St Benedict's News - Lent Term 2017

ST BENEDICT’S

NEWS

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LEN T TER M 2017

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Amadeus, page 14

Dear Parents, At the end of a very productive term at St Benedict’s, I hope you will enjoy reading about the many triumphs and successes of our pupils. Drama is a great strength of the school and there were some truly impressive performances in the excellent production of Amadeus.

Our musicians have been extremely busy, with a Music Festival and VOCES8 performance, led not only by this world-renowned octet but by our Young Leaders, who encouraged children from local primary schools to sing their hearts out! On the sports field, we have had considerable success in this year’s round of Rugby Sevens tournaments and our Netball U14s have won almost all their fixtures.

Added to this, there have been some significant academic achievements, for example, in the British Physics Olympiad and the Extended Project Qualification.

I wish you and your families a very Happy Easter.

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Let us not tire of preaching love. Love must win out; it is the only thing that can.

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Best wishes,

Andrew Johnson Headmaster

Dear Parents, I hope that you enjoy reading all about the latest news from the Junior School. The creative curriculum topics – including Walk Like An Egyptian, Ice Worlds and Fire, Fire! – have been stimulating, with memorable trips and workshops.

The Spring Concert and the Dance Show provided a great deal of pleasure to audiences and participants alike. The boys and girls have been very busy on the sports front too, representing the school with pride in fencing, hockey, netball, rugby and swimming.

There has also been time for spiritual reflection during the Lent term. The Lenten Assemblies have provided opportunities to reflect during our preparation for Easter, and there has been generous support of the Lenten charities.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

I wish you and your families a blessed, peaceful and relaxing Easter holiday.

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With best wishes,

Rob Simmons Junior School Headmaster

RISE Theatre: ‘The Story of Oscar Romero’ RISE Theatre came to St Benedict’s this term to perform their new play about the life of Archbishop Oscar Romero. Romero spoke up for poor communities in El Salvador during the civil war in the 1970s. He was beatified in May 2015, and this year marks the centenary of his birth.

Pupils in Forms 3 to Upper 4th (Years 7 to 9) learned about Romero’s tireless message of social justice and love; as violence increased, Romero implored the army to stop killing protesters. On March 24th, 1980, a shot killed Romero as he said Mass in San Salvador’s cathedral. No-one has been brought to justice for his murder.

RISE Theatre’s powerful play concluded with some of Romero’s enduring words: “Let us not tire of preaching love.

Love must win out; it is the only thing that can.”

British Physics Olympiad Gold award Luca Lota has gained a Gold award in the British Physics Olympiad. This prestigious national competition, administered by the University of Oxford, attracts entries from the best sixth form physicists in the country; Luca’s success places him among the UK’s top 180 A level Physics students.

Luca, who has an offer from Imperial College, London, to read Theoretical Physics, said: “The BPhO is a great opportunity for students to attempt much more challenging and exciting topics within Physics. I am so thrilled to have received this award.”

Six other St Benedict’s students also received commendations: Louis Delsol, Alvin Lee, Michael Vangelatos, Ambrose Mac-Fall, Harry Taylor and Hugh Norman.

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I am so thrilled to have received this award.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

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THE GERMAN EXCHANGE This term we welcomed pupils from our Benedictine German Exchange school in Meschede, in the 10th year of our partnership.

Ted Traegar (Lower 5th/Year 10) reports: After a weekend of getting to know our exchange partners, Monday was the first day at St Benedict’s for the German pupils, which ended with an evening at Chiquito’s and then bowling, which everyone enjoyed.

A day in London followed, with a very interesting guided tour around Westminster Abbey, jaw-dropping views of the city from the London Eye, and a performance of The Jersey Boys.

On Wednesday there was a football match, which was a close game with many chances from each side until the Molveno team was victorious.

Thursday was the last day in school for the German guests, and on Friday they went into London to visit Leicester Square and Buckingham Palace.

Saturday was the very sad day when we had to say goodbye to our partners, but only until October! It was a great week which we will remember for a long time to come.

