Middle

MIDDLE HOUSE

Although the year was busy and full, it was so nice to return to some relative normality and be able to experience all the best of what Kingswood has to offer.

Angus Rex

The start of the year was an opportunity to welcome the new boys to the House as well as new tutors: Mr AlliesCurtis and Mr Gordon. The latter we welcomed to the position of Assistant Houseparent and it has been so nice for the boys and my family to get to know him better. The fi rst signifi cant event for us was the House Performance competition, something that Middle now has some pedigree in. It provides an opportunity for the new House leadership team to take charge along with their Summerhill counterparts. Head of House Angus Duncan, Deputy Head of House Rex Evans and Head of Boarding Vas Alexeev all galvanised the House well and set the tone for the remainder of the year. We were also fortunate enough to have Alex Kellagher in the position of Deputy Head Boy and, as a seasoned veteran, he was certainly able to offer his guidance and expertise to our rendition of Waterloo by ABBA. The fi rst term is also busy for sport and the House contributes a large number of rugby players to teams right through from Year 9 to 1st XV level. In the senior side we had a large number of regular representatives and Ollie Ellis and Tom Roach shared the captaincy. Middle boys also made up a signifi cant number of the undefeated U15 and U16 rugby sides, not to mention they were both coached by Middle tutors, Mr Gordon and Mr Webb. The Christmas Concert is a big highlight

Vasily

in the end of term events and so many Middle men have now made an appearance in this through KJO and smaller music groups.

After we returned from the Christmas holidays we learned that Haru Ishizaka and Arthur Darwish had secured offers from Oxford and Cambridge Universities respectively. Competition for places at these two particular universities is exceptionally high nowadays so this represents a notable achievement. Many of our Year 13s have also secured offers from top universities and we wish them the best of luck as they wait for their results and hopefully embark on their chosen courses. Hockey has provided Middle with two internationals with both Ollie and Toby Day getting national honours. Both boys are set to become an integral part of next year’s senior hockey side. The footballers also enjoyed success in their fi xtures with a number of Middle boys representing both of the senior sides and the 1st XI being captained by Jack Gould. The CrossCountry teams also had a signifi cant Middle House representation across the teams. Seb Crow and Tom Meier deserve particular mention for their impressive performances in the Bristol Half Marathon, as does Charlie Haines for fi nishing in the top 40 at the English Schools Cross-Country Championships. Elsewhere, Callum Voisin impressed in his season in the British F3 championships and he has enjoyed working with his team Carlin this season, whilst William Paice managed to get in the top 8 at the National Fencing Championships in the Epee.

In the Summer term, Cricket, Swimming, Athletics and Tennis all provided sporting distractions for the boys, whilst KATS and the Summer Showcase celebrated those of the boys who have artistic talents. Particular Cricket highlights were Toby Eayres who notched up two centuries throughout the season, as well as brother James captaining the 1st XI. Noah Davies also continued to impress for both school and

Head of House:

Angus Duncan

Deputy Head of House:

Rex Evans

Head of Boarding:

Vasily Alexeev

Senior Prefects:

Freddie Baker Colby Chu Will Farmer Theo Gooding Alex Kellagher Max Waring Jack Wheaton

...experience all the best of what Kingswood has to offer.

Somerset. Bruin Ward co-led the boys’ Athletics team and managed to mastermind an excellent Sports Day performance from the House. However, we were without star athlete Charlie Haines who was representing Avon in the final week of term. He gained an excellent third in the final of the Junior boys’ 800m at the English Schools Athletics Championship. Away from sport, my personal musical highlight was seeing Alex Kellagher and Colby Chu perform Me and My Shadow at both the Summer Showcase and the Final Assembly. money for the House charities: Help for Heroes, the Jemima Layzell Trust and Paul’s Place. Freddie Stockton did a great job ‘drumming’ up interest and raising nearly £1000 by having his ‘Lockdown locks’ removed. Earlier in the term, it was the Middle House Boot Sale and 1000 mile challenge that raised a similar sum whilst providing some great entertainment and pizza.

The end of the year culminated in other House events, including the waterslide for House Entertainment. It was also great to be back in the Middle House garden for our Final House Assembly of the year. As well as giving out various awards, we also gave thanks to the brilliant tutor team and the matrons: Timi, Mel and Monika. We also said farewell to our Year 13s and some of the Year 11s. Sadly, we also said farewell to Mr Mansfield, Mr Brown (DT) and Mr Brown (PE). Mr Mansfield takes up a position in a new school closer to home, whilst Messrs Brown (DT) and Brown (PE) become Houseparents of Hall and Upper respectively. We wish them all the best of luck, thank them for all they have done for the House and hope they take a little piece of Middle with them into those new roles.