Malvern View Lent 2018

M ALVERN VIEW Issue 30 | Lent 2018

www.malverncollege.org.uk

A Christmas Carol

From the Headmaster

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Malvern View • Lent 2018

When I come to write the introduction to this publication and, thus, to assess the extent of some of the activities reflected in the pages which follow, I am always amazed at the diversity of life at Malvern. It is a fast-paced school and one in which so many are able to find their niche. The academic thrust of the school is, naturally, very strong and we regularly host stimulating speakers with whom our pupils engage. There are inter-House events, service activities and many examples of individual or team successes which enrich the lives of young people.

I do hope that you will enjoy reading about the inspiring environment in which young Malvernians are fortunate enough to grow up and to develop.

Antony Clark Headmaster

Academic Colours awarded In the Autumn term, eighteen pupils appeared on the Honour Roll four times over and so earn their Academic Colours. These pupils have consistently demonstrated academic excellence across all their subjects throughout the term.

We heartily congratulate them.

Sarah Angus, Senior Deputy Head

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Worcester Winter Junior Chess Tournament Our Malvern College Chess team was successful at the Worcester Winter Junior Chess Tournament in November. The team, comprising Ani King, James Francis and Peter Ingram each did very well; Ani secured the title, ‘Best Girl’ and a runner up position in the overall standings, James won four of his games and was placed third overall and Peter Ingram played admirably, managing to beat Ani in the match they played against each other.

Lukasz Rybarczyk, Mathematics

The Hart General Knowledge Quiz Before the February Half term break 55 pupils took part in the annual Hart General Knowledge Quiz. One pupil per year, per House, was entered from each of the 11 Houses.

The quiz was staged in the Gryphon Room where a strong and engaged supporting audience created an intense and excited atmosphere. The participants faced 100 tough questions in a strict 60-minute time slot. It was a tremendous competition.

Our congratulations go to: Top scorers by year FY Kitty Holroyd Remove Ginny Lawrence Hundred Vineet Pendurthi Lower Sixth James Wakefield Upper Sixth Jude Bedford House Scores 1st: No.6 – 264 2nd: No.9 – 250 3rd: No.2 – 226 4th: No.3 – 222 5th: SH – 221

52/100 58/100 63/100 70/100 63/100

6th: No.1 – 219 7th: No.8 – 207 8th: No.7 – 196 9th: No.5 – 183 10th: No.4 – 182 11th: EH – 161

Roberta Keys, Deputy Head: Logistics

Valerio Mazzola gains a place at the Stern Business School in New York Congratulations to Valerio Mazzola who has gained a place at the prestigious Stern Business School in New York. Stern is one of the toughest business schools to get into in the US, with an acceptance rate of 18.1%, and this is a wonderful success for Valerio who worked very hard to get in.

Coming on top of recent SAT grades that were substantially above average, this recent success indicates that the Malvern US application programme is thriving!

Dr Martin Harris, Head of International University Applications

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Published!

We are delighted to report that Dr Bradley Wells, Head of English, has the distinction of having his essay, ‘Camelot Incarnate’, published as part of the collection of essays entitled ‘The Inklings and King Arthur: J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, C. S. Lewis, and Owen Barfield on the Matter of Britain’.

The book examines how J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis (OM, 1913-1914), Charles Williams and Owen Barfield brought hope to their times and our own by their Arthurian literature. It is particularly fitting that Dr Wells has written about ‘The Inklings’ because of Malvern College’s close connection with that distinguished group of writers. C.S. Lewis, author of many well-known works such as the Chronicles of Narnia, was schooled at Malvern College just before the First World War. Lewis’s works of fiction, which captured the imagination of his public, especially in the dark days after the Second World War have earned him a place in literary history.

Joe Gauci, Deputy Head: Academic

Economics Festival – Bristol We made our way through the busy Bristol morning traffic to attend the ‘Discovering Economics’ event that is part of annual ‘Bristol Festival of Ideas’. This festival comprises a series of lectures given by high profile speakers to facilitate debate on many different topics such as current affairs, Physics, Mathematics, Poetry and Politics and, of course, Economics.

On arrival our pupils were immediately engaged in an interactive Economics challenge – and won the task hands down.

Now they were in a proper economic mind-set and hungry for more success. They met many role models – real life economists working in a vast range of careers, and were fascinated by a panel of experts discussing the hot topic ‘Statistics, Lies and Truth in

the Post-Fact world’ where false information can affect trends in Economics, Philosophy and Politics.

Later our pupils were again hands on in a task that involved producing a formal strategy of policy solutions to manage ‘the economic influence of an increase in robotics in the labour market’. We came a close second in this exercise to very worthy winners, The Cheltenham Ladies’ College, but our team produced an impressive series of creative solutions and participated actively in the discussion, representing Malvern College with pride and flair.

Roberta Keys, Economics

LOWER SCHOOL MASTERCLASS SERIES LOWER SCHOOL MASTERCLASS SERIES LOWER SCHOOL MASTERCLASS SERIES

St Paul’s Cathedral from the Millennium Bridge

The Mathematics of Architecture

By Chris Thomas, Head of Mathematics There is much to architecture that is not architecture alone. For instance, the curve of the famous dome of St Paul’s Cathedral was a product of Sir Christopher Wren’s creative imagination but structurally it was based on the principles of physics that determine the strength of the curve. Wren’s close friend and colleague was the physicist Robert Hooke who used a mathematically modelled curve for the middle dome of the cathedral that supports the outer, visible dome. The dome was a structurally sound model in mathematics at that time and solved Wren’s design impasse.

Twenty-five members of the Lower School were at this Aston Society Lecture – the latest in a series of Lower School Masterclasses that seek to inform on a specialist subject of interest. Mr Thomas spoke further about other grand architectural achievements and their relationship to other disciplines. He posed the question:

“Is architecture purely aesthetic or should it be functional?

How much is it affected by other disciplines, for example did the religious conventions determine the design of the Pantheon, Parthenon and the Pyramids?”

He cited more recently fabled structures such as Denver International Airport that was designed to solve logistical problems of a looming deadline but also to meet aesthetic considerations in a landscape of natural beauty. The architects used mathematics and science to engineer an outline and ecosystem of powerful beauty for the largest airport in the US. Consider also Gaudi, who famously constructed the mathematically indulgent Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. It is still unfinished but is the amongst the most visited cathedrals in the world. Such inspirational structures with mathematical principles at their heart provide us with the inspiration to combine all disciplines in the creation of the world around us.

Denver International Airport

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Inter-school Modern Languages Debating Competition A team of six Lower Sixth pupils represented Malvern College at Cheltenham College in December, as we made a bow at the inter-school Modern Languages debating competition.

Alice Day and Ferdinand Fourier were our representatives on the German team, James Wakefield and Henry Forbes combined for the French team, and Hanna Gesang and Giampietro Ghidini represented the Spanish side in a competition involving teams from a range of schools including: Cheltenham College, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Pate’s Grammar, Abingdon, St Edward’s Oxford, Dean Close, Balcarras School and Bourneside.

All of our pupils distinguished themselves, debating some challenging and entertaining topics superbly against a number of Upper Sixth linguists, with Hanna and Giampietro excelling in reaching the final of the Spanish competition that involved 14 pairs of debaters.

A thoroughly well-deserved celebratory meal in Cheltenham followed, and my thanks go to colleagues Christine Clemit, Jennifer Akehurst and Paula Roffey for accompanying us and helping to adjudicate. The evening was such a success that staff and pupils are very keen to expand Modern Language debating at Malvern, with plans in mind for hosting an event for local schools later this year.

William Mathews, Head of Modern Foreign Languages

Hanna Gesang and Giampietro Ghidini representing the Spanish team, with Head of Spanish at Malvern College, Jennifer Akehurst.

International Café We opened a wonderfully eclectic café this term organised by the Modern Languages staff and pupils, with everyone working hard to serve food and drink at each of the themed venues.

The pupils made posters, placemats, bunting, informative PowerPoint presentations, music playlists, invitations to staff, menus and vocabulary lists – and had even followed a recipe in French to make clafoutis (a kind of batter pudding with cherries in it). France, Germany, Spain, Panama, Italy, Russia and China were represented from within the department (with help from some native speakers as well), but it was great to be joined by a range of other cafés run by groups of pupils who wanted to participate. We were treated to chai and mahamri from Kenya, rum cake and Jerk chicken from the Cayman Islands, guarana and brigadeiros from Brazil, sushi from Japan, poffertjes from Holland, waffles from Belgium, Welsh cakes and bara brith and of course the very English Victoria sponge cake and cucumber sandwiches! It was a bustling, noisy, colourful event, which reflected the flavours and cultures of many different countries – many thanks to all who took part!

