issue nineteen TRINITY TERM 2015
SherborneNews SPORT
NEW TRADITIONS
MUSIC
LEADERSHIP
Comment BY PETER WATTS DEPUTY HEAD PASTORAL Term time was always frantic, often noisy and occasionally bedlam so I always looked forward to those first few hours of silence once the boys had left at the end of the School year; a chance to walk around the house without the questions, the boys chasing each other and the nagging feeling that somewhere some boy was up to something!
There’s no such thing as ghosts...
However, it was never quite silent. A pragmatic scientist like me should be able to ascribe the moans and sighs of an empty boarding house on the first day of a long holiday to the building settling or to the central heating winding down but...how could that explain the glimpse down a dark corridor of a rushing shadowy figure or the snatch of a whispered conversation just around the corner? Ghosts? Probably not‌ Spirits? Umm, probably not... Something less defined perhaps that describes how a building made from wood and stone can seem to take on the life of those who have lived in it. For boarding houses are places where life, with all of its challenges, successes and failures, is lived. And for all of the deliciousness of those first few hours of calm, I actually much preferred the wet Wednesday February evenings and the banter in the dormitory and the study bedrooms.
www.sherborne.org
Like any community there are the sad times to survive such as deaths (from pets, through to grandparents, parents and even, most poignantly of all for unrelated boys, the death of a boy still at School or just left), expulsions and the failures associated with public exams and university application.
continued ...
Analogous to the conservation of energy, emotion too, it seems, has its own sort of balance and the sad times are offset over time by the happy times associated with births (from puppies, through to younger siblings and the new offspring of the Housemaster), social gatherings and successes on the sports field or elsewhere.
Sherborne ISI Inspection Report The School received an outstanding ISI Inspection Report this term a full copy of the report can be viewed on the School website http://www.sherborne.org/schoolpolicies/. Ralph Barlow, Headmaster, commented: “I am immensely proud of the boys, my colleagues and the wider Sherborne community, not for any special effort put on in inspection week, but for the dedication, love of learning, support for each other and commitment to excellence which I see here week in, week out and which shine through in this report. I commend you to read it all, as there is so much to celebrate.”
And then there are the bizarre and weird times, which often turn out to be the funniest, once the shock and confusion subsides: ‘Sir, I know you’re not going to believe me but you have to come quickly, John has just disappeared into thin air ...’ Of course John hadn’t, but what he had done was to jump off a low wall into the garden shrubbery and in doing so had broken through a manhole cover, falling over six feet into the drain below. It didn’t take that long to find him, given his shouts for help. And then there was the dilemma brought about by the tick... Was it better for me, or matron, or both of us (to account for each other) to inspect a boy’s nether regions for the painful lump he had detected on his return from a weekend away from Dartmoor? Removing the tick was definitely a job for the sanatorium though! I could go on and on with tales of snakes in the changing rooms, of fires in the basement or indeed a flock of sheep in the Courts (but this isn’t a leaving speech) and perhaps one day, a different book might tell these stories, and more. To conclude, life in any boarding house is full ... yes, of ups and downs, of joy and sorrow, of laughter and tears. It was the laughter that kept me going through the eleven years of exhaustion that I was privileged to experience as a Housemaster. Being surrounded by teenage boys the whole time could lead one to despair; mostly it brought me hope for the future. ‘Dum vivo, spero’ as the School’s oldest house motto suggests.
BY PETER WATTS DEPUTY HEAD PASTORAL
Poetry Recitation Competition
BOW AWARD This Award is given to a boy who has made an outstanding contribution to the pastoral welfare of others at Sherborne. This year’s recipient, who received a standing ovation from the whole school, is Olly Douglas (U6d).
The Patterson Cup, named in honour of a former Head of English, Mr Robert Patterson, who retired in 2009, is competed for annually by all members of the Third and Fourth Forms, and is awarded for the best recitation from memory of a short poem. The winner of this year’s final, held on 10th June in the Old School Room and judged by Mr Patterson, was Malhaar Shah (3a) reciting Siegfried Sassoon’s ‘The Hero’. Maximilian Scheuner (4f) was second, and Sam MacDonald (4c) third.
