The Guildfordian 2019

Staff Editor: Mr Amis Editors-in-Chief: Matt Dodds, Alfie Cherry and Utkarsh Dandanayak Editors: Sam Baker, Henry Benett, Andrew Florescu, James Golding, Alex Mitchell, Nicholas Scott, Aradhya Soneja, Matthew Sutton, Thomas Wolfe Thanks also to: Winston Laing, Thomas Lindley, Tom Hardy, Anushan Sivanathan

To order copies of the group sports photographs, go to www.schoolphotographs.co.uk Click on Order Now and enter Photo ID: xWahPk59 Photo Key: GXSNPWyv

GUILDFORDIAN 2019

CONTENTS

HEADMASTER’S FOREWORD ... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 2 LETTER FROM THE EDITORS... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 3 SALVETE... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 4 FEATURES ... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 8 HUMANITIES... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 20 STEM.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .32 ACADEMIC PHYSICAL EDUCATION ... . .. . .. 42 ARTS .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .44 MODERN LANGUAGES AND CLASSICS ... ...62 MALLINSON LIBRARY ... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 69 CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENT .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 71 STUDENT VENTURES.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .80 PERIOD 8... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..83 HOUSES... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 97 SPORTS .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 104 VALETE .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .138

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HEADMASTER’S FOREWORD

2019 marks a significant milestone for The Guildfordian as it celebrates its centenary in its current form. According to the school archives, the school magazine started life as The Royal Guildfordian, the first edition of which was in 1891 under the Headmaster John Charles Honeybourne. After a turbulent period, the magazine was relaunched under Headmaster AJB Green in 1919 and was marked as Volume 1, Edition 1. As the editorial noted: “The Guildfordian with this issue will take on a new lease of life – a life which we hope will be long and prosperous. There was a Guildfordian in bygone days, but it died an untimely death.”

Melodramatic? Perhaps!

Pleasingly for the editor, no such fatalistic outcomes have befallen this publication and it remains in rude health. Why has it enjoyed such an unbroken sequence of 100 years? AJB Green articulated his hopes: “I trust it will interest you who are now in the school as being a record of your own doings and, in some sense, a history of your own lives. And it will interest you still more in future years to take up a copy of this magazine and call back to mind the forgotten past, the things you did, the friends you knew, and the victories you won in those distant days.”

As I read through this historic 2019 edition of The Guildfordian, I am, as always, struck not only by the sheer diversity of experiences but also by

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the spirit of creativity, innovation and friendship which epitomises so much of school life at the RGS. I offer my sincere thanks for the energy and commitment of all those in our community who have contributed to such an exciting and varied year. I would also like to express my genuine gratitude to Mr Amis and to the three editors-in-chief, Alfie Cherry, Matt Dodds, and Utkarsh Dandanayak. Whether you are reading this now or dusting off this copy from your bookshelves and reminiscing about distant days, I hope the memories bring equal pleasure and sense of pride. And here’s to a long and prosperous next 100 years of The Guildfordian!

Headmaster

LETTER FROM

THE EDITORS This past academic year has been overshadowed with uncertainty across the global stage. With tensions rising between countries and new political blocs forming, to the UK’s strained negotiating over Brexit — the world is filled with unpredictability. Closer to home, recent calls for the addition of VAT to independent school fees (or indeed the cessation of independent schools altogether) have caused uncertainty amongst the school and its community. What does the future hold for RGS? As part of a future vision of needs-blind admissions, the RGS, under Dr Cox’s headmastership, has put a key focus on widening access to lower-income families in recent years. Bursaries have been extended thanks to numerous income channels, from our expansions overseas to generous Old Guildfordians helping a new generation of boys achieve their full potential. Our current controversial investment in Qatar, and our planned investment in Dubai, is allowing the school to offer bursaries in greater numbers. In a world full of uncertainty, the school is offering some stability and peace of mind to those who might otherwise not apply or could struggle with paying the full fees once enrolled.

With the current Upper Sixth starting to send off UCAS applications to universities, many of us are filled with uncertainty — What degree should I do? What should I put in my personal statement? Do they really care about my Gold DofE sailing? Last year’s Upper Sixth have headed to destinations as diverse as Princeton, Tokyo, British Columbia, LSE, and the mainstays of Oxford and Cambridge. This high achievement has caused some competition amongst the current Upper Sixth, with nearly

two-thirds of boys applying to Oxbridge. While some await offers from universities with fierce competition, such as Oxford (Brookes) and Bath (Spa), the directions of their futures are still in the making.

Whilst many students may be sick of hearing it, everyone at The RGS is lucky to have access to an education of such high quality, an education which effectively prepares them for future success. One of the biggest strengths of The RGS is the fact that it prepares students to not only be ready for uncertainty, but to thrive in uncharted territory. This can be seen in its most basic form with the internal end of year examinations; whilst giving up May half-term to revise is a devastating prospect at the time, especially when students from other schools have the luxury of freedom, it gives us valuable experience in preparing for and dealing with the unpredictability that comes from public examinations. Furthermore, it is imperative that the supportive nature of The RGS community continues to be celebrated, as without such strong camaraderie, tragedies such as the loss of Upper Sixth former Clay Cerveny last year would be impossible to cope with.

One aspect of the future that we can give a definitive answer to is the role of The Guildfordian in the future of the RGS. As in previous years, this publication continues to serve both as an archive and as a means of celebrating the RGS community. This year, however, has seen a redesign of The Guildfordian; we have focused on emphasising that The RGS is so much more than an exam result factory that simply churns out GCSE results and university offers. The RGS’s success comes from the community within it, and so for The Guildfordian to be successful, we must focus more on the work of our school body as whole. To reflect the increasingly participative nature of the boys in all aspects of the school environment, we have realised that The Guildfordian should be by the students, for the students. Whilst this shift away from the chance for teachers to wax lyrical about the success of their department has had a degree of controversy, we are certain that it is not only an appealing change, but also a necessary one.

As we have demonstrated, there is growing doubt surrounding what our future may hold; from our Prime Minister displaying an alarming disregard for our political norms, to a fear surrounding the sustainability of our planet itself, there are so many possibilities for the years ahead of us. It is now more important than ever to ensure that we are prepared for whatever unpredictable events we are faced with. This issue of The Guildfordian has tried to give an insight in to the many ways in which The RGS allows students to thrive and flourish despite the complexities of everyday life in the modern world.

We would like to give thanks to everyone who has written articles or provided pictures in order to help make this year’s Guildfordian what it is.

We would also like to extend our thanks to Mr Amis and all The Guildfordian team for their time and effort in editing this year’s edition, and we hope that they have success with all the future editions to come.

Matt Dodds, Alfie Cherry and Utkarsh Dandanayak Editors-in-Chief

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NEW STAFF INGRID BUSBY MATHS What university did you go to?

Georg-Simon Ohm Fachhochschule, Nuremberg What luxury item would you take to a desert island? Family photo

Which book would you recommend to others?

Who moved my cheese Fun fact? I love swimming and diving In one word, what do you live for?

Family and friends

Favourite film? Finding Nemo

HENRY (MATTHEW) CORNWELL ECONOMICS What university did you go to? University of Exeter What luxury item would you take to a desert island? Electric Toothbrush Favourite film? Hot Fuzz Which book would you recommend to others?

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

DEWI EBURNE CHEMISTRY What university did you go to?

Cambridge What luxury item would you take to a desert island? Yacht Favourite film? Johnny English

Fun fact? I once ate a meal of sea conch, jellyfish and turtle back entirely with chopsticks.

In one word, what do you live for?

God

Which book would you recommend to others?

Bible

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Fun fact? Jeff Bezos earns $3,182 a second.

It takes a minimum wage worker min the US more than two months to earn what Bezos makes in 1 second.

In one word, what do you live for?

Integrity

GIULIA FANTI CLASSICS What university did you go to? I did my BA and MA at the University of Pavia in Italy, and my PhD at the University of Cambridge What luxury item would you take to a desert island? I would probably bring an authentic Italian moka pot!

Which book would you recommend to others?

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Fun fact? I’ve lived in 8 different cities and 4 different countries In one word, what do you live for?

Travelling (and books!)

Favourite film? La Dolce Vita; Dead Poets Society

TIMOTHY FOSTER RELIGION & PHILOSOPHY What university did you go to?

University of Oxford (St John’s College; I studied Philosophy and Theology)

Which book would you recommend to others?

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is an easy choice (but please don’t make me choose which one!)

What luxury item would you take to a desert island? A Staunton chess set

Fun fact?

I am a casual anime fan. Anime I enjoy include: Yugioh, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragonball Z and Avatar: the Last Airbender

Favourite film? The Dark Knight (2008) - for me, this movie has everything: great philosophical ideas, excellent character development, great soundtrack and of course, a memorable villain.

In one word, what do you live for?

Tomorrow

DAGMAR GERICKE ENGLISH What university did you go to?

Rhodes University, South Africa

Fun fact?

About 700 grapes go into one bottle of wine

What luxury item would you take to a desert island? A helicopter

In one word, what do you live for?

Family

Favourite film? Pulp Fiction Which book would you recommend to others?

Only one? Margaret Atwood – Surfacing

CHARLIE GRIFFIN ENGLISH What university did you go to?

Exeter, Oxford and UCL What luxury item would you take to a desert island? Flip Flops

Fun fact? I once cycled to Asia!

In one word, what do you live for?

Dogs

Favourite film? Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Which book would you recommend to others?

Homage to Catalonia- George Orwell

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DANIEL JACKSON MATHS What university did you go to?

Bristol and King’s College London.

What luxury item would you take to a desert island? A sound-system with a large selection of music Favourite film? Top Gun

Which book would you recommend to others?

Wolf Hall / Bring Up the Bodies - a fascinating insight into the time of Henry VIII and the transfer of power.

Fun fact? I’ve been on the front page of a national newspaper.

In one word, what do you live for?

Happiness

GRAHAM OLIVER CHEMISTRY What university did you go to?

University of Aberdeen – BSc Geology & Petroleum Geology University of Aberdeen – MSc Hydrocarbon Exploration University of Strathclyde – PGDE Geography What luxury item would you take to a desert island? Jet Ski Favourite film? That Awkward Moment

Which book would you recommend to others?

Fatty Batter: How cricket saved my life (then ruined it). Hilarious story of one man’s life lived through cricket. As a rotund cricketer, certainly a lot to relate to!

Fun fact? Have dismissed England Test Captain, Joe Root, not once but twice… We can ignore the fact this significant event happened more than 10 years ago, at an Under 13 tournament in Yorkshire.

In one word, what do you live for? Adventure

MICHAEL ROYDS PHYSICS & MATHS What university did you go to? University of Surrey and an obscure teaching college in New Zealand.

Which book would you recommend to others?

The Travels of Marco Polo (numerous and dubious authors)

What luxury item would you take to a desert island? Assuming essentials like surfboard are a given, probably pen and paper to get creative.

Fun fact? I have a scar from a spider bite.

(True.) Shooting webs remains disappointingly elusive.

Favourite film? I don’t really have a favourite but I do find myself returning to Kung Fu Panda surprisingly often.

In one word, what do you live for?

God.

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KATHLEEN TAYLOR MATHS What university did you go to?

Bristol University (Maths) and Leeds University (Philosophy)

Which book would you recommend to others?

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

What luxury item would you take to a desert island? Kindle, of course

Fun fact? I got my grade 8 on the flute when I was 12 (the practise wasn’t particularly fun though!)

Favourite film? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

In one word, what do you live for? Adventure

ALISON WOOD ART What university did you go to?

Manchester University

Which book would you recommend to others?

Tess of the D›Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy.

What luxury item would you take to a desert island? Snorkel, flippers, and underwater camera.

Fun fact? Art used to be an Olympic event!

In one word, what do you live for?

Creativity.

Favourite film? The Big Blue by Luc Besson, a stunning film about Free diving.

HENRY XUAN ECONOMICS What university did you go to? University of Oxford What luxury item would you take to a desert island? Foam Roller Favourite film? Shawshank Redemption Which book would you recommend to others?

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

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Fun fact? One of the major causes of drought in Australia is the introduction of Daylight Saving Time exposing the land to more sunlight.

In one word, what do you live for?

Insight

FEATURES OLD GUILDFORDIANS & PHILANTHROPY AT THE RGS

PHILANTHROPY AT THE RGS Philanthropy at The RGS is focused exclusively on widening access to our School and improving local social mobility through the expansion of The RGS Bursary Programme.

To do this, we are growing the support of the parents and Old Guildfordians who recognise the value of an RGS education and are keen to Pass it On. The School’s long-term ambition is that every boy who earns his RGS place is able to take it up. We are one of only a handful of independent schools in the UK to have set such a goal.

The first step is our Twenty for 2020 Campaign which aims to create 20 transformational new bursary places by 2020. In 2018/19, we were supported by over 450 members of community - up from 286 supporters in the previous year.

Together they are funding 12 transformational bursaries.

69 boys benefitted from The RGS bursary programme last year. Over half of these bursaries were transformational, offering fee support of 80% or more.

Following in the footsteps of the Class of ‘87 Bursary last year, OGs raised over £75,000 at a lunch on 1 March 2019, to create a 50% bursary for a boy starting in September 2019 and for the seven years of his RGS career. Similarly, parents from the Class of 2019 came together to create a bursary in the name of their sons. Giving just £7pcm for seven years, the collaborative effort of this year group had already created a 45% bursary at the time of going to print. These collective endeavours showed once again the power of many supporters each giving what they can, on a regular basis.

You can read more about the School’s Pass it On activities at www rgs-pass-it-on co.uk.

Combined with support from the School, Jim Pearce OG‘91 and Chris Alder OG‘92 alongside Will Carling and John Inverdale at the Big City Lunch which raised a 50% bursary.

In the last three years donor numbers have increased 145%.

145% In 2018/19, 451 members of the RGS community funded 12 transformational bursaries.

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THE TOOLS, EDUCATION AND CONTACTS YOU CAN DERIVE FROM YOUR TIME AT THE RGS WILL BE VALUABLE IN AFFECTING CHANGE IN THE WORLD.

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THE WIDER RGS COMMUNITY Our alumni relations programme works with a 5,000 strong network of Old Guildfordians, spanning more than four generations, in over 40 countries worldwide.

RGS Connect (rgsconnect.com) connects the knowledge, skills and experience of the RGS community. Its key feature is a directory of trusted individuals willing to help with work experience and internship opportunities, careers and university advice, CV reviewing and interview technique - perfect for recently graduated RGS pupils.

The online RGS community is growing fast with over 1650 users now online - over 80% willing to help. RGS Connect (rgsconnect.com) welcomes OGs and parents.

Golden Garden Party

OG HIGHLIGHTS This year has proved wonderfully busy.

Alongside our annual ‘Class of ...’ reunions, we hosted a Golden Garden Party for OGs who left the school at least 50 years ago, and a reunion for recently retired staff, our first OG City Lunch in aid of the RGS Bursary Programme and our first official overseas OG event in Singapore.

Here is just a snapshot of what some of our OGs have been up to individually this year: Alfie Johnson OG‘19 Signed one-year contract for the England Men’s Rugby Sevens.

Joe Morwood OG‘09 Came sixth in the non-elite section of the London Marathon 2019.

Alfie Johnston

Barnaby Blackburn OG‘06 Wrote and directed his film WALE, which was nominated in the Short Film Category for this year’s BAFTAs and long-listed for an Oscar (live action short).

Jonathan White OG‘01 New Director of Religious Music at Montreal’s downtown cathedral.

Simon Blanchflower OG‘81 Appointed first Chief Executive of newly created East West Railway.

Professor Peter Haynes OG‘76 has been made a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Professor Peter Haynes

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RGS CONNECT IS A GREAT WAY TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH THE SCHOOL AND TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK. (HENRY WHORWOOD OG‘10 HEAD OF RESEARCH & CONSULTANCY, BEAUHURST)

PARTNERSHIPS & OUTREACH

The number and scope of our Partnership and Outreach projects continued to grow sustainably and carefully as more staff offered to be involved in projects and events. Our core projects are as strong as ever but it was pleasing to see new growth in the 2018-19 academic year with successful launches of the RGS String Scheme Orchestra, the Kings P8 Maths Project and the Guildford Schools Mathematics lecture.

In January, the ISC Census required calculation of the amount of time staff spend on outreach per annum. I am pleased to report that by my reckoning The RGS staff contributed over 3000 hours per year to our community through

partnership and outreach projects - this does not include any charitable work or individual volunteering undertaken by our staff and pupils. This is a huge commitment and a figure of which we can be rightly proud.

These brief reports do not do justice to each individual project but I hope give a flavour of the scope of our outreach activities which we undertake.

Mr TW Shimell, Assistant Head Partnerships

PRIMARY SCHOOL PROJECT Every Monday during the Michaelmas and Trinity terms, The RGS welcomes a class of primary school children from local schools for a Tudor Experience Day. This ties in with their curriculum syllabus and helps support the teaching they receive at their respective schools.

Over the year around 600 children attend from 8 local schools. The day starts with a talk by the Headmaster about the school in Tudor times and a visit to the Chained Library and then there are classes on Tudor music, portraits, an art session learning about anamorphosis, tudor weapons

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and finally culminates in the children putting together movies of their day. As ever, the project itself is thoroughly enjoyed by the children and for many visiting teachers is their trip of the year.

THE RGS STAFF CONTRIBUTED OVER 3000 HOUR PER YEAR TO OUR COMMUNITYTHROUGH PARTNERSHIP AND OUTREACH PROJECTS

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PRIMARY MASTERCLASSES The Masterclass programme was held every Saturday morning over four consecutive weeks during November and December. The subjects offered were within streams of either Mathematics, Science, Technology, Creative Arts or Modern Languages. A total of 120 Year six pupils attended from 27 various primary schools in the area. It proved again to be a great success and generated some very positive feedback. 29

GENERAL STUDIES

TECHNOLOGY PRIMARY PROJECT

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members of teaching staff took part, along with over 20 RGS boys volunteering their time on Saturday mornings. “Thank you for giving my child this fantastic opportunity. Each teacher made the children very welcome and at ease whilst treating them with respect. The Sixth Formers did a sterling job too and also had a lovely rapport with the children�

PERIOD 8 PROJECTS Each week during P8, Sixth Form accompanied

by RGS staff either travel to Primary schools or, for the Kings Maths Project, remain at The RGS to deliver afterschool clubs. Mr Jessett led the Primary Maths Project at Holy Trinity, Pewley Down, Mr Lythgoe and Mr Dudley led the Sports Coaching Project at Sandfield and Miss Ward led the Kings Maths Project. The purpose of these projects is to inspire the participant students, to encourage scholarship and enrichment in an extracurricular setting and to provide leadership opportunities for the RGS boys who act as role models for the younger pupils as well as improving their own preparation, presentation and communication skills.

STRING SCHEME & WORLD MUSIC The String Scheme has grown and matured over the course of the year. We welcomed Boxgrove School into the fold for this academic year, growing the numbers of children who are taught each week by ninety.

This would not have been possible without the indefatigable support of Julia Pearson, wife of one of our governors, Henry. Julia runs the Investec International Music Festival and, together with generous donations from Community Foundation for Surrey, she has raised money for a four-year project at Boxgrove including the cost of buying an additional ninety instruments. The scheme now operates at Lanesborough, Boxgrove, Sandfield and St Thomas of Canterbury Schools and reaches over two hundred and fifty children each week.

One of the results of this expansion, and contact with the International Music Festival, was that String Scheme pupils met Nicola Bennedetti in May to hear her rehearse with the Philharmonia and then to chat with her about

such diverse subjects as practice, her violin and her life as a travelling musician.

We formed a new orchestra based at the RGS of string scheme continuers (plus a few keen ones from Year 4 and below) in all of our schools, coming together once a week to rehearse on a Tuesday at 5.15 and gave our first concert in July. Seasoned String Scheme continuers also performed with the Southern Pro Musica in their Family Concert at G Live, where current RGS pupils also helped with the hands-on workshops before the concert.

The String Scheme is an amazing opportunity for all who are lucky enough to fall within its remit and the RGS is profoundly grateful to its sponsors and donors for all of their support, faith and encouragement.

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THE STRING SCHEME IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL WHO ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO FALL WITHIN ITS REMIT

The RGS continued its World Music outreach programme with Samba, Steel Pan and African workshops. This year, we worked with the Guildford Education Partnership (GEP) and travelled to Losely Fields, Guildford Grove and Sandfield for whole school, day long workshops introducing the joys of percussion to the young.

We are grateful to our commercial partners Inspire Works and also to Southern Pro Musica for their support in these endeavours.

TWS

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GUILDFORD EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP (GEP) The GEP is a Guildford-based multi-academy trust (MAT) including: George Abbot, Kings College, and Fullbrook Secondary Schools; Boxgrove, Sandfield, Loseley Fields and Guildford Grove Primary Schools. The RGS is an associate member of the GEP and our partnership seeks to cooperate for mutual benefit and provide strategic focus for outreach activities. Two examples of our involvement are the Enquiring Teachers Programme and the Kings College Partnership.

ENQUIRING TEACHERS PROGRAMME: Mr Wissen oversaw the ETP partnership between RGS, GEP schools and St John’s Leatherhead which supports staff in conducting educational action research projects during the course of an academic year. The research is supported and guided by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and the projects are published in an annual journal. In 2018-19 three of the ten projects were at the RGS: Mr Wright and Mr Wissen investigating effective marking practices for A-Level Economics, Mrs Rathmell and Miss Spencer investigating opportunities for Service at the RGS and Ms Newton and Mr Bailey investigating the digital lives of our pupils. At the end of the Summer Term the RGS hosted the third ETP celebration dinner which was attended by teachers, headteachers and governors from six different Guildford schools. The GEP CEO commented that “the ETP programme is highly unusual in that it brings teachers together to exchange ideas and, in some cases work cooperatively, across primary and secondary,

maintained and independent schools.”

Additionally, we welcomed educational researcher Lesley Saunders to the RGS. She is a distinguished educationalist who holds fellowships or visiting professorships at several institutions including Oxford, the Institute of Education and Newman University. She visited to assess the School for the NFER Research Mark, which will act as a form of accreditation to demonstrate our commitment to engaging with research – both conducted externally and in-house through the Enquiring Teachers Programme – and which will also provide us with valuable feedback as to how we can further improve our engagement. This should help to maximise staff and student benefit from a ‘research-active’ approach to education over the coming years. Lesley was effusive in her praise of the School and the partnership and result of her recommendations is that the RGS has been awarded the ‘established’ level of research engagement.

KING COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP Since our initial engagement in 2017 and Ofsted re-rating the School at ‘Good’ in 2018, we have been working to widen the scope of the RGS contribution at Kings College. Kings Headmaster, Mr McKenzie, commented: “We are delighted with the way the two schools have been working together in the interest of stretching students.

As well as projects with students, staff from the two schools have been sharing curriculum and

pedagogical knowledge. Kings continues to go from strength to strength with the partnerships with RGS and the University supporting their development.”

One example of our engagement is the Physics department contribution, coordinated by Mr Hood, sharing the delivery of teaching the GCSE Physics additional content with Kings

RGS STAFF:

students at the RGS on Thursday evenings.

This was specifically aimed at their most able pupils to enable them to sit the separate science qualification. They travelled over by minibus each week with the Kings Head of Science. These classes were popular with the Kings pupils, provided CPD for the Kings staff and, crucially, were also effective at raising the attainment of each pupil by over half a grade.

OUT & ABOUT

EVENTS

Although not well-known, a number of RGS staff also teach in primary and secondary schools in Guildford on a regular basis. For thirteen years now, Mr Woolcott has taught Y5 boys and girls each week at Boxgrove Primary - they follow the ‘Minimus’ course and it is part of their languages provision. Mr Marchiafava also embarked on a new engagement at Sandfield School teaching French to both Y5 and Y6 classes as well as also supporting their teaching by generating material which their normal class teacher can use in between the sessions.

It always gives me great pleasure to see us hosting events which benefit the local community as well as our pupils and staff. Last year was no exception - we hosted: A Rugby Masterclass, Economics Speakers Day, the Modern Foreign Languages Conference, Guildford TED talk, Lectures for the Classics Society, Guildford Geographical Society & Scientific society, the Careers Fair, author visits, drama performances, the Guildford Schools Mathematics lecture a Surrey Arts Music Hub conference, String Scheme concert, a clay sculpture workshop … and more.

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CLAY SCULPTURE WORKSHOP In the Easter holidays families came along to the RGS Sculpture Studio to make ‘Gurgling Gargoyles’ out of clay. We all had lots of fun, children and adults alike; some who participated surprised themselves with hidden talents which hadn’t surfaced since their school days! As you can see, some gruesome, wacky and grotesque gargoyles were made.

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IT WAS GREAT FUN! MY GARGOYLE LOOKED SUPER CREEPY.; I MIGHT EVEN PUT IT UP AT HALLOWEEN.

HARLEQUINS RUGBY MASTERCLASS With support from Chris Alder (OG’92), Harlequins’ Dave Ward and George Merrick trained U15 boys from the RGS and other local schools St Peter’s, George Abbot and The Howard of Effingham. The event was a rare opportunity for these youngsters to experience

the kind of training premier level players take part in every week. The boys were put through their paces, playing a variety of conditioned games and looking in detail at aspects including tactical technique and offloading. Mr Shimell, said of the day: “Seeing the boys training and

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learning together in a cohesive unit regardless of their school affiliation was really heartening.

We have all really enjoyed being part of this amazing opportunity and it exemplifies the type of local partnerships which can bring significant benefits to the young people of Guildford.”

INTERNATIONAL LINKS:

NEPAL

At the end of March, the RGS was privileged to host student visitors from our partner school in Besisahar, Nepal for the first time ever. Following our successful expedition to Nepal in October 2018, four of the students from Bhu Pu Sainik School who had worked alongside our students in that expedition came to the UK, accompanied by their Headteacher. They were hosted by families from RGS and Tormead School, whose sons and daughters had met the students in Nepal last year.

A two-week itinerary allowed for a week of school-based activities and a week of activities further afield, which included watching Brighton FC; visits to central London and Legoland and a few days away in Dorset. Not only did all the Nepalese guests say what a wonderful time they had enjoyed in the UK, but all the families and RGS students who were involved in the exchange reported what a delightful and fascinating experience hosting our guests was.

Their Headteacher has also been in touch to say what a fantastic impact the trip has had on student motivation back at Bhu Pu, and we are looking forward to repeating the visit again soon.

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I would like to thank all the boys, their families and staff who showed such kindness towards our visitors, whether it was hosting our guests; being involved in activities during the fortnight or so kindly donating towards the projects.

AJS

A DELIGHTFUL AND FASCINATING EXPERIENCE

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INTERNATIONAL LINKS:

CAMBODIA In what is now an established trip; this Summer, 29 boys left for four weeks in Cambodia. Their month long itinerary sees them visiting all four corners of Cambodia and undertaking both a four-day jungle trek and a week teaching in United World Schools-built primary schools near the Laos border. As is now tradition, the boys keep a detailed blog of their expedition, which can be found online at: rgscambodia2019.home.blog The rest of this article is simply some of the best bits from that blog.

AJS

PHNOM PENH

TIEM KRAM

We made our way to S-21, the former prison and now genocide museum. The audio-guided tour proved a powerful, moving experience and was a great insight into Cambodia’s tragic past.

After the tour, we set back to our hostel with a slight detour to get some local phones for the group for emergency use, however slight turned into lengthy as the language barrier began to cause issues. We also ventured into the market to suit up in the lowest quality ‘Gnucci’ and ‘Kevin Klein’ gear we could find and then snack on some quality street food.

After our welcome the previous day, everyone was looking forward to our first full day in Tiem Kram. However, before we all got up, I was experiencing some problems of my own: the school had numerous holes in the roof and my hammock was unfortunately underneath. To cut a long story short I ended up sleeping further inside, on a wooden bench about a foot wide with just my fleece for comfort!

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In the morning, there were fewer children due to the rain because, as one of the UWS staff explained, they need to work on the farms when it rains. Nevertheless, everyone enjoyed the lessons and generally found the children were enthusiastic about our presence and especially the songs we performed.

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SURPRISINGLY, DRAGON FRUIT IS ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD…

LEAVING THE SCHOOLS We then travelled by 4×4 over what should be really a rally stage to a hotel where UWS had laid on a buffet lunch. We were all excited by the idea of no rice for once, but it was in the end – although with chips and spring rolls too, so we were happy. We then spent the rest of the afternoon recovering in our hotel, relaxing and doing some much needed washing. It is fair to say we all reeked. We headed back out for dinner where we had lunch of noodles and rice. Again. And dessert of dragon fruit and watermelon. Surprisingly, dragon fruit is actually really good…though I, like majority of us, am still hoping for a steak.

COOKING LESSONS A short bus journey brought us to the amazing boat where the cookery course was to be held.

Five dishes were cooked by groups of three, they were fish amok (the national dish of Cambodia), spaghetti and tomato sauce, sweet and sour pork, stir fried vegetables with cashew nuts and a banana flower and chicken salad. All the dishes were excellent and everybody seemed to really enjoy the course. Salvatore displayed some impressive cooking ability and ended up being named Star Chef. There were however some less impressive performances; Theo managed to smash an egg all over the table and floor, with his excuse being ‘the shell was too thin’. The cookery course was followed by lunch on the boat, where we ate the delicious dishes we had cooked whilst cruising along the river.

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ENGLISH It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was another year of English at the RGS. As subject areas each reflect on their own year of teaching and learning, it is interesting to consider what we do in English in light of other academic approaches. A simple calculation suggests that if each RGS boy writes a modest 200 words in each English lesson, that’s roughly 4,000 words per class and, with consideration to library lessons, around 12,000 to 16,000 words each week. Across the year this is roughly half-a-million words that are written and read. A survey of last year’s public exams revealed that the average word count for an A*, in one component, was 706 words. That’s roughly 400,000 words written by the RGS boys every time they sit a full set of English Literature mocks or final exams. It’s lucky we love reading!

We continue to support the boys to develop their own love of reading with the Reading Challenges and time spent in the well-stocked school library because: Even if we read books and talk about them for four years, and then do something else more obviously remunerative, it won’t be time wasted.

We need the humanities not because they will produce shrewder entrepreneurs or kinder C.E.O.s but because … they help us enjoy life more and endure it better. The reason we need the humanities is because we’re human. That’s enough (Adam Gopnik, 2013).

Michaelmas saw the traditional House Reading competition take place with a range of poetry, prose and drama performed with a range of passionate gestures and dramatic pauses. This followed hot on the heels of an author visit from

Mo O’Hara, a published writer who ran some creative writing workshops with the first form boys where she encouraged them to develop superhero pets with outlandish, and very particular, superpowers to be exercised in dramatic scenario of their invention. The boys’ imagination was both amazing and disturbing at times!

The creativity continued with National Poetry Day, where the English Department embraced the event’s theme of change by swapping classes for a day. Instead of their usual teacher, the boys found a fresh face at the front of the class encouraging them to read, write, share

and perform favourite poems. The corridor was alive with the voices of Rosssetti and Rich, Hardy and Housman, Armitage and Auden.

Even David Bowie joined in with the ch, ch, changes. At assembly, Mr Whitaker set the tone for the day by reading ‘Front Door’ by Imtiaz Dharker, a poem that reminded the boys how we change and adapt ourselves all the time, particularly as we cross the threshold between home and school. At lunchtime, a workshop, open to all, focused on some familiar sayings about change: ‘Be the change’; ‘a change is as good as a rest’; ‘if nothing ever changed there’d be no butterflies’ – the result was some fresh work with the boys experiencing the exhilaration and pleasure there is in stitching words together. We also celebrated Jamie Hancock (OG’16) whose poem, High-Tide, was included in an anthology called Melting Ice which highlights the issue of climate change. Jamie read his poem at the National Maritime Museum at an event organised by the Young Poets Network. The anthology can be read by following this link: hiips://issuu. com/poetrysociety/docs/melting_ice_poetry_ anthology Also, during the Michaelmas term, six Sixth Form boys (Sam Cherry, Cameron Gardner, Peter Heylen, Alasdair Hopwood, James Macdonald and Alex Norris) took part in the LSE Schools Debating Competition. Following British Parliamentary Style, this intense 10-hour competition brought together a diverse range of schools to argue

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A Wraith in the Snow The graves were lined in neat rows.

White crosses bearing the marks of death.

And silently stepping between them, A grieving wraith in the silky snow.

For hours on end she walked, slow: Having no purpose and no goal.

Except to mourn those who died.

So many years ago.

She represents the brothers: so many dead.

The cries of the mothers, the sisters, the friends.

Those who visit day by day. Families with holes.

Wounds filled with longing, not sons instead.

And from the sky, the crystal tears.

The lives falling ceaselessly.

Becoming thick upon the ground, A cover to hide the rips and tears.

Among all this she walks though.

Searching for a single name.

Quietly praying as she walks along, A grieving wraith in the silky snow.

topical motions: America’s rightful role as a global superpower; the impact of gentrification on urban communities; whether media outlets should be compelled to give equal coverage to both sides of the political spectrum; and whether this House regretted the commercialisation of Feminism. The boys debated in a variety of roles throughout the day. After a hesitant start, Peter and James scored a stunning first place victory in the media coverage debate and were complemented for their eloquent conceptualisation of the motion. Meanwhile, Alex and Alasdair were consummate professionals, always finding a sideways route into the motion and structuring their arguments with both logical progression and incredible clarity of expression.

Sam and Cameron gave a rousing performance as the closing opposition, arguing their support for the USA’s legitimacy as a superpower: they scored a respectable second place. The boys were remarkably eloquent and astutely aware of the need for good oracy to be grounded in evidential support throughout. They impressed with their ability to reflect on their approaches in order to improve during each subsequent round.

The boys also entered the Oxford Schools Debating Competition: On the evening of 26th February, eight RGS boys attended the Oxford

Schools Debating Competition held at GHS. It was a tough field, with 80 teams competing in this regional heat for just eight coveted places in the national final. The RGS boys have been working hard to hone their debating techniques since our last competition: signposting their arguments; providing real-world examples to elucidate abstract concepts; and connecting with the emotional appeal of their position. The hard work paid off and they debated with real flair; notable was Peter Heylen and Hugh Jones’ impassioned argument about the necessity of separate arts awards for both genders. Sam Cherry and Cam Gardner also gave convincing speeches about the benefits of reinstating National Service. We didn’t make it through to the final on this occasion, but with such a young team of now seasoned debaters we look forward to building on this experience over the coming academic year to hopefully bring home some trophies!

Not everything is competitive, of course, and during the Trinity term Ms Clarkson took a few hardy Sixth-form boys to a very damp performance of Twelfth Night at Guildford Castle: It seems inevitable and fitting that a play which starts with a shipwreck should be performed at the Open Air Theatre on what was one of the wettest Junes on record. However, this did not dampen the spirits of the Lower-Sixth English Literature students who went to see the play performed by the Guildford Shakespeare Company. Ms Clarkson and her charges were part of a very select audience who sat through the wind and rain enjoying the fun and frolics of the talented cast which included an OG, Alex Scott Fairley, playing the part of Sir Andrew Aguecheek. The company used the bandstand as the main stage which worked well.

It was a thoroughly good production; the Castle Grounds certainly added to the magic of the performance. The English Department would certainly encourage boys and their families to take advantage of the many theatrical opportunities on our doorstep regardless of the weather!

DA

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HISTORY It has been an exciting and eventful year for the History Department, both inside and outside of the classroom.

We have lost a member of staff, gained one, visited the resting places of OGs on the battlefields of the western front, enjoyed competition success, seen superb scholarship, conquered castle ruins, and met Stasi survivors. Most importantly, it has been a year where the boys have shown real maturity, sensitivity and insight in studying a wide range of challenging topics.

The always popular Fourth and Fifth Form trip to Berlin in October saw Mr Bass, Mr Holliday, Mr Yardley and Mrs Creagh accompanying an elite band of historians and linguists through some incredible sites across the German capital.

The Reichstag, Sachsenhausen concentration camp, the Olympic Stadium, Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, and Checkpoint Charlie to name a few. Our tour guides were superb, the weather held up and all the boys were a real credit to the School.

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Having been nominated as an ILA finalist for his research on medieval Venice, U6 historian Harry Dennis delivered a thoughtful and poignant Remembrance Day speech on behalf of the History Department. The school lost 58 OGs in the Great War and Harry reflected on both the local and international dimensions to all conflicts since.

The beginning of 2019 saw the annual Fourth Form pilgrimage across the channel to Belgium. The impressive sites of Notre Dame de Lorette and Vimy Ridge Canadian Memorial highlighted the diverse contribution made in the Great War. At Thiepval Memorial, as well as Tyne Cot Cemetery, a wreath was laid in memory of fallen OGs. This, for many of us, is the most moving and important opportunity offered to pupils in their time at the school.

The History Department has been commended in recent years for the calibre of its A Level coursework – this year was no exception.

Lawrence Piper produced a superb piece of research on the nature of total war between the French Revolution and the Great War, whilst Kit Edgecliffe-Johnson produced an impressive study on British rule in India up to 1947. For many pupils, this is a chance to produce undergraduate level work, and they did not disappoint. Work of a slightly less academic, but nonetheless equally enjoyable and challenging nature, was carried out by the First Form in their annual castle competition: some concentric castles made of chocolate,

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THE BOYS HAVE SHOWN REAL MATURITY, SENSITIVITY AND INSIGHT IN STUDYING A WIDE RANGE OF CHALLENGING TOPICS

and motte and bailey castles made of Lego and marshmallows.

become a permanent fixture in the school calendar.

At the end of April, the new Third Form trip to Paris saw Mr Holliday, Mr Shakeri and Mr Fishpool visit a range of fascinating sites including Place de la Concorde, Place de la Bastille, Notre Dame, La Concierge and Les Invalides. The trip proved incredibly popular among staff and pupils alike and will hopefully

One of the best attended History Society talks of the year came from L6 historian Alfie Cherry on ‘Secret Societies’ as part of LGBT+ History Month. It was a well-researched and impressively delivered presentation which saw many Fifth and Sixth Formers in attendance. We look forward to further meetings and discussions in the future.

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The First Form trip to Battle and Bodiam in May was blessed, again, with bright sunshine and eager pupils. We were greeted with TV cameras (had they heard Mr Owens was with us?) which turned out to be for an upcoming documentary on life in medieval castles. Once pupils had stopped trying to get into shot, they discovered every inch of the castle, enjoying the spectacular views across Sussex from the top, and identifying key flaws in the castle design.

We were delighted to hear that two L6 historians had experienced success in the highly prestigious Vellacott History Essay competition, run by Peterhouse College, Cambridge. Alex Norris was selected as a winner for his essay (Were the Germanic invasions a cataclysm for the Western Roman Empire?) and Alfie Cherry (Was there a fascist international?) was one of a very small number commended for their work. Richly deserved recognition for them both, but the sheer number of L6 Historians

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THE UPPER SIXTH HAVE LEFT A STRONG LEGACY. A NUMBER OF THEM LEAVE THE RGS TO PURSUE HISTORY OF HISTORYRELATED SUBJECTS

who submitted impressive essays was incredibly pleasing to see.

The year finished with our newly established June trip to Hampton Court. Each of our Second Form groups was able to explore the gardens, kitchens, cellars and the famous maze, with more than one or two also finding time to purchase an ice cream by the River Thames. In the warm weather everyone kept their cool, and thankfully no one lost their heads.

