SJCS Eaglet 2023

The Eaglet 2023

Amira Srouji (aged 12)

May Guttridge (aged 12)

The Eaglet 2023 Headmaster’s Introduction Emotions for Learning (E4L) Play-based Learning Child-Led Learning Mindfulness & My Mind Mindsets for Learning Challenge by Choice English Classics Modern Foreign Languages History Geography Religious Studies Philosophy Charities & Community Links Science & STEM Design Technology Computing

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Digitally Enhanced Learning Maths Enrichment Afternoons Extra-Curricular Clubs Parents’ Association Pupil Forum & Pupil Responsibilities Boarders Choristers Music Art Arts Award Inspiration Drama Sport Activity Week New Faces Leavers In Memory

© St John’s College School 2023

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Celebrations for King Charles III’s Coronation (May 2023)

Headmaster’s Introduction It is my great pleasure to share with you the 2023 edition of the St John’s College School Eaglet magazine. As many of you will already know, the Eaglet is written by the children and celebrates some of their many highlights and achievements from the past academic year. Our children continue to amaze and delight and the following pages will provide a glimpse into the range of accomplishments that took place within our classrooms and beyond. Our aim in this publication is to convey the broad curriculum the children cover and the real sense of purpose, drive, creativity and joy that an education at St John’s involves. We pride ourselves on being a close and supportive community where the children are cared for, nurtured and are all encouraged to thrive. Intellectual enquiry, academic curiosity and a love of learning lies at the heart of every child’s education here.

After the historic announcement of girl Choristers joining St John’s College Choir in 2022, the 2022 – 2023 academic year was full of change for our professional singers. Andrew Nethsingha left in December 2022 to take up the role of Organist of Westminster Abbey (where we enjoyed watching him direct the music for the King’s Coronation) and was replaced by Dr Stephen Darlington for a term as interim Director of College Music before Christopher Gray moved from Truro Cathedral to take up the permanent position. Particular mention should be made of Form 6 Chorister, Kieran McGurran, who won a Music and Academic Scholarship to Winchester College, highlighting what is possible from a St John’s education even if you are a busy Chorister.

In amongst the highs does come sorrow. The St John’s community was deeply saddened to hear of the sudden passing last June of our Director of Sport, Mr Gareth McComb, and Dr Igglesden’s moving tribute to Gareth can be found at the start of the ‘In Memory’ section. Soon after Gareth’s death, we also heard of the passing of Mr Alan Mould at the age of 93 who had been the Headmaster of St John’s from 1971 to 1990. He was not only a great leader of schools but made his mark as Chair of the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) and the Choir Schools’ Association. A tribute to him can also be found in the pages that follow.

Moving forward, our focus remains on enhancing our exceptional pastoral care and maintaining high standards of teaching and learning. We are absolutely committed to furthering our work on equality, diversity, and inclusion- recognising the importance of these aspects within our school community. Additionally, we will promote sustainability by implementing energy-efficient practices and resource management, while also establishing an endowment for bursaries through fundraising initiatives.

In an ever-changing world, we endeavour to remain adaptable while staying rooted to our core values. We are certain that our unwavering dedication to prioritising the well-being and development of our children will equip them to keep thriving and become their best selves.

Neil Chippington

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Headmaster’s Introduction

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Emotions for Learning (E4L)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Emotions for Learning (E4L)

I like how stilling makes me feel calm because then it makes me chilled all day. I really like the action stories because my favourite part is the ‘hearts’ stroke. I like how my partner does it because she uses her fingers instead of her palms.

Poppy Doodson (aged 7) I like action stories, especially when we do the ‘sweeping off the snow’ method. I like it when we lie down after lunch because it makes me feel calmer. We relaxed with teddy bears on our belly and the teddy moved with my breath. We make our classroom happy by being kind and getting ideas from everyone like the ‘Collaborative Crab’ mindset.

Aubrey Elliott (aged 6)

“E4L encourages us to talk about our feelings which I really like. My favourite part of the action story is the ‘hearts’ because it reminds me of love and makes me think of my family.”

Hamish Pearson (aged 7)

“I like being calm in the stilling and showing our parents how to help. My favourite part of the action stories is the ‘bear walk’.”

James Jeremiah (aged 7)

“In stilling we lie down and listen to music or listen to a special story and it feels good.”

Archie Morbey (aged 5)

“I like it when my back is getting stroked in an action story. I feel relaxed.”

Robert Gomersall (aged 5)

“E4L is all about understanding your ‘big’ feelings and knowing what to do about them.”

Beatrix Cleevely (aged 7) Stilling and action stories make me happy and calm. I really liked demonstrating them to our parents in the E4L Morning and showing them how we can problem solve using the steps we have learnt and use.

The presentation to the parents was really fun. My favourite part of the action stories is when we do the ‘cat grip’, it feels nice.

Nancy Reed Herbert (aged 6)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Emotions for Learning (E4L)

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Play-Based Learning In the Pre-prep at St John’s, a play-based approach to learning is used to provide an educational environment that reflects and supports the way children of this age learn. We aim to foster skills of independence, collaboration, problem-solving, creativity and communication, create high levels of engagement and improve learning attainment. This approach has been underpinned by the latest research on learning for young children, which demonstrates that children learning through play show improvements in their attainment, well-being and learning dispositions such as creativity. It offers a risk-free environment in which children can explore ideas and deepen their learning through application and collaboration. It gives children a range of experiences that build connections in the brain, helping them develop physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally. Importantly, this involves a balance between child-led discovery time, adult-initiated activities and adult-led activities.

An important element of play-based learning is ‘sharing’. Sharing time is an opportunity for children to be inspired by what others in their class have chosen to do. In a typical sharing time, a child will confidently talk in front of the class about what they have done, how they did it, what was challenging or problematic about it and what their ‘next step’ would be to improve it. Others have been heard to respond, ‘That’s my next step too!’, or, ‘I was inspired to make a kite by my friend.’ Though seemingly simple, this ability to reflect on learning in our youngest children is a key skill for learning, with children developing their meta-cognitive thinking skills of reflection, evaluation of learning and goal-setting.

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Play-Based Learning

We found out about Chinese New Year and how it is celebrated.

The colour red is a lucky colour. It is also called the Spring Festival and the story is about a monster called Nian who attacked villagers at the start of the New Year. The monster didn’t like loud noises, lights, and red so they use these to chase him away.

Alexander Shivareddy & Frank Millward (both aged 5)

“We read the book ‘Leaf Man’ and we used lots of things we had found in nature like fallen leaves and twigs which were all different colours to make our own leaf man.”

Emilie Trinidad (aged 6)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Play-Based Learning

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“We went on a colour hunt and thought about many ways to describe colours. We wondered if colours change if you let light though.”

“We researched all about the constellations and, at the end, we took them apart and catapulted them into space!”

Antoine Khoury-Machool & Lanark Hamilton (both aged 7)

Isabella Santry & Poppy Doodson (both aged 7)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Play-based Learning

We talked about how David Attenborough and Charles Darwin have inspired us to protect nature. We did our own research to find out more about naturalists and explorers and their work.

We studied the books, maps and QR links in the discovery area, as well as our research box to discover more about their lives.

We recorded on the ChatterPix app and used sound buttons.

We also thought about how the explorer might have felt as they made their discoveries.

Crispin Sinclair & Henry Watson (both aged 7)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Play-Based Learning

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Child-Led Learning

I enjoyed our space topic and particularly liked the rockets we created in Art. One of my favourite parts was our trip to the National Space Centre and seeing the dog on the moon!

Lucy Bennington (aged 8)

“We had a choice of what we could study.

Working with people who have similar interests to you is good because you share ideas and give your opinion.”

Arindam Roshan (aged 10)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Child-led Learning

“I loved when we created a wave machine for our oceans topics with gummy sweets because we got to eat them afterwards!”

Magnus Moore (aged 9)

“My highlight was the Cambridge City Tours bus, seeing some really nice buildings and being on an open-top bus on a sunny day.”

Isabella Graham (aged 9)

“At the start we each presented the topic we had chosen and then voted, which was a fair way to decide.”

Jasmine Francis (aged 9) My class’ topic was researching cities of the world. We first drew famous buildings in London and found out about other cities, such as Rio de Janeiro, Sydney and Athens. My highlight was when we all brought in food from the different cities that we were studying, such as from Singapore, which is what a friend of mine was studying. We also all made our own cookbooks with recipes for the different food from our city of choice.

Alexander Mosher (aged 7) A fact that I learnt was that there weren’t just fish in the oceans but also dinosaurs millennia ago. The most dangerous predator was a megalodon. As a class, we made a huge Dickensonia, which was probably the first animal in the ocean. With a friend, I made a great white shark model.

Theo Taylor (aged 8)

“Our class collectively chose Oceans, and I researched Israel’s two seas – the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. I also made a huge penguin model.”

Tilly Manning (aged 8)

“I researched Australia for my project and discovered that I love drawing turtles! I discovered that they eat seagrass, which I didn’t know before!”

Cassidy Murray (aged 8)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Child-led Learning

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Mindfulness & Tai Chi Tai Chi means ‘supreme ultimate system’ which is when you are trying to achieve the best you can for both your mind and your body. Each move links to a different element, sound, metal, colour and both positive and negative emotions.

Arya Wajid (aged 9) & Imogen Fairley (aged 8)

“Tai Chi relaxes me, especially when I have had a bad day, as it helps me to calm myself down ready for the next part of the day.”

Marley Fernandez-Piras (aged 10)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Mindfulness & Tai Chi

“Finger breathing and petal breathing help you to relax and feel so calm again and you can feel your heartbeat slowing down if you have been racing around the playground.”

Noa Martinez Forbes & Emily Da Costa (both aged 5) On Thursday afternoons we do mindfulness for an hour. We use a special course called ‘dot breathe’ which is targeted at children to help relax our minds and give us tips and ways on how to cope with stress and worries that we might have. ‘Dot breathe’ has really helped me as, if something isn’t going right or there is a problem, I can count on my mindfulness techniques to help me.

Isobel Morbey (aged 13)

“House swimming was very exciting because we had a big reputation to keep as we had won three years in a row. We used mindfulness to keep calm. As a result, our team was very good at keeping focused and not stressing out. It really worked.”

Olivia Inglis (aged 13)

“In our mindfulness sessions we have been discussing the uses of mindfulness and how it can be used effectively in different situations in life, not just in school.”

Finn Maclennan (aged 13)

“Our mindfulness sessions really help me to relax and to focus on the positives in life.”

Alice Allpress (aged 11)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Mindfulness & Tai Chi

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“I love collaborating with other people and using a persevering mindset.”

Martha Gritten (aged 10)

Mindsets for Learning When we did the slide foam project it was a little bit challenging because if you went too close to one of the edges or you were too hard on the foam it would snap. When you were about to cut the piece of foam, you had to be in a calm and gentle mindset at the time. In the end I was proud of doing something that I had never done before and proud of my achievement and that I did not give up.

Una Churchward (aged 12)

“I use the executive function, sustained attention, to focus solely on the teacher and not what was happening around me.”

Penelope Tandy (aged 10)

“Executive functions help you concentrate in lessons and learn to be more flexible and more organised.”

Mura Micu (aged 10)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Mindsets for Learning

Challenge by Choice It makes so much sense to allow children to be in charge of what level they select for each stage of their learning, where appropriate. This gives you a feeling of ownership and you feel like you are in charge of your own learning.

“In some subjects it is helpful to separate the different ability levels and to be able to choose the level that is suitable for you.”

“Challenge by choice was useful for me in Maths as I started at an easier level to warm myself up and then moved up to something harder when I felt ready.”

Alexander Brezina (aged 12)

Zain Sheikh (aged 11)

Amira Srouji (aged 12)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Challenge by Choice

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English

Julian Sedgwick & Justin Coe Poetry Workshops We just loved our visit from the poet Justin Coe to celebrate National Poetry Day. He had such a lot of energy, he never stopped reciting poems, telling us jokes and making us laugh.

One of the funniest things was when Mrs Fallon and Mrs Muñoz had to do a dance wearing big pants! Justin Coe is a great poet and he really inspired us. He made us laugh and told us funny poems that he had written but he also told us about how he is dyslexic and that this hasn’t stopped him writing poems. One of the poems that Justin told us was about Jaws his pet goldfish.

Another of his poems was made up by his four year old son when he was in the car, with his head out of the window and he said he wanted to eat the sky!

Form 2

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ English

“Justin Coe came to give us a poetry workshop and he was hilarious and really energetic. It made us all feel like we wanted to go away and write our own poems. It was a great experience.”

Cassidy Murray (aged 7)

Sixth Form Poetry Evening “My poem was about losing someone and dearly missing them in grief. It is heavily dedicated to Mr McComb who recently passed away and to lift a hole in all our hearts.”

Anne Vinokurov (aged 13)

“I was inspired to write my poem from a flight we had on a recent school trip to Naples as it was incredibly stormy underneath the clouds but sunny above.”

“Taking part in our Poetry Evening enabled me to learn to improve my public speaking skills and to be stronger when speaking in front of an audience.”

Tighe Westfall (aged 14)

Teddy Rigby (aged 13)

The The Eaglet Eaglet 2023 2023 ~ ~ English English

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Book Week I liked it when we made our own murder mystery train story with MG Leonard because I loved the opportunity to make a story as a team – it was a real life scenario but with some comedy.

Book Week was very unique because all the authors had a different ideas for their books. I enjoyed being Captain Underpants for the day! I liked the fact that I got a book at the book swap – it made me want to swap books again and again!

Maxwell Mansfield (aged 11)

I really liked the book swap because it was really fun and it’s a really good way to help the environment by swapping books rather than always buying them new.

“I enjoyed Book Week because of Friday we got to dress up and you became your favourite book character.”

Laila Khaled (aged 8)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ English

Woosung Lee (aged 10)

Nicholas Garcia (aged 11)

“Matty Long was my favourite author. I like the way he makes his drawings come to life.”

“Christopher Edge let us come into his Escape Room and it was really fun and I really enjoyed his book.”

Clara Blyth (aged 7)

Walter Mackenzie (aged 10)

Extreme Reading Competition top (left & right) and bottom; middle right: authors Matty Long and M.G. Leonard; top middle: author Hannah Gold

The Eaglet 2023 ~ English

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Winners of the SJCS 500 Words Short Story Competition I stare down from my gilded cage at the wide eyed, open-mouthed people. Don’t they know it’s rude to stare? A man to my left pulls out his phone. Raising it, he sends a flash into my eyes. Nerve! There are black spots dancing in my vision, and I feel the beginnings of a migraine. These people think they can just stomp in here, stare at us, shoot white flashes at us and then leave! Don’t they know who I am? I’m internationally famous! Anyone who’s anyone knows me.

I’m Mona Lisa. The way these tourists treat me, you’d think I was some child’s finger painting, stuck on a fridge. Huh. Just because I’m a painting, doesn’t mean that I lack feelings.

Extract from ‘Moaner’ by Vita Rainey (aged 13) The lifeless stream lay frozen on a carpet of icy pebbles, the cold, morning sunlight shimmering down through the scattered cloudy sky. I sat there, on the rock ledge, weeping. We received the news yesterday: my brother, my kind, loving brother, was dead. When I first heard the announcement, I froze, I didn’t believe it, I didn’t want to believe it. I ran, sobbing to my room, locked the door, and screamed.

I screamed, and screamed, and screamed, eventually muffling my shrieks in my pillow.

Extract from ‘Goodbye’ by Peregrine Brice (aged 10)

I’m Gary Garcia, your typical office worker. I spend my days at a call centre for plumbing parts. A call centre with such bad coffee it has the consistency of toothpaste - almost a record achievement really. All in all, my life is pretty boring, but here I am. April 16th. Another insignificant day. I sit down on my spinning, creaky chair and for a minute I stare at the blank holographic computer screen. On my desk, pictures of family and old friends grin back at me, their smiles like slices of orange. They’re much happier than me, I think with a kind of sad resignation. I turn on my computer. It really does look more like a cardboard box than a piece of modern technology.

Cheap. I started to type up the data from yesterday and soon a call came in.

Extract from ‘Coffee’ by May Guttridge (aged 11) Bob crawls out of the plane, the searing heat blinding him.

He looks around for any survivors before he realises he is the only one! Carefully he creeps into the menacing jungle ahead to find something quite unexpected. A nest, but not a normal one. A dinosaur nest!

Extract from ‘Prehistoric Discovery’ by Rafic Chebli (aged 9)

“I was really happy to hear that I was the overall winner, it made me feel confident about my creative writing. I was really pleased with my story because I enjoyed writing it and it was completely different to anything I have ever written before.”

Vita Rainey (aged 13)

Debating I have really enjoyed the independent feel of debating as we go and plan our speeches on our own. I also love how I made friends very quickly as you have to work together against your opposition. I loved the debating party we had on the final day where we ate donuts as well as carried out debates!

Riley Neville (aged 12)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ English

“Debating improves your speaking and general English skills and builds your confidence levels. It is also really fun and enjoyable debating diverse topics.”

Alicia Quirke (aged 12)

Young Shakespeare Company’s Workshop “The most interesting part of their performance was just how fun and full of adventure they made the play, which I really loved. It inspired me for when we do our productions.”

Charlotte Bowes (aged 10)

“Watching this production was one of the best things we have done this year. I am so interested in Shakespeare’s plays.”

“I loved watching the Young Shakespeare Company; they made it look so easy to go from one character to another. I love Drama and want to be an actor.”

Betty Barnes (aged 10)

Sam Tagger (aged 11)

“It was exciting watching the play and also having the chance to be an active part of the performance. The actors made the play come alive.”

Alice Allpress (aged 11)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ English

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Classics

Classics Trip to the Bay of Naples “On the first day we went to Mount Vesuvius.

It was very windy and Reda lost his hat!

Then we went to Pompeii. It was interesting because we learnt not only about the disaster but also about the lives of the people before and after it. Finally, we went to the lemon orchard where we ate lemon chocolate.”

George Gibbes (aged 13)

“I was so glad I went on the Naples trip as it was an amazing experience to be a part of.

We learnt a range of new things and saw so many famous sights. My favourite part of the trip was going to Pompeii. It was incredible walking round the old streets and looking round the big forum, just below Mount Vesuvius.”

Isobel Morbey (aged 13)

‘Ludi Scaenici’ Latin Play

Greek

The Latin play was a really interesting experience as I had done nothing quite like it. We started with two sessions brainstorming possible plots and it was interesting to hear everyone’s ideas; then we starting the writing. This was challenging as we were limited to only using CLC Book1 vocab. After we had finished the scripts we had to learn all the lines! It sounds obvious but it was actually quite difficult as we needed to understand what we were saying so we were not flat and monotonous. We used sticks as props which gave our performance another dimension.

It was a great experience and I am so proud and glad that we could bring the cup home.

Greek has been so fun and rewarding and I have learnt so much. My favourite aspect is the variety of the lessons of the vast topic of Ancient Greece. We learnt about the history of places in Greece and the relationship of art, the grammar and how to use the language including learning a whole new alphabet! I loved learning Greek, it will be really helpful at my next school.

Zoe Loose (aged 13)

Imogen Youngman (aged 13)

One of the most enjoyable parts of learning Greek has been finding out about the history of Ancient Greece and how the world used to function all those years ago. I really like reading Greek as well since it is in a different alphabet; it is like a code!

Emre Tunc (aged 13)

“The language itself was interesting and unique and “The best part was the brainstorming yet still similar to other ancient languages, such as before we knew what it would be about Latin.” and bouncing ideas and forming the plot.”

Melissa French (aged 13)

Kangqi Gong (aged 13)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Classics

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Modern Foreign Languages

French Plays I liked performing the French plays because it was a chance to combine Drama and French. It was also a good opportunity to learn some new vocabulary and some French plays to perform. I performed The Three Little Pigs went to School.

My role was the History teacher who was the first to eat one of the pigs. The performance went well as we had masks and costumes and real wine, (well...Robinsons grape juice!)

Amir Jambor-Sadeghian (aged 11) I enjoyed the French plays a lot because they enabled you to learn French in a fun way of performing. I really enjoyed the topics where there were fun animals and special human characteristics. I thought taking part in the French play is a good way to improve both French and Drama skills. I highly recommend the project to Form 4 because it is a great way of learning.

Eniya Zhang (aged 11) I did ‘Le Chat Botte’ (Puss in Boots) and I think it went pretty well. I don’t remember anyone forgetting their lines in any of the performances and I think we all worked well together.

I also think that the audience found it funny and also I hope they understood it. It definitely improved my French.

