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Sotoniensis 2013

King Edward VI School Wilton Road . Southampton . Hampshire SO15 5UQ Telephone: 023 8070 4561 www.kes.hants.sch.uk

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Sotoniensis 2013

CONTENTS

02

Editorial

28

Clubs & Societies

53

Creative Arts

From the Headmaster Chaplaincy Report House Reports Staff Farewells

Amnesty Group Astronomy Society Badminton Club Beekeeping Club Byron Society Cactus Club Canoe and Kayak Club Charities Commission Chess Club Christian Union

Classical Society Cookery Club Debating Society Economics Society Fencing Club First Aid Club German Magazine Club Green Team Greenpower Historical Society

Hospital Visiting Interface Lunar Society MedSoc Partnerships Sailing Club Scamp Club Table Tennis Club Target 2.0 Competition Young Enterprise

French Exchange to Le Havre Geography Trip to Malham Tarn Geography Trip to Osmington Bay German Exchange to Mutterstadt History Trip to WWI Battlefields History Trip to Berlin Morocco Trip Second Year Dartmoor Trip

Ski Trip South Africa Trip Spanish Trip to Catalonia Spanish Trip to Cordoba Spanish Trip to Salamanca Summer Camp Thailand and Cambodia Expedition Watersports Trip

Boys’ Cricket Boys’ Tennis Girls’ Hockey

Girls’ Netball Girls’ Rounders Girls’ Tennis

The Art Department The Dance Department The Drama Department The Music Department

69

Trips & Visits

98

Sport

Aachen Trip Activities Day Beaulieu Trip Biology Trip to Dale Fort Charlotte Exchange Classics Trip to Italy The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award French Exchange to Angers

Boys’ Basketball Boys’ Football Boys’ Rugby Boys’ Hockey

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Editorial

From the Head The academic year 2012/3 has seen a number of significant developments.

We began the year with 975 students on the roll and demand for places at the School has continued to be very strong. A major revision of our strategic development plan for the next 3 years has been completed linked to our regular surveys of parents, students and staff and our recent excellent ISI inspection report.

T

he School has sustained its facilities development programme with a number of new initiatives including an expanded Music Recital Room, refurbished History classrooms, a new roof for the Biology Department and new car parking facilities at Wellington Sports Ground. A great deal of attention has also been given to the development of new facilities at Stroud, our new preparatory school, and a new Dining Hall and classrooms are proposed for construction over the coming year.

Our students have enjoyed another very good set of academic results, notably at A2 and IGCSE. We were also particularly pleased with our Oxbridge admissions results. 10 students confirmed places this year, representing 8% of the year group and over the past 5 years an average of 11% of each cohort has proceeded to one of these two universities. Over 83% of our students were offered places at universities at the top 25 universities or medical schools in the UK. We were delighted to welcome Debra Searle MBE as our Chief Guest at Speech Day in 2012. Her achievements as a very well-known Atlantic rower were particularly appealing to our students.

We have had a particularly good season in the School’s sport. Hockey has gone from strength to strength. We have had one of the most successful girls’ seasons in recent years. This year saw the new structure of girls’ hockey resulting in 2 Senior teams, combining the Fifth Year with the Sixth Form. The U14 girls’ team and the 1st XI team also won the County rounds of the National Schools’ County Competition. The U16 team came runners-up in their respective tournament.

The U15 team enjoyed success at the South Hockey U15 Tournament, in which they were eventual runnersup. They had an unbeaten season in regular fixtures and they show much promise as they join the Senior Squad next year. This success was reflected in the

performance of boys’ hockey with a number of good results and the U14s and U16s both reaching the Regional Heats of the National Cup. 8 KES players have also distinguished themselves playing for the U18 Trojans team in the National Cup and a very enjoyable hockey tour to Holland was experienced by all who took part.

The 1st XV rugby team began the season with a preseason tour to Ampleforth College. Along with the U15 team, they also played well against tough competition in our own South Coast Rugby Tournament. The U15 team has gone further in the National Daily Mail Cup than any other team at KES during this season which is an outstanding achievement. Our other teams have been busy, with a particularly fine opening season for the U12s and a County Plate Final for the U16 squad.

It has also been a good season for netball. After a very frustrating start to the season due to the bad weather, there were some exceptional results throughout the spring term. The U16 team continued their journey to Regionals finishing in 3rd place. The Senior teams achieved excellent wins against both local rivals and schools with a national reputation in the sport, while the Junior teams also secured some impressive results.

Football has had another successful season and is consolidating its reputation as a Sixth Form sport.

Fencing, kayaking, dance and sailing have also gone from strength to strength and a number of students have achieved national prominence in sports such as squash, rhythmic gymnastics, netball and sailing. The U16 tennis teams had pairs in both of the Hampshire Schools’ Doubles Championships. The girls became Hampshire Champions.

The number of visits the School organises each year continues to grow and is a major part of our educational provision. This year KES students have

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enjoyed visits to the USA, South Africa, Morocco, Thailand and Cambodia, Holland, Spain, France and Germany. These have ranged from trekking in the remote jungles around Angkor Wat to camel rides in deserts of North Africa. Closer to home students have participated in historical visits to the French First and Second World War battlefields, skiing in La Plagne, language exchanges and study visits to Angers, Le Havre, Mutterstadt, Salamanca and Santander and trips across the UK, from regular theatre and music visits to London to geography and biology field trips to Malham Tarn and Dale Fort. Hundreds of our students have made excellent use of the New Forest and our facility at Lovaton on Dartmoor for Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions.

The arts have had a high profile concluding with three days of our biennial arts festival with everything from steel drums and Afro-Caribbean dance to jewellerymaking, stilt walkers and Zumba. Regular occasions such as the Carol Service at St Mary’s and Thanksgiving in Winchester Cathedral have been interspersed with a wide range of concerts with the highlight being an evening event at St John’s Smith Square. Drama has been busy with a number of productions including Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Two, Just the Three of Us and The Recruiting Officer as well as numerous Junior Drama Club events. The annual art exhibition was one of the most impressive we have had with growing prominence seen for our photographers.

Charitable and community work has long had considerable prominence at King Edward’s. In the past year over £20,000 has been raised by the students themselves for a range of different organisations including our Summer Camp for young carers within the city, the South Africa venture supporting the Goedgedacht Trust near Cape Town and our partnership with St Mark’s Junior School at Lovaton on Dartmoor. Dozens of volunteers have helped with cake sales, sponsored events, discos and talent shows. Likewise, our primary school partnerships have prospered involving a range of art, literacy, mathematics, languages and science clubs as well as special events such as the recent ‘windy racers’ day at the end of the summer term.

We have been very well served by Nikhil Ohri as Head of School over the last year, ably supported by his deputies, Natalie Fairhurst, Nicholas Brown and Sam Fox. Our Prepositors and Heads of House, together with the Lower School Prefects, provide excellent leadership across the School. They have all worked very effectively with a varied range of responsibilities and opportunities to develop their team work and communication skills.

We have a relatively limited number of staff leaving King Edward’s this year, with just a couple of significant retirements after long service. Mr Courtney retired after serving as an outstanding Deputy Head (Academic) for 18 years. He has guided the School with great professionalism through a period of major curriculum change under three Heads. Mr Jones has moved on to set up his own business after over 20 years at the School, most notably as Director of the Sixth Form and Mrs Price has retired after 18 years at the School, with 7 years as an excellent Head of Theatre Studies.

Mr Turner has retired after a decade at the School teaching physics, with particular involvement in our trips and visits programme as our extra-curricular visits co-ordinator. Mrs Backen is leaving us after teaching English with distinction since 2004, Mrs Williams, a teacher of geography, Head of House and our charity co-ordinator is leaving after 7 years at King Edward’s and we are also grateful to Mr Powell (Mathematics), Mr Peel (Principal Hockey Coach), Mrs Hooton (Geography) and Mrs Sheridan (Design Technology) who have each completed a year with the School. We also thank other teaching staff who have assisted the School this year on short term contracts. Amongst the non-teaching staff, particular note must be made of the contribution of Mr Brant and Ms Shadjareh, IT classroom support technicians, Mrs Hilborne, receptionist, Mrs Alexander, Head of the Learning Resource Centre, Mrs Shorter, Assistant Bursar (Finance), Mrs Anderson (school nurse) and of Mr Goldie who has transferred to Stroud after an impressive decade at King Edward’s as our Assistant Bursar (Facilities).

KESSoc has prospered under the direction of Mrs Swinn and Mrs Sansome. It continues to be fully involved in the School’s life, not least through the organisation of the biennial KESSoc ball. We are very grateful for their support for a range of activities from music and kayaking to the part-funding of a youth worker in South Africa in July. Our alumni have enjoyed numerous reunions, organised by our Development Officer, Ms Hooper, with much useful work completed by our legacy foundation to help students applying to King Edward’s from disadvantaged backgrounds.

King Edward’s has continued to be a very successful School offering its students a winning combination of an academic education with a myriad of co-curricular opportunities to develop their sporting, cultural and leadership skills. KES students are notable for their involvement in the wider community whether it is involvement in hospital visiting, helping with a local scout pack or support for aid programmes abroad. We are very proud of them all.

AJ Thould // Head

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Chaplaincy report I

n multi-cultural, multi-religious and frequently secular context it is an interesting challenge to be in the public domain as a religious representative of the state church. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has accepted the call to that difficult role in our nation’s political and spiritual life. The process of selection was lengthy and followed a set procedure, but many would want to say God had a hand in the process too.

Certainly much prayer surrounded the undertaking.

Justin Welby, in taking up this particular ministry, has answered God’s call, as the prophet Samuel did, as did Isaiah. Here I am, Lord, send me. This same challenge of responding to God’s call was faced by Jesus as it has by countless individuals and communities through the centuries.

Vocation and a sense of value and purpose have been themes of much of this year at KES, explored in assemblies and many activities and we have concluded the Jubilee anniversary of the Queen’s accession and coronation. She too has a keen sense of her vocation to the task she was born to take up. It has, no doubt, been a cross at times hard to bear.

Both archbishops and monarchs play an interesting role as Head of the Christian state church and, in the former’s case, also spiritual head of a worldwide Christian community of Anglicans. They are called to witness to the mission of God to the world through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. They also have a role to value and defend the religious lives and

freedoms of other faith communities, speaking to politicians, facilitating conversations and being unafraid of populist or ill-considered journalism.

Thankfully, as a School Chaplain I am less in the national eye of the storm, but nonetheless, there are similarities: the notion of being called to a ministry here at KES certainly. I am authorised to be at KES by the Bishop of Winchester as chaplain to witness in whatever ways are appropriate to the Christian faith. I also have, as part of that task, to manifest what I think the Gospel demands of all who subscribe to it, namely generosity to and love for all people. As a person’s religious and faith position and their spiritual life is an integral part of who they are, then I must respect and value this aspect of them too. So it is that I have had many good and personally enriching conversations with members of the School, many from faith communities and traditions far removed from my own. I invariably find these encounters some of the most rewarding of my week, as they really demand of me to reflect on what it is that I believe and the implications of such belief. In flying the flag for the religious and spiritual side of life, including faiths other than my own, I hope I understand more of the human condition and my own tradition can speak in new ways to me.

The Third Year exchange with Charlotte Country Day School in USA afforded me a new perspective this year. Having never been to the States, nor having real knowledge of either US education or politics (we were there for the Presidential election), this proved a fantastic experience. The considerable presence and influence of religious belief and teaching was very apparent in the society, although in no formal sense within the curriculum. I was billeted for some of the time with a Liberal Jewish family and was privileged to attend a Bar Mitzvah of two of the pupils from the school. The hospitality and generous interest in others’ traditions and customs was humbling; a valuable lesson in enriching one’s own priorities and values by experiencing the ‘other’ and in being open, rather than so assured and arrogant as to assert that one has nothing to learn from one’s neighbour.

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Being hosted just across the border in South Carolina for a period also gave me insight into aspects of American history, notably the legacy of slavery and segregation, as well as contemporary issues of rural poverty and hardship. I was delighted that our students were also exposed to many aspects of life in the States by their host families as well as by the excellent programme set up by Charlotte Country Day School. One particular memory for me is the marking of Veterans’ Day when, back home in the UK, KES, and the nation, were marking Remembrance tide. The home-made poppies we bore were a moving token of the place this anniversary has in our students’ mind.

There has seen sadness and bereavement for a number of students and staff during the year. As a community when we are faced by the tragedies life presents, we hold each other in friendship and common humanity, offering what support each of us can, be it in prayer, personal contact, kind words, a hug or even in the maintenance of routine. In this way we serve and proclaim the value of each other. Equally, in a wedding or the birth of a new child, on the sporting or creative stage, in exam or university success or disappointment, we share our life and all it brings.

the assembly programme as well as Messrs Robinson and Singleton for their tireless work with Christian Union and Interface. Thanks must also go to all involved in the logistics of making so many formative events in our school life happen.

Living out the values of the kingdom of God, something Jesus taught to be at the core of our relationship with God, is always a challenge. As a Christian I am frequently shamed by those who espouse no religious belief and yet who do so much that I recognise as building a fairer and just society. Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven trips off the lips nicely but actions speak louder.

The example set by students and members of staff in championing charitable causes and the plight of the disadvantaged is truly inspiring. This year has been especially so, not necessarily in the financial regard but in the range and imaginative ways individuals and groups have pushed themselves supporting the cause of the least fortunate in our society. Many a religious studies student will recognise the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew’s Gospel summarised by a hymn we often sing: When I needed a neighbour were you there? Whatever our sense of calling or partially formed understanding of our vocation, my prayer, for myself, and for all the Edwardian community is that, in whatever way is meaningful for each individual, the answer will always be: Here I am. Send me.

Revd Poppleton

In establishing the School some four hundred and sixty years ago, William Capon and the King will have hoped the pupils would have been grounded in a faith that would not only sustain them but challenge them. In remembering our founding fathers, and all our benefactors, at the Service of Thanksgiving in the splendid setting of Winchester Cathedral, the School reminded itself of not only its long heritage, but also of the challenge to how to ‘be’ now and in the future. Both corporately and individually the need to reflect on how we act in the world has never been more pressing. I am very grateful to The Right Revd, Peter Hancock, Bishop of Basingstoke who was our preacher, and to all the musicians, readers and dancers who contributed to a moving and memorable service. Equally, I am grateful to those who enabled our Carol Service to take place at St Mary’s, where amongst the festive fun, the aim is to put a little grit into the oyster, helping all of us to think beyond the tinsel and commercial focus of the season to a rather more enduring and challenging message. I am very grateful to the devotion of those who support

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House Results 2012-2013

Capon House M

y first year as Head of Capon has definitely been an eventful one, with laughs, challenges, victories and some, though I wouldn’t admit it, very competitive rivalry. Each year group has proved its commitment to the House and created its own highlights to be remembered. Finishing in 2nd place for the Lower School, Upper School and overall trophies is an achievement for which we should all be very proud.

Heading the team, Livi Ellis and Gus Woolley have done an admirable job with charming smiles and determined attitudes throughout the year. I can say that it would not have been as rewarding or as fun without them and I wish them the best of luck as they move on from King Edward’s.

A very enthusiastic new set of First Year recruits, including an especially sporty set of Capon boys dominated the First Year fixtures. They won the First Year football, First Year rugby and a legendary bench ball competition, where our boys were undefeated throughout all their games; a fantastic achievement.

The Ready Steady Cook challenge also helped us gain another 2nd place thanks to James Diaper and his culinary ability. I would like to say thank you to our First Year House prefect Charlie Hill and I look forward to seeing Ellie D’Alton taking over the role next year.

One of our first events of the year, cross country running, proved to be a great success with Blake Miller winning the Lower School competition and other competitors gaining us much needed points, the Senior team, including Richard Bolton, came 2nd overall.

The Colts boys also played their part in this year’s success, winning the rugby in a very hotly contested final match and the Colts boys’ hockey, which came down to penalty pushes. All the Upper School prefects, Simreet Garewal, James Ellis, James Kingshott and Robyn Creedon helped get points on the board. The Lower School, not to be overshadowed, worked hard to win the Junior House rugby competition and come 2nd in the Junior rounders. Our Lower School prefects Vicky Diaper, Joel Davies, David Marsh and Niamh Phelan all added in their own ways to the team

and their organisation, enthusiasm and face paint application was spot on.

Sports Day saw some fantastic individual achievements and two new school records for Capon.

The first achieved by Tom Hardwick in the 100 metre hurdles and the second the First Year boys’ medley relay.

The House Choir Competition proved to be a great laugh at the end of term and with Niamh Phelan in charge; our outfits, dancing and singing gave us an opportunity to enjoy ourselves, despite coming in 4th place.

I am now looking forward to another year ahead and with Harriet Billington and Niema Moazzami in charge of the team I’m excited to see if we can go one place better and grab that trophy next year.

Miss Stone

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Lake House T

his year has been a varied, but closely fought battle for Lake. Whilst final results did not always go in our favour, Lake House has never failed to tackle the challenges head on and to do so with a sense of fun and pride. I have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and willingness to volunteer for House events; I rarely struggled to fill places on teams and, where last minute vacancies arose, I was never short of someone willing to go the extra mile. Once again it remains a total honour to be part of Lake House and I thank all those who have taken part in the many House events over the year. In particular, I am hugely grateful to Jack Culmer and Anna Shadbolt who have continuously supported and led the House through all the highs and the lows with a commendable sense of passion and drive.

securing them 1st place.

With further success in the Quiz and Chess competitions, we only narrowly missed out on 3rd place overall by two points suggesting that next year will again be a close fought competition. If we can continue with the same proactive approach to signing up for teams and have the same impressive levels of House spirit, I am confident we will be a strong contender for the top few positions.

As the year has progressed, I have particularly enjoyed watching the Upper School develop a renewed sense of identity and their ever-increasing levels of commitment were quite rightly rewarded when they received the Upper School House Trophy at the end of the year. This was particularly evident in the run up to Sports Day in which I am pretty confident that we had the highest turnout for events, especially amongst the Fifth Years, which subsequently secured us the overall win in the Upper School Sports Day results. After a narrow defeat in last year’s Colts netball final, the girls came out on top in a well-contested match against Lawrence having already won the hockey during the autumn term. The boys, clearly the stronger team in the hockey final, lost out in a nail-biting match that went to penalties. However, this 2nd place and their strong performance in the House Cross Country helped secure them the overall win.

Heads of House: Jack Culmer and Anna Shadbolt First year Prefect: Kiah Ashford-Stow Upper School House Captains: Andrew Devoy, Bria Ellis, Georgia Everest and Tim van der Horst Lower School House Captains: Mary Amos, Mike Gorry, Ed Rollitt and Heather Watts-Brooke House Colours: Harvey Armstrong, Angus Chaplin-Rogers, Andrew Devoy, Issie Elliott, Bria Ellis, Ellie Holland-Wright, Daisy Porter, Ed Rollitt, Alex Sherlock and Peter Thompson

The Lower School has experienced more of a rollercoaster year with a number of closely fought contests being narrowly lost. Junior House saw the usual sea of painted faces after school on Fridays and, even in the wet and windy weather of the spring term, Lake gave it their all. The greatest achievement of the Lower School would need to go to the 5-aside football team who dominated this competition.

This year’s intake of First Years has certainly not lacked in House spirit and fine voice. The boys finished the rugby season off in great form, winning the end of term competition and giving Lake much hope for next year’s Junior House. The girls, although lacking in numbers, continued to give their all and never gave up against much stronger competition. Ellen Campbell, together with Liberty Roberts of the Lower Sixth, represented the First Year in the Ready, Steady, Cook competition and they wowed the judges with their culinary expertise

The new Heads of House for 2013-2014 are Georgina Hawkings and Harvey Armstrong. I have every confidence that these two, alongside Mr Miller, will lead Lake House through the coming year with enthusiasm, passion and pride. Let’s go Lake!

Dr Sinnett-Jones

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Lawrence House T

his has, without a doubt, been a phenomenal year for Lawrence. Kicking off with our new motto ‘Lawrence and the Machines’ - the year started on the right positive note. The main aim from the start was PARTICIPATION and the pupils have more than delivered, stepping up to help support, represent and perform for the House at all costs.

Junior House brought in strong performances by both the boys’ rugby and girls’ hockey teams. All performers and spectators united to make the House proud displaying startling skill, power and tenacity, which resulted in some very admirable wins against strong opposition.

During the spring term, the Senior netball team battled it out against some decent opposition, clinching victory only on point difference. Similarly, the younger netballers in the House followed suit with an intense term of Junior House matches, resulting in the Lawrence team taking the title to become Junior House champions. The First Year netball team and Colts team fought hard to finish in 2nd place in their respective competitions.

As the summer term arrived the sunshine gave the House the final boost it needed to bring home some superb victories. The sporting teams continued to shine as they batted and fielded to victory, winning the Junior House rounders competition. The team spirit

continued into Sports Day, which was a particular highlight, during which a number of Lawrencians competed in the heat of the day demonstrating outstanding courage, passion and, in some cases, strength of character, to break records and win the Spranger Cup for the first time in living memory. The musical talents hidden within the House came to light for the penultimate challenge of the House Choir. After very few lunchtime rehearsals, but a lot of hard work from the pupils, the Lawrencians’ rendition of Jackie Wilson ‘Higher and Higher’ was enough to secure yet another victory.

Going into the final event in the lead by 9 points meant that we only had to beat Capon to secure the overall win. The Lawrencians swam their hearts out checking the points after nearly every race, cheering their teammates on with every breath they took, focusing all their energy on the final result. After an incredibly hot and competitive afternoon Lawrence House secured 3rd place ahead of Capon, making Lawrence the Allen Grant Trophy winners for the first time in decades!

A huge well done to all who have taken part in the House events throughout this year and to the captains for leading the House in an exemplary manner and for always believing!

Mrs Ferrand

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Reynolds House A

very good year for Reynolds; the House was on good form across a wide variety of events and activities. The First Years brought plenty of enthusiasm, the Lower School gave a good fight in most of the sports played at Junior House level, the Upper School gained us valuable points, and the Seniors did their best! The Heads of House for 2012-13, James Skinner and Ellie Stephens, were full of winning tips and managed to inspire a fighting team spirit throughout the House.

We saw some excellent rugby in the autumn term with the Lower School boys finishing 2nd overall, and the girls gained 4th place in their hockey tournament. The Upper School were not so successful but the girls still gave a great fight in their hockey matches, and the boys were placed 3rd in their rugby tournament.

The Senior girls did us proud in their hockey, coming 2nd overall. We also saw the First Years perform for the first time and both boys and girls did well in their football and hockey, respectively.

The spring term saw more successes, with excellent performances from our First Year benchball team, the Colts basketball team, who did not crumble under the pressure of the House Joker winning us double points, the Senior boys’ hockey team and the Lower School football team, who all added valuable points to the tally. Our Lower School boys posed a serious threat with their fantastic performances on the hockey pitch, with all three teams securing top positions to win maximum points. We also enjoyed some great performances in the girls’ Colts netball and the boys’ Colts hockey. The Ready Steady Cook competition was excellent and our Sixth Form/First Year team

created an inventive dish of creamy cheesy chicken!

The summer term provided yet more excitement, primarily in the form of Sports Day, with our athletes mustering up their sporting spirit to compete in the many athletics events. The Second Years did fantastically, winning overall in their year group. The Lower School did very well coming 4th overall. The Upper School and Sixth Form also did well, coming 5th. We also proved what great teamwork can do performing very well in the relay races. The House Choir Competition took place in the last week of term. It was a fantastic event, supported by House members from all the years and led by our talented team of House Captains. The choir sounded brilliant and everyone involved deserves a huge pat on the back – it takes brave souls to sing in public. The House finished the year on a high note with a convincing victory in the Swimming Gala and with our First Years performing well in the Merits competition. All these successes of the summer term leave us 5th in the table.

Thanks must, of course, go to Ellie who served the House so well this year and covered many of James’ absences. I don’t think many of you would have performed half as well were it not for her unfailing enthusiasm and rallying pep-talks, nor would the Sixth Form have been quite so well-organised without her. She thoroughly deserves her House Colours for all she did. I am sure that with Sami Foria and Eddy Evans taking over at the helm next year the House can continue to go from strength to strength.

Miss Lindebringhs

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Sylvester House I

t wasn’t to be! No hat trick for the light blues, despite another highly spirited and successful challenge, yielding nine victories and several record breaking performances. The resurgent reds and the ever consistent yellows proved just too strong in the end.

However, if the title were decided on distance running, it would always be ours. The highlight of the first term was undoubtedly the House Cross Country.

The team of 25 won every section (Juniors, Colts and Seniors) and there were some outstanding individual performances. In a Lower School race of 90, Second Year George Budden and First Year Alla Garside achieved top six finishes against competitors older than themselves. Ollie Martin, Jacob Fay, Maya Garside and Raul Patel also finished in the top twenty to guide the Lower School to victory. In the Colts race Harvey Kavanagh, Tom Fay, Briallen Taylor and Josh Keaveney filled four of the first eight places and in the Seniors, Tom Martin and Luke Benton finished 2nd and 4th. The other victory of the spring term was achieved in equally convincing fashion by the all-star Senior girls’ hockey team, winners of all three of their fixtures and there was a good start by the First Year too, with 3rd places in both the girls’ hockey and the football.

Sylvester began 2013 leading the Allen Grant competition, but points proved harder to come by in the cold and wet conditions of the spring term.

Junior House was not a big point scorer, but the boys’ hockey A team gain bragging rights for the best overall team performance, finishing as runners-up. The able and versatile Senior girls almost achieved a double, reaching the final of the netball and both the Colts and Senior boys finished 3rd in their respective hockey competitions. Things looked up when the squash team once again took the title and the Joker victory, with a team captained by Harvey Kavanagh, and the Senior boys won a highly competitive football competition, finishing level with Capon but triumphing thanks to a vastly superior goal difference. By now it was clear that it was a three way fight for the Allen Grant competition and we no longer held the upper hand.

Results from the summer term were mixed. It started well with an impressive victory for the very young House chess team, captained by James Mitchell.

Predominantly made up of Lower School pupils, it bodes well for the future in this event. Jenny Budden and Mhairi Carson also cooked up an impressive sticky chicken dish to place in Ready Steady Cook before a couple of Lawrence wins saw us overtaken again. But with Sports Day, the Swimming Gala and the Merits

competition still to come, there were a lot of points to play for. Stars of Sports Day were the Seniors. They won their section ably led by Tom Martin who shared the Victor Ludorum trophy after wins in the 200m and the relay and 2nd place in the 100m and the hurdles.

Outgoing Head of House, Hugh Pelly made light of his injury problems to record another javelin win, while incoming Head of House Toby Edwards matched this by winning the shot. They were supported by Abi Searle, Ed Barnett, Hannah Larkin, Jenny Budden, Lucy Morgan and Luke Benton, who all obtained top three finishes. Below the Sixth Form, the highest individual point scorers were Oscar Shaheen (Second Year) and Juliet Fox (Fifth Year), both winners of the long jump and the hurdles, and Ollie Martin (Third Year), winner of the hurdles and the 800m. Jacob Fay (Second Year), Maya Garside and Nick White (Third Year) and George Gadd (Fifth Year) also managed a 1st and 2nd place each. Perhaps the most outstanding individual performance of the event was by Alla Garside who took almost 10 seconds off the First Year girls’ 800m record.

The most surprising victories of 2012/2013 go to the First Year who put the rest of the House to shame, achieving what no other current Sylvester year group has achieved, and winning their Merit competition. The First Year also figured prominently in the last House event of the year, the Swimming Gala, traditionally a good one for the light blues. There were individual wins for Zara Mitchard and Alla Garside in the First Year, and Second Year George Budden was outstanding, winning not only the 200m but also the 50m fly against older pupils and helping out in the Open relays against all ages. Guy Ripper also won the free and competed in the Open relays, while in the Third Year, Maya Garside won the free and the fly setting another new record in the process. Many more pupils helped gain points either in individual events or in the relays, where Sylvester gained a further four wins and eventually finished 2nd, just behind Reynolds overall.

It wasn’t quite enough. Lawrence won by 6 points, with Capon 2 points ahead, but despite this there was much for you all to be proud of. This year we have recruited two star hockey players as Heads of House in Toby Edwards and Hannah Larkin to fill the able shoes of Lucy Morgan and Hugh Pelly. There are new battles to be fought and a trophy to regain!

Miss Barron

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Watts W

hat a rollercoaster this year has been for Watts!

The autumn term got off to the best possible start in the badminton, with Tom Davies, Alex Liu, Mike Starkie and Dan Zhang gaining us maximum points. These last two boys, both Sixth Formers, quickly became familiar names in House events and I must thank them for their exceptional contributions this year. It seems that our girls’ hockey is a particular strength at the moment and the girls managed to accrue an impressive 20 points from a possible 24 in all competitions. Consistent performances in rugby, cross country, and the House Quiz placed us top of the table at Christmas – morale was running high!

The arrival of the spring term brought less success but some admirable performances. Valiant efforts on the part of the boys’ Junior House hockey B team and the Upper School netball kept the points ticking over. Our Junior House netball team added another impressive five, and a superb twelve points from the 1st Year netball meant that the House was within reach of the title going into the summer term. Sadly, though carrying forward the Watts mantra of ‘most adventurous cooks’ following Harrison Lewis’ win in the competition last year, the judges didn’t take to ‘Sautéed chicken with a strawberry cream sauce’.

My thanks to Robbie Stelling, Lucia Laverty, Sophie Nichol and Hugo Walters for their contributions as House Captains over these two terms.

The summer term was a very mixed bag for Watts.

I was extraordinarily impressed and very proud with the efforts of all in the House on Sports Day and in preparation for the event. All competitors fought as hard as they could in every race and it was amazing to see so many people involved for the House. Coming 2nd overall on the day was a marvellous achievement.

However, it seems that we were let down at the final hurdle by a low Merit count across all three Lower School years, something I’m sure we will seek to rectify next year. A valiant effort from a large number of competitors at the Swimming Gala and a wonderfully musical performance in the Choir Competition couldn’t pull us up the table, however, and 4th is our final resting place in the Allen Grant standings. Thanks to Freya Wilks, Ben Wall, Amri Mandair and Luke Murtagh for their brilliant work as House Captains this term.

All members of the House should be proud of their efforts over the course of the entire year, but I would like to single-out a few who have made contributions above-and-beyond the norm. Firstly, to Harrison Lewis and Steph Bull for their sterling and everreliable work as Heads of House this year – they have been an immense help and an inspiration to all. The following pupils have been involved in five or more events during the year: Meg Green, Anna Poller, Emily Wall, Becky Williams, Charlie Gale, Zak Milner, Sophie Ridley, Robbie Stelling, Sacha Warnes, Freya Wilks, Luke Green, Yvie Lock, Theo Pritchard, Will Scullard, Hannah Smith, Sam Webb, Mike Starkie and Dan Zhang.

Best of luck to Andy Morgan and Emily Lewis as they take on the mantle of ‘Head of House’ going into September, and here’s looking forward to a rise in the rankings come this time in 2014!

Mr Watson

18 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 19

Sports Day 2013 – New Records Event 5 4th Year Boys 100m Hurdles TKJ Hardwick (C) 15.10secs

Previous Record: DC Marston 1985 15.60secs Event 32 2nd Year Girls Long Jump TS Mace (LW) 4.64m

Previous Record: HA Baxter 2008 4.44m Event 33 3rd Year Girls Long Jump SM Ridley (W) 4.75m Previous Record: KH Raw 2000 4.51m Event 42 2nd Year Boys Triple Jump WG Thompson (R) 9.90m

Previous Record: RJ Saunders 2011 9.85m Event 56A

5th Year Girls Javelin Previous Record: New Event

JA Campbell (LW)

40.16m

Event 97 3rd Year Girls 100m SM Ridley (W) 13.06secs Previous Record: RA King 2006 13.41secs Event 108 1st Year Boys Medley Relay Capon 2m 27.40secs Previous Record: Watts 2011 2m 33.90secs Event 117 3rd Year Girls 4x100m Relay Watts 59.25secs Previous Record: Watts 1999 60.46secs Event 119 4th Year Girls 4x100m Relay Lake 59.26secs Previous Record: Capon 2008 59.46secs

Victor Ludorum Winner: Richard Bolton (Capon) with 22 points (1st in Hurdles and Long Jump, 3rd in 100m and 400m) tied with Tom Martin (Sylvester) with 22 points (1st in 200m, 2nd in Hurdles, 100m and Triple Jump)

Victrix Ludorum Winner: Ellie Stephens (Reynolds) with 21 points (1st in Hurdles, 400m and Long Jump)

Final Positions: 1st Lawrence 2nd Watts 3rd Sylvester 4th Lake 5th Capon 6th Reynolds

557 points 542 517 471 436 427

20 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Staff Farewells Rob Courtney

M

r Courtney has retired after eighteen years as an

for themselves. He was, for

outstanding Deputy Head (Academic). Mr Courtney is

example, instrumental in the

an Ulsterman who has brought a fresh and highly individual

reintroduction of Foundation

approach to senior management at KES. Educated

Studies across the Sixth Form

at Oxford, he came to King Edward’s in 1994 after a

and also initiated the use of study periods in the Fifth Year.

distinguished career as Head of Modern Languages at the Perse School in Cambridge and, before that, at Blundell’s

He has also brought to the School a very highly developed

School in Devon.

level of understanding of the use of ICT in teaching and learning. In this area he has genuine expertise: his far-

Mr Courtney has been an exemplary member of our senior

sighted and innovative use of ICT has helped to ensure that

team; calm, wise, humorous, highly organised and patient.

the School has remained at the forefront of UK independent

His quiet manner can be deceptive; he is an excellent

secondary schools in this regard.

listener and has always sought to understand and give credit to the views of others before giving his own opinions.

His ability to engage students in a love of languages as

That said, he has forthright ideas, an impressive grasp of

a remarkable teacher leaves a significant legacy with

educational trends and a brilliant capacity to absorb the

generations of those he has taught. He is by nature eclectic

minutiae of curriculum management. He has always made

and, in addition to his passion for German and French, he

time for students and colleagues, possesses apparently

has also taught English Language and drama with the same

endless stamina and has the enviable ability to be able

levels of enthusiasm and professionalism.

to operate well on very little sleep. His industry and the willingness to work until a job has been finished to his own

Mr Courtney has a diverse range of interests – a

exacting standards did much to resolve a number of very

characteristic often associated with exceptional teachers.

challenging academic problems.

