The Grange Magazine Vol 5 No 5

THE GRANGE MAGAZINE

From the new tutors

> Pages 10 & 11

The Grange Observer

Artists of The Grange

VOL 4, NO.5

> Page 18 & 19

> Page 12

Editorial

2019 2020

THE GRANGE MAGAZINE

EDITORS OF THE GRANGE MAGAZINE Senior Editors: Daniel B. H. Koo, Edward J. B. Gaut Sports Editor: Ehioze O. Osifo Illustrators and Artists: Kabir I. Siddiqui, Aaren X. Y. Song EDITORIAL There were three different plans for this year's editions of The Grange Magazine before reaching this stage of publication. The editors initially planned to publish an edition each term like we did in past years. Before the ink was dry on our planning sheet, however, our goal quickly changed to publishing one joint edition at the end of the Lent term combining the two terms together, in recognition of just how busy Autumn Term is for everyone involved. Then came the COVID-19 outbreak, which led to the early closure of the school at the end of the Lent Term. So here we are: at the time of writing, the editors have met virtually over Microsoft Teams during the Easter Holidays and have collectively decided to publish this special edition, which combines the full academic year 2019/20.

We began with the Autumn Term, which is perhaps the most arduous term of the academic year. With so much being packed into what is still a relatively short space of time (despite it being the longest term) it's fair to say that it has been an exciting first term for the boys of the Grange. Many Grange boys were involved in various musical events including the Greenwich concert, school musical and the Symphony Orchestra Concert. The term was filled with various inter-house competitions, from House Song, to the various inter-house sport competitions such as House Cross-Country and House Swimming and those involved participated with the sense of passion and determination we have come to expect from The Grange.

As expected, the Lent Term was no less eventful than the Autumn Term. Although the term ended a little shy of two weeks early, it was nevertheless a busy one, packed with concerts, lectures, various inter-house sport competitions and the inter-house art competition. Since then, lessons and assemblies have now moved to King's Education Online, where we follow a very similar timetable at home. All classwork, preps and tests are done online and lessons are delivered through a video call (this does mean that the excuse 'sorry, I left my prep at home/ boarding house' is no longer of any use).

This edition sees the debut of a new contributor to the magazine - The Grange Observer - who writes about the transformation of Green Court into a dog park. Introduction of the new shells, sports and music reports as well as the letters from our new tutors this academic year are all included in this special edition.

From the outgoing Editor of The Grange Magazine It is with great pleasure to announce that Ed Gaut will be leading the editorial team of this magazine from the next academic year, assisted by an excellent team of editors and illustrators. This magazine has a great history dating back to the days of the founders of this great house and it has been my privilege to lead the publication of this magazine since bringing it back to life in the summer of 2018.

As I leave The Grange after 5 very happy years, I wish on the house and the magazine well and I ask for the full support of our readers to the future generation of editors of this magazine.

As in previous editions of The Grange Magazine, we would be very glad to receive any updates from old Grange pupils for our ‘From the old Grange pupils’ section which will be added to upcoming editions, should we receive enough submissions. If you have any news or updates that you would like to share with us, please do contact the editors at editorsgrange@kings-school.co.uk.

The whole house joins in thanking all healthcare workers, especially the OKS, parents and friends of The Grange.

Daniel Koo & Edward Gaut April 2020

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THE HOUSE Housemaster: Mr. M. C. Orders BSc Deputy Housemaster: Mr. E. J. Flower BA Matron: Miss C. Robinson TUTORS Dr. F. Elias Schilserman Ldo PhD, Mr. C. P. Wooldridge BSc, Mr. L. G. Bartlett BA MRSC, Mr. C. Gardiner BA, Mr. M. J. White BA MSc, Mr. J. W. Outram BA AKC, Mr. J. A. Hounsell BA Captain of House: Titus Gurtler School Monitor: Daniel B. H. Koo Vice Captain of House: Alexander C. W. Roskill

