The Lily 2019

Dominique Pila (L6) Lino Print

contents INTRODUCTION Editors’ Note 2 From the Master 4 Prize List 8 Junior School 10 House Results 12 House Pages 12 Leavers 2019 26 Chapel 28 VOICE Arts Festival Creative Writing Visual Arts

32 40 44

SPORT Rugby 120 Hockey 126 Cricket 134 Football 138 Tennis 141 Badminton 146 Netball 146 Basketball 147 Athletics 147 Rowing 148 Sailing 148 Cross Country 149

MUSIC 62

HERITAGE OW News 152 Development News 156 Waynflete Office Events 158 Archive 160

EXTRA CURRICULAR Charities 82 Clubs & Societies 86 Events 92 Waynflete Prize Winners 2019 93

STAFF Senior Common Room 164 Announcments 166 Salvete 168 Valete 176

TRIPS 98

EDITORIAL TEAM

DRAMA 50

188

EDITORS Izzy Gibson, Archie Licudi, Staff Editor - Paul Ryan DESIGN & PRODUCTION Yvonne Lyons - CobwebCreative Printed & bound in the UK by Lavenham Press Ltd ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Photographs by Kiarash Shaddel, Mark Crean, Felicity Fox, Jim Robinson, Andrew Walmsley MAGDALEN COLLEGE SCHOOL, OXFORD, OX4 1 DZ T: 01865 242191 F: 01865 240379 E: enquiries@mcsoxford.org W: www. mcsoxford.org

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Editors’ Note

editors’ note ‘For last year’s words belong to last year’s language And next year’s words await another voice.’

TS Eliot These are fitting lines to complement this year’s focus on ‘Student Voice’. Although he wrote in the 1940s, Four Quartets seems to hold a continued relevance in the constantly fluctuating times of today. We may recognise a similar constancy of change with regard to an MCS student’s progression through the school, and the school’s own progression within our society. In line with Eliot’s message that times are inevitably changing, we found it imperative to foster the ‘voice’ of every member of the school community, and in turn to listen and document it.

The stunning frequency and quality of student-led, studentattended activities is illustrative of an inspiring mentality within Magdalen’s walls, one that recognises the necessity of fulfilling individual and community aspirations. Outside the school walls, for example, a number of MCS pupils have claimed political agency through Oxford’s youth climate change protest in response to Greta Thunberg’s call for action. Students are using their ‘voice’, and The Lily aims to immortalise it.

To us on the editorial team, researching Lilies past, it became increasingly apparent that since the first publication of 1888, every Lily has been a first in some regard; every individual issue has contributed to the rich heritage of over 130 years of continuous publication. Since this first edition, MCS’s merit is found in the annual activities of such a burgeoning school community, both within and outside of the mandated curriculum. Formally then, this year is the first to feature two joint editors, fittingly signifying the immense task of capturing Magdalen’s diverse array of annual activities. However, this and such other concrete indicators should never be our focus. Instead, we should consider our position in a collective history and on a constant spectrum of change. With one editor a veteran of the school, attending since J1, and the other having joined in the Sixth Form, we found a shared astonishment at the student-body’s rapid development both in relation to its own history and that of its external community. So too, we found

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a renewed appreciation for the importance of cooperation within our team and beyond, emphasising the duty to listen that so naturally accompanies the right to claim one’s voice.

Consequently, we first and foremost considered democratising our platform as far as possible whenever making a design or logistical choice. This year, for example, you’ll find more pages dedicated to student work and more articles written by the students themselves than in any previous edition. The irony of we, as editors, taking control of our vision for The Lily as one of expressing ‘voice’ is not lost on us, and it is here then that we must express our thanks to the indefatigable work of Mr Ryan and the whole team, whose efforts were key in the realisation of this.

So, where the pace of one’s progression through the school appears dizzying, where change echoes globally, and where public examination results are invariably anticipated, a constancy is created through the persistent ‘carpe diem’ attitude of MCS pupils. Year round, every individual contributes to the school, resulting in our resounding collective ‘voice’ mirroring the unique and ambitious student body. Of course, editors must acknowledge the bitter truth surrounding The Lily’s popular function by which a student will receive their copy, locate their photo, share unflattering pictures of their friends, and then proceed to discard their edition, leaving it swimming forlorn through vacant classrooms and corridors. With concerns about this approach, not least from an environmental perspective, our decision to circulate The Lily in digital form this year echoes our message of positive growth with change. Similarly, in light of this year’s theme of ‘Student Voice’, we can only urge this year’s cohort of readers to see The Lily as more than a visual entity, to notice the school’s changing internal environment and to interact with the opinions that are soon to become ‘last year’s words’.

Izzy Gibson and Archie Licudi, Editors

Editors’ Note

“We found a shared astonishment at the student-body’s rapid development both in relation to its own history and that of its external community.”

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From the Master

From the Master Prizegiving, September 2019 Thank you, Chairman. Governors, distinguished guests, parents, teachers, pupils: it is my pleasure to welcome you to Prize Giving.

Congratulations to our Prize winners on being here. And as the Chairman said, congratulations and thanks are due to all your parents. You wouldn’t be here without them, and frankly nor would any of us.

It is, as ever, a joy to see so many of our most recent vintage of Old Waynfletes back with us. You know better than anyone that MCS is a difficult school to leave. This is something which was brought home to me most powerfully by an email I received 4

last week from one of your parents. Now, one of the few regrets I have about this job is that some of the most entertaining correspondence I receive cannot be divulged, but on this occasion it is safe to do so. The email reported that the recent OW in question was wearing a shirt and black chinos that morning, as his mother put it, ‘in case there is an emergency and the school needs him.’

We miss you all and, on a personal note, I shall miss the level of abuse I received from Head of School Jonathan Akande. Jon, the image of MCS as the Death Star lives on in memory, though I didn’t risk another Star Wars analogy at this morning’s Sixth Form talk. That said, we do now have record

numbers of new Sixth Formers this year, so perhaps I’m having the last laugh after all.

Flo Winkley, you remain more school than MCS, and were also an inspiring Head of School. Thank you, to both you and Jon, for all you did.

Leavers, we have to stagger on without you, and it is a delight to recognise today the fine example that you set the whole school, both when everyone was looking and when they weren’t. You certainly put in the hours—most of you, at least. And if you didn’t, George Potter might or might not know who you are. I imagine that some of you are secretly longing to get those green high vis jackets back on and stand

From the Master achieving over 84% A* and A grades overall, and just a shade over 96% A*-B. Our results placed us sixth for A Level in the Telegraph and the Times, and twelfth for GCSE. I am fond of pointing out that these league tables are a bit of a flapdoodle, but last November I was compelled to call an armistice on such remarks, when MCS was named the Sunday Times Southeast Independent Secondary School of the Year, and was ranked fifth overall.

We are a perennial constellation in the Olympiad firmament, too, most literally in Astrophysics. After excelling in the national competition, Nik Thatte was selected for the international Physics Olympiad in Hungary. His team came third and won the bronze medal, securing the best performance of any UK team in the competition’s history. We were the topscoring school in the Biology Olympiad, with 21 Gold medals. We had our best-ever results in the Chemistry Olympiad, with a record 44 pupils taking part, and thirteen gold medals. In Maths, two pupils, Fin Brickman and Euan Ong, made it through to the second round Olympiad, sat by only 100 pupils nationally. in the car park. We can arrange that later, for those who are experiencing particularly acute prefect duty withdrawal.

It is my duty to provide some reflections on the past year, and where better to begin than with November, and our commemorations of the centenary of the end of the First World War. Two days of lectures and other events culminated in

Woodstock. We saw stellar performances from a cast of all year groups, with James Gant as a luminous Ivor Novello. The show was distinguished by tremendous energy and pace.

Some of our stars were rather more literal: these include the 45% A* A Level grades, and 83% 8s and 9s (A*s in old money) at GCSE. Leavers, you did us proud,

The Sunday Times observed that our award recognises far more than our perennial academic success. Our extracurricular endeavours just as remarkable.

In music, a record 247 instrumental exams were taken last year, including 24 Grade 8s (fifteen of which were with distinction) and seven Diplomas. Dozens of Concerts from over 22 ensembles were moving,

“Leavers, we have to stagger on without you, and it is a delight to recognise today the fine example that you set the whole school, both when everyone was looking and when they weren’t.”

Reflections, a new musical play written

by Alex Thomas and a group of our Sixth Formers, based on stories garnered at the Oxfordshire Military Museum in 5

From the Master inspiring, and jaunty by turn, and the Jazz and Blues evening remains a highlight of the calendar.

We are national indoor tennis champions for the second year running, with captain Max ‘Samson’ Chopping seemingly everywhere there was MCS sport, as was boys’ hockey captain Josh Wierzycki. Our First boys’ hockey team finished fourth in the National Plate competition, and the First XI girls’ hockey side, ably captained

by Giorgia Laird, won the county title for the second consecutive year. Coach Todd Williams was a commentator in the European hockey championships over the summer.

Our cricket season confirms our reputation as one of the finest cricket sides in the country, with thirteen games played, and eleven 11 won. A two-day fixture against Trent College saw a school record partnership of 249 between Louis Mase and Captain Ollie Price, with both scoring centuries. In Rowing, our J16s finished twelfth at the National Schools regatta.

Our sailors came second at National Schools, securing our place as one of the top three sailing schools nationally, a position we have held unbroken since 2007. Our First VII netballers won the SHSK netball tournament for the first time.

Our Rugby season, under the captainship of Tom Chesser, was another creditable one, with nine games won from twelve, including a breathtaking win against Reading Blue Coat and a satisfying one against St Edward’s.

But our relations with our neighbours are not really characterised by such rivalry.

We are celebrating the publication of our

second partnerships impact report, which records the seven and a half thousand hours our Sixth Formers volunteered to the benefit of over 7000 pupils, and many hundreds of adults in over 140 organisations across Oxfordshire. This Tuesday we have over one hundred representatives of these partnerships in school to celebrate the publication of the report and to secure new directions for our collaborations. In a couple of weeks we are opening our first community larder, in partnership with the Sofea Charity, run

by Richard Kennell OW and the Rose Hill community centre.

Our many friends and supporters recognise all the facets of what makes MCS so special – not least our Governors, who are all volunteers and who do so much with

and for the school. Once again, the Donor Dinner and the Benefactors’ Garden Party were major social events in the MCS calendar. At Easter the naming of the notso-new New Building problem was solved by the generosity of Michael Peagram, OW and former Chairman of Governors.

Our donors recognise that, in the current zeitgeist in particular, confident support of our mission to keep MCS true to its foundation and therefore accessible to able pupils from all walks of this city has never been more important or more timely. I am grateful to those who have already contributed to our bursary campaign, and I am glad to witness the many of you in this room who benefit from it.

The school also raised well over £15,000 for our various chosen charities last year, and I am confident that we shall exceed this total significantly this year. I shall begin my concluding remarks with an explanation as to why.

Last year, John Caird OW presented the prizes. A Coronation Cup recipient himself – albeit for a piece of art which he confessed he is not sure he ever actually made – John awarded the Coronation Cup to Omar Noia Rodriguez, for his work with a primary school in the Sudan. The award was doubly serendipitous, in that John is the founder of the Mustardseed primary school over the Sudanese border, in Uganda. I am a Mustardseed Trustee, and in February I visited the school site

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From the Master just outside Kampala, and met my fellow Trustees and the architect of what will be a beautiful primary school, built of sustainable materials harvested onsite.

Above all, I understood at first hand the potential of a long-term partnership between one of the oldest schools in Europe and one of the newest in Uganda.

Since my return, John has been into school to meet Dr Crawford and Miss Pinching, and a number of our charity representatives, all of whom have seen the potential of this project. John has also spoken in Chapel, and is returning here this term. He is also with us again today, sitting up among those Gods in the gods, the MCS staff. Colleagues, the Chairman rightly thanked you – and I hope you know how much I treasure what you do; because even the writer of our fitting review in the Good Schools Guide, on the basis of just one day among us, can see how much you all mean to me. Thank you for all that you do.

Our guest of honour today is Sir Vernon Ellis. Alongside John Caird, Sir Vernon is an Old Waynflete of 1966, a distinguished vintage. Vernon was at Accenture for 40 years, where he was International Chairman. In 2010 he was appointed Chair of the British Council, where he served for the maximum of six years. He is a passionate supporter of music. He was Chairman of the English National Opera and is now its President. He was also the Chairman of the National Opera Studio and a Trustee of the Royal College of Music. He is currently Chairman of Live Music Now, and will be CoChair of the about-to-be merged Snape Maltings and Britten-Pears Foundation.

He is also leading a campaign to increase philanthropy around the benefits the arts can bring to health, education, wellbeing, and the community. Through the work of his own Foundation, he supports a wide range of arts organisations, and until recently hosted around 90 concerts a year at home. One of these raised over half a million pounds for the Stop MS campaign, which he chairs. They have now raised in four years £47m towards their £100m target.

Today I am delighted to let you know that Sir Vernon’s foundation has also agreed to support our fundraising for the Mustardseed primary school. Sir Vernon has pledged to match-fund anything that we raise for the Mustardseed school to the sum of no less than £40,000 a year, for five

years. This gives MCS and Sir Vernon’s foundation the chance to contribute £400,000 to building a primary school in Uganda. Thank you, Vernon, for your support.

You all hear me talk often of how the friendships you make here are to be cherished, because they might well endure for life. As you have just heard, we are the beneficiaries of such a friendship, as is the Mustardseed school. When he was a boy here, could we have guessed the stellar future which lay ahead for Vernon? Our archives offer us some traces.

Vernon Ellis makes his first appearance in The Lily in September 1958, soon after joining the school, as one of General Stanley’s daughters in the school production of Pirates of Penzance. He appeared in Othello in the group of people of Venice and Cyprus, alongside John Caird, who played Desdemona (Jan 1963); the sex of Vernon’s character in that performance is, I am afraid, lost to history.

He was also House Captain of Maltby, which was of course our winning House last academic year: he wrote the following Maltby report:

reappraisal is necessary.’ Vernon wrote two years later… optimistically.

He was heavily involved in Chess, Bridge, and Hockey; he also captained the Rugby Firsts, and by this point it won’t surprise you that he became Head of School, and was in the same year in which Big School was opened.

In Sept 1966 The Lily records: ‘There followed a short speech from the Head Boy, V. J. Ellis, in which he thanked on behalf of the school all those who had brought the new Big School into being, a magnificent building which he felt sure would provide the setting for many important events in the future. He also paid tribute to the Master for building up a school worthy of such a building.’

Vernon I hope this account shows that we are still worthy to be here, and also worthy of your generosity.

We are honoured that Sir Vernon is here with us today to address us and to distribute the prizes.

‘This has been the final term of a successful year for Maltby. Two years ago, the following was justifiably written in the House notes . . . ‘there has been a good deal of anti social behaviour, particularly in Room 11, and this needs public reprimand.

Our successes are due to the common enthusiasm of boys of varied abilities.

Our bad reputation is due to a minority of uninterested and derisive adolescents who show their immaturity and lack of self confidence by laughing at authority and ignoring enterprise. I think that some 7

Prize List 2019

Prize List 2019 CHORISTER PRIZES E. ELLERTON (Master 1798-1810) Prize awarded for the best performance by a Chorister in school examinations F. Fairbairn A. E. COWLEY (Assistant Master 1890-95, later Bodley’s Librarian, Knighted 1902) Prize awarded to the senior Chorister soloist) A. O. M. White J. VARLEY ROBERTS (College Organist 18821918) Prize awarded to Choristers for all round commitment O. Selzer T. P. W. Warwick GREENE EXHIBITION For ‘choristers best in music, learning and manners’ S. C. S. Willans FORM PRIZES * Denotes nominated for more than one academic prize Second form Art Humanities English Languages Mathematics Science Sporting Excellence Progress All Round Achievement

Third Form Art Humanities English Languages Mathematics Science Sporting Excellence Progress All Round Achievement

Lower Fourth Art Classics English Humanities Mathematics Modern Languages Science Sporting Excellence Progress All Round Achievement

Upper Fourth Arts Classics Computing English Geography History Mathematics Modern Languages Science Theology 8

W. Branfoot O. A. Archibald* E. Leung M. S. Lasis A. N. Lodh G. C. Chacksfield H. R. Welch A. Vuppusetty D. LiVecche

S. Trajtenberg* S. K. Robinson S. W. D. Winkley S. Whitby I. D. Eason A. Arya H. J. D. Whitwell L. Schonemann J. M. Griffith

H. Matsuzaki J. B. Ellis J. Chataway W. M. Garmston A. A. Ljubic G. Esteban C. Griffith A. S. J. L. Laird R. Balaji J. Lipman*

W. M. Slatter O. A. Sagna J.H. Kelly N. K. Lohan T. E. B. Williams S. D. McDonald* F. Brickman* O. G. Thomas O. T. Beechey-Newman J. C. C. Small

Sporting Excellence Progress All Round Achievement Fifth Form Art

J. M. Coles V. Chaganty B. O’Brien*

M. H. Zhang

THE SHELFORD-COWE PRZE FOR CLASSICS (P. W. Shelford, OW and Classicist, R. G. C. Cowe, Senior Bursar of Magdalen College) Classics F. Duggan M. T. SUMMERTON PRIZE FOR COMPUTING Computing N.T. D. Marsh THE PULLAN PRIZE FOR ENGLISH (P. D. Pullan, Usher 1901-35) English T. Anand THE EDGE PRIZE FOR GEOGRAPHY (C. M. Edge, Pupil 1974-78, died December 1987) Geography T. B. Prestedge THE DISNEY PRIZE FOR HISTORY (Lt. Col. S. C. W. Disney, OBE, MC, TD, Pupil 1906-11) History R. Davies* THE ELAM PRIZE FOR MATHEMATICS (H. Elam, Assistant Master 1940-76) Mathematics A. J. Fox Modern Languages F. B. Parekh-Glitsch THE TIM HUNT PRIZES FOR SCIENCE (R. T. Hunt, Pupil 1956-61; Nobel Prize Winner.

Knighted 2006) Biology S. Huepfl Chemistry O. O. Aneju* Physics J. W. Lucas*

THE TYNDALE PRIZE FOR THEOLOGY (William Tyndale, Pupil c. 1510, Translator of The Bible) Theology S. J. Brooks* Progress I. F. Khan GERMAN BERRIOS PRIZE (Pupil 1972-74, died 1st December 1977) Prizes awarded to the boys in the Fifth Form considered the best all-rounders participating actively in the life of the school A. E. L. Eisner J. Pullinger WAYNFLETE STUDY AWARDS Overall Winner J. L. Bridson (Faculty of Mathematics)

Faculty of Biology Prize H. Baker H. Betts Commendation S. Han Y. Lo A. H. Warner Faculty of Classics and MFL Prize J. J. E. Gasson Faculty of Enterprise Commendation C. D. J. Rees Faculty of History Commendation Commendation

J. Fox M. C. Harris

Faculty of Mathematics Prize A. D. Licudi Commendation A. P. Tselos

Faculty of Physical Sciences Prize M. L. Reichenberg-Ashby

Faculty of Politics Prize I. Gibson

Faculty of Practical Science Prize E. L. Y. Ong Commendation R. J. M. Doorly T. M. Klenerman B. Xiao

Prize List 2019

Faculty of Social Sciences Commendation M. Dale LOWER SIXTH SUBJECT PRIZES

Art T. Yang Biology S. Han Chemistry B. Xiao Classics G. A. Flynn Economics E. E. Harris English I. Gibson Geography F. F. Willis-Bund History J. Fox Mathematics R. J. M. Doorly Modern Languages I. C. Sharipova-Williams Philosophy M. C. Harris Physics J. M. E. Edmiston Politics W. Finlator Theology H. W. A. King Progress F. Yang UPPER SIXTH SUBJECT PRIZES Art C. O. L. Brooks THE SHELFORD-COWE PRIZE FOR CLASSICS (P. W. Shelford, OW and Classicist, R. G. C. Cowe, Senior Bursar of Magdalen College) Classics F. Cipriani Economics D. S. Brooks* GEOFFREY WALKER PRIZE FOR ENGLISH (Pupil 1934-38) English S. M. Bassett TIM STOCKWIN PRIZE FOR GEOGRAPHY (Pupil 1985-87, died 23rd December 1987) Geography P. E. Webb BERNARD COSTELLO PRIZE FOR HISTORY (Assistant Master 1969-70, died 1970) History B. A. Rhydderch Theology J. G. M. Black Dr F. A. GARSIDE PRIZE FOR MATHEMATICS (Assistant Master 1947-78, Head of Mathematics 1976-78) Mathematics J. J. Hands Modern Languages L. E. McDonald Philosophy J. C. Shepherd Politics J. Akande QUINCENTENARY SCIENCE PRIZES Biology H. J. London Chemistry B. W. D. Adam Physics N. Thatte Design and J. W. L. Adams Technology Sports M. R. Darwent

OGLE-NEWCOMBE (H. C. Ogle, Master 1876-86; R. F. Newcombe, Pupil 1878-82, died 14th April 1882) Prize awarded to pupils who have demonstrated particular promise.

B. W. D. Adam S. Jayawant J. G. M. Black H. J. London D. S. Brooks T. O. Murray F. J. Duffen J. C. Shepherd J. D. Gibbon F. E. R. Hardyman A. C. Hill N. Thatte M. M. Underwood T. P. Van Oss

LEAVERS’ SCHOLARSHIP AWARD J. W. L. Adams S. J. Fox J. M. Bishop A. T. Galloway I. Blackburn W. F. Giles M. Cerundolo J. I. Goeldner-Thompson H. Chen J. J. Hands F. Cipriani P. Harrison Josey T. O. Clark M. L. Higdon C. R. Collerton P. A. Job L. N. Duckett L. E. McDonald L. J. C. Ehlers O. J. Price J. Y. Feng I. Roy I. M. Fincham GENERAL PRIZES MUSIC PRIZES Lower School C. J. Dallosso

Middle School R. T. Hall T. C. F. Simpson

Sixth Form I. C. Albert F. J. Duffen A. J. Duncalf

J. M. Griffith G. A. W. Maddison

J. I. Goeldner-Thompson A. J. K. Ridley W. B. Tasker

E. G. BROWNLEE (Pupil 1987-92, died 12th December 1995) Prize awarded for exceptional commitment to School Drama C. R. Collerton D. C. Collier G. A. C. Laird

C. H. B. SHEPHERD (Assistant Master 1920-52) Prize awarded to the best Lesson reader in Chapel W. F. Giles THE REVD DENYS EVANS (Chaplain 1961-86) Prize awarded to the pupil who has given most help in the School Chapel A. J. Simmen A. M. H. Thacker THE REVD PHILIP ENGLISH ENDEAVOUR AWARD Prize awarded for achievement in the face of adversity S. Jayawant

SENIOR SPORTS AWARD Awarded for commitment to three terms of first team sport or exceptional achievement T. N. S. Chesser

PIANO PRIZE D. S. Brooks E. Teh

SPORTING EXCELLENCE M. P. S. Chopping O. J. Price S. J. Lion-Cachet J. R. Wierszycki L. W. Mase

WILLIAM LYALL MEMORIAL PRIZE Prize awarded to the principal organist in Chapel during the year G. F. J. Longstaff Q. E. Obbink

WILLIAM NAYLOR CUP Prize awarded for the most outstanding effort in any field by a pupil, or group of pupils, during the year A. P. Stannard

F. BURTON(Singing teacher c. 1931-36) Prizes awarded for singing J. F. W. Gant J. E. A. Hancock

MARY WIBLIN CUP (Music teacher 1926-37, Conductor of Choral Society) Prize awarded to the pupil who has contributed most to school music during the year C. H. Graham DAVID BRUNTON PRIZE (Teacher from 19942007) Prize awarded for Literary Achievement R. Rajah R. KENNARD DAVIES (Master 1930-44) Prize awarded for the best original poetry in English or a Classical language published during the year V. A. Keshav

POETRY RECITATION PRIZE T. C. F. Simpson

WILLIAM COOK PUBLIC SPEAKING PRIZES (W. B. Cook, Master 1972-91) I. Blackburn C. N. Shepherd J. C. Shepherd

THE REVD A. S. T. FISHER (Chaplain 1946-60) Prize awarded to the pupils who have contributed most to School Drama during the year Lower School S. Whitby Middle School H. Smith Sixth Form A. R. S. J. Ansdell

STANIER AWARD (Master 1944-67) Awarded for service to the life of the school J. F. W. Gant G. H. C. Potter W. F. Giles O. J. Price F. E. R. Hardyman O. G. T. Riviere FOXE AWARD (Pupil 1535-38, Martyrologist) Awarded for service to the wider community I. Blackburn I. M. Fincham K. Shaddel MASTER’S PRIZE Prize awarded for signal achievement within or beyond the school R. Rajah

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP PRIZE Prize awarded for outstanding leadership in any sphere of school life G. A. C. Laird

JOHN LYNE MEMORIAL (Pupil 1933-37, Senior Prefect 1937) Prize awarded to the Heads of School J. Akande F. I. G. Winkley

CORONATION CUP Prize awarded for the most outstanding achievement in any field during the year Awarded to the team of Reflections, November 2018 In addition to the named prizes, the Stuart Birtwhistle Award supports pupils to buy books for higher education study that they would not otherwise afford.

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Junior School

junior school The Junior School celebrated its Silver Jubilee, having opened its doors officially as the Junior School twenty-five years ago, under the care of the extraordinary Mr John Place. Around forty boys were split between two classes that we now know as J3 and J4, in what are the current J3 Classrooms, as the floor above had been loaned to New College School for their boarders. Before this time, the Junior Section oversaw the education of the Choristers under the age of eleven, and a number of younger siblings of Senior School boys, taught collectively in one class (2C) housed in the current JS ICT suite. We now have close to a hundred and forty boys in eight classes starting from seven years old, with the majority of School House turned over to this thriving corner of MCS. We are grateful to retain strong links with Mr Place, who continues to run our formidable Chess programme having completed his fortieth year working for the School last year.

There has been a wonderful vibe within School House throughout this year, and my sense is that our increasing focus on core dispositions has done much to foster an already strong underlying emotional intelligence amongst the boys; they certainly are good souls! There has been no let-up in the pace at which the Junior School runs, with another year flying by in a heartbeat. For the third consecutive year, all of our J4s were awarded places to continue in the Senior School on the back of their performances in their 11+ papers and interviews. This was another tremendous collective achievement for a year group that galvanised into a wonderfully cohesive and mutually supportive cohort.

This cohesion has also remained a key feature of our parental body, with overwhelming support for our many family events, impressive support for our performances and events, as well as consistent engagement with their sons’ learning and development, both at 10

school and at home. We could not be more grateful for this essential element of Junior School life, and it remains a great pleasure for the staff here to work with such a vibrant and positive group of boys and parents.

JS Drama has continued to blossom with the time set aside during our Activities Afternoon paying handsome dividends.

The J1 and J2s presented a rollercoaster Egyptian Adventure, the J3s a super production of Treasure Island, and the whole school came together to support what was an astonishing J4 production of the Wizard of Oz. Music too continued to push the envelope, with our first JS boy passing his grade 8 (with distinction) in piano, with a growing number chasing this standard. Our Grand Concert showcased our musicality in fine style, with the boys loving the Space-themed evening; the highlight was clearly our orchestra of fifty-four boys loving their performance of the theme for Star Wars. The Choristers have also maintained their fine reputation with performances at Le Manoir, Antwerp, and Paris in addition to wowing the crowds at May Morning with their mesmerising rendition of Over the Rainbow.

JS Sport, not to be outdone, ran close to three hundred and fifty fixtures, which now means that every boy plays at least two or more fixtures in each of our focus sports. In amongst the accolades here there has also been a significant expansion in the breadth of sporting opportunities, with cross country fixtures, swimming galas, and now tennis on our fixture cards.

We also ran our first ever Junior School Ski Trip taking fiftytwo boys on an adventure to Austria. Despite some challenging conditions, not one boy missed a single session of skiing, and the feedback about the character of the boys and staff leading

Junior School

the trip was simply stunning. Sometimes it takes moments like these to gain an independent view of how we operate, and the consistent feedback was of an unparalleled atmosphere of care, charm, and fun.

Other highlights have included as diverse a range as a poignant two days off timetable to celebrate the cessation of hostilities at the end of World War I, to our quiz and chess teams collecting a bag of awards, to the visit of an otter to our stretch of the Cherwell. There has been, as ever, far more underpinning JS Life to do justice to here, and our own Views From the Bridge publication offers a little more for those with a soft spot for the irrepressible Junior School.

Tim Skipwith, Head of the Junior School

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3 1 2

House Results

Maltby 409

Callender 389

Chavasse 383.5

INTER HOUSE COMPETITION WINNERS HOUSE DRAMA

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Chavasse

HOUSE SINGING – SMALL GROUP

Walker

HOUSE SINGING – LARGE GROUP

Wikinson

HOUSE DEBATING: SENIOR

Callender

HOUSE DEBATING; JUNIOR

Callender

CROSS COUNTRY: JUNIOR

Callender

CROSS COUNTRY: INTERMEDIATE

Walker

CROSS COUNTRY: SENIOR

Maltby

CROSS COUNTRY: GIRLS

Maltby

SPORTS DAY: JUNIOR

Maltby

SPORTS DAY: INTERMEDIATE

Walker

SPORTS DAY: SENIOR

Callender

SPORTS DAY: GIRLS

Wilkinson

VICRTOR LUDORUM

Jack Ashton

VICTRIX LUDORUM

Amy Litchfield

4 5 6

House Results

Walker 366.5

Wilkinson 358.5

Leicester 286.5

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House Pages

Callender Last year’s Lily would have seen reference to the very first assembly of the year and how we aimed to change our reputation as a House. Perennial wooden spoon contenders, things had to change in Callender, and they certainly did as we finished 2018 in fourth place. This year has exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations, and been brilliant in Callender, with lots of successful events of competitive and slightly less competitive nature. Ewan Nightingale was our Head of House, someone who had been a loyal representative of Callender over many years.

He led a committed and super talented House committee, including a number of the highest quality musicians. More about them a little bit later on. â–ś

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House Pages

Our new Second Form started the year with the Lower Fourth at the Berinsfield Aqua Park, and quickly gelled, as they won nearly everything over the course of the year, and revelled in building that try-hard reputation. Let’s hope this continues into next year! The new Lower Sixth were welcomed in a far more civilized fashion, with dinner at La Cucina. The first big event of the year, House Drama, witnessed an innovative and comic reworking of The IT Crowd. Dan Collier directed the production featuring some of the most awkward dinner party conversation you are likely to witness. All intentional of course. Particular mention must go to Bella Crew, but also to Geordie Mackesy who stepped in at the last minute.

We were heavily involved in the two day World War I commemoration, which Dr Habsburg spent an enormous amount of time helping to organise. It was a fascinating two days and certainly provided a number of interesting conversation topics in our house room, as well as poignant memories. I would like to acknowledge those who contributed to the fantastic production of Reflections. I hugely enjoyed watching and listening to Sam Whitby in the Third Form, Christian and Giles Longstaff, Bella Crew, Dan Collier, Isabella Sharipova-Williams, and Imogen Albert all perform, as well as Joe Hancock who led the tech team.

There was a massive range of House activity and sport over the two days of commemoration and, for those of us in green, it was a very useful addition to the House events diary. We also won the Third and Lower Fourth Debate, and finished second in the Upper Fourth / Fifth Form debate too, so well done to them. The Second Form Quiz team finished top of their table. The Third Form were doing extremely well until a final Christmas music round caught them out, and they finished third.

Our charity endeavours over the course of the year saw Callender raise the highest amount of money as a House. There was a huge amount of time and energy put into various events, and I would like to thank pupils, parents, and staff for all their generosity.

Inspired by Miss Pinching’s touching family story, we tied on our trainers and ‘Ran for Callender’ over varying distances and speeds to raise money for Oxford Children’s Hospital. A House Park Run, up at Cutteslowe, saw over forty representatives of the House in action. The same weekend, Miss Pinching and Mr Sobey from the Callender tutors, as well as Hal Burtenshaw, Rob Tomlin, and Nick Cassell, took to the streets of Oxford for the half marathon. Mr Sobey would later go on to run the London Marathon, again for OCH, in a time of 3hrs 29mins. At the end of the Michaelmas term, we also hosted our Christmas Quiz, which raised over £600. This was another fantastic occasion, featuring a

number of our house musicians performing live on the evening, while other rounds were written by different year groups. We raised over £8000 in the school year, for which I think all involved should be incredibly proud.

For the first time ever, there was a vote on House Music between the nominated Head of Music, Giles Longstaff, and the housemaster. Democracy was the order of the day, and it was Giles’ choice Goodbye Mr A that was chosen as our 2018-19 entry. A great deal of enthusiastic rehearsal was unfortunately not rewarded by the judges, as we finished outside the top three.

However, our small group performance of I can’t help falling in love, arranged by Imogen Albert, was placed a well deserved third.

Not ranked in the top three for seven years (at least) for House Music, and then twice in two years!

The House Cross Country saw another strong showing from all year groups. Maybe inspired by the previous term’s training, there were a number of superb performances from those in green. Seb Gardner, Hannah Betts, George Potter, and Hal Burtenshaw all finished in the top five for their respective races. 87% of the House ran the cross country this year, as did some of the staff. We also saw the junior boys storm to victory in their section.

The departing Upper Sixth were an incredibly talented group showing great sporting ability, including Max Chopping, Nathan Sykes, and Alex Chapman, as First team players. Sailing we had covered too, thanks to George Potter! There has been high level Drama involvement, both on stage and on the tech desk. They also have strengths in the art classroom and in the debating arena.

I also think that Brooks, Longstaff, Teh, Hancock, and Albert, could be the most musically gifted house room that MCS has ever seen. Sports Day was a sense of déjà vu, as new Head of House Jack Ashton won the Victor Ludorum for the second consecutive year. The Senior Boys won their section on the day, and the House overall took the title of Sports Day winners!

Thanks to Mr Quiney and Mr Reid for their time as Callender tutors, who leave the House and fond tutors groups behind. Mrs Parry, Dr Habsburg, Miss Pinching, Mr Booth, Mrs White, and Mr Sobey all have been exceptional this year, and I am grateful for all their time and effort. Surpassing the Master’s surprise in final assembly the year before, Callender were announced in second place. The green eyes are now firmly set on that top spot…

Andy Watts, Housemaster 15

House Pages

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House Pages

Chavasse As always, the Chavasse community has pulled through and produced another superb year of individual and collective achievement, with many memorable moments for all members of the House.

The first few hectic weeks of term are always best if you’re in Chavasse, with the various integration events ably lead by last year’s Head of House, Zachy Dehalvi. At the end of the first half of term, when everyone is usually tired and wanting entertainment, Big School is filled with students and teachers alike to watch House Drama, certain to perk everyone up. This year, Chavasse, headed up by Stanley Righton, took the victory, hilariously executing an extract of an old Batman episode with Tom Klenerman as Batman, and brilliant acting from Jago Wainwright, Sam Crichton, Laurie Macfarlane, Xav Markham, Billy Garnett, and Amelia Thomas, as well as support from members of a variety of year groups. In the end, it looked like a routine victory, mainly due to the hard work of all involved. Having won House Singing the previous year, this meant we now held both House Drama and Singing at the same time, a superb achievement in the history of the House.

House Singing this year, performed before half term in Hilary, saw Fred Duffen lead the house in a rendition of I’m a believer!.

Although we didn’t quite manage to win, it ensured that the Chavasse spirit was instilled in everyone from Second Form to

Upper Sixth, being the only event in the school year where every member of the House is involved. Following House Singing usually comes a quiet end to the year, as the Upper Sixth prepare for A levels and come into their final weeks and months, not just as members of the School, but also members of Chavasse. Their last House assembly and a Pierre Victoire lunch with housemaster Mr Thomas gives them a fitting send off after spending their time at Magdalen in the House.

The Chavasse year, however, was not over, with one final effort in the form of Sports Day on the final day of term. There were many notable performances on the day, with Harry Whitwell and Oyare Aneju winning all their events and the most important event of the day, the senior tyre flip, was won by Chavasse. The year also saw some excellent fund-raising efforts across the House, culminating in the now-famous Soirée, which saw musicians, actors, and singers strut their stuff, while a fiendish quiz (courtesy of Max Higdon), a coffee tasting (led by Mr Gardner) and a bakeoff (judged by Mrs Dehalvi) kept the money rolling in to a grand total of well over £1000. Finally, we wish the Upper Sixth and departing tutors all the best for the future, and we welcome our new tutors to the Chavasse family. Our aim remains the same for next year, to win the House Cup! Jamie Whitwell, Lower Sixth 17

House Pages

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House Pages

Leicester The Leicester House has been in tip-top form again this year and, although we still lie low in the House rankings, the students have approached the year with the much expected energy and humour that makes the House unique. Leicester is a House that prides itself on being a great community and having gusto in abundance, and this year has been no exception.

The Upper Sixth leavers are a driven bunch; they are incredible humble in all that they do, and they had a very caring attitude to everyone in the tutor room. They all had some fantastic highs and some real lows over the year, they have supported each other well and they are heading off into exciting times ahead. They leave to pursue careers in Engineering, Economics, Theology, Chemistry, Maths, Physics, History, Geography, Computer Science, Medicine, Law, English, Biology, potentially two going to USA and Australia, PPE and of course Arabic with French, a Vet, and an Archaeologist.

The year started with several trips to help integrate the new students into their houserooms and to get to know their tutors better. The Second Form went bowling, the Lower Fourth went go-karting (won convincingly by Adam Winn) and the Lower Sixth were taken Ice-Skating by the Upper Sixth house team.

In terms of events, the year started with a fantastic version of Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Copper Beeches as our House Drama play; it saw the House finish outside the top three,

although a number of staff agreed that the Leicester play was one of their favourites. Ably led by Shelton, Macdonald and Dickie, the cast pulled off a mature and thorough performance, which involved students from all of the year groups. Swiftly in to House Music, and the musical talents of Galloway led the House home to a superb third place in the full house ABBA medley, which was great fun – as you can see from the photos in this page.

Over the year the house has had various successes winning Second Form, Lower Fourth, and Senior House football, winning the Lower Fourth House table tennis, and finishing second in the House debating.

Many thanks must go to House Captain Mark Hudson, who has able been assisted by MacDonald, Shelton, Underwood, and Kourdi this year. To all of the House Tutor Assistants, those that led the running of the major House activities, and to those that participated along the way; these are the people that made the House a special place to be this year, and who have laid a great foundation for the future years to be inspired from.

Many thanks must also go to the Leicester House tutors, for they have guided and supported the students throughout many trials and tribulations over the year, and continue to help the MCS community thrive.

Ed DupĂŠe, Housemaster 19

House Pages

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House Pages

Maltby Another year passed; another House Cup deservedly claimed

by Maltby House. The 2018-2019 year was full of successes for Maltby, from academic to sports to music and drama, placing us once again at the top of the leaderboard. The academic prowess of the members of Maltby became apparent when a remarkable 88% A/A* and 86% 8/9s (A* in old money) was achieved at A-level and GCSE respectively.

In the first major House event of the year, House Drama, Tom Van Oss, Georgia Laird, and Orlando Riviera starred in an adaptation of The Play That Goes Wrong directed by Alex Ansdell. Despite Big School echoing with laughter and a majority of students and teachers (including myself) believing Maltby should win, we came second, being narrowly beaten by Chavasse. In House Singing, our entire House enthusiastically sang Livin’ la Vida Loca whilst performing some snazzy dance moves directed by Tom Van Oss. House Cross Country was another big success for Maltby: not only did we win the event; we also had the greatest turnout of all the Houses. There were notable performances from Rob Doorly and Theo Cooke, who came first and second in the senior boys, and Poppy Webb who came first in the senior girls. Throughout the rest of the year our members competed in a variety of events, including House Chess, the House Quiz, Intermediate Football, Rugby, and Debating.

Although in the past Maltby tended to lose the points lead (and thus the House Cup) during Sports Day, the curse that was broken in 2017-2018 also stayed supressed last year, with Maltby performing exceptionally well. Maltby came first in many events including the Junior and Senior Boys mile run, the Intermediate Boys javelin and the Senior Girls mile walk. In the end, after extraordinary performances from all of our members, Maltby came second, a mere eight points behind our arch-rival Callender.

In the end the tireless effort of every member of Maltby paid off: Maltby finished the House Cup with 409 points, beating Callender to first place by 20 points and the sixth-placed by over 120. Of course this success would not be possible without the Maltby tutors that work so hard to support us. Although they all deserve thanks, I would like to thank Mrs Earnshaw in particular for her many years of service as Head of House before she passed the reins onto Mr Ryan (whose booming voice and encouragement I’m sure played a big role in our success at Sports Day).

I’m sure that this year will be even more impressive than the last, and that it will bring many more victories to Maltby. Our next House Cup awaits!

Alex Tselos, Lower Sixth 21

House Pages

Walker With the departure of Walker-Dunn’s previous Housemaster, Dr Simon Floate, still lingering in the back of our minds, we all knew that the next head would have big boots to fill. Who could match Dr Floate’s historical back-to-back victories? Enter Mr James Jefferson-Loveday (aka JJL), a fresh teacher on the scene who was ready for the challenge. His inspirational motto, ‘I want us to smash this,’ inspired a solid start to the Michaelmas term as we consistently landed third place across all lower and middle school rugby competitions. The head of sport, Aaron Chalmers, put his tactical sporting mind and coaching abilities to some good use as he encouraged successful performance from the younger years.

Walker also secured a comfortable third place in House Drama, as Wynn Tasker’s excellent production and directing of A Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill featured some grippingly explosive acting from Will Giles, supported by Mila, James, Ilona, and Hugo. ▶

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House Pages

Despite the plethora of successes, the only first place we took during Michaelmas term was in House Debating, thanks to the outstanding rhetoric of our Fifth Form and Upper Fourth. By the end of the term, we had set ourselves in the strong position of third place, but we knew that we would have to work hard to maintain our success going into the Hilary Term.

Our next big event was House Singing. It is safe to say that we fulfilled JJL’s motto here as we did indeed ‘smash this’. James Gant was the mastermind behind the big group performance, with a fantastic arrangement of Queen’s Somebody to Love that included a highly technical three-part harmony. His younger brother Harry arranged an equally exhilarating small group performance of Losing My Mind by Stephen Sondheim. The efforts of the whole House received the rightful recognition from the judges, as they were awarded first place for the small group and second place for the big group. A special mention must also go to Ben Rhydderch for his captivating and edgy guitar solo in the middle of our whole group performance.

However, in order to reach pole position, our momentum could not just stem from House Singing. We comfortably addressed this concern through the wide range of standout individual and team performances in the House Cross Country. With a remarkable improvement in weather conditions, we saw a much higher participation rate from Walker runners. In Middle School, the inters secured a well-fought first place overall. Within the seniors, top ten finishes from Conor Rees and Jamie Redfern, coupled with an absolutely legendary performance from underdog Henry King, comfortably led the boys into second place. Each member of Walker had certainly earned a well-deserved rest over the Easter holidays.

Aside from the intensity of inter-house competitions, Walker also organised a successful Soirée with Maltby. The entertaining evening featured displays of musical prowess and some questionable but crowd-pleasing dancing from Mr Jefferson-

Loveday. Everybody who participated in this event should be proud of the colossal sum of money that was generated for charity.

Julius Gasson opened up our Trinity term campaign with some brutally cutthroat chess, as he swept the floor with every opponent he faced. He gave an exemplary display of chess skill, while dancing his way to a well-deserved first place in the seniors - well done Gas-Man. Having secured a heap of points, this led us on nicely to Sports Day, our final big event of the year. The inter boys dominated the day, finishing in first place overall by a comfortable margin. With most of the Upper Sixth unable to compete, it was up to the Lower Sixth and some of the Fifth Form to steer the senior boys to success. In the end we finished fourth place overall, but this does not reflect some of the breathtaking individual performances of the day. Chris Tse muscled his way to multiple wins in Shot Put and Discus, with Fifth-Former Alex Blake-Martin close behind. George Maddison performed consistently well in the short distance events and the threatening team of Josh Bischoff, Louis Turner, Chris Tse, and the mighty David McIntyre won the tyre flip. Conor Rees secured second place in the 400m, Javelin, and senior boys 100m. It really was a successful day, and everybody who participated should be proud of their efforts.

Walker finished in fourth place overall this year, and has created some lasting memories. The efforts of every member of this House should not go uncredited. Special thanks must also go to every house tutor and member of the Upper Sixth WalkerDunn Leadership Team, as they have continuously given their best efforts to keep the House running without a hitch. We also wish the departing Upper Sixth all the best in their exciting new endeavours at university and beyond. We look to use their legacy as our fuel for a dominant, unfaltering campaign this year. May Walker-Dunn reign once again.

Conor Rees, Lower Sixth 23

House Pages

Wilkinson Despite not perhaps living up to expectations for a third year in a row, in terms of House standings, this has been another superb year of achievement for Wilkinson house. Although the setbacks and losses were many, and the victories few and far between, the camaraderie that defines Wilkinson made the successes all the sweeter. Unity within and between houserooms was embodied by the departing Upper Sixth, perhaps one of the most successful houserooms in the school’s history, whose mix of talents in sport, drama, and music meant that this is a year that the House certainly won’t forget. ▶

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House Pages

The year was kicked off, however, by one of the more forgettable events of our year in House Drama. This was led by an innovative Rachael Rajah, who bravely set out upon new ground, giving a new play its first performance, certainly no easy feat in the short time slot given to each act. Naturally, as this was a new play, there were some teething problems in preparation, but these evaporated when it came to the performance. Yiannis Goeldner-Thompson led from the front, whilst there were also key performances from, among others, Felix Hoare and Charlotte Collerton. Although the result was not perhaps what we wanted (and the result, for me, is always the priority) some of the performances, especially from the younger years, such as Ben Newbury’s, were especially encouraging, and hint at further success in the future.

The standout event of the year was undoubtedly House Singing, the highlight of the year for the Wilko family, and certainly of my time at MCS. Once again, an audacious song choice was decided upon, in Boney M’s Rasputin, the brainchild of Charlie Gill; however, this did not faze Yiannis Goeldner-Thompson, who took to the role of leading House Singing like Mr Vallance when faced with a piano. Leading from the front once again, Yiannis inspired a rip-roaring performance (credit must also go to Todd Williams for yet another adrenaline inducing speech), with the harmonies working to perfection in tandem with an amazing band, led by the expert Quin Obbink on the violin. The moment when the judge announced the winner was, although inevitable, a moment of complete and utter ecstasy, with limbs flying and strangely high-pitched voices screaming. People who had previously been boys transformed into superhumans, ‘big and strong, our eyes a flaming glow’.

To complete this report of House Singing without a mention of the Small Group would be an injustice, and, as this was one of our few successes of the year, we may as well champion it as much as we can. Once again led by Yiannis, a theme of the year (unfortunately I am no more musically talented than Mr Penton), the choice of Labrinth’s Jealous worked perfectly for the group of singers that we had, leaving not a dry eye in the house. The whole group deserves acclaim, although the individual performances of Oscar Taylor and Joe Travis were particularly heart rending.

The rest of the year, it has to be said, was slightly less impressive, something epitomised by the performance of the Sixth Form House Footballers. Despite sporting by far the strongest team of the tournament, almost entirely made up of first teamers, we only managed to defeat one team, and that was Callender. We had all the talent, and most of the ball, but could not find a way through the tightly packed defences of the various oppositions, although this humiliation was partly counteracted by an undefeated display in House Tennis the next week.

Credit must once again go to the brilliant house tutors of the various Wilkinson houserooms, not only for their undying support on the side of the sports pitch, but also for their sound advice and moral support that grows increasing invaluable as you progress throughout the school. On behalf of the leavers, a special thanks must particularly go to Dr Bell and Mr Vallance, whose mix of humour and support has certainly not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.

At the conclusion of this year, and of this piece, I must make clear that, however much I, and the rest of the House, may like to joke about our various inadequacies, I would not exchange any of the experiences that I have undergone in my time in Wilkinson for anything. The House has that unique mix of people and staff that creates lasting friendships and a unity that I believe is not experienced in any other Houses throughout the rest of the school, and I hope that this fact continues into the future. I know for sure that my fellow members of this year’s leavers and I will continue to bleed Gold (not Yellow as Charlie Cowan claimed so sacrilegiously last year) for the rest of our lives.

This unity combined with the talent that we undoubtedly have means that I can only see a repeat of the old Wilkinson glory days happening in the near future. The new Head of House, Duncan Knox, is the ideal person to start this surge into the future, by keeping those Wilkinson potatoes on the stove, with the gas on.

Remember: Kushisa amazambane.

Sam Matthews Boehmer, Upper Sixth 25

University Destinations

UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS OF MCS LEAVERS 2019 Bath

Natural Sciences Politics with Economics

Birmingham Physics

Medicine Medicine

Bristol

Social Policy & Politics Aerospace Engineering Chemistry Chemistry History Engineering Design Biochemistry Aerospace Engineering Economics & Politics Politics & International Relations Mathematics &Computer Science Economics & Accounting Economics

Cambridge

Natural Sciences History Economics History & Modern Languages Music Engineering Natural Sciences Music Medicine Natural Sciences Medicine Natural Sciences Natural Sciences History 26

Archaeology Philosophy Natural Sciences Natural Sciences English Medicine

Central St Martins Fashion Foundation Fashion Foundation

Durham

Theology & Religion Theology & Religion Mathematics Natural Sciences Arabic & French Geography English Social Sciences Religion, Society & Culture French & Spanish Music Liberal Arts Geography Philosophy & Psychology

Dyson

Engineering

Edinburgh

Spanish & History Architecture Economics Sociology & Social Anthropology Philosophy & Theology History of Art Medicine Arabic & History French & English

Exeter

Newcastle

Imperial

Nottingham

Anthropology & French Middle East Studies Aeronautical Engineering Design Engineering Biological Sciences

KCL

Psychology Biomedical Engineering Religion, Philosophy & Ethics Psychology

Lancaster

History & Politics Financial Mathematics

Leeds

Mechanical Engineering

Leicester Medicine

Lipscomb, USA

Business Management Biomedical Sciences Liberal Arts Veterinary Medicine

Oxford

Ancient & Modern History Music Chemistry English Biochemistry Classics Biochemistry English Mathematics History Ancient & Modern History Chemistry English Physics

Sheffield

Business & Finance

Engineering Politics

Loughborough

Southampton

Maastricht, Netherlands

St Andrews

Mechanical Engineering Liberal Arts

Manchester History English with Creative Writing Physics

Economics

Arabic & Spanish English Arabic & International Relations Philosophy Computer Science Biology Geography

University Destinations UCL

Pharmacy Architecture Arts & Sciences Urban Planning, Design & Management Biomedical Sciences Computer Science

Warwick

Mathematics Mathematics Economics Mathematics Mathematics History Engineering PPE Mechanical Engineering

York

Biology Interactive Media Biology Biochemistry Destinations for deferred-entry applicants and re-applicants will be reported in 2020.

