House Life

Denson House Report

What a year this has been! At the start of the year no-one could have predicted the way we would see in the summer.

With the House calendar chockfull of opportunities for student participation, it is always exciting to start with a clean sheet in September. But this was not the position Denson found themselves as September came around. For them it was a matter of getting down to business, the continuation of the blue dominance having won the double-double.

With the cancellation of House Cross-Country (traditionally the first competition of the year) it was Senior Public Speaking that got the Watson trophy under way. Enter Tom Ward, the architect of Denson public speaking. The Denson program of speakers consisted of Tom Ward (D13), Michael Adebiyi (D12), Will Chapman (D11) and Jamie Timman (D10). The boys worked tirelessly during lunchtimes to perfect their speeches and put on one of the tightest Senior Public Speaking competitions for many years. Special thanks go to Dan Compton (D10), Harvey Newland Smith (D13) and Denzel Asamoah (D13) who, despite not participating, turned up to each rehearsal to offer guidance for our speakers along with the wonderful Mrs Farmborough who helped the boys immensely, bringing in her expertise on the matter.

The next major event of the Watson was House Art. House Art is one of the competitions where much of the work goes on behind the scenes with little acknowledgement. As such I would like to acknowledge and thank the efforts of all of our House Art captains who supported Ben Bishop (D13) and Tae Poompanit (D12) in putting on a brilliant display this year. A close competition yet again, Denson were delighted with third place - a fitting reward for the brilliant efforts of all those involved. Well done to all of those involved (too many to mention unfortunately), I look forward to seeing what you all produce next year.

Next up was Senior House Quiz, a hard-fought test of intellect in which students’ worldly awareness is pitted against those in other houses. A matter of pride for many of those in Sixth Form, it proved to be an incredibly competitive affair with questionable uses of the joker card and plenty of dubious answers. Having to perform well across two teams, success requires a balance of Geographers, Sportsmen, Historians and Movie buffs. It was time for the Denson Sixth Form to shine with both teams achieving second place, ranking them second place overall. A great way to follow on from the strong performance in House Public Speaking and House Writing. This wrapped up the Watson for Christmas with the excitement of House Music come January.

Upon our return, post-Christmas holidays, it was a short turn around before Denson took centre stage for House Music. A brilliant evening at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury, the boys did themselves proud putting on a lively performance of Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know led by Flynn Timberlake (D10) and Rumeth Lewliyadda (D7), Lack of Afro’s The Outsider and Fun’s We

Are Young led by Alex Stephens (D12). Special Thanks go to Michael Adebiyi (D12) and Denzel Asamoah (D13) for compering on the night and an enormous thank you to the man behind the music, conductor extraordinaire Jordan Cobley who organised the rehearsals and the boys.

The final event of the incomplete Watson calendar was House chess, led by the brilliant Vlad Moiseanu (D13). After the highs of first place last year, it was a shame to fall short this year, but I know the boys are ready to take to the tables to do one better next year. A massive thank you to all of the boys who have taken part in the Watson competitions this year.

Unlike the busy Watson calendar this year, the Brodie competition has been hit hard by Covid-19. With the cancellation of House Cross-Country, only House Rugby and House Squash went ahead before the Christmas break. Following on from an incredibly strong performance last year, Denson finished second overall with outstanding results across the board. Special thanks go to the Squash Captains Lewis Milner (D13), Ryan Connor (D12), Will Chapman (D11), Silas Glover (D10), Tom Whitehead (D9), Alex Glover (D8) and Joshua Jackson (D7). Also, a big thank you to all of you who competed for your forms, we would not have been able to come second without the considerable effort across the house.

The only other competition to be completed in competition for the Brodie this year was House Football. Following a fantastic result for Denson 10 who came first, under the leadership of Jason Stephens (D10), Denson finished up in overall fourth place. Thank you to all of you who gave it your all in one of the most brutal fixtures of the calendar.

Other competitions this year included House Basketball and House football. Unfortunately, the only forms to successfully compete in both were Denson 10 and Denson 11, with Denson 12 and Denson 13 also competing in House Football. ‘Finishing’ the year in second place overall in the Brodie, the boys have done incredibly well and I’m sure will be disappointed to have not been able to see the year through.

Stepping into the role of Head of Denson House, following in the footsteps of the formidable Mr Streat, was a challenge I couldn’t wait to start. An Aylesburian myself, I had heard things about the might of Denson and had experienced for myself their climb to excellence in recent years but could not wait to get first-hand experience of the Denson way. Under the incredible stewardship of Cam Brooker (Head Boy of House/ Captain Fantastic) and Harvey Newland-Smith and Ben Bishop (Deputy Head Boys) the House immediately set about showing everything they were capable of. I must make a special mention of these three boys who have been absolutely remarkable all year. Their support of myself and the boys throughout the house has been uncompromising, turning up to each and every competition, delivering fantastic assemblies and visiting tutor groups to support those students in the years below. It truly is a shame that their time as Head Boys has been cut short although I know I speak for the house when I say they are more

than welcome back any time and we thank them for everything they have done this year!

I would also like to wish Denson 13 well in their future. They have been a delight to work with this year throughout the UCAS process and as the leaders of the House and I hope they come back to visit the house in the future. It has been a difficult year for them but they have done themselves proud. Hopefully they will get the opportunity to come back and say goodbye properly but until then I truly wish them every happiness.

During a very difficult time under Covid-19, it has been great to see the boys being proactive and making the most of the situation. I have been delighted to see so many of them taking part in the weekly Denson Kahoot quizzes, a competition that is currently being led by Denson 12, as well as the photography and cookery competitions. I cannot thank the boys in (light) blue enough for all of their support and smiles (they know the power of a smile) over the course of the year. Denson really is a tremendous force, composed of friendly and dedicated students who will give everything for their house. They are a brilliant group of lads and I am so looking forward to next year.

