The Cantuarian 2024

The Cantuarian

Front Cover: Lego Model, Fede Elias (see page 127). Inside Cover: Serenade

The Captain’s Speech Liza Barkova 6

Chaplain’s Chapter Lindsay Collins 8

DEI at King’s Ben Mearhart 10

King’s News 12

Pupil Achievements 14

Purple Patch Purples 16

Role Call Oscar Virgoe 20

Scholars Oscar Virgoe 23

Under New Management 24

Shell Shock Olivia Astor 27

Shells Salvete Prize Winner 2024 Aadham Mohamed 28

House Pages 30

Music Romola Woodhouse 48

Brahms Catherine Bennett 54

Drama & Dance Miles Packard 58

Sport Bryan Onwuka 66

Lacrosse Lucy Pollock 70

Art Fumi St-Charles 72

Societies: Marlowe, Harvey, Linacre Oliver Ridley, Katherine Cho, Helen Vaughan 83

OKS Anniversaries 86

Maugham Short Story Prize Winner Delilah Bessant 88

Sebastian Barker Poetry Prize Winner Benji Bloom 92

CCF Lily Robertson 94

Trips 100

Bletchley Park Trip Oliver Dallas 102

Chaucer’s Kent Trip David Perkins 104

Wye Trip David Perkins 104

New Concepts Shells AI Project 110

Hair History Zara Kolade 114

Acting Out Benji Bloom 116

Two Cities Archie Clarke 118

Happy Place Toby Nieman 120

Battle Worthy Stella Clark 124

Lego Block Fede Elias 126

Blooming Jellyfish Doreen McVeigh 128

Funny Farm Mike Holden 132

Don’t Be Rude Elena McCaffrey 137

Live the Dream Peter Woodrow 138

King’s Week 140

Cats & Dogs 146

From the Archive 148

High School 156

King’s Coppers 157

Turkish Delight Mark Orders 158

Salvete 160

Valete 168

CONTRIBUTORS

Editor Anthony Lyons

Photographers Matt McArdle and Anthony Lyons

Designer Cobweb Creative

Archivist Peter Henderson

Design yvonne@cobwebcreative.org

Matt McArdle Photography mattmcardle13@mac.com

The Cantuarian info@cantuarian.co.uk

editorial

There are a few more tweaks to The Cantuarian this year. First, we have reintroduced the good old House Pages, which give our day and boarding houses a chance to celebrate what they’ve achieved in the previous year. These colourful and energetic records, almost all written by Heads of House, show there is so much going on behind the scenes at King’s your head will spin.

‘We are also more deliberate in our celebration of pupil and teacher talents and interests beyond the laboratory, classroom, games field and rehearsal space.’

Second, we have firmed up our approach to Music, Sport, Drama and Art so that a pupil volunteer now writes a general review of the year, sharing personal highlights, and these are balanced by a piece focusing on one element – for examples, this year Drama focuses on lighting; Sport focuses on Lacrosse; and Music focuses on the Brahms Requiem.

We are also more deliberate in our celebration of pupil and teacher talents and interests beyond the laboratory, classroom, games field and rehearsal space. This year a Remove pupil writes a diary about his days acting with David Tennant; another Remove reflects on his close relationship with two cities far apart; and a third tells us what it’s like for women living in the Middle East. A Fifth Former shares his love of Norway, and a 6b writes about the cultural significance of her amazing hair. The staff have lots to say as well. A Russian teacher lifts the lid off the English obsession with politeness; a Biology teacher warns us what happens when jellyfish go rogue; and The Beadle explains what it was like growing up on a farm.

Elsewhere we say a fond farewell to our annual Turkish visitors from Bilkhent, whose students of education have been coming to King’s for a decade and a half to study our curriculum and teaching methods. And we look back on the brilliant career of an OKS as an airline pilot, who shows our pupils that with patience and determination it is possible to live the dream. We also discover in our ‘From the Archives’ section that, however much we kid ourselves the world is moving on, King’s in 2024 is not that different from King’s in 1924.

The other day a colleague said he had edited a school magazine once, and he would never do it again. No doubt he’d been attacked near the pigeonholes by a wiseacre spitting coffee over Oxford commas, or heard the cry of the super-busy: ‘Must dash. It’s on its way!’ Yes, it can be tricky getting valete pieces out of people, stunning photographs are hard to find and people can make grand promises then withdraw when it’s too late to find a replacement, but the rewards of the Editor far outweigh the hassle: for every dead egg three dozen hatch.

I forgot to mention cats and dogs. In this edition, staff cats and dogs reign. Who on Earth said The Cantuarian had been modernised?

Anthony Lyons Editor info@cantuarian.co.uk

CCF (Page 94)

Cats & Dogs (Page 144)

Blooming Jellyfish (Page 128)

Role Call (Page 20)

Happy Place (Page 120)

Since the start of my time at King’s I have always struggled with the idea of home. I was cautious about referring to my boarding house as ‘home’ because it seemed like a kind of betrayal to the home where I grew up. But a lot of things have changed during the five years I have spent here. When Covid hit during my second term of Shell, and we had to spend over eight months in confinement, the home I grew up in became a prison of sorts and I would be counting down weeks until I could be back in the precincts and getting on with my life.

Just as one issue seemed to come towards a resolution, political conflict which dragged out into a war made ‘home’ for me almost inaccessible for a time. My family decided to move abroad and as a result there were times when we would all find ourselves living in different places, making the idea of ‘home’ all the more complex. Like any self-respecting speech, I felt that this one must also include a dictionary definition: the Oxford dictionary defines ‘home’ as ‘a dwelling place, a person’s house or abode, a fixed residence of a family or a household’ and by this definition it could be said that I myself do not have a home, yet of course to say that I am homeless would be untrue and even inappropriate. Perhaps a better definition of home is ‘a place of safety and stability’, and for me this place is King’s.

THE Speech

CAptain’s

by Liza Barkova (6a, LX)

Shirley Hall, 4 July 2024

dinners; King’s Week; and even interhouse Cross Country, since some actually grow to enjoy it by the time they reach 6a. But what makes this place special is the people who make all these things possible.

Our housemistresses and housemasters have been the hearth keepers of our lives here, working tirelessly to sort out everything from the smallest of issues to the most serious of concerns. The people who made our time at King’s productive and meaningful have been our teachers, taking us swiftly through piles of academic content but also supporting our endeavours outside of their classrooms. Many of us have one or two of those subjects that we particularly enjoyed and got excited about when we saw them on our timetables and a big reason for that has been our love and respect for our teachers.

‘The people who made our time at King’s productive and meaningful have been our teachers, taking us swiftly through piles of academic content but also supporting our endeavours outside of their classrooms.’

Our year group is brilliantly versatile in their backgrounds and their experiences of the outside world, but I know that for many our school has provided just that – a home, and there are many things that make this possible. Of course, the enveloping embrace of the Cathedral, the mysteries of the St Augustine ruins and the freshness of The Green Court on a winter morning all undoubtedly contribute to the atmosphere of our lives here. And so do the traditions that have become the definition of King’s for many, such as the night of the house song, which turned into a core memory; Christmas

As we know, someone who is leaving together with us is Mrs Worthington. Throughout this last term, many people, including myself, have already sung songs of praises about everything her work has brought to this school and whilst I do not want to be repeating myself, I do want to acknowledge how grateful I am that our time here at King’s has coincided. In many ways I owe to her that fact that I was able to captain the school this year and gain everything that I was offered from the opportunity. I believe that her departure will truly mark the beginning of a new chapter in the ever-changing history of The King’s School, Canterbury. We wish her the very best of luck in whatever she wishes to do next as she retires – and I am sure she will stay in touch with King’s, if only by listening online to the Friday afternoon music recitals she has so enjoyed attending.

It was an immense pleasure to welcome the Head into the precincts this year and it was even more enjoyable to see her fit right in as a real leader and innovator. Something she managed to prove to

us already is that she gets involved, whether that’s running Cross Country with Mrs W, playing cricket against the girls’ team in King’s Week, pushing to get the King’s Council set up or playing her sax in Concert band last Thursday, for example. Now that her first year is done, the rest of the school is thrilled to see what changes her time at King’s will bring. With her at the forefront, I feel perfectly safe leaving the school in her capable hands with plenty of exciting projects lying ahead.

‘Trajan, Minty and Oscar, thank you for the work you have put in and thank you for always being at my side as colleagues and as friends.’

I would also like to thank my parents because they are the reason I get to be standing here today. Their achievements in life have been so tremendous and honest that I now can only hope to live up to them.

Most importantly, what has made this place truly special is us. The 6as have seen this school under all the different lights. Those who joined in Shell would have experienced the more old-fashioned ways at King’s. We did it all online for a while, and we came back to the school with different rules in place, and we changed three Heads. At times the changes seemed overwhelming, but what is special is that we got to experience them together and collectively remember everything that has transformed us, which pulled us all closer with a kind of unspoken bond. We managed to always support each other

and stay on the same side so we now get to reminisce about the ‘good old days’ and rejoice over the brighter future together. Being the year group who in a way got to bridge a certain gap between the changing generations at King’s is perhaps what gave us our unique character and separates us from the experiences of others. Undoubtedly, we are also filled with some exceptional talent, much of which we would have witnessed just this week, with Joe Fuller and Annenora Benians hitting some brilliant notes at the Serenade, Harry Baxendale and Cecily Carter infiltrating the life of yet another character during Hayfever, Will Dean masterfully captaining a very busy week of cricket, and so many more. We also have some brilliant leaders among us, the Purples and the sports captains. It has been an incredible pleasure working with them, knowing that we all want our school to prosper and even making steps towards change. A part of the learning process here at school is to be able to pick up new things very quickly and run with them. This is something my team of Vice-Captains has excelled at. Trajan, Minty and Oscar, thank you for the work you have put in and thank you for always being at my side as colleagues and as friends. As a year group we should all be feeling a profound sense of pride in ourselves and, having persevered through some uncertain times at King’s, I know all of us will always be up to the challenges that life throws our way.

‘The realisation that King’s is my home is a very untimely one given that we leave today. All of us are on the edge of one of the biggest changes we have yet faced.’

The realisation that King’s is my home is a very untimely one given that we leave today. All of us are on the edge of one of the biggest changes we have yet faced, so the only thing left to do is to out-grow and move past this ‘larger-than-life’ experience that comes with being a pupil at the oldest school in the UK, most likely in the world and, as Ms Lowson has pointed out before, potentially in the observable universe. It seems like a daunting task, but one that is necessary: stop fixating, move only forwards and only upwards.

*Dear mom and dad, thank you for everything you have done for us to be here.

Chapter Chaplain’s

Senior Chaplain at King’s, The Reverend Lindsay Collins, shares her thoughts on the past year.

Iam writing on the day after Rishi Sunak has announced, in the pouring rain outside 10 Downing Street, that we are going to have a general election. Britain will go to the polls on 4 July and, by the time you read this article, who knows who will be next in government? What we do know is that over the coming weeks each political party will be putting forward their manifesto establishing the agenda for government they will pursue if elected into office.

This has made me think about what the King’s Canterbury Manifesto would be. What is our agenda behind the education we offer? What are our priorities and promises for those who enter and leave through our doors? I think here our foundation and our heritage has something to offer.

St Augustine founded his monastic abbey based on the rule of St Benedict whose tradition focused on holding in balance mind, body and spirit. This edition of The Cantuarian gives us an insight into how the Benedictine tradition is still upheld today, illustrating the myriad different opportunities in sport, drama, music, and many other co-curricular activities, that have taken place alongside academic endeavours.

Therefore, one of the most important promises in our manifesto would be our pledge to raise money for 50 fully means-tested bursaries, forever. The Charter Awards was launched earlier this year to do just this. It is a tangible, visible and aspirational way of bringing into reality another political manifesto slogan this year, the aspiration to ‘break down barriers to opportunity’.

Manifestos, though, are meaningless if they do not translate into action. Another of Jesus’ famous statements, this time from the Gospel of Matthew, says, ‘By their deeds you shall know them.’ By the time you read this, we will already know which political manifesto promises have been broken or have slid down the list of priorities.

‘St Augustine founded his monastic abbey based on the rule of St Benedict whose tradition focused on holding in balance mind, body and spirit.’

My hope though here at King’s is that the Benedictine tradition of a balanced education, focusing on body, mind and spirit, will continue to inspire, challenge and excite a new generation of young people, and that The King’s School community will be doing all it can to ensure that others can share in this abundant life too.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus says, ‘I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly.’ Life in all its abundance is lived in The King’s School. But our educational values are built on two tenets of Christianity: first, that all people are created in the image of God and are equally worthy and deserving of this abundant life; second, that we are called to love God and share this abundant life by loving our neighbour as ourselves.

‘My

hope though here at King’s is that the Benedictine tradition of a balanced education, focusing on body, mind and spirit, will continue to inspire, challenge and excite a new generation of young people.’

Art & Photography

TDEI

at King’s

by Ben Mearhart (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Coordinator)

his school year saw a significant deepening in commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion at King’s, at our meso and micro levels. With the DEI steering group established, the agreed equity objectives…

1. Parallel narratives are embedded for each subject

2. Our anti-discrimination framework is trusted

3. Protected characteristics ≠ negative outcomes

…were more robustly interrogated by senior leaders and managers and the connected strategic priorities more actively and consistently pursued.

1. Curriculum Review + Enrichment

Heads of Department identified current best practice, appropriate opportunities and the subject knowledge required to support embedding parallel narratives across the curriculum.

King’s co-ordinated and co-hosted the East Kent Schools Together Global Curriculum Project, with local pupils and teachers working with Dr. Rob Power to explore globalised perspectives and wisdom and their modern-day implications and applications.

This fed naturally into our annual DEI conference – attended by 44 representatives from a range of state and independent schools – with Dr. Power imploring educators to look beyond diversity and Naomi Evans arming us with the lenses and skills essential to racially literate teaching and conversations.

The King’s FREDIE groups continued to build on the spaces highlighted by ‘black’ history month, lunar new year and PRIDE, with their meetings evolving to include more intersectional considerations for our school community as shared by representatives from each of the houses.

2. Anti-Discrimination Training

Large numbers of King’s staff and pupils engaged with important and challenging reflections on practical ways we can each support equity and inclusion for people seen to be different and who can be disconnected and disadvantaged as a result.

Quality time and backing were generously provided by the Life Matters department for pupils to attend these sessions and also by the selection of houses who engaged in after-school meetings exploring how to make the School’s spaces more inclusive of gender diversity.

3. Intersectional Data Analysis

Important steps were taken around a broader, ‘no one left behind’ style data analysis at the International College. With intersecting reflections of individual progress, learning styles and levels of selfesteem richly informing personalised, fit-for-purpose interventions and support.

So What + Now What?

While prioritsing critical engagement with equity and inclusion for diverse identities remains key for many, this approach also continues to inspire discomfort, disagreement and disdain for some.

Indeed, with terminology and ideologies often contested, and at times weaponised – and too many of the attempts to secure deeper connection and belonging often working against these core priorities – this school year provided plenty of opportunities for our community to sit with these tensions.

If the aim of DEI is to support safer and more authentic spaces and relationships, and how we each show up in these spaces and relationships, then arguably the most commendable steps this year have been taken by those who have ‘stayed with the trouble’ (D. J. Haraway).

Those who have remained present, open and connected when engaging with experiences they are not necessarily familiar or comfortable with.

Making space, in their conversations and within their awareness and actions, for what genuine equity and inclusion does and doesn’t feel like within our experiences and relationships.

Not easy.

But arguably vital.

Including for those more preoccupied with more socially-accepted performance and progress and even those who can find too much of the DEI rhetoric, and many of the responses, performative and perplexing.

All of which will undoubtedly continue to produce rich opportunities for learning and growth – for genuine and sustained equity and inclusion for diverse identities, experiences and spaces – as attention increasingly turns to pursuing the latest whole school strategic vision.

A vision that includes an invitation for every body in our school community to connect and belong.

At King’s and beyond.

King’s NEWS 2024

• New Head, Ms Jude Lowson

• New Sixth Form Leadership course and BTEC Business course in E Block

• New Housemistress in Walpole

• New Director of Admissions

• New Head of Admissions

• Redecoration of Admissions Office

• New Director of Human Resources

• Launch of the Charter Awards at the Mansion House in London

• A new activity, Running Wild, starts for Removes

• Refurbishment of Linacre finished

• Refurbishmnet of Jervis started

• Kingsdown win House Song

• Launch of the Morpurgo Society with a talk by Michael Morpurgo OKS

• Return of the Christmas Concert

• New CCF standards displayed at Remembrance Day service

• Welcome to Thebes performed in Malthouse Theatre

• Brahms Requiem in the Cathedral

• Dido and Aeneas with pupil soloists performed in St Lawrence Jewry in London

• Independent Schools Inspection in late February (passed)

• First ‘boarding experience’ overnight stay for new Shells in April

• Whole School Photo taken in April

• Official opening of The Rausing Science Centre by Professor Sarah Gurr (OKS)

• New branding launched

• Head’s trip to Hong Kong, and King’s schools in Shenzhen and Phnom Penh (Cambodia)

• House Charity efforts including: TR slept out on the Dovecote lawn for Asthma UK; everyone in LN rowed the equivalent of going up Everest (or more) for Classrooms in the Clouds; SH did a sea swim at Tankerton for The Royal Life-Saving Society

• Joint 3rd in the National Schools Challenge General Knowledge Finals

• National Finalists in the English Speaking Union public speaking competition in Cambridge

• The Robert Rose Society launched with lunch in a marquee on The Green Court

• Scholars Plus trip to Bletchley Park in May 2024

• LN 70th birthday celebrations

• Susan Tingle, Deputy Director of Development, retires after 23 years’ service to King’s

Drama (Page 58)

PUPIL ACHIEVEMENTS 2024 – 2025

ECONOMICS

Chiyu Lee (6a, GL) was shortlisted for the Cambridge Marshall Society Economics Award.

Two pupils were accepted for the Morgan Stanley ‘Step into Banking’ programme (38 pupils have now been accepted in the last five years).

ASTRONOMY

Enoch Addley (6b, CY) was recognised by the Royal Astronomy Society as one of the top UK performers in GCSE Astronomy.

CHINESE

Neha De Silva Wijeyeratne won third prize in the Chinese Bridge Speaking Competition at SOAS, University of London.

DT

The Shell Excellence Team competed with 15,000 other pupils in the Ventura Competition run by the Design Museum and Deutsche Bank.

Having to design a product for the Design Museum shop, the team produced BuzzOff, a fly-catcher inspired by the monkey cup plant.

PHILOSOPHY

Isabella Liu (6a, JR) received a distinction in the John Locke Prize essay competition.

BIOLOGY

British Biology Olympiad Gold Medal: Emma Luo, Cameron Fuller, James Schrantz.

Bronze Medal: Jeffrey Tsang, Franky Wang.

Three 6b pupils completed the 2023 ICE CityZen Award: Sabrina Jiang, Hazel Zeng, Anthony Liu.

6a pupils Lavina Ng, Clarice Lau, Sophia Yuen and Inigo Lenderking came first in the Science in the Medicine School Team Prize: Scleroderma and Raynaud’s at Imperial College London. The group designed a ring and app called RayAlert, which detects incoming Raynaud’s attacks and gives advice to patients.

DRAMA

Bronze Arts Award:

Stella Bevan, Raf Cable, George Carter, Henry Freeland, Archie Hills, Zadie Ismael-Mia, Daniela Kozlova, Cordelia Holden, Romilly Pellumbi.

Silver Arts Award:

Eva Ridley, Camilla Instance, Delilah Bessant, Luke Wheeler- Waddison, Sophia Robinson, Hector Hulme, Olivia Ridge, Bella Gabbitas, Izzy Stewart-Stanton, Tom Dingle, Matilda Stevenson- Hamilton, Lucy Thornhill, Adebayo Ajibade, Josie Manney, Athena Cox, Dylan Shearer, Claud Hamilton, Theodora Caser, Flavia Pellumbi, Daisy Butt, Augustin Cook, Rupert Brett, Bee Billett, Sage Sheppard, Zara Brett, Kitty Furnival.

Xiao Xiao Augur

Annenora Benians

Haifeng (Samuel) Chang

Toby Davies

Arthur Elliott

Felix Elliott

Henry Elliot

Matilda Eriksson

Matilda Eriksson

Sebastian Hammond

Stirling Hampton

Bea Ingles

Molly Jones

Nicholas Lamb

Wan (Winnie) Li

Charlie Lineker

Yat Hang (Evelyn) Pong

Amreetavarshini Ravikumar

Samuel Ridge

Nathan Sumner

MUSIC

Piano Diploma Distinction ABRSM

Violin 8 Distinction ABRSM

Piano Diploma Distinction ABRSM

Cello 8 Distinction ABRSM

Voice 8

Piano 8

Distinction ABRSM

Distinction ABRSM

Horn 8 Distinction ABRSM

Horn 8 Merit ABRSM

Piano 8 Merit ABRSM

Piano 8 Distinction ABRSM

Piano 8 Merit ABRSM

Jazz Sax 8 Merit Trinity

Jazz Sax 8 Distinction Trinity

Drums 8 Merit Trinity

Piano 8 Merit ABRSM

Viola 8 Distinction ABRSM

Cello 8

Distinction ABRSM

Music Theory 8 Pass Trinity

Saxophone 8 Distinction Trinity

Jazz Sax 8 Merit Trinity

Yu Hin (Anson) Tang Cello Diploma Merit

Edward Wilson

Piano 8 Distinction ABRSM

Purple Patch

Every year we ask leaving Purples what they want to do when they grow up.

Alison Wong

I misspelt ‘Easter’ as ‘eater’ when I was four. My parents still joke today about ‘my first life goal’, and my friends at King’s know how much I love food, since I once escorted a piece of Katsu Chicken to Purples’ Lunch. My future will undoubtedly be filled with delectable food, but nothing other than that is certain. I plan to read Law at university, and I want to work as a barrister and do pro bono cases. Alongside that, I will continue my hobbies, such as playing the piano, reading, running and baking. I also hope to adopt some cats and do some fun projects. Most importantly, I will try not to slip down the stairs or break my back! :)

Dulcie Cooper

My aim is to study Theology and Philosophy so I can understand and be empathetic towards people from all walks of life. At the heart of these subjects lies what makes us human and how our beliefs may affect our decisions. I relish the nitty-gritty involved in deciphering the problem of evil and suffering. I hope fascination for all things true-crime will help me become a Criminal Justice lawyer. Failing that, my plan would be to create a cult in the Argentinian jungle to await the second coming of the Megatherium Americanum while we all live in trees and move very slowly. I wish all my peers much happiness and success in the future.

Franky Wang

I have always wanted to be an inventor. Whether it be designing some dream introspection machine or creating a super-baby, academic research is an adventure I want to embark on. But for now my eyes are set on a gap year when I can go pursue my love for neuroscience, reading and frogs, and perhaps find inspiration for my big idea and possibly write my own research paper. After that, I will most likely go and study Psychology at UCL, make some new friends, and see where life takes me.

Emma Yiu

‘Just relax and go with the flow.’ While growing up, I realised that many things in life are unpredictable. One of the biggest changes I had to experience was coming to King’s. It was a sudden decision, yet one that has left me with irreplaceable memories. I have never had a clear career path in mind, but last summer I attended a law course that sparked my interest, so I applied to study Law at university. I am still unsure if I would like to become a lawyer, but I will seize every opportunity and see what the future holds. Ultimately, I would like to travel around the world and unveil the unknowns.

Nene Salami

Forget becoming a doctor or lawyer. I’m going to be a venture capitalist. Let’s be real: being a venture capitalist is like being the coolest kid in the playground except instead of trading Pokémon cards you’re trading stocks and making it rain cash. Why settle for just being rich when you can be, like, Elon-Musk rich? I’ve already got big dreams and an even bigger appetite for success. Have you seen those fancy offices? Who needs to know Pythagoras’ theorem when you can be calculating ROI? Plus, instead of being the belle of the ball I want to be the King of Wall Street, wearing a suit sharper than a freshly sharpened No. 2 pencil. Can’t wait to turn my dreams into dollars.

Gleb Kachur

Everyone thinks Maths and Philosophy is a weird combination to study at university, but to me they’re two sides of the same coin – logic. It’s not like this combination is anything new; it used to be customary. Leibniz, Descartes and Pythagoras are just some of the many great names who made major contributions to both fields, and scientists used to be called natural philosophers. Part of the reason I picked this degree is because I’m certain I would hate straight Maths, and I’m hoping this gives me enough variety to enjoy myself. But please don’t ask me what I’m planning to do with it.

Fatima Jibai Al-Shebib

I’m hoping to study Management Science at UCL. What I’ve learnt is that many people don’t have a clue what that means, and neither did I, but now I know: by integrating mathematics, psychology and economics we can solve complex organisational problems. I am most excited about the modules in engineering. I have always struggled to choose just one thing that I am passionate about and this course allows me to pursue several. I hope to go on to work in the finance sector after completing a placement year in Madrid, working in a bank, where I can learn more about this industry and improve my Spanish.

Anna Yakushina

I have chosen to study Veterinary Medicine at university. Yes, that means I am signing up for five years of cow poo and mud but I absolutely love animals and a science-based degree sounds ideal to me. As well as pursuing my veterinary career, I also want to carry on performing and dancing after King’s. It’s the perfect hobby to keep me sane during my stressful career ahead. After graduation, I want to specialise as an equine vet. Then I hope to work in Australia where I can ride horses down the beach and get a tan, and do some work, of course. Although I honestly have no idea where I will end up in five years’ time, I know that I am excited about the future.

Trajan Majomi

Whatever I choose to do, I will always be treading the path less travelled. The idea of being at the forefront of some venture, as a captain of industry or a policy maker, excites me. But I do hope to be part of the generation that accounts for people and the environment more than profit. At this stage, I would be satisfied having lived a life something like this: create a startup; live it up for a few years; watch startup tank; go bankrupt; do it all again bigger and badder; retire at 45; become a professor of some niche humanities subject and live out my days listening to music and making small batches of terrible wine.

Will Dean

I am going to study Architectural Engineering at university. Why a mix of both? Well, I love the idea of building things but I am not gifted in maths like most engineers. So I shifted my passion to designing things and knowing a bit about how to build them as well. I hope to study at Loughborough University, partly for the course but mainly because of my blind passion for cricket in the hopes that one day all my wasted Sundays playing village cricket might amount to something. Before all this I will enjoy a gap year filled with sleep, possibly work experience and lots of time on British Army courses.

Joe Fuller

Oscar Virgoe

I plan to pursue a career in the Royal Navy, and since I hold a small family connection to Norfolk I will no doubt become the next Horatio Nelson. Unlike in Nelson’s time, however, warfare these days rarely presents opportunities for great actions and dashing heroism. Nor does it present any chance of earning a handsome pay cheque. Nor does it provide reasonable working hours, a comfortable quality of life, or an intellectually stimulating career. So why would anyone in their right mind join?

Tabitha Butterfill

Curtis Lee I don’t like to be too sure of things, but I will continue to find new hobbies and interests (side-questing, as my friends like to put it), looking for more chances to learn or be entertained. Academically, I have set my sights on Chemical Engineering in the States or at Imperial College London. Musically, I want to play more gypsy jazz on the violin and learn my new instrument, the saxophone. Gastronomically (what I seem to be associated with at King’s), I will continue to learn about every cuisine and all the food science in the world. To those who might still be waiting for an invitation to a Galpin’s dinner: Who knows? I might become a restauranteur!

My current aspirations are limited to two or three nice-ish holidays per year. Sadly, I will be studying Politics and Sociology which, as my father has repeatedly assured me, is a sure-fire path to unemployment. So, it’s possible I’ve already shot myself in the foot on that score. I would like to spend my summer on a journey of self-discovery around Southeast Asia, which I’m sure will prove enthralling for all those to whom I describe my travels. Beyond this I am driven by a desire to not be an active detriment to society, although this rules out many of the soulsucking corporate jobs that would adequately fund my holiday-filled lifestyle.

Minty Scott

If my exams go well, I hope to study Liberal Arts at Durham, where I will delve more deeply into my love of language and international relations. But before that, I can’t wait for my Gap Year to commence. I’m bound for India to work at a school in Jaipur where I did an exchange back in 2017 with my prep school. I am keen to work with a charity that helps Ukraine because one of my closest friends was living in Kyiv when the war was at its worst, a time when I reflected heavily on what is most valuable in life. Post-university, I want to train in Law and pursue a career either as a barrister or in diplomatic work for the Foreign Office. My dream is to work in a profession that enables me to travel, and to meet people from across the globe whilst influencing legislation or government policy.

I wish to study Physiotherapy at university and develop my bushcraft skills, but before that I’ll take a field trip to Albufeira (Portugal) and grow my passion for bushcraft. My main achievement in bushcraft so far is my ability to tie a bowline knot in under three seconds. In the future, I wish to use all my skills to build an off- grid house in Albufeira, where I can teach others to do the same.

Zlata Lankina

I have enjoyed every second at King’s since my Shell days, and I’ve made many friends I hope to carry through life. As I leave King’s, I want to thank all of those who have supported me, and I hope to take all those indispensable teachings and experiences with me into the future.

I’m still unsure where I will end up pursuing a degree in Psychological and Behavioural Sciences – maybe in the EU, maybe in the UK. Either way, I am ready, albeit slightly frightened (but I assume that is normal), to move on to a new thrilling part of my life. I hope it lives up to the expectations that King’s has set for me. I am excited to study people and their behaviour in different environments, as well as the ever-evolving AI. Such a multi-faceted field, Psychology will ensure my passion for research and love of in-depth understanding will grow more as I learn more.

Max Webster

I honestly don’t know what I want to do. But I’ll figure it out. If not, I’ll marry someone rich. What I am sure of is that I am taking a gap year and will be travelling around Asia. It’ll be a bit of a solo mission, one of those where I try and find out more about myself or something like that. One thing I’m definitely doing is learning how to cook proper oriental dishes and to learn all about culture and food, especially street food. I will be indulging in that (let’s hope Patch doesn’t read this). At university, I will be studying Business Management and Chinese. I don’t really see myself behind a desk, but I’ll see what life has in store.

Anton Davies

I’m Anton Davies and I am Head of Carlyon this year. I have received an offer to study Spanish and Beginners’ Russian at Oxford and this is something I am really excited about but obviously it depends on me getting the grades. The course would involve me spending a year abroad in Estonia, learning and practising Russian, which I think will be really interesting and rewarding. I am interested in both Spanish and Russian culture and literature, which is why I chose this course, and my ultimate goal is to be fluent in both languages. After university, I like the sound of working in the foreign office, being able to use my languages while I travel.

Lavina Ng

Charity work in rural countries made me realise the importance of accessible healthcare. I enjoy projects that involve creativity and teamwork. My passion for medical sciences and business studies inspires me to drive biotechnologies. When part of group projects, such as the Imperial Medicine competition, I witnessed the use of arts in science, and the symbiotic relationship between the two. Winning first place allowed us to donate prize money to school science programmes to improve outreach initiatives and inspire budding scientists in local communities. In the future, I wish to use my passion for both arts and sciences to propel innovative advancements in STEM.

Sofia Spektor

Whatever it is, it’s not the end of the world. Took me a while and quite a few nerve cells to realise that if something doesn’t go according to plan that’s fine. I might end up in drama school next year or maybe studying French and English – still unclear but turns out that’s absolutely fine; turns out you don’t need everything planned out and calculated. Whatever is next, I am looking forward to it. A great five years here. Not always rainbows and butterflies, rather a bumpy road. But honestly, a great one. Please enjoy King’s while you can because, trust me, I already miss it.

Patch Allen

I hope to read Economics and Geography at university, although it’s important for me to gain a greater understanding of the world before I go. So I’m taking a gap year, during which I will work in a pub and talk to the finest individuals Essex has to offer. On Saturdays I will follow Colchester United across the country, taking fourteen-hour round-trips to Chesterfield and Stockport, only to return empty-handed after losing three- or four-nil.

Generally, people spend their gap year on a sunny beach in Thailand but I’m a firm believer in following your dreams, and there is nowhere I’d rather be than rainy Barrow-in-Furness while Colchester concede defeat yet again.

Liza Barkova

When I was small, I wanted to be a ballerina. Now I tell everyone I want to be the next Prime Minister, but perhaps I will become a compulsive liar instead because this isn’t true: I don’t want to be Prime Minister. What I do want is to find out whether we ever truly have freedom over our choices. On most days I wake up and have a creeping suspicion the world isn’t ‘real’. A strange feeling, but nowhere near as bad as five years of unrequited love. Not that any of this is meaningful, in any case: all is but a mere juxtaposition of dualities.

James Bonney

There brings me no greater joy in life than spreading joy. To fulfil myself, I will become a comedian. I entered a rising comedian competition last year. They said I did fantastic, but the only problem was they got bored of me winning. I will rattle some jokes off to demonstrate my skills. What country’s capital is growing the fastest? Ireland. Every day it’s Dublin. I went to the Canterbury Cathedral the other day. My friend said what do you think of the ceiling? I said it’s definitely up there. What did the fish say when he swam into the wall? Dam. If pronouncing my B’s as V’s makes me sound Russian, then so vi et!

Call Role

The Role of a Purple by Oscar Virgoe (6a, MO)

Purple gowns have existed at The King’s School in some form or other since the 16th Century. But the role of the people who are privileged enough to wear them has changed, and it is only relatively recently that School Monitors have become known colloquially as ‘Purples’, the School’s characteristically obscure way of referring to Monitors.

While the appearance of a purple gown is clear to all, what the bearer actually does is less obvious. An account from the early 20th Century describes School Monitors as ‘a very responsible body’, who ‘run the show’, and ‘have in their hands the power to scourge offenders and law-breakers’. Most of us, I think, would consider this description to be, at the very least, flattering. However, it is not an overstatement to say that Purples play an important role in the day-to-day running of the school, as well as its wider progress.

‘Every Head of House, Monitor and Captain does a lot of work behind the scenes, most importantly providing a bridge between the pupils and the teacher body.’

Many pupils probably consider the Purples’ role to extend only as far as parading around looking vaguely pleased with themselves, but every Head of House, Monitor and Captain does a lot of work behind the scenes, most importantly providing a bridge between the pupils and the teacher body. This is difficult to appreciate, because it is not a visible or clearly defined job. But being able to gauge the mood and opinions of pupils, while simultaneously strengthening communication and understanding between teachers and pupils, is invaluable.

That is not to take away from the more explicit and traditional roles: setting a good example; acting as the face of the school to visitors; and volunteering for responsibilities such as Cathedral duty and readings. The account quoted above goes on to describe a Monitor’s responsibilities in the Cathedral, where they were expected to ‘take posts of vantage from whence they can keep a wary eye upon the common herd’. Again, this perhaps overstates the job of a modern Purple in the Cathedral, which may seem to entail little more than handing out and collecting Orders of Service. But, in the same way

‘Being a Purple is not a right, nor a reward. It should instead be seen as a commitment to provide service to the school.’

that Purples aid the smooth running of the school, they also support the smooth running of a service. While Purples are (evidently) not chosen for their oratory skills, the weekly pair of readings is a notable responsibility.

Being a Purple is not a right, nor a reward. It should instead be seen as a commitment to provide service to the school. While the

specific duties of a Monitor have changed over time, the purple gown is so emblematic of King’s that to wear it is to commit yourself to upholding the good image of the school, and to support its traditions and values.

Scholars

A History of the King’s Scholars by Head Scholar, Oscar Virgoe (6a, MO)

The history of the King’s Scholars is almost one and the same with the School itself, so central are they to the institution. The King’s Scholars in their current form can trace their existence to the re-founding of the school by royal charter in 1541, but it’s likely that scholars have existed in some form since the ancient form of the School. The 1541 statute sets out endowment for ‘fifty poor boys’ with minds ‘apt for learning’. If any boy were to be notable for their ‘extraordinary slowness…repugnant to learning’ he would be expelled so he could ‘not like a drone devour the honey of the bees’. The scholars would remain for four years, with a fifth year of grace customary, until a sound learning of Latin and Greek was done. While the financial arrangments for Canterbury Cathedral set out by Archbishop Cranmer were somewhat economical, the School fared relatively well, with other great church schools, such as Westminster and Durham, receiving endowments for far fewer scholars.

While the statute specifies the scholars be poor boys, many of the scholars came from well-to-do families. If it weren’t for Archbishop Cranmer’s insistence that some boys really were derived from the poor, then the statutes would likely have limited scholars to sons of gentlemen. Other commissioners set out to draw up the statutes thought that those from a destitute background should not ‘occupy the place of the learned sort’. Scholars were given an allowance for food and garments, including gowns, which is the origin of the purple gowns now worn by monitors. Around this time, masters also taught paying non-scholars and boarders, regarded as commoners, alongside the scholars.

this time was the first reference to scholars wearing white surplices around the Cathedral.

From reminiscences, it is possible to regard the continued role of scholars in the Cathedral into the 19th Century. Anytime the Archbishop visited Canterbury he would be accompanied by the King’s Scholars wearing purple gowns, which by now were also worn during Lent and on Speech Days. These gowns were abolished for 150 years, replaced by black gowns in 1816 to flatter Dean Andrewes, who was accustomed to the black gowns of Westminster. Purple gowns were only restored in 1938 for Monitors, while scholars retained the right to wear black gowns, a privilege still continued today, though rarely indulged.

‘It was the Royal Charter issued by Queen Elizabeth II in 1992 which brought about one of the biggest changes, when it approved admission of girls as Scholars.’

During the reign of Dr Mitchinson as Headmaster in the latter part of the 19th Century, he reorganised the King’s Scholars to improve the academic reputation of the school, with an emphasis on boarding in line with Victorian trends for public schools. Now ten Senior Scholars (6b and 6a), fifteen Junior Scholars (Remove and 5th), and thirty Probationers (Shell) were provided for, alongside the construction of School House, where they would reside. Mitchinson furthered academic rigour and success of the school in his time, with an emphasis on a diverse curriculum, with no pupil allowed to specialise. Pupils would study all subjects from sciences, classics, and modern languages, with emphasis on personal learning and reflective reasoning.