BY PATRICK HAGUE ENGLISH TEACHER
“Throughout his time in the School he has demonstrated a consistency of kindness and awareness of others and their individual situations which I have seen in no-one else. Of all the people I know in the School, I cannot think of a more worthy candidate for this award.” Current Pupil
“Ever since I joined the School he has done everything he can to help me settle in. I have witnessed him repeatedly treating Third Formers as he would friends in his own year group, with a smile on his face, helping them to feel comfortable at School and be part of it.”
The first ever flag-raising ceremony took place at the start of this term. This new tradition will mean that the School flag flies whenever the boys are in School.
Current Pupil
Sherborne School is one of most beautiful places to study in Britain as voted by the Oxford Royale Academy
Lionheart Challenge Making young business people Third Form Chemistry Trip to Bristol University Third Form boys visited Bristol University Chemistry Department for a day of laboratory work and a display lecture. The boys followed a circuit of experiments creating different polymers; Caesine polymer (synthetic ivory), Nylon, polyvinyl alcohol gel (slime), thermosoftening polymer and benzoic acid from sodium benzoate. They were assisted by Chemistry postgraduates. They also took part in a lecture on aspects of the Chemistry of air with liquid nitrogen, solid carbon dioxide and hydrogen explosions mixed in with other colourful demonstrations.
The Fourth Form spent a day undertaking the Lionheart Challenge. Boys were given the challenge of deciding upon a product that they could market to encourage young adults to take a healthy lifestyle seriously. They worked alongside business coaches considering areas as diverse as marketing and finance. The ideas ranged from ‘Sole Obsession’, an insole that monitored exercise levels and calorie intake, to ‘Mix Master’, a personalised healthy smoothie and soup maker. Prizes were awarded for the best
presentation, the best financial package, the best team skills and the best marketing plan, as well as for the overall winning team. Three judges from local businesses, Abigail Bromell, Andrew Cranfield and Richard Herbert, were fantastic in providing feedback to each of the teams, and afterwards boys commented on how the day had made them think differently about business and innovation.
BY SUE SALMON ASSISTANT HEAD PASTORAL
BY CHRIS HAMON CHEMISTRY
Young Entrepreneurs Winning Team
Representing GB Rory McMillan (U6b) has been chosen to represent Great Britain as part of a fourstrong team at the International Chemistry Olympiad in Azerbaijan this summer.
Fifth Form boys and Sherborne Girls took part in the Young British Entrepreneurs Course. The course teaches that business, like life, is all about attitude … 80% attitude, 20% skill. If you acquire the right attitude in identifying and then solving a problem you have a potential business model. The course showed the participants how business works and its logistics. One of the tasks they undertook in teams was to come up with an idea for a new product, and how this would work from conception through to market place. This was then ‘pitched’ to a panel of ‘Dragons’. The team that won designed a ‘Safety Straw’ which could detect SHERBORNE FOUNDATION if a drink had been contaminated SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL FOR 15 YEARS with a drug.
Third Form Battlefields trip Staying at the Peace Village Hostel at Messines for three nights enabled the whole Third Form to explore several sites in the immediate vicinity, including the Island of Ireland Peace Park, with its emphasis on present-day reconciliation, as well as betterknown places associated with the First World War in both the Ypres Salient and on the Somme. Wreaths in memory of the 225 Old Shirburnians who fell in the Great War were laid at four memorials, including the Menin Gate at Ypres during a Last Post ceremony and at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. Battlefield sites visited included Hill 60, where Robert Kestell-Cornish (b,1895) earned his first Military Cross in 1915, and Newfoundland Park, where the preserved trenches brought home, in dramatic fashion, the carnage caused by German machine guns when the Newfoundlanders tried to advance there on the first day of the battle of the Somme in July 1916. The always powerful and poignant experience of visiting such sites was reflected on most effectively by Reverend Nicholas Mercer when he conducted an open-air service for the Sherborne School party at Messines Ridge Cemetery on the final evening of our visit to the Western Front. In a fitting conclusion to the whole experience, he reminded us all of the sheer waste of war and the supreme sacrifice made a hundred years ago by so many former pupils of the School, quite a few of them not much older than most of those present at this service of remembrance.