Sarah Angling, Modern Languages

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Young women to watch For their exceptional contribution to the College’s academic life, three girls in the Upper Sixth were awarded an Academic Distinction at the close of last term. Distinctions are awarded rarely and the last was awarded three years ago.

Annika Schulz: for her contribution to Science both within the College and more widely to the medical and scientific community through her two recent articles published in Medic Mentor. Annika has been instrumental in the Science Club and is one of the founding members of the Medical Society at the

Learning to research The AQA Extended Project Qualification encourages pupils to embark on a largely self-directed and self-motivated project of their choice. Our pupils choose a topic, plan, research and develop their idea and decide on the form of their finished product – be it a report, an event or an artefact. Creativity and curiosity are key to the pupil’s success and in pursuit of new avenues of approach we took a group of keen researchers to The Hive at Worcester where they could hone their skills on an EPQ Research day.

After an introductory presentation, the pupils attended seminar-based sessions that helped them narrow their field of interest into a discrete area of study. They began to get to grips with the concept of a ‘working EPQ title’, one that they could research and manage. They then had to look at different sources of information and how to gather the facts looking at the pros and cons of each method of gathering material.

The Hive is one of only four libraries which offers its resources to schools, universities and to the general public – lucky for us it is on our doorstep so we will be back!

Adam Hutsby, Economics & Business Studies

College. She has also been involved in the Women in Science Society.

Sofija Rakcejva and Vera Vodinskaya: for their outstanding contributions to academic thinking in the Economics department this term. They have set up and run the Economics Society themselves and the academic quality of their work has been of university level.

Sarah Angus, Senior Deputy Head

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25th anniversary celebration of Art at Malvern Oxford based competition The Aiden Mellor Gallery in Oxford approached a range of centres producing art to enter their new art competition. The first stage of the competition is for each centre to run its own competition around a chosen theme – in our case this will be ‘25 years of Co-education’. Aiden Mellor will then be judging these entries. The winners will go on to create work for a new theme, to be entered into the final show at the Oxford gallery. This is a great opportunity for our pupils to respond both independently and collaboratively to two themes and to have their work seen by a top gallery.

Christine Pritchard, Head of Art

National Youth Music Theatre Congratulations to Boo Forbes on successfully auditioning for the National Youth Music Theatre summer programme of performances. This has involved two rounds of auditions where she was up against a record number of applicants this year. Boo will join the cast of A Little Princess to be performed at The Other Place Theatre, London.

Keith Packham, Director of Drama

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A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens adapted for the stage by John Mortimer The Senior Play Whilst the Rogers Theatre undergoes a refurbishment, we chose to stage this production of Dickens’ quintessential Christmas story in the glorious setting of our College Chapel. Devised to be performed in a traverse configuration, the play was staged in the splendour of the Chapel’s interior which provided a spectacular backdrop to this most seasonal of stories, and produced an innovative evening of theatre.

The key feature of this production was the minimalist staging and the atmospheric sound and lighting which provided both a sinister soundscape and the visual palette on which Dickens’ story was played out. Moving lights flooded the Chapel altar, organ loft, chantry and aisle with dramatic effect, augmenting the acting performances from an impressive ensemble. The performance was punctuated by a series of Christmas carols culminating in ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’, which served as the play’s warm-hearted finale.

Heather Fryer’s costume design was superbly evocative of the Victorian period, with each supernatural character exquisitely dressed. Lighting design by Steve Doidge and sound design by Harriet Hook supported the production perfectly. The mood and atmosphere engendered by these high production values made for a thrilling retelling of this perennial Christmas favourite.

The young cast of performers must be congratulated on a most professional and polished production which provided a delightful Christmas feast of theatre to regale Dickens’ message of social conscience and seasonal cheer. This was a hugely inspiring and uplifting production performed in a most novel venue. Bravo!

Keith Packham, Director of Drama

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House Drama Competition All three performance evenings of this year’s House Drama Competition offered a variety of theatrical experiences. Playing to a packed audience each night in Big School, whilst the Rogers Theatre undergoes refurbishment, the ensembles certainly gave their all. A strong sense of collaboration, enjoyment, commitment and passion was evident amongst all cast members and technical crew and was abundantly clear to their appreciative audiences.

Mrs Leanne Stephens, Speech and Drama Tutor, gave the adjudication and thanked all the participants for creating three evenings of thrilling theatrical entertainment.

Best Actress: Elise Black as Bruno Jenkins in Roald Dahl’s

classic ‘The Witches’ Best Actor: shared by Tom Doherty, as Ralph, and Harrison

Hudson, as Piggy in William Golding’s

‘Lord of the Flies’ Best Director: Mahaaz Ahmed for ‘Lord of The Flies’ Technical Prize: No.3 for ‘The Witches’ Best Ensemble: No.6 for ‘Ballet Shoes’ Best Entertainment: No.1 for ‘Snow White’ Best Production: No.2’s ‘Lord of the Flies’

No.4

EH

No.1

No.2

No.3

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No.7

No.9

SH

No.8

No.5

No.6

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From the Development team The Development team works alongside the alumni relations team in the Malvernian Society in our light and airy office beneath the Chapel. Please pop in and say hello if you are passing.

We talk to our current pupils and follow their news, but we are mostly in contact with Old Malvernians, parents (past and present) and friends who have a keen interest in the success of Malvern College. Fundraising is an important part of the work we do and this has allowed us to support Malvern College in the development of many of its facilities.

The Rogers Theatre refurbishment project is our current focus, and the opportunity to name a seat has been a great success, not least because it has brought us into contact with many parents and OMs. We are delighted to be able to support the refurbishment of the Theatre and the advancement of the teaching of Drama at Malvern in this way. If you would like to speak to us about this or any of our current or future projects, please contact Alexandra Albright, Head of Development, on +44 (0)1684 581607 or ara@malcol.org.

Alexandra Albright, Head of Development

BBC film-makers at Malvern A team of BBC film-makers spent the morning at Malvern College filming for two Worcestershire editions of the programme Bargain Hunt that will be on our screens this summer. Very exciting to watch the process and for our pupils to be involved.

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Rogers Theatre refurbishment – update The Rogers Theatre refurbishment is coming on apace and the building site is a hive of activity. Regular visitors to the campus will have watched the steel frame of the new foyer being constructed, and it is now great to see the roof going on. The extra space provided by the building’s enlarged footprint will provide a long-awaited front-of-house area and this has been cleverly designed to fulfil a dual purpose so that it also provides a specialised rehearsal and teaching space as well as a foyer area for use at performances.

Inside the Theatre, the auditorium now features the extended curved balcony which is beginning to take shape, promising a more intimate performance space and more comfortable and improved viewing for our audience.

We are indebted to the many donors who have given so generously and made this project possible.

Alexandra Albright, Head of Development

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Outdoor Pursuits news Jay Watts, Outdoor Pursuits & Leadership Co-ordinator

Mountain Biking Night-biking was a huge hit, allowing us to continue our riding out onto the Malvern Hills throughout the winter months. This programme included visiting the Forest of Dean for a late-night session, winding our way through the Forest guided only by the beams of our bike torches – this certainly added a new dimension to the routes which the pupils know well in daylight! With more longer days in prospect we continue to explore the local area each week also travel further afield to take on new and more challenging routes!

Paddlesports We have had another very busy term in the range of paddlesport activities we take part in. Canoe Polo continues to go from strength to strength, with our A’s currently sitting in fifth position (out of 11) in the British Canoeing South-West League.

The annual inter-House Canoe Polo Competition was a great success, with No.9 taking the title for the boys, and No.8 for the girls. More pupils than ever came down to support this fast-paced sport and a

great evening was had by all.

The white-water kayak team will be going to Slovenia this summer with Mr Watts and Mr Major and continue to train for what should be a fantastic fortnight.

This year we have several teams of Remove pupils taking on the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award by water, including kayaking, canoeing, katakanoe and stand-up-paddleboarding.

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Climbing We have been on the climbing wall constantly this term, so much so that we have had to invest in a fresh batch of climbing shoes and harnesses! All sessions are full, with pupils from all year groups taking part and enjoying the challenge of improving their climbing skills at each session. Pupils are now able to sit a short test so that they can peer belay, allowing them to be in sole charge of the safety of the fellow pupil at the other end of the rope, with the instructor watching from a way back. This is a big responsibility and one not granted lightly.

We will be entering a team in a forthcoming climbing competition at Worcester, which is a great addition to our calendar. Kira Angling deserves special mention for making it into the Redpoint Worcester climbing team, representing the wall in regional competitions!

Stay connected!

