HaberAske Skylark 2009

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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

2009

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Skylark 2009 Skylark Team

The Skylark Team …from the Headmaster Welcome to another new edition of Skylark, and one which finds our school in the very best of condition. Skylark is a reflection our core aims in practice: 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.

I feel immensely privileged to lead a school community such as Habs: through out my seven years as Headmaster I have found Habs to be a most enthralling and uplifting place. This is where the future of your families, of our country, begins. From age 5 through to 18, we are able to work with and nurture some of the brightest and most talented young minds in Greater London and the United Kingdom. They are all destined, if they so wish, for global success and Skylark and Skylight capture the essence academic excellence and extra-curricular vitality that allows our boys to graduate to leading positions in their chosen field in the UK, in Europe, in the Americas, in Asia and beyond.

I have said this before but I believe profoundly that our exceptional boys and exceptional teachers – working together in magnificent surroundings and facilities – allow us to enjoy exceptional success. I was delighted with the splendid results achieved by the Leavers of 2009, the vast majority of whom achieved offers at their first choice university. Indeed, their examination results at ‘A’ level were our best ever. I was equally proud of the performances of the boys following at ‘GCSE’ and ‘AS’ level. We remain, rightly, one of the very best boys’ schools in the UK.

Aaron Taylor Editor

Assistant Editor Philip Shipley

Assistant Editor Freddie Fulton

Features Ben Jacobs

Events Hasan Dindjer

Events Jonathan Metzer

Drama Andrew Shipley

Clubs & Societies Miles Coleman

Clubs & Societies Edward Schwitzer

CCF Patrick Ray

SCS Sam Heitlinger

Prep Nakul Patel

Sport Jamie Michaels

Sport Hamza Zahid

Originals Greg Steckelmacher

Literature Jordan Walsh

Yet academic excellence is simply one aspect of life at Habs. More than anything, we are a community of friends, from many diverse backgrounds but with one shared objective – to make Habs the best it can be. We are more than a school – we are a community that together shapes and benefits from the unique Habs experience.

Our aim, our calling, is be not only one of the best schools in Britain, but one of the best schools globally, offering the benefits of the Habs’ educational experience in its widest sense not just to those who can afford it, but also to those who could make the most of it without regard to financial constraint.

It is my pleasure yet again to commend Skylark to you all. I hope you enjoy what you read. My thanks, and yours, to all those pupils and staff who have made these pages, and this finest of schools, come to life.

DT Amir Khan

Head Photographer Josh Cowan

Photographer David Woolfman

Photographer Zuby Okoye

BAINES design & print 01707 876555 Printed on environmentally friendly paper A33934

Peter Hamilton Headmaster

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Performing Arts..........................................4 Events ......................................................15 Trips .........................................................27 Originals...................................................45 Features...................................................64 Prep & Pre-prep.......................................77 Clubs and Societies .................................89 Houses ...................................................100 CCF / SCS...............................................107 Sport ......................................................115 Old Haberdashers’ .................................133 Common Room ......................................141 The Skylark Team ..................................147

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Performing Arts

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The Madness of George III Senior School Play Plays like The Madness of George III are done, these days, in only three places: the National Theatre, drama schools and boys’ schools. And it takes a boys’ school with a very particular blend of nerve and talent even to think of doing it, and to pull it off with such style and panache.

It is almost ten years ago since the responsibility of doing justice to a Norton/Haberdashers’ production was last thrust upon me. Seemingly, despite the wonders of that performance of Henry V, talent runs even deeper these days, enthusiasm dwindles not and the HABS drama band-wagon has assumed, if possible, even more vim, even more swagger.

What an evening!

The Madness of George III is a fantastic play, and a fantastic choice of play for a large, varied, intelligent and sensitive cast. In charting the temporary madness of George III it moves through various spheres of life, investigating as it goes the political, social, moral and emotional ramifications of insanity. His shocking and brutal treatment and his heartbreaking separation from his beloved wife, are not only of historical interest but stir us on a direct level emotionally.

Of course, the scale of the play alone places a great deal of pressure on its performers; a pressure doubled by their greater responsibility here for setting the scene, its mood and tempo and especially for telling the story on such an elegant but sparsely furnished stage. It is to the enduring credit of Haberdashers’ drama that resources, vision, talent and execution all seem to run at such high levels together.

There is the danger for a large cast of a weak link, from which the thing can never quite recover: again, no such problem here. The cast went about their work with great aplomb. There were so many servants, butlers, doctors, artists, politicians, doormen, dressers, and waiting ladies pouring on and off the stage in a constant stream of business and colour that the ‘world’ of the play was so successfully created that I quite wanted, for a day or two, for ‘Sharp, sharp. The king, the king’ to accompany my every entrance into a room. A real household was created before our eyes, with all its devotion, loyalty, love, jealousy, cynicism and corruption. In essence an extremely strong ensemble performance.

Olivia Renney, as Queen Charlotte, gave us an elegant and understated performance, perfectly balanced against George’s bluster and wit and brought both comedy and depth to their relationship. It was in no small part down to her

quiet and devoted devastation that their cruel separation was so heartbreaking.

A swaggering, haughty, but not entirely despicable Prince of Wales was gorgeously brought to life by Sam Briggs, ably manipulated with varying degrees of cunning and stupidity by his ghastly entourage including a fabulously dense Duke of York from Alex Sherr, and the delightfully scheming Jack Finger as Mr. Fox. Matthew Cowen, by contrast, gave us the very essence of duty and purpose in his upstanding, responsible and touching Mr. Pitt. A strong and sturdy Dundas from Niall Moore played excellently opposite Charles Reith’s rather shady Thurlow.

Bringing a fabulous mixture of absurdity and horror with them, the king’s doctors were perfect. We end up thanking and admiring the uncompromising Dr. Willis, played with great presence by Elliott Ross. Here was a performance unafraid to be disliked, sure of himself and of his purpose, entirely in character. Before him we had sat through three of the most terrifying idiots imaginable, none more so than the fabulous Adam Pabiani wonderfully insisting that ‘the stool is more eloquent than the pulse’! Magnificently bringing Dr. Pepys to grotesque life, he stood alongside the austere Dr. Warren (Sam Gaus) and the idiotic but loyal household doctor Sir George Baker (Sam Heitlinger), stood together onstage sneering and plotting against one another.

Further comedy was offered by Philip Stocks as Sir Boothby Skyrmshir and Richard Breislin as his nephew Ramsden who, although mute, nearly managed to steal the show.

At the heart of the play, of course, is the king.

And what a king! A towering central performance from the outstanding Alex Woolf 5

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was not only wonderful in itself, but made the other performances possible. He supplied the play with its heart and soul and gave a performance of staggering maturity, subtlety and clarity. Bravely he allowed expression to George’s rampant sexual appetite, a source of great humour. He made his character’s famous ‘what, what’ so much his own that when it returned to him as he returned to health there was collective rejoicing in the audience. To have played so convincingly and persuasively an old man’s descent into madness at such a tender age, and to have done so encompassing all the rage, confusion, and pathos demanded by the part was no mean feat, but his seamless transition into ‘playing’ King Lear was simply extraordinary. Both Lear and George demand that we believe that it is possible to see truth in madness. This performance gave voice to that most eloquently.

But one performance doth not a play make and credit must go to the whole company, not only for their individual performances but for the collective effort, for the fine ensemble playing which is lamentably so rarely found in theatre these days. The relationships were so finely wrought and pitched so well that none of the action seemed forced at any point and the audience were allowed in and allowed to care. I have mentioned the relationship between husband and wife, but special mention must also be made of the Pitt/King duo. Their scenes were played with poise and simplicity, never denying us the chance to see both the great personal admiration each had for the other and the intense frustration on 6

both sides at the impossibility of conducting constructive business: a marriage of a different kind, but as central as the other marriage in the play.

There was great joy on stage throughout. The message of the play is to do with love: love as a tender, essential and healing force in life; as George himself says on his return to health: ‘love, that is the keynote’. This production never lost sight of that without ever toppling into sentimentality and using the brutal depiction of medical science and the absurdity of the Prince of Wales as potent antidotes.

It is the job of professional critics to encourage audiences to see a production. Alas, I can’t

given Madness’ short life. Nevertheless it was a wonderful evening and one which will linger in the memory.

Richard Goulding Richard Goulding is a professional actor, who was plucked out of drama school to play opposite Sir Ian McKellen in the last Royal Shakespeare Company production of “The Eagle”, and has had an impressive start to his career.

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The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Middle School Play Middle school plays are an odd phenomenon – young actors and actresses have the task of portraying mature adults in serious situations. At HABS, the actors are never given something simple to play, and this year was no different.

Bertholt Brecht’s chilling piece The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is one of the hardest tasks with which the middle school has ever been presented. Set in 1930s Chicago it is an allegory for the rise of Hitler in Germany of the same time period. This presented the boys with the seemingly impossible challenge of playing German characters, written by a German, in American accents and with American cultural references. However, they rose to it with ease, and the result was perhaps the best middle school play of recent years, and certainly one of the best school productions around.

From the first moment, as Efe Uwaifo announced the situation of the play, and introduced the main characters, it was clear that they were not fazed by their task, and that the audience were in for a display of brilliance.

Every scene is based on a real event, and despite the use of the Chicagoan accent, the political characters of Weimar Germany were made clearly apparent.

Darius Price’s high maniacal laugh as Giri,

representing Hermann Goering, was enough to scare all those concerned, and Richard Breislin’s honest old Dogsborough (Hindenburg) was deeply moving, as he reflected on 80 years of work being destroyed by one moment of selfishness, shadowed by his adoring son, Imy Shibu. Other members of Ui’s gang were also played brilliantly, including the Matthew Perlman as the ill-fated Ernesto Roma, and Faadil Patel playing the limping Givola. Ui’s bullying bodyguards were played by Dominic Dyett and Alok Prinja. Eliot Cohen also impressed in his wonderfully over-the-top triple role of Actor, Judge, and Priest, performing Mark Antony’s famous funeral speech in a truly thespian style.

The Cauliflower Trust, played by Jack Mackenzie, Sahvan Karia, Jack Reitman, Nick Royce, and Adam Kayani (who also took on the part of Defence Counsel) were the model of trust, showing how the honest workers were trapped into protection rackets, and the futility of resistance, as did Harry Krais, as Hook, whose warehouse was burnt down This futility was also seen in the performance of AkshayKishan Karia, who seemed both physically and psychologically bullied by the gang, as Ignatius Dullfleet. Another excellent performance well outside the normal boys-school comfort zone came from Loic Desplanques, as Betty Dulfleet, who had the incredibly difficult task of playing

the opposite sex. Scott Gordon was the model of the exasperated but well-intentioned police chief as O’Casey.

All this was brought together, by fantastic ensemble playing. No actor seemed there to make up the numbers, and all pulled their weight in what was a magnificent success. As one teacher remarked, ‘One of the best things was the way that boys in smaller roles, playing in the background, had moments of unexpected brilliance’. Reece AugustinSpooner, as Goodwill, gave a memorable singing performance, and worked well with Glenn Edwards, as Gaffles. Jack Adler, Riyan Shah, Michali Demetroudi, Joseph Myers, and Zak Kay played the reporters and vegetable sellers who gave the performance its bustling nature. All of them deserve hearty congratulations.

One deserves separate mention, however. In a play with a title character, one person is always placed under special pressure. And this year, as Arturo Ui, succeeding such heavyweights as Anthony Sher, Leonard Rossiler and David Tennant in the role, James Colenutt took the extraordinary weight placed on his shoulders and threw it around the stage. It was he who marked Hitler’s transition from angry ambitious bully to cool political operator, including along the way one of the best goosestep scenes outside Fawlty Towers. He fit the character

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perfectly, with his manner changing quickly and without warning from flattery to maniacal anger.

This was complemented by his change, over the course of the play in vocal tones, from the unpleasant staccato of a mobster to the fierce rhetoric of a demagogue, in appearance, from slicked-back hair and pencil moustache to Hitler fringe and toothbrush ‘tache, and in gesture – his penultimate scene, played over the top of a recording of an actual Nazi Rally, was characterised by the sharp movements and violence of Hitler’s public speaking, so that by the finish the audience was in no way deceived as to who he was meant to be.

And it was he who reminded us, as he stepped out of character to break the ‘fourth wall’ at the end, of the real greatness of this piece – its antityrannical message. In Brecht’s words “The world was almost won by such an ape! The nation’s put him where his kind belong. But do not rejoice too soon at your escape — The womb he crawled from is still going strong.” The true success of this production came not from any individual display of acting, or any special technical effects – although the red Nazi banners unfurling with a snap does stick in the memory, and much credit must go not only to Hugh Silver and his team (Philip Whitehead,

Shaneil Shah, Ashley Talai, and Jack Tallboys but to George Cox, who made the fantastic tommyguns from scratch, Simone Jones, who provided wonderfully detailed costumes, and Bruno Heinen and Michael Winawer for performing live music) – but that this message was so comprehensively put across whilst maintaining the humour and involvement contained in the script – an almost impossible feat.

Andrew Shipley L6

Backstage Pass

“Murder! Extortion!

Highway Robbery!”

After months of hectic rehearsals, a magnificent, thrilling and exciting performance of “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui” was performed by students of the middle school (Year 9’s and 10’s).

This was my first performance at HABS and I was anxious and somewhat nervous when auditioning because I wasn’t confident that I would get through. As I succeeded and was selected to be part of the cast, I was relieved and looked forward to the rehearsals. From then on there was serious work to do and there were rehearsals during lunch breaks and after school. And not only that, as we were getting closer to the performance nights there were rehearsals during the weekend usually on Sunday (a rest day! Ha Ha Ha!). Not only was I twiddling my thumbs at times and getting homework out of the way, I also had to forgo a cricket match here or there.

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But this level of commitment had to be made for this performance to be presented to an audience for them to enjoy a piece of skilled art work of Drama.

thrilling pace. All three performance nights whizzed by as though “time was flying”. It was exhilarating with the last performance being the best.

The play was about Arturo Ui, a fictional 1930’s Chicago mobster who attempted to control the cauliflower racket by ruthlessly disposing of the opposition. The play also makes parallels to Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany - Ui representing Hitler, his henchman Ernesto Roma representing Ernst Rohm, and fate of Cicero city was compared to Austria. Every scene is the play is based on a real event such as “the Warehouse-fire Trial” (the Reichstag Fire Trial) – just full of parallels!

What started off as a hotch-potch of people ended up being a team of actors. The hardworking and diligent team effort paid off in fabulous performances. This performance wouldn’t have been the same without James Colenutt playing the leading role (Arturo Ui) or without an ensemble of effort from the cast. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, and I have learnt a lot and made some good friends.

As the days were flying by and the performance nights were approaching, we were all experiencing a mixture of emotions.

On the first night the whole cast was apprehensive but excited and thrilled at the same time. As we progressed through the performance it was a breeze and every scene and act ran smoothly and at a steady yet

By Riyan Shah Year 9

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Junior School Play As the lights opened onto the packed drama studio on a balmy summer evening, the audience caught their first glimpse of the great visual spectacle that lay before them. The entire stage had been transformed, by Hugh Silver and his enthusiastic stage crew, into a magical chocolate factory. The impressive set was enhanced by the audacious use of video projectors by the Director, Jeremy Cox. They provided the stunned audience with a multi-dimensional feast, with effects such as the fantastic Chocolate River, Nut room and the Invention room which appeared as though they were spilling over into the audience.

The performance began with an assured and performance from the Narrator played confidently by Joe Fraser who introduced the very colourful characters who emerged from the audience. The Narrator was used all throughout the performance and brilliantly

linked the separate scenes. The audience was then transported to the Bucket household where the family, played by Danny Wiser, Boaz Levy, Yash Kejriwal, Irfan Allana, Arun Mehta, Rufus McAlister and Sam Sharpe as Charlie Bucket, were first introduced to us. The play soon progressed to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory where we first met the protagonist, Willy himself. He was played expertly by the masterful Anand Patel who perfectly grasped the mystery and magic of the iconic role. Soon Wonka began his tour of the factory with the golden ticket winners, Simon Cobb playing Augustus Gloop, Zak Mandell as Varuca Salt, Chris Combemale as Mike teavee, Violet Beauregarde played by Harry Graham and of course Charlie our hero.

As soon as the tour started the lucky winners began getting lost in mysterious ways. The most memorable was the disappearance of Augustus Gloop who appeared as though he was dragged into the projected Chocolate River

and under the stage. Mike Teavee’s end was also extremely imaginative. The use of live cameras and pre-recorded video meant it appeared as though the actor had actually travelled through a TV set and into a strange new world. With his expulsion Charlie was left as the final ticket winner and the end of the play. Charlie himself was played by Sam Sharpe, in contrast to the other winners, as an innocent and honest boy and much of the audience’s faith was invested in him.

This year’s Junior School Play, marvellously fitting in with the fine drama tradition at Habs, was an outrageous success due to its fantastic cast, imaginative set and projections and brilliant direction from Jeremy Cox who’s priceless advice and instruction was valued highly by the entire cast and crew.

