Eagle House

from The Whinchat 2021-2022

by Bedford-School

Cross-Country

Houses

Eagle House boys make it to the top of Thorpe’s Cloud on the House Trip

REPORT WORDS BY Mr Ed Loader, Eagle Housemaster

At the end of a fantastic and unpredictable year in the boarding house, it is important to reflect not only on the many successes of the boys and the highlights of the year, but also to say a few words about Mr and Mrs Lincoln. At the end of the Autumn Term 2021, they decided to end their time in Eagle House. For over 10 years, they have been a source of boundless energy, kindness, consistency, and fun for the boys and have changed the way the house is seen and run for the betterment of all. Molly and Josh Lincoln also need a mention here, as they have not only shared a house, but also their parents’ time with the many boys who have passed through the house in the last decade. I know the boys who have lived in the house this year, and all those from the 10 years before them, would like to say a huge thank you to the Lincoln family for all their love and care.

At Christmas, Mrs Loader and I joined the house and were immediately blown away by the kindness and humour of the boys. Truth be told, we had already had a glimpse of some of what awaited us at the Christmas party, where Sunny Yeung’s version of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ by Rick Astley left us excited as to what Eagle House would bring!

The boys have been amazing, not only in their behaviour, but in their enthusiasm, getting involved in weekend trips and day-today tasks with fantastic focus and support for one another. We have attended escape rooms, mini-golf, trampoline parks, ninja warrior courses, cinemas, water parks, theatres and many more, as well as helping boys with their subjects and homeworks - it’s been a fantastically busy two terms.

This is also a good opportunity for me to thank the incredible Eagle House team, without whom settling into the house would have been far less simple. Mr Lee who is a wonderful, fun and well-respected assistant Housemaster. Mr Roger, who always has time for the boys. Mr Gilbert, our visiting tutor, is also an asset - especially to our cricketing cohort who always embrace the extra training! Similarly, the house would not function without our matron heroes - Mrs Kyle, Mrs O’Rourke, Mrs Bury and Mrs Waters, along with the top cleaning and laundry team who work tirelessly to keep things shipshape.

In the blink of an eye, the spring term was over and Summer (and cricket!) was here. The Summer Term also saw two new arrivals to the house, with Jack McCardle (Y8) and Jacky Hou (Y7) joining us. They immediately engaged into the swing of things with a positive attitude and open minded approach to boarding.

The highlight of the summer for many boys always seems to be the House trip. This year we descended on the beautiful Ilam Hall for a weekend of fun, activities and a chance to celebrate a year of all the boys living harmoniously under one roof! On Saturday, we went for a fun few hours to the Alton Towers Waterpark, and whilst all the boys had fun, no one matched Mr Lee for his excitement about getting on all of the slides. As Jack McCardle put it, ‘Mr Lee is just like a big kid’! Following the water park we all headed to

Ilam hall and completed an awesome hike to the top of Thorpe’s Cloud - a local hill with some stunning views. All the boys made it to the top and back down in time for dinner, an awesome achievement. On the Sunday, we enjoyed a bike ride to a beautiful cave, ‘Thor’s Cave’, and had lunch together inside. Despite its name, and much to Mrs Kyle’s disappointment, Chris Hemsworth was nowhere to be seen... In the afternoon, we headed away for a spot of laser tag. Daniil Savelev once again proving he is a ‘hot-shot’ in the laser tag arena. In the evenings, we were able to make use of the stunning Ilam Hall grounds, playing 40-40 in and touch rugby for several hours until, conscious of the day that follows, we headed to bed.

On Monday, we were able to escape to Alton Towers theme park, and the boys were allowed to enjoy as many rides as they could in the day before returning home to get ready for Tuesday’s lessons - all slightly jaded!

Looking back on a whole year, there are several elements that I’m sure will Lottie Loader (the 18 month old terror Mrs Loader and I brought to the house with us!), Aryan’s developing love of Cricket, Austin’s timekeeping, Josh’s unending kindness, Jack demolishing the whole house at Basketball, Alonzo’s fantastic skill at both Table Tennis and Piano, Daniil’s creations (and failures!) in the kitchen, Ranveer with his support of other boys and his always cool and collected nature, Edward’s unfaltering comedic timing, Zealand’s miraculous defence in our football games, Caoai riding a bike for the first time and, only two weeks later, managing to complete the huge bike ride with the rest of the house to Thor’s cave! Thank you to everyone who made the year such fun, and all the best to our Y8 cohort, who leave us for various Upper School houses. I hope they look back on their time fondly and remember to come back and visit us occasionally!

stick with me for a long time. Charlie and Sunny’s obsession with Tottenham Hotspur, Marcus and Theo being exceptional in their role as Head of House, Ben’s inexhaustible love of reading, Donnell overcoming his fears to conquer Thorpe’s Cloud, Gabriel’s insistence on referring to everyone as ‘bro’, Dylan’s obsession with his rubber band ball, Jacky’s talents at drawing, Miron with both his drawing and his instant bond with