HaberAske Skylark 2007

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The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School

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...from the Headmaster The arrival of a new edition of Skylark is always an event laden with both expectation and gratitude and I am privileged yet again to recommend it to you. Every year we enjoy reading its penetrative and professional insights, the articles and reports which illustrate fond memories of the year past written in that inimitable Habs style. Its contents reflect our core aims: the fact that we challenge bright boys to achieve the highest standards, we develop a sense of community and shared values and that we support parents in preparing their sons for a fulfilled life. They reflect also the multiplicity of what happens here on a daily basis and on which this school is grounded: commitment to the fundamental principles of academic excellence, extra-curricular vitality, magnificent surroundings and facilities and the centrality of a strong and supportive sense of community.

No school can reach its potential without involving all its communities in its goals and aspirations. To that end, you will soon notice a significant improvement in the quality of our communications with our external partners, both printed and digital. In due course we hope that all of us can work together to ensure we remain not only one of the best schools in Britain, but perhaps one of the best schools in the world. And together, we will someday be able to offer the benefits of a Habs education not just to those who can afford it, but also to those who can benefit most without regard to financial constraints.

You will know that we have been as busy as ever with new initiatives in teaching and learning, pastoral care and staff development. One fine example is the idyllic new campus for our Pre-Prep school opening in September. The Prep School continues to build, in this and many other ways, on that magnificent achievement in becoming The Sunday Times Prep School of the Year.

I hope you enjoy what you read and ask you to join me in thanking all those pupils and staff who have devoted so much time in making these pages come alive.

VE R E S

AND

OB EY

With warmest good wishes.

Peter Hamilton Headmaster Summer 2007

THE HABERDASHERS’ ASKE’S BOYS’ SCHOOL Butterfly Lane, Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 3AF Tel: 020 8266 1700 Fax: 020 8266 1800 e-mail: office@habsboys.org.uk website: www.habsboys.org.uk 2

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Exceptional boys and exceptional teachers allow us to enjoy exceptional success and so we remain amongst the very best boys’ schools in the UK. We were delighted with splendid results for entrance at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Thirty-five boys were awarded places with the vast majority achieving offers at their first choice university. Last summer’s results were as uplifting as ever and the performances of the boys at ‘A’ level rewarded them with 91.4% A and B grades, and at GCSE they achieved 89.4% A* – A grades.

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contents performing arts 4 events 15 trips 27 originals 43 prep 55 clubs and societies 67 houses 76 CCF/SCS 83 sport 93 common room 109

Cover photograph - ESU International Mace Final held in the chamber of the House of Lords May 2007.

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Performing Arts

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Macbeth - Senior School Play Smoke drifts down from the stage into the audience, accompanied by suitably ominous thunder. Enter the three weird sisters in horrible unison, their writhing symbiosis at once both unsettling and exhilarating, and we are drawn into the unnatural realm of Macbeth, where ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair’…

It was a beginning that left us in little doubt that we were in for a treat. The second scene burst upon us, with impressive swordfights all over the stage, choreographed largely by the boys themselves. One was immediately struck, too, by the marvellous costumes, again owing to the tirelessly creative work of Simone Jones. Calm is restored by the regal presence of Duncan, portrayed imperiously by Matthew Sherr, surrounded by his trusted lords. We hear how ‘brave Macbeth’ has helped to quell the rebellion. He is Scotland’s saviour – the king’s ‘valiant cousin’, a ‘worthy gentleman’.

Fair praise indeed.

The witches - Josh Green, Niall Moore and Neil Joseph— their craggy, unreal appearance apparently achieved through their own adept use of make-up—again almost seeped out of the wonderfully bleak set - a set based around two mobile staircases, one side of which changed between the labyrinthine interiors of a castle, revolving and shifting to reveal the rocky domain of the witches. It is little wonder Macbeth and Banquo were gripped by their prognostications: Macbeth is to become Thane of Cawdor and then King; and Banquo’s offspring will also attain the crown. The seed is planted in Macbeth’s mind by the witches, and William CardozoBoohan’s reaction to the prospect of becoming king admirably captured the birth of inner-conflict that is to consume him. The central theme of the play is the destruction of the protagonist, his marriage and his country through his—and his wife’s— ambition. Not satisfied with being Thane of Cawdor, he craves the Crown, and is too easily led by his equally covetous wife.

The gradual triumph of Macbeth’s ambition over his integrity during the following scenes was so confidently handled that the audience simply forgot they were watching school theatre. Macbeth might be an obvious choice for a senior school play, but there was something about the texture of this production that lifted it far beyond our expectations. This was, of course, owing to a combination of intelligent direction, unstinting support from a dedicated crew, and, most importantly, the talent of the cast.

The captivating interplay between CardozoBoohan and the mesmerising Daniel Barry as Lady Macbeth was exceptional. Her reaction to her husband’s letter (informing her both of the witches’ predictions and the beginnings of their coming to fruition) is shockingly purposeful. Her ambition, in

contrast, is unscrupulous. Her invocation of the spirits to ‘unsex me here’ was, of course, particularly provocative in this production. Here we had a schoolboy playing a woman–a difficult enough task–who is sacrificing her very sex to become something unnatural: ‘from the crown to the toe.’ This, at least, is her intention. Barry’s performance throughout the play, to retain convincing embers of femininity in spite of the character’s desire to be rid of it, was astonishing. His understanding and articulation of often extremely difficult verse was equally impressive.

With the King and his entourage gathered at Macbeth’s castle, Cardozo-Boohan and Barry produced one of the most memorable scenes of the production. One of Tim Norton’s many deft touches was to have this scene take place before a veil, behind which was assembled the party in full celebration, in ignorance of the protagonist’s dark deliberations unravelling before the audience. Cardozo-Boohan fully captured Macbeth’s vacillating between ambition and reluctance until the horror of the deed leaves him resolved to proceed no further. It is only Lady Macbeth’s powers of persuasion that entice him to abjure his misgivings. Barry was deliciously manipulative as Lady Macbeth, toying with her husband’s masculinity. Given the brutality of the images she paints before his eyes, it was remarkable that Barry managed to remain so seductive. The murder, while not actually seen, is ever-present in the audience’s awareness, not least through the sustained use of blood-symbolism throughout, together with the elemental predominance of fire. Once Duncan has been killed, Cardozo-Boohan and Barry again showed great maturity in their

interplay: the former unbalanced, staggering into depravity, the latter possessing a cold rationality that is yet to crumble.

The Porter scene that followed was another striking display of young talent. Harry Bresslaw captured the necessary vibrancy and honesty—necessary in that it provides relief from the preceding murder, and contrasts so effectively with the polished machinations of Lady Macbeth. But the porter can also be seen as gatekeeper to hell, for soon Macduff discovers the murdered King, heralding a new, unnatural dawn across the nation.

This perversion of the natural order is central to the play, and is vividly brought to the stage not only through well-chosen music—varying from the early English to contemporary Japanese, focusing on tune percussion, with much of the drumming pre-recorded by Peter Schaffer—and an appropriately eerie set, but also through the performances. Cardozo-Boohan was at his best during the absorbing banquet scene.

Having ordered the murder of Banquo (a difficult part, ably played by Etienne EkpoUtip and Alex Charles) whom he sees as a threat to his reign, both because of what he suspects and what has been predicted for his offspring, Macbeth is transfixed by the vision of his former friend, and even his wife is unable to break the spell. The ghost is the visual representation of his guilt, and Cardozo-Boohan’s performance here was splendidly angst-ridden, commanding our attention as much during his silences as his speech. The scene ended with the stage in tatters, mirroring the turmoil of both the newly crowned Macbeth and his country.

Such highly-charged moments never became farcical, always sustaining an astonishing credibility and intensity that owe a great deal to Norton’s ability to bring the 517

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very best out of largely inexperienced boys.

This was further in evidence during the extremely difficult scene between Malcolm (Alex Petrides) and Macduff (James Hunt).

The lack of trust between these two honourable men marks the paranoia that has blighted Scotland as a consequence of Macbeth’s reign. Malcolm feels compelled to test Macduff’s integrity, and does so in so equivocal and complex a manner that one might have expected the scene to be glossed over. Petrides and Hunt did not disappoint, skilfully conveying the complex dynamic and demonstrating a genuine understanding of the nuances and suggestion of the language.

Perhaps the most touching episode in this compelling production was Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene. Her cold determination has disintegrated together with her eloquence; she has lost her mind and has been left, ironically, almost child-like in her mutterings. It was the culmination of a mesmerising performance from Barry—

here, through his extraordinary sensitivity, generating a pathos the audience, however reluctant, was compelled to feel. The tenderness of this scene, admirably enhanced by Josh Seymour and Daniel Mehaffey truly embraced the breadth of the play’s emotional register. How easy it would be for a school production of Macbeth to be simply gory and melodramatic. Here we were graced with a talented cast (even including a Year 10 boy, Elliot Ross) intelligently bringing to life a most challenging text through the (as ever) remarkable dedication and skill of Tim Norton and his army of back-stage crew, too large in number to mention individually, but all richly deserving of the highest praise for a production that will live long in the memory.

Alex Keenlyside

Cast 1st Witch 2nd Witch 3rd Witch Duncan, King of Scotland Malcolm, his son Wounded Captain Lennox, a Thane Ross, a Thane Banquo, a Thane Macbeth, Thane of Glamis Angus, a Thane Lady Macbeth 1st Messenger Fleance, Banquo’s Son A Porter Macduff, Thane of Fife Donalbain An Old Man 1st Murderer 2nd Murderer 3rd Murderer 4th Witch 1st Apparition 2nd Apparition 3rd Apparition Lady Macduff Macduff’s Son 2nd Messenger A Doctor A Gentlewoman Mentieth, a Thane Caithness, a Thane Seyton Siward, Earl of Northumberland Young Siward, his Son

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Josh Green Niall Moore Neil Joseph Matthew Sherr Alex Petrides Max Herbert Matthew Slavin Alex Woolf Etienne Ekpo-Utip or Alex Charles William Cardozo Boohan Joel Ross Daniel Barry Alex Sherr Ed Penn Harry Bresslaw James Hunt Daniel Mehaffey Domonic Preston Adam Hartnell Max Herbert Sam Briggs Joel Ross Sagar Gupta Sam Heitlinger Aditya Iyer Neil Joseph Elliott Ross Jonny Wiser Josh Seymour Daniel Mehaffey Ben Ashenden Channon Zhangaza Jonny Wiser Sam Heitlinger Elliott Ross

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Macbeth (backstage) I guess it would hardly be inappropriate to call last year’s senior school production of Macbeth a hit, noting the large turnout and the glowing reports from the audiences.

While the asexual witches, the fanatical Lady Macbeth and of course the deteriorated character of the title protagonist were the focus of a lot of the praise, what supplemented the evocative performances was the work of the technical crew that began three months previous to the beginning of performances.

After an initial meeting with Mr Norton, head of drama and director of the play, the ‘techies’ realised that Haberdashers was going to see something special…at least from a technical perspective. Plans for demanding pieces of set such as two ten foot rotating staircases and an eight foot double door were revealed as well as the use of fire and a complete medieval banquet.

The first week passed like a flash and the timber arrived on site before we were even ready for it. To meet our deadlines we were working at all hours: before school, after school, lunchtimes, break times, free periods, late evenings, weekends and even a few days from half term. With Mr Hugh Silver’s guidance (the school’s main technician) even the smallest techies began to wield power tools with varying degrees of success. After construction, all set had to be sanded, painted and varnished. We soon learnt that ‘Midnight Black’ had a natural attraction to clothing, especially on the days we ran into Mr. Parr. Overall, approximately one and half months work was taken to complete both staircases, slightly over schedule, but nonetheless out of the way.

One of the things we seemed to be worst at was sticking to deadlines, being behind before the majority of the play had even come together.

During early November the lighting and sound work began in earnest.

Haberdashers is particularly lucky in that we have one of the best endowed drama departments in the country, but unfortunately that means more work rather than less. It was here that one understands the true meaning of manual labour. Such was our plight that at one point the everaltruistic Mr Lempriere was enlisted to aid us by cramming as many lanterns into his car to avoid the six painstaking and all too familiar journeys across the quad.

The Audio Visual team had begun to compile the sound effects using a combination of instrumental CD’s and prerecorded percussion, courtesy of Peter Schaffer. The first stage for the lighting started with placing some of the 80 lanterns on the various bars and grids on the ceiling of the Hall using 40ft ladders and our favourite gadget, Spaceman (the schools version of a Cherry-picker).

Our schedule then became more focused on the actual production of the play which was becoming all the more important with every passing day. Not only were we supposed to be responsible for everything technically, but we were also now supposed to make sure the actors knew what they had to do. This job was assigned, primarily to Deputy Stage Manager, Dharmesh Nayee who, with all the others ran the rehearsals during lunch and after school.

in charge of Props whilst Matthew Anisfeld and Bharrathi Sarvananthan kept order down in the sub-stage. Harpal Chana was the “flyman” who is responsible for bringing suspended pieces of set on and off stage using a rope and pulley system.

It would be rather indulgent to claim that the play pivoted on technical crew and it cannot be denied that the cast led by William Cardozo-Boohan deserve much praise. Our resident costume designer, Simone Jones produced outstanding “garments” that clearly achieved the ideal ‘look’ of the production. Daniel Weiner, U6, was a mentor to all of us who were working on this play: his constant guidance and technical assistance will always be appreciated.

Aiding Mr Norton by documenting every move the actors make and meticulously detailing their every action was one of the hardest things to do. The copy of the play which belonged to the technical crew is referred to as “The Book” and it contains almost everything that could be needed to perform a scene, from the points of entrance and exit of actors to who was conducting the scene changes, aswell as all the technical information. In short, it became our bible.

With an all-male cast of 36 strong, it was at points, mind boggling, to coordinate this play. In the smaller more intimate scenes, the director demanded several run-throughs to ensure the actors were visible, lit and heard. While for the larger battle scenes, the main priorities were to ensure that the positioning of the actors was ‘natural’ and of course that the fighting scenes were full of energy, passion and realism.

By the nights of the show, there is very little pressure on the backstage teams. Our work is basically done by this time, and over the total 6 hours our 3 months of work is revealed in all its glory. Anshul Bakhda took the reins of the lighting, Ben Kershaw handled the Audio and Dharmesh Nayee was Deputy Stage Manager, following the play and instructing actors and technicians alike.

In the wings Chirag Khagram, Amal Mavani, Jonathan Parr, Tom Solomons and Hugh Silver dealt directly with actors and got everything on stage going. Raj Dattani was

Macbeth is now fading into the background with many other of the schools achievements for the academic year.

Events like the senior school play are an opportunity for us all, even those who do not enjoy theatre, to appreciate the talent and courage many people have to go on stage and act. Those involved, both on and off stage, demonstrate great commitment, enthusiasm and teamwork. Participating in a school production will allow you to learn, experience and appreciate the world of theatre while gaining many very good friends. It is a manner in which one can give back to the school community but simultaneously gain so much in the process. Producing plays, especially in such short period of time, with so many other distractions, is by far the most demanding experience many people encounter in their school careers. For those who built Macbeth (as well as all other plays) from the ground upwards, the physical, mental and even inner strength required to carry through those few months is not something many people can cope with, and for that reason, it is a privilege to work with everyone who can.

Chirag Khagram and Anshul Bakhda Year 12 7

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Wind in the Willows - Middle School Play The sweltering heat of the drama studio in last year’s production of Beowulf had led to the quite inspired idea of taking this year’s play to a cooler and more open environment - the great outdoors. The result was a minimalist yet absolutely spellbinding set located in the verdure and trees besides North Drive, comprising of few props and much being left up to the imagination; the effect was nothing short of magical. A type of theatre production called Promenade was employed whereby the audience stood for the entirety of the production meandering around different parts of the set. From the moment the dynamic chorus lead the audience to the first scene where a merry Rat and Mole enjoy a picnic on a boat; the beauty of the piece was well under way. The cast comprising principally of Year 9’s excelled in what are taxing roles; Rat was

played with diligence and eccentricity by a very capable Arnie Burss and Jack Finger played a lovable Badger. The fluid and billowing movement of a composed cast gave the audience little time to think about the impending thunderstorms or their throbbing feet. The wonderful Court Room scene was illuminated by highly humorous exchanges between the breathtaking ensembles, with Jack Aaron typically impressing as a Magistrate. Another cameo worth noting came from Joe Gaus, who armed with a strong Birmingham accent nailed the character of a depressed horse.

Finally the audiences enjoyed a splendid performance by Josh Kaiser who

radiated confidence and the foolishness that embodies Mr. Toad. The cast were fitted with absolutely wonderful attire, Simone Jones doing a fantastic job dressing women and animal alike. Mr. Cox must be lauded for the magnitude of his efforts, turning up on countless weekends in the pouring rain for the benefit of his cast along with the perennially supportive Mr. Silver. The premise of taking a production outdoors was an audacious one, and given the typically horrendous weather endured in the summer, the rain lashed down leading to slippery paths and soggy audiences. The dense cloud cover also led to premature nightfall which threatened to shroud some scenes near the concluding stages of the play, however in what remains one of the triumphs of the production, a make shift lighting rig was created for the finale in the form of a small Volkswagen Polo covered in a black sheet. Nothing however could bring down the audiences morale or the spirit of the highly impressive cast with tumultuous applause greeting the end of the production be it in rain or in sunshine.

Sagar Gupta Year 12

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Medieval Mystery Plays - Junior School Play The sight of a medieval peasant bowling a cricket ball across the playground as I pulled into the school car park established the innovative tone of this year’s ambitious Junior School play. The audience was under the expert, confident and vocal guidance of our medieval attendants (James Colenutt, Akash Mehta, Neel Shah, Max Prais, Jack Mackensie and Joseph Meyers).

Our journey started in the Drama Studio for The Creation and Fall of Man. The audience was a little bemused by unconventional seating arrangements as we perched, somewhat precariously on tiered blocks in the centre of the studio. The authoritative tones of Efe Uwaifo (God), regally enthroned atop the drama studio doors, commanded the Garden of Eden into being. Efe conveyed meaning through the lyrical rhythm of the complex language throughout the scene.

Sahvan Karia played his part as God’s angel with appropriate sobriety. In the pretty kaleidoscope-coloured arbour, enhanced by Hugh Silver’s skilful lighting effects, we watched the two supine figures of Adam

and Eve (Zak Kay and Charlotte Wickens) spring to life, clad appropriately thanks to Simone Jones’ imaginative costuming - in white body-stockings, charmingly recreated the beauty and wonder of Eden. These innocents were not to be left in Paradise for long however, as the audience’s attention was captivated by the first dramatic scene change. Swivelling round on our tiered boxes the contrast from the white delicacy of Eden to the all-toorealistic raucous yells and tortuous squirming from the devils (John Sheddon, Jack Reitman, Jared Baker, Jake Leighton, Laura Katan and Harriet Lehain) was stunning. As the devils emerged snarling and hissing from the set, painted to recreate the blood-red jaws of hell, a most spectacular Satan (Eliot Cohen) treated the audience to a lavish range of facial and vocal contortions during which he transformed himself into a serpent and slithered and hissed his way through the audience full of envy and spite up to Eden.

Eliot relished his snide sneers and asides as Charlotte conveyed Eve’s capitulation and ensuing angst. The comic moment as Adam immediately blamed Eve for his fall was not lost on the audience.

Bewildered confusion was skilfully conveyed by Zak and Charlotte, generating real sympathy as these two were cast out of Paradise.

We were fortunate enough on the last evening to have enough of a dry spell to venture onto the hallowed turf of the Quad to watch the Cain and Abel play directed by Matthew Wright. Harry Dobbs portrayal of the blue-eyed, generous-spirited younger son (Abel) contrasted skillfully and comically with Richard Breislin’s eye-rolling, powerfully cynical Cain. The paucity of Cain’s offering of a handful of dusty straw to Abel’s choicest first-fruits led to the first murder as Richard pushed Harry’s arm up his back, clubbed and killed him with the weaponry of the day – a bone! Efe’s angry tones as God challenged Cain on the whereabouts of his brother rang powerfully around the Quad.

The evening’s entertainment culminated in the Bourne Hall with the Noah’s Flood play. The theme of strife and misery was somewhat alleviated by this final scene as the audience was met with a spectacular set of a brightlycoloured wooden ark, complete with lace curtains, as the backdrop to a frieze of Noah’s family which burst into a finely choreographed representation of bustling humanity. Gabriel Navais

(Noah) maintained a firmly reassuring stage presence throughout this play, reasoning with his disgruntled, idle sons (Matthew Perlman, Noah Levy and Rickin Popat) who were comically contrasted with the industrious, purposeful daughters-in-law (Rebecca Heitlinger, Charlotte Samuelson and Jyoe-un Lee). The highlight was the role played by Madee Higson (Noah’s shrewish wife) and her entourage of gossips (Akshay Karia, Nikhil Joshi, Rachel Berkowitz and Ruby Elliot) who, with priceless hair-flicking vanity, were far too preoccupied busybodying to go into the ark. The play closed with a sense of genuine pathos as Navais, his speech punctuated with a poignant, ‘Ah Lord’, surrounded by the rest of the cast, stood to receive God’s blessing and promise for a better future.

Nicki Heinen and her team’s innovative direction of this seminal work gave the cast and audience a charming, educational experience they will never forget.

K Pollock

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Autumn Concert The Autumn Concert is one of the more good-humoured of Habs’ musical events, and it was the catchy theme tune of James Bond, played by the Wind Sinfonia, that demonstrated a feeling of enthusiasm and fun. This was just the start of a huge variety of musical items performed at the Autumn Concert. Habs’ Percussion Ensemble is always lively, and the audience tends to relish their moments of participation, clapping at the instruction of conductor, Jim Beryl. In complete contrast, Aaron Taylor seduced us with his beautiful and lyrical solo performance of a Romance

by Saint-Saëns, sensitively accompanied by Richard West on the piano. The Philomusica’s excellent choice of the Grand March from Aïda was inspired. Their firm, rhythmic hold was accompanied by many tapping feet in the audience, parents were heard humming along to the tune! The spectacular Big Band brought the first half of the concert to a close. It was obvious that the band had been very tightly rehearsed by Andrew Simm, and all sections played with panache.

However it is worth pointing out an exceptional solo from the kit drummer, Peter Schaffer.

After a well-earned interval, the Concert Band awoke the audiences’ senses with a rather full-blooded performance of Wagner’s Prelude to Lohengrin. The Tritsch-Tratsch Polka by Strauss demonstrated tidy ensemble playing in all sections, and the gentle lilt of the dance was well captured.

The unaccompanied Chamber Choir was also assured and enjoyable, with a good balance shown throughout the different voice types. In particular, the Rutter was performed with stylistic flair. The Year Seven Singers had patiently awaited their moment of glory, being a most well-behaved audience. When it came to their turn to perform, they really lived up to Christopher Muhley’s description of “the moment you have all been waiting for”, performing with vibrant enthusiasm.

What a fine start to their musical lives at Habs. The final item in the concert was the Symphony Orchestra, which demonstrated a very high musical standard indeed. The wind playing was particularly subtle, with thoughtful and considered intonation throughout. A special mention should be given to the principal oboe, Peter Campbell, for the warmth in his playing. The strings were full-bodied, and the timpani held a secure pulse throughout the Finale, well supported by the brass section.

This concert was extremely enjoyable for the audience and participants alike, and special thanks go to the music staff, sixthform prefects, and contributors to the refreshments, who continue to enable these concerts to run smoothly.

Toby Young Year 12 10

Battle of the Bands

Battle of the Bands is one of the cultural and social highlights of the academic year.

Set over two days in February, it is easily one of the most eagerly awaited events in the school calendar, and provides a welcome opportunity for members of both the boys’ and girls’ schools to get together to enjoy some great music.

This year was no exception, with an extremely high musical standard being demonstrated from both the headliners and supporting acts. The competition opened with a set from the Year 11 band “The Panacea”, playing songs by the ever-popular trio of the Kooks, Strokes and Arctic Monkeys. Whilst newcomers to the competition, they proved to be an energetic and technically able band, playing standard songs with both drive and panache. However they were perhaps slightly apprehensive on stage, and their potential was probably slightly overshadowed by the superb stage presence of “Beauty and the Bentley”. Fronted by the irrepressible Alex Petrides (also a singer in the school’s Big-band), they opened their set with a version of the Fratellis’ “Creeping Up The Backstairs” taken at breakneck speed. After relaxing the atmosphere with the Fray’s “How To Save a Life”, they successfully managed to bring the crowd to boiling point with a somewhat feral interpretation of Girls Aloud’s “Love Machine”, complete with prominent cowbells and a dexterous drum solo from Michael Bentley (of the band’s namesake). After much surreptitious stage management from the technical team, the competition’s compare, the innately stylish Richard West, introduced the day’s headliners: “The Silhouettes”. Starting off their set with Muse’s fiendishly intricate “Butterflies and Hurricanes”, a risky and worthwhile venture. Peter Campbell’s graceful, Rachmaninovian piano solo receiving worthy plaudit from the audience. However it was their tremendous interpretation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Dani California” that really stole the show, particularly showing off the band’s technical prowess and superb musicianship. Their interpretation of Automatic’s “Monster” was rather more of a visual showpiece than an auditory one, with a special guest-appearance from HABS’ ‘in-house ogre’, George Harnett.

However, the band did succeed in finishing the concert with a powerful and driven rendition of Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life”, complete with a shining guitar solo from the outstandingly dexterous Stephen Moss.

The second day of Battle of the Bands opened with a set from the lower-sixth band “Another Delivery”. Upon arrival on stage, they immediately kicked off the concert with a rip-roaring instrumental number, comprising songs by both Muse and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They then played the classic song “Layla” by Eric Clapton, demonstrating a good mixture of both power and finesse, and finished off their set with another Muse number, “Time is Running Out”. Their outstanding bass player Tom Solomons, definitely deserves a mention for both his superb technique and natural ability to interact with the positively effervescent crowd.

Much cheering heralded the inherently ‘metrosexual’ band, TBM,

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who arrived on stage dressed in a matching uniform of jeans, white shirts and black ties. They immediately built up a rapport with the audience, with their first song, “But It’s Better If You do” receiving well-deserved commendations from the bustling crowd. They played a smooth and jazzy version of Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning”, with some silky vocals from frontman Peter Garside, and delightful alto-sax playing from Channon Zhangazha. Sadly though, due to lack of time the band’s last song (to be a Killers number) had to be cut. Padula, veterans of the competition, then immediately grasped the audience’s attention with a sharp and vivacious performance of the Killer’s classic “Jenny was a Friend of Mine”. Moreover, the surreal attire of frontman Max Herbert proved to be a talking point for several days after the event, with members of the school discussing his ‘mechanical fortune-teller’ costume, as well questioning the meaning of the stigmata in his left hand. As well as bizarre, Padula were also musically very adept, with their own composition “Esteban” showing off the individual members of the band in extremely fine light. Their third song was the Strokes’ “Heart in a Cage”; a superb song which particularly showed off the intricate and supportive playing of drummer Peter Schaffer, who maintained a steady beat and superb level of musicianship throughout. They finally closed their set with a somewhat frenzied rendition of another of their own songs, the powerfully repetitive “Bamboozled”.

There was then just enough time for awards to be given: Best Overall Band was awarded to Padula, for their acute mix of showmanship and technical aptitude, Best Bass Player went (most deservedly) to the natural dexterity of Tom Solomons, Best Guitar Player went to Stephen Moss for his display of obvious technique and potential, Best Drummer was awarded to Imhran Kassam for his display of virtuosity and stability, and finally Best Musicianship went to Peter Schaffer for his sympathetic and subtle playing. Overall, this year’s Battle of the Bands proved a real hit with everybody. There was a consistently high standard of musicianship throughout the competition, with both days proving a showcase for some very exciting potential in the younger bands; potential which will hopefully develop and blossom over the next few years. Bring on Battle of the Bands 2008.

Toby Young Year 12

Keyboard Concert Whilst the Keyboard Concert is not one of the best attended of the school’s musical events, it is without doubt a showcase of some great musical talent.

March 6th was no exception, and though the atmosphere was relaxed, the performers were genuinely concerned with the accuracy and musicality of their performances, two things which do not necessarily go hand in hand. So, at 7:30 Beethoven’s Sonata in E minor kicked off a programme filled with everything from ‘Barrelhouse Blues’ to Schumann. As is usual, Chopin was ubiquitous, with many enchanting performances spread over the evening.

However it was first Hugo Bax, and then James Rose, with his own Homage to Oscar that brought the Steinway to life before the interval. Two particularly special performances stood out in the second half: Leland Hui performing the sparkling Allegro Moderato from Mozart’s Sonata in C, and a superb performance of Rachmaninov’s Prelude in G minor, played with flair and elegance by Raphael Rossler. In all, 25 performers stepped up alone on stage, and though there were mistakes, none detracted from the individual performance, with all giving an account which both the performers themselves and their teachers should feel extremely proud of.

John Mansell Year 12 11

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Spring Concert The Spring Concert is one of the musical highlights of the academic year, showcasing HABS’ Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a dazzling programme of music; both traditional and modern. This year was no exception, with contrasting works by Beethoven, Nielson and the contemporary composer, Karl Jenkins.

The first half was given solely to the symphony orchestra, which opened the concert with a sparkling performance of Beethoven’s Op.62 Coriolan overture. The orchestra quickly established an atmosphere, demonstrating considerable flair and vigour.

However, the bold and dramatic nature of Coriolan does not show the full extent of Beethoven’s style, and to prove this, Jerome Woodwark played Beethoven’s supremely elegant Romance in G. Woodwark’s playing was stylish and often witty, with an assured

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sense of performance. The orchestra adopted their newfound accompanying role with remarkable ease, providing a superbly balanced and sensitive backdrop to the solo line: the strings in particular offering luminous textures and light, clean articulation. Nielson’s sparkling Aladdin Suite rounded off the first half with a bang. The orchestra handled this piece with the utmost dexterity, coping particularly well with the sparse, but often enchanting textures of the Hindu Dance, and the lithe brilliance of the African Dance; the suite’s finale. One particularly memorable moment was the entire Wind section vacating their seats to play amongst the audience in Nielson’s surreal depiction of a bustling Moroccan marketplace.

Fully refreshed, the audience returned to hear a performance of Karl Jenkins’ hugely popular 2001 score, The Armed Man (a Mass for Peace). The Introduction, based on

a traditional French marching tune, built up beautifully to an impressive climax, with a broad and majestic quality of sound arising from the combined choir and orchestra. A spellbinding Call to Prayers (Adhaan) was intoned by Faadil Patel, showing a sincerity matched only by the soprano line in the beautifully expansive Kyrie. Ensuing highlights included a powerful “Hymn Before Action”, a blazon fanfare for brass, entitled “Charge!”, and a hauntingly beautiful Agnus Dei. A triumphant finale, “Better is Peace”, rounded off a highly enjoyable and thoughtprovoking performance of a modern classic.

A huge thank you must, as always, go to Mr Muhley and his unflappable team of music staff, for working tirelessly to make this Spring Concert the memorable and enjoyable event it always turns out to be.

Toby Young Year 12

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String Concert And so Thursday the 18th January arrived and the Seldon Hall was filled with parents, eager to watch the annual Strings Concert.

The evening kicked off with a String Quartet playing Mozart’s Quartet in C major with an especially strong rhythmic pulse from Matthew Naughton on the cello. Anthony Ko performed two movements from Handel’s Sonata in D, with sensitive and thoughtful playing being accompanied beautifully by Lorely Rive. A rarely performed double bass duet was next on the line-up demonstrating the true capabilities of the double bass when not in an orchestra. Ben Cherkas and Peter Sienkowski worked together seamlessly to perform the Sonata in D Op. 3

by Paxton. No stranger to the stage; Jerome Woodwark (previous HABS Young Musician Winner) performed “Danse Espagnole” by Granados, giving a musically assured performance which was truly mesmerising.

Jerome returned with Duncan Jenkins, Thomas Flint and Joe Evans to play Mendelssohn’s “Canzonetta” Op.12. The String Quartet performed a charming interpretation with an excellent sense of ensemble. It is traditional for a string teacher to conduct the Philomusica and Symphony Orchestra for this yearly Spring Concert and Bjørn Bantock, our resident cello teacher performed this year’s honours.

To the delight of the audience, the Philomusica walked on, dressed in cowboy attire. The orchestra delivered a spirited interpretation of “Hoe Down” by Aaron Copland. The Symphony Orchestra responded well to Bjørn’s conducting methods and delivered an intense Hebrides Overture (Mendelssohn), played with true musical feeling. The orchestra then proceeded to add neck ties, bandanas, hats and accessories (such as swords) to their flamboyantly multi-coloured shirts. Smoke machines and posters of skulls completed the image of hilarity. A pirate (Bantock) returned, triumphantly wielding a parrot to conduct a suite from Pirates of the Caribbean, played with a true sense of direction and excellent musical style.

Thanks are due to all of the teaching and non-teaching staff who made this stunning performance possible.

Raphael Rosler Year 11

Summer Concert Music was in the air as the audience filled the rather hot Bourne Hall on May 10th. The proceedings got off to a flying start with a medley of Cole Porter classics performed by Mr. West’s Concert Band, led by Oliver Martin. There followed the String Quartet, armed with six string players and a flautist, to play Mozart’s Flute Quartet in D major! This preceded the rarity of a Barbershop Quartet, performing the unmistakeable ‘Whiffenpoof Song,’ with voices spread both musically and humorously to cover bass and soprano ranges alike! Just as the audience felt they could sit back and enjoy an evening of soothing music, the percussion ensembles returned to the stage in a display of both musicality and sheer brute force! The audience were treated first to ‘Brazil,’ played by the younger part of the school’s percussion talent, with a large older contingent at hand to bang drums and shake maracas!

They returned, enthused, to the stage to play the exciting ‘Reggaelia.’ They were, as always, conducted by the fantastic Jim Beryl, in his sporadic but inimitably enthusiastic manner. The first half was brought to an entertaining close with Philomusica, playing ‘Belingrove Gardens’ and the ever-popular ‘Pink Panther’ under the baton of Bjørn Bantok.

The interval, too, was alive with musical energy. As the audience moved to the Bourne Foyer for drinks, Malcolm Pritchard’s Jazz band were already poised for their performance of ‘Chameleon,’ and other light jazzy numbers, which left the everyone in high spirits for the second half. It kicked off with the Wind Sinfonia in a masterful rendition of the well-known favourites ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘E.T.’ Mr. Simm then led the Big Band in a series of riveting pieces, including ‘Come by Me,’ which featured numerous saxophone soloists, vocals from Alex Petrides, and a virtuosic piano improvisation from James Rose. The penultimate act was the more intimate, with one of Habs’ Wind Quintets playing ‘The Entry of the Gladiators,’ known more affectionately to the amused audience as the circus theme. The ensemble is coached by Delia Meehan, whose dedication to the music department over the last 24 years was recognised as Peter Cambell presented her with flowers to rapturous applause, and who will be sorely missed by the music department on her retirement this summer. It was left to the orchestra to close the evening, and they did so in style, Mr. Muhley conducting Rossini’s unmistakable ‘William Tell’ Overture. Led, excellently as always, by Jerome Woodwark, the orchestra played the less well known opening of the work with care and panache.

Starting with the expansive cello solo, the orchestral section is followed by a conversation between the solo flute, played by Aaron Taylor, over a beautiful cor anglais melody, which was played superbly by Gregory Schey. The orchestra then burst into full glory with the powerful ‘Lone Ranger’ tune that has made the piece so popular.

It was then inevitably time for the final bow for the Upper Sixth musicians leaving the school this term. They will be missed by the music department, as will Mrs. Meehan, to whom we all send our best wishes in her retirement. A riotous encore of the Lone Ranger music, complete with foot stomping, provided a rousing send-off, and as the Upper Sixth left for drinks in Aldenham House, a smile could be seen on the faces of the departing audience.

Aaron Taylor Year 10 13

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Wind Concert As soon as the Jazz Band took to the stage to open the Wind Band’s Concert for 2007, everyone watching the concert was enthralled.

Exploring the world of Wind and Brass for ensembles, and instruments, of all sizes, the audience were treated to music for everything from brass dectet to bassoon duet, an exciting ‘welcome dance’ from the saxophone ensemble and Aaron Taylor’s performance of Martin’s Flute Sonata accompanied by Mr. West, with the first half culminating in the red-and-blue-lit Big Band’s enthralling ‘Love is Here to Stay.’

The second half opened with the ever-popular ‘Mission Impossible,’ played by the Wind Sinfonia, conducted by Mr. Simm, followed by the Wind Quintet, who are coached by Delia Meehan, playing movements from a Mozart Divertimento, in what was her last Wind Bands’ Concert before retirement.

When the Concert Band took the floor for the final act of the evening, all eyes were on the trumpet section for the Grand March from Verdi’s Aida.

Following that, the presentation was made of two well-deserved prizes The Wesley Woodage Brass Prize was awarded to Daniel Davies and Nicolas Chen, and the Woodwind Prize to Peter Campbell. They subsequently performed an exhilarating Beatles Medley, representative of the musical talent at HABS, and enjoyed by young and old alike, expected to bring the concert to a close.

However, that was not to be, as, to the delight of all involved, came Mr. Muhley’s shout of ‘encore.’ It seemed there was no question of what to play the Band’s shout was unanimous - ‘The Stripper’. With the audience, and most of the band members, in hysterics, and Mr. West dancing along, the enthusiastic performance was one reminiscent of the Concert Band Tour to Italy of 2006. With the bright yellow ‘Music Tour Fund’ collection bins set outside after the concert, rumours are already flying about a possible tour next year. Barbados perhaps…?

Aaron Taylor Year 10

Cathcart Young Composer of the Year – Toby Young This award is for young composers of secondary school age.

Competitors were asked to write a symphonic piece to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Elgar’s birth.

Toby’s piece entitled Love Sick immediately captured the judges’ imaginations.

Head judge David Arnold commented “This piece is jocular and immediately appealing, an obvious winner right from the start. Toby has endeavoured to celebrate not merely the life of Elgar, but also the geography associated with it, by including a stunning middle section that represents the hills of Worcester, the Malverns – Elgar’s beloved countryside.”

Toby also attends the Junior Academy at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studies composition. In addition he has shadowed Karl Jenkins working on a recording with Kiri Te Kanawa at Abbey Road and taken part in masterclasses with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Robert Saxon. Last year he won both the Guardian BBC Proms Young Composer of the Year, after which his piece was broadcast on Radio 3, and the Hampstead and Highgate Festival Competition for Young Composers. Several of his compositions have been performed professionally and last year he received a commission from the London School of Economics.

Toby is also a talented bassoonist, pianist and singer. He was a member of the Finchley Children’s Music Group from the age of five and took part in productions with the Royal Opera, English National Opera and at the Barbican and Royal Festival Hall.

Toby’s work was premiered at the Computacenter Cathcart Spring Prom held at the Royal Albert Hall in May of this year. As part of his prize, Toby received two “fully loaded” laptops – one for himself and one for his school, donated by Samsung.

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J Gleeson

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Events

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Year 11 Physics in Action For the second year in succession there was an excellent response to this event offered by the Physics Department.

Twelve teams of five boys were set a difficult practical challenge problem to tackle by applying their understanding of Physics. The task was to trigger the release of a ball-bearing with an electrical remote control. This first ball bearing then caused the release of a second ball bearing that itself triggered the lighting of a small torch bulb! Rules were dubiously interpreted, bent and broken as the boys set about the problem with enthusiasm and ingenuity.

All teams were successful in completing parts of the problem in practice, and several managed the whole thing.

Reliability of design was a factor that some groups overlooked to their cost and they fell at the final testing hurdle.

One group emerged victorious.

Congratulations go to Adrian Hogan, Oliver Segal, Kandeeban Gopalakrishnan, Ben Lewy and Jonathan Constantinou for their successful electrical approach to the exercise.

The Physics department were delighted at the enthusiasm shown during the competition and the creative thinking in evidence gives great encouragement for the future.

R. Kerr

Kevin Bakhurst Talks About BBC News 24 On the 1st of March, ex-Haberdasher Kevin Bakhurst returned to talk on behalf of the Science Society about his work as editor of BBC News 24. An eager audience gathered expectantly in S17, including Mr. Bakhurst’s old A-level German teacher, Mr. Corrall.

The talk was a first for the Science Society, since the topic was slightly different to their usual speeches. However, the scientific content became apparent almost immediately. Mr. Bakhurst began by explaining the progression of technology that the BBC has introduced to reach its global audience. It has not been long since only three television channels were available, and the big news was that a fourth was being introduced. Since this time the BBC has had to diversify its methods of communicating with the public. For example, they have branched out to the internet by providing a BBC website with a broad range of news and services. BBC News 24 is also being launched on the ‘3G’ phone networks in the near future, so people will be able to watch the latest news anywhere on their mobile phones. Mr. Bakhurst was also able to tell us about the latest BBC technology to be released, the I Player, which allows users to select the news stories that they want to watch and which are of interest to them, at any time they choose.

Mr. Bakhurst also explained the process which breaking news has to go through to reach the viewers. The whole process seemed very intense compared to our relatively relaxed days at school. The public place a large amount of pressure on what is shown, so it is vital that it is impartial and does not offend anybody. When breaking news comes in to the office, split second decisions must be made over what can or cannot be aired and what to say. It is hard for them to find the balance between telling the viewers the news and not over speculating when details are limited. Mr. Bakhurst recalled his recent experience of working during the Saddam Hussein execution. They were receiving pictures from the scene, and were faced with the problem of what and how much to censor. However, if they failed to show any pictures, the audience would lose interest and switch to another channel. They had to work with the images being released on a ten second delay before being aired. Even with all this hard work to stop problems, 130 complaints were received including some very profound and hurtful comments.

As questions were invited, the topic shifted to the conflicts between the BBC, Sky and the issues surrounding television licensing. The BBC will have to justify its acquisition of the money received from television licensing when it comes under review in ten years time.

However, the reach (people regularly exposed to it) of the BBC has decreased from almost 100% to 78% in recent years. To be able to keep the license money this figure will have to remain steady. This will be helped by the fact that Rupert Murdoch recently decided to withdraw Sky News from both Free View and Virgin. This leaves BBC as the only 24 hour news channel available to all. The rivalry and yet respect that the Sky and BBC news teams have for each other was evident.

The end of the speech was greeted by applause from all. The society is very grateful to Mr. Bakhurst for coming in and giving a very interesting speech. It is a credit to him that so many pupils and members of the faculty came to listen.

Oliver Birch Year 12

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Young Researchers at the British Library

Daniel Tamman Talks About Film & Graphic Design

"How can people still believe in the biblical creation stories in today's scientific age?"

On Tuesday 14th of November an ex-HABS boy (Daniel Tamman) came back to the school to talk to the Art A-level students. After leaving school Daniel went to University in Bournemouth to take a degree in Film and Graphic Design, and immediately after leaving University he joined a small film and advertising company based in London.

"How can this complex universe have come into being through chance?"

"Is there an adequate explanation for Planck Time?"

These are just some of the questions that the Young Researchers at the British Library attempted to grapple with during their weekly meetings. Two boys from L6 Strouts, Harry Jardine and Oliver Tenzer took part in this project at the British Library. Every week the boys attended meetings at the Library, during which they had the opportunity to explore many different sacred texts from Judaism, Christianity and Islam, hear lectures from academics specialising in the restoration of sacred texts and discuss and debate the issues arising from the use of these texts in today's society. Thirteen young people from different schools took part in the project, which encouraged interfaith dialogue between Jews, Christians, Muslims and Atheists.

The theme of the meetings was whether the Creation stories found in the texts have any place in today's scientific world. The Young Researchers attempted to find answers to the big questions that this theme raises. They did this by reading different sacred texts in detail, researching the views of different scholars and taking to the streets to ask different people their opinions.

The Young Researchers, aided by the project's artistic director Sara Haq, produced a video, in which they ask many questions and state different points of view. This video can be found at the end of the Sacred exhibition at the British Library.

Harry was also asked to take part in the filming for the online resource, and will now be remembered for all time as the "Jewish Young Person". This online resource can be found in the learning section of the British Library website.

On May 10th Harry, Oliver and their families and teachers were invited to a private view of the Sacred exhibition, during which presentations were made to all the young people. The British Library were thankful for the commitment and dedication that the Young Researchers showed to their project.

On July 4th the Year 12 AS Religious Studies class visited the exhibition. The group had an introductory workshop, followed by a tour of the exhibtion. They were also able to watch the Young Researcher's video. The students were really impressed and amazed by the exhibition, which contains a wide variety of sacred texts, including early manuscripts and more recent texts.

J. Kingston

He stayed with this company for several years doing many projects with large brands and multi national companies. He now lives in New York and is doing freelance work with his own film company. His main line of work is commercials, specialising in audio and visual displays for international exhibitions.

