The Stag, Issue 22

THE

STAG

Issue 22, Lent Term 2, 2024

The Stag

CONTENTS PAGE School Events:

House Reports:

A Giant Jazz Leap - pg 1 The Charity Revue - pg 3

Blackwater - pg 27 Craig - pg 28 Gonville - pg 29 Nugent - pg 30 Pennell - pg 31 Powell - pg 32 Reeves - pg 33 School - pg 34 Wargrave - pg 35 Watt - pg 36

Politics: Operation 1027 - pg 4

Be You Celebrates: Aung San Suu Kyi - pg 6

Current Affairs: International Women‘s Day - pg 7 Love is Legalised - pg 9

Environment: 88km Oil Spill Disaster - pg 10

School News and Sport: Berlin Trip - pg 11 Eastbourne College goes Surfing - pg 13 CCF at the House of Lords - pg 14 SISNA Netball Tournament - pg 15 Nugent House Revue - pg 17 Pennell House Revue - pg 18 Watt House Revue - pg 19

The Arts: Rouge by Mona Awad - pg 20 December 18th, 1972 - pg 21

Features: Can Novels Make Good Movies? - pg 22 The Grammys 2024 - pg 23 Sustainable Fashion With Wool - pg 25

Lent Term 2 Edition | 2024

Charity: Charity Society Report - pg 37

Interactive: Lemon Drizzle Flapjack - pg 38 Easter Anagrams - pg 39 Horoscopes - pg 41

This magazine is written for pupils by the pupils of Eastbourne College. It is not an official College publication and is not meant to be an accurate reflection of every activity or event across the College, nor (obviously) is every pupil mentioned. The magazine is for the Eastbourne College community only, so please do not send it on to friends or family. We hope you enjoy reading our magazine!

The Stag

SCHOOL EVENTS

A GIANT JAZZ LEAP

By Ella Banks On Friday 29th February the jazz band put on ‘A Giant Jazz Leap’ with special guests, Tiger and the Gs. The new numbers seemed to be met with a very positive response, from both the performers and the audience. The Giant Jazz Leap only happens once every four years, but the reaction shows it was worth waiting for. A lot of work went into assembling the show. Work began at the start of this calendar year to put together a set list of around ten numbers. Special mention to Ella Horne, Alice Caroe and Harry Shouksmith for elevating the band through their incredible voices, making the whole event feel as if it was in a jazz club.

“The Giant Jazz Leap only happens once every four years, but the reaction shows it was worth waiting for“ Mr Laverack is constantly on the lookout for jazz band pieces and he usually starts by trawling the internet for pieces arranged by Roger Holmes or Jerry Nowak, as their arrangements are always excellent and of roughly the right standard for the players.

He often heads to YouTube where there are videos which follow the score (the conductor’s part that includes all of the instruments) whilst a band is playing. It's a good way to get a feel for the music, and whether or not he thinks our pupils would enjoy playing it. The jazz band were fortunate enough to have a large amount of jazz music donated to the department a couple of years ago, so this too is an excellent source of new music.

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SCHOOL EVENTS

The Stag

What is great about these events is that the music department work on staging these shows together, from Miss Fry organising behind the scenes arranging photographers and so on, Miss Wright and Mr Jordan sourcing tables and Miss Wright dressing them so eloquently. Mr Jordan promoted the event to staff and pupils and the turnout was impressive. The cabaret style seating certainly added to the overall vibe and is something the band hope to revisit. The department is also looking at purchasing some staging to allow the band to make it even more of a spectacle.

The incredible feedback following the concert has allowed the jazz band to obtain the recognition it deserves and hopefully lead to many more gigs in the future. The favourite song of the evening was said to be ‘Green Onions’ written by Al Jackson, Lewis Steinburg, Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper, showing the influence of The Blues Brothers to this day.

To our surprise, the love for jazz exceeds all age groups and we hope to expand the jazz repertoire around the College. ‘A Giant Jazz Leap’ is only the beginning.

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SCHOOL EVENTS

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THE CHARITY REVUE On the evening of Thursday 8th February 2024, Father Daniel Merceron and his team of charity representatives from across all ten houses put on a spectacular show, which involved a range of music and dance acts, amongst others. The evening, which also included refreshments too, was incredibly well received by all who attended and performed.

The evening was opened by the staff band, fronted by the voice of the vastly talented Mr Breslin, but also consisting of Mr Norris and Miss Greenwood on the saxophone, Mr Clark on the trumpet, Miss Fry on the clarinet, Father Daniel on guitar, Mr Kuchta on bass, Mr Laverack on piano and Alex Davies on the drums.

By Reuben Mace Four other bands performed too, such as that of Dan Caroe, Hector Lawson and Felix McAndrew who played George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’, the Hibbert and Mace Brothers, who played Nirvana’s ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’, Tiger and the Gs, who played The Beatles hit ‘Don’t Let Me Down’, as well as the Gonville House band, who played ‘Sweet Child Of Mine’ by Guns N’ Roses. The Gonville band was memorably fronted by Gachecheh Kenyua, who perfectly embodied Axel Rose himself to charismatically belt out the well-loved lyrics.

And of course, nobody can forget Tiger Ge’s incredible solo, undoubtedly the highlight of his band’s incredible performance.

As well as music, the concert also featured some unbelievable dance acts, firstly from Ella Banks and Katie Hillyer, who did a splendid rendition of ‘And All That Jazz’ from the musical ‘Chicago’. This was later followed by a fine solo performance by Mariia Suskido, who had the audience on their feet afterwards as a token of their appreciation.

Overall, it was certainly a night to remember and very much a highlight of this term.

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POLITICS

OPERATION 1027 On February 1st 2021, Burmese society was catapulted into uncertainty. The south-east Asian nation of 55 million had its fragile democracy ruthlessly decimated by the military who, not for the first time, seized power rapidly and with little warning.

The Burmese government was powerless to stop the Tatmadaw*, who dissolved the parliament, deposed and placed President Win Myint under house arrest, and furthermore replaced him with former vice president and army general Myint Swe, a puppet president loyal to the new junta. A further 400 MPs were also arrested. After the coup itself, Swe declared a year-long national state of emergency, which has just been extended further, meaning that there is currently no evidence to suggest that Myanmar’s military rulers will relinquish power.

However, resistance to the military today is stronger than it ever has been, and the Tatmadaw have consistently shown signs of immense weakness and fragility when retaliating. Following a 50 year long military dictatorship that finally came to an end in 2011, Myanmar slowly began to rebuild a democracy that had once lasted for 14 years after independence from the British Empire in 1948. Though seemingly a distant memory, democracy and stability had returned once more to a land with a volatile past. Myanmar began to welcome tourism and foreign investment with open arms, and Burmese society quickly began to reap the benefits of this sudden progress. As a result, the horrendously unfortunate yet deliberate timing of the 2021 coup, which took place just a few days before the national elections, was particularly devastating for the Burmese people who had fought so hard for democracy’s return.

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By Reuben Mace

Therefore, as the junta continued to tighten its iron grip over Myanmar, huge dissatisfaction and resistance grew with it.

Earlier this year, on October 27th, the largest of these resistance movements swept across Myanmar. Named Operation 1027 after the date that it was launched, it initially consisted of coordinated guerrilla warfare campaigns by groups of rebels in the eastern Shan state. As these campaigns became more effective, the Shan rebel groups began to capture towns and villages from the military in their dozens, most notably Chinshwehaw, the largest and most important town on the border with China. After establishing control over these large parts of Shan, the rebels advanced westwards at a rapid rate towards Mandalay, Myanmar’s second most populous city, and the rest of the Burmese heartland straddling the Irrawaddy River.

