Skylight - Autumn 2017

The Habs Community Class of 2008 Reunion Reuniting after many years can be daunting for many, but the (not so old) Old Boys of 2008 greeted each other as if it were just yesterday that they celebrated their last day and a successful end to their time at the School.

Coming together at The Bishop’s Finger on Monday 13 November, the Old Boys were in the presence of their former teachers, Dr Roy Sloan, Mrs Janet Swallow and Mr John Swallow, sharing jokes and stories of memorable moments from Habs. A special mention must go to Mr Hardman who, although unable to be there himself, had prepared a rousing update video message showcasing the infamous Russell House drum call.

For a bit of fun, the Old Boys were shown three words that were used to describe them in the 2008 year book to see if they could identify themselves or others. Robbie Phillips and Matthew Cohen were suitably impressed that they remembered the three words they each used to describe themselves as being ‘nothing too special’ and ‘humble, sculpted, worshipped’.

The evening was a huge success, with our Old Boys exchanging details and vowing to remain in contact.

CCF Cenotaph Parade – Whitehall 28 Haberdashers Cadets, SSI James Sandercock and Lt Cdr Tom Hardman CCF RNR had the honour of representing the country’s Combined Cadet Forces on Sunday 12 November 2017 as they marched past The Cenotaph in Whitehall and then on to salute HRH The Earl of Wessex in front of Horse Guards Parade. As expected the turnout and drill of the cadets was outstanding. A truly memorable day.

Following the parade, a number of Old Boys joined the Director of The HABS Foundation, Mr Roger Llewellyn and Dr John Wigley, at the Victory Services Club to reflect on a historic day for the Habs CCF and share tales of previous CCF activity – including a number of memorable half term camps!

1967 Starters Reunion A packed Bishop’s Finger was the venue on Wednesday 1 November for the reunion for 50 or so Old Haberdashers celebrating 50 years since starting at the School in September 1967.

Organised by Alan Newman and David Mushin (in conjunction with the HABS Foundation), the event was a great success, with all sharing jokes and stories of their time at the School, whilst enjoying a drink and nibbles in very convivial company. Old Boys came from far and wide to be there, with Mark Stocker travelling from New Zealand!

Director of The HABS Foundation, Mr Roger Llewellyn, added “It was a wonderful occasion, and so good to hear of the shared great affection for the School and tales of the inspirational teachers who made our Old Boys’ time there so lifechanging.”

Boarding House Reunion CCF Parade Remembrance Service – Habs On Friday 10 November 2017, the CCF held its annual Remembrance parade on the Aldenham House Croquet Lawn, attended by Old Boys, former and current staff, parents and current pupils. At 11am, before the parade took place, the School observed a two-minute silence.

The School was delighted to welcome Old Boys to the Old Refectory, prior to the parade, for hot drinks and cakes to warm them against the brisk autumn wind. They then headed out to the Croquet Lawn, where the current CCF boys stood to attention, awaiting the arrival of the CCF Contingent Commander Lt Col Woodall and The Reverend Brandon, who began the service. Boys from the Navy, Army and RAF read the names of Old Haberdashers who had died in the service of their country prior to the sounding of The Last Post. A respectful hush fell across the parade ground for the minute’s silence, with the Old Boys standing to attention in unity with the CCF. Wreaths were laid at the School War Memorial by Mr Shaun Wilson, Bursar, and Mr Colin Blessley, President of the Old Haberdashers Association.

Following the service, staff and pupils from the CCF joined the Old Boys in the Old Refectory for afternoon tea, where memories and experiences were shared. It was excellent to see the current CCF boys engaging with CCF members from the past.

Sport

On Saturday 15 July, the first official Haberdashers Boarders’ Reunion took place for those Old Boys and Staff who lived in Aldenham House while the Boarding House was in operation from 1961 to 1983.

An afternoon of activities, including visiting Tykes Water, tours of the School and the opportunity to explore once more the inner recesses of Aldenham House, were followed by a sumptuous dinner, which encompassed entertaining (and hilarious) speeches by Paul Twivy (OH 1976), and former Boarding House Masters Keith Dawson - who later returned to the School to become Headmaster - and David Griffiths who was the last Head of House before it closed in 1983. This was a truly unique event and thanks to all who attended.

