KGS April Newsletter 2017

DoE SAILING

CCF ADVENTURES

Five sailors ventured to West Sussex at the weekend to prepare for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award

The annual adventure training camp is one of the best opportunities that CCF has to offer. Read Maya’s report

KINGSTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL 1

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NEWSLETTER

APRIL 2017

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PHOTO BY A.SCOTT, AT THE OLYMPIC PARK

BRONZE FOR OUR 1ST XI For the first time since the competition was reformatted, the KGS 1st XI boys played in the England Hockey finals event last week This was an opportunity made even more exciting as we chased the double, after indoor success earlier in the season.

Ever since the draw had been made, we knew that a semi-final against Repton (who had won the competition for the previous two years) was bound to be a difficult test. Sadly, despite frequent training throughout the Easter holidays, the game, in front of a sizeable crowd at the Olympic Park, did not go

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to plan. Two goals for Repton at the start of each half made it an uphill task and, despite extreme determination, the lion’s share of chances and an exceptional deflected goal from Nathan Farr, it simply was not our day. The eventual score line of 5-1 did not reflect the game or the ability of the two teams involved, as conceded by the Repton coach and team as well.

Understandably deflated after a gruelling defeat, we managed to

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competitions

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show trademark character in the 3rd/4th play-off the following day. Against a talented Queen’s Taunton team, the deadlock was only broken deep into the second half. A quick counter attack and some fluid passing resulted in Ronan Harvey-Kelly finishing into an empty net.

sport

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events

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APRIL 2017

It’s less than two years since the last general election - and much less since we went to the polls over Britain’s membership of the EU - so we might be forgiven for all feeling a little bit like the now-infamous ‘Brenda “Not another one!” from Bristol’. Not so, however, for KGS, as Mr Sorley, our Head of Politics, ably abetted by his trusty second-incommand Mrs Butcher, wheels back in place the political machinery to hold a KGS campaign. They’re all there – Conservatives (including some with a small ‘c’), Labour (some Corbyn-ites, some not), Liberals (including the occasional Blair-ite), UKIP (possibly including a few ‘not quite rights’ – in terms of the facts, that is) and the Green Party. This whole process is, of course, incredibly liberating and educational as well as being a great deal of fun.

The same cannot necessarily be said of the actual election. Perhaps one way to spice this up would be to reconsider the opportunity for 16-to-18-yearolds to have the vote. Strangely, in my younger years, I was never much of a fan of lowering the voting age; as I get older, though, I see more and more justification for offering a real voice and choice to young people. The decisions we make now will potentially affect them far more deeply than many other voters; they will, also, be the generation we rely upon to correct whatever mistakes are made in our attempt to use wisdom and guesswork to get things right (as well as paying for the pensions and services enjoyed by the nation as a whole). There are lots of arguments against lowering the voting age. Some are attributed to the fact that teenagers would not use or appreciate the right to vote. The counter-argument is that this is true of large swathes of the population who do currently have the vote. Other arguments include that they would be unduly influenced by parents (at which, if you have teenage children, you might be excused a sarcastic chortle) or make silly, irrational choices that would sway the political direction of the country against the wishes of their ‘betters’. This to me sounds dangerously similar to the

rationale for not giving women the vote during the suffragette movement.

In discussion and in action I find that the young people I encounter at Kingston Grammar School are as politically knowledgeable and motivated as anyone I meet in the course of everyday life, if not more so, regardless of their age and experience. In fact, if they had the vote we might be in a better situation politically, across the world, than we are now. Equally, it could be worse – we simply don’t know. It might be worth recalling that the Communist Party won the last KGS mock election but at least they kept their election promises, a rare commodity these days, and every voter received a sticker and sweet, which is more than we usually get. Perhaps a study in counterfactual, or virtual, history would be a useful exercise and something I should put my mind to!

The situation, however, is as it is - for this election at least - but I think there is definitely a case for reopening the debate. In the meantime, we shall enjoy the School mock election and worry as much as ever about the potential outcome of GE2017.

