The Oakhamian - Summer 2018 by Oakham School

The magazine of Oakham School and The Old Oakhamian Club

Summer 18

The

GOLDEN FUTURE OO CRISTA CULLEN OPENS NEW HOCKEY ASTRO PITCH

Spotlight on Modern Languages • £1m Transformation to Oakham’s Lower School • Inaugural Hackathon

THE HEADMASTER WRITES

THE HEADMASTER WRITES... SPEAKING THE RIGHT LANGUAGE POST BREXIT

inguistic battle lines have been drawn in our newspaper headlines and news feeds since the Referendum was announced in February 2016. I’m fairly confident that not a week has gone by when there hasn’t been some reference to ‘deal’ or ‘no deal’, or to a ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ Brexit. No one could disagree, regardless of which side you voted, that we are living in a fractious, politically polarised time, where divisive language continues to fan the fire for each side. Indeed, an entire book has been written (The Language of Brexit by Steve Buckledee) with one chapter devoted to discussing how the words ‘we’ and ‘they’ were used to signal belonging and exclusion during the Referendum. It is imperative, therefore, that we teach and encourage our students to look beyond the words they hear and read; to consider their source, and to understand their truth and bias. Our renowned ‘Framework of Skills for Inquiry Learning’ (FOSIL) does exactly this – it empowers and equips Oakhamians to be able to access, handle and use the vast amount of information they have at their fingertips. So whilst I may worry about the political and economic landscape our students will inhabit as a result of a decision in which they played no part, I am confident they will be well prepared to ‘read’ their way through it. Equally imperative is the need to encourage our students to foster an outward looking, international mindset that reaches far beyond the borders of the UK. What better way to foster cultural understanding and awareness than by living with, working and playing alongside pupils from 42 different countries? Our boarders create a wonderfully diverse community of culture – from which all pupils benefit. Of course, having offered the International Baccalaureate Diploma for nearly twenty years, and having been a member of the World Leading

THERE IS, HOWEVER, ONE LANGUAGE THAT CANNOT BE EXPLICITLY TAUGHT, BUT IS MUCH IN DEMAND AT THIS TIME. Schools Association for ﬁve years, exchanging cross-cultural education ideas with other top schools across the world, we have always placed great importance on international mindedness in the classroom too. With the phased development and implementation of the IB MYP from this September, all Oakhamians will now beneﬁt from this interdisciplinary approach to learning, where real world topics are linked to subjects and considered from both local and (vitally in this Brexit era) global perspectives. Our Languages Department, one of the largest in the UK, also does exceptional work in fostering international mindsets – which is showcased on pages 19–23. Never before will the need to know languages be more important, post Brexit, and Oakham will be educating its fair share of Britain’s bilinguists in readiness. There is, however, one language that cannot be explicitly taught, but is much in demand at this time. That is the universal language of compassion. Threaded through life at Oakham – in the form of Charity (page 82), House life (pages 63–81) and Service (pages 83–90) – is this language that I most hope will shine through the challenging months and years ahead.

EQUALLY IMPERATIVE IS THE NEED TO ENCOURAGE OUR STUDENTS TO FOSTER AN OUTWARD LOOKING, INTERNATIONAL MINDSET THAT REACHES FAR BEYOND THE BORDERS OF THE UK. 3

Summer 18 | Contents

ACADEMIC

NEWS

SPEECH DAY 2018

CONTENTS Q News

Cover Story: Crista Cullen opens new astro pitch

Speech Day 2018

Lower School Prize Giving 2018

Q Feature: Spotlight on Grounds and Gardens

Q Academic

Q Feature: Spotlight on Modern Languages

Q Performing Arts

Q Trips and Tours

Q Pastoral

Q Activities

Q Sport

Q Staff News

106

Q Beyond Oakham

108

Old Oakhamian News from our Old Oakhamians

111

Up-date from the School Foundation

130

TRIPS AND TOURS

83 ACTIVITIES

The Oakhamian Magazine (no. 203) and Old Oakhamian Magazine (no. 113) Acknowledgements: The Editors would like to thank everyone who contributed articles and photographs to create this edition, in particular Louise Hitchen (Press Officer) and Eileen Fisher (OO Alumni Manager). Oakham School, Chapel Close, Oakham LE15 6DT 01572 758500 www.oakham.rutland.sch.uk Oakham School Registered Charity Number: 1131425

Oakhamian and Old Oakhamian Magazine Editors: Rachel Fairweather and Antonia Scott • rf2@oakham.rutland.sch.uk Old Oakhamian Club and Magazine 01572 758599 • ooclub@oakham.rutland.sch.uk Design: Dsquared Limited 01780 480690 • all@dsq.co.uk

Printed by: John Good Ltd 024 7665 2800 • info@johngood.com Front and back cover: The official opening of the Crista Cullen astro pitch. Photo by Ady Kerry Front cover Old Oakhamian Magazine: The Remembrance Day poppies outside the Chapel.

Summer 18 | News

CHANGING ROOMS Pupils and staff in the Lower School are enjoying their new and improved facilities as the £1million redevelopment to the Jerwoods campus nears completion.

t is an incredibly exciting time at Oakham’s Lower School, as over the last year there have been investments to our facilities, as well as a series of changes and developments in our approaches to teaching, learning and pastoral support – all to further ‘grow’ the education on offer to our 10–13 year old pupils. The signiﬁcant investments to our Lower School site include a substantial extension to our classroom building, enhanced common room facilities, new and extended changing facilities, as well as changes to create an even more homely experience for our Lower School boarders in Hodges. In addition to the physical changes to our campus, we are making some signiﬁcant investments to our Lower School curriculum to develop the essential knowledge, aptitude and skills pupils will need as they move through the School and to equip them for the world of 2030+. To this end, we are embarking on the phased development and implementation of the internationally celebrated IB Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) for our students aged 11 to 14, before they move on to study for GCSEs. The IB MYP is much more than just a set of subjects: it is a framework for learning that addresses all aspects of pupils’ needs – their intellectual, social, emotional and physical wellbeing. Rather than just acquiring knowledge, pupils learn how to ask and answer great questions, big and small. They are also encouraged to understand the relevance of what they are learning, both locally and globally, and enabled to use their learning to make things happen. Essentially, the IB MYP provides an excellent framework for us to further build on the holistic education we offer to our youngest pupils). Watch this space!

In addition to the physical changes to our campus, we are making some signiﬁcant investments to our Lower School curriculum to develop the essential knowledge, aptitude and skills pupils will need as they move through the School 5

News | Crista Cullen Astro Opening

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GOLDEN FUTURE We were honoured to welcome double Olympic medal winner, GB Hockey player and Old Oakhamian, Crista Cullen (03) MBE back to Oakham School to officially open our new hockey astro.

“Crista is one of Great Britain’s best hockey players, so we are incredibly proud to be able to name our new hockey pitch in her honour,” said Director of Sport, Iain Simpson. During the opening ceremony, Iain described how Crista’s GB team didn’t just want to win gold at the Olympics, they had an even bigger goal – to inspire a generation to get on, or back onto, the hockey pitch. “Whilst there is no question that the team certainly fulfilled this legacy, Crista will now also, thanks to our new pitch being named after her, ignite a fire in the aspirations of future generations of Oakhamians.” Crista said, “I’m hugely humbled to have a pitch named after me” and “it is an honour to come back to my School, which gave me the attributes to be able to succeed.” The qualities that Crista specifically mentioned were the confidence she gained to be able to put herself forward, her ability to juggle the incredible demands on her time (working and training full-time), and being resilient and turn her failures into success. She stated that, “Oakham School gave me the cornerstones and the edge.” Before the official opening, Crista led a coaching session with our Lower School hockey teams. The girls thoroughly enjoyed learning from the Olympian, benefiting from all of her skills and sporting wisdom. She took them through a series of practices, including how to do the Drag Flick for which she is renowned. They were thrilled to be able to chat to Crista, to have their hockey sticks signed and to be able to hold her Gold medal! Crista also spent an hour in a Q&A session

“The day culminated in an ‘All Stars’ hockey match where Crista captained a specially selected OO squad against a team of current students...” with Oakham’s Middle School Sports Scholars. She outlined her path to Olympic Gold, from joining Oakham. She described it as a “long old journey”, and that “it took 16 years to get the Gold medal around my neck”. It was an incredibly inspiring and useful session for the Sports Scholars, many of whom are facing similar challenges to those Crista experienced. They were intrigued to know about her time at Oakham – what other sports she took part in, what her hobbies were, and how she balanced her academic work with all of her training. All pertinent questions that they, as sporting scholars who have the potential to work towards representing their country in their respective sports, were keen to learn the answers to. The day culminated in an ‘All Stars’ hockey match where Crista captained a specially selected OO squad against a team of current students in the ﬁrst match of its kind to be held at Oakham. The closely fought match, which was enjoyed by

students, parents and staff, saw Crista return to play at Oakham, where she had honed her hockey skills at the beginning of her path to Olympic success. “The ‘All-Star’ match was absolutely brilliant for all of those who took part, as well as for spectators,” says Director of Hockey, James Bateman. “It was a great game – with the All Stars narrowly beating Oakhamians – but it wasn’t all just about the ﬁnal score. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students to play against an Olympian, and for all the spectators to see Crista in action, close up. It was particularly exciting when she scored a trade mark Drag Flick – for which she is renowned. She certainly put her ‘stamp’ on the new pitch which holds her name!” As we have an impressive record for hockey at Oakham, we were able to gather a great OO squad along with being able to ﬁeld a strong student side to challenge them to a great game. The Crista Cullen squad included two team U23 GB players (Lucas Ward and Matt Ramshaw) as well as an England U21 player (Alice Huddlestone). Other squad members were: Amy Schanschieff, Jess Dooley, Flora England, Maddie Pearce, Ed Tattersall, Adam Skinner, Ben Watkin, Nathaniel Taylor, Albert Grieve and Jono Wills. Our sincerest thanks go to Crista for spending the day at Oakham when she is so busy, not only with her continued work in the Hockey world, but with her charity work - The Tofauti Foundation (www.tofautifoundation.com), which aims to make a real difference to the people and wildlife of Africa.

News | Crista Cullen Astro Opening

“CRISTA IS ONE OF GREAT BRITAIN’S BEST HOCKEY PLAYERS, SO WE ARE INCREDIBLY PROUD TO BE ABLE TO NAME OUR NEW HOCKEY PITCH IN HER HONOUR” 7

SPEECH DAY 2018

LOWER SCHOOL PRIZE GIVING 2018

Feature | Grounds and Gardens Department

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GROUND FORCE

OO Ellie Loxton (16) talks to Head of Grounds and Gardens, Richard Dexter, about the vital work that Oakhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exceptional Grounds and Gardens Department carries out to keep the School in perfect condition.

Feature | Grounds and Gardens Department

WHETHER APPRENTICE OR HEAD GROUNDSMAN, ALL OF OAKHAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GROUND STAFF SHARE A COMMON VALUE: PRIDE. 13

Feature | Grounds and Gardens Department

RICHARD AND HIS TEAM WORK TIRELESSLY TO MAINTAIN THE HIGH STANDARDS THEY SET FOR THEMSELVES.

or Oakham’s teachers and students, the summer holidays bring a time of wellearned rest; crucial time off from roll calls, coursework deadlines and exam preparation. The same, however, cannot be said for Oakham’s support staff: for them, the summer break is a crucial phase in the school year, during which they carry out vital work to prepare the School for the next academic year. For the Grounds and Gardens Department this is the time when most large-scale developments and alterations take place. It’s all hands on deck for Oakham’s six groundsmen and three gardeners, as they strive to complete these key improvements before term resumes in September. The immense task of managing Oakham’s grounds – 70 acres in total! – rests on the shoulders of Richard Dexter. As Head of Grounds and Gardens, Richard is responsible for ensuring that the School’s ﬁelds, sports pitches and gardens not only look stunning, but are safe and functional for pupils to use. This task is a far from simple one, and Richard expresses his appreciation for the skilled team supporting him; the grounds staff are, he says, ‘a good bunch of people’. Experience is also fundamental, and Oakham is lucky to have a number of extremely talented and professional staff working on the grounds. Richard, for instance, has been serving the School for over ten years, having joined as a groundsman and advanced onto the position he holds today. Nick Whiley, meanwhile, has worked on the Oakham grounds for over forty years and brings to the School a level of knowledge which is simply invaluable.

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In addition to permanent employees, the Oakham Grounds and Gardens Department appoints a number of apprentices each year. The apprenticeship scheme was implemented by Richard himself, proof that Richard sees his service to Oakham as more than a job, but a way of life. Working at the School provides young groundsmen and women with a rare opportunity to experience all elements of ground management, from horticulture to treating sports ﬁelds, before they choose their area of expertise. In true Oakham fashion, Richard’s apprentices have surpassed expectations. One recent apprentice, James Keywood, is now employed by Leicester Tigers, while Josef Farrow was named a ﬁnalist in the Young Groundsman of the Year Award, presented by the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG), in 2014. There are currently two apprentices on the team; one specialising in horticulture and the other in sports turf. Whether apprentice or Head Groundsman, all of Oakham’s grounds staff share a common value: pride. This is a word Richard uses repeatedly as we talk; the grounds staff all have ‘a massive amount of pride in what they do’. Richard and his team work tirelessly to maintain the high standards they set for themselves. There are, of course, a number of events during which the grounds are more ‘on show’, such as Speech Days, Big Band and the recent County Cricket match, but Richard stresses that he wants to preserve the exceptional condition of the grounds throughout the whole year – not just for a few days in summer.

Feature | Grounds and Gardens Department

GROUNDS AND GARDENS AT OAKHAM 5,000 BULBS AND FLOWERS PLANTED EACH YEAR

acres of grounds

COUNTY CRICKET IS PLAYED ON OUR PITCHES

360

hours worked on the grounds and gardens per week

LEICESTER TIGERS use our pitches in their training

grounds and gardens staff

10 TRACTORS/ VEHICLES

600 sports matches per year

combined years of service to the School

3,500 LITRES OF PAINT USED PER YEAR

25,000 steps taken daily by each member of the department

1,402 Twitter followers @Groundstaff1

Feature | Grounds and Gardens Department

Indeed, maintaining Oakham’s grounds and gardens is a year-round task which changes with the seasons. Large summer events such as those mentioned previously demand extra hours from Richard’s team. In summer the average day of an Oakham groundsman begins at 7am and ends at 5pm (although Richard frequently arrives at the crack of dawn and watches the sun rise from his office!). During the busy summer season, however, the groundsmen all work overtime to ensure that the grounds are immaculate for the many guests arriving at the School. When the Royal London Cup was held on Oakham’s cricket grounds in May this year, the groundsmen all worked twelvehour shifts for a duration of around twenty days. Nor does the winter provide a period of rest; snow and ice mean that the staff are often at the School as early as 4am to clear pathways and roads. At times such as these, the grounds staff are absolutely vital in enabling the School to run smoothly! As pupils depart for the summer holidays, the grounds and gardens staff embark on what is perhaps their busiest period. It is only during this

“WE WANT THE SITE TO LOOK AT ITS BEST ALL THE TIME. EVERYONE WANTS THE SCHOOL TO SUCCEED.”

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two-month interval that major refurbishments can take place. During the week I interview Richard, he is working on what he describes as his most exciting project to date – the transformation of the canal. Not cleared for fifty years, Richard and his staff aim to empty and clean the canal, reshape its banks and install water fountains before September. And this is only one of numerous renovation projects taking place this summer – others include laying new fences around the sports hall and erecting international-standard rugby posts in time for the new season. Speaking to Richard, it soon becomes clear that that the grounds and gardens staff are a vital cog in the Oakham machine. Not only do they ensure that the rugby fields are perfectly mowed and the flower beds bright and colourful, but that the School’s facilities can be used efficiently for lessons and sport. Yet, praise is not what Richard and his team seek. For them, knowing that Oakhamians enjoy the grounds is what really matters. As Richard observes, “We want the site to look at its best all the time. Everyone wants the School to succeed.”

ACADEMIC

Academic News

Spotlight on Languages

Art

Hackathon

Independent Research Essay 38

Academic | News

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DISCUSSING POLITICS WITH DAVID LIDINGTON, MP Laurence Ward (Head of Politics and International Relations)

n May, Politics students were delighted to host the Cabinet member, David Lidington MP, who spoke passionately about why all MPs from different political parties go into national politics. Mr Lidington highlighted the many challenges facing the government and the long-term concerns of future generations. He described how he prepares for PMQT when the Prime Minister is away and touched on many of his government responsibilities. IB6 Global Politics students impressed Mr Lidington with the questions they asked and were then fortunate enough to have a meal with him so they could discuss their coursework ideas and discuss and debate global issues. After the dinner, Mr Lidington was given a whistlestop tour of the Politics Department and remarked that the Number 10 classroom had similar characteristics to the door he goes through when attending Cabinet meetings at 10 Downing Street!