Amanda Jones Chris Ttouli

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

CAREERS

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St Benedict’s Head of Careers, Mrs Hopgood, has been investigating how the school can draw on the experience, advice and expertise of current parents, alumni (working closely with the Development Director), and local and national employers.

Talks this term have been given by: Communications and Branding Director of Sodeko, Amanda Jones Branch Manager of Handelsbanken, Ealing, Chris Ttouli Marketing Director of Jones, Lang, LaSalle, Deborah Allen Creator and Founder of More4, Channel 4’s third Digital Channel, Peter Dale Oran Doyle and Rory Quinn (OP10) – A career in Drama and Theatre

Recent EPQ presentations:

Fran, Matt, Emma and Marcin

Michael Vangelatos: The Ealing Viaduct

Caroline Gakpetor: Care for the elderly and social funding

Top marks for students’ research

Matthew Carr (Head Boy) achieved full marks for his study of Woodrow Wilson as a moral figure in politics and the League of Nations. Marcin Scicinski’s chosen subject was Poland and the Global Financial Crisis and Recession 2007–2011.

Emma Szlachetko researched The lives of women in ancient Rome, and Fran O’Neill studied Society’s perception of race, and its influence on the prosecution rates of mentally ill criminals in the UK. Each student presented their research to an audience of parents, staff and friends earlier this year.

Dr Greenhough, St Benedict’s Coordinator for the EPQ, said: “St Benedict’s supports and fosters intellectual curiosity through the tailored programme of the EPQ to make ‘independent learner’ a reality.

In turn this develops skills for success both at university and the workplace”.

The EPQ is becoming increasingly popular at St Benedict’s, with a cohort of 34 students in the Lower 6th currently researching their chosen subjects. One student said: “With the EPQ you don’t just settle for the answers you are given: you read more, ask questions and challenge what you are told. It has also definitely increased my confidence in public speaking.”

“You can tell a clever person by the answers they give, and a wise person by the questions they ask” said Dr Greenhough. “This sums up the EPQ for me.”

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With the EPQ you don’t just settle for the answers you are given: you read more, ask questions and challenge what you are told.

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ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Four Sixth Form students have gained A*s for their Extended Project Qualifications. The EPQ allows students to research and write about a subject which interests them, and is the equivalent to half an A level.

It is highly regarded by universities for the academic independence and organisational skill it demonstrates.

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FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Cake sales, smoothies, lunchtime games and a Film Night all helped to raise awareness, and funds, in Fairtrade Fortnight.

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Thriving partnership with acclaimed choir VOCES8 The widely acclaimed professional a cappella group VOCES8 came to St Benedict’s for the third year, to work with the school’s choirs, Abbey choristers and pupils of all ages. Children from 5 local primary schools attended the singing day, which was also run by the St Benedict’s Young Leaders (pupils from Lower 5th to Lower 6th – Years 10, 11 and 12).

The day culminated in a wonderful concert: VOCES8 sang a wide range of music, from Byrd to Duke Ellington, and children aged 9 and 10 gave a dazzling performance of American and British folk songs.

The St Benedict’s Consort Choir sang Stanford’s Beati quorum via and Evening Prayer by the contemporary Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo, and the Ealing Abbey choristers sang Gjeilo’s Ubi Caritas.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

VOCES8 had clearly inspired everyone with their perfectly blended voices, vibrant singing and sense of fun. We look forward to their next visit.

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JUNIOR AND MIDDLE SCHOOL ART EXHIBITION LIGHTS UP THE CLOISTERS

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Artwork by pupils aged 4 to 14 filled the Cloisters for the annual Junior and Middle School Art Exhibition. The standard of work on display was extremely high, and many sources of inspiration lay behind each year group’s collection, including: Paul Klee ‘Shapes and Lines’ cityscapes; ‘Tales of the Riverbank’ – Monet-style collages; Illustrating African stories: acrylic painting on fabric; Henry Moore sculptures, and Cubism. There were also some ingenious clocks, animal masks and beautiful textiles.