In the second half of the 16th Century, Archbishop Parker designed schemes between King’s and Oxford and Cambridge colleges, not unlike those between Eton and King’s College, or Winchester and New College. He formed arrangements with All Souls College, Oxford, as well as the ‘Parker Exhibitions’, still existing today at Corpus Christi, Cambridge, who would offer at least three scholarships.

This was enjoyed by one of our most famous alumni, Christopher Marlowe, who became a Queen’s Scholar in 1580. Other early King’s Scholars include William Harvey, who left Canterbury in 1593 for Caius College, Cambridge and demonstrated the circulation of blood, and John Tradescant, a notable botanist who introduced (amongst other successes) the apricot and pineapple to England.

In 1637 the Cathedral Statutes were revised by Archbishop Laud, with explicit directions about how King’s Scholars would be elected (records survive today of lists of candidates) and establishing regular examinations by the Dean and Chapter. The same Statutes also provide for the appointment of monitors chosen from scholars, likely to be the origin of the first ‘Purples’. The role of scholars in Cathedral services was also expanded, with scholars attending services on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as morning prayers every day. Around

From 1935, Dr Shirley oversaw significant growth both in size and prestige, but soon into his time as Headmaster the school was forced to evacuate to Carlyon Bay. The Carlyon Bay Hotel into which the school moved could not have contrasted more with the environment of Canterbury Cathedral, and yet the inner traditions continued. Scholars continued to process into ‘Cathedral’, actually a garage, Canterbury Dress was worn, and the white surplices retained.

After the war, King George VI issued a new Royal Charter to the school, which recognised the distinction between the School and the Cathedral. However, it was the Royal Charter issued by Queen Elizabeth II in 1992 which brought about one of the biggest changes, when she approved admission of girls as scholars.

Today King’s Scholars are new entrants to the school in Shell, with Honorary King’s Scholars selected in the Sixth Form. Both are admitted into the body of King’s Scholars, who are admitted into the Cathedral Foundation for life by the Dean. Scholars enjoy some prescriptive privileges from the Cathedral, and continue to play traditional roles, such as in the enthronement of a new Archbishop. Despite the everincreasing distinction between the School and Cathedral as separate institutions, the scholars remain significant to both, and represent not only commitment to good learning, but also one of the central traditions of the School through its history.

New Management Under

Tom Sturges (MO)

Captain of School

I was born in East Sussex and before attending King’s as a Sports Scholar, I attended Vinehall School from the age of two. I am studying Economics, Maths and Geography at A’ Level and want to continue with Economics at university. I love my sports and have recently played for first teams in rugby, football and cricket. I also enjoy playing the trumpet in the school’s wonderful Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. I would like to work in the aviation industry and travel the world.

Zara Kolade (KD)

Vice-Captain

I was born in London but raised in Bolney, West Sussex. I currently study English, Latin and Drama but recently completed an Extended Project on whether commercial surrogacy should be banned. At university, I would like to study Social Anthropology and, after that, I hope to become both a documentary director and screenwriter who focuses on the plight of women across the world. Outside of academics I really enjoy playing both team and individual sports, in particular netball and running.

Will Holland (CY)

Vice-Captain

I was born in Ashford but have always lived in Canterbury. I attended Junior King’s for the full nine years, then joined Carlyon House as a Music Scholar, and became an Honorary Academic Scholar and Honorary Sports Scholar. I study Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Music, and hope to study Biochemistry at university, but I love both music and sport, playing in the Orchestra and the School 1st XV.

Tara Pelling (LX)

Vice-Captain

I was born in the UK but grew up in several different countries, including Kenya, Papua New Guinea, and Hong Kong. I attended Ashdown House Preparatory School in East Sussex before joining King’s as an Art Scholar in 2020. I am now studying Biology, Chemistry and Art at A’ Level and I wish to study Veterinary Science at university. Beyond academics, a big part of my life at King’s is playing several sports, including Netball, Cricket, and Hockey. I also love singing in the Chapel Choir and spending many hours in the Art block.

Oliver Dallas (GR)

Head Scholar

I was born and grew up in London. At the age of eight I moved to France and, after spending three years there, moved to England and joined Junior King’s as a day pupil. I started boarding at King’s in 2020. I study Maths, Physics and Latin, and have applied to study Linguistics at university. Outside of academics I enjoy debating and reading.

Shock Shell

A

letter to future Shells by Olivia Astor (Sh, CY)

Dear Future Shells. You might be wondering what life will be like at King’s in September. King’s is a busy school crammed among the winding, cobbled alleys of Canterbury. Its campus is large and spread wide. The Library, Art, Drama and Music departments, and some houses, are scattered throughout the city. In the summer, the riverside walk to the Sports Centre and to Drama at the Malthouse is a welcome chance to cool off between lessons. Closer by, on the way to Art, you can stop at the corner shop, affectionately referred to as ‘Bossman’s’, to stock up on snacks, and other goods galore. As you will discover, there is lots of walking at King’s and at first it can be tricky finding your way around but don’t worry: there is always someone you can ask for help.

‘No matter the time or day, there is always something going on at King’s. Shell is the year to try things. Look around and participate.’

During the first term at King’s there is lots to look forward to. The House Song Competition during the first half-term is incredibly fun, and the Christmas Carol Service is a memorable occasion. You’ll soon discover there are lots of silly and unique traditions that make King’s – well, King’s!

As you probably know already, the school is nestled at the foot of Canterbury Cathedral. The early-morning views of its twisting pinnacles rising above the trees is a hopeful sight.

There are many good things about King’s. Most important, you get great food. No, seriously. My personal favourite lunch dishes include mouthwatering katsu chicken or creamy mince lasagna. And there’s always the beef stir-fry, potato croquettes, chili-con-carne, chicken stroganoff and, of course, fudgy chocolate cake. But there’s so much more. Chocolate not your thing? Biscoff cheesecake, ice cream, panna cotta and lemon meringue pie are just some of the desserts. There’s a lot to choose from. There are always meat-free and pasta options at every meal, and a large buffet of salads and fresh fruit, and quiche or eggs are always available.

King’s gives you a lot of freedom and choice. The school is split into three terms (Autumn, Lent and Summer) and each term you get to choose your ‘games’. Games happen after lunch instead of lessons on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays, when you get to

practise sports. You could try rowing, swimming, fencing, tennis, riding, hockey, and many more. This is a great way to get to know people. Shells also get to do loads of interesting activities on Wednesday afternoons. Some of my favourites are mocktail making, orienteering and visiting the WWII-themed escape rooms and Roman Museum. As if all this wasn’t enough, there is a wide range of clubs and societies you can join, like debating, squash or badminton, afterschool art, target-shooting practice, the chapel society and so on. Evening talks by visiting speakers are also common events. We’ve had authors (Michael Morpurgo, who was once Captain of School, came recently!) scientists, engineers and mathematicians, all bringing unique ideas to spice up the evening. No matter the time or day, there is always something going on at King’s. Shell is the year to try things. Look around and participate. There will always be something for you.

An important thing to remember at King’s is to always carry your ID card with you. It contains a little chip that lets you into all the school buildings. Trust me, it’s not worth losing it. Standing outside your English classroom getting drenched in rain during the winter while you wait for some kindly fellow pupil to let you in is not that fun. So, especially during your first few weeks and the Autumn Term, try to keep it on you, either in your phone case, pockets or (if you want to follow the example of our wise teachers) invest in a lanyard to wear it around your neck.

King’s is a wide and diverse community, with people from all over the world, all with different talents and passions, which only makes life at King’s more interesting.

Your first year will fly by, and before you know it, it will be King’s Week (a whole week at the end of the year full of fun and games, theatre and music) and you will be looking forward to being a Remove and, most importantly, to a well-deserved and long summer break.

Good luck!

Olivia

SHELLS SALVETE PRIZE Winner 2024

Every year there is a prize for the best essay by a Shell beginning with the words ‘When I first came to King’s...’

Aadham Mohamed (Sh,

CY)

When I first came to King’s, my mind was filled with questions: ‘Why am I here?’ and ‘How am I here?’ I had not matured since prep school and was like a small child in my mannerisms.

On my first day I lost my laptop, my phone, my watch and my ID card. Twice. I was the same person as I was a few months earlier, but this school hit me with a big dose of reality. Even walking into town exposed me to things I had not seen before. Now they were in full view. And they were everywhere. Years earlier, I’d been shipped off to private school before I’d even heard of these things, and was sheltered from them by school, family, and friends. Now the floodgates had burst, exposing me to the naked truth.

My religion is the only reason I didn’t succumb to these new sensations and temptations, a recurring topic of my life for which I am now increasingly grateful. It didn’t help, in the first week of school, when I lost a good friend whom I had trusted for a while. But for that one I lost, I gained about fifteen. They say you are the equivalent of people with whom you spend most time, which is why I count myself lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people, from my friends to my teachers, even to the cleaners in my house, who all take care of me.

‘They say you are the equivalent of people with whom you spend most time, which is why I count myself lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people.’

and ended our innings with eighty runs. They got that in nine overs. So, disgruntled, we made our way to the coach home. Or so we thought. Our whole game had taken half the time of the other team’s, so we had to wait for them to finish. Not that there was any point. Our other team had only scored 60. Finally, we departed, and it was a long journey. To ease our panging hunger we were allowed to get McDonald’s: a nice way to end the night. My friend and I ended up reminiscing about our childhood, whilst being transported to our past in the form of the iPads in McDonald’s, and old games we used to play. This is now such a fond memory, and what school trips should feel like: fun the whole day. This trip is probably the reason I look forward to matches now.

I have discovered much in my time here, for which I am grateful. I have found a new love for the arts, mainly drama. I have found a new appreciation for music, and discovered the underground rapper, MF DOOM, who is both poetic and chaotic, and uses incredible sampling and intricate storytelling to create unique and magical music. I have also been inspired by the school’s CCF programme, which has led me to discover the Former Navy Seal and ultramarathon runner, David Goggins, dubbed Hardest Man Alive for his intense motivation and lifestyle.

I have thoroughly enjoyed myself here. I believe that life is what you make it, so I take every opportunity I can, in this summer term especially. Two weeks in, and I have some of my best memories to date, one of them an away cricket match, which started off on the wrong foot. We were half an hour late and ended up in a strange spot in the middle of the road. Then we walked a little, and suddenly we were in a jungle with bulging roots in the ground, carefully placed to trip us up. Then we entered a golf course. This felt like a fever dream, going from one place to another. Eventually, we found the cricket ground. I strongly believe that this was all done to put us off and confuse us. If it was, it worked. Our first batter got out for nought. We spent ten minutes being flabbergasted at how we were doing and having a good laugh at our progress,

‘We

spent ten minutes being flabbergasted at how we were doing and having a good laugh at our progress, and ended our innings with eighty runs.’

My ‘Salvete’, or welcome to King’s, has opened up a new chapter of my life. In summary, this year has been one of the most influential in my life. I have thoroughly enjoyed this year and hope that my future endeavours in my life at King’s are just as fruitful.

‘I have discovered much in my time here, for which I am grateful. I have found a new love for the arts, mainly drama.’

House Pages

We asked Heads of House if they wanted a page in the magazine to review the year for their houses. They said yes.

Broughton

by Sofia Spektor

From the best Christmas dinner to the most stressful House Song rehearsals, this year has been a very special one for Broughton.

We started off with Cross Country in the first weeks back – not everyone’s cup of tea, but we did manage to have fun as a house (a big achievement!): dynamic warmup on the lawn traditionally led by the 6as, an enormous ‘BR’ on the cheeks and foreheads written with ruby lipstick, marching down to Birley’s singing Katy Perry – big fun, if one excludes the running part.

Then had to swiftly move on to this year’s House Song Competition with Broughton’s valiant decision to sing ‘Billie Jean’. A stressful time for all, especially for those in charge. Yet again we managed and did quite well. An addition this year was taking our House toy dragon, Riley, on stage for extra luck. We didn’t place, but most importantly we had fun, which is what matters to Broughton the most.

At the end of the highly demanding and tiring Autumn Term we had our first December Social – a long-standing tradition for Broughton and Tradescant. Annually we dress up with any Christmassy decorations we can find around the house and blast ‘Last Christmas’ by Mariah Carey on the Trad terrace. Flying candies, falling tinsel, and a big must, the last dance of Dr McVeigh and Mr Harrison, before we rush off to breakfast. In the last days of term, we had our Christmas Dinner. Stunning dresses, amazing food, emotional speeches and embarrassing gossip poems, followed by a disco with Trad – a very special evening for all.

Allowing us to steadfastly showcase Broughton’s various talents, another definite highlight was the House Concert with Trad. This year was a big success with exceptional guitar and piano pieces, singing, a 6a performance of Hamlet, a ‘La La Land’ medley and the traditional ‘Goodnight, Sweetheart’ to close the night. Later on, in the second term, as the usual hosts of the Requiem, the Broughton pupils welcomed

and took care of the Cathedral guests. However, the Thank You doughnuts from Mr Bersey that followed were the best part.

This academic year was full of individual and collective achievements, big fun at house competitions, a new common room designed by the pupils and the privilege of welcoming new people to Broughton throughout the entire year.

With enormous gratitude to Dr McVeigh, matrons, tutors, our lovely house staff, who together with the pupils make Broughton the most special second family, a home away from home and the warmest boarding house to come back to.

Feeling extremely lucky and proud to have been Broughton’s Head of House this year, I am signing off, knowing Broughton is in great hands!

Bailey

by Alison Wong

Bailey House had another fruitful year with a strong house spirit and friendly atmosphere. To start off the year, we organised our Outdoor Charity Cinema in September, raising about £1000 for Doctors Without Borders, the charity of the term. Over 100 pupils enjoyed watching the Greatest Showman in Bailey Garden.

After practising for a half term with lots of effort, Bailey girls delivered an excellent performance of ‘Centuries’ by Fall Out Boy in House Song. It was impressive how Bailey House, the smallest house, with only 20 girls, placed as one of the top five houses in the competition. We received many comments about how we were robbed last year, but this year we made our comeback. As the lyrics go, ‘remember me for centuries’, House Song will undoubtedly be one of the core memories from our time at King’s.

This year, Bailey House entered finals in Senior Debating for the third year in a row and placed third in Interhouse Tennis. For House Art, we chose ‘The Tiger Who Came to the Tea’ as the storybook idea but incorporating the Bell family into the artwork. We also participated in other interhouse events, including Cross Country, General Knowledge, Lacrosse, Netball, Indoor Rowing, Squash and those in King’s Week. Although many of us had never tried these sports before, we were eager to learn and compete. It was a year of great successes, thanks to all the girls who engaged in these activities to demonstrate the house spirit.

Apart from interhouse events, our talented Bailey girls were involved in all aspects at King’s. These included but were not limited to academic study, art, Cansat, Choir, Dance, Fencing, Orchestra, musicals, plays, Rowing and more activities. There are many achievements of the Bailey girls in The Cantuarian.

Bailey girls enjoyed various activities for leisure within the house. Not only did we always enjoy baked treats, such as brownies and crumbles, but we also visited St Augustine Abbey, made a trip to the cinema for Hunger Games and had wellbeing walks. In January, our annual House Concert was held. We performed amazing dance and music, especially when everyone sang House Song to end the concert. For the Lunar New Year celebration, we continued

our tradition of enjoying a dinner together as a house, whether it was eating or cooking. Our girls learnt how to make dumplings, sweet and sour pork, mixed vegetables and chicken casserole. Thank you to Mrs Wang, who so kindly organised the entire evening and shared her culinary skills. Before leaving for the February half term, everyone wrote letters to each other for Valentine’s Day. We all received a rose and chocolates to enjoy while we read the letters, reminding us how much we are appreciated and loved.

For OKS news, Rebeka Stuge (2018-2020) got married in April 2024. We are happy to hear how former Bailey girls are getting on in their lives. As the Head of House 2023-4, I really enjoyed my time at Bailey, and I am extremely proud of these achievements. I wish all Bailey girls the best next year.

Carlyon

by Anton Davies

Carlyon House began the year with the usual coming and goings. In July 2023 we said goodbye to our 6as as well as two of our tutors, Mrs Rebekah Beattie and Ms Alanna Fraser. We welcomed twelve new Shells in September as well as Shell tutors, Ms Kim Budden and Mr Joe Swash, and Sixth Form tutor Mr Chris Wooldridge. Georgie Hawken was also succeeded by Anton Davies as Head of House, whilst Tia Snee and Maddie Gorman became the deputies. The Fifths scored excellent GCSE results and as a result Will Holland, Enoch Addley, Alex Robinson and Sam Ridge were all made honorary scholars when they went into Sixth Form. There was some exciting news amongst the staff when our Matron, Cheryl, married Paul on 26th October and our deputy Housemaster, Mr James Green, became the father of Annabelle Green on 1st January.

We went into the Autumn Term with an epic success in the house song competition, placing in the top five with our performance of the eighties classic ‘Take on Me’. It was a very busy few weeks of rehearsals, but it certainly paid off. Carlyon’s musical success continued with Xiao Xiao Augur winning the piano competition in the Autumn Term then going on to achieve a distinction in her piano Diploma in February. We had an entertaining house concert in March with a range of musical performances from all year groups and a highlight being the 6b band’s performance of ‘Party in the USA’. Carlyon has also been fully represented in ‘Loveland’ in the Malthouse, the Brahms Requiem, and King’s Week performances.

Carlyon has always been triumphant in Sports and this year was no different with the Junior girls winning house Hockey and our senior team tying first place in house Lacrosse. Outside of interhouse competitions, some notable mentions are twins, Darcey and Charlie Fairclough Jackson, riding for King’s in the polo team, as well as Nathan Sumner playing for England Hockey. Charlie also won Mr Smiley’s much-loved annual twogeneration tennis tournament, which took place in September.

Outside of Music and Drama, Carlyon has continued this success. In Junior interhouse debating, two of our Shells, Aadham Mohammed and Oscar Skelton, reached the final and Oscar also went on to win the Global Perspectives presentation. Our team made it to the semi-finals in the house General Knowledge competition, beaten by Linacre, who went on to win. The sibling combo, Téa and Luca Sand, also represented King’s in the school General Knowledge team, which came third in the national schools’ final. Tia Snee was appointed Warrant Officer in CCF and Enoch Addley led an impressive rendition of a Curious George book cover for

House Art for the theme of children’s books. Carlyon has had great house events, with highlights being our Christmas party at Birley’s, house breakfasts and the 6a leavers’ dinner, in all of which we got to enjoy some amazing food. Besides this, Carlyon gave some generous contributions both for the harvest collection in October and Easter eggs collection in March for the Community Larder. The year concludes with the appointment of Nathan Sumner as our Head of House, with Tom Hutchings and Sam Ridge acting as deputies, and Will Holland as the Vice-Captain of School. They will all do an amazing job.

Galpin’s

by Gleb Kachur

Another busy year at Galpin’s, full of collective and individual excellence, combined with a great house spirit and comradeship. With us regaining the crown of interhouse rowing (tied with Trad), we extend our legacy in the competition, having now won it 12 times in 15 years. Other notable interhouse competition wins this year included interhouse rowing and interhouse squash, though perhaps our finest achievement of the year was beating our arch-rivals, School House, 3-1(in matches) in our annual football match, including an emphatic win in the Sixth Form match.

This year has also brought incredible individual success in all areas. On the academic front, the year started off strong with Daniel Seo getting his 6 in English rectified to a 9 after a remark to become the second person in the house in as many years to achieve straight 9s in his GCSEs. We also had some fantastic university offers, with Chiyu Lee winning an LSE offer to study Economics and Curtis Lee getting a place at CalTech to study Chemical Engineering. There is plenty of success to celebrate on the sports side, too, with three 6as playing their sport for Kent this year, Nick Haldane attending GB trials for rowing, and Matteo Cherwayko playing rugby 7s for Jamaica. Sports excellence at Galpin’s was highlighted by over a fifth of the house playing a sport at first-team level, an incredible achievement. Onto music: this year brought unparalleled success, with Anson Tang winning the school soloist competition, Galpin’s being the most represented house in the school orchestra, and numerous performances from members of the house in the Friday evening recitals. The most notable were two performances by Samuel Chang and Anson Tang, who first performed the first movement from Beethoven’s Cello Sonata, and later performed an incredible original piece, garnering extremely high praise from Mr. Bersey and everyone else attending.

Along with great success in music, sports and academics, this year brought some fantastic house events, such as the annual Galpin’s

Garden Gig and the parents’ dinner. The former was a beautiful Sunday afternoon hosting an informal concert in our garden, with some refreshing performances from pupils both in and outside of the house, probably the most memorable being a riveting rendition of ‘From the Stars’ by Laufey, performed by Curtis, Sam, Anson, Jesse Obiora (MT), and Nick Clarke (LN).

The event was a huge success, and I hope it continues to run for many years to come.

Finally, whilst house events and success in activities outside of house are extremely valuable, the most important aspect of the house, in my opinion, is the camaraderie; it’s the number of people who went to support every time someone in the house was playing in the Friday evening recitals; it’s the evening poker games with people from every year group; and it’s everyone getting involved in garden football in the evenings. This sense of unity is something that, I’m glad to say, has been ever-present in our house throughout this academic year.

Harvey

by Zlata Lankina

This year, the Harvey girls have become even closer, building on the strong Harvey community and embodying the true Harvey spirit. This year, the girls went all out in participating in interhouse activities. Starting strong in September, Harvey won the Senior Girls’ Cup in CrossCountry, with Olivia Hicks finishing first with 10:42 and Miranda Riley not far behind in third. Harvey’s sports endeavours do not end there. The Senior Harvey girls thrashed the opposition in inter-house squash, coming first under the guidance of the School’s Girls’ Squash Captain, Nika Mikhaylichenko, also coming second in Junior Girls’ Tennis.

The Harvey House antics don’t end with sport. The Harvey girls also worked hard to prepare for the house song, arranging, managing and relentlessly practising ‘California Dreamin’’ by The Mamas & the Papas. This required significant house effort with many hours dedicated to rehearsals, bringing the house even closer together and culminating in the pulling out of a

purple wig on stage by the conductor, Zlata Lankina, to represent the Harvey colour. Our performance was followed by the annual Harvey social in which the girls, alongside Matron, had a blast pulling out their most impressive dance moves. The Harvey girls also did outstandingly in both the Junior and Senior Inter-House Debating, reaching the semi-finals.

Outside of inter-house events, the girls further strengthened the Harvey spirit through having multiple pizza nights, socials, Love Island, Eurovision, and house entertainment nights. The girls never once disappointed each other in their commitment to the costume themes, one of the most memorable being the Fifths’ dedication to embodying their inner ‘Trolls’ for Harvey pizza night. The annual Harvey Quiz night featured a ferocious battle for the prize of Haribos. Dressed up as characters from Shrek, the borderline gladiator fight culminated in the 6as winning by just a few points.

The closeness of the Harvey girls was also evident in their dedication to their roles as each other’s Fairy Godmothers. Their creativity and meticulous scheming to secretly arrange little gifts and surprises for their Goddaughters at Christmas was heartwarming and something that we all enjoyed. It culminated in the tearful revelation of the Godmother’s true identity at the Harvey Christmas dinner.

Finally, the Harvey girls would like to thank Mrs Cook for being such an amazing and supportive Housemistress to us all. This year, we received the news that Mrs Dutton will be taking over the role of Harvey housemistress in 2025. The Harvey girls will greatly miss having Mrs Cook as our Housemistress, who has been a staple of the Harvey spirit for many years. We warmly welcome Mrs Dutton into our Harvey community and are excited to start with her this new Harvey chapter.

K Kingsdown

by Dulcie Cooper

ingsdown House has had quite a year with lots to celebrate. Starting the year off strongly, Kingsdown had its first House Song win with our rendition of ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac. Rehearsals truly showed our family spirit and brought this year’s house together in the first term back at King’s. As well as musical talent, Kingsdown House has proved to be a tough competitor in Birley’s with the Juniors winning Interhouse Tennis and Netball as well as the Seniors taking away their second consecutive win in Interhouse Cricket. The talent in this house is undeniable and the girls of Kingsdown never fail to come together as a team and represent the true spirit of Kingsdown House. In a boarding house you’re bound to find your family and, with the help of our mini-families, girls from across the years can get to know each other. The house comes together regularly for quizzes, such as at the beginning of the year welcoming and getting to know new members of Kingsdown as well as painting together for House Art. Our leader, Mrs Hayes, has steered us through this year, providing weekly activities in the common room, such as Paint-a-Mate, tiedying mayhem and incense-making. It’s safe to say a Saturday night in Kingsdown is never boring! Now, Mrs Hayes is handing over the role to Mrs Galmes-Davies and the girls couldn’t be more excited to show her the atmosphere of Kingsdown that Mrs Hayes has built so marvellously over the years.

Linacre

by Nick Clarke

This has been another successful and momentous year in the history of Linacre. The tone was set right from the start when the boys came back to a house now fully refurbished. Changes included an upgrade to the backyard, a fresh lick of paint for the front hall and a brand-new kitchen. Despite their unfamiliar surroundings, the boys threw themselves back into school life as if they had never been away. Soon on the horizon was the house charity dinner, an annual tradition in support of Porchlight. Guests enjoyed a fine meal cooked and served by the boys whilst they enjoyed activities including a raffle, quiz and silent auction, which raised over £13,000, the largest singular donation Porchlight received that year. Despite all their hard work on the charity dinner, the boys still found time to rehearse for the house song competition, with their performance of Soft Cell’s ‘Tainted Love’ good enough to place in the top five.

The Spring Term started successfully when many of the 6as received their university offers. Highlights among a strong set included offers from Cambridge, Berklee College of Music and UCL. Attention quickly turned to the Arts when the annual LinacreLuxmoore showcase took place shortly after half term. Acts from Linacre included Ryan Mak flexing his piano-playing muscles, comedy gold courtesy of the Removes and the Kingsland brothers delivering a showstopping rendition of Gangstas Paradise supported by a choir and live backing band. The term ended on a triumphant note because over its course the house team had been steadily advancing through the interhouse general knowledge tournament, reaching the grand final in Shirley Hall and winning for an unprecedented third year in a row. The general knowledge success would continue into the summer term when sixth-formers Nick Clarke and Charlie Lineker made up half of the school general knowledge team, which placed joint third in the National Schools Challenge.

The Summer Term is often when Linacre is at its best, and this year was no different with the boys making the most of the

(occasional) good weather and the house’s back yard and ping pong table. It was, of course, a term of stress for the 6as and Fifths, but the house still managed to come together. Highlights included Sunday trips paintballing and wakeboarding, as well as a charity rowing challenge that saw each member of the house row the height of Mt Everest in support of the charity of the term, Classroom in the Clouds. The first weekend after half term saw the house celebrate its 70th anniversary, when over 150 former pupils and staff returned to the house and enjoyed reminiscing on their times here, as well as seeing how much has changed. Optimism is high for next year, with James Willis taking over from Will Dean as Head of House and, whilst Will has left some big shoes to fill, everyone in the house is confident James will fill them well.

Luxmoore

by Tabitha Butterfill

This year has been a busy, yet characteristically successful, one in Luxmoore. It began with the welcome addition of a new year group of Shells who have proved to be an asset to the house both academically and on the sports pitch, with Izzie Llewellyn coming second in the Shell Global Perspectives competition, and a convincing win from the year group in junior house Lacrosse and more recently a strong performance in junior house Tennis. The sporting success has continued throughout the house this year with wins in senior house Hockey and Rowing as well as a strong performance in the house Netball competition. In particular congratulations must go to Esme Clarke (5th) who was selected to play for Wales at this year’s home internationals.

Beyond the sports pitch Luxmoore placed second in the house Art competition, a truly collaborative event which helped to draw the house together and proved to be a cathartic break from academic work. Luxmoore also

continues to be well represented at wholeschool Drama and Musical productions. Within house the annual Luxmoore - Linacre showcase in March was a fantastic evening that allowed Luxmoore girls to perform for family and friends, as well as continuing to nurture the strong inter-house relationship with Linacre. New to the showcase this year was the pupil-led charity bake sale that raised money for ‘Cool Earth’, the schools charity of the term, which aims to combat the effects of climate change through reforestation. This reflects the enduring tradition of fundraising that continues to be strong within Luxmoore and is something which we hope will become an annual event.

Luxmoore girls continue to be prominent and hard-working members of the school community, a fact which has been reflected in recent years by appointments to the senior team of prefects. This year congratulations must go to Tara Pelling, who has been selected as Vice-Captain of School for the coming academic year. She follows in the

footsteps of Liza Barkova, this year’s Captain of School.

There have also been a few recent, and hugely welcome, additions to the house. Ms Montague joined us this year as a tutor and has been providing much-needed Maths support and sage academic wisdom to Luxmoore girls. It would also be wrong not to acknowledge the fact that 2023/24 has marked the house’s second full year under the new leadership of Dr Wilper and Mrs Outram. Their expert and experienced guidance has had a profoundly positive impact on the house community and ethos.

This year has been hugely positive for Luxmoore, which continues to grow and change for the better (although we all continue to mourn the loss of the house exercise pole). Good luck to Matilda Eriksson, next year’s Head of House, and the house as a whole for the coming year. I look forward to hearing about your future successes.

Marlowe

by Fatima Jibai Al-Shebib

As usual, it has been a busy year in Marlowe. It has been a pleasure to be Head of House, and I really hope I have had an impact. We have had many events, ranging from sport to charity to music.

At our annual Marlowe House Concert, Charlie Woodhead (R) played the French Horn, Freddie Foley (6b) sang ‘I’m Not the Only One’ by Sam Smith and Chloe Jin (Sh) played ‘Notturni’ by Edvard Grieg on the piano. I have really enjoyed singing every year, so it was a pleasure as Head of House to both sing and present all the acts.

Dr Johnson, our esteemed Deputy Housemaster, is stepping down after years of dedicated service to Marlowe. He has an exceptional ability to keep everything running smoothly, through his legendary love of spreadsheets, whether it’s managing budgets or buying pizzas. We are incredibly grateful for his contributions and are thrilled that he will continue to be a part of Marlowe House as a tutor. However, Marlowe is also very excited to have the wonderful Mr Henderson joining the house and becoming our new Deputy. From one maths teacher to another!

Julie Oprchal (Sh) is well known for her incredible tennis abilities; she regularly plays in U14 national and international tournaments, and despite her young age, she proudly plays for the King’s U18 first team. Over the summer half term, Julie won an U16 Girls’ Tennis Singles Tournament and back in February she also won the doubles tournament in the Tennis Europe’s competition in Liverpool. With regards to Rugby, we have several Marlowe pupils in the 1st team. Also, Chibs Ochinanwata (6a) helped Canterbury Colts RFC to victory in the KCRFU 7s Colts Cup at Charlton Park. In January, Jack Beckley (R) became the holder of the Senior Epée titles and Kent Under 16. He also fenced in Hungary, competing for the GB U17 team despite being much younger. It makes me very happy to hear that Marlowe’s OKS continue to be successful after King’s. Matt Stonier

(2015-20), competed in the U23 men’s SPAR European Cross-Country Championships in Brussels last September, finishing third with a time of 23:51. He won Bronze for himself and alongslide his teammates won Gold for the GB U23 squad. Bear Cochrane (2018-23) helped to win a Bronze medal for Team GB in the U19 Double race at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Italy.

This year in Marlowe we decided to set up an in-house council, with two pupils from each year group. Through the council we

have organised a charity event, talks about house kit and how to get more chocolate milk. This is a great way to make suggestions and improvements within the house and we hope the other houses will take this idea on in future years.

During King’s Week it will be a pleasure to host some residents from St John’s Hospital, along with some parents for coffee and tea. I am incredibly excited for this event as in Marlowe we love to bring about a positive change in people’s lives.

Meister Omers

by Franky Wang

The sun hung low on the horizon, casting a golden glow over the front garden of Meister Omers house. Atop the crunching gravel stood four bikes, gathered in a circle, ready for the challenge that was to come. As the clock struck 6:00pm, the Shells took off, wheels whirring on the machines, signalling the start of the 24-hour cycle. For the second time in history, MO takes on the challenge of cycling non-stop for 24 hours, aiming to cover the distance of 1449 miles from Canterbury to Kyiv in support of British Red Cross Ukraine appeal.

The first hours were filled with excitement and a steady rhythm. The junior part of the house took on the challenge energetically, rotating riders with precision, like a welloiled machine, each one pedalling their hardest. As the wheels turned, sweat dripped down their faces like a steady summer rain, but the boys were undeterred. With the establishment of a leader board, an air of friendly competition spurred us on even further, with one reaching an impressive high of 15 miles per 30 minutes.

As afternoon melted into the night, the baton was handed to the sixth formers who faced the challenge with utter determination. However, nightfall brought its own challenges. Temperatures dropped, and the front garden became a shadowy labyrinth. The silent night enveloped the precincts, and all that could be heard was the sound of the whizzing machines. Yet, under the glow of the Cathedral, there was a magic in our struggle.

The quiet hum of the wheels, the fresh morning air, the soft lights of the Cathedral cutting through the darkness created an almost surreal sense of unity, a sense of brotherhood.

As the 6as reached the end of their shifts, the darkest part of the night gave way to the first hints of dawn, the sky lightening from black to a deep, promising blue. With the chirping of morning birds, the baton was passed on once again, and the 6a could

finally catch some much-needed slumber. The work continued, each rotation drawing us closer to that target. Friends and teachers came to watch with the Head even taking on a shift. Cheers could be heard from all over and the atmosphere was simply joyous.

As the timer drew close to that 24-hour mark, the whole house huddled around the four bikes. Exclamations of encouragement were shouted at the final riders and, as we cross the finish line, we hugged, we laughed, we shouted, basking in the glow of our collective triumph. In the end, the boys smashed the target, covering a total of over 1700 miles, raising over £3000 for British Red Cross.

For me, the 24-hour cycle was more than simply a charity event; it was a testament to the power of teamwork, the growth of house spirit and an experience that I can truly say is once in a lifetime.

Mitchinson’s

by Emma Yiu

It feels like yesterday when I first joined Mitchinson’s in Fifth. At first, I was scared that I would not fit into this house. However, that was far from reality. Everyone at Mitchinson’s was very welcoming, and I instantly built a strong sense of belonging. Mitchinson’s is a house filled with hardworking pupils who find a balance between work and their social life. This year Mitchinson’s has demonstrated house spirit by participating in different events, with the highlight being house song and house art, which brought the house together as a whole.

As a house this year Mitchinson’s has had a series of successes. We won the Interhouse Swimming, Interhouse Rowing, Interhouse Netball, and Interhouse Senior Debating. Pupils have also excelled outside of Mitchinson’s and had a collection of achievements. Dora Wang won the Richard Maltby Trophy for Sailing Excellence, Alex Gaskain won the Speeches Cup, Neha De Silva Wijeyeratne placed third in the

United Kingdom ‘Chinese Bridge’ Speaking Competition final, and the rowers won multiple races, including the one at Borne in Chiswick Bridge Regatta. As pupils leave King’s, they have continued to thrive. Millie Coldwell ran a half marathon in aid of The British Red Cross, where she raised over £1,000, exceeding her target.

Teachers and members of staff play a vital role in Mitchinson’s. Emma, our matron, brings enthusiasm and effortlessly spreads cheer around the house through her infectious smile. She has a strong bond with everyone and brings comfort to the house because she will always be there when someone needs a chat. Tutors guide us by supporting our interests and looking after our well-being. The cleaners in our house are like our friends. They check up on us now and then to make sure we are doing well.

Mrs Ladd is the backbone of Mitchinson’s. She actively listens to pupils and pays attention to small details, making sure

everyone in the house feels valued. Looking back at the milestones reached, it reflects the dedication and hard work Mrs Ladd has put into Mitchinson’s throughout the past 12 years, leaving behind a legacy of impact. Mrs Ladd is approaching the end of this significant chapter, and Ms Budden will step up as the new Housemistress of Mitchinson’s in September 2024. Ms Budden is caring, and she has a radiant smile that lights up the room. Over the last couple of terms, she has enjoyed getting to know the pupils in Mitchinson’s, by having individual meetings. She has familiarised herself with the house and created bonds with pupils. Ms Budden and her family are looking forward to being a part of this lovely house next academic year.

Mitchinson’s has become my second home. As Head of House, I am beyond grateful for the unwavering support and countless friendships I have made. Although I am sad to move on, I will cherish the memories I have made and they will be etched in my heart.

School House

by Boude Igbokwe

When I was asked to write this article, I thought about the achievements of School House and the events that it puts on and in doing this I realised, that whilst there is massive success in School House, the greatest achievement is the community that is formed and the house spirit that is simply incomparable. This community is perhaps best shown through the Saturday film nights attended by all years, followed by Sixth Form beers, both of which bring the house closer together.

The scope of individual achievements in School House is immense, ranging all the way from fencing to singing to art. We have 13 boys playing for seven different first teams, two of them in Remove. We have received scholarships, for example Ayan Jain being awarded the hugely prestigious Michael Foale Science Scholarship. William Shen in Shell achieved a very impressive second place in an Art and Photography competition hosted by Peking University, and Edward Harding, also in Shell, will be performing a solo in the Choirs concert and performed in a quartet for the hugely renowned Serenade and, as usual, William Clayton has dominated the cross-country scene up and down the country, representing Kent.

What’s more is what we achieve as a whole. School House quite astonishingly placed in the House Art competition for the second time in three years, with a wonderful and creative adaptation of Alice in Wonderland Ultimately, the greatest achievement of the house is the incredible house spirit which was once again shown through our performance in the House Song competition, in which we sang massively out of tune and performed some questionable dance moves, celebrated by the usual standing ovation.

