COLLEGE NEWS Autumn 2015
College’s Best Ever GCSE Results A summer of success
Speech Day Artwork Vibrant end of year display
Charity Run for Nepal The College community pulls together
Rewriting Racing History College pupil wins the GT4 Championship
Cheltenham Science Festival College hosts the Cyber Security Challenge Georgia Taylor (L6, Ch)1
Cheltenham College Pupils Compete in National Cyber Games
Dr Alex Peterken Headmaster
College achieves best ever GCSE results We begin the new academic year with renewed vigour and optimism following a summer of great success in both GCSE and A Level results. Our students have worked extremely hard and, with the unwavering support of the teaching body, their efforts have paid off with some outstanding results - many students realising for the first time how much they are truly capable of. Pupils attained the best GCSE results in the history of College, with 88% of pupils achieving grades A*-B and 45 pupils with 5 A*s or more. At A Level ¾ of the cohort achieved grades A*-B and our top 100 highest achieving candidates attaining 91% A*-B. College is delighted with the number of students who have secured their university of choice, including our Oxbridge candidates who all successfully gained their places. We are also celebrating our best ever AS performance which bodes very well for an excellent set of results for 2016. These individual academic successes weren’t the only highlight of the summer months. Throughout the school pupils took part in activities that require a great deal of teamwork and communication – sports tours, dramatic productions, charitable excursions, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and CCF camps, to name a few. It is also through these experiences that we discover what success and ambition really mean.
Dr Alex Peterken, Headmaster
Hard work pays off for GCSE pupils Max Hindmarch (5th, S), Rheanna Hopkins (5th, Q) and Oliver Evans (5th, S)
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College News Autumn 2015
On Friday 5 June, six school teams of tech-savvy 14-17 year olds from across the UK took part in a Back to the Future meets Robot Wars cyber competition to find the ultimate young cyber defenders. The Schools Final of the Cyber Security Challenge UK is run in association with global technology and defence company Raytheon and GCHQ, in a bid to increase cyber education in young people and fill the cyber skills gap in the UK. For the second year, College won a place in the Cyber Security Challenge national final. After months of code-breaking exercises and a virtual competition run in an after school coding club, College’s team of four pupils Henry Dowding (4th, S), Alisa Gunina (5th, Ch), Dmitrii Usynin, (L6, NH) and Clement Hathaway (U6, Xt) made it to the final along with six other teams. The competition required the teams to collect clues from around the Cheltenham Science Festival by completing mini-challenges. Receiving engineering parts such as a remote
control car, a software package and additional hardware for their success, teams were able to construct their own drones to take into the ‘cyber battlefield’ at Cheltenham College. Once teams were in the ring, they used their drones to defend themselves from their peers’ attacks, which included denial of service attacks – causing any bots in the near area to lose power – and also long-range targeted attacks to disarm individuals that are in the lead. The ultimate winner had to collect ‘space fuel’ from sensor pads and bring it to base to power the Flux Capacitor and bring the team home. All school teams took their homemade drones back to their schools and the winning team, St James Senior Girls School, won a host of other prizes. Alex Isaachsen, Director of ICT at Cheltenham College says, “It is more than just a chance to show off their programming skills, they are also getting the opportunity to rub shoulders with technical experts from a whole range of high profile organisations in the sector, giving them a real taste for the industry and promoting to them the importance of computing in a series of tangible and incredibly exciting activities.”
Cheltenham College Science Club launches Biology Challenge a helium balloon to an altitude of 35,000 feet Fourth Formers celebrated impressive results in this year’s Biology Challenge as pupils achieved 10 Gold, 18 Silver and 11 Bronze awards.
On Sunday 7 June, Third and Fourth Form pupils of College’s Science Club successfully launched and retrieved a helium balloon, which rose to a height of 35,000 feet before it burst, allowing its test payload to float gently back to Earth under a parachute.
A further 18 pupils were highly commended for their efforts and 16 commended. The competition is run by the Society of Biology and multiple choice questions test pupils’ knowledge of the Biology course as well as rewarding those pupils whose knowledge has been increased by reading books and magazines, watching natural history programmes, taking notice of the news media for items of biological interest and being aware of our natural flora and fauna.
Furthermore, they had to solve many problems during the day, including overcoming the loss of the GPS tracking system and an unexpected change in the impact of the jetstream – the balloon flew rapidly to the northeast instead of gently south as expected.
The project has taken almost 18 months to complete, with the pupils having planned the project, designed and prepared scientific experiments for the payload, costed and sourced all of the required components, built the box and frame and prepared and assembled the payload, parachute and balloon for launch. Sixth Former, Clement Hathaway (U6, Xt) built the data recording flight computer.
The launch was a great success and the balloon travelled from Bath across country (some 72km) to a farm on the southeast side of Oxford. Michael Wong (3rd, Xt), Ernest Lau (3rd, L), Tom Hartley (3rd, H), Henry Dowding (4th, S) represented College with distinction as they eagerly answered the questions of the farmers and listened attentively to the description of how they had spotted the “spaceage” contraption floating down into one of their cow-fields.
Mrs Isabella Mech, Head of Science, commented, “Biology is one of the most relevant subjects to today’s school curriculum. Our students are going to have to cope with global problems such as climate change and providing food for an ever-growing population. Competitions such as the Biology Challenge inspire students to read beyond the confines of the curriculum and stimulate lateral thinking. ”
launch of the large version (6m diameter rising to 105,000 feet) with full scientific payload in September! This represents the frontier of space, where temperatures are much lower than anything on the surface of the planet, air pressure is extremely low and the wind speeds during the journey could reach as high as 200mph. It will not be a trivial challenge to solve the problems involved and bring home success once more. Watch this space!
