The Monktonian 2010/11 by Monkton Combe School

The on tnia M n ko

2010 - 2011

Reflections of a year

introduction Any educational community worth its salt is a reflective one. This edition of the Monktonian continues to demonstrate that tradition at Monkton. Although academic educationalists have only recently fully recognized the importance of metacognition (thinking about thinking), Monktonians have been using their school magazine for nearly 150 years to be thoughtful about the year past, and the world in which they live. This edition is no different. This year, my thinking – as I outlined at Prizegiving in July – has been about the nature of jealousy, and the erosion of its traditional meaning. Perhaps society no longer wants a word which means (or used to) mean, ‘guarding one's own for oneself’, or ‘seeking to gain for oneself in rivalry’. Monkton is a place rich in generosity, the opposite, it seems to me, to jealousy. Staff are generous to pupils, and pupils are generous to each other: the consequence is a community rich in creativity, in achievement, and in experience; a community which is a community. And this magazine is a celebration of the ethos of the school at this point in time. As Monktonians read this magazine, both in the year of its publication, and (one hopes) in their dotage, it should speak to them of the health of this place, and the way in which achievement and endeavour, both collective and individual, are fostered by an ethos which is characterized by an absence of jealousy. Our world needs more of that.

richard backhouse principal 1

thoughts from the top...

It’s been a great three terms for us as senior prefects and it’s been a privilege to be a part of an excellent team and to view and help the school community from a different angle. Thank you to all, teachers and students, for getting along well with us and making our jobs much easier. All the prefects this year have been brilliant, each bringing an energetic talent and personality to a group which has been full of life and aspiration, to say the least. Our common room has been filled with friendly faces, dated Times Newspapers and empty biscuit rations. The unforgettable rotas from Abi Beach have kept us all in shape and have helped us to stay organised on top of our busy days. The deputies, Jack Barnes and Rach Bryson, have not only helped us to lead the group but, more significantly, kept us smiling throughout the day. The task of leading this year would have been extremely hard if it wasn’t for them, so a massive thank you is deserved. Doug, Jon, Leon and Tim throughout the year have sustained the masculinity in the group and have been full of healthy banter and ideas which have motivated us all. The girls in the group, Emily, Laura, Mia and Naomi have also continued to keep the giggles flowing and coped well with the banter. Our meetings with various senior staff, despite outside speculation, have been productive and have discussed issues ranging from the delights of the lunch queues to untidy uniform and even Monkton’s fine history. At the start of this academic year, we had leadership training with Mr Charles Burgess and we learnt many valuable lessons. One lesson that the whole group not only dwelled on but put to practice was making sure that we prioritised not only the urgent things but also the important ones. The Hill House duty that happens twice a week demonstrates this, as we saw bonding with the younger years as important. I, for one, enjoyed being used as a tackling bag and all round ‘climbing frame’ and I know other prefects felt the same joys in swimming, playing football, Wii console and even dabbling into Karaoke. We definitely appreciated Mr Burgess’ advice and wisdom and hopefully it rubbed off on the rest of the school. As each of you already know, Monkton life can be busy, tiring and demanding, yet at the same time it is fulfilling, fun and most importantly life changing. As prefects and leavers we most definitely have experienced all of these qualities and undoubtedly had some great memories and moments here. I look back through my four years here and I can’t help but realise how much is on offer on a day to day basis. The vast range of after school activities, sports and events is actually enormous and almost beyond varied. Although I haven’t tried everything, I have given it my best shot and if I can give any advice from my time here, it would be to get involved in any of the activities, even if you think you’re not great at it. If you don’t, then you’ll certainly be missing out. The amount of fun and enjoyment you gain out of it will most certainly outweigh the tiring long days and apparent work stress. You will gain skills that you probably never knew you had, befriend some life time pals and once again, have a lot of fun. To the prefects next year: may you enjoy leading and serving as we have done. Befriend those who you never thought you’d befriend, keep an open mind and be a beacon to any one in need of help. I am confident that Monkton is in safe hands with you. Enjoy your last year and make the most of it. Thank you all, once again, for making our last year a brilliant one. Jacob Adams Head Boy 2010 - 2011

Alarm chimes and my eyes half open to admire the sun streaming through the window. Another day, another day in this glorious valley, another day to...organise that unruly bunch of prefects. I jump out of bed eager to get going. The hot shower is far too inviting and by the time I am out there is little time to sort out hair and books before I am scampering down the hill to avoid the dreaded closure of breakfast. School food, the delights of fresh toast, soggy cereal and strange breakfast toppings on pizza. I enjoy breakfast with the rest of the early birds and smugly leave the hall, as I watch the gaggle of girls make their futile jog to the closed dining room doors. Peace at last in the quiet common room where we enjoy a selection of old papers and battle over the fiendish sodukus. Doug joins not long after with the mandatory cup of coffee balanced in one hand and a stack of files in the other. The likelihood of Jacob, the Head Boy, being up by now, I muse is highly unlikely; however we do have a bracing eight o'clock meeting with the Deputy Head. I meet Rach, the deputy head girl, coming down the hill and Jack, our deputy head boy, at the top of the stairs. Without fail Jacob is just behind, busy doing up his tie clearly having enjoyed the extra half hour lie in that comes from not going to breakfast. A stimulating meeting with Mr Dewes ensues, where we discuss such matters as lunch queues, the state of Year 10’s uniform and possible events that are cropping up on the calendar. This is soon followed by chapel for which Jacob has drawn the short straw and has to awkwardly open and shut the doors at the beginning and end of the service - a task not eased by the fact that there is rarely a spare seat near the door on which to un-surreptitiously perch. Mr Bevan leads us in a bracing chorus of a favourite hymn and the day begins in earnest. Double stud first thing- the joys of being in Upper Sixth. First things first, start a new rota for Hill House duty. Jacob chips in funny anecdotes when he can and he and Pete decide that the time is ripe to talk loudly in their best South African accents. I resign myself to the fact that the IT centre will not be quiet! Rota done, however if the prefects decide to look at it, and follow it, remains to be seen. Another meeting follows, this time with the Principal. Tea is served along with chocolate biscuits, depending on how well the top four answer the general knowledge quiz in the paper. Typically, our biscuits are received by grace alone, for our Principal has again outwitted us, despite Jacob’s constant jokes. Chats about the week are interspersed by our incredible, though ambitious, proposals for the school - no, Jacob cannot keep a goat despite the fact he is Head Boy. This lively gathering is followed by double English Lit. A good chance to let off steam in a heated debate about the finer points of the text we are studying. Lunch calls, oh the joys of being a prefect and not having to queue. But...disaster, someone has forgotten to cover their lunch duty, pandemonium reigns whilst one poor prefect tries to retain order. Crisis averted, when said prefect turns up highly apologetic. Lunch can now be enjoyed in peace. The afternoon appears blissful, rowing on the river, followed by free time until supper. The afternoon passes in a haze until Jacob calls stressing the need for car parkers that evening. Frantic texts are issued around whilst the prefects try to persuade Jacob and me that they aren’t free. Prep that night is a busy one. Why does work all seem to be set on the same day? Good news feeds in from the junior end of the school that the prefects did a wonderful job looking after Hill House that evening. Fantastic, the rota works. Bed beckons as I contemplate what other joys lie ahead for tomorrow. As I lay there I thank God for the blessing of such a capable and supportive team and know that whatever happens in the next few days there are sure to be lots of laughs. Abi Beach Head Girl 2010 - 2011

monkton in the snow

netball

This year has been a very successful one for the netball club, with many girls getting involved, and with a positive attitude being reflected throughout the year groups. The U14s have had a very successful season, winning 5 out of 8 matches. Expertly captained by Annie Windley, the girls have had some great wins, including beating Warminster 25 – 6 and have been enthusiastic without. The player of the season was Beth Proctor and most improved player was Louisa Cushnir. The U15s have had a difficult season, with many very good players, but results which did not do them justice. Captained by Sarah Wood, the girls played some impressive netball and showed great promise for the future. The player of the season was Holly Sames and the most improved player was Annabel Dewes. The 3rds had been a very enthusiastic team. Although they didn’t win many matches, they had a lot of fun, and showed great enthusiasm, always playing with dedication. There are plenty of potential 2nds players for next year, who showed great promise in the 3rds. The player of the season was Imogen Graham and the most improved player was Abby Elmes. The 2nds have had a good season, with lots of strong players, they have many girls who will be fighting for 1st team positions next year. They won a large proportion of their matches, and were ably led by Lottie Brawn. The 2nds had some strong shooters in Natasha and Camilla, with Charlotte, Jess and Lily stopping the goals in defence. They had some excellent wins against Downside, King’s Bruton and Stonar. The player of the season was Lottie Brawn and the most valuable player Lydia Swinn.

The 1sts had an extremely successful season as the team showed great commitment and determination, with a positive attitude throughout. They won 11 out of 12 matches, and the only match they lost was by 2 goals. Shooters Georgia, Melissa, Sammie and Sarah scored over 300 goals, while defensive players Tara, Naomi and Holly only concede 141. They won 3 matches with a 20 goal advantage; including a memorable match against Bruton, with a 36 – 6 victory. They also managed to beat Prior, twice, and KES with a close score of 15 - 16. Most improved player was awarded to Sarah Pritchard, who was also awarded half colours. Players of the season were awarded to Naomi Dewes and Mia Marais, who were both playing for their third year in a row. Colours were also awarded to Holly Chapman, Melissa Chapman, Anna Fothergill, Georgia Sutton and Tara Leese. It was a truly momentous season. Thanks must go to the coaches, whose continued support to the girls has been the reason for such good results. Thank you to Mr Call, Mrs Mucheru, Mr Garrod, Miss Chanaria, Erica and most importantly Mrs Glasgow, for heading up the club and being such a source of encouragement and knowledge to all the girls. Naomi Dewes

two monkton stalwarts retire...

norman botton Norman Botton joined the History Department from Hertford College Oxford University in September 1977. He had previously been a pupil of King Edward’s School, Bath and had already played for the Monkton Combe Cavaliers. He had also worked for one year at Monkton Junior School as a Gap student before going to Oxford so we knew each other well. There are four areas of his career at Monkton which mark Norman out as an inspirational teacher who has given outstanding service to the School. History. Norman joined a department that was led by Peter Sibley and included Gerald Blake. When Bill Hanna left for France in he took over the running of the department in 2008. It is a tribute to Norman’s quiet efficiency that he has built a department that is as strong now as it has ever been and his successor David Bowden - with the continued support of Debbie Mucheru - will have a hard act to follow. He will be remembered most by all those that have benefited from his devotion to his subject especially the large number that have moved on to study history at University. Norman likes travelling so it is not surprising that he initiated the highly successful visits for juniors to France and the battlefields. Sport. Norman gained a blue for cricket at Oxford. The Cricinfo web-site gives his first class statistics as playing 15 matches with the likes of Imran Khan, Chris Tavare and Vic Marks. He captained Bath in the Western League and scored many hundreds for the Monkton Combe Cavaliers as well as taking stacks of wickets. He was a fine left arm swing bowler who liked to dabble with some orthodox spin as well. This pedigree was perfect for the School Ist XI and as their coach he quickly instilled a strong will to win by always playing strong positive cricket. Again it is a testimony to his success that so many have gone on to play and enjoy cricket after they have left school and still want to come back and play in the Old Monktonian games. With Peter Sibley, he was central in beginning Monkton’s involvement in the cricket festival with The Leys, St Pauls and Fettes schools and he has toured with the XI to Barbados and with the Bath Schools XI to Denmark. As he retires from Monkton he is still playing and currently captain’s Somerset over 50s.Norman has also made a huge contribution to school hockey. He ran a very successful Girls 1st X1 and coached them to our only county tournament championship. He has subsequently coached the 2nd X1 girls , 2nd X1 and 4th X1 boys teams. All of his teams have benefited from his tactical acumen and he has been a master at putting players in their best positions and developing them for the higher XIs. Eddystone House. Most members of Monkton Combe that manage over 10 years service move around different house teams (I have had 7 moves!). Incredibly Norman has been a member of the Eddystone team for all of his 34 years. He has supported four sets of houseparents –Richard & Margaret Blake, Don and Helen Gorrie, Stephen and Sarah Harris and finally James and Penny Sertin. Many generations of Eddystone boys have reason to be grateful for his dedicated work and they all knew that they could turn to him as an excellent friend and advocate. The Common Room. Norman has been my colleague for 34 years and we have shared many excellent times together on tour, in the Cavaliers cricket club and in the H block! He has supported all members of the Common Room, spoken in chapel and set up a flourishing Bridge club. He is a good listener and always willing to help colleagues when he can; we will all miss him greatly. Throughout his career Norman has been ably supported by Beth. They of course will remain close neighbours to us in the village, so I do not expect this to be the end of his contact with us all. The whole of the Monkton community wish Norman a wonderful retirement and thank him for all that he has done for many generations of Monktonians. Martyn Garrod

