The Cockerel - December 2023

The Cockerel BOLTON SCHOOL BOYS’ DIVISION NEWSLETTER ISSUE 43 - DECEMBER 2023

Chapter 1

School in Fine Voice at Christmas Festival

School in Fine Voice at Christmas Festival

H

undreds gathered in the Great Hall of the Boys’ Division for this year’s Christmas Festival of Carols. Head Nic Ford welcomed guests, who were quickly on their feet to give rousing vocal support to the banks of choirs, along with a full orchestra, as they sang Once in Royal David’s City. The festive celebration was punctuated with seasonal readings, reflections and prayers, the first being from Isaiah 9: v2, 6-7 from Christopher Ejeh, which was followed

by Earthed read by Noah Spielmann. It was then the turn of the Joint Chamber Choir to deliver an enchanting version of In the Stillness.

The congregation was again on its feet to join in with See Amid the Winter’s Snow and the second reading of the evening came from Daniel Keene from Luke 1: v26-33; the second reflection A Mother’s Love came from Alex Pierson. A school favourite, Hark!

The Herald Angels Sing! saw enthusiastic contributions from the choir of pupils, staff and friends of the school and from the audience alike before Joshua Pilkington 2

read Luke 2: v15-20 and Tristan

Shine Jesus Shine was delivered with

Bennett read the

the usual seasonal gusto before the

reflection Curious. The Lower

Reverend Dave Thompson, Vicar of

School Choir sang an

Christ Church Heaton used the allegory

endearing The Christmas Star.

of a lost clutch of birds in a storm to remind us how God offers us direction.

After a rousing rendition of Joy to the World! Head of Foundation Philip Britton read John 1: v1-14 and Freddie Bovill read the reflection Christmas. There followed a bewitching interpretation of Overture and Dance of the Sugar Plum

He also told how the true gift of Christmas does not come wrapped in ribbons, but that it is the gift of God and his son, Jesus Christ.

Fairy from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite by a String Quartet

Once more, the Chamber

of Harry Adams, Marcus Fung, Tom Williamson and Matthew

Choir was in fine voice as

Yeung.

they sang Where Riches is

Another Carol Festival favourite, Mary’s Boy Child, saw everyone back on their feet to back the soloists William Martin, Priyesh Fernando and Zach Campbell-Robinson. The fifth reading of the evening also came from the Gospel of John 4: v7-9 and was read

by Ashton Morrissey; the accompanying reflection, I am Wishing You this Day, was from Tanmay Gokul. The Boys’ Chamber Choir was then joined by oboist James Bland in delivering There is Faint Music.

Everlastingly. The final prayer, Christian Aid, was read by Dhilan Jacobs.

The evening closed out with an uplifting O Come, all ye Faithful! and there was a retiring collection for Urban Outreach and the YMCA as guests enjoyed refreshments in the Riley Centre.

You can watch the Christmas Festival here.

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Chapter 2

Pupils enjoy Kayaking trip to Wales

Pupils enjoy Kayaking trip to Wales once we got back to the

W

e set off from school at 4pm embarking on the three and a half hour drive in Friday rush hour traffic (thankfully sped up by some music and sleep). Once we had arrived at the house we were staying in, had unloaded all the kit, we had had a mini chess tournament, and had watched some TV, it was time for bed.

accommodation. After some relaxing, we went out for a meal and had some delicious pizza at a local restaurant.

The second day was just a busy as the first, setting off nice and early with the plan to paddle on the Menai Strait,

For the first frosty day of kayaking,

and that we did. It was slightly warmer

we chose the Mawddach Estuary. It

than the previous day, but definitely

was about -3 degrees; however, that

not shorts and t-shirt weather. Overall,

didn’t stop us – we wrapped up

I believe that the trip may have ignited a passion for sea

warm and set off for a day on the

kayaking among some of us, as we are now planning our D of E

water. It was the first time for most of

in sea kayaks.

us paddling on an estuary, therefore

Many thanks

we had to learn how to prepare for

t o M r. S .

the worst and think ahead because it

Bradley for

was so

organising the

c o l d

trip and

and the estuary was about 650m

adapting it

wide! Once we arrived at the

when

destination, there was a great

weather didn’t

sense of achievement and we all

go to plan.

enjoyed a warm hot chocolate

the

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Chapter 3

Pupils participate in a wide variety of music-making

Pupils participate in a wide variety of music-making There has been a great deal of music-making to enjoy over the past half term in addition to the Christmas Festival and the key events are described below.