James Colenutt 11M1

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Barbican Gala Concert Pacing nervously through the labyrinth of corridors that forms the backstage to the Barbican hall, one cannot fail to be struck by the pictures of the world’s greatest musicians gracing its stage. And so it was that, suitably humbled, the joint choirs, bands and orchestras of HABS Girls’ and Boys’ Schools rehearsed on the afternoon of Monday 16th March 2009. HABS Boys last travelled to the Barbican in 2006, but following the success of the following year’s joint orchestral concert, it was decided that our next Gala concert should be a joint venture.

The concert was opened by the compère for the evening, Alasdair Malloy, the Principal Percussionist of the BBC Concert Orchestra (and father of two performers), and the Combined Symphony Orchestra took to the stage. This force of over 150 players, under the baton of Andrew Philips, the Girls’ School Director of Music, started the concert vigorously with Stravinsky’s Circus Polka. The 1942 work, subtitled For a Young Elephant, was composed for a ballet performed by fifty elephants and fifty ballerinas. The music, therefore, mimics the sounds of the circus, with a dainty flute and piccolo passage played over elephantine tuba and lower strings. A great change of mood was to follow, as the sensitivity of the orchestra was displayed through Ravel’s moving Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Infanta,) evoking the elegance of a young princess and the Spanish court as she moves through the steps of the pavane. The piece affords the wind colorful solo passages, which were played to great effect, balancing the subtle pianissimo marking with the need to fill the large hall with sound. Finaly, the orchestra mustred up great nationalist spirit with the Karelia Suite

by Finish composer Jean Sibelius. The second movement’s Cor Anglais solo was handled skilfully by Max Jenkins, and the stirring third movement (Alla Marcia) played energetically by the powerful brass section.

There followed the enthusiastic Joint Prep Schools’ Senior Choirs, with Gummersson’s Singing all together, Simmons’ Butterfly, and Hine Ma Tov. This large choir, led jointly by Ms Hoffler of the Boys’ School and Mr Swindon of the Girls’ displayed an impressive sense of ensemble and great energy in their performance. Closing the first half was Mr Simm’s Big Band, a group that has so much improved over recent years. Their first piece was the demanding A Night in Tunisia, written by Dizzy Gillespie and Frank Paparelli, a rhythmic and loud piece, which showed off the performers’ ensemble playing. Their second piece was Gordon Goodwin’s hugely exciting Count Bubba, in which the Band played with great precision and clarity in the technical passages in which the theme is moved around the various sections of the ensemble Suitably refreshed, the audience returned to the Girls’ School St Catherine Singers, led by Ms Caperon, providing great sensitivity with Passereau’s Il est bel et bon, and Kodaly’s Mountain Heights, a wordless piece with evocative harmonic passages. They closed with Sondheim’s lively You could drive a person crazy. It was left, then, to Alasdair Malloy to introduce the final act, the powerful Combined Choral Society, accompanied by the Joint Chamber Orchestra. They played the seven movements of John Rutter’s Feel the Spirit, a work based around ‘seven negro spirituals,’ arranged to create a great range in the sounds of the orchestra. So the opening Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, was followed by the evocative Steal Away, with the mezzo-soprano solo sung by Kate Symonds-Joy, an opera student at the Royal Academy of Music. Various orchestral solos in the wind and brass punctuate the choir’s melodic lines, and provided a huge diversity in dynamic and timbre. The energetic finale, When the Saints go marching in, provided a very enjoyable end to a successful evening. Thanks, as always, must go to Mr Muhley, Mr Simm, Miss Cousens and Miss Valentine, along with the instrumental staff and the music teachers at the Girls’ School. The concert provided a valuable experience for the performers, and a wonderful evening for all.

Aaron Taylor L6

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Battle of the Bands For two days, on March 23rd and 24th, Haberdashers’ was transformed from a Hertfordshire boys’ school to a full-blown festival, complete with lasers, smoke and, of course, lots of very loud music. Yes, it is true: Battle of the Bands had returned to the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School for yet another extremely successful year.

The performance was opened with a brief, but impressive guitar solo from school legend Johnny Parr, before the audience was treated to the sight of presenters Raphael Rosler and Charlie Reith evidently in their finest attire. They introduced the first band, Inquest, a band that comprised two Upper Sixth girls from the Girls’ School and three Year 8 boys, who gave a spirited performance to begin the show.

The next band was Peter and the Senior Management, who opened their set with a blistering rendition of Let Me Entertain You. Adorned with make-up and donning prefects’ cloaks, they embodied what the spirit of fun that surrounds this event. They then played the Supertramp classic Goodbye Stranger, complete with Wurlitzer and full guitar effects. The drummer, Matthew Anisfeld was subsequently awarded the prize of “Best Drummer” for his excellent performance.

The final band on the first day, Beatless had clearly rehearsed every moment of their set to perfection. Lead guitarist Kaz Ong was set to win the award for “Best Guitarist” after a blisteringly fierce solo in the legendary song Sweet Child O’ Mine which he performed with flair and gusto. The band would go on to win the entire competition after a truly spectacular performance.

The second day was opened by the aptly named Pokémaniacs who performed the Pokémon theme tune, bringing back fond memories of the past.

They were quickly followed by L.S.D. who performed a highly experimental set including whipping out an unexpected cover of Low by Flo Rida, arranged for a full rock band. Their singer, Daiyaan Ghani won the “Best Vocalist” award this year for his spirited performance. The next band, Pancreas, saw the welcome return of an Old Haberdasher, Daniel Mahaffey, who was set to win the “Best Bassist” category. Pancreas performed popular hits by Radiohead, The Strokes and Bloc Party and pulled off an extraordinary performance, despite the lead singer forgetting to turn on his microphone at the beginning of the set.

Shmully and the Gentiles, a band made up of the organisers of the event provided entertainment while the judges made their decision. Overall, the event was widely felt to be a resounding success.

Jonathan Metzer L6 11

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Junior Concert

Wind Bands‘ Concert

The Seldon Hall rang with great music, it made the parents‘ and teachers‘ jaws drop.

Amid the turbulent weather and subsequent disruption that surrounded the beginning of the year, the Wind Bands‘ Concert stands out as one of the most memorable events of the first half of the Spring Term, with its eclectic mix of music ranging from the baroque period up to the present day. Proceedings were begun by the ever-popular Jazz Band playing Duke Ellington’s exotic jazz classic Caravan, played with flair by all members of the ensemble. As the concert continued, it was obvious to all present that ensemble wind music at HABS is of a high standard on all instruments and in all genres, whether in the form of the Senior Brass’s rendition of pieces evoking the atmosphere of New York, the Flute Quartet’s lively playing of the Gavotte & Musette from Grieg’s Holberg Suite or bassoonists Harry Mistry and Eshan Singhal performance of the traditional Scottish Skye Boat Song. This part of the concert was concluded with the Concert Band invigorating the audience with John William’s Raiders March from the Indiana Jones films, conducted by Mr Simm.

This was the Junior Concert.

Although one of the smaller concerts, held this year in the Seldon Hall at on the 26th November, it is always a delight to see young and old musicians side-by-side performing such great entertainment in the Junior Concert. To some it was the first concert and all the young boys put their nerves beside and played the music they enjoy the best that they could, with spectacular results.

Mr Pritchard started the concert with his famous Jazz Band, most notably performing Chameleon

by Herbie Hancock. The Jazz Band played so fluently that it was hard for the other music groups to compete. The spectators were in luck: they did compete. After several skilled guitarists played Two Basque Folksongs, the quiet, gentle and peaceful flutes played Tango which was led by Miss Core.

Next Miss Harvey directed the Saxophone Choir who played the Sea Song. Just before the interval the youngest band of the night played: The FT Band, a new brass band for beginners conducted by Mr Bentley, gave a fantastic rendition of the American Spirit Overture.

The second half started well with FT Band‘s string sister: the String Orchestra which is the start of any great string player. The Brass Ensemble then played an audience favourite: the theme from Wallace and Gromit. The audience was then treated to an elegant solo by Keval Haria, who played a magnificent piece by Hasse. He received a standing ovation in what was surely one of the highlights of the evening. Another group of guitarists gave a vibrant performance of the Wild West Medley. Then the concert closed with the largest ensemble, the Wind Sinfonia. This was lead by HABS’ newest music teacher: Miss Cousens, who brought the best out of all the Sinfonia’s members. The parents left in high spirits after hearing the Armed Forces March and Soul Bossa Nova (the theme from Austin Powers).

Hugo Davidson Year 7

Guitar & Percussion Concert “Oh bother!” was an exclamation heard all too many times, in the Percussion Studio during the build up to the guitar and percussion concert. Whatever our doubts, the performances would come together in a most formidable way. Despite its reputation as one of the more noisy concerts (to put it lightly) Messrs Beryl and Woodhouse put on a plethora of contrasting and entertaining pieces.

The concert took the audience on a journey around the musical world. A performance of Afro Amero by a percussion ensemble and Ghanaia performed solo by Raphael Rosler displayed a rich African influence. We visited Spain with a solo marimba performance of Asturias by Matthew Anisfeld and many Spanish influenced guitar pieces. Mr Woodhouse himself graced the stage to join a guitar ensemble playing a traditional Spanish mandolin. This was, as ever, the most diverse concert of the year. The audience was treated to a roaring finale of Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever, arranged for full percussion ensemble, which was promptly repeated for an encore, and the audience emerged having thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Matthew Anisfeld L6

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The second half began in fine spirits, as the Wind Sinfonia, under the baton of Miss Cousens, wowed the audience with the Mission Impossible theme tune, setting a high standard for the remainder of the evening. This was easily matched by the newly-formed FT Band, for younger members of the school, playing the old favourite, the Macarena. Special mention must go to the Jazz Flute Group & Friends, who not only played Gershwin’s Do It Again with considerable style, but also performed an original piece by pianist James Rose entitled What Of It? The final item was the Big Band, renowned throughout the school for their gutsy performances and powerful sound. This proved to be no exception, their renditions of Dizzy Gillespie’s classic Night in Tunisia and Gordon Goodwin’s Count Bubba stunning all present.

Congratulations are due to Woodwind Prize winner Rohan Sheth and recipients of the Wesley Woodage Brass Prize Luke Tullo and Will Martin, all of whom were highly deserving of their awards. As the audience left the hall, their ears buzzing with the sounds of the evening, the minds of the Concert Band and Big Band turned to their impending performances in the National Festival of Music for Youth, only hoping that they could replicate the sheer sense of joy and energy of that night’s excellent concert.

Andrew Rose L6

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Autumn Concert Haberdashers’ Concert Band, under the brand new baton of Mr Simm, opened the Autumn Concert of 2008 to tremendous applause. Having just returned from a tour of Budapest and Vienna, the players were excited to perform a medley from the West End smash The Producers and did so with natural flair. We look forward to the forthcoming sounds from the Concert Band under its new direction. Leland Hui is an impressive performer with natural flair and tremendous technique. Through further study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, his performance has been nurtured, leading him to win the much acclaimed HABS Young Musician of the Year 2008 Title. His performance of Brahms’ Rhapsody in G Minor was a very welcome addition to the evening.

Mr Beryl, percussionist extraordinaire, led his ensembles to success once again, reminding us all of the music department’s diverse nature, owing to the fact that many of the percussionists play several other instruments as well. Big Band closed the first half with a remarkable rendition of Mofongo. Mr Simm has taken the ensemble a long way from when he joined the school and it was delightful to hear such a tight sound from a very successful ensemble. Mr Corrall who leaves the school after many dedicated years’ service put in a surprise appearance as Old McDonald whilst the whole of Year 7 sang a medley of popular tunes and the Symphony Orchestra closed the night with a night from The Nutcracker.

Raphael Rosler U6

Orchestral Concert The Orchestral Concert of 2008 saw a variety of performances including soloist Euan Au and two string quartets playing a huge repertoire of pieces for the audience’s enjoyment. Experienced performer and conductor Mr Bantock has always found fun and exciting articles for his ensembles to play. This year was no different and the audience was treated to Is this the way to Amarillo?, played by a cello ensemble and Russian Fantasy, played by the Philomusica ensemble at a level far beyond what is expected, even of a school of Haberdashers’ calibre. HABS String Soloists gave remarkable renditions of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and of Adagio for Organ and Strings. Their enthusiasm was matched by the delicate playing and attention to detail. New recruit, Miss Cousens performed with the ensemble on the school’s brand new organ.

The Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Mr Gee, performed a fine rendition of Legend 1, a contemporary work by Alfonso Romero as well as Double Bass Concerto by Alan Ridout, performed with finesse by Aaron Winsloe. a longstanding member of the Symphony Orchestra, Aaron recently became a member of the National Youth Orchestra, undoubtedly the UK’s best youth orchestra. After leaving the school this year, he will go on to perform in the BBC Proms with the NYO. His dedication and commitment to rehearsals will be sorely missed in the years to come. The audience left in high spirits after a greatly successful concert.

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Summer Concert The Summer Concert is always one of the most memorable of the year at HABS, which was especially true this year on May 7th. An excited audience filled the hall and were treated first to a rousing performance by Mr Simm’s Concert Band playing Tribute to Count Basie, led by Aaron Taylor. The excitement continued with two of Mr Beryl’s Percussion Ensembles: the younger group playing Maheeko and a fine tribute to the USA in the elders’ rendition of The Stars and Stripes. The ensembles continued with some of the best saxophonists in the school and their director, Miss Harvey, playing Fairplay in a vibrant performance, followed by a beautiful and soothing recital of La Castãna by Mr Woodhouse’s Guitar Ensemble. Mr Bantock’s cellists then played with intricacy and style the Beatles’ classic Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. The final act of the first half was the Big Band, with their enthusiastic and jazzy conductor, Mr Simm. Their piece Hunting Wabbits was as always with the Big Band, exciting and superbly performed.

As the audience enjoyed their surprise summertime ice-cream in the foyer, they were entertained by Mr Pritchard’s Jazz Band, who played The Girl from Ipanema as well as other fun pieces of different styles.

The Philomusica ensemble was an act that nobody could forget. They showed their ability to play varying styles when they performed Gymnopedie No. 1 and the Austin Powers theme, Soul Bossa Nova, dressed in their elegant scarves, with their umbrellas, for the first, and in their bright 60s’ hats and wigs for the latter, and in some cases, dresses! The conductor, Mr Bantock, was seen in a completely different light, here, with his lit up baton, and crown. A marimba solo followed, played by Raphael Rosler, who showed his truly outstanding ability, amazing the audience with the virtuosic playing. The Jazz Trio also played very impressively together, with James Rose’s stylish piano, Ben Cherkas’ skilful bass, and Ishwar Mahesh’s talented drumming. The final act was HABS’ Symphony Orchestra, which first played the Rienzi Overture conducted by Mr Muhley, and then involved the all of the audience and pupils in an uplifting rendition of our beloved school song: Jerusalem.

For many of HABS’ musicians, this was their final concert, and it was definitely one to remember. They all made this evening very memorable, as of course, did the teachers who made this all happen, including Miss Valentine as well. As a result, all of the audience left the hall very pleased, and not just from the interval treats!

Akshay-Kishan Karia Year 10

Keyboard Concert Much of HABS’ musical talent seems in some way related to the piano, and this was on full display in the Keyboard Concert.

Although the Seldon Hall can be a daunting arena even at the best of times, all the students who performed pulled out the stops to make it a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Particular highlights included James Rose’s transcription of Yesterdays by Art Tatum, and Leland Hui, living up to his name as the current Young Musician of the Year and showing a tremendous talent for HABS to enjoy in the future.

The concert was started off by WeiYing Chen, with a moving rendition of Chopin’s Prelude in D flat, providing the audience with a fitting start to the concert. The half was finished off by a breathtaking performance by James, lighting up the Seldon Hall with his dazzling fingerwork. There were many other performances of credit, showcasing the talent that was on offer and that will no doubt be put to use over the coming years.

Highlights of the second half included a duet by Rufus BartKoranteng with his teacher Mr Lyon, a feat that he performed commendably. Ishwar Mahesh performed a good interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C Sharp Minor. The concert was closed off by Raphael Rosler with a tremendous performance of the 3rd Movement of Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, with his teacher from Guildhall School of Music and Drama playing the orchestral reduction on a second piano. Raphael skilfully led the audience through the nuances of the piece, making it a truly magnificent end to the concert.

Ishwar Mahesh Year 11

Young Musician of the Year This year’s music festival saw some of the most thrilling and passionate performances ever seen in the music school, in what was most certainly the highest quality final to date. A huge variety of acts performed ranging from intense cello solos to a heavy metal electric guitar duet.

Adjudicating the final was Mr Quentin Thomas (director of music at Haileybury School, Ware), who admitted that picking a winner was an almost impossible task. He commended Oliver Rutherford highly for his tasteful and well-mastered drum solo and also Ryosuke Yamada on his effortless and emotional piano performance.

In the end, Mr Thomas decided that the best performance of the evening came from Terra, Ventus, Incendia (or Earth, Wind and Fire for those non-classicists) who became the seventh winners of the Haberdashers’ Young Musician of the Year and the first ever ensemble to have been awarded the title, featuring trumpets, trombone, saxophones and a complete rhythm section.

