Konnections Spring 2020

From The Head There can be no doubt that this term has been challenging for our pupils, staff and community. The second half of term was dominated by the rising crisis of coronavirus. This in turn meant that some important co-curricular events, ranging from sporting fixtures to our annual service of Thanksgiving, were necessarily cancelled. However, the resilience of King Edward’s has truly been proven these past months.

Until these external factors brought the term to a quiet close, so much had already been packed in to this short Spring Term. So, KonnEctionS this term rightly celebrates this resilience – this continuation of so much learning and joy in the face of so much adversity!

Reading through this edition of KonnEctionS, as we near the end of term, you do start to wonder how it is all achieved. How is it that so much has been done by so many?

The simple answer to this question is that it is entirely down to the goodwill and enthusiasm of pupils, staff and parents. Our community never ceases to amaze in the sheer delight that is taken in grasping opportunities to expand learning, engage with the world and push out from personal comfort zones.

I should begin with the arts, who have had a wonderful term. In music, this term includes probably the two biggest concerts in the annual cycle of events – the Junior and Senior Spring Concerts.

Last year, before I had even arrived in Southampton, I made the point of timing one of my familiarisation visits to coincide with the Senior Spring Concert. As a newcomer to the School I found it an extraordinary feast of talent and participation. Now arrived, I discovered this term that last year’s concert had been no fluke.

The quality of music at KES is profoundly impressive. You see and hear it walking around the School daily, but you truly appreciate it when attending musical concerts.

Each of these this term was a treat.

I can only congratulate the pupils and teachers involved. But the arts are not just about music, and this term also witnessed the glorious annual Dance Gala. Alas, we lost the ‘ready to go’ production of ‘The Crucible’, Arthur Miller’s unsettling piece on the Salem witch trials, but my colleagues are already seeking out a Summer Term date to make this performance happen.

Whilst our arts students were busy this term, the same is true of pupils more focused on sport – as we moved in to the netball season for the girls, and the boys’ hockey season. You can read of their successes, which were many, over the course of the term in this newsletter. I must however, comment on the boys’ under 15 and 16 teams, both of whom reached the final 16 in their national competitions; whilst the senior team reached the Top 10 of the Tier 1 competition. Against some extremely competitive opposition teams, this is a huge credit to them all. Again, our pupils lost the final fortnight of fixtures to cancellations, which disappointed many. But in advance of this decision, they had achieved so very much.

Alongside this, we have had trips both local and more exotic taking place throughout the term, and of course our public exam year groups have been finishing off their courses and starting their revision for next term. Despite all, it has been a wonderful term.

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 Visit to HMS Queen Elizabeth This term, King Edward’s students have had the opportunity to visit HMS Queen Elizabeth, currently the UK’s largest and most powerful aircraft carrier, whilst she undergoes routine maintenance in Portsmouth Dockyard. The students were wowed by the full tour of the ship, which included the enormous aircraft hangar (large enough to fit two full sized submarines), the four-acre flight deck and the bridge where everyone had a turn sitting in the captain’s chair.

An epic geographical adventure In January, the Geography Department welcomed 140 people to the Dobson Theatre to hear from the explorer, Charlie Walker.

The evening started with two presentations from current Sixth Formers, who both discussed environmental issues, before Charlie then took to the stage and recounted his epic 4½ year bicycle adventure, which saw him journey through Europe, Asia and Africa, travelling over 40,000 miles!

Classics trips KES classicists have been busy studying Troy this term. In January, Upper School and Sixth Form students visited the Troy ‘Myth and Reality’ exhibition at the British Museum where they were able to view original artefacts and were taken around the story via visual and written evidence. Later in the week, the School welcomed distinguished classical scholar William Lawrence who delivered two enriching lectures; the first on the story of Troy told via artwork and the second on the connections between the classical world and Japanese culture.

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PSHE Day

Onatti Productions Lower School German students enjoyed a hilarious performance of ‘Das Schlimmste Hotel’ by the Onatti Productions cast on 12th February. This fast-paced, funny and entertaining piece of theatre, performed by just two actors, was conducted entirely in German providing a great chance for the Lower School Germanists to test their listening and comprehension skills. There was even the chance for some audience participation.