Alongside the main advances from the Shan rebels, significant progress has also been made by other militia groups in the northern state of Kachin, who have also begun to advance towards Mandalay. More such advances from other rebels have also taken place in the Sagaing and Rakhine regions to the west of Mandalay, with the possibility that the city could be entirely encircled and even captured if the advances from all sides continue on their current paths. If Mandalay was to fall into rebel hands, it would almost certainly be the end for Myanmar’s junta.

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POLITICS

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The success of these attacks has given genuine hope to both the rebels and the Burmese people, and despite brutal military crackdowns and frequent exchanges of intense fire, the rebel forces appear to have the upper hand. Tatmadaw forces have been fighting against guerrilla campaigners in regions that are mostly mountainous rainforest and therefore extremely difficult to traverse. In the case of Shan, just a single poorly-maintained main road runs through the entire state, an area larger than England and Wales combined. Also, since Shan has technically been in a near-constant state of civil war ever since 1962, when the military took power for the first time, the rebels would have already been used to staying on high alert, and this is partly the reason why Operation 1027 began in this region. Both the success and duration of the ongoing operation remains to be seen and with no side willing to back down, the outcome itself is unclear. But if the rebels continue to work in unison to hold the upper hand, who knows what may become of Myanmar’s military junta. *The Tatmadaw – Burmese military

Aung San Suu Kyi

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The Stag

BE YOU CELEBRATES

AUNG SAN SUU KYI In the vastly complicated minefield of Burmese politics, one of the first names that comes to mind is that of Aung San Suu Kyi. Born in Rangoon during British colonial rule in 1945, her father was Aung San, a revolutionary and independence activist who is widely considered to be the father of modern-day Myanmar.

Following his assassination in 1947 when she was just 2 years old, she was brought up by her mother, Khin Kyi, herself a politician and diplomat who had an extensive political career.

Khin Kyi is best known for serving as the minister for Social Welfare from 1953-60 and as the Burmese ambassador to India from 1960-67.

From an early age, Suu Kyi’s life was shaped by her family’s political pedigree, and having graduated from Delhi University in 1964 and then from St Hugh’s College Oxford in 1968, she worked at the UN for three years. In 1972, she married British historian Michael Aris, with whom she had two children. Suu Kyi first established herself on the Burmese political stage during the 8/8/88 Uprisings of 1988, in which the socialist military government was deposed and a return to democracy was promised. At the time, Suu Kyi was the leader of the NLD party, who won 81% of the vote in 1990, only for the military to intervene once again and nullify the election results, refusing to relinquish power. Having been detained before the elections took place, she then continued to be held under house arrest for 15 of the 23 years of military rule that followed, making her one of the most wellknown political prisoners in recent history. In 1991, she won the Nobel Peace Prize whilst under house arrest in recognition for her efforts to try and restore democracy to Myanmar. In 2003, Suu Kyi would survive an assassination attempt during the Depayin Massacre, in which 70 other members of the NLD were killed by the military.

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By Reuben Mace

In 2010, the NLD boycotted the elections because the military had prevented Suu Kyi from running. This therefore meant that the military-backed USDP party won a landslide victory. After this, Suu Kyi would become a member of the Burmese Parliament when the NLD won 43 out of the 45 remaining seats in the 2012 by-elections. Three years later, in 2015, having consistently been a strong opposition to the USDP, the NLD finally won an election, with Htin Kyaw assuming the presidency. Despite not being able to hold the presidency due to a constitutional clause involving her marriage to a foreign national, Suu Kyi would continue to serve as the State Counsellor of Myanmar, the Burmese equivalent of prime minister, an office which she would hold until the military coup of 2021.

After this, she would once again be placed under house arrest, along with president Win Myint and 400 other members of the NLD. There is no doubt that Suu Kyi’s legacy has been firmly cemented not only in Myanmar, but also across the rest of the world. She is an inspiring example of how with relentless determination and belief in a democratic cause, freedom can prevail in the face of oppression. Though she may have been controversial at times, such as in 2016 when her response to the persecution of the Rohingya Muslims received criticism, she has consistently demonstrated immense courage and bravery throughout all of her campaigns.

At times, she would even put her own safety at risk for the sake of the Burmese people, never once placing her personal interests above those of her country. Undoubtedly, it is this very selflessness coupled with her incredible resilience that has made her one of the most celebrated female world leaders in the last fifty years.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY What is it?

International Women’s Day was on the 8th of March, and is an important global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

The day is a focal point in the women’s rights movement and aims to bring attention to women’s achievements, educate people about the importance of equality, fundraise for female-focused charities and call for positive change advancing women. The 2024 theme of International Women’s Day is “Inspire Inclusion”. This theme emphasises the understanding and value of women’s inclusion and aims to promote feelings of belonging, relevance and empowerment for women.

Inclusivity is a significant aspect of the International Women’s Day campaign as it encourages everyone to get involved in advocating for the cause and participate in different IWD campaigns, as well as involving all genders and social groups in the celebration of women and their achievements.

By Suki Sheraton

The history of International Women’s Day Women’s days and events have been seen throughout recent history, the first notable one being a “National Woman’s Day” on February 28th, 1909 in New York, organised by the Socialist Party of America and feminist activist Theresa Malkiel. This event provided inspiration to many around the world and, only a year later, German delegates at the International Socialist Women’s Conference proposed a “special Women’s Day” to be organised annually. The following year, the first iterations of International Women’s Day celebrations began to be seen across Europe.

However, the movement for IWD was always associated with the far-left political standpoint, so many people didn’t get involved and the movement wasn’t widely legitimised. Luckily, this changed and IWD gained much more recognition when it was adopted by the global feminist movement in the 1960s and the UN as a mainstream global holiday in 1977.

Specifically, the UN’s influence on the movement has allowed it to grow exponentially in increasing awareness about it and improving its legitimacy. Furthermore, the UN also attaches its own theme to IWD every year; the 2018 theme, “Time is Now: rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives” inspired global marches and important campaigns such as the MeToo movement and allowed many women globally to confront injustice and address sexual harassment and assault and the gender pay gap.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

Why it’s important and how you can get involved International Women’s Day is is so important as it is a day when women are recognised for their achievements without national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political division. Also, it proudly supports the feminist movement and brings attention to it as well as being a safe platform for people to show their support for women’s rights. There are endless different ways to get involved and show your support for the movement, ranging from attending feminist protests to simply educating yourself on the importance of women’s rights and gender equality or supporting feminist charities.

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The Stag

For more information on this movement and its significance, visit the International Women’s Day website: (https://www.internationalwomens day.com) and the information page for it on the United Nations website: (https://www.un.org/en/observanc es/womens-day)

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Stag

LOVE IS LEGALISED

By Tian O’Leary

A gaping divide separates the Christian Orthodox country of Greece, with the powerful Orthodox Church fighting against the unceasing cry for change, both fiercely persistent as conflict rages on throughout the country over the legalisation of marriage between same-sex couples. It was approved in February 2024 by the conservative government who recognised it as a “milestone for human rights” for the progressive, democratic country.

However, many in Greece regard same sex couples as a threat to tradition and the supremacy of the nuclear family model, as well as an issue that will worsen the already declining birth rate in European countries, overlooking the fact that LGBTQ+ people are a small minority of the population and would have a negligible impact on birth rates. Yet religious opposition still rages on; holding crosses, and singing passages from the Bible, whilst others wave banners and rejoice as a future of being true to oneself and loving freely becomes a palpable one.