On Monday 20th November, we had our Year 7 Concert in the Boys’ Division. Just under 150 pupils sang a variety of songs, as a

On Sunday 26th November, our Joint Senior Concert Band, directed by Miss Archer, headed to Oldham to perform in the regionals of the National Concert Band Festival. Everyone played fantastically despite it being a cold, early Sunday morning. They received a well-deserved Gold Award and an invitation to the National Final in March! The adjudicator’s comments stated “A superb school band with skilful playing in all departments. A thoroughly enjoyable performance, especially the dramatic finale!”

whole year group choir, to a packed Great Hall. We had captivating performances from a violin trio and an African drumming ensemble. Alongside this, there were impressive solo performances on piano, violin, electric guitar, saxophone, cornet, and vocals, with pieces ranging from Oasis and Cream to Scott Joplin. The night was a fantastic demonstration of the incredible and varied musical capabilities of our Year 7 pupils.

On Tuesday 14th November, the Joint Autumn Concert brought together musicians from the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions for an evening of entertainment across Bolton School’s two Great Halls.

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The programme featured a mix of Joint music ensembles, separate Boys’ and Girls’ Division groups, and solo performances.

The evening began in the Girls’ Division Great Hall with two Classical pieces performed by the Senior Orchestra: Capriccio Espagna by Rimsky-Korsakov and Symphony No. 8 Mvt. 1 by Schubert. This joint opening was followed by a focus on Girls’ Division performers. The Girls’ Division Lower School Choir sang Katy Perry’s Roar and piano soloist Bing Yu Wang played Rêverie

by Debussy.

The second soloist of the first half was Amy Heaton on cornet, performing The Sunshine of Your Smile by Lilian Ray. The Girls’ Division Senior Choir rounded off the first half of the evening with a performance of Spirit by T. McKenzie, I. Salmanzadeh and B. Knowles.

The audience enjoyed interval refreshments provided by the Boys’ and Girls’ Division Parents’ Associations in the Riley Centre Returning to joint fare, the String Quartet (Harry Adams, Haylie

before moving to the Boys’ Division Great Hall for the second half

Tsang, Uma Patel and Matthew Yeung) gave a captivating

of the Autumn Concert.

performance of Nimrod from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar, and the Jazz Ensemble played Children of Sanchez by C. Mangione, with many performers taking their moment in the spotlight during this piece.

The Senior Concert Band continued the programme with two pieces: Hyper Drive by R. Ford and To Dance Among the Stars by B. Balmages. Next, Boys’ Division performers took to the stage: pianist Priyesh Fernando played the solo piece Jingo, by C. 8

Norton, and the Boys’ Division Lower School Choir sang A Million

The Autumn ‘Hall Crawl’ Concert was once again a very enjoyable

Dreams from ‘The Greatest Showman’ (by B. Pasek and J. Paul).

and varied evening for all those who attended, and showcased the talent and skill of musicians across the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions.

Congratulations and thank you to all pupils and staff who participated in these highly enjoyable events.

The joint String Ensemble were next to play, giving a performance of ABBA’s Mamma Mia, followed by two pieces by the Joint Tuned Percussion Ensemble: Mas que Nada by J. Ben and Moondance by V. Morrison, both arranged by Mr. Forgrieve, Foundation Director of Instrumental Music.

The final solo of the evening was from James Bland: he performed Oboe Sonata Op. 116, 2nd Movement by Saint-Saëns.

Finally, the Chamber Choir brought the Autumn Concert to a close with two songs: Autumn Leaves by J. Kosma and Take Me Home by K. Olusola, K. Maldonado and A. Mae. 9

Chapter 4

Year 9 pupils in Water polo Nationals winning side

Year 9 pupils in Water polo Nationals winning side

Y

ear 9 pupils Lucas Bishop and Oliver Carter both played in the victorious City of Manchester Water polo team that regained the title in the Swim England Under 15 Open National Age Group Championships that took place in Coventry last weekend. The team had great success as they saw off competition from Exeter in an 8-6 win, followed by an 8-2 win against Sutton and Cheam and a decisive victory against Hucknall 13-2. They then went on to win a close match against City of Birmingham 6-5, before meeting tough opposition in the Final against Watford, but City of Manchester prevailed, winning 5-4. Congratulations to both Lucas and Oliver for their strong performance.

