College Life - October 2021

Digital

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

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

Please click on Matthew Mostyn, Headmaster, for a more personal welcome message, 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 half term.

Daisy Lo

The Cambridge Certificate

Isabelle Lai

Signed three times for The Cambridge Certificate, Contribution to House Song and Altar Serving

Aiden Shin

The Cambridge Certificate

Shin Arikura

The Cambridge Certificate

Lydia George

English

Mingxuan Song

DT

Peter Quarcoo

Religious Education

Rosie Woolfe

English

Ivayla Rusinova

Altar Serving

Yelyzaveta Lytvynska

Altar Serving

Anthony Hadji-Hannas

Altar Serving

Matthew Wu

Altar Serving

Ellis Kontkowski

Altar Serving

Matthias Kreuter

Altar Serving

Helen Zhou

Altar Serving

Sofia Velazquez Bonilla

Altar Serving

Julia Alber

Altar Serving

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 half term.

Megan Crook

Drama Monologue

Gala Cooper

English

Cosimo Cavaleri

English

Sophia Nugara

English

Nashe Tafangombe English (Jayden)

Visit from the Cardinal We were delighted to welcome His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols, our President, on Wednesday 29th September to celebrate the 453rd anniversary of our founding in Douai, France.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols led a whole-school Mass in our Pugin Chapel, meeting many of our students from both the Prep and the College before joining us to unveil the portrait created to commemorate the visit.

Following the Mass, at afternoon tea, the Cardinal unveiled a new portrait which is to be hung with other portraits of our Presidents. The Cardinal is currently the 25th President of the College.

Mr Matthew Mostyn, Headmaster, commented: ‘‘It was a joy to welcome our President, His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols, to the College. That he was willing and able to find time in his very busy schedule to say Mass for us, spend time with us, and to meet with so many pupils of all ages, was enormously appreciated, and we look forward to welcoming him back again soon.”

Musical Theatre Programme To focus my skills to build a competitive and bespoke musical theatre programme is the perfect fit for me; I am so passionate about my new role as Head of Musical Theatre. I am proud to share my skills and experience in theatre and business to shape the lives of future industry professionals, inspiring confidence and entrepreneurial tenacity across all career choices. The level of talent at St Edmunds College is inspiring; I take so much pride in providing new and exciting opportunities for all of our exceptional students.

St Edmunds is expanding! A professional Musical Theatre Programme offering training in Singing, Acting, Jazz, Tap and Ballet.

The team of teachers across all disciplines are from the highest level of the industry, West End to The Royal Ballet, put together to inspire the students to work at the highest, professional level.

Follow the MT Instagram!

Students who join the MT Program have access to song, group and 1:1, dance and acting (LAMDA). Students will perform in musical theatre showcase throughout the year, presenting their skills and progress to family, friends, and industry professionals. Each young performer will have the chance to shine! The traditional College Production, the highlight of the year! Another opportunity for our young talent to experience a full production process, from the rehearsal room to the stage.

Whether it is classical ballet, lyrical jazz, musical theatre, contemporary or tap, for fitness or fun, professional or hobby, St Edmunds now boasts the platform to offer our students the opportunity to have fun and thrive in theatre!

About Mr Veasey Mr Veasey trained at Guildford School of Acting and has been a professional within the Arts for many years, appearing in a number of television dramas and theatrical tours. As well as an illustrious career in theatre and television, Mr Veasey has coached acting and singing at some of the UK’s top drama schools. Mr Veasey has been a 1:1 vocal coach at St Edmunds for eight years but is delighted to begin his role as a full-time Head of Department.

GEOGRAPHY AND ART COMPETITION Take part in our COP26 climate change art exhibition competition!

Complete the template using the QR code or a 15cm x 15cm piece of paper and submit to Mrs Barnard/ Mrs Applegate by midday on Tuesday 2nd November.

Activity Pack:

Further Information:

Languages Department

Mrs Hill, Head of Languages

We have had a busy term: we have had training from Joe Dale, a very highly respected well-known consultant on the use of IT and Languages, which should impact our practice. We had a stimulating morning discussing pedagogy and doing some hands-on practise learning new ways to manipulate IT and use the internet in our lessons. This was a tremendous help, particularly now that students are bringing their own devices.

The Elements have started their Period 7 Language Rotation. It is on a new day this year, Wednesday, and the students are engaging enthusiastically with the new language and cultural lessons. We can offer all the languages that they can choose for their second foreign language, as well as Russian and for the first time this year Japanese and Polish, which will hopefully be available as a Period 7 Activity next year.