BY PATRICK FRANCIS HISTORY AND POLITICS TEACHER
RADIO SHERBORNE The inaugural live broadcast of Radio Sherborne took place at the end of this term. The two hour show was presented by Robert Ham (U6e) and Ed Polsue (U6b), and featured some special surprise attractions and an interesting mix of music.
Parent Lecture Programme
Turing Cycle Ride Seventy Sherborne cyclists set off from the Courts, to cycle 62 miles in honour of Alan Turing’s famous 1926 ride from Southampton to Sherborne. A mix of boys, parents, staff and other friends of the school took part, they climbed two of Dorset’s most challenging hills and raced past the Crown Hotel in Blandford Forum, where Turing had spent the night.
As part of our ongoing programme of parent lectures, PSCO Shelly Connolly from Dorset Police Force Safer Schools and Communities team spoke to parents about drugs awareness. The talk focused on illegal drugs (primarily cannabis) and legal highs, two of the biggest areas of concern and those most often featured in the media. After discussing the legal classifications, she talked us through the effects of individual drugs and the signs to look out for if you are concerned that your child might be taking them. There were also opportunities to ask questions and discuss any concerns with a professional who has had many years working in this area with young people. It was an interesting and informative talk and one that will be back on our lecture programme again next year.
BY SEANA CUMMINGS HEAD OF PSHE
BY MICHAEL MCGINTY HOUSEMASTER - ABBEY HOUSE
FOURTH FORM GERMAN EXCHANGE VISIT Fourth Form pupils studying German hosted 16 exchange pupils from Gymnasium Steglitz Berlin. This is the return visit following on from the week our pupils spent at the homes of their exchange partners in Berlin. There were interesting discussions on the difference between city and country life, boarding and day schools and single sex versus mixed. The pupils from Berlin
were treated to the full Sherborne experience, including living in boarding houses, taking part in lessons, Abbey services, sports and extra-curricular activities. Both sides gained a better understanding of each other’s cultures and as always good friends were made. BY JUDY THURMAN
HEAD OF MODERN LANGUAGES
Commemoration Celebrations
DUKE OF EDINBURGH EXPEDITIONS
This has been a very busy term for DofE, with 125 boys involved in 10 separate expeditions. The silver teams visited the Brecon Beacons and Quantock Hills, to refine their navigation skills and work as a team. Gold teams had an expedition in the Lake District and experienced challenging weather conditions with 60mph winds, hail, snow and limited visibility, which made circumnavigating Derwentwater and climbing Blencathra all the more demanding. Over 40 Third Formers, working in six teams, learnt new skills in camping, outdoor cooking and navigation on their expeditions to the Mendips. We are looking forward to a busy summer holiday with trips to the Peaks, Exmoor, Ross on Wye and Snowdonia all planned.
BY LAURIE PHIPPARD - MASTER IN CHARGE OF DofE
Ten Tors Challenge Eighteen Fourth Form boys successfully completed the Ten Tors 35-mile challenge on Dartmoor. With 2,400 participants, this event should not be underestimated: 35 miles on the uneven and often boggy terrain of Dartmoor will make for sore feet, and navigation is tough as there are vast stretches of undulating grassland with few distinguishing features. There is little shelter from the elements (think wind and rain more than sunshine). Participants may no longer have to carry a 40-metre rope to pull people out of bogs, but the required kit list is almost as lengthy, and some packs seemed to be almost as large as some of the smaller people. A big well done to the 0boys who successfully completed the challenge – and also to Giles Cook (4g) and Vincent Hagg-Davies (4f) who completed the training but missed out on the event. You made us very proud this year, not by being the quickest or the strongest, or by being black-belt ninja navigators, but by being excellent teams who demonstrated growing competence in many skills, great care for one another and the environment and a genuine passion for the outdoors. We hope that this is just the start of many more adventures and challenges to come.
