Kingston Grammar School Autumn term 2019 Newsletter

Autumn term 2019 Kingston Grammar School

INSIDE THIS ISSUE >School Life

>Sport

>Trips

>Drama

Pages 10 - 11

Page 7

Pages 8 - 9

Pages 14 - 15

Class of 2019

Pre-season hockey

China and Russia

Senior Play: Rhinoceros

KGS Newsletter

Artwork by Emilia Hazel, L6th Form Artwork by Olivia Casci, L6th Form

Artwork by Alex Michael, 1st Year

KGS Christmas cards produced by our students in December 2019.

Top row from left: Emilia Hazel (Lower Sixth), Olivia Casci (Lower Sixth) Bottom row from left: Imogen Marinko (Fourth Year), Alex Michael (First Year)

2

From the Head Master Particular thanks go to the five School Houses for their efforts in raising over £3,000 for charity since September

Welcome back, everyone! I do hope that you all enjoyed a wonderful festive period and are set for a happy, healthy and successful 2020.

Last term was, as ever, not only the longest term of the school calendar but also the busiest by far. With the longer days and vast array of activities, our new First Years probably felt this more than anyone. They can take pride and solace in the fact that they have fully adopted the KGS ethos and culture, and that in returning after their well-deserved break they will now feel very much at home.

From the moment we opened our doors in early September, students engaged with all types of learning, both in and out of the classroom. It was a particularly busy term for trips, both in the UK and abroad. I very much enjoyed my week away with the Second Years on their Outward Bound trip to Aberdovey, Wales, where they were all thoroughly taken out of their comfort zone. It was an experience I am sure they will never forget.

As well as lessons and trips, our

numerous co-curricular activities have continued to flourish. Clubs ranging from coding to chess and technology to debating have filled lunchtimes and after-school sessions with - hopefully - something on offer to suit everyone.

The ever-popular mock election allowed keen Sixth Form students to practise their public speaking skills at a variety of hustings and live debates, although reports of ‘votes for sweets’ may require further auditing!

require its own trophy to recognise the House that does the most to help and inspire others.

The Senior Play, Rhinoceros, challenged as much as entertained, and had the audience engaging with the cast in a creative fashion. Similarly, a number of wonderful musical evenings have showcased the breadth of talent here at KGS.

A Happy New Year to you all.

It is in this vein, as we begin not only a new term but a new decade, that I encourage all our students to embrace every positive opportunity that comes their way, especially those that allow them to use their talents, attributes and empathy to help to improve the lives of others.

Mr SR Lehec

We should also congratulate the U14 girls’ hockey team for reaching the National Finals to be held in February and wish them luck for what lies ahead.

Particular thanks go to the five School Houses for their efforts in raising over £3,000 for charity since September. The race to bake, dress up, spend and serve is fast-becoming a new branch of the House Championship that might possibly @KGSHEADMASTER 3

Trip >Venice, Italy

Ciao, Italia!

October half-term saw the MFL Department’s inaugural Italy trip.

After a long day of travelling, we spent the first evening in a beautiful restaurant where we were put through our paces as pizza-makers by the head chef, closely watched by other diners, wearing aprons as we prepared the dough and added our own toppings.

After a good night’s sleep near Lake Garda, we spent the following morning in lessons at Liceo Fogazzaro, a school in Vicenza, where our students were questioned on school life in the UK – and able to ask some questions of their own about life as a student in Italy.

The afternoon was spent in Verona where we were able to visit not just the beautiful arena and amphitheatre, but also Juliet’s balcony and Romeo’s house.

Lake Garda was our destination for the third day – after sending the students to buy items for a picnic in the shops and at the market in Limone, we visited a lemon grove before travelling to Malcesine by boat across a misty and atmospheric Lake Garda.

4

We then spent our final full day in Venice, visiting the basilica in St Mark’s Square before exploring some of the back streets. The trip in the gondola was breathtaking and it was a great opportunity to ask our ‘gondoliere’ questions about his working life. After visiting Murano and a glassmaking factory, we explored the Jewish quarter before walking back to the coach, a slice of pizza in hand.

We were so impressed by the students’ conduct and willingness to get involved and by their use of Italian – in the markets, at the shops and with the students they met. For some of them it was their first visit to this part of Italy – and for some it was their first time in Italy. We were delighted that the trip was such a success and we intend to offer this every three years, which will enable every student who takes Italian to GCSE to participate at least once. Huge thanks to Mrs Russell and Mr Wenham for accompanying us, and to the students for being such good company and making us all laugh so much!

Mrs K Pinnock, MFL

CCF STEM Camp Over October half-term, two KGS cadets went to Rollestone camp in Salisbury to attend a week-long STEM camp.

The week kicked off with a visit to the annual ACPD (Army Combat Power Demonstration) where the British Army displayed its technological power. There were all types of technology there from drones to advanced radar systems, and we had the opportunity to get up close and personal with helicopters and tanks, and even got the chance to have a ride in one. However, the highlight of the day was the actual display where the army simulated an attack and used Apache attack helicopters and many different types of tank to showcase the combat effectiveness of the British army (they also blew a few things up!).

The rest of the week was jam-packed full of activities with different parts of the army, from learning how to change a tyre with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers to climbing inside a Wildcat reconnaissance helicopter with the Army Air Corps.

Despite waking up at 5.30am most days and wading through muddy fields, the week was extremely rewarding and exciting and has made me see STEM in a different light. This camp has given me an appreciation of how it can be applied to achieve different objectives and the vital role which technology plays in almost everything that the army does.

Cadet Jessica West, Fifth Year

KGS at the Festival It has become custom for the KGS Theatre Company to take a production to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every two years.

Last summer, they performed the little-known play Rattigan’s Nijinsky

by Nicholas Wright at The Space in Surgeon’s Hall. It explores the playwright Terrence Rattigan’s fascination with the celebrated dancer Nijinsky. During Rattigan’s final years, he is working on a script about Nijinsky’s life, marriage and relationship with his mentor. It was a cathartic experience for Rattigan, who used Nijinsky to express his own demons and sexuality.