MCS LEAVERS 2019 DEFERRED ENTRY TO 2020 Bristol Bath Computer Science Durham Engineering Falmouth Sustainable Product

Design

Oxford Music UCL English York English

UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS OF MCS LEAVERS 2018 DEFERRED ENTRY TO 2019 Bristol

Biology Biology Civil Engineering Civil Engineering Computer Science & Electronics Electrical and Electronic Engineering Politics & International Relations Politics & Spanish

Cambridge

Classics Classics English English History & German Law Natural Sciences Psychological & Behavioural Sciences

Imperial Medicine

KCL

Medicine Medicine

Leeds

Politics & Theology

Leeds

Geology

Loughborough

Mechanical Engineering

Manchester Geography

Newcastle Education

Cardiff

Northumbria

Durham

Nottingham

Modern Chinese Anthropology Economics English History Philosophy PPE Social Sciences Social Sciences Theology & Religion

Edinburgh

Economics & Politics English French & Italian History of Art & English Literature

Exeter

Economics Theology

Design for Industry Agricultural Business Management Geography

Oxford

Experimental Psychology Music

Sheffield

Materials Science & Engineering

UCL

Social Sciences

York

English

Out of respect for the strictures of the GDPR, unfortunately we no longer publish the destinations of individual students. We are able, though, to give a picture of where they go on to, collectively‌

UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS FOR 2019

Cambridge 25 Durham 19 Bristol 16 Oxford 16 Edinburgh 11 Warwick 9 UCL 7 St Andrews 7 (Only universities receiving seven or more Old Waynfletes are listed.)

UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS OF MCS LEAVERS 2010-2019 Cambridge 204 Oxford 173 Durham 138 Bristol 137 UCL 74 Imperial 51 Edinburgh 49 Warwick 49 Exeter 48 Birmingham 36 Manchester 33 KCL 32 Bath 30 St Andrews 30 LSE 24 Newcastle 24 Nottingham 24 York 21 Southampton 18 Leeds 17 Sheffield 15 Cardiff 14 Loughborough 9 Liverpool 8 (Only universities receiving eight or more Old Waynfletes over the past decade are listed.)

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Chapel Report

Chapel Report It is a truth worthy of all to be received that hymn-singing is good for you.

Strong words set to a powerful melody, lustily yet tunefully sung, blow away cobwebs, drain respiratory systems of matutinal gunk, excite heart and mind in an outpouring of mutual bonding and belonging, and impart some largely unobjectionable theology at no extra charge.

Indeed, if I ever had doubts about the wisdom and future viability of Anglican chapel services in religiously and culturally diverse independent schools (which I largely don’t), conversations with present and past pupils and colleagues concerning their favourite hymnody would be sufficient to calm my nerves and stiffen my sinews. The colleague who always asks what the hymn’s going to be as we meet in the common room kitchen to effect an early-morning recaffeination, or those whose mood visibly lifts after a lilting Repton (‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind’ [sic]) or a sturdy Cwm Rhondda (‘Bread of heaven …’) are living proof of the claim that hymn-singing perks you up, and no mistake.

So it is good to report that we have been at it for another (five-hundred-andthirty-ninth) year. Even when microphones have failed or organ stops have misbehaved (usually the result of something innocuous like a pencil dropped and forgotten in an unhelpful place), the human voice has boomed and warbled on, ardour undimmed, beauty unalloyed.

We have also benefited from our usual share of spoken words, well-chosen and delivered by both locally-sourced and visiting speakers, including the Dean of Christ Church, Dr Martyn Percy. Mr Tim Cooper was a lone mathematician charting a course across a boundless ocean of historians and theologians (Miss Hayton spoke on Holocaust memorial; Dr Carter gave us a valedictory word before departing for another Iffley Road in another place). We heard also from Old Waynfletes Michael Peagram and John Caird, the former revealing the shocking piety of former generations of Prayer-Book-buying Waynfletes; the latter sharing his sizeable faith in Mustardseed, our new partner school in Uganda. Other visitors have included speakers from the International Justice Mission and the Thames Valley Air Ambulance, thus putting human faces to our chosen charities, and giving us further opportunity to consider how we might engage with the wider community in which we seek to flourish and serve.

We made our customary pilgrimages to the College Chapel, welcoming New Pupils, farewelling somewhat older ones, celebrating the mystery of Christmas in words and music that are simultaneously ancient and new-minted. It is good to return to this monument to the source of our life, to be living stones among the carved images. It is here, more vividly even than in our hymnal, that we hear whispered who we are to be and, in the proclamation of a faith we need not share, find a map hinting, suggesting, even guiding us on our unfolding way.

Fr Wealands Bell, Chaplain

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Chapel Report

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voice If there is one thing that Magdalen seems to lack, it is indifference. Students are encouraged to challenge and develop their own opinions. The resulting cacophony of stimulating conversation creates an energy that echoes constantly through all Magdalen corridors.

One cannot deny that teachers and pupils alike have a “voice”, and they desire for it to be heard. The school fosters the mentality that thoughts are worth having and ideas are worth hearing. Therefore, the importance of documenting these “voices” that all too often fail to escape the four walls of a classroom has become ever-increasingly apparent in recent times.

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31

Arts Festival

Arts Festival

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Arts Festival

FIVE STAR! It has been my greatest privilege to direct

Palace, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill and David Starkey, and Oxford Festival of the Arts 2019 (OFA2019). From the very with Magdalen College Library and Archives. In both instances, start, we set out to be distinctive. From an immersive opera we had some exceptional and rare artefacts on display (with leading experience to a murder mystery on a busexperts talking about them), including ride, from a Desert Island Discs night to “OFA2019 made its mark not Cardinal Wolsey’s Gospel-Lectionary, MS the premiere of a new monodrama, from only by achieving artistic excel- Lat. 223, and letters and paintings by Sir transforming the marquee into Soho’s lence but also by being bold and Winston Churchill.

Ronnie Scott’s cabaret night to tightwire different.” artistry or contemporary dance. Of course, The arts are not simply a commentator, and alongside all of this stood our great line-up for the speaker series I believe very strongly that they have a duty to be vocal about and exceptional musicians, together with the magical Madrigals what is happening in the world. This was an underlying thread on the River. within the programming, for example Ethno England (cultural diversity), Child Migrant Stories, Refugee Resource, Sumatran Our pilot project #encounters earlier on in the year helped us Orangutan Society (who are aiming to launch Oxford as the first establish that there is an appetite, a need, and an audience for sustainable palm oil city in the UK), and Rosie Millard (Children discovering the ‘new’, so we also endeavoured to engage more in Need and Children and the Arts). traditional audiences by guiding them towards trying out new things in different ways. Encounters in 2019 included the massive transformation of Big School into a black box for an audio and visual installation. This was done in partnership with Oxford Brookes University and the Sonic Arts Research Unit. Our next encounter was in partnership with the Department for Continuing Education and Magdalen College, and held in the privileged space of their Summer Common Room and the Old Library.

Throughout the festival, we contextualised our programmes as much as possible, bringing an interdisciplinary, multifaceted dimension to events, and therefore a more complete experience to the audience: for example the collaborations with Blenheim 33

Arts Festival

With a theme of Connections (across the arts | with the past | between cultures) we were able to reach across different art forms, create new partnerships, work across diverse cultures, link with the past and look towards the future. We worked with 17 cultural partners across Oxford, Oxfordshire and London, and extended our reach across several venues in Oxford, covering OX1, OX2 and OX4.

I am always asked ‘what is/was your favourite event?’

I never really know how to answer that properly. My favourite is always the one that I am doing at the moment, although some of the nights had a particular ‘something special’ about them. I must mention the great opener with Ronnie Scott’s Big Band – with our MCS Jazz Band with Jon Cullen as its very worthy, more-than-just-support act in our absolutely delightful Rose Garden. The glitz and glamour did not stop there, with Anton du Beke charming his audiences a few nights later.

Our wedding-night-gone-wrong-cum-opera, Orfeo, is still on everyone’s lips with our very own MCS William Purefoy in the lead role. Five-star reviews kicked off with the one-man-performance of Mistero Buffo (over 100 characters in a chameleonic tour-deforce!). They continued with the world premiere opera/monodrama based on the diary of Frida Kahlo, with permission from the Diego Riviera and Frida Kahlo Estate. Acclaimed British mezzo-soprano Katie 34

Bray (who had just won the prestigious Dame Joan Sutherland audience prize in the Cardiff Singer of the World competition) took the role of Frida.

Some evenings were so special that they almost defy description. I think immediately of the marvellous performance by ORA Singers with our own MCS choir, or the beautiful chemistry between Mahan Esfahani on harpsichord and Sean Shibe on guitar – a rare chance to see these two extraordinary musicians perform together. The exquisite Buxtehude concert has to fall within this category, with many of our partners working together, including Dr Cathy Oakes from the Department for Continuing Education, Dr Katie McKeough from New College, Daryl Green the librarian at Magdalen College (all wonderfully generous with their time) and our very own Alex Potts and Jenni Attia with three parts vied. It was one of those very special evenings we will not forget.

The two and a half weeks of the festival are the pinnacle of an all-year round programme which also aims to engage with different communities and schools. The school and the festival work closely together to this end. This year, we worked with over 4,000 children from 45 schools. There were, for example, over 500 children from eight schools just for the Karl Nova Rhythm and Poetry event.

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We have looked at different ways of engaging with the community, from taking a full orchestra into Bonn Square (with audience and children participating), to rethinking our ‘family days’ and bringing professional musicians and proper gigs aimed at children. We also showcased our school grounds even further with our new sports taster for 2019 – grass-court tennis. We worked with refugees and displayed their art and craft during the festival (including ‘Birds of a Feather’ in the rose garden trees). We worked with children with special needs in our Music for Autism sessions. We reached out to the community at large with a curated photographic exhibition all about ‘Connections within the Community’, displayed throughout the festival in our marquee.

Central to the festival are the performances by MCS students: from Junior School all the way to Sixth Form, from ‘plays on the field’ to brilliant performances in the city centre (for example The Fairy Queen), and from jazz in the rose garden to the Oxford Playhouse play. This year, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was performed to 470 schoolchildren, over half of whom said they had never been to a Shakespeare play before. Other MCS events 35

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included the Oxford Union Debate, this year in collaboration with Battle of Ideas and Debating Matters, and, of course, the MCS annual Summer Art Exhibition.

There were too many special things to mention everything. From our silent movies or ‘bring a picnic and blanket’ film screenings to our ‘let your hair down’ evenings with AGBEKO and Manouche Etcetera, from David Starkey to Jeffrey Archer, Tom Piper OW to Louis de Bernières, and Elizabeth Kenny to His Majesty’s Sagbutts and Cornetts, this was a hugely successful festival, which could not have been achieved without everyone’s help and collaboration – particularly that of the MCS community, both academic and support staff.

Audiences were large in number and the atmosphere was wonderful, whether the event was a talk for 40 people or the marquee was full to the brim. Cultural partners from Oxford (including Oxford City Council), Oxfordshire and beyond joined us, and we even had artists who were highly esteemed in their own right in the audience – on one particular night, Dame Sarah Connolly, Dame Emma Kirkby, and Howard Williams were in the same audience.

We owe a debt of gratitude to our sponsors, funders, artistic partners and collaborators, without whom the programme would not have been so rich and exciting – or so enjoyable to create. OFA2019 embraced fun, excitement, family activities, learning, fascinating talks, artistic excellence, and new work. We became a platform for what matters and also a hub of cultural activity mixed with a great atmosphere and festival cocktails. Here’s to an even more dazzling and bustling OFA2020!

Michelle Castelletti Director, Oxford Festival of the Arts

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Interview with Claire Fox On Thursday 27 June I met Claire Fox, libertarian writer and Brexit Party MEP, in the idyllic Oxford Union grounds. The Union is seen as Oxford’s hub of free speech, promoting the right to absolute freedom of expression despite the controversial topics debated in its halls. Fittingly, this seemed the perfect setting to discuss Fox’s attitudes on ‘generation snowflake’ and the potential risks of the ‘therapeutic education movement’.

people, not everyone but certainly a generational trend, were more likely to say ‘I find that offensive’ or ‘I’m triggered’ and try to close things down or no-platform them. To me that seems to be problematic.

In her book I Find That Offensive (2016, Biteback), Fox suggests that child protection regimes are prioritised to an extreme and, as a result, Britain’s youth has neither the resilience nor the open-mindedness to discuss controversial topics in the form of debate. Instead, she argues that our generation are all too quickly dismissing, ignoring, or even no-platforming these points of view.

Thus, the youth of today will (according to Fox) prevent the process of democracy tomorrow.

Well, certainly there has been a much wider acceptance of a socalled ‘progressive reason for censorship’ which we have never seen historically. So those in the past who used to close down or noplatform debates were part of the establishment or conservative forces, using censorship against young radicals. Now, however, it’s young radicals who use this as a tool in fighting against racism or prejudice.

As a debate on the difficult relationship between populism and democracy occurs in the background, Fox lights a cigarette and we begin our discussion.

Let’s start off by addressing the so-called ‘snowflake generation’.

What is it?

In my book I Find that Offensive, I use this phrase to describe a generational thin-skinnedness. This generational change was actually outwardly recognised by everyone including Obama.

I wrote my book both about and to ‘generation snowflake’.

According to Wikipedia, I am responsible for it, but we don’t believe anything they say. It’s a derogatory and lazy phrase concerning the way it’s been used, but I do think it explained a generational shift I was writing about. This was that young 38

What are the effects of the growing presence of the ‘snowflake generation’ in the western world?

In your book, you tackled the growing societal movement for ‘therapeutic education’. You suggest that it is actually causing the development of this overprotective society and the snowflake generation. Could you elaborate?

Why you would, at 18, demand to be kept safe, seems to me to be an extraordinary social shift. The idea that people now go to university and demand that they should be looked after and protected as if they were still a child is totally new. I realised that this must have stemmed from events earlier on in a child’s life.

I thought back on it and realised that one of the biggest issues in schools has been this obsession with safeguarding, perhaps due to an over-anxious generation of parents, overprotective of young people. Everybody is worried that around every corner, young people are going to be attacked or bullied. So, in a way, we have deprived young people of a way of being able to look

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after themselves and of teaching them about that dreaded word ‘resilience’. This is not me saying that I think everyone should be bullied in order to get through life but, on the other hand, if you’ve never understood any discomfort at all and only ever been metaphorically ‘pampered’, then it’s no wonder that you cannot cope when you do encounter unpleasant things.

We can see examples from the past where challenging, controversial speech has sparked social movements and caused the ongoing process of democracy. Would you say that if we carry on harbouring this idea of ‘generation snowflake’ and safe spaces, and begin to push these societal values to the extreme, then there will be no democratic progression like we’ve seen it before?

Of course that’s one of the problems, because one of the main demands of a ‘safe space’ is that you are cocooned away from ideas that you find difficult. It’s an enemy of democracy. Arguably, the whole point of democracy is the thrashing-out of contested ideas. And that’s bound to mean that your views and your firmlyheld beliefs and values will be challenged by someone who’s got different values from yours. We’ve seen the consequences of that potential ‘groupthink’ in an echo chamber. It resulted in people not anticipating, for example, Brexit. People who voted ‘remain’ were blindsided as they would claim not to know anyone who voted leave. Simply, if you don’t get out there more, you aren’t going to be exposed to this world of people who think differently to you. I also think that it means, in terms of democracy, that you never learn the art of debate and discussion. How can you ever persuade people of your position if you’re not tested and constantly put into the fire of your own arguments? First of all, you may change you mind, but you’ll certainly improve the way you argue if you have to take on an opponent. It seems to me that democracy is going to turn into soundbites just shouting past each other with no attempt at persuading people. We can see this happening right now, through the way that current politics is being conducted as a way of trying to delegitimise one’s opponents through calling them horrible names.

So, with the understanding that offence is a necessary unpleasantness in the course of democracy, how could the education system protect its students while also harbouring the notion of ‘resilience’?

Of course, at this point, nobody is advocating that we just throw open school doors and let anyone wander in. I personally think that currently there’s too much surveillance of people within schools. I think that part of growing up is to have places in which we are not constantly surveyed, places where, in some sense, you can form your personality. For example: there now exist campaigns for primary schools to encourage inclusivity through choosing a student’s ‘best friends’. Now that seems to be a massive intrusion into the way you develop your own personality. In a free society, the very least you should be able to do is to choose your friends. Essentially, how you become who you are is through choosing things. I didn’t want my parents involved in that and I certainly wouldn’t want my teachers involved in that. That’s why freedom is important for development. Of course, we must protect children from real harm, but the other issue is that there’s an expanded notion of what’s harmful.

“How are you going to change the world if you assume that people who oppose you aren’t capable of ever being persuaded?”

I agree, the concepts of ‘harmful’ and ‘hateful’ have been taken out of context. So, If you are saying that therapeutic education is damaging, what may then happen to our generation in the future, after university and school?

I think that one of the more regressive trends of late is that not only secondary schools, but also universities are beginning to act in loco parentis, under demand from students. So you have a situation whereby the expansion of your postponement of growing up gets ever-longer. Our infatuation with being looked after, being protected, is going on for longer. Nowadays, lecturers are encouraged to phone your parents if you appear to be having at bad time at university. This is ridiculously intrusive. The truth of the matter is that even I, like everyone, struggled at university at times. Therefore you are being infantilised for longer and I think that is very problematic, as these values will seep into the workplace along with ‘generation snowflake’.

Do you have any advice for those of us who are members of ‘generation snowflake’?

People think that I’m suggesting that you should never be offended, whereas I’m offended every day. It is what you do with that information that counts. Understanding that other people have very strong views which you find hateful is not the end of the world. It actually can be a great inspiration for why you want to be on the opposite side to them. But, if you are constantly saying that you are offended by an idea and therefore dub it ‘hate speech’ so that you never hear it again, you’re never going to win any arguments. How are you going to change the world if you assume that people who oppose you aren’t capable of ever being persuaded? The worry is that we are stuck in an echo chamber now, always to keep the same views, never to develop. How depressing is that?

Izzy Gibson, Lower Sixth 39

Creative Writing

A REPLY A response to The Mowers Song I believe your eye, for now, be true, But it cannot see what mine eyes do.

Although the grass looks green and straight, The sun beyond earth’s laws dictate, Blue your skies grow full with cloud But empty soon, as grey swells proud.

A mower’s stoop I cannot bend, Coarseness I cannot attend.

For my bed is lit, whilst yours lies dark, Mine enrobed, and yours so stark.

A glass for me, truthful, clear, In muddied waters you appear.

Why must I cut you down once more, Just listen as the wind doth roar.

The not grass ground, let all its tears Run deep within you unawares.

Shrivel tree and wither petal Where Winter’s hand will swiftly settle.

Follow home the skyward arrow And run whilst fall begins to narrow.

Once the grass is rubbed away An icy clean sheet in its way, Will fester, as the sky turns black, And rot below, above attack.

Emma Mortimer

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Creative Writing

GOLGOTHA Far across the sky, on the horizon line, Thin black rocks break through the sea, Air glints, icy, with a hint of brine, And the remains of a wizened tree, Knotted and curled by the winding waves, Shaped into crosses, tossed in the foam, Come to rest beside the open graves Of forgotten fish. The hill’s slow dome Tolls – a tongueless bell, buried in the sand.

Oceans shatter into mist. Rocks like thorns Cover the crown of the bay in wounds, and The last fig, fallen from the fig tree, mourns.

Once incarnate, but now that flesh has died, Living on in all the world, hidden but implied.

Vijay Keshav THE RIVER Sometimes I will go down to the water, rip my clothes, and flick the torn pieces of them over, watch them float. You would say the tearing is grief, and the throwing is renewal, but really if I wanted to be clean I would just jump in myself.

Nobody wears blue jeans to a baptism, but then again I’m trying to relearn that everything’s in flux- I’ve been here so long the water and darkness are starting to become one.

There are so many threads dangling from my dress, I might as well tie them into a scarf, hang a commandment from each one, convince myself that everything’s washed clean at last, including all the things I haven’t done.

Dominique Pila

Image: detail by Jack Bradley 41

Creative Writing

THE PHILOSOPHER To write a thought is to pour His own Abstract into a glass And to drink Half His thoughts are not language, They are better as folded kindling That completes Nature’s ardent cycle, Pursuing personal pleasure in the pauses between Words And with summer ripping winter through a reflected mirror Seeking three dimensional truth outside inside He finds - the mirror breaks He has lost his Mind And repetitions swell from forth his skull In searching - the mirror breaks He has lost his Mind Izzy Gibson

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A PAPER COFFEE CUP It bobs, almost upside-down, dips, and rises.

The tragi-comical procession marches Across the expanse of the troubled sea.

The brand obscured (to their chagrin). A coat Of seaweed makes a pretty bridal veil.

The cup is blushing, out of place, alone.

Her new home does nothing but ripple on, Perhaps quite bravely, all things considered.

It takes sharp eyes to spot the floating cup, And from the height of cliffs and apathy, One scarcely sees this esoteric bride.

However, far fathoms below, her family watches A snapping turtle ponderously rise, His mouth agape, to the blue altar.

Vijay Keshav

Image: detail by Yash Patel 43

Visual Arts ALICE CARR Watercolour and pastel on canvas

My work has been focused on identity and its relationship with family. This piece shows three figures overlapping and merging together. On the left, my father and sister, then myself, my sister, and my brother, and lastly my brother and mother on the right. It was interesting to see how the likeness between us was represented in the painting.

▶ FREDDIE RICH Wood, mirrors, electroluminescent wire

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Through experimentation with light and reflections, I focused on the use of light and multiples to develop and change the appearance of spaces. I was fascinated

by Daniel Buren’s ability to change the mood of large spaces through the use of stained glass, and Hans Kotter’s use of light and mirrors to enhance the environment surrounding his sculptures.

My piece creates ‘infinite’ reflections of a grid of electroluminescent wire.

DYLAN LEUNG Garment construction

This piece reflects the interconnected influences between traditional menswear and womenswear. Focusing on the subject of androgyny in fashion, I used patterncutting and print with the aim of creating a garment that complemented all silhouettes.

The piece itself draws inspiration from a pair of upside-down trousers, literally inverting gender roles.

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visual arts JACK BRADLEY Detail from plaster frieze

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Upper Sixth My project looked into the presentation of fragments of the human form, studying the work of artists such as Rodin and Christo, and interpreting methods of distorting shape and texture. This series is my idea of a fragmented portrait, suggesting the human form through six expressive casts emerging from formless surfaces.

POPPY WEBB Etching, cyanotype and watercolour construction

In this piece I focused on water, its fluidity and unexpected variance, while looking also at abstract details and patterns on varying scales. I created a body of water through circles, using different techniques to represent three different scales – looking through a microscope, at eye level, and an aerial view – of the same stretch of river at Port Meadow.

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TONG YANG Detail from oil on Perspex

Throughout the project I explored the subject of water, its reaction with the human figure, and how the human form can be manipulated by other elements. This painting was completed on a layered and transparent Perspex surface.

Lower Sixth

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ED BRONIMANN Still from film

During my exploration of the link between nature and architectural forms, I was drawn to the work of Isabelle Bonte and Toba Khedoori, who use wire and etching forms to create simple but powerful pieces.

I wanted to showcase how nature often creates artistry in its growth as it continually tries to reclaim space. This piece uses etching, but also a collage of wire and artificial moss.

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BEN GARLAND Drypoint etching with collage

This piece examines human impact on the environment.

I created a film, inspired by the Richard Misrach exploration of isolation in seascapes, depicting a fishing boat on a sea of flowing plastic. I set out to unsettle the viewer and made use of unnatural editing and effects throughout the film.

DOMINIQUE PILA Lino print

In this project, I have been aiming to explore how ordinary objects and spaces can be transformed. Recently this has involved creating fantasy-style scenes using inspiration from lyrics. In this piece, I am investigating the idea of ‘viewing’, using several characters from earlier work to portray a dichotomy between imagination and reality.

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Visual Arts ARCHIE CHESSON Detail from mixed medi

Taking inspiration from Helle Jorgensen’s work, I created large green crocheted forms from plastic bags.

I also made photograms and cyanotypes using motifs taken from other crochet sculptures I had created during my project, these being inspired by Aurora Robson. I used a sewing machine to make a stitched cyanotype hanging. These pieces all explore pollution in our seas and how detrimental it can be to marine life.

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LAURIE MACFARLANE Oil on board

In this series I have attempted to capture the sublime nature of the Welsh hillsides, where I have spent time throughout my life. I wanted to capture miniature, almost postcard-like, scenes with the recurring motif of a white cottage. This is reflective of Kyffin Williams’ very thick, slightly abstracted paintings of Wales, and the typical white farming cottages found throughout the community.

▶ CHRIS YUNG Graphite with screenprint on paper

NATHAN EWER Detail from oil on canvas

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I have been exploring cultures from East and West, and this piece represents their clash in the modern era. It also delves into how commercialisation and its icons hide in plain sight alongside long-standing traditional figures such as the Buddha statue, seen here converted into a Warhol-style screenprint. I was particularly inspired by some photography projects by Michael Wolf of Hong Kong, in which he investigated this theme.

My work was inspired by the artists Anne Penman Sweet, Tilemachos Kyriazatis, and Michael Claxton. Cargo ships are vessels, and not merely in the physical sense; they contain a mythos or narrative as they travel the ocean, arriving, departing, and never still, yet remaining steadfast in the immutable monotony of their function. Named Miaplacidus, meaning ‘placid waters’, after one of the brightest stars in the night sky, and in reference to Sweet, the piece looks at capturing this ‘stationary voyage’.

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Visual Arts YASH PATEL Watercolour with gesso and string

I began looking at Anselm Kiefer and how he paints and incorporates material into his work; this was followed by Hosukai and his wave prints, and particularly his ability to capture movement and flow. I also like the way in which Julie Shackson uses material alongside her purple and blue palette.

For my final piece, I used aspects from all three artists to produce a seascape painting.

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MATTHEW PARKER Graphite and coloured pencil on paper

Focusing on the forms and textures of flowers, just like Karl Blossfeldt, I produced a pencil drawing of a collage of flowers jumbled together, supplementing this study with a coloured pencil variant which drew on the impactful, vibrant colours used by Georgia O’Keeffe.

SIMON BROOKS Collagraph print and plate, from series

For this piece, I was influenced by the textured style of Vincent van Gogh and the flowing lines of Chinese artist Wu Guanzhong, combining the two in a collagraph board constructed of natural materials. The focus is on depicting rural landscape with texture, evoking the serene emotion of the location in creating a final print.

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Fifth Form 49

drama Magdalen students never fail to accumulate an incredible roster of dramatic achievements over the course of an academic year, and 2018/2019 was no exception to the rule. The density of student involvement is, as always, inspiring, emphasised particularly in the presence of some completely student-made and student-run pieces. The importance too of the inclusion of pupils from all across the school assuming an extraordinary variety of roles throughout the creative process cannot be understated. This year has seen a specific drive towards the involvement of the wider community in MCS’s particular artistic position, illustrated through projects such as Small Hours documented in this section.

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A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S

DREAM

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Of all the dramatic opportunities offered

by MCS, the summer show at Oxford Playhouse has always been one of the most spectacular: this year, however, marked the first time that the company tackled a Shakespeare play, introducing new challenges, opportunities, and insights for all involved.

Performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream on such an impressive stage is already an incredible chance, but to perform it under the guidance of two professional Shakespearean actors and directors – Joanne Pearce and Adrian Noble – was an immense privilege. Through their assistance and direction, the actors were given crucial insights into the text, leading to their portraying their roles with a truth that they previously thought unattainable.

For instance, the importance of apposition (two opposing ideas in a speech) and conflict in Shakespeare was frequently stressed. Shakespeare’s texts can often seem dense and hard to understand; but through our rehearsal process, each actor became able to access not only the meaning, but the emotion and purpose behind their lines.

Rehearsals took place over around half of the school year, with weekend rehearsals in

Hilary followed by a (much needed) break for summer exams, then a few intense weeks leading up to the performances in early July. Samson Hawkins and Katie Walsh did an admirable job of keeping the cast, particularly the younger members, in line throughout this process, ever ready to lead warm-ups, chase up latecomers, and help anyone in need, whether they were unclear on blocking or confused about the play’s plot, which may be said to be as hazy as the eponymous Dream.

Chi-San Howard also made her mark as the play’s movement director, adding a sense of genuine menace to the entrance of the fairies, who bore down their staffs and flared their umbrellas with fearsome energy. As the whole team of creatives gradually assembled in the rehearsal room over the final weeks, anticipation built for the performance itself – and, for me, even after seven years of doing these shows, getting into the Oxford Playhouse always comes with a fresh sense of wonder and excitement, particularly when navigating through the dark backstage areas.

Our adaptation of the play was set in 1950s Britain, with the Mechanicals (Bottom, Quince and friends) acting as a scout troupe, and Oberon and Titania initially playing a rival headmaster and headmistress, each respectively leading their own crocodile of ‘students’. Hippolyta, normally the Queen of the Amazons, arrived by train – specifically, a model train pulled across the stage by Puck. Such quirky touches were present throughout the play, including suitcases strewn across the stage which, when opened, revealed the foliage of the forest, and a toy duck literally falling from the ‘sky’ when ‘shot’ by Hippolyta. The vibrant costumes – the best in years in my opinion – also reflected the time period, while still becoming appropriately magical in the realm of the fairies.

The actors all launched themselves into the rehearsals and performances with great gusto – particularly impressive since some of them (including Oscar BeecheyNewman as Flute) had never performed in a play before, let alone on such a huge stage. The Lovers, with the most stage time and lines, had a titanic task in keeping their lengthy scenes energetic and charged with emotion, but they more than managed it, with Christian Longstaff’s brazen and unpredictable Lysander playing excellently off Will Attwood’s smooth and sincere Demetrius. Aisling Matthews was a passionate and bitter Helena, while Ilona

Sell portrayed Hermia with impressive extremes of sweetness and kindness at some points and hellcat rage at others. The mischievous Puck, the play’s gadfly and cause of all their woes, was played with boundless enthusiasm by third former Sam Whitby, showing amazing talent for such a young actor, all the while overseen by academy veteran Sam Crichton, who brought a regal swagger to the role of Oberon. Iona Fleminger as Titania, though, was more than a match for the fairy king, even holding her own during their famous opening clash.

To balance out such conflicts, the Mechanicals provided a worthy comic side to the play, particularly during their chaotic performance of Pyramus and Thisbe (complete with an impromptu rendition of Riding Along on the Crest of a Wave). They were led by Jago Wainwright as the well-meaning but largely hapless Quince, and Michael Onobhayedo in a brilliant turn as Bottom.

Again, with a second former excelling in such a large part, it’s clear that the future of MCS drama is in very capable hands.

Mentions must also go to Hugo Gregg, Dom Horsman, Bella Sharipova-Williams, and Laurie Macfarlane, who played the roles of Theseus, Egeus, Hippolyta, and Philostrate with impressive regal bearing.

The final performance ended with an emotional farewell from the cast to Joanne, since this was her last show working with MCS. We wish her, and all the other creatives on this production, all the best, and express our immense gratitude and thanks for her tirelessness in coming back, year after year, to impart her skills to MCS pupils. It’s no exaggeration when we say that all the cast, from the veterans to the newcomers, have been transformed as actors under her direction.

Bella Sharipova-Williams and Jago Wainwright, Lower Sixth

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LORD OF THE

FLIES

On Friday 15th and Saturday 16 March at the Pegasus Theatre, Middle School Theatre Academy gave three performances of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams.

The harrowing story tells of a group of boys stranded on a desert island in around 1950 during a fictional nuclear war, and their gradual split into rival tribes of ‘goodies’ and savages.

Produced by Katie Walsh, and directed by Samson Hawkins, the sharp 40-minute performance told the disturbing story with chilling clarity and darkening emotion. Leading roles included Ralph (Dan), Piggy (Freya), Jack (Harry), Roger (Harry) and Simon (Thomas).

Along with Eleanor Bull, our set and costume designer, and the Pegasus theatre staff, the Technical Academy organised sound, lighting, props, costumes, and set. All were very impressively and professionally done, from the gradually warping and darkening sound of The Chordettes’ Mr Sandman (Lexi) to our fantastic set made entirely of junk you might find on a beach (EPS/Eleanor Bull) – and, of course, bucketfuls of fake blood (Matthias and Timme).

The play begins with the scattered survivors of the plane crash meeting. Once they realise all the grown-ups are dead, they begin electing a leader and starting up a fire. But rivalry between the two alpha-male-like characters, Ralph and Jack, soon turns sour and they split into two tribes – Ralph leads the ‘goodies’, who set up a cute home, and Jack the savages, who go hunting pigs. Rivalry soon turns to violence: by the end of the play, when a naval officer (Samson) comes and takes the children back to England, two have been killed, and the remaining ten are all scarred for life.

It was a fantastic experience for all involved and, for many, our first performance in a professional theatre and in front of a public audience. We learned skills ranging from stage combat to lighting 54

design and operation, and all came out better actors/creatives/ crew than we were before. The Middle School Theatre Academy will be staging another show next year, and I would highly recommend it to everyone, regardless of experience, in the Lower and Upper Fourth.

Thomas Simpson, Lower Fourth

Drama

BULL Bull was an incredible project to work on, especially shadowing director Samson Hawkins. From casting the show all the way to final performance, Samson was incredibly diligent both in his role as director and in his capacity teaching me how to fulfil my own role, and how that role is fulfilled on a professional basis. I learned so much throughout the process and am incredibly thankful for the opportunity.

Putting together any production with a small cast (of four) immediately becomes such an intimate and cooperative process.

From the first official rehearsal we talked through even the smallest character choices and line intonations as a group. This led to everyone having a greater understanding of both the show and their own characters. Having to justify each choice you make really develops your relationship with them, and your ability to act your character’s emotions becomes so much better. I have to admit that small cast shows tend to be my favourite, so I may be somewhat biased in my account of the process, but I do truly believe that such a close company really aids the production.

Performance night is always incredible – especially when so much work has gone into the production. Despite only having two performance nights, we insisted on having a small audience placed close to the stage. We sold out both nights, and the atmosphere in the audience was absolutely amazing. Seeing people’s amazement at

Dan Collier demolishing a banana in about five seconds, their immediate fear of Alex Ansdell, and their horror as Georgia Laird mercilessly tore apart Stanley Righton was, as an assistant director, magical to see. I’m astounded at the talent of all the cast, and will be forever grateful for their commitment to the project. Thank you to all those involved, and to all those who came to see it.

Cara Shepherd, Lower Sixth 55

Drama

THE HOBBIT

The hand-made Hobbit was the Lower School Academy’s second production of the year. During rehearsals, the pupils began to take more responsibility; choosing costumes, drawing the poster, and rehearsing scenes, as well as making and painting the weapons. The props were all made of cardboard and masking tape, giving the play a ‘hand-made’ feel. The first rehearsals were spent making masking tape weapons and choreographing battle scenes.

The show saw some new actors step up to main roles, with Marcus Smith playing Bilbo Baggins with excellent characterisation. The cast were constantly busy during rehearsals, either rehearsing dialogue, working on complex choreography or making props.

They were also allowed to choose their own costumes from a wide selection, leading to a variety of controversial interpretations of different characters.

The Hobbit was performed in the round, which brought new challenges and was an entirely new experience for some of the actors. The show took place in the Novello Room in the 1928 Building, rather than in Big School. This was a smaller venue, but it worked well during the performance, and meant there were several different ways of exiting the stage.

As well as playing a part, the actors fulfilled other roles such as making props, drawing posters, choosing music, making armour, and decorating. Some even went so far as to add in their own scenes.

During the performance all the actors performed well, with some of the more experienced Lower School actors such as Davey Chataway leading the way at points. Those who were newer to Drama also did very well, often in their first theatrical experience.

Acting in The Hobbit was a very enjoyable experience for all involved. Director Samson Hawkins and producer Katie Walsh worked extremely hard to make the production possible, as did all the cast. The play certainly brought out some new actors, giving the younger years of MCS a great chance to show their talent at acting.

Davey Chataway, Third Form

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SMALL HOURS

Directed by Samson Hawkins, Small Hours was a project we took to perform at the North Wall Arts Festival. It was a play that consisted of four two-person scenes following teenagers and the personal struggles they were facing in their lives. A maypole was the central prop to signify the passing of time.

The ending unveiled a chaotic scene in which each character aged faster and faster, the maypole became tangled to signify life’s complications and each character eventually dropped their ribbon.

Working on this project I was partnered with a 14-year-old girl named Anna, who has a learning disability. Throughout the course of the project I was lucky enough to form a close friendship with her, and witness her transformation in confidence as well as acting ability. We encountered struggles; the script was by no means simple, so we needed to find a way around Anna being expected to learn every line. This was done by using a walkie-talkie on stage with the person talking on the other end visible to the audience. As soon as we began rehearsing with the device, it was clear that it was exactly what was needed. When Anna no longer had to worry about her upcoming lines, she immediately began to act confidently and decisively, which was amazing to see.

I found Small Hours a challenging yet immensely rewarding project, and it is possibly the drama production at MCS that I am most glad to have been a part of. I would love to see it continue in the future, with more students being given this opportunity, as the friendship I formed with Anna, and what I learned from the experience, will stay with me forever.

Ilona Sell, Lower Sixth

Drama

ANIMAL FARM A production by Lower School Drama in December 2018 The full cast burst onto the stage for the raucous opening number of the Lower School’s production of Animal Farm, dressed as farmers and raising our cider-filled tankards in song and celebration. The humans, however, were not celebrating for long, as the antagonistic pigs took control and it became clear that this was a production with a difference, where the boys involved were encouraged to make suggestions and rework the script, enjoying the opportunity to try out their own ideas for lines and dramatic interpretation.

With costumes that delighted the third formers, who report that these were more imaginative than ever before, the drama at the farm climaxed in a series of unfortunate executions played out in front of the audience’s eyes, dramatic spurts of blood punctuating the various death throes of animals who were foolish enough to admit to breaking the pigs’ Seven Commandments. Those of us lucky enough to be involved in the fight to hold onto the farm enjoyed lobbing real eggs, feathers, and water from the moody cows’ squirting udders (fashioned from recycled squeezable soap bottles) at our farmer cast members. Both the full company and audience left the performances in good humour and buoyant mood, having had a fantastically fun theatre experience.

Henry Henman, Second Form

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Drama

THE BROWNING

VERSION

Novello Room, Friday 22 and Saturday 23 March. One of the two sixth form plays in the Hilary term was Terence Rattigan’s The Browning Version, performed in the Novello Room in March and directed by Georgie Hildick-Smith. It is the story of an unpopular, cuckolded Classics master, Andrew Crocker-Harris, who is given a present of a book – Robert Browning’s translation of the Agamemnon – by one of his pupils. The ‘problem of an unsatisfied wife and a henpecked husband … usually, I believe, a subject for farce’ (as Andrew himself describes it) becomes in Rattigan’s hands a miniature of great emotional power, which was handled with confidence and flair by this mostly sixth form cast.

As Mr and Mrs Gilbert, the couple due to take over the CrockerHarris’ grace and favour apartment, Vijay Keshav and Bindi Batsaikhan provided some light relief, portraying the callow, wellmeaning tactlessness of the pair; Michael Reichenberg Ashby’s Dr Frobisher, the Headmaster, was all easy smiles and charm, with an effortless stage presence and authority. Third former Shreyas Anand gave an impressive performance as Taplow, the boy who gives Andrew the book: we were not sure – just as Rattigan intended – of precisely the combination of motives which prompted the gift.

Frank Hunter, the young Chemistry master and Millie CrockerHarris’ lover, was played with admirable energy and verve by Will 58

Attwood – a noticeable contrast to Millie’s dull husband.

At the centre of the piece was of course the corroded and corrosive marriage of the Crocker-Harrises themselves.

Charlotte Collerton was excellent as Millie: brittle, frustrated, vixen-like, restless. However, she managed the impressive feat of not making Millie entirely unsympathetic: by bringing out her girlishness and youth she made the audience aware of all the opportunities and potential that Millie, as well as her husband, once had and lost. Tom Van Oss gave a superb performance as Andrew: his stillness, precise movements, polishing of his spectacles, and clipped delivery captured the pedantry of the man, the aridity of his teaching style in his lesson with Taplow, and Andrew’s almost embarrassingly acute sense of his own failings. Moments which are difficult for an actor of any age – let alone one in the Sixth Form – such as Andrew’s response on receiving the book from Taplow were conveyed with nuance and sensitivity: one felt the depth of the man’s despair, loneliness and sense of loss.

Congratulations to the cast on a wonderful performance of a play of poignancy and poise.

Georgina Hildick-Smith

Drama

THE RECRUITING

OFFICER

The Recruiting Officer in July 2019 was a quirky performance of Farquhar’s tale, which follows the antics in the town of Shrewsbury when officers from the war come to town. James Gant’s Captain Plume and Yiannis Goeldner-Thompson’s Captain Brazen were performed with pride and excellence, while Stan Righton and Wynn Tasker brought humour to the stage in their roles as local townsmen. Charlotte Collerton portrayed the Lady Melinda with elegance and style across from Giorgia Laird, who brought life and character to the role of Sylvia. Performing in an open space on the school field didn’t come without its challenges, however, with particular highlights including having to project our lines over both the drum and base of some locals across the river and the church bells of a wedding!

Bella Crew, Lower Sixth 59

Drama

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Drama

FROGS

Staging a Greek comedy first began as a passion project when I read a stellar translation of Lysistrata, and quickly became motivated by spite when I learned of the department’s reluctance to stage comedies as they were ‘more difficult to pull off’. Knowing that we would never get away with Lysistrata – and with no idea how to source all the wooden spoons we would need – Nik Thatte and I pitched a production of Aristophanes’ Frogs to Mr Thomas, who unbelievably accepted it.

As our base we used a translation by director Blanche McIntyre, which we spent much of the year dipping into and editing. While we encouraged improvisation and the input of jokes from the cast, we also wanted a script we were happy with well before rehearsals started, as timings would be tight; we only had a week between the last Greek exam on 24 June and the first show on 2 July. However, things proved to be even closer than that, as we were lacking our Dionysus, played by Mila Perera, until four days before opening night, and it’s very hard to put on a play without the god of theatre.

All this resulted in a hectic weekend of running lines, blocking rap battles, and swimming in the river, which I wouldn’t have spent any other way.

The whole cast were stellar in their dedication and input, whether giving ideas for different jokes or making lewd sculptures out of the rocks we were provided with. The cast will doubtless say I had my stressful moments, but low points were met with nothing but positivity and support.

We were genuinely surprised at how many people turned up for the late, post-Recruiting Officer performance – perhaps many were there to see Ben Adam’s interpretive dance or Fran Hardyman as a captivating corpse – and the whole cast were incredible in matching the audience’s energy. Rachael Rajah and Michael Reichenberg-Ashby gave all they had as the quick-witted rival poets Aeschylus and Euripides, and the show was stolen by Alex Ansdell as Dionysus’ wise-cracking slave Xanthias. We couldn’t be prouder of the whole cast.

Enormous thanks must go to Mr Thomas, Ms Hildick-Smith, Mr Cole and the Classics Department, and everyone else who supported us throughout. I will cherish this chaotic week forever and miss this wonderful company.

Orlando Riviere, Upper Sixth

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music The talent and drive of MCS students is always well-illustrated in The Lily’s collection of the varied performances of a truly vast musical community which encompasses pupils from all stages of the school. This year, there were returning staples of the school’s musical calendar from the Sheldonian Concert to Music at Magdalen, but also new innovations from groups all through the school.

Another inspiring year within MCS music has gone by, with these pages hoping to document one of our aspects which most clearly highlights the impressive dedication of students to activities beyond pure academics.

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Music

From the Director of Music…

What an incredible year of music it has been! There has been a real buzz in the Department and I always feel it is the pupils at the top of the school who determine the sort of year it is. This year’s Upper Sixth are a remarkable group of musicians, so supportive of each other, and it means that we have achieved things that we have not done before. The Grove Auditorium was stunning with some truly astonishing performances; the Sheldonian Concert was spectacular with Saint-Saens’ ‘Organ’ Symphony and the choir lifting the roof with Parry’s I Was Glad, and the year ended with an extraordinarily impressive performance of Purcell’s Fairy Queen, giving each of our talented singers and instrumentalists a chance to shine.

We said farewell to a number of staff this year, Keith Fairbairn, Tim Payne, Viktor Bijelovic, and Gareth Hoddinott, all of whom have made an enormous impact upon the instrumental playing in school. Our Waynflete interns, Izzy Rose and Freddy Wickham, were our dynamic duo and we will miss them hugely.

Finally, two colleagues are retiring after many years of service in the Department. Alison Bendy has been teaching guitar at the school for over 20 years, and her devotion to her pupils and the guitar ensembles has meant that we have a thriving guitar department; and Peter Smith is an MCS legend who will forever be remembered as a caring, loyal, and dedicated teacher who has inspired generations of musicians during his 39 years at the school.

We had two wonderful Music at Magdalen concerts, and it has been so incredible to see the range of musicians we have at the school (85 in Concert Orchestra and 82 in Symphony Orchestra!).

We also have more chamber music than ever before, and our choirs and jazz bands are thriving. Junior School music is going from strength to strength, and the J1 instrumental scheme is paying dividends, as we now have over 50 in the JS orchestra (virtually all instruments accounted for).

I would like to thank all the staff in the Music Department who are such a wonderful team to work with, and who inspire the pupils every day. I would also like to thank all the parents, without whose support the pupils would not achieve the astonishing results they do. And, most importantly, I would like to thank the pupils themselves – their energy, commitment, and musical talents are what makes the Music Department such a wonderful place.

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Jon Cullen

Music SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Yet another fantastic year for the Symphony Orchestra, playing some most adventurous and impressive music. The Michaelmas Term Music at Magdalen performance was of Marquez’s Congo del Fuego Nuevo, notably containing some unusual and captivating percussion playing which brought a real excitement to the performance. Hilary followed with the impressive sounding repertoire of SaintSaëns Symphony no.3 (organ) and Danse Macabre with spectacular contributions from Giles Longstaff on the organ as well as Ian Teh and Annie Zhao on the piano.

Daniel Brookes played a phenomenal violin solo as well as leading the orchestra.

Together, these brought Symphony Orchestra’s fantastic year to a close. Many thanks go to the extensive hours of hard work put in by the Music Department’s Mr Cullen, Mr Wilson, Miss Ackrill, and Mr McNaughton.

Alex Adams, Lower Sixth

CONCERT ORCHESTRA

This year’s Concert Orchestra was the biggest yet. Eighty-five players spread out over the percussion, string, brass, and woodwind instruments. This record size meant MU1 was too small for all of us to fit, so we had to move to the Novello Room, which had the capacity to fit everyone. The first piece we learnt was the Aragonaise from Carmen, by George Bizet.

A challenging piece, we improved at an impressive rate, thanks to the dedication of Miss Shortland, Mr Wilson, and Ms Ackrill. When it was time to perform the opening act at the first Music at Magdalen concert, we nailed the piece, the only fault coming before we started when I knocked my music off the stand right in front of the Master.

For the Hilary Term, we worked on a piece from Aladdin by Carl Nielsen, which I can safely call the hardest piece of violin music I have ever played. The violin part constantly shifted positions, with the highest being fifth position. It was a fast piece with blaring brass parts, violins, and the woodwinds sharing the tune and, once we’d got the hang of it, it sounded excellent. When the Hilary Music at Magdalen concert came, I was able to

take my seat without knocking my music off the stand, and once again we nailed the piece. I’d say this piece summarised the spirit of the Concert Orchestra players: hard working and able to overcome and ace even the hardest music, thanks to our own dedication, as well as the dedication of our conductor and coaches.

Cameron Lambert, Lower Fourth

JAZZ BAND

Miles Davis said ‘Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there’ and this was definitely a strategy deployed by the lively Jazz Band this year. Libertango and It Don’t Mean a Thing served as the excitement ingredient in the Michaelmas Term Music at Magdalen, with explosive solos from Will Laird and Alex Ansdell, foreshadowing the busy year ahead.

The Hilary Term held a mean feat of learning eight standards before the peak of the year, Jazz and Blues night. Feeling Good and No Moon At All were sung with sheer class and control by Dan Collier and Giorgia Laird respectively, and they

captured the muttering crowd, which is no easy task. Jazz Band also incorporated bebop, rock, Latin, swing, and, finally, soul into the two jazz and blues sets, with notable solos from Max Boyns, Libby Harris and Clara Graham in the screaming horns, as well as solos from Harry Gant on vibes, and Peter Job on his searing electric guitar. With YMCA as the final disco number accompanied by a comical video, the audience’s hips were sure to be grooving and their arms were definitely Y-ing, M-ing, C-ing, and A-ing. It looked like a water aerobics class from where Jazz Band were standing.

The year was summed up with the Jazz Band looking particularly dapper in black tie at the Arts Festival launch, where we were met with a rather muted, chatty crowd, which was strange as I thought we completely outplayed the amateur Ronnie Scott’s Big Band which followed. Huge thanks to the departing Upper Sixth and, finally, Mr Cullen, for picking such a wide range of repertoire and organising some quite disorganised people into playing some jazz at a top notch standard!

Oliver Doggett, Lower Sixth 65

Music

JAZZ CLUB

This year Jazz Club was a very fun and exciting experience for everyone who took part. We performed in two concerts, one in the Michaelmas Term at St John the Evangelist Church and in the second week of Trinity at Jazz and Blues. My favourite of the two was the Jazz and Blues evening, as it was a brilliant performance from the group after successfully coordinating and rehearsing four difficult pieces: Smoke on the Water, Havana, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat and You Can’t Stop the Beat.

Some students performed solos, including Thomas Paterson on clarinet, Benji Castella McDonald on flute, Luther-King Mahalingham on the alto sax, and myself on the tenor sax.

WIND BAND

Consisting of bodacious brass and wild woodwind, the Wind Band had a very successful year. Under the direction of conductor Mr Wickham, the band was led to a truly grand finale as it marched through the Summer Concert and blew the audience away with John Philip Sousa’s Washington Post March and the Main Theme from The Great Escape.

The Wind Band’s participants’ attendance and passion were outstanding, especially considering they only had a matter of weeks in the Trinity Term to rehearse. When the Wind Band began this year, the participants quickly became eager to perform strongly together; as such, they came to rehearsals on time and practised their parts diligently.

The group improved dramatically over the year, and listening to how everyone performed at Jazz and Blues showed how much progress the group had made, considering how we sounded at our first rehearsal. Next year’s Jazz Club should be even better.

