The Standard - Summer Term 2021

THE STANDARD The John Lyon School Magazine | SUMMER TERM 2021

145th Anniversary Edition

CONTENTS SUMMER TERM 2021

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FROM THE HEAD After a much cherished past, a new beginning NEWS AND EXCELLENCE Rich history celebrated as new future awaits on John Lyon’s 145th Anniversary Vinay leads his Head Boy Team into the new year School gets sneak peek of coeducation future

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Summer Term sees the return of live, in-person events to John Lyon

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Geographers return to the wild as lockdowns are lifted

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Herpetologists come face to face with the creatures of their studies The year’s best children’s books discussed between schools Local children reach new heights with their reading in Everest Challenge

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THE ARTS Actor Dan turns playwright for UK-wide competition What does a Year 7 Drama class look like?

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Musicians put on a show to mark the year end

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14 Robotics Club looks to compete thanks to generous donations 15 “Epic enthusiasm” sees Eric’s curiosity continue at Easter It’s back to fields, hills and rivers as Duke of Edinburgh’s Award training resumes 17 pupils hit top marks in French translation test 16 Students support Harrow's young people alongside Old Lyonian Tian gets on his bike in support of Indian Covid relief Military formations see Latin come alive for Year 8 pupils

Sudbury for day of sporting events 20 Casey 'the Flying Welshman' Jones continues his path to Commonwealths School beats staff to retain Hockey bragging rights 21 Pupils make a splash with participation up in Swimming and Water Polo Sports Day becomes Sports Days as athletes get the chance to compete OLD LYONIANS 22 "The whole School swung into action to make it a memorable occasion"

SPORT 17 First competitive matches bring Golf to the fore!

10 A-Level & GCSE Art Show 2021

18 School's elite cricketers have a week to remember with bat and ball

NEWS 12 Joshua Beresford-Smart (OL2020) 2002-2021

19 Youngsters show great form in first John Lyon season Festival spirit comes to

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After a much cherished past, a new beginning

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t is said that, in life, as one door closes another opens. This feels very much the case as we come to the end of this School year – 2021 is the last in 145 years that will see John Lyon as an all boys' school. We are very proud of our much cherished past.

When we come back to Middle Road this September, we will welcome our first girls into Year 7, studying alongside boys here for the first time. John Lyon will become a coeducational school — a new door being flung wide open on a hugely exciting future.

And of course there is our amalgamation of John Lyon with Quainton Hall School, which means our John Lyon family includes children in the nursery and prep school, alongside the senior school here on the Hill.

In many ways you will see few differences. We will be maintaining all that we do so successfully.

Pupils will have fantastic opportunities for learning both inside and outside the classroom in the same way they do now, receiving a high quality and all round education that will engage them, enrich their learning, and set them up for successful futures at university and beyond.

Miss Katherine Haynes, Head This term there have been a number of occasions to celebrate our history, notably as we marked the School's 145th anniversary in May. These celebrations, seen in various activities will continue until the end of 2021.

We were also pleased to return to some of the normality we have craved in the past, exceptional and challenging, year - a door we will all be very glad to see slammed shut.

In these pages you will see that lockdown has not dampened our pupils' creativity, skills nor their ability to succeed - I would point you towards our Cricket 1st XI becoming Middlesex County Champions (again!) as a fine example. As part of our Excellence Programme we have welcomed prominent guest speakers online and on site, including historian Professor Kate Williams, above, whom our boys much enjoyed hearing from and quizzing.

This is our final edition of The Standard as we know it – as an outstanding all boys’ School – join me in looking forward to us coming back to the John Lyon coeducational School for the start of the 2021-22 year. We have exciting times ahead!

www.johnlyon.org/values

FRONT COVER Abishan Suthakaran (8EKM) competes for Moore in House Water Polo in May.

Rich history celebrated as new future awaits on John Lyon’s 145th anniversary The long and rich history of John Lyon was celebrated in May as the School kicked off a sixth-month celebration for John Lyon’s 145th anniversary

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day of activities took place on Friday 14th May — 14/5 — to mark the special occasion, which not only looked back at the many past achievements of the School, but also to an exciting future following the School's recent move from an all-boys senior school to a coeducational allthrough school.

To launch the anniversary, which will be celebrated until the end of 2021, the whole School came together to mark this significant milestone, starting with a celebratory School lunch before an afternoon of activities designed to look back at our rich heritage and forward to an exciting future.

In Music, pupils began creating a new pop song using the primary chords (1, 4 and 5) and a new orchestral arrangement was made for the School Song to mark the occasion. In Sport, pupils took part in sports and games not known to them, but which have a long history, including Four Square. In Art, all pupils designed celebratory House logos, some of which will be printed on tote bags and then sold to raise funds for charity.