Mr T Walker

Hampden House Report

It was all shaping up to be such an exciting second part of the year too……..Hampden House were ‘sitting pretty’ in 1st place in the Brodie on 12 points, having won House Squash and House Rugby, in which our new Year 7’s performed incredibly well in both (winning their House

Squash competition). Ok, so

maybe it’s a bit of a stretch to say that we were going to win the Brodie for the first time since (it would appear) records began…..particularly as we still had 6 more events to finish off, but our Seniors had also won their House Football event, and the Year 11’s had finished 3rd…..oh well, we can only dream about what could have been and hope that this is a good omen for next year….only time will tell.

All this means that the focus of this year’s report is on The Watson Trophy, and it’s safe to say that Hampden House love to put on a show. So, here is how the incredibly strange and surreal 2019-20 year played out, and how we achieved our overall 4th place finish.

Public Speaking - 6th Place

With the cancellation of this year’s Junior competition, the points totalled by our Senior Boys represented our final score in Public Speaking, and for all those involved a 6th place finish was disappointing, as this didn’t reflect the time and effort put into this competition by all those involved, in the planning, preparation and rehearsal. Tom Kirkpatrick-Brown (H10), Lakshya Verma (11), David Dallas (12) and Theo Nze (13) all represented the House with dignity and a great deal of confidence, irrespective of how

they were feeling inside on the day, and a huge thank you goes out to these boys. These thanks extend to Zach Roberts (our Head Boy) and Miss Holliday for all of their work getting the boys ready for competition. A special mention must also go to Lakshya Verma, who got the chance to represent the House for the first time in Public Speaking.

House Art - 2nd Place

After the trials and tribulations of the previous year’s House Art, in amongst the usual organised chaos (and huge thanks go out to the Art Department, who bring everything together, along with the Head Boys of House and House Art Captains, who act as ‘enforcers’ when required), this year’s competition was comparatively plain sailing. Of course, there were creative differences throughout the process which kept the whole thing interesting for all those involved, but led by the incredible Zak Griffiths and aided by Evie Morris, the way in which our presentation came together was a joy to behold, and for their efforts to be recognised with a 2nd place finish was fantastic…..particularly for Zak, who committed so much time and effort into the project. The work of regular contributors must, as always, be recognised, including; James O’ Keefe, Charlie Gould, George Wiggs and Dhruva Menon, and we all look forward to seeing what these guys will produce next year.

House Music - 2nd Place

It always amazes me as to how much effort goes in to House Music every year. The preparations seem to start earlier and earlier, you can hear students practicing around the school at lunchtimes and after school, and despite this, last minute changes always happen just to spice things up a little more. While this is a competition, the move to the Waterside Theatre made this year even more of a celebration than usual and it was with great pride that Hampden House made such a significant contribution to this special evening.

Having suffered a fair few disappointments in recent years when it comes to results, to finish 2nd this year was obviously a real bonus. It’s impossible to mention every student involved in our efforts this year, but I think it’s safe to say that a few stars were born on this night. For pure enthusiasm alone, both Adshayan Kurunchikumaran and James Davies (both H12) were notable for their efforts. For

Adshayan in particular, to step out in front of a group of musicians and sing on stage for the first time was an amazing effort.

The leadership, enthusiasm and performance skills of Ed Radcliffe (H13) need to be publicly acknowledged, as he not only performed in two pieces, he also arranged and led these pieces (with the help of Corin Scott - H12) and was responsible for much of the coordination of our overall House efforts. Toby Insley (H13) once again arranged and led the second of our pieces on the night, which was seen as a real musical triumph. The contributions from Shaun Bedwell, George Garman, Theo Cooper Tutton, Leo Pichler, Jude Kayakiran, Will Annat and Sam Clark must also be recognised, as must the vocal talents of Head Boy of House Zach Roberts, whose performance of Hozier’s ‘Take me to church’ was a highlight of an incredible evening of music, and a real showcase of the musicals talents of AGS. Thanks also to Harry Edmonds and Alfie Purvis, our Deputy Head Boys of House, who compèred our section along with Zach.

House Chess - 3rd Place

I think it’s safe to say that last year’s 2nd place finish came as a surprise to everyone involved considering our record in House Chess over recent years, so to consolidate that this year with a 3rd place finish was fantastic, and recognition of the chess talents that we now have in the House. The contributions and efforts of Jeffrey Tan (H12), Yuv Saxena and Neil Pandit (H9) must be recognised when it comes to our improving performance in House Chess over the last two years.

House Writing - 6th Place

46 pieces made up the entirety of our magazine, based on the theme of ‘Our World’, which were selected by our editing team from the 136 pieces that were submitted via Google Classroom. The overall results and scoring was disappointing, especially as this had a significant impact on our overall placing in ‘The Watson’ this year, but the huge amount of hard work needed to put together our submission has to be acknowledged. I would like to especially commend Theo Nze for submitting 2 highquality pieces and Zak Griffith for another excellent piece, as well as designing our cover work for this magazine.

Having already acknowledged Theo’s contribution to Public Speaking, both he and Zak have made huge contributions to Hampden House since starting at AGS and they will both be sorely missed. Congratulations also need to go to Philippe Pir and Daniel Mousavi in Year 10 for voluntarily submitting 5 and 3 pieces respectively and; Cheka Warnapura, Austin Bhadri, Jacob O’Neill and Tamas Kish all in Year 7, as we appreciate how difficult it is to create a piece worthy of our magazine, especially when you are in your first year at AGS, and all of their efforts were extremely commendable.

Then there was our editing team, led by Ted Gundry, our Editor-inchief. The editing team was made up of the following students; Josh Lai, Dexter Dinley, Alex Butler, James ‘Phil’ Phillips, Toby Cook, Jared Samuels, Joe Price, Tom Kemp, Alfie Purvis and James Trott. The work of Lewis Hodges and James Davies (again) deserves special mention for their irreproachable aptitude

and commitment to House Writing over a number of years, with this year being no exception to that. Our indebtedness also extends out to Mrs Hearn, who selflessly provided us with a strong basis and foundations to build off and was instrumental in guiding and advising us as the editing team.