Thinking about the election calls to mind the phrase ‘strong and stable’, and I do hope that we shall be able to report that KGS is reviewed as being this and much more when we see the outcome of our inspection report, which will be shared with the School community once it is available. At the time of writing, the inspectors are avidly working their way through the School, leaving no stone unturned in their search for evidence of various types. I mention this only by way of wishing to publicly thank all those students, parents and governors who have contributed through completing questionnaires and providing books, portfolios and attending meetings, all at the inspectors’ request. We really do appreciate the extra effort and are always exceptionally proud of our students and their willingness to contribute and comment in a mature and engaging manner. They are of enormous credit to themselves, their parents and their

school. I would also like to thank staff for their continued dedication and hard work which is even more apparent when one is under the microscope. Lastly, thank you to the inspectors themselves who are working very hard to get to know our school in a very short space of time.

Whilst I am on the subject of being proud I must make mention of the CCF biennial inspection led by our very own Captain Beggs and his wonderful team of staff and cadets with Group Captain Eddie Cole as our Reviewing Officer this year. It really was a fitting celebration of our 102-year-old contingent and was a wonderful occasion that all past and present contingent members would be delighted with.

We were very proud to be able to celebrate our boys’ 1st XI hockey team’s achievement in adding to their National Indoor title this year by finishing third in the country in the outdoor competition.

Having lost in the semi-final to Repton, they picked themselves up and went on to defeat Queen’s School, Taunton 1-0 in the third place play-off. They played exceptionally well and whilst Ronan Harvey-Kelly scored the winning goal, that goal and the overall performance at the Olympic Park - and indeed over the whole season - has been a magnificent team effort. We’ll be especially sorry to say goodbye to our Upper Sixth squad members who have contributed so much over the years they’ve been at KGS. Finally, I would like once again to wish every student the success they thoroughly deserve in the upcoming exams. With Art practical exams complete, language orals in full swing and study leave just around the corner, we enter a nerve-wracking period for all concerned. Please don’t forget that the staff are always on hand to support in any way they can - and remember: ‘work well and be happy’. • Stephen Lehec Head Master @KGSHEADMASTER

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INSPIRATIONAL OKS Mr Bartram (OK 2009 and Sports Coach), Mr Prosser (Sports Coach) and Sarah Haycroft (OK 2009) all secured places in the European Hockey League with Surbiton Hockey Club

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On Saturday 22 April Surbiton Hockey club saw both their men’s and women’s first teams battle against other clubs in the country to secure a place in next year’s European Hockey League. Surbiton men played Holcombe where a win would guarantee a place in Europe; however, it was never going to be an easy task with Holcombe boasting six international players. Surbiton, captained by our very own Lewis Prosser, managed to win the game 3-2 which meant they earned themselves a place in next year’s European competition.

Wimbledon, who had been national champions for the last two years running. Wimbledon managed to take the lead in the first quarter but Surbiton continued to pressurise the south west London team. By the third quarter, Surbiton found themselves trailing by three goals. With seven minutes to go Surbiton found the net three times which meant that the championship would be decided on penalty shuffles (one vs one with the goalkeeper).

After some great saves and excellent finishes, Surbiton managed to win the shuffle competition 3-2 and became national champions.

The ladies (who had already earned themselves a place in Europe as they won the league) played the University of Birmingham in their semi-final.

Old Kingstonian Sarah Haycroft captained the side to victory as they won the game 3-1 and so Surbiton had representatives in both finals the following day.

The ladies then played their final and as expected were a class above Holcombe and won their fourth national title in as many years, meaning that for the first time in the club’s history, both the men’s and women’s first teams became champions. •

On the Sunday, Surbiton played against

Mr D Bartram Sports Coach

SPORT

MORE HOCKEY SUCCESS KGS boys have been in action for Surbiton over the last few weeks at the England Hockey U18 and U16 National Club Championship Finals.

On the 8th and 9th April, Jonny Kerr (Captain), Josh Askew and Sam Mayhew formed part of the U16 squad that finished 3rd. They were unbeaten throughout the tournament, only missing out of a place in the final on goal difference, and secured bronze medals by beating Havant 2-1 in the 3rd/4th play off.

On 1st May, Ben Park (Captain), Ronan Harvey-Kelly, Michael Moran and Ed Darwin were part of the Surbiton U18 team which beat Beeston 4-2 in the final to win the championship for the second year in a row, with Ben Park scoring one of the goals. •

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Continued from front page The match finished 1-0 and KGS took the bronze medal, a fitting end to their KGS careers for nine of the squad. As a group, they have won two national titles and lost an extremely small percentage of their games. For a group of home-grown players it was especially rewarding to highlight that we were capable of competing with schools that have relentlessly recruited players from around the country, including some from KGS. • Ben Park U6EJP

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CAMERON COVERS EUROPE CHASING GB SELECTION With his sights set on rowing for Great Britain this summer, Cameron Spurling has had a busy Easter holiday on the water, including two national team trials as well as training and racing around Europe.