The real success of the project has been in the valuable lessons learned in preparation for the
Cheltenham Science Festival Cheltenham College continued its annual support of the Science Festival by hosting the Cyber Security Challenge and sponsoring two sold-out discussions. On Wednesday 3 June, Marketa Stibalova (U6, Ch) and Anne-Marie Bowring (L6, Q) introduced How your Life Affects your Genes, a fascinating discussion by Professor Frank Kelly, Professor John Parrington and Dr Hector Keun on epigenetics. They explained how everything you've been exposed to over your lifetime: where you grew up, the food you eat and even the toiletries you use can affect your health and be passed on through your genes to your children and even grandchildren.
then used to demonstrate how they pass through the digestive system, and the crowd was blasted with a vortex of methane and sulphur at the end of the talk. Cheltenham Prep pupils described it as a “very enjoyable, humorous, scientific talk explaining how the digestive system works”.
The second discussion was the stinky show Fartology held on Saturday 6 June by Andrea Sella, Stefan Gates and Zoe Laughlin. Families were swamped with various foods on arrival which were
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Orchestral Concert This year the summer orchestral concert took a different form in that it was also the concerto final of the College instrumental competition. Finalists in each section were selected at the end of the Spring Term, and each asked to prepare a concerto movement to be accompanied by the College Symphony Orchestra. Guy Beynon (L6, Xt) performed Monti Czardas on the Violin, Tess Pachta (5th, W) Mozart Violin
Big Band Jazz Festival One of the great highlights for the College Big Band each year is the opportunity to participate in the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. This year was no exception, and the Big Band excelled themselves with a remarkably wide range of repertoire. The set featured soloists from all year groups across College. Particular mention must go to Rafal Dovgialo (3rd, L) for his superb solo improvisation on the soprano saxophone and Fran Ball (U6, Ch) for her electrifying vocals in the Band’s rendition of College favourite Skyfall. This has been a particularly impressive year for the Big Band, and they have embarked on a series of challenging new pieces - which they performed superbly on this high profile occasion. As usual, there was fantastic support from friends, parents and staff from College, as well as a large, appreciative audience of visitors to the world renowned Jazz Festival.
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College News Autumn 2015
Concerto in G, Zara Wynne (5th, Q) Gabriel’s Oboe, Freddie Foster (5th, NH) sang Deh vieni from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Fergus McNeile (5th, NH) Mozart Horn Concerto in E flat, Tiffany Wong (4th, Ch) Mozart Piano Concerto in A and Lois Short (4th, Q) Shostakovich 2nd Piano Concerto. All soloists delivered superb performances, and were sensitively accompanied by the College orchestra, several of whom were performing solos on different instruments to those they were playing while accompanying their peers. The Adjudicator was Mr William Ings, Assistant Director of Music at Bryanston School. He was hugely impressed with the wealth of talent on display, and after a difficult decision making process
awarded the Cheltenham College Musician of the Year cup to Lois Short for her performance of the Shostakovich. The orchestra reconvened after the interval for a rousing performance of Beethoven’s mighty Eroica Symphony, which again had notable solo performances, in particular from Fergus McNeile (5th, NH), Taya Sellers (L6, W), Zara Wynne (5th, Q), Amy Hinc (U6, W) and Isobel Salmond Smith (5th, A). This stylish and accomplished performance was a fitting end to a year of hard work for the orchestra, in which they have made huge progress and performed challenging but rewarding repertoire.
Evensong in Gloucester Cathedral Singing regularly in our own beautiful College Chapel is a great treat in its own right, however with so many other fine religious buildings within striking distance, the opportunity to sing Choral Evensong in Gloucester Cathedral is both a pleasure and a privilege. England is the only country in the world that maintains this precious heritage of the daily sung office, and our part in keeping that tradition going is an important part of College life. On this occasion the choir sang Howells Collegium Regale Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis with Matthew Finan (U6, S) delivering the notoriously difficult solo in the Nunc Dimittis with great aplomb and
apparent ease; accompanied by Alexander Ffinch on the famous cathedral organ. This popular and important piece of English repertoire was balanced by a contemporary piece by American Composer Eric Whitacre. With intricate harmonies and soaring melodies the 60 strong chapel choir delivered a stunning performance of Sleep, which has now become a firm favourite among choir members.
FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR THE RAILWAY CHILDREN Jordan Pemberton (4th, H) From 7 to 8 May, Lower College performed The Railway Children. This well-known family classic, which takes place in Britain during the Second World War, follows the lives of three children, Bobby, Peter and Phyllis, who move to a new home in Yorkshire after the enforced absence of their father. During their adventures they form relationships within their new community, help strangers and attempt to ascertain the reason for their father’s disappearance. The play itself was magnificent and moving; the children’s story was brought to life by outstanding acting. One of the highlights was the fact that the audience were arranged as if sitting on the platform, with all of the action taking place on the 'tracks' between. The scenes were so well depicted that you really felt like you were there! The interaction with the audience was tremendous and, of course, the budding actors made the whole experience complete. Warm congratulations to the whole ensemble cast and a hearty thank you to the technical support of James Drysdale (4th, BH). A special mention must go to Chanelle Moller (4th, A), Oli Pritchard (4th, Xt) and Georgie Grimwade (3rd, A), who played Bobby, Peter and Phyllis so memorably.
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College Run for Nepal Izzy Kemp (3rd, A)
Cheltenham College ran to raise money for one of our chosen charities, The Shamrock School in the wake of the earthquake in Nepal. On Sunday 31 May four girls, nine boys, one ex-pupil, many determined teachers and even a parent of Cheltenham College ran in ‘legs’ to complete all 102 miles (164km) of the Cotswold Way in aid of the children of The Shamrock School in Nepal. Many pupils who attend the school have had their families and homes taken away by the recent earthquake and so are in need of more help than ever.
steep Fish Hill in the penultimate leg of the trip; and of course to Mr Faulkner and Mr Penny who organised the run.