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ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

A Jazz Soirée showcased the exceptional talent of pupils and teachers in February, with special guest Trudy Kerr, one of London’s finest jazz vocalists.

Douggie Ashby, Mfon Bassey, Connor Moon and myself were privileged to open the evening, representing the Senior Jazz Ensemble. We began with an arrangement of Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’, followed by ‘Sister Sadie’, and Ellington’s classic ‘Take the A Train’. We thoroughly enjoyed the performance, with our months of practice truly paying off; it was hard to suppress a grin as were applauded off stage.

JAZZ

SOIRÉE A Jazz Soirée showcased the exceptional talent of pupils and teachers in February, with special guest Trudy Kerr, one of London’s finest jazz vocalists.

Matt Gosztony (Upper 6th) writes….

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Douggie Ashby, Mfon Bassey, Conor Moon and myself were privileged to open the evening, representing the Senior Jazz Ensemble. We began with an arrangement of Gershwin’s Summertime, followed by Sister Sadie, and Ellington’s classic Take the A Train. We thoroughly enjoyed the performance, with our months of practice truly paying off; it was hard to suppress a grin as we were applauded off stage.

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The evening continued with brilliant performances from the Junior Jazz Ensemble, featuring Gregor Brindle, Dominic Lopes and Alberto Mascioli, with their mature arrangements of a Stevie Wonder song and some jazz classics. Next, the Jazz Vocal Ensemble, led by Trudy Kerr, performed a piece they had learnt with Trudy in a workshop that afternoon; they performed magnificently with confident, rousing solos from many of the pupils. This was followed by the always popular St Benedict’s Big Band who provided a lively selection of jazz numbers.

The evening was rounded off with an absorbing jazz set from Trudy, accompanied by our visiting instrumental teachers; their phenomenal talent, energy and love for performance shone through the music and was inspiring for many pupils to witness.

PRE-PREP REKINDLE THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON In a workshop led by Perform for Schools, Pre-Prep 2 and 3 (Years 1 and 2) travelled back in time to the Great Fire of London, recreating the sounds, scenes and actions of September 2nd, 1666. They baked cakes in Thomas Farriner’s Pudding Lane bakery, tried to warn him as he forgot to put out the ovens, flickered like flames and panicked like 17th century citizens, burying precious possessions before fleeing for their lives.

The children were completely absorbed in the workshop, which was a perfect way to begin their new topic for the term.

Budding engineers Children in Form 1 (Year 5) were challenged to build shelters fit for Antarctic conditions, in an engineering workshop given by Jeremy King.

As well as teaching some basic principles of engineering, the workshop encouraged vital skills such as teamwork, listening, communication and creative thinking. The children obviously enjoyed Jeremy King’s enthusiastic approach and responded well to the challenges he set.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Using only newspaper, glue and a lot of creative teamwork, everyone managed to construct frameworks capable of holding up to five people. Their second challenge was to develop their shelters as pods for the Halley Research Station, run by the British Antarctic Survey. For this, the teams had to add a door, a window and insulation to their pods, before finding ways of towing and connecting them.

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HARRY POTTER BOOK NIGHT Excited wizards made their way to the St Benedict’s Library for Harry Potter Book Night. The fun began with a grand sorting hat ceremony, which selected each wizard for one of the four Hogwart houses. Everyone then pitted their wizarding-wits in a bumper Harry Potter Quiz. After a break to eat some Muggles food, it was time to judge the costumes – a splendid array of wizarding capes, wands, lightning bolts and the Monster Book of Monsters.

A magical evening concluded with an opportunity for the wizards to display their best artistic skills, drawing and decorating various Potter scenes and house crests.

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St Benedict’s pupils aged 7 to 11 gave a range of outstanding choral and instrumental performances at the Spring Concert. Inspired by the theme of Literature, the programme included 9 different instrumental ensembles and 3 choirs, demonstrating the enthusiasm and musical engagement of our youngest pupils. Some performers had being playing for just 6 months, but had already learnt how to play in time and in tune with other musicians. Others were more advanced, able to negotiate the challenging rhythms and keys of John Williams’ Harry Potter themes.