He is a passionate gardener, a cyclist of real talent (in his younger days he raced in France at a high level), is

A superb chairman, he supervised the re-evaluation of

interested in athletics, is a musician, a lover of dogs and is,

many areas of academic policy ranging from staff appraisal,

of course, a fluent speaker of German and French.

reporting systems and the introduction of the two week timetable to a number of curriculum reviews at various

Mr Courtney would have made an impressive Head and

levels in the School including much of the fundamental work

was indeed offered such a position early in his career

behind the introduction of the changes to A level heralded

at King Edward’s. His personal circumstances, with the

by Curriculum 2000. He was also a consummate timetabler

serious illness and eventual death of his first wife, prevented

and, although he had to relinquish this as his responsibilities

him from taking up the post but, in spite of the pressures

increased, he always remained very close to the academic

involved in raising a family of three young boys albeit much

coalface with a deep understanding of the finer points of

assisted by his second wife Joanna, he continued to fulfil his

staffing. His expertise in this area was one of the principal

duties with complete professionalism.

reasons for the School’s very effective use of its most valuable resource, its teachers.

He leaves a considerable gap to be filled and it is a great tribute to him that, because he has managed the academic

He worked for three Heads as the Academic Deputy and all

side of the School with such skill, the handover to his

regarded him as central to the School’s continued success.

successor, Mr Dellar, has been so smooth. We will all miss

With quiet good humour he skilfully steered the enthusiasm

Mr Courtney’s enthusiasm for King Edward’s, his devotion

of the present incumbent away from some submerged

to the education of the young and even his extraordinary

reefs, combining an openness to change with a respect for

selection of ties with no cartoon character left neglected!

tradition and a healthy level of scepticism with regard to

We wish him well as he moves to spend more time on

some of the more fashionable initiatives. Mr Courtney has

his alternative career as a highly successful horticultural

always valued education for itself and did much to mitigate

entrepreneur.

some of the excesses of successive governments’ reforms not least by stressing the need for courses that were studied

Mr Thould

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 21

Peter Jones

P

eter Jones joined KES in 1986, initially entering the English Department where he quickly established himself as an enthusiastic, committed, hard-working and popular young teacher. 26 years later it is only necessary to change one word in that description.

Along with Dave Dykes, he introduced drama into the curriculum and helped to establish examination courses at both GCSE and A Level. He has been a mainstay of the department ever since and he leaves a lasting legacy on this front because he was also instrumental in the provision of specialist teaching and performance facilities.

Peter is a charismatic teacher with wide and eclectic subject knowledge. In the classroom he exudes a calm authority and an ability to inspire and entertain students of all ages. He invariably brings out the best in his students while making the learning process an enjoyable time for all involved. I don’t think that I have ever heard a student make a disparaging remark about his teaching, which is both a rarity and a tribute to a job well done.

Peter has always made time to support multifarious drama events and productions. Comedies, serious drama, musicals and theatrical workshops all appear on his curriculum vitae. He has directed and codirected many memorable and successful productions in his time at the School. The three which particularly stand out in recent years are his imaginative and very funny production of Twelfth Night set in a jazz club, Guys and Dolls and South Pacific, which featured several precariously waving palm trees that moved about more than some cast members. Over the years, hundreds of students have Peter to thank for giving them the opportunity to act, sing and dance their way to acclaim.

Peter’s career was always destined to take him down the pastoral route from an early stage because he has such a good rapport with students. He has all the attributes required of a successful pastoral leader – he is a good listener and a wise counsel with a firm yet relaxed manner. Having cut his teeth as Deputy Head of the Upper School, working alongside the legendary Frank Winter, Peter was appointed Director of the Sixth Form in 2005. He has introduced many new initiatives, such as the highly successful Leavers’ Dinner, and has overseen the development of better facilities in the Sixth Form Concourse and Study Centre. In many ways he has helped to bring some of the more attractive parts of Sixth Form college life into the school environment to the benefit of all of us.

As would be expected from any self-respecting Welshman, Peter loves rugby and managed the U16 team, and then the 2nd XV, with great success over many seasons. He has travelled with rugby tours to Canada and South Africa where he was an excellent companion because of his keen sense of humour and infectious laugh. His company was also greatly appreciated by students and colleagues on the numerous ski trips, theatre trips and battlefields trips he accompanied. In 1992/3 he undertook a year-long teacher exchange to Charlotte Country Day School in America, establishing a link that has developed considerably and continues to flourish today.

Peter has been an outstanding schoolmaster who has given enormous amounts of both his time and talent to the School, its pupils and staff over the years. He is leaving to start his own tour company, Single Step Tours, running trips to the battlefields of the First World War. This is an interest he developed while researching his family history, and he has recently published a book on Old Edwardians killed in action during the conflict.

As a side line he has also been cast to appear as a police officer in a Belgian television series. We wish him every success in these new ventures.

Malcolm Walter

22 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Di Alexander

D

i Alexander has worked at KES for 25 years. She joined in 1987 as a Library Assistant and was promoted to the position of Librarian in 1998. She has achieved a huge amount during her time and has converted the library into a true Learning Resources Centre with a welcoming environment that ensures that it is increasingly popular. She has been innovative and piloted the refurbishment of the library 5 years ago so that it is the cheerful space that it now is. She has also made an enormous contribution to the School’s archives, creating a digital record of over 11,000 documents, a legacy that future generations will be truly grateful for. Di retires with our best wishes and will have more time to pursue her passion as a painter.

Janie Price

M

‘

ummy P’, as generations of students have come to call her, will be sadly missed. She has been a stalwart part of KES since September 1995 when she joined us to teach French and drama. She has, in fact, many strings to her bow, having taught previously in the North East and in local Hampshire schools offering French, drama and English. At KES she gradually acquired more and more English teaching whilst staging a number of drama productions, taking on the responsibility for Sotoniensis and using her considerable knowledge of Art History to run a popular course within Foundation Studies.

After leaving us in 2003 (to oversee the development of drama and the design of a new theatre at St Swithun’s School), she returned in 2006 as our Head of Drama and it is a great pity, given her experience in school theatre design, that she will leave us before she has seen through to fruition the long-projected refurbishment of the Dobson Theatre. Over the years, Janie has been responsible for directing and overseeing some fantastic productions, always willing to take risks and push students’ theatrical creativity. She courageously tackled a “rapping” version of Macbeth, a disturbing rape scene in The Geometry of Love and an opulent, full costume version of The Recruiting Officer amongst many other equally impressive pieces of drama. In addition to her own productions, she has also been indefatigable in encouraging students to try their hands at directing and although this might seem to indicate a lower level of involvement, it often entailed even more non-teaching time (and stress) in trying to forge compromises, provide unobtrusive mentoring and liaise with her loyal and supportive department. The hours and hours of rehearsals after School, through lunchtimes and at weekends, sometimes left her drained yet still exhilarated by the students’ successes. All these productions have forged strong bonds with students creating a loyalty that continues long after they have left KES.

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 23

Many generations of students at KES have benefited from “Mummy P’s” highly organised, energetic teaching style but they have also warmed to her infectious laughter, sense of fun and deep love for her subject.

Janie brought real energy and professionalism to her job but also a mischievous iconoclasm, sometimes accentuated by her capacity to drop into regional accents and role-play with aplomb. Her version of a ‘dicky raj’ commanded instant respect! She is not one to mince her words and colleagues and students quickly learned to respect the lines that she drew: “you always knew where you stood with Mummy P” as one erstwhile tutee commented, “and if that was in the dog-

house, you stayed there obediently until you repented your sins”. Janie could certainly play the dragon to Oscar-winning perfection, but it was a role adopted only when needed: she was naturally a most generous and kind-hearted colleague, willing to listen, comfort and offer sensible advice to friends, peers and students alike and always unselfconsciously unstinting in her famous ‘luvvie hugs’.

She feels strongly that it’s ‘tame to gan yeme’ and we will miss both her chuckle and her ‘hard stare’. The staff room will be the poorer for her early retirement.

Ms Greenwood

Andrew Turner

A

ndrew Turner joined the Physics Department at KES in January 2003 and has been a stalwart member of the physics team throughout the last decade. Before joining the School Andrew had a varied and interesting career, including as a software engineer and as an exploration geophysicist in the US and Middle East.

Andrew has a great interest in physics and has used this to great effect in lessons and in his work in examining. He is totally dependable and supportive and always willing to help out with any project. There is an understated class about everything that Andrew does. However, there is much more to Andrew than just an effective and well-liked physics teacher. He has a passion for cycling, mountain biking, skiing and mountain walking. Perhaps unsurprisingly he

Mrs Shorter

M

has been a great supporter of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and was given the role of Head of Educational Visits and Activities in September 2008.

He is a qualified Mountain Leader and Gold Trainer. He used many of these skills when he accompanied the World Challenge team in their month-long trip to Bolivia in 2007. Andrew has also run the mountain biking and scrambling trips in recent years giving opportunities to many a young student and enthusing them with his love of the outdoors. He has really helped put such activities on the map and many students owe Andrew a debt of thanks for all the work he has put into organising trips on their behalf.

Andrew has always been happy to add lustre to any activity and his performance in the Ukulele Choir in Einstein - the Musical was as accomplished as it was surprising to his students. He has a very dry sense of humour that will be missed by his departmental colleagues and pupils alike.

We wish him the very best for a long and no doubt very active retirement.

Mr Herklots

rs Shorter joined King Edward’s in April 2008 adapting quickly to a school environment. Her attention to detail was second to none. Drawing on her professional expertise, she was outstanding in her commitment to improving the accounting function and during her time at KES she wholeheartedly involved herself in co-curricular activities. These included regular Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and, in 2010, accompanying the annual South Africa trip to the Goedgedacht project visit as Assistant Co-ordinator. She was always ready to ‘go the extra mile’ when needed and made a real difference during her time at KES. She will be sorely missed but we wish her all the best in her new role.

24 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Caroline Williams

I

n July we said goodbye to Caroline Williams who has been a valued member of the Geography Department for seven years.

Caroline has devised creative lessons and inspired geography students throughout the School.

She has helped many students to gain successful results at both GCSE and A Level, encouraging many to continue their study of the subject beyond Sixth Form.

Caroline’s ability to organise an eye-catching display was very much admired by all who entered H8.

She was involved in many field trips over her time at KES, helping to bring geography to life outside the classroom. She made an effective Lower School tutor for the duration of her time at the School and was very popular amongst the students.

Caroline took her interest in sustainable issues to a wider audience and set up the Green Team five years ago, the Eco Garden was a key initiative in helping the School to go on to achieve the Green Flag award.

As Head of Watts she helped the House to move up the rankings of the Allen Grant competition, both in the sporting realm and through other activities. Her enjoyment of sport was passed on to many girls’ hockey teams during her time at King Edward’s as she coached and organised Lower School hockey players.

Caroline took over the role of Head of Charities three years ago and has helped to organise many events, small and large scale, to

raise record amounts of money.

Caroline’s personable presence will be missed as she moves on to enjoy motherhood.

Mrs Penfold

Cleone Hilborne

M

rs Hilborne joined King Edward’s as a receptionist/ admin assistant in the Main Office in 2010. In her short time at the School she developed a number of changes to the administration processes as well as becoming heavily involved in the School’s sports administration. She was also actively involved with training and supporting both netball and hockey teams.

Ellen Anderson

M

rs Anderson worked as a School Nurse for 6 years leaving in February to take up a post within the NHS. She was well-liked by both staff and students and was always willing to lend a listening ear and offer friendly advice, alongside her clinical duties.

For several years she ran the First Aid course enabling many students to gain their First Aid certificates.

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 25

Liz Backen

L

iz Backen joined the School in 2004. She has taught throughout the School up to AS Literature and A2 English Language.

Before leaving for maternity leave in July 2008, she was a Lower School tutor, ran the Reading Scheme, went on several Duke of Edinburgh trips and helped with the Under 15 netball team. She then returned on a part-time basis, taking on the Review Magazine.

Liz will be sorely missed by her English department colleagues. She is a very highly regarded teacher and we all have the utmost respect for her subject knowledge. As one colleague put it, in her most recent Professional Review: ‘she takes the job seriously and insists that the students take it seriously as well’. Liz clearly cares deeply about her classes, prepares them well, and delivers them with verve.

As a Lower School teacher, Liz has always been a meticulous marker and exercise books are full of varied, well-marked work. She takes delight in challenging students of any age: her Lower School classes are likely to take on Chaucer in the original Middle English, and such is Liz’s enthusiasm for Literature that they will themselves be enthused.

At GCSE Liz has been very successful, both in terms of results and in motivating students to take up the subject at A Level. Her preparation of coursework is meticulous and by the end of the summer many of her students find themselves with A*s.

It is at A Level where Liz’s intellect really shines. She has admitted that she feels she should have been born in the nineteenth century, and she studied for Victorian Literature for her Masters degree. This has been of great benefit to the Faculty at both GCSE and A Level, and students have valued her fierce intellect and knowledge. Liz also taught A Level English Language, and she was tutored beforehand by Tina Davidson, who so successfully introduced the subject to King Edward’s. Liz was an immensely accomplished teacher

of this subject, and her understanding of the intricacies of grammar is legendary: she would be the first person to call upon if you were mixing up your right and left branching subordinate clauses!

The secret to Liz’s success as a teacher is fairly straightforward: she cares about the students and she cares about the subject. She will give up a huge amount of her free time to helping her students achieve the best results possible. Any parent who has spoken to her at Parents Evening will know that her understanding of the needs of every individual under her tutelage is second to none (and I speak now as a parent as well as a colleague).

This caring side was certainly in evidence in her role as Lower School tutor. Here I can do no better than quote the Head of Section: “Liz was an excellent tutor.

She really cared for her tutees, got to know them well and gave them sound practical advice. Moreover she was reliable in communicating with parents and with administrative tasks. I would love to have her back!”

Running the Reading Scheme meant liaison with local primary schools as well as organising and motivating up to 80 KES students. This was dealt with, as always, with the minimum of fuss and maximum of efficiency.

Helping younger children to read was clearly something close to Liz’s heart.

By her own admission, Liz has never been exactly a keen sports enthusiast! However, she willing helped out with the netball teams and this was much appreciated by the Sports Department. She also went on several Duke of Edinburgh trips to Dartmoor, and was a positive and cheerful presence.

Liz has left the School for personal reasons. She will be able to spend more time with her two young children, Freddy and Henry, and her husband, Will. We will miss her humour, her intellect and her warmth of personality.

We wish her the very best for the future and hope that she will keep in touch.

Dr Schofield

26 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Craig Peel

C

raig Peel was born and brought up in Durban South Africa. He played for his school 1st XI at the age of 13 where his excellent athleticism and hand-eye coordination were noticed.

Craig made his way through South African youth hockey and went on to represent the full South African team.

He came to England in 2007 to play and coach for Fareham Hockey Club who proceeded to win successive promotions to the second tier of English club hockey. During this time Craig came in on Tuesdays at 4 pm to coach the Boys’ 1st XI until in September 2012 he became the School Hockey Coach on a full-time basis.

Craig has got to know staff and pupils well and has become a very popular colleague and teacher. Equally adept at coaching boys and girls of different ages Craig made hockey easy and fun for everyone although he had little time for players who did not play a team game

and/or believed themselves to be better than they actually were. Craig did such a good job that he was offered the new post of Director of Hockey for the 2013 season.

Craig moved to Reading Hockey Club in September 2012 to play in the National Premier League. He secured his 1st team place and enjoyed a fine season featuring in both the televised National Indoor 6s Finals at Wembley and in the European Finals in Amsterdam.

Students and staff alike all enjoyed watching Craig play and would urge him to show a few more of his fabulous skills in training sessions. The fact that we had to do this speaks volumes for the man.

Craig got married in 2012. His wife, Rachel, is a sought-after primary school teacher and has just got an excellent post in the Hague, Holland. Craig is looking for opportunities to move into business and is not surprisingly looking forward to a challenge himself in the world’s strongest club hockey league.

Craig has been a super colleague and teacher and we wish him and Rachel the best of luck.

Mr Gilbert

Sam Powell

S

am Powell joined the School in September 2012 after completing his degree at Bath University and his PGCE at Southampton. He quickly established himself as an excellent teacher of mathematics. Sam is at home teaching across the whole spectrum of abilities and students have appreciated his willingness and patience to help them achieve their goals.

As a newly appointed mathematics teacher, I was expecting Sam to need a lot of guidance as the weeks progressed. However, I was most pleasantly surprised to discover that Sam quickly knuckled down, had his finger on the pulse and knew exactly what he was teaching, where he was teaching and more importantly what class he was teaching! He soon blended in and became one of us. Sam has brought some new ideas and shared them with the department. He is an excellent practitioner with new technology and not afraid to try things. He ‘volunteered’ to help with Duke of Edinburgh and then probably wished he hadn’t, experiencing a wet weekend in Lovaton! Sam organised the wakeboarding activity day and now holds the record for taking the largest group (80). He has also helped out the sailing club and accompanied young mathematicians to a maths day at PGS. On top of this he has managed to complete his NQT year!

Sam has been a first class professional to work with and we all wish him well down under.

Sam intends to visit Dubai, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand before he arrives in Sydney. He will continue working as a mathematics teacher and is aiming to use the wonderful climate to continue surfing, wakeboarding and kite-surfing.

We all wish him the very best in his new adventure with his fiancée Sophie and hope to see him again one day. We will all miss him enormously.

Peter Collins

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 27

Elaine Hooton

E

laine joined KES in September 2012 to cover maternity leave within the Georgraphy department. In the one year in which she has been with us she has made a considerable impact on the life of the School. She has always been willing to take part in everything and she gives of her time freely. Her even temperament and caring approach has been appreciated by everyone, not least her tutor group.

Within the department Elaine has attended both of the residential field trips and most of the one day trips that have been organised this year. Whether it has been a visit to Calshot Spit or driving a minibus to Yorkshire she has always wanted to be involved.

She has also been proactive in forging new links with Southampton University as well as running activities associated with the Geographical Association. In addition to this she has also been involved with the Duke of Edinburgh scheme with trips to the New Forest and

training to Lovaton.

Elaine has been very active in the sporting aspects of the School where she has helped coach the U12 hockey squad as well as teaching Third Year games. If this were not enough she has also found time to sing in the Choir and to be an ISI inspector.

As a department we are indebted to the hard work and truly professional approach that Elaine has shown this year.

On a personal note I would also like to take this opportunity to thank her for all her help this year and to wish her all the very best as she moves to take on a post at Barton Peveril College.

Mr Hunt

Helen Sheridan

H

elen has spent just a year at King Edward’s and in that time has become a valued and worthwhile member of the team. It is very difficult in Design and Technology to settle into a new school as the challenges of different equipment and a virtually limitless combination of projects mean that a new teacher can feel as though they are constantly on the back foot. It is to Helen’s great credit that in spite of these issues she has inspired her students to new heights of creativity and quality in their work throughout the year.

Within the team of teachers in the department Helen quickly became one of the team, bringing her experience and practical and pragmatic approach to discussions and meetings.

Outside of the department Helen has involved herself throughout the School; from Cookery Club to school sailing Helen has become an enthusiastic and esteemed colleague always willing to help out. Even though she has been at the School for a short time Helen has undergone the training and helped with expeditions for the ubiquitous Duke of Edinburgh Award!

Helen is now leaving to spend more time on the high seas, but I suspect that Southampton may well take over from Bridlington as her “home port” and we will see her again!

Mr Barker

Faith Shadjareh

M

iss Shadjareh joined KES in September 2012 as IT classroom support technician as the sandwich work-placement component of her degree course at Portsmouth University.

During her time with us she worked in a quiet, unobtrusive manner turning her hand to anything that she was asked. Teachers and pupils were grateful of the help and assistance she offered. We’re sorry that Faith left early because of ill health and wish her well for the future.

28 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Clubs and Societies

Amnesty Group T

hroughout the year the KES Amnesty group has met on a regular basis to plan and coordinate actions in School intended to highlight human rights abuses around the world.

The highlight of the autumn term was our assembly; entirely written and presented by members of the group, it explained the history and purpose of Amnesty International and ended by detailing the case of Chinese dissident Gao Zhisheng. Gao was one of a number of cases we chose to highlight in our Write for Rights campaign. Members of the School were encouraged to write letters of support to prisoners of conscience around the world in the hope that the authorities realise their cases are not forgotten.

In the spring term, the group gathered signatures from Sixth Form group bases and sent a petition to the Governor of Illinois protesting about the sentences given to young adults for crimes committed whilst under the age of responsibility. Another letter writing campaign

(in the ongoing pursuit of an international arms treaty) brought a reply from our local MP, Alan Whitehead. We were pleased to find how seriously he had taken our concerns and his letter detailed the questions he had asked of government departments on our behalf.

The final action of the year asked members of the School to add their thumb print to a petition calling on the UK government to prioritise women’s rights as they withdraw troops from Afghanistan. The thumb print idea was inspired by the way it is used in Afghanistan to show that someone has voted in local elections.

All the year’s events were planned and supervised by members of the group who, once again, showed impressive commitment to the cause. Special mention must go to Kiah Ashford-Stow, Penelope Bielckus, Ros Hollinghurst, Anjelica Cleaver, Liana Price, Claudia Wyatt, Stephen Peckham and Ibrahim Chughtai.

Dr Gamblin

Astronomy Society M

y thanks go out to all attendees of the Astronomy Society this year, whether you were a regular student or just a casual observer on the cold winter nights.

The Astronomy GCSE class has been well attended again with several students (from Fourth Year through to Sixth Form), studying for next summer’s examination. Much of the content has had to be theory based this year as aside from some solar observations made early in the year, we have had very little luck with the weather. Out of six planned visits to the Solent Amateur Astronomer’s observatory at Toothill, only one went ahead and even then we were partly clouded over.

As always we have our fingers crossed for clear skies in the autumn term, and also for comet Ison in November.

This could be a once in a lifetime viewing event brighter than a full moon.

Mr Simm

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 29

Badminton Club A

s often happens, the start of the year witnessed a surge of interest in Badminton Club with regular players joined by several enthusiastic newcomers to the School and a significant number of Duke of Edinburgh Award participants using badminton as their physical activity. By rotating players around the courts, and utilising the squash courts as overflow areas, we were able to give most players a reasonable amount of court time to play and practise.

As the months passed, numbers gradually tapered off to leave a hard core membership of about twenty regular players, an ideal number for the court space available. It has been pleasing to see players of all standards becoming more proficient and to see students of different ages and abilities playing each other. Some of the games both within and across year groups have been particularly competitive and good to watch.

A feature of this year has been an influx of talented First Years who will hopefully provide the bedrock of the club over the coming years. Their number includes Barney Clacy, Mihir Thakrar, Alex Liu, Oliver Kimmance, Roma Creedon and Beth Ryan. It is tricky to recall the names of all club attendees over the year, but several players who come to mind are Rahell Ahmed, Marco Ma, Shrinivas Anikhindi, Curtis Crowley, Craig Buttle, Tristan Holt, Max Harries, Jack Osmond-Smith, Emma Blackman, Albert Beck, Toby Saer, Emer Healy, Katie House, Alex Wong, Tom Durham, Joan Chen, Samhita Foria and Joe Smith.

As always, my thanks go to all club members for their enthusiasm, energy and support over the year. My gratitude also goes to Dr Gamblin for his help in running the club after school on Wednesdays.

Mr Walter

30 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Beekeeping (KES Bees) L

ots of exciting developments have happened over this academic year which effectively spans two half seasons.

The end of the 2012 season saw our colony wiped out by the cold and wet weather. It had not really had the chance to build up enough following the poor summer and despite much love and attention from Mr Robinson, Mr Giles, Dr Gamblin, Ms Greenwood, our mentor Dave Norris and a whole host of students from the First Year to the Sixth Form, the colony did not survive. However, this did not stop us from enjoying some honey. While we only had the tiniest taster, our mentor supplied us with a range of honeys which were eagerly taste-tested and most people agreed that they were all delicious but that the difference in tastes was surprisingly varied.

After a very long cold spring we received a new swarm which was put into the hive during May. This colony is currently doing well and building up numbers. It may even have enough time to produce some honey if the weather is kind enough. However, once again the main focus will be to try and get the colony through a first winter so that it can enjoy the beginning of a season.

Currently on the roof we have two hives although only one has bees in it; we may get a second colony soon but there is currently high demand for swarms as so many bee keepers lost bees over the winter.

We are very grateful to KESSoc for funding the purchase of the hives and hope to have some honey to share with them soon.

If you would like to dress up in a white suit and veil and wander around on the roof amidst a cloud of bees – a fantastic experience – then do get involved. KES Bees is open to all members of the School.

Mr Robinson

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 31

Byron Society D

uring the autumn of 1809, Lord Byron and John Cam Hobhouse travelled through Albania which provided the starting point for the first lecture of the Society for the 2012 season. Mr Smart and Mr Giles provided an illuminating insight into the three month journey through bandit country culminating in a race on horseback through the northern gate of the city of Athens just before midnight on Christmas Eve of that year.

Dr Peter Cochran, who edits the works and correspondence of Byron on the website of the International Byron Society, came to talk to us about Byron’s reception in Europe. His talk was stimulating and very much appreciated and cake and red grape juice were partaken afterwards as Dr Cochran chatted informally to the gathering in celebration of the poet’s birthday which fell at that time.

Joe Smith, our very own Scrope Berdmore Davies, spoke candidly about the finding of Scrope’s trunk full with important papers in November 1976 in a vault belonging to Barclays Bank. It had remained untouched since 1820 when the original Scrope hastily decamped to the continent to escape his creditors. At the time, the Times newspaper described it as the literary find of the century. Joe’s talk succeeded triumphantly on three counts. First, he showed Scrope as the friend of Byron, secondly, he brought out Scrope’s characteristic role as a go-between (he took on the thankless task of interceding between Byron and his wife) and finally he gave us the Age of Scrope.

Not every Regency male was a buck, rake or dandy, but these men, with a pleasure-loving prince at their head, set the tone.

The annual reading competition was won by Harry Hazelgrove with a first class rendering of Byron fan, Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s magnificent “Ulysses”. Anna Shadbolt, our Maid of Athens, created a most moving spectacular in the Dobson Theatre with a regency version of “Would I lie to You?” Lady Oxford (Mrs Bates) displayed a stunning ability to turn on the humour and lash out with acerbic wit in equal proportions to win the contest by 17 points to 15. December’s ‘Gothic Soirée’ was a tour de force by Rose Blackman, who sported her society character of Ada Byron with great charm and poise. Lord Byron’s rendition of the story of how he found molasses in the caves above Lisbon changed many of the lives of his listeners forever.

Mrs Wood, Lady Anne Louise Emily Hardy, orchestrated wonderfully our outing to London which took place on the first Saturday of March. We visited some of the key sites associated with Lord Byron. They included Kensal Green Cemetery, final resting places of Anabella, Byron’s wife and Hobhouse, the poet’s loyal friend, the Drury Lane Theatre where Byron was a director during his years of fame, Albany in Piccadilly where the poet lived for a time, and Holles Street, site of the poet’s birthplace. This 12 hour adventure, complete with a regency hamper to assuage thirst and hunger and appropriate rain defence was eagerly grasped by ten courageous Byronists.

The Society continues to move forward. Joe Smith and Catherine Lovett take hold of the reins of the carriage for the next academic year. We anticipate that 2014 will be as profound as 1812 was for the poet who gives our gatherings its purpose and meaning!

Members of the Byron Society

32 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Cactus Club T

he Cactus Club has had a golden year.

Briallen Taylor supplied the cakes for meetings, including a giant sonara desert cactus made of sponge, green icing and chocolate fingers. President Emer Healy and Vice-President Natalie Thomson organised a number of talks throughout the year. Mr Kelsey continued his series on Italy, Mr Courtney delivered his fascinating “Ten fascinating facts about cacti which could save your life”, the appropriately named Luke Green and Matthew Barber presented a wonderful guide to Mexico which culminated in colouring in a vast Mexican flag. Zoe McLean produced a winning Powerpoint presentation on the cactus collections of the United Kingdom. Oliver Kimmance, Adam Putt and Jacob Gooding put on a tremendous “Who wants to be a cactus millionaire?” quiz. Even the thought of one million cacti proved too much for some, but James Allen remained firm and focussed and took away the top prize which happened to be just one rather special succulent.

James Mitchell stepped up to the mark to win for the second time the annual cactus competition, wrestling the trophy from 2012 holder Ben Wall by a short prickle! Kew Gardens once again proved to be a memorable day out in early spring. Phase 1 of our Eco Garden Project was put in motion and many thanks go to Miss Stone for her kind assistance in assembling the Perspex dome which will shelter our chosen cacti from the worst of the winter.

Members of the Cactus Club

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 33

Canoe & Kayak Club T

his year kayaking and canoeing has continued to be a high profile activity at KES. The weekly Sixth Form games lessons have remained popular for both the Upper and Lower Sixth and the weekend club for younger students to get involved in the sport has been very well attended. Kayaking has also featured in a variety of the School’s overseas trips as well as on the annual Activities Day, where this year students went to the Woodmil outdoor activity centre.

The club runs half day sessions that have a strong emphasis on fun, whilst still coaching the fundamental skills necessary to paddle safely. Once the basic strokes have been mastered, kayaks and canoes provide the ideal means for us to explore some of the most scenic local rivers.

This year the club has taken five training sessions. These have consisted of a mix of outdoor training at Lakeside Country Park and indoor sessions in a heated swimming pool. The lake is an excellent location for both kayaks and open canoes. It is large enough to learn all the basic flat-water skills and for fast moving team games and races.

By contrast the pool provided a suitable environment for smaller kayaks and a much needed haven from the cold winter weather. Although a comparatively compact space, we enjoyed playing some balance games, honed our close quarter manoeuvring skills and practised all the most important safety and rescue skills. It proved a hugely popular venue.

A successful bid through KESSoc allowed us to purchase a range of equipment suitable for younger students, including sets of smaller paddles. On Saturday 18th May we took a group of seven First Year students to Lakeside Country Park and along with many games the students got a chance, as the weather was warm, to practise coming out of their boats and getting back in safety.

We look forward to seeing the current paddlers continue to progress and welcoming new club members next year.

Miss White (The club is run by Mr Blow and Miss White who are both UKCC/British Canoe Union coaches. They train students from complete beginners up to BCU 2 Star standard).

34 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Charities Commission I

n the autumn term the Charities Commission took a new approach to getting people involved in the ‘Romanian Shoebox Appeal’ by wrapping and delivering empty shoeboxes to each tutor group to fill.

As a result, a record 255 shoeboxes were filled and sent to families in Romania. The ‘First Year Toy Appeal Fun Run’ also proved a success, with some innovative outfits and enough money was raised to donate 50 presents which were chosen and wrapped by our Sixth Formers and delivered to children around the Southampton area who would otherwise not receive a present at Christmas. The Lower School charities held a ‘Pink Day’ to raise awareness for breast cancer and they also led the ‘Children in Need’ Day which helped to raise £338 through Pudsey-related games and merchandise. The non-uniform day and doughnut sales focused on raising money for the term’s charity; Wessex Heartbeat. The Christmas stalls proved extremely successful and raised over £600 and a KES version of ‘Would I Lie To You’ was organised and run by members of the Upper School.

The spring term saw over 10 different charity events taking place. The Lower School Charities group promoted awareness of epilepsy by asking pupils to create a “doodle.” These were then collated and displayed. Beverley Naidoo, author, who spoke as part of the Extended Studies Programme, donated some her fee on the proviso that the School could match it, so pupils were asked to make a pledge for books for African schools. The Sixth Form held a very well organised ‘Mr and Mrs Quiz’ and the Summer Camp Team held a hugely successful ‘Battle of the Bands’ evening, involving both pupils and staff. The South

Africa Team organised their main fundraising event of the year at the start of the term. The Burns night raised over £3000 and will go towards supporting the Goedgedacht project. A cyclothon was this year’s Summer Camp 24 hour Challenge and arguably the highlight of the term. It was well supported by pupils and staff; many of whom got the opportunity to try out the latest Watt Bikes, used by professional cyclists.

Krispy Kreme doughnut sales, Valentines roses and Lower School pancake day activities also contributed to the variety of charitable activities taking place. ‘Red Nose Day’ was on 15th March and the money raised by non-uniform was supplemented by red nose sales and red nose related games designed by the Sixth Form Charities Team.

The summer term was rather quieter due to the public examinations but along with the termly non-uniform day, which was led by the Green Team, and doughnut sales there was time for a Twister competition, dodgeball event and some fundraising activities that formed part of the biennial Arts Festival. The Lower School old fashioned fete proved extremely popular, with ‘Sponge the Teacher’ being the biggest success. At the end of term, time was spent making donations to the charities that the School has supported over the year.

These events would not be such a success without all of the pupils and staff who give up their time. Beth Ashfield and Julia Roope have spent many hours organising the events along with a good number of members of the Lower Sixth to whom I am extremely grateful.

Miss Yerbury

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 35

36 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Chess Club T

his year, the club has been boosted, numerically at least, by the arrival of many new members, especially from the First and Fourth Years. Two of the First Years, Chris Lotery and Kelvin Xie, look particularly strong prospects for the future, and quite a number of the Fourth Years also show growing tactical awareness (assisted by some informal coaching from Mr Hardwick). Special mention should go to one of the most regular attenders, Alex Chamberlain-Clay’s lunchbox. This item has not actually participated in any of the games so far, but nevertheless enjoys the club so much that it not infrequently remains overnight.

After a year’s hiatus, the School Championship was regained by Curtis Crowley, now in the Fifth Year. He again won all his competition games, although not without a couple of alarms against Chris Lotery and Jon Brown. Thankfully there were fewer fixtures left unfulfilled this year, although still a small number of players who made no attempt to play regularly, despite assurances to the contrary.

The above School Championship Tournament is Phase One of the UK Schools Chess Challenge and from it

fourteen of our players qualified for Phase Two: the Hampshire Megafinal at Basingstoke in May. Eight of these qualifiers took up the opportunity to compete, and two returned with county titles! Alex ChamberlainClay and Iona Todd are the Hampshire boys’ and girls’ champions (“Supremo” and “Suprema” respectively) at Under 15 level. Together with Toby Saer and Chris Lotery (runners-up at U15 and U12 level respectively) they qualified for the Southern Gigafinal at Reading in July.

The House Championship was retained by Sylvester with a 100% record which is highly unusual for this tournament. For the second year in a row, the School individual champion suffered a surprise reversal in the House competition, and this time it contributed to a wooden-spoon result for Reynolds. Once again, the turnout was good, both of players and Housemasters/ mistresses. The support of all these is very welcome, keeping the level of chaos inherent in this tournament very firmly in check.

Mr Patten

Christian Union T

he CU has met on Thursday lunchtimes to discuss issues and share cake. This year the group has comprised Christian, Atheist and Agnostic students from the Lower Sixth, Fifth Year and Fourth Year giving a really good range of perspectives to our deliberations. One interesting series we looked at was the ‘Test of Faith’ – a look at the ongoing debate sometimes billed as Science versus Religion. In this, eminent Christian scientists explained how they can quite readily hold onto both their faith and their career in Science with no conflict.

We have been ably encouraged and assisted by Matt Fewtrell, previously of KES, working as an intern with Highfield Church. He has led discussions and also inspired us to raise some support for the local Basics Bank.

For this the CU organised a school wide collection of tinned provisions which were given to the food bank.