“With morale high, outstanding amounts of effort and teamwork from everyone, it was fast becoming an unforgettable experience".
Wye Valley Canoe It was with some hesitancy that 15 boys picked themselves up from their post-exam lull to paddle down the Wye Valley. As river trips go there are few more scenic than the 80km of pristine countryside and woodland that line the banks from Hereford to Monmouth.
So far we have managed to raise over £2000 for The Shamrock School. It was an incredible day and one that I will never forget! For more information on our run visit www.cheltenhamcollege.org/Run-for-Nepal. To donate, please visit www.givey.com/shamrockeducationtrust.
At 5.00am, the chosen first pair set off from the acorn-marked start line with our Nepalese flag baton in tow and disappeared into the town. The day started off drizzly but brightened throughout the run to create an incredible day of adventuring; running 10km legs atop the hills, looking down onto the patchwork fields and hamlets surrounding Somerset and Gloucester. “I found myself stepping aboard the coach at 3:45 in the morning, filled with nervous energy and surrounded by fellow supporters. “ At 8.00pm every one of us ran across the last fields and down the hill to reach the finish which was marked by a twin of the acorn plaque that we had seen that morning; a memory that, by then, felt weeks ago. All pupils ran at least 15 miles each, but a special mention goes to Mr Brewis, who in order for us to reach the end before dark, ran 10 miles in one stretch (up hill!); to Willie Weston (U6, BH), who, with his many ‘legs’ added together, ran an entire marathon; to those who conquered the perilously
British GT4 Championship Jamie Chadwick (L6, Ch) has rewritten history by becoming the first female and youngest ever driver to win the British GT4 Championship! Jamie is only 17 years old and in her ‘rookie’ year of competing in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The win, which she shares with team mate Ross Gunn (18), came at the penultimate race at Snetterton that was plagued with technical issues and worsening weather conditions. Jamie dominated the championship with back-to-back victories at Rockingham and Silverstone and placing second at SpaFrancorchamps. Driving the Beechdean Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage, Jamie has faced demanding conditions of gruelling heat at Spa-Francorchamps and being hit by another competitor at Silverstone but has managed to maintain her title-leading position, despite taking time out of practising to revise for her A Levels! As the youngest driver in the Championship, Jamie has done extremely well and we wish her every success for the future.
We broke our journey with three overnight camps at Lucksalls, Ross Rowing Club and the Biblins. Camping overnight gave the trip an ‘expedition like’ feel and we had to carry everything that we needed in waterproof barrels aboard the canoes. All went well until the crux of our journey at the Symonds Yat rapid where three of our party decided to take a swim. They emerged unscathed, unlike their canoe, which remained resolutely stuck fast between two boulders, immoveable under the weight of water. It took us some hours to recover and when we did, we limped into Monmouth Rowing Club with a not so straight canoe but a tired and happy party.
Mr Dominic Faulkner
Royal Windsor Horse Show I was lucky enough to compete at the Royal Windsor Horse Show for the Old Berks Hunt in the Inter Hunt Team Relay Competition on Thursday 14 May. It was an incredible privilege to be selected as the team had to have one under-25 member. I do not think we have ever got so wet, it poured with rain all day, but it did not take away the atmosphere from competing in a national arena in the Queen’s garden! The hunt relay consists of a team of four racing against another team of four competing on the same course at the same time. It is a fast and furious relay with a hunt whip being used as a baton. We were lucky to win the first and second rounds but got knocked out in the third round, which left us in 8th place out of 32 starting teams. It was a day I will never forget!
Honor McFarlane (3rd, W)
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College News Autumn 2015
Pink Custard On Saturday 13 June, Cheltenham College sponsored ‘Pink Custard’, an informative debate about school food at the Cheltenham Food and Drink Festival in Montpellier Gardens. The talk brought together industry experts from Gloucestershire including College’s Domestic Bursar, Mr Andrew Hailes; Education Account Manager at Creed Foodservice, Mr Chris Godfrey; Nutritionist, Ms Katie Brighton-Jones; Catering Manager at Hesters Way Primary School, Ms Natalie Percival and Head of Catering and Hospitality at Gloucestershire College, Mr Gareth Crwys-Williams.
Ms Marianne Sweet, an editor of two education magazines, including A+ Education, published by Cotswold Life, chaired the talk. The debate delved into the world of catering in education and discussed the revolution that is happening in our school dining halls, the changes and trends that are coming into place, and the biggest challenges for both caterers and parents. It explored the different offerings between the state and independent sector and the roles that schools and parents play in teaching healthy eating to children. All speakers agreed that the best way to tackle childhood obesity is to teach children how to cook, and Nutritionist, Ms Katie Brighton-Jones, argued that healthy eating should be taught as part of the curriculum.
Vegetarian Week
Foodworks
Monday 18 to Sunday 24 May was National Vegetarian Week, a campaign to encourage the nation to eat more vegetarian food to benefit their health, the environment and animal welfare.
The cookery course at Foodworks was extremely enjoyable and provided everyone with more confidence to cook independently.
Mr Mike Rooke, College’s Executive Head Chef commented, “The theme for Vegetarian Week was sharing food around the table with friends, for example, having olives and garlic bread on the tables, when pupils arrived”: It is important to include the right balance of protein in a meal, and College cooked three delicious options: Quorn meatballs in tomato and basil sauce with penne pasta, jambalaya and sweet potato, chickpea and spinach casserole.
We have made lots of new and exciting dishes, and learnt new techniques, including plaiting pastry on a giant sausage roll and kneading bread.