THE JUNIOR SCHOOL SPRING CONCERT

This excellent concert concluded with a celebration of Roald Dahl, as the choirs sang songs from the film James and the Giant Peach, and the musical, Matilda.

ALIEN

Mime is central to Berkoff’s theatre; there is an emphasis on chorus and ensemble throughout, with moods and ideas being more important than plot. In his vision for theatre, Berkoff said: “Performance must be energetic and exaggerated but capture subtlety and detail; strict choreography must allow for moments of improvisation. The actor and the ensemble are central to the theatre.”

Eden Comins, Katelyn Fouladgar, Dulcie Godfrey, Amelia Hammani, Tanya Michael and Isabella Wingrave certainly rose to Berkoff’s challenge in creating this powerful play.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Lower 6th Drama and Theatre Studies students devised and performed Alien, a play inspired by Steven Berkoff’s Metamorphosis. The play tells the story of Fran, an exemplary student in her first year of A levels – the envy of every girl and the dream of every boy. However, the mask of her perfect life begins to crack when she finds out that she is pregnant.

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AMADEUS The St Benedict’s production of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus – which centres on Antonio Salieri’s encounter with the musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – was a triumph.

The play is a brilliant, complex expression of Salieri’s thoughts and emotions, his war with Mozart and ultimately with God. Matthew Carr’s performance as the embittered court composer was outstanding for its emotional range and depth, and the Cloisters provided a perfect, intimate setting for the confession of his obsessive jealousy.

Robert Renna’s performance as the infantile Mozart was extremely well judged, allowing the audience to believe in the genius behind his bawdy puns and uncourtly behaviour. His giddy wife Constanze was beautifully played by Lydia Hopgood.

The entire cast worked extremely well as an ensemble, combining dramatic intensity with genuinely funny moments. The almost permanent outrage of the court officials (Theo Byrne, Amelia Hammani, Ieuan Beetham), and the foppishness of Emperor Joseph (Rhys Phillips) provided some excellent comedy.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

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Amadeus is a challenging piece and the cast worked seemingly effortlessly to pull off a compelling performance in every respect.

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Salieri’s tortured confession was lightened by his cockney Venticelli – ‘Little Winds’ – as they brought him gossip and sweets (Alice Gedye, Eden Comins, Dulcie Godfrey, Sophie Fitzmaurice).

Head of Drama Ms Ravenscroft said: “I am immensely proud of all the students. Amadeus is a challenging piece and the cast worked seemingly effortlessly to pull off a compelling performance in every respect. The performances from each of our leads were really quite remarkable and reflect the wealth of acting talent that we have at St Benedict’s.”

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ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

ST BENEDICT’S NEW JUNIOR SCHOOL IS AN ECO-FRIENDLY LANDMARK

St Benedict’s celebrated the topping out ceremony of its new junior school building in January, which was attended by the architect, parents, pupils, staff and governors.

The new extension will house the Nursery and Pre-Prep classes for children aged 3 to 7. It will be extremely ecofriendly, built to a set of energy requirements known as ‘Passivhaus’, or ‘Passive House’, a Scandinavian sustainable construction method which maximises energy-efficiency.

There are currently only a handful of schools in the UK built to this standard and St Benedict’s Junior School will be a landmark building for London.

Passivhaus buildings often have timber frames which are extremely air tight and super-insulated, and can be up to 96% more energy efficient than older school buildings made of concrete, steel and masonry. Air quality and temperature inside the new school will be maintained by using heat recovery ventilation – different from conventional heating systems because fresh air from outside passes through a heat exchanger. The air quality inside the building will be better than it is outside, with good oxygen levels to keep the pupils and staff alert.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

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Meryl Townley (architect), Rob Simmons (Junior School Head), Abbot Martin Shipperlee, Andrew Johnson (Headmaster), with 2 of the school’s youngest pupils

The new classroom spaces will be inspiring places for the pupils to learn...