Disability awareness, harmful substances, leadership, careers, building self-esteem and new technologies were all topics covered in a range of interactive sessions for the Third Years during their PSHE day this term. An evening session, run by Bob Tait from Drugs Education UK, also provided a chance for parents to learn how to support their children making the right choices.

An uncanny trip to London Upper Sixth psychology students enjoyed their visit to the Freud Museum and The Royal Courts of Justice in February. At the museum, the group experienced an interpretative engagement with the museum environment led by a Freudian psychoanalyst (whose primary aim is to provoke thought and to upset prejudices) as well as viewing ‘The Uncanny’ exhibition. In the afternoon, they visited the Royal Courts of Justice for a two-hour session in a working courtroom re-enacting a trial based on a real-life case that linked to the Forensic Psychology (sentencing) and Social Influence (minority influence and social change) topics in the A Level course.

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Living Rainforest visit Second Year geographers have been exploring the rainforest, its wildlife, flora and fauna during this term’s visits to The Living Rainforest, based near Newbury. The attraction’s three tropical glasshouses are home to over 850 rainforest plants and animals including rare and endangered species of global conservation value.

Science Live This term, twenty-seven budding KES scientists travelled to Oxford to see five of Britain’s top scientists deliver lectures on how science has shaped our modern world and influences our future. The speakers were a fantastic mix of being captivating and inspirational. Professor Lord Robert Winston talked about his groundbreaking work on a technique known as pre-implantation and Professor Alice Roberts delivered an interesting lecture on the domestication of dogs.

Expelliarmus!

Art students were treated to a trip to Warner Bros Harry Potter studios in February. Along with some wand practice, they attended behind the scenes workshops to gain a better understanding of the level of intricacy and complexity involved in the artistic creation of the props, scenery, costumes and make-up.

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Co-curricular KES students help with community group KES students have been working with Portsmouth Downs Syndrome Association as part of their new social communication group partnership. In January, they joined members of the PDSA teen group for a swimming evening at The Pyramids and in February, they visited the Red Spider Bouldering Centre.

Some wonderful friendships are being formed and both sets of teenagers will team up for several outings over the course of the academic year, culminating in a summer activity camp hosted by KES.

Careers Lunch

Safer Internet Day

On 21st January, a group of Lower Sixth Formers had the opportunity to participate in a lunchtime careers session with local business professionals working in the banking and finance sector. The four guests, including several current parents and one OE, each gave a brief introduction about their job roles before students were given the chance to speak with them in smaller groups.

On Safer Internet Day, millions of people across the world united to help create a safer internet for everyone, but especially children. At KES, student members of the E-Safety team marked the event with a day of TEDstyle ‘KES talks’ aimed at raising awareness about the many different issues that can affect any of us online and covering topics such as digital footprints, anonymous apps, screen detox, privacy settings and gaming.

These events provide valuable insight for students considering careers within specific industries and we are grateful to those who give up their time to offer advice and guidance. If you feel you would like to contribute to future events in this or other fields of work, please do get in touch with Carrie Mandley on cjm@kes.hants.sch.uk

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Fundraising for Australia The Charities Commisssion have had another busy term with lots of charitable fundraising activities taking place. This term the money raised from both the non-uniform day in February and the sale of Valentine’s Day merchandise will be donated to the Australian bushfire relief charities.

Debating Matters In February, six members of the Debating Society competed in the Debating Matters Southampton Championship against seven other schools. In the morning session, KES students contested three different motions, winning all of their debates, and ensuring that they reached the final. Despite a valiant and skilful performance in the afternoon, in what was a hard-fought contest, the team just came up short, finishing in the runner-up position but each member of the group represented the School with distinction.

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Scuba Diving Training In preparation for their summer expedition to the Bay Islands in Honduras, the Operation Wallacea team took to the pool for a scuba diving training session. The team will be working with eminent marine scientists, helping them to collect data in support of funding for conservation projects to protect the islands and their reef.

