Sherborne News Lent 2015

issue seventeen LENT TERM 2015

SherborneNews MUSIC

DRAMA

SPORT

TEN TORS

Comment

BY DAVID GUY DIRECTOR OF SPORT

...we are determined to offer every boy the chance to participate in an enjoyable and challenging programme.

An important part of educating young men at Sherborne is their co-curricular programme, providing breadth, depth and variety to their educational experience. Within the sporting environment, we are determined to offer every boy the chance to participate in an enjoyable and challenging programme.

Central to the sporting provision at Sherborne is the element of choice. Boys are offered a range of options each term in both the traditional team games and also individual activities.

Most involve a competitive programme, and there is also the freedom for boys to consider mixing and matching with different activities on Tuesdays and Thursdays, thus encouraging a multi games approach to the development of all round physical improvement. The latest research suggests that involvement in a variety of different sports and activities is the best way of nurturing young talent, until the point at which some boys may wish to specialise in one sport or another. The introduction of our hockey and football ‘academy’ groups for the Sixth Form in the Michaelmas Term provides the chance for some to commit to an extended training programme, although numerous boys continue to opt for different sports each term.

Our programme continues to evolve and we are determined to review and assess the effectiveness of our provision and the needs of the boys. A surge in the popularity of Fives, for example, requires us to work to meet the expectations of our athletes, as does the recent success of our Ski-racing team. We are working to identify areas in which we can and will continue to make progress, using all resources at our disposal.

www.sherborne.org

Another core principle of our provision is the delivery of suitable coaching to stretch and challenge the boys. From the Mini Colts F Rugby side to the 1st XI Cricketers, we strive to facilitate the right environment for learning and enjoyment. Where appropriate we

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supplement delivery with a number of highly qualified and experienced external coaches, who have helped numerous boys as they have striven to achieve their potential.

School sport for the overwhelming majority is about individual enjoyment and personal development. Most will enjoy participating at a good competitive level, but we are also determined to help the select group with realistic aspirations to succeed at an elite level, both in a team and as individuals.

In recent years, Shirburnians have departed with professional contracts in rugby and cricket, and there are numerous others performing at the top level. Yes, we want all boys to find a lifelong love of sport and to enjoy a healthy lifestyle when they leave school, but opportunities in sport are growing every year and we have a programme in place to make these accessible to boys at Sherborne School. Truly sport for all.

Oxbridge Offers Congratulations to all 95 Upper Sixth boys who, between them, have received 240 offers so far from the most selective universities in the country. These include four offers from Oxbridge, six from Durham, seventeen from Bristol and four from Imperial College, London.

We would like to give a special mention to our four Oxbridge candidates for the following offers:

BY DAVID GUY DIRECTOR OF SPORT

Oshi Corbett (U6d) - Geography - St. Peter’s, Oxford Robert Ham (U6e) - Music - Hertford College, Oxford Rory McMillan (U6b) - Natural Sciences - St. Catharine’s, Cambridge Max Wood (U6g) - Theology and Religion - Oriel College, Oxford

Next Headmaster Announced Dr Dominic Luckett will succeed Mr Ralph Barlow from January 2016. Dr Luckett was educated at the University of Leicester, where he obtained a first-class honours degree in History, and at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he completed his doctorate on Henry VII. He then taught for eleven years at Harrow School, where he was Head of History and an assistant housemaster, before moving to Worth School as Deputy Head.

Since 2007, he has been Headmaster of Mill Hill School, an HMC coeducational day and boarding school in north London, and Chief Executive of the Mill Hill School Foundation.

Oxford University Visit Twenty members of the Lower Sixth visited Oxford University. As well as attending a presentation at St Hugh’s College covering the admissions procedure, the aspiring scientists toured the new Biochemistry Building and met with STEM undergraduates at St Edmund Hall, while the humanities students met with a Tutor at Christ Church.

Two OS currently studying at Oxford were also on hand to give the boys a tour of the city.

BY KIM DUNNING MANAGER OF HE AND CAREERS

Chemistry Competition

Sixth Form Options Fair The School held its first formal Options Fair this term, set up to help the current Fifth Form decide what A Levels to take in the Sixth Form. All twenty six A Level subjects were represented and each had a stand with specific information about that subject. The stands were manned by members of staff from that department as well as a current A Level student who was

already studying the subject. The boys could visit as many stands as they wanted to and obtain advice about a particular subject area. There was also a careers stand under the banner ‘What A Levels are required for specific subjects at university’ to help boys look at the future picture.