CU is an open group and if you are in the Fourth Year or above you will be very welcome to join us.

Mr Robinson

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 37

Classical Society T

his has been a very successful year for the Classical Society. We have met regularly and been entertained and informed by a variety of presentations. Philippa White ended her term as President in the autumn and must be thanked for the number of impromptu talks she gave. Kiah Ashford-Stow and Imogen Sanders have taken over the reins this year and the numbers attending have continued to be pleasing. This may be, in part, due to the introduction of brownies and coffee, but additionally we have regularly had an ‘Ancient Games’ session which has really pulled in the crowds.

We have also held a monthly classical quiz which has tested some of our most committed brains, including Mr Kelsey’s! Questions have ranged from ‘Guess the Mythological Hero’ to ‘Spot the classical film’. We are all still struggling with Michael Palin’s exact name in Life of Brian and even Kenneth Williams managed to make an entry.

In contrast, Mr Halls has led some drama reading sessions of the Agamemnon and Oedipus Rex. We all thoroughly enjoyed Mr Kelsey’s knowledgeable talks on Greek and Roman drink, Homer and Herakles; a particular favourite of his.

Classical Society has also provided a platform for some of our students to present their Extended Projects. Philippa White gave a presentation on the Roman Baths and their development (in her opinion) into a symbol of decadence.

Imogen Sanders also presented an enlightening interpretation of Nero and his life. It is heartening to see so many students so engaged with the Classical World. Plans are already afoot for next year so look out for the poster.

Mrs Meredith

Cookery Club I

really enjoyed First Year Cookery Club and found it a very good activity for two main reasons.

1. It is tremendously fun making delicious meals that you can take home to eat.

2. You get to make dinner and practise your cooking skills. When I went, I made a curry, gooey brownies, apple crumble and pasta.

The teachers who ran the club were really good too and were kind, patient and helpful. The club is based in the Dining Hall and you have to take along your own food and ingredients. The only down side is that I found that it did not go on for long enough. It only lasted six weeks for each group but as there are lots of people who want to go, this is understandable.

Louis Thatcher

38 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Debating and Public Speaking Society I

t has been a busy year for the new Debating and Public Speaking Society. There have been many interesting and lively debates, both on Thursday afternoons and at the Lower School meetings during Monday lunch times. Topics have ranged from censorship, European Union membership and internet safety, to prisoners’ rights to vote, via balloon debates in which Oscar Wilde and Florence Nightingale have rivalled Leonardo Da Vinci and Winston Churchill for “survival”.

We have also taken part in several national debating competitions. First, Alex Chapman and Jenny Budden represented the School in the Cambridge Union Schools Debating Competition on 13th November. They competed in two parliamentary debates, in which they proposed the prepared motion, “This House would abolish the veto power of the UN Security Council” and then the “surprise” one: “This house would give citizens the power to dismiss governments mid-term if they failed to deliver on election promises.” They performed impressively, in terms of both their speeches and their teamwork. They finished second overall in the two debates, with an excellent team from Winchester College moving forward to the next round.

Then, on 3rd December, the President and Vice President of DAPSSOC, Joe Smith and Vanya Zheludev, respectively, showed their debating mettle in the English Speaking Union Schools Mace Debating Competition, by proposing “This house would tie development aid to the enforcement of population control mechanisms.”

Both debated extremely well and Joe’s summing up, in particular, was praised by many present for its excellence and the team finished in third place behind Winchester College and the host school, St. Swithun’s Winchester.

In addition, at the start of the summer term, the Society enjoyed its own internal debating tournament, which included many lively exchanges. Especially notable was the final in which teams amicably disagreed about the funding of Margaret Thatcher’s funeral by pursuing some, at times, courageously inventive lines of argument! The awards ceremony that followed rewarded those whose debating has been particularly impressive or most improved this year. The highest award of “Best Debater” went to Emma Blackman, who took away the now coveted “Zheludev and Smith” trophy, fashioned by our very own Vice President on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

More debates and public speaking events are already being planned for this and next year as we continue to work on building our programme of inter-school competitions, beginning with the postponed Lower and Upper School debates with St. Swithun’s. As the Society continues to grow and flourish, we also look forward to welcoming new students and entering KES teams in more local and national competitions next autumn.

Miss Stenning

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The International Competition for Young Debaters 2013: President’s Report

O

n the March 2nd 2013 Vanya Zheludev, Hamish Traill, Emma Blackman, Miss Stenning and I set out to the world renowned Oxford Union. The Oxford Union is not only the world’s number one debating team, but also has hosted famous speakers such as Richard Dawkins, Stephen Fry, Winston Churchill and even Psy (yes...of “Gangnam Style” fame). Understandably, we were excited and nervous for the day’s events.

Upon arriving, we were instantly impressed by the Goodman Library and the Minutes of Parliament that it held on its shelves. Our first debate required us to propose the pre-prepared motion: “This house would return all treasures of national and cultural significance to their country of origin.” Hamish and Emma spoke clearly, authoritatively and persuasively on the matter and were a real credit to the School. All the spectators present were expecting a victory for King Edward’s, as we were quite clearly the strongest team. However, there was some confusion over the rules of the debate.

We had partially redefined the motion in response to an earlier speaker’s misinterpretation of it, something explicitly mentioned and approved in the competition rules guide. Yet, we were penalised by the Chair who later admitted that she had not read the document. In the end we finished last, but arguably took the moral victory.

After this disappointment we vowed to take the advice of one of the greatest orators of all time, Winston Churchill, and ‘never, never, never give in’. With that in mind, after lunch, we were determined to prove ourselves in the second round. The motion given to Emma and Hamish to oppose was: “This house would prevent adoptive children tracing their biological parents”, a challenging and delicate issue. Emma and Hamish debated the issue with sensitivity and clarity that separated them from the rest of the teams.

In this debate we were placed in first position and, in addition to this success, Eton’s Head of Debating remarked to us that he was impressed by the calibre of Emma’s debating, in particular. Vanya and I have since initiated inter-school debating relationships with Eton and Winchester College which we, together with Miss Stenning, will pursue in the coming months.

With all the confidence that the first two debates had given us we entered the final round, opposing the motion: “This house would legalise doping in sports.”

The third debate was tough, not least because it included two teams from Eton. Despite this, Hamish and Emma both debated with confidence and finished a respectable third.

We then watched the regional final, which included both Winchester and Eton expecting to see a flawless example of debating. Although there were some very good orators, we were surprised, not by their level, but by ours relative to them. The KES Debating and Public Speaking Society is newly reformed and revised, so we did not entirely know what to expect. Although we did not qualify for the final, we learned much. Not least, the competition illustrated to us that we are by no means inferior to the Wykehamists and Etonians and can certainly hold our own in competition with them. As we continue to develop and grow, they will remain firmly in our sights. Emma and Hamish proved themselves to not only be a credit to themselves and the Society, but to the School as a whole. Finally, I would like to thank Miss Stenning for organising the trip and being an instrumental part of the new Debating and Public Speaking Society.

Joe Smith President of the Debating and Public Speaking Society

40 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Economics Society

T

he Economics Society has continued to thrive this year, with a large variety of lunchtime talks and presentations on current economic issues. The autumn term resembled more of a global tour than a KES society: September saw an exploration of African development and the promise that the continent shows; October witnessed an analysis of the ongoing Eurozone crisis and how Germany may be the most likely country to leave the troubled area and December finished the tour with a trip to China, discovering the rise of the red giant. In the middle of this, the Target 2.0 team gave the first of three presentations in November, analysing the outlook for UK inflation and how the Bank of England should respond. There was also a highly entertaining presentation on game theory and how to make rational economic decisions, including examples based on inter-staff dating! Just before Christmas, the annual quiz ended with a tense tie breaker, with successful identification of Mark Carney proving the difference!

The spring term was dominated by two key experiences. The first was further presentations given by the Target 2.0 team, on their way to the National Final at the Bank of England. Secondly, the society was visited by Professor Jackie Wahba, of Southampton University, who gave a talk on immigration which proved very interesting, and highly topical given the recent rise of UKIP. Overall, a great deal was learnt about economics as a whole, and we hope this will continue under new leadership next year.

Alex Jones Mr Culver adds: Alex Jones and Nikhil Ohri injected real verve and scholarship into the Society this year, and Nikhil’s ad lib promotion of the Society from on stage in Monday assemblies helped keep us in the public eye. I extend my thanks to Alex and Nikhil – two superlative economists whom I have no doubt will enjoy very successful years ahead studying the subject at university. I look forward to inviting Professors Jones and Ohri back to School in the 2020s!

Fencing Club T

he 2012-13 season saw the welcome addition of Mrs Coker to the Fencing Club, providing the club with three fencing coaches and the opportunity to develop our fencers at different levels and disciplines.

Throughout the season various students have been competing at both local and national level – in fact the School currently boasts two girls in the top 50 of the U17 national rankings.

In 2013 KES was also represented

for the first time at the Public Schools Fencing Championships which were held at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. This is a popular competition and our fencers really made their mark by competing well and gaining some impressive results at all three different age categories. We hope to return to the competition next year with more fencers to compete for more shields!

Our Primary School Partnership has continued to be popular with

90 primary school pupils visiting us during six lunchtimes throughout the year for beginner fencing training courses. We hope some of these pupils will join the club in September.

The Fencing Club will continue to run in the Table Tennis room on Wednesday lunchtimes from 1.05pm. All are welcome, any age, any level – equipment provided.

Mrs Coker

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 41

First Aid Club S

omewhat apprehensive at first, we signed up for First Aid. Jaya Bhatt had keenly expressed her views on going to the club and so Katie House, Lucy Hunter and Zoe McLean joined her.

We started our journey as first aiders with Mrs Anderson and Mrs Duke (our school nurses) and Katie, especially, was brimming with excitement and was quick to attempt to answer every question. Encouraged, Jaya tried her shot at answering too and soon we were all keenly practising the recovery position, CPR, bandaging limbs and more.

After 10 weeks training we started our first aid test confident of passing and we all did well with our multiple choice papers. Due to the impressive teaching from the nurses we all also passed our practical assessment. We thoroughly enjoyed our first aid experience and we thoroughly suggest signing up next year.

Jaya Bhatt, Katie House, Lucy Hunter and Zoe McLean

German Magazine T Club

he German Magazine Club has been meeting every Tuesday at lunchtimes since September. Even though it was just a small group of four at the beginning, it has always been enjoyable working together with the members. The club was also a good occasion to enjoy Mrs Allen’s biscuits.

We worked on different topics throughout the year. For me, it was important that pupils could contribute according to their interests, be it cars, food, or culture and during the school year, we published three editions – one each term.

For the first term, pupils were free to choose the topic they wanted to write about. This was a good way to find out about their manifold interests and the result was an amazing edition about German cities, cars, and food.

For the second and the third editions, we decided on writing about the 16 German states (Bundesländer). We put together details about the particular states concentrating on cities, landscapes, food or culture. Again pupils were free to focus on what they wanted to learn more about.

This led to a very interesting variety of topics covered in all three editions.

Herr Langer

42 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Green Team A

fter the achievement of securing our first Eco Schools Green Flag award at the end of the summer term 2012, everyone was keen to approach the next challenge. Our starting point was a new contact with Shareen Elnagy from the UK Youth Climate Coalition; a youth organisation based within universities around the country that works with young people to promote environmental issues. Shareen attended a number of our lunchtime meetings and both discussions and workshops took place as we debated what particular areas we would like to focus on this year. We were lucky enough to have Shareen help organise an assembly to the wider school and she also helped us choose ‘water usage’ as our theme for 2013. As part of the campaign everybody was happy to repeat last year’s whole school non-uniform day, and the 21st of June was booked into the calendar.

With a date agreed, our new Green Team President, Harriet Billington took the lead in the planning for the water themed day. It was decided that after the success of everybody wearing green last year, the obvious choice was that everyone would bring out their blue clothing. We also wanted to collect something for recycling on the day and plastic water bottles seemed very appropriate.

To promote the upcoming day and with the help of Tom Hardwick and Toby Larcombe in the Fourth Year, a simple and effective logo idea was created, stating

the simple phase ‘save it’. It was also decided that an innovative QR code would be utilised on the posters to take students to the Green Team webpage displaying further information about the non-uniform day. Posters were created to inform students about how much water we use every day for simple things like growing coffee and the food for our lunch. Hopefully the day raised awareness and made us all a little bit more careful with a very precious resource that we all use every day.

Another exciting event that has been organised this year is a primary school link day with the theme of renewable energy. Twenty-five pupils from local primary schools were invited to come for a day at King Edward’s to learn about alternative forms of energy; the day culminating in the pupils building themselves small wind powered vehicles with the name of ‘windy racers’. The students were introduced to different methods of transport which utilised the power of the wind; they had the opportunity to use our school’s workshop, including a vacuum forming machine, laser cutter and hand tools. Races took place at the end of the day and thanks to Georgia Everest, Henry Marden, Rosa Sparks, Matt Temple, Tom Hardwick and Oliver Rose (our wonderful helpers) and Mrs Cottrell-Ferrat the day was great fun for all involved.

Hopefully all the activities this year will contribute to the application to renew our Green Flag in 2014.

Miss Stone

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 43

Greenpower T

his year has been a fantastic one for the Greenpower team with a number of amazing events taking place. Back in October the team took the car to the Porsche Centre at the home of British Motor Sport, Silverstone Circuit. We had an enthralling talk from a winner of the famous 24 hour Le Mans race before getting the opportunity to test our reaction times and physical potential in the Porsche Human Performance Centre. Once this was done we took our car out for a few laps around the Porsche private test track and finished the day in style by being driven round the track by two professional drivers. This was a truly memorable experience.

With some testing complete the team’s attention turned to how we could increase our chances of getting into the National Finals next year. With help from KESSoc we have managed to change several things on the car including: adjusting gear ratios (to make us faster), improving steering, making the car body lighter, changing the shape of the nose (to improve aerodynamics), and introducing a speedometer and temperature sensor to enable us to track motor and battery temperature during a race.

Our second trip was to Goodwood Race Track on a test day in March to see how our car now performed. We did well, lapping consistently quicker than the same time last year and we also learnt a lot about our pit stops.

Eleanor Turner and Ollie Rose

44 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Historical Society H

istorical Society was quick to overcome the troublesome challenge of the short-lived Law Society to reassert its dominance over the Thursday lunchtime (week A) clubs & societies scene.

Membership swelled throughout the year; indeed, we were even graced with the presence of some Sports Science students on more than one occasion.

George’s sycophantic efforts enabled us to bring you regular talks from the eminent professors of Southampton University. Chris Fuller gave an overflowing H3 an expertly-crafted presentation on the origins of drone warfare (and people claim History isn’t relevant), whilst a talk on Lord Palmerston had Mr Coundley in a state of hysteria for weeks. As if this wasn’t enough to set the school abuzz, the intellectualbroadening continued unrelenting with grand exhibitions on the Great Migration and British naval history.

We were also fortunate to welcome Sixth Form students to give their own talks. These incorporated a vast array of subject matter, from a brief history of Afghanistan to Joe Smith’s biographical account of Charles James Fox – an audition to be heir of the Historical Society throne, perhaps? James Harvie, a regular attendee (primarily for the wonderful cake) gave such an engrossing and

detailed presentation on the unification of Germany that neither his grating ringtone, nor the ten past two bell, could distract us from our collective state of awe and fascination.

The unquestionable highlight of the Historical Society calendar was the Yuletide Quiz, an event sure to live long in the memory of all privileged enough to witness it. The winner was the ‘Coundley Youth’, whose captain, the illustrious KPC, celebrated his latest momentous victory. Rumours were rife that the Eggheads had been in touch, to which he politely declined, replying that he had already achieved the ‘pinnacle’ of quizzing.

It has been an honour to wear the Historical Society crown, and it is with deep sadness and melancholy that we pass on the privilege to the next generation of budding historians, committed to the perpetual cause of pursuing and promoting historical excellence throughout the school.

Nick Brown and George Isbister

Hospital Visiting A

dedicated core of Lower Sixth students volunteered to take part in the Southampton General Hospital visiting programme this year. Tuesday afternoons after School were spent conducting patient surveys on behalf of the Hospital Trust.

KES students picked which wards they visited and embarked on the programme with great enthusiasm.

After our initial teething problems with the “tablets” used to conduct these surveys, we progressed to using the television sets provided on the wards. This enabled up-to-date patient surveys on a variety of topics, including the quality and variety of the food, as well as the quality of the hospital stay for each patient. Some of the questions required a great deal of tact and sensitivity and the KES

students devised strategies to ask personal questions without causing offence or embarrassment.

For many patients it was a great opportunity to share their experiences and KES students provided a listening ear and developed a professional bedside manner ready for a future career in medicine.

Mrs Searles

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Interface T

his group (aimed at First, Second and Third Years) has been meeting every Friday to explore the Christian faith through games, activities, quizzes and discussions.

The “Psychic ability test” required extra-terrestrial powers and “Cheat” needed a certain degree of deviousness, but most activities relied on brain power or manual dexterity.

Making a giant tetrahedron to house a small person was a challenge, as was the “impossible” task of cutting a huge hole in an A6 piece of card.

The session on logic problems revealed just how amazing the human brain is, while the “Tough questions about God” meeting pushed these brains to the limit. “Pig” brought to mind the Prodigal Son, the “Christmas Quiz” Jesus’ birth and the “Consequences of the resurrection” at Easter were potentially profound.

Students with a viewpoint to express or those who like pondering new ideas are very welcome to attend.

Mr Singleton

Lunar Society L

unar Society continues to provide a haven for the scientifically curious. This year we returned to our original venue of the Commemoration Room, this time taking care to ensure that nobody sat on the antique chairs. This brought a return to the refreshments, as well as a more fitting set of surroundings for the discussion and debates which materialised.

Early in the year Mr Hall and Miss Smith gave a presentation on Operation Wallacea, a project the School has been involved in for some time now, in particular they focussed on the scientific work to which our Sixth Form students have had the opportunity to contribute.

As well as some very accomplished presentations from the current Upper Sixth; notably Matthew Cross on the controversial chemist, Fritz Haber, and Oisin Shaw on the Mars rover, we also had equally accomplished presentations from members of the Lower Sixth including Daniel Zhang’s presentation on the brilliant, if tragic, Nikola Tesla.

For the second year in a row, Lunar Society provided the forum for two of the Upper Sixth students to deliver their Extended Project presentations. The standard was, once again, very high demonstrating the value of the Extended Project. Oliver Ferec-Dayson spoke with confidence about the future of prosthetic hearts and Tom Sansome demonstrated his working engine, which he produced from scratch in his garden shed. Not only did the engine work, but it was also, aesthetically, very impressive.

Following on from the Lower Sixth physics trip to the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Lunar Society was very pleased to host an interactive presentation from Dr Daniel Rowan on various aspects of our ability to perceive sounds; we very much look forward to a follow-up talk from one of his PhD students in Autumn 2013. In addition, Lunar Society also hosted Mr David Gibbs, who spoke in detail about his research into novel methods of aiding the success of orthopaedic and trauma surgery.

Dr Purves

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MedSoc A

fter a good deal of postponing and rearranging, the MedSoc Cancer Research trip finally went ahead on the 27th March. A group of 25 keen and aspiring medics (plus the responsible Mr Aellen) journeyed all the way to the Southampton General Hospital and the Cancer Research labs.

We were greeted, provided with security badges (to ensure that we were not animal rights activists) and then taken to the lecture theatre where we were given an introduction into the world of oncology. Professor Gareth Thomas, a specialist in head and neck pathology, talked us through the range of new, cutting edge discoveries that will hopefully shape the future of cancer therapies. For example, he talked us through the new techniques in molecular biology of identifying and targeting cancerous cells using protein detection assays.

The first group was shown the oldest and most commonly used cell line, known as the HeLa cell line.

The original cells were taken from Henrietta Lack, a patient suffering from cervical cancer, in 1951 and are still being used for scientific research today. Meanwhile, the other group was shown the more technical side of the labs, involving all of the complicated machinery.

They were given a demonstration of one of the techniques of detecting proteins, using the differing size of particles to separate individual protein molecules.

We left the labs buzzing with ideas and inspired to

follow through with our future aspirations and hopefully, in the long run, be able to contribute to the world of medicine like the many doctors and scientists we saw that day.

The trip was the culmination of a very successful year for MedSoc. MedSoc has met on Mondays and Wednesdays for the majority of the year and has been lucky to have hosted many excellent visiting speakers from Southampton General Hospital and the university research departments. The speakers have come from all areas of medicine, such as a fascinating genetic research talk from Professor Lucassen of the University of Southampton, practical demonstrations (from Dr Ashton-Key, a pathologist from the General Hospital) and plenty of advice on applications to medical school.

Every speaker has been inspiring and their talks have led to many people developing a stronger interest in certain areas of medicine.

MedSoc has given everyone involved a great opportunity to further their interest in medicine. We would like to thank all the speakers for giving up their time to talk to us and Mrs Millar for her support throughout the year. MedSoc will continue next year for all those aspiring to become medics or to be involved in healthcare professions or medical research.

Tom Durham and Evie Marshall (MedSoc Presidents 2012-13)

Partnerships O

ur well-established links have continued to develop this year; the regular clubs have been very popular, all receiving positive and enthusiastic feedback and new opportunities have emerged.

For the first time, some of our Third Year pupils have been involved with Partnerships. With the help and guidance of Mr Tofts, they have been in charge of preparing and delivering philosophy sessions based on the story of the Odyssey to Year 5 pupils from St Mark’s and Highfield Primary Schools. The children all rose to the challenge and the feedback given by the pupils speaks for itself:

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 47

“I really enjoy Philosophy because it‘s fun and interesting and I always learn something.”

“I like it because we always have a debate. We always play games. It’s improved my imagination and thinking.”

The Big Band gave an outstanding Glenn Miller concert at Sunrise of Bassett care home earlier in the year. The programme included classics such as In The Mood, String of Pearls, Little Brown Jug and American Patrol. The residents came in number to listen to the performance and some even enjoyed a couple of dances.

In June, Year 5 pupils from all our partnership schools came to KES for a Green Day during which they learnt about renewable energies with a specific focus on wind power. Pupils designed and built a wind powered model car and took part in a race in order to measure the efficiency of their prototype.

Pupils from St Mark’s and Springhill Primary Schools were also invited to the KES Arts Festival. They were able to join in with the street theatre and took part in a workshop with a mime artist afterwards.

At the time of writing, the planning of the Lovaton residential trip is well underway; money has been raised, activities and menus have been planned, and St Mark’s and KES pupils are very excited!

Mrs Cottrell-Ferrat

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Sailing Club W

e said goodbye to our anchor Mr Cherry at the end of last year and this year Mrs Burrows has taken over the helm, with the valuable assistance of Mr Allen, Mr Havers and Mr Barker. We have also welcomed Miss Stenning aboard the team too.

The nice weather in the autumn term saw 15 pupils successfully pass their RYA Stage 1 and 2 under the watchful eye of Charlotte Cooper, our Senior Instructor.

We will sadly say ‘Goodbye’ to her in August (after three years of loyal service) as she has got a job as a science teacher at the Westgate School. Another six pupils braved the elements in October to start the beginners’ course but sadly the weather has not been very kind to us this year and several sessions have been lost due to freezing conditions or howling winds. However, membership of the club remains healthy with almost 40 members and approximately 15 pupils attending most sessions. The beginners who started in September have continued to turn up regularly and they are really enjoying their sailing using the new Picos and some are getting more adventurous and progressing onto the Lasers and Fevas.

On June 8th the new slipway at Weston was opened

by Geoff Holt, who in 2007 became the first disabled person to sail single-handed around Great Britain, the first disabled person to sail unassisted across the Atlantic Ocean 2009/10 and winner of Yachtsman of

the Year 2010. The School was publicly thanked by the Commodore at the opening ceremony as we helped significantly with the Club’s successful application to Sport England for a £50,000 grant for a slipway that is accessible to all. It is now much easier to launch and recover our boats.

The Annual Regatta was our most successful to date with 16 boats and 32 pupils on the water. Conditions were ideal with a gentle breeze and bright warm sunshine making it a hotly contested event. The event was opened up to Stroud pupils and five of them squared up to face the KES opposition. Mr Rigg kindly provided us with a fine committee boat, the good ship Bellapaix to assist the KES staff and we were fortunate to have Mrs Henderson, Mr Richards (from Stroud) and many parent helpers to lend a hand to rig almost the entire fleet of boats, and to launch and recover them safely. Racing took place off the committee boat in Southampton Water and competitors were kept on their toes as a fleet of Liners sailed past creating enormous washes at times. The beginner and advanced Pico fleets enjoyed four back to back races in glorious sunshine with a fluctuating light breeze whilst the Handicap fleet, comprised of Lasers, Vagos and Fevas, had three longer races with the opportunity to fly their spinnakers on the downwind leg.

Regatta Results: PICO FLEET Position Beginners Ben Barr 1 Oliver Gough 2 Patrick Lotery 3

Handicap Fleet Position

Advanced Harry Cowell 1 Robert McFarlane 2 Alex Everest 3

Winners of Walters Helps Trophy for first KES boat in Handicap Fleet. Jess Jarman and Mhairi Carson

Feva Laser Feva

Sam Richards/Ben Millar (Stroud) Henry Waring (Stroud) Jess Jarman/Mhairi Carson

1 2 3

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Scamp Club C

urtis Crowley….Rose Blackman….Hazel Webb…. and so the leadership of the club moves on. From Curtis Crowley’s foundation in 2010, through the golden years of Rose Blackman’s inspired direction when the membership blossomed at 40, to our current head who has widened the range of our interests in an educationally broadening way. Hazel Webb has weaved an exciting blend of lectures, visits and explorations during 2012 and 2013.

Philippa White entertained us with her investigation on the development of computer games from space invaders to cold war warriors, Hazel herself (along with Tabitha Sparks) treated a rapt audience to their “storybook” involving the adventures of Mizte, Rose Blackman explored conspiracy theories and Louise McCann presented a compelling case for the accurate decipherment of runic codes. David Veres and Curtis Crowley delved into problems set out in Linguistic Olympiad papers and Harry Hazelgrove returned to the Sherlock Holmes theme with a masterly treatment of the real Mycroft Holmes, brother of the esteemed detective and toiler in the shadows of the corridors of power at Westminster.

Our trips this year took the form of a return to Bletchley Park, a place much loved by members of the club, and to the Science Museum in London. Special exhibitions on Alan Turing at both institutions inspired us to put together a small project on this mathematical genius.

“Codebreaker” is an exhibition developed by the Science Museum to celebrate the centenary of the birth of this pioneering British figure. Alan Turing is most widely known for his critical involvement in the codebreaking at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. But Alan Turing was not just a codebreaker. This British mathematician was also a philosopher and computing pioneer who grappled with the fundamental problems of life itself. His ideas have helped shape the modern world, including early computer programming and even the seeds of artificial intelligence. The exhibition told the story of Turing and his most important ideas.

At Bletchley we were pleased to visit his office and seeing one of the Enigma Machines, including the rare ‘Abwehr G312’, was undoubtedly another highlight of a busy day out. We even tried to discover the map to the genius mathematician’s silver, supposedly buried in or near Bletchley Park, but the horn

sounding on the coach ready to take us back to Southampton cut short our quest.

The year was rounded off by Tom Edwards who gave a bravura performance in his lecture on aerodynamics. Much fun was had in designing the best flying object, identifiable or in some cases not!

Ibrahim Chughtai delivered our final event of the year: Scandal ‘63: the fiftieth anniversary of the Profumo affair 30 April until 15 September 2013, National Portrait Gallery, London, Room 32. In journalistic history, the case of Ivanov, Keeler, Profumo and Ward is very important. For the first time the British press did not hold back from reporting on a matter which potentially concerned national security and involved some leading public figures. Lord Denning’s official report is a masterpiece of legal procedure.

Hazel Webb will continue to lead the club next year. We look forward to another fascinating set of explorations into the world of Classical Greek, literature, history and, as promised by Alex Chapman, the world of the Higgs boson and particle physics.

Members of the Scamp Club

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Table Tennis T

he Lower School Table Tennis Club meets on Tuesdays after School and there are always a good number of keen players up for the challenge of improving their play and defeating their opponents.

The School enters a team in the Southampton area U13 league where the competition is particularly strong and our best players are able to develop their skills.

This season, with an all First Year squad (Jameel Khan, Toby Dudson, Matthew Bell, Will Wickham, Callum Price and Nathan Hastings), we managed to defeat three of the seven schools we were pitted

against. This was a promising foundation on which to build a team to attempt to regain the top league spot once again. Jameel Khan showed particular promise and was able to compete in the Hampshire Schools’ Individual Tournament, battling through to the quarter finals.

Jameel with Toby and Nathan taking second and third places.

In the annual First Year inter-form competition two very strong teams – 1/3 (Jameel Khan, Toby Dudson and Ollie Kimmance) and 1/1 (Matthew Bell, Nathan Hastings and Barnaby Clacy) – reached the final with 1/3 emerging triumphant. The First Year individual champion was

Next season we look forward to even more exciting matches.

The U16 team was unable to enter a team in the senior league this year due to insufficient numbers.

Enthusiastic Third, Fourth and Fifth Year students should register an interest with Mr Collins.

Mr Singleton

Young Enterprise T

his year’s Young Enterprise company, H2Q, found trading conditions difficult. Some of the executive directors found the demands on their time difficult to manage and, after some hard decisions, many were let go. This left a small but dedicated team to work on a number of ideas, all of which were textiles based. After a number of false starts, the company settled on the idea of producing sports towels, branded as KES but with a unique logo, and there was hope that this would generate sales in the coming months.

The core team of five directors found the Young Enterprise experience to be frustrating; it was hard to make decisions and to then turn those decisions into actions. However, they were ably guided by a very experienced Business Advisor and learned a great deal about decision making, delegation, working within a set of rules and regulations and teamwork.

Mrs Quinn

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Target Two Point Zero Competition T

arget Two Point Zero - The Bank of England and The Times Interest Rate Challenge gives teams of students aged 16-18 the chance to take on the role of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, assess economic conditions and the outlook for inflation and explain to panels of judges what monetary policy they would set to achieve the Government's inflation target of 2.0%. This involved constructing a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation covering four major areas of the UK economy that influence the inflation rate and doing wide background research to cope with any questions raised by the judges after the presentation.

In November 2012, a team consisting of Nikhil Ohri, Alex Jones, Tom Capper and Sam Fox travelled to the Macdonald Botley Park Hotel, Southampton, to present their work in front of a panel of three judges.

The team recommended an interest rate of 0.5% and a total of £375bn of Quantitative Easing. The competition was tough and since the School had never progressed past this first round it was a huge surprise to emerge triumphant and go on through to the Central and Southern England area final, held 3 months later at Waverley Abbey House, Farnham. The team, with James Skinner stepping in for Sam Fox, won this round too, meaning that we qualified for the National Final of the competition, taking place in March at the Bank of England.

The competition’s proverbial ‘bar’ was raised when we learnt that the judging panel at the Final would be chaired by Charlie Bean, Deputy Governor at the Bank of England, and would include two other MPC members – Spencer Dale and Ian McCafferty, together with Hugh

Pym, Chief Economics Correspondent at the BBC. Not only would the team get the opportunity to present in front of “hot-shots” in the field of economic policy making, but we would also get the opportunity to tour the Bank of England including the gold vaults, see War Horse on stage in the West End, before booking in to a Central London hotel, courtesy of the Bank. The Bank was huge and very grand with mosaic flooring covering the corridors of the ground floor. Down in the vaults we got the opportunity to handle gold bars and learnt about the difference between gold bars in all the different central banks around the world (the shapes and the way they are stacked in the vaults). We also received a lesson in how to spot a counterfeit bank note.

On the morning of the presentation we were relieved to have been drawn out of the hat to present first so we could get it out of the way as soon as possible, relax and enjoy the rest of the presentations from the other 5 schools. The team delivered a slick presentation which was followed by a real grilling from the judging panel and we were unlucky to come in joint 4th place. The team won £1,000 for the School and each received Kindles from the Bank. The competition gave us an invaluable and unique experience that improved our knowledge and understanding of the economy and allowed us to develop the material we have learned in A Level text books and apply it to the real world.

On behalf of the team I would like to thank Mr Walter who suffered through our presentation an inordinate number of times and accompanied us to each stage of the competition.

Tom Capper

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Creative Arts

Art at KES T

he department has continued to go from strength to strength with the standard of work continuing to impress from the First Years to the Upper Sixth. Our annual Art Exhibition was well attended with all the studios displaying work.

The Upper Sixth fine artists put together a fabulous display of painting. Ellie Alveyn’s delicate watercolours of cinemas and theatres were much admired and the consensus was that these were far more than ‘Sixth Form art’. Lucy Morgan’s large oil paintings delighted everyone and the sheer scale and ambition were a fabulous advertisement for what can be done in the department.

The A level photographers were equally impressive.

Jemima Dunnett’s landscape photography and the link to war dead were both personal and poignant. Her examination photographs and film were charming and exquisitely captured the magic of childhood. Gigi Hill’s work was characteristically bold and challenging; her storyteller pictures a real highlight with a rush of colour and bold compositions.

The Lower Sixth Formers’ work was equally memorable with bold drawings and exquisite life drawings. The Fifth Year display was, as in previous years, a lovely mixture of their large colour pencil drawings and clay heads. The heads were smaller than in previous years but the imagination and technical skills still very much in evidence. Subjects ranged from a soldier to Marilyn Monroe with much in-between. What was encouraging to see is the growing ambition of the students especially in their examination pieces. The Fourth Years have embraced the new way of working in their sketchbooks and already their work is personal and of a very high standard.

Art in the Lower School continues to impress. The Third Years’ work increasingly is bold and confident as they experiment with new processes and techniques.

The First and Second Years have been working over a huge range of artistic genres. Mr Long’s groups produced some fabulous work in Photoshop importing images to create digital landscapes from their wooden sculptures. Mrs Moxon’s classes have shown their skills in observational painting and some outstanding examples of lino-cutting. Mr Lewis’ classes have been building cleverly detailed buildings from wood and some gorgeous interpretations of the work of Alphonse Mucha.

The Arts Festival gave the department the opportunity to produce industrial quantities of masks for the students to wear in the carnival and all agreed it was a lovely excuse to create both the bizarre and flamboyant.

During the festival the Fourth Years benefited from the skills of local print makers Red Hot Press. The twoday master classes and workshops were a fantastic opportunity to learn new ways of working and discuss their work with working printmakers.

Our new art partnership with Springhill Primary has been a great success and much learnt (and fun had) by both the primary students and our KES helpers.

There have been trips to Oxford and London Art Galleries as well as seeing sculpture in context in the British Museum and St Pancras Station.

Mr Piggott

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Dance at KES D

ance continues to be an important aspect of King Edward’s with an extensive programme available with clubs running both at lunch times and after School.