Of course, there were many challenges the band members needed to conquer both as a group and individually, like listening out for each other and staying in tune. The Wind Band overcame these challenges with determination, and was particularly noteworthy in the Summer Concert for how different it was from the other groups, due to its high number of participants. The Wind Band will certainly flourish for many years to come, for new and old pupils alike.

James Reinhardt, Third Form

Bert-Chun Chang, Second Form

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Music STRING STRAVAGANZA 2019

This year the Trinity Term string provision took the form of a big concert involving all the string-players at MCS, both Senior and Junior Schools. The rehearsals as usual were on Thursday mornings, and the concert was in Big School in the first week of the Arts Festival. It began with the wonderfully romantic Hymnus for 12 celli

by Julius Klengel. This was possible because there was a cohort of five advanced cellists in the Upper Sixth this year and, with three Lower Sixth pupils and four staff, there was a fantastically rich sound, not often heard, and quite a surprise for those not used to hearing multiple cellos. The senior String Orchestra followed this with their second performance of Grieg’s Holberg Suite (before further performances on tour to Italy, with solos by Quinn Obbink on violin, Alex Ridley on viola, and Fred Duffen on cello), then the String Squad (Second Form–Upper Fourth) joined them for the rich sounds of Giazotto’s Adagio on Themes by Albinoni for organ and strings, with Giles Longstaff on organ and Wynn Tasker on stratospheric solo violin. The finale was Sibelius’ Andante Festivo, in which we were joined by 30 boys from the Junior School making a total of 120 players, which was quite a spectacle. They all played their hearts out and the final huge G major chord was a fantastic sound!

Spike Wilson

STRING CHAMBER ENSEMBLES

This year was a particularly fruitful one, with many Sixth Form players making larger groups than usual. During the Michaelmas Term, three Sixth Form groups (Daniel Brooks, Jeremy Feng, Alex Ridley, Fred Duffen, and Annie Zhao (piano) playing the energetic Schumann Piano Quintet First movement; Quinn Obbink, Laila Zugic, Daniel Rastinejad, Kevin Zheng, and James Edmiston (piano) playing Shostakovich’s haunting Piano Quintet First movement; and Wynn Tasker, Olly Doggett, James Gant, Alex Ridley, Alex Duncalf, and Yiannis Goeldner-Thompson playing the beautiful variation movement of Brahms’

B flat Sextet prepared for the Magdalen Auditorium concert in February, and two Fifth Form groups worked towards their GCSE performances. A cello quartet of Joe Hancock, Emily Brewster, Marina Ventikos, and Will Giles also worked on Song Without Words by Moszkowski. All these groups had the additional experience of a workshop session in January from visiting professional chamber musicians Jacqueline Johnson and Jean Paterson, who worked intensively with them and provided extra preparation for their performances.

From February onwards two string quartets from the Upper Fourth were coached towards the Middle School Chamber Concert in May. The scheme where Lower Sixth musicians coach younger groups from the Second and Third Forms, providing valuable experience on both sides, continued this year and produced some impressive performances, giving confidence that string chamber music promises to flourish for many years to come.

STRING ORCHESTRA

This year the String Orchestra worked on Grieg’s Holberg Suite, which was written in eighteenth-century style to celebrate the two-hundredth anniversary of the Norwegian writer Ludwig Holberg. The suite has five movements, with a particularly energetic Prelude which all string-players love to play, showing off this year’s rich viola section. The orchestra performed in the Music at Magdalen concert in February, and was ably led by Jeremy Feng.

The duet in the final Rigaudon played by him and Alex Ridley, the principal viola, zipped along excitingly; Fred Duffen’s brief cello solo was beautifully executed, Daniel Brooks led the second violins, and the double basses provided a stable and resonant bass-line.

Spike Wilson

Spike Wilson 67

Music CONCERT WIND

Concert Wind welcomed four new members in September, including our first saxophonist, Saffron Rajappan, and we began work on Mendelssohn’s String Octet, arranged for winds by Hugh Bowman. Following that, we learnt a quaint new composition called A Woodland Miniature, by our very own Roshan Hall. This is probably the only piece yet to be scored for six flutes (including alto and bass), two clarinets and three bassoons. It was atmospherically performed at the final Music and Meditation of the year, conducted by the composer.

Our first formal outing was to the Grove Auditorium for February’s Chamber Concert. Our performance of the first movement of the Mendelssohn, which opened the evening, was warmly received by the knowledgeable audience.

Slimmed down to an octet, we concluded our year on a beautiful Friday evening as part of the Madrigals on the River, with a nuanced performance of Folk Tune by Percy Witlock arranged by Emerson.

Finally, we say thank you and farewell to our fantastic four Upper Sixth players – Imogen Albert, Clara Graham, Jamie Shepherd, and Tom Murray.

Elliot Gregg, Fifth Form

SENIOR CLARINET ENSEMBLE

The Senior Clarinet Ensemble had an excellent year, starting in Michaelmas with the Music at Magdalen concert, in which Debussy’s Petite Suite and Mozart’s Serenade in E flat were played. However, in December our amazing teacher Tim Payne left the school, resulting in emotional scenes as he had taught the whole group for the past five to seven years, and had introduced most of us to playing the clarinet. But all was not lost, as the excellent Jean Cockburn came to succeed him, and we continued as before with rehearsals in a laid-back and enjoyable style and with a new varied repertoire, from Gershwin’s Walking the Dog and Mancini’s The Pink Panther to Pastime with Good Company (attributed to Henry VIII) and Farkas’ Early Hungarian Dances, among others. These complemented our already broad repertoire, including the Beatles, The Dambusters’ theme, and a lot of Mozart.

The group were always kept in time through George Potter’s impeccable sense of rhythm on the bass clarinet, and Fred Duffen’s mastery of the E flat clarinet ensured we were never lacking in the upper octaves. Edmund Corker, a stalwart of the ensemble for the past seven years, deserves a special mention for never playing louder than mp. The group has now been together in one form or another for the past seven years, but will lose the talented Upper Sixth of George, Ed, Fred, and Tom Murray. It has been great fun, and I hope that will continue to flourish with Elliot and Dan leading the group.

Tom Murray, Upper Sixth 68

JUNIOR CLARINET ENSEMBLE

Junior Clarinet Ensemble is a fun, relaxed group of clarinet players.

We have Henry Henman on the alto, James Reinhardt on the bass, and the rest (including myself) with the classic B flat. We meet every Monday, while Chapel is underway, to learn new pieces and play as a group. Only the ability to play the clarinet is needed here. There are seven members in total: Larry Zhang, Thomas Paterson, Bruno de Almeida Barreto, Ben Collins, Henry Henman, James Reinhardt, and of course, Ms Cockburn.

Concerts are our time to present what we’ve achieved in rehearsals.

Under the leadership of Ms Cockburn, we’ve played in two: Music at Magdalen on 14 March (playing Festive Fanfare by Paul Harris and Dance of the Apachen by Joseph Bönisch), and most recently the Summer Concert on 14 June (playing The Teddy Bear’s Picnic

by John Bratton).

Junior Clarinet Ensemble has gone through a lot of change lately: new Second Form talents joining, and Mr Payne (former clarinet teacher) leaving the school, allowing Ms Cockburn to take the helm. However, the spirit has always remained positive, relaxed, and enjoyable. We hope to play in many more concerts in the future.

Bruno de Almeida Barreto, Third Form

Music PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE

Percussion Ensemble underwent a series of changes and reformations across the last school year: however, the core focus of rhythmically diverse and entertaining musical exploits has never been so vivid in the variety and the confidence of the performances the ensemble presented.

Crucially, this year Percussion Ensemble lost its long-standing head, Mr Fairbairn, who, with his many years of experience, brought a creative and positive light to both the ensemble and percussion at MCS in general that will be sorely missed. That is not to say that the ensemble was inactive – quite the contrary. The sudden and definitive shift in both the choice of ensemble music and the dynamic of Samba Band can be attributed to the new percussion head, Mr Hadland, of Glastonbury, Theatre Pits and County Music Services experience.

GUITAR ENSEMBLE

The school’s guitar ensembles have had another successful year. The Senior Guitar Ensemble, directed by John Whitworth, gave a confident and colourful rendition of Raul Maldonado’s Deux Themes Andines at December’s annual Guitar Concert. A guitar quintet, directed by Peter Manhood, closed the concert with a very rhythmic rendition of the Harry Lime Theme from the film The Third Man. In Hilary Term, the full ensemble worked on a Passacaglia by Handel, originally for keyboard, but here in a very effective and idiomatic arrangement by John Whitworth. This piece was the opening item in March’s Music at Magdalen, and was very well received.

Particular mention should be made of Ben Rhydderch and Rob Doorly, who handled some of the more brilliant passages with great skill. In Trinity Term, a Middle and Lower School Ensemble allowed some of the younger players a chance to work on a blues piece, which was confidently played in a teatime concert.

The spring Music at Magdalen saw a performance of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida on a multiplicity of instruments, giving Mr Hadland his first experience of the standards of music in MCS’ percussion section (with the predominance of excellent players such as Clara Graham, Kathryn Baker, and Harry Gant) and Music at Magdalen as a whole.

This excellent opening was followed up by a redefinition of MCS’ Samba Band in the Summer Concert, wherein Mr Hadland negated the use of our acquired music in favour of our learning of sequences, symbols, and rhythmic progression, crafting his own Samba Band routine, dubbed Rio Samba by himself. In summary, the drastic changes percussion underwent this year at MCS, and the manner in which Percussion Ensemble embraced and fortified itself with this new outlook and new leader, are testament to Percussion Ensemble’s pragmatism, and a sure sign that it will continue in all of its loud, musical glory.

Christian Longstaff, Lower Sixth

The Junior Ensemble, directed by Alison Bendy, confidently performed arrangements of Tumbalalaika and Deck the Halls at the Guitar Evening. In Hilary Term, the boys gave a lively performance of Drunken Sailor at one of the teatime concerts. Alison has now passed on the running of the group to Peter Manhood.

Under his new leadership, the group have enjoyed playing an arrangement of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins. A huge thank you to Alison for running the Junior Guitar Ensemble for many, many years. We wish her well for the future.

John Whitworth 69

Music

FLUTE QUARTET

SIXTH FORM FLUTE ENSEMBLE

It has been a delight to be part of the Sixth Form Flute Ensemble this year, with so many talented flautists working together. The group showcased individual styles and passion, including Jamie Shepherd’s impressive ability to combine playing beautiful melodies with functioning as group metronome, Alex Adams’ love of baroque music, and Libby Harris’ desire to play faster and faster, all these moulding together as the group grew closer as players.

The ensemble also extended a welcome to younger players, the connection between all 13 of us culminating in a magical rendition of Eleanor Rigby conducted by Marion Ackrill in the Michaelmas Music at Magdalen concert. In the Hilary Music at Magdalen, the Sixth Form flautists performed Boismortier’s Concerto in A minor very beautifully, successfully working as a chamber group without conductor. In the Trinity Term we had the pleasure of accompanying soprano Charlotte Collerton in Bach’s aria Hark Now! The Gentle Flutes in Chorus, extending our repertoire and creating a beautiful kaleidoscope of sound. A particular favourite of the group was the lyrical A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square by Leslie Hutchinson, giving us exciting opportunities to play bass and alto flutes – while developing our muscular strength!

Libby Harris, Lower Sixth 70

The group was formed in the Trinity Term by Miss Ackrill, and comprised the four Upper Fourth flautists, Aarnav Jain, Dominic Horsman, Benji CastellaMcDonald, and Roshan Hall. The aim was to prepare a piece for the GCSE ensemble performance next year. Initial setbacks included getting everyone to arrive and arrive on time – something I think every member was guilty of failing to do – and choosing a piece. Eventually, the first movement of Trois Pièces by Eugene Bozza was decided on – a rather impressionist piece with constantly shifting nonfunctional harmony, and one that I think we all enjoyed working on. Before that, we tackled some duets to get everyone thinking about various requirements of ensemble playing, which some members had more experience of than others.

Despite a slight range of ability, every member learned and developed valuable skills: from leading and following, listening and balancing, and bringing in and bringing off an ensemble; to balancing the ‘ebb’ of a piece with its ‘flow’ in terms of direction and tempo. This was certainly a valuable and enjoyable experience for all, and thanks go to Miss Ackrill for organising, and Mr Cullen for suggesting it.

Roshan Hall, Upper Fourth

Music FLUTE QUINTET

WIND ENSEMBLE

After spending the majority of the previous year working on baroque pieces

by Boismortier, we were keen to work on a contrast, provided by a brilliant arrangement of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. This featured Fergal imitating Freddie Mercury’s blasting vocals, Hugo mastering Brian May’s screaming solos, Benji and Corin beefing out the harmony, and Roshan on the bass line. The eventual performance at the Grove Auditorium was a well-enjoyed contrast to the many romantic string works there, and portrayed the story that we worked so hard on being able to tell to the audience. This year was a lot of fun, both in rehearsals and performances, and thanks go to Miss Ackrill and the musicians for their continuing hard work.

With weekly meetings on Friday morning before school, we covered an expansive repertoire, ranging from the court of Henry VIII to Chariots of Fire and other film music. We performed in two Music at Magdalen concerts, in November and March. In November, we gave an assured performance of Oom Pah Pah from Oliver!, with many of the players also performing in Concert Orchestra. Fresh from the Christmas break, we moved on to our next project, Handel’s fast-paced The Entrance of the Queen of Sheba, an arrangement in which many of our players were challenged by difficult parts designed for highly graded performers, while Miss Ackrill set a merciless performance pace.

Despite this, the capable group were not daunted and, with a few weeks left to go, it became obvious that the piece would be ready for the concert, allowing us to give a polished performance. A select few Sixth-Form leaders kindly stepped in to play alongside us, and the piece was a great success, demonstrating all the skill and potential that is in the group.

The Flute Quintet of Hugo Gregg, Fergal Duggan, Corin Bagshaw, Benji Castella-McDonald, and Roshan Hall has continued in similar form for many years now, having its roots in Junior School groups. We started the year by teaming up with Sixth Form flautists to rehearse an arrangement of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square – in three(!) – which certainly caused some ripples among the group. However, the quintet masterfully handled the difficult challenge of balancing with over ten flutes to produce a brilliant sound in Eleanor Rigby, well lauded at the first Music at Magdalen of the year; and we all enjoyed the rare experience of playing alongside so many great players.

Roshan Hall, Upper Fourth

Wind Ensemble had a great year from the start of the Michaelmas Term to the end of Hilary, with lots of new players from Second to Lower Fourth forms getting a chance to play concert pieces and perform in a group setting. Players of all ages and skill levels took part, and there was a great atmosphere of fun (but not without focus) within the close-knit team of musicians from across the Lower and Middle School.

Special thanks must go to Miss Ackrill for her weekly leadership and encouragement, helping us to improve our performance playing and ensemble experience, and David Macintyre and Kevin Zheng, our Sixth-Form experts, for their generous and reliable help rather early on Friday mornings.

Joey Chataway, Lower Fourth

PIANO & WIND QUINTET

The year was a busy one for the piano and wind quintet players. Early in the year, we were given a choice of repertoire and selected Caplet’s Quintet, written in 1899 when the composer was 19 and studying at the Paris Conservatoire. Imogen Albert played flute, James Edmiston clarinet, Kevin Zheng oboe, Clara Graham bassoon, and I played the piano. The Caplet was a challenging piece: an abundance of notes and an unfamiliarity with the style both served to give a rocky start. However, with several good rehearsals, the piece was well under way.

After an amazing masterclass with clarinettist Katherine Spencer, where we were given thoughtful detailed direction, the fiery Finale was only a few rehearsals from the concert. We were extremely fortunate to receive a second session with Katherine (‘Waffy!’) leading up to our performance.

Performing in the Grove Auditorium was not like any of the rehearsals we’d had. A different setting meant a different acoustic and a different approach to playing, but with a brief soundcheck and adjustments from the performers, the Caplet Finale in the Grove Auditorium sounded very good.

Ian Teh, Upper Sixth 71

Music CHORAL SOCIETY

This has been another exciting year for Choral Society, beginning with the New Pupils’ Service in September.

The choir, joined by the Magdalen College Choristers, provided a warm welcome to new pupils in this service, performing works including Bob Chilcott’s Irish Blessing. The quality of singing was excellent; an impressive achievement, with many members new to the choir and only one week to rehearse the programme.

Choral Society also performed a selection of carols and hymns at the Christmas Service in December, including Wonder, a carol conducted and composed

by MCS pupil Joe Hancock, and the lively Torches by John Joubert. The service was a fantastic experience for both the choir and the audience, and a festive start to the Christmas holidays.

The Sheldonian concert in March was another highlight for the choir, which was joined by the MCS Chorus in a magical performance of Whitacre’s Sleep, followed

by Parry’s I Was Glad, accompanied by members of the Symphony Orchestra and Giles Longstaff’s excellent organ playing, which brought the evening to a triumphant close.

As part of the Oxford Arts Festival, the choir performed in a concert in the University Church in June, singing a selection of choral works, including the beautiful Geistliches Lied by Brahms. A repeat performance of this, along with Stanford’s Jubilate Deo at the Commemoration Service at the end of term made for a touching final school event for those leaving the school, and also the final Choral Society concert for the Upper Sixth Leavers after many years of singing in the choir.

Congratulations to all members of the choir for an outstanding year of singing, and a sincere thanks to Mr Cullen and Miss Shorthand for their inspiring directing.

Quinn Obbink, Lower Sixth

MAGDALEN SIXTH

It has been a breathtaking year for the Magdalen Sixth. Under the watchful eyes and able batons of Mr Cullen and Miss Shortland, the Sixth Form Choir has soared to new and astonishing levels of ambition and achievement.

The year began with a performance of Alexander L’Estrange’s atmospheric piece Rain – a setting of the poem Midnight Rain by Edward Thomas – as a prelude to Mr Thomas’ original musical Reflections, a chilling vignette of the struggles of war for MCS. The next event for the Magdalen Sixth was the Carol Service, in which the choir sang four fantastic performances, opening the service with Hodie Christus Natus Est, a traditional carol.

This was followed by an original composition by one of our own, James Gant, the words to which were the fourteenth-century poem There Is No Rose; Judith Weir’s My Guardian Angel, ably accompanied by not only the Choral Society, but also the congregation; and finally Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium.

After Christmas, Hilary Term brought on new challenges in preparing for the Grove Auditorium concert, in which the choir performed a lively rendition of Gershwin’s I’ve Got Rhythm. In Trinity Term, as part of the Arts Festival, Magdalen Sixth took on one of its most ambitious projects yet, Henry Purcell’s opera The Fairy Queen, which included some fantastic solos from Joseph Hancock, Tom Van Oss, Yiannis Goeldner-Thompson, James Gibbon, Alex Ridley, Jamie Shepherd, Charlotte Collerton, Giorgia Laird, and Giles Longstaff. Finally, the choir performed Anerio’s Stabat Mater for three choirs with the choir ORA in St John the Evangelist.

It has been an incredible year, and all our thanks must go to Mr Cullen and Miss Shortland.

James Gant, Upper Sixth

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Music

MADRIGALS SOCIETY

Madrigals were, as ever, an idyllic and picturesque end to the school year. Ably helmed by Mr Spowart and co, we arrived in perfect time to continue the ancient (since 2018) tradition of beginning with Pastime with Good Company as we arrived at the bank. We then sang a mixture of renaissance and modern folk songs, including a fantastic arrangement of Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat. James Gant had the spotlight once more with a brilliant rendition, and he was aided by Yiannis Goeldner-Thompson in a grand finale which came as a surprise to us all as he was pushed into the Cherwell. After some more saucy songs involving teeth, tongues and fa-lalaing, we finished with another more ancient tradition of Weep, O Mine Eyes. Enormous thanks must go to all the Upper Sixth Leavers who came to rehearsals throughout their exams and, of course, to Mr Cullen and Miss Shortland for their tireless efforts in rehearsals, teaching us a huge repertoire. Further mention must go to Mr Smith, whose arrangement of Lay A Garland was performed, and whose gargantuan 39 years in the Music Department have finally come to an end.

David McIntyre, Lower Sixth 73

Music

Close Harmony Close Harmony had yet another hilarious and successful year, with an impressive amount of talent not only from the Upper Sixth but also younger years, showing huge promise for years to come.

We started the year with a ridiculous performance of Hernando’s Hideaway in Music at Magdalen which included oompa-loompa-like bobbing and disastrous dancing. Special mention must go to Yiannis’ elegance and poise in his maraca solo. After seeing the fun we were having, many new faces joined for Hilary Term in preparation for Jazz and Blues. For this, we sang Never Had a Dream Come True, a classic S Club 7 tune that showcased James Gant and Joe Hancock as soloists. To add to the romanticism of the piece, we filmed a video of so-called lovers, including, among others, James Gant and James Gant. We had the good fortune to perform this not only at Jazz and Blues, which is a hugely fun event, but also at a Parasol evening, where it was hugely rewarding to see how much fun the children had listening and dancing along to the music.

All in all, a fantastic year, and I look forward to seeing what’s to come next year.

David McIntyre, Lower Sixth

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Music

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Music

Sheldonian Concert

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Music

This year’s Sheldonian Concert was a spectacle to behold, with magnificent performances from the Symphony Orchestra and the various choral groups, along with an excellent rendition of Songs of Innocence by the whole of the Second Form.

jazzy underscore by Bob Chilcott. It was inspiring to see such young boys excel in such a professional and imposing space, and particular congratulations must go to the soloists for performing so well while so exposed onstage.

As 7.30 finally came around, the audience waited with bated breath as the musicians filed into their seats. Having taken their places, they watched as Mr Cullen (beaming as ever) took to the stage and, after a customary dramatic pause, raised his conductor’s baton. What ensued was a spine-tingling rendition of Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns, a piece intended to represent a deathly dance of skeletons risen from the grave. The piece veered between climactic and near-chaotic sections and moments reminiscent of whispers from the grave, or the tiptoeing motions of the dancing skeletons, ending in a diminuendo as dawn breaks and the cadavers swiftly retreat back into their tombs.

Then the choir moved onto the floor, and Mr Cullen returned to conduct. After a silence that seemed to last an eternity while final preparations were made, an ethereal B chord resounded high up to the painted ceiling. The choir had begun Sleep, the Silvestri poem set to music by Eric Whitacre. The piece began slowly, a mother’s lullaby, then changed in tone from hopeful to uncertain and troubled, invoking the fears that drift in ‘as [we] surrender unto sleep’. A spectacular crescendo blooms thence, softly gliding back into the gentle command ‘Sleep’ at the close of the piece.

Rapidly readjusting themselves, the orchestra then proceeded to play the capricious and electrifying Organ Symphony (also by Saint-Saëns). This piece initially invoked a sense of gracefulness, yet totally changed mood when the Sheldonian Theatre organ – masterfully played by Giles Longstaff – abruptly came crashing in, infinitely surpassing the mini-organ used for rehearsals and filling the space with triumphant chords.

After the interval, the entire Second Form trooped out onto the stage and, once assembled, broke into a rousing rendition of William Blake’s famous Songs of Innocence poems, set to a

To round off the evening, the orchestra returned once more to their places and, together with the choir, produced a triumphant finale: a spectacular performance of Parry’s I Was Glad. This glorious arrangement of Psalm 122 truly raised the roof, with the marriage between choir and orchestra proving to be a match made in heaven. This was a fitting end to a sparkling evening, and was met with thunderous applause from the packed theatre.

Everyone involved in this year’s concert excelled, and our heartfelt thanks go to Mr Cullen, Ms Shortland, Ms Maloney, Mr Wickham, Ms Rose and the rest of the Music Department for making such an incredible evening possible for yet another year.

Jago Wainwright and Isabella Sharipova-Williams, Lower Sixth 77

Music SECOND FORM CHOIR

On 21 March, the Second Form performed some of the Jazz Songs of Innocence (a selection of poems by William Blake arranged by Bob Chilcott to jazz melodies) as part of the annual MCS Sheldonian Concert. They were accompanied by a jazz trio consisting of a piano, bass guitar and a drum set, while Miss Moloney conducted.

Prior to the concert, we had to practise heavily. We were split into vocal parts, and a few of us were assigned trio parts for some songs.

Nerves were generally relaxed until the minutes before our earlyevening performance. After the orchestra had played a multitude of pieces, now it was our time to prove we could do the same thing, just with our vocal cords. There were four songs on our repertoire: we started with Piping Down the Valleys Wild, an upbeat but simple song that managed to showcase our skill in hitting the right notes, even in three parts. The Lamb took a drastic change in pace from the last, however, with not only the famous poem as lyrics but also a trio (composed of Theo Ansell, Judd Bayona, and Kievan Gallagher) singing the melody in the second half, a laid-back tempo and more complex parts to sing.

Halfway through, the penultimate song, The Little Boy Lost/Found (an amalgamation of two linked poems) was quite long and even more complex, with the composition having two themes: the happy, bright waltz in a major key; and in contrast the slow, melancholy ballad in a minor key. Another trio (Christopher Dallosso, Oscar Archibald, and Ethan Leung) sang the melody of the minor theme accompanied by the rest of the year. The final song, The Echoing Green, started well and ended strongly, arguably the jazziest and most fun piece to sing. It kept a very upbeat rhythm all the way through and, with our fabulous voices channelling the spirit of the piece, we ended our repertoire with a very loud and supportive round of applause. When we went back to our seats after an exhausting 20– 30 minutes of singing (or so it felt), all that was left to listen to was Choral Society’s renditions of Sleep and I Was Glad before departing.

Judd Bayona, Second Form

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Music

JUNIOR SCHOOL

The Junior School had a busy and exciting musical year. As well as almost 100 per cent of the boys learning at least one instrument and many distinctions and merits in individual exams, the JS Music continues to thrive with excellent collaboration and dedication from the boys. From teatime concerts to chamber concerts, grand concerts to services in Oxford college chapels, the boys never ceased to amaze their audiences with their talent. A particular highlight was Christopher Lu playing a movement from Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 23 in front of a packed Big School in the Grand Concert. Wind, brass, and string ensembles have enjoyed many superb performances, and the two choirs and chamber choir have sung their hearts out. Our busy choristers definitely deserve a mention, as they have once again had a full schedule and manage the demands of singing at a professional standard very impressively.

Chamber music has grown this year, and Miss Rose and Mr Wickham have done an excellent job at leading those smaller groups to give the boys more opportunities. We will miss them dearly, and thank them for their hard work and dedication. Well done to all the boys on their many musical achievements!

Niki Moloney 79

extra

curricular Though one may typically look to Magdalen’s academic prowess before exploring its extra-curricular richness, the sheer volume of activity taking place outside of lessons contributes disproportionately to the school’s integrity. This sweeping variety of clubs, societies and teams are indeed “extracurricular” commitments by definition. However, Magdalen’s “extracurricular” sphere has become so ingrained within its pupil culture that one may struggle to notice where the scheduled activities end and where the voluntary activities begin. Each and every student finds themselves involved in some form of club occurring outside of their linear schedule, often partaking in multiple ones. This side of the school system acts to enrich and stimulate students to a further extent than in their scheduled classes. Consequently, where academic success gives Magdalen its reputation, extracurricular involvement grants the school its individuality.

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Charities

Charities

CSO

Every Tuesday this academic year, Lower Sixth students went to their allocated community service placements. These were organised by Dr Crawford, who estimates that over 5500 hours have been dedicated to volunteering around Oxford.

Students gained invaluable skills in social awareness, communication, and perseverance across a range of placements, including working in care homes, giving literacy and numeracy support to primary schools, and volunteering in hospitals and hospices. They went out of their way to help in any way they could; for example, Euan Ong and Boecheng Xiao coded a new catalogue for the library at Lady Nuffield care home, which will have a lasting impact. Henry Vine, who worked with the literacy programme at St Nick’s, stated that he ‘would emphasise the value of seeing the pupils growing not only in confidence, but also ability, week by week’, making him feel that he, alongside others, was making a difference in the community.

The Lower Sixth are very grateful for the opportunity to do such fulfilling work, which has also brought with it much entertainment: particularly for the concert party, who travelled around schools and nursing homes performing fun, well-known pieces while teaching children a bit about instruments and inspiring many.

Anne Kenyon

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PARTNERSHIP WITH MUSTARDSEED TRUST

MCS has embarked on a sustained charitable partnership with the Mustardseed Trust, which is building a primary school on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda. The Mustardseed Trust is the brainchild of John Caird OW (1966). Its motto is ‘start small, grow great’, and it is exciting to see one of the oldest schools in the UK supporting one of the newest in the developing world.

Last year John asked me to become a trustee of the charity, and to explore ways in which MCS and the Trust might collaborate. John has met some colleagues and our charity representatives, and has spoken in Chapel.

At Prizegiving this year I was delighted to be able to announce that we have secured a pledge of matched donations from Sir Vernon Ellis OW, also of the distinguished 1966 vintage. Sir Vernon is willing to pledge up to £200,000 for the Trust for up to five years, matching any funds raised by MCS. This builds well on John Caird’s address last year and the presentation of the Coronation Cup to Omar Noia-Rodriguez for his work in Sudan.

The MCS Charity Committee, led by senior staff members alongside a committed group of Sixth Formers, is excited by the project. In addition, a number of alumni and current and former parents are interested in this initiative.

Charities Mustardseed Mission and Philosophy

Mustardseed Trustees at a Board Meeting with Kampala behind us.

The Trust’s mission is to provide an inspirational and practical education to the children in its care, many of whom will be orphans or vulnerable, encouraging them to flourish and prosper in Uganda and the wider world. Uganda is a country rich in resources and opportunity. High quality, accessible education is urgently needed in the Wakiso district that surrounds the growing city of Kampala. Sentema, where the school is to be built, is large and populous, with a significant lack of decent local schools. Infant mortality in the district has reached 10%, often the result of malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoeal diseases. The prevalence of HIV, which affects 5–6%, is a key reason for the high number of orphans, who represent up to 20% of total primary school enrolment.

Visualisation from Masterplan of proposed school. Ground will be broken this term.

The primary school’s philosophy is based on progressive educational concepts in Uganda.

A desire to preserve and cherish nature is at the heart of Mustardseed’s philosophy, and architectural plans follow the latest standards of green design and construction practice, highly localised to available materials, skills, and climate.

In common with MCS, the Trust believes that artistic expression is a crucial part of every child’s intellectual and emotional development, especially the exploration of traditional local culture. So music, singing, dance, theatre, and craftwork will be integral to the weekly curriculum.

The relationship with MCS is central to the school’s distinctiveness. This is to be a relationship which we envisage will include teacher visits, curriculum support and staff development, sitting alongside significant fundraising at both the pupil and organisational level.

Helen Pike, Master

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Charities Whilst charitable challenges unite the school, they also contribute to the interHouse rivalry. The Chavasse soirée raised £1152.97, and the corresponding joint Maltby and Walker event raised £516.52.

It is Callender, though, which raised the most for charity this year, amassing a superb total of £2800. Here we must give special thanks to Miss Pinching for bringing such enthusiasm and helping organise and support numerous charitable events for Callender and the school.

This year MCS voted principally to support two charities: International Justice Mission and Thames Valley Air Ambulance Service.

The School, however, also helps donate to other charities, and the year started off successfully, with £448.17 raised from the New Pupils service for Emmaus, a homeless charity in Oxford. The pupil body rallied together on Shoe for She Day which raised £748.55 for She for She, an enterprise working to alleviate poverty in Senegal.

The Lower Fourth must be congratulated for completing a fifteen-mile walk through the Thames Valley, which raised an astonishing £2360, after which their cooking efforts for their bake sales (raising just under £200) would certainly have been welcome. Other baking achievements and sweet treats this year include the House bake-off, which Wilkson won, and hand-delivered, personalised Easter Eggs which was a ‘cracking effort of getting everybody into an excellent mood’ according to Miss Lucy Pinching, the Charity Coordinator.

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Mr Thom Sobey, also a Callender tutor, reported: ‘I ran the London Marathon in April, in aid of Oxford Children’s Hospital. £2183.10 was raised over the whole period

by Callender, from many pupils’ efforts in the half marathon and park run in October. Setting myself an ambitious target time and reaching it was immensely satisfying, and it is one of my proudest achievements to date. The training was hard (and mostly in the dark) but it was such an incredible feeling crossing the line at the end of it all. An amazing event, and it was truly humbling to have been cheered on by so many strangers as I snaked my way through London; I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.’

Other staff involvement included a Staff Concert, summarised by Mr Tim Elton: ‘On Friday 12th October, a few hours after watching students perform in the House Drama competition, some MCS staff turned the tables to put themselves in the

Charities spotlight, in a concert in aid of the School’s nominated charities. A generous audience were treated to some instrumental items including a Mozart string quartet, a movement of a Brahms piano and violin sonata, some Chopin and Chopin-inspired piano music, and a vibrant Piazzola piece.

There were also some wonderful vocal performances of Finzi and Puccini songs, and some jazz standards, and the concert was bookended harmoniously by the staff choir. A convivial atmosphere of musical delight was enjoyed by all, and the event pleasingly raised £321.30 for Thames Valley Air Ambulance Service and International Justice Mission.’

Music from teachers and pupils has given much pleasure to audiences this year, and they, in turn, have given to charity, with £549.71 being raised from two delightful ‘Music at Magdalen’ concerts this year.

The Second and Thurd Forms held a successful charity social during the Trinity Term, raising over £250, as Callum Lion-Cachet reports: ‘The Lower School social started off with us all setting up our stalls. We were all looking at each others’ areas, and seeing what fun we were in for.

There was a lot of fun stalls, but I think most of us would agree that ‘slack the teacher’ was the best. Mr Hemingway definitely had fun... The evening ended with a delicious barbecue and ice cream. We all had a blast munching, and chatting to see who had made the most. All in all, I think that everyone had a fun time, and it was very well organized by Mr Penton and Mr Hemingway. I think that future pupils will have fun getting to know each other at this great event.’

From the academic year 2018-9, the total raised to be split between the school’s elected charities is £8895.24. Additional money was raised for a number of other charities – She for She, Comic Relief (JS), Quest for Learning, NSPCC (JS), Emmaus, Oxford Children’s Hospital, Restore (JS), Down’s Syndrome Oxford – and this all makes for a final total of an impressive £15,591.70 We would like to thank everyone who has taken part, organised or donated to events generously.

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Clubs & Societies

Clubs & Socities

DEBATING SOCIETY Debating this year has been as vibrant and diverse as ever, with a weekly debate by talented speakers presenting to engaged audiences from all year groups on a variety of motions on topics ranging from the necessity of Pride to the validity of targeting civilians in conflict.

Debating Society also welcomed a number of joint debates this year, with the main event being a panel with FemSoc on ‘Has modern feminism rejected men?’. This debate, which attracted a huge audience, started a meaningful discussion on the role of feminism in our school society. I hope to make it a regular occurrence for Debating Society to host such topical and controversial debates in future. Many thanks must go to the speakers at that debate – Will Finlator, Ed Murray, and Billy Garnet on the proposition with Aisling Matthews, Iona Fleminger, and Henry King on the opposition – for their significant amount of research and the clarity and sensitivity with which they spoke, and to Cara Shepherd for keeping a sometimes excitable audience in check.

Such talent in MCS debaters is clearly displayed in the number of competitions the school has been able to enter, and indeed in the success that we have seen. After entering Oxford Schools, Cambridge Schools and Debate Mate, we had a team go through to Finals day at the first two, and the team of Izzy Blackburn and Cara Shepherd won the novice final round of the latter.

This term, we also decided to increase the involvement of younger years by organising regular debates for speakers below the Sixth Form. The practice that this offers greatly increases the younger 86

students’ debating skills and their confidence, as they speak to an audience mostly consisting of Sixth Formers.

All debaters were greatly aided by the after school debate training sessions run by a student from Oxford University, Stephen Horvath. With his significant experience, Stephen offered invaluable help in coaching all years to become better debaters and we hope that, with his guidance, debating at MCS can continue to flourish, not just in the society, but around the school itself.

Cara Shepherd, Lower Sixth Head of Debating

Clubs & Societies

MODEL UNITED NATIONS

Model United Nations (MUN) is a weekly club – always hosted on a Monday (or MUNday!) – where members are able to represent sovereign nations and observer states within a mock United Nations, and generally increase their skills in the field of public speaking. An opportunity to threaten nuclear Armageddon or biological warfare, trick the chair on points of order, or deny the legitimacy of (depending on the state you represent) Israel or Palestine is never missed.

We also have a junior MUN session, usually chaired by Mr Gardner, for the Upper Fourth and below, to allow members to mature and increase their capabilities as debaters. In addition to the weekly club, we attend other schools’ MUN conferences – including most recently Abingdon and Tudor Hall.

The key event of the year, however, is most certainly the MCS MUN annual conference. This involves many committees debating on issues as far-ranging as the 1965 Rhodesian crisis in the Historical Committee, to discrimination against vegans in the Human Rights 2 Committee. The outgoing Secretary-General Isabel Fincham and her team of Jamie Shepherd and Rachel Rajah did a fantastic job of organising the MCS conference, with a the ensuing two days running smoothly.

Looking forward, we will be seeking to hold an additional conference next year, and continue to expand the size and success of the club.

William Finlator, Lower Sixth Secretary-General 87

Clubs & Societies GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ TEAM A team of Julius Gasson, Matthew Harris, Fin Brickman, and Arthur Bagshaw entered the National Schools Quiz Challenge, guided by Mr McDonald. The rules are similar to University Challenge: a question is read out, the first team to answer correctly gets 10 points and is then given three more questions to answer on their own, worth 10 points each.

A comfortable victory over Kingham Hill saw us through to a round robin between Abingdon, Wycombe Abbey, and ourselves. Despite losing to Wycombe Abbey, we overcame Abingdon in a nail-biting tie-breaker to advance to the regional finals.

We travelled to RGS Guildford, where a good win saw us through to the interregional final against City of London. The match was extremely tight up to the final question, where an incorrect answer from our opponents allowed us to advance to the national finals in Warwick.

At the quarter-final, we defeated Warwick comfortably, and the semi-final saw us edge RGS Lancaster in a match decided (again) by the final question. Disappointingly, after a promising start against The Perse, we were beaten soundly in the final.

Nonetheless, being runners-up is an excellent achievement and many thanks go to Mr McDonald for organising everything.

Julius Gasson, Lower Sixth

“Being runnersup is an excellent achievement and many thanks go to Mr McDonald for organising everything.”

THEOLOGY SOCIETY

Theology Society was a great success this year, with weekly talks from pupils, staff, and external speakers. Pupils are given the opportunity to research theological ideas that interest them beyond the syllabus and present them to other keen minds for discussion and questioning. Teachers, too, are invited to discuss topics of personal interest, and this was particularly successful this year.

We are extremely grateful to the superb external speakers who kindly lent their time to give talks on their experiences and areas of expertise. One particularly thought-provoking talk was presented

by Father Manfred Deselears, a German Catholic priest who now dedicates his life to German-Polish reconciliation and Christian-Jewish dialogue following the aftermath of the atrocities of the Holocaust. He discussed the importance of reconciliation and the delicate procedure of opening dialogue, especially on such a large scale.

Another highlight was a talk by Professor Robert Gilbert, an ordained Church of England minister and a leading 88

biochemist at the Nuffield Department of Medicine in Oxford. He discussed not just the compatibility of science and religion, but also how the beauty of science, like music or prayer, can help a believer access and discover religion.

The society is mainly made up of Lower Sixth theologians, although we aim to increase the involvement of younger pupils. The arrival of new teachers Dr King and Mr Blackburn heralds hope for MCS Theology. I am sure that the Theology Society will continue to prosper for future pupils to come and enjoy.

Henry King, Lower Sixth

Clubs & Societies ECONOMICS SOCIETY

Economics Society was very successful this year. There were a number of talks from external speakers, including Mr Ian Shepherd on retail and Mr Fincham on the politics and economics of regulation, and one class had the exciting opportunity to spend time with Camillo von Mueller, an economist from the German Ministry of Finance.

Students participated actively in the society, one example being Denis Donskikh’s talk on monopolies. A variety of topics were covered, attended by students ranging from Second Form to Upper Sixth. One of the highlights of the year was a debate on how Brexit will affect the trade balance, for which we collaborated with Debating Society. Will Finlator and Quinn Obbink made the case for Brexit having a negative effect, performing superbly, while Will Allinson and George Garner delivered a very convincing argument for how Brexit would have a positive effect.

During Trinity Term, there was an exclusive opportunity to visit Savill’s, with only five people being selected for the trip. We were given a number of talks on career opportunities at Savill’s, ranging from HR to building analysis, along with information on how to apply for a job there. We were also told more about the company structure and some of the current circumstances surrounding Brexit and the housing market. All in all, it was a fascinating and rare opportunity to look into the inner workings of one of the largest real estate companies in the UK. Denis Donskikh, Lower Sixth side to historiography. Discussions on the Glorious Revolution, British rule in Ghana, and ‘rugged individualism’ in the United States, led by Lower Sixth students, were highly successful in both quality of research and argument.

HISTORY SOCIETY

History Society enables students of all years to explore history beyond the school syllabus through weekly lunchtime lectures on Fridays. Our Oxford location has afforded us a unique opportunity to hear leading academics speak on global history, including topics ranging from ‘Ferdinand of Aragon’ to ‘Writing early medieval biography’ to ‘The power of satire in early modern England’. Such diversity and expertise have allowed our knowledge and curiosity to expand significantly over the course of the year.

We are also fortunate to have talks paired with other departments, including Ancient Greek historiography (with the Classics Department) and the Protestant Just War theory (with the Theology Department), helping us to view historical matters through a broader lens. Further highlights have included a historical conference appraising Elizabeth I, held

by MCS in March and featuring a wide range of speakers, as well as a highly enjoyable trip to Paris at Easter.

Lectures are not always delivered by outside speakers. The History Society has been treated to a wide range of talks from students, beginning with a discussion on Microhistory, led by the Upper Sixth, which provided us with an unconventional and thought-provoking

Finally, a tireless team of Lower Sixth students coordinated the second edition of the History Department Journal, inviting students of all years to write articles on their own interests with the result that it evolved into a 70-page tome. The journal featured articles on topics from the fall of Assyria to the relationship between Belfast Celtic Football Club and the Troubles in Northern Ireland, as well as reviews of recent biographies, films and talks. We are thankful to Mr Newbury, Dr Bebbington, Miss Hayton, Mr Thomas and Mr Otley for providing specialist articles. This journal, edited by Jonny Fox (Lower Sixth), allowed budding historians from across the school to advocate their interests with flair.

We would like to thank the History Department, and particularly Dr Habsburg, for providing us with such fascinating opportunities throughout the year.

Jonny Fox, Lower Sixth 89

Clubs & Societies CHESS

2018–19 was another spectacular year for chess at MCS. At a school so intellectually curious, and saturated with so many brilliant logical minds, it’s hardly surprising that chess continues to flourish as magnificently as it does today.

The Junior School saw many impressive team performances throughout the year – they were National Preparatory Schools Champions, ECF regional champions and national team finalists, as well as EPSCA U11 zonal champions and national semifinalists. Both the U11A and U11B teams qualified for the EPSCA national semifinal, obtaining gold and silver awards respectively. The U9s achieved a similarly impressive second place in the EPSCA U9 zonals and also received gold at the national semi-finals. The U11s won the Oxford Schools League and the U9s came second, losing out to St Joseph’s Primary School – a testament perhaps to the (too effective!) community service work that Sixth Form students have been undertaking over the past several years, coaching chess at St Joseph’s.

There were also numerous impressive individual achievements in the Junior School: Jamie Turner and Jamie Masacorale secured a joint first place in the National Preparatory Schools U11 rapid play tournament; Kida Zhu tore apart the junior chess scene, coming second at the U12 Wellington College LJCC qualifier, becoming London U10 Major Joint Champion, and Godalming U11 Champion, then third in the South of England U11; meanwhile, Amaan Kassey was selected to play for England in the chess World Schools Championship in Turkey, and also for South West England against Wales.

The Senior School had an equally remarkable year, winning the Oxford U13 and U18 schools league with flying colours.

The U13s and U12s were both Aldro team champions. The U13 team of Edison Xu, Kida Zhu, Samir Khan, Ewan Bridson, Jamie Turner, and Pip Lucas came second at the ECF Junior Team Challenge national finals at Hertford College, Oxford: they were a tantalising half-point away from becoming National Champions, pipped to the title in the final game by former Master Andrew Hall’s school, KCS Wimbledon.

The U18 school team came fifth at the Millfield International Tournament, 90

competing against teams from Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, many of which boasted multiple 200+ graded players. The top boards of Tom Shepherd, Edison Xu, Hari Selvaraj, and Anthony Fox did particularly well in the face of such strong opposition. MCS were the Oxfordshire Schools Championship winners and ECF U19s British Schools Championships regional finalists.

The Senior School also saw many phenomenal performances from individuals this year.

Internally, Tom Shepherd (Fifth Form), satisfied the bookies in becoming MCS blitz champion. Hari Selvaraj (Lower Fourth) was the U15 Oxfordshire champion. Edison Xu (Second Form) amassed titles including: Elite U12 Grand Prix winner, Wellington College LJCC qualifier U12 champion, National Preparatory U12 rapid play champion, and the London U12 major champion. Edison was also selected for the England team in Paris and Gibraltar, and he received the Richard Record Trophy for the best performance by a Lower School player. Tom Shepherd received the Matthew Hoare Trophy for the best performance by a Senior School player.

Mr Place’s unrivalled dedication continues to sustain MCS chess. He spends huge amounts of time coaching the boys and setting up school matches and tournaments that help them improve. GM Peter Wells also comes in to coach the boys every Tuesday afternoon, which greatly boosts their development. All the boys are enormously grateful to them.

Ewan Bridson, Third Form

Clubs & Societies FEMINIST SOCIETY

‘The world of humanity is possessed of two wings – the male and the female. So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly.’ (`Abdu’l-Bahá) When I think of all the current progress being made and all the steps being taken towards gender equality, I cannot help but feel hopeful for the future. Yet there is still a long way to go. Bahá’s statement on the ‘two wings’ of ‘humanity’ being ‘equivalent in strength’ encapsulates my views on the work that we have yet to complete.

As of 2017, an estimated 308,000 women in developing nations died from pregnancy-related causes and 2.1 million babies died in their first month of life. This is preventable by full access to healthcare.

Fewer than 40% of countries offer males and females equal access to education. There are approximately 774 million illiterate adults in the world. Two-thirds of them are women. Women continue to earn only 60–75% of men’s wages globally. At least 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone genital mutilation.

Finally, an example which has been at the forefront of political and societal debate for the last couple of years: sexual assault and rape.

The prevalence of sexual assault and violence against women is deeply systemic, rendering it one of the most important examples of gender inequality in the world today. Worldwide, around 120 million girls, a number which represents slightly more than one in ten, have experienced forced intercourse or another forced sexual act in their lifetime. Take a moment to absorb this information.

This year, FemSoc continued to raise awareness for period poverty in the UK and around the world. We are thrilled that Amika George and the Free Periods movement have had such a political reverberation that the government has pledged to provide free sanitary products for all primary and secondary students from next year. This movement particularly demonstrates the power feminism possesses to enact lasting change. Additionally, biweekly meetings have been the locus of fascinating discussions and debates, ranging from Gilette’s #MeToo advert, to the illegality of upskirting in the UK, to the role of feminism in modern day society, and our joint debate with Philosophy Society on trans-exclusionary radical feminism.

In my role as leader of FemSoc, I have witnessed some of the most stimulating debate and conversation in my time at MCS. A highlight would have to be the panel we held on International Women’s Day in which Miss Pinching, Mrs White, Miss Pick and I presented on topics ranging from the myth of the gendered brain, the gender paygap, representation of gender in literature, and the role intersectional feminism plays in modern day society. One of my biggest takeaways, and something which will remain with me throughout my time at university and beyond, is that feminism is not singular: we should celebrate the multiplicity of the movement and strive to end marginalisation of any kind, so that the ultimate goal of equality can be achieved.

TOP GIRLS

On 2 April 2019, A-level English students and members of MCS FemSoc travelled to the National Theatre in London to see Lyndsey Turner’s all-female production of Top Girls.

The production brought to light themes of feminine struggle universally shared throughout ages and societies. Historicallyrenowned feminist characters shared the stage to discuss stories of rebellion and suffrage repeated throughout history, such as fictional character Pope Joan and historical figure Lady Nijo. The addition of Marlene, a contemporary character, demonstrated that the battle for feminine equality is ongoing, and that one may draw parallels between seemingly insignificant acts of counter-sexism in the workplace with the notorious historical feats of feminists in the past. The play’s confused setting of twentieth-century and cross-century interactions provoked the audience not to focus on the production’s literal position in time, but instead prompted one to interpret the action on-stage in the context of a global and timeless battle for the emancipation of women.

Izzy Gibson, Lower Sixth

LGBTQ+ SOCIETY

‘Feminism is for everybody’ (bell hooks).

The school has been nothing but supportive in the founding of the new LGBTQ+ society. It has been a pleasure for me to take the first steps towards destigmatising this topic. We have been always open, always welcoming to anyone at all who wants to come regularly or just has some burning questions.

Our LGBTQ&A sessions have been fantastic in reaching out to the wider community and helping define anything from misunderstood terms to unfamiliar feelings. Our highlight was interviewing OW Martin Bowley QC, who faced significant backlash and was encouraged to leave his job, simply because of his sexuality. From humble beginnings we continue humbly, yet we pride ourselves on being an ever-present network that anyone can find should they need support.

Sasha White, Upper Sixth

Orlando Riviere, Upper Sixth

I look forward to seeing how the society continues to evolve in the coming years, as I think some truly special and much-needed conversation is beginning to happen. With that, I leave you with a voice who has inspired and continues to inspire many:

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Events

events OPEN MATHS PAIRS COMPETITION

The mathematical year got off to a flying start, with the annual Open Maths Pairs competition held in Big School in September.

The tension built as Big School filled up with 50 or so pupils, signed up in a few dozen pairs. The pre-mathematics nerves were almost tangible, settled only by freely-available jammy dodgers and custard creams. Then, with pencils at the ready (pens for a few brave souls), the gun went, and we were off.

Our task was to solve 25 challenging maths problems in 60 minutes within our pairs. Problems on infinite series, geometry, and the dreaded question that always begins ‘John has some sweets in a bag…’, and always ends ‘What is the probability that …?’ were featured in a problem set that was both stretching and enjoyable.

Unsurprisingly, the answer to a number of the questions was 0, once again proving Dini’s theorem.

Fin Brickman and Sammy McDonald of the Upper Fourth were the victors, with Rob Doorly and Euan Ong (Lower Sixth) second, Nick Thatte and Henry London (Upper Sixth) third, and James Bridson and Conor Rees (Lower Sixth) scooping the last chocolates in fourth.

