The Kelleian
Issue 12, Spring 2013
Kelly Swimmer Sets New World Records
Headmaster’s Update Kelly College’s Hannah Russell has had an eventful start to 2013 by setting three World Records. Hannah’s first World Record was achieved in early January when the Kelly swimmers travelled to Cardiff to compete in an Open Meet held by Exeter City Swimming Club. Hannah took a huge 12.36 seconds off her personal best to record her first World Record of the year. Hannah later travelled to Pond’s Forge, Sheffield over the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd of March to compete in the Nationwide Junior and Youth Swimming Championships. During the course of the weekend, Hannah broke two World Records in what proved to be a supremely confident display. In the S12 400m Freestyle, she took more than eight seconds off her record, to finish in a time of 4:28.94. She then went on to show consistency in her outstanding form by finishing the S12 100m Backstroke in 1:07.86. This was her second World Record during the event and her two British Records added earlier in the weekend, capped a dominant performance. Continued on page 7
It is wonderful to see the first daffodils emerging and the school looking so beautiful bathed in a rare spell of spring sunshine, a testament to the amount of work the grounds team do each year.
Despite the very cold weather our sports teams have been busy and, in addition to the regular netball and hockey fixtures, our cross country runners have been competing very creditably at county level.
Our pupils have also been working hard and our 6th Formers are being rewarded by some impressive exam results and some excellent university offers.
There have been lots of other events and activities about which I am sure you will enjoy reading.
The Easter Holidays will bring the welcome opportunity for a rest, but also time for all our exam candidates to really consolidate their revision and prepare for their examinations. We wish them all the success they deserve. Our ‘Theme Week’ this year was Children’s Stories and the Art Department did a terrific job decorating the school. The children responded in spectacular style with each House taking a story as their theme; the winners were Russell House with the ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’. Highlights of the week included a Harry Potter assembly and a visit from the Devon Bird of Prey Centre. Amidst all the activities the children reflected upon the importance of storytelling in society and culture.
On a sad note, we were greatly shocked to hear of the tragic death of one of our Old Kelleians, Junior Heffernan, following a road bike accident in March whilst he was competing in the Severn Bridge Race; our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. I wish you all a safe and restful Easter Break. Headmaster, Dr Graham Hawley.
Issue 12 - Don’t Miss... Combined Cadets' Success P2 University Applications P5 Crowds Thrilled by Grease P6 and lots more...
Navy Cadets in Field Gun Competition The Royal Navy section of our Combined Cadet Force was lucky enough to have two CCF officers visit last December, and with them came two replica field guns and a chance for the cadets to practice a Royal Navy tradition, the Field Gun Competition.
Robotics Club Takes Off Two members of our Robotics Club, Jacob Clinton and George Bowles, have recently produced some stunning work in building and programming robots to perform particular tasks. One such experiment was to programme a vehicle to follow a light beam and to navigate a maze using only a torch. The club has also taken it’s Shooter Bot to our Preparatory School to run a competition to see which group was able to build a robot to bypass a series of obstacles.
This dates back to the Boer War, when ships’ guns were put onto carriages and pulled overland by Royal Navy sailors. Out of this grew the Field Gun Competition, an annual event at the Royal Tournament in London until 1999. Field gunning continues to be performed by the Portsmouth Action Field Gun, and Wellington College CCF. The Field Gun Competition is now being revived by The Soldiers’ Charity, to raise money for injured soldiers and their families. The Kelly College Royal Navy section is planning to assemble a team by 2014.
The club has gone from strength to strength and has now received an invitation to visit a local primary school to demonstrate the Kelly robots during National Science and Technology Week.
2nd Form Geographers Explore Eden’s Biomes
RAF Cadets Shine in Ground Training Over the weekend of the 26th and 27th of January, our RAF cadets went to the Royal Signals' base at Blandford for the South West Ground Training Competition.