james bradby James came with Jane to Monkton in 1980, as Head of Classics. He was appointed by Dick Knight, and I imagine Dick only had to look at James' academic pedigree to appoint him, let alone the things he could offer outside the classroom. James was, no, is, an exhibitioner of New College Oxford, and is one of the most intelligent people I have met. Engage James on any topic, and he will have a view, but it won’t be the kind of half-formed view which you or I might come up with - no, it will be thought through, backed up by intellectual rigour, and cogently expressed. Anyway, James was instrumental in my appointment to teach Latin and English in 1983. James can take huge credit for the intellectual achievements of Monkton in the 80s and 90s, as well as the early 2000s. No other department got as many pupils into Oxbridge, and the results of both the very bright and the less able were very impressive. He and I have taught not just Latin, but Greek, Ancient History and Classical Civilisation. One of James' protégés deserves mention - Eric Dugdale, now a Classics professor at a university in Minnesota. He would trace back his love of, and excellence at, Classics to James. Since 2001 James has also been a lynchpin in the RS Dept. He has been able to make a significant contribution to the study of the Bible, whether Old or New Testament, and has made as his trademark the refusal to accept un-thought out dogma. In a school like Monkton that has sometimes raised a few eyebrows, but James has stuck to his guns and his pupils have been better able to defend their faith after two years with James than they were before they started. And, of course, James's own faith goes very deep, and this has enabled him to question aspects of the Bible from a very strong standpoint. But there is so much more to James, as we know - the other reason he was appointed in 1980. James ran the school cross country club for 20 years until 2004. He ran boys' tennis for 17 years up to 2001, and the whole tennis in the school for two years before that. For six years James ran the school drama, with some wonderful productions both in the Lent Term and also at the end of the Summer Term., Typically, the playwrights represented included a wide cross-section - Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, and Brian Friel. James ran the Ballroom Dancing society for a number of years. James has also been in charge of the International Students Society in recent years – quite a new phenomenon in Monkton life, yet run enthusiastically. And the list goes on - I haven't time to mention everything James has done. One last thing though - his music. He is a very good singer - he met Jane in a choir in Bristol in the 70s, and he is also an accomplished flautist. James has so many talents, and I bet there are few which even I don't know about. I have mentioned Jane, and I want to pay tribute to what she has done over the years too. She and James were girls' house tutors in the 80s, living in what is now the Medical Centre with about a dozen girls, including one Penny Alleyne, now Penny Sertin. Jane is a brilliant singer in her own right, and has helped a number of girls with their singing over the years. And, of course, Jane has for many years been responsible for the costumes in school productions, and has done this job wonderfully, always knowing exactly what the producer wants, but being able to put her own stamp on it as well. I am very glad she is carrying on in this role. So this is the end of an era. The blackboard, I’m afraid, will be no more next year. There will be no opera played in the Lace classroom. We will have one fewer of those colleagues who are genuine polymaths. James will not be there in the staffroom gently to laugh at pomposity and at the constant need to worry about inspections. We will have one fewer of those colleagues who are invaluable to Deputy Heads – who are prepared to help out with minibus driving or other supervisions at unsociable times, often at short notice. It is good though that we will still see him walking his dog in the morning, no doubt running, and still being in much demand in the local churches. And if, in my new role, I can organise a trip to Rome, James will be the first person I will ask to accompany me – who knows more about classical sites than he does?

Tim Dewes

i l hl The time has come for us to move on from Hill House after having spent six wonderful years with the younger students. It is with some regret and sadness that we will be leaving the House, as we have very strong emotional attachments with the students and the House itself after all this time. Our time with Hill has been extremely dear to us. We really enjoyed being part of the move of Hill House from Combe Grange to Reynella and we are proud that we have helped the house to settle into being nearer to the heart of our community. We have also been blessed with our own Hill House baby: Mollie has been welcomed so warmly into the Hill family and we have really enjoyed having our arms around our bigger family, including the ‘Hillies’ as part of our fold! What we have wanted and strived to achieve is that all of the children in Hill look on the house as not just somewhere to stay, but somewhere where they feel confident, relaxed and at ease – in other words a ‘home from home’. We hope that we have gone some way towards achieving this. Whilst we are really looking forward to our next challenge, we will always be very attached to Hill and will follow the progress of all of our students with care. We know that the Lord will guide us all as we move forward and that the Bowdens (the future Houseparents of Hill) will be blessed with one of the best jobs in the world. Sean and Helen Wilkinson

i e g b

ve ts... n

house cross-country

french visits

Paris trip February 2011.

Year 10 French exchange – April 2011

With an early start, the girls’ oversized bags and the passive mood, the beginning of the trip didn’t exactly go off with a bang. However, the train journey not only brought us to a different land, but it also brightened our moods considerably. Maybe it was the classic French accent or Toby’s squirrel-like storing of cheese and onion crisps. Our exploration of Paris started at Notre Dame, where the frequent banter flowed strongly and freely. Topics included Charlie’s second home at Sacré Coeur as he had visited it so many times! The second day showered us with delights – literally. After a sopping wet journey and what seemed like the stairway to Heaven we arrived at Sacré Coeur, where Nicky was eager to take some forbidden photos inside the church! Later a Molière play provided us with a comfortable and rather loud resting place – with its unexpected bursts of song and peculiar plot, it turned out to be a funny and memorable moment for the French students. Other highlights were having lunch under the Eiffel tower, meandering through the Parisian streets at twilight, visiting the Immigration Museum and running onto the pitch at the Stade de France. Year 12 French students

The second year of the French exchange got off to a successful start even though Sarah decided to take her whole wardrobe onto the Eurostar. It was very scary meeting the host families at Lille station and we all had to go our separate ways. Some of us did meet up later that day to watch a football match or go shopping. We spent time in the school – very different to Monkton visited Lille, a sweet factory and best of all we had a day in Disneyland. Mme Vaughan had to give us all suntan cream as the weather was so hot! We all had an amazing time, even though Space Mountain broke down with some of us on it, and we all loved the Disney parade – especially our hugs with Pluto. The French kids came back at the beginning of the summer term. They all loved Monkton, and want to come here!

eddy school barbeque

spanish exchange Spanish Exchange to Valencia October 2010 Valencia was my second Spanish exchange and was by far the best one yet. When we arrived at Valencia airport on Saturday afternoon we were all filled with nerves as well as excitement to meet our exchange students, who were all there as we came through arrivals. At first it was slightly difficult to get used to speaking the language with our exchanges, however as the week progressed we became more and more familiar making the most of the opportunity. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and made us all feel at home during our stay. We spent the first two days with our exchanges, looking around the fantastic cultural city with idyllic architecture, such as the cathedral, as well as visiting the main beach and ports. After spending Sunday with the families of the exchanges we spent Monday at ‘Colegio Pio XII’, getting involved with their lessons as well as participating in various activities with them. Everyone at the school really wanted to get to know us all, especially the younger students who were so excited to see their British visitors. After mornings at the school we spent the afternoon with a range of activities organised by Senora Vercher. Tuesday was our 'historic' day and we were given a guided tour by one of the teachers of the school about the city and the past of Valencia. We also visited one of Valencias' large food markets, which had pretty much everything that you could think of within. During the week, we visited 'El museo de las artes y las ciencias' which had a number of things to see and do on Science and afterwards we went to a nearby iMax 3D cinema to watch a short presentation of the Amazon rainforest. The aquarium was really enjoyable for us all especially with how lucky we were for the weather, which was hot all week. The dolphin show was probably an unforgettable experience for us all there. With the days that followed we visited Senora's hometown of Cullera, we went to the local street markets and we walked to the church on top of a hill with stunning views of the surrounding countryside and beaches. We spent a couple of hours on the beach, which had pretty much no one on it at all and then took a small trip on our way back to Valencia to a small restaurant within the surrounding lakes of the city and had ‘paella’ the typical Valencian dish. That evening after a packed day the exchanges gave us all a farewell party, where everyone including their families came to say their goodbyes. The day before we returned back to Bristol we went to ‘Port Aventura’ a theme park where we spent the whole day; we had great fun, great weather and it was a great end to our visit. We could never be so thankful for how the exchanges and their families made us feel so welcome during our stay and the visit would never had happened without all of the work and effort Senora Vercher put in, who made this trip a great success for us all as a result. We also want to thank Mr Botton for helping out with the trip, too . Andrew Leonard.

royal wedding day

g u y s a n d d o l l s

Most schools shy away from gambling and girls in skimpily clad dresses. But this year Monkton welcomed it with open arms in the school play, “Guys and Dolls”. Hundreds, or that’s what if felt like from my position as Stage Manager, gathered back stage to run on ‘shooting crap’ or to be Adelaide’s ‘hot box dancers’. I was so honoured when Mr. Harris asked me to do the job, although having no real idea what this would include, I jumped at the chance. The musical is all about the gambler Sky Masterson, becoming a reformed man all for a ‘Mission Doll’. It also involves the delayed wedding between a gambling fixer and a Hot Box Singer, a Salvation army band, a plane trip to Havana, a subterranean gambling game and a prayer meeting which culminates with the rousing routine of ‘Sit Down You’re Rocking thed Boat’ All quite straightforward really! With maps of each of the scene changes on both sides of the stage my crew was ready to roll. It was time for lights up. The energy that radiated off that stage when it began was nothing I have ever felt. From year 9 (Helena Fothergill) all the way to year 13 (Brian Mungai)- the talent came from all corners. The first scene involved everyone, police, thieves, a tour party, and the infamous boxer and coach Toby Cushnir and Jonty Brawn retrospectively. The mad rush then parted for a manly harmony of Dan Ridgeon, Paul Karumura and Shawn Haas singing all about newspapers! Then entered one of the main men, Nathan Detriot played by Robin Harris and his two sidekicks Benny Southstreet played by Ted Stanley and Nicely Nicely Johnston played by Paul Karumura who was never seen on stage without food in his hand (it got harder as the performances went on!)

Although so far it has seemed to be all about the boys it did not stay this way for long as the play could not have been what it was without the colourful and beautiful “Dolls”. Adelaide played by Nicola Murray stole the hearts of many a man and boy in the audience and finally the heart of her guy Nathan. Her nasal New York accent didn’t affect her singing in the slightest and caused many a goosebump to be raised and smiles to many a face. Along with her stunning hot box dancers, Beth France, Verity Rickett, Anna Fothergill, Rosanna Betts, Holly and Melissa Chapman, Emily Mills, Eve Balshaw and Alex McKnight danced with their long legs and beautiful outfits to dazzle the eyes of everyone in the audience. The story followed the bet made on Sky Masterson (Ted Malumbe), that he could not take the doll Sister Sarah Brown (Julia Wynn) from the Salvation Army to Havana, Cuba. Sister Sarah Brown’s main aim was to rid the world of sinners starting with the smooth talking and charming Sky. Julia easily convinced the crowd that her way was right with her clear beautiful voice. But after a quick trip to Havana which involved our six man and women back stage crew to dash madly about with tables, bottles and coconuts we finally made it to the interval! After that we flew quickly back to the streets of New York where an unending crap game was being played due to the persistence of Big Jule “from East Cicero” (Todd Bruce) with his associate Harry the Horse (Joel Beath) with his husky accent playing the intimidating part very convincingly. We had a beautiful duet from the main ladies Nicky and Julia about their men (who appeared side stage wearing aprons and bonnets) and “marrying them today”. The play finished on a mountain top high with Adelaide finally marrying Nathan in the company of Sarah and Obadiah (Sky’s real name). The whole cast ran out for one final song and the bows were made. After a stressful work up to the actual nights, the smiles and congratulations on the audience’s faces were more than enough for me. The memories I have from this are some that will be taken with me forever. One thing that will never pass me by is that none of this could have happened without the patience, dedication and enthusiasm that Mr Harris poured into ‘Guys and Dolls’. Roisin Cogan

m f r a

Rose, our cleaner in Farm

'You'll love it, we're like one big happy family here'

When I sat down to write this review of the year in Farm it was hard not to look straight at all the achievements of the House there have been this year. However, besides these areas, the House has felt very consistent this year and there has been an unmistakable friendliness about the place. There are always good solid friendship groups within the House, (judging by the amount of time some people spend in others’ rooms during prep!) We have had some great group experiences with 'Open House' on a Tuesday, in-House times on the occasional weekend and larger events like House Music. All of these moments have helped contribute to a year that has been really enjoyable. Looking at Farm’s 'results' this year though, it just shows how willing the boys in the House are to compete and join in. House Music was a very respectable performance and really showcased Farm’s commitment and talent musically. We competed with similar strength in many other events like House Football and the dressing up race at the Royal Wedding fete and would no doubt have won Sports Day if the rain hadn’t come!

