Commemoration

In such a summer it was perhaps inevitable that the weather should leave its watermark on the Commemoration week-end; it did, however, wait until lunch-time on Saturday to do so, and, even then, the intrepid cricketers provided two hours' entertainment on a rain-soaked pitch and the Band was able to give its usual polished performance under Drum-Major Bellwood. The full programme of boat races was carried out, and the large number of visitors were able to visit the Hobbies and Art exhibitions or to study profitably the Appeal Fund information, so attractively set out in the Hall.

At the Prize-giving in the Clifton Cinema, Sir Charles Morris, Vice-Chancellor of Leeds University, was welcomed in the traditional manner by T. D. J. Layfield, winner of the newly-awarded P. E. Lord Prize for Classics. To the admiration and surprise of most of his audience and the frankly unbelieving astonishment of many younger members of the School, Layfield received an immediate and impromptu reply from our distinguished visitor in the Latin tongue.

When the Head Master had delivered his report, Sir Charles presented the prizes and then addressed the assembly in a more generally comprehensible language.

After congratulating Layfield on his speech, Sir Charles expressed his pleasure at re-visiting the scene of his brother's triumphs and commented on the "rich and busy life" of the School, as detailed in the Head Master's report. He then took one extract from the report as his "text" : the Head Master's statement that it was now an accepted state of affairs that two thirds of the boys in Sixth forms should study the sciences and one third the arts. Whilst acknowledging that we in Britain educated our specialists as well as any other country, Sir Charles felt that the Public Schools really owed their justly great reputation to the education they had given to those men —the great majority—who did not require their specialist knowledge for their life work—in public life, industry, business, the professions or, indeed, in their own private lives. Formerly these men had mostly been educated on the arts side; if only one third of the boys now leaving school were to come from this side, most of these would require their specialist knowledge for their careers, and the great bulk of men not requiring any specialist knowledge would have to come from the other two thirds, brought up on the sciences. These would be the men who would be performing the majority of the great variety of jobs in the world, and their education needed to be "well conceived and to have a good structure". It was the Public Schools who had always provided this education "par excellence", but they were going to find it increasingly difficult to do so, as the range of modern knowledge grew steadily wider. Yet, maintained Sir Charles, it was this kind of education which "enabled us all to live together, to profit from one another's knowledge, to understand one another". With the forgivable enthusiasm of youth, boys today wanted to know 8

more and more about their specialist subjects, and the great problem was going to be how to "satisfy them enough in the things they really get their teeth into and, at the same time, to help them to acquire all the old virtues". There was no doubt, Sir Charles concluded, that "the Public Schools would have their work cut out to maintain their reputation as foremost in the world at giving this particular kind of education".

A vote of thanks to Sir Charles Morris was proposed most efficiently and attractively by Sir William Worsley.

On Sunday the Commemoration sermon was preached by Canon H. N. Hodd, O.P.

THE HEAD MASTER'S REPORT

"I cannot remember since the war a year wherein more difficulties had to be overcome." Whilst he thus summarised the past year and cited the chief of these difficulties—the Asian 'flu epidemic, the vile weather and, "greatest blow of all", Mr. Burgess's long absence—the Head Master hastened to add that the School could survive far greater troubles and he had no gloomy report to deliver.

Dealing first with the ever present problem of finance, Mr. Dronfield reported that, in the past year, the Appeal Fund had enabled the School to build two classrooms for the Junior School, ornamental paths and walls in the grounds, a new Boat House and two hard tennis courts. It was his hope that before next Speech Day at least three new projects would have been started—namely, the enlarged Big Hall, new squash courts and the Music School. But, to achieve this, the renewed appeal had to succeed, as the present balance would be almost consumed by the building of a block of four classrooms on the south-east side of the Bast Quadrangle, which had already begun. In passing, the Head Master asked for suggested names for the more recent buildings, and he also hinted at an easy and obvious way for anyone to associate his name with any projected building.

With regard to the "future of the Public Schools", the Head Master contented himself with reaffirming the School's friendly relations with Local Authorities and claimed that "our independence is our opportunity".

Turning to the curriculum, Mr. Dronfield pointed out that it was now an accepted fact in the country that one third of future Sixth forms should read Arts and the other two thirds Maths. and Science; this division had been operative at St. Peter's for quite a long time. Whilst this Sixth form work was principally aimed at preparing boys for the University, (and over three quarters of the boys who passed "A" Level did proceed to the University), there were nevertheless often very sound reasons for advising a boy to aim rather at alterna- 9

tive training, such as an apprenticeship or articleship, in cases where the boy would obviously not be able to profit fully from a University career. Too many boys were disappointed at failing to get into a University, when, actually, they should never have tried. Nevertheless, continued the Head Master, it was almost always beneficial to a boy to stay at school for his full five years. The abolition of National Service had, in addition, made it possible once again for a boy to spend one or two profitable years between School and University or other further training.

Passing to academic successes, Mr. Dronfield reported that it had been a satisfactory year, although, inevitably perhaps, not such an "annus mirabilis" as the previous one. Three State Scholarships and six Local Authority Major Scholarships had been obtained and Irvin was to be congratulated on his Open Exhibition in English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. One pleasing feature of the other examination results was that fewer boys than ever were left with an "0" Level subject to pass after entering Transitus. One particularly noteworthy achievement was that of Beverley Jones—the first boy to obtain his A.R.C.O. while still at St. Peter's.