Tom Bennington (aged 10)

“I learnt that cockerels ‘speak’ different languages in different countries, which is quite cool. In French they say ‘cocorico’, in English it is ‘cockadoodle do’ and in Dutch they say ‘kukeleku’.”

Finnbar Macswiney (aged 11)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Modern Foreign Languages

Queen’s College, Oxford, Anthea Bell Translation Prize In French we all participated in the competition and were given a French poem to translate into English. I enjoyed doing it as the poem was really beautiful. One of the best things about the translation was that you didn’t have to just translate it word for word, you could play with it and make it your own. This was also hard as I didn’t want to completely lose sight of the original meaning. I was really pleased when I was told that I was the Area Winner and I was so surprised that I didn’t believe it at first. I am glad I took part and hope to do something similar in the future.

Vita Rainey (aged 13)

German We spent part of the time in our last year at St John’s learning German in preparation for our future schools. I personally have found it very helpful and, at the same time, loads of fun to delve into a new language.

Mattia Nicholson (aged 13) It was fun translating German songs and my favourite was Anton aus Tirol which is often sung at Bavarian festivals. It really enabled us to pick up this new language quickly.

George Gibbes (aged 13)

French Recipes I loved the cooking challenge; I made the îles flottantes recipe which has some meringue, vanilla sauce and some very sticky caramel. It helped me with my French as it was fun listening to a French person explaining the method. At that moment, you really felt like a French person in a cafe!

Una Churchward (aged 12)

“I made a chocolate cake and it helped my French because I was learning ingredients and looking up the French words so I was expanding my vocabulary. The best part was eating it!”

Alexander Brezina (aged 12)

“This cooking challenge really helped me learn my French cooking phrases. I had lots of fun making my food and, at the end, it tasted amazing! It was a bit more fun than learning French past participles!”

Elias Brown (aged 12)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Modern Foreign Languages

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History

Romans & Celts We were making things that people made ages ago. It was really nice to know what they did and believed in compared to what we do. I thought it was extra special because we were in non-school uniform. I liked learning all the history and I think I actually learnt it better because we were not in our classroom. The secret password changed each time we left the hall so it was really difficult to remember them all. Pluto is both a Greek and Roman god of agriculture, wealth, and the underworld. He is also referred to as Hades. I’m not sure if I would have liked to have been a Roman child but I would have enjoyed it more if I was from a wealthy family because then I wouldn’t have as many chores and my days would not have been as repetitive.

George Hood (aged 8)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ History

Victorians At Stibbington I enjoyed the detective work with artefacts because we went round to all the tables and discovered what they used for toys, to wash, clean and cook. The Victorian playground was fun because I just played tag with my friends. The Victorian school room was not fun at all because the desk behind me was so close to mine I could not move my chair back that far and my legs were squashed under the desk and the teacher was strict!

Henry Bessemer Clark (aged 10) I loved Stibbington because we really felt as though we were Victorians. We even got to find our gravestones with our new identities!

Alice Manning (aged 10)

Bletchley Park “It was great seeing the old computers. There was a real working Enigma machine and we found out how it operated.”

Hattie Milton (aged 12)

“I really loved seeing the Enigma machine. We learnt a lot about how it helped win the War through encrypting messages.”

Charlie Lipscomb (aged 12)

“Outside there was a massive rock with Winston Churchill’s hand print on it. My favourite part was putting my hand into that print.”

Billy Malyon (aged 12)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ History

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1940s Wartime Day “I liked finding out what our new identities were, I was quite surprised to find out I was staying with the Headmaster and Headmistress!”

Florence Reed Herbert (aged 9)

Stibbington was great fun and I enjoyed using the dipping pens and ink to write with. The spam at lunch wasn’t so great! We made ID cards for our new guardian and mine was called Mrs Crane and my siblings were Shirley and Ian and we all stayed at the School House. Going into the Anderson shelter felt quite realistic and it was good to sit at the old-fashioned desks in the school room as the lesson was so different and the teacher so strict! During the war, cows were painted black so they would not be seen in the blackouts but then the cows ran away!

Phoebe Hearn (aged 9)

“I enjoyed going into the wartime classroom as it was so realistic as we got to use ink instead of pens and we also went down into an air raid shelter too. It was really big and dark and would have been quite terrifying.”

Aliyah Auty (aged 9)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ History

Mountfitchet Castle “There was a big cage and if people tried to steal, their hands would be cut off! It was so exciting because a peacock fanned its feathers in front of me.”

Noa Martinez Forbes (aged 5)

“It was great fun spending the day training as warriors. There were goats and peacocks which we sketched.

During a break, we trapped Angus and strapped him to a wall, but then he escaped!”

Lily Brereton (aged 6)

Tudors We learnt about how Tudors celebrated the twelve days of Christmas on our Tudor Day. It was so fun! We got to act in plays like ‘St George and the Dragon’ and there were songs, juggling and dancing while we had the feast (bread and ‘wine’.) I loved doing the activities and my favourite was creating soup balls, I ended up making four, and a leather bookmark.

Rufus Bowsher (aged 10)

“My favourite activity on Tudor Day was making soap. I liked the fact my hands smelt really nice after making it.”

Amber Oates (aged 10)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ History

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Geography “I enjoy Geography lessons because there is a lot of visual learning which makes the information easier to consume and retain.”

Amira Srouji (aged 12)

“We are learning about tectonic plates and volcanoes which is explosively fun! For prep, we made our own volcanoes based on famous volcanoes around the world.”

Harriet Elend-Warner (aged 11)

“Geography is a really fun and educational subject that teaches you about the world around you. Our work is always fun but the way it is taught is so effective for our learning.”

Hector Douglas (aged 12)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Geography

Shimpling Park Farm I loved visiting Shimpling Park Farm because it is so lovely being able to do field studies at this school. Field studies meaning getting out of the classroom and exploring the organic outdoors! There were so many things that I enjoyed at the farm, but the one thing that I really enjoyed was that it was a mixed farm so that one part was arable and the other was filled with sheep so there were so many things to see!

Isabella MacLean (aged 10) My favourite part was the boiling room because the room smelt of marshmallows.

The boiling room is where they burn the wood chips from cutting down trees, and the heat from the burning wood heats the water for the farm; a good example of sustainable farming.

Morgan Jeremiah (aged 10)

“There were a lot of animals such as sheep, pigs, goats and horses. I watched the animals playing. I had fun with my friends. Lily was my buddy for the day.”

Albert Gibbeson (aged 10)

“I love how Shimpling Park Farm works as it is completely organic! We saw big machines that were cool and even the heater that would burn the wood chips.”

“I learnt a great deal about organic farms and conventional farms.”

Magnus Xin (aged 10)

Bradley Kushman (aged 10)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Geography

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Wandlebury Country Park “Wandlebury was really fun. The best part was when we made our own bread and cooked it over the fire.”

Lena Knowles (aged 11)

“We ground the wheat on the quern stones and made our own mini wattle wall.”

Dileep Kainth (aged 11)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Geography

FSC Epping Forest It was really helpful to go down into the river and get the data yourselves and that data felt very reliable. The teachers did a really good job at explaining everything so we were not confused and we went to three sites along the river to gather different information which we could use when we started our case studies back at school.

Ugo Ibeanusi (aged 13) I really enjoyed the Epping Forest trip as it was very fun and interactive which I love as I love to be in nature and doing my work in person. The instructors made the day as great as possible and told us many interesting geographical facts about the river.

When we got back I loved doing the case study as it was enjoyable recapping what we had learnt. We were given clear instructions and were helped when needed. Our work was independent which I found relaxing. I also loved that we could redo our work to improve it and get the best possible mark.

Mattia Nicholson (aged 13)

“I learnt so much more by seeing the actual locations. I enjoyed seeing the differences between upstream and downstream.”

Georgie Formston (aged 13)

“The write-up taught me a lot about how a Geography project would be carried out in Secondary school and that every detail matters.”

Milan Patel (aged 13)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Geography

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Religious Studies Mosque In the Mosque we needed to take our shoes off to keep it holy and clean. I could see the male washing room and a large prayer room. In school, we learnt about the five pillars of Islam and that Muslims are called to prayer five times each day.

Benedict Xin (aged 10)

Buddhist Centre We learnt about the story of the Buddha and how he reached enlightenment and taught pupils. Another thing we saw was the people there were praying in an old Indian language called Sanskrit. One of the people lit incense which smelled super good. A fun fact that the Buddhist Centre was a theatre but it shut down and then became the Buddhist Centre.

Davi Saibrosa (aged 11)

Gurdwara We found out that a Gurdwara is a doorway to the Guru. Outside every Gurdwara is a Nishan Sahib. It is the holy flag which can be seen either near the entrance or on the top of every Gurdwara.

Great respect is shown to the flag as it has the symbol of Sikhism, representing their beliefs in God. It also is a welcome banner for visitors.

Betty Barnes (aged 11)

Top: Cambridge Mosque; middle: Hinduism talk & bottom: St Giles’ church

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Religious Studies

Left: Cambridge Gurdwara; top right: Cambridge Buddhist Centre & bottom right: Cambridge Mosque

Religious & Philosophical Debates Many of our Religious Studies lessons are very philosophical in the way that our lessons and projects encourage debate and discussion between peers and teachers. Our most recent project relating to utilitarianism in fact was an essay hence we had to include arguments as well as counter-arguments in our work. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that determines right from wrong by focusing on outcomes. It is a form of consequentialism. Utilitarianism holds the belief that the most ethical choice is the one that will produce the greatest good for the greatest number. Utilitarianism is based on the idea that one should choose such an action in order to create the greatest amount of happiness for the largest amount of people. When we researched and debated further, we also discussed rule and act utilitarianism.

Kangqi Gong (aged 13) I enjoyed debating the abortion case study as it gave us an insight into the other side’s arguments and thinking. As the sides are random it means you have to think harder, especially if you don’t believe that and means you can now understand and discuss with people once you have done the research and argued for it.

Imogen Youngman (aged 13) It has been fascinating debating and learning about the death penalty and seeing different peoples’ opinions, reactions and suggestions. It has been interesting learning about the statistics around the world, as well and how many countries still use the death penalty.

Hattie Milton (aged 12) We have been learning how to put our thoughts and opinions into essays. These lessons are a chance to share my opinions without worrying what others will say or think. Religious Studies gives people the opportunity to think on the logical and ethical side. I love this subject because everyone’s opinions are really valid and interesting.

Mei Mei Noble (aged 12) I found out through research of the Alan Turing project that the computer scientist, logician and cryptanalyst had the opportunity to save a conveyor from some U-boats but chose not to because the Nazis would be aware of him cracking the code so did not.

Finn Maclennan (aged 13)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Religious Studies

33

“We thought about what would make an ‘impossible’ Philosophy question which was harder than it sounds!”

Philosophy

Race Wong (aged 10)

Philosophical Children’s Books For my Philosophical children’s book, myself and my partner wrote a book called Frog Friends, about a young frog with a mushroom for a hat who talks to his mum about how he can be fair to all his friends about playing different playground games. He tackles act utilitarianism and deontology and settles on moral particularism, which finally makes all of his frog friends happy.

Melissa French (aged 13)

“Philosophy has been very fun as I have been writing my children’s book about a Queen bee.

It is very enjoyable to write about and I am doing it with friends which makes it more fun and there is a moral message to think about.”

Beatrice Moshtagh-Kahnamoui (aged 13)

“I have enjoyed Philosophy because we have created picture books to share with the younger children based on philosophical aspects and messages.”

Amelie Kirk (aged 12)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Philosophy

‘What is thinking?’

“One Philosophy lesson was based on thinking about thinking! We thought about what thinking might actually look like and we worked in pairs to create a model of our brains in action. Everyone had various ideas.”

Poppy Nichols (aged 9)

“I enjoyed our session in Philosophy where we discussed the question ‘What is art?’. We all had very different opinions on what art meant to each of us which was interesting. I believe it is important to listen to others because they might change or question your opinion.”

Millie Singh (aged 11)

“Philosophy encourages you to think in different ways and explore possibilities.”

Thomas Kokelaar (aged 12)

“Philosophy has taught me so much about supposed reality. I loved the ‘brain in a vat’ debate which questioned reality, knowledge and truth.”

Charlie Lipscomb (aged 11)

“I really like it when we have big discussions about some often puzzling questions.”

Kasra Mohaddes (aged 11)

“The ethics topics have been the most useful as you have to decide independently and make your own opinions.”

Sam Tagger (aged 11)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Philosophy

35

Charities & Community Links Harvest & Eco Competition I am in Charities Committee and I feel it is important to think of others and not just yourself. I feel empathy for all the people who do not have enough food to eat or do not know where their next meal is coming from. Being part of the Committee means that we get to help organise and run each event which enables you get to know lots about different charities, such as Foodbank at Harvest.

Aline Halban-Taylor (aged 10)

“I was really excited to enter my Harvest watering can into the competition. It was made entirely from Lego and I had lots of fun deciding how to build it.”

Freddie Bennett (aged 9)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Charities & Community Links

“I brought in tins and pasta.

Tins are cheap so I can get lots and they don’t expire for a long time.”

George Hood (aged 8)

Odd Socks Day for Anti-Bullying Week It is really important for our school to think about others and not just those within St John’s. Helping others is so important by raising money for anti-bullying week as you can have fun at the same time as doing something for others too.

Clarissa Pilato (aged 10) I wore a pair of odd socks for anti-bullying week because I believe that not one child should be bullied for their clothes, hair style or their skin colour because it is wrong.

The more we can do to stop this the better.

Frankie Benstead (aged 12)

“I wanted to take part because there are people who are having a tough time and it is so important to try and stop bullying.”

Harry Brown (aged 12)

Love in a Box “I always try and get involved with all the school’s charity events as it is important to help people who are less fortunate than us.”

Hattie Milton (aged 12)

“It is nice to know that you are hopefully making someone happy.”

Isabelle Lazarus (aged 12)

“It is important to remember those around you. We are very lucky at St John’s.”

Philippa Bishop (aged 10)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Charities & Community Links

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Senior Citizens’ Christmas Parties This year I have been part of the Charities Committee and have been able to help arrange the different events throughout the year. This is one of the best ones. I think it is so important to help others as we are so lucky at St John’s.

Arthur Griffiths (aged 11)

“Miss Orange has been running the Senior House Charities Committee for a few years and I am incredibly proud to be a member and to help out with events such as the Senior Citizens’ festive party.”

Toby Fairley (aged 11)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Charities & Community Links

Byron House Summer Fair “Everyone in Form 2 ran their own stall and got it organised before the Summer Fair. I think the ‘Pig’ Pong stall was epic as you had to throw the ball into a cup to win a prize!”

“We did a parachute display for our parents and some of the big boys and girls came to help us because they did it in KG too. It was really fun and we got to be opera singers in the middle!”

Theo Singh (aged 8)

William Kilsby & Hugo Santry (both aged 5)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Charities & Community Links

39

Senior Citizens’ Summer Party The Summer Party for the Senior Citizens was so much fun to help organise and run because I was with my friends and we got to talk to the guests from the different care homes and hear their stories. It was very interesting to find out what they enjoy doing in their care homes and they asked us lots of questions too. We served them drinks and afternoon tea and there was also music too. They all seemed to love the afternoon.

Isabella Bishop (aged 12)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Charities & Community Links

Form 6’s Charities Fair All of Form 6 had the chance to organise setting up and running a stall for the Charities Fair and we had everything from face paints, soak the teacher, waffles, pillow fights and the tortilla game. We raised money for the Wooden Spoon charity in memory of Mr McComb and, on this day, all the staff and children throughout the school wore green to honour him.

Will Dely (aged 12)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Charities & Community Links

41

Science & STEM Cambridge University Botanic Garden On our Science trip we were measuring the humidity in the different glasshouses and we compared the readings and also compared it to the outside temperature too. Some of the glasshouses were very humid!

James Hankey & Wulfstan Aeberhard (both aged 8)

Wandlebury Minibeasts “I was very surprised that I caught a tadpole!”

Marlowe Treger (aged 5)

“I loved finding spiders in the woodland.”

Rowan Whaley (aged 5)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Science & STEM

Kings Dyke Nature Reserve On our Science trip we had to be quiet in the hide as we were trying to spot and identify as many different birds as possible and we used binoculars to see them better.

We also went on a nature trail to find different wildlife habitats and saw some butterflies.

Charlotte Egerton (aged 8)

“We went pond dipping which was really good fun. We put underwater minibeasts we had scooped up in the nets in the water trays and tried to identify them.”

Maria Ferrari (aged 8)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Science & STEM

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“The heart dissection was interesting to do because we not only learnt but saw in detail one of the most important organs in our bodies.”

Harry Cross (aged 12)

“The exploding can experiment was the best!

Science is so important as it helps me to understand how things work in the world.”

Martha Gritten (aged 10)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Science & STEM

“I really liked testing the foods for different levels of protein, glucose, starch and carbohydrate by burning them. This helps you to know what is in the food you eat.”

Arthur Manning (aged 12)

We learnt about the different properties of the element carbon as well as the different reactions and consequences of reactions relating to the element of carbon aided by the different practical experiments. We found out that lime reacts readily with water to produce slaked lime, which is the chemical compound calcium hydroxide.

Calcium carbonate is heated strongly until it undergoes thermal decomposition to form calcium oxide and carbon dioxide.

Kangqi Gong (aged 13) I really enjoyed doing the eye dissection as we got to see what is truly behind the seeing ball. We also got to see how the eye almost talked to the brain (the optic nerve) and that was really cool! We also got to make our own spectrums (rainbows) and by reflecting light onto a glass prism you got the spectrum. And last but not least we got to draw a refraction that we made from a glass block and a mirror and obviously light.

Una Churchward (aged 12) We investigated selective breeding and GMOs, the difference between them, and the various moral decisions associated. For me, the most exiting part of this project was the investigation and discussion of the benefits and potential downsides of GMOs versus the traditional but slower method of selective breeding. I think that, despite the potential long-term risks and unintended consequences, the possibility of GMO crops might revolutionise the agriculture industry, bringing higher yielding, more nutritious, more resistant crops that are better suited to thrive in harsher environments would be game-changing to humanity.

Angus Crichton-Stuart (aged 13) I have really enjoyed learning about evolution and natural selection. What I found the most interesting was how all life on Earth originated from organisms living in the oceans, and it is believed that there is a single common ancestor that is the starting point of all life! There were slight changes in some specific organisms which happened again and again forming things like our arms and legs, and even our mouths.

Emre Tunc (aged 13)

“I learnt a lot about the eye and I also enjoyed dissecting it. It was really interesting how parts of the eye were rainbow coloured and the lens felt hard, which I didn’t expect.”

Alyse Baines (aged 12)

“I enjoyed finding out what salts sea shells had in them.

We got to burn different salts which emitted different colours and we burned the crushed sea shells and found out it contained calcium carbonate.”

Antigone Axon (aged 13)

“We used ray boxes to measure the incident angles.”

Mei Mei Noble (aged 12)

“I enjoyed being inside the Space Dome as you could see the night sky without using a telescope.”

Eniya Zhang (aged 11)

National Science Quiz I was in team three in the Science Quiz and I really enjoyed learning interesting scientific facts and sharing our knowledge to work well as a team. We qualified for the Semi-Finals but we didn’t qualify for the Finals.

Imogen O’Reilly (aged 10) It was an amazing experience taking part in the Science Quiz.

We worked brilliantly as a team as we all took the time to listen to each other. When there was a tricky question, we made sure that everyone’s answer was represented.

Millie Singh (aged 11)

“I loved the feeling of adrenaline when the scores are about to be displayed.”

Nicholas Garcia (aged 11)

“It went well because we were the only team 3 ever to make it to the Semi-Finals.”

Leo Barron Humphry (aged 10)

“One of my favourite reasons to look forward to school in the mornings was the Science Quiz as it is perhaps the most fun and educational challenge ever!”

Peregrine Brice (aged 11)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Science & STEM

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STEM Investigations I enjoyed STEM and particularly liked having lessons at Senior House and using the equipment there. I think these classes will definitely help me as I grow up. I found the orientation really fun and I have found how much I love precision.

James Marshall (aged 9)

“I particularly liked building the tallest tower and that it was a fun competition. I had lots of fun measuring things and I know now that a sturdy structure needs a strong base.”

Ranvir Tammineni (aged 9)

“I liked the bridge project as we made our own bridges and learnt what makes a bridge strong. We tested them on the snap circuits and mine came third in Form 2!”

Freddie Bennett (aged 9)

“I really enjoyed all of our STEM projects, especially the lighthouse project as we had so much independence and had to design it, make it, and add the circuit by ourselves. I enjoyed sticking on the paper mache!”

