cover my mouth As I scream the word, “No” Louder and louder Over and over.

Hands that intertwine, Fingers lacing between the gaps Of my own, Under tables and desks.

Hands that stroke my hair, A voice consoling me. “It’s alright” you said. I replied with tears.

Hands that make a V sign At boys who coo and snigger, At girls who turn and whisper To my face and back.

Hands that caress my cheeks In public, But slap them Behind closed doors.

Hands that make stars realign On our first date “To you,” you said. “To us,” I replied.

Hands either side of my head As my screaming protests turn to moaning And finally end with crying, Always crying.

Hands connected like silver vines Joined behind my back. The days I said “yes” and “I do” Are the days I want to take back.

Hands tied together, Bound by metal, Resting on your lap Under blue flashing car lights.

Hands at the ready, Waiting silently For me to surrender To your irresistible kisses.

Hands holding your head As you and I are questioned For the truth By the men in uniform.

Hands that push me Against a wall, Onto a bed, Taking no mercy.

Hands that shake every day And hold my head every night. Scars, bruises and words Are things that time can’t take back.

Hands that leave scars On my body, My mind And my heart.

Natasha Blazey, Y10.

Your Bedroom I cannot see your room from the outside. The door could have been wood or white washed clean, But I remember the handle was green. Your desk had three drawers. In them you would hide: Books you were given (you never read them), And a puzzle you said ‘must be made wrong’, And the small figurine with a cracked arm, And games counters, who’d lost where they belonged: Your ‘broken’ things. So tell me what you’ll do With those shamed night memories tinged with beer? Where will you keep your heart’s scars and tattoos, Or your piteous list of irrational fears? One desk only hides so much of the truth. You know I won’t fit in those drawers, my dear.

Creative Writing

Anon

Un soldat sur le front de la Somme; 18 Novembre 1916 En août, ils nous ont dit que la guerre serait courte Vu la pénurie de soldats au front, on y est allé en taxi tout court. En septembre, il fallait se battre pour reprendre l’Alsace et la Lorraine, On a pris Mulhouse, mais il n’a fallu que quelques jours pour la reperdre.

Deux ans plus tard, il y a les chars, les canons, le gaz et les tranchées, Nos bottes sont mouillées, et nos pantalons se prennent dans les barbelés, Tellement d’hommes sont morts dans cette guerre, Et pour quoi faire ? A quoi sert la guerre ? J’espère que ce sera la dernière. Tellement d’hommes sont morts dans cette guerre, Et pour quoi faire ? J’espère que dans cent ans, il n’a en aura guère. Loïc Deraed Y10

Borlasian 2014

L’année suivante, c’était Verdun, Ypres et les autres Je ne me rappelle même plus qui étaient des nôtres,

Creative Writing

64 Pork Pie Small, medium, large; Black Country, West Country, Yorkshire; short crust, thick crust, extra crust. The diversity of the goodold English pork pie is what makes it truly the greatest thing since sliced bread. In the days of old, the pre-pork pie era (or PPP as it shall henceforth be known) was a dark time, lost in the dreary everyday life of the ‘Average Joe’; until one day there rose a God amongst men, sent down from the heavens, who appeared through the darkness to break the grey clouds of mediocrity and created his masterpiece. The idea must have arisen from the basic concept of a simple workman’s pie. However, by the end of the creation phase, it became so much more than that. The concept of encasing spiced sausage meat in a brittle yet flavourful crust, with a playful jelly adding to the already divine palette was nothing short of utter brilliance. The originator of this idea is lost in foods’ greatest histories, but he lives on through his creation. That man, we salute you and continue our search for what can only be described as a food that takes us to ‘pork-pie heaven’. Meanwhile, let us enjoy this wondrous and, thankfully, bountiful invention for many happy years to come. Sam North, Year 12

Le mort le plus jeune

Daughter’s Darling

Pendant la première guerre mondiale, Beaucoup de soldats sont morts, Un des garçons qui s’appelle John, Est le mort le plus jeune.

A shadow in an armchair wears a black and white suit, Rustling through pages, eyes steely and mute.

Il prétendait avoir dix-huit ans, Mais il n’avait que treize ans, John s’est inscrit et est allé en France, Il livrait bataille pour nous. Le vingt-quatre mars dix-neuf cent quinze Le gaz arrive dans la tranchée, Dans ses poumons; il tousse, il postillonne Il s’étouffe, il crie, il meurt. J’ai quatorze ans et John aussi, Il restera en tant que jeune Dans notre mémoire à jamais. La mort de John Condon. Il reste dans le Poelcappelle en Belgique, Un cimetière des Alliés, Reste à côté des autres soldats, Tous reposent en paix Allez-y ! Allez-y ! S’il vous plait, Allez au Poelcappelle, Pour vous rappeler d’un héros de guerre, Un héros pour nous, pour la jeunesse. Annie Thomlinson Y10

Three fugitives wanted. Typhoon Isis- thousands dead. In Africa: droughts. In Europe: floods. ‘Oh disaster,’ they said. His hands temple pensively, under fingernails tainted with ink. An itching thirst in his pillared throat. He inhales his torturing drink. Father heaves a parchmented sigh, crumpling his fists. He calls upon his wayward daughter to unbind his wrists. Click. His cries fall upon fortified ears, She mocks her forlorn father, jeering at his tears. Click. Botox, bikinis. Stomachs, waists, thighs: all unread. Her bloating body fills too much space. ‘Oh disaster’ they said. Daughter’s eyes scroll needles over her shamed silhouette; Her reproachful, bitching collarbones nurse an empty threat. With a single sweet smile she thrusts her father to the flames. He ignites, but cannot fight against her vicious ways. With vapid laughs and swift attacks, she need not have an excuse, Until the day she’ll finally fall and slip gratefully to the noose. Ella Capel-Smith, Year 12 This poem was commended by the Tower Poetry Prize

Rust

A Wrinkled Pink Suit

It’s like I’m a robot and I’m missing a part, And a cog has ceased churning inside of my heart, And filth has corrupted and constricted my wheels, And rust has tarnished my cold skin of steel, And my pistons and pumps have cracked under the load And this doesn’t translate to binary code. And my battery depleted after a hard life of toil, And my joints jam and jar, because you were my oil.

For the birth he wore A wrinkled pink suit. Mother’s blood splattered over, Ready to greet the world With his new, toothless grin And loud, insistent cry.

I remain nameless, and nobody titles me. I remain useless, and no one recycles me. My metal is fragile, rigid and weak, When it used to be polished by a kiss on the cheek.

For the baptism she wrapped him in A sheet of white lace. Pinned in all the right places, Splashed with God’s holy water. Blessed with hope and promises From wide, obnoxious faces.

And the children walk by me, and they wonder what’s wrong. They don’t know why I am sad, why my face is so long. I see other robots walking, and don’t they look grand, And one waves at me but I can’t raise my hand. And I want to tell the children that I’m dying to play, But my voice is a screech and it scares them away.

For school he was given That stiff, grey uniform. With the sleeves still too long. And he cried when his mother left him Because he didn’t want to go. Not yet.

As the light starts to fade all the children go home, But I can’t move my legs and I’m left here alone. And I think about you, how you loved, how you cared. But you aren’t here now. And it’s cold. And I’m scared.

For the parties, he brought That strong, instant grin. Switched on by the drink in his hand. And he smiled, Before finding home on the floor. Every problem Forgotten. For the divorce he found Yesterday’s jeans. Stained with beer. And he sniffed when it was all over. Because he needed another chance. Just one. For the home they put him in A clean, white gown. Just like everyone else. And he took the pills and he talked about it a lot Before going home far too early. Just like everyone else. For the end he wore His grey, crumpled suit. Own blood smeared over Ready to end it all WIth his tear stained eyes And silent, desolate cry. Laura Jamieson Y12

Borlasian 2014

Harry Radcliffe, Year 13

Creative Writing

66 The Importance of Being Earnest: a rediscovered scene The scene takes place at the end of Act 1. Algernon and Lane are now alone in Algernon’s flat. Lane is moving with intent about the apartment, sorting out the clothes that Algernon has requested to take Bunburying. Algy sits on a gilded sofa, examining his cuff and smoking, trying to have a conversation with Lane as he moves around the flat. Algernon:

Ahh Lane, the world is full of fools, but I am certainly not one of them! (looks down to his cuff, where Jack’s address is written, and laughs to himself) Where did I leave my writing paper of quality? Important information should be presented well, should it not?

Lane:

(Speaking from outside of the room) The paper is in the dresser, sir, but I wouldn’t know about important information - (he is cut off )

Algernon: Lane: Algernon:

Ah yes, I rarely hear important information these days. In fact, I’d dare say that the likes of you hear things of much greater importance than I do, but you don’t deign to share it, (jovially) do you?! I’m sure we do, sir. (walking to the dresser) Indeed, but not this time! I hold the ace and hope to come up trumps too! Now where is my pen...? Confounded thing! The one Viscount Harris gifted me. (shouting) Lane!

Lane:

I believe it is still in the package that it was presented, sir. You haven’t done much writing recently...

Algernon:

Quite right, there’s no time for writing nowadays. (Lane hands him the pen) All proper business is conducted through gentlemanly discourse, my dear Lane. In fact, it was only earlier this week that I brokered an extremely fine deal on set of Polo Horses at the Club. And not a glyph in sight! Algy continues to scribble down the information on his cuff, Jack’s country address, while drinking his sherry.

Lane:

Will I need to make provisions for the horses, sir? I don’t believe they’ll be able to fit in the apartment.

Algernon:

Ah, that won’t be necessary. That excellent herd are no longer mine; a poker game took care of that... Standing and stretching extravagantly, he moves to the doorway and calls to Lane.

Algernon: Lane: Algernon: Lane: Algernon:

I think that I shall hit the hay, so that tomorrow I may hit the hay and not be tired; give those poor country folk what for, (he laughs) eh? Wake me for the twenty past nine o’clock, please Lane. As you wish, sir. Oh, and Lane?

Creative Writing

Yes, sir? I hear that country folk find bright colours bedazzling. Lay out the polka-dot cravat old chap? The next day. Enter Algernon, pulling on his Bunburying jacket and eating toast saturated with butter and dripping fine marmalade for breakfast simultaneously.

Algernon:

(shouting) Lane! (louder) Lane! Lane, I say! Why on earth didn’t you wake me in time? I shall never make my train now! If there’s one thing I do hate, it’s being late to my Bunburying.

Lane:

I’m most sorry, sir. You did tell me to desist from waking you twice this morning; I only try to please.

Algernon:

My goodness Lane. Don’t you know me at all? I rarely mean what I say or say what I mean. Life is too long to share one’s inner thoughts with others.

Lane: Algernon:

I shall endeavour to wake you in a more timely fashion, sir, though I doubt it will make a difference. Lane, you are a perfect pessimist. (throwing the door open) Have my bags taken to the station; I shall take a cab. Sometimes one must socialise with the lower classes, eh? (to himself) Better than old Mary Farquhar. (to Lane) Man the fort while I’m away, old chap. I’ll be back on Monday; there is much work to be done this weekend. Tar-aah! The door slams and Algy can be heard hurrying away whistling a merry tune - expressively, not accurately. (to himself) I shall be here as always; I doubt there would be a fort without me... Not by Oscar Wilde, but Ross Macrae, Y12. Ross’s work was shortlisted for the Lancaster University Literature Prize

Borlasian 2014

Lane:

Sport

Performing Arts

Borlasian 2014

Performing Arts

70 Arts Prefects’ Introduction When we were asked to write a ‘quick introduction’ to the Borlase Arts Department, we were initially unsure where to start. This year has seen many highlights for the Arts, and it seems impossible to condense these into a succinct introduction. However, we would like to share with you just a few memorable moments from the year. Firstly, Cabaret, this year’s hugely successful musical play, pushed the boundaries of what is considered socially acceptable costume in a school environment (Chris. Leather hotpants. Say no more). The Dance Department enjoyed an inspiring sojourn in New York, where we are informed they saw such shows as ‘Pippin’ and ‘Newsies’! A high point for the Music Department was certainly the collaborative performance of Mozart’s Requiem at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Nonetheless, perhaps the climax of the musical calendar was the House Music Competition, where each house battled for glory, singing some of Queen’s greatest hits. As Arts Captains, our proudest moment was performing Leavers’ Medley at our final concert with our fellow year 13s, a fitting conclusion to an extraordinary seven years at Borlase. Ellie Potter and Ross Kelly

Arts Dinner This years Arts Dinner was held on 16th May 2014 and hosted by this years Arts Captains - Ross Kelly and Ellie Potter. The entertainment for the night included a performance of ‘Lady and The Tramp’ by Ellie and Ross, Senior Jazz, Barbershop, Gospel Choir with a performance of ‘Respect’, Emma, Christen and Jules and Plant Room 3 to end a fabulous evening. The evening also saw a surprise ballroom routine to ‘You Make My Dreams Come True’ to honour Mr Dwyer’s contribution to the Arts Department and all who attended sang ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams as a tribute to Mr Glen. Both Mr Glen and Mr Dwyer received an honorary Boscar! TECHNICAL THEATRE AWARDS Best Technical support - Ciaran Manwaring Best Technical Operation - Jamie Spencer Best Sound Operation - Dominic Ford Best Make-Up - Kate Dicker Best Front of House - Emily Coll and Bethany Duncan Best Assistant Stage Manager - Emily Zayed Best Stage Manager - Tom Birch Best Production Manager - Olly Seber Best photographer/scenic artist - Serafim Mehhovitts Creative Writing Award - Harry Radcliffe

DANCE Best Choreography with Juniors - Zoe Burlison and Ellie Downey Best Choreography with Seniors - Isla Hely and Sophie Paton Best Latin and Ballroom - Kallie Townsend Best Ensemble Dancer - Sophie Young Best Female Dancer - Jasmine Handford Best Musical Theatre Dancer - Isabella Mansell and Phoebe Mansell Best Male Dancer - Joshua Bojarzin Best Dance Leader/s - Zoe Burlison and Ellie Downey Best Dance Teacher - Miss Ward DRAMA Best Drama Leader - Noa Meshoulam Best Ensemble Actor - Emilie Jones Best Actor in a Foreign Language - Ross Kelly Best Female Supporting Actor - Megan Rae Best Female Actor - Ellie Potter Best Male Supporting Actor - Andrew Davies Best Male Actor - Chris Murphy MUSIC Best String Payer - Beth Potter Best Wind - Ross McRae Best Brass - Tom Torley Best Piano Accompanist - Christen van den Berghe Best Contemporary Instrumentalist - Robin Jacob-Owens Best Band - 2D Glasses Best Contemporary Vocalist - Berenice CunninghamWalker Best Female Solo Singer - Beth Potter and Ellie Potter Best Male Solo Singer - Chris Murphy Best Female Chorister - Kayla Shaw Best Male Chorister - Ross Kelly Best Composition or Arrangement - Beth Potter and Christen van den Berghe Best Assistant Musical Director - Hayley Hutchins and Kristen Paskins Best Musical Director - Beth Potter and Christen van den Berghe Best Student Run Ensemble - Octet New Gospel Leaders - Hayley Hutchins and Sophie Foote New Chapel Choir Leader - Stephanie Foster Outstanding Contribution to Performing Arts - Aaron Bhalla A massive thank you to Ellie, Ross and Aaron for organising the evening as well as Tammy Robinson, Miss Mountfield and Jenny Lewington-Chislett. Thank you to the Junior Tech Theatre team and Gianluca Volpe as photographer, it was a brilliant evening! Front of House Manager

Borlasian 2014

Having been the Front of House Manager for almost twoand-a-half years, I never expected my role to develop into a senior prefect role. When I first took the role of Front of House Manager, my role was to basically check tickets and ensure people get to their seats. Now, my role has developed in assisting the producer of the event in making sure the event runs smoothly. This will cover helping to set up before the event, helping to clear the theatre after the event and look into health and safety policies during a performance, and dealing with complaints from parents. During my time as Front of House Manager I have overseen some of the best plays the school has put on; Les Miserables in January 2013, Cabaret in January 2014, and finally this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Junior Musical â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Rise to the Forbidden Planet. I have also put on two productions during my time as Front of House Manager: The January Jazz Evening, Humour in my Tumour Charity Concert. This year, the Front of House and Technical Theatre team went to see Matilda as a treat for all their hard work. The past two years has seen the Technical Theatre department

Ross Kelly

grow from strength to strength. This is down to one person in particular, Mrs Jenny Lewington â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Chislett. Jenny works tirelessly all year to ensure that the school productions are to the highest standards. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jenny for all the work that she puts in to ensure that all the pupils at our school are given the best opportunities possible. I would like to take this opportunity my assistant managers for the year 2013-14. Beth Duncan and Emily Coll have shown outstanding leadership in organising the team. They have also helped me a great deal, and have shown that they will be outstanding Front of House Managers next year; I wish them the best of luck in undertaking this incredibly exciting senior prefect role. Finally, I would especially like to thank Miss Mountfield and all the Performing Arts staff for giving me the opportunity of becoming the Front of House Manager. It has been a privilege to not only have been able to help manage the events at school, but to be able to work with the extremely talented Performing Arts staff. Aaron Bhalla

Ellie Potter

Borlasian 2014

Front of House Manager

Performing Arts

76 Dance Annual Dance Show:

This year’s Annual Dance Show, Momentum, boasted a diverse range of dance works performed by students studying GCSE, A-Level Dance or who attended one of the many extra-curricular dance clubs. The range of dance styles included contemporary, musical theatre, street dance, tap, commercial and more and were displayed by our students with high standards of dance technique. This year the show took inspiration from the New York Dance Tour which 21 of our dancers went on, along with other performance groups from Years 7-13 and work created by our student leaders. Congratulations and thank you to everyone involved with the amazing show for providing such a memorable, unique display of talent! Rebecca Penn, Y12

Year 8 Strictly Come Dancing

The 12th December 2013 saw the annual Strictly Come Dancing competition come back, and better than ever! The brilliant pairing of Miss Mountfield and Mr Robertson as presenters gave the night it’s light hearted and entertaining atmosphere. The judging panel included Dr. Holding, who has attended every edition of the Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School Strictly Come Dancing event to date. Dr. Parsons, the Head of Music, made his return as a judge this year adding comedy to the evening’s proceedings. One of our ex dance teachers, Mrs Ashby, who has judged every show also made up one quarter of the panel and last but most definitely not least, Mr Dwyer. It was certainly an important night for Mr Dwyer being one of the judges and also performing the waltz and the jive with his wife, which were both fantastic! The year 8s were taught three main types of Latin Ballroom dancing by Mrs. Ward during the October term 2013. Mrs. Ward kicked off the night by introducing the first category: Cha Cha Cha. She described it as a “lively, cheeky and flirty dance” adding that it is a dance characteristically famous for it’s loose hips. The first couple of the night were commended for their great choreography and were an “incredible start” to the night. Sam and Charlie scored 37/40 and successfully set the bar high for the remaining couples. Freya and Andrew and Cece and James received yet more positive comments including “good engagement”, “lovely story told” and “excellent shimmy!” The winners of this category were Tom and Becky from 8A who scored a stand-out 39/40! Perhaps it was their brilliant timing, lifts and engagement with each other that gave them the first victory of the night.