With regard to the events put on by School House, we have recently begun an annual charity initiative in which we go for a coldwater sea swim as a house. This event was hugely successful, not only because of the incredible £2800 pounds that was raised, but more because of the incredible house

spirit and house outreach that was on show, with parents, teachers, chaplains, domestic staff and matrons all in attendance.

Over the last year, School House has undergone several changes. Perhaps most significant was the reopening of the Mint Yard after five long years of construction, which is now used largely for playing cricket and baseball in the evenings after prep. Additionally, Ms Blum stepped down as Deputy and is sadly now leaving, opening the door for Mr Walker to take over – a great addition to the house. Furthermore, Mr Bannerman left us halfway through the year, resulting in Mr Sherwin joining the house. Finally, after the sad and unfortunate passing of Ginny, Major V’s Dog, Pickle was introduced as the new house dog and is loved by everyone in the house, and ultimately the entire school.

The grange

by Max Webster & Co

The Grange was led by Max Webster as our Head of House this year, with the help of Joe Fuller as a School Monitor and Arthur Elliott as Deputy Head of House. 2023/2024 marked Mr Penhallurick’s first year as Deputy Housemaster, and we have particularly enjoyed his addition of ‘one bounce’ and ‘courtyard cricket’. Miss Rix left us to have her baby, Daniel, and we have welcomed Miss Ariani to The Grange as our matron, alongside Mrs Simpson. Alongside our 6a leavers we say goodbye to Yaroslav Opanasenko (5th) and Henry Xu (Sh). Mr Whyte (Snr Blanco) has had enough of living in The Grange flat and is moving out this summer.

It has been a busy year for the house, with sporting and academic success in all year groups and some exciting changes in the house. We have a new kitchen and common room, new house gym equipment, and the long-promised PS4 (finally). The pool table cover survived another year, unlike many of the cues, and unfortunately one of our 6bs put a remote control through the TV but arranged for a collection to replace it.

The Grange has been very active in charity this year. Isak Syltevik Dobson (recently transferred from Mitchinson’s) has encouraged us to donate items and cash to the various causes. For example, we

donated over 50 easter eggs to the All Saints Church food bank in Canterbury. Several of our 6as (Charlie Johnson, Will Zacka and Teodor Mali) ran the LA Marathon, raising thousands of pounds for James’ Place (a suicide prevention charity). Charlie, Teodor and Dima Avdeenko also continued to support their charity, Education for a Better Future, which aims to alleviate child poverty in the orphanages of Serbia.

In music, Arthur Elliott won the Recital Prize, and in fact all three Elliott brothers were present in one combination or another at every musical event this year. The Grange came a close second (in the new system there is a first place and four commendations, but we are confident) in the House Song with our rendition of ‘Sh Boom Sh Boom’.

Our Senior House football team embarked on an exhilarating journey this season, led by the astute captaincy of Max Webster and comprising talented players like Arthur and Henry Elliott, Joe Fuller, Alan Han, Thanyani Nematswerani, Yaroslav Opanasenko, Mikhail Patsvald, Artem Sorokin, and Bouma Xiao. The team displayed exceptional skill and camaraderie throughout. In the group stage, they triumphed over Marlowe with a convincing 2-0 victory, edged past Carlyon 2-1, demolished Galpins 6-0, and clinched a tight 2-1 win against Linacre. Advancing

to the semi-finals, they faced a formidable challenge in Meister Omers (MO), emerging victorious with a hard-fought 1-0 win. Despite their best efforts, The Grange encountered a setback in the final, falling 3-0 to their arch-rivals, Tradescant. Nevertheless, their journey was marked by resilience, teamwork, and a commendable spirit that resonates throughout the house. A combined Grange 9-a-side team beat Tradescant 4-2 in a closely fought, now traditional, match at the Summer BBQ and taking the inaugural St Augustine’s Ashes Cup offered some solace.

The Grange prides itself on its ‘three pillars’ championed by our Housemaster, Mr Orders. These are (1) Integrity (being honest at all times, delivering on promises and showing respect to everyone around us); (2) Community (we try to be considerate in the house, and we always look out for each other, even though we still can’t keep the kitchen clean); and (3) Personal Ambition (we always try our best, always try new things and always aim for success).

We are the biggest boarding house in the school, and the furthest distance away from the Cathedral. We may not always get everything right, but we are proud of what we have achieved this year.

Tradescant

by Patch Allen

This has been an enjoyable year for Tradescant House, with lots of special moments and success. Tradescant has performed well in multiple Interhouse Competitions, such as a repeat of last year’s Cross-Country victory, being joint winners in House Rowing, and winning the prestigious Senior Interhouse Football, in style, with a 3-0 win in the final. Whilst narrowly missing out in other competitions, such as House Squash and House Tennis (beaten finalists in both), every member of the house has tried his heart out whenever representing Tradescant. Superb to see.

There have been plenty of individual achievements, too, although there are more than just those on the following list! Jago Bromley (6a) trekked the Himalayas for an education charity, Classroom in the Clouds (Summer Term Charity of the Term); Archie Brown (R) hit a ton in cricket and very nearly achieved a five-wicket-haul; Harry Baxendale (6a) made his first feature-length film to be released later this year in cinemas; and Elliot Meyer (Sh) and Trajan Majomi (6a) contributed to some of the most successful rowing results the School has seen in a very long time!

Tradescant has also had many events throughout the year. In the Autumn Term, we went on a trip to watch Gillingham vs AFC Wimbledon and had a joyful Christmas Party with Entertainments. In the Lent Term, we raised nearly £4000 for Asthma and Lung UK when the whole house slept outside in the cold. We also had the Trad-Broughton concert, when parents from both houses witnessed wonderful musical performances. During the Summer Term, some of the boys went down to Lydd to enjoy some gokarting, and later quite a few members of the house headed off to the Spitfire Ground to watch Kent vs Essex in the Vitality Blast. There have also been a variety of fire pits, quiz nights and even a trip to play padel! There has been something going on in the house every weekend this year, ranging from regular games nights to socials with other houses and playing football matches on backfield, cricket on dovecote lawn or winetasting and baking.

There have been many new additions to the house, including two new matrons in Miss Young and Miss Ariani, who have both fitted in well. Two new tutors arrived during the Lent Term, Mr Barrett and Mr Biddle, who have both already shown keen commitment towards the house. However, the house has also lost a few legendary members of staff, such as Dr Nelson, Mr Moore, and our former matron, Miss O’Hara, who have all been sorely missed.

The house welcomed back OKS John Hamlin, who reminisced about his times in the house and viewed the dorm that bears his name. And after a ‘Name the Kitchen’ charity event, Roger Crabtree named a kitchen in the house ‘Joanne’s Kitchen’ in honour of his wife and made a donation to the House Charity. Also, Jonathan Pearse paid a visit to see the house that bore for him so many memories.

Over the past year, the house has started new discussion groups in tandem with other houses, the Anti-Misogyny Discussion Group and the Safe Spaces Group. These meetings have been held after prep throughout the year and have helped spread awareness about some important issues. The boys are keen that these issues are prominent and that any behaviour that goes against core school values are called out.

Next year the house will experience a major change in layout. The old matron’s flat will be knocked through, creating many new dorms, and overall expanding the house. Next year is really promising, with a talented group of boys who can achieve anything. Lots of credit must go to all the house staff and departing 6as for making this last year such a sublime experience for everyone.

WALPOLE

by Nene Salami

As I write this, it’s hard to believe that my time in Walpole is drawing to a close. My final year has been filled with many moments of joy, growth and achievement. It has been a special year in Walpole because we welcomed our new housemistress, Mrs Ridley, and her family and bid farewell to Mrs Young. We also have news that Mrs Dutton, current Deputy Housemistress, has been appointed to take on Harvey House from September 2024. We will be very sad to see her go but we are excited for the new opportunity ahead of her and are certain that she will excel in her new role.

One of the highlights of this year was the Walpole Carnations Café back in February. This event was a shift from our previous carnations event to create a more sustainable way of generating money for the local charity, Lily’s Kitchen. Lily’s Kitchen is a community project that provides working opportunities for young adults with additional needs. The event was a great success: roughly 150 pupils and staff attended, and we raised over £600. It also showcased the range of talents within our house with the baked treats and musical performances.

Another great event was The Grange and Walpole Charity Concert. It was a wonderful concert that showed a combination of talents from both houses. Towards the end of March, we welcomed several former Walpole boys and girls back to the house for their Leap Year Dinner. Current members of the house enjoyed hearing stories of the old days and the OKS enjoyed reminiscing about their various exploits.

This year, our house was victorious in the annual Cross Country competition, and the participation and support the girls in house showed was remarkable. It was great to see girls in 6a supporting the Shells on their run to encourage them to keep on going. Marta Stewart, new in Remove, shocked us all with her speed, leading to her winning the overall race for her age-group by a vast margin. As well as this, our house was able to win the house art competition for the second year in a row! This was thanks to the amazing leadership of Cerelia Davis in 6a, who came up with the idea of doing ‘The Hobbit’ and the help of the numerous artists in our house. Both these achievements encapsulated the abundance of skills in Walpole.

There have been many individual achievements of Walpole girls in different areas of school life. Charlotte Parker was selected for the England Hockey Talent Academy, a great recognition of her potential in the sport. Katie Wang won the OKS Fencing competition and won the district championships and now goes forward to fence for Kent in the nationals. Mim ByfieldLees was promoted to Head Cadet due to her excellent leadership skills. Anthony Liu was awarded a certificate for the 2023 ICE CityZen Award for her outstanding civil engineering project, highlighting her innovative thinking. Poppy Brooke Turner attended the GB Rowing trials throughout this year and was ranked 12th in the country. Walpole is also very well represented in Music. Katie Wang, Evelyn Pong and Bea Ingles are all rehearsing for King’s Week solo performances and there are many girls involved in plays and other musical events.

Looking back on my time in Walpole, I’m filled with gratitude. This house has been a second home. It’s a great community and a source of endless support. The dedication each house member has towards Walpole and one another has made my time here truly unforgettable.

Music Review by Romola Woodhouse (6b, KD)

A Music

s I climb up the ranks of the music school, I find myself appreciating the school’s standard of music even more. It is hard to resist embracing all of the opportunities given to us, and I am grateful to have participated in so many events this year. The collective spirit of all musicians is astonishing, and the amount of talent and dedication that has been the backbone of all rehearsals, services, and concerts cannot be understated.

The first musical event of the year is a highlight for all pupils; whether one is drawn to sport, art or drama, all pupils participate in the House Song Competition just before the Autumn Half Term. This year, houses took to the stage in a (mostly) orderly fashion and sung popular classics such as Take On Me and Life Could Be a Dream, but it was Lady Kingsdown House that took home the win with Fleetwood Mac’s Everywhere

‘Chamber music is an astounding speciality at this school, and I always find it remarkable that such small groups can create such a big sound.’

Chamber music is an astounding speciality at this school, and I always find it remarkable that such small groups can create such a big sound, and connect so beautifully with one another as they do so. Mrs Caldon and Mr Abbott have worked tirelessly this year for various chamber music concerts. In the Autumn Term, the Chamber Orchestra performed Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, followed by a collection of works given by the King’s Strings and led by Mrs Caldon’s unending exuberance, ranging from Purcell to contemporary composer, Terry Riley, each piece being centred around C as the tonic. In the Lent Term a Chamber Music platform was held, where smaller ensembles from all year groups convened to perform the pieces they had been learning across the previous terms. A particular highlight was the emotive Adagio from Elgar’s second piano quintet, performed by our wonderful 6a music scholars.

The Christmas Concert was held at the end of the Autumn Term, when the symphony orchestra was joined by the King’s Chorus for Humperdinck’s Overture to Hansel and Gretel, movements of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and the classic Christmas songs, including Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Many assume that the Lent Term, the shortest of the three, is a quieter affair, but this was certainly not the case in terms of music. Through the cold rain came many events, in quick succession, including the 6a soloists’ Lynn Recital Prize, won by Arthur Elliott with three songs by Schumann, Grieg, and Schubert, and the Open Soloist Competition, won by ‘cellist Anson Tang with Popper’s Polonaise de Concert, but also included fantastic performances of Bozza’s Recitataive, Sicilienne and Rondo, and Copland’s Quiet City. Later in the term the Crypt Choir travelled up to St Lawrence Jewry in London for Evensong, and the first performance of Dido & Aeneas, starring soloists Annenora Benians and Oscar Virgoe in the eponymous roles. Our wonderful concert master (Catherine Bennett) will be writing in more detail on the Brahms Requiem held at the end of the term, but from my perspective a couple of desks behind her, the unity of King’s pupils, current and past, struck me when a sea of people behind me created a magnificent choral sound.

As well as these events, the Crypt, Chapel and Becket Choirs have consistently contributed to our weekly school services, including the Christmas Carol Service, the Epiphany Carol Service, and the Ascension Day Service, when members of the sixth form sang from the top of the Cathedral’s Corona Tower. It is worth mentioning that being a musician can bring such perks as being taken to astonishing places, like Reims or London’s baroque churches, and being able to look across the astounding views of the city. Braving my strangely gripping fear of spiral staircases was certainly worth it.

Aside from choral events, Dr Roy has continued holding the incredible weekly Fridays@5.15, where soloists have performed works from Szymanowski to Haydn, as well as more specified concerts dedicated to one group of instruments or particular sections of music, like the Lunar New Year Concert.

After a week of rehearsals, I took a chance to recuperate at the kick-off of King’s Week concerts, Jazz on a Summer Sunset. My immense appreciation for jazz was well indulged. As opposed to the bebop and big band Jazz Concert that takes place the following week, Thursday’s performances were an opportunity for many of us to decompress with smoother standards. On the same night, the concert band and other groups performed at Thursday Night is Music Night. On Friday, the Serenade Choir took full advantage of their new location and sung until the sun had fully set, with solos given by Annenora Benians and Joe Fuller, and the (usually) friendly competition between the two close harmony groups, King’s Men and the King’s Swingers, was resurrected, performing in both the Serenade and the Jazz Concert. Both groups showed exemplary musicianship through their engagement with each other and their collective spirits. Despite the occasional bickering over whose arrangement is better, both groups often come together (affectionately dubbed ‘Swingsmen’), for many different occasions, such as appearances in the judging period of House Song, or carol singing at St John’s, Canterbury.

The next event to follow was the second performance of Dido, held in the Shirley Hall. After a minor panic over the thunder sheet, the opera went by seamlessly, with Mr Todd as the ringmaster. All four choirs came together in the Cathedral a few days later for ‘Choirs in the Quire’, to sing classic anthems and Monteverdi’s Beatus Vir. Throughout the week, several Lunchtime Concerts were held in the Old Synagogue, where ensembles played smaller but equally spectacular programmes, and some said the annual Rock Concert was the best ever. On Sunday, Mrs Caldon and Mr Abbott held the Virtuosi concert; the first half comprised works by Mozart, and the second half a collection of pieces centred around the theme of time.

‘Both groups showed exemplary musicianship through their engagement with each other and their collective spirits.’

The year finished with the usual flair of the annual Gala Symphony Concert, featuring Dvorak’s New World Symphony, and movements of concerti ranging from Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto to Matthew Hindson’s House Music: Lounge for flute. The night was truly spectacular and always marks a significant flourish to the end of the year.

Many thanks to the music staff who made this year so fantastic, especially Mr Abbott, Mrs Caldon, Mr Todd, Dr Roy, Mr Swinford, Mr Parvin and, of course, Mr Bersey.

The

Year Music in

2023-24

Friday 5.15 Concerts

Choral Sunday Services

2023

House Song Competition

Chamber Orchestra Concert

Advent Carol Service

Christmas Concert

Carol Singing at St John’s Canterbury

Christmas Carol Service

Epiphany Carol Service

2024

Vocal workshop with Julie Cooper

Open Soloist Competition

Evensong in St Lawrence Jewry

Dido and Aeneas in St Lawrence Jewry

Brahms Requiem in Canterbury Cathedral

Chamber Music platform

Lynn Recital Prize King’s Week

Brahms

Brahms Requiem by Catherine Bennett (6b, WL)

Before Brahms, Requiems had typically been sombre works intended for the dead, filled with dark tones and depictions of the afterlife. After the tragic deaths of his best friend, Robert Schumann in 1856, and his mother in 1865, one might assume Brahms would adopt a similarly haunting mood for his work. But Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem is radiant and loving, celebrating life with a private and personal dimension. Using verses from Luther’s German translation of the Bible, Brahms rejected the typical use of the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead (Missa pro defunctis).

Brahms’ Requiem focuses on the comfort that can be found in the afterlife and the light that one can find through grief, which allows for reflection, whether performing or listening. The composer even admitted he regretted naming the work Ein Deutsches Requiem, wishing he had the courage to call it the Requiem of Mankind, making it a requiem for the living, not the dead.

On 15 March, the King’s Chorus and the Symphony Orchestra came together to play Brahms’ masterpiece in our Cathedral, under the baton of Mr. Bersey. Before the rehearsal started, excitement from current members of the school radiated through the space when they reconnected with the members of OKS who came to join the choir. Current members of the school, OKS, teachers, and parents had been rehearsing for weeks, yet the full choir and orchestra had not experienced their combined sound in the Cathedral, and it was worth the wait. It’s rare to find a school choir and orchestra as skilled as those at King’s, and it’s even rarer to be able to play and perform in Canterbury Cathedral.

I have hundreds of moments from the evening that I want to extract from my mind and share with you all, but word counts exist, and some things sit better in the head rather than on paper, so I will share only a few.

It’s ironic that my favourite movement is the one in which violins do not play. To open the Requiem, the cellos and violas emerge from each other’s melodies, simmering with hope in their rich sound.

an already moving movement even more personal. The fifth movement is a tribute to Brahms’ mother, and this can be heard through its delicate introduction and gentle melody sung by the soprano. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such talented professionals, who extracted the beauty from their respective solos with such skill.

‘The

first movement is nothing short of angelic, and in a setting as enchanting as Canterbury Cathedral the choir and orchestra presented an exquisite interpretation.’

The first movement is nothing short of angelic, and in a setting as enchanting as Canterbury Cathedral the choir and orchestra presented an exquisite interpretation.

The second movement has a character change like no other, transitioning from a dark funeral march in B-flat minor to a colourful burst of energy in B-flat major, ending with serenity encouraged by the orchestra’s flowing rising and falling scales. This movement is exhausting for anyone participating due to its length and the energy required, but it is the most rewarding because of the range of emotions Brahms guides the musicians and audience through.

‘This movement is exhausting for anyone participating due to its length and the energy required, but it is the most rewarding.’

The choir had sung the fourth movement several times before, but in English, so they were faced with the challenge of relearning the piece, as well as all the other six movements, in German. I applaud Mr. Todd and the choir for their efforts to learn a Requiem in a new language because, for example, the Mozart Requiem did not provide the same challenge since it is in Latin, and pronunciation was less of a concern. This new approach to the fourth movement was much more satisfying, along with an orchestra instead of an organ. The piece was transformed, making it one of the most fulfilling moments of the evening.

The third and sixth movements featured our baritone soloist, Ben McAteer, whose lavish and direct tone filled the height and length of the Cathedral. The second soloist we worked with was Fflur Wyn, who performed the fifth movement with expression and care, making

Towards the end of the last movement, the melody from the first movement is quoted, finishing the Requiem with a similar character to how it started, also in F major. This provides a sense of peace and completion for both the performers and the audience, allowing the start and end of the Requiem to coat the chaos of the internal movements. When Mr. Bersey eventually lowered

his baton after the final notes, the audience exploded into applause. I would be lying if I remembered much of the next few minutes, while the appreciation that was being expressed was overwhelming. Yet I do remember that when the soloists, Mr. Bersey, and I took our bows, I felt a strong sense of pride, not only for the performance we had just conquered but for the community that I was a part of that had the dedication to approach such a large task.

Although we annually perform a Requiem in the Cathedral, this performance was particularly sentimental for me. An obvious factor was being able to lead the orchestra, which is an opportunity I am eternally grateful for but, more importantly, I felt as if we were one with the Requiem, allowing the audience and ourselves a moment to appreciate the gift of life. Brahms wrote this Requiem for the living who are grieving, and although I was not grieving anyone in particular, it filled me with gratitude for what I had experienced in that moment. Our lives at school roll from one day to the next, and in our final years we often turn back and grieve for the person we were when we first arrived and were burdened with facing our future.

‘I applaud Mr. Todd and the choir for their efforts to learn a Requiem in a new language.’

The reflective spirit of the piece made me take time to acknowledge that, although we may have left the safety of childhood, what we have right now has value that cannot be matched because we have the power to perform, create, and shape our lives.

‘When Mr. Bersey eventually lowered his baton after the final notes, the audience exploded into applause.’

Drama

Dance &

Miles Packard (6b, MR) shares his theatrical highlights of the year.

This year at King’s audience members at The Malthouse have been transported to desert ruins, Michael Jackson music videos and jazz clubs in the three large productions put on by the brilliant drama and dance departments, made up of Miss Frances (Head of Drama), Mr Musgrave, Mr Skillern, Mrs Outram (Head of Dance) and Mrs Hands.

‘It was a feat of the design team to create such an incredibly realistic setting which supported the many intense, dramatic moments.’

The first was the whole-school play, Welcome to Thebes, which draws on Ancient Greek literature to tell the story of a war-torn country, led by Eurydice (Cecily Carter 6a), in its struggle to build peace without falling into the clutches of exploitative, first-world countries, represented by Athens with Theseus as its President (Jago Bromley 6a). The set was inspired by the arid Mediterranean landscape and so the stage was covered in sand with rising pillars and an almost-to-scale helicopter that descended from the ceiling. Although this proved to be an immersive spectacle for audience members sitting in the line of fire from skidding actors kicking up sand, it was the actors who suffered grains appearing days later. However, it was a feat of the design team to create such an incredibly realistic setting which supported the many intense, dramatic moments and encompassed the audience in the brutal, raw atmosphere of the play.

‘Some of the dancers looked truly undead too, whether from the quick choreography or just unnervingly realistic makeup, the audience was not sure.’

The next production took place in the dance studio with the ‘Dance Excellence Showcase’, which featured solos from the Dance Scholars and Exhibitioners as well as group numbers from all of Dance Excellence. Although a warm rendition of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ and a Rockette-style piece to ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ may have filled the audience with the Christmas spirit, the highlight of the night was the opening performance of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’, which took the audience back to Halloween with its spooky choreography. The costumes for this piece spanned styles from Edwardian to Modern with clothes that were sourced almost entirely from The Malthouse’s costume cupboard and Mrs Outram’s own wardrobe, an impressive achievement for a large production. Some of the dancers looked truly undead too, whether from the quick choreography or just unnervingly realistic makeup, the audience was not sure. Overall, it was a mesmerising showcase with a range of performances from ‘Singing in the Rain’ to RuPaul’s ‘Cover Girl’, displaying the extent of creative talent in Dance Excellence.

In February, the theatre was transformed into Loveland, another whole-school production featuring dances to and renditions of the best love songs from hit musicals such as Guys and Dolls, The

Phantom of the Opera, Follies and more. Unusually there was no raised stage so the audience was at the same level as the performers, and the front row of stalls was even replaced with tables to create a jazz club atmosphere. But the most spectacular moment of the night was a rendition by Isabelle Stewart-Stanton (R) of ‘Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again’ from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, where she stunned the audience with her operatic and effortless voice, in a moving and show-stopping performance.

The lighting design of this production also blew away anyone who saw it and to reveal all the secrets behind it we spoke to Joseph Dingle (6b) who answered some questions about the process:

How much planning went into the design?

Lighting design starts with how we want the audience to be affected by the performance. Loveland being a collection of many different musical theatre genres allowed us to experiment and explore how light alongside music and story can accompany the brilliant performers.

What inspired the design?

As a design associate with Paul D. Birks, I was able to design a selection of songs, such as the one from ‘Heathers’, where we used blue and white lighting sources with hard-edged gobos to show how the world of Westerberg was against ‘Heather’.

How long did it take to set it up?

Set-up starts with a rig plot. We use CAD software to design a rig that is versatile for the show. This can include outside entertainment hires for specific equipment: that way we can use high-quality lights like the ones they use commonly in the West End. For this, we spend 2-3 days rigging all lighting fixtures, wiring up and ensuring load safety.

What’s the worst and best part about working on the lighting?

The worst bit is often the clean-up, as you have to literally take down all the work you’ve done and designed. But the best part is when, after a lengthy programming phase, we can finally see the actors take their lights, and bring the show to life.

‘Loveland being a collection of many different musical theatre genres allowed us to experiment and explore how light alongside music and story can accompany the brilliant performers.’

As a pupil, how does it feel to be involved in the process and to work alongside professionals?

Working alongside professionals is the best education and experience in the industry I hope to join. Every show builds my confidence and technical approach. It’s fantastic to be able to work so closely with all involved, something I will greatly miss next year when I leave King’s.

‘Working alongside professionals is the best education and experience in the industry I hope to join.’

Year Drama in The

Activities

Drama Club

Drama Excellence

Performances

November: Welcome to Thebes

December: Dance Excellence

February: Loveland

King’s Week: The Government Inspector

Romeo and Juliet

Hay Fever

KiDaCo

Trips

November: 2:22 A Ghost Story

January: Edward Scissorhands

February: Peter Pan Goes Wrong

February: Frantic Assembly’s Metamorphosis

May: National Theatre

June: Jesus Christ Superstar

Sporting highlights of the year by Bryan Onwuka (6a, LN)

The King’s School, Canterbury sports year was filled with highs and lows across the SOCs results board, and produced many memories and great lessons for all our athletes.

Off the back of an eventful tour to South Africa and an injuryriddled season, the 1st Rugby team managed to beat a strong Sutton Valence side at Birley’s in their final match of the season. On the same tour was the Girls’ Hockey 1st team, who played 23 games in the course of their season, more than any other team in the school. After losing most of the first team from the previous season, Mr Laslett and his flamboyant Captain, Tiggy Cameigh (6a, CY), built up a strong team spirit that ranged down the top three senior year groups. The culmination of their hard work was the St George 6s tournament, which they entered as underdogs, and left having punched above their weight.

The Lent Term saw the blossoming of a strong Netball 1st team after training on Friday evenings in the Autumn Term. The team took on St Lawrence in their first game. After steamrolling the local rivals 47-10, the team managed to go unbeaten for their whole season. They credit their ability to do this to the pride they had in being unbeaten, as well as the team’s ability to move on despite the obstacles they faced, reports Vice-Captain, Lily Hastilow (6b, MR) and Ms Wayman. The boys’ Football team started off their season with a strong pre-season friendly performance win against Brighton College, the team who won the league the previous year. The season then started with what Mr Gardiner says was the best 30 minutes of football ever played at King’s – away against Sevenoaks. And I can endorse that claim, although the 2-0 lead gained in that time turned into a loss, followed by a rocky season of difficulties. The Boys’ Hockey season also took place, starring their last-ditch defending captain, Will Dean (6a, LN) and our resident U18 England Hockey Player, Nathan Sumner (6b, CY). The season was positive, with many tough fixtures and tournaments. The season saw the team bounce back from losses and turn adversity into positive lessons that they used to win most of their games this season.

The Summer Term is always interesting for King’s Sport due to the unpredictability of the weather as well as exams taking over for our 6a and Fifth Form pupils. However, after the build-up to the season in the form of winter indoor sessions, as well as one-onone coaching, it is truly no surprise that our cricketers have been performing phenomenally so far, and going into cricket week in the last week of term it is exciting to see where it goes. So far, the highlights include Tara Pelling (6b, LX) becoming the first girl to go on the Cricket Honours Board with her six wickets against Kent College. Brad Reynolds (6a, CY) made an impressive 100 against Canterbury Academy, which also earns him a spot on the Honours Board. Other Honours Board names are Captain, William Dean (6a, LN), and Henry Elliott (6b, GR) for his five-wicket hauls. The highlight of the boys’ cricket season has been beating Tonbridge School in the National Cup, something that the School has not done in recent years. The School Tennis team had a strong season off the back of their Portugal tour and training that has been running since the

SPORT

Autumn Term. The development of senior players like Justin Yeung (6b, TR) continues with his electrifying matches against none other than Mr Harrison. The dawn of a new young sports star is approaching in the form of Julie Oprchal. This year she represented the Girls’ Tennis 1st team as its only Year 9 member and the first of her kind in recent years. Beyond school, Julie shines as one of the promising tennis players in Kent and maybe all of Southeast England. Her extensive list of accolades includes Kent County U14 mixed doubles winner, Woodford Wells U14 doubles winner, Tennis Europe Liverpool U14 doubles winner, Kingsley Tennis Open U14 singles winner, and Ipswich Junior Open U18 runner-up and U16 winner. This year represented the first of many for the school Athletics Club as athletes presented the school in various official meets with many Juniors qualifying to represent King’s at the Kent Schools Track and Field 2024 Championships. The most notable of these performances is Daniel Adegbuyi-Jackson (Sh, MT) who came second in this tournament. He then went on to come fifth in all of Southeast England at the Counties Cup later in the term, and he did so in wet conditions in what we know to be a stereotypical English summer day.

There are also, of course, many sports that run for the full academic year. The year was positive for the Golf team, a club that has been growing increasingly each year with thanks to the popularity of the Golf Simulator in St A’s. This year the school Fencing team had clear outlined goals. For the girls’ team, it was to start the journey back to

the top of Fencing in the Southeast, edging closer to rivals, Millfield. For the boys, the goal was to maintain their status as one of the best Fencing teams in Kent. This year both of their goals were attained with the girls achieving third place at the National Public Schools Competition despite only taking part in 2/3 days of matches as they fence only using one of the three blades, the épée. Another memorable display was the dominance shown by the boys’ senior squash team, which achieved the school best match record in the last 18 years (played 27, won 19). Captain, Gleb Kachur (6a, GL), Angus Goddard and Joe Fuller all represented Kent at U18 level. On the school scene they won both the Surrey Sports Park Tournament and the Roehampton Tournament Division 2 as well as making it far enough in the Roehampton National Schools Cup to earn themselves a spot in the top 20 schools in the country. They also managed to beat some big hitters like Tonbridge, Sevenoaks,

‘ The dawn of a new young sports star is approaching in the form of Julie Oprchal. Julie shines as one of the promising tennis players in Kent and maybe all of Southeast England.’

Harrow and St Paul’s. The team also featured a surprising talent in young Lucas Lam, a Year 7 pupil who currently attends JKS but got the call-up to play at U18 level as well as representing Kent at U13 level. Debatably the most regimented team we have at King’s, the rowing team have worked tirelessly year-round to achieve exactly what they wanted. Their main goal was to make it to the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley this summer. In the meantime, however, on both sides of the Rowing Club the rowers achieved many great feats. Two 6as, Poppy Brooke Turner (6a, WL) and Tabitha Butterfill (6a, LX) managed to get into the Team GB U18 trials but sadly their runs were cut short by injury. On the boys’ side, their four managed to come in fourth place in the country at National Schools. In more general news, the emergence of Lucas Heath (Sh, MO) has been trailblazing for the school. Lucas is a Laser Runner (shooting and running), a GB Triathlete (running, swimming,

‘After the build-up to the season in the form of winter indoor sessions, as well as one-on-one coaching, it is truly no surprise that our cricketers have been performing phenomenally so far.’

‘Across the School, it has been a very eventful year, both on an off the pitches, racetracks, rivers and court. The main theme school-wide for the season is that hard work creates results.’

shooting), GB Biathlete (running, swimming) and a GB fencer. His hard work earned him rankings as ninth U15 biathlete in the world, seventh U15 triathlete in the world and a third place at an international tournament held in Croatia earlier in the academic year. And finally, arguably his most important victory, he won the U14 school Cross Country by quite some margin.

Across the School, it has been a very eventful year, both on an off the pitches, racetracks, rivers and court. The main theme schoolwide for the season is that hard work creates results. That can be shown in the results by our Netball and Squash teams. Their dedication in the offseason led to them achieving their aims. In sports like Lacrosse and Rugby, the season promoted togetherness and the community that sports bring. At the heart and soul of King’s is sport. There is a sport here for anyone. Whether it’s Chess Club on a Wednesday afternoon or down by the lake at 6:15 in the morning for the rowers, sport gives us dedication and discipline. But most importantly sport bring us joy and happiness. I came across a scene recently of a group of people playing a sport in the evening and just having fun. Amidst them were first-team athletes, development athletes and people for whom sport was not even an interest, 6as all the way down to Shell, and in different houses too. And yet they were all there laughing and having fun, because why wouldn’t you? That is what King’s sport represents to me: fun and laughter for everyone regardless of their sporting and life background. All of us able to just sit back enjoy the summer sunshine, which we so rarely get, and just smile.

‘There is a sport here for anyone. Whether it’s Chess Club on a Wednesday afternoon or down by the lake at 6:15 in the morning for the rowers.’

LAcrosse

Lucy Pollock (6b, KD) gives us a glimpse of Lacrosse at King’s and a history of the sport.

Lacrosse at King’s has a reputation for special traditions and a unique atmosphere. Training twice a week, and then a match on Saturdays, has brought decades of teams together. Due to Lacrosse being played by only a small number of schools in the South East, we often have to travel two hours for matches. While our lengthy absences may provoke collective outrage, the atmosphere traveling to and from these matches is what makes King’s Lacrosse so special. When not napping, watching TV or desperately trying to complete prep, the team converses over many random topics, from the opposing team and the payback we must give them for the previous season, to the current school gossip. Our spirited rivalry with opposing teams is often shared, to a lesser degree, when our annual Purples v 1st X Lacrosse match takes place on The Green Court in early May. Each year, for so long that even Mrs Worthington cannot remember when it began, the School gathers around the precious turf and cheers when the two teams run onto the Green. The match promises to be chaos, but while the teachers may watch with panic in their eyes, not only for the 1st X but for the entire school this is a tradition that encapsulates the quirky nature of King’s and Lacrosse.

enough, and in the Summer Term we will, of course, play the famous Purples once again on The Green Court.

The Great British Lacrosse team was formed in 1883 with a match against Canada, who repeatedly proved themselves to be top of the game. In the early 20th Century, the GB Lacrosse team was a huge success, touring around America providing coaching clinics and playing local matches. The team even competed in a few Olympic Games. The 70s saw to the heat between the American and GB team with frequent matches and closer scores (GB winning the most!). In 1975, the GB team ranked No.1 in the world. A long while after Lacrosse had grown as a sport in England, it was finally introduced to King’s in 1986/87 to create friendly local competition after being introduced to Kent University and Christ Church.

This summer the team is going on tour to Canada to play against local clubs in Toronto and train with Canadian coaches to gain a new perspective on the game. We are all excited to go on tour because it will be the first King’s Lacrosse tour ever! Sadly, Ms Blum is leaving, but the team is excited to welcome Chrissie in September to coach the team. Chrissie is an ex-England player with impressive experience under her belt to guide the team in preparation for Nationals 2025. As always, we have several home and away matches planned that everyone is more than welcome to come and watch, but on top of that the 1st team plays a friendly (actually quite competitive) match in the Autumn Term against those teachers brave

‘Lacrosse’s relatively young existence has meant that it is constantly evolving today. Since its introduction, wooden sticks were used, proving bulky and heavy, which constricted players, but as the game has developed, so have the sticks.’

Lacrosse’s relatively young existence has meant that it is constantly evolving today. Since its introduction, wooden sticks were used, proving bulky and heavy, which constricted players, but as the game has developed, so have the sticks. Today, wooden sticks are a thing of the past. Now we use metal or composite materials, largely carbon fibre. The modern sticks provide more durable and agile equipment and allow the game to be more fluid. In the same way, the rules of the game are constantly changing. When we began playing, there were no lines on the pitch, which often resulted in whole teams running aimlessly after a ball the other side of many pitches. Today, this has been altered, with the pitch now being confined by lines. Much the same, the number of players on a team has also decreased, from 15 when we first started in Year 3, to 10 now. These rule changes have allowed the game to become more streamlined, providing exciting, speedy and agile playing all while keeping the level of chaos which films like St Trinian’s have immortalised.

‘This summer, the team is going on tour to Canada to play against local clubs

in Toronto and train with Canadian coaches to gain a new perspective on the game.’

Lacrosse today in King’s has a reputation for special traditions and a unique atmosphere compared to other sports throughout the school. Training twice a week, and then having a match on Saturdays, has brought decades of teams together in ways which many have not.

Due to Lacrosse being played by a small selection of schools in the southeast, we are often tasked with traveling two hours for our matches. While the announcement of these matches brings a collective outrage and declarations of hatred for Lacrosse, the atmosphere traveling to and from these matches is what makes King’s Lacrosse so special. When not napping, watching TV or desperately trying to complete prep, the team converses over many slapdash topics, from the opposing team and the payback we must give them from previous matches the previous season, to the current school gossip. Our declarations of hatred for the opposing team are often shared – admittedly to a lesser degree – on the approach to our annual Purples vs 1st X Lacrosse match on Green Court which takes place in early May each year. For so long that many cannot remember when it began, the school gathers around the precious green and cheers as the two teams run onto the green. The match promises to be chaos, and while the teachers may sometimes watch with a distinct panic in their eye, for not only the 1st X, but the entire school, it is a tradition which encapsulates the quirky nature of King’s and Lacrosse which makes it so special.

‘The atmosphere traveling to and from these matches is what makes King’s Lacrosse so special.’