Having appointed a new Head Boy of House (Ted Gundry) and two new Deputies (James Phillips & Joshua Lai) in May, I must say a huge thank you and goodbye to the senior student leadership team, who did such an amazing job of leading us through the year. I hope that I will get the chance to do this formally in a future House Assembly, but I must acknowledge here what an amazing job Zach, Harry and Alfie have done.....they have been awesome and have been everything that I could possibly wish for from a student leadership team. Thank you for everything that you have done, it was a pleasure working with you, and I look forward to working as well with the new student leaders of Hampden House.

Thank you also to everyone who has made a contribution to the House this year…..hopefully we will see even more from you next year.

Mr C McGill

Lee House Report

I am writing this article at a strange time for us all. We have been in lockdown for a few months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the world could well be a different place coming out

of the other side. It reminds me of a quote from Vince Lombardi which I used in a Lee House report several years ago. “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” Aylesbury Grammar School is beginning to open a little more, Year 12 and Year 10 students will have some time in school before the end of the summer term. As a staff we are planning for the next academic year and wonder what that will realistically look like.

This is also my final year as Head of Lee, can I take this opportunity to wish Mrs Harris every success in her new role leading “The Yellow Army!”

Yet again the year started full of promise, as it has for the past 19 years of my tenure. Andrew Claassen, Josh Greig and Joe Teckman were our new Head Boys of House and they set their stall out from the start. Leading by example, trying to motivate everyone within the House and keen to try out a plethora of new ideas. As the year unfolded, they showed the true quality of their leadership and I for one will always be extremely grateful for that.

During my time in Lee I have worked with twenty different Head Boys of House. We never managed to do the double but got very close on a couple of occasions. As a House we enjoyed success in the Brodie in 2002 and 2017, thankfully the Watson also ended up in Lee’s hands in 2008 and 2013.

In writing this, it has allowed me to reflect over the past 19 or 20 years. The role of the Head of House has dramatically changed. We are now responsible for guiding our students through the UCAS process

and everything that entails. It is a tremendous amount of work for everyone involved and extremely time consuming in the Autumn term. I would also say that the leadership skills exhibited by the students has also improved/developed over time. In thinking about this, I wonder if this is an area where the computer and technology has had a positive impact? Assembly rotas are formulated and emailed; team lists are word processed and everyone is on Google classroom.

If I had to pick out a few Head Boys of House for special mention, Michael Brand (2001), displayed natural charisma and led the House to its first Brodie success. Austin Harper (2007) and Matt Foster (2008) had obvious leadership skills, Matt like his older brothers Jono and Simon showed the energy and enthusiasm that you need to succeed.

Jon Gausden (2013) was truly outstanding, he had a genuine ability to motivate the other students and made sure that they all felt part of the team. I am really pleased to say that his legacy has lived on, it has undoubtedly been evident over the past couple of years in Cameron MacDonald (2018) and Andrew Claassen (2019); I know Ned Morris (2020) will do an excellent job next year.

So, what of this year?

House Squash in the first term saw Lee finishing in 3rd place overall. Rugby also culminated in the Autumn term with Lee 10 finishing second in their age group, however across all age groups when all the points for both A and B teams were calculated, Lee could only place 5th, the same as last year.

Basketball is always a popular house competition, our Inters team comprising students from Years 10 and 11 finished in 1st place.

In the Watson Trophy, we managed to successfully complete several events. Over the years Lee has achieved mixed results in House Art, but this year under Josh Greig’s captaincy we finished at the top of the pile in 1st place. House Art, as always, started with our theme and this year the students chose “A Night at the Museum”. This broad theme included Prehistoric, Roman and Cavemen! Lee students submitted well over 180 high quality pieces, real variety was evident in impressive models, graphite drawings and multimedia pieces. One of the judge’s favourites was our set design including a 5-foot Easter Island Head and cardboard dinosaurs hanging from the ceiling. For all of this we have Josh to thank and he led Lee to a convincing victory. I would like to thank all the students who contributed, as we could not have won without the sheer volume of great pieces we received.

In Chess our Senior team finished 1st, but slightly below par performances by both our Juniors and Inters saw us placed 5th overall.

Two other 5th places in Senior Public Speaking and the Senior Quiz also did not help our quest for Watson success. House Music, as always, was a fiercely contested event, held this year at The Waterside Theatre for the first time. After Lee Houses 1st place last year, our musicians once again did us proud finishing 4th on 82 points, just 4 points behind Ridley in 1st place.

So, what memories do I take away from nearly 20 years in Lee? Firstly, and most importantly the support of staff and students alike. Can I take this opportunity to formally thank all the Lee tutors past and present, they are true professionals. Can I also thank the Heads of the other five houses for so many years of friendly rivalry? Lastly, may I sincerely thank all the students who have made such a positive contribution over the years.

I also take a great deal of pride in the money the House has raised for a range of charities, particularly the school’s own Malawi Fund which we have supported for so many years. Who can forget the three goats and a donkey we bought as part of Oxfam’s charity initiative many Christmas’ ago? Possibly, not so far away from the founder of the school Sir Henry Lee, who farmed the estates at Quarrendon, and the history books tell us had one of the largest flocks of sheep in the country. It is difficult for me to conclude this piece. It has been a strange and, in many cases a distressing year for everyone.

However, very rarely has anybody commented on an assembly which I have delivered. Many years ago, I led a House assembly and used some of Bob Dylan’s song lyrics in it. A member of staff pulled me aside sometime afterwards and stated that “He had really enjoyed the assembly and had not realised the poetic content of that particular Dylan song”.

So, I leave you with the following Bob Dylan quote “Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them”.

I am left with many fond memories of Lee House.

