Societies & Events

Medical Society

Medical Society is a weekly forum for aspiring medical students to share their passions and interests into this intriguing field, whilst being supported and guided by their beaks. It is a time when all the medical applicants come together to discuss different topics concerning medicine and medical ethics. Medical Society has two main purposes: supporting those who are interested in applying to medical school and giving a platform for pupils to pursue medical related interests and develop our understanding of different medical practices. Those applying for Medicine, Veterinary and Dentistry at university face a long, complex and highly competitive application process. Nearer the time of application, support from beaks and fellow pupils helps to clarify the application process, which can be very confusing, and also helps with preparation for the BMAT or UCAT entrance tests. Equally importantly, Medical Society is a fun way of exploring medical issues with like-minded aspiring medics. This helps develop presentation and ethical evaluation skills, which are important for medical careers and for interviews. Many of our members are interested in medicine from a scientific point of view and can apply the same skills when applying for biological and biomedical courses. However, the best reason for coming to Medical Society is that the topics are always interesting, and the company is good!

At each meeting, one person talks about medical practices, diseases or ethical concerns and this is followed by a discussion about the topic where pupils can raise questions. We emerge with a greater sense of knowledge on topics ranging from abortion to euthanasia and even Alzheimer’s, to name just a few. We learn by listening to our friends’ presentations. Almost everyone who comes into Medical Society has an itch to do research into a topic, which could come from personal experience, from a passion, or just a general curiosity to delve deeper into the complexities of a disease. The process for each presentation begins with booking a date and then, of course, beginning the research. There are no specific guidelines for our presentations, but the four pillars of medical ethics provide a good framework for discussions. The talk, while it can be nerve racking, is a great chance to practice public speaking skills in a friendly environment. Once it is over, the floor is opened for questions of all kinds, and they prove to be a testament to the level of research the speaker has conducted. Controversial topics often lead to heartfelt debates in which people give their opinions and listen to those of others. Our short meetings are often the highlight of our week!

Elliott Lau (L), Akaesha Negi-Tandon (Su) and Emilia Andrade-Brown (Su)

St. Andrew’s Ball

Few St. Andrew’s Balls can have been anticipated more keenly than this one, the 25th. As reeling had been forbidden during the COVID-ridden 2020 season, it was a rare Specialist indeed who had had any experience of the joys of Scottish Country Dancing. Miss Batty, with the support of Mr Freeman, Mr Kane and Ms Davies, set about putting that right. Throughout OQ, a group of 30 or so dancers met on Monday nights to be put through their paces, and by 4 December they were ready.

Dancers in evening dress, some resplendent in kilts, entered a Hall decked with tartan and Christmas trees, to the sound of “Highland Cathedral” piped by Mr Duncan Byrne. Then began the fraught business of filling one’s dance card. That done, the assembled company were fortified by a glass of mulled wine and went at it.

The Willow having been Stripped, The Dashing White Sergeant gave everybody a chance to dance with everyone else present. The Eightsome Reel and the Duke of Perth ingrained the elements of ‘setting’ and ‘turning’, and cries of “First Corner!” and “Weave!” kept everyone more or less in the right place. The company had by then earned their dinner. After the starter, we danced The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, possibly our most complex dance with alternating cartwheels added to the mix. After the main course, while others Stripped the Willow once again, those of more advanced years danced Postie’s Jig, entirely to their own satisfaction. After dinner we practised our flirting in the Hamilton House, and other dances were repeated. The second editions of the reels preceding dinner were held to be far more impressive as those of us who had erred first time around had a chance to redeem ourselves. The last dance of the evening, the Reel of the 51st Highland Division (Aberdonian version, in case you were wondering) was a triumph. The sequence of set, turn and swing could now be executed from muscle memory and the gathering could relax and enjoy being a part of a swinging, surging, smiling tide of humanity.

The evening could not have succeeded without the accordion, fiddle and guitar of our old friends the George Buchanan Scottish Ceilidh Dance Band. They judged the room to perfection, playing the dances at a sympathetic pace and always ready with an encore. The evening finished with Auld Lang Syne, a tune taken up by Mr Duncan Byrne on the pipes as dancers walked back to House, their feet barely touching the ground. This music and these reels weave people together, as Andrew Greig writes, “into the rough, warm, communal material that has no name except ‘Where we live’”. And that night it was good to live at Charterhouse.