Cameron took part in the GB Spring Assessments in the final week of term and, while he was unable to gain selection for the first regatta of the season in Munich, he gained a great insight into the methods used to select crews for the bigger events to come, including the World Championships in Lithuania in August.

He has spent the winter training in a pair with Freddie Allinson from The King’s School Canterbury and spent several days in Orta, Italy, with the King’s squad, returning with a silver medal from the Monate Invitational Regatta.

first weekend of the Summer term, where they finished fourth in the B-final and tenth overall from an entry of the 38 best pairs in the country.

This result should be sufficient to gain an invitation to GB Final Trials in July, where crews will be selected for the World Championships and for the Coupe de la Jeunesse, a European team championship in Hazewinkel, Belgium.

Over the holidays, Cameron also managed to attend several days of the KGS training camp in Soustons, France, where the focus was on forming some strong combinations for the Summer regatta season. • Mr MW Gough Rowing Coach

The duo went on to compete together at the GB Junior Trials Regatta over the

GOLF FORE KGS After the long winter break, golf is firmly back on the sporting calendar at KGS. We were involved in a couple of fixtures before the Easter break, narrowly losing to Ibstock in the ISGA Matchplay plate competition by only two Stableford points. A couple of putts that dropped here or there for Sam Reid (L6HJW), Jonathan Moeller-Schwartz (3RJW) or Max Dawson (5LHW) could have made the difference. It meant we were unable to emulate the achievements last year of qualifying for the National Finals in this competition.

The second match was against Epsom College in the regional semi-finals of the HMS Foursomes, a scratch event. We had been soundly beaten by Epsom last year but came very close to reversing the result this year. A fantastic performance

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by lead pair of Reid and Moeller-Schwartz in beating the Epsom top pair 3&2 gave us hope but we could not find a second win from Dawson and Pugh or from Oliver Dawson (1T) and Luca Fielden (2CES).

There are a number of other golf events on the KGS golf calendar this term. As well as some School fixtures we have the annual Past vs Present match that pits current pupils and staff against former pupils and parents. The “Present” are the current holders but the new venue of Malden GC may bring about a different result.

The KGS Golf Society (KGSGS) runs a number of fun and friendly events throughout the year. The season opener, the Spring Scramble, took place at

Hoebridge GC during the Easter holidays and was an ideal opportunity to dust off the winter cobwebs without the pressure of having to keep your own score. There will be a similar event during the October half term. All KGSGS events are open to pupils, staff and parents and they are always looking to recruit golfers.

If you are interested in being involved in some enjoyable, social yet also competitive golf, contact the Society’s secretary, Richard Wickerson, by email (richardwickerson@hotmail.com). • Mr M Rodgers Head of Golf; Head of Biology

SPORT

JUNIOR INTER-REGIONAL REGATTA On Saturday 22 April four of the J16 Girls squad were selected to represent Thames London at the annual Junior Inter-Regional Regatta in Nottingham

KGS ROWERS: ISADORA JONES (FAR LEFT), FREYA KING (THIRD FROM THE LEFT), LAUREN BETTS (FOURTH FROM THE LEFT), SORREL HUMPHREY (FOURTH FROM RIGHT) Our girls were selected as half of the WJ16 VIII with local rivals Kingston Rowing Club making up the other half.

With both squads being on training camp over the Easter break we had only three sessions after Easter weekend to train as a unit. This is a real challenge for any crew but to mould the two halves of a crew together who had such distinct styles proved to be a harder than we may have hoped.

Training was mixed over the limited number of sessions we had. The crew showed the ability to move at real speed but struggled to establish a rhythm that would see them through the 1.5km race distance. Nerves were high when we arrived in Nottingham: could the girls combine the high quality low intensity rowing they had done with the race pace work to establish a rhythm to maximise their speed over the whole course?

The time to race arrived. The big rivals from Henley Rowing Club racing as ‘Thames Upper’ were drawn in the opposing heat. Our girls, racing as ‘Thames London’ stormed their heat, winning by nearly 15 seconds - but we were over four seconds slower than the ‘Thames Upriver’ crew. KGS had successfully transferred their smooth long paddling style to race pace and had

proven themselves as contenders - but with a time over four seconds slower than Thames Upriver in the opposing heat, the gold medal looked unrealistic.