The cadets were ably led by Upper 6th Former Steph Hole, whose hard work and sense of fun meant that everyone rose to the demands of the experience. One of the greater challenges of the weekend was a daunting 10 minute parade during which an RAF Regimental Sergeant Major marked Steph and the entire flight on how well they performed a lengthy series of drills. The section had worked hard in preparation resulting in both Steph and the group earning high praise on how well they had performed.
As part of their rainforests module, 2nd Form Geographers enjoyed a February trip to the Eden Project. The day started with a visit to the Mediterranean Biome where pupils investigated the various types of vegetation found in this area and the way plants have adapted to certain climatic conditions. The afternoon was coordinated by the Eden Project staff who led pupils through an activity based on the complexities of the rainforest ecosystem. Pupils investigated the different ways that the rainforest has an impact on our lives, focusing on the everyday items that are sourced from this ecosystem. Pupils also became involved in heated discussions on how cocoa bean farmers from the rainforest are unfairly paid. The day proved to be hugely successful and put into context the classroom based work that the 2nd Form pupils have completed this term.
Creativity Stretched During Aquarium Trip
Pupils Delight Nursery with Rewritten Children’s Stories The culmination of a recent English project saw 1st Form pupils make the short trip to Kelly College Preparatory School to hold a reading at the Nursery.
In January, the 1st Form travelled to the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth to sketch the creatures of the deep and explore their theme for the term: ‘hybrids’. Pupils were given a talk by the resident artist who, using her work to illustrate, explained the technicalities of watercolour painting and the difficulties of portraying sea creatures. The talk was concluded with a valuable insight into how thorough appreciation of her subject can help her to learn more about each fish. As the day progressed, pupils collected sketches that focused on outlines and patterns, made notes about certain characteristics and movements of the fish and were encouraged to consider marine life in new ways. These drawings were then later used to create hybrid sculptures.
1st Form English pupils were required to join forces with the Geography department and make their own versions of ‘The Jolly Postman’. This provided the challenging task of not only analysis, research and storytelling, but also presentation, public speaking and exploring the local geology.
Physics Pupils take to the Track
Before writing their own versions, pupils read the original, paying careful attention to language features and the variety of inserts within the story. To ensure their adapted versions resembled the original, they made letters, postcards, invitations, telegrams and advertisements to include as inserts. The final books were taken to the Nursery where the groups’ stories were joyfully received by their target audience.
Artists Visit London’s Finest
Four 2nd Form pupils, accompanied by Mr Williams and Mr Tailyour, journeyed to Exeter University in February to watch the F1 in Schools Regional Final. F1 in Schools is a scheme in which teams of pupils aged 9 to 19 use a multitude of disciplines including CAD/CAM software to collaborate, design, analyse, manufacture, test, and then race miniature F1 cars. The aim of the visit was for the group to see the competition and get an idea of the amount of work required to create a winning project. Our Physics Department is hoping to have its own team up and running this term.
Fifteen AS and A2 Level Art and Photography pupils headed to London at the end of January to be immersed in the works housed in four of the most prestigious art galleries in London. Throughout the day, pupils saw a mixture of new and old artwork ranging from John William Waterhouse to David Hockney. Marc Quinn’s ‘Blood Head’ and Lucian Freud’s ‘Big Sue’ were striking sources of inspiration. The pupils had just begun their exam unit in which artist research is a fundamental part, so pupils learn to respond creatively to the work of others. They also develop an understanding of some complex artistic issues. The trip was a great source of inspiration, so will prove hugely valuable in coursework production.
Boys' Hockey Team in Spirited Comeback Our 2nd XI hockey squad travelled to face Plymouth College in February. Both teams started with a lot of energy; however, the difference came as Plymouth College managed to score and take the early lead. Kelly pushed back with resolute vigour and having committed men forward, Plymouth broke quickly and scored a second. A rousing half time speech obviously had the desired effect and Kelly scored a well worked goal with Josh Walker applying the finish. Josh was instrumental in Kelly’s second goal too. His run down the right set up Guy Coulton to make the final score 2 - 2.