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Orator of The Year The annual Orator of the Year commenced on a rainy Tuesday lunchtime inside the Aske Hall. After drawing randomly numbered cards determining the order of proceedings, the finalists went over their speeches on the fascinating title of 'Man is not Superman'.

Luke Ilott began proceedings with an exploration of the origins of the 'Superman' character, created by Jerry Siegel, and how that related to our present day situation with a commanding style.

Oliver Anisfeld began with a torrent of German before explaining to a perplexed audience the significance of the philosopher Nietzsche in the discussion and the concept of Übermensch and posed the question 'What is ape to man?', ergo suggesting that it was feasible for man to become superman in the future.

Matthew Anisfeld enlivened proceedings and asserted his age by relating various erotic concepts and double-entendres to the question to the equal amusement and bemusement of his listeners.

Willy Thong analysed the argument in a very structurally sound manner which guided his audience superbly, showing how technology is the superman, and the machines that we use make us superhuman.

Edward Upson, the youngest of the group, intelligently related the ideals of hero worship and the superman and exposed the follies of

society in admiring a figure such as Paris Hilton by comparison with Roger Federer.

The clear winner, however, was Akshay-Kishan Karia, who, without any prompting note cards, sublimely examined the idea of self-betterment, and argued that in reality everyone was too concerned with self-actualisation rather than the status of other human beings. This lucid critique was unanimously appraised by the judging committee as the winning speech. The Chief Judge Mrs. Gleeson voiced her praise of all of the candidates, who, she said, had put on

the best Orator final she had seen; she also said that the competition was so close that all of the other five speakers were worthy runnersup.

Akshay-Kishan Karia received the shield from previous winner Ameya Tripathi, who commended the speakers on putting on an impressive and original showing.

Ameya Tripathi Year 11

The Senior Citizens’ Tea Party Although an event primarily organised by the Girls’ School, this year has seen the biggest contribution from the boys towards the organisation of the Senior Citizens’ Tea Party.

After several months of intense work and coordination, the eight Lower Sixth boys on the committee managed to recruit volunteers and compile an entertainment schedule for the elderly guests. On the day itself, bright eyed volunteers arrived early to set up the hall and wrap presents, whilst entertainers crammed in some last minute practice. The senior citizens arrived soon after, and were politely seated at their tables – and whilst they were served tea, it was very encouraging to see the students actively chatting to guests. The entertainment then began, with notable performances from Wei-Ying Chen, Charlie Schaffer and Oliver Fox. The entertainment was brought to a close with an unforgettable stand-up comedy performance by Mr Metcalfe, who was greeted with rapturous applause. Mr Moriarty of the Girls’ School then led the audience in a number of traditional carols, many of which the volunteers had never heard, but to which

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guests sang heartily. The highlight of the day for many was the dance floor, with guests and students dancing together for most of the afternoon. Having been presented with their gifts, it was a very satisfied group of visitors who left the school in their coaches and minibuses. Thanks must go to Mrs Gomez,

Miss McKenzie, my fellow committee members and volunteers, without whom the event would not have been such a resounding success.

Ravi Shah L6

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On Sunday 21st June, we opened our doors to over 120 visitors for the annual Mencap Funday. Our new and enthusiastic committee were determined that this was going to be the best yet, and right from the beginning we knew we were on to a winner. The weather was perfect, waiting time was minimal, and each organiser was armed with a walkietalkie to smooth out any slight wrinkles.

For the first time ever we hired a troupe of animals, and the two handlers put on shows during the day. The children loved stroking and holding some of the more cuddly animals such as the chinchilla, and some of the more daring even held a tarantula! We were also grateful to the Mill Hill Rotary Club, who gave the children rides on their train around the campus.

Some of the regulars remembered and enjoyed our bouncy castle, disco, computer games, funfair, candyfloss and more.

Miss Marx and Mrs Lee, as well as the girls and boys school committees, put a huge amount of effort into the day and it really showed. Best of luck to all of those taking on the responsibility next year!

Freddie Fulton U6J1

Where else could you see the now School Captain dressed as a gigantic duck but at Mencap Funday? Every volunteer really got into the spirit of the day, some wearing costumes, some playing music for the lunchtime concert and others staying far later than they had to in order to help us clear up at the end. Dr Perera, Mrs Baron,

Mencap 2009

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Professor Anthony Slinn Lecture School-favourite Professor Anthony Slinn returned for another year on the 26th March to deliver a talk on Picasso’s famed painting “Guernica”.

Although he may not have been expecting to share the day with a visit from Jesse Jackson, Anthony Slinn delivered yet another exciting and interesting talk, as we have become accustomed to expect. Indeed, Anthony Slinn delved deep into the creation and evolution of one of Picasso’s most famous pieces, retelling the history of the horrendous Bombing of Guernica that shocked Picasso into producing the painting. As ever, Anthony Slinn embellished his account with his own understandings and opinions, interjecting his slide-show with snapshots of articles and books, and personal pictures of his own visits to the market-town Guernica as it stands today. As insightful and impressive as all of his other talks to date, Professor Anthony Slinn’s visit to HABS was enjoyed by all.

Gregory Steckelmacher L6

Goldman Sachs Finance Day On Friday 19th September 2008, four Lower Sixth students (Parav Pandya, Wei-Ying Chen, Manesh Mistry, and Ravi Shah) had the great opportunity to visit Goldman Sachs along with students from five other schools across London. Incredibly, this visit coincided with possibly the most eventful and volatile week ever witnessed in the financial world due to the sudden collapse of Lehman Brothers and HBOS. Throughout the week, worried looks were passed around as we contemplated the possibility of Goldman Sachs following its fellow banks into closure.

However, on Friday morning we were relieved to see that Goldmans was still afloat and our opportunity had not passed.

The financial, ‘maths’ day included three lectures where we learnt about some financial aspects of investment banking such as bonds, arbitrage, call and put options and hedging. Before lunch, we were treated to a tour of the building which included seeing agitated traders running exasperated (no doubt due to the current financial situation) and also visiting Goldman Sachs’ very own fitness suite which boasted the largest underground gym in England. Everyone was deeply impressed but this could not prepare us for the cafeteria which included stalls where people could design their own pizzas and eat food from over 20 countries!

However, hopes of eating there were quickly dashed as our group

promptly left the room and returned to the conference room to find a tray of sandwiches and crisps.

The event was highly informative and to test what the boys had learnt, there was a quick game to end the day off, where (naturally) we dominated, winning a Goldman Sachs stationary set. The day was extremely enjoyable thanks to a fantastic lecturer and the enthusiastic spirits of everyone there.

Parav Pandya L6

The Monmouth Initiative The experience really began on Monday 10th November, with a large dinner at Haberdashers’ Hall, a dignified yet stylish building in the centre of London. I was seated at a table comprising one Haberdasher from each of the different Haberdashers’ Schools across the country, as well as three adults, from whom we would be learning the following day. Each table had been given one specific company to visit, and each of the professionals was a high ranking member of that company. The company I was to visit was a division of Hitachi, known as Hitachi Consulting.

The dinner was the perfect place to break the ice, and introduce ourselves to the other students and adults we would be working alongside. By the end of the evening I already knew much more about Management Consultancy than I did at the beginning, and was eager to begin the next day.

We met at Haberdashers’ Hall the following morning by 8.30, and we given instructions and maps on how to find our destinations. My group’s route was by far the most complicated, and involved some walking, a ride on a bendy bus and finally a train journey. On the positive side, this meant that I had plenty of time to read some of the background material that I had been given that morning, and chat to the other pupils. Once we had arrived, we were reintroduced to some of the executives who we had met the preceding evening, and we given croissants and hot drinks, so that we might be energised for the rest of the day.

The majority of the day was listening to and participating in some minilectures. These were very interesting, varied, and often very funny. I learnt about what Hitachi does, what a Management Consultant does, and some choice Management Consultancy jokes, chosen by the vicehead of that division. My favourite talk however, was the presentation on Japanese. This was especially relevant, as this company (as well as 18

many others) was based in Japan, and regular business trips were necessary. The lady who was taking the presentation was fluent in five languages, and was giving us an insight into Japanese language and culture. We learnt some greetings and simple phrases, as well as customs and manners that are not used so much in England, such as the ritual of handing over business cards. Here, we tend to just shove them in our pocket, but that would be extremely rude in Japan. There, one accepts the card with both hands, bows slightly, and places the card in front of them on the table. Without basic etiquette lessons like this, one runs the risk of gravely offending a potential business partner, which can negatively impact the company as a whole.

By the end of the day, I had been well fed, entertained, and had learnt a huge amount, not just about Hitachi, but about office life and the world of the Management Consultant too. The day had been very worthwhile, and I have even kept in touch with some of the people I met there, and would love to come back soon.

Freddie Fulton L6

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Art Private View Another year has passed and the art department has celebrated the hard work of its GCSE, AS and A2 students with its annual display of their finished pieces in the Bourne Foyer, starting with a Private View of the exhibition on the 21st May. In traditional fashion, a guest was invited to examine each boy’s display and hand out awards where he saw fit. This year, Mr. Corrall was asked to fulfil this role – Mr. Keenleyside announced that he has previously acted as a faithful reserve, in case those asked to do so have been unable to come – and did so with great skill and enjoyment. As someone who frequently visits galleries himself, Mr. Corrall took a keen eye to studying the works on display, even asking not to be told the names of the boys who produced the artwork, in case he had had the unfortunate circumstance of meeting them in detention.

The Junior School Disco The junior school disco was a delight for all boys and girls in the years 7-8 and even some teachers. This social event was held on home turf on the Girls’ School and cost £5. The teachers there clearly thought the music was deafening but the children loved it and the next day at school, half of Year 7 was humming the tune of “Low” and “Soulja Boy”. Refreshments were served but the Haberdashers wanted to carry on partying through the night...

In the Bourne Hall there were spectacular lighting and a great field of smoke hovered over the floor and around the ankles of the pupils. The D.J. was outstanding and the spirit and energy of all the people was fantastic (probably due to all the sugar they were eating!) Even though the party was mostly in the Bourne Hall a lot of kids, at various points, went into the foyer to relax and chat to their friends whilst still listening to the music. At one moment of the night Kyle Portnoy did a fantastic dancing routine, appreciated by everyone around him.

We were greeted by hearing dogs for The Deaf and Mencap which was extremely nice. The money that was collected, which was seventy-five pounds, went towards these hearing dogs.

The night ended well with no difficulties and will be remembered by all of Year 7.

Hugo Davidson Year 7

Fred Knoller Visit On Thursday 29th January, Year 9 were fortunate to be addressed by Fred Knoller, a Holocaust Survivor who was invited to speak to the year group by the Religious Studies department. Mr Knoller enthralled his audience with candid recall of his harrowing experiences as a concentration camp prisoner in Nazi Germany and his further experiences following liberation. The Holocaust was such a terrible and devastating period of 20th century history and it was a real privilege to be able to meet and interact with someone who could speak with such authority on this subject.

Mr Knoller’s visit was part of a work scheme where students were encouraged to consider the relationship and interaction between Religion and The World. When applying these concepts to the experiences of the Holocaust victims we were able to compare key concepts such as justice and mercy, punishment and forgiveness, and dignity and community, all of

This year was also the first year that two GCSE classes have not displayed their work. Indeed, the extension of the GCSE Art course into two years meant that the Bourne Foyer was not as busy as it has been in previous years, with the Year 10 artists absent. Nevertheless, the quality of work produced was certainly as consistently good as it has ever been, providing a varied range of sculpture, paintings, drawings, collages and other mixed-media works.

Eventually, oil sets were awarded as prizes to Tom Herbert for his Cezanne-inspired cardplayers, and Tom Haniff for his equally impressive photo montage. Also at GCSE, Dan West received a prize for his detailed illustrations, as did Myles Houghton for his sculptural work. At AS Level, prizes were given to Dominic Keen for his delicate self-portraits, Charlie Schaffer for his atmospheric paintings, and to myself. Finally, at A2 Level, Michael Moore received a prize for his moody and sinister paintings. Overall, with snacks and drink available throughout the evening, the 2009 GCSE and A Level Art Show was enjoyed by all involved.

Gregory Steckelmacher L6

which are interwoven in such a complex period of history.

I found Mr Knoller’s experiences particularly moving as it echoed the experiences of my grandfather who spent part of the war in Buchenwald concentration camp. Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to hear his wartime experiences first hand as he died when I was still very young so it was a real privilege to hear Mr Knoller speak.

Guy Lewy Year 9 Charlie Ugo Year 9 19

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Target 2.0 The Bank of England was founded in 1734. Since then it has influenced the economy through the use of monetary policy. On Friday March 7th 2009, the ‘Old Lady of Threadneedle Street’ faced up to her biggest challenge; to ward off Kishan Chotai, Kevin Ferriter, Ben Lewy and Apratim Gautam in the quest for victory in the Target 2.0 Competition.

The national final was the culmination of local and regional events, both of which Habs had to have won in order to progress this far. The current economic climate made this year more exciting and unsure than most, something that Andrew Sentance, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee, was quick to point out in HABS’ regional final. Reassuringly, in both rounds previous, the Bank had followed HABS’ advice; in November the Bank cut by a percentage point to 2%, whilst it cut by 0.5% to 1% in February; both moves recommended by HABS prior to the Banks’ decision.

HABS arrived on March 6th in high spirits, and were shown around the Bank of England, even getting to hold some of the little gold reserve the Bank has left, owing to Chancellor Brown’s policies. MPC Deputy Governor Charlie Bean was tasked with ‘randomly’ picking names out of a hat to choose the running order for the frivolities of the day after. It came as no surprise, then, that HABS were to kick off the day, in arguably the hardest position for a team to compete in. HABS politely declined tickets to Joseph and the Technicolour Coat on Thursday night; we can only hope Mr. King enjoyed the show without us.

Friday morning’s presentation was preceded with a few nerves, but nothing to unduly worry the team. The presentation ran smoothly, with everyone performing as well or better as they had in practice sessions

and previous rounds. The question and answer session was an interaction between the judges (including Charlie Bean and Anatole Koltesky). The questions often bordered on University level, but HABS performed commendably, and were praised by a Times reporter as having an ‘excellent, high quality presentation’. The HABS team were unsure whether they were able to entertain the Headmaster, who was in residence for HABS’ presentation, but his presence was greatly appreciated. All that was left to do was to watch the other (sometimes less captivating) presentations from other teams.

The moment of truth had finally arrived, but passed all to suddenly, HABS having been denied once more despite fielding its ‘strongest team’ of all past HABS finalists. In the end, deserved or not, commendations were given to Peter Symonds College, Winchester. HABS nonetheless valued their experience in the competition, and will, as always, be back next year with a vengeance.

Apratim Gautam U6

Social Skills Day “Manners maketh man” is an adage with which the HABS boy is surely familiar. On Friday the 12th of June, members of the Lower 6th learnt the practical importance of William of Wykeham’s words as they honed their ‘soft skills’ and refined themselves as sophisticated members of civil society.

Rachel Holland Associates are the leading specialists in modern etiquette and style (notable for their appearance in productions such as ‘Ladette to Lady’) and offered the boys a number of different workshops with expert instruction.

In a session on stylish dress, boys discovered the different skin and hair tones and how these were to be accompanied by the appropriate suits, shirts, and ties. There was also the opportunity to complete a ‘style questionnaire’ after which several boys were dismayed to learn their dress sense did not resemble that of Pierce Brosnan, the archetypal ‘International’ dresser.

The topic of personal grooming was explored further than some had anticipated in a workshop featuring facials and even manicures. The importance of looking after oneself in society was espoused as a central tenet of modern etiquette, and one that allowed the young gentleman to project his best

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possible impression.

Modern manners also of course require promptness and thorough organisation, and this was duly addressed in a particularly engaging session on planning and events management. In small groups, boys were tasked with organising a (thankfully fictional) charity ball and then making a presentation of it to the wider group with a detailed timetable.

Much of the more traditional subject matter of etiquette was dealt with in two classes on conversation and deportment. In the former, boys became skilled in the intricacies of polite discourse at various formal events. In the latter, the arts of standing, sitting, and walking

properly were studied and perfected, as was the perfect handshake. A welcome emphasis was placed on transferring these skills to the world of work and university, for example in practising how one might approach the manners of a formal interview.

The day was both enjoyable and fruitful; the members of the Lower 6th will no doubt carry with them its lessons for the future. Thanks must go to Rachel Holland Associates for running the sessions, and also of course to Mrs Pollock, without whose organisation the day would not have gone ahead

Hasan Dindjer L6

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Dragon’s Den Temperatures soared at HABS on Wednesday 24th June. This was nothing to do with the weather, although “high pressure” was certainly a theme of the day. Instead the temperatures were raised by three fire-breathing dragons visiting the school to judge the final stage of the HABS Dragons’ Den competition.

Ravi Shah, Serge Albohayre, Krishna Patel and the other legendary members of the team along with Mr. Hall, the new Head of the Economics Society managed the event with a carefully defined battle plan. Students of history will know that no battle plan survives the first few minutes of battle, and their plan was no exception – one team withdrew from the competition literally two hours before the start.

In most environments this would have been a problem; in ours it was a great opportunity.