The exciting dance programme has broadened the experiences of our students whilst making full use of our exceptional Dance Studio. The programme includes links with Spring Hill Primary School, our Zumba Club, Contemporary Dance Club and a continuation of the successful Rhythmic Gymnastics Club. There have also been opportunities to learn jive, salsa, waltz and tango in our Jive Club and Strictly KES Dancing Club. Pupils have also had the opportunity to learn street dance and the cha-cha during workshops and dance has also featured in our Foundation Studies programme and the Extended Studies programme.

Our students have worked hard this year and have performed at the Spring Concert and during the Thanksgiving Service with clubs rehearsing frequently to ensure they contribute to the successful running of these School events. The School dancers have also competed in a National Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition and have been an integral part of the Arts Festival and the Whole School Zumba. Our most able dancers have had a great opportunity to work with an outside dance company. This was an opportunity for them to learn about choreography and how we implement moves to build structures to our dances.

Earlier on in the year, a large team of KES gymnasts took part in the National Schools’ Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship at Weavers Leisure Centre, Wellingborough. The girls retained the Level 2 team trophy that they won last year and also won the trophy in Level 1. The squad won a number of medals which included 2 Bronze, 4 Silver and 4 Gold. Every single King Edward VI School gymnast came away with a medal!

The results were as follows: LEVEL 1 Over 11 ribbon Penelope Bielckus won Bronze and Aliyah Warshow won Gold.

Over 11 rope Gemma Asher won Bronze, Danni Townsend won Silver and Julia Mead-Briggs won Gold.

Group Over 11 rope The girls won Silver and Gold.

LEVEL 2 Over 11 rope Joan Chen won Silver.

Over 11 ribbon Lucia Laverty won Gold.

Duet Over 11 ball Jacqueline Man and Hanan Sharkh won Silver.

During the Arts Festival, over 220 pupils and staff joined together to perform a Whole School Zumba. This was a fantastic achievement and built on the successes of the American Line Dance that was performed during the last Arts Festival. Months of preparation paid off when the mass of pupils and staff took to the stage to perform during the Street Theatre. The First Year and Sport Science students led the way in a successful and enjoyable performance. It is an exciting time to be part of dance at King Edward’s and we are certain that the programme will continue to grow and look forward to its further success in the future.

Miss Campbell

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Drama at KES I

t has been yet another packed year for Drama. We started off the autumn term with an atmospheric and thought-provoking production of The Fall of the House of Usher given in school, to all GCSE and A level Drama students, by Scene Productions. The Fourth Years enjoyed a theatre-filled day in London in November participating in a back stage tour at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and seeing the acclaimed production of War Horse whilst earlier in the term they had also enjoyed Blood Brothers in company with the Fifth and Sixth Form Theatre Studies students. Two Sixth Form specific trips to see Our Country’s Good at the Nuffield and One Man, Two Guvnors in London have also taken place.

The latter trip was the now annual staff/Sixth Form trip and the hilarious production was very well received by staff and students alike.

Our production for the autumn term was the challenging 18th century comedy The Recruiting Officer. The members of the cast acquitted themselves magnificently to produce a very funny and engaging piece. They worked hard on Farquhar’s language and succeeded in making it very accessible to a 21st century audience. The play is a set text for Theatre Studies, and it informs the study of Our Country’s Good, being the first play ever performed in Australia by members of the First Fleet, so we were pleased to be able to offer complimentary tickets to several groups from other schools. Such a success does not happen without the help of lots of students and staff backstage and on the production team. I would like to thank, in particular, Mrs Piggott and Mrs Gunton for all their hard work in dressing the cast in the wonderful period costumes, Mr Mason for the imaginative use of music and lighting and the whole of the Art Department for their work on the design and painting of the set, but especially Mr Lewis who was also responsible for the poster and programme design. Mr Jones was his usual supportive self and organised publicity and the front of house team and Mr Robinson ensured the safety and the credibility of the duel.

Junior Drama Club also started in September with all 70 places being signed up within 4 minutes! It ran until Easter with the help of a brilliant Sixth Form team. In June the younger performers put on a magnificent performance of Haroun and the Sea of Stories, directed

by Mrs Piggott. I would also like to mention here the two years of dedicated, energetic and enthusiastic support given to JDC by our two Upper Sixth drama scholars Anna Goodison and Anna Shadbolt – I have

really valued their contributions.

The spring term was equally busy with an excellent production, in February, of Just the Three of Us directed and produced by our Lower Sixth drama scholars – Robin Hutchings and Sarah Romilly. March brought the A/S and A2 Preview evening with a profoundly disturbing and very physical piece - Out Of The Box, created by the Upper Sixth, and a funny and touching performance of Say Something Happened by Alan Bennett given by the Lower Sixth. Also In March the department supported Dr Schofield’s excellent and imaginative production of Two. On the night I saw this play I was hugely impressed by its talented and versatile cast.

This term Mrs Piggott organised a trip to the Nuffield to see the brilliant The 39 Steps for our Third and Fourth Years and we have been very busy on the final assessed pieces for the Fifth Year GCSE classes. The two moderated groups produced excellent pieces Yesterday (on the break-up of the Beatles) and Finale (on the disgrace of premier cyclist Marco Pantani). This year it was our turn to have two moderators and we were very proud that the Senior Moderator described both pieces as “phenomenal”. It is such a pity that with the very early start of the GCSE examinations there was no time to put on a showcase evening for the candidates’ families and friends.

At the end of term the Arts Festival and the Third Year Performance Evenings also involved many students from the department. All of these events have been “lasts” for me as I retire from teaching at the end of this term. I have thoroughly enjoyed my two stints at King Edward’s, coming to over 15 years in total. I have been really fortunate to work with such supportive colleagues and talented pupils and it is with very mixed feelings that I approach the end of my teaching, though not my working, career. However I am very pleased to report that I am leaving the department in good hands as Mrs Piggott is taking over as Head of Department from September and Mr Mason will remain to provide his utterly invaluable support. I would like to record my thanks to them both for all their help and support and to send my best wishes to Ms Birks who will be joining the department in September.

Mrs Price

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Junior Drama Club S

ome people think that drama is just about standing up and reading lines.

However, there is a lot more to acting than that. It takes a lot of work and skill to be able to develop a character and make a performance believable. There is no better place to learn these skills than Junior Drama Club.

Each week, Mrs Price often starts with a warm-up, where everyone becomes focused, concentrating on body language, actions, expressions and character.

Following this, we split into groups, each led by a Sixth Former, to work on a project that we have been set.

The Sixth Formers are very friendly and are always ready to help, advising on details like timing and delivery of lines. Usually we are given a script or a scene that we have to act around. Although we have to stick to the given theme, there is a huge amount of room for you to use your imagination and interpret your character in your own, individual way. When each group’s scene is ready there is a chance to perform your work to the rest of the Club. During the year we have also done some slightly different projects such as, developing an entire scene round a prop, a giant game of charades, adverts, and also an introductory session to the First and Second Year play Haroun and the Sea of Stories.

Junior Drama Club runs every Wednesday and even though the sessions are only 40 minutes long we learn an awful lot each week. I can’t believe drama club is over for this year. It’s a club I look forward to each week so why not come and give it a go in September and join in?

Aelfred Hillman

Just the Three of Us J

ust the Three of Us by Simon Gray is a play which, as the title suggests, involves just three actors. The plot is about a drunk writer who, with the help of her friend the local vicar, chains up her husband’s mistress in an attempt to then educate her in classical literature. This production was put on with a short rehearsal period of just a few weeks which made the standard of the overall performance even more impressive. We were very proud of how the actors coped in this short time, particularly Marta Brodzka who joined the cast a week later than the other two.

The hour and a half production, performed on the 13th and 14th February, involved a lot of work to be ready on time and the cast were mature and hard working in order for the piece to be successful.

We thoroughly enjoyed directing the actors and Josh Blunsden seemed almost made for the part of the local vicar and portrayed his character with the exact vision we had in mind, creating comedy from every line he could, effortlessly and naturally. Georgia Humphrey was an impressive and convincing writer who started playing “drunk and loony” before slowly becoming more sane as the piece went on. Her contrast in characterisation was believable and she needed little direction to create this complex character. Marta Brodzka played a great contrast to Georgia, starting as the rational, sensible one and slowly becoming less and less sane. The sheer amount of lines for the three main protagonists to learn was overwhelming and to learn them in such a short period of time sometimes had us worrying. However, all three learnt them faultlessly and were able to perform them confidently during the performances.

It was a pleasure working with the actors and we had a lot of fun in rehearsals creating the comedy in the piece. We are also thankful to Mr Mason for building and decorating the incredible set used in the production and doing the lighting on the night and to Mrs Price who helped give the actors an extra push as the performance dates dawned and her directing input was greatly appreciated.

Sarah Romilly (Producer and Co-Director) and Robin Hutchings (Director)

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The Recruiting Officer T

he Recruiting Officer was an amazing experience that we will remember very fondly. We were so lucky to have such an extremely talented, entertaining and hardworking cast, who made what was initially a very daunting play so enjoyable and successful. None of the cast had experienced a style quite like this play before and so it certainly put us all out of our comfort zone, enabling us to find the true thespians within us!

We think everyone would agree that if it wasn’t for the extravagant costumes we were provided with, thanks to Mrs. Piggott, getting into our unusual and exciting characters would not have been possible. Without our matching luscious wigs and breeches we don’t think Sylvia and Captain Plume would have been quite the same!

Everyone worked really hard in preparation (motivated and directed wonderfully by Mrs Price) in order to create such a splendid performance that everyone found, much to their surprise, and our relief, truly hilarious! We hope we speak for everyone when we say that every actor involved highly appreciated the behind stage crew, not only Mrs Price and Mrs Piggott but also Mr Mason who ran the lights and sound very impressively, Mr Lewis and the Art Department for the beautiful set and Mr Jones who made sure our performances were actually attended!

Overall a truly memorable experience.

Annie Shuttleworth and Matt Nahajski

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Two T

wo was performed in the Robert Twigg Studio for three nights at the end of March. It is a dramatic comedy set in a northern pub, and is so named because it can be performed by only two actors. In our production we shared out the parts, giving roles to fourteen students.

The play is held together by the relationship between the landlord and landlady played by James Harvie and Julia Roope. Their comic bickering becomes more poisonous and violent as the evening progresses, until the final scene, in which it is revealed that this is the anniversary of the death of their seven year old son.

Between their scenes we meet a variety of characters that come into the pub for a drink and a chat.

Alex Chapman, as the Old Woman, was the first customer, and gave a sad and moving speech about her relationship with her bed-ridden husband.

Luke Mulholland and Kitty Leask played Moth, an unsuccessful Romeo trying to chat up members of the audience and Maud, his long-suffering girlfriend. The pair played the scene with vigour and excellent comic timing.

The pace was then slowed down as Harry Hazelgrove, playing the Old Man, gave a speech about his continuing relationship with his late wife. Harry hasn’t done a great deal of acting, but this was a captivating piece, and he used the silences superbly. Another comic scene followed, with Louise McCann and Charlie Spargo playing Mr and Mrs Iger (the latter part played

by Anna Shadbolt for one evening, so many thanks to her for stepping in). This involved some brilliant physical comedy from the ubiquitous Charlie, and Louise was fairly scary as the domineering wife. In one of the most powerful and eerily comic scenes of the play, Harry Uglow played the wife-beating, control-freak Roy and Marta Brodzka his brow-beaten wife. This was a scene which came together early in rehearsals and provided us with the most memorable line of the show: ‘Liven up then and you might get some Wotsits’. This was an excellent scene convincingly played by both actors.

The next scene involved two other ubiquitous stars of KES drama, Annie Shuttleworth and Josh Blunsden, playing an odd but loveable couple, Alice and Fred, and it seemed to me that Josh spent most of his time trying not to laugh at Annie’s hilarious comic presence. Jenny Budden’s portrayal of the ‘Other Woman’ trying to summon up the courage to confront her married lover

was sympathetic and well-paced. The last customer was Lily Schofield, on loan from Shirley Junior School, playing a young girl who had lost her father, acting as a catalyst for the emotional outpouring from the landlady.

Lily played this part with confidence and maturity, and she has a strong, clear voice.

I have wanted to put on this play for years, and realised that if I allowed James Harvie to leave the school an opportunity would be lost. Clearly, he is ideal for the part: a genuine Northerner, full of confidence with energy and superb comic timing. He was always going to find this side of the part easy to play, and he was excellent. However, the denouement calls for a vulnerability that is not so easy for a prop forward like James to reveal, and he showed real bravery and versatility in his portrayal: he was subsequently delighted to have reduced several members of the audience to tears. Likewise, Julia was outstanding as the landlady. To my knowledge this was the first major role that she has played, and it shouldn’t be the last.

She has real stage presence, is an excellent mimic, and showed maturity and intelligence in her portrayal of a complex, difficult role. During rehearsals she never shirked from the confrontational side of the part, and her ability to mime and to banter with the imaginary customers was exceptional. Together, these two actors held the show together and did justice to one of my favourite plays, for which I am very grateful.

Dr Schofield

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Music at KES T

he academic year began with an A-Level Music and Music Technology lecture by composer Edmund Jolliffe. Students were given a fascinating account of the history of film composition with wonderful insights into the creativity and practicality of the industry.

Edmund’s own credits include composing the incidental music for many well-known television series, perhaps most famously the ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ programmes.

November saw sixty of the School’s advanced musicians perform an outstanding concert at St John’s, Smith Square, Westminster. Music included works by Beethoven, Mozart, Telemann, Shostakovich, Bruckner, Albinoni and Bartok. The concert, which also featured jazz items and a new work written by Dr Leaman, once again demonstrated the breadth and depth of Music at King Edward’s. Several former Edwardians now pursuing Music at Conservatoire and University joined the players, and parents and staff in the KES Adult Choir sang in the final item, Verdi’s Hebrew Slaves Chorus. To perform in such a prestigious London Concert Hall was a real privilege for all involved.

In December 186 singers in the combined choirs sang a variety of carols to complement the traditional Christmas readings at the annual KES Christmas Carol Service held at St Mary’s Church. Carols ranged from Taverner’s The Lamb to Handel’s And the Glory of the Lord and the large congregation sang heartily in the congregational carols and all enjoyed mince pies and mulled wine at end. Over £750 was raised for The Wessex Cancer Trust in the retiring collection.

The spring term began with the welcome return of Cellist Matthew Barley to give a workshop for Sixth Form Music Tech students and Lower School music scholars. The work was based around his country wide tour to mark Britten’s centenary. It was good to welcome 15 young musicians from our prep school for the event too. A group of pupils also went to hear him perform at the Turner Sims Concert Hall. Fourth Year and Sixth Form students travelled to London to see Puccini’s La Boheme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The pupils sat in the Circle Stalls, right next to the stage and the orchestra pit which made for a truly awe-inspiring experience.

In January, percussion teacher Paul Williams led a workshop involving 33 percussionists and pianists from all years of the School. After a concert given by Mr

Williams and Sixth Form students the pupils were able to play on a number of new and exciting instruments not usually available at School, such as Marimba, Vibraphone and Tam Tam. The Second Year Showcase Concert took place in February where there was a wonderful variety of musical styles and instruments played by these young, talented players. February also saw the A-level music students perform their recital programmes to family and friends. There were some outstanding performances and accomplished playing at grade VIII level and beyond.

In March, Luke Roberts, Zoe Carter Tai, Bi Jia Wu, Liberty Roberts, Jenny Whitby, Harry McGhee, Anna Roberts and Peter Thompson reached the semi finals of the National Chamber Music Competition. There was also an excellent evening of very high quality chamber music at the Ensembles Concert where many of the School’s smaller musical ensembles and duets were able to step in to the spotlight.

A small group of the School’s advanced singers were involved in a wonderfully vivacious performance of Zimbe! on Saturday 9th March in Southampton’s Central Hall. The students joined with Twyford School and the 80-strong Twyford Singers to perform this lively and moving African choral work by Alexander L’Estrange – with the composer himself in the band.

The term was rounded off in grand style with 220 musicians performing to a full house in the Spring Concert on 13th March. Symphony Orchestra, 2nd Orchestra, Big Band, Symphonic Winds, Choirs and vocal groups took to the stage with the usual eclectic mix of pieces, this year based around the theme of Film Music. This was followed by an excellent performance by the choirs at the Thanksgiving service at Winchester Cathedral.

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The summer term began with a fun workshop with the group ‘JUNK’ where Third Year Music classes developed performance skills, part-singing and drumming using unusual recycled objects.

The Third Year Concert held in May and the First Year Concert held in June were full of high quality music making and gave students an opportunity to perform to friends and family.

The Annual Music Competition took place during the Arts Festival and had a record number of entries. The winners were: Grade I-III Grade IV –VI Grade VII+

Ellen Campbell Aelfred Hillman Nick Francis

The musical year came to a close with a tour to Italy.

The musicians visited Lake Garda, Verona and Venice where they sang mass at St Marks Basilica.

This year has also seen many individual achievements.

First Years Indie Chungh and Anamika Ramkumar sang in Das Rheingold at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden in September and October. Carl Wikeley, Anna Roberts, Zoe Carter Tai and Peter Thompson represented the School in the English Schools Orchestra over the October half term. Flautist Jenny Whitby won a place in the National Youth Orchestra

of Great Britain and Isabelle Fuller was commissioned to compose a piano piece for a new poetry anthology, featuring 6 international poets. Harry McGhee and Jenny Whitby passed their post grade VIII Diplomas with Distinction and Jenny won the Music at Beaulieu Competition. The prize of £3,000 will be used to fund her place in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. Congratulations are also due to Ben Atherton, Alex Diaper, Zoe Carter Tai and Catherine Whitby for winning the Southampton Festival of Music and Drama Jubilee String Quartet Challenge trophy, and to Miriam Chapman Rosenfield who won the Royal Opera House Fanfare competition.

Parental Involvement The Dads’ Band has been rehearsing for a year now and has a repertoire of over twenty songs – an eclectic mix of old favourites and more contemporary numbers.

There has also been a good number of new singers to swell the ranks of the adult choir this year. The choir performed at the Carol Service, at Thanksgiving at Winchester Cathedral in March and will be singing Faure’s Requiem with the Chamber Choir in October 2013.

Mrs Freemantle

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Symphony Orchestra O

nce again it has been a real pleasure to work with such talented and dedicated musicians in the Symphony Orchestra. This year the 90 players have enjoyed the extra space in the new Recital Room, which has allowed the string players to bow out without fear of entanglement with the nearby clarinet section, and given trombone players room to wield their slides without getting caught in the hair of the 2nd flutes.

Our repertoire this year has given every section of the Orchestra an opportunity to shine and the performances of Finlandia and the film scores for Robin Hood and the Big Country were very impressive at the at the Spring Concert.

There are players from every year group of the School and new First Years Aelfred Hillman, Alla Garside, Yasmine Elsheikh, Jackson Taylor, Chris Lotery and Alice Booth have been excellent.

At the end of the year we said goodbye to our talented Upper Sixth players: Anna Roberts, Peter Thompson, Harry McGhee, Kathryn Roberts, Stevie Peckham, Lotte Jones, Tom Capper, Charlie Spargo, Oisin Shaw, Ishika Prachee and Jonny Smith. They have been some of the some of the finest orchestral players we have had and we will certainly miss them next year.

I would like to thank all the players in the Orchestra for their enthusiasm, for attending weekly rehearsals and rising to the challenges of the music. We all look forward to next year’s Spring Concert, which will be held at the Turner Sims Concert Hall in Southampton.

Mrs Freemantle

Chamber Orchestra A

dvanced musicians from the Symphony Orchestra performed an excellent concert at St John’s, Smith Square in November. The programme of Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, Arnold’s Suite for Orchestra and Verdi’s Hebrew Slaves Chorus was played with fine musicianship and true KES spirit. The Chamber Orchestra will be pushing the boundaries further next year and the musicians can look forward to performing a concert at the Turner Sims Concert Hall.

Mrs Freemantle

Senior Choir T

he Senior Choir continues to be a popular activity in the run up to the Carol Service with a large mixed choir enjoying the challenge of singing in 4 part harmony with the parent and staff choir at the service. This year’s highlight has to be the singing of Handel’s And The Glory of the Lord which was also sung at the Thanksgiving Service at Winchester Cathedral. This year we say goodbye to Upper Sixth singers who have been leading members of the Choir for many years. In particular I would like to thank Reem Katifi, Livi Ellis, Lotte Jones, Anna Roberts, Peter Thompson and Jonny Smith. Also Soprano Natalie Fairhurst who has taken the Chamber Choir to new heights under her excellent direction. A final thank you goes to Gus Woolley and Penny Bieklus who joined the school in the Sixth Form and who have played a leading role this year. With all the interest shown in this year’s Arts Festival House Choir competition we look forward to welcoming new members to the Choir in September.

Mrs Freemantle

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St John’s Chamber Choir

Vocal Ensemble

T

T

he Choir was lucky enough this year to have the opportunity to sing in the beautiful acoustics and surroundings of St. John’s, Smith Square. The group, joined by some former Edwardians, sang Bruckner’s Locus Iste and George Shearing’s Who Is Sylvia?

Both pieces were performed with a real sense of style and the singers’ use of different tonal qualities to echo the changing moods of the lyrics was very effective.

Mr Watson

his newly-formed close-harmony group, made up of the School’s advanced singers, met for the first time in January and quickly built up a sense of ensemble and aural awareness that belied their years. The balance of parts in their performance of Randy Newman’s When She Loved Me, coupled with a sure sense of phrasing and control, lent the music a truly beautiful quality.

Let us hope that this talented group of singers continue to meet in the future!

Mr Watson

Chamber Choir T

he Chamber Choir is an advanced group of singers drawn from the Upper School and Sixth Form.

Following last year’s achievements, the Chamber Choir had the great honour of starting the year with a performance in the Chamber Concert at St. John’s, Smith Square singing Eric Whitacre’s This Marriage which was written for his wife on their seventh wedding anniversary. The singers were amazed at how the design of the building enhanced the acoustics which really brought out the emotion in the piece.

In the School Carol Service the Choir performed two unaccompanied pieces; firstly, John Tavener’s The Lamb which has dissonant harmonies that are difficult for both performer and listener and secondly, the more accessible O Magnum Mysterium written by Morten

Lauridsen, a piece which I never imagined that I would get the chance to conduct. The last event of the Choir’s year was a performance at Winchester Cathedral for the Thanksgiving Service. Here, the Choir performed a fairly unknown version of Locus Iste by Howard Skempton and an arrangement of a traditional folk song written and conducted by Dr Leaman. This was definitely a highlight, not only being asked to sing this piece but to also perform it in such a dramatic setting. I am incredibly proud of the Choir’s achievements over the past two years and am very sad to have to leave such a talented group of singers. However, I know that we will all remember these events for years to come.

Natalie Fairhurst

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Big Band T

he KES Big Band has continued to flourish this academic year and broadened its horizons this February by performing a concert of Glenn Miller tunes to the residents of the Sunrise Care Home in Bassett. The programme included classics such as In The Mood, String of Pearls, Little Brown Jug and American Patrol. The residents came in their numbers to listen to the performance and some even enjoyed a couple of dances! This performance was swiftly followed by the annual Spring Concert in March, where the band embraced the film music theme, starting their set with the 20th Century Fox theme before performing Sunrise from Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra, famously used to accompany the opening of Stanley Kubrik’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. They

Symphonic Wind Ensemble Chamber Music Octet

also performed a couple of charts from the films ‘Chatanooga Choo Choo’ and ‘The Glenn Miller Story’.

At the end of the year we say goodbye to some outstanding and long serving members who have come to the end of their time at KES. An enormous debt of gratitude for all the hard work and advanced musicianship goes to; Oliver Ferec-Dayson and Gus Woolley (trumpets), Harry McGhee, Anna Roberts, Charlotte Jones, Charlie Spargo, Alex Ward and Alasdair Stone (saxophones), Peter Thompson (trombone) and Anjelica Cleaver (guitar).

Dr Leaman

T

he Symphonic Wind Ensemble was newly formed in this academic year in order to give the many talented woodwind and brass payers we have at the School extra scope for group music making. Made up of players of grade 5-8 standard in the Lower and Upper School, the group quickly gelled into a fine combination and their performance debut at the Spring Concert was most impressive. They played two jazz numbers; Song For My Father by Horace Silver and Soul Bossa Nova by Quincy Jones and showed further still the amazing depth and talent of the School’s musicians.

Dr Leaman

C

hamber Music at King Edward’s has flourished this year and this was perhaps most evident at the St John’s, Smith Square concert in November. The octet performed the Adagio and Allegro from Telemann’s Concerto in A Minor and the sense of phrasing and communication between the players was quite outstanding. The group was then augmented to 11 musicians to perform Silencia by Dr Leaman, offering the advanced musicians at KES a glimpse into a very different sound world. They responded to the pushing of their technique quite superbly.

Following the success of this concert, it was clear that the quality of the performing merited further exposure and so accordingly the Octet was entered into the National Pro Corda Chamber Music Competition. The group again excelled in their musicianship and brought absolute commitment and musical understanding to their performances at Godolphin School in February and Sherbourne School in March. They made it through to the semi-final stage of the competition, for which the performers should be extremely proud. Congratulations to Jenny Whitby (flute), Zoe Carter Tai (flute), Liberty Roberts (oboe), Luke Roberts (oboe and cor anglais), Harry McGhee (clarinet), Anna Roberts (clarinet and bass clarinet), Peter Thompson (violoncello) and Bi Jia Wu (violin and harpsichord).

Dr Leaman

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Second Orchestra T

he Second Orchestra has gone from strength to strength this year, with many new members joining to create the largest incarnation of this ensemble yet. The dedication and perseverance of all the players from September onwards has allowed us to prepare two challenging pieces for the Spring Concert in March and the ensemble has been a joy to work with. Haydn’s Surprise Symphony, with its delicate melodies and intriguing harmonies enabled the orchestra to perform with real finesse and control, whilst Vangelis’ Chariots of Fire provided a platform to display their sense of drama. A guest performance from the Head Master in the latter provided the audience with an extra level of excitement on the night!

Mr Watson

First Year Choir R

ight from the Vocal Workshop on the first day of term, the First Year Choir has been a wonderful group this year, full of enthusiasm, fun and great singing. Their first performance in the Carol Service singing Chilcott’s arrangement of In the Bleak Midwinter was a great success, with beautiful harmony singing and lovely solos

by Imogen Burwood, Indie Chungh, Madeleine Davies and Anna Poller. The Choir also rose to the challenge of learning all the other full choir pieces, congregational carols and descants.

In the Spring Concert, their performance of Wings by Carl Strommen was sung beautifully in two part harmony.

This was then followed by an enthusiastic rendition of the brilliant new song When I Grow Up from the Tim Minchin musical ‘Matilda’, this time with vocal solos by Himani Arora, Harriet Brander and Favour Oladipo, trumpet solos by Mhairi Carson and Eve Henley, and James Diaper on the drums.

Their final performance of the year was in the First Year Concert with a very rousing medley of Lion King songs. We look forward to hearing all these talented singers as they enter the Senior Choir next year.

Miss Collier

Rock Academy A

nother exciting year for Rock Academy with confidence-building rehearsals, an amusing and professional photo shoot and a nervous build up to the first Battle of the Bands and the biennial Arts Festival. The highlight for me, as well as for lots of the bands, was the Battle of the Bands. With a few rehearsals, and the photo shoot under their belts, the Rock Academy bands entered the competition alongside many other bands ranging from solo artists, duos, Sixth Former bands and even a band of teachers! The judging panel consisted of respected music industry professionals and the night was

electrifying! Quality performances were delivered but there could be only one band to win the prize that night.

The judges were impressed by one particular band whose performance was polished, entertaining and awesome; the Rock Academy band of Second Years, ‘Rising Beat’!

With further performances at the Arts Festival, this year has cemented the reputation of Rock Academy as THE place be, to nurture the inner rock stars of the future.

Harun Kotch

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Flute Trio T

his has been another year of absolute dedication and commitment from members of the flute trio. They have pushed themselves technically and musically, especially with the level of ensemble playing required to perform Dr Leaman's arrangement of the Prelude and Fugue in A major by Shostakovich. This was performed with sensitivity and maturity as well as technical excellence at St John's Smith Square in the autumn term. The spring term saw further performances in assembly and at the Pro Corda

Chamber Music Festival, playing Shostakovich alongside Kuhlau's Trio for Flutes in G minor. The group also performed in May for a fundraising event at the Chesil Theatre in Winchester. The organisers were delighted with their professionalism and very impressed with the talent displayed. The trio consists of Jenny Whitby, Zoe Carter Tai and Tom Edwards.

Miss Burns

Jazz Ensemble I

t has been an absolute pleasure working with such advanced students this year in the Jazz Ensemble.

I have written specific material for the group, the difficulty of which I would normally write for professional musicians, such is their collective skills of sight-reading and musicianship. We have been preparing for a full length concert which will also feature the group improvising.

Preparing and performing such a bulk of material is quite a task requiring intense concentration and everyone has been very committed to presenting a performance of very high quality. Most students are leaving this year so I look forward to building up another strong ensemble of advanced young players from next term.

Mr Allen

Jazz Rep group J

azz Rep is open to all instrumentalists of any basic ability, the aim of which is to give an introduction into playing in jazz styles and improvising. We cover a few different pieces every few weeks, and the students learn the tunes largely by ear. So far we have played tunes in gospel, jazz and latin styles. Students practise their improvisation through call and response techniques, listening and developing what they hear in the group.

Mr Allen

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The 2013 Arts Festival The 2013 Arts Festival, celebrating the 460th anniversary of the School, ran for three days at the end of June and provided a colourful myriad of workshops and performances which provoked enquiry and stimulated creativity. Thirty-seven visiting artists came to the School over the three days to work with students, and workshops ranged from steel drum playing, Afro Caribbean dance and print making to creative writing, architecture, jewellerymaking and illusion theatre.

There were several spectacular large scales events such as the Art Exhibition, Jazz Concert and the play Haroun and the Sea of Stories and the highlight of the festival was the traditional Street Theatre held on the School Field on the last day. This included something for all with crazy golf, face painting, balloon modelling, pavement art, buskers, dancers, magic acts, stilt walkers, juggling, mime artists and a whole school Zumba dance. A magnificent carnival procession brought the Street Theatre to a close with all the visiting artists, pupils wearing carnival masks, musicians, dancers, visitors from partnership schools, the complete cast from Haroun and a staff fancy dress contingent.

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Music Tour to Italy T

wenty-eight musicians enjoyed an action-packed music tour to Italy at the start of the summer holiday. The group was based in San Zeno, a beautiful town overlooking Lake Garda, and performed the first concert of the tour in the local church to a capacity audience. The group stayed at a delightful family run hotel with plenty of homemade pasta and traditional Italian fayre. Free time was spent at the pool or playing table tennis where the pair of Leaman and Watson smashed all opposition in the tour table tennis tournament superbly organised by Murray Watson.

The musicians enjoyed a day in nearby Verona where they soaked up the sounds and sights of this elegant city, visiting places such as the 16th century church of St Anastasia and the open-air Roman arena where all enjoyed a spectacular performance of Verdi’s Requiem. The work, known for its drama, took on a whole new dimension being accompanied by thunder and lightning, yet not a drop of rain.

Following Verona, the group moved on to Venice. Arriving by boat at Vivaldi’s Pieta church at noon, when the sun was at its height, tested the most hardy of the group as they carried their instruments through the maze of ‘calle’ to the stunning Renaissance Miracoli church for the evening concert. The performance was again played to a capacity audience and the fine acoustic allowed the performers to push interpretation to the full. The day in Venice was completed with a gondola ride through the canals and all musicians singing mass at St Mark’s Basilica. This was an awe-inspiring occasion in every sense. The acoustic was magical and to sing in the Basilica of the great Gabrelis and Montiverdi was a real honour. The boat trip back to the mainland was an opportunity for the traditional music tour sing-song which included everything from chart hits to the School hymn.

The final performance of the tour was in the town of Garda where the big band wowed the audience on an open stage in a busy square. Former KES Chemistry teacher Mr Murphy, who is now teaching in Milan, joined the band for several numbers and it was lovely for us all to see him again. It was also great that so many parents came out to Italy to support the concerts.

Other things which will linger in the memory… the pedalo boats on Lake Garda, the hairpin bends on the road to San Zeno, sunset on the lake, the intense heat, being pegged, the impromptu concert on the last night for the elderly residents of the hotel, the dramatic cable car ride to the top of Monte Baldo, Harry’s fines book and all the fantastic KES musicians and staff team of Dr Leaman, Mr Watson and Mr Culver.

Mrs Freemantle

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TRIPS & VISITS

Aachen Trip A

t 10 o’clock on a dark December evening 36 pupils and five members of staff met together on Hill Lane to set out on the annual trip to the atmospheric ancient capital of Charlemagne’s Holy Roman Empire. Admittedly there are Christmas markets all over the UK nowadays, including our own micro-market in Southampton, but none quite matches up to the special character of those in Germany and especially the one in Aachen. It was a long journey to get there, but one that was made all the more enjoyable by the early evening singing and the snow covered countryside that slid past the windows of the coach as dawn broke on our drive through Belgium to our final destination.

An early arrival meant that we could wander through empty streets to the oak-panelled café where we ate our breakfast and got ready for the adventure ahead. Mr Kelsey then led us on a guided tour of the old town, taking in the cathedral, the town hall (built on the ruins of Charlemagne’s palace) and also part of the trail of 13 cribs which can be visited during the Christmas period. He was also able, as only Mr Kelsey can, to enlighten the group about the significance of the waving of a hooked little finger – the traditional greeting from one Aachener to another.

It was then time to wander around the market looking for presents, decorations and the local speciality of Printen, a kind of gingerbread cake. A visit to the Rathaus gave everyone a chance to sit down and to warm up before a second assault on the market. The day was then rounded off with a visit to the Lindt chocolate outlet shop where a vast array of treats was available. It was certainly a quieter journey on the way back and a tired but happy group arrived back at Hill Lane in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Mr Kukla

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Activities Day

T

his year’s Activities Day took place on Friday 5th July. The glorious weather contributed to a fantastic day filled with a variety of activities and trips. 569 students took part in 20 activities, ranging from corset making in the DT Textiles room to wakeboarding in the New Forest and powerboating around the Jurassic Coast. Students and staff grabbed the opportunity to try something new resulting in an action packed day for the whole School.

Don't look down...

The winners are...

Hold tight...

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Beaulieu First Year Activity Trip D

uring my second week at King Edward’s, I went on the Beaulieu trip. I still didn’t know anyone in my class very well, and this gave me a chance to get to know them better. All of our activities needed teamwork but one of them involved lifting your team mates over a wall. Not only did this require teamworking skills but we needed to be able to trust each other too. My friend Tusca said, “I especially enjoyed this activity too because it meant you could place your trust in other people without feeling at risk.”

My favourite activity was the trapeze because we were able to help each other tackle our fears. Cecilia said, “Once I got up there, I felt like I couldn’t let anyone down and, as I heard everybody cheering me on, I lost all fright and just went for it."