Latin and Ballroom club, taught by Mr Dwyer, then performed a medley of dances. The second dance to be learnt was the Waltz, Mrs Ward said this dance should have a ‘’3,4 timing, rise and fall and have a romantic feel to it’’. First to perform was Holly and Max, followed by Mila and Richard, who both attained fantastic scores and were praised for ‘’balletic movements, a lovely story and great flirting’’. Elliot and Natasha were next; this couple did a great performance and got fantastic comments like ‘a beautiful, technical waltz’ as well as achieved a glowing 39/40. Phoebe and Jamie were to follow, who were commended for their ‘impeccable timing’ and likened to Fred and Ginger. This couple, with their ‘majestic’ performance gained the first perfect score of the night with 40/40! The final dance performed was the Jive which Miss Ward said required ‘sharp kicks and flicks, should be fun, flirty and full of energy’. Performances from Frankie and Tom, and Bliss and Sam were both fantastic with both couples being commended for their ‘great energy’ and ‘good use of jive steps’. Joe and Amelia’s dance was described by one of the judges as ‘the dance of the night’ which explained why the couple attained an astounding score of 39/10. This was a tough act to follow, but Charlie and Lydia took to the stage who were described as being ‘a joy to watch’ with ‘great timing’ which resulted in all four judges awarding them 10s. It was now time for the final, which would be a battle between Tom and Becky doing the Cha Cha, Phoebe and Jamie performing the Waltz and Lydia and Charlie with their Jive. All 3 performances were fantastic and all 3 couples would have been worthy winners. The judges disappeared for an intense deliberation and once they had returned Jamie and Phoebe were crowned SWBGS’s Strictly Come Dancing champions! Well done to everyone involved for staging and organising a fantastic evening! Charlie Logan and Emily Coll, Y12

Borlasian 2014

Performing Arts

78 Ballroom Dancing Club

While performing at the year 8 Strictly Come Dancing evening will often be the highlight of many ballroom and Latin careers at Borlase, the Ballroom club has offered another chance for students in all years to relive their glory days or pick it up from scratch.

truly special way to cap it off. I'd like to take this chance to thank all of you who have been involved not only this year, but in any of our performances or sessions over the past three years. I will certainly miss the Wednesday lunchtime sessions, but I know that it is in safe hands for the future! Mr Dwyer

New York Dance Tour

This year The New York Dance Tour went to the US during February half-term. Twenty-one of our talented dancers went on the the fantastic trip which lasted just a week and whilst the students were there they participated in 4 musical theatre workshops and 1 contemporary dance workshop. The dancers learnt choreography from 4 different Broadway shows: Newsies, Matilda, A Chorus Line and Pippin, and were taught by professionals all of whom are currently performing on Broadway. The dancers also participated in a workshop at the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater studios, learning repertoire from one of the current troupe members. This year the club has gone from strength to strength, performing a variety of challenging numbers at the Strictly event before Christmas, as well as in the Senior Dance Show. There has been very little rest for those involved in the club, with the choreography of each piece being highly technical and demanding a lot of the dancers. Indeed, many of the dances and lifts that students performed are not usually learned by more seasoned dancers until they have a few years experience under their belt! However, every student involved this year rose to the challenges set, and have made leading the Ballroom Club an absolute pleasure to be involved with.

The improvements made by students in the ballroom club across this year have been incredible, while the opportunity to choreograph something using music from Harry Potter is something that my inner geek will always thank me for! The Ballroom club has been a definite highlight of my time at Borlase, and their piece at Arts Dinner this year was a

The students also went sightseeing, visiting the Empire State Building, Ground Zero and the Statue of Liberty and also went to see two Broadway shows, Newsies and Pippin. The dancers then incorporated the choreography they learnt in New York into a dance routine for the School Dance Show displaying the performance skills and choreography they had learnt. Isla Hely and Haley Costanzo (Year 12) had this to say about the trip: “This week was definitely a lot of hard work (as I’m sure all the dancers will agree!) but more importantly it was a week filled with fun, dance and the big and beautiful city of New York. Within the workshops each group learnt material and different warm-up techniques whilst getting a feel of the life of a Broadway performer! As well as dancing we had many opportunities to see the Big Apple such as: a Central Park tour, Statue of Liberty boat taxi, Empire State Building observation deck at night and shopping on 5th Avenue. It’s safe to say we all had an eye-opening and strenuous week, which we no doubt would do again and again and again!”

worked closely with Jennifer Lewington-Chislett to create an intricate projection, showing an iPhone doing exactly as we were portraying through the dance, and it all came together brilliantly for our performance at the Senior Dance Show in March. With Kirsty’s maternity leave at an end, she returned to her full time school, Windsor Boys, after the dance show. With the return of Mrs Hindley in September, current year 13’s moving on to higher things and auditions for the company for the next academic year on the horizon, I look forward to seeing what creative new works Evolve will produce next year! Stephanie Foster, Y12

Performing Arts

The trip was hugely enjoyable and exciting and it was astounding to learn from and receive advice from professional performers. I feel so lucky to have gone on such an amazing, unique trip and I hope in the future another New York dance tour will be in the lineup. Rebecca Penn, Year 12

Evolve have had an exciting time this year with the return of Kirsty Ashby (previously Miss Williams when she left the school 3 years ago) to lead the youth dance company in our training. Our main focus was on creating a dance based around everything that an iPhone can do, eg. messaging, stats, notifications and games, the list goes on and on! We

A-Level Dance Dance – just moving around a room – easy, right? Wrong. A-level dance is a course specifically designed to test a dancer’s physical and performance skills, as well as choreographic ability and knowledge of not only professional dance works, but also the human anatomy and the context of dance. With a 40% written, 60% practical ratio, this course demands both physical talent and academic excellence, requiring a deep understanding of dance. In practical lessons, we have choreographed solos from a choice of 4 specified stimuli and created a duo/trio, based on anything we desired. Without a doubt, this year has been hard but extremely rewarding – the whole AS class (the biggest class for a number of years) will be continuing dance to A2 level next year. We have all learnt a great deal; widening our vocabulary of dance genres and extending our passion for dance as an art. So whether partaking in Indian ‘Kathak’ dance workshops, tirelessly rehearsing solo choreography or learning the body’s muscle fibres during exercise, it has certainly been immensely enjoyable. Phoebe and Issy Mansell, Y12

Borlasian 2014

Evolve 2013-2014

Performing Arts

80 Drama Preparing to Return to the Forbidden Planet

Officer’, an intelligent, energetic guy (am I being typecast?) who seems to be constantly reminding his captain of endless problems.

With only a couple of weeks left until the Junior Musical takes to the stage, rehearsals are frantic. We’ve been practising and rehearsing at any opportunity and we hope we will inspire the younger years of the school to get involved in productions like this – Les Mis and Cabaret proved that the upper school can put on a brilliant show, but I’m sure that everyone will be impressed by our version of Return to the Forbidden Planet.

The performance dates are approaching fast – some of you will have seen the show by the time this magazine appears. I’m sure you enjoyed it, and I recommend that anybody, irrelevant of age, should get involved with projects like this; whether you’re a musician, actor, make-up artist, or want to work on front of house, you will be guaranteed to be working amongst the most talented people imaginable Dan Capel-Smith, Y 9

Cabaret In January the theatre was transformed by our amazing technical team into a 1930s Cabaret Club in Germany. This was the setting for ‘Cabaret’, this years senior play, directed by Miss Davie.

The show is being directed by Mr Glen and Miss Long, with Assistant Directors Rebecca Penn and Bijou Dunn providing able support. Stars of the show are Ben Allanson as Prospero, Adam Cox as Captain Tempest, Josephine Cadinouche as Miranda, and Eddie McAvoy as Ariel. As for me, I might only have a minor role but I feel privileged to be taking part in such an exciting show. I am the ‘Navigation

The play is set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power. The story revolves around the English Cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw. A sub-plot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. Overseeing the action is the Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub. Rehearsals for the show began early in September, and throughout the year the entire cast, orchestra and tech team worked incredibly hard to put the show together. Finally after months of dance, singing and acting rehearsals and gallons of paint, the 3 dazzling shows were performed at the end of January. The shows were an amazing showcase of the talent all our performers possess and we must acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the entire company especially from the leads Berenice Cunningham-Walker, Harry Radcliffe, Ellie Potter, Chris Murphy, Immy Birkett and Myles Woodman who performed outstandingly. We must also not forget the fantastic performance from the committed and talented orchestra led by Mark Hartley who really made the show come to life and also the many, many hours of behind the scenes work and preparation done by the technical team led by Jenny LewingtonChislett. Congratulations to everyone involved for such phenomenal shows and we can't wait to see what is in store for next years Senior Musical! Rebecca Penn, Y12

Borlasian 2014

Performing Arts

Borlase Drama It has been another exceptionally busy year for the drama department. As well as the weekly drama clubs, theatre visits and workshops, there has been the Senior Production and dozens of plays performed for examination. The year began with a residential trip for the A2 drama students to Ufton Court, the Tudor manor near Reading, which was a great opportunity for them to put together their devised plays for their exam in October. There were two groups this year, each exploring a different issue which was inspired by the interesting history of Ufton Court itself . Rehearsals for the senior production, Cabaret began during September, which was staged at the end of January. There were some remarkable performances in this production and some outstanding choreography under the direction of Sophie Paton and Isla Hely. The play demonstrated the diverse talents of Borlase students, which included set designers, tech team, musicians, actors, dancers and singers. In February, the AS drama monologues were performed,

followed a couple of weeks later by 20 GCSE drama plays, performed throughout a very busy Sunday, in front of an audience of parents and friends, as well as the examiner. Four AS drama productions were after this and then the Year 10 devised dramas. All the drama examinations are now performed to public audiences, which raises the calibre of the productions and allows parents and the wider community to experience the professionalism of the students. As I write, the final rehearsals are underway for the Junior Musical, Return to the Forbidden Planet, directed by Mr Glen and Miss Long. We are looking forward to next year, where we have a drama project with a school in Marseilles, the Senior Musical, and short drama pieces to commemorate the centenary of WW1. I am also very sad to be saying goodbye to the amazing Mike Glen, who has been a real asset to the drama department. He has been energetic, inspirational, funny and kind. I wish him all the best of luck in his new school where he is to be Head of Drama. Our loss is their gain. Mrs Davie

Music 2013/2014 Concerts This year has once again been filled with outstanding musical events across the school; performances from a wide age range, in various styles and genres enthralled audiences at every turn.

Roctober was once again a success, packing out C1 and C2, which were turned into Borlase’s very own Cavern Club. Groups from across the school exhibited their talent to much appreciation, with each group performing a classical Beatles tune, with contributions of Beatles themed artwork from the art department. Borlase musicians brought the Christmas spirit to life in both Mr. Robson’s Baroque Christmas Concert and the Carol Concert in All Saints Church. Carols were accompanied by Cantorum and the Chamber Choir as well as the school’s Senior Brass players and Mr. Robson on the organ. Gospel Choirs impromptu caroling at the close of the service embodied the sentiments of the season and led to many parents and guest commenting of the quality of music making at Borlase. The New Year was begun with the theatre being transformed into a Jazz Lounge for a celebration of Jazz music at Borlase. The Jazz Band headlined playing a range of big band classics under the direction of Mark Hartley. They were supplemented by performances from Funktion, Jess Cracknell, Berenice Cunningham-Walker, Ellie and Jamie Potter and Emma Hughes and Christen van den Berghe. This year saw an incredible House Music competition, with Queen-fever sweeping

SWBGS; ultimately Roman’s clinched the victory with their enthusiastic performance of a Queen medley. The House Music Concert showcased some of the high class solo and small ensemble work going on in both the Junior and Senior school. Some Sixth Form participants were described as near professional standard by our visiting judge, Simon Lock. A special mention must go to Mr. Dwyer and V2, whose acapella Michael Jackson medley was not only of excellent quality, but proved that music is a medium for all to enjoy and participate in. Well done to all those who took part, especially those who won their categories. The musical calendar was finished off by the Senior and Junior Concerts, which both boasted outstanding musical performances from choir and instrumental groups alike.

Borlasian 2014

The musical year was kicked off by the Autumn Concert which saw performances from all of the schools choirs as well as the Symphony Orchestra, Junior and Senior Strings, the student run Guitar, Flute and Clarinet ensembles, Concert Band and Junior Winds and the Jazz Band. Notable performances came from: the Symphony Orchestra who evoked the Light Night of the Proms with their rousing rendition of Elgar’s ‘Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1’, Gospel Choir with their version of ‘Now is the Cool of the Day’ arranged by Beth Potter and the unforgettable performance of ‘Misty Mountains’ arranged by Liam Thorpe and complete with choreography by Madriguys.

Performing Arts

84 The Jazz Band was joined by the talented vocalist Sophie Payton, Concert Band performed a challenging Wicked Medley and the Symphony Orchestra wowed again with a rendition of Bizet’s ‘Carmen Suite No. 1.’ An exceptional performance came from Tommy Gale and Robin JacobOwens, who managed to not only make the audience marvel at their jazz piano skills, but swap seats at the same time! The Senior Concert was concluded with the infamous Leavers Medley, which left both the audience and performers in tears, albeit from sadness at their approaching departure from Borlase or laughter from the jokes they made! The standard of performance at Borlase has not only remained high, but arguably become higher! As Arts Captains, both Stephanie and myself will endeavour to maintain this high standard, while also widening participation throughout the school, so as to get as many Borlasians incolved in the Arts as possible. The only way from here is up! Ross Macrae, Yr 12 Arts Captain

Gospel Choir This year the Borlase Gospel Choir has been led by Beth Potter and Christen Van Den Berghe (Year 13), both of whom have been incredible all year long. The Gospel Choir repertoire has been constantly moving and evolving, with popular favourites like ‘Joyful, Joyful’ and ‘Lean On Me’. It has been a challenge but one that has been hugely enjoyable. The musical standard that has been met, despite only rehearsing once a week, has been fantastic, which can be seen as this year the Borlase Gospel Choir qualified for a place in the national finals of the Music For Youth competition, which will be held in Birmingham in July. The Gospel Choir have performed regularly throughout the year at events such as the Humour in My Tumour concert and in concerts with visiting performers Juliet Nassuna (Ugandan Pop Star) and Lillian Boutté (Jazz and Blues singer of New Orleans). Another highlight was being invited to perform at a wedding held at the end of May after the bride heard the choir sing at an event earlier in the year. In the summer term, at the annual Arts Dinner, the Gospel Choir gave an enthusiastic performance of ‘RESPECT’ after which it was announced that Sophie Foote and Hayley Hutchins (Year 12) will be carrying the conductors’ batons next year. Christen and Beth will be missed hugely, as will all the leaving Year 13s but it will be exciting to see what a new year will bring for the Borlase Gospel Choir; all we know is that it will definitely feature strong harmonies and plenty of sass. Sarah Bowler, Y12

This March saw the students of the Borlase Chamber Choir take to St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle to perform one of Mozart’s most famous works, the full Requiem. The Chamber Choir were joined by Taplow Youth Choir and the Hertfordshire County Youth Choir to deliver a stunning performance of this piece. The concert opened with each choir delivering an individual set, the Chamber Choir of Borlase, led by Dr Parsons, sung a range of pieces in both Latin and English, spanning a time period that showcased the diversity of the ensemble. After the solo sets all three choirs came together to perform Haydn’s ‘Insanae Et Vanae Curae’, a favourite for a lot of the performers involved. This was then followed by the Requiem, conducted by Gillian Dibden of the Taplow Choirs Group, which was a stunning performance that truly filled stunning building of St George’s. The sound throughout was strong and carried to all the walls of the Chapel; audience members gave overwhelmingly positive feedback about the whole evening, saying it was a performance of real quality that showcased the skill of so many young people, proving the event to have be a great success for all involved. Sarah Bowler Y12

Senior Concert 2014

The senior concert this year took place on April 3rd and was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the depth and diversity of the students’ many musical achievements. An incredible range of performers took part, from choirs and orchestras to solos and small group performances, including an evergrowing number of student-led groups. The concert was the culmination of a year of performance and leadership opportunities, which all students have enjoyed through the variety of musical activities on offer at Borlase. The finale of the concert was the leavers’ medley. Although it is always a sad occasion to have to say goodbye to all the Year 13 students, it was wonderful to watch their final performance, encompassing so many aspects of life at Borlase. Many of the students have taken on key roles in various ensembles throughout their time at the school, and it is thanks to their enthusiasm, dedication and ambition that Borlase music has seen such an exciting and eventful year. We thank them for all their hard work and wish them happy and busy musical futures. We would also like to thank Dr Parsons and the entire Music Department for all their hard work throughout the year, organising repertoire, rehearsals and performances. We look forward to another busy year of Borlase music next year! Abby Evans Y12

Borlasian 2014

Mozart’s Requiem

Performing Arts

The most important thingâ&#x20AC;Ś is not to win, but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well (Olympic Creed)

Borlasian 2014

Sports

88 Athletics and Cross Country Cross Country At the Hughenden Manor Wycombe Phoenix meeting in November we had some impressive finishes. In the U13 girls race Amelia Barclay placed 9th and Elle Reike 14th. Charlie Harris also placed in the top 20 placing the girls team 3rd overall. Natasha Taylor came 3rd in the U15 event, Ellie Bilsland 6th and Alex Lane 7th. These girls won the team prize. In the U17 girls race Rosie Street placed 2nd. In the boys U13 race Nathan Brammer and Robert Coates finished 8th and 9th respectively and Charlie Peplow 15th. This placed the boys 2nd in the team event. At U15 Ronan Halpin placed 2nd, Seb Garry 4th and Sammy Taylor 6th securing 1st in the team event. Jack Blyth won the U17 race with Joe Thrush 2nd and Akil Hashmi 4th again wining the team event. At the County event in February at Stowe School there were some equally impressive runs

Junior Cross Country Squad

Junior Cross Country Squad As athletic standards for every event continue to improve at Borlase, school records for track and field are becoming harder and harder to break. However, a handful of athletes managed the feat over the last 12 months: Matt Rowley broke the inter boys’ discus (30m86) and Immy Brown the senior girls’ discus (23m06) and javelin (29m57) record. Robbie Tuckermann broker the inter boys’ javelin (37m57) record, Ronan Halpin the senior boys’ javelin record, whilst Emily Hogg jumped brilliantly to break the inter girls’ high jump (1m41) record. Hannah Martin broke the senior girls’ (1m42) record and Ellie Bilsland ran 12.60secs to break the inter girls’ 100m record, and an amazing 2min20sec time in the 800m secured Natasha Taylor the inter girls’ 800m record. In the inter girls’ 300m Freya Bull broke a 5 year record in the 300m (44.18sec). Finally, at the District Champs in Hillingdon in June, Mila Welch also managed to break the 8 year old junior girls’ school javelin record with an impressive distance of 24m54.

Nick Sanger: surprised to have won the District 100m final! The Years 9 and 10 athletics teams, boys and girls, both won their respective league titles with was notable commitment and exceptional performances from Ellie Bilsland, Natasha Taylor, Freya Bull, Anna Jones, Jade Patel, Eden Hudson, Kate Cumming, Izzie Peplow, Joanna Tuthill, Alex Lane, Nick Sanger, Oli Cooke, Joe Wolfin, Robbie Tuckermann and Ollie Lawrie. At District Athletics they went further to demonstrate their prowess and endeavour across the gender and age groups. Freya Bull and Nick Sanger both won the Victor/Victrix Ludorum for their respective age groups whilst the following athletes were crowned District champions at their respective events: Ellie Bilsland (hurdles and 100m), Freya Bull (200m, 300m and triple jump), Year 10 girls’ relay team, Nick Sanger (100m), Ronan Halpin

(Javelin), Joe Wolfin (Discus), Eden Hudson (200m), Jess Minshull-Beech (1500m), Year 9 girls’ relay and Nick Winter (Javelin).

