From The Head Apparently it is a myth that there is an ancient Chinese curse which goes, ‘may you live in interesting times’. This well-known saying may not have ancient origins, but for the past months we have had much cause to understand the sentiment. These have been ‘interesting’ times indeed. I cannot envisage any previous edition of KonnEctionS that has sprung from such strange and unusual circumstances. A school empty of people for the duration of the summer term (except those wonderful hardy children who have been here daily, including holidays, as their parents help the nation in key professional roles). Lessons, clubs, pastoral care all taking place through a computer screen to students spread across the county. No sports day, no concerts or plays, no trips or visits. All have been swept away by the coronavirus lockdown. So, is this truly a curse of interesting times? It has been challenging, undoubtedly. It has been wearying, and unsettling. It has been uncomfortable. But I reject the idea that it has been a curse. When I read through this edition of KonnEctionS, what I see is innovation, inspiration, resilience, creativity, fortitude. Coronavirus
has closed our school site, but it has not stopped our school. Our staff, seasoned professionals and experts in their craft, have adapted. Our pupils, thirsty for knowledge and new experiences, have risen to the challenge. Things have been different, but they have remained rich and rewarding. Who would have thought, just a few short months ago, that teachers would be able to create fascinating filmed assemblies celebrating their own lives away from school and exploring the big issues facing us as individuals and as a community? Who would have thought that dozens of co-curricular clubs and societies covering sports, the arts, culture and academia would spring up during lockdown? Who could have envisaged a school where the entirety of the academic programme could be delivered without a single person needing to leave their own home, but in which individual lessons would still be taught ‘live’ by each classroom teacher? Even away from our core educational purpose, who would have dreamt that we would become a cottage industry, making hundreds of face masks and protective clothing for the NHS? And who would have thought that this entire,
radical transformation would be planned and implemented with practically no prior warning, and over the course of a single working week in March! I write this from my office on a school day when we have about fifty Lower Sixth students back in school. It is the very first week when this has been permitted. Next week, our Fourth Year will be coming back. Teachers are back on site, teaching their lessons to these year groups, whilst still ensuring that the rest of our students continue to thrive through remote provision. Another week, another twist, another challenge conquered by my wonderful colleagues and the pupils. So, there is just a hint of recovery in the air. There is a sense of optimism for a return to ‘normality’. But regardless of what the future holds, KES has endured, and even thrived, during these ‘interesting’ times. Not cursed, but blessed by the people who have made this possible. I very much hope that you are inspired when you read this edition of KonnEctionS. I certainly am. Neal Parker Head
King Edward VI School Wilton Road . Southampton . Hampshire SO15 5UQ Telephone: 023 8070 4561
www.kes.hants.sch.uk
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Academic Zoom! Students swapped ties and blazers for headphones and webcams as the school community moved with the rest of the country to a form of remote learning in the final week of term. Staff and students alike have creatively adjusted to the changes, finding methods of effectively turning home spaces into virtual classrooms. Mr Hyder even welcomed his students to his science lesson by demonstrating a foot shake!
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Scholars’ essay competition This year’s Lower School Scholars’ short essay competition asked participants to explain why they found a particular building, piece of music, or Nobel Prize winner inspirational. There were some outstanding entries with prizes awarded as below. 1st Place First Year – Rosa with Holst’s ‘The Planets’ Second Year – Rio with The Taj Mahal Third Year – Sophie with Malala Yousafzai 2nd Place First Year – Josh with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 – Movement 4 Second Year – Emily with Malala Yousafzai Third Year – Alex with Al Gore Honourable mentions First Year – Anu with Malala Yousafzai Third Year – George with Zaha Hadid architecture
A new normal! In June we welcomed back some members of the Fourth Year and Lower Sixth as we all adopted a new normality of one-way systems and social distancing in school. Although somewhat strange at first, pupils and staff quickly adapted to the new norm and we were delighted to breathe life into the KES corridors once again.
An eggsellent piece of work
The Lower School’s Historical Egg Competition asked pupils to recreate an individual or scene from the past using hard-boiled eggs and their imagination. The winning entry was from Second Year pupil Harry whose entry depicted Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin retaking Europe with the Allied troops in green, whilst Adolf Hitler and the Axis soldiers in beige surrender in the centre. Sophie in the First Year came a close second with her William the Conqueror egg.
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Postcards from lockdown As part of their Extended Studies programme, the First Years have been taking part in challenges from home. These have included a postcard design competition, which challenged them to embrace the art of doodling and reflect on their experience of lockdown as well as a contest to give a new lease of life to the humble toilet roll. They excelled themselves with their imagination, style and talent with many unique and meaningful pieces being produced in both contests.
30 years of Hubble! To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope launch, the Physics Department asked students to reproduce one of the famous images of space taken by the telescope. Abbie in the Fourth Year produced this stunning artwork of the Bubble Nebula in the constellation of Cassiopeia.
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Co-curricular Flying a rainbow The school has been flying its own rainbow during the period of lockdown in order to show our solidarity for the NHS. Many of our current pupils’ parents and former students have been working tirelessly within this and other key worker sectors throughout the pandemic.
