Highlights Summer 13

Issue 47 Summer 2013

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Highlights

ST A L B A N S S C H O O L

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Creative Writing First Formers enjoyed donning the costumes of their favourite fictional characters for the annual Creative Writing Day, the range extending Fred Sedgwick inspires pupils in from Odysseus creative writing to Zaphod Beeblebrox. The writing workshops were led by poets John Mole and Fred Sedgwick and writer Alex Keller. The exciting and inspiring day was rounded off with pupils reading out selections of their own work.

The last twelve months have seen the completion of a building programme that has been, historically and logistically, one of the most ambitious in the School’s history. Following the opening of the magnificent new Sports Centre and swimming pool, the new Visual Arts Centre, the new Sixth Form Centre and a totally refurbished suite of language teaching rooms, the School opened its new refectory at the beginning of the Spring Term.

Challenging Maths Middle School mathematicians gained 50 Bronze, 46 Silver and 19 Gold Awards in the UK Intermediate Mathematical Challenge. Seven of the latter qualified for the European version of the UK Maths Challenge, while Patrick Semark and Joshua Oliver qualified for the very demanding Intermediate Olympiad.

In a continuation of the School’s Development Plan, the old gymnasium has been converted into a modern, bright, spacious refectory which, with new furniture, comfortably accommodates pupils and staff at lunchtime, as well as providing a breakfast service and snacks at break and after school.

The kitchens themselves have been relocated, with the installation of new equipment and serveries. Clearly invigorated by the new facilities, catering staff are providing even more varied menus, which occasionally include ambitious and specially themed culinary experiences. The celebratory opening lunch was Japanese, and included such delicacies as ducks’ tongues and chicken feet as well as varied dishes with noodles, rice, salmon and seared beef. All was prepared by the School team with the help of executive chef Paul Smith.

Serving up good food in the new refectory

Classics Scholar Fourth Former Charlie Oliver won first prize in the Jowlett-Sendelar Essay Competition for Classics, against stiff competition from 225 other pupils from the most academic schools in the country. His essay compared the performance of one of the Roman emperors and one leader from the 20th/21st centuries, in order to determine who was the most successful. Charlie selected Trajan and Churchill for an afterlife debate on their respective leadership qualities. Trajan prevailed.

Linguistics Olympiad Eighteen Sixth Formers took part in this very challenging test, which involves students code breaking from obscure or artificially created languages and then manipulating the language themselves. Jem Bosatta and Matthew Adrian gained Gold Certificates, Emma Russell a Silver Certificate and David Cartwright a Bronze Certificate.

Scientific Endeavours First Formers visited the Royal Observatory in Greenwich where they enjoyed a ‘guided tour’ of the universe. They were transported to distant galaxies, experienced the birth of a star and landed on Mars, via scientific data and real images from spacecraft and telescopes.

Older pupils were treated to a Stephen Hawking Society lecture given by Professor Clare Grey on the next generation of batteries and super capacitors. She explained how rechargeable batteries can store an electrical charge and why lithium is the favoured metal. Another lecture was given

by Mr Gordon Rogers, a keen astronomer, who has built his own observatory. He shared his knowledge of equipment and the outstanding images he has been able to obtain of planets, comets and distant galaxies.

Over 1800 students participated in the first round of the Physics Olympiad, which is designed to stretch and challenge the top young physicists in the country. Four of our students were recognised for their achievements: Oliver Bretnall and Patrick Shammas received Bronze Awards, Emma Russell a Silver Award and Daniel Heydecker was awarded a Gold certificate in recognition of achieving one of the top 50 scores in the country. He has now gone through to the second round, which is used to select the British National team.

Five U6 pupils were among 4500 students taking part in the first round of the Chemistry Olympiad. James Hepher was placed in the top 35% of the country, gaining him a Silver Award, while Usmaan Qureshi achieved Bronze.

Scarrow’s Tales Lower School pupils were thrilled to attend a talk given

by Alex Scarrow, famed author of the Time Rider series.

Before becoming a writer, Alex had spent 10 years as a rock guitarist, before becoming a computer games designer for the next 12 years. When he made the decision to become a writer, he made good use of the ideas he had employed to devise games and these led to the beginning of the Time Rider series in 2010. Each book is carefully planned out in advance and the actual writing process takes him just three months. Alex shared his likes (the 1990s grunge group Nirvana) and dislikes (football) with the pupils in his very entertaining talk.