Nineteen Sixth Form students took part in this nuanced and sophisticated piece. It is a complex play, with shifting time periods and locations. Mr Crohill did a brilliant job of conveying this through original, simple staging and highly effective black and white moving projections. What is even more impressive is that he managed to direct this full-length play in the space of just one week during the summer holidays.

With a large and able cast…

KGS brings to life this very involving play. The staging is excellent. Alexander Clay is especially good and arresting as Rattigan, showing us a tormented man, who has not moved with the times…Matti Musk is a very well observed Nijinsky, showing us the dancer’s ability, his self-regard, his religious obsessions, and his decline Audience review posted online

Mr R Gee, Drama

5

Trip >Kaunas, Lithuania

Baltic exchange After the end of term in July, Sergeant Ewart-Ellison and I were two of only 40 cadets to be selected to participate in the annual cadet exchange camp held in Kaunas, Lithuania. This was an international event involving six nations UK, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Ukraine. We gathered with the other lucky cadets at the Hammersmith barracks and were issued with kit as well as meeting our staff leaders for the trip.

The camp we stayed at was a training school for NCOs and officers in the Lithuanian army – pretty much the Lithuanian equivalent of RMA Sandhurst.

We watched a presentation of what happens at the camp, ranging from basic

training in leadership and field craft to airborne training. A tour of the facilities included a full size NATO-specification obstacle court, 25m indoor pistol ranges, artillery positions and two full size football pitches, basketball and beach volleyball courts. We then watched a demonstration of equipment and weaponry used by the Lithuanian army from the 19th century onwards. We ended the day with a lowkey competition involving an obstacle course, air-rifle shooting, grenade throwing and archery.

The second day involved treetop climbing where it was enormously entertaining to watch the staff allocated to us struggling to complete the course! Dubbed “the

D&T trip In October a group of students and teachers headed to Gatwick for the DT trip to Berlin. Our first stop was the Reichstag, the German government building. We went inside the big glass dome on the roof of the building and learnt a lot about its history. After a visit to the Brandenburg Gate we went to the moving Holocaust Memorial followed by the German Museum of Technology where we learnt how different fabrics are made and how transport has changed through the years.

The highlight of the trip was probably going to the BMW motorbike factory. We learnt more about how the manufacturing process works, and were allowed to try out the bikes, before getting a tour around the production line. It was really interesting to find out more about how the parts are made as well as the assembly and testing processes. In the afternoon we went to a computer games museum. We had fun playing on old computer games, including particular favourites such as Space Invaders, Wii golf and a dance mat. It was particularly difficult to get the teachers to leave!

6

On the last day we saw Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall where it was eye-opening to read first-hand accounts from German citizens. There was just time for a quick trip to the Mall of Berlin which surprisingly had a much-loved slide!

It was a great trip and we would all like to thank Mr Farr, Mr Halls and Miss Beckford for such a good time.

Alice Cassidy & Isabella Walsh-Whitfield, Fifth Year

tactical day”, our third day involved being sent to practise field craft skills with Lithuanian Special Forces soldiers. Training was intense to say the least, involving creating rope bridges, orienteering, camouflage and concealment as well as an in-depth presentation on the equipment used by the Lithuanian Special Forces.

Camp was a highly enjoyable experience and a good follow-up to our own CCF Summer Camp (although arguably not as well executed in the finer areas!).

Matthew Richardson, Upper Sixth

Trip >Berlin, Germany

Hockey pre-season tour

Just before the start of term, the 1st XI hockey girls embarked on a pre-season tour to Dublin.

Despite a misplaced passport, the team made it to the first game against Loreto College, Foxrock on time where they were tested by Loreto’s strength and pace both on and off the ball. After holding them off for the majority of the game, KGS lost the game 1-0 (a great test for the newly formed team) with goalkeeper Izzy Pleasance winning player of the match for KGS.

On the last day we went to Pembroke Wanderers Hockey Club. KGS broke the deadlock in the second half with two goals scored within a few minutes.

However, the girls were understandably tired however after the previous two days’ exploits and the final score ended 2-2. A whistle-stop but rewarding tour for the players (and staff) nonetheless!

Mrs N Maclean, Director of Sport

Trip >Dublin, Ireland

On the second day we set off to St. Andrew’s, Dublin for a tournament which saw KGS up against Mount Anville in their first game. KGS had the best first half and were soon 2-0 up and went on to win 2-1. A comfortable 3-0 win against fellow tourists Clifton College, Bristol was next. The girls followed that with a 2-1 win over St. Andrew’s in their last game, leaving KGS the overall winners. After the tournament, it was off to Dublin for a walk around, some shopping and a meal at Celtic Nights - a true flavour of Irish hospitality and culture!

7

Trip >Beijing &

Exploring China

Nine students in the Third, Fourth and Fifth Year spent a week in China over the October half-term break.

Day 2 – Alex Pelling (Fifth Year) The majority of Tiananmen Square is taken up by winding queues of people trying to get a glimpse of Chairman Mao’s body lying in the mausoleum. After this, we moved into the Forbidden City, originally thought to have 9999 rooms but later counted to be only 8704. The rest of the day was spent at the Temple of Heaven and a local market where we had to employ our haggling skills!

Day 3 – Kierth Grewal (Fourth Year) Today’s highlight was the Great Wall of China, which meanders across hills like they were simply a bump in the way and was deceptively high up. Other activities on this day were the jade factory, and the Ming Emperor Tombs. Here, we were encouraged to engage in conversation with Chinese tourists from the provinces, and a few people from our group even got ambushed and had their pictures taken.

8

Day 4 – Arun Peiris (Fourth Year) The day began in the Old Town where we had a 20-minute rickshaw ride before stopping to look at the old home of an army general that consisted of four small buildings. It was said that sons would sleep in the east buildings, daughters in the west, parents to the north and guests to the south. We then headed straight to the station to catch the train to Shanghai.

We covered 1200km at 339km/h!