Mr Jim Freeman

Climate Conference

Mark Fischel (g13): Co-founder Aklimate, Carbon Footprinting 101: What is it, and why does it matter to YOU?

Report by Zhangir Amangaleyev (S)

Mark Fischel gave the audience an expert look into how carbon emissions are generated by businesses. Aklimate accounts for a company’s CO2 emissions by looking at three areas: emissions generated by owned or controlled sources; energy purchased for use by the organisation; and emissions from the supply chain. Varying definitions of ‘emission’ alongside corporate ‘greenwashing’ problematise Aklimate’s job, however. Mr Fischel clearly defined ‘net zero’, ‘carbon negative’, and ‘carbon neutral’ to help us recognise misrepresentations of a business’ dedication to the environment. Such education in environmental studies is the most important action an individual can take to mitigate climate change.

Some general steps towards reducing emissions might be to spend money on more sustainable brands, to change one’s diet, or to reduce the number of flights taken. It is up to you to reverse the effects of climate change!

Nick Gardner (L96): Head of Climate Action at The National Lottery Community Action Fund, Why tackling climate change needs to involve everyone.

Report by Anika Shah (F)

All parts of the globe are experiencing the negative impact of climate change. The planet has experienced its highest temperatures on record over the last seven years. Some regions suffer these effects more strongly than others, such as Australia where the 2020 wildfires caused the loss of a billion animals and the emission of tonnes of CO2.

We must act in our communities, making positive impacts however we can. The National Lottery Community Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK and has committed 100 million pounds over ten years to supporting action within communities. It has done so by focusing on waste management, daily life habits, and the interplay between nature emergency and climate emergency.

Source: Aklimate

Daniel Ball: Sustainable developer of LivEco Homes, and Steffan Ball, Chief UK economist at Goldman Sachs, Sustainable Development and Social Action.

Report by Liv Ball (C)

Daniel and Steffan Ball spoke about sustainability within their sectors. Both talks gave pupils a deeper insight into how sustainability is becoming an important element of daily life, society and business.

Daniel, CEO and founder of LivEco Homes believes sustainable housing is vital to address climate change. Daniel began by exploring features of Eco-Homes he has developed in South Wales with the support of the Welsh Government, as well as his newest project in Sussex. Features include grass roofs, sustainable housing materials, solar panels, electric car chargers, electric car use, wood fires to heat the home, heating on timers to reduce energy consumed and better insulation with advanced systems renewing air within the home. After watching videos of past, current and future development projects, many pupils got involved by answering questions, asking questions and suggesting ideas to make Charterhouse more sustainable.

Mark Fisher (B90): Associate Partner, Climate Change & Sustainability Services, Ernst & Young, Climate Change – the role of business.

Report by Zhangir Amangaleyev

To limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C, CO2 emissions need to be significantly decreased. Mr Fisher demonstrated the importance of investors in making companies more sustainable. An investment company may require businesses to produce a formal report on their CO2 emissions. For example, BlackRock is already trying to distance itself from businesses with a poor environmental strategy. Moreover, organisations which are not committed to environmentally friendly operations may fail to attract new employees, especially young professionals. Workers will simply seek jobs that impact positively on the world rather than careers in oil and gas, for example.

However, many environmentalists neglect an important element of environmental change: time. Therefore, small but steady steps are necessary in well-established firms with long-standing infrastructures. Since COP26, the UK has made a promise of becoming ‘net zero’ by 2050 and ban the sale of new petrol cars by 2030. But what will happen to companies that don’t reach net zero? Simply put, they run the risk of losing business due to growing environmental awareness amongst investors and customers.

Source: LivEco Homes

Daniel’s younger brother Steffan spoke about social mobility and the UK Economy, using data to argue that social mobility is changing and becoming increasingly important for the future. Pupils studying Geography, Economics and Politics found particular relevance to their courses, and gained a deeper insight into real life applications of this rare data. Both talks were delivered engagingly, and the speakers appreciated educating pupils about sustainability.

Bloomsbury Society Beerbohm Society

Emily Xu (Su) and the Beerbohm Society have continued creating excellent comic art. Featured is some recent work.