'They are lovely boys!'

Lyn, our cleaner in Lace

Thanks are also due to all the boys in the House: they have shown great maturity in realising that their experience of House life will be better if they contribute to the House, not just to themselves. The year 13s have set a great example for the House way of life, and as Prefects they have never let themselves down. Finally, Farm is going through some very exciting times at present with good signs for next year. The Year 12s are great guys, as are all the other year groups. Mr and Mrs Ling have really encouraged every boy in the House and brought great new aspects to the House, from ‘Perudo’ to the improved rations, and they have all made Farm such a great place to live. The Clarks have also worked tirelessly as the resident tutors and while Mr Clark’s wisdom will still help Farm move forward next year, it will be a great shame to lose so many of their contributions to the House. Therefore I would like to thank Farm for all it has given me and the other boys who will leave the School this year. I am very confident that next year things will be even better. Tim Jameson Head of House

'The Farm boys are fun, loveable, exasperating but the best!'

Candy, our Clothes Matron

rugby

Despite losing the last 3 weeks of term due to the unprecedented amount of snow and ice, the season was a promising one with much good rugby played and enjoyed by all the teams. It has become a matter of considerable pride that despite having a little over 200 boys to choose from, Monkton Senior still manages to field 9 regular sides. This means we have expanded our fixture list and remain intent on providing as much competitive Rugby as we can. It has been pleasing to see the relatively successful seasons that our B teams at u-14 and u-15 had and Mike Abington’s U-16B team managed 3 wins out of 4 (their first victories for 2 years) Another pleasing aspect of the season has been the continued successful integration of Hill House students into the Monkton Prep School 1st XV. The development of a more cohesive pre-season training programme which culminated in a 3rd place finish (and plate winners) at the Hampshire Collegiate festival and the expansion of the 7s programme were significant developments within the club. The 7s squad under the tutelage of Simon Gent and Josh Norton played some exciting rugby and were rewarded with a semi-final placing at the Hampshire Collegiate 7s and then 3 group wins out of 4 in their group at Rosslyn Park 7s. During the regular season, all of the sides enjoyed a higher win/loss ratio than in previous seasons. Whilst the u-16A team under Simon Gent were arguably the most improved side, the U-14A only lost 1 match and showed a lot of potential. The 2nd XV under Tim Hardisty showed a lot of determination and courage winning a lot of close matches and losing only once. The 1st XV finished the term with the same number of wins and losses in what was perhaps best described as a ‘rebuilding season’. They played some fluent rugby and remained competitive throughout. My thanks go to all the staff who have helped coach the teams: Mr. Wilkinson and Mr. Parfitt, Mr. Hardisty and Mr. Shone, Mr. Chilcott and Mr. Abington, Mr. Marais and Mr. Norton, Mr. Call, Mr. Palmer and Mr. Graham. I’d also like to thank our medical staff, Sister D and Mrs. Marais, Mr. Taylor and the grounds staff, all the ladies in the sewing and laundry, the referees from Somerset Society plus all the parents and everybody else who has supported Monkton Rugby. The Mike Hannell Trophy for the most promising u-16 player was awarded to James Arney The Mike Pell trophy for the biggest contribution to Monkton Rugby was awarded to Matthew Brown. Paul Wickens. Master i/c Rugby

Following up from one of Monkton’s best rugby seasons, the challenge this year was to raise the status of the club and to maintain the great standard of rugby .We achieved this. Preseason initially looked worrying; numbers were low, skills seemed rusty and fitness was missing. Nevertheless, the 1st XV brought home silverware from a tournament at Hampshire Collegiate School and showed that we were up for the season. One area of difference, in comparison to last year’s team, was that we had a much faster squad, the key was to utilise this and create chances. However, our first match was not to follow in the success of the pre-season tournament. Prior Park sought their revenge and seemed to slip through our lines a few too many times. Poor communication led to our defeat but our heads didn’t drop. We knew that one loss couldn’t bring us down. This prompted a change in our line up and tactics. The invaluable help from the experienced Mr Norton also boosted our confidence and our desire to play at speed. He has been a vital part of our team and we are all extremely appreciative of what he has done. Doug Hampshire rose to the challenge of fly half for the rest of the season and performed with precision and determination. Our next game against Wycliffe demonstrated great tackling from the whole team and the tries from both Doug and Ted Malumbe led us to win the game 15-3. Sherborne were next and unfortunately a concussion and a wet day led to a defeat of 12-6 against a good team. Although exhausted and disappointed, a real team was beginning to form and the next three matches led to the next three victories.

After last year’s success in the Daily Mail Cup (DMC), we were resolute to follow the same path. In the second round of the DMC, Norton Hill looked to be a rough side and a few ‘off the ball’ hits and unlawful play clarified this. However, as a team we stayed together, kept cool heads and played our game. Mike Salmon kicked all our points and with excellent footing guided us to a victory of 15-7 which secured our position in the third round. Consecutive (high scoring) victories against Milton Abbey and Clayesmore 30-7 led to a confident and united team. The backs demonstrated integrity whilst building up their communication and ‘lines’, clever moves created tries and subsequently success. At only 15 scrum half James Lloyd used his pace, talent and initiative to prove, on more than one occasion, that he was 1st XV worthy. A brilliant and promising start, showing that Monkton does have rugby talent. The forwards grew in strength and confidence causing flawless scrums and line outs. Experience from Jack Barnes and Matt Brown pumped up the intensity and bulk for the ‘Pack’, so all together mid season Monkton’s 1st XV looked solid and held their ground. The 2nd XV were having a very successful season and proved useful for the 1sts as Mr Wilkinson would happily pick any 2nd team player to replace a1st team player, so competition grew high. Their team, confidently led by Will Lawrence-Mills, only lost 1 match the entire season, an outstanding record.

After half-term, we travelled to King’s Bruton, with a full knowledge that they would meet us with ‘all guns blazing’, as they always do. Their South African and national ‘imports’ were all too known to the team almost like a folk legend, and we were not wrong. A 20-16 victory against St Brendan's put us back on track and while we should have beaten them by a lot more, we scored some excellent tries. Before the snow and ice stopped the rest of our season we played Dean Close and Downside. We lost both the matches, which was a rather disappointing end to the season. We left the 1st XV’s season at 5 victories to 6 defeats but somehow we all had a craving for more rugby. The rock hard ice pitches left us in the cold and yet our hands and feet were on fire for rugby. We longed for the prayer huddle before the match, the feeling of victories, the big hits, the side steps and the heat of the game. So rugby 7’s began. 7’s is intense, fast and exciting and all crammed into 14 minutes of play. Unlike last year, Monkton played two tournaments and had a lot more allotted time to practise and prepare ourselves. Under the leadership of Matt Brown and the helpful guidance from Mr Gent, Mr Parfitt and Mr Norton, we got off to a flying start at the Hampshire collegiate festival. To our surprise we won 4, drew once against the home side and lost in the semi final to a well drilled side. Stars such as Tom Bush, James Lloyd, Toby Cushnir and Harry Grogan began to emerge as true 7’s players. Our sprint and endurance training paid dividends and we had more energy and, more importantly we were all a lot faster. The Rossyln Park Tournament was our ultimate goal. Last year was our first appearance and despite the fact we only won one game, we had fun and enjoyed it. This year we surpassed expectations and won 3 out of the 4 games. The season has been successful, not necessarily in the amount of victories but the standards that we as teams played at. Monkton’s rugby club is on the rise and I am proud to have been a part of that. I want to thank all the players that I’ve played with over my years here and will undeniably miss Monkton Rugby as it has provided me with many skills and unforgettable memories. I also want to thank the many coaches throughout the different teams for providing us with such excellent advice, confidence and experience, without you we would not love the game we call rugby. Good luck to next year’s teams, may you continue to lift the rugby club's potential throughout the school and may you have a successful and, more significantly, an enjoyable season. Jacob Adams

charities at monkton Our year kicked off with the ‘Operation Christmas Child’, project – providing Christmas presents for very poor children in Ukraine. As we were aware that the children receiving the boxes were living in poverty, which starkly contrasts with the lives we lead, we made sure to fill all the shoeboxes to the brim with sweets, toys and other useful presents! The majority got packing and moved by the insights provided by the DVD, some filled much more than one box, but no one could top Eve Balshaw’s 14 boxes! When the time came for us to hand over Monkton’s boxes, it was encouraging to discover we had provided gifts for 273 children, beating all previous Monkton records! After sending off the boxes, we focused on deciding this year’s charity, which took us considerable time and effort as it is such an important choice. Starting with nine short-listed charities, we took a month narrowing it down to one. It was tough-going as they were all really good, but just before Christmas we decided on HART – a charity set up by Baroness Caroline Cox to provide Humanitarian Aid and Relief to the oppressed and the persecuted, and often those who are neglected by other organisations as they are largely out of sight of the world’s media. We particularly wanted to focus on their anti-slavery projects with the Devadasi temple prostitutes in India, and the health care project set up by Dr Sasa in Burma. (For more information go to http://www.hart-uk.org/) We were so pleased when Baroness Cox told us she would come to launch the charity in Chapel, which was a great start. Our opening fundraising activity was a Mufti Day which did surprisingly well; raising a fantastic sum of £771.

This year we were able to watch and celebrate the monumentous Royal Wedding, and took this opportunity to raise as much money as we could for HART, which amounted to £511! We dressed up in national colours and enjoyed many fun and unusual events to celebrate, including an enormous bouncy slide, and a huge ninja tournament organised by Eddystone’s Year 11 and 12. Much of the School’s fund raising has happened in the weekly House Year Group slots. Before this year, the most ever raised during one charity week was £260, but Eddystone’s Year 12 raised £339 under the shrewd leadership of Sam Fawcett who capitalised on local shopkeepers’ generosity in supplying excellent raffle prizes. This became the new record. However, it came as a big surprise when the very next week, Grove-Grange’s Year 12 rose to the gauntlet thrown down, and under Jamie Bank’s leadership raised £352!! Many thanks to all who worked hard to raise funds during their charity weeks – we are thrilled that such a huge number in the School step forward to help in this way. It was exciting to discover that for the first time in history, a boys’ House – Eddystone - won the Charity Cup by raising £919! Not only have the pupils worked hard, but all our support staff combined their efforts to raise £287 in their fantastic ‘bring and buy and bake’ sale during a break! Sister Clark has also donated much time and resources to making hundreds of greetings cards to sell, and has held card-making sessions all of which has raised over £200!