BY BY TIM FILTNESS DEPUTY HEAD ACADEMIC

Inspirational Speaker Programme

A number of Junior School boys travelled to Bristol University to compete in the ‘Top of the Bench Chemistry Competition’. It was an exciting and intense day, in which we competed with other schools by carrying out a number of practical experiments, including an attempt to achieve the greatest possible temperature drop in an endothermic reaction, and the use of colorimetric techniques to determine the concentrations of copper in two ores.

We also attended a lecture, in which we were shown ferocious explosions, handled some dry ice, marvelled at liquid nitrogen and were even taught the simple science behind the typical steaming potions synonymous with scientists in Hollywood films. It was an excellent and informative day, made all the more enjoyable by achieving a respectable third place in the competition.

BY WILL SHARDLOW (5m)

3D Printer

SHERBORNE FOUNDATION SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL FOR 15 YEARS Once again the Saturday speaker programme, supported by the Foundation Annual Fund, has produced an interesting variety of challenging and entertaining speakers. Philip Geddes talked to the Boys about Europe and being a European; Tracy Edwards talked about her life in sailing and the

importance of team work and resilience.

Professor Jerry Haigh talked about being a vet in the 1960s in Africa; and Peter Stayner talked about the current state of Formula 1 motor racing. However, his talk was entirely overshadowed by the MacLaren Formula 1 racing car that was parked in the Courts!

BY TIM DAWSON HEAD OF SCHOLARSHIP

The arrival of a Rapid-prototyping 3D printer in the Design & Technology CAM suite has created some excitement this month. This new technology involves using a computer to control a printing head to make a working model of a part directly from a computeraided design programme. It has already been used to produce complicated 3D shapes built up by the printer, layer after layer. This technology enabled those on the International Space Station to print out the right spanner rather than wait for a rocket from Earth to bring the correct one up. Its first application at Sherborne had a similar ‘space’ theme, but a very age-appropriate interpretation. The challenge is now on for the first student to design, draw and print out one of his own creations.

BY PETER CHILLINGWORTH HEAD OF D&T

SkIING TRIP TO PRATONEVOSA IN ITALY - JANUARY 2015

The Student Voice Production Visit The Student Voice held a Q & A session for the teaching staff, which provided the opportunity to hear about various new and exciting initiatives they are working towards and how the Student Voice aims to support the development of teaching and learning at Sherborne. The Student Voice is made up of pupils from all year groups with various interests and skills, hence providing a creative and varied forum to discuss how best we, as pupils, learn and what we find most enjoyable and rewarding in the classroom. We are currently working on a number of projects such as developing a new student feedback form and hosting an inter-school debate considering motions such as "this house believes the best place to learn is outside the classroom". The Student Voice is an exciting opportunity for students to play a role in their education.

BY ROBERT HAM (U6E) AND MAXIMILLIAN SCHEUNER (4F)

The A Level Design & Technology students were fortunate to have a site visit to the Carbon Composite rotor blade manufacturing facility at AgustaWestland in Yeovil. The students often see the Merlin and Lynx Helicopters being flight tested as they fly over the School and this was a great opportunity to hear about the application of this technology from world-class specialists. In an introductory lecture we learnt that whilst pilots can pass out under the strain of 9G, the components that were designed and built at the plant withstand forces of around 400G. Our boys were given a tour of the facility under the guidance of several students who were studying apprenticeships with the company, who spoke with great passion about the work they do. With the visit looking specifically at how critical quality control is to the integrity of the rotors they manufacture it was fascinating to see the lengths they go to to make sure that each rotor is right first time, all the time; something the students will no-doubt be looking to transfer to the preparation and composition of their next piece of set work!

PETER CHILLINGWORTH – HEAD OF D&T

SHERBORNE HOCkEY TOUR TO BARCELONA - JANUARY 2015

The Digby’s House Concert was masterminded by Matt key (U6m) and Mike Lehnert (Teacher of Music Technology and Rock/Pop). An increasingly varied repertoire was presented, ranging from Freddie knott’s (5m) performance of Squire’s Tarantella on the cello, Alex Colville’s (3m) performance of Dvořák’s Sonatina on the violin, Jasper Jones’ (5m) saxophone improvisation on Autumn Leaves. A special band formed for the concert which gave a rendition of All of Me with James Allan (L6m) on the vocals and a saxophone ensemble which played Snippet for Saxes to some more contemporary performances of Teenage Kicks by Archie Fairclough Wood (3m) on the electric guitar, Bright Eyes’ First Day of My Life by Oscar Faulkner (L6m) and Albert O’Rourke (L6m), and some superb duet singing of Ed Sheeran and John Legion from the November Unplugged recital by the Caldwell brothers, James and Oliver. Perhaps fittingly, the evening ended with James Caldwell (U6m) performing Fix You by Chris Martin, an old boy of The Digby.