Mr P Dean - Head of Lee House 2000-2020

Lee House Art

This year with House Art, myself and the Lee head boys were determined to overcome the drought we had in this competition over the last 7 years and uncover the House’s artistic talent which has previously

been left unexploited. After

much debate over the theme, we decided on ‘Night at the Museum’, in which our display would act as a museum exhibition containing three rooms from different time periods: Prehistoric, Roman, and Easter island. Our theme was questioned numerous times by the other houses, but we felt that, with effort and organisation, we could make a display worthy of winning.

I, along with Head boy Andrew Claasen and deputy Joe Teckman relentlessly pressed everyone in the House to believe in our idea, and

by the time of putting everything together we had collected over 130 pieces, more than I ever thought we could get! Huge credit has to go to everyone who submitted pieces, where for once we had an array of dazzling sculptures and models to work with – we could barely fit them all on the display! Remarkable contributions came from our younger students, in particular Arya Singh, George Greaves, and Adam Burgess in L7, James Davies and Emre Arslan in L8, and Ajan Robertsingh in L9 – fantastic work guys!

Work for our display started earlier than any other House, and tireless hours were put in by myself and my team to craft the best display Lee House has seen in years. From the pillars as our museum entrance, to the cardboard T-Rex and pterodactyl, and the 5ft tall Easter Island head, once our display items were finished, we were more than confident that this would be our year – and it certainly was. Additional thanks has to be given to the rest of my team: David Gnanaiah (L13), Jake Field and Qasim Ahmed (L11), and most notably Murray Wakefield and Logan Warmsley (L10), who both gave fantastic artistic advice during the process – our House is in good hands for the future! Thanks again to everyone who contributed and hopefully our success this year can be replicated in future.

Thank you Mr Dean…

The news that Mr Dean would be stepping down as Head of Lee House after 20 Years prompted a wave of thanks and good wishes from current students and the Old Aylesburian (OA) community alike. Here are some of those messages from the Lee House OAs, all proud lifetime members of the ‘Yellow Army’:

Jon Gausden - Head Boy of Lee House 2013-14

“Mr Dean has rightly become synonymous with Lee, and while I don’t think my form group ever brought home the House Rugby trophy as he would have hoped... it was an absolute pleasure to lead the House alongside him in my final year. Thanks for everything Mr Dean, and wishing you all the best!”

Jacob Waby - Deputy Head Boy of Lee House 2018-19

“For the short time I was with Mr Dean, he was always the beaming face of Lee House, and the man who lifted it up to be a great House. His constant support of not only the Head Boys but of all students is what will be missed the most. It is safe to say I would not be who I am now without him.

It was an honour to attend Aylesbury Grammar School, and to be a member of Lee House whilst he held the reins.”

Lewis Partridge – Lee House 2010-16

“Mr Dean’s commitment to Lee was second to none, he’d push all the teams to give their best, and then praise their efforts and achievements. An inspiration to all.”

Cameron MacDonald – Head Boy of Lee House 2018-19

“The thing I will remember Mr Dean the most for was the way he treated people. Throughout my time at AGS, I observed that Mr Dean treated everyone as an adult - he respected the view of any pupil he spoke to, and ensured that student leaders of the House were able to play their part. During my tenure as Head Boy, I knew that if I ever needed advice then Mr Dean was available to impart his wisdom, but I was also aware that he would fully endorse any decision that the student leaders made. Mr Dean was a true mentor, allowing every pupil to see the extent of their own ability. This mentorship was, and is, key to the success of every student that has passed through Lee House in the last twenty years, and so I thank him for his kindness, sagacity and leadership. I am glad to read that he will be continuing his role in the development of sport at AGS - I will always treasure the enjoyment of House sporting competitions, and Mr Dean is pivotal in his contribution to these events. He is a

true credit to AGS, and I wish him the best for the future.”

Alastair Harrison – Head Boy of Lee House 2002-03

“Very happy memories of Mr Dean coming into our tutor room in the Sixth Form House and asking if I’d like to be the House Captain; it was such an honour to represent Lee House. I remember in the final House assembly it was customary for Mr Dean to present the House Captain with a rugby ball - he thoughtfully broke tradition that year as he presented me with a book instead; this gesture is reflective of Mr Dean’s kind leadership. I’m sure he will carry the spirit of the housemaster with him in the years that follow. On behalf of all the boys in Lee 2003 - you let us be who we were - we remember you fondly - thank you and be proud, Mr Dean!”

Tom Alexander - Deputy Head Boy of Lee House 2016-2017

“He will be sorely missed, he was a stalwart of AGS and helped me through many a tricky moment as Head of House. He had time to spare for all students and is one of the soundest councils I’ve ever had, I wish the best to him for the future.”

Kai Feltham - Deputy Head Boy of Lee House 2013-2014

“Mr Dean was a significant figure for me in my time at AGS, even kindly being on hand to provide advice and assistance for University applications after I had finished my time at AGS, and begun applications during a “gap year” after changing my own plans. Mr Dean was the first person to recommend considering Lancaster University to me after I had yet to find a university of interest, where I went on to spend 4 fantastic years of Undergraduate and Postgraduate study. Without Mr Dean’s guidance in this direction, I may never have travelled so far north!

As Deputy Head of Lee House I shared a lot of time with Mr Dean, none more impressive than our closely fought (and to some controversial) House Music win in 2013!

Though characteristically straighttalking as ever, Mr Dean was always on hand to help and I have great memories of working together in Lee House, and wish him all the best for the future.”

James Taylor - Deputy Head Boy of Lee House 2015-2016

“During my time as a student at AGS, Mr Dean was always encouraging and determined (even when the House did not do so well!) and made being a member of Lee House a major highlight of my time at the school. It was a great privilege to be a Deputy Head Boy of Lee House in my final year, and taking a leading role in our House Music victory that year is a memory that stays with me to this day, and I still reminisce about with friends when conversation turns to AGS. I wish Mr Dean all the best, and thank him for all the support he has given to the thousands of students over the year.”