HOUSE MONITORS T. Gurtler, B. H. D. Koo, A. C. W. Roskill, J. H. E. d’Abo, I. O. Durojaiye, B. S. Jackson, C-H. J. Kam, A. Kovalenko, F. W. Leung, D. W. S. Low, D. A. Turner SALVETE Shell Dima Avdenko, Tom Banks, Sean Zhen, Arthur Elliott, Joe Fuller, Nathan Leung, Sze Chai Luk, Teodore Mali, Godefroy Pinter, Alex Shapiro, Max Webster, Jim Wu, Will Zacka, Joe Zhang 6b Timur Aksenenko, Derek Cheung, Inigo Farah, Kabir Siddiqi

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FROM THE HOUSEMASTER Mr Mark C. Orders Housemaster of the Grange Dear Parents, Guardians, Boys and OKS of The Grange, Welcome to the 5th Edition of The Grange Magazine and thank you to Daniel Koo and Ed Gaut for spending so much time putting this together. To the many OKS who have contacted us since the magazines were sent to you – thank you for your advice, suggestions, and in some cases, corrections!

I know that the editors really do appreciate it - particularly the ‘lost’ editions that have been donated.

Thank you!

2019-2020 will certainly have a place in the history books of King’s: from the initial reports of the virus in China, to the daily changes in the rules from the government, the abrupt closure of the school prior to Easter, the almost immediate cancellation of GCSEs and A Levels and now the move to online teaching, remote learning and virtual King’s Week. All of this alongside the tumultuous global financial and political situation means that, as I sit in my office of the deserted Grange, I am still very unsure what to make of it all.

The cancellation of the exams, and removal of any form of celebratory farewell for our 6a leavers is a great disappointment for many. I know that they must feel somewhat cheated of their final King’s Week and the great sense of closure and celebration that comes with it. I have promised them and their parents that we will have a farewell ceremony and celebration as soon as the school reopens, and I know that Mr Roberts is keen to recreate (a version of) the usual commemoration service for them as soon as possible. The exam grades are being decided by their teachers using all available information – a difficult challenge for us all, moving from advocates for our students, to judge and jury (but hopefully not executioner!). The 6as will also need to decide if their university plans will change, or if plans for gap years will have to be curtailed. Cambridge has announced in the last few days that they will not reinstate live lectures until September 2021, although with the situation appearing to improve rapidly, I would like to think that this might be reconsidered.

For all other year groups, the learning continues. We are currently delivering live, online lessons from our desks, with the pupils of the school joining from wherever they are in the world, in various time zones! In one lesson, I was teaching a student who had just woken up at 4am in the Caribbean, joined by another in Hong Kong, where it was 5pm. It is quite remarkable just how quickly all of this has fallen into place and the way that it has been embraced by nearly everyone. All that time spent staring at their phones has clearly paid off! Alongside this, it has been absolutely clear to me that this much screen time is no good for one’s eyes, back or mind. If this experience has taught me

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anything, it is the importance of finding other outlets away from the desk – and I’ve been enjoying the beautiful weather in Canterbury digging at our allotment and rediscovering reading. The school has tried to put on an interesting extra-curricular programme for the students, to varying degrees of success. I read with interest that global business may never return to face-to-face meetings. I will reserve judgement on this (eye contact and body language being just two of the things we have lost in the last few weeks), but if it is true, then our students will likely have a distinct advantage.

At this point in my letter, I usually talk about the tutors leaving or arriving at the house, but it seems there is currently no news to speak of. Therefore, all being well, all tutors will remain in The Grange next year to provide some much-needed stability for the boys. We are looking forward to welcoming our new shells and life returning to some form of normality. Whilst I don’t know which form the school will open in initially, or indeed when this will be, I can promise that the spirit and camaraderie of this great house will continue, despite the ‘social distancing’ requirements!

So, from a deserted King’s School, I wish you all good health and happiness and although this is the customary end to most letters and emails, I can say with absolute certainty that I’m looking forward to seeing you all again very soon.

Yours Sincerely,

Mark Orders

The Grange Backfield, 2020

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WATCH THE SKIES!

I took this from next to the door to the Choir House; the imposing arches of the remains of the 12th C. infirmary hall in the foreground make a good contrast with the faint light of the Milky Way behind the Bell Harry tower.

I took 16 photos and I stacked them together in order to reveal the Milky Way, so there’s plenty of work behind this photo. I finished at 1 a.m., but it was a wonderful experience and I could have stayed out all night if I didn’t have lessons the next morning! It is such a beautiful thing to walk around the Precincts under a starry sky, the only soul in “the enveloping cosmic dark”, to quote Carl Sagan.