Siân Picked for South West
Netball Teams Unbeatable
Kelly pupil Siân Temple has been selected to represent South West England, at the Just Giving Virgin London Mini Marathon in April.
Our netball teams achieved some great results against Plymouth College in March.
The announcement follows some impressive performances in which she has excelled at county level.
Two OK hockey teams returned on Saturday the 9th of March for the annual match against our 1st and 2nd XI hockey teams. The 2nd XI took to the pitch to face an Old Kelleian team of significantly more experience. Josh Walker and Josh Kappes worked well up front for Kelly and, using their energy and speed, constantly stretched the Old Kelleians. Kelly’s defence also showed quality; Tom Wheeler and Taylor Ryan made some strong tackles. However, the Old Kelleian’s guile and experience eventually paved the way for a 3 - 1 victory.
Kelly Runners Win Gold at Blundell’s
Netball Success
Six Kelly pupils travelled to Blundell’s School in February for the Larkham Cross Country Cup.
Three teams, including our 1st VII, travelled to Shebbear College in March showing some real team spirit and winning 27 - 26. Our U15s also won against Shebbear. Perhaps the most impressive victory of that weekend came from the U13 A team who secured a great 33 - 1 win.
OKs Show Quality
The 2nd VII recorded a huge win. The final score being Kelly 32, Plymouth College 7. The U15s also worked hard and won their match 19 - 7. The last game featured Kelly’s U14s. They got off to a slow start, but later upped their game to win an impressive 19 - 10.
In the U13 girls’ race, Siân Temple sprinted from the start and confidently finished 1st. In the U13 boys’ race, Lachlan Fulton also went out strong and came home in 1st place. Strong finishes from Jonathan Hawley, Archie Trevethen and Guy Purbrick secured the team 1st place overall in the boys’ team event.
Kelly Runners Run for Devon Pupils Lachlan Fulton, Robbie Nielsen, Josh Carnell, Siân Temple and Ellen Riis-White were all selected to represent Devon at the South West Schools’ Cross Country Championships.
The U15 and U14 netball teams were also in action earlier in the term against Stover. The younger of the teams produced an outstanding display. Valeriya Minaeva scored all fifteen second half goals helping the team to a 27 - 7 win. The U15 team also showed great accuracy in attack, winning their game 26 - 3.
The announcement came after they won five top ten places at the Devon Schools’ Cross Country Championships. Later in the term, those five pupils set out to compete amongst the region’s best young runners and produced some excellent results. These included Lachlan Fulton, who finished 7th out of 51 in the Minor Boys’ Race, and Siân Temple, who finished 6th out of 54 in the Junior Girls’ Race. She finished as the highest placed Devon athlete, beating the County Champion.
The team, which consisted of Nicolas Cording, Ognjen Lukacevic, Kristie Kwok and Joshua Lovett, was tasked with visiting traffic hotspots and, using police data from previous accidents, formulating effective solutions to assist traffic management.
Next it was time for the 1st XI to face the Old Kelleian 1st XI. This was another closely fought game in which the Kelly current crop forced their predecessors to work extremely hard to win the ball. In attack, Captain Jonty Newton played well and galvanized the team to produce an almost relentless wave of attacks. However, as tireless as their offense was, the Old Kelleians defence proved equally robust. They withstood a barrage of shots to keep the score line level and eventually secured a 3 - 2 victory.
As part of the Education Engineering Scheme, the pupils were required to attend university lectures and visited Plymouth’s traffic control centre.
Engineering Pupils Take Control in Plymouth Pupil Selected for European Maths Challenge Having won a Gold Certificate in the Kangaroo Intermediate Mathematics Challenge, Beth Barnes, who is currently in the 5th Form, has been invited to take part in the European Maths Challenge. Every one at Kelly College would like to congratulate Beth on her achievement and wish her every success in the next stage of her challenge.