IB GEOGRAPHERS USE CUTTING EDGE TECHNIQUES

I THIRD YEAR OF SUCCESS IN TEENTECH FINAL

or the third year in a row Oakham triumphed at the TeenTech Final, with Form 6 student Holly winning the Best Research Award Project for her inquiry into the causes of the underrepresentation of women in Computer Science. Form 2 pupil James also received an honourable mention for his project MODsee, which is a modular robot that can reconﬁgure itself for search and rescue operations. All of Oakham’s ﬁnalists joined talented entrepreneurs from across the country at the Royal Society in London to present their pioneering ideas to a team of judges made up of celebrities, journalists and eminent academics. This included Head of BBC Science Andrew Cohen, BBC Technology Correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones, Science and Tech reporter Dallas Campbell and Television Presenter and Journalist James May. 18

B geographers used modern GPSbased technology to collect some of their data on a recent ﬁeld trip, allowing them to share their results in real time with other students and staff. This has proved a highly engaging way of collecting research data, as students can see instantly the results of their work and share their own surveys. The project that students were researching was ‘To what extent is the central area of Stamford uniform?’ The students collected data looking at footfall, types of business, quality of the environment, building height and shops frequented by visitors. Using the GPS-based App to collect some of their data meant that the information automatically uploaded to a GIS website called ArcGIS, which in turn allowed staff to log on to the system whilst in Stamford and see live results from the students’ data collection as they

were positioned around the town. The students are now using this information to answer the question and evaluate the quality of their data and look at how they can make improvements.

LEARN A LANGUAGE, OPEN MORE DOORS T

he hegemony of the English language means that, for native English speakers, once you’ve left school you need never learn another foreign word again. What fantastic news! By pure chance you’ve been born into one of the world’s most popularly used languages (albeit not the most popularly spoken) – it being the official language of over a hundred countries and the unofficial international language of business. In fact, since the Government made languages non-compulsory at GCSE in 2004, students don’t actually ‘have’ to learn another foreign word after the age of 14. It’s certainly no surprise that, nationally, the number of students studying languages in the UK is startlingly low – with A-level numbers falling by 15%, compared with 2010. Or that universities are struggling to ﬁll, or even closing down, some of their languages courses.

However, these are not the only reasons for the lack of impetus for students to study languages. It’s because the beneﬁts of mastering another language are, unfortunately, all too often ‘lost in translation’. It is the mission of Oakham School’s Modern Languages Faculty to buck this trend and demonstrate to our students that learning a language can open many doors to them – not just by helping them onto any career path that they choose, but by teaching them invaluable transferable skills that will help them in their future lives.

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Feature | Spotlight on Modern Languages

WHY LEARN A LANGUAGE? TRANSFERABLE SKILLS Learning foreign languages is more than just a means to an end, teaching you the ability to communicate with non-English speakers around the globe. It teaches you to see patterns, make links between areas of syntax, deduce meaning and actually enhances your understanding of your own language. All of this can increase your performance in many other subjects. It is also regarded as being difficult – the sense of achievement which stems from managing to master, or start to come to terms with, a foreign language is incalculable. Success in this area can have a knock-on effect in other areas of study too. Once you have learned one language, it then becomes easier at any stage in life to learn a second, but there are other transferable skills too. Speaking a foreign language builds conﬁdence and resilience and it helps you to see the world from a different perspective. It is, perhaps, the essential skill for young people in the 21st century world.

A DEGREE OF LANGUAGE Of course you can choose to study pure languages at university, but the more popular choice now is to study language as a subsidiary or part of your degree. You can dovetail around other areas of interest – from Business and Politics, Psychology to Maths. Which of course broadens your career options even further. In 2018 languages degrees were some of the most popular university choices of Oakhamians leaving School for Higher Education.

CONTINUING YOUR STUDIES As globalisation continues to march on apace and as geopolitics shapes and reshapes commercial relations around us, continuing to learn a language at A-level or as part of the IB Diploma, can only open more career doors to you in the years ahead:

Companies cross continents and business is global. Knowing one, or more, foreign languages vastly improves your employability – it can be the unique talent, or point of difference, that helps you to stand out and opens up a job interview or promotion.

Learning a language transcends simply spoken dialogue – it encourages you to learn about, and relate to, different cultures and ways of thinking and living. This understanding and knowledge is highly valued and in high demand – for developing relationships in both the business and notfor-proﬁt sectors.

The major shortage of job seekers who have additional languages ‘under their belts’, and on their CVs, serves only to vastly increase the employability of those who do. In the British Council’s list of the 10 most important languages for the UK’s future, Spanish, French, German and Italian all featured – and they are all taught at Oakham. However, as all languages are equally valuable, due to the shortage in language students, pupils are free to choose to study those that they enjoy or ﬁnd interesting whilst still adding an incredibly valuable asset to their skill set.

By having a grounding in language, at GCSE, A-level or IB Diploma, it enables you to pick up different languages at a later date. The door will be open to learn other languages at either university, or once you’ve entered the workplace - the world’s languages (from Arabic to Portuguese) will be open to you.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES There are many examples of Old Oakhamians who have ‘used’ their language skills to open different career doors. Studying a language sets you up for career options that are wide ranging: • Media • Business/Marketing • Foreign Office/Civil Service • International Law • Publishing – heading up the international sales children’s books • Fraud detection • Surveying

SPEAKING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE BUILDS CONFIDENCE AND RESILIENCE AND IT HELPS YOU TO SEE THE WORLD FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

Feature | Spotlight on Modern Languages

MODERN LANGUAGES AT OAKHAM Oakham has one of the biggest Modern Foreign Languages faculties in the UK. Quite simply, there are a lot of doors being opened to learning languages at Oakham!

4 LANGUAGES: GERMAN, ITALIAN, FRENCH, SPANISH

FRENCH INTRODUCED IN LOWER 1

HEAD OF THE LANGUAGES FACULTY

AT 16+

GERMAN AND SPANISH INTRODUCED IN FORM 2

SPECIALIST LANGUAGE TEACHERS

IN FORM 3 PUPILS CHOOSE TO STUDY ONE OR TWO LANGUAGES

NATIVE SPEAKER LANGUAGE ASSISTANTS

AT GCSE ALL STUDENTS STUDY AT LEAST ONE LANGUAGE

HEADS OF DEPARTMENT

DEDICATED LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS

FRENCH, GERMAN, SPANISH AT A-LEVEL AND THE IB DIPLOMA ITALIAN AND SPANISH AS AB INITIO COURSES IN THE IB DIPLOMA 21

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Feature | Spotlight on Modern Languages

OPENING DOORS TO A WORLD OF LANGUAGES There is an outstanding variety of events and activities that are age appropriate and designed to really bring languages to life at Oakham. Many activities are designed to showcase how languages can be applied in life, rather than just being something to ‘learn’. Students are regularly encouraged to enter a range of languages competitions – often with great success! In addition, students take part in a plethora of languages trips, to immerse themselves in both culture and language.

Visiting theatre groups present interactive plays in German, French and Spanish.

Decorating cookies for El Día de los Muertos

The recent Japanese Day which was held to give students an insight into a completely different language and culture.

French story reading in the Smallbone Library

German exchange trip to Munich

European Day of Languages 22

A variety of speakers, including alumni, give engaging talks to broaden pupils’ horizons to languages careers options.

Feature | Spotlight on Modern Languages

We have won the Scoop journalism competition three times.

Film clubs encourage pupils to watch films in different languages. Lower 1 crĂŞpe making

Lower School trip to Burgundy, France

Mexican Cooking Work Experience in France and Spain allows students to immerse themselves in a country whilst working in an area of interest.

Making masks for German Karneval

Spanish Lightning visit to Madrid 23

Academic | Art

Elli Cross

PRE-U SCULPTURE

Eddie Braine-Hartnell

Academic | Art

Annabel Lashbrook

Toyo Afolabi

Joss Mordaunt

Academic | Art

Alice Warre

Immy Lee

PRE-U TEXTILES

Lizzie Mee

Camille Smiley-Jones

Academic | Art

Sophie Tyler

Cecily Atkinson

Millie Keir

Ellie Bysouth-Kemp

Katie Brand

Freya Alcock

Academic | Art

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IB VISUAL ART 2018

Jack Garvin

Exhibition curation is an important element of the IB visual art course. Below the students describe their intentions. Jack Garvin “In this exhibition, I explore architectural form with emphasis on the intersection of line in combination with simple, undisturbed forms. I decided to increase the scale of the piece to dwarf the human form and thus establish a sense of authority over the viewer. The central forms are suspended to mirror the ﬂoating element of the modernist aesthetic as well as to obstruct the viewer’s movement through the space, thus forcing their interaction with the forms.”

Isabelle Carey “I wanted to make persuasive art that would raise environmental awareness of ocean degradation, taking inspiration from my travels to the Great Barrier Reef. The natural shapes the bamboo makes allowed me to evoke the natural ﬂow of ocean currents, and I have projected my Great Barrier Reef photography. The audience enters the space through a stained-glass window, to introduce the mood and theme of the exhibition.”

Isabelle Carey

Helen Smalley

Helen Smalley “My exhibition uses a space which can be seen from both inside and out so I wanted to engage the audience as they walked past by transforming the space into a giant light box. I was particularly interested in synapses as a metaphor for our biological state. The complexity of lines presented on a human form showing the energy from a non-literal approach, but from my perspective, also the inner-processes within human functions.”

Helen Smalley

Emily Miles

Emily Miles “My exhibition explores identity and divide, within my personal life and then confronting global issues. Visiting South Africa impacted my perceptions of divide, thus I wanted to recreate this for the viewer. This led to a multi-media piece combining fence, clothing, straw and a painting to create an unobtrusive political metaphor.”

Helen Smalley

Academic | Art

Alex Lin

FORM 7 PRE-U PAINTING

Jess Bird

oakham.rutland.sch.uk

Academic | Art

Jess Dooley

Alice Pearson

Academic | Design and Technology

LOWER 1 Pupils created jigsaw puzzles based on a theme of their choice.

FORM 1 Pupils developed an electronic game by assembling a PCB that utilised resistors to control the timing of an integrated circuit in order to create different sound frequencies and play a scale.

Pupils designed and fabricated clocks based on a theme of their choice.

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Academic | Design and Technology

FORM 2 Pupils developed their design skills by using CAD software and the 3D printer to produce USB sticks.

Pupils created a desk caddy that integrated acrylic and wooden elements for the different storage compartments.

Academic | Design and Technology

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GCSE RESISTANT MATERIALS Students designed and created iPod speaker docking stations taking inspiration from different design eras of the past 100 years, including Pop Art, Minimalism and De Stijl.

Ellie Sentance

Tor Gordon

Joshua Gibbons Luke Tapsell Vavara Tebieva

Philip Wright

Grace Sly Tom Mitchell

Miles Jacklin

Annabel Bailey

Alex Telfer

Lucy Barton

Academic | Design and Technology

George Davies

Sherry Jin

Cong Fan

Will McCallum

Miles Thomas Paul Chang

ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS

Alexey Maksimov A money sorter and electronic counter with LCD display and user adjustable saving target with RGB lights and music.

Pupils who choose to take Electronic Products have a wide range of themes from which to select their own particular project.

Robin Ruan USB powered RF wireless RGB mood light.

Edward Jones A laser tag game gun, with changeable RGB LED Team colours and LCD scoring system.

Academic | Hackathon

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING In May, Computer Science students from Forms 3 and 4 took part in Oakham School’s ﬁrst ever Hackathon; an event specially designed to encourage and develop their problem solving skills.

ased on the Hackathons that take place in universities and in the commercial world, Oakham’s inaugural Hackathon saw students challenged to work in teams to solve a range of different Computer Science conundrums. The all-day event took place in Beaumanor Hall; an incredibly ﬁtting location, given the key role it played during WWII, with operatives intercepting German communications and passing them forward to Bletchley Park for deciphering. Michael Crofts, Head of Computer Science, said of planning the event: “Our focus was on fun problem solving. We wanted to provide a variety of challenges – some of which would feel familiar, but would encourage students to practise and hone skills they already have. We also speciﬁcally included challenges that would introduce new concepts and skills –

to encourage our students to be brave and not fear a challenge – but instead to apply skills they already have into a new area.” As part of the experience, there were also a series of workshops that ran concurrently to the activities. These aimed to support the students by equipping them with more knowledge to be able to take on some of the challenges they faced. “Having an entire day allowed us to encourage students to think creatively over an extended period of time, as well as being able to give them larger, more complex problems to solve that couldn’t be handled during lesson time,” added Mr Crofts. “However, it isn’t just about giving students more time to ﬁnd a solution; the focus of the day was to really encourage them to enjoy the problem-solving process, and to build perseverance and commitment, rather than ﬁxating on reaching the solution.”

Academic | Hackathon

Academic | Form 6 Independent Research Task

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH Darryl Toerien (Head of Library and Archives) As Seymour Papert1 highlighted so presciently in The Children’s Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer (2003), it will be increasingly true in the future that the competitive ability is the ability to learn for oneself. Consequently, the purpose of the Independent Research Essay is to ensure that all Form 6 students are aware at the outset that their academic success will increasingly depend on their willingness and ability to learn by ﬁnding out for themselves, and to give them an opportunity to do so. Students are required to identify a topic that interests them, research it further in their own time using at least two subscription databases and a book, and then explain why they consider the topic worthy of consideration in an essay of between 500–750 words in length. The essay is expected to take between 3–4 hours in total. The best essays in each tutor group are then judged, mostly by bibliographic analysis, to determine the best essays in each House, with an overall winner (see below). What is striking is

the number of essays that exceed the word limit, apparently effortlessly, that are also well researched and thoughtfully written. What is equally striking is how much the essays reveal about the colourful intellectual personalities of their authors. This year’s winner, Emma Hearn, maintains the remarkably high standard set by prize-winning essays in previous years, in terms of both length and scholarship, in her essay on Why we make mistakes. Last year Holly Stevenson developed her essay on The Origins of Second Wave Feminism into an entry for the TeenTech Awards, a prestigious STEM competition under the patronage of HRH The Duke of York. Her inquiry into The Causes of the Underrepresentation of Women in Computer Science went on the win the Best Research Project Award, and she will collect her Award at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. See page 18. Holly’s Award for Best Research Project adds to the two Research & Information Literacy Awards that we have won in the 11-16 age group.

1 L. Rafael Reif, President of MIT, said of Seymour Papert following his death in 2016 that he “helped revolutionize at least 3 ﬁelds, from the study of how children make sense of the world, to the development of artiﬁcial intelligence, to the unique intersection of technology and learning” (MIT Media Lab, 2016).

oakham.rutland.sch.uk

HAMBLETON: OVERALL WINNER Emma Hearn: Why we make mistakes. BARROW William Collison: To what extent did Protestantism affect Choral Music in England? BUCHANANS Toby Tsang: How does body language ÀiyiVÌ i Ì ¶ CHAPMANS Lukas Knook: Floyd Mayweather Jr. 50 – 0 CLIPSHAM Maxwell Koczulab: Pablo Escobar: Hero or villain? GUNTHORPE Annabel Bailey: Ü Ü ƂÀÌ wV > Intelligence impact society in the future? ... Get ready for a Fourth Industrial Revolution. HAYWOODS Robert Hoppe: White noise: An overview of its perception and its positive effects on the ability to focus. RUSHEBROOKES Zena Robinson: The uncertain future of the NHS. STEVENS Miranda Winkﬁeld: Mental health and illnesses. WHARFLANDS Ole Neuss: To what extent could the Christian Crusades in 1096 be considered modern terrorist attacks?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

MIT Media Lab. (2016, August 1). Professor Emeritus Seymour Papert, Pioneer of Constructionist Learning, dies at 88. Retrieved from MIT CSAIL: https://www.csail.mit.edu/news/ professor-emeritus-seymour-papertpioneer-constructionist-learning-dies-88 38

Academic | Form 6 Independent Research Task

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PERFORMING ARTS

Drama

Music

Performing Arts | Music

oakham.rutland.sch.uk

THURSDAY 28 JUNE

BIG BAND CONCERT Clo Farmer (Form 6)

The Big Band demonstrated a standard that one could normally only expect from a professional adult ensemble. 46

Performing Arts | Music

On the last night of term, the Oakham School Big Band came together to give their highly anticipated annual concert. It is hardly an understatement to say that it was the talk of the School not only before, but also after this magnificent summer event. The Big Band never failed to disappoint throughout the whole evening, and demonstrated a standard that one could normally only expect from a professional adult ensemble. Led by Steve Foster, the instrumental numbers and songs were chosen to perfection and illustrated the phenomenal talent of Oakham School students. The band opened with Children of Sanchez and set the bar extremely high for the following numbers. The first singer, Amy Schanschieff, lit up the room with her voice in Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. As the evening continued, solo parts in the band numbers only made the evening more special; those involved included Sam Thomas on trumpet, Bryn Davies on baritone sax, and Morgan Overton on the piano. Each captivated the audience and had all eyes on them during their solos. Kane Cooper performed the Michael Bublé hit Lost to perfection, concluding the first half. Opening the second half, solo singers Clo Farmer and Emmi Beeston managed to grab the attention of the audience once again. Mr Foster displayed his own level of excellence, playing the trumpet flawlessly without music. Graduate musician George Cook wowed many of the students with a relaxed but splendid Beyond the Sea, having many students on their feet. Molly McCann finished off the solo songs with a bang in her song Sway. The Big Band saved some of their best playing til last, performing the classic hit, I want you back. To finish off an already impressive evening, the whole band and all solo singers joined together to perform Signed, sealed, delivered, I’m yours with a routine and perfect harmonies. This song got everyone on the dance floor and even after the band stopped playing, those on the floor didn’t stop dancing. What a night!

Performing Arts | Music

oakham.rutland.sch.uk

SUNDAY 22 APRIL

BIG BAND AT LANGHAM Peter Davis The talented musicians and singers of Oakham School Big Band travelled to the Church of St Peter & St Paul in Langham on Sunday 22 April to give a concert in aid of Church funds. Our pupils always enjoy these events, which give them the opportunity to showcase their performances to a slightly different audience whilst supporting the local community in our Music Out And About series. Their music-making was clearly enjoyed by all those in attendance, who were treated to the Big Band’s committed playing in a wide range of jazz styles. Featured instrumentalists Sam Thomas trumpet and Bryn Davies baritone sax, as well as ﬁve excellent singers (Emmi Beeston, Kane Cooper, Clo Farmer, Molly McCann & Amy Schanschieff) all performed brilliantly, and the event was a perfect way to spend a warm summery evening! Congratulations to all our musicians who raised £950 to support the church.