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Chapter 5

Pupils enjoy success in National Language Competition

Pupils enjoy success in National Language Competition

A

number of keen linguists from Years 9 and 10 recently took part in the National Language Competition, which is now in its second year, organised by GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence, security and cyber agency.

Pupils engaged with a wide range of linguistic problem-solving challenges on an online platform and demonstrated excellent teamwork and enthusiasm for their language studies.

Particular congratulations go to Ali Asghar, Jax Ho, Kenzie Naylor and Jack Singh in Year 10, who were the School’s topperforming team and secured a place just outside of the Top 50 on the national leaderboard from an entry of over 2000 teams from 500 schools.

The boys who competed were: Ali Asghar, Jax Ho, Louie Healey, Dhilan Jacobs, Jacob Jones, Marton Lange, Will Lucas, Yehia Mohamed, Jakub Maron, Kenzie Naylor, Vince Parkinson, Avi Patel, Nishan Sharma, Yasir Shobowale, Jack Singh, Ian So and Abdullah Zaeem.

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Chapter 6

Craft Club produces Christmas Cards to sell

Craft Club produces Christmas Cards to sell

C

raft Club is a Lower School extra-curricular activity whose motto is 'good enough to sell’. We have spent this term creating seasonal cards to sell – designing, hand carving and printing images onto recycled card. This month, we have opened up A6 as a shop to sell the cards.

Thank you to all staff and students for supporting our young craftspeople. Look out for further opportunities to buy our wares next year, starting with Mother's Day gifts.

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Chapter 7

Pupils try Squash and excel in Badminton

Pupils try Squash and excel in Badminton

O

n Tuesday 21st November, five boys from Years 7-9 took part in our first ever Squash National Schools' tournament at the National Squash Centre in Manchester. Facing more experienced opposition, the boys fought competitively and managed to win a few games against Didsbury High School, Manchester Grammar School and

Tytherington, but overall, didn't manage to accumulate enough points to go through to the next stage of the championship.

Nevertheless, they will have the opportunity to compete for the National Plate competition in January and are looking forward to gaining more experience of competitive play.

This half term, the Under 16 Badminton teams, which include pupils from Years 9-11, have been involved in a number of fixtures against local schools in the Bolton Badminton League.

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The Under 16 ‘B’ team remains unbeaten, winning against Westhoughton, the Girls' Division and Rivington & Blackrod, and drawing against Thornleigh. The Under 16 ‘A’ team has won three matches and has lost only to our closest neighbours, the Girls' Division! We have one fixture left to play against Canon Slade, which will take place in the New Year. A special well done to Max Roberts and Zach Tyrer-Hall in Year 11, who haven't lost a single match yet.

On Monday 4th December, ten players from Years 7 & 8 took part in a Key Stage 3 Badminton Festival against four other schools from Bolton; this was a great opportunity for the team to play lots of timed doubles matches, as well as getting experience of playing competitively. A special well done to Dan Hinks and George Pickett, who didn't lose a single match.

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Chapter 8

Pupils enjoy tour to Rome and the Bay of Naples

Pupils enjoy tour to Rome and the Bay of Naples calm atmosphere in the Pantheon. Pupils learned about the

D

uring the October half term break, forty Classics and History students embarked on an epic tour of some stunning classical sites as well as several iconic sites from Italy’s recent history. This trip was eagerly awaited following the long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it was the first foreign school trip for many of the pupils.

reunification of Italy before their visit to the monument of Vittorio Emanuele II – the classicists also enjoyed a close up view of a Roman insula (block of flats) still visible next to the monument.

The pupils relished the opportunity to visit some o f R o m e ’s m o s t f a m o u s landmarks, taking in the scale and gradeur of t h e Colosseum and Roman Forum as well as the contemplative and

The pupils were then awed by the opulence on show in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, but some took the time to 20

translate the Latin and Greek

re m i n d e r a s t h e

which was emblazoned on the

pupils saw several

golden ceiling spaces.

plaster casts of adults, children and

The pupils soaked up the

even animals

atmosphere at the country villa

preserved in their

at Tivoli belonging to Emperor

dying state.