One of the things that brings great joy in the last weeks of school is the great range of work going on. First Formers producing some quite stunning and elaborate historical (and hysterical) board games, the Second and Third Form producing historical work on topics ranging from the significance of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to the influence of Helmuth von Moltke, to Joan of Arc, and the Lower Sixth putting the finishing touches to ILA titles ranging from the growth of civil rights, to the communist threat in post war America, to the development of militarism.

The Upper Sixth have left a strong legacy. A number of them leave the RGS to pursue History or History-related subjects at Cambridge, LSE, KCL, Exeter, Nottingham, Birmingham and Liverpool – testament both to their own hard work and the work of their teachers. We wish them all the very best of luck in their future academic endeavours.

JARB

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TRIPS The past year has seen RGS Geographers working all around the world doing what we do best – fieldwork!

First and Second Form have carried out local fieldwork while the Fourth Form went to contrasting areas of Guildford to examine housing inequality. Fifth Form donned their wellies (and in one case, fins) to study the River Tillingbourne. The Lower Sixth capped off a trip to the London Olympic park in Stratford and London Docklands with a curry in Brick Lane- which was an excellent opportunity to immerse themselves in multicultural London.

The department also took the Upper Sixth Form to Barcelona, where Miles Horton Baker reports:

“We were thrown straight into the topic of water security and a short coach ride took us to the Llobregat Delta just along the coast from the city centre. We visited a number of bore wells, desalination plants and a nature reserve throughout the day as we learnt how the city generates a supply of fresh water.

The following day we studied urban regeneration strategies in El Raval, a neighbourhood near the centre of Barcelona. Each night consisted of a follow up of the day’s activities with a university style lecture and review session, and given the tour leaders were so knowledgeable in the topics, there was a mountain of information to be gleaned to help us in our exams. The next day comprised of rural regeneration in the Priorat region, famous for its worldwide distribution of fine wine under the Priorat seal.

On the final day we travelled back into Barcelona to look at the impact of globalisation in the Sant Martí district. This area is a hotbed for the creative arts and as such innovative new buildings have sprung up to cater for this industry. Downtime and a game of volleyball on the beach ensued before we left for the airport.”

The Lower Sixth trip to Dorset remains a highlight. Good food courtesy of the Heights Hotel on the Isle of Portland sustains the boys through four days of intensive, hard work where we conduct a series of pilot investigations in locations such as Studland, Ringsted Bay, Furzy Cliff and also study coastal geomorphology at Lulworth Cove. The kayaking trip from the cove

GEOGRAPHY

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to Durdle Door remains a highlight of the week.

In the last two years, the trip has now been re-structured to enable boys to focus on their NEA (coursework) and all the teachers were impressed by buzz each evening as boys worked hard on their fieldwork proposals.

Our final trip, organised by Ed Pearson, was an optional trip for Third and Fourth Form Geographers to the Azores, where we explored the dramatic volcanic landscape with a trek around calderas, bathed in hot geothermal springs, learned how the island obtains much of its power from geothermal sources and learned about the lifecycle of a pineapple.

SEYMOUR SOCIETY A group of Upper Sixth Form Geographers led by Miles Horton Baker, Ciaran Taylor and Henry Doyle set up a Geography Society. The society has run on most Monday lunchtimes and is entirely led by pupils. Each week different students have presented on an area of the subject that interests them most with topics as diverse as the future of skiing, the impact of palm oil on rainforests and sustainable cities. This year the society is be led by Matthew Deatker.

GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION Elsewhere in Guildford, along with the Guildford County School, we hosted the annual Geographical Association lectures which included talks on the geopolitics of the Arctic; climate change and the UK’s energy mix; earthquakes, and cities in the twenty-first century.

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THE LOWER SIXTH TRIP TO DORSET REMAINS A HIGHLIGHT ... FOUR DAYS OF INTENSIVE, HARD WORK WHERE WE CONDUCT A SERIES OF PILOT INVESTIGATIONS IN LOCATIONS

RELIGION & PHILOSOPHY The year began with the exciting news that the first set of Pre-U students had far exceeded our hopes and expectations, with a set of results that both validated the risk that the Department had taken in rejecting the new A-Level syllabus for this very different and more intellectually stretching course, and rewarded the focus, commitment and hard work of this first cohort of students.

Taken together with a set of GCSE results for the redesigned specification course that were the best the Department had seen for a number of years, this set an academic foundation for the year on which teachers and pupils anticipated being able to build with enthusiasm, fun and success.

Our move to a new suite of rooms in the heart of the main building may have led to a moment of sadness as we bade farewell to the North Building’s air-conditioning system, but the new classrooms with their greater space and airiness, as well as the facility to have break-out spaces in the GCSE and 6th Form classrooms, was a real highlight. Boys have been able to enjoy lessons with a much greater range of activities and teaching styles, and the clubs, societies and activities run by members of the Department have benefited enormously as well. We are very much looking forward to being able showcase the new spaces and the opportunities that they bring with greater student focussed interactivity at this year’s Open Day. Junior Philosophy Society continued to flourish under the watchful eye of members of the Upper Sixth led by George Tench, with freeflowing discussion on a wide range of topics including Zeno’s Paradoxes and the idea of beauty in art. To complement the rumbustious

debate of Junior Philosophy Society, Mr Tayar introduced Puzzle Club to the R&P department this year, allowing junior boys to work in teams on three thousand and five thousand piece jigsaw puzzles of religious art and architecture whilst discussing the images and preparing the finished puzzles for display. The Senior Philosophy Society saw some academically impressive talks led by students at the start of the year before undergoing an exciting transition by the summer into two mutually supportive groups. One, The Forum, to undertake debate and argument, the other, The Discussion Group, to be more investigatory and discursive. Both groups welcome a number of students who do not study the subject in the Sixth Form, but who relish the opportunity to engage with philosophical ideas.

The engagement of students beyond the classroom was evident in the real excellence that we saw in the ILAs that were submitted to the Department, in the impressive performances in external essay competitions, as well as in the award-worthy submissions to our first ever Junior, Middle and Senior essay competitions.

Although the entries were small in number in this first year, the entries by Boldi PaladiKovacs, Woo Kim, Mattie Sutton and Charlie Buckingham were all insightful and thoughtful discussions of right and wrong, beauty, and truth that were well deserving of their prizes.

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ECONOMICS WHAT DO YOU GET IF YOU PUT 10 ECONOMISTS IN A ROOM? 11 OPINONS Now this may be one of the oldest jokes about the ‘dismal science’, yet it typifies the appeal of the subject to many of our Sixth Form students investigating which A-levels to study. When asked ‘Why economics?’, answers typically include terms like “curious”, “interested” and “trying to make sense of things”, and as they progress with their studies they develop their own views in terms of how to tackle some of the problems we face.

And how could we let this Guildfordian pass without some passing comment on the B-word…

Brexit. This is a topic where we have seen most consensus amongst our profession (economists are substantially pro-Remain), and this year our students have been able to establish their own views, guided by talks from George Osborne (former Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Georgina Wright (Institute of Government).

Opinions drive Economics. Hopefully these opinions have been established through research, analysis and discussion. Our students have had the opportunity to listen to a range of interesting speakers on a number of relevant topics. John Martin, CEO of Ferguson plc provided his insights into the motivations and mechanics behind the growth of companies.

Our students attended the Marshall Society Conference at Cambridge University and listened a number of other speakers including Professor Adrian Wooldridge (Editor of The Economist) and the author Dr John Kay, both of whom spoke

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on Capitalism. The highlight was the opportunity to attend the Keynes Society at Eton and listen to the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, reflect upon his time at the Bank, and how they navigate the stormy waters of the global financial system.

Economics at the RGS is more than just listening to other people speak, and we have enjoyed many student-led activities during the year. Our own publication, The Ricardian, was produced

by Utkarsh Dandanayak and Winston Laing and presented a fascinating mix of topics.

Many of these articles were derived from the Independent Learning Assignments undertaken by our Lower Sixth during the Trinity Term, and these included from an analysis of the economic impact of Artificial Intelligence, studying psychopaths on Wall Street, and assessing whether Islamic Finance can teach us to prevent recessions in the future.

Whilst we enjoyed reading a rich, diverse range of topics under the ILA programme, our students have been able to express themselves in other ways. Our Economics Society has continued to flourish, with lunchtime meetings held to discuss themes such as Universal Basic Income and Environmental Economics. We have also enjoyed some success in national competitions, with Utkarsh’s entry into the Financial Times’s blog competition on the ‘Future of Money’ (as one of two runners-up) being published by the FT.

DANDANAYAK: ONLY WITH THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY CAN WE MITIGATE THE ADVERSE EFFECT OF TECHNOLOGY 29

Mini factory: Making great cras, (hopefully) for many more years to come

With the world evolving at such a pace it can be hard to keep up, and we aim for our students to obtain as much first-hand experience as possible.

Our Upper Sixth went to the Mini Factory in Oxford, which is of great practical insight. With recent announcements around the closure of car plants (Honda in Swindon, Ford in Bridgend) we are hopeful that this annual trip remains intact.

This year sees our inaugural trip to Geneva – what can we learn from the Swiss in developing a trading relationship with the rest of Europe?

None of these events are possible without the goodwill of the Economics Department, and I would like to thank them all. Mr Gough and Mr Presley for their ongoing care and commitment, and Mrs Brooks and Dr Wisson who leave us this year, and whose testimonials are contained within the Valete. We couldn’t do any of this without you.

DSJW

POLITICS To say that the past eighteen months have been politically unstable would be an understatement. Two seismic phenomena have defined nearly all that we can observe, Brexit and Trump, and these have undeniably shaped how we have taught the subject and added new aspects to established arguments and theories.

Thus, as we have embedded a new course this year, we have had to reconsider the complex relationship between the Executive and the Legislature, as Theresa May fought (and failed three times) to gain the parliamentary support she needed for her Brexit solution; likewise, as we followed the Midterm elections in November 2018, we were reminded of the ‘checks and balances’ nature of the US political model, as the Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives to offer a structured challenge to Trump, beyond ‘fake news’.

So that has been the landscape for teachers and students alike this past year – rich in extraordinary anecdotes, perfect for enhancing any A Level essay, but often with a worrying sense that politics is broken or going through a fundamental shift, either to the left (see Corbyn) or to the right (see Farage).

What then has happened at the RGS politically, in this time? Has it been quite as volcanic as external events, or has ‘calm and sensible’ prevailed?

Thankfully the latter has largely been the case, with two particular highlights. The first has been the superb Politics Society events, particularly in the customary June to November slot, as those tasked with leading the Society head towards Oxbridge applications and, dare I say it, enhanced personal statements! Thus, we had four external speakers in, to present to both RGS boys and the wider Guildford student body.

Anne Milton, our local MP, and Jonathan Lord, MP for Woking, gave excellent Q&A sessions, reflecting on their roles and the impact of Brexit on current parliamentary life. Lord Sales (OG), recently appointed to serve on the Supreme Court, gave us a fascinating insight into the role

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that the senior judiciary fulfils, as an increasing check on parliamentary power. Lastly, we had the pressure group, Unlock Democracy in, to show how external pressure can be applied to politicians and to highlight some of the genuine concerns about flawed aspects of our system.

The second highlight was the inaugural Politics trip to Washington DC and Philadelphia, for five days in October half-term. Thirteen boys, plus Mr Owens, Mr Nathan and Mr Dodd had a fantastic time in the US capital, followed by twenty-four hours visiting the birthplace of American democracy, Philadelphia. Visits to Congress, the Pentagon, the major memorials, Arlington Cemetery, the Supreme Court and the White House dominated our DC time, while Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center were our primary focuses in Philly. All of the sites offered a fantastic opportunity for the boys to see politics come to life, and to be suitably awed by the grandeur and magnitude of these beacons of democracy. It would be silly to ignore several other ‘beacons’ of our trip - the wholesome cuisine (particularly in all-you-can-eat restaurants!) and an NBA game the undoubted standouts.

Finally, several noteworthy academic successes have been achieved – a first prize in the Corpus Christi Bacon Politics essay competition for Kit Edgecliffe-Johnson; meanwhile, four boys have received offers from Oxford (for PPE) and Cambridge (for HSPS).

The academic year ended with ten Tory MPs fighting it out to become the next Prime Minister, and Trump expressing more outrage at any attempts to constrain him. It looks like next year will be a belter too.

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THE LANDSCAPE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ALIKE – RICH IN EXTRAORDINARY ANECDOTES, PERFECT FOR ENHANCING ANY A LEVEL ESSAY, BUT OFTEN WITH A WORRYING SENSE THAT POLITICS IS BROKEN OR GOING THROUGH A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT, EITHER TO THE LEFT OR TO THE RIGHT.

MATHEMATICS The Mathematics Department at The RGS prides itself on their ability to stretch and challenge all pupils in the subject, enabling the boys to achieve their full potential through enjoyable and challenging problem solving. Sparking pupils’ interest in Mathematics through the inherent elegance of the subject is very important to the department: providing boys with the inclination to pursue the subject further outside, or indeed after, their time at The RGS. ​ We provide the boys with the opportunity to showcase their knowledge and talents through a variety of competitions throughout the year, as well as aiming to share some of our time and expertise with local schools and communities.

The boys’ passion and abilities continue to shine through each year, reflected through consistently impressive public examination results, and large numbers of boys choosing to pursue Further Mathematics A-level. ​

MATHEMATICS COMPETITIONS The RGS competed in a variety of both individual and team Mathematics competitions this year, doing themselves proud in each event. ​ On an individual level, RGS boys achieved a total of 229 awards out of 250 entries (92%) in the UKMT Mathematics Challenges (a feat that is only achieved by 40% of entrants nationally). 112 boys achieved a gold award (45%), compared to the national average of 7%. Fifteen RGS boys even qualified for the extremely high-level Olympiad papers, a paper only sat by around the top 1000 pupils nationally within each age bracket. ​ On a team level, the First to Fourth Form competed in the Guildford Schools’ Maths Quiz.

In a competitive field, the boys all gave a good account of themselves, with the Third Form team achieving third place and the Second Form team winning their competition. In the Sixth Form, RGS finished in fourth place in the Senior Team Maths Challenge, whilst RGS also remain reigning champions in the SATRO AS Maths Challenge. ​

OUTREACH AND THE COMMUNITY

The Mathematics department has thoroughly enjoyed giving back to the community through its Mathematics Projects this year. ​ The Maths Primary Project sees twelve RGS boys plan and deliver around fifteen sessions at Holy Trinity Primary School each week for two terms.

Each RGS pupil is assigned two mentees, with whom they work throughout the year with, aiming to develop their number skills and confidence within the subject. Holy Trinity have commented how much they value the project, remarking on the noticeable change in confidence in some of the pupils during lessons. It has also been a great opportunity for our boys to develop their communication and leadership skills.

The Kings Maths Project sees eight RGS boys plan and deliver around twenty sessions throughout the year, to Year 9 and 10 pupils from Kings College School Guildford. They aim to support and develop the pupils’ problemsolving skills, in order to help them succeed in the subject. It is also a chance for the RGS boys to learn techniques to plan and resource lessons, identify and address common mathematical misconceptions and support students. ​ The department also continues to provide mock Oxbridge interviews, as well as tests and marking, for pupils in local schools. ​

CO-CURRICULAR MATHEMATICS Maths Club for First to Fifth Form has been running throughout the year, providing an opportunity for boys to be stretched and challenged by some fun and tricky problems. A house Mathematics competition has also been introduced this year, whereby teams of boys from each house compete to solve problems against one another.

The department continues to provide regular Oxbridge and STEP sessions for boys. In these sessions the boys have a chance to tackle questions beyond the difficulty of A-Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics. They

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are intended to challenge the boys as much as possible and aid them in their applications for mathematical courses at top universities. ​

ONE YEAR IN NUMBERS n

Approximately 10,669 lessons ​

n

196 pupils taking A Level Maths​

n

58 pupils taking Further Maths​

n

112 UKMT gold awards​

n

77 UKMT silver awards​

n

40 UKMT bronze awards​

n

15 Mathematics Olympiad Qualifiers​

n

Approximately 1,013,712 equations solved​

n

15 different public examinations taken​

n

16 Mathematics Teachers​

n

4 Oxbridge offers in Mathematics or Computer Science​

MASTERCLASSES The Mathematics department delivered their annual series of four masterclasses during the Michaelmas Term. On four consecutive Saturday mornings, a member of the department runs a session for 36 primary school children with the help of a handful of Sixth Formers. This year the sessions were delivered on Animal Numbers, Codes, Fibonacci Numbers and Probability Games. The aim is for the children to experience a fun and interactive session, while still learning lots and being challenged mathematically. It was great to see the enthusiasm of the children for the subject, and impressive to see the level some were working at. ​

ADA LOVELACE LECTURE Following success in the individual and team UKMT Mathematics challenge, The RGS were invited to attend a lecture in London’s Science Museum. Eight further mathematicians attended, and the lecture

explored early computer programming and the remarkable work of Ada Lovelace in coding, with one boy commenting on the ‘inspiring Maths’ she carried out on the mathematical machine known as the Analytical Engine. ​

BEN SPARKS LECTURE The RGS had the pleasure of hosting around 150 students from eleven schools at the Guildford Schools Maths Lecture. The event saw Ben Sparks of the University of Bath speaking on the History of Numbers, taking the audience from the origin of counting to fractals via the death of Hippasus (the first but not only mathematical murder). Aradhya Soneja 4B wrote that the lecture was a ‘melody of Philosophy, Mathematics and History, uniting them into one engaging, humorous and thought-provoking talk’, with some boys even commenting that it has encouraged them to pursue the subject further in the future.

ROYAL HOLLOWAY TRIP Seven of our Lower Sixth Form Further Mathematicians enjoyed a day exploring

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Mathematics at Royal Holloway University. Highlights included a talk from Professor Rüdiger Schack about Music in a 2000-year-old proof, which gave the boys a glimpse into the connection between music and mathematics; Matt Parker gave an entertaining talk entitled Hidden Maths in Technology; and Professor Jens Bolte gave an informative talk about Mathematics at university.

Other inspiring mini lectures which the boys enjoyed included; The Shape of Space and The Mathematics of the Enigma Machine. One pupil, in particular, noted how interesting he had found the Big Numbers and Securing the Internet talk, commenting that it had ‘provided some meaning’ on the importance of prime numbers. ​

PHYSICS It has been another busy year in Physics, with success in several national and regional competitions. As well as the usual classroom experiments and academic learning, highlights included a record-breaking year for the Physics Olympiad and the NASA trip to Texas. At the end of the year, we bid farewell to our technician, Mrs Styles, who had had a huge impact on the department over the last five years. We wish her well as she embarks on teacher training next year.

FURTHER PHYSICS & OLMPIAD The “Further Physics” extension course continues to go from strength to strength; now in its second year a hardy group of fifteen Lower Sixth boys form a solid core of regulars.

Upper Sixth graduates of the first year of the course managed to obtain our best results in the British Physics Olympiad, with five receiving the accolade of “Top Gold” (top 100 in the country).

One boy, Freddie Floydd, made it to the third round for the British Astronomy & Astrophysics Olympiad to compete for a place on the UK team. We’ve also had an excellent take up in competitions offered further down the school, notably the Physics Challenge, taken by a mix of Fourth and Fifth Form: over 10% of all the Golds in the country went to RGS boys! Andrew Florescu was in the top five nationally, meaning that he was invited to a special ceremony at the Royal Society to receive his award – the first ever RGS boy to do so for this competition! He also achieved a silver award in the main Olympiad too, despite only being in Fifth Form.

“

ANDREW FLORESCU WAS IN THE TOP FIVE NATIONALLY, MEANING THAT HE WAS INVITED TO A SPECIAL CEREMONY AT THE ROYAL SOCIETY TO RECEIVE HIS AWARD

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Go4SET CHALLENGE Go4SET is a scheme run by the Engineering Development Trust for Third Form students interested in STEM careers. This year’s Go4SET team had a challenging brief: what is a robot and how can we use them to help in the school environment? The team of Joe Perry, Boldi Paladi-Kovacs, Parus Mehra, Michael Wu, Andrew Zhang and Tom Millar, after interviewing members of staff for ideas, came up with a design for a robot-controlled board cleaner that would use a BBC Micro:bit to control the cleaning mechanism. Over the ten weeks, they carried out research, designed and programmed the device, while overcoming problems along the way. With the prototype being almost ready for final test before the assessment day, a little too much power resulted in a puff of smoke! The team could explain the principle but unfortunately could not demonstrate a working device. The project gave the team the excellent opportunity of being assessed for a Silver CREST award.

NASA TRIP 2019 One of the most extraordinary school trips that the RGS offers saw Sixth Formers heading for the Texas town of Galveston. The cancellation of the outbound flight gave an added frisson to the start of the trip, but ultimately was just a minor irritation with the airline able to find us seats on other providers. Students attended a five-day engineering course at NASA’s facilities.

Highlights included witnessing astronauts doing a practice spacewalk in the world’s second largest pool, the Neutral Buoyancy Lab. This contained full-sized replicas of all the segments of the International Space Station. In addition, the students designed, built and launched two-stage rockets; built and piloted mini Mars rovers; and had brunch with astronaut, Mark Polansky. The trip concluded with a trip to Houston to watch a basketball match, the Rockets against the Knicks on Friday night; a Saturday morning surf and an afternoon at the pleasure pier.

DP

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ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY SCHOOL TRIPS THAT THE RGS OFFERS SAW SIXTH FORMERS HEADING FOR THE TEXAS TOWN OF GALVESTON

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ELECTRONICS Electricity is integral to modern life – power generation, transport, medicine, quantum information, computing, artificial intelligence, cryptography, robotics, the list is endless!

Electrical engineers deal with the supply and flow of power; electronic engineers create the electronic devices we use every day.

“

THE COURSE IS INTERESTING AND VERY HANDS-ON, AND ALMOST ALL THE STUDENTS GO ON TO STUDY ELECTRONICS OR COMPUTER SCIENCE AT UNIVERSITY

At the RGS, Electronics has been taught as an A Level subject for over 30 years. The course currently taught is a new one designed by Eduqas, which is part of WJEC, the Welsh exam board. The course is interesting and very handson, and almost all the students go on to study Electronics or Computer Science at university.

Many also get involved in the Student Robotics competition, which is sponsored by Motorola and run by Southampton University. Sixth Form students have about six months to design, build and program an autonomous robot to take part in a game against up to forty other schools and

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colleges. We have enjoyed significant success in this competition, winning in 2016 and coming second in 2017 and 2018.

Robotics has also been introduced lower down the school. Three groups of First Form students were given the opportunity to program the Edison Robot as part of the Junior Science Society.

LMH

BIOLOGY It has been another busy and successful year in Biology. Apart from outstanding results in public exams (36% A* at A Level; 80% 9/8 Grade at GCSE), RGS boys have enjoyed exploring the wonderful world of Biology.

Highlights include the Second Form trip to Marwell Zoo, and the L6th field trip to Dale Fort in Wales.

The Fourth Form all carried out individual research projects into cardiovascular disease, inspired by an assembly from heart surgeon Simon Redwood (father to Josh). In addition, Ed Ferguson won the school’s ILA competition for his essay on bioengineering, with Gabriel Johnson a finalist with his essay on sugar consumption, and several boys completed CREST projects in biological subjects.

The Fourth Form performed exceptionally well in the Biology Challenge winning 13 Gold, 16 Silver and 23 Bronze awards. The Lower Sixth did equally well in their Biology Olympiad with 2 Gold, 5 Silver, 1 Bronze and the A Level biologists who took the Senior Olympiad competition won 7 Gold, 5 Silver and 12 Bronze awards.

Biology staff and boys were inspired and entertained by Adam Rutherford’s talk at the RGS as part of the Guildford Book festival and our own

budding naturalist and campaigner, James Miller (now in Upper Sixth), who has been busy shaping policy with Chris Packham and video conferencing with baby sloths. We have many keen biologists moving through the school, who we are always happy to encourage and support – Boldi Paladi-Kovacs is currently running home experiments with our petri dishes and microscope and we look forward to hearing of his results.

The Biology Department has continued to contribute to the wider community by donating Biology textbooks and microscopes to Malawi, and Josh Richards has been teaching A Level Biology at Fulbrook to assist with their staffing shortage.

We are very proud of the boys going on to study Biology related courses at university – Gabriel Johnson, Josh Mulligan, Joe Ruddy, Oscar Atkinson, Harry McGrath and Nathan Seto to Medicine, Fergus Middleton and Aston Barringer to Dentistry, Henry Stuttaford to Veterinary Medicine, Roshan Patel, Janesh Mistry, Will Vaughan, Thomas Leyshon, Sanjith Aravinthan and Sam Muller to do Biology in some form or other. We wish them well.

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CHEMISTRY This has been another fine year for Chemistry successes.

7,036 students from across the country took part in the UK Chemistry Olympiad and we have achieved four Gold, nine Silver and thirteen Bronze awards in an exceptionally difficult paper. Tom Moores, Henry Thake, Harry Grieve and Freddie Floydd were the gold medallists.

We hosted a regional heat for the national ‘Top of the Bench’ competition and eleven schools took part. Our formidable RGS team, consisting of Jan Czarnek, Michael Wu, Aradhya Soneja and Salvatore Nigrelli, demonstrated impressive practical skill and chemical knowledge; they were rightly rewarded with victory in the heat and a second-place finish regionally.

Charlie Dorkins spent a month working in Dr Eakins’ research group at Oxford University as part of his CREST Gold award project. This work was judged to be of extremely high standard by expert assessors and Charlie was invited to the final of the Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Competition. Remarkably, this is the eighth consecutive year that RGS boys have made the final of this prestigious event.

Top of the Bench

Tom Moores and Harry Grieve also carried out research CREST Gold projects in Chemistry.

Tom worked in Sir Chris Dobson’s group at Cambridge University investigating an alpha-

Top of the Bench

Chemistry Olympiad 2019

Salvatore Nigrelli CREST Award

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HIS SUPERVISOR COMMENTED THAT HIS WORK WAS ON PAR WITH SOME OF THE FOURTH-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE REPORTS SHE HAS REVIEWED.

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IMPRESSIVE PRACTICAL SKILL AND CHEMICAL KNOWLEDGE

Fourth Year holding model of polythene

synuclein variant linked with Parkinson’s disease; his supervisor commented that his work was on par with some of the fourth-year undergraduate reports she has reviewed. Harry was supervised

by Prof Whittlesey at the University of Bath and studied the reactions and catalytic properties of novel nickel compounds. Professor Whittlesey commented that Harry will be an author to a scientific paper, which he will be publishing on nickel chemistry! Salvatore Nigrelli also carried out a very impressive research project on the synthesis and analysis of aspirin and paracetamol to obtain his CREST Silver Award; this was followed this up with a Gold Award carried out with BP. In 2019, we will be launching the new ORIS scheme, a collaboration between the RGS and the University of York. ORIS is designed to give even greater recognition and reward for the extraordinary scholarship demonstrated by the RGS boys.

The Cambridge Chemistry Challenge is the most demanding Chemistry exam designed for the Lower Sixth and more than 9,000 students took the test. Amazingly this year, it was our Fifth Form boys taking the limelight. Alex Thow achieved an incredible 77% and came ahead of all the Lower Sixth Formers! He was one of only four students below the Sixth Form in the UK to be awarded the coveted Roentgenium Award.

Alex has been invited to a residential training camp at Cambridge University and will receive a trophy featuring an atomic orbital. Henry Benett and Salvatore Nigrelli received Gold and Silver awards respectively and their achievements were also unprecedented for Fifth Formers. The best performing Lower Sixth students were Luke Nelson, Ben de la Court-Wakeling and Jordan Martyn. In total, we won one Roentgenium, seven Gold, nine Silver and ten Copper awards.

Transition metal compounds

WSL

Using a NMR Spectrometer in Surrey University

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ONE OF ONLY FOUR STUDENTS BELOW THE SIXTH FORM IN THE UK TO BE AWARDED THE COVETED ROENTGENIUM AWARD.

C3L6 2019

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CREST GOLD Would it be exciting to carry out scientific research that no one has done before? You can if you participate in CREST during the summer holiday of your Lower Sixth. CREST is an acronym for Creativity in Science and Technology and you will need to carry out two to four weeks of original research to qualify for the prestigious Gold award.

This year, twelve Sixth Form students carried out research projects in a number of universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, Bath, Surrey and London.

The breadth of research was very impressive and spanned the whole of Science. Topics studied include: activation of phosphines

by Ni(NHC) complexes, evaluation of a novel urinary cancer biomarker for cancer surveillance, investigating power loss in the lines of a power plant in Brazil and High dimensional cytometry of T cells.

A selection of the extremely positive feedbacks we have received from the research institutions are shown below:

“ He fitted in well with the researchers in my group. His efforts were of such a level that when it comes to publishing all of the work on our nickel chemistry, his contribution will be such that he will have his name as one of the authors!”

Professor Whittlesey, Bath University

“ Despite the short time-frame of his internship, he proved to be a quick learner and demonstrated a great ability

to perform experimental work with precision and his care is reflected in the quality of the data he obtained.”

Dr Kumita, Cambridge University

“ Wow - well done, this is a great report (honestly - on par with some of the fourth year undergraduate reports that I have reviewed!!), I’m really impressed!”

Dr Kumita, Cambridge University

“ He has quickly learned to use different computational methods and tools to analyse these data and successfully completed a set of data analysis independently which was impressive.

We were very impressed with his enthusiasm and willingness to learn and found him a very bright student. He was also very sociable and communicated well with other members of the team.”

Dr Kordasti, Kings College, London

“ He performed very well, showed enthusiasm and motivation to

Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Finalist

understand what is quite a complex field, and very good technical skills at the bench. His report was written to a high standard with evidence of critical appraisal. He has been a credit to your school” Professor Pandha, Surrey University Charlie Dorkins spent a month working in Dr Eakins’ Group at Oxford University on his remarkable project “Measuring the dynamic strength of metals using the reverse Taylor impact test”. This work was judged to be of extremely high standard by expert assessors and Charlie was invited to the final of the Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Competition. Charlie’s work was showcased to more than 70,000 people in the Big Bang Fair from 13th to 15th March in the Birmingham NEC. Remarkably, this is the eighth consecutive year that RGS boys have made the final of this prestigious event.

In 2019, we will be launching the new ORIS scheme is a collaboration between the RGS and the University of York. ORIS is designed to give even greater recognition and reward for the extraordinary scholarship demonstrated by the RGS boys.

WSL CREST and ORIS Awards

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ACADEMIC PHYSICAL EDUCATION As the academic year draws to a close, the Academic Physical Education department reflects on its inaugural cohorts of GCSE and A-level students here at The RGS. Our GCSE cohort comprised of thirty-three boys. Nineteen Fifth Form boys have now completed all aspects of the course, with a further fourteen Fourth Form boys keenly following in their footsteps.

A-level student, Harvey Marchant (U6), begins his V02 max test

All students have thrived in the classroom, under the stewardship of the GCSE PE academic staff, and have benefitted greatly from the vast array of experience of the RGS teaching staff in supporting their practical activities. Thank you to Mr Dudley, Mr Mullon and Mr Black, who continue to contribute enormously through their programmes to support the boys being assessed in rugby, hockey and cricket. A special thank you, must also go to Miss Clements, Mr Armstrong, Mr Yetman and Mr Richards, for the time they have given coaching and assessing the boys in athletics, climbing, skiing and basketball respectively.

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THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR ACADEMIC PHYSICAL EDUCATION AT THE RGS 42

A-level student, Ben Stott (L6), gives it his all on the leg dynamometer test

An addition to our GCSE course this year, has been the inclusion of a strength and conditioning session with Mr Walsh. This has undoubtedly enhanced the boys’ athletic capabilities, and thus assisted them in reaching their potential in their chosen practical activities.

This is an opportunity afforded to GCSE Physical Education students in very few schools, and we are very grateful to Mr Walsh for his continued support of the course.

Although small in number, our inaugural cohort of A-level Physical Education students have worked diligently this academic year. A highlight for staff and students alike was the visit to the Surrey Human Performance Institute at Surrey Sports Park. Our day at the institute included, seminars from the resident specialists from the University of Surrey, and numerous opportunities to undertake physiological tests in the laboratory. Students and staff took part in experiments measuring V02 Max, body fat, lung efficiency, leg strength, speed and reaction time to name but a few.

As hoped, this visit tied in seamlessly with our module on ‘technology in sport’ and through experiences such as this, and the unwavering support of A-level academic staff, all A-level boys have thrived throughout the school year.

GCSE PE students, Chris Ratcliffe and George Sherwin (5), keep Mr Walsh on his toes during their strength and conditioning session

With an ever-increasing number of boys opting to take both GCSE and A-level Physical Education, the future looks bright for Academic Physical Education at The RGS. Finally, I would once again like to thank all staff involved in the course for their diligence and support, without which, our ongoing success as a subject area would not be possible.

JDNL

A-level students, Matthew Chan and Harvey Marchant, take part in a seminar on physiolgical observations

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ART & DESIGN A LEVEL

Miles Horton-Baker Exam - A-Level

Tom Perceval Final - A-Level

David Hilditch Final - A-Level

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Miles Horton-Baker - Portfolio Work 4

David Hilditch - A-Level Exam

Tom Chua Acrylic Development - A-Level

Tom Bates Development - A-Level

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Tom Chua Acrylic Development - A-Level

Tom Chua Exam - A-Level

Miles Horton-Baker - Portfolio Work 3

Miles Horton-Baker Final - A-Level

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Tom Chua Final - A-Level

Tom Chua Final 2 - A-Level

Miles Horton-Baker - Portfolio Work A-Level

Louis Boyton Exam - A-Level

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GCSE

Christopher Wright 8614 - Modello Exam GCSE

Kasper Wiltshire 8655 - Still Life GCSE

Tom Jones 8550 - Exam Piece GCSE

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Cameron Philp 8580 - Exam Piece GCSE

Michael Gatzoulis 8632 - Still Life GCSE

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Will Drayton 8626 - Creative Piece GCSE

Ethan Game 8529 - Exam Piece GCSE

Alex Jenkinson 8548 - Creative Piece GCSE

Cameron Philp 8580 - Creative Development GCSE

Cameron Philp 8580 - Creative Development GCSE

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2019 SMOOTHEY WINNERS WINNER William Holmes 2P ​

HIGHLY COMMENDED Benji Chapman 5N - graffiti Killian Hess 2P – face painting Jensen Andersen 2P – silver birch collage Charlie Locke 2P – Chinese dragon

COMMENDED Shrey Henry Fleming 2P psycholodelic computer work James Nicolas 2P acrylic painting landscape James Harvey 2P - acrylic painting landscape

William Holmes 2P

Talus Kent 2P collage sunflowers Jake Szeles? Light interative peg sculpture

Charlie Locke 2P – Chinese dragon

Jensen Andersen 2P – silver birch collage

Killian Hess 2P – face painting

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Benji Chapman 5N - graffiti

MUSIC BIG BAND The Big Band started the year with a reunion concert for the fantastic tour we had to Catalonia in July 2018. Despite the fact that we lost a number of really terrific players from last

RGS Chorus & Orchestra year’s Upper 6th Form, the band has performed at all the Ensembles Concerts throughout the year and has been as good as ever with many of the younger players stepping up to the mark.

Gloria

Fauré Pavane Mozart Impresario Overture Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings

Wednesday 13th March - 7.30pm Holy Trinity Church, Guildford Admission by programme £5

VIVALDI GLORIA On Wednesday 13th March in Holy Trinity Church The RGS Orchestra and Choir were joined by a Parents’ Choir of made up of over 100 people to perform Gabriel Faurė’s much loved Pavane (in its original version with chorus) and Vivaldi’s Gloria. The massed forces produced a rich sound and the warm acoustics of Holy Trinity Church were perfect for the long romantic lines of the Fauré. In the Vivaldi, an excellent group of soloists, Matthew Sergeant (OG) countertenor, and Dannielle Green and Isabel Morgan sopranos, joined the huge forces. Although extremely popular, much of the chorus writing in this work is quite challenging, and the chorus overcame the difficulties of the enormous space between all the performers and the significant reverberation in the church, to produce a performance of real energy and crispness.

MARKET DAY CONCERTS The tradition of The RGS performing a lunchtime concert in Holy Trinity Church to coincide with the monthly Farmers’ Markets continues and throughout this year it has been a fantastic showcase for some of our ablest musicians. There have been many memorable performances from boys across the entire age range of the school and the concerts continue to be supported by a loyal, as well as hugely appreciative audience.

The orchestra took to the stage for Mozart’s exhilarating but little-known overture The Impresario. Also there was an excellent performance from the Concerto Consort who performed Elgar’s Serenade for Strings and the Senior Wind Quintet, coached by Dr Thackrey, who gave a beautiful performance of La Cheminée du Roi René by Darius Milhaud.

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THE MASSED FORCES PRODUCED A RICH SOUND AND THE WARM ACOUSTICS OF HOLY TRINITY CHURCH WERE PERFECT

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THE CONCERTO CONCERT Now well established in The RGS musical calendar, the Concerto Concert yet again proved to be an evening of dazzling music making by some of our most talented boys.

There were impressive performances from no less than nine boys with Tom Chua playing the Kabalevsky Violin Concerto; Thang Tu,

the Larsson Trombone Concertino and Angus Miller, a movement from the Weber Clarinet Concerto; Philip Bowler (voice), who won the Steynor Prize for Musician of the Year, gave a compelling performance of Sondheim’s Ballet of Sweeney Todd, and maintaining the American theme, Stan Lawrence (trumpet) gave a wonderfully entertaining performance of Bernstein’s Red, White and Blues orchestrated

by Peter White. Henry White (violin) tackled the demanding Symphonie Espagnol by Lalo and Eddie Emmett (flute) gave a delightful performance of movements from John Rutter’s Suite Antique. The highlights of the evening were undoubtedly Ridley Hymas’s assured performance of the Saint Saens Cello Concerto and Sam Jones masterful reading of the virtuosic Piano Concerto by Ravel.

SCHOOL CHOIR The School Choir has to hit the ground running with just a few days to prepare for the annual Commemoration Service in Guildford Cathedral.

The 2nd Formers did a magnificent job and it was also great to have a large number of staff

joining us for a rousing performance of the Howell’s Jubilate. Later in the term the two carol services also provided a great platform for the choir which was on top form particularly for the Cathedral service.

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In March the choir was joined by the 100 strong RGS Parents’ Choir for a concert in Holy Trinity Church that included Vivaldi’s Gloria and Fauré’s beautiful Pavane in the not often performed vocal version.

CONCERTO CONCERT The Concerto Consort performed in several concerts throughout the year, most notably giving a performance of Tchaikovsky’s fabulously difficult and beautiful Serenade for Strings in Holy Trinity Church. Ably led by Thomas Chua, this particular group of boys featured an unusual number of 6th Form boys, meaning that there were no rehearsals or concerts in the summer term. Special mention must go to Tom Moores, who began his string playing career on the very first String Scheme at Lanesborough, and Ridley Hymas who similarly passed through the Lanesborough String Scheme.

Ten years is a long time, but a mere blink of an eye when learning something as difficult as a string instrument and it is so rewarding to see boys grow from small beginnings to Tchaikovsky and beyond.