This edition, the Grange magazine is featuring one of Dr Elias' images from his regular astronomy newsletter which is sent to all of the members of the school as the back cover for this edition. Above is a short explanatory piece taken from one of his recent emails to help explain the back cover's content. To see more from Dr Elias' excellent newsletter, if you are a current pupil/member of staff, await Dr Elias' email or read through the back catalogue (if you haven't already) or check Dr Elias' new instagram page, which can be found by scanning the QR code at the bottom of the page, or by going to: www.instagram.com/_watch.the.skies_

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From the New Tutors Mr J A Hounsell

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irst, I just want to say how much I have enjoyed my start to life at The Grange - it reminds me of life on the trading floor: an eclectic bunch of individuals from all walks of life , thrown together , but some how in the Grange melting pot it all works!

Huge credit to you Mr Orders.

I am often asked: why the change? I still can’t put it down to one factor, but what I have discovered is that I love life. I pride myself in being energetic and giving 100% in everything I do. I have also found that the most important factor in success is enjoyment – they are simply intertwined to such an extent that they are inseparable.

Gentlemen - writing has never been a strength of mine and it’s safe to say I am an ‘actions first , think second’ character. In a way, that fact has played a huge role in shaping my life to date. Being the son of a farmer I have always enjoyed the outdoors and in particular the physical challenges it presented.

Had I worked hard at school, a career as a Vet was always my dream, but sadly I very much enjoyed everything else that school had to offer. Fortunately, rugby rescued a pretty average set of A-levels and I spent four years playing for London Irish whilst at university. As the game turned professional, London Irish found me a role at Morgan Stanley and it was safe to say that in banking, all my talents came to the fore. After 20 hectic years in the city, I am not sure why, but I retired. I went back to university to gain a PGCE in maths and then secured a training contract at JKS and now you know the rest.

What drives me now is you. I have a real passion and desire to help you all and equip you with the life skills that hopefully will enable you become the best you can be, but most importantly to enable you to enjoy life and that includes making mistakes and errors. I have found that they are often more positive experiences than successes and play a huge role in shaping who you are and if nothing else make far more interesting topics of conversation. I imagine it’s quite dull living a life without mistakes.

My dog, Purdey, and I are honoured to be part of the Grange. My challenge to you all is to break boundaries, crash through life’s hurdles and also master the art of reflection. Only then will you be able to use these experiences positively going forward and to the benefit of others.

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From the New Tutors Mr J W Outram

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riting this from afar during Lockdown it is good to have the opportunity to reflect on life in The Grange. It is such a great privilege to call myself a Grange Tutor.

Having been closely involved in the pastoral life of King’s for the past twenty years (nine years of that time as Housemaster of Linacre), I can, without hesitation, declare that The Grange is a wonderful boarding community with a tangible sense of care and concern, inclusivity and a huge dollop of fun.

The welcome I receive from this community each time I enter the hallowed corridors is noteworthy for its genuine regard and palpable interest in my life. ‘Getting to know’ is key to becoming part of the fixture and fittings and I have felt that I have easily got to know everyone on my rounds when on evening duty. Imagine that all in house were to experience enforced weeks of Lockdown within The Grange - how would the community have coped? I like to think that, with inevitable stresses and strains along the way (which household has not encountered these?), the community of boys would have rallied, encouraged, been typically inventive and good-humoured and, ultimately, sought to use every day as a means for advancement both individually and collectively. So therefore not too different from normal term time! The Grange is great and, under Mr Orders' magical leadership, the community will reconvene in the next academic year and I will once again be most delighted and thankful to be part of it.

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A new, semi-regular feature

There have been various mutterings around the Green Court that that hallowed stretch of turf is to be repurposed. Residents are up in arms – or should that be up in paws? Discussions, or so the Observer hears, are underway regarding the installation of the Precincts’ first dog park at the Marlowe end of Green Court.

Plans are allegedly set to include facilities for grooming, exercising, feeding and socialising the pets. A range of exciting ramps, tunnels, mounds, wedges, swings, tight ropes, hurdles and treadmills is also set to be included following the massive increase in staff-owned dogs within the Precincts.