Ellie Bilsland: winning the relay for the year 10 girls at District

Chris Otun: Competing in long jump at the county champs in June In the year 7 and 8 District Championships we were able to celebrate a range of successful performances. There were gold medals for Mila Welch (javelin), Chris Otun (long and high jump), Felix Wragg (discus), Charlie Peplow (long jump) and Michael Hall (High Jump). Mila also managed to break the 8 year old junior girls’ school javelin record with an impressive distance of 24m54. All our athletes performed exceptionally on a sunny and demanding day in Hillingdon.

Borlasian 2014

Athletics

Sports

Year 7 and 8 District teams doing the Mo-bot!

Oli Lawrie: competing in triple jump at the County Champs in June

District gold medal winners Mila Welch (javelin), Chris Otun (long and high jump), Felix Wragg (discus), Charlie Peplow (long jump) and Michael Hall (High Jump) Natasha Taylor, Ellie Bilsland had some stand out success at last summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s English Schoolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Finals in Birmingham. This year our best track and field athletes competed in the County Athletics Champs in Milton Keynes in June. These include Natasha, Ellie together with Aisha Austin, Chris Otun, Oli Lawrie, Ronan Halpin, Robbie Tuckermann, Nick Sanger, Izzie Peplow, Amelia Barclay and Eden Hudson. Jas Presho sprinting at the District Championship

Sports Day

Sports

91 Last summer’s Sports Day was also a resounding success with a post-Olympic buzz. The winners of the 132nd Annual Athletics Championships were Britons whilst the Victor and Victrix Ludorum were: Victrix Ludorum: Junior – Isabelle Peplow (D)Intermediate Intermediate – Freya Bull (B) Senior – Immy Brown (V)

Matthew

Borlasian 2014

Victor Ludorum: Junior – Finlay Duguid (B) Formstone (S) Senior – David Lambeth (N)

Sports

92 Cricket Report 2014 At the point of writing, the cricket season is only half way through and results have been varied throughout the age groups. The U18’s who traditionally only get the opportunity to play three have won one, lost one and still have the Old Boys game to play on 8th July. Mr Chappell can be blamed for the loss to Highcrest in an extremely close game in which 11 different SWB bowlers were used in an attempt to promote ‘The Spirit of Cricket’. All that practice paid off as the following week they beat JHGS for the first time in over 15 years thanks to a MOM performance from Sam North with the bat (his leg side dominant wagon wheel pictured) and some key tactical decisions from Captain Immy Brown. The U15 team have an 18 man squad but have struggled to get 11 to turn up to any one fixture and this has severely hampered their ability to win games. Notable performances have come from Matt Casale, Krishan Goyal, Will Heyes and Julian Milsom. They lost to Aylesbury Vale Academy in the 1st round of the Bucks Trophy. Callum Brown is pictured playing a stunning lofted drive v Highcrest. The U13’s have been well led by Captain Toby Hill (pictured opening the batting v JHGS) winning more games than they have lost. At the time of writing they are just about to play Buckingham in the Bucks Trophy and they are tipped to go far in the competition. Cavan Smith and Julian Whitaker have been putting in some superb performances in the friendlies. Krishan Goyal has skippered the U12’s to some impressive victories so far, most notably against Chesham Grammar. Arjun Bagri, Alec Bussel, Charlie Peplow and Callum Kunchur have also played well while Ben Ferguson has made immense progress. More detail and photos can be found on Twitter @ BorlaseCricket

Equestrian Equestrian is going from strength to strength at Borlase. We now have a squad of 16 and have had a very impressive season so far. This year has seen an increase in many younger members of the school taking up the reins and pulling out some good results, competing against such notable public schools as Wycombe Abbey, Wellington College and Queen Anneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. The senior team competed at Royal Windsor Horse Show coming 6th place out of 30 teams in May of this year ,they certainly held their own in a huge field of serious competitiors.

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93 also had some great success with a 4th team placing and Emily picking up 4th place individually.Kate Wallace picked up the highly coveted equestrian of the year and Emily Martin has been appointed Equestrian Captain for next year. We now head to Hickstead in August for the All England Championships.

The younger members have been gaining experience this year. Ed Manthorpe in Year 9, and Minna Hughes and Ella Carter from Year 8 have all picked up some nice double clears throughout the season and competed in a new discipline called jumping with style where marks are awarded for riding ability as well as performance. The senior squad of Emily Martin, Ocean Allen, Elsebine Bolier, Kate Wallace and Hannah Martin have picked up some good team placings including a 5th at the Jumping with Style qualifier amongst a huge field with Kate picking up 5th place individually. In pure show jumping they have

Softball Report

A satellite club has been set up for all local young people to attend after particular interest from Great Marlow School. We are hoping that this will run all year between the two venues and become a great success. Three of our students who have been playing softball since it was introduced into the GCSE PE Curriculum are now successfully playing club softball with Maidenhead and one of our students, Ellie Wheeler, has been invited to play and train with the GB Softball Academy - congratulations. In June, the District Softball Competition was held at Farnham Park - home to BSUK, and Borlase were hoping to defend their unbeaten title and retain the trophy. A good win against our first opponents, Dr Challonerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, gave Borlase the confidence they needed to really get used to

the professional style pitches, the amended rules and the conditions. Shutting down the opponents 6-0 meant that Borlase could focus on their batting. Lord Grey School were a more tactically aware team and gave Borlase a run for their money using the tagplays to their advantage. However, Borlase maintained their fielding savvy and won 5-4. The game against Buckingham School was very closely played, both in the field and in the batting box with both teams closing eachother down. But Borlase managed to hold on to their lead and won 3-2. Into the final and the opponents were a very strong Burnham Grammar School. Tight in the field, the pressure was on for Borlase to perform with the bats, however, this was proving difficult. Having scored 4 runs, Borlase took to the field with the intention of closing down the batters systematically. However, a flurry of 1 and 2 base runs saw the bases loaded and a big hitter bringing up the rear of the batting order brought home the last 3 runners to overtake Borlase and win 6-4. A well contested event in which Borlase conceded to Burnham Grammar and left the competition as runners up.

Borlasian 2014

Borlase softball has continued well this season with school club links being maintained and new links being promoted. Alan Le Marquand from Maidenhead Softball Club ( Level 3 BSUK Coach) has continued to coach sessions on Tuesdays, whilst Rick Krajewski ( parent and Governor) from Marlow Softball Club has also been coaching.

Sports

94 Alex Fores’ Racing Career Alex Fores, Year 9, started his racing career aged just 8, racing at Buckmore Park Kart Track. It was here that Lewis Hamilton and Jensen Button began their road to racing stardom. He quickly moved from arrive and drive to racing his own Honda Cadet kart. His first championship race saw him awarded the coveted Henry Surtees ‘Most promising cadet racer’ trophy which was a huge accolade. His karting career was great fun with some great results. 2014 saw Alex move into racing cars. He has had his first outing in his fully race prepared Citroen Saxo, racing at speeds of 100 miles/hour +. This year he will spend time testing at various tracks around the country as he refines his craft. He will also participate in a few championship races, the next one being at Brands Hatch in July. Alex says of his racing: “I have been really lucky to have participated in both kart racing and now car racing. My dad is involved in motorsport and my grandfather was

Cheerleading This year brought a lot of new members for the team, which was of course a great thing! All the girls have worked hard since September, battling through the 7:30 morning starts every week. The annual competition loomed after Christmas and everyone put it in lots of time and effort to pull it together. For many this was their first year competing. Competing in the Level 2 section was the whole team, with Charli, Alex, Jess, Bethan and myself also entered into the Level 3 group stunt. Unfortunately we did not place in the whole team routine, but it was a great effort especially since it was almost a whole new squad. However we came home with first in the group stunt, in front of Wycombe High and Great Marlow! All in all it was a great year for the team, well done girls! Abi Wishart

too, so I guess it’s in the genes! The sport is extremely exhilarating and I have learnt a great deal about team work, sponsorship and communication and the desire to win. The biggest learning I would say, however, has been coping with disappointment. Lots can go wrong in motorsport and invariably does… When it goes right, there is no better feeling. If anyone has the opportunity to have a go, do! You won’t regret it.” Jessica Fores

Borlasian Football Report 2014

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95 This year the year 8 boys had a cracking season, training every Monday lunchtime with our 2 voluntary coaches, Louis and Rob (lower 6th). Our two centre backs, Max Ellis and Sam Harris were throwing themselves at every ball to protect our half of the pitch. There were ups and downs, with some superb goals by Richard Tomlins. Both Taylor Delorie Craft and Joe Poots put in their all on the wings and keeper Wren Jago saved many. The lads beat our rivals GMS 5 - 1 and in our 1st game, we just lost to a St Michaelsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; year 9 XI. We were 4th overall of 12 at the District 7 aside tournament and just lost out to Wye Valley in the semi - finals. Some notable performers were be Jamie R-W and Sam Selbourne.

In the start of the year it took a bit of time to work out how each other played but after a while, every game we played we became stronger and better. I would like to say thank you to Josh and Charlie for training us every lunch time. Over the season Johnny Ainscough(goalie) saved us in many goal conceding situations and so did the defenders making some vital tackles. Our centre midfield was very strong with Alec Bussell, Alex E, Felix Wragg and Toby King controlling the play. Our best goal over the season was by Toby King when Jake Lewington chipped it over a sliding John Hampden defender straight to Toby who placed it in the back of the net. There were also great performances from the strikers and wingers who worked well together. This year has been a great learning curve and hopefully we carry on getting better next year. Ben Ferguson Year 8

Year 9 I, Joe Middlehurst, captained a great side this year with help from the Vice Captain Noah Emsley. This season was a short yet a good season for the year 9 boys. We started the season with a tournament at Great Marlow school in which we came third in our tough group. Sadly we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t qualify but there was some great skill from Wills Houghton to set up Ben Townsend to score a brilliant goal. We had a good game at home where we hosted a friendly match against John Hampden. We started this game on top and finished it there too. We completely outplayed them with some brilliant long runs from Lucas Emsley and some world class defending by Evan Fisher and Noah Emsley. We were playing great football all around the pitch where Miles Craigmile proved he could be a decisive winger. When the through balls were played, there were some good efforts by Ollie Till yet none of which happened to go in. We were unfortunate to lose that game 2-0.

Borlasian 2014

Year 7

Personally I think that being captain for this talented team has given me a great experience Julian Whitaker

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96 We played another friendly against Great Marlow on their astro-turf. We again outplayed the home side with some great defensive work by Luke Funnell. He was very unlucky to score an own goal later that game. There were two fantastic goals one from Ben Townsend and the other from Noah Emsley. In the final minutes of the match, Wills Houghton was through on goal and put the ball away. However, a dodgy linesman’s call cut celebrations short. I have really enjoyed captaining this side this year and I hope that Noah will have the same amount of fun that I did in year 10. Joe Middlehurst Year 10 We played 5 games in this year’s season, and our boys certainly delivered the best we could. Our first game was a hard fought 1-0 away victory against Sir William Ramsey, with the goal from Geri Nicosia. The lads did well to avoid drowning in the swamp they called a pitch. We then enjoyed a 7-0 win at St Michaels, against a side which, with respect, simply weren’t on our level. It was truly a mismatch.

Our first home game of the season came against our huge rivals, Great Marlow. A header from myself and a touch of genius from a Callum Kirby free-kick was unfortunately not enough to prevent a 3-2 defeat. Personally I was very proud of all my players. The next match against a noticeably poor Highcrest team gave our B-team a good opportunity to prove themselves. They did just that, and won the match 6-0, with Amnaik Soomal undoubtedly scoring the goal of the season. Our last match of the year was away at John Hampden, who we already knew were a strong side. We were tired and fatigued during the game, and finished the season on a 3-1 loss. Golden boot (probably) goes to Mr Geri Nicosia, who has proved himself as a quality striker this year. All these games followed a 6-a-side pre-season tournament, in which we established ourselves as one of the world’s best football teams in this format, despite not winning. Captaining the football team this year has been an honour for me in what was overall a successful season. Olly Cooke

2nd XI T A group of boys had the idea to recreate history. Rationalised recreation at Borlase as we have come to know and love would never be the same again, as a new chapter in the history of English football was written, for this day saw the resurrection of the prestigious 2nd XI.

What we lacked in basic footballing ability and social skills, we more than made up for in determination, dedication and team spirit. Never before have I seen such effort and passion in every single training session. As with all top sides, leaders quickly emerged. Rory O’Callaghan, Dan Roblin, and Josh Rollett come to mind. Whatever the weather, with vice-captain Veitch and ladies man Highfield leading by example, numbers at training never declined. We had a dream and that dream was to play football. Planning an exhibition friendly game against a Year 13 girls social 11 proved to be a logistical nightmare. Nonetheless we pulled through and arranged for a Friday lunch time kick off. Excitement was at an all time high the morning of our first fixture. As a capacity crowd filled colonels meadow to the rafters the boys each had looks of determination and complete focus, a picture of true professionalism. The girls went in aggressive...unnoticed by the ref, soon we lost our heads with our captain Tom Maher coming through with a two footed tackle on a fragile Emily Nagle even Joey Barton would be proud of. A poor Emily Nagle was left in dismay on the floor and hasn’t spoken to him since that game which was in January. Nonetheless We ran out 10-0 winners and at the end of the game looked relieved to have come out the other side successful. However, there was room to improve and we all knew it. Our first major challenge was that of a Year 12. A spirited display of passing football was produced by both sides, it was a spectacle to behold. A brace from the seemingly tireless O’Callaghan sealed a 3-0 win for the 2nd XI. Onwards and Upwards. Jumpers for goalposts. Week in week out. And so dawned the greatest football match Borlase has seen for many a year. 1st’s vs 2nd’s, undisputed Top dogs versus Under dogs. Played generally in great spirits, the match had its twists and turns like a winding country road. John Clee was on top form between the sticks, barking orders to a rookie and yet determined back four. However an early slip up from the inexperienced and lackluster Corpaul at the back and Bull pounced like a tiger to put the 1st’s 1 up and with a wonder goal from Brady making the score 4-1 we were left deflated and firmly on the back foot, however we rallied at the death and put pressure on the 1st team weak links Henry Barnett and Harry Stott scoring twice and bringing about some respectability to the score line. 4-3 to the 1st team, a 7 goal thriller and a game to live long in the memory of all those involved, especially Henry Barnett and Sam cole for a post game scuffle in the tunnel or shin gate as it is widely referred to in the papers. This led

to both plays being docked a weeks wages and receiving a 1 game ban. Josh Rollett found this especially funny. The January transfer window started slowly, but with the promise of new signings, the board eventually delivered. After passing their strenuous medicals with flying colours, Jordan Weddepohl, and Harry Ratcliffe were signed to the delight of the fans. Their talent on and off the ball is undisputed, and as a result - shirt sales from the club store skyrocketed. However, both are still yet to make their debuts. In January, February and most of March the hockey players in the squad were involved in an extremely average cup run which proved to be more of a distraction than a worthwile sporting venture. But with the boys out of the cup and able to focus on a real sport, training resumed and soon a fixture was schedule. We saw off an academy side of 13 year olds with ease. 3-0, and an outstanding performance against players physically stronger and more capable on the ball than ourselves. Not even our strongest player, Harry Webster could muscle his way past a 5ft year 9 who was still in his uniform and had drama period 5. Three invaluable points in our push for Europa League football. As the season drew to a close, much like a set of velvet venetian curtains, we had time to reflect, like a mirror, on what had been an amazing year of football. I’m sure that I speak on behalf of everyone when I say how unforgettable the experience of playing in the 2nd XI has been. We’ve had our ups and downs, very much like a lift, and our fair share of excitement and drama along the way. However, if there was one message that I can take away from all of it, it would be that when played in the right spirit and with the right people, at the end of the day, grassroots football is the real winner. A special thanks must go to Mr Robertson for always believing in us, and also for providing us with the shirts we wore with pride on every occasion. Mr Robertson also taught us the values and the fantastic history associated with the 2nd XI team. As a semi-amateur side we will forever be known as the people’s champs, not only did we have the highest win ratio of all the sports teams within Borlase, but we have also never lost an away game and it baffles us all as to why we were not in the runnings for team of the year status. Anyway, it would give me great pleasure to announce that next years 2nd XI captain will be….Samuel North, our very own people’s champ. Tom Maher and Callum Haisman

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The enthusiasm from all who heard of our wonderful vision was truly astonishing and this proved to be the driving force behind our fantastic season.

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close, yet so far. It was a fine note to end our season on however as all players were able to leave the Bisham pitch with pride in their hearts having left nothing in the dressing room but all on the pitch. On behalf of myself and the Borlase 1st XI, I would like to say thank you Mr Robertson for giving us the gift of football. Ally Brady

This season has had its ups its downs, its high points and its low, moments of victory and those of heart-breaking defeat, and times where the belief and desire of the players has been tested. The team had one goal from the very first second we set foot on the colonel’s meadow, and that was to make a bit of Borlase football history. We were unfortunately knocked out of the county cup after a promising win in our first game, as this win was shortly followed by a swoon of defeats. However, the quality and the desire of the players that I have been fortunate enough to stand beside this year, enabled us to reach the final of the South Bucks Cup for the second year running. We were attempting to bee the first Borlase team, since the founding of this prestigious cup, to win it. Getting to the final has been the result of hard work on and off the field by all the players and managerial staff alike. The high tempo nature of training and competition amongst the squad has meant there were been times of angst and upset for many players. For some, the pressure did get too much! The old boys match in February gave the team an opportunity to make some rotations within the squad, allowing players such as Harry Stott pitch time, but to also prepare mentally for the final. We started the game well and it was obvious that the new additions to the team were keen to impress the manager ahead of the cup final. The old boys were quick to identify the weak members of the herd however and put high levels of pressure on our Oxford applicant. This knocked his confidence and just before half time he turned a corner into his own net, right in front of the home crowd. Despite patches of good football, the game was lost, but this gave us areas to focus on in training. In the end we went down 3-2 in a pulsating and edgy South Bucks Cup final against the Misbourne school. Yet again so

1st XI v Old Boys. Final score: Old Boys 4-3 1st XI Year 7 Girls’ Football Our Year 7 girls’ football team triumphed in the District School Games qualifying tournament at Great Marlow School. They won three out of three games which puts them through to the School Games county finals in July. The girls beat Highcrest 1-0, Grreat Marlow 1-0 and Sir William Ramsay 2-0. Goals came from Nancy Dean (2), Lucy Banks and Millie Taylor. A big thank you to Anna Dicker and Ellie Wheeler in year 11 for coaching the girls.