Nicola Benedetti visits the Primary School

THE JOINT SCHOOLS’ CHAMBER CHOIR The academic year started early for the Joint Schools’ Chamber Choir with our first visit to Westminster Abbey to sing Evensong in August. This was followed by evensongs in Keble College, Oxford in November and a

return visit to St Paul’s Cathedral in March. The choir maintained its standard of excellence throughout the year and celebrated its outstanding achievements with a fantastic tour to Tuscany in July.

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OPERA IN THE COURTYARD Basking under clear blue skies and melting in two of the hottest days of the year so far, two audiences were treated to wonderful performances of John Blow’s Venus and Adonis. Ridley Hymas performed the role of Adonis, and his mournful final lament was captured outstandingly. The School was delighted to welcome back Bethan Thomas, who took the role of Venus, and Matthew Sargent, who reprised his role of Cupid.

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR There are four music competitions each year, but the Steynor Prize for The RGS Musician of the Year is undoubtedly the most important and each year the contest provides one of the most memorable musical events of the school calendar. This year, out of a first round of sixteen pupils, six finalists competed for the award. There were quite remarkably assured performances from all the finalists: Philip Bowler (voice), Eddie Emmett (flute), Ridley Hymas (cello), Sam Jones (piano), Stan Lawrence (trumpet) and Roshan Patel (piano), but in the end the adjudicator chose Philip Bowler’s remarkably mature and warm bass voice recital as the winning performance.

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D

n ig es

Elliot Latham (recipient of the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship), Fifth Form: Garden tools storage:

T

y og ol hn ec

How best to clean your dog’s legs?

What about a brush with a hole that you put the whole leg through?

Brilliant. concept courtesy: William Lawson: Fifth Form.

d an

“This project has been a success. I completed it on time and it completely fulfills the specification. It works very well in the garden environment. In many cases it succeeds the specification for example: it has to withstand winds of up to 20 mph and it could withstand much higher. It is completed to a very high standard and the individually components look fantastic. I am very happy with how it looks and the colour scheme.

However there are some weaknesses to my project. Although it is stable enough to withstand high winds it may not survive force from a human if pushed with enough force.

t gh

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d en

nitor. mo by

t Engineering S ch igh r w

ame: 5th Form ,B nG a ha

I was really n happy with the ldi o f : final look of my baby 6 l monitor, apart from some g an F defects around the edges of the n Tia 3D printed parts. The units worked smoothly and perfectly, and synchronized together. When the infant started to roll around, the monitor detected this noise and signalled to the other monitor (placed in the parents’ bedroom) which glowed orange.

Et hip) s r ola

d oo w g

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“The design of my dressing table allows me to easily move it through narrow doorways and up stairs because it comes apart. It is designed for speedy assembly and my client put it together in ten minutes. I was inspired by modernist designs of the past. The final design evolved largely through making models.”

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This phone holder was inspired by a boat crashing over a wave. The project went well as it fullfiled every point in the specification and most of the newer phones are compatible. It is designed for phones to be propped up and protected when in use.

Design a product which helps cyclists carry heavy tools to fix their bike in a way that doesn’t uncomfortably obstruct the rider.

Charlie Goldring, 5th form: Automatic Cat Feeder.

Cat feeder with timed, motorised opening and closing covers to the food pots.

tic

ous : Ac

ck

-Re art u t nS

. ele

l Uku

m for d r ,3 ling

My inspiration Se for my ukulele was the copyright symbol: ©, hence the laser etched © in the soundboard. To add some color and pop, I covered it in colorful stickers which also signified the brand: “Supreme”, which has been talked about as one of the most popular brands on the teen clothing market but also as its copyrights have failed it, allowing many replicas to be made legally and other brands to capitalize on the brand name. Throughout the design phase and the making process I learned many useful manufacturing and design techniques.

The

tia bas

tools need to be easily accessible whilst not compromising the riding experience.

Bic sy ycle Bla ste t c m ool km . sto ore D ra , A ani ge Le el ve l:

.

Oscar Smith 2nd form: Boat Phone Holder

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It needs to store a range of tools and spares for a wide range of problems a cyclist might encounter.

DRAMA

We have had a packed schedule of events in Drama this year; the splendidly slick and fun-filled Michaelmas production of Emil and the Detectives showcasing some very talented and keen young actors. In the same term, our GCSE and A Level Drama cohorts produced their practical devised pieces, which revealed tremendous creativity and imaginative responses to the tasks. Oddly enough, both pieces explored dysfunctional, totalitarian societies with great style, aplomb and humour.

Onto the Lent Term where the joint Guildford High School and RGS Biennial Musical Rent was hosted at RGS. This was a brave and brilliant choice; marrying entertainment and stunning performances with heart-rending and thought-provoking issues. A real highlight of the year. This term also saw the A Level and GCSE boys produce their scripted scenes for examination. GCSE boys performed extracts from three plays: Equus by Peter Shaffer, A Bucket of Eels by Robert Holman and A Butcher of Distinction by Rob Hayes. A Level boys performed extracts from Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Both groups of students produced excellent work that could only be described as polished, confident and assured. The Modern Foreign Languages Department staged Don Quixote, at the start of the term; a splendid Spanish frolic adapted from Cervantes with an impressive Spanish speaking cast.

In Trinity Term, an abridged and adapted version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Goes Wrong!) was performed in glorious sunshine on

the Headmaster’s Lawn as a fitting and fun end to our performance year.

Alongside productions, there were exciting co-curricular opportunities for groups of boys.

The Field Days included practical trauma stage make up with Kate Griffiths (ever popular for the unbelievably gory effects) and a workshop

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MARRYING ENTERTAINMENT AND STUNNING PERFORMANCES WITH HEART-RENDING AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING ISSUES

ten-minute script which they have to cast and rehearse before the day. The resultant performances are judged on quality of acting and directing and we were very pleased to have William Pinhey (OG) return as our guest judge.

by Kill the Beast Theatre company on creating theatrical comic horror. Students used one of the Field Days to create, rehearse, film and edit a short “documentary” on a pertinent issue that boys in the Lower School might find interesting.

Two theatre trips to see The Trench and then The Curious Case of Benjamin Button both at the Southwark Playhouse were great examples of imaginative and unusual work. The Trench used physical theatre and was entirely written inverse whilst Benjamin Button was a Celtic musical! The final Field Day allowed the Lower Sixth boys to create their own “silent movie” in a day, mirroring the Second Form House drama competition.

House Drama this year followed the winning formula of the Second Form using Field Day Five to work in House groups with six professional mime artists leading them to create a “silent movie” in a day. The resulting quirky performances were judged in the afternoon with prizes and House points being awarded. House drama for the rest of the year groups took place on the final Friday of term. The format for this involves Lower Sixth boys being allocated through a lottery a short

Boys who were interested and motivated to discover more about the craft of playwriting signed up at the start of the year to New Views; The National Theatre’s annual competition to coach and encourage new writing. We were very pleased that Olly Pinhey’s play Hypnic Jerks made it to the long list. Olly was subsequently invited to a Masterclass day to work with established playwrights at the National Theatre in September, as his writing was deemed to show much promise.

As part of the GCSE and A Level provision the Drama department take pupils to a wide range of plays. This year we saw The Trench, The Jungle (Playhouse Theatre), Hadestown (National Theatre), A Very Very Very Dark Matter (The Bridge), The Unreturning (Chichester Theatre), Jesus Hopped the A Train (Young Vic), The Animals and Children Took to The Streets (Lyric Theatre), Bouncers (Guildford Fringe Festival), Stones in His Pockets (Yvonne Arnaud).

We also had a specialist workshop leader (from the original West End cast) to work with the GCSE boys on their set text The 39 Steps.

LAMDA results are again excellent this year with over fifty boys achieving the top grades in public speaking and acting exams.

Junior Drama has been ever popular with a core group of younger boys who unfailingly turn up every week for creative and fun games and improvisation sessions.

NCM

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EMIL & THE DETECTIVES Our Michaelmas production this year was Emil and the Detectives. The challenge in putting on this production was how to capture the bustling energy of a huge city and tell the story of a little country boy who chases a villain across the width of Berlin by train, foot, tram, bike and into the depths of sewers. Therefore, as a chorus of actors we used physical theatre to create a human body tram, umbrellas to create the train, suitcases for the taxis and hula hoops and torches for the sewers.

The ensemble actors Thomas Postance, Hugh Crutwell, Malacky Doyle, William Hargreaves and Samuel Heatley were excellent in taking on the roles of the children drawn into Emil’s gang against Mr Snow whilst providing a backdrop to 1920s metropolitan Germany.

Emil played fantastically throughout by Gabriel Meadowcroft opened the show by defacing the statue of Duke Augustus a crime that haunts his character throughout the play. Alex Vale played Inglebert Tischbein Emil’s father with a gentle softness that perfectly portrayed his worry for his son travelling to Berlin unaccompanied.

Ronan Lenane was incredibly funny in the comic role of Mrs Wirth describing vividly to Emil how “delinquents and hoodlums” will “slice the clothes right off your back” in Berlin.

On the journey to Berlin, Emil meets two old ladies, Mrs Jackob played by Reuben Anthony and Mrs Keuchen played by Charlie BuchananRobinson, and a goat called Heinrick played

by Kurt Brodersen. These comic performances brought a light hearted relief in contrast to the evil villain Mr Snow excellently portrayed by Alejandro Scholfield Perez who brought out Mr Snow’s fiendish and vile nature superbly.

Along the way Emil collects Berlin children who enter his gang of detectives to thwart the dastardly Mr Snow. James Majumdar who played Toots, Joss Beedie playing Pony, Jack Fuller as the Professor, Parus Mehra as Tuesday, Zach Khan as Hilde, Charles Robertshaw as Arnie, Christian O’Connor as Silent Isaac, Jack Williams as Petzold and Hugo Maguire as Gerda.

Fantastic performances all round as they each brought their quirky characters to life with exceptional acting.

“

THE DESIGN CONCEPT TOOK INSPIRATION FROM GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM

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The older members of the cast brought the adult world of Berlin to life brilliantly with Aaron Venter comically portraying Grandma, Oliver Robinson playing Mr Schlesinger & Mr Tuesday, Kurt Brodersen as Mrs Tuesday & Bank Guard, Gabriel Levesque as Officer Weiss & Mr Gans, Omid Hariri as The Man from the 177 Tram, Vinny Conquest as Mr Kloss and Benji Chapman as Mr Zettle.

To aid the sense of awe and intrigue Emil has of this huge city the design concept took inspiration from German Expressionism an artistic movement that reached its peak in Berlin during the 1920s. Dr Whall, Mrs Besly-Quick and Dr McEwan worked tirelessly to dress the cast in authentic costumes capturing the rural

countryside of Neustadt and the bleakness and grayscale of a great bustling city. Mr Kelly and Mr John of the technology department spent hours creating the stylistic set making hotel doors that spin, expressionistic lampposts on wheels that could be moved into different positions to represent all the different streets of Berlin, and perspective bending flats that gave depth to the stage drawing the audiences’ eyes into the world of the play.

Finally, the performance could not have run as smoothly without the incredible input from the backstage and technical teams run by Peter Carvell, Sam Rooke, Seb Norris, Sacha Meadowcroft, James Turner, Benedict Cox, Ewan Franklin and Jim Reid. A last but not least mention to Ms McClean for being an excellent assistant director and backstage crowd controller and also to the work of staff who volunteered to help in various roles as ushers and front of house.

SJC

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MODERN LANGUAGES This year has been one of exciting changes for The RGS Languages Department. Not only did we move upstairs to our new, shiny floor with a beautiful view over Guildford but also welcomed a number of new members of the department. It was a busy year for language students at The RGS, as they had available to them a full programme of cultural opportunities to allow them to explore many aspects of ‘language’ alongside the more formal, academic side of the subject. Below are just a few highlights of what has gone on: In the first half term of the school year, the Lower Sixth language students, alongside 20 students from Tormead took part in the annual Lower Sixth Modern Languages Conference.

Our keynote speaker was Miss Rena Smith who works as Digital & Social Media Editor at Elite Model Look, a model contest run in 35 countries

by Elite Model Management; Rina gave an enlightening overview of the benefits of being able to speak languages in the workplace.

Following the talks, the students took part in some group discussions, analysing literature extracts in their chosen A-level language with a view to making the prospect of studying literature in the Upper Sixth less daunting.

Also aimed at Sixth Form linguists, the Modern Foreign Language Debating Society has continued to flourish, headed up by Mrs Wilson.

Debating is a skill central to confident and persuasive communication and to do it in the foreign language shows a real willingness for the students to step outside of their comfort zone to further their speaking and critical thinking skills. A number of Sixth Form linguists met at lunchtimes to pit their spoken spontaneity against one another, and also travelled to Reeds and Alleyn’s where they tested themselves against their counterparts at other local schools. In addition, The RGS hosted its own speed-dating event in January with students coming from Reeds, Tormead and St Catherine’s and which was

followed by a Spanish tapas meal at ‘De Nada’ in Guildford. Those that took part in MFL debating club remarked on how much more fluent they had become as a result of their involvement.

In the first half of the Lent term, First Form students of French and Spanish and Third Form students of German once again had the chance to enjoy the fantastic foreign language plays put on by Onatti Productions which were, as ever, as amusing as they were good for the boys’ language. Also in the Lent term, there was a very packed week of languages activities to mark our ‘Languages Week’ which takes place in March. It kicked off with the First Form singing competition (1P won the French and 1E won the Spanish) as well as the Sixth Form photo description challenge (won

by Germanist Eddie Emmett). On the same day the top five performers for each language in the IGCSE mocks took part in the ‘linguist of the year’ competition which involved some tricky translations as well as an interview of unpredictable questions from the language assistants (Theo Lakin won for French, Ollie Jones for Spanish and Ruben Berstecher for German). On the Wednesday, 15 girls from County joined 15 of our Third and Fourth Form boys for a merengue dance class led by Mr Baker and our Spanish assistant, Marta. The group were very enthusiastic and made great progress once they relaxed! In addition, Mr Lemaire ran

a fun ‘spot the language’ competition open to all students. On the Friday, Mr Marchiafava put together an outstanding Field Day 3 for the Second Form which offered a variety of experiences related to language and culture: the activities included sushi making, sign-language class, African drumming and a virtual reality tour of famous world sites.

In the summer term, Mr Marchiafava was also responsible for masterminding the outstanding Modern Foreign Language production of Don Quijote. Preparation for this immersive ‘three hundred and sixty-degree’ production started almost a year ago and the huge amount of work that went in was really evident from the performances. The originality of the sets, meticulous stage direction, the original transitions aided by some hilarious ‘video 6th Form MFL debating

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interludes’, and the quality of the actors’ spoken Spanish made this a really engrossing experience for the audience. Here is an extract from the official review:

“Based on the classic seventeenth-century novel by Miguel de Cervantes, the story of Don Quijote de la Mancha tells of a noble man who decides to bring the age of chivalry back to Spain. The novel has a very strong element of the ridiculous to it and this production embraced the fun-factor to the full… Alejandro Scholfield Perez was perfectly cast as the deluded, ageing eponymous hero with just the right amount of nuttiness; Parus Mehra as the subservient and fiercely loyal squire Sancho provided the perfect foil. Among a number of stand-out performances, narrator Gabriel Levesque knitted the story seamlessly together and Benjamin Chapman irresistibly portrayed the coquettish, skittish damsel in distress. The soundtrack by the phenomenally talented Tom Jones on guitar took the audience on a musical journey from the up-tempo and flamboyant to the moody and sultry sounds of Spain. Delicious eccentricity simmered close to the surface throughout and the sense of fun was very much in evidence: everything from hobby horses to a performing lion, from human windmill onesies to a mule driver singing the School Hymn, To be a pilgrim. The climax to the play provided a fitting finale of the absurd, and yet also the touching and the emotive, as Don Quijote is defeated and dies.”

As well as drama opportunities, we have continued to be able to offer a full range of extracurricular languages with plenty of new students signing up for lessons in Russian, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese. A number of students who have had classes for a while have gone on to gain qualifications in their chosen extra-curricular language. There has also been a regular Manga club led by Mrs McQuillan and she deserves special thanks for enabling some of her Japanese students to take part in a number of other Japanese events: the first one was an trip

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Sword fighting at the Rikkyo Japanese school

to GLive to watch the Taiko drumming show called Passion by Yamato Drummers of Japan.

She also took a small group of 6 students to the Rikkyo Japanese school in Rudgwick. The boys spent the day joining in with regular classes in the morning and then after lunch they had some displays of traditional Japanese martial arts and culture such as kendo sword fighting.

Finally, a number of the boys entered a UK-wide speech competition for learners of Japanese.

James Harper Jones’ speech was selected as to go through to the final held at the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies at the University of Oxford.

This year, the French Department welcomed two maternity cover teachers, Mr Clarke and Madame McLoughlin as well as Anne-Marie, our first ever Quebecoise languages assistant and we are very grateful for their hard work.

There have also been a number of important French-specific events: In October, the Upper

6th Form -French Trip to see The Jungle

Sixth boys studying A Level French went to see the acclaimed production of The Jungle at the Playhouse Theatre, London. This was an extraordinary production with the inside of the theatre transformed into the café tables of an Afghan restaurant in the heart of “Dzhangal”(a Pashto word meaning forest). Actors surrounded and wove through the audience in a totally immersive experience introducing the audience to the life stories of the migrants from Eritrea, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Congo and Syria.

Mrs Smith commented that “The cast were superb at capturing the desperation, hope, violence and humour of the situation and the piece exposed and detonated some of the myths that the media pedalled at the time about the camp.” The boys on the visit were genuinely moved and inspired by the play. As part of the A Level course they study contemporary French political issues including immigration, and watching the play ignited a genuine interest and desire to understand the issues in depth. One

6th form Spanish trip to Seville - The Alcazar

pupil commented after the trip: “…to understand the psychological problems that were caused by the trauma experienced by so many young people was extremely powerful”.

In December, boys in the Lower Sixth studying French A Level went to the BFI for a French film study day. The boys, accompanied by Miss Spencer and Mr Clarke, enjoyed a stimulating day studying key social themes in contemporary dramas, partly influenced by the Nouvelle Vague. Conducted in French, the morning session’s clip-based presentation introduced the themes which deal with present social issues whilst acknowledging the past. Truffaut’s seminal Les 400 Coups (1959) and Varda’s less well-known Cleo de 5 à 7 (1962) were compared to contemporary films which present current social issues of class and ethnic divisions, such as Kassovitz’s La Haine (1995) and Cantet’s Entre les Murs (2008). Through exploring key scenes and applying textual analysis, the students extended their vocabulary while improving their understanding of film language.

After an enjoyable lunch on the South Bank, the boys watched one of the films discussed in the morning and then joined in a Q&A session.

The German Department has also seen some fresh faces this year: in September we were delighted to welcome Mr Yardley to the German Department from Dulwich College in Shanghai as well as our new German Language Assistant, Robin Meinert, who joined us for the year from Hamburg. We were also very grateful to Mr Hosier who returned straight after retiring to do two days a week as part of the Head of German’s maternity cover. Following on from our successful Third and Fourth Form visit to Koblenz at the end of last year, highlights of the year for the German Department include the Fourth and Fifth Form History and German trip to Berlin, the Lower Sixth Film Study Day at the BFI, the A Level Study Day at St George’s College Weybridge, and the German Department’s first forays into Speed Debating.

In addition, thanks to funding from the Goethe Institute, Sixth Form Germanist Eddie Emmett attended a fully funded work experience

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placement at industrial engineering company Fima in Schwäbisch-Hall. We hope that others will follow in his footsteps.

cultural context of the topics and texts they are studying, as well as a taste of the life of an MFL university student.

In October approximately thirty History and German students travelled to Berlin for an exciting whistle stop tour of the city’s key historical sites, including the Olympic Stadium, the Holocaust Memorial, the TV tower and the Hohenschönhausen prison where they were privileged to be given a tour by a former political prisoner of the GDR. There were plenty of opportunities to taste the Berlin cuisine (Döner Kebabs and Currywurst proving firm favourites), and for the Germanists to put their language skills into practice. The BFI Study Day at the end of the Michaelmas Term came at the perfect moment for the Lower Sixth who have been studying Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Oscar-winning Stasi spy film ‘Das Leben der Anderen’. The day offered a fascinating overview of the development of German cinema before sharpening the students’ expertise at scene, character and plot analysis in German.

It was a busy year for the Spanish Department in terms of trips. In the October half term, 31 Fourth and Fifth Form boys went to Madrid to take part in a variety of activities: three mornings of Spanish lessons, a morning at a local School, cultural visits every afternoon and daily speaking challenges to practise their Spanish.

Fifth Formers James Bailey and Mylo Farnham delivered a presentation about The RGS to the Spanish school before everyone took part in the speaking activities, including a school tour and a ‘speed dating’-style language exchange with the Spanish students. The afternoon visits included a guided tour of the Royal Palace, a traditional chocolatería, rowing on the lake in El Retiro park, a taster Flamenco lesson and a trip to Toledo; with its multiple architecture styles this last visit was a real insight into the varied and rich cultural heritage of Spain. James Bailey’s comments at the end of the trip summed it up nicely: “Cuando el avión llegó en Inglaterra, todos nos sentimos muy cansados ¡pero habíamos disfrutado de un viaje fenomenal y no me cabe ninguna duda de que me encantaría volver a Madrid.”

We were very grateful to the staff of St George’s College Weybridge and King’s College London for organising their inaugural A Level German Study Day in January which perfectly complemented the A Level German syllabus.

Through university-style lectures and seminars, the boys gained a deeper awareness of the

“

STAYING WITH LOCAL FAMILIES GAVE THE STUDENTS A CHANCE TO FULLY IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN SPANISH LIFE, BOTH LINGUISTICALLY AND CULTURALLY.

In the Easter holidays, 13 Sixth Form Spanish students travelled to Seville for a homestay trip.

Staying with local families gave the students a chance to fully immerse themselves in Spanish life, both linguistically and culturally.

The first day of the trip was spent at the “IES Hepatia” school where the Spanish students did presentations on the different festivals in Andalucía as well as teaching our boys to dance ‘Sevillanas’. The boys really clicked with some of the students and the group met up with them on several occasions later in the week. There were two mornings of language tuition and the

4th and 5th form trip to Madrid - this photo in Toledo

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afternoons were spent exploring the many sites, sounds and flavours of the city; some highlights included included climbing La Giralda (the bell tower of La Catedral de Sevilla which was once a minaret), exploring the Alcazar palace, meeting up with their new Spanish friends at the Plaza de España, a guided tour of the iconic Maestranza bull ring, flamenco dancing, churros con chocolate and tapas tasting. On the final day, they took a trip to Cadiz, a small town on the Coast of Spain where they enjoyed some football on the beach before the flight home.

The final Spanish-specific event of the year was the Fourth Form trip to La Casita restaurant in Guildford organised by Mrs Rathmell. Twentytwo boys enjoyed a delicious Spanish meal, trying a variety of tapas such as patatas bravas, chorizo, queso manchego, calamares and porras. Boys ordered their drinks and discussed the food in Spanish, practising useful IGCSE vocabulary. Fortunately, none of the vocabulary used to complain was needed!

6th form Spanish students on beach in Cádiz

CLASSICS The year begun with an outstanding performance of the Classics play, Sophocles’ Antigone, directed

by Old Guildfordian Matthew Sargeant. Memorable performances included Jack Feakes playing the cold and authoritarian King Creon, Ollie Taylor’s impetuous and principled Antigone, and Paddy Merritt’s humorous rendition of the blind prophet Teiresias.

Creon and Teiresias in Antigone

The boys’ performance was faultless and included some impressive odes in the original Greek by the Chorus, but what I remember most about the play was the sheer joy and camaraderie among the boys that was so evident for all to see.

Bob Bass, the father of RGS’s Mr. Bass, addressing the Classics Society

The RGS hosted the Guildford Classical Association opening party in September in which Professor Edith Hall, from King’s College London, gave us a lesson on how best to survive the trials and tribulations of 21st Century living following the advice of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. In November, Professor Tim Whitmarsh, from Cambridge University, talked about how Homer’s poetry may have been performed in ancient times. Mr. Bob Bass, father of our own JARB and a Classics teacher in Suffolk, addressed the Classics Society on

The cast of the Classics play, Antigone

The 2nd Form enjoying the Field Day at the Roman Baths in Bath

the pronunciation of Latin and Greek. The talk was fascinating and taught us all, pupils and staff alike, about how Classics languages may have been spoken in ancient times. In the everpopular Junior Classics Society sessions, the boys enjoyed watching Classical videos, learning Italian for the Classics trip to Italy, playing Classical games and, of course, eating the refreshments provided.

Trips are the perfect way to bring the study of Classics to life and the Classics Department went on several trips, both inside and outside of the UK. The First Form visited Fishbourne and Bignor on Field Day 5, learning about how King Cogidubnus enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in his Roman Palace at Fishbourne and how an ancient community lived a more modest agricultural way of life at Bignor. These trips tie in perfectly with the boys’ study of the Cambridge Latin Course and supplement their

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studies in the classroom. The Second Form visited the Roman Baths of Aquae Sulis in Bath, and saw at first hand that the baths were far more than a way of keeping clean, but were the social, religious and cultural centre of the region.

The highlight of the year, however, must be the Junior Classics trip to Italy. 87 pupils and 10 staff set out to the Rome and the Bay of Naples in the first week of the Easter holidays.

The boys had a whistle-stop tour of Classical Rome taking in the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Forum, the Circus Maximus and the Baths of Caracalla. The boys also visited the best of renaissance Rome, visiting the Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain.

The hotel was conveniently situated near the Vatican City and on the first evening we visited

Mrs. Besly-Quick and the Second Form in the amphitheatre in Pompeii.

St. Peter’s Basilica which was beautifully lit up. After two nights in Rome we made our way down to the Bay of Naples stopping at the Villa D’Este on the way. The villa is famed for its gardens and water features and the beautiful views over the rolling hills of Tivoli. In the Bay of Naples the world of Caecilius was brought alive with a trip to Pompeii where the boys saw the well-preserved theatre, amphitheatre, forum, baths and numerous villas. Other trips in the Bay of Naples included Herculaneum, where the ancient houses are preserved to an even greater extent than Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius, the Archaeological Museum in Naples, the third largest amphitheatre in Italy at Pozzuoli and the archaeological site of Cumae near the ancient entrance to the Underworld. On the final day we

On the way to the top of Mount Vesuvius

At the Colosseum

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The Junior Classics general knowledge team in action On the street in Pompeii

visited the picturesque island of Capri, where we explored the Villa Iovis, the emperor Tiberius’ villa and the boys had time to explore the shops and try out the Italian ice cream. The trip was a great success, helped by the amazing sites and the enthusiasm of the boys and staff.

The Classics Department also took part in a number of regional Classical competitions. We competed in the Guildford Classical Association Classics reading competition held this year at St. Catherine’s Bramley. The boys worked hard in the weeks before the competition to prepare their passages of Latin and Greek and their efforts paid off as all the groups performed very well and I was pleased to see how much they enjoyed taking part. Particular mention goes to Alex Norris who won the Greek solo and came second in the Latin solo competition. Seb Norris

also competed in the Greek solo and came second, securing a double for the Norris family.

The Fourth Form pairing of Aradhya Soneja and Leo Kamstra impressed the judges with their excellent pronunciation and overall performance as they secured second place. We also competed in and hosted the Certamen Classics general knowledge quiz. The boys had a great afternoon and enjoyed the cut and thrust of the quiz. Both our junior and senior teams made it to the finals and the junior team made up of Zac Warham, Matthew Turner, Marcus Woodhouse were victorious in the junior age group.

My thanks go to both the staff and boys for their hard work and enthusiasm both in and out of the classroom for making this year such a success.

EKDB

The Classics General Knowledge Team Winners

The Classics Reading Competition competitors

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MALLISON LIBRARY As usual, the Library has organised and promoted a number of events aimed at encouraging reading and writing throughout the school. This year’s Trinity Schools Book Awards ceremony clashed with Field Day and so only two boys attended; Aidan Crouch takes up the story: “The RGS’s competition entries included my creative response to Ink and a book review

by Josh McGillivray. On 15 March, Josh and I accompanied Mrs Farthing to the Trinity School Book Awards ceremony at Caterham School.

Four of the six short-listed authors were there to answer questions and sign copies of their books. Alice Broadway and Paul Dowswell were announced as joint winners of the award and prizes were also awarded to the pupils that had won in both categories. It was interesting to see the other schools’ entries, particularly in the creative response category as these included poems, paintings, sculptures and a book made of ‘skin’! I also enjoyed meeting Frances Hardinge and getting her to sign my copy of The Lie Tree.”

For Valentine’s Day, the Second Form wrote a mixture of heartfelt and hilarious love letters between pairs of literary and other characters, while a number of boys of all ages bravely embarked on a Blind Date With A Book. A small but enthusiastic group of staff and senior boys enjoyed reading and discussing the varied shortlist for the Wellcome Book Prize, so we plan to repeat and perhaps expand that activity this year. Once again staff across the school entered into the spirit of World Book Day in

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March and dressed up as characters from Adventure stories, while eager boys raced across the school to try to find all the participants in the English Department’s character hunt.

Meanwhile we welcomed two very different authors into school: Simon James Green spoke to Fourth Form boys about his hilarious coming-of-age book Noah Can’t Even, and met members of RGS Pride and others in the Library at lunchtime. Karen McCombie entertained the First Form and visiting primary school children with an engaging talk about her work as a journalist on teen magazines, and about her move into novel-writing, most recently her historical story Little Bird Flies. In the creative writing competition linked to Karen’s visit, Lucas Jensen-Mongiello won the prize for the best story about a journey.

The extension of regular Library lessons and reading challenges to all of the First, Second and Third Forms has made this a busy year in the Library, but it has been wonderful to see so many more boys reading for pleasure. In order to achieve his Platinum Award in the First Form Reading Challenge, William Holmes summed up the values of reading for all of us:​

STRESS REDUCTION

“MENTAL STIMULATION

KNOWLEDGE

Studies have shown that reading and being mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or prevent) Alzheimer’s and dementia since keeping your brain active stops it losing its power.

No matter how much stress you have at work, school or countless other issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a good book. A well-written book can transport you to other realms and distract you from tensions so you can relax.

Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information and you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge you have the better equipped you’ll be for any challenge you face.

MEMORY IMPROVEMENT When you read a book you have to remember lots of characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history, etc. as well as sub-plots. That is quite a lot, however our brains still manage easily. Every memory you make forges new synapses (brain pathways) which strengthen the existing ones.

BETTER FOCUS AND CONCENTRATION On the internet our attention is drawn in a million different directions at once, like checking emails, chatting etc. When you read a book all of your attention is on the book.”

TFF

I got, the clearer I could see; tall mountains with different colours moulding together to the top, purple trees shedding leaves, massive turtle-like creatures with vegetation on their shells, acting as moving hills. I dodged jellyfish that changed colour with every pulse as I cascaded towards the ground.

I curled into a ball to maximise the chance of survival from the impact with the ground; I had been so mesmerised by the wonders of this neverseen-before planet that I had almost ignored the frightful danger that I was about to encounter. I braced myself for what could very well be my end.

My life flashed before me; every thought I’ve had since I was an infant rehearsed itself in my mind.

I felt the rough ground beneath me and everything stopped. That was my last memory.

I shot up from my lying position - only to realise what terrible mistake I had made. Sharp pain surged through my body and I slumped back again; every muscle, bone and ligament was roaring with unimaginable agony. Using my fingers, I slowly explored the terrain on which I now rested, feeling every bump and corner of the earthly moisture.

The ground was rough at the feel but morbid and soft (probably why I was alive to see the present day).

Karen McCombie and Lucas Jensen-Mongiello

A JOURNEY TO ANOTHER WORLD

Being careful not to do any sudden movements, I slowly got up and begun to trudge through the marsh-like ground, a bit like walking through snow.

A 500 word story by Lucas Jensen-Mongiello 1E I gingerly walked towards it, my palms damp and sweaty. Every cautious step I took, the more intrigued I become. Step by step, coming closer and closer to this unnatural force beckoning me forth. Like a moth attracted to a flame, I fell in and the world as I knew it disappeared.

Everything went black. I turned round and round whimpering in fear. I shouted at the top of my lungs in hope that someone was to acknowledge me and come to my needs of escaping this

horrid place, but in return, silence. I was alone.

Suddenly, to my shock, a blinding light broke the darkness in the eerie chamber that I was in. I felt a pull towards the light - stronger than when I was still in my backyard, this time more like a sense of gravity.

I was falling. Hurtling through the air like a meteorite, coming down on a planet with maximum velocity. A land - no, planet seemed to be getting bigger and bigger, nearer and nearer. The closer

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It was now night but there were plenty of light sources, most of which were creatures; fluorescent snake-like organisms slithered past my feet. I flinched at first, however, it didn’t take me long to stand and admire its sheer beauty.

Then there were the stars, miniscule specs of a wide variety of colours shimmering in the sky.

I wasn’t able to identify any constellations or patterns amongst them so I couldn’t be on Earth, but something inside told me it was alright.

SENIOR PRIZE WINNERS PRIZE

YR

NAME

PRIZE

YR

NAME

Art

4

Scholfield Perez, Alejandro

History

5

Farrant, Jack

Biology

4

Sutton, Matthew (Mattie)

Mathematics

5

Watkins, Ben

Chemistry

4

Haque, Thaqib

Modern Languages

5

Moody, Christian

Classical Languages

4

Norris, Sebastian

Music

5

Jones, Thomas (Tom)

Design and Technology

4

Soneja, Aradhya

Physical Education

5

Wyllie, Luke

English

4

Chapman, Benjamin (Benji)

Physics

5

Florescu, Andrew

Geography

4

Patel, Dilan K

Religion and Philosophy

5

Gamble, Jack

History

4

Levesque, Gabriel

Art

5

Zhang, Jiechen (Jackie)

Mathematics

4

Osborough, Edward

Clubs and Societies

5

Gamble, Jack

Modern Languages

4

Jones, Alexander (Alex)

Drama

5

Meadowcroft, Sacha

Music

4

Pemberton, Joe

Major Sport

5

Turrell, Henry

Physical Education

4

Doyle, Jack

Minor Sport

5

Beaghan, Samuel (Sam)

Physics

4

Al Jenabi, Arthur

Music

5

Lawrence, Stanley (Stan)

Religion and Philosophy

4

van Eykenhof, Luke

Service / Community / Charity

5

Watkins, Ben

Clubs and Societies

4

Rooke, Samuel (Sam)

Austen

5

Atara, Omeet

Drama

4

Scholfield Perez, Alejandro

Beckingham

5

Lavery, Joshua (Josh)

Major Sport

4

Doyle, Barney

Hamonde

5

Moody, Christian

Minor Sport

4

Shaw, Matthew (Matt)

Nettles

5

Goel, Anish

Music

4

Dye, Sebastian (Seb)

Powell

5

Bryant, Joseph (Joe)

Service / Community / Charity

4

Rathmell, Richard (Oli)

Valpy

5

Varoujian, Casper

Austen

4

Perryman, Toby

Beckingham

4

Ali, Faaiq

Art

L6

Coombs, Milo

Hamonde

4

Duggan, Lawrence

Biology

L6

Miller, James

Nettles

4

Toulson, Dylan

Chemistry

L6

de la Court-Wakeling, Benjamin

Powell

4

Naharki, Suyog

Classical Languages

L6

Norris, Alexander

Valpy

4

Norris, Sebastian

Design and Technology

L6

Fang, Yuntian (Tian)

Art

5

Philp, Cameron (Cam)

Drama

L6

Taylor, Oliver (Ollie)

Biology

5

Berstecher, Ruben

Economics

L6

Dandanayak, Utkarsh

Chemistry

5

Nigrelli, Salvatore

English

L6

Jordan, William (Billy)

Classical Languages

5

Murphie, Alastair

Further Maths

L6

Rajan, Conor

Design and Technology

5

Latham, Elliott

Geography

L6

Lonie, Freddie

Drama

5

Field, Joseph (Joe)

History

L6

Pyper, James

English

5

Jones, Hugh

Mathematics

L6

Perkins, Oliver (Olly)

Geography

5

Thow, Alexander (Alex)

Modern Languages

L6

Nelson, Luke

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PRIZE

YR

NAME

PRIZE

YR

NAME

Music

L6

Miller, Angus

Music

U6

Jones, Samuel (Sam)

Physical Education

L6

Sweetland, Oliver (Ollie)

Physical Education

U6

Marchant, Harvey

Physics

L6

Heylen, Peter

Physics

U6

Floydd, Frederick (Freddie)

Politics

L6

Cherry, Alfred (Alfie)

Politics

U6

Edgecliffe-Johnson, Kit

Religion and Philosophy

L6

Spence, Henry

Religion and Philosophy

U6

Tench, George

Art

L6

Herridge, Maximillian (Max)

OG Memorial Prise

U6

Shahare, Aadi

Clubs and Societies

L6

Foster, Harry

Drama

U6

Janmohamed, Nathan

Drama

L6

Merritt, Patrick

Major Sport

U6

Eves, Thomas (Tom)

Major Sport

L6

Perceval, William (Will)

Minor Sport

U6

Doyle, Henry

Minor Sport

L6

Harris, Matthew (Matt)

Music

U6

Bowler, Philip

Music

L6

Wright, Jonathan

Service / Community / Charity

U6

Twine, Harrison (Harry)

Service / Community / Charity

L6

Rumler, Felix

Austen

U6

Gonella, Abhay

Austen

L6

Blanford, Harry

Beckingham

U6

McGrath, Harry

Beckingham

L6

Kershaw, Charles (Charlie)

Hamonde

U6

Rosevear, Dominic (Dom)

Hamonde

L6

Brett, Arthur (Roy)

Nettles

U6

Taylor, Ciaran

Nettles

L6

Pyper, James

Powell

U6

Ferguson, Edward

Powell

L6

Martyn, Jordan

Valpy

U6

Edgecliffe-Johnson, Kit

Valpy

L6

Dodds, Matthew (Matt)

Outstanding Academic Achievement: Arts

U6

McKenzie, James (Jamie)

Art

U6

Chua, Thomas

Grewal, Sahej

U6

Johnson, Gabriel

Outstanding Academic Achievement: Humanities

U6

Biology Chemistry

U6

Moores, Thomas (Tom)

U6

Elia, Salvatore

Classical Languages

U6

McKenzie, James (Jamie)

Outstanding Academic Achievement: Sciences

Design and Technology

U6

Blackmore, Daniel

Endeavour

U6

Bates, Thomas (Tom)

Economics

U6

Mayne, Harry

Ambassador

U6

Janmohamed, Nathan

English

U6

Galpin, Kieran

Extra-curricular Contribution

U6

Chua, Thomas

Electronics

U6

Bober-Irizar, Mikel

Senior Prefect Prize

U6

Mayne, Harry

Further Maths

U6

Grieve, Harry

Service to the School [Deputy School Captain]

U6

Tench, George

Geography

U6

Horton-Baker, Miles

Lovatt, Angus

U6

Saxena, Advay

Service to the School [Deputy School Captain]

U6

History Mathematics

U6

Patel, Roshan

U6

Atkinson, Oscar

Modern Languages

U6

Emmett, Edward (Eddie)

Service to the School [School Captain]

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JUNIOR PRIZE WINNERS FIRST FORM PRIZES:

Prizes for 2P

Prizes for 1C

Thomas Thevenon

2P

First Prize

Andrew Brett

1C

First Prize

Michael Wu

2P

Second Prize

Christian Downey

1C

Second Prize

Marcus Shields

2P

Progress Prize

Stuart Brown

1C

Progress Prize

Ferdinand Al-Qassab

2R

First Prize

Prizes for 2R

Prizes for 1E John Kershaw

1E

Joint First Prize

Callum Armstrong

2R

Second Prize

Rohan McCauley

1E

Joint First Prize

Nathan Cantor

2R

Progress Prize

James Majumdar

1E

Progress Prize

THIRD FORM PRIZES: Prizes for 3C

Prizes for 1L Thomas Postance

1L

First Prize

Oliver Liversedge

3C

First Prize

Charles Robertshaw

1L

Second Prize

William Wieland

3C

Second Prize

Thomas Stork

1L

Progress Prize

Darcy Elliott

3C

Progress Prize

Prizes for 3E

Prizes for 1P Samuel Fawcett

1P

First Prize

Alex Mitchell

3E

First Prize

James Dicker

1P

Second Prize

Richard Rathmell

3E

Second Prize

Oscar de Gentile-Williams

1P

Progress Prize

Teja Vejendla

3E

Progress Prize

Dominic Stagg

3L

First Prize

Aradhya Soneja

3L

Joint Second Prize

Matthew Shaw

3L

Joint Second Prize

Toby Perryman

3L

Progress Prize

Alexander Jones

3P

First Prize

Ishan Nathan

3P

Second Prize

Alejandro Scholfield Perez

3P

Progress Prize

Lawrence Duggan

3S

First Prize

Faaiq Ali

3S

Second Prize

Sebastian Dye

3S

Progress Prize

Matthew Sutton

3T

First Prize

Dilan Patel

3T

Second Prize

Thomas Sparshott

3T

Progress Prize

Prizes for 3L

Prizes for 1R Hanseng Zhang

1R

First Prize

Peter Jansen

1R

Joint Second Prize

Adam Wang

1R

Joint Second Prize

Gabriel Meadowcroft

1R

Progress Prize

Prizes for 3P

SECOND FORM PRIZES: Prizes for 2C James Aberdour

2C

First Prize

Alexander Atkinson

2C

Second Prize

Reuben Anthony

2C

Progress Prize

Prizes for 3S

Prizes for 2E Akos Paladi-Kovacs

2E

First Prize

Zed Law

2E

Second Prize

Julien Orthen

2E

Progress Prize

Prizes for 3T

Prizes for 2L Joseph Colton

2L

First Prize

Ben Cruttwell

2L

Second Prize

Thomas Humphreys

2L

Progress Prize

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ART PRIZES:

GAMES PRIZES:

Gabriel Correia

1P

First Form Prize

Stuart Brown

1C

Peter Hosier Prize for First Form

Michael Wu

2P

Second Form Prize

Oliver de Gentile-Williams

2L

Second Form Prize

Alexander Braithwaite

3C

Third Form Prize

Jack Doyle

3C

Third Form Prize

DRAMA PRIZES: Alexander Vale

2P

Second Form Prize

John Gray

3L

Third Form Prize

PRIZES for OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO HOUSE ACTIVITIES:

CREATIVE WRITING PRIZE: Dominic Stagg

3L

Max Windle

3L

Prize for Outstanding Contibution to House Activities

Matthew Warner

3L

Prize for Outstanding Contibution to House Activities

Austin Humphrey

3E

Prize for Outstanding Contibution to House Activities

Thomas Humphreys

2C

Prize for Outstanding Contibution to House Activities

Richard Rathmell

3E

Prize for Outstanding Contibution to House Activities

William Craven

3L

Prize for Outstanding Contibution to House Activities

Junior Prize for

DT PRIZE: Kiran Wright

3E

Junior School Prize

CHINESE PRIZE: Brandon Tan

2P

Prize for Oustanding Progress in

ARABIC PRIZE: Thomas Colby

3S

Prize for Outstanding Progress in

Alfred Doran

1C

Junior Music Prize

Callum Armstrong

2R

Junior Music Prize

Christian O’Conor

2P

Junior Music Prize

Matthew Turner

1L

Junior Music Prize

Charles Robertshaw

1L

Intermediate Music Prize

James Dicker

1P

Intermediate Music Prize

MUSIC PRIZES:

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SCHOLARSHIP

Our school was founded in 1509. In 1598 an alumnus, and at the time a Queen’s Coroner by the name of John Derrick made a legal deposition. In this first recorded reference to the sport of cricket – or possibly the infinitely more interesting sport of croquet, the provenance of which is still contested – he refers to himself in this most particular of ways.