This year ‘Monkton’s Got Talent’ returned in fine style. We had a variety of acts: from Holly Sames’ breathtaking gymnastic routine to the 'Gap Street Boys' music video spectacular. The evening was enjoyed by a full house of students, an excellent hosting team of Mr Palmer and Miss Charania and a ruthless judging panel of Mr Tobias, Mr Sertin and guest judge, Miss Orchin. The event was an astonishing success that raised £1125 in aid of HART. On the next day, Matt Morley (an ex-Eddy Charity Rep) ran the Bath Half Marathon on our behalf and managed to raise a whopping £833 for HART! Thank you so much to him and congratulations also for completing it in only 1 hour and 31 minutes! In August, Miss Charania cycled from John O’Groats to Land’s End, to raise more funds for HART. Huge thanks to her also.

As Baroness Cox was in Russia, Dr Lydia Tanner came to receive our final cheque in Chapel, and we were delighted that Dr Sasa was also able to come who gave us a very moving account of the extreme needs of the people in the Chin region of Burma, and how HART’s support have enabled him to train hundreds of health care workers to go back to their villages to provide much needed medical care where there is none. Thanks for all you have done – it’s been an amazing year! With the extra money raised by our end of term auctions our final total for HART was £8,509! This is the most ever raised by Monkton for a charity! By the Charity Committee: Megan Brickley, James Farley, Josh Hurley, Toby Kenchington, Connie Lane, Davy Richardson and Mike Salmon

ce lar

o d n

Clarendon has been a home to over sixty girls this year and it has been so lovely to get to know all of them. Clarendon has been a home away from home for me for five years and I have made some friendships that will last a lot longer than that. The Marais have been like my second parents, arguably having to put up with more trouble from me than my actual parents! The girls are what truly make Clarendon what it is and these girls have become my family. I will miss every single one of them when I leave.

'An oasis when away from home'

Georgia Sutton

We kicked the year off with House Music just four weeks into term, however this didn’t faze the girls and it was one of the biggest highlights this year, for having been empty handed for three years we took the trophy! The whole House really came together during this challenge, committing themselves to regular practices of ‘Livin' la Vida Loca.’ Who was to know that life would really begin to resemble the title of the song! It was a chaotic period, but the House Music leaders, Rach, Charlotte and Leanne kept the whole House motivated and happy. All the girls did the House proud, right through rehearsals to the night itself. Bonfire night was a lot of fun. It is normally always interrupted with rain and storms, however this year we were fortunate to have only a light drizzle! The whole school came and gathered round a bonfire in the Marais’ backgarden, huddling up like penguins and drinking hot chocolate with the little marshmallows – truly representing the Monkton ethos! It was a lovely evening, and everyone always talks of the night with fond memories.

Melissa Chapman

'There's never a dull moment'

The girls had 2 swimming galas this year, a serious one and a fun one! The serious one, no different to any other year, was extremely close with Nutfield, and as per usual all the girls walked back down to the house with croaky throats from all the screaming! The fun swimming gala (including rugby shirt and woggle races) brought more croaky throats but the swimmers were welcomed back by the Marais with pizza and hot chocolate as a little reward for all their hard work! House dinner was our calendar event of the year. It was a picture perfect night and this doesn’t come as a surprise as the theme was ‘vintage.’ Both the girls and their parents came dressed up in the most popular clothes of all time and it was a night to remember, and there is plenty of photo evidence to show this! There were plenty of prizes for those who had ‘the messiest room’ or ‘the blondest moments,’ but I won’t name and shame here. The food was delicious and it was an evening filled with laughter. The prefects did a great job and I hope future House Dinners are just as wonderful. One of the most admirable traits of all the girls in Clarendon is their commitment to the House, and their willingness to do anything to support it. I respect all the girls for having this quality and each one of them will succeed in life because of this.

'It will always be another family'

I wish Holly Chapman, Sarah Pritchard and Bex Tyers the best of luck for next year and I hope you all have as much fun as we have! Hannah Moran Head of House

Charlotte Griffiths

art works

jess davies

kai wang

sarina saddiq

pippa giles

yr 10 ewan jameson

imogen graham

archie chitty

joe colquhoun

emma barrett

robert scott

yr 11 29

yr 12

emily lloyd-williams

ziv wu

nicola murray

jenny yu

christina lee

yr 13

charlotte dann

georgia sutton

anna fothergill

toby cushnir

laura gower

girls' hockey

Hockey is defined as ‘a team sport in which a team of players scores goals by hitting a ball into an opposing team’s goal using sticks’ – these two aspects of being a team and scoring multiple goals has been at the heart of the whole hockey club, as can be seen by the results and the great camaraderie that has identified hockey this Michaelmas. The U14s, captained by Ania Chichlowska, will be looking forward to remaining together next year as they will surely be very successful after their brilliant undefeated season. There is a lot of potential in the U15 camp and many of these players should be looking for solid positions in the senior teams. The 3rds was a team of great spirit and the lethal combination of Mills & Womersley led a rotating team to a spiffing end tally of 3 wins from 7 matches. The 2nd eleven won all bar 3 matches and a proud captain Anna Fothergill clocked it as “a really fun season, we bonded well as a team and never gave up even in awful weather!”. Big thanks must go to Mr Botton, Miss Charania and Mr Dewes who gave so much time to coach these teams. The 1st XI had some epic matches that showcased the true skills of all the girls and winning 11 out of 13 matches is testament to the determination of the team. Each individual pulled their weight, had a real desire to win and worked so hard, on and off pitch, for each other which was especially seen in matches such as KES, Prior and Bruton. They never let their heads drop and were richly rewarded for this. The team balanced some serious hockey with some serious joking and I speak for us all when I say that cooking pasta, awkward giraffe/balloon/worm-disco/ and Hakas will never be forgotten.

Neither will the team, who all had immense ability and each were essential to our success as a whole, not one could have been singled out as a weak link ... The Defence – Kati Jeffreys held the defence together very well and scared and scarred opposition with her big hits, Leonie Wendel was our rock in times of possible trouble and we valued and relied on her stability tremendously, Rach Bryson had the uncanny knack of coming out with the ball in any encounter even when it looked most unlikely, Naomi Dewes kept Mrs Garrod entertained and also had the fire that one looks for in a defender, Jess Wills did a brilliant job at keeper and incredible saves were made the few times the ball actually got to her. The Mids – Melissa Chapman would run circles around the opposition and this fitness was very useful in the final few minutes of matches, Abbey Elmes was a gem of a player and will continue to be a vital part of the squad, Holly Chapman had great resilience and one would not have guessed from her level of play that she had been injured at all during the season, Lucy Bush was a veteran of the team and her experience and commitment was massively appreciated. The Attacks – Alex McKnight was the speed of the team and could outrun them all right into the D when she chose to, Georgia Sutton is the most elegant hockey and her dribbles down the wing led to many goals, Freya Lewis has improved greatly and will be central to the success of the team next year, Tara Leese was a goal scoring machine which came from vast intrinsic skill. This season was one of the best I have ever experienced at Monkton and a great proportion of this was due to the excellent coaching from Mrs Garrod and Mr Davenport; it takes true talent to coach, pass on hockey knowledge and put up with a group of loud, excitable and often hyper teenage girls in some dubious weather and for that we all thank you! Mia Marais

boys' hockey The boys' 1st XI hockey have had a tough time this season but it’s been a great laugh filled with many great moments and memorable highlights. Before pre-season had even started we faced the issue of finding a new goalkeeper due to an unfortunate injury to Ben Southall, which meant he missed the entire season. This role was capably filled by Jacob Adams who, without any goalkeeping experience, fulfilled this position to the highest level of expectation and secured his place in the 1st XI. But pre-season came filled with energy and after a 1-1 draw with Kingswood, we went into the season looking confident and optimistic. The annual Clifton tournament came around and we narrowly missed qualifying into the finals due to an unfortunate 1-0 defeat to Prior Park. The tournament also showed the vast quality of ‘The Salmon and Arney show,’ racking up three goals together against a hopeful KES team. The back line were also able to demonstrate their ability against a strong home side as they fought off wave after wave of Clifton attack, removing any reason for the ball to get near Jacob. As ever Mr. Davenport has continued to be the least effective at the weekly penalty flick competition and went through the season sulking in the corner as the likes of Nick Moss and Lukas Malms consistently pushed the ball into the back of the net. However, his input in all the training sessions has been invaluable to the team and his knowledge of the game has been a blessing to the squad. His will to win has shown the boys how hard work and discipline can often be the factors that determine the outcome of a match. Mrs Garrod will forever be the one who always worries about the psychological side of the boys as well as how they perform on the pitch. The maternal characteristic she provides has been very helpful to the boys, especially in the latter part of the season, and her advice to the team is always of great significance and is highly valued.

There have been some great individual performances this year; however the results seemed to come when the squad played as a team and all areas of the game were considered. The attack has been ruthless and very effective this season with some very impressive goals scored. The midfield worked well and learnt that fitness is a key element of the game and that sometimes an extra early morning run can be very helpful later on in the season. The defence struggled at times this season but managed to keep out many goals through sheer determination and the ability of an incredible goalie. The highlight of the season for the 1st XI has to be the 6-0 thrashing we gave Kings Bruton in which Mike Salmon scored an impressive 11 minute hat-trick. It was also great to see some younger players get involved in the 1st team this year, proving that they have the ability to play at the highest standard of school hockey. I would just like to say a massive thank you to Mr Davenport and Mrs Garrod for all the time and effort they have given to the team this year and also to the lads that have made this season so enjoyable. Half Colours: James Arney. Full Colours: Jack Barnes, Nick Moss, Jacob Adams, Mike Salmon, Doug Hampshire and Toby Cushnir. The Gough trophy award: Ben Southall. Good luck for next year squad and hope the season is a success. The 2nd XI experienced a great season again this year, losing only two matches and achieving the ‘Bath Treble’ once again with victories over Prior Park, KES and Kingswood. The team, ably led by Matt Brown and coached by Mr Dewes, saw some inspiring team play and a few sensational goals. Mr Shone’s U15 team this year showed promise once again with a total of five players making an appearance in the 1st XI. Their best result was an incredible 7-1 win against Kings Bruton with Josh Myers walking away with 4 goals. Mr Sertin’s U14 team had a tricky season this season however found the whole year a great learning curve for the future. Their game of the season was a great 3-0 win against Kings Bruton with many players showing great potential for future years of Monkton Hockey. Jack Barnes

s l choo

This year School House has been full of spirit and energy. Once again there have been many highlights and moments to remember but also a few learning curves in which to improve on for the future. The atmosphere in the House has been immense and the sense of cooperation and brotherhood has never been more apparent. The year started with the ‘Teddy Bears picnic’ which has become a tradition in School House and was a great event to catch up with old faces and get to know some of the new guys as well. What better way to break the ice than a game of ‘Crocker’ & ‘Ragger’? To start the ball rolling, the first of the highlights this year came in the form of white tank-tops and a very professional version of the YMCA being sung by School House, as we stunned the audience, once again, and won ‘Best House Song’ at House Music; two years running now. Here we also saw some great musical talent from certain individuals not forgetting the huge help from Mr P and Mr Hubbard, our two musical superstars. This is one example of the diverse talent of the boys as we have people exceeding in many areas of life at School. Wherever you look you will find School House boys either getting involved or helping out in every aspect of Monkton life which is great to see.