Political disunion is also evident within the governing party of the nation, the New Democracy Party, as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis faces disdain from his own, but is also met with unexpected support from politicians in opposition parties. This collective aid helped in gaining a simple majority in the 300-member parliament, all that was needed in taking this significant step towards equality.

During a debate ahead of the vote, Mitsotakis stated "People who have been invisible will

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finally be made visible around us, and with them, many children will finally find their rightful place. The reform that we are legislating today … will make the life of some of our fellow citizens that much better without – and I emphasise this – taking away anything from the lives of the many.”

However, the legalisation of same-sex marriage does not mean the prejudice and discrimination virulent in Greece will disappear: like many LGBTQ+ people around the world, they and their children are often treated as second class citizens. Outrageous claims that LGBTQ+ people are “traumatising” and “brainwashing” their children abound. Reproductive methods are not being extended to LGBTQ+ people, along with surrogate pregnancies. These are a few examples of the oppressive limitations still faced by individuals in Greece.

“I dream of having a family and children ... ; a daily life that is easy and not made up of fear, silence, and oppression” - Anonymous

Greece, along with 36 other nations, has now permitted same-sex marriage.

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ENVIRONMENT

The Stag

88KM OIL SPILL DISASTER

By Anya Rai In the morning of the 7th of February a report was made of a capsized ship around 150m away from the coast of Tobago, shortly after authorities were made aware that there was a dark, thick oil-like substance seeping out from the capsized barge and coating the nearby coastline.

However, there were no emergency calls made or any sign of crew members on the barge, so an investigation quickly went ahead to find information on the mysterious stranded barge. It was crucial to uncover what the oil-like substance actually was in order to understand the potential risks to people and the aquatic environment surrounding the area. As a result, it was found that the barge was called the Gulfstream and had a tugboat towing it. The investigation revealed that the barge and tugboat were travelling from Panama and were bound for Guyana. It has been reported that the oil-like substance was in fact fuel oil and both the barge and tugboat belonged to a Panama based company called Melaj Offshore. However, what may be more concerning is that with help from satellite imagery the ship’s journey could be tracked and was revealed to have started to leak oil days before it was even found stranded on the 7th.

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The national government have now declared a national emergency and 1,000 volunteers have been tirelessly working to contain the 88km oil spill. Divers have attempted but failed to seal the leak coming from the barge and this has lead to growing concerns surrounding the local environmental and tourism industry.

Tobago is highly reliant on the tourism industry, especially between the months of January and April. The oil spill has caused several beach and golf resorts to close, due to concerns surrounding tourists’ health, but what may be the worse impact is the damage to the nearby aquatic environment.

The authorities have stressed the risks to the island’s coral and mangrove systems to volunteers and the wider public. The spill has already caused significant damage to marine species in the area but is also threatening long term ecological damage.

Although the necessary steps have been taken to reduce the effects on the local environment, the oil spill remains highly concerning and reminiscent of the damaging spills in Trinidad and Tobago’s history.

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SCHOOL NEWS

BERLIN TRIP

The Stag

By Ariane Dodard

The German Department’s annual trip this year was four days in Berlin. Thank you to Miss Burford and Mr Ruskin for organising everything and a special mention to Joe Philpott for getting us around the city safely.

Wednesday Our first official day started on grey, windy Wednesday with a cycle tour around iconic and famous Berlin landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate, the TV tour, parts of the Berlin Wall, the Bundestag and lots of other places. With a break in between to warm up and get something to drink, half of the group chose to go to a traditional German bakery whereas the rest opted for Pret. As per recommended by our wonderful guide, we had lunch in a kebab shop called AliBaba where we all enjoyed ranges of different kebabs but also currywurst. Upon our return to the youth hostels, we were all ready for our speaking lessons with students from one of the local schools. At around 6pm, we made our way to the Bundestag to climb up the huge globe structure. Once through security, we made our way into the impressive structure up the ramp around the dome. Once up, we saw all the lights around Berlin and took lots of photos, and then made our way back down to have dinner in a German restaurant. The night ended with a bus ride in the M29, Mr Ruskin’s favourite bus.

Thursday Luckily, our Thursday started slightly later meaning we all had the chance to sleep in a bit longer. Our first activity of the day was a visit to the Stasi Jail where our tour guide revealed that a lot of the guides, her included, had Stasi files on her during their active years. Exploring the different buildings and learning about everything the prisoners had to endure showed everyone how awful it was for all the victims of the Stasi. After lunch we visited the DDR museum which was filled with replicas of an iconic driveable German car known as trabbant (trabbies) which had a waitlist up to ten years. The museum had a car simulation where we had the opportunity to drive around East Berlin roads.

Our evening ended with a trip to a cinema with reclining seats and huge drinking cups and popcorn buckets. The film we watched, ‘Eine Milionen Minuten’ (a million minutes), was based on a true story following a family whose eldest daughter was diagnosed with a motor disorder, and she wishes that her family spend a million minutes together. The family decides to uproot their entire lives and decide to travel for those two years.

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Friday Friday truly tested everyone’s resilience with cold and wet conditions. We went up the panorama point but unfortunately didn’t see much due to the heavy fog. Our morning didn’t end there as we had a tour that still had a part of the Berlin Wall and ‘no mans land’ with the military towers. We then had to rush back to the youth hostel after lunch for some more speaking lessons. The highlight of the day was our long awaited to Hofbrauhaus (beerhall) where we were joined by an old Eastbournian Thomas Breitzman who attended the College in the late 1970s. The boys enjoyed eating a huge Schweinehaxe (whole roasted knuckle of pork) alongside some beer. Our evening didn’t end there as Mr Ruskin located the only open ice cream shop where we all devoured ice cream before finally going back to the hostel the night ended with some sixth form karaoke before we all went to bed.

“Mr Ruskin located the only open ice cream shop where we all devoured ice cream” Saturday On our final the fantastic weather lifted everyone’s mood. We checked out of the hostel and started making our way to the final activity of the trip, visiting the Olympic Stadium. The impressive fortress-like structure looks like it came straight out of a Star Wars film. Afterwards we had some free time to visit the KaDeWe (German Harrods).

Our final ride on the M29 bus was emotional for everyone. After arriving at the airport and getting past security, it all went well until, after having passed security, Struan realised he had left his phone at the seating area near the shops. Once we were the last ones to get onto the flight, we were all seated and then pleasantly surprised with an on-time departure and a very safe flight back home.

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SCHOOL NEWS

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EASTBOURNE COLLEGE GOES SURFING

By Sophie Fellows During February half term a group of pupils flew to the Canary Islands to master the art of surfing.

was going down and played some football, taking in the last of the sunshine, sand and sea air.

For five days, the fourteen pupils, Mr Young and Mrs Cooke went to Rider’s Surf School every morning for three hours before having an afternoon of activities later on. Every day they were picked up from their hotel in a yellow truck and driven down to the sandy beaches where they lathered up their noses and cheeks with zinc sun cream. The group consisted of some who had never surfed before and they are now able to say they are pretty skilled surfers! On several days, they went to different lagoons for the surf session (when the waves permitted!)

A highlight was a catamaran trip to beautiful Lobos Island. Lots of snorkelling and paddle boarding took place and paella for lunch on board. Ella Quigley said “This was definitely my favourite day of the trip”. On the last day, there was an awards night where more bracelets and postcards were given out.