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The School’s green credentials were on display as the Sustainability Society worked on a small plot of land behind the Music Department, including harvesting a bumper crop of rhubarb, which was later cooked for School lunch. On the playing fields at Sudbury,Year 7 pupils looked specifically at the history of the John Lyon CCF, taking part in an array of fun CCF challenges.

A brand new logo is now being used around the School for the rest of 2021, which features not just the image of John Lyon, but also of his wife, Joan, who was instrumental in the creation of the first school here on the Hill almost 450 years ago. This picture of John and Joan features on a set of sustainably-made pin badges and key rings produced right here using the laser cutter in our new STEAM Makerspace and given to every pupil and member of staff.

Also of note is the change of typeface in the wording on the logo. This special new ‘Lyon’ font is based on hand-drawn lettering first used on The Lyonian magazine more than 100 years ago. It is used on the front cover of this edition of The Standard.

The anniversary celebrations come at a time of change for John Lyon — as we welcome girls to the School for the first time and fully come together with Quainton Hall to become an all-through school from Nursery to Sixth Form.

Clockwise from top: 145 bunting in the New Memorial Hall, a special cake baked for the occasion, pupils playing Four Square in the Red House garden, the 145th anniversary mug, Yuvraj Dhunna (U6PWM) harvests rhubarb in the School garden, commemorative keyrings and pinbadges were made using the School's laser cutter.

Events across the coming months will focus on both our past and our future and will provide a fantastic focal point for the changes that are taking place. The celebratory programme includes pupils working with a professional artist and Old Lyonian to create a permanent large Art installation, a variety of collaborative projects with Harrow School and the Harrow International Schools, and a return of the hugely successful TEDxJohnLyonSchool event on the theme of ‘Regeneration’. Our celebrations will culminate with a whole School Photograph, jointly with Quainton Hall.

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VINAY LEADS HIS HEAD BOY TEAM INTO THE NEW YEAR — The School’s new Head Boy and Prefect teams were announced in May, with Vinay Kapoor (L6BRD), centre, selected as John Lyon’s Head Boy for 2021-22. In his role,Vinay will become the representative for the entire student body, set an agenda for the change and action he wishes to see, regularly meet senior leadership, and welcome important guests. He will be assisted by (l-r) Deputy Head Boy Harsh Hingorani (L6ND) and Monitors Vinaykarthik Rachakonda (L6ND), William Davey (L6REM) and Fares Shehata (L6ND). The wider Prefect Team is made up of a further 28 students, who are given various areas of responsibility, from Charity to Sustainability.

SCHOOL GETS SNEAK PEEK OF COEDUCATION FUTURE — John

Lyon’s first ever girl pupils were welcomed for a visit to the School in May, as the young trailblazers came for a day of Sport, Art, Music and STEAM, as well as to get to know us and each other better. The next time the School opens its doors, in September, John Lyon will be a coeducational School for the first time in its 145-year history.

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Summer Term sees the return of live, in-person events to John Lyon Special guests talk politics, royalty and Hollywood in wide-ranging discussions with pupils and students

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he return to a more normal School life was seen in Summer Term, as guest speakers were welcomed back on site after a year of online-only events.

In May and June, the John Lyon Excellence Programme welcomed both the historian and academic Kate Williams, and author Jane Hawking to Middle Road, with both speaking engagingly and taking questions from the (still limited) audiences.

Professor Kate Williams, above right, a lecturer in Modern History at the University of Reading, specialist in royal and constitutional affairs, and a regular on our television screens, spoke in detail about how royalty had interacted with the media, looking at the modern fascination with Princess Diana and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, but also how the Crown had used the media to its advantage going back through history.

Award-winning writer and teacher Jane Hawking, top, looked back at her life and career as an academic and author, including how her autobiographical book, Travelling to Infinity, was turned into an award-winning movie, The Theory of Everything, an examination of her relationship with Stephen Hawking as

he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and rose to global fame as a physicist.

Earlier in the term, before restrictions were relaxed, Lord Finkelstein, above, appeared remotely via Microsoft Teams, and took part in a wide-ranging Q&A session hosted by, right, top to bottom, Abbas Abedi (L6BRD), Dev Patel (L6CKL) and Vinay Kapoor (L6BRD).

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Geographers return to the wild as lockdowns are lifted

The picturesque Lulworth Cove on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast was the destination for Sixth Form geographers at half term.