Day 5 – Miland Gajree (Fifth Year) The Jade Buddha Temple was built in 1882, and we began our day here. There

Shanghai, China

were beautiful orchids to be seen all around of the kind that one simply doesn’t see in England! Next, we visited the Shanghai Architectural Museum where we saw an accurate scale map of Shanghai.

We were then able to spend some free time at a Chinese market which sold a wide variety of small gifts and interesting foods. The early evening was spent at the Yu Yuan garden which is famous for its traditional Chinese architecture and ninecornered bridge. Lastly, we saw the day out on an hour-long boat journey along the river Huang Pu. Days 6 and 7 – Sophie Farrell (Fifth Year) After a brief Q&A session (almost wholly in Mandarin!) with Bella, our tour guide, we set off to the Shanghai Tower, all 127 floors and 632 metres of it! The rest of the day was spent at the French Concession, containing original buildings from the colonial era before shopping time on the Nanjing Road and a stroll along The Bund, a waterside promenade. Our final activity was spent watching the Shanghai Acrobatics Troupe who were simply outstanding. We returned the next day to the airport on the maglev, a train that runs on magnets.

From Russia with love Trip >Moscow and

St Petersburg, Russia

October half-term saw 38 students and five members of staff travel to Moscow and St Petersburg for the biennial Russia trip.

our time in Moscow we were also treated to a guided tour of the Armoury Museum (which houses an impressive collection of Faberge eggs) and cathedrals within the Kremlin, and a visit to the Great Patriotic War Museum.

Upon arrival in Moscow, we began our week of Russian history and culture with a visit to Gorki Leninskiye, an estate in the countryside which became Vladimir Lenin’s summer house in 1918 following the Russia Revolution. This is where Lenin recuperated after an assassination attempt in 1918 and where he spent a lot of time in later life as his health declined before his death in 1924. Highlights of the tour of Lenin’s Gorki included a visit to the estate’s garage where Lenin’s Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost (complete with skis below the wheels to travel during Russian winters!) is stored.

Our second day in Moscow began with a tour of the very busy but very beautiful metro system, ‘The People’s Palace’, as we travelled to Red Square. The highlights of our time in Red Square included a visit to Lenin’s Mausoleum and photo opportunities outside Ivan the Terrible’s magnificent St Basil’s Cathedral. During

and a tour of Yusupov Palace where Rasputin was murdered. Of course, no visit to St Petersburg would be complete without guided tours of the impressive Hermitage and Catherine’s Palace. This year’s Russia trip ended with a very poignant visit to Victory Square and the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad. This monument and museum commemorate the victims of the siege of Leningrad, a 900-day blockade of the city undertaken by Nazi Germany during World War Two. Thank you to all of the students for their enthusiasm and interest throughout the trip. Special thanks go to Mr Lehec, Miss Parkes, Mr Bequignon and Mr Deakin for all of their energy and hard work.

Dr K Kennedy, Head of History

After an eight-hour journey, we arrived into St Petersburg station ready to explore this beautiful city and to celebrate the birthdays of Holly and Harry! An exciting addition to the trip this year was an evening watching SKA St Petersburg play ice hockey. Highlights of St Petersburg included a visit to Peter and Paul Fortress where some of the Romanovs are buried 9

University Destinations

Class of 2019 Bath Biochemistry Economics Engineering Management Mathematics Maths & Statistics Mechanical Engineering Politics & International Relations Birmingham Business Management Chemistry Civil Engineering Economics Engineering History Liberal Arts Physics Physiotherapy Sport & Exercise Science Bristol Biomedical Science Chemistry Engineering Film & TV History Law Camberwell Art Foundation Cambridge Geography History Law Cardiff Chemistry with Foundation Chemistry with Year in Industry Economics & Philosophy Engineering Foundation Philosophy Politics & International Relations Central St Martin’s Art Foundation Coventry Automotive Engineering Mechanical Engineering Edinburgh German & History

Exeter Economics History History & International Relations Law Psychology and Sport & Exercise Science Glasgow Geography Imperial College London Aeronautical Engineering Biochemistry King’s College London Classics Kent Comparative Literature Loughborough Product Design Sport & Exercise Science Leeds Business Management Geography International Relations Sport & Exercise Science Manchester Chemistry Drama & English Neuroscience Philosophy & Politics Physics with Philosophy Social Anthropology Newcastle History Mathematics Modern Foreign Languages Nottingham Biology Civil Engineering Economics Engineering English Geography Liberal Arts PPE Psychology & Cognitive Science Religion, Philosophy & Ethics Sociology

Nottingham Trent Psychology Oxford Ancient History & Archaeology Biology Chemistry Classics Geography History Mathematics & Computer Science Oxford Brookes Sport & Exercise Science Plymouth Geography QMUL Medical Genetics Physics Reading Art & Psychology Business & Management Pharmacy Royal Holloway Music Psychology Royal Veterinary College Bioveterinary Science Sheffield Computer Science Sheffield Hallam Quantity Surveying St George’s Biomedical Science Swansea Economics & Business UCL Architecture Engineering Urdang Academy Musical Theatre Foundation Warwick English & Theatre Studies Westminster Psychology York Psychology

10

Congratulations to Ellen and Clara Lyckeus who each achieved 3 A*s at A Level.

Glasgow

Edinburgh

Newcastle

We are very proud of sisters Hannah and Katie Orrell who achieved a clean sweep in their GCSE and A Level results. Katie is now off to Oxford to study Geography.

York Leeds Manchester Sheffield Hallam Sheffield Nottingham Trent Nottingham Loughborough Birmingham Coventry

Swansea

Bristol Cardiff

Congratulations to high-flying sibling duo Penny and Max Cairney-Leeming.

Penny achieved grade 9s in all of her GCSEs whilst brother Max achieved four A*s in his A Levels. Max is now studying Mathematics & Computer Science at Oxford.

Cambridge Warwick Oxford Brookes Oxford Bath

Reading Kent

London (11)

Exeter Plymouth

11

Going for gold

“Sir, I’m going to be honest: this is going to be hard, and I’m not looking forward to it.”