Mr Andrew Hailes commented, “This is the first year we have been involved in the Food and Drink Festival; food, and the wellbeing of pupils, is something we really care about at Cheltenham College and it is great to see this featuring more in the public eye.” My favourite dish of the week was the roast beef. It was full of flavour and the Yorkshire puddings with onion gravy were delicious. I would recommend the course to anyone who loves food and wants to learn new skills. It has been such a great bonding exercise with a variety of people in my year group and I have enjoyed spending time with them outside College. We are all now feeling very large from so much food!
Georgia Whittal (5th, A)
The Quorn meatballs were the most popular option with students commenting that they couldn’t always tell that it wasn’t meat. The Jambalaya and sweet potato, chickpea, and spinach casserole are also a great source of protein, dietary fibre and minerals such as iron, phosphorus, zinc and vitamins. College has found this initiative has lasting effects; after introducing the special menu for Vegetarian Week the uptake of the vegetarian dish increases throughout the rest of the term.
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The ISGA National Final On Sunday 26 and Monday 27 April the Independent Schools Golf Association held the National Final at Royal St Georges in Kent. Over 130 schools entered the competition with 19 making the final. College’s team consisted of Harrison Ottley-Woodd (4th, L), Joss Edwards (5th, H), Intouch Ruckpanich (5th, L). All boys won silver medals and College finished in a very credible 8th place, a particularly good achievement considering it is such a young team.
Henley Royal Regatta Having finished their exams, both the Cheltenham College 1st VIII and Girls IV arrived in Henley excited about their week of training leading into the qualifying races for Henley Royal Regatta. With many of our rowers training on the famous Henley stretch for the first time, the crews made good progress whilst also having the opportunity to train alongside international athletes.
Rowing success at Bedford Regatta Cheltenham College Boat Club had at excellent day of racing at Bedford Regatta on Saturday 9 May. Bedford is traditionally seen as one of the key preNational Schools races and there were a number of excellent performances across the club.
Both the boys and girls Junior 15 crews continued their excellent progress, racing a number of times through the day against excellent opposition. The boys crew lost in the semi final in a tight race with Norwich School and the girls went out at the same stage of their competition to a very good crew from Henley Rowing Club. Both crews gained a lot of valuable race experience and have a place in the final at National Schools firmly in their sites. The highlight of the day was the performance of the girls 1st IV. A disappointing row with some equipment issues meant a loss early in the day in Junior 18 Coxed IVs but the girls recovered splendidly and went on to dominate the Novice IVs event, winning all three of their races comfortably, including the final by a verdict of ‘easily’.
With the 1st IV unable to race due to illness in the crew, the 1st VIII carried the mantle for the senior boys. After a poor row in their first round they recovered to beat Sir William Borlase in the plate, before losing to eventual winners Bedford School in the semi-final.
County Champion Harrison Ottley-Woodd (4th, L) has been named the new County Junior Champion. Hot on the heels of his win in the South West Under 16 Championship at Kingsdown, Harrison shot an impressive score of 140 (70, 70) on the Cherrington Course at Minchinhampton to take the title by three shots. Harrison shot close to the par of 71 all day, recording four birdies and three bogeys in each round. Richard Mobley of Cotswold Hills Golf Course commented, “In testing conditions, shooting 70 in the morning was impressive, but to do it again in the afternoon when holding a lead is a real sign of quality, and rich reward for the effort that he has put into his game over the last few years.” 8
College News Autumn 2015
Former Head of Rowing Richard Jones said, “This was a very promising day for the Boat Club. Bedford is a high quality summer regatta and it was extremely pleasing to see a number of our crews being so competitive. The commitment the rowers show in balancing their academic studies and their training is a credit to them all and we move forward to National Schools with confidence.”
The 1st VIII then went on to compete in the qualifying races against the best junior crews in the country on Friday 26 June. After giving their best and putting in a tough performance they narrowly missed out on a place in the regatta. With 7 rowers and cox, Isobel Salmond-Smith, all returning to College next academic year, this young crew are sure to be back stronger and hungrier than ever next year - with qualification being high on the list of performance goals in the Boat Club next season.
Malaysia trip 17 pupils aged 16 to 17 and three members of staff embarked on a trip to Malaysia for the girls hockey tour. Playing in hot and humid weather against a nation that plays a different style of hockey would be a great test as the girls prepared for the start of season in September. The first stop on the tour was a visit to a Tamal school, SJK (T) Simee for a morning to assist in the development of their hockey programme. The children quickly became engaged with hockey and afterwards took the girls on a tour of the school, with each class involving the girls in their lessons and preparing an English nursery rhyme to sing. 22 hockey sticks along with balls, cones, training bibs and a quick-sticks hockey bag were kindly donated by Surridge and the Cheltenham Hockey Club. The girls assisted in organising a workshop skills session run by Mr Gwyn Williams, who commented, “Watching the College girls interact with the local pupils and take the lead on passing on their hockey knowledge made me feel immensely proud
Twenty20 Cricket to be their Head of Hockey. I only hope that our visit will ensure that these pupils now have the necessary means to establish a sustainable hockey programme and I hope, in years to come, to return and see these pupils enjoying the benefits of sport and the valuable experience it provides. I’d like to thank Old Cheltonians and parents Michael Chai (Christowe, 1977) and Din Shahabuddin (Christowe, 1987) for organising a wonderful reception for the team. The girls had a great time and it was a wonderful occasion for OCs and parents to meet and reconnect." Antonia Stuckey (L6, Q) said, “The 2015 Malaysian hockey tour was a hugely varied and inspirational trip. From playing hockey in the Azlan Shah stadium to climbing 272 steps up the Batu caves, we experienced it all. After all of the matches we were shown generous hospitality by the girls we played against, learning to eat Roti and curry with our fingers, whilst learning the complexities of their different languages. Overall, we were delighted by the friendliness and warmth we were greeted with in Malaysia, especially by the girls we played against in hockey, who showed a great interest in our lives back in England. All of us will have lifelong memories of this amazing trip."