Art & Photography

Art

A Day in the Life of A’ Level Art by Fumi St-Charles day

A buttery haze of light fills my room and I ponder whether I have been left in dream (I wake up). My senses come alive when I am reminded of all the potential in my sketchbook pages and paintings that I have waiting for me today (I think about the homework and unfinished paintings that I need to get done). Gracefully, I have my buttered toast and tea, swiftly transform into my pupil attire, and skip to The King’s School, Canterbury (I eat breakfast, change, and go to school). At last! I have my time of freedom and voyage to the pearl in a jar of jewels, the peony in a basket of roses, the hint of cinnamon in hot chocolate: Blackfriars. (I go to the Art Department during my free period). Here, time melts into light, and light into night, and I feverishly indulge in artistic passions, savouring at times the charming palettes of colour, other times the electric sensation of a fountain pen, all whilst being enveloped by the breathtaking view of flora through the trefoil windows (time passes quickly when I work in the Art Department, surrounded by nature). When the clock reaches its first quarter phase, I am half a Cinderella (The Art Department closes at 6pm). A shooting star, I hurry out of Blackfriars, leaving a trace of my linum usitatissimum oil perfume as I go (I leave smelling like the linseed oil). Alas, the only reality left of my memory in Blackfriars is the twinkling blue eyeshadow above my eye. (I still have paint on my eyelid.) On a more serious note, Blackfriars is a lovely building dating back to 1237, during the reign of Henry III. It has been used as a priory, weaving factory, and an Anabaptist and Unitarian meeting house. In 1982, it was bought by the Cleary Foundation, who gave it to the school as an art gallery. Since then, the timeless beauty of the building has continued to inspire and be a space of creativity for pupils.

‘Here, time melts into light, and light into night, and I feverishly indulge in artistic passions.’

Art

& Tea

Interviews with Art Pupils

by Fumi St-Charles

Q. How is A’ Level Art?

A. Art at A’ Level is quite different from GCSE. It’s good that you can do your own stuff.

Q. What was it like taking both Photography and Art A’ Levels?

A. With photography, you’re constantly looking all around you for inspiration, and it helps with your compositional eye, which is useful for art.

Q. How are you going to use your experience of doing Art A’ Level at university?

A. I’m going on to do Art, so I’ll use the techniques and things that I’ve learnt here.

Q. Which Art trip has been the most fun?

A. I really enjoyed Amsterdam. Lots of exhibitions and inspiration.

Q. How do you like your tea?

A. ...like, the beverage?

Q. Yes.

A. A bit of milk. No sugar.

Jayne Rivero (6b, LX)

Q. Having joined King’s this year, what have you enjoyed about Art A’ Level so far?

A. The facilities are good, so you can explore your artistic journey through a wide range of media.

Q. What do you think about the Art Department?

A. Well, it’s pretty big (laughs). I mean, there’s a Ceramics Block and an Art Department.

Q. What made you take art A’ Level?

A. It’s something that I find really enjoyable, and it (laughs) definitely forces you to do research. Doing it alongside History of Art, I think you really get to appreciate the art that you once thought was bad.

Q. How do you like your tea?

A. To drink?

Q. Yes.

A. I like herbal tea so...

Q. If you had to have English breakfast tea, how would you like it?

A. I don’t know. With lemon?

Caroline Chin (5, WL)

Q. How was GCSE Art?

A. It was very good. We have a lot of different media that we can explore.

Q. What did you most enjoy about Art this year?

A. We have the freedom to do whatever we want, and the teachers support us.

Q. What do you like about the Art Department?

A. We have a photography studio.

Q. How do you like your tea?

A. My tea?

Q. Yes.

A. I like it...with milk.

Cerelia Davis (6a, WL)

Art Exhibition

Marlowe

OSociety the

by Oliver Ridley (Head of English)

n 23 November Peter Henderson (Archivist) presented a selection of artifacts from The Walpole Collection associated with the Gothic. Items included a Sixteenth-Century occult book, which was for a time in William Beckford’s library at Fonthill Abbey; letters from Matthew Lewis and Daphne du Maurier; and an example of Emily Brontë’s handwriting. On 5 December Professor Catherine Richardson (University of Kent) spoke about Renaissance material culture, focusing on objects that appear in Hamlet. She considered the arras and the closet, and led a fascinating discussion about how they affect our reading of the play. On 27 February Dr Holly Barton (Head of History of Art) looked into representations of poetic and dramatic subjects in Nineteenth Century painting. The climax of the talk was a careful reading of William Holman Hunt’s ‘The Lady of Shallot’. Novelist Alex Preston addressed the society on 30 April. He spoke inspiringly about the process of writing and referred to an impressive number of canonical and more recent novels.

‘Items included a Sixteenth-Century occult book, which was for a time in William Beckford’s library at Fonthill Abbey.’

the

Harvey

science Society

by Katherine Cho

TThe Harvey Science Society welcomed a number of speakers into our new Science Auditorium. In October, we discovered the ‘Chemistry beyond the molecule’ from Professor Jennifer Hiscock. A fellow University of Kent colleague, Dr Max Cardenas-Fernandez, visited us the following month to demonstrate how a more sustainable future could be built using biocatalysts and biotransformation. Anna Cohn (6b) arranged a Zoom call with Professor Richard Pancost (University of Bristol) on the effects of climate change. The Society has never been more enthusiastic about peat bogs! June saw a celebration of Armed Forces Week with two talks from staff parents. Dr Mark Rooms shared his extensive journey as a trainee doctor to Army medic and life beyond the Forces. Ms Karen Beach immersed us into the problems and solutions of keeping staff safe on nuclear submarines. We are grateful to all of our speakers and look forward to the next year of talks. We hope to see as many of you there!. 

Linacre

Medical Society the

by Helen Vaughan

This year we had a group of between 20 and 30 pupils, most of whom are aspiring vets, medics or dentists. We hosted several amazing speakers. Dr Rachel Andrews has two OKS daughters both of whom have successfully applied for veterinary medicine. Dr Andrews visited early in September 2023 to give top tips to aspiring medics about the application process, and returned later in the Autumn Term to give a fine talk on paediatric cardiology at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Dr Cheryl Maduro presented a fascinating talk on cutting edge CrispR technology in medicine, entitled ‘Unlocking DNA’s secrets: The Power of Genome Editing’. Dr Claire Mason from Médecins sans Frontières presented a remarkable talk on her experiences combatting infectious diseases, particularly TB and HIV in Papua New Guinea and India.

We also had joint meetings with the Harvey Science Society, including a colourful talk from Dr Rooms on his experiences as an army medic working in many countries on active service. Each session was followed by a barrage of questions from our enthusiastic pupils.

‘Dr Andrews visited early in September 2023 to give top tips to aspiring medics about the application process.’

Other sessions included staff presentations on the NHS, UCAT, Medical Imaging, Quizzes, Dissections, DNA Gel Electrophoresis, journal club discussions on NHS hot topics, webinar sessions, interview tips, UCAT practice, and promotion of events such as the Blavatnik Awards, Annual Tonbridge Science Conference, Intermediate Biology Olympiad and Biology Olympiads and the Imperial College Schools Competition for Science in Medicine. This year Anna Yakushina won an award and personal cheque from the Harveian Society of London, and Sophia Yuen, Lavina Ng, Clarice Lau, Inigo Lenderking (all 6a) won first place and a £2000 prize for the department in the Imperial College competition.

Anniversaries

Although King’s has a brilliant OKS Magazine dedicated entirely to former pupils, The Cantuarian likes to celebrate certain key OKS red-letter days and years.

500th

Thomas Linacre

Died 1524

Linacre House and Linacre College, Oxford, are both named after Thomas Linacre (c. 1460 – 20 October 1524), a scholar, priest, and physician who attended Canterbury Cathedral School before it became King’s. He taught Greek to More, Erasmus and Mary I, and was a friend of John Colet, who founded St Paul’s School.

150

th

Somerset Maugham

Born 1874

William Somerset Maugham (25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was a qualified but nonpractising physician who wrote plays, novels and short stories. He attended King’s from 1885 to 1889 and became a governor and generous benefactor. After 25 years of celebrity in the West End, he concentrated on prose for the rest of his career. The novel Of Human Bondage (1915) is considered his masterpiece.

Somerset Maugham Short Story Prize Winner 2024

To kill or to be killed

by Delilah Bessant (R, MT)

To kill or to be killed

All she needed was a weapon and for me to say one wrong word and I would be slumped on the ground lifeless. Her previous attempts to expel me from her world ended in either ‘I’m so sorry, Walter. Forgive me. I love you and it won’t happen again.’ or ‘Why did you make me do that, Walter? You are the worst husband. Leave this house now!’

Although I didn’t bat an eyelid at most of these attempts, Verena was hysterical after them and they soon became part of my life. I was in the ‘in-between’, alive but fearing I may not be, within a matter of seconds.

It was only after an incident with razors one evening, following Verena’s weekly therapy appointment, that I realized my marriage would only end in one of two ways: me being dead or us both being dead, at the hands of my ‘loving wife’.

Verena returned from her appointment with two bulky, grey, supermarket bags and a wide grin plastered across her face. A smile, a warning. She dropped the bags with a crinkling sound and her hands went to her bouncy red hair. Her head rose, and her piercing gaze met mine, and then went straight to the fridge.

I enquired, my muscles tensing in fear of her response.

‘I guess I got carried away at the thought of this possibility! Hiding my razors will mean that I don’t feel drawn to hurt you with them. They’ll be locked away, nice and tight, and if I need them I’ll have to talk to you about it, which will calm me down and so you won’t get hurt and we’ll be happy,” she said, getting louder as her excitement grew.

Verena returned from her appointment with two bulky, grey, supermarket bags and a wide grin plastered across her face. A smile. A warning.

‘Good afternoon, honey. Today Ethan and I came up with a plan at counselling that you are going to love!’ Verena shrieked as she bolted past me to her precious fridge and lunged at an open bottle of wine. The corner of my lips twitched in an attempt to display a smile, and I nodded for her to continue.

‘Ethan and I were discussing our relationship today and I brought up some of our complications that we have encountered recently,’ she said as she released her chapped lips from the large bottle, leaving a blood-like drop to run down her chin. I shivered at the thought of her therapist hearing about what she had done to me. ‘When he suggested a way to limit these blips in our marriage, hiding my razors!’ she smiled, shaking my body with enthusiasm. She ran back to the enormous bags and lifted them both upside down, revealing around fifty razor packets. She held one to her chest and sighed, looking at me.

‘That’s good. But why did you need to buy new ones?’

I told her how happy I was, with the occasional smile and brush of my hand on hers, then I turned and bolted upstairs. My chest rose and fell at a rapid pace, recapping the fact that my wife had thought to kill me with her razors before. From then on, I conjured a plan to escape my so-called lover who had turned into my destined killer. However, this plan that I created was filled with dead ends and Verena’s face every time I tried to grab a penny to fund my impossible mission. It was almost as if she sensed that I wanted to flee. I questioned everything I did. In my eyes my behaviour hadn’t changed. I still nodded my head with ample sympathy when we discussed her therapy sessions and made her whatever vile meal she demanded. So, I pondered, was it I that had changed or her? Not in the way that I felt security of living another day. Never have I felt that whilst being in the presence of that vulture. That wife, my wife.

One gloomy morning, whilst trying to slip a fivepound note out of our biscuit tin and into my hollow pocket, which beckoned for something other than the normal, and sizeable, packet of cigarettes, I heard a yell that made each bone in my body break a little, as the fiery red head entered the kitchen. She wore a head-to-toe black outfit consisting of a thick turtleneck jumper, tight dark leggings and tall lace-up black boots. She announced, ‘I’m going hunting today. Don’t cook dinner as I’m sure I’ll return with suitable meat.’ She strode to the door, slamming it as she exited.

I entered the office to search for cheap hostels on our computer that I dreamt of escaping to. Verena called my name. I peered into my wallet and counted the measly pennies, wishing them to transform into thick wads of

To kill or to be killed

cash. Verena popped her head through the door. I picked up the phone to call my brother, to beg for some extra cash, a car, a home, when Verena ordered me to help her prepare dinner. Every opportunity I saw was met with Verena’s face, excuses and fake smiles.

With every interrupted incident, my rage intensified. I couldn’t stand the look of my wife and her ‘perfectly timed’ interruptions until the morning of 1st October, when Verena entered the kitchen humming a love-song that she used to sing to me when we were in love – well, as close to love as could be with a woman whose heart was as black as night itself.

‘You wouldn’t believe what I’ve planned for us,’ Verena sung to me, as she pulled me into a sweaty embrace. ‘As our anniversary is coming up I have planned a huge dinner for us! Three courses and I am even cooking. We have 13 days to prepare, and I promise you it will be the best night of our life, my darling.’

‘Why, that sounds wonderful!’ I responded. I even felt a slight tinge of excitement in my voice, though I willed it to settle. Excitement only leads to disappointment.

Over the following thirteen days, Verena planned the meals. I gathered decorations and both of us sat on the edge of our seats waiting for the night we had wanted our whole relationship. One night of love. We even decided on a white theme. Verena wanted to replicate our wedding as much as possible. I bought balloons, a banner, special plates, a tablecloth and a new tie for the

occasion. I had transformed the dining room from a cluttered mess into a somewhat glamourous space and Verena had prepared all of our food and the red wine to accompany the feast. I truly expected it to be a great evening.

The night of our grand feast started superbly. I squeezed into an old grey suit with a suspicious dark stain on the upper leg and lathered my fine hair with a thick coating of hair gel. I put on my new, fine silk tie and spritzed on some cologne that I found in a charity shop the other week; the packaging had looked quite luxurious for the few coins I had splurged on it. Then I grabbed my phone, started scrolling on whatever app I mindlessly clicked on and ambled down the stairs, trying to distract myself from the hope of some good food and a few laughs shared with my wife. As I stepped into the dining room and admired our decorative capabilities, Verena strutted into the room, her fiery red hair pinned up in a tight, and beautiful, updo. She was wearing a long, velvet red dress and had a silver cross body bag that sparkled just as much as her eyes. She looked like something out of a dream.

For the first time ever I said, ‘You look beautiful, my wife,’ meaning every word. Never had I said the word ‘wife’ without my muscles spasming in an attempt to reset my body to the moment before I had labelled the woman before me with such a title. I smiled, no twitching of muscles relatively near my mouth, but a smile, and reached out my hand.

‘Well, if I had known that a tight long dress and a few white banners would have made you so happy I would have done it earlier,’ she giggled to herself, taking her hand in mine and walking us towards the table.

We sat down, we smiled, we laughed, we held hands, we ate the surprisingly good food and I sipped some delicious white wine. After our main course of steak, which was slightly too rare, but I wasn’t complaining, it was time for the decadent brownie, a rich dessert that she used to bake for me in the early years of our marriage. Verena insisted on plating up

I picked up the phone to call my brother, to beg for some extra cash, a car, a home, when Verena orders me to help her prepare dinner. Every opportunity I saw was met with Verena’s face, excuses and fake smiles.

the chocolatey dream, so I stared at my boiled potatoes, wishing them to disappear off our new China plates and she waltzed into the kitchen, buzzing with joy. I managed to swallow down the dry lumps of vegetables as she re-entered the room holding two bowls piled high with a mound of chocolate dessert each.

She placed the bowl in front of me, sat down and swirled her red wine around her glass whilst staring into my eyes. I wasn’t sure when she had poured herself the glass. All evening I had been drinking and she had just been silently watching and declining any offers as she was ‘saving herself for the later courses’. I shovelled a fork of the pudding into my mouth and my eyes widened as I was reminded of the taste of the brownie that used to be a daily delicacy.

With each bite I took, Verena’s grin widened. ‘Don’t rush; we still have a while,’ she laughed, urging me to slow down. I hadn’t realised how quickly I had demolished the bowl of food.

‘I am sorry, darling. The brownie is just so incredible! I want to thank – .’

‘No!’ Verena yelled. ‘Don’t apologise or thank me. You should thank yourself. You are perfect. You are so sweet. I mean, you even thought of this whole idea,’ she said, a tear slipping out of her eye and trailing its way down her chin. She whispered, ‘You are my hero.’

‘Verena, darling, you thought of this idea. Thank you for the compliments but it’s you. You are the one who wanted to have such a special night,’ I said, placing my hand in hers and rubbing it softly.

She snatched her hand away, taking a deep breath and exclaimed, ‘A toast! A toast to us and our final perfect night together.’ A murmur escaped her mouth but she silenced herself, or her subconscious, swiftly. ‘I always knew you were so capable but what you did to prepare this meal for us! Well, it proved to me that you could manage by yourself. My independent little Walter. I am just so glad that you got over this whole escaping scheme. I mean, honey, you didn’t think that I would let you get away with that? You know I’m not that naïve.’

My eyes widened in bewilderment as I choked on a string of words that I willed to escape my mouth.

‘I can’t let you go unpunished, can I? How would I have coped all alone with no one to help me? I am just a small woman,’ she said, wrapping her arms around her stocky body. ‘You really believed I would have hurt you, my little Walter? Never! Remember the only thing that you can control is yourself and right now I am going to do what is best for us – take one for the team. I would have loved you for eternity, but you tried to escape my clutches when all I did was give you security and love and time. That’s something unforgivable. Goodbye, my darling. Give a warm welcome to the police, will you?’ she said, picking up her tall glass of red wine.

I tried to scream. I tried to question her. I tried to move. I tried to run as far away as I could. But when I heard Verena taking her final three large gulps and when I saw a blood-like droplet fall from her mouth and trail down her chin, all I could do was wipe it off.

I ran my calloused hand over her soft lips and caught the full red droplet as her eyes rolled deep into the back of her head and her body slumped. Her head fell to the left and the door opened.

A group of five young policemen burst through the doors. They stared at one another and one from the back said, ‘Knew that she’d be right, Lennard.’

I felt two cold metal cuffs wrap my wrists and heard a voice in my ear, declaring my whole future to me: ‘Walter Smith, you are under arrest for the murder of that beautiful wife of yours.’

Verena entered the kitchen humming a love song that she used to sing to me when we were in love, well as close as love could be to a woman whose heart was as black as the night itself.

The Sebastian Barker Poetry Prize Winner 2024

‘The Sea Of

Melancholy’ by Benji Bloom (R, SH)

Your present of wet dejection, Because your favourite colour is blue. I watched you drift away; As waves engulfed in two.

I cannot help but think, Of the man before my own, The man whose mindset decides, To jump in and sink alone.

The man who’d attached its own misery, In constant flows and twists, Bound onto the ocean floor, But you still confess you’d resist.

Please let the ocean carry me away. Let her riptides of sorrow and anguish, Swallow me once again for good, Let my mind rest in your languish.

As your love is a deep, striking blue, You made me feel this way. Your slicing waves of audacious words; Have forced me to swim away.

So here I am in your eternal ocean, But this time I’m not afraid. Unlike the others you’ve grappled in, I dive in its conscience allayed.

For beauty is blue, But not how you like it, The bottomless waters, Where secrets are hiding.

They whisper to you in the silence of night, Nobody to call, no strength to fight. If water was a kiss, I’d send you the sea, But now I know you, Would you do that for me?

CCF

CCF by Cadet Sergeant Lily Robertson (5th, LX)

Iam writing this with my rifle on my lap and my ear defence on, waiting to assault a Napoleonic coastal fortress with blank ammunition to save some wooden hostages. After two years in the CCF, this honestly doesn’t seem too unusual. Summer camp with the CCF brings a relentless feeling of excitement while wondering what will come next. We face each challenge together, pushing our personal boundaries ever further to achieve something amazing.

I joined the CCF at the standard entrance in Removes, but these days we have Shells amongst our ranks too. It’s a key experience now more than ever. This is because mixing year groups truly shows that it’s not your age that divides the good and the great. It’s your mentality.

Of course, while the physical aspect can in the moment be the epitome of difficulty, in my opinion it is not necessarily the strongest who thrive the most but the attentive and adaptable with a desire to achieve. What’s most rewarding for the adult and cadet instructors is watching pupils learn how to work together, to fight through the challenge and find their passion for CCF.

with the CCF, including mountaineering in the Austrian mountains and skiing across the Norwegian wilderness. Every activity develops leadership, responsibility, confidence, and resilience. Leadership and other roles are changed regularly to ensure everyone can test and develop their skills.

The range of activities on this year’s summer camp has been extraordinary, including canoeing, night-time recces, TIBUA (tactics in a built-up area), ambushes, section attacks, first aid casualty simulations and vehicle check points.

‘What’s most rewarding for the adult and cadet instructors is watching pupils learn how to work together, to fight through the challenge and find their passion for CCF.’

The type of leadership developed through CCF is different from other activities too. On summer camp this year, we were trained in many different skills and drills: from efficient paddle strokes to power our canoes down a river, to how to control angry drivers at vehicle check points. Of course, we rely on our training and planning during the realistic training scenarios, but we are also required to think independently and under pressure. The Section Commanders are asked to deal with the unexpected, and command regardless of personal discomfort, tiredness or stress, putting the cadets that they lead first.

During the school year, the CCF has many highlights. Each year group completes tactical exercises as well as adventure training, such as the Shell raft-building challenge and the Removes trip to Anglesey in the Easter Holidays. Some of my cadet friends have travelled abroad

Right from the start of training, we are instructed to take personal responsibility.

‘Major Goddard, WO1 Limbu and the other instructors have taught me that you can do anything as long as you believe you can.’

On Wednesday parade afternoons, lessons include military knowledge, first aid, navigation, tactics, expedition skills and drill around The Green Court. While it may be hard in the beginning to see how it all comes together to create the well-rounded cadet leader, sticking at CCF long enough shows how patience and commitment create results.

CCF is run by Major Goddard and WO1 Limbu. Major Goddard sets the best possible example as a leader, like coming around our basha shelters at 0530hrs to check on us. He offers direction, but never without a smile, warmth and an (attempted) joke. He and WO1 Limbu seem prepared for any challenge because, as Von Clausewitz might have said, ‘No plan survives contact with cadets.’ Both motivate cadets to feel like they could achieve anything if they set their minds to it. I have never considered leaving the CCF for a second, because Major Goddard, WO1 Limbu and the other instructors have taught me that you can do anything as long as you believe you can.

What’s really special about CCF is the camaraderie we form. There is a sense of community and togetherness that crosses boundaries of year groups, and a shared belief that we can all improve ourselves if we push each other on. It is often challenging, but almost everything is bearable when done with friends.

CCF is not for everyone – although I wish it could be – because you have to want personal development and be willing to challenge your limits to achieve it. That is the cadet mentality and, for me, a fundamental lesson for life.

‘On summer camp this year, we were trained in many different skills and drills: from efficient paddle strokes to power our canoes down a river, to how to control angry drivers at vehicle check points.’

Let’s Go! Trips

2023 - 2024

ROME

6b and 6a Classics

20-23 October 2023

M Browning

ROME

6b and 6a RS & Philosophy

20-24 October 2023

D Cardinal

LAKE DISTRICT

6b DofE Gold

21-26 October 2023

A Vintner

SEVILLE

Remove MFL

29 October – 3 November

B Garces Ramon

NEW YORK

6a Economics

30 October – 4 November

L Horn

GHENT

Fifths, 6b and 6a

Rowing Camp

01-03 November

J Williamson

CARDIFF

Fencing Welsh Open

09-12 November

M Chapman

CCF EX KING’S SABRE 23

Fifths and 6b 16-17 November

A Goddard

GRENOBLE

Fencing U17 Euro Circuit

24-26 November 2023

M Chapman

HAMBURG

Remove, Fifth, 6b and 6a MFL

15-18 December 2023

A Blum

AMSTERDAM

Remove and Fifths RS 15-18 December 2023

D Cardinal

LES DEUX ALPES

Ski Trip

All Year Groups

01-07 January 2024

M Lister

ESTONIA

6b Young Enterprise Trade Fair and Competition

22-25 January 2024

L Horn

NORTHERN IRELAND

Fifths and 6a Geology

09-13 February 2024

M Mawby

DISNEYLAND PARIS

Shell Biology

14-16 February 2024

B Landymore

BAY OF NAPLES

Shell Geography & Classics

22-27 March 2024

F Dolan

LOIRE VALLEY

6b and 6a French & History of Art

22-25 March 2024

F Zanardi

ISLE OF WIGHT

UKSA Sailing Easter Camp

All Years Groups 22-26 March 2024

B Mumford

BATH

Hockey Festival

Remove, Fifths, 6b and 6a 22-24 March 2024

R Singfield

WALES

Rem and 6b DofE Gold

23-28 March 2024

A Vintner

PORTUGAL

Fifths, 6b and 6a

Tennis Tour

23-27 March 2024

B Roger

ITALY Fifths, 6b and 6a Rowing Spring Training Camp

07-13 April 2024

J Williamson

DORSET

6b Geography Field Trip

17-19 May 2024

F Dolan

FLATFORD MILL

6b Biology

10-12 June 2023

H Vaughan

SOUTH AFRICA

6b Biology

07-15 July 2024

E Rooms

CANADA

Rem, Fifths, 6b and 6a Lacrosse Tour

06-13 July 2024

A Blum

CCF SUMMER CAMP

All Year Groups

06-13 July 2024

A Goddard

CHICHESTER

Rem, Fifths, 6b and 6a Itchenor Schools

Sailing Nationals

06-09 July 2024

L Dengate

INDIA

6b and 6a Markha

Valley Trek

07-21 July 2024

A Vintner

bletchley park

In May 2024, two ‘Scholars Plus’ discussion groups went on a joint visit to Bletchley Park, Headquarters of British code-breaking during WWII and the birthplace of Computer Science. The Cluedo-style mansion house, and many huts containing exhibits, revealed the mind-boggling challenges overcome by the thousands of women and men who worked there. Luke Bartlett (Deputy Head (Academic))

Cracking the Enigma by Oliver Dallas (6b, GR)

The Remove and 6b members of Scholars Plus went on a fascinating trip to Bletchley Park. We learned not only about how the Axis ciphers were broken but also about life for the men and women working there. The focus of the museum is, of course, on the famous Enigma cipher. The museum explains how the enigma cipher works and then how it was broken through a series of displays and examples. We had fun trying to understand how the cipher was broken, and it took a lot of discussion to get there. The processes involved in cracking the Enigma Code are very complex but the constant genius ideas of the people working there allowed it to be broken. Since the cipher was changed every day at the end of the war it took a lot of people, lots of them WRENs, to break it so often.

‘We had fun trying to understand how the cipher was broken, and it took a lot of discussion to get there.’

The whole process was an inspiring example of teamwork but also the need for individual acts of genius from people like Turing and Welchman. The daily life of the men and women working there was also interesting. Many worked long hours just to go home to host families, which often had poor living conditions. It was a stark reminder of how dire life was during the war. The whole trip inspired us to learn more about code-breaking and showed how our niche hobbies can make a real impact.

‘Many worked long hours just to go home to host families, which often had poor living conditions. It was a stark reminder of how dire life was during the war.’

Chaucer’s Kent

Chaucer’s Kent and The Canterbury Tales

Fifth Form Trip on 6 October 2023

by David Perkins (Head of Arts and Humanities Research)

When summer is coming in, folk love to look at holiday brochures and turn their minds to road trips. When we come back from the journey (the journey itself is perhaps as important as the destination) we can tell everyone what we’ve seen. Going back into antiquity, Homer’s Odyssey is one of the great road-trip stories, even though the action happens largely at sea. Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400) made a major contribution to the genre with his Canterbury Tales

The son of a well-to-do London wine merchant, Chaucer became a civil servant, courtier and diplomat. You can visit the site of his childhood home (the building no longer exists) on Upper Thames Street in London. After bombing in World War II, the site was cleared to become Whittington Gardens. It was named for the famous Mayor of London, Dick Whittington, who had lived on a nearby street. There is a plaque to Dick Whittington but no mention of Chaucer.

and a mixed company could well take four days to complete the journey, given the road conditions. So, the innkeeper (Host), a character based on Chaucer’s contemporary, Harry Bailly, suggests a story-telling competition to pass the time. The Host, a selfappointed master of ceremonies, will himself be the judge and offer the prize of a free meal. It is possible to see the Tales as an exercise in the Medieval law of contract.

‘The lanes encountered on the walk were not like Devon lanes but still have a striking quality and doubtless are spooky at night.’

Chaucer was a Londoner with strong Kent connections. He moved to Kent in 1385 and, by 1388, he was deemed to be ‘of Kent’. He became a Justice of the Peace for Kent (1385-1389) and MP for Kent (1386). He lived, travelled throughout, and likely held property in, Kent. He was particularly associated with what today would be considered the LondonKent fringes: Greenwich and Deptford. His missions for the King in Calais, and further afield, made him very familiar with the route to the coast from London: Watling Street roughly follows the line of the modern-day A2 motorway.

The first work published in English, the poem was printed in 1478 by William Caxton and has never been out of print since. Chaucer assembles a group of pilgrims at the Tabard Inn, Southwark, pilgrims who will make their way to the shrine of Thomas Beckett in Canterbury. The Tabard Inn, which was more like a luxury hotel than a humble tavern, was in what is now Talbot Yard, but the building no longer stands. You can get a sense of what it might have been like by visiting the nearby George Inn on Borough High Street.

The murder of Thomas Beckett in 1170 made Canterbury a major pilgrimage destination. Chaucer’s pilgrims are bound for the famous shrine. It was only 56 miles from London to Canterbury

In April 2023 David Perkins, Head of Arts and Humanities Research at King’s, conceived of a trip to take a group of pupils on a walk along a section of the Pilgrim’s Way, but the trip did not happen until Friday 6 October 2023. There were several pilgrim routes into Canterbury. Following the line of the A2 was deemed treacherous, so the group followed a section of the westerly route, the so-called Pilgrim’s Way, from Winchester to Canterbury, a total distance of 141 miles. The pupils walked about six miles of the 141 miles. The weather on the day of the trip was glorious like a summer’s day. The pupils, like Chaucer’s Man of Law (the fifth Canterbury Tale), wore home clothes rather than official regalia. The group travelled by minibus to Old Wives’ Lees (passing a sign labelled ‘Pilgrims Lane’ on the way.

L Du Garde Peach, Unknown Devon (1927): ‘There are no lanes like Devon lanes. Deep-rutted in the red earth, they twist and turn everyway in the wind, and on either hand, banked steeply to the sky, the wildflowers cluster and twine…’ The lanes encountered on the walk were not like Devon lanes but still have a striking quality and doubtless are spooky at night.

Lane at the start of the trip near Old Wives’ Lees.

Bigbury Camp was described by Julius Caesar and is supposed to be the site of Caesar’s first battle in England soon after his landing in 54 BC. The camp was strategically located on an ancient trackway and reminds us of the prehistorical origins of the Pilgrims’ Way.

Chaucer was a sophisticated, well-travelled intellectual familiar with Bocaccio’s Decameron, in which a group of characters were supposed to tell each other stories in the mountains while taking refuge from the plague. Unlike the Decameron, Chaucer created a connecting narrative for his stories, a sense of drama, together with characters who gained life individually through Chaucer’s literary skill as well as through interacting with each other in the poem. Chaucer started out with ambitions for perhaps as many as 120 stories but in the end only 24 were written and some of those are incomplete. Nonetheless, the characters set out in the prologue are elaborated. There is time for the Cook to get drunk, the Miller to argue with the Reeve and the Summoner to argue with the Reeve. The Wife of Bath, who some say is Chaucer’s favourite character, gets full development as a comic character. The Pardoner offers relics the pilgrims can actually see but fails to sell any of his wares.

‘The legend tells how as Black Prince lay dying; he requested the pure waters of Harbledown, but they failed to save him.’

Black Prince also visited the leper-house. The later and more sceptical theologian and superstar writer, Erasmus, was sprinkled with holy water and was obliged to kiss the shoe. There was also a healing spring nearby: the Black Prince’s Well. The legend tells how as Black Prince lay dying; he requested the pure waters of Harbledown, but they failed to save him. His tomb is in the Cathedral. The Black Prince was a major military figure in the Hundred Years’ War. He was the victor at Crécy in 1346. The three-feather symbol of the Prince of Wales can be seen at the top of the arch.

There were opportunities for Medieval Pilgrims to stop off and visit relics in various places on the way to Canterbury or by a diversion. Boxley Abbey – with its

The Canterbury Tales does not contain many refences to places we visited along the way – although there were quite a few references to other places in England and Europe as well as some places further afield. There are references to places in Kent: Deptford, Greenwich, Rochester, Boughton under the Blean Forest, as well as Harbledown and Canterbury. Chaucer’s pilgrims never actually make it to Canterbury, though. The closest they get is Harbledown, just outside the city: ‘Which that ycleped is Bobbe-up-anddoun; Under the Blee, in Caunterbury weye?’ Archbishop Lanfranc founded a Leper Hospital at Harbledown in 1084. The original structures were in time replaced by alms houses. The hospital had a precious relic: a crystal which had once buckled the leather of St. Thomas’s shoe. Henry II came, as did Richard the Lionheart. Edward I and the

The party of pilgrims also traversed the earthworks of Bigbury Hill Fort/Camp.

The track at Bigbury Camp.

The Black Prince’s Well.

famous relic of the Rood of Grace supposedly able to move and speak – was a must-visit site. The Church of St Peter and St Paul Charing, Kent, had the relic of the actual block – supposedly –on which John the Baptist was beheaded. Before being moved to Charing, the block had been kept at the unusually named Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist at Doddington. The only other church in England with the same name is in Norfolk and that one had the relic of one of the heads of John the Baptist (there are 5 or 6 heads or parts of the head of John the Baptist scattered through Europe and the Middle East). The block went missing during the Reformation although there is a, disputed, story that the block became the horse mounting block at the Red Lion in nearby Lenham.

At Harbledown the pilgrims caught their first sight of the Cathedral. They fell on their knees. Here Chaucer’s pilgrims stopped for the last time and heard a sermon rather than a Canterbury Tale. We leave Chaucer’s pilgrims at the edge of the city. Geoffrey Chaucer died in 1400 without providing his fictional pilgrims with an opportunity to reach the destination of their pilgrimage: the City of Canterbury and the relics of St. Thomas Becket. At the time of Chaucer’s death, The Canterbury Tales was little more than a bunch of rough drafts. It seems that the poet’s son, Thomas Chaucer, together with what was left of Chaucer’s literary circle, organised the fragments of the Tales into more coherent manuscripts.

There is a later Fifteenth Century addition to the Canterbury Tales – The Tale of Beryn – found in the collection of the Tales at Alnwick Castle. The Tale of Beryn was written by an unknown author who was clearly an attentive reader of Chaucer. The Tale of Beryn shows Chaucer’s Pilgrims behaving as they might have done had they made it to the city itself: they manage to get themselves into various comically inappropriate situations. The Pardoner chases – unsuccessfully – after a barmaid. There is a visit to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket. An argument breaks out about depictions in the Cathedral’s stainedglass windows. Harry Bailly, the Host, tells them off for arguing and then they all pray to St. Thomas. The next step was to buy souvenirs of the pilgrimage, all except for the Miller and

‘ There he removed his fine clothes. He continued the rest of his pilgrimage barefoot and dressed in just a shirt covered by a hunting cape to keep off the torrential rain.’

the Pardoner, who steal theirs. The Knight checks out the city walls. The Tale of Beryn makes reference to a few places that still exist today. For instance, The Pilgrims Lodge at the Chequer of the Hoop Inn. The sign of the Chequer of the Hoop was a checkerboard and a metal or wooden hoop. Although much of it was destroyed in a fire, part of the Chequer of Hope Inn (as it has come to be known), built in the 1390s, still exists in part and is located on the corner of Mercery Lane and the Hight Street.

Every generation visits The Tales anew. In the C19th Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used them as a model for his Tales of a Wayside Inn (1863). The well-known C20th Kentborn film director Michael Powell commented in an interview in the 1960s: ‘Everyone has heard of Canterbury if only because they murder archbishops there!’ Powell, born in Bekesbourne and an old boy of The King’s School, Canterbury, used the bombed-out city itself and the villages of Chilham, Chartham and Fordwich as locations for his famous film of 1944: A Canterbury Tale. In more recent times, there’s Aaron Dinin’s Duke University campus-based The Krzyzewskiville Tales (2005).

On Friday 12 July 1174 King Henry II arrived in the Canterbury area to make a penitential pilgrimage to Thomas Becket’s tomb. He was penitential because he’d had a hand in the affair of 1170 that led to Becket’s death. He arrived at Harbledown and dismounted at St Nicholas’ chapel to pray. He walked from the hospital of St Nicholas to St Dunstan’s Church. There he removed his fine clothes. He continued the rest of his pilgrimage barefoot and dressed in just a shirt covered by a hunting cape to keep off the torrential rain. Unfortunately, little survives of St Dunstan’s Church from the time of Henry II, except for the north wall.

Entrance to the hospital of St. Nicholas at Harbledown.

The group at St Dunstan’s Church, Canterbury

Church of St Nicholas, Harbledown (the church for the hospital at Harbledown).

Wye

Trip

6b Trip to Wye on 15 June 2024 by David Perkins (Head of Arts and Humanities Research)

What is this Kentish county of ours? It is bisected and bifurcated, lying at the latitude of the Kentish Man and the meridian of the Man of Kent. Some say River Stour, others say River Stoor.

The late Ian Coulson, a leading local historian, once remarked: ‘It is a local history cliché that the oldest thing in a place is its name.’ The name Kent is believed to be of Celtic origin, but it has appeared in various forms and languages. The meaning has been explained as ‘coastal district’, ‘corner-land’, or ‘land on the edge’ (compare the Welsh cant: ‘bordering of a circle, tyre, edge’; the Breton cant: ‘circle’; and the Dutch kant: ‘side, edge’). In Latin sources, the area is called Cantia or Cantium, while the Anglo-Saxons referred to it as Cent, Cent lond, or Centrice.

Few Old English personal names remain in use today — Edwin, Alfred, Elfreda (rare), Edward — while others are preserved in place names: Godmersham derived from Godmær (‘God-famous’); Sevington derived from Sægifu (‘Sea Gift’); Hinxhill derived from Hengest (‘Stallion’). Nearby Kennington possibly derives from Cyning-tun (‘King’s town’), and Conningbrook from Cyning-broc (King’s brook or stream).

‘The name Wye, recorded as ‘Wi’ in the Domesday Book, comes from the Anglo-Saxon word weoh, meaning idol/idol house or place of the (heathen) shrine.’

On Saturday 15 June 2024, to gain further understanding of this ‘land on the edge’ we took a school trip to Wye, Kent (the parish of Wye with Hinxhill), and nearby Brook. The itinerary included tours of the Latin School (c. 1445), the Church of St. Gregory and St. Martin (late 13th Century), and a walking tour of Wye. We also visited the medieval wall paintings at Brook and the nearby agricultural museum.