Maria Watson (aged 9)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Science & STEM

I enjoyed making the lighthouse because connecting the wires to the right place was hard because they all looked similar! The bridge project was fun because we had tokens to buy different materials and our target was to make a strong and stable bridge (with only ten tokens!).

Peony Piotrowski (aged 8)

“Bridges was the best project as we designed them on Chromebooks before we made them.”

Antony Aldred (aged 9)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Science & STEM

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Design Technology

Astromech Droids I really enjoyed making our robot droids.

We started with a plastic tube then trimmed it down until the lid would fit on. We got LEDs and wired them up and drilled holes in the face and stuck LEDs through, before screwing legs and arms on. We then tested to see if the LEDs worked by attaching a USB wire and plugging it in.

Billy Malyon (aged 12)

“My favourite DT project was designing and constructing our droid lamps. The best part was assembling them and seeing them come together and work.”

Charlie Lipscomb (aged 11)

“When each of our droids came to life and turned on it felt so satisfying.”

Safiyya Ahmad (aged 11)

“We got to try welding and learnt about heating plastic into shapes and wiring too.”

Harriet Elend-Warner (aged 11)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Design Technology

DT STEM Challenge at Oundle School We enjoyed the DT STEM workshop at Oundle School, especially when we got to make rope monkeys because we needed to make it on our own with no instructions which was really fun! Another highlight from the day was the Chemistry session as we got to experiment with different chemicals and it was so cool to see all the chemicals mix together and to see the reactions. It was a great experience.

Race Wong & Grace Lambert (both aged 10)

Wooden Clocks I loved how we had to base our clocks on the theme of heraldry, which is a very unique and varied subject. I also found it really fun how we used the design software (Techsoft V3) to make our clocks and then watched them get printed out on the laser cutter.

Reda Chebli (aged 13)

“It was rewarding seeing the clocks that we made online and in the laser cutter come to life.”

Amelie Kirk (aged 12)

“The designing was really fun - trying to conform to the brief while adapting it at the same time to suit your own style.”

James Lockhart (aged 13)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Design Technology

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Bags This DT project was fantastic as you were able to use your imagination but also be logical at the same time. All the techniques we learnt are very useful and I now know how to sew a button onto a bag, which is a big accomplishment for me.

Libby Dunton (aged 11)

“This bag project really boosted our skills as we learnt how to use a sewing machine. My bag was blue and had a pocket. I think I will use my bag until it breaks!”

Florence Wicks (aged 11)

“I decided to design and make a conker-like conker bag. I just loved having the chance to use the sewing machine because we learnt new skills and could also be creative.”

Basak Dogan (aged 11)

“My bag is purposefully designed to store all my art supplies.”

Cera Wong (aged 11)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Design Technology

Acrylic Pen Tidies The first stage was to make a card version of our design to ensure that it would work successfully before we moved on to the acrylic. The next stage was to learn how to manipulate the plastic and we used the pillar drill and the jigsaw for this. The last stage was to create an isometric drawing of our finished model. It was an amazing feeling because it turned out exactly how I wanted it to.

Alice Sutcliffe (aged 13) We tested out different shapes and sizes of how we would like our pen tidy to be. We were given cardboard at first to work with and to measure angles and then we were given our final piece of plastic and we could cut it, bend it and drill holes through it to create the design we wanted.

Antigone Axon (aged 13)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Design Technology

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Magical Transport It was really fun making our own transport models as we could have our own designs. We learnt how to attach the wheels and to decorate and paint ours to make them look like our own.

Jonah Borchert & Claire Nghiem (both aged 6)

Dizzy Dowels

“I enjoyed building the circuits the most.”

Freddie Bennett (aged 9)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Design Technology

We are finishing our dizzy dowels which is a toy that spins. I am not sure if I can make it into a propeller because that means using the hot glue gun and Miss Muñoz does not like us using it if we can avoid it. I want to make mine like the fairground ride that has the spinning chairs that go in the air. So far I have learnt how to cut wood with a saw and how to wire a frame. I thought making the frame would be super difficult but it wasn’t as bad as I had thought. I have really enjoyed assembling the different parts and getting to see the final product eventually come together.

James Marshall (aged 9)

Catapults “I’ve learnt how to drill and use card cutters and how to build strong, big structures. I’m working on making a catapult which involves gluing together wood which I thought would be really hard. It is actually surprisingly easy.”

Abigail Lock (aged 8)

Matching Games “In DT we have been making an educational quiz matching game. I have enjoyed thinking of all the questions, then making the game and adding in the circuitry at the end.”

Rafic Chebli (aged 11)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Design Technology

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Motorised Vehicles I had many problems along the way and the most challenging was when I realised that my base was too wide for the lolly pop stick so I had to improvise and put one lolly stick on top of the other one. It worked well in the end!

Marley Fernandez-Piras (aged 10) I designed a car on paper and then built a chassis using wood and metal, which I glued using the glue gun. Then I made an axle and put the wheels on. I connected the wires to the wheels and batteries to make them go around. My car only goes in a straight line. Next time I will make a vehicle that can do a donut.

Felix Garstang (aged 9)

“I had a lot of challenges which I worked hard to overcome, such as getting the wheels straight, building the chassis and making the circuit.”

Ingrid Birchall (aged 10)

“One of the challenges was that when I was testing my vehicle the car didn’t go straight so I had to make the axles all parallel to each other to solve the problem.”

Farid Emam (aged 10)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Design Technology

Split Foam Models I liked our split foam project because it was fun, simple and not too hard to complete. Painting it was my favourite part of the process, but putting the pieces together at the end was a really nice aspect of it to see your design come together.

Safiyya Ahmad (aged 11) I made a hamster which was double the size of a real one. Our first step was to choose and design what the slice foam animal, fruit, sea creature or furniture was you wanted make before creating two smaller card designs. Next, you would get some foam and draw the object double the size of your card one and slot the pieces to make it 3D. Megan Munro (aged 12)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Design Technology

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“We use Logo which is basically a little turtle that draws things in a code like a command. It teaches you programming.”

Race Wong (aged 10)

Computing We have learnt how to programme using Python by using coding games. This involved having a problem, such as having to get past an obstacle, and solving using different instructions such as loops. This was quite challenging, especially the further you progressed but I enjoyed developing my coding skills.

George Gibbes (aged 13) We learnt about binary and we made codes to open a gate to a zoo according to an animal, so it would ask something like, “does your animal have stripes?’’ and, depending on whether you said yes or no, the gate would open or close. We had a lot of fun designing our characters and figuring out what code we should enter next.

Mei Mei Noble (aged 12)

“I have loved coding with Scratch and if you type in the correct answer you progress to the next question.”

Hector Douglas (aged 12)

“We designed our ball mazes and printed them. We have also worked with data and used Logo to make designs which was challenging when creating the shapes.”

Penelope Tandy (aged 10)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Computing

“We learnt the complexities of algorithms which is helpful for debugging things.”

Finn Westfall (aged 11)

“We made the Beebot change directions and go forwards or backwards on the map.”

Nina McShane (aged 5)

“We had to crack codes and create our own ones.

We also learnt about codes that were created a long time ago, such as during World War Two.” Ethan Hayes Fernández (aged 12)

“We learnt about computational thinking which is important as it is at the top of the problem solving pyramid.”

Tom Bennington (aged 10)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Computing

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Digitally Enhanced Learning When I use a Chromebook it helps me to focus more readily and we also use them to learn lots of facts that we never knew before. The technology also teaches us keyboard shortcuts and how to use the Chromebooks efficiently. This will help us to type, and the faster and more accurately I can type, the quicker I can complete my work. This will also be helpful in the future too.

Arindam Roshan (aged 10)

“Technology is such a huge part of the world today and we use Chromebooks and iPads to help our learning in so many different subjects.”

Reuben Bennett & Barnaby Hill (both aged 10)

My favourite Science lesson was coding with micro:bits. It was really fun building a wireless micro:bit and testing how fair it could go. In the end, we got up to 125 metres before we didn’t have enough space to continue.

Tighe Westfall (aged 14)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Digitally Enhanced Learning

“I enjoyed using the Chromebooks to create our screen castify about sound in Science in order to demonstrate how the ears function because we got to record ourselves speaking.”

Martha Gritten (aged 10)

“With the ChatterPix app, you can take a photo or draw things. You can also record your voice.

We use the iPads for creating animations, finding information and recording our work.”

Benjamin Knowles & Arty Blair (both aged 7)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Digitally Enhanced Learning

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Maths My best lessons were the circular symmetrical stitching in Maths. They were really fun as we got to create different designs on paper using thread. The designs look a lot better with thread rather than pencil as you can be a lot more accurate, and, if you make a mistake, it is very easy to correct it. The finished designs always look very good and stand out and your mathematical skills need to be accurate.

Emre Tunc (aged 13) My favourite Maths investigation was when we lined up in height order and then measured everyone (including Mr Taylor). After we had got everyone’s height measurements, we organised this in a table and then found the mode, median, mean and range of all the information.

Evie Oates (aged 12)

“Once you notice a pattern with a Maths concept it is always easier to find the answer.”

Farid Emam (aged 10)

“We learnt how to measure angles using a protractor which looks like a semicircle.

This is 180 degrees as a full circle is 360 degrees. I love learning about angles.”

Felix Garstang (aged 9)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Maths

“I really liked doing the shape and patio investigation. We were trying to figure out how many sides different shapes had and we were looking at what Maths you can see in a terrace. It used lots of skills.”

Tilly Denman (aged 10)

“When I’m looking at big numbers, having the practical equipment there is very helpful. It makes me look forward to Maths if we are using the practical things. It helps me remember what to do. It will help me when I’m older, I’m sure!”

Cirse MacSwiney (aged 9)

“Practical Maths helps me because otherwise I can get a bit confused.

I like to see how numbers work visually. It makes it easier to remember and less stressful when I’m problem solving.”

Evelyn Austen (aged 9)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Maths

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“We did a really fun measuring activity in small groups where we had lengths of paper and we used these to take head circumferences and other measurements.

We found the lengths with a measuring tape and recorded the results on the Chromebooks.”

Florence Phillips & Sasha Bautin (both aged 8)

“I loved the Mystic Rose project as you got to use your creative skills to join points that are equally spaced around a circle.”

Claudia Mudkavi (aged 10)

“We did an investigation on symmetry and tessellation, working out which shapes you could fit together to make a pattern.”

Ingrid Birchall (aged 10)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Maths

I enjoyed the circle theorems project. We had to draw the design first; then, we used thread and card to make them.

Designs included things like Mystic Roses. Circle theorems are properties that show relationships between angles within the geometry of a circle. It was funny as I had to help others untie their thread from knots!

Lily Walpole (aged 13)

“I enjoyed completing the Primary Maths Challenge and the Quiz Club competition as they test all areas of your knowledge rather than one concept.”

Eniya Zhang (aged 11)

“I really enjoyed doing algebra as it is almost like a new language with letters substituting for the apparent unknown.”

Kasra Mohaddes (aged 11)

“Our investigations often use algebra. I really liked when we were drawing geometric shapes and curves with straight lines.”

Arindam Roshan (aged 10)

“It was so much fun creating a robot with 2D coloured shapes as we got to learn and at the same time be creative with our friends too.”

Angus Chaney (aged 7) & Oleh Butko (aged 8)

Enrichment Afternoons

“I will miss Thursday afternoons when I leave as they are fun and always varied.”

Sebbie Gray (aged 12)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Enrichment Afternoons

I loved the Cambridge University Library trip because we went where no one was allowed to go and it was really interesting the way they stored all the books. They were stored in these cool cupboards and, when you pulled a lever, they all opened.

Amelie Kirk (aged 12) I loved the Duxford Art trip; we had an hour to draw anything we wanted to in amazing buildings that were filled with incredible inventions with so much artistic potential. I really enjoyed working with charcoal and chalk, and I think that medium really suited the inspiration in front of us.

Melissa French (aged 13)

“Form 5 had the choice of music, computing or learning Spanish and I chose Spanish. It was fun because everyone was new to this language so were starting at the same level.”

Charlie Jerram (aged 12)

“We went on an Art trip to the Museum of Zoology and it was the coolest thing ever. As soon as you even walked through the entrance doors there was a massive whole skeleton of a Fin Whale hanging over you!”

Jasper Fox Watson (aged 12)

“I enjoyed playing touch rugby in our Houses; it was a great learning experience for me to try a new sport.”

Alice Inglis (aged 11)

“We learnt how to build DT airboats and race them in the swimming pool. Even if some of the boats didn’t work, it was a super fun learning opportunity.”

Hattie Milton (aged 12)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Enrichment Afternoons

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Co-Curricular

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“Doing multi-sports with my friends after school makes me feel happy.”

“I like how many clubs are on offer. They are useful because they help improve my skills.”

Alisa Iarokha (aged 6)

Cindy Di (aged 10)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Extra-Curricular Clubs

I do lots of clubs after school and I enjoy them all so much; they are a great opportunity to do more things that you like doing and have fun after school with your friends - you can do so many different co-curricular activities that you wouldn’t be able to do usually.

The range of clubs at St John’s is immense and very inclusive. I am able to take part in activities such as sports, languages, art, drama, music, DT and many more.

Zoe Loose (aged 13) In gardening club, I have been planting and growing seeds. I really enjoyed getting to scatter the seeds and raking the soil. It is good because you learn what has happened to the plant at each stage and you know how you have nurtured it.

Marley Fernandez-Piras (aged 10)

“I have been doing netball and hockey club and they are both very fun and great activities to do at the end of the day after working hard.”

Beatrice Moshtagh-Kahnamoui (aged 13)

“In DT club we made a candy dispenser, an emoji pillow and a solar panel garden light. My favourite was the emoji pillow because we got to use the sewing machine.”

Penelope Tandy (aged 10)

“I loved doing journalism club because it teaches you how to write an article or magazine enthusiastically.”

Raffaele Sarno (aged 10)

“Aquathlon club is really physical as it combines both swimming and athletics so it is great for your fitness.”

Amir Jambor-Sadeghian (aged 11)

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Parents’ Association I would like to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to you parents and teachers for your unwavering support this year.

It is because of your collective efforts that our Parent Association has be able to organise and host such incredible events this year that truly brought our entire community together. Thank you all very much.

We started the academic year with a successful Macmillan coffee morning in the Boarding House that raised nearly £970. This was not just a fundraiser but also a delightful gathering that saw, friends old and new, come together over coffee and cake, creating an atmosphere of warmth and laughter. I have to say, one of the most remarkable aspects of this event was the display of talent within our community. Thank you to all the talented bakers who so generously contributed their time, skills and delectable creations to the event.

This was followed by the highly anticipated Fireworks event which was a tremendous success and drew an astounding 960 plus attendees. The fireworks display was not only a visual delight but also a culinary treat as we were fortunate enough to have the talented Chef Richard leading the way, preparing delicious sausages that tantalized our taste buds! To compliment the savory delights, we also had hot chocolate and doughnuts! And let’s not forget the mulled wine! Thank you for Emma Luck and Eirian Kornicki for all your hard work in organising this event, I know it wasn’t stress free!

After months of planning and crafting, the Lent term ended with a storming jungle-themed party. This event was designed as an exciting new project to bring the whole community together by linking the event with the Form 5 play. Children at Senior House contributed through drama and art and the children at Byron House by creating beautiful decorations with recycled materials We are extremely grateful to the huge number of parents who spent hours crafting (you know who you are!), helped with Jungle Club and the transformation of Hinsley Hall, along with technical support on the night. It was a fantastic party with delicious drinks and

This page, top: Fun Day; bottom left: Macmillan Coffee Morning; bottom right: Summer Garden Party & opposite page: Fireworks Night

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canapés, enchanting sitar music, disco dancing, a highly entertaining raffle draw and a plethora of entertainment. We would like to recognise the enormous role that Tim Clarke played in the planning and on the night of the event, along with Althea Pipe and Sara Bishop at Byron House for all their time and enthusiastic support with Jungle Club, Jo Clarke for her generosity and effort in the lead up to the night, along with Neil Chippington, Ollie Lepage-Dean, and Francis Bushell, who so kindly performed at the party.

The event wouldn’t have happened without all the hard work of so many in the community and the months of planning by the extraordinary event team. But I have to say a big thank you to Eirian for spearheading this event from day one. Her enthusiasm, energy and dedication is unparalleled This term saw the return of the Family Fun Day. Amazingly the weather was perfect and we were joined by more than 600 people who ran for fun (and some for medals!), baked to be judged by Fitzbillies, drank Pimm’s, ate delicious waffles and bounced through the afternoon. This event alone takes more than 50 volunteers so if you helped in any way, we all really appreciate your efforts. A massive thank you to Caroline Lock for leading this event and to the rest of the organising committee for all your efforts.

Once again, the PA Evensong in the College chapel was a beautiful service; the singing was out of this world. It was a very special occasion to celebrate the incredible talent and hard work of the Choristers. It was the first occasion many families had been to Evensong, following all the disruption of Covid and we hope that in future years this special event can be repeated and developed, so we can continue to encourage families to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to embrace and appreciate the extraordinary music and tradition at the heart of our community. A big thank you Amanda Pitt for organising this event.

To finish the year we held the PA’s annual Garden Party on a beautiful, sunny evening in July. Guests were entertained by Ollie Lepage-Dean’s Rednotes band and feasted on delicious canapes provided by Catering and ably served by Senior House children.

This year we have been raising funds for the Castle School for Special Needs, just up the road. We have raised circa £10k for them which is an amazing amount and will no doubt make a significant impact. So thank you all once again for everyone’s support and generosity.

PA Chair Nayla Chebli

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Pupil Responsibilities & Pupil Forum In Form 5, you have the opportunities to tour people around St John’s which is really good because it teaches you how to do these more adult things. I think it is good to learn to be responsible as you grow up and this is a key example of it. It is great to see how curious and excited the prospective parents and their children are.

Jasper Fox Watson (aged 12) I think it is really important for children to have a voice in school as adults will never be able to fully understand us if we don’t talk about things we like and don’t like. I enjoy Pupil Forum because, whether you are talking about something big or something small, it makes such a difference.

Amira Srouji (aged 12) My buddy is so kind and generous and is always looking out to see if I am ok. She has settled me into Senior House and showed me where all my classes are and where I have to go or who I have to speak to if I have a problem. I love my buddy time and I always wake up on a Wednesday excited. Thanks to her I am a better person!

Poppy Slater (aged 10)

“At lunch we hand out fruit and pour water to help the younger children.”

Edward Rowstron & Freddie Holly (both aged 9)

“I do recycling with one of my friends on a Monday morning and it is really fun because we can chat while we are helping the school at the same time.”

Ethan Hayes Fernández (aged 12)

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St John’s Got Talent Show I think it is a really amazing thing to be able to take part in a Talent Show because you have something to practice for, to laugh over, to remember and to clap about. It really brings friends closer and can show you what you can achieve.

Matty Newitt (aged 11) I am taking part with my friends. I think it is important to take part if you feel you can and to support each other as there are so many talents throughout the school.

Arthur Griffiths (aged 11)

“It is great to see people’s interests that they have outside of school.”

Claudia Mudkavi (aged 10)

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Boarders I really enjoy being a boarder at St John’s because all the boarding staff are really nice, kind and friendly and you can ask them anything and go to them with any problem or worry you might have. The Boarding House is really cool because there is a ping pong table outside, a pool table, table football and a big TV with huge beanbags for you to relax in the Rec room. There is also a library where you can read, play games, play the piano and chat with your friends.

Ingrid Birchall (aged 10)

“The best time was the water fight when we threw water balloons at each other!”

Caspar Johnson (aged 12)

“I love being a boarder because you get to spend time with all your friends in a relaxed and fun way.”

George Henty (aged 10)

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“I liked being in the Boarding House because it gave me a sense of what a boarding school would be like.”

Ophelia Wright (aged 13)

“I love being a boarder as you get to sleep in the same house as your friends and have so many activities to choose every day after school.”

Aiden Wee (aged 10)

“My favourite moments in the house were the pillow fight where all the feathers came out and watching the film ‘Skyfall’, even though we were so busy chatting and having fun! ” Olivia Inglis (aged 13)

“On Halloween we did face painting, had a disco dancing competition, ate a donut on string and did apple bobbing!”

Jiwon Lee (aged 11) My friend Amira and I flexi-board every Monday. We find it really fun because there are lots of activities to do like play table football, watch movies, and sometimes Coco the dog is in the House and everyone loves to play with her. When we come back from school we get changed into home clothes, have fun, go and eat supper, do homework and then we get an option to go back to the House or stay at school and play a game. I have made friends with so many people by being a flexi boarder.