You can keep up with the Outdoor Pursuits department on social media, using the following links: Facebook: www.facebook.com/malverncollegeoutdoorpursuits Twitter: @malcolOP Instagram: malcol_op

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White-water kayak trip – River Barle In the final weekend before the Christmas holidays six of our pupils, who are just starting out with the white-water kayak club, spent the day in Somerset on the River Barle. The Barle is a fast-flowing river with Grade 2 features, that offers a fantastic environment in which to learn the skills and techniques for keeping yourself safe. It is also tremendous for learning to paddle as a group.

Well done Saskia Griffiths who remained in high spirits in spite of having to deal with a damaged kayak that was slowly filling with water, causing many capsizes! This was of a source of huge amusement to all – apart from the very understanding Mr Watts.

Climbing at Castle Rock Four brave climbers came with us to Castle Rock in Gloucestershire in November to work hard on their outside rock climbing skills.

The cold wind made this a chilly outing but we were able to spend time improving the climbers’ technique and raising their climbing grade. The sun setting over the hills delivered some glorious evening light in which to finish our climb – a great end to a productive day out.

White-water kayaking practice Our Kayak Club travelled to Cardiff International White-Water Centre this term. During the morning, as the Centre increased the water release, the rapids became harder to negotiate, really testing our kayakers’ skills as they battled to keep upright and run the course to its conclusion. They crawled out of their crafts, at the close, after hours of hard paddling – a fun-filled, actionpacked morning for us all!

Articles by Jay Watts, Outdoor Pursuits and Leadership Co-ordinator

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Indoor climbing at Warehouse A group of pupils drawn from across all year groups came with us to the Warehouse Climbing Wall in Gloucester for an afternoon of indoor climbing and bouldering. This wall is significantly higher than ours at school thus testing the nerve and skills of all participants. Many of the pupils who have been learning to lead climb with Mrs Angling tried their first leads at significant height, adding to the concentration and skill required to keep themselves safe.

White-water kayaking in the North East of England A team of Sixth Formers, who are getting ready to take on the mighty Soca Valley in a white-water kayak challenge this summer, spent their Leave out this term in the north-east of England developing white-water kayaking and river running techniques as well as undergoing safety training. The first day was spent on the Tees Barrage International white-water course, a man-made facility offering three great river rapids which are perfect for training. On the second day, the pupils took to the River Tees, ending the day with a flourish by descending the renowned ‘Low Force’ waterfall. All pupils are developing well and beginning to learn how to look after themselves on the rapids. The key is to learn to pick their own lines through the white water.

Bring on our expedition to Slovenia, and some sunshine!

Mountain-biking in the Forest of Dean We braved the Forest in icy February temperatures to test our skills on the mountain bike trails. The forest offered fantastic respite from the wind, and the trails never failed to disappoint. All the pupils on this trip improved both their fitness and their technical skills on the bike. Hot chocolate was consumed in vast quantities at the finish and greatly appreciated!

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James Scott selected for England U20 squad James Scott (No.7, 15-17), a former Malvern College pupil, has This season James has gained national selection for the won selection to the England Under 20, 32-man, Six Nations England U20 squad in the Six Nations Competition. At the Stadio training squad. James is still only 18 so will have the chance Enzo Bearzot, James started the game against Italy (England of selection at this level for a further two years; a very exciting won 27-17) and was brought on from the bench in the games prospect. against Scotland in Edinburgh at Myreside and Wales (England James represented Hereford at all levels up to the age of won against Wales 37-12 and lost to Scotland 24-17). At the time 15 when he made the move to Worcester Warriors to play in of writing the team were due to play Ireland on 9th March and their Under 15 team. James joined Malvern College in the Sixth France on 16th March.

Form and has played for Malvern College and for Worcester James’s former Master i/c Rugby at Malvern College, Nick Warriors since then. Last season he played in a series of inter- Tisdale, says, “We are following his progress with great international matches, first in the England U18s win over France at est and have great hopes for him. James is an exceptionally the beginning of March, then against Ireland in a hard-fought talented lock and dominates the line-out at 6’6”. He has a two39–20 victory for England, later in March in another England year contract with Worcester Warriors and continues to play for win over Scotland (31–17), and against a Canada U19 team. The the Worcester Warriors Cavaliers team between international game against the Welsh U18 was the only game that the young commitments.”

England side lost.

James said, “The important partnership between Malvern Named Man of the Match in the Ireland game, he played College and Worcester Warriors allowed me to continue to magnificently and he put in another commanding performance study for my A levels whilst I met my match commitments, even against Scotland. He shows great promise. though I missed some of my lessons. The sustained support and Following his last season of rugby at Malvern, he joined his understanding of the College staff enabled me to stay in control College team-mates on a three-week tour to New Zealand and of my studies and helped me reach my long-term goal which is the Cook Islands and travelled straight to South Africa to join to play professional rugby”. the England U18 tour. In the most challenging match, against James achieved three As at A level last summer in Maths, a South African Schools U18 side, he was nominated Man of Physics and Chemistry. the Match.

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The Great Gatsby CVS Ball For the CVS Ball this year, Malvern was transformed into Gatsby’s fabulous mansion in East Egg. Guests became part of this 1920s-tableau – the home of Jay Gatsby, a fabulously rich star of the Jazz Age. In Fitzgerald’s novel, Gatsby holds a grand party each weekend, and opulence and entertainment were the dominant themes at our CVS Ball. Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby were in attendance along with a host of others and this night of sparkling elegance was enjoyed by all.

There were no fatalities or adulterous trysts, but there may well have been a broken heart or two, amongst the dented egos and toes squashed by all those not-so-1920s stilettos. This was a party that certainly gave Jay Gatsby a run for his money.

Funds raised were distributed across the range of charities nominated by the School Council and the event organised under the direction of Mr Hutsby, Deputy Head of the Sixth Form.

Poppy Delingpole, Lower Sixth, our Tatler correspondent

24-hour charity ping pong challenge!

School House raised over £500 for Save the Children this term. They completed a 24-hour ping pong challenge over one weekend to raise funds for their chosen charity. Well done everyone!

Mark Hardinges, Housemaster SH

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The Representation of the People Act 1918 100th Anniversary In 1918 an Act of Parliament was passed that extended the vote to all men, and to women over the age of 30 who met a property qualification.

The Act was deemed necessary with millions of soldiers returning from the First World War not entitled to the vote because of the property and residential qualification. The Act removed almost all of the existing property qualifications for men and for the first time, enfranchised women over 30 who met a minimum property qualification. The voting qualification for men and women remained unequal because it was feared that the number of women able to vote would outnumber the men, whose numbers were vastly depleted after the war.

Women had forcefully campaigned for the vote until the onset of war in 1914 but the campaign quietened during the course of the war as all worked towards the war effort. Even more justification therefore that the vote should be extended to women who had worked hard at home in occupations formerly carried out by men serving at the Front, but they would not achieve universal suffrage until 1928.

To commemorate this important anniversary pupils and staff were invited to vote at the ballot box for whom they believed to be the most influential women of the past hundred years. They voted overwhelmingly for Her Majesty, The Queen!

There were some other popular choices: Rosa Parks, Mother Theresa, Malala Yousafzai and Margaret Thatcher. Noteworthy votes were recorded for “My mum”, and several members of the Malvern staff, one also read “I vote for all the women who made a difference – but who were never noticed, who received no recognition, whose names remain unheard and were not recorded for posterity”.

Sarah Angling, Modern Languages

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No.4 Birthday Supper The No.4 girls celebrated their birthdays last term with a visit to Laser Quest. Harriet, in the FY, proved the best shot! Special thanks to Mrs Graff and Miss Brooks who took them!

Anne Sharp, Housemistress No.4

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Adventure is a life changer This term we had the great pleasure of welcoming Leigh Timmis who spoke to us about how he had transformed his life by making some crucial decisions.

Diagnosed with depression and deeply unhappy with his life prospects, Leigh elected to follow his passion for biking, challenging himself over seven years, to cycle through 51 countries. In the process of this considerable achievment he has radically improved his state of mental well-being and is operating on a new level.

An inspirational speaker, Leigh talked enthusiastically about embracing adventure to defeat adverse mental health conditions and described how he had taken back control of his life. He spoke of the kindness strangers had shown him along the way and amazingly, how it felt to come face to face with a lion in the wild. The lecture was attended by pupils, parents and staff who gained an insight into Leigh’s journey and heard how stepping outside his comfort zone had proved to be a winning formula. This was a truly inspirational lecture.

Jay Watts, Outdoor Pursuits and Leadership Co-ordinator

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No.9 win the Beechcroft Shield Competition Formerly the Malvern College Cadet Corps Shield, the Beechcroft Shield was first competed for in 1885 and there has only been one year, during World War II, when it was not awarded. Each of the Houses send their six best shots in the hope of victory.