This was how I was greeted on the first Monday morning of October half-term as eight Upper Sixth students (Ciara

Kennedy, Sara Gotham-Pardo, Lucy Pearce, Tash Burrell, Lucile Toulemonde, Harry Torrance, Manvir Nijjar and Muhyuck Im) assembled ready for the trip to Dartmoor National Park in Devon for their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award expedition. Dartmoor, for the uninitiated, is an unforgiving environment, used by the Royal Marines for their training because they consider it to be amongst the most challenging landscapes in the world. The Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award is ranked by employers as an extremely valued qualification, and we consider those who complete their fourday, three-night wild camping expedition in Dartmoor as being worthy of an informal Gold * ranking!

The weather was kind to all participants on the first three days but on the final day the elements combined to produce the windy, wet and foggy conditions

for which Dartmoor is so famous (it is no coincidence that a prison was built there in Napoleonic times because it was thought that no prisoners could survive an escape!). However, the resilience of all students shone through and according to our external assessor, all participants completed the expedition with flying colours!

Mr S Grant, Head of Fifth Year

Sir, I didn’t think that I’d ever be saying this, but those were the best four days of my life!

European Day of Languages The MFL Department celebrated European Day of Languages through a full week of cross-curricular activities.

One activity included challenging themselves to read in more than 15 European languages, trying to put the texts in categories such as recipes, film reviews, songs, poems, etc. They enjoyed discovering that they were able to read in languages they had not previously learned, all thanks to their reading strategies.

The sweetest activity was our KGS Bake Off Challenge where languagethemed cakes were baked and enjoyed, all in aid of Macmillan Nurses.

Mrs T Russell, Head of MFL

12

Book launch adventure When I was in the First Year, Mrs Cleaves asked for volunteers to review Sarah Govett’s latest book. I had read her trilogy The Territory (the TSBA winner in 2018) and I had really enjoyed it so I was so excited to read her new book. The manuscript arrived and I had only a few days to read and review it. But it wasn’t difficult as India Smythe Stands Up really drew me in – it was such a great story about a typical teenager and conveyed really powerful messages about friendship and status.

I had forgotten all about my reviews when, at the beginning of the Second Year, Mrs Cleaves said that, along with some other students, two of my reviews had been chosen by Sarah and published - one on the back cover of the book and one in the inside flap. I was also invited to the book launch! So in September, I arrived at the Clapham Junction Waterstone’s one evening after school to attend my first-ever book launch.

Poetry, please

For National Poetry Day this year, we were lucky enough to have a visit from the former UK poetry slam champion Sara Hirsch where she performed three of her poems from her anthology, Louder Than Words. Many of the poems she writes are based on her experiences and were very interesting to hear.

One of these was Daisy where we

brought the words to life by throwing and catching a ball with Sara during the performance as depicted in the poem. She also talked to us about what it is like to be a professional poet, and the different places she has visited to give talks and compete in poetry slams including China.

Ella Keating, Third Year Exploration

I talked to Sarah about some of the other books I had been reading recently – she knew all the books and said she also loved Agatha Christie when she was around my age. It was a really lovely evening and so exciting and inspirational to be there. I felt really lucky to have had this experience.

Looking out at the fading and slightly bruised night The gap from the shore was closing It all seemed empty and grey on first sight Like freshly made food decomposing

Sophie Bailey, Second Year

There was even less light once we were there

New Poet Laureate crowned As part of her visit, Sara Hirsch crowned our new KGS Poet Laureate. This opportunity was open to Sixth Formers who were asked to write a poem on the theme of exploration, and a letter of application. Congratulations to Rory Stroud (Upper Sixth) who takes over from our inaugural Poet Laureate Lillie Sunderland. In this role, Rory will write poems to celebrate key events at KGS and beyond. Here’s his winning poem:

The streetlights dimmed. Out of nowhere Two glaring yellow eyes flew by and made it known That at the very least we weren’t completely alone The drone of the car soundtracked our silence As we walked past the road to the door The morning will lift the shroud from this island And you’d hope there’d more to explore

13

Senior Play: Rhinoceros Rhinoceros opens in a square in, so the script tells us, a small provincial town. In Mr Crohill’s production the town must have been big enough to support cafés on all four sides of the square. The patrons of these establishments were us, the audience, and it was an unseasonably sunny afternoon — thanks to excellent lighting!

The play opens with Berenger (Issy James) being told off by Jean (Jessica Larkin) for being late for their appointment and for being dissolute and dishevelled.

For readers who know the play but missed this production, I should point out that the main male roles were played by women as women, and the main female roles by men as men.

Soon the square is in turmoil: a rhinoceros is on the loose! “Well, of all things”, exclaim first one character, then another, and soon everyone.

Fortunately, a logician (Thomas Sayer) arrives to set things to logical rights, apriorism for a time eclipsing the empirical question of whether anyone had indeed seen a rhinoceros. More rhinoceros arrive, which might have settled the matter, but the logician explains that that isn’t the question.

What then is the question? What are we 14

to make of it all? The logician is absurd and, thanks to Thomas’s well-judged performance, we laughed. But a serious point is being made. Ionesco had lived through the rise of the fascist Iron Guard in Romania in the 1930s. In 1936, he wrote with disgust that the Iron Guard had created “a stupid and horrendously reactionary Romania”. In Rhinoceros, he expresses his horror of ideological conformism. When the logician’s cat is killed by a rhinoceros charge, it generates enormous outrage and people begin to band together to argue that the presence of these rhinoceros should not be allowed. We see the beginning of a mass movement.

The second act takes us to an office — again, amazing how good lighting can help! Papillon (Izzy Pleasance) is in charge. Berenger is late for work and Daisy (Rory Stroud) is covering for her by giving a detailed report of the previous events. Botard (Giulia Duggan) is having none of it. What is meant by a pachyderm? What is meant by a cat?