Long before 1066, Mesolithic hunters camped by the River Stour near the present village of Wye. Neolithic farmers cleared the forest, and Bronze Age warriors were buried on the Wye Downs. A Romano-British settlement developed around the ford where Wye Bridge now stands. Nearby Roman country estates included one on Harville Road. Romano-British Wye later became a royal residence of Kentish kings, serving as a regional centre with jurisdiction over a large part of Kent. Wye was a royal manor and the centre of the Lathe and the Hundred of Wye. Even as late as the Eleventh Century, Hawkhurst Church was still dependent on Wye.

In the early years, the Kingdom of Kent had no fixed capital. The king and his court moved around. It is likely that Æthelberht and Bertha, who brought Christianity to Kent, spent time in Wye in the late 6th and early 7th Centuries, but this is not certain. The first mention of Wye as a place is in a charter of King Æthelberht II of Kent in 762.

The land on the edge is a land of myth and symbol. Hinxhill, a settlement 4km south of Wye, is separated from Wye by Naccolt Bog, a peatfilled valley – a seam of peat within a valley –about 2km long and 300m wide. The bog caught fire in 1727, 1836, and 1925, creating a source of fascination for early minds. Hengest and his Jute followers settled in Kent around AD 449. Nennius, in his Historia Brittonium, mentioned that the British leader Vortigern gave Hengest land in gratitude for his marriage to Hengest’s daughter. Hinxhill and Conningbrook were part of this gift. Hengest is thought to have defeated Vortigern at Agælesþrep, commonly identified as Aylesford, in 455 AD, possibly assembling his army at Hinxhill and marching to Wye before proceeding to Aylesford.

The chancel of Wye parish church.

Wye Latin School (site of former market hall to left just out of shot).

A charter dated 724 referred to land ‘on Weowerawealde’ (the weald (forest) of the people (wera) of Wye). From 785, Kent came under Mercian control, and after 825 became part of Wessex. King Ethelwulf of Wessex convened his royal council at Wye in 839. By 845, there was a ‘uueowera get’ (Wye-men’s gate) in Canterbury. In 868 Wye was referred to as Wistraet (Wye Street). In the Domesday survey, the lathe of Wye was called Wi-ware-let.

The name Wye, recorded as ‘Wi’ in the Domesday Book, comes from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘weoh’, meaning idol/ idol house or place of the (heathen) shrine. ‘Weoh’ can also be written ‘wig’, both pronounced something like ‘wee’. Wye was an important pre-Christian religious centre. A modern equivalent might be the roadside shrines in Catholic countries, typically featuring a small statue of the Virgin Mary or a local saint.

‘We

We visited the Wye Latin School (c. 1445), near the site of Wye’s demolished market hall (a hall that could well have resembled the one at Faversham). The Latin School was originally twice its current size and served as a grammar school. When it was built, there were only two other grammar schools in Kent, indicating Wye’s significance as a centre of learning.

visited the Wye Latin School (c. 1445), near the site of Wye’s demolished market hall (a hall that could well have resembled the one at Faversham).’

The Lathe of Wye was one of seven administrative and judicial districts in Kent from the 6th to 13th Centuries. The lathe of Wye once spanned about 400 square miles, from the Thames estuary around Faversham to the Sussex county boundary. By the Thirteenth Century, it was known as the lathe of Scray (an abbreviation of Sherwinhope). Scray must have been a now-lost hamlet of Chilham.

As we crossed Wye bridge and drove along Churchfield Way, Dr. Perkins pointed out where Roman remains had been found and the likely location of a substantial AngloSaxon church (established in the 7th or 8th Century). The church moved to its current location in the late 13th Century. We were fortunate to have Revd Ravi Holy give a brief introduction. The church of St Gregory and St Martin had been much larger in the past when it was a collegiate church. The early 18th-Century makeover of the chancel gives the church a curiously London-church-like feel.

The former Old Flying Horse is the oldest standing house in Wye, dating from the late 14th Century with makeovers in the 16th and 18th Centuries. Wye had an unusually large number of inns in medieval times, attracting visitors for the College at Wye and the renowned holy well of St Eustace at Withersdane. Wye was also a stop on the Pilgrims’ Way from Winchester to Canterbury.

We then noted the oldest brick house in Wye, the 16th-Century Bailiff’s House, on Church Street. Despite being a rural village, Wye has an unusually compact layout with many houses featuring Georgian or Regency facades but hiding much older timber frames behind them. We explored several interesting buildings on Church Street, Upper Bridge Street, and Bridge Street. Lunch was next to the River Stour at The Tickled Trout. In the afternoon, we visited the 12th-Century Church of St Mary in Brook, one of the oldest churches in Kent. Built of flint with stone decoration, it contains medieval wall paintings, including scenes of Christ’s Nativity. The chancel walls were once covered with these circular pictures, now faded but originally vivid.

The final stop on our itinerary was the Brook Rural Museum. Housed in a magnificent 14th-Century grange barn and 19th-Century oast house, the museum collects and exhibits the agricultural and rural history of East Kent. The museum holds the old pub sign for the Old Flying Horse. Seeing a sign brought the trip full circle.

The Old Flying Horse.

The Grange Barn.

The group in front of an oast house at the Museum with Brook parish church in the background.

New

Concepts

Shells explore what AI can do.

The King’s School, Canterbury, is proudly rooted in a rich history renowned for its unwavering commitment to tradition. Yet the school is equally celebrated for its innovative spirit, particularly in digital technology, seamlessly blending the old with the new.

A prime example of this innovative approach is a task set by Mr. Carnell for his Year 9 Shell digital curriculum classes. Pupils were challenged to harness artificial intelligence (AI) in a creative exercise that involved only using AI to design or redesign a product, conceptualising a brand, and crafting an infomercial and presentation to show the class. At the end of each presentation, pupils critiqued the overall use of AI and awarded each project a score.

Before embarking on this creative project, pupils studied the history of AI and learnt that by the 1950s mathematicians, scientists and philosophers were already studying the concept of AI in the form of humanoid robots. Alan Turing, a young English mathematician known for cracking the German Enigma enciphering code in World War 2, wrote in his 1950 paper, Computing Machinery and Intelligence, about the topic of artificial intelligence. This paper led to the creation of the Turing Test, a method of determining whether a machine can demonstrate human intelligence by engaging in a conversation with a human being without being detected as a machine.

Fast forward to 2024, and Shell pupils discovered how AI is increasingly shaping various aspects of daily life, including future careers in finance, health care, education, and human resources. Pupils recognised that AI, while powerful, is not infallible; it can perpetuate biases, make errors, and may encourage society to become more reliant on technology. Ethical considerations, such as data privacy, consent, the potential for misuse and the lack of accountability, led to discussions about why we should be careful about the data we post on social media. To conclude, the pupils studied the environmental impacts of AI, which are significant, due to AI requiring substantial computational power that demands increased energy consumption and large areas of land to house equipment in data centres.

Please continue reading to explore examples of the pupils’ work and what they have to say about using AI in its current configuration.

‘Pupils studied the history of AI and learnt that by the 1950s mathematicians, scientists and philosophers were already studying the concept of AI in the form of humanoid robots.’

Projector Phone by Oliver Thompson, Adam Clarke and Rayan Choudhury

The concept of a projector phone merges the utility of a smartphone with the functionality of a projector, offering a unique solution for mobile professionals and educators. By integrating a projector into a phone, users gain the ability to share visual content conveniently, without the need for bulky equipment. This is particularly useful for meetings, presentations or educational sessions where traditional projectors are not available. Despite the slow nature of generative AI, we used Canva to produce an eye-catching and informative presentation and InVideo AI for our infomercial.

Shuse by Nina Whately, Romilly Pellumbi, Dasha Petrova and Saskia James

The concept of Shuse emerged from the innovative idea that footwear can serve multiple purposes, not only as a fashion statement but also as a practical means of transportation. This forward-thinking approach led to the creation of shoes designed with integrated wings, reflecting a blend of style and functionality. The brand name ‘Shuse’ encapsulates this dual nature, hinting at a fusion of ‘shoes’ with ‘use’. To visually represent this unique brand identity, Canva’s AI-powered logo maker was utilised, allowing for the design of a logo that is both distinctive and representative of Shuse’s pioneering ethos in footwear innovation.

‘By integrating a projector into a phone, users gain the ability to share visual content conveniently, without the need for bulky equipment.’

‘The concept of Shuse emerged from the innovative idea that footwear can serve multiple purposes.’

Ace Streetwear by Tom Pack, Chikanyima Ochinawata and Sheldon Wat

We chose the name ‘Ace Streetwear’ because ‘Ace’ means top quality and outstanding performance, which matches our goal of creating premium streetwear that stands out in the fashion industry.

Our journey with Ace Streetwear began from a deep love for fashion and keen observation of changing trends in urban clothing. We noticed a gap in the market for high-quality, unique streetwear that also supports sustainability. Using AI has been a game-changer for us. It has revolutionised our design process, allowing us to analyse trends, predict what customers want, and personalise their shopping experiences. AI helps us work more efficiently and respond to customers faster.

However, we do face some challenges with AI. Advanced AI technologies can be slow and need a lot of computational power, which sometimes causes delays in processing and response times. Despite these issues, we are committed to leveraging AI to improve our brand and customer experience.

Hilltop Beats by Yiyi Chen

Artificial Intelligence has become a significant part of our lives. A few years ago, AI was unfamiliar to most of us, but now we see it everywhere. To keep up with the times, in Digital Curriculum pupils were assigned a project to freely create and explore the power of AI, its potential and how it can be used to our benefit. The project was simple: to create and commercialise a product, solely using AI. By using various websites and tools, pupils explored the simplicity and convenience of telling AI what to do and being amazed (or frightened) by what AI can generate. Whether it’s asking AI to write a script for an infomercial, creating pictures from a prompt, or mimicking the voice of a famous actor, AI can do it all.

Adjusta Swing by Raife Withey-Harrison

Why did I choose the name Adjusta Swing? My product, Adjusta Swing, is a changeable 14-in-1 club. You can adjust the loft with a twist of a knob, so Adjusta is like adjusting the club’s loft, which made sense to me. Swing is derived from swinging the golf club. Also, it is catchy, easy to remember and describes what is unique about the club.

The pros of using AI: Generative AIs like Chat GPT can easily make you a presentation or gather knowledge from different websites in seconds. Generative AI can also write song lyrics to tell you how to make the best paper aeroplanes, which can be very useful. InVideo (AI video generator) can also make you an infomercial about any subject in five minutes, which is useful if you do not have the time or equipment to make your own.

The cons of using AI: Generative AIs gather information from existing websites to create new content; however, this process can also use false and biased information. Also, the information generated by AI is written by somebody else, so it’s not very memorable.

‘Invideo (the video generator we used) can also make you an infomercial about what ever subject you tell it to make.’

‘Our journey with Ace Streetwear began from a deep love for fashion and keen observation of changing trends in urban clothing.’

‘Once the design was placed on the fabric, we adjusted the white to a darker shade.’

‘Pupils were assigned a project to freely create and explore the power of AI, its potential and how it can be used to our benefit.’

Hair

History

An Extremely Brief History of AfroTextured Hairstyles by Zara Kolade (6b, KD)

One of my strongest memories from childhood is standing in front of the bathroom mirror pulling and pinning my curled hair back so that maybe, just maybe, from the right angle it would magically appear straight and be easy to manage and, even now, I remember the sharp envy that gripped my heart upon seeing the sleek ponytails of my friends that took mere seconds to style. Today I love my hair for its unique versatility, beauty and the rich sense of cultural identity it grants me. This is why I feel it is vital for everyone to learn about the significance and origins of black women’s hair so that we can all celebrate the magnificence of something that has been stigmatised for too long.

‘Benkos

journey or a way of making a living when they had successfully made it to the North.

Biohò, escaped slavery and came up with an intelligence network in which he had women weave messages and maps into their cornrows.’

Box braids and cornrows or ‘canerows’ (as they are sometimes referred to in the Caribbean) have been in fashion since ancient times. Both are ‘protective hairstyles’, meaning they protect afro-textured hair, which is naturally prone to damage or breakage, from the weather, and aid in maintaining hair length whilst encouraging growth.

The origin of cornrows can be traced back to 3000 C.E. Africa, where the patterns in the braids informed others of the wearer’s tribe and social status. As well as this, cornrows were often embellished with shells, glass, corals, fresh flowers, twigs and various other items as an expression of the wearer’s personality. Such practices have been passed down to today’s generation and can be seen across the world but are particularly prominent in West Africa, Sudan and the Horn of Africa where the braids can signify a person’s age, marital status, wealth, kinship or religion.

Cornrows assumed their most practical role during slavery, when, through astute ingenuity of black men and women, they became a means of escape and a lifesaving tool. Slaves styled their cornrows in different patterns to not only communicate secret messages to each other but also to act as maps guiding people to freedom. One example of this is in Colombia, where the captured royal, Benkos Biohò, escaped slavery and came up with an intelligence network in which he had women weave messages and maps into their cornrows. Seeds and gold fragments were also braided into the cornrows to provide the escaping slave nourishment on their

Box braids got their name for the box-shaped division of hair on the scalp and were first worn by the Khoisan people of South Africa. Like cornrows, the items threaded into the braids, such as colourful beads, cowrie shells and jewels could show a women’s readiness for marriage and economic status, and a wide array of other classifications. They were (and still are) exceptionally expensive, both in terms of money and time (they can take up to 8 hours to be put in!), and thus it was thought that any woman who could afford the time and cost of such braids was very wealthy indeed.

Their stylishness and significance have outlasted the test of time since the box braids of today are not vastly different from the Eembuvi braids of Namibia or the chin-length bob braids of the women of the Nile Valley, and are very popular amongst African women.

At its core, the afro is a symbol of black people’s pride in their heritage and a joyous expression of their inherent beauty, which has been repressed for centuries.

‘The afro is a symbol of black people’s pride in their heritage and a joyous expression of their inherent beauty.’

‘Cornrows were often embellished with shells, glass, corals, fresh flowers, twigs and various other items as an expression of the wearer’s personality.’

In the 1700s, when free black women wore striking styles that drew the attention of potential suitors, the Tignon Law was passed in Louisiana, which required black women to wear a headscarf to cover their dazzling hair. Similarly, the slave trade ushered in a hatred of wide features, kinky hair and dark skin, placing higher value on slaves who had the lighter skin and softer hair, which was synonymous with a person’s perceived ‘whiteness’.

The effects of these laws and prejudices strongly persisted throughout the 20th Century and thus the Natural Hair Movement was born in the 1960s. It encouraged racial pride and black power. The straight hair of before was cast aside and seen as an expression of the burden of assimilation into a whitedominated society and so wearing an afro symbolised throwing off the mental shackles of systemic oppression and recapturing one’s roots.

‘I love my hair for its unique versatility, beauty and the rich sense of cultural identity it grants me.’

Later, in the 1990s, due its popularity with celebrities such as Diana Ross and the Jackson Five, the afro became a fashion trend. This love of natural hair and the consequent appreciation of black culture is widespread today with many black women adopting afros in workplaces, which would have never been seen a mere 50 years ago, and this warms my heart.

So, black hair is not just fashion but the black community’s very identity and expression of the repression, beauty and rich culture that comes alongside being black. Black hair is beautiful and diverse and should never be thought of as less.

I apologise for the limited number of styles mentioned and the focus on women’s hair and encourage you to use the internet to explore further styles and traditions.

Acting

Out

A

View of the Acting Industry by

Benji Bloom (R, SH)

On 26 January 2024 I got a call from my agent. It was the Friday of exeat when my mum rushed into my room with her phone on speaker and I found out I had been booked for a role in a TV series.

‘You get to work with David Tennant!’ said my agent.

I had done theatre since the age of six and moved on to screen acting when I was eleven. At twelve, I quit the industry after moving to Junior King’s. However, just before going into Remove, I had an urge to get back into acting, because I felt it was always ‘my thing’ since I was young.

‘I was driven by this role, and my mind was set that I was going to get it. I ended up rehearsing for days beforehand and even had Mr Musgrave kindly rehearse scenes with me at the Malthouse.’

I had auditioned for the role back in December and been recalled a few days into the New Year. I was driven by this role, and my mind was set that I was going to get it. I ended up rehearsing for days beforehand and even had Mr Musgrave kindly rehearse scenes with me at the Malthouse, which brought my nerves to an all-time high. I remember walking into the London casting company, ‘Spotlight, The Home of Casting’, on the day of my recall. I was anxiously gripping the script in my hand while trying to hide from my mum the fear in my face. Then I was called in. Suddenly, all the anxiety I felt dropped away, and I felt confident and relaxed.

‘Anya and I, my on-set sister, met our dad, David Tennant, and we talked for a little bit before hopping into an old Saab for a car scene.’

I had a rehearsal in February at Sky Studios to meet my on-set sister and my chaperone, and do fittings, costume and makeup a week before filming, when they cut my hair extremely short. My first day on set was in March. I met the crew, who were kind and lively. I was shown to my trailer, where I was given a call sheet that shows timings and scenes for the day. After settling in, I changed into costume and went to hair and makeup. This was the routine throughout.

In front of me sat the Kids Acting Coach and Casting Director, and to my side was the girl who went in before me. We ended up taping scenes for chemistry, and then my own scenes. I walked out with more confidence than I walked in with, and I was over the moon that the hard work had paid off.

Anya and I, my on-set sister, met our dad, David Tennant, and we talked for a little bit before hopping into an old Saab for a car scene. Everyone was surrounding the car, working away, each with their own specific job. I ended up talking to the runners, assistant directors and producers while waiting around, which was interesting as I got to hear their perspective on their jobs. The highlight on Day One for me was when we were given iPods to listen to music in the car, which brought me back to when I was even younger.

5 June, Unit Base, Hairstyling with Chris

We ended up filming for a few days in March, May and June. Each had a similar schedule, but we filmed in different areas around London: Kilburn, Hatfield, Berkhamsted, and St Alban’s. Overall, every aspect of it was fun, even the three hours straight of tutoring. I ended up getting close to the cast and crew. Anya and I liked to mess around on set: we’d play carpool karaoke, and colour in drawings at the kids’ table while the camera men changed the take. During the time I’ve spent on set I’ve talked to many of the crew, who were all motivated in this field of work. When we finished filming on 5 June, it was hard to say goodbye.

‘Without doubt, my favourite part of this experience was the people I met. They were all influential, and I am so grateful I got to experience the industry in such a positive way.’

Without doubt, my favourite part of this experience was the people I met. They were all influential, and I am so grateful I got to experience the industry in such a positive

way. Lewis, the Director, was really caring, and I could see his creative eye and aptness for filmmaking. The industry gives you an experience you could never get in school, and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with the crew members and cast on set. It was amazing to work with likeminded people and be able to present myself. From having conversations with the runners, to the endless numbers of people there were on set, this experience has really benefited my education outside of academic work. To see how film is created behind the screen has given me great respect for the talent of the people on the tech side.

The way the filmmaking industry works is so special, and I am grateful to have played my part in a show that is so intricately done and so well created by people with incredible talent. However, I could not have done it without the support I have been given by my housemaster, Major Vintner. Since my recall, he has been supporting me, and has been the best source of motivation through it all, for which I am so thankful.

Two

Cities

Moscow

and

Seoul

by Archie Clarke (R, MR)

WWhen people ask me about my experience with Russia and Korea, I usually don’t know what to say. My mother is English and my father is from Korea but I was born in Moscow and adopted aged two and moved to England the following year. That means I never really grew up in either of the countries, and missed a lot of the everyday things that might have brought me closer to my roots. But my mom, who is not much of a traveler, has always emphasized that I should know where I am from, so I’ve been to Russia six times, once for six weeks over the summer, and Korea once, and these few times have had a big impact on me and my sense of identity.

I have photos of myself playing as a baby with rosy cheeks in the snow. This early exposure to the cold, and the pristine white, clean snow of Russia and how beautiful it is has stayed with me. The textures and the way the snow cloaks the scenery is just so beautifully serene and white. I have a love for the cold environment of snow: the frigid air that is clear as glass and cold; the frosty trees; and I love the quietness of snowfall the best.

One of my favorite memories of Russia is a small flat we rented in the centre of Moscow. It was old and falling apart but it was full of heart, with a view of the Kremlin and Red Square, not to mention St Basil’s Cathedral in all it is incredible size and style. I loved looking down on it, watching it shine in all its pride. But I also dream of someday living in the countryside, surrounded by the elements, by the giant mountains, by the open sky, to my astonishment woven with the puffed heaps of clouds.

While I do have a certain attraction to Russian winters, I’m unable to forget my love for Russian summers, especially when we were camping high in the mountains. For example, during our six-week stay one summer, I was struck by the richness of the greenery, with wildflowers, articulate, flowing streams, and the contrasting beauty of the mountains, so stark and unforgiving in winter, but revealing a softer, welcoming side in the summer. Walking the trails to all these mountain lakes, taking in the fresh scent of pine trees, and never tiring of the views from the valleys to the summits, I really enjoyed seeing another side to the beauty of Russia. While I like the winter months, I find an appreciation for the summertime in Russia, the long hours of daylight, and the heavenly beauty that is released in the mountains when the sun has a chance to shine.

‘One summer, I was struck by the richness of the greenery, with wildflowers, articulate, flowing streams, and the contrasting beauty of the mountains.’

My experiences with Korea, though less frequent, have been equally incredible. I never really went to Korea as much, but from the few times I did go I grew to love it, to acknowledge its tranquil beauty. If you look hard enough you will find the most unbelievable landscape. Lush forests, majestic mountains, and the calmest of rivers that seem to flow straight out of a painting. The people, too, have left a strong impression on me. They are some of the kindest individuals I have ever met, always warm and welcoming despite my limited knowledge of the language and culture.

When I first visited Korea, I was in Seoul, and it amazed me. It is such a beautiful place with a unique blend of modern and traditional elements I found especially interesting. Seeing the city in its might brought out wonder. When I lived in London we had a tenant from South Korea. He was always kind to me, but our relationship never went so far as friends. However, when we came to Korea we met him there and he greeted me with respect and kindness, kindness that you would expect of a friend you have known for years. He

‘Although I am not technically a Korean citizen, I wish to build a deeper connection to the country and its people.’

took me around the city, never seemed bored of me, and treated me with things I had never seen before.

Although I am not technically a Korean citizen, I wish to build a deeper connection to the country and its people. I love Korea, and its culture intrigues me; I want to learn more about it. While I do not plan to live there, I do plan to visit much more often, especially since I have two uncles there, who are not blood-related but have always been part of my family to my mother and grandmother. The kindness and hospitality I have experienced in Korea make me feel at home, and I will always look forward to visiting there.

In both Russia and Korea, I have found pieces of myself. The cold, serene winters of Russia and the blooming springs of Korea each hold a part of my heart. Despite not growing up in either country, the visits given to me by my mom have allowed me to forge a connection with where I came from, and truly with myself. They have instilled in me a deep appreciation for the diverse cultures and landscapes of my heritage. As I navigate my identity, these experiences serve as a reminder of where I come from and the cultural tapestry I have inherited.

‘As I navigate my identity, these experiences serve as a reminder of where I come from and the cultural tapestry that I come from.’

‘The textures and the way the snow cloaks the scenery is just so beautifully serene and white.’

HappyPlace

Toby

Nieman (5th, LN) tells us how much he loves Norway.

W‘Between the hills and rocks out at sea The Norwegian has captured his home.’

hile it has historically been a collection of fishing villages, often passed between Denmark and Sweden, and considered the ‘poor relation’ in Scandinavia, Norway has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past few decades. Geographically Norway has been particularly significant. After the Second World War, with a border to Russia it has developed a special relationship with the US and with the discovery of oil in the 70s, it has become wealthy and politically significant. Culturally, Norway has also made a mark on the world stage, particularly through the concept of ‘Hygge’, a wellness buzzword that encapsulates the Norwegian approach to a contented life. Norway regularly places in the Top 3 on the ‘happiness’ league.

‘Norway

there, enrolled in a Steiner School nursery learning very little Norwegian.

has also made a

mark on the

world stage, particularly through the concept of “Hygge,” a wellness buzzword that encapsulates the Norwegian approach to a contented life.’

I can’t remember my first visit to Norway, because I was only around two months old and the country has always felt like a second home to me. My time there is usually spent with my attentive grandparents, Mormor (mother’s-mother) and Bestefar (best-father), which - despite every other incredible thing about Norway - are what make every trip special.

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Norway several times a year, right from my early childhood. One of my most vivid memories is the exhilarating feeling of stepping off the plane and tasting the crisp, cold Norwegian air. My maternal family hails from near the city of Ålesund, about a third of the way up the coast. Ålesund, with its population of just over 67,000 people, holds a special place in my family’s history. For as long as anyone has bothered to check—which has been quite a way due to an eccentric great uncle—the family has lived in Norway for at least the past 500 years, and we’ve traced our lineage in Norway back to one of the many old Viking kings.

Norway holds a special place in my heart, not only because of its breathtaking landscapes but also due to my deep-rooted family connections. I’ve been to Norway several times a year for most of my life, and when I was five years old I spent ten weeks

Despite the country’s harsh winters, Norwegian cuisine has a comforting quality to it. One of my favourites is ‘tørrfisk,’ a dried, protein-dense fish that is so pungent it must be stored in a metal tin at the back of a cupboard. Fresh food is now available year-round, thanks to modern refrigeration and trade. However, traditional foods like ‘horns’—fluffy, savoury buns folded into a horn shape and often served with Brunost (brown cheese) and homemade berry jam—remain a staple in my grandmother’s kitchen.

After meals, it’s a family tradition to bring out the circular waffle iron, a cherished heirloom from my great-grandmother, Oldemor. These thin, savoury waffles, usually topped with brown cheese and jam, are a delightful treat. In Norway, it’s common to visit someone after dinner rather than for dinner, reducing the pressure on the host and making visits more frequent. Many Norwegians keep pre-made waffle mix in the fridge for unexpected guests.

Norwegians have a unique relationship with their mountains. Climbing mountains is a national pastime, with some undertaking several 1,000+ metre summits in a single week. The awe-inspiring landscapes make it

clear why the Old Norse people, with no knowledge of tectonics or ice sheets, believed these mountains were walls built by the Gods to keep giants at bay. The pristine condition of these natural wonders is maintained not by teams of cleaners but by a collective sense of national pride and the belief in the proverb: ‘Ta vare på naturen. Den er ikke vår, den er lånt fra våre barn.’ (Take care of nature. It is not ours; it is borrowed from our children). This philosophy is one that could benefit any place we care enough to visit.

Norwegians often feel a bit superior to the rest of the world, given their remarkable achievements, enviable quality of life and sheer luck of having one of the largest oil fields in the West. The country’s management of its oil wealth has ensured long-term economic stability and social security, positioning Norway as a - slightly unattainable - model for responsible resource management with heavy investment into renewable energies. The Norwegian lifestyle, epitomized by ‘Friluftsliv’ (open-air living), emphasizes a deep connection to nature and promotes well-being.

‘Climbing mountains is a national pastime, with some undertaking several 1,000+ meter summits in a single week.’

So many of the things we regard as unobtainable luxuries in the Western world are simply ‘the way of life’ in Norway, and I think the world has a lot to learn from this little gem of a country. Even though I don’t know if I will ever be able to live in Norway full time, I will always endeavour to carry the Norwegian values of wellness with me wherever I am in the world.

Although Norwegians don’t always make it easy for foreigners to visit their most remote places, it is becoming easier and easier to see the extreme landscapes, and experience the culture and hygge life style.

‘So many of the things we regard as unobtainable luxuries in the Western world are simply ‘the way of life’ in Norway, and I think the world has a lot to learn from this little gem of a country.’

‘The pristine condition of these natural wonders is maintained by a collective sense of national pride and the belief in the proverb: Take care of nature. It is not ours, it is borrowed from our children.’

‘Frankly,

BBattle

Worthy

For

centuries women have been fighting a seemingly never-ending battle for basic human rights. Stella Clark (R, MT)

eing of Middle Eastern heritage, and a feminist, I have always felt a relation to both women’s rights globally and the treatment of women in the Middle East. Throughout history, women have courageously yet endlessly fought for equal rights to men. From Ancient Greek women to the Suffragettes to modern-day Malala Yousafzai, women have struggled and valiantly challenged society’s complex structures in order to be treated as equals, but even today in the 21st Century the fight for fairness is still raging.

it’s frustrating, rather than comforting, to be told that women have

been fighting for their rights for so long and have still not achieved fairness.’

Women like Emma Watson, who launched the ‘HeForShe’ campaign, America Ferrara, who champions women’s rights, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who rightly declared, ‘We should all be feminists,’ contend with the men who turn a blind eye to these activists fighting for change.

But this change is not as valued as it should be. The upbringing one receives determines one’s attitudes towards these topics, feminism and equal rights. Personally, I was brought up reading Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, a story of girls who wrestled with society’s expectations of women, and was taught that Michelle Obama’s empowerment of women and girls could show me that we are never inferior to men. These examples allowed me to feel capable and worthy, but other upbringings clearly have not done equality justice, hence why women are still trying to achieve complete fairness.

Ancient Greek women struggled silently, unable to vote or even own and inherit land, but they worshipped Athena, Goddess of War, in the hope that she would give them power and responsibility within society. The sole purpose of their existence was seen as to raise children and take care of the home, just like in many other eras.

Mexican women in the 17th Century, led by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, campaigned for women’s rights, freedom of speech and sexual diversity, fighting to be heard in just 1691.

Olympe de Gouge, a French political activist in the 18th Century, wrote The Declaration of the Rights of Women and of the Female Citizen, as well as other writings on women’s rights and abolitionism.

The Suffragettes, led by Emmeline Pankhurst, arguably had most influence on the lives of British women today. Their motto, ‘Deeds not Words’, encouraged other women to believe in their own power to gain the vote. Women chained themselves to railings outside government buildings, cut telephone wires and dropped ink into post boxes, even going as far as to bomb David Lloyd George’s house, all to gain the attention of the public. These militant actions quickly escalated, and started to be seen as dangerous, to the public and to the women themselves. Women began to go on hunger strike, starving themselves in prison, and the tragic story of Emily Wilding Davison, who died throwing herself under the King’s horse, is maybe the most famous story of all. But women gained the vote in 1928, fifteen years after Davison died, giving her life so that women could have this basic political right.

Malala Yousafzai is a modern-day feminist who almost died for wanting something as simple as her education. Although her story is very well known, Malala still fights today to ensure that all girls have the opportunity to receive free, safe education. These stories and examples of the courageous

Emmeline Pankhurst (c1913)

‘Sadly, many women in certain countries across the world still lack the basic human rights they deserve.’

women who fought relentlessly for their rights are just a few out of millions who struggle every day to achieve fairness.

Sadly, many women in certain countries across the world still lack the basic human rights they deserve. And although I would describe myself as a feminist, this creates some difficult realities when it comes to my Middle Eastern heritage. Women in the Middle East are sadly still fighting even to escape the authority that their male guardians have over them. They face restrictions when travelling abroad without a male companion, they cannot divorce their husbands of their own accord, and they must obey their male family members when choosing a husband – it’s the family’s job to settle a dowry requirement with a ‘suitable man’. Four years ago, I watched the film Wadjda, the story of a young Saudi girl who enters a competition hoping to win enough money to buy her own bicycle. Set during a time when woman’s mobility was limited, and bike-riding was considered a threat to a girl’s innocence and virtue, after Wadjda finally got her own bicycle

it broke my heart when she was made to give it back. Her story showed me that if you want something hard enough, you just have to persevere and work for it. Saudi Arabian women have only just been granted the right to drive (2017), and in 2015 they could finally vote. These numbers are reminders that in too many places across the world women still face oppression from men.

When researching this piece, I came across a quote that, however angry I might be about women’s role in modern society, brought me back to the upsetting reality that women feel today: ‘For women who continue to fight against oppression, it can be a comfort to know that they have been doing so for millennia.’ Frankly, it’s frustrating, rather than comforting, to be told that women have been fighting for their rights for so long and have still not achieved fairness. This quote shows me the harrowing truth: that the journey towards equality is ongoing and unforgiving.

‘Her story showed me that if you want something hard enough, you just have to persevere and work for it.’

Today, women are still struggling to achieve equality and the rights they deserve. Countries like Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Sudan and many more simply do not recognise the worth and capability of both men and women and are therefore opposing the women fighting for what they know is right: equality. And although I take pride in my Middle Eastern ancestry, I am saddened to know that people in a part of the world that I love oppress and punish women for something over which they had no control: their sex.

‘Saudi Arabian women have only just been granted the right to drive (2017), and in 2015 they could finally vote.’

Malala Yousafzai at Women of the World Festival, 2014Southbank Centre.

Film: Wadjda (2012).

Lego Block

by Dr Fede Elias (Physics)

It started with the International Space Station. Since I hung a LEGO set of the ISS from the ceiling of my new Physics lab, pupils have kept asking me the same question: ‘Did you build this, Sir?’ And I always give the same answer: ‘Well, yes, but I just followed the instructions that come with the set.’

Not much of a challenge, of course. So, I decided that I wanted a statement LEGO set for my lab, but one that I could confidently say I had built from scratch. And what better than a model of the new Science building, to celebrate its completion?

I first designed a 3D model of the building with Studio 2.0. The dimensions of the model were decided by two key pieces: the windows 1x2x3 and 1x2x2, which allowed me to portray the characteristic cross-shape of the glass paneling on the façade. Then, using these pieces as ‘seeds’, I built the structure looking at the original plans from Walter & Cohen Architects to ensure that the proportions were correct.

The building itself is thus 54 studs long by 22 studs wide, and 33 studs tall. With the base added, the whole model is 51.8 cm long, 32.0 cm wide, and 28.2 cm tall. It comprises 4712 pieces, among which the red 1x2 tile is the most used: 490 of them go on the roof alone.

The greatest challenge, though, was to reproduce the building’s most striking feature: its flintstone cladding. I used what is known by LEGO fans as a SNOT technique. SNOT stands for Studs Not On Top: these are modified bricks with studs not just on top of the piece but also on the side. I placed lots of them on the walls, and then attached bluish grey plates to wrap the building in them completely.

Finally, I clad the plates with tiles of various shapes and sizes, a whopping total of 1161 pieces, which convey well the irregular texture of the original cladding.

‘I decided that I wanted a statement LEGO set for my lab, but one that I could confidently say I had built from scratch.’

The rest of the virtual build was relatively easy, but then I had to construct the model with real LEGO pieces. Studio 2.0 automatically lets you order the pieces from Bricklink, where you can get new and used pieces from sellers around the UK, and even the world. For a couple of weeks, up to twenty different parcels arrived in my home from around the country.

Finally, with all the pieces in my hands, I disassembled the virtual model piece by piece - a sort of reverse engineering, for the lack of instructions - and slowly clicked the physical LEGO parts into place. It only took me a few afternoons, and as a finishing touch I put myself as a minifigure in front of the building, toying with a telescope. The whole process lasted two months exactly.

This new model sits on my desk. Now, when pupils ask me, I can confidently say that I designed and built the whole thing myself. But the question they keep asking these days is: ‘Did you not have instructions, Sir?’

ellyfish J loomingB

Bloom Bonanza: The Charming World of UK Jellyfish by Dr Doreen McVeigh (Housemistress of Broughton)

Perched on the edge of the boat in my SCUBA gear, I wait for the signal from the captain to fall backwards into the murky sea. He gives the all clear and I splash into the cloudy water. With my head just above the surface, I raise my hand to give the ‘okay’ SCUBA signal, but stop when I see horrified faces in the boat. A colleague bends over and starts to chant: ‘Just stay calm. Whatever you do, stay calm.’

Moments later, hundreds of stings hit me. I’ve fallen into a bloom of jellyfish, at least two wrapped around my head and neck, and more drifting towards me in the water. My first instinct is to wipe the tentacles away from my face, but that would embed the stinging cells deeper into my skin, so instead I partially submerge my face to create a gentle current with my hands and lift the tentacles away, eventually freeing myself. Despite the pain, this encounter sparked in me a fascination with these creatures, and the factors that cause these blooms.

How much do you know about jellyfish? Perhaps you have seen them while visiting an aquarium, or washed up on the beach, or drifting in coastal waters. Maybe, like me, you came across them while swimming! Despite jellyfish existing on Earth for at least 700 million years, marine scientists are only now discovering intriguing facts about these weird creatures, and I am delighted to share them with you.

phase. The fertilised eggs are released by the adult jellyfish, which develop into larval forms called planulae. The planulae drift in the water until they encounter a suitable hard surface, like rock or shells. The planulae attach themselves to the hard surface and transform into a polyp.

The life-cycle of a jellyfish can be split into three distinct phases that unfold in the currents of the ocean: the larval phase, the sedentary polyp phase, and the freely drifting medusa

The polyps are the second stage in the life cycle, and most closely resemble an inch-long sea anemone. Polyps can make small clones of themselves in a process called budding, and in favourable conditions the polyps begin to grow and elongate into a chain of tiny jellyfish clones, called a strobila. Periodically, the strobila at the end of the chain break off and drift away, and they are now a free-swimming juvenile jellyfish, called ephyra. The juvenile jellyfish grow and mature into familiar adult medusae (our third phase) with their bellshaped bodies and trailing tentacles. Jellyfish can clone themselves in the medusa stage as well; if the animal is sliced in half, the two pieces can regenerate and create new organisms.

While jellyfish do not have brains, lungs, or hearts, their nerve nets sense changes in their environment and enable them to coordinate their response to conditions like water temperature and food availability. When disturbed, many jellyfish species can emit light, known as bioluminescence, to distract predators and attract jellyfish prey. Jellyfish tentacles contain specialised cells called cnidocytes, which include nematocysts that inject venom into their prey. A nematocyst contains a pressurised, microscopic barb attached to a

coiled thread that is sealed by a small flap called an operculum. When prey touch the tentacles of a jellyfish, the nematocyst cell’s operculum rapidly opens, the thread uncoils, and the barb shoots out from the nematocyst and injects the prey with venom. This entire process occurs within three milliseconds, with the barb moving up to five million times the acceleration caused by gravity. To put this into perspective, the mantis shrimp’s limbs can strike at 10,000g and require special aquarium glass to withstand the hit, but jellyfish nematocysts are 500 times more powerful than the mantis shrimp’s strike!