No.9 won the Shield with a combined total of 554/600 and No.6 were runners-up with a combined total of 517/600.

John Nichols, Malvern College CCF SSI

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Malvern College take top two places at Allen’s Hill Pinvin NSEA showjumping competition A great performance by the Malvern College Equestrian team was recorded at the NSEA qualifier with Liv Davies coming first and Harry Finch second in 90cm class, beating over 80 entrants.

Lexie Clarke came third in the 1m class and Ariana came eighth. Lexie won the 1.10m class, qualifying for the County Championships.

“Everyone had fantastic rounds; it was a very pleasing day”, said Tara MacMaster, i/c Malvern College Equestrian.

Equestrian at Keysoe Just before Christmas the Malvern College Equestrian team: Lexie Clarke, Olivia Davies, Arianna Davision and Millie Kold, finished second to Pangbourne in the National 1m class at Keysoe. This was a great result.

Arianna stepped in to replace Maddie Queen, and did especially well on a new horse. Olivia was the only member to get a double clear and had one of the fastest times of the day in the jump off. Lexie Clarke went on to win the 110cm class and qualified for Hickstead in the summer.

Tara MacMaster, i/c Malvern College Equestrian

LUCRETIAN SOCIET Y LECTURE

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Drug Detective – the work of a Forensic Scientist Dr Simon Elliott from Alere Forensics came to give a talk to us about his work as a Forensic Scientist. He has worked as a Clinical Scientist in the NHS for over 10 years and has specifically been involved in clinical and forensic toxicology. In his current role at Alere Forensics he advises the World Health Organisation and European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, especially with regard to new psychoactive substances.​ Dr Elliott began by explaining the different roles that exist in the field. Forensic toxicologists assemble the evidence for a report that forms the basis of an expert opinion – often used in court. The evidence has been prepared by forensic analysts and laboratory assistants handling the samples using techniques such as gas-liquid chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry to perform their work. This was particularly useful for us as our Sixth Form chemists are required to understand how these techniques and processes work. Here was an everyday example of the use of the techniques in detecting and analysing a variety of drugs and their breakdown products.

Forensic Scientists are called upon at any time where a death has suspicious circumstances or when a death is suspected to have been caused by drug abuse. Dr Elliott explained that alcohol and cocaine cause chronic problems in the liver and blood vessels and deaths in those cases are rarely due to an overdose taken prior to death. Overdose deaths tend to be caused by the use of psychoactive drugs, often referred to as ‘legal highs’, where users are unaware of the potency of the drug. He explained that carfentanyl is about 100 times more potent than heroin so it is easy for a user to overdose. Keeping up with the drugs that are available to users requires constant research. In 2014 there were as many as two new psychoactive drugs appearing each week but that rate has declined since.

As well as analysing for the drugs in the body of the deceased/victim, the Forensic Scientist also needs to consider

the circumstances of the death; evidence at the scene; position of the body; drug history; hobbies, interests and occupation of the person in question in order to form an opinion and compile the report.

Dr Elliott explained that as well as dealing with psychoactive drugs, forensic toxicologists come across more unusual compounds that have caused death, for example, veterinary products (taken by humans), strychnine, rodenticides, herbal remedies, plant poisons. As well as human deaths Simon has had to write reports on animal deaths that have resulted from poisoning in domestic and collective environments like safari parks.

Though the subject matter was quite sobering at times this was an excellent lecture providing a good account of what the job of a forensic toxicologist entails and a good preparation for our pupils deciding upon their future careers.

Dr Natalie Watson, Head of Science

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Malvern View • Lent 2018

Confirmation service for pupils and staff During the Lent term, three pupils and one member of staff (Kelsey Richmond, Edmund Thurlow, Ella Warren and Mrs Keys) were confirmed by the Bishop of Dudley, The Rt Rev’d Graham Usher at the Malvern College Chapel. The Bishop’s

Geographer of the Month Georgina Wood was recently awarded the prestigious ‘Geographer of the Month’ t-shirt, in recognition of the independent learning outside of the classroom she has undertaken this term. Well done Georgina!

Rupert Needham, Head of Geography

sermon, based on the Gospel reading about the wedding at Cana, encouraged the candidates to follow the advice given

by Mary, Jesus’s mother, when she encouraged others to do as Jesus directed.

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Extracts from the

ISI Inspection Report November 2017

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The school aims for pupils to have a firm commitment to deep-rooted values, referred to as the ‘Malvern Qualities’. It strives for balance between individual achievement and teamwork, and to promote pupils’ skills as confident leaders.

The school intends the pupils to emerge as lively, articulate citizens, who respect all Christians and members of other faiths and are ready to contribute to the global community.

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The quality of pupils’ academic and other achievements is excellent Pupils are intellectually curious.

— Pupils communicate extremely well.

— Pupils in the Sixth Form demonstrate sophisticated communications skills, contributing ideas in discussion and synthesising this information for greater insight.

— Pupils demonstrate considerable practical skill as teaching provides plenty of opportunities for pupils to reinforce techniques and apply them in increasingly complex situations. They acquire great aesthetic skill. through the co-curricular programme.

— The artwork is striking with bold use of colour and media.

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The precision with which the Lower School develops skills provides a strong foundation for pupils’ success in the Sixth Form.

— Pupils relish scientific detail.

— Pupils’ excellent physical skills are evident through the significant successes of school teams… fulfilling the school’s aims to promote pupils’ effective teamwork.

— Pupils are independent and mature learners; they take great responsibility for their success, as teaching encourages them to think for themselves.

— They are not troubled by making mistakes as teaching ensures that all pupils understand that this is an essential part of learning.

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The qualities of the pupils’ personal development is excellent Pupils are extremely independent… with the capacity for making informed choices and taking responsibility for the consequences.

— Pupils are socially responsible.

— Pupils’ commitment to their community manifests itself in their respect for one another.

— The school actively promotes tolerance through events.

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Pupils’ team-working skills are highly effective due to the co-curricular programme encouraging them to rely on one another in overcoming challenge.

— Pupils learn the thrill of success from braving the greater challenge.

— Pupils’ moral development is strong and they have a secure understanding of right and wrong within school and how it translates beyond.

— Talented sportsmen and women achieve high standards with national honours in several disciplines.

— Pupils master a range of social skills as leadership emphasises pupils’ role with the community.

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ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART ART

The IB Visuals Arts Exhibition In late February at the Lindsay Arts Centre, we held our first major show of the year. The IB visual artists were required to curate and hang their final, resolved works in separate shows throughout the space and across the campus, with Bibi and Anna’s work continuing to challenge the viewer: their work was installed in the Common Room in No.7 and the female toilets at the Memorial Library, respectively.

The work produced in this exhibition was thought-provoking and inspiring and the final staging of the show did justice to the endeavour and focus of each and every student who participated. Alongside the exhibitions we hung work from our Lower Sixth artists and photographers, a very successful first showing for some of them as artists in their own right.

We look forward to welcoming you all to the Co-Education Show run in collaboration with the Aiden Mellor Gallery, Oxford and of course, our end of year show this summer.

Christine Pritchard, Head of Art

BegoĂąa Delclaux Rodriguez-Rey

Martina Totaro

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Bibi Amana

Alina Alimbekova

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MUSIC

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No.8: Winners of the House Shield

Inter-House Music Competition We were treated to three very good finals in this year’s competition. Category A performers are studying music at grade 7 or above, Category B, at grades 5-6 and Category C, up to, and including, grade 4. Points earned in the Unplugged Competition, held earlier, are added in to yield an overall House winner of the Inter-House Music Shield.

Category C was won by Jack Whitfield (No.1) playing Waltz for Emily by James Rae (saxophone). Second place was awarded to Freja Bedell (No.6) playing Fröhlicher Landmann von der Arbeit zurückkehrend by Schumann, (piano). Siima Rukandema (No.4) won third place singing Once Upon a Dream by Wildhorn and Bricusse.

Category B was won by was Jasper Penrice (No.2) who performed the second movement of Saint-Saen’s Clarinet Sonata, and placed second was Devon Perry (No.5) playing an improvisation based on Modle behaviour by Kellie Santin (saxaphone).

Finalists: Category C

Imogen Cole (No.4) was third playing Valse Lente by Merikanto, Category A was won by Andreas Heyer who played Rachmaninov’s Elegie (piano) on the piano. In second place was Lucie Fletcher (No.8) singing Handel’s As when the dove laments her love from the oratoria Acis and Galatea. Josi Jebens (violin) was awarded third place for her performance of a selection of Bartok’s Roumanian Dances. Four performers were highly commended: Antonia Jebens (EH), Ani King (No.3), Shea John (No.2) and Jenny Zhou (No.8).