He showed us some of his work which was extremely complicated but spectacular none the less. We were shown videos from the release of the Saab 9-5 which was originally shown at the famous Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona. Daniel also produced a presentation for the release of the Lockheed F-22 Raptor and his piece de résistance was a multi media show for The Pontiac motor car, which was exhibited at the three top motor shows in America (Detroit, Atlanta and San Francisco). This was shown on a display six screens wide on the first row, seventeen screens wide on the second row and a further six on the third, making the overall size 40 metres wide!

Most of his work revolved around multi-screen presentations and the trick is to co-ordinate them all so that they produce one flowing image. He also works in conjunction with a composer who writes original music score for all his films. Daniel gave a very impressive presentation and it gave us a fascinating insight into the world of filmmaking and video production. It was great and refreshing to see that not all HABS pupils go on to just become doctors, accountants or world famous comedians.

Marlon Biber Year 12

Mock French Presidential Election The school’s mock French presidential election, organised by the Modern Languages and Politics societies, saw a considerable turnout with some forty-four votes cast. Jamie Day took the part of right-wing reformer Nicolas Sarkozy, the Union for a Popular Movement’s candidate, while Jonathan Grunwald appeared as the lovely Ségolène Royal of the Socialist Party. Each candidate was allowed ten minutes to set out their stall and attack that of the opposition, before taking questions from the floor and finally delivering a fifteen-second summary of their viewpoint. The issues under discussion included immigration policy, law and order, the economy, the future of the European Union and how to modernise France’s large state sector in order to face the modern age. ‘Sarkozy’ also found himself defending his role in the riots of November 2006, when many on the Left blamed his allegedly provocative language for the violence of the disorders.

Nevertheless, he seemed to allay his audience’s fears that he was a tyrant in the making, prevailing by 30 votes to 14, or 68% to 32%, an even larger margin than his real-life triumph a few days later. Thanks must go to Mr Reid, the society members who organised the event and everybody who took the time to attend and vote.

Jamie Day Year 13

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HABS’ DRAGON’S DEN On the last Thursday before the end of the spring term, the Economics Society brought Dragon’s Den to Haberdashers’.

The idea was to encourage entrepreneurship at Habs’ with a £100 prize for the winner.

We were very lucky to have with us four very well qualified judges: Paul White; Head of Finance at Cardiff Pinnacle and Young Enterprise Advisor; Gary Feingold; an entrepreneur who now provides consultancy and advice; Aqil Sohail, an exHABS boy working at Price Waterhouse Coopers and Habs' very own Mr Trinder; economics teacher and head of Young Enterprise.

The first idea presented was that of an online website on which professional chess tournaments could be played. Being the first to go and clearly very enthusiastic about his potential money-spinner, Vedantha Kumar inadvertently took rather more than his allotted time, meaning that the four panel members were unable to ask many questions. The main fear expressed about the venture was that of cheating. The proposed solution was the use of software which would essentially spy on individuals’ screens, although this raised serious issues about privacy infringement.

The next proposal by Electrocise was that of fitting dynamos onto gym equipment, so that some of the energy expended when exercising could be used to generate electricity. This could then be stored by the gym and, if necessary, used to supply

some of the energy that it requires in its every day running. Their first year profits were estimated to be somewhere in the region of £5 million, although it was later discovered that they simply couldn’t see the decimal point when reading out the figures! In effect, the idea was simply the installation of a dynamo into gym equipment. In this respect, Electrocise would not be able to patent the idea, since neither the dynamo nor the gym equipment would belong to them. This would surely leave the market open to an established firm which could exploit its scale and drive Electrocise from the industry. In fairness, however, this idea was novel and was certainly not devoid of potential.

Next was Rent IT, who proposed supplying individuals and firms with IT equipment which can be rented out and traded when newer technology emerges. This seemed like a relatively simple plan, though came rather unstuck when it was pointed out that firms already have lucrative contracts with established companies, which are relatively reliable and inexpensive. In this respect, it was deemed that demand for such services might well be non-existent.

In any case, Rent IT would be a new firm to the industry and would struggle to gain a foothold in the market.

The final pitch came from Eco-hangers, who envisioned hangers made from biodegradable material and which would not harm the environment when thrown away. The material used for the hangers could then be sold as advertising space to various companies. Unfortunately, one member of the group was left looking a little sheepish after admitting that the hangers “had nothing to do with saving the environment” – and to think that we all believed it to be a gimmick! This left the group hanging by a thread, which proved to be as biodegradable as the hangers themselves, when it was pointed out that companies can advertise on their own hangers. It appeared that the multitude of cheaper substitutes meant that there was no market for ‘Eco-hangers’.

The judges then settled down to the hard task of deciding which team should be crowned winner. After much discussion, it was decided that Electrocise’s idea of installing dynamos in gym equipment was innovative and had the potential to obtain a profit (despite it being significantly less than that first estimated!). All that’s left now is to see how Electrocise use the money to start their business.

Sam Cherkas Year 12

European Youth Parliament A chilly wind blew across King Charles Street as a group of eager, young Haberdasher politicians, gathered round the gleaming entrance to the Home Foreign Office. Despite the somewhat gloomy and cold start to the day, the prospect of debating with fellow institutions, shedding light on apparently ‘unsolvable’ European problems, all in the illustrious surroundings of Whitehall, would have raised the spirits of even the most downhearted Habs boy and with the ranks bolstered by their counterparts from the Girl’s School the teams were ready to go.

The debating took place in two separate chambers, each with its own panel of judges. The grandeur of the surroundings did little to deter the two teams, which feverously began to debate issues such as 18

the construction of a trans-continental pipeline, the benefits of a European ban on indoor smoking and greater research into the arts. Following an intense first round, the debate noticed an exciting competition develop between the Habs team and City of London team; an outcome that would, for the time being have to be accepted, as the appealing aroma of lunch began to set in, and minds slowly swept away from pipelines and smoking bans to sandwiches and crisps.

With stomachs calmed and minds refocused, the teams began the final drive to eloquently smash home the concluding judgments and points. The competition provided ample opportunity to demonstrate the faculty for quick thinking and flare, none more so, than the on following debate that was fully

conducted in French. The question posed was on the alarmingly high levels of obesity within Europe and despite the light-hearted nature of the debate, many of the schools showed the excellent standards of French attained by their pupils.

With the final speech delivered, and countless ‘unsolvable’ problems, fully and truly solved by the young minds of today, all that remained was to thank Mr. Reid and Mrs. Wooding for the unwavering energy put into coaching the teams, and look forward to an even better and brighter future for the European community.

Dmitri Fominykh Year 12

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The Junior School Disco The Junior School Disco is a highly anticipated event for all year 7s and 8s, and this year it exceeded all expectations, however optimistic they were. One year 7 boy remarked, “I loved it; I’m so glad I came, because it was such a great time to socialise with the girls!" illustrating the amazing success of the event, a view which I am sure is synonymous with everyone who attended.

A professional DJ was hired for the event and many requests were made for popular songs, further personalising the evening, almost tailoring it to suit our needs. There were many refreshments available, as a group of well intentioned 6th form boys and girls served discounted soft drinks and juices by the cupful, with many varieties of sherbet and sweets to further energise our dancing. The evening’s venue was the Bourne Hall, which proved to have plentiful capacity and atmosphere. The stage was used extensively by attendants, able to have their moment in the limelight. By the climax of the evening the floor was littered with glo-sticks, adorning the wooden planks like slithering multi-coloured glowworms.

The disco, for many the highlight of the year, was a prodigious success, and many new friendships sprouted. All year 7s and 8s are extremely grateful to the organisers and the people who implemented it, namely Miss Rivlin and many 6th Form volunteers.

Jacob Rabinowitz Year 7

The Monmouth Enterprise Initiative The Monmouth Enterprise Initiative is a two day work experience programme run by the Haberdashers’ Company and its links within the City of London, for students across the Haberdashers’ schools. The programme is designed for students to embark on a journey into the exciting dimension of professional life and gain insight into the world of work at the very heart of the City of London, with members of the Haberdashers’ Company. October 2006 was the first time this programme was run, and was sponsored by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, together with the surveying industry. The itinerary for the two days included a dinner at Haberdashers’ Hall with the senior members of the companies, a day shadowing important company representatives, and a tour around the City of London, including a stop at the Bank of England.

Therefore, on the first evening in October, an elite handful of ten Lower 6th Habs boys found themselves having an exquisite dinner in the Haberdasher’s Hall, enjoying the red wine and listening intently to speeches given by some of the top city businessmen and women.

The second day was even more eventful. With only a brief stop at Pizza Express for lunch, each of us spent a day with the surveying companies we were assigned to. We had the privilege to meet the executive directors of the firms, were shown around the offices and given presentations on the current works and some information regarding the future of the company. I was extremely fortunate to spend the day with CB Richard Ellis, one of the biggest chartered surveying companies, which operates in over 27 different countries around the world. It felt surreal to see a huge office complex being built whilst standing in the classy presentation room in the building opposite, all in the very centre of the city. Some others from our party even had a glimpse of the plans for the 2012 London Olympic stadium!

The amount of invaluable experience and insight that we all gained during these two very enjoyable and dynamic days was tremendous.

Fjodor Kempl Year 12 19

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Senior Citizens’ Christmas Party The Senior Citizens’ Party was not short on excitement this year with its fair share of fun and proverbial frolics.

The lengthy planning by committees in the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools had culminated in a rich program of excitement and entertainment for the Old Folks and the volunteers. Arriving promptly volunteers from Year 11 and Lower Sixth helped set up the Prevett Hall, embellishing a plain school assembly hall into a spicy cauldron of neat decoration and outstanding organisation.

Throughout the morning, tireless preparations were undertaken in order to provide the guests with a scrumptious festive feast. The finest mince pies, biscuits and sandwiches were sure to be a delight to palettes of the guests. Raffle prizes and gifts were wrapped under the direction of Santa Claus himself, Robert Daboul, and volunteers were given a crash course in the ancient art of Origami, which was sure to impress.

As afternoon began, the Senior Citizens arrived in their hoards adding the potent ingredient to alight this party. Each was accompanied to their seats by a smart, young Haberdasher filled with attentive ears and a sociable disposition. Along with sharing fond memories of their enriching yesteryears, the Senior Citizens had an opportunity to mingle and chat with people their own age. The program for the evening was set to impress and with stirring delivery from hosts Sagar Gupta and Channon Zhanghaza, the audience were not left discontent. The rich talent the school had to offer was on show with Thomas Flint producing a heart warming rendition of a Mozart classic, and Channon delivering a wonderful performance of ‘Ordinary People’. The bingo event did not fail in sending a few hearts racing and the communal dancing provided a stage for some delightful moments of affection. The raffle prizes and the handing out of gifts terminated a truly spectacular event that left the citizens well and truly ecstatic.

The fantastic efforts of Mrs. Gomez who despite being heavily pregnant managed to undertake the lion share of the work as well as strong efforts from the committee meant that the event was undertaken with wonderful aplomb and can be deemed a rollicking success. Thanks must also go to Mrs. Wilding from the Girls’ School, as well as Mr. Corrall, Mrs. McKenzie and Miss. Rivlin.

Sagar Gupta Year 12

Public Speaking Last year I won the Orator of the Year competition. Next to 2006 on the Brier Shield is now engraved the name Alessandro Furlotti and for a full year I got used to the sight of the shield on my mantelpiece. But too soon came the time to pass it on to the next worthy pupil who distinguished himself as a Public Speaker, the day when I was wrenched from my long post exam rest period to school where I was unexpectedly asked to chair the 2007 competition.

Behind me sat hopefuls. Akshay Kishen Karia, Oliver Anisfeld, Freddie Fulton, Aaron Taylor and Hassan Dinjer All of them were nervous, very nervous. They had to speak in front of judges and their peers into a microphone that projected their voices from the quad all the way around the school. I would have been nervous. I was nervous. One by one they spoke on the topic “The Whole World is a Stage.” Needless to say this produced some interesting results. Akshay, poor boy, was lumped with going first. He delivered an excellent speech, along with Oliver the next speaker.

They were all the more impressive considering that Akshay is in year 8 and Oliver is in year 9, so I believe they are great talents for the future. Aaron was up next and thrilled us with comparisons, and unforeseen subtleties, drawing inspiration from 20

the ever eloquent George W Bush. Freddie was equally good in the measured and intelligent style that I have come to know from him. But Hassan, the last speaker, had obviously been biding his time. His speech was charismatic, entertaining…but all the same intelligent. I say all this with the heaviest of hearts for it was he that took my treasured shield away from me. But I know, I couldn’t have passed it on to a person more deserving.

Alessandro Furlotti Year 11

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RHA Social Skills Course The normal school day is rigorously educational. Not a day passes without hundreds of pupils learning facts and figures, studying religious concepts and historical truths, expressing themselves in poetry and analysing literature. The 14th of June was not a normal school day for the Lower Sixth. The RHA Social Skills course, organised by the General Studies Department, was a day for sixth formers to refine their soft skills. From registration until 4 P.M., the day was structured with five sessions, each highlighting a different skill set.

Albeit slightly embarrassed at the thought of rehearsing dance steps, the students enjoyed a course on deportment. Most highly emphasised in this session was how one should sit, stand, and walk. While deceptively simple and seemingly obvious, the students learnt that sitting elegantly can be fiendishly difficult, especially for those used to slouching. Led by a friendly and enthusiastic instructor, this session was one of the most enjoyable of the day.

The most entertaining part of a presentation by T.M. Lewin about dress was the demonstration of how to, and how not to wear a suit. Examples from the audience participated in the presentation and experienced some stern but constructive criticism by an expert from T.M. Lewin.

A reinvigorated and well appointed group of sixth formers entered the next session of the morning; Conversation Skills. This session taught the students how to act in a social setting. Beginning with the group suggesting examples of highly eloquent people (suggestions were as wide ranging as Christopher Hitchens to Sir Salman Rushdie) and ending with advice on what topics one may begin a successful conversation with, the session on conversation skills proved to be especially helpful for those wishing to develop their networking skills.

The session on male grooming was met with some trepidation by those who did not know the difference between toner and face wash, but in the ensuing forty minutes, everyone experienced the thrill of having their nails filed, faces well scrubbed and hands softened by luxurious hand cream. A thoroughly enlightening session, which although seemed daunting, resulted in many gentlemen learning much about how best to take care of their fragile sensitive skin.

In the Old Refectory, Rachel Holland explained the nuances of formal dress. With examples of white and black tie, a morning suit, and other assorted shirts, jackets, and ties, a thorough instruction on how to tie a bow tie and what a stitched lapel means about the jacket’s quality was the first part of Rachel Holland’s session. Then a handson tutorial on how to polish shoes with a variety of brushes, and finally some lucky members of the groups enjoyed a demonstration of meal time manners, during which they consumed many marshmallows with impeccable skill.

The fifth session was on elocution. One of the most important pieces of advice conveyed during this session was how to speak clearly without being too loud or too quiet. Exercises and stretches to ensure the students were not affecting their speech with anxiety and stress were followed by limericks and poems. Only those with the most dexterous of tongues could keep up with the instructor as the pace increased.

Unlike the schooling of some generations ago, soft skills are no longer taught in school.

This is unfortunate because they are just as important today as ever. All of the sixth formers understood just how beneficial graciousness and politeness can be in an interview setting, or just in day-to-day life. The day culminated with the pleasing sight of one hundred boys sitting well, enunciating appropriately with correct inflection, and leaving with broad smiles. The lower sixth is very grateful to Mrs Pollock for organising the day, and the instructors from RHA. Udayan Tripathi Year 12

Student Investor The IFS Student Investor Portfolio Challenge is a nationwide competition, in which teams are given a virtual £100,000 to invest into FTSE 100 companies over a four month period with the winning team earning an all expenses paid trip to New York.

The competition began in November and our team, “starwars” consisting of Chiraag Amin, Robert Daboul, Fjodor Kempl and Ajanthen Govi did not start well. However, we fared much better in December, and a change of tactics seemed to work. We decided to invest heavily in SmallCap companies and our investments in PartyGaming, Pipex, DTZ and Prudential helped us claim the prize for the most improved team that month. Our success continued for the rest of the online phase of the competition, converting our £100,000 into a tremendous £151,286.03 an increase that most fund managers would be pleased with. The value of our portfolio was the highest in the competition, beating over 7600 other teams nationwide. This saw us claim the prize the “Online Trader of the Year” award, with a reward of £150 per team member in addition to qualification for the Regional Finals in Birmingham.

Unfortunately we were unable to progress to the National Final.

All in all, the challenge was very enjoyable due to the healthy competition between teams and the skills we enhanced over its course such as teamwork and general financial awareness. Even though the trip to New York eluded us, we felt that the challenge complimented our study of economics for AS and provided us with a real life application of our academic knowledge.

Thanks must go to Mrs. Shah and Mr. Trinder for their help during the competition.

Chiraag Amin Year 12

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Target 2.0 Interest Rate Challenge To the excitement of all the teams competing in this year’s Target 2.0 competition, Target 2.0 2006-07, which stretched from the Regional Heats in November to the National Final in March, coincided with perhaps the most interesting and uncertain period of economic stability since monetary policy was placed under the auspices of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) in 1997.

The competition itself began in November at the Corus Hotel in Elstree where the HABS team of Arjun Bhohi (captain), Amit Bhundia, Chris Stevens and Anraj Rayat defeated five other teams including Q.E. Boys and HABS Girls to earn a place in the Area Round. The competition gives teams of students age 1618 the chance to take on the role of the Bank of England's Monetary MPC, assess economic conditions and the outlook for inflation and tell panels of judges what interest rate they would set to achieve the Government's inflation target of 2.0%. With the MPC having raised interests rates two weeks prior to the Regional Heat, the HABS team opted to hold rates at 5%, and with success.

The Area Round, held in February in Luton, saw a much greater divergence of opinion on monetary policy. Against the backdrop of increasingly malign inflationary conditions, with inflation having been set to rise, wage pressures emerging on the supply-side and a strong Christmas for retailers, the HABS team recommended a 0.25% rise in interest rates to 5.5%, whilst all six other competing teams opted to hold at 5.25%. Despite the team’s somewhat hawkish outlook, the judging panel, which included one of the Bank's leading economists and one of its chief agents, awarded HABS the victory, commenting on the fantastic quality of HABS presentation, the depth of the economic analysis and the commendable level of

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teamwork which the team had displayed.

So, after five months of gruelling preparation, and having battled through the regional and area rounds of the competition, the HABS Target 2.0 team of arrived at the Bank of England early on Thursday 22nd March for the Target 2.0 National Final with high expectations and great excitement. On arrival at the Bank the team was immediately led into the conference centre (used by the MPC as the location for press announcements) to conduct a quick rehearsal of the presentation. After initial worries about font compatibility, the presentation was successfully installed on the Bank’s system and the group began a “Parlour Tour” of the Bank itself.

The “Parlour Tour” is exclusive only to “special” guests of the Bank, and as the team was guided through the Bank’s opulent ante-room, exquisite dining room and along spiralling, marble staircases, it became clear why. One special highlight for the team was being allowed to enter the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) very own room, where monetary decisions are debated and decided upon. Later, the team was given a tour of one of the Bank’s three underground “vaults”. Having been shown the anti-fraud details on the new £20 note whilst sitting within metres of a metal crate of £20 notes worth £4 million, each member of the team was allowed to hold a gold bullion worth over £150,000 and weighing two stone! The day finished with a recruitment presentation given to the team by the Bank’s Head of Recruitment.

The following morning, refreshed and ready to impress the judges following a convivial night dining with Dr Wigley, the team arrived at the Bank detecting a more intense and competitive atmosphere. Having been drawn fourth in the previous day’s draw, HABS could afford to sit back and watch Wilson’s School, Leeds Grammar and Peter Symonds’ present their decisions in the morning before the four judges: Paul Tucker (MPC), Kate Barker (MPC), Gary Duncan (Economics Editor of the Times) and chair of the judging

panel, Sir John Gieve (member of the MPC and Deputy Governor of the Bank).

Following a nervous lunch, HABS took the floor and having given their presentation and answered questions on inflationary expectations, real interest rates and the future prospects of the Euro zone, returned to the audience pleased with their performance. At the end of all six presentations, Sir John Gieve, who chaired the judging panel said, “We had six excellent presentations, all of which showed imagination, enthusiasm and a real understanding of the economy. They were clearly based on a lot of hard work”.

The winners were Leeds Grammar who opted to maintain rates at 5.25% and received the £10,000 first prize. HABS were announced as runners up, recommending an interest rate of 5.5% and receiving the £5,000 second prize. In third place came RGS Newcastle, who also recommended a 5.25% interest rate, and received a prize of £2,000. In addition to these prizes, each member of the team received a bag containing an expensive PDA, presented by the Governor Mervyn King. Finally, each member of the HABS team was personally congratulated on their fantastic performance

by Sir John, who gave his sympathies to the team as runners up for the second successive year, commending HABS in particular for their “stock-market analysis”, “unique study of inflationary expectations and real interest rates” and “spectacular graphs”.

Target 2.0 has been an extraordinarily memorable and valuable experience for all involved. Thanks must go to Mrs Shah for the immense commitment and great advice she has given to the team throughout the competition. One can only hope that after two successive second-places, next year will be Habs’s year!

Arjun Bhohi Year 13

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Staff Charity Concert in aid of Cancer Research A large audience came to listen to the biennial staff charity concert in the Seldon Hall on Monday June 25th . This was the last time when such occasions would be organized by Trevor Hyde. He initiated these concerts in 1995, and, as the first one was held only a few weeks after his father (who had cancer in his body) died suddenly, he decided that the Cancer charity would be the appropriate recipient of any funds raised. This year’s concert was the 7th and raised the largest amount of money yet. Trevor Hyde sent a cheque for £2020:00 to Cancer Research (uk) at the end of June.

The evening started in a bright way with Lyn Bird (and her dancing partner Peter Baldock) performing a Salsa to the music “I Love to Love”. Clearly Lyn loves to dance. This was followed by three songs from Duncan Byrne (tenor) and Phillip Parr (piano). The first was “Is My Team Ploughing” with words from A Shropshire Lad by A.E.Housman. The second song was a traditional one “The Foggy Dew” which has been subjected to many formats in its long history. Duncan’s fine voice, and Phillip’s delicate accompaniment, meant that it was a delight to listen to.

Ian Phillips and Barry Regelous brought a complete change to the evening with a hark-back to the 1960’s. The audience recalled their childhood memories with vibrant versions of the Beatles “Come Together” and of “Mustang Sally”. The evening continued with a monologue by Peter Briercliffe. He gave us a fine version of the old Stanley Holloway tale of “The Lion and Albert”. This tale recounts the misfortunes which befell a family outing to the Blackpool Zoo, when the little boy Albert wanted to test the alleged ferocity of lions, leaving the family to haggle with the proprietor over financial recompense when the inevitable disaster happened.

Music returned when Trevor Hyde came to the piano. He gave a performance of two very different pieces. The first was the Impromptu in B flat by Franz Schubert, which takes the format of a Theme and Five variations. The second was “Honky Tonk” written by Billy Mayerl in the 1930’s, and which reflected the popularity of the syncopated piano music of the time. This wilder side of music continued when Al Metcalfe gave his usual highly entertaining performance. He started with his Elvis impression, wooing the audience, with the intensity of his performance, and followed with a Freddie Mercury performance. Al does not have his own natural moustache but the audience was held riveted to see how long his temporary attachment would remain in place. The first half came to a close with a splendid performance by a former member of staff Frank Hanbidge of the Robert Browning tale of “How They

country. Easy Jet all too easily became transformed into Easy School.

Brought The Good News From Ghent To Aix”. Frank has long had the talent to hold his audience completely engrossed with the unfolding drama. The performance showed that retirement has not dampened his skills in this area.

In a novel twist to the usual concert format the second half began with another performance by Frank, when he turned the tale on its head and gave us the Sellar and Yeatman version of the tale told as “How They Brought The Good News From Aix To Ghent”. Music returned with an excellent performance on that rarely heard performance instrument -- the recorder.

Josee Beeson is an expert on these instruments: this expertise came to the fore with her performance on the Treble Recorder for “A Summer Day” and on the Tenor Recorder for “Tea for Two”. She was accompanied in both pieces by another delicate performance from Phillip Parr on the piano.

Music returned when the BeachED Boys performed the 60’s song “Barbara Ann”. The group combined the vocal talents of Melvyn Bardou, Duncan Byrne, John Fenn, Nick Holmes, Jackie Mulchrone, Phillip Parr, and Keren Pollock. The last musical performance of the evening came when Trevor Hyde returned to the piano with Malcolm Pritchard. They started with 2 “Latin” duets (Mambo, and Cha Cha) by Christopher Norton for 4 hands on one piano. There followed a 2-piano duet of the old spiritual “Down By The Riverside” which Trevor had arranged. They closed their performance with the ever-popular music of Scott Joplin; the title “Strenuous Life” being a reflection of our present lifestyle.

The evening closed in the format which has become traditional in these concerts—a comedy sketch written by Stephen Wilson.

Reflecting on the madness of modern bureaucracy in education “Form Filling and Frivolity” hit its targets, and delighted the audience.

Now that Trevor has retired he expressed his hopes that the biennial concerts will continue, and looks forward to being in the audience next time.

T. Hyde

Laughter followed when John Fenn and Melvyn Bardou gave us a colourful performance of “La Bamba”. After this Trevor Hyde had the opportunity to thank the audience for their support of the Cancer charity, and to thank the evening’s compère Mike Morrish for his lively introductions to the performers. Moreover it gave us time to settle back into our seats for a very funny (but worryingly possible?) scenario which Mike envisaged if the founder of Easy Jet became involved in running schools in this

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The GCSE, A/S and A Level Art Exhibition There were some impressive graphic images created at GCSE level, too. I was drawn to Johan Bastianpillai’s repeat print of George Bush – where colour was cleverly used to create balance and harmony producing a highly decorative effect. His Life drawings and prints were very impressive also, showing a keen eye for observation but expressive and intimate at the same time.

Florian Culka’s ‘Vorticist Composition’, his response to this year’s exam theme, ‘Wraps’, was a tightly controlled composition, or structure, evoking architectural forms based on the work of an early 20th Century painter Wyndham Lewis.

Florian had seen his work earlier in the year at Tate Britain. An intricate and harmonious piece which was dependent on line and pattern for it’s success.

This year’s show was a particularly interesting display of work, I feel, with not just the usual range of media and styles but with an intensity and depth to it aswell, which was evident in each of the three age groups.

Similar qualities of experiment and enquiry could be seen in Josh Cowan’s work, where a very competent ‘Landscape with Beach Huts’ in an impressionist style contrasted with a mixed-media piece incorporating a running figure and photographs of the natural and man-made world.

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Akhil Bakhda must take great credit for the sheer scale of his painted canvas of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Such a richly textured surface, a tapestry of colour, a riot of brushmarks. Brilliant!

Marlon Biber created two of the most effective prints at this level, images of the Statue of Liberty, which incorporated the repeated use of a miniaturised version of the statue. Clever.

Nick Vassiliou deserves a mention for his graphic image of a rushing crowd, created as a response to the A/S Level exam theme, ‘Freedom’. Nick created a highly effective and moody image which used tonal separation for its effect.

Once again the Art department took over the Bourne Exhibition Hall during May and June to present its GCSE, A/S and A Level show.

It is one of the highlights of the department’s year, being the culmination of what is two years work for our pupils: many hours of research, development and refinement of visual ideas and creative technique.

At GCSE Level I was struck by the fluent handling, and balancing, of colour in much of the painting including Kayhan Izmen’s ‘Figure behind the Curtain’, where a convincing effect of depth and space was evoked in a piece clearly inspired by Rene Magritte. In Dominic Keen’s painting ‘The Surfer’ the feel of spray, and the energy of the wave were powerfully suggested through texture and colour. The tumbling wall of water, expressed through the vitality of his brushwork, added to the vulnerability of the figure contained within the wave. The same pupil showed his versatility by producing an impressive ‘Fauvist Self-Portrait’, which reminded me of Matisse’s ‘Woman with a Green Stripe’.

I was impressed, too, by Peter Grant’s versatility of technique. His delicate selfportraits, rightly winning the prize at this level for drawing, were in surprising contrast to his exam piece, beautifully coloured, in a style reminiscent of Patrick Caulfield or Richard Hamilton.

Ceramics this year was well represented and again the boys had reached a high level of technique, but with imagination and wit aswell. The prizewinners this year, awarded at our Private View evening, were Alex Barnett and Tom Colville. Alex’s Surrealist interpretation of a head was impressively structured, begging the question, ‘How did he do that?’ While Tom’s head with a ‘Verdigris’ inspired glaze particularly struck our guest speaker, Gary Tarn. A special mention must go to Oliver Cohen whose ceramic ball-and –square completely fooled the judges, who were convinced that the ball was metallic!

Our Sixth Form contingent were a vivid and committed group of personalities whose work reflected real depth of interest, confident handling of materials and strong technical ability. As at GCSE there was a range of approaches and influences; from American Pop Art to the European expressionist tradition, from Edward Hopper’s introspective compositions to Frank Auerbach’s extravagant impasto canvasses.

Jack Lloyd-Jones’ work suggested a strongly introspective mood, taking in the earthy tones of umber, ochre and Prussian blue. His ‘Figure on a Platform’ was, for me, one of the highlights of the show, creating a convincing evocation of a wet and shimmering surface.

Daniel Engelsman produced a startling three-dimensional work on the same theme.

His ‘Falling Figure’ appeared to be almost ripping through space, but defying gravity, frozen in time. Rather unsettling as a result.

Sam Pinner assembled a mixed-media dislay of work including an autobiographical musical arch, a finely observed graphic image of his sister, and a three-part selfportrait, or triptych, with all kinds of assembled collage, squirted paint, and mangled string. A visual equivalent of the ‘Pinner laugh’, I felt.

Peter Garside and Yexi Tran’s work couldn’t have been more different, but both carried through to a high level of technique. Peter, with an interest in photo-realism, creating an illusion of reality in pencil and paint, and evoking a strong sense of isolation and vulnerability in his figures. Reminiscent of Hopper.

Yexi, by contrast, was more interested in the surface qualities created by paint on canvas and the contrast of realism and abstraction.

His Jackson Pollock pastiche set up a mesmeric rhythm of line and colour which was entirely convincing. His self-portrait work, which was reworked I don’t know how many times, was a particularly haunting piece. It reminded me of Munch’s ‘SelfPortrait with a Cigarette’.

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Neil Justice’s body of work showed Munchlike qualities, too, both in the themes of his work and the use of flowing line and colour.

There was a strong sense of movement, an organic quality, in Neil’s work that I liked. His piece inspired by Hopper created the same sense of anticipation, of something about to happen, as the original artist.

Sean Tomlin rightly won a prize , awarded again by Gary Tarn. Gary, a documentary filmmaker, was drawn to Sean’s exam piece.

This was a mixed-media work incorporating both painting and film: to suggest the dreams and aspirations of the hospitalised. The images on screen did in fact evoke the feeling of drifting between consciousness and sleep, as they melted from one scene to the next and from the figurative to the abstract. Much of Sean’s work had this dream-like quality: it

was a very exciting selection.

At the top end, A Level, there were three candidates. Aziz Ahsan, Max Herbert, and Jonathan Hersom. Jonathan’s work played with the notions of abstraction and movement. In his coursework Jonathan explored the boundaries of the real and the abstract, the point at which one meets the other, through the work of Kandinsky, Klee and Mondrian. His large canvas, which he was re-working right up to the day of the Private View, had a freshness and exuberance that was extremely appealing. It captured movement, as did his exam piece: a figure made from wire leaning forward, as if captured on the edge of breaking through some unseen force field. ‘Boundaries’ was the theme for this.

Aziz, a meticulous researcher and documentor of ideas and concepts, was inspired by the idea of colour in all his work.

Colour balance, harmony, and purity. The influences in his work are clearly apparent but his striking self-portrait did go a stage further than just reproduce the Pop Art trademarks. The rhythm of brushmarks within particular areas of colour was appealing and gave an energy and sense of motion to the completed composition. There was a tremendous sense of conviction to this piece.

Finally, Max Herbert. A display which evolved almost organically across two walls comprising of an array of figure work, both painted and drawn. Sometimes highly intricate, as in the work of Escher or Ernst.

More often, sweeping gestures in paint evoking the work of Max Beckmann or Otto Dix with their layers of meaning and interpretation. An interest in the contrast between what is hidden and what is revealed.

This concern extended into a threedimensional field in his installation piece, ‘Boundaries’, where a small carved figure was, to all intents and purposes, suspended in time and space within a darkened ‘tent’.

Through the use of a digi-cam the figure was captured staring at his own image, into infinity. A very clever evocation of depth, through illusion, which summoned up the video and installation work of Bill Viola and Bruce Naumann.

S Todhunter

Mencap Funday

Bouncy castles, face painting, hundreds of volunteers, murals, candy floss…yes of course, the annual ‘Mencap Funday’ had returned to HABS! Unfortunately the weather of previous years had not pulled through, leaving myself and the rest of the committee stuck at what to do. With the registration already set up outside, all we could do was pray for the rain to stop. However, God obviously wasn’t listening to us and soon enough we had to bring all the tables that had been set up outside, inside! Along with that we had to move the arts and crafts, face painting, badge making and bouncy castle (to name a

few) into various classrooms around the school. This certainly wasn’t what we were hoping for. We began to question how the day would run and hoped that our year of organisation for ‘Mencap Funday’ had not gone to waste.

Volunteers started to arrive, as did the children and soon it was evident that the rain would not stop the beauty of the day.

Children were smiling, volunteers were laughing and the general atmosphere was of happiness. How wrong we were to ever question the outcome of such an amazing day. It is a day where all rules can be broken. We can use the lift, bring animals in

classrooms, have a paddling pool in the Aske Hall and of course walk on the ‘sacred’ quad! It is a day like no other. A day of joy and excitement, where all volunteers leave with a sense of pride and fulfilment The day was a huge success which will be remembered by pupils, staff and visiting children for a long time. Thanks must go to Dr. Perera and Mrs. Buckley for their superb organisation, whithout whom the day would not have run smoothly. Similary mention must also go to Catlin Group LTD for sponsoring ‘Mencap Funday’ Oliver Tenzer Year 12 25

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Work Placements: the experiences.

Every year, on the run-up to GCSEs, around 95% of students undertake work experience. Their aims are to get a taste for working life in “the real world”; often with rewarding results and a useful insight into their possible future employment.

When a thousand students were asked, in a recent investigation, whether on balance they “enjoyed their work experience” a healthy 80% responded positively. However, around 3% strongly disliked their experience and for those unlucky few the ‘experience’ only provided sleepless nights; indeed I was one of them.

HABS students every year roll the dice of work experience, aided by capable staff, and most find it highly useful if not downright enjoyable. Boys will casually boast about where they have been, underlining their ability to manipulate family links for jobs or to create charming letters of application.

Indeed, last year, there was much to boast about with boys travelling to Comic relief, Innocent Smoothies, The National Lottery, the Metropolitan Police, a football agency, Saatchi & Saatchi, and even the office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Not all were so lucky or ambitious however, with hordes of HABS boys setting out each day to work alongside doctors, lawyers, dentists, architects, bankers, accountants and, a rather worrying amount of boys, to primary schools. Nonetheless some students managed to think out of the proverbial box and plunged themselves into a field of work which, although not the most obvious choice, yielded more of a ‘life experience’.

Matthew Slavin of Calverts was lucky enough for one week to become ‘James Bond’. Having written to the Met Police, Matthew gained entry to a police training facility in Colindale. In the course of his week he was introduced to Ken Livingstone, Sir Ian Blair as well as the head of the police force of Jamaica, Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Sierra Leone and Bermuda. But this week was not purely based on glad-handing big-shots with a grin; he also blew stuff up.

After careful injections of ‘Habsboy charm’ and steady persuasion towards the stringpullers of the Met Police he joined in with official firearms training. But the week of action did not end there; Slavin sat and controlled the entire CCTV and surveillance system of the Metropolitan police HQ, marshalled a gruelling fitness test for new recruits for fun and took charge of a mock hostage negotiation with real international police chiefs! I believe Agent Slavin is now working undercover somewhere in Russia.

However not all experiences were as rewarding as my own for a glaring example.

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Indeed as Slavin was defusing a nuclear weapon in Beijing I was standing drenched in a warehouse so dingy that even Satan would have felt uneasy in it. Standing there I felt that I had applied to work in a brothel.

But indeed my ambitions had been respectable. I had started the day jubilantly in anticipation; I was working for the Daily Telegraph. In fact I was to travel to One, Canary Wharf. This is the building circled by helicopter in The Apprentice to dramatic orchestral music; the icon of London’s business and commerce. My expectations of the week ahead were elevated further by the idea of working for the Telegraph.

Although technically a reader of the Sunday Times, this was still a huge step up from my previous week of journalistic experience at Herts & Essex Newspapers Ltd; and anyway the Times had said ‘no thanks’ because I was from a private school and a racial majority, the relevance of which still bemuses me.

In retrospect I should have been far more wary of the nightmare ahead of me when I was telephoned and informed not to wear a suit in case it got dirty. Perhaps all the writers play a bit of touch rugby at lunch I thought and pondered upon it no longer.

Having sat waiting outside the glass doors of the offices on a remarkably uncomfortable leather sofa for a whole hour I was contemplating a short nap; for I was attracting absolutely no attention despite having introduced myself to the receptionist more times than I would to a poor Alzheimer’s patient. Eventually three other placement students arrived; all of which were girls in pristine office wear. Sitting in my shabby clothing I felt like I was there to do a bit of plumbing.

It was not long before I was walking through the buzzing hub of the writers’ floor. The rattle of coffee cups, chatter and phones which rung so aggressively that I would be scared to touch them for fear of immediate paralysis. This was the centre of the journalistic world in my eyes and the hour and a half journey was worth every second to be walking through it; and to my utter dismay straight out of it. Recovering still from the teasing glimpse of the writers’ room I was led into a tight box of a room which clearly had never meant provided with electricity or heating and met my ‘supervisor’ who to this day I understand has the exact biological make up of a garden mole; with large glasses on. His name eludes me but it may well have been Moley Moleson Mole the Mole. His resemblance and even attitude towards life was astonishingly accurate to a creature which spends its days underground, occasionally surfacing in a mound of earth

to ruin someone’s hard work and happiness.

Indeed he once told me, when we were discussing the problem of asylum seekers, rather cryptically and mysteriously that he blamed “the long hoh summers we goh nowadays”; the meaning of which? Your guess is as good as mine.

Mole’s department (his room) was in charge of recording everything the telegraph published in a library; to the word. He set me to work by organising the past 60 years of Telegraph Sunday magazines into chronological order; which I completed as quickly as possible in the hope of more responsible jobs. My next job, after lunch, was to take the dozen or so boxes of the hundreds of dusty magazines I had just filed all morning and throw them away; excellent.

“We’re going for a walk” mumbled Mole after I had sealed the last box with red tape reading “WASTE” with a tear of desperation in my eyes. As I stood in the elevator to the ground floor with my supervisor who I now realised was no larger than two feet high I presumed he was taking me to London Zoo so he could pick up some of his stuff.

Instead we trudged headlong through what can only have been Hurricane Katrina taking a casual stroll over Central London for a laugh, towards an abandoned warehouse twenty minutes away from the high-rise elegance of Canary Wharf. At least I thought it was abandoned, walking over broken glass, beer bottles, random planks of wood and the occasional passed-out drunk. I was walking through what can only really be described as a crime scene. I was at the Telegraph documents library, which I only knew thanks to some considerate graffiti artist who had created a makeshift sign on the plastered wall. He also had supplied us with an appropriately positioned arrow directing us towards a door which only opened with a violent kick upon a worn patch underneath the broken handle.

The numerous and infinitely long and high shelves of past Telegraph issues had created shady corridors of documents of antiquity and I was certainly impressed.

However the rest of my day was filled with further sifting through magazines with the expectation of only throwing them away later. I was, by 5pm, as grubby as my supervisor, and as motivated as sloth training for the London Marathon. I decided my ‘experience’ with the Telegraph had to be cut short and so having failed to find anyone to outline my minor distresses in the office who had any time for me I simply decided to stay in bed the following morning and read the Times.

Ben Ashenden Year 12

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Chambéry Exchange In the Easter holidays, a group of Year 8 Habs boys, along with girls from North London Collegiate School spent a week in Chambéry, a city situated in the foothills of the French Alps. Throughout the journey there, we were all eagerly anticipating meeting our exchange partners and their families.

The day after our arrival in Chambéry on Tuesday, we went to school with our partners, and attended lessons including English and French. Afterwards, we spent an afternoon out with the families, allowing us to fully engage with French culture. On Thursday, we travelled to Lyon, the nearest major city, and visited Le Musée Lumière, the museum of cinema. This was interesting, as we found out many facts about the history of film. We then took a cable car to the Basilica and had a very informative guided tour of the old town.

Friday was probably the most enjoyable day of the trip. This was due to the exciting boat trip on Le Lac du Bourget (the largest natural lake in France), en route to the nut oil mill. We were able to stand at the back of the boat, enjoying the pleasant atmosphere and breathtaking view of the mountains. The pleasurable journey finally ended at the nut oil mill where we saw the process of oil-making. It was fascinating to see all the machines carrying out different jobs simultaneously. We were fortunate enough to taste some hazelnut oil and walnut oil which had been freshly made. All aware that the afternoon was to be spent in Annecy, little did we know that the highlight of the trip was yet to come. Mrs Robson and Mrs Childerstone treated us all to an hour on the pedaloes on Le Lac d’Annecy. This boat ride soon turned into the odd collision of boats, which in turn became somewhat of a water fight! When the time was up, we climbed out of the boats, drenched from head to toe, but none of us regretted it, partly because the blistering heat soon dried us up. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the cobbled streets of Annecy. During the weekend, our families took us out for some enjoyable activities, such as playing Quasar laser games and viewing magic shows. All in all, the trip was a great success and thanks must go to Mrs Robson and Mrs Childerstone for organizing the trip and accompanying us.

Omar Ali and Alex McGeever Year 8

Classics trip to Rome and Sorrento After an early start (get up at 2am and you’ll see for yourself), we were on our way to Rome. Mr Whiteman took us on a make-shift tour, passing the Pantheon. The next day, we met our tour guide, Richard, at the amazingly huge Colosseum. That night, Mr Whiteman took us on an obviously planned adventure around Rome (we missed the bus). On Monday, despite an educational visit to the Vatican, a quick kick-around proved to be the highlight of the day. The same night, we went to the Spanish Steps, where Mr Whiteman explained their significance from a guide book which he apparently ‘wrote himself’.

Tuesday, we went to Ostia, to break up our 3 hour coach journey to Sorrento.

Despite our best efforts to explore Sorrento, the pouring rain would ensure we quickly gave up. We invaded Pompeii on Wednesday, and then, being the tough Englishmen we are, climbed Mt. Vesuvius in the hail and cold. That night, we re-tried exploring Sorrento, but we (once again) gave up.

After a half-hour boat ride to Capri, we explored (ate ice-cream and pizza) and saw a villa belonging to Tiberius (half an hour to walk there, 3 minutes to look around, half an hour to get back: completely worth it.) After a lengthy debate about the American language with an ice-cream seller, we returned to our hotel, being told to go to bed immediately. On Friday, we went to Herculaneum and looked at some mosaic artifacts in the museum. Our final full day in Italy over, we slept until 6:30 the next morning, and without delay, made our way to the airport.

Great thanks must go to Mr Whiteman for organising the trip and to Mr Whalley, Miss Leyshon, Mrs Butcher, Mr Dathan, and Mrs Jones for being our group leaders.

Sam Healer Year 9

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Geography Field Trip This year the Lower Sixth Geography field trip went to the sand dunes at Studland Bay, located on the Isle of Purbeck.

Sunday 25th March arrived, with parents dropping off bleary eyed children at 7.30 in the morning, into the hands of the trusted Geography department. However, the trip did not get off to the best of starts. The night before had been the night when British Summer Time started, and, as usual, one person forgot. Unfortunately this time it was the coach driver. While we waited another forty minutes for the coach driver to arrive, we started on the geography, with Mr Hayler showing us certain techniques we would need, including how to sample the pH of the soil and how to profile the site.

wanted to investigate the next day. We were shown several techniques that could be used, and walked inland from the shore across the dunes to get an idea of the area that we were going to study. We then walked back to the coach for lunch, before the two groups swapped over and we went off in the mini-bus for the settlement study.

For the settlement study we observed several small villages and towns including Worth Matravers, Kimmeridge and Wareham, also passing Corfe Castle, a popular tourist attraction of the area.