With the sun shining, College hosted their inaugural Twenty20 Quadrangular cricket competition against Radley College, Magdalen College School and Cardiff and The Vale of Glamorgan in a round robin styled competition. T20 cricket was originally introduced by the ECB in 2003 for professional inter-county competition. In a T20 game the two teams have a single innings each, which is restricted to a maximum of 20 overs. Typically the game is completed in about three hours - making for a fast and exciting form of cricket. College (Cheltenham Renegades) comfortably won their first two games against Cardiff and the Vale (Royal Challengers Cardiff) and Magdalen College School (Magdalen Mavericks) as did Radley College (Radley Royals). This set up a ‘winner takes all’ affair between The Renegades and The Royals. College lost out to Radley by seven wickets in a close and tense finish, but all who watched were treated to an excellent exhibition of U14 T20 cricket. It is hoped that this U14 T20 competition will become an annual event - and, no doubt, a highlight of the cricket season.
Hockey Recognition Seven College pupils have been selected for the Junior Regional Performance Centres for Hockey: U18 India Blake (5th, Q), U18 Jemma Robson (5th, W), U17 Roger Mortimore (4th, S), U17 Millie Broom (5th, W), U16 Oscar Butcher (3rd, H), U15 Max Pemberton (3rd, H) and U15 Emily Drysdale (3rd, W) have all been selected to attend the JRPC training centres. Junior Regional Performance Centres are hockey training centres for the U15, U16, U17 and U18 age groups which are open to anyone who has successfully come through assessment from a Junior Academy Centre or who has been involved in National Age Group Squads.
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Gloucester Academy Four College pupils, Cameron Terry (4th, NH), Josh Pimlott (4th, L), Max TaylorBaggs (4th, BH) and Angus Thomson (3rd, NH), played for Gloucester in the Premiership Rugby Academy U15s festival at Harrow School over the May Bank Holiday weekend. The squad played six matches and won four - beating Quins, Saracens, Bath and Exeter and only losing to London Irish and Wasps; a great end to a long rugby season for the boys.
U14s National Lambs Rugby Tour During the Easter holidays Angus Thomson (3rd, NH) represented Cheltenham College on the U14s National Lambs rugby tour. The team were unbeaten over all 7 of their games and won the international U15s tournament in style, including beating a last 8 Natwest Cup team, Ivybridge College, in the semi finals. In the final they played at the Lisbon University Olympic Stadium and beat the local favourites Belleneses 41-0 in front of a large crowd. Angus contributed six tries over the seven matches at centre, wing and even flanker in one match. In all the team scored 220 points with only 24 points against, making it the most successful National Lambs tour ever.
Kwik Cricket College welcomed 240 local primary school children as part of the Gloucestershire Kwik Cricket Finals Day.
increase the chance of them playing the sport long term and no doubt provide life long memories that they will never forget.”
Gloucesteshire Cricket Board (GCB Projects and Programmes Manager, Chris Munden said, “It is always a big highlight of the year for the GCB to see so many children having fun and enjoying cricket at such a prestigious location. The children represent schools from all over Gloucestershire and the standard of cricket is improving year on year. The GCB believe that giving young people this amazing experience will
Coach of the Year Cheltenham College Head of Hockey, Mr Gwyn Williams, has been awarded the Gloucestershire Hockey Association Performance Coach of the Year for 2014-15 through his involvement as head coach of Cheltenham HC Mens National League team. Our congratulations to Gwyn on this outstanding achievement.
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College News Autumn 2015
Sainsbury School Games James Palmer (5th, BH) will take part in the Sainsbury School Games, the biggest multi-sport games outside of the Olympics, as part of the Wales U18 Boys Hockey team. Our Head of Hockey, Mr Gwyn Williams, will coach the team.
WW1 Centenary Programme During the past year, a volunteer in Archives, Phoebe Brunt, researched and prepared a panel for display at the Cricket Festival. It was based on a photograph of the 1914 Cricket XI, which included Cyril Hillier (1911-1914, H), who had also played in the 1913 XI. Cyril should have returned to College for his final year in September 1914; instead, he received his commission during the summer holidays and joined the 2nd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment. He was shot in France in February 1915, five days short of his 18th birthday and, as such, is the youngest Old Cheltonian serving in the Army who was killed during the First World War.
two other members of the team died in the War: Birtwhistle in France in October 1918 and Du Boulay on the Somme in September 1916. Four others were wounded.
Post-War careers included an assistant superintendent of police in Assam, India, a barrister, a business man in Argentina, a composer, the head of a prep school, and three career army men, two of whom, plus the barrister, later served in the Second World War. If anyone would like to volunteer to research the 1915 Cricket XI and prepare a panel for display at this year’s Remembrance Exhibition in November, please contact me.
Christine Leighton, College Archivist
Footballs are More Interesting than Football The final meeting of the College Mathematics Society was a very special event. Dr Jim Simons (formerly GCHQ) gave a truly excellent talk on Orifolds with the subtitle, Footballs are More Interesting than Football. This talk introduced the pupils to many new concepts in Geometry, in particular, we met the 17 spherical symmetry patterns, and the 17 'wallpaper patterns' in the plane. The talk finished with a remarkable proof of the Magic Theorem, which enumerates these patterns.
Phoebe also researched what happened to the other members of that 1914 team. Agabeg and Matthews were Prefects, and two were Head Boys: Brooke-Taylor in 1914 and Du Boulay in 1915. All the team served in the War and, between them, were mentioned in despatches four times, and awarded three Military Crosses (one with a Bar) and a Distinguished Flying Cross. Besides Hillier,
Battle of Waterloo Thursday 18 June marked 200 years since the Battle of Waterloo. One of College’s founders, Old Etonian George Simon Ainslie (later Harcourt), fought at the Battle of Waterloo, and the jacket he wore, along with a handwritten journal is kept in the History Library. Harcourt moved to Cheltenham in 1839 with his six sons, and suggested to his friend Captain Iredell the establishment of a Proprietary School. The first meeting to discuss the idea was held in Harcourt’s house in Montpellier Villas. They successfully organised the establishment of Cheltenham College in Bayshill Terrace in 1841 and two of Harcourt’s sons were among the first pupils admitted. The whole Harcourt family moved away from Cheltenham in 1842, before the new College buildings were completed on Bath Road.