Many thanks to Mr Walter for once again organising what has become a staple of the MCS Maths calendar, and to all the teachers who gave up their time to mark our answers.

James Bridson, Lower Sixth

RUSSIAN CULTURAL EVENING

The Russian Cultural Evening on 2 November 2018 was an evening to remember. The atmosphere radiated Russian bonhomie, a warmth which dispelled the cruel cold of the exterior of the dining hall, where the event took place. It was an evening filled with music and song, poems and feasting: all the best that Russian culture has to offer. The exception being of course dance, but the wish was born within our feet as, on his accordion, Mark Lasis played Kalinka, a traditional tune with an infectiously catchy rhythm.

There must have been around 50 or more there, the majority of whom were Russians, but we also had a not-insignificant number of non-Russian individuals attend, some of whom performed.

The room was a furnace of colour and light, the only cold colours emanating from the white and blue stripes of the tricolour flag, and the tables were arrayed with a rainbow plethora of the very best Russian delicacies. Yet the real attraction was the auditory feast placed before us, as we heard verse ranging from Pushkin’s romantic and metaphysical to Akhmatova’s dramatic and dystopian, and music that covered all spheres of Russian life – the intellectual, the traditional, and the religious.

The choir of St Nicholas’ Orthodox Church opened and closed the recital, and we heard pieces by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich, to name a few. The tragic Mikhail Isakovskii’s The enemies burnt down his home, recited by Kamilya Yerenchova, succeeded in bringing a mist of tears to even the most unemotional spectator. Sasha Kondakova’s rendition of Marina Tsvetaeva’s light-hearted, charming and yet melancholic No one was left at a loss, a goodbye to her lover Osip Mandelstam, left us in a bittersweet reverie, and we heard our hearts beat loud with passion and pride within our chests as Martin Kirov pronounced Lermontov’s My country.

Many thanks to Dr Kostyanovsky, the MCS Russian Reading club, and to everyone involved for organising this wonderful event!

Isabella Sharipova-Williams, Lower Sixth

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Wayneflete Study Awards

Waynflete Study Awards Overall Winner: James Bridson, Faculty of Mathematics Hannah Betts, Faculty of Biology Julius Gasson, Faculty of Classics and MFL Archie Licudi, Faculty of Mathematics Michael Reichenberg-Ashby, Faculty of Physical Sciences Izzy Gibson, Faculty of Politics Euan Ong, Faculty of Practical Science

codebreaker to the evolution of bacteria in the face of antibiotics. The discovery, therefore, that my recreational battle with Southampton University’s interns was the same battle fought every day to secure all our communications activities was the gateway drug to a thorough exploration of PKC. The stunning simplicity of the mathematics underpinning modern cryptographic systems allowed for a natural unravelling of the topic as I delved deeper, and analysing each proposed attack and cryptographic response in turn led me to the natural questions of whether our communications are secure, and whether they will be secure indefinitely.

Abstract:

Name: JAMES BRIDSON Prize: Overall Winner Title: Public Key Cryptography: An exploration of its History, Mathematics, and Evolution Why did you chose this topic.

Having competed in the National Cipher Challenge, I was already somewhat familiar with the world of cryptography.

Having spent hours and sometimes days labouring to crack ciphers, I was instantly struck by Simon Singh’s comparison of the timeless battle between code maker and

Since its conception at GCHQ in 1970, and subsequent independent publication in 1976, Public Key Cryptography has become the bedrock on which all modern communication technologies are built, securing email, text, and bank transactions.

Constantly exposed to pressure from cryptographic attacks, it is always evolving to ensure the continued security of our everyday digital lives. In this project, I explore Public Key Cryptography’s history, explain the mathematics underpinning it, and I evaluate the past and present evolution of one form of Public Key Cryptography - the Diffie Hellman Key Exchange - through the lens of proposed attacks against it.

Name: IZZY GIBSON Prize: Waynflete Studies Politics Prize Title: Should we Censor Hate Speech on Social Media Platforms?

An Analysis of Internet Censorship in Europe and America Why did you chose this topic.

We are all existing in the midst of a global technological revolution. Large-scale media platforms are no longer limited to politicians and celebrities; anyone can broadcast their viewpoint internationally and anonymously with the click of a 93

Wayneflete Study Awards

“I decided the research potential was just too interesting to pass up and, if I was going to write 5000 words on something, I may as well make it a challenge!”

Archie Licudi, Waynflete Maths Prize button, myself included. In response, I became inclined to look into the concept of hate speech online. I began by searching methods by which we may censor content more heavily, fearing for my own internet safety. However, through questioning our right to free speech, the process of democratic advancement and the right to be offensive, I found my perception of online speech censorship was changing.

Essentially, I ceased to wonder how one might successfully censor hate speech, and instead contemplated whether it should be censored at all.

syllabus. During a period of reflection over the Christmas break, however, I decided the research potential was just too interesting to pass up and, if I was going to write 5000 words on something, I may as well make it a challenge!

Abstract:

Abstract:

One’s right to freedom of expression is recognised as a constitutional guarantee throughout the Western world. Yet, the emergence of online social media platforms has contributed to the mass spread of information, opinions, and extremist content on a global scale, thus provoking a call for control through censorship.

With inevitable subjectivity surrounding the concept of harm, intent, hate speech, and censorship online, the debate over the necessity for social media censorship regulations is one lacking in moral clarity.

In this project, I discuss the potential ethical pitfalls surrounding our current means of online censorship, establish the lack of transparency in where jurisdiction lies, and explore the damaging results of both heavy censorship and complete neglect to censor. Is our increased exposure to alternative viewpoints the largest threat to western society or is one’s right to be offensive integral to the progression of democracy?

“As an aspiring medic, I first decided to focus on the placebo effect when I attended a talk on placebo surgery.”

Hannah Betts, Waynflete Biology Prize 94

Name: ARCHIE LICUDI Prize: Waynflete Maths Prize Title: Code-based Cryptography: A Viable Solution to a Post-quantum Future?

Why did you chose this topic.

My project actually has quite a strange history. I started off the academic year writing on philosophy, looking at moral decision-making in virtual worlds. Yet, I ended up finding my work going in a direction I hadn’t initially imagined and was struggling to keep the project on track.

So, after just over a third of the time we had, I decided to quite comprehensively pivot to a maths project on a subject I’ve always been fascinated by: cryptography.

Whilst trying to find a single topic in the field I could narrow my study down to, I found myself becoming more and more concerned about the threat of quantum computers to the entirety of the research which currently exists. Initially, I hadn’t wanted to broach this topic as the equations even in the first few pages of papers on the subject were so alien to me, and it would require tackling a serious amount of maths beyond the school

Quantum computers have once again made headlines with Google’s demonstration of ‘quantum supremacy’, building a quantum computer capable of performing tasks in seconds which current classical supercomputers would take millennia to solve. One of the most important quantum algorithms is Shor’s algorithm, which can trivially solve the maths problems whose difficulty is the assumption which underpins most modern encryption. My project aims to present the current cutting-edge of ‘quantum-safe’ algorithms, built to withstand attacks from quantum computers. It begins with an introduction to the current state of PublicKey cryptography and an overview of Shor and Grover’s quantum algorithms, before analysing the post-quantum security of current symmetric encryption. I chose to focus on code-based cryptography as it is the older, but less researched, of the two main branches of PQ crypto. The paper then introduces the mathematics of coding theory and, from this, the principles of code-based cryptography. I then go on to analyse the pre- and postquantum security of the original and most important code-based cryptosystem, the McEliece system. As part of the project, I built an implementation of the McEliece system inside a homebrew TLS software suite and and went on to present benchmark results of the McEliece system against the currently used RSA system. I struggled to reach a valid conclusion about the viability of these systems, considering how little work has been done on them in comparison to the ones currently in wide use. Whilst the results appear worrying today, I believe they show hope for the future of encryption.

Wayneflete Study Awards

‘taboo’ surrounding the conduction of surgery for reasons other than essential treatment, giving way to one of the moral and ethical concerns raised when discussing sham surgeries, along with the use of deception and the violation of doctor-patient relationships. Although some people are opposed to the idea of using sham surgery as a control in randomised clinical trials and even more to its potential to be a form of treatment. I argue here that the overall benefit negates these ethical objections. Sham surgeries are therefore ethical, provided that the patient knows what they are: an ‘open label placebo’. In fact, there are strong reasons to believe that sham surgery should be used more frequently as it has been proven in numerous clinical trials that a placebo effect is present in surgical procedures.

Name: HANNAH BETTS Prize: Waynflete Studies Biology Prize Title: Should Sham (Placebo) Surgeries be Used as Open-Label Placebo Treatment?

Abstract:

Why did you chose this topic.

As an aspiring medic, I first decided to focus on the placebo effect when I attended a talk on placebo surgery. It wasn’t until I met with my external tutor after the first 1000 word draft that I knew exactly what direction I wanted my essay to go in. Dr Jeremy Howick specialises in evidence-based medicine and the placebo effect. After discussing his viewpoints on medicine and ethics, I consequently decided to make my Waynflete more ethically-oriented, exploring not only the medical validity of sham surgeries, but also its moral credibility.

A sham surgical procedure is a surgical intervention that omits the step that is deemed to be therapeutically necessary.

The placebo effect that occurs during surgery is due to both pharmacological changes and a cascade of reactions caused by making the incision. There is a general

Why did you chose this topic.

Classicists often struggle to make their subject appear relevant in modern society, yet Diogenes is one of the few ancient figures that has secured a place in modern popular culture. Reading many anecdotes about him on the internet (which I found hilarious) gave me a great interest in the man. I had heard of him as a ‘philosopher’, but his sayings, often clever, hilarious, or just downright rude, didn’t seem to contain much philosophical content. It seemed that people loved Diogenes for the shock value of his actions, but didn’t respect him for his ideas. Therefore I decided to investigate whether it was fair that his actual thought had been ignored so much - after all, his influence on philosophers both contemporary (e.g. the Stoics) and modern (e.g. Rousseau) is not to be understated - or whether there was a philosophy behind his way of life, that shouldn’t be neglected.

Name: JULIUS GASSON Prize: Waynflete classics prize Title: ’Philosophy in the garb of a buffoon’ - Nietzsche. To What Extent can the Cynicism of Diogenes of Sinope Claim to be a Serious Philosophy?

‘When he was sunning himself... Alexander came and stood over [Diogenes] and said ‘Ask of me any favour you like’. To which he replied: ‘Stand out of my light.’ ‘. Living in a barrel, urinating in public, scorning the establishment, it’s easy to see why Diogenes has retained his notoriety throughout the ages. Yet he had a great influence on ancient and modern philosophy, and interesting things to say about how we should live. But was he primarily an important philosopher, or just a performer? I argue that Diogenes should be considered as the former, since behind the outrageous acts is the philosophical motive of living ‘in accordance with nature’ instead. And yet, examined properly, his ideas don’t seem to hold water. Rather, what makes Diogenes significant is his ‘democratisation’ of philosophy - in bringing his ideas to the public through his over-the-top actions, he made them accessible and understandable to all.

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Wayneflete Study Awards

“My task was to design and implement a system to help firefighters identify airways, exits, and obstacles inside a burning building with poor visibility” Euan Ong, Waynflete Practical Science Prize

Name: EUAN ONG Prize: Waynflete Studies Practical

Science Prize Title: Object Detection in Thermal

Imagery via Convolutional

Neural Networks

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Why did you chose this topic?

In recent years, deep learning has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, and justifiably so – a combination of fast, specialised hardware, corporate investment and an explosion in the amount of data available to researchers have made data-driven, computationally intensive approaches to problems such as identifying objects within images feasible. In order to better understand the technologies and algorithms behind deep learning, and to gain an appreciation of research in applied computer science, I was partnered with a research team in the Computer Science department at the University of Oxford, who were working on systems to help firefighters navigate indoors in GPS-denied environments. My task was to design and implement a system to help firefighters identify airways, exits, and obstacles inside a burning building with poor visibility, by locating these objects in images taken by a handheld thermal infrared camera – a problem known as object detection.

Abstract: During search and rescue missions, firefighters must look for potential victims in burning buildings, and bring them to safety as quickly as possible.

Lack of visibility can significantly hinder this procedure, forcing firefighters to use thermal cameras to look for possible airways and exits. In this project, we explore the theory behind deep learning and object detection and develop deep learning methods for object detection from forward-looking infrared (FLIR) thermal images, with applications in the development of navigational aids for search and rescue operations. We demonstrate that a Faster R-CNN object detection network can be trained to detect specific objects, such as doors and windows, in RGB images, and then fine tuned to detect the same objects in thermal images. In addition, data augmentation and using multiple datasets in combination provide significant performance improvements on test data.

Wayneflete Study Awards

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trips Whilst the classroom environment might immediately come to mind as one considers the education school provides, at MCS there are no shortage of opportunities to expand learning, both academic and otherwise, from this setting. From taking a production to the Edinburgh Fringe, to trips across the Atlantic to New York, the diversity of experience offered as part of this broader education is just as important as the huge number of opportunities offered to each student.

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Trips ART TRIP TO

NYC2018 OCTOBER

The New York Art trip was most certainly one to remember. Led from the front by the man himself, Mr Otley (aka Skippah, Capt’n, Chief, or Sergeant), with back up from Mr Quiney and Mrs Rutter, the trip was in good hands. A car, two coaches, a plane, another coach, and intermittent walking, and we found ourselves in downtown Manhattan. Time in our luxury YMCA was limited as Skippah marched us straight into the bustling heart of the Big Apple. It’s difficult to lead a school trip of art students through New York, especially when every single view of the city is worth a thousand photographs, even if most of us just ended up taking ‘edgy’ photos of each other anyway. Mark Hudson defiantly won the award for the most obnoxious photo-taker, although, for context, to my knowledge not a single member of the trip refrained from a NYC ‘gram post.

It was, of course, an art trip, and so MoMA was outstanding, Guggenheim was pretty cool, Natural History Museum was under renovation and comparatively mediocre, the Metropolitan was just too big, the Whitney Museum of American Art was a personal highlight, the International Centre of Photography was impressive, and the Drawing Centre provoked some mixed emotions from the group.

Tourism-wise, the NY High Line, Brooklyn Bridge, and the Brooklyn street art tour from Mighty Tanaka were all absolutely superb. Times Square, the Staten Island ferry, and the Rockefeller Plaza were nothing but pure, undiluted NYC.

“Every single view of the city is worth a thousand photographs”

Some notable moments were spending just over £1,000 on food in two all-American meals for the group (many of us regretted our breakfast choices very quickly) and getting some juicy info about Big O from an ex-pupil who was making it in the Big Apple. And, of course, there was every single moment of being immersed in the most intense and inspiring city in the world, where everything moves at a million miles per hour, and no one can ever catch their breath.

One moment that will stick with all of us will be the morning we walked to the 9/11 memorials. Two pupils had birthdays in New York, and Big O (satirically, of course) had bought us a MAGA cap as a present - the reactions that we received that day really hammered home the political divide in the US. The trip as a whole was an experience that we will all cherish for a long time – longer than we will think photos of us posing by New York graffiti is in any way cool, at least.

We are all extremely grateful to Mr Otley, Mr Quiney, and Mrs Rutter for an amazing trip and one that I hope, for the sake of younger MCS artists, will happen again.

Henry King, Lower Sixth 100

Trips

In our first ever half term at MCS, the Second Form went on an amazing trip to the Isle of Wight. We drove to the coast on a bus, and then took a cruise boat over to the Isle of Wight. From there we took a bus to Medina Valley Centre, where we’d be staying overnight. It was pretty large, had lots and lots of bunks, a cafeteria, an assembly room, a games room, and a corridor where you could buy sweets and souvenirs.

We were put in different groups, so we were with new people whom we didn’t really know, which made us develop friendships with people who weren’t even in our classes. Then we went off and did our activities. We had a few team building games: there was one where everyone had a blindfold and had to try and make their way around a course wearing it, another called ‘team building’, where we worked together as a team to solve lots of issues that confronted us, and all the late night activities, of course.

We had water sports: canoeing and kayaking, which were both extremely fun and consisted of lots of challenges, winners, and lots and lots of water. We did a lot of canoeing and kayaking to different areas, and it was really fun. The other two that we did that fit in with each other were archery and rifle shooting. These were fun as they had us use our wits as well as newfound skills to help get our bullets or arrows into the higher scoring areas.

The late night activities were some of the best we did. One, which was on the first day, was a shoe selling game. We made shoes and sold them, and prices for certain shoes went up and down, so you had to try to guess what the market was going to want. The other late night activity was the campfire, where we all sat around a large campfire, telling stories, singing songs, roasting marshmallows, and having a very good time.

ISLE OF WIGHT

SECOND FORM TRIP We also had news reports in the morning, where the lady who ran the Medina Valley Centre would tell us something interesting that happened yesterday or in the past week. We also had great meals that were very effective at combating any hunger and bringing people together. After two and a half fun days we returned home; those two days were some of the most memorable of the whole year.

Theo Ansell, Second Form

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Trips

SLAPTON SANDS LOWER SIXTH GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP Despite the early meeting time of 7 a.m. under the Sixth Form centre, the coach left roughly on schedule this year, as William Finlator does not do Geography A level. Unfortunately, the coach lacked any form of air conditioning, causing everyone to strip off all the layers they’d been told to bring ‘in case of heavy snow like last year’. Yet, undeterred by the sweltering conditions, the back of the bus provided rather loud, out of tune renditions of Take Me Home, Country Roads, which lasted the majority of the journey.

Once at the field centre, we were guided to our en suite rooms. We swiftly unpacked before marching to nearby woodland, where, in the pouring rain, we measured the carbon stored in the wood by taking tree girths and heights. Thoroughly soaked and after much slipping over, our reward was fish and chips, albeit with some very suspect peas.

Most nights at the centre were spent battling out highly intense games of ping-pong against other schools. However, I think it is safe to say that one of the high points of the trip was the breakfast, as we were daily treated to an array of cooked food including sausages, bacon, and hash browns. Packed lunches were simultaneously made at breakfasts, and the sign ‘Please take these homemade cakes for your lunch, but please don’t waste any food’ was simply taken to mean, ‘Take as many cakes as you can eat’.

Our second day comprised investigating urban regeneration and rebranding in Plymouth, which involved taking numerous surveys of shopping quality, environmental quality, etc. A rather 102

windy but relaxing boat trip was also taken around Plymouth’s harbour. The third day involved a 10km walk along the scenic coastline where, at various points, we measured numerous factors, such as beach gradient, sediment size and cost-benefit analysis of coastal defences. Towards the end of the day a hailstorm hit us but, under the firm guidance of the Geography Department, we were prohibited from taking cover, instead having to continue with our fieldwork. Thankfully, this weather did not last for long and, to our delight, the generally pleasant weather we had experienced for most of the day prevailed. Our motivation to return was the Arsenal – Manchester United game that afternoon, and with the supposed promise of Sky Sports at the centre, Henry Vine was desperate not to miss his precious Arsenal. The centre did not have Sky Sports.

Despite physical exhaustion at the end of each day, the Geography Department decided that we required some mental exhaustion too, and so every evening we were subjected to two to three hour lessons in the classroom. An earlier start on the final morning allowed us quickly to take some infiltration readings in a very steep field, before heading home on the coach at lunchtime.

The journey home was much more subdued than the outward journey, with many giving way to fatigue. Big thanks to the whole Geography Department, especially Mr Booth, who organised the trip and made sure everything went as planned!

Isaac West, Lower Sixth

Trips UPPER FOURTH GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP 53.097521, -3.790127 Wales UK, the destination for three fresh classes of Upper Fourth geographers, excited to battle the elements and the wilderness of Wales. In other words, more than half a year of MCS pupils went on their mandatory fieldwork course in North Wales for three days.

WALES

Our first destination was the beautiful glacial formation Cwm Idwal, carved into the countryside from successive ice ages to form a corrie and a small lake below.

Taking our skills outside the classroom for the first time, and being able to apply our knowledge to the real world, was an enriching educational experience and helped us all in our understanding, although our field sketches of the locality did not live up to the beautiful recreations of the area by Samuel Lines or Alison Bradley.

After an evening of teaching and playing football, we woke to a hearty cooked breakfast and a kit list for the day ahead. We donned our wellington boots and travelled to a tributary located close to the source of the River Conway, where we began taking various measurements such as width and depth of the channel, the speed of flow, and the gradient of the river, just to name a few. Trudging through the rain that battered our clipboards, we finished our

measurements at the town of Ysbyty Ifan. Our day was rounded off by discovering the flood defences that had protected the tenth-century town of Llanrwst during their flood, just a month prior to our arrival.

On our final day, we investigated urban decline in the centre of the former mining town of Wrexham. As we moved along the High Street, categorising the shop fronts, the decline of the high street became apparent from the vacant plots and boarded-up windows, even before we reviewed our data. Moving out of the town centre, we witnessed how land use changes and the difference in environmental quality, before the rain forced us back into the buses to start our analysis of the data on the way back to MCS. Oscar Beechey-Newman, Upper Fourth

SECOND FORM TRIP TO

LULWORTH COVE

This year we went on a geography trip to Lulworth Cove, on the Jurassic Coast. It was a long coach journey, and took around four hours, so we were glad to get off the coach when we arrived. We were then split up into our classes and rotated around different activities. My first activity was to do a survey, which included a traffic count in the car park and a pedestrian count outside a building. We also had to ask two people where they had come from and why they had come. Next, we walked a mile or so to a neighbouring cove to have our packed lunches.

Afterwards, we went back to the car park and were told what the next activity was. My class went down to the Lulworth

Crumple, which is where the first sign of tectonic activity was discovered. We sketched it and learned some facts about it. We were running a bit late, so had to hurry to the next activity, where we did an experiment to see the average size of the stones on the beach at different points. We then did some geology. We were asked to find as many different types of rock as we could e.g. porous, igneous, metamorphic. When the time was up, we were told what they were and their common use. Next was the part we’d all been waiting for: fish and chips! There was then time for a brief look around the gift shops before we got on the coach and headed back.

Leo White, Second Form 103

Trips

SKI TRIP TO

OBERTRAUN On the last day of the Michaelmas Term, students ranging from Third Form to Upper Fourth piled into a coach with their Kingham Hill School counterparts to commence a 48-hour coach journey. The journey took us across the channel on a ferry to France, then through France, Germany, and finally Austria. The sleepless night seemed less painful when the view of the Alps emerged.

Approaching the hotel late in the afternoon, we unpacked the coach and settled into the dorms. We then travelled to the town by coach and got our skis and boots fitted. Back at the hotel, we were treated to a traditional Austrian dinner; the food throughout our stay was extremely good, and acted as excellent fuel for all of us on the ski slopes.

We woke early the next morning to change into our ski gear and, after a big breakfast, we hit the slopes. Our first day consisted of dividing into groups based on ability, then getting to know the resort and learning some basic skills.

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During the week we attended the local water park, the pools and slides making for excellent fun and relaxation. A games night consisting of football, challenges, bowling and ping pong gave all a chance to decompress.

During the skiing week, we travelled across the entire resort, skiing on every type of slope in all types of conditions. Everyone also took full advantage of the two slalom tracks on offer.

The trip allowed beginners to learn the basics, all of which were mastered by the end of the week. Some were even attempting blacks (extremely cautiously, of course). Top groups refined skills such as short turns, off-piste, and freestyle. I think it’s safe to say that everyone on the trip had improved by the end of the week.

A huge thank you to the teachers who organised the trip and came with us, as well as the coach drivers who drove us around all week.

Oscar Monaghan, Upper Fourth

Trips

COOMBE HILL On an early morning in Michaelmas half term, half a dozen MCS students bundled into the minivans for a long, six-hour drive north. By the afternoon, we had arrived in Keswick, an idyllic town nestled in the middle of the Lake District Park. As dictated by tradition, we stopped at Booths (a supermarket similar to Waitrose), in order to stock up on supplies in preparation for the week ahead. We emerged half an hour later with enough porridge and bread to keep us going for the week, along with a one-litre tub of peanut butter, which would feature alongside jam, honey, and even cheese in our lunch sandwiches. We took some time to unpack (and play with the farm dog at our accommodation) before Mr Spowart led us on the first day’s walk around the hills near the farm – a route repeated every year.

Dinner was pasta with a hearty broccoli and cheese sauce; another Lake District tradition. After an earlyish bedtime, we woke to porridge (which one unnamed heretic of the group tried to eat with marmalade), and a quick briefing. Just like 2017, we climbed the Helvellyn range on the first full day of the trip and, once again, we were blessed with gorgeous weather and took some wonderful photos across the frightening Striding Edge, before returning down Swirral Edge to a well-deserved dinner at the hut. Dinner highlights throughout the trip included sausages (that we were told were from pigs we had fed ourselves the year before) and a roast with amazing crackling, all cooked by Chef Spowart.

The Third Form has been studying weather and microclimates in Geography. On 4 June, we went on a trip to Wendover and Coombe Hill. We had a great time learning about the different microclimates in the area, using much of the knowledge we have been taught in Geography. The view from the top of Coombe Hill was incredible: the perfect location for our lunch. It was fascinating to see just how sensitive the weather is to the immediate surroundings. Many thanks to the Geography Department and accompanying members of staff for making the trip so enjoyable.

John Morgan Griffith, Third Form

LAKE DISTRICT EXPEDITION

Over the next few days, we climbed Great Gable, Catstye Cam, and Scafell Pike – the highest peak in England. All of these, though tiring, were very much worth it for the views we were awarded once we reached the top, and the satisfactory victory lunch we earned. The week went by in a flash, and we were all saddened to leave the beautiful Lake District. Many thanks to Mr Spowart, whose unparalleled experience and stellar cooking helped us tremendously in our climbs, and to Mr Pahl, whose wit at the dinner table and expert guidance on the peaks were indispensable.

Ollie Bradley, Lower Sixth 105

Trips LOWER AND UPPER FOURTH TRIP TO

INDIA

The India trip this year was an amazing experience. Seeing the Taj Mahal and similar architecture was a real treat and then spending time in the foothills of the Himalayas was absolutely brilliant. The highlight of the trip, however, was everyone turning a cold white after water rafting on the Ganges.

The culture we experienced was very interesting and the food we ate was delicious. Despite this, spending three days straight with nothing but vegetarian dal for every meal got a bit tiresome by the end. A great part of the trip which I vividly remember was seeing the traditional ways of making marble sculptures and carpets, and how these are still used in some places today.

In Delhi we went on a rickshaw ride to a spice market, and it was incredible getting to see the different parts of the city – it opened our eyes to what the city is really like beyond the pictures you see online. Getting the sleeper train to the Silent Valley was an unforgettable experience and, although we got very little sleep, I have to say that I enjoyed it. When we went on the safari, while nobody saw a tiger, we did see a range of other animals including peacocks and monkeys. Fortunately, few of us got seriously ill over the course of the trip. The staff with us on the trip (Mr Booth, Mr Jefferson-Loveday, Mr Sobey, and Mrs Stanworth) were great, and I would thoroughly recommend anybody to go when this wonderful trip runs again next year.

William Cassey, Upper Fourth 106

Trips

CHOIR TOUR

This summer I was lucky enough to have the fantastic opportunity to participate in the Choir tour across Italy and Venice. The trip was packed, allowing us to explore many beautiful sights and sing in some phenomenal locations. Although the 23-hour coach ride was a little gruelling, we arrived at a beautiful hotel with a lovely pool. Some members of the group then went for a walk to explore the surrounding areas, managing to get caught in a sudden storm and coming back soaked. We also discovered the joys of Italian cuisine, with the excitement of half a ton of pasta as every starter.

The opportunity to sing in St Mark’s Cathedral was breathtaking, and having the opportunity to explore the beauty of Venice was a lot of fun, with several members of our group deciding to explore on gondolas. I was also taken aback by how central religion is to the areas we visited. We were able to sing in gorgeous buildings with beautiful acoustics, yet the best part was the heart-warming reactions we received from our audiences. My favourite performance also involved singing Hallelujah as part of the town’s fiesta, which was tremendous fun. We also took a day trip to Lake Garda, where we were able to swim and enjoy the sun, making for a beautiful day.

Overall the trip was fantastic, and all of our thanks go out to everyone who made it possible.

Ilona Sell, Lower Sixth 107

Trips

EDINBURGH FRINGE PRODUCTION

DREAM MACHINE

After a mere week’s rehearsing, with no room for joking around, we headed up to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year with our brand new production, Dream Machine. The play was brilliantly written by Jack Bradfield, and it featured everything you can imagine, from a fortune telling T. rex, to a man dressed as celery making music, to a crazy family doing handstands and making omelettes with their feet.

Our 17-strong cast and crew were masterfully directed by Samson Hawkins, and artfully produced by Katie Walsh, who was also in charge of stopping Samson from spending the rest of the budget on props. To kick-start our intense production week, we unveiled our creation to the public at the Burton Taylor Studio in Oxford for two previews. After performing to encouraging audiences, we headed up to Edinburgh by train, a journey requiring every prop (including a deckchair) to be carried by hand to the venue – a sight that led to several remarks from the public, with varying degrees of happiness… Upon arriving in the bustling city of Edinburgh, however, every effort immediately paid off. Despite only being up for one week of the Festival, our schedule was packed, and it was a simply stunning experience to be part of.

The most difficult part of each show was obtaining an audience, and to do so we headed out each morning to flyer for the show along the Royal Mile. It can be rather daunting trying to interact with the public and encouraging them to see the show, unless you’re dressed as a giant baby with no fear of talking to every passer-by. Luckily, many people enthusiastically took a leaflet and were happy to listen to us describe the obscure events that they were sure to see if they came along to watch the play. Following the mornings of flyering to the public, we headed over to Underbelly Cowgate to deliver our early performances with a great deal of energy.

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The play was aimed at audiences of ages six plus, and the story focuses on a Mr Gris (Tom Van Oss), an organised, working man from the city. He is tasked with travelling out to the next town over to unveil the Dream Machines to a much wider audience.

The machines make people much more efficient in their daily routines, as they don’t need to do any dreaming for themselves.

Their slogan is ‘Why waste the energy dreaming, when something else can dream for you?’ and they do just what it says on the package. Slap one on your head and have an effortless night’s sleep. With settings including Haircut, Biscuit, and Sheep, the device leaves you in a much fitter state to get on with your work, now that no one is having any silly dreams.

But there’s a catch; the devices sap all creativity out of the villagers, rendering them boring and unimaginative. It was then up to Mr Gris and his accomplice Ciel (Bella Crew) to restore the ridiculous nature in the locals and reignite the spark of ‘the Festival’, an event where everyone showed off their many wacky talents and shared their creativity.

‘Funny and poignant at the same time, the theme of dreams was just as valuable to adults as children, teaching us to remember our dreams and remain creative’, ‘Incredibly surreal but very entertaining’, ‘Very wacky and original, I’ve never seen anything like it’, ‘The props were imaginative and there was masses of creativity, a play that enacted a message’, and ‘Imaginative and cleverly executed’ were just some of the really valuable pieces of feedback we got from our audiences.

On top of our own show, we had the wonderful opportunity to explore the Festival itself, and we saw a huge range of shows while we were there. Exploring different venues and witnessing a vast range of theatre, comedy, and acts is the unique thing about the

Trips Fringe, and not always knowing what you’re signing yourself up to can be a real thrill. We luckily managed to see a large number of shows, really managing to take in the atmosphere of the event.

A favourite of many was The Last of the Pelican Daughters, a beautifully executed performance about family and some of the issues that can arise when mum’s gone…

We also had the chance to see The Canary and the Crow, a spoken word story about an environment that doesn’t accept you and leaving one behind with no future. This was superbly put on by Middle Child, and it was a poetic and energetic semiautobiography that gave a really valuable message.

A trek up to the summit of Arthur’s Seat resulted in a view that really was a pay-off for the climb, whether you clambered up the rocky face of the hill, or took the more leisurely approach of the slow and steady (aka the real pathway). This was deemed rather too easy upon Mr Thomas’ return from running to the top a few days later… nonetheless, it was an excellent breath of fresh air for the cast, and looking over the city and out to sea was certainly a pleasant sight. The journey down the Seat ended up being rather quicker than we imagined too, as most people opted not to use

their feet and instead to slide down one way or another, finishing with a new pair of different coloured trousers.

The fun members of the cast also headed to the beach for an afternoon, with a nippy swim in the sea nicely coupled with the lovely Scottish summer weather. Perfect. A Come Dine With Me style dinner schedule ended each day and resulted in a good mix of food, with varying degrees of completeness at each meal; however, we all managed to not go hungry, so all in all it should be remembered as a success.

The Festival is a truly amazing atmosphere, and performing there is a unique experience that I am sure we will all treasure for the rest of our lives. To anyone who has not been to the Fringe Festival before, it is a trip that I would fully recommend to anyone. A truly special thanks comes from every single one of us, to our amazing director Samson and our wonderful producer Katie, without whom none of this could have been achieved. You both did a simply brilliant job. A thank you must also go to Mr Thomas, for helping us all out and being excellent company over the trip.

Felix Hoare, Lower Sixth

SIXTH FORM HISTORY TRIP TO

PARIS

A whistle-stop tour of Versailles took place in the afternoon, with a few of our number getting lost and the gardens unfortunately closed. Still, the Hall of Mirrors and the Royal Apartments were enough to bowl us over, with the majesty of the palace mirrored by its defining role in eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth century history.

An evening of fine dining and yet more landmarks concluded our second day.

An early start afforded us a prime experience at the Musée d’Orsay, before we hurried off to Les Invalides; Napoleon’s tomb and the Army Museum left Mr Thomas in dreamland. Having been acutely aware of the gilets jaunes throughout the trip, our experience at the Place de la Concorde was not at all what we had expected. With the roads cordoned off to vehicles by riot police, and most tourists deterred from visiting the area, we were afforded an unparalleled view up a deserted ChampsÉlysées. A fitting end to a wonderful trip.

On the first day of the Easter holidays, a strong contingent of sixth formers embarked on a three-day historical immersion in Paris. The first day included a rapid tour of the infamous Bastille (now a roundabout), the Marais, and the beautiful Latin Quarter. A particular highlight was the imposing Panthéon, with its vast interior fusing the ancien regime and the Revolution in a striking blend.

Retrospectively, our visit to the gorgeous Notre Dame Cathedral is tinged with sadness.

Little did we know, as we admired its beautiful bell towers, that we would be some of the last visitors before the tragic events of 15 April. Spirits were high as we made the trek up to Montmartre for dinner and a beautiful view of Paris at night.

The next day took in the exquisite Sainte-Chapelle, a true Gothic masterpiece, as well as the Conciergerie, a revolutionary prison and a brutal reminder of the Terror.

Many thanks to our staff members Dr Habsburg, Mr Thomas, Ms HildickSmith, and Mr Beaumont, who ensured that the visit was as informative as it was entertaining, with regular talks ranging from the French Revolution to the rather more wacky world of medieval architecture. Thanks also to the gilets jaunes (strangely) and, of course, to la belle ville de Paris!

Henry Vine, Lower Sixth 109

Trips

CCF CCF SUMMER CAMP 2019 REPORT On Sunday morning the MCS minibus, laden with equipment, arrived at Headington, where a long journey began after rifles and kit had been safely stowed on the coach. On arrival at the camp, tired cadets were told that the overnight exercise would be held the next day, which received a mixed reception. We returned to the dorms with ration packs under our arms to prepare for the next two days.

Having risen for an early breakfast, we left Wathgill Camp for the training area, where we practised our section attacks with a paintball session in the woods, fighting through waves of targets.

We then occupied a harbour area for the evening and cooked our rations, until each section was briefed on its tasks for the night.

1 section was notably surprised to discover that the ‘enemy’ (CUO Tse) had outstanding Irish accents, considering we were in Yorkshire. When the recce patrols returned, we left the harbour area to perform a successful ambush which we thought concluded the evening. At 0000, however, we awoke to shots being fired into the camp, and had to pack up and leave through the darkness, several of us tripping on roots. Then we moved to some buildings where we spent the rest of the night.

The next morning we returned to the harbour area where we built a ‘super-basha’ to wait under while each section carried out assaults on enemy positions. The highlight was definitely when CUO Tse’s only smoke grenade failed to work (to his great displeasure).

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Wednesday was TIBUA day, and we learned urban patrolling, building entry and clearance skills on the only wet day of the week. We rounded up the day with a practice on the camp’s digital ranges, in preparation for the big range day to come.

Returning on Thursday, we had a second go on the digital ranges before some clay pigeon shooting, where the instructors deduced that Lance Corporal Mackesey had done it before, and Cadet Mann reinstated his inconceivable prowess behind a shotgun.

Finally came the ranges where, due to issues with the rifles being used (not our own), there had not been the time to zero them on the targets. Nevertheless, Lance Corporal Bradbury managed to score 39/40, making him best shot at summer camp for the second year running. Cadet Kothapalle also deserves a mention for scoring 29/40 on what was his first time with the cadet rifles on the range.

Friday brought with it an adventure-training day at an activities centre where we had to be in groups with other schools; this led the girls to conclude that, in reality, we MCS boys aren’t that bad after all. We then attempted the Krypton Factor assault course, which could only be described as a mudbath but was still lots of fun. We ended the trip with an outing to Nando’s in Catterick, a fantastic end to another great summer camp.

Archie Mackesey, Fifth Form

Trips LOWER SIXTH TRIP TO RUTHERFORD APPLETON LABORATORY

Courtesy of Euan Ong’s sublime poetry competition victory, the entire cohort of lower sixth physicists had the privilege of visiting the Rutherford Appleton laboratory in March 2019. The site is a hub of physical and scientific research in the UK, pioneering in areas as diverse as particle physics and scientific computing.

The day began with a few taster lectures outlining the fundamentals of particle physics and describing the work of scientists at the centre. We received a special tour around the ISIS muon and neutron source (named after the river), visiting the stations surrounding the collider whose value, from the tired faces of sleepless students desperate for any time on one, was patently obvious. The applications of neutron sources were explained to us – one particularly fascinating use was the investigation into the effect of cosmic rays on electronics. The potential for a neutron to strike a transistor in a computer system, effectively changing a 0 to a 1, could have devastating effects in areas such as avionics, where electronics aren’t protected by much atmosphere, and their successful functioning is absolutely vital.

In a computer practical, we applied our new-found knowledge of particle physics to classify collisions based on experimental data, and concluded the day with a quiz and photo competition, James Edmiston and Jun Kim ensuring a podium finish for MCS in both respective competitions. It was a supremely stimulating and fulfilling day, and thanks should go to all the Physics Department for looking after us, Euan Ong for winning us the experience, and Rutherford Appleton Laboratories for organising a day which will, I’m sure, have inspired many on their Physics research paths.

James Bridson, Lower Sixth

ENGINEERING TRIP TO THE MINI PLANT

On Thursday 2 May, members of the Engineering Club enjoyed a trip around the Mini plant in Cowley. As one of the largest factories in the UK, it was an excellent opportunity for all to see automated mass production in action.

Starting with a tour of the Body-in-White facility, where robots reign supreme over their human counterparts, we watched the production of the Mini’s chassis from its basic steel beginnings.

The school’s budding engineers then went around the final assembly line, where the lack of robots does not result in a lack of efficiency, as the line kept to its 67-second timeslot for each stage of production. Both of these stages were excellent examples of engineering on a scale impossible to replicate at any other level.

ENGINEERING TRIP TO OXFORD INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

It was an excellent trip at a particularly poignant time in the Mini’s history, as this year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the first one leaving the production line. Thanks must go to Mrs Lewis and Dr Petersen for making the trip possible.

In March, Mrs Lewis took a group of ten aspiring upper fourth engineers to an open day at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering. The students were surprised at how so many aspects of their separate maths and science subjects were brought together in each of the research projects that they saw. They learned about how MRI scanners worked, looked at new techniques for drug delivery in patients, and the evolution of a new medical device to keep livers perfusing at body temperature for up to 24 hours, ready for transplant surgery. The opportunity to talk to researchers about their fields of study was not wasted, and it gave them all food for thought about future career and study paths.

Adam Loader, Lower Sixth

Claire Lewis 111

Trips

U13 RUGBY TOUR

TO THE NEW FOREST On the last day of the Michaelmas half term, the U13 rugby team headed to the New Forest for their annual tour, the luxurious destination for the trip being Ferny Crofts Scout Camp. On the way, we stopped off at a motor racing simulator for a driving challenge, with Ashryan taking top spot on the podium in the pupil’s race. That evening we had Domino’s pizza; the coaches may have over-catered a little, perhaps thinking they were feeding the Samoan pack, as the leftovers lasted all weekend.

The next day the coaches weren’t too impressed with us keeping them up all night, especially the middle dorm (whose members shall be left unnamed).

Needless to say, only a few boys got a full night’s sleep. In the morning the coaches thought it a good idea to make us earn our breakfast by doing laps.

Fitness training or punishment? You decide.

When we made it to Portsmouth Grammar School, we split into our teams. The A team had a good start with a 10-0 lead at half time and, while growing fatigue let two tries by in the second half, we eventually came out on top, winning 15-10.

Who knows how convincing it could have been on a good night’s sleep? The Bs had a tougher match, losing 15-25 against strong opposition.

After the match, we went to the bowling alley, which was great fun, and then on to the cinema – a rather quiet experience, as most of the team fell asleep during the film. We were about to leave for the restaurant when we realised we didn’t have Raoul – he was still asleep in the cinema. Back at camp that evening, there was talk about who was going to stay up again but, before long, all of the dorms fell silent.

The next and final morning there was no running for our breakfast, but instead the highlight of most people’s tour – football in the pouring rain. Slide tackles were coming in from left, right, and centre, and Mr Awcock’s shocking footballing skills were exposed. By the end, everyone was dripping wet and happy as can be.

A big thank you from all the boys to Mr Ford, Mr Quayle, and Mr Awcock, for putting up with all of us for three days.

Tom Cunningham, Third Form 112

“Back at camp that evening, there was talk about who was going to stay up again but, before long, all of the dorms fell silent.”

Trips

CARDIFF PRE-SEASON

RUGBY CAMP 2019

The pre-season training camp is now an annual fixture in the MCS rugby calendar for the senior players, offering important bonding, training, fitness, and match preparation, vital for the gents to have a strong season. And so a group of Year 11, 12 and 13 rugby players all arrived at the school at 7 o’clock on a Tuesday morning, and set off to the popular holiday destination of Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Nevertheless, the first training session saw a mix of the two senior squads (U16s and First XV) training together, all making a strong start to the three day trip. Then, the men embarked on Pen y Fan, the highest peak in south Wales, for a gruelling fitness session, having to reach the summit in under 90 minutes. The common SAS training location proved to be no trouble for the lads, who scaled the mountain with utmost ease, apart from Mr Watts who, according to Miles Rees, ‘has a bad attitude’. The next morning came a game of crazy golf in Cardiff city centre, where the loser would have to suffer a humiliating punishment on the year group Facebook chat. The loser, quite predictably, was George Haynes, who was subsequently put in front of a jury of members of the First XV as to the exact details of his punishment.

Then came match time, as we had two games against Llantwit Fardre RFC. The U16s suffered a defeat to a well-drilled team, but the First XV superbly negotiated an extremely physical side to win 14-5. Bronimann and Heard scored the tries, Whitwell making the two conversions. The Sixth Form bonding continued into the night, with a top performance from a boisterous Beckett, it is fair to say. The next morning, the gents went surfing, which, to sum up briefly, was not easy, but a great way to end the trip nonetheless. George Haynes, with his centre of gravity being at sea level even on dry land, struggled, to say the least. That concluded an important training camp, the players now chomping at the bit to get stuck into the new season.

Jamie Whitwell, Lower Sixth

TENNIS TOUR REPORT Over the Easter break, Mr Tuck and Mr Ford took a tennis tour to the La Manga Tennis Academy in Murcia, Spain. The typical day was three hours of tennis in the morning, two hours in the afternoon, and an evening of activities such as mini golf, watching a women’s football match, and chilling out at the villas where we were staying. Player of the tour for the seniors was Krishan Badiani, as he was (objectively) an absolute beast on the clay courts. Player of the tour for the juniors was Zain Ali. Thank you so much to the teachers, Mr Tuck and Mr Ford, for a wonderful tour.

Krishain Badiani, Lower Sixth

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Trips

HOCKEY TOUR SOUTH AFRICA 2019

At the start of summer 2019, 18 senior hockey players departed MCS for South Africa in anticipation of two weeks of sun, hockey, and suspect haircuts. After a connecting flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, our fabled coach driver of the whole tour, Deon, greeted us. During our first coach ride, the stark inequalities of the country – a recurring theme of the tour – were strikingly apparent; slum-like townships gave way to wealthy, gated communities almost without transition. Such scenes throughout our 13 days left an imprint, and we spoke together, as a team, about not forgetting that playing hockey on holiday is a privilege a million miles above and beyond what most would ever want or need.

first training session and, in the gloomy evening, we played out a comfortable 7-0 victory in the same mountain’s penumbra at Westerford High School. Throughout the day, skipper Wierszycki had concocted a plan to dish out ‘lines’ – the shaving off of a line of head or eyebrow hair – for lateness, a poor hockey performance, or a poor showing in the ‘Richard of the day’ vote. So that evening, in a ritual that would become tour tradition, Doggett shaved the first lines of the tour.

“Playing hockey on holiday is a privilege a million miles above and beyond what most would ever want or need.”

Our evening gym session was cut short by news of the Wimbledon final going to a fifth set, and dinner was delayed further and further as we sat in our hotel watching and waiting (to no avail) for Wimbledon or the Cricket World Cup final to come to a conclusion. In the end, a sprint to dinner meant we ended up watching the first ever super-over victory in a CWC, and the first ever tiebreak victory at Wimbledon while eating our first meal of the tour.

A 4-3 victory against Pinelands, and a 5-1 victory under the floodlights against Fairmont High set us up for a crunch fixture against Bishop’s College – ‘the Eton of South Africa’. The preparation was meticulous; the night before the game, with six nerf guns purchased at 100 rand apiece, the first tour nerf gun battle was fought between the Fifth Form and Lower Sixth. The morning of the game, we sailed to Seal Island, home to over 60,000 seals, before visiting Boulder’s penguins, brimming with over 500 adorable, waddling penguins.

And then the match itself was phenomenal – a fast-paced and adrenaline-filled 60 minutes left the game at 2-2 at the final whistle.

On our first full day, Cape Town’s breath-taking beauty was on full display as we played on two stunning hockey pitches; at Bishop’s College, Table Mountain provided the backdrop for our

After an early morning toboggan, we visited Drakenstein, the final imprisonment place of Nelson Mandela, and the starting point of his famous Long Walk to Freedom. To hear the life

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Trips story of this remarkable man, told by a charismatic ex-security guard, was very special indeed. The sacrifices Mandela made – the sacrifice of much of his life, and life with his family – were overwhelming in the house he stayed in for two years.

And the sense of hope in the gate that he walked through to begin his long walk to freedom, and South Africa’s journey to equality, was very powerful. In fact, as if by providence, a rainbow greeted us as we walked out through the gate back to the coach. Regrettably, in our fifth game in five days, we weren’t at our best, and Paarl beat us 5-3. Our only consolation was that they were the first school to take notice of 18 lids of increasingly juvenile looking hair.

The following morning, we waved goodbye to Cape Town, and undertook a seven-hour journey along the garden route to Gondwana Game Reserve, where six luxurious villas awaited us. Our evening game drive was fantastically fruitful, as we saw elephants, zebra, kudu, springbok, water buffalo, rhinos, and, of course, lions.

In my jeep of six, we were all surprised when, after being asked if we wanted to stop for ‘drinks and biscuits’, we pulled over in a clearing in the bush, and our driver brought out two bottles of red, two bottles of white, beer, cider, a handful of spirits, a smattering of soft drinks, and dried fruit and meat to go with it. Eating and drinking in the bush, as the sun set over the mountains, and the stars came out on the moon landing’s anniversary was, quite simply, magnificent. After a delicious dinner, a few of the villas located each other using flashing lights and, while the idea of a party at one villa, floated via WhatsApp, sounded good, no one was ultimately willing to trek a mile through lion-infested bush.

Our early morning game drive was another treat, the novel experiences being a giraffe, some hippos, and a beautiful morning sunrise. We departed the reserve for Cango Wildlife Ranch: home to vultures, crocodiles, tigers, servals, and cheetahs, to name a few. Some of the group chose to pay for the unique opportunity to pet the domesticated cheetahs. In our less suave four-to-a-room motel, to celebrate Seb’s eighteenth, we cooked up a homemade braai on the communal barbeques, housing the burger meat between lettuce, tomatoes, and some delicious bread from the local Solomon’s bakery.

After a rusty 5-3 victory over George’s School, we visited an ostrich farm, where the unique experience of feeding an ostrich unnerved some more than others (Batten was some). The next day, we visited Knysia Elephant Park, a sanctuary for elephants who would otherwise be culled from

reserves, or who were particularly sickly when they were young.

For the final two nights of the tour, we were kindly hosted by the families of Grey High School – a beautiful school in Port Elizabeth, the school of Springbok Captain Siya Kolisi, and our final opponents. It was quickly noted that all the Grey students had identical haircuts, and the discovery of a restrictive ‘haircut rules’ sheet explained why. With our hair now sporting 5 mullets, 40 lines, 7 shirt numbers, 2 dye streaks, and a frosted tips, we realised that only one of our haircuts fit the rules. It was Big Dave Willis’.

On our final day, thanks to our fundraising earlier in the year, we were able to coach two groups of primary school children from the local township, and donate our old clothes and sports equipment. To give something back to the wonderful country that had made us feel so welcome for our 13 days felt truly valuable. We lost our evening game to Grey 4-2, but finished with a really phenomenal final quarter of hockey, played at a scintillating pace, against a seriously tough opposition.

All in all, we flew home wonderfully fulfilled, having played some great hockey, experienced the brilliant culture of a vibrant country, and furthered the perpetual MCS redsticks culture in the process. Many thanks to Mr Stone, Mr Watts, and Mr Williams for organising the tour and enduring all of us for the full two weeks.

James Bridson, Lower Sixth 115

Trips

ROWING TRAINING CAMP 2019

For the first time, thanks to Mr Atkin, Mrs Panzer, and the rest of the coaching team, the rowing squad was able to undertake a week of training in the run up to the British Rowing Junior Championships. We all arrived at school at 5.30 a.m. before squishing into two minibuses to undertake the lengthy two-hour journey up to the National Watersports Centre on the outskirts of Nottingham. We stayed in a hostel in the centre for our whole time there, splitting training sessions between the lake and the river, taking on invaluable advice and pointers from Mr Atkin, Mrs Panzer, and Mr Spowart during the week.

One morning, a certain Ethan Mann (with a peanut allergy) decided to eat a whole bowl of Crunchy Nut cereal for breakfast, excluding him from that morning’s session through nobody’s fault but his own – everyone proceeded to make jokes about it for the rest of the time at the camp.