Being a scholler in the ffree schoole of Guldeford, hee and diverse of his fellows did runne and play there at creckett and other plaies.

The most important clause of this sentence being, in my opinion, the one in which he refers to himself as a scholler.

In 1608 the first admission tests were introduced, along with the first fees. In 1691 Joseph Nettles left 11 acres of land, the rent from which was to be used for the maintenance of a scholar at Oxford or Cambridge and it was here that we inadvertently lost something of great value.

That value was encoded deep within the term Scholarship. By the 1530s in British English, the term scholarship was widely used to describe the ‘status of a scholar’ and 50 years later the word had taken on the meaning of a source of funds for the support of a scholar. As such, you were then only seen as a scholar, if you had a scholarship. It was here that we lost something the importance of which cannot be understated.

You only need look at so called ‘prestigious establishments’ to see the educational apartheid that results from privileging a selective few scholars and the rest not. Language is powerful.

It effects the way we think. It is the way we think.

If you study the etymology of the word Scholar, you find it was borrowed or derived from the original Greek Scholastes (σχολαστής). The word appears to have been originally defined as “one who lives at ease, man of leisure”. However, its use in classical literature is commonly more specific. In Plutarch’s Life of Brutus (part 3.2) Plutarch defines Brutus as “a young man

The Independent Learning Assignment Presentation Evening showcased the extraordinary work of the ten finalists as they provided seven-minute presentations of their projects. The finalists – five from the Arts and five from STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) – presented on everything from German politics to the mathematics of candy, from the flight of javelins to using machine learning to predict the length of taxi journeys. The level of scholarship and

addicted to letters”. “Addicted to letters” is a translation of the word σχολαστής. The word also appears in another of Plutarch’s ‘Parallel Lives’ in his Life of Cicero (part 3.2), the Roman orator.

Plutarch writes that Cicero “betook himself to a retired and contemplative life, associated with Greek scholars, and pursued his studies”. The Greek for “retired” is σχολαστήν, so it is clearly with connotations of devotion to learning. If I may then rather clumsily summarise its meaning through use: it is that used to describe one who uses their leisure time for learning or possibly the more modernist turn of phrase that of a love of learning. I prefer the former, it implies an active choice of spending time - the only truly important commodity we possess - in the continuous pursuit of understanding.

You need then only to have crossed the threshold of our school to know that Scholar is a far more accurate descriptor of the young men in our charge than that of pupil or student, but don’t hear what I’m not saying.

The hierarchical and chronological order of pupil, student, scholar is presupposed upon the modern definition of scholar. If one were to more apply change the tertiary level descriptor to master, then you could be a continuous scholar: a scholarly pupil, scholarly student and scholarly master. This allows scholarship to reclaim its proper definition as a habit, as a choice to be made, a way to spend one’s time wisely, as something attainable by all, and as an attitude rather than simply an endowment or gift in both the genetic or financial sense. You most likely need to be intelligent (however one defines that) to be a scholar, but just because you are intelligent does not make you a scholar; I’m sure you all know plenty of intelligent people for which this is true.

quality of presenting were both astonishing and humbling, and the judges comprising three RGS governors, debated long and hard before awarding the trophy. The eventual winners were, Samuel Jones (U6) in Arts category speaking on Method in madness: using religion to decipher Messiaen’s music, and Edward Ferguson (U6) in the STEM category delivering a talk entitled Can bioengineering and biomimicry be the solution to our medical and engineering problems?

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Language is powerful, it influences how we think: it is how we think, and It is my belief that simply referring to all our boys’ as Scholars is, whilst an incremental change that some may deem insignificant, a change nonetheless that will compound over time to significant effect.

We are what we describe ourselves to be, but more than that we are the product of our actions. If we act scholarly, if we talk scholarly and describe ourselves as such, then we are scholars. If we embody scholarship it will be contagious. Over time it will have a measurable effect on the collective outcome of our boys’, and not just on tests, although I believe this will be a happy biproduct, but - and because there is so much more to education than tests - more importantly in how our scholars orientate themselves in the world and derive meaning from excelling at their singular passions be that Music, Physics or Latin.

Scholarship is a habit, a way of spending your time, an aspirational attitude all should aim to acquire and definitively not something bestowed upon a select group of individuals.

This has been and continues to be my motivation for the rebranding of our Scholars’ Programme and the creation of a Programme for Scholarship. A programme that is founded upon the understanding that true equality of opportunity generates an extraordinary myriad of astonishing outcomes.

“ It is not knowledge, but the act of learning, not possession but the act of getting there, which grants the greatest enjoyment.”

Carl Friedrich Gauss

Mr CS Bradford Head of Scholarship

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A TRULY INSPIRATIONAL EVENING THAT REMINDS ME ONCE AGAIN WHY I AM SO PRIVILEGED AND PROUD TO WORK AT THE RGS - A TRUE DEMONSTRATION OF SCHOLARSHIP FOR ALL

ARTS AND HUMANITIES WINNER 2018 Samuel Jones Method in the madness: using religion to decipher Messiaen’s music.

Samuel Jones Method in the madness: using religion to decipher Messiaen’s music. Igor Stravinsky once exclaimed “All you need to write like him is a large bottle of ink”. This comment about the music of Olivier Messiaen resounds with many listeners. However, in this essay I have attempted to demonstrate that with an understanding of the composer’s religious beliefs and the socio-political context of the time, his work becomes far more coherent. Born in 1908 in Paris, Messiaen taught himself to play the piano at a young age and asked for opera vocal scores as Christmas presents! He went on to become an organist, ornithologist, composer and protagonist in the 20th century musical narrative. Out of the melting pot of influences upon him, his Catholic faith and time as a POW during WWII were the most compelling.

Together with his use of compositional tools and an unusual medical condition, we can begin to interpret and make greater sense of his work.

Samuel Jones

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THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO EDUCATION THAN TESTS - MORE IMPORTANTLY IN HOW OUR SCHOLARS ORIENTATE THEMSELVES IN THE WORLD AND DERIVE MEANING FROM EXCELLING AT THEIR SINGULAR PASSIONS

Edward Ferguson

STEM WINNER 2018 Edward Ferguson Can bioengineering and biomimicry be the solution to our medical and engineering problems?

Through the process known as natural selection, nature has designed its best, most efficient solutions available to adapt to the various environments that are imposed on it. Biomimicry is the idea of learning from natural design and reapplying it to solve our engineering problems, particularly in the field of bioengineering. This area is at the cutting edge of engineering and medicine-related research. I will introduce you to some of the developments in this fascinating area. Inspired by this, I conducted some of my own research in an attempt to mimic and perhaps improve on nature … you will see if I succeeded!

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BUSINESS ENTERPRISE “77% of 11 to 18 year olds would like to start their own business in the future”

AMBITION AWARDS SURVEY 2018 The RGS is determined to include as much Business Enterprise and Entrepreneurship in the boys’ education as possible. A recent report showed that 85% of the jobs available in 2030 have not been invented yet, so educating children in certain technical skills is an ineffective method for gearing them up for the future job market. Through Business Enterprise we can help the boys expand and enhance The RGS Learning Habits and Values, and increase their business skill set and acumen for the future.

GREEN DRAGON BUSINESS ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE Delivered by the highly successful Bright Green Enterprise Company, the ‘Green Dragons’ event on Field Day One gave boys in the Second Form the opportunity to design, develop and present an environmentally friendly business product. Working in teams and under the guidance of the company’s business experts, the boys developed their product from the drawing board to the business pitch. The day culminated in the teams going head-to head as they presented their ideas before the panel of

Green Dragons. The experience developed their presentation skills and teamwork as well as help them balance financial sustainability with the social impact of their business

£190 profit and there were encouraging signs of some great business minds for the future.

YOUNG ENTERPRISE TENNER CHALLENGE At the end of the Lent term the entire Third form took part in the YE Tenner challenge. The boys formed themselves into teams of eight and were given a ten-pound note to use over a four-week period to raise as much money as possible. The incentive was not only winning, but also that after they had repaid the ten pounds they could keep any profit for themselves. The scheme ran for four weeks, and at the end of week one they entered a national online competition for Best Team Logo, followed by a competition for Best Video Advertisement in week two. There was some interesting trading/wheeler-dealing in North Court at break times and some teams really pushed themselves to evolve from just providing a sugar fix to coming up with a real product and business plan. The winning team, XBlue, comprising of George Rudman, Jonty Dune, Matt Reed, Jasper Hilton, George Hewitt, Ieuan Philip and Alex Brook made a healthy

“ I would like to extend an enormous thank you from everyone in the XBlue team for the opportunity to participate in the YE Tenner Challenge. The past four weeks has been an intense period of organisation, manufacturing and salesmanship and we’ve had the opportunity to improve many skills that curricular activities could never have affected. Ultimately the Challenge has been hard work but a very enjoyable venture.’”

George Rudman

NATIONAL ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE The Fourth Form took part in the National Enterprise Challenge which lasted a whole day, with teams working on a campaign to get more girls to participate in football. What could have been a challenging subject produced some fantastic campaigns which showed real consideration in identifying the barriers that females face in the sport and creative solutions to encourage

“

WE’VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE MANY SKILLS THAT CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES COULD NEVER HAVE AFFECTED.

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involvement. The winning team, judged by Mr Lowe (Head of Football), comprised of Alejandro Scholfield Perez, Omid Hariri, Ed Osborough and Ollie Robinson. They went to represent The RGS at the Finals at Wembley Stadium where they competed against 160 other teams. The experience included presenting to a Dragon’s Den style judging panel and watching the final award ceremony with interviews with Theo Paphitis and other entrepreneurs. We didn’t win, but it was a fantastic opportunity that the boys will not forget.

YOUNG ENTERPRISE Young Enterprise had another very successful year. We started with eight teams and over several competitions, two ended up in the Surrey Final at Epsom College.

In January The RGS hosted the Y Factor Competition welcoming other Young Enterprise teams from GHS, Tormead and The Royal School. Out of the eleven teams competing The RGS team Vynup, a company upcycling vinyl records into bowls, clocks and coasters, won the competition and the teams went forward to the Area Finals in March. In this competition, at Tormead School, the winner and three runners-up would be picked from the ten teams competing to go forward to the Surrey Finals. RGS team Delta, with their children’s environmental book ‘How can I help’ and Team Vynup were successful, having

What boys have said about Young Enterprise:

“ I feel more valued and more confident in going after ambitious goals of mine” been judged in interview, on their trade stand, business report and their stage presentation.

The boys had put a lot of time and effort into their preparation and delivery, they showed great professionalism and were a credit to the school. We were delighted to have a presentation about the impact that Young Enterprise had on their careers by OG’s Max Beech (2015) and Tom Phipps (2015) who have launched a consumer App connecting business owners with their customers. hiips://getintro.app/ . At the Surrey Area Finals Delta picked up the Best Innovation awards, Team VynUp, with their upcycled vinyl record range impressed the judges but ultimately only 2 teams could go through to the Regional Finals and our journey ended there. The teams both invested a lot of passion and commitment into the Young Enterprise programme to get this far in the competition.

OLT

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“ Felt like I was finally, after 6 years, actually getting involved with extra curricular stuff and it was a proper laugh” “ I felt motivated all the time” “ It gave me something to look forwards to at the end of the day” “ It was full of ups and downs, it definitely was stressful at times but this was a good experience for organisational skills and leadership” “ I made friends with people I otherwise might not have”

“

WE’VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE MANY SKILLS THAT CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES COULD NEVER HAVE AFFECTED.

SOCIETIES SCEPTICS’

CHRISTIAN UNION

MODEL UNITED NATIONS

It’s been another successful year at Sceptics’.

In keeping with our reputation for controversy, we hosted talks on contentious topics as Feminist Economics, the Ethics of Torture and Multiculturalism. Sceptics’ also staged well attended and high quality debates on The Catholic Church, Capitalism vs Socialism and The Existence of God. We would like to give our great thanks to Ms. Newton and Ms. Clarkson, who have helped us run Sceptics’ this year; to all our speaker and debaters; and to all the regular attendees who always provide a lively atmosphere!

Christian Union had another very busy year with lots of different talks and events and even more Dominos Pizza than last year!

The RGS Model United Nations Society has enjoyed another successful year on the MUN circuit, participating in five conferences throughout a busy year.

By S. Nigrelli and S. Cherry

LIT QUIZ CLUB The re-branded Lit Quiz Club met regularly and competed in two inter-school quizzes to test their literary knowledge. Against fifteen other schools taking part in the Kids’ Lit Quiz at Seaford College, the RGS teams turned in a creditable performance: “High hopes in their heads, the A team came a fantastic second place in the first half, with the B team trailing behind a couple of places. However, due to some bad scoring in the Sheep and Newspapers rounds, team A dropped to 6th place at the end of the second half. Luckily, not all was lost. Thanks to some brilliant quiz knowledge, team B managed to climb up to 3rd place by the end of the event, unfortunately only to lose the tie breaker with Westbourne House.

Overall scores were 69 for the A team, and 72 for the B team, but they were very close to that of the Portsmouth Grammar School’s (80 and 75). Special commendations go to Adam Wang, who won £2 for correctly identifying Rumpelstiltskin in one of the Cryptic Clues, and Mrs Farthing, who won a book token for correctly answering that Martin Luther nailed his theses to a church door. We aim to win next time!” (Adam Zhang) We didn’t fare quite so well in the CWIZZ at Dulwich College, but still enjoyed the experience: “During the quiz we heard talks from various authors such as Mo O’Hara, Sara Grant and Ross Montgomery about their book(s) and then heard them give a prize question where audience participants could win one of the author’s books; Michael Goncharuk won a signed book from Lydia Syson for knowing that Winston Churchill was Prime Minister in June 1940. My highlight was the author talks and the fact that I won a book in the raffle. Overall the quiz was a great success due to the fact that there were a wide variety of questions.” (Zac Warham)

The start of the CU meetings quickly became known as food club as the quantities of food available seemed to eclipse the actual topics of the talks, but nonetheless we had great discussions about some important aspects of the faith at each of the sessions.

The highlight of the calendar for CU is always the events week, which we held in November. Here we had talks every lunchtime and had up to 40 people attending, some of whom I’ve been informed actually came for the talks themselves, rather than the pizza.

The highlight of the week for me was the talk Evidence for the Resurrection: Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, by Lawyer James Linforth. He showed us how Jesus was certainly killed on the cross (the Romans were experts at killing, so he must have been killed) and how the tomb was empty three days later (the Roman authorities would otherwise have produced the body). Then by eliminating all other theories for the missing body concluded that the only credible option was that Jesus did actually rise form the dead.

The year continued with weekly the weekly meetings, but also a few one off events, including the classic Questions for Doughnuts, a very topical talk on Did God Vote Leave? and a talk on Why Does God Allow Suffering? We also hosted Alpha, a series of sessions that explored the basics of the Christian faith and again this allowed for many great discussions about Jesus.

It was a very exiting year for the CU and I’d like to thank Dr Batchelar for all his hard work getting in speakers and organising the sessions, as well as all the other teachers and pupils who helped with the sessions. And most importantly we thank Jesus Christ as without his resurrection we’d all be wasting our time!

Olly Perkins

JUNIOR SCIENCE CLUB Junior Science Club is open to all First Form and Second Form boys interested in STEM and has been run on a different format to previous years, with half termly projects to develop research and investigation skills. This year, we have investigated aspects of density by making lava lamps; learned how to program Edison robots, to allow them to negotiate an obstacle course; written code for the Mission Zero project, which allowed six teams of boys to display the temperature and write individual messages for the astronauts on the International Space Station (these were played to the astronauts in May 2019); investigated and designed our own vacuum tube trains for future transport and made brain impact simulators to investigate the effect of a blow to the head!

DP

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As the gavel struck for the first time at Croydon High School in November, we began our first competitive conference of the year. During this conference, two students stood out from The RGS. Boldi Paladi-Kovacs, in his first ever MUN conference, spoke with such great confidence and passion about the question of the returning of art and antiquities to their country of origin for Peru, he could have been a veteran of the MUN Circuit, and Gabriel Levesque was capable of dismantling his fellow delegates’ arguments with his encyclopaedic knowledge of UN legislation. Both students were awarded highly commended delegate certificates.

In December, twenty boys from the MUN Society travelled to Kent for the second competitive conference of the year at Benenden School. It was yet another successful conference for The RGS, as Pradeep Buttar (U6) was commended for his precision in the Future Committee, and Cameron Gardener (L6) impressed in the Security Council, the most high-pressure environment in the conference. Both of these students were awarded highly commended delegate certificates for their efforts. George Tench (U6) was particularly successful, however, and was awarded an outstanding delegate certificate for his confident and passionate stance in the Future Committee.

Our final, and arguably most prestigious conference of the year took place during the first weekend of the February half-term, when eight boys journeyed around the M25 to High Wycombe to take part in the Wycombe Abbey MUN Conference. We were representing a number of countries and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in two committees: The Commission on the Status of Women and the Security Council. In the Security Council we debated the issue of the fictional countries of North and South Rengaan. Representing the nations of China and Poland the two RGS delegations wanted to play an active role in the negotiations. WASAMUN XI used a twin delegate system, which meant one delegate could be inside the Committee room and another could be carrying out negotiations in the back rooms. The conference also used a software system designed to simulate the ‘twitterplomacy’ that nations such as the United States has followed in recent years.

Security Council delegates also received media training and took part in televised interviews, for which Alasdair Hopwood (L6th)

“

THE DELEGATES TRULY EXCELLED IN THIS DEBATE AND WORKED HARD TO ENSURE THEIR RESOLUTION WAS CONSIDERED BY THE COMMITTEE.

was awarded one of four prizes for ‘Best Interviewee’. The Commission on the Status of Women had a productive and exciting few days of debate. The first item on the agenda was the Political Empowerment of Women. The committee debated fiercely with RGS delegates regularly participating in the lively debate, supporting the resolution inside the committee room and leading efforts outside that enabled the resolution to pass. The second item on the agenda was the Economic Empowerment of Women in the changing world of work.

The delegates truly excelled in this debate and worked hard to ensure their resolution was considered by the committee. Sadly, the resolution was one vote away from passing.

As well as a weekend of furious debating, there were a number of other events. The first night there was a diplomatic dinner eaten inside the main hall in Wycombe Abbey. This dinner was eaten in full black tie, which some members of the RGS delegation seemed more comfortable in than others. On the second night we took part in a traditional highland ceilidh. Again, some members of The RGS team took to the orthodox patterns quicker than others; but all threw themselves into the evening - quite literally in some cases!

Overall The RGS came away with three highly commended delegation awards, which is no mean feat at Wycombe Abbey.

We look forward to the busy circuit in 2019/2020, during which we hope to attend our first international conference!.

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Micheal Wu - 3rd Form Slinkachu Project

Max Watkinson 3rd Form

PHOTOGRAPHY SOCIETY We have had another fun packed year of photography with a group of creative boys from First Form to Lower Sixth. Students were set themed projects at various points in the school year, some seen here, namely the spooky Halloween shot and the image of Sam Pearce (Third Form) as a Christmas ‘light angel’.

Monster - Group Work

Sam Pearce - 3rd Form

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RGS PRIDE

We have continued in being very experimental with our photography by introducing new techniques such as making slides and projecting them onto the wall - James Harvey (1P) and Shreyas Pasarkar (1P) really embraced these sessions. We then went on to take polaroid shots and manipulate the images by transfer printing them, giving them an aged, corroded feel – Harry Blandford (L6) did a great job of setting the group into the past using these methods. Anith Sathananthan (L6) and others worked with endeavour using art materials to make cyanotypes using light sensitive paper, to great effect. The group have also been busy photographing events around the school such as the dress rehearsal of Don Quixote (the MFL play); and the RGS stand-up comedy night. What a great year of photography we’ve had with such an enthusiastic and talented crew, can’t wait for the year ahead!

RFS

RGS Pride, now in its second year, kicked off with a wonderfully colourful stall at the Societies’ Fair, demonstrating immediately that this year is going to be bigger and better than before, with a specific focus on ‘visibility’.

Since then, we’ve held a meeting every few weeks – starting with a Q&A on ‘Coming Out’.

Following that, Jason Eades – a charity worker, former law partner, and partner of Nick Herbert (the first openly gay person to stand for election to Parliament) – spoke at RGS Pride about his experiences as an LGBTQ+ man. This was a hugely engaging, interesting, and amusing talk that was very well-received.

There was then our half-termly inter-school Pride Breakfast meeting – held at Guildford High School this first half of Michaelmas Term.

These meetings are always great fun, and this particular breakfast involved an LGBTQ+themed quiz (as well as some rather delectable pastries).

Cyanotype - Anith Sathananthan L6

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IT WAS ULTIMATELY DECIDED THAT THE SCHOOL IS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO STAMP OUT HOMOPHOBIA 82

Our next meeting took place with a new format – a group discussion on ‘Homophobia’. There was a large number of contributions from various year groups, and it was ultimately decided that the school is moving in the right direction to stamp out homophobia. The new format gathered a larger number of attendees than at other meetings, so is something we will continue to pursue in the future.

At the time of writing, we have a very exciting couple of weeks ahead, with a talk from Chris Folwell – a senior partner of John Lewis, musician, and actor – and a bowling social event with other schools on the same day. We are also hosting the next breakfast in the coming weeks.

Overall, it’s been a great term for RGS Pride. The society is establishing itself well, with regular fortnightly lunchtime meetings, after-school events, and a breakfast meeting every half-term.

We hope to continue this schedule for years to come, and we can promise there’ll be even more next term, especially during February’s LGBT History Month.

George Hewitt 4B

PERIOD 8 The CCF has had a busy year with all sections carrying out a variety of challenging activities both on and off site. I would like to thank the Senior NCOs, led ably by Cadet WO Aadi Shahare and also the dedicated staff team, who not only direct the training on Mondays and Field Days, but who also give freely of their time to ensure that they achieve and maintain the qualifications required to run the programme that we do.

I would also like to make special mention of our outgoing SSI, W02 Wells, who left us at the end of the year after over 20 years dedicated service. We thank him for his enormous contribution on Mondays, Field days and camps and wish him well for the future Lt Cdr (CCF) SJH Yetman RNR – Contingent Commander

ARMY The CCF Army section has had another busy year with a variety of activities taking place on field days, generally supported by training during Monday P8 sessions.

FD1 The Sixth Form spent the day at Longmoor barracks enjoying a range of activities focused on increasing their military skills so that they can demonstrate prowess when training younger cadets later in the year. Training on the L98 general purpose rifle was conducted through live firing marksmanship training on the 25m range and a session on the DCCT, a computerised simulation package used to train regular units for scenarios ranging from desert combat to patrolling urban areas. Physical technique and teamwork were also tested on the army’s obstacle course.

The 5th and U6th Form deployed on exercise to Bramshott Common to take part in RGS Guildford, Operation Extender. The purpose of the day was to allow the 5th form to develop their tactical planning in the field, mentored by the SNCOs in the U6. The day started with recce patrols of the enemy position, followed by construction of a tactical model and each Platoon Commander giving their orders to their platoons in order to effect a deliberate attack to neutralise the enemy. Each Platoon then carried out their attacks with blank and smoke.

The 5th Form engaged well and the benefit of the experience of Summer Camp shone through for those who had attended. The U6 NCOS also rose well to the challenge of an ADS role, allowing the cadets to gain the most from the day.

The 5th Form developed their communication, movement in the field and ability to cope with heights, spending the day on the high ropes in Stoke park and paintballing in Cobham.

FD2 The new 4th Form entry started their training on the cadet general purpose rifle, the L98A2, giving them the required knowledge and skill to operate the rifle safely. The boys all reached a standard required that will allow them to sit the MoD test before they blank and live fire the weapon on future field days.

The L6 boys were hosted by the Royal Armoured Corp, and OG Capt Tom Glasspool. They were briefed on current operations and go hands on experience of the Scimitar and Warrior, as well as using the Warrior gunnery simulator.

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FD3 On FD3, 85 staff, Sixth Form NCOs and 4th Form Army cadets travelled to Bramshott Common to take part in our annual training company fieldcraft introduction, Exercise Solid Foundation. The basic training is planned and run by the NCOs, with the fire and manoeuvre and section battle drills by our home team of qualified RGS Staff. The weather mainly held for us, with the slight misty rain creating an atmospheric backdrop for the training. The NCOs’ training did the job and the Fourth Form successfully achieved their objectives of moving tactically as effective sections in a variety of formations. Communication was good and weapons handling drills highlighted the benefit of the robust training and testing completed as required by the Army Safe System of Training.

By 1430, the training areas were clear, all brass collected and weapons were being stripped, cleaned, inspected and reassembled, with a departure at 1600.

The 5th Form travelled to West Tofts Camp in Norfolk, in preparation for an early start on Friday. On the day of the activities they awoke at 0600hrs, had their Army provided Full English and departed for their activities. The day was amazing and included room clearance using Airsoft weapons, stun grenades and flash bangs and building and street clearance using the same weapon systems. The boys also managed to fit in some section attacks and lunch, before setting off for home. The boys really benefited from the Military expertise of the instructors who were Ex Royal Anglian and Ex Paratrooper with a wealth of experience.

FD4 On FD4, 60 members of the 4th and L6 Form Army Section, accompanied by 8 members of staff travelled to Bramshott Common to take part in Exercise Firm Flourish. This 24 hr fieldcraft exercise is run by RGS staff, this year also with a large contribution from our local Brigade Cadet Training Team Infantry Sergeant and builds upon the skills and drills laid down in Ex Solid Foundation on FD3. The cadets learn how to set up a patrol harbour, erect and sleep in BASHA shelters and how to live off Army issue 24hr ration packs, before training in ambushes and platoon attacks. Once night falls, having prepared themselves fully and carried out a recce patrol, the cadets move in two platoons, unseen and in silence, using a combination of tactics and stealth onto a hillside above a known, heavily used enemy resupply route.

As the enemy pass though the natural choke

point, they carry out the ambush and the force is overwhelmed by firepower and neutralised, before the ambushing forces extracted as quietly as they came. After a good night’s sleep, the boys put into practice what they had learned the day before in carrying out a platoon attack. Each platoon, made up of 3 sections, experiences the role of fire support, assault and reserve in an attack against 3 enemy positions, located in depth.

FD5 All spent the day at Longmoor Camp and Bramshott Common Training Areas taking part in a shooting and combat day. The activities included live firing with the L98A2 rifle on an Electronic Target Range; practical competitive platoon fieldcraft, using state of the art laser tag rifles; close combat paintball and a team challenge using MTa Leadership Training kits.

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THE BOYS REALLY BENEFITED FROM THE MILITARY EXPERTISE OF THE INSTRUCTORS WHO WERE EX ROYAL ANGLIAN AND EX PARATROOPER WITH A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE.

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NAVY

The RN Section has had an excellent year with Cdt WO1 Adi Shahare taking command of the Contingent and Cdt CPO Charlie Dorkins Leading the RN Section ably supported by Cdt PO Killian Clarke. The planning, knowledge and leadership demonstrated by this team of three was outstanding and drew the section into a positive, focused unit. Our focus on activity for all P8 sessions to complement and teach the RN syllabus led to inventiveness and increased enjoyment for all. The Lower Sixth Cadets also grew demonstrably during their year of leadership training and the completion of their Gold DoE aboard yachts in the Solent by six of them is indicative of their talents, drive and ambition. I am hugely proud of the whole section and would like to thank all of the cadets for their commitment and enthusiasm and, in particular, SLts Nathan and Shakeri for their unfailing support.

Lt TW Shimell

OUR FOCUS ON ACTIVITY FOR ALL P8 SESSIONS TO COMPLEMENT AND TEACH THE RN SYLLABUS LED TO INVENTIVENESS AND INCREASED ENJOYMENT FOR ALL.

FD2 The Fourth Form cadets undertook their first afloat training in small RIBs. They were trained and assessed in manoeuvres and safehanding in order to achieve the RYA Powerboat L1 certificate at the Southampton Water Activity Centre (SWAC) in the Itchen river and Southampton Water. They all enjoyed the day and reached the standard required.

SLt AJ Shakeri The Fifth and Sixth Form cadets visited HMS Collingwood, which houses the Maritime Warfare School. They were hosted by their RN liaison officer and fired numerous indoor weapons simulators including the GPMG and L85 before tackling teambuilding command tasks and then going over the legendary (and very wet) Collingwood Assault Course and ropes area.

Lt TW Shimell

FD1 While the Fourth Form cadets were completing their Bronze DoE qualifying expedition in the New Forest, the more senior cadets in the Fifth and Sixth Form took to the waters of Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent for afloat training aboard three yachts. Several of the cadets are aspiring Day Skippers and they had completed theoretical passage plans for the day. The RN HQ skipper commented that they were very well-prepared and spent the rest of the day grilling them on knowledge and putting them through the practical manoeuvres required for the Day Skipper qualification which they thoroughly enjoyed. The rest of us has a less intense day cruising in the F4 winds and sunshine from Portsmouth, East to Langstone Harbour, across to Seaview on the Isle of Wight via the Napoleonic forts and back in time for tea.

Lt TW Shimell & SLt AJ Shakeri

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FD3 Excitement at our upcoming Field Day aboard three large yachts cruising the Solent turned to despondency as it became increasingly apparent that the very high winds forecast were indeed correct and that Force 6 gusting Force 8 would necessitate alternative plans. However, necessity is the mother of invention, so we mustered at 1000 in the lobby of the Grange Hotel adjacent to St Paul’s to meet the owners of a start-up company called Outscape Games in order to play “The Wren Code”, a tablet based giant treasure hunt/code breaking game around the city of London. The boys formed teams of four and armed only with their initiative and a tablet spend the next two hours trying to solve as many puzzles as possible at specific locations.

The tablet as well as providing instructions and puzzles was also a window into an augmented reality allowing interaction with virtual objects at the locations. The boys returned safely back to the

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RARELY DO WE HAVE CADETS WITH ENOUGH DRIVE, TALENT AND ENTHUSIASM TO ATTEMPT TO UNDERTAKE THEIR GOLD DOE ABOARD YACHTS.

hotel and said that it had been fun and actually fairly difficult! All did well, but the outstanding team of Daniel Price, Alex Bridle, James Millar and Matthew Williams came first and achieved a new high score for the game. We then headed down to the Thames and caught the Thames Clipper East to Greenwich. Being Navy cadets, the boys were very impressed by the expert boat-handling skills in the tidal conditions and high winds and also by the rope management of the crew! We headed straight up

to the Royal Observatory to pop into the Longitude exhibition and to view the Harrison timepieces; These are extraordinary – ingenious and of the very highest craftsmanship – and are well worth a visit. It is strange, in our GPS world, to imagine a time when accurate timekeeping at sea, and hence determination of longitude, was one of the world’s greatest technological challenges. Then, onto the Planetarium for a short introduction to dark matter before heading to the coach home. Thankfully

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the Friday night traffic gods smiled upon us. With Thanks to SLt Nathan and Mrs Thorpe for their company and support.

Lt TW Shimell

FD4 Blessed with dry and often sunny conditions, the Fourth Form spent the day kayaking over 9 miles down the River Thames. Conditions were

favourable and we paddled downstream, so nobody suffered aching arms and spirits were high the whole time. We started at Walton and ended at Teddington, stopping for a brief lunch break in Hurst Park along the way.

Passing Hampton Court Palace was a particular highlight, although the boys were seemingly more entertained by a series of floating objects they found in the river - playing catch with a tennis ball, a cork and half a lemon provided much entertainment to break up the linear paddling. A football came past at just the right moment to provide land-based frivolity while they waited for the bus at the end of the day.

Joe Brackstone found his role as group leader, aided by Luke van Eykenhof’s splashing and Ben Mueller’s tactical manoeuvring! The instructors were very impressed with all the boys, and praised their manners and team spirit.

Miss GM Clements Having had our previous FD blown out due to gale force winds, we were looking forward to the prospect of a day on the water despite the forecast light winds. An additional source of pride for me was that, due to our recently gained qualifications (TWS – Yachtmaster Coastal; AJS – Day Skipper; Olly Perkins (L6) and Cam Gardner (L6) – Day Skipper), for the first time, we were skippering 3 yachts without the need for any external assistance. Fine sunny weather and light winds meant that we could enjoy a low-stress day practising boat handling under sail and power which was especially important for the Cadet Skippers and crews aboard the 22ft S700s in advance of their planned Gold DoE Expeditions during half term and August. Pleasingly the wind also proved

far stronger than forecast and in my Rustler 36 we romped along at 5-6kts visiting Langstone, Bembridge and several Napoleonic forts before returning to HMS Excellent in Portsmouth Harbour. A great day!

Lt TW Shimell

FD5 The whole RN section travelled to Papercourt Sailing Club, home of RGS Sailing, for a whole day on the water. For our less experienced cadets, the focus was on learning to sail a single-hander (Pico or Topper) and it was great to see progression from little or no experience to being able to sail simple courses and get around the lake. Capsize recovery at the end of the day was also a highlight. The more experienced cadets tackled general seamanship with manoeuvers such as picking up mooring buoys, coming alongside pontoons and moored boats, picking up a ‘man-overboard’, sailing backwards and lee-shore landings. Oliver Perkins (L6) excelled as an instructor (he is a qualified RYA DI) and Harry Blanford (L6) and Joe Brackstone (4th) also shared a great deal of experience. The weather could not have been better with sun and breeze but the highlight of the day was Mr Shakeri’s BBQ at lunchtime.

Lt TW Shimell

GOLD DoE Rarely do we have cadets with enough drive, talent and enthusiasm to attempt to undertake their Gold DoE aboard yachts. For most 17-yearolds the barriers are too great. To skipper the yachts they must have a minimum of two RYA

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Day Skippers with the remainder being RYA Competent Crew. The journey is long with time dedicated to acquiring these qualifications in addition to building-up the experience necessary to safely and competently navigate the challenging, complex and busy waterways of the Solent and associated harbours in RN-owned 22ft S700 yachts. I am enormously pleased and proud to say that the Lower Sixth team of Oliver Perkins (skipper), Cameron Gardner (skipper), Harry Blanford, James Millar, Lucas Savage and Matthew Williams managed to complete their practice expedition during May Half Term, top-up training in July and then their Qualifying Expedition during August. The conditions were the most challenging they could have been with F6-7 winds on the first day confining us to exploring Portsmouth Harbour and F5-6 winds the next day on the edge of the capability of the yachts and with sea conditions worsening a retreat to Cowes was required.

Thankfully, during the third and fourth days the high winds dropped and enabled the cadets to get to Lymington and then back to Portsmouth round the forts and back through the submarine barrier in style. Huge congratulations to them all! Particular thanks go to RN HQ and to LtCdr Yetman, SLt Shakeri and Cpt Witts for supporting the expeditions.