The coach finally arrived at 8.10 to cheers from the students and we all piled onto the coach and set off. The journey consisted of several activities, the majority of which were overruled by the need for sleep by most people. When we arrived at Studland Bay, the group of about 30 students were split into two, with one group going on a preliminary visit to the dunes and the other going on a settlement study of the surrounding area.

After the day’s work, we travelled to our accommodation at an outdoor activity centre. Once settled into our rooms we were given some time for activities before dinner. After dinner we were all shipped into a room for our “evening study session”, where we were given a presentation about what we had to do the next day from Mr Yeabsley. Then we split up into smaller groups of five and had to decide what factors we were going to investigate the next day, along with the equipment we would need. The Session ended at 21.00 and we were given the remainder of the evening to “amuse ourselves”.

The preliminary dune visit was conducted in order for the groups to decide what they

The morning arrived, far too early for most people, with a quick breakfast and then

straight off into the field. We got straight to work after being issued with our relevant equipment. We all chose our sites along the beach and started. During the study we had to profile the site, so that we could draw an accurate diagram of it, test the soil pH, test the soil moisture, measure the infiltration rate of the soil, and also record the amount and type of vegetation cover across the dune. Once all of the information had been collected we made our way back to the coach, which for some people was the most enjoyable and wettest part of the trip, due to the fact that there was a large bog across the path, which resulted in a couple of wet boots, and one entirely wet person!

Once again we piled onto the coach and made our way back to HABS. A refreshment stop was cancelled on the return journey due to the enthusiasm of some of the boys to make it back to make the late coaches, so that they could get home and write up their coursework!

Finally, thanks must go to the Geography department staff for a successful, educational and enjoyable trip.

Michael Bentley Year 12

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German Work Experience

In Easter 2007, eight boys from the AS level German class went to Düsseldorf in order to take part in a work experience arranged through the school. We arrived on Saturday where we were met at the airport by our partners and their parents. This was the first time we had met them but they were very friendly and welcomed us with open arms. That evening we all came together in order to get to know our partners better. Cultural differences quickly became apparent as we discovered that the Germans are far more willing to use bikes, as opposed to our preferred public transport, in order to get around.

On Sunday, we went to Bonn and Cologne, where we were taken on a tour of these two cities and learnt about their history. Although this was not the main reason for our visit to Germany, it did give us an insight into the culture and history of the towns and allowed us to better understand the large variety of cultures and atmospheres within Germany.

The following Monday would see us enter our respective institutions. Working in a foreign law firm gave me the opportunity to experience an exciting set of circumstances: the working atmosphere of a law firm, as well as the practises of

History Trip to Hastings

foreign firms. Although I only went to court on the first day it was a good experience and through the summaries I made, in both German and English, I was able to learn about many cases. This greatly increased my understanding of how to argue a case and improved my German vastly. However, there were many other work experience opportunities, including banking and medical placements.

On Friday, instead of working, we went to the school with our partners. The German system of schooling is very different to that of the UK. German students start their school day an hour earlier but finish at 1pm. This gives them extra time after school to meet friends or complete homework assignments. After work our partners planned activities for us, including going to the cinema and football games.

All in all this was a very good experience that not only improved our German but gave us an insight into both the working world and increased my understanding of the German culture. I would recommend it for anybody who is planning on taking German as an A level, as the boost in confidence that one receives through living and interacting with native speakers is unparalleled.

Dara Matiluko Year 12

On the 8th October, Dr Sloan, Miss Rivlin and other members of staff took Year 7 to Hastings, in Sussex. Most classes had been studying the Battle of Hastings before the trip and were looking forward to visiting the site where it took place, and Pevensey Castle. It was a beautiful, sunny day, perfect for the occasion. Our first stop was Pevensey Castle, where William Duke of Normandy landed his invading army in September 1066.

When we arrived at Pevensey Castle, Dr Sloan told us that the ruins of the walls and the moat around the castle were Roman; this meant that it was a good defensive castle for William. We split up into two groups. Whilst one of the groups went inside the castle, the other walked around the remains of the walls and studied them with detailed talks by Dr Sloan. Inside the castle were the remains of a chapel, and there was even a cannon, which we were told would not have been there in 1066! We were allowed to walk freely to the dungeons; a miserable, dark place which was a few metres below the castle.

After we had finished looking at Pevensey Castle and its grounds, we made our way to the actual battlefield. We walked around in the thick grass and acted as though we were soldiers, standing on the top of the hill shouting "OOT OOT OOT!" The boys at the bottom of the hill, “William of Normandy's army”, ran up the hill charging, and falling thinking that we were being “killed”. After this, Dr Sloan and Miss Rivlin gave us lectures on what happened in certain areas of the field. The battlefield was huge and no-one could imagine what it would have been like to have thousands of dead bodies lying on the ground.

The week after the trip, we were told that a re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings would be held there, just like the one we did, because it was the anniversary of the blood thirsty war.

The History trip was a great day out and will always be remembered. Thank you to Dr Sloan and Miss Rivlin who planned the trip and made it so enjoyable.

Rhys Jenkins Year 7

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Italy Anyone who has experienced it will confirm that Italian in Year 11 is a challenging, yet rewarding experience.

We are pushed extremely hard by Mr Thompson, our teacher, in order to achieve what usually requires four years of teaching in other languages, in just two terms. The Italian exchange therefore served as a welcome respite: a chance for others to explore this new and rather alien culture and a chance for me to go home.

The exchange consisted of four boys and five girls all from the “Liceo Scientifico Copernico” in the beautiful city of Bologna, in Northern Italy. We met our exchanges at the airport which was called “Bologna Forlì” implying at least relative proximity but as always with Ryanair this was far from the case. My exchange, a girl named Giulia, did not actually live in Bologna but in a small town called Crevalcore. The next day started with a classic Italian breakfast. Mr Thompson and I were true men, buying two cappuccini (yes, cappuccini not cappuccinos) with a lovely pastry, whereas everybody else truly embraced Italian culture with some sort of soft drink and a dry croissant. I was proud to be associated with these fine men of the world.

A brief interlude is required here to explain an integral part of the trip. It was, in fact, a card game. Briscola is a traditional Italian game played by the old men who shout at young people for walking funny and complain about everything. I know, my grandfather was one of them. Its significance as an ice breaker should not be understated. Communication barriers were quickly brought down by the cards and once the games were in full flow, conversation was easy and we all got to know each other much better.

In the afternoon, we had a tour around Bologna where we saw many sites and learnt many things. Bologna, for example, is named “La Città Rossa” or “The Red City” for two reasons. The city is in the Po valley and therefore has little natural rock and so the buildings are made of terracotta (literally “cooked earth”) bricks giving the whole city a red colour. Secondly, Bologna has always been a centre for communist activity hence the “Red” nomination. We learnt of Bologna University, the best in Italy and one of the most respected in the world, and of La Sala Borsa, the former stock exchange that was later used as a basketball court and saw the Roman ruins beneath it. We saw “Le tre chiese” or “three churches” in Saint Steven’s square and saw the Basilica of Saint Petronius, with its unfinished façade.

The church of Saint Petronius itself was initially intended to be larger than St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and whilst Catholic in faith, separate from the Catholic Church. To stop this, Pope Pious IV built two buildings a mere few metres from the edge of the church, preventing any sort of expansion. As

a permanent reminder of the disgraceful attitude of the Pope, the outside of the church has been left unfinished. We also saw the famous two towers of Bologna, but more on that later on.

After this we went to the market. This, for me at least, was dreadfully boring. I have never been one for shopping and after it started raining, spirits were only further dampened. However an ice cream filled us up with glorious sugar and with this new found energy we set off to Anna’s (Raph’s exchange) house for supper. A supper of two types of pasta with bread, prosciutto cotto, bresaola… I nearly exploded.

Raph actually did.

Saturday meant school, boring boring school. After sitting “sans exchanges” in two English lessons explaining to separate groups “La vita inglese”, we all went our separate ways. I sat in physics and maths, comprehending nothing, enjoying nothing.

The only highlight was a phone call from my grandmother, prompting the teacher to turn around with murder in her eyes and on her mind, demanding to know who it was. I knew that if she’d thrown the chalk at me, she would have killed me. Tom, on the other hand, couldn’t stop laughing. The highlight of Saturday was, without a doubt, the towers in Bologna. They were built by high society aristocrats to show how large their fortune was. The view from the top was spectacular, though getting there was a hassle.

The next day was rather exciting as I got to go home. Raph, Anna, Giulia and I all went up to Fidenza and then to Salsomaggiore: my home town. We saw the sights and saw my Nonna. In the meantime however, everyone else went to the beautiful church on the top of the hill overlooking Bologna called San Luca, which I’m told was lovely.

That evening we had, in my opinion, the best meal of the trip. It was in a restaurant next to a lake and consisted of tagliatelle made fresh, al ragù (or Bolognese to English people). The main course was the highlight.

All we were given was crescentini: deep fried dough pockets, with an assortment of hams and salami. That night I really did explode. The food was, in short, amazing.

Monday was also a memorable day.

Bologna’s philharmonic academy is famous around the world: Mozart had studied there, along with Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi and my personal favourite Giacomo Puccini. We saw old instruments, how Stradivari made his violins, but sadly not a violin made by the great man. Raph was the fortunate one. He is not in the least modest, but he is a fantastic pianist. So when we were presented with a 400 year old organ that

had been played by Mozart, Mr Thompson persuaded the guide to let Raph play.

Though for me a guided tour around the main Ducati factory was just as exciting. We got to see the production line, I repeat: the production line! We were also fortunate enough to see all of Loris Capirossi’s MotoGP bikes.

Tuesday was Venice, another dream come true. The city is a beautiful concoction; endless beauty with endless tourists and endless foreign gentlemen selling you handbags for “Very good price, yes”. There is nowhere like it on earth and it is one of the few places that fulfils something empty in your life. There is a mystique about the place that cannot be expressed in words, yes there are canals, yes there are churches but there is that atmosphere that you can feel coursing through you. As everyone agreed, Venice was amazing.

Next, on to Florence, within that jewel of Tuscany lies some of the most amazing artwork in the world, with one of the most beautiful domed churches on the planet. We didn’t go to the Uffizi which was very disappointing, but we did see the less famous, but in my opinion more beautiful, David by Donatello. There were two highlights that day for me. One was fulfilling my life-long ambition to walk across the Ponte Vecchio, and the second was getting lost with Philo whilst looking for a toilet and then being told by a Chinese lady who spoke neither English nor Italian that we had to pay her for the service.

That night was the end of school party for “Copernico”, where we all danced, Mitch did a chin-up, Tom did his stuff and Philo had a disturbing episode with a toilet. I can’t go in to it…The trip ended with a big group hug with one last big group hug and a final “Ciao Ragazzi!” It was without question the best trip I have ever been on, surpassing my greatest expectations. Go to Italy. Now! Alessandro Furlotti Year 11

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Junior School Ski Trip Twenty-one boys were woken from deep sleep at 1am on Good Friday; however there was nothing spiritual in that morning’s rising. The prospect of a week’s skiing was not particularly appealing at that early hour. Despite their grumbles and questions as to whether there really was not a later flight, twenty-one sets of parents seemed keen to have their young men away for the week and so delivered them to the Habs car park for the journey to Gatwick and then on to Vars in France.

Groans quickly turned to moans as the 5.30 am flight was delayed and boys longed for the additional sleep that could have been had, which resulted in Mr Long dishing out a series of fines to the disheartened skiers. Nonetheless the plane finally arrived and the boys quickly found themselves treading on French soil.

Unknown to them though was that a four and a half hour coach drive was still ahead. And as if that wasn’t enough, the boys weren’t allowed to eat on the coach! The series of winding roads with a kilometre drop on one side resulted in a series of very sick boys. More fines!

At last our destination: the Club Hotel Franou, where Mr Long and Co held a meeting to celebrate our arrival at Vars. Then at last, the moment the boys had all been waiting for as we were allowed to roam the shops of Vars and ransack the food stores. After a very long and tiring day, twenty-one boys would find themselves in a deep slumber. No time for fines that night.

The next day we woke up to six days of glorious sunshine and picture postcard blue skies. Boys of all abilities faced up to the challenges of the Alps. Ski groups were organised and the fun began. One instructor made the mistake of trying to instruct: mutiny was struck and he was soon replaced by “Frederic” who became our hero for the week.

The boys did excellently ski-wise but discipline never quite achieved the same heights. All boys clocked up more fines than air miles; it would seem to the delight of the teachers.

Someone suggested there may have been a competition to see who could hand out the most fines. Surely not! There were no injuries and every night activities were organised just in case the boys had any energy left …oh, and more fines. The Mr and Mrs Vars event was a great success with special praise going to Jonathan Munger for bringing out his hitherto hidden female side to steal the show.

Karaoke was another fun evening but the machine had failed to recover from a night with the Bedford Modern Boys.

After a hectic week, the boys were returned to their parents. Memories are strong and clear but to their enquiring, anxious questions, remains one simple reply; “what goes on tour stays on tour”.

I wonder whatever happened to all those fines?

Joseph Myers Year 7 32

Strasbourg A number of French A level students and Mr Byrne, an eager French teacher, arrived at Elstree station on a very dreary morning in February, eagerly anticipating the French exchange that was to be in Strasbourg for the next week.

Andrew Hurwitz was slightly more apprehensive as we stood on the platform awaiting our train to take us to the airport – in his exchange’s notes, young Pierre-Michel had remarked (in French) that he was ‘not always expressive’. Good luck with that Andrew, good luck.

We hastily arrived at the school in Strasbourg by about 3 o’clock that afternoon, each of us experiencing a mixture of feelings – one of which was excitement, another of which was a hope that we didn’t have the one who never washed. (There’s always one who never washes). To cut a long story short, I had the good looking one, Andrew had the big, tall, rather effeminate but actually quite nice one, Daniel Engelsman had the unbelievably cool one, and Jeremy Julius had the lazy one. Off we went, back home with our exchanges for the weekend, wondering what was to happen to us over the next couple of days.

My couple of days were actually quite enjoyable. My guy, as well as being rather good looking, was an excellent golfer, and so on the Saturday I played golf. That was fun. Saturday evening was an opportunity to meet up with Daniel and Victor (the cool one) and a good evening was had. Sunday was relaxed, involving cinema and relaxation.

Monday soon came, and this was the first day that we were able to see our ‘friends’ that we had not seen for two days, anxious to tell each other our frightening and exciting stories about how the French people lived, washed and ate. Missagh Nikbakht-Fini relayed stories of doing absolutely nothing. Fjodor told us how he and his guy were actually good friends, and Andrew told us how his guy ‘wasn’t always expressive’.

During these days we met up with Mr Byrne: a nice chap, with a great accent, and a love for Alsatian wine. He eagerly took us up churches, down museums, through caves, and thanks must go to him for broadening our knowledge of Alsace throughout the trip. Mr Byrne is a fountain of knowledge, through which spurts a genuine hope that we are educated. I thank him for that.

Throughout the rest of the week, I generally went out with Victor (who never worked); because my partner was surprisingly studious, I went out without him generally. Andrew managed to persuade his unbelievably inexpressive guy to come out as well, and so we all happily went off one night, and ended up in a bar called “le Trou” – an experience which helped to loosen his tongue.

Many thanks must go to Jeremy Julius for providing us with something to laugh at whenever we were feeling down, and all the exchange families who made us feel welcome and organised a hectic schedule of social events. Some of us have made friendships that will last and that must be the best sign of a successful exchange.

Joel Ross Year 12

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Lanzarote

Senior School Ski Trip the slope, stop at a sign saying danger, smile back at the group like a five year old with a chocolate bar, before going straight down a vertical drop lined with trees and concealed boulders, the bobble on his hat bouncing on his head as he broke through the trees.

Once again, we had a very successful trip to Lanzarote for pre-season activities: warm weather, everyone training hard, sunbathing aplenty, and many new personal bests recorded. This year we were training alongside some World and Olympic champions, most notably, the entire Polish national squad.

During our morning sessions, we had a chance to improve and practice field events, with extra help from the Year 12 coaches, followed by various drills in the evening sessions. We had six hours between sessions to ourselves, when many events took place. There was the opportunity to try any of the water sports at the resort, alongside many excursions and tournaments organised by the staff. There were volleyball, football, diving and pool tournaments which took place in between the challenging bike ride across volcanic ash, the art trip to the César Manrique Art foundation and a golf day where Mr Keenleyside was apparently “just having an off-day”.

There was also a chance to go to Fire Mountain, visit the caves, and barter for various local, handmade products, as well as plenty of cheap things on offer at the market.

The final day is always taken up by the inter-school Pentathlon Event. It started at 12.00pm and finished at 5.00pm.

Each team is made up of 8 students from the two schools (Habs Boys and Habs Girls this year). The scoring system is based on the ESAA scoring table, so that all the team members are involved. Medals and prizes are awarded to the winning team and to the best individual in each age group.

Special thanks must go to Mr Keenleyside for organising a very enjoyable trip and planning all our excursions.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip, and hopefully the start of a successful season on the track.

It was an early start for this year’s ski trip with everybody, well almost everybody, arriving in the coach park at 4:30am. As with all school trips there was a late-comer and on this occasion, the honour fell on Robbie Ingham – Clark, who decided to grace the trip with his presence at 5:15am.

After what can only be described as a mammoth of a journey via Gatwick and Turin, we arrived in the French ski resort of Montgenevre. We made our way to our hotel which was primitive, at best, or as some preferred to call it ‘French’.

Abilities on the trip ranged from the amateurs, such as Simon Oke, who was incidentally probably the most improved skier by the end of the week, to the likes of the semi-professionals, such as Andrew Middleton, who laughed in the face of knee deep powder and tree lined gullies.

There were also some memorable wipe-outs on the trip. One of the most spectacular was performed by Rishi Naidoo, who attempted to do a 360 degrees spin of a half pipe. He got to about 3 degrees before realising that it was nigh on impossible, and proceeded to land face first in the snow. Despite massive falls and wipe-outs on the trip, including the battering of instructors, there were no major injuries and no visits to the medical centre.

The following day was our first day of skiing.

Everyone was lined up to be asked their ski ability before being split into the appropriate groups. Once again a pupil stood out from the crowd. This time it was because Robbie was the only skier with a snowboard, but also the only snowboarder on the ski trip.

Unsurprisingly he won “Snowboarder of the Week”, which is no easy thing with such a vast array of competitors for the title.

The skiing in Mongenevre can only be described as fantastic; there was a large ski area with a vast array of runs for all abilities and styles. On some of the free skiing sessions in the afternoon, many of us went over to Italy to ski in the resort of Claviere.

The “pistes” there were a lot less crowded and many people preferred that side of the mountain. Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to spend much time there.

Our instructors for the week were a weird bunch of under achievers, failed ski racers and madmen, but they all had one thing in common: a passion for their sport and their pupils. A prime example of one of these instructors was Carl. Carl, who was the instructor of the advanced group, was a playboy from Marseilles who obviously had no idea of a concept called “health and safety”. On most mornings during the first run of the day, he would ski to the edge of

The trip as a whole was a great success with a new Ski King, James Devlin, crowned, and everyone having thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We would greatly encourage people to go on future ski trips because they are experiences one never forgets, and always for the right reasons.

James Devlin Year 11

Ryan El-Idrissi Year 10

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Valencia Exchange Day 1 On the morning of the first day of February half-term fourteen boys and two teachers left Habs coach park to London Stansted airport en route to Valencia. During the flight we were all feeling excited yet nervous about meeting our hosts for the next five days. We landed in Valencia on the evening of the 10th and immediately caught a glimpse of the Deportivo La Coru, a team coach outside the airport.

We also were shocked at how warm it was, especially as it had been snowing in London days before we left. Feeling a bit tired from the long journey, we boarded a coach which took us to the Don Quijote School, where we first met our host families. Each host family took two of us back to their apartment where we would be staying. The teachers, Mr Moss and Mr Bardou, then went to their hotel which was a short distance from the school. We spent what was left of Saturday night getting to know our families and eating, what to us, was a late dinner. The Spanish eat at about 10pm!

Day 2 We woke up early, eagerly anticipating our trip to “La ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias”. As we first entered the complex, we were amazed by the remarkable architecture. The museum was incredibly modern and some of the demonstrations reminded us of the days of Mr Lau in the chemistry department! These included a demonstration of liquid nitrogen being poured into a balloon at 196ºC! We then saw a film called “The Mystery of the Nile” in the “Hemisférico”, which was a hemispherical film screen. The enormity of the screen took us back by surprise but the film was nothing special. We then had time to explore the area while eating our packed lunches. It was nearing the end of the day but we had enough time to see the aquarium where we observed a variety of marine life including dolphins, sharks and swordfish. The teachers were also using their skills to chat up the locals (and we don’t mean the dolphins!).

Day 3 On Monday we all had to wake up very early to arrive at the Don Quijote school at 8.45am, where we would be for the next four mornings for intensive Spanish lessons. We were greeted by our Spanish tutors, Llorenç, Javi and Mariló. We were split up into two groups of seven and would be spending approximately four hours in class a day, with a short break to go to the cafeteria and have a snack in between. At the end of class, we went back to our families for a quick lunch and then arrived at school again two hours later.

We then took a bus to the medieval area of Valencia, where we visited the “Lonja de Valencia”. This was a fascinating cathedral in both its history and its architecture. We also managed to live up to the Habs tradition of finding food wherever we were and when Miles Coleman came back with a bright blue ice-cream (named “blue sky”) we were completely stunned, none more so than Miles himself when he realised it was just coloured vanilla! After the ice-cream break we made an arduous climb of 200 steps to the top of the main tower. When we reached the top we were greeted by a phenomenal view of the whole city. By the time we had reached the bottom, it was beginning to get dark, so we were given free time to walk around and have a snack. During this time, some of us sat 34

outside a café where we sampled the Spanish “cortado”- triple strength Spanish coffee! Fully awake, we travelled back to our hosts’ homes for dinner. To our surprise, some of us met some American and Italian students at our houses. This gave us someone else to talk to while we were desperately trying to feel tired.

Day 4

Waking up early as ever, we made our way to school for some more classes where we learnt more invaluable Spanish. After the lessons, the teachers surprised us by taking us to the beach on an unusually hot winter’s day. We caught a quick ride on the popular tram service, which some of us used to travel to school every morning.

When we arrived at the beach we set up a game of beach football and enjoyed an hour’s exercise. Afterwards, we were given a few hours of free time. Some of us spent it searching for ice-cream (Miles) and others spent their time differently…

The rest of the day involved us visiting the port in Valencia where the America’s Cup boat race is to take place. There were a lot of interactive games testing our sailing skills, where the naval officers among us shone (Nakulkumar and Neeloy). We then trekked home in very sandy feet, where a hot shower awaited us.

Day 5 As usual, we woke early for classes. During the break, we played a heated match of football which ran into extra time. Unfortunately extra time ran into class time. We returned to class, met by a group of angry Spanish teachers. To our relief, Mr Moss was there to take the blame. After class, we assembled outside the school and a coach took us to a Roman ruin called Sagunto. We had some fun, and some of us found something to eat, although it was quite a desolate area. We then returned to the medieval area where the teachers treated us to a grand feast of paella which was greatly enjoyed. This was supplemented by chicken, cheese, melon etc. We were so caught up by time that it suddenly got to midnight without us knowing. We quickly travelled back to our homes where there was still some Valentine’s Day spirit in the air…

Day 6 Leaving the houses for the last time, we thanked and said goodbye to our families. However, we still had to go to class! Afterwards, we grabbed our lunch and our cases and boarded the coach to the airport. We spent a good relaxed hour in the departure lounge after which, we got on the Easyjet flight back to Stansted. Most of us were so tired that we slept during the flight. At the airport, we relocated our suitcases and drove back to Habs where we were reunited with our parents.

We thoroughly enjoyed the trip and thanks must be given to both Mr Bardou and Mr Moss for organizing it.

Parav Pandya and Johan Bastianpillai Year 10

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Salamanca With the buzz of term-time having dissipated only a matter of hours earlier, an eerie silence was palpable as a small group of students began to descend on the Habs coach park. The six members of the Upper Sixth were joined by Mr Bardou as their five day quest to explore the culture and language of Spain began. With the space on the rather cramped minibus being divided roughly 50-50 between students and their numerous bags, the semi-conscious group set off towards Stansted, where they checked in to the fabulous luxury of Ryanair’s low cost service to the Spanish town of Valladolid. From there, the vast group totalling seven was quite embarrassed to see a 59-seater luxury bus waiting to take them the 2 hours south-west to the destination of Salamanca, home to the World’s second oldest university. The students were divided into 3 groups, and taken to their quarters, kindly provided by the lovely but apparently quite odd folk of Salamanca. One family appeared to be accommodating so many foreign students that they had sacrificed their own bedroom, whilst another evidently counted spherical rocks amongst their favourite ingredients for mashed potato.

Once settled, the group wasted no time in meeting up to sample typical Spanish culture by exploring the town’s famous Plaza Mayor, and then proceeding onwards to the aptly named Irish Rover bar. It was from this vantage point that the group was able to witness Real Madrid’s home victory over Barcelona the following evening, although by that time the number of students had grown from 6 to 7, following Robert Mindell’s expert use of his superb Spanish to navigate his way on a bus to join the party. These same Spanish skills would later come in handy for Robert to endear himself to the staff at the don Quijote language school, and then to wow the lady at the tourist office with some slick communications. Helped by Mr Bardou’s “word of the day” feature and the Mabel’s expert language teaching in the mornings, the group’s Spanish improved greatly throughout the days they were there. The first full day in Spain was spent visiting Segovía, home of a hugely impressive Roman aqueduct, and Ávila, whose perimeter wall remains standing since 1090.

Unfortunately, the group had to take Mr Bardou’s word that Segovía’s specialty dish: baby pig, was to die for, and that word was later questioned when he awarded 5 rather dubious “Mr B stars” to an art exhibition which was less popular amongst the students.

It doesn’t look good for the group’s exam prospects after none of them managed to spot the “good luck” frog carved into the magnificent stone wall of the university without significant assistance. After an hour looking at Salamanca’s literary importance, the group just had enough time to enjoy the diverse Salamanca nightlife, enabling Robert Mindell’s vocabulary to double with the addition of a couple of new words. Finishing on a high, the party enjoyed a Mexican meal on the final night with the Old Haberdasher who now runs the language school, and learnt the word “Chupitería” while enjoying a relaxing evening in the town’s leading club.

After that, a sensational visit packed with all sorts of excitement came to an abrupt end when many wished it had continued for at least a few days. Thanks must go to Mr Bardou and congratulations also to Robert Goldstein on surviving the attempt on his life made by the fateful mash. Maybe I should now take a lesson from Mr Mindell, and “cállame”.

Jamie Nove Year 13

Mountaineering Club Trip to North Wales

A group of 18 boys, from Year 10 to the Lower Sixth, were accompanied by Reverend Markby, Mr Hardman, Mr Roncarati and the School’s Bursar, Mr Gilbertson, to North Wales on the Mountaineering Club’s first expedition of the School year, which took place in November 2006.

The group was split in two on the Saturday of this weekend trip. One group climbed Tryfan ("Three Tops" at 915 metres) via the Heather Terrace before traversing the scree slopes to finish on Y Foel Goch ("The Red Bare Hill" at 805 metres). The other group climbed a Grade 2 scramble on their way up Carnedd Dafydd ("David's Cairn" at 1040 metres). Having gained the ridge, the group climbed up Carnedd Llewelyn ("Llewelyn's Cairn" at 1064 metres) and Yr Elen ("The Hill of the Fawn" at 962 metres). Both groups were shot-blasted by horizontal hail, snow and rain.

The following day, the staff swapped the groups over with one group climbing Foel Meirch (800 metres), whilst the other climbed Carnedd Moel Siabod (872 metres). The Sunday morning brought clear blue skies, weak autumn sunshine and a hard frost, but by midday, the cold front arrived from Ireland, bringing with it more strong wind and double-helpings of hail and rain.

Despite the weather, a challenging, yet exhilarating weekend was enjoyed by all the group.

T Hardman

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Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award

Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award

As Spring beckoned, four groups of Habs boys set off on a twenty-five kilometre hike through the Chilterns to achieve the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. The Award consists of four sections: service, skills, physical recreation and expeditions.

Having completed the practice expedition the previous October and the other sections over the course of the year, this was the only remaining task to do.

Each group required an aim for their expedition, and our group decided to visit various churches along the way, noting the different architectural features. We navigated through green pastures and wooded forests which offered us a pleasant backdrop to our walk.

Upon arrival at the campsite, our first task was to set up the tents. This proved to be rather difficult for some groups! However, all the groups managed in the end. The second task was to cook dinner; by the end of which it was only 7.00pm, and the sun had already set.

After a few hours of sleep, it was time for breakfast. This was the final cookery task of the trip. Some groups chose to make hot chocolate, others heated croissants and one group attempted Honey and Camomile tea! Eager to reach our destination, we packed up our tents and left the campsite promptly so that we could embark upon the second leg of the walk.

Our arrival at Wigginton Station marked the end of a challenging and enjoyable trip, and the completion of the Bronze Award. We would like to thank Mrs Wijeratna for organizing the trip, together with Mr Fielder and Mr Moss who guided us on the day.

Robert Daboul and Arjun Dasgupta Year 12

Many people eagerly sign up for the Duke of Edinburgh scheme thinking its Awards are easy to come by having heard the stories of blatant flouting of rules by people in other Centres on their expeditions and activities. However, if there is one person determined to make sure we at Habs earn our D of E awards, it is Mrs Wijeratna (formerly known as Ms Cook). There was a real race this term to complete our Awards; cynics will read the four letter word ‘UCAS’ into this, my only defence is perhaps that Mrs Wij was just trying to make it even harder for us. Our journey to the Surrey Hills was short, mixed with dread as we recalled our memories of the practice expedition and the weather forecast of heavy, unrelenting rain but also excitement at what would lie ahead.

We started off well, our bellies full and muscles relaxed by our sedentary life at Habs. The sun was out and we walked with purpose, if not a sense of direction. Climbing a steep hill in the wrong direction led us having to make quick progress through thick bush and woodland to recover our position and time targets. The leviathan efforts of the morning meant we were much more tired in the afternoon and we ended up not reaching the campsite until nightfall where we had to set up our tents and cook our dinner by only the dim glow of our torches. By morning we were rested physically but not before a long night of heavy rain and storms had passed. Fortunately no weevils had found their way into our tents and bags this time around! Upon reaching the stately home of Polesden Lacy, the purpose of our expedition, we were greeted by a member of the home’s staff as “you filth” but I’m sure this was only in reference to our muddied clothing. Upon removing our shoes and trousers we were granted permission to enter the home where Jai became very interested in the history of the home, distracting the attendants so Jayan and Thusagar could surreptitiously photograph various rooms in the home.

That evening was the highlight of the whole expedition; using wet wood, paper and aerosols we struggled to light a fire. However, under the expert tuition of Mrs Wij we managed to light and sustain a roaring bonfire, which lasted several hours and around which we sat talking and warming not only our bodies but also our spirits for the final trek ahead, the following and final day. On the third day our route was simple, following a single path for most of the way. That was until we discovered that the path no longer existed, someone having built a house in the way. After re-routing around a golf course, we found ourselves in the most miserable weather ever, as if to compensate for our enjoying of the night before or perhaps Mrs Wij’s intention that our expedition be ‘challenging’ had been overheard by the man in the sky. Other than the occasional outburst into song by the whole group, the rest of the day passed slowly and uneventfully as we passed by ever larger homes rivalling the size of Polesden Lacy. Upon reaching the minibus there was little to do except sink back into the seats and sleep in the relief that the expedition had finished, and that we would soon be home with our Silver Awards completed at last!

Samil Shah Year 13

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Model United Nations This year’s MUN has once again been extremely successful for Habs. Model United Nations is an organization which has been running for almost as long as the actual United Nations. It is a series of conferences where many thousands of students meet and attempt to deal with pressing issues, such as global warming and terrorism, whilst representing different countries. The delegates prepare and present resolutions dealing with particular issues in committees, then attempt to have them adopted and debated in the General Assembly.

Participation here combines multiple skills; sociability in lobbying for support, public speaking when debating resolutions and diplomacy, in settling disputes and negotiating compromises. We traditionally take part in two conferences in the UK: Royal Russell School and Haileybury School, and two abroad at St Andrews, Dublin and The Hague International Model United Nations.

In October 2006 at the Royal Russell School, Habs represented the Russian Federation and Uzbekistan and Vishal Patel and Aziz Ashan chaired committees for the first time. Although there were concerns that this would deprive our delegations of two of the school’s most experienced MUNers, it soon became clear that a new generation of Habs boys were more than equal to the challenges of their first conference. For the first time in the History of Habs’ MUN, a group of Year 10 students participated.

Hasan Dindjer, Paul Hooper, Brett Bernstein and Edward Schwitzer not only took part, but acquitted them with distinction. In fact all bar one of the 24 man Habs team received individual distinguished delegation awards-a record.

The year’s most prestigious conference is the Hague International (THIMUN). It is one of the oldest in the world and attracts over 3,800 students from over 100 different countries. Only a handful of schools from the UK are selected for this conference, which has an extremely long waiting list, and Habs has had a strong enough record to qualify for a place on it. Somewhat ironically, in the month that the Old Haberdasher, Sacha Baron Cohen’s film “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” was released, Habs were selected to represent Kazakhstan. The delegation took on the role with the appropriate and restrained enthusiasm, which always characterize our approach to representing controversial Central Asian republics, and enjoyed great success on their trip to the Netherlands. For the first time, one of our students, Jacob Turner, was chosen to play the role of an advocate in the Model International Court of Justice, a prestigious subsidiary of THIMUN. Once again, many thanks to Mr Corrall for his mind expanding tour of Amsterdam.

The school’s reputation at this discipline is built largely on the continued and consistent strength over the years. Unlike many other events where the school competes against others, the coaching in MUN is done largely by older pupils for younger ones, with each year passing on skills and knowledge to the next. Haileybury, held in March, is the conference where many new, younger Habs students are first introduced to MUN. This year, Aaron Taylor of the 4th year, and George Harnett of the Upper 6th performed exceptionally well on their first conferences – Aaron winning a prestigious “Distinguished Delegate” award and showing enormous promise for the future, and George having his first resolution passed on GA. The St Andrew’s MUN in Dublin is traditionally the final conference of the year and is held at Jury’s Hotel in Ballsbridge.

This year we were representing Tanzania. In the past we have thrived on the high quality of debate and the competitive atmosphere.

This year was no exception. Arjun Bhohi won the support of the General Assembly for his resolution and Tanzania was deservedly awarded one of the 3 coveted ‘outstanding delegation’ awards. Nick Jardine and Alex Charles deserve particular mention for their excellent work in establishing diplomatic ties with students from the Republic of Ireland.

All the delegates who took part in MUN this year agreed it would not be possible without the prolific and industrious endeavours of the effervescent Mr Simm. We would also like to thank Mr Corrall and Mr Pauletto.

Jacob Turner Year 13

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History trip to Budapest & Vienna

There was a smell like burning rubber.

The Underground train came to a jolting halt. An announcement indicated that the train would not be continuing on to our station. The doors opened and we made for the exit and the ‘replacement bus service’, as most of us had done countless times in London. However, once out on the platform, our eyes began to sting. In no time we were all crying. It was just like a scene from one of Mr Saddington’s lessons, except these were not tears of laughter.

The station appeared to be filling up with people in various states of distress. There was an atmosphere of agitation and anger amongst the crowds of Hungarians we encountered.

The cause of our ocular discomfort - tear gas was becoming denser and Mr Simm decided to lead us out of the station to somewhere calmer and easier on the eye. Unfortunately the scene as we left the station began to look more, rather than less ominous. Both sides of the station were flanked by heavily armoured riot police, wielding batons and firing both tear gas and rubber bullets into a crowd of protestors. Cutting through the sound of shots and explosions, the words, “Stand in single file, stick together and keep moving,” decisively announced the voice of our leader, Mr Simm.

We moved off quickly, away from the sound and fury of the clashing rioters and police and towards the relative safety of our hostel.

Meanwhile, Mr Simm, casting caution and good sense to the wind, disappeared into the riotous melee, camera to the ready, in order to ensure there would be adequate photographic documentation for future historians studying this truly historic moment. So began our visit to Budapest, on the first leg of the latest History Department trip to Central Europe. Once more the arrival of the History department in a European city had coincided (or was there something more to it than that) with a major outbreak of public disorder.

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It is rare that on a History Trip one sees echoes of the past in such a tangible and real way.

The riots, which erupted in response to media revelations of government corruption, coincided with the celebrations which had been organised to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Hungarian revolution. If the violence and upheaval of 2006 paled alongside that of 1956, it added, nevertheless, to our appreciation of the events of that tragic October, when Soviet tanks crushed the hopes of so many Hungarians.

Along with our guide, Gabriel Fawcett, we visited the displays of T34 tanks (hope this is right George), pieces of anti-tank artillery and other memorabilia, which was displayed in areas where the fighting during the Soviet invasion had been most intense. We also visited the old Secret police HQ, which has been reopened as a museum. The TV footage of the Show trials, in which the leaders of 1956 were forced to incriminate themselves, together with the torture rooms, interrogation areas and alike were haunting. The impression left was one of ‘1984’, rather than 1956.

While we were in Budapest, we also examined the History of Hungary before and during the Second World War. We focused particularly on the History of Hungary’s Jewish minority.

Hungary had been home to a large and commercially successful community. We visited the largest synagogue in Europe; both beautiful and ornate. After visiting the Memorial to Raoul Wallenburg, the Swedish diplomat who did so much to protect Jews from deportation to Auschwitz (and disappeared during the Soviet advance), we visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum, which affected the group quite profoundly.

Seeing the video footage of the workings of Auschwitz upset many of us, and it was moving to see the effort that the Hungarian community has gone to in order to ensure the memory of its 600,000 dead Jews lives beyond the grave.

However much fun History is, our evenings granted us the opportunity to absorb some Hungarian culture. A dinner cruise on the Danube normally reserved for “rich Americans” allowed everybody to savour the delights of Hungarian Goulash and stuffed cabbage leaves whilst viewing the beautiful buildings that make up Buda on one side, and Pest on the other; a fact that was repeatedly stressed by our Hungarian tour guide Tibor, still bitter about the Treaty of Trianon (1920), which saw Hungary lose 70% of its population. A visit to a restaurant on one of the other nights introduced those vegetarians amongst the group to a new type of vegetarian chicken soup.

Following our visit to Budapest, we made our way to Austria, once a thriving cultural centre of Europe. Among the sites which we visited, was the site of one of Hitler’s rallies following the Anschluss as well St Stephens Cathedral in the heart of Vienna’s picturesque shopping area. The evening could not have gone without a celebratory dinner in honour of Gabriel, who has now spent three consecutive birthdays with HABS boys, and we look forward to spoiling his special day again next year. It was evident in the historic Esterhazy wine cellar, turned restaurant, that the Austrians are certainly fans of their meat, whereas we English, in particular Dr Wigley, appear to have more flowery tastes.

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Rather like Budapest, Vienna – the city of Freud and Herzl, which has produced 3 Jewish Nobel Prize Winners in medicine provided another tragic example of the dissolution of a once vibrant Central European Jewish Community. A Jewish community which numbered 200,000 Jews in 1938 now stands at a mere 10,000 today. During the tour of Vienna’s Jewish area, many students were struck by the site of the former synagogue, which was destroyed in Kristallnacht. In its place is a Jewish community centre. Four pillars have been erected outside in order to give a sense of the sheer size of the magnificent synagogue which once stood there. Throughout the time in the Jewish district, one could not fail to notice the bronze plaques on the ground outside the former residents of Jewish people. They listed the names of those who were killed in the Holocaust. Perhaps strategically positioned nearby the Jewish district is the former headquarters of the Gestapo, where suspects would not have even been preserved the dignity of entering through the front door if accused. Rather ironically, after the war, these offices were used by Simon Wiesenthal to expose and bring former Nazis to justice. A highlight of the Jewish district was the newly opened exhibition of Adolf Frankl’s artwork.

Frankl entered Auschwitz as a prisoner at just eighteen years of age. After his liberation he attempted to convey something of his experiences in a series of paintings, which we were privileged to view and discuss with the artist’s son.

Building upon the emotion evoked by the tour of Vienna’s Jewish district, the following day was spent visiting Mauthausen concentration camp. Mauthausen had a reputation for being a very tough camp and scored a three (the maximum) on the Nazi brutality ratings of their concentration camps. Many prisoners were simply worked to death using primitive tools in the granite quarry. Carrying a twenty five kilogram lump of granite up the 186 “stairs of death” was a task dreaded by most prisoners.

However, due to Nazi propaganda public

sympathy was not with them. The break out by four hundred escaped Soviet prisoners soon encountered the fear and hostility of the local people. Those who were not hunted down and killed were quickly returned to the camp.

We returned from the trip with an enhanced understanding of the history and culture of these two wonderful cities, and the ways that their histories continue to influence their development. Thanks go to Mr Simm, Mr Saddington, Dr Sloan and Dr Wigley for leading a trip that we will never forget; the tear gas, after all, is still stinging our eyes.

Alex Newman and James Fox Year 12

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History Trip to New York & Washington

On Saturday 10th February a group of 14 Sixth formers, Mr Simm, Mr Saddington, Mr & Mrs Briercliffe departed Heathrow for New York’s JFK airport. The group mainly consisted of Lower Sixth pupils studying the American Civil War. Jetlagged and cold, we crossed Midtown Manhattan on this first evening and had a late dinner at John’s Pizzeria.

Next morning, we took a boat to the Statue of Liberty and the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island. It was fascinating to see the psychological tests that immigrants encountered, and to view the statistics showing immigration figures and details of their countries of origin. If fact, Kiran Page Singh Lotay was so interested by the museum that he almost missed the boat, and Mr Simm had to run back into the building and find him. We returned to Lower Manhattan for a tour led by the knowledgeable and eclectic Tom Christiansen. The group wound its way across many historic districts; City Hall, China Town, Little Italy and Greenwich Village.

Despite a large lunch in one of New York’s finest delis, I felt an emptiness whilst looking over the void in the New York skyline; that is Ground Zero. It is hard to believe that the buildings still standing around the site are only half the height of the Twin Towers.

Plans for the controversial redevelopment of the site were explained to us, but we were informed that it will be several years before any major building works commence. Dinner that evening was at Carmine’s, a restaurant famous for its enormous portions. Many have tried to finish their supper at Carmine’s. Few have ever come close. Michael Moloney made a spirited attempt, but even he was ultimately defeated.

Monday morning consisted of a tremendous walk to the Museum Mile.

Unfortunately most were closed but luckily our trip coincided with an exhibition of Spanish Art at the Guggenheim Museum.

Mr. Saddington shared some of his extensive knowledge of European and American architecture – notably the form pioneered by the Americans: the 40

skyscraper.

After an afternoon indulging in a frenzied shopping spree on Fifth Avenue, the group met up at the Empire State Building to view the sun setting over the Manhattan skyline – one of my fondest memories of our time in New York.

The following morning, we departed New York for Washington D.C. by coach. We were all aware from news reports that heavy snow was expected to fall over the coming days. Fortunately, we only experienced a taster on our journey of what was to follow.

We stopped in Philadelphia for several hours to visit Independence Hall and view the Liberty Bell. It was very inspiring to be in the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed.

In Washington D.C., walking along the Mall, and viewing the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, inspired a sense of nationalistic pride in Matthew Cohen.

Michael Moloney and Mr Simm were enthused by the glistening snow and an epic snow fight, deadlier than Gettysburg erupted.

Heavily outnumbered, but possibly more skilful, the teachers lost – only after a valiant attack by Mr Simm on an unsuspecting Ben Ashenden. Mr Saddington had already fled the battlefield by this stage! Later that afternoon the group were treated to a tour of the East Wing of the White House. This is something that can usually only be experienced by US citizens, and it is thanks to Mr Simm, who made contact with Congressman Markey, that our names were

added to the very exclusive list. Mr Simm’s connections also enabled us to be taken on a tour of the Pentagon, covering a mile of the building’s secretive interior. The tour was led by an airman, who was part of the White House honour guard. One of the invaluable skills which he had acquired whilst serving in Washington was the ability to conduct a tour whilst walking backwards through the corridors of the Pentagon. Energetic and enthusiastic interns from the office of Congressman Markey also showed us around the Capitol, providing a fascinating insight into the workings of US government and the impact of the Democrat party’s recent election success. We were able to witness the House in session and a passionate attack on the war in Iraq by a New York Representative. Later on in the day we visited Arlington National Cemetery, an American military cemetery, where President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert “Bobby” Kennedy are buried, overlooking a stunning view of Washington D.C. One of the highlights of the trip was an evening at the house of Christopher Hitchens, a famous journalist who features in Vanity Fair, Slate, and The Atlantic. Mr Hitchens invited us round for drinks (some members of the group took full advantage of this!) and answered questions from the group about President Lincoln, Neoconservatism, the inner workings of Washington politics, and the current administration’s policies including the war in Iraq. We are indebted to Udayan Tripathi’s father for helping to set the evening up.