In the final, the expectation was that Thames Upriver would row away from the field leaving Thames London to consolidate the silver medal ahead of a strong chasing pack. The girls had a different idea. After five strokes Thames London led by about two feet and for the next kilometre the crews rowed stroke for stroke, pulling well ahead of the field behind.

With 500 metres left to race, Thames Upriver pushed hard and moved out to a ¾ length lead and the race for gold looked lost. Thames London, however, rallied and closed back to cut the deficit to less than ½ a length. With 300 metres remaining the two crews pushed their stroke rate up and despite the best efforts of Thames London, Thames Upriver squeezed back out to ¾ length and our girls came home in second place. The girls had knocked over four seconds from the time they made in the heats and to race toe to toe against a crew as physically strong and as well drilled as Thames Upriver is huge credit to the whole crew from Thames London.

for their teams it was vital that the girls finished in second place to win the girls’ trophy - and they did! This is the first time Thames London had won a girls’ trophy.

With the boys from Thames London also winning their team event, this meant that for the first time Thames London won the overall trophy. To be part of a winning team with rowers across age groups and boat classes is a very special thing to be part of and the cheers when the final team results were announced could be heard all around the venue!

Representing Thames London from KGS were: Isadora Jones, Freya King, Lauren Betts and Sorrel Humphrey.

Thanks must go to the Thames London Team Manager, Jono Cheesman, and to Kingston Rowing Club for towing the boats to Nottingham. Well done and thanks, too, to the five girls from Kingston Rowing Club who we raced with. • Mr P Simmons Head of Rowing

With each crew being awarded points

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ELSIE CONTINUES TO INSPIRE

UN DIARIO ESPAÑOL During the Easter holidays 25 Third Year pupils as well as Miss Reynolds, Miss Pastore, Mr Crohill and Ms Clifford went to Colmenar Viejo, near Madrid

Sixth Former Elspeth continues to volunteer for INSPIRE regularly. Her gentleness and willingness to help enables all the members to feel very comfortable in her presence.

She has developed a close working relationship with Hannah who is always pleased to see her. • Mrs K Pinnock Head of Community Service

Day 1: we’ve arrived!

In Colmenar Viejo, we were greeted by our exchanges and their parents with warm hugs, excited smiles and a traditional Spanish fiesta. So far, so good!

ELSPETH AT INSPIRE DURING THE MAYOR’S VISIT

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Day 2: The bright lights of Madrid On the train to Madrid, various new Spanish phrases and words were tried out using our best accents.

With the scenic mountains providing a picturesque backdrop, we weren’r short of inspiration for our conversations. In Madrid we took photos of the Palacio Real and ate lunch in the beautiful Jardines de Sabatini. The highlight of the day was a flamenco lesson. Whether you were a grade 8 dancer or struggled to clap in time, the teachers taught everyone that flamenco is great fun but a lot harder than it looks! Afterwards we ate churros and drank hot chocolate in a famous ‘churrería’ - definitely the highlight of the day!

Day 3: A day with our amigos españoles

We enjoyed a day of bonding with our Spanish exchanges when we visited the royal Palace of Aranjeuz. With the sun shining, we had free time to shop and explore with our hosts. Strong bonds had been formed and connections made with our Spanish friends and language was never a barrier.

The weekend: The next two days were spent with our host families. Some of us played sport, others shopped whilst others had hairraising vists to theme parks.

Day 4: Madrid otra vez

On our last day we visited Madrid again. We started the day with a tour of Santiago Bernanéu, Real Madrid’s football stadium; everyone was fascinated by its overwhelming size and we were fortunate enough to go through the changing rooms, go in the stands and shop in the souvenir shop. With our phones brimming with selfies, we walked to a typical Spanish restaurant where we ate paella and a cold tomato soup with ham and egg in it called salmorejo.

TRIPS Day 5: Our final day

Our final day in Spain started with two lessons at our host school, I.E.S. Ángel Corella. It was fascinating to see the different subjects and classes, and to meet our exchanges’ friends. It was sad to say ‘adiós’ but on behalf of the Spanish and English exchange students, ¡muchas Gracias! to all of the teachers who organised and executed a wonderful trip which was enjoyed by everyone! •

ADVENTURES WITH CCF The annual adventure training camp is one of the best opportunities that CCF has to offer

Gabriella Linney 3CLB

To steretch our legs on the first day we climbed a 2231ft mountain called Twympa. It was fairly difficult for us all but the achy feet were worth it for the amazing view. We certainly all slept well that night. The next day’s activity was water sports, and we found that the kayaking and canoeing are very difficult when the wind is battering you!