FRIDAY 27 APRIL

FRIDAY NIGHT CLASSICS Luke Taylor (Form 6)

Friday Night Classics was a concert showcasing the huge variety of talents and music Oakham has to offer. The concert began with the Wind Band conducted by Mr Foster, who performed I get around by Brian Wilson and the well-known ‘Can you feel the love tonight?’ from The Lion King. After this came two performances from the competition winners, both of which were of the highest calibre. The ﬁrst piece of the two was the song Johnny by Benjamin Britten, performed by Lily McNeill who perfectly captured the atmosphere of the piece. The next was a piano duet played by Morgan Overton and Tom Clough, who won the annual Piano Duet Competition earlier in the year. They performed a technically challenging piece entitled The French Court with great precision. Morgan was also awarded the Chamber Music Cup on the night for his overall commitment and contribution to collaborative musicmaking within the School. Polyphonix performed next, directed by Miss Law, who sang I wish I knew how it would feel to

be free. A small orchestral ensemble then performed an arrangement of Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune which, despite the ensemble’s small size, managed to fill the Chapel with this late 19th Century music very well. To complete the first half of the concert, the Chamber Orchestra, directed by Mr Cropper, performed Dvorak’s Allegro risoluto (arranged from his Sonatina for violin and piano) which gave a satisfying and wellpractised conclusion before the interval. The Concert Band, conducted by Mr Slade, took on the performance mantle for the whole second half of the concert, playing pieces such as Bernstein’s Overture to Candide and Puzsta, a collection of four gypsy dances. However, the highlight for many was the finale as we enjoyed the well-known Raiders March by John Williams from the film franchise Indiana Jones. Overall, it was a great concert which really highlighted the scale of musical talent and variety that Oakham has to offer.

Performing Arts | Music

SATURDAY 26 MAY

SPEECH DAY CONCERT Peter Davis The annual Speech Day choral concert follows on from the musical festivities of the previous night’s Form 7 takeover; the constantly surprising and entertaining Leavers’ Concert. The morning after the night before was given over this year to a celebration of Choral Centenaries, marking 100 years since the death of British composer Sir Charles H H Parry and the birth of American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. There was also time for additional musical tributes to the arranger Moses Hogan and the Czech composer Leoš Janáček. Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms had already been given an equally exhilarating and moving performance by the Chapel Choir in Cambridge Corn Exchange at the previous term’s spectacular Gala Concert. This time around, the orchestral forces were replaced by the composer’s chamber scoring of the accompaniment for organ, harp and percussion, retaining many of the original instrumental colours whilst achieving a greater immediacy. This was matched by the choir, who were fearless in their engagement with the work’s considerable difficulties (not least the Hebrew text). Beth Whitlock is to be congratulated once again on her excellent solo singing in the second movement setting of Psalm 23. The musical tribute to Parry was particular apt, combining sensitive and well-balanced performances of the ﬁrst three Songs of Farewell (Chapel Choir & Chamber Choir) with the composer’s ode to music itself, Blest Pair of Sirens, in a triumphant and lyrical performance by the Chamber Choir featuring the impressive organ playing of James Speakman. In between these, the choir relished the rhythmic challenges of Moses Hogan’s spiritual

EXCEPTIONAL MUSIC-MAKING BY ALL INVOLVED – AND ALL BEFORE 11AM IN THE MORNING! arrangement, The Battle of Jericho, which placed the excellent tenors and basses of the choir ﬁrmly in the aural spotlight. To conclude, the choir turned to a work that would have been unfamiliar to many in the audience, but which once again combined the sounds of harp and organ. Janáček’s setting of the Lord’s Prayer, Otčenáš, divides the work into contrasting sections, featuring the thrilling sounds of solo tenor (singing teacher Richard Coxon on spectacular stratospheric form!) and

the guttural sound of the prayer when sung in Czech. No linguistic compromises here at Oakham! Despite (or maybe because of) its unique soundworld, this performance made a real impression on the audience, who were treated to some beautifully lyrical interludes, a dramatic rendition of the section crying out for our daily bread, and the ﬁnal thundering Amen for the full choir and organ combined. Exceptional music-making by all involved – and all before 11am in the morning!

Performing Arts | Music

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THURSDAY 7 JUNE

LOWER SCHOOL LIVE Eddie Marshall (Form 1)

On Thursday 7 June, the Lower School gave their final musical performances of the year. All the children were eager to show off their hard work from the Summer Term and the Chapel was buzzing with excitement. The Percussion Ensemble and the Flute Ensemble opened the concert with Happy and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the second of which incorporated car horns and whistles which the crowd found amusing. The choir, Cantamus, followed with A Whole New World with Miss Law conducting, succeeded by the entertaining Cambiata, featuring boys with deeper voices, performing The Bare Necessities and You’ve got a Friend in Me. The soloists in the first half showcased their wide variety of talents. We enjoyed hearing Olivia Burgess voice, Danté Scott-Horne ‘cello, Leo Breag double bass, Ethan Taylor ‘cello and David Harrison voice. Special mentions go to Ethan Taylor, who played his Gavotte with agility and style, and David Harrison, whose performance of A Million Dreams received a room full of cheers. The final performance of the first half was Mr Foster’s Brass Ensemble, who performed In the Hall of the Mountain King and The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

The Lower School Strings opened the second half with two contrasting pieces: Intrada and a second arrangement of In the Hall of the Mountain King. We were treated to more exciting solo performances: Arlo North voice, Samantha Hughes piano and Freddie Gwinnett oboe. Freddie needs a special mention for his conﬁdent performance style. The Lower School Guitar Ensemble performed a jazzpiece, Guitar Boogie Shuffle before the ﬁnale featuring the Lower School Choir and Cantamus. Two of the songs that the Lower School Choir performed (Harrow-on-theHill and Middlesex) were composed by Mr Davis. The songs were unique and challenged the choir. An excellent end to the academic year – congratulations to all involved!

All the children were eager to show off their hard work from the Summer Term and the Chapel was buzzing with excitement.

THURSDAY 22 JUNE

ORCHESTRAL CONCERT Lizzie Beamish (Form 4)

On a warm summer evening, the audience waited patiently for the last Orchestral Concert of the academic year to begin. Opening this fantastic concert was the Chamber Orchestra, directed by Head of Strings, Martin Cropper, who performed Dvořák’s Sonatina in G major, op. 100. The first movement ‘Allegro risoluto’ started with a bold call to attention and then quickly becoming more relaxed, grabbing the audience’s attention from the first second. The following movement was more moody, with a strong melodic flow, beginning with a beautiful viola solo. The final two movements – ‘Scherzo’ and ‘Finale’ - were more energetic, encouraging the audience to tap their feet along with the main melodies which were both catchy and enjoyable. Overall, 50

an exciting and well-executed performance. Next came the School’s Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the Director of Music, Peter Davis, performing three Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams with super tenor soloist, Tom Clough. The first movement performed ‘The Call’ opens with the oboe, shortly followed by the singer imitating its music. A second beautiful movement followed ‘Love bade me welcome’, leading to the final song, ‘Easter’, featuring radiant singing accompanied by a rich array of orchestral tone colours. The first half of the concert concluded with music from the classic Broadway musical, West Side Story, composed by Leonard Bernstein and arranged by Jack Mason. Opening boldly, this arrangement contrasted relaxing

and fun sections and featured many of the work’s familiar tunes as the orchestra marked the centenary of the composer’s birth. The second half of the concert was dedicated to the Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Symphony No.1 in F minor, op. 10 by Shostakovich. The piece starts off delicately and quietly with the muted trumpets, but then soon dives into a land of excited and playful musical material as well as contrasting sections of quiet. The second movement shares the same spirited style, and its mood of joyful impulsiveness is introduced by the clarinets. A crescendo in the side drum begins the ‘Finale’, which arrives with little interruption. It has strong emotions and sharp contrasts, and was a great way to ﬁnish a fantastic and engaging concert.

TRIPS AND TOURS Lea Green

Pre-season Rugby Camp

Lower 1 Coal Mining Visit

Madrid

Lower School Activity Camp

Chamber Choir Tour to Belgium

MUN and Art Trips

Trips and Tours | Visit to Lea Green

PEAK PERFORMANCE I

n May, Lower 1 pupils spent three days on their annual residential trip to Lea Green Development Centre in Derbyshire, demonstrating bravery, determination and great teamwork as they undertook a series of outdoor challenges. Activities that they enjoyed were: archery, stream walking (with a few added challenges), camp craft, paddle boarding on the River Derwent, hiking in the hills and through a network of rhododendron root tunnels known as “the jungle”. On their ﬁnal day they ﬁnished off their trip in style tackling the low ropes and high ropes courses at Lea Green before returning to Oakham, feeling a great sense of achievement at how they had challenged themselves beyond the classroom.

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Trips and Tours | Pre-season Rugby Camp

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TRIES, TRAINING AND TEAM BUILDING IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE A

s part of their preparation for the forthcoming rugby season, 102 rugby players from Oakham’s senior, U16 and U15 squads travelled to Club Correze in southern France at the end of August to spend ﬁve days of intensive training and team building. Club Correze is a purpose-built complex run by former England ‘A’ coach, Ged Glynn and his wife Claire, near Meymac in the Massif Central. The resort has been developed over the years and is ideally suited for school groups as they embark on some serious preparation for the season ahead. In addition to the rugby training, which included a strong focus on strength

and conditioning, the boys were also able to participate in a variety of non-rugby sporting activities such as water sports and a high ropes course aimed at developing team building and leadership skills. The senior squad immediately had an opportunity to put their training into practice at the Kingswood Festival in Bath. Staying at the YMCA in central Bath, the boys enjoyed training on the playing ﬁelds of King Edward’s School before playing trial matches against the host school, Blundells, Bryanstan and Northampton School for Boys. The senior teams certainly saw the immediate beneﬁts of this pre-season training, as they embarked upon a remarkable start to the new season, winning their opening matches against local rivals Uppingham and Stamford, as well as visiting New Zealand side Lindisfarne College.

Trips and Tours | Pre-season Rugby Camp

In addition to the rugby training, which included a strong focus on strength and conditioning, the boys were also able to participate in a variety of non-rugby sporting activities such as water sports and a high ropes course aimed at developing team building and leadership skills.

Trips and Tours | Lower 1 visit National Coal Mining Museum

DIGGING IT Kelly Gibbons

As part of their work in Design Technology, in May Lower 1 pupils visited the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield.

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he children spent two hours underground in the pit taking part in an interactive tour. They got into the character of a miner by putting coal on their faces, and found out how tough it was to work in a mine as they collected coal and processed it through the system. They also experienced what it was like to be a child opening and shutting the trap door in the pitch black. The pupils looked at renewable and non-renewable resources, saw how coal is formed, and learned how miners and mining processes have changed over time. It was a great educational trip that ďŹ tted well with their School project on the topic and fun was had by all.

Trips and Tours | Madrid

BASKING IN MADRID LIFE

orm 6 Hispanists spent three fantastic days in mid-June soaking up the language and culture of Madrid, to help perfect their knowledge of the subject. During the course of their ‘lightning visit’ to Spain’s capital, students took every opportunity to talk to locals and their teachers only in Spanish, whilst sampling the local food and visiting the major tourist attractions of Spain’s capital city. Among the locations the students visited were the Museo Reina Soﬁa, home to Picasso’s masterpiece, ‘Guernica’, the Plaza España, and the Plaza Mayor. The students thoroughly enjoyed their experience of Madrid both by day and night; a particular highlight was watching a top rate Flamenco performance at Cardomomo.

Trips and Tours | Lower School Activity Camp

ALL ACTION ADVENTURE Lower School pupils enjoyed a camping adventure in the Forest of Dean during May half-term, taking part in a variety of activities that included climbing, caving, abseiling, bushcraft and canoeing.

he Biblins Youth Campsite, where the pupils stayed, is in a fantastic location with spectacular views of the Wye Valley. On the ﬁrst day, the pupils practised some bushcraft followed by a walk along the river to get ice creams. Everyone then returned to their accommodation, the Burrow, for a barbeque. On the following day, the pupils enjoyed a highly successful canoe trip from Huntsmans Bridge, via the famous Symonds Yat rapids, back to camp. When they reached the canoe take-out, most pupils decided to go for a refreshing and well-earned swim in the river, which sounded very enjoyable judging by the noise. The timing was great, for as they headed 58

back to the Burrow, the heavens opened and there was a tremendous storm with thunder and lightning. Later that afternoon, the group learned more bushcraft; this involved collecting and purifying water using different methods, making ﬁres and hot chocolate. They then went abseiling at Bog Rock. On the ﬁnal morning of the trip, after packing up the camp, the pupils had the chance to go caving at Clearwell Caves, working their way expertly through the aptly named ‘rabbit’, ‘mouse’ and ‘worm’ holes. All in all a fantastic trip to a beautiful and remote part of the forest.

Trips and Tours | Lower School Activity Camp

The pupils had the chance to go caving at Clearwell Caves, working their way expertly through the aptly named ‘rabbit’, ‘mouse’ and ‘worm’ holes.

Trips and Tours | Chamber Choir Tour to Belgium

HITTING THE HIGH NOTES IN BELGIUM Peter Davis Five days, three concerts, one service – 22 pupil singers, 4 staff and 1 Old Oakhamian. This turned out to be the perfect recipe for one of the most fulfilling musical tours undertaken by the School in recent years. The fact that someone had coincidentally arranged the football World Cup to take place at the same time also made for an interesting side-show to our cultural endeavours!

espite uncharacteristic initial delays on the Eurostar, our tour party travelled with relative ease from St Pancras to Brussels, and then onwards to our base in Liège on day 1. Whilst our youth hostel was relatively basic, it offered a very resonant venue for our promising ﬁrst rehearsal of the tour, as well as being within easy reach of the city centre as we went exploring in the evening sunshine after dinner. Day 2 took us back to the capital Brussels and a stunning ﬁrst concert venue in the shape of Brussels Cathedral. After a visit to a musical instrument museum and free time for lunch, the choir were on excellent form for an afternoon performance of music from Weelkes to Whitacre which featured a number of vocal soloists. We even managed to juggle picking up IB results and giving an impromptu outdoor post-concert performance on the cathedral steps, much to the bemusement of some passing tourists. Post-concert ice creams and crèpes followed, before our return to Liège, basking in our social media notoriety of being re-tweeted by the famous composer Eric Whitacre whose music we had just performed! It ended up being quite a remarkable evening for Belgium, who beat Brazil in the World Cup that night, something that was then celebrated by every car horn in Liège until around 1am the next day…! Nevertheless, we were up and out early the next morning, crossing the Dutch border en route for some sight-seeing in Maastricht. Our new tour hoodies turned out to be very useful as we stopped for a remarkable but chilly tour of the Northern Caves of St Pietersberg. These were more extraordinary than any of us had imagined; the man-made tunnels featured remarkable cave drawings and small chapels, not to mention providing the venue for an interesting pitch black experiment in navigation! A relaxing lunch in central Maastricht was most welcome before we headed to Verviers for a new acoustic and organ – and the frustration of having to rehearse at the

same time as England played (and beat) Sweden. Both the venue and welcome were superb, and we were treated to a barbecue in the garden of one of the church representatives before performing. The choir responded wonderfully in concert, and there was fulsome praise from the audience for the choir’s blend, high quality of singing, variety of repertoire and fantastic solo singing. Mr Speakman also accompanied brilliantly at some distance from the main choir as we performed works such as Mozart’s Missa Brevis in F, Morten Lauridsen’s moving Lux aeterna, and choir favourite – I was glad by Parry – for the ﬁrst time on the tour. Day 4 saw us up early again to make the journey to Dinant, the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, to sing at the 11am mass in the splendid Collégiale Notre-Dame. After an exuberant warm-up led by Mr Cook, the choir was on classy

After an exuberant warm-up led by Mr Cook, the choir was on classy form in the service, and we were complimented, on both the strength of English singing and English football, by the priest.

form in the service, and we were complimented, on both the strength of English singing and English football, by the priest. After a quick lunch beside the countless gigantic, colourful saxophones littering the roadside, we were off again, this time to the charming town of La Roche-en-Ardenne, where its church nestled beneath the castle ramparts. We left our British organist practising on a German organ in a Belgian church (very international!) as we visited the castle, and then enjoyed the chance to rehearse in another very favourable acoustic. That night’s concert was full of highlights, from a very stylish performance of Gershwin’s Summertime through to unquestionably the choir’s finest performance of Tippett’s Spirituals from A Child of our Time. Parry’s I was glad raised the roof to end the concert as we once again marked his anniversary, and our encore was another of his works: rather aptly, the first of his Songs of Farewell. We were treated to a spectacular sunset on the coach back to Liège as the final chord of My soul, there is a country resonated in our ears. A superb musical conclusion to the tour, ending

with a standing ovation and wonderful musical memories for all, particularly the eight Form 7 leavers who were with us. Day 5 gave us a free morning of shopping (and more ice cream) in Liège before we began our journey home. We bid farewell to our now legendary coach driver Maurice at the station, and made our way back to the UK to conclude a terrific five-day trip full of great singing and great companionship. But as a final postscript, I was an extremely proud Director of Music just a couple of days later when I received an unsolicited e-mail from a member of our audience in Brussels Cathedral, to whom I would like to give the final word: “The concert was…absolutely stunning and I could hardly believe my ears. I am extremely grateful for getting the chance to hear…these incredibly talented young people travelling to Brussels to sing for us…easily the most impressive choir concert I have ever seen.”