Mei Mei Noble (aged 12)

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Choristers

Above: Joe Giddens at Press Association (PA)

St John’s College Choir 2022-23 has been an unusual year, with the Choir being led by three Directors of Music. The Michaelmas term heralded the start of Andrew Nethsingha’s 45th and final term as Director of Music. We were delighted to welcome the new Junior Organ Scholar, Alex Robson, along with Liv Hawkins, Alice Hilder-Jarvis, Alice Markham and Matthew Monaghan (Altos), Theo Horch, Garbhan McEnoy (Tenors), George Butler, Jonathan Hatley and John Moore (Bass), Evelyn Austen, Bertie Bowes, George Henty, Bryony MacLeod-Jones, James Marshall and Felix van den Bos (Probationers).

The term started with a Chapel full of enthusiastic Freshers for the Matriculation Service and continued with the traditional Requiem services for All Souls’ Day and Remembrance Sunday.

PhD student, Jonathan Gilmour (2005-22) was remembered by Fellows, Staff and Alumni at a Memorial Service in November, during which Sam Furness (Tenor, 2005-2009) returned to sing Handel’s beautiful Waft her angels through the sky.

In October, the Choir premiered the new St John’s Service by Jonathan Dove, a set of Evening Canticles which had been

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commissioned by Dr Kamal and Mrs Anna Ahuja in memory of Sir Christopher Dobson. As always, the Chapel was full to capacity for the Advent Carol Services, which this year contained the sparkling commission by Iain Farrington - Nova, Nova. The Choir had great fun learning the clapping and foot-stamping accompaniment!

The final Evensong of the Michaelmas term was tinged with sadness – it was Andrew’s last as Director of Music. Over 450 former members of the Choir and other friends gathered after the Service to hear the Master and Dean of Chapel pay tribute to Andrew for the 15 years he had led the Choir and for his contribution to music in College. There were three extremely rousing cheers at the end to wish him well for the future.

Following a Christmas Concert in Chapel and a concert at Birmingham Symphony Hall, the Choir assembled for the final time under Andrew’s direction to complete two days of recording.

In January, the Choir was delighted to welcome Dr Stephen Darlington as the Interim Director of Music. Stephen led the

Choir during the Lent term, which included the candlelit Epiphany Carol Services, a Memorial Service for Professor Andrew Wyllie, and the BBC Radio 3 live broadcast of the Ash Wednesday Service. The end of term was marked by the annual Meditation on the Passion of Christ Service, and the final Evensong included Iain Farrington’s The ‘Blues’ Service, accompanied by Johnian saxophonist, Ignacio Mañá Mesas.

The Easter term saw the arrival of Christopher Gray, who was formally installed as Director of Music at St John’s College on Sunday 30 April. His first major service was on the Sunday following the Coronation, when the Choir collaborated with the Academy of Ancient Music to sing Handel’s Coronation Anthems. The Service was attended by over 550 members of the College community, and was followed by a drinks reception in First Court. Other special services during the term included Ascension Day, the Choir Association Annual Reunion Evensong, School Parents’ Association Evensong and the Graduation Service. During the Choir Period of Residence, a special Reunion Evensong was held to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Gentlemen of St John’s.

There have been four Evensongs sung jointly with other Choirs – the Lower Voices joined with the Truro Cathedral Girls’ Choristers in October, the full Choir with Clare College Choir in the Lent term and St John’s Voices and King’s College Choir during the Easter term.

Two albums have been released this year: Psalms – the latest in a series of recordings that celebrates the music performed in Evensong - and Magnificat 3, the third instalment in the Choir’s critically-acclaimed Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis series.

There were many Choir connections to the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey in May. Andrew Nethsingha conducted the Service, Dr Christopher Robinson (Director of Music, 1991-2003) arranged the descant for Praise my soul and the fanfares for the RAF Trumpeters. Before leaving Truro Cathedral, Christopher Gray had prepared some of his girl Choristers to join with the Abbey Choir. Iain Farrington (Organ Scholar 1996-99) composed two pieces for organ, which were played before and after the service.

The Westminster Abbey Choir included Tom Butler (Bass, 2018-22) and Simon Wall (1996-99), and Julian Stocker (former Chorister 1975-78). They were joined by Alex Hopkins (2020-22) and Gopal Kambo (2015-20) (Chapel Royal Choir), and Alex Ashworth (199598) and Hugh Cutting (2015-19) (Monteverdi Choir).

At the end of the year, we sadly had to say goodbye to George Herbert (Assistant Organist), several of our Lower Voices, and Angus Crichton-Stuart, Caspar Johnson and Kieran McGurran (Choristers). We thank them for their contribution to the Choir and send our very best wishes for the future.

Caroline Marks (Choir Administrator)

“I love being a Chorister because I love boarding with my friends as it is like one very long sleep over and you get to sing with them for every rehearsal and choir event, so you are experiencing the same things and having similar memories. One of the highlights of being a Chorister is doing joint Evensongs because the sound produced is a richer and fuller one.”

Ingrid Birchall (aged 10)

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Top: Christopher Gray’s first Service (James Beddoe at St John’s College)

“The highlight of being a Chorister has got to have been performing at Birmingham Symphony Hall.

The concert took place in the Michaelmas term and we performed lots of Christmas music. The Hall itself was an amazing venue to sing in and, looking out, the audience was vast.”

Sam Smith (aged 12)

“Being a Chorister means a lot to me because I love singing and making new memories, like singing from the top of the chapel tower! I could see so many people watching us and waving and enjoying our singing for the Ascension Service.”

Martha Gritten (aged 10)

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I will really miss singing alongside not just fellow Choristers but also all my friends. Through the years I feel that we have all grown closer through all the different experiences we have been lucky to have as a member of the Choir, and it feels great to have been part of such an amazing group. It is with sadness but fond memories that I am leaving.

Kieran McGurran (aged 13) Being a Chorister in St John’s College Choir is such a good experience as you get to take part in all sorts of events such as the Christmas Service on BBC Radio 3 and the Ascension Day Service, where we have the chance to go up to the very top of the chapel tower and sing from the top with everyone listening from the ground. If you have a singing talent and enjoy it I believe you should follow it.

Caspar Johnson (aged 12)

“Being a Chorister in the College Choir is such an amazing experience. You sing six services in chapel each week and we enjoy it very much as the pieces are quite different. I am excited to be going on a tour to the Netherlands next year as it is the first tour I will have been on and the first the Choir has done for a few years.”

Felix van den Bos (aged 9)

“I love being a Chorister because it is an amazing choir to be part of and it is a truly wonderful place to sing inside the chapel.”

Monty Tatnell (aged 12)

“Being a Chorister is both challenging and fun at the same time!”

Bryony MacLeod-Jones (aged 9)

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Music Services in Preparation for Christmas I love being involved with the choir. We have rehearsals twice a week where we get ready for performances like the Christmas Services, Senior Citizens’ parties and the concert at Great St Mary’s which is going to be on the radio on Christmas day! Most memorable was singing in the College Chapel at Christmas for the last time at St John’s.

Isobel Morbey (aged 13)

“I have loved being in Junior Choir because we get to choose songs to learn and sing them in lunchtime concerts and in the Christmas Services in such a beautiful setting.”

Emma Fawcus (aged 10)

“It was my first time going into the College Chapel and singing along with the Choristers. I felt like a professional singer in a Service.”

Woosung Lee (aged 10)

“In the Christmas Service, Form 6 have the task of telling the precious and special story of the birth of Jesus Christ himself, hence why it needs so many rehearsals and practices.

The readings sounded perfect against the backdrop of the choirs’ voices.”

Kangqi Gong (aged 13)

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Remembrance Day Playing The Last Post for our Act of Remembrance was a little scary as we were performing in front of so many people and you knew they were all listening to you. It was also such an important thing to do because I was remembering all the many soldiers who have given their lives fighting and I wanted to play the best I could in memory of them all.

Magnus Cleevely (aged 11)

Remembrance Day is about remembering those who have died in combat. It was sad when we listened to The Last Post and I liked being a role model for the younger children when we had to hold the minute’s silence. It’s important because if the soldiers didn’t win the War, we probably couldn’t live here because of all the bomb damage. Most countries would probably be ruined. I think it is important to wear a poppy because it is a sign of respect and it shows other people that we are also respecting their sacrifices. I think there should be more colours to represent the different sectors and show our respect to more people and animals.

Leo Blyth (aged 8)

“It was quite sad to listen to ‘The Last Post’ played by the older children. I think it helped me listen to the music because I focused on remembering things better. I know, for a lot of people, it brings both good and bad memories when they listen to the music. We wear poppies to show respect for the soldiers who died during conflict.”

Samuel Ji (aged 9)

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Christmas Brass The best part is that it is so close to Christmas and we all get the chance to wear tinsel or Christmas hats to get us feeling festive. Lots of people come and watch all the performances and it is a great feeling being part of a band and working together to make the pieces sound as good as they can be.

Violet Egerton (aged 11)

“It was a very special occasion playing in Christmas Brass for the last time at St John’s and having such a big audience supporting.”

Ugo Ibeanusi (aged 13)

Organ Recitals I have loved learning to play the organ at St John’s.

My teacher has been so kind and supportive, guiding me through every step of my journey on this instrument. It is so cool learning an instrument very few play and you go to different chapels and churches to perform. Our last recital was in Rugby School chapel and it was fun performing on so many different instruments.

Angus Crichton-Stuart (aged 13) Performing at the Rugby Organ Recital was a really fun and interesting experience. We got shown around some of the amazing organs there, after which we got to play on the wonderful chapel organ. We also got to listen to two of the school’s incredible organists.

Kieran McGurran (aged 13)

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Jazz in the Piazza Performing in the Piazza Jazz was thrilling and also nerve-wracking even though I had performed the previous year! It was really encouraging playing in front of so many other children and staff and gave me confidence when we then went on to perform at the Summer Garden Party. I have been learning the trumpet for the past seven years and I have worked hard to get to Grade 7 and am planning on taking my Grade 8 when I go to my next school, Stamford.

Georgie Formston (aged 13)

“I have loved taking part in lots of Music clubs and ensembles and one of my musical highlights will definitely be being part of Rednotes because it has been such an amazing experience to be in a jazz band and to be able to perform as so many various events.”

Isabella Bishop (aged 12)

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Class Music My favourite project was studying Beethoven’s music style.

We had two colour pencils and had to listen carefully; when we heard loud angry sections of the piece, we drew how we thought this would look as a pattern and then the same with the gentler and calmer parts with another colour.

Arjen Singh (aged 9) I have really enjoyed composing because I liked how much freedom we had to come up with our own melodies and bass lines so that we could finish with a piece of music that was truly ours. What made composing even more fun was that we got to work in pairs!

Emre Tunc (aged 13) We have been listening to all types of music which has inspired us all when composing our own songs. We also wrote blues songs which was so inspiring, and we always listen to each others; we even had concerts to perform our compositions.

Evie Oates (aged 12)

“We have used the Garage Band app to create songs and looked at melody and structure, using our new skills to create tunes with different elements. It has been fun experimenting with our different skills and seeing what type and styles of music we can create.”

Amelie Griffiths (aged 13)

“We made our own Bhangra beats which was fun because we used the online music software, Noteflight. I learnt how to do the seven notes of the Indian scale.”

Penelope Tandy (aged 10)

“Fah Shah’s beatboxing workshop was so exciting as we learnt how to beatbox ourselves! I could sense the intensity of beatboxing as soon as I walked into the room and couldn’t wait to begin.”

Shervin Khodadad Motarjemi (aged 11)

“The beatboxing workshop with Faz Shah was an amazing experience as we learnt so many techniques and had a go at making the sounds.

We also watched him play the violin.”

Ailine Halban-Taylor (aged 10)

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Lunchtime & Evening Concerts I have been involved in quite a few singing performances and I’ve enjoyed every single one. For me, each experience is something I will treasure, and events such as West Road and the Summer Garden Party where I got to sing in front of parents, teachers and governors do not come around often and deserve to be treated like they will never happen again.

Milan Patel (aged 13)

“I have done two lunchtime concerts. I performed piano and violin and the good thing is we are using the piano in class Music for our compositions which is so helpful.”

Richard Li (aged 12)

“My guitar is very special to me as I feel safe when I play it in concerts. I also love singing and performed ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ which I enjoyed.”

Alanis Vermande (aged 10)

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I really enjoy performing in informal lunchtime concerts because it builds up your confidence and skills for plays and evening concerts. I also love doing duets because you learn how to work together as a partnership.

Sophia Wickham (aged 12) I really enjoyed playing at the King’s Coronation celebrations and being a part of this historic occasion. It was fun to just be able to pull together and work so well and perform in front of the whole of Senior House.

Amelie Griffiths (aged 13)

“I enjoyed practising for the wind band when we played in the concert as we put a lot of hard work into our pieces and it sounded great!”

Joby Hastwell (aged 12)

“I sang with Form 3 and 4 Choir in a lunchtime concert and there were so many people watching!”

Tilly Denman (aged 10)

“I have played in many concerts at St John’s and have enjoyed them all. I usually get a little nervous beforehand but calm down as soon as I start playing.”

Anne Vinokurov (aged 13)

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“Playing in symphony orchestra was an amazing experience. The older children really inspired me to play the oboe with more confidence and passion.”

Phoebe Hearn (aged 9)

Summer Concert at West Road Playing the piano duet at West Road was a thrilling and amazing experience. I really enjoyed playing the piece with Angus and, although we were quite nervous before the performance, I think we both played our best and the result turned out well. It felt really great to see, or rather hear, how the audience appreciated our piece.

Kieran McGurran (aged 13) The Summer Concert began with the chamber orchestra. It was really nerve-wracking to be leading as lots of eyes were on you.

However, it was worth it as the music sounded incredible. I also participated in the harp ensemble and we performed the Pink Panther theme and we had a Pink Panther jacket that I took on stage! Stradivarius strings was also great but the solos made me nervous. Last but not least was the symphony orchestra, which was probably one of the best parts of the evening. The Hymn to the Fallen was incredibly atmospheric.

Milo White (aged 13) In the West Road concert, I played the timpani in both the symphony and chamber orchestras. My favourite pieces we played were the Mozart and Tchaikovsky pieces in the chamber orchestra as they were challenging but sounded impressive.

Emre Tunc (aged 13) I had the chance to perform a piano solo. Performing makes me nervous at first but then, once I get into the piece itself, I forget the audience is even there and just start listening to my music. I will miss Max who was my desk mate on first cello and I hope he continues with his musical talents on this instrument.

Anne Vinokurov (aged 13)

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It really was such a great privilege to sing in the Choir in the Summer Concert. It was so memorable at the end when all the people in the audience clapped and smiled and you knew they liked it!

Some people were even singing along to the song when we were performing!

Florence Reed Herbert (aged 9) I enjoyed playing in the string quartet because I got to play with some amazing musicians. Stradivarius strings was my favourite because we played more complicated music and, when it all came together with all the right notes, it sounded amazing.

Sophia Wickham (aged 12)

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Music Examination Results Michaelmas Term

* indicates distinction

ABRSM Practical:

ABRSM Performance:

Imogen Fairley 1 Violin Nicholas Garcia 3* Oboe Phoebe Hearn 2 Oboe Amber Liang 1* Piano Richard Li 5 Violin Charlie Lipscomb 2 Horn Lydia Lipscomb 3 Flute Clarissa Pilato 1 Oboe Florence Reed Herbert 1 Violin Arindam Roshan 2 Singing Isaac Shotton 1 Violin

Lent Term

Crispin Sinclair Arthur Toner Max Wickham Wanyan Zhou Trinity Practical: Caspar Johnson Matty Newitt

Lucy Keightley

Trinity Practical:

Angus Crichton-Stuart 8* Violin

Reuben Bennett Isabella Bishop Blake Carver Magnus Cleevely Daniel Pretorius Ani Reddy Emre Tunc Alanis Vermande Milo White

Martha Gritten Charlie Lipscomb

4* Clarinet 6 Piano

Jasmine Francis Melissa French Gabriel Gritten Richard Li Isobel Morbey Sophia Wickham

1 Singing 5 Singing 7* Piano 3 Piano 5 Singing 5 Piano

4* Trumpet 2* Harp

London College of Music:

ABRSM Practical:

ABRSM Performance:

1* Violin 2 Piano 6* Cello 2* Piano

6* Musical Theatre

Trinity Digital: 3 Trumpet 4 Trumpet 3 Trumpet 5 Trumpet 3 Trumpet 1* Orchestral Percussion 5 Orchestral Percussion 1 Drum Kit 4* Non-Pedal Harp

Morgan Jeremiah

2 Violin

ABRSM Theory: Charlie Lipscomb Kangqi Gong

5 5*

Summer Term ABRSM Practical: Azaria Ajao Shemi Ayers Vincent Carvalho Alexander Cooper Bertie Banks Lucy Bennington Tom Bennington George Bowsher Cindy Di Farid Emam Selim Emam Jasmine Francis Archie Formston Nicholas Garcia Isabella Graham Kangqi Gong Kangqi Gong Aline Halban-Taylor Zebbie Halban-Taylor Elliott Hoyland West Samuel Ji Lucy Keightley Amelie Kirk Penelope Labonte Henry Lambert Jiwon Lee Woosung Lee Kevin Ke Finn Maclennan Bryony Macleod-Jones Emmanuel Mba Kieran McGurran

Trinity Practical: 4 Piano 3 Trombone 3 Cello 1 Piano 3 Trombone 1 Piano 4 Piano 1 Bassoon 3 Piano 3 Piano 1 Guitar 3 Violin 3 Alto Saxophone 4 Oboe 1 Descant Recorder 2 Flute 6 Piano 1 Cello 1 Violin I Piano 3 Piano 5 Oboe 5 Horn I Piano 2 Trombone 3 Oboe 4* Cello 8 Piano 4 Trombone 3 Cello 3 Piano 6 Violin

Katie McMullen I Piano Helena Parkinson P Piano Heyan Patel I Pass Florence Reed Herbert 2 Violin Zain Sheikh 1 Violin Isaac Shotton 2 Violin Sam Smith 5 Bassoon Monty Tatnell 4 Bassoon Lucas Taylor I Piano Oscar Thomson I Piano Alicia Quirke I Piano Felix van den Bos 1 Guitar Lily Walpole 3* Oboe Maria Watson 1 Flute Maria Watson 3* Piano Max Wickham 7 Piano Angela Yang P Piano Janson Zhu I Piano ABRSM Performance: Magnus Cleevely 3* Singing Kieran McGurran 8 Piano Ollie Kuppen 4* Singing Woosung Lee 1* Singing Florence Reed Herbert 1* Singing Arindam Roshan 3* Singing Sophia Wickham 6 Piano

Bertie Bowes Isabella Bishop James Blazeby Toby Fairley Caspar Johnson Cleodie Kornicki Lena Knowles Lukas Knowles Lukas Knowles Thomas Kokelaar Alex Kuppen Alice Labruyère Grace Lambert Clarissa Pilato Zahaan Socha

1* Trumpet 5 Trumpet 2* Guitar 5 Clarinet 5 Trumpet 1* Harp 2 Clarinet 1 Piano 1* Trumpet 5 Trumpet 1 Drum Kit 2 Singing 2 Orchestral Percussion 1* Singing 4 Piano

Trinity Digital: Alice Inglis Charlie Jerram Daphne Jerram Zoe Loose Tilly Manning Emmanuel Mba Emily Shi-Gao Sophia Wickham

2 Singing 3 Violin 1 Violin 2 Violin I Violin 3 Viola 1 Violin 5* Violin

ABRSM Other: Gyuwon Lee Ella Singh

Silver Music Medal Silver Music Medal

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Art

Dragons We have been creating dragons in Art and I love dragons so I really enjoyed this project! I just finished painting my sea dragon and the next stage of the project is to use clay to sculpt a dragon.

Libby Dunton (aged 11)

“We experimented with adding textures, lines, marks and patterns when creating our dragons from clay. They are all unique.”

Charlotte Bowes (aged 10)

“Painting and creating 3D dragons has been fun as we were free to use our imaginations as this project is not based on reality.”

Sam Tagger (aged 11)

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William Blake At first we decided on an object from nature and put it under the microscope. The challenge was that you had to look down at the object that you chose and you would draw it on a pice of paper and you were not meant to look at what you were drawing.

This was really fun because it was a surprise when you got to look at what you had drawn. Using inks was another great part too.