Our final evening in Washington was spent at ESPN zone, a place of little historical significance, yet full of excitement.

Mr Simm and Mr Saddington’s competitive side was brought out in this games arcade, especially during a game of basketball. The evening couldn’t end without a special thank you to Mr Simm for organizing this fantastic trip, and so, as a mark of the group’s appreciation, a continuous “HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR APAS” message was arranged to appear on the large LED screen outside the building. There was no evidence that it actually was Mr Simm’s birthday, but this was our way of thanking him!

Returning from America left us with an unenviable 5 hour jetlag but also with fond memories of the three cities we had visited, Mr Briercliffe’s sly snow fighting tactics and Mr Saddington’s delightful discourse on many varied topics; from the plight of the Native Americans to the bronze-facing of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building. I would like to thank Mr Simm who organized the trip, along with Mr Saddington, Mr Briercliffe and Mrs Briercliffe who accompanied us, and the group, for making this such an incredible trip – arguably the greatest one the History Department has ever arranged!

Robert Daboul Year 12

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Art Trip to New York The Art trip to New York started at an incredibly merciful 10am. Boarding the coach, it was a quick trip to Heathrow but then an unsurprising seven to eight hours flight to JFK airport.

Despite being filled with over twenty movies and numerous TV shows to view, music to listen to, and games to play (courtesy of Virgin Atlantic), such a time did not feel any shorter.

Unfortunately, once we had landed and passed the unwelcoming US customs (my face and fingerprint now belong to America), Aziz was detained by the US police, meaning that we had to depart for our hotel – the Hotel Belleclaire – without him (he later rejoined the group), and at a time somewhat later than planned. Of course, since we had only two full days and three nights in which to visit a vast metropolis, we could not sit around and enjoy the comfort of our rooms but instead set out to visit the Empire State Building, which felt very hollow and empty indeed when its bounty of halls were not filled by thousands of tourists. Up on the 102nd floor’s observation deck, New York looked even better when lit by its own thousands of streetlamps and room lights, despite the cold and windy nature of being outside at that height. Soon we travelled downwards once more, in search of the Heartland Brewery found at the base of the Empire State Building, one very overdue dinner, and eventually a nice comfy bed which would end what was, at the very least, a 22 hour day.

The next day started promptly, with the group being sent to an allAmerican diner across the road for breakfast, where pancakes, orange juice and waffles were in great supply. Nonetheless we left early, in order to fulfil our plan to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum, all in the same day.

Walking through Central Park we sat outside the former for a few minutes to draw, before entering the vast museum, yet with such little time to wander around it, we could only get a glimpse of its collection, which spanned oriental art to European art and musical instruments from around the world. Soon, however, we were off once more – to the Guggenheim museum. Unfortunately its beautiful architecture, both inside and outside, was marred by renovations that blocked its sweeping, spiralling curves from view. Although its exhibition on Kandinsky was a definite delight, the temporary showing of one Lucio Fontana’s art was debatable in quality. The Italian artist took great delight in literally slashing and piercing his often giant metal canvases, but subsequently produced pieces which uneasily sat on the line that separated spontaneous and thoughtless destruction from a careful questioning on what art really entails. One of the more humorous pieces found within the Guggenheim, in that the artist wonderfully displayed the giant void between American and English culture, was “Snow White” found at the counter of the Museum shop – remember, this was just after noon. Once we had located the Whitney Museum, we were set free to hunt some lunch, and, as it was in our own hands, it would come as no surprise that a local directed us to an underground station, instead of the fast-food chain, when we asked for the closest “Subway”. After lunch we met at the aforementioned Whitney Museum, where we were treated to a private viewing of its entire Edward Hopper collection. Some hours later, we were at Times Square, which with its overwhelming array of people, let alone electronic adverts, was simply magnificent. As ideas for an interactive art display, or something of that ilk utilising such billboards, crossed my mind, we found ourselves at the Hard Rock Café. Unfortunately, three museums and the late night the previous day had taken their toll, and soon people were falling asleep at the tables. We skipped dessert, and returned to our hotel.

curious machine which blew air at you, in hope of detecting any chemical substances) we entered the base of the Statue of Liberty (a name which is apparently a shortening of “Liberty Enlightening the World”) under the leadership of a guide. The statue contained numerous artefacts – the original torch, covered with lights as though to make it light up at night; a replica of the Statue’s face and foot; and more. However, once the guide had finished his speech, there was not too much time to study these sights – a meeting time had been set by the teachers, and we were nearing it. Ironically the teachers themselves had decided to tour the museum, meaning that our 11am ferry trip was missed, allowing us to buy a snack, or talk to the Alexandre Gustave Eiffel found wondering the grounds and glad to talk to visitors, yet careful in not speaking any French. Eventually the teachers arrived, and we visited Ellis Island, and later Ground Zero, the surrounding area in which we had lunch. The main event of the day was visiting the Museum of Modern Art (aka “MOMA”), which can only be described as having one of the most amazing collections of art in the world – Salvador Dali shared wall space with Picasso, Van Gogh, Hopper, whilst Matisse fought for attention in a room filled with Rousseau, Monet, Lichtenstein and Cézanne. It would not be impossible to spend a day alone on one of the floors of MOMA, but sadly we only had a couple of hours. Time continued unrelentless, and we soon found ourselves back in Times Square, where we were allowed about a half-hour for some retail therapy – the flagship Toys ‘R’ Us located there deserved a look purely for its size, being large enough to contain a rather impressive Ferris wheel. Dinner was no less impressive, being located in Planet Hollywood, where we were surrounded by costumes from the original Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, and memorabilia from Titanic, among numerous other films. The evening was specially highlighted by a short video of the group (which was shown on the numerous TVs littered around), made by the restaurant staff, in celebration of the two birthdays on that day. After the meal, some prizes were given out to people who had worked especially hard during the day, and had produced some very good artwork.

Thursday, the last day of the trip, was much more focused on the “New York” aspect of the trip. Having cleared up our rooms and placed all our bags in one room, we left the hotel and travelled to Times Square once again where we were encouraged by Mr Keenleyside to take a series of photographs to capture the sights of American culture at it’s best/worst! Then on to Macy’s, the world’s biggest department store, to spend some of the left-over money that was burning a hole in our pockets. Many gladly took advantage of the 11% discount available to all foreigners, but some were still dissatisfied, so we subsequently were given free time to pursue 5th Avenue, before finally heading back to our hotel one last time. Waiting for the Year 12 students to arrive, it was not long until we were on our way to JFK airport, and at about 8pm we were on our way back to England.

Although we all definitely enjoyed the trip, it is unsurprising that we were equally happy to return home, sleep a day or two, and lay off the burgers for a while. We would like to thank Mr Keenleyside for organising the trip and Mr Todhunter and Miss Bird for helping to make it such a success.

Greg Steckelmacher Year 10

The next day was a bit more relaxing. After breakfast we headed for the Statue of Liberty. Having handed over every pair of scissors we had on us (the staff who collected them found it rather strange that an art group would carry them around), we boarded a ferry, and, once on the site were given some free time to draw, or visit the Statue of Liberty museum, which a handful of pupils decided to do. Having arrived so early, it would appear that we were on the first tour of the day, but nonetheless the queue was long and time was short. Having paid to stow our bags, and gone through a metal detector (and also a 41

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Munich Exchange Munich and the lesser known 1860 Munich. The tour guide, with her American-infused English accent then took us through the entire complex, from the top of the stands, a staggering 7 metres from the pitch, to the team changing rooms and training centre. It was a highly interesting day, especially for our football enthusiasts. In true tourist fashion, the students then took to the shops, and spent an huge amount of money on hats, footballs, and foam hands.

On a cold Thursday morning in the middle of the Easter holidays, 30 or so keen German scholars converged on Heathrow Terminal 1, eager to begin their voyage of culture as soon as possible. Mr Corrall’s arrival was met with hearty applause, and on that note the mob proceeded through to the plane.

After a short, pleasant flight, the group disembarked with an air of anticipation, as the German families looked upon them. Still unsure of what was to come, no-one quite managed to muster up enough courage to leave the arrivals lounge for at least 10 minutes. Eventually though, the students were whisked off into different cars, managing nervous waves of farewell to one-another.

That evening was spent with the respective families, and provided ample time to settle in and unpack. I began to befriend my German counterpart, and within an hour, it was clear that the life of a German teenager is quintessentially indifferent to ours; the boys played football (both real and video-game), and the girls hit the shops.

As the group gathered at the famous Odeonsplatz, the site of the 1924 Putsch, on Friday morning, the students checked up on each other and exchanged tales of their activities the previous day. Mr Corrall, complete with entourage of Herr Kelz and Frau Achatz (teachers at Gisela Gymnasium), then explained to us the nature of the city quiz that had been prepared. In groups of four, we set off, to learn more about the key landmarks in the city. Amongst the funniest activities were; requesting a Bavarian cheese from a stall owner, naturally in the unintelligible Bayerisch dialect, and also taking a photo of a dog with its owner. Two hours later, the befuddled group of tourists and natives alike returned to the square, handed in the question papers, and then split up to go back home with the Germans.

The weekend was designated for family bonding time, and so each student experienced entirely different, yet exhilarating weekends.

Excursions included skiing in the Bavarian Alps, sailing on Lake Chiem, and even driving into Austria for the day. Sunday was filled with slightly more lazy activities, with many small groups of friends getting together, sunbathing, or playing football.

Monday brought with it a 7:00am start, horribly reminiscent of our own school day. The group met inside Gisela Gymnasium, as our exchanges traipsed off for their first school day of the new term. Frau Achatz, the headmistress, gave us a brief welcome to Germany and expressed how lovely it was to see us. Unfortunately, this fell on deaf ears, as it was all in German. After a brief translation from Mr Corrall, everyone smiled back, and then proceeded to their lessons. The whole morning was spent in various classrooms, in the middle of large German strangers. This provided a really interesting insight into German school life, despite the slight language barrier. At 1:15pm, the bell sounded, and once again the group dispersed throughout Munich for lunch and other after-school activities.

On Tuesday, the group converged once again on the Gymnasium, but to our tremendous relief, we stayed outside, before descending into the U-Bahn (underground). After a short train journey, we began a long walk up to the Allianz Arena Football Stadium, home to both Bayern 42

Wednesday again consisted of a group outing, with a packed schedule. It commenced with a long tram ride through the city, to the renowned German Museum. This contained artefacts from pre-war Germany, such as ships, cannons, and many smaller items. These were all fascinating. The day concluded with the Bavaria Film Studios, where a normal, informative tour descended into a surreal film, in which several students were superimposed into a German sitcom. This was exciting, albeit strange, and for those interested, the film is on the shared area.

Thursday was arguably the best day, as it involved an all-day long journey to the Castle Neuschwanstein. The coach journey was dominated by loud, antisocial music coming from the back few seats, causing Mr Corrall and others to miss out on their extra hour of sleep.

The castle itself was a spectacular feat of engineering, and would have been even more so had it been finished. The patron, Ludwig II, died suddenly halfway through its creation, so was unable to, however it still stands beautifully against the backdrop of the hills. The tour took us through the grotto, the grand main hall, and many other, minor rooms, all lavishly decorated. The group then had free time for an hour or so, enough to make a very leisurely descent to the coach and stop off once or twice for refreshments. Reluctantly, we were then taken back on the coach, but seeing how much we were enjoying the day, Herr Corrall kindly let us stop off for half an hour at a local Church.

Whilst he entered with the other teachers to appreciate the building, the students remained outside to play football and eat ice cream, having had enough culture for one day.

Friday was a mixed day, as the group was torn between the fun of shopping in Marienplatz, and the sadness of going home the next day.

This opportunity was taken to buy souvenirs both for one’s home and one’s exchange families. About three hours after arrival, we were shepherded back onto the train and back to the Gymnasium. The group then split up, a large number going off with their exchanges, but a small minority going inside the school to have a farewell football game with the Germans. The night gave time for one last chance to have fun with our exchanges, some people going to parties, others playing Playstation.

Saturday was a very emotional day, as it finally dawned that we were going home. The blow was softened however by knowing it would only be a short two months before our new found German friends would come to England. With heavy hearts, we waved goodbye to the families, and climbed onto the plane, bringing a sad, yet expectant end to a really marvellous trip. Many thanks have to go to Frau Grieder and Herr Doe of the Girls school, Herr Corrall for supervising and taking care of us, and last but not least, Mr Donaghey for organising every last detail of the trip, and ensuring we all had a brilliant time.

Ben Jacobs Year 10

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Originals

Greg Stekelmaker Year 10 43

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Lola Kala – universe time As the hidden cycle rotates behind closed eyes Inclining toward time when all shall be right, And the once pure issue that faded to a hazy mist, Glows again with its perfect white radiance, Leaving a fine turquoise vapour shining open, upon the air, The other side remains a closed cavity, Poignant and unhopeful, not clasping at a prayer, And, marking its weighty feeling Inhaled each breath with diffident reluctance.

Well knowing it is, that among this air is carried a most wonderful curse Incomparable to its own distant echo of reverse.

It brings a long, slow, gaping choke.

That further obscures a half worn path.

Complicating matter.

When fed this lesser light; a sharper focus round it closed And the greater atrocity outside still known Must restrain to say that these are dreams, And are only dreamt by some of these, and of those.

Enchanted chance will not open worlds but close.

As the woken dreamers flout the multifoliate rose.

If the dreamers will wake when this question’s purity is dead and gone.

And if a fear that still holds strong says our consciousness is wrong Will I dare have the weakness in my mind to softly tremor and die And in turn defy the sun, earth, the sea and sky?

Ramith Gunawardena Year 9

There is an urge, to step the line Though this sickly-darkened throat is a love of mine But, when dwelling in this busy, restless cave, Where man to hope becomes a knave I ask chance, what chance is mine?

What a light without lucidity is time.

With quiet desperation I sing too.

But beseech to you, be. Unashamedly do.

Or we shall ever fabricate the resolve And fail this torture as endless time revolves, Remains veiled, and speciously unfolds.

Max Herbert year 13

The Morning After Havoc had struck this destitute city. Everyone was suffering from severe trepidation. The atmosphere was callous and merciless. No souls stirred. Black, oily smoke rose from the rooftops of mutilated houses: houses where people once lived jovially. Now what were left were the ruins: piles of searing, sooty ash and rubble and violent, threatening flames that licked the ruptured pulverised walls. Everyone remained in the air raid shelter now that peril was like an unexpected clump of tragedy. Silence had spread across the whole of Tyneside; when one heard a sound, it would be dejected sobbing. This wasn’t just an ordinary catastrophe: lives has been lost, homes had been destroyed and most importantly, I gasped at the sight of the bombed church. Where was God? Had Hitler taken him over as well?

An unpleasant mixture of despondency and fury gushed through my blood, making it bubble.

And then it happened: a sudden bolt of energy sent me darting as far away from home as possible. I ran toward Germany. I was irate! I wanted that malevolent Hitler to feel the consequences of his actions, and even though I knew I would have no success, and would probably be killed, I remembered what my Dad had always told me, “When you die, lady, die with pride an’ for England.”

Now was my turn to prove myself. My patriotic mind commanded me to run away. At first, I felt as free as an eagle. Somewhere behind all the stress were mixed feelings of peace and jubilance. But there was more: suddenly I wanted to be at home, safe and sound, where I could fight this immense suffocation with my family. What I really felt was regret.

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Nonsense To each himself I would refrain how eager making was to blame.

Green thoughts that dance across the lead and up to Dr Dooley’s head.

For each his own a boat afloat upon the stable mountain goat.

Effected blood and window cleared, how so does stain the miser’s beard And make him reach the highest shelf for fruit to eat all by himself or cheese or meat or chocolate spread to sit and smudge across his bed of flowers (not for sleeping in) Dooley does anoint his skin when icy grapes fly from afar he puts his chin within a jar.

It’s stored high up in his pantry and the only word that rhymes is gantry.

How I wish I cared some more to sit and think, obey the law set down by English teachers and old parents, take you by the hand and lead you to the wondrous den where resides the golden pencil hen.

I heard air raid sirens. The familiar sounds of bombs being peppered on the already damaged pavements. London was escaping from the frying pan only to find its way into the fire. I was experiencing panic. I hurried to the air raid shelter. But where was that? Half a mile away. Oh dear. Could this be my day of judgement? Death was on its way.

This hen has magic silver and strong and a sister, singing a weaker song, who, if you ask her nicely, will your basket with her cloth eggs fill so you’ll forever feast on eggs of cloth, the size of table legs.

But eat too many, it’s too late Dooley’s chair you’ll contemplate…

Omar Ali Year 8

Sam Gaus Year 11

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Chemistry Poem about OIL

She’s an Existentialist

I started as a rock all green, Crushed under rocks I was hardly seen, Compressed and squeezed over much time, I started to turn into sticky black slime.

I’ve loved this girl since I was small: She’s read Sartre since she could crawl.

I pined for her all through my youth: She contemplates subjective truth She’s reading books composed in French She claims she’s not the ubermensch There must be something I have missed…

‘Cause she’s an existentialist.

Above me was the big blue sea, Where humans really needed me, They sent down a pipe with a really big drill, They cracked the rock, I started to spill.

They gathered me up into machines, I was soon to become useful alkenes.

The fractional distillator was big and tall, The huge scary heater warmed us all.

We heated and heated ‘till two sixty degrees, We split and slid down the tube with ease, My chain was too long, I had to be cracked, I was heated again until I snapped.

From octane to ethene I became, With hexane left over – a shorter alkane, But as ethene I could polymerise, Shifting my form, a new disguise.

With my friend, the other ethene, We joined and became a long polythene, A plastic bag at a local shop, My journey had finally come to a stop.

By Freddie Fulton and Johan Bastianpillai Year 10

I know a girl who does not know The how, or why, or who, although She claims my love has no meaning Maybe, she says, I’m just dreaming She does not think that I exist…

‘Cause she’s an existentialist.

‘Existence must precede essence’; It’s haunted all her adolescence.

She says she’s got anxiety, She says there’s no identity; I don’t think that we will agree: She wonders what it is like, free.

She just despairs and throws me out, And spurns my love, consumed with doubt; She shouts at me and shakes her fist…

‘Cause she’s an existentialist.

I ought to say, there is a twist: I’m a deconstructionist.

Danny Kessler Year 12

Roulette I'm thrown from side to side And back again, My smooth metallic skin Ricocheting off the Short, sharp ridges.

I spin and twist erratically Just like the whirling floor beneath me.

As it slows I start to Lose momentum, and trickle Towards my final destination.

Many look on in Anticipation, Clutching sweat, breathing prayers, eyes go wide then squint.

All have different hopes and Expectations, I'm torn Between them.

Low, high, Black, red, But I want none of those.

Zachary Spiro Year 9

The black I find foreboding, The red too bright and harsh, The high's hard to maintain, The low fills me with shame.

I try to steer myself Towards where I want To be, Forsaking pressures and external Forces.

Slowly, surely, I edge towards the Zero.

Anon Year 9 45

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An Extract from Cassie’s Morning Cassie was unique in that she was very open, a quality that many teachers had foolishly misdiagnosed as evidence of her ability to trust people. Cassie’s openness was a result of the utter scope of the shock she was going through, and her bewilderment as to what to do with the gravity of what had happened to her.

She did not know what else to do with herself, she feared that if she shut herself off, she would become an emotionless workhorse only able to cope with emotions by letting them ricochet off her defences.

The French aural lesson went very well. Cassie loved French, she enjoyed the flirtatious anecdotes spoken by Claude in his delicious accent. Claude, the bearded French assistant was a stunning example of what happens when the French try harder to produce pretty men.

His gruff manly exterior belied a soft interior. Claude cried during sad scenes in films, his mood was very temperamental, he would spend lessons in ecstatic bliss when the class answered questions correctly, would be horrified if someone swore, and would be depressed if someone made a foolish mistake. Claude was a highly-strung, passionate man who had been hurt badly by the news of Cassie’s father’s death.

Cassie’s day was coming to an end. It had been truly exhausting. The English lesson had been typically engrossing and the French lesson engaging, but the counselling session had upset her and her delicate composure. She had woken up fine in the morning, lethargic, but capable of producing a smile when a friendly teacher passed her on a path or in a corridor.

Angry with herself, angry with God and furious at the unnecessary nature of her loss, Cassie choked down a scream, instead deciding to go up to the Library and curl up in a reading corner. Now sobbing uncontrollably into the monochrome pages of Shalimar the Clown, Cassie was inconsolable. The librarians made an effort to speak to her, but she remained silent. Exasperated but sympathetic, they left her alone. She did not look up or turn the page, but after fifteen minutes the tears dried up.

The sky had darkened significantly. Cassie had descended to the Foyer and walked through the front doors. Looking out across the campus she saw the bright lights of square maths windows, and the silhouette of the music school. From the middle of the seldom-visited music school, a light was on and a solitary piano added the perfect accompaniment to the ambience of Cassie’s evening. 5.20pm was drawing closer, and the second round of coaches would be leaving soon. Reluctantly she got up and began to walk again, stumbling a little at first, but knowing with certainty that in time, she would regain her balance, but also knowing she would have to do it on her own.

Udayan Tripathi Year 12

Walpurgis Night

I spotted you through gaps in churning skin red lights flashing, screaming shakes the room, the sea of flesh parting, calling us in, nothing remains but some euphoric doom.

‘The witches walk tonight’, you say, and smile, the scarlet sinning sets the room aglow, and people praying quietly all the while, promising they’ll never let you go.

And after this nothing can be the same, the morning breaks in, shafts of mocking light to purify us all in the Lord’s name, for nothing that is beautiful is right.

The solace in the dark we couldn’t find still opens hopeful gaps inside my mind.

Josh Seymour Year 13 46

Macbeth An unearthly breeze swept over the Scottish moors, muffling the sounds of despair as armour shattered and souls were pierced.

The penetrating drizzle contaminated every dry particle with a depressing damp. As the gale increased in power the sinister clouds clothed the sky in an apocalyptic cloak. Hail tore through the atmosphere exploding as it hit the slop like mud.

Ants scurried to their anthills, to avoid the cascading ice-blocks and heather.

Swallows performed a sequence of military manoeuvres to dodge the gunfire from above. Vultures circled the Scotch corpses waiting for the war to end and the feast to begin.

Thunder exploded through the stratosphere with blaring booms and a resounding rumble. Zeus joined the conflict, bombarding the moor with violent detonations. Trees, suicidal, throwing themselves into the fray, pulverised all beneath them.

The tempest dwindled, the cyclone decelerated to a panting zephyr. The squall slowed to a patter that formed pools of mud. Low dark clouds formed an ominous eclipse. All that could be heard were the cries of men as they thrust their swords through flesh and bone. Disquieting ripples ran across the mud, unnaturally flowing down to a single point. Then that point bore a gemstone: the largest yet most hideous jewel ever seen. It seemed to absorb all of one’s hopes and fill one’s mind with childhood fears. As the gemstone rose higher you could see that it was grasped by a cruel, wart-encased fist.

The hand was followed by the true evil, the hag. Her head was clothed in greasy, grey, knotted hair. One of her eyes sunk in; the other bulged out.

After her heels rose out of the mud, she hovered above the slime.

The storm grew in intensity and when it was at its zenith two more hags, indistinguishable from the first, arose out of two corpses. They then started to chant: “When shall we three meet again?

In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

When the hurlyburly's done, When the battle's lost and won.”

Jack Adler Year 7

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The Witches’ Wrath The coal-black clouds billowed, infuriated by the wind, dissolving the doomed sky. Their dark silhouettes expanding and enveloping, stifling the air beneath.

The heavens closed.

Timeless trees were ripped from their roots with frightening force. In the ensuing mayhem, debris was chaotically scattered, along with any order that had once been. An eerie expectance filled the air. All life seemed to disappear into a vacuum of fear, so empty yet evil. An almost palpable sense of impending doom descended upon the land.

Silently and stealthily, a trio of distorted figures emerged, morphing inconspicuously from the shattered scenery. The devil’s representatives on Earth had come to stake their claim.

Their penetrating presence overwhelming – as the world seemed to shrink against their foreboding shadows.

The pre-historic hags huddled in hatred, staring into the black hole that was their bubbling cauldron, its barbaric boiling a contrast to the waning whirl of the malevolent squall.

The evil concoction, malignantly rising – a potion unimaginable to the human race.

Each screeching sorceress the model of wickedness: three gruesome gargoyles occupied with twisted sin, buckled and deformed. An unholy trinity. Combined together, they were a disfigured mass of malice.

“When shall we three meet again?” sneered the first, straining to be heard above the increasingly imposing onslaught of blasts. “In thunder, lightning or rain?”

“When the hurlyburly’s done!” shrieked the second, the shrill reply half muffled by the dark, spider-infested hair.

“When the battle’s lost and won!”

“Where the place?” inquired the third of the deathly threesome.

“Upon the heath!” screamed the first.

The trio seemed to stop time as they built up to the final line, the delivery line of the evil spell, dancing feverishly around their black hole. The incantation produced a brilliant yet destructive ray of dark light from the cauldron.

“And there to meet with Macbeth?”

Virgil, Aeneid II, ll. 10 ff.

But if so great your longing is to know Of our misfortune and to hear in brief About the final throes of Troy, although My quaking mind has shrunk away with grief, I shall begin.

The years still taking course, By war fragmented, driven back by fate, The Argive kings, with Pallas’ skill, a horse Of mountainous proportions did create, They wove the ribs with timbered silver fir And made believe the horse was just a gift To make the voyage homewards easier: That is the rumour that was set adrift.

They picked the choicest fighters of their kin And stealthily enclosed them in its flank, Enormous, lightless caverns deep within, And filled its womb with armoured men of rank.

In sight of Troy lies Tenedos, an isle Which now is risky station – just a bay – For ships, but once was famed and wealthy while The kingdom did in Priam’s power stay.

Once there they hid upon its barren shore; We thought that they had launched away and sailed With haste, Mycenae-bound. All Troy, therefore Released from long felt suffering, exhaled; The gates are cast agape and through them flies A joyous crowd of those who wish to stand And see the Doric camps, and cast their eyes With glee upon the now deserted strand.

The band of Dolopes here, and here the site Where merciless Achilles had been based; The fleets were here, and here they used to fight!

Some marvelled at the fatal gift of chaste Minerva, startled by the horse’s size; Thymoetes was the first to urge that we Should lead inside the city walls our prize (Perhaps he lied, or it was destiny) And place it high upon the citadel But Capys, backed by those with sounder sense, Commanded us to hurl into the swell Or burn the suspect gift of Greek pretence With flames, or else to pierce and to explore The hollow hiding places of its womb.

The populace was split, with all unsure Regarding which approach they should assume.

Noah Levy Year 7

Leo Davidson Year 12

Oliver Fox Year 10

Alex Barnett Year 10

Florian Culka Year 11

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AS Product Design - Year 12

Zach Goldie - An electric guitar stand

Sam McPhail – A collapsible Canoe paddle to fit into a rucksack

Graphics - Year 10

Chris Thom School - based Star Wars Club promotion

Elliott Mayer How safe do you feel - airline safety 48

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Graphics - Year 10 Greg Steckelmacher promotional material and figurines based on Doctor Who Minimates

Antonio Castagno Bicycle training frame

Jonny Miller Cat feeding station

Vishal Singhal Dart board

Toby Webber Mobile cricket stumps 49

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Systems and Control - Year 10

Keshal Patel – A pull along toy in the shape of a biplane the wheels make the propellor go round

Amar Shah – A pull along snail The shell rotates

Patrick Ray – A pull along Train the Chimney goes up and down and the mans head goes from side to side

Sahil Patel – A long arm grab

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Resistant Materials - Year 10

Adam Pack – A child's activity centre

Basil Letts – Stool and snooker cue holder

Sebastian Schusman - A dog food dispenser

Miles Kaye – Water ski rack

Suraj Malde – A child's table top game

Serge Albohayre – A child's table top game 51

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Lower Sixth Art

My art is important to me because I am going on to do medicine

My art is important to me because I enjoy it and it comes as a break from everyday schoolwork

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Marlon Biber Peter Garside

My art is important to me because it is the essence of academicism

Akhil Bakhda

This year's art class in the lower sixth form was one of the largest classes the Habs art department has ever seen, with eleven students in comparison to last year’s four. As well as the enlarged amount of mess in the art department, the size of this year’s class meant that the lower sixth also produced a large amount of high quality art-work in a variety of media from charcoal to calligraphy ink, used to a create a wide variety of pieces including a surrealist film, a wire statutue and a perspex head. Despite the common themes of "Music and Movement" and "Freedom", the class produced work in an amazingly wide variety of styles, each personal to the student and inspired by their own personal tastes and opinions of why art is important.

inspired by Frank Alba

inspired by artist Edward Hopper

inspired by "Banksy", a street artist

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My art is important to me because it’s enjoyable

Jack Lloyd Jones

My art is important to me because it helps me to see the world more intensely, as opposed to just making pretty things.

Sean Tomlin

My art is important to me because ...I saw it first, yeh!

Daniel Engelsmann

Lower Sixth Art

inspired by Elliot Erwitt

inspired by Rene Magritte

inspired by many artists

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My art is important because it is important to me

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Sam Pinner

My art is important to me because it represents what can’t be understood

inspired by Christian Boltanski

inspired by Mario Testino

Yexi Tran

My art is important to me because no-one makes it like I do

Peter Grant

Lower Sixth Art

inspired by Chuck Close

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Preparatory School Report for the Academic Year 2006/2007 We had a great start to the new academic year when the Prep received the news that Haberdashers’ had won ‘The Sunday Times Independent Prep School of the Year’ award. This was the result of achieving consistently high marks across the board, over several years, in the national Key Stage II examinations. The Prep School was also ranked top in the U.K. Primary Schools’ Mathematical Challenge and the Under 11 Chess team retained the English Primary Schools’ National Chess Title.

The Prep School was thrilled to win such a prestigious award which reflected the hard work of pupils; inspirational teaching by the staff and the tremendous support of parents and governors.

Not wishing to rest on our laurels, another busy and exciting year ensued with many new experiences being offered to the Prep boys – these included three new subjects for Year 6, Latin, Scuba Diving and Salsa dancing!

The Year 4 boys enjoyed a challenging activity weekend in Norfolk – for many this was their first taste of staying away from home and their experience will be good preparation in the future for the long awaited Year 6 Field Study week in Shropshire.

All the boys have enjoyed a fascinating array of workshops and day trips throughout the year including: a trip to the World Challenge Centre, Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, Regent’s Park Open Air Museum, Legoland, Woburn and Thorpe Park.

In addition to the many sports teams who represent the Prep, the first ever Prep Hockey Squad played against Berkhamsted resulting in a win for the ‘A’ team and a draw for the ‘B’ team. We think Mr Long will be pleased! The Under 9 Cricket Team were invited to Lords to help launch the Michael Vaughan cricket initiative across England. They appeared on Sky News!

Another highlight of the year was the visit of Dr. Nicholas Patrick – astronaut and family friend of one of our Year 2 boys. Dr. Patrick gave a sensational presentation about his twelve day mission to the International Space Station in December 2006.

The artists in the Prep School have enjoyed using donations of old scrap wood and discarded wooden objects to create no fewer than nine totem pole faces – an ingenious example of recycling – and a subject high on the agenda at our School Council meetings this year.

Music, as always, plays a major role in the Prep School and Mrs Meehan was determined we should experience one of Peter Churchill’s singing workshops before she retired! This was a great success and enjoyed by all the boys and staff in the Prep!

It has been another vibrant and busy year in the Prep School. We are now waiting, with excited anticipation, for the opening of the Haberdashers’ Pre-Preparatory School in September 2007 when our current Year 1 Kingfishers will leave the Prep and start at the new school in How Wood. They will be joined by 55 other boys aged 5 & 6. We will look forward to welcoming them, and their new friends back (when they reach the age of 7) to the Prep School in Butterfly Lane.

Y. Mercer Headteacher

Prep Summer Concert Sentiment was high as the capacity audience filled the Bourne Hall on the evening of 26th June. This was to be the last Prep Summer Concert for Delia Meehan, who retired after 24 years at the helm of Prep music. It was Stephanie Core, however, who took to the stage first of all, to direct three recorder ensembles in renditions of ‘Jazzamataz,’ ‘Movie Buster’ and Strauss’ ‘Roses from the South.’ This was followed by the Junior Choir, and then a remarkable Year Six String Quartet, comprising Ramana Carthigesan and Nikhil Banerjee on violin, Max Spiro on viola and Thomas Senior on the cello. More chamber works were to follow: The fantastic Year Five trumpeter Paddy Sidwell played Charpentier’s Prelude to ‘Te Deum,’ and the Violin Duet of Paul Botje and Sol Paek performed the Allegro from Purcell’s ‘Sonata No. 2.’ The cheerful Scott Tan then brought ‘Chim 56

Chim Cher-ee’ to life with great stage presence.

Two pieces from the Brass Ensemble showed the promising future of HABS brass music, before the Senior Choir took to the stage with two numbers of their own, ‘When the love comes triclin’ down, and ‘Motorway Cones’ from ‘The Journey.’

Jim Beryl then introduced the prep percussion ensemble, in a lively ‘Rock around the Clock;’ a change in volume enjoyed by all! A surprise was to follow, when an assortment of ex-prep boys taught by Mrs. Meehan over the last decade, burst on stage as a percussion ensemble to thank her for her unforgettable and inspirational commitment to music. They played an original arrangement by Alistair Malloy of the Beatles’ favourite ‘When I’m sixty-four!’

The ever-expanding prep orchestra played two numbers next, one from Offenbach’s ‘Orpheus in the underground,’ and then the famous ‘Hymn to joy’ from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. In a magnificent finale, the entirety of the Prep School crammed the Bourne Hall stage for a beautiful performance of John Rutter’s ‘Look at the World,’ and an exciting rendition of Donnelly’s ‘Kazoo Concerto,’ in which the whole school, including the staff filled the room with a selection of classics…on the kazoo!

Delia Meehan’s endless commitment and enthusiasm once again led to a thrilling Prep Summer Concert. With the exhilarating encore, we bid her farewell, and will miss her in her well-deserved retirement.

Aaron Taylor Year 10

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Under 11 ‘ A’

Team Soccer Report

V Belmont - Won 4-2 The first match was eagerly anticipated by all the team, after our scheduled game against Highgate was called off because of the weather.

The match was played away, which gave some advantage to our opponents.

Nevertheless, our team was keen to make a good start and that’s exactly what happened with a goal coming in our first attack!

Playing down the slope Jonny May was finding lots of space down the left and his good work led to goals by Ben Hickmet and Yoni Stone.

In the second half Belmont came back and eventually levelled the game at 2-2.

It looked as though they might go on and win, but our team withstood the pressure and in the final phase of the match began to exert their own.

Eventually the hard work paid off and goals followed – both to the pacy Hickmet. So the final score was 4-2 to Habs and the coach was encouraged by the spirit shown by all the players throughout the game.

everyone on the Habs’ sides relief Jonah Levy made a smart save and Forest were unable to put away the rebound.

In the second half Habs made their superior possession, and skill, count and goals from Jonny May, Ben Hickmet, and Ollie Kariel sealed a comprehensive victory.

V Northwood – Won 4-1 Our first home game saw the team at full strength once again and in confident mood following our first two matches. Northwood were not the strongest opponents, but they were well organised and competitive and they made it difficult by packing their defence. In the first half most of the play took place in our visitors half, with a string of chances being created but only two being taken.

Rory Cartmell and Yoni Stone were both close before Ben Hickmet and Jamie Harrison scored. In the Second half the pattern remained roughly the same but Northwood became slightly more ambitious as the game wore on and they did get a goal back with their only real opportunity.

However, Habs scored two further goals to make the final score 4-1.

V Forest – Won 3-0 Away again, this time on a Saturday, the team travelled to Forest School in Essex.

Playing across the pitch the teams were reduced in size but the idea remained the same – we should use the full width available and aim to attack down the wings.

This the team did extremely well early on with both Ben Hickmet and Jonny May putting in some teasing crosses.

Unfortunately we were unable to convert the chances created, although Jamie Harrison and Ben H. were only a fraction away on occasions.

Our defence was strong and Forest were not able to create much of their own until a mistimed challenge from the industrious Rory Cartmell resulted in a penalty kick. To

V Bedford Modern – Won 2-0 This game represented our most difficult challenge yet against skillful and physically robust opponents. Everyone had to be at his best and be prepared for a rough ride!

On a difficult and energy sapping surface Habs started well and early on forced a corner or two. Bedford Modern slowly got into their stride, however, and they began to dominate possession. Winning the battles in midfield they exerted sustained pressure, winning a number of corners of their own.

Our defence had to be alert, and strong, and they were. With Douglas Fung coming into the team at left back and Andrew Djaba on the other side the Bedford Modern wingers tested our resolve but were rarely able to

work space down the flanks.

In the middle Samir Atwal and Harry Mistry were a great combination of strength and skill repelling attacks time and again. So at half time the score was 0-0.

Habs improved their attacking potential after the break and James Cohen and Ben Hickmet did well to retain possession up front, spreading the ball effectively at times to both Jonny May and Daniel Reuben.

In Midfield, Ollie Kariel and Rory Cartmell played like men possessed and did a great job in tackling and carrying the ball forward.

As time wore on it became clear that the ‘first goal wins’ but which team that would be was far from clear. The Ben Hickmet broke clear in the centre circle and set off for goal. There was a lot for him to do, but he was ‘one-on-one’ with the keeper now!

Fortunately he kept a clear head and as the goalie came out he calmly slipped the ball through his legs. 1-0 to Habs!

Bedford Modern came back immediately and made a determined effort to equalise, but again our team defended with great spirit making last ditch tackles and repelling corners.

Late on, a great move developed through midfield, with James Cohen putting Ben Hickmet through on the right. With the Bedford Modern defence stretched Ben spotted Jonny May clear in the middle and advancing on the penalty area. He put a ‘slide rule’ pass into Jonny’s path and our winger did the rest, wrong footing the keeper and slotting the ball inside his near post. Cue pandemonium!

With the score 2-0 there was very little time for our visitors to reply though Harry Mistry had to make a memorable sliding tackle, on his back, to prevent them pulling a goal back at the death.

The final whistle blew and the cheers rang out as Habs celebrated a famous victory.

S TODHUNTER

Athletics This has been a very encouraging year for Prep School athletics. The team won both the Habs’ Junior meet and the St Columba’s School’s Invitation fixture. Encouragingly there have been some boys who have shown real pace, notably Sameer Atwal, Oliver Kariel, Zachery Adebayo-Oke and Miguel Perera, who as a quartet won the Hertfordshire County title in the 4x100m relay in a very fast time of 59.1secs.

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Cricket Cricket - U9 ‘A’ and ‘B’ In a season badly affected by the weather, the Under 9’s only managed two cricket matches. Despite the lack of fixtures we managed to secure 3 wins and only 1 loss. I would like to commend the two captains, Edward Mort and Hugo Murphy and the boys who represented the school. Hopefully we will have better luck in Year 5 and be able to report further successes!

P Whitby & N Bowley Cricket - U10 ‘A’ and ‘B’ The A team has had a very successful season, losing only one match. The team has worked well as a unit displaying some accurate bowling and solid batting, backed up by energetic fielding that showed good overall understanding of the game. Mrs Minett, who has taken the ‘A’ team this year, has been impressed by their dedication and commitment to the game. There are some

talented players amongst the team and I wish them the best of luck next year.

The B team has also had an excellent term again losing only one match. They have played with much enthusiasm and have made a real improvement in their skills and appreciation of the game. I have been impressed by their dedication and commitment to the game.

M Brown Cricket - U11 ‘A’ The Captain of the ‘A’ team, Rohan Mandumula, has also been outstanding, not only improving his own personal performance in every match but he has also shown all the qualities we would hope to see in a Captain. He has led his team through thick and thin; he has encouraged them throughout and he has set a shining example in cricket etiquette. We congratulate all the players in the ‘A’ team –

they have shown dedication and commitment to the game of cricket – there are undoubtedly some very talented players leaving the Prep School and we shall be watching them as they move through the Main School Cricket teams.

Good Luck boys Y Mercer Cricket - U11 ‘B’ This has been a season of real success and encouraging development for the ‘B’ team.

Led ably by Thomas Senior, a canny slow bowler and obdurate batsman, and with the valuable contribution of four or five key players, the team created a strong team spirit, focus and will to win.

No less than 17 boys played for the ‘B’s over the course of 7 matches, which is proof of the depth of ability and interest shown by this year group.

S Todhunter

A Spring Poem Everything is filled with cheer, That’s how we know that spring is here.

The wind has stopped blowing, And the leaves have started growing.

The birds are whistling a beautiful tune, They know their eggs will hatch soon.

There are pretty flowers everywhere, The butterflies roam without a care.

Armaan Bajaj Year 1

Spring Time One smiling sun, Two peeping primroses, Three busy bees, All mean to me.

One bouncy bunny, Two shiny snowdrops, Three fast fish, All mean spring to me.

James Fenner Year 2 58

One blowing blossom, Two fast fish, Three dancing daffodils, All mean spring to me.

One dashing duck, Two animals awakening, Three buzzing bees, All mean spring to me.

Nikhil Charda Year 2

One talking tulip, Two perfect primroses, Thee cheeky chicks, All mean spring to me.

One stalking snowdrop, Two blue blossom, Three bothering bees, All mean spring to me.

Matt Rosenfeld Year 2

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The Snow Day As I opened my eyes, To my surprise, Everything was bright, as, The ground was covered in white,

SNOW SNOW SNOW!

The trees sprinkled with snow, Glistened in the rays of the sun, As a robin landed, a heap of snow fell off, And the robin slipped in the

SNOW SNOW SNOW!

s, As I gazed at the road, I saw amazing fruit Tracks by the milkfloats, Footprints and paw prints, early From all that had passed my door in the morning

SNOW SNOW SNOW!

Jack Frost Jack frost as cold as ice.

We don't know if he's naug hty or nice?

He's cheeky and slick.

And he can shoot ice in a flic k.

And nobody knows what he 's like.

And maybe he rides a bike.

He's so so so cold.

And he could be bold.

He like's the colour grey.

And he doesn't come out in

the day.

He goes round every house.

And he's as quiet as a mous e.

Thomas Johnston Year 3

Nikhil Shah Year 3

Wilderness

Frankenstein – Continued

There is a flying fish in me…with wings to fly and flippers for swimming as quick as a thunderbolt. I keep this fish because the wilderness gave it to me and the wilderness will not let it go.

The monster glared a twisted frown at Dr. Frankenstein. Then clumsily it stood up. Dr Frankenstein could see his burning hatred of the earth coming from his large, yellow eyes. This hatred burned into Dr. Frankenstein.

There is a horse in me…a black stallion glimmering in the sunlight waiting to be unleashed with ferocious speed and agility. I keep this stallion because the wilderness gave it to me and the wilderness will not let it go.

There is a tiger in me…an orange and black sharp eyed, sharp toothed tiger with robust forearms to strike opponents down with one commanding strike. I keep this tiger because the wilderness gave it to me and the wilderness will not let it go.

There is a deer in me…horns stretching out like branches, ears pricked up always listening to anything that moves or talks. I keep this deer because the wilderness says so.

There is a rabbit in me…a cute rabbit that bounces around and doesn’t trust anyone or anything. And I got this rabbit from the wilderness.

He moved slowly, terribly towards the pine wood tree and sent it crashing towards Dr. Frankenstein, pinning him onto the machine where the electricity engulfed him. The monster sent rubble onto Dr. Frankenstein who gave one last piercing scream. The monster roared a victory shout and then he disappeared into the woods.

Search party, after search party looked for the monster, but there were still reports of missing cows, horses, hens and sheep. The monster grew even taller until he spent a night in a cleaning surrounded by oak trees. It was very dark, very cold and extremely strong. A lightening flash hit the monster causing him to howl with pain. Soon enough another lightening flash hit him, followed shortly by another. And then….the monster lay dead on the front of the clearing.

Jacob Whitehead Year 4

O, I got a zoo, I got a menagerie, inside my bone marrow, my brain and heart and the wilderness gave me these ingredients from Godknows-where.

Jake Krais Year 5

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A TAKE FROM TIME was extremely anxious, she was It was a hot, stifling day and Hannah Irving n. Hannah had no physical flaws, she generally anxious. She was that kind of perso good clothes, but she was unsure and res featu d sprea had dark, tawny hair, evenly e” her school report said. Shame really. It of herself, “too shy and lacking confidenc been a secure, friendly person. Her was a shame because in the past she had loud, definite opinions and scorned all of family was the problem. They all had very imprisoned Hannah behind bars of Hannah's ideas and efforts. Eventually they Hannah knowing better than to speak of silence and shyness, unintentionally. And . She also lost her friends because she views and her opinions withdrew all ideas scared away by the scorn at any idea) couldn't invite them round (they might be Hannah seemed to disappear into the Soon why. them and was too scared to tell background. being nervous. The photographer was late!