Hockey Overview 2014 This year has been another outstanding year for Borlase Hockey! I would like to start by congratulating all the athletes and coaching staff for all of their hard work in making it the year that it has been. The new talented year 7s this year have really made their mark, showing that the future is definitely bright! The U12 girls won silver at the Surbiton southern schools tournament and the U12 boys have competed very well in all of their matches with a number of the boys playing up with the u13s at the county tournament! The year 8s showed that they are also a force to be reckoned with both the boys and girls being crowned Bucks champions. Unfortunately fine margins meant that neither team progressed to the national final but showed that they will be the teams to watch next year! Year 9s had a mixed year. The girls played some great hockey and were tight as a team but unfortunately just missed out on reaching the south competition. The boys were crowned county champions and had the ability to reach the national finals, losing out on goal difference by 1 goal to local side Magdalene College. The boys did however win the south

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99 The 1st XI boys were unfortunate to not repeat last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s indoor glory however did well in the new boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; outdoor competitions format reaching the quarter finals of the national competition. The 1st XI girls, although unfortunate to not progress further in the outdoor competition, achieved silver in the national indoor competition. This is an amazing achievement as this is the first time this talented group have reached a national final, previously falling short in the semi final stages. Alongside all of the team success this year Borlase have had a record 7 junior internationals and 34 players reaching JRPC. The 7 junior internationals are: Livy Paige: U18 & U21 Jack Clee: U18 (captain) Jack Turner: U18 Georgina Whitaker: U18 Frankie Butler: U16 Freya Bull: U15 Imre Gerrits U15

Year 7 Girls First of all this year has been a great year for all the team, including me. We have all learnt so much over the past 6 months and have all enjoyed taking part in some great events. We have won most matches this year with some big results, but unfortunately losing to Wycombe High School a few times. We also entered a district tournament this year with a rough start but ended with some great goals from Jessica Fores and Alice Atkinson. We also had some brilliant keeps from Anna Hume and Rosie Shaw. We also came second in the Bucks tournament which took place at Marlow Hockey Club which is a great achievement for the team.

indoor, a feat which has not been previously achieved by a Borlase side, beating some of the top schools in the country to achieve gold. The U16 boys and girls both had tough years with the boys not qualifying out of Bucks in the outdoor competition and the girls missing out on a national spot in the indoor competition. However, both teams had some great individual success with a number of players playing at county, regional and international level.

We would all like to give a huge thank you to Jenna Woolven and Miss Webber who have put their time and effort into coaching us. I have seen so much improvement in the team in the last few months so well done to everyone who took part in the hockey this year. Overall this year has been great fun and I hope to take a step further along the line next year. Ellie Yeomans

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Thank you again to all the coaching staff, Year Group Coordinators and the Hockey Support Group. You have all made such a difference in Borlase Hockey.

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100 Year 7 Boys This year has been a great season for the year seven boys and we have been able to produce four teams in some fixtures. We have won more than we have lost and each team has got stronger throughout the year. The amount of boys who turn up each week for training is staggering considering nearly two thirds of the boys haven’t played hockey before.This year Mike Irving has trusted me with the position of captain and it has been great to see how much everyone has improved. I know it has been difficult for Mike to pick the teams from such a broad and high quality squad. But all this wouldn’t happen if Mike, who organises the games, gives up his time to train us and provides us with such great expertise and tips wasn’t part of the school. Charlie Peplow Year 8 Girls Looking back over this year to our first match in year 8 it’s clear how far we have come in just a few months. Now playing as a team we are beginning to really work well with each other and coming together as a squad. This season has many highlights for us. Coming first in the schools county rounds was certainly one of our best moments. Arriving on a cold rainy day, we played together as a team, helped by Ellie Yeomans who came up to play with us from year 7. In a tense last match against Wycombe High we managed to pull through with a 3-2 win making us the best school team for our age in Bucks. This was exciting as it allowed us to go to the south rounds. At souths however, we drew our first matches 0-0. This put us behind in points making it very difficult for us to win. Although during the rest of the tournament we improved dramatically winning our last two matches, our early draws saw us unable to progress further. Although disappointed we have learnt a lot from and we all realise we need to put in full commitment from the start. Overall we have had a fun enjoyable year, including a great Christmas party, and our standard of hockey has really improved. We look forward to carrying on with our hockey next year. We would like to thank Miss Hewitt for all the help and support she has given throughout the year. We could not have done it without her! Amelia Barclay Year 8 Boys The most encouraging thing we have seen this season from the year 8 boys has definitely been the turn out. The fact that we have been able enter a D team in to this years county competition has definitely been the highlight of the season. The A team have had another storming season with only two defeats to old rivals Magdalene College and

to the prolific Whitgift school. The B and C teams also shone with both team showing a good range of ability. It was also extremely encouraging to see the amount of years sevens we he had coming up through the ranks with the likes of Charlie Peplow and Ben Ferguson featuring in the A team. We had our setbacks with solid centre half Julian Whitaker struggling for fitness just before the South England competition and neither county or regional tournaments turning our exactly how we hoped or expected but with good outcomes. Captain Tom Sheldon (with a great season for county where he captained), keeper Max Ellis, and outfield players Toby Hill, Julian Whitaker and Will Aldiss all featured in the under thirteen Bucks team this season with Tom Jackson age trapped, playing in the under fourteen team. Overall, the performance of the whole squad has developed no end with the structured, knowledgeable coaching of Mike Irving and Peter Morelli who we owe our success to. Max Ellis Year 9 Girls This season our team was extremely strong and have improved no end. Our team was slightly smaller this year which meant that everyone had enough pitch time but wasn't too small not to enter all the tournaments this season. Earlier during the season we lost our fantastic right wing in Josephine due to her ACL rupturing but this did not stop the team trying our best to succeed. Year 9 Boys We started off our season with an amazing turnout to our first session and decided that we would make two 11 a side teams with many players to spare. The A team started off with a great win against Lord Williams (12-0) to bolster our confidence. We cruised our first 5 games against teams like RGS and Warrick gaining 4 wins and a draw. Then we came

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102 We came up against Bradfield, Cranleigh and Magdalene. We beat Bradfield and Cranleigh but only managed a 3-1 defeat against Magdalene. Unfortunately we missed out by 1 goal on goal difference which was a disappointing end to the season. We also had a great day out at Whitgift and Trinity Colleges when we went to an unofficial indoor south rounds. We had a great day there; and being unbeaten, even in the final, we felt great about ourselves.

U15 Boys up against Whitgift. Whitgift were our first real competition and so we were stunned to see that the best we could get was a 1-7 defeat. This made us finally realise what teams we would be up against in south rounds. With this on our minds we started to work even harder, and penalty corner practice at lunch began in earnest. And finally our first match arrived at county rounds. We played Stowe, RGS, John Hampden and Dr Challonerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and beat them 2-1, 4-0, 6-2 and 4-1 respectively. We cruised through them all and earned ourselves a place in south rounds.

The overall season was a great success with 7 of our players managing to get through to Bucks, these were: Toby Bruce, George Mann, Ed and Greg Tyler, Murray Whitaker, Elliot Killington and Nick Winter. We won County Championships and South Indoor. We also had a great tour to Holland early on in the season which bolstered our confidence to have a successful season. Nick Winter U16 Boys Hockey this year for Borlase has been more successful than ever, with both admirable performances from all age groups and an increasing number of students choosing to participate. The U16â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this year were up against the odds; with an incredibly strong and successful U18 age group players were being moved around with two boys from year

Finally I would like to thank the current squad for making this season as enjoyable as ever, and wish them the best of luck in their campaign next season. Ben Rollett U18 Girls In the Christmas term, the U18 Girls narrowly missed out on the South Finals after being beaten by Kingston on goal difference, despite not losing a game! This was obviously absolutely gutting for all of the girls, but on the day we gave a great performance so it was not all in vain. Big thanks must also go to the boys’ coach Mr Chappell for taking us to the competition, coaching us AND umpiring. I think it’s fair to say that we could not have given such a great performance without him. However, after leaving the outdoor competition, all our attention turned to the indoor competition where we were named as Bucks Champions and then South Champions in a tournament where we won 5 games and drew 1. We then progressed to the National Finals on Saturday 11th Jan and Sunday 12th Jan in Bromsgrove. The squad consisted

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10 and 11 stepping up. In this situation most schools would have not entered a squad, with the fear of failing but Mr Chappell stood firm and entered us into the EHB schools competition. The squad made up year 10 and 11 students went into every game and training session positively with heads held high. The competition didn’t see much success; playing against two of the strongest teams in the country the defeats were quite convincing, but nevertheless every week with the help of the hockey staff at Borlase we would return to the drawing board and discuss how we would move forwards into the next game. One of the tactics employed in the RGS game was the removal of a fully kitted keeper for the entire game and playing with a kicking back. This involved Ayush Isaac coming forward with no padding very literally putting his body on the line, stopping two drag flicks from the England U16 flicker. Many teams often questioned the our philosophies, but the boys stayed strong and the squad have had a huge learning curve not just in their hockey careers but also attained valuable life skills. It has to be said that this was largely down to one man, Mr Chappell, who stayed with us throughout both the highs and lows not ‘jumping ship’ and for that the boys and I are incredibly grateful.

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104 of Captain Immy Brown, Elise McDonald, Emma Postings, Abbey Griffiths, Georgie Whitaker, Jess Rees, Laura DunnSims, Emily Swales (GK) and Emily Huxley (GK). We achieved 2nd place after losing to Repton in the final, despite beating them in the pool stages. This was the highest place our team had ever achieved and was a great weekend to be a part of. Huge thanks should also go to our coach Kate Porter, who stepped in when Mike fell ill. Kate has given up a huge amount of time to coach us. Thanks also to Mike for training us this season. It has been a pleasure for us to captain the team this season and we wish next year’s 1st XI squad every success! Elise McDonald & Immy Brown U18 Boys We started the season with high hopes after winning a National Gold medal last year and recruiting a hugely talented bunch of year 12s, like Jack Turner, Sam North and George Ginger to name just a few. However, our season got off to a terrible start. We lost our first 7 games and we were showing little signs of turning it around. Our individual flair alone was not good enough to beat well organised teams. The physical presence of the side was shocking but after a few circuit sessions with Miss Williams over Friday lunch times we soon felt strong and the gains were obvious. The combination of Clee’s new guns and the team’s hard work on the training ground lead us on a run of wins which saw us beat some of the best sides in the country with ease. The Indoor season unfortunately didn’t quite go to plan. We were understandably confident after winning a National Gold medal last year and we had without a doubt one of the strongest teams on paper in the country. We qualified through our group in the South finals fairly comfortably showing some nice, free flowing, attacking hockey. However, we were up against Whitgift in the Semi final, the team we knocked out in the National semi final on penalty flicks the year before and unfortunately they played like they had a point to prove and again it seemed to be a case of so close yet so far for Borlase hockey. Our outdoor national campaign seemed to be progressing like a dream, with several last last minute winners and a succession of home ties which saw hundreds of Borlase pupils and parents coming down to support. The experience was fantastic and on behalf of the team I can’t thank everyone enough, unfortunately however our fairy tale cup run came to an end in the National Quarter finals, losing 3-2 to Ipswich. Overall we had a thoroughly enjoyable season and a huge thank you must go to Mike Irving the Director of Hockey and Kevin Chappell who has been with most of us since

year 7. Without their endless time and dedication none of our success would have been possible. Their stability with both Borlase and Marlow Hockey club has been hugely beneficial to us as a group and we now bow out with 2 National Gold medals from our time here at Borlase. James Vietch U14 Indoor Boys’ Hockey On Tuesday 19th November Sir William Borlase partook in the Southern England Indoor Hockey rounds for U14, an adventure which unfortunately ends at the finals for this round. In spite of obtaining the knowledge that they would not be able to experience the same journey as the U18 team (which participated in and won the Nationals round), as there is no Nationals for their age group, even if success were to visit them on that day; hopes were high and there was a real sense of excitement running through the minibus as the team of 10 departed from the grounds of their home school and set off to explore Trinity, and possibly the high quality pitches of Whitgift if the opportunity arose. Thanks to Mr Chappell’s well-established and traditional playlist, the team arrived in high spirits. They reached

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the tournament somewhat determined and “passionate”, and shone their badges in a professional manner as they strode the Trinity school. There was to be no pause in their mental preparation and warm-up for the approaching game against John Hampden. Though having annihilated the local side in last year’s outdoor county hockey rounds, Borlase were apprehensive and anxious to find out how this would differ to indoor. Throughout the tournament, this behaviour was often applied, especially because the oppositions had had a fairly larger amount of training. Despite winning the game 3-0, Mr Chappell certainly had a lot to talk about before the following game, but this was ironically reassuring. As mentioned at the end of the day by Mr Chappell, and agreed with by none other than Dominic Tyler, who had joined the boys as an umpire on their exhibition; the majority of the boys were extremely receptive to this feedback, and “soaked it up like a sponge”. Once the tournament was under-going at full throttle, banter was put aside for recollection at the end…

The tournament saw standout performances from, well… everyone! Numerous goals were scored at one end, particularly as a result of the Tyler twins’ mutual connection, and great short-corner goals flicked in by Nick Winter, whilst down at the other end, Toby Bruce and Matthew Jones had an outstanding performance, Toby only conceding 3 goals overall! This clean sheet was astonishingly sustained throughout the semi-final flick-off between Reeds and Borlase, which gave way to Murray Whitaker and Gregory Tyler securing Borlase a place in the Southern England Indoor Hockey Rounds Final…which they won!!! The drive home was full of bright cheerful faces and banter. This was enhanced by Murray Whitaker’s excellent “mixed selection” of music, arguably better than Mr Chappell’s (?). I have been told frequently by mothers of the Year 8 and 9s which ventured on the trip that they had trouble putting their sons to sleep that succeeding night, and as a player and the captain, I can understand why! Murray Whitaker

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106 Rounders Report Year 7 Rounders Over the last season we have learnt a lot; although we have only won one match, there are plenty more to come. We have all improved since half term and have all enjoyed ourselves. Stars of the season so far are Ellie Yeomans and Beth Zaziemski. We have now started the league games which we especially enjoy. We all play our very best and we have learnt a lot. We train once a week, every Wednesday, for an hour - this is less than some of our opponents who have at least two training sessions a week. Despite our disadvantage, we push ourselves and play with determination. Miss Tabone has been a great coach and we are looking forward to ending the season in style. Georgia Tukes Year 8 Rounders So far in the season, we have played three rounders matches. Our first match of the season was against Pipers Corner and we managed to beat them. Our second match was against High Crest, who we also managed to beat. Unfortunately, we lost our third match against St Michaels, however it was very close and we only lost by one rounder. Everyone in the team played really well with some outstanding performances by Amelia Barclay, Mila Welch and Olivia Annable. Melike Gerrits Year 9 Rounders In 2013 20 different year 8 girls played competitive matches for the school. Most improved player was Yim Poonsen and half colours went to Jade Patel, Holly Broyhill-Fogg and Ellie Brown. Following the District success of last summer our year 9 team have qualified for the finals of the school games

in Stoke Mandeveille. Superbly captained by Hannah Pepperell, they have gone from strength to strength with the addition of players like Rosie Atkinson. A big thank you to Miss Smaill for her coaching and leadership this summer Year 10 Rounders Our year 10 team have discovered the perfect balance between enjoyment and performance. Following a pulsating last ball victory in the first match of the season at Wycombe High our girls have continued to play brilliantly. Captained excellently by Grace Whitehead (legend), the following girls have all contributed significantly this season. Millie Lowings (super arm), Ellie Bilsland (speed merchant), Freya Bull (dance energy), Yasmin Ryman-King (game changer), Grace Harding (weird but effective batting stance), Hattie Slater (demon bowler), Rhianna Cross (crazy eyes), Ella Tidy (last ball legend), Hannah Jackson (strength and depth) and Natasha Taylor (Endurance Queen). A Big thank you to Mr Robertson for the management and tactical genius given to this highly energetic group of rounders stars!

Rowing 2013-2014 On the back off a successful summer, this year has looked promising for Borlase Rowing. The highlight of the rowing calendar, Henley Royal Regatta 2013, saw some strong results, For the second year running, the Club had two boats competing. The senior girls’ quad of Alex Flynn, Jess Hughes, Helen O’Riordan and Becca Taylor qualified for the quarter-finals on the Friday and were narrowly beaten by Eton Excelsior. The boys’ quad, Rufus Biggs, Chris Lawrie, Harry Shimmin and Hugo Coussens, had an excellent performance reaching the final, which happened to be a deja vu of last year, Marlow vs Borlase. Although the Fawley cup was taken by Marlow, the achievement of the Borlase quad to get to the final with two Junior 16s was highly commendable, and a great experience for those returning to progress from. Moving past the end of the school year and Borlase saw a continuance of representation at an international level. Grace Bolton and Emma Barnes earned a place in the GB women's eight for a Junior 16 Gb vs France match, along with Akil Hashmi who coxed the eight, who were victorious over the french. Borlase also saw representation in the European squad from Helen O’ Riordan who raced at coupe de la jeunesse, winning gold in a pair and eight and Chris Lawrie who was selected for the world’s team, racing in a quad.

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107 The first event of the New Year was Thames Valley Trial Head at Dorney Lake, There were some excellent results, second from the Junior 16 boys eight, and a gold medal to the boys Junior 16 four of Oliver Lewis,Ben Bownass,Nick Bolier and Joel Watson. The senior girls team were very happy with there performance, winning the gold medal in the Intermediate eights category , the junior 18 doubles, Becca Taylor and Grace Bolton, the four,Olivia Radcliffe, Becca Taylor, Emma Barnes Ella Capel-Smith and cox Akil Hashmi, the pair, Georgia Mulraine and Megan Barry as well as the

Prior to this success on the Tideway, 6 athletes, Megan Barry,Georgia Mulraine, Rufus Biggs, Fraser Russell, Chris Lawrie and Hugo Coussens, gained invitation to the GB Junior Rowing Early Identification Trials (to race in singles). There were some outstanding performances from the boys, with three top ten finishes, Rufus placing 9th, Fraser 4th and Chris 2nd. This resulted in these three being invited to a potentials camp in Nantes. Following on from these impressive feats on the water, Borlase rowing had great success in their Christmas fundraiser, the Borlase ‘Dawn til Dusk’ rowathon raised 5175.20, 103% of the target amount, seeing mass participation from everyone involved in the boat club to get into teams of 8 and ergo from dawn til dusk.

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The first big event of the year kicked off with some solid performances from Borlase's senior rowers at the Fullers (fours) head of the river. The girls’ J18 quad, Becca Taylor, Megan Barry and Kelsey Stoddart placed 5th, the J18 four placed second, Oli Radcliffe, Ellen Roberts , Grace Bolton , Emma Barnes and cox Akil Hashmi and last but not least the boys J18 quad of Chris Lawrie, Rufus Biggs,Hugo Coussens and Fraser Russell winning the J18 quads by an assertive 30 seconds.

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junior 16 quad, Ellen Roberts, Emily Hacking, Ella Reike, and Katie Bruce. With six victories , it was the club’s best result at a regional head to date. In February the second set of GB junior rowing trials saw invites for Borlase rowers; for the girls Megan Barry and notably, J16 Ellen Roberts, and for the boys, Rufus Biggs placed second in a composite double with Westminster and Hugo Coussens, also in a composite double with Windsor boys, 5th. March brought with it the first national event of the year, Junior sculling head, closely followed with a return to the Tideway for Schools’ head. The same J18 boys quad again took gold, the girls squad took two bronzes, in the J18 quad, Becca Taylor, Megan Barry, Georgia Mulraine and Emma Barnes and J16, Ellen Roberts, Katie Bruce, Emily Hacking and J15, Ella Reike. Schools head, the pinnacle event after the hard winters training, saw a set of strong results from the senior squad, with two bronzes in Championship eights, one from the j16 boys eight; Angus Bolton, Ollie Lewis, Alex Spicer, Ben Wright, Henry Manthorpe, Simon Jones, Joel Watson, Ben Bownass coxed by Liam Thorpe. This was a particularly

impressive result as they became the first state school to win a medal in the champ 8s category. The other bronze came from the J18 girls 8, comprising of Kelsey Stoddart, Becca Taylor, Olivia Radcliffe, Ellen Roberts, Megan Barry, Georgia Mulraine, Emma Barnes, Grace Bolton and coxed by Akil Hashmi. The boys J18 quad, Rufus Biggs, Fraser Russell, Chris Lawrie and Hugo Coussens, picked up a silver, and the junior squad showed some promising places, with the J15 girls eight placing 10th and the J15 boys eight placing 5th. With regatta season fast approaching, the first regatta style racing saw great success again for the J16 boys who won at inter-regional trials at Dorney meaning they went on to race at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta in Nottingham representing Thames Upriver region, which they won, The senior squad returned to Rotterdam in the Easter holidays for their ‘Study and Rowing camp’ As last year, some great training was completed in the National schools and Henley crews. All crews trained hard and the results at National Schools showed this paid off.