An essential part of studying Geography — the field trip — is back, as A-Level students headed to Dorset in May, write Tian Patel (L6BRD) and Head of Geography Mr Adam Collins

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n May half term, A-Level Geography students were presented with the opportunity to carry out fieldwork along the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. After 2½ hours we reached the town of Lulworth, where we saw Stair Hole as well as Lulworth Cove.

Being able to see these formations first-hand was a great opportunity, allowing us to fully understand and visualise how they came to be over time.

After this we travelled east to Swanage where we saw and measured sand dunes and were able to see types of measures put in place in order to protect them.

After a short introduction to the task, we set off trying to be faster than the encroaching rain clouds. However, the rain won in the end. After a long day, we had all enjoyed the trip and were lucky to see these formations first-hand. We were tremendously lucky to have had this experience.

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t has been a long time coming, but a return to Geography fieldwork nonetheless felt natural for department and pupils as the Lower Sixth embarked on a trip to the Dorset coast to study coastal geomorphology and management.

Despite the forecast inclement weather, the rain held off long enough for us to have an excellent day. The opportunity

to resume fieldwork and get our A-Level Geographers back investigating the environments that we cover in lessons is of great importance and all involved took a lot from the day. The students were nothing short of exceptional for the entire day, proving to be engaging and thoughtful in their fieldwork endeavours.

AJC

HERPETOLOGISTS COME FACE TO FACE WITH THE CREATURES OF THEIR STUDIES — Having studied amphibians and reptiles as part of their Herpetology sessions in the Co-Curricular Programme, a group of Year 9 pupils, including (l-r) Jayden Shah (9JNL) and Harman Bhamra (9JNL), were given the opportunity to meet, hold and ask questions about some of the animals they had been investigating.

Exotic animal experts came to the School in June, with an Argentinian black and white tegu, a bull snake, a Burmese python and a sulcata tortoise, as well as a number of small mammals including a common tenrec, three-banded armadillo and a pair of baby skunks.

THE YEAR’S BEST CHILDREN’S BOOKS DISCUSSED BETWEEN SCHOOLS — The very best literature written especially for children and young

people has again been criticised and appraised by John Lyon pupils, alongside their peers at St Helen’s School and Northwood College, a long-standing collaborative event between the three schools.Year 7 and 8 pupils gathered in the Library for the online event, which saw pupils tell each other about their favourite books on the 2021 Carnegie Medal shortlist, a competition won by US author Jason Reynolds.

LOCAL CHILDREN REACH NEW HEIGHTS WITH THEIR READING IN EVEREST CHALLENGE — As

part of John Lyon’s ongoing outreach work, Summer Term saw four Lower Sixth students guide young readers from three local primary schools on a mountainous challenge. In collaboration with Harrow Library Services and author and mountaineer Matt Dickinson, (l-r) Vinay Kapoor (L6BRD), Shaan Kerai (L6BRD), Abbas Abedi (L6BRD) and Tian Patel (L6BRD) helped the children from Grange Primary School, Norbury School and Weald Rise Primary School through the reading of Matt Dickinson’s The Everest Files before completing a series of challenges, which took them from base camp to the summit. Each challenge had a different focus – creative writing, research on the Himalayas, with historical, geographical and artistic tasks – and across the sessions, students became expert in delivering online teaching and preparing all their own resources to make this reading journey as exciting and inspiring as possible for their young mentees.

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Actor Dan turns playwright for UK-wide competition Outgoing Head Boy Daniel Wong (U6ASL) receives National Theatre commendation for his witty dialogue

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National Theatre competition to find the country's best scripts written by 14- to 19-yearolds has rewarded A-Level student Daniel Wong with a Highly Commended citation for his script.

Crossed Words, written by Dan for the New Views competition, is set over a number of shifts in a police station evidence room, staffed by two lowranking officers. Not much seems to happen, but tension builds when a mistake — or wrongdoing — is uncovered.

Dan, who has acted in numerous plays in his five years at John Lyon, took part in a programme of workshops with professional writers over the past year, was given access to a library of live and recorded productions, and then submitted Crossed Words to the competition alongside 400 other young writers from 75 schools and colleges across the country. The programme also sees Drama teachers receive professional development, partnering with a professional playwright to mentor students in school.

Falling just short of reaching the final shortlist of nine, Dan's script was Highly Commended by the judges, who said: "Great, witty, dialogue. Nice premise with fun characters. Story relies significantly on chat rather than action. Important to find ways for the dialogue to balance the need of character and fun with moving the action forward at all times. Daniel is clearly very talented and has a very strong ear for creating fun worlds."

WHAT DOES A YEAR 7 DRAMA CLASS LOOK LIKE?

— Well, there's no single answer as it varies so much. One week in early June was all about stop motion animation, combining creative storytelling with technical filmmaking, as shown by Flynn Kendall (7CJC), Kesavan Gunaseelan (7CJC) and William Pye (7CJC).