A jellyfish bloom is a huge and sudden increase of jellyfish abundance, a natural phenomenon that occurs worldwide. In the nutrient-rich waters of the UK coast, jellyfish blooms are a common occurrence, and they cause serious social, economic and environmental impact. There are over 200 species of jellyfish in UK waters, but only a handful form blooms. These include the moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita), lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata), and compass jellyfish (Chrysaora hysoscella). But just how does a bloom occur?

Warmer sea temperatures often create favourable

conditions for jellyfish reproduction and growth, while nutrient pollution from agricultural runoff and other sources increase plankton numbers, the main food of jellyfish. Rising sea temperatures, altered ocean currents, and changing weather patterns are reshaping marine ecosystems that affect jellyfish population growth. The warming UK waters may help certain jellyfish species thrive, leading to further shifts in the distribution and abundance of jellyfish species.

From October 2022 to September 2023, the Marine Conservation Society reported an increase of more than 32% of jellyfish along the coast of the UK, with 11% of sightings comprised of more than 100 jellyfish in a bloom. In September 2023, the European Union’s Sentinel satellites documented the highest global average ocean temperature on record, 21.02 degrees C, and these unprecedented temperatures can have devastating impacts on ocean ecosystems and diversity, which directly damages local economies dependent on fishing, aquaculture, tourism, and other industries. For example, just one jellyfish bloom could cost about £400,000 in lost tourism revenue for St Ives, Cornwall alone.

‘Jellyfish can clone themselves in the medusa stage as well; if the animal is sliced in half, the two pieces can regenerate and create new organisms.’

But it’s not just rising temperatures that are increasing the likelihood of blooms. Another key factor is predators. Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) eat only jellyfish, and these turtles have special jaws and a specialised digestive system. Certain species of fish, such as the sunfish (Mola mola), tuna, and mackerel also consume jellyfish, especially when there are blooms. Jellyfish cannibalism has also been observed where populations are especially dense. Nearly all jellyfish predators use their vision to identify jellyfish prey, and with coastal waters becoming increasingly cloudy due to excessive nutrients, the predators cannot feed, increasing the likelihood of a bloom.

Three Ways to Reduce Jellyfish Blooms

Reduce Plastic Pollution About 273 million pieces of single-use plastic are thrown away every day in the UK. Sadly, only 12% is recycled, and the remainder ends up in landfill or shipped abroad for processing. We need to minimise single-use plastics and dispose of waste properly to prevent pollution entering waterways and coastal areas. Leatherback sea turtles confuse plastic in the water with jellyfish and the ingested plastic can block the turtle’s digestive system. About 22% of sea turtles die after eating one plastic bag. The decline in turtle populations means more jellyfish and more blooms.

Conserve Water We need to fix leaks, take shorter showers and use water-efficient appliances. The average person uses 145 litres of water per day for household activities, and 3.17 billion litres are lost daily due to leaks. Conserving water reduces the wastewater that causes excess nutrients in coastal waters and more jellyfish.

Support Sustainable Fisheries We must choose sustainably sourced seafood from producers who harvest fish responsibly. Overfishing depletes jellyfish predators through the unintended capture of non-target species. Sustainable fishing manages

‘In the nutrientrich waters of the UK coast, jellyfish blooms are a common occurrence, and they cause serious social, economic and environmental impact.’

‘Leatherback

sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) eat only jellyfish, and these turtles haave special jaws and a specialised digestive system.’

the entire ecosystem, rather than just the individual species, and maintains the health of the entire marine environment. Download the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch app to learn if the seafood you consume is sustainable.

After my brush with the jellyfish, our team had several dives to complete in the bay while I discovered the horrors of ‘post-contact triggers’ that occur when nematocysts are set off by talking, rubbing and scratching. The stings made my fieldwork entertaining because my face twitched and winced every time I spoke, laughed, or splashed in and out of the water. They were a good warning to check under the water before falling off a boat backwards, and I’ve checked under the water ever since!

‘We need to minimise single-use plastics and dispose of waste properly to prevent pollution entering waterways and coastal areas.’

Funny Farm

‘I decided to drop the back of the truck and let the pigs out, which soon dispensed her. You guessed it: another friend of my father.’

Ihaven’t always been a Beadle and, despite rumours to the contrary (ex-soldier, ex-SAS, the real James Bond, to name but a few), I was born into a farming family. Farming was my life until my love of cars led me down a different path.

I was born in Canterbury and my family farmed in Wingham, Elmstone and Westmarsh. There was still a train station at Wingham when I was small, called the Wingham Halt, just to take produce bound for London. We were mostly agricultural, although we also kept a sounder of pigs. I remember that the seasons were more clearly defined in my young life: ice-cold winters when the pigs’ water froze; the thrill of spring and the acres of apple blossom; long hot and dry summers when there was always some irrigation problem to solve; and backbreaking but colourful autumns, when all the apples and pears had to be picked.

We lived in a close-knit community. Most of my cousins and friends were from farming families and we would spend our summers cycling through the narrow lanes, calling in at one farm or other for refreshment or mischief. It was all very Larkin in nature. When I was seven, I was given my first tractor, a Ransomes Crawler, and was as proud as punch to be allowed into the orchards to cultivate between the rows of trees. I had a favourite dog, a small terrier called Mischief (well, it was my dog!), and she would ride the tractor with me, but only until lunchtime. Then she would abandon me for one of the men who would ride his motorbike from Elmstone to Wingham with Mischief sitting on the tank. She would rejoin me in the afternoon after her thrill ride and no doubt some choice titbits.

Beadle, Mike Holden, shares random memories of an East Kent Farmer.

off in the much-more desirable truck with Simon driving and Mischief in the back. Sadly, Simon had been taught to drive by a local man who was disabled and had swapped the brake and accelerator on his own vehicle. When we approached the large barn, Simon thought he hit the brake. We crashed straight through the barn doors and Mischief somersaulted into the front and landed upside down, wagging her tail at the fun of it all. We thought if we carefully stood the doors up to appear shut, we might get away with it. Of course, when my father went to open the barn and the doors fell out, there was hell to pay. So, it was a surprise when, aged 10, I was given an Allis Chalmers tractor to drive. I must have redeemed myself.

Eventually I was old enough to drive properly and I have a distinct memory of being behind the wheel of a Dodge lorry for my father. One winter I was following one of the men driving another Dodge through the winding bends in Elmstone. It was icy and he was more experienced than me. I drove into a ditch at the first corner. Much to my consternation I had gone off the road right opposite a row of farm cottages and remember all the women looking out of their windows at me while I waited for the other driver to realise I was no longer behind him, and return to recover me.

‘We thought if we carefully stood the doors up to appear shut, we might get away with it. Of course, when my father went to open the barn and the doors fell out, there was hell to pay.’

Along with my cousins and friends, I attended Woottony House Prep School in Ash (now St Faith’s). We were a large group of typically mischievous boys, and when it was time to move to senior school our parents felt it best to split us up between the three available private schools in Canterbury. I was sent to Kent College to keep me apart from my main partner in crime, who was sent to St Edmund’s.

Aged nine I got my first car, an Austin 10, a four- or fiveseater estate that I was allowed to drive on the farm. My friend Simon and I cut the back off to turn it into a truck. There were plenty of tools available in those days and the term ‘health and safety’ hadn’t been invented. We set

I have many tales of my time at Kent College but, having now turned from poacher to gamekeeper, I feel most are best left untold. I don’t want to give you any ideas, when some of you have so many of your own! My main love at Kent College was hockey. I played for KC and then, when I left university, where I also played, I joined Canterbury Hockey Club and played until a few years ago when I turned 40. It is my love of hockey that draws me to Birley’s on even the wettest and coldest Saturday afternoons. After Kent College I went off to do a degree in Horticulture (specialising in fruit growing). I loathed having to learn the Latin name for every plant that existed but they were fun times and I learnt to play poker (quite well), and made many lifelong friends. In the breaks I worked for my father on the farm, which had its advantages. We had our own petrol pump on the farm and, in addition to filling my own vehicle, I could also take off back to university with several Jerry cans full of fuel that I would sell off to augment my allowance. That was until my father asked the foreman for an account of why so much more fuel was being used and I was rumbled.

The university was keen on keeping accurate rainfall records and had its own rain gauge. Just before a break, after a long night of alcohol consumption, a friend of mine decided to relieve himself into the rain gauge and we

couldn’t leave until the person responsible for three months’ worth of rainfall confessed. I am not too sure how useful I was to my father in those summer holidays. There were quite a few occasions when I caused mayhem. I once turned a corner too sharply and tipped thirty boxes of plums all over the road. A huge amount of traffic was held up while I tried to retrieve as much as I could, although it would have taken a lot longer if I hadn’t been helped by a lot of housewives out shopping. Their shopping bags looked a lot heavier when we had finished.

One day I was driving a brand-new lorry and delivering to a customer who had two shops just a few hundred yards apart. I unloaded at the first stop and when I came out of the shop the lorry was gone. I was in a blind panic because my father would be apoplectic with rage. I ran backwards and forwards trying to see the lorry and noticed it parked outside the next shop. Running like the wind I got there to find a policeman holding out the keys and telling me it was customary to remove them when you left a vehicle. Luckily, I was out of breath, so rather than say what I thought I just took the keys and thanked him meekly.

I sometimes forgot how well known and respected my father was. I once delivered half a ton of potatoes to the shop of a lady who, unbeknown to me, had been at school with my father. Twenty bags of potatoes take some shifting and I duly delivered them to the shop floor. She asked me to take them to the cellar but I said I didn’t have time. I should have, because when I got back to the farm she had called my father and I had to go straight back out to do as she asked. That was the end of my afternoon off. Before we started selling our pigs to Sainsbury’s, they had to be taken to auction at Sandwich Market. One day a lady followed me into the market and started berating me for cutting her up on the road. I didn’t recall that I had, but she was making a lot of noise about it. I decided to drop the back of the truck and let the pigs out, which soon dispensed her. You guessed it: another friend of my father.

‘I

had a favourite dog, a small terrier called Mischief (well, it was my dog!), and she would ride the tractor with me.’

I left university and worked elsewhere for a year, then joined my father again at the farm. We bought a bigger farm, and I spent many happy times in Holland learning about spindle fruit growing before we planted around twenty acres of fruit. Spindle trees make harvest a lot easier. I married, had two children, a daughter and a son. They happily grew up on the farm and had a childhood like mine. Their grandparents moved to a smaller house on the farm and were a tenminute walk away, or a much quicker run when they thought they saw something akin to the Beast of Bodmin Moor in a field. I never saw it, but they claim to have seen it several times. We were not far from a zoo, so I guess an escapee is a possibility.

Both my children had horses. My son had a Shetland pony called Mistral, which would occasionally be found with him in the kitchen, where he claimed it had followed him. My daughter was given a White Arab stallion by an uncle. It was very big and, despite many attempts, my daughter said he was too unruly to ride. Despite my inexperience at riding (none at all), I told her to let me have him. Channeling my inner Frankie Dettori, I mounted him with the intention of showing him who was boss and winning the admiration of my daughter. Whoever named him Trotsky obviously had a sick sense of humour. We started at a fast

canter, which quickly developed into a full gallop through the orchard, with me hanging on tight and using every term I thought a horse might recognise, loudly, to get him to slow down or stop. I am not sure how he managed to miss the low branches and I did not but suffice to say I was thrown clear and he continued without me. Some of the men caught him just before he made it to the main road and he was back in the yard long before I completed my crawl of shame home. There my horse-riding career rested, and Trotsky’s long happy retirement began.

‘I am not sure how he managed to miss the low branches and I did not but suffice to say I was thrown clear and he continued without me.’

We rented a lot of land in Thanet to grow cauliflowers because, being close to the sea, they were not troubled with frost. However, the cold wind blowing in from the sea meant that it was freezing cold. I used to drive a minibus full of women there to pick the cauliflowers and they would all be dressed like Eskimos in multiple layers. The land was near a very popular beach and the farmer now makes a lot more money using the land as a car park than he ever did renting it for agriculture. We had huge celery beds, and my children would join me when I went to check the irrigation. My son liked to wait until my daughter and I were in the middle of the beds and then open the gate valve on the irrigation so that we were soaked to the skin. We eventually opened a farm shop and garden centre and my son would often come to help out after school and in the holidays. It turned out he was a chip off the old block and I suddenly found a lot of sympathy for my father.

My son was given a two-litre Ford by a friend when he was around ten, to drive on the farm. One day the battery was flat so he and a friend stole one from my tractor, put it in the passenger footwell and connected it with jump leads out the car window. I had no idea why my tractor wouldn’t start. Another time he decided to drive my new Massey Ferguson 575. He promptly drove it over some other farm machinery and buckled a back wheel, which was a horrendously expensive repair. Of course, he was

nowhere to be seen when I discovered it. Against his mother’s wishes, he was desperate for a motorbike, a little speedway type. At last I conceded and he would wait until the shop had closed and drive it up and down the car park. One day, with both his parents watching, he tried to do a trick and flew off the bike straight over the handle-bars. His mother was screaming that I should never have given him a bike and had probably killed him, when he popped up in the middle of the adjacent sprout field with his thumbs up and a big grin on his face. He was once in hospital for his appendix and, when we visited, he told me he had promised the nurses that his father would bring them and the patients some strawberries. When I asked him how many punnets I should bring, he told me twenty trays should do it. That is around 480 punnets. It seemed he had offered strawberries to the whole hospital and should be in the Guinness Book of Records for having the most valuable appendix ever known to man.

‘Every day, various people were waking up to find that, overnight, a gnome had appeared in their front garden.’

In the village of Wingham some strange occurrences were taking place. Every day, various people were waking up to find that, overnight, a gnome had appeared in their front garden. Some were fishing, some were digging, and others stood rubbing their bellies in the morning sun. We sold gnomes at the garden centre, and whilst these were not our gnomes the local news station decided they wanted to do a spoof news article about where my gnomes went at night. I agreed because it would be free publicity. The farm shop was on a main road, and they arrived late afternoon to interview me in front of the greenhouse where the gnomes could clearly be seen. I had to keep a straight face and have a serious conversation about why I thought my gnomes were venturing out alone at night. It was funny at first, but due to the sheer volume of traffic, it was a lot less funny after 50 takes.

Eventually, my love of cars led me to a complete change of career, but I have no time for that chapter right now.

Is it rude to remain silent instead of engaging in meaningless chatter? Why are the English so superficial and utter phrases that mean nothing? And why do they constantly smile? Does everything in their lives really go so wonderfully? Let’s delve into the peculiarities of English national character and figure out the ins and outs of socialising.

As a sociolinguist, I often hear from foreigners in the UK that the English may come across as insincere people due to ostentatious politeness that leaves a feeling of unsaid or even hidden aggression. You may have come across a table shared prolifically across the internet with phrases decoded from native English into standard English. For example, ‘Quite good!’ when said by a native English person with a certain intonation means ‘Well, that’s utter nonsense...’ And the phrase ‘You must come for dinner’ doesn’t imply anything. Don’t hold your breath: it’s not an invitation. It’s just polite, meaningless chatter that indicates the speaker’s friendly attitude.

So why is it so tricky for us, non-native speakers, to understand these nuances? Well, the concept of polite behaviour differs drastically in various cultures. Brown and Levinson’s theory of politeness, which, despite criticism, forms the basis of modern intercultural communication theory, distinguishes between positive and negative politeness. Positive politeness is the desire to connect with the interlocutor, support them, reduce social distance, and accept them into one’s circle. In such a situation, closeness, genuine interest in the interlocutor, and transitioning to informal pronouns are perceived as polite. In negative politeness, distance is emphasised: they behave formally, reservedly, and politely, trying not to violate personal boundaries or hurt the interlocutor’s feelings. They use ‘thank you’ and ‘please’ much more often. So, what politeness type is closer to your culture?

For the British, negative politeness is more important than positive. Interestingly, the omnipresent futile conversation about the weather is a vivid example of such negative politeness. British people won’t reprimand someone else’s children on the playground because it would violate personal boundaries. They’re more likely to apologise to you if you bump into them or step on their foot. In a recent programme on BBC Radio 4, which I happened to listen to whilst on a long car journey, various Brits called in and shared how they would apologise to a lamppost if they accidentally bumped into it while

Don’t be rude

The Positive and Negative Politeness of The English by Elena McCaffrey

passing by, or to a dishwasher if they had to interrupt a cycle whilst sticking in their cuppa. Do you recognise yourself? Have you ever apologised to an inanimate object?

In British English, it’s crucial to use certain phrases and constructions to avoid being perceived as rude. Let’s stop at a few and look closer at them through examples. You can almost always insert ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ into any sentence in English. They’ll be appropriate 99% of the time. Even in communication with close friends and family members, it’s necessary to use ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ with every request, let alone in professional communication with subordinates or superiors. ‘Yes, please’ and ‘No, thank you’ should become your mantra in conversation. And requests should always end with the word ‘please’: ‘Would you be able to help me, please?’; ‘Could you pass the salt, please?’ The word ‘sorry’ is also used frequently, and it’s not just an apology but also an expression of regret or a feeling of awkwardness: ‘Look, I’m really sorry.’; ‘So sorry to keep you waiting.’; ‘I am so sorry this happened.’

So, there is always an exception to the rule.

Using the imperative mood in English also sounds rude. Even adding multiple ‘pleases’ won’t fix the situation. Phrases like ‘Call me back, please’ or ‘Give it to me, please’ sound a bit too direct and pushy, even for my foreign liking. To sound polite, it’s better to use the subjunctive mood in a question: ‘Could you call me back, please?’ or ‘Could I have it, please?’

‘Using the imperative mood in English also sounds rude.

Even adding multiple ‘pleases’ won’t fix the situation. Phrases like ‘Call me back, please’ or ‘Give it to me, please’ sound a bit too direct and pushy.’

To sound polite in English, you may want to ask questions without negative particles: ‘Could you come and have a look, please?’; ‘Would you have some change, please?’ However, if you’re not making a request but rather making a suggestion and don’t want to come across as too assertive or pushy, using a negative in the question will achieve the desired effect: ‘Wouldn’t it be possible to shift the deadline?’; ‘Shouldn’t we look into ordering a new report?’ Here, ‘please’ isn’t necessary because it’s not a request.

And the last aspect of politeness that often raises doubts for non-Brits is smiling at unfamiliar people. The origin of smiling is thought to go back over 30 million years. It was deployed by monkeys and apes who lightly clenched their teeth to show predators they were harmless. Well, we may also see that as a ‘Look, I have got teeth, but I am not going to bite you today. Let’s be friendly.’ message. For most Eastern Europeans, a smile is an expression of joy, while for English speakers it’s a sign of politeness and good intentions. So, when English people smile at you on a narrow path somewhere in the woods, don’t be flattered. They’re not showing you their sympathy; they’re just giving an implicit promise to observe social norms and avoid harming you. Well, on a narrow path in the woods, you may be delighted with exactly that, to be fair. If you don’t smile during communication in the UK, such behaviour may be perceived as not very polite or even aggressive.

To conclude, whether you are adept at positive or negative politeness, being friendly, communicating clearly, and smiling will always help!

Live the Dream

by Peter Woodrow OKS

(JKS 1954-57; KS 1958-63)

IPeter Woodrow OKS advises young readers to follow their dreams whatever anyone may say. His younger son always wanted to fly but his school told him it was an unlikely career, so he should aim at being a landscape gardener or chef instead. Peter’s son started flying passengers at 20, was a 737 Captain at 25, a 777 Captain at 32 and Training Captain at 44. What do teachers know?

was a colonial child. From the time of my first flight in 1948 I was determined to work for British Airways’ long-haul predecessor, BOAC. Nothing else would do. Many of my teachers shook their heads at such a single-minded aspiration. My maths was abysmal and my German and French teachers reported that I had ‘no linguistic ability whatsoever’. But I was good at English, History and Geography, which KS didn’t then offer. For me there was hope.

My career through JKS and KS was unspectacular. I merited neither smart gown nor striped tie, nor any form of responsibility. My reports were not encouraging nor, with a few exceptions, were they hopeful. Late on I discovered I could run so, rather than avoiding running, I made the second then the first Cross Country team until I was wordlessly dropped before what would have been my last appearance. Nothing was ever said but maybe my wobbly legs after a quick lager in the buffet car of the train to Winchester did the damage.

The result was a wonderful four years at St Andrews & Queen’s College Dundee (now an attractive and successful separate university), doing a wide-ranging Law degree and being heavily involved in university politics, charities campaigns and debating. The end of term, and exams, always came far too soon.

‘The aim was to be able to run an airport or city sales organisation within two years. Six weeks later I was in Calcutta sitting with the loaders and airport staff.’

A similar misunderstanding about the stimulating effects of white wine on the occasion of lunch in Slatters on the day of the Queen Mother’s visit in June 1962 resulted in a supernumerary year. My English A’ Level paper that afternoon was, literally, a write-off. This time it was the brain that unfairly and unexpectedly turned to jelly. I really thought I would be mentally flying and full of A* brilliance. Sadly, I wrote only a couple of pages in three hours. It all turned out well, though. I’d never been viewed as a university candidate but during that extra year, helped by life in a unique, almost independent, self-ruling, Walpole three-man study with Martyn Schofield and Colin Imber, and encouraged by despairing Housemaster Richard Meredith and Roger Medill, I really went for it.

From there I joined British Airways’ predecessor, BOAC, as a graduate trainee aiming at a largely overseas career. Their training, right from the basics, was brilliant. The aim was to learn how to run an airport or city operation as quickly as possible. Six weeks later I was in Calcutta sitting with the loaders and airport staff. Next came Tokyo, Teheran, Leeds (we had a sales shop there), then Lagos, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam doing the actual job for real. From there I progressed from small countries to big and then big chunks of geography – Africa, the Gulf, the Far East plus four years running the ground services at Heathrow. In the course of all this, and with a wonderful wife (from university) and happily peripatetic children, I enjoyed meeting and doing business with people of every level, from Royalty to Prime Ministers, and business leaders to paupers. Some awful people. Some great people. All nationalities, races, religions. The world is an incredible place.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, I have lived my dream, and I hope, however dire your maths, fragile your French or frail anything else might be, and whatever anyone else may say, you must follow yours.

Peter as a BOAC Nairobi Station Officer in 1969.

King’s Week 2024

CATS & DOGS

We can’t get enough of the fluff: King’s Staff Pets

This Page, left to right, top to bottom: Bao, Joe Swash. Riley, Jon Williamson. Bertie, Julian Károlyi. Bessie, William Bersey. Ellie, Robin Falcon. Cora,Bonnie Rafferty. Daisy, Amanda Young. Tonks, Sophia Scott. Dexter, Charlotte Wayman. Cat, Amelie Blum. Eva, Emma Ladd. Pickle, Adam Vintner. Denzil, Kieran Orwin. Winston Stephanie, Dixon.

This Page, left to right, top to bottom: Atlas, Anthony Lyons. Hilly, Rob Sanderson. Jewel & Grey, Jarryd Ramdunnie. Magnus, James Wilper. Ottillie, James Hounsell. Ziva, Jem, Captain, Lyra & Scout, Anthony Lyons. Nala, Millie de Silva. Storm, Emily Rooms. Roy, Elena McCaffrey. Pippin, Catherine and Mike Cox. Poppy, Juliet O’Neill. Bentley, Stephanie Dixon.

ARCHIVE Fromthe

(Reproduced with typographical errors and idiosyncratic punctuation unless a mistake would mar meaning and enjoyment.)

THE CANTUARIAN.

FEBRUARY,

O.K.S. LETTERS.

The following are extracts of letters from O.K.S. in India and Syria:—

c/o Geological Survey, Calcutta, India.

February 3rd, 1924.

“I left in an old City Line boat owing to the difficulty of getting a passage on a P. and O. boat, but it had the advantage of calling in at various places. We spent a whole day at Naples and had time to go to Pompei, my second visit there. Vesuvius was in cloud most of the day, but obligingly shewed herself just before we left, with steam issuing from the top. We passed Stromboli at night, but I stayed up on deck and had the satisfaction of seeing the glowing lava pour out at intervals. Etna was also clearly visible the next day. We also called in at Port Said and Port Sudan, the latter now becoming the chief port for Khartoum.

On arrival at Bombay I went straight across to Calcutta by train, a 42 hours’ journey. I stayed in Calcutta for a week with the Director of the Survey, an old Johnian. He happened to be living in Hastings House where Warren Hastings lived when in Calcutta. This gave me time to collect together camp equipment and stores before setting out for the Central Provinces. I was sent to a place in the jungle 50 miles north of Nagpur, where I joined Dr. Fermor, who is deputy-director, and one of the chief authorities on Manganese ores. I shall be staying with him in all about ten weeks, thus giving me time to become acquainted with the ways of camp life in India, and with the rocks. We are working on some of the oldest rocks in the world, and moreover, extremely fascinating ones. After that I shall go off on my own for the rest of the season. In this part of India we work in the field for about seven months of the year, November to May, and return to Calcutta for the hot weather, to work up our results. In Northern India and the Himalayan regions of course the reverse is the case, the main work being carried out in the summer.

The weather here at this time of the year is like a brilliant English summer, with a maximum day temperature of about 80° falling to about 50° at night. We live entirely in tents, the larger ones being 12 feet by 12 feet with double walls, and with a bathroom behind and a verandah in front.

We arrange to get up so as to have a light breakfast as the sun is rising, about 6.30 at this time of the year. We then spend all day in the field, getting back about 4.30. We each have a man, a chaprasy, who carries haversack, hammers, and such like, and a coolie to carry tiffin and water. Later on in the year it gets too hot to work all day.

We are not allowed to camp in one spot for more than ten days, and have to move at least five miles for each change of camp. In an area such as this, where the geology is very complicated, this does not give us sufficient time, but by zig-zagging about, and camping sometimes in the same place twice, we are able to get the mapping done. The life is altogether a very delightful one.

The natives here have the habit of consecrating certain stones by daubing them with red paint, especially if the stones are at all fantastic in shape. I maintain that they ought to worship us, who break up the stones. They also make little clay models of horses and other animals which they place under certain trees or where they have painted the stones red.

The general state of the countryside is certainly very favourable towards us, apparently much more than it was two years ago. Now most of the natives will salaam to us when passing, and on Christmas day the head man of the nearest village, besides finding us some shooting and providing beaters, came and visited us in the evening and garlanded us with flowers, mostly oleanders and roses, and brought us baskets of fruit. Incidentally he tried to swindle us later on by overcharging us for things he had sold us, but that is another matter.

W.D. West.

THE HARVEY SOCIETY.

On Tuesday, March 11th, the Society visited the Canterbury gas works. We were shown over in two parties as a good proportion of the members were interested. We first went to the retort house and saw how the coal is heated so as to liberate in gaseous form the many products that can be obtained from it. From here we went on to the numerous other plants for washing and purifying the coal gas before it can be used for lighting or cooking or for any other purpose for which it is required. Having seen all this we visited the gasometer and had its working explained to us.

On Saturday, March 22nd, R. A. Baynton delivered his lecture on dynamos. First of all he handed round for inspection the various parts of a small dynamo in order that his hearers should be able to recognise their names when he used them later. We were then shown a slide demonstrating the lines of force radiating from magnets and the lecturer reminded us of the discoveries of Faraday. Thus we learnt the important part played by magnets in the working of the dynamo. The lecturer then showed us a cardboard model, which he had manufactured for our benefit, to explain the action of the commutation. Slides were then shown of the development of the dynamo from the early horse-shoe type to the modern “iron-clad.”

Then an armature was passed round so that the members could see how to wind it for themselves as it appeared the lecturer had.

We all appreciated the pains to which the lecturer had gone to make such an interesting lecture.

It had been hoped to visit the Canterbury water works and Ash’s brewery. The former fell through owing to an inconsiderate fall of snow and the latter because of arrangements that were taking place within.

On Ascension Day twelve members of the Society accompanied by the President, visited the Ashford Locomotive works. Here we saw how engines of untold weight were cleaned and repaired and others made. We visited the painting and carpentering shops and saw the metal being moulded and shaped by steam hammers in other shops. Having wandered about for two and a half hours we made our way to Wye, where we had tea. This concluded the outing and we returned home by half past seven.

J. R. F. POPPLEWELL, Hon. Sec.

THE PARRY LIBRARY.

A considerable amount of time and funds has been expended on reclassifying the books and making improvements in the Library. Each of the sections of non-fiction books has been sub-classified with a view to giving greater facility in finding any particular book required.

The History section is now arranged under History and Biography, and these books are again grouped according to their particular subject matter, e.g., Political, Military, European, etc. This was thought to be more practicable than an arrangement according to centuries or periods.

The English section will eventually be arranged, as far as possible, in alphabetical order of authors and under the headings of Poetry and Prose, the latter containing the History of Literature and some Biography.

The books on Travel, gathered from all parts of the Library, are now arranged under countries, and, in the case of America, from North to South; Africa, North to South; Eurasia, West to East, etc.

It is realised that the Science section is somewhat deficient and out of date, though many of the books may be interesting from a historical point of view. They are also classified according to the Science subject and will be in alphabetical order of Authors. The first three shelves contain obsolete books, retained only for their possible

interest. The Science section being regarded as the least satisfactory feature of the Library, it is hoped that boys who are leaving will remember their privilege and add suitable works to these shelves. A list of suggested books of all kinds will be posted towards the end of each term.

Amongst the Fiction books, there are many very good stories which seldom seem to be taken out, but as funds permit, this section will also be augmented by up to date works.

Many books have been repaired and rebound and everything will be done to maintain them in a sound condition, and it is expected that everyone will assist in this matter. Every book has had consideration, but there is still a considerable amount of work to be done in compiling a new catalogue. This will take some time and during the process it is doubly necessary that every book should be kept in its exact place, to facilitate which the labels have been fixed and it is hoped that they have come to stick!

The numbering of the shelves has also to be slightly altered and completed. Meanwhile, no bookhunter need search impatiently if he will make known his quest to the Librarian.

In conclusion, Books are old friends and the Parry is rich in old friends, many of them venerable old friends. Respect them.

THE MARLOWE SOCIETY.

President:

H. SHARPLEY, ESQ.

Vice-President:

O. H. DE ST. CROIX. Hon. Sec.:

A. R. BLACKLEDGE.

On February 21st, a meeting was held and the President gave his lecture on Dante, or rather about his life and the “Inferno.”

Dante was born at Florence in 1265. In 1274 he first saw Beatrice and immediately fell in love with her. The next mention of him is in 1283 when Beatrice greeted him. Later, however, she married another man and died in 1290.

Dante led a war-like life and then turned to politics. In 1300 he was chosen Prior of Florence only to be exiled. He wandered from town to town and died at Ravenna. There was much dispute about his body and his tomb was opened. Nothing was found until last century, when a corpse corresponding to Dante’s was discovered in a chapel.

The lecturer then went on to the Inferno. Dante found himself on a hill and unable to reach the top, when suddenly Virgil met him and led him up to the mouth of hell, a cone of nine circles, made by the angels who fell from heaven. He was led through all the circles, in which victims were tortured with increasing severity until he eventually reached the earth again.

The lecture was most interesting and embellished with quotations in the original Italian.

On March 6th we had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Robinson lecture on the Philosophy of In Memoriam. We were pleased to welcome the Headmaster, Miss Skipwith, Miss Goss and Mr. Goss.

Tennyson was the real successor to Kant, and in fact, is incomplete without him, for he enlarges and illustrates Kant’s theory to a great extent and in In Memoriam, that masterpiece of a genius, this is especially so.

The outstanding question in the poet’s mind is whether nature is really cruel. “All around us,” he says, “we hear the cries and groans of her victims. For every living, a hundred, no, a thousand, have died.” This is his theory and it is remarkably borne out by fact. He is appalled and cries—

“So careful of the type? But no

From scarped cliff and quarried stone

She cries, ‘A thousand types are gone; I care for nothing, all must go.’”

But as he grew older, and the poem took 19 years to write, he saw that nature was not so cruel as she appeared, that there was pity in her, and he ends up in a happy, even frivolous mood.

The President thanked Dr. Robinson heartily for his most interesting and instructive lecture delivered with his own inimitable and masterly lucidity.

During the Easter term Othello and All’s well that ends well were read.

A. R. B., Hon. Sec.

THE CANTUARIAN

CORRESPONDENCE.

NB — The Editors decline to accept any responsibility connected with the opinions of our Correspondents. Name and address must always be given, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Personalities will involve certain rejection. Letters should be written on one side of the paper only.

To the Editors of “THE CANTUARIAN”

Dear Sirs,

I do not know whether it is realized by the people concerned that there are to be approximately 110 bicycles which will have to make use of the First Bicycle Shed, according to the new arrangements. There are 32 cyclists in Langley House, 25 in Home House, 20 Ivyboys, about 30 of the School House who have not been in the School a year yet. I can only say that I pity the person whose bike is at the bottom of the scrum which is bound to form under these conditions.

Yours,

O.U.T.H.O.U.S.E. CY. CLIST.

[We hope the matter will be looked into and properly adjusted. Eds. Cant.]

To the Editors of “THE CANTUARIAN”

Dear Sirs,

May I take the liberty of correcting a statement in your last issue. Apropos of the Paperchase, you remarked that the hares were caught for the first time on record. In 1891, Flint and James were caught, and in 1912, Heywood. On the latter occasion Telfer was the other hare, and he had no difficulty in making his escape.

Yours etc., H. I. STORIAN.

[We bow to superior knowledge. Eds. Cant.]

To the Editors of “THE CANTUARIAN”

Dear Sirs,

I make no apologies for a letter full of the usual grouses.

(1) Why don’t Scholars wear their caps and gowns to and from their houses?

(2) When are the honours boards in the Old Library going to be completed? Also, why is there no board on which the names of the Captains of the School may be inscribed? They are of more

honour and worth than members of the XV. or XI. whose names are written on the shields in the Gym.

(3) Wouldn’t it be an idea if people regarded the correspondence of The Cantuarian as a collection of suggestions, rather than a collection of amusing criticisms? At present they read the letters and take no further notice. In many cases there is no official who can act upon the suggestion, but the matter is one to be dealt with by public opinion and example. You who read this, take note, and don’t allow this letter to go the way of its predecessors.

Thanking you for allowing me to get this off my chest, I remain, yours etc., GEE RUMBLER.

To the Editors of “THE CANTUARIAN”

Dear Sirs,

Don’t you think it’s about time the windows in the Rabbit Hutch were cleaned? They are a perfect disgrace at present, and their half-closed and musty state is much of an advertisement of the School to the visitors who frequently pass through. They have been in their present state at least for the last four years.

Yours etc., C. THRU.

[Perhaps our correspondent would like to offer himself for the job. Eds. Cant.]

To the Editors of “THE CANTUARIAN”

Dear Sirs,

The question of funds for the various societies and committees is always cropping up and causing complications. Surely more ingenious men have racked their brains for a solution of the problem. Our eyes fall on a heap of old classroom books festering in a corner of the study: they harbour dust, they get in the way—but how are they to be profitably disposed of? A penny a hundred is not good enough, so there they stay year in, year out, while those who want perhaps a copy of one of them are too glad to get a brand new copy.

CORRESPONDENCE.

Why not start a book shop and keep only within the School, where it is cheap, economical, and not too expensive as well as help raise funds in an unobtrusive manner.

Yours, FINANCIER.

[The scheme would require thorough and skilful organization, but we fail to see why it should not be put into practice. Eds. Cant.]

To the Editors of “THE CANTUARIAN”

Dear Sirs,

May I through your columns ask for a butterfly cabinet for the museum? A cabinet is urgently needed, since at present the butterflies have to be kept in a box in which they are very liable to be damaged. It is, in fact, owing to this lack of a cabinet that the good collection formerly existing has ceased to exist.

I am, Yours sincerely, HON. SEC., MUSEUM COMMITTEE.

To the Editors of “THE CANTUARIAN”

Dear Sirs,

I should like to call attention to the need of accommodation for waste material in the school house bathrooms. A considerable amount of washing up is done in these bathrooms, and if a receptacle were provided at the bottom for refuse, it would add greatly to the ease of operations.

Yours sincerely, LAVANDIERE.

To the Editors of “THE CANTUARIAN.”

Dear Sirs,

May I suggest that overalls of some description should be provided in the labs. I think everyone who does science will agree that, when doing ‘practical’ one’s clothes become not only stained, but burnt with acids. It is not a question of mere carelessness— every would-be scientist falls a victim at some time or other. Even masters, it seems, have their clothes spoilt by this pest. Almost all other public schools provide overalls in their laboratories. Is there any reason why we should form an exception?

Yours truly, ‘ACID-DROP.’

To the Editors of “THE CANTUARIAN.”

Dear Sirs,

Could not the School have a Society for the promotion of Mah Jongg? In a school there is usually a decided lack of the Chinese element. Occasionally one hears of a school where Yung Cow is associated with Pan Yan, but that is rare. A Mah Jongg Society would be exceptionally useful to nervous steeple-chasers when for a few days before a race they could get well experienced with East Winds and cold feet. School properties might even be saved, for anyone with destructive intent is said to be easily satisfied by a game in which things are always getting broken, walls, banks, necks, etc. I hope this suggestion will receive earnest attention.

Yours with patience, WUN CHOW.

THE RAG CONCERT.

The measles did its best to rob us of this annual display at the end of last term, and several proposed items had to be cancelled, and in those that were performed important characters had to be changed at the last moment. However, the audience seemed satisfied with the result of the efforts made on its behalf, and that was the main thing.

Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast—such must have been the thought of the producer, for he so arranged that whenever the audience began to exhibit signs of savagery, the sweet strains of some soft ditty or other reduced them to a state of utter helplessness.

The first item was a song by Messrs. Pratt and Balfour, having as its theme the beneficial result of the introduction of milk into the system before retiring to rest. This was followed by the first play “Q,” which was played well, and was much appreciated. To quell the riot after its performance the first back in typical costume was induced to sing “rubbu in their subbub,” and switched on to the “3 o’clock Waise.”

To cover up the noise made by the scene shifters getting ready for the next event, Black-ledge and Gibson followed Tweedledum and Tweedledee’s examples, and agreed to have a battle over their pet rattles, but as to who was the least bad singer. Having decided that neither could be worse than the other, they joined in “Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean” to show there was no ill feeling.

The final item, W. W. Jacob’s play “The Monkey’s Paw,” was received with great enthusiasm. The acting was good and some of the dramatic effects excellent. The House then joined in “Banana’s” and finished an enjoyable evening with “The King.”

RECOLLECTIONS OF A LAST TERM.

I love Bell Harry’s sunlit tower with jackdaws wheeling round, And (save for Sunday’s Cath.) to hear his brazen clamorous sound; I love the scrumming on the Green, some think an awful sweat,

And how the Mint Yard’s asphalt waste becomes a pond when wet.

I love the porter’s Sunday rig, (Gold band and hat complete);

And how the tourists calmly sit agaping on the Seat.

I love the Primis’ sultry roar ; and fags a-peeling spuds ;

And how our field-days all go wrong, and all our blanks are duds :

And how the Old Hall hurtles out on lecture nights from Prep ;

And how the Sixth when late for prayers get thirty lines of rep.

These, these I love ; and also too the Masters Bar which isn’t.

And the spacious house we’ve just annexed which Lattergate we’ve christened.

I love the cosy Grange beneath and Master’s den above ;

I love the Old Hall’s hectic row ; the heavy bloods I love.

And the drooping nets and gaping holes in the pitches on the Green ; Yes, yes, I feel I even love the dreaded 8.15.

ROWING.

The new season has found us with very few members of last year’s two fours left—in fact, but one first colour and one second—but with plenty of beef and brawn to draw upon. Would that some of the said beef and brawn could be induced to adopt a more orthodox style! However, the object of this little homily is not to bewail our many lapses, but to look forward with hope and determination to a successful season.

By the time this is in print, our battle royal with Tonbridge will have been won or lost. We hope that the oicks will satisfy their curiosity as to the nature of the banks before the race, or deny themselves the pleasure until after. We have been able to arrange fixtures with the R.E.’s, Chatham, the Medway R.C., St. Augustine’s College, and, being optimists, are actually hopeful of getting an O.K.S. four down here. It is a pity that another race or two cannot be arranged for the 2nd IV.

The annual row to Grove Ferry took place on Thursday, May 22nd, a warm, if dull, afternoon, with a full river. The first boat took 40 minutes for the paddle down, the cox having some trouble round the worst corners, the IV. taking 34 minutes longer. After the boat had been rowed—hard, a strenuous game of “Hide-and-seek” played. A little more exercise followed by their noble, but unsuccessful attempt to cross the river by what is, to say the least of it, an uninviting route. The return journey was completed by the 1st IV. in 45 minutes, the boat going considerably better than before, and by the 2nd in 49.

School High

Boude Igokwe (6a, SH), the tallest person in the School, is two feet taller than Wendy Fang (R, WL), the shortest person in the School. They stand at 4’11” and 6’11”.

ing’s K

Coppers

King’s staff, do you know how many pennies were in your last payslip? Probably not! So why not donate them to charity by joining the King’s Coppers scheme?

Every year you and your colleagues actively raise thousands of pounds for various charities through a variety of fund-raising activities. In January 2024, we introduced a new way to help top up our charity pots. King’s Coppers (formally Pennies from Heaven) is a new scheme that allows all colleagues to play a part throughout all our King’s sites. By completing the application form you will be authorising the School to donate the pennies you receive on your payslips to charity.

Let’s turn small change into BIG change!! Example: Earn £850.34, then you keep the £850 and donate the 34p to charity. The most you can ever give is 99p each time you are paid.

Your pennies will be saved up throughout the year and will be distributed amongst the school’s chosen charities. An email will be sent out annually to advise you what the total amount is that has been collected through the King’s Coppers scheme and what charities have received a donation.

We are encouraging everyone to give a little. Together we can all make a big difference to our chosen charities. If you would like to take part and join this new scheme from January 2024, please email payroll@kings-school.co.uk for the application form or alternatively scan the QR Code:

Turkish

Delight

Bilkent University: Teacher Training Exchange Programme by Mark Orders

In 2012 Tanya Lee asked me if I’d like to be involved in an exciting project. Looking back, I have wondered if she was using the enthusiasm (and ambition) of a naïve 27-year-old to take on additional work. Whilst I may be correct, what I became involved with has been one of the most valuable experiences of my 15 years at King’s.

First, some background. Bilkent University in Ankara, founded in 1984, has risen to become one of the leading higher education institutions in Turkey (or Türkiye, as we now call it – more on this later) with the aim to create a centre of excellence in research. Its name comes from ‘bilim kenti’, meaning ‘city of science and knowledge’ in Turkish. The university is private, non-profit, and all courses are taught in English.

the first of these teachers to King’s as part of a series of UK placements. We were in good company, with several other leading British public schools taking part, alongside state schools in Cambridgeshire, and the University of Cambridge. I’m proud, however, to say that King’s was the only school to retain this connection through to the conclusion of the programme.

‘All welcomed teachers into their departments for two weeks, allowing them to observe, and eventually teach, lessons.’

In 2000, Dr Margaret Sands, an eminent biologist, teacher, headteacher, examiner and author, travelled to Ankara to take up a new role as ‘Director’ at the ‘Graduate School of Education’. As part of this programme, she set up a PGCE programme like that in the UK to train new teachers. (In fact, she was director of the programme at the University of Nottingham.) In 2011, after an invitation from then Director of Studies, Geoff Cocksworth, we welcomed

Each year in late January, up to seven Turkish teachers arrived to join academic departments. English, Mathematics, Physics, Biology and MFL all welcomed teachers into their departments for two weeks, allowing them to observe, and eventually teach, lessons. To put it mildly, we also hurled them immediately into the life of a boarding school: King’s talks (MPs, leading scientists, authors and, by a wonderful quirk of fate, the previous UK Ambassador to Turkey), concerts, theatre trips, football matches, hockey, basketball, yoga, rifle-shooting, the CCF, the rock concert, the fashion show, a school musical, a school play, chocolate-making, powerboat-sailing, painting, pottery, pool, darts, helping at the ‘JCR’, trips to Margate, trips to Deal, bowling, attending assembly, registering in day houses, evening duties, eating cake, drinking tea, and, indeed, enjoying a pint. We also invited them to join the school for a Cathedral service, and in reading their personal reflections this seems to be one of the experiences they enjoyed most.

‘As part of this programme, she set up a PGCE programme like that in the UK to train new teachers.’

I have been inundated with warm, enthusiastic and grateful messages from many of our former Turkish colleagues after I reached out to them to share their memories with you.

In return the school has also gained a great deal. Lesson plans were often thrown out of the window, often descending (or ‘ascending’?) into discussions, debates and cultural exchanges. The visitors appreciated the ‘freedom’ afforded by our school to discuss all manner of difficult topics, and our pupils appreciated being able to ask direct questions of people from a country we hear so often about in the media. Turkish coffee has been made in the Common Room (I now consider myself something of an expert and have found a new vice). Shells have been given introductory lessons in the language. (I have learned the Turkish for stapler – ‘zımba’, in case you ever need to know, though miming it is often enough). Turkish poetry and literature have been introduced to new generations of pupils.

All of the students left King’s with valuable teaching experience, fond memories, and King’s hymn books, which now sit on bookshelves and in classrooms all over Turkey and beyond. We gained a real cultural connection, an exchange of ideas, and some lifelong friends. It seems that King’s will always remain a part of them, and, to ensure that they always remain a part of us, I list below their names for posterity in The Cantuarian. We hope to welcome them back soon.

‘We gained a real cultural connection, an exchange of ideas, and some lifelong friends.’

Dr Sands’ invitation to Ankara, Istanbul, and the Bilkent laboratory school in Erzurum in 2018 was a defining experience for me, and I had had the privilege to meet many successful Bilkent alumni who still remembered all the details of their visit to us. I taught several Physics lessons in Turkish schools and met students at Bilkent University. I was also given a lesson in true Turkish hospitality that I have tried to emulate in my life at home.

Over the years we have witnessed and shared in some significant changes to the cultural and political landscape of Turkey – the repercussions of the 2016 coup attempt, President Erdoğan’s amendments to the constitution, the changing of the country’s name at the UN, and the recent earthquake that prompted such an outpouring of support from King’s colleagues that knew our guests had just returned home. Despite the efforts of Dr Sands and her colleagues in Ankara (Erdat Çataloğlu, Armağan Ateşkan, and Necmi Aksit among them), government changes to the way in which teachers could qualify in Turkey meant that the programme, sadly, came to an end in 2024.

January 2024 Ada Mutlu (Eng), Mehmet Terzi (Maths)

January 2023 Toygar Bulut (Eng), Esra Kulaklı (Eng), İmregül Kurt (Bio)

January 2020 Ezgi Sert (Maths), Gamze Tokat (Maths), Deniz Emir (Eng)

January 2019 Hatice Gönül (Eng), Dilara Toplu (Maths), Merve Akkaya (Phys), Ece Güneysu (Phys)

January 2018 Merve Erentuğ (Eng), Pınar Yılmaz (Eng), Elifnur Yazıcı (Maths), Merve Yeşilkaya (Maths), Emrah Topal (Phys), Kasım Yıldızhan (Phys)

January 2017 Ezgi Yazgan (Maths), Nil Şenkutlu (Maths), Muhsin Erhan (Phys), Tuğcan Yıldırım (Phys), Bora Arga (Eng), Ceren Eteke (Eng)

January 2016 Özge Arslan (Maths), Meltem Karasakal (Maths), Duygu Şimşek (Bio), Efe Güntürkün (Bio), Doruk Karabulut (Eng), Emrah Durmuş (Eng)

January 2015 Ayşenur Alp (Maths), Ceren Özbay (Maths), Bahar Kumandaş (Bio), Müjde Peder (Bio), Zeynep Duyanoğlu (Eng), Aysun Barut (Eng)

January 2014 Ayşe Özdemir (Bio), Saniye Yalçın (Bio), İrem Bayram (Maths), Esra Yaprak (Maths), Gözde Durgut (Eng), İmren Işık (Eng), Mehmet Çürük (Eng)

January 2013 Nazmiye Bozdağ (Maths), Şeyma Güney (Maths), Sinem Ödün (Bio), Sinem Çevik (Bio), Sinem Orallı (Eng), Ajda Keleş (Eng)

January 2012 Ezel Tekin (Bio), Hatice Yavaş (Bio), Esra Kesimci (Eng), Ömür Güzelhan (Eng), Ali Çelik (Eng), Şakire Örmeci (Maths)

January 2011 Gülşen Cengiz (Maths), Çiğdem Köken (Maths), Dilek Ersöz (Eng), Önder Şit (Eng), Mustafa Bektik (CTE), Duygu Şimşek (CTE)

Salvete

Helen Vaughan

Head of Biology

Oliver Ridley

Head of English

When Nikki Ridley was appointed Housemistress of Walpole House, her husband, Oliver Ridley, moved to Canterbury with her. Having taught English abroad and in the state sector, he became Head of English at Lancing College in 2006 and then Head of Sixth Form at King’s College Taunton in 2013. Happier reading poetry than UCAS forms, he is delighted to return to focusing on literature and keen to share his enthusiasm as widely as possible.

His own interests are wide-ranging, but at the moment he is enjoying Thomas Hardy and John Cowper Powys once more, perhaps because he is missing the West Country. He is an enthusiastic if imperfect pianist, with a particular love of Bach, the Russians and English Song. On Saturday afternoons he enjoys nothing more than watching sport and kicking or throwing a ball around with his three young children.

Helen studied Biological Sciences at the University of Warwick, then a PhD in Plant Genetics at QMW London. Post-doctoral research and lecturing took her to Imperial College, John Innes Centre, University of East Anglia and then to the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago. Her experience with molecular and evolutionary genetics was critical in equipping her to set up a molecular viral laboratory in the Epidemiology Centre, under the auspices of WHO. Here she gained further qualifications in Virology from the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and was fortunate enough to work on public health projects at UCL, Ottawa Atlanta and Puerto Rico as well as throughout the Caribbean. Most research was focused on dengue virus and HIV, with a few bloodborne, vector-borne and respiratory viruses thrown in for good measure. Returning to the UK, Helen worked for the Health Protection Agency on developing and running quality assessment programmes for viral, chlamydial and tuberculosis molecular diagnostics. In 2007 she became a teacher. She loves Biology, her family, pets and her second career in the classroom, and is excited to join the King’s community after 14 enjoyable years at a local girls’ grammar school.

‘Happier

reading poetry than UCAS forms, he is delighted to return to focusing on literature and keen to share his enthusiasm as widely as possible.’

N Nicola Ridley Music & Housemistress of Walpole

ikki’s journey towards King’s Canterbury began in 1991 when she was one of the first choristers in Salisbury Cathedral’s groundbreaking girls’ choir. This remarkable experience opened the door to a music scholarship at King’s College, Taunton, and Nikki went on to read Music at Durham University. After three years of singing in a different choir every night (two on Wednesdays), Nikki completed a PGCE in Durham and became a music teacher and resident tutor at Lancing College. After three years, she became Housemistress of a newly formed girls’ day house and spent seven happy years in this role. Unable to resist the charm of the youthful Head of English, Nikki became engaged to Oliver and the two of them began the next chapter of their lives in Taunton. Three children later, Nikki was appointed to the Music Department at Wellington School, where she later joined the boarding team.

Keen to get back to a full-time pastoral role, Nikki is thrilled to be a housemistress at King’s Canterbury, a school that offers outstanding music and the chance of living in the shadow of another remarkable cathedral. Nikki is delighted to have landed here and honoured to be part of team Walpole.

Brian Mumford Head of Sailing

‘One of his proudest moments was building his own dinghy in 2015 and racing it with his wife Yvonne.’

Born in Kent and educated in Walmer, Brian left school straight into an apprenticeship in the printing industry. At the beginning he worked in greetings cards and fine art prints, before moving to advance his career within magazines and newspapers. Throughout his 27 years in print he climbed from a young man working on the presses into senior management overseeing a 24/7 print hall producing millions of copy a year. A change in direction for Brian in 2018 and with what was supposed to be a wind-down career with Stagecoach UK Bus, initially driving a bus along the coast from Folkestone to Hastings, before mentoring new drivers and then a return to management and overseeing the bus network.

Since his youth Brian has been sailing and racing dinghies and yachts, at regional and national level. He has raced and crewed at some of the biggest sailing events in this country, including the Bloody Mary (dinghy) and Cowes week (yachting). He is a RYA Senior Instructor for dinghy sailing, power boat instructor and race coach; using these skills he managed the Kent Schools Sailing team at three National Schools regattas. One of his proudest moments was building his own dinghy in 2015 and racing it with his wife Yvonne at the Miracle National Championships, taking two race wins.

Charles Bodle History and Politics

Tom Sherwin

Head of History

Born in Cambridge, Tom was educated at the Perse School and went on to read History at the University of Edinburgh. There he studied a range of historical topics, from British Politics in an Age of Revolutions, 1783-1832; The Meiji Restoration in Japan; and Identity and Migration in Post-Colonial Southern Africa.

‘Tom joined King’s as Head of History and is delighted to be leading such a knowledgeable department.’

It was during a year abroad at St Paul’s College, University of Sydney, that Tom was able to combine his interest in history with his penchant for medium-fast bowling. Teaching runs in the family and he completed the Teach First graduate scheme before moving to Whitgift School in South Croydon to pursue his vocation. Five years at Whitgift gave him experience as Deputy Housemaster and Second in History.

When it was time for a new challenge, Tom joined King’s as Head of History and is delighted to be leading such a knowledgeable department. He will miss the excitement of the Brighton Road in Croydon, but the streets of Canterbury will remind him of home.

Aman of Kent from Sussex, Charles is as comfortable in Canterbury as he is the south coast. This is not the first time Charles has worked at King’s: after his undergraduate degree at the University of Exeter, Charles was a Graduate Assistant in the PE/Games and History Departments but left to do a PGCE at the University of Cambridge, where he also took a Masters in Education, and has now started an EdD.

Before King’s, Charles was a Head of History, Acting Housemaster and Head of Upper School at St Edmund’s School Canterbury, and has just started a career as an Army Reservist.

Charles is looking forward to coaching games and engaging in the wider King’s Community. He hopes to bring infectious energy and a cheery persona to both the History and Politics Departments.

Cleopatra Liro-Heywood

Chemistry

Cleopatra grew up in bustling West London, where she began her journey into science at the Douay Martyrs School. She went on to study Forensic Science at the University of Kent and decided to make Canterbury her permanent home before going on to complete a Masters in Vascular Ultrasound at Imperial College London.

Cleopatra joined the Chemistry Department at King’s in January 2024 and is delighted to have become part of such an inspiring school. Lacrosse was a passion throughout university and Cleopatra looks forward to supporting the wonderful girls’ lacrosse teams at King’s.

‘Cleopatra went on to study Forensic Science before going on to complete a Masters in Vascular Ultrasound at Imperial College London.’

Henry Skillern

Drama

Born in Ipswich, Henry moved to Kent aged seven. His mother was Head of the Pre-Prep at the King’s School Rochester, which Henry attended before the Prep School. He was Head Chorister at Rochester Cathedral Choir during his time in Kent, before he moved back to Suffolk to spend a year as a chorister and then layclerk in Bury St Edmunds Cathedral Choir. Whilst playing Suffolk Hockey and continuing his music studies, Henry discovered a love of theatre during his GCSE years. Henry’s passion for theatre triggered an interest in writing musicals, which Henry would go on to perform, before attending East 15 Acting School, studying World Performance.

Henry is looking forward to sharing his passion for intercultural understanding and global theatre traditions to develop forwardthinking and engaging theatre with the incredible talent and resources that King’s has to offer.

‘Henry’s passion for theatre triggered an interest in writing musicals, which Henry would go on to perform, before attending East 15 Acting School.’

‘James spent twelve years as an actor performing in various shows on stage and screen.’

James Musgrave Drama

Katherine Cho

Biology and Chemistry

Growing up in leafy Berkshire obsessed with animals, Katherine’s education at Southampton and Exeter was interspersed with various work experiences, including at the Royal Veterinary College’s teaching hospital. An internship at Chester Zoo’s endocrinology lab, pregnancy-testing animals from both British and European zoos, led to presentations on Okapi reproduction at national and international conferences.

After a student mentor stint at Austin Friars, Carlisle, in 2012, Katherine answered the call to teach science, honing her craft across Merseyside, North Wales and Cheshire, before moving to Wiltshire. Post-pandemic, she became Senior House Parent in a small co-ed boarding house.

Katherine is delighted to be joining the community at King’s and continuing her journey in both science and boarding.

James was born in Northamptonshire. He attended the London Academy of Dramatic Art and spent twelve years as an actor performing in various shows on stage and screen.

He completed his top-up degree in Education at London Southbank University and is thrilled to be doing teacher training next year after having a wonderful introduction to teaching at Falkner House Boys in London. His wife, Alice, is also an actor, and they’re both kept on their toes by their son, Albie, who is now nearly two. They’re also thrilled to have another little one on the way, due on July 27th.

James is really looking forward to getting to know everyone and becoming part of life at King’s.

‘Obsessed with animals, Katherine’s education was interspersed with various work experiences, including at the Royal Veterinary College’s teaching hospital.’

B David Brown Maths

orn in Suffolk, David attended Kesgrave High School before a family move to Kent, which felt more like moving home than moving away. He obtained an MMath from the University of Warwick, where he also pursued mental health projects. He then moved to the University of Kent to study for a doctorate in Representation Theory. He submitted his PhD after frantic volunteering at the Cheltenham Science Festival.

During his time at Kent, he became heavily involved in school outreach projects, running sessions on everything from academic support and bridge-building to the future of work under AI. He enjoys puzzles of all kinds and discovery for its own sake. David enjoys swimming and long walks (both on and off the beach).

David has enjoyed his first terms at King’s, where he is teaching Maths and running with the cross country group.

Jennifer Lane Physics

Jennifer grew up in Buckinghamshire and studied Physics and Philosophy at Bristol University. She started her teaching career at Oundle School, where she was a Deputy Housemistress for three years. She moved to Sri Lanka and taught at an international school for two years before returning to the UK to teach at Marlborough College, where she was an assistant to the Housemistress in two boarding houses for eleven years.

Jennifer is a keen sea swimmer and likes to live close to the coast. She also enjoys hiking and has completed several long-distance walking paths in the UK. She loves singing and has performed various choral works as part of choirs, and hopes to do more of this whilst at The King’s School.

‘Jennifer has performed various choral works as part of choirs, and hopes to do more of this whilst at The King’s School.’

Shang Jenkins Maths

Born in China and raised between China and the UK, Shang’s educational journey spanned fifteen schools in both countries. After graduating from Bearsden Academy in Scotland, Shang completed her undergraduate studies in Mathematics at the University of St Andrews.

Before moving to Kent, Shang taught in Scotland and ran a K-pop club. Excited about the opportunities at King’s, Shang anticipates a dynamic and enriching chapter in her career.

King’s Week Music: Serenade

Valete

by Mark Taylor

I Liz Worthington

t has been an absolute delight to have been able to work so closely with Liz. She was appointed Senior Deputy Head in 2012 and was Interim Head of King’s from September 2022 until August 2023, followed by a further year as Senior Deputy Head. Liz has been an outstanding Senior Deputy and Interim Head and I know the King’s community will miss her hugely.

I asked a few former Housemasters (HSMs) who knew Liz well to let me have a couple of anecdotes, and what I got back was a wonderful portrait of a muchloved and highly respected member of staff. What follows are some wonderful recollections that describe Liz far better than I ever could.

One long-serving and recently retired (French) HSM said, ‘I think the first time I met Liz was at the start-ofterm drinks at the Head’s house in early September. My first impression was that I was going to get along well with our new Senior Deputy Head, given that she had married Ian, who not only spoke French but also understood the Picard dialect which many (including me) still speak in northern France. Calais was his childhood city and Oundle, Uppingham and then Wellington College were Liz’s and Ian’s teaching ground before King’s.

‘She

hard-of-hearing chap, I was always able to hear her announcements at break: for a petite lady, she does have a voice that carries. Liz also introduced special assemblies to highlight cocurricular achievements, the sporting ones being a muchneeded boost for many of my Grange lads. Her knowledge of the sporting successes of our pupils was just amazing and one of the reasons for this was her loyal attendance at all school sporting events. She could be seen on Birley’s EVERY Saturday afternoon, encouraging the boys and girls, discussing tactics with coaches or detailing the sporting prowess of their offspring with parents.’

has an excellent sense of humour and was able to put at ease anyone who had matters to discuss with her, serious or not, and her laughter was often heard at morning break.’

The Head and two of his Deputies were all relatively new to King’s and Liz needed to tread very diplomatically all round, and she managed it beautifully. New ideas were introduced, such as regular informal Housemasters’ and Housemistresses’ meetings, discussing boys only or girls only. As one can imagine, new ideas are not always to the taste of all, but Liz was always impressive with her grasp of people’s idiosyncrasies, and the heat of the early discussions abated when we all saw the added value that such a new modus operandi offered.

In the staff common room, Liz very quickly established herself as someone very approachable and she kept a watchful eye on the politics at play there. She has an excellent sense of humour and was able to put at ease anyone who had matters to discuss with her, serious or not, and her laughter was often heard at morning break. As a rather

Another former HSM said, ‘I cannot think of anyone in my 30-years-plus association with King’s who has commanded such universal respect, and over a considerable period of time. Wherever one turns within the King’s community and across all staff, not just academic, people speak of her in the highest terms.’

These are the things that other people have mentioned to me:

Fairness This is not easy to achieve, especially in disciplinary situations with complex pastoral backgrounds. Yet her reputation for wanting to be fair and considerate is acknowledged.

Care for Pupils Anyone who has spoken with her about pupils will clearly see how their welfare and growth are at the forefront of her mind. She balances the sometimes-competing demands of a large school with the needs of the individual. It’s tricky to get everything right but people have faith that she will have done her utmost to find the best solution.

Trust Liz is the most trustworthy of individuals. Within the strictures of a hugely busy role, if she says she will do something, she will. People trust her to make the right decisions. She is also inscrutable: when told something in confidence, it is very much kept in the vault. And she has the ability to give the genuine impression that she doesn’t know something when she does, and the judgement to know when it is right to admit she knows but she’s not able to say.

Hardworking I have often marvelled at her ability to work late into the night for weeks on end to ensure that everything she is responsible for gets done. There is no skimping, and she has an eye for detail at 1pm and 1am. And all this is mostly unsung and unknown.

Dedication Her attitude shows this throughout. Her priority is always the success of the school and the happiness of the pupils above her own.

There is also wit and a love of laughing, a light-heartedness we don’t see enough. I guess that is difficult when your other qualities trump your own needs.

Liz is a vocational teacher. She is very much in it for others. She believes in boarding, the value it can have in transforming lives, and she was prepared to do all she could to make that transformation happen, to give pupils opportunities. She understood that the sometimesdull mechanics of making sure a school works day to day are vital if pupils are to flourish.

Her contribution to King’s has been immense. There are lives that have been transformed by her, the ripples of which will roll out in those pupils’ lives and in the lives of others they touch.

I would like to end with some words of another (still-serving) HSM: ‘There is no question that Liz is a leader of the highest order, displaying qualities that many could only aspire to have in this sector. Her selfless commitment, service to others and her underlying ability to see the good in everyone, and her desire to save and nurture every pupil, is proof that she is a born educator. This approach extends beyond the pupil body and encompasses the entire King’s community. She cares for, supports and guides all. People like Liz are a rare breed in modern society; whilst she would be the first to say she is not unique and that anyone can be replaced, those who know her would argue with this. It is her humility, her care for others, and frightening attention to detail that set her apart. She is not one to ask anybody to do something that she would not do herself, indeed more often than not she will do things herself rather than spread the load on others. How many schools witness their Senior Deputy Head sorting lost items in the Undercroft or Pupil Social Centre, setting up before events and stripping the chairs and tables out afterwards, patrolling the corridors or walking a colleague’s dog because she’s heading out anyway?’

Liz is a true bastion of what the Independent School Sector is about: an all-rounder, a leader to some, a friend to others and a supportive aunt to the younger generation of staff who enter the crazy world of boarding schools in the modern day. She will be sorely missed, and I hope that she can reflect on her career with a sense of pride, knowing that she really was one of the best and has changed the lives of so many people for the better.

Julian Károlyi

by Justine Maréchal

Julian first came to the department as a prospective parent in December 2016: he remembers the strange smell of the Palace Block, suggesting the very long-lasting history of the place, still looking and smelling as it was when the ‘School’ first opened in the 12th Century!

In September 2017 Julian started as an MFL teacher, following Emma’s illustrious appointment as Head of JKS. Initially, there was a degree of trepidation within the department, who worried that this new teacher with his dashing sartorial style and quirky ways was feeding intel back to the powers that be, but very quickly his generosity, warmth and great sense of humour put us all at ease and friendships that would last a lifetime were formed.

His charisma was felt not only in the classroom, but also as he sang on the stage of Café Théâtre and during dinner parties amongst friends. One of his stand-out performances was surely ‘L’accordéoniste’, accompanied by a couple of 6b’s and his son, Tommy, on the accordion. This was only surpassed last year by a more daring appearance sporting both a wig and make-up, a testament to his woke and inclusive credentials, something that the current 6a remarked on: when they were covering the relevant topic they referred to him as ‘Monsieur Diversité’. Surely they weren’t being ironic.

modernised what the school offers, and both pupils and parents have felt very positively about and grateful for the advice and invaluable support he has provided. His work alongside his colleagues in the department has led to some big successes and an impressive record with Oxbridge languages.

A proud son of a Hungarian man, Julian is a true lover of languages and international cultures, and is always looking for ways to bring the subject to life outside the classroom. He has therefore joined several school trips to France where he always makes it a priority to have the full French experience, placing particular value on the finer aspects of the culture such as food-testing and winetasting. As the true loyal colleague and language supporter that he is, he has also attended every single Cercle Français evening, making them extra special with his joyful and upbeat nature.

‘The melodic reverberation of his voice could be heard BY ALL neighbouring classrooms in the building, whether he was singing Edith Piaf at the top of his voice, whistling or reciting his beloved nose tirade from Cyrano de Bergerac.’

While all teachers moan here and there, Julian really enjoyed teaching, in particular, good A’ Level sets with whom he could happily go offpiste with literature. Once again, the melodic reverberation of his voice could be heard BY ALL neighbouring classrooms in the building, whether he was singing Edith Piaf at the top of his voice, whistling or reciting his beloved nose tirade from Cyrano de Bergerac. It is fair to say that he generally got most from doing things that weren’t in the textbook, with a teaching style that could be described as, at times, somewhat unorthodox: for instance, galumphing like an elephant across the room, keeping the Shells entertained and alert, which is a huge accomplishment in itself. Equally, department meetings will never quite be the same again in the absence of his unrestrained positivity and joviality.

After the scare he all gave us with a medical issue, he returned in September 2019, starting to play a bigger role in UCAS applications and eventually becoming the Head of University Admissions and Careers. Since taking on this role, he has majorly streamlined and

The warmest memories that Julian has of King’s are of the people: he often mentions being grateful for the support that Peter and Marie Roberts provided to both the language department and Emma and himself when they first joined the school down from Loretto in Edinburgh. Most of all, we all know that Julian most genuinely loves the Modern Languages Department and will be very sad indeed to be leaving us. The feeling is certainly mutual. However, we can all agree that ‘ce n’est qu’un aurevoir’ and we will be sure to visit him in Windsor where, undoubtedly, he and his family will achieve just as much success.

by Matt Browning and Mark Orders

C Charlotte Hayes

harlotte Tyndall arrived at King’s in 2009, fresh from Cambridge University, to teach Religious Studies. She came with a large cohort of new teachers, myself and Mark Orders – who has also contributed to this article – among them. We saw a lot of each other socially in those days, before extra work responsibilities and, more significantly, children, interfered, and it took Mark and I some time to filter what we should say in this article from the abundant supply of material that is, put frankly, not fit to print in so august an organ as The Cantuarian. What we can say, though, is that to those of us lucky enough to know her, Charlotte is a fiercely loyal friend, and she will be well remembered, and missed, as the driving force encouraging us to remain socially active, even in the darkest moments of the school term.

Now back to the work. I am not exaggerating when I say that in most situations when Charlotte enters a room she adopts the mantle of the most intelligent person in it. She has a wealth of knowledge but also the kind of emotional intelligence that enables her to recognise and respond to the feelings of those around her. This makes her a superb teacher, and a first-rate housemistress.

She began her pastoral career her as a tutor in Galpins then swiftly moved through the ranks: Broughton tutor in 2013, Luxmoore deputy in 2014, then Kingsdown House became her domain in 2015. This was no small challenge. Starting a house from scratch requires dedication, imagination, creativity – and Charlotte is well stocked with each of those qualities. As her former deputy, Alice Donkin, said, she has ‘ludicrously’ good taste, and Alice describes Kingsdown as more akin to a boutique hotel than a school boarding house. The immense success and popularity of Kingsdown today is a monument to her formidable skill at bringing people together, her foresight and meticulous planning, and her sheer enthusiasm and determination. And to cap it off, they finally, in her last year, won the House Song Competition, a moment of immense pride for Charlotte. But what was it like to be a pupil in that house under her care? For that we can turn to her last Head of House, who is departing at the same time as her, Dulcie Cooper:

‘During my tour Mrs Hayes showed Kingsdown with pride and sincerity that was unmatched by the other school tours I’d had. Every year Mrs Hayes has guided me with each difficult decision and made Kingsdown a home for all the girls who live there. The addition of Tommy and Hector have brought an element of fun to the house: to have two young boys in an all-girls’ house who are cheeky and funny has made Kingsdown feel even more like a home. Dr Hayes proved to all the girls in Kingsdown that some things shouldn’t be left to men alone, such as the pizza oven that proved very difficult for him to operate, with most pizzas turning out either crunchy or floppy. I would like to apologise to current and future members of Kingsdown that Mrs Hayes felt that she had to leave the same year as me because she knew it would be hard to top the current 6as. Understandably the girls in Kingsdown will miss Mrs Hayes’ pragmatic and thoughtful approach to dealing with a multitude of different personalities and quirks. Yet we will strive to continue to make her proud. We all wish

the Hayes’ the best of luck at Wellington and hope the girls in their new house show up for rollcall on time and that there are no more jangling suitcases in Mrs Hayes’ future.’

Tommy and Hector might need more explanation. These are the children of Charlotte and Dr Stewart Hayes, who met in 2011 when Stewart arrived at King’s to teach Chemistry, and married in 2015, one week before the opening of Kingsdown. The reference to jangling suitcases, however, will forever remain an in-joke.

Beyond her pastoral roles, Charlotte has contributed widely to King’s in other areas. Despite her being, in the words of Alice Donkin, ‘pretty incredibly competent at loads of different things except sports’, she put in a great deal of time on the sports fields over the years, coaching lacrosse, netball, rounders, athletics, and even once taking a hockey ball square in the eye for the privilege. She also recently took on the supervision of the FREDIE (fairness, respect, equality, diversity, inclusion and engagement) committee. And then of course there is the teaching. The words of the Head of RS and Philosophy, Dan Cardinal, will suffice here:

‘All of us in the department will miss Charlotte’s good-humoured and supportive presence. Her dedication to the teaching team and readiness to advocate for our corner, and back her colleagues, has been unwavering. But while always defending the department robustly, she has also brought a certain levity and good humour to our meetings because she refuses to take the everyday responsibilities of the job too seriously. Charlotte has been a continual reminder of the importance of enjoying the everyday and approaching one’s work with a sense of fun.

Like so many, Charlotte has embraced a range of roles at King’s but, in whatever capacity, her approach is consistently characterised by her dedication to putting the pupils’ interests first. This is obviously true of her role as Housemistress in Kingsdown but is just as significant in the classroom and within the department more broadly, where she has worked tirelessly to ensure every pupil on her courses finds success. She brings a fierce intelligence and dedication to her teaching of both RS and Philosophy and has the rare ability to share her knowledge in a way that inspires pupils and enriches their studies.’

So there we have it. Charlotte embodies that hackneyed phrase you hear sometimes in the public-school world, ‘the old-fashioned school master’ – the one who contributes to everything – except, of course, she is not that. She was a 21-year-old woman who took what was, still in 2009, a male-dominated environment by storm and forged an incredible career in her own charismatic way, a career that will surely go from strength to strength as she leaves us to continue it as a housemistress at Wellington. Our loss is their gain.

Stewart Hayes

by Charlotte Hayes

Stewart joined King’s in September 2011, after taking voluntary redundancy from Pfizer. Because he was untrained as a teacher, many of his former colleagues saw it as a risky move, but with hindsight I think we can all say it worked out well in the end. The Head of Chemistry when Stewart started was Alister Stewart, a friend from his PhD days at Nottingham, and his interview consisted of a nice phone call with Geoff Cocksworth, an experience he pined for after Wellington recently required five online interviews in as many days.

A man of many talents, Stewart made himself useful at Birley’s, where he learned to coach Rugby thanks to Chris Roberts’ willingness to put him through some England Rugby coaching courses and, despite never playing the sport as a child, it was the one he enjoyed being part of the most. The camaraderie of match days, the sense of staff togetherness in the Birley’s pavilion after a home rugby fixture: he reminisces about them now as our time at King’s draws to a close. He even got egged on to play rugby once, in a staff game against Tonbridge. In what seems like a lifetime ago, a staff fifteen, plus WAGs, took a minibus to their pitches, with Richard Ninham leading the charge – literally and metaphorically – and supplying the half-time port in the changing room. A dump tackle from a massive member of the support staff in the first five minutes of the match may have bruised Stewart’s ego somewhat, but he managed to make it to the final whistle. An experienced football coach, he led some of the higher-level teams in the sport, and went on a few football tours to Madrid, including one staff recce that looked like a lot of fun from where I sat (at home, alone, with his firstborn son). After paying his dues, Stewart stepped back from coaching when his departmental responsibilities grew, but he was always called back to referee rugby matches and Richard Singfield has said how grateful he was for his excellent knowledge of the rules and his cool head under pressure.

quickly recognised Stewart’s skills and promoted him to the Gold trips shortly thereafter. (Sadly, this meant I was dragged along as female cover for several years, but after one hellish experience at the top of a hail-battered mountain in Snowdon, I opted out.) He qualified as a Mountain Leader in 2017 and added that string to his bow, along with his trail-cycle leader and indoor climbing qualifications, both also gained in service to the School.

‘A dedicated member of the house team, the pupils warmed to him in that setting too and he was incredibly supportive of his tutees, who valued his honesty and the faith he showed in them.’

Stewart became Head of Chemistry ten years ago, taking over from Richard Cook, who jokes that he spotted a getout when he realised what a positive impression Stewart was making around the place. Richard suggested the move, Stewart accepted the position, and the rest is history. Now cue the most tumultuous decade you can imagine: from refurbishment and renovations, a pandemic and ‘poo-gate’, Stewart has navigating crisis after crisis, above and beyond the day-to-day responsibilities of the HoD role, with a caring and compassionate attitude that has endeared him to the department. With the pupils he is firm but fair and with his quirky sense of humour and terrible taste in music he always wins them over. He gives generously of his time, whether in running clinics and catch-ups or in preparing talented pupils for university and other academic challenges. Never happier than when he ‘has a proper Chemist’ in the 6a year who is planning to carry the torch forwards, he is a passionate and inspiring practitioner.

