Each year, our Art Scholars are invited to create designs for the Head Master’s official KGS Christmas card. The artists have free rein to be as creative as they like with the one stipulation that there is some reference to the School itself.
The talented artists produced superb designs, skilfully executed and representing the joy of the festive season. The winning artists cleverly picked out symbols or architectural details of the school and used them to create sophisticated and memorable images. Well done to all who entered.
Mr J Dyson I Head of ArtTHE JUDGES:
“Highlighting the delicate architectural details of our wonderful Lovekyn Chapel made for an arresting image.”
THE JUDGES: “The bauble in this striking design ingeniously represents KGS and the spirit of Christmas.”
THE
“The clever use of the KGS House motifs to create a festive tree beautifully represents the whole school community.”
Alex Michael
Alexandria Coen
Amy Marshall
Anna Goodsman
Ava Tallon
Caitlin Oxborrow
Casper Cook
Ellie Fox-Robinson
Francesca Pavry
Freya Ford-Robertson
Ieuan Thomas
Jasmine Levell
Leon Brierly
Lilah Tincknell
Lili Small
Natalie Kavanagh
Phoebe Ryder
Poppy Emerson
Silvia Greco
Sophia Olding
Sophie Fuller
Tess Halliwell
Woody Griffith
On our first day in Venice we visited St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge and it was marvellous! We went on a gondola trip and learnt about the history of the canals, visiting the Bridge of Sighs –it was our favourite part of the day because it was very calming and a completely new experience for us.
We spent the final morning in classes with students at Liceo Fogazzaro in Vicenza, comparing school life in Italy and England. We practised our Italian and showed them pictures of our school uniform – some of them even said they’d happily wear it to school instead of their own clothes! The school building is quite different to KGS and the students spoke good English. Some of us swapped numbers and we’ll definitely keep in touch! We then went to Verona where we visited the amphitheatre and took pictures on Juliet’s balcony. Alla prossima!
From 697 to 1797, the city was the capital of the Republic of Venice.
There are 26 miles of canals in the city.
Italy’s largest lake, Lago di Garda is 1.5 million years old.
Napoleon briefly conquered the city in 1797. He then gave it to Austria after an uprising. It became Italian again in 1866.
On the second day we went to Murano where we saw an incredible glass demonstration. We then went to the Jewish Quarter, where we learned about the Jewish history of Venice and tried some delicious cakes. After a journey to Lake Garda, we visited the Sirmione castle and had a huge ice cream before some free time exploring the town.
The third day was spent around Lake Garda and so, early on Wednesday morning, we made our way to Limone, home to the most beautiful lemon trees that thrive in this climate. Limone also provided us with stunning views of the crystal-clear water of Lake Garda. We travelled by boat to Malcesine and we enjoyed some activities teaching us about the history of Malcesine, whilst having fun with our friends. It was great! Lastly, we made our own pizzas from scratch, listening to a talented Italian chef.
The October half-term holidays saw a group of Physics students and staff embark on a trip to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Switzerland.
It was fascinating visiting some of the rooms at the Large Hadron Collider, among which was the area where they built the modules and lowered them in to the LHC. The modules were so big that only by seeing them in real life could you truly comprehend their size.
We also had a chance to visit the United Nations in Geneva. We sat in on a few conferences and learned that the UN have multiple offices across the world focusing on different aspects, with the offices in Geneva specialising in human rights. Our trip to the UN ended like every museum trip does – at the gift shop!
The final highlight of the trip was visiting Montreux, where we explored the area and took a vintage train up to the top of the mountains for one of the most incredible views we’d ever seen. Thank you to Mrs Mayor and Mr Deepchand for organising our trip.
Sam Kelly I Lower Sixth
A busy term of partnership activities kicked off with a visit to the sustainable engineering training provider TEDI in Canada Water with 10 KGS and Kingston Academy would-be engineers for a fun morning applying maths and physics to designing propeller-powered vehicles and understanding more about engineering.
The visit concluded with a talk and tour of the facilities and understanding how the local community is benefiting from the engineering solutions devised by TEDI students. Also in September, KGS and Kingston Academy students participated in a joint Oxbridge Interview Skills workshop, and in November built on this to include Hinchley Wood School for a Philosophy Foundation thinking skills evening, all ensuring students are ready and prepared for the demands of the interview season.