Was it a male cat or a female? What colour was it? Dudard (Suzi Garforth) and Papillon protest that the colour of the cat is beside the point, but Botard insists that “the colour problem is one of the great stumbling blocks of our time” and one “should never miss an occasion to denounce the colour bar.” Having excoriated the fascists, here Ionesco takes aim at the communists, and Giulia conveyed a steeliness which made her a very convincing ideologue.

Mr. Bœuf (Marcus Tapper) appears, saying that his wife, an employee at the office, is unwell and that he was chased all the way to the office by a rhinoceros. Botard raises further objections and is only cut short by the arrival of a rhinoceros, which destroys the staircase, trapping them all in the office. Mr. Bœuf realises that the rhinoceros is, in fact, his wife. Against advice, he jumps through a window and is carried off by her. The fire brigade rescue the others. Berenger goes to visit Jean, who has fallen ill. By degrees, Jean turns into a rhinoceros, and how scarily Jessica Larkin made the transition!

In the third act, the remaining protagonists, except Berenger and Daisy, succumb one by one to rhinocerisation.

Berenger and Daisy will make their stand against the rhinoceros. Daisy will help Berenger to resist them. But in the end, even Daisy is helpless. The rhinoceros are stronger, and their strength is to be admired. Daisy slips away to join them.

Berenger is alone. Mortal and fallible, Berenger stands alone against the mass movement. Rory Stroud and Izzy James carried us through to this conclusion with strength and conviction.

Rhinoceros is a challenging play. Mr Crohill’s conception of it, requiring the actors to perform in the round, demanded high levels of performing skill. The whole cast rose splendidly to these demands.

This was in all respects a most impressive production and Mr Crohill, Chris Edwards, Jen Starmer and all the actors should be proud.

Mr P Ricketts, Economics

@KGSHEADMASTER 15

Meet the author On the first day back after October half-term the entire First Year joined students from The Kingston Academy and Surbiton High School at The Rose Theatre to hear the author of The Boy Who Hit Play in conversation with children’s book critic Nicolette Jones.

Chloe spoke about the background to the book as well as her new book, Fire Girl Forest Boy which is set in Peru and was inspired by one of her favourite books, Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson. Chloe had some helpful advice for wannabe writers confronted with a daunting blank page – just write for two minutes. Once you’ve got two minutes, the rest will come. Nicolette referred

to the snowball analogy whereby once you have the initial idea, the momentum picks up and more ideas stick as the snowball gathers pace. The key thing is to get that initial snowball, no matter how small, moving. The results of the student competitions were also announced. The shortlisted covers and extreme reading photos formed a stunning backdrop to the event. Congratulations to Benny Margetts who came third in the book review competition, Zac Adigun who was runner-up in the extreme reading photo competition and to Anna Goodsman who won the cover competition. Anna was also the lucky winner of the special prize draw to have an animal named after

her in Chloe’s next book. All competition winners received signed copies of Chloe’s other two books, Fish Boy and Fire Girl, Forest Boy, runners-up received a £10 book token and the category winners a £20 book token to spend at Surbiton’s Regency Bookshop.

A huge thank you once again to the PSA for funding the gifting of the books to the First Years. Students looking for similar reads may like to try Katherine Rundell’s The Explorer, The Bubble Boy by Stewart Foster or Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford.

Mrs H Cleaves, Librarian

Community Service The Autumn term saw the launch of many of our Community Service projects.

A group of former volunteers from the Upper Sixth led part of an engaging lecture about volunteering opportunities, encouraging their peers in the Lower Sixth to sign up. Students then visited their placements for the first time for an induction with a teacher before starting to volunteer independently on a regular basis.

Mencap, as well as at St Joseph‘s and St John’s primary schools, helping pupils with their reading.

We currently have students volunteering at Joel Community Project, St Stephen’s Church cooking project and Richmond

Mrs K Pinnock, Head of Community Service

16

Projects due to start in January include Bedelsford School, Kingston Museum and Elmbridge Community Link Music Workshop. There are still some opportunities available for students who have not yet signed up so anyone who is interested should get in touch via email.

Succeeding at failure

Earlier last term, our First Year students spent the day reflecting on the power of failure in our annual KGS Failure Day. The idea of the day is to encourage them to consider their attitude to setbacks.

Our students can be considered ‘high achievers’: they have already done so well just to get here but in the sometimes competitive school environment the idea of failure at anything can be devastating to them.

For some, however, this fear of failure can actually be detrimental to their learning in that they can be reluctant or unwilling to push themselves, take risks or take advantage of new experiences or opportunities. It can also mean that some of our students lack the resilience to bounce back when disappointment and setbacks do eventually occur.

Mr N Forsyth, Head of Wellbeing

Failure Day was a lot of fun.

After an intriguing talk in the theatre about failure we went to Ditton Field and enjoyed activities including the balloon burst, slack-line walking with your eyes closed, bop the button, balance the nails, timed geographical, dodge-ball but with archery to name a few. I learnt how failure does not tell you that you are bad at something but that you need to improve on certain aspects of what you’re trying to do. It is good to have a growth mindset and learn from failure and not to have a fixed mindset and be scared of failure.

Nathaniel Butcher The day gave us a chance to socialise with other form groups as well as learn about failing and how it can be really helpful in later life. The activities were all so much fun and made me feel more comfortable with failing, because I know it’s just a part of life and it can also help me improve for next time.

Audrey Shepherd

17

Christian Union Summer Camp

What can I say about Christian Union Camp? Only that it was the most pleasantly surprising trip of my life - and I’m not being sarcastic!

In the summer of 2019, I went on seven different trips across Europe and I can confidently say that this camp on the south coast of Devon ranks alongside, and potentially even above, all those other holidays. Why? Well it’s mainly due to the people - they were honestly some of the most caring, welcoming and funny people I have ever met. And although 2019 was

my first time on CU camp, I did not feel shy or left out; in fact, I left feeling that I had been part of the set-up for years. As a wise man once said, ‘anything is banter with the right people’.