My favourite activity of the camp, caving, was up next. I think that it is safe to say that orienteering in a cave is a lot of fun (as long as you don’t mind

bats, that’s is - I saw four different types!). Our final day was spent at the centre trying archery, low ropes, an obstacle course and BMX biking.

The camp definitely finished on a high note!

CCF is also a great way to make new friends. There is something for everyone and I would really recommend finding out more about joining CCF. • o r sit, natoque Maya Dickens 3NHR

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A WARM WELCOME IN WAGENINGEN An early start at Ditton began our 10-hour journey to Holland After the ferry journey to Calais, we drove through France and Belgium and into Holland, where we were greeted by our hosts in Wageningen.

After an exciting trip to the De Efteling theme park the next day, KGS prepared for our first match against Wageningen.

Two victories - the As won 2-1 and the Bs won 3-2 - were a great start to the Holland visit. The following day, after losing to Shinty and Phoenix, we went to watch the European hockey league. We saw Orange-Red play Amsterdam and really enjoyed the high quality hockey.

More matches followed, with some wins and some losses. The disco that night was great fun.

On Sunday we played in a mini tournament against Wageningen, Leusden and Ede, with mixed results. The day was rounded off with a barbeque for the A team whilst the Bs tried out a local burger house.

On our last full day the As spent time messing about in boats and kayaks whilst the Bs went paintballing - painful but fun. It was then time for our final match against our hosts, with both KGS teams losing. It was a wonderful trip and thanks go to all the teachers and coaches who made it possible. • Joseph Hughes 3RJW Read Emma Sloan’s account on our website http://www.kgs.org.uk/news_ articles/holland-hockey-tour-2017

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SPORTS TRIP

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THE LAND OF FIRE & ICE After almost a year in the planning, 39 Second Year students and five staff set off from Heathrow on an Easter holiday adventure around the thermally active and scenically spectacular landscape of Iceland on the annual Geography Department field trip After landing at Keflavik airport we were whisked straight onto our waiting coach with our friendly Icelandic guide Petur and our driver, also called Petur, for five days of amazing scenery, awe-inspiring activities and some of the most remote and atmospheric accommodation of any KGS trip.

On the first day we visited the active Constructive plate boundary, standing both on the North American and Eurasian plates. We followed this with a trip to the gaping chasms belching sulphur and steam, witnessing a landscape that looked more like a scene from another planet than a landscape close to home. We stayed overnight at the Reykjavik hostel close to the centre of the world’s most northerly capital before an early start heralded the beginning of our adventure.

Our second day was called Waterfall Day. We managed to visit four, walking into, behind and to the summit of them. Despite being soaked multiple times, the sheer power of the

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waterfalls was fabulous. The weather was amazing and the sun shone, raising the temperature a little! In the afternoon we visited an active glacier and, after donning hard hats and crampons, we clambered onto the glacier and walked towards its source.

We even managed to try our hand at ice carving using our ice axes!

We overnighted at a remote farm at the base of Eyjafjallajökull where students stayed in traditional Icelandic wooden cabins and feasted on local lamb.

The weather the next day was more challenging but this provided the perfect backdrop to our 8WD adventure. We drove into the interior and witnessed first hand the impact of below-freezing temperatures, snowstorms and drifting snow. We returned to lower land to visit the Golden Circle – full of geysers and waterfalls - before having a relaxing hour in the Secret Lagoon, one of the oldest thermally heated outdoor pools in the country. Around the outside of

the pools we witnessed small geysers bubbling and erupting as well as seeing locals growing all manner of fruit and vegetables in their thermally heated greenhouses.

After overnighting at a traditional local farm, compete with cats, dogs and horses, we started to head back towards the capital. We visited Thingvellir, the site of Iceland’s first parliament, and often considered the birthplace of modern democracy.

We saw the active plate boundary once again before heading off to a perfect caldera, walking around its rim in an atmospheric snowstorm.