The Lower Sixth have been cooking for the homeless at St Stephen’s Church in Twickenham, whilst our younger students have been providing weekly reading support to St Joseph’s Primary School. Teaching staff have also been busy sharing their expertise. Our amazing English Department have been providing extension lessons for St Joseph’s, whilst Mr Lawrence has been running Chess and Gardening Club. One of our most popular volunteering is providing Maths mentoring to GCSE candidates from The Kingston Academy, helping them achieve a Grade 7 or above. Our Sports Department has also been supporting several local schools by sharing facilities and expertise with them.
Mrs S Hassan I Head of Community Action & Service
In November, we were delighted to welcome 35 students from local state schools to a Medicine and Healthcare Interview Skills workshop with students from Tiffin Boys & Girls, Hinchley Wood, Kingston Academy & Richard Reynolds participating. The evening was enormous fun and students left feeling more confident about the interviews ahead. Finally, Mr Ricketts who oversees some entrance test preparation at KGS, visited Richard Reynolds School to assist students with the Thinking Skills Assessment test preparation. We look forward to an equally busy Spring term of partnership activities.
Mr A Fitzgerald I Director of Careers & UniversitiesGiven the current climate, Community Service has never been more important and, as ever, our students have been busy...
November saw the return of our neighbourhood tea parties run by ever-enthusiastic Second Years. In the Sixth Form Hawkes café, volunteers from 2L and 2Q hosted residents from Rosclare and other residential homes after the enforced break during the pandemic.
Our guests were served tea and homemade cake whilst Tiger Le and Austin Newbury entertained us all by playing the piano beautifully. The students enjoyed wonderful conversations with the guests and enjoyed hearing stories from their past. Bingo has always been a highlight of these afternoons and this year was no different; our bingo callers really entered into the spirit. Our guests and carers thoroughly enjoyed their time at KGS. I am delighted with how the students interacted with them, and grateful for the time and effort they put in as well as the delicious cakes.
Miss L Andrews I Deputy Head of Community ServiceMore than £2,200 was raised at our recent coffee morning in support of Macmillan Cancer Support. Thank you to everyone for all your efforts!
Meet Everyman: they have spent 30 years leading a life of drinking, debauchery and downright detestable decisions, enjoying every deadly sin devised. Now, however, there’s a problem. Everyman is dead. Luckily, if they can find just one friend to vouch for them, God might grant a reprieve. But after the kind of lifestyle Everyman has enjoyed, this might be easier said than done.
KGS presents this electrifying play, an adaptation by Carol Ann Duffy of a 15th century morality play, in stunning fashion. God presides over the proceedings, a role that is ably filled by Alicia Bramwell, whose powerful voice commands attention as she travels over Duffy’s rhyming lines. She has sent her wise-cracking messenger, Death (Amelie Scott), to break the bad news to Everyman (Ben Temple-Bowles), who lurches from pitiful begging to rebellious denial of his fate. Mr. Temple-Bowles brings a frantic energy to the doomed protagonist, while Miss Scott is equal parts creepy and comic as the hazmat-suited Grim Reaper. Unfortunately, everything Everyman depended on seems to slip from his grasp. Their friends (humorously portrayed by the ensemble cast) don’t want to risk the journey to meet God. Their family (more tragically drawn by the senile father Jake Francis, ailing mother Arya Vamadevan, and
exasperated sister Maddie Mepham) can’t bring themselves to forgive the prodigal son/daughter. And even the gold-clothed Material Goods (Diya Wadhwani, Ava Tallon, Lottie Routledge and Ben Reilly) have to laugh at the idea that God can be bought. It all looks rather dire for Everyman.
In the second half, however, the eponymous role is taken up by Anouk Busset. She brings out a more reflective, sensitive side to Everyman as they begin to accept that a focus on gold instead of good deeds has led them astray. Aspects of Knowledge are brought to life by the sharp double-act of Lila Skeet and Lara Pilcher, leading to an emotionally-charged meeting between Everyman and their younger self (played by Eva Rouse in a stand-out performance for a Second Year actor). Here, Miss Busset flexes her ability to capture an audience’s attention, drawing us into Everyman’s fears and doubts, achieving that great aim of theatre: to make us see ourselves on stage. Ultimately, this all culminates in a tour de force finale combining music, dance, quick-changestagecraft, and a heartfelt plea to a world at risk.