Lt TW Shimell

Although there is no Royal Marines Cadets section in our contingent, I have still had the opportunity through the CCF RN Courses to go on two incredible Royal Marines courses this year. The first was in February and was a 5-day course at the Royal Marines training centre - CTCRM Lympstone Commando. This was an excellent look at life in the Royal Marines, not just joining and recruit training but also life after training. It involved the infamous endurance course with sheep dip, advanced fieldcraft and talking with recruits currently partaking in the hardest direct-entry training in NATO. The second camp was 7 days at CTCRM and across Dartmoor, Plymouth and Scraesdon Fort in July. It was an arduous and challenging camp and we were continuously pushed to our physical, and occasionally mental, limits. The majority of the 7 days was spent on Dartmoor, yomping (hiking) harbour to harbour and carrying out section and troop level attacks along the way. My favourite part of the camp was when I had the opportunity to be troop sergeant on the main raid of the camp on Scraesdon Fort,

a nineteenth century fort near Plymouth used by the real RM recruits on their final exercise.

The raid began with an insertion by landing craft onto a beach followed by CQB up steep densely wooded slopes to the fort. The topography made radio communication difficult, and it became even tougher when one cadet broke their ankle and required a casualty evacuation but in the end it was a successful raid and I was delighted with what my troop and I had achieved.

I would highly recommend taking a look at the

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huge variety of RN CCF Camps and Courses that are on offer. The courses were very informative both for cadets in general and for researching and experiencing a taster of a possible future career in the Royal Marines. These camps and subsequent research have had such an impact on me that I very recently signed up for the Royal Marines and I am currently going through the application process.

Cameron Philp

RAF The new band of NCOs took over the leadership of the RAF Section at the start of the Michaelmas term, ably led by Flt. Sgt. Ilhan Mosobbir.

Ilhan’s enthusiasm, his rapport with the junior cadets and his ability to get the best out of his NCO team was excellent to see and I thank him for his hard work and enthusiasm throughout the year.

On the regular Monday Period 8 slots, the cadets covered the RAF syllabus, learning topics such as principles of flight, aircraft recognition, meteorology, leadership, history of the RAF and airbases and aerodromes. It is in the Field Days, however, where we have the best opportunity to give the boys greater hands-on experience and in particular give them the chance to fly in both gliders and powered aircraft.

In the Field Days this year the boys have experienced the thrill of gliding at both Lasham Gliding Society and Surrey Hills Gliding Club in Caterham. They have had a day of outdoor training at Longmoor Army camp, in which they learnt how to build overnight shelters as well as how to navigate using map and compass. The boys had a trip to the 1851 Trust in Portsmouth, the home to Ben Ainslie Racing, where we learnt about the technology behind

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IT IS IN THE FIELD DAYS, WHERE WE HAVE THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE THE BOYS GREATER HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE AND THE CHANCE TO FLY

yacht racing. A group of cadets enjoyed the thrill of indoor skydiving at iFly in Basingstoke, while another group learnt about the history of the RAF and the Battle of Britain in particular at Tangmere aviation museum. There was also a trip to RAF Benson where the cadets took to the skies in the Grob Tutor powered aircraft.

The boys were able to take control of the aircraft themselves under the guidance of their RAF pilot.

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My thanks go to the NCOs and my team of officers, Flying Officers Mr Woodman and Mrs Wimblett and Mr Wiggins for their hard work and enthusiasm throughout the year.

EDKB

LIFESAVING AND SURFING REPORT Lifesaving: Upper Sixth boys practised and studied Lifesaving skills with Mrs Wilson and Mr Baker and took their Silver Award examination through the Royal Life Saving Society in March with all boys passing with flying colours. Lifesaving Instructors, Mrs Wilson and Mr Baker are experts on all aspects of the course. Mr Casale, also a qualified Lifesaving Instructor, looks after surf science and surf training. As a group we aim to provide opportunities to enjoy the ocean in the safest way we can.

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THE STAR OF THE WEEKEND WAS ALEX HUMPHRIES WHO NAILED SOME BIG DROPS AND SHREDDED HARD

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Surfing: Lower and Upper Sixth: Although surfing is viewed as a laid-back sport there is quite a competitive vibe out there in the water.

The only way that you earn your place in the line-up is if you can catch waves, something that is surprisingly difficult to do that if you do not live in Cornwall. Period 8 Surfing aims to give boys the opportunity to get to a decent standard whereby they can catch clean waves and hence protect themselves from the locals! This requires a significant amount of commitment and effort.

Surfing embraces so many of the sciences and humanities: Fluid dynamics, material science, meteorology, sports science and business. Not to mention geography, climate change, marine biology and environmental studies. The fitness level required to surf at a high level is significant.

There is a lot to do.

The surfing program for the year is based around the field days in Cornwall and preparing boys technically and physically for that challenge. Below is a summary of those trips in chronological order.

Field Day 1: Cornwall, late September: We had dry weather but a cold northerly wind which meant that the two to three for waves were not perfect but were good for learning. All the boys impressed their instructors with their determination and attitude.

Field Day 2: Cornwall, mid-November: Sensational waves and sensational weather made this trip one of the best. Surfing took place at Porth Beach which is a tiny protected cove. The swell loses some of its energy as it forces its way through a narrow entrance. The diffracted waves are then dispersed to give both clean left-hand and right-hand faces. McGrath,

Bates, Cookman, Galpin and Humphries excelled themselves as ever and the rest of the group made excellent progress too.

Field Day 3: Cornwall, March (Storm Gareth): Having studied the weather forecast before departure we were expecting heavy rain, mist and a debacle of a trip. However, as always, Cornwall turned up trumps and we had no rain and good chunky waves. Kieran Galpin and Harrison Robbins have progressed over the year to a standard where they’re able to ride hard boards and brought their own brand-new boards with them which was fantastic, but the star of the weekend was Alex Humphries who nailed some big drops and shredded hard. The waves were 7 ft high at times and fantastic. Cornwall is truly a beautiful place.

Field Day 4: Cornwall, May: A group from the Second Form and the Sixth FJACorm enjoyed a long weekend surfing in Mawgan Porth. The

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waves were perfect for developing new skills and everybody progressed extremely well under the expert supervision of KingSurf. I’d like to thank Tyler Cookman and Hemish Gholkar for their help in making the trip run smoothly.

Field Day 5: Cornwall late-June: Having left Guildford in a heatwave we arrived in Cornwall to cold cloudy grey skies. However once in the sea our mood lifted and so did the cloud. We had a great surf. Although the waves were not perfect the instruction was superb as always.

With Kingsurf really educating the boys in the details of technique and safety. By the end of the last day the boys were exhausted and ready for the long journey home.

My thanks to Mr Baker, Mrs Wilson and Mrs Wellard for their invaluable help and support throughout the year.

JAC

OUTDOOR PURSUITS Outdoor Pursuits continues to grow in popularity and is now the largest single p8 option amongst the 4th and 5th Form. With 120 students opting for the programme there was a need to satisfy the expectations and deliver an enjoyable and challenging carousel of activities!

After completing their DofE planning and expedition during the first half of Michaelmas Term, the 4th Form students then undertook a rotation between: Archery, Team Tasks, Climbing at Surrey Sports Park, and the ever popular Cooking. The cookery lessons were further enhanced through the procurement of five kitchen trolley units, courtesy of a very generous donation from the Parent’s Association. This has brought much greater ‘realism’ to the lessons, and the units are being used as a wider school resource, such as in General Studies. Under the expertise of Mrs Clarkson, and other staff, the students have mastered their culinary skills and produced dishes ranging from pancakes to Quorn curries, homemade burgers, and even the preparation and cooking of whole fish! Our sincerest thanks also go to Nathan Janmohamed who volunteered to assist teach the lessons, and also proposed alternative recipes.

Despite a shorter ‘year’ for the 5th Form, they managed a full p8 programme which included: Mountain Biking around the Surrey Hills, Ultimate Frisbee, a First Aid refresher, the newly introduced Judo (courtesy of Mr Spouge), and also Street Dance! The new activities, particularly, were keenly embraced and I was impressed to see some of the dance routines and hidden skills – Sam Valentine drawing on his earlier training!

The Field Days continue to be an excellent source of fun, and also provide the opportunity to enhance relationships, try new activities, and develop key skills; namely teamwork, communication, leadership, and resilience.

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THE NEW ACTIVITIES, PARTICULARLY, WERE KEENLY EMBRACED

Whether it be launching yourself off a platform at Wildwood, trying to master Wakeboarding skills at Thorpe Lake, lighting your own fire to cook ‘fry dogs’, or navigate the quick go-karting track at Daytona Sandown Park – Outdoor Pursuits had it all!

Even Mr Tayar’s police pursuit skills couldn’t get the staff team onto the podium!

Shelter building at Bighat Bushcamp

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The last Field Day for the 5th Form saw them head to Delta Force in Cobham, a fantastic paintballing venue where they boys were keen to shoot both their friends and staff. Ms Bains, not wanting to miss this opportunity, upgraded her gun for increased accuracy and power! Adit Gandhi, never wanting to shy away from the lime-light, dressed in a big banana costume and made himself a bigger target! A great day, and fun way to send the 5th Form off on their study leave.

A particular highlight for the 4th Form was the Field Day to Thorpe Lake. Much amusement was had on the giant inflatable park, before trips around the lake on a banana boat, and of course attempts at mastering wakeboarding.

There were some hair raising moments as Tom

Colby almost collided with one of the jumps, and comedy face-plants as several tried the ‘jump’ technique from the jetty, however the sun, friendships, and the fact that all did get round the lake on the knee-boards, meant it was a great day. The only problem for some were the aggressive geese – clearly proving too much for Henry Latham and Alex Taylor!

I would like to thank all the enthusiastic staff whose dedication and energy are invaluable in helping to deliver a successful programme of activities. Their support and commitment are appreciated by myself, and of course all the students!

KPT

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HIKING PERIOD 8 ACTIVITIES Hiking is a period 8 option with a vast array of different walks and activities, from tours around Guildford town centre looking at its history, to walks around the outskirts, onto the North Downs, along the scenic Wey Navigation and much more. These were all fitted into timeslots of around an hour, so looking back on it now, it is actually quite impressive how much of Guildford we were able to explore.

I joined the RGS in September 2018, and prior to this I had not really seen much of Guildford other than the centre of town and the High Street. For this reason, Hiking as a period 8 option was a really good way for me to see more of the local area and it helped me to get accustomed to the location of my new school. In fact, one of the most memorable weeks for me personally was when we walked up to Pewley Down in the first term because I was able to see an entirely new part of Guildford which I had never visited before.

As well as hikes, we completed quizzes and tasks such as finding a trip to a specific destination within a specific budget and meeting certain conditions. We also learnt about the Ordnance Survey and some of the world’s most dangerous hikes, mainly when the weather was too poor to go out. We occasionally welcomed the opportunity to stay in the classroom, though, particularly if it was just after one of our Field Days, which can be very tiring but enjoyable nonetheless.

Overall, I thought that Hiking as an option was extremely rewarding due to the opportunity to really explore large amounts of Guildford as well as learning about the extensive history of the town.

FIELD DAYS The Hiking group also enjoyed a number of longer Field Day hikes throughout the year. Averaging between ten and twelve miles, these allowed us to explore large parts of the local Surrey countryside, and at the same time get some welcome fresh air and exercise. The Field Day walks consisted of lots of variety and, despite some long distances and arduous climbs, the group was frequently rewarded with geographical discoveries, excellent views of surrounding countryside and, on occasion, aching legs.

Field Day One consisted of a circular route around Hindhead and The Devil’s Punchbowl, and was for many in the group the first long walk in the area in a very long time, bringing back memories for some of Bronze DofE, being the very area where our practice expeditions had started.

Other highlights included exploring the beautiful Richmond Park on the walk between Wimbledon and Richmond, and the climb up to the top of Box Hill on our circular walk around the Dorking area.

Through these Field Days the group developed

Conor Rajan

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a greater enjoyment of walking, and by the time the final Field Day of the year came around, our appreciation of the beauty of the local landscape, and more generally our enjoyment of walking, was much greater than when we set out nearly one year before.

It is important to recognise the considerable amount of planning, organisation, supervision and, of course, time that went into each and every hike, and I am sure that everybody in the group would join me in thanking both Dr Creagh and Dr Calverley, as well as the multiple other teachers who helped out on these excellent Field Days.

Ben McCallion

DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD EXPEDITIONS 2018/19 The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award year always starts with our biggest event, this year with 145 boys and 22 staff in the New Forest on Field Day 1. We have 3 weeks and Monday Period 8 sessions to ensure that the Teams have completed what is required from a planning point of view and also to issue the required team kit, before descending on the New Forest for the 2 day expedition.

Each team was self-sufficient, carrying all the equipment and food they needed to complete their expedition. Teams were assessed for their team work, camp craft, menu planning and navigational competence. The boys enjoyed good weather throughout their expedition. All boys in the Fourth Form take part and for those who have registered to do so and completed the required training and practice in the Third Form can use it as their Qualifying Bronze Expedition.

A few weeks later saw the Silver and Gold expeditioners in School on a Sunday to

complete the planning for their practice expeditions to take place in Brecon over the Michaelmas half term. By the end of the day, the school-based part of the DofE training framework needs to have been completed; route cards finished and map traces added to allow for final checks to be made and the participants to have sufficient information to navigate their team for the expedition. 2 weeks later, the boys and staff were enjoying good weather and perfect training conditions for their DofE practice with a blended programme of navigation (both day and night), journeying and campcraft completed reinforcing both the soft and hard skills required to succeed.

Between October half term and Easter, apart from a training and planning day on a Sunday in December, the expedition programme becomes dormant during the DofE expedition off season, where the days are too short and the weather sometimes too severe for multiday expeditions.

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VERY FEW SCHOOLS ARE ABLE TO OFFER A PROGRAMME RUN ENTIRELY BY THEIR OWN STAFF AND WITHOUT EXTERNAL OPERATORS.

As spring arrives with the Easter Holidays, the Silver expeditioners from the 5th Form were on Exmoor for their 3 day and 2 night expedition (4 days and 3 nights once the travel day and the assessor’s pre-expedition check are built in). Again, fantastic weather was experienced and the teams impressed their assessors throughout.

The final expedition of the year involved the Lower 6th Teams in the Lake District in the last week of term. The teams again

enjoyed fantastic weather, with the only rain experienced at the celebration BBQ after the expedition had ended!

Bronze training and practice expeditions also take place in the Summer term based around the field days of boys in the 3rd Form as part of the EXAD programme.

Very few schools are able to offer a programme run entirely by their own staff and without external operators. Without the dedication of the volunteer staff team and their willingness to give freely of their time for the training days, practice and qualifying expeditions both at weekends and in the holidays, we would not be able to offer the high level of provision that we have. Behind the scenes, the management of resources, planning and acquisition and maintenance of the National Governing Body qualifications also adds to the requirements and I thank all staff involved for all that they do in providing this great opportunity for our pupils.

GOLD DUKE OF EDINBURGH I never thought I would be here writing this, because after the bronze DoE expedition I didn’t think I would bother doing silver or gold. However, I am now very happy that I completed both, because they teach you great life lessons and Gold especially is a real challenge, both mentally and physically.

Described by our assessor as the most challenging DoE expedition he has ever seen, Sca Fell and Scafell Pike have to be the two highlights of the trip. However, it did bring to our attention that we lacked some detail in the planning and rushed it choosing the “easiest and shortest” route possible. This became evident when we discovered that to get between Sca Fell and Scafell Pike, which are only 13 metres different in height and about 500 metres away from each other, we

had to clamber 200 metres almost vertically down a gorge with 20 kilogram rucksacks on to then climb back up 300 metres to the top of Scafell Pike. Nevertheless, we dug in and found the physical and mental strength to complete it, which was an amazing experience.

For anybody considering completing the Gold DoE award in the future, I would instantly recommend it. Although I would say one thing about the expedition; the planning is just as important as the expedition itself so actually look at your route and make sure it is realistic.

Finally I would like to thank all the staff who put countless hours and weekends into making these amazing expeditions possible.

Alex Bridle

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COCK HOUSE CUP The house competition got off to its customary start in the Michelmas Term with the First Form Dragon Boat Race and the House Reading Competition, both of which were won by Powell. Valpy followed this by success in House Rugby.

The question many were asking was could Austen retain the Cock House trophy they had won in 2018, their first win in over 30 years.

Austen were quick to answer this question and, after a mediocre start, moved up a gear and gained victories in House Table Tennis, House Quiz and House Cross Country. Mr Dubois, having tasted the sweetness of success the previous year, was keen for more.

The Lent term saw successes for Nettles in House Squash and House Chess, pushing Austen and Powell for the lead, and Mr Tayar looked determined to make his mark in his first year as Nettles’ housemaster. Austen, however, maintained their strong start and with further victories in the Hockey and Football, opened up an increasingly convincing lead. Mr Holliday’s Beckingham were also starting to gain ground with solid victories in the Fencing and Shooting competitions.

several years of propping up the other houses in this event. No house, however, seemed capable of slowing the momentum Austen had been building. Nettles did their best by winning House Drama and House Cricket as well as gaining a very respectable second in the double pointed Sports Day, just a whisker behind the

As the final term progressed Valpy saw unexpected success in House Cricket after AUSTEN

BECKINGHAM

HAMONDE

all-conquering Austen team. In the final event of the term at the Lido, Powell took the honours in winning Swimming Sports but, by then, Austen were home and dry. Well done to Mr Dubois and Austen house for impressively retaining the Cock House Cup.

MRJ

NETTLES

POWELL

VAPLY

POS

PTS

POS

PTS

POS

PTS

POS

PTS

POS

PTS

POS

PTS

Athletics

1

12

5

4

6

2

2

10

4

6

3

8

Badminton

6

1

2=

4.5

1

6

4

3

5

2

2=

4.5

Basketball

5

2

3

4

1

6

2

5

6

1

4

3

Chess

2

5

6

1

3=

3.5

1

6

3=

3.5

5

2

Cricket

4

3

5

2

1=

5

1=

5

6

1

1=

5

Drama

2

5

3=

2.5

3=

2.5

1

6

3=

2.5

3=

2.5

Fencing

3

4

1

6

6

1

5

2

2

5

4

3

Football

1

6

6

1

2

5

3

4

6

1

5

2

Hockey

1

12

3

8

4

6

5

4

2

10

6

2

PGL - Yr 7

3

2

4

1.5

5

1

6

0.5

1

3

2

2.5

Quiz

1

6

6

1

4=

2.5

2

5

3

4

4=

2.5

Reading

3

4

6

1

4

3

5

2

1

6

2

5

Rugby

5

4

3=

7

2

10

3=

7

6

2

1

12

Shooting

4

3

1

6

3

4

6

1

5

2

2

5

Softball

1

6

5

2

4

3

2

5

3

4

6

1

Squash

2=

4.5

2=

4.5

5=

1.5

1

6

4

3

5=

1.5

Swimming

3

4

6

1

5

2

4

3

1

6

2

5

TableTennis

1

6

2

5

3=

3.5

6

1

3=

3.5

5

2

Tennis

1

6

2=

4.5

4

3

6

1

2=

4.5

5

2

X Country

1

12

2

10

5=

3

3

8

4

6

5=

3

Totals Current Posn

107.5 1

76.5 3

73.5 5=

84.5 2

97

76 4

73.5 5=

AUSTEN HOUSE REPORT

After seeing recent great success, for the first time in 28 years, Mr. Dubois and the boys of Austen were expecting great things to come. The first years started by securing 3rd place in the dragon boat racing and Austen came 5th overall in the double points rugby competition. While it was not the best start, the boys were not deterred and enthusiastically took part in all the competitions they were faced with.

This year Austen showed how its members have a versatile pool of talent and demonstrated the need for both brains and brawn. Austen won the double points hockey and cross country but also saw victory in the house quiz and got a narrow second in the chess competition. It was an allround effort where every boy had something to contribute.

Towards the end of the academic year, Austen had built an impressive lead and, having come first in the crucial double points sports day, confirmed its name in history for the second year running. Austen’s closest competitors, Beckingham, were a staggering 21.5 points behind. Regardless of House swimming to come; lightning struck twice and the Cock House Cup had come home.

“

THE AUSTEN BOYS WERE BUZZING IN HOUSE ASSEMBLY

The last day of term saw the House Swimming take place. Regardless of the result, the Austen boys were buzzing in House assembly, eagerly awaiting the moment where House Captain Harry Blanford lifted the Cup and triumphantly brought an end to another successful year for Mr. Dubois and his boys.

Jamie Stratford

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BECKINGHAM HOUSE REPORT This year proved to be a formative one for Beckingham House. In a way, the passion and desire I constantly witnessed, meant we were all winners. In a more factual sense, we came third overall, however the year was filled with many successes and we have a fantastic platform to build upon.

Beckingham will deeply miss our previous Housemaster that was the brilliant Mrs Griffiths.

She leaves having led the House exceptionally, for several years, and enjoyed many highs.

Mrs. Griffiths took the role after a golden era for Beckingham under Mr. Dodd, which had seen two Cock House Cup wins. In the time she was in charge, while Beckingham was unable to continue this winning streak, she built up a magnificent rapport with boys from every year group and will be remembered fondly by Beckingham boys, both past and present. We would like to wish her every success for the future and thank her for all the work she has done for the house.

Stepping up from the Deputy Role to become overall Housemaster was a challenge but I was stuck immediately by the number of boys and staff that did all they could to ease the organizational burdens of running the House.

I must give thanks to the leadership team of Sahej, Gabriel, Harry, Will and Oscar for the leadership they gave the House over the year.

With their spirit, we enjoyed several successes.

Fencing and Shooting were our great strengths, coming first in both competitions. I must highlight Leo Kamstra and Cam Philp who were instrumental in Beckingham winning these events. Racket sports were also a highlight with strong second places in tennis, table tennis, and squash. I was impressed throughout all the events with the real drive and commitment the boys showed and, while we not always able to

translate this into winning, I could never fault the desire on display.

A major highlight was Sports Day. Winning both senior relays and having both Charlie Kershaw and Ben Fitzpatrick breaking school records, while running for the House, was fantastic. Despite the unpredictable weather, Beckingham boys from every year group pushed themselves as hard as they could to gain every point on offer. In the face of an all-conquering Austen House, we were very successful at punching above our weight. This was especially true in the First and Second Form where several boys won their field events convincingly. We struggled in the sprints, however it was clear that we have several really talented athletes who will only continue to improve.

In the major team sports Beckingham developed a tendency to win the “A team” competitions, however often lacked the strength in depth to secure strong results in the “B team” competition. Hopefully third can be improved next year. There were some highly notable performances, particularly in senior rugby and football. Perhaps our best success story of the whole year was the school cross country.

Returning to the usual venue on Pewley Down, after cold weather forced last year’s event to be transferred to Stoke Park, Beckingham dominated. In the senior race, Beckingham made up the vast majority of the top 10 finishers.

“

WE WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL AT PUNCHING ABOVE OUR WEIGHT

A few more strong results in lower years meant that Beckingham was able to clinch the win in an important “double scoring” event, which counts for a huge amount in the final standings.

Alas, swimming once again proved to be the Achilles Heel for Beckingham’s title push. Once again effort and desire could not be faulted but this was not translated into fast swimming.

Nevertheless, a number of novice swimmers stepped up and represented the House, sometimes in events they had never competed in before. While this novelty was sometimes quite clear, a few boys provided shock results, beating more experienced swimmers. The fact that so many boys were willing to do their best in an alien event was hugely inspiring.

The new leadership team of Charlie Kershaw, Ben FItzpatrick, Nick Scott and Asim Beere have already taken to their new roles with a steely determination to improve. I am really looking forward to working with them to push Beckingham forward to challenge the Austen supremacy. It will be a challenge, but we have plenty of talent to accumulate even more success next year.

DNH

99

HAMONDE HOUSE REPORT Hamonde House was led by Dominic Rosevear, with Tom Eves and Fergus Middletons as his able Deputies. Cameron Salter and Alfie Johnson were also always on hand to assist in the quest for glory in the Cock House Cup both on and off the sports field. All were awarded their House Colours for their fine and unstinting services for the House. Cameron Salter, for example, ran in the Open 3000m race for 7 consecutive years.

Over the course of the multitude of house competitions Hamonde remained firmly in the fray, at one point getting to the dizzy heights of third place. Highlights of the year were rugby, cross country, chess, hockey, shooting, football and tennis. The “low-light” was being disqualified in a relay race at Sports Day for the second year in a row having won the race convincingly. C’est la vie.

The most outstanding year group were the Third Form where the likes of Eves, Lear, Stanton, Amiss, Buchanan-Robinson, Meares, Waghorn, Hawkes, McKendry, Powell, Armstrong, Czarnek, Alexander, O’Sullivan, Paladi-Kovacs and their likes dominated in most of the competitions

“

WE ARE SURE TO HAVE A GOLD-PLATED CHANCE OF SUCCESS IN 2019-20

both in style and grit. We can also boast having an international standard rugby captain, Alfie Johnson, as well the fastest runner in the school, Matt Harris, in addition to the best Middles cross country team ever: Sam Martin, Tom Jones, Andrey McIntyre, Christian Moody, Ben Watkins etc, etc.

Sam Cherry and Balazs Rigo were outstanding in the shooting event and represented their country competitively. Harry Grieve shone in the chess competition and represents internationally having been UK number one.

Sixth Form students Joel Cant, Roy Brett, Matt Harris and Bashaar Karim will lead our sports teams from the front this year and I have high hopes of another invigorating year. With Sam Cherry, Alfie Cherry and Hemish Gholkar guiding the House in all other areas of competition we are sure to have a gold-plated chance of success in 2019-20. My thanks to Dominic Rosevear and his team, and also to the Assistant Housemaster Mrs Wilson and Tutors Messrs Creagh, Jessett, Webster, Woolcott, Wellard and Pressley.

JAC

100

NETTLES HOUSE REPORT This year has been an exciting one for Nettles, with a range of rewarding successes and disappointing defeats keeping the house on its toes right up until final assembly.

House Rugby is always a challenge for Nettles, but thanks to the new First Form’s determination and success we managed to finish third overall, matching our result from last year. Later in the Michaelmas Term house cross country took place. Mr Tayar wasn’t going to let us come last two years running: our new housemaster motivated us with doughnuts for those competing, resulting in third place for Nettles and a large Krispy Kreme bill for Mr Tayar.

Our House Chess title was defended once again, as the unparalleled Nettles chess team returned to roll over the competition. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for House Reading – usually a Nettles-dominated event – where we slipped to fifth this year. Table tennis and shooting were similarly not as successful for Nettles this year, and a fifth place in House Hockey was another unwelcome result.

However, at this point in the year Nettles’ luck seemed to turn. A strong second place in house quiz was achieved (thanks again to the victorious First Form), and James Pyper helped lead the Nettles Sixth Form as they conquered the basketball court, contributing to the house’s second place overall in basketball. House Squash was a closely contested event but the boys in light blue pulled through and secured first place, putting the house in a much more encouraging position at the end of the Lent Term.

The months before the summer holidays are often when Nettles is most successful, and this year was no different. With their eyes set on the Cock House Cup, the boys strove for success throughout the term, and after some great catches from the second form team and some brilliant batting from the Third and Fourth Form we came joint first with Hamonde in House Cricket. A second place in softball added to the success of the Trinity Term, and after some slightly disappointing results in tennis and badminton we went on to win House Drama, thanks to some great directing by Ed Crook. One of the highlights of Nettles’ year was a stunning second place on sports day, just behind a suspicious Austen (whose lead gradually thinned in the week after sports day as results were scrutinised, but just not quite enough for us to take the top spot). Finally, swimming started off

strongly for Nettles, but throughout the morning our success in the water waned and we finished fourth at the Lido.

After a thrilling few weeks to end the year Nettles came second in the House Competition, a result we were all pleased with. We are of course all very grateful to the staff members in Nettles, who help run these events and organise

101

the teams, and special thanks must also go to Ciaran and Kieran for leading the house and helping the staff throughout the year. Finally, I would like to thank Mr Tayar for being a great housemaster this year; his first year in the role he undoubtedly dreamed of as he sat in Nettles house assemblies as a pupil in 1996!

POWELL HOUSE REPORT The amazing enthusiasm and endeavour displayed this year by all boys in the house events was a thing to be reckoned with. However, even though the House competition was fiercely fought we did not quite have enough to pull out all the stops for a high place. With events for every boy in the house, and some new planning from Nathan Janmohamed, we had every boy participating in their best events and the utmost effort was put in this year.

The amazing enthusiasm and endeavour displayed this year by all boys in the house events was a thing to be reckoned with.

However, even though the House competition was fiercely fought we did not quite have enough to pull out all the stops for a high place. With events for every boy in the house, and some new planning from Nathan Janmohamed, we had every boy participating in their best events and the utmost effort was put in this year.

We enjoyed an excellent start to the year with a quick lead from the First Form Dragon Boat Racing where we pulled a first out of the bag!

This is a perfect example of the Powell spirit; around twenty boys who have known each other for less than four weeks, yet they worked together and managed to outperform the competition. According to Mr. Cowx possibly the most important event of the year, the crosscountry, is usually one of our stronger suits, yet this year we unfortunately came fourth, despite House Captain Nathan Janmohamed showing every boy that victory was possible against the odds by winning the senior event, even though he was not the so-called favourite to win. I’m

sure Mr Cowx’s inspirational words, for example ‘If you are keeping up with another boy, he is not better than you, else he would be in front of you’, will be enough next year to make it out with a win. Later in the Michaelmas Term we had the reading, chess, rugby and table tennis competitions leaving us with a total of twentyfour points: an unfortunate joint-fifth with the leaders, Austen, on a nine-point lead.

We bounced back with strong results in the hockey and the fencing, whilst coming extremely close to success in the squash, shooting and the quiz. Unfortunately, this year basketball did not quite sway in our direction and so to Mr Cowx’s dismay we were gaining ground but very slowly.

With a graceful bounce back in the summer we took some courageous losses in the cricket and badminton. This was unfortunate, but came alongside better results in the drama, tennis and softball. This only leaves the School’s Sports Day and Swimming Sports. Fighting through the sports day we made it out with a respectable fourth – unfortunately this means we were quite a way down the field in the Cock House Cup

“

HOPEFULLY WE WILL TURN THINGS AROUND AND POSSIBLY RESTART A WINNING SPREE!

runnings. However, the house swimming really proved Powell’s drive as a House and a team; going in with a motivated attitude to show the other houses that we had just had a bad year we pushed forward. Nathan came back to help support and every boy put their all in, the support was huge, and we came out with a win! Even though this may have only secured a fourth in the overall runnings it shows Powell’s commitment and will springboard us into next year.

I want to say thank you to every single Powell boy, all of whom give everything they can to the House every year. Moreover, the undying effort and work put in by Mr Cowx and Mrs Rathmell is one of the key reasons our house is usually so successful. This year was unfortunate, but I am honoured to be able to lead the house through the next one and hopefully we will turn things around and possibly restart a winning spree!

Having been with Powell for six years one can truly feel that the drive and sense of community will bring joys and surprises in the coming year.

Jordan Martyn

102

VALPY HOUSE REPORT

Once again, a fantastic number of Valpy boys have competed for their house and, with just one exception, we managed to fill every spot in all house competitions, which is an outstanding achievement and one that few other houses have managed this year. In terms of performances, it has been a year of some great highs but also a few rather bitter setbacks on our quest for Cock House glory.

The Michaelmas term started well with a superb second place for our First Form dragon boaters.

Towards the end of that half term, we continued our tradition of having a strong showing in the more academic competitions, coming second in house reading. The highlight of the reading for us was the victory of Henry White and Joe Ruddy in the senior dialogue competition.

Racket sports such as table tennis continue to be an area for serious development but we did do well in the most key ball sport of that term; in spite of not winning a single year group in the rugby, we secured a sufficient number of second and third places across the school to enable us to secure first place in the overall competition. This was, to my mind, the epitome of a team effort whereby strength in depth counted for more than the domination of any particular group of players and, as this was a double points competition, we ended the term on a real high at second place in the table.

The Lent term was, again, a bit of a mixed bag in terms of results. We were on course for victory in the fencing due to having a number of top fencers, but one last minute illness and a couple of unlucky fights that we narrowly lost saw us dropping to third place. In squash and again in basketball, whilst we had a couple of good performances, we did not manage enough consistency to finish in the top half for those competitions (although I must mention here the Fourth and Fifth Form basketball

team who narrowly missed out on first place in their category in spite of having a team almost entirely made up of the younger age group- this bodes well for next year’s Fourth and Fifth Form basketball!). Our main saving grace in Lent was our superb showing in the shooting. Shooting is not one of the major school sports, but it is practised by a small, passionate and highly skilled group of boys and Valpy has been lucky enough to boast a number of the school's top shooters. Most notably, Miles Horton-Baker in the Upper Sixth, accompanied by our new House Captain Laurence Zahn, put in a fine performance in the senior competition and the junior team also came first, leaving us second overall all in that competition!

However, a disappointing overall hockey result and some very mixed results in the chess and house quiz left us far from where we wanted to be at the end of that term in terms of the Cock House Cup. In the Trinity Term, we once again struggled with the racket, with the opposition in badminton and tennis proving too strong for a high number of our pairs, although they all played with great determination. Nevertheless, the term took a turn for the better when we improved on our last place in Athletics from last year to achieve third place at this year’s sports day. We had our best showing in the relays for years and we were incredibly proud that two Valpy boys managed to beat school records (Will Peasey in 1R and Tommi Nebuloni in 3L). The next success was a fantastic joint first place in House Cricket, largely

103

thanks to two outstanding first places for both the Valpy First and Second Form teams. The Valpy boys put a huge amount of energy into the House Drama and, whilst the placings were not what we would have hoped, I was impressed by the quality of what they put together and I’m hugely thankful to the Lower Sixth Directors, Laurence Zahn, Alex Freeney and Charlie Buckingham for all their efforts. Once again, we achieved some fantastic results in the House Swimming, as we boast some of the School’s top swimmers such as Andrew Brett in 2C and Tommi Nebuloni in 3L. It was not quite enough to allow us to avoid another disappointing final position in the Cock House Cup but we have plenty of superb young Valpy boys coming through and look forward to next year’s competitions with relish!

SPORT

RUGBY After fifteen action packed, busy weeks, we reached the end of the 2018 rugby season. It has been another mammoth effort from all involved this year, with 400 boys representing 25 teams in nearly 230 competitive matches and tournaments. Many boys have made debuts, lots have played their final games, all have shown great commitment and enthusiasm in representing the RGS. This year, like every other, we have enjoyed immense highs and inevitably, experienced plenty of painful lows. It is important that the highs are celebrated but never taken for granted and the lows are learnt from, but not dwelled on.

Of the highlights, it is impossible to list every single one but here are just a few: n

n

The senior tour to South Africa in July Safari, Goedgedacht Farm, Born in Africa, Table Mountain, Robin Island, biltong, limited wifi access and of course – gaming.

The U15 half term tour to Edinburgh – The Old Course, Rugby on the beach, Raisin week, Steve the bus driver and questionable musical choices

n

The U12A team’s victory at the Highfield Tournament and unbeaten day at the Surrey U12 waterfall competition.

n

The 1st XV winning away at Tonbridge to reach the last 16 of the Champions’ Trophy for a second successive season.

n

U15A team beating Brighton College 12 – 10 in front of a large crowd at Bradstone Brook to reach the last 16 of the National Cup

n

The U16 Harlequins Masterclass delivered

by Dave Ward and George Merrick.

n

U14A’s clinching victory over St Paul’s with a last-minute drop goal.

The award for coach of the year was, yet again, an extremely difficult decision; It is hard to single out one individual as every RGS team coach is unquestionably committed and so many of our sides have enjoyed truly excellent seasons. The successful recipient has captured the imagination of his team, instilling a sense of belief, both individually and collectively, that has enabled them to flourish. Coach of the season is awarded to U16B team coach, Mr Holiday.

104

As ever, there is a huge debt of gratitude owed to the ground staff, the catering team, our first aiders, Mr Yetman, Mrs Pontin, Mr Woodman, our student referees and to every team coach –without their support and hard work, a rugby program of this side just could not happen.

Colours, a gift of thanks and recognition from the school, have been awarded to a number of 1st XV boys who have significantly contributed to the rugby program during their time at the RGS. The work they have done this year in particular, has been above and beyond, it is greatly appreciated and members of the upper sixth can leave safe in the knowledge that they most certainly left the RGS shirt in a better place.

Half colours were awarded to the following boys: Roy Brett Sean Donnelly George Bailey Sam Warren Sam Hodges Matthew Curtis Josh Berman Will Perceval

For outstanding commitment and representation of the 1st XV over the past 2 seasons, full colours were awarded to: Alasdair Bulman Fergus Middleton Albert Ismagilov Angus Lovatt Ciaran Taylor Will Fitch Eric Roberts Edward Robinson Tom Eves Tom Perceval Alfie Johnson Thomas Chua Charlie Hubbard Dan Aldwinckle Ethan Illman As we look ahead to next season, I wanted to finish with a few words on winning. For me, winning is about far more than who scores the most points. I have witnessed many different types of win this season: Gestures of great sportsmanship in house rugby, senior boys devoting time to coaching other year groups, younger boys staying on to support the 1st XV, tidying the changing rooms, putting into practice plays learned in training, changing plans at the last minute to be available for selection, rallying around injured teammates, congratulating a boy selected ahead of you and playing out of

“

position if needed – just a few examples of our regular victories. In isolation, these wins are sometimes overlooked, taken for granted and possibly viewed as insignificant but collectively, these small victories have far greater, long lasting impact than any scoreboard win. Being good citizens, aspiring to be great role models and always putting the team first will further enhance what is already a strong culture at the RGS. The paradox of creativity suggests that we find our deepest inspiration, when we are

BEING GOOD CITIZENS, ASPIRING TO BE GREAT ROLE MODELS AND ALWAYS PUTTING THE TEAM FIRST WILL FURTHER ENHANCE WHAT IS ALREADY A STRONG CULTURE AT THE RGS 105

motivated by something other than winning, which in turn, makes us more successful. So, invest time in your teammates, be kind to one another, look beyond results and acknowledge the many other small daily victories.

A final thank you to every boy that has played rugby in the 2018-19 season. Irrespective of age, experience or ability, thank you for your enthusiasm, effort and commitment.

BDU

EDINBURGH RUGBY TOUR On the 18th October 2018 the RGS U15 rugby team set off to Edinburgh, Scotland, where they took part in the annual rugby tour. The first team building exercise was the 4:00 start, where the bright and breezy faces demonstrated feelings of excitement and eagerness, before hopping onto the plane and travelling to Edinburgh!

The tour bus driver, Scott, was on fine form, as he drove the scenic journey to Melrose Rugby Club, the home and founder of sevens rugby where the team took part in a professional training session led by an expert coach. Following the session, the team played some beach rugby where it was amazing to see the standard of free-flowing rugby the boys can play when playing with a free spirit. To finish the day, the boys had fish and chips on the beach before heading back to the hotel for some well-earned rest.

The following morning, the boys were greeted with a large buffet breakfast, putting them in a good mood and demonstrated the overwhelming portion sizes on offer in the Scottish capital before the bus departed to Peebles High School, located in the Scottish borders. The two teams took part in some live scrummaging and line-outs before playing a shortened match of twenty-five minutes.

This proved to be hugely valuable, allowing the teams to get feedback on technique from coaches from both teams as well as training with boys that they did not know.

Upon leaving the fixture victorious, the boys travelled to Murrayfield stadium to watch the eagerly anticipated Edinburgh vs Toulon. The boys then had an opportunity to get autographs from players following the game before heading back to the hotel for a pool therapy to get rid of any niggles from the match.