Mrs Hill is offering the Junior Language Leaders Award. The Grammar students, James and Lara, have enjoyed thinking about their own learning, things they have enjoyed and how best to teach others, particularly younger learners. We are grateful for Mr Mostyn and Mr Cartwright giving their permission for Lara and James to visit the Prep School to observe Mr Rerutko teaching German to Year 4 and possibly join in the lessons. They will then return to reflect on what they have seen and prepare to teach their lessons to younger students. Even if they don't intend to be teachers in the future, they are developing skills that will be very useful in the future. We wish them good luck!

John Locke Institute Essay Competition Finalist

Congratulations to Nina, Rhetoric II (Y13), for being selected as a finalist in the prestigious 2021 John Locke Institute Essay Competition for Law and being awarded a Commendation!

Nina was invited to Oxford to celebrate her achievement and participate in an academic programme with candidates across the world.

Mr Powell, Head of Sixth Form, said: “We are so proud of Nina. Nina embodies academic resilience and excellence, and her achievements to become a finalist in the John Locke Institute Essay Competition are truly remarkable. She has competed against thousands of applicants around the world to get to this point. This is a fantastic achievement for Nina, and she is a credit to herself and the entire Edmundian Community!"

NUSA Films Following an extensive period where we were limited on having videographers and photographers in the school, we were delighted to welcome NUSA Films back to the College in October. NUSA Films created three videos for us: a whole-school video, a Sixth Form video, and a Sport video, following the Boarding video created in March 2020.

Thank you to our outstanding students for being a part of this project, and we look forward to sharing the videos with you in November.

1984 - Coming Soon!

We are delighted that the Senior Drama Production of '1984' is coming soon to St Edmund's College!

Click on the eye to watch a short advert for the performance featuring Rhetoricians Honeysuckle, Grace and Oliver.

Mrs Schiff, Head of Drama, will provide further information closer to the event, including tickets, dates and how to get involved!

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MedSoc It has been another successful half term for MedSoc! In these photos, you will find reflections from our current MedSoc members.

MedSoc is our society available to all aspiring medical professionals in Syntax, Poetry and Rhetoric.

MedSoc is perfect for those with an interest in medicine or those considering it as a career. You can join MedSoc on Friday's during Period 7.

Religious Life

Mrs Peirce, Teacher in Charge of Religious Life

It has been a fantastic start to the 2021/22 Academic year, with Religious Life at the College at the forefront. Mrs Peirce, Teacher in Charge of Religious Life, shares an update on the number of events that have taken place in September and October, including the Welcome Mass, Prefects' Commissioning Service, Scholars' Service, CAFOD, Foodbank Donations, Faith In Action, Traidcraft and The Mission.

Elements Induction Day

On Elements induction day, many parents attended the welcome Mass and helped the students to dedicate their year to God. BC

BC has recommenced allowing the students to spend a few minutes each Friday before the Blessed Sacrament.

Scholars' Service

Scholars had a service to thank God for their talents and promise to use them to the best of their ability and help others.

CAFOD

An assembly PowerPoint explaining the nature and purpose of CAFOD was out to tutors and each student was given a prayer with the Harvest prayer on it. The students wore their own clothes for which they contributed £3. Almost all students participated in the economy lunch, which consisted of soup and bread. The money saved was sent to CAFOD to help them in their work.

Food Bank Donations

St Edmund’s families made some very generous donations to the Hertford Food Bank, allowing us to help those in need in our local community.

Religious Life Prayer Corner

Each form room now has a dedicated prayer corner to help all students and tutors to focus. Tutor groups have a worship monitor to ensure that the corner is kept tidy and prayerful.

Traidcraft

The Traidcraft stall has restarted and is doing excellent business. It allows us to sell fairly traded products for which the producers receive a fair price, allowing them to access education and medical care.

Faith in Action

Ellis and Bethany, who are completing their Gold FIA award, gave an assembly on the Faith in Action award to the younger students. They explained the importance of showing faith through action and described some of the Faith in Action group's activities.

The Rosary

A small group of staff and students have been meeting on a Friday to pray the Rosary during October.

Prefects' Commissioning Service

The Prefects’ Commissioning Service was very successful, and the students are developing the concept of servant leadership, being very active around the College.