In addition to the phenomenal acting, particular praise must be given to the incredible set and costume design produced by Mrs Starmer and Mrs Borrows with the support of the skilled student technical team. Themes as various as greed, waste and self-acceptance are strikingly shown through the mixture of film projection, masks, and a whole lot of reused plastic bags.
Director Mr Gee has once again shown his ability to synthesise all parts of the stage to produce a whole that is impactful, thought-provoking and, above all, honest.
Mr B Campbell I English
The Drama Society is still welcoming new parent members.
Email Mrs Borrows at cborrows@kgs.org.uk
Regarded by many as the highlight of the house events, this year the standard was higher than ever. Over 100 students participated as choreographers, dancers and lighting designers. Drama scholars, Fin James and Jasmine Procter-Tarabanov, were our hosts for the evening, ably providing fluent segues between dances. The first category of the evening was ‘Duets’ and we were treated to some incredible performances with Eva Rouse and Jo Tasker winning for a witty satirical take on Top Gun accessorised, of course, with aviators. Next up was ‘Original choreography’ with innovative routines to The Beatles, Taylor Swift and Madonna. This category really highlighted the talent of our Sixth Form choreographers, notably Hannah Farrell, Lila Skeet, Diya Wadhwani and Alicia Bramwell
event. It was brilliant seeing a number of boys taking part, but we want even more next year!
Charles was certainly drawn to the character-led dances that told a story and captured the spirit of the music. Laura commented on the rawness of some dancers and said that dance is an expression of personal emotion. She was particularly impressed by Angelica Pasamontes-Steel’s emotionally charged solo routine where it felt like Angelica wasn’t even aware of being watched.
The audience were thrilled to witness such an array of genres, styles and ages in this year’s event. It was brilliant seeing a number of boys taking part, but we want even more next year! Unfortunately, there can only be one overall winner…congratulations to Queen’s, narrowly followed by Lovekyn and Stanley.
Winners:
Best Duet: Queen’s Eva Rouse & Jo Tasker (Top Gun Medley)
Best Original Choreography: Queen’s (Another One Bites the Dust remix)
Best Solo: Walworth Angelica Pasamontes-Steel
After five dazzling solo performances, it was the eagerly anticipated ‘Musical theatre’ category. This year, Lovekyn treated us to Grease, Stanley a complex and sophisticated Hamilton, Taverner a wondrous Wicked, Walworth a sassy take on Six and Queen’s a joyful, mischievous Matilda.
Our guest judges this year were Charles Ruhrmund who is a West End star of musical hits such as Hairspray and Top Hat and Laura Hague, a contemporary dance artist. Charles and Laura agreed that the standard was exceptionally high and were amazed that the evening had no teacher input.
Best Musical Theatre: Queen’s Matilda
Mr R Gee I Director of Drama
With Strictly Come Dancing back on TV, it can mean only one thing: House Dance is back!
The audience were thrilled to witness such an array of genres, styles and ages in this year’s
Regarded by many as the highlight of the house events, this year the standard was higher than ever. Over 100 students participated as choreographers, dancers and lighting designers.
Our annual Extreme Reading Competition saw an excellent array of entries once again.
This year’s competition was inspired by The Boy Behind the Wall by Maximillian Jones, the Read Up! Kingston book for 2022. The book explores the relationship between two boys of the same age who live on either side of the Berlin Wall in the 1960s. As always, it was tough to pick a winner, but Sebastian Wheeler’s entry certainly fit the ‘extreme reading’ criteria! Sebastian also made us laugh when he told us that “no fathers were harmed in the making of this photo”.
Second prize was awarded to Eshan Patel who crammed himself into the bottom of his wardrobe in order to help himself imagine what it might have been like for one of the characters in the book as they attempted to dig a tunnel in order to escape from East Berlin. We greatly admired Eshan’s empathy and inventiveness.
Third prize was awarded to Gregor More, who was pictured reading the book outside Checkpoint Charlie, mentioned in the book itself. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who took part for all your amazing entries.
Ms F McBride I LibrarianSebastian also made us laugh when he told us that “no fathers were harmed in the making of this photo”.
Students enjoyed a spread of MFL activities during this year’s European Week of Languages, with Sixth Form linguists kicking off the celebrations by hosting the hugely successful Great European Bake Off.