Having said that, the activities that we got up to were also objectively top class: I did some Grand Prix go-karting, enjoyed a massive slip and slide in the glorious sunshine and a round of golf on a picturesque pitch and putt. The CU leaders are so easy to talk to, and it’s great to have an opportunity to discuss deep topics that are always so uplifting and have long-term positive effects on your outlook on life.

The worst part of camp for me? The regret I feel for not trusting Mr Wenham when he told me to sign up for the previous five years! CU Camp has the perfect balance between not taking itself too seriously whilst allowing the chance for meaty discussion. So next year, grab yourself a good group of mates and just try it. If you don’t enjoy it, Mr Wenham will buy you a Ferrari.* Callum Farr, Upper Sixth *Not legally binding

Plants take the spotlight Biology Week in the Autumn term focused on plants. Students participated in different activities each day to build towards creating a terrarium. Monday saw the students carefully examining the leaves of living plants and then describing them with botanical terminology. On Tuesday students re-wrote flower-filled quotes from Shakespeare and Keats as if they were botanists. Using a key is essential for plant taxonomists and students used them on Wednesday to identify weird and wonderful plants and then answer questions about their 18

incredible biology. Finally on Thursday, students used clues in plant descriptions to decipher the Latin-based scientific names and match them up. With over 80 commendations given for completed activities, Biology Week was a great success.

Mr J Flavell, Biology

Hockey heros

‘Not out’ for our tennis team

The First Year boys were treated to two superstar hockey players coming to coach them on Saturday 7th December.

Jack Waller and Zach Wallace (both former KGS students) returned to Ditton Field where they first learnt to play the game and delivered a masterclass for the young KGS players hoping to follow in their footsteps.

In October both men helped Great Britain qualify for the Tokyo Olympics when they beat Malaysia in London and now they are both training hard to be selected for the 2020 Games.

The masterclass came at the end of an exciting first term as many of the boys only started playing hockey in September; hopefully, having seen the heights that Jack and Zach have reached, they will be inspired to continue playing the game and go on to achieve similar success.

Mr T Beaumont, Head of Boys’ Hockey

September saw the end of what has been a truly memorable season for the KGS tennis team, culminating with a historic victory for the Second Year girls.

Natalie Ivory, Josie Roux, Hannah Wood and Gina Saltykov took the girls’ Year 7 & 8 LTA Team Tennis South East Region title.

They were firstly crowned Surrey champions after beating Wimbledon High School in a 4-3 thriller, with Natalie and Hannah taking the tiebreak shootout 10-7 (coming back from 7-4 down!). A few days later they then joined the Kent, Middlesex and Sussex champions in the regional finals held at Sutton Tennis Academy, where they beat Highworth Grammar (Kent champions) 4-2 in the semi-final, before then defeating Bede’s School (Sussex champions) in another closefought match 4-3 (10-6 in the tie-break shootout). Not only did the girls play

some brilliant tennis but they also showed incredible competitive and team spirit to come through several extremely tight matches. Massive congratulations to Natalie, Josie, Hannah and Gina – we’re so proud of you!

In addition, the Fifth Year boys (Luca Fielden, Rhys Davies, Seb Latimer, James Don-Wauchope, Louis McMahon) have competed excellently this season, firstly to top their LTA Team Tennis qualifying group and then win two titanic battles 4-3 in the quarter-finals and semi-finals to reach the County Final. Unfortunately, they lost the final to a very strong Tiffin side – but they should be really proud of their achievements in being the Year 9 & 10 LTA Team Tennis Surrey County Runners-Up. Mr S Morris, Head of Tennis

19

Kingston Revue 8 October saw the eighth edition of the Kingston Revue take place in the Michael Frayn Theatre.

Always a fun evening, this year’s show did not disappoint with a mix of drama, music, comedy and magic on display which served to showcase the outstanding talent at KGS. Hosting the evening were Josh Stainer, Rosie Callen, Clara John and Louisa Marshall from the Lower Sixth.

In an evening full of highlights it is difficult to credit any individual act more than any other; however, our resident ‘Simon Cowell’ in the audience found Joseph Oxborrow’s Kromatography, Harry

Lipscomb’s card tricks, Issy Rosser and Sasha Lacey’s take on The History Boys, Sophia Snow’s Live Loop, Annabel Roux’s rendition of Queen’s Somebody to Love and the Jazz Band to be particularly entertaining.

Having directed the show I know how much hard work goes into it: thanks go to Mr Edwards and Mrs Starmer for masterminding the technical team who took care of the light and sound production and to Mr Crohill who provided invaluable advice and guidance to all the acts. Until next year!

Miss S Boulton, Director of Drama

British Physics Olympiad (BPhO) success This year four students made it through the A2 Challenge round. Congratulations go to Toby Cole, Alex Furmston, Jacob walker and Matthew Shipley. Round 1 awaits them and we wish them all the best.

Mr I Deepchand, Head of Physics

Sininhos de Natal 1W enjoyed a Geography lesson with a difference, chatting with students at a Portuguese secondary school as part of International School Library Month. They discovered a shared love of Harry Potter, playing guitar and piano, and Christmas songs, the highlight being a rendition of Jingle Bells in Portugese.

Mrs H Cleaves, Librarian

20

‘Dream big and dig deep’ The Outward Bound Week was a learning experience not to be forgotten by the Second Year students or teachers.

At the beginning of the week our course leader, Tom, told us that the vision for the trip was ‘dream big, dig deep’. The students and teachers embodied this ethos throughout. They embraced each challenge with an open mind and a growth mindset, and left the week fuller and richer human beings.

The week has been a great reminder of how amazing our students are. There have been so many moments when I have had to remind myself “These are only Second Years!” They have been so lucky to have shared this week together - challenging, awesome and guaranteed to be referenced in their Leavers’ Book in years to come.

Mrs S Corcoran, Head of Learning Support

Five days of thrilling adventures, with memories that will stick with me forever. This would not have been possible without the endless support and kindness of our instructors, Gemma and Alex. Like my friends, they were always there to help us and guide us through the tough challenges, and made an outstanding week even more fun.