Congratulations to overall winners No.8 who were awarded the shield.

We thank Mr Adrian Lucas, our adjudicator who did a really splendid job offering a positive and encouraging insight into every performance.

Jonathan Brown, Director of Music

MUSIC

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Finalists: Category B

Finalists: Category A

Unplugged Competition Martin Toher of B-Unique Records, gave his adjudication with advice and encouragement for all participants. The standard of performance, he said, improved year on year.

In first place was Tom Doherty (No.2), and in joint second, Iggy Paris Mesegeur (No.9) and Lucie Fletcher (No8). Eily Lo (No.3) won third place.

Stephen McDade, Music

Performers at the Unplugged House Music final with Martin Toher of B-Unique Records, who made the adjudication.

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Malvern View • Lent 2018

Excellent Community Concerts Each term we invite our local community to a concert performed by the pupils in St Edmund’s Hall. The repertoire in November and again in February was varied and lively and was very much appreciated by the audience. This is a very good way for our pupils to gain experience of performance and it is a real treat for us all to listen them perform over a week day lunch hour.

Thank you to all those who performed in these concerts, who are listed below, and to our growing audiences for supporting the events: Louisa Marsden-Smedley (flute), Oliver Cook (voice), Shea John (flute), Josephine Jebens (violin), Johnnie Stephenson (guitar), Maissa de Oliveira (flute), Heleena de Oliveira (voice), Henry Queen (piano), Georgie Denham (voice and clarinet), Thompson Knuth (tuba), Douglas Pope (saxophone), Jenny Zhou (flute), Missy Hingley (voice) and Cameron Eldridge (oboe).

Jonathan Brown, Director of Music

Informal Concert – November A bumper audience enjoyed an outstanding Informal Concert last term in November. We were treated to 17 items across all year groups, all performed to a consistently high standard.

Jenny Zhou (flute) kicked things off with a lovely traditional Chinese piece – Mongolian Grassland by Dai, followed

by Lottie Bulley making her debut in a concert here, singing I dreamed a dream from Les Misérables by Schoenberg. We then had a performance on the harp – a first for a number of years. Célestine Hanssens played Rondo in F major by Boscha.

Ali Hawkins (violin) then performed Elgar’s well-known Salut d’Amour, with Henry Queen playing Chopin’s C# minor Prelude on the piano with his customary innate musicality. Maissa de Oliveria (flute) followed with an arrangement of Kern’s Smoke gets in your eyes. We were then treated to Verdi’s Perduta ho la pace by Liza Rozenberg (voice), and Josi Jebens performing the first four of Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances – written for violin.

Elizabeth Machoncy’s Ophelia’s Song was sung by Cathy Cussans and Cameron Eldridge, another pupil making his debut, playing Gabriel’s Oboe by Morricone.

Jamie Hawkins (guitar) was next with a Sonata in A by Scarlatti and Louisa Marsden-Smedley – another debutant – played Daquin’s keyboard piece Le Coucou. Freja Bedell sang an old favourite - Over the Rainbow by Arlen, and Ani King (violin) followed with a real party-piece - Wienawski’s Mazurka no.1. In a lovely contrast, Shea John then played a movement from CPE Bach’s A minor Sonata for flute. Lauren Maxey then sang Fear no more the heat o’ the sun by Quilter and the concert was brought to a close with Sofija Rakcejeva (piano) performing Debussy’s Reverie.

Jonathan Brown, Director of Music

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Informal Concert – February Another large audience was in attendance for the February Informal Concert where our musicians presented a varied programme.

Firstly, we were treated to the Cello Club: Felix Berger, Alice Day, Helene Rose and George Rose, playing an arrangement of James Horner’s Titanic Theme by our cello teacher Mrs Walden.

There was some very good ensemble playing demonstrated here, in all areas. Rahul Tjan (piano) then played an arrangement of Jeff Buckley’s well-known Hallelujah.

Otty Wyatt (soprano) followed with ‘Til there was you by Willson and Celestine Hanssens, who is new to Malvern this year, played Shule Aroon on the harp – a traditional Irish tune. Crystal Yip played Chopin’s ever-popular Raindrop Prelude quite beautifully and then Jenny Zhou teamed up with her singing teacher Mrs Leaver, to sing the duet Sul Aria from Mozart’s Il Nozze di Figaro.

Jacob Perry played Dave McGarry’s Dreams of You on the saxophone, before Jakob Helms (piano) played Chopin’s c# minor Nocturne. Cameron Eldridge sang Fly me to the Moon by Howard, and Edward Bradshaw delivered a well–judged and controlled performance of Lefevre’s Sonata no.5 on the clarinet.

Missy Hingley never fails to deliver powerful, communicative performances and she sang I’d give my life for you by Schoenberg.

Bea Barnes (violin) made her concert debut with an Allegro by Telemann, and Kwaku Nsarkoh then played a very attractive version of Gershwin’s Someone to watch over me – arranged for trumpet. Douglas Pope (saxophone) reprised the performance of Le plus que lent by Debussy – a performance that captured the evocative colours of Debussy’s writing.

Poppy Delingpole sang for us Orpheus and his Lute by Vaughan Williams and Henry Queen (piano) played Clementi’s Allegro Assai. Jenny Zhou, this time on the flute, returned to play the second movement of Rutter’s Suite Antique – Ostinato, and Elizaveta Rozenberg brought the concert to a close singing JS Bach’s Bereite dich, Zion from the Christmas Oratorio.

Jonathan Brown, Director of Music

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Lunchbox Concert at Great Malvern Priory The Chamber Choir and soloists presented a concert in Great Malvern Priory in February as part of the Lunchbox series. The enthusiastic audience was treated to five choral pieces of varying styles, which were interspersed with solo items by four of the singers.

Firstly, we heard an arrangement of C Hubert Parry’s Dear Lord and Father of Mankind arranged by Chambers. Jacob Perry then played a piece on his saxophone – Dave McGarry’s Dreams of You and the Chamber Choir followed with Autumn Leaves,

by Cosmo arranged by Andrew Carter. Next was a stylish and forthright performance of Bereite dich, Zion from JS Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, sung by Elizaveta Rozenberg, followed by the Chamber Choir singing Rutter’s popular The Lord bless you and keep you.

Sofija Rakcejeva played Debussy’s Reverie on the piano, followed by an arrangement for choir of Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton arranged by Kirby Shaw. Our final soloist was Jenny Zhou (flute) who played On the Grassland of Inner Mongolia by Hongwei Dai superbly. The concert concluded with a beautiful arrangement of the great American folksong Shenandoah by Bob Chilcot.

We are always delighted to perform at this very popular lunchtime event which brings our musicians into the Malvern community. I thank Mr Phillips for accompanying the Choir and Mr Haynes for accompanying the soloists.

Jonathan Brown, Director of Music

The Man Who Climbs Trees Malvern College was delighted to welcome back one of its former pupils, James Aldred (No.7 1991-93) who has an impressive career in the world of film and photography.

James is an Emmy award-winning freelance cameraman, specialising in filming from ropes at height, in remote locations around the world. Trained by the BBC Natural History Unit and most at home filming in the rainforest canopy, he has spent the last 20 years working regularly with the BBC and National Geographic to explore and document the wonders of the natural world. James has been fortunate to work on many acclaimed productions along the way, including numerous David Attenborough projects (such as Life of Mammals and Planet Earth), and has been BAFTA/RTS award-nominated several times. Alongside his film work James also presents the occasional nature programme for BBC Radio, and is author of the recently published book ‘The Man Who Climbs Trees’ (Penguin/ Random House). His work has taken him to Borneo, Venezuela and the Congo to film a variety of wildlife species from eagles to elephants and from orangutans to birds of paradise. He gave an enthralling lecture about just a few of his many projects to an audience that was captivated by his accomplishments.

For more information about his book please visit: www.jamesaldred.com

James Aldred in Sumatra in 2015

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Science for teachers In November, fifteen primary and preparatory school teachers attended a Chemistry training course devised by Nick Barker from the Outreach department at Warwick University. The experiments were designed to be carried out with inexpensive, everyday ingredients like water, pepper, sunflower oil, red cabbage and washing up liquid. The science was exciting to watch and intriguing. The Malvern College Chemistry staff were delighted to see that electrolysis could be carried out using disposable drinking cups, drawing pins and a fire alarm battery (forget getting the power packs, leads and crocodile clips out!).