After a morning on the waves, some of the group indulged in a refreshing smoothie at the smoothie bar followed by lunch out at a different place each day. Their week consisted of two yoga sessions which Ella Quigley said were “so relaxing”, an evening quiz and a night market shopping trip which was thoroughly enjoyed and were lots of jewellery was purchased! On some evenings, they went down to the beach as the sun

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Heidi Muckle says that her favourite bits were “the beach games and that the surf lessons themselves were really good” and that she became much closer friends with everyone who went. It is safe to say that Ella and Heidi would definitely go again if the opportunity arose!

With beautiful weather and a stunning location, the surf trip to Fuerteventura was anything but a 'wipeout'! It was a joy to see everyone getting on so well and enjoying the activities on offer. A great trip with a great group of people, this really was 'Blue Health' at its best.”

- Mr Young

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CCF AT THE HOUSE OF LORDS

By Tiggy Tutt On Friday 5th February, myself, Alex Davies, and Ben Clark were lucky enough to be invited to travel up to London to the House of Lords for a reception to celebrate 75 years of the CCF at Eastbourne College, and to represent each of the three sections. I personally felt incredibly honoured to be invited up there and it really was an incredible experience.

The day started with us taking our standards and special uniforms that we had been issued for the occasion on the train to London. This was no mean feat I must add, especially on the Tube!

Once arriving in Westminster, we were very fortunate to be given a private tour of the Palace of Westminster. Wow! We started in Westminster Hall, which was unfortunately the only place that we were able to photograph, but this was an incredibly impressive building, and where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II lay in state before her burial at Windsor.

Whilst Ben and I were talking to some other guests, Alex was lucky enough to have a conversation with both the former Commander of the Atlantic Fleet for NATO, and the former Chief of the Armed Forces!

As the reception room was slightly smaller than anticipated, it was time for the three of us, along with a drummer (who was actually playing the bugle) to line up with our standards along the entrance to the dining room as the guests were then called to enter.

After everyone had gone in, it was time for us to go home as were not allowed to stay for the dinner. We did, however, get McDonalds at the station on the way home though, so I’m sure the quality of food was just the same! Anyway, it was an opportunity that not many people will be able to say they have had in their lifetime – to be in a room with some of the most important people, past and present, in the Armed Forces.

We were then taken through the Palace to the House of Commons Chamber, where they had finished for the day and so we were able to properly see the green seats where the politicians debate. We were guided through more of the spectacular architecture into the House of Lords Chamber, which was lavishly furnished red.

After seeing many more fascinating parts of the Palace, we were taken to the Cholmondeley Room in which the dinner was to take place. The view from this room across the Thames was absolutely spectacular. It was then time to change into our uniforms which, I’ll be honest, was not easy and took Alex about half an hour!

Soon, the very smartly dressed guests started arriving at the reception room which, admittedly, was quite compact for the amount of people who were supposed to come and we were soon mingling with them as best we could.

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SPORT

SISNA NETBALL TOURNAMENT With the netball season almost coming to an end, it is that time of year once again for the SISNA netball tournament. Hosted at Hurst Pierpoint, Eastbourne College entered three teams – the First VII U18s, the U15 As and the U14As. The tournament consists of a round robin, with all schools competing against each other for the title.

Alongside Mrs Price and Miss Davies, the U18s turned up with lots of determination to beat Hurst and break their winning streak from the last couple of years. With each match only being eight minute halves, the games are very intense and require lots of focus.

By Izzie Steed

Up next was then Hurst, the day had been building to this moment. With the sun turning to drizzling rain the team stepped onto the court. Hurst started off strong, but Eastbourne didn’t give in. It ended with Hurst winning by just a few goals.

To finish off the day the girls smashed Worth with a 14-7 win. With expertise captaining from Poppy Thomas and coaching from Miss Price the girls managed to secure 4thplace out of nine strong teams: a successful day out.

The first game was against Mayfield School, with a tight win of 8-7. There were then two close losses against Brighton and Ardingly.

After a quick lunch to get refuelled, the team managed to pull off three comfortable wins against Seaford, Lancing and Christ Hospital.

“With expertise captaining from Poppy Thomas and coaching from Miss Price, the girls secured 4th place out of nine strong teams: a successful day out” Lent Term 2 Edition | 2024

The U18 squad

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SPORT

For the year 9s and 10s squad, they turned up together with some strong wills, again alongside Mrs Price and Miss Davies. For the U15s the day started off very well with two wins against Burgess Hill and Lancing.

Suffering only a small loss from Hurst, the team pushed on and manged to finish the day with two more wins against Worth and Bede’s. A very triumphant day for the squad managed to secure them 5th place out of 12 teams. For the U14s, they started off strong with a 13-10 win against Mayfield.

managed to secure them 5th place out of 12 teams. For the U14s, they started off strong with a 13-10 win against Mayfield.

“A very triumphant day for the squad managed to secure them 5th place out of 12 teams“ For the year 9s and 10s squad, they turned up together with some strong wills, again alongside Mrs Price and Miss Davies. For the U15s the day started off very well with two wins against Burgess Hill and Lancing.

Suffering only a small loss from Hurst, the team pushed on and manged to finish the day with two more wins against Worth and Bede’s. A very triumphant day for the squad

The U14 squad

Unfortunately, they then suffered two losses against Hurst and Roedean. After lunch, the team fought it out against Bede’s for a 8-8 draw. To finish off the day, they had a close loss against Brighton. A strong effort from the squad managed to get them 8th place out of thirteen teams.

“The girls maintained really positive attitudes throughout and played some fantastic netball” Miss Davies describes it as being “a tough day for both teams who were battling some very strong weather conditions and opposition. However the girls maintained really positive attitudes throughout and played some fantastic netball. Well done ladies!”

The U15 squad

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SCHOOL NEWS

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NUGENT HOUSE REVUE

By Suki Sheraton

A very exciting Saturday night for all this half term was the Nugent House Revue! Across all year groups, there was great participation and some amazing talent put on show. Most importantly, the evening was a great time for everyone and all the performers had a lot of fun!

The revue was presented in style by compères Stella and Isla and, of course, as the final act the whole house performed our winning house song of ‘Super Trouper’ by ABBA. The evening was a great way to get the whole house together and the preparation over the past few weeks was so much fun too. Nugent is so grateful for all of the support we received from the audience who came to support the house and see the amazing talent of all the girls!

Some highlights from the incredible acts performed include Year 9 GG’s solo dance, the amazing singing from Year 12's Winsome and Gabi and a beautiful voice solo from Selena in Year 13, who even accompanied herself on the guitar. Another memorable moment was Year 12 Sarah’s saxophone jazz performance, accompanied on the piano by Rachel in Year 13. The year group performances of the evening were equally brilliant, ranging from the Year 12 and Year 9 dances to the comedy videos from Years 11 and 13. Of course, Year 10’s hilarious swimming sketch was one of the best, most memorable parts of the whole evening!

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SCHOOL NEWS

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PENNELL HOUSE REVUE

By Tian O’Leary

“In my first house revue with Pennell, I was impressed with the hard work the boys put in, the quality of the videos and the support they showed each other.” — Mr Holgate

was brought to us as scenes from iconic films were displayed.

BAM! On the first weekend back after a sluggish half term we were hit with a brilliant revue, graciously provided by the Pennellians and their immense talent. Their revue had it all: drama, comedy and skits, topped off with a generous helping of music. Thank you, Pennell House, for such an unforgettable experience. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

The audience certainly cracked up when watching the ‘Let’s Dance’ video composed by the tutors.