I think we all went home that night with more friends and, not only that, we knew we could trust each other and that’s the best feeling ever!

Eve Henley

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Biology Trip – Dale Fort T

he Biology Field Trip to Dale Fort broke a few unofficial records this year, muddiest boots after salt marsh succession and highest field temperature (32°C). Fifty-two students spent three days learning ecological field techniques in a variety of habitats which they then applied to an individual investigation of their own design, for their A2 coursework. Work was supported by lectures from the experienced Dale Fort staff and help from King Edward’s own biology staff. John Archer-Thomson has been leading courses for KES for over 30 years!

If you want to know how exposure affects strength of serrated wrack, or the minimum distance a beadlet anemone will tolerate having a rival, or how the same anemones are affected by changes in rock pool salinity or even the microhabitat preferences of purple top shells, then the Sixth Form Biology class are now equipped to answer these and many other questions.

Mr Aellen Best quotes of the week: “Driving in the RIB made me feel like James Bond.”

“Learning Biology is best when you do it practically.”

“Learning Biology is best when the sun is shining.”

“Three practicals, lunch at the point and Andy Murray wins Wimbledon - it doesn’t get much better than that!”

“Can you show me how to add error bars on Excel?”

“That is a potential death trap!”

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Charlotte Exchange T

his exchange programme has been operating since 2004 but I joined it early in the summer term 2012 when I filled in my application form stating my reasons for wanting to take part in this creative arts programme and setting out my ideas for my project. I am so glad that I was successful.

As well as offering students the opportunity to stay with a host family and experience another culture, this exchange allows students to pursue and complete an academic study project of their own choosing, based upon one of the creative arts. Traditionally, projects have been based on literature, drama, art or dance, but anything creative is welcome. In my own project I profiled some of my favourite British authors such as Sophie McKenzie and American authors such as Suzanne Collins. I looked at a famous classical author, Jane Austen, from my home town, and a famous local author, Betsy Byars from North Carolina in the hope that my project would help to inspire young people to read more. Special dispensation has been granted for study projects which are not strictly based on the arts, but do retain a firm academic grounding. For instance, in the past, one of our students compiled an in-depth report on the presidential elections. The study project, however, remains an integral part of the exchange and considerable focus is placed upon this during the application process.

In September last year, the Charlotte Exchange 2013 team spent a planning and orientation weekend at our Rural Studies Centre. We made a start on our creative projects; some of us were writing, some were painting, others were composing. We all learnt teamwork and planning skills and even carried out a successful search and rescue venture in scouring a mile square patch of moorland when a mobile phone slipped from a pocket on the approach to the crossing.

We were now ready for anything that the States could offer us yet three days before our flight departure to Charlotte (via Philadelphia on 1st November) something arrived on the east coast of America before us. Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the 29th October. Reportedly second only to 2005’s Hurricane Katrina for the force of its devastation, and nicknamed “Frankenstorm”, this mighty phenomenon threatened to delay us. However, its intensity decreased and we were able to follow in its wake, bleary-eyed for our early morning departure from Gatwick.

Charlotte is located in North Carolina and is the major US financial centre outside of New York. It is a rapidly emerging city with a wide range of local attractions and amenities. Perhaps, rather surprisingly, it is a very green city with the majority of suburban streets being fringed with trees. Additionally, Charlotte has much to offer in terms of the arts. Many of its central streets

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contain art works of various kinds and there is plenty of theatre and live music.

Charlotte Country Day School is an independent coeducational day school and, in many ways, very similar to KES. Students aged from three years old to eighteen years old are educated across two separate campuses.

The school offers a very impressive range of facilities and is located in a quiet suburban area.

Having arrived on US Airways 1589 from Philadelphia we plunged into working on our creative art projects, attending classes with our exchange partners and generally enjoying American culture. We went to many places of interest: the Blumenthal Center, Mert’s Heart and Soul, Uptown, the Levine Museum, Buffalo Wild Wings Grill, The Nascar Hall of Fame, the Biltmore

Estate, the Mint Museum, Will Puckett’s Art Studio, Noda and the Crepe Cellar. We were also in America for Presidential Election Day, when Barack Obama achieved re-election to office. Linda Wolf and Doug Sluder, our teacher hosts, were awesome and Mr Sluder, of course, gave a wonderful juggling display in assembly at KES during the UK leg of the exchange.

Early on Tuesday 13th November we landed at Gatwick.

Our time in America was over. Over the next few weeks we completed our projects and all were a great success.

Natalya Evans and Alice McNicholas

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Classics Trip to Italy

I

taly in the spring is an absolute delight, as the 26 students who accompanied the Classics Department to Rome and the Bay of Naples at Easter discovered.

After landing in heavy rain at Fiumicino airport, we woke up the next day to sunshine and rising temperatures and so it remained for the rest of the week. Our first port of call was St Peter’s where, having been slightly baffled by the rigid security just to enter the square, we suddenly realised that Pope Francis was about to enter and give a service. He proceeded to tour the square in his Popemobile and some students managed to get very close.

The rest of the day was spent in a flurry of walking, visiting piazzas and wonderful buildings such as the Pantheon and the Colosseum and, of course, eating ice creams. The following day some of us looked very sunkissed after a sunny walk over the Palatine and Forum. Luckily Augustus’s little house was open with some colourful wall paintings. It was then on to Ostia by train. This is a stunning site and our visit was accompanied by birdsong and butterflies. Students spent several hours exploring and, impressively undeterred by recent flooding, Harrison Searle and friends managed to discover the underground Mithraeum. Ostia is a ‘must see’ for any serious visitor of Roman sites.

We then headed down to the Bay of Naples, via Cumae, the home of the oracle of Apollo, with its mysterious and niche riddled cave. Despite being carefully followed by an officious looking official, we sat on the ruins of the Temple of Apollo and gazed out across the sparkling bay to Ischia.

The next few days saw us at the Roman sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis. Oscar Bowdidge scurried around with his camera producing many

unusual shots and, unbeknown to us until afterwards, a magnificent film of the tour. Tom Edwards was particularly delighted to find Caecilius’s house, although, as Mr Halls noted, Caecilius non erat in villa! In Herculaneum we managed to glimpse the missing people of the town who were later found in the boatsheds and Philippa White discovered a set of women’s baths which she proceeded to sit in with a group of friends only to be removed by a rather irate tour guide. Oplontis, the villa of Poppaea (supposedly the wife of Nero whom he kicked to death), is always a highlight with its fabulous painted walls with images of the theatre and little birds.

It is impossible to visit this area and not to do something volcanic. This, for us, meant climbing Vesuvius and looking down into the steaming crater as well as taking in the incredible views. We also visited Solfatara which is a dormant volcano in a separate volcanic system adjacent to Naples. Here we witnessed bubbling geysers and rising steam as well as the ghastly and all pervasive stench of sulfur.

The trip was relaxing and highly enjoyable: Sorrento was looking beautiful with the lemon and orange trees in fruit and the turquoise sea glistening. A good deal of edible shopping took place. The number of pizzas and Pringles eaten was unimaginable (Marrium Chughtai must hold the record) and vizi e sfizi in Sorrento must have done very well. Roll on the next Classics trip!

Mrs Meredith

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Duke of Edinburgh

D

ofE expeditions during the 2012-13 academic year have seen the full range of British weather with participants excelling in all conditions.

During Easter, participants endured biting gale force winds, cold weather, snow and rain on expeditions to the New Forest, Dartmoor and the Lake District. As summer eventually showed itself, participants then had to endure the heat wave whilst carrying packs in the order of 12-18 kg each.

It is a credit to both participants and the staff supervising the expeditions that teams completed their expeditions and in good spirits too.

The start of the new academic year heralds a new start for the DofE Award at King Edward’s following Southampton City Council’s decision to stop operating the award. KES has recently been awarded Directly Licensed Centre (DLC) status, ensuring that students can continue to participate in DofE Awards at Bronze, Silver and Gold level from the Fourth Year onwards.

Mr Barnes

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French Exchange – Angers T

he Sixth Form French exchange has continued to prove amazingly successful amongst our AS and A2 students. The week in France during the October break provided KES students with the rare opportunity of living with a French family for a week and attending a French Lycée. In addition, the group went on a number of interesting, educational and thoroughly entertaining excursions. These included a tidal wave factory, a wine cellar with wine tasting (Caves de Bouvet-Ladubay), a game of ‘boule de fort’, a visit to two medieval castles (Château de Brézé/Château d’Angers) and various meals out.

The return visit in March was equally enjoyable with French partners spending a day in School and going to London and Oxford. The exchange finished with a meal at ‘Buddy’s Diner’ in Winchester where everyone appeared to be sad that the exchange was ending but happy that the experience had been positive.

KES is fortunate to be able to offer an exchange to Sixth Formers and this is no doubt the very best way of improving fluency and confidence in a foreign language. Let’s hope that the exchange continues to thrive in the years ahead! Merci et à l’année prochaine!

Mrs Jones

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French Exchange – Le Havre A

way leg: 4th-8th April. There were 25 students who took part in the annual exchange with Le college les Ormeaux in Le Havre. This exchange has been running between our two esteemed schools for nearly 30 years.

We departed from Portsmouth Continental Ferry Port on what was a very windy and wet Friday. Following some very rough conditions (and one or two decidedly green-looking KES students!) and a coach journey from Caen to Le Havre over the impressive Pont de Normandie we arrived in Le Havre in time for the end of the school day.

Over the next three days both Saturday and Monday mornings were spent in school. It was an excellent experience for our students to see what life is like in a French school. There was even a French lesson taken by Mme. Blondel, Mr Giles, Mrs Parkyn and Mr Ayers - a complete tour de force with a built in impressive staff-pupil ratio! The students also went on a guided tour of the local Palais de Justice and were encouraged to make comparisons between the two legal systems and not to get locked into the custody suite on the last morning of the exchange.

Home leg: 24th-27th May. The French group arrived just as KES broke up for half-term. Following a warm welcome in the Concourse (where all the exchange students had tea and a chance to be shown around KES) everyone departed for the long bank holiday weekend. The annual Le Havre dinner was held that night and was much enjoyed by all participating staff. We were fortunate to be joined by some faces from the past, all of whom have played a significant role in making the exchange work over the years. There was a tearful au revoir on Hill Lane on the Monday morning as the exchange came to an end, but many students had already made plans to make further visits to each other during the summer holiday.

Mr Ayers

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Geography Trip – Malham F

or the first year the Lower Sixth geographers spent four nights in Malham, North Yorkshire. On Sunday 14th September we all met at School (half excited and half tired from having to get up so early) with some people not even managing to get out of their onesies.

However, by 3 o’clock we had arrived in Malham full of excitement, which soon disappeared when Mr Havers told us we had a long walk up Malham Cove, across limestone pavement, and around Malham Tarn before we were even at the study centre. When we finally arrived, we had a lovely roast chicken dinner, watched the free-fall from space and had an hour of lessons in which we did a quiz to get to know the local area a bit better.

We woke up on the Monday morning with some of us a little more tired than others after a fire alarm practice in one of the accommodation blocks. After an hour’s lesson we travelled to Skipton where we were given a guided tour around the area and looked at the various flood management strategies that are in use in the town. In the afternoon, we split off into smaller groups and walked around the town in the sunshine calculating the flood risk at set locations. We returned and had a few hours to relax and have dinner before another evening lesson.

Tuesday was our day on glaciation, and we had hoped for another sunny day, but this was not to be. After a

short summary on glacial features and processes in the classroom our first stop was to look at some drumlins where Mr Havers gave us an entertaining demonstration of how they are formed which involved a lot of rolling on the floor. At the third stop, we created films to explain the plucking process leading to the formation of a nearby roche moutonnée with some rather funny presenters.

On the Wednesday, we had our rural settlement day.

This involved comparing four villages. We explored two in the morning, with the local chippy at Hellifield proving to be a good source of information for our research, and then the remaining two in the afternoon.

After the day out, we had our final lessons and dinner at the study centre before relaxing. As usual, the evening entertainment in the common room turned to playing FIFA and a very heated game of Twister.

On Thursday we woke up realising that the end of the trip was here. A lot of last minute packing went on before we all had to sadly get back on the minibuses for our return to Southampton. It was a great trip that helped significantly with our AS course. We had an amazing time which will be remembered by all of us.

Addy Gault

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Geography Trip – Osmington Bay A

fter the cloud bursts which hit the first Fourth Year fieldcourse to our new venue of Osmington Bay, in the summer of 2012 it was with some trepidation that I looked at the forecast for the 2013 trip. Last year cars were half submerged in the car parks in Weymouth and the fieldcourse was challenging. As such, to see high pressure building and four days of real summer weather forecast with high temperatures was a sight to behold, though there were some concerns over sun burn and dehydration.

On Friday morning the students arrived at KES and we made a prompt departure. Our first stop was to be Barton-on-Sea. However, there was a little concern when we reached the top of Hill Lane when the coaches went off in different directions. This seemed a slightly ominous start. However, we regrouped at Barton and had a look at the problems of the collapsing cliffs. A lady owner of one of the cliff top properties entertained the students by tipping wheelbarrow loads of rubbish over the cliff as we watched! We then moved on to our second stop which was the path above Durdle Door. The walk was interrupted by lunch and then we continued down to the arch in wonderful sunshine. The landslide which took place in April was quite something to behold and the debris was slowly being washed out to see, turning the water a vivid blue-turquoise colour. Field sketches followed, with varying degrees of success before we took the new path to Lulworth Cove. A quick rotation through three exercises left little time for ice creams but that did not stop many

trying to beat the ice cream speed eating record. A short coach ride along the coast saw our arrival at PGL Osmington Bay and the welcoming staff.

Saturday and Sunday saw the students rotate through what were essentially a physical and a human geography day. The physical day saw a study of the River Wey from source to mouth. Out came the trendy wellingtons in an array of colours and designs – Maddie going for turquoise-green and Hannah being very patriotic in her Union Jack wellingtons. There was also clearly a ‘shades war’ going on with Ben probably the winner with his mirror shades, though Shreya insisted on road testing them all. Style was clearly important to the students with an array of shorts on view. Ice creams were the order of the day on the tourism day providing you could eat them before they melted.

The journey back to KES on Monday was after our visit to Studland and some work on sand dune succession.

Rohan was a little concerned over the possibility of finding spiders in the dunes; Will was on the lookout as he had been all weekend (at least now he has a map) and Ellie avoided sinking in the sand. Our brief award ceremony took place in the dunes where we acknowledged some of the ‘stars’ of the weekend.

Mr Hunt

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German Exchange – Mutterstadt T

his year’s Third and Fourth Year German sets signed up enthusiastically for the 14th consecutive exchange with our partner school in Mutterstadt and headed off to Germany during a beautifully sunny week in April. After a smooth flight to Frankfurt we took a high-speed Intercity train to Mannheim for the final part of the journey where our exchange partners were waiting.

During our week’s stay we were kept busy by a range of day trips and activities. The atmospheric university city of Heidelberg formed the backdrop for an energetic walk up the steep hill to the grounds of the eye-catching castle, then an easier descent to the river Neckar before we explored the delights of the many shops flanking the long, pedestrianised streets of the old town and sampled some Mr T’s Bubble tea at the main station.

Two days later we were able to practise our climbing skills properly on a Go-Ape-type high ropes course in the forest at the Kletterwald in Speyer and a visit to picturesque Sinsheim started with a welcome speech by the mayor in the conference room followed by a Q & A session during which Ben Wall stole the show by quizzing the mayor about his breakfast preferences. This reception was followed by a guided tour of the imposing Hoffenheim football stadium, including visits to the swish home changing rooms and impressive VIP boxes, and finally a choice of the Technical Museum or the surprisingly popular children’s play area.

During the weekend many of the host families took their guests to the “Holiday Park”, a theme park with a 70-metre Freefall Tower and the G-Force rollercoaster. We concluded the week with a visit to the very different IGS school and a farewell party at the bowling centre in Ludwigshafen, then on our last morning we sauntered in the sunny Luisenpark in Mannheim – a great place to relax with its flamingos, boating lake, butterfly house, reptile house and large grassy areas where an impromptu football match took place. Mr Brown was as competitive as any of the players!

The return leg of the exchange took place in May during a similarly warm, sunny week sandwiched between two cold, wet weeks. We were glad of the ice-cream weather for the Isle of Wight trip to Osborne House and Cowes and the joint visit to Portsmouth where we took a tour of Nelson’s Victory and climbed the Spinnaker Tower for great views over the harbour on this splendidly clear day. The host families were generous with their time over the long Bank Holiday weekend taking their guests to London in most cases. We finished the week with our own farewell party, including basketball games and football, and a morning of lessons followed by a school lunch to sustain our visitors before their long journey back via Stansted.

Many good partnerships were formed during the exchange and some plans were even made for further visits, on the strength of which the shield for the “Most Successful Exchange 2013” was awarded to Tabitha Burbidge. All agreed that our students had been good ambassadors for King Edward’s and helped foster the already strong relationship between our two schools.

Mrs Allen

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History Trip – Battlefields.

W

ith the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War close at hand, the time seemed right in 2013 to try something different as regards our annual trip to the First World War battlefields. It was thus decided, with the help of the recently-left Mr Jones and his new status as a battlefield guide, to focus the trip more precisely on the events of the Battle of the Somme and, even more particularly, on the experiences of Old Edwardians.

A group of over fifty Third Year boys and girls thus spent two days in July visiting different sites on the Somme battlefront and immersing themselves in the infamous events of 1st July 1916 when nearly 60,000 British soldiers were killed and wounded in a single day. The group visited Serre, Newfoundland Park, Lochnagar Crater, Mametz and the Sunken Road. A wreath was laid at the Thiepval Memorial in memory of the eight Old Edwardians whose names are listed there and the group learnt the stories of the O.E. “Pal” who fought and died on the First Day of the Somme and the KES Science teacher who also did not survive the battle. Perhaps the high point of the trip, however, was a talk on the subject of mining during the war given by archaeologists at the La Boiselle archaeological project; the pupils were told about the reasons for mining and the conditions in which it took place and were even able to enter the tunnels built nearly a hundred years ago.

The Somme retains the capacity to shock and move all of those who visit it and I am sure that the pupils will never forget what they saw during the trip.

Mr Diver

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History Trip – Berlin.

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he annual trip to Berlin for Fifth Year historians is now into its fourth year and is a well-established and popular feature of the History Department’s annual offering to the pupils at King Edward’s. This year, very nearly forty boys and girls travelled to the German capital to immerse themselves in the history of Germany from 1918 to the 1960s.

Berlin has a huge amount to offer to those interested in the history of the twentieth century; our students were able to visit many of the sites made famous both by the rise of the Nazis before 1933 and their use of power after that date. The Olympic Stadium is perhaps the most memorable of these but visits to the Reichstag, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, the Wannsee Memorial House, scene of the infamous logistical decision making meeting for the Holocaust in 1942, and the extraordinary Holocaust Memorial remain in the mind long after the event. Taking the history of this troubled city further on, visits to the remaining sections

of the Berlin Wall and the Checkpoint Charlie museum also bring with them a sense of the immediacy of the past that does much to bring the subject alive. Berlin is also justifiably famous for its museums and the group was able to visit both the German Historical Museum and the chilling “Topography of Terror” museum, covering the nature of the police state in Nazi Germany with a particular focus on the activities of the SS and the Gestapo.

I very much hope that the pupils gained a sharper understanding of the globally important events that took place there over the last century from their visit and may, as a consequence, be tempted to return at greater length at some time in the future.

Mr Diver

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Morocco O

n 13th April we all set off not knowing what to expect on the first KES trip to Morocco. We arrived at KES, said goodbye to our families, and departed for the airport. The fact we were going away for a week with School started to become a reality for some of us, and the excitement definitely kicked in.

The plane journey wasn’t too long, and when we finally arrived in Marrakech airport we were all very excited, but also very hot! We took minibuses to our hotel where we were given our rooms, changed into some cooler clothes and then met to have our first meal. Afterwards our new guides explained the itinerary for the week and gave us details of all the exciting things we had to look forward to.

Once back at the minibuses, we drove through the Draa valley, along the route of 1000 Kasbahs. We arrived in Ouarzazate, which was a resting place for those travelling on ancient trading routes, and more recently known for Morocco’s biggest film studios.

From here we headed back to Marrakech with a visit to Ait Benhaddou, an old fortified city and now a UNESCO world heritage site.

Whilst in Marrakech we ate in the busy but vibrant Djemaa el-Fna (the main square) and were given a guided tour of the city and the surrounding area. One afternoon we were split into groups and explored the bustling souks, some having more success than others with their haggling for souvenirs.

On the first day, having crossed the High Atlas mountains, we drove to the Gorge du Dades which was a beautiful valley. The next morning we went trekking through the Gorge, which contained amazing scenery and was good fun, as well as being extremely warm!

We then continued to Todra Gorge and took in the spectacular scenery provided by its 1000-feet high cliffs. Although we spent a fair bit of time driving in the minibuses, we all found different ways to make it enjoyable: such as playing cards, games or singing our hearts out to western and Moroccan songs! Swimming was a very welcome treat though which we all looked forward to after long days driving in a hot bus!

Our final day consisted of loading all our bags into the minibuses, a quick swim, having our last meal, and saying our goodbyes to our great guides. After lunch we set off to the airport, caught our plane and returned home. It was great to see our families but also sad to think that the trip we’d been waiting so long for was over.

Crossing the Jebel Saghrou, as we headed to Erg Chebbi, we saw the first glimpse of the massive Saharan sand dunes. Our minibus drivers took us offroad into the desert to find our new mode of transport for the evening. We rode our camels for an hour into the desert stopping at a traditional Berber camp where we stayed that night. We all enjoyed the local food and the traditional music around the campfire, whilst not forgetting the sand boarding and rolling down the dunes. Everyone took their mattresses out of their tents, so they could sleep under the amazing view of stars until we all eventually went to sleep after making a couple of wishes on the shooting stars. The next morning we had an early start in order to watch the sun rise as we rode across the dunes on our camels. This was a stunning sight and definitely worth waking up early for!

Bronwyn Lee

I have so many amazing experiences and memories from the trip and made loads of new friends and I doubt I’ll ever forget Morocco as I had so much fun. All the teachers that came with us were brilliant and I hope they had as much fun as I know all the pupils did.

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Second Year Dartmoor Camp W

e arrived at Lovaton at around 8.30pm and, after putting up tents, settling in and making hot chocolate, the lights were turned out signalling bedtime.

Waking up at around 6.30am we got up to make our breakfast and packed lunch for the day. After setting off to Norsworthy Bridge, we got separated into groups and started the activities. First up was building a ginormous catapult and seeing whose tennis ball flew the furthest. After coming in second place, our group headed off to do some raft building with Hannah, a former pupil. Getting given bamboo and string and using any other recourses we could find, we were told to build a raft to race down the river. Three entries from each group qualified into the finals. We then went on to do some orienteering exercises, writing down the compass readings and paces and then getting someone else’s paper to follow in their footsteps!

Next up was a long tiring walk admiring the beautiful scenery as we went. We walked up hills, down hills, left and right until we reached a small, leet (manmade river). Here we carried on the raft activity, playing pooh-sticks with our rafts. Repeating this four times in different speed rivers, one being a rapid, a lot of rafts were destroyed. Arriving back at camp, we were told to return with all our equipment for cooking tea. Using a small trangia, a bunch of panicking pupils managed to cook a decent meal such as pasta and sauce, hot dogs, or even a chocolate pudding.

In the evening, we learnt the safety of rock climbing for the next day. We also we did team skis with planks of wood and elastic foot holes and raced around the tents and had the experience of being sheep and getting shepherded into a pen.

The next day we headed out early to put the ropes up on the climbing wall. Climbing on three or four different walls was a challenge but most people reached the top on all of them! Next we built shadufs to transport water into a bucket and then we went on another walk eating ice cream half way.

When we got home again we made dinner. We then got a few more layers on and headed towards the garden for that evening’s activities. Sleeping in the bunk house on the last night we managed to get a lot more sleep and heading off early we went to Sheepstor for a nice walk and game on top of a hill. After a visit to the chip shop, the end of the trip was closing in and we said our goodbyes to Dartmoor as we stepped foot in the minibus for the long journey home!

Apart from the experience of sharing a bed with woodlice and other creepy crawlies we really enjoyed our time on Dartmoor!

Sophie Fletcher and Naomi Lee

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Ski Trip T

his year we went on the KES ski trip to La Belle Plagne. Before the trip, beginners were invited to attend a practice session at Southampton Alpine Centre, so that they could get to grip with the skis and boots and the technique.

On the day of departure we had to leave School by 4.30am before flying to a snowy Geneva from Gatwick airport.

On arriving in La Belle Plagne we were assigned a room with our friends and the following day the party was split into groups according to ability. We then had an action-packed day learning the basics or learning tricks.

Throughout the week our ski instructors would take us to a variety of different places and we soon became experts at the chair lifts. In the middle of the day we would stop for a break and lunch. The conditions in La Belle Plagne were outstanding. The ski instructors were very helpful, fun, and brilliant in every way. Through the week we set our sights on achieving medals which we would take a small test for. On returning to our apartments we had free time followed by dinner and an evening activity ranging from bowling, films, bum boarding and a very competitive quiz at the end of the week. These activities were lots of fun and one of the highlights of our week. We returned the following Saturday having had a lot of fun in the snow but ready for a warm night’s sleep at home.

Harriet Smith and Georgia Stonadge

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South Africa T

he Goedgedacht farm was originally established in 1704, and is surrounded by the history of the old Cape Colony. During apartheid, coloured and black farm workers were tied down to land in many South African farms, including Goedgedacht, and their wages were paid in alcohol. This led to problems with alcoholism in areas surrounding South African farms. However, times have changed since then and Goedgedacht is now a busy community development centre, with a Trust which was established in 1993.

Sixteen students and two members of staff spent a week on the farm in August becoming very involved with the Goedgedacht Trust’s projects during our stay, helping with general farm work, the Path out of Poverty (POP) project and the pre-school.

One of the main sources of income for the farm and its Trust is through the sale of olive based products. There are over 40 hectares of fruit trees on the farm, most of which are olive trees. On our first day at the farm we worked in this olive factory, with some of us removing the stones from damaged olives so they could be sold for use in foods such as pizzas, whilst others were given the task of stirring barrels of olives with a paddle to lift the flavour. Throughout the week we also helped pick olives from their trees using a rake to remove the olives, so they fell onto a ground sheet. The farm also runs a small project involving bikes, where bikes donated from Austria are sold to generate income. A few of us also assisted the bike-shed workers on a couple of the days.

The money we have raised to be part of the Goedgedacht Project will be used to construct a gym at one of the Trust’s POP centres. The gym will be built at the POP centre in Riebeek West called POP 3, which is the same centre in which we spent much of our week working with children. These POP centres are used by thousands of rural children, as they provide a safe and vibrant environment for youth-focused, health and education programmes to take place. These children also use the centres daily after school because their homes do not provide a practical environment for them to work and play in. During our week at Goedgedacht we visited the children at POP 3 daily. A lot of this time was spent playing games, singing with the children and generally enjoying one another’s company. However, it was also very important for us to help in educating the children and every day we made sure we helped a child read a book or complete their homework and some of us even gave some children IT lessons.

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whilst remaining environmentally friendly highlights the great range of work that goes on to strive for a better community.

During out stay we enjoyed performing Noah’s Ark. Most of us dressed up in animal onesies with matching face paint, whilst those with speaking roles had different costumes. We gave each child face paint, before performing the 20-minute interactive play, where we danced and sung with the children. This was a very suitable play to perform at the POP centre, since the Goedgedacht Trust recognises an ARK as an “act of random kindness,” a part of their scheme to inspire us to be better people.

Later in the week we visited a safe house in Riebeek West, where many rural children stay when it isn’t safe to be at home. We saw many of the children who we’d been spending time with at POP 3. Although they didn’t seem as happy as when we were in POP 3, they still all had smiles on their faces. This was arguably the most moving day of our time in South Africa. We felt distressed, powerless and helpless as we saw the poverty the children are left to live in and the many risks and problems they experience in daily life. However, the evidence of the work of the Goedgedacht Trust gave us hope. The bonds each and every one of us formed with the children at POP 3 over the week made it very difficult to say goodbye. Despite feeling honoured and delighted that we may have made a difference to some young children’s lives, the group couldn’t help but feel sorrow as we left them to live in impoverished conditions.

The Goedgedacht Trust itself is very aware of the environment and the poverty in many parts of South Africa. They have an environmental educational project called the “Cool World Climate Path,” which is a 1.5km path containing lots of information on the environment and climate change. Upon arriving at the farm, we were taken along the climate path and taught about many of the mechanisms on the farm to conserve the environment. There is a working solar park, which generates most of the farm’s energy in a renewable and environmentally friendly fashion. We were also shown the worm farm and the pig tractor. The fact that the Trust can care for thousands of children

One of the most important parts of our week at the farm was meeting and spending time with the POP youth.

They are a group of 16 to 25 year olds who meet once or twice a week on the farm to eat together, socialise and do teambuilding activities with one another. When we met them we were shown what it was like to live during the apartheid. They split us up into three groups; white, coloured and black, for us to be treated similarly to the way each group would have been treated during the apartheid. We spent the remaining five nights on the farm bonding with the POP youth, partaking in many teambuilding games and activities and singing and dancing together.

Our time on the farm was incredible, and never to be forgotten. We learnt a lot about ourselves, and how to be better as people. We learnt to appreciate what we have, and to be grateful for the gift of life.

We admired Sophie, the farm manager, and Ingrid, a trustee, responsible for so much of the work done by the Goedgedacht Trust. They have helped turn the region into a loving and caring community, a community which any country would benefit from. But most of all, we felt privileged to have been involved in one of the most amazing projects in the world; Goedgedacht. It would have been very easy to leave the farm feeling down, after seeing the poverty in the region and the aftermath of the apartheid. Instead we recognised the sense of hope in the community, living standards were improving, the Goedgedacht Trust was ever expanding and the people of South Africa walked around with smiles on their faces, so we could leave with our heads held high, knowing that we had made a difference.

Jake Kolliari

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Spanish Trip – Catalonia T

wenty-six First Years and thirteen Second Years (in their first year of learning Spanish, were accompanied by four staff members on our annual trip to the Catalonia region of Spain. The trip was a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by all who participated, despite the cool weather.

We enjoyed some wonderful sites in Barcelona, starting off in the Park Guell where we took in some of Gaudi’s most iconic work. We also saw his amazing cathedral, the Sagrada Familia from a little way off as new traffic regulations did not allow us to do our usual whistle-stop walk around it. We then had a rather delayed tour of the Nou Camp stadium as Barça was training that day. Unfortunately, no one managed to score an autograph but a few of the group saw the back of some famous footballers’ heads! We continued on to another famous park which houses the zoo, the geology museum and the biology museum as well as a raft of sculptures and statues and fountains. From there we wound our way through the tiny back streets and alleys of the gothic quarter past the cathedral, town hall and various chapels and university faculties to get to the world-famous Rambla where the pupils had some free time to do some shopping.

On the second day we explored a town called Rosas, near the French border. The group were given twenty-five pieces of information to find on a trail which led them around a beautiful waterfront and which forced them to ask locals some questions. As usual they were polite and enthusiastic and the general public were more than helpful.

They all made it to the harbour where we had lunch on a beautiful beach before heading to the Dalí museum in Figueres. The children were amazed and inspired by his artwork and learnt lots of new things about Spanish art and artists. The day was topped off with a disco at the hotel which we shared with another school from Liverpool.

The final day’s activities included a tour of the medieval town of Girona where we explored the Arab baths, the Jewish quarter, the cathedral, the old town walls and its many winding streets before ending up on the river for tapas. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed trying new foods such as olives, anchovies and squid, as well as other typical tapas from the region. The afternoon was spent taking a tour of local caves and the rocky coastline in a glassbottomed boat before climbing past the castle to the lighthouse in Tossa de Mar. After some more free time to do last-minute shopping we returned to the hotel for dinner. The final activity for both pupils and teachers was a flamenco class, conducted entirely in Spanish! The children did a fantastic job and produced a commendable performance at the end!

KES students behaved impeccably and received delightful comments from members of the Spanish public, hotel staff and the English public. All in all it was a fantastic trip.

Miss Lindebringhs

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Spanish Trip – Córdoba O

n the 28th of March, a group of 27 Third and Fourth Year pupils set off to Córdoba in Spain. After an unfortunate three hour flight delay, the pupils arrived and met the Spanish families they would be staying with.

There was, of course, the language barrier to overcome but the linguists easily overcame this hurdle.

Throughout the five-day trip, the students attended lessons in a Spanish language centre, “CLC Idiomas”, visited the main attractions of Córdoba such as the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (an originally medieval fortress that was home to many Spanish monarchs), the La Mezquita de Córdoba (originally a mosque but now a cathedral), and enjoyed plenty of free time to experience the Spanish culture. The group also had a chance to eat Chocolate con Churros and tapas and visit Seville on Saturday, where they saw the Alcázar of Sevilla and the Bull Ring. That day, and thanks to the beautiful weather, the linguists also managed to see the famous Easter Processions which, due to bad weather on both Friday and Sunday, had been rained off.

The pupils found this trip thoroughly enjoyable and were quite disappointed to leave. All in all, it was a very pleasant trip and a very nice way to visit and learn a bit more about Spain.

Nicolas Neves

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Spanish Trip – Salamanca O

n 14th February 2013, a select group of seven A Level Spanish students, Mrs Rugge-Price and Mrs Ladislao, left for the annual Sixth Form trip to Salamanca, the famous, historic university town. After a smooth journey by minibus and air, then a transfer with a very efficient regional coach service, we arrived in Salamanca at a reasonable hour, in unusually temperate weather, and everyone was introduced to their families and dispersed to their various houses.

On the Friday the group met at Ábaco Instituto Hispánico, the specialist language school, where they were to have four hours of lessons daily. The students were separated into two groups (according to year group) and received intensive classes of grammar and conversation from highly experienced teachers. KES students looked a bit shocked at the intensity of the lessons on the first day and exhausted after listening to Spanish for so many hours on the trot. However they soon became used to the pace and level and gradually appeared more confident in trying out the language.

The first afternoon, and after returning to respective houses for lunch, we followed lessons with a tour of the city, guided by the entertaining and informative Spanish Director of Ábaco, Andrea. This took us through the incredibly beautiful old university buildings to the Roman Bridge and gave us a chance to wander round the attractive streets.

The pattern of the following days was similar, with students attending lessons in the mornings and meeting together in the afternoons or evenings for something ‘cultural’. We tasted tapas, climbed the cathedral tower to see far reaching views of the plains of Castille, visited the beautiful and original Art Deco Museum la Casa Lys, ate churros (which quickly became a firm favourite), went to the cinema to see a film in Spanish, had a tortilla cooking lesson in the house of one of the hosts, shopped a little and ate dinner together in a local Spanish restaurant.