Despite this slight setback, the whole squad trained hard and managed to race in an eight with a mixture of Upper Fourth, Fifth, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth Form for the first time in decades. Alex Underwood pulled off a particularly commendable feat, as racing the eight was his third ever sweeping session (after another illness left a gap in the boat), and the whole squad performed very well in challenging, Atlantic-esque conditions; retrospectively, we shouldn’t have expected anything different from the Nottingham course. Once again, many thanks to all of the coaching team for organising this stupendous trip, and for putting up with around 20 boisterous MCS boys for a whole week.

James Pullinger, Fifth Form 116

Trips

U4th Art trip to Roche Court

Politics & Economics trip to Brussels

Youlbury - 3rd Form Field Day

Physics trip to CERN

2nd Form trip to Cowley Road

Mosque trip 3rd form

Art trip to Kew 117

sport From rugby to table tennis and hockey to pilates, Magdalen’s diverse spectrum of sporting opportunities allows its pupils, with equally diverse abilities, to get involved in a plethora of school sports. Where some schools may quantify sporting success in terms of victories and losses, the MCS sports department views “success” as synonymous with “improvement”, be it that of an individual or that of a team. It is this general aspiration for improvement that amplifies the inclusive and nurturing atmosphere surrounding school sports. That being said, teams across all age groups have continued to perform at a high level against rival schools, resulting in an accumulation of encouraging match results which find their way into this section’s reports.

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Sport

Rugby

First XV

The season started when the boys were lucky enough to tour Canada and the US in July. This was a memorable experience for the squad, as it allowed the Lower and Upper Sixths to bond both on and off the field. The tour consisted of various excursions and four tough matches against strong opposition. However, the team performed well, and came away undefeated.

After a strong start in Canada, Bloxham was the first challenge in the regular season. An outstanding first half led by Louis Mase with two tries meant that we took a lead into half time, and Alex Chapman scored one of the tries of the season to win the game in the second half. We struggled to defend against Dean Close’s very fast-paced attack, meaning we suffered our first defeat. After a convincing win against Cokethorpe, we moved on to Merchant Taylors’, which is always a tight game. Unfortunately, we came out on the wrong side of the result in a game we should have won.

However, this turned out to be the last setback of the season.

The biggest game came against St Edward’s in October, on a cold wet day in north Oxford. Alec Michaelis and Tom Chesser managed the game well, causing an early try from Dan Milner.

Being 6-5 down with 15 minutes to go, Alec M. kicked three points 120

to grab a satisfying win against our local Oxford rivals, which was definitely the most memorable and satisfying sporting moment at MCS for all the team, and a great send off for the Upper Sixth.

Portsmouth Grammar School followed this big win. We started slowly, but in the second half Max Higdon, Tomos Haynes, and Toby Winn all carried strongly, and we managed to secure a last-minute draw, thanks to a superb individual effort from Max Chopping.

After half term, the aim was to win six of six. We gained convincing wins over Watford, Stratford, and Southampton, where both the attack and defence were superb. Duncan Knox, Will Giles, and Will Haynes were outstanding in defence all season, leading the tackle count, while Max Chopping, Jamie Whitwell, and Dan Milner excelled in attack, creating tries for the likes of Jonathan Jelfs, Dan Kelly, Alex Chapman, and top try-scorer Alec Michaelis.

Aylesbury provided a more resilient defence, but the team still managed to gain a hard-fought victory on School Field.

The final game of the season was against Reading Blue Coat on School Field, and it was a perfect send off for the Upper Sixth

Sport Second XV

The Second XV had a successful season on the whole, after a difficult first half of term. A narrow win over Bloxham in the first game was followed by defeats to strong Merchant Taylors’ and Dean Close sides, in which the team fought hard but were ultimately outfought and outplayed.

A stirring second-half comeback against Akeley Wood and a hard-to-take draw in the derby against Teddies followed, before the team travelled to Portsmouth with a depleted side, and were outmuscled in a physical game. The second half of term was a different story, with three straight wins, the highlight being the 17-10 defeat of a very strong Aylesbury team in what was undoubtedly the best performance of the season. A loss to a well-drilled King Edward VI Stratford team was just a blip, and victories against Pangbourne and Reading Blue Coat finished the season.

players. We defended for 35 minutes straight and managed to claim a lastminute win.

Throughout the season, Tom Chesser and Max Chopping led the team well; the Upper Sixth players were outstanding all year and there were numerous stand-out players from the Lower Sixth who showed great commitment, both on and off the field. The Upper Sixth look forward to hearing about the success of the team in future years.

Thanks must go to Mr Awcock and Mr Bolton, who have been fantastic both on and off the field this season, and really aided our development.

Tom Chesser

The team was built on a pack of hardworking forwards, notably the tenacious Taylor and Foltier who carried well, and Upper Sixth stalwarts Dehalvi, Robson, Chalmers, and Tomlin, who provided experience and nous. This allowed the back line – led by Lion-Cachet and Adam – to exploit the devastating pace of Bronimann, Brooks, Clark, Hudson, and Doggett, using a variety of elaborate moves and kicking tactics, as has become typical of the Second XV. In all, a very enjoyable season, with plenty of highlights for the Upper Sixth leavers to take away. Thanks, as always, to Mr Watts for his coaching and support.

Sammy Lion-Cachet

Third XV

The Third XV had an encouraging season this year, enjoying many fantastic games. Winning a staggering one out of ten matches, it could be said that victory didn’t come easily. While we nailed the theory in training, largely due to passionate coaching from Mr Penton, this unfortunately didn’t convert to the pitch as we would have hoped. That said, the boys never stopped trying, and many pivotal performances from Josh Bischoff and Louis Turner helped keep the team motivated. An injury to our hugely impactful scrum half, Tim Bickersteth, in a fearsome match against Bloxham was a huge loss, although our fly half’s beautiful try softened the blow. This did, however,

open the spot to Finn Pollock, who both filled and exceeded Tim’s shoes. Overall it was a hugely entertaining season, with our results not by any stretch doing justice to the team’s ability. I am very confident in the future of third team rugby, with many excellent players poised to take lead roles next year.

Seb Fox

U16A

The U16A had a strong season this term. The start was encouraging, with a 31-14 win over Bloxham, followed by an even stronger win over Dean Close.

Then the boys had a convincing win over Cokethorpe 29-12. These three wins boosted morale for the team against Teddies. The game started off well, with the U16s holding them to one try. The second half proved difficult due to injury, and we eventually lost 7-26. Next came a frustrating defeat by Merchant Taylors’, after being up in the first half, followed by another loss against Portsmouth Grammar School. After three losses, the boys came back against Aylesbury, the highlight of the season, winning 31-27. Then came another convincing win over Pangbourne, 31-0. The final highlight was Reading; the boys took a narrow win 21-14 to finish the season.

The team worked well throughout. In the forwards, Norris, Lea, Othen and Kuker provided good go forward carrying, complemented by the tackling of Fu, McNally, and Green. Litchfield and Parker provided stability in the scrum and a strong line-out option. The half backs, Daly and Adam, created effective attacking formations and put Bourdon and Heard in to score. Walden and Fawcett provided support in attack and defence, with the support of Evans’ sturdy hands at full back.

Jim McNally

U16B

The season started with the absolute obliteration of both Bloxham and Dean Close. Henry Pistorius and Anton Eyeznah distributed the ball well from scrum half and fly half respectively, as well as playing an ingenious kicking game.

However, these two successful results were followed by a couple of disappointing 121

Sport U15B

The 15Bs started the season strongly, winning to nil against Bloxham and Dean Close; this gave us good momentum going into tougher matches. Perhaps guilty of a bit of over confidence, we lost our next two matches to Akeley Wood and Merchant Taylors’, but we showed great determination to give a good second half showing; this was a trait seen throughout the season. These two tests allowed us to learn a lot about ourselves as a squad, and decide where we wanted to go from here. In abysmal conditions, next up was Teddies. Considering the weather, the 5-5 score line might suggest a low scoring errorstrewn affair; on the contrary, though, we defied the storm and produced some freeflowing attacking rugby, choosing to run nearly everything from anywhere. This tactic paid off and, perhaps, on another day, some decisions might have gone our way and we would have come away with the victory; anyone who was there was treated to the highlight of the season, Kartik Kishore dribbling the ball from 30 metres out to score under the posts.

defeats by Teddies and Merchant Taylors’.

We then banged up PGS, Marlborough and Stowe thanks to powerful and agile carries from Matthew White. Finally, despite a masterclass in tackling by Marn Milker, the team suffered a painful loss to Reading Blue Coat. I would like to thank Dr Androo and the girls for a fabulous netball season and can’t wait until next year!

Edward Batten

U15A

The season started off shakily, with two losses to strong Bloxham and Dean Close sides. However, we didn’t let it get us down, and new players moving up from the Bs (Benji, Ebo and Gauci) made our side even stronger. We then played Cokethorpe and, needless to say, the new players showed that they deserved their position on the team. After that match we played Merchant Taylors’. This was a fantastic day for the boys; we acted and played like a team – not only this, but the Joe Travis step was used multiple times during the game, hence the win. The rest of the half term went well, rounding it off with a comfortable win over Portsmouth 122

Grammar, and James Coles and Will Laird slotting solid 1/8 conversions.

We came back from half term all as fit as we could be (not); however, we fought hard against a very strong Aylesbury Grammar side, taking a strong step in the right direction. We really showed how strong we could be when we faced a large Stratford side. James Coles used his power to rip the ball off someone, ran the whole pitch, then went off for a packet of digestives and a Lucozade. Will Laird also showed his tremendous kicking at goal when he got the same number of conversions as Tom Cawthorne in this game (one).

The penultimate game against Pangbourne was definitely one to watch; a tough game, with a lot happening. The pitch was practically a mud bath, Will Laird grew another face when he got kicked, and Tom Bennell got into a fight with their whole team. Nevertheless, when they insulted him by telling him his highlights should be taken out, Oumar Sagna (after we had just scored a try) shouted at their whole team ‘we’ll keep those highlights in actually’ – classic Oumar.

Woody Blakesley-Grimes

The result against Teddies buoyed the squad, and we were soon back to winning ways, with two storming wins against Warwick and Sibford in a triangular, the performances made even better with no warm-up and having to go straight on to play two matches back to back. These matches highlighted the team’s strengths of open running rugby with multiple offloads and the want and desire to attack from anywhere. Unfortunately, this was to be the team’s final outing until midNovember. However, the long lay-off did not affect our momentum, and we carried on from where we had left off, running out convincing winners in a magnificent showing against Marlborough.

Will Price

U15C

The U15C team had a tough season this year, only winning one of their seven matches, but the players were dedicated and tried their hardest on the pitch.

The season started promisingly against Bloxham, whom we beat 89-5, with strong performances from Alex Shi and Alejandro Arenas Oliveros. The team then suffered humbling defeats against Cokethorpe and Merchant Taylors’, both strong sides. The players stepped up against St Edward’s and Warwick, but, as usual, their efforts failed

Sport to win the games. After a close defeat by Marlborough College, it was clear that the team was vastly improving and learning from their previous mistakes. Despite a great defensive performance from Joly Dorling, the C team were unsurprisingly unable to beat Kingham Hill, the last fixture of the term. Throughout the season, the team lost many players due to injuries or the B team, but the remaining players never dropped their heads, and continued to the end.

Jolyon Dorling

One of the highlights was our mixed game with Portsmouth Grammar School. The teams combined to make an enjoyable, challenging, and engaging match, which both sides were able to learn from. Other highlights of the season included the three great tries scored against Pangbourne, the 15-man line out against King Edward VI Stratford, and the memorable win against Kingham Hill.

Ben Newbury

U14B U14A

The U14As improved immeasurably over the season. Their attitude and work ethic in games sessions were fantastic and, as a result, their rugby developed exponentially.

Despite most results not quite going our way, the boys never took a backward step and continued to commit to the task at hand, whether that was problem-solving in training or tackling huge ball carriers in matches.

The start of the season saw a close loss against Bloxham. The tough fixtures continued thick and fast, with Dean Close, Cokethorpe, Merchant Taylors’, and Teddies. With every match, the team would get better and better but, with limited size on our side, we were regularly outmuscled.

This was a successful season for the U14Bs, a fluid squad as many players progressed to the As and some players joined us from the Cs. The amount of hard work and effort put into training showed in matches and throughout the season, with eight wins and five defeats.

We started the season with two strong wins against Bloxham and Dean Close, with Andrej Ljubic, Archie McNeill, and Lucian Kirby scoring tries. The fixture against Merchant Taylors’ saw a change in the team as Connor Brogan took up the captaincy, and Huw Lally and Shreyas

Garapati joined us from the Cs. Due to injury, Archie McNeill, a key contributor to the team’s chemistry and tries, was unable to play, and injury struck again, as Huw Lally was injured in the 50-0 loss to Merchant Taylors’. After another loss to St Edward’s, the B team turned things around and recorded two decisive wins over Warwick and Portsmouth Grammar School, with Benedict McGuinness, Lucian Kirby and Ilyas Rahman scoring tries against Portsmouth. This marked a turning point for the Bs, with Benedict McGuinness taking up the captaincy, Archie McNeil returning from injury, and many players from the Cs, including Simon Ukrainets, Maxim Murashov, James Siow, Joey Chataway, and Raahin Kiani (plus many more) moving up and representing the B team in a number of fixtures. After a tight fixture ending in a loss to Aylesbury Grammar, we recorded two more decisive wins against Marlborough College and King Edward VI Stratford, which saw Ben Turner, Lucian Kirby, Joe Hodges, Arthur Bagshaw, and Adam Hamid all score tries.

After a disappointing loss to King Edward VI Southampton, with Archie McNeill the only try scorer, a crushing win over Pangbourne College and a well-deserved

The character and resilience of this team were enviable, and these attributes will hold them in good stead as they continue to represent MCS across many sports in the years to come. Not only were these boys regularly tackling, rucking, and scrumming against bigger and heavier boys, but they were also doing so without a full-strength team for many matches. As with most rugby seasons, a few injuries trickled into the squad. However, this gave opportunities to some B team players, a number of whom took the opportunity with both hands and claimed their place in the team for the remainder of the term.

This was great to see.

Having recognised early on that an offloading game would suit our skill set, the boys really bought into this principle and developed greatly in this area.

Consequently, the last three games saw MCS score six tries, more than the total from the whole first half of the season. A great way to end an improving season.

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Sport win over Reading Blue Coat ended the season with number 10 Lucian Kirby and the ever-present McNeill scoring, as well as three conversions from George Herbert.

There were some crunching tackles on our try line from Oscar Wedmore, Joe Hodges, Connor Brogan, and Hugo Albert.

Every single person who represented the B team improved their game and contributed massively. Archie McNeill and James Siow scored bucketloads of tries, and Lucian Kirby managed the back line as well as chipping in with some tries of his own.

Connor Brogan and Henry Birchenough’s tackling and running lines, the front row’s (Thomas Appleton, Thomas Image, and Joey Chataway) scrummaging and line outs, Hugo Albert’s tackling, Ilyas Rahman’s and Arthur Bagshaw’s pace on the wing, and Joe Hodges’ ability never to let any opposing player through as full back must all be mentioned. Not forgetting George Herbert, our ever present scrum half who, although he prefers a football pitch to a rugby pitch, made difficult conversions look like a walk in the park.

Special thanks to Mr Duncan for coaching, refereeing, and supporting us, and to James Herbert for refereeing us in the match against Pangbourne College.

Benedict McGuinness

U14C

The U14C team really came on this season, with some epic rugby on display. The boys had a perfect start to the season, with some strong and direct running from the likes of Shreyas Garapati, Huw Lally, and Arthur Bagshaw allowing three wins in a row, and earning themselves Team of the Week. Having performed well for the Cs, these boys took their chances in the B team and didn’t see C team action for a while.

Losing our big runners did present some issues in the next games, but our battlehardened C team started looking among themselves for that next gear that would drive them to victory. Self-belief filled the camp and players began to raise their game. One such player was Ben Turner, whose tackling became akin to Jonny Wilkinson’s in the 2003 World Cup Final.

Rahiin Kiani and Joey Chataway proved themselves to be very strong runners with the ball and effective ruckers, with Thomas Nall evolving into a very effective ball carrier in the loose. Numan Kurku, who proved to be a very tricky customer to 124

tackle, always threatened with the ball, and Hector Wellesley-Smith scored a very good try from a kick and chase, adding an extra attacking element to our game, along with some strong goal kicking in combination with Timothy Rea. A mention must also go to Ben Sims for his top work rate and all-round game; he played a full match after a cross-country tournament! Reliable tackling from Maxim Murashov, Gael Poussot-Peleaz, Henry Williams, Caspar Semlar-West, Simon Ukrainets, and Guy Wilkinson ensured that the team were able to withstand testing attacks from our opposition.

Ben Sims

U13A

This was a good season for the U13As: eight wins, one draw, and only two losses.

From the first training session, it was clear that the team had a talented core capable of playing strong attacking rugby but, as the season progressed, there was real development around the edges of the squad, with many boys stepping up and showing their worth.

All season the team was controlled well by Niyarepola, Cunningham, and Whitwell from 9, 10, and 12, freeing up Chowdhury and Whittington to make destructive runs down the wing. In defence we toughened up, beginning to tackle lower and working hard: here the work rate of Blick and Faruq around the ruck area was particularly important.

A narrow 3-2 loss against the Dragon early in the season showed how far we had come since last year, and a superb 5-5 draw against Watford Grammar (sealed in the final play with a pinpoint crossfield kick from Whitwell for Niyarepola to score in the corner) were two high points of the season, showing a team with backbone and composure. But arguably the highlight of the season was the match against Sir Thomas Rich. Having conceded four early tries, we fought back against a much bigger physical side to regain the lead. It was a hard-fought game where we showed real character, with the boys working tirelessly in attack and defence. Ultimately the opposition were too strong, and we lost 45-35, but a lot was learned, and we left the pitch with heads held high.

Thomas Cunningham

U13B

The U13B rugby team had a strong season, both in training and on the pitch. The side had changed a bit from last season, with some players moving up to the A team.

The players dealt well with this change, and continued to produce excellent results throughout the term.

The season started with a fiercely competitive home game against Warwick.

However, we came out 9-2 winners. Next, a narrow win over a good Watford side.

An Akeley Wood A team came next; a couple of solo tries from Nolu and Imran secured a tense 6-6 draw. A solid 5-0 win

Sport over the Royal Latin followed. However, the Dragon proved too strong for us, winning 9-2. Another win over the Royal Latin renewed confidence as we played Aylesbury, comfortably winning 7-3. A draw to King Edward VI Stratford wasn’t a bad result. Next, we played King Edward VI Southampton; good shifts were put in by Tolly, Akash, and Shreyas, to secure a 7-4 win. Sir Thomas Rich’s proved too strong for us. Even though we then lost to Reading Blue Coat it was probably our best performance of the season.

The U13Bs improved greatly over the course of the season. The team has great potential, and many of the players should be pushing for a place in the A team next year.

Samuel Scott-Dearing

U13C

The team had a mixed season in terms of results, with some big victories, bigger defeats, one close game, and a great deal of fun along the way, each match providing its own comedy moments.

The team worked hard together, on and off the pitch, and coped well with regular changes of players, due to an impressive rate of promotion to the B team (who clearly couldn’t manage without us).

An indomitable spirit kept everybody going through the peaks and troughs of the season, buttressed by cheerful banter among the teammates, with a special mention here going to Udit Kishore.

in a well-fought win, and a mammoth, yet equally dogged, defeat by the Dragon, which included all the excitement of yellow cards and penalty mayhem (who could forget Alex?). This seemed to bring the team sense of humour to the fore, alongside a keen interest in what Dragons have for breakfast to fuel their imposing size and athleticism. Thoughts of the great Obelix were hard to banish.

Archie White

U12A

It was a very tough season from the start, and our efforts on the training pitch were not reflected on the scoresheet. But our want and desire were there from the first whistle.

There were many players who improved in training and matches, and were subsequently moved up into the A team.

We played a grand total of 12 games, losing more than we won. We did multiple things in training to try and help us improve in matches, and incorporated them into our skill set. For example, in the game against Royal Latin we applied the running off the weak shoulder and moving the ball through the hands, which resulted in a win.

But this could not have happened without continuous support from Mr Ford and Mr Awcock. Overall this was a great season and lots of fun.

Oscar Haynes

U12B

The U12Bs had a good season this year, with a respectable four wins and six losses record, and we can be proud of what we achieved. Our positioning was usually good, with accurate passing down the line, and often being first to the breakdown and winning quick ball meant we scored some great team tries. With several solid tacklers, runners, and good ball handlers in the squad, we really dominated the games we won. Unfortunately, though, we lost three tough matches in a row at the end of the season, against formidable opponents, such as Sir Thomas Rich’s, who had strong tacklers and several powerful runners. But we also won some fantastic games, like the one against Portsmouth Grammar, where everyone worked well as a team and some superb tries led us to a 25-15 victory. This season showed the potential of our squad, and it was an honour captaining them.

Next season promises to be even better, so bring it on!

Douglas Baird

A steep learning curve was climbed, with visible improvements in ball handling, kicking, and tackling skills, as the boys responded enthusiastically to the technical coaching of Mr Boyle and Miss Smith.

There were times when the physical size of the opposition appeared overwhelming and, as a result, our smaller, more scholarly, players at times became airborne to the point where it appeared to be more of an aerobatic display than a game of rugby, quickly followed by ignominious descent to terra firma and deep submersion in the levelling mud. It was all handled with humour and a little light sledging, which took the edge off the bruising.

Highlights of the season were a dogged defensive display on the try-line against King Edward VI Southampton, resulting 125

Sport

Boys’ Hockey

First XI

The season started in January with four pre-season matches. A win against Solihull was followed by two draws against Bradfield and Charterhouse. A disappointing result against Rugby showed colossal room for improvement, partly due to Harry Startin taking up grafting as a full-time job, time he could have spent on developing his many talents as a hockey player. Nathan Sykes sensibly spent this time improving his strong hand roll outs, which was a sizeable sacrifice, as Tomos remained his only conquest this term. A new 3-2-3-2 formation took a bit of adjusting to, but the boys quickly adapted and produced two high scoring displays, a 9-1 victory over Bloxham, where top gent Josh Wierszycki scored a hat-trick on a sprained ankle – what a hero! A 10-0 win against a Repton Second XI gave the team confidence. Theo Cooke strengthened his position as best presser in the team, turning over the ball multiple times in the forward line. We were quickly in to the second round of the cup, playing away at King’s Gloucester.

Having taken a 2-0 lead, the MCS team choked and lost their discipline and focus in the second half, and Louis Mase picked up one of multiple yellow cards he accumulated over the season, this one for what looked like a rugby tackle and a body check merged into one collision.

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Two tough weeks of fixtures followed against King Edward VI Southampton and Dean Close, where the team played well but were left ruing missed chances. Bromsgrove were swept away in round two of the plate, which was followed with a 6-1 win over Haberdashers’ Aske’s. A challenging away fixture at Merchant Taylors’ saw the team lose 5-2 with a depleted squad. Even against a side who got to the final of the cup Tier 2 competition – something the MCS team could only dream of – this would have been a close game with our full team, reflecting the ability of the squad.

We were quickly on the road again to Bryanston, winning 5-1 with Seb Fox poaching another goal on the back post, adding to his minuscule tally. However, Seb scored four goals this season off the pitch, which really should have got him the most improved player award, having suffered a drought in recent decades. Continuing our run in the colossal Tier 3 plate competition, a return fixture against Bradfield showed the progress the team has made over the term. Despite going 1-0 down, clinical short corners from Doggett – who couldn’t stop scoring dragflicks this season – saw the squad eventually win 4-1. Another away trip to Wellington saw the team edge closer to Lee Valley, as we won 6-1. A game against King’s

Sport Many thanks to the players, coaches, and parents who made some long journeys to see the squad in action. Mr Watts and Mr Stone were the tactical masterminds behind the team this year, and their efforts for the squad were considerable, especially considering the multitude of away games in the plate on a cold Wednesday night.

Many thanks also go to Conor Rees, whose hit single Run Away kept us entertained on many coach journeys. I would also like to mention Tom Chesser, who spent the season grinding in the plush new cage, evident in his performances at official matches during the year.

Overall a great season. Many thanks to everyone involved.

Josh Wierszycki

Second XI

Taunton in the quarter-final saw the team win 5-3, despite no one having played hockey for weeks.

In the semi-final of the cup, the team lost 3-2, a disappointing result having been 2-0 up, and a match that mirrored the 3-2 loss against King’s Gloucester. Louis Mase once again saw yellow, or red shall I say, as the ball was flung towards the umpire after one of many controversial short corner decisions. Unbelievably, a 3-2 loss was also the score in the third and fourth playoffs, as a classic MCS crumble meant that we lost the game after a 1-0 lead. However, fourth in the Tier 3 plate competition is an absolutely fantastic achievement, and I’m sure the team will remember this for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, Ollie Price missed the finals due to a looming French oral exam, and we greatly missed his presence in the back three.

This was a stunning term for MCS second team hockey, with a 100 per cent away win rate. Despite starting the season by losing to Solihull, we were consoled by the fact that all their goals were scored by players loaned from MCS (hence this match was regarded as a warm-up). After losing narrowly against Bedford School and slightly less narrowly by 7-2 against Dr Challoner’s first team, the seconds trained harder than ever, and the team set out on a four-game win streak. We dominated Repton, King Edward VI Southampton, Haberdashers’ Aske’s and Dean Close (where the boys acted like gentlemen against the rather unsporting aggression and physicality that the Cheltonians dealt us). This was also our first taste of the half court press, but we saw it off well. Praise must go to the brick wall of a defence unit made of Tom Robson (who was a welcome returner from a Lower Sixth spent in football), Ben Rhydderch, Ed Murray, James Bridson, Linus Rossington, and doppelganger Bicky, who all pushed the opposition strikers back.

As the second half of term progressed and the fining system became increasingly lethal, our streak came to an end with a disappointing draw against Merchant Taylors’, then subsequent losses against Kingston Grammar and Bradfield, where the result of 4-2 did not reflect the real effort, determination and skill the boys put in. Tensions rose in the last training session before our final match, as a headon collision between Olly Webb and Roly Belton saw Belton sustaining a near-fatal

broken nose and Olly coming out without a scratch. However, with the late addition of a fixture against Warwick, the seconds won 4-0 in the last game of the season, with Olly Webb scoring his first goal of the term in the last play of the year. James Gibbon missed this after voluntarily dropping to the third team and avoiding the away fixture – shame on you James.

The midfield was tightly held together

by James ‘The Treasurer’ Gibbon, Olly ‘The Spinning’ Webb and Roly ‘The Artful’ Belton as they did well to receive the ball from the defence, gain height and offload to the class forward line of Andre Simmen, Ferdie Brooks, Tom Christensen, and Skipper Dickie who all engaged in fast, aggressive play as they managed to focus through screams of ‘high’ from the dedicated Coach White. Henry ‘Block Balls’ King had a stunning season, using attack as the best form of defence and falling one goal short of a clean sheet with away games.

Thanks must go to Coach White for bearing with us and imparting his extreme hockey wisdom and exuberant drills that led to the remarkable development of the team. Thanks also to the first team for supplying us with Conor Rees, Tom Murray and Theo Cooke, whose experience was greatly valued. I’m sure I speak for all senior players when I say this has been a wonderful final year of hockey and one that will never be forgotten. Best of luck to the current junior players as they take on the future of Seconds hockey next year.

Player of the season goes to Rafe Dickie, top scoring with nine goals from ten games.

Most improved goes to Tomas Robson in recognition of his skills developing wonderfully as the season progressed.

Rafe Dickie

Third XI

The introduction of the silk scarf award to the player of the match no doubt had a profound effect on the psyche of this year’s talented gentlemen. A little rusty at the start of the season, the MCS third team formed a very strong bond and work ethic.

Seemingly determined in training sessions versus the Seconds, the chaps found a strong sense of being, and an equally strong will to succeed. The defensive 127

Sport Saturday. Overall it was a fantastic season of hockey, the exploits of which will surely be lauded in the annals of Magdalen’s august history.

Hugo Norris

U15A

‘wall’ of Toby, Chris, Horts, Benj, and Ivo was controlled by the extremely vocal Jake Adams in goal. These lads prided themselves on their defence and kept us in the games. Captain Gilo, Freddie, the super-charged Nick, Tredders, and Zacky fought the middle ground, improving all the time and supporting Reuben, the Vulcan bomber, and Andre up front. The outstanding fixture was against a very organised Kingston team, where every player had to stand up to enable Ivo to slot a winner in the last five minutes. A fine win against a rather niggly and badtempered Bradfield side was another high point. This team has had a lot of fun and shown true MCS spirit.

Tea of the season: Dean Close.

Will Giles

finished disappointingly with us losing four of the remaining five games.

Special mentions must go to Tarek Khan who is clearly the fittest player in the squad, as he told us at every training session how he never got substituted throughout the season, Ed Batten who portrayed in a shot box in training that he did not quite have the finishing of idols Mr Watts and Olly Doggett, but don’t worry Ed ‘it was only the stick’. The final mention goes to Freddy Walden who as a striker scored his first ever goal in his third year of playing.

Strewth! Finally, a big thank you must go to Mr Williams for a fantastic season, the Barcelona analogies will never be forgotten.

Anton Eisner

U16B

U16A

The season started with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Bloxham which can only go down in the ‘at least we got the 3 points’ category. After that, we faced an Aussie touring side and were very surprised to beat them 4-1, considering our performance against Bloxham. But then we were told they had a 12-year-old in their team.

Another win followed against Bedford before we played Repton. Somehow, we won 3-2. A 7-4 loss to King Edward VI Southampton followed, which included an own goal, this time by Matthew ‘Rat’ Black, and a customary nutmeg on goalkeeper Freddie Basil. Then we played Marlborough in the National Cup round two. A goal for Marlborough in the last five minutes meant the game finished 2-2 and we went to penalty flicks. The season

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The U16B side enjoyed a stellar season of outstanding hockey. A harrowing series of hard-fought fixtures saw the team denied their clean sheet only by an unfortunate 4-1 victory over Haberdashers’ Aske’s.

Other than that, the team showed remarkable camaraderie and perseverance in the face of perennial thrashing, and every man displayed an impressive tenacity and determination in overcoming the insurmountable challenges involved in the constant struggle to correctly orient their hockey sticks and hold them with the appropriate number of hands. All this excellence was tied over by the endless fountain of enthusiasm, encouragement, and dogged Scottish resilience which embodied the team’s coach, Mr Andrew, who acted always as if he were possessed and enraptured by the ecstatic thrills of watching amateur hockey at 9 a.m. on a

The start of the season began with comprehensive wins versus Solihull, Bedford, and Bradfield (in the cup). The forwards of Coles, Cooke, Ashley, and Willis in these games came up with some spectacular individual goals as well as collective efforts to send the team into the season in high spirits. Along came a slight dip in form for the boys; we played three of our tougher opponents back to back, and this led to some narrow losses against Dean Close, King Edward VI Southampton, and Repton. Throughout these games, goalkeepers Travis and Slatter, and the back five of Aumonier, Thomas, Castella MacDonald, McElwaine-Johnn, and Price (if he had the kit) played some positive hockey, linking well with the midfield, but were just undone by some very strong opposition players.

The latter half of the season saw the boys embark on some longer journeys around the UK on their cup run; beating a Sandbach side after being a goal down, and then going up to Calday, Liverpool, to compete in the quarter finals of the National. Although the boys were in the game at half time, they ended up losing 4-2, which was a disappointing way to go out. Following their exit from the cup, the boys went to Merchant Taylors’ School and Bradfield, where the midfielders came into their own. Captain Laird and Rawal showed strong close control under pressure and spread the play well to Hilton-Dew and Arenas Oliveros, who attacked fast down the flanks. This meant we ended up finishing the season with three good wins, showing the boys what they are capable of when everyone works together.

Throughout the season the boys have been a positive group on the pitch, benefiting from many video analysis sessions, mobility work, and skills-based sessions.

Overall, they have made huge strides this season; they are a talented bunch at times, and now need to kick on and achieve what they know they are capable of.

Will Laird

Sport U15B

The Under 15Bs had a turbulent season, but through perseverance and resilience developed into a difficult team to beat.

The season began well, with a tight 3-2 win against a strong Bedford team. The team remained unbeaten until mid-February, with notable and slightly unlucky draws against Repton and King Edward VI, before easily putting away Dean Close with a 5-0 win. This was perhaps the season’s highlight, with fluent and cohesive hockey being played. The B team was showing promising signs of an unbeaten season.

Sadly, this was not to be, with an extremely unlucky and frustrating loss against Haberdashers’ Aske’s. But the team, as always, bounced back and worked hard for a draw against Merchant Taylors’, an extremely strong hockey school. As the end of the season approached, the side banded together to end with a 7-0 win against Warwick, showing the true might of the B team.

Barnes, Eso, Stervid, and Iwasaki, controlling the defence, allowed few goals to be scored against them. Sam Pollard and West started plays on the wings (although West almost decapitated the opposition and his own team with his backswing).

Toby Pollard and Mackay, joint top scorers throughout the season, set the tone for most games in the midfield. Slatter captained well and was solid in goal (when he wasn’t jumping over the ball). Leydon and Guthrie made fleeting runs down the wings. Monaghan made skilful runs and set up many of the goals through the season (including own goals). Harrington, Garland, and Gregory capitalised on the chances with some sublime finesse up front.

our attack gradually improved, partly thanks to speed machine Joly Dorling’s overlapping runs. It took us some time to find a goalkeeper, with Andrew Niu and Johnny Hudson each having a go before I transitioned from striker to goalkeeper, based on my dubious experience of goalkeeping for the Cs at New College. It took a while for things to improve. Against Merchant Taylors’, we lost 7-1. However, our performances massively improved and, despite undeserved losses to Bloxham and Bradfield, we took many positives and learned many lessons, the most important one being that defenders should not sit and watch their goalkeeper being beaten.

We were positive in the days leading up to our final match against Warwick, due to the great performances we put into our last few sessions. On the day we put in an excellent performance to end the season with our first win, and we can all just move past the fact that this was the Warwick team’s first ever hockey match and they were without a goalkeeper. So overall, there were many positives to take from the season. Tennis balls were thrown at heads, I nearly decapitated Alex Moyse, and Will Daniels-Dwyer passed the ball superbly.

Cameron Lambert

U14A

The season started with a few long, eventful coach journeys to Bedford and Repton, where we lost narrowly. A wondrous

reverse strike from Adam Hamid gave us hope, but a counter-attack, led by Ben McGuiness, resulted in a shot blasted wide.

Against King Edward VI Southampton the team learned the power of a hockey player wearing a headband, and later brushed aside Sir William Borlase’s in a 3-0 victory.

At the county cup, wins against Bloxham, St Edward’s, and Abingdon allowed us to progress to the Regionals. Abingdon and St Edward’s were quickly overcome by the sheer skill and speed of the team, especially Jack Lipman and Felix Macphail on the wings. After a 4-0 win at Haberdashers’ Aske’s, the scholarly sportsmen learned a lesson from the best teams in the region.

Furthermore, after a strike on goal, Hiro Matsuzaki threw his stick, which hurtled towards Thomas Thanousoulis who had already learned the danger of a hockey stick at high speed. Questions were asked about Hiro’s competency as captain…

On the other hand, Theo Sanders made spectacular saves and Adam Winn’s finishing was put on display. A hat-trick from Louis Prestedge salvaged a draw and, towards the end of the season, Alex Laird and Timme Knappen’s control of the midfield was evident. As always, the work rate from Barney Carey and brave defending from Andrej Ljubic and Charlie Merryweather were outstanding. The team’s commitment and progress were both superb due to sheer tactical genius from Andrej, who shouted ‘A!’ for aerials.

Hiro Matsuzaki

Well done to everyone who represented the mighty Under 15Bs. Mr Awcock also improved dramatically, as shown by his ferocious hitting in the last training session of the season. Thank you to Mr Awcock for being an excellent coach throughout the season.

Will Slatter

U15C

The U15Cs had a mixed season. We started with a 4-0 loss to Bedford School, without registering a shot on target. Positives can be taken as, after that defeat, we proceeded to score in every following game, and 129

Sport U14B

The U14Bs have played some fantastic hockey this term and worked well together as a squad, ably led by Newbury. The team produced a number of very strong performances against Bedford and Merchant Taylors’ School, with counterattacking and fast hockey. This attacking style of hockey was the mainstay of our season, with tireless running from Albert, Herbert, and Lombardi-Ignatiev in the midfield, and the attacking force of Percival leading the forward line. We must not forget the last line of defence in Esteban, with his ability to recover whenever the opposition had broken our back line or make those last-ditch tackles with a strong low stick, right through the term. All the boys showed improvement in their game and worked really well as a squad, and they should be pleased with their efforts. Well done.

Ben Newbury

U14C

We had a great season and deserved all the wins we got, learning from each loss. With the incredible defence of Nathan Patel, Numan Kechow, and Guy Wilkinson, we were able to gain possession quickly and get the ball back to the incredible midfield of Tim Rea, Huw Lally, Zain Ali, and Connor Brogan. These were very able players, with skills and passing enough to get the ball consistently through to our strikers, Nick Heard and James Siow.

All this amazing team helped secure our wins, but we were greatly assisted by a sensational coach in Mr Jefferson-Loveday.

The matches we lost were incredibly close, for example against Bradfield College a very close game of 2-1. Our wins, however, were all of a smashing contrast – the match against Felton of 6-0 was our highlight.

Connor Brogan

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U14D

The U14Ds have had a ‘good’ season with a strong line of defence and an even stronger side of attack. The team scored a solid total of six goals all season, five of which were in the same match. Facing tough opponents meant that some matches were quite close so the results don’t represent how the match actually went, but some not so much. Even though the U14Ds didn’t have the best season, they had tremendous fun, even if it wasn’t fun for the Master to read the scores in Chapel.

Shreyas Garapati

U13A

We started the season with a bad loss due to a sub-par performance against the Dragon, but we came back strong and won all our County Cup games, winning the title and scoring 13 goals in the process, only conceding three. We then went on

to play in the Regionals, coming in the last eight of the Cup competition, only being beaten by the eventual winners Whitgift and third-placed Alleyns School.

The team came together well over the season, improving along the way, and our final game against Kingston Grammar – although a 4-5 loss – showed that we can be competitive. With a little more attention to detail, we could have won on the day. The Gresham’s Festival ended our season and we had some ups and downs over the weekend, but we learned a lot from playing indoor and outdoor hockey against good schools. All this can be built on for next season, and everyone is looking forward to seeing what we can achieve in the future as a team.

Raoul Patel

U13B

The U13Bs had a mixed season with great coaching from Miss Smith and Mr Williams. With wins over Haberdashers’ Aske’s and the Dragon, it has been frustrating knowing we could have played better. With constant reinforcements from the A team such as George Phillips, Fred Blick, and Danial Melnikov, at times the U13Bs were an unstoppable force, with everyone knowing how their other team members played. Outstanding players such as Freddie Smith, Nolu Omotayo, Sacha Williams, and Jack Pumfrey made the U13Bs very strong.

Nolu Omotayo

Sport U13C

This year’s U13C team had an educational, fun, and successful season. We got off the bat with a convincing win against the Dragon, scoring four and keeping a clean sheet. Our success continued as we triumphed against tough sides from King Edward VI Southampton and Haberdashers’ Aske’s. This game included a great comeback from 1-0 down to come out 2-1 on top. Other great highlights included Hasbey’s strong drive down the wing to score a winning goal against Haberdashers’ Aske’s, Akash’s brilliant saves, and a great finish from a short corner

by Callum against a strong Bloxham team – it only took six attempts!

As the season progressed, the team had two narrow losses in the final stages against Sir William Borlase’s and Bloxham, but the potential showed, and we cannot wait to start again next year. As a team, we would just like to say a huge thank you to all the staff who helped us along the way, especially Dr Older for all the great coaching and hard work put in.

Ethan Bird

U13D

The Ds had a good season with many players improving greatly over the course of the term. Despite no victories, we played well, with strong performances from Alex Wood, Edward White-Belcher in attack, and Finn Brogan and Isaac Eason in defence. Everyone did their part, however, including Mr Quayle, who has always made matches and training fun and helpful.

Edward Rust

U12A

We started the season with a strong game against the Dragon, winning 11-1. Goals from Clogger, both Henrys, Ethan and Oscar all contributed to this big win, with some great defence from Ben and solid saves from Tom. After a close loss to King Edward VI Southampton, we went to the County Cup. After an opening win against Bloxham we narrowly lost to a strong New College side, but then had to win the next game against Abingdon to qualify for the Regionals. Unfortunately, Abingdon scored a last-minute goal and progressed.

After a loss to a decent Sir William Borlase’s side, away, we moved onto the

Haberdashers’ Aske’s game, hoping to return to our winning ways. We played very well to record a 6-2 win, particularly Clement, Rob, and Michael with some strong drives and passes. We expected our next game away at Kingston to be tough. Ultimately, we lost, although it was certainly the case that we made them look much better than they really were. Our last game of the season was away at Warwick on a hot day, and we went on to draw 4-4 with quite a strong performance; however, we did let one of their main players have too much time on the ball and he scored all of their goals.

Our Monday sessions in the sports hall have had a great effect on our hockey, with challenges to focus on and things to complete. We have also had some people who have moved between the As and the Bs, which has helped to keep morale high, but the biggest thanks must go to Mr Dupée and Mr Stone for coaching and helping us improve our hockey for the whole season.

Oscar Haynes

U12B

This year we had a very good season. With many wins and improving from our losses, we proved that teamwork is essential to win. Thanks to our amazing coach, Mr Vallance, we gained a lot of experience in our training sessions, particularly learning how to pass with accuracy and control.

Our goalkeeper saved many powerful and hard shots, and the whole team had an amazing spirit and never gave up. Overall, we had an amazing and fun year.

Haroun Rahman

U12C

When we trained for the first time at the beginning of the season, we could not coordinate; the ball was frequently lost, and no one could even hit. During drills, the passes were weak and inaccurate, and there were few signs of confidence. After a lucky win against the Dragon School, our many weaknesses held us back and we lost the following few matches. However, over the next two or three weeks, we put in tons of effort during sessions and improved convincingly, shown by the fact that we never lost a match afterwards. By the end of the season, everyone could confidently dribble, slap, hit, pass, and flick the ball, as well as being able to show off a few fun tricks. With Douglas’ strong defence, Dominic’s strong drives, Toby’s slick goals, and effort from every player, the U12C had a successful season and a great time.

Dimitri Coussios

U12D

The best MCS U12D team in living memory played entertaining hockey to win two-thirds of its fixtures. Passionately coached by Mr Ford, the team applied to fixtures what they learned in games sessions. Goalkeeping excellence from Robinson, forward running from Rust, dribbling skills from Bhattacharyya and Baker, long passes from Alibayly, tackling from Haslam and Cheng, and skilful midfield runs from Critchley, McCagie, and Maynard all contributed to a rewarding season.

Hugh Rust

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Sport

Girls’ Hockey First XI

The hockey season had a bumpy start with the first few matches.

However, the First XI managed to improve as a team and work together successfully to make MCS history.

They battled hard against several teams at the beginning of the season, an example being the tough win against Tudor Hall. The team put in a great performance at the County Tournament, being awarded the title of County Champions for the second time in a row. Not only have there been many outstanding performances in outdoor hockey, but the side played some tough indoor hockey matches too, reaching the indoor regional heats.

The main highlight of the season, however, was the success at the regional play-offs in outdoor hockey, where the Firsts won two matches and lost one, including a convincing 3-0 win against Sir William Borlase’s, despite their advantage of having an England keeper in goal. This meant they managed to progress through to the Regional semi-finals, something which has never before been achieved in the history of MCS girls’ hockey. Unluckily, despite the excellent performance put in by the team, the Firsts lost and therefore couldn’t go through to the next stage. The brilliant season finished with a challenging game against Stowe, in which the girls battled fiercely to win 1-0, ending the season on a high.

Special mentions go to player of the season Amy Litchfield and top goal scorer Giorgia Laird. Notable performances throughout the term also came from Poppy Webb, Kirsty McCulloch and Lali Rydderch.

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Finally, for their attention to detail, dedication, and hard work that has brought about much success for the First XI this year, we would like to express our appreciation to Mr Williams and Mr Stone. We are all very thankful, not only for the constant supply of Haribos, but also for their support and coaching. I am sure all of us will go on to develop what they have taught us and best of luck to the girls in the Lower Sixth for next year!

Giorgia Laird

Second XI

The Second XI had a really enjoyable season with some mixed results – which never dampened the team spirit. Our first game was against Sir William Borlase’s, in which Lucy Brotherton ended up scoring twice for the opposition. We travelled to Downe House the next week, and we won – goals from Iona and Mollie, and a richly deserved Team of the Week award. We then travelled to Tudor Hall. With no goalkeeper, Amber Richards stepped up to fill the goal with no prior experience, but after half time we decided it would be better to play Amber outfield. We had wins against Rye and Teddies; however, our winning streak was over too soon, as we faced stronger sides. It was an excellent season and we bonded throughout the year as a team. Mr White helped improved our skills and tactics on the pitch immeasurably.

Sasha White

Sport

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Sport

Cricket

First XI

The MCS First XI had another fantastic season. Back in April, we left for our pre-season tour to Sussex, where we were to play two strong sides. However, we started the season as we meant to go on, scoring more than 300 against a Sussex U17 County side, before producing a clinical bowling display to make it two wins from two. Pre-season ended with a fixture v St Edward’s, in which we fell narrowly short. A disappointing loss, but overall a promising pre-season, leaving the boys confident and well prepared.

Close fixtures, with Haberdasher’s providing a challenging test, dominated our early season. However, a strong lower order performance, featuring an ice-cold performance from Toby and Chapman, brought us to a one-wicket victory, beating Reading Blue Coat. There followed another tense finish against Bromsgrove where, thanks to some powerful striking, we were able to claw ourselves back into the game, before winning by just three runs. The stress levels were by no means reduced in our following T20 tournament. A fantastic hundred by Jonathon Jelfs saw us through to the final, to play Radley. I think I speak for all involved in saying that this was one of the most memorable sporting moments I have ever had - defending 115 to beat Radley in a heated contest was an unforgettable effort, and a truly satisfying victory.

Our T20 run was cut short by a frustrating loss to Wellington College, but the boys bounced back with wins over Abingdon and The Oratory, featuring a mesmerising five-wicket haul 134

from Tom Chesser. The big fixtures loomed, but the boys rose to the challenge and comfortably beat Merchant Taylors’ and Melbourne Grammar School. The two-day fixture against Trent College was a fantastic couple of days, which resulted in a hardfought victory. A school record partnership of 249 between Louis Mase and Ollie Price, where both scored centuries, and a 5-wicket haul from Harry Startin, took us over the line. A loss to Bedford School was disappointing, as we did not match the consistency and reliability over the whole season. A brilliant innings from Sammy Lion-Cachet against MCC, which demonstrated his form over the season, took us to a last ball victory; a brilliant way to end the season.

In summary, we exceeded our own expectations this season.

Following the loss of a strong cohort last year, it was always going to be challenging to try to recreate the successes of years gone by.

However, we rose to challenge, and have enjoyed a superb season.

The record speaks for itself, winning 11 out 13 matches, but what has been most notable has been the memories made this year.

It has been one of the most enjoyable and entertaining seasons of cricket I have ever had, as a great bunch from four different year groups gelled into a successful and close-knit unit. We owe thanks to Mr Watts and Mr Duncan for all their efforts this year as, without their time on a Friday evening in the nets, we would not have enjoyed these successes.

Ollie Price

Sport Third XI

It was a mixed season for the mighty Thirds, as strong opposition and constantly changing personnel scuppered the chances of putting together any sort of form. A cold, windy loss at Habs – featuring Ed Murray being royally tonked, and Mr Andrew refusing to call wides ‘because it was too cold’ – was followed by a win at Cokethorpe, and a hammering of Bromsgrove at home, where captain fantastic Gibbon made 49* and Hudson was given out ‘because his strike rate was too low’. A depleted side lost at Bradfield to a strong side, despite Adam’s sensible 40*, and then at Merchant Taylors’ after half term, where the team was bowled out cheaply and, with nine players, stood very little chance against a talented opposition.

All in all, despite the results, a very enjoyable season, and thanks of course to Mr Andrew for his time, effort, and dodgy umpiring.

Ben Adam

U15A

Second XI

An enjoyable season for the Second XI saw some quality cricket being played alongside many close games. Since our bowling was consistently of a high standard, the equation for us was simple; we bat well, we win. Half-centuries from Down, LydfordBrace, Barksfield, Murray, and Doggett each led to dominant victories. Despite a blazing half-century from Pretorius against Habs, a rare poor fielding performance let us down. Similarly, a disappointing batting effort against Bradfield was unable to back up a high class Bridson 4-fer. The highlight of the season was the thrilling super over against AGS, which saw Ronnie take two wickets and two boundaries in four balls, leading to an easy victory as Doggett and Barksfield knocked off the runs. Special mention must go to top scorer Tom Murray for his 71* in an eight-wicket win against Abingdon. A big thank you to Mr Ford for all his time, coaching, and support during the season.

Ishaan Roy

The arrival of storm Hannah for the first match against Bromsgrove resulted in some testing conditions for both sides, including rain, hail and strong winds. In a low-scoring and somewhat bizarre game, MCS managed to defend 103 after making early inroads through Joshi, Price and Guthrie.

Convincing wins followed against Stowe (Pollard and Travis scoring 43 and 47 respectively, Harry Smith three wickets) and Bradfield, where Jamie Rawal top scored with 60 and Will Price took three wickets at the top of the order. Confidence was high leading into the Abingdon match; the loss of early wickets halted the scoring rate slightly, but the middle order fought hard to post a respectable 134, providing the bowlers with a target to defend. Despite an excellent effort in the field (Hilton-Dew four overs, three wickets, for seven runs), the team suffered their first defeat, losing narrowly by three wickets.

Further wins against AGS (BlakesleyGrimes 67 not out) and the Oratory kept the momentum up, before a disappointing display against Merchant Taylors’. The season closed in usual fashion with the annual U15 T20 festival, where we beat the Perse and King Edward’s Birmingham to effectively set up a final against Brighton

College. In this match MCS finished on 198 runs from their 20 overs, largely thanks to an outstanding 126 not out, off 63 balls from James Coles. Although there was some stubborn resistance, it proved too much, and MCS won the tournament for only the second time in seven years.

Chasing 181 to win in the final match of the season against Bedford, the boys demonstrated how far they have come to finish just 11 runs short of victory, in what would have been an incredible run chase.

Credit must go to captain Will Price and vice-captain Abhir Joshi, both of whom performed consistently across the season.