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All of the classrooms will be south facing for good natural light and will enjoy fantastic views across to Ealing Abbey.

Architect Meryl Townley, of van Heyningen and Haward Architects, said: “We are excited to see the new school take shape. The new classroom spaces will be inspiring places for the pupils to learn, in a super sustainable building with minimal running costs.”

THE NEW CHAPEL IS UNVEILED – ON ST BENEDICT’S DAY

The Dedication was attended by the Mayor of Ealing Cllr Dr Patricia Walker, and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Ealing Richard Kornicki Esq CBE DL. People who had been involved in the chapel’s design and construction were present: Sophie D’Souza (the artist who had made the stained glass window, designed by a pupil); Lachlan McDonald (Structural Engineer), and Bruno Ormsby (Interior Furnisher). Fr Alexander Bevan (school chaplain), the Headmaster Andrew Johnson, Junior School Headmaster Rob Simmons and governors Brian Taylor and Chris Field also attended. The Consort Choir sang Bruckner’s Locus Iste and Mozart’s Ave Verum.

Rt Rev John Wilson, Andrew Johnson and Dr Patricia Walker

Bishop Wilson said: “The spirit of St Benedict infuses the life of this prestigious school. May this new chapel inspire the young people at St Benedict’s with the faith, peace and holiness of their patron, our Holy Father St Benedict.”

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

St Benedict’s new chapel was opened on St Benedict’s Day, March 21st. The Dedication of the Chapel of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus was conducted by the Rt Rev John Wilson, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and Titular Bishop of Lindesfarne, who was also the Principal Celebrant at the whole school Mass in honour of St Benedict, in the Abbey Church.

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ST BENEDICT’S DAY ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

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St Benedict’s Day, on March 21st, was celebrated throughout the school, beginning with a Mass in the Abbey Church.

Pupils ran an assortment of games and activities, including abseiling, Nerf gun shooting, and face painting, and stalls selling books, sweets, cakes and candyfloss. Money was raised for this year’s charities: Acton Homeless Concern, The Passage (helping London’s homeless), Colegio San Benito in Guatemala, and Hosannah House and Children’s Pilgrimage Trust, which helps 1,000 disabled and disadvantaged children to visit Lourdes every Easter.

PARENTS’ DINING EVENING Over 100 parents went back to school at St Benedict’s – for dinner.

A special Parents’ Dining Evening was held in response to comments about the food in a recent parental survey.

Parents formed an orderly queue and enjoyed the novelty of experiencing school dinners once more – lining up with trays, sitting at long tables and making the agonising choice between plum crumble and custard or fresh fruit. The menu was exactly the same as on a typical school day – the only difference was that wine was served, in recognition of the courage it takes to come back to school for dinner!

An information sheet provided a number of facts about the food at St Benedict’s: salt is never added at any stage; oats (brain food) are added at every opportunity; oily fish is on the menu at least once a week, to provide Omega-3; super seeds and fresh herbs are frequently used, and fresh fruit and homemade yogurt are always available as an alternative to more indulgent puddings.

Here are some reviews from St Benedict’s parents:

The Headmaster, Andrew Johnson, said: “We were delighted to have this opportunity to demonstrate to parents the quality of the food we provide for their children.”

“The last time I ate a school dinner O levels were the musthave exam currency (ie a long time ago) and the food was truly awful, so it was with interest and trepidation that I accepted Mr Johnson’s invitation to try out the new St Benedict’s school dinners! In short it was delicious. (For the record I had Red Thai chicken followed by a plum crumble.) Parents were variously trying other options including the pasta dish, vegetarian options, soup, a variety of puddings and the salad bar. The consensus seemed to be that the food was good as well as more varied than expected.”

“It was a great opportunity to get an insight into a part of the children’s lives that we don’t normally get a chance to experience.

We tried the curry which I would encourage my boys to try and were especially impressed with the homemade yogurts. It’s amazing how the quality of food has improved since my school days!”