On Sunday, the boys travelled back to Murrayfield Stadium to have a tour of the home of Scottish Rugby. They were then driven to St Andrews where the boys walked the Old Course, went to the golf museum and used the driving range before having an insightful meet and greet with ex professional referee David Changleng. The boys gathered valuable

106

information and asked intuitive questions regarding the laws surrounding the breakdown area.

The boys had been building towards their final fixture against the High School of Dundee on the Monday morning. They played skilful rugby, utilising their structure and executing effectively in attack whilst being ferocious in defence, finishing comfortable winners against strong opposition. Once they had lunch with the opposition team, the boys did some sightseeing in the historic city centre of Edinburgh, before travelling back to Guildford.

BDU

1ST XV CAPTAIN’S SPEECH This season has been full of ups and downs for the 1XV. It started way back in July for our incredible trip to South Africa. This was our first chance to play as a team against some top rugby schools. The tour gave us the best possible start to the season, winning 4 out of 4 games including a tense victory over a strong Jeppe team who’re one of the top 20 teams in South Africa. Dan Aldwinckle was an instrumental figure, winning MOTM in 3 of our 4 games, and was thoroughly missed throughout the majority of the regular season through injury.

After a long pre season of broncos and boys constantly asking Mr Dudley for additional kit, our first game was against PGS. Our pre match music switch from gangsta rap to ‘The Greatest Showman’ put us in good stead to start strongly. We came out of this one with a tight 29-21 victory and our superior fitness showed.

Ethan Illman took an early lead in the try scoring charts, scoring 2 brilliant wingers tries, despite playing 2nd row at the time. Next was derby day against Reeds. A confident side, but not the most formidable we would come up against, the boys demonstrated their potential with an excellent 41-10 victory.

A slightly disappointing draw against Wimbledon College followed where the physical nature of 1st XV rugby started to take its toll on the squad.

A special mention must go to Arthur Cartwright who demonstrated immense bravery when he was injured on 1st XI debut and unable to play again for the rest of the season. This draw gave us a slight wobble heading into our first Champions’ Trophy match against Tonbridge. Tonbridge are a traditionally very strong rugby school and their reputation put them as firm favourites heading into the game. Our biggest game of the season so far, the lads showed enormous fight and desire and we came away with a fully deserved 33-22 victory. Alfie Johnson was talismanic, scoring a hattrick of tries, at least one of which he had no right to score, but like so many times over the years he just knows where the try line is. Tom Chua was heroic in defense, making over 20 tackles in the first half alone. Unfortunately, his physicality led to him being badly concussed, ending his season. Chua has always been an integral part of the team and is another player who was missed sorely. George Bailey his replacement, stepped up brilliantly to fill the gap and worked tirelessly all season for the team.

After our high of Champions’ Trophy victory, we came crashing back down the following game against St Pauls. Another loss at the hands of rivals St Johns left us with a point to prove against the well known Wellington college. Unfortunately, this game didn’t end well, but sometimes rugby isn’t about the result and is just about having fun.

1st XV – D Aldwinckle, S Donnelly, S Hodges, G Bailey, A Johnson, S Warren, L Wyllie, H Brooks W Perceval, J Berman, A Brett, E Robinson, T Chua, T Perceval, Dr JM Cox, Dr JM Wisson, T Eves, M Curtis, E Roberts, C Hubbard, A Ismagilov, Mr B Dudley, E Illman, B Norbury, F Middleton, W Fitch, A Lovatt, A Bulman, C Taylor

After half term came two tough fixtures against Epsom College and Cranleigh. Charlie Hubbard’s return gave a big boost to the team but wasn’t quite enough to overcome these two heavyweights of schoolboy rugby.

Thank you to vice captains Gus and Fergus for their support this season, especially leading from the front in the gym when I was turning up to the later sessions and ensuring everyone was doing their own workout, rather than doing my own.

The game against Abingdon got us back to winning ways which carried on for the remainder of the season with a good win over KCSE and then a final victory over Skinners. The Skinners game was for many of us, our last ever game for the school. The pre match tunnel inspired the boys to a 33-15 victory which was a great way to finish our rugby careers. However, that scoreline could have been slightly better if Sean Donnelly hadn’t dropped the ball over the line after going for a one handed put down. With ‘greatest showman’ and ‘I want it that way’ blaring in the changing room, it was an emotional time as we realized the season was over and most of us were never going to wear the white, red and green ever again. The season has been one of the most successful for a number of years at 1st XV level and this is a great achievement for all involved.

Before I get onto the coaches, it is time for an award. Players’ player of the year is an award to show who the team see as an outstanding individual. Many players received votes for this award which shows the quality throughout the team. The winner is fully deserving of this award and at times this season was a different class.

He is a player who kept us in matches and it was often his performances that brought up the levels of the rest of the team. He is an extremely physical player, capable of putting in monster hits in defence, as well as carrying dominantly in attack. He joined in the 3rd year and instantly improved the team. Since then, he has gone from strength to strength and has developed into a top class player. The 1st XV players player of the year for 2018/19 season is….. Alfie Johnson.

Congratulations to Alfie for finishing the season as top scorer with 9, and Ethan just behind with 8.

Thank yous- firstly, thank you to Martyn Taylor for his photography work over the years. He has supplied many of us with pictures to post on Instagram which we will be eternally grateful for.

Secondly, although they’re not present, thank you to all the physios who have supported us this year. The physio role has been quite full on due to the injury prone nature of the team. And thank you to all of our parents who have supported us no matter the weather or location, your support really makes all the difference on matchdays.

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A special mention must go to Ali Bulman who was a close second and has been an indispensable player for us this year.

As for the coaches, thank you to forwards coach Dr Wisson for his scrum and lineout expertise, if only we had a hooker who could throw straight this might have benefitted us. On a serious note, coaching us as well as having your own team is a big commitment so thank you.

Thank you to Mr Vickers for your help throughout the season helping us to evolve individually as players and we hope your recovery goes well from injury.

Thanks to Mr Walsh for his internationally recognized gym programme and conditioning.

I never thought somebody who takes us so frequently to the point of throwing up could be so loved by all the boys. He made morning gym sessions much more bearable and we are doing very well to fend off interest from the likes of Stade Francais to have him as a coach.

And finally thank you to Mr Dudley. The upper sixth boys have all been lucky enough to be coached by Mr Dudley for the last 3 seasons. Mr Dudley has given up a monumental amount of time for us and puts in many hours behind the scenes. Spending much of his Saturdays with us at fixtures, staying late for after school trainings, giving up his own holiday for pre season and mid season sessions and not to mention spending 2 full weeks with us in South Africa away from his family are just some of the commitments he makes for us and for this we are extremely grateful. As a coach, he demands us to be the best we can be and he has positively impacted every single one of us with his knowledge and understanding of the game. There is without doubt a difference in standards between us and schools like Wellington College, but I have no doubt that with Mr Dudley’s leadership and drive, that gap can be closed and the future of RGS rugby looks bright with him at the healm.

2nd XV – J Gathercole, G Bailey, B Norbury, G Ball, O Sweetland, W Perceval, M Harris, W Laing, J Berman, R Carter, J Pyper, Dr ET Batchelor, E Buddles, O Atkinson, J Willshine, A Cartwright, H Brooks, H Woodfine, H Klintworth, J Gray, E Crook, K Okoroafor, D Rosevear, H Blanford, S Verma, W Sharland

Playing 1st XV rugby for RGS has been an incredible experience and something I will never forget. It is without doubt the thing that I will miss the most when I leave the school and I’m sure it is the same for many of the team. Good luck to the Lower 6th boys ahead of your final season at RGS. Enjoy it and do the shirt proud.

More recently, we had a successful 7s season once it finally got going. After the PGS tournament was cancelled, we had to wait until Reigate 7s to don our new kit, thanks to wheeler dealer Mr Walsh. Performances were more important than results here as we looked to build up to Surreys and Nationals. Awful conditions made it difficult to implement our expansive play style, but the ability of the boys to adapt showed great intelligence. Surreys was next where we were very successful, only losing to Millfield in the groups. We went through to the plate, avenging Caterham for our earlier defeat at the Reigate tournamentt, before beating Emanuel and Wimbledon College to win the plate, a fine achievement for all involved.

3rd XV – P Hylen, M Hinton, A Bisada, N Andrews, M Walker, H Doyle, C Brooksbank, T Tu, Mr HR Wiggins, G Wallbank, J Donnelly, M Coombs, J Simms, E Westphal S Hockley, G Tench, J Burns, H McGrath, A Shackleton, H Robbins, J Gray, F Howse, M Dodds

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PLAYING 1ST XV RUGBY FOR RGS HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE AND SOMETHING I WILL NEVER FORGET. IT IS WITHOUT DOUBT THE THING THAT I WILL MISS THE MOST WHEN I LEAVE THE SCHOOL

Next was the big one, Rosslyn Park. Utter dominance on day 1, scoring 177 points and conceding only 7 put us in a confident mood heading to day 2, the first RGS side in a long time to do so. A strong performance on day 2 against Wimbledon college meant it all came down to our game with Rugby on the livestream to see who would progress. A valiant effort against a relatively physical Rugby side wasn’t quite enough to send us through, but capped off a wonderful season for the boys.

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U16A – A Goel, J Ferry, D Turner, T McCallion, O Tyndale, H Cameron, Dr JM Wisson, A Crookenden, C Ratcliffe, L Hill, D Mistry, J Dobinson, B Watkins, J McMurray, D Brown, L Wyllie, J Robinson, J Stratford, H Turrell, G Sherwin, T Roberts

U16B – K Kim, J Bailey, J Smyth, S Poole, B Dunnett, D Turner, C Thilakawardana, D Timberlake, Mr DN Holliday, W Lawson, H McIntosh, F Cliffe, F Boon, A Smith, O Walsh, A Tingay, G Tregar, J Jenkins, J Lavery, F Wood, H James, T Lakin, T Hemsworth

U16C – J Vary, S Laurence, D Timberlake, Dr AA Page, O Thompson, T Hemsworth, H Forrest, K Patel, H McIntosh, L Beedie, C Bird, E Baker, A Yeend, T Marlow, J Geoghegan, A Ozkan, J Holland, G Tregear

U15A – D Toulson, Z Muntaser, M Birtley, A Humphrey, W Craven, B Doyle, E Berman, S Burrage, Mr T M Vickers, M Kassir, K Wright, E Sinclair, M Shaw, A Al Jenabi, C Mattison, M Scully, J Shipp, H Eisinger, M Windle, O Cronk, C Woodfine, J Doyle, M Lovell, F Brosnahan

U15B – A Humphrey, L Duggan, J Brackstone, G Williams, M Kassir, G McGrath, P Dimov, W Wieland, Mr S T Herman-Wilson, M Grosso, M Clyde, A Braithwaite, J Dewar, J Redwood, Z Hafiz, J Sheldon, C Troman , T Ford, E Sinclair, O Cronk, I Nathan, D Beach, M Warner, M Ashwell

U15C – J Gray, L Wood, M Alford, A Soneja, D Stagg, Mr S Baker, C Aldridge-Bate, A Rathore, A Golding, S Naharki, P Aravinthan, T Vejendla, J Burrows, M McNally, L Van Eykenhof, A Ahluwalia, O Liversedge, D Patel, S Norris, D Beach, S Astles

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U14A – I Phillip, C Armstrong, M Reed, D Hitchcox, O de Gentile-Williams, Mr GDG Cover, R Anthony, M Santoni, A McDougall, S Hinton, S Lear, T Bamber, T Humphreys, H Hawkes O Waghorn, A Beaumont, C Hodges, L Wilby, E Eves, J Hilton, D Taylor

U14B – C Mackenzie, C Arnold, M O’Sullivan, A Gurung, B Alexander, Mr T M Vickers, S Correia, K Phillips Mateo, J Simms, S Lear, E Amiss, P McKendry, M Reed, B Jones Z Kennedy, J Czarnek, J Caulton, B Cruttwell, A Cliffe, A Brook, C Powell

U14C – P Lay, B Paladi-Kovacs, F Vaughan, K Brodersen, C Buchanan-Robinson, D Stoddart, F Jones, A Turner, Mr R C Black, M O’Sullivan, A Atkinson, S Pearce, O Dargan, J Perry, O O’Shaughnessy, A Csakany, R Wright, D Sahota, A Chamberlain, G Rudman, R Timberlake, H Bockowski, Z Law, L Galpin

U14D – F Cheng, H Laing, Mr A J Shakeri, M Shields, T Millar, B Vary, T Humphreys, O Lytle, O Marlovits, A Mostafa, S Banks, B Paladi-Kovacs, M Wu, R Rannabugardie, R Gupta, J Orthen, M Deacon, P Lay

U13A – L Pressley, H Florence, O de Gentile-Williams, C Walker, J Williams, G Meadowcroft, Mr C Mullon, P Kerr, O Lee, B Bury, W Houghton, R Hopkins, M Kraus, L Song, J Kershaw O Taylor, S Brown, A Brett, J Morris, T Stork, G Aspden, L Griffiths

U13B – K Moodley, A Doran, M Doyle Mr T M Vickers, G Correia, H Cruttwell, O Goodworth, G Meadowcroft, W Munroe, I Game R Storey, G Troman, B Tabberner, M Hackett, E Denton

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U13C – A Hafiz, O George, R Eves, E Clifford, J Beedie, T Postance, W Glenister, M Johnstone, T Dowdeswell, C Downey, M Luther, N Serpant, H McGuire, O Smith, J Dicker, P Lima-Stoltmann, T Farrant, P Jones

U13D – E Anwar-Khan, A Jackson Mr T M Vickers, P Jansen, F Leikis, E Newbold, D Sorensen, O Lewis, S Fawcett H Bush, L Ayles, R Mistry, S Cade, O Binns

U12A – Mr I Wilkes, N Zubkov, A Rothwell, H Simmons, D Krikorian, D Phillip, S Bristow, J Sturridge T Donnelly, K Hess, J Williams, J Anderson, E Davey, R Murphy, G Wilson, D Yates J Thomeycroft, H Amiss, O Billingham, T Earl, W Peasey, O James, Z Tinkler

U12B – A Judge, A Evans, Mr B Dudley, J Sturridge, S Bristow, C Hitchcox, F Williams, A Rothwell, N Zubkov, D Krikorian, H Simmons, J Ventham, R Murphy, L English, J Williams, K Hess, B Sutton, H Amiss, O Brown, H Amis, W O’Brien, O James, J Weeks, H Caulton

U12C – Mr R Seymour, O Munday, F Spragg, L Smith, J Uzielli, J Sellers O Turner, J Sylvester-Evans, T Sonnenberg, T Fowler, G Fowler, B Sutton J Meade, J Weeks, C Webster, L Jensen-Mongiello, D Zhang

U12D – Mr A R Gyford, M Woodhouse, J Richardson, K Serpant, C Hickley, Z Warham, T Bishop, W Holmes, A Hong, J Trowbridge, D Wright, N Meade, M Sugeeswaran

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HOCKEY

Hockey at the RGS has enjoyed another fantastic year. As always, the commitment shown by our incredible staff ensured the enjoyment and success within hockey at the RGS. Highlights this year as always include the Super Tuesday event, where every First Form boy plays in a competitive match for the school; the success of our elite teams and the remarkable achievements by individuals beyond school hockey.

The 1st XI have thrived this year, playing under lights on Friday nights and attracting some big crowds. Two games that witnessed the very best of what we have to offer were the fixtures against Reed’s and Whitgift. Despite losing both games narrowly, the quality of hockey on display was applaudable.

The U15A team came fifth in the County Cup, the U16A team played in the National Finals at the Olympic Park, narrowly losing in the Final to Trinity School on penalties. We can be just as proud of the U16B, U15C and U14C teams who wnet unbeaten all season. With only two of the 1st team’s starting XI leaving at the end of this season, the future of RGS hockey looks bright.

The 1st XI have now been entered into the Tier 1 National Cup Competition, true testament to

the hard work of past and present staff of all our performance teams.

Behind so many teams participating and thriving is a coaching staff deserved of recognition.

These are the statistics that make RGS sport such a pleasure to be a part of, creating sporting opportunities for all.

On and individual front, it is the third year running that RGS players have represented the school at the highest level in national programmes.

This year saw the most RGS boys selected for Futures Cup teams ever. Finn Cooper, Callum Smith, Harry Relph, Joel Cant and Jake Sloggett were selected to play amongst the country’s

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best at the tournament. Cooper took it one step further and was selected for the NAGs prgoram, having been identified as demonstrating high potential through on and off pitch behaviour and performances. In celebrating individual success, McMurray in the U16B and Williams in the U13B teams have been the school’s leading goal scorers.

We are grateful to both staff and parents who continue to support and encourage the boys to take part in and enjoy every opportunity that comes their way. Thanks to all for an excellent season.

Craig Mullon

1ST XI HOCKEY REPORT In the lead up to this season there was fairly high hopes for the success of this team.

Having reached the South Finals of the indoor competition we knew we would be good competition for even the best teams on our circuit.

Disappointingly we opened our account for the season with a close loss to Tonbridge. We looked to bounce back for the first round of the Tier 2 National Cup against Charterhouse but that also resulted in a loss despite some good performances at the back from Callum Smith, Ollie Grieveson and Kai Rhode, as well as both Henry Turrell and Finn Cooper showing they certainly had ability beyond their years.

A resounding 7-2 win versus Churcher’s College included Alex Tiplady’s great first-time volley which certainly lifted the spirits of the team. But the hope of continued success was cut short by another close defeat, this time to St George’s College, where we first saw Henry Cronk’s

uncanny ability to miss the ball at the back post.

We did however get a flash of Finn’s skilful play in midfield which luckily for us became a feature of future matches.

With the game against Trinity cancelled due to weather, we went to into the Reigate match well rested which definitely showed in the dominant performance that followed. Goals went in thick and fast from our boys, including Ed James, Lucas Savage and Fergus Middleton, as well as an audacious goal by Harry Relph over the keeper’s shoulder from the baseline.

Probably our hardest fixture was, as expected, against Whitgift, and all credit to the team we definitely did ourselves justice despite it being our biggest loss of the season. This game, as with all the others, included a selection of outstanding saves from Jake Wilshire.

of a cup run; crashing out of the first round of the Tier 3 National Cup competition on flicks is always tough.

Following the St George’s sixes, which was one of the highlights of the season for all involved, we faced a strong Reeds side in a highly anticipated ‘Friday Night Lights’ game with a lairy Reeds crowd.

We made sure that we turned up to the match looking like we meant business, even though we only managed to bring along a 5-person crowd! In a closely contested affair, Joel Cant weaved in and out of defenders whilst Jake Sloggett had yet another solid performance in defence.

To bring the curtain down on the season we played Langley Park away. After a gruelling 60 minutes of complete hockey orchestrated by Mr Mullon, we managed to secure a 2-1 win and finish on a high.

During this 2018/19 season I think it’s fair to say that we didn’t quite reach our potential in terms

U1st XI Hockey 2018-2019 – F Middleton, H Turrell, C Smith, L Savage, Dr JM Cox, H Relph, K Rohde, F Cooper, C Vincent, J Sloggett, H Cronk, Mr C Mullon, J Willshine, A Tiplady, T Chua, E Ferguson, O Grieveson, J Cant, E James

2nd XI Hockey 2018-2019 – A Shahare, U Dandanayak, Mr TB Owens, M Walker, J Feakes, A Carvell, F Lonie, J Pyper, J McDonald, H Foster, W Gray, J Norton, S Perryman

3rd XI Hockey 2018-2019 – Mr JDN Lythgoe, T Cookman, M Coombs, J Wright, J Feakes, J Miller, U Dandanayak A Brett, C Buckingham, D Hilditch, J Mistry, A Freeney

U16A Hockey 2018-2019 – R Berstecher, D Price, Mr NW Gough, H Turrell, L Hill, W Lawson, J Gamble, J Dobinson, T McCallion, H Hill, F Cooper, S Harrower, C Thilakawardang, C Moody, O Jansen, J Robinson, F Cliffe

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U16B Hockey 2018-2019 – J Smyth, D Turner, C Chong, S Poole, R Berstecher, Mr JW Pressley, G Kemkers, A Smith, H Hodge, J Gamble, J McMurray, K Wilshere R Hill, B Dunett, J Lowery, G Sherwin, T Lakin

U16C Hockey 2018-2019 – E Latham, Y Gandhi, Mr JDN Lythgoe, S Nigrelli, W Brown, D Turner, O Atara, S Young, L Beedie, H James, A Tingay, J Salmons, L Flint

U15A Hockey 2018-2019 – W Wieland, D Patel, Mr EG Pearson, I Nathan, S Burrage, A Humphrey, W Craven, B Lenel, J Sheldon, M Birtley, G Chapman O Cronk, M Windle, T Perryman, M Slominski, H Latham, J Doyle, B Doyle

U15B Hockey 2018-2019 – J Pressley, J Brackstone, Mr GDG Cower, H Buckland, J Gray, G Casale, M Clyde, M Kassir, T Wright, K Wright, A Taylor, M Shaw, C Woodfine, F Brosnahan

U15C Hockey 2018-2019 – D Stagg, T Haque, Mr EG Pearson, T Colby, A Stenning, M Ashwell, D Sung, T Collins, Z Hafiz, Z Mughal, S Astles, W Nielsen, C Allan, T Ford, J Dewar, A Murrin, E Sinclair

U14A Hockey 2018-2019 – I Phillip, B Jones, R Wright, R Gupta, Mr CR Mullon, M Deacon, H Hawkes, M Reed, Z Kennedy, A McDougall, S Stuart-Reckling, S Hinton, E Eves, O de GEntile-Williams, C Powell, D Hitchcox

U14B Hockey 2018-2019 – M Nickless, J Wiles, C MacKenzie, Mr TM Vickers, K Brodersen, L Wilby, S Lear, L Griffiths, T Humphreys, A Cobb, A Beaumont, A Cliffe, F Vaughan, C Hodges, B Cruttwell

U14C Hockey 2018-2019 – G Justice, J Turner, Mrs DB Webster, B Alexander, F Jones, C Buchanan-Robinson, D Sahota, T Humphreys, C Arnold, J Colton, D Atara K Phillips Mateo, J Simms, P McKendry, O Waghorn, J Hilton, J Durie, H Boczkowski

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U14D Hockey 2018-2019 – H Laing, R Timberlake, C Armstrong, J Amor, Miss FA Bains, O Lytle, S Pearce, J Perry, O Meares, M Yousaf, W Chantry A Harker, Z Law, S Correia, A Brook, T Millar

U13A Hockey 2018-2019 – Mr B Dudley, O George, C Walker, J Kershaw, T Dowdeswell, K Moodley, O de Gentile-Williams, L Pressley R Hopkins, B Bury, P Jansen, R Storey, E Anwar-Khan

U13B Hockey 2018-2019 – Mr B Dudley, B Moore, O Goodworth, B Tabberner, H Florence, J Williams, A Hafiz, G Correia P Kerr, W Houghton, S Brown, T Stork, G Aspen

U13C Hockey 2018-2019 – J Morris, W Munroe, Miss GM Glements, M Luther, L Song, S Heatley, O Lee, S Zabarte, M Johnstone, O Taylor, L Griffiths, E Drew, M Hackett, E Denton

U13D Hockey 2018-2019 – Mr DN Holliday, O Burne, H Cruttwell, T Postance, P Jones, R Heeroo, E Clifford, J Szekeres, J Beedie, O Lewis, M Kraus, E Newbold, P Lima-Stoltmann

U12B Hockey 2018-2019 – S Bristow, A Rothwell, T Bent, Mr RC Black, L Smith, D Phillip, J Sylvester-Evans, S Thevenon, H Simmons, D Pocock, D Krikorian, F Williams, A Crouch, K Hess, H Amis, D Wright, O James, L English, D Yates

U12C Hockey 2018-2019 – F Williams, M Woodhouse, J Uzielli, Mr I Wilkes, F Spragg, J Ventham, R Murphy, J Thorneycroft, A Crouch, W O’Brien, H Amiss, H Caulton, J Williams, O Billingham, S Pasarkar

U12D Hockey 2018-2019 – W Holmes, M Woodhouse, J Richardson, A Gaseltine, Mr WHN Spouge, D Pocock, R Murphy, T Sonnenberg, J Trowbridge, S Srivastava, N Sivayoganathan, J Thorneycroft, L Jensen-Mongiello, B Sutton, H Amiss, S Pasarkar

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CRICKET

The Cricket World Cup that was on UK soil this summer allowed the perfect opportunity to watch the greatest players on this earth compete at close quarters. The aesthetic of a Kohli cover drive, the devastation of a Starc inswinging Yorker and the apparent ease of a Shannon Cotterell self-thrown boundary catch, is something we witnessed in over the summer with adoration no doubt.

It might be asked, while reflecting upon our own cricket season, ‘what relevance does this sporting pinnacle and the individuals that competed within it have on the schoolboy game?’

Beyond the much publicised and welcomed participation boom that occurs in schools of a host nation post tournament, it allows us to reflect upon exactly what it takes for the individual to reach the peak of their performance. It may be a little ambitious to predict 950 international caps for RGS pupils in the forthcoming 20 years, however, what is entirely possible is every boy here devoting themselves to self-improvement in all that school life entails.

The path to individual reaching their best is not straight forward nor is it immediate. The late Steve Jobs once said, “If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time”.

Expert sports scientists will also tell you that the main characteristic of skill development is that of trial and error. So what can we take from this?

It is undisputable that failure is a mechanism

for improvement, and is certainly not something to fear. Whatever your individual goal is, it is important to remember that the players I have mentioned have no doubt failed on the cricket pitch from time to time.

Cricket at The RGS aims to give all players the chance to develop by providing a positive environment that allows opportunities to both succeed and fail. The 2019 season has seen many highlights and successes: The Under 12,13,14 and 15A teams all reached the T20 Semi Finals with the Under 15’s winning the Natwest County Cup for the first time in 18 years.

Continuing with highlights, The U15B and C teams had unbeaten seasons; The U12 B’s beat Hampton for the first time in 6 years; The U14 A’s defeated Whitgift in the T20 cup after a super over; The 2nd XI rallied to post 113 against Reed’s despite being 18-7 and followed this up

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by bowling the opposition out for 100, taking the last 7 wickets for only 7 runs, and The 1st XI chased down 296 against KCS Wimbledon. The leading run scorer this season for the 1st XI was Abhay Gonella with 572 runs, and he was also the leading wicket taker with 18 wickets.

Referring you back to the words of Steve Jobs and his message of long periods of hard work being the crucial precursor to success, this summer we saw, within this school, an excellent example of success coming to a long-term contributor: Upper 6th student Tom Eves had not scored a 50 for The RGS at any level. His final two innings saw him score 69* and 108* for the 1st XI. Tom is a student who has committed himself to self-improvement and training hard, often during intense exam periods. It was no surprise to many staff that these innings came to fruition after years of commitment and hard work.

Congratulations should also go to: Henry Amis for an outstanding 6-5 vs Trinity School; Thaqib Haque for bowling figures of 5-11 vs Dulwich College; Tom Humphreys for bowling 6-48 vs RGS Colchester, and Abhay Gonella for scoring 102 not out vs Reed’s.

On a continuation of honouring achievement, colours are given as a gift of thanks and recognition from the school to the following players who have made a significant contribution to cricket at The RGS. This year Half Colours were awarded to: William Perceval, Harry Relph, Dom Rosevear, Alex Tiplady, Henry Turrell, Aman Ashfaque, Sam Finch and Ayush Bose.

Full Colours were awarded to: Tom Eves, Abhay Gonella, Eric Roberts and Tom Perceval.

Whilst the successes above are laudable, above all, in entering the cricket field, we build long lasting memories and friendships that can never be taken away from us. I hope all players continue to enjoy this.

This year, coach of the year went to the undefeated Mr Herman-Wilson who has worked so hard in developing the talent in the Under 15B team and has produced some excellent performances. I also would like to give special

mention to the departing Mr Pearson who led the U15A side to county cup success. He will be sorely missed by all involved in the cricket programme and I would like to extend my personal thanks you for his significant contribution.

Finally, there are some additional thank you’s that need to be made. Firstly, to the teachers and coaches that have given up an

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incredible amount of time both after school and on Saturdays this season, as well as to the players, for your enthusiasm, participation and commitment to cricket at the school this past year. As Head of Cricket, it gives me great pride to see such a positive, industrious and sportsman like manner and approach to cricket.

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RGS 1ST XI CRICKET REPORT The 1XI started the term optimistically by beating Trinity School comfortably by 6 wickets in frosty conditions, which in hindsight seemed more suitable for a rugby fixture. Next, we went on to knockout close rivals Cranleigh School in the national T20 competition, having tied with them, due to favourable permutations which saw us score a handful of runs more than them in the first 6 overs. Alas, the same permutations cruelly got the better of us in the next round as we lost out to St Johns, Leatherhead having also tied with them. Vice-Captain Tom Eves took 6 wickets strongly enabled the team to restrict both teams to low totals.

The standout game of the season followed.

After being asked to bowl by KCS Wimbledon, the KCS batters racked up 293 on a flat deck in Wimbledon. An inspirational team talk by Alex Tiplady in the morning clearly didn’t kick in until the afternoon, when the RGS got of to a strong start in the second innings, with Will Perceval scoring 70. Strong cameos by the middle order, with 4 batsmen scoring 24, enabled RGS to get closer to the the mammoth total. With 100 runs left to score in the last 15 overs and rain threatening to ruin the chase, wicketkeeper Tom Perceval (44*) and Henry Turrell (39*) steered the team home to a iconic victory in the dying overs.

Spirits were high as RGS looked to continue their fine form as they clashed with rivals Reeds on an idyllic day at Bradstone Brook. Having won the toss RGS batted first and posted 240, with captain Abhay Gonella (101*) carrying his bat. RGS easily defended the total with 40 runs to spare with outstanding figures of 6.1-4-3-2 for young Tom Humphreys. The half term finished on sour note as RGS were comfortably beaten by Hurstpierpoint in bowler friendly conditions. Nevertheless, credit must be given to Humphreys as he brought up his maiden first team fifty by playing an extremely mature knock. Special mentions must also be given to Dom Rosevear and George Kemkers for making their first team debuts this year.

A couple of defeats after half term to strong cricketing schools in Dulwich College and Cranleigh School dampened the mood slightly, but notable individual performances from Harry Relph (60) ,Tom Eves (10-1-30-4) and fine opening spell from Ayush Bose, who threatened the outside edge on multiple occasions against Dulwich College meant that the 1XI weren’t far off victories in both fixtures. After a wonderful end to their school lives at the Leavers Ball, the Upper Sixth felt worse for wear as the team looked to get back to winning ways against St Pauls. A measured and accurate opening spell from Sam Finch and a brilliant spell of spin bowling, at the end of the innings, from Adit Gandhi restricted St Paul’s to 230 on a good batting surface in Hammersmith. Another fifty from Will Perceval, supported by starts from the middle order, left the RGS some work to do with 10 overs to play. A lower oder collapse ensued in typical RGS fashion, but the steely determination of Alex Tiplady and Tom Perceval meant that the 1XI chased 11 of the last over thanks to a boundary of the penultimate ball from Perceval.

The annual RGS festival got underway in Worcester this year, with the 1XI making a fine start to the week by defeating reigning champions RGS Lancaster by 8 wickets, mainly due to a tight bowling performance from the unit. Special mentions must be given to Turrell and Bose for their excellent opening spells, whilst Humphreys and Gonella saw the team home with 59* a piece in reply. A couple of close losses to RGS Newcastle and RGS Worcester ended hopes of Guildford winning the festival, however individual highlights include Alex Tiplady - who apart from his shouts of “wiffy banter” throughout the year - fielded excellently during the week and also ended up as the leading wicket taker over the course of the 5 days. Furthemore, Harry Foster integrated brilliantly into the team as a second spinner, whilst also showing his big hitting ability by ruining the schooling careers of many RGS Worcester bowlers by hitting them into all parts of the Midlands.

A fine footballing victory must also not be overlooked in the annual festival BBQ against RGS High Wycombe, with Tiplady scoring an exquisite goal from 3 yards out to win the game in the dying seconds… Victories against RGS High Wycombe and RGS Colchester followed in the next 2 days with special mentions going to paceman Eric Roberts for his fine spell against High Wycombe; Charlie Vincent and Aman Ashfaque scored brilliant maiden fifties to see the 1XI home in the run chase against the same opposition. An oddly satisfying Friday saw the festival end with Humphreys also picking up 6 wickets against Colchester bowling off spin whilst Eves scored his maiden fifty in his penultimate game for the school. Whilst we didn’t bring home silverware

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this year, we took home the moral victory as we did defeat eventual champions RGS Lancaster.

Notably, Tom Humphries made an excellent start to his first team career and naturally picked up the Young Player’s award at the festival, leaving many admiring in awe of this young sensation - in whose hands the future of the RGS 1XI looks to be secure.

The final game of the season came up swiftly against PGS. With the previous evenings Love Island episode polarising the 1XI into two camps, the RGS batted first in glorious conditions in Portsmouth. A fine hundred run partnership from Gonella (54) and newly promoted no.4 Tom Eves - formally a tailender - steadied the ship for the 1XI after early wickets. But after his heroics the previous day, Eves went one better in his final game for the school as he brought up his maiden century in the best knock of the season. His knock left many wondering what the elegant left hander was doing batting at no.11 all these years. A strong reply from PGS scared some of the RGS faithful, but a clinical bowling spell from Turrel, Roberts, Tipaldy and Humphreys meant that the RGS managed to win by 4 runs.

Finally, as another cricketing term passes by, many thanks must be given to the staff who take time off their Saturdays to oversee our games on excellent pitches at Bradstone Brook. Many thanks must be given to Mr Black, Mr Barnes for taking the first team this year, as well as Mr Cover for overseeing our cricket on a weekly basis and also helping us at the RGS Festival. With many young prospects coming through the year groups, the future of the RGS 1st XI looks extremely bright.

Abhay Gonella

1st XI Cricket – T Perceval, A Bose, H Turrell, T Humphreys Dr JM Cox, E Roberts, S Finch, A Tiplady, H Relph, Mr RC Black A Ashfaque, W Perceval, A Gonella, T Eves, C Vincent

2nd XI Cricket – G Kemkers, F Middleton, O Jansen, Mr I Wilkes, C Kershaw, H Brooks, T Moores, S Finch, J Donnolly, J McMurray, C Thilakawardana, H Foster, A Bridle, O Grieveson, D Rosevear, C Taylor, E Crook, D Hilditch

3rd XI Cricket – D Timberlake, U Dandanayak, Mr AC Dodd, J Donnelly, L Hill, J Burns, C Ratcliffe, S Hockley, T Chua, O Grieveson, C Taylor, F Hoose, M Dodds

U15A Cricket – Mr E G Pearson, W Wieland, O Laxton, D Patel, J Doyle, T Collins, S Burrage, I Nathan, A Rathore, O Cronk, J Sheldon, J Dewar, Z Hafiz

U15B Cricket – Mr S T Herman-Wilson, T Haque, T Colby, A Humphrey, B Doyle, M Slominski, I Nathan, N Walker, S Astles, A Taylor, W Craven, M Sutton, C Woodfine

U15C Cricket – N Walker, H Buckland, Mr T M Vickers, G McGrath, G Casale, A Taylor, F Brosnahan, O Rathell, G Chapman, E Sinclair, A Murrin, C Mattison, M Hanumara, W Nielsen

U14A Cricket – O de Gentile-Williams, J Wiles, Mr B Dudley, S Myles, J Simms, M Reed, J Durie, S Stuart-Reckling, N Gonella, L Wilby, T Humphreys, R Gupta, E Eves, O Dargan

U14B Cricket – C Mackenzie, J Amor, Mr J Chaumeton, A Turner, P Majumdar, M Yousaf, B Jones, T Humphreys, R Timberlake, O O’Shaughnessy, A Brook, D Hitchcox, O Waghorn, D Sahota

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U14C Cricket – G Justice, C Arnold, P Lay, B Thomas, D Atara, Mr D Amis, T Millar, R Anthony, J Perry, M Deacon, L Galpin, S Correia, B Crutwell, A Beaumont, J Colton, R Rannabugardie, S Lear

U13A Cricket – Mr GDG Cover, P Jansen, J Dicker, A Doran, J Kershaw, C Walker, A Hafiz, N Dandanayak, W Houghton, S Brown, O George, G Aspden, B Bury

U13B Cricket – Mr K P Tayar, J Williams, B Tabberner, E Drew, T Dowdeswell, O de Gentile-Williams, H Florence, O Lee, D Jayakody, E Anwar-Kahn, S Sanmugam, R Hopkins

U13C Cricket – J Majumdar, A Jackson, O Goodworth, G Correia, R Mistry, Mr G R Eves, W Munroe, D Sorensen, M Johnstone, H Bush, Y Sheikh, W Glenister, E Newbold, W Hargreaves, K Moodley, S Bijilani, R Storey, H McGuire, P Lima-Stoltmann, S Heatley T Farrant

U12A Cricket – Mr C R Mullon, K Patel, G Wilson, M Sugeeswaran, Z Tinkler, L English, S Pasarkar, M Clough, D Ponniah, H Amis, T Donnelly, A Gupta, O James

U12B Cricket – O Turner, A Evans, C Hitchcox, Mr C R Mullon, C Connolly, R Murphy, T Fowler, D Yates, W O’Brien, A Crouch, S Satvikya, H Amiss, B Sutton, C Webster, G Fowler

U12C Cricket – J Sturridge, T Bent, Mr T E Fishpool, H Stelfox, N Zubkov, C Connolly, D Krikorian, R Pulendraraja, O Turner, L D’Souza, T Bishop, A Rothwell, A Crouch, H Amis, T Earl, A Judge, S Rayaprolu, J Sylvester-Evans

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FOOTBALL This season has been one of the most enjoyable at the RGS with more than 70 senior boys representing the School in over 55 fixtures, across an increasingly challenging and demanding fixture list.

The attitude and performances of all the footballers involved have been superb to see and the standard really does continue to improve. The RGS is now one of the last 6th form only, Lent term football schools and the progress that all players have made, the intelligence, commitment and ability shown, as well as the results on the pitch, are truly remarkable. Thank you all for your hard work this year. We also owe a special thanks to Mr. Williams, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Richards, Mr Presley,

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Mr Lythgoe and Mr Cover, without whom none of this would be possible, giving up their time and showing great passion and knowledge for the game. The future for RGS Football is certainly bright and with the introduction of 4th and 5th Form clubs, the number of boys playing the game, the standard and the potential continues to rise.

1st XI player of the season: Matt Dodds.

2nd XI player of the season: Kieran Galpin.

3rd XI player of the season: Sam Müller.

4th XI player of the season: George Wallbank.

THE FUTURE FOR RGS FOOTBALL IS CERTAINLY BRIGHT ... THE STANDARD AND THE POTENTIAL CONTINUES TO RISE.

RGS Golden Boot: Matt Ledbury Full Colours: Oliver Taylor, Javier León-Ayarza, Ed Hickey, Ben Fernandes, Matt Ledbury and Benedict Cox. Half Colours: Will Murrin.

Adam Lowe

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1ST XI FOOTBALL After a successful tour to Ajax in Amsterdam, in which we won two out of the three competitive games we played, the 1XI prepared for what would be a hectic schedule before Christmas.