BY KIM KIMBER - CLASSICS
CCF FIELD TRIPS The highlight of the trip to Sennybridge this term for the CCF Army and Royal Marine Cadets was being able to use the latest night vision equipment as part of the exercise attempt to sneak past a ‘hunter force’ at night without being caught. The boys also got to put into practice their field craft skills and weapon handling, with a combination of live firing, blank firing and laser-
tag. The Royal Navy Cadets visited RNAS Yeovilton where they had a chance to take the controls of an aircraft and try a range of aerobatics, including flying upside-down and putting the aircraft through a loop-the-loop! They also spent two days at HMS Raleigh powerboat training and yacht sailing, in very lively conditions, which tested the Cadets to the full.
BY ROB LE POIDEVIN AND HARRY STRAUGHAN CCF COMMANDER AND CCF OFFICER
Leadership and Teambuilding
The Leadership and Teambuilding Course meant that the Fifth Form boys jumped from exams to Brownsea Island. The course started with an inspirational address from double Paralympic medallist Ian Rose. Ian spoke passionately about learning to bounce back from setbacks and how perseverance can lead to success. The boys then went to Brownsea Island to complete a series of leadership and teambuilding tasks. Some of these tasks are designed to create friction to see how the group adapts and responds to these challenges. The boys were responsible for cooking their own meals and, much to the pleasure of the National Trust, continued the fine annual tradition of giving something back to the island through a conservation task. This year the boys cut down a number of trees (they were asked to!) in an overcrowded area to enable others to grow. Once the boys returned from Brownsea, they completed questionnaires about communication and leadership styles to discover more about themselves. They then gave valuable peer-to-peer feedback to identify strengths and areas for development. It is hoped that when the boys reflect upon their performance and attitude on the course, it will help develop their leadership and teamwork attributes for the future.
BY ROB LE POIDEVIN
Running a Marathon around The Courts Head of Politics and CCF Commander Rob Le Poidevin, together with former Sherborne Business Studies teacher Matt Woods, ran 26.2 miles around the Courts at Sherborne School, as part of their 31-week training programme for the 8-stage mountain ultra-marathon they will be undertaking in August. They are aiming to raise ÂŁ8,000 for Macmillan Cancer Charity, by running on 8 consecutive days across Germany, Austria (stepping briefly into Switzerland) and Italy in the Alps, running 268km across some of the most unforgiving running routes in the world. This will involve 16.3km of vertical ascent and 14.5km of descent. Their progress can be followed on twitter - @transalpine_ and https://www.facebook.com/transalpinechallenge. Rob commented that running around the Sherborne School Courts was a challenge in itself. However, we had a lot of support from the boys and staff, which certainly helped to keep us motivated during our 270 laps! We have only raised 16% of our target so far and we really hope that as many people as possible will support this worthy cause. https://www.justgiving.com/transalpine
MUSIC
The 2015 Sherborne Abbey Festival provided an opportunity for the School’s music-making to shine within the local community as an extension to that which is offered week on week in the Cheap Street Church lunchtime recitals. A Chamber Music concert in the Abbey of soloists showed Alexander Stagg (L6f, trumpet) to be on particularly fine form with Spiritual, by Jean Hubeau, and James Richards (U6a, piano) with Billy Mayerl’s Marigold on superb pianistic virtuosity, while the Chamber Orchestra accompanied Charlie Smith (4g, flute) in a strong performance of Menuet and Badinerie by J S Bach. The Swing Band’s concert in the Powell Theatre, a change in venue after 2014 when the Tindall Recital Hall’s capacity left disappointed members of the public listening from outside, saw the theatre full to capacity and one wonders where next year’s performance will need to take place! Finally, the Chamber Choir, Close Harmony and Barbershop gave a largely a cappella concert in the Abbey on the Saturday morning, albeit with some fine piano accompaniments by Benjamin Davey in a specially commissioned Kings Singers’ style arrangements by Paul Drayton. The new affiliate partnership with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) was cemented with a pre-
concert foyer performance of Mozart’s Wind Octet at Poole Lighthouse in April. As with the partnership, the ensemble was joint with Sherborne Girls: the two horns and the bassoons were Shirburnians (Theo Beeny (L6c), Ben MacLean (4b) – horns; William Glasse (U6a), Sebastian Fender (L6e) – bassoons); two oboists and two flautists joined them in the performance. It was remarked upon as having been excellent, with an article on the ensemble’s performance featured in a BSO quarterly review. Following hot on the heels of the BSO success was a House Concert of exceptional quality: Wallace House highlights included Jackie Zheng (3e) with Elgar’s Salut d’amour on the violin; James Pyman (4e) with Klengel’s Sonatina on the ‘cello; Robert Ham (U6e) with Gregson’s Tuba Concerto (3rd movement); Harry Reynolds (L6e) with Schumann’s Fantasiestücke on the clarinet; and Wallace House Barbershop (Harry Reynolds, Tomos Evans, James Pyman, Robert Ham, Joss Nelson) with Mr Sandman; a string group and a saxophone group (Marcus Soo, Alec Drew-Prior, Jack Slade, Jack Wells, James Foulger, Will Thorne).