Budding entrepreneurs Josh Manasseh, Casey Swerner and Matthew Worby leapt into the fray with gazelle-like elegance, preparing a stunning business proposition complete with financial projections over a leisurely lunch break. Moments before the off, they joined the other teams which included “old” HABS Boys Alessandro Furlotti, Sam Gaus, and Michael Hollins, another Lower Sixth team Adam Pack and Khilan Engineer and a HABS Girls’ team led by Gemma Caplan.

When the clock struck 1.20pm, the ideas, the business acumen, and the wit were on call.

The dragons strolled into the room, and immediately the audience of 30 realised that they were in for an afternoon of high tension.

Mr. Hall, presenter and entertainer for the duration of the event, introduced the dragons and removed himself a safe distance off the stage as he introduced the first group of young entrepreneurs: the HABS Girls’ team.

Immediately the attention of the audience was captured as they brought up a PowerPoint presentation supported by a slick narrative; their aim was to establish cheaper and more sustainable energy for the benefit of the planet’s future by loaning photovoltaic cells to the residents of Barnet. The dragons attacked them with a ferocity that brought the more fragile members of the audience close to tears.

Yet the girls tamed the dragons with ease and skill.

The next team to present was that of Matthew, Josh and Casey. They presented their idea of ‘PodStar’ to the fierce judges in a confident manner. Their idea was simple: to create a virtual school online whereby students can catch up on any lessons missed via a system of podcasts. All seemed well and good till they demanded £20,000 from the judges, at which point the judges put them under heavy

scrutiny. However, along with Mr. Hall’s apparent backing of the project and their oozing confidence in dealing with pressure, they managed to successfully convince the judges that it was a worthwhile investment.

Next came the much-awaited partnership of Adam Pack and Khilan Engineer; a heated pen.

Indeed, a pen that becomes hot. Not many people would have thought that it would come of much use; nevertheless the HABS boy charm managed to convince the audience otherwise. Having finally persuaded the judges that the product was safe and that this unique product was predicted 20,000 sales in the first year, the judges seemed on board.

Finally came the re-launch of a helmet-style ice cream holder named ‘Cycone’. The group consisting of Alessandro, Sam, and Michael were attempting to break into the ‘novelty item’ market. Other competing products in such a market included a ‘Spiderman style Ketchup Dispenser’, a ‘Pen Fishing Rod’ and ‘a Boxing

USB Stick’. In an attempt to woo the judges and the audience, ice creams were distributed and thoroughly enjoyed. The product itself was less successful.

At tea, orange juice and sandwiches were handed out as the dragons wandered off to another room in Aldenham house to discuss the potential winner of HABS Dragon’s Den 2009. Within 15 minutes, the dragons had returned. It was decision time. After a lot of deliberating, dragon Gabi Preston announced that ‘Podstar’ were second placed and each member received a box of chocolates.

However, the jackpot prize of £100 was now between the other three teams. Game show style, the dragon held the decision off for as long as possible before announcing, with a smile on her face, that the winner of the competition was ‘Cycone’ for their innovative, witty and ‘highly-promising’ product.

Serge Albohayre L6

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England Engineering Education Scheme Bright was the day five intrepid Lower 6th-formers set out on a journey into the world of engineering. The England Engineering Education Scheme is a program designed for students in their first year of A-Levels to be given real experience into the multifaceted area that is: engineering - and we had seized this opportunity.

Having already proven ourselves worthy of the task after passing a grilling, probing interview with Messrs Kerr, Roncarati and an engineer from Three Valleys Water, we took a trip to the company’s main site in the area, Clay Lane. The task we had been set was to find a way of predicting pump failure so that potential failures of said pumps could be avoided and predicted.

We installed Alex Cheung as the project manager and set out on this seemingly large problem. After discussing at length the merits and problems associated with pump failure prediction via temperature monitoring (alas the heat-sinking effect scuppered us), vibration analysis (a fancy way of saying ‘sound listening’), discharge gauging and magnetic field examination, we eventually settled upon the idea of creating a ‘Vibration Analysis Device’. The theory that we propounded was that if the pump was deteriorating – we knew pump decline was a gradual process – the noise it would make would be different than to when it was working at full health and we could compare the sound given off.

With this idea in mind, James Glanville’s inspiration led us to the discovery of a piezo-transducer that could be attached to a pump casing.

With the other four of us unsure as to how it worked, eventually finding that it converts a compression into a voltage, thus producing an alternating current with alternating compressions and rarefactions, we began but hit an immediate problem. As the transducer picked up the vibrations and converted them into voltages we needed a way of inputting them into a computer. Again a James Glanville inspiration led to him writing a program that converted the generated voltage waves into sounds waves. Not only did it do that, but it converted this seemingly untameable waveform into a multitude of sine and cosine waves (in non-mathematicians language – wavy lines). These individual sine and cosine waves could then be compared.

The overall idea was, to record the ‘noise’ produced by a pump running at full health, and in subsequent readings we would compare the normal noise signature of the pump to the newly recorded one and if the difference was above a set amount, the program would respond to warn the user.

After what could only be described as a coup, Neeloy Banerjee was installed as new project manager after unrest within the ranks deposed Alex Cheung and the project continued unabated as the end date loomed, a date known only as the ‘Celebration and Assessment Day’.

Nearing the end of the project our hypothesis was aided with positive results coming from the testing at Clay Lane, and we presented our project in front of Science Society, Three Valleys Water Engineers and finally, the assessors of our project, with success all around. In fact one of the assessors was so joyous that he mentioned that we might get our ‘Vibration Analysis Device’ patented because of its minute costs and functionality. What’s more, a senior engineer at Three Valleys Water confirmed that he would be continuing the tests with our device with a view to its large scale application within the sites.

To conclude, our team, myself, Wajid Malik, Alex Cheung, Manesh Mistry and James Glanville, would like to extend our wholehearted thanks to our two mentor teachers, Mr Kerr and Mr Roncarati, and our engineering mentor, Andrew Macdonald, for steering us through the times of lethargy and diffidence.

Neeloy Banerjee L6

Economics Day Persuading one hundred odd sixth formers to attend a school day in the middle of that ‘relaxing’ period known as study leave is no mean feat. Yet the annual Economics Day once again provided such distinguished speakers that the Aske Hall was packed full of eager economists in the making.

The first two speakers presented in the format of a debate, contesting the question ‘will the EU help member states out of the recession?’

However, the speeches soon devolved into the more general benefits and costs of Europe. Mr Derek Scott, a former economic advisor to Tony Blair, spoke eloquently on the problems that face countries within the central banking system and the difficulties faced by those who cannot control their own monetary policy. Ireland’s recent fiscal crunch and the dichotomies of the major European economies were given as examples. Graham Bishop, a city economist, on the other hand began for a while extolling the central ideals of the European system, the idea of a ‘level playing field’, before moving on to the direct benefits to Britain. Things got a little heated as the passion which each held for their own position came to the fore; the only place the two extremes met was on their dislike for Gordon Brown, and his own ‘spend, spend spend’ philosophy.

The next speaker came from the famous think tank-cum-pressure group, The Adam Smith Institute. Mr Thomas Clougherty was a young and engaging speaker, who gave a brief introduction to the free market philosophy, its role in international economics and finally a description of that The ASI actually does. It seemed for a while that the ideas of Adam Smith were being preached evangelically to the converted.

Releasing the economic system from government intervention is the prime aim of the ASI and, by using some staggering figures of the increase in wealth and the reduction in absolute poverty, these views certainly seemed to be justified. The real attraction was certainly the extended time for questions, in which controversial ideas about poverty and inequality were challenged by intelligent floor questions.

The rest of the day was spent discussing Higher Education options for Economists, and concluded with a fascinating talk on the feasibility of City jobs in the future by our very own Mrs Wright. The opportunity cost of the Economics Day may have been high, but it was certainly a worthwhile experience for all involved.

Philip Shipley L6 22

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Year 11 Physics in Action Every year the Physics department holds an Engineering competition open to Year 11 boys in teams of 6. At this event each team is given a range of equipment which they use to complete a practical challenge set by the Physics department.

Having just returned from a hard Christmas break full of revision to sit mock exams, many boys were very keen to get involved and have a welcome change of activity. Consequently the quota of teams was filled within the week of the entry form being set up.

So, on the 20th January a group of excited year 11 students gathered outside the Bourne Hall to await their challenge ahead. After being called into the hall there was an unexpected but very welcomed surprise of biscuits and drinks awaiting all the teams at their desks.

Once all the teams had chosen their spot and had settled down the task was revealed: ‘Using only the supplied apparatus and equipment (but not necessarily all of it), your team is to construct a machine to time one minute (as precisely as you can). Once started, your timer is to operate without human intervention until, at the conclusion of the timed period, it gives a clear audible signal.’

The equipment supplied, with items ranging from crocodile clips to sand, gave a wide range of approaches to complete this task. Many teams utilised the sand available to make a sand timer using cups or the foil to hold the sand which was slowly released sand to cause a circuit to be completed thus setting off an alarm. Some teams used ball bearings rolling down a ramp using tunnel systems to try to slow the ball so it set off the alarm at the elusive one minute mark. But when the half hour was up all teams stood hopeful that theirs would be the closest to the minute. The judging criteria were as follows:

A judge will start a laboratory stop clock when your timer is started and the time shown on the judge’s stop clock when your machine’s audible signal sounds will be recorded. The team whose timer comes closest to timing one minute will win. Elegance is expected and this aspect may be used to differentiate between two close teams.

The first team whose timer was put to the test comprised of Jared Ovsiowitz, Jason Li, Sam Healer, Ross Schlaikier, Luke Weide and Kamal Patel. All the teams watched in anticipation as their sand timer was started. Amazingly, they managed an incredible time of 57 seconds a

Tom Avery Lecture On Tuesday 24th of February 2009, as a fantastic diversion from the usual General Studies routine, the Lower Sixth were delighted to welcome one of the bright stars amongst the UK’s new generation of explores- Tom Avery. Tom, at only 34 years of age, is one of only 41 human beings to reached both poles on foot and has partaken in over a 12 mountain and polar expeditions.

Tom’s speech can only be described as motivational. His engaging tone along with the exquisite footage captured on his travels created a very down-to-earth atmosphere and as a result he captured the attention of everyone in the Bourne Hall. He spoke of his ambitions and the motivation behind his excursions, whilst instilling a sense of possibility and opportunity in the audience. There was an underlying message that anyone can reach any goal, which was depicted by his life-long aspiration to climb the highest mountain on Mars! In addition, as well as retelling his marvellous adventures, he explained how cooperation, communication, passion and individual determination are the essential components in achieving results in a testing environment.

tall order to beat. Indeed, it turned out too tall an order; no other team was able to match their incredible time and they were the overall winners.

Even though there can only be one winner all the teams enjoyed the event and there was much humour had at the more outlandish ideas and at the ingenuity of other ideas that ultimately didn’t work at all. All the boys enjoyed constructing their timers and their biscuits and would like to thank the Physics department for organising the event and coming up with a fantastic challenge.

Charlie Johnson Year 11

One of the most interesting adventures Tom recounted was his voyage to the North Pole. Avery set out to recreate the disputed 1909 Arctic expedition of the American Commander Robert Peary, in which he claimed to have become the first man to reach the North Pole in an outstandingly fast time. Traveling in a similar style to Peary’s with Canadian Inuit Dog teams and wooden sledges, that Tom had hand crafted to perfection, he set out from Peary’s original Base Camp and in April 2005 he and his team set a new world record as the fastest team in history to reach the North Pole on foot. Tom became, at the age of 29, the youngest Briton to have walked to both poles. Even more fascinating were the seemingly trivial details of this epic journey. He spoke of the difficult terrain and moments when the ice was literally mimicking the waves of the sea below their feat. He also described how, on running out of food, his team were preparing to devour their group of dogs before they were saved by a helicopter full of fresh supplies.

Above all, Tom enthused us all to look deep into our souls and extract the explorer that lies within us, and for that we eternally thank him.

Josh Manasseh L6

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Jesse Jackson Visit We are a school amongst whose principle tenets we may count the acceptance and celebration of the cultural diversity. In our classrooms students of many different races are united in the pursuit of education and happiness. As such, we represent a fitting stage for the visit of the Rev Jesse Jackson, a renowned civil rights campaigner, activist and political commentator, a goliath on the international stage. The purpose of his trip was to educate students about the necessity of charity and generosity and the evils of prejudice.

The Rev Jesse Jackson’s first forays into activism came with the 1965 civil rights marches. A cunning operator and inspirational orator, he soon rose through the ranks of the movement, in so doing placing himself at the heart of one of America’s greatest social upheavals. Like his ally and close friend Dr King Jr the Rev Jesse Jackson promoted change through peaceful means. After the death of Dr King he founded Operation Push, which would morph into the organisation Rainbow-Push which he heads today. The organisation styles itself as a progressive organisation seeking social change, in particular civil rights.

Despite rumours of helicopters gunships, the Rev arrived in a motorcade as discrete as a motorcade of three jaguars can be, preceded by his entourage, all of whom bore on their lapels the rainbow insignia of his organisation Rainbow-Push. When the man himself emerged one noted that, at the risk of subsiding into meaningless clichés and superlatives, he had a gravity which held the attention. We forget in Britain how recently it was that a man of Rev Jackson’s age would have been denied the rights and privileges of a citizen. He took care when entering a room to seek the handshakes of all present, a time consuming but touching trait.

Shortly thereafter, with proceedings having moved across to the Bourne Hall, the Rev Walked out on stage to an uproarious welcome from the students of years 11, 12 and 13 as well as a large contingent from the Girls’ School. The applause lasted for a full 54

seconds, thanks in no small part to the whooping, hollering and rabble rousing of the civil rights leader himself.

subsequent, inevitable classifications were an evil to be shattered by the ‘light’ and the virtue of acceptance.

He began by talking of his ‘joy’, a word whose significance would grow throughout the talk. He referred to the euphoria of speaking to young people, of the way in which the world was moving towards a freedom of information which could not help but banish the ignorance which was the source of all prejudice.

Globalisation, and the boundless anarchy of the internet, could not help but dissolve the walls of racial, social or national partisanship.

He spoke to the generation sat before him as the bearers of an immense responsibility, placing them in a socio-historical narrative which would culminate with the dissipation of the evils of racial, social and religious prejudices. Ours, he made clear, was a generation born to be the first to truly rejoice in the many lights of diversity, rather than hide in the darkness of racial fear.

Many remarks made after the talk referred to the idiosyncratic nature of the man’s rhetoric. It is not a criticism to say that he did not set out to present a clear, concise and tightly formulated argument. It was not a talk of syllogism or sophistry. Rather the aim and achievement was to deliver a talk which reinforced a sense of good, which conveyed a simple message which did not require progression, elaboration or explanation. Time and again the Rev reverted to a biblical style and symbolism, entwining his message of racial and social acceptance with images of breaking walls and building bridges. He spoke of the two seeds, equally strong and equally nurtured, whose differing bounty once grown cast no reflection on the worth of the two seeds. Beneath allegory and parable the Rev made repeated exultation to the cause of acceptance. The judgement of one another and

It would be remiss of any commentary on the Rev’s visit to ignore the controversy which his presence must necessarily contain. Subsequent to his civil rights works, the Rev has led a fitful political career of his own. It was in such a context that he made reference to a Jewish conspiracy in New York, comments which jeopardised his credibility as a campaigner for civil rights and lead many to level the charge of anti-Semitism. Such comments ought not be taken lightly and many of the Haberdashers community were as such reserved in their praise than the frequent and joyous standing ovations would attest. Nevertheless, once the floor had been opened up to debate the boys engaged in civil and mature discussion. The Rev was less reserved, ignoring the worried glances towards watches of the members of staff and using questions as springboard into a far wider discussion on topics such as the nature of black America today.

Yet he did finally conclude his speech and, after being presented with a copy of the School History by the Headmaster, the Rev left the hall to a din equal to that in which he entered. On his way out he partook in no small amount of handshaking. The meaning of the gesture was becoming clear; he would not shake the hand of a headmaster if he could not shake that of a student or a secretary. In his personable style he espoused the message of acceptance and the joy which it can entail to which he had dedicated the last 2 hours. No hand, great or small, would be left unshaken.

Oliver Ilott U6 24

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Eleven’s Day A time honoured tradition, Year Eleven’s Day 2009 was a great success. The day began with the awarding of Aske Ties to boys who have made a significant extracurricular contribution to school life over the last five years. An honorary tie was presented to Mr. Corrall, who is retiring and has made a significant contribution to the extracurricular life of the school himself.

After this, the year group, who were very excited at the end of their school year, whooping in celebration, received a presentation from the new School and Vice Captains on Life in the Sixth Form. This comprised topics such as dress code, prefect duties and use of the library, interspersed with a fine selection of somewhat compromising photos of the year group to lighten the mood.

Following this was an extended lunchbreak which featured various farewell activities such as signing school shirts with well wishing messages, the bizarre game of ‘Where’s my blazer pocket gone?’, mysterious incidents such as water abruptly cascading onto unsuspecting boys, and countless bouncy balls descending on to the Aske playground from above, adding a welcome dash of colour. In addition, the Year Elevens had a private lunch in the Bates Dining Hall involving pizza, luxurious chocolate brownies and nostalgic conversations.