Sri Lanka Cricket Tour 17 of our top cricketers, accompanied by Messrs Charlwood, Hewitt, Kerry and Habs parents, spent the October half term experiencing the delights of Sri Lanka. The 12-day tour took in the cities of Kandy, Galle and Colombo, six matches (four at Test grounds) and several excursions, including visits to the elephants at Pinnawala and a turtle sanctuary.

As for the cricket, after a narrow defeat in the opening match and the abandonment of the second game, Habs won three of the remaining four games. Only a strong St Peter’s College (Colombo) side outclassed us.

The highlight of the tour was undoubtedly the last ball victory against Southern Academy at the Sri Sumangala MCC Lord’s Ground. After restricting the opposition to 212 for 8 in 40 overs, a superb partnership between Vinosh Jegatheesan and Naresh Rasakulasuriar gave us hope, but Habs still required 14 runs off the last over. Taif Choudhury then hit a ‘six’ and a ‘four’ before scampering a single off the penultimate delivery.

With two runs still needed off the final delivery, new batsman Saihaj Singh managed to get his bat on the ball and see it race away to the boundary, amid euphoric scenes. Many thanks must go to tour organiser Dan Kerry, for what can only be described as the ‘trip of a lifetime’.

Cricket Club Results 2017 Team

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

1st XI 2nd XI 3rd XI 4th XI 5th XI U15A U15B U15C U14A U14B U14C U13A U13B U13C U13 Tour U12A U12B U12C Totals

20 11 5 2 0 12 9 4 14 10 5 15 7 4 3 10 8 4 143

10 7 1 1 0 9 7 3 8 8 3 12 7 2 3 9 8 2 100

2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

8 4 4 1 0 3 2 1 6 2 2 3 0 2 0 1 0 2 41

Abandoned/ Cancelled 3 1 3 0 1 3 0 2 0 0 0 3 2 1 0 3 1 1 24

• The U15A, U14A, U13A and U12A results include HSCA County Cup matches and Bunbury (U13) national cup matches.

• An abandoned match is one in which no ball is bowled.

1st XI Football The 1st XI football team have had an excellent start to the season, winning four of their six matches, including victories against Bedales and St Bede’s in the Boodles ISFA Cup. This is a tournament run by the Independent Football Schools Association with the aim of developing football across the independent schools’ sector. Man of the match was awarded to Alistair Afeeva in the former Match, whilst Jack Miller scored an impressive two goals in the latter match. An away tie against last year’s runners-up - Millfield – presented the boys with a stern challenge. Although they played against a top school side, they competed tremendously well and are certainly stronger for the experience. We wish them luck for the remainder of the season.

Stay in touch with Habs We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to join the new updated Habs Community – the official Old Boy platform for The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School.

Habs Community enables you to: • Reconnect – find and reminisce with classmates, see what they have been up to and stay in touch.

• Engage with other Old Boys – introduce, advise, employ and be a mentor to those who have left the School recently.

• Expand – use your professional network to get introduced to people you should know.

You can sign up in less than two minutes by importing your LinkedIn or Facebook profile, or simply via email. Join up now at www.habscommunity.org

Haberdasher helps England clinch gold in EU Nations Water Polo championships

Online Community – www.habscommunity.org Facebook – /habsboys Twitter - @habsboys LinkedIn – Haberdashers’ Aske’s Alumni

Upper Sixth student Aril, who captains the Habs water polo team, was selected to be part of England’s U21 squad for the EU Nations tournament in Manchester. He represented the country and returned home with a gold medal after England beat Denmark in the final. All at the School are immensely proud of Aril’s fantastic achievement.

SKYLIGHT AUTUMN 2017

Trips Outdoor Leadership Field Trip The Outdoor Leadership group spent Field Day visiting the Fairlop Activity Centre in Fairlop Waters Country Park. The park features a 40-acre lake in which students enjoyed a range of watersports and adventurous activities. The Year 10s spent their day kayaking and canoeing, along with raft building – this was certainly the most exciting and wettest activity! The Year 11s spent their day sailing across the lake in beautiful winds, whilst the Sixth Form learnt how to powerboat, along with canoeing and mountain biking. A large thank you to Fairlop Activity Centre, as well as to our Outdoor Leadership staff, who ensured the day progressed smoothly.