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STEPPING STONES

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Over 180 junior and senior school dancers, aged 5 to 17, performed in Stepping Stones – a dance production of journey and discovery. The itinerary included a trip to the jungle, outer space, Narnia and Wonderland, as well as a graceful gallop through dance cultures across the world and dance styles through the ages. We were delighted that the Mayor of Ealing, Councillor Dr Patricia Walker, could attend; proceeds from ticket sales were donated to her chosen charity, Acton Homeless Concern.

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ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

ST BENEDICT’S

JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORT NETBALL At the Netball U10s High Five Tournament the St Benedict’s team were the Pool B winners.

The girls made a good start at the St Benedict’s U11 Netball Tournament, winning their first 3 matches, and coming 4th overall out of 10 schools.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

SWIMMING

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Hard work in training by the St Benedict’s Junior School Swimming squad paid off with two impressive results: boys from Lower Prep to Form 2 (Years 3 to 6) had a convincing win against University College School and our mixed squad drew against Ibstock School.

RUGBY The U11s have had great success against schools such as Belmont, Hampton Prep, Claire’s Court and Haberdashers’ Aske’s, and the term will finish with the Rosslyn Park National School Sevens Competition.

The U10s have recorded victories over Claire’s Court, Belmont Haberdashers’ and St Columba’s, showing great promise for the next year. The U9s have made a great start to their competitive rugby at St Benedict’s by taking part in the St Columba’s Festival, the St John’s Beaumont Festival and the Bill Sharrock Cup.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

At the St Benedict’s U11 Rugby 7s Tournament the Junior School squads had an excellent day of fast, exciting rugby, demonstrating their skills and passion in some very competitive games.

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ST BENEDICT’S

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

SENIOR SCHOOL SPORT

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FENCING There has been a record number of fencing victories and medals this term.

Over 100 fencers have represented the school in fixtures, regional, national and international competitions, with Douggie Ashby (Lower 6th/Year 12) representing Team GB at the European Championships. At the London Youth Championships St Benedict’s fencers won 2 Gold and 6 Bronze medals, with 9 pupils qualifying for the National Championships. In March, our fencers won the prestigious St Paul’s Quad Tournament, winning 22 out of 36 matches and finishing ahead of St Paul’s, KCS Wimbledon and Epsom College.

Douggie Ashby

RUGBY It has been a successful 7s season, with the 1st VII reaching the quarter finals at Windsor, the semi finals of the Middlesex Cup and winning the Seaford 7s Shield Competition after an exciting 12-5 win against the hosts in the final. The U14s won the Merchant Taylors’ Cup, defeating St Paul’s 42-0 and won the Cedars invitational tournament. Still to come this term are the Surrey 7s (U18s), Berkhampstead 7s (U13s), QE Barnet (U14s & U16s) and the Rosslyn Park National Schools 7s – competitive, exciting tournaments with some of the best 7s teams in the country.

Meanwhile, 11 pupils are involved in the London Irish Developing Players Programme, with Luke DeCosta and Ben Page representing the Academy team in the U15 age group.

HOCKEY

ATHLETICS Louis Clow (Upper 4th/Year 9) competed in the English Indoor Championships in Sheffield, and came 2nd/3rd in his heat in an inconclusive photo finish. In the final he ran 9.23s in the 60m Hurdles, and came in 7th in the country.

U12 & U13 Netball squads

NETBALL Senior School Netball has gone from strength to strength this season, and the girls have played some challenging fixtures. The girls have worked hard to develop their tactics and strategy and demonstrated determination and commitment.

The U14 teams were virtually undefeated and we wish them luck in their final London Youth Games selection.

In the Seaford Sports Festival our 1st VII girls were put through their paces with some nail-bitingly close games. Outstanding effort was rewarded with commendable wins for most teams – both the U13s & U12s won for the first time in several years. Mfon Bassey (Upper 5th/Year 11) was awarded the Player of the Tournament trophy, selected by umpires and coaches from over 100 other players.

