College Life December 2021 - St Edmund's College

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COLLEGE LIFE The newsletter of St Edmund's College | December 2021

Headmaster's Welcome Welcome to the December edition of College Life.

Click on Mr Mostyn's photo for a personal introduction, and then browse to your heart’s content!

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Headmaster's Book Students that have produced outstanding work or have had a remarkable personal achievement are recognised by being selected to sign the Headmaster's Book.

Congratulations to the following students for signing the Headmaster's Book during this first half term.

English Francis Davis English Megan Crook English Airon White English Marcus Knowles English Isaac Francis English Megan Stringer Language Leader Lara Yagudaev Art Charlotte Ward English Cosimo Cavaleri Religious Education Cosimo Cavaleri English Peter Quarcoo Cambridge C1 Examination Gabriel Lo Ratchakrit Otanawatakit Cambridge C1 Examination Red Wednesday Documentary Ellis Kontkowski Geography Alasdair Hunt Geography Amber Davies Performance Gym Mural Oliver Welsby Performance Gym Mural Oscar Blake English Nina Bayford English Giorgia Buraglio Edmundian Spirit Anishka Ramraj Edmundian Spirit Louise Parker Science Isaac Francis Language Leader James Brookman Latin Megan Crook Bethany Curtis-Copeland Charitable activity English Marley Cooper Jessica Bowley Effort in Maths

Marley Cooper

English Literature Essay

Ruairi Mullan

Comparison of soliloquys in English

Charlotte Bates

Geography project

Anabelle Gaskin

Geography project

St Edmund's Day We were delighted to celebrate St Edmund's Day with our students. Following a whole school Mass on Tuesday 16th November, our students were able to take part in various exciting activities to celebrate the day. Students took part in Trestle Drama activities, Cinema, Bowling and Arcade trips, Rhetoric trips to Cambridge and a fantastic film-school activity!

One Day Film School

Students took part in the One Day Film School. With guidance from Young Film Academy facilitators, pupils learned the essentials of filmmaking: Film History, Screenwriting, Editing, Camera, Fight Choreography - then worked in groups to make short films for screening at the end of the day.

The 10 Shot Challenge is the ultimate test of teamwork and creativity: each group must script, shoot and edit a silent short film based on a classic narrative (e.g. 'Someone on the run, maybe innocent, being chased) in just ninety minutes.

The Oscars ceremony was the day's highlight: pupils introduced their films - just like at the Cannes Film Festival - then premiered their mini-masterpieces on the big screen. The judging panel (Young Film Academy experts) deliberated who should receive the Best Picture Oscar, presented by VIP judge Mr Mostyn.

Young Film Academy, which runs the One Day Film School in 150+ schools each year, was hugely impressed by the talent on display at St Edmund's. Congratulations to the filmmakers, who could be cinema stars of the future!

onedayfilmschool.com | @1DayFilmSchool | @onedayfilmschool

Remembrance Day This year, we were able to mark Remembrance Day in person with the Edmundian community. Our students and staff paid tribute beautifully through the whole school Mass and the poppies displayed outside the Chapel from Art and Design.

To hear the Last Post, click on the image.

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Festive Gin Created this Christmas with the Friends Committee for St Edmund’s College and Prep!

This juniper-forward gin features traditional gin botanicals, with festive flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and douglas fir, capturing the essence of Christmas and the Edmundian spirit.

Even better, the Friends of St Edmund’s receive a contribution for every bottle sold.

Click below to purchase a bottle through the Spirit of Hertfordshire website.

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ON #REDWEDNESDAY WE PRESENTED

1984

Nineteen-eighty-four SENIOR DRAMA PRODUCTION

1984 ‘1984’ is a gripping story of one man’s struggle to maintain his grasp on objective reality, in the face of a shadowy authoritarian regime. Winston Smith is a lowranking member of the ruling Party of Airstrip One, once called London. He lives under constant surveillance, with the knowledge that any wrong move could betray him to the Thought Police. Nonetheless, Winston cannot shake his troubled thoughts: his concerns over the Party’s manipulation and control of language, history and individual freedom. He engages in an illicit love affair with a co-worker, Julia, and his hatred for the Party grows ever-more intense. As the story moves inexorably towards its only possible conclusion, Winston and Julia become embroiled in an ever more dangerous world of subterfuge and rebellion. Will Winston hold on to his ideals and remain loyal to Julia?