Trips and Tours | MUN and Art Trips

SPEAKING VOLUMES Form 6 MUN students debate current affairs at the MUN Conference in Alkmaar, Holland

orm 6 student Khalid successfully chaired the General Assembly Committee at the International Model United Nations (MUN) Conference in Alkmaar, Holland in June. Using his great wealth of MUN experience, Khalid effectively conducted and led the conference with conﬁdence and some moments of wit. The international conference, that attracted over 400 students from around the world, aims to build an understanding of current global challenges amongst the next generation of world leaders and thinkers. Fellow Oakhamians represented Poland during the event and debated a range of issues from rising tension in Korea, NATO relations with Ukraine to the refugee crisis by armed actions. Laurence Ward, Head of Politics and lead teacher of MUN said, “Our student delegates negotiated and debated in an effective way winning great credit and accolades from the host school. Oakham students have been highly commended and their host families were delighted to accommodate them.”

BRIT ART Form 6 Art students were delighted to meet with the influential British artist, Linder Sterling, during their visit to her exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary.

inder, who initially produced edgy collage work based on a Feminist theme during the mid-late 70s Punk era, is known for her photography, radical feminist photomontage, and confrontational performance art. The students met Linder after listening to her speak about the exhibition and her work. Teacher of Art Mr Iain Prendergrast said, “This trip was the culmination of a year’s work for the students, studying the history of collage from Picasso to Sterling. The students enjoyed the exhibition and seeing pieces that explored the boundaries of art as well as chatting to Linder about it.”

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PASTORAL Sports Day

House news

Lower School

Middle School

Leaversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ball 2018

OSCA

Pastoral | Sports Day

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MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS DAY 2018

Victrix Ludorum Winners Intermediate Girls – Izzy Skelton & Eliza Skinner Senior Girls – Eskarda Matthew-Shaw Victor Ludorum Winners Intermediate Boys – Luke Fry Senior Boys – Emmanuel Ighofose House Competition Results Intermediate Girls – Gunthorpe Senior Girls – Gunthorpe Overall – Gunthorpe Intermediate Boys – Haywoods Senior Boys – Barrow Overall – Clipsham

Pastoral | Sports Day

LOWER SCHOOL SPORTS DAY 2018

Victrix Ludorum Winners Lower 1 Girls – India North Form 1 Girls – Emily Burlison, Charlotte Cousley, Monica Augustine-Ohwo Form 2 Girls – Gabi Gelderbloom Victor Ludorum Winners Lower 1 Boys – Ernie Jackson Form 1 Boys – Charlie Watts Form 2 Boys – Ruben Persona

LEAVERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; BALL 2018

Pastoral | Oakham School Charities Association (OSCA)

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CHARITY BEGINS IN HOUSE Well done to everyone who has helped raise over £17,000 in such a busy and short term, bringing the annual total to just about £40,000 for the year. A very good year indeed!

n a term dominated by exams, Oakhamians have been their usual busy selves raising money for good causes, not least the boys of Sargants and Peterborough Houses who did a Sponsored Cycle ride around Rutland Water. From this, the boys of Sargants House raised £3,000 for LIV Village, Natal, SA and the boys of Peterborough House raised £1,000 for Rainbows in Loughborough, a children’s Hospice. Ancaster House collected £178 during their ‘Soirée’, which was donated to the MND Association and Barrow House raised £576 also for a Motor Neurone disease charity. Chapmans House raised £2,494.90 this year in aid of Papyrus, the charity for the prevention of young suicide. Rushebrookes House did a sponsored walk where they raised more than £900 for Orphanaid in Sierra Leone. YoungMinds has been our school charity this year for which Oakhamians, through a myriad different activities, have raised in excess of £19,000 since September – an extraordinary achievement. This term, a wide range of events contributed to this total. Our Form 7 sporting heroes did their bit when the 1st VII Netball and the 1st XV Rugby played a netball match at the beginning of term, raising £119. The girls beat the boys but it was a great game! Added to this, a team from Oakham raised close to £7,000 with the Rutland Water Half Marathon. We also had the termly Non-Uniform Day and from the Common Room, Sarah Angove, Sarah Gomm and Tessa Drummond completed a Night Cycle Ride in London raising £550. Even members of staff, including the Headmaster, had wet sponges thrown at them to raise money for our charity! On a musical note, The School Big Band helped Langham Church raise £950 for Church funds with the concert they held there at the start of term. There were also collections for Anna’s Hope at both the Orchestral Concert on 22 June and the Big Band Concert on 28 June. Also from the Common Room, Julie Summers did the Cancer Research Race for Life again at Burghley House and the Leicester 10k at Abbey Park in April for a domestic abuse charity. Yann Toussaint, along with Richard Jesson, our longtime school D of E cycling assessor, completed the British Heart foundation MTB ride in the Peak District.

Even members of staff, including the Headmaster, had wet sponges thrown at them to raise money for our charity!

ACTIVITIES CCF

D of E

Activities | CCF

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CCF SUMMER CAMP

Cadets Wilkinson & Nutter (Form 4) We set off from Oakham packed and ready to go. We were ready for a great week! When we arrived at Wathgill (just outside Catterick), we were allocated our dorms and unpacked, followed by dinner. We spent the evening getting to know our new friends with a game of rugby. After an early start, we had a hot day performing leadership tasks and learning about life in the Royal Signals Corps. We were then challenged to use the radios which we enjoyed. The following day we prepared our Bergan to sleep out under the stars, before which we would spend the day learning tactics. In the evening we were given a 24-hour ration pack, cooked our ﬁrst meal, put up our bashas and performed our ﬁrst night payroll ready for the next day's ambush. The ambush in question certainly caught the enemy by surprise given we ambushed the wrong person! Instead of ambushing Father Tim and Mr Farrar, we ambushed a regular soldier on a nav. exercise! We returned back to camp to clean the 84

weapons, have a shower and a hot dinner. On the following day, we carried out Training In Built-Up Areas (TIBUA). This consisted of patrolling streets, entering buildings, clearing buildings and defending a location. We also experienced the training of a Gurkha soldier. When we returned to camp, we took part in an obstacle course with 10ft walls, monkey bars and balancing beams. The next day we did our adventure training. This consisted of height obstacles such as a Jacob’s ladder, climbing walls and the leap of faith. The afternoon was great fun as we took part in a mud obstacle course, in which we enjoyed leopard crawling through mud! Overall we had a fantastic week! The weather was perfect, we really enjoyed the activities and we all left with new skills. We'd like to thank Mr Townsley for his photography skills, Father Tim for keeping us laughing, Mr Farrar for always being the enemy, Colour Sergeant Smith for keeping us organised and ﬁnally to Lt Reeves and Major Taylor for making the whole thing happen!

Activities | CCF

Form 7 student Alexander reports on the event: Bisley Silver Shooting Success During the summer holidays, the Oakham shooting team won Silver at the four-day National Schools’ Shooting Competition at Bisley, which concludes with the Ashburton Shield. This is the third year running Oakham has been placed in the competition with Bronze medals in 2016, Silver in 2017 and Silver again (by the narrowest of margins) this year.

“The ﬁrst three days were essentially practice for the Ashburton Thursday, however, competitions were still run on those days. Matt, Melissa and I all managed to be on the leader boards for several different competitions, whether that be various aggregates or individual shoots. Two notable mentions are George and Marki, who despite being fairly new to the sport, performed extremely well for newcomers, scoring in excess of 30 points on multiple occasions. Then along came Thursday, Ashburton day, with no let up in the heat. Everyone seemed to have

everything sorted and in place; it was all down to the individual now. The day started with a shoot at 300 yards, then back to 600 yards and ﬁnally forward to 500 yards. We seemed to be shooting well despite the challenging shooting conditions, with the oldtimers improving on last year’s results and the rookies such as Callum and Josh, shooting better than they had on the previous days. The leader board went up and we were delighted to see we had scored the joint highest number of points, however on count back we were pipped by just 6 V-Bulls.

We were all understandably gutted at this, as we came to Bisley this year with a great chance of winning. However Vanessa, our captain, should be incredibly proud to captain a Silver Medal winning team. Two of us had also managed to get into the top 100 shots of the week and I didn’t embarrass myself too much in the individual competition at the end, called the Spencer Melish. All in all it was a successful week with plenty of positives to take from the it and we will return next year with Gold Medals in our sights.”

The leader board went up and we were delighted to see we had scored the joint highest number of points, however on count back we were pipped by just 6 V-Bulls. 85

Activities | CCF

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ON THE VIA FERRATA Gold D of E Expedition to the Dolomites

Duncan Wright

n August, 11 Form 6 cadets travelled to the stunning Dolomites area of Northern Italy to undertake their assessed Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award Expedition. During the four-day expedition, the cadets covered around 20km each day, passing through some of the valleys and passes in the area of Cortina d’Ampezzo and Corvara. In addition to successfully completing the expedition – dealing with a range of weather as well as steep terrain – the students were rewarded with some of the most magnificent scenery that Europe has to offer and were able to take in the sights of one of Italy’s finest cities: Venice. Also, as is traditional with CCF DofE expeditions there was an element of military history and ‘battlefield touring’. The theme this year was the Italian front of World War 1 which

saw Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces ﬁghting amongst the mountains of the area; a feat which often involved tunnelling deep into the mountains and which saw the introduction of the via ferrata (‘iron path’) routes around the steep mountains which allowed troops to move quickly around. My thanks to SSgt Des Barlow, our assessor, and to 299 (Para) Squadron Royal Engineers for ‘loaning” him – it is great to have an external but familiar face to assess the cadets for their Gold Award!

Highlights from the trip: Day 1 After an early start via Eurostar to Paris, everyone took the opportunity to spend an afternoon taking in the sights of the city before boarding the night train to Verona.

Day 2 Arriving a little late in Verona, the cadets breakfasted at the station whilst some of the staff went to collect the hire vehicles. Once done we set forth for the mountains through the heavy traffic on the autostrada, this being peak Italian holiday season! The journey took a good deal of the day, driving through the increasingly grand scenery of the Dolomites – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – before arriving at the campsite in the afternoon. The cadets met Des – their external Army Reserve DofE Assessor – and they quickly put up their tents. They then went shopping to stock up for dinner and had an early night after a long journey.

Activities | CCF

DURING THE FOUR-DAY EXPEDITION, THE CADETS COVERED AROUND 20KM EACH DAY, PASSING THROUGH SOME OF THE VALLEYS AND PASSES IN THE AREA OF CORTINA D’AMPEZZO AND CORVARA. Day 3 After a decent night’s sleep, the cadets were ready for their acclimatisation day. We started by driving up to the Passo Falzarego and once parked (no easy feat in the height of summer!) we took the cable car up to the Rifugio Lagazuoi at just over 2,700 metres. From there, we could get the sense of scale of the area and see where we would be walking over the coming days. The cadets could also begin to appreciate what AustroHungarian and Italian troops of World War 1 might have gone through over 100 years ago. We wandered down from the Rifugio to explore some of the tunnels before getting the cable car back down. From the bottom we then set off on the ‘acclimbatisation’ walk to enable the cadets to stretch their legs a little after the two days of travel. Heading for the Rifugio Averau, and navigating around some of the stunning mountains, we stopped at a hut for a pleasant

delightful scenery, both stopping by a lake for a well-deserved lunch. With a ﬁnal haul up over the Col, the teams then headed westwards down towards Cortina, ﬁnishing just north and crucially just before the heavy afternoon rain!

lunch. We returned to Falzarego stopping at a local Spa branch (much more upmarket than in the UK!) to shop for expedition food. Day 4 The first day of the expedition phase dawned sunny but chilly; the teams were almost ready to depart at 0830! Once the vans were loaded, we headed over the pass through Cortina d’Ampezzo then turned northwards. A few kilometres out of Cortina the groups reached the start point and then, with water bottles filled and final routes briefed, they began. With a short but steep climb up into Val Padeon, the teams walked amongst some

Day 5 The dawn was the chilliest yet, though sunny as the students packed away their kit ready for day 2 of the expedition phase. Both teams set off through the woods and pasture of the lower part of the valley to head up to the side valley, which leads to the Passo Falzarego, their finishing point for the day. The cadets made good time and attacked the steep uphill sections of the first part of the route. They headed for the shade and rest afforded by the Rifugio Dibona at just over 2,000 metres (some 700 metres above their start point!). After their break, Team 2 set off first and were met by me and Des part way along their afternoon section. The meeting point was also the site of a World War 1 field hospital, the ruins still clear to see. In good spirits, Team 2 finished first and returned to the campsite. Team 1 were met a short time later and in equally good spirits, they finished a short time after Team 2. Luckily everyone finished slightly ahead of the heavy downpours, which are common here and which can soak you in only a couple of minutes! 87

Activities | D of E

Day 6 The day once again dawned chilly but sunny as both teams readied themselves for their third day of walking. Once at the Passo Falzarego – their start point – they headed off west then south over the mountains towards Corvara. Everyone made good progress, though Team 1 did stray off route a little, but they recovered very well and were back on track quickly enough. Both teams hit the ridge close to the Col del Lana at about lunchtime, and after a break they descended down towards the hamlet of Contrin where they were checked in by staff. The terrain changed through the afternoon with the harsh rock of the mountains giving way to lush alpine pasture where there were great views of the Marmolada, the highest mountain in Italy. After a short last bit of uphill towards the Rifugio Incisa, which sits on the ridge above the town of Corvara, it was downhill all the way to the top of town. The cadets ﬁnished their long day, once again just in time to miss the late afternoon rain! Day 7 So, it was the last day of the expedition phase and both teams were in good spirits. The dawn was a little warmer than some other mornings so it was easier to get going! Starting with an ascent of around 400 metres, both teams made short work of hiking to the top of the mountain. They reached the ﬁrst checkpoint in around two hours, which was superb! They then ploughed on along the ridge 88

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towards the second checkpoint at the Rifugio Pralongia where both teams had a short break to recover and to admire the 360 degree views. Team 2 then headed for the descent whereas Team 1 continued to the highest peak in the area to have lunch and to enjoy even better views! Everyone made super progress in the afternoon with the descent down towards the campsite. Team 2 arrived ﬁrst though Team 1 was not far behind. To celebrate, everyone headed into Cortina for dinner. The cadets had a couple of hours of welcome free time in Cortina looking around the very expensive shops – only to be expected of Italy’s top resort! They then went to a delightful restaurant just off the main piazza and enjoyed a well-earned pizza before returning home, tired and content. Day 8 With the trekking phase over, the start today was a little more leisurely! Flt Lt Townsley and 2Lt Constable popped out to the Spa to get some breakfast – difficult as the Italian breakfast seems to consist only of coffee with nothing really eaten until later in the day! The cadets surfaced ready for their return and once all the kit was packed away, everyone headed off. The ﬁrst stop was the Tre Sassi fort close to the Passo Falzarego. This is a circa 1900 AustroHungarian fort, now restored, offering visitors a unique feel of what the Italians referred to as the vertical front – ‘il fronte verticale’. This brought

home how difficult it was on this front for the many young men – mostly little older than the cadets – in an area where temperatures can drop as low as -30 in the winter. Maz Hastings, the Historian, described the front here: “...year after year rival forces of alpine troops – native mountain men – strove to dispossess each other of neighbouring pinnacles, to tunnel the peaks, to mine and counter-mine in unspeakable conditions.” The next stop was the Sacrario Militaire, which opened in 1939. It is the official state memorial to the thousands who died during WW1 on the Dolomite front. Sitting on a promontory above Cortina, its heavy fascist styling dominates and certainly creates a striking presence. The cool and quiet interior provided space for reflection of all those lives lost during fighting. The final stop was at the Nasswand Cemetery. This peaceful resting place for hundreds of the dead, again is in stark contrast to the horrors of a hundred years ago. After taking it in and a short act of remembrance, the group set forth for Venice. Upon arrival in the northern plains, the cadets found temperatures rising to 35 degrees – some 10-15 degrees higher than they’d been used to in the mountains. It was nice to have air conditioning in the vans! After a stop for a late lunch on the autostrada, they reached the campsite for the next phase – city camping and a day of R&R in Venice before returning to the UK.

Activities | D of E

GOLDEN WONDER

Nick Neve

Teamwork and chocolate win the day for the D of E Gold sailors. “The best school trip ever!” was the feedback. 21 students set free and unaccompanied on the Norfolk Broads in heritage boats – no engines, no electricity; just wood, rope and canvas. They relished the freedom to choose where they sailed; the freedom to explore and be curious; the freedom to choose what to eat and when to get up – to watch the dawn sunrise and to stay up late. With freedom comes negotiation and compromise: not all team members want the same thing and there’s no teacher to arbitrate. The teams also found the journeying much harder than anticipated. They had all achieved RYA yacht

certiﬁcation as part of their DofE training, yet even those with many years of dinghy experience found it intensely challenging to navigate a heavy wooden gaff-rigged boat upwind in those narrow channels. The trees and windmills on the river banks cause unexpected wind shadows making life even more tricky just when you need to tack. There were tears at times, from both frustration and exhaustion, yet teamwork and chocolate won through. The students discovered the great satisfaction in overcoming adversity and there are rumours of a return trip next summer before university.

RIDING HIGH

“The best school trip ever!” was the feedback. 21 students set free and unaccompanied on the Norfolk Broads in heritage boats – no engines, no electricity; just wood, rope and canvas.