Who would have thought teachers could have such a sense of humour?!

Compères Will Allen and Zain Radwan kept us entertained throughout the evening. “7 Nation Army”, showcased by the skilled Year 10 band, was the first of many amazing performances, which was then followed by the Year 11s (The Repellians) and their artful delinquency, along with the Year 9 House Drama. Their production of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ truly demonstrated why they were victorious in the Year 9 Drama Competition.

The Upper Sixth did not disappoint either: the Year 12’s humorous “Strictly Come Dancing” and their fantastic dance moves brought smiles to all faces as did the Year 13 video, ‘Pennellwood’

The Pennell Band wowed us all with three songs.

They are so musically gifted, and I personally can’t wait to see more from them.

What I thought was particularly amusing was the unexpected star of the show, Duke Wilkinson, who, without any prior knowledge, was brought on stage to perform ‘Country Girl’ with the compères.

It must have been so nerve-wracking. I hope you got back at the compères, Duke!

The night ended with the house song, “Party in the USA”, a message from the Pennell charity representative, and heart-warming speeches and thanks. A massive well done from the rest of us. I am sure Mr Holgate was infinitely proud of you, Pennell House! We look forward to what you have to offer us next year.

“It was a really exciting experience, expressing my emotions in the dance moves and choreographing with Barney Revill, who was a great partner.”- Charlie Jones

Ella Holgate spent five hours editing all the videos!

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SCHOOL NEWS

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WATT HOUSE REVUE

By Emily Finch

The term began with fast-paced rehearsals for the highly anticipated house concert as the Year 9s brainstormed iconic films for their sketches, the Year 10s and 12s choreographed fun and energetic dances, the Year 11s cleverly created a comedic video and the Year 13s paraded around Nugent House for their innovative video.

We had a talented range of individual performances including Ana’s beautiful solo The compares did not fail to make us all laugh, of Alyssa Green from the Prom followed by an a Cappella group. Led by Alice and Xanthe, as the Year 13s’ intersperses ensured the acts ran smoothly. They even included a burst of Sathana, Ana, Poppy, Ella H, Lucy, and Isla J ‘Just Dance’ which exposed how we spend a lot eloquently sung Fantasy by Mariah Carey; of our time in Watt! their voices undoubtedly amazed the audience. We then had Alice and Harry’s The Year 10s danced to a mashup which we all song. Their voices perfectly complemented secretly wanted to get up and join in with! each others’. Leticia’s breath-taking song ‘I Their colourful bikinis, tutus and glasses all have nothing’ was also incredible. added to the effect. Not all of them would say Singing is not our only talent in Watt House: they are dancers, but they all enjoyed getting Katie wowed us all with her dance alongside up on the stage.

Alice Younger’s immaculate violin playing which showcased both girls’ talents. The Year Both the Year 11 and 13s’ videos made us all laugh, as the Year 11s had a funny skit on an 9s played an exciting game where the aeroplane. The filming wasn’t quite seamless, audience had to shout out the name of the iconic film which they were acting out. Group as we could tell by the hilarious bloopers! The Year 13s attempted to steal back the House B acted so well they ran out of films!

Singing trophy from Nugent but it’s not yet back in our trophy cabinet, unfortunately .

This was all for a good cause as we raised £320 (in cash donations) for Young Minds, a charity we all felt close to our hearts. We could not have put on such a good show without the help of all the amazing Watt tutors, who went above and beyond to help us all in choreographing and performing.

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THE ARTS

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ROUGE BY MONA AWAD From the critically acclaimed author of Bunny comes a horror-tinted, gothic fairy tale about a lonely dress shop‘s clerk whose mother’s unexpected death sends her down a treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty.

This book follows Belle after she finds out her estranged mother has mysteriously died. Belle grew up dealing with her mother's obsession with skincare and youth which inevitably resulted in Belle’s constant obsessing over her skin to appear as young as possible. While dealing with Noelle’s death Belle discovers all the debt her mother racked up and everything she was up to before her demise. At the funeral, a mysterious woman in red appears offering Belle information and a video about a luxurious spa which offers a transformative experience and reguvinating. Belle is lured into this cult like spa and begins to embrace La Maison de Médusa. Belle discovers frightening secrets behind her and her mother's obsession with the mirror and its depths.

By Ariane Dodard

I really enjoyed the story but felt that it was a bit slow at first but about halfway through the story really picked up. I loved its gothic aspects and its criticism of the skincare industry but also the cult-like culture it has created amongst woman who are afraid of the most natural thing in the world, aging.

“Didn't you envy? Didn't you want? A mirror is only a mirror, Belle. It only ever reflects back what we desire and long for” Comparing it to Awad’s other books I’ve read, I would class this between Bunny and All’s Well because I wasn’t as immersed in the story as much as I was while reading Bunny following Samantha in a prestigious writing program and how she gets pulled into a cult with the girls in her English class.

If you enjoy books by Ottassa Moshfegh, Emma Cline and Eliza Clark, you’ll enjoy this.

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THE ARTS

DECEMBER 18TH, 1972

By Tian O’Leary My ’67 Corvette is an absolute beauty of a thing: its sleek, curvaceous body is one of a predator’s, noiselessly slipping in and out of view; its long hood is reminiscent of a clean knife, light maliciously glinting off its irresistible surface. The split back windows, chrome wheels, vents - all of it I admire, and so does my son. Its aura exudes speed and power, similar to one of the tractor-trailer that killed my wife and daughter.

Dappled sunlight dances across the winding country road, created by the swaying trees, their leaves tousled by the afternoon breeze.

Astonishing variations of music delight my ears: the busy chittering from birds; the gentle trickle from a nearby stream; the dull hum from the engine; and the most beautiful and alive of them all, my son’s breathing, its steady rhythm so truly fragile and promising.

All blend together in perfect harmony, and I hungrily soak it all in.

To experience the simple pleasures of life is a luxury.

To my utter surprise, he turns around and place both hands on my face. They are soft and tender, just as they were as I held them for the first time. I marvel at the enveloping warmth of his nimble, agile fingers cradling an old face like mine, each ridge and dip a story of sorrow and guilt.

I envy his life.

“Daddy, I love you more than the whole world.”

“It made me feel so good. So much reminds you of them. You’d open the closet door and smell their fragrance. You’d walk into the kitchen, and just… constant reminders.

And for him to just put his hands on my face and say that, the look in his eyes, he knew that no matter what happened, I would always be there for him. It was the most significant thing anybody could say to me in that moment. I just knew that we’d be together our whole lives.” (Joe Biden) - Credits to @hunter_prosper

As I meander through the countryside, a strange and sudden movement catches my eye. A cow, with deep dark pools for eyes framed by long lashes, its mottled brown fur glimmering in the sun, peculiarly propels itself into the air, leaping over a fence with unexpected grace.

“Look at that!” I gush.

“Wow, daddy!” my son exclaims, his voice like the cacophony of merry bells.

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Biden with his first wife and sons Page 21

The Stag

FEATURES

CAN NOVELS MAKE GOOD MOVIES?

By Layla Cluskey El Jishi

Most of the movies we see and watch have originated as books that have been adapted and cut into two hour or so movies. Do these movies ever truly do justice to the book or can they make them better?

Major examples of it working well include movies like Perks of Being a Wallflower where the director of the movie managed to almost completely combine the full story of the novel into the movie. Yes, it did miss out a key moment (for me), but it is simply not possible to combine a whole book into such a short amount of time.