The Mission The Sion Community joined us for a three-day school mission, with each day concentrating on one aspect of the Trinity. Each year group had an assembly every day, which lasted a whole period, consisting of drama, music, talks and prayer. Students could also attend workshops at specific times. These included single-sex workshops on what it means to be a Christian man or woman in society today, exploring God through Art, the Gospel through drama and miracles today.

There was the opportunity to attend adoration during lunchtimes, and during Period 7, students were invited to confession. On Thursday, there was a Mission Event in the evening, which started with the House song competition where each House had to enter a worship song. The Mission team then took over, leading drama, music and prayer. Students, parents, and staff were invited to write prayers and place them on the cross.

It was a busy three days, allowing our community to re-focus on religious life.

The Mission Showcase took place on the Thursday evening of the event. Following a fantastic display from House Song, the Sion Community led us in worship and thought through performances and interactive experiences.

Music Success Congratulations to the many students collecting their certificates following recent examinations.

Additionally, Mr Mostyn, Mr Webster, Mrs King, Mrs Ager and Mr Woodhall also collected their certificates following the Staff Challenge! During the last academic year, staff were offered the opportunity to pick up (or dust off) an instrument and had lessons with one of the excellent VMTs. Congratulations to you all!

Welcome to our new Elements

Welcome to our Elements Cohort for 2021/22!

We were delighted to welcome our Elements cohort and take a non-socially distanced group photo, with restrictions now eased!

We welcomed our Elements families to the Welcome Mass and BBQ, and it was fantastic to see so many new faces. Our Elements have had a busy half-term settling in, which started with their Induction Days filled with activities. We hope that you are all excited for the next half-term.

CCF and RAF in photos

Inter-House Poetry The Inter-House Poetry event resulted in a triple win for Talbot House, congratulations to all involved!

Thank you to Mr Hayes for organising the event and the English department for supporting in judging.

Juniors - Megan & Triguna

The Colour of Blackness

By Whitney, Seniors Winner

Intermediates - Paris & Guy

Seniors - Marley & Whitney

Oh, how different our looks may be, Her hairs braided, his curly and some wavy Many have deep brown eyes that could rule over land, Few have crystal blue eyes that could protect the sea.

From her melanin enriched skin, to his white glossy texture these are the colours of our blackness displayed for all to see.

But everyone’s lives differ, even more so as we all have struggles that not always show.

Some have money to fill up pockets, some make up the cash as they go.

Scholars, teachers, lawyers, students, criminals, doctors, we may all be different, but there is one thing that I know.

These are the colours of our blackness whether you are a friend or foe

So, here’s the point I’m trying to make.

We are all different in our own way, but when we come together, we are all the same.

All our colours contribute to one shade, the colour of blackness forever and always.

The colour of my black, red, green, purple and blue.

The colour of your black, pink, grey, yellow and maroon.

There are so many shapes, shades to our blackness and our pain because at the end of the day we are all the same him, her, me and you.

2021/2022 Prefects

Head Boy: Alex Simpson

Head Girl: Ogorchukwu Ozor

Deputies: Will Chisholm and Simon D’Cruz

Deputies: Nina Bayford and Esther Burton

Challoner Jodie Bailey Ho Lewis Parry

Talbot Louis Cutteridge Jessica Hart

Douglass Georgia Davies Madeleine Mahoney

Garvey’s Martina Giordano

Pole Elodie Cooper William Taylor Poynter Alicia Chugh Shriya Patel

Allen Hall Petko Rusinov College Life Prefects Giorgia Buraglio Isabel Gardner Shannon Hunt Scarlett Mitchell Ellie Tennant

House Song Congratulations to Douglass for winning House Song! All Houses performed brilliantly. Click on the images below to watch the performances. Thanks to Mr Woodward for the videos.

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Douglass performing 'Blinded

By Your Grace' - Stormzy

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Challoner performing '10,000 Reasons' - Matt Redman

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Pole performing 'Oh Happy Day' - Edwin Hawkin Singers

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Talbot performing 'Lord, be my vision, supreme in my heart' - Jubilate Hymns

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Poynter performing 'Weak' Sunday Service Choir

Teach the Teacher Jodie, Rhetoric II, led a fantastic “Teach the Teacher” lesson yesterday, sharing up-to-date climate science! Teach the Teacher is an international, youth-led campaign encouraging students to talk to their educators about climate change.