This year we have seen great performances on the stage in School productions with guys flourishing in their roles, triumphs academically with great exam results and school reports, and also many successes in sport. Sport has been a great strength in the house once again, right the way through all the year groups. Whether it was team related success or spectacular individual performances, School House have had their fair share of achievements in all areas of Sport. We’ve seen successes on the rowing front, huge batting scores on the cricket pitches and even the occasional sporting triumphs outside of Monkton on a county or even national level. House dinner was a great success this year and allowed the boys to enjoy themselves as a House just before a tough exam season kicked in. This year ‘The Grand National’ took place, a new event, in which was great to see the year groups fully integrate with each other and enjoying themselves. So to conclude now I would just like to say a big thank you to everyone in School House for making it such a great year. The prefect team have been awesome and a great help all year round. The mentor system has been especially effective this year and this is all down to the care and commitment of the leavers. The tutors have had a true impact on the House and it has been great to see them get involved in many different School House events. Mr & Mrs Shone have been great Houseparents again this year and their caring attitude towards all the boys in School House has been felt all year round. Whether there is a major issue to discuss or you’re just in need of a friendly chat, the Shones can be relied on 100% of the time and have been a great help to each and every one of the boys. Lastly I just want to say, personally, thank you to School House for making every one of my five years in this House some of the best times of my life. I wish all that are here next year, Good Luck, and may you have another great year. Jack Barnes Head of House

the spring ball - fashionable feet

creative writing The Reminiscences of a Madman I'm gazing out of the window; it's incredible how easily I get distracted. It's not even as if the view provided is very distracting. I have come to the conclusion that isn't the oh-so-dull vista that is distracting, it is fact Facebook, the bane, yet love of my life. Our relationship is much like that of married couples. Though ours is a little more one-sided; you see, I shout at Facebook, but it never shouts back! Right, I promise I'll stop getting distracted and start writing my so-called ‘autobiography’. Anyway, life, yes, my life that you're reading about. Well the difficult thing about that is that I have very (and when say very I really do mean very) bad short-term memory loss, so the fact is that the entire point of this thing is to record my reminiscences. I use the word reminiscences because ‘autobiography’ is far too ordinary for my liking. I would have used the word memoirs, but I'm still annoyed at the French rugby team for what they did in the six nations last year, (and 1066 for that matter, but let's not be racist). Due to the joys of short-term memory loss, I have gone through life knowing what I did last month, but with no idea whatsoever about what I did a mere two minutes ago. It's no wonder I have no friends: it takes me a month to realise that I've done something wrong, it therefore takes a month for me to offer an apology, and by the time this happens they have moved away, and have made new, less forgetful, friends. Well, my earliest memory is being in a pram constantly; for some reason I was wearing half a hamster ball on my head. I was shouting all the war-cries I knew - for a two and half year-old there were quite a few which was terrifying passers-by. Did I mention that I was also brandishing a loo brush, in an extremely threatening manner? (I should say, before you get really worried, that the loo brush was a brand new one that had been no-where near a loo). My long-suffering mother tells me that concerned parents used to come up to her and offer their condolences and inquire as to the reason for ‘dear little Willy’s’ 'helmet' – it turns out that they thought I required some sort of special head-wear, due to some brain surgery I had undergone some years previously. Not that brain surgery was anything unusual at that point. This morsel of anecdotal delight should enlighten you as to the levels of eccentricity that you are going to be required to deal with when reading this. The average teenager styles their hair on the most popular or 'rad' celebrity at the time, I however, model my hair on Albert Einstein. Most boys my age have a scantily clad girl smiling down at them from their bedroom wall - I on the other hand have a signed picture of Geoff Boycott. I'm getting progressively more and more abnormal as thing goes on. Ooh, look at that. There's a granny beating the living daylights of some chav. It's good to see that the Maggie Thatcher style handbag with a brick in it hasn't gone out fashion. Beware of OAPs dear reader, they are all secretly ninjas. Now you see the level of distraction I have to deal with. You try and write an autobiography with ninja grannies jumping around outside your window. (Oh, and if you were racking your brain for link between Thatcher and Boycott, there isn’t one.)

Right, more memories. (Or, reminiscences.) Well I do remember that I went to nursery in a basement in Weston, which for those who don't know Bath (and quite frankly, why would you?) Weston is a little village on the outskirts of the city. Now I know what you're thinking – basements? It all sounds a bit Joseph Fritzel. But why would you think that, eh? (Sick freak) But really, all rather crude jokes aside, some of my fondest memories are of that place, or to be more precise some of my fondest memories are of sleeping in that place. That's something you should know; I spent pretty much the first eight years of my life asleep. So yeah, when I finally woke up, it was not, alas, due to the kiss of a princess. As far as I remember it was because I needed the loo. I was aged eight, and had woken from this weird dream-like recollection of the first few years of primary school. I woke from this dream-like state to find that I was moving schools. Nothing better has ever happened to me than that move of school. I was really in my element, basically, I wasn't the only nutter, and in fact I was made to look relatively sane.

It was also at this age that I developed an uncontrollable passion for cricket and writing and reinforced my love for books. When I tell you that I was given the captaincy of the school cricket team in my last year, you will begin to gain some small understanding of how bad we were. Though in my mind we could have taken on the Ashes winning England team of that year and given them a sound thrashing, this of course did not happen. Michael Vaughan never did reply to my letter inviting them to come and play us. What is more at this school I enjoyed a 5 year sojourn of being considered somewhat of a genius. (I should point out that the school was one purely for dyslexic students, so a chimp would look clever.) This period of being in top sets and winning prizes, and just generally being awesome did wonders for my somewhat overblown self-confidence. Alas this idyllic period in my life was not to last. I landed at senior school with a bump, and all hopes of being a professional boffin were extinguished. Still there’s always a chance I could marry a supermodel with a PHD (Oh, please!) Arrrhhh! Facebook is shouting at me (I think this means divorce). People are poking me incessantly. I don't know about you but I consider the ability to poke someone on Facebook to be one of the most annoying things known to man; I shall get in touch with Zuckerberg and suggest a punch button. That'll show ’em! Will Reynolds Year 12 Prejudice is not dead I heard the strangest thing today – something utterly unexpected and astonishing, that I was completely unprepared for – that prejudice no longer exists. It was unexpected because I’ve been under the impression that even in the modern western world equality was a precious commodity. It was astonishing because the person who told me this was Caucasian, middle class, thin, Christian, heterosexual and both physically and mentally able. It’s quite a list. It’s not the first time I’ve heard this said, but it is always just as strange in my ears. And yes – I always hear it from people with all or most of those traits. Traits that, in our culture, are considered ‘normal’. Traits that grant societal privilege. I can’t believe that highly privileged individuals can claim expertise on the subject of prejudice. To be normal in the western world – the media seems to tell us – we must indeed be as many of those things as we can. To be normal is to be better, we hear. White, straight, Christian. Having thought about that claim – that prejudice no longer exists – I’ve decided that I cannot believe it. It is an insidious thing, lurking intrinsically in our culture and society. It exists because people fear immigrants, because B&B owners deny service to homosexuals, because privileged people get furious at political correctness under the guise of upholding the right to freedom of speech. Of course, that is all refutable. It is opinion, insubstantial. So I look to the might of hard data, instead, to find the truth of the matter. The most powerful person in the world is Barack Obama, head of state for the United States of America. He is ultimately in charge of the world’s largest economy, and most powerful military. It is also the cultural hub of the world; a melting pot of myriad people whose society affects all others. President Obama is a black man. I’ve heard the argument that his election is proof of an end to racism. He is just one powerful African-American man, however, and cannot possibly be representative of an entire society, especially when every other US president in history has been a white man. There has yet to be a president who is of Hispanic, Asian, or Middle Eastern ethnicity. There has yet to be a female president. Arguably, the most powerful group of people in the world is the Congress of the United States. They are the governing body for what is arguably the most powerful nation in the world. The US Congress, therefore, should be a solid indication of the existence of privilege in the modern, western world. What, then, were the demographics of the most recent Congress, the 111th? Whilst non-white members of the House of Representatives amount to just over 20% of its makeup, approximately 40% of American citizens are non-white and that figure is rising rapidly. America is a representative democracy. They look under-represented to me.

Possibly the most striking figure is that for religion. 97.7% of congress members were either a Christian denomination or Jewish (Jews making up 8.4% of that figure). That seems exclusive. On top of that, the number of openly gay members of Congress is just six. In all of history, there have been only six. Five gay and one lesbian congressional representatives have felt able to make their sexuality public. You might expect that women would at least be somewhat better represented in Congress. There are a record 95 female members: 17.5% of the government represents 51% of its country’s citizens. An all time high. Yet distressingly low. That is a monolithic weight of solid, hard, fact, all of it working as evidence against the existence of true and universal equality. That is irrefutable. And that is depressing. Nevertheless, despite this, there is still a persistent belief that universal suffrage has magically solved the privilege problem and made the West a utopian beacon of modern values of equality and acceptance. Prejudice is not bound utterly to law. Even if discrimination was illegal in every form, those with privilege will still cling to it. Political correctness is frequently derided by the right wing media for being restrictive and oppressive. It is true that everyone seems to have heard of some ludicrous example of someone being sacked for an accidental, even tiny gaffe. (Maybe some are even true. I doubt such stories escape embellishment.) But that very argument against the obstruction of dialogue is essentially a bid to keep the right to make offensive remarks. There should never be any reason to criticise entire demographic groups, and doing so is indefensible. Better to have overzealous watchdogs than to permit a regression into acceptable racism. The very fact that political correctness can be objected to shows that there is still residual discrimination in our society. It is cultural and often media driven. Sometimes it even leaks into politics. Certain extremist parties paint a picture of a Britain overrun with sinister immigrants flooding into the country, desperate to forcefully steal our jobs from under our noses by being more willing to work, ruining everything for well off native Britons. What a disaster. That is the core problem. Discrimination is not something that exists as an entity, embedded in laws. It exists as a state of mind. This is a country where there are those who use their religion to support discriminatory denial of service. That is far from the tolerance and acceptance we should expect. It is difficult for me to talk about privilege. I too am Caucasian, middle class, thin, Christian, heterosexual and both physically and mentally able. But I don’t see that as giving me any right to ignore the problem of discrimination, even though I could just as easily deny it as anyone else could in my position. Advocacy is an important, powerful tool and people in a privileged societal role are not exempt from the moral obligation to use it. Is there any excuse for the privileged not to support the furtherance of equality? I don’t see one. Neither should you. Jack Basson Year 12 Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream The rowing Winklevoss Twins' attitude in the film ‘The Social Network’ “I’m six foot four, 220 pounds and there’s two of me” only give a slight ripple into the bigger pond of the famously British –as everything seems to be these days- sport of rowing. It all starts with the ominous squelch of mud as you step out of your once clean, yet now severely splattered vehicle stuck in a busy field. “Just park next to the trailer” a boy at the gate offers you, which you think is fine until you turn the corner and find the trailer or rather trailers and boats. Boats everywhere. What comes to your mind when you hear the word 'boats'? A pretty little sailing boat bobbing along? A speed boat in the Mediterranean? An ocean tanker in the Pacific? No. These are 30 foot monsters that shimmer and shine and stare at you with their powerful sleekness. Now, these boats aren’t just sitting nicely on the trailers. Again no. They are head, (well for those of the Winklevoss variety) shoulder and waist height, on the floor, moving from left to right. These 60kg boats being moved at head height are carried by all different shapes and sizes of rowers, ranging from the 7 foot hulks to the four foot nothing shrimps that hang on for dear life as they twirl in an ungainly awkward dance across their muddy ballroom.