Somerset Geography Field Trip On Sunday 17 September, over 130 Year 11 Geographers gathered to commence their Somerset fieldtrip at Nettlecombe Court.

The first day was spent on the Holbeck River investigating changes downstream, with the pupils gathering data on various factors such as width, depth and sediment load. Upon arriving at the Field Study Centre, the boys had time for relaxation and dinner before moving to classrooms to write up their findings from the day. On the Monday, they visited Porlock Weir to investigate beach profile and coastal management schemes before making the journey home.

The trip went extremely well and the tutors from the centre were very impressed with the behaviour and attitude of the boys. A very intensive weekend of fieldtrip skills, but a hugely important one for the summer exams. A big thank you to all the boys and members of staff who supported the trip.

Events

Prep & Pre-Prep

Battlefields Tour

Sixth Form Parents’ Social & Curriculum Evening

During the first week of the October half term, 46 boys from Years 9 and 10 visited the First World War battlefields and sites at Ypres, on the Somme, Verdun and Vauquois.

Boys and staff commemorated the Old Haberdasher war dead, laying wreaths at the graves of Second Lieutenant Norman Greiffenhagen at Lijssenthoek and Second Lieutenant Eric Coules in the communal cemetery at Roisel. Norman Grieffenhagen had enlisted in September 1914 with the Artists Rifles and had taken up his commission in the Buffs (East Kent Regiment) in August 1915. He died of a head wound at 8am on Christmas Eve 1915, aged 26. Second Lieutenant Coules, who had won the School’s matriculation prize in 1914, had joined the 129th Field Company of the Royal Engineers on 12 October 1917; on 28 October he was killed by a sniper. He was 19 years old.

The Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth Curriculum and Social Evenings both took place towards the start of this academic year. At both evenings, parents and students listened to talks about the curriculum for the year to come and heard valuable information about various aspects of school life. Topics such as emotional wellbeing, the cultivation of values, the development of life skills, study habits, university preparation and the importance of excellent attendance were discussed. There was also the opportunity for parents and students to chat informally with tutors, Housemasters and other parents, whilst enjoying some light refreshments.

Scrub Bashing 44 of our finest CCF Royal Navy Cadets made their way to Croxley Common Moor to do their annual battle with the encroaching hawthorn and blackthorn. They were armed with a vast array of loppers, bowsaws and shears to cut back the overgrowth. The cadets were split into two groups before lunch. One group set a bonfire, whilst the other reduced the circumference of a huge thicket of blackthorn. After lunch, the entire group organised the material that had been cut prior to lunch and dragged it to the fire site. Here they built a barricade around the bonfire to prevent the resident herd of cows from getting too close! The boys did a superb job and we are extremely grateful to those who put in five hours’ hard work, as well as to the colleagues who helped on the day.

Royal Russell School Model United Nations Conference

Senior Inter-House Drama On Tuesday 3 October, parents, teachers and students alike gathered in the drama studio to watch the annual Senior Inter-house Drama competition. All six houses had a week and a half to choose a play, select a company and produce a 10-minute production.

First up was Hendersons with ‘Bronson’, a creative and wellformatted piece, winning Alex Cohen a well-deserved award for best direction. Next came Russells with ‘The New Inn’, a cutting satire, documenting the progression of conversation as underage students drink in a pub, written by Oliver Russell (Lower Sixth). The final piece before the break was Joblings with ‘Black Watch’, a poignant and high energy play about the Scottish Special Forces in Iraq. After a short interval, Calverts performed Step 9 (of 12). With a cast of only three, the performers maximised their use of space, amusing the audience with quick-witted and expertly timed dialogue. The penultimate performance was by Strouts who approached the very delicate subject matter of terrorism with tact and subtlety.

Finally, Meadows took to the stage with ‘Mojo’, an intense piece about local gangsters in Soho, sensitively balancing psychotic personalities against clumsy and comical ones. After a short address from the adjudicator, it was announced that Joblings came 3rd with ‘Blackwatch’, Russells finished 2nd with ‘The New Inn’ and Meadows won with ‘Mojo’. The dedication by all boys involved ensured an impressive evening, with a very high standard across the board.