Jemima Lucas (aged 10)

“I enjoyed looking at tiny pictures and making “We thought about Blake’s poem and looked at them big. It was interesting using microscopes to tiny images in microscopes, then drew without see details you otherwise wouldn’t see.” looking at the paper before using coloured inks.”

Rafic Chebli (aged 11)

Race Wong (aged 10)

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Hurvin Anderson We have studied an artist called Hurvin Anderson who liked to start with photos of either the interiors of houses or the landscapes from England or the Caribbean. Firstly, we went outside and took our own photos of the garden in school to base paintings on them. Hurvin Anderson would merge and take different bits from different photos to make his paintings.

He said that he found using a foreign landscape easier and that photos were not cheating but that they were a way into his paintings. After completing our paintings in the style of the artist, we made lino prints of our paintings and pictures. It was really interesting to learn about an artist’s techniques to start a piece of artwork, I really enjoyed it.

Zoe Loose (aged 13) During our Art lessons we have been taking photos of the school; in particular, we were looking for contrast in our photos. Once we found our photos we began to paint them. This was a truly amazing experience and I loved every moment of it. To make my piece of work unique I added brusho, which is a form of powdery dust which can look beautiful when it comes into contact with water.

Zahaan Socha (aged 13)

“I took photos of the playground and added my own spin on them. I painted the tree and two abstract animals climbing up it. I mixed lots of different colours together and used them for my animals.”

Tighe Westfall (aged 14)

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“I found it interesting that Anderson takes realism but then brings in other elements and makes them whole new concepts, and also that he’s really original in his outlook to his artwork.”

“We studied the British artist Hurvin Anderson and used some of his techniques in our own paintings. We took photographs of the garden and painted our images. Being inspired by his art, we adjusted our work and made it our own.”

Imogen Youngman (aged 13)

Isobel Morbey (aged 13)

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Art

Van Gogh We have studied the various styles of the artist Vincent van Gogh. I loved using ink during this project as I have never experienced using it before and I cannot wait to use it again and try and get the same effects as van Gogh did with his strokes.

Arthur Griffiths (aged 11)

“I enjoyed painting in the style of van Gogh because his brush strokes and use of texture were so unique.”

Theo Oren (aged 12)

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Henri Rousseau I have really enjoyed the Henri Rousseau project because it linked to our The Jungle Book play and so the set, huts and animals were all inspired by him. His art technique was quite bold because all his photos or paintings had a lot of complimentary colours in and that is what made them pop and stand out.

Evie Oates (aged 12)

“We had a lot of layers for this rainforest project with multi coloured backgrounds, lots of patterns and jungle animals too.”

Angela Yang & Penelope LaBonte (both aged 8)

“It is amazing that the artist had never been to the jungle and he got inspired by his local plant centre.”

Charlie Lipscomb (aged 12)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Art

Arts Award I chose to focus on Drama for my Arts Award. For my Part A I included productions that I have acted in such as Bugsy Malone and our Shakespeare Schools Festival play, The Winter’s Tale. I also have to talk about the actor Maggie Smith, who is my inspiration.

She has been in various diverse plays and films such as Downton Abbey and Harry Potter.

Isobel Morbey (aged 13) I focused on cartoon drawing as it was really fun to experiment with it. It also gets you really involved in the process and you have to go out and look at art and become more invested. You also learn more about people who do it and show you how other artists interpret it. Finally, after all of this, you can show what you’ve done and show your skills to someone else and teach them.

Imogen Youngman (aged 13)

“Arts Award is a great opportunity to improve on arts skills that you enjoy, learn about renowned artists and share your skills with and inspire others.”

Amelie Griffiths (aged 13)

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Inspiration Paper Transportation I open pristine white pages and I am transported into Medieval England, Into a grand, magnificent castle.

Great braziers crackle with curling scarlet flames and freezing air makes me shiver in anticipation and fear.

Dust showers down from peeling wallpaper and the flames disappear as I am enveloped by inky darkness.

I open pristine white pages and I am plunged into the clear sapphire waters of the Mediterranean.

Shoals of fish curl around me in a cocoon of dazzling colours and seaweed dances to the music of the sea.

But dark, brooding shapes lurk in the background.

So I close the book and I am back in the comfort of my bed in a bundle of blankets Anticipating, Eyes wide with suspense, Waiting for the next chapter.

Lucy Keightley (aged 13)

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Sailing The sun came early, golden and glorious, Clouds freckling the sky, Sea spray cleansing the morning air.

We chase rolling waves, And cut them till they froth a foamy white, And we ride the currents, Until rocky shores are out of sight.

And when the sun hangs high across the deck, We dream of lifting our feet and pretend to walk in the air Persephone Trippett (aged 12)

Ocean Don’t be bored Ocean, Feel the soft silky sun grazing your waters, Let your ocean blues dance with the atmosphere, Hear the whales sing their song forever long.

Elizabeth Diggle (aged 11)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

Ukraine Run away and protect yourselves, For the dark, the dark is rising, Nowhere is safe, So all you can do is run, For the dark, the dark is rising.

Bring only your loved ones, For the dark, the dark is rising, Leave your belongings, And run for your lives, For the dark, the dark is rising.

Run for your brothers and run for your sisters, For the dark, the dark is rising, It will take everything, So all you can do is run, For the dark, the dark is rising.

Lily Walpole (aged 13)

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Remembrance

Poppies

A set of ghoulish faces staring red, Reminds me of the faces of the dead, The sounds of shells and rockets bang and soar, And blood red poppies must never let us ignore, The sacrifice of those who’ve gone before.

Scarlet red poppies growing by our feet, As the buds open petals start to peep, A glimpse of hope for peace when battles end, And enemies once more become friends.

Charlie Jerram (aged 12)

Megan Munro (aged 12)

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Ode to Crickets Your preludes resonate with the wind, Your nocturnes chirp in the night, As evening falls and lights are dimmed, What sounds do you bestow upon us!

The lark and thrush sigh and weep, Singing to find something to eat, As you cross the grass and leap, The cycle never ends.

You scurry away when footsteps are near, And you are frightened when dragonflies pass, And in the night, when fireflies appear, You venture out into the dark.

The senseless leaves and the sky above, The birds flying against the breeze, For which animal can resist to indulge, In something as crunchy as you.

Anne Vinokurov (aged 13)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

Visiting Twenty Minute Cottage When you leave for Twenty Minute cottage you must not hesitate, Jump in the stuffed car, crammed full of unessential beach things, Put up with the songs like ‘Graceland’ and ‘Under African Skies’ that my dad will insist on playing at full volume.

And pretend that the sandwiches have enough gherkins to satisfy.

When you arrive go straight to the corner shop and stuff your pockets full with as many sweets as you can buy, Then run along the sandy lanes towards the field by the sea; leap on to the zipwire and forget all you learnt at school, French verbs and English grammar.

When you go to Twenty Minute Cottage, You must take care to never break the china, but we always do so, On the last day scurry around town and buy multiple replacements.

Don’t forget to leave a note of apology.

Then leave with that sinking feeling of going back to the city.

May Guttridge (aged 12)

Shades of Green Green is a pickle stinging my tongue, Green is mint ice-cream freshening my mouth, Green is a creamy olive tickling my lips, Green is slime - smooshy and squiggly and wiggly, Green is a vine creeper climbing up the fence.

What is your shade of green?

Roopkatha Adhikari (aged 7)

Lovely Green Green is like a shiny emerald glistening in the sunshine.

Green is like a sleek frog, Jumping to each lily pad, dancing.

Green is like a squishy lime refreshing your tongue, Green is like pointy grass dancing through the meadows.

What is your favourite green?

Tara Roshan (aged 7)

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Henstead Dirt track winding into the distance, With marshes coming into view, The small river snaking through the fields, And the subtle tint of rich blackberries, Hidden in the bushes, Guarded by nature’s spears.

The sparrows fly neatly in the darkening sky, Their calls chirping weaker to the ear as they settle into the blanket of sleep.

Ground dwellers are still and silent as the moon rises and imprisons everything with silky bars of light.

This is when the night life rises, And a cacophony of noise begins.

Olivia Inglis (aged 13)

Devon The blood-orange sun sinks lower, Diving deeper into the horizon, And the undulating waves of the sea, Are lit by twilight’s final sparkle.

A swift - nimble and brisk, Pierces the crisp evening breeze, Its flight - graceful and elegant, Holding unshared secrets of African lands.

The rolling hills, Plentiful in profile below us, Stretch out, far and wide, Prodigious, expansive, vast.

Milan Patel (aged 13)

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Ping Pong Parlour Ping pong balls scatter around, Shoes squeaking, Bats clacking, Children shrieking, People yelling over the music.

My serve.

My point.

Sophia Wickham (aged 12)

The Grafton Centre Neon lights gleam from shiny walls, The sweet smell of brewing coffee, Squeaking shoes across the floor, Children nagging and babies crying, And the scent of freshly baked bread.

Georgia Chesterfield (aged 12)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

107

Tree I stand on beds of crumbling earth, My tired arms stretch to grey, I am bare, but figures hold me close, They come and go, they sing and weep, They sit around me, shapes around a flame.

My mind lies in slumber, Only to be broken by the snap of a twig, the hoot of a bird, Sometimes I am cold, othertimes warm.

I have friends and I have enemies, My skin is a map to the trials of time, Yet I stand still and tall and proud, Though twisted and tangled by my eternal tormentor, My everlasting saviour.

However, I am content to age and die.

Hugo Wells (aged 13)

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Forest Spreading roots are reaching for water, Scaly trunk, growing fast, Golden peacock moulting flaming feathers, Peeling bark slug-slow, Crisp golden leaves rotting away, Trunk black as soot, Maple syrup the sticky sweet blood.

Magnus Moore (aged 9)

Forest Fiery phoenixes crying pearly tears, Reaching roots and searching leaves, Peeling paper, the animals’ dainty work, Pretty snow, fresh from the clouds, Caves of wonder and branches, Woodland slides, making loops, Dragon’s eye glaring sneakily, Blinding sunlight, sparking amazing trees, Magnificent forest, full of gleaming trees, And orange peacocks, ending this tale.

Bryony MacLeod-Jones (aged 9)ed 8)

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Oktoberfest Tall red towers, spiralling up, Clashing apple-coloured beer glasses, Laughing, joyous children, Devouring delicious sweets, Munching moist pretzels.

The looping roller coaster, Screaming when it stops, Carrying smiling faces shouting in delight, Sparkling eyes filled with joy.

Towering stuffed toys, Surrounding the street, Sugary treats fly from hand to mouth, The warm embrace of hot chocolate, Glowing the children with heat.

Steam rising all around, Turkey-smells drift on the air, Stomachs rumbling, Schnitzel soaring out of the stands, Rich food surrounds.

Everyone in lederhosen, Singing out their hearts, Sizzling sausages on forks and ketchup squirting.

George Gibbes (aged 13)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

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My Grandma My Grandma, With a paintbrush in hand, Humming in the sunlight, As she continues to paint her own view of the world.

Never letting us call her Granny, With her five chickens and a cat, She continues to wear her pleated skirts, colourful scarves and her summer hats.

There she is, baking her famous recipe: Chocolate cupcakes with choc chips inside.

She always manages to make me smile as soon as I enter the door, Taking off shoes to pad across the cold kitchen floor.

Every room is filled with the smell of cupcakes and tea, And her amazing paintings hanging up, Which always inspire me.

Megan Munro (aged 12)

My Grandfather I see him now, In his carob and seaweed chequered beret, Standing firm, his knees unbent, Muddied from a day’s gardening, And smelling of garden mint.

His hair smoothed back and clean.

Taking light and purposeful steps, He picks me up, twizzling me in the air, He’s firm, yet sweet and kind all at the same time.

His smile makes my day, He takes me on long walks, Bird watching or sledding in the snow.

The memories flash back.

They make me want to cry.

Not sad tears but tears of happiness.

Alyse Baines (aged 12)

Piper Big, black bushy tail, Tells me his mood: Happy, his tail is a duster, Trying to get rid of spiders, Sad, it’s a broken washing line.

Huge malteser eyes, Stare into my soul, Small, wet, nose Shoves in my face, asking questions: Where have you been?

New dogs for me to play with?

His large, warm heart is all mine, Always loyal at my side, Keeper of my secrets, Better than any friend Sebastian Gray (aged 12)

Dylan once i had a playdate with poppy poppy had some puppies poppy was selling her puppies but dylan didn’t find a home we already have a doggy we didn’t need another i wanted to adopt dylan so i begged and begged my mother soon enough she gave in so we took him to his brand new home and he danced and pranced in the garden and he slipped and fell in the pond i saved him and hugged him he’s just so cute, i totally love him and to this day he sleeps on my bed Imogen O’Reilly (aged 10)

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Chocolate Cake

When I Eat A Fish

Let us all welcome the astounding chocolate cake.

When I eat a fish, I find it delish.

He is...

Birthday - surpriser, Mouth - waterer, Chocolate - smiler, Tummy - filler, Mess - maker, Life - depender, Taste - creator, Tummy - acher, Strong - taster, Day - enhancer, Craving - filler, Memory - maker, Finger - licker, No food - greater.

Delicious.

That’s what you are A treat from the heavenly stars.

Written by 3B English (aged 10)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

All you do is take a rod, Then add some bait and concentrate and check if anything is attracted to your bait.

Once you’ve caught the fish, Turn it into a dish, Because a fish dish is more than delish and is nearly everybody’s dearest wish, Just take a bite and see how you like your fish.

So try the delish fish dish and soon it’ll be your dearest wish.

Arindam Roshan (aged 10)

Homeless I’m hidden.

No one sees me, People pass by, Like I’m not even there.

I’m hidden.

My life is like a dream, I observe but it feels so surreal, A living ghost, Trapped in a world where I don’t belong.

I’m hidden.

In my own invisible prison, Locked in with no escape.

No one sees me, But I see them.

Isabella Dixon (aged 13)

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Mirror My sense of loneliness was abandoned when I met you, When I looked into your soul, You reflected light and happiness.

My face lit up, When I felt the warmth of your reflected sun, And you make my room feel bigger, Even though you are only a few feet high.

Georgie Formston (aged 13)

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Dreaming Smiling butlers open the doors, And I race into the garden, Waving at the giggling sunflowers, As they nod and bob together.

I find the pool, Its glimmering golden depths, Inviting me closer, I jump high into the air Stretching my arms above my head, And plunge into the water, It closes around me, Warm and welcoming.

Arms reach out to me, Pulling me in all directions, Hands beckon to me, And fingers point out wonders: I can see Jupiter, Spinning in its icy rings, Bruce Lee invites me for pizza, But I already have a commitment.

Then suddenly I reach the bottom, My hands land on the dusty earth, And the sky tickles my toes, Clouds sponging my bare feet.

Suddenly, I am ravenous, That’s fine as my coat has many pockets, And in each one is a new thing.

I am sure one must hold food.

I sit up and check my pockets: A spanner, a pony, a rainbow, a statuette of Zeus, And at last, something I can eat, My birthday cake.

I open my mouth to take a huge bite, But my mouth closes around nothing, And I am back in my room, awake.

Vita Rainey (aged 13)

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The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

119

I Am A City I am a furry city with lots of monkeys.

All have patterns.

I am a hungry city with silly sausages and clowns.

I am a beautiful city which is as high as the mountains.

I am a swimming city with lots of amazing fish going around in circles doing tricks and flicks.

Charlotte Holly (aged 7)

I Am A City I am a cold city in the Antarctic, With bold, friendly huskies, Who keep me warm at night.

I am a city thick with snow, So I ride on my husky’s back.

I am a warm city sitting on the sandy beach, Watching the turtles swim.

I am windy city, Leaves sweeping across me.

I am a jumpy city.

Everyone is a slimy frog.

Grace Malyon (aged 7)

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122 The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

Turtle Beautiful shiny smooth shell, Magical emerald, Gliding through the deep blue sea, Twisting, twirling turtle.

Katynke Macswiney (aged 6)

Shark Scary huge terrifying shark, Silver steel grey, Slithering fast, Over sandy beds, Hunting, pouncing, biting.

Philip Maisinger (aged 6)

Whale Song The ocean glowed in summer heat, My arms reached out, I could hear his song in my heart and feel it beneath the waves, I knew he was calling to me.

So I leaped from the boat and his song was clearer now, Beckoning me ever closer.

The rise and fall of the melody, Singing of rainbow fish and coral caves, Of lightning storms and white capped waves, So a whale came that day, He came and sang to me.

Lily Walpole (aged 13)

Fish Gliding smooth and beautiful, Pink as rose petals, Blue as the skies, Shimmering scales, turning gracefully, And diving in and out of corals, Fantastic fish.

Aubrey Elliott (aged 6)

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124 The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

The Bowl Of Life The empty bowl of life, Full of doubt: Not worthy, Not able, Not good enough, Dull, Cheap, Empty, Insignificant, and a mistake.

The full bowl of life, Full to the brim: Joy, Happiness, Experiences, Love, Family, Strength, Power, Values, and Priceless moments.

Ophelia Wright (aged 12)

Hallucinations Hallucinations, Are order in chaos, Light in darkness, Liable to lie, Undeniably hated, Created to consume hope, Incredibly believable, Naming truths beyond truth, Annoyingly deceptive, Teasing falsehoods, Immersing you in doubt, Yet opening your mind to possibilities of life.

Riley Neville (aged 12)

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The Tram

Pilot

Colourful trees surround me as I wait for the tram to arrive.

Wind jolts the plane unpredictably as we rise through the stormy clouds, Lightning strikes narrowly missing us, Turning night into day.

The Mumbai City Tram Station is comforting and clean.

Happiness rushes through me when the tram arrives.

Inside, I am surrounded with rich scents, There are candles lit everywhere, The lining is green, The seats soft and luscious.

I think that the cream seats and the green lining go together quite well, The windows too are tinted green, I sit down and eat my wrapped-in-a-tissue-cupcake.

When the tram starts I’m so excited as It is my first time.

It is loud, and bumpy, and it is raining outside.

Abhinav Bole (aged 11)

126 The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

Once out of the darkness, A beautiful view, The sun glistening, Soft clouds carpeting over the chaotic world.

Again we descend through the soft clouds, Back into the rainy, stormy day.

Teddy Rigby (aged 13)

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The Swing Holding on for dear life, I fly high towards the sky, And then swoop back to earth, Swaying forwards and backwards, A cloud catching the wind and I see lime green trees waving their branches, A lake sparkling and shimmering, Forwards and backwards, Like a clock pendulum, Up like a bird, Down like a leaf, And when it’s over, I feel like I’m chained to earth.

Isabella Bishop (aged 12)

128 The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

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130 The Eaglet 2023 ~ Inspiration

Days At St John’s First day.

Nervous goosebumps scatter up my arm, Welcoming faces fill my view, A kingdom of red brick walls towers over me whispering in my ear that it’s going to be ok, Children run around me, Darting this way and that as if they had somewhere to be.

Laughter and happiness swarm my hearing, A smiling face, A beckoning arm and I never look back.

Sports day.

The gun fires, A noise of a herd of elephants thundering down the track, The baton curled in the tight grip of my hand, Blurred shouting rises behind me, Fists punching the clouds as I speed round the corner, My tongue, paralysed inside my mouth, The last stretch, I can see the next runner, Closer and closer they come, Before I know it, the baton has left my grip, It’s off! Off, into the distance.

Drama day.

Lights beam on my face, Eyes darting from one place to the next, Splurge fired, Screaming and shouting, Complete chaos, Smiles widened, Electricity coiled across the stage.

The last day.

Nervous goosebumps scatter up my arm, Familiar faces fill my view, A kingdom of red brick walls bids me farewell, whispering in my ear that it’s going to be ok.

Isobel Morbey (aged 13)

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Drama

Kindergarten: Whoops-A-Daisy Angel “I really liked it when we had to wait backstage and then come on in front of everyone and say our line.”

Fionn Ramsay-Stubbs (aged 5)

“It was funny when Whoops-aDaisy Angel kept falling over. We all laughed.”

“I liked being one of the snowflakes because we had our own song and we had to each go off the stage in turn.”

Ella Pearson (aged 4)

Andrew Stephenson (aged 5)

Archie Morbey (aged 5)

“The camels did a crazy dance!”

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T1: Babushka I loved singing My Feet Want to Dance as it made me feel really happy and we sang the song on the way back to the classroom. I really enjoyed learning it.

Aubrey Elliott (aged 6)

“I loved it when the Three Kings skidded across the hall!”

Francis Serjeantson (aged 6)

“It was funny when Mr Evans flew the Angel Gabriel high into the air!”