These flamboyant fool-hardy athletes are known for their extensive range of kit due to the extremes they face. Oliver Redling, an American Olympic Gold medallist rower – strangely enough not British- stated that, “You never know what it’s going to be like out there, so you’ve just gotta prepare. That’s what makes it so interesting, you can’t get caught short.” A good philosophy for life. Oh wait. It is. Not many sports can do that, yet, I saw with my own eyes how his slogan actually has relevance. I had been asked to generously donate money to my college for a new boat – what was wrong with the others no one could tell me- so after they had greedily eaten my cheque, I wanted to see what it had been fed too. This is where Ollie’s slogan actually came into practice. There were: pink trousers with red hoodies, massive tracksuits bottoms with massive splash jackets – which should be distributed to all those under the age of 4 and over 85- and skin tight suck them in tops and bottoms. It was wrong. All clothes they owned must have been thrown on in the dark. You see kids walking around so layered up, they are more like the Michelin man than a person. But the worse bit, and I speak from experience here, are the lycras. These are one piece contraptions. They never fit. They never flatter anyone. And never need to be worn anywhere else. Ever. If the clothes are one of a kind, then meet the Rowing relations. There are three categories of supporters: First, the fed with money (actually good) clubs with their own tents. Tents filled with lovely food, hot drinks and the Mothers chatting happily in Hunter wellies and Henley Jackets. Second, the Regulars with camping chairs on the river bank, waterproofs, blankets and massive flasks filled with tea. Lastly, the Newbies. They are able to be seen a mile off, with their bright skimpy clothing, walking in the wrong direction. They never come back. Next come the Coaches; and these are very different to anything else. Two major categories; the Old, “Back in my day, when I went to the Olympics”. This then carries on for the entirety of your time with them –although if you have the luck to have them again it repeats itself- and the Young, “Just pull your *@**!! hardest” which will be as colourful as a um, a squaddy training day. Lastly, - most importantly really otherwise what is the point - the Rowers themselves. You range from the nervous “ohmygoshIcantstoptalkingI’mreallysorrybutitwasalljustsoexcitingandIthinkIshouldjuststopnow”s –that never actually stop- to the Coxes, tiny bodies shouting all sorts of words that are another language entirely, to the Proper - so they think - Rowers, that will be skipping down the paths, loosening up their er... legs? You are told that to be prepared for a race and to be able to do your best you need a moment of contemplation. Rowers are never going to be prepared. Imagine a crèche full of screaming 3 year olds times it by roughly 12 X 20m and you’ve got the riverside before a race. The mad undressing of the clothes and the concentration kicking. They get boats on the water, and... sit there. Ok, some move (very slowly) but generally they do nothing. Girls picking at their nails. Boys watching the girls. They eventually realise they’re not going anywhere, and then the boat starts moving. What I will never come to terms with is that you are always going backwards. Never forwards. All this -very little- effort to get back to where you started. Finally –well if you’ve stuck it out- the race itself. You have boats crashing into one another, boats coming along side other boats, some hitting each other, others hitting the banks. And I haven’t included the barges –yes, I do mean Rosie and Jim’s narrow boat- coming up the middle of the river. When the race is happening. This adds another level of confusion. People shouting, boats crashing even more, speed boats flying at each other, and the old man that pops his head out and states “I didn’t know this was happening, but I’ve got to keep moving”. The best bit is the siren at the end. Yes, they have a siren stating the end, no wonderful finish line - as you can’t see it anyway -, just an old man with a dodgy... siren. Then, they simply keep going. In some cases like when racing on the Thames, they turn around and row the 7 kms they have just come down. So they save energy. Just to go back again. Once back in, the screaming starts, the clothes come on and the boat lifting begins again, without a breath of complaint. Must have been a hard race. And this is an elitist sport? Roisin Cogan Year 12

rowing

The year for the Rowers started In September with only a small band of rowers competing for Monkton, however with wins at the first Head Race of the season in Worcester, it started very positively. Bad weather, flooding and of course the snow put pay to many of the races to be held in the Michaelmas term but one event that did go ahead was the Fours Head of the River which saw the Girls' 1st Four come third in the country in their age group. A great effort. The rowing really kicked off at the beginning of the Lent term with a very large number of new year 9’s, with a huge amount of potential, joining the ranks and learning the basics of sculling. The girls in particular are looking very strong and technically some of the finest year 9’s we’ve seen. Wins for the boys and girls at Bryanston Head early in February was a solid start and the girls and boys are looking to build on this in the future. The year 10’s returned for another year of rowing, in which both the girls and the boys looked very strong in their prospective quads. Both of the girls and boys first crews have won many junior events and even competed at a national level, going to the sculling head where they performed excellently in horrible conditions. In fact the boy’s first quad are unbeaten apart from the sculling head. A truly exceptional run of results. The J16’s were also looking strong with at least enough for an 8, and many more on the side who occasionally filled in when a crew member was ill, which turned out to be one of the quickest and most successful eights that Monkton has produced from this age group in a number of years. They have won a number of events throughout the year and just missed out on a place in the final at the National Schools' Regatta to some of the toughest opposition in the country. These guys will be making an impression on the first squad next year, vying for a place in the top boat. This year saw the largest senior girl’s squad for a long time at Monkton. At one point in the year they had 18 rowers in the squad which, although being a handful for their coach (Miss Blackstone), meant they could have a four and an eight both of which have performed at a national level, with the Girls' 1st Four coming in the top four crews in the country all year. Their most creditable performances coming in the Fours Head, where they came 3rd in their boat class, the Schools' Head of the River, where again they came 3rd in their age group and then making the final in the National Schools regatta; the first girls crew to have made a final since 2000. They then just missed out on a medal by half a length to local rivals Canford.

The senior boys' squad was thin on the ground this year, but strong commitment broke through and those who put in the effort were given a chance in a four. The season started slowly for them with a solid performance at Schools' Head of the River, where they placed 13th in the country, but with some crew bonding and an intense training program from the coach (Mr Reay) in Nantes, they began to see their boat speed increase. Once they arrived back from Nantes their speed and new found confidence were put to the test at Evesham regatta, where the crew faced tough opposition from fast crews from the local region, but they pushed through to win two wins in one day. They went into National Schools Regatta with high spirits and soon found themselves in the final alongside the best crews in the country, after coming third all day they had one of the favoured lanes. In this case the boys defiantly rose to the occasion and performed to their potential coming a very credible 6th. Alongside all the school rowing activities, Michael Lawrence has been trialling for the GB Junior Team and has attended several trials and camps. He has been hugely successful throughout the season and has gained selection for the final trials to be held in July where he will attempt to find a place in the team for the World Junior Championships which will be held at Dorney Lake in August, the venue of the 2012 Olympics. He has done the school, the Boat Club and himself proud. Overall, it has been an amazing year for the Boat Club with wins in all year groups and events and it has all been made possible by the dedication and hard work of all the Monkton coaches. We thank them for all their hours of coaching and patience. We all appreciate what you have done for us. So a big thank you to Mr Hubbard, Miss Mawasse, Mr Dietz, Alice Tetley, Seb Norman, Mike Smith, Jim Brown, Andy Groves, Carl Purchase, Mr Bewick, Miss Blackstone and Mr Reay. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to an even more successful 2012. Michael Lawrence and Lucy Bush

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I can't believe that it's my last year in Grove Grange House already, the time has gone so quickly, but when I look back there are stacks of great memories. Many people may not understand what it is like to be a member of Grove Grange, but I intend to enlighten everyone, by telling you about the outstanding year that all of the boys have experienced. Sport is one of the many passions of Grove Grange which can be seen throughout the House. Many have proven themselves as sporting legends, for instance we have the World U21 Epee fencing champion, an England Cricket player, 1st team players in Rugby, Rowing, Hockey, Tennis and Cricket, and an Academy Tennis star (currently ranked No 1 in his age group in the UK). The rest of us are also into more obscure sports, such as the House's personal favourite Ultimate Frisbee. Sport may be a big plus for us but we're not all brawn and no brain. Throughout this year there has been a house debating competition and I'm proud to say that we haven't lost a debate, mainly thanks to the articulate Year 10. House music this year was greatly enjoyed, as was the Grove Carol Singing around the community. With a Grade 8 singing ace, we have some very talented musicians in the House.

Grove Grange House also enjoys plenty of socials: from having a film night in the chapel, to BBQ's and water slides on Longmead. We also set up a whole school event - our infamous Scottish night with haggis and dancing! I think it is fair to say that this year the mischief has once again been outrageously fun and brought the Monkton experience to a whole new level (aka the Matt Brown effect). However, I would like to end on a more serious note by saying "Thanks" to Mr and Mrs Call and the rest of the House Tutors for all the time and energy that you all put in this year. So finally, many thanks to the Calls for their great time as Houseparents and best wishes for the future. Thanks to the whole of Grove Grange House for five great years at Monkton, and good luck to everyone whether you're staying or leaving. Jon Bradshaw Head of House

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ultimate frisbee

theatre studies stratford weekend In May our year 12 Theatre Studies class went on a trip to StratfordUpon-Avon for two nights. We stayed in a quaint little Bed & Breakfast about 10 minutes walk from the centre of town and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which is where we went to see three plays. Being a small group of nine people we managed to get front row seats of the first play we went to see, which was ‘The City Madam’. This was by Philip Massinger, so was our one break from Shakespeare over the weekend. During the second we had some time to explore the picturesque town and sit by the side of the River Avon. We also had a tour of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and had the chance to take a tour backstage. The three productions, ‘The City Madam’, ‘Macbeth’ and ‘The Merchant of Venice’ were all done very differently which gave us scope to compare and contrast them and also gave us the opportunity as Theatre Studies students to think about why certain things were done and the significance of them. Overall the weekend was well spent learning about the Theatre and we returned happy but tired after a big Sunday lunch to end the visit. Evie Harbury

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youth speaks competition

yr. 10 london theatre visit

biology field trip Upon arrival at Dale Fort, after 4 hours driving and one McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stop, we were greeted by the prisonlike exterior of the centre, perched on the edge of the cliffs of Dale Head. We then met our instructor, Steve and his dog. Shortly after, he took us down to the nearest beach where we began our acquaintance with fieldwork and the counting of limpets. Soon dark and high tide was setting in so we retreated to the centre to get our well deserved dinner. For pudding we had a dubious looking cheesecake, a trend that continued throughout pudding selection. Once back at our rooms we could look over the view of Milford Haven at night, a sight dominated by the lights of what appeared to be a city but was the Texaco refinery on the far side of the estuary. Saturday was filled by saltmarshes, succession and Spearmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rank but most importantly the 'X Factor' in the evening. On Sunday we had an expedition to Marloes to go seal watching; we also managed to fit in counting more limpets as well as periwinkles, both rough and smooth. On Monday we went to an exposed rocky shore, quite a trek from the centre, to investigate the effect rough seas had on life on the seashore. Our final fieldwork was in a cove close to the centre where we proceeded to rummage through beach marooned seaweed looking for sand hoppers to mark and release. After a few hours we returned to recapture the sand hoppers to allow us to estimate their population size. This was to be our final task at the centre, as next morning we left early to return home. Josh Patrick and Mia Marais

d of e practice expedition We left Monkton for a long minibus drive to Dartmoor, where it was already raining when we arrived. Our starting point was a pub, in which we made use of the fine facilities it had to offer; the last time we would see a toilet for four days. We set off and for two hours the weather was fine before we were shrouded in heavy fog. We felt thrown in at the deep end. We needed to use compasses and bearings to reach our first campsite just before sun down. We awoke at 6am, clambered out of our tents and were greeted by cold, dense fog, which succeeded in dampening our previously boisterous spirits. After cooking a quick breakfast of golden syrup porridge, we packed up and began our 20km ‘day 2’ trek. The navigation started well, walking along a clear track, but as we turned off the track it took us all of 20 minutes to be unsure of where we were, crossing a river we began wandering off course. After an hour we were really lost, looking for features of the land by which to find our bearings. Unfortunately, Dartmoor happens to be a place with few significant features, being mainly bog. As we changed our direction we saw a cairn marking the top of a Tor in the distance and as we walked towards it we regained our bearings. We eventually made our way along our route, meeting Mr. Bray at Nun’s Cross Farm, clearly identifying his bright yellow jacket from a distance. From here the rest of our route was fairly straightforward, and our navigation was, in contrast to the morning, spot on. We reached our next campsite in a valley with freezing winds sweeping through, which encouraged us to get dinner and into bed as quickly as possible. At the start of Day 3 we were pretty optimistic, but it went downhill fast, ie. uphill! We climbed into the cloud where a long line of ants became visible through the mist; an army unit was out training. We then trudged through bog for a few hours and met our next hill as the sky began to darken, the clouds turning an ominous shade of purple. As we crested the hill, the heavens opened and hell was let loose in the form of wind and hail. Our spirits were by now low as our terrain was uneven and increasingly boggy. Our waterproofs did not live up to their name. Distances looked shorter than they were and, approaching Devil’s Tor, some of us wanted to die, but we managed to struggle through with some tumbles face first into the bog and some tantrums! We finally made it to the campsite with a major sigh of relief. Camping was great fun and certainly a relief at the end of the day for us. Day 4 we woke up at 5am as the sun rose, but with frost on our tents. Within 100m of starting walking we met a dead horse and Andy fell waist deep (not kidding) in the same bog in which the horse had died. Not a wise move. All in all, we kept our heads high during the final stages of the last day as we walked towards the minibuses and home. We’d had the best day of walking with stunning views and a fun route. We encountered stepping stones across the River Dart and we mainly walked on paths which was a pleasant change. The feeling at the end was incredible. (authored by the whole gold D of E group)