There followed much discussion and sharing of ideas, and Nick provided ideas for excellent ways to communicate the experiments to young children who have no background

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knowledge of what constitutes an atom or an element. Some of the science teachers will use these ideas to start science clubs at their primary and prep schools as well as use the experiments during their science lessons: this is exactly what we had hoped for – to bring scientific concepts, using readily available materials (not even a test tube was needed) to inspire and inform young minds of the future.

Thank you very much to Nick Barker for his time and for showing these teachers that Chemistry really is more accessible for the young than we think!

Dr Natalie Watson, Head of Science

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Malvern View • Lent 2018

Inter-House Science Competition 2017 Round 1: The Quest for the Silver Test Tube The first round of this year’s inter-House Science Competition staged in November, set the labs buzzing with activity as the pupils took on the task of controlling a chemical reaction that suddenly changes colour. They needed to ensure that the colour changed at 15 seconds, 30 seconds and 45 seconds exactly, and were allowed several trials so that they could become confident that they had the correct formulations. Their final experiment and the reaction times were then recorded by an ‘official’ time keeper!

The girls’ Houses put in very strong performances in this round leaving the boys’ Houses with their work cut out to catch them. Leaders, after the first round, were Ellerslie House, with No.3 in second place, No.6 in third place, No.8 in fourth place and No.4 in fifth place! No.2 were just behind them in sixth position – but all could change in the forthcoming rounds.

Round 2: How much gingerbread?

Round two of the competition, was held at the end of the Autumn term, just before Christmas, and participants needed to work out how to solve, mathematically and creatively, the task of how to provide fuel (gingerbread) for each reindeer to give them sufficient energy to deliver presents to all of the households in Great Malvern.

There were some amazingly interesting calculations made during this round: some Houses considered the percentage of children who might have been naughty so would not receive a Christmas delivery from Santa, others considered the need to power Rudolph’s nose so that it remained lit throughout the journey (with light similar to that given by a 60watt lightbulb).

But the winner of this round, and leader after both of the first two rounds, was Ellerslie House who, among other things, researched the time of the sunset and sunrise and therefore how much flying time was available (and what speeds it would therefore be necessary to travel at) to complete Santa’s delivery task.

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Round 3: Breaking the code There was significant application to the third task as pupils set about breaking a code through a scientific process that required working with great precision. The pupils needed to titrate solutions against each other and use their answers to break the code.

This round brought many houses into contention but Ellerslie House continued to hold the lead. No.3, No.6, No.8 and No.9 were all in equal second place and only two points behind. The tension was mounting!

Final Round: the best Kahoot ever!

The final round took place in the Lewis Lecture Theatre in the Lent term, with possibly the most exciting game of Kahoot ever played at Malvern College! Kahoot is a free game-based learning platform which aims to test the scientific knowledge and application of the teams.

Ellerslie House was in the lead and No.3, No.6, No.8 and No.9 were all tied in second place so this made for an excellent competition. The eventual winners after this final quiz round were No.9 who achieved points enough to win the competition outright – by a margin of just one point! EH and No.8 were joint second place and No.3 was fourth equal.

Congratulations to the No.9 boys who played a very good final round and who are the first boys’ House ever to win the inter-House title!

Dr Natalie Watson, Head of Science

The winners – No.9

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Malvern View • Lent 2018

Top of the Bench – Regional final Our Chemistry team: Kitty Holroyd, Grace Knuth, Shea John, and Evyanne Ewusie, made it to the final of the regional Top of the Bench competition held at the University of Birmingham in January. Top of the Bench is a national competition for 14-16 year olds who are studying Chemistry.

Part one of the competition comprised a written test with questions covering topics from the GCSE syllabus including atomic structure, bonding, organic chemistry, neutralisation and mole calculations. Our team performed particularly well in this section narrowly missing out on first place by just two marks!

Part two of the competition involved performing a ‘clock’ experiment. The challenge was to set up a reaction so that the end point was reached in exactly 60 seconds. Points were awarded for how close to one minute the reaction changed colour to black. Our team worked systematically and collaboratively, impressing the judges along the way with their team work.

Our new Digital Leaders We are delighted to announce that Malvern has recruited its first team of digital leaders. Selected from Remove year the pupils who have been accepted onto the scheme are: Georgina Wood, Ani King, Daniel Cheng, Anna Bischoff, Francesco Totaro, Georgina Macakiage, Egor Kovrizhnykh, Banita Dodhia and Delphine de Bokay. You will be hearing more from the Digital Leaders in due course who will be talking to the student body about digital issues and how we can all make the most of technology in the internet age.

Vanessa Young, eSafety Co-ordinator

In their trial runs they achieved results consistently within 59-61 seconds. Expectations were high as the team eagerly awaited the official timing. Imagine their disappointment when the reaction turned black at 53.87seconds!

Quickly over their frustration, they enjoyed a delicious lunch followed by a talk given by Simon Johnson, a final year student working towards an MSc in Chemistry who gave a very interesting insight to life and work at university.

Finally, the scores were tallied and the results were announced. Book tokens and certificates were awarded to the top three places. Thirty teams entered the competition and Malvern finished in a very creditable fifth place. Congratulations to Kitty, Grace, Shea and Evyanne who were admirable competitors and a credit to Malvern College.

Carol Bennett, Chemistry

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Is this Science or is it Art? We are not sure that we know, but this poster has definitely impressed us.

Annika Schulz is an exciting young science talent and the task set for Annika and her Upper Sixth Chemistry set was to produce posters mapping the ‘synthetic pathways’ of all of the organic reactions the class has covered in the twoyear, IB Chemistry course.

Her pictorial representation of those reactions demonstrates excellent learning, and the ability to transfer her grasp of the facts to others.

Annika is a top-grade scientist, who has linked her ability in one discipline with capability in another – to great effect. Her poster is confirmation of an excellent intellect and validation of the artist within.

When she leaves Malvern, Annika is planning to study medicine, a profession in which she will be able to put her many skills to great use.

Dr Natalie Watson, Head of Science

The Women in Science Society I founded The Women in Science Society to promote the value of studying science to the girls at Malvern College and to raise awareness of female contributors to science as a whole. At our meetings members of the Society make presentations on scientists they admire or whom they find particularly interesting because of what they have achieved or for what they have overcome in their field.

Each week we come together to watch lectures, for example the Rosalind Franklin Lecture (awarded annually for female contribution to STEM), and discuss topics of scientific interest or problems women, in particular, face in scientific industries where they are still in a minority. We plan to organise a branch of the inter-House Science Competition and also to invite guest lecturers but we are still a very new society so these developments will be for the near future. Our overall aim is to make more girls at Malvern aware of how science can be a viable career for them in terms of making an impact upon the world.

Alexandra Hawkins (Upper Sixth)

Rosalind Franklin (1920–1958) was an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer who made a crucial contribution to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA.

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GCSE Science in Action at Warwick University In December, 73 of our pupils in the Hundred attended a series of five lectures given by renowned scientists at Warwick University. The lectures were about their research and the prospect of learning about ongoing scientific discoveries was very exciting indeed. Several of the pupils recall the lectures that most captured their imagination: Delphine deBokay’s favourite lecture was given by Helen Pilcher on ‘De-extinction’: “De-extinction is a new and complex scientific process that is being worked on and discussed at this very moment. It involves removing DNA from carcasses, fossils or other remnants of extinct animals, removing the DNA from an embryo of their closest living relative and introducing the DNA of the extinct animal into the embryo...

“The reasons for doing this are that: many extinctions can be traced back to anthropological causes, so reintroducing these species could be perceived as simply ‘righting our wrongs’, or perhaps because being able to bring back

mammoths would be ‘cool’, but most importantly that losing certain species from our ecosystem causes many natural processes to be interrupted which has real consequences on biodiversity, agriculture, and other aspects and domains of nature in the long term. Helen Pilcher gave us a list of examples to illustrate her points and I appreciated the lecture as informative, understandable and very simply brilliant.”

Shea John particularly enjoyed the lecture given by Sheila Kanani on ‘Cassini-Huygens’: “This was the lecture I found the most intriguing – it is a study of space around the planet Saturn 300-400 years ago that was undertaken by two scientists, Cassini and Huygens, in the 1980s. The study focused on Saturn’s moons and rings and I learnt that the inner rings of Saturn are composed of solid particles, and the outer composed of water vapour. In addition, I learnt that yet another external ring, composed of dust, was present due to the gravitational impact of Phoebe, a moon of Saturn that is 12,000,000 km away from the planet...

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Natalie Fan particularly enjoyed the demonstration lecture titled ‘Kitchen Chemistry’ given by Stephen Ashworth of the University of East Anglia: “Stephen Ashworth used very simple products which we can buy in a supermarket, to show us several exciting experiments. He used blackcurrant tea as an acid base indicator, turning it green in alkali and pink in acid. He then used baking powder and acid in a neutralisation reaction. Finally, he showed us a spectacular combustion of flour which caused a huge flame and was truly impressive.