...
CONCERT IN THE COURTS, returning after a year off in 2014, proved to be an enormous success. To an audience of 700, bands competed with one another for places on the much-exalted stage with its high-powered amplification. Neighbours within a one mile radius had been warned. The concert certainly filled the courts with rock music and particular mention should be made of Charlie Smith (4g) and his band which, for the first time in many years, involved a full saxophone section, trombones and
Five Concerts
trumpets. An Unplugged concert followed within a week of the rock concert and this, too, benefited from excellent weather: the amphitheatre outside the Music School proved to be the perfect venue for high quality solo and ensemble performances as a kind of prelude for the Commemoration concert, ‘Music for a Summer’s Afternoon’.
of the academic year, which made up Commem, were the Leavers’ Concert in the Tindall Recital Hall, a nostalgic farewell to the extraordinary musical talent of the Upper Sixth; ‘Music for a Summer’s Afternoon’ on the last Friday of term, which was followed by the Gala Concert for all the School’s major ensembles in the BSR (Concert Orchestra, which is shortly to tour Prague, Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Choir, Wind Band, Swing Band and one of the RocSoc bands); music in The Courts by the Swing Band and its talented vocalists James Allan (L6m), Jacob Hughes-Hallett (L6a) and Jack Miller (L6a); and finally the annual Jazz Tea in Abbey Grange garden on the Saturday afternoon, following the House Lunches.
LUNCHTIME RECITALS continued until just after Half Term, when the inevitable public exam pressure put a temporary halt to concerts until the mini music-festival during Commem. The final Chamber Music recital gave an indication of the extraordinary high quality of the performances which were about to be performed in the annual Patrick Shelley Music Competition: this event, adjudicated by Roy Stratford – a pianist and conductor – showed just how exceptional the music-making at Sherborne currently is: of the thirty-nine performances, almost all were of Grade Eight and above standard with Robert Ham ATCL – awarded in April - performing to a proven diploma level. The competition was won by Finnbar Blakey (5a), as the adjudicator felt that his performances on the ‘cello, piano and as a singer were outstanding: the Strings section was also won by Finnbar; the Woodwind by Peter Folkes (4a, saxophone); the Brass by Robert Ham (U6e); the Piano by Douglas Mak (5c) and the Singing by Jacob Hughes-Hallett (L6a).