But this time she had a good reason for s were a real novelty! She'd be able to She had been very excited about it. Photo remembered she didn't have any friends. she then ... and show them to her friends stuttering chugs of a van. She checked it She was pulled out of her misery by the door, down the stairs and into the kitchen. was the photographer's and ran out the ted.

“They're here, they're here!” Hannah shou manded “as if you were three!”

“No need to make such a racket,” Gran repri went and opened the front door. Hannah Hannah shrank back miserable. Grandad the creases in her dress. Murmurs of straightened out her hair and smoothed conversation flickered into the kitchen.

Mum were looking for the parasol and The deckchairs were set out, Grandma and hat. The photographers then began ered feath her for Aunt Augusta was searching with something a little like the end box n to unload the camera. It was a huge brow ed stand made of wood. The -legg three a on stood It of a telescope poking out. standing examining the inside one ds, innar photographers then stated to unload the other unloading the related items. of the camera shouting out equipment, the Suddenly they stopped “What happened?! Grandad butted in. ment called a VW cloak missing and ...”

“Well you see sir, there is a piece of equip take the photo.” Jim interrupted the boss explained, “Without it we can't offered.

“Well we can lend you a cloth” Grandad use the silver filters out the extra light in beca ng coati silver “We need a cloth with a a unique way.” ion and had realised this was a golden Hannah had been following the conversat ce and make herself count. One of her opportunity to break free of her forced silen of of rs silver into all her knitting as a king hobbies was knitting and she knits slithe of All . wrath and scorn sal and face the signature. But dare she announce her propo At idea. her group the told she and her gh a sudden a rush of courage seeped throu oot and Gran, Aunt Augusta and Mum the end of her speech Grandad was beetr weren't looking at her. boomed.

“Quiet Hannah, this is adult talk!” Grandad chuckled, drawing on her courage. she !” away hers grap photo the send “Ok then, se for a ...” Grandad raged. Hannah “Why you cheek-giving, lippy, insolent excu n when Jim saved her. priso backed off and started to slip back to her fetch that cloth.” go girl, “here ted retor he “She's right you know,” knitting box, plucked out the her to lid Hannah ran to her room, then opened the . cloth and raced back down

Prep Artwork

Zachary Lande Year 5

Yoni Stone Year 6

Timi Alabi Year 2

she finally got her views heard and That day was momentous for Hannah and in that picture.

Grandad always looked stern and angry Jonathan Davies 6MJ Year 4 - Spring blossom paintings Year 6 pupils were given a collection of old sepia photographs, of which the provenance was unknown. The boys were asked to write a story about what was happening in the picture they were given...

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Suddenly Last Tuesday

Suddenly last Tuesday, at the remembrance service, I thought back to my time in the trenches. Thick sticky mud squelched under my feet. People cried out in pain around me. Their blood covered and bandaged faces hid up their wounds. Every time I saw a shell flying down from the sky I thought it might be my end. I remembered the fear. I could smell bloodshed like the taste of metal. Clouds of smoke choked my lungs. I was reliving my time in the trenches in World War 1.

Seeing the white flare shoot up sent a shiver through my body. We all knew that we had to queue up and go over the top of the trenches. All too soon it was my turn. My fingers clogged with mud as I clawed up the side of the trench. I felt strangely free.

I remembered the chaos but I felt comforted by my comrades close by. We crawled through the barbed wire and slid through the mud. I got out of the barbed wire and marched for about two metres before I heard German gunfire.

A rapid ear-splitting sound welcomed us to the German front line. The machine gun bullets sent soil flying into the air and onto our tin hats. I heard a cry that sounded like Albert. I looked to my left and saw him rolling in agony. As I got closer I could see a bullet had pierced his chest. Warm blood spurted out of his jacket.

Realising I had to get him to a medic, I lifted him over my shoulder and felt a pain which exploded throughout my body. I felt as though someone was hammering a knife into me. I had been shot. Somehow I managed to lug myself and Albert back to the safety of the front line of the trenches.

I held him in my arms and tried to comfort him, whilst waiting for the medic. When I realised that there was no hope, I felt useless and angry. He gasped his last words and his body went limp. Albert had been my best friend. I felt warm tears run down my face. I was ashamed that I cried.

The next thing I recalled was going dizzy, remembering that I had been shot as well. I woke up in a nice comfy bed in hospital.

Years have passed without Albert but to this day I have never forgotten and never will forget him. On that Tuesday I ended my thoughts of the World War and felt the medal I had won, that day, for bravery, on my chest. The sound of the last post filled my ears. I walked off with my family, grateful that I had survived.

Benedict Jones 5CG

Trip to the World Challenge Centre The Year 3 trip to the World Challenge Centre, Bushey, was a once in a lifetime experience. The boys participated in an Adventure Quest, an action-packed outdoor challenge course.

One aspect of the day was to set students on a mission of historic or environmental significance. Missions included: Can the team track down a lost Da Vinci relic or rescue the secret to slowing climate change? In addition they will learnt communication, teamwork and problem solving, as they scaled through tree tops and worked together to save the day. On top of all this the boys learnt valuable skills such as teamwork, communication, and strategic thinking.

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Scorpion Man "This is dreadful," the headmaster of St Johns Boarding School announced sadly in assembly.

Two more students had disappeared yesterday! Know one knows how but I have hunch. Yesterday Johnny said he and Adam were going to go and check out the abandoned dOfffi. Surprisingly it was them that disappeared. Tonight Kevan, Max and I are going to go check it out. I hope we don't disappear to ...

"Well, it's time to set off guys, Max mouthed. We had to be careful. We didn't want to get caught sneaking off at the dead of night. Especially by Mrs. Kind. Do not be fooled by the name. She would give us at least two weeks worth of detentions!

We got out of the school and were at the gate of the dorm when we heard an eerie scream come from it. I was getting worried and anxious and feeling dread at the same time.

Life at HABS in Year 1 At HABS our teacher was Mrs Adat.

We were the first ever year 1. At year 1 the most important thing in school was meeting Mrs. Adat. In year 1 the most important things are learning how to use a dictionary, reading and writing. I also enjoyed colouring the size of my hand. The best book that I read was the Lion King. At school we learnt to play football, rugby, cricket, how to throw and catch, cross country and swimming. In the playground I also played football and cricket and basketball. At Christmas we sang a song about shopping for the mums and dads.

We also have class assemblies. We love year 1 at HABS!

By Ben Shwarzman 62

We walked in. the doors creaked open as we walked in and shut so suddenly that I felt a shiver run down my spine. It was like a never ending darkness, the world of no light!

Something stirred in the shadows. "Kev is that you?" "I'm over here."

Suddenly a shrill voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end sounded.

"Welcome ... to my domain." Suddenly a creature leapt and I saw its face for the first time. It was all green and mouldy as if it had never seen sunlight before. It looked part scorpion, part human, and had a stinger coming out its backside!

The monster jumped on Kevan and as it's pincer-like stinger hit Kevan he started to transform into a monster! Suddenly more, but smaller creatures came charging at Max and myself From out of the blue. Or should I say out of the black? Max and I

ran up the stairs to the upper floor. The mini creatures followed and soon we were backed up against the banister, surrounded by monsters! It suddenly dawned on me that these smaller monsters must be pupils. Maybe if we could kill the leader they might be ok.

The leader of these monsters was now in front of us, readying itself to charge.

"Dodge" I muttered out the corner of my mouth. It charged Max dodged left. I dodged right.

It fell. It died!

As soon as it was dead all the other creatures came back to life. As the students rejoiced and walked away triumphantly, one small boy knew what the scorpions sting mark on his back meant and dreaded the moment when his time came.

Varan Khullar Year 6

"A Family Disagreement" The gravy was congealing. Daniel felt disgusted looking at the meat on his plate.

Every Friday, it was the same fatty roast lamb with squidgy, boiled potatoes. Just the thought of it made him feel sick!

"I'm not eating this!" Daniel screeched and he shoved his plate away from him. It hit the metal candlestick with a clatter. Uncle Tom got up. "Granny Sarah has worked hard to make that food and you must eat it," he said.

"I'm not going to and you can't tell me what to do!" he shouted back defiantly. "Your manners are appalling and you are very rude!" Uncle Tom shouted and slammed his fist on the table.

"Don't you criticise my child!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "It's my job to tell him what he should and shouldn't do."

Uncle Tom's face glowed red with anger. He was breathing heavily. "Well I'm his uncle!"

He banged his fist on the table again. The glass jumped. "He needs to know how to behave."

"Please just eat the food Daniel," said Granny Sarah. She sighed. There were tears in her eyes. "I work so hard to make dinner every week."

"No, I'm not eating that food!"

Granny Sarah undid her apron and placed it carefully on her chair. She walked out of the room and climbed the stairs wearily.

Elizabeth glared at Uncle Tom. "Now look what you've done," she said to her brother and she slapped her napkin onto her side plate.

"What do you mean? It's Daniel's fault for being rude and your fault for making him that way," said Uncle Tom. Elizabeth stood up. Her knuckled were white as she clutched the edge of the table. Uncle Tom stood up. They were almost head to head.

"Please apologise and get her back," said Daniel's father softly.

Grudgingly, Daniel left the table. He ran upstairs, said he was sorry and led Granny Sarah downstairs. She put her apron on and sat down once again on her chair. Tom pulled his plate back. When no-one was looking, Daniel slipped his food to the dog.

The family ate in silence.

Noah Halberstam Year 5

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Schools in 2007

Schools in 2007

Introduction to schools 93 years ago in the year 2007, schools were very different from today. Teachers had other restrictions on punishments and children had other behaviour-related restrictions as well.

Schools back in 2007 are very different from now. For instance they had to use this ancient machine called a car, to travel to school. They still believed dragons and unicorns are only real in stories! We can also tell our mind where to go and, as if by magic we are there!

(fhis essay is set in the year 2100)

Pupils and teachers Pupils and teachers could not get away with things that they can now. For instance pupils cannot beat boring teachers and teachers could not kill unruly teachers. They could only sulk or tell them of by using sarcasm.

Curriculum The curriculum in he old days was very different, pupils did not have to learn Hebrew, Arabic, Ancient Greek, or Ancient Egyptian. Instead they mostly learn French or German, linguistic subjects that are not used today. They also learnt algebra, a similar to subject to that of try con (tri-con) which is used today.

Ages Pupils learn up to the age of 16 which is almost a sixth of their average life span. We still learn up to a sixth of our life span but it is until the age of 52 as we have prolonged life. They also had university which ends at 21 instead of94.

Transport To get to school in 2007 they used a form of transport called a 'car'. A car was a metal shell with 4 wheels and a crude, toxic engine. In those days they did not have teleports to get to school.

Conclusion The schools in those days were very basic. The people's rights were restricted and confined. No-one could commit a murder without being told off. It is very good that technology has advanced from the absurd methods 93 years ago.

Zubair Dhalla Year 6

In 2007 we only had to do with one smartboard per class! We, nowadays, have more than five. Whilst we are allowed Sony Vaio laptops any time we want. they could only use tiny Delllaptops, and only during Information Technology.

Luncheon sessions there was only a meagre choice of twelve but now we can have any sort of cuisine any time of the day. Then they sat at tables and all ate together but now we can just take our meals to the playground and eat.

During their playtime they had to make do with a tiny thirty by thirty metre playground! We have in my school a three hundred by three hundred metre playground! They used to play this ancient game called ‘football’ which involved running around maniacally and kicking a rubber ball. What a barbaric sport!

They wore rather threadbare uniforms in those days. White or blue shirt. black trousers, nave and white striped tie, jumper with logo knitted on it (optional) and a black blazer, what a peculiar sight!

Now with our new ‘iT emperature Control Clothes’ we can keep ourselves at any temperature we want.

They had a huge number of people in each class, over 22! Nowadays we only have 6. They also used to study rather weak arithmetic. By the time they were in year they had only started harder multiplication whilst I had started algebra.

Our new and improved plumbing system enabled us to have a good wash all the time. Our new toilet system. the "Flusher 3000" lets us watch TV whilst we we’re on the toilet seat.

Their games lessons were rather peculiar. they used to play "cricket" or the more violent game called "rugby"! Violence in school, how terrible! Now I have given you an insight of schools in 2007. you can obviously very below our high standards.

Rohan Mandumula Year 6

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Pre-Preparatory School As I crunch slowly up the gravel driveway towards the new Haberdasher’s Pre-prep buildings, still in progress, on a warm April afternoon I cannot help but feel slightly apprehensive about what awaits me. On either side of me there are various building tools and a number of wheel barrows at precarious angles, and ahead I can hear metal clinking on stone. The prospect of confrontation with a gang of workmen on my unannounced, impromptu visit is an uncomfortable one.

Fortunately for me there are no confrontations to be had today; the workmen are enjoying a day off and the sounds of metal work going on seem to be emanating from a nearby garden. The school, soon to be home to 64 boys known as ‘The Kingfishers’, is located in a verdant residential area of How Wood, between St.Albans and Radlett. The buildings are situated 50 yards off a quiet culde-sac sheltered by tall trees on every front. Although the site is not as spacious as Haberdashers’ Elstree grounds, they certainly rival each other on greenery.

The possibility of a Preprep building on the Elstree grounds was ruled out due to difficulties with planning permission.

Permission would almost certainly be denied initially and an appeal and the subsequent compilation of a master-plan could take as long as two years, with the building process adding to this significantly. The intended opening in September 2007 ruled out such an option. Problems with undergoing plans to build new changing rooms next to the rugby pitches at Elstree demonstrate just how arduous and difficult construction can be at Haberdashers.

For the last two years the Kingfishers have been situated in the upstairs section of the Preparatory School’s recent extension, known as ‘Treetops’. This building has been used for a trial run to find out if a full Pre-prep school is viable. The success of this system has led to the purchase of a new site for the sole use of Kingfishers.

The site at How Wood is ideal because the main structure is in place already, the remnants of the Homewood Preparatory school that recently closed down as a result of falling demand. The tarmac area that skirts the building has a large square missing on the end of the line of rooms that forms the main building, in which a small JCB squats. This is the area on which, in an earlier meeting, Mr Gilbertson, the school’s Bursar informed me that some of the building’s brickwork had been laid straight onto tarmac, with no foundations 64

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whatsoever. Every part of the building that does not meet acceptable standards is either being demolished and built from scratch or else comprehensively refurbished. The main building has been gutted and new wiring, plumbing and ceilings have been installed, along with replaced windows and doors. Further extensions will provide space for a reception, office, staffroom and toilet facilities.

The new site is a large financial investment by the Haberdashers’ company which will be recuperated from the school fees of the 64 Kingfishers. Fees currently stand at £9,000 per year.

For many this fee may seem to be a very high price to pay for the education of such young children, but this is a key stage in the development of learning skills and the aim of the Pre-prep School is to provide the best possible introduction to school life. The school teaches a broad and balanced curriculum which meets and exceeds the guidelines of the National Curriculum with exciting trips to places of historic or scientific interest.

Creative teaching techniques such as book days (the boys dress up as characters from their favourite book) will help to simulate the imagination in an exciting and enjoyable way. The boys will be appropriately challenged and encouraged to develop independent thinking with the aim of stimulating a genuine love of learning. The success of the trial run indicates that the learning environment created for the Kingfishers is well worth the money.

The creation of a positive learning environment is often highly dependent on the selection of students. At the age of 5 most children have received little schooling if any, so the selection process must be different to the usual examination and interview format. For the Pre-prep school each candidate is invited to attend the First Round Assessment, and of these, 42 are invited to return for a Second Round Assessment with 32 places available.

Precise details of the process are kept secret but the candidates are assessed for listening and interaction skills, application to the set task, all-round knowledge of the world around them, lively enquiring minds and a thirst for knowledge.

The staff are perhaps the most important aspect of the creation of a positive learning environment and the Kingfishers are well provided in this respect. Three current Prep School teachers will transfer to the Pre-Prep school to be joined by one other teacher currently employed at another Independent School. All four are highly trained in Key Stage 1 and the three currently teaching in the Prep School have the advantage of having worked already using the later stages of a curriculum that is progressive from the age of 5 to 11. They will be able to apply this experience to their Pre-prep teaching. There will be visits from specialist music and drama teachers twice a week and a number of opportunities for the Kingfishers to display their talents to their parents and each other.

One of the most remarkable thing about the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Schools in Elstree is their immensely diverse cultural demographic. This is set to continue in the Pre-prep school with the boys who start in September coming from 21 different feeder schools and many different cultural and religious backgrounds. The Pre-prep School is a welcome addition to the Haberdashers community and will help to ensure the success of the school for many years to come.

Ed Morrison Year 12 65

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reach for the stars

Boys from the Prep School and Years 7 and 8 from the Senior School were treated to an inspirational talk by British-born NASA astronaut Nicholas Patrick on 25th April.

Many in the audience who left the room dreaming of being astronauts themselves in the future. Dr Patrick is a natural communicator and he explained how his interest in Mathematics and Physics had led to him to read Engineering at Trinity College Cambridge followed by a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He applied to the NASA training programme following the success of a friend being selected for the programme. He attended astronaut training school for 18 months during which time he experienced zero gravity by flying on NASA's 'vomit comet' aeroplane, the same as the one in which Professor Stephen Hawking has just flown.

Much of Dr Patrick's training for weightlessness took place in the world's biggest swimming pool, over 60 metres long and 30 metres deep.

The team-building for the shuttle crew included spending two weeks trekking in the desert so that the team members could get to know each other's annoying habits, strengths and weakness. This was followed by a fortnight below the surface of the Florida Keys in a model of the International Space Station to get the team used to living in a small space. The main downside of the experience was having to swim past a shark to reach the outside loo.

Dr Patrick's role in the space mission was to control the robot arm to fix a damaged solar panel on the International Space Station.

This was successfully completed but needed to include a space walk to give the arm a bit of kick to get it to fold up properly.

The photographs of the Earth from the space shuttle were beautiful and Dr Patrick explained that one of the highlights of the mission was simply looking out of the window at an ever-changing world. He explained that because the Space Shuttle is only 200 miles above the earth the view from it is in three dimensions with clouds and mountains reaching up into the sky. The photographs of the curvature of the earth caught the audience's attention as it demonstrated how thin the Earth's atmosphere is and demonstrated that one of the great benefits of space travel is that it enables us to view the Earth and realise how we are all on the same small planet and how vulnerable the atmosphere is to pollution, especially the Greenhouse Effect.

Good table manners are also important as any crumbs will float around in zero gravity for the rest of the mission.

At the end of the talk Dr Patrick presented the school with a photo montage of his space mission including views of the Space Shuttle blasting off, Dr Patrick floating in zero gravity and a view from the space shuttle window. This was was received on behalf of the school by Dr Patrick's Godson who attends the Prep School. Dr Patrick then chatted with Abishek Banjeere-Shukla and Arjun Metha, two sixth formers who, like him, will be attending Trinity College Cambridge. Arjun will be reading Mathematics and Abishek medicine.

Perhaps they will be astronauts of the future. Dr Patrick has been interviewed on many television programmes this week and will be appearing on Blue Peter next week.

C. Glanville

Dr Patrick was barraged with a range of interesting questions from the boys, including how do you eat a meal in zero gravity and toilet arrangements. The food on the Space Station was described as OK but one of the effects of being in space is to get the symptoms of a head cold so the astronauts do not have a good sense of taste so strong curries are very popular.

ASKING AN ASTRONAUT I wonder if you have ever asked an astronaut a question. I wonder if you have ever heard an astronaut speak. I wonder if you have even ever met an astronaut. Well Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for boys have. The whole of the Prep and year 7 and 8 listened to a lecture given by Dr. Nicholas Patrick, the fourth Briton to go into space.

He arrived at the school in his astronaut uniform and after a brief introduction he started to talk, and the hall just went quiet.

Every single boy there wanted to hear what the astronaut had experienced from the first time he experienced weightlessness to the moment he landed back on earth. The slideshow he had made was incredible, there were pictures of the shuttle, Discovery, taking off, pictures of the crew eating and sleeping upside down, a video showing him messing around with his comrades and, of course, a picture of the one thing that everyone wanted to know about, a toilet. Apparently the toilet has a sort of vacuum cleaner at the bottom but let’s not talk about that.

His mission was STS-116 Discovery which meant that he was part of the seven-member crew on this 12-day repair mission. Discovery also delivered a new crew member and more 66

than two tons of equipment and supplies to the station. Almost two tons of items no longer needed on the station returned to Earth with STS-116 Discovery. The mission was 12 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes, a very long time!

He also talked about how he had wanted to be an astronaut since he was five and I saw a lot of nodding heads around the hall so I guess he was not alone. I think at least one of those nodding heads will go on to become an astronaut and become maybe the first Briton, or human, to walk on Mars!

It was then time for questions and there were A LOT of questions. What was the food like?

Do you have to be able to fly a plane to be a spaceman? How much fuel was needed?

What was the worst part? What was the best part? What would happen if you were ill?

What happened to your sick? What did floating feel like? How did they make the space station in space? How fast did you go?

They just went on…

Dr. Patrick answered every single question with long detailed answers so every boy left content that they knew more about space than their parents, teachers and their brothers and sisters. So naturally we were very happy

and we all rushed up to shake his hand.

On the coach home the conversation was all about space and Nicholas Patrick. Could we really become an astronaut just like he did?

Would we experience weightlessness too?

Would we see earth through a porthole window? Would we be orbiting the earth at seventeen thousand miles an hour? Imagine sleeping upside down! Eating upside down would be so cool! This conversation was carried through to the next day but this time it was all over the school. We were just so amazed that we had met the fourth Briton to go into space.

I would just like to thank Dr. Nicholas Patrick for coming to the school and not just inspiring me to put on my space helmet but everyone in the hall, including the teachers! I could say something like, “His speech was out of this world,” or something even more cliché but I have just decided to say thank you for telling us about a subject we have always dreamt about but never really thought about. It was a very big Discovery and one I, and everybody else who was there, will never, ever forget!

Harry Guild Year 7 Winner of Review Writing Competition

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Debating For years the Skylark debating reports have detailed a series of near misses in numerous finals, with great optimism for the future of this strong HABS tradition in which the school has firmly established itself. The season, this year, got off to a quick start with the success of Debating Captain Jamie Susskind and Vice-Captain James Fox in the MPW competition, small yet comprising of the strongest teams in London. Following further success in the JLGB competition, an unstoppable momentum was initiated that has gathered pace throughout the year, taking with it almost every trophy in the schools circuit.

Jamie and James won the Cambridge Union competition opposing allowing women into combat roles in the army having also topped the team tab. Despite the absence of Jamie, Ben Lewy, in the 5th form, teamed up with James to win the Oxford Union competition, opposing allowing UN peacekeeping troops to violate national borders in order to extradite war criminals for trial in the Hague. Ben also topped the speakers tab; a remarkable achievement for a 5th former in a predominantly upper 6th competition. Following this, James and Jamie won the Durham Union competition, proposing making alcohol illegal (a rather ironic topic to be debated whilst having a hangover), Jamie taking best speaker. The ‘big three’ had all been won by a single school in a single year for the first time.

The most prestigious competition, the ESU Schools Mace, is one that every debating team in the country aspires towards winning, in particular. With over 800 schools initially entering, Jamie and James were delighted to win the England final, to go on to represent England against the other countries of the British Union in the International Final. To commemorate the 50th year of the competition, the Final was held in the House of Lords; the first ever debate in parliament by non-parliamentarians, and it was televised on BBC Parliament. The team was unlucky not to win in this last debate of the season, and it was in fact the only trophy that HABS failed to win out of all of the competitions entered.

The success has rung true also for the younger boys, with Ed Schwitzer and Aaron Taylor bringing the International Competition for Young Debaters Trophy to the Habs cabinet for the 2nd year running. Internationally, Jamie again was chosen to represent the England team in the Word School Debating Competition, this year in South Korea, and Ben travelled to Slovenia to represent England as well.

This whirlwind year has taken with it 8 competition titles, 3 best speaker awards and 12 trophies; an unprecedented achievement in the history of Schools Debating, and one that will unlikely be repeated for many years. The HABS name strikes fear into the heart of every debater in the United Kingdom, as recognised by the facebook group “Habs boys rampage must be stopped”. Thanks go to Mrs Gleeson for all of her support, and we can only hope that these trophies grace the trophy cabinet in Aldenham House for many years to come.

James Fox Year 12

Mace Eastern Area Final

Silverware!

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ICYD Competition

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ate Challenge MPW London Schools Deb

Cambridge Union School s Competition

petition Oxford Union Schools Com

petition Durham Union Schools Com

Junior Debating Society When I look back over the past year and ask myself what has impressed me the most in this term of unprecedented achievement across all sections of the school, I have only one answer. For the last year a group of boys in the first two years of the school have spent their Wednesday afternoons in a stuffy English classroom learning to argue persuasively and debate topical issues.

Not unsurprisingly, junior debating has been overshadowed by the incredible success of our senior teams on the National debating circuit, but this group of junior boys have been truly brilliant. Starting from a very narrow base, they have all become terrific debaters, and I have been hugely impressed both by their efforts and by their talent.

Through debating topics ranging from ‘This house would rather have a cat than a dog’

to ‘This house would have corporal punishment in Schools’, they have done nothing but improve and impress, going so far as to (almost) convince the deputation from the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, who were watching one of their debates, that private schools should be abolished.

well. Thanks must also go to Mrs Gleeson and Mrs Murray, the teachers in charge of the club for their support. I would also like to thank all of the boys who attended our after school sessions, they were occasionally tiring, sometimes distressing, but always witty, hilarious and interesting. The future of HABS debating is safe.

They have achieved a standard of reason that far surpasses that which any of the senior team had at that age, and this deserves recognition. This becomes even more impressive when you realise that they have stuck with debating despite having to put up with my (Incredibly negative) input for an entire year.

Ben Lewy Year 11

Thanks must also go to Aaron Taylor, the joint organiser of the club who managed to counteract my negative influences, keep the club going during my inexplicable absences and teach our young debaters exceptionally

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Chapel Society Chapel has enjoyed an eventful year!

The summer term has been particularly busy with the very successful Rich Man/Poor Man lunch raising £170, and the week long Fairtrade stall which turned over £430 worth of Fairtrade products, a HABS record! Much praise must go to the selling techniques of the volunteers who were more entertaining than The Apprentice candidates! I hope that we not only raised money but raised awareness throughout the school of issues relating to poverty, fair trade and climate change.

On the 16th June, three boys were Confirmed by the Bishop of Bedford at St Albans Cathedral. This was a joyful and moving service, well attended by the boys' families. We then had a further celebration on Thursday morning to add the prayers and blessing of the Chapel community and to eat lots of cake!

The Chapel maintains a healthy congregation and is active in charity work and social events. There are a growing number of girls attending regularly; more than 50 came to the Rich Man/Poor Man lunch. Their support and involvement is very much appreciated and I hope this link will develop further.

I have greatly enjoyed my first year as Chaplain and look forward to being more 'in the know' next year!

Revd Markby

Junior Science Club Junior Science Club has staged some fantastic experiments and demonstrations over the course of the year, drawing in many attendees, particularly towards the beginning of the year. This year Junior Science Club has successfully teamed science with fun and although it would be unfair to draw comparisons to TV show Brainiac , the dramatic impact on the first years surely reached similar standards. Mr Whalley’s fanaticism when blowing things up was one example where things really did hit the roof! This has however been combined with more ‘mellow’ talks like that from Mr Hardman on Birdwatching.

Another fun session was run by the ever ebullient Mrs Letts who brought in her ‘special bubble solution’! The organisers and first years alike had much fun making bubbles of various sizes, although lots of practice and the correct ‘flicking’ technique was required.

Mr Kingdon also gave many informative talks about both crystal growing and ‘fruit batteries’. Both practicals proved difficult to perfect but the many crystal samples were a source of fascination to the first years. The fruit batteries, however, proved to be rather temperamental!

Thanks must also be extended to Mrs Jones whose enthusiasm in running Junior Science Club is unwavering and all of the other teachers who gave talks and contributed to the running of the club.

Matthew Rajan Year 12

Life Drawing

Modern Language Society

On Thursday 11th January, GCSE and A-Level art students were fortunate enough to spend a session on nude life drawing with a tutor from the Royal Academy of Arts, as part of their outreach programme.

This year has been an eventful one for the Modern language society. It started out with the formation of a brand new committee consisting of Joel Ross, Myles Anderson, Channon Zhangazha, Josh Green, Andrew Hurwitz and myself, thus incorporating two members for each language. This year there was plenty to do, with weekly language clinics for some of the more dedicated year 7 & 8 boys, all hoping to improve their knowledge of French, German or Spanish.

Just before Christmas, the society held a ‘sell out’ foreign food fiesta, where boys had the opportunity to try the seasonal dishes of many European countries as well as some delicious Russian items. Whilst the boys gorged themselves with the food on offer, the members of the committee and Fred, our French assistant, gave exciting presentations on various seasonal festivities in Europe. Later in the year, the team drafted in the irreplaceable Robert Daboul who added some much needed organisational and administrative skills to the proceedings, which proved vital for the Inter-house Modern Languages quiz. This was a first for the Modern language society and went without a hitch thanks to an entertaining performance from Joel Ross playing the part of MC, supported by Robert’s impressive PowerPoint presentation. It only remains for me to thank everyone in the team that has put in so much effort throughout the year, and Mr Thackwaray, Mrs Gomez, and all of the other teachers that have helped with the society, for all their efforts to make it a success.

It was a great experience, as Paul, the tutor, prepared to lead us through a variety of media to experiment with, and introduce us to different approaches to drawing. The session was energetic and high-spirited as we attempted to put various tasks such as ‘try to find form, not shape’ into practice, and produced a collection of impressive studies by the end of it. The workshop was very enjoyable, and thanks must go to Paul who inspired us to be even more creative with crumbly sticks of charcoal - and Francesca, for being an excellent model.

Yexi Tran Year 12

Robin Tuck Year 12

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Akhil Bakhda Year 12

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Chess The school chess team has had a successful season. We left last season as a team bursting with huge potential, but never quite fulfilling it.

This year, however, the team has managed to win almost every competition it has been entered for and many talented youngsters have also come to the fore, showing huge promise for future seasons.

We started off the season with the Millfield International Schools Tournament, in Somerset. We fielded two teams of twelve, competing against teams from all around the UK, as well as Ireland. It has always been a tough competition, with many England International players forming parts of the squads. After the first day, our teams were separated, with the first team qualifying for the Championship event, and the second team, one of the youngest teams there, qualifying for the Intermediate event.

Overcoming some tough competition and after some very tense matches, both teams came away with winning trophies in their respective sections. This is a HABS first, although this was the third successive time the HABS team has won the Championship section, and so was ever more pleasing.

The next major tournament the team competed in was the UK Schools Rapid Play tournament in Birmingham. The U-14 team came out victorious, with a number of the team getting ‘Best Board’ prizes. A few weeks later, the U-18 team played in the

older age group for the same event, hoping to match that feat. It was a close run contest between HABS and Nottingham High School, but unfortunately our loss to them proved decisive, and we ended up “Runners-Up”. However, the team still came out with a number of board prizes, and we have built a solid platform to build upon in the competition next year.

Despite the team’s relative success in other such tournaments, the main goal this season was to win the ECF National Schools Tournament, the Champions League of school chess. We entered two teams from the main school, the majority of which were lower school pupils. The first challenge was to win our regional championships. The first team came out winners while the second team were runners-up. This allowed the A team to progress into the Championships section, while the B team qualified for the Plate Tournament. In the Championship section, the A team followed their six nil victory over Queen Elizabeth Barnet School, with another whitewash against Westminster. The next game was against RGS Guildford, where a win would secure a semi-final place. Nearly every game went to the wire, however luck deserted the team when it really mattered, and we lost by three points. This was a crushing blow to our title aspirations; and everything we have worked so hard for over the years. However, we remain hopeful for next year especially as many of our younger players are improving at such a fast rate. Meanwhile, the B Team

suffered a similar fate in the Plate competition in the quarter finals, ending their hopes of winning the Plate competition.

The team will be sorry to see Akash Jain leave next academic year, and his absence will be a huge loss. Akash is currently the British champion for his age group, and has been the most consistent and successful player in the team with an 89% success rate. We wish him luck for the future and there is no doubt that he will continue to be at the top of his age group for quite a few years to come. We also will be sad to see Mithun Kailavasan of Year 13, leave for University next year. An England player, Mithun has been a core of the team for his entire time at the school, and his contribution to the school’s chess has been remarkable. He is hugely respected within the squad and will be sorely missed.

The team has, however, got some things to look forward to. As we continue to mature as chess players, we will remain a strong team, and under the leadership of Mr Barnes, we hope to achieve our objective of winning the ECF Schools Tournament. Many thanks must go to Mr Barnes for taking us around the country, giving up numerous weekends, and being with the team every step of the way. We would also like to thank Mr Jackson for his dedication to training the squad, which has been extremely informative and insightful.

Vedantha Kumar Year 12

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Politics Society

Economics Society

In a year that has seen a supposed increase in political apathy, the HABS Politics Society has bucked the national trend, offering the school community a series of events and speakers, which have stimulated debate and interest in many issues.

This year’s Economic Society has been quite a revelation. Led by Chairman Sam Cherkas, the society has been competent and efficient in all respects.

As usual the traditional duties had to be taken care of first, with our notice board being a high priority! All members had an input in the bi-weekly economics newsletter, in which recent articles of relevance were chosen and printed to keep students around the school up to date with the latest economics news.

The committee started their term of office with a Question Time meeting, in the same format as the BBC television programme.

There was a good balance of the traditionally unrelenting right-wing HABS opinion, and some rather more moderate participants, debating issues such as giving aid to Israel, the renewal of trident, and NHS resource allocation.

After the traditional barrage of invitations to all UK citizens with any connection to the British political process, we were fortunate enough to host some very interesting speakers. Peter Hulme-Cross, GLA member of the One-London Group, a party who broke off of UKIP, spoke to us about how he got into Politics as a career, and gave us a summary of the working of the GLA. Some weeks later, Brian Coleman came to HABS, himself the chairman of the GLA came and spoke in more detail about the Assembly.

Political Haberdashers were most definitely well versed by now in the Greater London Assembly, and its complete inability to hold Mayor Ken to account.

The Conservative Friends of Israel came to speak about both why they support the State of Israel, their views about general domestic political issues (including a very confident assertion of future Conservative electoral glory under David Cameron) and the opportunity to shadow a Conservative PPC in his campaigning and canvassing that summer.

Politics Society has also had the pleasure of being affiliated to events with other societies. With the Languages Department a mock French Presidential election masterfully performed by Jamie Day as Sarkozy and Jonny Grunwald as Royal enjoyed a large turnout. Radical Society have also welcomed some rather more radical speakers to come and offer a somewhat different political opinion to the Bourgeoisie they so detest.

This year has proven to be another successful one for this prestigious society. In a year that could see a General Election, we hope that next year’s committee will strive to ensure the continuing success of political interest in HABS and build upon the momentum achieved by this year’s hard work.

James Fox Year 12

No economics society can be complete without the presentation of speakers and this year was no exception as, through personal contacts and parental connections, we managed to secure the services of two prominent economists. The first, Dr Jonathan Haskel, member of the Competition Commission, gave an excellent talk on the mobile phone market, informative and interesting, and crucially, pitched at a manageable level considering the economics knowledge of the audience.

The second, Dr Nico Nicolau from Tanaka Business School of Imperial College, is already a well-renowned economist despite his young age, having published papers on various topics. He spoke about the foundations of entrepreneurship, helpfully taking the audience step by step through the seemingly daunting process of starting up a business.

This years weekly meetings have been the breeding ground for the birth of innovative new ideas and one such is the introduction of a totally new competition at Habs, our

A final mention must go to one of the HABS ‘IFS Student Investor Challenge’ teams, Starwars, who managed to secure a first place finish in the online stock market trading game. This was by no means an easy feat considering the sheer number of teams nationwide that participated, although as a society we can claim no credit for this success but we shall follow their subsequent progress with interest.

Thanks must go to Mrs Shah for all the time and support she has given us this year and we await next year’s society with anticipation.

Martin Cheung Year 12

Hindu Assembly Hindu Assembly takes place every Thursday, with the enthusiasm of the junior boys motivating our committee to give them entertaining, but informative assemblies. We started this year focusing on the fundamentals and origins of Hinduism. During this period we presented assemblies on India. The 15th August is the Independence of India, consequently we explained the partition between India and Pakistan and also the history of independence.

Furthermore, the Year 11 boys did various assemblies on topics such as “Mahatma Gandhi”, “The Caste System” and “The Vedas”.

We were very fortunate to have Mr Solanki talk to us about volunteering in the rural areas of India, where our help was much needed. When things were put into perspective, we realised how we take for granted so many of the luxuries we have. As a result, many people were interested in the project, and donations were made towards it.

The main reason why every week was a success was due to the support of Ms Pindoria and Mr. Wright, without whom it would have been impossible to carry out the assemblies, and keep under control the 150-200 boys that come to the assembly every week.

Shailraj Parikh Year 12

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very own Dragon’s Den. Our impressive line up of judges included experienced entrepreneurs and economists.

The prize of £100 was in the end awarded to Shailraj Parikh and Rikki Shah, after defeating some tough competition. Their brilliant business plan exploited two issues at the forefront of everyone’s mind nowadays: environment and exercise, combining the two to come up with ‘Electrocise’ an ingenious idea involving the incorporation of a dynamo into exercise bikes to help provide gyms with clean electricity whilst their customers gained fitness.

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Jewish Society The HABS Jewish Society has flourished this school year, under the guidance of chairmen Martyn Cukier and James Fox, and their enthusiastic committee members from Years 11 and 12. The Jewish Society continues to be one of the most active societies at HABS, balancing and engaging with the religious, cultural and political features of the Jewish community at the school.

J-Soc has been privileged to organise the daily “minyan” (a quorum of ten or more, post-barmitzvah Jewish boys) needed to conduct “minchah,” the afternoon prayer service every lunch time of the school year. Another successful event maintained by the Jewish Society this year was the weekly “Nosh and Learn” sessions every Tuesday lunchtime. This activity involved different out-of-school speakers, bringing ordered kosher food such as Shwarma, Chicken wings, burgers and chips, to lead a discussion on contentious moral, cultural, and religious issues. The popularity of Nosh and Learn has grown enormously over the year, with good publicity and a renewed interest in Jewish Identity at HABS resulting in unprecedented attendance figures, often reaching thirty or more.

In addition to these regular activities, an exceptional “Chanukah Burger Bash” was organised in the autumn term, which saw nearly 150 pupils from the boys’ school feasting on burgers, chips and customary donuts in the newly built Aske Hall building, to the sounds of traditional Jewish and Yiddish music. Next on the calendar was the joyous

festival of “Purim” where the Jewish Society provided free “Hamantaschen” (traditional pastries) and members donned fancy dress outfits, as is customary for the festival.

The year was rounded off with a “Yom Ha’atzmaut” party, celebrating the 58th year of Israel’s Independence together with the girls’ school. Hard work and excellent planning enabled the society to invite a delegation of eight Israeli teenagers to give a short presentation on the significance of Israel for them, as well as leading the society in “Rikudei-Am,” Israeli Dance that has underpinned the cultural aspect of Israeli Society since its independence in 1948.

The society has been honoured to invite several prestigious speakers to address us this year, Robyn Lee an official from the Israeli Embassy, gave a fascinating talk on the current climate in the Middle East and the existential threats faced by the Jewish

Jewish Assembly My Co-Chairman Harry Jardine and I have been very pleased with the program of Jewish Assemblies this year, and have strived to expand the range of speakers beyond what had gone before. We encouraged students from within Habs' to deliver assemblies on subjects that concerned them, and aimed to invite young and vibrant speakers who could connect with one segment of the audience, while still accommodating the intellectual thirst of the other segment by staging more academically oriented assemblies.

Assemblies have covered a broad spectrum of topics, from medical ethics to scientific advances in Israel, and from the meaning of 'Jewish Identity' to the Socialist trend in Judaism.

The most important assembly of the year was, as it is every year, the Holocaust Remembrance Assembly, which, as Yom

State. Joan Salter, a Holocaust Survivor spoke movingly on her and her family’s experiences and then fielded the questions of several HABS boys in attendance.

Additionally, in conjunction with the Radical Society, J-Soc welcomed Eric Lee, from the US socialist party, who gave an alternative insight into socialist viewpoints on the Middle East.

HaShoah (the Jewish Holocaust Remembrance Day) fell in the Easter holidays, was held slightly later than usual. Thanks must go to all the hard work put in by the six speakers, who learned their parts and attended rehearsals diligently, and all those who came to the assembly and behaved with appropriate respect.

Modesty does not permit extending my thanks to the script writer.

As ever, J-soc has built on previous successes and can proudly look back on another year of non-stop activity. HABS JSoc rightly holds a reputation for being one of, if not, the most active of school Jewish Societies in the country, always seeking to harness the enthusiasm and commitment of the school’s substantial Jewish population.

We are certain that this vitality will continue, and look forward to hearing of J-Soc’s many future achievements.

Martyn Cukier Year 12

Thanks must also go to Mr. Corrall and Dr. Alvarez for their help and support, and to all those who came to a Jewish Assembly this year.

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Jain Assembly Over the past six years that I’ve been at HABS, one thing that has not ceased to amaze me is the immense ethnic diversity that can be seen in the audience at religious assemblies and in particular at Jain assembly.

Religious assemblies have always, in my opinion, allowed us all to learn about each other’s faiths in a “hands-on” way that the more academically based RS lessons could never quite do.

Each week our audience has pupils of many different backgrounds continually offering their opinions in discussions which have greatly developed our views on Jainism in the modern world. Our aim this year has been to spread the word of Lord Mahavir through the teaching of Jain principles and how one can, and why one should, apply them in their careers at HABS and indeed throughout the rest of their lives.

I knew from the start of the year that, with the help of our dedicated committee, I would be able to lead Jain society in the right direction. Indeed with the immense support from Chirag Shah, the boundless knowledge of Ronak Maroo, the innovative voice of Anjul Haria, the keen wit of Rushab Shah and the sharp door-keeping skills of Rajan Shah, I knew we were going to have a fantastic year!

The highlight of the year most certainly had to be Dr Wigley in his Oscar-worthy performance in the winter term play. I shall never forget how, at the play’s climax he declared “in the name of justice and of Jainism, you must stop!”

Indeed his brilliant acting skills reminded me how lucky we are to have him at our school and how the Jain society has been luckier still to have him as our mentor.

Finally I must say that I’m extremely proud to have been part of Jain assembly 2006-2007 and I wish next year’s committee the best of luck and further success.

Rikesh Shah Year 12

Science Society This year has been both exciting and educational, as one has come to expect from the School’s Science Society. The society is a long established school institution, and this year, the sixth form committee has successfully organized a wide ranging program of scientific talks; these have been invaluable in promoting an enthusiasm for science of the boys, and in some cases teachers too, throughout the school.

The year began with an exhilarating talk to a packed Aske Hall by the military. Half of the quad was cordoned off in preparation for the bomb disposal demonstration, complete with specialist, robotic equipment for the boys to see. The talk was entertaining for all present, and admirably delivered by an ex-Habs officer. It was extraordinary to see from his photos, that only a few years previously he had been playing rugby with Mr. Holmes, instead of dealing with explosives for the army. The delight on the boys’ faces was evident as the robotic equipment was taken outside into the middle of the school and driven around, quite a spectacle on an otherwise ordinary Thursday afternoon.

The year carried on in this vein, and unfortunately the society was to blame for setting off the school fire alarm with what can only be described as an explosive chemistry talk in the New Year. As the number of attendees fell after the initial crowds in the Aske Hall, the few boys who attended a speech on testicular cancer in S17 were amazed, as can only be expected from a speech from one of Europe’s leading professors, and lecturers in this field.

The conclusion of the speeches for the year came from the editor of BBC News 24 Kevin Bakhurst after being delayed from speaking earlier by the snow. Kevin’s speech was perhaps not what regulars at ‘SciSoc’ talks have come to expect, but his experience and views on the media, and the impact that technology has had on it were fascinating. He spoke fluently as well about some current affairs in the media, which he has dealt with in his work, such as the Iraq War, and the problems associated with twenty four hour media coverage that arise from situations like this. Notable audience members included Mr Bakhurst’s old German Alevel teacher Mr Corrall.

Looking towards next year, a new committee has been chosen to take over, and it seems to be a great challenge that they face to live up to their current counterparts. Already however, students can look forward to a talk from Hugh Oram, Chief Fire Officer on the day of the Buncefield explosion, which had such a dramatic effect on the local skyline. Plans for a question-answer session from current students about applying and studying science at university are also in place, which will be of particular relevance to the sixth formers about to go through the university application process.