Hadrian (of ‘wall’ fame) and the water and therefore wealth on

Then on to the

show and were able to contrast

cause of all that

this with the cascading

destruction – the

fountains, which were both

pupils climbed a section of the volcano itself, which towers over

visually

the surrounding area and they even ran into the Girls’ Division

and acoustically stunning in their visit to the Villa D’Este, also at Tivoli. Next, they explored Montecassino Abbey, and learned about the Benedictine order as well as the role of the building and its rebuilding

Classics Trip on top of the mountain!

Our final stop was Herculaneum, where pupils were able to see the carbonised wood that survives here, some stunning frescoes and shops as well as new sections of the excavations.

following its extensive bombardment in

The pupils were good humoured and impeccably behaved. They

World War II.

particularly enjoyed the culinary delights that Italy has to offer –

The trip to Pompeii gave all of the pupils the chance to rediscover a town that they had all studied in Year 7 – a stop at Caecilius’ house was a must. Many of the GCSE pupils were able to see some of the prescribed houses and monuments first hand such

primarily pizza, pasta and copious amounts of gelato! Thanks must go to Mr. Lamb for organising such a varied and interesting tour, as well as Mr. Fairbairn, Miss Wrathmell, Miss Marsh and Mrs. Brandon, who accompanied the trip.

as the tombs and well-preserved baths. The human suffering exacted by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 was a constant 21

Chapter 9

Joint School Production: ‘Around the World in 80 Days’

Joint School Production: ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ Theo Michaelas, Jacob Little, Faaz Sajid, Daniel Linas, Thomas

B

olton School's Joint Production in December showcased an outstanding collaboration of pupils from Years 8 to 13 in a mesmerizing performance of 'Around the World in 80 Days'. The cast, taking Laura Eason’s stage adaptation, skilfully interwove the classic narrative with the remarkable true story of Nellie Bly, the pioneering journalist who completed a global circumnavigation in an astounding 72 days.

Felicity Field delivered a captivating portrayal of Nellie Bly, interacting with Jules Verne, played by Mollie Grimshaw, in a meeting of adventurous minds. The ensemble

Sibley, Vince Parkinson, Saif Karim, and David Chow, who adeptly took on various roles as gentlemen of the Reform Club, global administrators, and a judge. Stella Rojek, Amanda Rojek, Ellen McKay, Molly Grimshaw, Coco Jones, Thea Littlefair, Zoe Attive, Ila Stephenson and Eve Blackmore took the roles of n e w s c o r re s p o n d e n t s around the globe as well as other character pieces.

c a s t

Jayden Luhar showcased versatility, playing Mr. Naidu and

f e a t u re d a

Captain Speedy. Fletcher Mellor-Brook tackled the roles of

stellar

Fogg's first valet James, Colonel Stamp-Proctor, and even

lineup,

portrayed an elephant with assistance from Thea Littlefair and Liv

including

Hextall. Liv, acting as a global tour guide, managed a plethora of

Theo Jones,

hot air balloons, flags, rubber ducks, sailing equipment, and

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flying goggles. She

orchestrated breathtaking set-pieces against the clock, including

also fleeting appeared

regimented presentations of Fogg's routines, gentlemen's clubs

as the Statue of

interspersed with female journalists' narrations, swimming the

Liberty. Coco Jones

English Channel, traversing the Alps by train, and crossing the

played Mrs. Singh

snowy Great Plains by sledge.

alongside her elephant, generously loaned from Theatre by the Lake, while Sam Entwistle took on the conniving Inspector Fix, who was determined to bring Fogg down, and also had a turn as Barnum.

Ila Stephenson appeared as Captain Blossom Von Darius. Eve Blackmore portrayed Mrs. Sinclair with grace, great comedy and heart; a feisty character whose insight and personality won Fogg's dedication.

Tom Griffiths took on the role of Passepartout, Fogg's

The production also featured Japanese floating gardens, storms

replacement valet, playing the part with athleticism, acrobatics,

at sea, and transcontinental train rides assailed by bandits. The

and warmth. Billy Burrows, in the lead role of Phileas Fogg,

final section of the play unfolded as a race against time, with lead

delivered a splendid character arc, transitioning from a

roles Fogg, Passepartout, and Mrs. Sinclair engaging in a

comedically pompous and uptight gentleman to a worldly

montage of running and mistaken disappointment. Head of

individual full of care for others and a spirit of adventure. The cast

Foundation, Philip Britton, lauded the show as 'absolutely terrific' 24

with pace, action, great performances, and, of course, an

and gifted performers. As one Sixth Former aptly expressed, 'We

elephant. The production, set in the round on a compass stage,

built a new family together; it is an experience I will never forget’.

incorporated films to introduce characters, convey travel, create atmosphere, and infuse Jules Verne's imaginative spirit into the narrative.