Sport IT HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLY BUSY TERM FOR ALL THE BOYS AT SHERBORNE, BUT AS WE APPROACH THE FINAL FEW DAYS, IT IS TIME TO REFLECT ON THE EFFORTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF A HUGE NUMBER OF BOYS throughout the age groups and across a wide range of sporting activities. From Athletics to Tennis and Golf to Cricket it has been a very good term on the sporting front. In the best season ever for cricket at Sherborne there were seven centuries scored, three from Will Caldwell (L6m), two from Tadgh Patten (3m), one from Dom Prest (4d) and one from Harry Taylor (4c), an amazing achievement. There are also other obvious examples of success amongst our elite performers such as Ben Childerley (4f) and Ben Poe (L6d) in Sailing, our Junior Colts A cricketers and the Colts A Tennis group who enjoyed an unbeaten season. Will Westmacott (3c), following a serious injury last September, has returned to full fitness and rightfully claimed a place at the English School National Athletics Championships in the junior boys 80m hurdles. The list of achievements goes on and on. However, I am equally pleased and proud of the significant majority who ply their trade below the top teams but who nevertheless achieve great things. In the last couple of weeks, Sean Williams (L6f) returned figures of 5 wickets for 5 runs against Clifton College in a 3rd XI fixture, and Harry Taylor (4c) smashed a century for the Junior Colts C team against Canford. There are numerous other examples and I applaud all those who have worked hard and enjoyed their sport in the summer term. Good luck to our home Rugby Squad who are heading to Australia in a few weeks and thanks to all Sponsors, Parents and Staff for their support. BY DAVID GUY – DIRECTOR OF SPORT
Cricket
round up
Congratulations to the Junior Colts A Cricket team who are South West Champions and for the first time in 30 years are through to the National Finals. Old Shirburnians Will Homer (m,2014) and Richard Galloway (m,2014), have both been picked to play in the IRB U20 World Championships Rugby, Will for England and Richard for Scotland.
Inter-House Athletics
Congratulations to The Digby on winning all three Inter-House Athletics Tournaments.
Sailing Success Congratulations to Ben Poe (L6d) and Ben Childerley (4f) who won the National Sailing Championships in the 420 class.
South West Hurdles Champion
Swimming Records Broken
Congratulations to Will Westmacott (3c), who won the South West Championships U15 hurdles in 11.6 seconds, beating the previous School record. This qualifies Will to compete in the English Schools Championships in a few weeks’ time.
Congratulations to Jasper Slawson (U6e) on breaking two further School Swim records, the 50m Butterfly in 27.94s & the 50m Freestyle in 25.24s.
National Point to Point Champion Congratulations to Michael Treneer (4m) on winning the 148cms Conditions Championships to become National Point to Point Champion, on his pony, Tarka.
LOOKING FORWARD...
• Pre-season Rugby: 1st & 2nd XV – Wednesday 2nd to Sat 5th September (Match on Sat 5th) Colts A & B – Thursday 3rd to Sat 5th September (Match on Sat 5th) JCA & JCB – Thursday 3rd to Sat 5th September (Match on Sat 5th) • Parent/Teacher Meetings (Provisional Dates): Friday 25th September – Third Form Parent/Teacher Meeting Saturday 10th October – Lower Sixth Parent/Teacher Meeting Friday 20th November – Upper Sixth Parent/Teacher Meeting • Term Dates: Travelling day for new boys: Sunday 6th September Travelling day for remainder: Monday 7th September First Exeat: Friday 25th to Sunday 27th September Second Exeat: Saturday 10th to Sunday 11th October Half Term: Friday 23rd October to Wednesday 4th November Third Exeat: Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd November End of Term: Saturday 12th December
PARENT AND SON CLAY PIGEON SHOOTING COMPETITION Boys and parents met for the annual Parents’ and Sons’ Clay Shooting Competition. Boys were keen to show off their practised skills and the parents, as in previous years, were in high competitive spirit. In the boys’ competition the trophy was won jointly by Max Baldwin (5b) and Henry Jackson (L6c). The parents’ trophy was won by Derek Purchase and for the second year in a row the parent and son team trophy was won by the Baldwin team.
SHERBORNE SCHOOL ABBEY ROAD SHERBORNE DORSET DT9 3AP T: 01935 812249 E: enquiries@sherborne.org www.sherborne.org Photographs: Alexander Davidson (5f), Alex Dunham, Saffron Gallagher, Chris Hamon, Sophie Harris, James Henderson, Nick Henderson, Jim Kimber, Rob Le Poidevin, Louise Litchfield, Michael McGinty, Nico Morgan Photography, Laurie Phippard, Fiona Reay, Nick Scorer, Judy Thurman, Harry Trump and others. Registered Charity No. 1081228