This was followed by the much awaited event of the day: a concert, produced by boys from within the year group. The concert was

presented by the witty Jack Finger whose acerbic jibes often yielded raucous laughter. We had a romantic piano recital from the Don Quixote that is Stephen Murphy, an abrupt karaoke of the anthemic Seven Nation Army where Arnot Birss sung magnificently, and a drum battle comprehensively won by Ishwar Mahesh.

The year group was then treated to an ‘Act-Off’ between the venerated Samuel Skalla and the frolicking Josh Kaiser and a Guitar-Off in which Demetri Gerolemou was found winner. Nikhil Subbiah attempted to compensate for his relative lack of dexterity by playing with his teeth, which was temporarily impressive.

Mr. Cook, and Mr. Hamilton, who wished them well for their imminent examinations, issued reminders about results day, and provided examples of suitable dress to be worn for the Sixth Form.

The year group offers its thanks to Mr. Dathan for producing and organising a fabulous day and an appropriate send-off.

Ameya Tripathi Year 11

In between these acts, Ed Moores attempted to rouse and electrify the audiences with his audacious and topless juggling. All of this though, was overshadowed by the act that was MC ‘Grinz’ Murdalicious (a.k.a. Sahil Shah). It was an exhibition in modern music and was critically acclaimed variously as ‘the sex’ and ‘absolutely topping’.

Finally, the boys, still astounded at Sahil Shah who had been regarded with a mixture of awe and envy, attended an address from Mr. Parr,

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Mark Walden Visit On Tuesday 6th of June, The whole of the junior school were lucky enough to meet the author of the fantastic H.I.V.E. series, Mark Walden.

Just as we were eager to hear his ideas, he was just as eager to hear our views of his books and our general thoughts. The fun thing that he did was he went on praising the deeds of various supervillans like Lex Luther and ‘The Joker’. He also explained why we should choose villainy as a career choice. Some of his reasons were “The bad guys get to wear nicer clothes than the heroes. I mean who wants to wear tights?”

Mr Walden also asked us about our favourite villains. We came up with the wacky and wonderful, the villains who had deserved their rightful place, on the pedestal of the downright evil. He also read us a wonderful extract from his book, which had us spellbound. Mark has also told us about his origins and how he came to write the extremely popular H.I.V.E series. He actually started off as a designer for computer games. He then told us about how he was inspired to write about a school for super villainy (because he obviously loved super villains).

Big Brother’s Little HABS Boys Both are screened through elaborate selection processes before being confined to a small patch of Southern Hertfordshire.

Both are observed and analysed relentlessly by advanced tracking and surveillance systems, and both are blissfully ignorant of the outside world.

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His books have been very successful and have won countless awards. There have also been rumours of a movie to be produced by Paramount studios in Hollywood. Overall, Mr Walden’s visit was very entertaining and met by an enthusiastic junior school. We look forward to his future books!

Richard Quarshie Year 7

With the genesis of the HABS boy and the Big Brother Housemate being so similar it is perhaps unsurprising that the former were invited to discuss the latter by the producers of the hit television series ‘Big Brother’s Little Brother’ (BBLB). Ben Lewy U6, Akshay-Kishan Karia Year 10 and Shaneil Shah Year 10 were twice invited to Elstree studios to discuss issues as broad as misogyny, the role of punishment and whether the Housemate

Charlie was a troublemaker. Arguing against celebrities including John McCririck and Paul Danan was challenging, but the Habs boys came out on top and roundly defeated their opponents to roars of laughter. Thanks must go to Mrs Gleeson for kickstarting our television careers,

Ben Lewy U6

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Trips

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Paris Art Trip In the second week of the half term, 40 students, ranging from Year 8 to Upper Sixth, travelled to Paris to study the artwork of some of the greatest artists in history. We were all given a sketchbook to record our visits to the museum, which could be used for any boys who took Art GCSE as part of their coursework, and prizes were given out everyday, ranging from tshirts to caps to paint sets, based on sketchbook work and quizzes.

On the first day, all the boys made their own way to the school’s coach park, eager to make their way into Paris. Everyone was apprehensive about how long and tiring the journey to Paris would be, but, surprisingly, it went by extremely quickly. With two 45 minute stops, the journey only took nine hours. We decided to go to the River Seine straight away before visiting the hotel. We took a Bateau-Mouche, which gifted us with extraordinary and stunning night views of some of the most famous landmarks. Although it started to drizzle, we managed to get back in time for a satisfying dinner in the Acadie Hotel.

We first visited the D’Orsay Museum, an old railway station. There was a wide variety of paintings and artists in the museum, which helped us to develop a deeper in-depth knowledge of different styles of art and brush strokes. We soon had to leave the museum to make our way to the next destination, Giverny, to visit Monet’s house and gardens. We had a stroll and made a few sketches around Monet’s house and gardens, where he painted his famous painting, Le basin aux nymphéas, harmonie blanche.

We then made our way to another destination, the Eiffel Tower, where we climbed to the top and absorbed a stunning night landscape of Paris.

On the third day, we first visited the Picasso Museum, which held many of Picasso’s famous paintings and sculptures. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any photos or make sketches, but luckily we could buy some postcards from the shop. We then made our way to the Pompidou

Centre, where we saw a different type of art from that which we had previously seen, modern art. We went to the fourth floor, where there were some very strange and unusual art works but then some that were simply breathtaking. After the Pompidou Centre, we visited the Sacre-Coeur, where we drew some phenomenal sketches of the interior and exterior of the cathedral and bought some paintings from the Artist’s Square and nearby town. Last, when we thought we could not fit in anymore, we managed to visit the Louvre Museum. In here, we saw many of the most famous paintings in the world, including the Mona Lisa, and made some useful sketches.

On the penultimate day, we engaged in an in-depth study of the work of the most successful graphic artist of the 20th century with a day in Disneyland. Despite the rain, we managed to immerse ourselves with images of the beautiful grounds and the captivating castle. We also travelled around the park and collected any pieces of collage material to display in our sketchbooks. Even with the bitter weather, we all managed to have a lot of fun, and, as we left, were all delighted that we decided to come on this trip.

Akash Mehta Year 10

National Gallery Art Trips For the second year, the GCSE and A-Level outings to some of London’s finest art galleries have had the unfortunate nature of clashing with Transport for London’s planned line upgrades, making getting to the museums and back again a bit of a trouble.

And, furthermore, the trip to the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, held early in the academic year, was met with traditional October weather – grey skies and rain. Nevertheless, when dry and inside we had the opportunity to browse these galleries’ incredible permanent collection of artwork, immediately setting a background to the work we would undertake throughout the year.

Our second trip to the Tate Modern and Tate Britain also lay victim to this inconvenience, but such a hassle was compensated for not only by the enjoyable spring sunshine outside, but also by the further collections of inspiring art inside. The Tate Britain lay home to a variety of work, from more traditional paintings and statues – such as with its display of Polish art – to more modern and experimental pieces, including an incredibly impressive mushroom cloud made out of silver houseware, and its exhibition entitled “Ghost in the Machine” regarding the connection between artist and viewer.

After a short trip on the Tate Boat service, we arrived at the Tate Modern, where we could view the more experimental works on display (including the latest installation in the Turbine Hall), as well as pieces by famed artists such as Picasso, Lichtenstein and Bacon. Overall, both art trips to the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, and to the Tate Britain and Tate Modern, proved an incredibly valuable experience for GCSE and A-Level artists to study art both in reference to their coursework, and in specific relation to their examined themes.

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Bodensee Bilingual Seminar On the first Saturday of the October half term, a gaggle of excited Germanists from the boys’ and girls’ schools descended on Heathrow’s brand new terminal 5. Arriving promptly at Zurich airport, we met our new German friends. Although the coach journey began with some seat segregation - Germans sat at the back, English in front. They found some of our German pronunciations so hilarious that they told their teacher, who similarly burst into hysterics. Their English, on the other hand, was annoyingly fluent.

Later on we headed towards our home for the next few days, the Lindenwiese Evangelische Freizeitheim. Being an evangelical hostel, as the name would suggest, it was awash with crosses and paintings of biblical scenes. A few hours passed, and we were called to dinner by the boom of a gigantic brass gong, which the chef obviously thought was funny.

Nonetheless the food was delicious. Historical, linguistic and cultural barriers were smashed as Germans and Brits sat side by side, enjoying pleasant conversation and pleasant company. Having finished eating we went downstairs for an orientation and get-to-know-each-other session. We found German partners and chatted to them to find out about their hobbies and the like. We then presented our partners to the group, in German of course.

The theme of the first seminar was ‘Globalisation’, and so we had the chance to learn about the economics involved and globalisation’s repercussions on the environment in German. We were split into two alternating classes. There were two German teachers, who conducted their sessions in German, and Frau Steinruck and Herr Corrall, who taught in English.

That night we were split into teams for a friendly quiz. Herr Corrall devised a devilish round full of challenging questions on European politics and geography. The hardest part however was a charades-esque game in which we had to explain English words in German without using certain words.

Rohan and Marios of the upper-sixth were crowned winners, along with their German partners. Herr Corrall announced gladly at the end that there was cake, a spectacular berry and jam creation fresh from the kitchen. He rounded off the evening by regaling us with his favourite ‘Doctor, Doctor’ jokes.

The next day began with two more lessons; Frau Steinruck explored the hidden cost of our consumerist society, and Herr Corrall spoke about the history of empire, and its ability to artificially fuse one culture with another.

After lunch we were given the opportunity to rent bikes. Several of the English students were keen, but the Germans needed a little more convincing. Eventually a group of 15 or so set out to explore the surrounding area, led by Mr Corral. We cycled a huge distance over three hours, stopping off at a cafe by the edge of Lake Constance itself and a unique baroque Church. Despite some issues with navigation the bike ride was a huge success.

The next morning we packed up our things and, a little sadly, waved goodbye to the Freizeitheim Lindenwiese, being sure to stuff our bags with free apples as we left. On the way back to the airport we visited a Steinzeit museum, built on one of the oldest settlements in Europe. There were some genuine relics from the Stone-Age, and lots of realistic reconstructions of the houses stone-age man lived in, and the tools he used to hunt. The whole session was in German, so Herr Corrall and Frau Steinruck kindly provided us with a running translation.

Having left the museum we drove on to the Germans’ home for the emotional farewell. We all promised we would stay in touch, and slowly but surely the faded into the distance as the coach sped away. From then it was straight to the airport and back home.

The trip was a resounding success. We learnt much about globalisation and about the German language, we made friends for life, and most importantly, we all had a fantastic time. This seminar was special, as it is the last of Herr Corrall’s tenure at HABS. Everyone lucky enough to have spent these few days with him knows that he will be sorely missed.

Ben Jacobs L6

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Classics Trip to Rome & Pompeii A mixed bag of year groups arrived expectantly at the Seldon hall in the early hours of Wednesday morning. We set off for Gatwick airport still half asleep, and dreading the thought of doing something.

As we drove, the coach fell eerily silent and the initial enthusiasm was quickly lost as we contemplated arriving eight hours before the plane was due to leave.

We arrived at Fuimincino airport and got our first glimpse of “the grandeur that was Rome” (grotty apartment blocks and some riverside slums). We then boarded the coach and were treated to a fascinating talk on the pine trees of Rome. After seeing our rooms and carefully throwing our clothes around them, Mr Whiteman promptly led us to McDonalds. That evening Mr Whiteman led the hardcore of us classicists to the Trevi fountain in the driving rain. Although the group seemed to be more intent on buying crepes and gelato than enjoying the artistic delights that the fountain provided us with.

The next day we set out early for the Colosseum, or the Flavian Amphitheatre as it was known in its day. We were given a fascinating tour of the history and architecture, by our only English tour guide during the trip.

We left the magnificent building armed with a great deal of knowledge and ready to confront any historical inaccuracies that we came across. We then moved on to the Forum and the Palatine hill. We found out that the marvelled seven hills, or mountains, of Rome were in fact little more than slight inclines in the landscape. After walking down the Via Sacra and looking round the Bassilica of Maxentius and Constantine we left our tour guide behind. We went for our first Italian lunch, and received our first taste of an Italian

restaurant bill with its many charges (bread, service, table etc.). We then visited the Pantheon which was by far the most awe inspiring structure we had visited so far. Its dome really showed the skill of the Roman craftsmen and the usefulness of concrete.

We visited the Vatican City on the next day. We were treated to a rather small tour guide that relied on a plastic rose on a stick and a loud headset system to make herself seen and heard amongst the bustling crowds of the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. All the classics teachers demonstrated their knowledge of the world of ancient art as we traipsed through mountains of Classical and Renaissance art.

After we had visited Ostia, the port of Rome, we travelled by coach to Sacramento, a town just outside Pompeii. When we arrived we all very surprised at the quality of the hotel, as it was much better than expected. The rooms

overlooked an orange garden and the setting was extremely pleasant. Just outside the hotel was the restaurant in which we would eat all of our evening meals (a little bit better than ‘Chef Express’, but only marginal). We all went to sleep on the first evening excited about the prospect of going to Vesuvius the next morning, which we had passed on the way to the hotel.

The next day we travelled to Vesuvius it was a long hike up to the top for some of us but others of us were a bit too keen to reach the top and even ran! The views overlooking the town from the top were tremendous and the volcano itself was larger than had been expected.

On two days we saw two very well preserved towns. Pompeii and Herculaneum were both preserved in different ways, one by the ash from the volcano and the other from the actual lava. They were both very large and allowed us all to see in detail what a town would have looked like, although the beds did not look very comfortable in those times!

While we were in Sacramento we also visited the Naples art museum which was interesting and related to what we had seen in Pompeii and Herculaneum.

On the final day before travel, after a lot of phone calls home due to an earthquake near Rome, we were all very tired, especially Mr. Whiteman, and we travelled to Capri for a relaxing day of ice cream eating and looking round shops, from which none of us could ever buy, with the exception of Mr. Parr (if he sold that Ferrari he was telling us about). After this final relaxing day we had a quiz evening to celebrate the success of the trip, which was kindly organised by all the teachers and the hotel staff. At the end of this light hearted evening, with lots of wacky team name creations such as the Shahil Soneji Experience and Squids, we were all ready to wake up in the morning and go home.

Charles Colenutt & Edward Almond Year 9 30

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Concert Band Tour to Budapest & Vienna Fresh from their performance at the finals of the National Festival of Music for Youth, the Concert Band embarked on their second biennial tour, which promised to surpass the high standards set by its predecessor. The summer of 2008 saw the ensemble travel to both sides of the former Iron Curtain, prompting interesting cultural and historical comparisons between two European capitals.

After arriving in the twin cities of Buda and Pest on a glorious summer’s day, the band went straight to work, rehearsing their finelyhoned repertoire in preparation for a trio of evening concerts, to be held al fresco over the ensuing days. Following this exhausting experience, we embarked on a visit to a traditional-style restaurant, situated within one of Hungary’s world-famous wine cellars, at which we were able to sample both the local cuisine and Hungarian folk culture. Special mention must go here to Mr Pritchard, who joined in with the on-stage dancing with great gusto. Such excitement readied the band for the next day, which promised both visits to the fascinating historical sites of Budapest and the first concert.

Unfortunately, it seemed that we had brought a portion of the British weather with us. During the night, the clouds had massed and let loose a torrent which dwarfed even the mighty Danube in size. The downpour was so heavy, in fact, that the day’s sightseeing had to be radically altered; no longer could we visit Buda Castle, one of the architectural and historical highlights of the city, since the funicular railway had been rendered unusable. Instead, we settled for the next best option, the local branch of Tesco, where we were able to stock up on supplies to sustain us should our hotel become submerged during the night. The rain gradually eased off, however, and we were able to make our way to the picturesque town of Szentendre, which we explored to calm our nerves before the concert, to be held in the main square.

Concert Band, however, seemed to be attracting the storm clouds that day, since, within minutes of the first chords being played, the deluge resumed. A hasty evacuation to a nearby restaurant was executed, with music left to dry on tables. Eventually, the rain calmed enough to merit a continuation of the performance, although the audience had dissipated somewhat, leaving us playing to a mostly empty square. They soon flocked back, though, when the sound carried through the streets, enough that, when the rain returned once again, we felt that it could be worth continuing after a second unexpected interval.

So, after much encouragement from Mr West, the band returned to the square triumphant, to an audience which deserved congratulations themselves for staying the course in order to

listen to us. In all, despite being a literal washout, the band agreed that the concert had been a success, even if some of the music was now ruined beyond repair and it was necessary to empty pools of water out of bassoons.

Our hopes were raised the following morning, when not a cloud could be seen in the sky and the sun was shining as brightly as it had upon our arrival. This good fortune continued throughout that day’s excursion to the famous Széchenyi bathhouse, the largest of its kind in Europe, at which we were able to sample the local hot springs and investigate the acoustic properties of saunas with intricate twelve-part harmonies, which were strangely unappreciated by the locals. This also proved to be a place of relaxation for the band, attempts to wrestle Mr Simm to the bottom of the pool notwithstanding.

