The
Heron The Newsletter of Loughborough Grammar School Edition 8 January 2014
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January 2014
The Director’s Luck Luck Amit Gupta, screen writer, playwright and Amit Gupta, screen writer, playwright and film director and Old Loughburian (1984 film director and Old Loughburian (1984 1991) was the guest speaker at School Assembly on 26th November. The BAFTAnominated director of “Resistance” and “Jadoo”, spoke about his “Resistance” and “Jadoo”, spoke about his passion for film and his determination to passion for film and his determination to do what he now does for a living, tracing do what he now does for a living, tracing his “good luck” following a chance meeting on a train and how his focus on becoming a filmmaker was inspired by the education experienced and self discipline developed when he was at school. During the rest of the day he spoke at length to aspiring filmmakers and directors in various Year group classes directors in various Year group classes and admired the outstanding facilities for and achievements in drama on display in the Queen’s Building. display in the Queen’s Building.
Gold Standards
met It is true to report that all who met It is true to report that all who him were inspired and encouraged by his considerable success in a notoriously fickle and difficult industry.
The Chief Guest at Senior Prize Giving was Simon Timson (OL 1982 89). In January 2013 he was appointed Director of Performance for UK Sport with a particular responsibility for ensuring that there are even more British medalwinners in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 than there were at the London Olympics in 2012, a not inconsiderable challenge! After leaving school Simon became a member of the GB Bobsleigh squad for the 1992 Olympics, which led to him being appointed as Performance Director at British Skeleton from 2000 to 2006 at which he was phenomenally successful. He then moved to be the Head of the England Development Programme and Science and Medicine at the England & Wales Cricket Board where he was equally successful in guiding both women’s and men’s teams to the top of the World rankings in every format of the game.
No.1 Geographer Ian Cheung of Year 13 has just received the prestigious Royal Geographical Society’s Young Geographer of the Year Award, which in effect makes him the best geographer in the country in the Under 18 age group. He had to produce an essay under the general title: “How does either the human or physical geography of your local area compare to the rest of the UK?” and chose to write about obesity, having studied the Geography of Health for AS last year. He has followed this success by securing a place to read Geography at Trinity College, Cambridge.
Not surprisingly, his advice to the Senior Prizewinners was quite simple: go for gold at all times.
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January 2014
Berlin Bound A party of 40 pupils from LGS and LHS enjoyed a pre Christmas visit to Berlin. The trip was actionpacked with visits to the Jewish Museum, Checkpoint Charlie, the Reichstag, Potsdam and the beautiful Schloss Sanssouci. There was ample opportunity for shopping at the famous KadeWe and on the Christmas markets. We enjoyed a visit to the zoo and the aquarium and in the evenings we relaxed by swimming, bowling and watching a German comedy film at the cinema in the lively Potsdamer Platz.
A Moving Performance On the 14th November the English Department was privileged to welcome poet, novelist, dramatist, editor, publisher, campaigner and former Poet Laureate, Sir Andrew Motion. He spent some time with an A2 English set, offering insights into a poem by Rupert Brooke, and then led two workshops. The first was a session with 30 boys from Years 10 and 11 in which he discussed his writing career and then helped them to write vivid and wellformed poems. In the afternoon he spoke to the AS Creative Writing group, exploring the process of writing poems. After school, Sir Andrew delivered an emotional reading of his poetry to a rapt audience of pupils, staff and parents in the Drama Studio. He also answered questions about his poetry and about his 2012 novel, Silver: Return to Treasure Island.
Nippy November The annual Year 12 geography field trip to Yorkshire provided the students with the ammunition they need to fire when faced with their AS examinations in the summer but, as they will vouchsafe, rivers can be cold in November!
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January 2014
Who’s who The theme for this term’s “own clothes day” was Doctor Who, chosen because the following day saw the 50th Anniversary episode being televised. A variety of strange garbs materialised, not least amongst which was the Year 8 Tutors’ portrayal of the very scary Weeping Angels and never have they been more frightening. As always it was a great day and, most importantly, the boys raised a great deal of money for charity. £1808 was raised on the day which will be split between three charities: Rebuilding Sri Lanka, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Meningitis Research Foundation.
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January 2014
Living Library On January 2nd this year, less than a year after it was opened, the Loughborough Grammar School Library in Mathugama, Sri Lanka welcomed its 3001st member. The library is our latest project on the island, following the remarkable success of Batukanththa School, again in conjunction with Rebuilding Sri Lanka. Mrs Allen, who runs RSL, says that Mathugama is by far the most successful of the six libraries they have opened up to now. Somewhat unprepossessing from the outside, inside the library is a modern Aladdin’s Cave providing books in Sinhala, English and Tamil and for all ages, as well as offering to help local people in completing government forms, etc. The Tamil books are especially important as they provide for the needs of the very poor, local rubber plantation workers and their families.