6th Formers Eye Top Universities Current Upper 6th Form pupils have been reaping the rewards of the hard work they have put into their university applications, with many already receiving offers to study their chosen courses. These include offers to read Engineering at Lincoln College, Oxford; Imperial College London; Southampton and Loughborough. Offers to read Law have also been made from King’s College London, Cardiff and Exeter. The diversity of talent emerging from this year’s Upper 6th Form is also clearly evident. Other offers have included Exploration and Resource Geology, Mathematics and Economics, Politics and International Relations and Classical Civilisation.
Four Lower 6th Form pupils visited Plymouth at the start of the year to take part in this year’s traffic management project with nationwide public service provider, AMEY.
The team first toured the many university engineering and workshop facilities before discussing a project action plan with the AMEY representatives. More hands-on experience was gained later as the team examined the sites in question and visited Plymouth’s Civic Centre. The team’s next challenge is to compile their report for presentation.
Pupils Begin Go4Set Engineering Project In February, a group of six pupils travelled to Plymouth to begin a ten week engineering project. Lottie Luckham-Down, Kacper Brudnik, Katherine Hawley, Sophie Russell, Jessica Rockey and Jacob Clinton are taking part in Go4Set, a National scheme culminating in a report, display stand and presentation to engineering bosses. The day began with an introduction by the organising parties and a brief outline of the project. The concept the teams have to tackle is ‘school is an island’. Or more specifically, if you designed a school on an island, what would you need to think about environmentally? The next step for the team is weekly meetings with their mentors, a site visit to Babcock Marine, and after Easter, a presentation of their findings.
‘Best of British’ Balloon Debate On Friday the 7th of December, a group of keen 4th Form debaters took to the stage for the ‘Best of British’ Balloon Debate. Some surprising performances came from Will Bennett as David Cameron and Charles Howard as Ed Miliband. Ginny Butcher presented a convincing argument about keeping her (the BBC) in
the balloon and Jack Skinner presented a rather portly Churchill. He spoke eloquently about his importance in our nation’s history. With the arguments completed, the final decision was left to the audience of 4th and 5th Form pupils. A unanimous victory for William Shakespeare was declared. Congratulations to Billy Allen who presented a humorous, yet factual argument.
The Westall Centre Open Book This exhibition featured work from a number of pupils under the topic of “stories”.
Work began with pupils studying the history of photography. They also critically analysed a number of photographers and experimented with photographic disciplines such as fashion, documentary and narrative as well as computer manipulation and post-production techniques. The final part of the project had the pupils both curate and advertise the show. This independent approach added further insight into the practice of modern day photography and more freedom regarding how the work should be viewed.
Jennie Hale On the 8th of March, our final exhibition of the term, which featured watercolours and ceramics by artist Jennie Hale, opened to the public. The opening night attracted a large congregation of guests. A wide selection of Jennie’s work was on display and included a number of beautiful diaries illustrated with watercolour paintings. The main part of the exhibition focused on ceramics; Jennie’s raku fired figurines and ornately decorated earthenware provided a stunning display that captured the beauty of the local wildlife.
LAMDA Success
Crowds Treated to Kelly’s Grease
Over 100 LAMDA exams were sat in December which resulted in 57 merits and 30 distinctions.
From the 5th to the 7th of December, large crowds were treated to our pupil’s vibrant rendition of the classic musical, Grease.
Jessica Peak and Ellie Sellers scored 87 in Grade 3 Mime. Ted Jenks and Richard Bennett also scored highly with scores of 85. Ellie Partington and Lizzie Duncan also scored well in the Grade 7 Mime category. Selwin Hulme-Teague scored an impressive 86 in Grade 4 Acting. Will Bennett and Louisa Butcher excelled in the Public Speaking category with scores of 87 and 90 respectively. In addition to a collection of high scores, 13 pupils were also examined at Grade 8. These included Harry Dunlop, Hector Haffenden, Henry Chamberlain, Rosannah Morel, Georgia Donnelly, Jordan Emery, Amy Anstee, Luke Webster, Doug Little, Julia Howard and Anna Germon. Katy Collingwood, Olivia Hampden-Smith and Harriet Sylvester were all awarded distinctions at this level.