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MUSICIANS PUT ON A SHOW TO MARK THE YEAR END — With

the School still unable to welcome parents to concerts, we took the concerts to the parents with two outstanding shows at the end of June. With large and complicated technical set-ups for both the Summer Showcase and Pop Concert, including eight cameras in action for the latter, the School’s best musicians were given a platform on which they could shine.

Whilst we cannot wait to have live audiences once again, the steep learning curve of running live broadcast performances has given many pupils valuable new technical skills and our performers, including (clockwise from top), William Davey (L6REM), Patrick Colson (L6REM), Masimba Mbadzo (9LA), Aarav Vijayvargia (7CJC) and Daniel Baghi (7CJC) the experience of playing to a large, yet unseen, audience.

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Oil painting by Zaib Sheikh (11LHF)

Digital design by Adam George (U6SJA)

Digital painting by Alexi Americano (11LHF)

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A-Level & GCSE Art Show 2021

Line drawing by George Neville-Alkiviades (11AJF)

Pastel drawing by Matthew Evens (11AJF)

Digital illustration by Azmat Khokhar (11CEP)

Oil painting by Tyler Ho (U6EMM)

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Joshua Beresford-Smart (OL2020) 2002-2021

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oshua was fearless and talented.

He joined John Lyon in 2013, completing his studies in 2020, achieving excellently in his GCSEs and A-Levels.

Joshua was never happier than when being on stage and contributed hugely to the Drama Department.

He performed in countless School productions, notably What Are They Like?, Guys and Dolls, and Zero for the Young Dudes!, and will be celebrated for his talent as both an actor and singer.

His final A-Level Drama performance will be particularly remembered with fondness by his fellow performers and the staff directing.

Joshua was a keen sportsman who contributed greatly. He represented

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the School in both Football and Cricket, across the years, playing for the 2nd XI Football Team in his years in the Sixth Form. His passion for sport meant that he did not think twice about touring South Africa with the School in 2016 – an experience he spoke at length about, and much enjoyed. Forever the competitor, Joshua, in his final year at School, shared in the triumph of his beloved Moore House in lifting the House Cup for the first time in 20 years.

Joshua gave his all to everything he did and was an example for all to follow. By the end of his time at John Lyon he was a Prefect and had won the Michael Burrell Drama Prize for contributions made to the Drama Department, and the Richard Rivlin Community Prize for his courage in the face of adversity.

His close friends viewed him as a brother

— they will hold dear his selflessness and kindness, and forever cherish the many laughs they shared with him. Staff will forever remember his energy and positivity, his rosy cheeks, and a smile that lit up a room. Perhaps the greatest tribute that anyone can pay Joshua would be to hope that if they had to face such trials, they would confront them as he did.

Mr Jonathan Rowe, Assistant Head (Pastoral)

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osh played a hugely important part in all our John Lyon careers. He was a fearless and talented athlete, actor, singer, pupil and friend. He had a profound impact on all his teachers and pupils. I feel incredibly fortunate to have shared so many cheerful and wonderful memories with Josh and I wanted to share some with you.

I was lucky enough to meet Josh at the beginning of Year 10 and looking back I am so grateful to have featured for a short time in what was his beautiful and colourful life. Josh and I started off by playing in the same Football team, then sharing endless laughs in Mr Jones’ Drama lessons, and even escaping a stampeding herd of cows on our DofE Bronze expedition.

Josh was in his element the most when performing on stage. His talent and piercing voice had the ability to grip any audience. From a young age he played main rolls in big school musicals and led by example. I had the privilege of sharing the stage with him on countless occasions and I can shamelessly say I was always trying to replicate or come close to his amazing flair.

Josh taught me so much both on and off stage and the qualities he radiated affected every single person in our year. To me he became like a brother. His courage and resilience went above and beyond, and it showed when he would look to put a smile on other people’s faces, despite the pain he was going through. His charisma, laughter and above all his smile will live on forever. So, to my best friend and brother I say thank you and I will carry your smile with me forever.

During our last years in the Sixth Form our Drama class became a brotherhood.

Bringing him on stage during our last school musical was an honour and privilege to say the least. Even more touching was when we performed our very last A-Level performance.

This marked the culmination of our Drama A-Level journey, a journey that we will all cherish for the rest of our lives. Our group performance, to use Mr Jones’ words, was “the best A-Level performance I have ever directed”, but the sacrifices that Josh made during the hardest period of his treatment to be there for our rehearsals once again go to show the incredible man we were blessed with. We took a step back and watched his final monologue and for two minutes the entire room sat in complete awe and admiration for the incredible talent we were witnessing. Josh was a talented young man and even though we

shared the stage with him on so many occasions we were always supporting actors to his tremendous life story.