An anonymous source said: “We saw an opportunity to become Canterbury’s first totally dog-friendly school so we grabbed it with both paws. Dogs in lessons? No problem – we all know how dogs respond to praise and reward. Staff room visit? Bring the hound; there are plenty of beds and biscuits for all comers. And if they get dog tired? The herb garden is a paw-fect place for dogs to catch up on some sleep. What will they dream of? The big dog park in the sky, of course. I’d say we’ve got the competition licked!”

Another source was heard to remark: “You don’t need a dog to work here, but it certainly helps!”

As for whether a dog ownership clause is to be added to staff contracts, that remains to be seen. Lily, the Dean’s beloved black and white cat, was unavailable for comment but unconfirmed rumours reported seeing a cat matching her description in the back of a Longley’s taxi, a one-way ticket to Timbuktu in her mouth.

The Grange Observer 12

Always Look On The Bright Side of Life House Song 2019

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piece. As the judges remarked, the house coped well with the syncopated rhythms and extended chords found in the song, all whilst managing to sustain A Capella four-part harmony.

Many comments were made by both members of staff and pupils about the overall quality of Grange’s singing this year going as far as to say that it was perhaps the best house song done by Grange in the last few years.

his year, the house sang “Always look on the Bright Side of Life” from Monty Python’s Life of Brian, which was conducted by Dylan Turner and arranged by Ed Gaut.

After many weeks of nightly rehearsals, when the week before the event finally arrived, the song was pretty much learnt. Following a visit from Mr Bersey, we worked hard at the improvements he suggested in order to enhance our performance before the event, such as dynamics, diction and tempo.

This year was a particularly strong year for the Grange in terms of singing, with a strong line-up of trebles for the top part (alto) and a solid (and tuneful) bass section. Thanks to this strong group of singers this year, we were able to arrange the song in a way that utilised this large range of singers resulting in us being able to tackle a much more harmonically interesting arrangement of this

Ed Gaut, 6b

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How Ideas Change The World

As delivered at

Daniel Koo, 6a, Editor of The Grange Magazine Ideas change the world.

Ideas shape the world.

Ideas motivate people to act in a certain way, but ideas also change human behaviour.

Conflict of ideas start wars and revolutions, but a unified idea brings people together.

I am in no position to impose wisdom to such an intelligent and well-educated group of readers and I do not intend to do so. Instead, I aim to point out a number of observations I have made and share how important it is for today's generation to both understand and act upon the different ideas surrounding the world we live in today.

The Korean War c.1950 CNN

Most wars in history have started due to a conflict of ideas. Guns do not shoot themselves and nuclear bombs do not detonate on their own. It is therefore important to question why wars occur. Why is it that, a nation that was so strongly bonded together, which was collectively fighting against the Japanese colonization of Korea, started pointing guns at each another, at neighbours, and even at their own family members, just 2 years after their independence from Japan? People have their own opinions of history and there are a magnitude of different factors that play a part in influencing certain events to take place.

Without undermining the value of some people's view on history, it is important to focus on how a conflict of ideas lead to physical conflicts. I am from a country that exists as a direct result of a conflict of two political ideologies from international influence capitalism and communism.

In the 21st century, ideas are not as visible as they used to be in the past. People, generally, tend not to kill one another on the streets of Canterbury, New York or Seoul just because they do not believe in the same ideas. Of course, two people are most likely to agree on at least one idea, even if they disagree on virtually everything else. Ideas in the 21st century are very 14

subtly embedded in all areas of life, but especially in news (and fake news) books and YouTube videos that people of this generation are constantly surrounded by. It is therefore important that, in the 21st century and looking ahead, we identify ideas and critically assess them. A failure to do so could be fatal to our own unique views, and at a macro level, to democracy.

Take Cambridge Analytica for example - a tech company that used Facebook ads to access millions of data points on users, analyse trends, identify opinions and micro-target voters in major elections around the world.* People’s ideas were manipulated by fake news and other emotionally compelling advertisements that forcefully changed people's ideas without them knowing. This is not entirely the fault of tech companies, and even if it is, there’s nothing we can do to stop political parties from using different mediums to influence voters. There is no guarantee that there won't be a next Alexander Nix (Founder of Cambridge Analytica) of this world. In fact, it is almost certain that there will be more manipulation of personal ideas using technology now that the world has seen how powerful it can be. Rather than feeling helpless about having our ideas manipulated through technology, society should do anything to prevent individual citizens from becoming the same subservient farm animals as portrayed in Orwell’s Animal Farm. The easiest way to do this is by being aware of the different ideas and being critical of the different views and aiming to make personal judgements based on evidence and rational thinking.