Words By Jilly Colbran

CAST WINSTON OLIVER WELSBY JULIA HONEYSUCKLE PLUMMER O’BRIAN GRACE KING CHARRINGTON ESTHER BURTON SYME/GUARD RUAIRI MULLAN PARSONS FIONN O’TOOLE NARRATOR KATIE SCOTT SINGER ELLISSE ALEXANDER PUB PROLE CAITLIN BRETT AMPLEFORTH ALEXANDER CHOTIROS WHITESHIRT EMMA CHURCH PHYSICAL WOMAN NICOLE ENGLISHBY PROLE SIENNA FREEMAN GUARD ABIGAIL HALLAM PRISONER ELOISE LUKE WHITESHIRT NANCY MCEWAN PRISONER VALENTINA MONCASTER PROLE MICHELLE NICHOLSON PROLE/SERVER RAE-LEI PRINCE PROLE JACK SHERLOCK PRISONER DAREEN TUNGUSHBAEVA MRS PARSONS GRACE WARBURTON BARMAN JAN WROBEL COMPUTER BETHANY CURTIS-COPELAND PROLE/PRISONER LINDSEY NEASTER WHITESHIRT JAKE BERRY GUARD MATTHIAS KREUTER CHILD BENJAMIN KEOGH CHILD REID FOLEY CHILD LUCIA COBOS PARDINA CHILD GEORGINA CHURCH

CREW SOUND COMPOSITION & DIRECTION MARLEY COOPER TECHNICAL DIRECTOR JOSHUA CROOK STAGE MANAGER JAKE MACKAILL ARTISTIC SET DESIGN OLIVER WELSBY, JODIE BAILEY-HO TECHNICAL SUPPORT JASON HOUNSELL DIRECTON AND ADAPTATION NICOLA SCHIFF

SUPPORT CREW/BACKSTAGE NEIL BASIN BERTRAND AUDIBERT MARCUS SILVA-KIRSAKYE ALEXANDRA DEGANI FRENEL

COSTUME AND MAKEUP SOPHIA GARDEZI YASMIN ANDREWS MUINGA GINGA HEZIL KARA POPPY BURGES MAISIE CHAPMAN

AGGIE CARR RAE FOLEY DIAZ DURAND GEORGIA SUMMERS MAHA CHOUDHARY

FILM AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT ELLIS KONTKOWSKI FOH AND FILM JOSEPH BURKE, SHYANNE ASANTE, MARTINA GIORDANO

BEHIND THE SCENES

BEHIND THE SCENES

Sport What a fantastic half term for Sport! We had 124 fixtures scheduled for this term (61 boys fixtures and 63 girls fixtures). Fortunately, we only had a handful cancelled, which was often due to opposition withdrawals because of the pandemic impact.

Mr Kelly, Director of Sport

We have significantly increased sporting activity during the College week with the revamped Period 7 Sports Activity programme, and we continue to see our students developing and improving in their lessons.

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Highlight of the half term

The new St Edmund's College Performance Gym was officially opened on the 25th of November by Mr Mostyn. It was a collaborative project between the Sports and Art department with Mrs Applegate (Head of Art), Oscar B and Oliver W (both Rhetoric II), given the opportunity to create an inspiring training environment for our future sporting stars. Click below to watch a time-lapse video of the gym's creation!

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Sport

Miss Hebdon, Head of Girls' Games and Pole House Mistress

It has been great to have our first competitive term back up and running for hockey in what feels like a long time. We did lose one Saturday block fixture due to the weather but over the course of the term, we have played an impressive 55 hockey matches. It has been excellent to see all these teams representing the College with pride, commitment and within the spirit of the game regardless of the result. The College has seen some impressive victories, alongside heavy defeats. Nevertheless, every student has commended the opposition at the final whistle in true Edmundian style.