For many, novels like A Clockwork Orange was a wonderful adaptation of the intense dystopian novel. However, when the author Anthony Burgess spoke about the film, he felt that the movie and the way it ended changed the core meaning of his novel. This can be a problem with book-to-film adaptations as they can often lose the meanings originally intended by the author.

Another example of novels not working as films is Lolita, especially the 1997 movie. The problem with a novel such as Lolita is that it is written from the point of view of an unreliable narrator, so it can be difficult to get it right when adapting it into a film. The film massively sexualises Lolita, a thirteen year old girl who is sexualised by the narrator, but the film creates an image of her as the seducer, not the adult male narrator, which rather misogynistic reading misses the point of the novel.

Overall, it can work no matter what, but it simply might not be possible for a writer and director to fit a whole novel into a movie, as they may have to pick and choose between what is most important to show and what will flow on screen.

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The Stag

FEATURES

THE GRAMMYS 2024

By Esteban Boruel-Lopez

Last month, on the 4th of February, musical stars from all over the globe gathered in Los Angeles to attend the 66th annual Grammy Awards, celebrating musical achievement from 2023. As always with these awards, drama, anticipation, and excitement took the spotlight once again.

“It was a clean sweep of wins for female musicians” SZA also claimed three awards from a possible nine nominations, the most of the evening. Phoebe Bridgers and her all-female rock band ‘boygenius’ also had a very successful evening, claiming three awards: Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Alternative Music Album. In addition to the female domination of the awards, Billie Eilish won Song of the Year for the blockbuster ‘Barbie’ movie hit, ‘What was I Made For?’

It was a fantastic evening for female artists, with the top three most nominated artists all being women. Taylor Swift also broke history with the most Album of the Year wins, winning it a record four times with her album ‘Midnights’. In her victory speech she also announced another on the way, perhaps to break her own record and extend it to five.

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FEATURES

The Stag

“It wouldn’t be the Grammys without its fair share of controversy, would it?“ This year’s controversy took place in the Rap Album of the Year award category which saw a stacked nomination list of Travis Scott (‘Utopia’), Drake & 21 Savage (‘Her Loss’), Nas (‘King’s Disease III’), and Metro Boomin (‘Heroes and Villains’). However, the rather unexpected winner was Killer Mike with his album ‘Michael.’ This was such an unexpected win considering how many fans predicted Travis Scott winning his first Grammy with his album amassing over 1 billion streams, compared to Killer Mike’s 5 million.

Clearly Travis Scott wasn’t too pleased, as in his performance of the song ‘FEIN’ later in the evening, he shouted out, “they slept on me ten times!” in relation to his ten nominations and zero wins. Killer Mike won two more awards (Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance), yet the drama didn’t end there, with the multi-Grammy winner getting arrested and escorted out of the Crypto.com arena. ‘Was it another robbery?’ you might ask. No: it was later revealed in the LAPD’s morning statement confirming that the former Run the Jewels member was detained following a ‘physical altercation’. What he could have been so bothered about after winning three awards is anyone’s guess.

What can surely be said is that this year’s awards did not fail to surprise and entertain, with fans and artists alike tuning in to witness these prestigious music awards.

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FEATURES

The Stag

SUSTAINABLE FASHION WITH WOOL

By Mandy Luo As global concern and awareness of fast fashion has grown rapidly, it is imperative for fashion companies to reconsider their choice of textiles to foster an environment that supports sustainable sourcing and minimises wastage. Wool, which is a natural fibre, comes into the spotlight, offering many innovations for the industry.

“Wool fibre from sheep is composed of a protein called keratin, which is 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable.”

“Wear wool, not fossil fuels” -Woolmark Company Wool also fits into a sustainable circular model, placing emphasis on slow fashion as opposed to waste-intensive fast fashion.

This diagram from the Woolmark company website demonstrates the very long life cycle of wool, as it can be repurposed in many ways to continue its life span. This resource designed by nature acts in a circular cycle just like the fundamentals of a natural ecosystem.

This means when it’s broken down by microorganisms, it does not pose any harm to the environment, and does this through an organic process, whereas synthetics, upon which the fashion industry is hugely dependent, are man-made from oil and refineries. They take a significant period of 20-200 years to decompose and severely impact on the environment, whether through their production, usage or decomposition processes.

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FEATURES

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The Woolmark company is the global authority on merino wool, with a shared belief to voice sustainable development through merino wool due to its many circular and traceable attributes.

There are more than 1000 breeds of sheep producing similar and different wool. The Australian merino wool, known for its superior softness, has many inherent benefits that make it stand out and meet customer demand.

“Merino wool has also been found to help people that suffer from chronic skin conditions” Some of these properties include thermoregulation, which keeps you at a comfortable temperature all year round. It is also UV resistant as it can absorb the radiation from the sun, providing protection for the skin. This is often seen as an important property of textiles for outdoors activities. Another benefit of wool is its stain resistance as it has a natural protective outer layer preventing stains from being absorbed.

Merino wool has also been found to help people that suffer from chronic skin conditions, despite misconceptions of it being ‘itchy’, due to its moisture and temperature management qualities. The many possibilities of wool can be seen in this example of merino wool.

Lent Term 2 Edition | 2024

As the future of fashion shifts to a more sustainable focus, the role of using wool to encourage longer lifespans of clothes is significant. Wool has an array of natural embodied properties that people have been trying to duplicate with chemicals, but are stunted in this process as it contributes to pollution, causing drawbacks. However, when we take a step back to nature, we see more potential for our future in naturally sourced materials and their innovative contribution.

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HOUSE REPORTS

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BLACKWATER HOUSE REPORT

By Anya Rai

Blackwater have been enjoying the busy Lent Term! Many of the girls have taken part in the numerous house events such as squash, badminton and the ongoing house chest competition, all of them impressively representing the house. The preparations have also begun for House a Capella at the end of term, with the group rehearsing well together. The Year 13s have had an especially busy half term completing their mocks, so to celebrate they were treated to a wine and cheese night in house, to unwind and relax before their revision commences.

This half term also saw the Year 12s go on a laser quest trip, where the tutor groups competed against each other. The game definitely got very competitive and everyone had a brilliant evening out. The Blackwater girls have also been doing their part for the school: a group of Year 9, 10 and 12s headed over to a few of the school’s closest beaches to help pick up litter and clean the area. Well done to all those who volunteered on such short notice. Most recently in tutor time everyone in house spent time preparing for Mother’s Day by writing and decorating their own cards; it was great to see everyone’s creativity!

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HOUSE REPORTS

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CRAIG HOUSE REPORT

By Dan Clark It’s been a busy few weeks for the Cronkites, with preparations for the Craig House Annual Revue well underway.

Filming has already started and rehearsals are taking place throughout the house.

House Chess has been a massive success with Victor and Alfie both winning all their games in a recent victory against Watt.

In sport, we congratulate Nate Cahill who helped the school team reach a dominant first in the national Bath Cup. The team won by four seconds, an amazing achievement.

Hockey has been going well with Jack and Tommy playing an integral part in the U14A’s convincing 11-1 win, whilst the U15A hockey team, including Moses, Harry, Felix and Rory narrowly lost their fixture on penalty flicks.

It’s been a busy few days for house sport, with Craig coming 4th in a competitive house basketball, and both Year 9 and Year 10 winning their house hockey. A close set of group matches have set Craig up well for future House Water polo matches.

Ben Clark and Harry Jordan played fabulously in the recent jazz concert, and special praise must be given to Harry who has been selected for Harlequins. The a Capella group has been selected and they have been practising diligently, ready to bounce back after few years off the top spot.