His method of delivering the lecture and conjuring up suspense as the reactions

happen was very entertaining.”

The lecture given by Marty Jopson on ‘Whip Science, Karate and Water’ was the favourite of a pupil in the Remove: “I was especially impressed by the last talk we heard, because the scientist showed us some incredible things and it was very interesting to know about the science behind them.

“The talk was mainly about physics, although there was some chemistry involved. On the science of whips, the speaker explained how the sound occurs when a whip is swung and what the science behind it is; even how it is possible to calculate the speed at which the tip of the whip is moving and how the whip creates a sonic boom.

“Speaking about forces involved and demonstrating some impressive Karate, the lecturer amazed us by smashing three wooden boards (at once!).

“Finally, he talked to us about things burning and explained how a more vigorous reaction can be achieved by adding oxygen which helps increase the speed of the reaction. He ended the lecture by burning a balloon filled with pure H2O gas inside it, which resulted in a very loud pop and a big round of applause!”

Dr Natalie Watson, Head of Science

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Ferrets’ Race The annual Ferrets’ Race for the Foundation Year took place early this term. It takes the runners 1.7 miles around the Malvern Common before they come back to base. The race was won this year

by William Crossland in the boys’ competition; William crossed the finish line in a time of 13 minutes and 24 seconds. In the girls’ race Harriet Carpenter won in a time of 14 minutes and three seconds.

No.5 boys won the House competition for the fifth year in a row. The girls’ House competition was won by No.8.

Congratulations to William, Harriet, No.5, and No.8 on their victories, and also a huge well done to all of the runners.

Over 80% of the year group took part in a well-contested race, run in windy conditions. They can all be very proud of their accomplishment.

Richard Whitehead, i/c Cross Country

Staff Profile: Rupert Needham When I accepted my job in 2013, my wife had never been to Worcestershire. Despite this, the decision to uproot our young family from North London was not a hard one, with the attraction of the beautiful countryside and the opportunity to work at Malvern College. I initially joined as a teacher of Geography and took over the role of Head of Geography two years later. My work is rewarding and at times challenging, especially juggling the many trips we run, with perhaps my favourite being our Lower Sixth residential to the Gower Peninsula.

When not in the classroom or on field trips I can be found down on the football field, helping to coach both the girls’ squad and the boys’ 2nd XI. I find this extremely rewarding, although my teams often accuse me of getting over excited on the touch line! When time allows I also help out on various DofE expeditions, walking the hills of Snowdonia and the Lake District.

Before entering the teaching profession, I spent eight very enjoyable years working for the travel agent Trailfinders.

Unsurprisingly I have a passion for different places and cultures, with my gap year working at Sydney Grammar being one of my favourites. In my early twenties, I spent several months attempting to learn Spanish at the University of Salamanca. Although great fun, I confess that the experience confirmed my suspicion that I am not a natural linguist.

LUCRETIAN SOCIET Y LECTURE

LUCRETIAN SOCIET Y LECTURE

LUCRETIAN SOCIET Y LECTURE

Applying psychological science to risk on the road In January, Malvern College was delighted to welcome Dr Damian Poulter from the University of Greenwich, to deliver the first Lucretian Society lecture of 2018. Dr Poulter’s core research interests are in applied cognitive psychology, including the study of human performance in real world environments.

The topic of the lecture was highly relevant to the majority of the Sixth Form for whom driving is a new behaviour and as novice drivers are coping with the risks this involves.

Many young people hold irrational fears about venomous spiders and the like, but as Dr Poulter highlighted, the rather sobering statistics show that the greatest risk of all to adolescents and young adult lives is driving. Contrary to popular belief it was fascinatingly revealed that the drivers most at risk, with the highest crash rate, are those who have just passed their driving test – despite the fact that they make fewer errors in technique than more experienced drivers.

Statistics paint an interesting picture, revealing a dramatic drop in vulnerability to accidents after just a few years of independent driving. Dr Poulter also shared his findings that the younger one is when passing one’s driving test, the higher the crash risk. This vulnerability to crashes reduces if drivers are even a year or two older when passing the test, compared to the youngest drivers. A possible explanation for these findings is that, through experience of hazard perception in a real-life sense,

drivers begin to fine-tune their reactions and make predictions of their own and other road user’s abilities and behaviours in different situations.

It may also be that younger drivers lack the brain maturity to reduce risks. They are generally more prone to peer pressure and are more likely engage in risky behaviour than older drivers.

As well as sharing the challenges, Dr Poulter offered some helpful solutions for intervention that reduces crash risk. These included post-pass schemes where new drivers have a series of additional tests, and placing possible legislative restrictions on novice drivers. Dr Poulter then inspiringly highlighted future career opportunities for the budding psychologist in this field, including the need for research into human/computer interaction as more driverless cars are developed. Applied psychology will be in great demand as technology evolves, and without consideration of the ergonomic implications and human engagement associated with such advances, many products will fail to appeal.

We are grateful to Dr Damian Poulter for delivering a very interesting and thought-provoking lecture which is sure to have impacted upon the many novice drivers present!

Mary Stephen, Head of Psychology

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A whole host of Alpine Awards Ted Evans (Foundation Year) took part in the 12th Annual Welsh Alpine Ski Championships staged at Champery, Switzerland this winter. Ted won the title of U14 Welsh National Slalom Champion (fifth in the overall open rankings) and also became U14 Welsh National Giant Slalom Champion (fourth in the overall open rankings).

Ted also won Overall Welsh Male Alpine Champion which is awarded across all age groups (U10 to U18) and both disciplines, which not only brought the main trophy his way but also a bursary of £200. What a wonderful achievement, very well done Ted! Adam Wharton, Housemaster No.1

Ski trip to Tignes At the end of last term, 36 pupils and five staff travelled to the village of Tignes in the French Alps for the annual ski trip. We arrived to new snow and wonderful skiing conditions. The feeling under our skis was like floating on clouds!

The pupils had lessons in the mornings and skied with friends and staff in the afternoon and there were activities in the evening so we were busy. This was a very successful trip and we can’t wait to go back!

Joey Turnbull, PE

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Hereford United Football Academy selection Jonathan Asamoah, Ethan Zhao, and Lewis McMurdo were all selected to play for the Hereford United Football Academy U16 side, against Newport County Academy U16’s in November. The boys performed well and did themselves proud. A good representation for Malvern College.

Hereford won 1-0, with the match winning goal scored by our very own Jonathan Asamoah!

Mat Cleal, Master i/c Football

Malvern College players sign up for Malvern Town F.C. Staggered Half terms afforded our footballers the opportunity to offer support to the Malvern Town Football Club U18 side when they found themselves short of players. Some last-minute business was conducted and three of our lads signed up to play in a top-of-the-table clash against Evesham F.C. This match was something of a baptism of fire for Ethan Zhao, Jonathan Asamoah and Toby Moran, especially since Ethan and Jonathan were playing two years up, but they acquitted themselves well.

Committing to the cause, Jonathan scored the equaliser for Malvern Town, after Evesham had taken a 1-0 lead. He scored

by chasing a chipped through-ball before nicely rounding the keeper and slotting the ball home. Tired Malvern Town legs and a heavy pitch took their toll towards the end of the game and Evesham F.C. were able to score two more goals from aerial deliveries. The match ended 3-1 to Evesham F.C. but this was an excellent game and a chance for our boys to play with a quality local club which will hopefully result in another fruitful relationship with our local football clubs. The link with Hereford United was established last year.

Mat Cleal, Master i/c Football

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Malvern View • Lent 2018

Sports Colours Full Sports Colours may be awarded to any pupil throughout the College who has made an exceptional contribution to a particular sport and achieved a representative level of skill.

Congratulations to: Hockey Full Colours Jess Biddle Tali Swinburne Eva Sweering Juliette Hannecart Anna Barth Francesca Hsu Ellie Calderwood

Rugby Full Colours Will Lane Nye Owen Jack Bishop Bibi Amana George Sandy Oliver Garnett Paul Döhring

Eliott Gilling-Smith Alex Kruse Michael George Max Taylor Jude Bedford Lucas Heappey Jake Preston

GB Cycling Congratulations to Georgina Denham who is selected to represent the National Velodrome Club Sportcity in the 2018 National Road Race Team, as well as other international competitions. This is the first time that British Cycling have held a junior women’s road series and is an exciting development for young women cyclists in the UK. Vanessa Young, Housemistress No.6

Selected for Worcestershire CCC Academy Congratulations to Jack Haynes, Callum Lea and Josh Dickenson on their selection for the Worcestershire County Cricket Club Academy.