Lighting and sound, skilfully operated by Leon Deakin, heightened the urgency of the play as it raced along at a pace of knots. Special thanks are extended to the Parents' Association, Friends of Bolton School, the Estates Team, Mr. Kyle for set construction and prop delivery, visiting theatre-makers Collette Murray and Ruth Allison, and staff members who supported front-ofhouse activities. The show, a thoroughly delightful experience, showcased not only the cast's exceptional talent, but also their ability to be generous collaborators, ingenious problem solvers, inventive theatre-makers,

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Chapter 10

Year 8 enjoy their trip to the Rhineland

Year 8 enjoy their trip to the Rhineland language in

I

context for

n October half term 2023, the German Department set off on our long-awaited trip to the Rhineland, Germany. 43 Year 8 students and five staff members travelled from Bolton School to Hull, taking the overnight ferry to Rotterdam, before travelling on to the Rhineland. Over the course of five days, we visited Cologne, Koblenz, Boppard, Rüdesheim and Aachen.

the first time, the

learnt lots a b o u t G e r m a n history and

Highlights included a boat trip along the

politics,

River Rhine, climbing the 533 steps up to

courtesy of

the top of Cologne Cathedral, travelling in style via cable car, and the everpopular ‘Sommerrodelbahn’. The boys were a credit to the school and behaved excellently. They also tested their German language skills when ordering

boys

Mr. Brace’s talks at some of the historic sites which we visited. Their Rhineland diaries showed just how much they had learnt and how much they enjoyed the trip. Doubtless they will look back on it fondly for many years to come.

snacks and drinks: Ms. Roddy’s group

A huge thank you to Miss Ali, Miss Peters, Mr. Boyd and Mr.

certainly impressed the owner of a kebab

Brace for volunteering to accompany the trip, for their good

shop in Rüdesheim!

humour and for sharing their expertise with the boys.

As well as enjoying their first taste of

The German Department is already looking forward to the next

German food and being able to use the

trip!

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Chapter 11

Fifth for Joe in Junior European Golf Open

Fifth for Joe in Junior European Golf Open Year 8 and recently competed in a school competition at Royal

J

oe Emery, Captain of the Bolton School Boys’ Division golf team, has returned from the European Junior Open, held in Andalusia, Spain, having placed fifth. The competition is widely considered as the toughest test in junior golf across Europe.

Going into the final day, Joe had been top of the leader-board and was interviewed by Sky Sports. Mr Coffey, Head of Golf in the Boys’ Division, said: ‘This prestigious tournament has been running for thirty years and notable finalists in the past have included Justin Rose and Nick Dougherty, who was in the audience. Joe’s fifth place finish is a tremendous achievement which will no doubt be a great stepping stone for his progression in the sport.’

Earlier in the year, Joe finished runner-up at the North West Junior Open in the summer and placed in various other open

Liverpool Golf Club where the Open was held this year.

Joe, a Year 13 student, has been playing golf since he was five years old and currently plays at Harwood and Pleasington Golf Club. He was a member of the Lancashire Under 18s’ squad but from next season will no longer be eligible as a Junior.

A keen sportsman, Joe played a wide range of sports when he was younger but took up golf when his grandparents bought him a course of lessons and some clubs for his fifth birthday.

competitions including Pleasington Junior Open, Bolton Junior

After Bolton School, Joe is

Open and Hillside Junior Open as well as placing third at the

planning to go to university in

Lancashire Boys’ Championship, a competitive annual event for

the US under a golf

the best junior golfers in the county.

scholarship to continue his

During the course of a season, Joe plays at Open events all

career.

around the country, including the St Andrews Junior Open and Royal Birkdale. He has played for the Bolton School team since

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Chapter 12

School’s Hamper Challenge provides Puddings

School’s Hamper Challenge provides Puddings shopping on their year group’s behalf. Aisling McCabe, Annika

B

olton School has once again hit its ‘Hamper Challenge’ target with a whopping 1,700 Christmas Puddings donated!