Students from across the school got baking and, although we were unable to pin down Paul and Prue for judging, the Star Baker title was hotly contested. Homemade goodies celebrating traditional cakes and pastries from all over the world included a slice of the Greek temple cake or my lovingly made tiramisu!
We raised £250 for Macmillan Cancer Support so a huge thank you to everyone who baked and bought. Second Years Faye Feng, Anya Taylor, Zoe GoldwynPagett, Varia Karmalito, Bella Brown, Amy Hassan and Fourth Year Olu Koevoets were all awarded prizes.
Students from across the school got baking and, although we were unable to pin down Paul and Prue for judging...
The House Languages Quiz was this year won by Walworth who showed off their knowledge of flags, landmarks, greetings, traditional dishes and famous faces from a range of European countries. It was wonderful to see so many involved in activities throughout the week, gathering to recognise the importance of languages and have fun with one another. Thanks to all those who participated – keep going with your languages!
Miss A Arcos Villanueva I MFLSixth Form German students had the opportunity to attend a study day at the British Film Institute recently.
The day revolved around activities relating to the history of the German Democratic Republic as portrayed through film and was conducted entirely in German. This gave students a valuable opportunity to broaden their knowledge of two of the major themes of their A Level course: film analysis and the history of Germany.
Both students and teachers came away from the day with an enhanced appreciation of the portrayal of the GDR in film and we all enjoyed the opportunity to pursue our love of German in a different way outside of the classroom.
Mrs A Evans I MFLOur students first spent time considering the particular challenges that might be faced when translating poetry, such as cultural references, rhyme and metre. They then took on the considerable challenge of translating a foreign language poem in a way that would render an English version that was both linguistically and stylistically faithful to the original. No mean feat!
The students tackled the task with linguistic rigour and creative flair, producing translations of a high standard. We were delighted to hear last month that Emma Stoner in the Upper Sixth has been awarded a Commendation by the judges for her translation and commentary of the poem Die Beiden by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Congratulations to Emma and to all students for their excellent work on this project.
Mrs A Evans I MFL
In July, a number of our linguists from all age groups entered the Stephen Spender Youth Prize for poetry translation. This competition celebrates the translation of poetry from any foreign language into English.
The competition was all about storytelling and ‘place’ and all the students demonstrated incredible knowledge of the Islands through their independent research and articulated clear, confident and impassioned presentations outlining their varied interests in visiting. Congratulations to Sophie – we look forward to hearing about the trip in February.
After three months of training, preliminary rounds and re-matches, two Fifth Year students, Michaela Henderson and Polina Turnbull, were selected for the final of the first UK English-Chinese Bilingual Recitation Competition in London’s Chinatown. Michaela and Polina started learning Mandarin in Third Year and took their GCSE last summer.
We often think about the council in terms of problems and issues: “Oh no! I’ll have to tell the council that” is something we’ve all thought at some point, whether it’s a missed bin collection or problems with pavements. I always saw them as clunky and bureaucratic but that’s changed recently…
KGS hosted some special guests in October; three local councillors who would speak not only to KGS students but, as part of the Futures programme of community partnerships, to students from Radnor House and The Kingston Academy.
Fifth Year student Sophie Bailey has been named one of the winners of the Falklands Forty Schools Competition which celebrates the Falkland Islands’ culture, history and extraordinary natural environment.
TV broadcaster, author and adventurer Ben Fogle headed the judging panel that chose the eight lucky students who will travel to the Islands next year. “The Falkland Islands really are a magical place. I’ve been lucky enough to visit many times over the years, drawn back by the unique wildlife. Travelling along the coast, they will be able to spot penguins, sealions and dolphins, get involved with conservation projects and learn about the heritage.”
“I can’t wait to find out about the culture and language of the Falklands, to hear some Falklands music and to see the amazing wildlife in real life.”
The Falkland Islands Government, in partnership with the University of Exeter, Newcastle University and Royal Holloway, University of London, wanted to know what the Falklands mean to young people in the UK today.
They continue to take Mandarin as their academic enrichment to further their knowledge of the language and to explore Chinese culture. Inspired by the poetry of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, they chose two Tang Dynasty poems to recite. To prepare, they learned about the historic period and developed a very good understanding of the poems. Polina came second and Michaela came fourth in their age group. Huge congratulations, Michaela and Polina – a super achievement.