“It made me happy when Babushka was filled up with love.”

Sebastian Garstang & Max Elborne (both aged 6)

Jacob Shotton (aged 6)

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T2: The Pirates Next Door

We all really enjoyed taking part in this play because it was so much fun in all the rehearsals and there were so many very funny lines. I tried to make my character quite loud and funny too, as I was called ‘Charlie Chatterbox’ and I had a really sparkly outift on. I also had to pretend I was talking loudly into a microphone.

Max Brown (aged 7)

“It was fun acting as a pirate as we all had good names and I was called ‘Eyepatch’!”

James Jeremiah (aged 7)

“The residents of Dull-On-Sea didn’t like the pirates at first!”

Marla Hudack (aged 7)

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Form 1: Roman Britain Rewritten “I liked that we all had so many ideas that went into making this play our own.”

George Hood (aged 8)

“Our play was fearsome and funny and we acted on stage and across the hall.”

Cordelia de Graaf-Rose & Grace Kilsby (both aged 8)

138 The Eaglet 2023 ~ Drama

Form 2: Stories, Stories, Stories I loved taking part in our Form 2 play as each class had a different story. I thought that being a sister in the play was super fun! I loved having a lot of lines to learn and to say when I was walking in the graveyard as it felt spooky and mysterious. It was funny looking at people’s poses when they were trying to be scary and frighten people in the graveyard!

Lottie Cross (aged 9)

“I really enjoyed acting in our play because I felt it was so engaging for everyone who was taking part and watching. The teachers put the plays together really well and everyone loved them.”

Lukas Knowles (aged 9)

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“I loved how the music was funky and jazzy. The teachers prepared us so well so we could act and sing to our fullest potential.”

Poppy Slater (aged 10)

Third Form: Rats!

My role was being a Granny. Blake and I had lots of changes as we went from beer lovers to citizens that protect people from criminals. I have learnt from the play that you must suspend disbelief of acting in order to play a character unlike your own. My best moment was up on the ladders as I had a clear view of everything and everyone. There was dad watching me. It was thrilling for my first play in my life.

Magnus Xin (aged 10) I was very excited to be a child of Hamelin. The role was pretty easy (because I am a child!). The rehearsals went really well and I loved to see the other classes perform.

I was very nervous and excited at the same time. I felt extremely happy afterwards. I loved the starting scene where Rafic stole my sandwich!

Rufus Bowsher (aged 10) I was very excited when I found out that I was going to be one of the citizens of Hamelin and I found it fun being a citizen. Rehearsals were awesome and they made me happy. My costume was amazing. I couldn’t wait to go on stage and sing; after the play I felt really proud. My favourite part of the play was when the rats arrived and sang their song.

Barnaby Hill (aged 10)

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Fourth Form: Tall Tales I took part in The Lost Spear. I was the frog that helped Zandilli on the way to search for his lost spear and I had to get dragged across the floor by a vulture that was trying to kill me! But I was saved by Zandilli who was on his way to find his spear that he threw over the mountains and into the clouds.

My costume was very jazzy; it was a long flared jumpsuit with green and black swirls and once I had the make up on I felt as though I was a real frog!

Alice Allpress (aged 11)

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Fifth Form: The Jungle Book Our role was acting out the Elephant Child, a story inspired by Rudyard Kipling. Kevin, Monty and I were the narrators saying most of the lines, while Sam was the crocodile and Charlie was the elephant. I really enjoyed being in this mini play because it was very fun to act and even made a few people laugh! One of my favourite sections was when I had to wheel Sam, who was on a stool that had wheels, right to the front of the stage. In addition to all of that, we got loads of laughs and smiles from everyone who was watching. Must have been funny then!

Gabriel Gritten (aged 12) The Jungle Book has brought our year group closer together. I was a wolf and a fire dancer which is a lot to handle but the Drama team was as brilliant and supportive as always. I think the proudest moment that I have seen is seeing everybody make so much effort for all the final productions.

Una Churchward (aged 12)

“I have enjoyed lots of things in Form 5 but my favourite thing has been doing the play. I have enjoyed it so much and I have learnt lots of new Drama skills. I am a monkey and I have really enjoyed being one as I think they are one of the strongest and funniest parts of the production.”

Arthur Toner (aged 12)

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144 The Eaglet 2023 ~ Drama

I really enjoyed this play because us children were very controlled over it and put in lots of effort. Some people did the clothing and some did the lighting. The play was very much influenced by our ideas and that is something that I really enjoy.

It was also a chance to bond with friends more and to have a good time pretending to be monkeys or wolves!

Jasper Fox Watson (aged 12)

“It has been very intense, especially the crucial moments when your line suddenly pops out of your head but a truly incredible experience.”

Hector Douglas (aged 12)

I have learnt so much from this production: what you can achieve if you put in hard work and much more. When you get a line wrong, you learnt that no matter how embarrassed you feel, barely anyone notices. Being able to play Mowgli at my age has been a wonderful experience, filled with memories that I will treasure forever.

Thomas Kokelaar (aged 12)

“We learnt how to listen to each other and to act with confidence so everyone could hear and see you. The proudest moment was when the money scene finally came together.”

Kurt Roeloffs (aged 13)

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Sixth Form: Shakespeare Plays Playing Titania was a new experience for me since I had never had such a big part in a production. The fairies and I made up our own dances to the songs under the willow tree for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. There were so many highs to remember from performing outside; our last time at St John’s.

Eloise Cross (aged 13)

“Playing the role of Bottom was a big jump as it was such a key role and I had to work very hard to remember all the lines but it was worth it!”

Bron Sims (aged 13)

“Acting a play within a play as one of the Mechanicals was a great and truly memorable experience.”

Will Dely (aged 12)

“This was my first large role playing Oberon so it will be in my memory forever.”

Zion Pommells (aged 13)

“I performed in ‘The Winter’s Tale’ as a rogue and a pick pocket. I enjoyed the comedy scenes.”

Sebastian Parkinson (aged 13)

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“Having the audience standing makes them feel more like bystanders embracing the story and engaging in it more.”

Emre Tunc (aged 13)

Sixth Form: Passion Play Taking part in the Passion Play was a really important part of our final year here as it will be the last play at St John’s and I have been acting in the plays here since I was four so it is really amazing that it is now our turn. In the rehearsals, we only cover the part that we are in, so it was really great seeing the rest of the play and all of the other parts come together.

Louisa Egerton (aged 13) It is amazing to be part of this memorable experience. Throughout my time at Senior House, I have watched multiple Passion Plays and I am always thinking to myself, “One day you’re going to do that”. I have always found the Passion so moving and I hope this year will do the same for audiences also.

Isobel Morbey (aged 13) I have enjoyed this because I am trying out new techniques of acting and I think this will be different from any other Passion Play because it is a whole new script and will be interesting to see the final result.

Antigone Axon (aged 13) For my role all my lines were in Hebrew. They were super hard to learn because aside from not speaking Hebrew, making line learning harder, I couldn’t even pronounce them! But, when I finally got them right, it felt so gratifying and I think that it is an extremely good idea to turn the Passion away from its historically antisemitic way, so to speak.

Melissa French (aged 13)

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I have learnt lots about developing characters and emotions.

Without the story behind the story, it is just lines and some movement. The Passion Play teaches lots of skills like time keeping, being in the right place at the right time and really understanding what the character would be feeling or responding to what is being said. Characters must be influenced by what is being said. We have to react and show facial expressions and understand the emotions behind it all.

Olivia Inglis (aged 13)

“The changes that have been made will make the experience more impactful and will hopefully be more true to the original story.”

Finn Maclennan (aged 13)

Sport Rugby We have to work together and keep our spirits up when we play rugby matches. When I get tackled I have to go to the ground and present super fast as if there was a sniper there! I use the ‘persevering parrot’ mindset to keep trying to tackle or score a try. We work as a team and try to do our best to win whatever match we are playing and to represent St John’s the best we can through rugby.

Arindam Roshan (aged 10)

“I love rugby because it uses teamwork at all times and everyone puts in 100% effort. You can make friends easily when you are playing rugby but you have to like the mud!”

Harry Dixon (aged 10)

“When the U13 A team came second at a rugby tournament we had never played any of the other teams before but still managed to win all the games apart from one.”

Jimmy Diggle (aged 13)

“I love playing rugby because it makes everyone happy and excited about the match ahead. The bus rides are fun because we all sing to get us ready!”

Finn Westfall (aged 11)

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We played very well in the group stage at the Northampton Saints 7s but then unfortunately our scrum half got injured. However, we did get through to the first round pool which was extremely exciting and it was a great experience to use our skills during competitive matches against other schools.

Tighe Westfall (aged 14) The Northampton Saints 7s tournament was one of the most memorable sporting events that I have taken part in at St John’s so far! It was really fun to work as a team and progress through the tournament. We had to persevere and be resilient to win the matches because won our group and came fourth overall out of ten schools!

Emre Tunc (aged 13)

“I enjoy playing rugby as it is for the whole afternoon. I like the competitive element of the game.”

Alexander Brezina (aged 12)

“I will miss the St John’s rugby season as it is my favourite sport and I love being in this team with my friends.”

Teddy Rigby (aged 13)

“One of my most memorable sporting moments was scoring a try in the last minutes of the IAPS Final at Oundle.”

Ozzie Denman (aged 12)

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Hockey What I love about playing hockey is that we get to play against so many other schools and develop our skills during all these matches. Even though we do not always win we are always a strong team and when we say three cheers for the opposing team we all come together and we all smile and congratulate each other.

Rosie Brown (aged 10)

“I have taken part in the IAPS Regional and the In2 Cambridge tournament and the East Cup Finals. Our A team has really bonded so well during these occasions and we understand each other on the pitch.”

Inese Khaled (aged 11)

“I love playing hockey because you can run with the ball and you have a feeling of delight when you score a goal and win as a team.”

Lucy Sawtell (aged 11)

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“I love hockey tournaments and matches and learning new skills. Hockey is one of my favourite sports and I love a challenge to aim for.”

Persephone Trippett (aged 12)

I have taken part in the County Cup and IAPS tournament which were both incredibly fun. We worked really well as a collaborative and communicative team on both of the tournaments and I think all of us have really improved our skills and we have also improved as a whole team. Taking part in tournaments is one of many aspects I enjoy as I really love hockey. We learnt so many new skills when we played against so many impressive teams and I think we have really developed our skills and have also got more accurate as a team.

Ailin Allajbeu (aged 13)

“Our team has really progressed as the season has gone on and we support each other throughout each match.

We have learnt to persevere, especially when we are not winning, and to stay positive and to say ‘good try’ or ‘don’t give up, we will do better next time’.”

Harriet Elend-Warner (aged 11)

“The first sporting highlight of the year was when we took part in the IAPS hockey tournament. Our team got all the way to the Semi-Finals but we were then knocked out in the penalty shoot-outs. We learnt so much from runour with watching how other teams work, as“When well asyou using theinball and make an own skills to communicate effectively each match.” accurate pass it is a Olivia Inglis (aged 13) great feeling.”

“My favourite moment was when our A team went London El Refaie (aged 8) to an IAPS tournament, we played so well as a team eventually being a flick away from Nationals.”

Zoe Loose (aged 13)

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Boys’ Hockey

This season for me playing hockey has been a real challenge, on one hand it was hard because we had to play with some of Form 6 which was tiring and exhausting, but I managed to keep up which told me that I was a good player and I could have a little challenge from time to time. One the other hand, switching from the first team and second team gave me a different variety to my playing because some weeks I had to really try and work hard but on the other weeks it was more of a breeze, I could start creating more chances in the D and focus on improving my skills.

Gabriel Gritten (aged 12)

“I really like hockey because you get fresh air and you are getting fitter and fitter and then if you know that sport maybe that will lead you to try other sports and you’ll become an athlete.”

Marley Fernandez-Piras (aged 10)

“My team took part in the IAPS hockey tournament and it was a really good experience seeing how others schools play and to compete against other players.”

Emmanuel Mba (aged 11)

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I have very much enjoyed hockey this term. Even though our team has not done the best towards the end I felt we really started to connect more and start to play a lot better than at the beginning of the season, which is down to experience and confidence at knowing how each person in the team works.

We won our last game of the season which was a particular highlight for me and other Form 6 as it is our last year and to go out on a high was the best thing we could have asked for. The IAPS hockey tournament was very fun and was a real journey of progression. We played the best we could and had a really fun day out.

Ozzie Denman (aged 13) I have loved hockey because we have had some very fun and competitive matches and, as a result, you get to use your skills and techniques and to improve as a team. As a result, our hockey term has been a very good one because we have got some excellent hockey players in our year so we won most of our matches and in our normal games lessons we were able to do fun and competitive drills to develop our skills further.

At the end of the season we took part in the House matches which was a great way to end the hockey season.

Toby Ali (aged 9)

“I have really enjoyed playing hockey matches against other schools. I think we worked incredibly well as a successful team because we went unbeaten.”

Leo Barron Humphry (aged 10)

“I like finding spaces so people can pass to me and then I can hit the ball hard.”

Felix Garstang (aged 9)

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Netball “In the IAPS tournament we won the Bowl and it was fun representing St John’s at netball. I felt proud that I scored six goals.”

Claudia Mudkavi (aged 10)

“In netball this term, I went to the IAPS tournament at Uppingham which was a great experience because we interacted with other schools and I really enjoyed the pace of each match.”

Antigone Axon (aged 13)

“Netball club has been so helpful you can really focus on skills you would like to practise before matches. I enjoyed all the drills and mini matches.”

Mei Mei Noble (aged 12)

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My team were lucky enough to take part in quite a few netball tournaments and the most memorable was the one at Uppingham. They gave us great food! We played eight matches and we really improved throughout each one as we warmed up a bit more and utilised our skills on court. When we went to the tournament we got really long warm coats and it was very good. In the end the result, didn’t matter as it was a really fun sporting day.

Beatrice Moshtagh-Kahnamoui (aged 13) In my final year of playing netball at St John’s I have learnt lots of new skills and techniques like being a better team player and driving into space. I have always suffered from being on the shorter side of things so I had to learn to be faster and smarter than my opponent. In netball, you have to have quick reflexes and, by our age, know what the umpire is signalling for. We should always know where a position can go and who can mark who.

At IAPS, we came up against very strong teams. We needed to watch them and then find out how they played. This is what many professionals do and we should learn from them.

Olivia Inglis (aged 13) The Haileybury netball tournament was really fun. It went well and the matches taught me more about teamwork. The feeling of representing St John’s was quite scary but once I got playing I felt that nothing could stop me now. When we work as a team we always are aware where we all are on the pitch and it feels as though we can go further than we can imagine.

Cera Wong (aged 11)

“Netball is my absolute favourite lesson and we played three matches, two of which I was in the B team and the other I was in the A team.

My shooting has really improved this term and I have gained confidence through these matches!”

Imogen O’Reilly (aged 10)

“I have tried really hard with my netball and I am really happy with where I am at the moment. I have been working on my marking in order to be able to intercept the ball more.

I have achieved this by marking the player receiving the ball instead of the player passing the ball.”

Poppy Slater (aged 10)

“The IAPS was a good experience for me as we played lots of matches against other schools and used and learnt many skills and techniques. We improved as the tournament went on and we ended up winning the Bowl.”

Lucy Sawtell (aged 11)

“I took part in the IAPS Netball tournament with the A team and it was a great experience.

I love sport and I do it every day and I am thankful we do so much variety.”

Matty Newitt (aged 11)

Football I enjoyed the football game we had against another school as it was intense but we ended up winning 9-8. Our opponents started extremely impressively but we fought back and, when their strongest player came on, our defence worked successfully.

Then Finn scored two excellent goals to finish the game.

Teddy Rigby (aged 13)

Cricket “I enjoyed playing cricket with the Sixth Form because they bowl very hard which makes it more fun because you have to run even faster.

I also loved playing kite cricket as the teachers are always extremely fair and everyone had a go at batting.”

Imogen Fairley (aged 8) I have enjoyed the cricket season greatly; there are two main moments that stand out for me.

In the Haileybury game I captained us to victory and I also hit nine sixes and a number of fours. The whole team was very supportive of each other throughout the season. The other highlight was the Gunning House victory in the House matches which felt amazing.

James Lockhart (aged 13)

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“Our football match against St Mary’s School was really exciting as we could focus on the skills we had practised. I hope this a regular fixture in the future for the younger girls.”

Louisa Egerton (aged 13)

Athletics “I took part in the IAPS Athletics tournament which was really fun as some of my friends were there and it was our first time. We supported each other and I came fourth in my heat. I would recommend anyone who loves athletics to try and take part.”

Aliyah Auty (aged 9)

“I took part in lots of events at Stowe but my best was the relay as we came second!”

Grace Lambert (aged 10)

Rowing The aspect I like best about rowing is when everyone rows in the quad (four person boat) together because it helps the people just starting to only have to think about the rowing technique instead of going in a straight line and not crashing! In our rowing sessions we spend time on the rowing machines to practise our techniques and get warmed up, then we do some stretches and go on the water.

Alice Sutcliffe (aged 13)

“I enjoy rowing in school and outside of school and it is a good feeling to be out on the river. I like the non-competitive element of rowing.”

Joby Hastwell (aged 12)

Tennis Playing tennis in the Summer term has been really fun. I learnt how to split step and I also played with people I have not played against before. Playing against St Faith’s was a really positive experience as my partner and I won all of our games and communicated well as a team.

Zion Pommells (aged 13)

“Playing tennis has been fun as I haven’t played since I was seven. Although it has been quite hard learning the techniques getting better has been satisfying.”

Thomas Rowstron (aged 12)

“I really enjoyed playing tennis in Form 6 as you got the chance to play with a different partner, take part in a match against another school, and also with your friends.”

Will Dely (aged 12)

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Pre Prep Sports Day

“I loved the straight race because I went really fast.”

“I liked when I had to do the egg and spoon race. It was really fun.”

Hannah Knowles (aged 5)

Ella Pearson (aged 4)

“I felt really happy when I got given a red badge by the older children.”

“We had green face paint to remember Mr McComb.

We dribbled the ball with the hockey stick.”

Helena Mosher (aged 5)

Lara Stone & Clara Blyth (both aged 7)

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“It was tricky to hold the egg on the spoon!”

Robert Gomersall (aged 5)

“I loved running because I loved the people clapping.”

Ajai Gumman (aged 5)

“I liked all the races, we all ran really fast. The sack race was fun.”

Max Elborne (aged 6)

“I liked winning badges. It made me feel happy.”

Archie Morbey (aged 5)

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Sports Day I participated in the 100m race and, as a whole team, we won. We also won the jumping relay race and were awarded medals. My highlight was playing games with my friends during the breaks like Capture the Flag.

Isabella Graham (aged 8) I participated in the Power Bust and 75m relay races. My highlight was the large bring and share picnic after the races which the whole school was invited to. I enjoyed spending time with my friends.

Alexander Mosher (aged 7)

“The highlight of Sports Day was winning the Great Race as it was a huge effort but we got there together.”

Charlie Lipscomb (aged 11)

“The highlight of Sports Day was the tug-ofwar as there was an amazing atmosphere and equal encouragement for both sides.”

Luke Tucker (aged 13)

“I really enjoyed Sports Day even though it was incredibly sad that it was my last at St John’s but I have great memories of these days from over the years.”

Isabella Dixon (aged 13)

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“I am in Gunning and Sports Day is a great chance to show your skills and it feels like you are part of a massive family.”

Joshua McGrory (aged 10)

“I liked our last Sports Day because everyone just chilled and chatted in between events but then there was also a sense of competition too.”

Reda Chebli (aged 13)

“I will miss the amount of effort the school puts into all the sporting events as Sports Day becomes something you will always remember long after you have left.”

Ophelia Wright (aged 13)

“Sports Day was really fun and I enjoyed taking part in so many different events and my House won!”

Cara Brown (aged 9)

“My highlight was coming first in the 600m and I broke two year groups’ records.”

Selim Emam (aged 8)

“The atmosphere on the St John’s Sports Day is my favourite of the whole year.”

Olivia Inglis (aged 13)

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Cross Country & Field Run This year I have been running as much as I can in and out of school. I run in the St John’s Field Run every Friday morning. I have enjoyed it greatly and I have reduced by Personal Best by 4 seconds from 7.30 to 6.50 over 2km. Over the holidays, I often run Park Runs in the UK and am hoping to take part in national competitions in Penzance. I also ran 800 metres for St John’s at both the St Faith’s and the Stowe athletics tournaments and Bedford IAPS where I came sixth with a personal best time of 2.21.

