Issue 48 Autumn 2013
ST
ALBANS
Highlights
SCHOOL
UP AND Down Under 50 tourists from the St Albans School rugby squads made the trip to Australia. They showed their strength first in Darwin with two victories, 48-0 and 36-5 in unbroken 32˚ heat. There were further victories in Cairns before the teams reached Alstonville. There three more teams were defeated by the honed skills of the 1st XV. The St Albans tourists then undertook a long drive further inland to Wheatmen of Dalby. Both our teams won their matches, the 1sts by a crushing 53-5 margin and the 2nds, in a much more closely contested match, 15-14. On this tour the 1st XV proved themselves invincible with a 5-0 tally. Throughout their stay in Australia, the players enjoyed the generous hospitality of their hosts and also found time to visit Brisbane and the Great Barrier Reef where they went snorkelling and scuba diving, as well as the usual beach activities. On the tour they saw crocodiles in the wild, as well as on their plates, and searched unsuccessfully for kangaroos. The team continued its fine form in the preseason St Albans/Saracens tournament, where the 1st XV managed to defeat the strong St Joseph’s College, Ipswich and took a very creditable third place overall.
History Trips First Formers enjoyed a visit to Warwick Castle which brought to life their understanding of the importance of castles in defending and protecting people in the Middle Ages. High points for many pupils were the Kingmaker Exhibition and the visit to the dungeons. Second Formers went to Hampton Court, built by the ex-abbot of St Albans, Cardinal Wolsey, and enjoyed the contrasts in building styles and comfort as well as a competitive sortie into the maze.
Future Prospects Fourth formers spent a day in July “goal setting” at Woollams. The activities enabled pupils to assess their own aptitudes and abilities and to consider which future career path might match these. Saracens Chief Executive, Edward Griffiths, started the day with a motivational talk and was followed by other successful business executives. The afternoon was spent either on command tasks outside, organised by the CCF, or inside on a career mapping course with clear goals and milestones. The day provided good preparation for the Morrisby aptitude tests, which are taken at the beginning of the Fifth Form.
Winning Photograph
The students showed their skills in a range of sporting activities while in Australia
To m K i r b y ’ s haunting image of a waterfall was awarded first prize in a competition run by Essential Iceland,the company which organises the Geography Department’s trips to Iceland. The picture skilfully catches the movement of the water as it falls over the basalt columns. Alex Kirsch’s photograph of a whale beaching at Husavik was highly commended in the competition.