At the same time Borlase rowers were triumphing overseas, with two of our rowers, Fraser Russell and Chris Lawrie were representing Great Britain on the 10th and 11th of May at Munich Junior International Regatta. Chris Lawrie was in the winning quad for GB.

Borlase can be proud to say after all the results over the trials this year, a total of 6 athletes; Megan Barry, Georgia Mulraine, Cam Murray, Hugo Coussens, Rufus Biggs, Chris Lawrie and Fraser Russell, have been invited to final trials. The girls pair of Katie Bruce and Ellen Roberts will be trialling in the pair to represent GB vs France Match, which looks promising after their outstanding achievement of Gold at National schools in the J16 2-.

All these good results put down at GB trials and prestigious regattas came together for National Schools were the Club won two gold, three silver and three bronze medals including for the first time ever, two in girls Championship Eights, making us the top state school rowing club in the country. For the J15 girls eight this was huge progress from Schools head, going from placing 9th to third. The J17 boys single event saw two Borlase athletes racing each other for the gold, resulting in the notable achievement of two medals for Borlase in the same event.

With regatta season properly beginning the first race for the Borlase squad was Wallingford regatta. Six crews made it into the finals including a second place for Angus Warren and Cam Murray in the Junior 18 doubles and first place for the Junior 18 Men's quad of Rufus Biggs, Chris Lawrie, Fraser Russell and Angus Warren. The junior squad brought in some good results, the junior 15 boys eight winning Marlow Spring regatta, Ben Paskins, Ethan Bond, Oliver Cook, Lewis Ashman, Joe Wolfin, Dom Smith, Dom Stoddart and Jake Smith as cox. At Bedford Regatta , the J15 boys eight reached the final, Lewis Ashman, Olly Cooke, Joe Wolfin, Tom Maisey, Patrick Reynolds, Ethan Bond,Dom Stoddart, Ben Paskins and cox Jake Smith. As did a J15 girls four, Ella Reike, Molly Brown, Amber Bray, Grace Harding coxed by Emma Brune. The event a saw good results for the senior girls 8, winning the intermediate eights category

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GB junior small boats trials was the first event involving Borlase athletes of the summer term. The athletes that competed had some strong finishes, in Chris Lawrie - 2nd, Rufus Biggs - 9th, Fraser Russell - 6th , Hugo Coussens 15th, Cam Murray -19th, and Georgia Mulraine - 16th.

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110 Gold Junior 17 boys single scull (The Politzer Trophy) – Fraser Russell Junior 16 girls pair (The Headington Cup) – Katie Bruce, Ellen Roberts Silver Championship Quadruple Sculls – Rufus Biggs, Hugo Coussens, Chris Lawrie, Fraser Russell Junior 17 boys single scull – Rufus Biggs Junior 16 boys pair – Simon Jones, Joel Watson

Bronze Championship boys single scull – Chris Lawrie Championship girls eight – Emma Barnes, Megan Barry, Grace Bolton, Ella Capel-Smith, Georgia Mulraine, Olivia Radcliffe, Ellen Roberts, Kelsey Stoddart, Cox: Akil Hashmi Junior 15 Championship girls eight Ella Kennedy, Molly Brown, Ella Reike, Alex Dust, Amber Bray, Rhianna Cross, Yasmin Ryman-King, Grace Harding, Cox: Emma Brune

To celebrate the achievements of the year the annual rowing club dinner at Leander was held, with guest speaker, the inspirational, 2012 women's pair,gold medallist , Heather Stanning. Awards were presented for Rower of the year, girls, Ellen Roberts and boys Chris Lawrie, Most improved, boys, Fraser Russell and girls Katie Bruce, and lastly coaches choice, which for the girls went to Megan Barry and the boys was a joint award to Cam Murray and Angus Warren. There was the announcement of next years boy and girl captain of boats, Rufus Biggs and Kelsey Stoddart and the vice captains, Akil Hashmi and Megan Barry. The year still held further events for Borlase rowing despite the numerous achievements already seen. There was success in the quads at the Metropolitan regatta, the girls j18 quad placing second in an IM2 event and the boys J18 quad came second in the elite quads and won the senior event. To conclude, 2013-14 has been an eventful year for Borlase rowing, with success across the junior and senior squads. The success must be attributed to the hard work of all the coaches. Good luck to the crews racing at Henley, Henley Women's, GB vs France trials and Final Trials. Georgia Mulraine

Borlase Rugby

Pupils were back for Pre Season before the term started and this always helps to make a big difference to how we perform when we start playing fixtures. This season we have played 50 single fixtures (not including the multi game tournaments) against opposition across Bucks and Berks and the statistics speak for themselves - 33 wins, 15 losses and 2 draws, an impressive return for a co-ed school of our size. Our year 7 squad had good numbers and lots of ability and determination but needed much of the season to settle as a squad. When they did they performed impressively in a number of fixtures eventually being disappointed to have lost in the final of a 10 a-siide year 7 Bucks schools rugby tournament having been winning for the majority of the game. With the commitment and development that was shown we can be sure of continued success in the future. Year 8 have continued to develop from last year. As a year group low on playing numbers and with few club rugby players it was pleasing to see them get their first wins this season and we hope they will continue to press on and seek those difficult victories on a tough fixture list. The year 9 squad must surely take the plaudits for this season being the first squad to win a county cup in rugby. They were unbeaten during the season and produced some superb displays of rugby to beat the likes of John Hampden and Dr Challoner’s by 50-0 score lines (not easy against large all boys schools!!) The season was capped off when they made their way to the county cup final courtesy of a hard fought victory over the continually improving and current Natwest vase champions for U15 Royal Latin (should we forget the squads earlier very impressive win over RGS High Wycombe!) This set up a final at Amersham and Chiltern Rugby Club versus Akeley Wood School , where despite a spirited display from the opposition were able to lift the cup in front of a large crowd. In year 10 the focus has become the Natwest National Cup (formerly Daily Mail). For many years the vase has been where we have ended up achieving our success in this tournament after

losing in the first few rounds to one of the big schools, but no longer. Our year 10’s proved the point this year when they stormed past the first 2 rounds ensuring that a cup run would be in order, difficult because in this competition you know you will eventually be tested by one of the best schools in the country. That happened in round 5 of the cup against Abingdon where unfortunately the boys were comprehensively outplayed on the Maidenhead pitch, losing a number of senior players to bad injuries as well. To have reached round 5 was to the boys’ credit though and it cannot be forgotten that this was the squad’s only loss of the season with them also securing crushing victories over local rivals JHGS. Year 11 traditionally play up in the first team squad but this year has seen them victorious in a number of Wednesday afternoon fixtures as well and also winning the Berkshire schools U16 festival of rugby beating Shiplake college on the way. Lastly our senior squad continue to grow and develop. In our first full training session this season and at our first development/training fixture we had 34 senior players available to select from and who played. The season was actually very good although results continually went the opposition’s way with most score lines being 2-5 points in the opposition’s favour and opportunities to win all games squandered. That said the squad won a large amount of fixtures and the quality of rugby was high. We will miss the upper 6th players leaving us this season and we are grateful to Robbie Stewart for his support of rugby in the school and his work as captain over the years. The rugby season itself finished at the RPNS 7’s, the National 7 a ‘side rugby tournament. Results here for both the U16 squad and the U18 squad were some of the best we have had for a number of years with the U16’s finishing in the middle of their group and the U18’s finishing second in their group only losing to Stowe. It’s normally at this point that the rugby staff put their feet up and relax, but this year is different. We have continued to build on the success and so after a short break the boys were back in preseason fitness and the senior squad have not stopped. The big focus has been our first major rugby tour to Australia, Singapore and Indonesia. 21 days, 3 countries, 6 fixtures – one against the National U18 side from Singapore. New playing strips, new kit bags, new balls the fixtures calendar for next season filling up fast……. It’s an exciting time to be a rugby player at Borlase. The boys who play do the school proud and Borlase rugby is well known throughout the county as being some of the best.

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What a season it has been for the rugby squads and it is far from over even now late in to the summer term. There can be no doubting the progression rugby continues to make: this year has seen our year 9 squad win the county cup, our year 11 squad win the Berkshire schools U16 festival of rugby, our seniors record the highest placed finish at the National schools 7’s coming second in their group and all of this has taken place whilst the focus has been on preparing our senior squad for its first major International tour to Australia, Singapore & Indonesia.

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112 Interhouse Cross Country 2013 The first cross country event of the year kicked off with the yearly Interhouse cross country, the 3km course starting at Higginson and up to Temple, finishing at the Marlow Sports Club. There was great team and house spirit, from the Year 7’s competing for the first time to the Year 13’s running their last race. There were some outstanding senior performances; winning the boys’ senior competition was James Veitch for Saxons and the girls’ senior competition winner was Rosie Street for Danes. Commendable second places went to Harry Webster and Lauren Martin, and impressive third place from Vikings year 11, Jack Blyth, and Romans Rebecca Taylor for the girls. The intermediate results saw two strong finishes from Normans, with Matt Casale winning the boys’ race and Connie Dean placing second to Romans Natasha Taylor, who won intermediate girls. Second place in the boys was from Vikings Seb Garry and third places went to Ronan Halpin from Danes and Yasmin Ryman-King, Saxons. Finally the junior results saw Britons dominate, with golds in the boys and girls from Nathan Brammer and Amelia Barclay. Second place went to Vikings, Elliot Slater, and

Danes, Jasmine Presho, and third places Normans Robert Coates and Romans Charlie Harris. These outstanding performances above contribute highly to the overall result of the houses. However, all competitors receive points for entering proving that the taking part is just as important as the winning! The overall results are as follows: Danes

1st

Normans

2nd

Vikings

3rd

Saxons

4th

Britons

5th

Romans

6th

Congratulations to all participants, making sure as always that cross country as the first big sporting event of the year is a success and everyone should be excited for what the rest of the year will hold for Borlase sport. Rosie Street and Georgia Mulraine

Netball Report Years 7,8,9 and 10 competed in their respective categories at the district tournament at Wycombe Abbey during March. The Year 7 A Team managed an incredible 2nd place, despite facing a few unbelievably tall teams with captain Anna Hume leading the girls. An excellent display of netball skills were also shown by the year 9 girls who came 4th, with players of the tournament going to Jade Patel and Joanna Tuthill. This year, for the third time in Borlase history the senior girls netball team qualified for the South Rounds of the National Schools Competition. Not only did they qualify but they actually won the extremely strongly contested Buckinghamshire round, knocking out longstanding rivals Wycombe Abbey. Both Ellie Jackson and Ella Street from year 11 played up a year to support the team, with Ellie playing Centre all day and winning the Players’ Player Award. Despite being knocked out in the south rounds, the girls went on to come 2nd at the district tournament at Pipers Corner. The seniors have also had a much fuller and stronger second team than previously seen, captained by Ella Casale, who must also be given credit for her sportsmanship and stepping up and playing for the firsts. All the girls have reaped the rewards of a more intense training regime but more importantly have shown themselves to be a real team! A fantastic year for Borlase Netball!

Sports Relief Mile

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113 On Friday the 21st of March Borlase School participated in the Sports Relief Mile. By running around the school twice, in a variety of costumes, we managed raise a over £3000. Around 800 Borlase students participated in the mile and most of them wore special costumes. I wore a homemade Mario outfit, but there were also lots of others, including a minion from Despicable Me, the holy bible with some nuns and The Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo! The Mile took place during period five on the Friday. After registration in class, the runners congregated on Colonel’s meadow. The mile was started when Mr Robertson, with his caddie Mr Chappell, hit his golf ball. The runners went around Colonel’s Meadow, up around by the astroturf and then through Home Meadow before going across by the theatre. After doing this twice the race was over. Most people finished it quickly but some people took quite a lot longer, partly because they had their legs tied together!

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It made a great afternoon for all who took part in it and we’re looking forward to doing it again in another two years! Alex Huxley Y7

Sports

114 Sports Dinner 2014 What an event this year! The location was the tasteful and up-market Harleyford Golf Club, which really complemented the quality of the evening. With over a hundred athletes and around twenty members of staff, we fitted in a surprisingly cosy, mixed-sport formation around the large circular tables. The evening kicked off at 7.30 with an introduction from Mr Robertson, then after some free time to mingle, the much anticipated meal arrived. Once everyone was replenished and had had a chance to chat to fellow Borlase sportspeople from different sports they may not usually associate with, the announcements began. The procedure for the evening is to let the respective Sports captains of each team make a speech with the microphone whilst wearing the classic ‘Old Borlasian’ cap. This daunting feat was held up more than confidently from our year

thirteen captains, and many of the speeches especially the boys ‘Second 11’ football team, had the audience in fits. Some captains took the opportunity to give out their own less formal awards. After each speech the Borlase Coach from the respective sport gave out any Senior Half or Full Colours achieved by athletes that year and the Athlete/ Player of the Season was also announced. The evening had its finale in Head of PE Mr Robertson announcing four particularly prestigious awards, topping off with the ‘Team of the Year.’ Overall students and teachers alike kept in good spirits throughout this most enjoyable chance to celebrate the achievements and commitments to sport at Borlase. The winners of each award are given in the table below.

Award

Given for

Winner

Team of the Year

Girls Indoor Hockey

Robin Graham trophy

Character and Sporting Integrity

Daniel Roblin

Patterson trophy

Outstanding Sporting Endeavour

Jack Clee

Philip McIntyre

Outstanding Sporting Achievement

Livvy Paige

Sports Leaders

Sports Leader of the Year

Abbey Griffiths

Boys Rowing

Rower of the Season

Chris Lawrie

Girls Rowing

Rower of the Season

Megan Barry

Audrey Moore Cup

Commitment to Rowing

Angus Warren

Athletics

Athlete of the Season

Imogen Brown

Cross Country

Athlete of the Season

Rosie Street

Football

Player of the Season

Louie Fenwick

Netball

Player of the Season

Ellie Jackson

Girls Hockey

Player of the Season

Elise McDonald

Boys Hockey

Player of the Season

Harry Ratcliffe

Girls Indoor Hockey

Player of the Season

Imogen Brown

Boys Indoor Hockey

Player of the Season

James Veitch

Rugby

Player of the Season

Adam Murphy

Equestrian

Rider of the Year

Kate Wallace

Senior Girls Tennis 2014

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115 Nearly 200 schools from around Great Britain entered the Aegon Team Tennis Schools National Championships, but Borlase, with a team of Beth Marriott, Holly Russell, Matilda Crowfoot and Sophie Lane, saw off everyone in their path to make it to the finals. They overcame Haberdashes Aske’s, in their third meeting in three years , 8-4, with two games going to third set tiebreaks to win the Herts, Bucks and Oxford group, having already beaten Claire’s Court and Headington School Oxford. Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School reached the final 16 in their bid to become national tennis champions this summer. Unfortunately, due to absences Borlase had to withdraw from the competition and are therefore hoping that next year they will be able to reach the national finals for a second year.

In June the A Level PE class took a trip to Holyport Real Tennis Club to play a version of the sport you might not be so familiar with. Real, or Royal tennis dates back to the 11th century and was played by monks in French Monasteries. Henry VIII famously played the game and built his own court at Hampton Court Palace. The A Level PE course includes a historical glance at tennis from its early roots to the Middle Class invention of Lawn Tennis in the late 19thcrazy things that have their roots in Real Tennis. Scoring was done using the quarterly hours on the monastery clock: 15, 30, 45 and game. When two players were tied at 40 each it was agreed that instead of playing one more point to win, either player would need two clear points to win. Thus we get the word deuce – from deux. French The game involves hitting off and into various angled walls and roofs which creates a real uncertainty and unpredictable nature which becomes hard to anticipate. The term ‘off the wall’ meaning unusual and unpredictable originates from this. The shape of an egg gives rise the word describing a nil score: LOVE. From l’oeuf, French for egg, and the shape of zero.

To make it easier to see who won the point, a rope across the court evolved into a net. Where necessary posts would be sunk into the ground from which the net was hung. One strategy of the game was to play close to the net with one shot and then to the back of the court near the pillars of the old cloisters, and so on to wear your opponent out. Hence the phrase ‘from pillar to post’ meaning running all over the place. In real tennis it is important to make the ball bounce twice as close to certain lines as possible. This creates an advantage called ‘the chase’that can in fact suddenly win the game. This can best be acheieved by hitting the ball at a sharp cutting angle, a tactic which gives rise to the phrase to ‘cut to the chase’ – to come to the point immediately. Originally, before raquets were used, the monks would use thir hands to hit the ball which was made out of a cloth tied tightly into a ball with string. Hence the terms hitting the ball with the front or back of the hand; forehand and backand. In France a version of the game is still called jue de paume – the game of the palm.

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A Level PE Class play some ‘Real Tennis’

Sports

116 Year 9 Sports Leaders Report Yr 3 & 4 Try Golf Competition Being a part of this tournament was a great experience for everyone. I enjoyed being a sports leader as it really motivates younger children to want to become athletes and compete in other sports as they get older. This type of competition is what got me hooked on sports and competing in different activities. So I think it was great that we got a chance to host an event like we did. The weather was extremely enjoyable (very hot and sunny) which built a great atmosphere for the event. There were not as many teams as we had anticipated, but this was a relief for us as sports leaders. It meant that we could occasionally have breaks to get our breath back and attempt to remain organised between very excited children keen to be playing golf and competitive to win the competition. The children were very engaged with all the activities that we provided during the competition. All the pupils participated with everything and they were very good at the activities that were set up for them. One of the primary

school teachers said that ‘We were a very good group of sports leaders to organise and lead a golf tournament.’ Josephine Cadinouche and Sam Hunt Overall everyone enjoyed themselves and the tournament was very successful. Manor Farm Primary School came first by quite a substantial amount of points and were the clear winners of the competition. We could see this from their performances as they went around the different activities, this was because they were scoring the most points. Joseph Middlehurst and Fin Duguid It was a very enjoyable experience for everyone. Should another opportunity arise to be sports leaders and help lead and organise a tournament like we did today, I’m sure that we would all like to take that opportunity and do it all over again! Josephine Cadinouche

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119 Development Office Update Fundraising and Alumni Relations It has been a really exciting year engaging with so many new members of the Borlase community. We are in touch in one way or another with over 10,000 people, consisting of parents, students, Old Borlasians and other members of the community. Fundraising The Above and Beyond Fund is steadily growing. The most recent projects which have been completed with the help of parents’ voluntary contributions. Of note we: • Re-structured roof space and built new changing room facilities • Leased two newly branded minibuses • Developed greater use of Chrome books (35), and Google technology in support of teaching and learning • Supported families who are unable to make contributions to school trips

Leavers’ Gift Donations (2013 Cohort) Many thanks to all those parents who generously supported the first Leaver’s Gift Appeal. A number of students and parents had indicated they wished to make a leaving gift of some kind. The appeal allowed parents to either support the Above and Beyond Fund or a department of their choice as a thank you. Donations made last year amounted to £3,045. Every gift made to the school benefits all the students at Borlase, where academic excellence, resilience, confidence, collaboration and creativity are at the heart of the education they receive.