Emily has also come runner-up in a major international manga comic competition. This is a fantastic conclusion to Emily’s time at Charterhouse. She hopes to pursue this interest further and we wish her all the best in continuing the great tradition of comic artists at Charterhouse.

Things were odd to begin with: the society, which has usually functioned as an opportunity for articulate obsessives to discuss books and literary ideas, did not really thrive during Lockdown. This was partly due to the usual problem, which is that its most active members tend to be Oxbridge candidates and, therefore, likely to fall apart, or asleep, throughout the autumn; the spring, traditionally, is destroyed by coursework – and the summer, of course, is too awful to think about.

When the dust settled, however, we found ourselves with a group of very well-read, very thoughtful people. At first, we did the things you’d expect a society to do: one week, Amelia Groom (F), our distinguished leader, said intelligent things about Paulo Coelho; another, Ciarán O’Lionaird (C) gave a presentation on ‘The Modern Orientalist’, making dizzying links between disparate literary texts, films, and beans; another week was dedicated to a group reading of a play.

Gradually, however, things began to change. I suggested a meeting dedicated to a discussion of the evolution of the sonnet, asking members to bring along texts of their own choice. But most of the texts brought turned out not to be sonnets, and to be their own poems. That kind of slippage is the sort of thing you learn to expect. The surprise was that the writing was so good, so technically tight, so well-performed, and so well-received. Stranger still, this was a group of listeners attentive enough to be able to give advice, and writers thoughtful enough to be able to act upon it.

For a while, therefore, the Society functioned as an ad hoc salon playing host to anarchic but hugely productive sessions which almost always seemed to end (as these things should) with Matthew Parnall’s (G) poem about penguins. Finally, however, we made one last shift: Ciarán had written a brilliantly edited version of Edward II, cast almost exclusively from members of Pride and Bloomsbury Society. All these people tend to be horribly over-committed (which is why we had to change our meeting times three times in the first term), so it was hard to schedule readings and rehearsals. By the end, the Society had been reinvented one final time as a repertory theatre, culminating in a rare, dramatized reading of Marlowe’s play as our contribution to Artifex.

Zoe Lau (F) has very kindly agreed to lead the group next year. Where she will lead it is, of course, anybody’s guess.

Mr Charlie Hall

Christian Union

The Christian Union continues to thrive, with weekly meetings in Verites House Library well attended by pupils from across the year groups. To avoid possible Covid issues, most of the sessions were led by members of Brooke Hall this year, although we were also grateful for a number of visiting speakers. In OQ, the talks and discussions addressed questions about Jesus, looking at passages in Luke’s Gospel, and we also had a very lively question panel in one week. During LQ, we looked at challenges to Christianity, such as whether science has disproved the Bible; whether all religions lead to God; and how a loving God could allow suffering. In CQ, we looked at the difference that being a Christian makes, with titles such as “Peace in an anxious world” and “#Godliness in a digital world.” As always, the annual BBQ at Artifex was a highlight, with around 65 gathered in beautiful evening sunshine to hear a very clear talk and to enjoy some excellent food. We look forward to meeting again in September. As ever, anyone is welcome.

Mr Ed Reid

Entrepreneurship Society

The School’s growing Entrepreneurship Society has had a productive year, with a number of budding entrepreneurs sprinting to the deadline of a presentation to be delivered in front of the Senior Leadership Team ‘Dragons’. Our two standout groups were ‘Banco’, a School timetabling and organisation app for the digital native, and ‘The Creators’, a rebranding of the School’s entrepreneurship and innovation offering. These two groups have worked tirelessly to prepare world-class pitches. Banco, if it receives angel investment, will be piloted by the School next year, and The Creators will become the new brand for Charterhouse Entrepreneurs. In addition, a separate branch of the Society saw eight pupils take Microsoft’s Citizen Developer exam with support from OC Alex East (R08). It has been a standout year for entrepreneurship at the School and one on which we hope to build next year.

Mr Stephen Barnett

Fashion and Textiles

In the elective programme this year, 1YS pupils had the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of pattern cutting and garment manufacture. Pupils translated their designs into pattern pieces, toiles, and final tops. The Fourths have been exploring the intricacies of the drawn and stitched line, and have experimented with texture, colour, and composition. Recently, Fourths have also been working collaboratively to print and stitch into a wall hanging that will be displayed in an exhibition at Godalming Museum.