Joseph Oxborrow Wow! Where do I start? Who knew we could do so much, learn so much and have so much fun in less than one week! Our week away was jampacked with activities but by far the most challenging – and most fun – was the one-night expedition. Despite the heavy rain we marched on while singing songs to keep our spirits high!

Most importantly, I learnt how much fun a week away in rainy Wales could really be!

Nell Gudgin

Trip >Aberdovey,

Wales

When we were at the top of Gregeman Ridge we all felt as if we had conquered the world!

Natalie Ivory

21

A new term, a new tee KGS kicked off the golf season with a tough first round ISGA matchplay game away at Foxhills against Gordon’s School.

After a day and a half of rain the course was surprisingly playable and the sun even came out for most of the round.

Jonathan Moeller-Schwartz, now the elder statesman of the team, faced a tough match against a 2-handicapper and did well to take the match up the 18th hole before losing 2 down. Charles Beeson, making his debut for KGS, and Oscar Evans faced tough assignments against two girls playing off handicaps of 4 and 5 who were regularly teeing off up to 100 yards ahead of them. The matches stayed fairly close to the turn. This first round loss sees KGS enter the ISGA plate competition, which will take place later in the year.

For the second week in a row we were drawn to play against Gordon’s, this time

22

in the HMC Foursomes competition, a pairs, alternate shot event. It was always going to a tough assignment against a team whose average handicap was 5.3 compared to the KGS average handicap of 16.5. Played again across the Longcross course at Foxhills, the top two matches featuring Jonathan Moeller-Schwartz and Oscar Evans, and Oli Dawson and Joe Raven suffered heavy losses but Charles Beeson and Tai Kim, playing much older students with much lower handicaps, only lost 4 and 3.

Our first home match of the season was a friendly against local rivals Hampton.

Local knowledge around Malden GC was not necessary to provide an advantage as the KGS novice pairing of Charles Beeson and Tei Kim, who had never played the course before, saw off their opponents by the 13th hole, winning 7 and 5. Only one more win was needed to win the fixture and both the other games provided a nailbiting finish.

Our last match of the term was a triangular event hosted by Reed’s at Burhill Golf Club playing against teams from both Reed’s and King’s Canterbury. As one of the strongest golfing schools in the area, Reed’s ran out easy winners, winning all their matches, which included a 6 and 4 win against the senior KGS pairing of Jonathan Moeller-Schwartz and Sam Mayhew, who was making his debut for the KGS golf team. The junior pairing of Charles Beeson and Joe Raven had a ding-dong battle against a pair from King’s Canterbury but finally won on the 17th. This left KGS with one win from two, taking second place over a winless King’s Canterbury.

Mr M Rodgers, Head of Golf

Book Fair bonanza The Autumn term’s Scholastic Half Price Book Fair was even more successful than last year as younger students took the opportunity to do their Christmas shopping without leaving the building!

Parents and staff took advantage of the special offers too.

The new Murder Most Unladylike, Alex Rider and Tom Gates titles were particularly popular. The current YA book du jour, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

by Holly Jackson (on this year’s Trinity Plus reading list), Cath Howe’s Not My Fault and Stories for Kids Who Dare to be Different sold out too.

Mrs H Cleaves, Librarian

Studying Seaford Despite a less-than-favourable weather forecast, 57 Fourth Year Geography students got up earlier than usual to make the journey to Seaford and Birling Gap on the south coast to investigate the success of the contrasting coastal management schemes.

First stop was the seafront in Seaford where students worked in groups to conduct questionnaires, asking residents and visitors their thoughts on the impact of the various methods the town is employing to defend against coastal erosion and flooding. They managed to collect some excellent data before we headed to Birling Gap to see what happens when the strategy is Management Realignment, allowing the erosion to take place whilst moving human activities back from the coast.

Here the students interviewed the National Trust staff and made field

PHOTO BY XXXX XXXXX

sketches of the area. It was an excellent start to their GCSE course and we were somewhat relieved to have dodged the forecast rain.

Mr A House, Head of Geography

@KGSHEADMASTER 23

Grand designs Summer 2019 was another busy time for the Estates Team as they oversaw a wide range of planned maintenance and new projects.

This included the redesign of the QEII courtyard as part of the Sixth Form Centre investment.

A new rendered surface and contrasting cobble stones were installed, set off by a range of colourful outdoor furniture. New bench seating surrounding raised planters, was installed and three large potted trees planted. The Baxter Gallery was renovated with a new colour scheme and additional furniture. Combined, these projects have transformed the area, making both the quad and the entrance far more inviting and usable spaces. Phase two, upgrading the Sixth Form Study Centre, is set for Summer 2020.

24

Contrasting cobble stones were installed, set off by a range of colourful outdoor furniture. New bench seating surrounding raised planters, was installed and three large potted trees planted.

New flooring for historic hall Also taking place over the Summer break was the replacement of the oak block flooring in the Hall.

Laid when the Hall was added to the original school building at some point in the 1900s, the floor has seen a lot of KGS history: from assemblies and prizegiving to examinations and concerts and a few parents’ evenings and Christmas fairs along the way. Over a hundred years of wear and tear, and having been renovated several times, it had come to the end of its useful life. Following its removal,

craftsman laid over 9,000 new blocks to create a floor which we hope will last for the next century at least!

Mr D Leen, Director of Finance & Operations

Hockey tour The hockey tour to Holland was a tremendous success. We played a range of exceptional teams, and now feel more prepared for stronger oppositions.

We arrived in Holland in the early evening, going straight to our first match against HC Barendrecht.

In this match the B team lost 5-1. Despite the determined defence of KGS, they were unlucky to concede a goal in the first quarter, putting them on the back foot from the start. Though this was unfortunate they continued to fight for the ball and improved their play by feeding successful passes up the pitch to the forwards. In the third quarter they were able to transfer the ball to Evie Dunwoodie, who scored a fantastic goal in the bottom left corner. In this match the Bs continued to improve on successful passes and transferring the ball across the pitch. There was some exceptional play in this match from Ella Watkins who was playing right half-back and fed some fantastic balls up the pitch and into the circle.