Battle of the Bands The Dobson Theatre was packed for an eclectic mix of rock and pop music for the annual Battle of the Bands competition. Entrants demonstrated outstanding levels of talent as they fought for the title of this year’s winners. The event raised over £2,000 for Summer Camp 2020, which will see a team of Sixth Formers host a week’s holiday for some of Southampton’s young carers in July. Congratulations go to Henry and Ellie who were the Judges’ winner with their rendition of ‘Shallow’ and to the Audience’s winner ‘404 Not Found’ with their performance of ‘Moving to New York’.

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Charlotte Exchange In January, we were delighted to welcome back our KES students’ exchange partners from Charlotte Country Day School in North Carolina. As well as experiencing daily life as a student in the UK, they also visited a range of local and national places of interest, including Stonehenge and London, as well as seeing a performance of the English National Ballet’s ‘Swan Lake’ at The Mayflower Theatre.

Berlin Trip The History and Economics Departments teamed up for a joint trip to Berlin over halfterm. The two groups shared key parts of the itinerary including visits to the German Historical Museum, the 1936 Olympic Stadium, the Holocaust Memorial and Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.

The economics students additionally enjoyed guided visits to the BMW motorcycle factory and the Silicon Allee start-up campus.

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Salamanca Over half term, twelve A Level students travelled to Salamanca and Madrid to immerse themselves in Spanish culture and cuisine. They spent six days sampling, and learning how to cook, a vast array of local dishes at the same time as improving their linguistic skills, and everyone felt they were returning home more fluent and prepared for their exams.

HE Careers Fair The Concourse and Dobson Theatre played host to over forty-five visitors from a range of HE institutions, apprenticeship providers, representatives from the Armed Forces and GAP year organisers at this year’s Sixth Form Careers Fair. The vast majority of the Lower Sixth, accompanied by their parents, attended the event, taking the chance to explore the many opportunities available to them upon completion of their A Level courses.

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Creative Arts Dance Gala In February, the Dobson Theatre sparkled under the glitter ball whilst a 50-strong cast performed in the annual KES Dance Gala. With styles including ballet, tap, traditional North Indian, hip-hop, contemporary and musical theatre, the evening was a colourful celebration of talent and expression.

The dancers all gave polished and passionate performances and each act was closed by the cast of the recent production of ‘West Side Story’ with their versions of ‘Cool’ and ‘America’ - two of the more demanding dance numbers from the musical.

Music Scholars’ Talk The latest talk to the music scholars and captains saw roles reversed: students tried their hand as examiners, and attempted to grade the pieces being played. As musicians, this experience helped them to better understand the process, preparing them for high-pressure situations and future performances.

Music while you Lunch This term has seen two further ‘Music while you Lunch’ concerts take place in the Recital Room.

These events give many of the musicians a chance to perform in an informal setting whilst gaining valuable experience prior to examinations. “ I have become more confident with my performance and this has helped me maintain a positive selfesteem as well as help boost my drive and determination to succeed.”

Lower School Scholar

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Senior Spring Concert In March, the Senior Spring Concert provided another highlight to the KES music calendar.

Over ninety of the School’s most talented musicians, including elite soloists, chamber ensembles and the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras all took to the stage with musical performances from early Telemann with the Recorder Consort and Albinoni’s Oboe Concerto, through to repertoire from modern musical theatre and contemporary jazz with the Big Band and Soul Band.

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Junior Spring Concert This year’s Junior Spring Concert provided the opportunity for the School’s younger musicians to showcase their talent and musical expertise.

From solos and duets to Swing Band, Sinfonia and Choir performances, the evening was engaging in its choice of repertoire. From Rachmaninoff and Mendelssohn to Schwartz and Brahms, the students performed with poise and professionalism and were a joy to listen to and watch.

Second Year Jazz Workshop On 28th February, Second Year Music students enjoyed a workshop with jazz musician, Ed Alden. Students spent their lessons exploring the differences between the different sub-genres developed in the twentieth century, before eagerly participating in a Q&A session.