We finally drove off towards Reykjavik as the snow came down and the sky darkened. In the late afternoon we headed to one of the world’s largest outdoor thermally heated pools, complete with a myriad of hot pots of varying temperatures, a huge main pool and a freezing cold plunge pool!

Dinner followed in the centre of the city before finally wandering back through the snowy streets to our accommodation.

TRIPS

LA BELLE FRANCE

The final day dawned and the weather was fabulous. We wondered into the city before visiting the cathedral and the Viking Sun sculpture. An hour of shopping followed before our final lunch on the harbour wall overlooking the snow-covered mountains and the busy harbour. Sadly, it was then time to head off to the airport, driving through a final flurry of snow before checking in.

The trip was excellent; the students were fabulous and a real credit to the School and themselves. I would like to thank them all for their good humour and for making the trip such a success.

Finally, enormous thanks must go to the staff that accompanied the trip – Mr Forsyth, Mr Cooper, Miss Noble and Mr Beggs - for all their help, hard work and enthusiasm. •

Each year at KGS, a group of pupils studying GCSE French are given the wonderful opportunity to experience a week as a part of a French family.

After arriving in Paris via the Eurostar, we boarded another train for an hour, passing through the rolling countryside before arriving in the lovely town of Châlons where we met our host families. The families then took us on excursions such as a trip into central Paris, a basketball match, a visit to the Mercier champagne brewery, a look around the nearby town of Reims (including the stunning Reims Cathedral) and many more brilliant activities. The delights of French cuisine were also enjoyed over the weekend, including my own interesting taste of snails and frogs legs! We reunited as a school on Monday as we all visited the awe-inspiring Verdun for the day. Our fact-filled, friendly and fun tour guide had an amazing wealth of

historical knowledge. With Tuesday came the excitement of a visit to Disneyland. On Wednesday we all went to visit our hosts’ school in Châlons. Our day consisted of a table tennis tournament, an English lesson, a tour of the school and a rocket building lesson, rounded off by an afternoon of sport. I’m happy to report that the KGS contingent won both the rounders and the football matches! The following morning we made our farewells and started the journey back to London. We would all like to thank the brilliant teachers who came with us to France and who made the whole trip possible. • Harry Torrance 4MPW

Mrs VS Humphrey Deputy Head; Geography

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SQUAD OF FOUR My name is Soraya Verjee and I started KGS two terms ago. Last year, I started writing a book, which has recently been published, called ‘Squad of Four’. I’ve wanted to be an author since I was seven years old, and have never given up that dream. When I first thought of writing the book, the main plot and all the ideas were unlike the ideas I ended up publishing.

Xander Reyes, the protagonist, was a celebrity who was forced to attend a normal school, something he hadn’t done before. When he is at school, his old murderous enemy, Rian, who he thought he would never see again, returns to destroy Xander’s life and ends up stealing his only true friends. Shortly afterwards, Xander finds out about a murder written down in code and he has to decipher it so save whoever is to be killed before it is too late…

to texture his personality so that it is not too straightforward.

I wanted to write something I could show my friends and my hopes are that it would please other young teenagers.

I was inspired by J.K. Rowling because her life story as a writer shows that anyone, of any ability, can have potential as a writer. She had a lot of courage and perseverance to publish her book even after getting rejected by publishers multiple times. I really like Megan Miranda, author of ‘Fracture’, because her style of writing is very interesting and a type that I had not read before. Even though she is not that well-known, she is probably one of my favourite authors of all time. • Soraya Verjee 2NAR

Xander Reyes is someone I wanted almost everyone to love because, with the help of his friends, he is the hero of the story. I developed him to have qualities that would make him a good person but, at the same time, I wanted there to be an element of evil inside him

END OF AN ERA: PARK AND PUGH BOW OUT School at its first appearance at the National Finals of the Schools’ Challenge, the country’s foremost general knowledge competition for schools, equivalent to University Challenge.

The KGS team of Upper Sixth formers Matt Pugh (Capt.) and Ben Park, Fourth Year Izzy Hepburn, and Freddie Pflanz of the Second Year made history on Sunday 23rd April representing the

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Undaunted by the occasion, the venue (Westminster School), or the quality of the opposition, KGS won a very closely fought quarter-final match against Manchester Grammar School by 550-510 but were unlucky to lose a tense and at times contentious semi-final to Lancaster RGS 600-490.