To Kill A Mockingbird was a play that I admittedly only first considered attending due to the fact that my younger sister was performing, and I, being the older sibling wished to be a sound support for a role that she, as a developing actress, appreciated and became a part of. I watched the play the three consecutive nights it was performed and discovered that it was not merely a performance with sound evidence of what prejudice, justice and social standing do in the world we live in, but also showed the power of fortitude and empathy. Through the play we are taken into the core of the Deep South during the depression of the 1930s and it is through this that the theme of hegemony and the invasion of culture and ideals is a motif that seems to help define the serious nature of the play. As well as this, the verisimilitude of the truth, which played a great part in showing the innocence of life as well as the corrupt nature that drives man, gave insight into the appearance of what the truth is. This was important into understand the motives and aims of the different characters. The play recounts the story of Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, her brother Jem Finch (performed by Jordan Farrag), their friend Dill (played by Felix Woods) and their childhood following the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of a crime not committed. The misconceptions of the views of the people in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama reveal how a series of events shake their innocence, shape their characters and help to teach them the ways of human nature. Narrating the story is Jean Louise Finch, (played by Danielle Whealy) a character who weaves her way between others and reminisces on the events that formed her strange and naïve childhood. The reflection and emphasis on memory, permits a fluid narrative helping to create the atmosphere of the play. Whealy as Jean Louise elicited and informed the actions of what occurred accompanied by the acted images of Anneli Woods, performing the young Jean Louise, referred to as Scout. Whealy, though performing the role of the older Scout, maintained the essence of youth that is vital for linking the past and present of the play together. She was confident and spoke with a courageous air and performed the role with a great understanding of exactly who Jean Louise is. Background music was used in particular moments where Jean Louise is present and this helped to enhance the mood and nostalgic feeling between Jean Louise and her story. It was also an excellent device to provide a feel for the period of history in which the play was set. Anneli Wood’s performance as Scout was very impressive. Her accent was beautifully varied and the lighting along with Wood’s energetic liveliness added to the atmosphere of the entire performance superbly. Anneli was enthusiastic and passionate when performing Scout and did it with a natural flair and understanding of the character.

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The character of Atticus Finch performed by Todd Bruce was decisively the most spectacular. The role of Atticus is not a light one and yet on stage, Bruce became a man of decency and integrity, someone who clearly struggles with fatherhood and a case he cannot win. The role was performed with a great portrayal of a flawless fatherly figure; someone justified and appreciated. He was convincing in depicting his unquestionable beliefs as well as his love for his children, and his steadfast performance and determination on stage allowed him to acquire a presence that was powerful and passionate. Alongside, Todd Bruce, Jess Davies in her presentation and portrayal of Mayella Ewell was exceedingly moving. Through her role, Davies was utterly engaging, performing a challenging role with the realistic attitude of a frustrated wronged girl torn between the social standing of the world as well as the forced fear imprinted in her by her animalistic father Bob Ewell performed by Jack Sargood. The accused character Tom Robinson, played by Oluwaseun Akande, was an honest and true character, who performed with a deliberate quietness. He maintained the confidence and strength of a person who understood the depth of the sentence he was facing. Along with the major characters, there were many other roles that played a significant part into my enjoyment and understanding of the play. The character of Mrs. Dubois who was performed by Victoria Warner was outrageously funny in her interpretation of the role and created a very vivid line between the harsh ill treatment of those of a different race, to the humour she was able to acquire in her blunt statements and overdrawn southern insults. As well as this, characters such as Heck Tate (Riordan Sailes), Calpurnia (Alicia Smallbone), Miss Stefanie Crawford (Annika Windley), Miss Maudie (Joanna Murray) and Reverend Sykes (Paul Karamura) were all charismatic actors who depicted accurate representations of their characters and all provided a joined enthusiasm into creating an emotionally moving play. The play was well cast, and evoked a strength of feeling in the audience as they witnessed the battle between bigotry and truth on stage. Two simple yet realistic sets were used to convey the area of the neighbourhood and the courtroom where the Finchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lived as well as the area where Tom Robinson's appeal was taking place. The neighbourhood was shown through the exterior of two homes made of pale white wood, with windows, doors and porches creating the illusion of another world. The courtroom was created through the use of benches and chairs for jury, stands for the witnesses, a judge and the use of the American flag in the background. As well as this a thrust stage was added allowing a greater interaction between the audience and the actors. The simplicity of the designs ensured no unnecessary clutter allowing the reality of Maycomb, Alabama to be communicated effectively through the life of Jean Louise Finch. The play was beautiful. It did not falter or disappoint and it discussed the understanding of racial indifference and how society has evolved. As well as this it teaches the importance of overcoming fears and conflict and doing what is morally right. The play was a true success, which cannot be faulted. I enjoyed it immensely and am truly appreciative of having been able to witness such a brilliantly performed piece of literature that remains cared for since its first release. It is a powerful analysis of the nature of equality and truth. Nicola Murray

girls' tennis The girl’s tennis club has had a remarkable season this year. One of the highlights has been the 1st team having an undefeated season until the last match against Kingswood, which they narrowly lost. This year’s 1st team has been one of the strongest Monkton has ever seen, and the season has included victories over Prior 7-2 and KES 8-1. Each member of the team has been completely committed to training and focused on match day. Each pair has formed a strong partnership throughout the term and each individual has improved and flourished each week. The seconds have also had a successful term, having only lost one match as well. The girls were not phased by tough competition, beating King’s Bruton 4-2, Bruton School for Girls 8-1 and Downside 8-1. Like the 1sts, the members of the 2nds team have bonded throughout the term and the results do their hard work justice. Further down the club the Under 15s have had a memorable term, winning four matches and only losing one to Prior. Many of the girls have shown good potential for the senior teams next year; Holly Sames consistently impressing many of the coaches. The Under 14s have also had many promising results, Izzy Imlach and Joelly Lomas being two strong players who have shone through in particular. The Year 7 and 8 girls made a particular impression in the U14 team and in their last match, Lydia Daniel and Olivia Warwood-Hart, didn’t lose a set. All in all, Monkton’s girls tennis club 2011 has had an extremely impressive season, not only with the inspiring results, but also with the team spirit that has flowed through all the teams every time the girls have picked up their rackets. U14 Most Improved: Lydia Daniel U14 Most Valuable: Olivia Warwood-Hart U15 Most Improved: Sarah Wood U15 Most Valuable: Holly Sames and Schwan Lui 2nds Most Improved: Freya Lewis 2nds Most Valuable: Lottie Brawn 1sts Most Improved: Holly Chapman 1sts Most Valuable: Hannah Moran Full colours were awarded to: Hannah Moran, Georgia Sutton, Mia Marais, Holly Chapman, Melissa Chapman, Tara Leese. Hannah Moran

boys' tennis The Boys' Tennis club this year have had a very successful season only losing on one occasion to a strong Kingswood side. We have had great wins against KES 6-3, a 5-4 win against local rivals Prior Park, a 6-3 over Warminster and a victory against Wells Cathedral 5-4. Also there was a fantastic win against Wycliffe where the team were 4-2 down going into the final round of matches, in need of every pair winning. The determined team pulled off a remarkable comeback winning 5-4 and stunning the Wycliffe side. This was an incredible result for the team and a major confidence boost especially as the promising star Will Bissett and I were not playing. The team has been strengthened on occasions by the presence of Hamish O’Mahony in year 8 and Luke Odam in year 9. The grass courts have been in prime condition and many thanks for this go to the grounds staff. Further thanks go to the superb coaching of Mr. Harris and as I am told by the players, his constant urge to “net rush”. Improvements are being shown in each and every player in both the 1st and 2nd teams and the season has consisted of long and hot training sessions on Longmead. This season has shown potential for further years to come and best of luck to Mr. Harris and the team for next year. Full colours were awarded to Charlie Field, Lukas Malms, Jack Barnes and Josh Musominari. Seb Rey

n e

utfi l d

Sheila Smith

'A Nutfieldian is someone who is a good egg even if you're slightly cracked.''

Imogen Graham

'Something about these people makes me smile'

'Home from home and always full of character and noise'

Pippa Stockford

I joined Nutfield five years ago and it has honestly flown by. There are so many things to take into account when choosing a boarding house, but, for me the decision was made very easy after being shown around the wonderfully cheerful House for the first time. When I arrived everyone was friendly, helpful and went out of their way to be kind and make me feel settled, but above this, Nutfield felt like a home. There have been many moments to look back on from this year with great joy: a successful House Swimming competition, managing to win best vocal ensemble in House Music, an outstanding House Dinner and 'Open House' nights with the Glasgows to name a few. What strikes me most about these events is the fun team attitude the house has when put together, this camaraderie will be greatly missed by me and the prefect team. Being made Head of House this year has given me an opportunity to get to know a truly lovely group of girls in an environment which will be difficult to find outside this valley. I wish the girls all the best for their future in the House, encourage them to make the most of the time they have left and finally, thank them all for my amazing time as a part of Nutfield. Sammie Hepburn. Head of House

music Informal/Scholarsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Concerts

Bath Schools Philharmonic Orchestra

Learning to play an instrument is only one of the many skills which a young musician needs to develop, and one which can largely be undertaken in the secure environment of a one-to-one lesson or in private. However, learning to perform is an entirely different matter - it is amazing what a difference a sudden dose of adrenalin in the system can make!

Being a part of the Bath Schools Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) has really developed our skills and confidence in the violin. The range of music from film to classical has broadened our abilities whilst being a fun experience. Performing at the Wiltshire Music Centre at the end of the first term was the definite highlight, as all the weekly rehearsals and practice paid off. We look forward to our next performance in the summer and hope to see many Monkton supporters there again!

We put on several informal concerts each term, which take place on the stage in the Assembly Hall at 9pm on Thursday evenings. Audiences rarely exceed 30 in total, including the performers, and the informal atmosphere really does help to put our musicians at their ease. They provide an excellent opportunity for pupils to give a performance of an exam piece before the exam itself, or just the chance to play something which they have been working on in their lessons. Some pupils this year have given their very first public performance in one of these informal concerts, playing alongside more experienced students in the same programme. And whilst those attending should not necessarily expect to hear polished performances of the highest calibre, they invariably leave having heard some engaging music, and having seen some of our rising stars take another small step up the ladder. Thank you to everyone who has played this year!

Anna Grace

house music After what felt like a few days since we had all come back from the indulgent summer holiday, each house was propelled into a four act performance for the House Music Festival 2010. Richard Stilgoe (an old Monktonian and top class musician) came on the night to judge each category and the overall winner. The evening was a heady cocktail of Jazz ensembles, a barbershop quartet, impressive solos and animated dancing to name but a few - all blended seamlessly with comical introductions. All of the Houses put in may rehearsals all of which took a lot of time and specialist input. Hours were spent practising solos and group pieces and perfecting the moves and learning the harmonies for House Songs . Clarendon presented ‘Fly me to the Moon’in close harmony, complex rhythms in ‘Take Five’, ‘Feelin’ Good’ on the piano and ‘Livin’ la Vida Loca’ which helped to secure a win for the House. The winners of the other categories were: Junior solo – Freddie Lloyd Williams (School) Senior solo – Robin Harris (Eddystone) Classical solo – Oswin Hin Yeung (Eddystone) Jazz/pop ensemble - Nutfield Vocal ensemble – Barbershop Quartet (Farm) House song - School Overall winners - Clarendon In the four week crescendo towards one of the best nights of the year, not only was it a musical triumph for the school, but of equal importance, friendships were initiated between years in the house which have helped create a family-like environment. A great night had by all! Rachel Bryson

Summer Concert

Joint Concert

The Summer Concert had a slightly different feel this year, quite possibly due to the venue. Since the Assembly Hall was set up for exams 24/7 at this time of year, the Chapel seemed to be the obvious alternative.

Each year the Senior School hosts a joint concert with pupils from the Prep and Pre-prep Schools. It is always a hugely enjoyable evening, and this year was no exception. With performances from guitarists, percussion ensembles, bands and choirs the programme was as varied as ever. Particular highlights were the percussion ensemble, with wonderful comic turns from many of the performers, and the string group, which featured not only the senior ensemble but also a large group of Pre-prep violinists plucking their strings on the very front of the stage. It was wonderful to see so much music flourishing across all three schools.