Dr Andrew Davison T&P Lecture On Thursday 28 September, the Theology and Philosophy department was pleased to host Dr Andrew Davison – Starbridge Lecturer in Theology and Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge – who delivered a lecture on ‘The theological implications of the possibility of extraterrestrial life’. Dr Davison’s lecture focused on the history of the question and how we might imagine the embodiment of certain theological doctrines on other planets and among other life forms. The lecture was well attended by boys from Year 9 to Year 13. The boys posed very insightful questions and there was time at the end for a more informal discussion with Dr Davison. Many boys said afterwards that they had found the topic fascinating and they are certainly looking forward to future events within the Theology and Philosophy department.

Visit of Janet Rapelye, Dean of Admissions at Princeton University On Tuesday 3 October, the Dean of Princeton University, Janet Rapelye returned to Habs to meet prospective pupils and parents. Dean Rapelye thoroughly enjoyed her visit in 2015, which led to Habs forging a partnership in teacher developments and The Aske-Princeton fellowship programme. Dean Rapelye talked with a large group of Sixth Form boys over afternoon tea about the nuances of US applications. The boys, all of whom are applying to the US, asked questions about their applications and valued the insight Dean Rapelye and Miss Tucker could provide.

Following afternoon refreshments, Dean Rapelye gave a fascinating presentation to a group of Year 10 and Year 11 boys and their parents.

All of these boys have already begun to plan their applications for American Universities. It was wonderful to see Dean Rapelye and her husband again, and we look forward to seeing her back at Habs soon.

Year 7 Board Games Event with the Girls’ School The Boys’ School hosted the first Year 7 event of this academic year with the Girls’ School. Initially shy, the students began to mingle and converse over some old board game favourites such as Cluedo and Uno. The boys were well behaved and were delighted to host our visitors. The event took place in the Aske Hall, with over 110 students attending (about 80 of our boys). It proved to be a huge success, with special thanks to the support and help of Lower Sixth students Aditya Venkatraman, Vasanth Balla, Josh Warner, Dylan Shah, Eugene Tsang and Guy Dabby-Joory.

MFL Exchange After assembling at St Pancras International station, a group of 16 boys, accompanied by Miss Drake and Mr Lennon, boarded the Eurostar direct to Paris. After a brief stop at Alma, the group visited the Stade de France, home of French football. After a tour of the unseen areas, the students met their exchange partners and spent evenings with the families. Over the weekend and following week, they toured the famous Louvre, visited the Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, travelled to L’Opéra, went on the Bateaux Mouches down the Seine, visited Versailles, and went on a tour around Notre Dame, with its two iconic towers and deafening bells. A short journey on the Eurostar back to St Pancras International left the boys reflecting on many happy memories and inspired them to persevere with their French, as well as leaving them anticipating the return of the exchanges later in the year.

Art, Music & Drama On Saturday 14 October, 19 boys from Years 10 to 13 travelled to Croydon to take part in the 46th annual Royal Russell School Model United Nations summit. Of these students, 17 represented the countries of China, Poland, the Philippines and Uzbekistan, while the other two attended to chair committees at the summit. Model United Nations is a simulation of the United Nations, where students acting as delegates for countries debate various topics in small committees before these are all debated in a large ‘general assembly’. For three and a half days, the students debated, wrote and critiqued a series of arguments, many of them eventually speaking in front of the prestigious general assembly with hundreds of delegates in attendance. This was exemplified in the outstanding awards record, with 14 out of 17 delegates winning individual ‘distinguished delegate’ awards, the highest proportion for Habs since records began, and with the delegation for China eventually winning the coveted ‘distinguished delegation’ award.

Drama Trips to the Gielgud, Milton Keynes Theatre and the National Theatre The Drama department has seen a range of inspiring theatre this half term. On Monday 11 September, the A-Level Theatre Studies groups were treated to Jez Butterworth’s gripping The Ferryman at the Gielgud. In addition, the A-Level groups saw the Splendid Theatre’s Brechtian take on Metamorphosis at St Albans School on Wednesday 27 September. The GCSE groups enjoyed the astonishing A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime at Milton Keynes Theatre, as well as visiting the National Theatre on Wednesday 11 October to see Bristol Old Vic’s thrilling Jane Eyre. We are now looking forward to a future visit from its set designer, Michael Vale, after half term.