Finally, the U16 team finished 5th in the Middlesex Cup Finals at Highgate School, with Molly Bish, Annabel Samols and Izzy Pye declared Players of the Tournament.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Boys’ Hockey at St Benedict’s has grown this year with more boys in the U18s, U14s, U12s and Junior School squads. For the first time the U18 boys entered the England Hockey School Boys’ Cup, and played through to the Plate final. The U16s and U14s gained valuable experience from their Middlesex Tournaments. The boys have yet to play in the London County tournament, while the U13 and U12 Girls’ Hockey teams finished 5th out of 14 teams. The Boys’ U11s won the plate competition at the UCS tournament with some great play by Alex Le Boudec. Finally, congratulations to Alexander Curtis on being selected to play in the USA’s U18 National team!

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SCIENCE FAIR Identifying ions using flame colours

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

How quickly are different foods broken down by the hydrochloric acid in your stomach?

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The Science Labs buzzed with scientific discovery in British Science Week as all pupils in Lower 4th (Year 8) presented their fascinating projects at the Science Fair. Hundreds of young visitors, from the Junior School, local primary schools and Form 3 (Year 7) quizzed them about their experiments, which covered many areas of science, maths and engineering.

Amounts of boric acid making slime

DEVELOPMENT OFFICE NEWS We are nearly there!

Together we have raised £75,000 towards our target of £100,000 for the new and improved Orchard Hall. Many thanks to all our parents and Old Priorians who have generously supported our Annual Giving programme so far. All gifts, no matter what size, are appreciated and truly make a difference.

Welcome back!

We are always delighted to welcome Old Priorians to St Benedict’s.

This term has seen visits from Edd Conway (OP 05), Andre De Moller (OP 59), Michael George (OP 03), Michael Henderson (OP 56), William Lunn (OP 00) and Rob Malengreau (OP 07).

We have enjoyed hosting a number of key events this term including our School Dining Evening and annual Jazz Soirée, in support of the Orchard Hall. Thank you to all those who have helped make these evenings a success.

As we reach the final phase of our first Annual Giving programme at St Benedict’s please help us to reach our target and consider making a gift.

Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Easter from the Development Office.

Andrew Johnson & Michael George (OP 03)

Tara George – Development Director

Old Priorian Mentoring and Networking programme This term we hosted the first Old Priorian Mentoring and Networking seminar.

The evening gave pupils from the Upper 5th and Sixth Form the opportunity to meet six OPs who have established careers in Law, Finance, Private Equity, Technology, Business and Engineering.

Head of Careers, Mrs Sally Hopgood, commented: “The evening was a great success. It was truly inspirational for our students to hear, first-hand from alumni, about what can be achieved with resilience, commitment and tenacity.”

Marcin Scicinski (Upper 6th) said: “It was particularly useful to have advice from people not much older than ourselves on the next steps into universities and professions.”

The next Mentoring and Networking evening will be in June.

Andrew Johnson & Michael Henderson (OP 56)

Andre De Moller

Thank you to Andre De Moller, who gave a Philosophy talk and Art masterclass for our Upper 6th students, and generously donated three of his most recent paintings to the Art Department.

Annual Jazz Soirée We were delighted to collaborate with the Music Department to host this year’s hugely successful Jazz Soirée, which raised over £900 in support of the Orchard Hall renovation. We would like to thank Trudy Kerr for her jazz singing workshops and performance, and we are also grateful to the St Benedict’s family who generously provided some of the evening’s delicious Italian food.

(See page 10 for further details.)

Forthcoming events: May: St Benedict’s Society of Parents and

Friends Bollywood Night.

CCF Bonding Boot Camp June: OPA & Parents Golf Day.

OPA Mentoring & Networking evening

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

The St Benedict’s War Memorial Fund Shaun Hullis (Head of Classics) gave a fascinating lecture on ‘Operation Benedict’.

This was a secret RAF mission to prevent the Russian port of Murmansk from being over-run by German forces in 1941. The lecture featured interviews with one of the last remaining survivors of the mission, Mr Tim Elkington, whose grandchildren are current pupils at St Benedict’s. The lecture raised over £800 towards the War Memorial Fund.

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