Overseas Trips Last term and during the holidays, pupils were offered a wide range of tour destinations which served to enhance their studies, learning experiences or sporting performances – and also to provide some enjoyment. The History Department’s annual trip to the First World War battlefields of Belgium and northern France provided 50 pupils with many moments of sober reflection as well as some first hand knowledge of the kind of terrain fought on by many of their forebears. Visits included Ypres, Vimy Ridge, Thiepval, Beaumont Hamel and Tynecot.

Photo by Owen Pearce

A group of 42 pupils enjoyed perfecting their skills on the ski slopes of Italy over Easter. The snow was in very good condition and the pistes offered a range of runs from the intermediate to the more technical. Golfers were able to hone their skills and enjoy some winter warmth and sunshine at Penina in Portugal, a respite from the icy conditions then prevailing in the UK. Apart from playing on the resort course, pupils were able to profit from a couple of rounds on the Championship course designed by Henry Cotton.

Art students made a successful visit to Amsterdam, where they enjoyed trips to the Van Gogh Museum and the newly refurbished Rijksmuseum. They used their sketchbooks to record the visits and the impressions which they inspired.

Some 50 pupils travelled to Chambéry in France on an exchange visit to practise their language skills. They experienced the French school system at first hand and managed to fit in some skiing. Another group of exchange pupils travelled to Santander in Spain to experience the Spanish language and culture. They also visited the Guggenheim Museum and the Picos de Europa mountains.

All That Jazz The first masterclass sponsored by the Rosalind Runcie Memorial Fund was combined with a recital given by the internationally renowned pianist and Head of Music at the Royal Academy of Music, Joanna McGregor. Student pianists included Thomas Dilley, David Cartwright and David McConnell; they derived enormous benefit from some sympathetic, but demanding teaching. Ms McGregor concluded the evening with four thrilling Piazzolla tangos.

Getting Physical The Spring Term always sees a wealth of productions from the Drama Department as Fifth and Sixth Form students present their assessed examination work. Fifth Formers presented two plays for GCSE: the dark and gruesome The Pillowman and then a change of tone with Dealer’s Choice.

Both plays demonstrated the passion and skills which these pupils bring to their performances. The A2 students provided their own darkly comic dramatisation of a Roald Dahl story, Pig, about an orphan who is brought up as a vegetarian and comes to a sticky end. The AS productions were presented by two groups of students, both using Steven Berkoff’s style of physical theatre. The first play, The Trial, based on the novel by Franz Kafka, portrayed a man in the grip of unknown and mysterious adversaries, whilst the second, Agamemnon, was based on the gory saga from Aeschylus’ classical Greek tragedy.

Expeditioners Sixty-seven students undertook their Silver Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition in the South Downs National Park. The unusually cold weather tested their stamina and determination as they undertook a 50km walk over three days, challenging their map reading skills. Two Gold and six Silver groups also undertook expeditions in and around the Hope and Edale valleys in the Peak District. Camp craft and navigational skills were at a premium and were successfully fulfilled in poor weather conditions and over rough terrain.

Scenes from Agamemnon (above) and Pig (below), AS and A2 productions respectively.

Nigel Woodhouse (below right) plays the rarely heard Bollinger concerto

Fauré’s Requiem was the principal work performed at the Joint Schools Choral Society Concert, held in St Albans Abbey. Demanding pieces by Rutter, Chilcott and Tavener also featured on the programme. There were some fine performances, including those by Trudy Cammack, Will Foxton and Will Drake, who as a trio shared the famous Pie Jesu.

The highlight of a vibrant evening of jazz was undoubtedly the performance of Bollinger’s Concerto for Classical Guitar and Jazz Piano Trio, guitar teacher Nigel Woodhouse and friends giving the piece a stunning performance. The School’s own band, Mainstream, also performed, backing several of the School’s talented singers in numbers which provided a wide range of moods over the course of the evening.

Rebecca Sandler’s emotional rendition of Stars and songs by Stephen Baldwin, Robert Brooks and James Lear attracted very enthusiastic responses from the audience, as did the performance of the newly reconstituted Barbershop Group.

SPORT: National Relay Champions Emsall trophy and the Carey Salver.