On our final day, and en route to the airport, we stopped to spend the day in Madrid. This included a visit to the Museo Reina Sofía, one of the city’s most prominent art galleries, which features iconic pieces from Picasso, Dalí and Miró among others. We were all left aweinspired by the sheer scale and significance of Picasso’s important ‘Guernica’, sharing our view of it with a huge number of groups of four and five year old Spanish school children.

This was followed by a stroll through the streets, venturing into the heart of Madrid, from the Prado to the Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol to the Palacio Real, whilst still leaving some time to visit some of the shops in the centre and admire the ingenious street entertainment.

Our route past the Cortes was blocked as we returned to the minibus to head back to the airport for our flight home, as all the main governmental figures from Spain were meeting there in an important congress, which meant heightened security, and led to interesting discussions with our students.

The return journey back to London was long, but uneventful, and having been met by the very kind Mr Giles at such a late hour, we returned to School a little delayed, exhausted, but happy, having enjoyed a sociable and beneficial week abroad.

Mrs Rugge-Price

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Summer Camp 2013

S

ummer Camp comprises of a group of sixteen Sixth Formers who raise money throughout the year in order to take young carers in the Southampton area on a five day camping trip to Swanage.

The fundraising calendar was kicked off with the biannual First and Second Year disco. The Harry Potter theme provided all the inspiration required for some amazing costumes, most memorably Michael Scott floating around in a terrifying Voldemort ensemble. By the time the Dobson Theatre had been plastered with a few pumpkins and a broomstick had been fastened to the Concourse mirror, it was nigh on impossible to believe that we hadn’t taken a magical journey to Hogwarts.

Last year, Summer Camp hosted the School’s first ever ‘Rowathon’ which was a roaring success. With this in mind, we put together another 24 hour endurance event but this time it was a ‘Cyclothon’. In the spring term pupils from across the School were able to cycle in 20 minute stints on exercise bikes, two of which were provided by Wattbike. There were a fair few tired looking Sixth Formers who had the pleasure of pedaling overnight but it was still a great experience which raised nearly £2,000.

While the Cyclothon was the largest and most impressive event that the Summer Camp team held this year, it was by no means the most spectacular fundraising effort in aid of Southampton Young Carers – this has to go to Dr. SinnettJones’s Challenge 13. Throughout most of the year, Dr. S-J

has been keeping us up to date with her tremendous efforts kayaking, running and cycling in exhausting endurance events across the country. The money raised

by Challenge 13 will all be donated to Southampton Young Carers, which had its funding cut by the local council earlier in the year. Dr Sinnett-Jones has led our fundraising efforts throughout the year and her Challenge 13 campaign has set a fantastic example to the whole team. Other fundraising events included the usual Krispy Kreme doughnut sales and, for the first time, Battle of the Bands which was judged by: professional musician, writer and voice over artist Andrew Telling; professional drummer and ex-member of Kasabian and Kosheen, Mitch Glover; and finally, SD-Jem, an up-and-coming urban pop duo. There were some great performances across the year groups, with SD-Jem giving a performance of their most recent single to wrap up the evening.

With the Upper Sixth leaving School in early June, the Lower Sixth were left to dream up the plans for the First and Second Year summer disco. I won’t describe everyone’s outfits because I don’t want to seem obsessed with fancy dress, however, I will not shy away from mentioning that Mike Scott was again looking fantastic! Never to be outdone, Mike underwent stunning role reversal, showing his versatility as he changed from villain to hero. He donned a Prince Charming outfit of the highest costume shop quality complete with sash which was described (by Mike) as “dashing”.

In past years, the first time we meet the young carers going on the summer camp is on the morning before going to Swanage. This year, though, to let the whole team have a chance of getting to know the children, we took part in two of the fortnightly Young Carer group sessions down at Southampton Voluntary Services. We were able to lead and take part in activities concerning friendship and future aspirations but more importantly we became familiar faces. The benefit of these familiarisation sessions was reflected in us taking a record 15 young carers to camp this year.

We all took part in the energy sapping but nonetheless fun activities during our time in Swanage. This included going on a high ropes course, a trip to Splashdown and finally going to Monkey World (Dress code: superheroes, which added extra excitement and perspiration to proceedings). Various trips to the beach and a nearby playground filled the rest of the time.

What is most noticeable when on the camp, irrespective

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Thailand and Cambodia Expedition

of the particular activity, is how much of an effect the smallest achievement can have on the children. I recall on the very first evening, only a couple of hours after arriving at the Swanage campsite, a boy said to me “This is the best day ever!” We had only been messing around outside playing football and other group games but it highlights how important this trip is and how invaluable the time spent away from being a young carer truly is. As the week continued, the young carers refused to lose any of their energy to the scorching sun and so by the time the final evening came around we were all left exhausted; KES personnel at least.

The camp was topped off with a talent show where children and Sixth Formers displayed their best variety acts, including a funny song by the Upper Sixth girls, in response to, or maybe plagiarising, the anthemic song written by the boys last year.

Even though Summer Camp is a fantastic holiday for the young carers, where they can enjoy some time for themselves, there remains the thought of what awaits the children when they return home. To be consistent with what the children do in their meetings in Southampton, on the last night we all got together in a circle in the marquee to share our favourite moments of the week.

On a personal note, this is when I realised how much Summer Camp means to everyone; children, students, staff alike. Things did get teary as the children made touching comments about how life changing the camp had been and what great friends they had made whilst on it.

It is difficult to appreciate quite how the young carers’ lives differ to ours but it makes me feel very privileged, proud and happy to have been able to put a smile on their faces, even for just a few days. It is an infinitesimal fraction of what they deserve but, hopefully, we were able to make the most of the short trip and create some longlasting and happy memories.

Freddie Richards

O

ur trip started and ended in Bangkok, but the intervening two weeks saw huge changes in the expedition team not only as a group but also as individuals. We arrived as a group of naïve and novice travellers and left as experienced expedition leaders (or so we like to think!!).

Bangkok was the baptism of fire that the team needed and, with tuk-tuks coming from all angles and enthusiastic salesmen on Khaosan road selling their goods, a nervous team took on the challenge of securing transport, accommodation, phones and food for the days ahead.

The day after arriving in Bangkok we left for the Cambodian Temples of Angkor Wat. The temples were vast and tuk-tuks had to be hired to get the team around the site to see the variety of architecture. Whilst in the temple complex, a large number of the team took their first journey by elephant. Next stop was Phnom Penh the capital of Cambodia and the dream of complimentary air conditioning and a pool at the hostel. Time was killed at the city market where prices were haggled and local preparation skills admired. Just before leaving Phnom Penh we lost our stalwart Welsh leader to hospital with an infection and learnt a lesson about the dangers of mosquito bites.

Phnom Penh was followed by trekking through the Cardamon mountains, which has suffered from huge areas of deforestation. An ecotourism project has been established at Chi

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Phat to provide locals with other opportunities to make an income in order to protect the bio-diversity of the jungle.

The trek started in the dry but this only lasted 30 minutes and the monsoon rain was soon upon us. Nobody stayed dry! The consistent rain ensured swollen rivers and entertaining river crossings co-ordinated by Mr Havers. The jungle had many things living in it but one little critter nobody could avoid, LEECHES! However, at the end of the trip we found out that the leeches would have been the least of our worries as the jungle was also home to King Cobras – thankfully all hiding from the rain. Whilst trekking our diet consisted of noodles and rice, followed by more noodles and rice with “chicken” (we think). A jungle trip would not be complete without a night in a hammock which everyone woke from and tried to stretch out backs with little success. On returning to our homestays and cold bucket showers at Chi Phat a healthy Gethin was reunited with the team.

With the team back to full strength we set off for the final phase, our kayaking expedition at Koh Chang and we met our kayaking leader, Andy, a short, stocky northerner with a rough exterior. After a day of preparation, including a food shop for a record breaking 91 eggs, the team were set to go. After the initial shock of the large waves the team’s kayaking skills developed steadily and on the second day the team surfed up to an isolated beach and pitched camp in a derelict tree house hostel. Confidence improved from day to day so that by the fourth day the only thing holding the team back (as they changed formation and faced brisk gusts of wind) was shear fatigue. The kayaking phase finished with a celebratory meal socialising with Andy and the influences of his local friends.

It was then back to Bangkok and a final chance to taste the pleasures of the Khao San road and surrounding area by day and night. The team’s more enlightened, relaxed attitude and confident bargaining skills actively demonstrated the journey that had travelled.

Eddie Evans

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Watersports Trip Towards the end of the summer holidays fifty-five pupils and eight staff went on a Watersports Trip to La Rive in France, organised by Rockley Watersports. To get there we went on a three hour coach ride to Dover, where we took a one hour ferry over to Calais. After that it was a very long coach ride to La Rive which is an hour south of Bordeaux. Luckily the long coach ride was fairly late in the day so you could sleep during most of it.

We did various activities during the stay including Pico and Dart sailing, windsurfing, kayaking and mountain biking.

We also went to Aqualand on one of the days and visited a lovely little French town called Biscarrosse to do some shopping. The highlight of the week for some was the trip to the ‘Dune du Pyla’ which is Europe’s largest sand dune. It was great fun to climb up it and run down, although it was rather hot and Mr Lewis lost his flip flops.

We stayed on a French camp site in tents, each one containing up to six pupils. Each day we did two activities (one in the morning, one in the afternoon) and in the evening we would also do an activity, be it egg drop, initiative exercises or beach games. The campsite had a brand new waterpark which was fun to cool off in at the end of the day. The food there was very good, with a selection of cereals for breakfast, and buffet system for lunch and a hot meal for dinner. The Rockley staff were all very nice and good fun and were very helpful during the activities.

All in all it was a very enjoyable trip, and we had fantastic weather. It was a great way to spend a week of the summer holidays.

Flossie Rose

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SPORT AT KES 2012-2013

Senior Basketball Report W

ith many key players for the Senior team having moved on, we faced a dramatic reshuffling of the squad at the start of the year. Nonetheless, the team began the season in high spirits and keen to do their best. Young talent in the form of Dan Hemingway and Harvey Barr stepped up to provide a dominating presence in the paint, whilst Tom Holden-Dye honed his skills as a point-guard to fill a gap in the squad. Together with more seasoned players, such as Jack Chandler and Alex Padgham, and under the tough regime of Coach Sewell’s training, the team put out strong performances against formidable teams.

Despite some very close games and notable performances from Dan Hemingway, the team was mainly unsuccessful in its first few games (apart from an encouraging victory in the opening fixture – against Havant College away from home), made only more difficult by the lack of captain Stu Duggal until December due to an injury.

Refreshed and practised after the Christmas break, and finally with a full roster of players, the team played with vigour and passion at the start of the year, coming the closest ever in KES basketball history to defeating Brockenhurst. However, sadly due to a poor performance in the final quarter of this home fixture, that first win remained ever elusive.

As the season progressed it became evident that the core of the team’s problems was the inability to start and finish the game well, and as a result the score lines reflected it. However, it goes without saying that the team was unrelenting in playing to the best of its abilities despite almost constant defeat, and every member of the squad deserves congratulations for the hard work they put in throughout the season. Although it may not have been reflected in the results, the team played good, fundamental basketball and some of the younger players look to have a promising future with the sport.

Members of the Upper Sixth such as Stu Duggal, Jack Chandler and Alex Padgham see their days of KES basketball come to an end, and no doubt they will look back at the past four years fondly. Special thanks also go to Mr Smart for organising, refereeing and mentoring the team and games and, of course, to Coach Sewell, whose expertise and enthusiasm for the team were much appreciated by all.

Stuart Duggal Results: V Havant (A) 46:25 Win V Totton College (A) 54:42 Lose V St Vincent’s College (A) 64:61 Lose V Portsmouth College (H) 50:34 Lose V Alton College (H) 56:25 Lose V Portsmouth College (A) 76: 32 Lose V Brockenhurst (A) 87:33 Lose V Fareham (A) 55:54 Lose V Brockenhurst (H) 41:56 Lose V Queen Mary’s College (H) 53:46 Lose V Alton College (A) 55:47 Lose V St Vincent’s College (H) 64:38 Win V Totton College (H) 73:49 Lose V Havant (H) 49:48 Lose V Old Edwardians (H) 67:38 Lose V Queen Mary’s College (H) 54:36 Lose

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Senior Colts’ Basketball Report T

he basketball season started extremely well.

Although several established players had departed elsewhere, debut appearances from the younger players such as Ben Cartwright and Max Allen benefited the team immensely. During the pre-season, it became clear that with the help of Drew Sewell’s intense training methods, a good season was in prospect.

Going into the first game against Noadswood, the team was without Captain Daniel Hemingway but Vice-Captain Harvey Barr stepped up to the plate with 22 points and the match was won by 50 points to 23.

Noadswood were a strong team so a big win without Dan Hemingway was very promising.

The return of the Captain for the second match of the season versus Westgate boosted confidence, and saw the team win the match by 59–18 and Max Allen deserves particular praise for his performance in scoring 20 of the team’s points. However between this game and the next match against St George’s, Captain Dan Hemingway acquired an injury, leaving him out for the next three games.

The team put out a somewhat lacklustre but winning performance at home to St George’s winning 40–20 before beating Cantell School, in a somewhat scrappy fixture, 39-16. The last game before Christmas saw the team at home to Crestwood School. Despite rumours of an elite Crestwood squad the team rallied to win by a meagre 11 points, the final score being 49–38.

The team returned afresh after the Christmas break, for the toughest game so far, against last year’s league victors Mountbatten. A tension-filled first quarter saw the two teams gain 15 points apiece but nobody on either side was prepared for the defensive tactics introduced by Coach Sewell and Harvey Barr. We switched to a zone defence, leaving the three looming figures of Max Allen, Harvey Barr and Tim Cornish at the back and Dan Hemingway side by side with Tom ‘Tinchy’ Holden-Dye at the front of the zone formation.

At an average height of 6ft 6 (excluding Tom) the team were thus able to dominate Mountbatten for the remainder of the game with the final scoreboard recording 49-36 to KES. In the following match, the School side put in an outstanding performance to dominate the Wildern side. Breaking various records, KES beat Wildern by 67 points to win the game 100-33. This was thanks to 28 points from Dan Hemingway, 26 from ‘Big Harv’ (Harvey Barr) and 20 from Max Allen. The final game

before the semi-final was against Thornden School. The game went well and KES recorded yet another strong performance to win 69-36.

The team received a well-earned two week break before the semi-final game against Noadswood during which the crowd spurred the team to an excellent performance to beat the opposition 80-42.

This catapulted the School side into the final of the Southampton Schools’ Tournament. The team soon found out that the Mountbatten side had beaten Crestwood in the other semi-final play-off; the two teams were destined to meet once again, this time in the final.

Five days before the final, disaster struck as Big Harv announced to the team that he had a serious groin injury and was unsure he would be able to play in the final. After hearing this, the team put in a few days of intense training and arrived at Quilley School feeling ready but extremely nervous. The team appeared very rusty at the start of the game, which allowed Mountbatten to dominate early on. Hope was fading as the Mountbatten side began to pull away at the beginning of the second quarter and even with the limping Harvey Barr, we were unable to supress their shooting. But then, as hope was fading more and more, Andrew Devoy hit four shots in a row. This was a big spur to the team and after the Mountbatten Captain was fouled out, the KES team pulled away from the opposition to win 77-55. Dan Hemingway scored a school record of 39 points in this game. As the final buzzer sounded, Mr Smart jumped for joy as the whole team was awarded their long awaited medals and victors’ trophy.

Special thanks must go to the scorers Alice Davies, Ellie D’Alton, Bria Ellis, Vicky Hoad and Zoe Hill. And also thanks to the great home crowd, especially Will Brown and Jake Schofield, two of our top supporters. Mr Smart refereed quite a few of the games and showed excellent managing skill. Coach Drew Sewell deserves particular congratulations for getting us to the final with his intensive training methods.

The total points scored and conceded over the whole season was: 612-317. Congratulations to the whole team!

Dan Hemingway, Harvey Barr and Tom Holden-Dye

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The Senior Colts Team celebrate their victory in the final of the Southampton and District U16 Boys’ League.

Football Report A

nd so another season began with a match in the sun against a star-studded team of recent leavers.

It is always a slightly uneasy time as new and untried players come in to face a team of gnarled old veterans, intent on teaching the young upstarts a lesson in footballing knowledge, skill and the disappearing art of fierce tackling. The doubts seemed to have some foundation as the Edwardian team raced into a 3-0 lead.

This proved to be somewhat misleading as the school team, led by Tom Stroud in his role as Captain, fought its way back into the game to claim a deserved 4-3 victory. The quality of the football played in the second half of the game proved to be a foretaste of what was to come in the rest of the season where movement, skill and hard work combined together to produce some memorable moments.

The newcomers proved to be excellent additions to the core of players who had played the previous year.

George Edwards was particularly versatile, filling in at right back, centre half and centre forward as well as chipping in with some excellent goals. Owen Lock, before his injuries, and Sam Bass-Cooper made

significant contributions on the wing with their speed, quick feet and an eye for a pass. Mike Morgan also showed that he will have a lot to offer in the future with his high levels of individual skill and Lewis Marden brought defensive solidity and discipline to the left side of defence. Our annual worries about the goalkeeping position also proved to be unfounded as Charlie Field came in and filled the goal with calm command, agility and sharp reflexes.

As the first weeks of September went by, it quickly became apparent that the team possessed some excellent footballers. Jack Culmer slipped into the centre of midfield having been temporarily freed from his hockey commitments. His graceful movement and eye for goal helped to make the team easy on the eye and enjoyable to watch. He was ably assisted in this by Seb Lataillade who, with his athletic ability and skill on the ball, was able to make the centre of midfield a place that was generally controlled by the King Edward’s team. The solidity afforded by the dominance and vision of Seb allowed our two gazelles at left and right back, otherwise known as Tim Trant and Arun Garewal, to

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get forward at every possible opportunity to assist in creating goal-scoring chances. This resulted in several visiting teams being put to the sword, including a touring academy team from Yorkshire, beaten 6-1 on a grey and wet Friday evening in early October.

Central defence is a key area for any team; the rock to which the rest of the team is anchored. It was therefore providential that we had not just one but two rocks in the form of Tom Capper and Nick Brown to protect our goal and to provide a springboard from which attacks could be launched. Time and again they calmly broke up opposing attacks and fed the ball to the more creative players ahead of them. Amongst this number was Jonny Smith who really came into his own as the season progressed, eventually moving from out on the right flank to a more central position where his eye for a telling pass carved out an impressive number of scoring opportunities for our bustling old-style centre forward Alex Palfrey. It is always reassuring to have a player who can match and dominate opposing centre halves, and Alex certainly excelled in this role.

As is always the case, our hockey players left us at the end of the Christmas term to be replaced by the incoming rugby players who had already completed their school season. In came Richard Jones, not in his preferred position of goalkeeper, but as a novice full-back who quickly adapted to the requirements of the position and turned in some fine defensive

performances. Silky skills and high levels of stamina and fitness were contributed by Dan Paton who more than made up for any lack of experience with a willingness to commit himself to games and a desire to improve. Perhaps the most entertaining conversion to the 11-a-side game was provided by Sam Fox whose movement had to be seen to be believed and whose goals-to-games ratio was second to none.

This was another season of enjoyment for the football players of the School and one which will hopefully last long in the memories of those who have now left, as well as of those with another season to look forward to. And so we look forward to another season in September with a match in the sun against a team of recent leavers‌..

Mr Kukla

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U12 Boys’ Rugby Report T

aking the U12 rugby team is a mixed blessing. On the one hand there is the excitement of introducing boys to the wonderful game of rugby whilst on the other hand is the frustration of picking a team from boys who have never played before. However, every Wednesday after School we had 40 boys keen to learn new techniques and while we had the light, play well contested games.

Our first game was always famously against PGS but this year Bishop Wordsworth School in Salisbury were the first opponents to face us. It turned out to be a cruel awakening as the principles of tackling and ambition with the ball seemed to elude us. It was, however, a foundation to build on.

There were some boys who had played before and their experience was the backbone of our attack. The pack was strong, especially Ryall, and allowed us to get quick ball to Lock. The back line was certainly ambitious with Webb feeding well to get the ball to our wingers and note must be made here of Crawford - speed and strength made him a regular try scorer.

Local opponents Perrins school allowed us to play two teams and both matches were superb to watch. The rugby was excellent with the Bs showing flair and ambition in a convincing win. The A team made rather hard work of their win but showed determination to hold the lead. The season continued in much the same vein with our opponents winning simply because we wouldn’t tackle and therefore let them score!

One of the season’s highlights was a local derby between the U12 and the U13. Played on the main school pitches, the U12 showed what spirit and grit they possessed. At half-time the score was not going our way and, although distinctly shell shocked, everyone wanted to contest the second half. It was a real celebration of Lower School rugby and definitely one to file under ‘character building!’

An away visit to Magdelan College saw the A and B team play in a sublime landscape but the well drilled home teams gave both teams a bloody nose and sent us packing away from the dreaming spires. However, amidst the gloom the most important point is that 40 smashing boys turned out each week to play and learn about the game of rugby. I hope that many of them will start to play for local rugby clubs and that will give them more experience and ultimately confidence that will benefit their game and that in the years to come they will look back fondly at their U12 careers!

A big thank you must go to Mr Memory and his team who lent their wisdom and experience as well as Mr Lander who helped coach and refereed. Sam Hill-Cousins led with assurance all season but my thanks are genuinely to all who put on the KES shirt and their parents who supported us.

Mr Piggott

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U13 Rugby Report T

he 2012 Under 13 rugby season was a challenging one but the team continued to progress and demonstrated excellent character and resolve during some difficult times.

The season got off to a very bad start when the Captain, Guy Ripper, suffered a knee injury that would rule him out of the entire season. Guy had been one of the ‘players of the season’ during the U12 campaign and his absence was noticeable throughout. Jacob Fay did an excellent job of stepping up to the mark and taking over and he led by example and was the creative playmaker of our young side; running both the offensive and defensive aspects of the game from the fly-half position. The team was also hit by another injury, this time to full-back Zak Cooper. In addition, Matthew Whitehead’s ferocious tackling was missed on occasions as his tennis commitments meant he could not play in some important games.

However, in spite of these setbacks, opportunities for new players arose and none took more advantage of this than Oscar Shaheen, who came into the side for the first time. His pace and physicality were very impressive and he remains a great prospect for the future. Dylan Chatterley also improved his performances considerably this season. His contributions to rucks and mauls were invaluable and he proved himself to be the ‘player of the season’.

The U13 side may have lost more games than it won, but the improvement in the standard of rugby was clear to everyone who watched. At times the quick ball and running rugby was spectacular. Will Thompson, Ollie Viant and Alex Shadbolt all deserve credit for spreading the ball wide and using pace to run at the opposition whenever possible.

The team suffered from a lack of consistency. At times they were brilliant; organised and focused. There were occasions however when the concentration waned; the tackles went high and they were behind the pace of the game. It was pleasing to see that these fluctuations in performance became fewer as the season progressed and consistency should be a main focus for this team next year.

The Under 13 side also had several B team fixtures this season and they enjoyed a majority of wins.

The moment of the season for me came during the defeat to Magdalen College, Oxford. The opposition were simply bigger and better than us and they won comfortably. However, the KES side never gave up, never let their heads drop and they fought Magdalen right to the final whistle. Any side can introduce big players that will dominate, skills can be drilled and learnt but the character that our players demonstrated on that Saturday morning cannot be taught. It is within every one of them to never give up and this is very promising for the future.

My thanks go out to every one of the players that represented the School for the under 13s during the 2012 season and they all deserve to be proud of themselves.

Mr Tesseyman

U14 Rugby Report I

have really enjoyed my first season coaching a KES team. Over the course of the season there was significant progress in the team’s ability to recycle ball from the breakdown and in keeping the ball alive and away from contact. This fast style of play was a pleasure to watch and some great tries were scored.

Some of our opening games were really hard work defensively but we stuck at it and the experience

paid off later in the season when we were much more rugged defensively.

A feature of this season was the number of boys at training each week and 38 pupils represented the \ School at A or B level. A number of new players to the School have established themselves in a side that can look forward to next season with optimism. Jake Berry,

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U15 Rugby Report

Played:17 / Won:11 / Lost:1 / Drew:6 Honours: Runners - Up South West Tournament Daily Mail Cup Round 5

W

ell what a season it has been!

This team of highly talented individuals achieved what no other team had done before them at KES by reaching the final of our annual South West Tournament.

They did this by winning all their pool games including an excellent team effort against a very good St Joseph’s side who were tipped to win the whole tournament!

They lost in the final 7-14 to a penalty try in the last minute; this was not a season for the faint hearted!

Impressive victories against BWS, Reading and Churchers were respites in between one score losses to very good St George’s, Cranleigh and Magdalen teams.

These were all played out with maximum conviction with good tackling being a key part in competing against strong runners. The only downside was a loss to HCS where lessons were learnt and the team responded well.

The Daily Mail Cup provided the focal point and the team again managed to go further than any other previous KES team beating a very good Lord Wandsworth 19-7 in a mud bath at Wellington. Next, we faced an excellent Blundells Team who were shocked to find themselves going out of the competition when the last whistle was blown. The agony of conceding the final try was plain to see on all their faces but the performance overall was a truly memorable one. The last game of the season was against the arch rival PGS who they had never beaten. Again it went down to the last play but this time a break away and score saw the KES team end the season on a well-deserved high 25-21.

It would be very difficult to pick out any players in front of any others but Sam Webb with half backs Theo Pritchard and Ed Connolly were very influential. The scrummaging and rucking of the pack was excellent led by the pack leader Ben Thorne and their superior fitness was the difference on a number of occasions.

The backs were excellent in defence and have started to use their impressive hands and speed to beat opponents as epitomised by Charlie Bolton and Harry Johnston on more than one occasion. However, I must stress that this was a team and squad effort, led well by Oscar Birnie with all players being fully trusted by each other to tackle, ruck and run straight lines. This was the key to so much of their success.

Mr Mixer

Played:11 / Won:5 / Lost:6 / Drew:0 Ben Trotter and Joe Winter of the ‘newbies’ chipped in with great performances and 7 tries. The B team also showed there is strength in depth with two wins against strong rugby playing schools (including PGS) and 5 tries for Max Holden. Among the established ‘A’ players, Charlie Gale and Captain David Marsh stood out for both excellence and consistency.

Mr Aellen

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U16 Rugby Report T

he 2012 Under 16 rugby squad has made significant progress during the course of the season. The results may suggest otherwise, but the enthusiasm and determination of this group of players has allowed them to improve their rugby-playing ability. There were times when the work ethic of a few could have been better, but generally the squad trained hard.

A few players deserve a special mention. Max Bickford has the potential to be a very good player as he understands and reads the game very well whilst Mark Mitchell has been the stand out forward for me. His tackle rate and work at the breakdown has been outstanding and he was closely followed, in this regard, by Jake Schofield. James Kingshott has the makings to become a good scrum half with a swift service and an eye for the gap on the short side where he was able to use his pace and Max Self is to be thanked for his contribution as Captain. He has also played his heart out in every game; he will become a valuable member of the Senior rugby squad next year.

All those who have played and represented the School this season can hold their heads up high; they have played with pride and passion and will have some fond memories of the season. The highlight was a first ever victory over Portsmouth Grammar School in the final game of the autumn term. A controlled display saw the team allow PGS no time or space to play their game and gain momentum. A narrow win, by one point, was well deserved and due reward for their efforts throughout the season. Unfortunately the result could not be repeated in the County Plate Final, but given the weather and ground conditions it was hard to play any rugby that day.

In addition to those already mentioned, the following played for the Under 16 side this season: Max Allen, Josh Baxter, Joe Chalmers, Tim Cornish, Jack Dobbie, George Gadd, Kosta Hodson, Tom Hurst, Hamish Jackson, Alex Kellett, Matt Kyle-Henney, Duncan Loader, Tim Morgan, Yiannis Raftopoulos, Jack Scullard, Dan Stephens, Owain Thomas, Henry Thould, Ben Vail and Lewis Wildsmith Gentlemen; it was a pleasure to work with you. Thank you and good luck with the rest of your rugby careers.

Mr Wood

Played:13 / Won:5 / Lost:8 Points For: 203 / Points Against: 311

Results: V Bishop Wordsworth V St George’s College V Cranleigh School V Reading School V Churcher’s College V Churcher’s College V Magdalen College V Rookwood School V Bournemouth School V Bishop Challoner V PGS V Bay House School V PGS

0 – 32 8 – 22 0 – 59 15 – 7 3 – 34 19 – 37 24 – 26 54 – 13 10 – 17 27 – 13 13 – 12 30 – 17 0 – 22

Lose Lose Lose Win Lose (County Cup) Lose Lose Win (County Plate Round 1) Lose Win (County Plate ¼ Final) Win Win (County Plate ½ Final) Lose (County Plate Final)

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Senior Rugby Report Played:12 / Won:5 / Lost:7

T

he 2012 rugby season was nothing short of exhilarating for the Senior squad. It was a time that was as much about highlighting the continuing developments made to the rugby culture at KES as it was about on-field performances. It is no surprise that those individuals who were continually considered “match winners” and “warriors” at game time were also those individuals who committed everything to the short rugby season; they trained hard, trained long and played with intensity – this set the benchmark for what is expected of a senior player at KES in this brutal sport. Players such as Ring, Paton, Pelly, Rhodes, Edwards, Stanley, Richards, Jones, Simpson, Page, Chaplin-Rogers, and Cross were nothing short of heroic!

The season started at Ampleforth College for our pre-season training. This four day “boot-camp” solidified the social and playing structures and, after a narrow defeat to their 1st XV, set the benchmark for the standard of play this season. The rugby journey the players have travelled this year has included the South Coast Kings Rugby Tournament through to Saturday fixtures and the additional mid-week cup and friendly games (which this year saw the 1st XV play Canford School under floodlights at Bournemouth RFC). Season highlights included home wins against Reading and HCS and the away match against St George’s College.

It was great to see the likes of Magdalen College School back on the fixture list, the introduction of Cranleigh School and, at long last, the Portsmouth Grammar School block set at the end of the season. The fixture card, although not yet perfect, is definitely developing well and will continue to be finely tuned in the seasons that follow.

I am very keen to extol the efforts of Dan Paton and Tom Simpson who have been selected to represent the South West Independent Schools’ Squad; this is an impressive achievement and I wish them well in their regional games and, hopefully, their selection to the National Team.

What was an endearing part of the 2012 rugby term was how well the players gelled together and how resilient they became as the season progressed. This is predominately due to the fact that they were led so well by Joe Ring who was well supported in his leadership by all the senior players in the squad. Mr Duncan and I did not miss one training session, didn’t cancel any matches and would like to thank those players who (regardless of snow, ice, darkness, assignments, club sport, girlfriends, social events and work) did exactly the same!

I would personally like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Jones for his tireless work within the rugby fraternity at KES; 26 seasons of managing, coaching and enthusing many rugby teams will be greatly missed. He is, without a shadow of doubt, irreplaceable. We all wish him luck in his new business and hope to see him pitch side at some point in the future.

Mr Powell 1st XV Most Improved Player of the Season: Matt Cross 1st XV Most Valuable Player of the Season: Hugh Pelly 1st XV Player of the Season: Joe Ring

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U12 Boys’ Hockey Report T

he season started with a practice before Christmas and this, along with practices throughout the spring term were very well attended, with over 40 boys regularly turning out. This year group show much promise on the hockey field and with continuing focus they should develop into a very strong side.

Unfortunately the first two games of the season were cancelled but the U12s made a great start when matches finally got underway. In 7-a-side games against PGS, both the A and B team played extremely well and won their games comfortably, demonstrating good teamwork and accurate passing. Toby Dudson scored a hat-trick for the A team.

The KES B team played well as a team but only managed a draw against Ryde A whilst the A team played very well against Stroud but did not capitalise on their chances in front of goal and the Stroud GK made a number of good saves, securing a win for Stroud. The B team evened the honours by winning their encounter. However, the following week, against an U11 Stroud side, KES proved too strong and both teams won comfortably, with Sam Allsop scoring a Results: A 7s V B 7s V B V A V B V A 7s V B 7s V A 7s V B 7s V B V A V A V A V U12 Boys’ Hockey A Team

hat-trick. Against the St George’s sides, KES lost both of their encounters with the opposition being sharper in front of goal.

As usual, the annual U13 B V U12 B team game was keenly and evenly contested. The strength and size of the older boys gave them a slight advantage as the game progressed and they won 2 -1.

The School side put in very good performances against U14 C teams. Skill and team work enabled them to secure victories against Lord Wandsworth and Sherborne College; Adam Lock was particularly impressive in front of goal, netting two goals in each of these games. The final A team game of the season away at Churchers College saw the home side claim a draw.

The season was rounded off with an internal game, involving many boys who had not had a chance to represent the School this season. The game was played in a great spirit and the ‘blues’ ran out winners.

Mrs Thomas

PGS PGS Ryde A Stroud Stroud Stroud Stroud St George’s St George’s KES U13 B Lord Wandsworth Sherborne Churcher’s College

8 – 1 6 – 3 0 – 0 1 – 2 2 – 0 12 - 0 6 – 0 1 – 5 0 – 2 1 – 2 3 – 1 5 – 0 2 – 2

Win Win Draw Lose Win Win Win Lose Lose Lose Win Win Draw

U12 Boys’ Hockey B Team

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U13 Boys’ Hockey Report A

ll the players are to be congratulated on making this season an enjoyable one; whether playing for the A team or B team they came to the match with a positive attitude and tried to pass the ball with speed and accuracy.

There were times when the hockey played was outstanding and as a result, some very good victories were achieved, most notably against the Under 14 B teams of Millfield, Lord Wandsworth and Sherborne. The B team made good progress and we never fielded the same team twice, using a large number of players. They pushed the Ryde School A team close, in a match they eventually lost but in which they played very well. I can’t remember either team playing badly and have enjoyed watching them play their games. The squad has strength in depth and with this a healthy competition for places.

A total of 37 boys attended training and played for the School during the spring term and they worked cheerfully at improving their skills for the game of hockey. A number of them will go on to make a significant contribution to hockey at King Edward’s and I look forward to watching their progress. It is difficult to mention all of them but Scott Olive (in goal) played very well throughout the season. I would like to thank Jacob Fay for his contribution as Captain and as a player; he controlled a number of games from centre half and made the team play in a positive fashion by using the ball well and involving all the players in the team. I also thank Mr Peel for his expertise during games lessons and the after school practices on Thursdays.