The A team won convincingly, 14-2. Amy Marshall scored with an incredible hit, and Audrey Coursey scored with a slap hit during a short corner. Miri Scott also

scored two goals. Jemma Dreyer and Ella Robinson scored three goals each, with a brilliant undercut from Jemma in the last few seconds of the game.

However, the team awarded Player of the Match to Ashley Walker, who scored four goals, making the biggest impact on the scoreboard.

On Wednesday morning, we had the chance to attend a pro-coaching session, where we learnt the Holland style of dribbling and stick skills. We discovered that it was a much more efficient method, and made sure to use it in the games.

On the second day both teams played a match against MHC BEST and played extremely well. There was also some fantastic play from the B team goalie, Orla Parker, who played fearlessly and blocked many attempts at a goal.

The A team played against a strong side and Ashley and Tula did well to keep them in the game with much-needed equalisers. It was tied until the final quarter when they pulled it out of the bag with a brilliant reverse stick shot from Miri and two consecutive flicks from Jemma, bringing the score to 5-2.

Ophelia Fyfeild who firmly protected the circle and Francesca Pavry who fed some swift balls up the pitch enabling an opportunity for a goal in the third quarter.

The As had a very good game, and with a 10-0 scoreline in the third quarter they decided to mix up the final quarter.

Forward Jemma Dreyer played in goal, and the other forwards played in defence.

Katherine, the goalie, then played centre forward! She even finished the quarter with a fantastic goal, bringing the score to 13-0, resulting in the unanimous decision that Katherine Don-Wauchope should be the player of the match. At the end the score was a brilliant 13-0 proving what a versatile team they are.

Lara Pickard & Ella Robinson, Third Year

Trip >Rotterdam,

Holland

In the third match the teams were supposed to play against Lscfacealectov.

They won 4-1 with amazing performances from the whole team, in particular,

STOP PRESS.... THE U14 GIRLS ARE THROUGH TO THE NATIONAL HOCKEY FINALS 25

Spotlight on success Clara John – Football Selected to play for the ISFA U18 National Team.

Will Egby – Karting Has competed in Formula 4 and is currently two seconds a lap off current Formula 4 championship drivers around a technical two-minute lap.

Isaac Shalgosky – Martial Arts Attended the Unity World Games in Nottingham and placed second in the 12 to 14 Creative Weapon Division. Isaac also obtained his Black Belt in Kuk Sool Won this term.

Natalie Ivory – Tennis Won Girls’ Surrey County Final.

Rosa Snow – Drama Performing in Royal Opera’s production of Otello at the Royal Opera House and can also be spotted in Last Christmas which is in cinemas now.

Katherine Don-Wauchope – Hockey Part of the U13 Girls’ Regional Champions team and won Goalkeeper of the Tournament. Katherine has now been invited to join UK Lions Hockey.

Rory Clow – Sailing Chosen to represent London and South East England for the RYA for Toppers and will now compete nationally.

If your son or daughter has achieved county, regional or national success out of school, we’d love to know. Email marketing@kgs.org.uk with details and we’ll do our best to add them to the next issue of this newsletter.

26

Eddie Hunt – Swimming Qualified to compete in four events at Swim England National Championships and has been selected for the Swim England Talent Programme.

Christian Faergemann – Squash National Gold Tournament.

Trip >Slovenia

sLOVEnia Our group of 15 students set off for Slovenia on a joint venture with Sir William Perkins’s School for their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Expedition over the summer.

We arrived in beautiful sunshine to the shores of Lake Bohinj with the magnificent Julien Alps as our backdrop waiting for us to set off on our hiking adventure the next day! After an exploration of the town our teams met with their assessors one last time to check their routes and equipment before setting off bright and early the next day. Our three groups were all on very different routes and each had a variety of different challenges over the course of the next four days. Each group journeyed for approximately 8 hours per day from hut to hut crossing a variety of terrains, landscapes and altitudes as well as taking in all the different flora and fauna of the mountain. Our three groups of students faced different challenges along the way, however, their team work and support for each other as well as the stunning scenery surrounding them ensured that they achieved their goals for the week. The KGS staff were all incredibly proud of their achievements over the week and know that the students were all very pleased when they completed their journey on the final day! A well-earned ice cream on the way back to the hostel cheered them up and we spent our final day exploring Lake Bled and Ljubljana before flying back to London ready to enjoy the rest of the summer holidays!

We arrived in Slovenia to blue skies and warm temperatures. Although our rucksacks were heavy, we were all excited about the prospect of being high in the Julian Alps for three nights. Each group had to decide a project aim, ours being flora and fauna at different altitudes. Our first night in Hostel Pod Voglom, located beside Lake Bohinj, was spent playing card games and preparing for our time in the mountains. My group got our route cards, maps and compasses and set off the next morning towards our first hut, Vodnikov Dom. This was our longest route and the climb up to a maximum altitude of 1800 metres was exhausting – but once there, the panoramic views made it all worthwhile. The following morning, we hiked south west towards Koča na Planini pri Jezeru. The uneven landscape was tough but taking the uphill slower made it more tolerable. Dom na Komni was our final mountain hut which provided breathtaking views that overlooked Lake Bohinj. We spent the evening playing card games, fortified by pasta and hot chocolate. Our final descent was one of mixed emptions: we were relieved to be on our final hike but had loved the stunning scenery along the way.

Kitty Griffin, Upper Sixth

Miss L Parkes, Educational Visits Co-ordinator

Pupil in print Fourth Year Katie Monaghan’s short story has been ‘Highly Commended’ in the Wimbledon Young Writers’ Competition (part of Wimbledon BookFest) and has been published in the accompanying anthology.

Her entry was selected from the best from over 60 schools. Four other KGS students were ‘Commended’ and received certificates.

Mrs H Cleaves, Librarian @KGSHEADMASTER 27

#workwellandbehappy