Luke Walmsley - Deputy Head Boy of Lee House 2014-2015

“20 years! Mr Dean played a huge role during my time at AGS; from numerous lessons garnered in House assemblies to words of advice regarding studies, sport and careers, Mr Dean helped shape my AGS experience and future ambitions.

Following my years as an AGS student, I had the pleasure of working with Mr Dean within the PE department. It is clear that Mr Dean has been instrumental in the school’s recent history, particularly in AGS sporting successes (which are, by all accounts, a true underdog story). Thanks for the fond memories, laughs and guidance.”

Charlie Scott - Deputy Head Boy of Lee House 2018-2019

“Always a friendly face to see around school, whose motivation, experience and respect gave us the opportunity to lead with confidence. Wishing him the best of luck for the future.”

Paterson House Report

Head Boy Perspective: It has been an absolute pleasure being a member of the great Purple Army that is Paterson House for

the past 7 years. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and have made some really great memories with a load of fantastic people along the way. My final year here at AGS seems to have flown by (this could just be because it ended in March), despite the challenges that a global pandemic brought to my last year at AGS, I still really enjoyed my time as Head Boy of House. Although it may seem that my endless attempts at motivational speeches have yielded few firstplace finishes, it was still clear to see Paterson House’s unity and desire to win through the impressive and consistent enthusiasm for participation during key House events.

Some highlights for me include the outcome of House Art; given that Previn Chady sacrificed possibly several nights sleep for us to succeed, I think the result was well-deserved. In addition, the night at the Waterside Theatre for House Music was great to be a part of, especially after months of preparation and hard work by all the musicians, directed and led by Dan Choudhury. Even though this year may be an exception for the House trophies, the effort put in by Paterson House was still very much worth it and you should all be looking to continue this into the future.

I would firstly like to say thank you to my two deputies, Olly Cay and Dylan Cleveland, who, despite often writing and contributing to assemblies late on a Wednesday night, have provided huge amounts of support and dedication throughout the year with all the House events, meetings and assemblies, it has been a real pleasure to work alongside the both of you.

A massive thank you must also go to Miss Chalk who has been a huge asset in driving forward Paterson House. Although much of her work goes unnoticed, she works tirelessly to ensure that the House is running smoothly. Her organisation and motivation has made this last year much more straightforward and I’m sure that without her help, myself and my deputies would have seriously struggled.

My final thank you goes to the members of my tutor group for being a group of funny and friendly lads and for providing some great memories over the years. In addition to members of the class, Mr Chappell deserves a huge thank you because, since joining us in year 8, he has not only provided some excellent humour and stories but also key support as well as encouragement to all the students in our class.

I wish every member of Paterson House good luck for the future, it has been brilliant getting to know many of you over the past year, and please keep up your unparalleled desire to participate and succeed. Finally, best of luck to the Head boys of House for the upcoming year; Kit, Aidan and Sachin. I am sure you will enjoy this responsibility and should feel proud to be leading such an exceptional House!

Thank you.

Head of House Perspective:

This has been a very unusual year for everyone and the impact on the House events has been significant. Thankfully, we had managed to complete some events that allows me to be able to report on our progress. The Watson was the least affected of the cups, so the Paterson House review will start there.

The Watson Trophy

The school started off with the first event in the Watson trophy - Senior Public Speaking. Back in October, our team of Nick Cay (Pa10), Alex Comben (Pa11), Sachin Patel (Pa12) and Aidan Purchase (Pa13) worked hard to research and write their speeches covering a diverse range of topics including the power of thought, perceptions on normality, lessons learnt from mistakes and an interesting speech on the future of society that discussed the ‘fanciful’ possibility of a superbug decimating the world’s population, which, looking back on now, was quite insightful. Our speakers did a fantastic job and finished in a really pleasing second place. Well done to all the speakers and thanks to Mrs Sampson for all her help and support to the team in preparing for the competition.

Moving onto the next event of House Art, as a House we were excited. This is always an event that really brings us together as everyone has the opportunity to participate and be involved in it. Having won the event for the last four years, the pressure was on and the other Houses were working hard to take over the top spot. The Senior Art team led by Year 13 students Previn Chady and Dylan Cleveland, alongside a small group of dedicated Year 12 students decided on this year’s theme: Ancient Egypt.

They created an ambitious display that was focused around a tomb within a pyramid and with a plethora of art that included over 130 entries that were inspired by Egyptian history as well as items produced using a range of tools including Lego, paint, photography and bread. The students had made a diverse range of submissions for the competition including drawings, jewellery, musical instruments and a cartoon flipbook. We had models made from various materials and Reuben Bithell (Pa8) even used his own forge to create a traditional Egyptian sickle-sword. The results came in and we were awarded 3rd place this year, a little disappointing, but a top three finish in any House competition is a great place to be. Well done to everyone who did their bit to support the House and entered a piece of Art to the competition. Special mention goes to Previn and the House Art Captains who worked tirelessly to organise everything. An additional congratulations goes to our award winners:

Double Distinction Awards: Saharsh Tikkireddi (Pa7), Ben Curry (Pa9), Dom Staines (Pa10).

Certificates of Excellence: Harry Blowfield (Pa7), Ollie Buckthorpe (Pa7), Senesh Chady (Pa7), Aryan Gorai (Pa7), Ben Hyde (Pa7), Sebastien Jimenez (Pa7), Thomas Ludlam (Pa7), Luke Marshall (Pa7), Armaan Mushtaq (Pa7), Reuben Bithell (Pa8), Ben Jones (Pa8), Hugh Podmore (Pa8), Saravanan Vijay Kannian (Pa8), Toby Yeneralski

(Pa8), Jonny Buckthorpe (Pa9), Eddie Greenfield (Pa9), Ryan Morrell (Pa9), Aki Vuppalanchi (Pa9), George Whall (Pa9), Thomas Young (Pa9), Jay Raj (Pa11), Sam Holcroft (Pa12), Olly Cay (Pa13).