Thank you to all those involved for their efforts in what was a highly successful season.

Will Price

U15B

The U15Bs may seem to have had a poor season on paper. Nonetheless, the boys put in 100% effort. Skipper Freddie Cooke always had the energy of an over-excited puppy, while Nayan Sakamuri was the opposite, shushing anyone that dared to speak on the holy cricket pitch. Despite this, there was unnecessary chat from Vedant, who was relegated to fine leg, as well as from Keeper Jethro West, who had some brave words. The batting department heroes were definitely Jethro and Nayan, who both got so close to the 50 mark while, on the other side, there was brave Ben Sternberg, who marched out to open the innings, and tended to march back soon after. Talent was poached from the C team with Leon Cao, Sai Brooker, and Arvind Selvakumar getting their call up, along with Oscar Monaghan near the tail end of the season. Big Sai obviously hit some big sixes, and Leon provided some good economic bowling in tight spots. Harry Gant terrified opening batsman with some fiery pace, while Samanyu Kothpalle left middle order batsmen confused by his lack of it. Cooke and Selvakumar, who kept a brave face even when their deliveries were being sent over the ropes, spearheaded the spin attack. Useful overs put in by Nayan and Kartik Kishore kept the opposition at bay. Overall, it was a very enjoyable season, and we look forward to another season with the B team Arvind Krishna Selvakumar

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Sport proved that he is more than a square leg specialist, and his late cut is the stuff of legend.

The three captains Alex Laird, Barney Carey, and Adam Hamid did a fantastic job steering the boys through what was a tough but successful term of cricket; thanks to them for all their hard work.

Adam Hamid

U14B

A difficult season for the Bs against strong opposition throughout left them without a win from seven games. The opener against Haberdashers’ Aske’s was played in conditions more akin to the hockey term, and swirling winds and temperatures not much above freezing saw them lose on the road first up. A close match against Bromsgrove followed before a heavy defeat to Bradfield. Two close losses to Abingdon and Aylesbury Grammar exposed the depth of the Bs’ batting and an inability to score quick runs let them down. The last two matches of the season against strong opposition in Merchant Taylors’ and Bedford School both resulted in losses, but the Bs should be commended for their attitude to the games and for keeping a smile on their faces throughout the season.

Ben Newbury

U13A

U14A

The U14As have had a season of two halves. The first half had some tough fixtures verses Stowe, Teddies, Bromsgrove and Bradfield, which helped fortify some necessary skills that we then used to beat Abingdon, St Birinus, the Oratory, and Lord William’s. This led us to the semi-final of the County Cup where we were to face Wheatley Park, a team with several county cricketers. The boys knew it would be a tough close match and, despite a number of things going against us, still gave their best with both the bat and ball but unfortunately fell six runs short. Credit to Adam Winn and Adam Hamid who managed to hit 60 from the last 5.3 overs to get us within touching distance.

It has been great to see the massive amount of progress that these boys have made over the term. Their understanding of each of the three facets of the game has grown immensely, and they have become a very good batting, bowling and fielding unit. Special mentions to Barney Carey for his tremendous streak of half centuries, six in a row, including 123 not out vs the Oratory where he was retired. In the same game, Ben McGuinness picked up five wickets from his right arm rapid. Alex Laird also chipped in with runs, including a 73 not out vs St Birinus, and Ned Percival hit a scintillating 53 from 30 balls against Bedford in the heat. Tom Appleton, Sushmit, and Shreyas all shone with the ball in hand and will only get better with more cricket. Louis was very tidy behind the stumps and proved himself to be the engine room of the side, providing plenty of energy and chat in the field. TT, our square leg specialist,

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The season started well with Thomas Cunningham scoring a brilliant 100 against Haberdashers’ Aske’s.

This was then followed by 95 by Kalan Niyarepola and a half-century from TC in the first round of the National Cup. However, our luck didn’t last as we were knocked out in the next stage of the competition by a strong Trent College side. We were able to bounce back from this defeat with a big win over Abingdon, destroying them on the day. We then played against touring side Gary Kirsten Foundation, which was a close game eventually resulting in a tie. Shreyas Anand bowled, batted, and captained well; however, he did struggle to win the toss. TC dealt many a meaty blow and improved tremendously behind the stumps, picking up a number of stumpings and catches. As always, Kalan played with exquisite technique and picked up a number of wickets. Raoul Petal and Callum Lion Cachet were great with both ball and bat, while Percy Slatter also picked up many wickets with his pace. Jack Pumfry and Alex Watson both batted well, showing great potential. Rufus Murray bowled consistently, and Imran Faruq showed glimpses of great batting and took an amazing one-handed catch.

Dan Melnikov batted well at the top of the order, and attempted to assert his role as ‘chief shiner’. Finally, I must thank Mr Scriven who has been a phenomenal coach, and will be remembered forever as a legend.

Shreyas Anand

Sport U13B

The U13s had a season of ups and downs.

We started off with a disappointing loss against a strong Haberdashers’ Aske’s.

But the team, ably captained by Ashryan Purewal-Sidhu, were able to bounce back, with Udit Kishore and Ash both taking four wickets each. We followed this performance with a nail-biting finish against Warwick, after a start that hinted we could never get close.

Our bowling class was shown throughout the season with Ewan Bridson, James Reinhardt, Aniq Ayub, and Niall Taylor taking many wickets, with Niall taking an outstanding hat-trick. Jonathan Olowayin and Harry Whitwell were fearless behind the sticks, with (the short) Jono suffering from James’ bouncers (and no-balls!). Our batting improved massively, with Fred Blick and Xavier Combart, Ash, and Udit the rocks in our order. After a weak start to the season, we showed what we were capable of brilliantly in our last match, a testament to the team’s work ethic.

Thanks to Mr Awcock for acting as a shining light throughout our season.

Ashryan Purewal-Sidhu

U13C

The U13C team had a short season that got better as it went on, and it was satisfying to see the boys’ improvement rewarded with a win in the last game. Pleasingly, all the matches were played with good humour and enjoyment; we had fun, even when we were being beaten! It’s fair to say that we were a bowling side: Isaac Eason stood out, but there were contributions from Jacob Thornhill, Hasbey Chowdhury, Bryn Perry and others. Our batting was a little pedestrian at times, and all needed to be more confident in dispatching the poor balls on offer. However, when it all came together for the final match (the odd kamikaze run out aside) we had the makings of a good team. Ed White Belcher should be congratulated for his captaincy and for an outstanding catch against Warwick. It was excellent to see the games played with such spirit, and the side was a pleasure to coach.

Dr Jamie Older

U12A

The season started well with a nail-biting match against Haberdashers’ Aske’s but, unfortunately, we came out on the wrong side. We needed 15 off the last over and, in the end, fell one run short. This game, apart from being very close, was one of the coldest matches that I can ever remember.

Batsmen were going in wearing three jumpers and were still frozen.

Then, after a couple of tricky games where we won one and lost one, we faced the Dragon. They were known to be a very strong side and, unfortunately, we again fell just short of their total, despite a valiant effort by Tom Dawson with the bat. One of the highlights of the match was Finn Clarke’s amazing comment shortly after being clean bowled: ‘if only I had hit that, then I wouldn’t have been out’.

After this, we had a great match against Marlborough, posting a strong total of 150 and then bowling and fielding extremely well to defend this score. Suddenly, we hit a great streak winning two games in a row and now we had just one more game to go, against Portsmouth Grammar.

It wasn’t the greatest start when I was bowled first ball of the match and, just to add salt to the wound, there was a duck sitting next to my bag as I walked off. Despite this, we recovered well, with Michael Onobhayedo, Noah Percival, and Aryan Malik all with very handy innings in the middle order. In the end, we scraped up to 120 and, thanks to a brilliant bowling performance by Hugh Baker, we managed to bowl them out for 90.

Other highlights of season: Oscar Haynes’ habit of always taking a catch in every game, and Michael’s death stares to me when he felt he should be bowling. Mr Vallance has also been great, helping every player in the team to progress rapidly throughout the season.

Henry Welch

U12B

Although the U12Bs did not have the most successful season, it was an enjoyable one. The season started with some tough fixtures against Haberdashers’ and The Dragon. Losing to Reading Blue Coat was painful, as we only required two wickets to be victorious. However, this close loss increased our desire to seek our first win.

This came against local rivals Abingdon, with some outstanding shots being played from both sides, but with our opening batsmen managing to come out on top.

Unfortunately, though, once we managed to get our first win under our belt, the weather prevented our momentum from continuing.

Many thanks for a great season to both Dr Bebbington and to the lads themselves!

U12C

The U12Cs had a promising season with many bright spots to build on. Although we lost both our matches, there were many learning points within each game, and watching the team practise at the end of the season showed how far each of the boys had come. With the bat, Branfoot, Johnson, Leung, and Critchley all showed talent and aptitude – so much so that the B team came calling; Gallagher batted, kept wicket, and orchestrated the field effectively; and Nair and Johnston proved a formidable partnership with the ball in hand, bowling with accuracy and pace.

In the rest of the team, it was excellent to see the boys – some of who had never held a cricket ball before – becoming more confident with the hard-ball game, and beginning to bowl and bat a little more naturally and with an improved sense of movement and timing. Most importantly, the spirit of the team was positive, whether in the nets or in the field, and the boys created a team environment where all were able to learn.

Kievan Gallagher

“Watching the team practise at the end of the season showed how far each of the boys had come.”

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Boys’ Football First XI

The Boys First Team had a strong season, winning five out of eight matches. The team struggled in the first part of the season, losing three of the opening six games to strong opposition in Abingdon, Cokethorpe and Dr Challoner’s. The boys were particularly disappointed against Abingdon as it was a very close fought match, only to be decided by a late goal line scramble. This served as great motivation, however, for the remaining matches of the season.

Big wins were recorded against St Clare’s, St Edward’s, Kingham Hill and d’Overbroeck’s, in which the team were really able to show off their talent and flair. James Othen and Jonothon Jelfs led the line well, while Aaron Chalmers, Jonathan Akande and Francesco Cipriani formed a strong midfield partnership, with Sam Gould stepping in with solid performances when needed. Sammy Lion-Cachet and Ben Adam were excellent at the back, with vice-captain Ben Adam particularly keen for a clean sheet. Other strong performances throughout the season came from Lower Sixth players Liam Keown and Oscar Taylor, with Alec Michaelis occasionally stepping up from the Seconds.

Highlights included Dan Milner learning how to head a ball and Mark Hudson figuring out how to catch, as well as Jonothon Jelfs finally passing, four games into the season.

There was a fiercely competitive golden boot competition, with Jonothon Jelfs and James Othen eventually finishing on six goals each over the course of the season – a notable mention should also go to our specialist dead ball taker, Harry Day, with none.

Well done to all who have represented MCS first team football for a good season, and big thanks must go to Mr Tuck for his tactical expertise, and commitment over the season.

Aaron Chalmers

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Second XI

Man City, Liverpool and Real Madrid. These are just some of the teams which MCS Second XI have been likened to. The team’s performance this season was highly commendable, painting Oxford red and black with humiliating thrashings of local rivals St Edward’s and Cokethorpe. Dan Innes, who was a defensive force in midfield, captained his team to further wins against Kingham Hill and Shiplake. A well-earned draw against Faringdon Community College after a bad run of results concluded the year’s fixtures and showed the team’s determination and maturity. The team represented the school remarkably well and each player should be proud of his performance this season.

Special mention must go to Ben Garland, whose physicality in midfield was highly commendable considering most of the opposition were at least a foot taller than him. Special mention must also go to Louis Turner and Miles Rees who kept the team on track for success with their long balls, halfway line goals and pre-match pep talks. Wissam Attou and Billy Garnett were also pivotal in the side’s success, helping to keep the bench warm for the rest of the team.

Although contracts from Barcelona are pending for the majority of the players, I expect most of the team will go on to better things as part of the First XI football team next year. Don’t be surprised if you see some of these players in professional football in the years to come.

Dan Innes

Sport Third XI

The Third XI side enjoyed an unbeaten season, winning four and drawing one. The season opened with a 5-1 stroll past Kingham Hill. The poor quality of opposition allowed the team to gel; some wonderfully flowing football was on display, soon to be abandoned for an altogether more agricultural style against tougher opposition. Next up was a local derby against St Edward’s. Julius Gasson was his clinical self up top, grabbing a brace, while Arya Zadeh-Koochak suppressed unpredictable tendencies, delivering an assured performance. A fine 4-1 win was well deserved from a very tenacious performance. Two weeks later, we got away with an altogether dodgier performance against Cokethorpe.

Julius Gasson grabbed a later winner, much to the delight of the gaffer.

After half term, things went up a level. We were dependent on a few loans just to make up the numbers in our next game against the St Edward’s Second XI. Luckily, Linus Rossington and Theo Cooke both put in a tremendous shift, helping us to get a 4-2 win. The highlight of this match was the opening goal – a header from Sampath who had been told to ‘leave his defence’ by Vine – assisted by a cross from the midfield by Allinson. A fine second half performance meant that the win was richly deserved; Freddie WillisBund, Henry Vine, and Will Allinson were good creative outlets in a performance full of verve.

The season drew to a close with our toughest test yet, Shiplake. With both teams heading into the game unbeaten, there was a great deal riding on this one, as indicated by some pre-match animosity. A disastrous first half saw us slip to a two-goal deficit, including a comical own goal. No matter, as we came back swinging in a second half that saw Shiplake ‘lose their heads’. Freddie Willis-Bund scored an absolute peach, and Julius Gasson nodded in the equaliser. Against physical opposition, the team rose to the occasion in what was an exceedingly feisty game.

Despite this challenge, we ended the season unbeaten.

Julius Gasson was our top scorer despite his unorthodox style, while Henry Vine and Freddie Willis-Bund formed a dynamic midfield duo. Sachin Gujral chipped in with a good few goals. Ahren Sampath and Max Higdon proved to be a formidable pair in the heart of defence. Both were inspiringly vocal and displayed some unpredictable, but doubtless very effective, defending. Although the performances weren’t always the best, the results were fantastic, and we’re very happy to declare that the Third XI is the only MCS senior school football side to hold the title of ‘invincibles’ from the 2019 season.

Ahren Sampath and Henry Vine

such as Nick Rees’ quality lob from the halfway line and a couple of clinical finishes from Corin Bagshaw. An improvement throughout the season led to some good wins, with the team learning how the players around them each played the game. In all, a good first season, with many players capable of pushing for the Firsts next year.

Matthew Parker

U16B U16A

The U16As had a strong season for their first time playing together, with a solid performance against a good Abingdon side leading to a narrow loss in the first match of the season.

This match, however, included the highlights of the season,

The boys trained hard with great intent throughout the season.

We restricted Abingdon to a mere seven goals against us. This was encouraging. When we then played a side from Teddies whose skills matched ours, a missed penalty meant the game was still neck and neck going into the final stages. Anand then scored a screamer from the halfway line, and the game was ours. Good season, lads.

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Girls’ Football This has been a terrific term for girls’ football, characterised by enthusiasm and, once again, very encouraging numbers returning from last year, as well as new players opting to give the sport a try.

Ably captained by Giorgia Laird, the team faced a tough fixture card.

The defensive line of Sarah Shokr, Davina Kourdi, Lauren Duckett, Helen Chen, Arabella Peak-Smylie, and Alice Vine did well to keep a good St Clare’s side at bay, but they proved too strong for us in the first match of the term. Our next opposition was Rugby School, where the team played well to secure a 2-2 draw, with Flo Winkley working well up front. In spite of a brilliant work rate by Amy Litchfield and Izzy Gibson and an outstanding performance by Saania Jayawant in goal, our next opposition, OHS, turned out to be the strongest side that we faced this year, resulting in a loss. Our last match of the year was against Headington. In our best performance of the term, we scored early through Amelia Thomas, and played some brilliant passing football for the rest of the match. A free kick saw them equalise with two minutes to go, and the end result was a frustrating draw. Again, Saania Jayawant played outstandingly in goal, Giorgia Laird and Maddy Dale worked hard up front. In the middle, good shifts were put in by Poppy Webb, Amy Litchfield, Amelia Thomas, and Izzy Gibson. Well done on a good effort to all the girls involved in football this term.

Giorgia Laird

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Sport

Tennis First VI

The boys’ First Team had a brilliant year. The season started all the way back in September 2018 with the Year 11–13 Senior Students’ Competition. Early in March 2019, the team retained the title they had won in 2018, reaching the finals after wins against MCS B and Bradfield in the group stages of the competition, and Peter Symond’s College and Haberdashers’ Aske’s in the knockout rounds. The team battled through some extremely tricky moments in the finals in Bolton, eventually running out as Champions after beating the Perse, Felstead, Rugby, and Sevenoaks.

The team were then dealt a tough blow, losing in a very close match to arch-rivals Abingdon in the National Glanville Cup. This only motivated them to try harder and produce better performances, and this was shown when they drew with the tennis academy school, Reeds, and beat Dulwich and KCS at ISL weekend 1, only to lose the top spot in the group on countback to Reeds.

Another win followed against North Oxford First team, where Max Chopping and Josh Wierszycki produced an exceptional performance to beat a very strong pair from the biggest club in Oxfordshire.

The First Team went on to win ISL weekend 2, finishing fifth overall in the Independent Schools’ League. There were victories against Abingdon, Radley, and Tonbridge. The team, by now missing several players due to exams, then played against a strong Eton side, losing 6-3.

This was followed by a tight OXIST competition, where Abingdon finished with 76 games, MCS 70, and Radley way behind. They then had their three toughest fixtures of the season, losing 6-3 to Rugby, 5-4 to Oxford Sports, and 6-3 to the South African touring side from the Diocesan College.

This set the team up perfectly for their strongest performance of the season at the great ISTA event held at the impressive Eton College Willowbrook Tennis Centre. They performed excellently, beating a very good Leicester Grammar side and St George’s Weybridge, both 2-0, to reach the last 16 in the event. This is the furthest MCS has progressed in the event for 15 years, showing the talent within the school. The side eventually lost in a shoot-out to Bradfield College.

The team bonded together brilliantly and were a pleasure to coach and watch progress. We lose several players next year, so a special mention should go to Max Chopping, Josh Wierszycki, and Alex Ridley for their time on the courts at MCS. A massive thank you goes to everyone who represented the First Team this season for their commitment and efforts, Mr Tuck and Miss Smith for their coaching and organisation, and all the Sports Department staff for their help.

Max Chopping

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Sport Second VI

With Rafael Nadal off winning yet another French Open, and Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic preparing for Wimbledon, the Second VI side were forced to settle for the captaincy of the equally talented Jonathan Akande. The decision immediately paid off, with a convincing 9-0 win over a Bloxham Firsts described

by Dr Habsburg as ‘the worst first team I have ever seen’. Indeed, with the side’s performance so convincing, it was Sachin ‘Kushral’ Gujral’s quick decision (upon hearing that the girls’ first team were also travelling) to travel with the squad rather than going direct that posed the biggest question of the day. Tougher fixtures soon followed against Warwick and Bradfield, with the team narrowly coming off second best against strong opposition. However, defeats in these fixtures proved invaluable learning experiences, with Jamie Redfern and Michael Geaney discovering that there is an advantage to consistently hitting the ball in, rather than always hitting it out.

Rob Doorly captained a side missing a number of key players to the Independent Schools’ Quad, instead with appearances from Sooyeon Han, Ahren Sampath, and Angus Callan Smith. The team performed admirably, coming third behind Harrow and Radley. They did defeat Marlborough, which was ironic as they were comfortably beaten by that side later on in June. Indeed,

that day saw the loss not only of the fixture but also of Master Gujral’s head, as his racquet gave as much attention to the grass as to the ball.

The season ended with fixtures against Rugby and the Oxford Sports Tennis Club. The game against Rugby was, quite literally, overshadowed by horrendous conditions. However, when Mr Williams’ impeccable forecasting skills became apparent (always look at the direction of the cloud movement) the team managed to come out convincing 7-2 winners. In contrast, beautiful sunshine greeted the final fixture against Oxford Sports Tennis Club. Laila Zugic’s palpable discontent at being paired with the erratic Geaney was justified by their failure to win a match, and Doorly could merely spectate as Gujral again demonstrated his frustration, this time by screaming at the middle-aged man across the net. More successful was the pairing of Edmiston and Akande, despite the latter doing everything he could to lose his service games.

Many thanks must go to Mr Tuck for bearing with the team over the course of the term, as well as to Miss Smith and Dr Habsburg. The team is immensely talented and, with some better game management, will do very well indeed next season.

Jonathan Akande

Third VI

A strong season (if you ignore losing every match) where a wide range of pupils represented an always tenacious Third Team. Individuals varying from a former cricket A-team player of the season who left for the better sport (then left us for the seconds – sad!), to tennis novice Will Allinson, who picked up the call at the last minute (literally) so, instead of losing by default, we just lost. Never ready to go down without a fight, team stalwarts such as Matthew Harris and Harry Clemence battled to lose 6-1 or even 6-2 rather than 6-0 when we fell as short as our talismanic star Isaac West. Ferdie Brooks appeared to be part of almost every pair that actually won a set, but I, as well as the coaches, am sure that’s pure coincidence. Our record has never hampered our consistent dedication to represent the school, and we hope to be back next year (probably for one match before leaving for A levels and allowing the thirds to possibly win something).

Bocheng Xiao

U12A

This year the U12A tennis team showed positive results due to the rapid development of their skills. The team did not lose any matches, coming away with some convincing wins, such as 16-0 to Pinewood School and 9-0 to Moulsford Prep School. Each boy in our team showed the potential to become a fine tennis player, and we all look forward to another great season in summer 2020.

Douglas Baird

U12B

The U12B tennis team was an extremely strong side, winning matches against difficult opposition such as Moulsford and Warwick. The team consisted of Dylan Cheng and his speeding forehands, while David Tenovici brought in some crafty volleys. Marcus and Ethan Smith dealt out deadly backhands, while Oscar Perera demonstrated his serves and Dimitri Coussios his wonder smashes. Altogether the U12 season was a great time for the B team.

Oscar Perera

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Sport squad of Nathan Patel, Guy Wilkinson, Simon Ukrainets, Ben Sims, Lucian Kirby (moved to the USA but forever in our hearts), Zain Ali, Shilang Yang, and Hugh Mortimer lifted the Oxfordshire Independent School’s cup, again beating Abingdon in the process. Most of the team also played for the U15s, helping them win the U15 County Cup. Also, well done to Simon Ukrainets for winning the Road to Wimbledon Tournament, and qualifying to play at Wimbledon.

Nathan Patel

U14B U13A

The U13As had a good season with strong wins against Cokethorpe and Pinewood School. Despite some tough losses against St Peter’s School, York, and Warwick School, we all benefited greatly from these, and learned a great deal from some of the stronger players we faced.

We were fortunate enough to go away to York in May and play against some more challenging and different opponents. We would like to say a special thank you to all the coaches who helped in every way possible to make us better players this summer, including Mr Pahl, Mr Tuck, and Miss Smith.

Edward Rust

U13B

dominating many games through improved net play. With a concerted effort in the winter, many of these players will move on to represent the senior sides in the school. Of course, another easy win against Abingdon was played this year, as well as notable victories against Birmingham, Marlborough, Radley, Rugby, Warwick, and Winchester. We competed well in the Independent Schools’ Quad, where the team came second, losing closely to Harrow School. It didn’t go too well at Eton, but the team learned a lot and has a benchmark for the future.

Nathan Patel and Guy Wilkinson played first pair throughout the season, where they competed in the ISTA and progressed to the semi-finals of the plate, playing three straight days of tennis. The full

This season our team enjoyed various successes. Our plentiful victories included winning the Independent Schools’ Quad, where we faced off against inferior tennis teams such as Radley and Marlborough.

More interesting matches were played against Eton College, where our training was really put to the test. This fixture was particularly difficult as we were dealing with a side which looked like they used extensive cheating to win some close matches. Some impressive tennis skills were shown by leading figures such as Tristan Buist, James Pearson, and Shilang Yang. Our coach Mr Penton aided our progress and gave us encouragement in times of darkness. Overall, this season was a great experience, and significant improvement was clear.

Shilang Yang

The U13B tennis team had a good season, with quite a few boys making up the squad that would play in fixtures. The highlight of the summer was the two-day tour to Yorkshire and the final match of the season – a convincing win over close rivals Abingdon School. Another memorable win was a tightly fought match against a very strong King Edward’s side, with an eventual score of 8-7. Well done to all the players, and good luck for next year.

Will Harrington

U14A

The U14As trained and competed hard throughout the season. Ten players featured, demonstrating strength in depth and furthering the squad’s experience.

We moved forward on the court well, 143

Sport U15B

In a season unfortunately marred by cancellation due to weather, the B team nonetheless had a good showing, with results not typically reflective of the performance that the team had displayed. Cameron Lambert, Tom Cawthorne, and Alejandro Arenas Oliveros routinely played very well throughout the season. The C team recruits of Tom Bennell and Leo Iwasaki played spectacularly, covering for injuries at a moment’s notice. Although most of the time a lot of the team could not serve to save their lives, serving did somewhat improve throughout the season, which is all we could reasonably ask for.

Tom Mackay

U15C

U14C

The U14C team had a very good season overall, with lots of change and movement as players rotated to and from the B team. The team always came into matches and training sessions with great enthusiasm (but sometimes not on time or with the correct kit!) and kept a good attitude in matches, alongside a mixture of expressive cheers after a terrific shot went in. The team added new techniques and skills learned from training into their matches, evident during the solid performances throughout the season. Well done!

Connor Brogan

U15A

The U15A tennis season began with a hard-fought loss to Warwick School. Following that were two cancelled matches due to ‘unlucky’ weather. This gave the U15As a well-deserved break. They then had a friendly match with Headington Girls’ School in which Edward Wallace managed to hit one of the girls within seconds of starting the match, and was subsequently removed from the court. What followed was a resounding victory over Abingdon, our rivals, not dropping a single set. The Eton Pairs Tournament saw two withdrawals on the day, and so Benji Castella McDonald stepped up to play, even though he was injured. Despite this injury (and much limping), we ended up coming tenth out of 32 of some of the best schools in the country, which was impressive given the circumstances. In the last match of the season, the U15As narrowly beat Matthew Arnold School in the league finals.

Alex Moyse 144

The U15Cs enjoyed a season of great success, in turning up to fixtures. The boys were consistent all season and stayed true to themselves by not winning a single game.

There were impressive performances from Tom Bennell, narrowly losing a tiebreak while flexing the Off-Whites; this was the closest the team came to a win. Certain players deserve special mentions, such as Dave for using his special form of attack to distract the opposition; Theo Zibarras for volunteering for each game, keen as ever to get stuck into a good old game of tennis; what a chap! He aspires to be like Gauff and join the circuit of pros. Cameron Lambert was the sensible one, but occasionally would release his fury on the opposition in a challenge. Tommy B should be mentioned for being a poor example as a captain but wearing some class clothing. Not forgetting Myles Urakpo; I did not hear him speak once, but I did see him there just smiling away and winning his points, although sadly no match. Eton College was shocked at how strong the team was, and that gave us the edge. With a few cancellations, the boys took the tie to improve their game, which proved not very useful as we lost the next game 0-9. Overall the boys enjoyed a great season but with little success. Many memorable moments were created, and we learned a key lesson; tennis is more fun than being in a field watching two lads in pads. I wish the boys a good summer. I also hope that some of them will realise their talents will be much better used elsewhere, but if they do consider pursuing their dreams of tennis and reaching Wimbledon, practice will evidently be needed.

Tom Bennell

U16A

The U16As can be seen not to have had the best season, ending up with no wins. However, with good weather and nice courts, they did manage to tie for first in the OXIST tournament. Also, they only suffered one loss against a strong Bradfield side, who were clearly adapted to the extreme weather and the quality of the courts. In general, the U16As worked very hard in their countless training sessions, but unfortunately this was not reflected in the number of wins, but rather in the number of losses.

Tony Fu

Sport

Girls’ Tennis The senior girls played a busy fixture list this season, playing more matches than last year and against more challenging opposition.

They showed commitment to these matches and enjoyed playing in various combinations. As a group of twelve, they all contributed to school tennis hugely, including weekend fixtures. The squad secured wins against Pangbourne and Tudor Hall, as well as a convincing victory over Stowe in the mixed doubles. Each week they trained with focus, and significantly improved their net play throughout the season. Isabel Fincham and Cindy Liu represented MCS at the prestigious ISTA Championships at Eton College, taking on strong tennis academies such as Milfield, Queenswood, and Sevenoaks. They represented the school fantastically, both on and off the court. A team of four took part in the LTA National Championships at the start of the season, taking on Tudor Hall and only narrowly missing out on continuing to stage two of the competition. The girls played both singles and doubles, rising to the challenge confidently. Laila Zugic represented the boys’ First and Second VI on many occasions, while also joining the girls for a tough fixture against Bradfield. Her energy and competitiveness on court set a fantastic example for the year group. The Lower Sixth tennis players had strength in depth and it is exciting planning for their 2020 season.

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BADMINTON

This year’s netball team had surprising success despite our captain being ‘ill’ for many of our training sessions. With six wins and five losses, the team should be incredibly proud of their achievements this season. We started a little bit shakily at the county tournament. Yet as we adjusted to each other’s gameplay, our combined confidence began to grow, and this was reflected in the following match scores.

Our biggest achievement was winning the annual St Helen and St Katharine’s tournament. We began with fairly low expectations due to our loss of 20-37 against a strong St Helen and St Katharine’s team the previous week. However, our morale was once again lifted as we reminded ourselves of the current school league tables.

Our four Upper Sixth members, Kirsty McCulloch, Liv Shelton, Mollie Darwent and Molly Ashley, were indispensable players and set an excellent standard for the new Lower Sixth members. Although Liv and Kirsty’s shooting statistics were varied, their movement and agility on court were extremely strong in every match. Many of the players named Mollie as the ‘glue of the team’, as she approached every match with enthusiasm and was always eager to pursue every ball. Molly, our strongest defender, showed strength and skill in every match and will be greatly missed next season. The team is incredibly grateful for our coaches, Miss Smith, Miss Maloney, and Miss Shortland.

Despite the girls’ seemingly unstoppable flow of chatter and their lack of school PE kit, they moulded ten individual netball players into one successful and coherent team. I hope that the same coherence will manifest itself in next year’s squad. With the majority of the team being made up of Lower Sixth members, the MCS Firsts should have high expectations for the 2019-20 season.

Kirsty McCulloch

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The badminton department was very successful this year throughout the whole school. As reflected in their excellent win rate, the first team played extremely well. Despite his lack of badminton experience, Mr Tuck coached the team well; what he lacked in knowledge of badminton technique, he made up for in motivational pre-game talks and his ‘every point counts’ attitude. There were strong performances from both the Lower and Upper Sixth, with captain Jamie Redfern, vice-captain Jonathon Horton and Alex Ridley leading from the front in the first two pairs, scarcely dropping a game throughout the whole season.

Despite their technical deficiencies, sixth formers Jack Ashton and Sachin ‘Kushral’ Gujral also consistently held their own as a pair against some much more experienced opposition. Moreover, it has been promising to see players such as Jason Ou who (among others) has played regularly for the first team (and done so with some audacious winning shots) despite still being in the Lower School.

This, alongside some strong performances in the U15 and U13 teams, tells of a bright future for badminton at the school, a sport that will hopefully continue to become a bigger part of MCS. Jamie Redfern

NETBALL

Sport It was a challenging year for the First V basketball team. The season started with two extraordinarily close losses to Abingdon (23-24) and d’Overbroeck’s (2123). However, the team’s confidence was then boosted by a 70-20 win over Burford.

This season’s team included some very promising players from the younger year groups. The match against Eton included impressive play by LK Mahalingham from the Third Form, as well as Andrew Niu and Ed Wallace from the Upper Fourth.

The game started with good play from the First V, quickly establishing a solid lead.

However, by the second half, Eton had come back to take the lead. In the closing minutes of the game, MCS went on a run, led by consecutive fast break baskets by Finn Pollock, with the rest of the team playing excellent defence to close out the game with a 31-30 win.

The team ended the season with some disappointing losses to St Clare’s (35-53), Abingdon (43-25), and Wood Green (3041). Although this was an unfortunate end to the year, a lot of improvement was seen in the team through this period, and four boys had their first ever match for the school. Throughout the season, the younger contingent was consistently

ATHLETICS

BASKETBALL strong, with standout performances from Finn Pollock on the fast break and as the primary defender and Aryan Joshi as a confident point guard, helped along by the experience of Lukas Ehlers and Matt Gate. Other notable performances included Johnny Kuker’s dominant rebounding, Ed Wallace’s three-point shooting, and Ben Haslam’s constant offensive presence.

With a lot of rising talent, the future for this team looks very bright.

Matthew Gate

Throughout the season, there were consistently strong performances from key members of the team. On the track, sprinters Jack Ashton, Dan Kelly, and Miles Rees racked up multiple points, while middle distance runners Theo Cooke, Conor Rees, Lucien Faultier, Jack Lipman, Freddie Jones, and Hal Burtenshaw were all impressive, with MCS winning the last four 800 metre races of the season. On the field, George Haynes, Chris Tse, Alfie Beckett, and Jonathan Kuker won numerous throwing events, while Roshan Mowat, Miles Rees, and Oyare Aneju performed consistently well in long, high, and triple jump.

In the last two events of the season, MCS cleared out the competition to bring home two substantial victories.

The first was at Abingdon, with notable performances from Theo Cooke who came second in the 1500 metres, Jack Ashton who won the high jump and hurdles, and Conor Rees who won the 400 metres.

The last event of the season was the Radley mixed event competition. Lucien Foltier came second in the 400 metres and Hal Burtenshaw won the 800 metres. Jack Ashton came third overall for points and the senior team came first, beating Eton, Radley, Bloxham, and St Edward’s.

A special shout out must go to George Haynes, Chris Tse, and Alfie Beckett who, sacrificing their pride, competed in the hurdles for valuable points, much to the amusement of the rest of the team, and also to Lucien, who managed to avoid a jail sentence after nearly impaling a girl from Marlborough with a javelin. School Sports Day saw outstanding performances from Roshan Mowat, Jack Ashton, and Amy Litchfield, who were the highest point scorers in their age groups.

On behalf of the whole team, I would like to thank Mr Dupée for his hard work, dedication, and good humour throughout the season.

Hal Burtenshaw

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Sport

ROWING

There was a slow start to the winter season. With only three races in the Michaelmas term, including one widely respected Head Race on the Thames in Teddington and one on local waters in Oxford, the whole rowing squad picked up the pace and intensity of training over the Christmas break, allowing squad formation for summer racing to begin. Thanks to the hard work of all the coaching team, we started 2019 with a bang at Hampton Head, putting out seven crews and achieving very commendable results.

Unfortunately, the gale-force winds at Dorney Lake proved too much a few weeks later, when Junior InterRegional Regatta Trials were cancelled. We bounced back from this, hitting record attendance at our Easter training camp which set us up for a successful few races soon after, including the Ball Cup, where all crews entered achieved podium positions. A few local races later, we arrived at the National Schools’ Regatta, the most important event on the calendar for all of Britain. We entered crews across all three days of racing, and learned a lot from the experience of racing against the top crews in the country. In mid-July, two minibuses full of 15 to 18-year-olds made the trip to Nottingham for a week, in preparation for the British Rowing Junior Championships; MCS’ first ever training camp away from Oxford and producing the first eight in decades. This trip yielded some impressive results and was very enjoyable, thanks to the organisation and coaching of Mr Atkin, Mrs Panzer and Mr Spowart. Overall this was our most successful season in recent years, promising much more for the coming few seasons.

James Pullinger

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SAILING

The Sailing First VI team had a very successful year reaching at least the semi-finals in all school events. In March, helms George Potter and Cyrus Ledru, with crews Ashi Banerjee and Libby Harris, put on an impressive performance placing them as the national winners in the NSSA 2-boat championship. The team has also taken part in several top tier university events, even winning some such as the Brunel Badger for the second year in a row.

Throughout the year, it was clear that the team throughly enjoying the residential events such as the UK team racing championships and the Wilson Trophy (a world open championship) with teams from USA, Austria and New Zealand. As a result, the team had a very good vibe.

Towards the end of the year, the team did extremely well, coming out with three boats placing in the top eight in Schools Week against some very strong national-winning opponents. Independent achievements include helm Edmund Corker and Art Nicolson-Lailey winning the Mid fleet prize, and both George and Cyrus coming 1st in independent races. The team finished off strong at the Schools Finals event, coming an impressive second, losing narrowly to Sevenoaks. On the whole, this has been a very fun and enjoyable year for the team.

Cyrus Ledru

Sport CROSS COUNTRY

Pre-season training began in November with the annual Oxford City Schools’ race at Horspath, organised by MCS, with over 300 runners competing. Two Parkrun events throughout the year also helped runners prepare for the full season. A successful Oxfordshire Schools’ Cross Country Championships at Radley included excellent performances from Ben Sims, Freddie Jones, Robert Doorly, Theo Cooke, Hal Burtenshaw, Conor Rees, Poppy Webb, Mollie Darwent, and Hannah Betts, alongside a guest appearance from Olly Doggett wearing Mr Dupée’s boots and a bobble hat. Ben, Freddie, Rob, and Poppy all went on to represent Oxfordshire at the English Schools’ Cross Country in Leeds, with Ben Sims finishing a superb 29th out of over 350 runners in his age group.

Despite a forced course change due to flooding, House Cross Country was another successful event, won by Freddie Jones in the Junior Boys, Ben Sims in the

Inters, Poppy Webb for a second year in the Senior Girls, and Robert Doorly in the Senior Boys, and with a good turnout across the school.

Further impressive results came at the St Edward’s and Radley relays and, for the first time, MCS entered teams into the King Henry VIII relays in Coventry, where the Senior Boys A and B teams, and the Senior Girls team performed well against tough opposition. The season ended with the OW Parkrun at Cutteslowe, a fun event where students got the chance to run against their teachers and many OWs. Many thanks to Mr Dupée for his support throughout the year, and we look forward to another promising year of MCS cross country.

Robert Doorley

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heritage Each year, The Lily celebrates the immense achievement of MCS and its students, and it’s all too easy to focus only on the cohort of today. This section serves to document school and pupils past, ensuring they never fall into obscurity to the present community. So too is it a moment to reflect on the eponymous heritage of the school, and the tradition of which we are all a part, as well as to the developments, large and small, which serve to keep us ever-changing and updated.

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OW News

OW News It has been another inspired year for Old Waynfletes: from the creative arts to sporting endeavours; from musical success to literary acclaim.

Tom Piper’s (1983) poppies were displayed at the Imperial War Museums in Manchester and London. His subsequent work Beyond the Deepening Shadow at the Tower of London marked the centenary of Armistice Day with an artistic installation, which saw the moat illuminated and a sonnet-based soundscape broadcast.

Covasettes

at the illustrious Tony Awards for his play The Ferryman, including the award for Best Direction of a Play. The play tells the story of a former IRA member during the Troubles, and has received widespread critical acclaim, including another Best Director at the Olivier Awards last year.

He also had his likeness captured by artist Nina Mae Fowler for the National Portrait Gallery, one of a number of directors in the series.

There was plenty of musical success for OWs this year, too. Jamie McIntyre’s (2014) band The Covasettes performed at the Etihad Stadium, and at Leeds Arena for the ARIA awards after being named ‘Favourite Act of 2018’ by the sponsors, while Elliot Wenman (2012) and his band Lunar Fruit appeared on BBC Introducing.

Charlie Shan (2018) was the first fresher to be appointed Musical Director of acclaimed Oxford a cappella group Out

Jonathan Bailey (2006) won an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical in April, for his role in Company, and Atri Banerjee (2011) won Best Director in the Stage Debut Awards 2019 for Hobson’s Choice at The Royal Exchange, Manchester.

Sam Mendes (1983), by now a regular feature in this section of The Lily, has once again proved his excellence in the arts, this time by winning three categories 152

Tom Piper’s poppies

OW News Of The Blue, Elizabeth Nurse (2014) performed Dvořák’s Violin Concerto in the Sheldonian Theatre, and William Graydon’s (2007) band OMYO released their new album and played the O2 Academy Islington.

OWs continue to shine in the sporting sphere long after they leave MCS, and 2019 was no exception.

MCS has been well represented recently in Cambridge Varsity teams. In women’s rugby, Tabitha Brough (2016) appeared just three months after taking up the sport! Fellow alum Charlie MacCallum (2015) played too in the men’s match. And former MCS Captain of Chess James Cole (2016) captained the Chess team.

Dom Hawes (1985), who was a keen rower at MCS, helped his Bedford Star rowing club achieve gold medals in the World Rowing Masters Regatta in Budapest. Of course, history also has a place in sport at MCS. This year, the school named a

Sam Mendes by artist Nina Mae Fowler

new boat after Victor Albert Villiers Zacharias Jessel (1914), Captain of Boats in 1914 who was killed in action during World War I. When a mysterious medal bearing the school crest was found on the Spit, OWs were able to identify it as a

Sports Day medal from the 1950s and ’60s.

Luckily, Michael Matthews (1968) had a better preserved specimen for comparison!

OWs also combined their love of sport with charitable endeavours. Sunil Kandola (2005) completed a monumental 14,000 km solo cycle ride from the UK to China to raise money for Save the Children in 2019. In February, Daniel Hamill (2014) trekked to Everest Base Camp to raise money for the Gurkha Welfare Trust, and in April, Seb Keenan (2009) ran the London Marathon in support of MIND. Outside of sports, Seamus Gregan (2008) has set up an international cookery programme in Vietnam. The school employs seven teachers, and processes as many as 200 students each week. The initiative is the first of its kind in Vietnam.

MCS is proud of the contribution that its Old Waynfletes continue to make in foreign relations and diplomacy.

Tabitha Brough

Three Old Waynfletes are currently carrying out ambassadorial duties on behalf of their country. Matt Field (1995) wrote for The Oxford Times about his journey from Oxford schoolboy to British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, a position to which he was appointed in 2018 after fifteen years in the Diplomatic Service.

Tim Stew (1984) has been the British High Commissioner to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago since 2015. Before his appointment, he worked extensively in conflict zones, and was awarded an MBE in 1996 for his contribution to British foreign policy during the Bosnian conflict. And Martin Reynolds (1987) was appointed 153

OW News retirement as the President of the Family Division of the High Court of England and Wales.

The second MCS London Networking Breakfast was a rousing success, with speeches by Rob Hamilton (1992) and William Reeve (1985), and an impressive number of business cards and contact details exchanged.

Geoffrey Green (1935), the oldest living Old Waynflete, sadly passed away on 27 January 2019. He had celebrated his centenary in 2018 with the Master and an MCS barbershop group.

Finally, Wesley Xu (2010) proposed to his partner Mary on our white bridge in 2018! They will marry in late 2019 and are planning wedding photos on the same spot.

David Bebbingotn

Ambassador to Libya in April 2019, after four years as the Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

This year’s Leavers’ Service also drew on the experiences of OWs who have made careers in foreign relations and law. Sir David Madden KCMG (1964), former Ambassador to Greece, Richard Sear (1997), Barrister in Family Law, and Margaux Wilson (2012), Commercial Senior Executive Officer at the Department for International Trade, were present to welcome our recent leavers to the OW family.

There were also impressive accomplishments for OWs across the literary world this year.

Nick Harris (1964), praised as ‘the unmistakeable voice of MotoGP’, 154

Tim Stew

published his new work Never Say Never: The Inside Story of the Motorcycle World Championships. Dr Bebbington also completed his latest book, Goodbye Shirley: The Wartime Letters of an Oxford Schoolboy 1939–1947, a collection of the letters of Shirley Michael Hickey (1947) exploring life in Oxford against the backdrop of global war.

The Weston Library celebrated the work of Frank Bellamy, an astronomer, photographer and philatelist who attended MCS in the 1870s and 1880s, by exhibiting some of his famed stamp collection.

A black-tie dinner was held in honour of Sir James Munby (1966) at the Middle Temple Hall. Speeches from the Master and Richard Sear (1997), marked the occasion, which was set up to commemorate Sir James’ contributions to the legal profession, and specifically his

Wesley Xu & his partner Mary

OW News

Frank Bellamy

James Cole

Medal Restoration Matt Field

Sunil Kandola

Martin Reynolds 155

Development News

Development News

If you had been in School on Friday 26th April, you would have seen Second Form pupils making their way to the Dining Hall for a second breakfast, while batting the words ‘luck’, ‘talent’ and ‘potential’ to each other. A little later you would have seen a succession of those boys and Sixth Form prefects enthusiastically shaking hands with OW Dr Michael Peagram as he said “Luck, talent, potential” to each of them.

To mark the naming of the Michael Peagram Building, Michael had chosen these three words as the theme of his talk in Chapel that morning. He spoke of the idea that successful people grabbed their share of luck when it came their way and exploited it: “I feel I have been very lucky in my life. This includes that my mother and father, many years ago, for reasons that I never knew, chose to send me to MCS. It gave me a wonderful foundation, which has served me well over the years.”

Of talent, he told pupils, “You must have some, because somebody believed in you, and you are here at MCS.” He also spoke of his involvement with Outward Bound and its ethos to support young people; “This is the challenge that each one of you faces: to discover your full potential.”

A few weeks earlier at the annual Old Waynfletes Dinner, the Master announced that Michael Peagram’s gift to the school, particularly going to bursaries, would be recognised through the re-naming of the New Building. She also thanked him for solving the problem of what to do when your ‘New’ building is no longer your newest building. Michael responded: “My very strong memory is of MCS as an essentially happy school. But over the years, my affection for MCS has been accompanied by a growing realisation of the fantastic opportunities that MCS gave us. I know these feelings are deeply shared by my contemporaries.”

By way of thanks on behalf of the School, Tahmid Azam, Lower Fourth, presented Michael with a calligraphy of Lilies of the Field that he had created.

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Many aspects of school life were supported during the year. The end of 2018 marked the formal end of the Sixth Form campaign, which exceeded £3 million towards the creation of the Richard Record Sixth Form Centre and Sixth Form bursaries. School trips, such as the geography field trip, the music tour to Italy, and Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, were made possible through OWs who donated to the Lily Club. New 3D printers were installed in DT. A new maths outreach programme and a partnership course in biosciences ran jointly with Oxford Brookes University, through the generosity of MCS parents. A new portrait of former Master Tim Hands, painted by teacher Tom Hunter, is now in place in the Dining Hall following a gift from OW Ken Barnes.

Bursaries remain of significant interest to many of those who donate to MCS. During the year, the Governors decided to create new endowment funds for bursaries, to which the school will also contribute, with the aim of supporting bursaries in perpetuity.

The School will invite Old Waynfletes, parents, and Friends of MCS to join us in our bursary endowment journey.

Fructibus fruatur donandi donator has been emblazoned on the MCS donor reports in these last few years: may those who donate enjoy fruitful rewards of giving.

Susie Baker, Director of the Waynflete Office

Obituaries

Obituaries On a more sombre note, acknowledgment of those OWs who have passed away is nevertheless an excellent way to ensure that their lives are remembered. More about all of these individuals can be found on the school’s website.

PHILIP HOLMES (1961), aged 74

Philip was reader emeritus in Scandinavian Studies at the University of Hull. Head of Department for 18 years, he was a prominent figure in university life. His passion for the Scandinavian languages, and for teaching and mentoring both students and younger colleagues, was noted as being unparalleled.

EDMUND ‘EDDIE’ BOOTH (1967), aged 69

Eddie, as he was known, spent his life as a town planner and urban designer, and then subsequently in the field of conservation. He was head of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) from 2001–2004, and well-known within the community as a staunch advocate for fair treatment of the public realm.

BRUCE ELSEMORE (1944), aged 94

Bruce was Emeritus Fellow of St Edmund’s College, Cambridge. He studied Natural Sciences at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and carried out pioneering work in the field of radio astronomy; he was involved in the first mappings of the sky using radio, and was responsible for the development of high-resolution images of the aftermath of a supernova.

Julian Starmer-Smith (OW 1961), aged 76

Julian attended Sandhurst Military Academy and, after being commissioned into the Royal Artillery, rose to the rank of colonel. He served in Borneo, Aden, Northern Ireland, and the Falklands.

DEREK GRIMSLEY (1956), aged 79

After leaving MCS, Derek studied at Harper Adams Agricultural College, and had a long and distinguished career working in the agricultural sector.

GEOFFREY GREEN (1935), aged 100

Geoffrey, who was the oldest living OW, was admitted on an academic scholarship and studied Engineering. He humbly described himself as ‘having enjoyed a mundane life as a lifelong farmer’. In an article written for the 2005 edition of the OW Magazine, he talks about the fond nicknames which the students had for the teachers, such as ‘Pump’, ‘Flick’, ‘Froggy’, and ‘Botty’. For his hundredth birthday, MCS students performed to him and the rest of the village of Combe, where he spent most of his life.

MICHAEL SWALLOW (1947), aged 89

After being torn between the disciplines of Medicine and Music in his youth, Michael decided to bring the two together. Studying Medicine at King’s College, London, he was involved with the Royal Hospital Choir, and established the NI Music Therapy Trust. Trained as a neurologist, he was a consultant at Westminster Hospital from 1964 until his retirement in 1988. He is remembered as a respected figure and well-loved teacher to many generations of graduates.

GEOFFREY CLIFFORD (1960), aged 73

Geoffrey spent the vast majority of his life as a primary school teacher and headmaster, while also regularly indulging in painting, framing and other art-related pursuits.

LILY PEAPER

Lily Peaper was a cleaner in School House for many years.

Originally an evacuee from the East End of London, she came to live in Oxford. Her husband Bill Peaper was head caretaker at MCS in the 1970s and 1980s. She always took an interest in the lives of the boys and staff of the Boarding House. Before she retired from MCS, she gave JFP a climbing ivy for the J4B classroom. This spread from one side of the room to the other, across the rafter beams.

Cuttings still live at JFP’s home.

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Waynflete Office Events

Waynflete Office Events OWs and Friends supported a wideranging and exciting calendar of events this year.

2018 was rounded off with a festive close: the annual Christmas Drinks brought 150 OWs together in an upstairs room at the school’s favourite pub, the Cape of Good Hope. Although space was tight, camaraderie was not in short supply, and a joyful atmosphere prevailed just in time for the holidays.

2019 began with the Boat Club Dinner, a chance to celebrate Rowing at MCS and thank the benefactors who make the purchase of new boats – including our newly-dedicated scull – possible.

Veteran OWs returned to MCS for the annual festive VOW Lunch, which also included a special 50 year reunion for the class of 1968. This year’s lunch had a distinctly musical theme, with the Junior School Choir singing carols and select Sixth Formers treating VOWs to renditions of some Ivor Novello songs.