Protecting our NHS The KES DT Department’s laser cutter was put to good use throughout the lockdown, manufacturing hundreds of visors and pieces of PPE for NHS workers at several locations including: Southampton Children’s Hospital, Royal South Hants Hospital and University Hospital Southampton as well as various other Southern Health NHS Foundation Practices. A team of eleven volunteers also took to their sewing machines, at school and home, to produce surgical gowns and scrubs for use by our doctors and nurses within the local care sector. Ollie Townsend (OE 1999-2006) was just one of those who was able to make use of the KES-produced kit. He is currently working as a junior surgical trainee at Winchester Hospital’s Trauma & Orthopaedics Department. Our thanks to Mr Baker, our Operations Director, for managing these projects, allowing KES to contribute to the community effort.
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KESPTA Quiz One of our last events to be held in the spring term before school was closed was the annual KESPTA quiz. Mr Parker made his debut as quizmaster and team ‘1/1’ beat 183 other contestants to emerge as the victors, with ‘Kevin From Eggheads Fan Club’ taking the tabletop prize. The ever-popular evening was a great success and attracted teams of parents, teachers and OEs.
New Food options In March our catering company, Sodexo UK & Ireland, launched their ‘Powering Performance’ menu options at KES. The new meals and side dishes/salads are designed to aid focus, strength, sustain energy, and recover. Lunchtime tastings within the Crush Hall proved to be very popular with students and staff and we look forward to sampling more of these offerings next academic year.
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Saying Goodbye! The Upper Sixth were forced to celebrate their time spent at King Edward’s a bit earlier than usual as the lockdown put a stop to summer examinations and the traditional Leavers’ Day.
World Down Syndrome Day The school community celebrated World Down Syndrome Day by wearing odd socks. Members of the Upper Sixth Form recreated the magic of last year’s celebrations with another heartfelt music video expressed in Makaton. Played to the students as a ‘thought for the day’, it was a strong reminder of the strength and solidarity of our KES community.
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The School Hymn Performance Project Lockdown meant that the school hymn was noticeably absent this term. Mr Robinson rose to the challenge of ensuring that our leavers would have at least one more opportunity to sing it by launching a virtual lockdown project. Instrumental offerings, family performances and vocal recitals, all accompanied by a huge dose of KES spirit, contributed to an amazing result.
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Mad Hair Day On 19th June, the Charities Commission supported Maggie’s Cancer Care by running a virtual ‘Mad Hair Day!’ in place of the usual termly non-uniform day. Students and teachers sported hilarious hairstyles, hats and accessories during their Zoom lessons and meetings. To support Maggie’s Cancer Care and make a donation please visit, https://www.maggies.org/getinvolved/donate-maggies/
Charities Commission The Charities Commission has remained active and resolute during the past couple of months. Six members of the team produced a video raising awareness for charities close to their hearts during the lockdown period. Many had very personal reasons for their desire to support the work of charities such as BEAT, Save the Children, BHF, Refuge, Food for the Hungry, Maggie’s Cancer Care, Get Kid’s Going, Society of St James, Women’s Aid, Age UK, My Time Children’s Charity, and Cancer Research UK. With the need to accelerate research into COVID-19 both globally and in our community, it was decided to donate £500 from the charitable funds raised this year in school to the Southampton Coronavirus Response Fund run by the University of Southampton.
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The Great KES Bake Off Pupils and staff have been busy creating all manner of edible delights during the lockdown period. The Third Year geographers studied the anthropomorphic impact on seas and oceans and were challenged to display their knowledge through the medium of cake! From octopus cake pops to reconstructions of oil spills, the task proved a popular way of capturing the damage done to Earth’s water-dwelling creatures by human activity. Mr Collinson’s assembly inspired the introduction of a KES Baking Challenge with weekly entries competing to win the ‘star baker’ title and the Charities Commission organised The Great KES Bake Off in support of Water Aid. As ever the KES community excelled itself with its creativity producing some amazing edible entries.
A marathon not a sprint Even in lockdown, our staff and students have found ways to continue supporting our charity partner, Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association. A special well done to Mr Miller for completing his #TwoPointSixChallenge of running 26.2 miles in 750 laps of his street on 26th April in 4 hours and 14 minutes! Half of the £2,705 raised so far will also go to Southampton Hospitals Charity. Pupils also recorded personal video messages of encouragement that were sent to their friends at PDSA.
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House Challenge Lockdown has not halted our House Challenges, but instead has seen ‘House Challenge from Your House’ spring up in its place. The KES Superhero Challenge inspired pupils to produced paintings, drawings and other representations of their favourite or imaginary superhero. Second Year pupil and GB gymnast, Rio, decided to honour her real-life superhero, Simone Biles, by recreating her twist on the recent ‘Handstand Challenge’ and producing video evidence of her successful attempt. There have also been juggling competitions, baking bonanzas and many other chances for pupils to compete for their House.