BY JAMES HENDERSON DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

Ten Tors Training

BY JIM KIMBER - MASTER IN CHARGE TEN TORS It was a chilly Saturday night for twenty-one Fourth Form boys, four Lower Sixth Form boys and some accompanying staff as Ten Tors training continued apace, with the first camping expedition of the year on Dartmoor.

An arctic blast greeted us as we opened the minibus doors: ‘Welcome to Princetown’ I think it said. Think I’ll put on one or two more layers; glad I remembered to pack my thermals and my thermos… Amazing how quickly you warm up when moving, though, and sheltering in the lee of a Tor with a cup of tea and biscuit looking out over a snowy wilderness is definitely one of life’s unsung pleasures.

Camping, in February, what a great excuse to be in bed at six o’clock, snuggled up in a sleeping bag, with a mug of hot chocolate and thirteen hours in which to try to get six hours’ sleep! Sunday brought amazing weather: a cloudless sky, light winds, and pleasantly warm in the sun. Visibility about twenty miles: no excuses for navigational errors. Lunch by a leat: ration pack treats; this sure beats tv! The journey back: very quiet in the minibus, (some well-earned Zs).

Schoolboys Ski Racing Championships

THE DIGBY HOUSE CONCERT

The Sherborne Ski team again attended the British Schoolboys Ski Racing Championships in Hasliberg. The boys were a credit to the School and performed excellently in challenging conditions. The Sherborne 1st team finished a respectable fourth in the U18 unregistered category. Congratulations to Tom Perkins (4a) for an outstanding performance; he came fourth in the combined U16 unregistered and second in the unregistered Giant Slalom. These are the best results ever for the School and it was frustrating not to get onto the podium. This young team has the capacity to continue to improve in future years.

BY THOMAS MASON MASTER IN CHARGE SKIING

ABBEY HOUSE CHARITY SWIM I am proud to report that in one hour, the boys of Abbey House in total swam the equivalent of the English Channel and back again and then swam four more miles! The boys swam an amazing total of 2,854 lengths, an average of 50.1 lengths each.

You can monitor fundraising progress or make a donation via www.justgiving.com/AbbeyHouse . We have raised over £4,000 of our target; all monies raised will go to the RNLI.

BY MICHAEL MCGINTY HOUSEMASTER – ABBEY HOUSE

Drama School House Play

School House’s rendition of ‘Crazy Horses’ was witty and well performed, with the casting perfect for each part.

For a full review of the play go to http://www.sherborne.org/newscalendar/latest-news/

JACK MILLER (L6a)

Frantic Assembly Theatre Company One of the Uk’s top theatre companies, Frantic Assembly, sent one of their physical theatre choreographers to Sherborne to work with boys from the Fourth Form to the Lower Sixth.

This was an exciting and demanding workshop which introduced some of the basic concepts of the ensemble’s work to the students.

BY IAN READE HEAD OF DRAMA

Solo Acting Competition In front of a panel of judges, which included two professional theatre directors, some of our boys performed both classical and modern individual speeches, in the first Sherborne Solo Acting Competition, which included Schools from in and around Sherborne.

Congratulations to Bentley Creswell (3a) and Maximilian Scheuner (4f) for winning the Junior Modern and Junior Classical categories.

BY BARBARA DARNLEY HEAD OF SPEECH AND DRAMA

Music

BY JAMES HENDERSON DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

Chamber Choir at Winchester Cathedral The Chamber Choir sang an entirely unaccompanied service at Winchester Cathedral. This is an impressive feat and the Sub-Dean of Winchester afterwards commented upon how impressed he had been that Sherborne should be singing sixteenth-century music so effectively. All but three members of the Chamber Choir are ex-cathedral choristers from Winchester, Salisbury, Exeter, Chichester and Westminster Abbey. The concluding organ voluntary, In dir ist Freude by J S Bach, was played by Matthew Cann (5e) who, before coming to Sherborne, was previously a chorister at Winchester Cathedral.

Halliday Music Cup Lunchtime Recitals This year’s competition for pianists, organists and singers, was adjudicated by Martin Walker, a freelance pianist and conductor. Martin commented on the high standard among the boys this year.