That evening’s concert was held in Budapest’s Vörösmarty Square, a picturesque cultural centre for the city, and a popular tourist destination. Because of this, the concert was well-attended, with an audience in the hundreds, am impressive feat for a performance held seemingly without warning, providing an opportunity to the much-lauded saxophonists to play in a smaller ensemble to the appreciative crowd.

The day of the final concert dawned, and with it the prospect of a day in neighbouring Austria.

After a long, cross-border coach journey, we were able to spend much of the day touring Vienna, home of one of the greatest orchestras in the world and seat of one of the great former European empires. We wandered amongst the grand palaces form which so much of the continent was once ruled, and marvelled at the vast increase in prices of goods between Austria and Hungary.

A short coach journey later, and we arrived in Eisenstadt, site of the final concert outside the Orangery in the gardens of the Esterházy

Palace, at which Haydn was once in residence.

To the immense relief of all band members, there was no threat of poor weather as we prepared to play what would be the final performance in Mr West’s career at HABS. Hopes were understandably running high, but they were dashed when we realised that the location in which we had been asked to play was little-visited, resulting in a concert during which we outnumbered the audience.

However, what the spectators lacked in number they made up for in spirit, prompting a first for the band in taking audience requests. This resulted in an impromptu performance of a medley of Beatles hits, after which the Dambusters March was well received, its irony lost on an appreciative audience. To conclude the concert, the tour and Mr West’s Concert Band directorship, the band played its signature piece, David Rose’s The Stripper, with great aplomb, before departing back across the border with a sense of deep satisfaction.

Before we departed the next day, there was time for a brief cruise on the Danube in Budapest, accompanied by the strains of the somewhat poorly named Blue Danube Waltz, before the awards ceremony. At this, not only was every single member of the band awarded with the popular chocolate Mozartkugeln, but Messrs West, Simm and Pritchard, along with Miss Valentine, were presented with assorted “tourist tat and fizzy pop”, to use the former’s expression. It was on this note of fun that the tour finally ended, although not before Michael Freedman summed up the sentiments of every single member of the band with his outburst of “I love Hungaria!” It was now left to Mr Simm to continue Concert Band’s successes in the absence of the greatly appreciated influence of Mr West, whose tenure at HABS had finally come to an end as he approached a new life in Wales.

Andrew Rose L6

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Art trip to Henry Moore Collection The Art department visited the Henry Moore Foundation in Perry Green in north Hertfordshire on Friday 3rd July. 25 GCSE and A Level students spent the day drawing and sketching the magnificent sculptures that are dotted around 'Hoglands', Henry Moore's old house and studios.

During the first 2 hours of the trip the boys were taken around the foundation by a specialist guide (who just happened to be the Mother of Mr Maguire - our Head of Geography!). Visits to Henry Moore's various studios proved to be fascinating. The boys produced some splendid drawings during the afternoon and will use these as starting points for their coursework next term. The Art department would also like to thanks 'Bob - the driver' for driving one of the minibuses.

A K Keenleyside

The Hague International Model United Nations This year’s trip to The Hague International Model United Nations saw another run of success for HABS‘ MUNers. The conference, the largest of its kind, has always been an eagerly anticipated opportunity for HABS boys to flex their diplomatic muscles and revel in the spirit of community and debate. Representing Latvia, twelve boys flew to the World Forum in Den Haag, The Netherlands, for a 5-day conference. After taking in the sights of Amsterdam at the weekend we immersed ourselves in the spirit of the United Nations, finding allies and nemeses as we lobbied and debated our way to success. Due to the quality of student delegates that the conference’s high profile attracts, competition was as fierce as ever. But as before, we prevailed, with every HABS boy’s resolution gaining enough support to be debated. Furthermore seven boys passed their resolutions through committee and a further four through the General Assembly and Plenary stages. Due to our (and a couple of our rivals’) domination in previous years the THIMUN powers that be deemed it prudent to abstain from the awarding of individual accolades, but thanks to some spectacular speeches and vigorous debating, Haberdasher’s presence was most certainly felt. Seven boys from the Upper 6th and five from the Lower attended the conference and all deserve special mention: Andrew and Philip Shipley, Edward Schwitzer, Brett Bernstein, Miles Coleman, Arrash Yassaee, Ben Dive, Ben Lewy, Sameer Agrawal, Niall Moore, Oliver Ilott and Charles Reith.

We of course look forward to returning next year, but, at the time of writing, eagerly await the first ever HABSMUN Conference in Easter 2009.

Niall Moore U6

Junior Trip to Barcelona During the first week of October half-term, thirty two Y8 boys took part in our annual trip to Barcelona. Our aim, of course was to improve our spoken Spanish, but we also managed to view some of Gaudí’s wonderful architecture, enjoy some late summer sunshine, dance some flamenco, eat some paella, participate in a workshop at the Chocolate Museum and visit the Nou Camp Stadium. On a visit to Port Aventura theme park, some of the group were not only brave enough to go on the ‘Dragon Khan’ and ‘Furious’ roller coasters once, but several times! A good time was had by all and we returned to London happy but exhausted!

A McKenzie 32

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Cricket Tour to Devon We left a damp school at one o’clock with Mr. Haring marshalling us into the minibus.

We were full of expectance as we travelled along the motorway as we drove towards Branscombe and to Mr. Yeabsley’s house.

The team arrived hungry and were greeted warmly by Mr. Yeabsley and his wife, our rooms were allocated and we quickly changed and made our way down to the beach. It was turning out to be a wonderful evening, and the beach was a welcome relief to the warmth and we relaxed, playing football. No evening is ever dull with Sam Schusman around – he stripped down and jumped into a stream to rescue our ball! A hot dinner of chicken pie was awaiting us when we got back and at eleven o’clock we were all in bed. The next day turned out to be one of the easiest matches of the tour. We travelled down to Colyton Grammar School in the minibus to be greeted by our parents and our cricket bags H.A.B.S were put in to bat first and after a shaky start from our openers we regrouped to reach around 130. We were apprehensive at the start, as their openers

looked threatening, but with strong spells by Ishaan Patel and Amir Kumarathas, we dragged them back, soon had them on the rocks and eventually bowled them out for under 90. The day was topped off with great weather and a great trip down to the beach.

The next day was supposed to be one of the “hardest” matches at Sidmouth Cricket Club, but it was not to be as we bowled them out for under 90 and forced to bowl everyone in the team. The ground had to be one of the most beautiful and picturesque in the country, with the sea just 20 metres from the edge of the pitch. Unfortunately, Sam Schusman was ill on that day and took no part in the bowling. After a strong start by Jaimin Patel and Will Wright, Sam came in and smashed a quick fire 30. We reached the target with 15 overs left to play. We continued playing, although when Josh Goldstein came in and smashed the ball so hard it nearly smashed a car’s windscreen and nearly went into the sea! Since Sidmouth was right on the sea side we bought fish and chips and ate them on the beach. That night

was also going to be the special dinner organised by the Mason’s Arms Hotel which was delicious and was topped of by speeches from our captain and from Mr. Yeabsley. We were very lucky with the weather this tour, but the last day was our hardest match and a miserable day. We were playing Ottery St. Mary on an unspectacular ground, but were met with a hardened side.

For the first time we were put in to bat and were under pressure but were saved by good innings by Will Wright and Milind Chohan who both scored thirties. We thought we had done enough and at 176 it was always going to be a hard task for them. We were on a roll and they were crumbling at 50 for 8 but their penultimate wicket proved elusive and they went on to reach 150. The tour had ended and we had long goodbyes with our tour mates and with Mr Yeabsley and with Mr. Haring.

Rohan Mandumula Year 8

Year 8 Trip to the Black Country Museum The Year 8 expedition to the Black Country Living Victorian Museum was a great trip. We sank into the soft, spongy seats of the coach and set off. We clunked down the lush, green country lanes on the way to the museum. It was a rather long journey but we all managed to entertain ourselves.

The first part of the day consisted of visiting reconstructions of various shops and houses. Shops back then were usually quite full, each one having its own specific items and selling point.

Each shopkeeper explained to us in great detail the purpose of different items in his shop. After that, we looked at some of the old houses that people lived in. They were a great deal smaller than the houses we live in today. Back then, women tended to look after the house and do most of the cooking, and as the very informative tour guide told us, the children had a great hand in duties around the house as well. They didn’t have ovens; they would put their food in a pan and hold it over the fireplace.

After that, we went down a mine to see what it would have been like for the miners having to live deep underground, for over twelve hours a day. We all put on safety helmets then plunged into the darkness. It was a very enjoyable although rather claustrophobic experience. Later we went down one of the mine shafts, we saw where a boy of our age would have spent his time opening and closing a door to allow air in and out of the mine. Various effects including noises and dummies of miners were there as well, which seemed a bit too scary for some of our party who started screaming like girls. The helpful guides informed us of the hard day’s work a young miner would have had to endure.

Suddenly the prospect of history homework didn’t seem so bad.

back on the coaches to begin the long journey back to Habs, we were allowed a bit of spare time, in which some of us went to the brilliant old fashioned sweet shop, but the more adventurous went to the fun fair.

After a long and enjoyable day it was time to head back to the coach and to school.At the end of this great trip we were on the coach, exhausted, our bellies full of chips, and most of all glad we had visited the Black Country Museum.

Edward Jeans, Robert Ley and Edward Nutting Year 8

Then came our reward for being so attentive during the preceding events of the day: fish and chips! The queues were enormous but when we got our food it was certainly worth the wait. We ate outside on the wooden benches, whilst enjoying the sunny weather. Before we got

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Golf Tour to Vilamoura The third annual golf tour led by master in charge of golf Mr. Ward and Director of Sport Mr. McIntosh travelled to the Hotel Dom Pedro Marina in Vilamoura in the Algarve region of Portugal for the third HABS Golf tour. Four highly competitive rounds of Golf were played over the Millennium, Vila Sol, O’Connor Amendoeira and Vilamoura Old Course over the following four days.

After arrival in Portugal, it was straight to the Barringtons practice facility at Vale do Lobo, as the players took advantage of the kind of golfing conditions that were about as frequent in a British February as Harry Kovenklioglu arriving on time for breakfast!

At Millennium, tour rookie Aidan Kovenklioglu took advantage of perfect golfing conditions and took the early lead with 33 points. Ben Cherkas displayed some splendid accuracy at the par 3, 6th hole, and claimed the nearest the pin prize for his efforts. Shot of the day honours went to Tom Haniff for his recovery shot at the par 5, 4th hole, threaded through what was described to be the vast majority of the Umbrella pines in the Algarve region, over a bunker and safely onto the green!

An ‘off the cuff’ Portuguese wildlife lesson from Mr Ward preceded Round 2 of the golf tour at Vila Sol, with members of the tour being introduced to creatures such as the Hoopoe bird. Armed with this new wealth of knowledge of the Vila Sol wildlife, the tourists proceeded to tackle the fiendish Vila Sol layout. Scores improved markedly from round one for the vast majority of the players, and for the second day running, Aidan came out on top with a score of 35 points.

Round 3 at the O’Connor course, Amendoeira provided a new and exciting challenge for the players and the immaculate nature of the course led to a number of fantastic scores being posted from the chasing pack, attempting to catch the leader Aidan who had opened up a considerable lead. Although still youthful, tour veteran David Fernie had been in the chasing pack on a number of occasions and this experience clearly paid dividends when putting together the days winning score of 38 points – the best score of the week thus far. Whilst the spritely Mr McIntosh picked up nearest the pin honours for the day, the tournament committee decided that he had surpassed the age eligibility requirements for that competition and this led to two shots of the day being awarded.

William Aldred, a tour rookie with bags of potential, showed his undoubted class in making a 25 foot putt on the undulating second green following a bunker shot. The other shot of the day was given to golf team captain Marc Kuber for a shot for which any level of articulation simply does not do justice. A purely struck 7 iron from the cavernous fairway bunker on the 18th hole to within four feet sealed his first shot of the day honours in 9 rounds of tour golf.

The final round, dubbed by the Portuguese locals as the ‘shootout in the sun’, saw a number of fantastic scores being posted, notably a quite unbelievable 43 points from Tom Haniff as well as a back nine surge from Kuber, who struggled early on, but produced a final 8 holes of two under par including an eagle on the par 5 13th leading to 37 points for the day. It was however, tour prodigy David Fernie who rose best of all to the occasion, and a final round score of 40 points handed him the title on countback; a stunning victory over youngster Aidan, who was cruelly denied a gallant wire to wire victory.

The trip, once again, was a great success, and thoroughly enjoyed by all who were involved with it, being as enjoyable socially as on the course itself.

Marc Kuber U6

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Football Tour to The Netherlands The 1st XI assembled for the much-anticipated tour to Valkenburg, Holland on a cool April morning, uniformly clad in orange polo shirts and hoodies, in an attempt to enter the traditional Dutch mindset of ‘total football’. The party were immediately introduced to their mentor for the tour – Ian; the final great bastion of Great British coach-driving, and although the side thought little of his presence at the time, his attendance on the tour soon became synonymous with success. Ian safely delivered the napping team to Dover, where they boarded the luxury cruise to Calais, and attention turned to the first game.

On arrival in France, the target of a 6 o’clock arrival was made by Coach Ward, but Ian made mincemeat of the target by arriving fully two hours prior to schedule, and declared it ‘the best run he had ever had through France and Belgium’.

Attention soon turned to the first game, however, and the task of finding a training pitch in order to prepare for the matches fell to Head Coach Ward and his assistant Dr. Sloan. The pair were able to secure a caged training field, perfect for the intensive warm-ups the team would need prior to battle against their European counterparts. The first game, though, was far from a battle. In the face of their intimidating British opponents, RKSV Olympia crumbled. After going 2-0 up at half time, HABS were looking solid, and when Simon Stanfield slotted in a penalty for his hat-trick before Will Gallimore hit a quick fire double, victory was assured. The side did not relax though, keen to put as many goals home as possible, and not even Zender’s posing for photos could stop him from nodding in Habs 7th. Indeed, even goalkeeper Tristan Minall got in on the action, playing a beautiful, curling, incisive, and altogether lucky pass through to Prashant Kukadia who put home the 8th and final goal of the game.

Following the stunning 8-0 victory, the team were keen to keep the momentum going into the second game of the tour against BVV Caterpillar. Following a warning from PR-man Ian that Caterpillar were ‘a hard team, as they like to dig through their opponents’ (brilliant…) the side were ready to continue their winning form. A more testing first half lay in wait, as HABS twice fell behind, though a penalty from Gallimore put the team level going into halftime. Defensive frailties cost the side after half time, as they once again fell behind before upping their game for the final half hour. With Jonny Graham, Anto Rumford and Joel Saloman – man of the match the previous day - forming an unfamiliar back 3, the defense proved more solid as the game drew to its conclusion. Mirav Vyas went on to score goal of the game, as he danced, pirouetted and leaped his way through the Caterpillar defence, before posting the ball into the bottom corner to take the game out of reach of

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the opposition. The final score of 8-3 might have flattered HABS, as the game was a close fought contest, but Alex Parker’s hat-trick – including a volley that contended Mirav’s goal for the accolade of goal of the tour and Joe Zender’s 5 assists had helped the team to their second victory of the tour.

With the team well rested, the final game of the tour – and, indeed, of many of the players’ HABS careers – had arrived. The long journey North had yielded a victory the previous day, and it was with high hopes that the team ventured in the same direction, looking to end the tour with a 100% win rate. TSV NOAD, though, started the game determined to ruin the teams record, as they took an early lead, and doubled their advantage deep in the first half. A tall order faced the team at half time, as they knew that they would have to pull out all the stops if they were to turn the game around, and turn the defeat that was staring them in the face into a glorious victory – and all this without young right-winger Alex Parker who had been cruelly struck down by illness prior to the game, leaving his right sided partner Elliot Kaye . As had been the case all tour, Coach Ward persisted with his - thus far successful - policy of ringing the changes at half time, and when Gallimore burst through the defence to slot home after half-time, the comeback was on. A reinvigorated HABS side had emerged, and were desperate to finish the tour with a fighting performance, and - at only one goal in arrears anything was possible. Following wave after wave of attack, HABS were still a goal down, before a corner found its way to the far post, were Rumford and Vyas helped each other to bundle the ball home and draw the sides level. Although celebrations ensued, the victory was far from won, and the relentless onslaught from the tourists did not abate. It was with 10 minutes to go, and 11 leg-weary players still giving everything for the shirt, which they had adorned for three games, that the telling moment occurred. James Tan – who worked tirelessly all game down the right flank – played the ball to Vyas, who in turn switched the ball wide to Gallimore, before making his run to the edge of the box. The ball was delivered, and Vyas received the cross and powered an unstoppable half volley into the top corner of the net. The opposition, soon gave the ball away cheaply, and as the ball was squared to Zender, the striker finished with style to put the game beyond doubt – a fitting way to cap a most impressive tour for the striker. With NOAD having little left in order to mount a comeback, HABS successfully defended their lead for the remaining 8 minutes, and the most brilliant of all comebacks had been completed.

A fitting way indeed to complete the season for the side, who had gelled together as a team over the course of the trip and pulled together to finish the season in the right way.