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HOUSE REPORTS

GONVILLE HOUSE REPORT

By Connor Morrell

This half term started off quite stressfully especially for the Year 13s with their A Level Mock Exams. However, in spite of this stress, all scored very high with nothing below a Grade B. We also got to see House Waterpolo getting underway with Gonville’s group facing Pennell and Craig. In the Juniors, special mentions must go to Alex Chapman (10) being a top scorer and scoring from the other end of the pool!

House Football played out slightly better with Year 9 placing 4th and Year 10 placing 2nd for the 2nd year in a row, special mentions go to all of Year 10 whose spirits were high through out even up to the nervous standings.

Finally, we end this half term with Ollie Du Feu (13) and Leo Makarov (13) performing their very own DJ mixes at the Sound Lab with the Special Guest. The night was highly enjoyed by all the 6th Formers who attended.

House Hockey was a highly anticipated event this half term: both Years 9 and 10 persevered through the tough competition.

Unfortunately, both Years 9 and 10 came 5th in House Hockey. Special mentions go to OT Ekiugbo (9) and Jonny Robinson (9), who were our top scorers. Alexander Tidswell (9) should also be acknowledged for his goalkeeping.

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HOUSE REPORTS

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NUGENT HOUSE REPORT

By Suki Sheraton This half term has been a great one for Nugent, with lots of girls getting involved in house competitions and our highly anticipated house revue

Sporting success!

The Nugent girls have done a great job in the College’s recent interhouse sport competitions, including house squash and house badminton.

We were runners-up overall in house badminton which was a brilliant result and the house is super proud of our badminton and squash players!

House chess We gave the house chess competition a good go this half term, with girls across junior and senior year groups stepping up to play for Nugent.

Common room makeover!

The Nugent common room has had an exciting new addition of a huge new TV and speakers to replace our old entertainment system, and everyone has been loving playing music and watching movies together.

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HOUSE REPORTS

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PENNELL HOUSE REPORT As the term comes to a close, we have lots to celebrate and reflect on, from outstanding performances to great sport competitions.

By Fergus Lawson Johnston

On the first weekend after the half term, the house came together to present the house concert which included the Year 9 House Drama of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which was the winner of the Year 9 Drama Competition; the Year 10 Band, with Harry Evans as the lead vocalist; and the Year 11s showcased the art of breaking rules in their video.

The Year 12 Pennell Come Dancing skit showed off the Year 12s’ dance moves.

Lastly, the Year 13 video recreated iconic scenes from films such as Fight Club and Oppenheimer. However, the night was not over yet. The group acts included the house band with Tiger giving it his all on the electric guitar whilst behind him was James Ye on bass, Harry Evans singing and Max Ge on drums. Following their performances, Duke Wilkinson unaware of the situation was brought onto the stage to perform Country Girl with the two compères of the night, where the crowd cheered him on throughout the entire song.

Lent Term 2 Edition | 2024

In house sport, Pennellians competed in the House Basketball Competition and came third giving all their effort, as well as the House Water Polo soon after where the junior team won their matches and will continue to the finals.

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POWELL HOUSE REPORT

By Esteban Boruel-Lopez The Lent Term has been a busy one for the Powelliens, with A-level and GCSE mocks taking place for Years 13 and 11 respectively and achieving brilliant results along with performing in multiple music concerts. Additionally, this term has been an active one for Powell, with sport results taking the headlines.

On the 1st of March, the senior swim team, dominated in representation by the mighty Powell, saw Stanley Yeats (9), Matt Clark (11), and Charlie Evans-Shephard (12) head to the prestigious Bath Cup, one of the most significant events in the swimmers’ calendar year. The boys made Eastbourne College history by winning gold in the boys’ freestyle relay and medley relay, the first time this has been achieved by the College, cementing themselves as brilliant swimmers.

Heading to the freshly mowed grass, George and Archie Shakespeare (11) continued their successful endeavours on the gold course, beating Brighton College in the golf area cup final in professional testing conditions.

In the digital arena, the eSports team, championed by Andreas Photiou (13) and Oliver Edmead (13), have taken part in the National British eSports Championships, going against other schools all around the country and gaining wins along the way.

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HOUSE REPORTS

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REEVES HOUSE REPORT It would be an understatement to say that Reeves has been busy since the last issue. In fact, much success has come to the house, notably in the house sport competitions which Reeves currently leads overall.

Other noteworthy events have taken place too, with everyone being involved in some way or another.

To begin with, the House Water Polo was a success, particularly for the junior team, who ended up finishing second overall. As well as this, the House Basketball Team, led by Head of House Zizie, also finished second in a close final against Gonville.

By Reuben Mace

In other news, Mr McVeigh and the tutors also took the whole house out for a meal at Pomodoro’s, which was well received by everyone (nothing beats good Italian food after all!). The evening was highlighted by an uplifting toast from Zizie who, in his usual energetic style, thanked everyone for making the house what it is.

Furthermore, Reeves continue to impress in the inter-house chess competition, with the team of Alex Wearne, Freddie Timlin and Ralph Pavey already registering three wins so far. Special mentions must go to Freddie, who won his most recent match against Blackwater in only four moves, but also to Ashe TollettCooper, who must also be recognised for not only stepping in at the last minute in Ralph’s absence, but also winning his match despite not having played much chess before.

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SCHOOL HOUSE REPORT It has once again been a great half of term for School House, with everyone keeping very busy!

The School House girls are very good at getting involved and have participated in lots of the events taking place around the school.

One of these events was the informal concert, in which Hanhan, Xinyue and Lily T all took part in and played brilliantly! Another, which was a major event and a fantastic evening, was ‘A Giant Jazz Leap’, which is the jazz concert that takes place every four years, and this time School House had two representatives in Ella Banks (saxophone) and Millie D-H (trumpet) who both played a key role in the Jazz Band.

Moving away from music and onto dance, the annual dance showcase has had many hours of work put into it, with Ella Banks, Flora Liu, Varvara Kriuchkova, Alice Osborne and Mariia Susidko all representing School House. Well done to you all!

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By Tiggy Tutt In terms of house events, there have been many taking place this half of term, with School House coming second in the squash competition and winning the overall badminton title, certainly without a shortage of volunteers to play!

Unfortunately, unlike most of the other houses, School does not have any chess enthusiasts, and so despite our best efforts, we have been knocked out of the House Chess Competition, but well done to everyone who volunteered to play despite not feeling very confident.

I would also like to congratulate Ella Banks, Ella Panayiotou and Holly Mitchell for their great season in the 1st VII netball team, and travelling to play in the SISNA tournament where the team finished in a commendable 4th place.

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WARGRAVE HOUSE REPORT Wargrave has made a remarkable start to the Lent Term, and at the time of writing I’m sure everyone both in house and across school is looking forward to a welldeserved exeat. Since the beginning of this term, Wargrave has taken part in several interhouse competitions along with raising an incredible £12,500 for a local hospice.

Recent interhouse competitions include hockey, basketball and chess. The Wargrave House basketball team secured an impressive win in their tournament and the hockey team comprising mostly of Year 11s performed remarkably well in their fixtures.

The chess team’s performance in the Interhouse Chess Tournament has also been highly admirable.

Lent Term 2 Edition | 2024

By Sam Watson Also this Lent Term, Wargrave pupils both from mainland China and Hong Kong celebrated the Chinese New Year with our Housemaster Mr. Spiers. The Chinese New Year is centred around the removing of the Bad and the Old and Ushering in the New and the Good, which are nice sentiments, especially at the start of a new term.