Thank you, Josh. We will forever miss you.

Patrick Miles (OL2020)

Joshua Beresford-Smart was born on 16th April 2002 and died of a rare brain tumour on 19th February 2021, aged 18.

The thoughts of the John Lyon community are with his mother Michelle, a John Lyon Governor, his father Marc, and his brothers Thomas (OL2015) and Matthew (OL2017).

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Robotics Club looks to compete thanks to generous donations The School’s 1876 Fund continues to provide extra opportunities for pupils, with global competition the goal for budding robot builders

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ummer Term has seen Year 8 pupils unbox a new set of VEX robot kits, ready to assemble and program and take on the demands of the 2021 global VEX IQ Challenge. In the competition, students are given a yearly challenge, and must design, build, program and drive a robot to complete the challenge as best as they can. This year they are tasked with creating a robot that can climb, fit under low bars and throw balls.

Robotics is relatively new to John Lyon and has been enabled through the purchase of the VEX robots by the School’s 1876 Fund, to which anyone can make regular donations to make it possible to support exciting opportunities beyond the standard curriculum and departmental budgets.

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Hemang Khandelwal (8JOC) and Rishabh Velani (8JOC) get to grips with the VEX robotics kit soon after unboxing it.

VEX robots are used by school and university students across the world and provide an excellent opportunity for young people to learn more about design, coding and engineering — all key skills within John Lyon’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Maths) curriculum. Pupils have to be tenacious in their problem solving and the programming develops their logical thinking. To design a robot requires a team and teamwork for any success. This replicates what real engineers do and gives the pupils an insight into working within engineering.

John Lyon’s Development Coordinator, Mrs Khadija Ansari, said: “As the School continues to grow its STEAM curriculum, the 1876 Fund can really boost the opportunities and skills available to all pupils by providing the VEX robotics kits. All the staff and pupils were very excited to receive these new robots and are grateful to the donors who have enabled this through the 1876 Fund and who have enabled the School to go above and beyond for the benefit of the pupils.

“The 1876 Fund is now almost five years old and has funded a number of projects, from providing equipment such as protective Hockey goalkeeper kits and broadcast quality camera equipment, to participation in programmes such as National Theatre Connections and creative writing workshops.

“Every gift makes a difference — by giving in numbers we can make an even bigger difference! We encourage parents and Old Lyonians to consider joining the 1876 Fund to benefit future pupils as they have benefited over the years.”

The 1876 Fund makes it possible to support exciting opportunities beyond the standard curriculum and departmental budgets. These projects enrich learning experiences with an immediate and direct impact on pupils that will stay with them for a lifetime.

For more information on how you can support John Lyon via the 1876 Fund, please contact the Development Office or visit the website at www.johnlyon.org/support Mrs Khadija Ansari Khadija.Ansari@johnlyon.org 020 8515 9449

“EPIC ENTHUSIASM” SEES ERIC’S CURIOSITY CONTINUE AT EASTER — The School holidays

tend to see a certain level of relaxation for most, but for Year 7 Eric Zoica (7CJC), described by one teacher as having “epic enthusiasm”, the learning and discovery never stopped. At the start of Summer Term, Eric wrote to his form tutor Mr Chris Clews and Head of Year 7 Mr Huw Jones with: news of an interview he had conducted with Old Lyonian David Muriss (OL1952) about his time in the School in the 1940s; a webinar about mental health he had recorded; images of clay sculptures he had made; details of four different courses he had attended for calligraphy, collage, creative writing and music; and the names of the three books he had read during the holiday. No wonder Mr Jones described Eric’s holiday achievements as “extraordinary”.

IT’S BACK TO FIELDS, HILLS AND RIVERS AS DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD TRAINING RESUMES — Expeditions

have been few and far between in recent months, but as soon as it was allowed this spring, pupils and students preparing for their DofE Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards were back outside preparing for their expeditions.

The River Thames saw Gold Award canoe training, including capsize drills, whilst the Chiltern Hills were the venue for Silver and Bronze camping.

17 PUPILS HIT TOP MARKS IN FRENCH TRANSLATION TEST — Do you know your

patinoire from your pantalon? Or your yeux from your cheveux? Well, it turns out our Year 7 French students do. This year’s French Translation Bee saw some great vocab knowledge on display, including 17 perfect scores!