Mr Wood

A Team: Played:8 / Won:4 / Lost:4 / Drew:0 / For: 18 / Against: 11 B Team: Played:5 / Won:3 / Lost:2 / Drew:0 / For: 16 / Against: 5

A team V Millfield School Under 14 B 2-1 Win V Bryanston School Under 14 B Cancelled V PGS 1-2 Lose V Seaford College 7-0 Win V Stroud School 0-1 Lose V St George’s College (7s) 2-5 Lose V LWC Under 14 B 3-0 Win V Sherborne School Under 14 B 3-2 Win

U13 Boys’ Hockey A Team

B team V PGS 2-0 Win V Ryde School A Team 0-1 Lose V Stroud School B Team 7-0 Win V St George’s College (7s) 0-4 Lose V Stroud School B Team 7-0 Win

U13 Boys’ Hockey B Team

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Boys’ U14 Hockey Report Honours: U14 Boys’ Hockey County Winners

I

t has been an absolute delight to work with such an enthusiastic, energetic and dedicated hockey squad who have demonstrated so much talent and promise.

It was a quick start to the season and it was obvious from the start of the season that the U14 hockey squad was going to have a fun and inspirational season.

Myself and Mr Peel enjoyed working with this talented group of students and Miss Jordan certainly enjoyed umpiring some of the team’s matches. It was great to see so many hockey players out at training on a Monday evening and sometimes this number exceeded 40 students. The players were keen to learn new skills and were keen to develop their experiences in tactical awareness and set plays. This resulted in some fine play on the pitch and therefore some excellent results.

The A team got off to an excellent start beating Millfield 3-0 at the beginning of the season playing competitively and with hunger allowing them to secure a valuable win. The team then went on to beat PGS 6-1 and this was really a highlight of the season. The boys played some superb hockey, with flair and real drive. The A

team then produced two very convincing wins against Pangbourne College and Seaford College; recording scores of 9-0 and 8-0 respectively. One of the toughest opponents the School side was to face was in the form of St George’s College, Weybridge. After a tightly fought contest, the School finished the match with a fabulous 3-3 draw. This result was well-deserved at the end of a fantastic game. The team also recorded a victory over Churcher’s and a 1-1 draw against Sherborne School to secure an unbeaten season of regular fixtures.

The A team continued on to win the County Tournament and their efforts here need to be congratulated. They also had an excellent run in the National Schools’

Boys’ U15 ‘A’ Hockey Report Played:8 / Won:5 / Lost:3 / Drew:0 / For: 34 / Against: 10

T

he 2013 season proved to be a great success. The team performed very well from the outset, recording an excellent victory against Millfield in the very first game. Thereafter, the season progressed well with effective team play and some individual excellence. The team’s success was largely based on a very sound and settled defence. This, combined with great fitness and energy from the midfield, made the team very hard to break down.

The players worked well to cover each other and made an excellent job of their individual roles.

The goalkeeper, Tim Van Der Horst, was completely reliable, safe rather than spectacular and committed to the cause every week.The two wide defenders, Reece Wiggins and Henry Marden, proved to be most effective, showing concentration, awareness and always giving reliable cover. The more central defenders both showed class. Will Meacher continued to develop, showing genuine skills and a nice range of passing. Tom Fay led the side by example, showing hard work, an unflappable mentality and a real sense of anticipation. The midfield trio was also pretty settled and had a nice balance, each of the players offering different qualities, complementing each other nicely. Hammy Kavanagh, Josh Keaveney and Kieran Allsop filled these positions bringing tenacity, skill and

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Cup competition. They drew 2-2 with Lord Wandsworth in the semi-final and eventually won the match on flicks, progressing to the County Final. The team unfortunately lost to PGS 2-1 in the Cup Final after previously beating their PGS counterparts twice previously this season. The boys need to be congratulated on a fantastic season and finishing as Hampshire Runners-Up. Stanley Paxton needs to feel proud of the achievements his squad have demonstrated and he was an excellent Captain for the team.

The B team had an excellent season and were fantastic in training, and on the pitch. They were focused to continually improve and often demonstrated new skills with ease. Leadership qualities by Matt Livingston ensured the team was organised, punctual, well informed and they always played some excellent hockey. The B team beat PGS 5-0, Ryde 3-2 and lost to St. George’s 5-2. An excellent team and their efforts need to be congratulated.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the season with the Under 14 hockey team and I look forward to hearing about their progress in the years to come.

Miss Campbell U14 Boys’ Hockey A Team

U14 Boys’ Hockey B Team

real energy. Each of these players made a significant contribution to the success of the team and individually have very promising hockey careers.The forward line was subject to more changes than other departments and it was this area that perhaps did not function as well as it might have done. Part of the reason is due to different players not anticipating or reading what others are doing. They were by no means a failure, each individual performing with skill and ambition, the need being a better understanding of each other’s games. Rory Saunders, Oscar Birnie, Charles Bolton, Louis Kolliari and Rory Morris scored some fine goals between them and they should be applauded for their hard work and positive attitude. Edward Compton and Fergus Hickey played in some of the games with Fergus working his way up from the B team and Edward being a little unlucky not to play more A team games because of the quality and settled nature of the existing defence.

All of the players mentioned will have the chance to impress in Senior hockey next year. Some, I am sure, will play 1st XI hockey in 2014, others will do so over the next two years. I would like to thank the players in the squad for their efforts, their good humour and their committed approach. 2013 was a most enjoyable season.

Mr Fitzpatrick

Results: V Millfield 6 -1 Win V Bryanston Cancelled V PGS 1 - 4 Lose V Pangbourne 8 - 0 Win V LWC 3 - 0 Win V Seaford 7 - 0 Win V St George’s 1 - 2 Lose V Churcher’s 1 - 2 Lose V Sherborne 7 - 0 Win

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Boys’ U15 ‘B’ Hockey Report T

he members of the U15 B squad should feel very pleased with their efforts this year. They showed great commitment, enthusiasm and no little skill throughout the season. The team played some very pleasing hockey taking some important scalps along the way, notably St George’s College and Millfield. The match against Seaford saw some really impressive goal scoring - the 12-0 score line was really well deserved.

I would like to thank all those that played and I have the impression that they thoroughly enjoyed the season.

Results: V Millfield 6-5 Win V Bryanston School CANCELLED V Portsmouth Grammer School 3-1 Win V Ryde School 4-0 Win V Seaford College 12-0 Win V St George’s College 1-1 Draw V Lord Wandsworth College 2-3 Lose

Mr Fitzpatrick The following students represented the U15 ‘B’ team in 2013: Tim Van Der Horst Edward Compton George Skinner Dominic Saville Fergus Hickey Max Beaver Toby Hill William Hawthorne Rory Saunders James Wright Rory Creedon Cameron Brown Thomas Hardwick

1st XI Hockey Report

H

aving enjoyed an excellent hockey tour to Holland during the autumn half term the team was eager to get the hockey term underway. Prospects were good with all of the probables having played good club hockey in the autumn and with many having attended Junior Regional Performance Centre training and matches.

The team got off to a fabulous start scoring three quick goals against a slow starting Trojans XI only to lose skipper Jack Culmer who suffered a recurrence of his shoulder injury. A good Trojans XI then found their form and took control. All of us felt for Jack and players knew that they would all have to step up to the mark having lost the services of this talismanic influence.

Attendance at training was good and with Arun Garewal looking a threat up front and with Sixth Form stalwarts

Richards and Fox adding competition for places the team was looking forward to further successes.

Sadly, the weather beat our fixtures with Millfield and Bryanston. Once again the National Cup County semifinal draw defied the laws of probability by drawing the School against Peter Symonds. Keen to avenge last year’s defeat Peter Symonds were well prepared and were ready to put up a fight. KES put together a magnificent opening 15 minutes and thoroughly deserved their 1-0 half-time lead. A late equaliser for Symonds took the tie to penalty strokes and, in spite of Rhodes’ valiant attempts, it was Symonds’ day.

The squad played consistently well all season with good wins against PGS, Pangbourne, Seaford, Lord Wandsworth and Sherborne. How the keeper got a hand on a Toby Edwards’ blaster to earn a win for St

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George’s against the run of play I will never know.

On 2nd March the team entertained an Edwardians team put together by 2008 leaver Will Page. The large crowd enjoyed some good passing hockey from the KES team. We were all very grateful to Rob Moore, OE and three times Olympian hockey player, who graced us with his presence. The lads really enjoyed trying to put him under pressure but rarely got close enough to do so. This was a fun occasion which we intend to make an annual event.

The highlight of the season had to be the magnificent performance by our 1st 6 at the prestigious St George’s Sixes Competition. Buoyed up by a pessimistic prediction from the coach, the team played brilliantly to win all six of their group matches including impressive victories against Tonbridge School, Guildford Grammar and Dean Close amongst others. Such was the quality of KES play that the side went into the semi-final against Cranleigh School with real belief and played well only to lose by the odd goal in three against one of the strongest hockey schools in the country.

Nikhil played well in goal demonstrating good technique. If he continues to develop he will become a fine keeper. Will Archibald, Ed Evans, James Chamberlain and Alex Palfrey filled the defensive positions most of the time. Will was a consistently good performer and improved his distribution. Ed Evans read the play impressively and applied his range of skills calmly and effectively. He could be even better if he trained with greater intensity. Ed is not the only squad member to which this applies. James had some excellent games and will improve further as he becomes more composed on the ball. In the absence of Jack, Alex captained the side calmly and effectively setting a fine example to his players. Alex uses his size and strength well. Young Harvey managed the middle as a Fifth Year which confirmed his good technical ability as well as his competitiveness and fitness levels.

He now needs to develop his range of his passing. Luke

Honours St George’s College Sixes: semi-finalists

Benton worked very hard defensively and rarely gave the ball away even when under pressure. As he grows in confidence he will be able to dominate play more.

Richard Bolton played all over the place – fast, fit and strong Richard could play at a high level if he can learn how to fit in to a system better. Henry Thould completed the midfield showing skill and determination in several games. Henry is beginning to show more self-control on the pitch and could become an impressive player if he continues to work on his game. Arun, Toby, Jake and Sam played up front. Arun enjoyed scoring goals and was at his audacious best in the St George’s Sixes.

Toby learned how to defend from the front and he uses his reach well. He needs to improve his first touch and ball carrying position to improve. Jake has a fine hit and a good all round technique and should look to influence games more in the future. Sam used his pace well and showed an eye for goal. If he chose to play more regular hockey he could make rapid improvement. Freddie Richards coped well with 1st XI hockey and contributed in a variety of positions.

Mr Gilbert

Results: V Trojans 4 – 6 V PGS 4 – 1 V Pangbourne 1 – 4 V Peter Symonds 2 – 2

V Seaford 0 – 1 V St George’s 2 – 1 V OEs 5 – 6 V LWC 1 – 7 V Sherborne 2 – 3

Lose Win Win Lose (4 – 2 on penalties) Win Lose Lose Win Win

114 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

2nd XI Hockey Report T

he 2nd XI always looked like a strong side on paper, especially after the experience, for some, of playing overseas on the tour to Holland. As the season progressed, so the early promise came to fruition, culminating in a record of five wins, one draw and two defeats, both of those coming at the hands of the strong opposition of Millfield and St George’s.

The season opener is often a tough encounter with a well-prepared and staffed side from Millfield and this was closely followed by the loss of a fixture due to the blanket of snow covering the journey from Bryanston to Wellington Sports Ground.

The next match would usually present an equivalent challenge to the opening opposition as PGS are notoriously competitive. However, whether it was the intensive attendance at training, or the trip around the roundabout en-route to the pitch, something spurred the team to play with spirit. It was a fine team performance - wide in attack, narrow in defence and plenty of ‘Peel’ing strong! A five goal margin was perhaps a little flattering but there were well-judged Results: Millfield

0–4 Bryanston

PGS 5–0 Pangbourne 6 – 1 Seaford

1–0 St George’s 1–3 LWC

3–1 Churcher’s 1–1 Sherborne 2–1

balls into space for the forwards to move onto, reminiscent of the training ground. To compound the situation, we saw our first genuine own goal of the season but fortunately this ended up in the back of the opposition net.

The match against Pangbourne proved the antithesis of the 2nd XI away day on the island with a comfortable (if flattering) result despite a nervy first half with a poor defensive shape that ended 1-1. The ‘winning ugly’ theme continued against Seaford, with an early goal against the run of play being the deciding factor. The season ended with two decent results, particularly the win away at Sherborne but the edge was taken off this away day, despite the fine post-match tea, when the bus driver went missing for forty minutes, apparently seeking a little cheeky lunch.

The 2nd XI proved to be committed members of the senior squad and gave a good account of their talents, playing with spirit and enthusiasm all season long.

Mr Sheppard

Lose Lost to the snow Win Win Win Lose Win Draw Win Played:8 / Won:5 / Lost:2 / Drew:1 / For: 19 / Against: 11

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3rd XI Hockey Report C

aptained pragmatically by Matt Cross, the 3rd XI played some good hockey in some competitive matches and recorded a 50% win ratio during the season. At least twenty-five players represented the team (apologies to anyone left off the list) and it was great to see so much talent and skill in this squad. The team played some great hockey in some really tough matches with two emphatic wins against Seaford, featuring a hat-trick of goals from Jack Pritchard and a light dusting of snow at St George’s, followed by a match tea that failed to get into the top 5 of the season. It was a pity to lose the fixture against Bryanston to the snow as this could have tipped the season in our favour, although to score more goals than we conceded is a highlight to be proud of.

A traditional 4 - 3 - 3 formation gave the side plenty of width in attack although the midfield could have done with some reinforcements against a very strong Ryde 1st XI. Having a full complement of players for this eventful overseas trip would also have helped our defensive strength. Little did we know it wouldn’t be the only time we lined up with ten! A disappointing result on the island was compounded by casual second helpings of chips, meaning inevitably a delayed return as the ferry closed its doors on us on the gangway. To make matters worse, there was a worryingly enthusiastic safety announcement aboard the Red Jet ahead of a bumpy crossing. I am pleased to report we returned with a full set of 10 players.

The Sherborne fixture saw another depleted side take to the field in what became a game of two halves.

Conceding five in the first half left the ten men facing a potentially worrying outcome, but a spirited recovery using all we had gleaned from earlier matches led to a final half of the season to be proud of.

Matt Cross and Nikhil Ohri deserve special mention after three years’ service to the 3rd XI – enthusiasm un-dented, these two played with maturity and commitment throughout. I hope that all the lads in this squad play regular hockey next year as they have so much skill and huge potential for further development.

Mr Gilbert

Squad: Mafiqul Choudhury, Matt Cross, Alex Darch, Calvin Fong, Lewis Hutchinson, James Kingshott, Harrison Mancey, Lewis Marden, Nikhil Ohri, Jack Pritchard, Max Self, Jack Stanley, Ali Watson, Murray Watson, Jay-Den Wong, Andrew Wu, Harry Rivett, Tom Martin, Angus Chaplin-Rogers, Elliot D’Souza, Oliver Deacock, Robert Hickey, Tim Morgan.

Results: V Millfield V Ryde 1st XI V Seaford V St George’s V LWC V Sherborne

1 – 2 0 – 6 7 – 0 7 – 0 3 – 1 0 – 5

Lose Lose Win Win Win Lose

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U12 Boys’ Cricket Reports ‘A’ Team I

t was obvious from the first training session in April that the boys in the First Year were a talented and keen group of cricketers. In the opening match against Reading Blue Coat the side put on a brave fight in bitter cold and wind, fighting to an incredibly tense draw, both teams standing on 130 after 25 overs. Jovan Dhariwal was the indisputable star of the match, scoring 48 and taking 2 for 1 from his two overs.

The following week against Dean Close saw another impressive display – the School side restricting their opposition to 134 from 30 overs and chasing down the total in just 23 overs. Once again, Jovan Dhariwal top scored with an impressive 67.

By the third week of term, the side was becoming a well-oiled cricketing machine, and they quickly dispatched rivals Stroud School, despite the best efforts of the weather to halt proceedings. Jameel Khan bowled impressively, taking 3 for 6 from four overs.

Thomas Croft-Baker batted solidly for 30 not out.

Now riding the crest of a wave following two emphatic victories, the U12A side were to have their dreams smashed in the first round of the Hampshire Cup. PGS scored a highly competitive 148 from their 25 overs and, despite a hard-fought 43 from captain James Harden, the School side came up well short.

Elizabeth College, from Guernsey, were the next opponents, and they caused the KES side very little trouble, only making 73 from their 25 overs, which was chased down in just 15 overs. KES made an impressive 151 from their 25 overs against Churcher’s College (Jovan Dhariwal, 61), only for the rain to cease proceedings with the opposition on a meagre 54 for 5 from 11 overs (Aditya Rokade took 3 for 13 from his

three overs) – this would surely have been yet another victory.

The next week brought two fixtures – the first was a good victory against a strong Twyford side (Jameel Khan scored 36 not out and took 3 for 16 and Oliver Miles took 3 for 18), and the second was a rather brief thrashing of HCS, who could only manage 58 all out (Matty Bell turned the ball both ways to take 4 for 9), which James Lander and Mateus Janaway managed to chase down with ease in just eight overs.

The final weekend of the year brought the U12A team a chance for redemption – a rematch with PGS (now the Cup Champions). On a blisteringly hot day, some superb bowling and a fine fielding display from KES restricted the home side to just 95 from their 20 overs (Oliver Miles took 4 for 9 from three overs). Jameel Khan and the-one-and-only Jovan Dhariwal then stepped up to stare destiny in the face and score 37 and 42 respectively to steer the School side to an incredible 10 wicket victory against the County Champions – an exciting and fitting end to a glorious season.

Mr Watson

‘B’ Team T

he number of U12 boys attending practice was one of the highest figures for many years – up to thirty-six boys vying for the two teams but unfortunately very few matches were played.

Under overcast skies the B team headed to the Reading Blue Coat School for the first match of the season. Put into bat Reading scored well assisted by one too many extras from us. The target was 133 in twenty overs. A valiant batting effort from Léon Astles and James Lander saw a nail biting last over finish. So close but yet so far; falling four short of their total, making 128 for 3 from twenty overs.

The second match took place under similar tempestuous skies against Churcher’s College. Escaping rain delays of other matches, quick bowling turnaround and superb tight fielding meant a quick first innings. Churcher’s raised a total of 61 for 8 off 20 overs. Our top order batsmen made light work and with speed reached 64 for 4 off 10 overs beating Churcher’s and the impending rain.

Mr Mapstone

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U13 Boys’ Cricket Report T

he U13 squad’s 2013 cricket season saw them make progress as regards their skills in batting, bowling and fielding and also in their broader understanding of the game and its intricacies. That said, it would also be fair to say that the team did not enjoy the success, in terms of the raw statistic of matches won, that its talent suggested should have been the case.

The fixtures of the first half of the term are historically difficult; matches against schools such as Bryanston and Canford will always be hard and this season both of these, and a match against Elizabeth College, Guernsey were lost. The King Edward’s team put in competitive showings against these opponents but at no point did all of the different elements of a good performance come together; at times we bowled well but fielded poorly and at other times our defensive batting technique held up under pressure but the team could not score runs quickly enough to bring victory.

Happily, the second half of the term saw an improvement in the team’s fortunes. A close-run defeat at Churcher’s, a match that saw a remarkable 51 (not out) being scored by Tom Duff in only five overs, was the preliminary to two pleasing victories in the last two matches of the season. Both HCS and PGS were despatched in an effective style that, at times, bordered on the ruthless and it was good to see the different

facets of the game finally combine for a talented, if rather unlucky, group of players.

It remains only for me to thank Mr Filtness for his help with the preparation of the team and, above all, the players. The atmosphere in the team was positive and pleasant throughout and it has been an enjoyable experience to coach them. It is only fair that special mention should be made of Jacob Fay, the Captain of the team. I think that at times Jacob rather felt the heavy responsibility of captaincy whilst at the same time being the opening bowler and number three batsman. He performed all of these roles, however, with a smile on his face and a real willingness to improve the performances of both himself and his team and I am sure that he will go from strength to strength as a cricketer in the years ahead.

Mr Diver

U14 Boys’ Cricket Report I

t has been an absolute pleasure to coach the U14 team this year. After a heavy defeat in their opening match against Reading Blue Coat School, the boys have shown a huge amount of skill and determination to record a series of stunning results. The team have improved in all areas of their game and when the going has got tough, their fantastic team spirit has really shown through and helped to further their performance.

The highlight of the season was undoubtedly a brilliant result against Bryanston. After dismissing the visitors for just 82 runs, Stanley Paxton batted with great composure to see the team home and record a fantastic victory by 2 wickets. Another great achievement came when a weekend team travelled away to Bloxham to win by 5 wickets, with several fringe players stepping up to the mark.

A special mention must go to Alec Damley-Jones for his bowling, Ben Trotter for his all-round performances and to Gregor McKenzie who as Captain managed to get the best out of his players. A very good season and I hope for even more next season.

Mr Brown

118 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

U15 Boys’ Cricket Report D

espite me missing the first game of the season, and only one game cancelled due to the rain, the U15 cricket season was a mix of highs and lows, frustration and delight, euphoria and anguish!

Having entered the regional phase of the National Cup (based on a thoroughly impressive U14 season) KES U15s were to face Millfield School (the eventual winners) in the last 32. Millfield narrowly won in a thrilling 40 overs game.

A testament to the quality of the U15 players is their consistent selection to the 1st XI team on Saturdays.

Birnie, Fay, Bolton, Normand, Morris and Damley-Jones have all played well for the Senior team at School and should be proud of their achievements.

The omission of such strong players meant that the U15A and B teams would have to fight for every run.

Fight they certainly did, recording tremendous wins against Bradfield College, Churchers College, St Johns College, Bloxham School and Salesian School. The victory against Salesian School placed the team in the final of the County Twenty20 Cup against PGS. PGS won the game but our warriors battled well away from home.

The U15 squad have had the fortune of some brilliant leaders throughout this season; Fay, S. Roberts, Beaver and Morris have all offered a great deal of experience, maturity and empathy to the role of Captain and I thank them for their tremendous efforts.

Finally, I must again thank the Perriams who have been incredible in respect of their support, scoring and general company during the entire season.

Mr Powell

A team Player of the Season: Nic Cooper B team Player of the Season: Ryan Seed Most Improved Player of the Season: Matt Perriam Outstanding Performance of the Season: Birnie’s 98 v Bradfield College Outstanding Moment of the Season: Seed’s catch v Bloxham School

Boys’ 2nd XI Cricket Report T

he vagaries of the weather and availability from both ourselves and the opposition meant that the 2nd XI cricket team ventured forth just once this year. A new fixture, this time against Bradfield, always causes some trepidation about equality of standard, so we travelled away to new territory a little uncertain of what to expect.

Negotiating the lanes of Berkshire, the coach driver found the car park after which we embarked upon an extensive walk through the school grounds admiring their facilities, which included an open air theatre.

Finally crossing several acres of fields we alighted upon the main square and thought that it would be a pleasure to play in such idyllic surroundings. Batting first, we lost an early wicket but a few lusty blows from Nick Brown set the team on its way before he was bizarrely run out.

Jonny Millar demonstrated the forward defensive before a rush of blood caused him to play across the line.

Louis (skip) Houghton steadied the ship with Usman

Islam and the lower order all added a few runs to give us a final total of 105, which would probably have been described by pundits as ‘a below par total for that sort of wicket’. Undeterred, and refreshed by tea, the bowlers plied their trade with unerring accuracy and caused some confusion in the ranks of the Bradfield team. They lost wickets at a steady rate and KES managed to find themselves in a winning position.

Unfortunately it was at this point that Bradfield found determination and a bat of quality in their number 5 and solid defence in their number 9, who both engineered a long partnership with their number 5 scoring a match winning 40 not out. In the end the School lost by 2 wickets in what might be described as a close and enjoyable encounter.

Mr Putt

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Boys’ 1st XI Cricket Report Played:12 / Won:7 / Lost:5 / Drew:0

Honours: Altham Trophy runners-up 2013

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re-season this looked like it was going to be a tough year after we lost 8 1st XI regulars from last year’s team. The fact that the boys competed well in nearly every match and reached a cup final, whilst fielding only two regular U16 players, is a testament to how well they played overall this year. One of the best performances of the season was the win (by 6 wickets) against a much more experienced Bryanston team. Tom Fay, our U15 Hampshire Leg Spinner, got 4-31 on debut and showed what a really excellent prospect he is. He finished the season as top wicket taker due to such performances as this and his 5-32 against HCS. The Saturday innings of the season was from our talented wicketkeeper batsman and Captain Toby Edwards who hit 149 (not out) blasted off 96 balls including 11 sixes against Bloxham. An excellent team performance against Pangbourne saw us come up 8 runs short with Oscar Birnie, another Hampshire U15, taking to 1st team cricket in his stride with a cultured 71.

Partnerships are crucial in cricket at this level. Harry McGhee was instrumental in three partnerships of over 100 this year (Bryanston, Alton and MCC) and was a real calming influence on those around him. Mr Putt said that his partnership with Jack Stanley 124 (not out) of 246 undefeated, to beat the MCC by 8 wickets, was the best he’d ever seen in over 25 years of KES cricket!

Harry scored 122 (not out) that day and they will both be rewarded by the MCC by a trip to a test match next summer and dinner in the Long Room at Lords. Jack Stanley is a stylish batsmen who also helped secure us a win against the OEs with another big partnership with Jack Culmer. Jack Culmer came back into the team after an injury lay off of over a year and really made a difference to the attacking mentality when chasing runs in the middle order. He is a whole hearted sportsman and cricketer and thoroughly deserved his award for contribution to the 1st XI team cricket.

With regards to the bowling, Tom Holden-Dye has been the pick of the seamers. His accuracy and pace have

both improved since last year and if he can combine bowling a consistent length with the occasional bouncer next year then he will be even more of a handful.

The highlight of the season was getting to the Altham Trophy final which is played midweek against the strong Sixth Form Colleges and a Cup we have only won once in the last fifteen years. After a comfortable win against Tauntons (Weatherly 156, Edwards 101) there was an excellent performance against a strong Alton side with Joe Weatherly our England U17 batsman carrying his bat for 101 (not out) as well as Edwards (51) and McGhee (44) also contributing. It was, however, a great fielding and bowling performance by the team with Jack Stanley (3-10) in particular producing an inspired spell of bowling to make run scoring a real problem.

Ben Vail showed how much he has improved this year against HCS. He still turns the ball, as well as bowling at a slightly quicker pace than last year. Richard Bolton, Charlie Bolton, Dan Damley-Jones and Rory Morris all played a number of games which bodes well for future years. Phil Normand and Matthew Perriam also made debuts and were not fazed by the standard of cricket and will add depth to the bowling next year.

The final was played at the Ageas Bowl nursery ground in perfect batting conditions but after having a very strong Symonds side 188-9 they managed to get to 245 which was always a difficult prospect and one that proved too great.

In conclusion, this very young team will look back on a season with a lot of pride as well as a little regret that they didn’t win a couple more games which would have turned it into an outstanding one. They will have the belief next year, due to added experience and being physically stronger, that losses such as Churcher’s, Reading Blue Coat and Pangbourne will be turned into victories.

Mr Mixer

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U13 Boys’ Tennis Report A

fter a very promising 2012, in which the whole U13 team was made up of players who were still eligible to play this year, expectations were high for the 2013 season. Whilst all of those who represented the School gave a good account of themselves, a combination of some strong opposition, unfortunate injuries, and competing commitments meant that the success which had been anticipated was not quite realised.

Initial victories in the early AEGON competition fixtures against Perins and Mountbatten built our confidence.

These fixtures were followed by a friendly against Stroud, which allowed a greater number of boys to represent the School, including some who will very likely feature more strongly in the AEGON fixtures next year. Even though individual results in this fixture were mixed the School secured a comfortable victory overall.

However, the early successes were not to be reflected in the second half of the season. A loss to Ballard meant that qualification for the knockout stages of the competition was going to be difficult but still achievable.

As seems to happen on a frequent basis, everything came down to the final group fixture. Thornden have produced increasingly strong teams in recent years, and it again looked as if this tie could be too close to call. An impressive win from First Year, Ben Fox, suggested the tie might go our way but, unfortunately, this was to be our sole victory in what turned out to be a fairly comprehensive defeat by a strong team.

Dr Purves

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U15 Boys’ Tennis Report B

eautiful sunshine greeted our first match on the sandy beach that is the KES astro tennis courts.

The KES boys may just as well have applied the sun cream and put their towels out for a sun-bathing session, for it was not to prove a successful afternoon’s tennis. Our opponents, Westgate, had already played all of their other matches in the tournament and were defending a 100% record. KES clearly also started unbeaten as it was the first match, but a sole victory from Hammy Kavanagh, against the Westgate number 4 was the only success of the day. The odd game was won here or there in the other matches but in truth KES were outplayed by a fine team.

We switched to the hard courts at Wellington for our next match but hopes that the different surface would produce a different result were soon dashed as we went down to Perins School. The match was closely fought and played in a very good spirit, with Fergus Hickey particularly unlucky to come out on the wrong side of a close match.

Victory for the U15s finally came with the match against Ballard. They were by no means an under strength opposition, and extra pressure was applied from the clock in some matches, given that players had buses to catch. Hammy Kavanagh in particular was ready to concede, despite being 5 – 2 up, but kept a cool head to convert a break point to win the set before a quick handshake and a sprint to get the late bus.

Cameron Brown and Will Meacher both complained about their own standard of play but managed victories

nonetheless, with Fergus Hickey finishing off his opponent in clinical fashion to ensure a KES whitewash – a much needed antidote to poor form in the earlier part of the season.

Our final cup match was against Thornden, a late fixture delayed through rain that was finally played on a fine sunny day. The sets were close and entertaining to watch, with Will Meacher playing some excellent defensive tennis against a very strong Thornden number 1 player. The boys’ tennis was strong, but evidence suggested reading skills might need some improvement as several players overlooked the clear instruction about making provision for a late finish.

Disappointingly then, as key players peeled off to get buses, crucial sets were conceded and KES lost the fixture.

Our now traditional end of season fixture on the grass courts at Winchester College was met with traditional summer rainfall. The boys played on until the courts resembled paddy fields, and the abandoned fixture was declared an honourable draw.

My thanks to all those who turned up regularly to tennis practices, and to the boys who represented the School: Cameron Brown, Stef Halcoussis, Fergus Hickey, Hammy Kavanagh, Will Meacher, Toby Saer.

Mr Culver

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U12 Girls’ Hockey Report T

he hockey season started before term with the customary one day event for our new First Years. Forty girls attended on this hot Friday and by the end of the session newcomers to the sport had grasped the basics and several new friendships had been forged. Many of these girls went on to commit to Wednesday afternoon training and Saturday fixtures.

Our first match was something of an innovation: four 7-a-side teams played PGS in a back to back fixture. The U12s were kitted out in brand new match shirts and, considering the heat and enormity of the event, all four teams coped admirably against strong opposition.

Just before half term, another innovation: the internal ‘Progress Tournament’ which was held on a ‘dry’ Saturday morning. Three 7-a-side teams competed against each other for prestigious medals and chocolate! The teams were given seven players, but positions, colour, warm up and team talk had to be decided by appointed captains.

All participants looked very impressive as was the standard of hockey.

This season has been very productive, not only in terms of commitment, attainment, and effort, but also in terms of improvement and knowledge of the game. Although results were varied, the girls played with endeavour and never gave up. They were gracious in victory as well as in defeat.

Thank you to Mr. Peel our new Master of Hockey, Sixth Formers, Selena Cox, Abi Searle and Hannah Larkin and to Sophie Bentley (former KES pupil) in particular, who spared us some of her GAP year to assist at practice. They are all a credit to the School and have been invaluable.

Hurrah for the U12s.

KJ and Mrs Hooton

Results: V PGS (7s) V Ryde U13 (11s) V PGS (7s) V West Hill Park (7s) V HCS (7s) V St George’s (7s) V Westbourne House (7s) V Churcher’s (11s) V Kings’ School (7s) V Dauntsey’s (11s) V KES U13s (7s)

(A) 0-5, (B) 0-8, (C) 2-1, (D) 0-0 1-1 10-0 7-0 (A) 6-0, (B) 9-0 (A) 0-5, (B) 0-10 (A) 0-0, (B) 3-5 1-2 (A) 6-0, (B) 6-2 1-0 (A) 0-2, (B) 0-0

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U13 Girls’ Hockey Report T

he Under 13 squad have shown fantastic commitment this year. Their dedication to training and matches has been commendable and subsequently the team have shown great improvement and developed a brilliant team spirit.

We had a tough start to the season facing our local rivals PGS in the first game. Although the girls came away with a loss, they learnt a lot about their own game play and it gave us lots to work on in training. As the season went on, we faced tough opposition and on occasion played against girls from the year above. On all occasions the girls played hard, rose to the challenge and demonstrated excellent team work. The continuous leadership from the Captain, Daisy Porter, helped the team to stay focused and well motivated, even when they weren’t winning. The girls played some of their best hockey during matches when they were behind, which is a credit to them as players.

It has been a joy to see so many of the girls develop their skills and gameplay throughout the season, with a particular mention to Thailie Mace whose commitment and dedication to training enabled her game to flourish.

Well done on a great season girls, and good luck for next year!

Mrs Ferrand

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U14 Girls’ Hockey Report Played: 21 Won: 12 Drew: 2 Lost: 5 Goals For: 59 Captain: Freya Wilks Honours: Hampshire Tournament and County Champions.

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he 2012 season was truly one to remember; made special by the enthusiastic and committed group of U14 girls and their extremely supportive parents.

They worked hard each week to improve and gave their parents much to be proud of. They were always competitive and thoroughly deserved their success.

The start of the season saw the School side off to a flying start. After an initial defeat to Canford in a training game, the girls proved to be quite a force to reckon with! Their success bred confidence and they truly believed in their ability. Highlights were the two matches against Portsmouth Grammar School, the amazing start they had against Bryanston and the fighting spirit they showed against Lord Wandsworth College.

Outside of the regular fixtures the team really came to life at the County Tournament. They dominated the games they played and impressed those watching.

In the 7 team “Round Robin” competition they won 4 games, drew 2 and did not concede a single goal.

This was a memorable achievement for all and they thoroughly deserved to wear their medals with pride!

In the National Cup competition they went straight through to the final against Portsmouth Grammar School. It was an extremely high quality game for anyone to watch. Every ball was keenly contested and, despite a last minute scare, the girls managed

Goals Against: 18

to become Hampshire Champions with a score line of 2-1. This meant they proceeded to the South heats.

It was this day that the team really came of age. They fought hard yet showed composure. They rose to the challenge and despite some nerves believed in each other. They played as impressively as the School team did last year. They controlled two matches and attacked with flare to score 4 goals in each. They showed great focus, determination and organisation to hold out to the eventual winners and narrowly lose by one goal. They missed out on a chance of playing in the semi-finals but became one of the top eight schools in the South!

Mr Peel and I were very proud coaches amongst a very proud group of players and parents.

I was so pleased that the team managed to finish their season with a final win and in such emphatic style.

They are a very talented group of girls who have lots of character and lots of potential. I could not ask for a lovelier bunch of girls and I will miss their company, cupcakes and energy! I look forward to watching them develop in the future and hope they can maintain their commitment, will to win and love of life!