However, most importantly Wargrave has raised a truly impressive £12,500 for a local Eastbourne hospice. Wargrave House held the Rowathon event in which at least one member of the house is on a rowing machine and exercising for ten minutes, which continued in an un-broken chain for 24 hours. Mr. Roberts returned to claim his title as victor (some would say unsurprisingly) as he managed to row the furthest in ten minutes. But putting aside the competition and focusing on what really matters, Wargrave House has raised enough money to ensure a full day of end-of-life care is given to one person, and that alone is a significance achievement. I’d like to congratulate both Mr. Spiers and the upper sixth organisers as well as everyone who took part and dedicated their time to the Rowathon.

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WATT HOUSE REPORT

By Emily Finch This half of term has been jam-packed, as the whole house has enjoyed our house revue as well as exciting preparations for our international dinner approaching on Thursday. Starting with the main event, our house revue was a great success as the Year 13 compères had the audience laughing, and the Year 9s’ ‘name the film’ game was enjoyable for the ever-keen parents. The Year 10s and 12s both executed sleek and fun dances which certainly impressed the audience. We raised a generous sum of money, £320, for our chosen charity Young Minds which will support young people’s mental health. The Watt Revue was not the only revue featuring Wattians, as Sophie and Katie both featured in the Charity Revue.

Our international dinner on 7th March has been in the forefront of our minds for the last few weeks during the planning stages. We will be ordering Mexican, Indian, Chinese, and Greek takeaways to celebrate different cuisines, and it will undoubtedly be an enjoyable evening.

Lent Term 2 Edition | 2024

Last week, the Year 10s spent an excitable and messy afternoon making mug cakes! The chocolate brownies were a yummy end to the day. It is safe to say the galley was very messy afterwards, with cocoa powder and flour covering all the worktops, but the enjoyment and laughter was worth it. Some exploded but they all tasted delicious!

As always, the house has been busy engaging headfirst into the inter-house competitions, winning 3/3 games in the first round of chess and being strong competitors in squash. Missy, Kayla, Serena and Lucy won all their matches and earnt a well-deserved win. House badminton was enjoyable and, although not very successful, we all improved each game.

And, not forgetting the upcoming House Acapella, where rehearsals are well underway!

Xanthe has enjoyed her long-awaited trip to Berlin, the Year 11s actresses brilliantly executed their GCSE drama pieces, and the tennis players have been away for many matches and a very exciting swimming galas too! In addition, Izzie has had great achievements in fencing, as well as Lexi in gymnastics.

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CHARITY

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CHARITY SOCIETY REPORT

By Father Daniel Wargrave House continued raising money for the St Peter and St James’ Hospice. This charity, based in East Sussex, provides expert care to adults living with a life-limiting illness in the community. Over the course of a 24-hr Rowathon, and also their House Concert, an amazing total of £12,571 was achieved.

Watt House continued their fund-raising efforts at their House Revue just before Half Term with £320 for Holding Space, a local charity offering parent peer support to families whose children are struggling with their mental health.

The stand-out in Powell House was Sloane Tennant who individually raised £1,743 for WaterAid. It was a unique challenge, (virtually) rowing 500 miles of the Zambezi River. His efforts will go towards the charity’s work to provide clean water and sanitation in 34 less-developed countries of the world.

Nugent managed to raise approximately £250 at their concert, the monies going to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Not forgotten was the generous £216 raised in donations at the Sweeney Todd musical at the end of the Michaelmas Term, which was split equally between the School Chapel Charity (Mary’s Meals) and Young Minds, the mental health charity for children, young people and their parents.

Lent Term 2 Edition | 2024

As sizeable amount of second-hand clothing was collected latterly in the last term and also Lent for the Welfare Bank at the Turing School, to help families in Eastbourne who are struggling owing to the cost of living crisis.

Impossible to quantify monetarily, contributions from parents and pupils have been most gratefully received.

In February, Maia Mountain (recent OE) undertook a gruelling sponsored 144km Jungle Challenge run in Costa Rica raising money for MIND, the mental health charity. Friends from school helped her reach an amazing total of almost £16,000.

Finally, another successful Charity Lunch, Y9 Quiz night and fantastic Charity Revue raised further contributions for Mary’s Meals approximately £1400. This fantastic charity provides over 2.5 million simple meals each day to keep children in school in some of the poorest countries in the world.

Great thanks go to individuals and groups in all Houses, as well as parents and members of the Charity Society, for another solid term of charitable giving.

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The Stag

INTERACTIVE

LEMON DRIZZLE FLAPJACK Ingredients: 250g of butter 125 g of soft brown sugar 175 g of golden syrup 425 g of porridge oats 1 lemon, zest only 150g of lemon curd 50g of icing sugar 1 lemon, juiced

By Sophie Stevens Mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice then drizzle across the cooled flapjack.

Cut into 12 pieces.

Enjoy!

Method: Heat the oven to 180C and line a 20 x 20 cm tin with baking parchment.

Put the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan and heat until melted or for around 7 minutes.

Tip in the oats and lemon zest and stir until everything is well coated.

Put 3/4 into the tin and press the mixture firmly into an even layer.

Spread over the lemon curd and sprinkle over the remaining flapjack mix.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden and set.

Leave to cool.

Lent Term 2 Edition | 2024

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The Stag

INTERACTIVE

EASTER ANAGRAMS 1 TREWEAH

By Sophie Stevens

2. PUITL 3. GPNIRS 4. HNIEUSSN 5. SSENAO 6. IANR 7. BRNOWIA 8. BITBAR 9. TENS 10. CTAHH

12. SERTAE 13. GSGE 14. NYNUB 15. OMOLB 16. RFLYTTEUB 17. CKHIC 18. RSASG Lent Term 2 Edition | 2024

1. Weather 2.

Tulip 3. Spring 4. Sunshine 5. Season 6.

Rain 7. Rainbow 8. Rabbit 9.

Nest 10. Hatch 11. Flowers 12. Easter 13.

Eggs 14. Bunny 15. Bloom 16. Butterfly 17.

Chick 18.

Grass

11. ELFSRWO

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INTERACTIVE

The Stag

HOROSCOPES

By Layla Clusky El Jishi

Aquarius

Pisces

Aries

Taurus

(Jan 20th - Feb 18th)

(Feb 19th- March20th) (March 21st-April 19th)

(April 20th-May 20th)

You have done well over the past few weeks but you can do even better in the ones to come!

The more you plan ahead the more you will be able to accomplish

The changes that take place over the next few days will work mainly in your favour

Something you have been trying to keep secret will become public knowledge

Gemini

Cancer

(May 21st - June 20th)

(June 21st - July 22nd)

You need to quit worrying about things you cannot control

Get up and go to places that you have never been before.

If someone in a position of power says good things about you today, you must make the most of it

Libra

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Capricorn

(Sep 23rd - Oct 22nd)

(Oct 23rd - Nov 21st)

(Nov 22nd - Dec 21st)

(Dec 22nd-Jan 19th

Introduce a new habit into your routine and look out for good luck.

Expect change and be ready to treat yourself over the coming month.

Get stuck into your workload and don’t stop until your in-tray is empty.

Branch out and experience new things. Stop worrying about what others think!

Lent Term 2 Edition | 2024

Leo

Virgo

(July 23rd - Aug 22nd)

(Aug 23rd-Sep 22nd) Don’t think too long or too hard before doing something you know you will enjoy

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