old perseans
School News The Perse welcomes high profile speakers
Perse rugby captain
to the Josef Behrmann Lecture
thrilled at clinching
The 2018 Josef Behrmann Lecture, given annually in
Northampton Saints deal
honour of OP Josef Behrmann (1939), took place on
Perse 1st XV rugby
1 March. Five prominent speakers from different beliefs
team captain Alex Coles
came together in an illuminating debate on ‘The Power
(Upper Sixth) has earned
of Words’ at the well-attended event, which was the
a full-time contract
first to be held in The Perse’s brand new Peter Hall
with top English club
Performing Arts Centre.
Northampton Saints for
Among the panellists were Jonathan Wittenberg,
the 2018/19 season.
President of the Council of Christians & Jews; Dilwar
Alex was part of the Northampton U18 side’s
Hussain, Chairman of New Horizons in British Islam;
unbeaten pre-season campaign and featured in
Canon Hugh Shilson-Thomas, Dean of Chapel at Selwyn
two matches for Wanderers – the club’s second
College; Julia Siddiqi, co-founder of Nisa-Nashim Jewish
team – in the Aviva A League before injury cut short
& Muslim Women’s Network; and children’s author
his season. The young lock, who has played for
Annemarie Young.
England at U18 and U16 level, is delighted to have an
Wittenberg opened the event with a lecture about
opportunity to prove himself at Franklin’s Gardens.
how words could be used as a force for both good
He said: “I’m thrilled to have a one-year contract
and bad. He recounted his grandparents’ experiences
to play for Northampton next season. It’s something
of living in Nazi Germany and spoke about the current
I’ve been working towards for a long time, but there’s
phenomena of ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’ as
a lot of hard work still to come. I’ve been with the
ways in which words could have a negative power. He
club for four or five years after one of the Saints
felt “truth, accuracy and fairness in language” were
coaches saw me playing for The Perse. It all went
especially important in today’s world to counter the
from there and it’s great to commit myself to the
effects of hate speech. However, Wittenberg added that
club full-time.”
just a few positive words had the power to lift people.
Alex isn’t the only Persean to have rugby success
The panellists discussed the issues in more depth
this season – in February Patrick Noroozi Rad
before taking questions, exploring further issues
(Year 11) was called up by the Lambs – the England
relating to politics, religion, discrimination and prejudice
Independent Schools rugby team – for their 2018
as well as how words could prove inspirational.
round of matches.
The Perse Players Production of Billy Elliot The Musical The first production in the Peter Hall Performing Arts Centre was the biggest production ever staged by the Perse Players, featuring 38 cast members and nine band members, backed up by a 16-strong technical crew. The production, based on the 2000 film and set in County Durham, revolves around the title character who swaps boxing gloves for ballet shoes against a backdrop of family and community problems caused by the miners’ strike of 1984/85.
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