Overall winner of the Halliday Cup: Finnbar Blakey (5a) The other winners were: Junior Intermediate Piano: Henry Jones (4g) Intermediate Piano: Sam MacDonald (4c) Senior Piano: James Richards (U6a) Organ: Matthew Cann (5e) Junior Singing: Finnbar Blakey (5a) Senior Singing: Oscar Faulkner (L6m)

It has been another busy half term of Lunchtime Recitals, with Chamber Music, Brass, Piano, Singers and Woodwind all performing. Some particularly impressive performances so far this term have been from Robert Ham (U6e) on the tuba; Finnbar Blakey (5a) singing in tenor register with William Lloyd Webber’s ‘Over the Bridge’; Alex Stagg (L6f) on the trumpet and Sandy Miller (5f) on the trombone. There were some outstanding performances on the piano from James Richards (U6a), Douglas Mak (5c), Finnbar Blakey (5a) and Sam MacDonald (5c).

New to the series, and equally impressive, was Freddie Graham (3c) with an improvisation on ‘Georgia’. Congratulations to all the Boys who took part.

Lunchtime Concerts are held every Friday from 1.30pm at Cheap Street Church.

Sport round up

Swimming The Inter House Gala was a hard fought contest, with the overall cup going to: 1st – Wallace 2nd – Digby 3rd – Abbeylands For year group results go to www.sherborne.org/newscalendar/latest-news/

Water Polo

Congratulations to Harper House for winning the House Water Polo tournament, after an unbeaten season.

Cross Country

We were extremely pleased that two of our boys, Eddie Horn (U6d) and Harry Reynolds (L6e), have both qualified for the South West Cross Country Championships.

Rugby

The Junior Colts A have won the Quarter Finals of the NatWest Vase against St. Columba’s College. Our boys battled from start to finish, with tries from Patrick Reynolds (4c), Douglas Hickling (4c) and Nick Jonas (4f), with Dominic Prest (4d) adding three successful conversions to the score line. Their winning score of 8-21 reflects how well they played as a team and they should be extremely proud of the effort they put in, which now takes them through to the Semi-Finals on 8th March, a fantastic achievement.

Swim Record Broken

Jasper Slawson (U6e) broke the Senior 4 x 25m Individual Medley School Record by two hundredths of a second (the record was 1.5.01 and is now 1.4.99).

This record was set by Piers king in 1988 and had been standing for an incredible 27 years.

BY DAVID GUY – DIRECTOR OF SPORT

Hockey

We’ve had a busy half term of hockey, with 54 matches played, 32 wins and 4 draws. Congratulations to both the Mini Colts A team and the Colts A team, who have both qualified for the regional rounds of the Schools National Cup. In the House hockey matches the results were as follows: Juniors: 1st Place – Abbeylands; 2nd Place - The Green, 3rd Place - Digby Seniors: 1st Place – The Green; 2nd Place – Lyon House; 3rd Place - Digby

LOOKING FORWARD...

• Thursday 26th February, 19:30-21:30 – The Green House Concert (Tindall Recital Hall) • Friday 27th February, 19:30-21:30 – The Scholars’ Concert (Tindall Recital Hall) • Tuesday 3rd March – Inter-house Cross Country • Wednesday 4th March – 20:00-22:00 – Junior Production (Powell Theatre) • Thursday 5th March, 19:30-21:30 – Tindall Recital Series – Bartholomew La Follette (Cello) and Caroline Palmer (Piano), (Tindall Recital Hall) • Thursday 5th March, 20:00-22:00 – Junior Production (Powell Theatre) • Thursday 12th March, 18:00-20:00 – Joint Schools’ Concert (St. George’s Church, London) • Friday 13th March, 19:30-21:00 – Sinfonia Concert (Leweston School) • Saturday 14th March, 19:30 – RocSoc LIVE! (BSR) • Monday 16th March, 18:00 – Chamber Choir sings Evensong in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford • Saturday 21st March , 12:00 – Parent lecture, Emotional Coaching – Dr Janet Rose. To reserve a place please email cgraham@sherborne.org • Sunday 22nd March, 15:00 – Joint Schools’ Orchestral Concert (The Exchange, Sturminster Newton) • Friday 27th March, 19:30 – Dinner & Jazz – Swing and Jazz Bands TERM DATES: Half Term – Friday 13th February to Sunday 22nd February (Boys return 21:30) Exeat – Friday 6th March to Sunday 8th March Term Ends – Friday 27th March

SHERBORNE SCHOOL ABBEY ROAD SHERBORNE DORSET DT9 3AP T: 01935 812249 E: enquiries@sherborne.org www.sherborne.org Photographs: Alexander Davidson (5f), Alex Dunham, Tim Filtness, Sophie Harris, James Henderson, Jim kimber, Louise Litchfield, Max Lyde (5d), Thomas Mason, Sherborne Photographic Society, David Rigeway, John Willetts and Others.

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