At the beginning of the year pupils were making their first forays into hand stitch techniques, and by the end of OQ, the hashroom had become a hive of activity, with pupils working on a broad range of projects.

The Groundlings

The Groundlings Drama Group for Drama Scholars and Drama enthusiasts has had a successful year. The final performance of Snow White and the Eight Dudes was performed to prep schools during Artifex. This modern adaptation of the classic tale was an ensemble piece and it enabled all of the performers to showcase their talent and over-exaggerated style. The piece began with a movement sequence to Dolly Parton’s ‘9-5’ with Timipre Ebimami (L) taking on the role of Dance Captain and the first Evil Queen. The staging was minimalistic, consisting of nine chairs and some essential props to ensure the group understood the demands of ‘Theatre in Education’. The different locations of the piece were created by unison movement echoing Pina Bausch’s Chair dance. Eve Dailly (N) played Snow White and was supported by Jessamy Manches (N), AmberJade Black (N), Alfred Smith (R), Jemima Jones (Su), Poppy Everest (C), Andile Thabethe (D) and Matilda Taylor (Su). Matilda also took on the role of designer and sourced the props. Congratulations to the company for their commitment and dedication to The Groundlings this year.

Mrs Rebecca Pugh

History Society

This year has seen another successful and engaging programme provided for the people (of Charterhouse History Society), by the people (of Charterhouse History Society). Veterans of the History Society line-up have naturally stepped up to the plate. I am grateful to Danny Cross (R), Caspar Stansfield (V), Ryder Hammond (V), Henry Anderson (L), Ritvik Mekala (B) and Finn McCooke (B) for providing us with excellent presentations on topics ranging from the Reconquista in Spain to the First Anglo-Afghan War, to the story of Namibia’s independence. I am also encouraged by the tremendous amount of fresh talent from our new members, with Giovanni Fiorilla Di Sancta Croce (V) and Kingston Tew (R) putting in stellar performances in their opening talks. Rory More O’Ferrall (H) also provided us with his long-awaited and well-delivered debut on the British Empire. Thank you also to George LakeCoghlan (S) and Yusuf Furniss (D) for their excellent support from the wings, making sure that the venues were well set up and cleared away either side of the Society’s meetings. I would like to thank our leavers – George, Henry and Yusuf – for their years of service to the Society and to wish them all the best with the next steps on their educational journey. I look forward to seeing the gems from the past that our pupil speakers will unearth for us next year.

Mr Will Tink

Investors Society

The Investment Society has gone from strength to strength this CQ. Yash Seth (H) and Utkarsh Seth (H), having earned School colours for their founding of the Society, have now passed the baton on to Maria Nesterenko (N) and Dino Franassovici (g), who have great plans for next year. This CQ has witnessed a number of world-class speakers and events, including an inaugural ‘Girls Are Investors’ evening, encouraging girls from across the School to get passionate about investing. The CQ investment programme culminated with over 100 pupils taking part in a trading simulation afternoon, trying their hand at being buy- and sell-side traders.

Mr Stephen Barnett

UK Linguistics Olympiad

2022 was Charterhouse’s first ever year competing in the UK Linguistics Olympiad. The UKLO is an international competition, in which pupils are required to solve a range of extremely challenging linguistic puzzles.

This year’s competition saw Carthusians tackling sentences in Bislama creole, the Mazateco whistling language and Zuni. Caspar Beyer (P) is the first and only Carthusian to have won a UKLO Gold, coming in the top five percent of all entries. Caspar advanced to Round 2, eventually placing 45th in the world and narrowly missing out on selection for the GB Linguistics Squad. Bronze medals were also awarded to Hope Kiernan (Su) and Justin Wang (L), both of whom did exceptionally well.

A big congratulations to the other Carthusian entrants: Viggo Terling (g), Stasys Milius (g), Animesh Katti (S), Benjamin Cole (B), and Freddie Halford (W).