Congratulations to the team for their success; to be ranked in the top four schools in the country is a remarkable achievement. It will be a great loss to say farewell to Matthew and Ben after many years of involvement which have seen us climbing a succession of new peaks in the competition, with Sunday’s semi-final a fitting culmination of their contribution to the team. But our loss is University Challenge’s gain, and we will be keeping an eye out for them. And in the meantime, we have a strong, young team to take on the mantle that will be keen to build on this success and hoping, perhaps, even to eclipse it in the years ahead. • Mr N Bond English

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THUMBS UP THURSDAY AT KINGSTON MUSEUM

DoE TAKE TO THE WATER

Holly Godliman and Ellen Garard helped to run a brilliant afternoon of children’s “Thumbs Up It’s Thursday” activities at Kingston Museum during the Easter Holidays. They devised a series of creative activities, tying together ideas from exhibits about Kingston’s role in the history of tattooing and a beautiful exhibition of decorated - or ‘tattooed’ Romanian Easter Eggs.

It was great to see them in action with a group of very demanding young museum visitors with high expectations, and Holly and Ellen’s activities did not let them down!

A big thank you to both of them, as well as to Chiara Russo, the Museum’s Learning and Engagement Officer, who is leaving her post at the end of this month. She has been instrumental in building a successful volunteering relationship with KGS and we wish her the best of luck. • Mrs K Pinnock Head of Community Service Click to book tickets The National Theatre production, captured live. In cinemas from

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Hey ho, whilst most of the Fourth Year were trudging along in deepest Surrey, five keen and able sailors ventured further afield to West Sussex to prepare for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Sailing award. The weather was kind as they set off on the Saturday aboard two brightly coloured Bosuns. Sailing around Chichester Harbour offers great choice but at all times wind direction and tide times are of key consideration. And so it was that the famous five sailed out to East Head and picnicked on the white sands of West Wittering.

After a night’s camping with tasty menus and a blazing fire, the following day the five took a topper of their own and sailed for three hours to Dell Quay and back again before packing up and heading for home.

The adventure will be enjoyed again, with an additional walking feature, in early July. • Mrs S Corcoran Head of Learning Support

by JM Barrie devised by the Companies

‘Unforgettable’

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Photography by Sam Robinson

‘Dazzling’

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ROWING CAMP 2017

THE SUN SHONE THROUGHOUT A SUCCESSFUL WEEK-LONG SENIOR ROWING CAMP IN SOUSTONS, NEAR BIARRITZ, DURING THE EASTER HOLIDAY

U19 SURREY TOURNAMENT

U15 SURREY FINALS

The Senior U18 1st Vll took part in the Surrey B netball tournament. This is the first time they have competed in this competition and were faced with a strong pool - St Catherine’s, Emanuel, Guildford High School, Tormead and Caterham, all very strong netball schools.

The U15 netball squad qualified for the Surrey Finals back in November where they came 2nd in the Surrey rounds. The Finals took place on Sunday 12th March at Epsom College, where they faced some very strong Netball schools including St Catherine’s, JAGS, Tiffin, Alleyn’s and Lingfield Notre Dame.

In the first two games against St Catherine’s and Emanuel, Kingston produced some great netball securing an 8-2 and a 8-1 win. This performance was credit to the girls and all their hard work this season. However, the following two matches were tough, taking on GHS 2 and Caterham. We struggled to find our form, which, in such short games, resulted in losses of 13-9 and 16-10. This placed us 5th in our section and meant that we had to play off in the Cup against the winners of the other section. We faced GHS 1 who were strong and slick and having already played six games, the girls found it hard to dig deep to get ahead. We lost, but the girls

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played some fantastic netball and can be extremely proud of their performances throughout the tournament.

This was the last netball fixture for four of our UVI girls and we say goodbye to Nicole George, our Captain for the season, Rea Georghiades, Martha Prior, Alice Thiroff and Emily Pearce. We will miss their commitment and high level of skill that they have bought to the game. •

The girls went out strongly in their first game against St Catherine’s, competing goal for goal.

After a 5-5 full time score, Millie Whittle scored a penalty securing them a 6-5 win against one of the strongest sides! It was an exciting start to the day, but the competition was tough and after a closely contested game against JAGS, they then couldn’t find their form against Tiffin, Alleyn’s and Lingfield.

The girls came 4th in their section and are ranked 11th in Surrey. They can all be very proud of their performance and achievement. • Mrs J Stapleton Head of Netball