Daniel Greenﬁeld

Bronze Cyclists battle high temperatures to complete their Qualifying Expedition.

fter experiencing torrential rain in their Practice Expedition in Rutland, the Bronze cyclists had to endure temperatures hitting 30 degrees Celsius in Shropshire during their Qualifying Expedition. Despite the extremely testing conditions, the group completed day 1 in good time. Knowing that the real challenges laid ahead over the next two days, everyone opted for an early night. On Saturday morning the group headed off knowing that they had three climbs to tackle all over 3km in length. The ﬁrst climb was probably the longest and hardest, but all summited with just a bit of pushing. Despite the next two being

shorter, the temperatures were at their hottest and the ascents turned into a physical and psychological battle which all successfully overcame. After a long day in the saddle, everyone was in bed early determined to get up and complete the expedition. The day started with the highlight of the expedition the ascent and descent of the Long Mynd. Unfortunately on the descent the group made a navigational error which threw them off course. However, they realised their mistake and got back on course and successfully completed an extremely tough Qualifying Expedition. 89

Activities | D of E

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TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED IN TOLKIEN COUNTRY Sophie Clarke

Friday Silver Walking Qualifying Expedition

n Wednesday 27 June the remaining 26 Friday Silver walkers left the comfort of Schanschieffs to travel to Tolkien country, the Trough of Bowland. In preparation, they had been bored by Mr Nutter about his ancestry, “Auntie Alice” and ‘The (local) Witches’. On arrival, the group was then split up – half staying at Slaidburn and the others at Stainforth. In quick succession, the groups completed an acclimatisation walk, had a slap up meal and were briefed. The following morning – far too early, the expedition began. It was going to be no picnic with temperatures consistently over 25 degrees earlier in the week and forecast to be the same. All knew that the inevitable ‘glow and perspiration’ was likely to turn them into ‘Dirty Beasts’ over the next next 72 hours, armed only with ‘Lynx-Africa’ deodorant, following a warning not to go near water. Our adventurers had taken advice from Monday Silver Walking, who earlier in the week, had evolved the rather strange strategy of getting up at 4am and be walking by 5am. The Friday Silver walkers could not initially understand this approach; in the post exam party period no one had been up before midday – right? It was now that each individual’s and group’s real character began to emerge. Euan Burridge and Oli Simmonds are clearly related to ‘The BFG’, this is obvious in the size of their steps and the speed with which

their group made it cross-country. Indeed Euan and Oli were going so fast that Angus Watkin was actually quiet for three days – a ﬁrst, whilst Oscar Bryan withstood the pace stoically. Rory ‘Desperate for a name check’ Tyler’s group were inspired by ‘Esiotrot ‘ and made languid progress through the countryside. Much morale boosting banter was to be heard from this group, in particular from Will Foster-Collier, whilst

The Friday Silver walkers passed their expedition section, with some of the highest standards of camp craft, courtesy, navigation and walking speed seen in 20 years, and should be rightly proud of their accomplishment. 90

Freddie Skelton, Harry Peacock and Oliver Leaf hid their disappointment at missing the England game really well. If only there was some ‘Marvellous Medicine’ that could cure Rory’s blisters? Neither George Mallott nor George Davies could help. Elsewhere, thoughts turned to texting Charlie Jones about the possibility of a non-melting chocolate Wonka bar. The heat was playing havoc with expedition snacks. It might be salad ﬂavoured perhaps; the D of E requirement for cooking a hot meal each day seemed a little crazy in heat like this. Nevertheless, all the groups dutifully made pasta and super noodles daily to demonstrate their culinary skills. Having dismissed the option of a ‘Great Glass Elevator’ as too far fetched, Hattie Joseland and Eloise Sentance were clearly dreaming of alternative forms of transport. A ‘Giant Peach’ might be an effective, non-motorised way to cross the countryside that lay before them. Lexi Gundle was not keen on the idea of the insects (or any insects at all for that matter) that accompanied James, so this idea was abandoned. I have to confess that there were more

than insects on their second campsite – see me for the reptilian details, but not an ‘Enormous Crocodile’! Laura Crowley and Izzy Fear took comfort from a massive bag of ‘Minion’ pasta instead. Amani Sadhu was disappointed that her ‘Dahl’ infused lentils were supposed to be microwaved, rather than cooked on a stove, but improvised admirably. Inspired by the ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ to outwit farmers and their supervisors, the ‘early leavers’ were without doubt Gabi Blackburn, Annie Rhodes, Annabelle Bailey and Millie Greenlees’ group. They claimed not to enjoy expeditioning, but day after day they made it into camp by 2pm, having left at 4.30am. Deﬁnitely, the ‘coolest’ group in town. Elsewhere Alex Anthony, Philip Wright and Tom Mitchell have discovered that Oli ‘Back the Bearing’ Drakard is a navigational genius, thanks in no small part to Mr Gorman’s recent extra input. At regular intervals ‘The Twits’ appeared bearing water reﬁlls, ice packs and after sun. The expedition would not have been possible without them. Thanks go to Mr Nutter, Miss Campion. Mr Coman, Mrs Smith and Miss Lopez for their tireless efforts and collection of route cards. Whilst Mr Nutter did a great impression of Miss Trunchbowl, the women were vying for the ‘Miss Honey’ award; but did win the pub quiz on the last night, living the Oakhamian co-curricular dream! The Friday Silver walkers passed their expedition section, with some of the highest standards of camp craft, courtesy, navigation and walking speed seen in 20 years, and should be rightly proud of their accomplishment. Hopefully, they all feel as though they are ‘Champions of the World’.

SPORT Cricket

Tennis

Athletics

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Sailing

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Staff News | Arrivals September 2018

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STAFF NEWS Jamie Aiken Teacher of History Jamie joins the School from New Hall School, in Essex, where he was a Housemaster and Teacher of History and Politics for the past three years. He was previously a Head of House at Reigate Grammar School, and a resident tutor at Harrow School Hong Kong. He studied his BA at The University of Leeds and went on to complete his teacher training at The University of Sussex.

Elinor Brass Director of Art Elinor joins Oakham after 11 years at Eltham College in South East London, where she was Director of Art. Prior to that, she was a teacher at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, where she completed her Masters in painting at Wimbledon School of Art. She is now working on an Educational Doctorate, exploring learning in a gallery setting. In her free time, she ﬁts in as much art making as she can but also loves going to gigs, galleries and the theatre. She also enjoys playing tennis, watching sport and spending time with her family.

Emily Cattell Teacher of Girls PE (Maternity Cover) Emily joins Oakham School, being appointed her ﬁrst teaching post as a teacher of PE. She completed her Bachelor of Science Undergraduate degree in Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Birmingham, followed by her teacher training. In her spare time, she loves to get involved in a variety of sports, go walking in the Lake District and also travel.

Fiona Cooper Teacher of Chemistry Fiona joins Oakham from Tonbridge Grammar School, where she taught MYP Science, GCSE Chemistry and IB Diploma Chemistry. Prior to that, she taught in a Danish Gymnasium near Copenhagen, which had an international department and boarding school. She also has

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a great deal of experience as a UCAS Adviser/ Referee. She studied Chemistry and her PGCE at the University of Leeds. In her spare time, she loves to play tennis, sing alto, and is a trumpeter. She has a passion for French language and culture, and also speaks competent Danish.

Justine Copas Teacher of Economics Justine joins the School from Harington School where she was a Teacher of Economics. She studied her BA in Economics and Social and Economic History and went on to complete her teacher training at the University of Leicester. In her spare time she enjoys open water swimming, outdoor activities and yoga.

Craig Cumming Teacher of Geography Craig joins Oakham School from the Merchant Navy, having spent nine years as a Navigation Officer, latterly advising on complex shipping routes, including the Singapore Strait and the Great Barrier Reef. He studied for his BSc and MSc in Geography at the University of Edinburgh and completed teacher training at Durham University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation.

Mike Dunderdale Head of IT and Digital Strategy Mike joins Oakham from University College London’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering where he was the IT Manager. Whilst at UCL, he also sat on a number of IT-related committees across the whole university. Mike has degrees in Space Science and has worked at BT Internet and JP Morgan. He holds various senior positions in regional Scouts organisations and is also a DofE Supervisor and Expedition Assessor.

Mike has degrees in Space Science and has worked at BT Internet and JP Morgan.

Lyndsey Evans Teacher of Music Lyndsey joins the School from William Lovell Church of England Academy in Boston, Lincolnshire, where she started as an NQT 10 years ago. She later became Head of Music at the Academy, before taking on the added responsibility of General Studies and Citizenship Co-ordinator. She studied her BA at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln, before completing her PGCE in 2008. In her spare time, she studies singing with soprano, Alison Pearce, and performs regularly with Tapestry Singers and Peterborough Opera. She is also Publicity Manager for PO and regularly visits the West End.

Harry Jacques Organist and Teacher of Music Harry joins the School from Worksop College, where he spent two years, latterly qualifying as a Teacher of Music through the University of Lincoln. After studying Music at Bristol University, he was an organ scholar at Carlisle Cathedral before becoming Assistant Organist at Newark Parish Church. As a tenor, Harry has sung with a number of choirs, including Lincoln Cathedral and Southwell Minster. As well as enjoying his singing, he likes walking, having recently completed the ﬁrst hundred miles of the Camino de Santiago route in the summer. Harry also likes all things agricultural, ﬁne cuisine and football.

Andrew Jarvis Trainee Teacher of Sport Andrew joins Oakham from Oundle School, where he was a Head of Junior Boys Games and Teacher of Physical Education. He previously taught at Warwick School. At both his previous schools Andrew was a resident in a boarding house. Andrew gained his BSc from Loughborough University reading Sport and Exercise Science. In his spare time Andrew likes to attend live sporting and music events and is an avid Lincoln City supporter.

Staff News | Arrivals September 2018

Anna Koesling Teacher of German Anna joins the School from a Yorkshire Academy where she was a teacher of German and French for the past two years. She was previously an Export Manager for Playground Equipment, travelling between the UK and Sweden. After completing her school education in Germany, she moved to France and studied her BA at L’Université de Limoges in Applied Languages and Business, before moving to the UK in 2011. Anna completed her PGCE at the University of York. In her spare time, she loves to read and to hike, sometimes combining the two.

Charlotte McCrory School Archivist Charlotte joins Oakham from Nottingham University Library, where she gained a wealth of experience at archives such as the Parliamentary Archives and The University of Leicester’s Special Collections. She holds a First class honours degree in History from the University of Kent and an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester. In her spare time, she volunteers at Erewash Museum; helping with their collections and education programmes. She researches and writes both articles and her own blog, and is also a keen baker, book lover and musician.

Danielle Moosajee Teacher of Mathematics Danielle joins Oakham School from Lodge Park Academy in Northamptonshire where she was a Lead Practitioner for Mathematics. She studied her BA in Mathematics and Drama at Aberystwyth University and completed her teacher training through the University of Bedfordshire. In her spare time, Danielle enjoys reading, walking her two dogs in the beautiful Rutland countryside and maintaining her maths teaching resources website.

Matthew Powell Head of Lower School Boarding Matthew joins Oakham from Mount St Mary’s College near Sheffield.

Prior to this, after spending 10 years in the Royal Military Police, he retrained as a Housemaster and then Head of Boarding. In his free time, he loves walking and camping in the great outdoors with his wife and two children. He is a keen shot and enjoys both coaching and shooting, He also enjoys cycling and canoeing.

Pierre-Alexandre Rola Teacher of Physics Pierre-Alexandre joins the School from Welbeck the Defence Sixth Form College, in Loughborough, where he was a Teacher of Physics for the past 13 years. He was previously a Physics teacher at Bloxham School, in Oxfordshire and a Science teacher in various comprehensive schools in and around Birmingham. He studied his Beng and Meng in Toulouse, France and went on to complete his teacher training at The University of Birmingham. In his spare time, he loves to windsurf, ski, sail, travel and read.

Also joining the School

Arthur Allaine French Assistant

Anais Grand French Assistant

Benedict Richardson Graduate Musician

Anna Brew Graduate Theatre Fellow

Cameron Heald Graduate Sports Fellow

Ana Santamaria Spanish Assistant

Simona FresiaFarelly Italian Assistant

Zoe Kempf-Harris Yale Fellow

Anne Seiwald German Assistant

Eva Garcia Criado Spanish Assistant

Coline Mazars French Assistant

Mary-Gwynedd Taylor Graduate Design Fellow

Jessica-May Gilbert Artist in Residence

Ruben Payan Sanchez Spanish Assistant

Matthew Sutterby Teacher of Lower 1 Matthew joins Oakham from Oundle Primary School, where he was a Year 6 teacher and member of their Senior Leadership Team. Prior to this, he taught for eight years at Stamford Junior School. He studied his Batchelor of Education at De Montfort University. He is a keen sportsman, enjoying a range of sports from hockey, long distance running and skiing; he endeavours to learn to sail in the near future. He has a young family and his wife is also a teacher.

Stephanie Williams Teacher of Drama (maternity cover) Stephanie joins the School from Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni, in South Wales. She was previously a Theatre Fellow at Oakham School in 2015. She studied her BA at The University of Glamorgan and went on to complete her teacher training at Cardiff Metropolitan University. In her spare time, she loves reading, travelling and going to the theatre.

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Beyond Oakham | Recent leavers

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VIEWS FROM BEYOND OAKHAM

Helen Elliot (Careers Administrator)

Oakham School Careers Department supports students throughout their time in the School as they make choices as to what to do after leaving Oakham. The destinations of Old Oakhamians are remarkably diverse but three popular choices are going to university, doing an apprenticeship or taking a gap year. We caught up with three recent leavers to ﬁnd out the route they had chosen and why, and how they were getting on.

THE APPRENTICE What made you choose to go down the apprenticeship route? I have always thought that university wasn’t for me. I never enjoyed the idea of going back into education, and from previous work experience placements I had a huge desire to start working. I wasn’t passionate about an academic subject and I deﬁnitely wasn’t ready to dedicate the next three years and the cost to something I didn’t fully believe in. I knew I wanted to work in London in a job where I was able to learn, be creative and work hard whilst working real business hours in a real business. I had always thought that there was such a stigma with working on an apprenticeship scheme, but I could have not been further from the truth. I am treated as a full time employee, I work with real clients and have real deadlines. I am able to bring a creative edge to all the work I do whilst developing skills I never thought I would learn.

Charlie Schanschieff (OO 2016) is doing an apprenticeship in digital marketing with C-Space, a global customer insights agency, based in their London office. What are the best things about your apprenticeship? The people around me make my apprenticeship what it is. I am surrounded by such an encouraging and supportive group of colleagues. They give me room to make mistakes and then push when I need to learn.

I love the variety – every week is different! One day I can be travelling around the Midlands looking into customer behaviour with our massive automotive client. Other days I might be in an intensive brainstorming session talking about the future of aviation.

Your favourite moment so far? Apart from the quarterly and half year all staff celebrations we have, which are always great fun, my favourite moment has been working on an amazing project in partnership with the Invictus Games. I spent two days with several injured veterans competing in the Games. It was such an awesome and humbling experience meeting the Invictus athletes; the team spirit and positivity that they all brought when sharing their experiences was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

I am able to bring a creative edge to all the work I do whilst developing skills I never thought I would learn. 108

Editorial credit: Shutterstock.com

Beyond Oakham | Recent leavers

THE STUDENT Bea Dunlop (00 2017) studies History and Politics at the University of Nottingham. What made you choose to go to university? I always knew I would go to university. I’ve always been passionate about both History and Politics and wanted to continue studying them. I didn’t feel that I was ready to go directly into the workplace as I wanted qualiﬁcations behind me to hopefully make me more employable in the ﬁeld that I hope to go into. The university experience was also a big appeal; I wanted to meet new and different people as well as be in a new environment. University is a sort of middle ground between being a school student and being a fully self-sufficient adult. It’s a good way to make that transition, rather than throwing yourself in at the deep end. I’ve also always known I would go on to do a Masters in either International Relations or Business after my degree and I thought this route would be a good way of specialising as well as showing employers how I have committed to and developed these interests. What are the best things about your time at university? Having so much freedom and independence is probably the best thing about university. You can do your work whenever, wherever and however you choose to do it. You choose how much you want to get out of your degree and your time at university. Being so close to all your friends –

...being surrounded by people who are also studying things they’re passionate about creates a really positive dynamic. whether you’re in a ﬂat or a Hall of Residence – is also really nice, especially if you’re coming from a school like Oakham where you’re with your friends all the time as well. Also, studying subjects that you’re passionate about really motivates you to do well and being surrounded by people who are also studying things they’re passionate about creates a really positive dynamic. Meeting people from different parts of the world with different backgrounds is really great too; it gives you a wider outlook on life.