Mrs T Russell I Head of MFLWe had been asked by the Politics Department to submit questions: this was a good tactic, as it meant we got real answers with stats to back them up. Our councillors were Kingston Council Leader Andreas Kirsch, Richmond Council Leader and GLA candidate Gareth Roberts and Richmond Head of Finance and former KGS Governor Robin Brown. All three were Liberal Democrats but they offered a range of political views as the ‘radical centre’ often do.
To start off, each councillor spoke about themselves, explaining how they got into local politics, what they do and their aspirations for the future.
Then came the questions, all of which were answered skillfully. Whether it was on gender equality or council tax cuts, every question was answered with statistical evidence, clearly and with decisiveness that I wish we saw more in our national politicians.
A big thank you must go to Mr Sorley, Mrs Hassan, the three councillors and all the other staff who helped make it happen!
National government gives us the means to live, providing healthcare, defence, foreign trade. But local government is what gives us the reasons to live. Whether it’s our lovely parks, youth programmes or looking after the elderly, the councillors proved to me, and many of my friends, that we need the council to steer our local communities the way we want. And the only way to do that is to VOTE.
Adam Nasir I Upper Sixth
Following the announcement earlier this year of a collaboration between KGS International and Mountain Education Group (MEG), an education company based in Shanghai, we are pleased to announce the opening of the international co-educational bilingual school in Suzhou, China.
Our main musical event of the year, this year’s Autumn Concert featured performances from the Symphony Orchestras, Junior, Senior and Chamber Choirs and Wind, Brass Jazz and Guitar Ensembles and was a wonderful evening of musical talent.
Well done to all involved!
Mr J Lewis I Music InternThe school opened in September and welcomed 250 students. Mark Bedford MPhil (Cantab) PGCE (Oxon), an experienced Head Teacher who has previously held headship roles in the UK, Thailand and Saudi Arabia, has been appointed as the International Head of the Suzhou School.
Employed by MEG, Mark will work closely with KGS International to support the delivery of the international curriculum, along with co-curricular and pastoral education.
KGS International is a commercial subsidiary of Kingston Grammar School and is focused on generating income to support fee assistance, which will help secure the long-term expansion of our bursary scheme here in the UK. We continue to explore other opportunities to further develop our international presence.
Mrs D Sherwood I Director of KGS International
One particular statistic that I would like to highlight is the number of students involved – over 600 students have represented KGS this term. In addition, we have played over 330 competitive fixtures across eight different sports. In the past few weeks, we have even fielded E&F hockey teams in the U12 & U13 age groups, which has been great to see.
There has been team success this term and, at the time of writing, the girls’ 1st XI and U13 hockey sides are preparing for the quarter-finals of the ISHC. The U16 boys finished second at the Regional Indoor finals. The KGS Boat Club won three golds at Kingston Small Boats Head, as well as hosting the hugely successful Sponsored Row in aid of RALPHH in September, and are currently preparing for the Hampton Head. The U16 girls’ football squad reached the fourth round of the National Cup and the U15 girls are preparing for the Surrey Cup quarter-finals. On the netball court, the 1st VII qualified through to the Surrey Finals in March, while the U15 girls won the Regional Finals.
Congratulations to Ed Wheeler, Mikey Eldridge and Ollie Stone who were selected for England U18s and U16s hockey squads respectively, whilst Martha le Huray continued her training with England Hockey’s EDP programme. Matilda Drewett is progressing through the GB Trials programme. Away from our traditional fixture list, Emma Stoner reached the quarter-finals in the World Para Badminton Championships in the mixed doubles. Sam and Ben Sporleder represented GB Baseball over the summer, Dallas Nourse won gold at the British Weightlifting Championships and Catty Vedenkova represented KGS on Fire Cracker in her first National Schools Equestrian Association competition. On the tennis court, William McKay, our U13 boys’ captain, was a member of the Middlesex County team that won the U12 National County Cup Championships at Nottingham Tennis Centre.
We have changed the practice timetable to allow students to access as many sports as possible through the week. This has provided some challenges but it has been fantastic to see so many students committing regularly to training. We will continue to look for opportunities that allow students to access a variety of sports as we believe wholeheartedly in the benefits sport plays to physical and mental wellbeing.
Mr A Watts I Director of SportIt has been another busy term with a huge number of fixtures played, goals scored, metres rowed and students playing or competing.