Age of Technology Uber

Understanding ideas is also crucial for the commercial world of the future. Free market economics tell us that businesses must meet consumers’ demands. As long as free markets continue to exist, this principle is not going to change. What is going to change, however, is how companies cater for consumers’ preferences.

As a result, for businesses to thrive in the future, they need to identify the intrinsic consumer need. Let’s look at the transportation sector as an example. The fundamental, intrinsic consumer need is possibly best summarised as ‘moving from point A to B both safely and swiftly and at a relatively affordable price’.

In the 1900s, there was a significant rise of the US automobile sector when they were able to massproduce cars, which lowered costs and consumer prices, making it affordable for an average American household to own a car. Fast forward to 2015, we see a rise in tech start-ups like Uber and Lyft.** One of the reasons behind the rise of companies like Uber and Lyft is their ability to use technology in order to accurately match demand and supply, consumers and producers, thereby providing an efficient system that ultimately lowers cost, and as a result, makes moving from place A to B affordable for consumers. In fact, average Americans are finding it more affordable to use services provided by Uber and Lyft because they can get from one place to another relatively safely.

The services are also relatively affordable, taking into

account that a personal car needs regular check-ups and maintenance, fuelling and insurance payments even before it can be driven. Uber is now preparing to launch the next phase and are testing with drones that can make journeys much faster in heavily congested areas.*** A rising concern for today's generation is the changing market for goods, services, and, arguably the most concerning, the job market. It is sometimes reassuring to know that the underlying ideas behind consumer demand are most likely to stay the same, and as long as companies can identify the ideas and develop products to cater for consumers, it will continue to generate profits. The first step is always to identify the principle behind consumers’ rational thinking and create a product that fits their emotional needs.

So ideas do change the world – it affects human actions which determine the future of humanity. In a political and social sense, it is crucial for individuals in liberal democracies to critically analyse data form ideas.

In a commercial sense, one must be able to identify consumers’ ideas and innovate in order to deliver new, attractive products to the market. The debate of whether ideas can change the world positively or negatively depends on how well ideas are conceived and understood by individuals.

* The Cambridge Analytica Scandal, in Three Paragraphs https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/03/the-cambridge-analytica-scandal-in-three-paragraphs/556046/ **100 Years of Moving Assembly Line https://corporate.ford.com/articles/history/100-years-moving-assembly-line.html 15 *** The Future of Urban Mobility See: https://www.uber.com/us/en/elevate/

SPORTS REVIEW

From the Sports Editor We had many Grange pupils represent the school this term in virtually all of the plethora of sports offered at King’s. In rugby, following a successful tour to South Africa this summer holiday, we had Ehioze Osifo (6b) as a regular in the first XV along with Matthew Roughton-Smith and Jack Maltus (both 6b) who both had appearances in the first XV. This trio are definitely going to be a big part of the team next season. Lower down the school, we had four pupils play for the A team for their respective year groups: Max Webster, Godfrey Pinter, Arthur Elliot (all Shells) and Kai Webster (5th); it’s fair to say that the future does look very bright and I think we can expect a high level of sporting achievement across the entirety of the Grange in coming years. It is not just rugby in which Grange pupils have achieved sporting excellence, but also sports like basketball where Hans So (6b) is a regular starter for the first team – a new sport at King’s for this academic year.

Furthermore, in Fencing, a number of Grange boys fenced during the magnificent Malthouse opening. Unfortunately, inter-house rugby was cancelled in the Autumn term and deferred to the Lent term, to the disappointment of many Grange pupils.

Inter-House Events Swimming The Grange reclaimed its position as the best swimming house in this year’s inter-house swimming gala.

The Grange competed in both junior and senior categories. The junior team consisted of George Mitchell (Remove), Dima Avdeenko, Jim Wu, Nathan Leung and Will Zacka (all Shells). The juniors performed very well, with individuals being highly placed in events. The team worked well together in the Medley relay, coming top 3 in their heat for both Medley and Freestyle relays.