The introduction of Period 7 training sessions has allowed all our teams to continue training outside of their Games lessons; this has been valuable to the progression we have seen this term. Some notable performances include wins against Dame Alice Owens, where the U15A dominated play to secure a 3-0 victory. However, the younger players in the school weren’t to be outclassed as the U14A also won 2-1, and both the U13A and U12A teams scored 5 goals in each of their matches to secure the win. We also visited Bishop Stortford College, where the U12A had an impressive game, winning 8-2 alongside the 1st XV, who had an end to end battle securing a 3-2 win. We have also been able to see the U12 and U13 B and C teams in action, which has given all students the opportunity to represent the College. Bancrofts, Forest and Chigwell also provide for a quality fixture, and this term was no different. With end to end games being witnessed, every game was always down the wire as to which team would secure the win. The U12As had an impressive goal tally this season, scoring 25 goals, followed by the U15s, who scored 15 goals. Well played to everyone this term.

During the hockey season, the girls have also been participating in cup competitions. The county netball cup has been an exciting competition this year. The U13s were unfortunate to be knocked out at the quarter-final stage after battling hard in a competitive game against St Albans High School for Girls. The senior team have made the semi-finals, having beaten St Albans School and received a BYE earlier in the competition. The U15s have had their first-round match postponed and will play this after Christmas.

In the Girls County Cup football competition, the U16 were successful against John Henry Newman on penalties after drawing at full time 2-2. They faced Presdales in the quarter-finals but sadly lost what was a great end to end game.

We look forward to more fixtures and success in the Lent term.

The William Lang Cup

Mr Cunnah, Head of Boys' Games and Challoner House Master

Rugby Tournament

Saturday 4th December 2021 saw the inaugural William Lang Memorial Tournament at St Edmund’s College. The day started with Mr Cunnah emphasising the purpose of the day was for all participants to have fun and to play the game with a smile on their face and enjoy the day, in memory of William and the way he played the game and carried himself on the rugby field. It was clear to see from all spectators that this expectation was met by all involved, including players, coaches, referees and those spectating on the sidelines. The tournament began with two groups, all playing a round-robin.

The top two from each group went through to the Cup knockouts; these were SEC A, Hitchin A, SEC B and Lochinverhouse. Third and Fourth from each group went through to the Plate Knockouts; these were Hitchin B, Watford Grammar, Simon Balle and John Warner.

Watford Grammar eventually went on to beat Hitchin B in the plate final. The Cup Final was played between SEC A and Lochinverhouse, in what was the game of the

tournament with both teams determined to finish the tournament as victors. It would be Lochinverhouse to score first, identifying space out wide after many phases keeping the ball tight to suck in the St Ed’s defence. The score would remain at 5-0 going into half-time. St Ed’s came out at the start of the second half clearly up for the challenge of turning the game around. This was clear to see when a relentless defensive set pushed Lochinverhouse onto their own try line, eventually forcing them to kick. However, the kick was charged down by Bradley Moran and subsequently touched down to level the score. This led to St Ed’s dominating possession for the rest of the half, and they eventually took the lead through a try from Ruben Bishop. Captain James Devonald Smith led the defence, putting constant pressure on Lochinverhouse and making dominant tackles. On the other side of the ball, Ruben Bishop and Bradley Moran showed their strength and speed carrying the ball through the Lochinverhouse defence, assisted by Casey Radzan, Caspar Daniels and Olly Gilmartin showing his speed and footwork. St Edmund’s saw out the rest of the game to win 10-5, Lochinverhouse tried everything they could to break down the defence, but they remained strong and determined to see out the victory and finish Rugby Tournament Winners the day as tournament winners.

Christmas Reads Mrs Tyne, College Librarian, and Mrs Noble, Assistant Head Academic, bring to you recommendations for Christmas Reads for age 8+, 10+ and 12+.

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Fireworks On Saturday 6th November, the Friends of St Edmund's hosted Fireworks night! The evening was filled with food, music and of course, a fantastic fireworks display. It was wonderful to see so many families join us for the event.