Learning how to exercise playing out from the back after just a few weeks, the free flowing RGS Football was fully on show by November and, despite losing the ISFA Cup match to KGS, our dominance of the game and the quality of football on show showed the potential we had this year. Adair starred in the game, grabbing a brace in a narrow defeat, which included 2 penalty missed (one from Taylor, who would

go on to have a negative record from the spot this year). We soon however turned on the style against Frensham and Lord Wandsworth (which included a typical kick-out from the hot-head Ewens), winning 12-0 on aggregate over the two games. An excellent showing away at Fulham Foundation FC in the County Cup nearly bought a huge cup upset but 2 late goals from Fulham meant they edged a close 2-1 encounter, with Fernandes and Dodds putting in excellent performances. However, arguably our two best performances of the season came in the space of a week, against an impressive Lingfield side in which we drew 3-3 with two quality goals from the talisman Ledbury, and a 2-1 win against King Edwards Witley, who had a number of football scholars in their side.

Despite a disastrous injury to our very own ‘Alisson’ Hudson in goal, Dodds stepped in, put on the gloves and put on a masterclass in goalkeeping as RGS ran out winners in a quality encounter.

After Christmas, after a narrow victory against the Old Guildfordians with a long-range strike from Taylor, the team grinded out a 3-2 win against ISFA Cup winners Royal Russel with a devastating counter attacking display. Ledbury yet again netted a brace and Taylor yet again missed a penalty. After this however, the team went on a run of losing games that they should not have lost. Making the odd inevitable mistake from playing out of the back, some questionable finishing up front and the odd cramp for Murrin led to a few defeats against the run of play. However, there were some excellent team performances, with a last-gasp winner at Wilsons and an 8-0 thrashing of Lord Wandsworth we ended up with an encourgaing twelve wins.

The team gelled extremely well. Hudson mastered the long-range pings from day one in goal, and his defence of Murrin, Fernandes, Dodds, Cox and Turner were excellent all season. Taylor, Hickey, Cluff and Leon-Ayarza provided stability in Midfield, and there was an abundance of goals (66 overall) in the strike force of Scott, Pinhey, Ledbury, Adair, Mcdougal and Harris. We all developed over the year, playing some great football by the end of the season. For this, I thank Mr Lowe for the time and effort he put into training, coaching and developing us as footballers. I have every faith that RGS football has a bright future with U15 and U16 football now being introduced. I wish every luck to next year’s team.

Ollie Taylor

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OUR DOMINANCE OF THE GAME AND THE QUALITY OF FOOTBALL ON SHOW SHOWED THE POTENTIAL WE HAD THIS YEAR.

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E Hickey, W Cluff, M Harris, J Leรณn Ayarza Dr JM Cox, Mr JDN Lythgoe, J McDougall, B Cox, M Ledbury, W Laing, W Murrin, Mr AR Lowe J Hudson, B Fernandes, M Dodds, O Taylor, O Pinhey, N Scott, L Turner

Mr AC Dodd, H Spence, S Hodges, A Bose, J Paulson H Twine, J Gray, D Rosevear, K Galpin, G Osborne

J Mulligan, S Mueller, E Franklin, J Donnelly, B Rouffignac Mr RE Presley, B Stott, S Donnelly, C Taylor, J Sweetbaum, Mr JJ Richards T Lindley, T Moores, W Sharland, O Coto, L Goldring

N Goatley, L Piper, B Rouffignac Mr GT Williams, R Carter, A Ismagilov, G Bailey, S Hunt, H Klintworth S Hockley, K Okoroafor, C Taylor, J Watkins, G Wallbank

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ATHLETICS This season was not easy for RGS athletes. Spectrum Athletics Track was relaid over the winter and was out of action until May half term.

Consequently our Games sessions were severely impacted and a number of important competitions postponed or even cancelled.

District Sports was one such casualty – a favourite of the RGS athletics calendar – and unfortunately we were not able to participate this year because it was eventually rescheduled to the day of our own Sports Day. On top of this we were plagued by wet weather, making quality training sessions a rare commodity.

We must, however, not let this colour our impression of the season too much, for there have been many things to celebrate. For example, our Junior English Schools’ Track and Field Cup Team came 3rd in our regional round and qualified for the Regional B Final, where we came 12th. Elsewhere, thirteen athletes were selected to compete at the Surrey Schools’ Athletics Championships – special mentions to Ben Fitzpatrick (L6-6), Sam Martin (5H), Matt Harris (L6-7) and Zack Kennedy (3L), who won their respective events – and two RGS athletes went on to represent Surrey at the Intercounties.

Sports Day: given the weather we had had in the days leading up to it, Sports Day itself was meteorologically not too bad…a little damp at times, but quite still – near perfect conditions for the athletes. This must go some way to explaining the high number of school records that were broken – 16 in total, across all age groups – including a 13-metre improvement in the 4th form javelin record by Jack Doyle (4A) (40.55m), and a storming run well clear of the rest of the field from Joe Thorneycroft (1L) in the 200m with a

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time of 26.11seconds. Some of the most impressive records, however fell in the Open events. The middle distances provided solid entertainment with an epic and contentious battle in the 800m between Ben Fitzpatrick and Charlie Kershaw, resulting in a new school record of an astonishing 2mins0.9seconds from Ben (smashing the record last set in 2000), and a similarly exciting race in the 1500m where three athletes – Ben, Charlie and Sam Martin - all ran inside the previous record time, which had been set in 1998. Sprinter Matt Harris’ 200m best of 22.53seconds beat a record set in 1986! The fact that these records had been so longstanding is testament to their quality and we are very fortunate to have such a talented crop of athletes at the RGS at this time. Perhaps the most exciting new event to make the timetable was the inaugural 9x60m shuttle relay for 1st and 2nd form athletes, giving even more boys an opportunity to participate.

Overall Austen came out victorious, just 1.5 points ahead of Nettles.

evening Claremont and Harrodian matches, and our now traditional 4th Form Games contests with Charterhouse. It has been especially pleasing to have boys involved who have not competed or in some cases even represented the school before…well done and thank you for giving it a try.

Many boys from all year groups competed this year against other schools, in Saturday fixtures at Epsom, Tonbridge, Harrow and Lord Wandsworth College,

In recognition of their service to the school, not only in terms of their high standard of athletic performance but also of their high levels of

commitment to school sport in competitions, training and in assisting the next generation of RGS athletes, full colours were presented to the following athletes: Matt Chan, Cameron Salter, Henry Doyle, Nathan Janmohamed, and Matt Harris. Thanks to several members of staff, in particular Mr Lythgoe, for helping to run the athletics fixtures and training programmes this season.

U15 Athletics – M Kassir, O Robinson, Miss G M Clements, D Stagg, M Birtley, T Perryman, M Ashwell, K Wright, H Eisinger, A Al Jenabi, D Choi, Mr J D N Lythgoe, N Campbell, T Ford, M Warner, M Scully, M Lovell, M Windle, M McNally

U14 Athletics – Mr J D N Lythgoe, M Shields, A Atkinson, A Harker, A McDougall, Z Kennedy, T Nebuloni, F Jones, C Buchanan-Robinson, C Hodges, S Hinton, D Taylor, J Hilton

U13 Athletics – J Morris, F Leikis, H Crutwell, E Clifford, L Pressley, Miss G M Clements, J Szekeres, S Zabarte, P Kerr, M Kraus, O Gander, L Griffiths, K Doherty, O Burne, O Taylor, G Troman, G Aspden, E Denton, A Brett, L Ayles, L Song

U12 Athletics – Mr T M Vickers, S Bristow, F Williams, J Uzielli, E Berry, A Rothwell, J Thorneycroft, N Meade, P Wang, L Smith, F Spragg, O Brown, L Jensen-Mongiello, O Billingham, W Peasey, J Weeks

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OTHER SPORTS BADMINTON This year there has been a strong squad of players most notably made up of players from the 4th and 5th Forms as well as from the 6th Form.

This year Chris Chong, Sam Baker, Anish Goel and Neil Boujemaoui reached the finals of the Key Stage 4 South East Regional Round of the National Schools’ Badminton Competiton playing as a team in a mixture of singles and doubles matches, beating 4 other schools 5-0. The team was knocked out by Reading School who went on to win the competition.

Outside of school Chris Chong has also won the Surrey U16 boys singles title and the Surrey County U16 Boys Doubles tournament.

Many boys were given the opportunity to represent the school. A variety of teams and matches were played during the year. The Under 19B team lost in their 3 matches. The Under 19A team won 2 of their 3 matches beating KCS and Tiffins but losing to Wilsons. The Under 16A team had one match against Hampton School, which they won.

The following Under 19 players were awarded their full-colours: Henry Doyle, Harry Twine, Sanjith Aranavan, Priveen Utherraj.

The Lawson Cup for services to Badminton was awarded to Priveen Utherraj.

Mr AB Kirkland, H Doyle, S Aravinthan, S Baker, A Goel P Uthayaraj, C Chong, H Twine

Congratulations to Chris Chong, Sam Baker, Anish Goel and Neil Boujemaoui: they played as team in a mixture of singles and doubles matches, beating 3 other schools 5-0 to reach the finals of the Key Stage 4 South East Regional Round of the National Schools’ Badminton Competiton. They then came up against last year’s national winners, Reading School, in the final and were beaten 5-0. (photo to follow). 15/3

RGS U19B lost 16-0 against Wilsons.13/2 RGS U19A team beat KCS 5-4 RGS U19B team lost to KCS 5-4 6/2 Congratulations to the 1st team: Chris Chong, Sam Baker, Anish Goel and Neil Boujemaoui on winning the KS4 County Round of the National Schools Badminton Championship. In a mixture of singles and doubles matches the team beat Reeds, Lingfield College and Woking High School, winning 5-0 each time. They then went on to to beat Glyn School 3-2 in the final. The boys have now qualified for the South-East Regional Round where they will be competing against 7 other county winners. 29/1 U19A Badminton Team lost 12-4 against Wilson’s School on Friday. 13/11 U19A won 5-4 against Tiffins.

U19B lost 8-1 against Tiffins.

11/10 U16A Badminton Team won 10-2 against Hampton School.29/9 Christopher won the Saunders Trophy for the Surrey U16 boys singles title at Epsom College on Sunday to add to the Boys Doubles title he won in the same category earlier this month.25/3 Christopher won the Surrey County U16 Boys Doubles tournament partnering Shareef Wadud from the Wimbledon Performance Centre on Sunday 10th April 2019.11/3 Christopher made his debut for the Senior County team playing 2nd singles for Surrey against Norfolk and Essex in the National Senior County Championships on Saturday 10th November 2018.

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CHESS Hopes were high running into the 18/19 chess season, with the same 1st VI line-up as in the previous two years backed up by more youthful talent in the 2nd and 3rd VI’s. Despite Mr Thorn’s claims to being retired, he could still be found at almost every chess event throughout the season and with full commitment from all the players, we were hopeful for another successful year. Things started off strongly, with first place finishes for the 1st VI in both the Russell Jamboree and the very strong Eton Schools tournament for the second year running.

A regular fixture of the chess calendar has become the weekend spent at Millfield School in Somerset in October. The chess proved as tough as ever, with the prize of first place still hanging in the balance between ourselves and Gonzaga College, Dublin after the first day. The Saturday evening as usual consisted of a general lack of homework being completed, with the team instead preferring the traditional game of round-the-world table tennis. With full participation from teachers, Mr Thorn and Mr Jessett gave an outstanding display of speed, grace and agility, putting the rest of the team to shame. After the obligatory Saturday night hike, a Mr Thorn speciality, we returned to the chess on Sunday where we eventually ran out a narrow second place to now 5-time winners Gonzaga. Individual board prizes were picked up

by Luke Nelson and James Golding, whilst Alex Golding won the prize for best under 16 in the event and Harry Grieve won the Stephen Joseph prize for best overall player.

losing out only to the strong Hampton School’s A and B teams respectively. The lack of gold medals achieved here only made us more determined to put in a strong performance in the National Schools event later in the year.

And so the arrival of the knock-out format of the National Schools brought with it fresh hope for a successful end to the season. The 2nd VI narrowly lost out in the regional stages, leaving only the 1st VI to progress to the national finals with the hope of bringing home the trophy.

Held at Uppingham School in July, the finals bring together the strongest 16 schools in the country to contest a four-round final, where only winning all four games is enough to take home 1st place. Arriving as the top seeds, our hopes were not disappointed on the first day, with close victories over St Olave’s Grammar School and KEGS Chelmsford. Watching England losing out in the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup that evening perhaps

The main event which runs throughout the year is the Briant Poulter Surrey Schools Chess League, in which we entered 3 teams in separate divisions this year. Our less experienced third team placed a respectable 5th in their division, a good sign for the years to come whilst our first and second VI’s both came second in each of their divisions,

foreshadowed our prospects for the next day, as we struggled to find form during a narrow loss to City of London School in the morning which ended our hopes of regaining the status of national champions. A better performance against Westminster school that afternoon gave us our third win of the finals and the third equal position overall, still a very respectable achievement.

All the chess played at the RGS this year was only made possible by the efforts of Mr Jessett, Dr Calverley and Mr Thorn, supporting not only the 1st, 2nd and 3rd VI’s but players of all abilities who come to play during chess club at lunchtimes. As I make way for a new captain of chess at the RGS next year, I hope that chess here will continue to thrive, and I wish the teams all the best in the coming years.

Harry Grieve

1st Chess 2018-2019 – Mr AJW Thorne, O Atara, J Golding, A Golding, AWJ Essett, A Ahluwalia, H Grieve, L Nelson

2nd Chess 2018-2019 – Dr AP Calverly, M Gray, R McCauley, J Dicker, W Golding, D Atara, L Galpin

3rd Chess 2018-2019 – Mr AWJ Jessett, S Fawcett, H Florence, R Meda, K Serpent, O George, W Kim, M Hackett, B McCallion, O Gander, E Drew

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FENCING This has been another memorable season with the RGS capturing multiple county and national titles. Leo Kamstra has been selected for the England squad and he duly represented England in the European Circuit Competition held in Espoo-Helsinki. His team UK2 came eighth after a convincing victory against Spain2 in the last 16.

UK2 was also ahead of UK1 which finished tenth.

RGS did well in the Surrey Youth Championships despite our top fencers electing to fence in overseas and regional events. Freddie Cheng was crowned the new U14 foil county champion with Zed Law being the bronze medallist. Felix Johnson won a bronze medal in the U14 épée. In the Men’s competition, Sam Ellis was crowned the Intermediate Épée Champion and Matt Williams won a silver in the novices.

The British School Team Championship once again proved to be the highlight of the season.

Remarkably, all five RGS teams won medals or plates. The U15 épée team consisting of Leo, Freddie Edgecliffe-Johnson and Boldi PaladiKovacs fought brilliantly and were undefeated in the poules. They won a tough semi-final against the strong Whitgift A by 40-37. The final was against the defending champions Sevenoaks.

It was an exciting and difficult contest with the opposition having a narrow lead for most of the match. Boldi shown his grit and determination in

ONE OF THE TOP FENCING SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY

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the seventh fight and achieved a most impressive victory against a far more experienced opponent.

Freddie Edgecliffe-Johnson regained the lead for RGS in the eighth and penultimate fight with an incredible 9-5 victory. The final fight was contested

by Leo, the current Public Schools’ Champion against the 2017 Champion. Sevenoaks staged a late and dangerous comeback but RGS managed to hang on and win the championship by 43-42 to become the new British U15 épée champions.

Freddie and Leo were joined by Freddie Cheng and Zed Law in the U15 Foil and the team were silver medallists. Kit Edgecliffe-Johnson teamed up with Sam Ellis and Kenny Okoroafor in the U18A and they were bronze medallists. U18B captained by Freddie Cliffe won the épée plate. The U13 team featuring Jenson Anderson, Rishikesh Mistry and Ben Kamstra won the foil plate.

Leo Kamstra also represented England in the Challenge Wratislavia and he was joined by his brother Ben, Freddie Edgecliffe-Johnson, Freddie Cheng and Zed in the competition. Leo came 29th out of 250 fencers and Ben made a superb debut by finishing in the top quarter Ben, Freddie Edgecliffe-Johnson, Freddie Cheng and Zed were selected to represent the South East and Southern regions in the British Youth Championships. All the RGS fencers made the L32 and Ben fenced brilliantly to win the bronze medal. Ben gained 1200 points by this result and jumped to fifth in the England rankings.

The final event of the academic year was the Surrey Youth Team Foil Championship. James Harper-Jones captained the U14 into winning silver medals and Zed Law (representing Cobham Fencing Club) was also silver medallist in the U17.

Junior Fencing 2018-2019 Mr WS Lau, F Johnson, J Anderson, R Mistry F Cheng, B Paladi-Kovacs, L Kamstra, F Edgecliffe-Johnson, Z Law

I would like to thank our coach Mrs Thomas for her dedication and exceptional effort. Indeed, it is doubtful if we could have captured the British U15 title without her coaching. She has also helped the younger fencers develop greater confidence and love of fencing.

It was a delight to see Alan Loveland (OG 1965) in the Public Schools’ Championships and we are very grateful for his continued support.

Finally, it is time to say goodbye to our senior fencers Kit, Alex, Sam and Kenny. They were the 2018 British U18 épée champions and have won numerous medals in county and national events over the years. I must thank Kit in particular for being such an outstanding Fencing Captain. He has been instrumental in developing the sport and helping the RGS to become one of the top fencing schools in the country. His commitment and enthusiasm has contributed so much to our success and he will be sorely missed. We wish them every success at university.

Senior Fencing 2018-2019 Mr WS Lau, M Williams, F Cliffe, T Humphreys S Ellis, K Edgecliffe-Johnson, K Okoroafor

WSL

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SHOOTING This has proved to be a momentous year in the long history of shooting at the RGS, which has necessitated a complete change in the manner of my ‘usual’ report.

As the above photo reveals, we won the Ashburton Shield at Bisley for just the second time, the previous time being in 1986. To win this trophy is quite simply the pinnacle of cadet shooting in the UK, and we should be justifiably proud of the achievements of the team. Our winning score of 759.44 was three points better than Gresham’s School, and it was built around an impressive opening score of 263.19, fired at 300yds. After an average performance at 600yds, we managed to hold things together at 500yds, despite a rather nervy final shoot by our final firer. When the confirmation came through, we all looked around with a mixture of disbelief, joy, surprise, and satisfaction that we had ‘done the job’.

It would be remiss of me, at this stage, not to pay tribute to the boys, not simply the VIII, but to all of those in the squad, to those who couldn’t make the Schools’ Meeting, to those who have competed in previous years who have helped to foster the competitive yet friendly way in which we go about our shooting; above all, though, I would like to pay tribute to the time and energy which three people, Martin Whicher, Jon Underwood and Stephen Black, have put in to help realise our boys’ potential. Their expertise and attention to detail have finally enabled us to ‘get it right’ on the day, and the fact that they, and three other members of the squad of 1986 were there on the day to share in this success made this a truly special occasion.

The above exploits, though, should not mask our other achievements during the fullbore season: we retained the Clayton Challenge and Surrey Schools’ trophies; Luca O’Flynn lost out in a tied shoot for the Wellington Trophy; nine boys stayed on after the Schools’ meeting to take part in the main Imperial meeting; two boys, Balazs Rigo and Luca, got through the final stage of the Queen’s Prize; and, not to forget,

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THE MOST PLEASING ASPECT OF ALL THIS IS THAT EVERYTHING WE ACHIEVE IS ‘HOMEGROWN’, THAT IS TO SAY THAT ALL OF OUR BOYS LEARN TO SHOOT ENTIRELY WITHIN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

T Fang, P Wilkinson, D von Hänisch, F Ahmad Mr S G Black, S Cherry, L Castle, O Taylor, W Kemsley, S Balloo, B Rigo, Mr D J Woolcott J Matheson, J Riley, H Mayne, M Horton-Baker, L O’Flynn, W Shrubb, L Zahn

Balazs and Sam Cherry both represented the school with distinction, as Athelings, in Canada.

Finally, though, back to the VIII, and for the first time, our winning score, added to that of the Old Guildfordians Vets team, enabled us to winner the Lucas Trophy, a mightily impressive piece of silverware, as our headmaster will testify to, as he held it aloft in the first assembly of the new school year!

All of the above success rather puts our achievements in the smallbore season into the shade rather. Nevertheless we overlook them at our cost: strong performances in Division 1 of the BSSRA Winter and Spring leagues saw us come second to Wellington College in both terms; we also came second in the BSSRA Team of Eight competition, again to Wellington; we retained the Surry Junior team trophy, the Lord Mancroft Trophy; Johnny Matheson won the overall Surrey Junior League winners’ trophy; Miles Horton-Baker won the Surrey Junior League Division 1 title, he and Luca O’Flynn both also firing for England Schools’ ‘A’ team in the Home International competition; and finally in our shoulder to shoulder matches, we suffered defeats at the hands of Wellington and Epsom, but carried all before us against other schools and Cambridge University.

As I reflect on the achievements over the past twelve months, I am only too conscious that there may well be some individual performances that I have missed out, and I have not made any mention of the success of junior boys, of other

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teams in leagues, and of the on-going House competition, suffice to say that the state of RGS shooting has never been healthier. However the tough challenge lying ahead is for us to try to replicate and improve on our success this year: it will require continued effort, application, dedication and commitment from our boys.

The most pleasing aspect of all of this, though, is that everything we achieve is ‘home-grown’; that is to say that all of our boys learn to shoot entirely within the school environment, often starting with air rifle in the first year, and progressing upwards through the school onto smallbore, and then fullbore. I often wonder how many other sports can lay a similar claim, and, what is more, it is with the help of our two afore mentioned OGs: it is truly done ‘in house’!

I usually finish with due thanks to the hard work done by my colleagues to give the boys every opportunity to succeed: I hope that I have already done this. And so it simply remains for me to congratulate everyone on their success this year: the time and commitment which the boys put into this sport cannot be surpassed, and I hope that these successes will inspire others to take up the sport and aspire to emulate these achievements. Who knows what next year will bring, but to borrow modern terminology: ‘bring it on!’

DJW

TENNIS In a summer when we have had the men’s Cricket World Cup, the Women’s Football World Cup, the Netball World Cup and the annual delights of Roland Garros and Wimbledon tennis it is a joy to see RGS tennis right up there in terms of crowd pleasing play and dedication to their craft.

Weekly training on the AWTA, at Woking Lawn Tennis Club and an annual trip to Cornwall at Easter provide the opportunities they need to perfect their art.

In matches, all teams excelled themselves in terms of technique, enthusiasm and sportsmanship - more on that later.

With so many teams to highlight it seems unfair to highlight one. But undoubtedly the under 13 squad of Gabriel Correia, Ethan Newbold, Luc Pressley, Oscar de Gentile-Williams, Harry Caulton, Ollie Binns and Malachai Irvin-Sellers have epitomised what it is to be an RGS tennis “star” - such is their regular attendance at training and their commitment to the team.

Although the Under 13 “A” team haven’t actually won any trophies yet they can be very proud of their performances. Losing in the final stages of tournaments is something us Brits have always been good at, so long as we do it in a sportsmanlike manner - more on that later.

The “B” team however have been more ruthless and have done superbly well by winning their division. They now continue to fight on in the Lawn Tennis Association’s regional competition.

I know I can rely on the boys and their excellent coaches Mrs Wilson, Mr Lemaire and Mr Yardley to bring home some silverware.

I would like to thank all the staff who have helped keep the season running so smoothly. Mrs GoulWheeker, Mr Presley, Mrs Wilson, Mr Lemaire, Mr Yardley, Mr Thomson (LTA coach) and Mr King the groundsman.

Three boys’ on court behaviour has been an example to everyone: They were noticed for this by the Lawn Tennis Associations’ officials at the St George’s Festival. To everyone’s delight, they were awarded trophies for being the “most sportsmanlike players” of the tournament having reached the final stages of that event with grace and honour ... and no dodgy line calls.

It is fantastic they have been recognised in this way: Well done to Gabriel Correia, Ethan Newbold and Ollie Binns.

I look forward to another fine year of tennis in 2019-2020.

Mr JA Casale, Master i/c Tennis

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“

IN MATCHES, ALL TEAMS EXCELLED THEMSELVES IN TERMS OF TECHNIQUE, ENTHUSIASM AND SPORTSMANSHIP.

TENNIS TEAMS

Mrs N Wilson, J Sellers, J Williams, E Davey, A Crouch, Mr R G Yardley J Trowbridge, H Caulton, A Evans

Mrs N Wilson, D Moore, G Correia, M Luther, L Pressley, I Game, Mr R J A Lemaire O Binns, E Newbold, O de Gentile-Williams

Miss N S Goul-Wheeker, B Edwards, O Lytle, J Caulton, O O’Shaughnessy, M van Eykenhof O Meares, S Lear, O de Gentile-Williams, A Srinivasan, J Czarnek

Mr R E Presley, G Chapman, T Perryman, S Baker, M Clyde, T Ward W Nielsen, O Cronk, P Dimov, A Chan, J Byrne

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CROSS COUNTRY We have lots of outstanding runners in each age group at the RGS, however you don’t need to be one of these outstanding athletes to compete at the RGS. Boys of ranging abilities take part in the multitudinous XC events that we participate in each year. Although injury and illness impacted on our team selection and overall performances we again demonstrated that the RGS is a leading school in x country.

We started the year with real expectations of a successful season ahead; the first race being the annual Charterhouse course. This is a tough course for even seasoned athletes, however this didn’t stop the RGS team. Our XC captain, Nathan Janmohamed, came in 2nd overall in the senior event whilst our newest runners in the Junior Team took a first place overall with the most highest scoring runners out of all the schools competing.

A few weeks later we travelled to Wimbledon Common to take part in the Kings Trophy.

This course has been known to have deep mucky puddles or streams flowing down the paths (perfect conditions for XC!), however the conditions turned out better than usual. Our top runner, Sam Martin, came in an astounding 4th place overall out of 150 runners. With other high results this allowed the RGS to gain Bronze medals overall. Another successful race for Team RGS! The most prestigious event in the XC calendar is of course the Haskell Cup hosted by the RGS itself. We got our largest turnout this season fielding a full and injury free team. This highly competitive relay is attended by nearly 50 teams each year. Once again RGS prevailed coming an impressive 2nd overall.

Every year the RGS Team are highly successful in the Guildford and Waverly District Champs.

This year we had 17 boys qualify to represent Guildford in the Surrey County Champs held in Priory Park. Over the Juniors, Inters and Seniors,

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I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THE BOYS FOR TURNING UP ON RAINY COLD MORNINGS TO COMPETE FOR THE SCHOOL WITHOUT COMPLAINING.

Senior Cross Country - T Jones, C Moody, A McIntyre Mrs SJ Perrett, B McCallion, C Kershaw, S Perryman, Miss HC Ward, Mr WD Cowx C Salter, S Martin, N Janmohamed, B Fitzpatrick, A Forsyth

an impressive 5 boys went on to represent Surrey, wearing the notorious yellow vests, in the English School Championships, competing against the best of the best from each County.

Focusing more on the Junior and Intermediate years, RGS once again entered the English Schools XC Cup. This is a national competition with several qualifying rounds. RGS made it through the County round to the South-East regional final in both age groups, but just missed out in qualifying for the National Finals in what is a very competitive region. However, this didn’t get the Juniors down and they continued to compete in the Danes Hill XC event, coming 3rd in a fairly large field, with Elliot Denton claiming first place overall!

The King Henry VIII relays was a new event we tries up in Coventry this year. It was advertised as one of the top races in the country, with the best schools in England taking part. By the end of the 5th leg we were in 4th place, but injuries and the school bug conspired against us and we were unable to maintain this place despite impressive efforts by all our runners.

The end of the season brought it all together though. We competed in the Hampton Parlauf relays with two teams made of our best runners.

We claimed the victory with an impressive lead at the end of the race. Later we competed in Richmond Park in the Renelagh Trophy on a long undulating course coming 3rd overall,

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but best was kept for the very end. Travelling to a cow dung filled field we competed in the South London Harriers Trophy. We gained not only the overall victory, stealing the 7 year title from Sevenoaks, but Ben Fitzpatrick, Tom Jones, Charlie Kershaw and Nathan Janmohamed all came in the top 6.

Overall a successful season with notable contributions from many boys throughout the school. The boys are increasingly running for athletics clubs outside of the school and we have benefited from their training and expertise. I would like to thank all the boys for turning up on rainy cold mornings to compete for the school without complaining. Without each and every one of them we would never be able to reach the heights we have. It is great to see so many new faces at XC club after school on Thursdays.

There is a promising future for the RGS with many talented runners in our teams.

Finally, I would like to thank all the enthusiastic staff that encourage and support the RGS XC team at all their fixtures and during training. I must personally thank the head of XC, Mr Cowx, for his wise words of wisdom and for doing such a spiffing job of running the show for as long as I can remember.

We have had an outstanding season and I look forward to even more successful one next year.

Nathan Janmohamed

SWIMMING Now a firm feature on the swimming calendar, we started the year once again with the RGS Swimming Trials held at the GHS pool.

Here we were able to spot the new 1st and 3rd year swimming potentials to add to the existing squad. A full gala versus Reed’s School only 2 weeks into term completed our early scouting and showed some impressive performances, despite a narrow loss on points overall. The first success of the year came in the prestigious

Surrey Team Relay Championships, with the U13A team of Andrew Brett, Sebastian Zabarte, Sam Alford, Hayden Amiss and Zac Tinkler winning both of their events to bring home the Surrey Schools’ Under 13s Team Shields for the Freestyle and Medley Relays. With the U15As (Tommi Nebuloni, Ali Harker, Joe Perry and Max Windle) coming a very close second in their Freestyle Relay, both teams qualified for the National Finals which were held in November at the amazing Olympic Pool in Stratford.

As a warm up for this event, we travelled to Churcher’s College for our 2nd inter-school gala of the year, taking a large squad of over 40 swimmers from 1st to 4th Forms.

Following closely after the Churcher’s gala, our U13A & U15A teams spent a long day at the Olympic Pool in the London Aquatic Centre, competing in the English School Swimming Association Relay Championship Finals. Both

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teams performed very well indeed, improving significantly on their positions and PBs from the qualifying heats. The U15 squad narrowly missed qualifying for the final round by 0.1 sec! Their impressive performance confirmed them as the 11th fastest team nationally, which is a fantastic achievement for a team that has no opportunity to actually train together as a team! Very well done to all. The U13 squad

improved their standings from 30th to 23rd in the Medley Relay and 21st to 20th in the Freestyle Relay, effectively improving their PBs by approximately 5 seconds in each event.

The Lent Term got underway with the Surrey Individuals at which 14 boys from 1st Form to Upper Sixth represented the RGS at this highly competitive gala at the Spectrum Leisure Centre. Here we secured a number of excellent individual awards: Tommi Nebuloni (3L) – silver medal in the Intermediate Level 200m Individual Medley, Sam Alford (2C) - bronze medal in the Junior 100m Breaststroke and Hayden Amiss (1C) – silver medal in the Junior 200m Individual Medley.

In February, a huge squad of over 50 RGS boys headed down to GHS for our 2nd joint GHS & RGS gala against Churcher’s College.

We fielded A and B teams in U13, U14 and U18, and A, B and C teams in the U12s, with a few 1st Form boys representing the school in competition for the first time. There were many excellent performances in all age groups, and although we lost the boys only competition, the combined event saw overall victory once again going to the joint GHS & RGS squad.

Very many congratulations to the whole RGS squad for a fantastic performance at the Guildford District Gala on Saturday 2nd March.

This was undoubtedly our best result of the year with team wins in the U13s and U15s, 2nd for the U18s, and RGS winning the overall Boys’ Competition. There were also some great individual wins from Arvin Rezai-Kalantary, Max Windle, Tommi Nebuloni, Joe Perry, Hayden Amiss, Zac Tinkler and the U13A Freestyle Relay Team, as well as numerous 2nd places.

In addition, many of our less experienced swimmers scored PBs in their events and gained valuable points for the teams.

Senior Swimming - Mrs FM Wimblett , H Doyle, S Perryman, A Rezai-Kalantary, S Poole A Ismaligov, J Gathercole, A Shackleton, C Buckingham, C Salter

U13 Swimming - P Jones, T Dowdeswell, J Verny White N Zubkov, J Sylvester-Evans, T Fowler, T Postance, G Fowler, S Alford, A Jackson Mrs DB Webster, S Zabarte, A Hong, Z Tinkler, H Amiss, A Judge, D Zhang, J Thorneycroft, J Mason, Miss G E Spencer J weeks, H Maguire, M Fitchie, A Brett, M Peasey, T Farrant, C Robertshaw

Following on from this success, a large squad again travelled to Reed’s School for our ‘return gala’. This was our closest result yet against Reed’s, the final score being 111 to 107 in their favour. We swam in 4 age groups winning in two of them: U13s by 25 points to 18, and the U15s by 29 to 26.

One final, and new, event completed the interschool competitions for the year – a memorable gala against Caterham School!

That just left the usual swimming sports house competition to round off a great year with a first-class competition on a beautiful, sunny last day of term! Congratulations to all the boys who have swum for the RGS in competitions throughout the year, and to the very many staff who have given up their time to help out at all the events!

FMW

U15 Swimming - M Nickless, E Ozkan, A Atkinson, J Colton Mrs F Wimblett, M O’Sullivan, D Stoddart, S Angove, A Harker, J Perry, T Nebuloni, M Alford , A Zhang T Perrryman, J Orthen, W Nielsen, M Windle, F Gosling, B Isherwood, T Vejendla

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SAILING The year started for the sailing team with the stark realisation that we had lost all three of our first team helms. Days into the term two more first team helms, Matt Shaw and Charlie Fernandez found themselves concussed by RGS Sailing’s greatest threat – Rugby. Our fears were then confirmed about the weakness of our team as we were completely dominated by Winchester in our annual friendly as we floundered about in the strong breeze. Despite this the teams resolve was strong and at the Schools Match Racing Championship in December, with a team of Mueller, Fernandez, Dorkins and Perkins the team came back strong. Conveniently it was very windy, so they didn’t allow us to sail with spinnakers. This worked especially well for Perkins helming as he hasn’t really got a clue how spinnakers work! By the second day we had just one more race to win to be crowded champions, which would be against the Royal Hospital School. We knew that if we started like we did every other time we would win overall.

However, we didn’t start very well but to surprise RHS by luffing them up away from the mark, getting us a lead which we kept until the finish.

This won us a giant trophy, which nearly crushed Mueller at the prize giving and won’t even fit in the trophy cabinet at school!

Once the sailing season resumed again in March, Matt Shaw finally decided to turn up to some of the events and with his return to RGS Sailing, the team racing squad started to improve rapidly. 3rd at the Southerns. A win at the Westerns where we had to hold back on the mark traps for fear of putting our opponents off sailing for good! 2nd in the Thames Valley event losing to Winchester in the final, even though we were missing some of the usual helms, which is a testament to the depth of the team led us on to the BSDRA Finals. The Finals are the

O Perkins, H Blanford, J Brackstone, C Armstrong, M Irvine-Sellers, D Stoddart, B Shackleton, F Jones MR J C Witts, S Rooke, T stork, M Shaw, E Westphal, O Smith, H Hawkes, L Griffiths M Bober-Irizar, N Janmohamed, C Fernandez, C Dorkins, K Clarke, D Blackmore, A Shackleton

highlight of the team racing calendar and this year they were happening at Farmoor. We had three Firefly teams and one Feva team here, so had a total of 22 sailors. We could see just how much the sailing team has improved and evolved under Witts’ continued leadership as just three years before we only had six sailors at every team racing event.

The competition here was particularly difficult, with few of the easier schools attending and no other third teams. However, The first team managed to find their way into the semi-finals where we were knocked out by MCS 1 after certain individuals seemingly forgot to cross the line on time. However, the tables were turned in the petit final, where Mueller and Shaw both dominated the racecourse, with stable 1,2 and 1,3,4 positions. This left the highlights of the year Itchenor Senior and Juniors where Dickinson

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family kindly let us stay in their holiday mansion for the event. In Juniors the trusty Duo of Muller and Shaw improved on their placing last year finishing 5th from 110 boats, with only the National and European Champions ahead of them. At Seniors were sailing in our brand-new boats (thanks Mrs Bursar!), which put us a step ahead of the competition. By the end of Seniors Perkins and Janmohamed finished 2nd and Shaw and Rooke to came 7th, which was very impressive for two Fourth Formers. Overall RGS sailed brilliantly, with all our boats in the top half of the fleet, so it was a very successful end to the season. Our thanks go out to Mr Witts for spending so much time organising, sorting boats and most importantly taking us training and racing.

VALETE DEPARTING STAFF PENNY BROOKS ECONOMICS I am going to throw three names at you. Ian Chapman and Dick Knight you probably will not have heard of (unless you are Mr Pressley), Bobby Zamora is more likely to be a name you recollect.

They all have something in common – legends of Brighton & Hove Albion FC – and whilst Mrs Brooks may not have had their footballing prowess (at least, not Mr Zamora’s), Mrs Brooks has earned legendary status in the Economics Department. Here’s why.

Economics. Penny has a voracious appetite for economics, which typically reveals itself between 4.00-6.00am, when we receive emails extolling a particular article from the Financial Times. This is typically after running other errands that most people would have deferred until at least after breakfast. I suppose on reflection Penny seems to survive on the kind of hours a formidable female Prime Minister used to sleep (no, not Theresa May, the other one), although I would hasten to stop any further comparisons at this point.

Sport. The Economics Department likes chasing balls around, whether small, large, round or oval, and Mrs Brooks is no exception - cricket appears high on her agenda. Penny has been a cricketing Games Maker; her family are members of the MCC, and she even taught England opener Rory Burns in a previous life. Her beloved Brighton remain her priority, however, and she has followed them through their highs and lows over the past many years, dragging her colleagues along their emotional rollercoaster.

Cake. There has been an upside to these sporting shenanigans. Wagers were made based on inter-departmental rivalries. There was once a time when Brighton played Manchester United, Liverpool, Millwall and even Ipswich, with the loser baking. Surprisingly enough, Brighton

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lost more than their fair share, but their loss has been our waistline’s gain, and whilst some teachers might pop out to get their students the odd celebratory Colin the Caterpillar cake, Mrs Brooks’ were always home-made, with love.

Giving. Penny has made an extraordinary contribution to helping improve the lives of others. Whether it be through fundraising from making and selling of preserves, collecting clothes for her Born in Africa charity (and distributing them via RGS rugby tours to South Africa), or giving her time during the holidays helping to teach and mentor students at Plett Secondary and Wittedrift High Schools in business and enterprise, Penny has made a positive difference to people wherever she goes.

I am terribly sad to see Penny leave the Economics Department. Her wisdom – as a mum, a former employee of the Bank of England, a Head of Department and the wife of a spy in cold-war Czechoslovakia – has been relied on in sailing the choppy waters that teaching can occasionally be. Who will organise us? Who will arrange those trips to Eton, to the Mini factory, to Amazon, to the biotech start-up, or to the Silent Pool Distillery now that she has gone? Désolé.

DSJW

JOHN DUNNE ENGLISH John arrived at the RGS in September 2017 after a lengthy stint at Portsmouth Grammar, where he was seemingly part of the furniture. Described by his ex-head as ‘our best English teacher’ and with a name that invokes the spirit of a poetic master, we were delighted to have him join us. We were even more thrilled when he donated 25 bottles of wine to us on his arrival (all gifts from former colleagues and students that he couldn’t fit in his flat!) Along with the wine, John brought with him an unmatched love for Romantic poetry, Kate Bush’s back catalogue and a Starbucks vegan latte. It was clear to us all that he was going to be excellent fun and keep us all caffeinated up to the max!