2019 also included two extremely popular, insightful careers workshops for parents and pupils in the areas of Finance and Law. Finance speakers included four MCS parents and three OWs sharing their relevant experiences: Patrick Coffey (2002), Harry McLaverty (2013), and Ned Murray (2006). The Law workshop also saw some OWs in the form of Tadhgh Barwell O’Connor (2007) and Rhys Edwards (2008) return to MCS to speak about their varying careers in Law to date.

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Another law-related event was a celebratory and truly memorable dinner held at Middle Temple Hall for Sir James Munby (1966), President of the Family Division of the High Court of England and Wales, who retired in 2018. Tributes were led by Richard Sear (1997), who as a young Barrister had his first case tried in front of Sir James, and festivities included an outstanding short from Twelfth Night by The Lily Players in authentic Shakespearean costume.

For the second time in the academic year, Mayfair’s Lansdowne Club hosted our London Networking Breakfast in March.

Co-organised by Jim Hawker (1992), this time the focus was on Entrepreneurship, and we were pleased to have a distinguished panel of speakers on the topic of ‘Are entrepreneurs born or made?’ Speakers included two OWs: Rob Hamilton (1992), who founded a round-the-world cycle adventure in 2012, raising money for 1moreChild; and William Reeve (1985) who is an internet-focused entrepreneur, angel investor and former ‘Undercover Boss’ on Channel 4.

The OW Dinner remains a perennial highlight, and this year’s black tie event took place in the school itself in March.

OWs were treated to a musical cabaret in Big School from Jon Cullen and current pupils, as well as a choral performance in the dining hall before the meal itself. Earlier the same day the OW Run saw current staff and pupils working up a sweat with OWs in Cutteslowe and Sunnymead parks.

In May, we were pleased to host members of the Bob Stanier Society for the annual Society Lunch, to thank them for pledging to leave a gift to MCS in their will. They had the chance to see some archive footage of the school from the 1950s–80s, the new portrait of former Master Tim Hands, and some paintings from the Archives by Bob Stanier himself.

May also saw the return of MCS to New York, where Guy Dietrich (1978) and his partner Anne hosted OWs for dinner, and then OWs and Friends from four decades met the following night for drinks at the University of Oxford North American Office.

2019’s OW Lecture at Oxford Festival of the Arts was delivered by Tom Piper (1983), who gave an overview of his career and recent projects. Leaving MCS to study Natural Sciences at Cambridge, he never expected to end up in theatre design until a friend, Sam Mendes (1983), asked him to help with a production. Tom showed images from recent theatre productions exhibitions and events, describing the collaborative process and attention to detail as his ideas unfold.

The YOW Curry was, as it always is, a chance to enjoy some competitive sport and good food with recent MCS leavers.

This year, the ‘older’ OWs just snatched a win on penalties against this year’s leavers in football, and the YOW netball match was also played on Milham Ford, with the sides boosted by teachers and parents.

Waynflete Office Events

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Archive consulted the school’s editions of John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs in their lessons on the Reformation.

Archive

Conservator Victoria Stevens expertly repaired some of our most damaged items, such as the Old Waynflete Committee Minute book. The Bodleian Library’s packaging and display service made custom boxes to improve the storage of many of our oldest items. We also commissioned a small acrylic display case for the 1882 Public Schools’ Regatta at Henley, a fascinating memento of MCS’ past rowing glory.

Digitisation of prefects’ books from 1881 to 1953 has provided a fantastic insight into the life of the school from the lofty heights of the prefects’ study.

I look forward to working with the whole school community over the coming year to celebrate the school’s history and make more connections.

Lindsay McCormack, Archivist

The Archive has flourished over the last academic year. Gaining a new strongroom created from Alan Cooper’s former office meant that we could move the collections last November into improved conditions, where the temperature and humidity-controlled environment helps to secure their long-term preservation. The move also gave muchneeded additional storage space for our expanding archives.

New management software was installed in the spring, and this has made curating the collections much easier. Searching the catalogue is now much faster and more thorough.

We can record precisely where each of the 6,000+ items in the historic collections is stored, ensuring that we safeguard the school’s treasures. The software also allows the attachment of digital objects to catalogue descriptions, so once the catalogue is live, people will be able to see photos, hear concert recordings, and watch films from MCS’ past.

We have taken in some exciting new items this year, with two highlights including: • Over 100 original letters from OW Michael Hickey, mainly dating from 1939–1947, given to Dr Bebbington by Mr Hickey for the preparation of his book Goodbye Shirley: The Wartime Letters of an Oxford Schoolboy 1939–1947 (2019, Grosvenor House).

• Mr Place’s photographs and publications from the inception of the ‘junior section’ to the present day, just in time to celebrate the Junior School’s twenty-fifth anniversary.

Current pupils had many opportunities to use the school’s archive over the last year. The Archive Club met every Tuesday lunchtime, when the clubbers explored MCS in the Great War and school sporting history, played historic games, and took a trip to the archive at St Hilda’s College. Pupils in J2 investigated the history of the Junior School houses through archive objects related to their eponym, creating letters based on their observations using dip pens and wax seals. One student, Oscar, completed the volunteering component of his DofE programme by organising the school magazines. During Field Day, Lower Fourth pupils interviewed OWs about their school career and beyond, prompted by contemporary photographs, programmes and copies of The Lily. Third Form historians 160

FROM THE ARCHIVES Nestled within the library, the MCS Archives are an often-overlooked part of school life, and an even more valuable part of the school’s collective heritage. Most of the collection comprises books written by Old Waynfletes, many of which are several hundred years old.

The school owes the majority of the most valuable items to donations made by two contributors. The first, likely to be a familiar name to anybody who regularly uses the library, is OW Sir Basil Blackwell.

The son of Henry Blackwell, the founder of Blackwell’s bookshop, his life could be the subject of its own article. In brief, after attending MCS he proceeded to Merton College, Oxford, before rejoining his father and working at the bookshop, eventually taking over the company on his father’s death. He was knighted in 1958 by Queen Elizabeth and, until 2018, remained the only bookseller ever to be knighted.

The second major contributor was James Millard, Master of MCS from 1846–1864, who bequeathed a large collection of antique books collectively known as ‘Millard’s gift’.

As a result of these two contributions, as well as many others, many of the books within the MCS archive are exceptionally rare, old, or both. Millard’s gift includes the oldest book currently in the collection.

Archive This is a 1518 copy of Whittintoni Opuscula de Concinnita Grammar, a Latin grammar book specifically noted by Millard as being ‘exceptionally rare’ and likely to be one of only a few copies still in existence. Another Latin grammar book, Vocabula magistri Stanbrigi sua saltem editione edita is only a few years younger, having been published in 1523. It was the only publicly-available copy in existence, and consequently highly sought-after by academics, until 2011, when the British Library acquired a copy.

volumes one and two of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, written in 1583. Many students studying history will recognise the name as one of great importance within the context of the Reformation and Protestant v. Catholic debate in England.

John Foxe himself attended MCS, and was a fellow of Magdalen College. Both books were presented to the school in our quincentenary year, the five-hundredth anniversary of the school’s founding, by Sir Basil Blackwell himself.

Not all the books from Millard’s collection are Latin grammar books and dictionaries, with several theological texts such as A vindication of our authorised translation and translators of the Bible, written in 1819, and even records of sermons preached to kings, such as the imaginatively titled Sermon before His Majesty at Whitehall on Feb 1st 1662, with the ‘His Majesty’ in question most likely being Charles II.

The archive is an absolutely vital part of the school’s heritage and continued historical significance, albeit one that is frequently overlooked. Its volumes, many written by Old Waynfletes, can give students, parents, and teachers alike a unique insight into the true depth of the school’s history.

The crown jewels of the MCS archive, however, come from Sir Basil Blackwell’s donation, in the form of a complete

PORTRAITS OF PREVIOUS MASTERS RESTORED When first arriving at MCS as an outsider or a parent, perhaps for an open day or similar event, among the most immediately

noticeable things about the dining hall are the portraits of previous masters and the detail and skill which undoubtedly went into each one, preserving its subject’s likeness for many generations to come.

As an MCS pupil, when you have little reason to enter the dining hall other than to, well, get food, the portraits which surround you are often of secondary importance to talking and laughing with your friends and eating. Yet the portraits themselves are valuable parts of MCS’ archive and heritage, permanently on display so that they might be seen by the student body on a daily basis as a constant reminder of how far back the school’s history can be traced.

Recently, thanks to the efforts of the Parents’ Association and the Waynflete Office, two of these paintings, depicting masters Harman Chaloner Ogle (1876–86) and William Sherwood (1888–1900), were restored and returned to their rightful place watching over the students. So, the next time you sit down for lunch, have a look around. One of the great benefits of attending MCS is being surrounded by history all the time, and nothing exemplifies this more than these remarkable paintings.

VISIT FROM CORINNA WILTSHIRE Corinna Wiltshire, 95-year-old daughter of Sir Basil Blackwell, to whom the school library is dedicated, came to visit the school archives on 15 May, along with the Blackwell family archivist Rita Ricketts.

This was an extraordinary and memorable moment for both Corinna and Lower Sixth historians, with stories exchanged over books which Sir Basil himself donated, including an original copy of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs and several volumes by Sir Basil himself.

The connection between the Blackwell family and MCS is honoured by the school archive, much of which was donated by Sir Basil, and Corinna remarked how he ‘loved the school until the end of his days’. She herself spoke very warmly of her experiences with the school; she was particularly keen to hear about MCS’ outreach project (CSO placements for the Lower Sixth) and highly praised the school’s History Journal, of which she received a copy.

Libby Harris, Lower Sixth 161

staff In a year of positive change and progression, and an edition of The Lily acutely aware of this, we see it reflected in our staff. Within these pages, there are farewells to a number of staff members beloved by students and colleagues alike, but also introductions to new faces who will surely hold the same positions years, or even decades from now. In an issue focused on promoting the distinctly ‘student’ voice, it’s still essential to represent those without whom none of this would be possible.

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Senior Common Room

SENIOR MANAGEMENT MASTER: Miss H. L. Pike, MA Oxon, MA Michigan, MA London, FCCT History USHER: Mr T. M. G. J. Beaumont, MA Cantab History, Safeguarding Officer DEPUTY HEAD (Academic): Mr B. D. White, BA Oxon Mathematics DEPUTY HEAD (Ed. Development): Dr S. R. Crawford, BA Oxon, PhD York Biology BURSAR: Mr J. D. Clarke, BA Exeter STAFF MEMBERS AND SUBJECTS Miss F. J. Amswych, BA Birmingham, PG Cert SpLD York Head of Learning Support, SENCo Mr S. J. Andrew, MSc Glasgow, MPhil Loughborough Mathematics Ms S-J. Arthurs, BSc London Physics Mr G. C. Atkin, BSc Staffordshire Rowing Professional Miss J. C. Attia, MA Nice French Mr A. J. Awcock, BSc, MA Cardiff Metropolitan Head of Rugby Mr A. Baker-Munton, MA Cantab French and German Mr D. S. Barr, BA Wales, MA London English Dr D. Bebbington, BSc Kent, DPhil Oxon Chemistry Dr C. L. Bell, BSc Dunelm, MPhil Cantab, DPhil Oxon Chemistry The Revd W. W. Bell, BA Leeds, BA York Chaplain, Theology, English Mr R. S. Bolton, BA Buckinghamshire Chilterns Rugby Professional Mr T. D. Booth, MA Cantab Head of Geography, Assistant Timetabler Mr C. J. Boyle, BA Leeds Metropolitan Head of Cricket, PE, Games Mr N. D. Brittain, BA Oxon Head of French, German Mr M. R. Burchett, BSc, MSc Loughborough Head of Junior School Sport Dr J. C. Carter, MA Chicago, MSt, DPhil Oxon Head of U4th, Head of Theology Miss E. H. Churcher, MA Cantab, LRSM Music Mr B. W. M. Cole, MA Oxon Head of L4th, Head of Classics

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Mr A. C. Cooper, BA Lancaster, MSc Oxon Mathematics, Director of Alumni Relations Mr T. P. Cooper, BSc London Head of Middle School, Mathematics, Deputy Safeguarding Officer Mr J. D. Cullen, BA York, MA London Director of Music Mrs E. J. B. Denhart, MA, MSc Cantab Physics Mr P. D. Dixon, BBus, RMIT Melbourne, BSc Open Economics Mr A. A. Duncan Cricket Professional Mr E. T. Dupée, BSc Nottingham Trent PE Co-ordinator Mr A. P. Dymond, BA, MA, London History Mrs L. D. Earnshaw, MA Oxon Head of Mathematics, Outreach Co-ordinator Mr T. J. Elton, MMath Oxon Deputy Head of Mathematics Mrs A. J. Eyres, BA Oxon Junior School

Mr D. L. S. Hodgkinson, MA Oxon, MLitt Dublin Classics

Mr M. Penton, BA Exeter Surmaster, Head of 3rd Form, PE

Dr C. Howell, BA, MA, DPhil Oxon Senior School Learning Support Co-ordinator, History

Dr J. C. Petersen, BSc Western Australia, PhD Simon Fraser Physics

Mr T. P. Hunter, BA Manchester School of Art Art Mr J. O. Jefferson-Loveday, BSc Soton Geography Mrs C. J. Kelly-Eldridge, BMus Belfast, MA Oxford Brookes Junior School Mrs A. C. S. Kenyon, MA Cantab Teacher Training Tutor, Deputy Co-ordinator of CSO, Classics Dr A. I. Kostyanovsky, BA Moscow, PhD Manchester Deputy Head of Sixth Form (Waynflete Studies), Theology Mrs C. A. Lewis, MA, MEng Cantab Mathematics Mr P. J. McDonald, MA Oxon Director of Higher Education, Internships Co-ordinator, Classics

Miss J. P. A. Pick, BSc Bristol Head of Economics Miss L. W. K. Pinching, BA Oxon English, Charities Co-ordinator Mr J. F. Place, BA Hull Chess Mr A. J. Pott, BA Oxon Tutor to the Choristers Mr T. D. Quayle, MA Cantab, MSt Oxon Head of L6th Form, Deputy Head of English Mr G. T. H. Quiney, BA Newcastle Art Mr C. J. Reid, BSc Dunelm, MLitt St Andrews, MSc Oxon Physics Miss K. J. Rooney, BSc Dundee Head of Lower Sixth, Biology Mrs H. J. Rutter, BA Boston, BA Oxford Brookes Art

Mr B. J. Ford, BSc Leeds PE and Games

Mrs M. D. McDonough, MA Oxon, MSt London Junior School Librarian, Outreach Co-ordinator

Mr P. M. Ryan, MA Oxon Mathematics, Staff Editor, The Lily

Sra M-J. Gago, BA Madrid Head of Spanish

Mrs L. E. Mehrabian, BA Wales, MA Nottingham EAL Co-ordinator

Mr M. A. Gardner, MA Dunelm Mathematics

Miss N. M. Moloney, BA Dunelm Head of Junior School Music

Miss S. Shortland, BMus London Head of Upper Sixth, Assistant Director of Music

Mrs J. L. Gladstone, MA Cantab Head of Biology

Mrs L. A. Moylan, BA Exeter Spanish, French

Dr M. P. H. V. Habsburg, MA, MLitt, PhD St Andrews Head of History

Mr C. E. Newbury, BA Brighton Junior School Director of Studies, History

Mr C. E. Hack, MA Cantab Head of Physics

Srta A. Nogales Torres, BA Salamanca, MA Granada, MA Valencia Spanish

Mrs D. Hackett, BEng London Junior School

Dr J. J. Older, BSc, PhD UAE Head of Chemistry

Dr R. K. Hamer, BA Cantab, DPhil Oxon Biology

Mr J. C. P. Otley, BA, MA Courtauld Institute Head of Art

Miss E. S. Haynes, BA London, MPhil Oxon Classics

Mr S. Pahl, BSc Brunel Contingent Commander CCF, Head of DofE, Games

Ms A. Hayton, BA London, MPhil Cantab History, Politics Mr R. A. Hemingway, BA Oxon Head of Lower School, History Mrs S. Herrmann-Sinai, MA Leipzig German Ms G. E. Hildick-Smith, MA Oxon English Mrs H. C. Hinze, BA Exeter, MA SOAS English Mr N. J. Hinze, BA Cantab Chemistry Mr W. H. Hlaing, BSc UWE Design Technology

Dr J. K. Panton, MSc Oxon, MPhil London, DPhil Oxon Head of U6th Form, Head of Politics, Philosophy Mrs S. L. Panzer, BA Oxon Head of Rowing, Mathematics

Mr A. J. Scriven Cricket

Mr A. C. Shouler, MA, MSt Cantab Head of English Dr P. A. Shrimpton, MA Oxon, MEd, PhD London Mathematics Mr T. E. Skipwith, BSc Edinburgh Head of Junior School, Deputy Safeguarding Officer Miss K. M Smith, BSc Birmingham Head of Girls’ Sport, Head of Tennis, PE, Games Mr P. D. Smith, MA Cantab, LTCL Music Mrs J. A. Soave, BA Edinburgh Junior School Learning Support Co-ordinator Mr T. S. Sobey, MMath Bath Mathematics Mr S. A. Spowart, BA Oxon Master of Boats

Mr T. J. Parker, MA Oxon Chemistry

Mrs H. R. Stammers, BA Oxon Theology

Mrs H. C. Parry, BSc Sussex Outreach Co-ordinator, Chemistry

Mrs B. C. Stanworth, BA Oxon Geography

Dr C. G. Pearson, BSc Keele, DPhil Oxon Head of Sixth Form, Biology, Deputy Safeguarding Officer

Mrs E. Stapleton, BHum RIHE London Deputy Head of Junior School

Senior Common Room Mr L. A. Stone, BEd Wollongong, MSc Portsmouth Head of Hockey, PE, Games Mrs J. A. Taylor, BSc London Geography Mr J. P. Terry, BA Exeter, MSt Oxon Head of Junior School English Mr A. D. Thomas, MA Cantab Head of Drama, History Dr B. P. Thurston, MA, MSt, DPhil Oxon Head of Modern Languages and German Mrs C. G. Thurston, MA Sorbonne French Mr D. Tuck, BSc Edinburgh Tennis Professional

Srta C. Doncel Arauzo, BA, MA Madrid, MA La Rioja Spanish Assistant

Miss E. Mantle, BMus Cardiff, MA Trinity College of Music Singing

Ms R. J. Heddle, BA Oxon Library Assistant

Mr F. T. Hargreaves, BA Swansea Teaching Assistant, Junior School

Mr D. C. McNaughton, BA Oxon Trumpet

Mr T. Hitchman Maintenance Assistant

Miss E. C. Lygo Classroom Assistant, Junior School

Miss V. Murby, BA London, ARCM, DipRCM Viola

Mr G. Holloway Head Caretaker

Mme F. Maw, MA Chambéry, CAPES French Assistant

Miss M. Nasidlak, MA Krakow Academy of Music Piano

Mrs C. G. Thurston, MA Sorbonne Teaching Assistant, Junior School

Mr J. R. Newell, BA Dunelm, MA Surrey, ARCO (Chm), LTCL, Hon FCSM, FISM, FRSA Organ

TECHNICIANS

Mrs O. Payne, BMus, MMus, Dip RCM Piano

Mrs C. J. Charles, BSc Reading Physics Ms J. F. Ham Science

Mr T. Payne, BMus, MMus Clarinet Mr M. Pickett, BA Bristol Piano

Mr J. P. Unwin, BA Dunelm Head of Philosophy, Head of Sailing

Mrs M. T. Hernando, BSc, MEd Leon, MSc Complutense Physics and Chemistry

Mr T. J. M. Vallance, MA Cantab Classics, Trips Co-ordinator

Mr T. O. Rust, BSc Oxford Brookes Chemistry

Mrs J. M. H. Wade, BA London Junior School

Mrs V. Pasqualitto Chemistry

Ms S. C. West, BMus Birmingham Harp, Theory

Mr P. S. Walter, MSc Jagiellonian, MPhil Cantab Head of Computing, Mathematics

Mrs A. Soord Biology

Mr O. Weston, BA Leeds Saxophone

Mr W. L. Sumner, Dip HE Leeds Biology

Dr J. P. Whitworth, MA, DPhil Oxon Guitar

Mr A. G. Watts, BSc Brunel Director of Sport, PE, Games Mrs F. O. White, MA Oxon Biology Mr T. R. Williams, BA Curtin Hockey Professional Mrs C. E. Winstone, BA (Ed) Exeter Junior School WAYNFLETE ACADEMICS Miss I. P. Beaudoin, BA Durham, MPhil Cantab History

Mr S. H. Hawkins, BA Italia Conti Director in Residence Mr D. O’Keefe, BA Oxon Senior School LAMDA Mr N. Osmond, BA Mountview LAMDA Ms K. Walsh, BA Birmingham Resident Producer

Dr R. Griffin, BA, DPhil Oxon Academic Adviser, History

Miss M. Ackrill, BA Soton, LRAM Flute Miss K. Bailey, BA Oxon, ARCM Violin

Ms S. H. Llewellyn, MA St Andrews Geography

Dr E. M. Baird, BSc, PhD Newcastle, MSc Oxford Brookes, TQ Saxophone

Mr F. K. R. MacDiarmid, BA Oxon Theology, Sport

Miss A. Bendy, LTCL, Dip Mus Ed Guitar

Mr D. R. Matthews, BSc Royal Holloway Junior School Sport

Mr V. Bijelovic, BMus, MMus RAM, LRAM Piano

Dr B. J. McMahon, BA, DPhil Oxon, MA Essex English

Miss E. H. Churcher, MA Cantab, LRSM Piano

Miss S. Milanovic, BSc Bolzano, MSc Vienna, MSc Brno Physics

Mr A. Cole, BMus RCM, PG Dip Trombone, Tuba

Mr S. C. O’Brien, MChem Oxon Chemistry

Ms J. Cooper, BMus TCM, MA RAM Bassoon

Dr E. Oliver, BA London, MA, PhD Birmingham German

Mr S. Cutting, BA West Sussex Inst, ARCM Trumpet

Mr C. J. Quinn, MA Oxon French

Mr A. C. Darbyshire, GRSM, Dip RCM Oboe

Miss I. K. Rose, BA Oxon Music Mr J. A. Saladino, MA Columbia, MA Biola Philosophy Mr M. J. Schofield, BA Oxon, MA York Politics

Mr P. B. Davidson, BA Middlesex Drumkit

Mrs S. M. King, RGN Senior Matron Mrs J. A. Linzey, Cert Ed London School Administrator Mr P. D. C. Lowe Catering Manager Mrs B. L. Mallett, MA Cantab Registrar Mrs L. A. McCormack, BA Skidmore College, MA Liverpool Archivist Dr E. C. McKenzie-Edwards, BSc, MBBS London Medical Admissions Advisor Mrs J. Merrill SCR/Reprographic Assistant

SUPPORT STAFF

Mr D. Minns Maintenance and Operations Manager

Mrs E. Adams, BDS London Supervisor to Choristers Miss L. M. Agren, BA Oulu, MA Oxon Head Librarian Mrs S. J. Baker, MA Cantab Director of the Waynflete Office Ms P. A. F. Barnes, Dip Couns (Accred), Dip Couns Sup, UKRC School Counsellor Ms E. Bolton, BA Kent, MSc Soton Assistant Registar Mrs M. C. Brine Sports Administrator Mr H. D. L. Caldwell, MSc London South Bank, MBA Oxford Brookes School Surveyor Dr M. C. Castelletti, BA, MMus, PhD Malta OFA Director Miss J. L. Clarke, BA Oxon Web Developer Mrs K. P. Crossley, BA George Mason, MS, MSc Oxon Oral Historian Ms H. K. Dalitz, BA Oxon Assistant to Deputy Head (Academic) Mr W. J. Dallimore Apprentice Groundsman Mr A. J. W. Dance, BA Dunelm Admissions Assistant Mrs S. Day, BA Exeter PA to the Head of the Junior School

Mr T. Dawes, BA Dunelm, MSc Oxon Bass Guitar, Double Bass

Ms N. Dragun, BA Belarus Inst Nat Econ Assistant School Accountant

Miss J. A. Ellis, GRSM, LRAM, MTC, Royal Academy of Music Violin

Mr H. Eltham Groundsman

Mr C. D. Mould Apprentice Groundsman Ms E-J. Muir, RGN Matron Ms S. A. Nicholson, BA Toronto, MBA Aston Senior Development Manager Mrs S. J. Ockwell Junior School Receptionist Mr N. O’Donovan Maintenance Supervisor Dr S. D. Osborne, BSc Nottingham, MSc Oxon, PsychD Roehampton School Counsellor Dr P. Othen, BSc London, DPhil Oxon Director of IT Mrs V. Ovington, BSc, MSc London Marketing Director Mr O. J. N. Perera, BA, LLB Gloucestershire School Staff Instructor Miss V. Ponen, BA Oxford Brookes Payroll Administrator Mrs L. Prior, BA Nottingham, MCIPD HR Director Ms I. Raeburn, MA Oxon Development Manager Mrs M. A. Rouse Payroll Administrator (Maternity Cover) Mr J. Sharkey Groundsman Mrs V. Shen, MA Henan, MBA Oxford Brookes Assistant to Deputy Head (Education Development) Ms S. G. Spreadborough, MA Cantab Arts Festival Administrator Mr T. Stevens Maintenance Assistant

Mr M. S. Fendryk IT/AV Technician

Mrs A. L. Sweeney, BA Bristol Master’s PA

Mrs M. Finnis, MA Courtauld Institute Archivist

Mrs P. R. Telford Bursary Assistant Miss L. J. Thatcher Head Receptionist

Ms J. R. Fleming Examinations Officer

Mr T. D. Thomas Groundsman

Ms A. Foster, BSc Nottingham Trent, MSc Essex Matron

Mrs A. C. Todd, BA Dunelm Compliance Manager, Assistant Exams Officer

Mr G. Hoddinott, BMus Otago Brass

Mr M. Godwin Deputy Head Groundsman

Mrs L. Howarth, BA Cantab, MPerf, MMus London Singing

Mrs C. E. Townsend, BA Sheffield Assistant Registrar

Mrs A. Green, BA Huddersfield Music Administrator

Mr M. Warren IT Operations Manager

Mr M. R. Jones, BA Dunelm, LTCL Piano

Mrs S. A. Greensted Head of Fundraising,

Mr L. J. Weston Groundsman

Mr P. Manhood, ATCL, BTech Shrewsbury Guitar

Mr G. Gregory Maintenance Assistant

Mr K. Fairbairn, AGSM Percussion

Mr F. R. R. Wickham, BA Oxon Music

Mr B. J. Hall, BA Oxon Piano

ASSISTANTS

Miss E. Harré, GRSM, LRAM Double Bass

Miss E. S. Cossade, BA, MA Sorbonne, MSc Oxon French Assistant

Mr P. Jaworski, BPhys Bialystok IT Systems Engineer

Miss G. P. Michail, BA Hertfordshire Receptionist

Mr R. Diaz-Herrera Maintenance Assistant

Dr J. Faultless, BA, DPhil Oxon, MST Horn

Mrs R. H. F. Brennan Teaching Assistant, Junior School

Mrs S. E. Hunter, BTh Oxon Recruitment Officer

Ms D. J. Wyatt, BSc Indiana Violin

Mr B. G. Davies, BMus RAM Singing

Miss L. C. M. Tremlett, BSc Oxford Brookes Junior School Sport

Miss M. L. D. Bonnouvrier, BA, MPhil Nice French Assistant

Mr B. Twyford Drumkit

Mr J. Hall Junior School LAMDA

MUSIC STAFF

Mr B. M. Roberts, MA St Mary’s College, Maryland Biology

Mr E. D. Rooney, BA Exeter Piano

Mr S. J. Wilson, BA Oxon Cello DRAMA STAFF

Sra C. E. García Muñoz, BA Granada, MSt Oxon Spanish

Ms H. Rana, MEng Loughborough Physics

Mr W. Purefoy, BA Oxon Singing

Mrs V. A. Houghton, BA Oxon Junior School Receptionist

Mr G. Harris Groundsman

Mr S. M. Webber Head Groundsman Mrs S. H. Whitehouse, BSc Nottingham SCR Administrator Mrs E. N. Withers Facilities Administrator

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Announcements

Announcements BIRTHS

WEDDINGS

September 2018 – September saw the arrival of Mark Burchett’s daughter Jessica November 2018 – Jake Sharkey, from the Grounds Team, and his wife Julie welcomed Louie into the world November 2018 – Many congratulations to Josie and Gavin Soave, who are delighted to welcome Elena, a sister for the lovely Lily, into the family December 2018 – Ben Cole and his wife Katherine are happy to announce the arrival of Lucia Philippa Jean – many congratulations February 2018 – an MCS hat-trick: congratulations to Oliver and Karla Perera on the birth of their son Ezra; to Jo Gladstone, and husband Sam, who welcome Cara; and trombone teacher Gareth Hoddinott and his wife Cécile, who are delighted to announce the arrival of Hazel

April 2019 – congratulations to Christine Kelly-Eldridge, who gave birth to Isla Joanie over the Easter holidays. Isla came in at a healthy 7lb 7oz. Christine says ‘Liz and I are delighted with our little bundle of joy and motherhood is treating us very well indeed’

October 2018 – congratulations to Kirsty Rooney, who married Will in Michaelmas half term (5)

June 2019 – Ben and Gemma Ford are happy to announce the arrival of Daisy

Summer 2019 – Jo Pick married Rohan (7), Ed Dupee married Beth (4) and Niki Moloney married Alex (6)

Summer 2019 – over the summer holidays, MCS had three new arrivals: Emma Denhart’s Oscar (2), Jane Taylor welcomed the lovely Alice (3), and Seth Osbourne’s wife Piper safely delivered Romilly (1).

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March 2019 – archivist Meg Finnis is delighted to announce the arrival of Claire Marie Elizabeth, weighing in at 6lb 6oz

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April 2019 – Val Pasqualitto, science department guru, had a lovely wedding over Easter

Summer 2019 – Alan Awcock is now happily engaged to Alice

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Announcements

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OTHER Tom Hunter has produced a wonderful portrait of our erstwhile and much beloved master Tim Hands, now in pride of place in the dining hall

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Thom Sobey completed a marathon with a smashing 3:29:17 time, raising lots of money for the Oxford Children’s Hospital Ben White completed a charity abseil, raising over £1,000 for charity. He writes ‘the views from the top were stunning, but all too soon it was time to descend. Thank you to everyone who sponsored me, it really did help with the confidence to climb over the parapet, lean backwards and head for firm, horizontal ground’ Congratulations to David Bebbington on the publication of Goodbye Shirley: The Wartime Letters of an Oxford Schoolboy, 1939-47. Michael Hickey’s schoolboy letters paint a previously unseen picture of Oxford during and immediately after the Second World War. Interwoven with local newspaper headlines, the letters chronicle carefree days of sport, music, and cinema; balmy summers and harsh winters, all with the constant backdrop of the war and the resulting militarisation of the city. The book charts Michael’s youth and his awkward but sometimes hilarious steps from childhood into adulthood. Unknowingly, when Michael wrote these letters, he was creating a unique record of Oxford during the war and of his own transformation from a young chorister, Shirley, into a confident and independent young man, Michael. Goodbye Shirley will appeal to readers of all ages and will warm the heart of anyone remotely interested in schoolboy antics, the 1940s, the Second World War, Oxford, and social history.

Chris Otley has had one of his etchings selected for this year’s Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition Brass teacher Simon Baker valiantly completed a half ironman – a wonderful achievement 167

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on, and an infinite supply of tea. And I presume according to tradition I get the Bible as well? I’d want that: it’s a great read.

thrilled to be joining MCS to begin the Waynflete Teaching Certificate course. I can’t wait to get started.

What is the most thought-provoking thing someone has said to you?

If you were stuck on a desert island what three things would you bring?

Theology, Philosophy, and RS lend themselves well to thought-provoking things, so there’s lots to choose from. But something a Year 7 pupil said to me once sticks in my mind. When I told them I was leaving my old school at the end of the year, they said ‘good!’ That provoked a fair few thoughts.

What is the best excuse for late prep you’ve ever heard/given?

I don’t know about late prep, but I heard a great one for being late to school once: ‘sorry sir, but the electric gates got stuck so my mum couldn’t get her car out’.

TOM BLACKBURN THEOLOGY I grew up in rural South Wales, near Brecon (of ‘Brecon Beacons? I’ve been there for DofE and got really wet’ fame).

I got hooked on Philosophy of Religion at school, and went on to study Philosophy and Theology at Oriel College, Oxford (where I also helped run the music society) and then went on to do a research master’s degree in Philosophy at UCL. Because UCL is known as the ‘godless college on Gower Street’, there wasn’t much Philosophy of Religion going down there, so I went into teaching to pursue my love of this area. In my spare time I love to write and perform music, particularly acoustic folk, and also Beatles covers. I also like to go on cycling tours, and have travelled all over the UK on two wheels, for example from John o’Groats to Land’s End, and around the Scottish highlands and islands.

Oxfordshire is my favourite place in the world and I’m excited to come to MCS. I’m looking forward to all the academic excitement and opportunity that this new challenge will bring.

If you got stuck on a desert island what three things would you bring?

If I were stuck on a desert island, I’d make sure I had a decent acoustic guitar, a good pair of hiking boots to explore the island 168

A rugby ball, my Kindle, and a Rubik’s cube – not incredibly practical items to have on the island but at least I’d have a good time!

What does moving to MCS mean to you?

I’m extremely excited to move to MCS. This will be my first time teaching and I feel very lucky to have that start at such a prestigious and welcoming school.

“I am very happy to be back in Oxford and have really enjoyed starting at MCS.” Emily Gray, English

HENRY FOLDS PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY I was educated at Bedford Modern School, where I was inspired to pursue a career in science. After finishing school, I followed in my older brother’s footsteps and attended Grey College, Durham, where I studied Natural Sciences (Physics and Chemistry).

Alongside my degree, I took part in a wide variety of sports and activities, including rugby, tennis, darts (if you can count that as a sport!), and voluntary tutoring. After graduating, I was fortunate enough to be elected to the position of Junior Common Room President, where I helped improve the student experience in the college and helped the college reach its charitable aims. I enjoy travelling to new places, and before joining in September I backpacked across South East Asia. I’m

EMILY GRAY ENGLISH Having grown up in South Wales, I went to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, to read English. While there, I loved studying Italian literature and the links between art and literature, and so I did an MA at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London in fifth-century Italian art. Five years later I completed my PhD there and at the British Museum on fifth-century prints,

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“I’m thrilled to be joining MCS to begin the Waynflete Teaching Certificate course” Henry Folds, Physics and Chemistry realising by the end that I much preferred teaching to being locked away in a library.

I briefly taught at Westminster School before becoming Head of History of Art at Tudor Hall School in Banbury, and for the last four years I have taught English at Caterham School in Surrey. In my spare time I love being in the mountains, playing hockey, running and adventure, as well as reading, art and going to the theatre, of course. I am very happy to be back in Oxford and have really enjoyed starting at MCS.

at Corpus Christi College. During my DPhil, when I wasn’t playing the violin or conducting various orchestras, I carried out experiments on multiferroic materials at the Diamond Light Source at Harwell, and also spent time at the Institut LaueLangevin in Grenoble. At least someone must have liked my results as I was lucky enough to be awarded a senior scholarship at Corpus and a prize for my finished thesis. I also had my first taste of teaching, tutoring lots of brilliant students from a number of different colleges.

If you were stuck on a desert island what three things would you bring?

After finishing my DPhil, I wanted a fresh challenge, so I spent the next few years training to be a patent attorney at a London firm. This suited my inner tech geek down to the ground, and I worked on a number of fascinating inventions in the fields of electronics, engineering, and software, as well as travelling across Europe to represent our clients in various patent cases. I began to realise that the part of the job I enjoyed most was explaining these inventions to others, and I was also missing my tutorial teaching from Oxford. I therefore applied for a school teaching position, which was mainly Mathematics with a smattering of Physics, at North London Collegiate School. I had a wonderful time there and progressed to second in department, and I am now thrilled to have the opportunity to head up the thriving Mathematics department at MCS.

Diving equipment, extensive supply of pens and paper to draw and write, and climbing shoes.

What is your best childhood memory?

Going with my dad to the Oval cricket ground to watch Graham Gooch playing against India in 1990.

ALEXANDER HEARMON MATHS I attended school in Aylesbury, where I had wonderful Mathematics and Physics teachers. Inspired to go on to study the physical sciences, I took my undergraduate degree in Physics at Worcester College, Oxford, and liked it so much I stayed for a DPhil in Condensed Matter Physics

“I am now thrilled to have the opportunity to head up the thriving Mathematics department at MCS” Alexander Hearmon, Maths

What new book/TV series are you really enjoying right now?

It’s not exactly new but I’m really enjoying reading Galileo’s Finger by Peter Atkins at the moment: a wonderfully broad and interconnected tour of the most important ideas in Mathematics and the sciences.

If you were stuck on a desert island what three things would you bring?

A piano, a music player containing the complete works of Dmitri Shostakovich, and an infinite supply of tea.

DAVE ISANSKI MATHS I grew up not far from Oxford, in Witney.

In Sixth Form I volunteered to teach Maths to special needs pupils. I really loved doing this and so, at the age of 16, I decided I wanted to become a Maths teacher. At the University of York, I read Mathematics with Statistics then, after graduation, completed my PGCE at Oxford. Such was my affection for the north, I moved back up to York for the first three years of my teaching career.

After that, I decided I wanted to be closer to family, so I came down south and have since taught in several Buckinghamshire grammar schools. I love music, fast cars, 169

Salvete and fun holidays abroad. The trip of my life was in 2015 when my best friend and I hired a bright red Ford Mustang then drove from Santa Monica to Chicago along Route 66. The experience was exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure. A longstanding ambition of mine is to learn how to fix cars then buy an old Camaro or Corvette to work on as a hobby. I am really looking forward to getting back to Oxford and enjoying all the great things the city has to offer.

If you got stuck on a desert island what three things would you bring?

My cowboy hat, a diary, and a copy of Lord of the Flies.

What does moving to Magdalen mean to you?

I am very much looking forward to teaching excitingly intelligent and highlymotivated students. It will be an honour to be part of such a prestigious organisation and I will endeavour to make the school experience for students even better than it already is.

What is the most thought-provoking thing someone has said to you?

‘You’re not the first and you won’t be the last.’ This is a common saying, but I like it because it reminds you that whatever it is you are dealing with, countless others have done so too. It is both humbling and comforting to know that our individual struggles are all part of human existence.

College as an undergraduate, staying on to complete a master’s with a specialism in logic and number theory. Since then I have spent a couple of years teaching at very different schools in London and North Wales. I look forward to moving back to Oxford, the city that I now think of as home, for the opportunity to teach in such a fantastic school. Outside teaching, I am an amateur bluegrass musician and keen mandolinist; I am also passionate about the Welsh language, and I greatly enjoyed taking part in this year’s Eisteddfod Genedlaethol in Llanrwst.

What new book series are you really enjoying right now?

Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe’s harrowing account of the disappearance and murder of Jean McConville in 1970s Belfast.

“I look forward to moving back to Oxford, the city that I now think of as home, for the opportunity to teach in such a fantastic school” Ben Jarvis, Maths

If you were stuck on a desert island what three things would you bring?

My two cats and my mandolin.

What does moving to Magdalen mean to you?

The chance to teach the subject I love the most in a thriving academic community at the centre of the city I love the most.

What is your best childhood memory?

Christmas 1996: I got my first guitar.

produce PlayStation 2 games. After four years, I moved to Goldman Sachs, writing software to assist traders and strategists. I then decided to make a complete change and learned to design and make furniture, and began to run my own business. While I loved the designing and the making, I missed working directly with people everyday. In the back of my mind, during my whole career, I was repeatedly drawn to the idea of teaching, and decided to hone my maths by taking a Mathematics degree with the Open University in my spare time. Having finished that, I studied for a PGCE and began my teaching career in Newbury. In my spare time I knit and sew, and occasionally remember to practise the piano.

What new book/TV series are you really enjoying right now?

BRYONY KING MATHS

BEN JARVIS MATHS After growing up in London, I first came to Oxford to study Mathematics at Keble 170

I grew up in Kent and then went to university to read Engineering and Computer Science at Jesus College, Oxford. I thought I would love the union of mathematics and real life, but actually it was the pure maths and computing topics that I was particularly drawn to. I loved writing code, so a career in computer programming was a natural next step. I worked for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, building applications that helped

A TV series I’ve been particularly enjoying recently is Elementary, a reworking of the Sherlock Holmes and Watson characters in modern day New York. Jonny Lee Miller is a superb actor.

What is the most thought-provoking thing someone has said to you?

The most recent thought provoking words that spring to mind come from Derren Brown’s book about happiness: ‘Under our control are our thoughts and actions.

Not under our control is everything else, including fame, power, the behaviour and thoughts of other people, our property, and our reputation.’

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What is the most thought-provoking thing someone has said to you?

‘Open all the windows.’

What is your best childhood memory?

HUGO MACKLIN HISTORY I was born in Japan (six weeks early, in fact, as a result of which I spent the first part of my life in a cardboard box with lots of tubes sticking into it) and then lived in France from the age of four. The experience of a bilingual and bicultural education at the Lycée International in Saint Germainen-Laye was fantastic, even though it had amusing unexpected consequences: I met Hugh Dennis during my first term at university without having the foggiest idea who he was, having never watched British TV, much to the bemusement of my star-struck friends (I even asked him ‘what do you do for work?’). Studying at Cambridge was great fun and very demanding, both in large part because I divided my time not-quite-equally between the History Faculty library and the college boat house! I have had the good fortune to travel widely, including trips around China and Vietnam. This summer, I cycled from Ljubljana to Dunkirk on a Brexit-beating, history-inspired traverse of Europe. In my spare time I enjoy reading, running, and wild swimming. I came to teaching after experimenting disastrously with recruitment and sales for a software start-up. I enjoyed two happy years at Tonbridge School in Kent and one year at NLCS in Edgware. The prospect of working at MCS is a hugely exciting one, and I look forward to getting to know as many members of the school community as possible in the years to come.

If you were stuck on a desert island, what three things would you bring?

A penknife, a box of matches, and a good book. I wouldn’t want rescuing, but a floating mobile library would be very welcome.

What does moving to MCS mean to you?

The opportunity to teach, and learn

Canoeing for ten days through Algonquin National Park, in Canada, with my parents and sister.

What new book/TV series are you really enjoying right now?

I have just finished And Now We Shall Be Entirely Free by Andrew Miller (good book, terrible title).

It was here that I realised how much I would enjoy teaching, so I swapped sides and went to Cambridge for my PGCE, and have since been living the dream by educating for a living. I have spent the last few years as Director of Music and Assistant Housemaster at Epsom College in Malaysia, where I had the pleasure of exploring large parts of Asia during the term breaks and learning a great deal by being immersed in another way of life. It is a real privilege to now be moving back to a city that places such a high value on the creative arts, and I am incredibly excited to be working in a very active department with highly able pupils.

If you were stuck on a desert island what three things would you bring?

My violin, a water purifier, and a head torch. Disappointingly practical apart from the violin. Maybe I should bring a viola instead for more kindling?

What does moving to Magdalen mean to you?

I am incredibly excited at the prospect of working with highly able students and delighted to be returning to Oxford to make the beautiful city my home. So all in all, a great deal!

What is the most thought-provoking thing someone has said to you?

JOHN MANN MUSIC I grew up in Canterbury, where I was immensely fortunate to be exposed to a wide variety of music. I was a chorister at the Cathedral and, later, pursued an interest in composition at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Knowing I wanted to take music further, I spent a year in Madrid studying the violin and working in a bar as a jazz pianist (as a means of appeasing my bank balance) before attending New College, Oxford, for my undergraduate degree.

When deciding to go into teaching, a former teacher of mine gave me a mock interview and asked whether I consider myself principally a teacher or a musician.

It really tied me in knots as both are incredibly important features of my life, but ultimately the thing I enjoy most is interacting with people, so I settled on teacher (though on balance, the only thing I could ever imagine teaching is music, so it’s a bit chicken and egg really...).

What new TV series are you really enjoying right now?

I was recently introduced to Modern Family by a friend and really enjoy the stereotypes that it plays on. It also manages to be poignant on occasion without being too crass.

“It is a real privilege to now be moving back to a city that places such a high value on the creative arts” John Mann, Music 171

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and languages. I spent many years teaching in Buckinghamshire and have worked over the last three years at Bloxham School.

Outside the classroom, I enjoy walking and trekking, reading, travelling, history, and art. I am also passionate about nature and conservation.

What does moving to Magdalen mean to you?

What is your best childhood memory?

A notebook, fountain pen, and The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World (hardback). Big enough to use as a shelter, hard enough to protect against any dangerous animals!

Moving to Magdalen is a return to a place that means a great deal to me – like coming home!

NICK MARSHALL GEOGRAPHY This September I will have my third ‘first day of school’ at MCS. As a pupil, a Waynflete Intern, and now in the Geography department, I have a great affection for the school and am thoroughly looking forward to rejoining the MCS community. I left one ancient university town for another, to read Geography at Trinity College, Cambridge, before spending a few years back in the ‘City of Dreaming Spires’, working as a graduate teaching assistant. Seeking pastures new, I moved to one of the most geographically isolated cities in the world – Perth, Western Australia – to play rugby and try my hand at a variety of industries, including planting thousands of tree saplings every day on former mine sites. I returned to the UK to complete my PGCE at the Institute of Education in London, and have since been working for a large multi-academy trust in Crystal Palace, south-east London.

I am very excited to be to returning to a remarkable school and a wonderful city.

“This September I will have my third ‘first day of school’ at MCS. As a pupil, a Waynflete Intern, and now in the Geography department.”

Nick Marshall, Geography

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What is your best childhood memory?

Some of the very best are playing for the First XV on the first few Saturdays of Michaelmas term on school field – a special place to play rugby.

What new book are you really enjoying right now?

My first school skiing trip, aged eight. I fell more times than I can count but I earned my first skiing star.

What new book are you really enjoying right now?

After the stimulating read of Sapiens: a brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, I am currently reading another title by the same author: Homo Deus: a Brief History of Tomorrow, which attempts to present where mankind is heading.

Factfulness by Hans Rosling. It is an antidote to much of the negativity today.

The world is better than you think!

MATTHEW RIGBY PHYSICS KARINE MATHA FRENCH I grew up in Languedoc, in southern France, and attended the local secondary school, where my passion for foreign languages burgeoned. I guess that I enjoyed the intellectual challenge of learning other languages but also the wind of adventure it promised while I grew up among peaceful vineyards. I headed off to the Université Paul Valéry in Montpellier to study Linguistics alongside English Literature. I spent many happy years in Montpellier, with breaks in England to perfect my English and pursue research on Jane Austen. My time was becoming more and more divided between France and England, and I finally enrolled at Kingston University to pursue a career in education

Initially educated in the north west, I came to Oxford to study Physics at Exeter College. I must have liked something about it because I then committed to another three years of study in the Atmospheric Physics Department at the university, eventually gaining my DPhil.

I then moved north to Manchester to take up a job as a pensions consultant, specialising in writing the software to administer schemes. In the end, the lure of teaching proved too great and I soon found myself at Bradfield, then MCS for my first stint, and most recently at St Edward’s. As a returning teacher I have the privilege of having another go at this place and I hope I haven’t repeated myself too much. Since I’ve been away not much has changed (aside from marriage to my lovely wife Becca!). I still enjoy following

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“I read English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and did an MA in Text and Performance at Birkbeck and RADA.” Eleanor Warr, Drama and taking part in sport, particularly golf, football, skiing, and cycling. Increasingly I seem to find myself embroiled in DIY in our little cottage, but learning new skills and facing different challenges is always good fun. I look forward to rejoining the Physics department and renewing old friendships at MCS.

If you were stuck on a desert island what three things would you bring?

Dire Straits’ album Brothers in Arms (a classic), Newton’s cradle, and a pitching wedge

What new TV series are you really enjoying right now?

It’s not a new thing, but I enjoy The Repair Shop when I get a chance to sit down and watch it. I like fixing old stuff myself, so it gives me some inspiration and shows quite a nice contrast with the ‘throw-away’ society it’s often claimed we live in.

“The lure of teaching proved too great and I soon found myself at Bradfield, then MCS for my first stint” Matthew Rigby, Physics

EVE SUN MANDARIN I have been working in the education field for more than ten years, teaching students in mainland China, Hong Kong, and the UK from kindergarten to university. I started my teaching career in a primary school in Hong Kong. After being registered as a secondary school teacher in the UK, I taught Chinese across different British schools and wrote school-based Chinese curriculums. At the same time, I worked as a moderator for CIE. After receiving a master’s degree from Oxford University, I returned to China to teach at Soochow University.

At that time, my main responsibility was the ‘second language acquisition’ module and teacher training. In 2014, I went back to Shanghai, my hometown, to teach in Dulwich College Shanghai. This lasted for three and half years. During that time, I taught IGCSE and IB exam classes and was involved in writing ‘I Can’ courses. Then, I worked with Dipont Education to write integrated curriculum, provide teacher training and support the foundation of two K-12 international schools for the last two years. In my spare time, I like playing instruments very much. I’ve learned different western and Chinese traditional instruments such as piano, violin, guitar, ukulele, zheng, and gu qin. I also enjoy travelling to different countries and exploring their history and culture.

ELEANOR WARR DRAMA I was born in London and my family moved abroad when I was a baby. We came back to the UK when I was six and I went to the primary school on the other side of the green in our village. I began my secondary education at a girls’ grammar school in Tonbridge, then boarded at the King’s School, Canterbury. King’s is similar to MCS – a beautiful setting and an arts week in the summer term, with lots of music and theatre performances. I read English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and did an MA in Text and Performance at Birkbeck and RADA. When I’m not making theatre, I work as a temp, a tutor and an usher at the Unicorn Theatre. I’m also the Theatre and Performance Editor at It’s Freezing in LA!, an independent magazine about climate change.

If you got stuck on a desert island what three things would you bring?

A tool box, assorted duplo, and a lifelong Audible subscription.

What is your best childhood memory?

My family lived in Portugal when I was little, so the sight of the sea from my bedroom window.

What new TV series are you really enjoying right now?

Sally Wainwright’s Gentleman Jack, particularly the Fleabag-esque asides/looks to camera.

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TOM WILLIAMS ENGLISH

GIORDAN PRICE MUSIC

DAVID BEALE BIOLOGY

If you got stuck on a desert island what three things would you bring?

‘It may not be true, but it’s useful.’

Having lived most of my childhood in the bleak prospects of Newport in South Wales, a disclosure usually followed by hisses or gasps, I seem to have battled against the odds to get where I am now.