Music Welcome to the Musical section of College Life. It has been a wonderful return to singing, ensembles, faceto-face lessons and performances. While the video recitals, online orchestra, Carol Service film and so on were all tremendous, we are delighted to be back and hope you will enjoy seeing and hearing some highlights of last term.

- Mr Woodhall, Director of Music

Senior Recital

The Senior Recital featured performances from pupils in Poetry and Rhetoric, and each was outstanding. Gabriel Lo in Rhetoric I was particularly notable as he played the Marimba. If you are unfamiliar with this glorious instrument, it is like a large xylophone and has a warm, rich sound. Lessons are available – contact Mr Woodhall for more information.

House Song

As part of the Mission events, there was a House Song competition. Each house prepared a worship song or hymn and performed for the parents and guests at the evening event. The standard was exceptionally high, and Mrs Salter-Kay (the former Director of Music at the College) had a very difficult job of choosing a winner. It was Douglass who emerged victorious with their rendition of ‘Blinded by Your Grace’ by Stormzy; however, she and the Mission team all commented on what a close competition it was.

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Music GCSE Recital

On Wednesday 3rd of November, all the pupils studying GCSE Music performed in an evening recital for their friends and families. The standard was absolutely exceptional, and several pupils played pieces which would be demanding of A Level musicians. Three pianists were particularly notable; Lenny, who played the Third Movement of Beethoven’s Pathatique Sonata, Alex, who played Clair de Lune by Debussy and finally Raiden, who gave an astonishing rendition of another Beethoven piece, the hugely demanding 3rd Movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.

St Edmund's Day

St Edmund’s Day and St Edmund’s Sunday are some of the most important celebrations in the School year. The Schola Cantorum led the sung worship at this service and sang a superb piece called ‘Jubilate’ as an offertory anthem as well as a beautiful ‘Ave Maria’, which they sang during communion. Both pieces are by Philip Stopford. Mr Woodhall himself wrote a responsorial Psalm for the occasion. It was wonderful to hear the congregation singing at both services.

Come and Sing Sunday

To celebrate the first Sunday of Advent, a choir of parents, staff and pupils formed and sang ‘This is the Truth Sent from Above’ as well as other traditional Advent hymns at Mass.

Music Carol Service

I was delighted that the College Carol Service went ahead ‘in person’ and that despite wearing masks, the student body sang with gusto. The Schola Cantorum were magnificent, and the three sections were each superb; the Juniors directed by Mrs Colligan sang beautifully, the Middle Years sang two challenging modern pieces brilliantly, and the Seniors were absolutely outstanding. When they combined for the ‘Christmas Blessing’ and the Carols, the sound was amazing. I am very grateful to the small group of staff and former pupils, led by Mrs Noble, who formed to be the second choir in Britten ‘Hymn to the Virgin’, which was stunning. A huge thanks to Mr Benham for his outstanding organ playing as well as to Mrs King and Mr Veasey for all their help.

Christmas Fun

As the Senior Citizens’ Party could not go ahead, the Orchestra and Jazz band have recorded this festive video. We hope you enjoy it!

A huge thanks to all the pupils who have sung and played in the many events this term.

Wishing you and your families a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year.

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CCF This half term we were excited to celebrate the CCF'S 104th Foundation Anniversary Dinner!

Religious Life

By Mrs Peirce

November is the month especially set aside by the Catholic Church where we pray for those who have died. Students were given the opportunity to write down the names of those they wished to be especially remembered. The names were then placed on the High Altar and remembered during Mass.

On the feast of All Souls, we held our annual blessing of the graves service in the graveyard near the chapel. A number of students attended this rather poignant ceremony where we reflected on God’s love and eternal life before Fr Peter blessed the graves.

Cop26

Cop26 reminded us of our responsibility to care for our common home. The Faith in Action group produced a display on the problems of climate change and our responsibility as stewards of God’s creation. Each student was given a prayer card with the Cop26 prayer on it for them to use in their tutor group prayer time.

