The Bulletin
Friday 16 December 2016
Issue 100
From the Headmaster "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success," once said Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company. As the term finishes today, we are all looking forward to a well-deserved break after a very busy Michaelmas Term. The words of Henry Ford seem particularly appropriate as I reflect upon a succession of memorable school events. The culture of mutual support and respect at the RGS remains as strong as ever and allows our students to set the bar of aspiration ever higher. To pick out just a few examples seems invidious but this spirit of togetherness has been a characteristic of so many of the term’s highlights: the junior production of The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew; the junior piano concert where a record 34 students participated; the sporting stage, nowhere more so than the resilient, committed performances in rugby and cross-country against some of the country’s strongest schools; the Fashion Show, the Illustroetry recital evening, the Independent Learning Assignment evening, to name but a few; and, perhaps, most significantly, the move into the John Brown Building where so many individuals worked around the clock to ensure the building was ready for the second half of term. In addition, there has been a host of individual and team achievements, too numerous to mention individually here but all equally worthy of praise. The boys and the staff at the RGS give of their time selflessly and willingly and I would like to take this opportunity, once again, to thank formally the support and teaching staff, the boys, their parents, and the governors for the pride they take in every aspect of school life and their commitment. As Henry Ford commented: "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." This could not be more true of life at the RGS. I wish you and your families a very peaceful and happy Christmas and I look forward to seeing the boys refreshed and ready for 2017!
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Drama: The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew, written by Robert Bolt, was the perfect festive production as the heroic and strait-laced knight, Sir Oblong Fitz Oblong (Max Fleming 3C) is sent by the suitably pompous and dim Duke (Max Birtley 2C) to slay a vicious dragon on a far-away island. Here he tangles with Baron Bolligrew (Ellis Baker 3C), the deliciously flamboyant and crooked tyrant of the island, along with his henchman and charismatic partner in wickedness Squire Blackheart (Jack Gamble 3R). There were some great cameo roles including the savvy yet mischievous Mike Magpie (John Gray 2C) as well as the enchanting double act of Dr Moloch (Aradhya Soneja 2P) and Mazeppa Magpie (Solomon Poole 3R). The emergence of the flaming-red eyes and booming voice of the dragon took the action in a more sinister, mysterious direction as the final denouement saw the eagerly-anticipated slaying of the dragon much to the relief of the appreciative audiences!
Literature: Following the RGS’s success in the South of England heat of the Kids’ Lit Quiz, the team travelled to City of London Girls’ School for the National Final. The RGS team of Oliver Liversedge (2E), Joshua McGillivray (2P), Alex Mitchell (2E) and Samuel Rooke (2P) performed well but not enough to secure a top three place. They were consoled by an excellent tea, book prizes and the chance to meet a number of authors. Music: A busy fortnight for the Music Department included the Ensembles Concert, the Market Day Concert in Holy Trinity Church, and the RGS Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peter White and Dale Chambers, performing Grieg's Peer Gynt and Holberg Suites. The concert opened with Rossini's overture for The Barber of Seville and it was clear from the start that the orchestra was on sparkling form. There were also some very impressive performances of movements from Mozart from the Oboe Quartet and Clarinet Quintet with Samuel Jones (5H) and Nicholas Edwards (L6) as soloists. RGS Guildford Qatar: Within the first term of opening its doors, our school in Qatar has been awarded the prestigious title of Best British Start-Up Company of the Year 2016 by the Qatar British Business Forum (QBBF). It was noted that the RGS had created strong partnership links with Qatar, which was benefiting both the UK and Qatar and was an excellent example of promoting business excellence and nurturing Qatari partnerships within the British community. On receiving the award, Paul Bridges, the Principal, commented that he was honoured to receive such a prestigious award and to have been welcomed so warmly into the Qatari-British business community, “I would personally like to thank the staff of the RGS in Qatar; our success has been largely due to their hard work, determination and talent. Over the coming years we hope to provide many thousands of children living in Qatar with a first-class RGS Guildford education."
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Chess: In the Surrey Chess League the 1st team won 3½ – 2½ against Hampton School. Cricket: Congratulations to Thomas Humphreys (1C) who has been selected for the Surrey Under 12 county squad for the forthcoming cricket season. Cross-country: Having qualified through both the county round and the South-East England regional final, the RGS intermediate team travelled up to Formby, near Liverpool, to compete in the national finals of the English Schools Cup. Ben Fitzpatrick (4B), Thomas Jones (3P), Charles Kershaw (4B), George Manolis (3E), Samuel Martin (3R) and Sam Perryman (4A) produced excellent performances to finish third in the country from an original entry of nearly 400 schools. This success was made all the more notable by the significant travel time in a minibus which was not the ideal preparation for a cross-country race in a field of this calibre! Fencing: In a competition at Woldingham School, Freddie Cliffe (3P) secured first place in the Under 13 age group while Matthew Williams (4P) came first in the Under 15s. In addition, Leo Kamstra (2C) has been selected to be a member of the Under 13 England Fencing Squad. He finished fifth in the England Ranking with 1,260 points. His successes this year include a bronze medal in the prestigious Elite Épée Grand Final and two other podium finishes in qualifying competitions. Leo’s first competition will be the Challenge Wratislavia in Poland. Leo is the third – and by far the youngest – RGS fencer to earn national stripes. Rugby: In the block fixture against King’s College School, Wimbledon the senior sides enjoyed notable success with a clean-sweep of wins including a convincing 33 – 0 victory for the 1st XV which fittingly for a number of the team was their final home fixture for the School. In addition, the Under 16s secured three out of three wins with 112 points scored in the process. The final weekend of term saw the RGS playing against The Skinners’ School in Kent. The senior sides all won as the 1st XV rounded off their season with another strong victory, 53 – 24; the Under 16As also finished an excellent season with a 48 – 0 victory. Particular congratulations goes to the Under 16C team which went through the whole season undefeated; this means they have not tasted defeat for two and a half years: an impressive achievement. RGSGuildford
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