Merits: Thomas Lowe (Pa7), Conor Bright (Pa8), Luca Forchione (Pa8), Edward Gibbs (Pa8), Rafik Moussaoui (Pa8), Ben Oakes (Pa8), Saravanan Vijay Kannian (Pa8), Adam Ward (Pa8), Billy Knibb (Pa9), Ollie Main (Pa9), Zach Cooke (Pa10), Leo McIntosh (Pa10), Sanjit Mallya (Pa11), Jay Raj (Pa11), Abdurrahman Aroworamimo (Pa12).

In addition, our Senior Captain, in conjunction with the AGS Art Department recognised a number of students for their significant contributions towards creating our House Art display and management of the submissions:

Overall Contribution Awards: Olly Speake (Pa13), Dylan Cleveland (Pa13), Olly Cay (Pa13), Aidan Purchase (Pa13), Leo McIntosh (Pa10), George Birch (Pa10), Cyrus Pitcher (Pa12), Alex Marsden (Pa12).

Following this, we moved our attention to the House Music event. This was a little different this year as it was going to the held in the Waterside Theatre, which provided an added element of excitement. Our senior music team led by Dan Choudhury (Pa12), spent months planning which songs we would perform and arranging the music ahead of the rehearsals. When the time to draw the performance order for the event came, we were allocated the opening slot for the evening. Some may have been disappointed with this, but we saw it as an opportunity to set the standard for the event, as well as make a little bit of history to be the first AGS House to perform in House Music at this new venue.

After many rehearsals, the Paterson House Music team comprising of 70 members of the House met in the Waterside Theatre dressing room for their traditional pep-talk before the competition from our Captain. Our compères George Atwell (Pa12) and Sam Holcroft (Pa12) made their way into the theatre auditorium to start the night off and introduce our set. With a 60-man choir to get on stage, as well as the musicians the darkness of the stage allowed us to do this seamlessly. As the lights came up, the lead singer for our first piece, Alex Lincoln (Pa12) made his way to centre stage to perform our first song ‘I’m Still Standing’ by Elton John. This certainly got the crowd ready for the exciting night ahead of them.

There was then a seamless transition into the technically challenging and somewhat mesmerising ‘Wonderful Slippery Thing’ by Guthrie Govan performed by Dan Choudhury (Pa12), Aidan Purchase (Pa13) and Sam Munday (Pa12). Following this we completed our set with a moving performance of Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Game’ sung by the extremely talented Theo Parfitt (Pa11). One of the benefits of performing first on the evening, is that the team can then sit back and enjoy the rest of the show! The results were announced, and we finished the evening in third place, which we were pleased with and we hope to improve on next year. Our Captain had set out from the start of our preparations that he did not want us to be just focused on winning, but he wanted everyone involved to enjoy being part of House Music and from the feedback I have received I can say that absolutely everyone involved had a great time and this for me is the most important aspect of House events. Well done to Dan and the whole music team for making this all happen.

The final event to report on is House Writing. This year’s theme was ‘Our World’, which was interpreted in many ways within the 130+ entries the House Writing Editorial Team led by Dylan Cleveland (Pa13) received from across all year groups. A range of different writing styles including poems, diary entries, short stories, limericks, recipes, announcements, haikus, monologues, and news articles were submitted, and these were whittled down to the best entries that would make it into the Paterson House Writing Magazine.

These were entries from:

Paterson 7 - Anish Jakka, Senesh Chady, Jonny Daly, Ayan Sharma

Paterson 8 - William Johnson, Nathaniel Thomey, Ben McCrory, Nathan Hancox, Rafik Moussaoui, Peter Turland

Paterson 9 - Eddie Greenfield, George Mansfield, Pragvansh Bhatt, Ben Curry, Max Ward, Jonny Buckthorpe, Sam Duodu

Paterson 10 - Sam Pyefinch, Thomas Hendley, Johann Armah, Dom Staines, Nick Cay

Paterson 11 - Kaustubh Singh, Bar Heasman, Samuel Mitev, Nathan Curry,

Paterson 12 - Sachin Patel, AJ ElliottGratton, Alex Marsden, Sam Munday, George Atwell, Sam Choudhury, Kit Fairhurst, Shayak Chakraborti

Paterson 13 - Olly Speake, Dylan Cleveland, Olly Cay Notable Entries: Senesh Chady (Pa7) and Kaustubh Singh (Pa11)

Merit Award: Eddie Greenfield (Pa9)

Distinction: Sam Choudhury (Pa12)

school, but we were able to utilise technologies and the feedback from the adjudicator, award winning writer Matt Brown, was done via google meet. With only nine points separating all six Houses, it was an incredibly close competition and we finished in 4th place overall with a score of 68/90. The adjudicator commended us on the artistic design of our magazine, and thanks and congratulations should go to Sam Holcroft (Pa12) for his impressive artwork that was selected to be used for the cover of this year’s magazine. A number of awards were also presented by the adjudicator: House Chess competition, where we finished in 4th place – this is not traditionally a strong event for us, and it seems this year was no different unfortunately. A decision was made to award the Watson this year, as the majority of the events had been completed, meaning that based on the standings for the completed events, as well as partial points awarded for non-completed events we finished the Watson in 5th place.

The Brodie Trophy

The Brodie did not get off to a great start. With the first event, House Cross Country cancelled (twice) due to poor weather and ground conditions we were unable to participate in what is usually a strong event for Paterson House. We focused on the other Brodie events in the Autumn term, Squash and Rugby, where we had 5th and 6th place finishes respectively. Unfortunately, these were the only events we were able to finish this year in the Brodie competition as these are predominantly completed in the Spring and Summer terms. As such, a decision was made not to award the Brodie trophy this year.