Finn Maclennan (aged 13)

“My knowledge about pacing myself has increased from doing Field Runs in school and Park Runs out of school.”

Alexander Holmes (aged 10)

“I took part in the County Cross Country event and was really happy to come 11th. I am now through to the Anglian Schools Cross Country Championships.”

Henrietta Allpress (aged 11)

Oundle Triathlon “The Oundle triathlon was really good the way we all worked together to try and be the best and most positive team we could be. It was great to try so many different sports.”

Penelope Aeberhard (aged 10)

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Swimming “The IAPS Swimming Competition was really fun. I very much enjoyed taking part in it for the last ever time at St John’s and representing the school.”

Ozzie Denman (aged 13) The House swimming competition was really fun (especially the fact that we won) because everyone was really supportive of each other. Afterwards literally no one could speak because we had been screaming and cheering so much!

Louisa Egerton (aged 13)

Sailing We went to Weymouth to take part in the IAPS Sailing tournament. I love the feeling skimming across the water in a boat. It was a great experience.

Finn Maclennan (aged 13)

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Activities Week Form 2 Grafham Water Trip “At Grafham Water, one of the activities was to build our own raft! We were given ropes, poles and barrels so we could build a floating craft which would not sink with everyone on board.”

Phoebe Hearn & Joshua Cooke (both aged 8)

“One of the best parts was spending some time with friends from the other classes and doing such fun activities at the end of Form 2, like kayaking, assault course, problem solving, raft building and tunnels.”

Leo Blyth (aged 8) & Jayden Ng (aged 9)

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Form 3 Staycation & Caythorpe Court Trip I really enjoyed Caythorpe Court a lot. The lunches, breakfasts and dinners were really tasty. My favourite activities were the trapeze tunnel trail and raft building. I liked raft building the most because we fell in the water and got really wet and we also jumped in so many times! It was a great experience.

Xavier Ahi-Eggo (aged 10) We did a tunnel trail, high ropes, a trapeze, problem solving, raft building, a survivor course, orienteering and a zip wire. The best bits were when I jumped off the platform and grabbed onto the trapeze single-handedly and when we were zooming along the zip wire, because the feeling was just so good. The raft building was really fun because we got drenched in water and Felix and I were the only survivors!! We had our own bunks and we had some really good food and it was a bit like a mini buffet. The experience was really good because I have never been away from school with all my friends. The atmosphere was great and the PGL instructors made it more fun.

Arindam Roshan (aged 10)

“This trip was packed with laughter everywhere we went and full of fun, especially in the dorms. Two highlights were roasting marshmallows and having a karaoke night.”

Penelope Aeberhard (aged 10)

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“I liked the Leap of Faith because when you think you can’t reach the bar at the top you actually can and when you have reached it you can’t really believe you have achieved it!”

Eniya Zhang (aged 11)

Fourth Form Rockley Trip

Form 4 Cuffley Trip We had two of the best activities on the final day. First was the Leap of Faith, which was super hard but I still got three-quarters of the way up. My friend made it in under two minutes! Afterwards, we had team challenges and the first was getting a ball down some drain pipes and into a bucket. When the ball had gone past the pipe, we had to run to the other side and put the pipes together, connecting them to make a channel. The next team challenge was getting everyone through the net without touching the wires. If you touched the wires then you had to restart.

We got everyone through! The final team challenge was a hard one. We had two planks and needed to coordinate it so that everyone would move it to make it walk.

Then, by three o’clock, we left. We said goodbye to all of the instructors and we were ready to leave Cuffley camp after a brilliant trip.

James Blazeby (aged 11)

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“I really enjoyed Cuffley because the whole trip felt like an adventure and it was like we were all one team.”

Alice Labruyère (aged 11)

“Laser tag was my favourite activity as it made me feel like I was actually in the army! We were very muddy afterwards.”

Sam Tagger (aged 11)

Form 5 Ravenstor Trip Ravenstor was so fun. I enjoyed the caving the most because, although it was dark and wet, it was really cool being in a cave and learning about how it was made through erosion and how the water used to flow through there. We got really wet but it was fine. We all had torches on our heads and we turned them off and it was the darkest thing I’ve ever seen. You could not tell the difference between your eyes being closed and open. It was so weird. The climbing was fun too and I got to the top of the second hardest one. The abseiling was super fun when we jumped off the wall.

Hattie Milton (aged 12)

“Abseiling was quite hard and a bit scary at first, but once we got down it was super fun. I also enjoyed den building because we got to be creative and work together to make our den stable and safe.”

Clara Lynn (aged 12)

“My favourite activity was probably abseiling. I had to face and overcome my fears, like caving, which I was terrified of, but I did them all.”

Hector Douglas (aged 12)

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New Faces “My buddy really helped me to settle into St John’s and get used to the routines.”

Lara Stone (aged 6)

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“I liked it when my buddy sat with me at lunchtime and came into the class and read a story to me. We went to the top of the climbing frame.”

Mikey Jenking (aged 5)

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Jack Butterwick

Agnes Chiano

Bethan Church

Zoe Crow

DT Gap Year Student

Bursar

Sports Gap Year Student

Catering Assistant

Lauren Daber

Rosie Darkins

Julie Edwards

Charlotte Ellis

Residential Gap Year Student

Teaching Assistant

Temp Music Teacher

Residential Gap Year Student

Rachel Ewan

Alice Fogerty

Emma Ford-Barnes

Marie Foreman

School Nurse

Byron House Gap Year Student

Administration Manager

Cover Teacher

Svitlana Fuk Teaching Support

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Mikey Halton

Caroline Kemp

Elizabeth Kilsby

Eirian Kornicki

Music Gap Year Student

Cover Teacher

Teaching Assistant

Teaching Assistant

Lucy Lloyd

Matilda McManus

Rosie McManus

Maria Mosher

Administrator

Art Gap Year Student

Head of Boarding and Houseparent

Registrar and Head’s PA

Charlotte Munro

Edward Patman

Alex Postgate

Ellie Tagger

Volunteer Administrator

Chef

Learning Support Assistant

Cover Teacher

Kate Yip English Teacher

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Leavers

“I loved the cliff jumping due to the exhilaration and the adrenaline rush as you jumped, then looking at the bubbles when you hit the water.”

Zion Pommells (aged 13)

Ardèche Trip The Ardèche trip was incredible and I loved every minute of it; from sleeping under the stars on the second night to going backwards down the fastest rapid on the descent, to the wonderful French Go Ape! On the river descent, Louisa and I were partners in the kayaks and let’s just say we were not the most skilled! We were constantly capsizing and crashing and dropping our paddles. I think we spent more time in the water than in the kayak....it was the best!

Vita Rainey (aged 13) I loved the high ropes, especially compared with Go Ape! They had loads of routes so we could maximise our time.

The river descent was fun but also challenging as we had to paddle across eddies a lot, but the rapids were fun and we often went ashore and swam in the rapids without the boats.

The cliff jumping was also amazing!

Theo Whiting (aged 13) During the Ardèche I very much enjoyed going into town with all of my friends. It was so much fun to go through the shops and attempt to speak French to the locals. We were given a very generous 50 Euros to spend throughout this wonderful trip. I also loved the river descent as the scenery was stunning and the rapids were so much fun to paddle through. I loved the Ardèche and enjoyed every activity.

Mattia Nicholson (aged 13)

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“We zip-lined across the gorge and one course had a zip line and caving element. At Vallon I tried nougat for the first time!”

Sebastian Parkinson (aged 13)

“I enjoyed visiting the caves because there was a special light that illuminated different parts of the cave on the beat to the music.”

Isabella Bishop (aged 12)

“I liked the challenges of the high ropes that we had to face, especially when I got stuck halfway on the zip line over the lake!”

Alice Lindsay Clark (aged 13)

“I enjoyed the cliff jump but it was terrifying! The moment you hit the water made you feel as though you could achieve anything.”

Alice Lindsay Clark (aged 13)

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My best activity was the two day kayaking descent down the river. In total we kayaked 24km and, although my arms hurt afterwards, I still had a lot of fun. We swam through rapids and jumped off the rocks as high as 5m, not to mention capsizing our friends and stealing their drinking water!

Anne Vinokurov (aged 13)

“I loved the zip line at the end of level 1.

It was quite a relief when we landed as we were so high up!”

Antigone Axon (aged 13)

“It was great to have the time to chat to all of our friends.”

Sebbie Gray (aged 13)

“In Vallon we had 50 Euros which we spent on ice-cream, drinks and a NY hat! It was great to relax after all the activities in Ardèche.”

Ugo Ibeanusi (aged 13)

“I enjoyed kayaking as I hadn’t done it before and I love water sports. I also loved the climbing as it was amazing doing this with my friends.”

George Hornbuckle (aged 13)

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Although I thought the kayaking would be a treacherous torture and a tiring experience, it quickly became extremely enjoyable, with the different rapids, rock jumps and capsizing soon becoming highlights of the whole entire trip and, despite the tiredness, I still enjoyed every single moment.

Kangqi Gong (aged 13)

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Leavers’ Programme My favourite day was the one we spent at Box End water park as I have never done anything like this before. I loved it as I got to push loads of my friends into the water and get pushed in in return, which was so much fun. Knee boarding was also great as it was really fast and you could do cool turns.

George Gibbes (aged 13)

“I really enjoyed the Animal Encounters experience as it felt like the natural world was brought to us at school.”

Luke Tucker (aged 13)

“The Leavers’ Programme was a great way to end the year and our time at St John’s.”

William Mills (aged 13)

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I really enjoyed the Box End water park trip. The water was quite cold but it was fine when we began swimming as we had wet suits on. One of the best moments was when Ugo went on a rampage and started pushing everyone off the massive inflatables into the water.

Caspar Johnson (aged 12)

“Even when I have left St John’s I know it will always have a massive place in my heart.”

Vita Rainey (aged 13)

“St John’s is a very special place with special people. The environment here is like nothing else. You won’t find anywhere else like it.”

Milan Patel (aged 13)

“At St John’s, I always feel able to express myself and just be me and this is one of my favourite parts about this school.”

Alice Sutcliffe (aged 13)

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I made Oreo chocolate truffles for the Baking Competition. I was having second thoughts about entering, but my friends encouraged me to try it out and I ended up winning the overall best bake! I also liked trying out everyone else’s bakes.

Roksana Ghahramani (aged 13)

“The talk we had from a video game designer was really inspiring as I have played some of the games he has made.”

Teddy Rigby (aged 13)

“My best activity was going to Parkside pool as the slides were really fun, but I have actually enjoyed everything ” Ailin Allajbeu (aged 13)

“I will miss everything about St John’s, from the kind teachers and amazing friends, to the incredible sports fields. Most of all I will always cherish the friendly and welcoming community here.”

Zahaan Socha (aged 13)

“I will miss my friends, the support of the teachers, the plays, Sports Days, the registrations, buddy time, trips, tournaments and most of all the school environment.”

Antigone Axon (aged 13)

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“Belly surfing was really fun!”

Milo White (aged 13)

“I loved the Globe theatre trip to see ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (especially Puck) but also getting to see a chinook helicopter flying overhead.”

Theo Whiting (aged 13)

The Aquapark was incredible; while at first each thing we did made me feel nervous, I enjoyed them greatly once I had started. The wake-boarding was both terrifying and hilarious. One memorable moment I will take away from it was when me and a friend went on a kneeboard together. Halfway through the first lap our board tilted too far and I fell off the back. My friend managed another six laps!

James Lockhart (aged 13)

“We did a day of water activities like paddle boarding and having fun on massive inflatables. I fell in so many times and was pushed in too! It was fun!”

Eadie Harrison Straughair (aged 12)

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Sixth Form Leavers’ Destination Schools Eton Angus Crichton-Stuart Jimmy Diggle Gresham’s Ophelia Wright King’s InterHigh Evelina Vardar King’s School, Ely Amelie Griffiths George Hornbuckle Alice Sutcliffe Lake Bluff Middle School, Illinois Tighe Westfall Linton Village College Lily Walpole

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Oundle Olivia Inglis Lucy Keightley Isobel Morbey Milan Patel Parkside Community College Zion Pommells St Mary’s School, Ascot Louisa Egerton St Mary’s School, Cambridge Amelie Kirk Stephen Perse Foundation Isabella Bishop Reda Chebli Will Dely Melissa French Roksana Ghahramani Sebbie Gray Eadie Harrison Straughair Zoe Loose

Stephen Perse Foundation, cont’d

William Mills Teddy Rigby Henry Roach Zahaan Socha Luke Tucker Emre Tunc Stamford School Georgie Formston The Leys Ailin Allajbeu Eloise Cross Isabella Dixon Ugo Ibeanusi Alice Lindsay Clark Beatrice Moshtagh-Kahnamoui Riley Neville Vita Rainey Thomas Rowstron Bron Sims Imogen Youngman

The Perse Upper George Gibbes James Lockhart Finn Maclennan Mattia Nicholson Trinity Caspar Johnson Uppingham Antigone Axon Ozzie Denman Anne Vinokurov Hugo Wells Theo Whiting Milo White Winchester Kangqi Gong Kieran McGurran Sebastian Parkinson

Sixth Form Leavers’ Awards 56 Form 6 boys and girls are leaving for Senior Schools. 19 awards were achieved as follows: Amelie Axon Angus Crichton-Stuart Georgie Formston Melissa French Roksana Ghahramani Eadie Harrison Straughair Olivia Inglis Caspar Johnson Lucy Keightley Amelie Kirk Zoe Loose Kieran McGurran Isobel Morbey Riley Neville Milan Patel Vita Rainey Anne Vinokurov Hugo Wells Milo White

Design Technology Scholarship Music Scholarship Music Scholarship Academic Scholarship Academic Scholarship Drama Scholarship Sport Scholarship Music Scholarship Drama Scholarship Music Scholarship Sport Scholarship Music Scholarship All Round Scholarship Drama Scholarship All Round Scholarship Academic Scholarship Music Scholarship Academic Scholarship Music Scholarship

Uppingham Eton Stamford School Stephen Perse Foundation Stephen Perse Foundation Stephen Perse Foundation Oundle Trinity Oundle St Mary’s, Cambridge Stephen Perse Foundation Winchester Oundle The Leys Oundle The Leys Uppingham Uppingham Uppingham

Where a child has gained an award in the same discipline for more than one school, only the award for the destination school is recorded.

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Head Boy’s Address on Speech Day Thank you very much Mr Murray for being with us today, for your words and for your support of the school over many years.

As I begin this speech, I would like to check that I have all of my sheets. I am known to forget my sheets in concerts!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the teaching staff at St John’s. As I have been at the school since KG, there are a lot of teachers and teaching assistants who have had to put up with me. It is impossible to name them all but I started with Mrs Cash in KG in 2014, along with many of my peers now in Form 6. Nine years is a very long time when you are only 13 years old! Thank you to everyone who has taught me and to all those who have helped to guide us in our journey through St John’s.

Since starting in KG, I have amassed many lovely memories over the years and I should like to share some of them with you now.

Before I start my reminiscences, I would particularly like to thank my Byron House teachers for being supportive and tolerant, since in Byron House I was, I’m not sure what the right word is, a maniac!

I remember in T2 when we were given new classes and new teachers. My new teacher was Miss Williams and I remember one of the first things she did was to sit us down on the mat and try to learn all of our names. She did this by going from one child to the next and asking them their name in an order. While she was doing ‘A’ a thought flashed into my mind about how I could trick my new teacher. I turned to the boy next to me, Jimmy Diggle, and quickly asked him to swap places with me. At this stage, Jimmy and I looked incredibly similar. When Miss Williams came round to everyone again repeating their names and got to me, I shouted with a smug smile on my face, “I’m not Jimmy”.

After this the entire class broke into laughter and she had to start learning our names all over again.

In Form 2, our class topic was ‘Spies’. At the end of every lunch break there was a secret spy folder that was hidden somewhere in the playground and, if I remember correctly, one person was allocated each day to go and find the spy folder. The folder would contain what we would do in that afternoon’s lesson, but because it had been concealed in a special way I remember the whole class would be excited about what was contained inside.

When lunch break ended, everyone came running back to class from break to see what was in the folder.

Another time in Form 2 I was running away from the catcher and I turned a corner and there was someone there running straight towards me. To avoid them I stepped straight into a wall. I have a strong image of when I was walking back to Reception being helped along by other children. I remember the largest concern on my mind being that I hadn’t had lunch yet and probably wouldn’t get any because I would have to spend the entire break with the Nurse. Nothing else about the situation worried me in the slightest bit.

One of my fondest memories was last year in Bugsy Malone when Milan and Riley (on separate occasions), splurged Mr Clarke by having a cream pie pushed in his face. It was the end of the play on both occasions and the whole year was very excited since we had just finished a play and we all gave a cheer each time Mr Clarke was splurged.

My strongest memory of the trip to the Ardèche was after Mr Carter had been splashing every single boat with his oar by hitting it on the water. We stopped at a little beach on the bank of the Ardèche where everyone formed a circle around Mr Carter

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and began to splash him as hard as possible as he stood still in the middle and was buried by water. Another fond memory from this trip was after everyone had jumped in the water from a high rock. The last person to jump was a kayak instructor called Keke; he jumped, did one and a half flips, and landed in a dive. This had just come out of nowhere and everyone that had seen it started shouting in excitement. Keke had legendary status for the rest of the descent!

I remember just a couple months ago, at the end of a rugby tournament, I had just had my last match at St John’s and the whole team was in a huddle while Mr G talked to us about how that was our last game at St John’s. For me there was one beautiful moment when he talked about our journey through rugby from our first game at King’s until that moment. As he said this all, my memories of sport at St John’s flashed through my mind. It was an incredible feeling that was reflected by the great orange sunset on that rugby pitch. I had this same feeling when Kieran ran up and bowled the last ball of the last cricket game (which was a beautiful wicket as it happens). These two events have made me realise how much I have enjoyed sport at St John’s all the way from KG up until Form 6. I have always looked forward to Games lessons but only now have I realised how much.

I have enjoyed my time at St John’s hugely. I have enjoyed every year from KG to Form 6 and I am sad to leave. I wish the best of luck to the next Head Boy and Girl and all the years below. Thank you.

Finn Maclennan

Head Girl’s Address on Speech Day Ruth for their calm and reassuring presence. I think that every newcomer at St John’s should be told that if ever any problem should arise the motto is - “Keep Calm and go see Catherine”.

She is such a huge part of St John’s and I cannot imagine the place without her. She somehow has an answer for almost every problem imaginable and we all truly wouldn’t know what to do without her. I’m sure she will not miss regularly being called by my dad 10 minutes before Waiters is due to start asking me to be put in, only to be called 5 minutes after it has started to be told I don’t need to go after all.

When we were told by Mr Harding that this last year would go very quickly, I am not sure any of us believed him but he has been proved right. St John’s has been such a huge part of my life and even though I have been preparing for this day for a term now I still cannot believe that this is the last time that we will all be together. This 6-year journey has been a wonderful one. The early days in Byron House, learning to be a Flexible Flamingo and a Risk-Taking Raccoon whilst trying to avoid being a Pain in the Bumblebee, or perhaps that should be Bumblesnout.

I arrived at St John’s 6 years ago, which is almost half my life and is the half that I really remember. When I think about the person I was when I first joined and who I am now, it amazes me just how much the school has shaped me and brought out the best in me. And not just me. When I look at my year, this Form 6 year, and all the incredible things they have achieved and the amazing people they have become during the time they have been here, we can all say how fortunate we have been.

I feel so privileged to talk about all the incredible things that have happened to me here and, particularly, all the wonderful people who I have to thank for this. The school only works as well as it does because of the contribution of everyone who works here. I would firstly like to thank all the Maintenance staff. I feel we do not always help in making the school the easiest place to look after - the regularly flooded loos, rogue balls which have somehow come to rest on top of the Green Court Locker and the regularly damaged Green Court fence!

Despite this, you always seem to be able to restore order. We are all grateful for your ongoing patience and perseverance!

I would secondly like to thank the Cleaning and Gardening Teams. Arriving every morning to a spotless and well-ordered school allows everything else to go ahead smoothly and it is easy to forget those that take so much time and care to make that happen. A huge thank you to the Catering team who are a key part of keeping us well fed and happy. Most of us have come to midday with all snacks long since eaten and feeling very hungry. Your apple crumble will be sorely missed by me and many of the other Leavers!

Another huge thank you must also go to the Administration staff, further unsung heroes who provide such a key role in making sure that St John’s runs smoothly. I have often thought that when organising school tours, selecting the right pupil to show round prospective parents must create some interesting dilemmas but you manage to do it so well.