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"The new changing rooms at Borlase will benefit the school immeasurably. They facilitate a less crowded environment in which to prepare for sport which every student will appreciate and look forward to using. I only wish I was around for longer to enjoy them." Robbie Stewart, Sports Captain (Class of 2014)

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Old Borlasians Alumni Relations It has been a tremendous year in re-engaging with so many Old Borlasians (OBs). We are now in touch with over 4,000 and there are nearly 7,000 Old Borlasians that we know of and are looking to get back in touch with. The OB community now receive a termly e-newsletter, have the option to be part of the ever growing OB Facebook page as well as access to the fast growing OB Linkedin group. One OB said “Just to say, really great to see Borlase producing such a high quality alumni email newsletter. A lot of corporates and universities (never mind schools!) would be green with envy!” Rory Geoghegan (2000-2002) Receiving such wonderful stories, anecdotes, memories and quotes about Borlase experiences is a real honour and we are delighted to be party to bringing OBs back into the community. A programme of reunions are planned starting in the Autumn. Now that we’re back in touch with so many OBs, we have scheduled our first reunions. It has been, and continues to be, a really exciting time.

Redrup (? – 1945). He didn’t recognise Ken but instead recognised the Borlase badge that Ken was wearing on his blazer. Ken and a fellow actor were promoting an amateur stage production about old boys. The dialogue mentioned some school girls the old boys were reminiscing about. Ivor says he managed to trace Ken via the broadcast station and telephoned him. Ivor’s first words on the telephone were “No girls in your class with that blazer badge!” Ivor says “How little did we know at that time how big a change occurred in Marlow.) Ken and his wife and Ivor had tea together the very next day and they had a happy reunion, even though they were not classmates at Borlase. It is thought Ken was a year ahead of Ivor. Ivor and his wife Jean, later enjoyed watching Ken and his wife both excelling on stage in a very English Christmas Pantomime. It was such a treat after all those years without the old traditional Christmas theatre. He played Buttons and she a nasty sister in Cinderella. It was uproariously funny. Unfortunately, Ken Redrup passed away a few years later.

reunion dates are as follows: 1930s to 1974 (Saturday 27th September) 1980-1984 (Saturday 11th October) 1990-1994 (Saturday 11th October) We will contact 2009 and 2004 in due course. From next year, we will organise reunions by decade, for example 2005, 1995 etc. We look forward to seeing many OBs back at school in the near or not too distant future. One such OB who has been back in touch tells this touching story: Ivor Dunham (1941-1945) This has a nice history showing two old boys who met up due to Ivor Dunham (1941-1945) watching breakfast TV in Nanaimo, Canada and spotting another Old Borlasian Ken

Ken Redrup)?-1945) deceased 2012 and Ivor Dunham (19411945). Photo taken in 2002.

Careers Advice

Masterclasses

Jonathan randall (2006-2008) came to speak to the Engineering Society on 24th March 2014.

We were overwhelmed by the support from so many of our speakers and in particular it was lovely to be able to invite back many Old Borlasians as well as parents and external educational speakers.

“It was very encouraging to be able to meet an Old Borlasian. It helped put one opportunity for life after year 13 in perspective. We appreciated the opportunity to meet someone who has already been through university and finding a career as they could provide us with relevant advice for the future. Meeting Jonathan showed us one of the exciting potential jobs a degree in engineering could take you to. The Engineering Society would welcome any other Old Borlasians who could come and speak to students about their experiences after Borlase.” Akil Hashmi (student 2003-2015) Michael Tock (2000-2007) came to school to speak to Sixth Formers. If any Old Borlasians would like to offer their help, please do contact the Development Office on 01628 816519.

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The masterclasses were preceded by two key note speakers – Michael Acton Smith OBe (1987-1993), creator of Moshi Monsters and Dr Paul Hawkins OBe (1986-1992), inventor of Hawk-Eye Innovations. We had tremendous feedback from the students overall and there was a real buzz about school over the two days of masterclasses. Here are another couple of examples of students’ comments: "Both days were very insightful and helped me to expand my horizons when it came to my plans post Borlase. Through the sessions, I was also able to find out about opportunities that I was not even aware of. I cannot thank the speakers enough for giving up their time to impart their knowledge to us." Tara Nadi (year 12)

Dr Paul Hawkins at Borlase

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"I, and am sure the rest of the year, have benefited from the masterclasses greatly with the talks being interesting, informative and inspiring. I would definitely recommend doing the same sort of program for year 12's next year." Manami Baba

Old Borlasians

122 Borlase Celebrates a Centenarian’s Birthday in Style Borlase’s oldest Old Borlasian Monty Seymour (1926-1930), attended a special tea part in celebration of his 100th birthday on Thursday 15th May.

Monty being welcomed by students after his horse and carriage ride to school. As a school boy Monty would arrive to school by pony. For his special occasion we wanted to replicate Monty’s experience of returning to school by horse once again – but this time by horse and carriage. When he found out he was going to travel by this mode of transport he was delighted exclaiming "This is like a dream." On arrival, the Borlase cricket team at Marlow Sports Centre spontaneously burst into singing Happy Birthday and Monty practically ran to speak to them (he loved cricket). The horse and carriage took Monty up the High Street where the shopkeepers and general public came out to wave and shout Happy Birthday. All the shops had been given a poster beforehand telling them of this unusual

Monty with two students, year 8 (2nd year), who presented him with a special birthday card.

celebration: there was huge goodwill among the community. After arriving through the school archway, Monty was met by more students who again sang Happy Birthday. Whilst walking through school, he found his name on an old school crest in the cloisters next to the famous Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson's from 1930 and Monty being lead by Celia then walked down the path lined with cheering Blakeway-Phillips, Development Director, down the cloister students. gardens, whilst being cheered by He was greeted with a students. wonderful birthday card designed by Cece Briscoe and Erica Dudeney, and a special choral ensemble sang Happy Birthday. Monty had a private birthday tea where he talked about his school days and life after Borlase to a selected group of students. We were all captivated by his stories, sharp memory and wit. Celia Blakeway-Phillips, Development Director, said, “Borlase was privileged to celebrate such a momentous occasion with Monty; it had been such a special day for him and all those who came out to celebrate with him.” Monty said, “From my heart I can say, Borlase is one of the finest grammar schools in the land." He went onto say, "I am proud to be an Old Borlasian." The whole Borlase community was proud to have our special Old Borlasian back again at school to celebrate with him.

Monty on his pony Tommy with dog Jack, just before he attended Borlase.

Old Borlasian’s Silver Trophy Dug up 100 Years on in Australia British born Julie Marshall’s husband found a Borlase silver trophy whilst digging in a field in Adelaide in Australia.

We found A G Bidwell on two of the cricket shields, dated 1917 and 1918 in the school cloisters. Julie has done some further research and found that Arthur Geoffrey was born in 1902 and Chandos George in1906 and that they are both Old Borlasians. There was also another brother Philip John, born in 1903 but he has yet to be confirmed as an Old Borlasian and the school has a N Bidwell on two of the school shields dated 1923 and 1924, so he is possibly another brother.

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Trophy discovered

The trophy is five inches tall. After removing the grime and tarnish of possibly many years under the ground, it is obviously of good quality silver plate and the inscription reads C.G. Bidwell – Junior Championships – Borlase School Sports – 1.4.18.

Hole where the trophy was unearthed Julie has done some further research with regards to the silver trophy. It has the letters R P then a symbol of cross swords then L followed by EPNS (sideways). She came up with either Robert Pringle & Sons, who made such items in the early 20th century in Sheffield, Birmingham and London. The L could have been for Levensley Bros of Sheffield and London 1893-1929. However, the letter L in an oblong block as it appears is shown on the British Date chart as representing 1836. She is baffled, but feels sure that it was made in England.

Cricket photo including front row – brother AG Bidwell Celia Blakeway-Phillips, Development Director said, “When I heard from Julie, it was such an exciting story and we hope to know more about how the trophy came to be buried in a field in Adelaide! We are thrilled to be adding the trophy to Borlase’s historical archives.”

Julie Marshall’s family restaurant next to where the trophy was discovered in Adelaide

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Julie contacted the school after finding that Borlase is the only school listed with the same name as on the trophy. Julie visited us on the 4th June whilst on a trip back to the UK and presented the trophy back to Borlase. Julie said “I’m so happy to be able to contribute to the history of your school by returning the trophy and have very much enjoyed doing so.”

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Calling Old Borlasians! Calling lost Old lost Borlasians! Did you attend Borlase or do you know anyone who did? Did you attend Borlase or do you know anyone who did? If so, we would like to hear from you as we are developing our If so, we would like to hear from you as we are developing our Old Borlasian programme. Old Borlasian programme. Please contact Celia Blakeway-Phillips, Development Director, as Please contact Celia Blakeway-Phillips, Development Director, as she would love to hear from you. she would love to hear from you. 01628 816519/ celiabp@swbgs.com 01628 816519/ celiabp@swbgs.com www.friends.swbgs.com www.friends.swbgs.com

Good luck to all leavers Borlasein leavers in what you Good luck to all Borlase what you will do next. will do next. look forward to welcoming youof as part of We lookWe forward to welcoming you as part the Old Borlasian community. the Old Borlasian community.

Kate Farquhar Development Officer

Celia Blakeway-Phillips Development Director

Lucy Budge Alumni Relations Officer

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Old Borlasian Club News Greetings to all Old Borlasians from your President and Committee.

The Annual Dinner of the Club, 2013, was held in the School Hall on Saturday 23rd November. 48 Old Borlasians and their guests enjoyed their evening, as usual. Fund raising table games, now a feature of the evening, and background music provided again by Mrs. Pearl Chubb, who, later in the proceedings, played the School Song, soon provided the atmosphere of the good evening out which we had all anticipated. We were all delighted with the presence of Seth Miall and Katrina Forster, the Head Boy and Girl of 2008, who proposed the Toast to the School. In his faultless style, Dr. Holding responded to the toast, giving us the latest news from School. Then after a pause he

proposed the Toast to the Old Borlasian Club. Our President responded to this Toast. The Presidency passed from Greg Lim to Joshua Cooke at the end of the formal part of the evening. The Annual Regatta Reunion, 2014, was held on Saturday 14th June in glorious sunshine on the banks of the Thames at Marlow Town Regatta. A day you would not forget for a long time. We had our gazebo in the enclosure clearly marked ‘Old Borlasian Club’ and, with our usual bunch of stalwarts organizing and helping, we thoroughly enjoyed a leisurely afternoon and welcomed a very considerable number of visitors. Among many others with a School connection, we were pleased to welcome the Head Teacher and Mrs. Holding and then, of course, a whole host of new potential O. B.s, being the leavers of this year and other recent years. It cannot be denied that a free drop (or two) of Rebellion or Pimms helped to ‘get the show on the road’. The good news is that we gathered over 60 e-mail addresses from would-be new members. The big task is to try to make sure that all 60 will stay loyal. The Club will ensure contact is maintained.

The A G M, 2013

The Development Fund still stands at over £11k.

The MINUTES of the previous A.G.M. were read by the Hon. Sec. and followed by the customary review of the activities of the Club throughout the last year.

President-Elect. The AGM voted Tony Compton (1957 – 1964) the next President-Elect.

The FINANCIAL REPORT followed. The Honorary Treasurer, Peter Allen had prepared a detailed report comprising an Income & Expenditure Account and a Balance Sheet. Accumulated funds at 30th June 2013 amounted to £269. The Chapel Spire Fund which had amounted to £1994 has been passed on and this disbursement, coupled with increased postage costs for Magazine distribution and expenses relating to the Toovey Loving Cup at £749 (cup valuation, engraving and new plinth) are most of the explanation for the reduction in Total Accumulated Funds of £2259 since June 2012, when Total Accumulated Funds were reported as £2528.

Your Committee elected at the last AGM comprises the following persons:President J G Cooke Miss K Adlington A Compton D Dandridge S K Funnell P J Lee MP G B S Lim Mrs C Wells (nee Nixon) P J Allen (Hon. Treas.) J W Barry (Hon. Sec.) Dr P Holding, Headteacher, is also a member ex officio. Miss Celia Blakeway-Phillips – co-opted as staff liaison member. Our Auditor B Devine was re-appointed.

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A steady but all too slow rise in our membership has been recorded by our Membership Secretary this year. We now stand at 235 Ordinary Members and 17 Honorary Members. But we are working away, urging our current School Leavers to join the Club and enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company in the ‘real world’ and not just in the ‘virtual world’ of the mobile or P.C. They won’t ever replace the human presence.

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126 Sadly, we have to announce the deaths of three Old Borlasians in the past year. Tony Vivis (1956 - 62). Died 6th October, 2013. John Jubb (1951 – 56). Died 21st November, 2013. Len Dandridge (1938 – 44). Died 14th May, 2014.

Obituaries Tony Vivis 1943 – 2013 Charles Anthony Vivis, writer and translator, born 22 April 1943; died 6 October 2013 was a conspicuously bright boy and, after leaving Borlase, went to Clare College, Cambridge where he studied modern and medieval languages. There then followed a postgraduate theatre course at Bristol University. Tony worked as the Royal Shakespeare Company’s playwright at the end of the 1960s and went on to the BBC and a fellowship at the University of East Anglia. He died suddenly aged 70 and was a renowned translator of post-war German plays that habitually documented mythical misery in the urban jungle while relating to the ingrained tradition of Brecht, Georg Büchner, Gerhart Hauptmann and Schiller. Paraphrased from the press.

John Jubb 1940 – 2013. John Jubb passed away peacefully at home on Thursday 21st November 2013 after a short illness. John was a very lively character, always smiling and so full of fun. John’s wife, Dawn, broke the sad news saying that John loved the chance to meet up with you all and he left a hand written message as follows “I am suffering with Pulmonary Fibrosis which prevents me from going out. I do hope you are O K and still continuing your sterling work for the ‘OLD BOYS’. I wish you all the best after our long acquaintanceship. Yours John”. John’s funeral was held on Wednesday 11th December at St. Michael’s and All Angels Church, Sandhurst, Berks. Dawn Jubb

Len Dandridge 1928-2014. It was August 1938 and, as an 11 year old, I travelled with my mother from our home in High Wycombe to Marlow - my first visit to the town - to the hallowed cloisters of Sir William Borlase School; to be introduced to the mysteries of school uniform, gym and rugger kits. There, on the same mission, was a 10 year Len as we all remember him. old boy with his mother. They had travelled from Bourne End. That lad was Len Dandridge and this occasion was our very first meeting. It was to be virtually our only contact for many years. Although we passed through the school at the same time, we were never in the same form and therefore I have little recollection of his school years. In 1943, I left Borlase to begin a career in engineering, eager to help in the war effort. It was to be another 10 years before Len and I met again. We were both involved in a grand concert held in the Royalty Cinema in Bourne End to celebrate the Queen's Coronation. I now have the task of giving an overview of a very full and active life - almost 86 years - in a digestible portion. Précis was never my forte!! Len must have been a well behaved youngster since I never saw him waiting with trepidation before the afternoon session outside the Headmaster's study - where miscreants recounted some misdemeanour which merited 'the whack', as the application of the cane was lovingly known. In fact his school days must have been exemplary because he was awarded the Gold Medal. Before leaving school, his extra-mural activities included assisting the Post Office with the Christmas deliveries including Cores End. Calling at one house he chanced upon a young maiden bending over the doorstep, busily applying Red Cardinal polish. Rather disrespectfully, he lobbed a parcel at the damsel's bottom. The damsel was Freda Charlton. Eventually, Len did the decent thing and married her. The wedding was in March 1951 and was the beginning of a loving partnership which lasted for 63 years. On leaving school, Len joined Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) - a company he was to serve until his retirement. His country enforced a break when he was called to do his National Service. This took the form of military duties

It was August 1938 and, as an 11 year old, I travelled with my mother from our home in High Wycombe to Marlow my first visit to the town - to the hallowed cloisters of Sir William Borlase School; to be introduced to the mysteries of school uniform, gym and rugger kits. There, on the same mission, was a 10 year old boy with his mother. They had travelled from Bourne End. That lad was Len Dandridge and this occasion was our very first meeting. It was to be virtually our only contact for many years. Although we passed through the school at the same time, we were never in the same form and therefore I have little recollection of his school years. In 1943, I left Borlase to begin a career in engineering, eager to help in the war effort. It was to be another 10 years before Len and I met again. We were both involved in a grand concert held in the Royalty Cinema in Bourne End to celebrate the Queen's Coronation. I now have the task of giving an overview of a very full and active life - almost 86 years - in a digestible portion. PrĂŠcis was never my forte!! Len must have been a well behaved youngster since I never saw him waiting with trepidation before the afternoon session outside the Headmaster's study - where miscreants recounted some misdemeanour which merited 'the whack', as the application of the cane was lovingly known. In fact his school days must have been exemplary because he was awarded the Gold Medal. Before leaving school, his extra-mural activities included assisting the Post Office with the Christmas deliveries including Cores End. Calling at one house he chanced upon a young maiden bending over the doorstep, busily applying Red Cardinal polish. Rather disrespectfully, he lobbed a parcel at the damsel's bottom. The damsel was Freda Charlton. Eventually, Len did the decent thing and married her. The wedding was in March 1951 and was the beginning of a loving partnership which lasted for 63 years. On leaving school, Len joined Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) - a company he was to serve until his retirement. His country enforced a break when he was called to do his National Service. This took the form of military duties with the Royal Army Medical Corps where he trained as a radiographer. His duties took him to such exotic places as Egypt, Cyprus and Palestine - where he was involved in the settlement of emigrant Jews from Europe, thus greatly widening his experience of service to others. However, not everything was on the profit side of the ledger - whilst in the Middle East he managed to write off an ambulance!

Returning to ICI, he steadily progressed through the company, working in Malaya, Canada and France eventually becoming Production Manager in resins and paints. Whilst covering Len's working life, we have bypassed another major part of his life in which I was lucky enough to be involved - his love of music. As part of the musical content of the Coronation concert in Bourne End, 4 men from the area formed a quartet which they named the Chalkburn Singers - a combination of Chalklands and Wooburn. (Unfortunately, some years later the name appeared in the Bucks Free Press as the Chalkbum singers!) So successful was this quartet that it was decided to enlarge it slightly to become one of the smallest male voice choirs ever. It was this group that both Len and I joined and small though it was, it became so popular that at one stage we had to limit the number of performance invitations we could accept. Such a small group with so many commitments required loyalty and dependability - 2 qualities that Len gave unstintingly. Having a fine light tenor voice, he was a vital component in the group. He was therefore an obvious choice when I formed the Bourne End Barbers quartet to mark the choir's and the Queen's Jubilee in 1977. Besides performing in its own right, the Chalkburn Singers also augmented the Totteridge Baptist Church choir every Good Friday in order to perform oratorios, in which Len sang the tenor solos. We sometimes performed here in St. Mark's as well. Joined by wives and lady friends, the choir regularly performed carol concerts at local hospitals, including one broadcast over Wycombe Hospital Radio. At all times Len was an ever present performer. Later, his unquenchable thirst for singing in a male voice choir, led him to join the Wycombe Orpheus, of which he was a dedicated member for many years, performing with them in Germany and in the Welsh Eisteddfod. After many years of singing, he began to experience some vocal problems which sometimes forced him to take a rest. With all his work and pastime commitments, he still found time for a dedicated religious component. Len was committed to this church throughout his life, serving as steward, treasurer, churchwarden and chorister - as many of you will know. In the local community, he was a life member of the Bourne End Community Association. He helped to raise funds for the Flackwell Heath Community Centre; he was involved in buying their bus as well as driving it; he was their treasurer and eventually became a client himself! Len was an active member of PROBUS and a life member of the

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Len Dandridge 1928-2014.