Alongside games commitments, Stewart gave generously to the CCF and the Duke of Edinburgh programmes at King’s. Never one for the ‘green’ originally, he was persuaded to go on his basic training course and returned as Second Lieutenant Hayes. Exercises, rifle ranges and annual camps abounded, but the most memorable moments were the mad scrabble around Remembrance when the staff officers scrambled to find uniforms that fit, and to polish dress shoes properly. DofE was more to Stewart’s liking because he was a keen hiker before coming to King’s, and was eager to get involved. Starting off on the entry-level Bronze trip to Wales, Adam Vintner

He was a School House tutor for ten years, working for both Matt Thornby and Adam Vintner. A dedicated member of the house team, the pupils warmed to him in that setting too and he was incredibly supportive of his tutees, who valued his honesty and the faith he showed in them. Three years ago he decided to work for me in Kingsdown, a move that was so successful we wondered why we had been fighting it for so long. As a de facto deputy in house, the girls have loved getting to know him better and he has been even more of an amazing support to me, which I didn’t think was possible after all that he had done to help me get Kingsdown up and running back in 2015.

Other things of note that happened during his time at King’s include meeting and marrying me and welcoming our two wonderful sons, Tommy and Hector. We all leave together to go to Wellington College, where we’re excited to be the new kids on the block after a combined 28 years of service to King’s.

by David Perkins

I Ismay Bannerman

smay Bannerman arrived at King’s in December 2020 during COVID. He started his career at the school teaching online. In his four years at King’s, Ismay covered more ground than many cover in a lifetime. He taught History, Classical Civilisation and Politics, prepared candidates for Oxbridge exams and was Head of US University Applications. In School House, he was a popular tutor, not least because of his dress sense.

From Sixth Form studies at Bryanston, Ismay went to read History at Oxford. He was in his element there: he immersed himself in Oxford, where he was often seen sporting a velvet jacket, as well as in the history of Byzantium. He then spent two years at Sotheby’s valuing furniture, followed by three years of interior design, doing up bathrooms – among other things – for celebrities and film stars. It was a shame that Donald Trump never commissioned him for a bathroom – at least not to my knowledge – because the results of such a collaboration could have been spectacular. The Bannerman family garden-design business kept him occupied for another two years. He then responded to the call of teaching and took a PGCE in the West Country.

Ismay’s ancestor, Hilaire Belloc (another Oxford History graduate) walked from Winchester to Canterbury during Christmas week 1899, arriving in Canterbury on St Thomas’s Day, 29 December. His book on his journey as well as the history of the pilgrims’ route, The Old Road, was published in 1904. In the Autumn of 2023 Ismay and I walked in his ancestor’s footsteps, together with a group of pupils, on a section of the Pilgrims’ Way, from Old Wives Lees to Canterbury. I remember the pupils came alive when he told the tale of the Black Prince in front of the Black Prince’s Well in Harbledown. His impromptu monologue was lusty, if slightly inaccurate, but it all came out in the wash.

Ismay has continued his tour of English Cathedrals and their precincts by going to teach at Hereford Cathedral School. You could say that the King’s School Canterbury is a bubble within a bubble: double bubble. Hereford Cathedral School no doubt lies in a similar situation. I am sure Ismay will not remain confined to cathedral precincts forever: I imagine he will take the baton from his illustrious ancestor and jump into history.

No King’s schoolmaster would be complete without a dog, and we shall also miss Basil, Ismay’s Jack Russell bitch. Apparently, according

‘In his four years at King’s, Ismay covered more ground than many cover in a lifetime.’

to Geroge Harrison, it’s a ‘family thing’ that all dogs, irrespective of sex, are called Basil in the Bannerman clan. It is a rule rigidly applied throughout the family. Time outside school has not been wasted. Ismay’s daughter, Romilly, arrived in 2021. Again, as GWHH recalls, “It’s a rule, rigidly applied throughout the family, that all firstborn children are called Romilly. Names for subsequent children are deemed unnecessary, leaving many of us wondering about the origins of ‘Ismay’.”

Matt Browing recalls: ‘He was a fantastic presence on the Rome trip in October, transmitting to the pupils his enthusiasm for the places we visited by delivering entertaining and erudite monologues, and always excellent company. He was also supportive and gave generously of his time.’

Ismay is a talented and convincing off-the-cuff speaker who is wellread and well-connected. He is someone who draws energy from knowing lots of people rather than finding it tiring. He is a brilliant and witty schoolmaster. He is all these things and more. He will be missed.

by Julian Károlyi

A Thomas Pote

lthough Father Thomas has only been with us for a short time, two years, the impression he leaves in so many areas of the school is a deep one. King’s has been privileged to have such a character pass through its cloisters and classrooms. Not one to wear his learning or accomplishments on his sleeve, one is nevertheless immediately aware that one is in the presence of a real intellect, serious theologian, and multi-lingual man of letters. After reading Modern Languages at Royal Holloway, and taking a masters in Italian literature, he went on to read Theology and Religious Studies at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and as a result we have benefited from his presence in several key areas of the school: it has been a joy to hear Shells being introduced to Romeo and Juliet next door, while reluctant Removes have had their French transformed by him, and he has stepped into Latin and Greek too. There are few if any so versatile as teachers: these are the professionals every school should hold on to and cherish for as long as they can, and it is something of a tragedy that he is leaving so soon, though no surprise that he has been snapped up so easily elsewhere.

and introducing school baptism services for JKS in St Nicholas, Sturry, and for KSC in the Compline service in St A’s.

His connectedness and network is also truly remarkable – he seems to know everyone and everything, and while always entirely discreet and scrupulously correct, I sense his potential for a series of novels to put Anthony Trollope in the shade. He has the tact and manners to steer others with delicacy, and has been an enormous support behind the scenes to many in the last two years of considerable change and challenge at King’s: Emma and I are particularly grateful for his kindness and friendship.

‘ Visitors and members of school alike will miss his informative tours of the Cathedral, his carefully crafted sermons invariably delivered without notes, and his sensitive pastoral care.’

From the very start of his ministry at King’s, he has been remarkable for his charming unflappability: I know from multiple sources that Thomas has done an excellent job in looking after Chaplaincy at JKS and in organising and leading worship and assemblies across all three schools. His calm and collected presence was evident from early in his time with us when he reached out a guiding hand during Evensong to grab a scholar about to move at the wrong time and carefully but firmly held him back without any fuss. Visitors and members of school alike will miss his informative tours of the Cathedral, his carefully crafted sermons invariably delivered without notes, and his sensitive pastoral care. He leaves us a legacy of perfectly printed orders of service (Liz Worthington has struggled to find any errors since he took these over!), a beautifully reorganised lower Chapel at St A’s, which now hosts our weekly Compline service, and a number of new initiatives. These include an informal service in the Bastion Chapel,

His mentoring of others has spread to areas beyond the merely moral and educational – the MFL department, already known for its elegance and flair, has seen still greater advancements in this area during the course of the last year: Thomas has shown remarkable kindness and care in his joint mentoring of members of the department, and his initiatives with themed dress days, in his capacity as Master in Charge of MFL Sartorial, have been a huge source of fun and camaraderie for all, even raising the tone of the wider Common Room. Challenges such as doing spots and stripes without accident, marrying brown suede with black trousers, and blazer day, have brought a new appreciation of the language of clothing that has the potential to be life-changing.

Having come to us from Guildford, Surrey, Thomas and his lovely family, his wife Maria Vittoria and daughter Chiara, will be leaving us when he takes up the role of Chaplain at Guildford Grammar School, Western Australia. He could hardly be further away, but will remain close to our hearts, and we hope he will be tempted to return before too long. Our loss is their gain, and I have every confidence that he will show the same intellectual rigour, sensitivity, kindness and support for his colleagues there as he done for us. I am also sure the Australians will learn a thing or two about sartorial rectitude as well.

Kate Harris

by Charles Lewis-Gardiner

Kate has made a huge impact on King’s sport and is a role model for all pupils to follow. She has held a number of important positions, including Head of Physical Education, Head of Netball, Deputy HsM, and Assistant Director of Sport. Several members of the Common Room and pupils have some memories and words to share.

Richard Singfield, Director of Sport, says: ‘Kate has been a valuable asset to King’s. She arrived as a trainee teacher from a very good start to her career involving both Roedean and Marlborough. She quickly trained and became a very good academic teacher. Kate is a passionate sports person and was at home on the hockey pitch, netball court and tennis court. She has coached many teams during her time at the school and most notably has run a successful netball club with this year’s season being one of the most successful on record. She leaves no stone unturned in her pursuit to provide the best she can for each pupil whether in the 1st teams or the U14Cs. Away from sport, Kate has also been a member of the CCF and most recently the Running Wild team. She has been on numerous Duke of Edinburgh excursions as well as other trips and tours. She will be missed greatly as she embarks on the next stage of her career at Reigate Grammar School.’

The PE & Sport Department will miss Kate’s competitive edge, her high standards, the witty remarks, and the care shown in all she does. Charlotte Wayman, who worked closely with Kate through netball, wanted to share these words: ‘Kate has been such an amazing manager, role model and friend at King’s. She is such a hard worker, and helps those around her to do their best. She will leave a big hole in the department but also on the netball court. The role, Head of Netball, is a challenge, and Kate will be such a tough act to follow for her successor in creating and managing such a successful club. An even bigger loss will be our star shooter in the Staff vs 1st Team game at the end of the season.’

Netball has been a large part of Kate’s role here at King’s and, alongside the staff involved, Kate has also had an impact on the pupils. Lexie W and Lily H, cocaptains for the 2024 undefeated season, had this to say: ‘Mrs. Harris has not only led our team to a victorious undefeated season but has inspired us to really push ourselves, brought us closer as a team, and always made our training sessions fun and enjoyable. Her dedication and passion have profoundly influenced us, and we are incredibly grateful to have had her as a coach. We wish her all the best!’

It was widely recognised that Kate has developed many pupils, not least the boys in School House. Adam Vintner, Housemaster of School House, has fond memories of Kate’s time: ‘Kate joined King’s and from day one proved to be a force to be reckoned with, a young enthusiastic member of staff with a strong moral compass and drive to succeed. She threw herself into life at King’s, earning the respect of the pupils and her colleagues with her fun-loving, can-do attitude, and it wasn’t long before she was commissioned into the CCF, heading out on expeditions with the Gold DofE to remote parts of the UK. Kate is a strong leader on sports tours or other trips where a sensible member of female staff was required. Beyond her professionalism and her ability to adapt to most roles, she was loved by pupils, hence being appointed in several pastoral positions throughout her time with us here but, more importantly, being a valued member of the common room, friend, and support to many of us. A straight talker, she would challenge her friends to be better, to be the best, while being supportive in her approach and encouraging throughout. I value her tremendously and will miss her dearly.’

It is fair to say that Kate will be a loss to the Common Room at King’s and her overall contribution to school life has been exemplary. Kate has left her mark on many pupils, colleagues and parents throughout her time and will be remembered fondly. Reigate Grammar School is lucky to have an outstanding physical educationalist joining their ranks.

Erik Nilsson

by David Perkins

Erik has brought a great deal of energy and enthusiasm to the school and the post of Head of Politics. His predecessor as Head of Politics was a larger-than-life character so Erik had to establish himself in his own right when he arrived in 2021. He certainly hit the ground running: he brought dynamism and hard work to the role. He re-established the Politics Society and ran it with tremendous success. He increased numbers and improved results. He was liked and respected by the pupils. The care and attention he put in to the Parliament trip was much appreciated as were his MUN forays. He was a stalwart of the CCF and active on the games pitch. He was a tutor in Tradescant, where his stye and verve were appreciated.

Erik was born in Sweden to a Swedish father and Ecuadorian mother. He grew up in Portugal. His mother and his grandparents come from Cuenca, Ecuador. Cuenca is a pleasing colonial-college town at some altitude. There were now two people in the Politics Department who had been to Cuenca. So-called Panama hats actually come from Cuenca. Hat connoisseurs are aware that these hats come in quite different grades of fineness. The other product of Cuenca that also comes in different grades of fineness – from sublime to ridiculous and back again - is the local rum distilled from cane sugar. Here we have a man who knows, as part of his DNA, that Panama hats originate from Ecuador.

Ecuador has the largest number of varieties of potato I have ever come across (more than 350); I am not sure whether Ecuadorians have as many words for potato as Innuits are supposed to have for snow. Still, Erik has been known to eat the occasional chipped potato.

Above all, Erik also knows how to make a mean caipirinha. He always tells me that I buy the expensive Cachaça –I swear by Pitu Cachaça Aguardiente – and that I am therefore not really authentic. My Czech-German aunt Hilde lived in Örebro, Sweden, for many years. Whenever we went to visit she always used to ask whether the hotel had a good smÖrgåsbord. Having grown up in Somerset, I had never heard of the word smorgasbord being used in this way. I kept trying out the word smorgasbord on Erik, but he’s been too polite to comment.

We have been fortunate to count Erik among us for these last few years: he has brought humanity and a good deal of humour, among other things. He is going to Fann Court School in Surrey to be nearer London. He will be missed.

‘He re-established the Politics Society and ran it with tremendous success. He increased numbers and improved results. He was liked and respected by the pupils.’

Helen Wells

by Oliver Ridley

Helen joined the English Department in September 2023 to cover a term’s sabbatical. As Christmas approached, she was persuaded to stay and cover a maternity leave for the rest of the academic year.

She joined King’s after a long and distinguished career teaching English at Gresham’s and Oundle, where she also ran the debating, public speaking and Oxbridge programmes.

King’s loved Helen and Helen loved King’s. She is a dynamic and committed teacher, and those who were taught by her enjoyed her energy and passion, and benefited from her experience and deep knowledge. Her tutees in Mitchinson’s found her supportive, caring and a repository of helpful advice.

One particular highlight of her time here was taking the ESU public speaking team to Churchill College, Cambridge, to compete in the national final – a superb achievement considering the team was young and inexperienced. She has been fully committed to the English Department and has contributed royally to the shared resources folder.

A medievalist, Helen loved working in and around the cathedral precincts. To teach Chaucer in a place he may have visited, to climb the Norman Staircase and run a debating session, to hear the cathedral bell ringing through Green Court, are experiences she tells us she will treasure.

‘To teach Chaucer in a place he may have visited, to climb the Norman Staircase and run a debating session, to hear the cathedral bell ringing through Green Court, are experiences she tells us she will treasure.’

She has made an impressively deep mark on King’s, considering her short time working here, and we wish her the very best for the future.

by Peter Henderson

S Susan Tingle

usan Tingle joined the School in 2001 as Foundation Manager based in the Bursary. Her job gradually evolved to ‘OKS and Foundation Manager’ and then to ‘Deputy Development Director’, but none of these titles ever quite summed up what she did. She dealt with seven OKS Presidents, six Heads and Acting Heads, five Bursars and Interim Bursars, not to mention Deans and assorted Canons, and made herself indispensable.

Various tasks gravitated to her office as she could be relied on to sort them out with efficiency and charm. Concerts, carol services, lunches, opening ceremonies for new buildings, leavers’ balls, memorial services all went off smoothly. Any lastminute hiccoughs were calmly dealt with. King’s Week managers, Directors of Music, caterers, innumerable OKS, and indeed the Archivist, all had good reason to be grateful for her supremely competent professionalism. A ‘leaver’s book’ presented to her included well over a hundred tributes from all sections of the School community.

Her office? From No. 25 to Lardergate to 1 Mint Yard (downstairs and then upstairs) and finally to the (old) Grange, she coped with being moved from place to place, even if the outward cheerfulness during the inevitable upheavals sometimes disguised gritted teeth. In any case, she didn’t do office hours. Mornings, evenings, weekends, even on holidays: wherever she was, whatever had to be done was done. It is typical that, having officially retired, she carried on ‘part-time’ to help organise Liz Worthington’s final Speech Day and support Jenny Grant. As Liz herself wrote: ‘I’m not sure how I would have survived without you reminding me of what I should already have done and keeping us all in order.’

Susan has rightly been praised for doing her job so brilliantly well, but what will be remembered and missed above all is the person. These comments are typical: ‘the model of warmth, friendliness and cooperation’; ‘so enormously kind’; ‘How will I ever get to the right place at the right time if you are not there?’; ‘a massive help and a great friend’; ‘the voice of common sense’. And, of course, ‘a wicked sense of humour’.

‘She dealt with seven OKS Presidents, six Heads and Acting Heads, five Bursars and Interim Bursars, not to mention Deans and assorted Canons, and made herself indispensable.’

I have always enjoyed visiting the incomparably wonderful Mrs Tingle in the OKS Office. Doing business and having fun have gone together and I have come to depend on her in so many ways, both professional and personal. I will miss her hugely and will surely not be the only one desperately seeking Susan for the foreseeable future.

by Kate Harris

C Charlie Gardiner

harlie joined us from Northbourne Park School with enthusiasm, determination and a willingness to throw himself into all that King’s has to offer. He joined as a Graduate Assistant in January 2017 and has always been an ambitious member of the department and quickly progressed to Trainee Teacher to complete his PGCE at the University of Buckingham. For his PGCE and NQT mentor (me), he made life incredibly easy, staying on top of his paperwork and easily building a great rapport with pupils. Charlie has been a role model to both pupils and colleagues at King’s and has led by example with his outstanding teaching practice and friendly and professional relationship with pupils. Driven to improve all that he was involved with, Charlie was not shy when faced with a difficult conversation, but the pupils were always at the centre of his approach.

Charlie is an all-round schoolmaster who successfully undertook many roles: teacher of Geography as well as Physical Education, Head of Elite and Athletic Development, Head of Football, Head of Physical Education and Deputy Housemaster. This experience of middle management, along with his natural tendency to strive for growth and progress, has set him up well for his exciting new role as Director of Sport at Hereford Cathedral School.

Charlie has been worth his weight in gold both on and off the sports pitch. He is a passionate sportsman who can turn his hand to a multitude of sports and his knowledge served him well when coaching rugby, football, hockey, cricket and netball but maybe not axe-throwing, which was highlighted during a department gathering. We have been fortunate enough to benefit from his expertise in officiating, bringing his wealth of experience as an England Rugby South-East match official. Charlie has also helped coach other staff to referee with more confidence, which we have found to be yet another invaluable asset of his. Charlie is a proactive and adaptable coach, lending his knowledge to juniors, seniors, boys and girls and has been an advocate for developing sport for all over the past seven years. Of his contribution Richard Singfield (Director of Sport) writes, ‘Charlie has been a pillar of both the games and PE Department since his arrival as a graduate assistant. Starting mid-year is not an easy thing to do but, through this charismatic charm, he took no time at all to settle into the life of the school. He is a very good rugby referee, and we will miss him greatly when he moves on. Next season will not be the same. He was happy to help coach other staff to referee with more confidence, which was an invaluable asset. As he trained and moved through the ranks at school, he was made Head of Football, a challenging role at King’s. The logistics of finding coaches and places to play is a big challenge and it cannot be underestimated the amount of work it takes to run a successful season. We wish him the very best of luck in his new role.’

Of his dedication to the football programme, Rob Harrison and Matt Thornby say, ‘Charlie has been a breath of fresh air for the football club with all sessions tied to a clear philosophy for pupil objectives and coaching. He has opened doors to all-weather facilities that

others found closed, to make sure football was played throughout those wettest of Lent Term weeks. Organisational skills and a clear vision aside, the boys had real fun with their ambition being more than matched by the structure in place. He is very considerate and communicative with coaches and is flexible when people need support.’

Mark Orders writes about his time in The Grange: ‘Charlie Gardiner, as we knew him, moved into The Grange as a graduate assistant in 2018 and quickly made a big impact in the house, not least by causing several fire evacuations within the first few days due to his dubious cooking. The boys of the house appreciated his wit, confidence and interest, and he quickly displayed great loyalty to his new home through supporting house events, socials and sport at every opportunity. He got to know each of the boys and their families very well indeed, and his particularly high expectations of behaviour meant that his evening duties were always thoroughly organised, focused, and carried out with real purpose. It was during the pandemic years that Charlie really demonstrated his worth. During an arduous month-long lockdown of the house he fulfilled all manner of roles to keep the boys on task, and sane. Manning the makeshift courtyard servery for breakfast, hand-delivering emergency snacks or drinks at all hours of the day and night, or providing motivating encouragement when the mood dipped, Charlie meant several of the Grange boys refer to this period as their ‘favourite’ time at King’s. As Charlie increased his role within the school, he also shone within The Grange. I was delighted when he was appointed as my Deputy Housemaster in 2021, an opportunity that was thoroughly deserved. Charlie was full of good ideas and had the skill and confidence to implement them. He was genuinely liked and appreciated by all the boys, parents and staff of The Grange, and his warmth, coupled with a surprising level of seriousness when it really mattered, made him an excellent fit. The boys did their best to accommodate his change of name after marrying Hannele, though I must confess to not always getting it right myself. After his appointment as Head of PE, and the birth of his daughter, Aurora, it is little surprise that the demands of being a residential tutor did not appeal quite so much in his final year, and we therefore had to bid him a very fond farewell in 2022 when he moved to Luxmoore. However, he very much remains a friend of The Grange and I, and all the boys, wish him the very best of luck for the future in Hereford.’

Charles and his wife, Hannele, were married in St Augustine Chapel in July 2022 by Rowan Williams, a close family friend, and welcomed their beautiful daughter, Aurora, in March 2023. Charlie leaves King’s to join Hereford Cathedral School as Director of Sport, an exciting new challenge at which we know he will excel. Charlie will be greatly missed but we wish him every success and thank him for his friendship, valued contributions and lasting impact at King’s.

by Charlie Gardiner

I Amelie Blum

n 2015, Amelie Blum studied in Canterbury as part of an Erasmus exchange from her own university in Marburg, Germany. Luckily for us, she met the King’s Lacrosse grad, who told her about opportunities to work at our school. Although she was impressed by the school’s history and its ecclesiastical architecture, it turns out that the real reason she wanted to work here is because she’s a sucker for a winged collar.

She managed to wrench herself away long enough to return to Germany to gain a Master of Education in English Language, Literature, and Physical Education. Six days after receiving her certificate, and with her bindle over her shoulder and a one-way ticket in her pocket, Amelie flew back to Blighty. Prudent as ever, she arrived in London without a job, with her parents telling her that she had until Christmas to find herself a position. With no regard for the impending 2018 Brexit withdrawal agreement, Amelie successfully applied for the job of Lacrosse Grad, just days before her parents’ deadline.

‘She has the wonderful ability to be a friend to the pupils and, at the same time, remain a teacher whom they respect.’

Amelie began her career at King’s the next month, with such luminaries as Charlie Gardiner, Alex Evans, and Piers Richardson. Within her first year, and in a clear example of typecasting, Tanya Lee suggested that Amelie should consider applying for the German Assistant role beginning the next year. She got the position, and as the school knew of her love of English Literature, they transported her from living in a normal person’s flat in St Stephen’s Road to stooping into the hobbit hut situated deep within School House.

In a strange coincidence at being moved into her new oubliette, Amelie became keen on residential trips away. Indeed, she says that many of her most treasured memories at King’s come from her times away as part of the Duke of Edinburgh team. She has been on a multitude, supporting the pupils in Wales, Scotland, the Lake District, and the Peak District. As I’m sure we all would, Amelie fondly remembers the time when she started to develop trench foot on one of her trips to Scotland. Luckily, Major Adam Vintner was able to use his military training to keep up her morale by seeing how many cans of Pepsi he could drink. Amazingly, he managed to have one for every DofE residential that Amelie would go on to help with: eight!

In somewhat of a busman’s holiday, Amelie began to teach German. Her pupils have a deep affection for her, and it is no wonder that the number of pupils studying the subject has increased significantly since her arrival in the department. Her young charges look up to her because she is innovative, clever, and kind, while still being strict. When I confronted her with the charge of strictness, she recalled her love of Old English, saying that she was really ‘just a Beosheep in wulf’s clothing.’ As I have got to know Amelie, one of the things I adore about her is that she marries a strong sense of duty with a real sense of fun. She also has an appetite for adventure, having led two

trips to Hamburg in her time in the department.

Amelie recounts when Peter Roberts asked her to teach German and whether she would also consider becoming Head of Lacrosse. After agreeing, it was only weeks later that she realised that he had actually offered her a full-time position, and that she would no longer be a grad – it’s not just in Lacrosse that she’s on the ball. Looking back at her time at the school, some of Amelie’s proudest memories have come from the way she has developed girls’ Lacrosse. It isn’t just that they are playing more fixtures, and against more illustrious opposition. Her greatest fulfilment has come from nurturing the players themselves. This is certainly true: when many of the girls started Lacrosse, they only expected to take the sport for one term in Shell; however, many of her players have chosen to remain with Lacrosse for their entire King’s career. This will culminate in Amelie running a Lacrosse tour to Canada this summer, which is the first such tour in 16 years.

As we know, the King’s School doesn’t just care about its staff in this life; it cares about our immortal souls too, which is why its unofficial credo is ‘the devil finds work for idle hands’ – hence the school keeping Amelie so very busy. At the same time as teaching German, leading Lacrosse, and teaching Life Matters, she also gained her Qualified Teacher Status, as well as completing her Early Career Teacher training.

Amelie has always cared about the academic progress of her pupils but, at her heart, she cares most of all about their welfare. We have been lucky to have her as a Deputy House Mistress in no fewer than three houses throughout her time here: Carlyon, Kingsdown, and School House. It is in these roles that we have most benefitted from how relatable, thoughtful, and giving Amelie is. She has the wonderful ability to be a friend to the pupils and, at the same time, remain a teacher whom they respect. Reflecting on her time in those houses, she finds it difficult to pick out individual memorable moments because she had so many, but she does laugh as she remembers Olu (pictured) reminding her of just how diminutive she is.

And now she’s leaving us. I’m happy to report that she is going to the wonderful Whitgift school in Croydon, where our dear Head spent some time. Amelie is enthusiastic about the new opportunities she’ll find there. Most of all, she’s excited that she and her mercurial cat Beau will be moving in with her delightful partner, Carina, and her charming dog Raul. I wish her every happiness, and I hope she knows how much I, and everyone at King’s, will miss her.

Jon Williamson

by Anthony Lyons

Inever worked directly with Jon Williamson but for twelve years our paths often crossed, and I developed not only huge respect for this gruff, tough Yorkshireman, but real affection. It’s hard not to like someone who is so good at what he does, tells you stuff to your face, and calls a spade a shovel. I will miss not only his refreshing honesty, but his superb advice about fitness, and about this magazine.

Jon Williamson was born in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, and grew up near Middleton Tyas. He attended Durham School and York University then worked in the City for 15 years. As an oarsman, Jon really knew his stuff: Commonwealth Championships 1994 (Gold), 2002 (Silver); England Team Manager 2014; World Rowing Championships 1995 (Silver), 1996 (4th) and 1997 (9th); Stewards Challenge Cup 1996; Captain of London Rowing Club 2001-3 at Henley Royal Regatta; Winner of the British Masters Championships and Henley Masters Regattas (Vets Fours Head; Vets Eights Head and Pairs Head); and medallist at the Head of the Charles Regatta, USA. A supreme athlete, Jon also represented GB at the Amateur World Cycling Championships (Road Race) in 2015 and 2017. As a rowing coach, Jon looked after England at the Home International Regatta in 2008, 2010-12, 2015-16, 2019 and 2023. He also coached GB in France (2018) and was the Doggetts Coat and Badge Winner in 2021.

Jon arrived at King’s in August 2011 as Director of Rowing and made his mark at once. He increased participation in rowing, redeveloped the Boat Club, overhauled the boat fleet and provided the firstever erg room on the school site. His teams won National Schools Gold medals in 2015, 2018 and 2021, and multiple British Rowing Championships medals, and he helped Freddie Allinson, Tom Wingfield and Ian Wingfield become GB Juniors. Twelve of his pupils represented England at the Home International Regatta.

Looking back, Jon recalls sessions on the lake in sunny, mirror-flat conditions, with pupils growing in as well as out of the boat. He cherishes all the positive feedback from parents and will always remember valued colleagues and friends. He recalls crews qualifying for Henley, especially a Removes Girls Eight who won by a foot; pupils in their country’s kit; children realising that hard work can bring just rewards, with medals at National Schools and the British Championships; and crews enjoying the sensations of good rowing in itself. He will look back with pride on trips and camps he ran, to Orta, Ghent, Bruges, Gravelines or Rouen.

I asked some pupils to say what Jon meant to them. Daniel Kupnovytskyi said: ‘I knew JW only for a year, but he made a big impression on me. He ignited my passion for rowing. Composed, fun, professional and caring, he was like a father figure to every one of us rowers. He taught me everything I know about rowing, and this journey I will remember for my entire life. I wish he was staying.’ Here is Rupert Brett: ‘Mr Williamson was a guiding star, mentor, colleague, and friend. His knowledge and wisdom were treasured, and always will be. When I fell ill, JW encouraged me to come back fighting, to

never give up. This taught me how courage and confidence can empower you. He taught us to focus on the process, not the outcome, and take care of the little things to get the big things right: the result didn’t matter as long as we had a good row, working as a team towards one goal. He taught us not to rely on other people but to organise ourselves, turn up on time and make the boat fly. He made the boat club a supportive and welcoming environment and a place to get away from all the pressures of school life, and I couldn’t have got this far without his enthusiasm and guidance. I chose rowing as a Shell on day one and I wouldn’t change that for the world.’ And here is Alex Gaskain: ‘Mr Williamson was a central part of my time at King’s and a core part of the boathouse culture. He was no-nonsense and serious, a refreshing change from exhausting eccentricity and soft-edged pampering. Having someone outside of the bubble was a refreshing change. That’s not to say he was grumpy, since he was absolutely supportive, but in some ways he expressed the tough nature of rowing. I remember a rower in 6b complaining about revision and JW responding, “Well, sometimes, life is like a 2k test.” That was when I realised the rower mindset.’

I asked his colleagues also. Mr. James Hounsell said: ‘I’ve never met a humbler man. It’s only at regattas around the UK and Europe, when past Olympic and World Championship athletes seek him out, that you realise ‘Jonty’ Williamson is a legend of his sport. His calm coaching style fosters trust and self-belief, and his Northern grit has never masked the love of his sport or fazed the pupils he inspires. He ran the most successful sports programme at King’s in the modern era because he put King’s rowing at the front of everything he did. Jon took pride in creating an environment not just for athletes but also for those seeking respite from the hustle and bustle of school life. I will miss my friend, one of the great people at King’s and a genuine gentleman. He introduced me to the sport late on in life, and for that I will be eternally grateful. When I arrived from the City six years ago Jon and I had a dream. We’d both just read an OKS book called The Golden Age, about an unbeaten rugby team back in 1964. Jonty noticed that all of the 1st Eight played in the XV that year and he said he would teach me to row if I linked the two sports. Things took off in 2022 when Bear Hastillo made the XV and the GB squad, but in 2023 the rowing Shells included nine boys who played U14 rugby, and that summer these same boys won two regattas. That’s the mark of the man, leaving the rowing club in the best possible condition, bursting with talent at both ends.’

Jon is an oarsman and athlete to the core. He knows what he is talking about. And he cared deeply about our pupils. While we lament the space he has left behind, we wish him all the best in the next stage of his illustrious career.

Hamish Roberts by Susan Sensecall

Hamish has been a Geography teacher at the School for two amazing years. He has brought with him a sense of keenness and lots of new ideas and leaves King’s with the ECT qualifications he has earned whilst with us.

During his ECT training, Hamish has positively challenged existing staff’s teaching practice, and adopted many unusual, but immensely successful, teaching techniques, such as throwing foam balls to pupils before asking them questions, creating rapid-fire sessions that always intimidated his fellow colleagues but not his pupils. Evercompetitive, he often waged a fun battle in J Block, the aim being simply to overshadow myself and gain fictious gold stars from the reluctant adjudicator and HoD, Freya Dolan, the currency being new lesson resources, revision techniques, news links all forwarded on whole-department emails, met with wry amusement from the department who have welcomed the virtuous circle of competition. He is still waiting for his star chart.

‘Moving to Hamburg to pursue a career in semiprofessional Hockey appears to be a courageous decision, armed only as he is with a dream.’

During his time with the department Hamish has travelled with us on our premier field trip destination, Dorset, to see the famous sites of Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, and despite seemingly only being interested in going for a swim he managed to convey his impressive knowledge of Physical Geography to the pupils. Hamish also attended the prestigious Naples field trip, taking in the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii and Capri, where his prancing about in shorts with a strong strut was taken to new levels.

He has made his mark within his classroom with a much-needed ruthless clear-out of horded material channelling his endless energy into heaving mountains of material to its rightful new home and finally getting the filing cabinets removed. Now he is in a much more serene working environment, the theory is that all this energy was to highlight his immaculate stationary collection, all lined up in neat rows, something that would impress the decluttering guru, Marie Kondo.

Hamish has been consistently popular with pupils, parents and staff, and as a tutor in School House he really got into the particular ethos of the boarding way of life. He has never let his reputation as an international hockey player or his immaculate hair get in the way of his primary role as a badge-holding, leather-elbow-patch-wearing, Geography teacher. But it is to his love of hockey that we lose him. When he’s not wearing his Geography teacher-issue, wide-legged, corduroy trousers (which he genuinely insists are on trend) he is found predominantly in shorts, no matter the weather.

Having worked to reinforce his tough Scottish image by playing international games for Scotland and Canterbury’s 1st Hockey Team, Hamish has used his vast and valuable hockey knowledge to coach the under 14A girls and under 14A boys. These pupils are new and

Hamish’s enthusiasm for the sport has helped to integrate them into the life of the School.

Without fail, Hamish has kept us entertained with a tendency to ask daft questions about life, work, dating etiquette or, most importantly, what’s for lunch. Ever-hungry, it is his thirst for life that sees him negotiate the Schengen agreement, work visas and indulge his taste for Bratwurst.

Moving to Hamburg to pursue a career in semi-professional Hockey appears to be a courageous decision, armed only as he is with a dream, three words of German, and unwavering confidence. There are few ‘Sliding Door’ moments in life and we send Hamish on his way with all of our hopes and best wishes, not least because we’re looking forward to front-row seats when he represents Scotland at the next Olympics.

With his family Kent-based, having bought his first property in Canterbury and with a penchant for coffee from Fringe and Ginge, Hamish will surely never be far away, which may be a cause for concern depending on your take. He will be very much missed. Gute Reise.

by Stewart Hayes

G Geoff Nelson

eoff Nelson arrived at King’s in September 2018 with his wife, Leanne, and two young sons, Alastair and Malcolm.

Primarily a Chemistry teacher, he also taught Physics and some Life Matters lessons to begin with. He quickly made himself at home in the department and was always happy to take on extra tasks to make his colleagues’ lives easier. A dedicated teacher who valued the personal touch, Geoff asked his pupils to write him a letter of introduction in one of his first lessons to pass on any information they thought might help him to teach them better, and he wrote a personal reply to each one. The department recognised his efforts and gave him the oldest and largest lab. This was the one closest to the loud Science School construction site which was, as Geoff himself remarked when leaving, a pretty good move since he was deaf.

Eager for change and challenge, Geoff became Head of Science (Outreach and Research) in October 2019. In this role, he took over the organisation of the ever-popular Saturday Smarties, developing connections with local primary schools and the wider community, running family science days and overseeing the King’s Week Lab on the Lawn. In early 2020, a glutton for punishment, Geoff decided life wasn’t busy enough and stepped in as Common Room Treasure. In September 2020, as pupils and staff returned to school postlockdown, he became a BASCOS representative, acting as a strong and passionate advocate for his colleagues on the committee. He was ‘rewarded’ for his efforts by being elected BASCOS Chair the following year. His final new role was acting Common Room President, which he took on for the end of the academic year 2022/23. He says he enjoyed arranging the valedictory events and, although I didn’t go to the dinner myself, I’m told he loved giving his speech so much they ran out of time.

Throughout the pandemic, Geoff did his best to remain upbeat and positive, and his work-from-home lessons became legendary because his two sons often crashed his lessons and meetings, despite his best efforts to hide in the basement. The academic year 2020/21 was tricky for Geoff and Leanne, though, because she was going through a complicated pregnancy with their third child. Geoff was hugely proud of Leanne’s strength and resilience, of course, saying she was amazing throughout, and Elliot was born safe and well in May 2021.

You would never guess Geoff had three children at home, though, since his energy and enthusiasm at school never seemed to wane. A three-terms-of-sport kind of schoolmaster, he coached Hockey, Football and Tennis during his time at King’s and was always chipper when decked out in blue polyester with the school crest proudly displayed on his chest. He was especially fond of the King’s baseball cap and wore it most days in the summer, when he wasn’t donning his army camouflage to go on exercise with the CCF. I remember watching him try to load a rifle for the first time in the middle of a field; he might be cool

under pressure in a lab, but he was definitely in a flap that day. He was also a devoted Tradescant tutor and remained there throughout his five years, seeing in a new housemaster in September 2022. He loved everything about the house and the boys, and was kind and supportive with his tutees.

When you look at the list of responsibilities the man had, it is obvious that he has practically-speaking been difficult to replace, but personally-speaking, in the two terms of this academic year that have passed without him, the whole school has missed Geoff’s presence in less obvious, more intangible ways. With fierce loyalty to the school and optimism in the face of adversity, he refused to say anything bad about his colleagues and always saw the best in them. He took a personal interest in your life and made the effort and took care to ask after your family and friends whenever you bumped into him on The Green Court. When asked what he would miss most about the School, Cathedral services and Music at King’s were high on his list because, even though not musical himself, he loved to celebrate the achievements of others and these long-standing King’s traditions create a sense of community and belonging that is obviously so important to him.

A company man through and through, said without any of the cynicism that usually goes with that phrase, he is already much missed, but I am sure that staff at Rugby School are rubbing their hands together.