Over 30 pupils were involved in the production, with the two lead roles of Danny and Sandy performed by Theodore Brown and Rebekah Hainsworth. Also among the pupils involved, several performed key roles in the music or backstage areas. Upper 6th Former, Chantal Whitfield took on the role of Musical Director, orchestrating an ensemble of Kelly musicians to produce live music for the show. Other important roles were solely managed by pupils; these included Jessica Strutt as Stage Manager, Oliver Hancox on Sound and Barnaby Sargent Megicks on Lighting.
Head of Drama, Mr Jeremy Balfour, directed the musical and refers to it as a classic saying that Grease is “always a popular choice, but musicals are difficult due to the singing and dancing. At schools I have previously taught at, I never felt I had the correct cast, but I felt that this time, I had the right company of performers.”
Year 6 Taster Day In January, year 6 pupils came from across the region to take part in our Taster Day.
Activities challenged pupils to map a course to Antarctica, solve a murder mystery and complete team building exercises. Tom Honey also offered a hockey session that pushed the pupils' sporting skills to the limit.
The show was a resounding success thanks to the hardwork of the pupils, staff and a number of additional contributors. These included Kim Brown, who choreographed the numerous dance routines; Anthony Plumridge, who supplied additional lighting; Kate Trewartha-Wyatt, who did some excellent work on Greased Lightnin' and Matt Wyatt, who kindly shared his lighting experience and expertise.
ASA South West Region Time Trials and Devon County ASA Championships Eight girls competed in the 800m Freestyle and five boys in the 1500m Freestyle at the ASA South West Region Time Trials which doubled up as the Devon County Long Distance Championships. Nathan Linden, Thomas Brew, and Taku Chaza, swept the board taking all three medals. They also placed 1st, 2nd and 5th in the South West Region Time Trials.
British Gas ASA Zonal Championships 12 swimmers competed at the final event of January which was held in Crawley. Tom McLagan rose to the occasion with a great swim in the 400m IM to take the title and the Gold Medal in a time of 4.46.61. Tom also won Silver in the 200m IM in 2.15.56.
Mikey Jones, swimming in the S7 classification won, five medals, including Gold in the 400m Freestyle; Silver in the 200m IM, 100m Freestyle and 50m Freestyle and Bronze in the 100m Backstroke. Mikey also featured in a final for the able bodied, coming 4th in the 400m Freestyle.
Gold Medal winners in the Devon County Championships were Nathan Linden, Georgia Martin, Cara Layden, Leah Picillo and Polly White. Thomas Brew and Jemma Layden both came away with Silver Medals and Bronze Medals were taken home by Taku Chaza, Mille Murdoch and Matthew Courtis. Congratulations to Nathan Linden, Thomas Brew, Taku Chaza, Guy Purbrick, Georgia Martin, Caitlin McCabe, Jemma Layden, Victoria Moore and Leah Picillo who all broke their previous personal best times. Other successes over the weekend included Georgia Martin, who won the girls' 800m 12 year old Devon Championships and placed 3rd in the Time Trials and Cara Layden, who took the Gold in the 13 years age group, with twin sister Jemma close behind in 2nd. They also placed 2nd and 3rd in the Regional Time Trials. Finally, well done to Leah Picillo and Polly White who both won the Devon Championships in their respective age groups; they also placed first in the Regional Time Trials. Continued from page 1
Hannah’s coach at Kelly Swimming, Robin Francis, remains focused on achieving more in the future. Mr Francis said, “Hannah has adapted extremely well to Kelly College life since joining in September and the British and World Records she has broken reflect the huge support given by all swim staff and the school as a whole. For her to be swimming such outstanding performances so early on in our preparations is a huge bonus and motivational boost for Hannah.” Headmaster, Dr Graham Hawley said that, “We are extremely proud of all our swimmers and their achievements. Hannah Russell’s new World Records are the icing on the cake.”