We are an international, youth-led campaign that aims to bring students into their schools to talk to their educators about climate change, launching in the last week of September. This will include related issues students are worried about, like climate anxiety and climate justice. A recent survey in the UK found that 70% of teachers reported that they had not received training on any aspects of climate change. Teach the Teacher is a shared campaign run by successful climate groups; SOS-UK, Mock COP26, EARTHDAY.ORG and Education International, in over 15 countries. We hope to bring light to the lack of training in climate and environmental literacy that educators receive and the state of climate education in schools. - Teach the Teacher

Sport

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

Mr Kelly, Director of Sport

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

It has been a great first term back for the girls with the competitive sport back in the calendar! Alongside the hockey and cup hockey fixtures, there has also been cup netball and football fixtures. The hockey has seen the students make significant progress since the start of term, culminating in a great final weekend of fixtures with many victories against Dame Alice Owens, with great supportive comments from parents as they can see the improvements being made.

The return to sport and physical activity this academic year has not only seen the return to regular fixtures but also increased opportunities for sports activity through the Period 7 programme.

It has been a brilliant start to the year for Boys' Games!

The county netball cup has seen the senior team progress to the semi-finals as they received a BYE in the quarterfinals, the Rudiments are in the quarter-finals, and Syntax are yet to play round 1 due to COVID affecting the fixture.

The U16 girls' football team has a thrilling round 1 county cup football match against John Henry Newman, 2-2 at the end of full time with St Edmund’s winning 5-4 on penalties.

In the new expanded Period 7 sports provision, students have been able to participate in a range of sports and improve team development through additional squad training for the major sports of the term. We will continue to tweak and refine the programme, but the increased activity has been a very positive addition within the school day.

Please do not forget to follow our Instagram social media account SEC_Sport for continued up to date images and content from what is going on sport wise at the College.

The boys have had a successful term competing in regular Saturday fixtures in Rugby and the students have enjoyed playing sport again and representing the College.

All sides have recorded some excellent performances against good opposition with some notable victories.

As the term continues, there will be Inter-House Rugby as well as more competitive fixtures on Saturdays.

This half term, there were notable victories against Kings Ely School and Hitchin Boys School, which were highlights of an excellent term.

For Sport photos from this term, please visit @SEC_Sport on Instagram!

LAMDA We would like to introduce new LAMDA Teacher Skye Wilkinson to the College and Sami Underwood, an integral part of our LAMDA Team.

Mrs King, Music & LAMDA Administrator

Skye teaches the Elements Students twice a week and Sami Rudiments to Rhetoric. We now have over 75 LAMDA Students taking LAMDA lessons either individually or as part of a Duo.

This is also an opportunity to thank Sami for her hard work and dedication last term in a highly challenging year. Sami got her students through the LAMDA exams in the summer and those of another LAMDA Teacher who was unwell for the last few weeks of term. The students (and Sami!) were rewarded with a fantastic set of LAMDA results – with Distinctions and Merits being awarded to the majority of students in either Performance or Communication. They are now working towards the next set of LAMDA exams to be taken in the Lent Term.

If your son or daughter is interested in signing up for LAMDA lessons, please contact the Music Office or complete the LAMDA Tuition form on the Parent Portal.

Skye Wilkinson

Sami Underwood

Open Days We were thrilled to host our first Open Day in two years at the start of term!

The event was a huge success, with three full talks and tours by our fantastic students.

Feedback from prospective parents was that the event felt safe, well-organised, and above all, our students were a credit to the school.

Thank you for your support!

We warmly invite both current and prospective parents to our Sixth Form Open Evening on 2nd November, 6-9pm.

The event will include speeches from the Headmaster, Sixth Form Leaders and Head Boy and Head Girl alongside interactive subject sessions and stands including EPQ, DofE and Admissions.

Current parents do not need to register for this event!

We are delighted to invite you to our Year 7 Open Morning, exclusively for applicants for 2022!

The morning will include: • Talks from the Headmaster and Admissions Team • Student-led tours • 1:1 conversations with teaching staff Click on the photo to find out more!

Captured at the College

A sunny day captured by Mrs Pitman!

Congratulations to Mrs Pitman for completing the marathon!

Congratulations to Mr Fulford-Brown for completing the marathon!

Testimonials If you would like to share your experience of sending your child(ren) to St Edmund's College and Prep, please click here to tell us! It is beneficial for our team and prospective parents.

If used in our future marketing, all responses will be kept anonymous.

Stay Connected We hope that you enjoyed our October Edition of College Life. If you would like to be featured in our next half term edition, please 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 half term break and look forward to bringing you the next edition of College Life in December.

Avita Pro Fide!