Finally, thanks and congratulations must go to Miss Pindoria, for all the hard work she has kindly donated to the society, and without whom, none of this would be possible.

Oliver Birch Year 12

Muslim Assembly This year has been a momentous year for all those who - it could be said - ‘religiously’ attended the Muslim assemblies. There was a transition period from the superb old committee led by Mo Kazmi to the new committee headed by myself. After years of being located in the music school, it was decided that due to the influx in attendance over recent years, the weekly Muslim assemblies had to be relocated. The committee believed that many of their faithful attendees would decide to participate in other assemblies after Muslim assembly was moved upstairs. However, the numbers remained high and the quality of the assemblies delivered by boys of all ages has been phenomenal this year. One notable speaker was Thariq Ruwaisdeen. His eloquent sermons on Yusuf Islam and Malcolm X, to name but a few, were breathtaking and inspiring. Over the course of the year we had also invited a few non-pupils to speak in the assemblies, one was a former HABS pupil, Abbas Kanani. He was warmly received and spoke fluently in front of a near full capacity crowd in the common room. From what I have seen during my year in charge, promising times lie ahead for the Muslim community.

Special thanks must be given to Mr Kerr for overlooking the Muslim assemblies after the departure of Mr Bryant. He has done an extremely good job of keeping the assemblies under control and must be thanked for the time he takes out of his day to supervise the proceedings.

Salim Kassam Year 12

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Radical Society This academic year saw the emergence of Radical Society, which derives its name as a combination of the Radical societies of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and from Mr Hamilton's mention of Habs Boys' "ability to leave radically exciting footprints" in an end of term letter, as we were an example of the "many new initiatives" mentioned in that letter. The establishment of RadSoc, as it has come to be known, was a long-overdue development in Habs' history that finally gave representation to the widespread Marxist tendency among upper middle class youths who live in North West London and its environs. It started haltingly, with various teachers pulling their support at the last moment, but once Mr Briercliffe had agreed to attach his name to the Society, we were able to start concentrating on the struggle for a Marxist utopia. The year's program began with an address from Eric Lee, the Socialist and Trade Unionist, which is chronicled elsewhere in this journal. RadSoc cunningly manipulated the bourgeois Politics Society and Jewish Society for publicity purposes, and was rewarded with a healthy attendance.

From that beginning, RadSoc went from strength to strength. Chris Marsden, National Secretary of the Soicalist Equality Party, came straight from campaigning in Scotland to deliver a speech advocating and clarifying Trotskyism as opposed to Stalinism. We furthermore organised student discussions, wherein pupils would vent their problems with school life, while a sporting prefect would have the opportunity to defend the administration's stance, before being lynched. The society also courted addresses from teachers such as one-time stalwart of the Communist Party, Dr St John, who believes, and tried to convince us, that "Toryism is the True Radicalism". Our aims for next year include involving more from students from the lower years, representing Communism in a Mock Election (if a General Election is called), and the disintegration of institutionalised segregation between the teaching and learning classes (e.g. toilets, dining room, common room).

While some disparage and deride our struggle, dubbing us "Champagne Communists" (and I must admit that I have been known to succumb to the temptation of the odd flute of Dom Pérignon), we repudiate these aspersions with an observation that many will already have remarked to themselves: that Habs is very much the Odessa St. Paul realschule of Elstree. We march on, dauntless, against the myriad hurdles of the petty bourgeois establishment, with our hammers and sickles flashing proudly from our lapels, the metaphorical red flag held high above our eventual martyred dead, and the (admittedly hushed) cry of "Workers of the world, unite!" on our lips. We shall not rest from mental fight before the abolition of class boundaries and complete emancipation of the working classes have been achieved, or we leave the school.

Lifesaving Club HABS Lifesaving Club has continued to grow in numbers and experience with recruits of all ages receiving awards.

The Life Support (Land based First Aid) has proved successful with Dipesh Gopal and Vishal Chohan receiving Life Support 2 and 3. Adam Cobb and Bhavesh Gopal were awarded Life Support 1 and will soon continue onto the more challenging Life Support 3.

The Lifesaving (Pool based) itself has allowed Bhavesh Gopal and Benjamin Silverblatt to obtain Lifesaving 3 and Vishal Chohan to obtain Bronze Medallion, Award of Merit.

Unfortunately this summer sees Dr. Alvarez and Keith Davies retire after 25 years service each to Lifesaving Club.

We welcome Mr. Stiff to help train the new lifesavers in years to come. We also thank Dr. Clayton for running and organising the club.

Dipesh Gopal Year 13

Leo Davidson Year 12

Junior School Book Club The inaugural meeting of the Junior School Drop-In book club was a great success. Under the leadership of Mrs Murray several enthusiastic members of the Junior school met to discuss how they were going to structure Haberdashers’ First Junior Book Club.

There were many excellent ideas put forward and it was decided that due to the many different clubs and societies operating each lunchtime, we would meet on a different day each term to give everyone the chance to attend. We would also discuss different things each meeting relating to our chosen book, ranging from the type of cover that the book should have, who would play the characters if it was made into a film, what we thought of the plot and other related topics.

In the first meeting we came up with the idea of approaching the teachers to see what was their favourite book when they were eleven, we even found out that one English teacher didn’t like to read when he/she was 11! Mrs Murray set us the task of finding the favourite books of as many teachers as we could and the person who found out the most will win a prize.

Book club is lots of fun and as it is a drop-in club you can come as often as you like. We need members from year 7 and 8 so if you would like to join us just come to E16 on Monday lunchtimes – and bring your favourite book!

Jack Lewy Year 7 75

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CALVERTS

This year has been an unbridled success…for other houses. But here at Calverts we have maintained our diligence to putting out full teams on a regular basis and most importantly enjoying what we do. I’m very proud that when I frequent the inter-house competitions, there is very little to be done because the Calvert’s boys are so willing to do it themselves. This was evident at Senior Athletics where we had full attendance in every event. Any house captain will tell you the hardship and toil of getting the Sixth Form to do any sort of house event in the closing weeks of school, but lo and behold we had everyone. I must thank Sam Gaus for his organisation of the Calverts website, it is by far the best by a long way.

There is much promise in the lower years of Calverts and all their charity work must be recognised. Well done to Joe Gaus, Jeevan

Dhillon, Sameer Agrawal, Marcus Chaplin, Andrew Shipley, Oliver Goldstein and of course my charity officials who led them, the wonderful Ben Grabiner and Michael Moloney. The winner of the Wilcock Cup this year for best overall contribution to Calverts House is Aadil Hakim. Long has the Calverts Trophy cupboard (I’m not even sure we have one) been depleted of awards, but from 2007 onwards there is a new cup dedicated for the contribution to the school and house community.

I must thank my Deputy, Mo Kazmi, for without him the house would have imploded in an administrative mess. He has been like a strong sedative for my worries and stresses with the house. To Oliver Marcuse as House Recorder, thank you for doing all the unseen backstage efforts. I must thank Dom Sidoli and William Cardozo-Boohan for all their good intentions towards the House. I naturally wish good luck to the new Calverts “Dream Team” of Mr.Fenn, Mrs Jones and

Oliver Birch as House Captain with his Deputy Channon Zhangazha.

To be in Calverts is the greatest bit of luck I have ever been graced with. I merely ticked a box completely oblivious to the significance that it would cause in my life. I got to meet Mr.Hayler and will never forget the impact he has had on my time here.

Everyone has their favourite teacher; he has been mine. Such humility and dedication to his profession as well as his passion is something I think we at Calverts should try and strive for in our own lives. With Mr.Hayler leaving this year, it marks the end of a Calvert’s era that will never be forgotten. If I leave Calverts knowing only one thing it is this phrase, “Carlsberg don’t make Houses, but if they did, it would probably be just like Calverts.”

James Hunt Year 13

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HENDERSONS

2006-2007 was an extremely active year for Hendersons, with a new set of House Prefects at the helm under the guidance of Alexander Charles and Kristian Parry as House Captain and Vice-Captain respectively. As ever, Hendersons achieved a good deal of success in key inter-house events: rugby; hockey; athletics; chess; bridge and debating. Sporting success in the Middle School and Sixth Form remains a major feature of House life, with many of the senior boys contributing significantly to school sports teams at the various representative ages.

We are also proud of many individual accolades achieved by members of the House. Thomas Robson (10H) continues to be a strong competitor in school swimming and is set to train with the England Talent Squad, perhaps with a hopeful eye on the 2012 Olympic Games! In a similar vain, we are delighted to heap praise on two brothers

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in Hendersons, David (9H) and James (7H) Lawrence, who have both represented England at international chess tournaments this year; David in Poland and James in Germany. In debating, James Fox (L6H) has achieved remarkable success in winning all major debating competitions in England alongside Jamie Susskind (U6), the School Captain. The pair performed particularly strongly at an international event held in the unique and beautiful surroundings of the House of Lords; both no doubt, are set to return to the Lower House in the years ahead! News of Kristian Parry’s success as a top cadet in the CCF is particularly noteworthy, as it records the remarkable achievements of a senior member of the House. Kristian has received three notable awards this year; for outstanding service as an air cadet he received a commendation from Air Commodore G Mould; for being one of six top air cadets, Kristian was awarded the Geoffrey de Havilland Flying Foundation Medal, and thirdly, his most prestigious

award, was a scholarship to fund the completion of his private pilot’s licence, presented by the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators. All these awards are in addition to his earlier success in achieving a RAF Scholarship to train as a Pilot in due course.

House charity events continue to be well supported by all boys, but particularly by members of the Junior House. Our thanks go to Stephen Moss (U6) who helped organise various events throughout the year in aid of The Hornsey Trust, who work in support of children with cerebral palsy.

My final thanks are extended to all House Prefects and Tutors who work tirelessly on behalf of the boys in Hendersons to ensure that each boy has the opportunity to take part in the many diverse activities that the school has to offer. We look forward to many new challenges in the year ahead.

M Lloyd-Williams

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JOBLINGS

Joblings has a rich history that is enriched further by the closely-knit togetherness that has been the hallmark of what the house personifies.

Performances this year have not been of the strongest or highest quality, but the effort that has gone into nearly every event has been of the highest standard. Although, admittedly, winning is important, Joblings are very proud to promote the ‘taking part’ issue very seriously indeed, and with that a willingness not to take one’s self too seriously in the process. However, next year will hopefully be a turning point and we can embark on the road to greatness, brushing aside the likes of Russels and Strouts, and laughing in the face of adversity. That is the plan.

Moreover, although the year as a whole has not been the most successful one for Joblings, various performances and highlights give us plenty of cause for

optimism – inter-house events have been pariticipated in competitively, and a number of wins in these events has shown that we do possess the skill and ability to go all the way in the Crossman shield. Behaviour has been a downfall in terms of our work and conduct, but with all the incredibly intelligent people that have the green blood of Joblings, it is very easy to become frustrated with the ones who pull them down with the less impressive ‘effort’ grades in reports. However, next year is a new year, and Joblings will be pushing on all fronts for all shields.

Mr.Swallow and Mr.Dathan have, as always done an excellent job in the handling and running of house affairs, but that would not have been possible without the help of this year’s house officials, ably lead by Etiene Ekpo-Utip. Feeling is running high in the house that we are due a good year, and although this year may not have been the one, a foundation has most definitely been

laid. Etiene and his colleagues will be sorely missed for all their skills that they brought to Joblings house, and the whole of the house is extremely grateful to them for their hard work. We wish them the best of luck at their chosen universities.

The new year 7 Joblings boys have been lively and enthusiastic, and they clearly have the biggest personalities in the whole year group, which clearly bodes well for a future of debating and public speaking, skills which Joblings are traditionally strong in. Thanks must go to David Dinkin for mentoring them ably and professionally, and we look forward to Akshith Kaza having the same commitment for the new year 7 Joblings boys, and, whilst we never aim to brainwash, we do try to show them that the only way is indeed the Joblings way.

Joel Ross Year 12

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MEADOWS

This has been yet another successful year for Meadows. The team this year was keen to emulate the successes of 2006 where we won the Crossman and Dunton Shields. Sports competitions are, of course, where the vast majority of inter-house events take place, and this year has been wonderful for the House, with many victories, and several boys showing great potential for the future.

Our extraordinarily tight-knit and talented year 8 group were once again successful this year, notably winning both the A and B hockey competitions.

The inter-house rugby competition was a scene of similar success for the Year 8s, who narrowly won a “Golden Try” finish, after having scored in the final few seconds to level the scores. Surprisingly, due to the absence of several key swimmers, Meadows did not perform as well in the Inter-House Swimming Gala, an event which the House has dominated for the last few years.

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Holding almost the entirety of the Under-19 team, including next year’s captain, Greg Schey, the Senior Waterpolo team did not disappoint, destroying all competition and barely conceding on their way to victory in the final. The inaugural inter-house football competition, reinstituted this year after

several false starts under the previous PE administration, was a notable success for Meadows. The year 9 final was won, with a terrific 3-2 victory over Strouts, but even this was outdone by a nail-biting 7-6 penalty finish, once again over Strouts in the year 10/11 final. Debating success finally came for the pair Jacob Turner and Vishal Patel in the Senior Final against Russells. Ben Lewy, one of the school’s brightest young debating prospects filled in well during one of the opening rounds, and has shown great potential for future years. The stalwart of year 9, Matthew Worby performed well once again this year in his debating competition, and was unlucky along with the rest of his team, to come third.

The Meadows House Officials this year have been excellent. Matthew Sherr has ably managed the Year 7s and Lewis Jacques has brought his exemplary organisational skills to the Duties, seamlessly filling in for my many enforced absences! Vishal Patel has brought his not insignificant intellectual weight to the sector of Assemblies and Debating.

The triumvirate of the Meadows Charity Committee, Robert Goldstein, Kartik Kumar and Zeus Kanji have raised a lot of money with events including cookie sales, and the Battle of the Bands competition.

The incoming Upper 6th year is one of the strongest that Meadows has had in recent years, with talent in both the academic sphere, as well as on the sports field. This was recognised in the selection of Prefects and School and Vice captain - which went to Alex Petrides and Duncan Jenkins respectively, both in Meadows. The House will be captained by Ben Ashenden next year, and the outgoing team wish him great success.

However, this year has not been one without some regret for Meadows. The loss of the inspirational Mr John Fenn to the debilitating disease Calvertus Ridiculousus (known commonly as Calverts) has been a particularly sad one. In his few years at the house, in the Deputy Housemaster position, Mr Fenn has moulded the house together yet more, instilling the lower years particularly with a great sense of pride and camaraderie.

We must, of course, begrudgingly wish him luck in the future with his new House, and eagerly anticipate the arrival of our new Deputy-Housemaster, Mr Simm. Thanks must go, as always, to Mr Bagguley, for his excellent support and organisation of the house for yet another year, and also to all the many meadows form teachers, and indeed house members, who have all helped to make this year an extremely enjoyable one.

Jacob Turner Year 13

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RUSSELLS

Having led the way in the reform of House websites and recording systems, kept ourselves in the running for all four House shields and continued an annual charity event which has raised over £7000, it is little wonder that Russells has been looked upon with envy by every other house this past year.

Many outstanding individual and team performances have helped us to this commanding position. Our renowned strength on the hockey field has come through once again, with the Russells Year 10 hockey team disposing of Joblings on their way to a fantastic victory, the Year 8 team cruising to victory in their competition too, and the Senior team securing yet another triumph in wonderful fashion. All three teams went on to face the staff hockey team and had it not been for some dubious officiating, it is likely that each team would have secured further success! There have been other notable performances too, in a range of other sports. The Year 8

badminton team, for example, valiantly fought their way to victory, whilst the Year 10/11 water polo team, ably led by Randal Cliff, achieved another terrific inter-house success. Special mention must be given to our new intake of 7R, all of whom have contributed exceptionally to the Russells and the school in general, winning their interhouse hockey and badminton competitions and in the process, showing a promise which bodes remarkably well for the future of Russells’.

A crucial factor in these victories, alongside the raucous enthusiasm and passion with which Russells has now become synonymous, has been the role of my dedicated and loyal House officials. As many of the boys in the House will agree, we have a superb system in the ‘Russells’ Greenhouse’ where teams of senior officials are responsible for the development of each team in each inter-house competition; the roles of Nigel Tao, Tom Weir and Alec Zetter have been crucial in this respect, and I

thank them on behalf of the House for the invaluable time and effort they have given to coach the younger boys. Alec, in particular, must be thanked again for this dedication and commitment to maintaining our House website, as must Jai Sharda, who has been tireless and utterly dependable in his role as Vice-Captain.

Finally, we are all indebted to the hard-work, commitment and passion of our Housemaster Mr Hardman, and his deputy Mr Todhunter, who have both been a pleasure to work with. Their devotion to Russells is truly extraordinary.

It has been an absolute privilege to lead this wonderful House; I leave its running in the capable hands of Sam Cherkas and his team, and wish them the best of luck and every success for next year.

Arjun Bhohi Year 13

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STROUTS

What do you think of when you think of Strouts? The word itself conjures up visions of rainbows, butterflies, long walks in the park and rivers flowing with chocolate. It’s such a powerful yet gentle name; Strouts, it’s a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day, it caresses you gently when you feel blue, it lifts you up where you belong, in the clouds, looking down on the world of mediocrity below you. The dream team, the super squad, the golden army, the Gryffindor of HABS, Strouts has been on the march all year, working together to achieve the high standards that we all yearn for.

We’ve been holding high positions in all four shields throughout year, and have worked, competed and raved with as much spirit as ability. Crucial to our success in winning both the Crossman and Dunton shields this year has been the way the House has really come together, and interaction between the

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year groups has really helped us progress. It has been great to see the sheer commitment shown by everyone and in terms of spirit and enthusiasm the boys have really stood out from other Houses. At times this has made me well-up with great big tears of pride, which I have had no shame in letting roll down my cheeks, for Strouts is a cause I am not afraid to cry for.

No other House can compete with the great combination of good humour, determination, love and devilishly good looks that the golden boys have to offer.

It is not right for no mention to go to the engines that run this machine of a House, in Mrs. Wijeratna and Dr Clayton, two of the most approachable and caring Heads of House that have ever graced the school.

These two great leaders have been core in providing support to the whole House from the House Officials, to the tiniest Year 7 boy, ensuring that everyone is looked after and everyone shares the joy of victory when it

comes around. We also cannot forget those House Officials who have put in so much work over the past year, adding up Housepoints, organising teams, supporting the young whippersnappers on the sports field it has been a great honour to work with each and every one of them. Lastly a great deal of thanks must go to every boy within the golden army, without you there is no House, there is no fun, and there is no winning or losing.

For those of us that are leaving, Strouts has been more than just a House and this year has been a supreme example of what Strouts has always stood for since we’ve been at the school; enthusiasm and determination. Arun Kumarathas and his team of Officials will no doubt lead Strouts to continued success next year and I wish him all the very best.

Nick Jardine Year 13

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CCF

This has been another year of challenge and achievement for the CCF. We have again had a record number of applications to join the CCF and our complement is 320 Cadets. Camps are thriving as never before. The Tri-Service Adventure Training Camp to Northumberland, in April, saw 50 Cadets successfully complete a Duke of Edinburgh Bronze expedition and a further 6 completed their Silver expedition. In July, 60 Cadets travelled to Cyprus for a very successful Army Summer Camp hosted by the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. During our stay at Nightingale Barracks, we were fortunate to be able to meet up with a number of our Old Boys’, including Henry Waterfield, who is currently completing his Gap Year Commission.

Our Old Boys’ reunions continue to thrive. In September we hosted a dinner for the 2003 Year at the Army and Navy Club in Pall Mall and in July over 100 old boys’ joined us at the RAF Club in Piccadilly to say farewell to our SSI David Tremaine, who departs in December. The annual dinner at the Tower of London, attended by members of the Upper Sixth, saw fine speeches from Jeremy Leong (Navy), Jacob Turner (Army) and Kristian Parry (RAF), who regaled us with anecdotes and fond memories of the past year.

I would like to take this opportunity to pay particular tribute to Kristian Parry’s exceptional career in the Cadets. In Year 11, he organised an expedition to Mongolia and after a terrific year as the RAF Section leader, Kristian was awarded not only a Royal Air Force Scholarship to become a Pilot, but also received an award from the RAF for being an Outstanding Cadet. His distinguished contribution was given further recognition through the award of a Scholarship by The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, which will enable Kristian to complete his pilot’s licence over the summer. Finally, in July, Kristian was presented with the De Haviland Medal as one of the top six Cadets in the country.

This year sees the departure from the school of two of our most respected Officers: Lieutenant Marcus Tillotson and Sub-Lieutenant Matthew Wright. Such is his professionalism and military bearing of Lieutenant Marcus Tillotson that he has often been taken for a regular officer. We will miss his self-deprecating sense of humour and his urbanity. We will also miss Matthew, as much for his skills as his learning and good fellowship. We wish him every success as he moves on to take an MA in Creative Writing at London University.

It is also a pleasure to welcome two new Officers to the RAF Section: Flying Officer Phillip Stiff and Flying Officer Peter Thackrey. Phillip is an Old Haberdasher, a hockey specialist and a young man whose drive and energy redefines the concept of enthusiasm. Peter has given up a career as a broadcast journalist in Moscow to become a teacher. He is an exceptionally gifted young man who takes the vocation of school mastering very seriously and is on his way to becoming the new Mr Chips. Finally, after a brief period in the wilderness, Lieutenant Michael Yeabsley has rejoined the Army Section in which he has served both as Cadet and Officer. We all appreciate his many talents and his companionship and hope he will stay for many years to come.

Lastly, Major Jeremy Lamb, one of our old boys, a Fusilier Officer and a Company Commander with the PWRR, has received the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry under fire. His squadron of Warriors (armed personnel carriers) were ambushed and communications were disabled. He went from vehicle to vehicle under fire to communicate orders and lead his soldiers to safety. As Contingent Commander I would like to extend our congratulations to him for this honour.

N Saddington

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Army One of the highlights of the year is the Ampthill field day in the first term, which is designed and run by the lower 6th.

Combined with the Navy section, groups are dropped off at various points around the Ampthill training area, and expected to find their own way to the campsite with only the aid of a map and compass. Avoiding being shouted at by angry farmers for unwittingly trespassing on their land in the middle of the night is a must and thankfully something which this year was avoided!

For the first time in Habs CCF history, a “passing out parade” was held this year, where the NCOs were formally thanked for their contribution, and parents were invited to watch. This occasion was enjoyed by all, and special thanks must go to Major Saddington for having initiated and organised it. Thanks must go to all the teachers involved in the army section and Mr Tremaine whose help has been invaluable Jacob Turner Year 13

This year the army section has gone from strength to strength. Perhaps a testament to the army section’s strength is its popularity amongst potential new recruits in the 4th year. With an intake of around 40 year 10 boys, the challenge to the officers was always going to be a tough one. The army camp in the summer was a great start to the year, with those who attended showing impressive spirit and discipline when participating in the competitions on offer. Habs prevailed against other schools in the Assault Course, as well as the Orienteering exercise, with particularly fine efforts from Tom Weir and Oliver Ilott in the latter. Probably the best moment from the summer camp was the final battle-craft exercise, where the entire section simulated an attack on three enemy positions, using blank ammunition. Our display brought tears (of joy) to the eyes of the hardened Iraq veteran Sgt. Edney, the school’s regular army liaison.

This year, the contingent’s summer camp will be abroad, in Cyprus with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, the regiment to which the school’s army section is attached. The cadets attending the week-long camp will be issued desert camouflage gear to match the soldiers on the army base, making them, as far as we know, the only British school to have this kit.

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CCF Summer Camp to Alexandra Barracks, Dhekelia, Cyprus

The burst of excitement and energy that accompanies the end of the school year was still visible in all of the 60 odd faces that were impatiently rushing around the check-in hall at Heathrow. At last the long-awaited CCF trip to Cyprus was under way and for many of us it was a well deserved break after an arduous few weeks of GCSEs and AS levels. However, the trip to Cyprus was going to be far from a holiday!

We first felt the searing heat when we stepped off the cool, air-conditioned aeroplane into thirty degree heat, with hot winds blowing across the emptiness that was the Larnaca Airport runway. In arrivals we met 2nd Lieutenant Dan Hughes, who was tasked with organising our camp. The forecast showing temperatures unlikely to change much during our ten day stay, we realised we would have to get used to the heat and continued on our journey to the barracks.

Our coach pulled up in front of a large, white building with a terracotta roof. Once we had been given a very short brief about the accommodation we were allowed to go explore what would be home for the next ten days. The rooms were small, each individual room housing up to eight people in bunk-beds and had one large cupboard between two people. The biggest problem was that there were only four shower cubicles between the 60 cadets, and of those four, one was temperamental, and another was lacking a shower curtain. There was also the problem of the heat: airconditioning had obviously not been invented at the time when the troop transport house was built. The rooms would easily reach around thirty five degrees during the day (even those rooms which were permanently shaded) and around twenty five during the night. Colour Sergeant 86

Tremaine’s advice on bringing talcum powder to avoid prickly heat was found to possibly the best piece of advice we could have had.

Friday saw platoon two taking part in a set of activities involving a round-robin comprising a stint on an obstacle course, leadership tasks and section drill manoeuvres followed by a trip to the beach.

The other platoon went to the ranges and fired SA80s at targets at varying distances.

After dinner on Friday evening we left for the Troodos Mountains, where there was a British Army listening post stationed and a small base. We spent the duration of the weekend hiking through the mountains, following various footpaths. The views were fantastic and at certain points, it was very easy to see the coast at almost 20-30 miles away. After a particularly early wake-up call on the Sunday morning, we all took part in an hour of physical fitness training. Later, there was a football tournament, whereby a team made up of the 6th formers proved their superiority, taking apart the staff team (3-2).

For Wednesday and Thursday of the trip, we all took part in a 24 hour exercise, which involved the 6th formers taking charge of their groups and leading them through a host of difficult battle-craft manoeuvres, involving blank ammunition being fired from SA80’s, Mini-me’s and M249 machine guns. Once the sun had set we were marched off to different positions where a platoon harbour was set up for the night. There was to be sentry duty, whereby six cadets at a time would stay up for an hour and guard the corners of our camp in case of an attack.

The night yielded a large fire-

fight between the two platoons of the Haberdashers’ Company and soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in the early hours of the morning.

Trip wires were being set off as we tried to escape from our attack and reach our safe rendezvous point whilst firing large amounts of rounds at the enemy.

On the final day, there was a drill competition between each of the six sections, where each had to display their marching skills that had been refined during the free time we had during the trip, led by their respective 6th form Colour Sergeant in command. The training and practice had paid off, with a fantastic display from every cadet, which greatly impressed the attending Major and Regimental Sergeant Major.

Overall the trip was a fantastic success and thanks must go not only to all the Haberdashers’ CCF staff who helped in organising and implementing such a brilliant camp, but to the Soldiers in Cyprus who gave up their time to teach us new skills and provide I expect one of the best camps Habs have ever attended.

Adem Aljo Year 12

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Royal Navy

The CCF Navy section has continued to flourish this year. The October field day saw the annual trip to Ampthill where the Lower 6th showed their skills in organising the treacherous night trekking and personal leadership tasks the following day. The Upper 6th once again reprised their roles as “catchers” in the night exercise, pitted against a joint group of Army and Navy Year 10s. Moving into winter we tried something new, Navy cadets learning battle-craft from the Army, while the intricacies of sailing were instilled into Army cadets. A further joint exercise between the Navy and RAF sections was planned; a night-exercise to test the leadership and battle-craft skills of the cadets, that would’ve culminated with a mock attack lead by Lower 6th cadets. This was however postponed indefinitely by the untimely arrival of two days of continuous rain. In Easter the Navy section journeyed to Portsmouth with various activities taking place. Year 10s took part in a historical tour of the Navy including a visit to HMS Victory, flagship of Admiral Nelson; and also to HMS Manchester, an active Navy Destroyer.

Meanwhile the Year 11s were given their first taste of yachting and power-boating, with many visiting the Isle of Wight. HMS Collingwood became the Lower sixths home for the day, completing Practical Leadership Tasks as well as the Navy’s confidence course. Sailing has particularly been a focal point this year, from a week-long course in summer for incoming cadets to the weekend summer field day we have been able to provide as many opportunities as possible to sail, often with Mr Wright leading the way.

With the year having drawn to a close, I can honestly say that it has been an amazing year with many highlights, culminating in the inaugural CCF Passing out Parade. Many of the achievements this year could not have been reached without the support of the staff Officers and the Upper 6th Senior Cadets and we hope the CCF section will continue to prosper in the years to come.

Jeremy Leong Year 13

Royal Navy Field Day trip to Portsmouth On March 22nd, the entire Navy CCF Section made its way down to HMS Excellent, a Naval base in Portsmouth. That evening the cadets familiarised themselves with HMS Bristol, which they stayed on board for the night, in huge mess decks with triple bunk beds. The following morning, year 10 accompanied by SLt Clayton and Mr Whalley visited a modern working ship, the destroyer HMS Manchester. They then had the opportunity to compare it to Nelson's ship HMS Victory and try out simulators at the Action Stations activity centre.

Year 11 put their sailing skills to the test, as they navigated their way across The Solent with the help of LtCdr Hardman, SSI Tremaine and Slt Wright.

Congratulations to Jerome Woodwark who skippered his own fox terrier yacht and to Mr Delpechs crew who were the only ones to reach the Isle of Wight (although they were in the only fast launching motor boat!).

While year 11 were finding their sea-legs, Lt Leyshon and Mrs Blagg the took the L6 to Confidence course at HMS Collingwood. They also has their leadership and teamwork skills tested during several Physical Leadership tasks. Thanks goes to our Area Instructor Chief Gary Aldridge for putting the boys through their paces.

L Leyshon

Royal Air Force The RAF section has thrived this year and has sent cadets training all over the country. The most recent field day involved training at RAF Honington for the senior cadets in the section, the home of the Royal Air Force Regiment.

Experienced instructors from the regiment took us though a whole night’s training in field-craft and camp-craft which left us with only two or three hours sleep, apart from Flying Officer West who was fast asleep by 10pm.

We have also been flying at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire where many cadets had their first go at flying the RAF’s basic trainer, the Grob Tutor and earlier in the year the section ventured to an adventurous training centre in Harpenden for raft building and a high ropes course.

Many cadets this year have attended Otterburn camp during the Easter holiday which is a camp run annually by the CCF, enabling cadets to get their first taste of adventure training. Looking towards the summer, cadets will be attending the RAF summer camp which is to be held at RAF Cosford whilst others will be completing their gliding scholarship or going on Army, Navy or Royal Air Force run courses which train cadets in a variety of skills from diving and power boating to rifle training and mountaineering.

The inter-flight competition for 2007 draws to a close and all cadets are looking forward to the final parade to find out which flight has won the prestigious Talbot Trophy. This parade is also when the Upper Sixth Senior NCOs say their farewells and hand the section over to the current Lower Sixth Cadets. I would like to thank Squadron Leader Bass, Flying Officers West and Whiteman and Pilot Officers Thackery and Stiff for all their enthusiasm and hard work this year as well as to wish all the NCOs that I have run the section alongside this year the very best for the future.

Kristian Parry Year 13

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SCS What is SCS? If boys between years 10 and 12 do not wish to take part in CCF, they have the opportunity to involve themselves in a School and Community Service. These are mostly staff run and may take place either on the school campus or somewhere within the local community. Boys may choose one of a huge range of SCS options at the start of each school year, though it is not limited to what the school offers – if a student has close ties with a local charitable organization, for example, they can elect to arrange their SCS work independently. Generally, SCS activities take place on a Friday during the final 40 minutes of the school day, though it may be at any time during the week. It is often through students’ work in the School and Community Service programme that close links between the school and the various charities, community projects and even schools are formed.

AV and Lighting FLASH! BANG! The school has had an exciting year with many major events taking place requiring the assistance of the Audio Visual and Lighting Departments. The major event of the autumn term was, of course, the Senior School production of Macbeth which, while containing a fairly ‘simple’ set (in comparison to the elaborate ‘Ticket of Leave Man’), it adopted a rather complex lighting and sound design, creating a very powerful juxtaposition between the unadorned set and the emotive performances. Work for ‘Battle of the Bands’ started in January in time for

event in mid February. It required a very different lighting design: one that was less subtle and more visually exciting. Needless to say it went extremely well, raising a large sum of money for charity.

The Junior School play saw the inclusion of hell, Eden and Noah’s Ark; all of which required very different lighting and sound to highlight the differences between the rather diverse locations.

As well as the plays there were also numerous school concerts and charity events, for example ‘Unplugged on the

Penniwells Riding for the Disabled

Princess Alexandra Home

Penniwells this year has been enjoyed thoroughly by all the boys who have taken part. The group is led by Miss Pindoria on a Monday after school. The main bulk of the work is leading the children on horseback and shovelling the horse waste. After a year of Penniwells we are all able to throw bails of hay like we’d been doing it for years - it is certainly not a soft SCS option! Penniwells has 13 active horses and ponies, all of which are fully trained for this unique and demanding work. Most of the disabled riders are children and many have stayed with Penniwells right through to adulthood. As there are only two paid employees at Penniwells, the help of people such as our SCS group has been vital to the scheme’s success. Thanks go to Miss Pindoria for organizing our trips there each week.

Every Friday afternoon, six boys ranging from Year 10 to the Lower Sixth visit the Princess Alexandra Home. This is a care home in Stanmore for the elderly run by Jewish Care, although not all of the residents are Jewish. On a typical afternoon, some of boys play a game of Scrabble with some of the residents, while the others will engage in conversation with the others. The fiercely contested Scrabble is eagerly anticipated by the residents and it is always a bonus when there is enough time to finish an entire game!

Scott MacDonald Year 12

Quad’, and the impressive Spring Concert, the former requiring much technical expertise from the boys of A/V SCS and the latter requiring some artful lighting, all of which has helped made the year eventful and most certainly entertaining for the entire school.

As well as school concerts, the A/V team has put in huge hours this year in making sure the technical aspect of school assemblies, speeches and almost every school event has gone smoothly.

Anshul Bakhda Year 12

The boys find the experience a worthwhile and meaningful one and the residents always look forward to their weekly visit. There is a lot to learn from the older generation, who have lived through events that we can now only read about in History books!

Thanks go to Mr Pauletto for being the teacher-in-charge and to Mrs Nelson for driving the mini-bus.

Sam Heitlinger Year 10

On certain occasions, the boys have brought musical instruments with them, and residents have particularly enjoyed hearing them play.

Flute and clarinet recitals have always been greeted with much acclaim. The boys also organised a ‘sing-along’ on Field Day, complete with a live guitar accompaniment!

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Hill House

Heath House

Every Friday, two boys, accompanied by Dr. Perera, go to Hill House. This is a nursing home where we spend up to an hour talking to some of the residents.

Each week they look forward to our time immensely as some of them are unable to otherwise embark on excursions beyond the grounds of the home. During our weekly visits, the residents tell us about their week and talk to us about current events and anything particularly special they have planned.

This year has been a rewarding one for those boys on Heath House SCS. We visit the home for the elderly in Bushey on a weekly basis and over the three terms of the year, much has been learnt in understanding what activities are most suitable for the residents, which they are most able to participate in, and which they most enjoy.

This learning curve has been a satisfying one though; we soon learned that activities requiring a great deal of interaction, or specific knowledge worked less well than those of a simpler nature. Thus far, we have engaged in numerous different quizzes and games, but also found that sometimes the residents preferred simply to chat.

Participating in Heath House has helped enormously in developing a sense of responsibility, and people skills; visiting the residents on a weekly basis has been not only gratifying but has enabled us to empathise with some of the difficulties and problems faced by them, and adjust our behaviour accordingly. It has been a greatly enjoyable year for us, and we would hope, a similarly enjoyable one for the residents of Heath House. Many thanks must go to Dr. Pyburn for accompanying us on our weekly visits and assisting us, wherever help was needed.

One of the residents is an avid film-watcher and sometimes we are able to join him in watching a recent release. We are also sometimes able to play games like air hockey to diversify the atmosphere. One resident is also an avid Man United supporter and his passion for them has led to many an enjoyable conversation about their prospects of securing the treble!

Although it can often be very difficult to establish a rapport at first, once this barrier has been passed the time spent with the occupants proves to be rewarding for all involved.

Thanks go to Dr. Perera for organizing the trip each week.

Matthew Rajan Year 12

Hasan Dindjer Year 10

Leavesden On Wednesday 14th March, 24 Year 6 children at Leavesden Green Primary School in Watford were treated to an afternoon of physics as part of National Science Week. Aseem Ghaghda in Year 11 and Richard Berman in Year 10, both members of the Leavesden Green SCS group, ran the event with the help of Mr Fielder.

A task which was recently undertaken was to construct an electromagnet capable of holding a steel ball bearing. When the power supply for the electromagnet was switched off, the ball had to travel down a pipe and then cause a switch to close, making a light bulb flash. The more daring groups used two pipes and two balls rather than just one, with a see-saw in between. When the ball from the first pipe landed on the see-saw, a second ball on the other side was pushed through the next pipe.

As the children rushed into the hall, they were met with an assortment of equipment – most of which were unfamiliar to them. Twenty-four sets of eager and somewhat bemused eyes watched a demonstration of the task in hand. Once briefed on how to make electromagnets and how to use clamp stands and lab jacks, the eight teams were given a set of equipment, and began building their devices. Weird and wonderful designs of switches and see-saws were seen, some of which were more successful than others.

As the last few minutes approached, the tension in the hall mounted, with groups frantically adding last minute improvements in a desperate struggle to make the light bulb flash. Most teams experienced frustration when their device worked perfectly during one run, but failed during the next practice attempt. It was vital that it worked when they were to be judged by their teacher. As the final whistle blew the teams reluctantly retreated from the task and waited to be judged. Most teams performed successfully during their final run, scoring between seven and nine out of ten, with one group gaining a convincing full marks.

The group has done similar physics workshops and tutorials for Leavesden Green throughout the year, and thanks must go to Mr. Fielder for his organisation and training of us.

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John Grooms For four pupils of the school, Friday afternoons have been met with a sense of anticipation, as SCS John Grooms has beckoned upon us. As the convoy meet in the surroundings of the Maths’ Corridor, our weekly voyage begins. A short car journey through the leafy suburbs, accompanied by Dr. Nolland, leads us to our destination in the heart of Borehamwood – the John Grooms Centre.

The John Grooms centre provides a home for handicapped people, and during our visits we undertook numerous activities, as well as making many friends. These activities ranged from the formidable ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ to a range of excercises, and the unforgettable Karaoke. While every visit provided an opportunity to learn more, there were some highlights. These include Arrash Yassaee’s soulful rendition of an R.E.M. classic, and Fahad Sarwar’s agile performance of the dance floor classic ‘The Worm’. However the true highlight was the satisfaction earned by helping the John Grooms Centre and its members.

The year has been thoroughly enjoyable, while also providing an insight into life at John Grooms. On behalf of all of the SCS John Grooms members I would like to thank Dr. Nolland for his continuous commitment in making our Friday afternoons more productive and enjoyable.

Fahad Sarwar Year 12

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Recycling

Over the past year I have seen the recycling team go from strength to strength, overcoming obstacles as if they never even existed. The passion with which one goes about their business is astounding, making sure every piece of paper is accounted for and then placed into the much bigger ‘paper only’ big bins. Fridays are now something to look forward to, with all the members of the team making sure they keep themselves happy and enjoyable to be around, and as a result, I do enjoy being around them. It is our job each week to collect all recyclables set aside by the various school departments, and set them aside in the large recycling bins. Mr Barnes is an inspirational leader when it comes to recycling, and for that, we thank him.

Joel Ross Year 12

The Wilsmere House

Sunrise Senior Living

This year, four individuals accompanied by Mr. Jones have been travelling to Sunrise Senior Living Home in Elstree, each Friday afternoon as a part of our SCS. The experience has been extremely memorable as each of us has unequivocally improved our communication and interpersonal skills. More importantly, unique bonds have been established between the elderly people and the helpers. The residents have had pleasant memories of our visits and enjoyed our weekly meetings immensely. Their appreciation was visible through their bright smiles at the end of each session and such responses have led to much satisfaction and fulfilment.

Many of us were privileged enough to gain a valuable, personal insight into many of the people’s lives who we spoke to.

Water Polo From September through to July our SCS group has made weekly visits to this residential care home in Harrow Weald.

During the course of the year, we have developed close relationships with the residents, such as one man who fought in WWII in the Far East, and would often reminisce about his experience there, an other whose experiences are not too similar to our own lifestyles- he is very keen on physics and maths and loves playing the piano, particularly jazz. Field days provided us with the opportunity to spend more time with them and also to teach other residents in the care home how to use the computer and play games such as Solitaire. However, the visits were also emotionally challenging, as people in the care home are very ill and so when one of the residents, who you have formed a strong bond with, passes away it can be very difficult. Such a thing happened during our stay, and the man who passed away was a great author and an enthusiastic supporter of Celtic FC; he will be sorely missed.

James Lok and Vishnu Wagjiani Year 12

This year has been a successful one for the Water Polo SCS group. With the addition of one more fifth form pupil, we have been able to run extensive coaching sessions for the junior boys and share school match officiating duties.

Furthermore, Daniel Munger, Max Jackson and Chris Jackson have gained ASA match secretary and timekeeping qualifications with Alex Parker and Aaron Winsloe to hopefully follow suit after exams.

Enthralling accounts of their past experiences generated much awe and interest. For example, one man who achieved an OBE on his work on ballistic missiles provided an inspiration for several individuals. Although, there were many inspiring stories told our empathy was also put to the test, calling on the need for our caring attitude would be illustrated when speaking with those who had participated in the war and lost many friends and family members.

On behalf of Jamie Everitt, Bhavin Shah, Aaron Jesuthasan and Nikhil Sharma, we would like to thank Mr. Jones for his time and effort in enabling us to gain such a valuable insight into the lives of many people within Sunrise Senior Living Home.

The satisfaction earned and skills developed have made this year’s SCS well worthwhile.

Nikhil Sharma Year 12

One further success to note is the achievement of Alex Charles and Oliver Inow who will both be involved in the officiating of the ASA National Finals and the European Championships, which are to be held in Manchester.

These great achievements by all the boys in the SCS Water Polo group would not have been possible without the copious amounts of energy and time that has been put in by Mr. Hyde and HABS Water Polo SCS will sorely miss him.

Oliver Inow Year 12

At the end of the summer term, the school is holding a UKCC Coaching Course (Level 1) which makes Haberdasher’s one of very few venues in the country to stage such a course. The boys that will be taking part in this are Oliver Inow, Greg Schey, Nick Jardine, Alex Parker, Aaron Winsloe, Max Jackson, Chris Jackson and Daniel Munger.

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Lincolnsfield Children’s Centre

On Friday June 29th, Mr Barnes led a group of 14 boys to Lincolnsfield Children’s centre. The site, in Bushey, was previously used in the Second World War as sleeping quarters for soldiers, but has had many owners since, including a Tibetan Buddhist Monk whose Buddha motif wallpaper still adorned the walls.

Upon the boys’ arrival, it was clear that the place had fallen into dilapidation, with the garden area overgrown and used as a dumping ground. The goal is to turn the site into a historical replica of what might have been found there during the Second World War, with the garden serving as a ‘dig for victory’ style farm, where visiting children can help sow seeds and water plants. The place was however in no fit state to serve these purposes, and it was

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the job of the boys to tear down the wallpaper, apply a fresh coat of paint, and do the sort of gardening that would give even Alan Titchmarsh a run for his money.

The first half of the labour-intensive day was focused on stripping away the previous owner’s wallpaper, and, outside, slashing away the tall, thick weeds which chose to occupy the garden. As these jobs were completed, attention turned to painting the now bare walls, and clearing away the huge amounts of litter to be found in the garden. A compost heap was also started, using the foliage which had been cut away earlier.

The work was tough in places but fun and extremely rewarding – at the end of the day, the transformation the site had undergone was remarkable, and it is now in a far better condition to suit the needs of the Children’s Centre. Thanks must go to Mr. Barnes and Mr. Hails for organizing the visit. Further thanks to the team at the centre for their help and enthusiasm, and we wish them the best of luck for the future of this project.

Oliver Fox Year 12

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1st XV Rugby

2nd XV Rugby Considering that at one stage of the season our figures stood at played six, won one, lost five, it can be described as a great achievement that following our last game our statistics stood at played twelve, won six, lost six. This stands as proof of the grit and determination shown by a sometimes troubled 2nd XV this season. Amongst these twelve glorious battles some stand out as being more memorable than others. In particular, our final two victories against Bedford Modern and rivals Merchant Taylor’s proved to be the perfect way for many of us to end our last season at the school.