It has been another busy term with a huge number of fixtures played, goals scored, metres rowed and students playing and competing.
September saw the U15 girls’ cricket squad travel to Merchant Taylors’ School to take part in the finals day of the School Sport National Cup. KGS took on Ipswich School in their semi-final, while Repton played Clifton College in the other. A hard-fought day of cricket saw us finishing fourth in the country. This was the highest achievement in the School’s cricketing history, and they were beaten by the better side on the day, Ipswich School, who went on to lift the trophy for the second year in a row.
There were significant contributions from Natalie Ivory, Emily Barker and Hanna Garghouti. The Fifth Year trio almost got KGS over the line in the bronze medal match against Clifton College, finishing just 12 runs short. The journey to the final was very much a team and squad effort, and everyone involved should be immensely proud of what they have achieved, beating some of the strongest schools in the country.
I must also mention the parents, who continue to show their support home and away for this incredible group of girls. With a very young squad, the U15s will again be looking to challenge on the national stage next year.
Thank you so much to all the girls for the effort and enthusiasm throughout the year.
Mr S Lavery I Head of CricketMid-October saw the KGS Boat Club senior squad racing at the prestigious Weybridge Silver Sculls. Four divisions saw singles and doubles racing in a wide range of weather conditions. The day was a success for both the girls’ and boys’ squads, with Audrey Coursey winning a bronze medal in WJ17 single, Freddie Steel securing a silver behind William Adams who won gold in J16 single. Matilda Drewett won the WJ18 single, along with the Bonnie Bird Cup for the fastest girl of the day.
In the second week of half term, 25 senior students travelled to the 1992 Olympic rowing venue in Banyoles, Spain for a training camp. The week saw them training on perfect water in 26 degrees, with all making significant progress on the water and off it. At the end of the week awards were given for the most improved boy and girl, and the best boy and girl overall. With all students having pushed up the standard so impressively, choosing winners was difficult.
In the end, Hattie Byatt and Tom Watts won the most improved awards, with Freddie Steel and Matilda Drewett winning best boy and girl respectively. Best performance of the camp went to a girls’ quad of Rosie Symons, Lola Crampin, Matilda Drewett and Audrey Coursey who put in an excellent 2000m piece on the penultimate day.
The behaviour of the squad, and manner in which they went about their training, made a thoroughly enjoyable trip for all. The performances also indicate that the squad is in very good health and that the 22/23 season should be a successful one for KGSBC.
Mr E Green I Director of RowingOur U16 girls (Natalie Ivory, Josie Roux, Hannah Wood and Gina Saltykova) played in the LTA Youth Schools South East Region Finals, having become Surrey champions. The regional finals saw the Surrey, Middlesex, Essex, Kent and Sussex champions convene at Sutton Sports Village to play for the South East Region title. After receiving a bye in the quarter finals, the girls beat Notting Hill & Ealing High 5-1 in the semis to make it through to the final where they faced Lancing. 2-2 after the singles rubbers, Hannah & Gina won their doubles emphatically 6-0 to make it 3-2 to us with one doubles to go. The final match went to a tie-break and, from being two match points down, Natalie & Josie battled back to win four consecutive points and win the tiebreak 8-6, making it 4-2 overall and sealing a fantastic win to become South East Region Champions – massive congratulations, girls!
Mr S Morris I Head of Tennis
“I really enjoyed the experience of playing in such a big stadium.
I competed against the best in the world, playing against the Japanese world number one in singles, and reached a quarter final in the mixed doubles!
Emma StonerI had great support from the team and I was very proud to represent Team GB!”
During the half-term break, 48 members of the KGS CCF contingent went on a threeday camp to Pirbright Army Training Centre. This was a particularly valuable experience for the new Third Year recruits, who learnt various skills such as fieldcraft, as well as honing their drill and deportment abilities. It was amazing to see such progress coming from the newest members of the contingent. With 48 cadets, it was the largest October Camp ever which meant there was a lot of kit to dish out!
We began with drill lessons, weapons training and command tasks. This last activity proved to be a difficult but rewarding challenge – one activity was to lead someone else, who was blindfolded, through a ‘course’ made of cones. If that was not difficult enough, we could not use words and had to establish a code before starting the task. This was a valuable team-building experience as it brought together everyone in the section.