Your favourite moment so far? Really hard to say – I’ve had so many great moments. We had a Casino-themed summer ball with a three-course meal, a magician, dance acts and dodgems in the courtyard which was a really good way to end the ﬁrst year. But the best bits so far have been when huge groups of us would sit out on the grass outside my hall in the summer with ice-cream, listening to music and playing football after we’d done all our exams. 109

Beyond Oakham | Recent leavers

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THE GAP YEAR Oriana Simmonds (OO 2017) decided to take a Gap Year before going to Exeter University to study International Relations and Modern Languages. How did you spend your Gap Year? During my Gap Year I knew from the beginning I wanted to go travelling and see the world, as well as use it as an opportunity to do something you would ever normally get the chance to do or see. I managed to find myself a job in a shop and then I worked there for around 6 months to earn the money I needed. I decided to go to New Zealand, Australia, Bali and South East Asia with a school friend. What are the best things about taking a Gap Year? I believe there so many benefits to taking a Gap Year. For me the A-level year was very intense and I felt that I needed a break otherwise I didn’t feel I would appreciate or enjoy university as much. Also it’s a perfect opportunity to explore other avenues such as doing work experience or volunteering or something totally different that you would never normally get the chance to do at any other time in your life. Many of my friends also took the opportunity to take a Gap Year to really think about what they wanted to do at university and do something they really felt passionate about. Your favourite moment? I’d say it’s very difficult to pin point a specific favourite moment. One of my favourite moments has to be doing a zip-wire and going kayaking deep in a rainforest in Laos. It poured all day long but it was honestly one of my best days! Another good moment would have to be skydiving in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. It’s one of the most breathtaking things I have ever done and to anyone who is nervous or has never done it, I urge you to do one as I can guarantee you will love it! 110

It’s a perfect opportunity to explore other avenues such as doing work experience or volunteering or something totally different...

Issue Number 113

The magazine of the Old Oakhamian Club

Oakhamian The Old

THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE How Oakham’s war memorials changed the face of the School The Robert Johnson Legacy Society • Drinks in Munich and New York • Back to School Black Tie Dinner

Dear Old Oakhamian Firstly, I want to thank Jon Wills, Chairman of the OO Club, for his unfailing help, support and good humour over the last few years! It is a pleasure working with you, Sir, and feels very odd to be writing this in your stead! I am glad that this is not yet goodbye, as you will remain as Chairman until December 2019. The OO Club continues to go from strength to strength, and the number of you coming back to the School for reunions and to see how the ‘old place’ has changed, continues apace. Many have travelled across continents to visit, so this term we thought we could return the favour, and packed our bags to meet OOs living and working in Europe and the US. These events brought together a mix of all ages and it was interesting to hear how much younger OOs appreciate the help of older generations when it comes to the careers advice and support they can give. I know many of you are exceedingly busy with work but don’t underestimate the impact a bit of advice or an introduction can be for OOs just starting out; it is always very much appreciated and perfectly illustrates our motto, ‘and like runners they pass on the torch of life.’ If you think you can help, or indeed would like to ask for a bit of advice, please join The Hub by visiting thehuboakham.com. The platform is currently being redesigned to make it easier to both help and ask for advice and this new look will be ready to use early in the New Year. We have not neglected Rutland in this programme of events! We have had two reunions at the School this term and OO President, Ben Walsgrove, hosted a splendid Back to School Black Tie Dinner in the Barraclough (looking like it never has before!) which brought together many Old Oakhamians – from up round these parts! Read about the evening on pages 116–117. I am now delighted to announce that Katharina Klohe (07) has accepted the OO Presidency for next year. Back at Oakham, it is proving to be a time of beginnings

and endings: I am delighted to welcome Charlotte McCrory to College House as the new Head of Archives. You can read about Charlotte and her work on page 120. In the Foundation, Paul Hassall has joined the Development team while Asha Hickin is on maternity leave with her new addition, Sofia. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to say farewell and thank you to Anna Bentley for her fantastic work as Development Director. Anna is leaving to become Head of Sales and Projects at Charis. We wish her every success in her new role. By the time you are reading this, we will have been joined by many OOs for Christmas Drinks and at least three reunions and Oakham Midsummer Drinks are already in the Calendar for 2019. Behind everything we do in the Old Oakhamian Club – from reuniting old friends at our reunions to the Hub’s hope of helping future Oakhamians – is the knowledge that our present was built on the sacrifices made by those who fought in two World Wars. In the words of John Maxwell Edmunds, “For your Tomorrow we gave our Today”. On Wednesday 21 November, OO Club Chairman, Jon Wills, lit 70 candles in the Chapel to mark 100 years to the day when the last OO casualty of the Great War died. It was a moving ceremony and hopefully a fitting way to conclude this season of Remembrance. As we commemorate the centenary of the end of World War 1, read about the War Memorials on pages 121–123. Quasi Cursores, Eileen Fisher Alumni Manager

CONTENTS News

113

Events

115

Future Events

119

From the Archives

120

Sport

124

Births, Engagements and Marriages

125

Deaths and Obituaries

126

OO Interview

129

Foundation News

130

112

115 120

FROM THE ARCHIVES

125

CLASS OF 1998 REUNION

MARRIAGES

News

BELTON Patrick (84) recently met up with OO Chairman, Jon Wills and former Headmaster, Joe Spence (2002–2009) at his deli Romeo Jones in Dulwich Village for a leisurely lunch and catch up.

BALMFORD Andy (80) organised a friendly Oakham staff hockey match against their longstanding counterparts, Uppingham School staff. Also representing Oakham were Andrew Jarvis (12) and Harry Johnson (14) in a wellfought game. As Andy said, “Great to be still ﬁring the old rivalries.” Result: Oakham Staff 5 -Uppingham Staff 2.

BEARDMORE-GRAY Lucy (12) graduated from RADA’s BA (Hons) in Acting this summer and has won one of the two annual Spotlight Prizes. Lucy, whose stage name is Lucie Sword, won Best Stage Performance and £2,000, after being selected as one of 20 ﬁnalists drawn from drama schools across the UK and Ireland. She performed in front of an expert industry panel (including RADA graduates Imelda Staunton and Pippa Bennett-Warner) in a special showcase, comprising both live performances and recorded monologues to camera. Lucy ﬁrst starred in Arabian Nights at Oakham when she was just 11 years old. Playing Shahrazad, she wowed audiences. Another highlight of her acting career at

BROAD Stuart (04) and business partners, (England cricketer Harry Gurney, and pub manager, Dan Cramp) have recently opened up The Tap and Run pub in Upper Broughton, Leicestershire, the second venue in the Cat and Wickets Pub Company portfolio. The new pub restaurant sources its ingredients from the surrounding area and has plans for an exchange programme where locals bring in their home-grown produce in exchange for beer tokens!

Oakham was her role in the Scholars’ production of Scaramouche. This was particularly notable as she had been invited to join the cast on the basis of her exceptional talent even though she was not a Drama Scholar. After leaving Oakham, Lucy went to university before recognising that Acting was the future she wanted to pursue. Lucy won one of just 28 muchcoveted places at RADA and during her time there she performed Karolina in 3 Winters, Martirio in The House of Bernarda Alba, Caliban in The Tempest and Lotte in short ﬁlm Stag, written by Lily Bevan, as well as a number of radio plays.

BURGESS William (87) sent this photo of his recent 50th birthday celebrations. 87 leavers left to right: Mark Astbury, William Burgess, Nick Hall, Nick Grice. COOK Gwyneth (17) wrote with this news: ‘I am just writing to let you know of my news that my results for my ﬁrst year studying English Literature and Philosophy at the University of St Andrews have meant that I have received the ‘1st Level Comparative Literature Book Prize’ as well as a place on the Deans’ List. The Comparative Literature prize is awarded to the ‘best student in First Year Comparative Literature’. Oakham has played a huge role in shaping my academic career and enabling me to achieve such results.’ 113

News

NAGEL Emily (12) writes about her experience of taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race:

CORNES Jack (16) and SMITH Harry (16) Since winning the F Factor in 2017, Jack and Harry have progressed their initial engineering design of a painting and decorating robot into a business called Hausbots and are launching commercial trials shortly.

GUY Isabel (14) was awarded First Class Honours for her intercalated Clinical Anatomy BSc degree by the University of Birmingham.

Dr Jaafar EL-MURAD (68) wrote in with the following news: ‘I’m planning to spend the week of 24 December helping out at a refugee camp in East Sudan, where Charity Right are supporting people that the world - and the large aid agencies - seem to have forgotten. Charity Right’s work in Sudan started in 2013; at that time they were the only UK-based organisation working regularly within the country. Over half of the schools we support are United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) sponsored schools. This partnership allows us to provide life-changing help to as many refugee children as possible.

Additionally, we provide over 500 families with 3 meals a day. The harsh conditions of the refugee camp, along with drought and high costs of living, have plunged these families into poverty. Without help, they’d have no food at all. I am an unpaid volunteer trustee of Charity Right and will be funding my own trip, but I am hoping to raise money to help to feed more children and families. To donate and ﬁnd out more about my work with Charity Right go to https:// charityright.org.uk/ cr-star-campaign/937/ the-forgottenrefugees-of-eastsudan/ On behalf of Charity Right and the people in Kassala refugee camp, thank you, very, very much.’

‘This past year I have been taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race which is a 45,000 Nm race around the world. The race is often described as the longest and toughest professional sporting event in the world. It crosses every major ocean, rounding both the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn at the bottom of South America. This race puts sailors up to the ultimate challenge both physically and mentally. As part of team AkzoNobel I sailed with the team for all but two of the legs. One of only two females onboard I was the youngest female in the race and had a lot to learn about ocean racing not just the physical aspect but the challenge of dealing with a small group of people in a small place for up to 3 weeks at time. As a team we learnt to test the limits, pushing ourselves to stay focused and keep racing through the highs and lows in some of the toughest conditions I have ever seen. While we only came 4th overall we did have 6 podium ﬁnishes over the 11 legs and set a world record as the ﬁrst monohull under 100ft to sail over 600 nm in 24 hours.’

News of SCHANSCHIEFF Guy (84) whose reusable nappy business, Bambino Mio was recently featured in the Small Business Connect section of the Daily Telegraph. The feature mentions how he launched the business in 1997 with his wife Jo, after a trip to India and from bedroom-based beginnings, the company now employs 50 staff and has an online presence in 9 countries and an annual turnover of £3.4million. Products include reusable swim nappies and training pants, washing powders, bags and other accessories. VOSSIUS Issy (08) returned to Oakham for October’s 2008 10year Reunion and took the opportunity to visit her former Matron, Hazel Johnson, in Rushebrookes. Issy lives in Munich, where she works as a lawyer for BMW. She very recently married Phillip, who also works for BMW.

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Events

CLASS OF 1998 TWENTY YEAR REUNION Eileen Fisher, Alumni Manager On one of the first evenings of autumn, the Class of 98 gathered together to celebrate their 20 year reunion. Meeting in front of the Chapel before the main event, they had a tour of the school led by Jon Wills, Chairman of the Old Oakhamain Club, looking at old haunts and seeing for the first time many of the new buildings that have opened since their time at School. It was at one of these, BAF Smith’s cricket pavilion that the evening began in earnest. After a champagne reception, a delicious meal was provided by the School catering team. The pavilion looked like it never has before, with a blue starlit sky, courtesy of the DJ who provided the music throughout the evening. The night ended with OOs laughing and chattering into the distance and completely reliving their schooldays by discovering they had been locked into Wharflands car park! Particular thanks must go to the driving force behind the event; Katherine Sharp, Jonathan Watts and Anna Hefford.

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Events

BACK TO SCHOOL BLACK TIE OO DINNER IN THE BARRACLOUGH Jon Wills – OO Chairman Current Old Oakhamian President, Ben Walsgrove (87) and OO Chairman, Jon Wills hosted a magnificent Black Tie Dinner for over fifty guests with a Back to School theme on Saturday 24 November. OOs spanning 70 years, from 1943 to 2013, gathered under the starlit roof of an Oakham coloured marquee, placed magnificently inside the Barraclough. Simon Camamile (73) said Grace before Dinner and Ben Walsgrove read a letter out from HM The Queen who wished ‘The President and Members of the Old Oakhamian Club warm good wishes for a most memorable evening.’ The OO President spoke about the strength of relationships that are built from attending Oakham – and how life-long friendships are forged - he now works alongside 4 OOs as a part of his business. “Oakham is what made me the man I am today!” As his last OO Dinner as Headmaster, Nigel Lashbrook said that Oakham is by far the best School he has worked in throughout the forty years of his career. The Old Oakhamian community is a strong and far-reaching network and the number of pupils now attending Oakham whose relative is an OO, now sits at 20% - which shows how the values and ethos of Oakham is being passed down through generations.

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Events

OOs spanning 70 years, from 1943 to 2013, gathered under the starlit roof of an Oakham coloured marquee, placed magniďŹ cently inside the Barraclough.

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Events

OO MUNICH DRINKS: HOTEL BAYERISCHER HOF, MUNICH Eileen Fisher, Alumni Manager

On a beautiful September evening in Munich, over forty OOs gathered at the roof top bar and terrace of the Hotel Bayerischer Hof for drinks and canapes. Cohorts from the 1980s to 2015 were represented and guests also included OOs from the UK who had flown over to Germany especially for the event! The Oakham Team consisted of the Headmaster Nigel Lashbrook and his wife, together with the Head of Upper School and Director of IB, Simone Lorenz-Weir, the Chairman of the OO Club, Jon Wills, the Development Director, Anna Bentley and Alumni Manager, Eileen Fisher. The Headmaster said, “I found it very beneficial to step outside from the day-to-day running of the School and spend time speaking to those Old Oakhamians present. Many are now involved in, or are beginning careers in cuttingedge areas such as Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality. Considering that most of them only spent two years here in the Upper School, it was fantastic to hear them say that Oakham had such a profound effect on their lives and careers.” The Munich drinks came about after the Class of 2007 held their 10 year reunion back at School in October 2017: it was attended by a large group of OOs from Germany who offered to help us host an event in Europe. Katharina Klohe (07), who helped organise the event said of the visit, “It was lovely to see so many familiar faces from Oakham and those of us living outside the UK really appreciated members of staff crossing the Channel and organising an OO Event in Germany. It is this European outlook that makes Oakham a unique learning environment, both academically as well as for 118

OVERALL, IT WAS A WONDERFUL NIGHT, THAT FINISHED FAR LATER THAN WE ORIGINALLY INTENDED!

everyone’s personal development. It is therefore the School’s hopes and aspirations to grow its Old Oakhamian network across borders and facilitate the exchange amongst OOs far beyond Chapel Close.” Katharina and her family provided a ‘Klohe Prize’ to the School – to honour international female students taking the IB and to recognise students who excel both academically and also integrate themselves into other areas of School life. Marcus Commandeur (07), who instigated a similar ‘Commandeur Prize’ for male IB students

said that he “hoped the evening could be a positive starting point for a more regular event.” Another OO said, “It is great how Oakham School keeps in touch with all its Old Oakhamians.” Overall, it was a wonderful night, that ﬁnished far later than we originally intended! Many thanks to all the OOs who attended the event, particularly to Katharina and Marcus who helped with arrangements. Thanks are also due to the touring Class of 2012 who also made it out from the UK to drinks in Munich!

Events and Future Events

OO DRINKS IN NEW YORK In an elegant room at the top of some winding stairs, in a tall old speak-easy in mid-town New York, Old Oakhamians gathered on the evening of Friday 19 October. Eileen Fisher Cohorts from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s up to 2015 were represented. They reminisced about their time at Oakham, many recalling travelling from the cosmopolitan excitement of New York City to the very different atmosphere of Oakham in rural Rutland. Despite this, they credited Oakham with their success and said it was their formative experiences at School that “made them what they are today.” Younger OOs discussed how pivotal Old Oakhamians continue to be in their careers, how great a resource The Hub could be and how they valued hearing back from older OOs, happy to share their experience and contacts. “Having the Oakham network is an invaluable asset to all of us.” We were delighted to put younger and older OOs in touch after the event. The Headmaster, on his last trip to New York as Head of Oakham School, explained how the IB

Middle Years Programme is being introduced so we can make sure Oakhamians are ready for their future careers. He also spoke about the importance of the School remaining in contact with international OOs and how

CLASS OF 2008 REUNION An enthusiastic cohort of 2008 Leavers gathered for drinks in the Common Room above the Small Barraclough, happy to be reunited – some for the ﬁrst time since leaving Oakham 10 years ago. Jon Wills, OO Chairman, gave his customary tour of the School and showed the Old Oakhamians some of the major developments that had taken place since they last saw the campus. The impressive Wilson Auditorium

Eileen Fisher

was certainly the wow factor, with many saying that the School’s facilities were more impressive than their university lecture theatres. Lunch in the Barraclough followed the tour and drinks continued throughout the evening. One 2008 leaver emailed in to say, “I had a great time - so much fun catching up with lots of people I had lost touch with and swimming in nostalgia for an evening! Still not sure where 10 years went!!”

important they are to the School; our Campaign has raised over £1 million in donations and pledges, the largest of which was from a US donor. Part of this gift has been used to fully fund a pupil at Oakham from Form 3 to Form 7.