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128 Marlow Rugby Club. Having served in the Middle East, he naturally became a member of the Flackwell Heath branch of the Suez Canal Zoners. When he left Borlase, he joined the Old Borlasian Club, serving as a committee member for many years and elected as President. He was a keen sportsman, playing cricket, rugby, hockey, water polo and golf. Somehow, among all these activities, he found ample space for the family he dearly loved. That he was married for 63 years clearly shows devotion and commitment to Freda, who has nursed him through his years of failing health. He in turn cared for her when she was seriously ill a few years ago. His children, Jeremy and Caroline, who have been in close attendance over these last weeks, were very dear to Len, as were all his grandchildren. He was also fortunate enough to live to hold his first great-grandchild, Oliver. All his family - and we who have had the privilege of knowing him - will have our own memories of him, which we should cherish; deriving blessings and encouragement from them. Len leaves us with a legacy of the finest human qualities: integrity, loyalty, dependability, trustworthiness, generosity and a strong desire to serve others. He had one other quality which I have not mentioned honesty.

One last story. The Bourne End Barbers had been invited to perform at a fund raising function at Borlase - a wine tasting evening. We had each made our own way to the venue and a bucolic evening was had by all. On his way home, Len was a little disturbed to see the road ahead blocked by a plethora of flashing blue lights - which he assumed indicated the scene of an accident. It quickly became apparent that it was a police checkpoint. The policeman duly stopped Len and enquired where he was going and from where he had come. "Home to Flackwell Heath" replied Len "and I've been to a meeting of the Old Borlasian Club". Wanting to know more, the officer learned that this club was for the alumni of Borlase school. Suitably impressed, the policeman waved him on - but had he continued his questioning, he might have discovered that Len had supped from a dozen different elixirs! Len had been very honest. Was it Shakespeare who said - 'To be HONEST, as the world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand'? Honesty - perhaps more than any of the qualities that Len exhibited and lived by throughout his life - is in desperately short supply today. Len Dandridge was that one man in ten thousand and we should honour his memory by following his great example. Jack Dean (1938 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 43)

Sport

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Football – O B Club v The School O. B.s in red and white, captained by Will Durkin (2004-2011) Old boys back row left to right: Andy Grable, Dan Cartland, Joe Noone, Charlie Sheen, Matt Tricker, Alex Harvey, George Prentice. Front row left to right: Greg Morris, Sam Barry, Will Durkin, Steve Brzezicki.

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Match played on Colonel’s meadow on Wednesday 26th March 2014. Excellent game played in the right spirit. Craig Robertson, Head of P.E.

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130 Old Borlasian Regatta Although this 54 year old event has been languishing in some sleepy Thames backwater for the past 4 years and not taken place for a variety of reasons, I am hoping it will have the occasion to be revived before long. For the past ten years or more, I have been involved with the school and the Boat Club in a project to build a new boathouse for rowing. Finding a suitable site has proved to be extremely difficult but we are making progress and have teamed up with Great Marlow School who currently share the sparse facilities with Borlase boating from Longridge. The success of the school’s Boat Club can be read about

elsewhere in this magazine but remarkably the Boat Club has been homeless and living in the open since the end of 2005. It is an extremely successful school sport that needs and deserves good facilities. If everything goes according to current plans, I hope that we can resurrect the O.B. Regatta as part of the necessary fund raising programme in the near future. Watch this space! In the meantime, if you are interested in helping this project in any way, please do contact the school. Tony Compton (1957 – 64)

Cricket Mad Garth Tucker and David Dandridge at Edgbaston (Test Cricket Ground) playing for Bucks Colts, 1955

Standing at top left is Garth Tucker and standing (2nd from right) David Dandridge. David Dandridge (1950 – 58)

When pupils enter Sir William Borlase’s on their first day at secondary school at the start of a new academic year, they might think that they are joining an institution for five or seven years and that then they will move on. They’re wrong. Of course, most will take GCSEs in year 11, many will stay on to the VIth form and study for A-Levels and then, indeed, they’ll progress to pastures new, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll cease being Borlasians. For that is an institution for life and many of the lessons learned and friendships forged at school will endure for a lifetime. The Old Borlasian Club was founded in 1907 for the express purpose of bringing together former pupils of the school. This aim was to be achieved through reunion events and by organizing annual sports fixtures between present and past members of the school. The mission was to promote the interests of the school in every possible way, and to record activities of former pupils in this magazine. More than 100 years later, the Club still fulfils these aims. An annual dinner is held every November and, for the past few years, a summer reunion has been coordinated at Marlow Town Regatta in June. Fixtures are played between Old Borlasians and the School in various sports, and the Club now funds the sports caps that are awarded to captains of the first teams. Nevertheless, for the Club to endure for another 100 years, it needs your support. Membership has remained static at just under 250 for a number of years. By signing up to the Club, you will receive invitations to all the annual events, including those mentioned above, regular updates about school life, and a copy of this magazine. Membership costs just £10 per year and these subscriptions have allowed the Club to contribute to school life in many ways, including the recent restoration of the Chapel spire. Details of how to join can be found on our website. The Club is a great way to stay in contact with old friends and, increasingly, to provide advice and guidance to current students as they think about university applications and careers. I very much hope that when your time comes to leave Borlase’s, (or if you already have), you will be proud to acknowledge your lifelong connection with the school by becoming a member of the Old Borlasian Club. Te digna sequere. Dr Gregory Lim (1997-2003) Membership Secretary The Old Borlasian Club membershipsecretary@oldborlasiansclub.com http://www.oldborlasiansclub.com/page1/index.html

Old Borlasian Prize This year the Old Borlasian Prize has been awarded to two pupils. Oliver Seber, Head Boy and Beth Potter, Head Girl, have both been judged worthy of this honour and will be presented with their cheques and the Bates Cup on Speech Day 24th June 2014.

Old Borlasians Sponsor Captain’s Caps The Annual Sports Dinner has long been one of the main events on the School’s calendar. Borlase has a fine sporting tradition and each year the Dinner is an opportunity to celebrate the new successes and the enduring ethos which underpin that tradition. As well as promoting speeches recounting the performance of each team’s season, the Dinner provides the opportunity where Sports Colours are awarded and individual Cups presented. One recent innovation is the awarding of a special cap to the Captains of each of the School’s 1st Teams. This is intended to be a lasting accolade to the vital roles of organisation and leadership performed by the Captains in the service of the School’s premier teams. I am delighted to say that this year The Old Borlasian Club started to fund these caps. While the Club has frequently sponsored sport at Borlase over the years, we were eager to recognise this new mark of sporting achievement. This is because, alongside organising and facilitating reunions of past pupils, the main function of the Club is to support aspects of school life and fund projects close to the hearts of Old Borlasians. Sport is among the fondest memories of many past pupils and is one of the clearest ways they relate to pupils of other eras and indeed to the School today. In a way that few other activities do, sport binds pupils together and creates an indelible connection and association with the particular Team they represent, as well as the School. Because this enduring bond is the very core of the Club, we leapt at the opportunity to provide funding. As President of The Old Borlasian Club, I was invited to attend the Dinner and present the caps. I am pleased to say that this was one of the centrepieces of the evening and that the caps were accorded significant prestige by all. It is my hope that each of 1st Teams will always carry a sense of its inheritance and an awareness of their forebears; the consciousness that they are the latest iteration of a team whose predecessors might stretch from the earliest of the records on the shields and photographs that line the Cloisters, through to recent versions and individuals who remain well known due to their sportsmanship, excellence or dedication.

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Once a Borlasian, always a Borlasian

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132 I hope that the caps, as well as recognising a position of significant status in school life and rewarding a season of leadership, will help current pupils to be a part of that thread, to connect to those Old Borlasians and to ensure that, year after year, the torch continues to be passed. Joshua Cooke (2000 – 07)

And now for something completely different! Congratulations to our outstanding Centenarian. Our oldest member, Monty Seymour, was 100years old on Sunday 11th May 2014. Monty is a man of many parts. An Honorary Burgess of the Town of Wycombe, Monty is the President of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club, President of the Wycombe and District Royal British Legion but most importantly he is a member of the Old Borlasian Club. Many people have enjoyed celebrating the great occasion. Starting with the customary birthday card from H.M. the Queen, the celebrations continued with friends and admirers from various parts of Monty’s life and culminated in a visit to the School on Thursday 15th May. Monty arrived in style by horse and carriage from Higginson Park, through the town and straight through the School archway. More details of this joyous day can be found in Celia’s article. Well done, Monty! We wish you many more such happy days. Congratulations to our Birthday Honours O.B.E. Paul Hawkins was appointed O.B.E. in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List this year. Paul, the Managing Director and Chairman of Hawk-Eye Innovations Limited, who was at School from 1986 to 1992, received his award for ‘services to technology and sport’. First mentioned in the BORLASIAN 2001, ‘Hawk-Eye’ was first used to aid LBW decisions in the England v Pakistan Test Match at Lord’s Cricket Ground on 21st May 2001. Since then this now famous ball tracking device has been adopted for tennis at Wimbledon and at football in the Premier Division. Perhaps lesser know is the fact that it was used at Croke Park in Dublin in the G.A.A. Hurling and Gaelic Football matches in 2013.

Further use has been made of the system for coaching purposes, where immediate’ real time’ review of performance in other sports has been required including snooker. A huge success story with a great lasting future ahead. Well done, Paul!

Who wants to study Geography anyway? In planning a two month holiday in the Southern Hemisphere you should have a good idea of where you are going; how you are going to get there; what you want to do when you get there and how much is it going to cost. With these basics in mind and without wishing to bore the reader, here goes. My new bride and I went to New Zealand and Australia on our honeymoon in 2010 and in January 2013 decided that we would retrace our steps in the coming winter and spend two months doing so. Plan A. Daughter will take us to Milton Keynes by car on the 16th December where we will take a coach to Heathrow airport (helpful to have a National Coach card). An overnight stay in the Ibis hotel gives us plenty of time to catch our Singapore Airlines flight to Auckland the next day. However, a after few hours in the transit hotel in Singapore, we have a fresh start on the long journey to Auckland that evening. Two nights there in the Rendezvous Grand Hotel allows some time to explore that great city before catching an Intercity Coach (coach station just round the corner) to Rotorua (Rotor as in motor and not as in rotter as I was told many times).

Two days later the same coach service takes us to Hastings where we are met by our great friends Di and Nigel. (Di worked with me in the Bucks County Careers Service for many years in Aylesbury and now enjoys her new work as a personal trainer; Nigel is an IT specialist for the Christchurch City Council Library service). To see them both dressed in Father Christmas outfits as we get off the coach surrounded by awe-struck Kiwis is great fun! Staying in Havelock North for the Christmas festivities and watching the fireworks in Napier on New Year's Eve, plus the nativity play performed in church by the local school is really enjoyable.

It would be so difficult in an article for the Borlasian to recount everything we did in that wonderful part of New Zealand . We took the train across the country to Greymouth on the West coast but only as far as Arthurs Pass where the line had been blocked by a derailed coaltruck. Fortunately Di and Nigel were following us by car and we continued our journey with them. We sat on their village green many times, listening to a variety of bands, whilst drinking coffee and beer in temperatures that made us forget the cold and wet of England. We heard about these when talking to family at home on Facetime! (The wonders of modern technology!). We also visited the local church and fire station - the latter causing much amusement to some of us! The hospitality of the Kiwis is phenomenal and we made many new friends. Our saddest days were spent in Christchurch and Littleton (reached by the ferry) where we were able to see the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake. What devastation and how wonderful to see the way in which everyone was working to sort out the different problems. During our stay in Napier we had learned about the earthquake there in 1931 - another catastrophe that New Zealanders had lived through. We spent some hours wandering the streets that we had walked during our happier time there in 2010 and the damage is unbelievable unless you see it for yourself. Many tall buildings emptied and shuttered; acres of ground where rubble has been cleared; the poignant memorial of white chairs, each one representing a person who has died.

Plan B. On the 17th January travel from Christchurch to Brisbane and be met at the airport by a family party and thence to Flinders View. We are to spend just over three weeks enjoying the welcome of the Australians and still in temperatures of 30 and 40 degrees. Alas poor England! It is lovely meeting up with family, of course, and we are spending our leisure time in the sun and meeting other friends. Plan C. On the 10th February leave Brisbane to return to England with a two day stopover in Singapore. We have stayed in Singapore a number of times and always enjoyed the cleanliness and ambience there. Our two daysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pause was really a time to prepare ourselves for the homeward journey and perhaps some last minute shopping. Our hotel (booked through Thomas Cook) was in a different part of the city however and we were not able to get to some areas that we had planned to visit (I had to forgo my expected Gin Sling for instance) and the hotel did not have its own shuttle service to the airport so we had to return by taxi. Was it coincidence that our taxi had a puncture on the way? I don't know. Plan D. Arrive Heathrow Airport at 6 o'clock in the morning and catch the 9.30 coach to Milton Keynes. Met at airport by daughter and driven home to Kettering. I am happy to report that all the planning worked exceedingly well and to our satisfaction. Booking coaches and hotels on the internet is a doddle. I knew that a visa is needed to enter Australia, but persons over the age of 75 years are now required to have a medical before a visa is given. I am also sorry that in 1947, when at Borlase, I dropped Geography in my studies for the Oxford School Certificate. I might have had a better knowledge of the countries I have since visited!

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By car then to Wellington to stay for two days before crossing over to Clifton on the South Island and the long drive down to Diamond Harbour near Christchurch, where we are to stay until the 17th January. We did however have a puncture on one particularly lonely stretch of hilly road Nigel quickly solving the problem and how lucky his local community is to have him as a volunteer Fireman!! oops! Fire Officer!

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134 A visit to the Gold Coast resulted in our having to change rooms in one hotel when we discovered that we were hosting a party of cockroaches each evening. One of these poor creatures seemed to enjoy skateboarding down my back at some ungodly hour of the night and, with great difficulty, we eventually persuaded the hotel management to change our room! No sooner had we done this than we received a telephone call to say that the family home in Flinders View had been burgled and we had to return immediately. Our holiday on the Gold Coast was cut short by three days! Before 2010 I was not aware that Captain Cook had departed from Christchurch in 1912 on his ill-fated trek to the South Pole. The same expedition in which Captain Oates, of my old regiment, had proved his valour. Cook's statue no longer stands on his plinth. Across the harbour in Littleton we saw similar sights and, from later videos received, heard about damage to most of the small townships in the area. In spite of this, there was the undoubted fortitude of the men and women of Christchurch - carrying on their business as usual and some retail outlets working from converted freight containers. Even Nigel, unable to return to his office in one of the many boarded up tower blocks, was working from outlying libraries. Ron Ives (1944 - 1949)

A Swan Song. How fortunate we old Borlasians are to be at School in a town on the banks of the beautiful river Thames. I am proud to have been a Borlasian for almost seventy eight years. I well remember the day when my twin brother and I accompanied my mother to meet our great Headmaster, Mr. W. S. Booth, in 1936. It seems almost surrealistic in today’s world to think that the reason for that meeting was to see whether my twin, Gordon, could join Borlase with me at the start of the school year as I had passed the Eleven Plus and he had not, and my parents could not bear the thought that we should be separated. As always, Mr Booth came up with a commonsense and humanitarian solution so we both became entitled to live the rest of our lives according to the Borlase motto – Te Digna Sequere. I still try to observe it even in my 89th year – naive as that may be in this complex world of instant communication and wonderful technology.

We three met him while he was attending to what was for him his wonderful natural world of ‘technology’ (as it still is for us today) – his beehives in the garden adjoining the Home Meadow. I well remember his enthusiasm in telling us how ‘his boys’ had, with their shovels, levelled the Home Meadow. I also remember a few years afterwards, following the bombs which were jettisoned all around Borlase; we played Rugby the next Saturday on the Home Meadow and took delight in tackling our opponents into the craters along the touchline. No bombs landed on the playing surface – they found touch! One of my schoolfriends at the same time was Stan Turk whose older brother, (I think), succeeded his father as the King’s Swan Upper. In those days we had annual boxing events for House points. I boxed in three of these before the War at weights under and slightly over 4 stones! One match was against Stan who customarily wore spectacles with a green eye cover over his right eye! That did not stop him becoming a Ship’s Captain on passenger liners. That brings me to Swans and my chosen title which throughout my life I have used in various contexts without bothering to find out why it is so called. Now, I have and find it is defined in Brewer’s Dictionary as “The song fabled to be sung by a dying swan, hence the last work or appearance of ..........”. Apparently, Samuel Coleridge Taylor must have had a wicked sense of humour as, in his 1809 work entitled “Epigram on a Volunteer Singer”, he penned these words: “Swans sing before they die; t’were no bad thing Did certain persons die before they sing”. Coincidentally I discovered a Borlasian connection, too, because Shakespeare was called ‘The Swan of Avon’ by Ben Jonson who, as all O Bs know, wrote in his ode “Consecrated in perpetual remembrance and preservation of the noble name and fame of the late illustrious and worthily honoured Knight SIR WILLIAM BURLACE who departed this mortal life At Bockmore, this 15th December 1630” - last verse: “Yet when of friendship I would draw the face, A letter’d mind, and a large heart would place To all posterity, I would write Burlace”. Roy Child (1936 – 41)

I left school in June 1950, and in the September I was to start an Indentured Apprenticeship for five years with the Anti-Attrition Metal co in White Waltham, Maidenhead. This was a sponsored apprenticeship in a large company producing plain bearings in all shapes and sizes, not the ball bearing type. College was mandatory so schooling was not really left behind only changed into a practical and technical education. This still left ample time for other pursuits like rowing, so between a group of like minded Old Borlasians, we decided to form a rowing crew under the banner of ‘The 1624 Boat Club’ based in the school’s boat house, with the blessing of Mr. Sage. The first objective was obtaining a boat, as we were not able to use the school boats. We looked for a suitable substitute. Francis Smith ( Rikki ) , being a bit of a wheeler dealer, found an old coxless four (of ‘best’ boat shell construction) at Eton College near Windsor. We found later that it was an old Cambridge boat painted blue under the new paint work. It had been repaired in the bow section but seemed to be river worthy, so the decision was made. Buy it! All we had to do was get it to Marlow. We were all pretty well penniless; with no hope of transporting the boat by road, it was decided to row it to Marlow, stopping overnight at Maidenhead R.C. under the bridge. We formed the crew with myself at bow and steers. Never done this before; rowed at bow of course but to steer going backwards? Never!! There is only one way to do it. Sit in and pray! We arrived at Eton College on the Saturday, put the boat in the water, rigged the steering lines, and, complete with bailers and bottles of water, confidently set off for Maidenhead. Weather fine, our followers went ahead by motorbikes to meet us at Maidenhead R.C. What an experience. Slowly at first, all over the river until I got used to the amount of rudder movement and the idea of looking over my shoulder and judging the distance from the bank all at the same time. Rowing together in a shell boat for the first time was not for the faint hearted. By the time we had got to Dorney Reach we also realised that the boat had started to leak from the bow ‘repair’, so, when the water began sloshing up and down the boat every stroke, we stopped and bailed like mad. All our sweaters were afloat, so it was row for thirty minutes, bale for five, a very slow journey at best. It was dusk as we

approached Maidenhead Rowing Club. We were greeted by a very expectant supporters’ group and a vast number of spectators on the bridge. The boat was low in the water, more now than usual; we were so exhausted we could not lift it out. It took eight of us to do it and when we did get it out of the river we had to turn it sideways to empty most of the water before upturning the boat to get it in the boat house - much to the onlookers’ delight. We were glad to just leave it there overnight. Tomorrow (Sunday) was the planned row to Marlow with the locks to navigate. But before that, running repairs to the bow had to be made! Sunday dawned and off to Maidenhead we went on the pillion seats of the motorbikes. We patched the bow problem with thin ply, sealant and screws. Off we set again. I was feeling a little more settled. I had got used to stroke shouting ‘LEFT’ or ‘RIGHT’ as we wandered to Boulters Lock. Progress was getting better. From there to Cookham we started to enjoy the trip. With very little water in the boat we were getting it together. So, really, the long row did help in bonding us as a crew, and we arrived at Marlow tired, hungry and satisfied, but in much better condition than we were on the previous day.