Lastly, I would like to give a huge thank you to Catherine and

Moving up into Senior House and being part of the wonderful buddy system, getting involved in so many plays, concerts, school trips and activities. St John’s has really helped me become so much more of a confident and outgoing person.

This was sometimes good, sometimes bad. Mr Clarke clearly noticed these changes in the Form 4 christening me with the simple nickname “Noise”.

Drama especially has been a huge part of my time here and I have been involved in so many wonderful productions, my favourite being Bugsy Malone. One particular memory is when I was too ill to attend an important rehearsal and my Mum emailed Mr Clarke to tell him so. He told her it was completely fine and that he had found the perfect replacement. I spent the whole day worrying about who this could be and whether they might be so good, I might lose the role. I was told the next day that Seb had been an excellent Tallulah!

The Ardèche trip has been one of the highlights as the whole year group became so much closer and the many wonderful memories I will have forever. In particular Mr Carter, who capsized in spectacular fashion but claimed he was simply being “at one with the river”. And Mr Clarke, the only person to pack his dressing gown. St John’s has also allowed me to pursue my love of singing and I must particularly thank Mr Lepage-Dean.

There is so much I could say but it can be summed up by saying – “You’re a banger mate!”

There are two people who should be here to celebrate with us but cannot. Mr McComb and Ms Grant who have both been a huge part of my time at St John’s. I remember Mr McComb’s excellent multitasking on the Rockley trip, effortlessly ensuring all was well at sea from the comfort of a deck chair watching rugby on an iPad. Recently, we have missed Ms Grant’s incredible joy and enthusiasm both in her teaching and especially when we went to Iceland. One of my fondest memories is watching her kicking her feet in glee and roaring with laughter whilst watching Deadpool on the flight back. We all wish you a speedy recovery.

I will miss this school and the people so much but St John’s has prepared us all so well to move on to bigger things. So to Form 6, in the words of Dr Seuss: “Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to great places! You’re off and away!”

Lucy Keightley

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Leaving Staff

Sam Downer

Clare Knoop

Head of Art

Teacher & Byron House Director of Studies

My time at St John’s began twenty years ago when I brought my eldest daughter to Byron House for her first day at school. I remember the overwhelming feeling of warmth and energy as we walked into her classroom and thinking that I would very much like to stay there all day too.

Ten years later and I was given the chance to do just that!

My relationship with St John’s started in 2000 when my son joined Kindergarten. I still recall coming away from my initial visit wishing I had been able to go to such a school and blubbing on reading Headmaster Kevin Jones’ magical speech in the copy of the Eaglet that we were given. As an aside, ask any child who has been in my class and they will say I am prone to a bit of blubbing when moved!

My time here has been filled with so many funfilled and treasured memories. Art is a truly lovely subject to teach. Children and teachers all work together, sparking ideas off each other, led by the process of making – as Picasso famously said “We are all born artists, it is how to remain one that is the problem”. All children at St John’s are certainly artists and do remain artists too.

The St John’s staff are inspirational and the friendliness and warmth between colleagues here is a wonderful thing which really comes to the fore in times of difficulty, as well as in the happiest of times. It has been such an enjoyable and deeply rewarding experience to teach at St John’s, to lead the Art Department and also to be a Form 4 and then Form 5 tutor and class teacher.

It is a wrench to leave and I am only doing so because I want to have more time for my own art practice. Next term I will be in my studio making and painting, whilst thinking of all the making and painting going on in Senior House and Byron House Art rooms.

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In 2005, a chance conversation in the playground with the then Head of Byron House, Rosemary Mead, saw me joining the KG team as a TA and the rest, as they say, is history. Rosemary encouraged me to do my PGCE and I came back for an interview with Kevin. The lesson that I taught for that interview remains, to this day, the worst I have ever delivered! I shall be forever grateful that Kevin was able to see beyond the feral KG children and slight carnage that I left behind and was prepared to put his faith in me.

My 13 years as a teacher at the school have been split between T2 and Form 2, both of which I have loved, with the addition of the Byron House Director of Studies role, overseeing the teaching and learning. The constant thread through all this time has been the amazing support of colleagues who care passionately about the children entrusted to them and are always willing to offer support and guidance to each other.

While this is retirement from teaching for me, I am not quite at retirement age (despite occasionally being called ‘Granny’ by the children in my class) and am looking forward to exploring my third career or, at least, paying hobby, whatever that turns out to be. The prospect of being able to visit my son, who lives in the US, outside of school holidays is now an exciting reality. I will also be able to indulge my love of the mountains.

The Tour de Mont Blanc awaits this summer and I am hopeful that there are many more such trips left in me before my knees object.

Whatever I do, I hope it involves as much joy, laughter and love as I have experienced at St John’s. I am deeply indebted to my colleagues for their constant support and to the parents for trusting us with their precious children. While I know it is the right time to go, I shall miss the St John’s community. It is a special place indeed.

Ben Clilverd

Jack Hawkins

Games Teacher

Classics Teacher

Will Kunz

Katy McLarnon

Learning Support Assistant

Teaching Assistant

Giles Phillips Learning Support Assistant

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In Memory Gareth McComb ~ Director of Sport (St John’s 2009 - 2023) “He will stay in our hearts and memories.”

Current family

“We will truly miss the joyful energy and positive spirit that he brought to the school community. He inspired the children and brought endless fun to all that they did.”

Current parent

“I love you Mr McComb. I know Jesus will look after you in Heaven.”

Current pupil

“His positivity and respect for all as individuals played such a powerful role in echoing the school’s ethos of inclusiveness, happiness and care thorough his encouragement of all children in sport, irrespective of their ability, nurturing a life-long love of sport in all.”

Current family & member of staff

“Such a beautiful soul who has been taken far too early. Your bright and sparkling personality will be sorely missed.”

Member of staff

Tribute by friend & Director of Studies ~ Dr Tristan Igglesden Read at the Memorial Service in St John’s College Chapel I am honoured to have the opportunity to talk about him in this magical space, and, whilst he would not have approved of all the fuss, there could be no better place to reflect on Gareth’s service to our community.

Gareth believed in children and delighted in watching them develop their own relationship with sport. Despite his own natural gifts, Gareth championed those to whom sport came less easily and enjoyed nothing more than celebrating the success and progress of others. Thanks to his endless supply of encouragement, he inspired many to continue their sporting journeys at senior school and beyond, to become the best sports people they could be. Gareth was a teacher by vocation and we are grateful that he built his life in Cambridge; a place where he found deep contentment.

Gareth was adept at working with athletes of all ages. There are few who could start a day working with five year olds on the college playing field and end it coaching 25 year olds at the University. His knowledge of physical development, coupled with his love of rugby, allowed him to turn the smallest of defending rocks into mighty boulders. He led by example and was the model of a life-long learner. For the past two years, whilst teaching and coaching to the highest of standards, Gareth was also working towards a Masters in Leading Sport in Schools; the University of Buckingham awarded him this well-earned degree in the summer.

At the start of his St John’s career, Gareth was a house parent, bringing his sense of fun and gentle competition to the boarding house. He was unfailingly kind and patient with the boarders; and with Mr Lepage-Dean, with whom he shared a single-bedroom flat in Garden House. To his colleagues, Gareth was a friend and mentor- especially those new to the profession. He had time for everyone in the staff room and a gift for making people feel at ease. He was a true gentleman. He also had an insatiable appetite for biscuits and could hoover up Hobnobs whole.

As a tutor, he had a listening ear and a knack for well-timed advice. He took the time to deeply know and understand the children in his care. Those who were fortunate to be in his registration groups enjoyed ‘Mr McComb Thursdays’, the annual conker competition and the build up to his grand Christmas jumper reveal. He was constantly looking for opportunities to bring a little bit of fun and mischief into our world.

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During the Covid lockdown, he was the first to volunteer to care for the key worker children in school. He soon found himself troubleshooting all manner of technical issues and chivvying along the older children as they worked through their academic lessons online. He also made cameo appearances at Byron House, where his duties included making necklaces and singing along to Disney princess karaoke with the Kindergartens.

Meanwhile, he spent his free time making videos for those learning at home - Belfast’s answer to Joe Wicks. The little ones of Byron House looked up to him (quite literally, we all did) and soon moved from being in awe of him to using him as a climbing frame. It was a regular and reassuring sight to watch him walking up Grange Road with a trail of ducklings in tow whilst wearing one of his fabulous bobble hats and, of course, a pair of shorts.

Gareth’s legs were permanently on display, in any and all weather conditions. This choice of attire may be one reason why, on more than one occasion, a child would proudly declare to him, and the whole playground, that ‘my mummy fancies you’. It may also explain how he managed to convince a number of different staff members to provide him with a regular supply of Guinness cake.

Gareth never sought to draw attention to himself, despite his impressive talents and achievements. That being said, he really loved fancy dress. His dapper green suit was a St Patrick’s Day staple; as was the sight of him handing out shamrock stickers in the Piazza and adorning the school with green balloons and bunting. His fancy dress collection even made it onto school residential trips and his little sailor boy outfit for Rockley will live long in the memory. Book day efforts included appearances as ‘Mr Tall’ and the ‘BFG’; our own Big Friendly Giant.

We were blessed to have known Gareth; to have been taught by him. His philosophy is woven into the fabric of this school for evermore; once St John’s, always St John’s.

“God made you so tall and imposing because He knew you’d need somewhere to keep your modesty, care, love and many, many talents.

He knew you’d want to share all this with others, so He made you a teacher- and a very fine one at that.”

“Every so often a truly exceptional person enters our lives. Gareth was an amazing force for good in our community. He was so compassionate, patient and kind to all he taught and a amazing role model. He was a supportive and inspirational colleague.”

Former member of staff

Member of staff

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Alan Mould ~ Headmaster at St John’s (1971 - 1990) Tribute by former Deputy Head ~ Sheila Hayward When Alan arrived in 1971, St John’s College School was very different from how it is today. The school was based solely at 73 Grange Road (now Senior House) and educated some 140 boys aged 7 -13. Form rooms, boarders’ dormitories, the Headmaster’s accommodation, cloakrooms and showers, together with the school and Bursar’s offices were all on the one site and, except for most of the teaching accommodation, all in the actual house. By 1990, when he retired, the school had become co-ed and included pupils aged 4 -13, numbers had grown to 440, 63 Grange Road (Byron House) had been incorporated into St John’s on the retirement of the owner headmistress and 67 Grange Road had become the Headmaster’s house. On each teaching site, aged and often cramped porta cabins had been replaced by splendid purpose-built and spacious permanent buildings which included specialist facilities not hitherto available. Academic standards rose significantly under Alan’s leadership and the curriculum, both academic and non-academic, was considerably enhanced and enriched over the years, thereby creating a wide range of opportunities for pupils to achieve success and excellence. During Alan’s tenure the school’s reputation, both locally and nationally, had risen immeasurably and by 1990 St John’s was one of the country’s leading prep schools. What achievements; what a legacy.

Alan’s vision and his great ability to relate to other people, coupled with his undoubted desire to foster harmonious relations with the College, meant that he was very successful in pursuing his plans for the improvement and development of the school. If he had ever failed to win tangible College support for one of his ideas, he never ‘let on’! Consequently, each site changed beyond all recognition and both staff and pupils could enjoy a vastly improved environment. It was not all one way though; Alan’s love and knowledge of church music, his unwavering support of the College Choir and Chapel services and his concern for the welfare of the choristers were all very apparent and rightly influenced his approach to the running of the school.

Alan’s acquaintance with the heads of very many public schools and knowledge of their schools meant that one of his most rewarding strengths was guiding parents towards an appropriate senior school for their son. When St John’s included girls, he made a point of building up a similar knowledge base for their secondary education, both in and around Cambridge and much further afield. He was twice Chairman of IAPS which has been rightly described as ‘a rare honour’.

So many of his former pupils have become notable in their adult lives that it is impossible to list them all. The breadth of this very short list reflects his desire to educate pupils in the widest sense of the word and to prepare them for an ever-changing world: Sir Charles Dunstone (co-founder of Carphone Warehouse), Iestyn Davies MBE and Sir Simon Keenlyside (world renowned singers), Ann Keast-Butler (head of GCHQ), Nick Knight (England cricketer) and Sir Matthew Rycroft (permanent secretary of the Home Office) were all at St John’s during his headship. Many of the parents during his time were themselves well-known figures in their respective fields and, though not a parent of a pupil at the school, perhaps one of Alan’s greatest coups was to secure the presence of the late Duke of Edinburgh, HRH Prince Philip, to open the Hinsley Hall.

Incoming heads invariably make changes. One of Alan’s was sartorial and, to the delight of the senior boys, he made caps optional.

Younger boys, who tended to love caps, could continue to peer out from under the rather large peak, happy to have one on their head! He also decreed that the switch from shorts to long trousers was no longer governed by age but that any age could wear either. Again, a popular introduction. However, pupils who came to school without a blazer on an occasion when it was mandatory incurred his displeasure: Alan expected high standards of dress from the pupils and helped them to develop a pride in their appearance.

Alan was a very caring, warm and calm man; even when his feet may have been paddling furiously under the water, he always gave the outward appearance of being in control of the situation. He had a marked sense of humour and was readily aware of the ridiculous, but he was gentle in his response and always thoughtful of other people’s feelings.

Many former pupils, staff and parents have spoken about him and expressed their gratitude for all that he did for them and their children; compliments abound. He was also held in high regard by many in the wider educational field. Those of us who were fortunate enough to be connected with St John’s during his time at the School will always be extremely grateful to him for his contribution, achievements, guidance, help and support. He was truly an outstanding Headmaster.

Top: Alan at Andrew Nethsingha’s last Evensong at St John’s accompanied by his daughter Sally and his grandson Thomas Bottom: Alan as a Pembroke College Undergraduate with the Dean of Pembroke, Meredith Crawley, who remained a lifelong friend

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Top left: Alan Mould and Mary Mackintosh accompanying the College Choir aboard a pair of Royal Dutch Air Force Fokker Friendship aircraft 12 April 1989, to sing in The Hague for Queen Beatrix of Holland; bottom left: taken of Sam Odia in Scotland with former pupils Mark Hallam Michael Margeson OBE; & right: Alan taken by Roger Griffin in 1988 (Fellow of St John’s College and a School Governor)

Tribute by alumnus ~ Sam Odia My name is Sam Odia and I was the first African ever to attend St John’s College School. I arrived in January 1970 at the tender age of nine years and ten months and settled down quite well under the headmastership of Revd. Cyril F. Walters, who retired in the summer of 1971, paving the way for the energetic Alan H. Mould, who together with his wife and two children, Sally and Adrian, moved into the Master’s quarters of the main School house.

I remember fondly singing those lovely Anglican hymns during Assemblies and services in the School chapel. The Headmaster took his hymns very seriously and he sang gustily, his head raised high up in heavenly contemplation. He was also often overheard by the boarders singing with his family at home. There seems to be no doubt to me that he was a devoted man of faith.

On my return to my native Nigeria, I wrote him a letter describing how different everything at home was compared to England. In contrast to my teachers in Nigeria, Mr Mould now seemed a very nice and temperate bloke after all. He was kind enough to send me a reply, encouraging me and wishing me the best.

Our last face-to-face meeting was during an old boys’ ‘Founders’ Day on the school grounds a few years later, during my time at Lancing College, Sussex, where I had gone for my A Levels. He spoke proudly of his son’s getaway to France with his girlfriend.

Adrian’s attraction to ‘La France’ has apparently been long there. Mr Mould himself appeared not to have aged much and was, to me, much his old self and in good spirits.

May his soul continue to rest in peace....

Tribute by alumnus ~ Richard Griffin From an important meeting in the reading room one evening, Mr Mould saw me sitting by the Piazza waiting for supper time; he needed an errand run, so he opened the window and called me across. As was his habit, he opened with a question designed to elicit affirmations of loyalty rather than the task he actually wanted done: “Would you like to be the Headmaster’s *favourite* pupil?”, he asked. 11-year-old me saw exactly what that might entail and where this was leading, and replied quite honestly, “Not necessarily, sir.” The very important people in his meeting stifled their giggles as he set about extricating himself from his own sticky situation. His re-telling of this story (quite typically at his own expense) in front of the whole school at Speech and Sports Day in 1989, quite made my day!

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Artwork Front cover: Amira Srouji (aged 12) Back cover: May Guttridge (aged 12) Design Technology, pages: 48

49 50 51 52 53 54 55

Gabriel Gritten, Jasper Fox Watson, Alyse Baines, Joby Hastwell (all aged 12) & Victor Baviera Jurado (aged 11) Ozzie Denman & Ailin Allajbeu (both aged 13) Tom Bennington, Toby Fairley, Violet Egerton & Cera Wong (all aged 11) Ugo Ibeanusi, Kieran McGurran, Melissa French (all aged 12), Will Dely & Riley Neville (both aged 12) Bryony Macleod-Jones (aged 9), Jacob Shotton & Mia Fairburn (aged 6) Soraya Ahi-Eggo (aged 8) & Arindam Roshan (aged 10) Hattie Chaney & Reuben Bennett (both aged 10) & Oscar Thomson (aged 9) Lorcan Hamilton, Zackary Crosbie, May Guttridge & Sam Smith (all aged 12)

Art, pages: 90 91 92 93 94

Violet Egerton, Jiwon Lee & Alice Allpress (all aged 11) Joshua McGrory, Isabella MacLean & Clarissa Pilato (all aged 10) Melissa French, Hugo Wells (both aged 13) & Eadie Harrison Straughair (aged 12) Theo Oren (aged 12), Cera Wong, Jiwon Lee, Toby Fairley & Sam Tagger (all aged 11) Max Pearce (aged 8) & Ailee Kushman (aged 7)

Arts Award, page: 95 Amelie Griffiths & Zahaan Socha (both aged 13) Inspiration, pages: 96 98 99 100 101 102 103

Penelope Aeberhard (aged 10) Henry Lambert (aged 11), Eloise Halban-Taylor (aged 12) & Florrie Toner (aged 9) Alice Lindsay Clark (aged 13) Zahaan Socha & Antigone Axon (both aged 13), Hanna Ghahramani & Evelyn Austen (both aged 9) Jack Laitenberger (aged 7) Blake Carver (aged 10) & Isabella Dixon (aged 13) Amira Srouji (aged 12) & Eloise Cross (aged 13)

Inspiration, pages (continued): 104 Zahaan Socha (aged 12) & Marley Fernandez-Piras (aged 10) 105 Rosie Brown & Aiden Wee (both aged 10) & Vita Rainey (aged 13) 106 Martha Gritten & Blake Carver (both aged 10) & Amelia Crichton-Stuart (aged 11) 107 Tighe Westfall (aged 14), Dev Patel & Mei Mei Noble (both aged 12) 108 Joby Hastwell (aged 12) & Max Pearce (aged 8) 109 Hattie Milton (aged 12), Janson Zhu (aged 9) & Abigal Lock (aged 8) 110 Isabella Bishop (aged 12), Lucy Keightley (aged 13) & Freddie Dolan (aged 9) 111 Theo Whiting, George Hornbuckle & Lily Walpole (all aged 13) & Lorcan Hamilton (aged 12) 112 Jiwon Lee & Cera Wong (both aged 11) & Theo Oren (aged 12) 113 Amber Oates & Race Wong (both aged 10) 114 Imogen Youngman (aged 13) 115 Amira Srouji (aged 12) 116 Morgan Jeremiah & Aiden Wee (both aged 10) 117 May Guttridge (aged 12), Cera Wong (aged 11), Rowan Whaley & Marlowe Treger (both aged 5) 118 Alice Inglis & Hattie Kelly (both aged 11) 119 Peregrine Brice, Lucy Sawtell & Emmanuel Mba (all aged 11) & Ani Reddy (aged 10) 120 Vincent James (aged 8) 121 Freddie Dolan, George Stepanov & Kathryn Hornbuckle (all aged 8) 122 Theodore Lynn (aged 9) 123 Emily Da Costa (aged 5), Emilie Trinidad, Jacob Shotton & Hasan Akoush (all aged 6) 124 Dev Patel (aged 12) 125 Beatrice Moshtagh-Kahnamoui & James Lockhart (both aged 13) & Barnaby Hill (aged 10) 126 Sebastian Parkinson (aged 13) 127 Lottie Cross, Blythe Weller, Cirse MacSwiney, Lukas Knowles, Imogen Fairley & unnamed (all aged 9) 128 Alyse Baines & Caspar Johnson (both aged 12) 129 Poppy Doodson, Benjamin Knowles and Crispin Sinclair (all aged 7) 130 Amira Srouji (aged 12)

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2023

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