Remote Challenges

In an attempt to maintain some level of House activity during the period of remote learning, we introduced a series of Paterson House Lockdown Challenges for students to participate in and the entries for these were judged by the

Head Boys of House. Well done to all the students who participated in these, and congratulations to all of our winners.

Remote Challenge 1 – Prepare a short video to show us how you are preparing for next year’s House events whilst in lockdown

Winner: Saravanan Vijay Kannian (Pa8). Highly Commended: Riaghan Matheson (Pa10), Sam Munday (Pa12), Abdurrahman Aroworamimo (Pa12)

Remote Challenge 2 – Cook something inspired by purple

Winner: Keane Liboon (Pa9). Highly Commended: Tom Blowfield (Pa12), Ben Hyde (Pa7) and Peter Clark (Pa8)

Remote Challenge 3 – Create a guide to AGS and Paterson House to welcome our new Year 6 and 12 students in September

Winner: Ed Campbell (Pa11). Highly Commended: Luke Marshall (Pa7) and Sachin Patel (Pa12)

And Finally, ….

The House System at AGS offers so much more than just House events. I am delighted that in Paterson House we have been able to promote a significant number of students to leadership positions including Buddy’s, Junior Prefects, School Prefects and Senior Prefects. We have also raised £353 for this year’s House Charity – Surfers Against Sewage. note of thanks to Olly Speake (Head Boy of House) and Dylan Cleveland and Olly Cay (Deputy Head Boys of House) who have done a fantastic job in their roles this year, working incredibly hard to run Paterson House in rather challenging and constantly changing circumstances at times. Their commitment and enthusiasm has been amazing and they have been a joy to work alongside. I was especially impressed with the way they maintained their leadership throughout the time of the national COVID lockdown by running sessions online where they offered support to the younger students in the House. Thank you.

I would also like to wish all the outgoing Year 13s all the very best of luck and success in the future. I am so sorry that we did not get to celebrate your time with us in the normal ways, but I am sure we will at some point in the future. They have been a wonderful year group to get to know and I will miss them all as they leave us. Thank you for all the memories and the laughs along the way. You will always be a member of #TeamPaterson. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all of the wonderful work done by the Paterson House tutors who have worked tirelessly with the students over the last year providing them with an exceptional level of pastoral care and support, and are always such a great support to me in leading the House. Thank you very much Dr Twissell, Mr Nathan, Dr Gardner, Mr McIntosh, Dr McNamara, Mrs Sampson and Mr Chappell.

It would be fair to say that this was not looking to be one of our strongest years in terms of trophy finishes based on the events that had been completed, but this is not the only measure of success. The effort and dedication that all students in Paterson House put into events this year has been outstanding. The success we achieved this year may not have been through winning trophies, but through the determination and team spirit displayed by every member of the House, and I am so proud of this.

I have been in awe of how well all the students in Paterson House have adapted to the unique challenges that have been presented to them over the course of this year. During the remote learning phase, I was delighted to be able to join in with many tutor group google meets and it was wonderful to see the students during this time and catch up with all the wonderful things they have been doing alongside their learning whilst in lockdown. Such an incredible group of students who have been making the most out of a difficult situation and I hope they bring that determination and spirit to next year’s House events.

Phillips House Report

The total curtailment of extracurricular and co-curricular school life due to lockdown does not alter the fact that much has been achieved by Phillips House this

academic year. Phillips House has been at the forefront of AGS life and our boys have enthusiastically thrown themselves into every activity and competition on offer, with some excellent results. Once more, this has been a year of ups and downs in the Brodie and Watson with the usual rollercoaster of disappointment and elation, but always with determination and commitment.

I want to start by welcoming Mrs Jackson as the new Ph8 tutor and know that she has already made her mark as a firm, fair and thoroughly supportive leader to her tutor group. As usual we have appointed an excellent crop of Junior Prefect, Prefects and Senior Prefects, who have set themselves up as excellent role models to their peers and juniors. I am also impressed with the Year 8 buddies who have provided vital support to boys in Ph7.

Just before lockdown bit into the end of the Spring term, it was my great pleasure to welcome our new Head boy, Chris and his two deputies, Tayo and Ethan. They were selected from a typically highly competitive Phillips cohort and have already shown pro-activity in trying to find ways to connect with the House during the challenges of the Summer term. I would like to give massive thanks to our outgoing Head Boys, Ben, Adam and Max, who gave me outstanding support and really led from the front to give all the Boys of Phillips House something to aspire to.

Brodie Cup

Once again cross country fell by the wayside but there were several Brodie competitions on offer in the first two terms. It is fair to say that our results were not what we wanted but do not reflect on the hard work and commitment put in by our teams in what turned out to be really tough events.

Squash and Rugby were competed before lockdown. In Squash the results were: Seniors and Inters, 6th, Juniors 5th and a creditable 3rd to Year 7 which deserves real praise. Overall, we came 6th in the squash. In Rugby we faired better with Year 10 coming 4th, Year 9, an outstanding 1st, Year 8 placed 6th and another fantastic performance from Year 7 coming 1st. So, although our overall position was joint 4th, we did see two excellent performances from the teams of Ph9 and Ph7, well done to you all.

The basketball competition only had time for the Inters where we came 4th. A fantastic effort from the team, but against good competition, just not quite enough for the highest placings. Overall in the Brodie we came 5th but thank you to all who played and gave of their best. At least we beat Paterson! Well done to you all.

Watson Trophy

This year’s Watson Trophy saw some outstanding results for Phillips and was a significant improvement on the Brodie results.

Without a doubt, our best result was in Senior public speaking. I was blown away by the results where all four competitors from Ph10 to 13 won their age groups to give an overall 1st by a huge margin. Additionally, both Hamza of Ph11 and Kat of Ph13 were awarded ‘best speaker’. This was a truly heroic result and I am sure that had we held a Junior Public Speaking this year, Phillips would have been in the running for victory.