Remembrance Day

The CCF and Fr Peter led us in our annual Remembrance Service, where we remembered all those who had died as a result of conflict and prayed for just and peaceful solutions. The most moving part was when the names were read out of all the Old Boys who had died in conflict.

St Edmund's Day

Preparations for St Edmund’s day begin with the Triduum. The whole College gathered in Chapel for 3 consecutive mornings in order to reflect on the life of St Edmund of Abingdon and sing a decade of one of our college hymns O Beate Mi Edmunde.

On the Feast day itself, we were joined by Rt Rev Dom Geoffrey Scott OSB who was the Principal Celebrant for the Mass. He gave an excellent sermon on the values of St Edmund and provided lots of food for thought. The Schola Cantorum and altar servers did a splendid job, and it was a very special day for all concerned.

Religious Life Red Wednesday

Red Wednesday took place on the 24th November. The students all watched a film from Aid to the Church in need which looked at different countries where people were experiencing persecution for their faith. Each student then decorated a foot with messages of support or a prayer for persecuted Christians. These feet were then placed from the entrance to the College to the Red Wednesday display in the Ambulacrum and then on to the chapel stopping at the foot of the altar. This year we also had a film put together by Ellis Kontkowski in which he interviewed various staff and students about Red Wednesday and their feelings about religious persecution. In the evening, the drama department put on the play 1984, looking at the danger which arises when freedom of expression is crushed.

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Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (BC) continues to take place each Friday lunchtime; it is wonderful to see staff and students of all ages take a few minutes out of their lunchbreak to come and pray.

Religious Life The Traidcraft Stall

The Traidcraft stall continues to go from strength to strength with a willing army of volunteers serving students as quickly as possible. Our bestseller this term has been Jelly Beans!

The Oscar Romero Award

I am delighted to announce that we have been awarded the Oscar Romero Award at Participator level. It is in recognition of the College’s commitment to social justice in its policies, curriculum and outreach. In the months ahead, we will be working towards the next level of the Award as we ensure that We continue to develop an image that shows and identifies with the Church’s Call of “preferential option for the poor”.

Faith in Action

Faith in Action continues to meet regularly, and students are writing cards for the senior citizens to be given to them at Christmas. Our annual Christmas party for the elderly had to be cancelled due to the COVID situation. Although this was very disappointing, the wonderful gifts brought in by the students were delivered to those who would have attended.

Immaculate Conception

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the College gathered together for Mass. Fr Peter commissioned Ministers of Holy Communion for the year ahead.

College Production 2022

Based on the true story of conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton, played by Jessie Roberts and Katie Scott, who became stars during the Depression. Sideshow is a moving portrait of two women joined at the hip whose extraordinary bond brings them fame but denies them love. The show follows their progression from England to America, around the Vaudeville circuit and to Hollywood on the eve of their appearance in the 1932 movie Freaks.

Cast Beyzade Aaron Burton Anna Lynch Qmarlah Luke Joshua Woolfe Rosie Prince Rae-Lei Alexander Ellisse Luke Eloise Tungushbaeva Dareen Plummer Honeysuckle King Grace Welsby Oliver Mullan Ruairi Bates Charlotte

Roberts Jessie Woolfe Lilymai Cooper Marley Scott Katherine Perring Sonny Mutzig Louis Halliday Ava James Amelia McAllister Henry Nelson Zahara Davis Theodora Hurley Reece Sayer Alfred Webster Pippa Cooper Gala Gaskin Annabelle

Delaney Jasper Handscomb Ruby Chick Edmund Field Siena Barnes Emily Edwards-Amor Leah Munson Ella Scott Cornelia Skeggs Constance Brown Lily Wright Phoebe Harris Lucy Hendley Olivia Jordan Zak Mackaill Josh

Geography A Level Fieldtrip At the beginning of the Michaelmas term, Rhetoric II geographers were fortunate enough to visit the Cranedale Centre in Yorkshire as part of their ALevel NEA fieldwork which makes up 20% of the final A Level grade. It was a very busy four days combining both physical and human aspects of geography, but despite the early mornings and working late into the evening, the trip gave us an unforgettable and educational experience. We each left the centre with new skills (including different data collection techniques), invaluable knowledge, and unique facts about the location to add to our studies.