Finally, as the day’s finale, we participated in a night exercise which involved trying to make your way up a hill and then across some bare ground to a tree which held a valuable item – also known as a glowstick – without being spotted by the ‘enemy’. Few people made it anywhere near the special item (the staff had night vision goggles!) but all agreed that it was a great end to the day.
Day 2 brought the 24-hour exercise. To get to our exercise area, we first had to patrol up a hill, practising fieldcraft skills such as patrol formations. Once in our exercise area, we set up our bashers – a sort of tent we would sleep in – and handed out the highly anticipated ration packs. More lessons on fieldcraft followed, with recruits and junior cadets learning about moving at night and the duties of a sentry. We also got the chance to learn about and practise the ‘pairs fire manoeuvre’ drill. The pinnacle came
when we got to test what we had just learnt with blank rounds. It was an exciting and exhilarating experience. Finally, as the day’s finale, we participated in a night exercise which involved trying to make your way up a hill and then across some bare ground to a tree which held a valuable item – also known as a glowstick – without being spotted by the ‘enemy’. Few people made it anywhere near the special item (the staff had night vision goggles!) but all agreed that it was a great end to the day.
The last day was spent, somewhat groggily, taking down bashers, clearing up and more drill practice and rifle cleaning. In the parade square, Captain Beggs gave awards and prizes: well done to Sergeant Evans for best NCO, Recruit Wellman for most improved recruit, Recruit Parker for best recruit, One Section One Platoon (my section!) for best section, and One Platoon for best platoon. However, every cadet performed spectacularly well on camp and should be extremely proud. Finally, thanks also to the staff who made this possible: Captain Beggs, WO2 Gardner, Miss Wright, Ms Chen, Miss Kaur and Ms Clifford. Overall, as someone who has been on a few October Camps in their time, I’d go as far as to say this one was the best – it was fun and exhilarating while also being a valuable team building and learning experience.
The Last Post was played by Alexi Cross at our Remembrance Day Assembly in November. The CCF followed this by taking part in the Kingston upon Thames Remembrance Day Service.
When Remembrance Sunday came around, I arrived at school early on Sunday morning to join in the contingent’s runthrough of the drill for the parade through Kingston. Sergeant Keywood and I were honoured to be chosen as wreath bearers for the Mayor of Kingston and the Deputy Lieutenant respectively. After a briefing at the Guildhall, we processed to the war memorial where we were joined by local cadet forces, police cadets, Scouts and Girl Guides, local dignitaries and a large crowd. The service ran smoothly after which it was time for the parade and a march-past of the mayor. Sergeant Keywood and I fell in and the whole contingent marched through Kingston and back to school.
Over the summer, I attended the Air Cadet Leadership Course at RAF College Cranwell, a demanding but rewarding course designed to improve leadership skills in cadets from across the UK.
We were under scrutiny from the start, with an intense, military-style registration process which set the tone for what was to come. Leadership theory lectures, twohour drill sessions, inspections, interviews and 18-hour days awaited us.
I remember sitting in my first Remembrance assembly in First Year and admiring the smart uniforms of CCF, their thought-provoking speeches and poems and, of course, the Last Post played impressively every year by a member of the contingent. I was therefore extremely happy to be chosen to participate in the assembly this year. Even though public speaking has never been a strength of mine, I felt that I had to take up the challenge. In the assembly I read quotes from people in the emergency services and armed forces about what importance and significance Remembrance has to them. To my relief, after a lot of practising, I managed to say my part without any problem.
The week started on Sunday at 0600 hrs with a 1.5 mile run before breakfast (which I’m delighted to report I won) followed by a 16km navigation exercise. The rest of the course was split into three phases of command tasks in which every cadet took turns leading their team in completing a mission set by our flight commanders.
After completing the shorter phases, we embarked on our final and hardest command task phase where we spent two nights camping out in the field and led complex command tasks. Already exhausted, we were pushed to our limits when all flights competed against each other in exercise Top Dog, which involved a log run and an orienteering exercise.
Saturday morning came with the privilege of passing out on the College Hall Officers’ Mess parade square, an honour usually only reserved for graduating officers, with our inspecting officer being the commandant of Air Cadets, Air Commodore Tony Keeling OBE. I had a fantastic time on the course and would highly recommend it to any cadet wishing to improve their leadership skills.
Alexi Cross I Upper Sixth
Season’s greetings from everyone at Kingston Grammar School