As usual, in House Art the boys of Phillips demonstrated creativity, originality and innovation to create a display that was very impressive and it was a shame that we came 5th. Well done to all who submitted work and especially to those who turned up at lunchtimes to help prepare and set up the display. Well done to you all.

The Senior quiz proved more successful with an excellent overall 1st place. Well done to both teams which included Adam, Tom, Hirshal, Sam, Ben, Oscar, Freddy, Tayo, Charles and George. You all did yourselves and Phillips proud. Musical talent is never in short supply in Phillips and this year was no exception. I was really pleased with the hard work that went into organising and producing our set. It was the first time that the competition has been held in the Waterside Theatre and let’s hope it is not the last! However, it was a shame that in the end we came 5th. It does seem to be that our efforts are never quite rewarded in the marks. Well done to you all though and good luck as we embark on more musical endeavour as planning starts in the Autumn term.

House Chess proved more of a success and in a day of intense concentration and highly skilled play by all the boys, Phillips came an impressive 2nd place overall, the highest for some years.

House Writing is a competition that has suffered from lack of entries in recent years. This has always been the main reason we have lost points, but this year was different. The editors worked magnificently to rally all and with an excellent cover design and some truly inspired submissions, we came a good 3rd place. Next year, even higher!

So overall, we came a magnificent 2nd in the Watson with some excellent performances, five points off Ridley’s pace as runaway winners. This gives us huge confidence to go one better next time around!

I would like to finish by saying a massive thank you to all of you in Phillips House. Without your efforts and skill there would be no competitions. It is of course, not just about competitive events, far from it. I have thoroughly enjoyed some highly stimulating assemblies led by boys from Ph7 to 13.

I have also been grateful for the charity fund raising, this year for ‘Clic Sergeant’ as well as all your efforts in bucket collecting for Malawi. Last but not least, thank you from me and on behalf of all the boys for the hard work from our dedicated team of tutors. Lets now look forward to some normality in 2020-21.

Ridley House Report

As I wrote in my Aylesburian Report last year, 2018-19 was not a vintage year for Ridley House, having finished Joint 5th in the Brodie Trophy and 4th in the

Watson Trophy. This year Ridley certainly bounced back, although sadly House events were severely disrupted with the onset of the Covid-19 global pandemic.

It was the Brodie Trophy that was most affected by the closure of the school and with a number of the sporting competitions either incomplete or having not even started the decision was taken that there would be no awarding of the overall trophy. Squash was one competition that was completed and Ridley finished 4th overall after the Seniors had got us off to a great start by winning their event. We finished Joint 2nd in the Rugby with every age group finishing no lower than 4th and our Year 8s coming runners-up. In Basketball, only the Senior competition was completed before lockdown and we finished a very creditable 2nd place. Ridley had also made a great start in the Football competition with our Seniors coming 2nd and the Inters winning their competition. At the point of the school closure Ridley lay in 3rd place in the overall Brodie standings, but only half a point off Denson in 2nd. It was of course such a shame that so many events could not be completed this year. Events such as the House Swimming Gala and Sports Day are always highlights of the AGS annual calendar, whilst the Junior House Football is an integral part of the AGS Fete. The House Tennis always signals the end of another year of intense inter-house competition. Sadly, none of these events could take place. Although the Brodie could not be completed, it was quite clear that Ridley had made a significant recovery in their sporting fortunes. Had we finished all the planned events, we would certainly have been pushing for a top-half finish in the Brodie, if not better!

The Watson Trophy got off to a poor start from our perspective – last place in the House Art. It was a real shame for the captains who put a great deal of thought and effort into our exhibition, but we never seem to do well in the Art. From here on in, it was luckily a story of unparralled success. The undoubted highlight of the year for me was the House Music, with the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre providing a superb venue for the AGS musicians to showcase their many talents. Ridley, expertly led by Dylan Holmes-Cowan and Tom Proctor and supported by a number of committed Year 13 musicians such as Ben Harty and Tom O’Shea were the deserved winners in a high quality competition. It was a superb team effort from all our musicians, but I should also mention both Ishaan Chakraborty and Reuben Cole who both had the courage to take on lead vocal roles. Well done to everyone involved.

House Chess was a very tight competition, but with our Junior team coming 1st, Ridley were victorious overall. Special mention should go to our departing players from Year 13, Ayon Bose and Tom Proctor, who have been integral members of our chess teams for 7 years. Our final piece of good news of the year was that the Ridley House Magazine (edited by Tom Selby, Euan Walters, Ollie McKenna and Finn McCourty) was also placed first. Therefore, in an outstandingly successful year, Ridley won 3 out of the 4 Watson competitions that could be completed.

In the Public Speaking, only the Senior competition was completed and our team of Dylan HolmesCowan, Dylan Sellors, Aymaan Sheikh and Aadhav Sakthivel were placed 2nd. The Senior Quiz was also completed, producing a bit of a mixed bag. One of our teams won their competition, whereas the other Ridley team came last!

With 4 of the 6 Watson competitions complete and the Quiz and Public Speaking part-finished the decision was taken to award the Watson Trophy. After a couple of barren years, it was fantastic for everyone in the House to win silverware. The final Watson Trophy standings were therefore as follows:

Ridley - 23 Phillips – 18

Lee – 17.75

Paterson - 17.25

Hampden – 16 Another highlight of the year was of course the annual Ridley House panto. This year the Ridley tutors treated the Ridley students with our own take on the classic Cinderella – in our case ‘Cinder-Edward’. Both the acting and the jokes were as good (or bad?) as ever and we thank Mr Grant once again for both writing and directing a masterpiece.

This year we have supported the mental health charity MIND as our nominated House charity. I must mention Ollie McKenna and Owen Billings in R12 who have both run half marathons in order to support our charity and they have raised a thousand pounds in the process.

Of course, our successes this year were very much a collective effort, but I must pay tribute in particular to our fantastic leadership team –