Charities & Fundraising Bosnia Bound
Once again the boys of Year 7 excelled themselves in putting together Christmas presents for the “Shoebox Appeal”. Each boy was asked to pack a shoebox with gifts boy was asked to pack a shoebox with gifts for children in another part of the world who would otherwise have little or nothing for Christmas. This year the boys packed a remarkable 273 boxes and they went to children in Bosnia. It was a great effort and children in Bosnia. It was a great effort and a number boys filled more than one box, but a number boys filled more than one box, but Charlie Moulding of 7EJ, who packed 11, and Charlie Moulding of 7EJ, who packed 11, and Umar Latif of 7NBK, who contributed 10, deserve a very special mention.
£9000 We raised over
for the following charities last term: Rebuilding Sri Lanka The Multiple Sclerosis Society Prostate Cancer UK Chipako School, Zambia The Meningitis Research Foundation The Royal British Legion Macmillan Cancer Support Children in Need Raleigh International Trust Rainbows Children’s Hospice ABF The Soldiers’ Charity Friends of Kianjai, Kenya Christian Aid’s Appeal for the Philippines LOROS
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Parade Pride
January 2014
Led for a record fourth consecutive year by Drum Major Cameron Sim, the Corps of Drums and nearly 300 CCF cadets formed the largest ever single unit section of the town’s Remembrance Day Parade and Service on Sunday 10th November, the attendance by cadets and the support of their families being as outstanding as the standard of turnout and marching. Congratulations to all but especially to Coxswain Alex WestinHardy for his superb example of commitment and leadership and to Conor Jakubas for carrying the Standard with such confidence and panache.
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January 2014
Lads in Aladdin The Christmas endofterm festivities would not be the same without the Year 7 Pantomime and even though many of the same old jokes are recycled year after year, the annual display of talent never fails to delight and amuse. This year Aladdin (the good guy) trod the boards in the traditional tussle with his evil “uncle” Abanazer (the bad guy) and the Widow Twankey (a guy) found that her modestsized handbag contained an eightfoot long chopstick, produced by astonishingly assured sleight of hand and panache!
Sound &
It Sno Snows ws The Junior Theatre Club presented their interpretation of Bryony Lavery’s ”It Snows” which celebrates Lavery’s ”It Snows” which celebrates the transformation of people’s ordinary gloominess into joy after a snowfall. The cast clearly enjoyed applying their clearly enjoyed applying their physical theatrical talents to physical theatrical talents to this acclaimed piece.
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d & Vision
January 2014
Engaging ensembles The annual LES Music School Ensembles Concert always heralds the beginning of our end of term Christmas celebrations and this year 199 performers provided a large and very appreciative audience with a feast of entertainment of the highest quality. The varied programme included something for everyone from the Swing Band playing “Tuxedo Junction” to the “String Ensemble” delighting the audience with Vaughan Williams’ “Five Variants on Dives” and “Lazarus” to the “Cats Duet”and much more.
Opening fanfare As has now become a tradition the Loughborough Endowed Schools Fanfare Trumpeters were an integral part of the opening ceremony at this year’s Loughhborough Fair, the 793rd to have taken place since the 13th century. They announced the arrival of the mayoral party outside the Town Hall before making their way to one of their more unusual venues, the steps of a waltzer in the Market Place, where they accompanied the Mayor of Charnwood in the opening ceremony.
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g n i t r o p S s s e w o r P
January 2014
Running rugby The first half of the rugby season has seen enormous progress being made by all 16 teams. Of a total of 124 matches played, 74 were won and 3 drawn, a more than creditable record given the difficulty of the fixture list. All teams have adopted a brand of attractive running rugby, but special mention must be made of the Under 15s who have won 15 and drawn 1 of their 18 matches.
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January 2014
Astro The School’s artificial surface has been relaid to provide a true and fast surface for hockey and, it is hoped, tennis courts with more bounce than previously. The hockey teams are finding their feet on the new surface and prospects next term look good.
Astro The School’s artificial surface has been relayed to provide a true and fast surface for hockey and, it is hoped, tennis courts with more bounce than previously. The hockey teams are finding their feet on the new surface and prospects next term look good.
National success The School’s junior and intermediate cross country teams both reached the national finals this year held at Southend and if this was not enough, both teams ran superbly on the day. The junior team of Oliver Rouse, Ben Rouse, Jack Douglas, Charlie Woodfield, Bailey Peart and Anton Krupa were placed 8th out of 24 competing teams with Ben Rouse finishing 6th and brother, Oliver 9th. The intermediates, Ben Dijkstra, George Burnett, Mike Pitchers, Louis Robinson, Joshua Finn and Scott Ram finished 16th in their race, with Ben finishing first by over 100 metres having led from gun to tape to confirm him as the number one runner for his age in the country.
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January 2014
Park Life The recently completed Science and Mathematics Park was officially declared open on Thursday 17th October by Professor Robert Allison, the ViceChancellor and President of Loughborough University.
Comprising one brandnew and three completely refurbished or extended buildings, the results of a fiveyear building programme, the Park provides stateoftheart facilities for Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics in buildings which bear the names of four 20th century Headmasters under whose leadership the School’s reputation grew to what it is today.
At the centre of the Park are recreational areas, provided to acknowledge the fact that “all work and no play” is an indigestible diet and that boys need to have facilities which exercise the body as well as the mind. To emphasise this particular point, the ViceChancellor was invited to take part in an impromptu but brief game of basketball using one of the hoops provided, an invitation which he readily accepted.
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