The second half of the workshop gave students the chance to improve their improvisation skills, performing alongside Ed, and the day provided a wonderful opportunity to develop as creative composers.

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Annual Music Competition Neil Valentine, BSO associate musician, had the difficult task of judging the skilled performances from the competitors at this year’s Music Competition.

Sophie and Nathan emerged as runner up and winner, respectively, in the Grade V-VII category, whilst Edward’s rendition of Chopin’s Etude No. 5 in Gb major narrowly beat Daniel’s vivacious performance of the Elgar cello concerto’s second movement in the Grade VIII+ category. It was a stunning evening of solo performances of an exceptionally high standard.

Art Trip to London The Sixth Form artists and photographers travelled to London in March for the annual ‘Creativity in Action’ lecture. Sculptor and installation artist Cornelia Parker OBE, known for her large scale works, Simon Norfolk, an award-winning documentary photographer who often captures moments of war or crisis, Stuart Pearson Wright, one of the UK’s leading portrait artists, and Ingrid Murphy, an award-winning ceramic artist who exhibits internationally, all spoke inspirationally about their work and influences.

Afterwards, the group visited the Mall Galleries to see some contemporary portraiture and Carnaby Street to The Photographers’ Gallery to review the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.

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Sport Cricketers progress to finals The KES girls’ cricket team put in a superb performance at the Lady Taverners U15 Indoor Cricket competition in February to progress to the semifinals in March and subsequently the finals.

U12s reach tournament semi-finals In March, the U12 netball players enjoyed an afternoon of netball at Churcher’s College competing against ten other U12 teams. They lost their first match against Alton 1-3 but then went on to beat The Royal School 5-2, Churcher’s A team 7-0, PGS 5-0 and Ryde 6-5. This ensured they finished 2nd in their group and progressed to the semi-finals. Unfortunately, they lost their semi-final match to the eventual winners of the tournament, but the girls demonstrated some excellent game play throughout the day.

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Boys’ hockey success

The boys’ hockey teams have had an outstanding season. The U13 boys finished in 1st place in the county cup and qualified for the Tier 1 regional competition, whilst the U14s finished in 2nd place, also securing a spot in the regional rounds. The U15 and U16 sides reached the last 16 Tier 1 teams in their respective national contests and the 1st XI boys reached the Top 10 of their national Tier 1 competition.

Wellington hosts hockey tournament On a particularly wet and miserable March afternoon, Wellington Sports Ground played host to the annual KES prep school hockey tournament. Despite the weather conditions, eight schools participated in the competition with some great displays of hockey on show. The eventual winners were Chafyn Grove who pulled off a convincing win over Dumpton School in the final.

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Senior netballers win tournament At the beginning of March, the two senior girls’ netball teams played in the Lord Wandsworth invitational tournament. The 2nd VII finished as runners-up in the plate competition, whilst the 1st VII reached the final of the main competition. Tied after normal time, and still level after two lots of extra time, the girls finally managed to score the golden goal to take home the competition trophy.

Individual Achievements Olivia Keefe recently represented Hampshire in the county squash team. They won the national finals without conceding a match.

Emily Chen has won a Junior European doubles Gold medal in badminton in the recent event held in Spain.

Fifth Year students Rory Urquhart-Hawkins and Michael Ma won the National Clubs’ Basketball Championships in February playing for their team Solent Kestrels. Rory was voted the ‘Most Valuable Player’ from the final.

Rory Penrose represented England in the England U18 hockey series against Belgium over half term.

Rio Gawne-Cain has qualified as an elite gymnast for this year’s British Gymnastic Championships, after excelling at the National Compulsory 1 competition at Lilleshall in February.

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

Emily Carrall-Wilcox recently finished in 2nd place at the National Schools’ Eventing Association qualifying heat and, as a result, has qualified for the National Schools’ Finals in the summer.

William Fletcher and Sabine Potter have both qualified for the UK Optimist sailing trials later this year.