These festive treats have been delivered to Urban Outreach to help fill the local charity’s Christmas Hampers.

Bullen, Olivia Melling, Charlotte Harris, Charlotte Howarth-Siney and Harriet Atherton also ran a bake sale for two days which raised £321 towards the cause. The Girls’ Division ultimately donated 835 large puddings and 80 small puddings.

This year, Bolton School was tasked with collecting 1,700 400g

The Boys’ Division also made the most of donations in the form

Christmas Puddings in just two and a half weeks, with the

of puddings and cash. In the final week before collection,

countdown beginning in mid-November. The Primary Division

students from the Boys’ Division Charity Committee were sent to

(Infants, Junior Boys and Junior Girls), Girls’ Division and Boys’

Morrisons daily to spend donations and collect more puds for a

Division all chipped in to help, and donations also came from

final total of 300!

Bolton School Alumni, Foundation Services staff and guests attending Tea at the Riley, an afternoon tea hosted by the School for older people in the local area.

Junior Girls collected well over 430 puddings and even came to the Girls’ Division one morning to deliver an assembly to boost donations. The Junior Boys and Infants also donated over 220

There was a slow and steady start, as it wasn’t easy for pupils to

puddings, with still more coming from Alumni, Foundation

get hold of puddings in the weeks before the Christmas period

Services staff and guests at Tea at the Riley.

truly started. However, by the time collection day arrived, the School had amassed enough puddings to fill Urban Outreach’s hampers!

The Christmas Puddings will be packed into Christmas hampers

by Urban Outreach and delivered to those in need across the whole of Bolton, providing Christmas dinner with all the

In the Girls’ Division, fundraising and donations were

trimmings to those families and individuals who would otherwise

spearheaded by Year 12 students. Sophie Cutler and Freya

not be able to enjoy a festive feast.

Brogan persuaded fellow students to give cash and went

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Chapter 13

Year 7 Boy stars in Short Film

Year 7 Boy stars in Short Film

W

illiam Maher, a Year 7 pupil at Bolton School Boys’ Division, recently starred in a powerful short film By My Side written and directed by Jake Metcalf.

The film follows a young boy as he struggles with loneliness and anxiety after his parents’ divorce. An unlikely friendship develops as the boy begins to notice strange personalities in his right-hand – much to the distaste of his mother.

Reflecting on his role, Will said: ‘It took four full days of filming on location and several months of rehearsals with the director beforehand. The real challenge was not blinking during takes and at some points resisting the urges to laugh with the cast and crew when something went wrong. It was also a challenge working with a knife although there was an assistant in charge of the safety precautions.

‘Acting is my passion. I have been at Stagecoach for six years and would love to go into acting as a career although I loved seeing all the behind-the-scenes work too and I also love creative writing and penning my own scripts.’

Will also takes part in Saturday Social - Bolton School's weekend acting class that is being run in partnership with the Octagon Theatre and which takes place at the school. Bolton School will be offering a number of upcoming filmmaking opportunities in the new year, including with Bolton Film Festival and as part of the School's work with BeeWell, the Royal Society of Public Health and Curious Minds.

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Chapter 14

Students’ Arkwright Engineering Scholarship Awards

Students’ Arkwright Engineering Scholarship Awards the home of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. The

T

wo Sixth Form students at Bolton School Boys’ Division, Alfred Norse and Jake M a y o r, h a v e been awarded Arkwright Engineering Scholarships.

Year 12 students, who will be sponsored by the RAF, also met their respective mentors.

Katja Norse, Alfred’s mother, said: ‘It was a very rigorous application process and we are really proud of Alfred’s achievement. I’d also like to thank Mr Coffey and Mr Walker for their support, guidance and encouragement which has enabled Alfred to pursue his dream towards career in engineering.

Father of Jake, Steve Mayor, felt similar: ‘We are very proud parents. We were not aware Jake had applied for the award until he told us we had to go to London for him to collect it! We were

During the half-

very inspired by the talent in the room and the opportunities that

term break both

lie ahead for all the scholars. Jake, being sponsored by the RAF,

young men and

gets to go and stay with them for a week on a residential to see

their families

all the things on offer. The organisers stated that having this on

travelled to

their CVs will, without doubt, boost their careers.’