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CCF RAF
CCF Army The jewel in the crown of the year for the Army Section is the Annual Camp at Longmoor. A mixed military and adventurous training programme saw the Recruit Company enjoying mountain biking, climbing, kayaking, paintballing, archery and a range package firing the assault rifle at 300m, with many cadets missing clays at a lot closer range! The final day saw the competition package where the cadets were joined on the march and shoot by Brigadier Andrew Hughes, an Old Cheltonian who was in Boyne House. The three College teams set three of the four fastest times of the day with the all girls group beating many of their male counterparts. For their sustained effort and leadership over the course of a challenging but rewarding week Max Taylor-Baggs (4th, BH), Cameron Terry (4th, NH), Amber Beachus (4th, W), Isobel Turner (4th, A), Ollie Pritchard (4th Xt) and Libby Barnes (4th, W) were all promoted to LCpl. Grace Wackett (4th, W) was also promoted to LCpl as the top female on the camp and Ollie Ruthven (4th, L) was the unanimous choice for Top Cadet and was awarded the Rifleman Trophy.
The summer camp this year was actually a series of day trips. On days one and two, the Flight deployed to the Wye Valley and, in beautiful weather, paddled 10 miles down the Wye over 4 ½ hours and also took to the mountains on bikes. Day three saw the Flight visit Bristol University Air Squadron at Colerne where most of the Fourth Formers took to the air in the Grob Tutor. The RAF Museum in London was visited on the fourth day and, courtesy of two current parents, Group Captain Nick Hartley and Wing Commander James Hill, the cadets visited the Defence Academy at Shrivenham where the highlight, and a fitting end to the year, was a presentation by Group Captain Andy Bowen on the RAF and what the future might hold for military aviation. In between times, the Flight have had a shoot on College’s 25m indoor range, practiced personal survival in the swimming pool, conducted planning exercises, discussed leadership and competed in the College cross country championship with Lance Corporal Tom Hill (5th BH) coming in a very respectable seventh. In addition, Lance Corporal Sam Mendis (5th, Xt) has represented College at full bore shooting at Bisley.
CCF Navy During this summer an additional nine cadets have attended CCF courses in leadership, scuba diving, power boating, yachting and pool lifeguarding. These courses are heavily subsidised by the Ministry of Defence and are held at Dartmouth, Plymouth and Portsmouth. They provide excellent opportunities for cadets to increase their skills, have fun and become independent. All CCF cadets are eligible for these courses and they are highly recommended.
Power Boat Qualifications Over the Easter holidays seven cadets, Theo Hunt (4th, H), Edward August (4th, H), Henry Johnson (4th, H), Ben Kinsman (4th, S), Ben Hilditch (4th, S), Tommy Maddinson (4th, S) and George Wells (4th, S), from the CCF Naval section joined cadets from across the country taking sailing, leadership and powerboat training at the Royal Navy’s HMS Raleigh in Plymouth. The cadets experienced all aspects of life ‘aboard’ a Royal Navy training station as members of Raleigh’s Vigilant Squadron. Boating from Jupiter Point (a Second World War D-Day embarkation harbour; now a state of the art seamanship school) the boys were able to hone their skills in a wide range of Royal Navy craft, including fast ribs, Cheverton Champs, Halmatic VTs and work boats. In spite of severe gales that battered the South Coast, all successfully completed their RYA Level Two Powerboat and RYA First Aid courses.
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College News Autumn 2015
Third Form Challenge In the last week of term, 74 Third Formers enjoyed an action-packed five days in the Forest of Dean, College and Thorpe Park.
Three days were spent in the Forest of Dean completing activities such as orienteering, high ropes, climbing, abseiling, archery, cycling and a full day of kayaking. The orienteering proved to be very difficult but the group of Paige Baker (3rd, A), Isabella Barber (3rd, A) and Romy Boddington, (3rd, A) were outstanding, fighting through brambles to find the most points of all the groups. Professional guides took our pupils off the traditional cycle tracks onto routes that are not normally used, and the day spent kayaking saw the pupils travel from Huntsham Bridge through Symonds Yat and on to Monmouth through rapids – with most pupils managing not to fall in! The evenings were spent camping at Biblins Camp Site where pupils had to cook their own meals. The fourth day was spent at College with pupils undertaking a movie-making activity. This built upon the ICT development that occurred throughout the year and many new skills were learnt in an entertaining scenario. Finally, a day trip to Thorpe Park allowed the pupils to relax and finish the week on a high. It was a great way to end the pupils’ first year at College and increased the teamwork and skills they have learnt throughout the year.
Duke of Edinburgh Award Expeditions Salamanca Trip Two expeditions took place in the summer term. In June, the Bronze Award group from the Fourth Form went to the Forest of Dean to undertake a practice two-day expedition. Route-finding in forests is one of the hardest navigation challenges and the boys and girls acquitted themselves admirably, honing skills introduced to them during the CCF programme in the spring and consolidating this with evening route-planning sessions before the Easter break. At the beginning of the summer holiday our Lower Sixth Gold Award candidates travelled to Snowdonia for their qualifying expedition in high heat, quite the opposite of the cold frosty practice held in Brecon at Easter. Our groups camped wild for the whole trip, early morning starts and late arrivals in camp with many miles in between took their toll on feet and patience but both groups ended in good form, with relief but a sense of achievement.