The concert included all of our main ensembles, namely the Concert Band, Chamber and Chapel choirs, Flute Group, Brass Group, String Ensemble, Flute Group and of course the Big Band. Although most played from the front, several items were played or sung from the back of Chapel underneath the organ pipes, and the Big Band was set up on the (liturgical) south side. This ‘surround sound’ effect, coupled with the fact that due to space restrictions the performers were sat amongst the audience when they were not playing, gave a delightfully relaxed feel to the whole event. All were in fine form, and our musicians (more than sixty of them in total) really rose to the occasion. A big thank you and well done to everyone involved.

Choral Day Monkton welcomed eight prep schools to the the inaugural Choral Day last November. Nearly 150 year 5-8 pupils gathered eagerly inside Monkton’s Chapel to rehearse The Little Jazz Mass by Bob Chilcott. Split into smaller groups after lunch they rehearsed another song with choral specialists such as Thomas Ellery (organ scholar at Canterbury Cathedral) and Garth Bardsley (former ‘Phantom of the Opera’ star) to add to the final concert. By four o'clock, watched by parents, pupils and staff, the newly assembled choir performed the mass under the expert tuition of Monkton’s Director of Music, George Bevan. It was a fantastic day and thoroughly enjoyed by all – especially the tea! We look forward to welcoming some more schools to this year’s event.

with the big band

at the royal college of music

and new beginnings...

eds ne d y

From my first visit to the House, way back in 2008, to my last goodbye in July 2011, Eddystone has been a home for not only me but 50 other adventurous, charismatic and outstanding young men. A new year in Eddystone came, and with it, new leadership. The change in Houseparents came in the form of two old Monktonians: Mr and Mrs Sertin. Changes were immediate and all the boys seemed excited about the start of the new term. The first activity was an inter-year barbeque on Hillside, it was a great chance for the “established” Eddy boys to meet their new younger counterparts and in some cases, their older ones. After excellent food, a large blue groundsheet was produced and a waterslide was formed. Running for almost ten metres it was an excellent activity that bonded all the boys. Eddystone House has never been the most musical, but this year that was to change. Oswin Yeung performed an excellent violin piece and the House song was superb. Eddystone was set up for the win, especially after a piece of genius by Robin Harris on the ukelele. However it was not to be, our arms were left unfilled, apart from a handful of solo awards. ‘Guys and Dolls’ featured an almost all-star Eddystone cast with Ted Malumbe playing the protagonist, Sky Masterson. The multi-talented boys showed that their singing and acting were only just one of their many talents with moments of sporting genius coming from all years. We have consistently made up a substantial amount of the school representative teams with all members showing their team spirit from First XV rugby to Third XI cricket. This year we have had both the Rugby and Cricket captains in Eddy. Our prowess has not been limited to the mainstream sports with our Junior and Senior teams winning both the House Football and the House Cross-Country.

It would not be right to write about Eddystone and not include the characters that slave away from 9 till 11 making sure we are working or, in the case of Matt Li and Mr Norton, hitting the gym. All the house tutors put in so much hard work often above the call of duty, the house would not be the same without them. Particular thanks need to be paid to Mr Botton for 35 years of service to the house – a phenomenal effort. He was justifiably the star guest at our laugh-filled informal House dinner. Thanks also has to be paid to Mr & Mrs Sertin who have supported and guided all members of the House whilst managing to religiously open their house up on a Tuesday evening for ‘Open House’ along with baking quality 18th birthday cakes! It has been a wonderful year to lead Eddystone, through ups and downs I have always been supported by the fantastic House prefect team. The memories of our meetings on a Monday evening will be everlasting! To all those leavers: “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” And to all those staying I’ll finish with a challenge of Mr Sertin which has been wholeheartedly fulfilled this year – ‘Unity in Diversity’.

Doug Hampshire Head of House

cricket

The 1st XI came together on Easter Monday for the first day of pre-season. It was evident from the start that we were lacking in experience and this to a certain extent was demonstrated when facing a vastly more experienced Dauntseys team. Albeit losing by 56 runs there were many positives to take out of the game and for some that one game proved to kick start their season. Our next game showed the real potential of the team. Against Bryanston we posted a daunting total of 251. With Mike Salmon and James Arney batting brilliantly and earning 103 and 75 respectively. From the start of their innings it was evident that any nerves that may have been present were no longer there. Barney Rocke bowled with hostility claiming two victims at short leg and ending with figures of 3-3. We won by 219 runs, the biggest victory by a Monkton first team. The start of the Twenty20 tournament came soon after and with high spirits we posted a competitive total of 154 against KES. Ben Halle showed his true allegiance to this form of the game with a spectacular 54* which included an array of swashbuckling shots. However, when a batsmen hits 129* off 42 balls it’s never easy to win! In the words of Peter Burke, “You can’t put men the other side of the rope” – which evidently is what we needed to do! Our next game came two days later and the team was keen to press on after our performance against Bryanston. We restricted the Wilstshire Queries to just 201. With Ollie Millard batting like a true opener, backed up by Mike Salmon, we won by 6 wickets. The toss versus Kingswood was one of the three tosses Doug Hampshire lost all season, and out of the three this was the best one to lose. Batting first and posting 211-4 with Joe Jenkins and James Lloyd propelling us to this total off the last few overs. We then went out to bowl and had to defend this total vs an extremely competent batting line up. Again Jacob Adams and Barney Rocke bowled with both accuracy and pace, with both their openers and their county batsmen out their rate was just below 2 an over. Something to become even more important when the forecasted downpour occurred, and as a result we won via the Duckworth Lewis method. A poor performance versus Wycliffe meant more training was needed and Peter Burke’s fielding drills became even more important. The constant development of our bowlers into resilient batsmen was the key to our result against the XL club. With experience on their side they decided to use the maximum amount of overs and set us a challenging total on a pitch that was presenting more opportunities for bowlers than batsmen. Nonetheless we managed to hold out to ensure the draw. The next game was the much awaited local derby versus Prior Park in the Peak Sports League. Prior batted first and once again Tom Beach bowled with his usual consistency to pick up three important wickets. Prior were, as a result, dismissed for 103 and we finished off the day with our second league win by 7 wickets. Much anticipation was in the air before our visit back down to KES after the last twenty20 game. However much was changed since last time, for we knew they only relied on one of their batsmen. To then see him run out on 70 proved to be the turning point of the game. We chased down the 164 they posted for the loss of only 5 wickets.

As Downside turned up to Longmead they were somewhat an unknown quantity, we lacked any knowledge on their batsmen or bowlers. This could have only been good when once again a team was dismissed for less than a hundred. James Arney bowled arguably the best spell all year, taking four wickets for no runsIncluding a hat-trick. After demolishing Downside it was Kings Bruton’s turn to enter the theatre that was Longmead! And again they were dismissed for less than a hundred. Our bowling this season has been exceptional and it was good to see the whole team functioning effectively as a unit. The day before Prize Giving a weaker team faced Filton Academy 1st XI. A daunting prospect especially for the debutants! The more senior player present bowled well and supported the younger members and restricted Filton to 156. It was to prove that their bowling was much better than there batting and once again we had to rely on our bowlers to play out the remaining overs. A special mention goes to Alex Stafford who batted extremely well on his debut and made sure of the draw. A thrashing of the OMs in the Twenty20 games gave us good momentum going into the three day tournament. The first match was against St. Paul's and once again we restricted a team to less than 150. With 132 to chase the loss of early wickets proved to be our downfall. After the hard fought draw we had the challenge of setting a total against what was going to be the hardest team over the three days. With again the loss of early wickets and some slightly dubious decisions we only managed to get 150. The game seemed all but lost when The Leys School were 132-2. However after a rain break James Arney knocked the opener’s stumps and after superb spells from James and Jacob the Leys were 145-9. Nonetheless after nearly snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, The Leys fought back to win with risky singles. It was a phenomenal performance by the team to come back from an almost impossible position and it showed true character. After such a performance the day before it was nice to secure a final win against Fettes on the Wednesday. A brilliant innings from Mike Salmon provided the rock with the support of James Arney. At the end of the season we had notched up a total of eight wins. For a team in its embryonic stages it was a superb achievement. It has been a pleasure to captain this year and would have been much harder without the unfaltering support of Mike Abington. He worked tirelessly getting us into shape for every game. His optimism about the weather caused us to not miss a single match because of the rain. Peter Burke didn’t show the same love of the English weather, almost always seen in his blue rain coat come rain or shine! His influx of knowledge enabled the team to be a more competitive unit, his wisdom of the game is wide and love of the game profound. The three leavers wish the best of luck to next year’s team – go beat the record! Doug Hampshire

l e a v e r s' w e e k e n d 68

a greener monkton - can you help? As a school we are already taking some green initiatives, but we are well aware that we could be doing much better and that we should be doing far more. The school now wants to become a role model in this area, but we are well aware that we cannot do this on our own. We are situated in a beautiful valley and so we are often protected from the realities of climate change and pollution. We want to educate pupils about the environmental problems that the world is facing but need opportunities for pupils to get out and see the problems first hand. We would like to arrange for speakers to talk to the pupils about green initiatives that they are taking and we would like suggestions on how the school can reduce its carbon foot-print, encourage wildlife in the area etc. We are currently in the early stages of putting together a plan. If there is any way in which you might be able to help with the environmental education of our pupils or advise us on how the school can operate in a â&#x20AC;&#x153;greenerâ&#x20AC;? way, then we would very much like to hear from you! Do please get in touch with Robert Campbell on e-mail: campbellrcf@monkton.org.uk or telephone (01225) 721166. Any help, however small, would be very much appreciated! Robert Campbell Monkton's Green Champion (A Buzzard, a Stonechat and an Orange Tip Moth - all of which can be found in Monkton valley)

christian union It has been an exciting year for the Christian Union at Monkton. Following on from last year's committee was always going to be a challenge, however we would like to think we took it on with enthusiasm and commitment. In keeping with the previous year, we did another series of Youth Alpha in the Lent Term which was led by Jacob Adams, Brian Mungai and Miss Charania. It provided a great opportunity for people to go along and ask questions and learn more about what Christianity is really all about in a smaller, more informal environment. We gather it was a great success on many fronts. This year we also decided to encourage a larger number of people from the Christian Union to go to Soul Survivor under the leadership of John Goddard. A significant number of the CU came and a group of 35 enjoyed a week of great worship and teaching as well as many laughs along the way! The Michaelmas addresses were a highlight of the year. A team from Lymington Rushmore came in and spoke for three nights but also joined in with Monkton life in the Boarding Houses and in lessons, getting alongside the pupils. It was an exciting three days with more and more pupils coming along each evening, packing out the Assembly Hall stage. We felt that the Michaelmas addresses were a particular success due to the consistency of having the team in for longer than just one evening. In light of this, we asked Chris Whitwell and his team to come in from Holy Trinity, Combe Down and do a similar series of talks in the Lent Term. Over the course of the year, we felt it was important to incorporate strong biblical teaching when choosing our themes and inviting speakers. Therefore, we covered a broad range of topics ranging from the Old Testament where we looked at the life of David as well as the New Testament where we looked at the 'I Am's' and the different aspects of the 'Armour of God', to name but a few. From Brian and Jacob's infamous CU adverts on Wednesday mornings through to prayer meetings on a Friday break time led by Tim, it has been an incredibly busy year for everyone involved. However, we all take away very fond memories of being a part of the Christian Union at Monkton. Emily Mills and The CU Committee

g i fa

m n s e l a i of the year...

Mr Tim Dewes who retired as Deputy Head this year after twelve very successful years

Water sliding on Longmead during a hot weekend

A brass group playing carols at Christmas for charity on the streets of Bath

Year Nine students canoeing on the annual French adventure trip

The army section of the CCF drilling on Four Acres as part of their weekly activity programme

Desserts laid out for a Monkton dinner

Jacob Adams and Mia Marais winners of the Prince Kassa Award for best sportsman and and sportswoman of the year

credits editor: s harris

particular photography credit: sister d d hubbard r backhouse s call s harris with sincere thanks to countless others

monkton senior school monkton combe bath ba2 7hg tel: 44 (0) 1225 721102

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