Félicitations to Mahdi Mossahar, Anirudh Nair, Arun Karunadasa, Sachin Kumar and Jon Maqedonci from 7AJM; William Pye, Flynn Kendall, Liam Louiset-Hall and Eric Zoica from 7CJC; Paaran Bhalla, Syrus Emerenini and Harvey Sharma from 7SRP; and Troj Mehmetaj, Aaran Parmar, Sahil Patel, Shaan Patel and Saajan Sanghera from 7EJG. Très bien.

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STUDENTS SUPPORT HARROW'S YOUNG PEOPLE ALONGSIDE OLD LYONIAN —

A familiar face returned to John Lyon in May, to highlight the work of the hugely valuable Young Harrow Foundation (YHF) and how John Lyon students are helping the cause. David Hubbard (OL2016), centre, is now Digital Communications Coordinator at YHF and came back to School to interview the Head Boy Daniel Wong (U6ASL), back left, Charity Coordinator Sanjiv Jadav (U6PWM), back right, and Assistant Head (Pastoral) Mr Jonathan Rowe, front right. In the videos, now available on the YHF social media channels, the students talk about YHF being John Lyon's chosen charity for the year, about their experiences of lockdown in the past year and the importance of the Holiday Activities and Food Programme (#HAF2021) being supported by the charity. David also caught up with the Head, Miss Katherine Haynes.

Young Harrow Foundation is also one of seven Young People's Foundations supported by John Lyon's Charity.

TIAN GETS ON HIS BIKE IN SUPPORT OF INDIAN COVID RELIEF — It took 787 cyclists 48 hours,

but the team of participants organised by BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha successfully pedalled the 7,600km from London to Delhi to raise vital funds for Covid relief work in India. One participant was Lower Sixth student Tian Patel (L6BRD), who took to the static bike outside Neasden Temple in May, alongside big names such as London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

MILITARY FORMATIONS SEE LATIN COME ALIVE FOR YEAR 8 PUPILS — Latin classes are more than

just declensions and conjugations, as Year 8 pupils, including (l-r) Aliasgar Kachwala (8ADH), Humza Khan (8ADH) and Muadh Mubassir (8ADH), discovered in May, as they were put through their paces with Roman military formation training. Led by Teacher of Classics Mr Andrew Furniss and A-Level Classics student David Self (L6REM), who is also a Cadet in the John Lyon CCF, pupils got a real understanding of the skills and techniques used more than 2,000 years ago.

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First competitive matches bring Golf to the fore!

Fixtures against some of our best-known local sporting adversaries have positioned Golf as one of the fastest growing sports at John Lyon

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loss against Harrow School may not seem the ideal result for John Lyon’s first competitive Golf fixture, but for Head of Maths (and Head of Golf) Mr Pete Muhley, the result showed the great potential of the School’s players. Firstly, the score was a very narrow 3.5-2.5, and secondly, the average age of the John Lyon team was much younger, including that day’s star players, 14-year-olds Zahidali Jamal (10PS) and Ace Parmar (9JNL), who went toe-to-toe with Harrow’s Sixth Form opposition.

The second match, against Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School, saw the raw talent realised, with all three John Lyon pairings winning to give the School a 3-0 victory.

The pairs of Arjun Raja (U6PWM) with Ace Parmar, and Johnny Kuo (9JNL) with Rohan Parmar (9KS) both won by a narrow 1 up, whilst the youngest team, Racheith Rajan (8ADH) and Arun Karunadasa (7AJM), dismantled their opposition in a

The successful John Lyon Golf team: (l-r) Racheith Rajan (8ADH), Nathan Harris (7EJG), Zahidali Jamal (10PS), Arun Karunadasa (7AJM), Ace Parmar (9JNL), Johnny Kuo (9JNL) and Rohan Parmar (9KS). Top, Racheith Rajan drives from the first tee at the Harrow School course.

7 and 6 victory.

The season’s final match, against Mill Hill School, was also victorious for the Lyons, a 2.5-1.5 win secured with the help of Ace Parmar and Zahidali Jamal winning 6 and 4, and a 1 up singles victory for Racheith Rajan.

For Mr Muhley — himself a club player of note with a scratch handicap — these results are just the start of what he hopes can be achieved in the years to come: “Golf is certainly becoming much more visible at John Lyon and these first results show there is some great talent right throughout the School.

“At present, all Year 7s get to try Golf as part of the Friday Co-Curricular Programme, and I now run a Golf Club for those who show good potential to learn more and increase their skills. Senior pupils are also able to choose Golf as a sporting option throughout the year and we have good access to a number of local courses, notably the nine holes at Harrow School.

“With girls soon to join John Lyon I am also really excited at the prospect of Golf being a sport in which both boys and girls can play with and against each other, both internally and in an increasing number of fixtures against other schools.”

