The
Heron The Newsletter of Loughborough Grammar School Edition 15
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June 2016
Newly-appointed Duncan Byrne, the newly appointed Headmaster, arrived to take up his post at the beginning of the summer term. Recently the Second Master at Cheltenham College, Mr Byrne is a former pupil of Dulwich College and a graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read Modern and Medieval Languages and was a choral scholar. He brings with him a wide range of experience in independent schools having previously taught at Colfe’s, Whitgift and Haberdasher’s Aske’s Boys’. We welcome him and his wife, Marie-Claire, and their two sons to The Walks.
Battered or Flat-footed? The now annual pancake race saw the High School girls putting the boys to shame as they raced down the Quad on Shrove Tuesday.
Congratulations, Ma’am This year the School gathered in the Quad to celebrate Her Majesty’s 90th birthday. Following the singing of the National Anthem, we were treated to cupcakes - 1200 in all - specially made by our Refectory staff. They had also made a beautiful celebratory cake. On Her Majesty’s visit to the School to open the Queen’s Building in 1996 she, too, was the beneficiary of the Refectory staff’s culinary art, enjoying a lunch fit for a queen.
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June 2016
It must be summer The first cricket match on the 1st XI Field is always eagerly awaited – it stirs the imagination as a harbinger of warmer, sunnier days. This year we lived in hope as the weather was definitely neither warm nor sunny at first! However, matches were played and, at the time of writing, the 1stXI have already notched up four very healthy victories in their first five matches – a very good start.
With great pleasure The annual Under 12 Rugby tour to Blackpool once again hit the heights – of the town’s Pleasure Beach, mainly. The weather could, at best, be described as “mixed” but the boys thoroughly enjoyed the trip and played some good rugby.
Net winners The basketball team enjoyed a successful term, winning four and losing only two of the matches.
Sticking at it The 1stXI Hockey Team had a very successful season, winning 9 and losing only 4 of their 18 matches. Included in the victories were successes against Nottingham High School, Uppingham and Solihull in the first three rounds of the National Cup before being beaten by Oakham in Round 4.
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June 2016
Y Viva EspaĂąa With great excitement, 14 boys and 2 staff travelled to the region of Catalunya in Spain to spend 3 nights and 4 days exploring the Ebro Delta and the surrounding area. Flamingos, herons, cormorants, stilts and other waders were just some of the birds viewed on the lagoons of the delta, with eagles and vultures performing awe-inspiring displays in the National Park del Ports in the mountains. The group also visited the hill-top village of Horta de Sant Joan, which was home to Picasso for 6 months during which he was inspired by the local scenery and where his paintings are displayed in the local museum. A day on the delta, cycling and boating, was a particular highlight of the trip and a whole day in Barcelona completed an action-packed itinerary.
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June 2016
Baying for more The LGS and LHS Classics Departments took 20 boys and 20 girls to the Bay of Naples over the Easter break. They ascended Mt Vesuvius, the volcano which dominates the landscape all about and which was responsible for the burial of Pompeii in the terrifying eruption of AD 79. They also explored the winding streets of Pompeii and Herculaneum, getting a glimpse of what life was like for the average Roman citizen in the 1st century; took a boat trip to Capri; and visited Naples Archaeological Museum where they were able to see many of the artefacts uncovered in the various sites they had visited during the week.
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June 2016
Oh What a L A Stunning Performance
Joan Littlewood’s “musical entertainment” Oh! What a Lovely War! first saw the light of day in 1963 and 53 years later it still has the power to blow an audience away, never more so than in the Drama Studio in the very heart of the school. Visually and aurally stunning in every sense of the word (and intellectually as well) the production did more than justice to the original, the performers singing, dancing and acting with a maturity which matched the material in an exemplary manner while the production team had every right to feel incredibly proud of the achievements of all concerned.
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a Lovely War!
June 2016
Such is the nature of the piece that individual performances could not be singled out but the performance as an entity could be and rightly so. It is, after all, an ensemble piece of theatre in every sense of that word, a show where everyone’s contribution is absolutely vital to the overall effect . . . and what an effect the entire cast achieved, a particularly poignant and fitting contribution to the school’s commemorations of the Great War. The stunned silence which prevailed just before the curtain call spoke volumes for the power of the performance of the cast and the vision of the direction and technical support. It was, quite literally, awesome.
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Academic Potpourri
June 2016
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
On Stage As well as this year’s showcase production, “Oh What a Lovely War”, the theatrical team have been busy with examination groups and the now wellestablished “New Directors’ Season”, which once again provided a very varied and interesting programme performed by actors from Year 6 to Year 13.
New Directors
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Sum success The LGS Senior Maths Team enjoyed great success in the national final of the Senior Team Maths Challenge event held at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London on Tuesday 2nd February. The team had won the Leicestershire heat in emphatic style to earn a place competing against other school teams from across the UK and in the final Team LGS achieved a superb overall score of 94%, earning them a very credible 11th place in the country out of the 86 teams competing on the day: over 1,000 schools had participated at the regional stage.
The right chemistry Again this year, a number of Year 13 Chemistry students, seven of whom are shown here, were awarded certificates having performed extremely well in the Chemistry Olympiad run by the Royal Society of Chemists. In March, for our senior chemists, Dr Tracy McGhie from Leicester University led a fascinating hands-on demonstration of the uses of mass spectroscopy.
Lord of the Flies
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June 2016
Per Ardua Ad Astra
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June 2016
Wing Commander Sergeant’s final parade as Contingent Commander took place in bright but chilly conditions on 23rd April. Reviewed by former LGSCCF RAF Cadet, Group Captain David Arthurton, the Contingent put on an exemplary display of drill and activities, the senior cadets demonstrating just what being in the CCF had done for their powers of selfdiscipline and leadership and proving to be inspiring role models. For the junior cadets, the stars of the future, taking part for the first time there was the gradual realisation that one day one of their number would be receiving the Priestley Sword as the Contingent Regimental Sergeant Major or collecting the Field Gun Trophy or leading the Corps of Drums or carrying the Standard.
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June 2016
To the fallen Whilst nationally 2014 and 2018 are the key dates being commemorated regarding the centenary of the Great War, we decided that 2016 – the centenary of the death of the Headmaster’s son, Roger Bingham Turner – should be our main focus. The Quadrangle was altered last summer, with the old cherry trees being removed and the walkways widened. The new trees, planted five years ago, flourished alongside their venerable neighbours and now, at the base of each of them, there will be a plaque, funded by the Old Loughburians’ Association, which records the names of former pupils who gave their lives for their country. On Friday 22nd April, therefore, during a short service, the Quadrangle was dedicated as a memorial to those lost members of the Schools and, as a symbol of our commitment to uphold the values of respect and gratitude, a wreath was laid at the base of each cherry tree.
Loughborough Grammar School admin@lesgrammar.org Tel: 01509 233233 www.lesgrammar.org ©2016 No unauthorised use or duplication of images or editorial content. Loughborough Endowed Schools is a Company Limited by Guarantee, Number 4038033 and is Registered in England & Wales. It is a Registered Charity, number 1081765. The Registered Office is 3 Burton Walks, Loughborough, Leics. LE11 2DU.
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