William Gallimore U6

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Senior School Ski Trip Having assembled typically early, the party left for Tignes eager for would prove to be a thoroughly enjoyable week. The excitement began as soon as we reached the airport when Andrew Middleton discovered to his horror that he had brought his father’s passport. Despite this minor hiccup, the journey went smoothly and soon the band of winter sports enthusiasts arrived at the hotel. The next morning the skiing began in earnest. Having collected the gear the night before, the boys were on the slopes early regaining their familiarity with the snow and exploring the resort.

After lunch the team reassembled for the trials which would lead to the groups being divided up into their lessons for the week. Andrew Middleton, James Devlin and David “Mr. Invisible” Walker proved themselves early contenders for the coveted Ski King trophy, which would awarded at the culmination of the week, as they progressed into the advanced group.

The week passed rapidly, with each day offering new and varied skiing and each night laden with entertainment. The skiing highlights from my perspective were the Hidden Valley, which involved skiing down a very narrow gorge and at one point having to remove our skis and crawl through a low arch in the rock, trying the tricks (with limited success) that Bastian attempted to teach us and of course the rowdy behaviour of the Shipley twins in the ski lifts; they could share a womb, but not a gondola. In addition the Face black run kept everyone alert with its steep, icy slopes and the Trolles kept everyone amused as it seemed to be constantly covered in broken beginners who had failed to realise that this tricky black was the only way back down into town once a certain lift had been taken.

The highlights of the nights included ten-pin bowling, the disco where Kayhan Izman was on particularly fine form, the numerous games of Mao and the illicit foray into Val Claret.

As the week drew to a close, David Walker was deservedly awarded the Ski King trophy with Team FF (flying ferrets) and their internet-enabled iPods winning the quiz.

A great week was had by all, and the excellent organisation of the party meant that everything ran smoothly without the frustration of a series of lengthy queues.

Basil Letts L6

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Biology Field Trip to Nettlecombe Court, Exmoor In the sweltering heat of July, the biologists made their way to Exmoor to push the boundaries of investigative biology just that little bit further, all in the name of science. Hopes were high that previous HABS discoveries could be topped by this year’s crop of fine scientists, and we were not disappointed.

Junior Ski Trip At half past one in the morning on 3rd April, 27 excited children and 4 exhausted teachers turned up at the coach park in preparation for a long journey into the heart of the Alps. After a long journey to Gatwick and a longer journey from Grenoble, we finally arrived in the small skiing village of Serre Chevallier. Tired from hours of travel, we did nothing for the rest of the day in preparation for a long week’s skiing.

The next day, we woke up early, and headed straight to the slopes. We split into three groups based on skiing ability and experience, and after having acquainted ourselves with an instructor, headed off with them to explore the wonderful views of the surrounding mountains for the morning, then, after having gone back to the hotel for lunch, went back for another few hours.

In the evenings, we participated in several interesting activities, including quizzes, ice skating and the much-loved prize sessions, in which we anonymously nominated a person for a prize based on the day’s events, occasionally with a serious attitude behind the reason. We spent a lot of time in the hotel and the town, looking round the shops, buying souvenirs and sweets, and playing pool and table tennis. Like all other trips, there were much-dreaded room inspections throughout the week, and prizes were given to the best rooms (but for some reason, hastily hiding two Year 7s in a cupboard as Mr Thackrey knocked on the door held no bonus points for the Year 8 room).

As the week progressed, we all improved in skiing ability, and enjoyed a lot of the sights and slopes seen in the 1990 Winter Olympics, including the dangerously steep Luc Alphand run, named after the skier born in the town. We also enjoyed the thrill of jumps and off-piste skiing; as well as a laugh every time somebody fell over (which happened as frequently to the experts as the beginners). All of the teachers accompanied us onto the slopes, including Miss Valentine, a firsttime skier, and they managed to have as much fun as we all did, as well as receiving several prize votes every time they fell over.

All too soon, however, we had left the snow for the last time (with no serious injuries). After skiing awards being given out and one last night in the hotel, it was time to leave Serre Chevallier. It was a tired but content group of students, and some very weary teachers who returned back to the coach park.

Harrison Reilly Year 8

Setting off at an unspeakably early hour, we arrived at Nettlecombe Court five hours later and immediately got to work on our skills of species identification in river beds, comparing the relative diversity of such celebrated creatures such as the flatworm, the blackhead midge larvae and the freshwater shrimp.

Afterwards, our statistical abilities were put under the proverbial microscope by our beloved guides.

Day two saw the biological army fight on a different playing field; namely, the grass playing fields, comparing the number of species present on trampled and untrampled grass.

This rigorous testing of the different species present on different areas of grassland set us up superbly to prepare and consider possible investigations for us to pursue on day three.

Day three: investigation day for the biologists, and the Wimbledon final for a certain Mr. Roddick and Mr. Federer. The biologists entered the fields with high hopes that a momentous discovery would be made. Carefully designed experiments were put into practice ranging from “ An investigation into the effect of vegetation on the abundance of freshwater shrimp in a uniform stream” to “ the effect of proximity and tree density on the behaviour of sycamore tree growth “ and other classics such as “The effect of moisture content of the soil on yarrow plant abundance using a point transect “. Interestingly, the most unique behaviour observed all weekend was the fierce rivalry developing between the two Wimbledon finalists’ camps. After an epic battle the federrites; despite being outnumbered by the roddicists at least 1.3 to 1, were victorious.

Back in the lab: soil pH, moisture content and Spearman’s ranks all round.

After an intense number crunching session, correlations as good as 0.9956 were obtained.

We cannot confirm the conclusions drawn, but the weight and importance of the experiments cannot be underestimated. Expect publication in your favourite scientific and technical journal, Scope, next year.

Casey Swerner L6

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Skylark 2009 Trips

History Trip to Latvia and Lithuania For many in the Lower and Upper Sixth years, October marked the anticipated return of school-favourite history tour-guide Gabriel, and so people were excited for the 2008 History trip to Latvia and Lithuania before they even knew that it was the 2008 History trip to Latvia and Lithuania.

The trip started at a traditionally ungodly hour, travelling to Riga via plane. Once we had arrived, the equally traditional drive to do as much as possible kicked in, starting with an impromptu quiz about our knowledge of the Second World War. Indeed, as tired and weary as we may have already become, this served well to underline the purpose of the trip: to broaden our perspective and understanding of the Second World War through challenging our underlying beliefs and questioning when the war really ended.

This understanding was immediately strengthened by our first outing – a visit to the Museum of the Barricades of 1991 – which highlighted just how recently it has been since Latvia has regained its independence from Russia, something not often considered by those of us with no living memory of this event. In response to Russian attacks, the Latvian people started building barricades in that year to try and prevent the advances of these units, an act which has become adopted as a symbol of Latvian defiance in the face of oppression.

Indeed, our next visits sought to emphasise the suffering of the Latvian people both during the Nazi-German occupation and beyond it. We first visited Rumbula Forest, the site of a Nazi massacre of Latvian Jews in both November and December of 1941. A profound and sombre experience, this immediately drew home the force and ruthlessness with which the Nazi power carried out its regime. This was only re-enforced by a later visit to a concentration camp at Salaspils, where many thousands of Soviet prisoners of war were put to forced labour. Although this also stood as representative of the terrible nature of the Nazi regime, it also represented the similarly terrible agenda run by the Soviet occupiers: huge memorials commemorating the suffering of the Soviet captives had been put up there, perhaps as an attempt to establish the legitimacy of the Soviet occupation. Although the Nazi and Soviet regimes may have worked for different purposes and towards different goals, visiting both of these places in sequence highlighted how, on a practical level, the two parties worked in a rather similar manner, eliminating the Latvian identity.

On our second day, we visited the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, an institution which further detailed the workings and happenings of the two occupying powers, of a 50 year-long period of subjugation. Although we did not go to as many places as we had previously, our visit to the museum solidified and strengthened our understanding of Latvia’s history. After being let free to eat lunch on our own, we visited the Victory Memorial to Soviet Army, a memorial constructed in 1985 to celebrate the victory of the Soviet Army over Nazi Germany. We could not help but feel that it only epitomised the Soviet attempts to impose their culture on Latvia’s own; the memorial stands not so much for Latvian freedom but for Russian power and might, an interpretation only strengthened by Russian attempts to reclaim other symbols of Latvian identity as their own. In this manner, we turned to another statue we had visited – the Freedom Monument, a memorial to soldiers killed in the Latvian War of Independence in 1918 to 1920, which had been reinterpreted as a symbol of Soviet pride. Somewhat fortunately, the day ended on a lighter note, with our group losing Dr. Wigley amid a bustling market, leading to half an hour of confused searching and worrying. Eventually it dawned on us that he had, in fact, returned to our hostel once he had become separated, and was simply lying in his room waiting for our return.

unknown, the practice of placing crosses on the hill has now become something of a pilgrimage, as the site was used throughout the Soviet occupation as a place of peaceful demonstration, becoming a testament to the Lithuanian people’s regard for their identity. Over 50,000 crosses adorn the hill, and the atmosphere proves to be a place for silent reflection and consideration very quickly.

In the evening we settled into our hostel and walked through the Užupis region of Vilnius, an artistic area housing many cafés, galleries and workshops, and one which declared itself as an independent republic in 1997. As a result, it created its own constitution, whose declarations range from the unremarkable (Article 5, “Man has the right to individuality”) to the idiosyncratic and somewhat nonsensical (Article 12, “A dog has the right to be a dog” and Article 13, “A cat is not obliged to love its master, but it must help him in difficult times”).

Our penultimate day began with a visit to the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, a building dedicated to the memory of Lithuanian Jewry, a population which, like many others, was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War. In it we toured the Tolerance Centre, a section which seeks to spread the values of tolerance and acceptance in society, as well as seeing many examples of both modern and historical Jewish art, and Jewish artefacts saved from the destruction of Nazi persecution. From here we moved to the Holocaust Museum, a small museum unfortunately limited by its size and a lack of funding.

Nevertheless, with the help of some museum assistants, visiting the museum proved to be a provocative experience, unflinching in its detailing of the workings of the Nazi regime and its effects on the Lithuanian Jewish population. This understanding was only compounded by a visit to the site of the Ponary massacre, where 70,000 Jews were murdered. This was yet another sombre experience, demanding thoughtful contemplation and reflection. The day finished with a visit to the Vilnius TV Tower, a place that played home to important events in the fight for Lithuanian independence. In climbing the tower we were offered not only astonishing views of the city, but also the chance of contemplating the strength of the desire of the Lithuanian people for their independence and self-determination as a people.

Although we only had one day left, our last day was somewhat more slow-paced. In the morning we visited the Museum of Genocide Victims, a museum dedicated to the memories of those murdered by both the Nazi and Soviet occupiers. Indeed, this desire to highlight both powers as equally damaging in their regimes was highlighted by the museum’s history; it had been utilised as a prison by the Soviets during their first occupation of Lithuania in 1940 and converted by the Nazis into the Gestapo headquarters, before being employed once again by the Soviet KGB after Lithuania had been liberated. The torture chambers in the basement of the building were particularly chilling, and, along with the building’s colourful history, worked to portray just how similarly these regimes affected the Lithuanian people. From here we relaxed while atop the remaining segments of Vilnius’ Upper Castle, giving us views of the city from above.

Overall, trip certainly proved effective, challenging our preconceptions about the Second World War and broadening our understanding of the workings of the Nazi and Soviet powers, and, most importantly, giving us an insight into the sufferings of two nationalities under two different agendas.

Gregory Steckelmacher L6

The next day, after a short visit to the Latvian War Museum, we embarked on a long coach journey to Vilnius, Lithuania. Here, many of the same themes remained, as Lithuania also suffered in very much a similar manner under Nazi and Soviet occupation. Indeed, this was reinforced almost by contrast when we stopped at the Hill of Crosses, a historical sight of Lithuanian nationality. Although its exact origins are 39

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Skylark 2009 Trips

French Exchange to Strasbourg At the ridiculous hour of 5am, at the start of the Easter holidays, a group of twenty exhausted L6 French students assembled in a cold and deserted corner of Stanstead Airport, before their equally bleary-eyed teachers, too tired to get excited about the prospect of a week in the beautiful Alsatian city of Strasbourg; too tired, in fact, to do anything except complain about the 15kg weight limit on luggage, and buy copious amounts of coffee.

Minutes after arriving in Karlsruhe, Germany, it was discovered that one of our number had left their mobile on the plane which, being Ryanair’s, was probably already flying back over the Channel. Cue groans from the group, as well as a look of utter despair upon Mr Thompson’s face. It was, apparently, going to be that sort of trip, and the teachers were left wondering what exactly they had signed up for.

We arrived, after a coach into France, at our exchanges’ school, an attractive and enormous if somewhat prison-like building right in the city centre, where we said ‘bonjour’ to our exchanges, who had stayed with us just the week beforehand. We were generously given the rest of the day off to spend with our partners, most of the boys opting for a football game in a park and then staying in that night to watch France embarrass themselves in a World Cup Qualifier.

At this point we found out that for the first four days of our trip there would be a ludicrous amount of ‘la police’ in the area, as Strasbourg was hosting a NATO conference that weekend, to be attended by President Obama himself. With this in mind, our armoured friends decided to loiter around each of the city’s many cobbled streets, wearing silly hats, and generally being an obstacle to all social activity.

The next day the trip started in earnest, with a trip to the Cathédrale de Notre Dame de Strasbourg which dominates the city skyline, followed by a visit to the baffling Museum of Modern Art, where most of the exhibits were so confusing, that some of the group gave up and hit the café. The evening was spent eating the celebrated Alsatian delicacy of tarte flambée.

Friday was spent in the picturesque city of Colmar, not far from Strasbourg, where we enjoyed some time away from les flics to go to the Unterlinden Museum of Art, where there was plenty of religious art to be admired. From there we went to a winery visiting first the vineyards then the cellars, where we sampled some of Alsace’s famous white wine. The tiring day was rounded off with a trip to an ancient château, which was enhanced by the appearance of groups of mediaeval history enthusiasts in period costume.

The weekend was, as always on exchanges, spent ‘en famille’. On the Saturday, some were fortunate enough to visit

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Europa Park, Europe’s largest theme park, whilst others spent the day sleeping, driving tractors, or going to the forest to swing from tree to tree on zip wires.

Monday morning was spent at school.

After dropping Physics, History, Literature, or Biology after GCSEs, few of us relished a return to those dark days as we sat in on our exchanges’ classes. The day continued with an excursion to the secretive Heineken factory, which got everybody excited, until, with dismay, we discovered that the free beer tasting would be ‘sans alcohol’.

Tuesday started with a visit to the European Council, in its enormous Colosseum-like building. We managed to visit the debating chambers, which were fascinating, but also to watch a short film while sitting on the most comfortable chairs imaginable, into which some sunk, asleep, within minutes. We followed this up with a trip to see a new French film, Safari. Either we were just too unsophisticated or French humour was just lost on us though! We returned to our kind hosts, who graciously insisted that, although it was the last night of the trip, and they had promised us what is apparently called a ‘Skins party’, we get an early night.

This left us feeling a little annoyed but still fresh for our trip back to Albion the following morning. We left the city at seven, were back in London for eleven, and suddenly a week of great experiences and fun times were over.

We thanked Mr Thompson, Madame Ray, and the enthusiastic Madame Rutter-Gafie for facilitating said fun times, and then it was time to part. The emotion of the occasion seemed to overwhelm our thespian friend George Bach (although we suspect that he was, as usual, acting), but nothing could be done. It had been a wonderful week in Alsace, and whether we had gained linguistic prowess, foreign friends, or a fantastic tan line, we all left thinking that the first week of the holidays could not have been better spent.

Bharrathi Sarvananthan & Elan Shuker L6

Spanish Trip to Valencia On Sunday 15th of February, 12 intrepid adventurers met at Victoria station at the entrance to the Gatwick Express platforms, eager to start the first leg of our journey that would delve us deeper into Spain, in a way that no ‘Listos’ textbook could possibly achieve. From the station, we travelled as a group to London Gatwick where we boarded, at 4:45, an easy jet flight to Valencia.

We arrived in Valencia around 8:00; the weather we had envisioned was slightly chillier than expected, yet much warmer than the changeable British climate. We travelled to the school, on the way taking in our surroundings and digesting, what was for many, a first time visit to this beautiful city. Once at the school, we had a little bit of a wait, before we met our hosts and where whisked off on foot in a flurry of Spanish words and hospitality, towards the homes that would be acting as our accommodation for the rest of the trip.

Every morning of the duration of our visit, we had a study group in Don Quijote school.

These were lead by various Spanish teachers, and were extremely useful and interesting; we did various things, ranging from speaking and listening activities entirely in Spanish, to a treasure hunt on the last day. The grounds of the school were extremely large, with a multitude of shops, and several other modes of entertainments such as tennis courts and a climbing wall. We usually spent our time here until around midday when we left for our homes in order to eat lunch and get ready for the afternoon’s activities.

The next few days that followed were extremely enjoyable and insightful. On the Monday, after our stimulating session in a study group, we took a visit to the City of Arts and Sciences. This was an extremely inspiring structure, with the architectural brilliance taking our breaths away. The inside was a collaboration of insight and fascination, with many exhibits, showcases and interactive attractions. The trip was eye opening and they enjoyment was quite infectious, with no-one wanting to leave once time was up.