London

to

receive their awards

at

Savoy Place,

The Arkwright Engineering Scholarship Programme identifies and inspires young people to pursue their dreams of changing the world through engineering.

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Chapter 15

Assembly Pays Tribute to the Fallen

Assembly Pays Tribute to the Fallen Dr. Holland began by acknowledging that we are living in a

D

r. Holland welcomed boys, teachers, distinguished members of the Governing Body, representatives of the Old Boys’ Association and an audience watching via a live feed to this year’s Boys’ Division Armistice Assembly. The annual commemoration recalls those members of the school who lost their lives during the First and Second World Wars.

dangerous and frighteningly menacing time which can make it difficult to turn our thoughts back to what was happening 80 years ago. But, he said, in doing so, we are confronted with the same painfully sharp experiences. He told his audience that we have a duty of remembrance to never forget the sacrifices made by so many: 15 to 20 million in World War One and a further 70 to 85 million in World War Two. Turning his attention to the year of 1943, Dr. Holland told how eleven former pupils had lost their lives during the course of the y e a r. D r a w i n g o n l o c a l h i s t o r i a n D r. E r i c Macpherson’s Remembered With Honour book, ten Year 9 boys read brief biographies of these men, which helped bring their foreshortened lives into focus.

The boys spoke of: Gunner Reginald Brooke Ashford who died from injuries picked up in the Middle East; Sergeant William James Howard who died whilst working on the Burma Railway as a Prisoner of War; Private Charles Alexander Hopwood who died in hospital; Squadron Leader Michael Edward Thwaites whose plane was shot down; Sergeant Pilot Wilbert Hart who 37

was lost on his 41st operational flight; Sergeant Navigator Clive

massacre in which 30,000 Chinese were killed by the Japanese

Ford Taylor killed during war operations; Sergeant Navigator

during four days in May. He told too how, at the behest of Britain,

Joshua Alex Sykes whose plane was shot down; Sub Lieutenant

16 allied countries met on October 20th and established the

Peter Douglas Hartshorn whose ship was blown up; Lieutenant

United Nations’ War Crime Commission (two years before the

Kenneth Anson Lomax who drowned on active service; Pilot

United Nations came into existence).

Officer Donald Wilson Hanham killed in a flying accident; and Flight Sergeant Richard Kenneth Chapman killed in action.

Following a two-minute silence in which the audience was invited to remember all those that selflessly dedicate their lives to keep

Dr. Holland described how 1943 perfectly illustrated the

us safe from those who would do us great harm, the readers

vicissitudes of war. Arguably it offered a turning point for Britain

processed out of the hall along with Dr. Holland, Head of Boys’

but it was also a year that demonstrated the global scale of the

Division Mr. Ford and Head of Foundation Mr Britton. Standing

conflict. Reference was made to how the Germans surrendered at

before the School's Memorial Window, Dr. Holland recited the

the Battle of Stalingrad in a great victory for the Russians, to the

Ode to Remembrance before Sixth Form students laid three

intense conflict in Burma, to the war in Tunisia with the Desert

wreaths of poppies.

Fox Rommel, to the Greek National Liberation Front and how they began to overcome the Italians and move a step closer to liberating their country and to increased U-boat activity in the Atlantic and how it continued to have a devastating effect on the Allied Powers. Dr. Holland spoke too about how some activities began to hasten the end of war and to save lives. Operation Mincemeat was a successful British deception which disguised the Allied invasion of Sicily and Operation Chastise, known more familiarly as the Dambusters’ Raid, was a prolonged and costly but successful attack on German heavy industry in the Ruhr Valley using the ‘bouncing bomb’. There were serious atrocities too in 1943 and he cited the brave but useless resistance by the Jewish community in the Warsaw ghetto and the Changjiao 38

Credits

Credits Editor: Miss K.S. Wrathmell Contributors: Mr. J. Newbould, Miss A. Bradshaw, Mr. M. Power, Miss I.J. Archer, Mr. P.J. Britton, Mrs. J. White, Ms. K.J. Roddy, Ms. N.R. Lord, Mr. I.K. Forgrieve, Mr. P. Limb, Mrs. C.A. Brace, Miss K.S. Wrathmell, Dr. S.W. Holland, Miss E.J. Compton, Mr. M.G. Chilton, Tristan Hughes 12i, Mrs. J. Lucas

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