Stravinsky Concert Trip Simon Rattle has just returned from the Berlin Philharmonic to be principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra from September, and to celebrate this the LSO are performing some quite amazing concerts. The School was fortunate enough to secure tickets for some of our GCSE and A-level pupils to see three of Stravinsky’s early ballets: The Firebird, Petroushka and the Rite of Spring. Given the shortest of the three (The Rite) lasts almost 40 minutes, this was quite a marathon concert for both orchestra and audience. Rattle conducted all three completely from memory, and together with the orchestra gave an astonishing rendition of all three which garnered ‘5 star’ reviews from the papers the following day. An excellent evening was had by all.

Autumn Concert The Autumn Concert took place before half term, with the usual variety of high quality ensembles performing to the Year 7s who reciprocated with enthusiastic singing. Senior Guitar Orchestra began with some upbeat One Republic and Villa-Lobos before the School Choir sang some beautiful unaccompanied Byrd. Big Band concluded the first half with three pieces which were well-received, as always. After the interval, Concert Band played music from Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone followed by our Young Musician of the Year winner, Hugo Max, performing the 1st movement of Mendelssohn’s violin concerto with a beautiful tone and musicality. Finally, it was the turn of the Queen-themed Year 7s, who rose as one and performed We Will Rock You, followed by We Are the Champions and Radio Gaga, with a wonderful accompaniment from our in-house band. The concert was a huge success and many thanks to all staff and students involved.

Year 5 History Trip to Hatfield House

Year 2 Creative Writing

On Thursday 2 November, 56 boys went on a Tudor History trip to Hatfield House. The boys initially had a tour guide who talked to them about the palace, its architecture, the gardens and the clothes that the Tudors wore. After the initial tour, the boys met ‘King Henry VIII’ in the Great Hall. The boys were awestruck and listened to his speech closely; they learnt about the king both as a young king and as an older king. The boys also met a ‘Tudor soldier’ who talked to them about weaponry and battle. Last of all, the boys were able to see where Elizabeth I received news that she was going to be Queen of England - under the famous oak tree at Hatfield House. It was not only an educational trip, but inspiring and a lot of fun. Many thanks to all staff and students involved.

In their creative writing, Year 2 have been learning to engage their readers by developing the level of detail in their work. This piece of work, titled ‘All about me!’ is by Aiden Barretto in 2JP. Aiden’s writing is a moving piece about the things he enjoys the most, from his favourite colour and sport to his future career as a spy! He was very successful in collecting information about himself and expanding a series of well-formed sentences. Aiden punctuated his sentences correctly and evidenced an accurate use of commas and full stops. His work was also presented neatly, with neat handwriting. Fantastic work, Aiden.

Project Filius Over the summer holidays, extensive building work was conducted on the Prep School as part of the refurbishment project. Project Filius features a range of newly-refurbished classrooms, as well as a reception area to be proud of.

The boys are already enjoying using the new IT facilities the project has provided, including new laptops and smartboards, to improve their standards of digital literacy and learning. Project Filius continues throughout this term and we ask you to watch this space as the work progresses!

Harvest Festival This year, the Prep School boys had an amazing assembly to celebrate the September Harvest Festival. Aside from the boys and staff, there were a large number of parents in attendance. The beautiful service included a range of arts, including music, poetry, and readings; Reverend Milo also made a guest appearance dressed as a mouse!

The parents and boys were extremely generous with their donations and we wish to thank them for their kind support.

All donations were given to the Food Bank in Borehamwood, a local organisation that offers food to those in crisis. It has certainly been one of our most successful harvest festivals to date.

Year 1 Van Gogh Study Year 1 have enjoyed studying the famous artist Vincent Van Gogh.

Van Gogh is known in particular for his beautiful, vibrant colours as well as his unusual and expressive brushstrokes. The class looked closely at his ‘Starry Night’ painting, created in a period of emotional turbulence for the painter. After examining the painting, the boys then created their own Starry Night pictures.

The students drew on watercolours, coloured shapes and glitter to bring their paintings to life, imitating some of the beautiful and engaging images the painter created through his life. The study was a great success and we look forward to examining other painters in future years.