The general education of our Sixth forms was continually being developed, the Head Master continued, and Options were keenly taken up. Addressing parents on the subject of the Lower and Middle School curriculum, Mr. Dronfield said : "It is possible for a boy with a flair for languages to do Greek or German for two years, leading to "0" Level. But, whilst it is obvious that from such boys we feed our Classical and Modern Language Sixth forms, these boys take an "0" Level Science subject and could, in fact, specialise in Science in the Sixth. Boys who have the ability to do this can, in fact, get the best of both worlds and I am very happy about the general working of the scheme."

With regard to Careers, the Head Master stressed the value of Short Works Courses and of "practice in being interviewed"—an often neglected art—and clarity of speech. ,The Head Master then proceeded to outline the various sporting and other out-of-School activities, all of which have been duly chronicled in The Peterite at the appropriate time. He paid tribute to the loyal service given by Charles Wallbank, groundsman for the past seventeen years, and wished him and Mrs. Wallbank a happy retirement. He also welcomed Mr. Aspinall as the School's cricket professional.

In conclusion, the Head Master stressed once again that "the C.C.F. has a special value in our School life, quite apart from any military considerations", providing boys with opportunities for leadership, initiative and imagination, which they might not otherwise enjoy.

FRIDAY, 25th JULY. 11- 0 a.m. School v. Old Peterites Cricket Match begins. 7-30 p.m. Old Peterite Masonic Lodge Dinner-Dance.

SATURDAY, 26th JULY. 11- 0 a.m. Speeches and presentation of Prizes by Sir Charles Morris, Vice-Chancellor of Leeds University. 2- 0 p.m. Cricket Match (2nd Day). 2-30 p.m. Boat Races, School v. Old Peterites. 4-30 p.m. Tea. 6- 0 p.m. A Display by the Band of the C.C.F., followed by the sounding of "Retreat" and the Naval Ceremony of "Sunset". 6-30 p.m. Old Peterite Club Annual General Meeting. 7-30 p.m. Old Peterite Dinner at The School. (for 8-0 p.m.)

Exhibitions of Arts and Crafts in the Art Room, and of Hobbies in Room C will be open all day.

ISUNDAY, 27th JULY. 8-15 a.m. Holy Communion. 11- 0 a.m. Commemoration Service. Preacher: The Rev. Canon H. N. Hodd.

PRIZE LIST

Norman Crombie Memorial Prize - - D. Kirby Dean of York's Prizes for Latin Prose :

VIth Form - - W. M. Howard

Below VIth -

Stephenson Greek Prize -

P. E. Lord Classical Prize Whytehead Memorial Prizes for Divinity :

Senior

Junior M. J. Macartney D. J. Cook T. D. J. Layfield

D. Kirby - D. K. Hirst Toyne European History Prize - - M. J. Kershaw Sir Lumley Dodsworth Essay Prize - - D. B. Irvin The Jack Brittain Memorial Prizes for Middle School

Essay : IVth Forms J. F. Williams Shells - P. M. Kemp The Head Master's Prize for Mathematics A. C. Wilson The B.M.A. Medal for Science D. N. L. Beresford The Frank Pick Prize for Design - - P. G. Hamilton The Needham Prize for Architecture - - J. V. Littlewood The Yorkshire Agricultural Society's Prize - W. I. Macdonald

The Old Peterite Club Reading Prizes :

VIth Form

Below VIth Geography Prize - - Modern Languages Prizes :

French -

German Physics Prize Chemistry Prize Music Prizes :

Special Prize -

Piano - -

Instrumental (Organ) Art Prizes :

Senior

Junior General Knowledge Prizes :

VIth Form

Vth Forms

Below Vth Handicraft Prize

FORM PRIZES

Vth Form (Languages) - Vth Form (Maths, and Science) Vth Form 1(English Subjects) -

IV a - - - IVA IVB - IV Modern Upper Shell A Lower Shell A Shell B - - - A. H. Crowther - D. C. Kelly - S. C. Gibson

- J. 0. Armstrong - A. H. Crowther

K. Gosling

T. M. Jenkinson

B. Jones J. R. Anfield R. W. Bentley

- P. G. Hamilton - R. A. Wood

- E. S. Bolton - C. P. Spencer - D. K. Hirst - E. J. Wise

- M. J. Macartney j- M. G. Staveley - l D. H. Fletcher - D. J. Wilson - J. F. Gartside - S. D. Ward - J. R. Anfield - D. H. Rhodes - G. R. Monfort - D. C. D. Rees - J. N. Arundale

PRINCIPAL SUCCESSES, 1957-58

D. B. Irvin - Open Exhibition in English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge J. F. Franklin State Scholarship (Mathematics for Science, Physics and Chemistry) T. M. Jenkinson - State Scholarship (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) A. C. Wilson - State Scholarship (Mathematics, Higher Mathe- matics and Physics)

Six Major Local Authority Scholarships and four Major Bursaries were gained in the year.