Miss Peachment

Results: V Canford 0-3 Lose V Portsmouth Grammar School 4-2 Win V Ryde 8-0 Win V Pangbourne College 4-0 Win V Hampshire Collegiate School 1-0 Win V Lord Wandsworth College 3-2 Win V Bryanston 3-4 Lose V PGS (Cup Final) 2-1 Lose V Kings 4-3 Win V Churcher’s College 1-2 Lose V Dauntsey’s 7-0 Win

County Tournament Winners: V Churcher’s College Draw 0-0 V Kings Win 4-0 V Lord Wandsworth College Win 1-0 V Hampshire Collegiate School Win 3-0 V Ballard School Win 5-0 V Portsmouth Grammar School Draw 0-0 South heats Runners Up: Beaconsfield Win 4-0 St George’s College Lose 0-1 Bradfield Win 4-0

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U15 Girls’ Hockey Report T

he U15 season has been phenomenal. The U15s are a group of talented and tenacious players who have trained and played hard and relentlessly, ending with an unbeaten season in regular fixtures.

The season started with PGS. Our local rivals are always tough competition but the team achieved a 1-0 victory (not necessarily reflective of the number of chances they had). Defeat of the 2nd XI followed and the match against Pangbourne College saw an impressive 5-0 KES victory. The HCS match saw the girls getting a little too confident meaning they were 1-0 down at the half-time whistle. However, the half-time talk from Mr Peel refocused the team and they came back as 3-1 victors. Bryanston, Kings’ Winchester, Churcher’s and Seaford suffered similar fate and only Canford and Dauntsey’s came close to ending the unbeaten run. In both games the team hung on to the bitter end, securing draws in both matches. The match of the season was the win against St George’s College where the determination and skill of the team was outstanding.

organisers as the best game of the tournament, the final was fast-paced and exciting with both teams having opportunities to score. In the last 5 minutes the girls conceded the only goal and were unable to reply in the given time. The U15 team have had an incredible season and they deserve to be named the runners-up of the South of England Schools Tournament.

The U15s have played some beautiful hockey and have been totally committed to their game and to each other. They have responded brilliantly to Mr Peel’s coaching and truly are one team, not merely a group of individuals with a common goal.

Miss Smith

The squad also competed in the South of England Invitational Tournament at Surbiton Hockey Club.

They adeptly reached the final during which they took on Eastbourne College having already faced schools from Bucks, London and Surrey. Described by the

Squad: Amelia Beck, Katy Billington, Laura Birch, India Clark, Georgia Everest, Simreet Garewal, Samara Jones, Maddie Kinder, Yvie Lock, Zoe McLean, Primrose Merritt (C), Izzy Monger, Hannah Piggott, Lucy Porter, Briallen Taylor, Natalie Thomson, Iona Todd, Anna Wood.

Most improved player: Maddie Kinder

Results: V PGS V 2nd XI V Pangbourne V HCS V Bryanston V St George’s V Kings V Canford V Churcher’s V Seaford V Dauntsey’s

1-0 4-1 5-0 3-1 4-1 3-1 2-0 2-2 5-1 8-0 0-0

Win Win Win Win Win Win Win Draw Win Win Draw

126 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Girls’ 1st XI Hockey Report I

t has been an absolute delight to work with the1st XI hockey team this season. The girls have been enthusiastic, extremely talented and dedicated role models for all younger hockey players in the School.

This was the first time that the School has merged the Fifth Year and Sixth Form players which worked very successfully and the girls also reaped the benefits of the introduction of compulsory fitness. The team have had a fantastic record in standard fixtures, County Cup Tournaments, National Schools’ Competitions and on the mini tour to Bath.

The team started the season well, and in style, with 3 pre-season victories against Pangbourne, an Old Edwardian XI and PGS. They then embarked on a mini hockey tour to Bath in preparation for the busy season ahead. The girls enjoyed the facilities at Bath University and a fixture against Bath University’s 3rd XI. The team won 11-1 with Hannah Larkin scoring five of these goals. On the Sunday, the girls played against Monkton Combe, where they won 4-1. An excellent weekend was had by all and prepared us well for what was to be a rigorous season.

Early on in the season, the squad participated in the U19 Hampshire Hockey Cup Tournament at Southampton Sports Centre. In the pool stages the KES team played HCS, Churcher’s and Brockenhurst College. The girls beat HCS 4-1, Churcher’s 3-0 and drew 0-0 with Brockenhurst College resulting in the team finishing top of their pool with 7 points. The girls

then faced Chichester College in the semi-final and performed well beating the Chichester side 4-0 and meaning that they progressed to the final to play PGS. This was a close game which saw the KES team win 1-0 to take the Hampshire U19 Cup. In the National Schools’ Competition the girls defeated Churchers 2-1 in the quarter final, Lord Wandsworth 6-1 in the semi-final and PGS 1-0 in the final. The squad then went on to represent Hampshire in the regional tournament where they drew with Bloxham School 1-1, drew with St George’s 2-2 and lost to Hurstpierpoint College 4-1. The girls played exceptionally well and were a credit to both Hampshire and the School.

This team of girls have so much that they should be proud of, and it has been a delight to see such a talented group of young ladies develop in to an outstanding hockey squad. My thanks must go to the outstanding leadership of Captain and Vice-Captain Rosie Harper and Ellie Stephens. Without their support and collective ambitions the squad would not have been so successful. The results of the season speak volumes with 16 out of 18 of the regular fixtures resulting in victories for the School side. The team’s reputation was reflected in the number of additional fixtures that were made as a result of other schools wanting to play our girls. Congratulations girls – you have been a pleasure to work with!

Miss Campbell

Squad: Rosie Harper (c), Ellie Stephens (vc), Selena Cox, Jemima Dunnett, Ella Hall, Hannah Kaye, Ellie Gilbert, Abbie Searle, Alice Neilson, Liberty Roberts, Lucy Morgan, Alicia McDowell, Hannah Larkin and Emma Preston.

Player of the Season: Ellie Stephens Players’ Player of the season: Ella Hall Most Improved Player: Ellie Gilbert.

Results: V Pangbourne Pre-season 7-0 Win V PGS Pre-season 3-0 Win V Old Edwardians XI 3-2 Win V Bath University 3rd XI 11-1 Win V Monkton Combe 4-1 Win V PGS 2-1 Win V Pangbourne 6-0 Win V Chichester 3-0 Win V Bryanston 4-3 Win V St George’s 4-2 Lose V Hurstpierpoint 1-0 Win V Churcher’s 2-1 Win V Wellington School 6-1 Win V Dauntsey’s 4-1 Lose

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Hampshire Cup Tournament Results Pool Stages V HCS 4-1 Win V Churcher’s 3-0 Win V Brockenhurst College 0-0 Draw Semi Final V Chichester College 4-0 Win Final V PGS 1-0 Win KES 1st XI become County Cup Tournament winners.

National Schools’ Competition V Churcher’s (quarter final) V Lord Wandsworth (semi final) V PGS (county final)

2-1 6-1 1-0

Win Win Win

Regional Hockey Tournament V Bloxham School V Hurstpierpoint College V St George’s College

1-1 4-1 2-2

Draw Lose Draw

Girls’ 2nd XI Hockey Report

T

he results sheet confirms a number of issues and stories from the 2013 season. Firstly, the second team had a very full and busy season completing twelve matches which required a great deal of commitment from the girls concerned. In terms of play, a good start to the season tailed off into a run of four successive defeats, although it should be recorded that two of those defeats were a little unfortunate. However, this poor run was turned around by the enthusiastic and determined squad to finish the season in much better style.

Another statistic from the result sheet shows a good scoring rate but also an alarmingly high number of goals conceded and this is an area that needs to be addressed. Part of the inconsistency is down to the fact that this is a second team with frequent changes of personnel which is inevitably disruptive. The members of the squad performed with a good team spirit, largely due to efforts of the captain, Ellie Glew. She led the team by example and really encouraged those around her. All the players made significant contributions, not least of their time, and gave genuine effort throughout the season.

The matches were almost all positive and enjoyable experiences and I would like to thank the whole squad for the commitment, good humour and positive nature that they collectively showed.

Mr Fitzpatrick

The following girls played for the 2nd XI this season:Alice Davies Anna Roberts Catherine Whitby Ella Moody Ellie D’Alton Ellie Glew Emily Lewis Emily Ralls Emma Preston Evie Rogers Gina Steel Julia Roope Juliet Fox Milly Cobb Pippa Rees Rebecca Collins Robyn Creeden

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U12 Girls’ Netball Report A

huge contingent of aspiring netballers attended Wednesday practice, each one keen to learn and play to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather, some practices and matches were cancelled. This made initial selection somewhat difficult, but by the end of this unseasonal half term, out of 30 girls, those available to play on Saturdays had represented the School on at least one occasion.

The first match was a baptism of fire; the girls having only had the shortest of preparation time. The weather was unkind and due to this, only the U12s came across from Ryde with the match being played in our Sports Hall. Ryde emerged victorious by the narrowest of margins but, under the circumstances, the girls performed superbly in this very closely contested debut match.

The next match (Churcher’s) and ultimate match (LWC) were cancelled but most of the fixtures were fulfilled and the results were, on the whole, positive. There were two “mixed” matches, comprising U12 and U13 combined, and although the girls were unfamiliar with each other, they gelled surprisingly well and played some innovative and attractive netball.

that they had listened and learned thus far. This was particularly evident at the innovative mixed U12 and U13 Saturday morning tournament. Nearly 40 girls competed against each other for the prestigious medals and chocolate! The teams were equally selected with a captain appointed to each team, but the girls did everything else: positions, colour, warm up and team talk. The standard of netball was outstanding and particular thanks go to Bria Ellis (Fifth Year) who has been extremely helpful throughout the season, and during the tournament.

A big thank you to Mrs Stockting for her coaching advice; to Mrs Hillborne and Mrs Meager for arranging away travel and after match refreshments and to our Catering Department for providing much needed hot meals on several very cold occasions.

KJ and Miss Stone

In the second half of the term, the girls were urged to use their netball initiatives: coming up with their own warm up routines and demonstrating to the coaches Results: V Ryde V Churcher’s V West Hill Park (mixed) V Kings V St George’s V Farleigh (mixed) V Dauntsey’s V PGS V LWC B and C

A 9-10, B cancelled A and B cancelled A 6-11, B 16-8 A 10-3, B 5-4 A 8-16, B 3-28 A and B cancelled; C 5-5, D 3-3 A 18-6, B 18-6 A 16-15, B 2-17 B and C cancelled

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U13 Girls’ Netball Report I

was delighted to have the opportunity to coach the U13s this year and was continually amazed by their enthusiasm and willingness to improve. I was always able to field full teams and I was delighted by the number of girls who were keen to fill-in when original teams were affected by injuries or illness. Having the added benefit of seeing the girls for their weekly games sessions meant that the Thursday training sessions could be more focused and involve greater game play.

The U13s have come a long way since the beginning of the season and have certainly improved in their timing, positioning and accuracy. They are now much more disciplined in their movement up the court and their levels of communication have gone from strength to strength. In particular, I commend them for their ability to never give up, even when the score-lines were not in their favour, and to give their all, right up to the final whistle.

Unfortunately the season was hampered by poor weather with a third of the fixtures being cancelled and those we were able to play were against our toughest opposition. The first half of term saw only one win for the Bs against West Hill Park, although the score-lines for both the A and B teams often did not reflect how close the matches really were. Greater success was seen in the second half of term with hard

fought wins against Dauntsey’s. Due to the number of cancelled games and limited access to indoor courts in wet conditions, we twice ended up combining the U12s and U13s and subsequently provided some tough competition to Ryde and Farleigh. Ellie HollandWright and Naomi Lee deserve much credit for their strong captaincies, both showing determination and commitment in their approach. The teams all deserve much credit for their commitment through a tough season but Martha Lawrence and Thailie Mace deserve a particular mention for their dedication and passionate approach to the sport.

The end of season was celebrated with an internal mixed tournament on the final Saturday of term with the U12s. It was of no surprise that the event had to be relocated indoors due to rain but this failed to dampen the high spirits of the girls involved. Excellent game play was demonstrated and good fun was had by all.

Overall, the girls should be pleased with their progress this season; they encouraged, supported and played as a team, both during fixtures and at training. I have enjoyed the spirit and sense of fun with which they approach training and I wish them every success for next season.

Dr Sinnett-Jones

U13A: Played 5 / Won: 4 / Lost: 1 / Drew: 0 U13B: Played 4 / Won: 2 / Lost: 2 / Drew: 0 U13C: Played 1 / Drew: 1 U13D: Played 1 / Drew: 1

U13 Girls’ Netball A Team

U13 Girls’ Netball B Team

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U14 Girls’ Netball A Team

U14 Girls’ Netball B Team

U14 Girls’ Netball Report T

his year, I was very lucky to be able to coach the same year group as I had last year. Knowing the girls proved to be a great advantage, especially as practices were few and far between due to adverse weather.

Bad weather also meant that only 4 matches were played in total but the girls demonstrated great versatility and never complained. Over 20 girls from the year group represented the School this year and a good number had significantly progressed from last year.

Both teams were unlucky to concede their first matches against Bryanston, the St George’s game was played on a freezing cold morning and although the scores did not reflect it, the A team matched their opposition well but unfortunately did not score the necessary goals. Both teams achieved resounding wins against Dauntsey’s and put in a gutsy performance against opponents PGS, despite missing some of the strongest players from the squad.

I have really enjoyed working with a group of such lovely girls who are incredibly supportive of each other and I hope that they continue their development over the next few years.

Miss Yerbury

Results: V Bryanston V St George’s V Dauntsey’s V PGS

A 12-14 A 22-42 A 20-5 A 21-44

B 17-18 B 12-10 B 20-6 B 16-32

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U15 Girls’ Netball A Team

U15 Girls’ Netball B Team

U15 Girls’ Netball Report W

hat an amazing season; great numbers at every training session, superb leadership from our captains and an overriding sense of team-ethos and endeavour every time the mighty KES netballers stepped onto the court.

The statistics will not favour Team KES but their performances throughout the season grew in maturity, skill and outcome. With numbers regularly reaching 30 at training, the selection for match day was always going to be difficult with two teams to pick for; there are some players that would have easily walked into any school’s B team who played very little netball, this is how determined and talented this year group are.

Notable performances came against our toughest opposition; the games against St George’s, PGS and

Bryanston delivered some impressive displays from players such as Natalie Thomson, Yvie Lock and Katie Billington.

I am extremely proud of the entire U15 netball squad.

All the girls deserve credit for their work ethic and fearlessness during one of the coldest terms I can remember. However, special mention must go to our Captains; Hannah Piggott, Amelia Beck and Katie Billington – their decision-making while under pressure was incredible, their capacity to motivate their peers was exceptional and, above all else, their calm and patient approach to each training session and game showed maturity way beyond their years…they were truly awesome to coach.

Mr Powell

Most Improved Player of the Season: Lottie Percival Defensive Player of the Year: Samara Jones Attacking Player of the Year: Natalie Thomson B Team Player of the Year: Lucy Porter A Team Player of the Year: Yvie Lock Moment of the Season: Katy Billington’s defensive tactics v St George’s College

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U16 Girls’ Netball Report T

his was another great season; if wet and cold on occasion. Training started in September with preparations for the first round of the National Schools’ Tournament which was played in October. At the County Tournament the team pulled together, they outplayed the opposition to win their pool and take up a place in the Regional Tournament in the afternoon.

Another great set of matches (with only one defeat by a single goal to PGS) saw them as county runnersup ensuring qualification to the Southern Region Tournament in February.

The squad’s first full match was in January against Bryanston. The girls were not on best form but came out fighting and (for the A team) the pre–Christmas practice paid off, allowing them to start the season with a good win. The B team were slightly more on the back foot and the final score line did not reflect the improvement in their play as the quarters progressed.

The first weekend in February saw the A team heading to London for the Southern Region Tournament. The day started well and the squad secured some great initial wins but the oppositions were all strong and as the morning progressed a few niggling injuries started to slow the team down. Gina, Hannah, Bria and Jordan worked tirelessly in the mid-court whilst Emma, Brooke and Milly supported each other in the shooting circle.

Elsa and Emily fought hard in defence and turned many

balls against some incredibly tall opponents. The pivotal point of the tournament was a loss against Beaconsfield High, previous National Champions. One slip in the second half allowed Beaconsfield the win and cost the squad a place in the semi-finals.

A fun mid-week match against Kings’ School led to good wins for both teams and lifted spirits before our annual tussle against Dauntsey’s. With a number of players unavailable this fixture was always going to be a fight especially for the B team. I have to say a huge well done to the girls who played that day against some very feisty Sixth Form opponents. A particular well done to Ellie Gilbert for her versatility filling in at the last minute in a defensive role which is not her normal position.

The PGS matches were always going to be tough, having already lost to them in October with the full regional squad. The U16 team A team knew that they would have to perform outstandingly to be in with a chance. Under Bria’s captainship they never stopped working, the whole squad was very proud with the final score line and over the moon with the result for the B team.

As is traditional the final opposition was Lord Wandsworth College and it was a pleasure to finish the season with two clear wins. My thanks go out to the squad who made this a very pleasurable season.

Squad: Bria Ellis (Capt), Caitlin Brown, Jordan Campbell, Rebecca Collins, Milly Cobb, Bria Ellis, Emma Falconer, Lucy Flower, Juliet Fox, Ellie Gilbert, Zoe Hill, Vicky Hoad, Gemma Holland-Wright, Hannah Kaye, Kitty Leask, Holly Morton, Emily Ralls, Pip Rees, Gina Steel, Anna van der Star, Elsa Wakeman Regional Squad: Elsa Wakeman (Capt), Caitlin Brown, Jordan Campbell, Milly Cobb, Bria Ellis, Emma Falconer, Hannah Kaye, Emily Ralls, Gina Steel, Brooke Wakeman, Results: A B

County rounds Won all matches V Bryanston 29-17 Win 34-8 Lose Regional rounds Finished 3rd in Pool V St George’s 20-23 Lose V Kings 23-14 Win 21-17 Win V Dauntsey’s 15-12 Win 27-13 Lose V PGS 20-40 Lose 28-17 Win V LWC 14-9 Win 16-3 Win

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U16 Girls’ Netball A Team

U16 Girls’ Netball B Team

U16 Girls’ County Netball Winners

134 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

Senior Girls’ Netball Report T

he 2013 season has certainly been one to remember; partly due to the significant snowfall preventing some matches going ahead, but mostly due the players themselves. The girls have been full of enthusiasm, committed to training and matches, determined and keen to progress their tactical game play, as well as their physical game. All of this combined has meant it has been an absolute joy to coach them.

This is the first year we have played up some of our talented U16 players to strengthen the senior squad.

Emma Falconer and Gina Steel have both been a real asset to the team this year, offering strength and consistency on the court.

The season continued with the girls facing tough opposition from Peter Symonds, resulting in their second loss, but the team worked hard at training and pulled together to end the season with three consecutive wins. A particular highlight was beating PGS in a very tough and tightly fought match.

The team’s final match saw the return of the Old Edwardians’ side. The experience and strength of the side (consisting of former KES pupils) meant it was going to be a close game. Both sides played some outstanding netball, demonstrating great skill and pace.

The match resulted in the current KES senior team winning the game 33-28.

The season started well with a comfortable win against Ryde, closely followed by a win against Bryanston and a respectable 3rd place in the annual HCS Tournament.

The girls suffered their first defeat against Dauntsey’s and with a couple of key players out due to illness and injury, it enabled the girls to show off their versatility.

Although they played hard up to the final whistle, with the winning goal within their grasp at several points throughout the game, they couldn’t quite keep their stride to secure the win.

After many years of commitment to school netball it was no surprise that Olivia Ellis fulfilled the role as 1st team Captain in her true exemplary style. Her leadership throughout the season has been second-to-none and her continued support for the sport at the School has not gone unrecognised. I would like to thank Olivia for all that she has done for netball during her time at KES. Well done girls.

Mrs Ferrand

Senior Girls’ Netball 1st Team

Senior Girls’ Netball Squad

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 135

U12 Girls’ Rounders Report A team: Played: 7 B team: Played: 4

Won: 2 Drew: 0 Lost: 5 Won: 0 Drew: 0 Lost: 4

T

he summer of 2013 was thankfully much better than the previous one. This has allowed regular practices to take place; even if they have had to be moved from day to day. Only one Saturday was affected by rain but this, unfortunately, was the tournament day which is normally the highlight of the season.

I have been very pleased with the enthusiasm and commitment that the girls have shown this season. They should be commended for maintaining their team spirit and positive outlook even when success did not come their way.

The A team shows much potential and their season started with a win against the U13s in an internal match and finished with a superb performance against HCS winning by 16 – 7! However mid-season they came close to their opposition but were unable to match the consistency of their skills. Good competitive games were always played with moments of brilliance but also moments of madness! In their last few games their concentration clearly improved and their fielding was far sharper and more accurate. The power of their hits was also starting to improve and unluckily at times fell to some outstanding catches. Their closest encounters were against St Swithuns and Portsmouth Grammar School and their final victory was a well-earned reward for the improvements they had made during the season.

The B team involved a variety of players and gave the girls a chance to experience school matches. Their exuberance was excellent and potential was shown. Indeed in their last match they fielded with calm heads and good control. They now need to focus on increasing their hitting power.

I hope the girls can maintain their enthusiasm for the sport in the future because there is still much to learn. They have been an absolute pleasure to work with and it has been very rewarding to see their self-confidence grow.

Miss Peachment A Team B Team St George’s College 18-25 Lose U13s 16 ½-15 ½ Win 13 ½-16 ½ Lose Ryde 9-12 ½ Lose Churcher’s College 12 ½-19 ½ Lose 5-24 Lose St Swithun’s 7 ½-10 Lose 7-10 ½ Lose PGS 11 ½-13 ½ Lose 7-13 Lose HCS 16-7 Win

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U13 Girls’ Rounders Report T

here have been a large number of girls involved in rounders this term. They have been faultless in their enthusiasm, team spirit and commitment and I have very much enjoyed their company. As the season has progressed the girls’ skills, particularly in throwing, really seem to have improved and they have also got a better feel for team tactics.

We started the season with a fixture away to St George’s College. The opposition fielded very well and we lost the A team game 9-20 ½ and the B team game 10-17 ½. Our next match was against the First Years and it was lovely to see and hear the camaraderie and good sportsmanship amongst the two year groups. The final scores were; A team: 15 ½-16 ½ and B Team: 16 ½-13 ½. At Churcher’s College we were again unlucky to lose and the scores were A team: 6-9 and B team: 15-22 ½ whilst our match against Ryde was very close and, after the first innings, we were winning 10-5 ½. However some fabulous fielding by Ryde meant the final score was 11 ½-14. We had a rather wet match at St Swithun’s School and were unlucky to lose the A team match 12 ½-16 ½ and the B team match 9-13 and the triangular fixture at PGS saw us lose 3-13 against Windlesham House but beat PGS 3-2 ½.

Unfortunately the tournament at HCS was cancelled because of poor weather but we did play HCS at the end of the season and won 16-8.

We may not have had the most successful of seasons but the girls have made real progress in their skills and match play.

Mrs Sheppard

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U14 Girls’ Rounders Report T

he U14 rounders squad has been a pleasure to work with this year whilst the results speak for themselves. The A team remained unbeaten all season and the B team only took one loss. There has not been a set A or B team line up due to the availability of players (particularly on Saturdays) but this great set of results reflects the strength and depth of the year group and has allowed a wide range of girls to take part in matches.

The season started with an excellent turn out of over 30 girls at training and there was tough competition for the team places against St George’s. Despite chilly conditions, both teams hit and fielded well leaving the London sides looking disorganised. KES came away with two well-deserved wins. As a result of these first wins, the girls entered the internal match in buoyant spirits and with a determination to give the older girls a run for their money. Both games were close at half time and the team fought hard against strong hits and ferocious bowling from the U15s. The A team were a little disappointed with their loss but much happier when they heard the result from the B team match.

A sunny trip to the Isle of Wight led to an easy win with the girls demonstrating consistency and excellent decision making in their fielding. After disappointment at the cancellation of the St. Swithun’s match due to the weather, the squad was keen to take on Churcher’s with their reputation for being well drilled in the field. It was a lovely sunny afternoon and the pitches at Wellington were in excellent condition so fielding needed to be

tight. Both teams were in fighting spirit and Churcher’s were put on the back foot in the first half. This proved an excellent tactic as their fight back in the second innings was impressive and could have led to a very different final score had it come earlier.

The final match of the season was on a damp afternoon against HCS. The pitch was bumpy causing some entertaining fielding situations but the squad were on fire and managed to get two double ‘outs’ in their second innings leading to ‘side out’ for HCS in only 13 balls. Quite an achievement!

With such a big and talented squad it is difficult to mention everybody, however, I do think that a welldeserved thank you and well done should be given to Sacha and Beth who were often chasing down players and re-sorting positions right up to the start of matches and always with a smile on their faces. Well played girls, a fun and very successful season!

Mrs Henderson Results: V St George’s V U15 V Ryde V Churcher’s V HCS

A 23-10 ½ A 20-14 ½ A 35-9 A 20 ½-13 A 9-7 ½

B 28 ½-10 ½ B 16 ½-26 ½ B 31 ½-19

Squad: Sacha Warnes (Capt A), Beth Self (Capt B), Georgia Appleby, Romily Clark, Rachel Crawford, Victoria Diaper, Meg Dunlop, Issie Elliott, Iman Elsheikh, Natalya Evans, Maya Garside, Mia Hamblin, Georgia Hoile, Lizzie Lander, Bronwyn Lee, Rachel Maxwell, Darra McCarthy–Paul, Julia Mead–Briggs, Clare Mitchell, Emily Morgan, Seungyeon Oh, Beth Self, Claudia Tam, Emma Taylor, Dannii Townsend, Erica Tsang, Freya Wilks, Emilia Wyatt.

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U15 Girls’ Rounders Report A

large group of enthusiasts represented the U15s this year with mixed success. Practices were very sporadic, due to Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, events leading up to Sports Day taking place on the School Field, bank holidays and inclement weather.

Our first match was contested (without their coach) against St. George’s College, Weybridge, and with the girls having only had one practice (in the Sports Hall). Although all the matches were entertaining, the most frustrating occasion, for me, was the loss by the narrowest of margins to HCS. KES started so strongly, getting the opposition out for 9½. KES then went into bat and scored an almost unbeatable 14½. HCS replied, having got used to our quick bowling, with a very convincing score of 13½, contributed to by some poor fielding when it really counted!

Our reply was a disappointing 7½ due, in part, to the drizzle, which made it difficult to cut sharply around first post to achieve the coveted half rounders!

It has been satisfying to see so many players representing the School this year and, although some were more committed than others, overall they have been fine ambassadors for the School and behaved graciously in defeat as well as in victory.

KJ Results: A team B team St. George’s 10-19½ Lose U14s A&B 20-14.5 Win

16½-26½ Lose Churcher’s 29½-16½ Win 18-21 Lose Ryde 34½-6½ Win St. Swithun’s 10-24½ Lose PGS 31-12 Lose HCS 23-22 Lose

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 139

U16 Girls’ Rounders Report U

nfortunately due to the very early examination leave, only two fixtures were able to be played.

The first was the traditional A & B match against the senior team. The A team played extremely well to defeat the older age group by 5 rounders with the B team just losing out in a very close encounter. This proved to be the warm up for their next and last match against Portsmouth Grammar School. The girls played extremely well to earn a double victory over the local rivals with the A team winning 18 ½ - 11 ½ and the B team winning by 17 – 13.

Miss Peachment

Senior Rounders Report T

he summer term proved to be more of a challenge than usual with the number of examinations interspersed within the term, the early Lower Sixth study leave and the loss of the Upper Sixth at half term.

This meant that there was little time when the Sixth Form was at full strength and sometimes fielding a rounders team was not even possible.

Despite this, a few fixtures were fitted in and an enthusiastic group of girls (ably led by captain Ellie Stephens) contested some good matches. The start of the season traditionally starts with an A & B encounter against the U16s, where much pride is at stake!

Honours were even with the A team losing out by 5 rounders (following some fantastic work from back stop to 1st post) and the B team winning by 3 rounders.

The highlight of the short season was the A & B match against Portsmouth Grammar School. Not only was it played on a sunny day but the standard of rounders

was excellent and both teams won their encounter.

The tournament held at Hampshire Collegiate School did not fare quite so well on the weather front and the slippery conditions added to the unpredictability of the afternoon; the A team tournament being called off before the last match. Following one win against the hosts and two losses to Lord Wandsworth College and Churcher’s College the School was left unsure of their final positions with one game to play. The B team managed to finish their tournament and very unusually they drew two matches and won one by half a rounder!

This left them in 3rd position overall.

Thereafter both the weather and lack of availability resulted in three cancellations. I would like to thank everyone for their time, efforts, good humour and commitment; in what is becoming a very demanding time of year for this age group.

Miss Peachment

140 | SOTONIENSIS 2013

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 141

U12 Girls’ Tennis Report T

he first game of the season against Churcher’s is always a tough one and, once again, the Petersfield school sent out a very strong and experienced side.

Anna and Eliza did very well to win two of their three games, gaining the School’s only two victories. Tusca and Eve and Katya and Emily, all played well and got close in a couple of sets, showing promise for the future.

With Eliza missing on AEGON duty, the team next lost narrowly to PGS, 4-5. Anna and Eve won two games before losing by the narrowest of margins to the Portsmouth first pair. Katya and Emily also won two of their three games, while Alla and Anusha came frustratingly close to beating the PGS second pair.

The next game against St George’s ended in an honourable tie, 2-2. With many regular team members unavailable due to kayaking activities elsewhere, the

School sent out two pairs. Anna and Tusca won both their games comfortably, while Alla and Anusha played well but, as newcomers to the sport, found the more experienced St George’s pairs ultimately too strong.

The final fixture of the season saw six pairs travel away to Kings and the team completed the season in some style with a 5-1 win. The first two pairs; Anna and Eliza and Eve and Tusca won hard fought affairs decided on a tie-break, while there were easier wins for the ever reliable pairing of Katya and Emily and two pairings making their debut for the School (Becky and Ellen and Indie and Alex) with the latter pairing achieving the best result of the day recording a 6-0, 6-0 win. Alla and Anusha came very close to winning once again, but haven’t had much luck this season.

Miss Barron

Squad: Tusca Alavi, Ellen Campbell, Indie Chungh, Anusha Gauba, Alla Garside, Eve Henley, Alex HopkinsManceri, Emily James, Anna Poller (captain), Katya Seifert, Becky Williams, Eliza Winter

Senior Girls’ Tennis Report O

nly one friendly tennis match was played against Lord Wandsworth College this year. The conditions were awful with a very strong gusting wind and occasional rain. I was very pleased with how the girls played and they produced some entertaining rallies; consistency being the only thing that let them down. This resulted in a 2-7 loss against a side that had been playing regularly all summer.

Miss Peachment

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U13 Girls’ Tennis Report A

few enthusiastic girls attended our practices in the sunshine and, with Joe’s new apprentice, Matt, the girls immediately got down to some serious tennis.

As last year, KES entered the AEGON competiton (a national event where the best players from Years 7 and 8 play as a team of four: one singles and one doubles per match) and with two up and coming starlets in the guise of Eliza Winter and Anna Poller (from the First Year) the positions for this team were hard fought. Unfortunately, Squad: Ellie Holland-Wright, Kate Ward, Daisy Porter, we did not progress to the next round of the AEGON Belinda Groom, Olivia Reeves, Anna Pang, Sara Talwar, competition, but were very well represented and did Lily Percival, Lily Schofield, Rhiannon Paine, Eva Carlyle. ourselves proud.

Special thanks to Eliza Winter and Anna Poller.

Although we were on the wrong side of most of the Friendly results: match results, this did not reflect the parity in many of Churcher’s 5-4 Lose the rubbers. There were some exciting and close games St George’s 5-4 Lose contested, in very extreme conditions at times.

Kings’ 7-1 Win

KJ

AEGON results: St. Swithun’s B 8-4 Lose Portsmouth High 10-2 Win PGS 10-2 Lose St. Swithun’s A 12-0 Lose Kings’ 12-0 Lose

U14 Girls’ Tennis Report W

ith only a few fixtures for the U14 girls’ tennis team this season, we started off really well, winning our first two games against Churcher’s and PGS. Our next game against St George’s proved to be a challenge ending in a draw (which was the rightful result for both teams) whilst our last game against LWC saw a fantastic result for KES winning 9-0.

Although we only had a few fixtures this season, the KES girls’ U14 team have had some excellent results.

I would like to say a big well done to all the girls who represented King Edward’s in the U14 tennis. Well played girls!

Mrs Stockting

Squad: Emma Taylor, Romily Clark, Mia Hamblin, Clare Mitchell, Sophie Ridley, Jana Billington, Seungyeon Oh and Georgia Hoile.

Results: V Churcher’s 6-0 Win V PGS 5-4 Win V St George’s 2-2 Draw V LWC 9-0 Lose

SOTONIENSIS 2013 | 143

U15 Girls’ Tennis Report A

handful of eager and determined tennis players attended practice this year and overall we have been fairly lucky with the weather, and with results. We practised, and competed, in the rain, the wind and the sunshine. A typical British tennis season really!

We entered the national AEGON competition (comprising four singles and two doubles games): the team was selected from the best four players from the U15s and U14s, and was considerably successful, winning all its matches. Of particular note was the match against our adversaries from last year, St. Swithun’s. Both schools displayed some amazing tennis in tremendously windy conditions. With the

match tied at three rubbers (games) each, it went literally to the wire, in a doubles tie break shoot out; our girls emerging victorious 10-8. Although we didn’t manage to beat our equivalent in the other group (a very strong Westgate School) to proceed to the South round, we did ourselves proud and played some exciting tennis, both in competition and friendly matches.

As always, we are extremely grateful to Joe and new man Matt, for their fun and very useful coaching.

Practices were always energetic and thoroughly enjoyable.

KJ

Squad: Julia Mead-Briggs (U14), Yvie Lock, India Clark, Samara Jones, Iona Todd, Georgie Hurst, Katy Billington, Lottie Percival, Primrose Merritt, Lucy Porter, Romily Clark (U14).

AEGON competition results: HCS 12-0 Win Portsmouth High 12-0 Win St. Swithun’s 7-6 Win Westgate 12-0 Lose Friendly results: HCS 4-0 Win Churcher’s 4-0 Win PGS 3-1 Lose St. George’s 5-4 Lose LWC 5-4 Win

U16 Girls’ Tennis Report I

n July the U16 girls played extremely well to retain their Hampshire and IOW Schools doubles title at Winchester Racquets Club. Miriam ChapmanRosenfeld and Juliet Fox won the tournament, beating a pair from Kings Winchester in the final.

Miss Peachment

144 | SOTONIENSIS 2013