With injury playing a key part in the shaping of the season there have been numerous cameo roles played by several members of both the upper and lower sixth, however those who played consistently all season deserve to be mentioned here. In the front row, Harry Jardine proved to be a strong base for the scrum, whilst Oli Inow proved he could run like a raging bull, ripping through opposing defences. Mo Kazmi and Duncan Jenkins both provided strength and power at lock and were vital in the lineout. In the back row, the pace of Oli Birch and Sam Ruback allowed us to operate with quick ball from the rucks, and defend with excellent capacity, whilst the sheer brute force of Tobias Stedman allowed him to simply blast through the opposition from the back of the scrum.

The 2006 first XV season contained both success and victory in equal measure. The season started with a superb win over Hampton school in the Daily Mail Cup, with a powerful forwards base providing opportunities for our backline to strike. This was followed up with a strong victory over QE boys. A run of defeats followed due to playing a number of very strong sides, combined with unfortunate injuries to a few key players. However our strong team spirit never wavered and a superb win against Mill Hill was just reward for the effort put in by the whole squad. The battling win against Latymer Upper was one of the most positive results of the season. However the undoubted highlight of the season was our excellent victory in the final game of the season in front of a large crowd against Merchant Taylors.

The core of the team remained a constant throughout most of the season, contributing to the strong sense of camaraderie within the team. The strength of our forward pack was pivotal to our winning performances, despite lacking in pure physical size it was very rarely out muscled and was strong all season in both the loose and at set plays. The front row of James Hunt, Kailash Morjaria and Michael Moloney, always hungry for the ball, proved towers of strength in the tight, allowing the athleticism of the second row of Robin Tuck and Ben Ashenden to be used around the pitch and to provide solid lineout ball. Our hugely combative backrow featured Robbie Phillips fighting for every inch of turf, Kwaku Afrifa turning small gaps into gaping holes with every forward thrusting run and Alex Short flying round like a small tank tackling the opposition deep into the ground.

The backline was ably marshaled by the half back pairing of Robert Clements, expelling the ball from the forward pack with accuracy and speed, combining with the metronomic boot of Gavin Baker providing crucial points. The strong tackling centre pairing of Oscar Dodd and Alex Cook were solid in the midfield making some memorable hits and try saving tackles and Etiene Ekpo-Utip provided speed and guile on the wing. Unfortunate injuries to Jacob Turner and Alex Petrides early in the season sadly robbed us of their talents for the majority of our games. The true strength of our squad throughout the pitch is not reflected in our results and had we had a greater degree of luck the results could easily have been more favourable.

On behalf of the whole squad I would like to thank the coaching team of Mr. Metcalfe and Mr. Matthews, and wish the squad the best of luck for next years season.

Tom Weir Year 13 94

In the backs, Richard Jeffcote had another scintillating season at scrum half, quite simply setting the field alight with his superb break aways and having an eye for a gap. Joe Evans proved to be a very coy stand-off, unafraid of taking the ball into the tackle himself. In the centres, Laurence Wicks was hard and direct whilst flair was added with the speed and super running lines of Matt Soffair. The back three, were constantly changing due to injury but Sam Hussein, Louris Pirroni and Michael Bentley deserve mention as being probably those who played the most rugby for the team, doing a solid job in the process. Finally, special mention must go to Jai Sharda, who managed to play every single position, forwards and backs, in the course of the season. Jai you are the ultimate rugby player, we salute you!

Of course thanks must go to Mr Bagguley, Mr Matthews and Mr Metcalf for coaching during games, advice during training and support during matches. Although the season may not have been as successful as previous ones, it was truly a pleasure to captain a group of boys who demonstrated nothing less than a commitment and love for the game.

Nick Jardine Year 13

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U16 Rugby

U15 Rugby

The athletic ability of this year’s group was a great attribute and their raw potential was boosted by enthusiasm and good humour.

We had a superb presence in the lineout through Max Jackson and the ball he won meant our speedy outside backs could score many points. Excellent wins against local rivals QEB, St Benedict’s and Watford Grammar were balanced by our less confident performances against more positive sides in Merchant Taylors, St Albans and Mill Hill.

Three matches stand out as great highlights of the season. The performance for our victory over Berkhamstead was an outstanding display of hard running from our centres and huge defence in the final few minutes. Equally impressive to the coach was our performance away at Bedford Modern, where for fifty minutes we played to our strengths and looked to deserve a draw until the home team was pushed to bring on, legitimately, the three stars of their 1st XV and force a result!

However, for sheer excitement and a great reminder for spectators and players alike of how thrilling schoolboy rugby can be, the match against RGS Guilford had skills, mistakes, tries and tactical changes galore.

The sight of Ashish Patel crashing over the tryline in the final seconds to secure a 38-36 win was a fitting end to an exhausting match on the main pitch.

For the U15’s this season has been one of success and development. We started in September as a group of boys, lacking in confidence after a poor U14 season with just 1 win in 10 games. However, the change in coach and a few new players meant that we could start with a clean slate. Our first game was in just the second week of term against a strong QE side. Our lack of preparation showed as we were beaten despite a good performance. This seemed to emerge as a pattern as we recorded defeats against St. Albans and St. Benedict’s and we won just one game in our first 4 – a comfortable 39 – 0 win against Vyners School in the 1st round of the daily mail cup.

The team improved over the season under the leadership of Luke Tullo and all players had moments of success. Jamie Yates became more assertive at scrum-half, Tristan Minall was brave and tackled outstandingly at fullback and Ed Clayton provided some terrific loose forward hits and learnt not to annoy referees! Our front row was competitive. If we had been more consistent and ruthless in our mental approach to the matches we lost then better results would have followed but, overall, this was an impressive effort to develop as players and enjoy the season. Our thanks go to Dr Lexton for his support and to the groundsmen for providing fine surfaces.

From here things started to brighten We went on to win IN the second round of the Daily mail cup, 22 – 12 against KES Chelmsford. From here things simply got better and better, we recorded 8 wins in a row including crushing victories against Bedford Modern and Tiffin. On top of this we proceeded to the fifth round of the daily mail cup after wins against St Ignatius (29 – 15) and Hampton (27 – 10).

The victory against Hampton came after we had been 10 – 0 down after 20 minutes. We showed teamwork, desire and commitment to work together and pull off a sensational win.

Unfortunately we fell at the next hurdle when we came across a very strong St. Pauls side and despite a brilliant performance we went down 22- 10. However we bounced back with a crushing victory over local rivals Merchant Taylors on the last day of the season.

All season long we could rely on our forwards who worked well as a unit to provide good ball for the Backs, with Shiv Pabari, Branavan Rudran, Shaneel Karia, Nick Robson and Danny Cheung all consistently putting in big performances. Our Lineout was a success thanks to the accurate throwing of Alex Kazanjian. The service from Basil Letts and Andy Middleton was crisp and accurate and meant that Our outside Backs, Sujane Sivavsubramanium, Kaz Ong in the center and the two wingers Nico Pirroni and Antonio Castagno, were able to create opportunities in attack and we knew we were in safe hands when the conversions came aroundas our kicker, Mirav Vyas was accurate all season long. Our Full Back Alex Barnett was solid when called upon at the back. Our top try scorer Andrew Mushin was a monster at number 8 and could always be relied upon to put in the big performances.

Finally a huge thank you must go to Mr Matthews who’s fresh attitude in training brought us all forward as players and developed our attitude towards the game. He lead us through the success while keeping us down to earth and his time and Effort really paid off when you see our results. I have been honoured to captain this side and I look forward to the 2007 rugby season.

Jonathan Miller Year 10

C Bass

U14 Rugby We started off the season with a new coach Mr. Stiff and a few new boys who had just joined the school. Firstly we played a difficult Q.E team.

Due to lack of fitness and injuries to some of our key players, we began the season with some heavy defeats.

With getting used to the new team and the new coach we all trained hard and despite a courageous effort by Luke Crispin and the rest of the team, we were unable to defeat St Albans.

Our first victory of the season came against Watford, who we had never played before. With a slim lead at half time, an inspirational talk from Mr. Stiff spurred us on to victory with some amazing individual tries from the likes of Tosin Oshineymi. All of the team’s morale was up and we played Reigate who we had beat easily last year but they were very physical but as soon as Joe McCormick had come on from a hand injury he had changed the match instantly and we had a deserved win afterwards.

After a long half term break, combined with the determination of a strong St.Georges side, we were unable to defeat them.

The season finished with a home game against local rivals MT’s. We went into the game determined not to let them win and some aggressive defense and big hits in the centers from Dan Lehmann and Myles Houghton forced them onto the back foot. Despite Mr Stiff disallowing 4 HABS tries we still managed to win 32-5! This win let us finish the season on a high and we hope to carry this onto next year and rival the success of the U15’s!

Scott Spurling Year 9 95

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U13 A Rugby The U13A's have experienced a mixed season this year with many ups and downs along the way. The highs included the cup game against a very strong Latymer Upper , and the lows were though dark evenings training in the cold and wet on the astro.

This has been a pivotal season for this developing team. After just one season of school Rugby, in year 7, many of these boys had not touched a rugby ball for 9 months and only 3 training sessions at the beginning of this term, played their first game of the season against a strong Northwood school. A fine performance saw them win with indication that the team had real promise.

Although the team only saw 3 more victories during the season, the development of squad has been tremendous. Looking over last years fixtures, the team have closed the gap on many of their rivals, and season lost narrowly to St Albans, St Benidicts and Latymer Upper, all of which had heavy defeats against last year. It was good to see the team make progress in Middlesex cup, eventually loosing to a very strong Oratory school in the semi finals.

So overall, the Habs U13A's season has had its thrills and disappointments this season but beating many teams that had thrashed us last year. Thanks go out especially to Mr Dathan for his tireless work in training and in prayer, Mr Long for his wise words of wisdom and last but maybe not least, top coach Sammy Ross.

Particular individual performances that should be mentioned come from Sam Steinert, Freddy Ross and Lewis Stock.

To finish my report I would like to end on a quote that I feel really sums up the attitude of the team and really reflects our season as a whole. This quote came from the back of my homework diary "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try one more time" Tom Dean Year 8

U13 B Rugby Under the captaincy of Paras Shah, the U13 B XV have had a very enjoyable season.

Despite some disappointing results, the performance and spirit of the squad was the true marker of success. Fixtures against Belmont, St Albans and Latymer Upper highlighted the boys’ determination and ability to compete at a high level, losing narrowly by a couple of points. A notable performance was against St Georges; an accumulation of solid defence, smooth back line running and handling and flair from the scrum half saw the team comfortably winning 5-32. Overall, a very enjoyable season with the U13 B XV; a team with determination and a great atmosphere.

K Long 96

U12 Rugby This season the U12 HABS rugby team haven’t had a great year in terms of results, but the progress of the team has been amazing. We started off with a minimum of players from the prep, and playing people who had never played the sport before. The first game of the season was a very tough one against St. Georges. They weren’t particularly good but they had a big child who tore us to pieces. We ended up on the wrong side of a heavy 27-5 scorline. The next match ended up in the same fashion. Poor tackling on their big second row cost us the game.

We lost 35-10. Our final match of the first term brought forward Latymer Upper. They were the same size as us so there was no excuse for a very poor finishing as we dropped 4 balls right on their line. Our missed chances came back to haunt us, as we were beaten 19-7.

We had a long term break, to reflect on why it wasn’t going right. We all new that we had fantastic pace in the backs with Darius Price, Efosa Uiafo and Greg Harrington-Green. We just didn’t use them enough and our tackling needed to be improved. The departure of our assistant coach Sammy Ross was met by the arrival of another class coach, but this time from the southern hemisphere. After a few training sessions with Mr. Kennedy and the U15’s coach Mr. Matthews, things started to come together. Just as we were looking forward to a real physical game with our rivals, Q.E.B, the game was cancelled due to a bad pitch. We then travelled to a “Harry Potter” like scenery, Haileybury boarding school. Their main intake is at year 9 so we had to play against the year 8’s. They really got stuck into us, and were really physical and, in the first half we couldn’t handle their physicality, but in the second we came out with a new belief. We scored almost straight from the kick-off, and showed them that we meant business. Unfortunately we couldn’t add to that, even tough we were camped on their line. After a few bizarre decisions by the referee to insure the win, we were beaten 12-5.

Then came our best performance so far this season by a mile. It was against Berkhamsted School. We all believed we could win, but after 10 minutes we were behind 12-0. After an inspiring team talk behind the posts by Mr. Kennedy, we charged back up and scored through Darius Price, the pace of our winger was too much for them. With less than 10 minutes to go, a missed tackle let the slip in, under the posts, to make it 22-19 to them. Then we got a lucky break, their kicker missed the conversion from under the posts. We knew there were only a few minutes left so we gave it our all. Some great rucking from our forwards made them concede a penalty. I decided not to go for the corner and quickly tap it. I charged under the posts, was tackled and held up. Then the reinforcements came. The forwards drove over and I managed to put the ball down. There was a bit of aggro from their players, but the ref sorted it out. The final whistle finally blew and we had won, 26-22. Our first win so far, but hopefully plenty more to come.

Robert Lynch Year 7

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1st XI Hockey

2nd XI Hockey

In terms of our results, it was an extremely unlucky season.

We played 18, won 5, drew 1 and lost the rest. These figures do not convey an accurate sense of how well the team performed, largely because 7 of the games we lost were by just one goal.

At the beginning of the season Dr Stiff asked for two things from the 2nd XI. That we would play with consistency and with a never say die fighting spirit. As our results showed we were fantastically consistent, with wins and draws outnumbering our losses over the course of the season.

After suffering defeats to exceptional outfits early in the season, our first win came just before half term against a strong Dr. Channellors’ side. This victory attests to the team’s strength of character and morale, despite the previously unfavourable results.

We maintained this spell of good form over half term, returning to school to beat Kimbolton and Windsor. Unfortunately, the winning streak came to an end abruptly, and aside from an easy victory over Berkhamsted, it did not resume until the penultimate match during the annual Bath Hockey Festival. We triumphed over West Buckland School. There were some notable individual performances that must not be overlooked. Lawrence Fisher in goal on many occasions preserved our dignity and often kept us in contention during close matches. Hemang Majeethia (Vice Captain) and Oliver Birch were sound in the centre of defence, thwarting many an opposition offensive. Ellis Savva, Tom Zhang, Shahan Huq and Joshua Newman were also regular defenders. In the midfield, Joel Ross’s astounding ability to maintain possession contrasted well with Max Herbert’s curious combination of ‘no nonsense’ defence and remarkably skilled attack. In the centre of midfield, Amish Patel’s passing complemented Lawrence Wicks’ exceptional work rate and confrontational style of play. Up front, Amit Bhundia undermined defences with darting runs down the right flank, feeding our two antithetical strikers. Richard Jeffcote hounded defences and scored some spectacular goals, frequently more apt for baseball than hockey, whilst Alec Zetter (top scorer) habitually provided a crucial touch to a powerfully struck shot.

With a bit more luck, and games that were 5 minutes shorter our season would have been considerably more successful. Some special mentions must go to certain members of the team, the energetic and battling Anuj Shah and Shalil Solanki kept us in a vast number of games, whilst top scorer Anraj Rayat provided some much needed goals. The ever changing defensive line-up, forced through injury and promotion of a number of our players to the first XI, was often all too dependent on the agility and reflexes of goalkeeper Harry Walton preventing the opposition blazing another shot into the roof of the net. A good deal of the lower sixth made hugely important contributions throughout the season and helped contribute to a great team spirit that carried through the whole season. The highlight of the season belongs to Dipesh Gopal, whose cunning use of a Hanibal Lector face mask at short corners was so utterly terrifying to the opposition it surely stopped many a goal. I would like to wish the team the best of luck at emulating our success next year, and on behalf of the team would like to thank Dr Stiff for coaching us with good humour throughout the season and Mr Swallow for umpiring many of our games.

Mr. Long must be thanked for the huge amount of time and effort he invested in the Hockey Club this year. He made playing hockey not only very competitive, but at the same time great fun. In my eyes, an unbeatable combination.

Alex Cook Year 13

Tom Weir Year 13 Hockey Results 2007 Team Played Won

Drawn Lost

1st XI 2nd XI Under 16 A Under a6 B Under 15 A Under 15 B Under 14 A Under 14 B Under 13 A Under 13 B

2 5 1 2 0 0 1 3 0 1

18 10 11 5 13 9 9 7 4 4

4 0 7 1 7 6 5 3 0 1

11 3 3 1 5 2 3 1 4 2

Abandoned/ Cancelled 1 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0

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U16 A Hockey

This season has been a mixture of ups and ups for the U16 A side. Our overall tally saw us winning seven games, drawing two and losing just one.

Beating Watford in the county cup thanks to typically heroic defending by Milin raja and Luke Tullo combined with a “wonder goal” by Daniel Mehaffey (Mr Keenlysides words not mine) was a victory well deserved. We then decided to kick into gear and recorded five straight victories after that, not losing again that season. Our first win was against Hitchin which saw us finally combine the attacking skills of Andrew Dallal and William Gallimore, the latter being made man of the match. Bancrofts were the next team on our hit list and we won 3-0 which was an incredibly flaccid Bancrofts side lucky to not be punished by some wayward HABS finishing, however three good goals meant a good victory. Our best victory of the season was against Dr Challoners who were definitely not an U16, not just in the metaphorical sense but in the physical sense that they were much older than us. A first XI shirt being worn by their forward tipped us off as did the fact we recognised none of their players from the previous year. However justice was done with some great attacking play and very good goals from Anthony Pieri the midfield rock/shooting extraordinaire and skilful Andrew. Our next victory was against a non descript Windsor side more versed in the art of rugby than hockey, judging on some of their tackles, goals from Daniel and Tom Francies saw them off. Our team this year has been a great success with three players already been called up to the first XI and many more deserved to be. Players such as Tharun, Hemel, Oliver and Hasit have never stolen the headlines, yet without them our team would have fallen apart. Lastly I must mention Sameer Kassam who’s performance in goal have been stoic all season and he will sorely be missed next year. Many thanks to Mr A.K for nurturing this side and for doing a great job in making us all reach our fullest potential.

Daniel Mehaffey Year 11

U16 B Hockey The U16B had a disappointing season in results but not in performances. We dominated nearly all our matches but could never seem to make that final ball or actually get the ball into the goal which is quite important unfortunately.

The first half to the term was rather lacklustre although we ended it unbeaten.

The Second half of term was rather more productive; Out of the 5 games we played we won 2, drew 2 and lost one. Although seemingly a good record, the whole team knows in their heart of hearts that we could've won all our matches even though we were regularly playing senior XI teams.

The highlight of the season was a 2-1 win against St.Albans a team who we had lost 3-1 against the year before.. I would like to thank Mr.McIntosh for coaching us and for refereeing our matches.

Tom Francies Year 11 98

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only had to touch the ball once. Another highlight of the year included beating local rivals Merchant Tailors’ 3-0. Thanks go to Mr Thackrey for coaching us through a very successful year.

Greg Nelson Year 9

U13 A Hockey

U15 A Hockey

U14 A Hockey

This year the u15 A's have had a mixed season of highs and lows, winning 7 and losing 5 games.

The season started with tight losses to Aldenham and Watford Grammar, and then a credible 3rd place finish in the County Cup which was hosted by Habs. Then we hit our best form of the season winning 6-0 9-0 90 4-1 2-1 to some rather good teams including Harrow, St Albans and Berkhampsted. However we came up against the best teams we had faced in the later part of the season losing our last few games. This was a succesful season for the U14 A Team going from strength to strength and we hope to use this season as a good platform for an even better season next year.

The team has bonded well and we have all had a lot of fun. Our main highlight was our win against Aldenham, where we didn’t have a squad keeper so keen defender Branavan Rundran put on the kit and filled in. He wasted no time letting the opposition forward know he was there by sliding out at every possible opportunity. We also recorded a thumping 9-0 victory over Berkhamstead where forward Antonio Castagno scored 4 goals. In every game we owed a lot to our goalkeeper, Daniel Korn who pulled off some fantastic saves. He was however helped by the determination of Jonny Miller, defensive brilliance of Alex Cheng and explosive speed of Danny Cheung at the back. In the middle we had the trickery of Sahil shah, work rate of Mirav Vyas, tackling of Tom Coleville, passing of Sahil Patel and Sujane. Over all we scored over 30 goals we were constantly improving. I would also like to thank Mr Yeabsley for his coaching and refereeing on a sat morning.

U15 B Hockey The U15B team had a convincing season, only losing one game and playing fluent hockey throughout.

Top scorer Hamza Zahid was ably assisted by Ben Jacobs and Amir Kahn from midfield. Oliver Abrahams made many important saves in goal and kept us ahead in some of the tighter games. The season proved very enjoyable as the team improved and many key players got their opportunity to play for the A’s. We hope to continue our development next year and press for an unbeaten season.

Joe McCormick Year 9

U14 B Hockey The U14B’s had a very successful season this year, and lost only to one side during the season. We were unbeaten in our first 5 matches, against Aldenham, St. Albans, Windsor, Harrow and Haileybury, until we lost to St. Albans in our second match of the season against them, when they provided our only really tough opposition throughout the year. The team was characterized by good passing and teamwork, and we scored some very well worked goals. The highlight of our year was when we smashed Haileybury 6-0 away. So much was our dominance in that game that the keeper

The Season got of to a bad start with a 5-0 loss against Watford grammar which slightly set the tone for the coming season attitude aside. Consequently we lost to St Albans 20. A tight game against Aldenham leading to a last minute defeat gave us the spur we needed. A 5-0 convincing win over a previously victorious St Albans raised the hope in team, maybe we could continue with this lucky break and pull off a brilliant change of fortunes with one much to go.

Unfortunately this didn’t happen and an 8-0 defeat against Dr Challoners confirmed this.

On the whole the season had many ups and downs but mainly downs.

Ashley Sivarajah Year 8

U13 B Hockey The U13B hockey season was very successful. We went to a very strong Watford grammar school and lost dismally 2-0. The next Saturday we put our loss behind us and we had to win. We had a tough match, playing one of our rivals St Albans. We got of to a very good start having most of the territory. Two great moves on the right wing by Nick Maison and Will Snowdon allowed Kishan Ragunathan to score two goals in quick succession. The match ended with a 2-0 win to Habs. We were playing an inexperienced Aldenham side, James Walker and Kishan Ragunathan hitting the post twice in three minutes. But them our luck turned, a Freddie Ross cross was swept into the back of the goal by Kishan Ragunathan. 2-0 to Habs. Against St Albans Habs got off to a very poor start conceding a very silly goal on the first 10 minutes. But then a well worked goal came from Freddie Ross with a great pass from Alex Briggs. The game ended 1-1. Our defence has played perfectly and solidly apart from one slip up (Luke Ilott, James Colnutt, and Prassana Jothibal). In all, Habs played exceedingly well with a supporting captain Alex Briggs.

Kishan Ragunathan Year 8

Basil Letts Year 10

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Cricket

After an incredibly warm April, a disappointing May and the wettest June in living memory, the 2007 Cricket Season was certainly a mixed one weather wise. Of the 16 drawn games, most were the result of rain interruptions while 38 games (16 more than last year) were abandoned or cancelled altogether. Despite the frustrations caused by the bad weather, 123 games (only one fewer than in 2006) were played and, although the number of victories enjoyed by the Cricket Club was down by 10% on last season’s exceptional results, the 2007 season will still be remembered as a very good one, with many highlights and outstanding performances, both team and individual.

Congratulations go to the U15A and U13A teams and their coaches, Ian Matthews and Andy Simm, who won the Hertfordshire Schools County Cup Competitions for their respective age groups. On a predictably rain affected afternoon at Berkhamsted, when really the finals should not have gone ahead, the U15s defeated Hitchin School by just two runs in a desperately close finish.

In poor conditions, runs were hard to come by and Habs could muster only 74 from 20 overs. In reply, Hitchin made solid progress and, with 3 overs remaining, required just 9 runs to win. A combination of tight bowling and excellent fielding, however, yielded only 7 runs as Habs scrambled to an unlikely victory. The U13 final was also a low scoring affair as Habs dismissed Monkswalk School from Welwyn Garden City for 86.

Despite losing star batsman, Nishanth Selvakumar (more of whom later), early, Akash Kadiwar (32*) held the innings together and Habs eased to victory by 5 wickets with 2 overs to spare.

Commiserations go to the U14A team which also reached the final (the first time all three teams have made it to this stage in the same season) but unfortunately lost to St Albans School, a side they had defeated earlier in the season. Paul Marx stood down as coach of this team after nearly 20 years dedicated service to U14 cricket in particular. He deserves many thanks for all he has achieved and will be sorely missed.

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An inconsistent 1st XI often struggled to post sufficiently high totals, passing 200 on only two occasions. The team enjoyed a season of mixed results as a consequence but still won more games than it lost. Of course it was always going to be a hard act to follow, let alone repeat, the record-breaking achievements of last year’s outstanding team and, with 6 players having departed, the 2007 side had a somewhat inexperienced look about it. We were also denied the services of Gavin Baker, a member of the Middlesex Cricket Academy with aspirations to play at a higher level, for most of the season, but not before he became the most successful batsman in Habs Cricket history, his total aggregate of 2458 runs for the XI since his debut in 2003 eclipsing the previous record of 2391 set by Dean Wilson between 1996 and 1998. With exams also taking their inevitable toll, this has provided opportunities for players from younger age groups to represent Habs at 1st XI level. All of them have made useful contributions, particularly 13 year old off-spinner Tom Edrich, grandson of the great W.J. (Bill) Edrich.

Captain Ajay Soni led by example, scoring 579 runs at an average of 41.35, including his maiden century for the XI in the tour victory against Exeter CC. Although, perhaps, never quite at his best with the ball, he still took 20 wickets and in addition he was the leading fielder with 13 catches.

He was well supported by Matthew Soffair (356 runs) with the bat and new boy Asad Husain (20 wickets, including the only 5 wicket haul of the season against UCS) with the ball. All-rounder Lewis Jenkins (152 runs, 19 wickets) also performed well at times while the spinners, Amit Bhundia and Tom Edrich, captured 26 wickets between them. The third spinner, Amish Parekh, was injured for much of the season but showed what he can do in the limited opportunities available to him. Wicket-keeper Alex Cook, in his final season in the XI, was as tidy as ever behind the stumps, performing particularly well once the pressure of A level exams was relieved, while others to impress on occasions included Kailash Morjaria, Hemang Majeethia and another youngster, Kushal Patel.

With coach Michael Yeabsley at the helm for a second stint, highlights of the season included a third successive triumph over the MCC and victories against Berkhamsted and our Australian visitors, King’s Parramatta from Sydney, while the most disappointing result was probably the last ball defeat by St Albans in a game we really should have won. The weather also played a significant part in the outcome of several matches, notably against Bedford Modern and Exeter School where the loss of the toss proved crucial, although it did come to our aid in the game against a strong Watford side.

In total 24 boys represented the 1st XI this season, a far greater number than usual, but it does mean that there is plenty of experience to call upon in 2008. Before that the team has a major tour to Singapore and Malaysia to look forward to during the October half term.

The statistics tell us that this was another successful season for the 2nd XI: we won 5 games, were in winning positions in a further two abandoned games, and lost just twice. Given the extremely high standards of recent seasons, however, this one is perhaps best described as a transitional season. Two factors prevented us from developing anything like the momentum we managed in previous years: the very poor weather which resulted in many games being cancelled, and the fact that many key players were either injured or moved up to the 1st XI to compensate for the various absences in that team. However, this situation did have its advantages: firstly, boys who in a ‘normal’ year would not have played at 1st XI level managed to gain some valuable experience and, secondly, we were able to take advantage of the impressive depth of talent in the senior school, calling on players who had started the season in the 3rd or 4th XIs and discovering some exciting talent for the future. The best victories were against St Albans in an illtempered fixture, against Berkhamsted in a game we looked like losing, and against Bancroft’s with a severely weakened side which performed brilliantly. Of the individual players, mention must be made of Richard Jeffcote who, in his third year in the side, captained well and batted very effectively in the middle order and Hasit Mehta, one of our younger members, who topped the batting averages, scoring two very assured half-centuries, and took 14 wickets with his left-arm spin. He will be missed next year.

Many thanks, however, go to all the boys for making this another very enjoyable season.

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The 3rd XI also enjoyed a highly successful season, remaining unbeaten in all 8 matches, winning 7 of them and only being denied a 100% record by rain in a one-sided match at John Lyon School.

The tremendous spirit within the side was evident from early on and the team was led impressively by captain Buster Stonham. A consistently strong bowling line-up, supported by excellent fielding, was a regular feature of the team’s play. Opening bowlers Rishi Patel and Sukhdeep Sohal did much of the damage in the early games and were ably assisted by the skipper, Arjun Niranjan and Daniel Mehaffey. Batsmen Mithun Kailavasan, Arjun Dasgupta and Amarjeet Johal (leading run scorer of the season) consistently produced technically good batting performances, with the aggressive, free-scoring Ravi Pandya and wicket keeper Dmitri Fominykh helping out when needed. Fielding was also top notch, with very few dropped catches throughout the season – many players even prepared to take a cherry on the thigh in order to save the extra run. With a number of the team still eligible to play next season the prospects for the 3rd XI look very bright indeed. Mention should also be made of the 4th XI, which won its game against St Albans for the second year running.

The U15A’s were a well drilled, cohesive and effective unit, demonstrating excellent team spirit on the field, particularly after a demoralising early defeat by Berkhamsted (a team coached by former Habs cricket coach Ben Mahoney), and they were well rewarded for their efforts. In addition to success in the County Cup, other notable victories included those against St Albans, Watford and Bancroft’s while the game with QEB ended in a tie. Captain Basil Letts, wicket-keeper Jonny Miller and leading bowler Seb Schusman (once he had recovered from injury) all represented the 1st XI on various occasions (Basil also played for Hertfordshire U15s) and will be aiming for regular places in the team next season. Other members of the squad can also look forward to pushing their credentials in senior cricket in 2008.

2007 proved to be a very successful season for the U15B’s, as they went on to win 6 of their 7 games. The boys played with a keen competitive spirit but always found time to enjoy themselves along the way. Branavan Rudran deserves recognition for his captaincy which, although frenetic, was highly effective. The batsmen often found runs hard to come by but Nick Robson, Sahil Shah, Joe Davies and Gajern Kailavasan certainly did their averages no harm.

Shiv Pabari began life as a threatening seam bowler who could bat a bit, but actually ended the season being more effective with the bat in his hands. Shahid Makhani, Vishal Singal, Daiyaan Ghani and the captain often proved too much for the opposition to handle when bowling and they managed to restrict four of the sides to totals below 100, which resulted in big wins against QEB, Berkhamsted, Watford and Mill Hill. However, given coach Mr McIntosh’s personal history it was perhaps more pleasing to see the side rally hard to win in the final over against St Albans. Many congratulations go to all of the boys who played this year and we look forward to seeing many of them progress through to the senior sides.

Despite losing in the County Final, the U14A’s still enjoyed a successful season, achieving victory in 11 of their 15 matches, including excellent wins against Berkhamsted, Bedford Modern, Mill Hill, St Albans and Watford (twice!). Tom Edrich and Kushal Patel were the ‘stars’ of the side; both played for the 1st XI and also for Middlesex U14s. Other leading performers were Ben Cherkas and Athman Sivakumar, while wicket-keeper Hugh Brannan improved throughout the term, but all members of the squad can be proud of their contribution to the overall success.

The influence of Twenty/20 cricket and the aggressive batting of the current Australian side could be seen in the performances of this year's U14B team. When the boys batted on flat pitches or against weak bowling, they scored very quickly indeed, plundering 263-5 against John Lyon School, 240 against Berkhamsted, 285-2 against Bedford Modern and 222 for 3 against Watford, with all these totals achieved in less than 30 overs. The plunderer-in-chief was Scott Spurling who totalled over 400 runs in the five games which he played for the side, including unbeaten scores of 139, 105 and 98. Joe McCormick, Craig Waterman and Aadil Hakim each supported with scores of over fifty in various resounding wins. The leading wicket takers were Harshil Shah and Shanil Patel while congratulations must also go to Pavan Surrepedei, who captained the side with maturity and skill throughout the season, and to Nickil Subbiah and Aneesh Misra for being the two most improved players.

The most pleasing of the victories, however, was against St. Albans when the side showed great character to turn around a score of 356 to reach 118 all out, Subbiah's huge six over mid-off silencing the sledging of the crowing opposition. Tight fielding and the best bowling display of the season restricted St Albans to a score of 72, Arjun Sofat taking 5 wickets. Unfortunately the side reserved their two weakest performances for games against the strongest opponents, Mill Hill and Q.E.B, both resulting in defeats. The team was therefore unable to repeat the unbeaten seasons of the past two years. Nevertheless the overall playing record shows there is great potential, skill and enthusiasm in this side, which hopefully will develop further in seasons to come.

The best supported team, the U13A’s, was also the most successful, winning 13 of its 14 matches, the vast majority by heavy margins, and only denied a 100% record by the weather. At half term a short tour to Devon was organised by Doug Yeabsley and included a notable victory against Blundells School. All the players deserve mention, particularly Akash Kadiwar and Rikin Shah, but pride of place must go to Nishanth Selvakumar, who captained the side, kept wicket and scored the small matter of 1048 runs at an average of 149.71, a truly remarkable achievement. He reached three figures on no fewer than four occasions, including scores of 202 not out against St Albans (believed to be the highest ever by a Habs batsman at any level) and 151 not out against QEB. He also represented Middlesex at U13 level and was a member of the South of England Training Squad.

The U13B’s also had a successful if frustrating season with 4 victories, 3 cancellations and 1 game abandoned as a draw. The team was sensitively led by Alex Briggs, whose decisive captaincy was respected by all. A narrow victory over QEB was achieved after Ben Peacock and Kushal Malde retrieved a situation of 28-6 but the other victories were much more clear-cut. Ben Peacock was the highest run scorer, closely followed by Charlie Rubin, who made a savage 73 against Kingswood High School, and Neel Shah. The bowling, however, was the strength of the side with eight or nine bowlers fighting for team places. Leg-spinner Anand Dhamecha was the highest wicket-taker with 11 victims, although pace bowlers Kushal Shah and Kushal Malde both produced match-winning spells as St Albans were bowled out for 22 and Berkhamsted subsided after a strong start. The boys should be commended for their excellent team spirit: it was just a shame that the poor weather robbed them of the chance to show their talents more often.

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CRICKET CLUB RESULTS Team

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Abandoned/Cancelled

1st XI

21

8

8

5

2

2nd XI

9

5

2

2

5

3rd XI

8

7

1

0

1

4th XI

1

1

0

0

1

U15A

14

9

1

4

4

U15B

7

6

0

1

3

U14A

15

11

1

3

3

U14B

8

6

0

2

3

U13A

14

13

1

0

4

U13B

5

4

1

0

3

U13 Tour

2

1

0

1

1

U12A

10

6

2

2

3

U12B

4

3

0

1

4

U12C

2

1

0

1

1

Staff XI

3

3

0

0

0

Totals

123

84

16

22

38

Finally what of cricket in Year 7? The U12A team was not as strong as last year but still won 6 of its 10 games and lost only twice, on one occasion narrowly to a touring St Joseph’s side from Ipswich, led by another former Habs cricket coach Mark Patterson. Captained by Ronak Shah, other players to feature consistently were Maanal Akhaney, Rhys Jenkins, Luke Minett and James Lawrence, and with victories over Berkhamsted, Bedford Modern and St Albans, amongst others, there is promise for the future. Meanwhile the U12B’s, with Aditya Modi and Amar Vaghela to the fore, were successful in 3 out of 4 games, in a programme curtailed by the weather. The enthusiasm for the game shown by the boys at this level, whether they are in the A, B or U12C squads, is most encouraging and hopefully they will benefit from further coaching during the winter.

Of course Habs Cricket Club could not function without the huge input of a number of people and this is a good time to thank once again the staff for the time and effort they give to coach and umpire the various teams, the ground staff (particularly our new Head Groundsman, Danny Beckley), the scorers, the caterers etc. Doug Yeabsley deserves special thanks for all the work he continues to do with all age groups throughout the year. Thank you also to parents and friends who watch from the boundary; your support is always welcome and much appreciated. May the Cricket Club as a whole go from strength to strength?!

S Charlwood

NB An abandoned game is one in which no ball is bowled.

The list of draws includes games that started but were later abandoned.

The U15A, U14A and U13A results include HSCA County Cup matches.

Devon Tour 2007 This year’s Devon Tour party was perhaps the youngest and most inexperienced ever with only 6 ‘old hands’ to show the 7 newcomers the ropes. It was, however, one of the more helpful and united groups to visit Doug Yeabsley’s ‘villa’ at Branscombe.

Much of the credit for this goes to Ajay Soni, who not only led the side on and off the field but was also, by some margin, the leading run scorer with two fifties and his maiden century for the 1st XI against Exeter CC. In the opening game of the tour against Exeter School at Sidmouth CC the toss proved crucial. Unfortunately Soni called incorrectly and Habs were invited to bat first on a wet wicket and slow outfield. After 20 overs the score was 55 for 1 and, although Lewis Jenkins (27) and Soni (64) put on 70 for the 2nd wicket, the later batsmen found it difficult to raise the tempo and Habs eventually reached 135 for 9 in the allotted 40 overs. In reply our opponents lost their best batsman with the score on 11, bowled by Hemang Majeethia who had flown back specially from Marbella in order to join the tour, but thereafter some wayward bowling and several fielding lapses proved costly as Exeter cruised to victory with 6 wickets and nearly 10 overs to spare.

The next day against Exeter CC, Habs again batted first and on this occasion Kushal Patel (35) joined Soni in a 2nd wicket partnership of 74. Matthew Soffair (37) then featured in a 4th wicket partnership with his captain worth 97, which really got the innings going and just before the end Soni (102) completed an excellent first century for the 1st XI. The final total of 236 for 6 was the highest of the season and, once Exeter’s Aussie opener was caught behind of the 4th ball of the reply, the result was never really in doubt. Wickets were shared around, with Thusagar Sri Satkunasingham (3 for 21) the most successful bowler, as Exeter succumbed for 141.

After a rest day spent competing in a series of games organised by coach Michael Yeabsley, we came up against a Devon U16 XI in the third match of the tour at Axminster CC. Always a tough fixture, Habs rose to the challenge and competed well in the field, restricting our opponents to 208 for 4 off 50 overs. It might have been even better if the Devon opening batsman had been given out stumped on 49 – he went on to reach 97 not out. Once again we lost an early wicket but while Soni (52) was at the crease there was always a chance.

When he was caught, however, Habs fell further behind the run rate and it was left to the rain to save us, the match abandoned as a draw.

Many thanks once again to Doug and Jackie Yeabsley for their hospitality and for all they do to make these tours such a success. Staying at the ‘villa’ is quite an experience but this year’s tourists coped extremely well and can now look forward to spending the October half term in warmer climes in Singapore and Malaysia.

S Charlwood 102

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1st XI Football

2nd XI Football

As expected, the 2006-2007 campaign got off to a flying start with a 6-0 demolition of a poor St. Edwards side. Striker Josh Hearne continued where he left off last season, scoring a hat-trick, one short of the four he scored in the corresponding fixture last season. David Dinkin added two to the tally, and Myles Anderson completed the rout with a debut goal. Poor weather meant the next fixture was to be the first group game of the Crusader Cup against a weak Immanuel College side. Habs strolled to a comfortable 6 -1 victory with Anderson, Dinkin and Hearne adding to their totals for the season.

The game saw a rare goal from both Ed Morrision and Louis Law, in addition to a superb midfield performance from Daniel Needleman.

Consistency has been a key element lacking for the Habs 2nd XI football team this season.

Unavailability for selection combined with injuries and promotions to the 1st XI meant that a regular full strength side was not able to be put out for the majority of the season. However, each side that has been put out has played high quality football, with plenty of attacking gusto with 3 goals being put past St. Edward's School, Radley College and 5 being put past Aylesbury Grammar School. The latter of these three games was an unfortunate yet pulsating 5-6 loss to Aylesbury Grammar School. The team has had Dmitri Fominykh in goal for the season whilst Sam Cherkas and Joe Burn have been the most regular members in the full back position. In addition, the centre back pairing of Vice Captain Sam Ruback and James Tobias have provided stability and leadership to the defence. In addition a mention must go to Chris Stevens, who performed to a great level, when playing at either full back or centre back. The 2nd XI midfield has had over 12 players competing in the department for 4 positions. The most regular have been tireless midfielder Joe Evans, the versatile Adam Hartnell, pacey winger Doug Gilmour, the passionate Alex Short and the dominating Kwaku Afrifa. The pace of Lakshman Ruthirapathy has caused defences many problems, in combination with the skilful Darshan Patel and the committed Adam Preston who have all provided the firepower upfront for the season. Goals came from all over the team with Kwaku Afrifa and Laksman Ruthirapathy leading the charts with 4 and 3 respectively. Many thanks must be directed towards Mr. Hails who has been always willing to offer advice to his players to improve their performances. This has resulted in a highly motivated squad of players who were keen to win and help to contribute towards a satisfactory and enjoyable season.

The team then battled to two more victories in the group stages of the cup, meaning we finished top of the group with maximum points.

With confidence high and a settled squad, the team then produced arguably their finest performance of the season, beating Radley College 6-1. Dinkin, Hearne and Anderson scored two goals each, with the latter finishing a flowing move with a pinpoint header.

Kwaku Afrifa Year 13

A tough test then came in the form of Highate School. Having gone behind and hitting the woodwork on numerous occasions the team were convinced it wasn’t to be a sixth win out of six, however the persistence and quality paid off, as we won the game 4 2. The outstanding Etiene Ekpo-Utip scored his first of the season from the penalty spot.

The following Wednesday, Habs’ lost their 100% record after an entertaining 3-3 draw with Aylesbury Grammar, in which Gavin Baker produced a fine performance which included a penalty save. The team once again went behind in the next fixture against Old Habs’, however the opponents tiring legs cost them dear, as the 1st XI went on to win 9 3. Nick Vassiliou scored his first of the season, whilst Hearne added four to his tally.

Bromsgrove School provided us with our Crusader Cup quarter final match, and due to the unplayable condition of the Habs’ pitch, the team were forced to take the two and a half hour trip to the Midlands. The circumstances cost the team, and as a result Habs’ were knocked out of the cup, losing 1-0.

With two fixtures being cancelled following this, the lack of match practice and training saw the team fall to their second defeat of the season, 5-0 to a strong St. Pauls’ side. The team then faced a UCS side in which was both the most eagerly anticipated game of the season and the final game of the season. Habs’ produced a battling performance and came from behind to win 3-2.

Overall, the season must be classed as a success with 8 wins and a draw out of 11 games. Thanks must go to Mr.Ward who has put a lot of time into coaching the team and organising the fixtures.

David Dinkin Year 13 103

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U16 A Football

U16 B Football

This year, the under 16-A team have had unprecedented success, winning 6 games out of 8. In our first season as a side this is a particularly impressive record, and thanks must go to the coaching staff: Mr. Simm our worthy manager, and Mr. ‘tinker’ Thompson, the backseat second in command. The season began against a particularly unimpressive St Edwards side who, despite gifting us several gilt edge opportunities, we only managed to batter them 2-0.

The next game was against a far superior Berkhamstead side. Habs raced into an early lead with a trademark Oli Coates run and finish.

Despite constant probing a tense half ended 1-0 to Habs. Shortly into the second half, Berkhamstead equalized. With five minutes to go, and the score locked at 1-1, Simon Tankel stepped up to the occasion and unleashed a thunderbolt into the top right had corner from just outside the box. The following Wednesday Habs suffered a below par defeat to a decent Bedford Modern side, wasting a plethora of chances at one end and superstar Tristan Minall pulling off a host of saves at the other. Then Habs faced Radley College.

Habs were two down at half time despite the superhuman efforts of Simon Tankel, while Tristan conceded his second pass back of the season. The second half was a different story as Habs came out inspired by the stirring words of Mr. Simm. Oli Coates netted twice, one a goal from the touchline and almost too good to be true. It was as he later confessed a cross. An inferior Highgate team were then battered 4-1 under the guidance of the brilliant Mr. Thompson.

Rabinowitz looked assured throughout and Rumford scored a splendid goal, his solitary effort of the campaign. After the controversy of Gallimore’s arrival to the football team, he had immediate effect netting a winner in an otherwise dour match against Bedford when we were missing the heroic captain Jonathan Graham and the beastly presence of James Grant. Aylesbury were on the receiving end of a spirited 4-3 defeat and all in all, a great win by Habs would not have been possible without the incredible saves from the goalkeeper. More recently, St. Paul’s were put to the sword in a second half performance that would have left the Brazil Team of 1970 dead on the ground. The defence were solid throughout, as the captain led his troops, with Anto Rumford and Sammy Conway turning in rock like performances and Lewis Jenkins fully demonstrating his credentials as the Lee Young-Pyo of the side. The game also included a rival to Tankels goal vs.