The next day, we took a tour of the mediæval Valencia & Old Town. It was quite incredible to see the remains of what had been an impressive castle wall. Inside the walls was a town still very much alive and thriving. It gave us the chance to witness what was quite an in-depth contrast between the hustle and bustle of modern day Valencia, and the town that time forgot.

On Wednesday the 18th, we went to Americas’ Cup harbour and the beach. Here we relaxed, indulging ourselves in a game of football on the white sands and, for the more adventurous, delving into the icy depths of the sea. The weather was true and fine on this day, and we had a great time.

Later in the evening, we went for a meal out in one of the many Spanish restaurants in the Old Town, and had paella, a traditional and tasty Spanish dish.

However, on Thursday, we woke up with heavy hearts, as we had to say good-bye to sun drenched Valencia and hello to rain-drenched Britain. The flight back was not filled with the same buzzing excitement that tinged the way there, but instead, there was a subdued aura of gladness, one that comes only after experiencing something worthwhile.

Aka Okoye Year 10

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Year 7 History Trip to Agincourt The trip to Agincourt and Crécy was an intriguing mix of history, spending our parents’ money and experiencing something new.

We arrived at the coach park and somehow grouped together into what some would call an organised group or as others would say a disorganised rabble, before the coach journey, which took about seven hours including the ferry crossing.

Once we landed in France we stopped at the place that was Crécy and stared out at a field looking at the two most interesting things there, which were the huge expanse of battlefield and a tower. After an early start the next day, we were zooming through the French country side heading for the refuge of the underground city of Naours, which was a place of refuge for the townsfolk when the English came calling. We enjoyed it extremely and would visit again any day. The magnificent castle at Rambures was another treat, whilst the coach journey was made more enjoyable by Blackadder, a series set in the area of France we were visiting, bursting onto the screen all of a sudden the coach wasn’t that bad and we enjoyed a pleasant evening at the seaside town of St Valery.

On the last day, after a slight lie-in, we made our way to Agincourt. The Agincourt visitors centre must have the highlight of the trip with massive models and excellent videos we learnt so much and the gift shop supplied us with enough weaponry to beat the hell out of each other for a joyous half an hour. A trip around the battle field followed and we enjoyed hearing about

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where everyone had met their bloody end and also having an educational talk about how some English lords were boiled and taken back home.

As we travelled home on the coach we watched the last couple of episodes of Blackadder and as we saw our heroes’ fall in the big push we thought about our trip, realising how lucky we were not to have experienced that, as well as how good the trip had been and how much we had enjoyed it. But I feel it is only right to say that as we stepped off the coach in the coach park I can only remember thinking “it’s good to be back!”

Edward Day Year 7

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Warm Weather Athletics Training in Lanzarote April 2nd 2009 saw the beginning of what was to be one of the most successful school trips HABS has ever run. Whilst being an early meet of 6:20 AM in the school coach park, it seemed that spirits were high, and those that were more than half awake were enthusiastic and ready to get going on the journey. After a one and a half hour coach transfer from school to Gatwick airport most of the party had managed to gain at least one more hour of sleep, and that seemed to be enough for most to be awake and lively. The atmosphere of the party began to liven up and soon the friendly banter was wide spread and clear for all to hear and see!

Upon arriving in Arrecife airport, anyone that needed it had been given the opportunity to gain yet more precious hours of sleep, whilst others that did not, had used the four hour flight to catch up with and get to know some of the girls from the accompanying Princess Helena College. A half hour transfer from the airport to the famous Club La Santa, in which the party would be staying and training, was then needed and by the time the coach pulled up outside the main gates most people were desperate to gain the keys to their room and have a wander round the complex, whilst others were desperate to know where the nearest WC was! A light training session was then taken by Mr and Mrs Keenleyside in which both boys and girls alike were instructed to stretch in the most flexible of fashions. Whilst the girls seemed to have no trouble bending their legs and arms in unnatural directions, the boys seemed to have more of a problem and in most cases experienced pain which words quite simply cannot do justice! However pain or no pain the stretches were completed and most of the party felt better and perhaps more supple at the end of the day. Dinner each night was eaten in a buffet style restaurant situated near the pool, called ‘Restaurante Atlantico’, which funnily enough over looked the Atlantic Ocean. This was followed by a variety of shows put on by the Club La Santa staff and often a pool competition organised by a sixth former of Mr Keenleyside’s choice – Kaz Ong. Training was structured daily in a way that allowed the boys and girls from both schools to have the majority of the day to do as they pleased around the campus. In the morning, from 9-11:30, field events training took place, in which the separate training groups (organised by Mr Keenleyside), were taught how to compete in that event. It seemed that it was this time of day that Mr Paul Valente was at his most comfortable, after failing miserably to ‘bite the bullet’ and take a plunge in the outstandingly cold pool during free time, he seemed to be content on dry land teaching boys, girls and occasionally himself how to throw a discus! The evening, from 5:30-7:00,

consisted of track training, in which Mrs Keenleyside (amongst others) seemed to take pleasure in making the boys do crazy stretches, co-ordination strides which only the Keenleyside family seemed capable of doing and strides in which the party were told to run in the correct running style. A feat which seemed fairly simple during the warm up, but seemed nearly impossible half way through a 1500 m race! However, all the training, no matter how crazy it seemed at the time, was all to the benefit of every athlete there, and at times that thought alone was the only thing that kept certain members of the party in that abnormal stretch for two seconds longer. Midweek a time trial took place in the evening, in which every athlete was told to compete in either a 200m race or a 1500m race.

Unsurprisingly, the majority opted for a 200m and this created a spectacle for some fantastic races. This is what was produced, and after some agonisingly close finishes and stunning runs most athletes seemed content with the way that they had performed. Because of the number of athletes that were, or more to the point were not interested in the 1500m race, only one heat was run. However, it was a brilliant heat and one in which everyone tried their absolute best, producing not brilliant times, but the satisfaction of knowing they had tried their hardest in the first run of the year.

time limits the school had on the track and therefore the teams were chosen and the team relays were contested the evening before. Both the A and the B relays were strongly contested and every team deserved an accolade for the effort put in, regardless of positions! Not everyone saw it this way however, and many were disappointed with the results for their team. Of course, like any true athlete, anyone who was not satisfied with the results decided it was their responsibility to try harder rather than drown in their sorrows.

Training continued, and as the stretches got harder and harder it seemed that the boys had finally become more supple and were able to cope with them more readily…most of them anyway! However, people continued to work hard towards the big competition at the end of the week, the team pentathlon!

Year 9 – Ned Birss

A widely coveted event, it was important to every team not to suffer the humiliation of coming last and this continued to spur the athletes on to train harder ensuring they were at their best for the big day. The only time any athlete seemed not quite as motivated to train was at a time when the lure of shopping in a Teguise market grabbed them. Most athletes distracted, were of the female gender.

The Pentathlon started officially, on the evening before the actual event. This was because of

The final day brought the pentathlon with it and after a large breakfast all athletes were at the track sitting in their teams discussing tactics that would be used throughout the day. As always it was a wonderful day of highs and lows (mostly highs) for all the participants involved. Many personal bests were achieved and those people that did not perform to their maximum capability left the track knowing that they had put in maximum effort.

A final award ceremony was then held in which the following accolades were distributed and received: Winner of individual pentathlon: Year 7 – Miguel Perera Year 8 – Rufus McAllister

Year 10 – Ellis Hughes The Victor Ladorum Cup for the most points scored on a single event was also won by Ellis Hughes.

A huge thank you must be given to Mr and Mrs Lowe, Mr Jenkins, Mr Valente, the sixth form boys – who were brilliant role models for all and coached tirelessly and of course Mr and Mrs Keenleyside.

A fantastic week was had by the entire party; everyone was totally involved in the athletics and enjoyed the experience immensely. Thank you once again for an outstandingly successful trip.

David Fernie Year 10

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Year 8 Chambéry French Exchange 25 boys and girls from Habs and NLCS travelled to Chambéry in France for the return leg of the French exchange, during the Easter holidays.

Everyone was happy to see their exchanges and was eager to live with a French family for the week. We made friends with the girls from NLCS, talked to the girls and on the last day when it started raining some of us even acted like girls (not mentioning any names, or name I should say?!).

All of us tried all of the food and enjoyed it. Although we were living with a French family, we went on trips with Mr. Thackrey, Mlle Houssaye and

Mr. Langdale from NLCS. This Included visits to the footballing capital of France: Lyon, as well as visiting Grenoble, Annecy and, hence the name of the Exchange, Chambéry itself. We would like to thank Mr. Thackrey, Mlle Houssaye and Mr. Langdale, for organising a great exchange, and we would like to thank our French families for making us feel so very welcome.

Charlie Briggs Year 8

Year 9 French to L’Alma School Exchange On the last day of the half term, 13 Habs girls joined 20 boys from Year 9 and travelled from St Pancras on the Eurostar direct to Paris. For some of the group it was the first opportunity of travelling on the Eurostar and was very exciting. When we arrived in Paris our French exchanges and their families were waiting for us at the station. Many of us continued our journey using the French metro to the central Paris homes of our exchanges, all of whom are pupils of Le College-Lycee L’Alma. We spent the weekend getting acquainted with our host families, practising our French language skills and enjoying the French cuisine.

Schooldays saw many of us journeying to school by foot, bus, scooter or motorbike. On Monday morning we left school to visit the Eiffel Tower, which gave a brilliant view over Paris, including the Arc de Triomphe and other famous monuments. After that we had a picnic lunch in the park nearby and then walked to the River Seine and took a boat trip passing more famous landmarks. During the course of the weekdays we managed to fit in visits to the Louvre, the Stade de France and the Palace of Versailles. All the trips involved travelling by the Paris metro as we were so central and it was the easiest way to travel about. On some days after school we went off as a group to the panini shop for a snack and to chat before returning to our homes.

Wednesday school finished earlier and we managed a game of football in the park in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

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Socially, we covered a wide range of activities including Disneyland Paris, water parks, bowling, rollerblading, hunting, cinema visits and exhibitions with our families.

It was a great trip and we all really enjoyed ourselves with the added advantage of improving our French skills. At the time of writing, we are expecting our exchanges to visit us here in June 2009 and are looking forward to seeing them again.

Liam Brady Year 9

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Michael Moore “I find painting faces so fascinating because it’s an interaction with the audience: when you look at it, it looks back at you. The ability for your art to interact with the viewer is a rare quality, and one that I would love to possess.

“Many would say that there’s no point in spending all the time a photorealistic painting takes, when it doesn’t have anything a photo doesn’t or wouldn’t have. Many argue that there’s no texture, no interpretation of the scene in translating it into paint, there’s nothing left out, or added. Most importantly many say that there’s nothing in photorealistic paintings that engages you on an emotional level. However, the idea that photorealism is a replication of photographs, in my mind, is a grotesque misunderstanding. The winner of the BP portrait award 2008 is by artist Craig Wylie, of his girlfriend and entitled ‘K’. What I admire about this portrait is the apparent distance from the portrait artist and the sitter. ‘Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter’ Oscar Wilde once said.”

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Florian Kulka

“When I hear the word ‘Discord’ and apply it to the body, I see an aggressive sculpture whose form, whilst powerful, domineering, excessive, is juxtaposed with the broken, fragmented shape that the body has come to possess.

“I attempted to pose a discord between the regality and luxury of gold against the frailty and inanimateness of the polystyrene from which the figure was created… I attempted to show the figure lunging forward at the viewer, whilst simultaneously being shown as weak, due to the need to be supported by the use of fishing wire from the ceiling… I attempted to portray the extensive, fortuitous curves as an indication of movement, which directly conflicts with the fact that the sculpture does not, in fact, move at all.”

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Michael Hollins

“I looked long and hard and came to appreciate the inner beauty in this fascinating functioning, phenomena of the human body… throughout this year, and the exam period last year, I’ve grown to see the inherent beauty in a lot of functioning objects… and through exploring these objects, I have come to the conclusion that not only are function and beauty linked, but a well functioning object inherently leads to a beautiful object.”

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Story of an Ancient Hero Hilak was the King of Scandivale, which was under threat by the vicious beast Grinda, a beast who massacred live stock without mercy. Starvation loomed until the brave Saowul came to rid the country of the beast. On the night Saowul arrived, the people rejoiced, thinking that at last, they would be rid of the foul beast terrorising the land of Scandivale.

At dawn, Saowul went out to hunt down the beast, and slay it like it had slain all of the land’s livestock. The hunt went on for days to no avail, until one day the hunting party saw a massive footprint in the middle of the forest, near a clearing where the trees and bushes had been ripped apart. They carefully approached the clearing when, suddenly, an ear splitting roar pierced the air. All of the men except Saowul panicked and turned tail, fleeing back into the forest and back to the safety of their native city. As Saowul waited for the monster, the ground gave way, and fell into the abyss of the monster’s lair.

The fall seemed to last forever until, finally, he hit the ground violently. Saowul arose, dazed from the fall, and staggered on to main chamber of the lair. When he got there, a horrible sight met his eyes; blood drenched the walls, and disembowelled bodies lay all around the cavern’s wall tied up by some outlandish type of web, and some were still dripping fresh blood over the floor. Then, from the back of the cave, a black shape stirred and flung itself at Saowul. Saowul blocked the first attacks with ease with his great shield and landed some blows with his sword with no effect.

“What kind of foul magic is this beast?” Saowul bellowed. The battle still raged on in this underground cavern for many hours until, at last, Saowul saw a glint of a sword hanging off the wall. He made a desperate lunge for the blade which the beast noticed; the creature unleashed a desperate roar, and lunged at Saowul’s head. As Saowul laid his hands on the jewelled hilt of the mighty blade, a shot of pure power ran up his hands and arms.

He swung the blade round and swept the beast’s head from its foul shoulders, and let out a cry of triumph as the beast fell to the floor.

When his followers returned to the clearing, they saw the hole and trudged back to the city with heavy hearts, thinking only the unthinkable, that their master was dead. That evening, Hilak spoke fondly of the brave warrior when, suddenly, the doors of the hall burst open. Most of the warriors drew their weapons, fearing another attack from Grindla, but they soon recognised the silhouette in the door frame. A cry of joy ruptured the air as their saviour appeared, carrying the trophy of Grindla’s head underneath his arm. The next morning, Hilak gave Saowul the most prized weapons from the country’s arsenal of daggers and swords. Thereafter, Saowul ruled Scandivale for 50 years with an iron fist, until he passed away and was buried next to the Great Hall forever more.

Peter Glenister Year 7 Tom Haniff Year 11

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Lower Sixth Art

Charlie Schaffer

Dominic Keen

Daiyaan Ghani

Dominic Keen

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Skylark 2009 Skylark Team

The Skylark Team …from the Headmaster Welcome to another new edition of Skylark, and one which finds our school in the very best of condition. Skylark is a reflection our core aims in practice: 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.

I feel immensely privileged to lead a school community such as Habs: through out my seven years as Headmaster I have found Habs to be a most enthralling and uplifting place. This is where the future of your families, of our country, begins. From age 5 through to 18, we are able to work with and nurture some of the brightest and most talented young minds in Greater London and the United Kingdom. They are all destined, if they so wish, for global success and Skylark and Skylight capture the essence academic excellence and extra-curricular vitality that allows our boys to graduate to leading positions in their chosen field in the UK, in Europe, in the Americas, in Asia and beyond.

I have said this before but I believe profoundly that our exceptional boys and exceptional teachers – working together in magnificent surroundings and facilities – allow us to enjoy exceptional success. I was delighted with the splendid results achieved by the Leavers of 2009, the vast majority of whom achieved offers at their first choice university. Indeed, their examination results at ‘A’ level were our best ever. I was equally proud of the performances of the boys following at ‘GCSE’ and ‘AS’ level. We remain, rightly, one of the very best boys’ schools in the UK.

Aaron Taylor Editor

Assistant Editor Philip Shipley

Assistant Editor Freddie Fulton

Features Ben Jacobs

Events Hasan Dindjer

Events Jonathan Metzer

Drama Andrew Shipley

Clubs & Societies Miles Coleman

Clubs & Societies Edward Schwitzer

CCF Patrick Ray

SCS Sam Heitlinger

Prep Nakul Patel

Sport Jamie Michaels

Sport Hamza Zahid

Originals Greg Steckelmacher

Literature Jordan Walsh

Yet academic excellence is simply one aspect of life at Habs. More than anything, we are a community of friends, from many diverse backgrounds but with one shared objective – to make Habs the best it can be. We are more than a school – we are a community that together shapes and benefits from the unique Habs experience.

Our aim, our calling, is be not only one of the best schools in Britain, but one of the best schools globally, offering the benefits of the Habs’ educational experience in its widest sense not just to those who can afford it, but also to those who could make the most of it without regard to financial constraint.

It is my pleasure yet again to commend Skylark to you all. I hope you enjoy what you read. My thanks, and yours, to all those pupils and staff who have made these pages, and this finest of schools, come to life.

DT Amir Khan

Head Photographer Josh Cowan

Photographer David Woolfman

Photographer Zuby Okoye

BAINES design & print 01707 876555 Printed on environmentally friendly paper A33934

Peter Hamilton Headmaster

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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

2009