And he didn’t disappoint. It might be the caffeine fuelling him, but rarely have I worked with someone as fastidious as John. As Second in Charge of the department he has thrown himself into the whirlwind of entrance exam preparation and marking, Key Stage 3 curriculum development and House Reading competitions, all of which have all been executed with timely attention to detail and an unyielding commitment to raising standards. He is a consummate professional and one who is driven by passion for his subject.

John is an innovative teacher at all times: within the first half term, 25 unsuspecting First Form boys found themselves covered in face paint, filming recitations of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience in front of a camera

in a darkened drama studio! Meanwhile, his Lower Sixth class describe him with the heady compliment of ‘rarely dull’- not only for the chocolate he supplies on a regular basis to keep energy up in lessons – but also for his unmatched enthusiasm for literature, film and suitable missing homework punishments! John is also responsible for the now infamous Key Stage 3 reading project for the younger boys which has transformed their engagement with a range of literature (on the promise of receiving a Headmaster’s Commendation). The library has never been so busy with boys searching for an array of genres and as one recently told me: ‘I actually borrowed a book this year because the reading challenge is fun.’ High praise indeed!

Outside of class, John has led a General Studies course on creative writing and independent animation, is a committed Upper Sixth tutor and is always willing to help out needy colleagues by offering additional support to run clubs and societies. His thoughtful, non-judgemental presentation on Veganism was one of the most popularly attended Sceptics Society talks of the year, whilst his leadership of World Book Day activities ensured maximum fun, with a record number of prize winners receiving edible prizes for successfully guessing the book behind the teacher’s lanyard.

fame, John’s legacy will undoubtedly be the lasting impact he has had on those he has taught. And for us, it is John’s uncanny ability for impressions that has us roaring with laughter on a regular basis, as well as his kindness of spirit: he can always be depended on to dispense sensible advice and donuts at times of need. His departure is a loss for the English Department but we wish him much happiness as he moves on to his mystery school (the closest guarded secret of the year!) and continues to immerse himself in literary contemplation during his regular holiday retreats to the Lakes.

EJN

Just like his alter ego Hector of The History Boys

MR ANDREW GYFORD MATHS Andrew joined the RGS having started teaching at St Olave’s and then spending some time in Beijing at what was allegedly a high-end Sixth Form college but which he thinks, in retrospect, might instead have been a not-entirely-above-

board or fully regulated education centre.

He brought no end of mathematical enthusiasm to the job and pupils were always grateful for his caring, positive approach in lessons as he knew them all as individuals with their own strengths and passions. He was responsible for coordinating the First Form Mathematics resources and teachers appreciated his guidance and help. Outside the classroom Andrew was an outstanding Form tutor and permanent member of the First Form team as successive Heads of Year found him the “go to” guy for how best to look after the new boys (and their parents). He will probably, however, be most missed by the Drama department as his skills with lighting and effects brought productions to a whole new level. He nimbly went up and down ladders to rig the lights, but frequently complained that his ability to blend into the background was somewhat hindered by the health and safety requirement that he wear a high visibility jacket for each ascent.

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In the staff room Andrew’s quiet manner meant that some people took a while to know him but when he spoke up it was invariably worth listening to his hilarious and witty observations (usually about the latest chaos regarding the First Form).

His usual haunt was the crossword corner where he would dominate proceedings such was his speed and extensive vocabulary; nonetheless other staff had a chance of beating him in the summer term as he spent at least half the time suffering from blurred vision and sneezing fits thanks to a severe hay fever condition.

Andrew leaves us for Francis Holland school in central London; he claims this move was so he could be better positioned to spend more time in pursuit of his love of swing dancing, at which he has won a number of awards, but there remains a suspicion that his new school’s staff room champagne supply was a contributing factor. He will be greatly missed as an all-round schoolmaster and we wish him all the best for the future.

ZOE MARSDEN LEARNING SUPPORT Zoe leaves the RGS following a highly successful tenure as Head of Learning Support, having only joined the school in 2018. Her professional and personable manner saw her quickly gain the respect of her colleagues and become a popular member of the common room. She made an immediate impact on the department, making effective use of the new facilities and enhancing the number of specialised pupil groups. With the support of her team, the welcoming atmosphere for students and staff alike has ensured the

department has become an essential support, for many in the school. Her expertise and passion in working with pupils, staff and parents has enabled pupils to learn and access support, so that they can access every level of education, develop their social skills and establish the right environment for examination success. We wish her well as she embarks on the next stage of her career, as the Head of Learning Support, at KES Witley. Thank you for your contribution to the RGS community.

EDWARD PEARSON GEOGRAPHY Ed Pearson joined the RGS in 2017, after teaching Geography at Radley and prior to that working for an NGO in Rwanda that built a cricket stadium. Ed is an incredibly personable figure who settled into the department swiftly and

without fuss, even securing an invitation to the County Club with Mandy for an illicit aperol spritz in what seemed like minutes! He was quick to establish a strong rapport with all his classes, and most notably his form who took to Ed’s paper toss tournaments like ducks to water. His classes’ knowledge and appreciation of all things related to Rwanda also showed steady progress.

enthusiasm for caffeine appeared to wane, and on his departure the coffee machine has been left behind. I sincerely hope that Ed is not going to rely on camomile tea to get through his first post as head of department. Whilst he will no longer be dealing with the A3 each day, he’ll need something to keep him going, not least if his coworkers engage in computer hijacking.

Coffee and Ed went hand in hand, and Rupert had barely left the building with his nespresso machine before Ed called on the services of Amazon prime to re-equip the department with caffeine. For several months, coffee pod consumption escalated, James and Ed seeming to match each other cup for cup. It peaked on a fieldtrip to Barcelona where Ed hunted down consecutive coffee shops in the district of El Raval with considerable skill, complementing Dai’s prowess at hunting down cake. We then witnessed the uniquely Ed “lets drink coffee with a straw” strategy develop. I’m not sure what happened, but in the period up to his departure

Jokes aside, Ed is a gifted teacher, a valued member of our team and he will be sorely missed - not just for his use of plickers or by the Geography department, but also the sports department who gained so much from his help with hockey and cricket teams. The lure of returning to his Cambridge homeland was too strong to keep him in Guildford much longer, but we wish him an exciting future - not least as he bought his first house with Carina. We look forward to the RGS Geography Cambridge branch punting and picnicking re-union in the not too distant future.

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DR ALEX PAGE MATHS Alex has spent four years as Deputy Head of Mathematics which is quite an achievement for someone with a Natural Sciences degree (not that the department ever mentioned this of course) and previous academic research career playing with rocks.

An outstanding mathematician, he inspired the pupils he taught, not least our Maths teams who enjoyed significant success in local and national competitions under his tutelage. He was always first to help when teaching was concerned, be that going over something with a boy at lunch or stepping in to cover a whole class for several weeks when a colleague was unexpectedly absent.

He was a great communicator in the department, always ready to lend his voice to conversations in the office about pedagogy, Mathematics or, most frequently, cricket and rugby.

He is probably the only job applicant in the history of the department who based his interview lesson (purportedly on circular motion) around a bottle of champagne. His creativity and knowledge of different branches of the subject helped make him such an inspirational teacher

who was respected by pupils and colleagues alike; nevertheless, many a dreary afternoon could be enlivened by a game of speculation on what Alex had eaten for lunch based on the remnants on his shirt.

Alex will be missed on the sidelines at Bradstone Brook as he inspired numerous boys to love playing rugby and taking part in a team game. As well as rousing team speeches (always a learning opportunity for boys to expand their vocabulary) he taught his rugby teams to play fluently with the ball, albeit on occasion the handling skills of the players could not quite produce the desired outcomes in terms of scorelines.

He will be fondly remembered I am sure for his ability to ping his glasses from top-of-forehead to bridge-of-nose with a flick of his head, for being the only member of the department who could fix a malfunctioning Microsoft Surface, and for his extraordinary generosity and kindness.

The Maths office is certainly poorer without him (partly in a literal sense because he had used it to store a significant and curious set of personal belongings ranging from antique books to

crockery, spaghetti and a couple of bricks).

Prior to the RGS Alex worked at boarding schools: Millfield, Dauntsey’s and New Hall, so it is perhaps unsurprising that he returns to such an environment with his well-deserved promotion to Head of Mathematics at Charterhouse. As he is just down the road we look forward to crossing paths frequently in the future on the local Maths circuit.

RICHARD SEYMOUR GEOGRAPHY I first met Dick in 2012 when he interviewed me for the position of Head of department – a role he had had for over twenty years. The seven years of teaching that I have shared with Dick are a tiny fragment of his remarkable career that he has held at the RGS. When he joined the school 47 years ago, RGS was still a state grammar school, so he has overseen a huge amount of change.

Initial nervousness about taking on a role where I would be working so closely with a person who had previously held my role dispersed quickly.

Always helpful, never interfering, Dick has always

embodied professionalism, inspired loyalty and his style of leadership in the department helped establish a strong culture of kindness and co-operation. His legacy is considerable, having inspired many students to go on and teach the subject or mentored younger teachers who have gone on to climb the career ladder.

Dick really did bring up to date ideas to the Geography department, particularly with respect to fieldwork. He always ensured that the boys had the best possible equipment so that they could complete their work as professionally as possible.

Under his watch, and for this I am deeply grateful, fieldtrips evolved from muddy, cold, camping affairs to work carried out under humane conditions with good food, hotel accommodation and wifi.

Generations of Geography students have passed through the doors of the Heights Hotel in Dorset, and I’m sure they will remember the substantial all you can eat breakfasts and three course meals that underpinned hours of work in the field. Dick was Group Scout Leader for many years and instrumental in growing the group, providing many opportunities for scouts to visit far flung places such as Norway and Morocco. His 40 years of service were recognised with an award a few years ago. More recently he has overseen many cooking lessons on Mondays during period 8.

Outreach has been an important aspect of Dick’s tenure and even in his final year he was on the outreach committee, helping to come up with ways

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and means to widen opportunities for able boys to attend the RGS. I know that he visited parents of some prospective students, helping to persuade them of the life-changing opportunities that RGS presented. This complemented the work of both his wife Ruth, and daughter Kathryn, who worked at Guildford Grove School in Park Barn. Dick was always conscious of the need to help share the resources of our well-equipped department with other schools.

The Guildford Geographical Association was another of Dick’s passions. He held a wide variety of roles within the organisation, and thankfully continues as president in his retirement, despite already receiving an award for his long service.

He has forged close links with the Guildford Environmental Forum and overseen many lectures at the RGS, GHS and County School as part of evening lecture series that run in the Michaelmas and Lent terms, helping to broaden the geographical horizons of Geography students across Guildford.

Dick’s commitment to rugby coaching has also been considerable, coaching a variety of rugby teams and taking games every single year during his tenure where he was well known for his no nonsense approach to both boys and opposition coaches. Elsewhere in sport Dick held a key role in organising the boys prior to racing at swim sports every single year, even when taking part meant sacrificing his day off.

ANDREW CURTIS ART When Brian Whitworth retired from the role of Head of Art in 1993, a fresh faced young man named Andrew Curtis was appointed to the job, having arrived for interview in a dinner jacket and loosened bowtie, which should have alerted the then Headmaster Tim Young as to what he was about to unleash on the school. Andrew settled in quickly to his role and to life in the school, having acquitted himself admirably in the cruel ritual of the “newest/ youngest member of staff” speech at the Prefect’s lunch, a somewhat raucous affair in those days of yore. He formed a double act with Alistair Rozier as a two-man, no technician department that thrived and prospered over 25 years until it became a four man/woman, one technician department which we see today.

During those 25 years the quality of the artwork and results at all age levels was outstanding and the Art Department was a generally happy place, with an abundance of eccentric behaviour and, latterly, much unwanted ukulele playing.

In the early days, teaching took place in two purpose-built science labs, complete with gas taps and redundant rubber hoses. Everything was rather grotty, except the excellent artwork, which flourished despite somewhat limited resources and extremely limited space. The storeroom was a great place to study impressively large mushrooms growing on the walls and the only technology was the much-loved rotating blackboards. This utopia’s days were numbered and after several false starts, with architects over a long period being sent back to the drawing board, the plans were finally drawn up for the wonderful Art School that we see today,

which was completed in 2008.

Happy with his new building, perhaps less comfortable with some of the new- fangled tech that came with it, Andrew settled into his comfortable, new and improved studio, replete with storage place for even more annoying musical instruments. With the new facilities eventually came more staff and the most joyous of all acquisitions, a technician. So, Andrew watched his empire grow, overseeing it with the generally light touch of a benign dictator.

Now to say something of the qualities of the man.

Andrew is a loud person, bluff and very clubbable.

Not a man to harbour a grudge, (although he has assured me that he will keep practicing this skill) his rationale seems to be ‘live and let live’ and whilst keeping an eye on his kingdom, he was invariably happy to see his staff pursuing their own approaches, provided they were successful and benefitting the boys. His relationships with staff have been affable; he loved being a part of the Smoker’s Common Room, a kind of airless Gentlemen’s Club, that even had the odd gentleman as a member. This den of iniquity was the home of ribald comments, ripe language and scurrilous gossip that ideally met all Andrew’s social needs.

The atmosphere in this tiny room would have warranted its own repeal laws, but he was happy, even after giving up his filthy tobacco habit, an act that astonishes Alistair Rozier to this day.

Andy loved teaching, whether it was Art, or one of his General studies courses such as his Introduction to Cartooning. Andy is a talented cartoonist as we have all seen in various issues of the Duffy over the years. He is also a very able mimic, although he

sometimes used this for evil.

Andy’s good humour was appreciated by most of his students who held him in affection and esteemed his considerable talents as a practicing artist, whose pursuit of his own work, often inspired by his sickeningly exotic holidays, is an abiding passion for him, even as his inexplicable pursuit of a musical career came to possess him more and more in recent years. What is that about?!

Moving into retirement should prove no quandary for Andrew as he continues to pursue his artistic and ‘musical’ practices and I am sure that he will maintain his many friendships with staff, built over a long and highly successful career at The RGS. Andy our friend, we wish you well.

ANR

PETER WELLS CCF CO-ORDINATOR W0(2) Peter Wells joined the RGS in August 1998 as the CCF School Staff Instructor. He joined the Army at 16 and then served for 24 years in The Royal

Army Ordnance Corps and then the Royal Logistics Corps. He was both a military training instructor and physical training instructor by trade, so he was well placed to take on the role. His time representing the Army football team also made him the ideal choice as the RGS First Team football coach, a post which he held for his first 10 years at the school.

canyoning, although I do recall a time in Germany as we snow shoed up a slope to a mountain hut, that somehow he had persuaded a passer-by to give him a lift on their skidoo to the top of the hill! Whatever the situation, he was an unflappable and positive colleague who was known for his bon ami and charm by all those who worked in the cadet forces with him.

In his time in the CCF, as well as the weekly CCF sessions and the 5 field days a year, Mr Wells organised and/or staffed numerous UK based camps, which were both military and adventurous training based, as well as overseas expeditions to Germany, Austria and Cyprus. As you would expect, he was very comfortable on the parade ground and as well as ensuring that all cadets had a good grasp of the basics, trained successive years of senior cadets in the more complex role of the guard of honour for visiting inspecting officers, who were always impressed by the skills and drills on display.

He was less experienced in the world of adventurous training, but would always be in amongst the action, whether it be cross-country skiing, abseiling or

Generations of cadets will also have gained a large vocabulary of military terms and phrases, most of which they (and the staff) will never understand, possibly thankfully, but certainly added to the colour of events. I suspect that numerous cadets are still searching for the welfare officer!

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Outside the CCF, Mr Wells held numerous positions that seem to go hand in hand with SSI jobs across schools, which as well as 1st Team football coach included lost property coordinator, minibus liaison, Health and Safety Adviser and of course, the starter for both School Sports Day and Swimming Sports.

After 20 years’ service to the RGS, we wish him well as he moves on to take up the role as the SSI for Reed’s School.

JEREMY WHITTAKER SUBJECT Jeremy retires from The RGS after twenty-five years of dedicated service. He arrived in 1994, following the closure of his previous school, Pierrepont, where he was chaplain. Although appointed as an English teacher, he has been our de facto chaplain ever since he arrived and has led countless services, both at school and Holy Trinity, and at a number of other churches in the vicinity, most notably St Martha’s. Having recently joined the Anglican Franciscan Order, I imagine that this is one area of his life that he is looking forward to developing during his retirement.

As an English teacher, Jeremy has inspired so many RGS boys to love literature during the past quarter of a century. He has inspired them through challenge, through expectation and through his own academic acuity and, especially, by having a character that effortlessly transmits a love of the subject. This definitely proved useful with some of his less-obvious Sixth Form text choices. Emily Dickinson, for example, is not a poet that many boys’ school English teachers would automatically reach for but, as was so often the case, Jeremy successfully managed to convey his enthusiasm for her work and her generous usage of the ‘Dickinson dash’. Perhaps surprisingly, however, the First Form was probably Jeremy’s greatest passion, both as an English teacher and, for many years, as a tutor.

I think he liked their ready enthusiasm, greater openness, and the freedom that teaching them afforded him – unconstrained, as they are, by rigid syllabuses and target grades.

As a colleague in the English department, Jeremy was immersed, with the rest of us, in a situation akin to the plot of James Kennaway’s Tunes of Glory. (I’ll leave it for readers of this to assign colleagues to characters!) So often, he was the voice of reason and common sense and always a ‘team player’. For this, I am very grateful to him. That doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that he was always slow to anger. A

now famous row, several years ago, in the old base, occasioned by the spectacular collapse of a mountainous pile of paper on the boundary between his desk and his neighbour’s in the middle of a department meeting; throwing a cup of tea over a colleague who was, successfully it seems, trying to provoke him in the Common Room; and his legendary ‘unfiltered’ expression of feeling over an opposition boy’s conduct at a rugby match, all show that he didn’t like to leave people in any doubt as to his feelings.

To me, though, these things were all part and parcel of Jeremy’s honesty and openness and, more often than not, those on the receiving end would admit that they deserved what they got.

They were also rare occurrences. I think most people’s abiding impression of Jeremy will be one of kindness, warmth, and a healthy dose of eccentricity. My fondest memories of him will be on our English trips together. There are, for example, few boys from our trip several years ago who will forget Mr Whittaker’s ‘Hat of Power and Gloves of Strength’, which he donned to lead the group around the streets of Dublin.

Jeremy was certainly a very dedicated colleague.

He supported countless RGS boys in his role as Learning Support Coordinator and I know that his input into the support of so many when he ran Special Needs, pretty much singlehandedly for so many years, and even today, as an important cog in the SEN department, has been much appreciated. He has also been a great school master, involving himself in music, drama, rugby, tennis, Duke of Edinburgh, public speaking, various iterations of Junior Comedy and Journalism Clubs, cryptic crossword lessons for General Studies, creator of the First Form Soirée – the list goes on and on…

We will miss Jeremy very much, not just as a colleague but as an important part of the Common Room, perhaps most notably as a ‘secret’ editor of countless Duffys, which have poked good-humoured fun at the School, its

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strategies and its eccentric members of staff for so many years. We will also miss his wonderful Thought for the Days. He has worked so very hard for the School over the past twenty-five years, to the extent that he decided that he liked the First Form Isle of Wight trip so much that he stayed for a while in Newport Hospital. We are delighted that he made a full recovery. In fact, heart surgery, plus two knee replacements mean that Jeremy – a.k.a. The Six Million Dollar Man – is now fully prepared for the energetic retirement he has planned for himself.

He has certainly set himself a lot to do: being a grandparent, creative writing, training for the role of Spiritual Director, various church pastoral projects, continuing to be a part of Anglican Franciscan community in Britain, and singing in his award-winning choir. Jeremy is very proud of the fact that his choir won a large gold cup in a recent choir competition in Cheltenham; he now purports to be the current holder of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Whatever he does in his retirement, we wish him well and thank him for gracing he RGS with his presence for the past twenty-five years.

AFEQ & JMC

HENRY WIGGINS HISTORY To those who haven’t met him, it is hard to convey how much of a genuinely lovely person Wiggo is.

A son of Whitgift School (tragically destined to be a Crystal Palace fan) he gained an impressive History degree at Trinity College, Oxford and taught at Nottingham High and Hampton, before reaching his spiritual home and being made Head of History at RGS. Unsurprisingly, given his passion, intelligence and work ethic (as well as a penchant for writing on windows) within a few years he was made Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning. However, despite his insatiable appetite for reading (both History and steam trains) Henry was no cold and distant academic.

He was popular with the boys for exactly the reasons one would want to be popular – they were in awe of his subject knowledge, excited by his lessons, taken aback by his commitment to them, and loved his razor-sharp sense of humour.

JAMES WISSON ECONOMICS It’s not an entirely straightforward market, hiring economics teachers. Back in 2016 we advertised for a new position, and were (on paper at least) quite impressed by one of the candidates. Dr Wisson was an ex-Dulwich student and whilst that was something of a black mark in and of itself, the rest of his CV was the stuff of dreams – degree from LSE, doctorate in behavioural economics and even (gasp) a blue from Oxford, having played in the Varsity match as hooker. Suffice to say James survived the rigorous interview process, and (egged on by the PE Department, keen to bolster their ranks of elite rugby coaches) we made him an offer.

Little did we know that James was also speaking to Dulwich, who also offered him a role. How could we compete with such an illustrious school with all their resources? Well the rest is history of course – James was playing the long game. It seems you can be a bit ‘too Dulwich’ and hence he chose the RGS. Was it the academic brainpower of our students that attracted him? The lure of a brand new shiny department in the John Brown building? The temptation of a marque rugby team to coach? Or was it just that we’re a nice bunch?

Either way he joined us and very happy we were too. Until he resigned three years later to be Head of Department at Dulwich. Oh well.

James has created something of a cult following since he joined the RGS. Whether it be from his 44 slide PowerPoint presentation on Lineout Skills with the First XV forwards, or his attaining ‘MVP’ status (according to a late night email) from an admiring student, James has impressed wherever he went. And to be fair, he deserves these accolades – he clearly loves his subject (as he

should, having studied it for so many years) and he takes an enormous amount of care over preparing each lesson.

James is clearly an academic, readily taking to the science of teaching and looking to improve his own practice. Formal qualification as a teacher was always going to be a formality, and conversations around improving James’s subject knowledge were always slightly awkward, at least they were for his subject mentor. Beyond his economics James quickly found his niche as Research Lead, based on the platform of his Enquiring Teachers Programme, where he investigated a project that some might mistakenly have perceived as ‘zero marking’ – far from it, James has always been extremely diligent in helping his students.

For me, perhaps what distinguishes James in his time here at the RGS are the relationships he has built with others. Extremely popular with his colleagues in the staffroom, he was a shoo-in for school trips, such as those to New York and Paris. Similarly, he has developed strong relationships with his students, whether in the classroom, his tutor group or the rugby field, and he has developed into an exceptional teaching professional where the step up to Head of Department will surely be simply the next step in a stellar career.

James will be sadly missed by us all in the Economics Department, and we are expecting a number of his former Fifth Form tutees to turn away from our subject with disgust as they realise they can no longer be taught by ‘The Wiss’. Our loss of course is Dulwich’s gain, and we wish him all the very best for the future.

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Outside of the classroom, being a keen Wasps fan, Henry was involved in rugby fixtures throughout his time at the RGS. More recently he had plum jobs leading the U16B and 4th XV teams, with the boys often responding to his unorthodox coaching methods and inspiring half time team talks to snatch unlikely victories. A famous comeback of another sort came in Berlin, on the Fifth Form trip, when Henry took an extended and unexpected stay -we are all very glad he eventually made it back. One thing that has remained a constant has been Henry’s ability to make time for people, and having a genuine interest in your day. The History Department in particular, and the RGS as a whole, are poorer for not having Wiggo in our company anymore. His job at Portsmouth Grammar School is well deserved, and he has left a lasting impression on all of us.

PETER CLARKE MFL Peter worked with us as a maternity cover teacher whilst the Head of the MFL Department, Madame Tournier, was on maternity leave. He joined us following a year teaching French, Spanish and Mandarin at St Albans School and he taught French this past year to First, Second, Third, Fourth and Lower Sixth Form. Peter came late to teaching following a very varied career which saw him, amongst other things, working for the Diplomatic Service in Beijing and being Communications Officer for a number of different organisations in Brussels. As such, Peter has been one of the most multilingual teachers we have had in the department and he was rarely without an anecdote or interesting linguistic fact to help us all to expand our linguistic knowledge.

I know that the older boys that he taught have really enjoyed the wealth of his experience of working and travelling abroad that has been able to inform his teaching of the cultural side of the A-level course. The younger boys experienced his unique reward system based on the Tintin characters, something that I enjoyed observing on a number of occasions!

Peter’s time was largely taken up with language teaching matters, but he did find time to get involved in school drama, playing an important back-stage role in the production of Don Quijote that took place in the summer term. We are really grateful for the energy he has given to the role and wish him the best of luck for the next steps in his career.

SARAH M CGOUGHLIN MFL Sarah joined us in October as a maternity cover for Head of German, Madame McCarter, covering the French side of her timetable. Like Madame McCarter, Sarah is a French native speaker although with a similarly un-French surname! It is always of great benefit to the department to have native speakers around and Sarah has always been willing to discuss subtle grammar or idiom matters with her colleagues throughout the year.

As her past experience as editor and translator for a number of multi-lingual companies suggest, Sarah has a genuine passion for languages and how they ‘work’ and can be taught.

Sarah completed her PGCE before she took a break from teaching to have two children and she has burst back into the teaching world with great verve, planning interesting and well-structured lessons that all of her students have been able to enjoy. Sarah has regularly conducted ‘catch-up’ speaking and grammar sessions at lunchtimes to help those students that are finding one aspect or other of the language tricky and we are so grateful for her willingness to go the extra mile in the respect. Sarah has also got involved with other aspects of school life such as Scouts and has made a real effort to get to know colleagues both inside and outside the department.

GEORGIE BELL CLASSICS Georgie Bell joined the Classics Department for a one-year teaching post and has packed an enormous amount into the year. The boys have enjoyed her lessons and have appreciated her enthusiasm and passion for Classics. Georgie helped staff our First and Second Form Classics trips to Bath, Fishbourne and Bignor and she clearly enjoyed these off-site visits. She also came on the Junior Classics trip to Italy and I think she enjoyed seeing these sites for the first

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time every bit as much as the boys did. She also regularly helped with the Junior Classics Society and the competitions that the Department took part in. Georgie has shown herself to be a knowledgeable, dedicated and passionate teacher and I wish her well for next year when she will be taking a PGCE in Classics at King’s College London. Thank you for all you have done for the department this year.

LAURA GRIFFITHS RS AND PHILOSOPHY After four and a half years of outstanding, vigorous and successful service to the school, Laura Griffiths moved on from the Religion and Philosophy Department at Easter to become the Deputy Head (Academic) at Frensham Heights School.

As a classroom teacher, Laura gave unstintingly to her classes, demonstrating a creativity towards her lessons that allowed her pupils to enjoy through their learning; learning that was thorough, detailed and academic, as her examination results showed. But Laura’s classroom was also a place of collaborative investigation, where pupils were encouraged to find their own voice and to relish questioning assumptions, and to share their learning and ideas with one another. That so many of her Third Form and GCSE students went on to choose to continue their study of the subject at the next stage is tribute to her approach.

As a Form Tutor, Laura devoted not only vast amounts of time, but also enormous amounts of emotional energy and patience to her charges, and there are many boys who have very much to thank her for in terms of their ongoing happiness and success.

Given all the time that she committed to these two roles, where Laura found the time and stamina not just to participate but to lead in so many areas of the wider life of the school was always a mystery to those of us who watched in awe of her energy and effort. The ferocity of her support and loyalty as Beckingham Housemaster was matched by her constant desire to increase the range of activities that the House competition offered so that an even broader range of boys could take part. In matters of the House, indeed of all that she was a part of, Laura was a vocal advocate of finding ways to publically celebrate the successes of the boys, and that was never clearer than in her exceptional work revivifying and widening the Business and Enterprise activities of the school, most noticeably in the substantial successes of the Young Enterprise group.

Laura’s work as a producer of drama was also transformational: her innovative approach to marketing plays and to front of house, combined with her often unseen work chasing after props, maintaining budgets, and supporting actors made productions like Another Country and RENT the great successes that they were; and it was fitting that she should have received so many plaudits for her brilliant portrayal of Mrs Lintott in the joint

staff-pupil production of The History Boys.

Laura will be greatly missed by the staff and pupil bodies alike, but we know that her boundless energy, sense of fair play, and sheer brilliance will benefit Frensham Heights immeasurably, and we wish her and her family the very best of good fortune for the future.

RBM

SUE STYLES PHYSICS Sue joined the Physics department in November 2014, rapidly becoming an indispensable part of the team as our technician. Sue is a true force of nature, holding the department together (quite literally at times, especially when dealing with dodgy pipework!). Famed for her superhuman skills of organisation and planning ahead, knowing even what Mr Bradford wanted for his practical orders before he had even remembered he had a class! Technicians sometimes unfairly have a reputation for being nerdy experts who prefer working with apparatus to people, but that was never the case with Sue. A true professional, it was her desire to give the boys the best classroom experience that drove her dedication in going the extra mile every day.

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The boys appreciated this too; coming to have genuine respect and affection for her and her work. This was especially the case for those lucky enough to go “on tour” with her on the NASA and CERN trips, who got to see more of her lively personality on show. We will not only miss her expertise and professionalism, but her humour – the department and common room are definitely quieter without her outrageously dirty cackle which could be heard for miles! We are very sorry to be losing her, but proud that she will be taking her skills and passion for education to the next level as she begins teacher training. She will make a formidable teacher and some very lucky classes will get to have her as their teacher.

Thanks, and all the best, Sue.

UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS LEAVERS DESTINATIONS

LEAVERS DESTINATIONS

Jamie Adair

Warwick

Law

Charlie Dorkins

Durham

Physics

Daniel Aldwinckle

Nottingham

Politics and Economics

Henry Doyle

Bristol

Geography

Sanjith Aravinthan

Keele

Neuroscience

Kit Edgecliffe-Johnson Cambridge

HSPS

Oscar Atkinson

Liverpool

Medicine

Salvatore Elia

Oxford

Mathematics

Muaaz Atta

Birmingham

Political Science and International Relations

Samuel Ellis

Warwick

Computer Science

George Bailey

Nottingham

History

Eddie Emmett

Bath

International Management and German

Dominic Baker

Exeter

Philosophy and Theology

Thomas Eves

Post A Level

Aston Barringer

Dundee

Dentistry

Adam Ewens

Exeter

Economics and Politics

Thomas Bates

Durham

General Engineering

Edward Ferguson

Bristol

Mechanical Engineering

Joshua Berman

Nottingham

Economics

Ben Fernandes

Bath

Spanish and Politics

Jamie Blackburn

Post A level

Charlie Fernandez

Bristol

Economics and Accounting

Daniel Blackmore

Bath

Mechanical Engineering

William Fitch

Nottingham

Geography with Business

Mikel Bober-Irizar

Cambridge

Computer Science

Freddie Floydd

Cambridge

Engineering

Philip Bowler

Post A Level

Kieran Galpin

St Andrews

Louis Boyton

Bath

Economics

Philosophy and Theological Studies

Edmund Buddles

Liverpool

History and Economics

Abhay Gonella

LSE

History

Alasdair Bulman

University of British Columbia

Geographical Sciences

William Gray

Exeter

History and Management

Sahej Grewal

Cambridge

Law

Cambridge

Mathematics

Post A Level

Harry Grieve

Pradeep Buttar

Economics

Modern Languages

Nottingham

Exeter

Oliver Grieveson

Ralph Carter

Joshua Han

Post A Level

Arthur Cartwright

Cardiff

Economics with Spanish

Manchester

French and Spanish

Post A Level

Ed Hickey

Matthew Chan

David Hilditch

Bath

Architecture

Aran Chauhan

Reading

International Management with Spanish

Sebastian Hockley

Post A Level

Thomas Chua

Bath

Architecture

Samuel Hodges

Nottingham

History

Killian Clarke

Southampton

Computer Science with AI

Miles Horton-Baker

Durham

Geography

Niles Cole

Post A Level

Aneirin Horvath

Post A Level

Jimmy Comiskey

Swansea

Economics and Finance

Charlie Hubbard

Post A Level

Benedict Cox

Southampton

Civil Engineering

James Hudson

Exeter

Henry Cronk

Exeter

Business Managament

Alex Humphries

Post A Level

Patrick Crowley

Exeter

Politics and Modern Languages

Sean Hunt

University of Tokyo

Arts and Science

Hidde de Klerk

Nottingham

Economics and Econometrics

Ridley Hymas

Exeter

Physics with Astrophysics

Ethan Illman

Loughborough Finance and Management

Harry Dennis

York

Historical Archaeology

Albert Ismagilov

Bath

Sean Donnelly

Post A Level

Edward James

Post A Level

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Civil Engineering

Sport and Exercise Science

LEAVERS DESTINATIONS

LEAVERS DESTINATIONS

Nathan Janmohamed Loughborough Mathematics and Sports Science

Edward Robinson

Nottingham

Industrial Economics

Dominic Rosevear

Nottingham

Politics and International Relations

Ben Rouffignac

Exeter

Business and Managaement

Joseph Ruddy

Leeds

Medicine

Cameron Salter

Exeter

Engineering

Daniel Sampson

Bath

Politics and International Relations

Gabriel Johnson

Imperial

Medicine

Alfie Johnson

Post A Level

Sam Jones

Cambridge

Music

Hamish Klintworth

Bristol

Law

In Kyu Kwon

Post A Level

Harry Lake

Sheffield

Engineering

Matthew Ledbury

Warwick

Economics

Zephan Sangha

Loughborough Economics

Javier LeĂłn Ayarza

Oxford

Experimental Pyschology

Advay Saxena

Oxford

Law

Thomas Leyshon

Durham

Biological Sciences

Will Searle

Oxford

Classics

Angus Lovatt

Durham

PPE

Nathan Seto

Surrey

Biomedical Sciences

Harvey Marchant

Loughborough Sports Technology

Aadi Shahare

Warwick

Economics

Alex Mayatt

Post A Level

William Sharland

Bath

Harry Mayne

Cambridge

Economics

International Management and Spanish

Harry McGrath

Southampton

Medicine

William Shrubb

Bath

Computer System Engineering

Jamie McKenzie

Cambridge

HSPS

Oliver Stentiford

Cambridge

Law

Fergus Middleton

Birmingham

Dentistry

Henry Stuttaford

Bristol

Veterinary Medicine

Janesh Mistry

Durham

Biological Sciences

Oliver Taylor

Exeter

Tom Moores

Cambridge

Natural Sciences

Business and Managaement

Ilhan Mosobbir

Post A Level

Ciaran Taylor

Bristol

Geography

Samuel MĂźller

Durham

Natural Sciences

George Tench

Oxford

PPE

Joshua Mulligan

UCL

Medicine

Henry Thake

Post A Level

Will Murphie

Loughborough Geography

Thang Tu

Oxford

Will Murray

Post A Level

Jake Turner

Post A Level

Will Murrin

Nottingham

Law

Harry Twine

Liverpool

Yat Ng

Exeter

Mathematics

William Vaughan

Post A Level

Ben Norbury

Nottingham

Politics and International Relations

Syon Verma

Post A Level

Henry Vokoun

Edinburgh

Economics

James Wallace

Warwick

Engineering

George Wallbank

Post A Level

Jamie Watkins

Newcastle

Music

Jonathan Watt

Leeds

Environmental Science

Maxim Webb

Cambridge

Computer Science

Henry White

York

Law

Jake Willshire

Employment

J Sainsbury plc

Henry Woodfine

KCL

Ancient History

Luca O'Flynn

Loughborough Product Design and Technology

Kenny Okoroafor

Princeton

Mathematics

Roshan Patel

Cambridge

Natural Sciences

Thomas Perceval

Post A Level

Oliver Pinhey

Nottingham

English and History

Laurence Piper

Birmingham

History

Priveen Priveenraj

QMUL

Chemical Engineering

Daniel Roade-Martinez Oxford

Music

Harrison Robbins

Bristol

Economics

Eric Roberts

Birmingham

History

Christopher Yip Lan Yan Imperial

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Classics

Geography

Mechanical Engineering

CAPTAIN’S FAREWELL It is safe to say my seven years here at this school have been phenomenal. As I reflect on those times as I write this very last act of farewell, it is all too easy to reflect through a nostalgic and sentimental lens about my wonderful time here.

But it is genuine, and I will miss the school’s deep-rooted sense of community, the teachers’ outstanding abilities to convey their knowledge and the limitless opportunities we were presented along the way. Of course, I will miss my fellow students, so dynamic and high achieving in all they turn their hands to but also witty, fun loving and, above all, so grounded. It really has been a blast! The boys here understand that they are part of something special and share a pride in the school, in each other and in achieving the very best of which they are capable – which is something I never took for granted!

Every moment serving as School Captain has been a privilege and I would like to thank Dr. Cox for appointing me to the role. My job was to primarily provide a link between staff and boys and to help the school run smoothly. However, this is not a one-man job and thankfully I had the trustworthy team of senior prefects who provided great support. These boys were fantastic role models

to the lower years and their commitment to their jobs I really appreciated. Angus Lovatt, George Tench, Harry Mayne and Nathan Janmohamed in particular, your unwavering dedication was fantastic and made my life much easier.

Of course I would also like to thank all of the Senior Management team. Mr. Woodman and Mr. Williams for their general guidance on organisation of events and to Mr. Gough for organising the weekly leadership meetings that resonated so much with all of the senior prefect team. And Mr. Pressley and Mr. Dunscombe, always available, always willing to lend a hand and help us whenever we needed advice or a nudge in the right direction. I also wish Lucas, the new School Captain, and his team the best of luck for the year to come, you will all do an amazing job I’m sure.

Reflection is a funny thing. A part of me looks forward to new beginnings and starting university, but another part of me never wants to leave. We’re given lots of advice on leaving: ‘don’t be afraid to fail,’ ‘grab the opportunities’ and ‘keep positive’ are some that are thrown around. The RGS given us the foundation, skills and head start to do all of these things. To all my fellow 2019 leavers, it has

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been an honour to have been through the school alongside you and I hope we will continue to be a supportive, inclusive and friendly group as we transition to becoming Old Guildfordians.

‌ I wanted to finish with a few words on winning. For me, winning is about far more than who scores the most points. I have witnessed many different types of win this season: Gestures of great sportsmanship in house rugby, senior boys devoting time to coaching other year groups, younger boys staying on to support the 1st XV, tidying the changing rooms, putting into practice plays learned in training, changing plans at the last minute to be available for selection, rallying around injured teammates, congratulating a boy selected ahead of you and playing out of position if needed – just a few examples of our regular victories. In isolation, these wins are sometimes overlooked, taken for granted and possibly viewed as insignificant but collectively, these small victories have far greater, long lasting impact than any scoreboard win. Being good citizens, aspiring to be great role models and always putting the team first will further enhance what is already a strong culture at the RGS. The paradox of creativity suggests that we find our deepest inspiration, when we are motivated by something other than winning, which in turn, makes us more successful. So, invest time in your teammates, be kind to one another, look beyond results and acknowledge the many other small daily victories.

- Mr Dudley, Head of Rugby