Berkhamstead for goal of the season. James Grant, as usual, swung his left foot at a floated corner, which instead of flying 40 yards over the bar as is usually the case, rocketed into the top corner. This match showed the huge progress the team had made, competing well and moving the ball well. Special mention must go to the showboat header by James Tan in the dying minutes of the St. Paul’s game. Similarly, Tristan Minall must get a mention, despite the captains best efforts to ruin his clean sheets, after, states Tristan, “El capitano managed to score two consecutive own goals.” Tristan, although rarely troubled, pulled off save after save to keep the team in many a game.

This season the U16 B’s have had a mixed set of results despite a number of injuries; winning two, drawing one and losing three.

Our season got off to a flyer, with an emphatic 6-0 victory over St Edward’s, with 6 different goal scorers. The highlight being Sam Cramer’s spectacular 40-yard strike. However our fortune didn’t last, losing the next two games 1-0 and 2-0 against strong Radley and Berkhamsted sides. However we were able to bounce back with a tightly fought 3-3 draw against Bedford School. Superb finishing and pace provided David Laing with two goals, equalising in the last minute, and a coolly slotted penalty from Janak Vyas. Our second win of the season then came with a deserved 2-0 victory over Aylesbury Grammar, goals coming from Janak Vyas and Stephen Lingam, Ankith Patel being prevented only by the woodwork. The defence of Sachin Galaiya, Alex Sherr, Ajay Johal and myself putting in a sterling defensive performance to keep the team a clean sheet.

With morale high, we went into our crucial game against St Paul’s confident, despite a number of vital absentees, drafting in a few key players from the A’s. Despite a dogged midfield performance from the likes of Janak Vyas, David Laing, Daniel Shemtov and Simon Oke, we lost the game 3-0, feeling rather hard done by. With our final game against UCS looming, we were keen to end the season on a high. However, things got off to a bad start after a superb free kick was curled into the top corner by their striker minutes into the game. After a penalty miss from Janak Vyas, and a few dodgy refeering decisions to put it lightly, we equalised through a tap in from Daniel Greane. Moments later, Stephen Lingam rounded the keeper to make it 2-1, giving us the lead as we went into the break.

However, our fortune didn’t last in the second half. Another freekick was whipped in, despite Alex Sherr’s best efforts on the line, and he then scored a supposed “own goal”, while chasing to clear the ball off the line. Although the ball was CLEARLY not over the line, the referee seemed to think this was the only chance his team could win. No doubt the decision will be questioned throughout generations to come. Despite a gung ho attack plan in the closing minutes, we weren’t able to equalise, with Ankith somehow missing an open goal late on.

Jonny Graham Year 11

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Thanks must go to Dr Sloane(and his hat) for his “inspirational” team talks, and the whole squad for putting in 110% throughout the season.

Sam Moodey Year 11

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Water Polo Water Polo this year has been very successful with the more senior teams reaching the Finals of their respective competitions.

The U19 Water Polo Team had successes in various matches, with highlight victories over Harrow and City of London, resulting in the team qualifying for the Regional Finals held at Charterhouse School. Despite our solid performance throughout the year, it was disappointing to be defeated by three strong teams in this competition. The team was able to come out of this and put up a solid fight in the Hepworth Trophy coming in second place. Special mention must go to our captain and mean machine in the hole, Tobias Stedman who always posed a threat to the opposing goal with his unstoppable power shot, to Nick Jardine who always gave a solid performance in defence and never let the team down. The success at this level was reflected in the achievements of Oliver Inow, Greg Schey and Tobias Stedman all who represented Middlesex County. This is a great accomplishment and shows the strength of the squad.

However, we must highlight the junior members of the squad; Alex Parker, Daniel Munger, Max Jackson, Chris Jackson and Aaron Winsloe all who represented the school at U19 level, playing a year above their age group. Due to injuries of some of our players, they were required to play several fixtures each weak. Their enthusiasm, skill and energy that they brought to the team is great credit to them and shows the potential for greater success next year for HABS Water Polo. However, their greatest success came in their own age group, were they reached the National Finals. Despite coming 4th behind some very strong Northern sides, this is a fantastic success for the U16’s and reflects their abilities in the sport. Special mention here must go to the speed demons Alex Parker and Randal Cliff who were partnered by Aaron Winsloe and James Devlin all who always posed a serious threat on goal and shared the majority of the attacking play. However, it is not all about scoring goals but preventing them and the defensive stalwarts that are Max and Chris Jackson, Daniel Munger and Luke Tullo in goal all deserve particular mention. We look forward to next year where hopefully with a commitment to hard training we can have great success in the more senior teams.

The junior teams also deserve mention with great successes from the U13 and U14 squads both having some great victories. The strength of these squads reflects potential for the future and especially for Tom Dean and Max Jenkins both who represented the U16’s at the National Finals. The fact that they were playing above their age group is great credit to them and hopefully they can go on to achieve great successes in their own age groups.

None of these achievements would have been possible without the vast amount of time and energy that has been put in

by Mr. Hyde. His commitment and passion for the sport is something that we will sorely miss next year and we wish him a happy retirement.

Oliver Inow Year 12

Swimming Once again an extremely successful year in the pool. After competing in six galas, the Herts. Panagraphic League title went to the Senior and Junior teams. Both won convincingly over St Albans, the Intermediate team finished fourth. The year 7 team also won their league.

The National Schools relays were held in Harrogate this year and the U16 team of Randal Cliff, Adam Maxwell, Alex Parker and Kelvin Wong qualified for both the freestyle and medley relays. The team finished 8th and 10th respectively in the finals.

Edward Allchorne was selected for the Watford & District team in the Herts. School Champs. Having won his event he has now been selected for the Herts. County Schools team competing in the Division 10 finals on May 18th 07.

Thanks must go to all the swimmers who have contributed to Habs. success this season and to Mr Stiff for his team managing skills James Allchorne Year 13

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Badminton

Basketball

Badminton has continued to flourish this year with large numbers of boys playing the sport both at recreational and competitive level. The first challenge of the term was the Hertfordshire Schools Squad Trials: Akash Jhunjhunwala was successful in being selected for the Under 17 Squad; Sahil Shah and Alex Gomar were selected for the Under 15 Squad; Nigel Tao was selected for Hertfordshire Senior Squad. These players have all represented Hertfordshire at different levels this season.

Basketball has continued to enjoy an increasingly prominent role within HABS sport on the back of another successful on-court campaign.

Once again there has been enormous interest in Badminton especially amongst the junior boys. It is very encouraging to see such enthusiasm. Forty-six boys in the first two years were selected for the School Under 13 Squad. A further fifty boys were selected to join the Under 15 and Under 18 Squads. These boys have trained regularly on Mondays and Wednesdays after school; the boys have made progress in skill and in levels of fitness.

The Junior School Badminton Tournament was held on Open Day. Twenty-seven boys took part. Akash Kadiwar won the event beating Tej Malde in the final. Losing semi-finalists were Kishan Ragunathan and Venkatesh Surandran. We have performed strongly in a series of fixtures against St. Albans and Hitchin Schools. We have been successful in new fixtures against Harrow School and Immanuel. We look forward to these two schools being a regular feature of our fixture programme.

Thirty-one boys entered the first round of the Hertfordshire Schools Badminton Association Tournaments and the boys did very well. All the boys won points for the School. In the Under 18 Tournament Akash Jhunjhunwala reached the Doubles Semifinals and the Singles quarter-finals. Suraj Pabari won the Plate Singles and the Plate Doubles partnered by Anjul Haria. The school retained the Under 18 trophy they won last year and achieved third place in the Under 13 competition.

On the 6th December we took part in the Watford and Hertsmere SSP Inter-Schools Tournament held at Watford Girls’ School. In the Under 16 group we won 13 games and lost 2. The Under 13s won all of their 20 games. These performances assured us victory shields in both tournaments. In the subsequent Regional rounds the opposition was tougher. Although we won many games we lost matches against Colchester Royal Grammar (Under 14) and against The Deanes School (Under 16).

Our thanks go again to Bob Welsh who has worked so hard with the boys to improve their skills.

A Herzmark

At the top level, the senior squad enjoyed a comprehensive victory over Immanuel before the winning-streak that has lasted over a year came to an end in a very close one point defeat to Westfield. Many of the senior squad are moving on and thanks must go to James Tobias and Sam Ruback in particular for their stellar play and contributions to HABS basketball. The development of Aaron Winsloe and Simon Oke bodes well for future years. The U-15 and U-16 teams have shown great commitment in training throughout the year and despite results not always going their way this year, their development as players is promising for the future. Most promisingly, however, has been the development and results of our U-14 and U-13 teams this year. The added attention to development of the younger years recently appears to have paid off with the U-14 team attaining 3rd place in the Watford and District Rally whilst the U-13s managed to hold off opposition from 9 other sides to win their tournament. Both sides have put together winning displays in individual matches as well and if their commitment to training and matches continues, the future of HABS basketball looks bright.

Huge thanks must go to Mr Kingdon and Mr Jenkins for the time and effort they have continued to put in this year in organising and coaching the teams.

James Tobias Year 13

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Tennis

TENNIS CLUB RESULTS P2 W0 L2

P3 W2 L1

P4 W1 D1 L2

P4 W4 L0

P3 W2 L1

P2 W1 L1

P4 W3 D1 L0

Amarshi, Anuj 10J2 Rajani, Neel 10S3 Cheung, Alex 10R3 Pack, Adam 10H1 Pandya, Parave 10S3

Hughes, Alex 9HB Roberts, Tom 9MA Edwards, Dom 9MA Soo, James 9HA

Jacobs, Ben 10H1 Silverblatt, Ben 10R3 Taylor, Aaron 10J1 Ross, Elliott 10J2 Abrams, Oliver 10R2 Zender, Joe 10C2 Manasseh,

Joshua 10H3 Harris, James 9SA Watts, Alex 9CB Waterman, Craig 9SB Selvakumar, Shiv 9JA Spector, Andrew 9CA Adat, R 9MA

Chotai, Rishi 8S Tho, Jonathan 8C Anandarajah, Brendan 8C Malde, Tej 8C

Ruben, C 8S Ward, G 8S Mason, N 8J Ragunthan, Kishan 8H Ross, Freddie 8J Yu, Alvin 8R Edwards, Chris 8M

Tailjard, F 7M Almond, E 7M Bamford, J 7M Rose, D 7R Shah, J 7R Uwaifo, E 7R Doegar, R 7C Joshi, N 7C Vaghela, A 7C Kaye, D 7S

Tennis Competitions in 2007 included the senior Youll Cup (Eton – to be played) the U15/14 Thomas Bowl Cup (Eton – to be played), the U13 John Barrett Cup (Eton – to be played), BSTA U15 (x2 teams), BSTA U13 (x2 teams), U15, U14 and U13 District league; as well as the block of school ‘friendly’ fixtures and the County Pairs Tournaments! Habs now hold the record for entering the most teams into competitions within Hertfordshire!

The BSTA squads played some outstanding tennis this season, narrowly missing out on qualifications. However, our strength in depth at U15,U14 and U13 level was evident at District level, winning all age groups in the Herts League. The promising junior squads enjoyed a successful season.

The U12s represented the U13 District team, playing extremely well considering the age gap.

Inter House Tennis also proved to be very successful. Six boys from each house for years 7 to 10 played doubles, resulting in a finals day. The level of tennis throughout the age groups and pairings was very encouraging. The competition also allowed the boys to officiate and record their own results which was much appreciated!

Cross Country This year’s squad has had a strong season with impressive individual and team performances. The season began with a 7.2 km race at Wimbledon Common. This was very early on in the season, and so, with little prior training, the length of the race proved a great challenge for all involved, with the best senior performance a very creditable 17th from Ollie Illot.

Notable matches include HABS’ very own Goater Cup, a relay race around Aldenham Reservoir which involved one runner from each year, in which our ‘A team’ did well to finish 5th behind some of the best cross country schools in southern England. In the Watford and District race Harry Walton displayed immense natural talent to finish 2nd in the senior race, with Sam Cherkas in 4th. There were also strong performances from Ollie Illot and Jamie Everitt in the year 11 race. One of the toughest races of the season was the Herts Country Championships in St Abans. The best runners from the area braved the cold and gave up their Saturday lie in to run a very long and hilly course, with Sam Cherkas and John Mansell just missing out on finishing in the top 12 to represent the senior Hertfordshire team.

Special mention must also go to some of the runners from the younger years. Darius

Price (year 7), always attended training and gained very high positions in numerous races, Nishanth Selvakumar (year 8) and James Edmunds (year 9) who also led their respective year groups with great ability.

Special thanks must go to Mr Cox for running training, organising and taking us to matches and making the season altogether a very enjoyable one.

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Athletics

After the success of the 2006 athletics season where Habs were able to make a big impact in the National Schools Competition, 2007 proved to be a little disappointing. The current year has not been without success but early indications were that potentially we could make it through to the highest level again for the second successive year particularly when the Under16 team scored the 5th highest total in the country in the first round of the English Schools Track and Field Cup. Unfortunately they were unable to improve in the Regional round and finished fifth with a total some 20 points short of that required to make the National final. The Under 14’s were also unable to improve on their first round score and found the competition very tough in their regional final of the same competition.

The early season meet at Harrow school was a new fixture and although Habs were not at full strength encouragingly the Under 17 team were able to gain second place, the Under15’s fourth and a much depleted Under19’s fifth out of 8 schools. The seniors continued with their dominance of the Watford and District under 20 trophy and although not outright winners, this year we share the trophy with St Michaels, this is now the ninth year in succession Habs have held the title. During May the Under 16 team were able to establish themselves with a clear lead in the Herts League table, the Under 14’s were in the top four in their league and the Under 13 and 15 teams enjoyed winning success in the first of their two friendly fixtures.

After the half term break the Regional Round of the Track and Field Cup followed almost immediately and although results did not go to plan both the Under 14 and 16 teams were able to continue in their attempts to secure a place in the Herts league final at the beginning of July with renewed determination. For the latter team qualification was never in doubt and they ran out winners of the A league by some thirty points and thus qualified for the final as one of the clear favourites for the overall title. For the Under 14 team qualification proved tougher and going into their last fixture had to contend with the two teams directly below them in the league table and with one or two key team members missing it was a task beyond them and they failed to reach the final missing out by just 10 points.

The league final itself was a very close competition for the Under 16 team who after completing their programme on the track trailed in 7th place out of 8 teams, but as with many Habs teams we are particularly strong on the field and winning 3 out of the 7 field events and gaining 2nd in another two saw them snatch the title from Nicholas Breakspear by a single point. It would have been understandable if the team had been demoralised at the halfway point, but to their credit it just served to spur them on to gain success.

An indication of the strength in depth of athletic talent at Habs can be judged by our performance in the main Watford District Championships where an athlete is allowed to perform in only one event. The Year 7 team remained unbeaten and capped their season by winning the district title, as did the Year 10’s and the Year 9’s finished second to a very strong Queens school team from Bushey, and although the Year 8 team finished 6th, 5 more points would 108

have put them 3rd. Overall Habs continued to contest for the overall title but this year had to settle for 2nd behind Queens who were victors by 12 points.

Individually this season has seen some performances of the highest level. Pride of place must go to James Edmunds who finished 4th in the Under 15 boys pole vault whilst representing Hertfordshire in the English Schools National Champs at Birmingham on July 13th and 14th. In very wet conditions he equalled his personal best and only missed third place on count back. James Grant who competed two years ago in the same event was also competing again but now in the Under 17 competition and in the same difficult conditions.

Making a tactical judgement he attempted a height which would have given him a real medal chance and despite going close on two occasions he had to settle for ninth clearing the same height as several other competitors but losing out on count back. To have two competitors in the county team shows that this difficult event is going from strength to strength at Habs. Both these athletes were also selected to represent the County in the South East Schools Multi Events Championships at the end of June.

The school can boast four other county schools champions, Darius Price ( High Jump), Greg Harrington Green ( 70m Hurdles) and Joseph Bamford ( Javelin) from the Under 13 age group and Kaz Ong in the U17 100m Hurdles. Darius has broken the school year 7 High Jump record twice during the season and equalled the pole vault as well. He is currently ranked in the top ten in the country for high jump at Under 13 level. Kaz likewise improved the school U16 sprint hurdles record and despite his diminutive stature still continues to show real potential as a hurdler.

The schools youngest athletes in the Prep school had a very successful season winning both inter schools meets against strong opposition such as St Columbas, Bedford Modern, Bedford, St Martins, Lochinver House, Bridgewater and Highgate. The 4 x100m Relay team won the Hertfordshire County title. The team of Oliver Kariel, ZacheryAdebayo-Oke, Miguel Perera and Sameer Atwal recorded a fine time of 58.9 sec and two of these boys will be able to compete again next year. Sameer also gained 2nd in the 100m and 3rd in the high jump, Zachery gained 2nd in the Year 5 80m and Rory Cartmell gained 3rd in the 600m. In the I.A.P.S. champs Jonah Levy came 2nd in the U12 Discus and went on to represent the Eastern Area in the National Championships in Birmingham where he finished a creditable 6th. Zachery Adebayo-Oke finished 2nd in the U11 100m in the area champs and Daniel Reuben finished 2nd in the U11 800m at the same meet. There is a wealth of athletic talent in the Prep and now with some of these boys moving up into the main school to join with the very strong year 7 team from 2007, hopefully junior athletics will be able to make a real impact at both national and county level in 2008.

S.Lowe

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Common Room

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SECRETARY’S NOTES This has been another very busy year in the life of the Common Room. A new initiative back in September saw a team building day where all the staff associated with each pastoral House organised a specific activity together.

Joblings day out on a long boat

Above all Paul is utterly selfless in devoting his time and energy to making life better for other people.

Delia Meehan has taught at Habs for 24 years. Throughout this time she has been a dedicated and inspirational oboe teacher who has produced many fine players. For the last 20 years Delia has also taught class music to boys in the Prep School. She has directed recorder ensembles, conducted choirs but most notably under her conductorship the Prep School Orchestra has blossomed into one of over 70 players. It was fitting that this was witnessed by an appreciative audience at the Barbican concert in 2006.

Delia will be fondly remembered by all as an outstanding teacher who has always been keen to share her love of music.

Joblings House, which I have been associated with during my time at Habs, organised a day out on a long boat on the Grand Union Canal! – under the relaxed guidance of John Swallow the staff took it in turns to navigate this huge vessel down a narrow stretch of the canal, mooring up to enjoy an excellent picnic lunch. Such times together, which provide an opportunity for relaxed conversation and laughter, are extremely precious and in their own way, thoroughly worthwhile.

Sadly, we say our farewells to a number of colleagues this year.

Paul Hayler joined the school in 1969 immediately after graduating from Nottingham University. A geologist by training, he is an outstanding professional and a fine schoolmaster. Paul taught Geology for 26 years before transferring his considerable experience and abilities to Geography. He has the ‘David Bellamy touch’ to bring the landscape alive to his pupils.

His strong principles and considerable powers of leadership made him a natural choice for Housemaster of Calverts, a post he has held since 1976. Paul also gave 32 years of service to the RAF section of the CCF and has been involved in the running of numerous school societies and charitable enterprises.

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Marcus Tillotson left us at the end of May after four years in the Chemistry department to pursue personal interests. Marcus contributed to school sport and to the CCF Army section.

Within the Modern Languages department Fred Chaveneau, our French assistant, is leaving Habs after two years here. He has been a real asset to the school and has inspired many boys to continue to develop their spoken French. We wish him well as he embarks on a teacher training course at the London Institute.

Our congratulations to Lara Leyshon in the Biology department who married Mark, in early July, to become Mrs Lara Dickson. Also in the same department congratulations to Hilde Allen on the birth of her second daughter, Hannah, who arrived slightly prematurely just after the end of term and had to be delivered by Hilde’s husband!

Elena McBride returns to Habs to provide maternity cover for Hilde during the Autumn Term.

Red Nose Day ladies fun run Trevor Hyde joined the Maths department in 1989 having already gained 23 years of teaching experience in schools in Ealing.

Outside of the department, Trevor’s main passion is Water Polo and he was the driving force behind the sport’s popularity and our school teams’ successes. Trevor was also the Team Manager of the English Schools Water Polo Team from 1990 until 2002.

He has done a wonderful job organising the Staff Charity Concert on a biennial basis – this year it raised an amazing £2,000 for Cancer Research.

Malcolm Gilbertson, our Bursar, retired from Habs this term after more than a decade of outstanding service to the school. As well as his absolute command of the multi-facetted bursarial role, he has introduced many boys and colleagues alike to the intense beauty of the mountains of England and Wales through his passion for outdoor pursuits. We welcomed Shaun Wilson this term to Habs as Malcolm’s successor.

On behalf of the Common Room we wish these colleagues many years of happy and fulfilling retirement.

Afternoon Tea with Girls School Staff

Matthew Wright leaves the English department to pursue a full time MA in Creative Writing at Birbeck College, having joined us in April 2005. In his time here he has been a committed member of the Common Room Committee, helped launch ‘Skylight’ and overseen the creative magazine ‘Scribe’. He has also been a valued member of the CCF Navy section.

Other new arrivals and our congratulations go to Robert and Kathy Whiteman on the birth of their second child Anna back in October, to Su and Alex Wijeratna on the birth of their daughter Sylvie Grace in May, to Andrew and Florence Pawlowicz on the birth of their son Gabriel in June, to Richard and Claudine West on the birth of their son Rohan Luca in July and to Ryan and Sam McIntosh on the birth of their daughter Lauren Grace in September.

Our best wishes also go to Adrian Jackson in the Physics department who married Hairong Yu in December and our congratulations go to Melvin Bardou and Debbie Rivlin who have recently announced their engagement and to Sarah Harkus who also became engaged shortly afterwards to Tim Lane. We wish them all every possible happiness together.

Within the Economics department our congratulations go to John Wigley who will be publishing his ‘History of the School’ during the Autumn Term.

In the Prep School we say farewell to Frances Schwartz who leaves after two years distinguished service in the Prep School. Frances is to take up a post at Westminster Under School. The new PrePrep will be opening in September and we wish everyone involved in this exciting new

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Delia Meehan venture every possible success.

Our best wishes go to Andrew Pawlowicz our ICT Support Director who leaves us this term to become ICT Director at Wycombe Abbey, to Liz Warren our school nurse who leaves us after four years and also to Susan Scripture our Print Room Supervisor who leaves us to pursue a career in media sales.

Malcolm Gilbertson Another new initiative this year has been for the school to recognise the many years of service that staff have given to Habs and to acknowledge this the headmaster presented a bottle of champagne to Mike Lexton and Alan Bagguley for their 30 years service, to Peter Barry for 25 years service, and to Richard Mussett and Peter Roberts from the Grounds staff for 20 years service.

Shaun Wilson It is this combination of professional integrity, fellowship and support from colleagues within the Common Room that makes working at Habs such a rewarding experience.

N Holmes

As Skylark goes to press it is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of Simon Munting, our teacher of guitar for the past 18 years. He had recently been admitted to Barnet General Hospital after a two year battle with cancer. Our sincere condolences go to his wife Hazel and son Daniel.

Back in November 2006 many staff of the school attended the funeral of Ruth Jerred, a devoted wife to Ken and loyal friend of the school.

Our congratulations go to John Fenn appointed Calverts Housemaster succeeding Paul Hayler, to Michele Jones and Andrew Simm appointed Deputy Housemasters of Calverts and Meadows respectively, to Kevin Long appointed to the new post of Deputy Director of Sport and to Joanna Kingston appointed Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator.

At the end of the Autumn Term Mike Lexton completed his two year tenure as Common Room Chairman – a post which he carried out with his usual high level of commitment and integrity. His successor is Chris Muhley who has brought a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm to the post. One of his new initiatives was to organise a Joint Girls and Boys School Staff social which took place on the croquet lawn one afternoon in early July and despite some unpredictable weather was a great success.

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Interview with Mr. Hyde With the end of yet another school year, Habs has to unfortunately wish Mr.Hyde farewell as he enters the golden years of his life and spends his time pursuing finer things. Over his devoted Haberdashers career, he has through his cheerful, friendly and somewhat unorthodox teaching methods become one of the most sought after maths teachers, and has developed close friendships with many of the pupils. He has worked tirelessly to improve and widen the school’s extra curricular activities: leading the school’s water polo teams to countless successes, helping students to earn officiating honours as well as setting up the biannual Staff Charity Concert: one of the highlights of the school calendar.

However it would be the humble surroundings of Mr. Hyde’s M04 room that would see the great story that is Mr. Hyde unravel:

Mr Hyde, we understand your illustrious teaching career, started in the public schools of Ealing, what were the differences you noticed when you joined Habs?

When I came here, it was like going back in time, almost as if I was back at the school where I started teaching, in 1965. I left the state sector to come here, freed up from admin and bureaucracy and just got down to the job of teaching. As well as getting on with academic and extra curricular activities, which was great because in the state sector they had died out, partly for political reasons: the Thatcher years and the 1980’s destroyed teachers unions and teachers willingness to volunteer.

During your many years of teaching you have built up the reputation of being the connoisseur of the English youth water polo academy and interschool competitions, what in fact were your contributions?

In about 1970s I founded, with another colleague, what was called the Sports Water Polo League. I had been coaching water polo at the school I was teaching at, and decided to search for a competitive league and found that there wasn’t one. There were others with the same objective and we decided to put our ideas forward and formed a league that flourished. But we didn’t have the funding, or the time to expand it into a national league, which was what I would have liked to have seen. Soon after that I was asked to take over schools water polo by a board running an investigation into organisational sport. It was a purely voluntary post and I became the first organiser of schools water polo championships, and this is now their 31st year. I was on the national executive for 25 years, and ran the swimming, diving, water polo, relays and had the responsibility for all school competitions. I did that for 25 years and retired in 2001.

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What are your fondest memories of your water polo career?

The tours were certainly very special. We toured Australia and New Zealand with the Habs teams, but I was also fortunate enough to lead the England schools teams to the multinational schools international in South Africa, as well as playing teams in Australia and Zimbabwe.

And are you looking to stay involved with water polo?

At the moment I’m concentrating more on officiating, as table official and time keeper.

I’ve been doing it with a few boys during SCS time and they will hopefully move through the ranks so as to be considered for the Olympics in 2012.

So then an abatement of your involvement should leave you with plenty of time for retirement plans?

Oh yes, it gives me a chance to do more music. As well as being a mathematician, I’m also a pianist and when I was teaching in Ealing, I used to play in a large amateur dramatic society theatre, in West London. I played in the pit orchestra there and definitely wouldn’t mind getting back to that sort of thing.

So staying active…

Oh yes, travel definitely, I have some plans already. A boat trip around Spitsbergen: a Norwegian island, which just brakes into the Arctic Circle, primarily looking for polar bears, arctic foxes, ice bergs: just remote quiet and cold. As well as going on a hiking holiday to the Peak District with a few friends who’ve also retired. Then going to the other end of the world: the Antarctic.

Starting from the Patagonian Ice Fields in Argentina, going down to Ushuaia: the most southerly town in the world, then getting on a boat which will take us out through the Beagle channel up to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia islands, and the Antarctic Peninsula and finally, back round past Cape

Horn to Ushuaia again. Primarily for the wild life and vast spaces which will allow me to pursue my interests in photography.

Hopefully if the conditions are not too disastrous there will also be the opportunity, if we want to sleep out over night and go back on an ice flow.

A stark contrast to teaching young Habs Boys, in the modest surrounding of M04 at Habs!

Well, we should live our lives to the full and try to get as many experiences as we can. I went down to South Africa last summer, in the Namibian deserts and Botswana, camping in safari. The range of temperatures there was so different to what we experience here that it really shows the amazing differences that occur within our planet.

So then following in the footsteps of Sir Ranulph Fiennes?

Hopefully yes, I enjoy variety: unless I’m very ill, I don’t go to sleep on the same day I get up. If there was a safe way we could stay active for 24 hours a day and still live to be 100, I would immediately grab it. I would much rather do more things, than just going to bed. Even in teaching there is no way I would want to be teaching academic work, marking and doing more academic work all the time, because I would not keep going the hours I am at the moment. It’s the variety of a mixture of sport, some administration, preparation and marking that varies my school life. But to do the same stuff, day in day out, no way.

An excellent creed, you’ve also been involved in the school staff charity concert, how did it come about?

I had the idea in 1995, which was when I did the first one. The staff put on plays on alternate years, and I thought the barren years in between would be the perfect slot for the concert.

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And the reasons behind it?

Well, the staff here have a very wide talent base which is not seen by the students and their parents: something I thought was a great loss not only to parents and pupils but for the school community as a whole. The idea was actually to do this for the school charity, but just before it took place my father died, so the headmaster said that he would understand if I withdrew, but I just asked to do it for Cancer Research, and he accepted it and we moved from there.

Indeed one of the aims of the schools is to develop a strong sense of community: will you be leaving with fond memories of the teaching staff and students?

Yes, I’ve always got on well with my colleagues and hold no long term grudges against pupils. In fact I’m still in contact with guys I taught 40 odd years ago, we meet up and go for a drink now and again. I also keep in contact with people from swimming

teams I ran in 1960s as well as playing cards with old boys, so yes my teaching career has left me with many friendships.

I’m sure you would also be well aware of the jovial banter enjoyed around the school, any fond memories regarding the Habs tradition?

I’ve always given as good as I get, and enjoyed every minute of it. I did give a bit too much once though and got called up to the headmaster’s office [chuckling], probably not quite appropriate for me to repeat it just yet.

What will you miss most about Habs?

Teaching, I wouldn’t have done it for 42 years, if I didn’t enjoy it so much. I enjoy every aspect of school life, the sports, the trips, just the company really. In fact it took my a long, long while for me to decide to retire, as I wanted to stay on until I was 65, but I’m only pulling out a few months earlier, so it’s not too bad.

Any last words of wisdom?

I lead my life to the full, there’s 24 hours in a day, make as much use of every hour as you can. Do varied things, but that means giving as much as taking: organise things, volunteer for new experiences and help future generations.

Wise words indeed, thanks for your time sir it’s been a pleasure listening!

[Laughing] Excellent I just need to get you to start listening during our maths lessons now!

Photography As a musician I’ve always had an interest in the arts, but unfortunately I can’t draw, or paint or write fluent essays with flowing language, but I’ve always enjoyed the concept of photography. I was also fortunate enough to get gear and film cheap as my father worked an overnight shift in a film producing warehouse: Dmitri Fominyky Year 12

Etosha National Park, Namibia

Akaroa Cheetah Park, Otjikondo, Namibia

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Young Gannets on Isle of Noss, Shetland Island

Dune 45 by Sossusvlei, Namibia

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Mr. Hayler Haberdashers’ on a dark winter’s evening can be a lonely place. Long after school is over, traverse the quad and your footsteps will echo harshly as if trying to catch the fleeting memory of larking students. But look up at the Aske Building and there you will almost certainly see a light still shining brightly. That will be Mr Hayler, hard at work in the Geography office, his light a metaphorical beacon for the most dedicated and hard working schoolmaster it has been my privilege to know.

a science background to join his team, someone to specialise in physical systems and Geology. Always a shrewd judge of character, John recognised that in Paul they had found that very person.

Fieldwork at Kirtlington Quarry, Oxford, February 1977 Paul Hayler leaves Haberdashers’ after 38 years of unstinting loyalty and service to the school, yet extraordinarily, his arrival here in 1969 was entirely serendipitous. A Geologist by training and freshly graduated from Nottingham university, he was actively considering much more lucrative jobs in mining or retailing but purely by chance had spotted an advert in the local newspaper.

As all Mr Hayler’s pupils will know, Paul is an inveterate gambler – on anything. And on this hot July day his gamble would pay off handsomely. The Head of Geography at the time was a young visionary by the name of John Rolfe, supported by an equally ambitious headmaster, Dr Tom Taylor. John had led his department to the point where it had become one of the most forward looking in the country and now he was searching for someone with

Dr Taylor’s decision to appoint Paul, with no experience or qualifications, was remarkably far sighted. Paul loved teaching, and he would just as quickly fall in love with the school, going on to become one of Haberdashers’ most outstanding and loyal schoolmasters. His understanding and enthusiasm for his subject were quickly apparent. Geology is a broad science, encompassing elements of chemistry, physics and biology, and Paul quickly showed that he had an outstanding ability to bring the natural world to life.

This remarkable talent was recently publicly recognised in 2006, when former pupil, Robert Holdsworth, now Professor of Structural Geology at Durham University, was awarded the prestigious Aberconway Medal by the Royal Geological Society. At the presentation Robert spoke warmly and at length of ‘my geology teacher, Paul Hayler, who passed on so much enthusiasm and, by introducing me to the geology of the Cross Fell Inlier over five days in 1978, completely transformed my life.’

Field trips to Paul are like butter is to bread. It is inconceivable to him that

anyone should try and teach about their planet without asking their pupils to tramp over it, look at it, knock bits off it, and get their hands (very) dirty. Boys have scrambled up steep cliffs, got muddy, found things, taken things home, and made endless plaster casts of strange fossils. Life was always lived on the edge when you were in the field with Mr Hayler. Fast moving tides and crumbling cliffs were just minor local difficulties. Learning had never been so much fun, nor so complete.

The trip dearest to Paul’s heart was an expedition with a small group of A Level students to the North East of Scotland, panning for gold. After a five hundred mile journey, and some initial searching, they did indeed strike lucky. After finding a tiny nugget of gold that had been washed down from the mountains, glinting in the river bed, gold fever took the little party by storm. Spending up to eighteen hours a day knee deep in freezing water, they eventually returned home exhausted, but triumphant - and just a little richer, more in experience than money.

Like all outstanding practitioners Paul is the complete schoolmaster. He has brought far more to the life of Haberdashers’ than just his subject. When not studying rocks and fossils he has been the enthusiastic masterin-charge of the hugely popular Stamp and Coin Club. Anyone who knows Paul will be aware that he has a very keen sense of

Jason ette, George Mortimer and With David Masters, Tim Foin 7 5-8 Geology set 198 Hughes, June 1987 A Level ise Quiz in 1995 l Morrish, winning the Worldw With John Rolfe and Michae l Dabrowski Alex Hall, Nick Amis and Nei 115

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profit and a good eye for the market, and when it comes to buying and selling, he’s a sharp operator. Such talents are well respected by the boys at Haberdashers’, and it was frequently standing room only when the weekly stamp and coin auction was held. Trips to exhibitions soon followed, and such was the quality of their work, that the club won a bronze model for their showing at the renowned international Stampex Exhibition in 1981.

This remarkable man also holds the Queen’s Commission. Flight Lieutenant Hayler, VRT RAF, was first persuaded to join the CCF by former colleague Barry Goater, but ended up spending 32 years with the unit - a quite remarkable achievement. It was my privilege to serve with Paul for many years, and I witnessed at first hand not only his extraordinary energy and dedication, but also his talented leadership of the boys. To Paul the CCF was a boys’ club, a hugely important institution that gave them the opportunity to understand the delicate art of leadership, and the chance to experience some real responsibility. A very good shot, Paul also used his RAF training to tutor many boys to marksmanship standard on the school’s rifle range.

It was Bruce McGowan, Tom Taylor’s successor, who later gave us Mr Hayler the Housemaster. Paul was a surprisingly reluctant recruit to this important position, but back in 1976 the Headmaster had the power to choose whosoever he wanted, and he wanted Paul, and no was not an acceptable answer. It was a wise choice. With his talent to inspire and his utterly selfless devotion to all the boys in his care, Paul is a Housemaster of the highest possible order. Whenever you talk to parents of boys in Calverts the

conversation will quickly turn to Mr Hayler, what he has done for their son, how helpful he has been, and how understanding in a difficult situation. Paul has willingly spent countless hours at school, during evenings, weekends, and holidays, personally helping individual pupils to succeed – not just academically, but as a whole person. He has done it quietly, without fuss, and without once seeking recognition. No one has put so much of themselves into the job of being a schoolmaster than Paul. Telephone calls and emails continue long into the evening, sometimes picking up the pieces of a major disaster, sometimes to congratulate, or simply to encourage a reluctant learner. Paul has been intensely loyal to his House, and could be counted on to step in and support any boy in trouble whatever the situation he had just found himself in. Widely admired by pupils past and present, he maintains a large following of old boys who regularly enjoy corresponding with him, and who hold him in deepest respect.

Charity and Calverts have, of course, been synonymous for many years. Many thousands of pounds have been raised by Calverts boys under Paul’s leadership, to the direct and immediate benefit of a great number of people throughout the world. It is no exaggeration to say that Paul’s reach has become global.

Paul’s philosophy is underpinned by his Christian principles and an utterly selfless devotion to others. He lives life by a strict moral code. A man of massive inner strength yet a gentle outer touch, he is not to be underestimated. With no time for pomposity or window dressing, he prefers honesty and direct action, and will not shrink from firmness

or punishment if he feels that will be to the ultimate good of the individual.

One major event in Paul’s professional life will serve to highlight this great inner strength.

Paul was dealt a major blow in mid career, a blow that would have had devastating consequences for any lesser person. When the National Curriculum was announced in the mid nineteen nineties, Geology was not included in the list of core subjects. To Paul it was clear that the writing was on the wall for his life as a teacher. But with typical resourcefulness and determination he fought back. He applied for and was awarded a Fawcett Scholarship, allowing him to work for one day a week away from Haberdashers’ at UCL, studying for an A Level in Geography. Putting many of his pupils to shame, Paul passed the exam with flying colours, achieving an exceptionally high grade A in just a fraction of the recommended time.

Armed with this new qualification, Paul has gone on to become one of the department’s most enthusiastic and successful Geography teachers; as successful an adaptation to a changing environment as any of the palaeontological species he has enjoyed studying.

Paul is a schoolmaster of the highest order and an acute observer of others. A friend to everyone he meets, he gives everything but asks nothing. He is a great listener, a wonderful confidant, and a giver of wise council.

If you measure the height of a man by the effect that his work has had on the success and happiness of others, then Mr Hayler must surely walk amongst the tallest.

M Day

rry, Oxford, February 1977

Fieldwork at Kirtlington Qua

t Officer Day and Flight Flying Officer Hayler with Pilo Norton, July 1983 Lieutenant Talbot, RAF Brize 116

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Skylark 2007 Common Room

Interview with Mr. Hayler To the great loss of the school and particularly Calverts House Mr Hayler is retiring at the end of year after 25 or so years of fabulous service to the school. An ardent housemaster and winsome school statesmen Mr. Hayler has excelled as a Geography teacher.

What Do you Consider to be the Best part of being a housemaster?

There are so many best parts, they would have to include watching all the inter-House events, I like all the events because they reveal so much about the character of the competitors as well as their ability. Two boys of equal ability finish very close to each other in the 100m and in the discus but when it comes to cross country one of them will dig that little bit deeper into his resources. On the same theme some boys are much better as individual players while others only bring out something special when they are representing a team. I also enjoy seeing the way in which some boys improve their standards so much over the years, rising from a rather ordinary tenth place in House javelin to become the best in the school three years later. It is especially rewarding to see a boy excel who didn't think he was special at all, Every concert and play I watch, every exam I invigilate, every lesson I take, every Mencap Funday I attend, every debate I hear argued etc I am always conscious of the Calverts boys who are there, and I'm just a little ashamed to say that I do think of them as "my boys", I even enjoy finding their lost property - now that really is sad!

What is the Worst Part of being a housemaster?

The worst part is working with those boys who really are struggling at school and who don't seem to be making any progress despite their struggles. Those who just can't get to grips with languages, or can't break into the cricket team, or can't concentrate. Both the boys and their parents have such faith in us too put right any problems. It is now clear to me that the best way forward is to make the most use of the talents you have been given. You may want to be the captain of rugby but if your skills are in chess that's what you should develop; just play the rugby for fun.

On your trips with the Geography department, what do you enjoy most about the trips?

All the residential Geography Field work is enjoyable, so much so that despite the fact that we usually run them in holiday time we always take more teachers than we need because they all want to go. While the pupils are all working in the evening on the residential trips they sometimes think we have gone to the pub. The truth is that we spend most of the time talking about the work we are going to be doing with the pupils next day, but we also enjoy just being able to chat with each other in a way that is almost impossible at school because its so busy during the day. We all enjoy the trips because it is so often the very thing that drew us into the subject in the first place, everyone remembers something they did on a field trip, including a few things they shouldn't have done.

What will you remember most about you r time at Habs?

There are certain things you will never ever forget, In teaching they are often the things you just "got way with". Driving a minibus along a motorway that hadn't been completed was memorable. The M40 was under construction but heavy driving snow had obscured all the notices.

The access road seemed a bit bumpy and it did seem odd to have a dump truck parked in the fast lane but we did 6 miles before coming back onto the A road through a farm, I got a lot of jibes from the boys about that! Letting 6th form boys use a flame thrower to clear weeds whilst on SCS "Estate Group" was also interesting, the school owned some old second world war flame throwers and we decided to clear the weeds on the North Drive. They shot flames that went right across the road in one sweep but both the boys and I only worried about possibly damaging cars, the fact that we were handling lethal weapons was not considered! We also used a device called an autoscythe for clearing the undergrowth. Again of wartime design it had toothed blades that shot backwards and forwards cutting any weeds or branches up to an inch across. The engine powered the wheels and the blades at the same time so when you let out the clutch it moved forwards and the blades started cutting. There was no guard of any description on the blades. Even the boys respected that machine and were instinctively careful of it.

Is there anyone out there who remembers it? I remember a boy call PK who really loved using it.

There are less exciting memorable events too. Meeting Princess Margaret, meeting the Queen, taking cadets on the millennium camp with 2000 cadets in ten quite enormous 200 man tents, no one got any sleep but it was a wonderful event. I wouldn't have missed them for the world.

Sagar Gupta Year 12

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Skylark 2007

Alex Newman Editor

Alex Petrides Assistant Editor

Dmitri Fominykh Assistant Editor

Sam Pinner Design

Neil Joseph Design

Duncan Jenkins CCF

Leo Davidson Originals

Peter Grant Originals / Art

Chirag Khagram Performing Arts / Drama

Toby Young Performing Arts / Music

Oliver Fox SCS

Matthew Rajan Clubs & Societies

James Fox Events

Oliver Tenzer Prep

Robert Daboul Trips

Satyam Bhagwanani Events

Oliver Inow Sport

Arun Kumarathas Sport

Matthew Slavin Photographer

Marlon Biber Photographer

J Gleeson Staff Editor 118

The Skylark Team

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...from the Headmaster The arrival of a new edition of Skylark is always an event laden with both expectation and gratitude and I am privileged yet again to recommend it to you. Every year we enjoy reading its penetrative and professional insights, the articles and reports which illustrate fond memories of the year past written in that inimitable Habs style. Its contents reflect our core aims: the fact that we challenge bright boys to achieve the highest standards, we develop a sense of community and shared values and that we support parents in preparing their sons for a fulfilled life. They reflect also the multiplicity of what happens here on a daily basis and on which this school is grounded: commitment to the fundamental principles of academic excellence, extra-curricular vitality, magnificent surroundings and facilities and the centrality of a strong and supportive sense of community.

No school can reach its potential without involving all its communities in its goals and aspirations. To that end, you will soon notice a significant improvement in the quality of our communications with our external partners, both printed and digital. In due course we hope that all of us can work together to ensure we remain not only one of the best schools in Britain, but perhaps one of the best schools in the world. And together, we will someday be able to offer the benefits of a Habs education not just to those who can afford it, but also to those who can benefit most without regard to financial constraints.

You will know that we have been as busy as ever with new initiatives in teaching and learning, pastoral care and staff development. One fine example is the idyllic new campus for our Pre-Prep school opening in September. The Prep School continues to build, in this and many other ways, on that magnificent achievement in becoming The Sunday Times Prep School of the Year.

I hope you enjoy what you read and ask you to join me in thanking all those pupils and staff who have devoted so much time in making these pages come alive.

VE R E S

AND

OB EY

With warmest good wishes.

Peter Hamilton Headmaster Summer 2007

THE HABERDASHERS’ ASKE’S BOYS’ SCHOOL Butterfly Lane, Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 3AF Tel: 020 8266 1700 Fax: 020 8266 1800 e-mail: office@habsboys.org.uk website: www.habsboys.org.uk 2

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Exceptional boys and exceptional teachers allow us to enjoy exceptional success and so we remain amongst the very best boys’ schools in the UK. We were delighted with splendid results for entrance at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Thirty-five boys were awarded places with the vast majority achieving offers at their first choice university. Last summer’s results were as uplifting as ever and the performances of the boys at ‘A’ level rewarded them with 91.4% A and B grades, and at GCSE they achieved 89.4% A* – A grades.

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The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School