A journey of friendship and discovery Tom Bond (L6, NH) reflects on returning to the residential school for children with special needs in Bradet, Romania.
men of Bradet, their skill left us stunned! Listening to pupils play their guitars under the lovely hot sun after a heated Romania vs England match, and finally, making friendship bracelets – a great symbol of the bonds we created on our journey.
On a typically wet and windy morning in Cheltenham, Team Romania 2015 gathered, only a short journey away from a week that we will never forget and an experience we will cherish forever.
It was a privilege to experience the company of the children of Bradet. And having been last year, I saw how special this journey is. The ‘golden seed’ that has been planted in our hearts will remain with us and continue to grow, shaping our lives and those of others for the better.
Managing to take the wet British weather with us, we arrived at Bradet in the pouring rain. The ice was broken with a great game of ‘heads-shouldersknees-and-toes’, which was instantly remembered by the older children, who then explained it to the younger children.
During activities week, 31 Third Form pupils travelled to Salamanca for five days of cultural and educational immersion into the Spanish way of life. We arrived at the town square in Salamanca to be greeted by our host families; although it was daunting at first, we soon got to know them and they were kind and easy to talk to. We had lessons in the morning and did activities in the afternoon, such as visiting the bullfighting museum where we had an amazing tour and were able to ask lots of interesting questions about the history of the sport. This was followed by salsa lessons and a dance off - it was great fun for everyone! We also got to go to the local lido and enjoy an afternoon of tanning and swimming, with picnics made by our families. On one of the evenings the language school organised a tapas tour, where we had a chance to experience different types of tapas in various restaurants in town. We also did a photo treasure hunt, where we got to test our knowledge from the tour of Salamanca, which was great fun! The trip overall was fantastic. The best part about it was having the chance to experience a completely different lifestyle whilst having fun. We also have improved our vocabulary in Spanish. We would definitely recommend the trip to Salamanca to all Third Form!
Flo Needham and Emily Drysdale (3rd, W)
As a group we experienced so many magic moments and collected them together as metaphorical photographs to remember in the future. Just of few of these were watching a great break-dancing performance given by the young
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Ambition
Those of you who know me well will know that I am an ambitious person. For example, aged 5, I wanted to be the first female Prime Minister, without even knowing that the late Mrs Thatcher had beaten me to it. Of course, at times I’ve been over-ambitious, and let arrogance or complacency get in the way of achieving my goals, but I have actually learnt faster due to these failures. Nelson Mandela once said, “Don’t judge me by my successes, judge me by the number of times I fell down and got back up again”. That, to me, is true wisdom! Ambition does not mean you aim high and you get there bruise-free: nothing gets in your way, you aimed, you scored! No. Ambition is when you keep going and grow from all the bumps on the way. Problems won’t let you look away from your goals, you won’t tame them, nor aim lower; you may have to take the longer route but you don’t give up. On the other hand, it’s so easy to underestimate yourself, and let your doubts get in the way of your ambition. Although ambitious and selfmotivated, I’ve always struggled with low-self esteem, until I realised; there is no shame in being proud of your achievements. There is no shame in acknowledging that you have reached your goals, and overcome your failures to do so. As nice as it is to get prizes, or applause, the most important approval comes from within. What do you want? What do you really want? When I’m feeling like I’m far off from achieving my goals, I think back to this time two years ago. I was making my application for College’s Sixth Form, and I was terrified. I had so many questions in my head, making me doubt myself. What if they don’t want me? What if I don’t make friends? What if everyone’s more intelligent than me, sportier than me, more talented than me? What if I leave the familiarity of my old school, and all for nothing? Finally, interview day arrived, and again, I was terrified. The same questions popped up in my head: What do they want me to say? What if I’m
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College News Autumn 2015
not good enough? What am I doing here? When do I speak? When do I not? Am I natural enough? Am I fake? I won’t go into detail, but clearly it wasn’t as disastrous as I’d thought, and I lived to tell the tale today.
BBC Radio Gloucestershire
1 September arrived; the dreaded first day of school, and guess what; the same questions came back to me. What if I don’t fit in? Who shall I have lunch with? Why did they let me in? Walking into Queen’s on that first day, I was relieved to find five other similarly nervous girls, none of whom disliked me, or asked me what I was doing there. Staff and older girls were welcoming and wanting to know us for who we are. Within my first two weeks of College, my fears disappeared, and I felt like I’d never been anywhere else. This wasn’t the “new me”, this was the “real me” - the mask and fears could drop.
In the summer term, Head of History of Art, Mr Nick Nelson appeared twice on BBC Radio Gloucestershire. His first appearance in May was to discuss the record-breaking sale of Picasso’s Women of Algiers, which sold for $160 million, and the value that is placed on art. During his second appearance, Nick discussed the accessibility of art and brought replicas of Ancient Greek ‘halters’ for BBC Radio Gloucestershire’s virtual museum. ‘Halters’ are stone weights of around 2 kilograms each that were used by pentathletes in the long jump.