Mr Michael Dawson

Pride Society

It has been an excellent year for the Pride Society, which has seen the group almost quadruple in membership, indicating the dynamic character of the LGBTQ+ community at Charterhouse. The group has met on a weekly basis throughout the year and has been involved in a range of School-wide initiatives, including consultations with the Head and SLT regarding inclusion and diversity in the School and contributions to the planning of LGBTQ+ History Month in February and Diversity Week/Pride Month in June. The latter two events saw the Progress Pride flag flown from the flagpole, and Prince’s Avenue illuminated in the colours of the rainbow for an evening in late winter.

The group has welcomed several external speakers into our meetings, including OC Gabriel Brown (G20) who returned to the School to discuss his experience of coming out at Charterhouse, and Ian Cole, the NHS LGBTQ+ Liaison Officer who came to deliver an excellent and informative outreach session for the students. Pride also attended a fantastic production of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart at the National Theatre in London in November, which was a moving portrayal of the political activism surrounding the AIDS crisis in New York in the 1980s and allowed students to gain insight into an important period in LGBTQ+ history.

Pride has grown exponentially this year and has become a safe space for LGBTQ+ students and allies alike to come together in solidarity and friendship, and to discuss experiences of discrimination, share sources of support, and strengthen ties in the community. I am very grateful to the excellent student leaders of the group, who have been called upon to assist with the running of various events throughout the year and have played a significant role in shaping the future of LGBTQ+ inclusion at Charterhouse. I am very proud.

Mr Chris Jones

Pond Meadow

Community partnerships: Volunteering at Pond Meadow School in Guildford

At the start of this academic year, a small number of students composed mainly of 1YS and 2YS embarked on the Pond Meadow Garden project. Pond Meadow is a special needs school based on the edge of Guildford for pupils aged 2-19. The aim of the project was to create a vegetable garden from scratch just outside the main education building. Each week, a handful of Carthusians visited Pond Meadow with gardening supplies donated from Charterhouse School and the Guildford Lions Club.

Max Dyer (L)

Over the year, our team of volunteers and the enthusiastic pupils at Pond Meadow School have collaborated to transform an empty patch of grass into a flourishing garden. Throughout this time, we have worked on various projects such as the creation of vegetable patches with walkways so everyone could enjoy spending time in the garden and watching it develop. Painting birdboxes, chairs and tables has added colour to the garden, alongside using repurposed planters to display the vibrant flowers. This was an incredibly rewarding experience, interacting with the pupils, forming a connection over the last year and being able to have a joint purpose. It was inspiring to spend time outside and see the growth of this amazing project within the local community. I have thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity and the skills I have learnt are invaluable. I would recommend that everyone gets involved with the huge breadth of volunteering opportunities Charterhouse has to offer as they give a truly enriching experience.

Iona Marney (F)

Upon our first visit to Pond Meadow School, I was oddly moved by what seemed to be a field of weeds and overgrown grass. I knew that the creation of this sensory garden was important, but I never expected it to become as meaningful to me as it is now. Instead of an (albeit beautiful) field of weeds, beds of radishes, spring onions, peas, sunflowers, and even trees have now been rooted there. Working with the students and staff, we all turned the normal patch of weeds into something of a haven, for both the students of Pond Meadow and for us, the Carthusians. This may all sound trivial and perhaps advanced gardeners may even scoff at our efforts. However, it is the Pond Meadow students’ dedication and determination to create something beautiful that sets it far apart from a mundane garden. Throughout this year, in the chilling winds of winter and the blistering heat of the sun, we worked together to plant as many plants as we physically could in the worm-enriched soil. The time spent with the students and staff, hovering over weeds and squirming at bugs, are some of my most treasured memories.

Zoe Lau (F)

Year in Library

At the end of May we had a very special Jubilee tea party

For World Book Day in March we had a literary dinner party The Magic Eye book was a huge hit at the STEM Fair

Most borrowed Fiction

1. One of Us Is Lying, by Karen M. McManus 2. Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell 3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid 4. The Appeal, by Janice Hallett = 5. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley / Heartstopper vol. 4, by Alice Oseman

Most borrowed Non-Fiction

1. Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions, by B. Christian and T. Griffiths 2. Immune: A Journey Into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive, by P. Dettmer 3. Michael Jordan: The Life, by R. Lazenby 4. The Penguin History of the United States of America, by H. Brogan 5. Ruling England, 1042-1217, by R. Huscroft