Mark Hardinges, Master i/c Cricket

GIRLS’ HOCKEY

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England National Schools’ Competition Our girls continued through to successive rounds of the England National Schools’ Competition after becoming County Champions at U14 and U18 levels. The U14’s continued their winning run through the zonal round to qualify for the Midlands.

Here they made it to the semi-final but lost to the eventual winners. The U18’s had similar success, winning their zonal round without losing a game but on aggregate scores did not make it out of the Midlands round.

In the equivalent Indoor competitions, our U18s were Indoor County Champions and U16 county runners-up. Both teams

Andrea Agut Artigas

went through to Midlands finals, U16s performing excellently but missing out on a semi-final place when they lost their final group game. Both the U16s and the U18s showed why Malvern is building such a good reputation for their indoor hockey. The U18s won their group convincingly winning all of their matches.

Unfortunately, in the semi-final, Malvern faltered losing on penalty strokes after drawing 2-2 with the eventual winners.

Hannah Atkinson

Mark Moss, Teacher i/c Hockey

Jess Biddle

International success This has been an outstanding term for individual player successes: Malvern 1st XI captain, Tali Swinburne and Anna-Lena Barth have gained reselections for Wales U18s and Jess Biddle has secured her England U16 place.

Hannah Atkinson has gained an England U16 trial, and Francesca Hsu has a trial for Italy soon. In the coming weeks Andrea Agut Artigas will travel back to Spain to play in the Spanish Futures Cup with the aim of gaining a spot in the U16 Spanish side.

Mark Moss, Teacher i/c Hockey Tali Swinburne and Anna-Lena Barth

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Rugby news Worcester Warriors selection update Malvern College players have been well represented in Worcester Warriors sides this season across the age groups: Jack Bishop was in the U18s starting line-up v Notttingham Academy, away, although the weather prevented the fixture from being played.

Imoesi Ogwemoh played for the U16 Worcester Warriors side against Saracens.

Vansh Ladwa and Harry Sillence had good games for the Worcester Warriors U15s v London Irish U15 side at Maidenhead RFC in which the Worcester side had an emphatic (60-0) win. Tom Hughes played for the Warriors U15s side v Bristol U15s at Bristol Grammar.

Malvern welcomes Phil Bennett Phil Bennett, former Welsh, Barbarians and British & Irish Lions player captivated the 160-strong audience when he spoke at last term’s rugby dinner. Guests attending the event included Cecil Duckworth CBE (former Executive Chairman and a Director of Worcester Warriors), Sam Vesty (Worcester Warriors Backs Coach) and Jonny Arr (Worcester Warriors Scrum half), whom Malvern College is supporting in his testimonial year. Phil Bennett spoke with humour and passion about his playing days with Wales, Barbarians and the 1974 British and Irish Lions four-month tour to South Africa and it made for compelling listening.

Nick Tisdale, Master i/c Rugby

RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY

Jack Bishop gains selection for the U18 Midlands squad Congratulations to Chapel Prefect Jack Bishop on his selection for the Midlands U18 squad. Jack plays as a Lock, at No.8, where his all-round skill and athletic ability make him an exciting rugby prospect.

The selection process for Jack was via the county and from this Worcestershire selection he was chosen for the North Midlands. He will have a number of training weekends with the Midlands squad and then play matches in the Divisional Championship. Jack will aim to catch the eye of the Divisional selectors for which the prize could be selection for the England Counties squad.

Jack came through our school rugby system from The Downs Malvern to Malvern College.

Nick Tisdale, Master i/c Rugby

Harry Bluck selected for the Welsh Exiles U18s Harry Bluck, in the Lower Sixth year at Malvern, has been selected for the Welsh Exiles U18 side. He is a year young for selection so this is an exciting achievement.

The selection process is rigorous – the Wales selectors search the UK and Europe for prospective players who qualify through their ancestry, who are playing, or at school, outside Wales.

Harry, who plays in the Front Row, will have a number of training sessions with the Exiles squad and then play against the Welsh academies.

“We wish Harry good luck, he was an integral part of the Malvern College tour party to New Zealand and the Cook Islands last summer and we are keen to see him do well”, says Nick Tisdale, Master in charge of Rugby at Malvern.

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Malvern View • Lent 2018

Netball Masterclass with Pamela Cookey Former England Netball captain Pamela Cookey (capped for her country 114 times) wowed Malvern College pupils and pupils from visiting prep schools with an action-packed netballing masterclass. Netball is gathering momentum in England and featured regularly now on the BBC and Sky Sports. The opportunity to train with Pamela was invaluable for our girls at Malvern, for all the members of staff who attended and for the visiting prep schools; Moor Park, Beaudesert Park, The Elms, The Downs Malvern, Hatherop Castle, Prestfelde and Winterfold House.

The day began with a presentation from Pamela who talked honestly about the balance between education and sports. This was followed by a shooting masterclass. The pupils could not have learned from a better player – Pamela is recognised internationally as one of the best ever! Pamela’s message to work hard, set targets and train as much as possible, motivated everyone.

Our netballers will remember this day for a long time to come.

Thank you to all involved in making this a super day for netball.

Rhian Jenkins, i/c Netball

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Megan to compete in the Area 10 British Triathlon Finals Congratulations to Megan Jones who successfully competed in the Area 10 Triathlon for Monmouthshire to qualify for the British finals being held in March.

Megan had to shoot turning targets from seven metres, swim for three minutes and run 1500 metres.

Michelle Nardone, Housemistress No.8

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Malvern View • Lent 2018

British Open Women’s Rackets Doubles Championship In association with the T&RA and held at Malvern College Women’s world rackets champion Lea Van der Zwalmen underlined her class as she and new partner Jess Garside survived an explosive struggle with Georgie Willis and Eve Shenkman to win the British Women’s Rackets Doubles Championships at Malvern in November. Van Der Zwalmen clinched the match with a zinging backhand that died in the back corner, after one of the most entertaining matches ever seen at the championships.

Chey West (Director of Sport at Malvern College) and Fionnuala Dowling-Membrado were also among the winners, taking the Plate event after an impressive fight-back from a game down in the final to beat the second Cheltenham pair Martha Elliott and Georgie Baillie-Hamilton. West’s courtcraft and canny advice for the talented but inexperienced Dowling-Membrado proved crucial and the teenager visibly grew in confidence as the match progressed. A fine run of serving by West levelled the match at a game apiece and despite some spectacular winners from the Cheltenham partnership to take them to 8-all in the decider, West’s extra consistency and calmness on the big points made the difference, as she and Dowling-Membrado served through to take the match 15-8.

Former world rackets and real tennis champion Howard Angus, a great supporter of the women’s game, made the presentations and announced that the salver given for the Plate event was to be renamed the Norman Rosser trophy, in honour of the much-loved Malvern College Master in charge of both rackets and squash, who died recently in retirement after a lifetime of service to the school.

“It was great to see so many youngsters taking part in the Women’s Rackets Doubles Championship,” said Noel Brett, Malvern College’s rackets master who organised the event.

“Standards are rising all the time and the co-ed independent

schools like ours are producing more and more talented girl players. The top women like Lea Van der Zwalmen, our own Chey West and Georgie Willis are real role models for the rising stars, showing how good it’s possible to become at a really demanding game that some people thought was too fast and dangerous for women when Malvern staged the first national women’s challenge matches in 2010. This was some of the best women’s rackets I’ve seen and several of the top female players now play against the men on equal terms, which is great for the game as a whole.”

Future Activities OPEN DAYS Malvern College Saturday 12th May 2018 Year 9 and Year 10 entrance only Malvern College Saturday 16th June 2018 Lower Sixth entrance only The Downs Malvern Monday 7th May 2018 National Schools Symphony Orchestra 2018 Residential music course for ages 9 to 19 at Malvern College 8th – 15th July 2018 For more information visit www.nsso.org English Symphony Orchestra Youth Courses Held during February, May & October holidays at The Downs Malvern Further details at www.eso.co.uk/community/eso-youth West Bromwich Albion Football Camps Day camps run during school holidays for ages 4 to 14. www.wba.co.uk/foundation/sport-development/camps/

Worcester Warrior Rugby Camp Summer residential camps: 13th – 17th August 2018 for ages 10-16 20th – 23rd August 2018 for ages 9-12 www.warriors.co.uk/community/rugby-camps MRM Hockey Coaching Day camps held at Malvern College and The Downs Malvern www.mrmcoaching.co.uk National Pool Lifeguard Qualification Day courses run during school holidays for age 16+.

Contact Tom Boyle at Malvern College Sports Complex 01684 581681.

Kidz Club at The Downs Malvern Weekdays covering the Easter and Summer holidays