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Christmas Drinks in London Monday 17 December 2018 6.00pm – 10.00pm Drop in to this ever popular FREE festive event. Class of 1989 Reunion Saturday 11 May 2019 BAFS Midsummer Drinks Saturday 8 June 2019 BAFS Class of 1979 Reunion Saturday 15 June 2019 BAFS 119

From the Archives

CHARLOTTE McCRORY OAKHAM SCHOOL’S NEW ARCHIVIST

I am thrilled to be the new Archivist at Oakham School and am looking forward to continuing the excellent work of my predecessor Jon Wills. My main role is to catalogue, store and preserve the documents and objects that highlight the history of the School so that they may be preserved for future pupils, staff and researchers to enjoy for years to come. My aim is to make the collections here at Oakham School as accessible as possible; I want everybody to be able to enjoy these documents whether it be in person here at the Archives in College

House, online, in educational resources or even exhibitions. Oakham School is lucky to have a community that stretches across the world and I want to ensure that everyone can access and remember the School no matter where they are. I am a ﬁrm believer of the phrase ‘what’s the point in collecting and keeping an archive if no one can beneﬁt from them?’ Archives exist to collect information on the history of humanity and its world. This is so that we may research and illuminate ourselves on the past and how our world has developed. Therefore, archives at their very core exist to serve people. I hope during my tenure here, to be involved in many projects that will exhibit the wealth of material that the Oakham Archives has. I want to explore new technologies and involve the students and staff in the development and working of the Archives – whether this is through volunteering or classroom materials. Most importantly, I desire to make the Archives and the history of the School engaging and inspiring to the Oakham School and wider community. I strive to make the Archives an accredited service, upholding outstanding archival

standards as well as being a credit to the School. You can keep up to date with the work we are doing in the Archives by reading our new Archives Blog or contact me at cvm@oakham.rutland.sch.uk (01572) 758608. HEALTH AND SAFETY 1930s STYLE One of the things I love most about archives is encapsulated within this image: you can compare the differences with today and put yourself in the shoes of the past. This image shows a boy being lowered out of the window on a rope during a ﬁre drill in 1936. The boy in question – none other than Club Chairman Jon Wills’ father! It was very surprising to come across an image which captured what many would consider to be a mundane event. However, I often ﬁnd that rare images like these do more to expose a previous generation’s world than account books, as they show everyday normality, which can sometimes be overlooked by big events in a school’s history. I love the two boys peering over the window ledge with an expression of what is debatably fear or eagerness

at what awaits them. I would like to think that they are helping to guide their fellow pupil to the ground. The picture highlights the contradiction between our modern values, where the emphasis would be on safety and order, to what was considered the best code of practice in the past. I really enjoyed thinking about how both adults and pupils would react to this picture and the conversations that it might spark between families and friends.

I WANT TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE CAN ACCESS AND REMEMBER THE SCHOOL NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE. THE PETER WITCHELL ARCHIVE

Nigel Webb, Hon. Assistant Archivist

Peter believed strongly in ‘music for all’ and strove to ensure that a very high proportion of children in the School had some experience of performing musically. Peter Witchell (1945-2017) was Director of Music at Oakham School from 1978 to 1995, and then Director of Academic Music until his retirement in 2004. Particularly memorable among the major orchestral works are Rutlandia (1997, commissioned to celebrate Rutland’s independence and also performed at the Millennium celebrations at Burley-on-the Hill in 2000). His compositions included scores for major choral works: Missa Misterio (2001) and Nero (performed in 1990 at Oakham and at the

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Edinburgh Festival Fringe and in 2000 at Oakham. For Daniel Hyde, OO (02) – who is now Director of Music at King’s College, Cambridge – he wrote the testing organ piece Over the Top (2001). Peter believed strongly in ‘music for all’ and strove to ensure that a very high proportion of children in the School had some experience of performing musically. Oakham now possesses an archive covering almost all of Peter Witchell’s compositions as well as copyright, enabling the School and others interested to perform his works in the future.

From the Archives

THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE In his final article on OOs in World War I, Brian Needham looks at the last days of the war and the war memorials that were built in the School to honour the OO Fallen.

The building of the Chapel in 1924

THE HUNDRED DAYS OFFENSIVE From August to November 1918, this was the final offensive of the war, commencing with the Battle of Amiens which forced the German Army to retreat beyond the Hindenburg Line, followed by the Armistice of 11 November. THE FINAL OO CASUALTIES The final OO casualties of the War were William Reginald Hill MC & Bar (Oakham 1911–14) who died as a Prisoner of War on 6 November, aged 22 and John Henry Heathcote Bradley (Oakham 1913–17) who died of pneumonia on 21 November, aged 19. For many years it was believed that 71 OOs died in World War 1 until a recent discovery by OO Michael Allbrook (61), confirmed by the School Historian, showed that Oakham lost another OO who does not appear on the Chapel Memorial. William Forster Cowlishaw (Oakham 1912) probably was at Oakham for only one year or perhaps only one term, in 1912; he served from 21 May 1918 as a

Private with 1st Battalion, the Northamptonshire Regiment, up until his death in France on 1 November 1918 from wounds received in action the day previously, aged 20. Independently the School Historian discovered a further OO casualty, Allan Gabriel (Oakham 1886–91), a Lieutenant in the Notts and Derby Regiment, who entered the Western Front on 1 February 1916 and died on 23 August 1916 of wounds suffered in action, aged 30. Three other OOs deserve mention, since they died some years after the end of the war from injuries and illness contracted while serving: Albert Alexander Pargiter Humfrey (Oakham 1897–98) in 1920, George Noel Gordon (Oakham 1909–10) in 1919 and Wilfred Curtis (Oakham 1885–86) in 1923. To offset these additions it is now established that William Henry Barratt (Oakham 1895–99), named on the memorials, survived the war and died in 1972. This brings the total of Old Oakhamian casualties in WW1 to 75.

THE WAR MEMORIALS No fewer than 314 Old Oakhamians and eight members of staff served in the Armed Forces during WW1, of whom some 20 were awarded the MC and ﬁve the DSO, two were appointed OBE, and many more were Mentioned-in-Despatches. As early as his speech on Prize Day 1916, the Headmaster Tom Sargant commented that ‘the School had in the last year to mourn the loss of many stout hearts who had given their lives to their country and that it was borne on him more and more as time went on how the homes and schools of England were being sanctiﬁed by the devotion of their sons; it was a devotion that would not be forgotten in this generation, nor the next, for the record of it would be passed on from father and mother to son, and then would not be forgotten in the pages of history’. Indeed they are not, as each year

the Head Boy and Head Girl read the names of all those lost in both World Wars in the War Memorial Chapel on Remembrance Sunday and their names are inscribed in that Chapel. It was in November 1918 that the War Memorial Appeal was launched with the immediate aim to build a Chapel, sadly lacking in the School at the time. Sargant realised that it would be some years before such an ediﬁce could be afforded from appeal and so he commissioned his brother, the artist F.W. Sargant, to design oak screens on which were engraved the names of those OOs, boys and staff, who had fallen on active service during the war. These screens were placed in position during the Christmas holidays of 1921 at the School’s then main entrance, the door from Market Street into School House, and

No fewer than 314 Old Oakhamians and eight members of staff served in the Armed Forces during WW1, of whom some 20 were awarded the MC and ﬁve the DSO, two were appointed OBE, and many more were Mentioned-in-Despatches. 121

From the Archives

through which all boys went several times a day. In his history of the School, John Barber wrote: It was all done quietly, we suspect at Tom’s own expense, and there was no opening ceremony. However, on the first day of the new term, the boys spontaneously decided to remove their caps as they passed through the entrance, as a mark of respect. In those days they all wore black caps which bore the school crest above the peak and thin red piping dividing the large expanse of black into segments, except that there were no red lines on the caps of the Prefects and Colours. The Market Street entrance into School House is now hardly ever used, so these screens are unknown to most present pupils and staff. By 1924 sufficient funds had been raised to begin work on the proposed Memorial Chapel. The foundation stone was laid by Dr Theodore Woods, Bishop of Winchester, in 1924 and some 15 months later in 1925 Dr Cyril Bardsley, the Bishop of Peterborough and School Trustee, dedicated the Chapel, with the sermon preached by OO J.G.F. Day (Oakham 1885–93), the Bishop of Ossory. The original planning proposal had been for a brick building, but this was refused by the local authorities and the plans approved by them only if much more expensive stone was used. Fortunately, the Headmaster learned that suitable stone was available from modifications being made to Cold Overton Hall and the necessary loan for immediate purchase of the stone was provided by OO and School Trustee G.C.G. Gee (Oakham 1886–94), a Leicester businessman; a few months later Gee made it clear that the loan was never to be repaid. The sculptures on the front of the Chapel, representing the common sacrifice of the nation and recording the names of all the OO (boys and staff) Fallen, were carved by Sargant’s brother, F.W. Sargant. Mothers, wives, sisters, and sweethearts donated jewellery in memory of their loved ones and these jewels were inserted 122

The oak screens on which were engraved the names of those OOs, boys and staff who had died in active service during World War 1, can still be seen in the Market Street entrance into School House.

By 1924 sufficient funds had been raised to begin work on the proposed Memorial Chapel. The foundation stone was laid by Dr Theodore Woods... into the specially commissioned silver cross. This was not the end of donations, for both then and in later years there were many such: the Old Oakhamian Club paid for an organ in memory of Tom Sargant which lasted until 1969; in 1934 Mrs Hodge, the widow of

From the Archives

Edward Vere Hodge (Headmaster 1879–1902), donated the pulpit; in 1936 a group of Hodge’s OOs presented the lectern; the stalls at the rear of the Chapel were given in memory of J.C. Clark (staff 1892–1924) and Margaret Harrison (School House Matron 1900–39); the Bishop’s chair was given in honour of OO J.N. PickeringClarke (1907–11), killed in the war; two chairs and lecterns were donated by P.J. Hodges (1947–54); the pewter alms dish was given by Harry Anderson (staff 1919–39) and later engraved by his wife and children in his memory; two altar vases were presented by the widow of the Hereditary Trustee Captain W.D. Johnson; and a new chalice given in memory of the Reverend F.H. Jerwood (Oakham 1902–05, staff 1919–38).

Mothers, wives, sisters, and sweethearts donated jewellery in memory of their loved ones and these jewels were inserted into the specially commissioned silver cross.

The sculptures carved on the front of the Chapel were carved by Sargant’s brother F.W. Sargant. 123

Sport

SPORT

Brian Needham

HOCKEY

Kathryn Lane (13) represented England in the Commonwealth Games, securing a Bronze Medal, and then in the World Cup held in London, where the team faced the eventual champions, the Netherlands, in the quarter-ﬁnals. Kathryn now has won 11 England caps and is a member of the Great Britain squad. Lydia Copeland (12) won a Cambridge Blue but lost to Oxford 1-2 in the Varsity Match. Matthew Ramshaw (18) was selected to represent the Great Britain Elite Development Squad (GB EDP) in a Six Nations Hockey Tournament held in Belgium in July, with matches against Belgium, India, Netherlands, Ireland and Malaysia.

CRICKET

Oakham’s senior representative, Stuart Broad (04) played several early season Championship matches for Nottinghamshire but then had to content himself with two Tests against Pakistan (2 runs and 7 wickets) in a 1-1 drawn series followed by a 4-1 series victory against world number one, India (87 runs and 16 wickets). During that India series he moved himself up to number 8 in the all-time wicket-taking list of Test Match bowlers and will expect to overtake Kapil Dev in taking his first two wickets against Sri Lanka before Christmas, after which he will expect to tour West Indies. To date he has scored 3,063 Test Match runs, taken 433 Test Match wickets and held 39 Test Match catches, becoming just the third person to score over 3,000 Test Match runs and take over 400 Test Match wickets. His First Class record is 4,909 runs, 706 wickets and 70 catches, in List A matches he has 620 runs, 216 wickets and 32 catches and in T20 he has scored 152 runs, taken 100 wickets and held 26 catches. He has been awarded a Nottinghamshire Testimonial for the 2019 season. Josh Cobb (08) continued his First Class with Northamptonshire, mainly playing in the shorter versions of the game. Against Warwickshire (playing as Birmingham) in the Vitality Blast he hit a career best 103 off 62 balls. His First Class record now stands at 4,702 runs, 17 wickets and 50 catches, in List A Matches he has 2,908 runs, 32 wickets and 26 catches, and in T20 he has 2,911 runs, 54 wickets and 64 catches. At Worcestershire, Tom Fell (12) moved from batting at four (or three when Ali was playing for England) to fill an opening vacancy at First Team level. A notable achievement in the season was his batting at three in the victorious Worcestershire side in both the semi-final and final of the Vitality Blast T20 competition; he

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To date Stuart Broad has scored 3,063 Test Match runs, taken 433 Test Match wickets and held 39 Test Match catches, becoming just the third person to score over 3,000 Test Match runs and take over 400 Test Match wickets. scored 22 in the semi-final and 1 in the final, taking two fine catches. He was chosen for these matches on the basis of his performance at Second Team level against Yorkshire, on the same day scoring 65 off 37 balls and 120* off 58 balls (a Worcestershire record in two T20 matches on the same day. To date, then, his First Class record is 3,672 runs and 56 catches, in List A matches he has scored 1,149 runs and held 11 catches, and his T20 record is 24 runs and 2 catches. Early in the season he came up against Broad bowling for Nottinghamshire who took his wicket and at the end of the season he was adjudged LBW to Oakham’s latest First Class player, also bowling for Nottinghamshire but at Second XI level. That player was Oakham’s 2016 and 2017 captain (and part of 2015) Lyndon James (17) who towards the end of the season played for the Championship side, reversing his accustomed Oakham role by being played for his bowling and batting in the lower order; in his one First Class match he scored 24 runs and took 3 wickets, but has not played in any List A nor T20 matches. He played 8 Second XI Championship matches, scoring 439 runs, taking 13 wickets and holding 6 catches; in the Second XI Trophy he played 5 matches, scoring 5 runs

and holding 2 catches; in the Second XI T20 competition he played in 12 matches, scoring 236 runs (including 98* v Lancashire), took 6 wickets, and held 3 catches. His Oakham contemporary Donald Butchart (17) played for Leicestershire CCC; in the Second XI Championship he appeared in 3 matches, scored 49 runs (for once out), took 1 wicket and held 1 catch; in the Trophy competition he played in just one match but did not bowl or bat; in the T20 competition he played in 4 matches, scored 22 runs and took 2 wickets. In Minor Counties cricket, Oakham had two representatives: Joe Kendall (15) played for 7 matches for Lincolnshire, opening the batting and scoring 142 against Cambridgeshire, 230* against Buckinghamshire and 100 against Suffolk, totalling 557 runs @ 60.64; he also played for MCC Loughborough Universities through the season, but not in a First Class match. Alex Wyatt (08) played for Shropshire in 2018; he appeared 5 times in the Championship, scoring 43 runs and taking 20 wickets; he played on 1 Trophy match, taking 1 catch. Meanwhile, onetime Oakham coach David Steele has produced a new anecdotal autobiography entitled A Bank Clerk Who Went to War, which includes a fond chapter on his time at Oakham.

Births, Engagements and Marriages

BIRTHS

MARRIAGES

COOIL Kim (08) and Christian Pearson are happy to announce the birth of Ella Grace Pearson, born on 27 August 2018.

BARR Zoe (03) married James Meikle, a famer, in Northampton on 14 July 2018. Pictured from left to right: Charlie Bromwich, Sophie Ribet (née Little), James Meikle, Zoe Meikle, Miriam McCullloch (née Farley), Will Ash and Simon Collier.

MEADOWS Lucy (06) (née Eayrs) and her husband Chris are pleased to announce the birth of their ﬁrst son, Oliver Charles Meadows, who was born on 11 October 2018, weighing 6lb 12oz.

ENGAGEMENTS

HEALEY Sarah (09) and THORPE Jamie (08) were married on 22 September 2018 at the bride’s parents’ house in Edith Weston, Rutland. There were several OOs in the wedding party as Bridesmaids and Ushers: Alex Healey, Lizzie

Healey (Joint Maid of Honour), Jessie Thorpe, Gemma Feare, Richard Whitmore (Joint Best Man), Elpie Kendall (Maid of Honour), Jenny Thorpe, Alicia Buchanan, Ben Bowman and Grace Tonner.

LOWETH Harry (04) got married on 29 September at Holy Rood Church, Market Rasen. The reception was held at the bride’s family farm Fonaby Top, Caistor.

MANBY Susie (08) and PADLEY James (07) are thrilled to announce their engagement. After being together for four years James asked Susie at their home in Lincolnshire. “We are both very happy and excited for the future.”