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School's elite cricketers have a week to remember with bat and ball John Lyon successfully defended the Middlesex county crown in a five-day run from quarter-finals to victory

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aving won the Middlesex County Cup in 2019 and there being no competition in 2020, the 2021 tournament offered the first chance in two years for John Lyon’s 1st XI to defend the prestigious title.

With a truncated cricketing season and short Summer Term, the tournament schedule had all three final rounds to be played in a single week, from Monday 7th June.

On Monday, the team beat Isleworth & Syon School by nine wickets, in a match which saw Aryan Sutaria (U6TCF) (four wickets) and Ismail Ahmed (L6NGA) (three wickets) star with the ball and scores of 34 each for Kahil Jariwala (11LHF) and Rahul Renganath (L6NGA) with the bat.

On Wednesday, St Benedict’s School, Ealing, were the opponents in a tighter match which John Lyon won by 26 runs, including two wickets each for Aryan Sutaria and Ismail Ahmed, and 55 runs for Advait Sundaram (U6PWM).

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anything but, with a dominant John Lyon racing to victory by a huge 87 runs against Merchant Taylors’ School. A classy 51 with the bat from Kahil Jariwala helped John Lyon to a total of 128-6 before the bowlers restricted MTs to just 41 runs all out, with three wickets each from Ismail Ahmed and Rayan Raval (L6MEW) and four smart catches by wicket keeper Kahil Jariwala.

After three matches in five days, there was inevitable tiredness within the 1st XI squad, but that only seemed to spur the players on as they went into a very difficult Saturday calendar fixture against Westminster School and came out with a 17-run win, and a great display of batting

Top, Shayen Vaid (11LHF) was part of the bowling attack that tore through the opposition in the cup final. Below, the team and coaches pose with the trophy.

From left to right. Standing: Mr Adam Ling, Vinaykarthik Rachakonda (L6ND), Kahil Jariwala (11LHF), Muhammad Zulfiqar (11CEP), Ismail Ahmed (L6NGA), Yash Patel (11MRF), Shayen Vaid (11LHF), Rhian Chohan (7EJG), Mr Shane Cloete.

Sitting: Shayne Amba (U6ASL), Aryan Sutaria (U6TCF), Advait Sundaram (U6PWM), Rayan Raval (L6MEW).

by Yash Patel (11MRF) who scored 73 not out.

John Lyon’s Director of Sport, Mr Shane Cloete, said: “I want to congratulate all the players and coaches who have worked so hard for this success. To win the County Cup is a huge achievement, but to defend the title shows a great fortitude.

To then follow it up with victory over Westminster — one of the very toughest fixtures — shows the incredibly high standards that are now being set and met here at John Lyon. To put on a display of consistent and quality Cricket, the likes of which are rarely seen in school sport, is an outstanding achievement.”

YOUNGSTERS SHOW GREAT FORM IN FIRST JOHN LYON SEASON — With

much of the sporting calendar disrupted in Autumn and Spring Terms and no competitive fixtures at all, Summer Term’s Cricket gave John Lyon’s Year 7s the chance to show what they can do when facing a real opposition. And they did not disappoint.

The U12A team had a highly successful season, with seven wins from eight matches (at the time of writing) including victories over St Benedict’s School Ealing, The London Oratory School and Enfield Grammar School. They also progressed to the semi-finals of the Middlesex County Cup. Congratulations to (l-r)back row: Adeshveer Toor (7CJC), Khyan Devani (7EJG), Milan Khimji (7EJG), Troj Mehmetaj (7EJG); middle row: Ryan Fernando (7SRP), Rhian Chohan (7EJG), Nathan Harris (7EJG); front row: Rishab Shah (7AJM), Romir Card (7EJG), William Pye (7CJC) and Kesavan Gunaseelan (7CJC).

FESTIVAL SPIRIT COMES TO SUDBURY FOR DAY OF SPORTING EVENTS — Spirits

were high at Sudbury Fields on the last weekend in June, as pupils from every year group, along with their parents and siblings, came together for a day of sport and fun at the inaugural John Lyon Festival of Cricket. The day-long Festival, part of the School’s 145th anniversary celebrations, gave pupils, parents and staff the chance to get together, properly, for the first time in well over a year. Despite ongoing restrictions meaning the invitation could only be extended to families of those pupils participating, there was much fun to be had by all. The new Festival, which replaces Association Day in the calendar, will be back in 2022, by which time we hope every member of the John Lyon and Quainton Hall communities will be able to attend.