Milly Furneaux won Silver in the 50m Breaststroke and broke four school records. These times also broke the records for the 16 year old girls’ group. Hannah Russell, competing in the multi-discipline events as an S12, took Gold in all six of her events. Hannah also reached the final of the able bodied swimming for the 100m Freestyle and finished in 6th place.
Cara Layden sliced 2.54 seconds off her 200m Freestyle personal best, winning Silver. Finally, Nikita Ivanov broke the 50m Freestyle Kelly Record for 15 year old boys with a time of 25.53.
Kelly Swimmers Compete in Wales In total, 36 swimmers travelled to Cardiff to compete in the Open Meet held by Exeter City Swimming Club. The weekend concluded with some impressive results. Highlights were plentiful as National Qualifying Times were achieved by Thomas Brew, Cara Layden and Milly Furneaux. Congratulations to Thomas for his first NQT. New Kelly College Age Group Records were recorded by Georgia Martin, Aimee Davies, Cara Layden, Milly Furneaux, Nathan Linden, Toby Stanyer, Laker Wong and Ollie Willis. Other highlights included eight Gold Medals and a further 29 personal bests.
Theme Week Captures Everyone's Imagination
This year, a Children’s Stories theme was adopted during Theme Week which saw staff and pupils decorate the College to reflect tales of wonder, wizardry and adventure. One highlight of the week was a visit by Leigh Jauncey from the Devon Bird of Prey Centre. Leigh’s owls fitted seamlessly into the College’s 18th Century architecture and added an extra dimension to the decorations that clad the halls. Other visitors included the Fudge-tastic sweet shop of Tavistock. This homage to Roald Dahl’s classic tale caused quite a stir one break time when a stall was set up in the College’s library. The Houses were also fundraising for their House charities; this ensured that the week was both a collective effort by the College, and a strong individual endeavour from each of the House members. It also made sure that funds raised would be spread across a broad spectrum of causes.
Thrilling Finale To Rugby Tens Tournament
Local Schools Invited to Kelly for Cross Country Relays
Five Devon schools visited Kelly in January to take part in a Cross Country Relay Event. Nearly 100 pupils ran the demanding all-terrain course and by the end of the day, the awards were well shared. In the girls’ races, Kelly College’s team of Lottie Trevethan, Siân Temple, Carys Twyman and Natasha Farrington sealed victory with some impressive running. In the boys’ races, Kelly’s team of Lachlan Fulton, Taku Chaza, Samuel Gray and Toby Bower also secured 1st place. This resulted in Kelly securing the top spot over-all.
Pupils Celebrate World Book Day Pupils celebrated World Book Day this year by attending a book fair held in our library. Set up in association with Book Stop of Tavistock, the book fair celebrated the joy of reading. As part of a special schedule for the day, pupils visited the fair with their respective English classes which gave them a chance to browse, buy and read a great selection of titles.
Six schools gathered at Kelly College in March for a very enjoyable day of rugby tens. Devonport High School for Boys, Plymouth College, Exeter School, Shebbear College, Torquay Boys’ Grammar School and Kelly College all played in a round robin and with only a single game left to play, three teams were still in contention of taking the top spot. This set up an exciting match between Kelly College and Torquay Boys’ Grammar School. Having already beaten Plymouth College, Kelly had to win to be champions. In the end, Plymouth College won the competition on points difference. Having battled hard, Torquay Boys’ Grammar School and Kelly College won the 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.
Natasha Church from Book Stop said, "It is always a great pleasure to attend the Kelly Book Fair and witness the pupils' enthusiasm for books which shows no sign at all of being on the wane".