Compared to the stories of other people, my tale of going to a new school seems pretty insignificant. And that little voice in my head pops up again. What about girls like Malala, who’s just four days younger than me, and has survived the Taliban, addressed the United Nations and won a Nobel Prize? Compared to the likes of her, my ambitions seem, well, not even like ambitions. But, when I think back to the shy, quiet, mousy girl lacking in confidence two years ago, about to walk through those Chapel doors for the first time, a little bit of me deep down feels proud. This is my motivation that drives my ambition. Another motivation of mine is my family. My mum comes from Mauritius, a tiny island in the Indian Ocean where many of you have probably been on holiday, but the reality of life for those who live there is a world away from the tourist tracks and the Four Seasons. She grew up as the youngest in a family of 8 with little money and commuted 4 hours a day to her school where she gained an academic scholarship. Her ambition was to get a job in Europe as a doctor and to provide the best education she could for her family. She made it and I’ve made it. College may sound like a chore for some of you but to me, coming here was ambitious. I praise myself for pushing myself out of my comfort zone, performing on stage in my first term and debating when, before, I would have preferred to blend into the background. Two years ago, I would have never even imagined myself standing up here talking to the entire school. I would never have imagined I would be trusted to be Deputy Head Girl. But we are not ambitious on our own, we are made of people’s trust and beliefs too. I am incredibly grateful to the College community for allowing me to not only achieve, but surpass my ambitions. And that is, I think, what is so special about College. We have a supportive environment where we can try our hand at anything, without feeling embarrassed or ashamed if it doesn’t go too well. There is a very unique culture of pride here, that doesn’t cross the line to arrogance. Think of your motivation, whatever it may be, and your pride in achieving your ambition. In short, my message to you is simple: grab every opportunity you can and take advantage of it with the drive and ambition that you know you have.
Sophie Caws (U6, Q) Deputy Head Girl
The Slade Summer School Foundation Course During College’s Lower Sixth UCAS week in the final week of term, the Art Department was honoured to welcome Sandra Smith runs the Foundation Summer School at the highly prestigious Slade School of Art at University College London. The day was spent discussing what students can expect from a Foundation Course, the type of portfolio that is required, interview questions, and most valuable of all, discussing with each student the contents of their individual portfolios suggesting areas that could be further developed. The students all found that the time spent in discussing their work, themes and values was really helpful for planning future refinements and deeper developments within their studio practice. Sandra’s exceptional knowledge and understanding of Foundation and Degree level courses gave invaluable insights onto what students who pursue a career in Art might expect.
Speech Day Exhibition Once again, as is our tradition over the past 3 years, the final public College exhibition of the year was held on Speech Day, and we were delighted to welcome so many students and staff on the day. The walls of The White Gallery and Thirlestaine Long Gallery, were lined with at least one piece of work for each of our GCSE, AS and A2 students, exhibiting the best of their considerable achievements. Work ranged from photography, printmaking, painting, installations, mixed-media, 3D, semi-relief sculptural pieces, ceramics and drawing; there was even a city made out of bread. The range and breadth of the materials, techniques and processes used continues to expand year-onyear, and we are delighted to showcase such individuality and diversity within the artwork produced.
Jacob Sutton’s Portrait Master Class The Art Department was very pleased to welcome the portrait artist, Jacob Sutton to give a day’s workshop to a number of Upper College artists. The day was spent learning about how Jacob creates his portrait drawings; through a process he calls 'Jake’s Journey'. We also looked at some portraits that he produced on the streets whilst living in Afghanistan, in between producing a whole range of portraits using charcoal, pastels and soft pencils. Jacob is best known for his charcoal drawings of the people of Afghanistan during the Afghanistan War, and their personalities shine through his stylised drawings. The day was very successful and all of the students created a large body of work under timed conditions, using each other as models.
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College News Association Page Autumn Term Events Calendar
4 October – College Alrewas Commemoration Service, join members of the CCF and College Third Form for a Memorial Service held at The National Memorial Arboretum (DE13 7AR) to commemorate all those Old Cheltonians who have served their country and those currently serving. All welcome, please contact Malcolm Sloan, m.sloan@cheltenhamcollege.org for further details.
8 October – Informal London Drinks at The Running Horse, 40 Davies Street, W1K 5JE. A great opportunity for Association Members to get together for a drink or two and catch up.
10 October – The specially commissioned play GAS (Gallipoli, Afghanistan, Somme) will be performed by College, drawing on the diaries and experiences of Old Cheltonians. For further details please contact Sian McBride, s.mcbride@cheltenhamcollege.org 22 November - Christmas Fair at College, supporting LINC. Tickets are £5, to book please contact Rebecca Creed, r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org 11 December – Association Carol Service, 2.00pm College Chapel, please RSVP to Rebecca Creed, r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org
Gatsby Ball Review
Christmas Fair
Amongst other positive comments received, a current parent said “I just wanted to say a huge thank you for arranging such a fantastic ball on Friday. We all had a great time and those I’ve spoken to who couldn’t make it are definitely up for it next time!”
Tickets are £5 and are available on the day or in advance – book your ticket by 17 November and receive a complimentary glass of ‘Fizz’ on the day.
Generously sponsored by Teamwork Selection and catered by Wesley House, this year’s Charity Ball was held on 26 June and was a roaring success.
A fantastic opportunity to start your Christmas shopping or treat yourself at this exclusive shopping event which this year will be supporting LINC. With over 70 stallholders, there is something for everyone!
As it is the 175th Anniversary for College next year, we will be holding an Anniversary Ball on 1 July 2016 – Save The Date!
Join us on social media, it’s a great way to reconnect with other members and find out about Association & Society events. Please find and like our page. Get in touch if you would like us to share any activities or photographs, please contact Frances Morrow-Brown, f.morrowbrown@cheltenhamcollege.org
Please find and join the Cheltonian Association & Society group on LinkedIn for news and networking opportunities.
Dates for Autumn Term 2015 Start of term: 20.00 Monday 7 September
Exeat: 13.05 Friday 25 September - Sunday 27 September Half term: 11.00 Friday 16 October - 18.00 Sunday 1 November Exeat: 13.05 Friday 20 November - Sunday 22 November
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Note from the Editor
I would like to thank all members of the Common Room and College pupils for their contributions, Andy Banks (Photography) and the Young Journalist group for their assistance, led by Miss Jane Brodigan.
Term ends: 11.00 Friday 11 December
Meriel Stratford-Hall, Editor
Cheltenham College, Bath Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL53 7LD
T: 01242 265 600 E: m.stratfordhall@cheltenhamcollege.org www.cheltenhamcollege.org
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