Francis Smith, who introduced Sir Steve Redgrave to rowing. During the following evenings and weekends we refurbished the boat as best we could. A proper job was made of the bow repair by a boat builder, a friend of Geoff Dean, who also obtained some draughting linen to cover the topside of the bows instead of canvas. So all went well. We rowed together, improved, and became a coxless four. I even began to steer straight! Now came our big event - to row in Maidenhead Regatta! It came to pass that we entered for the coxless fours. Again, rowing the boat up to Maidenhead, all went well. The boat was sound and looked good and we were rowing well together.

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The 1624 Boat Club of 1950 – 1951.

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136 In the fifties the regatta course was laid out with one gallon tin cans anchored to the bottom with rope and blocks. This was the course width and the heats were rowed with the crews three abreast. Not that much room, - alright for coxed boats but for coxless fours, well that’s another story!!, We were drawn on the outside lane and when we were halfway down I drifted towards the cans. Our blades were tipped with copper protector strips, and I managed to steer such that we clipped each can every stroke. We came in second but I had the dubious honour of sinking more tin cans than any other crew. The record probably still stands. We never did win anything but we did have some fun! I still wonder whatever happened to that boat and the members and friends of “The 1624 Boat Club” Victor Woodage (1945 – 50)

Victor and friends of the ‘1624 Boat Club’.

Remembering Roy Smith.

Roy Smith, Headmaster 1974 - 88

We boarders were among the first to meet Roy when he was shown round ‘The Heights’ boarding house in summer 1974, prior to his starting in the September. My first and enduring impression was of a tall, well-dressed, handsome man, with old-fashioned Brylcreemed hair. He was the age of my parents and certainly a hit with my mum. Aged 78 we had him to a lunch party in 2007 and a couple of his contemporaries, both widows, one a former Borlase mum, were still brazenly competing for his attention.

Roy lived most of his Borlase years at the 13+ boarding house ’Sentry Hill’, where he and I took up residence at the same time. To use one of his own favourite phrases, he 'wore his learning lightly'. He believed in individual responsibility. He was a libertarian reformer, slow to anger, and who preferred to presume innocence in the face of sometimes compelling contrary evidence. He and I crossed paths outside ‘Sentry Hill’ one Saturday. I was standing next to a moped, obviously mine, and forbidden. We had a short conversation. Roy affected not to notice the moped and never mentioned it. He knew when enforcement was more trouble than it was worth. He trusted the individual to exercise (and in future improve) his discretion. A year later I asked for and was given permission to keep a motorcycle at ‘Sentry Hill’. Not that discretion was Roy's strongest suit. He lived alone, and occasionally invited boarders in to his quarters for a sherry ('Don't tell your parents') and a chat. I remember four occasions: to watch election coverage; to laugh at A-level scripts Roy was marking; to discuss promotion of a member of staff (denied, according to my wish); and to subject me to a mock Oxbridge interview. Roy's Oxbridge entrance strategy was pretty thorough. He reckoned you needed to score three out of four in A-levels; the college interview; the head's reference; and the Oxbridge entrance exam. For most candidates the exam entailed returning for a seventh term after A-levels: quite a burden on school resources, but the staff seemed very happy to support it. I can name 10 1979 Oxbridge entrants from our cohort of 90, and might be missing one or two. Justin Wark is still at Trinity, Oxford. As now, practically all Borlase sixth-formers went on to university, but in those days that was saying something. Of our 'lesser brethren' (a Russell Sage phrase), Roy said all they needed was 'two E's and two legs', two E's being the minimum A-level passes needed to secure a council grant. The first thing Roy did at Borlase was end accelerated streaming, but he prized elitism - perhaps spurred by competition from neighbouring grammars. The head teachers (at one time all called Smith) enjoyed meeting very much, united by financial and political oppression. (Funding grew so short in the 1970s that exercise books were rationed and the school had trouble paying for heating oil.) Elitist though he was, Roy valued fulfilment of potential even higher. I can never remember him giving up on anyone before they gave up on Borlase, and this was a vanishingly small number. Roy's arrival marked a palpable change in the formerly codGordonstounian boarding house culture he inherited from Ernest Hazleton. Saturday chores became perfunctory.

Roy reminds me of the phrase 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness', but always in a context of seriousness and responsibility. This was a fine balance, consistently maintained. I have been lucky to have had four important mentors in my life. Roy was easily the most decisive. Adam Smith (1972 – 1978)

What the Old Borlasian Club is all about.

I would like to say he put an end to corporal punishment, but this is not quite right. What he stopped was caning. Beatings at the hands of staff and even prefects continued, but declined over two or three years. The darkest chapter in our Borlase years was an abusive staff member whom Roy eventually escorted off the premises, as he told me years after the event. That was the final end to it.

Out of the blue came an unexpected telephone call a few days ago. It was a lady named Shirley Kidd who had come across my telephone number which she had, long since, written down from a telephone answering machine. Having had a Borlasian Magazine returned undelivered 4 or 5 years ago, I tried, as I always do, to find out the new address of the intended recipient. I had no luck (so I thought) after trying really hard and had assumed I would not hear anything further. To my surprise the call I received was from the daughter of Freddy Salter, an Old Borlasian Club member who was at School from 1930 to 1935. I last saw Freddy at the funeral of Russell Sage in Exeter in 2007, when eight Old Borlasians, covering the whole period of Russell’s career at School, turned up.

Roy even tried to keep his hand in teaching French. He took my class in the fourth form ('Year 10' according to today's American usages) never, I think, arriving earlier than 15 minutes into the 45-minute period and eventually he left it to Russell Sage to salvage the year.

Freddy was the oldest of us and I was so pleased to put a face to a name, for Freddy and I had had correspondence in the past. To his great credit Freddy, then aged 88, was turned out as smart as could be, upright, articulate, sharp and impeccably mannered. Here is Shirley’s story. Dear Mr Barry,

I have never been happier than I was at ’Sentry Hill’. The most blissful times were those brief post-O-level and A-level honeymoons, with all the school facilities at our seven-day disposal, and always enough bodies for a kick-about on the ample boarding-house grounds. I can picture us now companionably sitting in the stately ‘Sentry Hill’ gardens in the sun, the music room windows open, ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ blaring from them. My most poignant memory is from early in Roy's regime, when we had a heavy snowfall one weekday. Prep was spontaneously abandoned, and the whole house decamped by torchlight to Happy Valley with the scores of sledges stored in the coach-house. Pure exhilaration. Most of the boys were Hazleton holdovers and this was evidently the continuation of some rare entitlement from that era. It would never occur to the lawyer Roy to challenge such a covenant.

It was lovely to chat to you the other day with regard to Freddy Salter (my father). It was nice to be able to reassure you that he was still doing well. He is now 95 and has been living in a home for just over 3 years. He has Alzheimer's and dementia so his immediate memory is poor, but he can talk about school days and work in quite some detail. He remembers friends and classmates from school and work colleagues. He lodged with another boy's mother while at school. He was Horace Meadows, who was sadly killed in the war, I believe. I visit him twice a day, if I can, so he gets quite a good bit of chatting! He has 4 grandchildren, as I had two children then adopted two. He also has 2 great grandchildren by my daughter, one is 6, William, and the other is Rory, 9 weeks old and he loves contact with all the family!

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The intimidating multi-mile 'Harleyford' cross-country run became voluntary. Exeats (home visits) became more generous. The horsehair prison beds became divans (though we kept the formidable pillows, which could literally swipe an opponent off his feet). He used to refer jokingly to ‘Sentry Hill’ as 'liberty hall', while permitting almost any reasonable and polite request. He once allowed Phil Scantlebury and me to attend a Generation X concert at Wycombe Town Hall, and even drove us there and collected us afterwards. We agreed a pickup time which Roy hoped would fall 'between movements'. He was very, very witty, with the speed, sarcasm and understatement of the accomplished barrister I suppose he once might have become. He appreciated 'le mot juste'; he never forgot a poster I drew demanding improvements in ‘Sentry Hill’ catering: 'food not feed'. (I've done better: he was unfailingly generous.) These freedoms were not entirely gratuitous: from day one, Roy levelled everyone's evening prep time up to the sixth-formers' two-and-a-quarter hours. And he sold the guns. Martini-action .22s.

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138 On looking at his records I think he left school in about 1935.He gained a place at the Electrical Engineering College, Dollis Hill, London. He was actually there when the Colossus computer was being developed for Bletchley Park, although he was not involved in it. From Dollis Hill he joined the Post Office and spent his working life progressing up to the level of Senior Executive Officer. . On the outbreak of war he was due to go on holiday to Switzerland, but all travel was stopped and he spent the war travelling up and down the country keeping the vital communication lines open all the way to the north of Scotland; not easy, I presume, in the blackout. He was involved with early T. V. transmission links and later he produced two papers - one on the radiophone and one on early large-screen T.V. I think he was also involved in the technical electrical planning of the Birmingham Post Office Tower. He always had a marvellous rapport with other staff and still has one retired engineer who comes to see him every year.

Daughter Shirley with Fred on a canal trip at Welshpool last December.

He wanted his family to grow up away from the city so chose to live in Shropshire and commute to Birmingham. Initially it was from Whitchuch to Wellington by motorbike then train to Birmingham, quite a hairy journey in the bad weather, I think, with one or two tumbles! Quite a daily feat! Eventually he bought a plot of land and had a "modern house” built in Wellington using an Ideal Home plan and supervising the build. I can remember going for picnics at the weekends in the shell of the building, while he checked on progress! He joined my Mum in helping in the set up of the Shrewsbury Hospital League of Friends and did a lot of voluntary work there. He landscaped their lovely garden and was a very keen gardener and maintenance expert, having wired the new house himself. He moved to a flat in Bridgnorth when my mother died and settled there for a few years until his health deteriorated. My sister Gill got married and also lived in Bridgnorth. Then he moved in with us and eventually on to the home. He still has the paper every day and loves it when I pick out stories to chat about. Dad has lots of photos of all the rugby, and cricket teams he was in and he remembers most of the individual’s names. He was captain of one or two of them. He also still takes an interest in current affairs. He was in hospital last year and the year before with pneumonia and fluid retention, but has bounced back remarkably well. Shirley Kidd, Fred Salter’s daughter.

Freddy holding greatgrandson Rory, 3 weeks old.

95th Birthday Cake from Shirley’s sister, Gillian.

This year is not only the centenary of the First World War but also of our much loved school chapel. The word “celebrate” does not seem right to mark the beginning of that most dreadful war but it is appropriate that we celebrate 100 years of our chapel. Last November I had the honour and pleasure of making the Old Borlasian’s address at the Remembrance Day service in the chapel. The chapel has a strong link with both world wars, particularly the first but it was not built as a memorial chapel, as a lot of people believe. The school chapel however is a very unique building and it is certainly uncommon for a state school to have such a building. It is a very special place for Old Borlasians and one that is much visited by returning ex-pupils. We must all have lots of varied personal memories of being in the chapel in our school days. For me, at school in the late 50’s and early 60’s, the chapel was a very familiar place in the school. Morning prayers every other day before lessons started when two of the four houses would just squeeze into that small intimate space; house masters at the chancel end and the ever present Headmaster Mr. Hazelton wearing his flowing gown and mortar board sweeping up the aisle to take the brief service. At Christmas time it was carol singing practice before the Christmas service in the church. I am afraid we were very schoolboyish at these practice sessions led by the music teacher Mr. (Fred) Peirce and made great fun of exaggerating the letter “s” into a hiss. Mr. Peirce tolerated this for too long until he went red in the face and gave us a good telling off. Other times were more orderly and respectful using the chapel for choir practice (yes, I had a soprano voice for a while) or perhaps reading or reciting with Mr. Davenport our English teacher. It was probably during those regular visits for morning prayers that I subconsciously took notice of the chapel as a building and subsequently developed an interest in all buildings which influenced me to become an architect. These days I look at the chapel with a far more mature eye

than when I was a school boy and enjoy the qualities of its craftsmanship. The building is designed in a fairly restrained ecclesiastical style, quite typical of the Edwardian period with its great use of facing brickwork both inside and out. On the exterior, the walls are an attractive combination of flint work and brickwork, much used as traditional materials in the area of the Chiltern Hills. In fact, it is one of the best examples of square napped flint work in the area. Have a good look next time you are at school. 100 years ago most building materials would have been locally sourced. The flints were probably dug out of a nearby field or chalk quarry whilst the clay bricks and roof tiles were probably produced at Knowl Hill or Reading. Inside, the timber panelling is typically Edwardian and there is some nice brick detailing around the windows. The panelling has been useful for recording Old Borlasian pupils who fell in both wars or teachers who have died after long service at the school. Most Old Borlasians will know about Second Lieutenant Horsfall VC and Snakehips Johnson who are remembered here along with many other Borlasians who lost their lives in one of the World Wars. The south facing stained glass window over the entrance is a real gem and was the generous gift of Old Borlasian Stuart Lever. One has to stand in the aisle on a sunny day to appreciate it. The crowning glory of the chapel must be its timber spire, simple and well proportioned. For many years past the spire has been in serious need of repair and had become the comfortable home of Borlase pigeons. Now, after a money raising campaign by the Old Borlasian

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Borlase Chapel Centenary

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140 Club, the spire has at last been repaired and rebuilt and now looks as it would have done in the summer of 1914. Only the pigeons are unhappy about it. The school must be eternally thankful to Edward Riley and his sister Miss Mitchell who funded the building work for a new chapel. They were both governors of the school and great benefactors in the Marlow community and fortunately quite well off too. After completion, just as the First World War broke out, it was slowly fitted out and completed in the years after the war, again thanks to generous donations by many individuals who had an association with the school. Like many of the old school buildings the chapel needs regular maintenance. I will not be around for the next centenary but I trust that the school will continue to look after our chapel and that it will still be there for all to enjoy in 2114 whether it is for worship, musical performance, meeting groups or simply somewhere for quiet contemplation. Tony Compton (1957 – 64)

Chapel Honours With Old Borlasians taking an even closer interest in the school chapel in the last two or three years, we noticed that memorial plaques to long serving members of staff, who had now passed on, had not been kept up to date. Some names such as W.O. Robertson, W.F. Jones and W.S. Booth are honoured, but those teachers who have died in more recent years are absent. In our wisdom, the O.B. committee felt that 30 years service should be the benchmark or in the case of past Head teachers, they should be honoured regardless of length of service. On that basis, the following names will be engraved on the wooden panels in the chapel: R.H. Sage 1934 – 1976 D.C.W. Banner 1951 – 1989 C.E. Davenport 1935 – 1973 G.A. Dewhurst 1938 – 1975 Past Head Masters E.M. Hazleton 1956 – 1974 R.R. Smith 1974 - 1988 All of these long serving teachers contributed enormously to a growing and developing Borlase after the Second World War. I have many mixed memories of all of them trying to teach me; the only success being Mr. Sage with rowing. He taught me the basics of the sport that set me off on a long and successful rowing career. As for my French, I am afraid

I did not exactly reach 1st Eight standard. The school has also agreed to an Old Borlasian plaque noting the centenary of the chapel this year and the O.B.’s contribution towards the rebuilding of the spire. It is hoped that all these plaques will be installed in time for the proposed chapel centenary celebrations in November. Tony Compton (1957 – 64)

Fallen soldiers of the First World War. Sadly and tragically Borlase lost many Old Boys and several staff members in the hideous conflicts of the first half of the 20th Century. In this particular year, of course, those who lost their lives between 1914 and 1918 come to mind. There were all too many and all are deserving of our thoughts, prayers and gratitude. It so happens, however, that two stories, in particular, have presented themselves in time for inclusion in our Magazine. William Heli Haly William Heli Haly was the eldest of the three children of Amyrald Haly and his wife Mary née Barrington. William, known for some reason as ‘Toby’, was born on 13th October 1880 in Colombo, Ceylon. His education was in England, initially in Lymington and subsequently at the William Borlase School in Marlow, Bucks. He, his sister Margaret (known as ‘Pearl’ – later a Suffragette) and his brother John (at the same schools, later in the Royal Navy and also known as ‘Jack’) lived with their maternal uncle, William Barrington at Thorley Farm near Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. He spent some time in back in Ceylon on a tea estate, getting married to Alice Lilian Shipton, a widow and mother of Eric Shipton the mountaineer, in 1914 in Galle. Around the outbreak of the First World War, William returned to England and enlisted in the Honourable Artillery Company as a soldier and was later commissioned into the Royal Hampshire Regiment. He was killed in action at the Battle of the Somme on 14th October 1916 when he was serving as a 2nd Lieutenant with the 2nd Battalion, and aged 36. His name can be found on the Thiepval Memorial Pier and Face 7C and 7B (Commonwealth War Graves Commission). There is not much detail about the exact circumstances of his death in the History of the Royal Hampshire Regiment, but it is my understanding that he received a direct hit from an artillery shell (presumably

German!) when just south of the town of Bapaume, and thus burial was not an option. Richard Heli Haly and his brother William, who are great nephews of our fellow Old Borlasian, kindly sent in this account.

The Borlase Masonic Lodge The Lodge announces this year’s principal officers: Master: Bryan Wilson Senior Warden: Richard Garraway Junior Warden: Keith Cartland Anyone requiring information should, in the first instance, contact the Secretary, K.R.Cartland, 4 Fontwell Close, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 5JX. Tel: 01628 636179.

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Forthcoming Events The Annual Dinner, preceded by the AGM, will take place at the School on Saturday 22nd November 2014. Remembrance Sunday Service will be held in the School Chapel on 9th November 2014. There will also be a World War 1 exhibition on that day. Remembrance Day will be observed on Tuesday 11th November 2014.

The sad story of three brothers killed in the First World War. A recent Wisden Book commemorating the lives, amongst the cricketing fraternity, lost in the Great War, makes mention of three brothers who played cricket at Borlase School, Marlow who were all killed on the western front in the early summer of 1918 within seven weeks of each other. These were the Stranger brothers, Harry George and Frank. George, serving in the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Regiment died at LYS where only 58 men of the 503 survived a German offensive; Harry, serving in the same regiment, was wounded in the same battle and died a month later, while Frank had been killed while fighting for the Australian infantry two weeks before. A whole family wiped out. Acknowledgements to Andrew Renshaw – Wisden on the Great War: The lives of Cricket’s Fallen 1914-18. (A recent search of the Roll of Honour at School did not mention Frank.)

Histories, Ties and past copies of the Borlasian are available. The Committee wishes to thank the Editor of the Magazine, Louise Forrest, and all her team for their hard work without which our column would not exist. We are indebted to any other members of staff who have assisted in the preparation of Magazine especially Celia Blakeway-Phillips, the School’s Development Director. Website address – www.oldborlasiansclub.com E-mail address – honsecborlase@hotmail.com J.G. Cooke (President) 69 Derwent Drive, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 6LE J.W. Barry (Hon. Secretary) 70 St.Georges Crescent, Cippenham, Slough, Berks SL1 5PA

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2nd Lieutenant William Heli Haly, 2nd Battalion Hampshire Regiment, 14 October 1916.

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