Summer Term 2021 | THE STANDARD | 19

Photo: Liam Deveney Photography

CASEY 'THE FLYING WELSHMAN' JONES CONTINUES HIS PATH TO COMMONWEALTHS — Having joined John Lyon just two months ago in April,

Casey Jones (9JNL) is already making an impression within the School, with success on a national and international stage in Fencing. Whilst Fencing is not a sport taught within the School, we are keeping a close eye on the Welsh National Épée champion and UK's number 1 ranked fencer in his age group. The goal for Casey, known as The Flying Welshman, is to reach the Commonwealth Junior Fencing Championships in India in 2022, something that he is well on the way to achieving having triumphed with Youth Series tournament wins in Manchester and Liverpool in June.

SCHOOL BEATS STAFF TO RETAIN HOCKEY BRAGGING RIGHTS

— The School vs Staff is a relatively new fixture at John Lyon but already a match that both sides take extremely seriously.

Following the School's narrow victory in 2019, staff were eager to prove that age and experience can trump youth. But it was not to be. Despite securing a strong 3-3 draw against the students, it wasn’t enough to take back the trophy, which remains in the hands of the School for another year.

20 | THE STANDARD | The John Lyon School Magazine

PUPILS MAKE A SPLASH WITH PARTICIPATION UP IN SWIMMING AND WATER POLO — The lockdown has proven logistically tricky for many of the School’s usual sports and activities, but not in the swimming pool, which has seen a dramatic increase in numbers right across all age groups in the School. As well as House Swimming and House Water Polo in Summer Term, the School diary now includes Elite Swimming two mornings a week and Water Polo Club four evenings a week. The growth in popularity of the School’s Aquatics Programme, including with swimmer Jamie O’Connell (10NB), left, and polo player Aryan Lamichhane (8ADH), right, is expected to continue as girls join in September.

SPORTS DAY BECOMES SPORTS DAYS AS ATHLETES GET THE CHANCE TO COMPETE —

The usual single afternoon of track and field action for John Lyon Sports Day was spread out across four days at the end of June, as pupils in all years, including William Horridge (9JNL), ran, jumped and threw their way to athletic glory.

Sudbury Fields was the venue for this year’s edition, with a shortened programme of disciplines, including running distances from 80m to 1500m and field events including javelin, discus, high jump and long jump. Unfortunately, the all-important House competition results hadn’t been decided at time of going to print.

Summer Term 2021 | THE STANDARD | 21

Miss Katherine Haynes Head head@johnlyon.org

"The whole school swung into action to make it a memorable occasion" Following the death of HRH Prince Philip in April, we look back in the archives to 1997, when the Duke of Edinburgh made John Lyon's first and only Royal visit. The following is an abridged account of the visit, written

by Vaughan House Captain James Richards (OL1997) in that year's Lyonian Magazine

T

he time for expansion and improvement had arrived as plans were developed to provide the school with a new library, gymnasium and swimming pool. Building work took place throughout most of 1996 and was completed towards the end of the year. Few would deny that a major development in the life of the John Lyon School has taken place.

There was a surprise to follow when the Headmaster informed us in assembly that His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh would be officially opening the Sports Complex and the new Library.

For some people it took an age to sink in and as it did, the whole school swung into action to make it a memorable occasion. In the final week leading up to the visit, the finishing touches were added and a sense of pride and anticipation hovered.

It was strange to come into school on the day of the visit to find Middle Road lined with police officers but it did bring home to us the importance of the day.

The Duke himself arrived at the school and was welcomed by the Governors and the

Mr Jonathan Pepperman Deputy Head JOP@johnlyon.org

Headmaster. His first port of call was the new gymnasium, where Prince Philip gave a relaxed speech which did much to settle our nerves.

The unveiling of the plaque went smoothly – apparently it is not always the case – and a fanfare from the gallery followed. From the Sports Hall, the Duke moved on to the new Library where he unveiled the next plaque – again with no hitches – and met the DofE Award winners, their parents and staff.

On his way to the Fitness Studio the Duke spoke to Bronze Award participants and instructors. From the Fitness Studio he moved to the swimming pool where a Life Guard practice was in full swing.

A memorable day ended with tea and refreshments in the Boyd Campbell Hall where the Duke mingled freely with parents, teachers and boys. It was a wonderful day and I, along with everybody else present, felt honoured to be part of such an important event in the school's history.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award continues to be a popular pursuit at John Lyon with many dozens taking Bronze, Silver and Gold awards each year.

Mr Andy Sims Deputy Head AJS@johnlyon.org Open Day Dates www.johnlyon.org/opendays

Miss Rebecca Davies Senior Registrar Tel: 020 8515 9443 admissions@johnlyon.org John Lyon Middle Road Harrow-on-the-Hill HA2 0HN 020 8515 9400 www.johnlyon.org @johnlyonharrow