During our trip, we studied water and carbon cycles in an open field compared to an afforested area.

Measuring infiltration rates required hammering a tube into the ground- a task that was a lot harder than the guide made it look! This was followed by a lesson before and after dinner in which the techniques used that day were explained and analysed. We looked closely at coastal landscapes along the Holderness coastline (a high energy rocky coastline made up of chalk cliffs) and evaluated coastal management strategies in towns such as Skipsea and Hornsea. This area is one of Europe's fastest eroding coastlines (the average annual rate of erosion is around 2 metres per year), and in Skipsea, we saw first-hand the devastating effects that coastal erosion can have on these fragile communities. We also visited Scarborough, a unique and beautiful seaside town with a dynamic culture, where we studied the importance of Art and Literature within the concept of place. This was a day of human geography which involved observing the people, buildings, artwork and a variety of restaurants.

It was fascinating to learn so much in such a beautiful environment whilst at the same time developing our fieldwork skills.

- Rhetoric II Geographers

Geography An Evening with Simon Reeve Rhetoric Geographers had the pleasure of going to listen to a talk by Simon Reeve, well-known for his incredible world voyages and marvellous life stories. The Barbican was an impressive place for the talk to be held in and before the event had started, I could already hear excited whispers about when he would be arriving on stage. His talk was very engaging and consisted of videos and photos of his travels (some of which had never been shown to the public!) along with stories and extracts from his most recent book ‘Journeys to Impossible Places.’ He spoke to us about stories of tribes, violence, inspiring communities he learned from, and so much more. We even got to ask him our burning geographical and life questions before the night was over. We learnt about Simon Reeve’s lesser-known, darker past concerning crime and found out that he was close to ending his life at one very low point in his life. From these stories, we can be inspired and learn that we should never give up hope, even on our worst days. Simon Reeve is a key example of someone who has turned his life around, going from stealing Kinder Eggs to becoming a famous person who others aspire to be like. I came out of his talk with an improved understanding of what life is like in different communities and an increased appreciation of the lengths that Simon Reeve is willing to go to in order to engage and educate the world. It’s safe to say we learnt just as much about Simon Reeve the man as we did about Simon Reeve the geographer.

- Amber Davies, Rhetoric 1

An Inside View - 2011 Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami and New Zealand Earthquakes With David Lang, Head of Claims, Lloyd's Corporation.

Syntax, Poetry and Rhetoric Geographers who showed curiosity for Geography this term and achieved well, were invited to a talk to learn more about the Japanese and New Zealand earthquakes in 2011. Mr Lang’s experiences in these natural disasters in his role as Head of Claims for Lloyd’s Corporation were fascinating and thoughtprovoking. As well as learning far beyond the expectations of the GCSE and A Level curriculum, the students also gained valuable knowledge to make synoptic links between their examination topics and case studies.

Fun Run! Thank you for all for taking part in the annual Santa Fun Run led by Mr Cunnah!

This year we were raising money for Keech Hospice Charity Fundraiser!

Congratulations, Keira!

Congratulations to Keira (Poetry) for being selected for the England ISFA U16 National Squad.

Well done for your first win with the team, and best of luck with your upcoming training camps!

Captured at the College Our staff and students take wonderful photos of St Edmund's College. Below, we share a few of our favourites.

Thank you to Mr Hull for capturing the above photos.

Merry Christmas!

Stay Connected We hope that you enjoyed the December edition of College Life. If you would like to be featured in our next half term edition, please do email your stories or achievements to pcollison@stedmundscollege.org.

You can also stay connected with us by following us on our social media platforms:

@stedmundscollegeandprep

@stedmundscollegeandprep

@stedmundsware

Please also visit our website at stedmundscollege.org to stay up to date with the latest news and events.

We wish you a restful Christmas break and look forward to bringing you the next edition of College Life in February.

Avita Pro Fide!