After becoming a Chorister at St Woolos Cathedral (perhaps the most dangerous profession since the closure of Big Pit), my life was consumed by music; singing, playing percussion, and even drum kit much to the joy of my parents. I received my education at St Joseph’s RC High School, and was elated in January 2015 to receive an offer from Somerville College, Oxford, to study Music. Since then, as most undergraduates admit, I decided that at least one more year of the sought-after student lifestyle was needed, this time with a change of scenery, so I studied for an MA in Musicology at Bristol University.

Now safely back in Oxford, I regularly enjoy singing in the local college chapels, and at St Michael at the North Gate on Sunday mornings, with the occasional opportunity to play percussion for one of the various orchestras of Oxfordshire. As a proud Welshman, I fulfil all the typical stereotypes, being blissfully patriotic, and love nothing more than getting overly excited and optimistic over Wales’s Rugby World Cup chances - Champions this year?

What is the best excuse for late prep you’ve ever heard/given?

If you got stuck on a desert island what three things would you bring?

What is the best excuse for late prep you’ve ever heard/given?

I was born and raised in a small rural village in Wales. I attended a local comprehensive school and then, after my A Levels, was sent across the Severn Bridge to read English at Oxford. I decided to stick around there for a master’s in Literature (1900 – present day). When that finished, I beat a hasty retreat back across the River Severn and settled in Swansea, where I learned to teach. I’ve taught in an inner-city Cardiff comprehensive, a church school in the heart of the rural Welsh valleys, and, most recently, I’ve spent three years at the Stephen Perse Foundation in Cambridge.

I’m excited to add Magdalen to this eclectic roster of schools and it’s good to be back in this part of the world, where the land isn’t so flat. Outside the classroom, I follow baseball (particularly the Boston Red Sox) and I like to spend the holidays driving around the north of Wales.

If you got stuck on a desert island, what three things would you bring?

The complete novels of Saul Bellow, the complete records of Bruce Springsteen, and something to play them on.

What is the most thought-provoking thing someone has said to you?

‘I went out to get a Calippo and one thing led to another.’

Headphones, a battery-powered CD player, and Claudio Abbado’s recording of Mahler’s Second Symphony in C Minor what else do you need?

What new book/ tv series are you really enjoying right now?

Channel 4 - Snack Master

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My wife, my kids, and my dog

What does moving to Magdalen mean to you?

I was lucky enough to live in Melbourne between 2005 and my arrival here, and there I worked as a Head of Year and Head of School. Before that I had been a Head of Biology having previously worked for the BBC Natural History Unit (and yes, I did work briefly with Sir David!) I came back to England at the end of 2018. MCS has given me an extraordinary way to resume teaching in England.

What is the most thought-provoking thing someone has said to you?

YES I will!

What is your best childhood memory?

Scoring from a corner kick Collier’s Green Primary versus Kilndown Primary aged 7.

Goal of the century!

What new book/ tv series are you really enjoying right now?

Book: The History of the World in 21 Women. TV Series: Real Housewives of Cheshire

Telephone voice... ‘Sorry, our yacht is stuck in Florida, I am going to be a bit late for the start of Autumn Term due to Hurricane Charley. Internet down can’t send any holiday homework. But I have done it.’

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ANNIE LI PHYSICS I was born in China, and educated there up to the age of 15, when I took an entrance test for an independent school in Carlisle, and was somehow awarded a full scholarship. That September I flew to the UK to begin my A Level studies, and have remained here since. I completed my degree in Natural Sciences at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and now I’m teaching at Magdalen College School, which is a lovely coincidence. I have studied a wide range of sciences as part of my degree, including Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Experimental Psychology, and the history and philosophy of science. And, of course, my favourite subject is Physics, which is why I became a Physics teacher.

Apart from sciences, I am also quite passionate about music and drama. I have heard that MCS produces amazing plays and musicals, and I am absolutely looking forward to enjoying them myself.

JOSIE CUSS BIOLOGY In 2017, I graduated from Queens’ College, Cambridge, with a degree in Preclinical Veterinary Medicine Studies. Although I decided in my second year that I no longer wanted to pursue a career in the veterinary profession, I thoroughly enjoyed the course and my time spent at university, in particular my third year in which I elected to study evolution and development. After graduation (and after working six months to save up the money) I spent three

months in South East Asia. My highlights of the trip included volunteering with the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand and seeing orang-utans, proboscis monkeys, and river dolphins in Borneo. This year I completed my PGCE in my home town of Reading. This means MCS will be my first teaching post as an NQT, and I could not be more excited to move to this incredible city and become a part of this fantastic school. In my spare time, I enjoy going to the gym, as well as running, cycling, walking and generally being outdoors. I also love cooking, baking and crafting (in particular hand-embroidery).

What new book are you really enjoying right now?

Not new, but the novels I read most recently were Doctor Sleep (Stephen King) and Good Omens (Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett). I enjoyed and recommend both!

What are your best childhood memories?

Our holidays to the coast with family friends.

If you got stuck on a desert island, what three things would you bring?

Desalination equipment to produce drinkable water from seawater, my dog (a border collie called Tofu), and a mobile phone with signal (to use when I want to leave the island)

What tv series are you really enjoying right now?

I am currently watching an animated series called Rick and Morty. It is science fiction with lots of references to quantum mechanics such as parallel universe (yes, that is a real physics theory). Season 4 is coming soon and I’ll have more things to do in my spare time!

“MCS has given me an extraordinary way to resume teaching in England.”

David Beale, Biology 175

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of repertoire and enthusiasm for the music allowed him to choose pieces that were of specific historical relevance and suited the group, often arranging the music himself.

He regularly sings with the Cathedral Singers and Ex Cathedra, and I know that this is something he will continue to enjoy in the years to come.

Peter is also an orchestral conductor, as well as an accomplished pianist who has taught piano and accompanied hundreds of pupils in their instrumental exams. The Second Orchestra is the hardest group in the school to conduct, as its members range from keen and enthusiastic younger pupils on their way to First Orchestra to older pupils who may be a bit stuck and watching younger, more talented, pupils overtake them. However, Peter’s purpose, discipline and belief in all pupils helped him to develop the orchestra into a reliable and committed group who learned the skills to be orchestral players.

PETER SMITH MUSIC Peter started teaching here in 1980 under Malcolm Pearce, my predecessor. He was so kind when I arrived and first got to know him in 2007, helping me to settle in and teaching me MCS ways. He is loyal, unjudgmental, wise, meticulous, and has such a strong passion for and knowledge of music. He is also incredibly reliable and dedicated – in fact I think he has only been off school ill once!

Peter has a particular interest in choral music, giving pupils real insight when he takes rehearsals. For many years he conducted the Choral Society and led the worship for numerous school events, including carol services, Commemoration, new pupils’ services, and choral prayers. He has conducted various large-scale choral works in the Sheldonian, encompassing Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Purcell’s King Arthur, and, in his final year as conductor, Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, always carefully choosing music which showcases the pupils and gives them opportunities to shine. Further afield, he has conducted the choir in services and concerts in Italy, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic.

For many years, Peter conducted the Madrigal Society. Each year, his knowledge 176

Away from the Music department, Peter was a committed houseroom tutor for Walker; his care for each pupil was second to none. He demanded high standards from them, and they appreciated this.

He also taught Maths, Divinity, and Handwriting in his early years at MCS. More recently, his organisation came to the fore when he took on the challenge of being Examination Officer, and the team of invigilators appreciated his care and personal contact. Peter’s other passion is cricket. He coached the U15B team for many years, and played for the staff team.

Again, this is a passion he will continue to enjoy in the years to come.

In the classroom, Peter taught many generations. His pupils have a great fondness for him and they all have strong memories of their time with him, especially former Second Formers who remember singing songs like Marching through Georgia, which the older boys often chant when they hear the name Peter Smith.

Peter, many congratulations on 39 amazing years at MCS. On behalf of everyone who has benefited from your work at the school over these years, I would like to say an enormous thank you. You truly are an MCS legend and I hope that you will remain involved with the school community in the years to come.

Jon Cullen

DAVID BARR ENGLISH David Barr came to MCS from Stowe in 2002, swapping the manicured gardens of Capability Brown for the Plain roundabout and the CS building. His earlier career had seen him working in Australia and China and, before teaching, in the Civil Service.

For 17 years, David has been a gently rigorous and calmly inspiring English teacher here at MCS. His patience with and belief in our pupils across the ability range was reinforced last year when one former pupil – who as a boy had struggled greatly with expressing himself, and was one of the weakest in the year – sent David a poem he’d written as part of a university course in Creative Writing, adding that he wouldn’t have been able to do it without David’s help. His inspirational, responsive, but exacting teaching has profited generations of Magdalen boys and, more recently, girls.

For much of his time here, David was Head of Drama. In this role, he made acting and participating in productions accessible to more and more boys, broadening the reach of the department’s work, and introducing more interactive, physical theatre, including contemporary work and adaptations. A memorable production of Lord of the Flies earned particular acclaim, as did his venturing into musicals like Grease, with Jon Cullen. He introduced the Magdalen Shorts competition to involve more pupils in directing and producing their own plays. More recently, he has continued to broaden the cultural horizons of hundreds of pupils via the annual Poetry Recitation Competition, of which he’s been in charge, and through organising countless theatre trips.

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“Peter’s purpose, discipline and belief in all pupils helped him to develop the orchestra into a reliable and committed group.”

Jon Cullen speaking of Peter Smith, Music

“His inspirational, responsive, but exacting teaching has profited generations of Magdalen boys and, more recently, girls.”

Andrew Shouler speaking of David Barr, English

A valued Middle School and Sixth Form tutor, mainly in Chavasse, until he went part-time in 2016, David has also accompanied numerous DofE and Modern Languages trips, and been a wonderful source of conversation and wisdom for all of us in the Senior Common Room. He enters retirement with all our best wishes.

Andrew Shouler

Linda has supported many pupils heading to university to study Maths, spending a huge number of hours discussing the solutions to devilish questions for admissions tests and interviews, and she has also been there for those who find Maths harder, giving her time willingly.

She has led the department by example, truly embodying the principle of an open door policy. She has also been a central part of our Sixth Form admissions, conducting hundreds of interviews over the years.

In addition to everything Linda has done at MCS, she has given a lot of time to outreach projects around Oxfordshire, working with the Further Maths Support Programme and Into University. She set up the MCS Primary Maths Challenge, which has proved to be a very popular event. Linda sees and communicates the fun in Mathematics at all levels, and we are delighted that she will remain connected to the MCS Maths department in an outreach capacity.

LINDA EARNSHAW MATHEMATICS Linda’s email address (learnshaw@ mcsoxford.org) could be pronounced ‘learn sure at MCS Oxford dot org’, and this seems entirely appropriate for someone who has made such a difference to Maths education at MCS and in our wider community. However, Linda has not always been a teacher, moving between finance roles and teaching before finally settling on teaching in 2003 when she joined MCS part time. She became full time in 2004, and took on the role of Head of Department in April 2007.

In her 13 years at the helm, Linda has led the department to consistently amazing results. During her tenure, there have been over 1,000 GCSE A*s.

Linda has an excellent eye for pastoral care; she has been Head of Lower School, tutored Fifth Formers in Chavasse and Walker, and became Housemaster of Maltby in 2013. She has shown exceptional devotion to her tutees, always going the extra mile for them, and giving them just the right blend of gentle support and tough love. Linda has always thrown herself into school life, from Midsummer Mania, to Christmas fairs, to Staff Strictly Come Dancing and end of term assemblies.

She has made a huge difference to so many pupils pastorally and academically, at MCS and in the wider community. There are so many who are so fond of her, and so thankful to her, and we will all miss her greatly. We wish Linda all the very best for what looks to be a very busy retirement!

Ben White

“Linda has made a huge difference to so many pupils pastorally and academically, at MCS and in the wider community.”

Ben White speaking of Linda Earnshaw, Maths

What does MCS mean to you?

A great deal. I’ve been around MCS since 1977 – my husband was a teacher here back then. Between my husband, my son, and myself, we’ve clocked up quite a few years at MCS.

What are you moving on to?

Theoretically, retiring. In practice, picking up a whole load of Maths outreach, including primary schools, helping secondary schools, helping at the Maths Institute for preparation for MAT and STEP, and helping at Imperial.

So you will still be very much a part of the MCS community.

Yes, I’ll be appearing and disappearing probably almost on a daily basis, but I shouldn’t be teaching at MCS.

MCS’ outreach is very strong. How valuable is it to the school?

I think it’s superb for two reasons: wonderful links and help for the community, and also very good links for the school and its personnel. The Maths department has been doing outreach for a number of years anyway, and it has grown and grown. I hope it will continue to do so.

How has it felt to lead the MCS Maths department?

Very entertaining. They are a bunch of very talented mathematicians, as well as good teachers and interesting people to know.

There’s a great sense of fun as well as hard work. All the people who contribute to that make MCS a very nice place to work.

What is the Maltby mindset? What does Maltby mean?

Maltby used to be a laughing stock! It’s only recently that we’ve actually started doing well. I’ve always had the attitude that ‘everybody should always have a go and get stuck in’. That is what’s helped us.

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Valete ANDREW BAKER-MUNTON MODERN LANGUAGES Of all the challenges I have faced this year, the responsibility of summing up Andrew’s 12 years of exceptional service at MCS is surely one of the most daunting, if not wholly impossible.

Andrew is a true polymath. Having seen him at work moderating stacks of erudite and often incomprehensible Waynflete essays over the years, I know that such a description hardly does him justice – the man is actually a genius. Should he choose to become an author in his retirement, he could write the definitive guide to the construction of musical instruments, or the art of lock-picking, or Anglo-Saxon literature, or white-water kayaking, or building a light aircraft, or running a fire brigade. The list goes on.

Yes, the list goes on, but you’ll notice that it doesn’t include spreadsheets. When a brand-new Kyocera TASKalfa 3252ci multifunction printer was installed in the Modern Languages office earlier this year, Andrew did not obviously share the puppyish excitement of his colleagues.

Was he not thrilled at the thought of its intuitive and tablet-like operability, or its semi-automatic closing paper drawers with easy-grip handles? No, I’m sorry to say that his enthusiasm was disappointingly lukewarm. While the rest of us in the Modern Languages department like to imagine that we are at the cutting edge of new technology, Andrew’s relationship with spreadsheets and photocopiers is perhaps best defined as ‘dysfunctional’.

When you or I find ourselves locked out of a spreadsheet or when a paper jam snarls up a print run, we might tut in annoyance

and shrug our shoulders – these things happen. Not Andrew: his first instinct is to give the machine a damn good thrashing, in the manner of Basil Fawlty.

If I say that Andrew is an old-fashioned teacher, I mean that as a genuine compliment. Old-fashioned not in the sense that he stands in the way of change, which he has certainly never done, but oldfashioned in his instinctive understanding of how to inspire a classroom on a rainy afternoon; old-fashioned in his natural sympathy for the young, his innate ability to put himself in their shoes; and oldfashioned in his wisdom, in his knowing that the example we set, the values by which we live, are the things that outlive us, that are remembered most faithfully by our pupils.

Andrew is old-fashioned too in his impatience with educational jargon, so I hope he won’t mind if I finish by evoking ‘the pupil voice’. This was the voice of a particular pupil, overheard by me in the Quincentenary building at the beginning of September. Two Lower Fourth Form boys walked past discussing their new timetables and their teachers. One of them remarked ‘I’ve got Baker-Munton for German. What’s he like?’ ‘Baker-Munton?’ came the reply. ‘Oh, he’s the best Modern Languages teacher ever!’

Andrew, I don’t think I need to add anything else to that remark, other than to say, on behalf of all of us, in the Modern Languages department and across the school: thank you for everything you have done. We wish you a very happy retirement, and shall miss you very much.

Benjamin Thurston

“‘I’ve got Baker-Munton for German.

What’s he like?’ ‘Baker-Munton?’ came the reply. ‘Oh, he’s the best Modern Languages teacher ever!’”

One pupil to another, overheard by Benjamin Thurston

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HANNAH STAMMERS THEOLOGY I first met Hannah when I came up to MCS for an interview about five years ago.

I’d had a pleasant morning, and was feeling confident that this was a place where I could really see myself fitting in. I’d had a tour with a delightful Upper Sixth pupil, I’d muddled my way through Tim Hands’ magic carpet question, and I’d completely fallen for Nick Fraser’s charms. I was ready for a coffee, and gathered with the other candidates at morning break. But any cheerful confidence I’d had until that point quickly dissipated when we each found ourselves being sized up with a piercing glare by a formidable young woman who began to quiz each of us in turn about our interview lessons. I introduced myself to Hannah, and told her I was due to teach a Fifth Form class, briefly describing what I had planned for them. Her eyes just narrowed incredulously, and then she burst out laughing. ‘Good luck!’ she said, ‘You’ll need it’, before making it very clear that I was the only thing standing between her and her 11 a.m. coffee. I must have looked pretty stunned and helpless, because I seem to remember Alexey Kostyanovsky appearing at my side just then and muttering something soothing like ‘oh they’re kittens really’.

First impressions, of course, can be misleading. That Hannah is indeed formidable there is no doubt, and this has been confirmed time and time again over the past five and a half years, as you will shortly hear. Her pupils certainly work hard for her – I haven’t met an MCS leaver taught by Hannah who wouldn’t have crawled over broken glass for her by the end of their A levels. But that drive and determination that she cultivates and nurtures in each of them is born less out of fear and more out of the remarkable combination of awe, affection, and loyalty

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“Hannah’s towering contributions to school life also extend far beyond the Theology department.”

Jamie Carter speaking of Hannah Stammer, Theology that they all hold towards her. They are awestruck by her formidable intellect; they are incredibly fond of her; and, most of all, they trust her implicitly, secure in the knowledge that they have a teacher who works tirelessly for them, who is absolutely secure in her command of even the most minute details of the specification (and more besides), and whose outstanding pastoral instincts mean she always puts their needs first, above all else. We like to think of ourselves in Theology as a warm and cuddly department, and I hope most of our pupils feel the same way; despite what some people may think, this has less to do with cake than it does with Hannah’s extraordinary devotion to each and every one of her pupils.

Hannah’s astonishing intellectual gifts and her tireless capacity for work became quickly apparent to me in my early weeks at MCS. I had taken a potentially rash decision before I’d even joined to move us to a new A level module from that September, and it was one we would have to resource almost entirely from scratch.

With hindsight, it could have been a car crash, and one of the most foolish professional decisions I made, not least because of the amount of work it created for my new colleagues before I’d even set foot in the door. I had little to fear, though. Hannah spent the summer almost single-handedly resourcing the entire module from scratch, and arrived at school in September with a range of sample exam questions and dazzling extension materials for all Upper Sixth pupils. She then set about teaching it with some of the most infectious enthusiasm I have ever seen in a classroom, and the pupils were hooked. It was no surprise when that cohort secured some of the department’s best ever A level results – a whopping 83 per cent A*s – largely thanks to Hannah’s incredible work.

Outstanding exam results have, unsurprisingly, been a consistent aspect

of Hannah’s pedigree during her time at MCS. But so have her many and varied contributions to the department. She is a genuine team player, and her input across all aspects of the new A level course has been invaluable. Her Second Form scheme of work is the stuff of legend, and members of the current Lower Sixth still get dewyeyed as they recall lessons delivering raps about Cain and Abel, or chaotic wholeclass re-enactments of the flood story.

Hannah’s towering contributions to school life also extend far beyond the Theology department. She has been an exceptional Lower School tutor, first in Chavasse and then in Maltby, building excellent relationships with all of her tutees, and handling a wide variety of demanding and eccentric parents with compassion and exemplary professionalism. I know Matt Penton especially appreciated her contributions to the Third Form tutor team, with her previous and highly accomplished work in the Learning Support department lending a valuable insight into the needs of a range of different pupils. Her exacting academic standards have made her a much soughtafter Waynflete supervisor, and she has kept abreast of all the juiciest Lower Sixth gossip while leading several popular CSO groups. She runs a thriving and lively Christian Union, which has flourished under her stewardship as an open and inclusive place where all are welcome and all voices are heard. She was an outstanding Lilium coordinator, working with Anne Cotton to develop and roll out a new programme of external talks and the introduction of timetabled lessons. Anne writes that she was particularly grateful for Hannah’s meticulous, thoughtful, and uncomplaining approach to the rigours of PSHCE, and very much enjoyed working with her, while several other colleagues were keen to draw attention to Hannah’s tactful handling of some of the more sensitive boys in the Middle School during a particularly chaotic sex ed workshop

where they literally wrestled condoms onto bananas with varying degrees of success.

Hannah has been a warm and cheerful presence in the SCR, immensely welcoming to newcomers in particular, an astute devil’s advocate and crossword partner, and a reliable repository of the most delicious gossip. She is also the messiest person I have ever worked with, and I still struggle after five years to reconcile her remarkably systematic mind with the chaos that presently spills over three desks, four shelves, two filing cabinets, and most of the floor in the departmental office. How she finds anything amid that sea of papers, books, shoes, coffee cups, and stuffed animals will forever remain a mystery to me, but she somehow manages to remain the most organised and efficient of colleagues, who has on numerous occasions saved me from some glaring administrative own goals, for which I’m hugely grateful.

We all knew the day would come when Hannah’s immense talents would carry her elsewhere, and so it was no surprise to any of us that, with her exceptional combination of academic excellence and pastoral sensitivity, she was snapped up

by Culford School as their new Head of Philosophy, Religion, and Ethics – and quickly offered the additional role of Chaplain to boot. They knew a good thing when they saw it, and our loss is very much their gain.

Hannah, on behalf of everyone here, thank you for absolutely everything you have done for us. We will miss you, and we wish you, Matt, and Ellie all the very best as you begin this new and exciting chapter of your lives in Suffolk. Stay in touch, and we look forward to plenty more gossip in the months and years ahead.

Jamie Carter

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TOM QUAYLE ENGLISH Tom Quayle’s work at MCS began as a Waynflete intern in 2014; he took on a full-time role the following year. He’s a simply superb English teacher: a brilliant academic, with high expectations of pupils of all abilities, the ability to communicate in ways that are fresh and accessible, and a reflective, innovative, inspiring approach to deciding what to teach and how to teach it. In 2017, Tom was simultaneously promoted to Deputy Head of English and Head of Lower Sixth. He has been a wonderful second in department, overseeing the English Society and the department’s Oxbridge mentoring programme, opening up opportunities in the university and beyond for our Sixth Formers, getting them to read well beyond the A level canon and to question their thinking about literature and much else. He’s been immensely supportive to the whole department; he set up a departmental coaching programme, acted as our in-house teaching and learning guru, and provided wisdom and banana bread to colleagues and pupils with striking frequency. With the Sixth Form, he’s been a model pastoral leader, a tower of support to new Sixth Form girls, and a source of enduring encouragement for those moving up within the school.

Tom has made a huge contribution to MCS sport over the years. From a rugby background, he has turned his hand to football, hockey, cricket, and tennis with energy and ease in his time at MCS. In all these sports, he has always coached with enthusiasm, and drawn the very best from his players. He has done a brilliant job in driving staff football and making sure numbers always stay high. He performed among the most stealthy Ironman preparations the school has ever seen.

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Tom’s energy and commitment are simply staggering. Among other things, in every term he has combined his roles in the department and Sixth Form team with editing The Lily and coaching sport at a high level, as well as accompanying trips to places as varied as the Word War I battlefields with History, to Cheddar Gorge, Bath, and the New Forest with Sport, and to Spain – not to mention rustling up a four-course meal for his colleagues in about 40 minutes on returning from an away tennis fixture, even making the flatbreads from scratch.

And all this and much more without sacrificing any quality, attention to detail, or the care and respect with which he inhabits his roles, and treats his colleagues and, most of all, our pupils. He leaves to become Head of Sixth Form at Winchester College with our very best wishes.

Andrew Shouler

What does MCS mean to you?

A good question. I was doing something different before teaching so it’s my first teaching role and it’s set me on a career as a teacher, so it has definitely changed my life as I think it has probably changed the life of most people that pass through it, whether that’s pupils or staff. So I suppose that’s what it means as an institution.

More practically, I suppose I’ve never had a day where I don’t enjoy coming into MCS – I’m always excited (or at least relatively excited) to get out of bed. I’m lucky, in that lots of people don’t enjoy what they do, but I definitely do.

Where are you moving on to?

I’m moving to Winchester to be head of what they call SixthBook, which is essentially Sixth Form. So a similar role, but quite a different institution. Yeah, it’ll be interesting.

Reuniting with our former Master!

Reuniting with our former Master who’s made some savvy moves in the transfer window. But I think it’ll be very different – it’s basically a seven-days-a-week boarding school, it’s one of the last all boys’ schools, and it’s one of the few schools in the country that’s older than this place! But, it also has a historic connection with Oxford and it prizes academia in the same way that here does. So hopefully it won’t be too much of a culture shock.

Rewind to the start of your MCS experience. What were you expecting and have your expectations been realised?

A very good question. The first lesson I ever taught was my interview lesson for MCS. I was asked to teach King Lear to an Upper Sixth revision class. It was an enormously able year group – we sent a ridiculous number of people to Oxbridge for English. So in a sense it was quite an easy gig talking to people who were interested in a play that was interesting in an interesting way. I’ve said this to a few people: I think teaching is definitely a skill in that you improve over time and the more you watch people, particularly here, the more things you pick up and learn from them. But also I think your enjoyment of it is quite binary – I knew within the first 30 seconds that I loved it.

I think that some people couldn’t think of anything worse than getting up in front of a group of people and being on the spot.

I love it.

So you’ve never found it intimidating?

No I don’t think I have. I’ve always really enjoyed it. We’re all too polite here. I suppose I enjoy being confronted with something I don’t know much about.

I really enjoy the process of finding out about it and I enjoy the fact that someone has thrown down a new way of looking at something or a challenge. So have my expectations been realised? Yes, I think they have. My expectations were that this was going to be somewhere that was busy, where everyone was very bright, and everyone was very engaged. Pretty much, that has been realised.

Do you have a favourite novel and a favourite text to teach?

That’s an outrageous question! Favourite novel? No, absolutely not. It’s like being asked to choose your favourite child. I will name two novels that I have read in the last two years, crossing off the guilty English teacher ‘ooh, I really should have read that’ thing (classic!). Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier, is just the most amazing book. I would urge anyone who’s not interested in literature to read the opening passage because it’s so, so gripping.

Saying ‘the writer really hooks the reader in’ is a thing I tell people off at 11+ for all the time, but it’s absolutely what happens.

Bleak House, by Dickens, which is an absolute tome, is a good term’s work. It

Valete

“I’ve never had a day where I don’t enjoy coming into MCS – I’m always excited (or at least relatively excited) to get out of bed.”

Tom Quayle, English is basically a proto-detective novel, an amazing sociopolitical commentary on the fustiness of the legal system, a really cute insight into the changing Victorian class structure, and a great story, which is classic Dickens in that sense and it blew my mind. It’s the kind of thing that, at school, I would’ve avoided like the plague, and actually, it was great. Favourite text to teach? Definitely Chaucer.

I thought it might be!

It’s so much fun! I think it’s satisfying as a teacher because you get to take something that seems difficult and is in a strange language, you begin to unpeel it and unpack it and you start drawing out the bits that are funny, and the bits that are naughty, and the bits that are really engaging. I think it’s a really fun process, watching people become outraged as January prepares to seduce his wife – that’s a great section to watch how people react.

A learning experience.

Yes exactly. And it’s also interesting because it genuinely leads to off-curricular discussion about the ethics, the politics, and the economics of all of these kind of things. I think that’s one of the really fun things about it as well.

You have obviously been involved in MCS Sport. How valuable has your immersion in MCS’ sporting side been?

I think what’s really great is you get to see a different side of the people that you interact with. Seeing someone on the sports pitch can be really revealing of different types of character and different ways of coming at a problem or a challenge. It’s also a bit more relaxed than the classroom environment, so you get to interact with people in a slightly different way, which is fun. You do get to go on sports tours, although, weirdly, when the rugby team went to Canada, I wasn’t invited, but when they needed someone to take the U13s to Norfolk, I was just the man for the job! I’ve spent a lot of sleepless nights in fairly low-rent hostels with 22 screaming,

excited 12-year-olds, which is probably not something I would have pictured doing as I was leaving the city! But yes, it has been really good, and actually working with the Sports department has been brilliant as well, particularly the sports pros, who are really, really knowledgeable. It’s led to a real interest in the way in which you ask questions and how you actually coach someone through a problem. So, someone not being able to hit a hockey ball and it eventually going straight – you can see the success when they manage to achieve it, and you can break it down into stages, so in that sense it’s another form of teaching, but one that has a more immediate outcome, rather than ‘well, in two years’ time you’ll have a GCSE’. So that’s quite satisfying as well.

Does MCS prove that you can be academic and sporty?

I think it does. You have to cast your net quite widely, in the sense that we offer everything from sailing and shooting to the more traditional sports. That’s the other thing worth saying. I think this school probably proves that you can be academic and a lot of other stuff. It’s obviously an enormously demanding environment for pupils and teachers, but it’s also a really fun one. I’ve gone back to things that I thought, when I left school, I would give up. Things like playing cricket and doing music. Those sorts of things. That’s been really nice. But yes, the school probably shows that you can do academic stuff and other things as well.

You have of course played a key role in past editions of the Lily. How have you found it?

Very good! It is always extremely stressful, in Michaelmas in particular, so you’ve got that to look forward to as the crunching of deadlines begins. I wish that we didn’t play St Edward’s, Haberdashers’ Aske’s or Merchant Taylors’, because the amount of punctuation that I’ve had to correct from those three schools has occasionally made me want to cry. Teaching is not

necessarily a career where you get really concrete outcomes; you do a year and you’re really happy and hopefully people get the grades they deserve, and you’ve made an impact. Lots of that is really rewarding, but intangible, whereas The Lily is really rewarding and tangible – it’s a physical finished object. I think that’s really exciting, particularly for someone like you and The Lily team, to have a record of what you’ve achieved and a record of your time at this place that you’ll always have. I think that is genuinely really special. I think maybe the other thing is, and I noticed this particularly when doing last year’s Lily with the connection with the First World War, that you are part of a much longer continuity which I think sometimes we talk about at school but we don’t get the full sense of. I think looking through the archives, you get these great insights into how much schools have changed and how little people have. Teenage boys are still teenage boys – there’s something really nice about that.

Is this year’s Lily set to be the best edition yet?

I assume so. I imagine that I’ll be on the front cover, so that’ll be a winner.

Striding off into the sunset.

Yeah, exactly.

Best MCS moment?

That’s very tricky to answer. That’s a really good thing because there are genuinely hundreds of those within each day. It’s a very satisfying job in that sense. Best MCS moment? Can I have a generic one? It’s the moment where you’ve helped someone to crack something, whether that’s a pastoral issue or ‘how to write an introduction’, and then you see them going and doing it. I know that’s a really bland and quite sad answer! But yes, I do think that’s true. That’s pretty satisfying. Sorry it’s so generic.

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Valete wasn’t sure what the change of pace would be like. I didn’t totally know what to expect, but it’s turned out to be great. I was expecting bright, hard-working, motivated pupils, and I got that. I was expecting to work with other enthusiastic teachers and I got that as well.

a gradual trajectory. Do you remember Rutter’s Gloria? Singing that in the Sheldonian sent shivers down my spine.

The quality of music was just so high. And equally going to see the drama: Cabaret, Beauty and the Beast, Reflections. The music and drama stand out for me.

How has it felt to lead the MCS Physics department?

CHRIS HACK PHYSICS Chris Hack took on the mantle of Head of Physics in September 2015, arriving from St Paul’s Girls’ School. He rebuilt the department and has driven it to new heights: a record number of pupils are studying Physics and achieving incredible things. Chris gave the subject a profile and a buzz that his colleagues have been proud to be a part of. He has shown pupils what a practical, meaningful pursuit Physics can be, and inspired lasting curiosity about the nature of the material world.

He consistently brings out the best in his students, showing every last one of them how they can succeed. To the department, Chris has been an open, generous, collaborative leader whose kindness and judgment are trusted completely. To his Lower Sixth tutees in Chavasse, he has been a dedicated, wise mentor. As a teacher of science, Chris has exemplified the humanity that we all hope to bring to our own work, and we wish him well in his promotion to Director of Studies at Rye St Antony.

Jesse Petersen

What does MCS mean to you?

MCS means academic excellence, energy, enthusiasm, and a place where I’ve been part of a really happy and productive team of excellent Physics teachers.

Where are you moving on to?

So I’m off to another school, just up the hill here in Oxford, called Rye St Antony, where I will be Director of Studies from September.

Rewind to the start of your MCS experience. What were you expecting and have your expectations been realised?

I was definitely nervous. I was coming from a girls’ school to a boys’ school, so I 182

It’s been great. They’re a really good team.

I couldn’t have been more fortunate to work with such a positive, enthusiastic, open team. Everyone’s on the same wavelength, wanting to pull together to teach Physics in a really good way, and build up the profile of the subject. So it’s been an honour to lead this team.

One of the foremost school Physics departments in the country?

I don’t see how I could get a better one. It really must be up there.

What will you miss about MCS?

The Physics team, who I’m really sad to be leaving, and also the pupils. I’ve enjoyed teaching them. That buzz you get in an MCS lesson where everyone is really engaged and wanting to learn is wonderful.

Would you say you learn from your pupils?

Yeah, big time. I was just discussing this morning with Ben White about what I’ve learned here. Sometimes I go into Physics lessons and a pupil will have a new way of looking at something and I have to say ‘gosh, I’ll have to go away and look that up!’ I’ve learned a lot about Physics from being here, which has been fantastic.

Best MCS anecdote?

One of the most bizarre things I had to deal with was this: we have some radioactive material that is no longer considered safe to be kept in schools. We were told the way to dispose of it was to dissolve it in acid. So we had to produce this radioactive acid, but the stuff just wouldn’t dissolve.

We had acid-resistant radioactive powder – that was pretty tricky to deal with! In the end I had to get a guy to come in and take it away because I just couldn’t dissolve it. That was the most bizarre thing that’s happened to me here.

Best MCS moment?

There have been lots and lots of great moments. It’s hard to pick one. I’m happiest about how popular Physics has become as a subject, the kids seem to have done really well in it and want to continue studying it, but that’s not a moment, it’s

JAMIE CARTER THEOLOGY Jamie’s interview lesson was with a Fifth Form group, the last lesson before half term, and the second one of a double. It was to be on the changing nature of marriage in today’s Britain and had to tackle some very sensitive issues. We instructed him to cover social change over the past century, various religious attitudes to sexual relationships, and to include some exam practice for GCSE. It was baptism by fire.

What transpired later was that Tess, whose group it was, designated that double as a ‘cake lesson’, so Jamie arrived in a darkened classroom, where the boys had watched a film and had been eating cake before his interview lesson. It was more than baptism by fire, and he passed it with flying colours.

We soon discovered the kind of stuff that the new Head of Department was made of. One of Jamie’s first steps was to change the syllabus – in June he suggested that we should introduce a new module in the Upper Sixth teaching later that month, swapping Ethics for Theology, which I think is called refuelling mid-flight. In fact this proved prescient in anticipation of exam reforms that followed and caught many RE departments unawares.

It was quickly confirmed that Jamie’s capacity for work is boundless. He is ruthlessly organised – his desk is the epitome of order and puts feng shui to shame. By the time I arrive in the morning

Valete

“MCS means academic excellence, energy, enthusiasm, and a place where I’ve been part of a really happy and productive team of excellent Physics teachers.”

Chris Hack, Physics he has already crossed off countless items on his elaborate computerised to do list, and that is in the fourth hour of work after an outrageous daily commute from London. He introduced a huge number of innovations, from student selfassessment to electronic markbooks and Hinduism in the Lower Fourth. His reign in the Theology department was marked by rolling education reforms, a largely misguided external one and a very sensible internal one. But Jamie is a completely humane individual who will overlook the shortcomings of others. When faced with a mountain of work for a new specification, he always produces more than his fair share of resources to spare his fellow teachers.

He is also a kind mentor and infinitely patient colleague.

In his time at MCS Jamie has taught Theology, Philosophy, Lilium, given INSET talks, taken Saturday games sessions, and much more – all despite the ‘outrageous daily commute’. In his time Theology has flourished and the trickle of university theologians has strengthened into a steady stream.

In addition to all this, Jamie is a true scholar whose book on Paul Ricouer’s ethics sent waves of excitement through the Theology department when he first joined the school. Its first chapter bears the muchloved title of ‘Ricouer’s architectonic of moral religion’, which five generations of Sixth Formers have unsuccessfully tried to interpret with help from us, Jamie’s gleeful colleagues. In fact the gist of Ricouer’s ethical system seems to be particularly well suited to describe Jamie’s own professional creed.

In Jamie’s words, ‘to be human is to be fundamentally capable, and the rational nature of capability enables human subjects to increase in understanding, ultimately aiming at the joyful recognition of themselves as part of the wider whole of life’. It is this joyful embrace of life in all its manifold richness that Jamie has

championed through his work at MCS, and it has been a privilege to be his coworker in this.

Jamie is leaving us to become Head of Sixth Form at Godolphin and Latymer School, which will shrink his commute to a grand total of five minutes’ walk. The Sixth Formers at Godolphin are very fortunate indeed to gain him, and we wish him, Pia, and Felix every success in this new exciting chapter. Keep in touch!

Alexey Kostyanovsky

What does MCS mean to you?

The place of work where I’ve been the happiest, where I’ve always looked forward to coming into work, every single day, a community where everyone is respectful and works closely together. I don’t think there’s anywhere else like it.

Where are you moving on to?

I am moving on to Godolphin and Latymer School in London.

A similar experience to MCS? We shall see!

Rewind to the start of your MCS experience. What were you expecting and have your expectations been realised?

I’d been told at great lengths by a number of people who knew the school about the amazing pupils. They’d gone on about how bright they were, how enthusiastic they were. I was told to watch out – I had one former colleague who apparently had an Upper Sixth set that managed to have a whole bunch of pizzas delivered to his classroom while he was in the middle of teaching a revision lesson, so that perhaps made me a little bit apprehensive when I started. But I was really, more than anything, just looking forward to working with bright and enthusiastic pupils and colleagues. In that respect, my expectations have not only been met, they’ve been surpassed. It’s been amazing.

Would you say you learn from your pupils?

I think any teacher that says they don’t is being dishonest. All the time. Not only in terms of what they bring with their own experience, but simply the quality of the questions they ask. Answering questions, particularly in a subject like Theology, forces you to think about your own perspectives. So I’ve learned a huge amount in the last five years and I’m sure I’ll keep learning from my students.

Which colleagues have had the greatest influence on your time here?

Well, a huge number have influenced me. What’s amazing about this school is not only the opportunity to work with incredible pupils, day in day out, but actually the quality of the teachers here. The teachers are as important in making this place special as the students.

I would really struggle to single one out, because so many of them have influenced me in all sorts of ways. I suppose there are two that stand out. One would be Alexey Kostyanovsky, only because I’d never before seen a teacher who is able to approach a subject like Theology in a way that makes it absolutely rigorous. He sets high expectations and goes about things in a very, very scholarly way, yet is always able to connect it to your own experiences, forcing his students to relate to their own lives and their own experiences. I’ve never come across anyone else who’s able to do it quite that way, and I probably never will! The other would probably be Tim Cooper. He is, in terms of the care he has for every single pupil that he’s ever taught or dealt with as Head of Middle School, absolutely tireless in doing what’s best for the pupils. He always puts their interests first, he’s considerate, he’s caring and he’s absolutely fair, even if pupils may not always see it that way.

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Valete What does MCS mean to you?

I suppose initially, because of Mr Hinze, it meant his school. So it means an enormous amount to me because it means not just my three years here, but ten years with Mr Hinze here as well. In a broader sense it means the most professional and academically inspiring place I think I have ever worked. And it’s also a really happy school with courteous and kind pupils.

That’s what it means to me.

Where are you moving on to?

HARRIET HINZE ENGLISH Harriet Hinze joined MCS in September 2016, coming to us from the Abbey School in Reading. She set the tone for her three years here in her interview lesson: at the end of it an ordinarily surly Fifth Form set burst into spontaneous applause, both in recognition of the superb lesson they’d just been taught, and in admiration at someone putting a particularly unruly boy so firmly in his place. This was a sign of things to come. Harriet has been a wonderful teacher who has brought great warmth, infectious enthusiasm, and rich subject knowledge to every lesson and, indeed, to every aspect of her role at MCS. Within the department, she has been a passionate advocate of getting boys reading, establishing a reading challenge for Lower School boys, incentivising them with commendations and chocolate, and setting up and leading a book club. She made a similarly energetic and inspirational contribution to our Sixth Form programme, giving seminars on topics as varied as humanist education, postcolonialism, and African literature – and to members of the department’s development as teachers and learners, through her coaching, her commitment to CPD in department meetings, and through the care and wisdom that daily characterise her conversation and presence in the department. In wider school life, she has helped oversee Sixth Form mentoring, and started a staff reading group which has enthused many here. The Swan School in Marston couldn’t be more fortunate in appointing a teacher of such brilliance and a leader with such generosity, empathy, and vision. We’re hugely fortunate that she will not be far away, and wish her the very best in her exciting new role.

Andrew Shouler

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I am moving on to the Swan School in Oxford, which is a new free school, and I’m going to be subject leader of English and Literacy.

You have often alluded to your African upbringing. How great an effect has that had on your approach to English and maybe even your teaching?

I think it’s been enormously influential from a few perspectives really: one is that, because of my background, I found it difficult to access English literature with a capital ‘e’ as a young person. I had a British prep school education in Kenya, and what we learned in our curriculum was often at odds with what was in our world.

When we were presented with poems like Wordsworth’s Daffodils, very ‘English’ poetry, it was quite difficult to connect that with a landscape that actually produced mangoes and not daffodils. So, I suppose that led me to my interests: postcolonial literature and African literature as a whole.

I’m also really interested in looking at literature written by outsiders or about the outside or looking critically at the centre. I suppose I was pretty unprepared for very ‘English’ texts like Austen, but I think that,

conversely, growing up bilingual and in a very different culture made me very openminded about what is for me and what is not for me. You know I love Austen just as much as I like Chinua Achebe. I think it’s also made me quite direct. My African approach is to be open, honest, and upfront. My English courtesies are perhaps a bit rusty sometimes.

What is your best MCS moment?

Probably the field plays. Sitting there, on the field, watching some amazing drama in such a special place is spectacular.

Do you have a most unusual MCS moment?

I suppose some of the things that people write in exams are sometimes completely hilarious. I think the most recent was one that someone wrote in the Upper Fourth exam about how while everybody is feasting in Act 1, Scene 7 of Macbeth, Macbeth is ‘outside in the kitchen, having a soliloquy’.

What will you miss about MCS?

I’ll really miss the academic rigour here.

Of course I’ll miss the Common Room – the staff here are amazing. They are, you know, so unbelievably committed to their work and really interested in what they do.

That’s really inspiring as a colleague. And I’ll really miss my students. Some of them I’ve been with for years and some of them I’ve only just started teaching, but I think the kids here are absolutely fantastic. You always miss the kids – that’s the big thing about being a teacher. That’s the number one.

“MCS is the most professional and academically inspiring place I think I have ever worked.”

Harriet Hinze, English

Valete

“MCS is the absolute peak of what a school can be.”

Mike Gardner, Mathematics culture of academic and extra-curricular high achievement, both for students and teachers.

Where are you moving on to?

I am going back to a school that I used to work at in Brazil. It’s called the British School, Rio de Janeiro.

I think you’ve become known at MCS for your passion for coffee. Where did that first spring from?

STUART ANDREW MATHEMATICS Stuart Andrew was relatively new to the teaching profession when he joined MCS in September 2016. He rapidly established himself as an excellent teacher with an exceptional understanding of many branches of Mathematics. He also worked hard with Paul Walter to set up the GCSE Computing course that has proved to be so popular. He has been an enthusiastic Rugby and Cricket coach, as well as an excellent Wi5 tutor, dealing with misdemeanours firmly and fairly, but without undue fuss. He is a very generous man, always willing to help individual pupils, stand in for colleagues at the last minute, and share resources found or created – and noted by his colleagues for his hearty and heartfelt laugh, often used to locate him within the Maths department.

He will be missed by many as he starts his new post as Head of Maths at Nottingham High School in September. We all wish him every success.

Linda Earnshaw

MIKE GARDNER MATHEMATICS Mike Gardner joined MCS in September 2017 and was intriguing from the outset.

He had spent the previous year teaching in Leeds but prior to that had been teaching in Brazil, and had a history of competing in Ironman competitions. Mike is a quiet, gentle, but firm man with an excellent grasp of Maths, and a brilliant teacher, loved by everybody taught by him. He has also managed to surprise us on more than one occasion. At the Readathon in 2018 at St Francis Primary School, he saved the day for the St Francis teachers by spending his time talking in Portuguese to two new pupils who had recently arrived from Brazil. Mike has been active in helping with MUN. His love of coffee, and the precision with which he makes it, are legendary among teachers and pupils.

Every Thursday morning, the aroma of fresh coffee engulfed CS004 following his infamous Coffee Club meetings. He is leaving us to return to Brazil, but with two additions to his family, Therese and his soon-to-be born second child. We all wish him every success.

Linda Earnshaw

What does MCS mean to you?

MCS means two things, really. Firstly, from what I’ve experienced, it’s the absolute peak of what a school can be. I feel it’d be impossible to find a better place to educate young people. That, and it’s a true

So that first came from one of my oldest friends who started working in coffee. He started talking to me about coffee and my interest blossomed!

Best MCS moment?

I think the best MCS moment for me was the results day at the end of my first year, where my Fifth Form Set 4 got a fairly even mix of 7s, 8s and 9s. I know that for some of them Maths didn’t necessarily come easily and they had quite a lot of work to do from the mocks, but they worked really hard, they were an absolute joy to teach, and I was really happy that their grades were so good. That inspired me to request an Upper Fourth Set 4 for the following year, and they’ve been just as amazing.

I would say the bottom set here is where it’s particularly rewarding, but in reality, at any other school, they would be the top set.

What will you miss about MCS?

I’m going to miss coming to work at a place where I’m surrounded by so many inspirational people; students and teachers, inspirational because of academia, or what they can do in ‘music and meditation’ on Fridays, or seeing how well they can play tennis on Milham Ford. I feel there are so many people who are so good at so many things. It has really inspired me to be better at a range of things.

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Valete “Samson gave huge amounts of energy to both projects, showing a great deal of sensitivity to the pupils’ needs as well as to the artistic requirements of the productions.” intimate knowledge of the Fringe made for an excellent trip; Dream Machine was a fitting end to a year of fun and inventive theatre. We wish him the best of luck with his next steps.

Alex Thomas

JAMES KING THEOLOGY

SAMSON HAWKINS DRAMA For a tall person, Samson puts on very short plays. Luckily, they’re also very good. His staging of Bull at the Burton Taylor Studio demonstrated his excellent directorial skills, creating an intense and (deliberately) uncomfortable scenario which kept the audience gripped. Working with three Sixth Form pupils was something of a luxury; normally, Samson was seen in the midst of a herd of devoted Lower School boys, working them up to memorably anarchic performances of Animal Farm and The Hobbit. He gave the boys a good deal of artistic freedom with the latter, resulting in something more surreal than even Tolkien dreamed up! Samson’s Lord of the Flies condensed the long weeks of survival into a fast-paced and beautifullydesigned 40 minutes; the members of the Middle School Academy clearly benefited from his attention to detail. Between MCS shows Samson also assisted with the highlysuccessful Playhouse pantomime and led an MCS/Playhouse young company in a National Theatre Connections project, which gave a wonderful opportunity to the young people involved. Samson’s final two projects of the year were both high profile: as assistant to Joanne Pearce on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, her final Playhouse production, and directing the premiere of Dream Machine at the Edinburgh Fringe. Samson gave huge amounts of energy to both projects, showing a great deal of sensitivity to the pupils’ needs as well as to the artistic requirements of the productions. His 186

with the MCS pupils and other young people involved in the year’s productions, facilitating theatre-making for many who might otherwise not have been involved.

It’s no surprise that she plans to head in this direction during the coming year. Her proud Welshness (she has been heard to utter ‘it’s Davis, not Davees’ on multiple occasions) and good humour will be greatly missed, not least by those who accompanied her on the Edinburgh Fringe trip and benefited from her intricate knowledge of the Fringe world. We wish her luck in her move to Bristol, where she will be closer to Wales and free to indulge her mild obsession with anything canine.

Alex Thomas

James joined us briefly, to tide the Theology department over after Heather Stammers’ departure at Christmas.

What does MCS mean to you?

KATIE WALSH DRAMA Katie was thrown in the deepest of ends when she arrived in September 2018: within two months she was to produce a World War I commemorative production which was as yet unwritten, would transform Big School as never before, and incorporated well over 100 pupils as cast members, musicians, singers, artists, and stage crew. It is tribute to her unflappability that the production was such a success: confronted with so many unknowns, she set about turning them into reality through a meticulous and positive approach which became her trademark through the year. Whether making fake cows’ legs for Animal Farm, painting mud for Reflections, or managing a large and complex budget for the Playhouse production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, she stayed well ahead of the game and adapted quickly to the myriad unforeseeables of the school year. She produced seven school plays and assisted on many other projects, making herself an indispensable part of the team at both MCS and the Oxford Playhouse. Katie was quick to form excellent relationships

I was most surprised when I got here at how happy and friendly it is, because I knew it was a very successful and highachieving place, and I was really relieved and encouraged to find that’s not because everyone is under tremendous pressure.

Instead you have lots of talented people who are working hard, simply because they want to. In the meantime they get on really well, and are (quite) nice to each other.

Where are you moving on to?

I’m very sad to be leaving so quickly since I’ve absolutely loved my time here, but I’ll be teaching the same subject at Merchant Taylors’.

What will you miss about MCS?

I think that the level of intellectual engagement from colleagues and students has really been exceptional. It’s something that you’d only get at one or two other places. Here, I feel intellectually stimulated in a way that I haven’t felt since I’ve left university, and that’s really thrilling for me.

Do you have a most unusual MCS moment?

I haven’t had many yet, sadly, since I’ve been here such a short time. One day Miss Thatcher, on reception, wore exactly the same suit as me – that was pretty fun.

We’re both fans of a nice grey checked suit!

Valete

“The level of intellectual engagement from colleagues and students has really been exceptional.�

James King, Theology

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Editorial Team

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EDITORS Izzy Gibson and Archie Licudi

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EXTRA-CURRICULAR Ilona Sell and Libby Harris

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SPORT Tim Bickersteth and Ahren Sampath

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ARTS Jago Wainwright and Isabella Sharipova-Williams

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STAFF Henry Vine

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TRIPS James Bridson

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HERITAGE Theo Jesson

Editorial Team

“We found a renewed appreciation for the importance of cooperation within our team and beyond, emphasising the duty to listen that so naturally accompanies the right to claim one’s voice.”

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