MALHOTRA Anusha (01) In September, in colourful civil and Hindu ceremonies followed by elaborate receptions on the beach of the Intercontinental Hotel in the beautiful island of Mauritius, Anusha Malhotra (Lincoln and Stevens, 1998-2001) was married to Kritarth Saurabh, a long-term friend and work colleague in the City of London. Anusha was given away by her father, Dr Krishan Malhotra (78) and her Maid of Honour was her sister, Divya

who was married in similar ceremonies the following weekend. Between these events there was a Mehendi & Sangeet evening at the home of Anusha’s Mauritian grandparents – elaborate henna designs for the ladies; dancing and feasting – and a beach barbecue. Among the many guests, drawn from all over the world, were Nigel Webb (Common Room 1967-99) who had been Krishan’s Housemaster, and his wife Caroline (Hon. OO) 125

Deaths and Obituaries

TERENCE TREANOR MEMORIAL SERVICE Many OOs travelled to Oakham Chapel to attend the Memorial Service celebrating the life of OO and former Chaplain, Terence Treanor, on Saturday 29 September. Readings were given by Richard Horsman (68), Head Chapel Warden 1966–67; Graham Smallbone, former Headmaster (1985–1996); and Rev John Darrall, School Chaplain (1984–1999). Prayers were led by Simon Camamile (73), Head Chapel Warden 1972–73, and Max Heron (74) read John Donne’s Prayer. Sadly, Terence’s widow Mary died recently. An obituary will be published in the next Old Oakhamian. BROOKS David (66) 18 January 1948 - 13 July 2018 Written by Wendy Brooks, David’s wife David greatly enjoyed his time at Oakham from 1958 until 1966. Following on from School, David decided to pursue the fast track to becoming qualiﬁed as a Chartered Accountant, which he duly achieved at the age of 21 and following articles with Thomas May in Leicester, he went on to become the youngest ever Partner of Thornton Baker (later Grant Thornton) at

the age of 25 – a record which still stands today. From there, his career reads as a number of ‘youngest and first’ achievements. He was the youngest member of the firm to serve on the Executive Board and the first Partner to lead the marketing strategy as Thornton Baker became Grant Thornton. His work shaped the market positioning of Grant Thornton, right through to today. In his role as Managing Partner of the Milton Keynes office, he led it to become one of the largest and most profitable offices outside of London and the latter part of his career was spent building the National Lead Advisory practice and eventually, heading up M&A for the firm. He completed an astonishing total of 100 deals. On his retirement from Grant Thornton in 2010, he was still active in the corporate finance field, first as a partner for Wyvern Partners and then with Bishopsgate Corporate Finance. He was a non-executive director on a number of boards, who appreciated his strategic and creative insights, alongside

commercial discipline. David’s sporting talent and prowess, which continued throughout his life, was evident during his time at Oakham, when he was captain of hockey and cricket, as well as being a talented rugby player. He was interested in everything to do with sport – hockey, rugby, golf, cricket and eventually, he had to make decisions about where to focus his efforts. He had a distinguished career in hockey, playing 115 times for Leicestershire and is in the top 5 all-time appearances list. He effectively played 3 international matches against full England and GB sides. He also played early European hockey for a Leicestershire select XI. David served his beloved Leicester Westleigh Hockey Club and his County, Leicestershire well, both on and off the ﬁeld. He played well into veteran age and was always there to give advice to both young players and umpires. Golf was his other major sport. He was a member of the

Leicestershire Golf Club for over 50 years and his name appears on a number of trophies. It was an especial pleasure for him to win the Winter League in the year of his captaincy, the 125 year for the club. He was the lifetime President of the Old Oakhamian Golf Society, an active member of the Grant Thornton Golf Society and participated in numerous charity events associated with golf. Amidst a full professional and sporting life, David nevertheless was deeply committed to helping others. He raised funds for DEBRA (for people whose skin does not work) and for The Bridge (homeless to hope). Typical of David was his facilitating a grant for The Bridge through his work as a trustee of the Shipman Trust, but he also got up at 5am in the morning to see, at ﬁrst hand, just how the charity was helping the homeless of the city of Leicester. Facts and achievements do not really capture David. Most of all, he is remembered for his high standards of integrity, his generosity and kindness to so many people in so many different walks of life and his big personality, which radiated energy and fun. His multicoloured ties and socks were just a small indication of his colourful and unforgettable personality! Competitive and ambitious as he was, both professionally and as a sportsman, he always had time for others, was compassionate and helped many people in need. He was a loyal friend and was modest about his achievements and private about his charitable work. It says much that the service to celebrate his life, held at Leicester Cathedral on 5 October, was attended by nearly 400 people. The tributes to him were full of respect and genuine affection. David died suddenly, after a short illness on 13 July. He leaves a big hole in the lives of so many, not least in the life of his wife Wendy, who describes him, quite simply, as the love of her life.

Facts and achievements do not really capture David. Most of all, he is remembered for his high standards of integrity, his generosity and kindness to so many people in so many different walks of life and his big personality, which radiated energy and fun. 126

Deaths and Obituaries

BURALL Katie (90) (née Priest)

was just 46 years old when she died, ultimately of pneumonia. Drawing the short straw with MS, in typical fashion she threw herself into life no matter what it pitched at her. Typical of her attitude was her sponsored parachute jump in 2009 [https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=b3rXFe9aqnQ] which raised over £8,000 for the MS Trust. In recent years, even as her health deteriorated, Katie was full of the smiles and laughter so well remembered by her School contemporaries (and, indeed, teachers). Katie married Mark Priest in 2004, before the onset of MS, and their son, Sam, was born in 2006 and ﬂourishes; a gregarious young lad with Katie’s well-remembered unruly hair. Husband and son survive Katie, as does her brother Simon, (88) married and with three children and her parents, David and Susie. Old Oakhamian Sara Griffiths (90) (née MacDonald) was amongst those who spoke at Katie’s funeral, which was attended also by schoolfriends, Old Oakhamians Kirstie White (90) (née Riley) and Samantha Baker (90) (née Bell).

2 February 1972 – 14 March 2018 Written by Brian Needham Katie joined the School in September 1983, in Form 1 (joining her older brother Simon just as he was leaving Peterborough House and going into Wharﬂands) and progressed through Lincoln, Buchanans (where she was a Prefect) and Round House, leaving for university in 1990. She joined the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and gained all three awards (Bronze, Silver and Gold) and participated in the Exploration Society’s expedition to Peru in the summer of 1989. All those who knew her at School will witness to her vivacity, her total involvement and her gift for friendship. After Oakham Katie gained a Degree in Geography from Southampton University and a Masters Degree in Medical Sociology from Royal Holloway, London. Katie started her career as an audit clerk with Bromley Health Authority. She worked with Professor Mike Richards’ team at St Thomas’s Hospital on the Cancer Collaborative Initiative, ﬁnally becoming a Commissioning Manager with Hammersmith and Fulham Primary Care Trust. In 1998 Katie was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis but continued working until she was forced to retire through ill health in 2005. Katie

All those who knew her at School will witness to her vivacity, her total involvement and her gift for friendship.

The photograph is on Tony’s 91st Birthday at his favourite restaurant, Nando’s, where he enjoyed many happy birthdays!

FRISBY Anthony Allan Everard Frisby (Tony) (44) 25 April 1927 – 18 June 2018 Written by his daughter, Jane Frisby and granddaughter, Eva Kelly Tony was born in Leicester in 1927 to parents Walter and Ruby Frisby and had one older sister, Margaret. He attended Oakham as a border from the age of 13 and his favourite lessons were Art and Geometry and he loved playing rugby and cricket. He always kept in touch with his two best Oakham buddies, Malcolm Dilks and Brian (Bertie) Franks and returned to Leicester to visit them regularly from London. He was always known by these close friends as ‘Frizz’. When leaving Oakham in 1944 he spent time in the Navy, mostly on the Isle of Man and then followed his father Walter into the textile trade and had his own very successful textile ﬁrm, ‘Anthony Frisby Ltd’. During this time, he married Yvonne and had two children, Richard (1955) and Jane (1959). In 1979, after his wife

died, he moved with his daughter Jane to London and happily lived there for the rest of his life, supporting Jane and working as her ‘Assistant’ from the beginning of her career as a freelance Casting Director – until only a few months before his passing. Tony hugely enjoyed cricket matches at Lord’s and the Oval, rugby at Twickenham and tennis at Wimbledon, which he attended with Jane. He has one Granddaughter, Eva Kelly (97), who he adored and they went on regular trips to London Art Galleries and journeys down the Thames both on boats and walking trips. One of his favourite trips with Eva was to visit the Mary Rose in Portsmouth and he had many models of this famous ship in his bedroom. Jane and her daughter Eva held a beautiful Memorial Service for Tony in his beloved garden on 28 July 2018. Tony was an avid gardener, and loved planting begonias, sweet peas, roses, tomatoes and strawberries, and now Jane is often in the garden doing the same. The Memorial was attended by many of Tony’s close friends in London including Actors, Theatrical Agents and Casting Directors, whilst his favourite music was played – including Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Following an extremely happy, fun-ﬁlled and adventurous life, Tony passed away after a short battle with an aggressive cancer, with Jane and Eva by his side. He is survived by his daughter, Jane, son, Richard and granddaughter, Eva. 127

Deaths and Obituaries

THOMPSON Andrew (74) 14 February 1956 – 12 August 2018 Written by brothers, Keith Thompson (75) and Mike Thompson (77) Andy was the oldest of the three brothers that attended Oakham. He joined Chapmans in 1970, followed by Keith and Mike in later years. Andy was a superb athlete and represented the School at cricket, rugby, athletics, tennis and badminton. Bob Burchnall recognised his particular talent at cricket and selected him for the 1st XI whilst still in Form 3. After leaving Oakham, he played cricket for Warwickshire U23. He may have lacked the motivation to progress to full-county and maybe national level, but few could doubt that he had the requisite skill. Many teachers only knew us as “Andy Thompson’s brother”, and with that came the unrealistic expectation that we’d be able to bowl, bat, run, throw, etc. as well as he did. But he was a great role model to follow, so we were quite happy to be called his brother. Andy was a real gentleman and would do anything for anyone. He was strong, modest and quietly conﬁdent; someone who

Andy was a real gentleman and would do anything for anyone. He was strong, modest and quietlyconﬁdent; someone who quietly stood out from those around him

WADDY Richard (52) 12 January 1936 10 November 2018 Richard Waddy passed away on Saturday 10 November, at home with his family. His heart condition, which he had managed so well for the last 10 years, had substantially worsened in the last eight weeks. A Thanksgiving Memorial Service to celebrate his life was held on Friday 23 November at Saint Lawrence’s Church, Long Buckby.

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quietly stood out from those around him; and as honest and decent a man as you could ever wish to meet. He was positive about life, even when faced with oesophageal cancer, and the recurrence of the disease some ﬁve years after his initial treatment. Andy is survived by his

WRIGHT Kevin (75) 4 February 1957 – 19 September 2018 Written by Claire McIntyre (73) My beloved brother, Kevin, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Australia after a long battle against cancer. A service in celebration of his life was held on 13 October at Bisbrooke, where our family lived when we attended Oakham School. The service was attended by over 70 of Kev’s family and friends. Kevin loved football, playing for the School team, and his music, playing guitar in a band with like-minded school friends. He is greatly missed by his wife, Jude, his daughters, Aimee and Sophie and all his family.

wife, Maggie, and daughters, Kate, Jenny and Harriet. In Maggie, he found a soulmate with whom he could share mutual love and respect. Kate, Jenny and Harriet also helped him become the best version of himself that he could be. Go well big brother. You will be sorely missed.

The OO Interview

‘SID, THE SAILING COACH TO THE STARS’ DAVID HOWLETT (68) Antonia Scott (92) David Howlett, an accomplished sailor himself, competing in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and Barcelona 1992, went on to coach amongst others, GB’s most successful Olympic sailor yet, Sir Ben Ainslie. Down-to-earth, approachable and inordinately modest, David (or Sid after his love of punk rock music!) has spent a life-time on the sea including eight years in the Royal Navy and his experience and expertise has proved a winning combination time after time. Rewinding the clock back to his formative school days, David tells me what he remembers about his time at Oakham. Did you have a favourite teacher at Oakham? I can’t pick out a favourite, but my lasting memory is that all the teachers at Oakham were incredibly professional - seemingly all from Oxbridge and so dedicated, being ‘on duty’ from 7am – 10pm. They were all so giving of their time, not just in the classroom but also for sporting events and during the weekends and half-term holidays for extra-curricular activities such as CCF and various camping trips.

What did sport mean to you at Oakham? I remember that there were so many sporting activities on offer for the boys so you had a chance to try anything from all the traditional school sports such as rugby, cricket, athletics, to the more unusual Fives or Shooting, so there was always plenty of choice. I was a late developer

Credit: Jesus Renado

Your favourite memories of life at Oakham? Looking back I fondly remember the teaching staff embracing the Oakham way of life wholeheartedly which was infectious to pupils. We were encouraged to grasp every opportunity and try as many new things as possible to see where our strengths and enjoyments may lie. In the 1960s, of course, Oakham was solely boys – 450 of us and I distinctly remember the joy I felt when we all got together and sung enthusiastically for Congregational practice on a Saturday and again for Morning and Evening Song on a Sunday and this experience is now repeated at the Emirates Stadium cheering on Arsenal. We were always kept busy and were occupied from the moment we woke, to when we returned to our House each night – no doubt the best way to exhaust a large cohort of boys!

David in his 1964 rugby team

David coaching Sir Ben Ainslie

physically and having arrived at Oakham into Hodge Wing at just 10 years old, a year earlier than most, and then left School a year early – so was only 16 when I departed Oakham in 1968. This meant I was small in comparison to my contemporaries, but I was happy and did well at Oakham – was Head Boy at Hodge Wing under Mike Rees, the Housemaster, before moving to Wharﬂands with John Barber as my Housemaster. What changes have you noticed when returning to Oakham? Oakham School is now almost unrecognisable from my day – ﬁrstly there are girls! And an equal number of them – making up an impressive School of over 1,000 pupils. The beautiful old buildings I remember like School House and the Chapel remain, alongside some

truly high-spec, modern facilities on the campus. It’s clear the School is constantly evolving to move with the times and provide that much talked about all-round education. Have you attended many OO Events since leaving School? I came back to a 50-year reunion this year that my contemporary Peter Hewlett helped to organise. It was marvellous to meet up with my fellow peer group and see what amazing condition the School is in. I was particularly impressed with BAFS Pavilion which overlooks both the cricket wickets and rugby pitches and was ideal for the reunion. Any advice you would give an Oakhamian on leaving the familiarity of Oakham School? Work hard, stick at it whilst enjoying the whole experience and you will be better equipped to deal with life on leaving School and facing the big wide world. Advice you might now have given yourself at Oakham? Carpe Diem! Try everything on offer - and to have perhaps worked harder!

My lasting memory is that all the teachers at Oakham were incredibly professional- seemingly all from Oxbridge and so dedicated, being ‘on duty’ from 7am – 10pm. They were all so giving of their time, not just in the classroom but also for sporting events and during the weekends and half-term holidays for extracurricular activities such as CCF and various camping trips. 129

Foundation News

RELATIONSHIPS THAT LAST A LIFETIME A t the Lower School parents’ drinks reception that we held at the start of term in September, it was great to meet so many parents whose children were starting their Oakham journey. Many of those present had already benefited first-hand from all the opportunities that an Oakham education has to offer, being either OOs themselves or parents or friends of existing Oakhamians. For everyone there was a sense of excitement and anticipation of what the future would hold for their children as they join the Oakham School community, a relationship that will last a lifetime. It has been a great privilege over the past four years to have met so many people whose affection for Oakham School has inspired them to support us as we continue the School’s great legacy. Time and again I have been struck by the love that donors have for the School as they generously give their time and money to support our plans. It is now my turn to ‘pass on the torch’, as my career takes me in a new direction. However, with so many exciting plans in place to develop the School further, I leave Oakham safe in the knowledge that the Development Office will continue to fulfil its purpose to support the strategic vision of Oakham School. I couldn’t possibly conclude my last ever Oakhamian article without mentioning my wonderful colleagues in the Development Office: Asha, Becca, Tooty, Eileen, Jono and Paul – thank

you for all your hard work. And ﬁnally, to every donor who has generously supported the School during my time here (in whatever way and at whatever level) I say a heartfelt thank you – your kindness really does help to make Oakham School a very special place.

Anna Bentley, Development Director

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE TEAM! Asha Hickin – Development Manager – who is currently on maternity leave, gave birth to her second child, Soﬁa Eliza on 18 October 2018, weighing a healthy 6lb 13oz – a sister for Amelia. Asha and Alex are over the moon with her safe arrival and the Development team enjoyed long cuddles with her when she visited us recently. 130

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Paul Hassall, who is covering for Asha while she is on maternity leave. Paul has a sales and marketing background, working across a number of industry sectors, most recently in the world of mapping with Ordnance Survey. He is bringing his wealth of experience to work on some of the Foundation’s key projects and is your point of contact for any queries relating to The 1584 Society, the Robert Johnson Legacy Society and this year’s Foundation Projects.

Foundation News

ROOTS IN LEARNING I am delighted to say that one of the Foundation Projects that we have supported in 2018 has now ‘taken root’ in the Smallbone Library. This stunning new centrepiece was installed in time for the start of the new academic year and is already being enjoyed by the hundreds of pupils who use the library each week. Emerging from the recreational reading section in the Lower Library, leafy branches wreathe over the ground ﬂoor towards the informational reading area to mirror the readers’ own learning journey and the way they grow as learners. Head Librarian Darryl Toerien said, “This exciting installation draws on the science and style of Biophilic Design, which aims to bring elements of the natural world into educational spaces. It provides a working/ study environment that is more natural and positive, thereby helping students to be more productive.” It was particularly timely that Alan Grieve, Chairman of the Jerwood Foundation,

which was a major contributor to the library’s development, was on a visit to Oakham School just a few weeks after the tree had been installed. Together with his wife, Karen, and Executive

Directors Philippa Hogan-Hern and Lara Wardle, Alan was able to witness ﬁrst-hand the impact that their support of the School has had on our pupils’ learning environment.

ROBERT JOHNSON LEGACY SOCIETY Named in honour of our Founder, we have launched the Robert Johnson Legacy Society to enable Old Oakhamians and supporters of Oakham School to leave a legacy in the knowledge that it will be used to beneﬁt future generations. In recognition of their generous support, members will receive invitations to special

legacy events held at Oakham School with a chance to visit the Legacy Garden at key times of the year. If you would like to ﬁnd out more about the Robert Johnson Legacy Society, please contact Paul Hassall either by phone on (01572) 758699 or by email ph2@oakham.rutland.sch.uk

CALLING ALL PARENTS! We’re looking for current parents to join the Campaign Board. If you would like to support the campaign and get involved with fundraising, we would love to hear from you. Contact the Development Office on (01572) 758699 to find out more. The Campaign Board exists to support the work of the Foundation, reaching out to likeminded people and the wider School community. Members meet once a term to catch up and agree on specific action points to fit in with their busy schedules.

Hans Haefeli, Campaign Board Member

I joined the Campaign Board, because as a parent and now Trustee of Oakham, I have a very close connection with the School, and am a passionate advocate for the education, experiences and opportunities it provides. It is a real pleasure to have the chance to speak to people who we think would be interested in supporting the Foundation about our latest plans and developments. 131

01572 758758 • admissions@oakham.rutland.sch.uk • www.oakham.rutland.sch.uk