The senior team, formed of Daniel Koo (6a, Captain), Dylan Turner (6a), Derek Cheung (6b) and Matthew Roughton-Smith (6b), swam exceptionally both in individual and team events.

The team swept first places in Individual Medley and Backstroke events and came second in the Breaststroke and Butterfly events. The success continued in the relays, in which the house was placed second for the medley race and first in the freestyle relay. With the fantastic effort in individual and team races, the senior team claimed the championship title once again.

In the lent term, we had the annual senior house football. It was an event we were looking forward to all year as reigning champions. The team was led by Titus Gurtler (6a) and we started off with a draw against a combined team of day houses.

After the first game, we faced Galpin's, in which Overall, the event proved to be a great success, we showed why we were the reigning champions which shed light on both individual strengths and with everyone contributing massively to take us the power of teamwork which ultimately led to to a convincing win. This win then took us to our our victory. final group game against the School House team which was tipped to win the tournament. We were Daniel Koo, 6a off the pace all throughout the first half conceding a goal giving them a 1-0 lead. At half time, everything changed with a change in intensity. We drew the scores with a great volley by Ruben Rana 16

(5th), and we then went on to win the game in the closing stages with a wonder goal by Titus Gurtler.

Emotions were high after this game but we had to calm down in time to play Meister Omers in the semi final. We put in a very good performance as Hans So scored a goal well into the second half which put us through to the final. It was only right that we played our St Augustine’s counterpart in the final.

As many St Augustine’s derby matches go, there was a lot of drama which was fuelled by the big crowd. The match was well contested by both sides and finished with a draw of 1-1. We were optimistic as we entered penalties since we beat Tradescant on penalties last year. But this year was different.

They came back with a vengeance and took the win away from us.

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All of the boys enjoyed the tournament and its crazy ending. I want to thank all the 6as who participated in the tournament as they all performed magnificently.

Ehioze Osifo, 6b

ARTISTS OF THE GRANGE

Aaren Song, Fifth (Art Scholar) 18

Kabir Siddiqi, 6b (Art Scholar) 19

Introducing the Shells 2019-20

Whitstable beach From left to right: Tom Banks, Arthur Elliott, Godefroy Pinter, Jim Wu, Nathan Leung, Max Webster, Dima Avdenko, Will Zacka, Joe Fuller, Teodore Mali, Sean Chen, Joe Zhang, Alex Shapiro, Sze Chai Luk

Sean Chen • • •

I used to play in a teenage ice hockey club that was ranked in the top 5 in China I am a sneaker head I love gaming, especially League of Legends

Tom Banks • • •

Sze Chai Luk

• I have a sister in fifth form • I like watching videos • I enjoy fencing

My favourite subject is Geography My favourite sports are rugby and sailing I live in London and my previous school was Herward House

Joe Zhang

• I like collecting sneakers • I like to read fashion magazines • Football is my favourite sport

Nathan Leung

• I like pasta • I enjoy marvel movies • I like animals

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Alex Shapiro

• My favourite subject is maths • I have two dogs • My favourite ice cream flavour is strawberry

Arthur Elliott

• I like cricket • I live in East Kent • I enjoy singing

Max Webster

• I’m 3/4 English, 1/4 Japanese • I can speak almost fluent Chinese • I can play the guitar

Joe Fuller

• I enjoy sport, especially football and hockey • I enjoy music and I play the guitar and I sing • My previous school was St Ronan’s

Will Zacka

• I’m from Australia • My favourite is football • I live in Zürich

Teodore Mali

• I’m Serbian • I’m interested in history • I like playing football

Dima

• I’m Russian • I am good at swimming • I live in London

Jim Wu

• I like swimming • I’m from China • I have four dogs

Godefroy Pinter

• I speak French and English • I do horse-riding • I can jump on a horse

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This year at

September, 2018 Inter-house Cross-Country

September, 2018 First XVI Rugby

November, 2018 Shell rugby

The Grange

January, 2019 Inter house rowing March, 2019 Senior inter-house football

March, 2019 Junior inter-house football

Photo Credit: Dr Federico Elias See page 5 for more information!