They shot consistently well over the term and finished second in their divisions. Harry Lampert was the top scorer for the Seniors and Aidan Collins for the Juniors.

ran the last lap and put the trophy into St Albans’ hands. The B team also enjoyed remarkable success, holding off challenges from the A teams from Harrow and Millfield Schools to finish in an impressive fourth place. Lizzie Bird continued her excellent form with the fastest girls’ run of the day, leading St Albans to third place in the girls’ team race. Robbie Lightowler followed up this success with a fine run in the Judge Cup which resulted in the team taking the trophy. At the South East Championships, the Intermediate Boys won a tough race, whilst Lizzie Bird once again displayed her dominant form by winning the Girls’ race.

The School’s football teams are increasingly making their presence felt in the local area

Hockey: The season was blighted by appalling weather conditions, which resulted in the cancellation of several fixtures. Nevertheless all teams enjoyed some fine victories.

The 2nd XI in particular produced a real roll call of wins: against Aldenham 4-1, Felsted 2-0, Merchant Taylor’s 2-0, Mill Hill 2-1 and Haileybury 5-0.

The U16A team also performed very well, as did both U13 squads.

Football: This is now a very strong sport in the School. All teams put in vigorous performances for their respective District Cup matches. The U14s had a tense and exciting quarter final match against St Columba’s, which they won on penalties 6-4. The U16s played very well throughout the season and were able to take the District Cup for their age group in a spirited final against Nicholas Breakspear, winning 4-3.

A series of well fought victories put the 1st XI in contention for their District Cup final and also the Independent Schools Football Association LB Cup final.

Shooting: Both Junior and Senior teams built on last term’s successes in the

Swimming: In February, the School hosted its first Herts Schools’ League Gala in 40 years, making use of the wonderful facilities now enjoyed by our pupils. This was the League Final with the top six boys’ and girls’ teams from across the county competing.

Our teams acquitted themselves well, with exceptional performances from Nick Shone in the Senior Butterfly, Robbie Lightowler, who won the Senior Freestyle race by over 2 metres and the victorious Senior Freestyle Relay team of Luke Bevis, Bernie Zondagh, Robbie Lightowler and James Duke-Smith.

Tennis & Cricket Camp: Forty-nine students attended the annual Easter Te n n i s & Cricket Camp at Millfield School.

T h e coaching was of the highest standard.

T e n n i s awards went to George Leigh, George Davis, Lorenzo Razzano and Michael Miltiadous, whilst cricketing awards went to Zach Mills, C a l l u m To w n s e n d , Tom Goldstone and Will Stewart.

Photo by Julie Slater

Cross Country: The teams continued to excel in their sport under very difficult and challenging weather conditions.

At the AAA Championship, individual gold medals were won by both Lizzie Bird and Eleanor Hunt in the women’s U20 and U17 events, while the U15 team won the team gold medal, as well as the Challenge Cup and the clubs’ trophy. Mark Pearce, who ran particularly well, won the silver medal in the men’s U17 category. Mark also played a key role in the Knole Run at Sevenoaks School, which regularly attracts some 350 runners from over 40 schools on a muddy and difficult course. Although our team was much depleted through injury and illness, Mark Pearce ran a terrific race to finish in 3rd place, while all our other runners finished in the top 30. This put St Albans in second place after arch-rivals Judd School, a tremendous performance with key runners absent. In the Girls’ race, Eleanor Hunt came 3rd, ensuring a 4th place finish for the team. This too was a great performance as our top runner, Lizzie Bird, was absent. She was representing England at a competition in Northern Ireland, coming second and ensuring a first place finish for the England team. The School team then went on to win the King Henry Cross Country Relay in Coventry for a record breaking tenth time. Facing stiff competition from Judd and Marling Schools, as well as Shrewsbury and Harrow, this was an outstanding achievement in an event where 48 teams from schools all over Britain took part. Coach George Harrison’s skilful management of the team and the order of runners was pivotal.

Joseph Brennan led the team away, followed by Mark Pearce. He put St Albans into second place, which was maintained by Joe Redwood and Daniel Myers. It was Robbie Lightowler, World Biathlete Champion, whose injection of sustained speed in the fifth lap, run in under 12 minutes, closed the gap and then gained the lead. He handed over to Adam Thorpe, who comfortably

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