Greenpower The Greenpower Racing Team continued to meet via Zoom every Monday to work on maximising motor efficiency by redesigning the motor and battery compartment of the kit car. Fourth Year member Robert honed his skills further by repairing the 50cc Honda motor in his grass kart that was not running before lockdown whilst First Year, James, continued to work on electric cars albeit on a smaller scale!
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A Byronic starter for 10! In May, members of the Byron Society (comprising 10 students and 4 members of staff) met on Zoom to take part in a Byronic University Challenge. The three teams (representing University College, Oxford, Keble College, Cambridge and Newnham College, Cambridge) took part in a goodnatured but fiercely competitive affair, with Keble College (captained by Eleanor Dunlop) emerging as the winners. University and Newnham were led splendidly by Henry Gwilliam and Eleanor Yonge respectively. The questions, read by Lord Byron himself, were amusing and eye-opening by turns. The evening ended with a rousing “Huzzah!” for the winners and the presentation of the prestigious Byron Skull Cup.
Assembly goes on-line Last term Mr Robinson took over as our new school chaplain in an additional role to his teaching responsibilities. He kicked off the new-look on-line assembly programme as assemblies went digital. Staff were quick to use their imagination and we welcomed, amongst others, presentations from Mr Blow (speaking about how to cope with disappointment in the face of lockdown cancellations), Mr Collinson (on the Black Lives Matter movement), Mr Aellen (speaking about viruses) and Mr Jackson, and his canine assistant Nutmeg, (encouraging us to strive for happiness despite disappointment). All of this term’s assemblies are available on the intranet: bit.ly/2VGe5pe
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Creative Arts Beethoven’s Birthday Challenge The Music Department challenged all KES musicians to learn ‘Ode to Joy’ in celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday this year. With music provided for all abilities and instruments, plenty of members from all ensembles rose to the challenge and submitted their performances.
The Eddies As it wasn’t possible to hold the planned summer Drama Festival, the Drama Department kept the creative juices flowing with an exciting new drama competition, the KES version of the Tonys – the Eddies! With categories including musical theatre, Shakespeare, comedy, dramatic, and original script, there was something for all budding KES performers. Best performer of a Shakespeare play: Toby Ellis Best performer in a Musical: Lucy Walker Best performer in a Drama: Marianne Brabazon Best performer in a comedy: Jay Brighton Commendation: Peggy Tomson Rising star award: Harry Channell Best Family performance: Nell Sarton and family. Commendation: The Sheppard family Best Duet: Sophie and Joshua Kileff Best Staff performance: Mr Rokison and Ms da Costa. Commendation: Ms Smith. Special mention: Dr Waymark Best overall performer: Jack Costigan
A KES virtual concert Mia Blake organised a virtual concert during the summer term with the aim of hosting a series of performances to bring some musical joy and happiness to the KES community. With live streamed performances, as well as recorded vocal and instrumental tracks, the event was a celebration of the ability and diversity of our many KES musicians.
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A pair of shoes! The Second Year recently tackled the topic of ‘identity’ in their art classes and were tasked with making an observational study of a pair of shoes. Teaching staff were particularly impressed with the quality of their submissions for students of their age.
Pitch Perfect Everyone who loves to sing returned to the virtual choir room for weekly singing sessions during the summer term. The vocalists prepared their parts for a performance of ‘A Million Dreams’ from the film ‘The Greatest Showman’ as well as working together on a number of uplifting songs to keep them in good voice and good cheer. Members of the Chamber Choir were also challenged to prepare a virtual performance this half term, recording from home to create four part harmony for everyone to enjoy.
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A room with a view! The Art Department invited all students to take part in a creative challenge this term. Many renowned artists have recorded what they can see through the open window and this has long been a metaphor for the world beyond. Students were asked to record their window views using any media available to them, producing some stunning results.
Swinging into summer
A home recital
Jazz musicians were given the opportunity to join in with a big Jazz performance this half term. Swing Band, Big Band and Soul Band members (along with anyone else who loves Jazz) were invited to take part to keep going with their swing and improvisation skills at home.
In order to keep our KES pianists occupied this term, they were invited to try the Grieg Piano Concerto with a 5 part arrangement for a mix of abilities, allowing everyone to take part. This was the perfect opportunity for pianists to join together on a virtual platform.
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Sport Leg before wicket Head of Cricket, Mr Penn, was keen for the cricket season to get into full swing despite the restrictions of lockdown and social distancing! Over Easter, he created a series of cricket drill and challenge videos that were released weekly on Google Classroom for players and non-players alike, to take part in and aid fitness.
Netballers are quiztastic The netball season drew to a close at the end of the spring term but the 1st VII squad stayed connected weekly with a series of quizzes via Zoom. From Disney characters to fruit and veg with some fancy dress thrown in alongside, the squad were still able to play together and engage their competitive sides, albeit team building of a different kind to usual.
King Edward VI School Wilton Road . Southampton . Hampshire SO15 5UQ Telephone: 023 8070 4561 . www.kes.hants.sch.uk